#i love the scenes where his shoulders literally go across the entire damn screen

[unnerving-presence]

wesker’s broad shoulders make me blush andhdjfh

[miekasa]

any dad!levi hcs for father’s day today🥺🤲🏽

Absolutely!! I’ll do this I guess using the kids I have for him in my parent au? If you’ve read that, you know about Holden, but there are two more so prepare to meet them :’) happy father’s day to Levi <33

To begin with, you guys would plan to have your kids (to the best of your abilities; you were intentionally trying to have kids at a time when you both knew you were ready for them. 

Although accidents to do happen, and Levi would welcome an unplanned child all the same; that being said, if you’re both want a family, you would have discussed it beforehand (which is to a degree, is a lot about mental preparation for himself). 

In his perfect world, he’d have two daughters. They’d be equal parts him and you, and they’d be quiet and curious and lovely and life would be good. He’d spend his days with you and his two tiny daughters, raising his little family and doing all he could for his favorite girls. 

So, naturally, he does get two daughters, but also a son in between; and the latter two kids are far from easy in their own unique ways lmfao 

You might have already met Holden, and she’s the oldest in my dad Levi au, and the most like him. Levi’s dark hair, his grey eyes, his overall unimpressed visage, his knack for cleanliness and organization—down to the way she holds her sippy cups, she’s damn near Levi’s doppleganger. 

Holden is somewhere between 3.5-4 years old before you have your second kid, and in that time is when Levi confirms he thinks he was cut out to be a certified Girl Dad. 

Both Levi and Holden take quality father-daughter time very seriously. It’s impossible to change plans once they’re set: “Daddy, you promised we would go to the famer’s market on Sunday. You pinky promised.” And Levi wouldn’t dare break a pinky promise, so he makes time for it. 

Levi doesn’t play favorites with his kids, but there is something special about Holden as his first born. He’s constantly in awe of just how much she resembles him. Four years into raising her and it’s still hard to wrap his head around. 

Much to his chagrin, Hange and Eren are Holden’s favorite adults. Maybe Levi understands the admiration for Hange, but Eren... come on, Holden, you’re breaking his heart at that point. 

It’s almost out of character for your daughter to be so openly affectionate about someone outside of your immediate family, but she really loves having Eren as a babysitter; and you know she’s playing favorites, because she remains neutral on Armin, even though he and Eren always babysit as a duo. 

She doesn’t have a favorite grandparent, but Kenny spoils her the most. Levi tells him he shouldn’t, but when has Kenny ever listened to Levi. The man isn’t a fan of kids, but he thinks yours and Levi’s are pretty cool, and Holden is about the coolest 4 year old he could ever meet. 

When she was learning to walk, Levi’s favorite thing was holding her little hand and guiding her around. Even now, when she can stand perfectly fine on her own two feet, Levi loves it when she reaches for his hand; Holden is a pretty independent kid, even at 4 years old, so Levi never takes affection from her for granted. 

They’re best friends and Holden goes everywhere with him. Their favorite father-daughter activity is going to the grocery store, and Levi lets Holden point to and assess her favorite fruits and veggies while she sits happily in the shopping cart. 

Sometimes there are other parents struggling with a kid throwing a temper tantrum. Levi simply clicks his teeth, while Holden shakes her little head. “That’s pretty embarassing, daddy,” she says, looking at the poor parent with an unamused glare that rivals Levi’s. He nods and pushes the cart past the scene, “Tell me about it, kid.” 

Your second kid is a boy, and he looks more like you than Levi, but manages to have Levi’s signature hair color and pout when things aren’t going his way.

He comes as a shock to both you and Levi, because after your ultrasound, you were told you were having another girl. Turns out, they’d accidentally mixed up your files, and you were having a boy instead, which you do not find out until your mid-term check up a few months later. Cue Levi buffering like an old computer. 

Kiaan is welcomed all the same, even tho Levi is still in disbelief; he was mentally preparing to have another daughter on his hands. He puts more pressure on himself with his son; not that he wasn’t trying his best to be a parent to Holden, but any insecurities he might have about being a good come out when your son is born, because Levi has no “man of the house” example to follow from. 

You reassure him that your son will turn out to be just fine, and raising him the way you raised Holden, and would have raised another daughter is perfectly acceptable. Of course Levi rises to the occasion after the initial shock; he’s determined to be the dad to his son that he never had. 

Where Holden is more reserved, Kiaan likes to talk and babble about anything whenever and wherever he can, to whoever is around. It’s not uncommon for you or Levi to find your son completely entertained by telling a story out loud to himself while playing with his toys.

Loves to rope Levi into making his toys interact and have “conversations” with each other, and Kiaan genuinely thinks his dad is hilarious, even if he doesn’t completely understand what he’s saying. It always makes Levi smile to hear Kiaan try and copy the bass and tone of his voice when he’s mocking him. 

Kiaan loves messing with his dad, and Levi’s all talk, so of course he lets him. He’ll be on a Zoom meeting for work, and Kiaan will be sat in his lap, running little toy cars across the desk in front of him, or tugging on Levi’s hair, and Levi just lets him. It makes quite the cute sight, and Hange has definitely taken a few screen recordings. 

That being said, your son is more of a mama’s boy than anything. Kiaan loves messing with Levi, but if you’re in the room, there’s a 95% chance he’ll be on your lap or at your side shadowing whatever you’re doing. 

Kiaan is a universal copycat tho, so whatever you, Levi, or Holden say or do, he tries for himself. This makes him especially susceptible to repeating Levi’s foul language and bad habits than Holden. (“Kiaan, you can’t sleep on the chair, it’s not good for your back.” “But daddy sleeps on the chairs sometimes!” “...Alright kid, you got me there.”) 

He’s a very loving kid with his words, too, always thanking people and proclaiming his love, so he doesn’t exactly have a “favorite” adult or babysitter, but he does get particularly excited when Erwin or Farlan come around. He feels especially tall when Erwin lets him sit on his shoulders, and Farlan always entertains his story-telling. 

He’s a sucker for his grandma though, and gives Kuchel a million kisses whenever she comes around. Does not let go over her for the entire time she’s over at your house, and will sit on her lap throughout dinner. 

The most affectionate child, so where Holden only likes holding hands, Kiaan loves cuddling with you and Levi, and likes to be held whenever possible. Levi spoils him a little too much, and more often than not, if you’re walking outside for more than two hours, Kiaan will end up on Levi’s shoulders or in your arms. 

Your last kid is another girl, and, yeah she’s just a baby no older than a few months, but Levi can’t help but think she’s especially tiny, and he can’t help but to look at her and hold her whenever possible. Your baby girl also leaves Levi a little dumbstruck because she manages to look like a combination of you and his mother. 

As she grows, it becomes apparent that you’ve got another daddy’s girl on your hands. Doesn’t matter if you’re literally breast feeding her, Aria will throw a tantrum if she’s separated from Levi for more than an hour. 

The good news is, her sleep cycle is as irregular as Levi’s, so he’s got someone to keep him company when everyone else has gone to bed for the evening. Unfortunately, this also means Aria naps a lot during the day, which leaves Levi a little bored since Holden is old enough to be in school full-time, and Kiaan is gone for at least a portion of the day. 

So, he would never tell you, but sometimes he wakes Aria up from her naps just a little bit early to spend more time with her (and cure his boredom). Having an infant trying to grab at his hair with her ravioli sized baby fists while he tries to cook lunch certainly makes the task more difficult, but it also adds welcomed color to his day.

You and Levi have to hold Aria constantly when she’s awake or else she’ll cry (although, if you leave her in the arms of her siblings, she does settle down, too); that, or she’ll find her tiny baby hands somewhere they shouldn’t be. Like dipped in a jar of strawberry jam. Or peanut butter. Or both. 

Levi talks to his kids like he would any other adult, so it’s not uncommon to find him brewing tea with a baby strapped to his chest, narrating the steps to good tea-making out loud to her for her to hear. He swears she can understand him, and he attributes Holden and Kiaan’s growing vocabularies, and the early ages at which they started speaking to this. 

Aria will be in her little chest strap thing while Levi’s cooking dinner, and he’ll look down at her like, “Alright, we’re gonna julienne your carrots today. Yesterday we cubed them, but you’ve got grabby hands, so this will give you more room to work with.”

Kiaan loves holding Aria and honestly just being around her, and you and Levi think it’s adorable how he loves to play with her, and how he knows to be gentle with her. He shares a room with her, and loves sharing his bedtime story times, so you or Levi will read them to sleep together. 

Holden isn’t crazy about babies, but she’s a good older sister, and Aria seems to be obsessed with her. She crawls and scoots towards her if given the opportunity, and Holden will always look to you or Levi before attempting to hold or lift her up, as if asking permission. She’ll pat Aria’s head to get her to stop crying, or let her play with her hands. 

Levi thinks one of the best parts about being a dad is seeing the different dynamics and relationships between your kids. Holden isn’t most physically or verbally affectionate, but she’s still compassionate, and Kiaan looks up to her; and Kiaan is the perfect middle ground, knowing when it’s appropriate to bother (affectionate) Holden, and when to give her space, and curiously hovers around his baby sister, too. 

[ellewords]

(not me reading this back and thinking you could make a drinking game out of this ask because of how many times i say “because” lmaooooo)

i’ve never actually seen wgm but i really love the idea of hinata being on the show, because i feel like he would be so starry-eyed the entire time. literal ✨👄✨ at everything because he’s never thought about what being married would be like and now suddenly he gets to experience it??!!?! he fumbles through all of it, and the fans love him for it because a lot of the other participants seem so smooth and suave, but not with hinata! he blurts his thoughts out as they come, he’s clumsy in situations that would normally require him to be put-together, he makes a huge deal out of every little thing. the first time his partner brought him a bouquet of flowers, hinata literally turns bright red and starts rambling so fast the audio just barely picks it up—

“you didn’t have to but that was really nice of you, i’ll get you something next time, hey, the flowers smell sweet, oh no, that’s actually you, you smell so nice, have you always smelt that way, you should definitely tell me what body spray you use because i might just have to get some of that—“

and the fans eat it up. and so does their partner who absolutely adores him even if hinata doesn’t quite get/see it.

i feel like it would also be hilarious if the partner was someone who isn’t necessarily the biggest (by choice, they don’t want to be in the spotlight all that much) but because of a really big project they have out soon, their team thinks they should get some of that pr. maybe a painter or a sculpture? one that has gotten a lot of attention as of late because their art is a little controversial/suggestive but has somehow managed to keep most of the media on the actual art and not on themself. they come off as really shy and recluse, but the second they get on the show, hinata brings them out of their shell, and that makes the fans like them even more. they love getting to see the artist behind everything and they especially love seeing how their artist brain translates into the real world. and just the idea of hinata being the kind of person who would be able to make even the most introverted person go a little crazy is something i think would be hilarious on reality tv.

anyway, hinata gets a lot smoother as they continue on, and it absolutely floors the fans because he’s so different from when he started. he holds his partner’s hand like it’s nothing, he says super sweet things without missing a beat, he holds eye contact without looking like he’s trying to win some unproclaimed competition. but he doesn’t realize he’s doing it, and the partner is too nervous that he’ll get weird about it to say anything.

by the end of their time on the show, fans can see how deflated the partner is even though they’re really good at hiding it still, and hinata is off too, but he can’t tell why. he is still chipper and all over the place, and the partner is still more open and engaging, but their energy is off. hinata chalks it up to them going to miss the time they shared together, but even that doesn’t feel quite right.

after they leave the show, hinata is super excited to see that the partner has started doing more community stuff (charities where they show up in person, giving art classes to people that donate certain amounts to organizations and projects that they support, going out in public and doing sketches/paintings of people on the street for reference later and recording tiny interviews with them as they do it to make a new documentary of the process or something). he gushes about it all over his social medias and anywhere else he can get someone to listen because they don’t have the time to actually ever meet up with the way their schedules are. he even starts posting behind-the-scenes clips that he had taken (with the permission of the partner) to engage with both parts of their fan bases.

and the partner does the same for hinata. they do a bunch of pieces of the jackals and sells them to get both of their communities involved and supporting them even if they can’t go to the actual games. their instagram is flooded with designs of new projects for them and even more of them of just hinata, all of which have captions that target just hinata (“wow, my ex-husband is so fine 🥵” “that’s your man? mhm! look at him! yeah, that’s mine” and other stupid, cheesy ones that make the fans feral because damn, they really have come out of their shell, huh?!)

the internet loves it, and they love even more that hinata seems to become the person at the beginning of the show all over again, flustered and a mess and tripping over his feet. a new hashtag starts because of it about the two of them being in love still (as a joke) and people upload some of their favorite moments of the pair together. when hinata sees it, he tries to play it off (horribly) but when he finally gets to talk to their partner about it, there’s a calmness in their voice that eases him just a little bit, and suddenly he’s aware of why exactly leaving felt so wrong.

this got a little sidetracked, but i don’t even mind, lololol. also, i definitely need to check out the show after this because i love the fake dating/marriage idea. thanks for putting me on to it! make sure to drink water, have a snack if you haven’t eaten in a bit, and take deep breaths! -🌙

— from elle ! okay but hinata and a painter/artist!partner is literally such an amazing idea to dive into, this now lives in my head and i will continue thinking about it for days on end. i absolutely love everything that you’ve sent aaa i’m actually screaming, i had a difficult time picking which part of your hc to focus on bec so many things popped into my head. but i ended up choosing to kind of pick up where you left off for my little addition (under the cut as usual) tysm for this 🌙 anon ! take care <3

᠃ ⚘᠂ ⚘ ˚ ⚘ ᠂ ⚘ ᠃

hinata’s blush grows redder every second he spent staring at his phone, his twitter mentions filled with photos, edits, and even fanmade animations of the two of you. your shipname was trending again, all after you posted a rare photo of yourself in msby merch. you looked cute, that much was evident to hinata. then again, he always thought of you as cute — from the second you walked into set, all shy and nervous, from the minute you left it, your arms wrapped wrapped around his neck. why was he acting like this? filming had ended months ago; he’d grown more confident around you, hadn’t he?

your name flashed across his phone screen, interrupting his train of thought — you were calling him. his heart beat sped up, fingertips immediately moving towards the ‘answer’ button.

“hey shoyo!” you greeted, enthusiasm very much evident in your voice, “did you see the picture i just posted?”

“i did! um...you look great.” he mumbled, unsure if you had heard him, heat continuing to rush towards the apples of his cheeks.

“thanks!” he hears your chuckling from the other end of the line, and a small part of his mind convinces himself that you were somehow teasing him. “you’re coming tomorrow, right?”

“what’s tomorrow?”

“my photo exhibit, silly.”

ah, that. hinata could imagine you shaking your head, biting your lip as you attempt not to burst out into laughter at his cluelessness. the beating of his heart is more rapid now, thinking of how you anticipated his answer, how you wanted him to be there. “i was only kidding, of course i’ll be there.”

“sure,” you replied like you didn’t really believe him, “i’ll see you then.”

—

hinata was the one who convinced you to get into photography. truthfully, you wanted to try and exploring other mediums beside your usual set of paint and pencils.

“maybe i should try taking photos.” you joked, gently nudging his shoulders as the two of you browsed various film cameras. the crew had taken a brief break from filming, but you and hinata still wanted to continue exploring the various antique shops that lined the street.

“go for it!” he replied without missing a single beat, quickly rattling off a list of potential subjects, “you can take photos of plants, or maybe animals, really pretty scenery...it’s not even going to matter because i know you’ll end up taking really amazing photos.”

and when hinata insisted that he pay for the camera you chose, you decide on a subject.

__

the gallery is empty. well, at least the reception area is.

hinata’s dressed in his finest button-down and slacks, black dress shoes clicking against the white granite tiles. the receptionist directs him to the floor where your exhibition is meant to be held — right at the very top.

his brows furrow, there should be more people here. photographers, critics, fans even. he should’ve been greeted by reporters, by the surely hundreds of people all excited to see your work. you had only grown in popularity since your appearance on wgm, the number of people going to your exhibits only ever increasing. he should know, hinata’s been to every single one over the course of the show’s run. he knew what to expect. and it was certainly not this.

the elevator dings, indicating that he had reached the top floor. still, not a single person there. the frown on his face only deepens. hinata catches a glimpse of the exhibition’s title, “beyond the cameras: a retrospective”

the glass door is unlocked, hinata pushes through them only to be greeted with pictures of the last subject he expected: himself.

framed on the white walls of what possibly was tokyo’s most famous gallery were photos of him, glossy and bright, colors vivid and alluring. and they weren’t just any photos too, they were photos taken on the rare occasions wherein cameras weren’t following your every move. there were photos of him from nights he snuck you in the gym to teach you how to play volleyball, ones of him covered in paint taken in your studio, ones of him attempting to make you breakfast. all of which had him looking away from the camera.

that is until he reaches the final photo, the only one that had you in it as well, taken the night before the final day of filming. he was looking at the camera, but you were looking right at him — your gaze soft, the corners of your lips forming the smallest of smiles.

“so maybe i lied,” hinata heard a voice speak from beside him, recognizing it as yours almost immediately, “the exhibition is actually tomorrow. i just wanted you to see it first.”

“but why me?” he asked, biting the inside of his cheek.

“just because.” you shrugged, not even turning to look at him, gazing at your final photo — just like he was.

but hinata feels it, the tightening in his chest, the tension that enveloped your bodies as the two of you continued to stare straight ahead. he hears it, the ringing in his hears, the hammering of his heart, the unevenness of his breath.

you stand next to him, just a few inches separating you. hinata’s hand is drawn like a magnet to yours. at first your knuckles graze, and hinata holds his breath. then his fingertips push in between yours, you bite your lip. finally he he grasps your hand, a quiet exhale escapes you both.

you tear your eyes away from the photograph at the same time he does; your gazes meet. and just like that, you finally reach the same understanding as him, of just why leaving felt so wrong.

᠃ ⚘᠂ ⚘ ˚ ⚘ ᠂ ⚘ ᠃

a question: how would the hq boys (specifically timeskip) act on a variety show like we got married?  |  written on the margins masterlist

taglist : @haikyuutothetop @crystal-lilac @tobioespresso @sushijimawakatoshi @itsmeaudrieee @pantherhappy @jesssobs @mysticstrawberryballoon @cloudedsky_29

join my hq taglist here. <3

[chaoticowlpost]

Harry and Draco watching a horror movie and Draco being scared please

Forgive me, I’ve never watched horror because I’m weak jsdbfjsdhfb

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“You said this was going to be fun!”

Draco slapped his boyfriend on the shoulder, already regretting letting him pick the movie for their weekly movie dates with one another. He said it wasn’t like anything Draco’s ever seen before, and he was damn right.

“It is fun,” Harry laughed, catching Draco’s hand before it could land another hit before entwining their fingers. 

“Why would you think that I’d be so inclined to watch people get murdered by supernatural beings?” Draco hissed, holding Harry’s hand tighter until his boyfriend winced.

“Because it’s fun?” Harry smirked, quirking an eyebrow at him.

“Why don’t I try to kill you in your own home and call it fun?” Draco said, wincing at the sudden scream that came from the main character of the movie. He felt Harry swipe his thumb over the web of skin between his thumb and forefinger.

“You’ve seen ghosts before, Draco,” Harry pointed out, throwing him an amused glance before turning back to face the television. “We literally lived with them back at Hogwarts.”

“They didn’t look like that,” he said, gesturing wildly towards the bright screen, their only source of light in the dark room. “And they weren’t trying to kill us.”

“That’s because the ones in this movie aren’t real,” Harry said simply with a small shrug. 

“In this movie?” Draco asked, the tone of his voice going up a bit. “Do you mean to tell me that there’s more?”

“Loads more,” Harry confirmed, nodding with a small grin. 

“And how do you know that the ones in those movies aren’t real?” Draco asked, unconsciously scooting closer towards his boyfriend for any small sense of protection.

“We don’t,” Harry said, instead of trying to comfort Draco. Really, if Draco were to be paranoid, he’d think that he was actually enjoying watching him suffer like this.

“What?”

“Yeah, some movies would have disclaimers that say ‘based on a true story,’” Harry explained absentmindedly, his eyes widening at something that was happening on the screen. Draco wouldn’t know; he refuses to look back at it.

“WHAT?!”

“I mean, personally, I think that they were just overly-paranoid people,” Harry nodded solemnly, his arm going around Draco’s shoulders, making his hand cross over his chest as their fingers were still entwined. “But who knows? It certainly takes a lot of imagination to come up with these.”

Really, he was dong nothing to soothe the strange tingling at the back of his head, feeling as though someone - or something - was watching them. Maybe he was becoming paranoid, but who cares. Some caution would seriously do Harry some good at this rate.

“Move over,” Draco grunted, forcing Harry’s knees apart so he could slide between them and bury his face in his chest, careful to avoid seeing anything else that was happening in the movie.

Seriously, he’d already seen the ghost and he remembered what it looked like quite vividly. There was no need to refresh his memory. 

He felt Harry’s chest rumble against his face, the vibration somehow soothing him a bit before both arms came to wrap protectively around him, a hand gently running through his hair. 

Harry began humming a soft tune, something Draco couldn’t exactly hear over the loud, eerie music that was coming from the television, but he could feel it through Harry’s body. 

He subconsciously snuggled harder into his boyfriend’’s chest, enjoying the feeling of being held by him while zoning out whatever was happening on the screen behind him.

Draco hadn’t even realized that he had dozed off until Harry woke him up, whispering sweetly into his ear while shaking his shoulders lightly. When he opened his eyes, he realized that all the lights were back on, making him squint at the sudden brightness.

“We should go to bed, love,” Harry suggested with an affectionate smile. He extended a hand to help Draco up before they made their way to the bedroom. 

He insisted on walking first, where there were still lights, and have Harry walk behind him so he could turn off the lights as they went.

Harry only gave him an amused smile before indulging, taking Draco’s hand without a word before doing as he requested. Even though he didn’t watch the entire movie, Draco still felt a prickling feeling in his mind, and he knew that it would take a while to get over the movie.

As they walked, he willed himself to think of other trivial things - anything to keep him from re-imagining the gory scenes and the ghost from the movie. It didn’t exactly work, but it made a good enough distraction for a few seconds.

“Wait,” Draco said once they arrived in their bedroom. Harry paused beside him, leaning on the door frame with a vaguely amused expression.

Silently, he watched as Draco began flicking his wand over their furniture, rearranging the bedside table and the bed so that the bed would be situated in the corner of the room.

“I’m taking the wall side,” he grumbled before sliding under the sheets.

“Of course,” Harry agreed easily before joining in after him. “Is there anything else that you need?”

“Just hold me,” Draco mumbled softly, somewhat embarrassed by the fact that a movie was able to get to him.

This time, Harry didn’t laugh. He pulled Draco close, practically draping himself over Draco’s entire body as if he were shielding him. It should have felt suffocating, but Draco appreciated the gesture. Even though he knew his fears were irrational, he felt safe.

“I’m sorry,” Harry mumbled, placing a kiss onto his hair. “We can avoid watching horror movies from now on.”

Draco just nodded without saying another word, pulling Harry’s arm tighter across himself. 

He was glad that they could steer clear from them for now but, either way, he knew that no matter what happens or how he feels, Harry would be there to keep him safe.

-————————————————-

Thank you for reading <3

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[kaminarisimp9000]

movie night

A/N: bruh the movie night trope is my f a v o r i t e and it’s 100% because ahem netflix and chill has caught me off guard one too many times. n e ways i barely know how to use this website nd this is the first post on the Blog and i totally did not write this because this concept is living rent free in my mind so i hope you enjoy??

pairing: bakugou x female!reader

word count: 2.2k

warnings: strong language

summary: You get really cold during the Weekly Class 1-A Movie Night™ due to your quirk and it’s up to Bakugou to warm you up

You rushed down to the common room, arms full of snacks, taking care so as not to spill anything. A smile bloomed across your face as you took in the scene before you. The common room was a mess of blankets, sleeping bags, couches and the like, as the students of Class 1-A worked together to set up today’s movie night. These movie nights had been born out of a collective need to relieve stress, and by now, had sort of become a weekly thing that you looked forward to. Your smile only grew wider as you realized that today, even Big Bad Bakugou had shut his mouth for once, opting to actually cooperate with his fellow students. 

Bakugou. 

You couldn’t ignore the subtle heat that rose to your cheeks as your thoughts lingered on your best friend for just a beat longer than necessary, when you were abruptly shaken out of your second of stupor. 

“Sweet! Y/N’s got the snacks!” Kaminari yelled, as he plopped down on one of the couches, ready to begin this week’s installment of Class 1-A’s Movie Nights™.

“Hell yeah I do. You’d better help me set this up, though, unless you’re not getting any!” You retorted. 

Kaminari waved you off with an alright, alright and headed towards the kitchen to find some bowls, while Tsuyu and Midoriya helped you set everything down. A few moments later, you were all but surrounded by an array of colorful bowls filled with all sorts of movie-appropriate treats.

Satisfied with your hard work, you scanned the common room for any available seats, letting out a chuckle as you realized that the only empty one was that which was next to your probably half-pomeranian half-human friend. 

(There was actually another space empty, but it was next to Mineta, so we’re not going to talk about that for obvious reasons.)

“Scoot over, Katsuki, I’m gonna sit here”

“Fuck off, Y/N,” Bakugou replied, moving to the side nevertheless.

“You wish,” you mused, gently sitting down next to him, “So, what’re we watching today?”

“As if I care.”

“Ugh, would you stop being so emo for once and answer the question?”

“Fuck, I dunno, it’s some shit about a cooking rat, or something.” 

“Was it that hard to say Ratatouille? I swear to god, Katsuki, you’re so fucking difficult sometimes.”

“I’d wager the poor boy just doesn’t know how to pronounce Ratatouille, Y/N ☆,” Aoyama interrupted from across the room.

You let out a laugh, “You’re probably right, Aoyama. The boy’s ~uncultured~.” 

Your relationship with Bakugou was comfortable to say the least. Sure, you did have a tiny crush on him, but above that, he was one of your best friends at UA. It’s anyone’s best guess as to how that even happened in the first place, with the boy’s hostility shining through in his ever-present frown, but here you are. Perhaps it’s because you were one of the only ones in the class who could actually put up with his less-than-desirable behavior, or because of the numerous times you practically begged him to spar with you (to which he gave in after a full month of persistence). You didn’t really have much of a crush on him in the beginning, but as time passed, and as the two of you grew closer, you felt your heart beat that much louder for him with every frown he sent your way. 

Sometimes, when you looked at him, you even felt breathless. 

But now was not one of those times. Hell, you were too distracted by the movie to give too much thought to the fact that you wanted Katsuki Bakugou to pin you against the wall of your dorm and kiss the living daylights out of you. Yes, you liked Bakugou, but you loved Ratatouille. 

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Your Ratatouille-induced bliss was fairly short-lived, though, for midway through the movie, you began to feel a bit chilly. Moving your arms to hug your sides, you tried to ignore it, but you knew where this was headed. Your quirk, Body Heat, converts your temperature into pure energy, which does make you quite powerful in the training arena, but also requires a great deal of cooldown time for your body to reset to its natural state. This usually happens quite painlessly, but sometimes, especially when you’ve overused your quirk, your temperature severely drops, as your body attempts to regenerate what it has lost. 

In other words, if you didn’t find a source of heat soon, you would be shivering as if there were no tomorrow. 

As your body began to shake, you searched the room for Todoroki, who usually helped you when you were like this, using his left side to warm you up until you were a functioning human again. You found him rather quickly, only to see that his eyes were closed, chest gently rising and falling through a peaceful slumber. 

Of course he’s fucking asleep, you thought to yourself, shivers intensifying, I’m so stupid! It would have taken me literally two seconds to grab a few blankets and now I can barely fucking move I’m shivering so bad. 

Reluctantly, you resigned yourself to this fate, deciding that you would just let your body do what it needed to do to regain your natural energy, and bear through the cold, when you felt a sudden shift to your side. 

Through your peripheral vision, you saw that Bakugou had gotten up and had started walking away. 

Probably cause I’m shaking so violently, you thought, rolling your eyes as much as you could, Can’t blame him, though, even I’d be annoyed. 

He returned quickly, though, throwing a plush blanket over your curled-up form. 

“Stop fucking shivering,” he whispered angrily.

“S-hut t-t-the fuck up you b-bitch, y-you know it's b-because of my quirk” You replied, with great difficulty.

“Where’s that half-n-half bastard? Isn’t he the one who gets rid of this shit for you.” 

“He's s-sleeping r-right n-ow—stop! d-don't wake him up h-he's probably t-t-t-ired.”

“Jesus Christ you can’t even fucking talk, can you,” Bakugou deadpanned. 

You shook your head as vigorously as you could, the blanket doing little in the way of warming you up. 

“It’s-it’s fine, ‘T-Tsuki, this’ll b-be o-o-over soon.” 

“Yeah, but it’s damn annoying.” 

“Then d-do something ab-b-bout it! I d-d-don’t know wh-what to t-t-tell you, I literally c-can’t m-move!” you snapped. 

Letting out an exasperated sigh, Bakugou maneuvered himself until he was under the blanket that currently surrounded your shivering body, pulling you into his lap so that you were facing him, your cheeks growing hot in response to your compromising position. 

“K-Katsuki—”

“Shut your mouth.” 

You obliged, as he brought his hands up to your face, palms glowing orange as he carefully activated his quirk just enough to warm them up, but not enough to create an explosion. He figured that your inability to talk was currently the most annoying thing about you, so he decided to stop the incessant chattering of your teeth first. 

Meanwhile, you were, for lack of better wording, dying on the inside. You knew Bakugou was hot, but shit, you’ve never seen him like this before! Were his eyes always that fucking beautiful when he concentrated? Was his skin always this smooth? Did his nose always look that kissable? 

As you began to regain feeling in your face, you really hoped that Bakugo couldn’t sense your heartbeat running at a million miles per hour, as his hands left your cheeks to run down your arms. 

“Thank you for this, Katsuki, you really didn’t have to,” you sigh, basking in your newfound warmth, letting your head fall onto his shoulder.

“Tch,” Bakugo grunted, as his hands softly grasped yours, lingering until their natural warmth returned. 

You stretched your arms out, enveloping your friend in a tight hug, suddenly feeling a wave of tiredness wash over your body. 

“Yeah~~ I can finally use my hands again~~ What would I do without you, Kacchan?” you giggled, as his cheeks grew red in response to the cutesy nickname. 

His hands moved down to grip your thighs as he warmed your legs up, while you settled your head into the crook of his neck, cuddling into his warmth as you finally let sleep consume you.

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On the other side of the room, Kaminari’s eyes were glued to the television screen, thinking about how Remy was able to control Linguini’s cooking so accurately with a few simple tugs to the hair.

I mean, maybe that’s just his quirk, but like—does this mean that he has a hair pulling kink? Imagine your girlfriend having to marionette you in the bedroom. Would that be embarrassing? Would any of the girls be down to try it? he wondered. 

He reached into his lap to retrieve a piece of popcorn, sulking when his hand hit the bottom of the empty bowl. Sighing, he tore his eyes away from the screen, reaching for a refill, only to freeze at the sight in front of him.

“Yooooo, what goes on” Kaminari whisper-screamed, elbowing Mina in the side, gesturing towards you and Bakugou. 

“No. Fucking. Way.” Mina replied, mouth agape, “Are you kidding?! They’re so cute!!” 

“Damn. Would have never thought. Like?! I knew they were friends but I didn’t think Kacchan could pull a girlfriend!” 

“Are they actually dating though?! I’ve never heard Y/N talk about him like that even once! When did this happen?” 

“I don’t fucking know and I don’t fucking care. I swear to god I’m never gonna let him hear the end of it.” 

“Can y’all pipe down? I’m trying to watch the movie here,” Jirou whispered, annoyance written all over her face.

“No I cannot pipe down Jirou, just look over there and tell me you aren’t shook,” Kaminari fired back. 

“Holy fuck.”

“Right!!!”

Eventually, Kaminari’s whispering spread around to the entire class, as they, one by one, turned to take in the events that had unfolded right underneath their noses. Even Todoroki had awoken from his sleep to gawk at the both of you.

“Awww, they’re so adorable,” Uraraka squealed.

“They really are quite cute,” Momo remarked.

“Honestly, I wouldn’t have seen this coming. I had no idea the two of them had feelings for each other,” Midoriya wondered. 

With every passing line from his classmates, Bakugo could feel himself getting angrier and angrier. 

What the fuck do these damn extras think they’re doing? Shut the fuck up and watch the movie!! Bakugou thought, blood boiling.

“Y’know, Bakugou, I didn’t think you of all people would know how to treat a woman right,” Tsuyu chimed in. 

That’s it, Bakugou got up violently, This fucking ends here. 

Being careful not to drop you, Bakugou shifted you onto one arm, as he picked up the blanket that was once covering you both with the other. He headed out into the hallway, pressing the button to call the elevator, and brought you up to the fourth floor. 

He pulled out his keycard as he reached the end of the hallway, stopping in front of the door to his room for a moment as he unlocked it. Pushing the door open, Bakugou made his way over to his bed, and set you down gently.

Or, at least he tried to.

As he lowered your unconscious body to his soft, black sheets, you let out a quiet groan, wrapping your arms tighter around his neck, making it clear that whatever happened, you weren’t going to let go.

Fucking great.

He shook you, trying to wake you up, but to no avail. The most he could get out of you was a soft Kacchan, let me sleep, as you snuggled impossibly closer into him. Sighing, Bakugou defeatedly peeled back his comforter, sliding both of your intertwined bodies under his sheets, tucking both of you in to the best of his abilities. 

As his head hit his pillow, he couldn’t help but stare at your soft features as they were illuminated by the moonlight streaming in through his window. He couldn’t help but admire the way your long eyelashes fluttered over your cheeks with every breath, the way your H/C hair seemed to perfectly frame your face, the way your lips…

The way your lips looked so damn kissable. 

Bakugou didn’t want to admit it to himself, but, as he lay there, eyes drinking in your every feature, he could feel himself falling harder and harder for you. He wrapped his arms around you, holding you close, synchronizing his breaths with yours, until he too fell into a deep slumber. 

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You awoke gently, groaning in response to the sunlight hitting your face. Rubbing the sleep out of your eyes, you attempted to sit up.

Huh? you thought, I can’t get up. 

You opened your eyes, and immediately realized that something was wrong. The walls, the ceiling, the window, they looked unfamiliar to you. This was not your room. Looking around, you noticed some neatly organized school books on the desk, black t-shirts on the back of the chair, All Might figurines, and—wait, was that shoujo manga on the nightstand? You suddenly notice an arm wrapped around your torso, possibly the reason why your efforts to sit up failed earlier.

And then you realized that that arm was connected to a very certain spiky-haired blond. Who happened to be your best friend and your crush. And who was currently holding you in a death grip. With his face very close to yours.

You felt your cheeks burning up. 

holyfuckholyfuckholyfuck

[stepgazz]

Candied Fruit- Lee Donghyuck Scenario

this is my first time ever posting something like this. I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it!!! 

3.5 k words

genre: fluff, some angst

feel free to tell me your thoughts!

----

You sat on the couch with a grim expression on your face, as you listened to a distant, mumbled conversation between your brother and Donghyuck.

He had been scolding you the entire day. Whether it was about how much space you took up on the couch, how you had eaten his favorite snacks or how you had left all the doors around the dorm open, Hyuck made sure to complain about everything.

You were acquainted with his gimmicks and mischief. As Jaemin’s little sister, you had access to the dorms whenever you pleased (or more, as Jaemin would bring you around just because he was “missing you”), so you knew the dreamies well. Haechan, however, had always been torn about your presence. He was playful, witty, even flirty sometimes, while other days were like this: when his humor turned bitter and his patience ran thin. The line between these two faces of his was fragile when it came to you, and he would snap from one to the other within seconds.

Your eyes focused back onto the TV in front of you as a pair of feet tiptoed their way closer. Jaemin’s familiar hand fell onto your shoulder, reassuringly rubbing it as you turned around to meet his face.

“He’s sick, kid. He’s had two promotions in one month, it’s not your fault.” His face shone with a warm smile as he pet your hair, melting away the stiffness in your neck. “He’s said he’d go to sleep now. I’ll probably be back by the time he gets up.”

You nodded with a thin smile, proceeding to turn to the random movie you had accidentally stumbled upon. It was pretty good actually, so you kept watching as Jaemin eventually left the dorms to go practice. The silent hallways, dreamy afternoon lighting and pleasant atmosphere of the film helped calm you down and forget about the sick boy you had been left alone with.

You scoffed at yourself. His image kept popping up in your head as he shouted at you that morning: his caramel-colored hair sticking up in places after he furiously ran his hands through it, the white of his eyes tinted red with fatigue and dizziness, his figure hunched under the thickness of his own head. His voice cracked with anger, the veins on his neck popping out and as you stared at him, the smallest bit of fear sparked in your chest, wrapped in layers of regret and worry.

Those gut-twisting feelings seeped back into your head. Hyuck was clearly tired and all you had done was push some more buttons, enough to set him off. You pushed your palms against your eyes, struggling to find a way to apologize. “It would be easy” you thought, “if he would actually take apologies seriously.”

Then it hit you.

“He shouted because of those damn snacks.”

So, you set off to the kitchen, determined to make something nice for the boy in hopes for a bit of redemption.

 ----

The fruit salad looked delicious and you gave yourself credit for that. Even if he wouldn’t accept your apology, he’d at least have something to eat while he was angry with you. You went over what you were going to say to him, trying to avoid giving him anything he could use against you, but as you walked out of the kitchen, you saw him.

 You stood in the doorframe and watched a disheveled Donghyuck plop onto the couch with a blanket wrapped around his shoulders, groaning in a sleepy voice. He hadn’t even noticed you.

Haechan laid down with his back towards the TV, exhaling heavily as he made himself comfortable. You had forgotten everything you were about to say and sat there with a bowl of fruit in your hands and an empty mind.

As much as he teased you, he wasn’t all that bad. His flirting was frequent, sometimes bold and cocky, which made him incredibly hot, while other times he would just shyly nudge your shoulder or push strands of hair off your face with his long, gentle fingers. Those times, he was an absolute sweetheart.

You went and sat by his feet, holding the bowl in your lap. As you looked at his mess of a hair showing from under the blanket and at his closed eyes with relaxed, for once not furrowed eyebrows, your heart leapt for a second. His breathing had gone shallow and regular, so you figured he had fallen asleep already.

“Poor sunshine.” The thought echoed in your head distantly, as if someone else had said it. It was the Y/N that was deeply fond of Haechan.

You were aware of your tiny crush on him, but you managed to shrink it into a faint voice over some time, because it was pretty clear he wanted none of that. Still, every time he showed those signs, every time he flirted and teased, every time he was next to you like this, being downright gorgeous effortlessly, that Y/N who loved him would grow stronger.

You grabbed a piece of apple out of the bowl and threw it into your mouth, admiring Hyuck silently as you chewed on the sweet fruit. The movie you had been watching sounded so far away; there was only your breathing, and his, reverberating inside your skull. You kept eating bits of fruit mindlessly, as if they were popcorn and Haechan was your most awaited screening of the year.

“I want a piece.”

The daze you were in evaporated instantly as Donghyuck’s strained voice came out, muffled by the blanket.

“It’s for you, actually.” You instantly answered, taken aback.

You could hear him chuckle lowly before shifting into a different position, propping himself up on one of his elbows. His face was flushed and his lips chewed, adding to the somehow cute image he had on. His eyes were still closed as he stretched his other hand out for some fruit.

You fumbled for a strawberry, picking it up and bringing it close to his hand so he could take it. Instead, Hyuck grabbed your wrist, bringing the fruit locked between your fingers closer to his mouth, then closing his lips around it. His breath was warm against your skin as his mouth captured your fingertips. He slowly pushed his teeth into the strawberry, pulling it from your grasp and then letting your hand go.

A chill rolled down your spine. It felt like you had lost sense in that hand as it tingled intensely from his touch. You exhaled shakily, inaudibly, so he wouldn’t hear the effect he had just had on you.

You couldn’t lie: it had felt amazing.

Donghyuck threw himself back down as he chewed slowly on the fruit, a sly smile stretching across his tinted cheeks.

“You taste good.” He spoke as he swallowed, throwing these words around as if they meant nothing.

The hairs on the back of your head stood up, your brain fuming while you desperately searched for a good answer. Nothing came to mind, but you could feel your ears starting to burn.

As you looked over to him, the smirk he had on confirmed what you were thinking: it’s nothing but one of his tricks, toying with your flustered self. A stinging desire to beat him at his own game bled into the soft admiration you had for him moments earlier, the rational idea of apologizing becoming a literal apple of discord.

Thankfully, you get ideas for sweet revenge faster than for witty comebacks.

The couch you were on was, luckily, a pull-out couch. You got up and unfolded the sofa, turning it into a comfortable, wide bed, enough for the two of you to fit. Haechan groaned once again as the movement swayed him from side to side.

You laid down beside him, back to back with the toffee haired boy, then kept watching the now unimportant film that had been silently rolling in the background. Turning the volume up a bit, you sighed and gasped at almost every scene, trying to get Hyuck’s attention. If your theory was correct, he’d be a big fan of teasing, but a whiner when teased.

You could feel him shift behind you. When you thought he had finally found a comfortable spot, you felt his stomach against your back and his arm snaking around your waist. His forehead rested against the back of your head as his hand touched around you for the TV remote. Donghyuck traced the line of your forearm down to your palm, where he snatched the controller from you and blindly turned down the sound completely.

Your plan had been sabotaged by your own unsteady heart and labored breathing, your mind growing fuzzy under the heat of his body.

“I was watching that” you spoke with the most neutral voice you could manage. Turning your head to face him, you met his eyes, which were intimidatingly close to yours. His face seemed to be burning even worse than before: the redness stretched up his temples and over the bridge of his nose, bringing out the earthy brown of his eyes and the tempting pink of his lips.  

Without hesitating, he pressed a kiss to your forehead, then regained his composure seamlessly, leaving you befuddled. For a second, you thought you might be burning worse than him. You rolled onto your stomach and propped yourself up on your elbows, glaring at him wide-eyed.

“What was that for?!” you spat in shock. Still, a hint of excitement came through your words.

Hyuck laid with his eyes closed, smiling softly at the butterflies in his tummy.

“I have no idea.” he said, chuckling. His arm was resting on the small of your back.

“He’s playing again, you idiot.” The thought buzzed around your head, making you feel ill with emotions. His face was lit with afternoon shimmers as you stared, torn, at it. You scoffed at yourself.

Suddenly, his expression melted into a motionless, almost pained one.

“You shouldn’t have made that salad. I’m sorry for shouting at you.”

Did Lee Donghyuck just apologize to you? The Lee Donghyuck who you had never heard genuinely regret doing something?

“It’s fine.”

You could feel the muscles in his forearm tense up under his skin, enclosing you in a tighter, more sincere lock. He opened his eyes and you could’ve sworn they lingered on your lips for a second before intersecting your gaze. His fingers slid up your side and over your shoulder, reaching your cheek and holding it carefully, as if you might fly away on a gust of wind.

“I mean it, Y/N.”  

You desperately tried to find any slip of sarcasm in his tone, convinced he would burst into laughter at any given second; he didn’t. His gaze held yours restlessly as his hand moved down to trace your neck before resting on the back of your head.

“This can’t be happening.” The alarm in your brain went off, shutting down every single rational thought you could fathom. It was only him you could think of and the electricity running through your veins beneath his touch.

Your body reacted before you realized: your eyes shutting half way and your lips parting, lacking any patience. In less than a second, Donghyuck had his tongue pressed flat against the base of your neck, then slowly drew it upwards towards your jawline with one long, sloppy trace.

His mouth barely left your skin, moving on to press shallow kisses to the lines of your face as you mindlessly dug your nails into his shoulder. He reached your chin and unstuck his mouth off of you for a moment, searching for your eyes with an illegible look. The air felt colder where his saliva was drying.

“I’m sorry for this too.” His words felt deeply sincere.

You could barely process your own actions. You slid your arm around his neck before touching your forehead to his, maintaining the deep eye contact. You mumbled a breathy “don’t be” before pressing a hesitant, shy kiss to his burning lips. His mouth slowly curled into a smile, making you wonder if he was about to start screaming with laughter.

“Idiot, this could be contagious.” He giggled innocently against your mouth then sighed deeply as you tugged at his hair, pulling your face away from his.

“All you know is teasing, isn’t it?” you went back to your initial position, tearing yourself away from his alluring frame. You smiled at him with a cockiness he knew all too well, because you had learnt it from him.

“It’s the only way things work around the dorms.” He plopped back down with hooded eyes, mirroring your attitude. His seriousness still weighed in through his last comment, mentioning how he sometimes would take it too far. The guilt in his tone was more obvious than he wanted it to be. His head felt thicker as he looked at you, the flashing of all those times he had been rude combining with the dizziness of over-working.  

"So, I'm part of the club?" You asked ironically, but somehow with genuine curiosity. Had it really all been in your head?

"Oh, come on… you've always been!" He playfully nagged, turning to look at you with a bright expression.

You couldn't tell if the blush in his cheeks was your masterful creation or if he actually had a bit of a fever, so you gently felt his forehead and neck. His temperature was higher than normal, but it didn't seem that serious. Still, in Haechan's eyes, your gesture was much bigger than slight worry. He exhaled shakily at the contact between the two of you, enjoying every drop of skinship he was getting from you.

He had always been clingy, cuddly, touchy, you name it. It was no surprise getting a kiss on the cheek or a childishly tight hug from him, no matter who you were. But for him, touching you was always more thought out. He was mindful with his sweet words and physical attention. Your boundaries were really important for him, so he took your reactions to heart often, cherishing the flustered ones and noting the annoyed ones.

And of course, he teased you. Of course, he scolded you. Of course, he always regretted it, but never said so because he'd never give such feelings away. This affinity he had for you was his little secret and he couldn't blow his own cover. But now, as your fingers left invisible prints onto his heated skin, he finally felt like he had won. Taking in the moment, the feeling of your lips against his blitzed across his mind, making him whimper for more.

His reaction brought you great satisfaction as you hunched over him, bringing one of your knees over his body to cradle him under you. Haechan’s hands almost instinctively went to your waist, holding you as if you were a porcelain doll. His breathing became heavier with expectation while his eyes travelled all over your face hungrily, his palms pressing down on your sides. You swallowed the knot in your throat, keeping yourself together under the temptation of pining him down for once.

You ran your hands down his chest, holding him down on the couch while you kissed the moles on his face and neck. Your theory had been true indeed, soft sounds escaping his lips every now and then: he was a whiner. A big one, for that matter, as he wiggled his fingers under your shirt to dig into your sensitive skin. You intentionally avoided his mouth, enjoying the sound of his shallow breaths as you cupped his hot face.

With all the strength he could manage, Hyuck sat up, having you sit in his lap. He preferred that better, having so much more access to you and regaining some control over your actions (even though he didn’t mind you dominating him).

With one hand on your back and one holding your face, he brought you into a deep kiss, mumbling a breathy “finally” onto your lips then biting down on them. You could feel violet bruises bloom on your mouth, roughly leaving marks wherever he could before running his tongue over them. You eventually opened your mouth into a lustful make out session, Donghyuck moving his palms down to your hips and digging into them demandingly. Your chest was flushed against his and you swore your hearts were beating in sync.

Haechan ripped his mouth from yours, stopping to look into your eyes with immense adoration. His arms wrapped around your waist one more time, bringing you even closer to his body into a tight embrace, so new compared to every other hug he’d ever given you. His forehead was on your shoulder as he whispered softly:

“Geez, why did I wait so long?”

His chuckle came out airy, with a sense of relief. His question made you ponder as well, realizing you had been craving him for so long. But as you ran your hands up and down his messy hair, you slowly found the answer: he’s an idol. He’s the apple of everyone’s eye. You’re Jaemin’s little sister and not even close to famous. The difference between you two was undeniable and it made your heart drop every time it came back to you. You inhaled his intoxicating scent, filling your lungs with the aroma as if you’d never see him again. Your grip grew tighter onto him and he noticed without fail.

He looked at you, searching for your gaze once again. This eye contact he kept initiating was making your stomach do flip after flip.

“What’s wrong?” his unique voice sounded so concerned and sweet when he spoke to you, and you had to hold back from kissing him again.

“I don’t want you to change for me.”

“What—why change?” he raised his eyebrows. You could almost sense a trace of fear.

“You’re… an idol. When people find out about this, you’ll be—” you caught your breath, “you’ll be hurt.”

He held your stare, tensing up.

“You know…you don’t have to do this.” Hyuck said in a low voice.

You wrapped your hands tighter around his neck, assuring him that you wanted to, badly. You wanted to be there for him all the time, you wanted to give him love for days on end, without hesitation. Hearing these things, Haechan closed his eyes and smiled thinly, holding you in his arms with so much care and passion.

“Then go ahead, because I want you so much.”  He slurred the last two words. His lips found yours again in a quick, meaningful peck.

Before you knew it, you switched places, with you now sitting down on the sofa and him on top of you, his arms on either side of you as your mouths stuck to each other.

His kisses grew sloppy and slow, drawing them down your chin and jawline while you helplessly moaned. He was infatuated with all the sounds coming out of you, making sure to tear as many as he could from your pretty lips. He also grunted softly against your heated skin every now and then as your fingers curled in his soft hair.

Soon enough, your collarbones were being marked with blue bruises, his fingers drawing the lines of your waist and ribs under your shirt. It felt surreal.

The haze you were in suddenly broke when you heard the front door unlock and a bunch of feet trampling around the hallway, screaming and announcing their arrival with inhuman sounds. Chenle and Jisung were definitely there, and you were fairly sure Jeno was the one scolding them because “Hyuckie is sick and asleep!1!1!!!”.

 The two of you stared at each other in utter confusion. You both preferred the dreamies wouldn’t find out anything until you had discussed it properly, so you wordlessly nodded and brainstormed for a way to make the situation look a little better.

Haechan laid with his head on your stomach as you pulled the blanket over him, making it seem like the only thing happening was an innocent nap he had decided to take with you. His arms were wrapped around your legs as you sat and watched whatever was going on in the new movie that had started. You couldn’t help but keep your fingers between his soft caramel locks, making his face shine with a sleepy smile.

“YA Y/N!” Chenle shouted at you, as a greeting. The other two boys waved at you with puppy eyes. “We got things for Haechannie~”

You giggled and told them to leave the bags on the table, trying not to draw attention to yourself or the couch. Donghyuck impatiently shifted, facing your stomach and pressing sweet, lingering kissing onto your tummy, as you tugged at his hair in a desperate attempt to get him to stop. After all, he had to keep his trickster reputation up, even with his soon-to-be-girlfriend.

The boys eventually scattered to their rooms, leaving the two of you alone once again. He propped himself up to reach the level of your face then kissed you chastely.

“Do you really have to sleep in Jaemin’s room tonight?” he whined with his signature baby voice, tilting his head like a kitten.

You squeezed his cheeks with one hand, pecking his puckered lips.

“If you keep up with the fever, I’ll tell him I’m checking up on you.”

[kimberly-spirits13]

For Wandering Dreamers (Bonus Story & Not Technically Part of the Series Just Same Universe It’ll Make Sense)

Synopsis: You had a chance to watch Spoilers for Justice League Dark Apokolips War and it ended it angst and fluff

Notes: This is taken from the same concept as my For Wandering Dreamers series and is just what would happen if you watched the movie in that set universe since you still have access to your old phone. This is also a bit angsty at the beginning and fluff at the end.

Warnings: Spoilers for Justice League Dark Apokolips War, language

Word Count: 1770

You were sitting on your bed in Wayne Manor, phone in hand, now connected to your computer. It was the release day of the new movie back home where you were from and you were pumped for the movie. The only issue for you was seeing Damian and Raven together on screen what with you dating him and all. It was a bit weird but you weren’t going to let that stop you from watching the movie.

           Damian was going out for patrol and had just left. You didn’t really know how violent this movie would be but there were rumors that it would be pretty hardcore. It was just a movie though, and you were sure to teleport into a universe that wasn’t as... doomed as Flashpoint.

           Damian walked out of the room after one last kiss before you started up the movie and sat back to embark on whatever was supposed to happen. You watched as the movie started getting kind of intense.

           “A bit early dontcha think DC?” You muttered arms crossed.

           The film continued and eventually you stumbled across some of the bloodiest and most violent scenes that you’d ever witnessed. Would it have kind of messed you up watching it without knowing that this stuff was real? Yes. But now, knowing that this thing really happened, it hurts in a new kind of way.

           You watched as your favorite heroes died one by one. It was the most antagonizing thing that you’d ever seen in so long. Babs, eaten alive, Hawkman having his wings ripped off, it was like watching everyone that had raised you as a kid be killed off one by one. It broke you seeing what happened to the heroes as the casualties started sky rocketing. What really made you sick was the Titans dying.

           Star was split in half, her blood everywhere and spine showing through, Conner’s neck was snapped and then you saw it, Dick being stabbed to death. The sound made you feel queasy you felt sick to your stomach and then your heart dropped when the parademon saw Damian. You felt tears well in your eyes on anticipation only breathing when he was just knocked into the water seeing as there was a chance of his survival.

           It was hard going on, but know you were glued to the screen watching in anticipation of what was to happen. Eventually after sticking your nose up to what you knew as the DamiRae parts of the movie in jealousy, you got to one of the last battles. It was Damian vs Bruce and you knew it was not going to be pretty. If there was anything that you would never show him besides this entire movie, it was going to be this part and you knew it. You grimaced at the words that Bruce said. They echoed in your mind, his voice sticking there for a few seconds.                  “Your mother mentally broke me.” He continued, “You’re a burden.”

           “Damn B, I know you’re brainwashed and crap but what happened to Batdad?” You said getting a bit mad at the dialogue.

           After a little while, you watched in absolute horror as Damian jumped in front of Bruce. You were at a loss of words watching him shrivel into what looked like an ancient version of himself. Words clumped into the back of your throat as you started to cry hearing Raven screaming and then the climax of the movie hitting. It was terrible seeing him like that. You didn’t stop crying when he was revived either, you didn’t stop until the end of the movie where finally you went to the bathroom for a second.

           Damian wasn’t due to be home for a bit. It was an amazing movie, but seriously? You thought you’d be sick seeing the outcomes of Dick and everyone else. Yes, Flash would hopefully fix everything running into the Speed Force, but it costed everything. You went to the shelf in your bedroom, grabbing your character guide to flip through it. Tears only really came for those with the worst deaths. You didn’t know what happened to some of the characters but you were sure it either wasn’t good, or they weren’t in the movie at all. It was weird seeing everyone in this light and really didn’t affect you too terribly until you thought of Diana. She was the mother you never had and your childhood hero. Watching her become this cyborg version of herself, losing everything was something you didn’t take well.

           You flipped the page to her four pages and cried looking down at the now broken hero, seeing her in a whole new way of defeat and near death. You didn’t realize how much time had passed when you got a knock on the door and a voice that was certainly Damian’s.

           “Beloved?” He asked before you said he could come in, “Are you alrig-“

           Damian stopped dead in his tracks looking at your tear stained face with much concern and then saw the book open in your hands and the black screen of your laptop, it turning off automatically.

           “What happened?” He asked scooping you into his arms and sitting on your bed.

           “E-everyone d-died.” You choked up, “A-and Diana, she, I just, she was completely broken." “Y-you...” You trailed off not wanting to continue, the look on your face being very evident too Damian that that was the case.

           “Y/N, it doesn’t happen here, you know that. It was you who told me that this kind of thing would have already happened since it just got made into a movie.” Damian said, “Everyone is fine.” “I’m fine, I’m here with you, and you’re fine.”

           You looked up at him and shut the book before deleting the file of the movie, “Do not go watching that Damian.”

           “I won’t beloved, you have my word.” Damian promised tucking you two in and shutting off the lamp, “Remember, I’ll always be right here with you. I love you.”

           “I love you too.” You said not falling asleep as quickly as typical.

           It was a few hours later when a dream came on about the movie. You were there in some kind of clear box watching from afar. Damian was bleeding looking up at Bruce before it forwarded more and you saw the league in ruins once more. Damian was strapped into a machine and you were trying to get to him. There was no use in this however. He looked at you and pleaded for help before suddenly, without a moment’s notice, he shriveled into the grey corpse you had seen him in previously.

           “Y/N! Beloved wake up!” Damian was shaking you awake gently before you shot up, sweat covering your face and tears starting to stream down your face as you latched onto Damian, his arms wrapping around you tightly.

           “You’re okay Y/N, it was just a dream.” Damian said tenderly.

           “Please don’t stop talking.” You whimpered feeling him start to trace patterns ono your back as he started talking again, his hot breath dancing on your shoulder.

           “My love, when we first met I couldn’t believe that you were from a different universe.” Damian chuckled some, “To think you were so accustomed to Gotham and fought that man with such pride, I could have thought you had lived here your entire life. After I- you took me back to the cave, I thought you would have demanded to become a vigilante along with the rest of us.”  “I’m glad that you didn’t, it makes me feel better knowing that you’re safe but can also handle yourself at any given time. I’m so sorry that you had to see what you did in this kind of context.”

           His touch became still on your back before he took a long, drawn out sigh as if he was thinking about what he was going to say, “I love you like I love the stars, they are a small light of mystery and beauty in this world.” He smiled some kissing your shoulder.

           “I love you like the ocean, your thoughts and it infinitely deep and everchanging.” He kissed your other shoulder.

           “I love you like I love stories, complex and an escape from reality.” He kissed your jaw.    

           “You are my sun, the light of my life.” He kissed your other cheek”

           “You’re my rest and comfort” He kissed the tip of your nose, “My first love, not just a meaningless relationship.” He kissed your forehead, “My eyes, seeing the beauty in the world.” He then kissed your eye and smiled as you grinned some, “You are my beauty, something that I adore every day.” He lightly kissed your other eye.

           “But most importantly,” Damian paused as you opened your eyes some, “You are my last love, my beloved, and my entire world.” This time he pulled you in for a real kiss, something that felt like it lasted for days or even centuries.

           “I love you Damian.” You smiled as he fell back onto the pillow, taking you down with him and holding you closely still to his chest as you literally laid on top of him.

           “I love you Y/N.” He smiled running his fingers through your hair and fell asleep quickly after you did.

           You awoke from your sleep, light pouring into the bedroom.

           “Good morning beloved.” You heard Damian mutter, a smile in his voice now with an accent.

           “Good morning Dami.” You replied yawning some.

           “Did you sleep well after everything?” He questioned running his fingers through your hair.

           “I did, thank you.” You laughed, “That is the last time I watch that movie.”

           “I’m glad you’re doing better, it sounded like a terrible thing to see what with now knowing it’s relevancy.” He explained, an arm still wrapped tightly around your waste as he sat up.

           You laid in his lap before sitting up, facing him. You were straddling him, your feet pressing against his hips but only because you had socks on. He kissed you lightly smiling into it. You laid your head on his chest and sighed.

           “Last night felt like a fever dream.” He chuckled at your comment.

           “I assure you beloved, it was not a dream.” Damian said, “The good parts especially weren’t.”

           “I’m glad for that.” You smiled, “Anyways, we should probably get breakfast now.”

           “But what if we stayed in bed?” He asked.

           “What if we quickly ate something and had a relaxing weekend?” You asked.

           “That sounds wonderful.” Damian said as you guys got up to head downstairs and start your weekend.

[sceptilemasterr]

MW Act 2, Scene 5 - Runaway

Title: Most Wanted: The Hollywood Killer (A CIU Screenplay)

Main Pairings: Dave x Sam

Other Pairings: N/A

Genre: Full Rewrite

Rating: PG-13 for violence, blood, swearing, alcohol, and sexuality

Summary: The three investigators explore Tull’s trailer, where they find more than they expected...

Previous Scene: Knock Knock

Masterlist: Link

INT. TULL’S TRAILER - NIGHT

Sam kicks the door in, and she, Dave, and Rhea enter the trailer. It is filthy. Trash, moldy food, and dirty clothes are scattered haphazardly. There is no sign of John Tull.

SAM: Dammit! He’s not here!

DAVE (disgusted): Eugh. At least he left a garbage heap of evidence...

RHEA: Literally. Eww.

She looks away from the garbage, catching sight of a photo that has been pinned to the wall near the bed. The photo shows a younger Tull standing with a large group of people, all wearing similar clothing and haircuts. A young girl stands just in front of Tull, who is resting a hand on her shoulder.

RHEA: Huh. What’s this?

Dave pulls on a pair of evidence gloves and crosses over to look at the photo. He gingerly picks up the photo and examines it.

DAVE: A family? His file didn’t mention that... Sam?

SAM: He doesn’t have one... at least as far as I know. Though who knows, with how little we’ve found about him?

DAVE: Might be worth followin’ up on.

He places the photo in an evidence bag. Then he turns, picking up a notepad sitting on a table nearby. He flips through the notepad, frowning.

RHEA (excitedly): A notepad? Ooh! Maybe he wrote his secret plans on it, or--

DAVE: Don’t get your hopes up, Rhea. It’s completely blank.

RHEA: Aww, and here I thought we had something.

DAVE (shrugs): Real life isn’t like the movies. The bad guys don’t usually write all their plans on...

He trails off as he notices something about the notepad.

DAVE: Actually, this might still be useful. The front page was ripped off.

RHEA: And that’s helpful... how?

DAVE: To be honest, I have no idea. But I bet forensics can get something out of it.

He puts the notepad in another evidence bag, then grins at Rhea.

DAVE: We’ll make an investigator out of you yet! Hey, Sam, have you found...

Dave and Rhea turn to see Sam staring at a sawed-off shotgun hanging on the wall. Her hands are balled into fists, and she is quaking with barely-contained rage.

DAVE (hesitantly): ...Massey? You okay?

RHEA: Looks like we found Tull’s weapon, at least--

SAM (with tranquil fury): That is not Tull’s weapon.

RHEA: What? But what else could it be? I mean, it’s here, in his trailer, with--

SAM: It’s the gun Tull’s been using. But it’s not his gun.

She reaches out, running her fingers along the gun’s barrel.

SAM (quaking with rage): It belonged to my mentor, Bill. He loved this gun... called it Old Genevieve. Look at this. Tull sawed it off. Desecrated it.

Dave crosses over to her, and hesitantly places a reassuring hand on Sam’s shoulder. She holds his gaze for a moment, then relaxes.

DAVE: We’ll get this bastard. I promise you.

SAM: We’d better.

Sam takes a deep breath, calming herself before starting to look around the trailer once again. The three of them search for a few moments in silence.

SAM: Right. So, we’ve got a picture of Tull with... some group or another, a blank notepad, and the weapon he stole. That ain’t nearly enough to go on.

DAVE: That about sums it up, yeah...

SAM: There’s gotta be somethin’ else.

She surveys the surroundings carefully, until her gaze stops at a pile of clothes draped across the far end. She stomps over to the clothes and shoves them aside, revealing a closet door behind them.

DAVE (impressed): Well, what d’you know?

SAM: Jackpot.

She grasps the door handle firmly and throws it open, revealing the inside of the closet. The entire thing is filled with a “shrine” to Hayley Rose; numerous newspaper clippings, photos, and magazine covers featuring the pop star cover every inch of the closet’s walls. The collage has been surrounded in a huge red heart, and several of the newspaper clippings have passages highlighted. Sam, Dave, and Rhea stare open-mouthed at the sight.

SAM: Holy...

RHEA: Freakin’...

DAVE: ...Shit.

They spend several moments just taking in the sight.

DAVE: How many words are there for “stalker?” Mirasol’ll have a field day with this.

He raises his phone and begins taking photos of the shrine from various angles. Rhea and Sam step closer.

SAM: Look... this clipping’s from her debut album in 2011.

RHEA: And here’s one from even earlier! 2003--whoa, fifteen years ago--this says that Hayley was just an orphan when she came to Hollywood. Wow, can’t believe the media never picked up on that story!

SAM: With stuff this old, he must’ve been collecting this for years now. Just waiting for the chance to--

DAVE (with sudden realization): Wait. What did you say?

SAM: Just sayin’, with stuff this old, he must’ve been collecting it all for years...

DAVE: That’s it. That’s the missing puzzle piece. Massey, Sarkar, you realize what this means?!

Rhea and Sam exchange glances as the same realization dawns on them simultaneously.

RHEA: No one hired Tull.

SAM: The people he killed... it wasn’t for cash. Gavin Routh, Jessica Greene... they wronged Hayley when they leaked her pictures. Tull must’ve thought he was doin’ it for her. Sick bastard.

DAVE: This whole time, we were looking for the person who hired Tull... but it turns out they didn’t exist.

SAM: One thing still bugs me, though. Why Hayley Rose? Out of all the celebrities in the world... why her?

RHEA (thoughtfully): Hang on... I might know why.

DAVE AND SAM: You do?!

Rhea pulls out her phone and starts tapping through it. A moment later, a familiar song starts playing.

HAYLEY ROSE (ON PHONE) (singing): Sirens flickering in your tail lights, your long-lost love’s your only flaw... You kill, you steal, you burn the daylight... ‘Cuz you’re my broken, bad outlaw...

SAM: You’re kiddin’ me.

DAVE: It’s the song! “Outlaw!” This redneck moron actually thinks the song’s about him?!

Suddenly, the distinct sound of a shotgun being racked is heard from off-screen! Dave and Rhea whirl to see Tull, standing in the trailer, his gun pointed at the base of Sam’s skull. Rhea shrieks as Sam stands stiff, teeth clenched.

TULL: Call me ‘redneck’ again, piggie, and I’ll splatter Blondie here all over ya.

SAM (angrily): Ugh. Li must’ve set us up--

Tull jabs Sam in the back of the neck with the gun. Dave whips out his pistol in a blur and aims it at Tull, trying to get a clear shot without hitting Sam.

SAM (mouthing): Take. The. Shot.

Dave hesitates, and Tull grins.

TULL: Attaboy, piggie. Don’t do nothin’ stupid. Put the gun down on the floor. Nice an’ easy, now.

RHEA (terrified): He’s gonna kill her! Dave, do what he says!

Dave thinks for a moment, then smiles.

DAVE: I think there’s something you’re forgetting, Tull. I know your secret.

TULL: The hell you talkin’ about?

DAVE: Hayley Rose? Your sweetheart? I saw your super-creepy shrine to her. C’mon, don’t you think she’s a little young for you?

TULL: Shut yer mouth, cop!

DAVE: I mean, seriously, you think she’d go for you? She dates rock stars and heartthrobs, not hillbillies who look like they just crawled out of a swamp...

TULL (growing angrier): I said shut up!

Sirens howl in the distance. Tull adjusts his grip on the gun, jamming it into Sam’s neck once again, as Sam glares daggers at Dave.

DAVE: How about we take this outside, huh? Fight like men?

TULL: I’m gettin’ real tired of listenin’ to your whiny voice, cop! How ‘bout I get this over with, right here?

He adjusts his grip on his gun.

DAVE: You’d shoot her, huh? Just like that. Kill her in cold blood.

TULL: Damn right I will.

Rhea steps forward, clearly terrified but with a confidence in her voice.

RHEA: Gotta say, Tull, you’re a real outlaw.

TULL: What... what did ya just say?!

RHEA (mock-innocently): Oh, you know. An outlaw. (singing) Sirens flickering in your tail lights, your long-lost love’s your only flaw...

TULL: Shut yer mouth, girl!

RHEA (singing): You kill, you steal, you burn the daylight...

TULL (seething with rage): Don’t. You. Say it.

RHEA (singing): ‘Cuz you’re my broken, bad outlaw!

Tull roars with fury and shoves Sam forward! Dave lines up his shot, but then Sam elbows Tull in the face, causing Tull to stagger back with a bloody nose! He raises his shotgun right at Sam, and then...

RHEA: No! You bastard!

Rhea suddenly charges at Tull! Distracted, Tull’s shot goes wide, hitting a stack of plates and causing the lights to flicker!

DAVE: Too close!

Tull turns, kicks Rhea away, and rushes out of the trailer, slamming the door shut behind him. Immediately, Sam runs after him, only to stop short at the door, barred from the outside and now immovable.

SAM: Rrrrgh! No! Tull is not getting away again! What the hell is wrong with you, Reyes?

DAVE: Wha... me?!

SAM: Why’d you stand there blabbin’ for an hour instead of shooting?

DAVE: Because I use my words, like a goddamn adult, and--

Both he and Sam pause in their argument to sniff the air. They exchange glances, all animosity forgotten for the moment.

DAVE: Do... do you smell something burning?

RHEA: Yeah, something’s burning all right!

She staggers to her feet and points toward the far end of the trailer, where thick black smoke is seeping in. Flames begin licking the corners of the trailer.

RHEA: We gotta get out of here! NOW!

_______________________

Next: Conscience and Variables

CIU Tag List: @brightpinkpeppercorn @endlesshero1122 @bbaba-yagaa @acidsugar0

MW Tag List: @griselda1121

[bbrandy2002]

Wacky Drabble #17: Liam’s Smut

Part 3

Masterlist

Part One Part Two

“Riley’s” Fic/What Happens In Fydelia

This is part of @emceesynonymroll ’s #wackydrabbles. This weeks prompt is: There is a certain taste to it.

Liam x Riley and Liam x Hana x Maxwell

Word count: Lets just say, the limit doesn’t exist. So Sorry Enna😲 ……2143

A/N: Its been a hella crazy, hectic week and Im Not too thrilled with how this turned out but it is what it is.

Chapter Summary: In an attempt to get Riley to understand how he feels, Liam writes his own smut with shocking results.

**Special Note: @fromthedeskofpaisleybleakmore did not write any part of this, therefore, this drabble should not reflect on her far superior talent. I had no plans to write this when I wrote the previous drabble or I would have never drug her name into it…but, ya’ll just had to see what Liam wrote 😂 Thanks Bleakmore for being such a good sport!

This is MY attempt to write a story within a story, that includes smut (not my forte), in Bleakmore’s writing style, with a fictional character as a contributor, while also switching back and forth in my own writing style….God have mercy on all of you!!!!

MY READ MORE DID NOT WORK AGAIN...tagged as long post

————————————-

Riley’s eyes flitted at the screen as she scanned the words written before her. It was quite obvious by the content and plot of this story, one person in particular was meant to read it-her, and it had Liam written all over it. If those two things didn’t make it clear enough, the username, @inyourfacerileybrooks-love-liam, was the biggest indicator her husband had bested her.

A sea of crimson rippled across her face and heaving chest as she shifted onto her side, adjusting the laptop to lay on the bed next to her, full of resentment and outrage. If she was being honest with herself, she felt more guilt than anything.

If he wanted to “out smut” her, she’d be damned not to see what she was up against. She sighed heavily as she began to delve into his-little story.

________

Liam Fucks Hana Five Ways From Sunday With His Enormous Dick”

A new collaborative drabble by @fromthedeskofpaisleybleakmore and newcomer @inyourfacerileybrooks-love-liam

NSFW 🍋🍋🍋

Summary: This takes place in Fydelia, during the engagement tour, where Liam had caught his girlfriend, Riley, having sex with Drake in the courtyard.

(Liam)

“Bastien!”, I yelled, “arrest these two for treason, indescency in public, and…”, upon seeing the little Hershey bar wrappers scattered on the ground from Drake’s smores, “….litering”.

Seeking my forgiveness, Riley sobbed and pleaded for her release, citing temporary insanity, as her reasoning for betraying me in such a manner.

I did not care.

As my head guard took them both away in shackles and chains, I stopped him momentarily, “Bastien?”.

He turned to acknowledge me, “Yes, Your Majesty”.

“Throw away the key”.

I never wanted to see their sorry faces again. They both will spend the rest of their days in the palace dungeon, in misery, never to see daylight .

Riley rolled her eyes, “real subtle, Liam”, she murmured, before continuing….

I left the scene of their sexual crime feeling hurt and destroyed. Everything I had done since my coronation had been to protect her….Her! When I spoke those three words in the hedge maze before we made love for the first time, I meant them….I loved her.

Truth is, I never stopped.

I never will.

I would have gone to the far reaches of the universe to love her and show her love. I would have given her anything, do anything she asked, gave her my very own life to protect her, yet, it wasn’t enough to keep her. She didn’t think I was man enough to be those things for her, a lover, a protector, a soul mate, a confidante…my best friend.

She wanted Drake Walker for that.

Shame…there is a certain taste to it. Extremely spicy? Maybe. If so, Riley’s mouth was on fire. She pushed herself up from lying down on her side and gently tossed the laptop onto the bed. If there was anything she was ever sure of in life, it was that Liam loved her and always had. Those words she just read, were meant for her, in the here and now.

Her stomach began to twist and turn, a sour taste rising in the back of her throat. She eased herself from the bed to stand, wiping away the steady streams of hot tears that moistened her cheeks.

She ran to the bathroom, shutting the door and fell to her knees before the cold porcelain, emptying the foulness of her betrayal inside of it. Feeling miserable for hurting Liam and causing him such pain.

“Mommy?..daddy?”, Nikolas called out as he sleepily entered his parents empty bedroom.

Without a reply, he stepped in further, his little, beady blue eyes darting around, seeking to find his mom and dad, his ears perking up at hearing the shower running.

Nikolas decided to wait for them to come out of the bathroom, not knowing Liam had stayed in his study last night. Grabbing onto one of the large wooden posters at the foot of the bed, he placed one foot on the frame and hoisted himself up, crawling playfully to the center.

He rose to his feet and jumped up and down several times before landing on his backside with a high bounce, giggling with pure delight. Riley’s laptop caught his eyes, resting on her pillow, open wide with the screensaver of a half naked, Ryan Reynolds bouncing around consistently. He perched himself on the edge of the bed, his short legs swinging freely over the side, as he laid the laptop in his lap.

He knew he wasn’t permited to use electronic devices without adult supervision, however, in his mind, that was not something he was concerned with. His tiny finger ran over the touchpad as his ears listened intently for the shower to stop. Nik’s eyes narrowed on the words that flashed before him, his hand cupped over his mouth….“daddy did what to Aunt Hana?”…..

Returning to my room at the estate, wounded and dispirited, I pour one drink after another, drowning my sorrows. My ultimate goal was to feel nothing, to forget the love of my life ever existed….if only for this night.

Soon, the dizzying effects of the alcohol begin to take its hold on me. I shed my suit jacket, feeling warmth, tossing it absentmindedly on the bed. I began to roll up the sleeves of my dress shirt, when a gentle knock alerted me to the door. I stumble haphazardly across my suite to see who it is at this late hour.

Hana and Maxwell stood opposite of me with looks of concerns and disappointment.

(Hana)

Maxwell and I stand before Liam, who looks like he has spent the evening wallowing in what Riley and Drake had done to him. By now, the entire court and press had gotten word of their very public display of affection….if thats what you would call it. When Maxwell and I were made aware of the situation, we thought he could use a friend, a shoulder to cry on, and-The Game.

The King invites us into his lavish executive suite, lit only by the moonlight’s glow through the clear glass of the balcony door. A near empty bottle of scotch sits on the coffee table in front of the sofa with a pack of cigarettes and a full ash tray.

“Liam”, I wrap him in a warm hug, “we are so sorry for what happened. Is there anything we can do?”.

“Yeah, buddy”, Maxwell said with an encouraging smile, “we came to cheer your up”.

Liam crosses to the center of the room and slumps down onto the couch, grabbing the bottle of scotch, “I appreciate that, but…I don’t think anyone can help me tonight”.

I look to Maxwell, who gives me a knowing look and a nod. We avert our attention back to the King who is lighting up his next cigarette and falling back into the couch.

I wink at Maxwell. It’s time.

Maxwell and I move to the sofa. He plops down on the end opposite of Liam and I settle myself in between them; there was only enough room for the three of us.

(Liam)

I’m grateful that Maxwell and Hana are so concerned for my wellbeing, however, I really just want to be left alone.

Hana shifts next to me and places a delicate hand on my knee. If I weren’t so inebriated, that act alone would seem almost inappropriate for a lady of my court. I take a quick draw and exhale the toxic fumes towards the ceiling.

“Your Majesty”, her voice sweet and low, “Maxwell and I would like to play a…"game”..with you.“

I smile at her and lightly squeeze the hand she has resting on my knee, “I’m not really in the mood for games..maybe another time”.

“Come on daddy, play the game with Uncle Max and Aunt Hana”

I catch Maxwell’s hand moving just below the hem of Hana’s knee length dress, gliding under the fabric as he caresses her thigh, inching higher and higher. I quirk my brow, curious at to what this knucklehead was doing.

Hana closes her eyes, appearing to melt into his touch, soft moans escaping her lips. I scoot further away, unclear as to what the hell is going on.

The intricate lace of Hana’s light pink panties become visible as Maxwell’s finger disappears under it. Her usually, elegant hand, pressing him further and deeper into her. I avert my eyes and begin to whistle uncomfortably, wondering if these two came to cheer me up by…fucking in front of me?

Hana’s sultry voice beckons for me. “I dare you to touch me too, Your Majesty”, an inviting grin appears on her face as Maxwell removes his fingers from her. To say I am baffled would be an understatement, yet, my cock starts to harden with anticipation.

“Do it, do it, do it”, an oddly subdued Maxwell begins to pressure me with a shit-eating grin.

I shake my head insistently, “I..I can’t touch Lady Hana like that”, I wanted to, she’s gorgeous and talented, and by the looks of Maxwell’s glistening fingers, fucking soaked. I lean forward and put out my cigarette, planning to get away from whatever the hell kind of game these two are playing. I’ve played Monopoly, I’ve played checkers, never have I “played” Stick a Finger in The Pussy.

My heart races as she grabs my hand and pulls it towards her. I hesitate, but, dammit, I’m only a man. My fingers roam over the wetness of her panties, I can smell her essence and it completely overcomes me. I make my way under the lace; she is warm and slick. I begin to move with precision through her folds and she groans my name. Hana’s giftedness never fails…I can honestly say, I do feel a little more cheerful afterall.

Through her moaning, she dares Maxwell to suck my dick. I laugh, oh the Hana…she’s such a jokester, until that son of bitch gets up and kneels before me. In my drunken state, I don’t move as my lifelong friend unbuckles my leather belt and slowly unzips my pants. He releases my cock from its confines…is this really happening? Hana squirms under my touch and I can tell she is close to the edge, as Maxwell’s hot tongue curls around my shaft.

“Nikolas!”, Liam’s voice booms disapprovingly as he stands at the doorway, “are you on your mother’s laptop?”

A panic-stricken Nikolas, jolts from being caught, then squints his eyes as he watches his father approach him.

Liam towers over his young son, hands on his hips with a displeased glare. “Well…what do you have to say for yourself?”

Nikolas remains quiet for a moment before Liam presses him again for an answer. Without warning, he cries out, “You are a bad man daddy! A very bad man!”. He jumps off the bed, pushing himself past Liam, wailing and sobbing back to his room, where his door could be heard slamming shut.

The bathroom door opens and a towel clad Riley slips out, “What was that?”

Liam scratches his unkempt hair, perplexed at his son’s outburst, “I’m not sure. I caught him on your laptop before he told me I was a very bad man and cried himself out of the room”

Riley swiveled the laptop he left on the bed towards her, leaning over it in search of what caused her young child to explode. Her lips moved quietly as she read until, “YOU HAD A THREESOME WITH HANA AND MAXWELL?!”, she blinked wildly, “…my baby is gonna need therapy for life”.

Liam grabbed the device from her, “I most certainly did not”. He read the post for himself, gasping at each sentence, nodding his head incessantly, “No…No…animal sounds?…golden shower?…Hana milked our prostates? Drake escapes the dungeon and kills me with marine life?…I didn’t write this, I swear. I only wrote the first part and Bleakmore assured me she would give it a loving ending”.

Skeptical at his story, Riley points to the screen, “Look”, her eyes focus in as she points to the screen, reading aloud, “Never ask a Drake stan to betray him…You’ve been… Bleakmored”. She bites her lip to control the urge to laugh.

“Bleakmored?”, he sighs, “Bleakmored?…I hope she knows she has traumatized our son”, he closes his eyes in disbelief before Riley wraps her arms around his waste and draws him closer to her.

She stares up at her husband with a loving smile and sincerity, “I’m sorry you were Bleakmored…and…I’m sorry I wrote that story about Drake. You are the only man I want, My King”, she trails kisses across his neck and palms his hardened groin, “maybe you can finish your smut where you left off, with me”.

Liam shudders under the intensity of her hands moving in perfect motion, “Only if you let me… milk you, My Queen”.

Riley lips curl into a devilish grin “I’ll get the Vasoline and rubber gloves”.

Wacky Drabblers and Permatags: @emceesynonymroll @burnsoslow @jessiembruno @sirbeepsalot @dcbbw @romanticatheart-posts @stopforamoment @katedrakeohd @pedudley @of-course-i-went-to-hartfeld @drakesensworld @ao719 @janezillow @eileendannie @texaskitten30 @glaimtruelovealways @fromthedeskofpaisleybleakmore @hopefulmoonobject

[hellyeahomeland]

“Designated Driver” | Directed by Michael Offer, Cinematography by David Klein

Sara: If I had a dollar for every Homeland episode that opens with Carrie speed-walking while looking over her shoulder every four seconds… I would have about ten dollars. 

Gail: The imagery of Carrie looking over her shoulder is very reminiscent of the pilot episode. The closer we get to the end of the show, the more it feels like we have come full circle.

Ashley: Hi everybody, I’m joining Director’s Chair for the very first time because I’m feeling left out. I have no idea what I’m talking about. Anyway, Carrie’s paranoid, and rightly so, but it’s not paranoia if the guy you’re in love with just stuck a needle in your neck.

Sara: I had to take a screenshot of this because this is Claire’s actual handwriting, and long-time readers of this website will know that it seriously bugs me when they try to pass off someone else’s handwriting as Carrie’s. Anyway, this is the real deal, people.

Gail: Another scene that shows a character versus a gang of three. Here the Pakistan Ambassador is up against Hayes, Zabel and Wellington... or is he? Wellington has inched closer to the inner circle of trust, but hasn’t quite made it behind the desk yet. If Hayes represents the center, only Zabel is on his side, while the both the American flag and Wellington are not. 

Ashley: This shot, from above, has the same feeling of watching a bomb about to drop. The desk is the target. Will anybody in this room survive the fallout of what’s coming? (Please let it be Wellington.) (What even is coming?)

Sara: I love this shot because of the body language of the four men. Hayes and Zabel are both leaning forward in aggressive stances. Linus has his legs crossed, hand to his chin, thinking of new ways he’d like to be swallowed whole. The ambassador leans back, sort of resigned to this entire clusterfuck.

Ashley: The look on Balach’s face is so… everything. The furrowed brow, clenched jaw, and the intensity of his eyes — he’s barely holding it together, and his expression is pure murder. 

Sara: I love this actor who plays Balach (Seear Kohi). He has been so great all season. I finally figured out this week that he looks surprisingly similar to Donald Glover. It’s been bugging me for weeks. 

Gail: Balach is not faring as well as advisor to his new boss, (ugh) Jalal, as Wellington is to Hayes. I love the angle they chose for this scene. We see Balach from above and it gives the impression that he is looking down at Jalal, which based on his point of view, he most certainly is.

Gail: Carrie is back in the same place where President Warner thanked her and recognized her for all that she has done. Feels poignant that she shares this moment with Worley back at Bagram. He put President Warner in that helicopter and indirectly, so did she.

Sara: IJLTP.

Sara: I feel like Jenna’s entire storyline really paid off this episode. I loved this detail of her hand shaking when Mike mentions the ops team in the Pakistani jail. 

Ashley: Jenna’s been a wildcard all season and this episode humanized her in a very real way. I don’t want more Homeland, but I would be interested in Jenna’s story moving forward. So she’s probably gonna die.

Gail: Jenna’s got a long way to go in her training at the Carrie Mathison Spy School if a little treason gets her this nervous.

Sara: This is such a cool shot. There is an identical one of Quinn in “Iron in the Fire,” which was also directed by Michael Offer.

Sara: This shot reminds me of two things:

that moment in the cartoon How the Grinch Stole Christmas when everyone wakes up and their houses are completely bare. 

that moment in “Super Powers” when Carrie paces back and forth, weighing her next move and hesitating, after Jonas leaves.

Everything this season is reminding me of something else, not in a bad way! 

Gail: It reminds me of a surveillance shot with the camera mounted up high, giving a full view of the room. We don’t know it at the time, but maybe this is a subtle nod to Carrie being under surveillance while looking for Yevgeny, who finds her with Arman, her designated driver, a short time later.

Ashley: This reminds me of “A False Glimmer,” actually. Carrie returning home to her apartment, mostly expecting Jonas to be gone, but calling his name anyway — ultimately opening a closet to find his things still there; and she’s reassured of his presence. She didn’t expect to find Yevgeny here, but he’s left nothing. The disappointment, to me, reflects her relief at finding that Jonas hadn’t left.

Gail: Ugh, Jonas.

Sara: Yay, Jonas.

Sara: I love the reveal of the other Russian officials seated around the ambassador, watching his phone call with Saul. It’s such an ominous setup.

Gail: Such a great reveal! Very interesting choice to keep the people in the background, out of focus, in this shot. Feels symbolic--the audience can’t see what’s coming, and neither can Saul.

Sara: I stan this friendship. 

Gail: My theory that everything goes to hell every time someone smiles still holds.

Ashley: It’s amazing to me that Carrie still has people who are so loyal to her. Don’t they know better?

Gail: Well, Arman is still alive, so, no.

Sara: This Carrie/Yevgeny scene is so great. I love the way it shifts as Carrie processes what Yevgeny is asking for her--as she says later, making an offer she has no choice but to accept. You can see her cycle through the stages of grief: denial that the asset exists, anger that Yevgeny is asking her to do this, bargaining with him (she’ll do anything else), depression when she realizes she has to do it, and finally acceptance. 

Gail: Interesting that they had her cycle through the stages of grief. It must mean something is gone that she’ll never get back. The choreography of Carrie walking away from Yevgeny and turning her back on him as she processes what he’s just said is telling too. Not only is he not on her side, he just became her Russian handler.

Ashley: It’s a dreamy shot too, everything blurred behind her, but we’ve really found ourselves in Carrie’s worst nightmare.

Gail: Sorry, Jalal. Yevgeny has already trademarked that lean.

Sara: There was a lot of imagery involving children this episode, which I find very interesting. Here Jalal is literally training young boys to shoot and kill. It gives a new sense of hopelessness to the entire situation. As Balach says, they’re inviting more endless war, and they’re lining up their next generation of soldiers. 

Gail: Saul’s body language has continued to morph into a submissive and defeated posture. The stress this man is under makes me worried for his health. A person can only take so much before they break and it seems like Saul is almost there.

Sara: Me watching this damn show.

Ashley: I second.

Sara: I found this moment where Carrie observes the two young girls playing to be especially poignant and a very Homelandian detail. It immediately calls to mind Franny, or, as Gail said on the podcast, the various little girls we see in the opening credits each week, versions of Carrie who have grown up watching war and conflict play out on her television screen.

Sara: Carrie using her earring to remove the SIM card in her phone is such a Carrie thing to do and I have to stan on that one. 

Gail: I love the detail because it’s also a callback to Allison in season five when she “tears down her comms” while going into full flight.

Sara: The expression in Carrie’s face here, as she turns herself in, also strikes me as one of grief. To be patted down by soldiers, to have to utter the words “I’m Carrie Mathison. I’m wanted by the FBI”... for a patriot like Carrie, we know this is her absolute worst nightmare. 

Gail: I agree. I think Carrie is devastated that it’s all come to this but she also looks resolute. Her gaze is determined and steady, and her movements are calculated. Her line to Saul keeps echoing in my ears: “I did what had to be done.”

Sara: I found a lot of parallels between Carrie’s and Balach’s situations in this episode. Maybe Balach finding his two sons was meant to mirror Carrie seeing those two girls earlier. They act ultimately for those children. 

Ashley: The horror at finding his children on-site — I find it hard to believe that Balach didn’t know what this meant at the very second he saw it. He, too, goes through the stages of grief at record speed.

Gail: Ashley’s right, Balach goes through the same stages of grief as Carrie. It’s clearer what Balach is losing in this moment and never getting back: his life. Is that true of Carrie as well?

Gail: Carrie’s cool demeanor versus Jenna’s anxiousness sets up such a powerful scene between them. The coloring of the room is cool, too, done in trademark Homeland blue and gray. 

Sara: This is quite a role reversal. Now Jenna towers over Carrie; still, Carrie ends up maintaining the upper hand. I loved this scene and how it paid off the season-long quasi-mentorship between them. Carrie has been teaching her lessons all season, just teaching them the hard way.

Sara: Carrie being on the other side of the interrogation table is not something I ever thought I’d see on this show. 

Gail: Carrie’s posture is confident. She is sitting upright, head tilted slightly forward. Her hands are under the desk, revealing nothing. Carrie has probably been in a million interrogations and knows how to play the game.

Gail: So many emotions play across Saul’s face here. We’ve seen Carrie and Balach cycle through the five stages of grief this episode, both of them having their cycles shown within one scene. Saul on the other hand has cycled through his stages over the course of the episode, ending with acceptance in this conversation with Wellington.

Sara: It’s ironic that in the episode where Saul finally steps up to acknowledge the ways in which he’s used Carrie over the years but can’t turn on her now, she makes the crucial decision to potentially betray him. There is a great contrast between Linus’ motives--about optics and politics--and Saul’s--which ultimately boil down to loyalty.

Ashley: I never thought I’d see Sara talking about how Saul’s motives boil down to loyalty, but 2020 is a helluva year.

Sara: IJLTP.

Gail: It looks like a chess board. If Mike thinks he put the Queen in check, he’s got another thing coming.

Sara: Carrie looks stun-ning here. (Requisite acknowledgement of yet another scene where Carrie is filmed from outside a car window.)

Gail: I love this storytelling device the show uses to give us a window into Carrie’s current emotional state. What’s great about this shot specifically for me is the familiar jazz music from Homeland’s opening credits that softly plays in the background as Carrie is being brought home almost a full year later. It’s the first time we’ve heard jazz music in a scene with Carrie all season long. We can see reflections in the window, but over Carrie, the glass is crystal clear. Earlier in the episode Carrie says she can’t see a way out of the hole she’s dug for herself. But just as the glass here is crystal clear, so is Carrie. She knows what she must do.

Sara: Gail, a “window into Carrie’s current emotional state”... literally! 

Sara: Love the “GOODBYE PAKISTAN” sign as we’re leaving this setting and returning to America the homeland for the final two episodes. 

Ashley: The “GOODBYE PAKISTAN” is interesting because it is in English. Obviously this is for the viewers, but it comes off like a warning. 

Gail: It is most definitely a warning. Look at what awaits them on the other side.

Sara: This scene was so stunningly shot. It reminded me a lot of Brody’s tape from “Marine One” and Carrie’s from “Why Is This Night Different?” 

Gail: The details were all crafted so well too. From the prop department and set designers, to the moving score from Sean Callery, to the beautiful writing, to the performance from Seear Kohi. Balach accepted his fate in the earlier scene with Jalal, and now he is resolved to do what needs to be done.

Gail: I mentioned this on the podcast, but good Lord does this woman give great side eye. This is the exact same look I give my kids when they say they don’t have homework. I stan.

Sara: Gail, you’re so right. Vanessa Kroll gives excellent side eye.

Gail: Parker, the character shown here, also cycles through the five stages of grief. 

Sara: It’s not just Carrie who’s been trapped. The special ops team being literally trapped inside the bus, desperately yelling to be let out, was especially heartbreaking. This season, the show has portrayed multiple characters--major and minor--who are trapped in an endless cycle of war, prisoners of their own ideas and the system in which they operate.  

Ashley: There is also just the fact that people are physically entrapped consistently — but they can still see what’s outside. Being able to see things and not stop them or escape them… it’s kind of a motif in this show, amped up to 1000 this season.

Gail: And now, acceptance of a fate he can’t escape. 

Sara: This entire sequence was expertly edited, the shouts and commotion drowned out by Sean Callery’s excellent score. Weirdly there is a sense of quiet to it all. 

I appreciate the contrast between these two reactions. Parker looks at the bomb barreling toward him and seems to have a sense of acceptance about his fate. Jenna, meanwhile, mostly out of harm’s way, ducks behind a car and her expression is one of fear. 

Sara: This final moment where Balach lets out an excruciating scream as flashes of his crying sons play across the scene is heartbreaking. He dies so that they can live. I thought it was--ironically-quite beautiful. 

Ashley: Agree that it was beautiful, but it’s terrible insofar as his children are going to grow up under Jalal’s rule. They will never see the peace that their father wanted; they will never even know that’s what he wanted. Balach didn’t have a choice, but his legacy is now embedded in terrorism — not peace.

Gail: Balach had a choice, he chose his family. From their perspective, he’s a hero.

Gail: The symbols on the side of the bus are symbols on the Pakistani flag. The star symbolizes light and knowledge, the crescent moon symbolizes progress. Quite a contrast to the people being held prisoner within.

Sara: The split second before it happens -- the palms pressed against the bus windows is a breathtaking image.

Gail: We don’t need a car window to locate Carrie emotionally now. She’s looking straight ahead, and like Balach in the car, begins her journey to the end.

Sara: The parallel to Carrie in the airplane is an unexpected one, but it fits. She has the same look of resolve in her eyes as Balach. She knows what she must do. She’s blowing up her life in her own way, setting a match to it all. Is she a martyr, or is she a traitor? This scene fits between a cut to white and a cut to black, and that’s where Carrie has always been: in the grey, searching.

Ashley: God help me.

[ladymercytaylor]

All in - Chapter 2 (Joe Mazzello x Reader)

Chapter 2 y’all!!! If you like it please reblog (it would make my little heart so happy <3)

Summary: You and Joe were in a blissful relationship for 4 years. It seemed as though everything was perfect. You’d moved in together and all of your friends were taking bets on when he’d finally put a ring on your finger. That is until it all fell apart. Now, 1 year on you’re thrown together at a mutual friend’s wedding and it changes everything between you. Previous chapter can be found HERE

Chapter 2 – 5 weeks

“You have to tell him” “I know” “I’m serious. You have to tell him” “I fucking know, Flick” you groaned from your place on your bed. “Just telling me the same thing over and over again isn’t helping, you know?” “Well I’m sorry, but I’m still trying to wrap my head around the ‘I had a sloppy one night stand with the guy who tore my heart out a year ago’ part of the story” she snapped back, fiddling with the strings of her hoodie. You scrunched your eyes shut as the reality of what you’d done was presented to you. Why couldn’t you have been better? Why couldn’t you have not gotten mixed up in the romantic atmosphere of the goddamned wedding, kept your head and not fallen back into Joe’s arms? If you had then everything would be as it always was. You’d probably be sitting on the couch with your best friend watching a shitty Netflix movie and eating popcorn. Instead you were quickly spiralling into a crisis as you stared at the ceiling of your bedroom, uncomfortably aware that a new life was growing inside you. 

“I don’t blame you, you know” Flick murmured, interpreting your silence as offence. “You and Joe. You had something I’ve never seen before” you closed your eyes even tighter until neon lights danced across your eyelids. “I’ve known you for 10 years and I’ve never seen you that happy” “And I bet you’ve never seen me as destroyed either” you muttered, slapping your hands over your face. “Why did I sleep with him?!” you groaned, rolling over to squash your face into the covers. “Because you’ve never really stopped loving him” Flick replied simply and your whole body froze. Wrenching your face out of the green covers, your eyes narrowed dangerously. “I hate it when you do that” you grumbled but she simply stuck her tongue out at you from her perch on your windowsill. “Sorry, babes, still true” she shrugged nonchalantly. Another groan escaped your lips as you flopped back down. “Do…do you know what you’re going to do?” Now that was the million dollar question that had been rolling around your head for the last 2 weeks, ever since your doctor’s appointment that concretely confirmed the pregnancy. What on Earth were you going to do? Flick had made it clear that there was no way to get out of this situation without talking to Joe, and you knew that there was no point in dropping this bomb on him until you’d figured out what you wanted. Children had always been on your radar. Your nieces and nephews were one of the favourite things in your life. The day your first nephew had been passed into your arms, wrapped in the blue blanket you’d gifted your sister a few months prior, was the day that cemented it for you. You wanted to be a mum. But your original plans for that had been derailed a year ago when Joe left your life. And now your 33rd birthday was creeping up. And there hadn’t been anyone of interest since Joe. It almost felt like a sign. “I’m” you started, your heart rate soaring, “I’m thinking I’m going to keep it” “Holy shit” Flick breathed out, wobbling slightly on the windowsill. “That’s huge!” “I just feel like that this is my shot” you continued, the words tumbling out of your mouth “Like yeah, it was an accident. But if parallel universes do exist there’s a not so different world where Joe and I are still together and have a family. So why can’t this version of me have it too?” “You had me up until you said ‘parallel universe’” Flick chuckled. She pushed off the ledge and came to sit on the edge of your bed. “You’re allowed to want it, hun” she said softly, resting a reassuring hand on your shoulder. “It’s a big fucking deal, yes. But if you really want it and you think you can handle it then you don’t need to justify it to anyone” God, you loved her. “I know I can do it” the determination was clear in your voice and it brought a smile to your best friend’s face. She’d known you for so many years and she knew that as soon as you set your mind on something there was no stopping you. “Then I’ll be here to help you however I can. And I know Joe will too” you groaned at the mention of his name. “Don’t bring him up” you whined and Flick laughed again, rubbing your shoulder gently. “Sorry, love, but you’re going to have to talk to him about it. And soon” she added, pointedly. “The last thing you want to do is to rock up, show him your giant stomach and yell ‘Surprise!’” “I dunno, that’s definitely a hilarious way to announce a pregnancy” you chuckled, heaving yourself up to sit cross legged on the mattress. You both sat in silence for a moment, Flick staring out of the window at the cars lazily trundling down the street and you tracing aimless patterns on the covers. “Strange isn’t it” you whispered, feeling your throat constrict, “Just over a year ago Joe and I were literally in here talking about kids”

“Come look at this one!” Joe’s shouts echo down the hallway from the bedroom to reach you in the kitchen. “Just a second!” you shouted back, grabbing the two steaming cups of coffee before heading towards your shared bedroom. “Where is it?” “Brooklyn. Close to the bridge though!” he added quickly, spinning his silver MacBook around to show you the latest listing he’d found. It was the perfect Brownstone building, perfectly maintained with little flower boxes on the window ledges. “It’s gorgeous” you murmured, eyes raking down the page. Joe grinned beside you, bouncing in excitement against the mattress. That was when your eyes found the price. “Jesus, Joe! It’s like 3 times our budget!” you exclaimed, pushing the laptop away from you. “But it’s so pretty!” he whined, flopping dramatically onto the covers. “It has 4 bedrooms! There’s only two of us” you reminded him, sitting back against the headboard and taking a sip of your scolding hot drink. “But…it might not always be just two of us” he murmured, his cheeks flushing a bright pink. A crippling silence fell, Joe staring unblinkingly at the ceiling and you stuck with your cup half way to your lips. He hadn’t meant to bring it up like that. He’d been hoping to have a little more tact but the idea of buying a house with you had his little heart fluttering like a butterfly and he couldn’t keep it in any longer. Marriage had occasionally been tossed around so you knew that was on his mind, but kids was a new topic entirely. “Huh. Is this something you’ve been thinking about for a while?” you asked gently, the gentle thud of your mug against the wooden night stand the only sound in the room. “Would you be mad if I said yes?” Joe replied softly, the back of his neck prickling uncomfortably. “How long, Joe?” you murmured. “If I had to put a finite timestamp on it” he mused out loud, his confidence growing, “I’d say it was when you met my family” “We’d only been dating for 6 months!” a slightly shrill laugh escaped your lips, betraying the cool exterior you’d been trying to present. “Yeah well you looked so cute with my nieces and nephews I just couldn’t help it” he chuckled, propping himself up on his elbows so he could see your face. “Have I completely freaked you out?” “You’ve taken me a bit by surprise” you admitted, feeling your cheeks burn under his gaze. “I mean I’m not surprised by any means! You’re amazing with kids” you blabbered, your face feeling burning hot. Joe couldn’t help but grin at your nervousness. “You just never said anything and now you’re telling me this and we’ve been together for nearly four years and this is kind of the first time I’m hearing about it-” Joe shuffled forward to gently press his finger to your lips. “Calm down, love, calm down” he chuckled, hazel eyes shining brightly in the dim evening light. “But I have to ask…is that something you see with me?” The words seemed to be stuck in your throat so you simply nodded, tears springing to your eyes as well as Joe’s. “Really?” he asked gleefully, a grin blossoming on his face. “Really”

“Universe just likes to keep you on your toes I guess” Flick shrugged, hopping off the warm windowsill. “I’ve got to head to the restaurant, but you’re going to call him, yeah?” You nodded as she crossed your room. The affirmation seemed to assuage her concerns and she gave you a supportive smile before stepping out into the hallway and leaving you alone.

Across town, Joe was sitting at his grey desk, a new script just dropped off by his agent clamped tightly in his hands as he scanned the pages. It was good. Not something he’d ever done before, but what actor doesn’t want to give a rom-com a try? He was just turning the page of a particularly intense love scene when his black iPhone vibrated loudly against the wooden table top. Sighing softly he put down the document to peer at the screen. His heart stopped as he read your nickname that he hadn’t had the heart to change in the message bar.

Sweets <3 Hey, any chance you want to meet up next weekend? I’ve got something I’d like to talk to you about.

Completely abandoning his work Joe unlocked the screen, immediately dialling the only person he could talk to about this. “Hello?” came Ben’s sleepy reply from the other end of the phone line. “I’m going to get her back” Joe beams, pushing out of his office chair to pace around the living room. “Going to need a little more info there, mate” the Brit chuckled, loosing focus as his adorable puppy padded into the room, her long ears flopping with her bouncing steps. That was when the damn broke. Joe’d been trying to keep the details of his night after Ben disappeared with his bridesmaid to himself, but now he was too excited at the prospect of seeing you again to hold them in. “You fucking slept with her?!” was his friend’s elegant response but Joe flew over the judgement in his voice. “And now she wants to see me on the weekend! She absolutely wants me back, yeah?” The silence that met his question was not reassuring. “Possibly. Or she’s going to tell you that it was mistake” Ben offered and Joe felt like a lead weight had just dropped into his stomach. “You don’t really think that, do you?” Ben couldn’t help but sigh at the despair in his best friend’s voice. It’d been like this ever since the break-up. No matter what Ben did to distract him it never worked. No matter how many perfectly lovely single girls he set him up with the response was always lukewarm at best. And now that he had one sliver of hope of fixing his mistake he wasn’t going to let it go without a fight. “I’m just saying that you shouldn’t get your hopes up” Ben explained measuredly but it only made Joe roll his eyes. But despite his confidence, there was a tiny dark thought niggling at the back of his mind. What if Ben was right?

TAG LIST! Just message if you want to be added!! @briarrose26  @mrsmazzello @escabell  @yourealegendroger @sincereleygmg  @zvzxs  @dramatique-moi @borhapqueen92

[justbtsstuffsforfun]

Harder than it Looks

Pairing : Taehyung x Jin

WC: 6,240

Warnings:  Mentions of rape.

A/N: Forgive me for my pathetic title. And I’m nervous.

“Where is Jin-hyung?” Taehyung asked, scanning the crowd. Having been promised that the latter would come and pick him up, it was only natural for him to ask about his missing boyfriend.

“Hyung is…a bit busy.” Yoongi replied, maintaining the stability in his voice while answering Taehyung. He’s definitely not gonna let this poor cub know about the hyung’s condition.

“Then let’s go to his filming site! We can go and surprise him!!” Taehyung clapped in excitement. No way was he going to miss the surprised look on the older man’s face.

“No. Tae-tae needs rest. Carry gramps Yoongi back to the car.”

“Hyung, I’m the one that needs rest and- Hey!” Taehyung fake-exclaimed, seeing his hyung climb on to his back. Damn, it’s been too long since he felt this excited to carry Yoongi again.

“Hyung cut some slack for this 31-year old kid!” Taehyung pouted, adjusting his backpack and the sloth-like Yoongi. “And what about my mask? People might recognize me.”

“Mask? You look like a caveman with that thick beard. No one would even imag-“

“OH, MY GODS! THAT’S KIM TAEHYUNG!” a petite woman screamed in excitement.

“AHHH!! TAEHYUNGIE WITH A BEARD!! AHH!!!” another joined.

“YOONGI OPPA LOOKS LIKE A KITTEN!!” the third one started bawling her eyes out in astonishment.

“And this is why I should never listen to Hoseok. Run towards my car in that corner!” Yoongi face palmed himself and hid his face on Taehyung’s shoulder.

 “L-leave meee, I have to gooo. Tae babe’s waiting.” Jin slurred, chugging in another mug of beer. “He’ll see me and break up immediately. I’m so ugly, fat, blond, no muscle, blah blah blah.”

“Hyung, I get the fact that you’re worried but seriously, why would you call yourself ugly and fat when you’re neither?” Joon asked, pulling the older away from the kitchen counter. “And for God’s sake, what has got you so upset huh?”

“Tae baby will run away from me.”

“No, he won’t. In fact, he’ll run towards you. No stop drinkin-”

Clang! There goes one of Jin’s favorite plates. Namjoon quickly pulled the light-weighted man to the couch.

“Hyung, please don’t break your favorite stuff one by one. You’ll end up regretting.”

“Tae-baby will break my heart.”

“WILL YOU STOP WITH TAE BABY? It’s cringy hyung!”

“I waaant beer. Gimme a kiss. Come here.”

“And I’m not your Tae-baby hyung!” Joon smacks Jin’s head in frustration. “Stay here for a while. I’ll make a call and-“

“DON’T CALL TAE-“

“WILL YOU STOP!” Namjoon literally blew up, confusing Jin. “Stay here Jin-hyung, I’m calling Yoongi-hyung”

“Okay.”

Namjoon quickly walked to the corner of the room, dialing Yoongi’s number. It’s been quite long since the two of them saw Seokjin so drunk and wasted.

It had all started when Jin’s drama director had personally contacted Namjoon in the bakery that afternoon.

“What! Jin didn’t show up for 3 days?!” Namjoon almost crushed the macaroons on hearing the news. “That’s strange. He always returns missed calls and messages.”

“Really? Is he sick? He hasn’t picked up any of my phone calls!” the director asked, a bit confused. Jin quickly became people’s favorite actor after his debut drama.

“Really?! Gosh, I’ll check up on him today.”

And, as Jungkook’s and Jimin’s train was arriving in 20 mins (Hoseok’s going to get them), Namjoon had no choice but to pull the busy Yoongi-hyung along with him.

And Yoongi thought his idea-less -day couldn’t get worse.

The smell of alcohol and beer welcomed them as soon as they opened his apartment door. And right on the floor was Jin, with god-knows-which-mug and the third empty bottle.

“What in the world?” Namjoon exclaimed which also, somehow, brought Jin back to planet earth.

“Pick up Taeehyungie,” Jin called out, searching for his car keys on the floor.

“On it. Take care, Namjoon.”

And that’s how Namjoon was left alone with poor, depressed Jin.

“Hyung! Please come fast.  Jin needs help and pep talk.” Namjoon quickly took a glance at Jin, who had now made himself comfortable on the couch.

“Yah, his baby is dozing off right next to me. Don’t be so loud!” Yoongi whisper-barked on the phone. “I’ll drop him and come.”

“Jooon,” Jin called out. He was staring at Namjoon with his blood-shot eyes, pleading for the younger man’s presence beside him.

“What is it hyung?” Namjoon quickly cut the phone and rushed beside the dark-haired man.

“I’m sorry.”

“Finally back to your senses huh?” Joon gave a small smile, letting his hyung know that the apology has been accepted.

“I wanted to drink so that I could sleep.”

“I know. At least pick up your director’s calls man. Don’t scare us like this.”

“Hmm.”

“What’s troubling you so much hyung?”

“What if Taehyung leaves me?”

“Why would he?” Yoongi asked, locking the main door. “He was practically nagging me to take him to the shooting site. He wanted to surprise you.”

“But guys, wh-what happens after that? You know how much Tae wanted me to wait? I-I literally betrayed him!” Jin choked towards the end of his sentence.

“Drinking isn’t going to change the result hyung. You should talk to him about it.”

“I’m scared. I don’t want him crying his eyes out like before.”

“Hyung, our Taehyungie has matured a lot since debut days.” Yoongi tossed him the painkillers and the bottle of water. “So stop overthinking and trust that guy. He loves you a lot.”

“Anyways…we have to leave now,” Namjoon replied, after reading the message. “PD-nim wants us there. We’ll finally have a meeting tomorrow with the seven of us.” The two of them put on their standard hoodies and black masks. “Try to make it, please?”

“Yeah. I’ll try. And guys?”

“Yeah?” the two of them turned in unison.

“Promise me you’ll be with Taehyung no matter what happens.”

“Hyung shut the fuck up,” Yoongi answered back. “The 5 of us will support your ugly asses no matter how hard things get. We are supporting now too, aren’t we?”

“Just go sleep peacefully hyung. Tomorrow might surprise you.” Namjoon smiled, slowly closing the door.

“Yeah, surprise,” Seokjin repeated those words loudly in his now empty room. And within an hour, the brightly lit, alcohol smelling flat turned pitch black, with a figure walking out of the building, praying no one notices his absence.

 “Jungkook-ah, you seriously have to watch Jin-hyung drama! Like damn, the way he acts as the waiter is so priceless; any girl would fall for him!” Jimin jumped like a happy dog in excitement. Jungkook, on the other hand, was busy doing his push-ups.

“Don’t forget about guys, Jimin.” Hoseok reminded the latter while tying his shoelace. “You know, Jeong Jaehyun was so damn ready to ask out Jin after watching the first episode! God, you should’ve seen hyung’s face he was-“

“WHERE THE FUCK IS KIM SEOKJIN!” a loud, deep voice interrupted Hosek’s chirpy, happy tone.

“Chill Taehyung, do you miss him-Holy shit!” Looking at Taehyung disheveled condition, Jimin immediately ran towards him, almost tripping over his own shoes he had thrown across the floor.

“What happened?” Hoseok followed Jimin, quickly wrapping his hands over the messy guy.

Taehyung pursed his lips, trying really hard not to shed a single tear on this special day. They were finally spending time together after 5 long years and here he was in his pajamas and sleep-deprived, swollen eyes, ready to ruin the mood of the studio.

“N-nothing.” Taehyung replied, putting on his best fake smile.

“Yeah sure. Hyung, you would never come to the studios in pajamas if it was nothing.” Jungkook pointed the obvious out in a matter-of-fact tone.

“Taehyung-ah, tell us. I’ll bash Jin-hyung for you.” Hoseok moved on to hold Taehyung’s hands that were miserably bitten and sore.

“Hyung, J-Jin hyung-” Not being able to speak another word, he thrust his phone onto Jimin’s hand and ran to the washroom.

“Hyung, wait,” Jungkook called out and followed the older man to comfort him.

“Seriously guys, it’s been 5 years since the 7 of us met and you guys are al-“Yoongi abruptly stopped, almost pouring a bit of his Americano on his white sneakers. “Why are you guys gaping at me like you’re seeing my soul?”

“H-hyung, read this.” Jimin quickly handed him the phone, unable to digest the messages on the screen.

 Nothing made sense to Kim Taehyung. Tears were streaming down his eyes. His lips were constantly quivering. In addition to his beautiful condition, he had successfully managed to ruin their reunion, even before it could start. And to add up to all this, Jin never showed up.

Namjoon and Yoongi were sitting; gaping at each other, wondering the exact reason why Jin was drinking last night. That’s when they realized that they’d been perfectly fooled by their hyung really act.

“Tae…we’re so so sorry.” Namjoon patted him on the head, which slowly turned to soft strokes. Tae didn’t know how to react. Well, it would be safe to say that he really couldn’t process anything after reading the message.

Taehyungie, I’m sorry but I’ve lost interest in you. Since I love myself a tad bit more than how much I love you, I’m breaking up with you.

Please don’t follow or search for me as you would be wasting your precious time and energy. Also, please don’t waste time sending messages or trying to convince me to get back with you, since my feelings for you have become insignificant.

Do take care of your health and mind. Health is really important for a beautiful looking man like you.

I wish you the best of luck for your future goals and achievements. Do not message back. I won’t reply to any of your messages.

Take care of the members. Make sure they take care of you.

“So does this mean he’s going to leave Bangtan too?” Jungkook asked, his voice completely depressed and upset.

“He didn’t tell us anything about it last night.” Namjoon quietly told them. He and Yoongi then recalled the entire scene in front of the men. How their oldest hyung was a mess. How he kept calling Taehyung’s name over and over, fearing that he would break up with Jin.

After 10 mins of dead silence in that room, Taehyung asked “Hobi hyung, can we check his house and workplace. Please? I would really like to wish him good luck. I know he h-hates me b-but I just…” Tears don’t seem to stop falling from the young man’s eyes. He had never really expected or imagined that his Jin would one day forget about all those memories they had made together. Didn’t the bracelet mean anything? Were they supposed to end like this, with the world thinking that they were fan service all along?

“Hyung, let me join you too. I don’t know what happened to Jin-hyung but he made me stay. Now it’s my turn to do the same.” Kook sniffed.

“Kookie, I know you have your reasons sweetheart but Tae-tae should be the one to talk and settle things with hyung.” Jimin held his hand, to stop the maknae from getting up. Namjoon nodded in agreement.

“Okay then. Taehyung, get changed. You can’t walk to his office like this.” Hoseok got up from the floor and walked out of the room, to get changed and screw Jin for one last time.

 “Manager-nim, I would be taking leave for a month.”

“Seokjin! First, you don’t return my calls for 3 days straight and now you want a holiday? Is your success getting to your head?”

“No hyung, it’s just…you know there has been a lot going right? There are a few people who aren’t really happy about me coming out!”

Director Sooshim pushed his specs over his nose bridge. Jin did have a point there. Even though he was pretty supportive of this newbie star, many people in the office itself had trouble accepting him for who he was. People still have a long way to go, unfortunately.

“Fine Jin-ah, I’ll give you. But, the moment you returned back, I will make full use of your presence. You’ll have to take up more than 4 roles in different dramas.”

“Aish, you and PD-nim never go easy on me.” Jin smiled at their similarity. “Fine. As long as it benefits me, I’m cool.”

“Good. See you in a month then!”

Jin quickly put on his mask and walked out of the room. Now, the only thing that remained was getting a ticket to Gwacheon.

He decided to take a short visit to his room on his way back to pick up something. Something that might be of no use for him from now on. A necessity to memory, he mused.

He wanted to show Taehyung his newly renovated room. It was bright blue, just the way he would like it to be. In the far corner, towards the window were the plants they had bought together. It was almost time for the lilies to bloom. Tae might tear up looking at them.

But right now, none of it mattered.

Jin slowly walked up to his desk. For one last time, he opened the left-middle drawer. There it was, his favorite pic with the man of his life, right at the heart of Paris.

He could literally feel that sick feeling rushing up his throat. That crazy feeling which he had been trying to subdue since last night once he broke up with Taehyung. Jin slowly moved his shaky hands over the picture. He did look exceptionally young, more like 22 when he stood beside Tae.

“I guess that’s how Taehyung makes everyone feel. Young and confident.” Jin chuckled, slowly kicking out the pain within him. He definitely should get out of Seoul, before his feelings take over. Taehyung has to be safe. That’s all.

Just before Jin could throw away all his memories (BTS pics), someone quickly rapped on the main door.

“Come in I’m-“ Jin froze as he saw who it was.

“Oops, did I walk in at the wrong time?” the woman smirked, casually playing with her hair. Jin quickly averted his gaze from her. The last thing he wanted to do was get into another situation.

“Aren’t you going to reply Seokjin?”

“Walk out of the room. I don’t even want-”

“To look at me.” She completed his sentence, smiling to herself. She walked towards Jin, pushing the latter back, till his back made contact with the wall. Jin could feel his legs trembling. 

“Of course. Truth is always harder to accept, Jin” She pouted scanning all the photos on the table. “You are a huge disgrace now. Bangtan would be better without your ugly ass.”

Jin didn’t lookup. He knew she was right. Especially after that happened.

“Wow, you agree. Sluts remain sluts forever I guess.”

“Get the fuck out of here, Soojin,” Jin replied in a shaky voice, his anger at its peak. He’s had enough to deal with this week. All thanks to this pastel yellow-dress woman standing in front of him.

“Lol. Your ugly secret is safe with me. Farewell Actor Kim. Walk out of the this place as fast as you can!” She took off, satisfied that the man had been scarred for the rest of his life.

As soon as the woman left, Jin collapsed onto the floor. For the first time in 33 years, he put his head down in shame, disgust, and fear, praying that none of this affects the other 6, especially Taehyung.

 “I guess this is our last resort.” Hoseok looked up at the tall glass building, which looked exceptionally posh with the 3 pm sun rays falling on it. He turned towards his left, to make sure that the younger man was still holding on.

Taehyung didn’t bother much this time. He had completely lost all hope. He was never going to find Jin. Period. All their moments together were insignificant to him. Jin, that bratty asshole only loved himself. Taehyung was never a permanent part of his life. And neither was Bangtan.

“Hyung, how could he simply throw all of us out of his life without a second thought? I thought we were a…family.” Taehyung quietly asked, not bothering to turn towards Hobi’s direction.

“I know. It’s tearing me apart too Taehyungie” Hoseok took hold of Taehyung’s hand. Upon holding, he noticed that the bracelet was still there. Taehyung was still subconsciously hoping for Jin to return. For all this to be a sick nightmare.

“That’s why we’re here aren’t we? To bring back Jin-hyung!” Hobi’s answer somehow managed to get Tae’s attention. “Taehyung-ah, you know how stupid our hyung can be right? What if he was just pranking? Maybe he’s just testing you. And us.”

Taehyung immediately raised his head at that possibility. A slow, unsure smile started showing up. “If that’s the case, Hobi hyung, let’s kick that ass right in the balls.”

The interior of that building turned out to be even more posh-looking. The crazy chandeliers, white lights, huge ass lobby gave the entire place a more royal look. Taehyung made a mental note to tease Jin with this. Provided they find him and bring him back.

Right on their way to the third floor, the two of them spotted director Sooshim.

“Director!” Taehyung called out, taking quick, long steps to catch up with him. Hobi followed, a bit relieved, finding a known face.

“Taehyung, Hoseok! What a pleasure!” Sooshim quickly bowed. “Is everything alright? The two of you seem to be in-“

“Where’s Jin?” Taehyung quickly cut in, annoying the older man. Noticing the annoyance in his face, Hoseok covered up. “ Sorry hyung, we haven’t really met him these past few days. Taehyung here is just worried.”

“You too?” Sooshim’s face relaxed. “Jin didn’t tell you anything too? Aish that boy.”

“Did you see him hyung?” Taehyung asked, the concerned boyfriend-look plastered all over his face.

“Yes. He has decided to go on a month’s leave. You know, till things settle down.”

“What things?”

“Taehyung, you don’t read the news or what?” Hoseok asked, turning towards him. “Jin came out. People now know that he’s bisexual.”

Taehyung was stunned. Annoyed and stunned, to be more precise. That fool…didn’t they discuss that they would come out together? Like a perfect kiss in front of their fans, something romantic like that?

“When did this happen?” Tae huffed.

“A month back.”

“WHAT?!” Jin definitely didn’t really care about him.

“Yeah… and many people still have problems with it. So he said he would like to take a break till things settle down. Poor boy.”

“Where is his room?” Taehyung asked, his voice taking a dejected low.

“Turn right from here on the sixth floor. You’ll see a bright blue room that screams Jin.” Sooshim laughed.

Well, let’s be honest right here. The two of them never, ever expected all these actors to be their fans. As soon as they reached the sixth floor, a huge crowd blocked their path to Jin’s room. And 80% of the crowd was going crazy over Taehyung’s beard.

After 5 mins of pushing and pulling, Taehyung openly shouted: “Do any of you know where Jin’s room is?”

On hearing Jin’s name, the entire crowd went silent. All of them were staring at each other, in confusion and fear, baffling the two men in the process.

“You guys don’t know Jin?” Hoseok asked looking around to see people’s reaction.

“Who wouldn’t“, someone from the far corner replied. It happened to belong to a mid-forties guy with dirty blond hair. “Come this way.” He gestured them to follow him.

“Why did everyone stop at Jin’s name?” Taehyung asked the man, as soon as they had turned towards the right to the empty corridor.

“Well, …we did have this party where your man became the star. And showed his true colors.” The stranger replied, turning towards them.

“That definitely sounds like our hyung” Hoseok nodded in agreement.

“I know right! His skin was so soft and perfect!”

Taehyung froze at that spot. “Perfect what?”

“Skin. It was so soft and gorgeous. All those bites we added on to it made it look more beautiful. In addition to that, gah, his moans and pleas! That soft, drugged voice of his that was calling for someone to help him could seriously-”

Taehyung didn’t hesitate to punch that man right in his face. In fury, he smashed the guy’s head into the nearby vase. “You sick bastard! How dare you touch him?”

“What else do you expect us to do to sluts like him that can sleep with both guys and girls huh?” the man replied, wincing in pain.

“Call his boyfriend a slut again, I’ll fucking make sure that your ugly dick goes out of use” Hoseok replied ramming his foot on the man’s dick.

“How many more people were there that night? Answer me you bastard!” Taehyung growled pulling that man up by the collar.

“Tw-twelve. Ahh…T-the entire floor was sent a video of it. It hurts, let me go, please.”

“Huh? Let you go? D-didn’t he plead t-the same way that night?” Tears were threatening to fall from Taehyung’s eyes. “And how d-dare you take a video of what you’ve done, you asshole. Who started this entire shit?”

The man gave a blank stare. He knew the consequences. But did he have a choice? The two men standing in front of him were ready to rip him to shreds. Especially that bearded guy.

“Are you gonna tell us?” Hoseok asked cracking his knuckles. “Or would you like us to get it out of you through the hard way. I recommend you not to worry much about the consequences. Either way, the 6 of us will make sure you and all the other bastards rot in jail.”

“Tell me, or else” Taehyung tightened his grip over that man’s neck.

“S-Soojin. It was Soojin.” The man’s face hardened. “She said bisexual assholes like him can take advantage of both men and women. So she and I decided to teach him where he belonged. Now you can see the type of slut he is.”

“Slut?” Taehyung spat out. “You assholes rape him, drug him, bite him and then call him a slut?”

“He walked in the next day like nothing bothered him! He was perfectly enjoying it!”

“You Bastard! You fucking bastard. He wasn’t enjoying it. Nobody enjoys sick things like that. He walked in keeping in mind that he had to finish his part as an actor! That’s how he is! Work and profession is always his first priority!”

“Why don’t you try this on your wife huh? I bet she would have-”

“Taehyung enough!” Hoseok glared. “Don’t bring his wife and children into this. I know you’ ve-“

“Why not? How dare he touch my Jin-hyung!” Taehyung fought back. “H-he did n-nothing hyung. Why does he have to suffer? Why do we have to suffer because of random dumb-fucks who can’t control their shitty desires?”

“This is not the way you handle a situation Taehyung!” Hoseok raised his volume. He knew the younger man’s anger. Forget that, He himself wanted to break all this man’s bones. But, judging the condition and position they had reached as a team, doing something irrational would make them look bad.

“Taehyung-ah, take my car and find Seokjin. I’ll handle the rest, calling the other members.” He tossed his car keys on the latter’s hand. “Go find him before he does something stupid!”

 “Yuck! All trains to Gwacheon are full!” Jin kicked the small pebble out of the cliff in frustration. Even the sun’s beautiful orange glow didn’t seem to make things right today. Watching the sunset from a high place has always brought happiness. No matter how miserable or sad his days were.

“Why can’t you make me feel better today, you stupid sun?” Jin screamed out loud, not expecting anyone to come and witness his actions. “Gah! Why does it have to be like this?! If things didn’t turn out this way, I-I could’ve brought him here! He would be so happy you know?”

“Who would?”

“My boy-” Jin immediately turned to find the owner of the voice. Taehyung was leaning on the trunk of the cherry tree, giving his regular smirk. Jin had to bite his tongue to prevent himself from giggling looking at the young man. That asshole actually grew a beard?

“I told you not to come in search of me.” Jin stiffened, which gave him an indifferent look.

“I do what I want. And how can you assume that I was searching for you? Aren’t you a bit too eager to see me?”

Yes, yes he was. Jin could literally feel his heart clutch looking at the man stand so far away from him. 10 feet becomes a great deal when you don’t touch your love for two years.

“Fine, I’ll leave then. If that’s what you want.” Jin took his backpack in such a hurry that all the photos stuffed within it fell off. God, things were getting out of hand.

“I thought you didn’t want anything more with any of us.” Taehyung smiled, slowly picking up their Paris picture. ”And yet you still have this-“

“Give that back” Jin snatched the pic from his hand, trying his best not to show his fear.

“But it’s mine too hyung. You’re mine too.”

“No-“ Jin flinched when Taehyung’s hand accidentally brushed over his. Jin’s face turned pale, partially in fear and shock at his sudden reflex. “N-Nonono. Shit, I’m so sorry I didn’t mean to- Shit, why did this happen?” Tears broke out of Jin’s eyes. Never in this goddamn world had he expected himself to flinch at his hands. How could he fear the hands he was supposed to feel safe at.

“D-Don’t touch someone as disgusting as me Taehyung-ah, please. I-I don’t even like myself anymore.” Jin sobbed, completely losing whatever control he had. “I-I want to rip every part of my body, every inch of it. D-don’t come near me! Please! Th-they would do the same to you.”

“No one would touch me Jin-ah. And you’re not disgusting. You’ll never be disgusting in my eyes.” Taehyung slowly moved his hands towards Jin’s hair. Seeing no reaction from the latter, he gently stroked it, trying to bring the older man at ease.

“Don’t cry sweetheart, it hurts to see you cry like this.”

“Y-you don’t u-understand!” Seokjin choked.”They-“

“Shh” Taehyung pulled the older man’s head towards his shoulder. He didn’t even realize that tears were falling from his eyes. “I know baby, I made sure those bastards got what they deserved. Especially Soojin.”

“I’m sorry Tae. I’m so so sorry that you have to touch a slut-“

“NO!” Taehyung snapped. “Don’t you dare call yourself that. My boyfriend is not a slut. My angel will never be a slut.”

Boyfriend…yes. Hearing that word, another set of unexplainable emotions engulfed Jin. Realization dawned upon him. He almost threw away the most important part of his life, probably the only part that would help ease the pain and embarrassment.

Taehyung could feel Seokjin’s tears soak his shirt once again. All that pain and grief he had experienced, was now being let out on his shoulder. And he couldn’t do a single thing to make him feel better.

“I broke up with you.” Jin told in between his hiccups.

“And now we’re back together.” Taehyung kissed his head.

After silently remaining in each other’s presence for 10 mins, Jin lifted his head up. “Taehyung-ah, Thank you.” He kissed off Taehyung’s tears, making the younger smile at his improvement. “For accepting me. I would never admit it but, the fear of not being able to see you anymore almost killed me.”

“Well…don’t break up like an ass then. Talk to us.” Taehyung smacked his hyung head, in the name of knocking some sense into him.

“By the way, can I try putting my hand over you? It’s been so long and I just can’t resist myself. I promise I’ll be gentle hyung. Pl-”

Well, let’s just say that Jin had been feeling the same way. Taehyung moaned in pleasure as Jin’s plump, swollen lips crashed onto his. And literally kicked out the word ‘gentle’ from the latter’s dictionary. Although soft, Taehyung’s lips now fought to take control. He slowly bit back on the older man’s lips, creating an entrance for his tongue to explore.

“Tae,” the older man moaned, tightening his grip over Taehyung’s shoulders.

“You’ll be safe,” Taehyung replied, gently caressing Jin’s chin with his empty hand. He then slowly moved down, tickling Seokjin’s neck with his soft pecks, making sure not to leave a single mark on his soft skin. “Hyung is so beautiful. So soft.”

“Gosh, I missed you.” Jin laughed, giving him a quick peck on his cheeks.

“Me too.” Taehyung hummed, resting his head on Jin’s shoulders.

“Hyung?”

“Hmm?”

“Do you feel better?”

“Yeah. Really better. And safe.” He slowly wrapped his arms around Tae’s muscular body.

“I love you Taehyung.”

“Love you too, hyung.”

“And I think the five of us here need an explanation for your extremely rational act,” Yoongi called out, a few meters away from the two lovebirds.

“Don’t you dare apologize Jin-hyung” Jungkook ordered him, rubbing his puffy eyes. Jimin and Hoseok were literally throwing daggers at him with their gaze. And Namjoon looked defeated, probably tired of explaining the situation their oldest was in.

Jin heaved a heavy sigh, his hands quickly grabbing Taehyung’s. “Stay here with me okay?” he mumbled tightening his grip over the younger’s hand. Taehyung gave a small nod, resting his hand on Jin’s shoulder.

“I-I know what I did was wrong. So-“

“Wrong?” Jimin questioningly raised his eyebrows. “You made Taehyung cry. Literally, cry.”

“I know and we’ve-“

“No one makes him cry. You made that bloody rule and you-“ Hoseok clenched his fist, his eyes still fixed on Jin.

“I-I didn’t want to hurt him! I really didn’t want to hurt any of you.” Jin teared up, focusing on the dusty floor. “We had gone through so much. We worked so hard. And I didn’t want anything to break our reputation. Namjoon and Yoongi were busy making new songs, and raps. Hobi was teaching other idols. Kook, Tae, and Chim were working. It-It would be selfish of me to throw such a huge bomb on your faces!”

“Nonsense,” Namjoon called out. “We found sleeping pills along with empty beer bottles at your place. How long were you hiding this from us?”

Jin could feel Taehyung’s head turn towards his. “A-A week after I came out.”

“Hyung, I thought we were supposed to share problems. Didn’t you make all of us promise that that night? When I confessed about my dislocation?” Yoongi softly asked, making sure the oldest understood his pain.

“I’m-I-“ Jin choked.

“Jin-ah, cry.” Taehyung nuzzled him. “It’s okay. Cry as much as you want. I’ll cry with you. We’ll cry with you.”

“D-Don’t.”

“Let us, please?” Jungkook asked, walking towards Jin. On coming closer, he slowly patted Jin’s head, giving his best teary-bunny-smile.

And for the third time that night, Jin cried. Literally cried like a five-year-old kid. All that pent up fear, frustration, and sadness came out in the form of tears. Every time he tried apologizing for his mistake, more tears fell. But somehow, it felt safe. It felt relieving.

Taehyung just quietly hugged Jin from the back, his tears soaking his boyfriend’s shirt. Jungkook and Namjoon sat beside Jin, the younger resting his head on the oldest’s shoulder while the leader, a bit embarrassed by his tears, silently sat beside his best friend. Hoseok and Yoongi sat opposite to their hyung, with Yoongi on Hoseok’s lap, sobbing miserably, hurt and annoyed at the oldest actions. Jimin found a place between Tae and Jungkook, gently patting Taehyung and resting his head on Jungkook. At times, he also consoled Jin by whispering into his ears.

After silently reliving the entire experience while crying, Jin cleared his throat to get his member’s attention. He knew he had to get over the disgusting feeling within him. And, the only way to do that was: talk. 

“It-It all started when my drama became a huge success. She was jealous, as expected.“ 

“Two days before I had a discussion with Joon about coming out, she blackmailed me with the pic I took in Paris.” Jin took a glance at Taehyung’s startled look. “Yeah Tae, ours.”

“She asked me to leave acting and find another place. Initially, I didn’t give a crap to her words, cause why should I? But then, she made a deal with dispatch…and things went out of control.”

“So you decided to come clean.” Namjoon interrupted. “You told the world you are Bi.”

“Exactly. And it did solve the problem with dispatch, luckily. I guess she probably asked them to stalk me or something. And since my hand had covered a major portion of Tae’s face during that kiss, it was hard for them to recognize him.”

“And then she and some ‘really orthodox’ people decided to put you in the right place. ” Jin sighed, looking at the irritated Yoongi, who completed his sentence.

“Is there any way in which I can make it up to you Yoongi? All of you in fact. I know I screwed up big time and I don’t deserve the six of you after what I did-“

“Hyung.” Jimin smiled. “Shut up please.”

“What?”

“It’s our fault too. We didn’t do anything to make you feel better.” Namjoon replied, running his hand through his brown hair.

“You should’ve told us, but still, we’re partly at fault.” Hoseok smiled, nudging Yoongi to do the same.

“Hmph!” Yoongi huffed, side-eyeing Jin.

“I’m sorry Yoongi. Really. I promise. No more secrets between us.”

“You cook tonight. I’ll accept your apology if the food tastes good.”

“Fine. Let’s go home then.”

“No. Cook here.”

“Here? Yoongi, I get the fact that you’re pissed but seriously, are you asking me to steal eggs from the bird’s nest?”

“No hyung. Well…since you completely ruined our lovely reunion, we decided to camp out here.” Jimin laughed, patting Yoongi on the head. “It was his idea, by the way.”

“Yah! Don’t embarrass him! He’s trying his best to act all serious.” Hoseok replied, trying really hard not to chuckle.

“Give him some time Jin-hyung” Namjoon replied, putting his hand over the older man. “How about you and me go out and try some really cool cuisines. Just the two of us.”

“Sure! Next week” Jin smiled, secretly eyeing the possessive man who was freaking out in the corner.

“Hey hyung, get the food ready,” Jungkook ordered, setting up a bonfire. “You’ve depleted my energy and ruined my routine!”

“How is it my fault that- yah! Don’t poke me with that twig! Fine fine, I’m going- I SAID I’M GOING JUNGKOOK! Don’t put that thing on me!” Jin playfully smacked the maknae, who was threatening the former with a slug he had found on a branch. And just like that, the depressing mood between the seven lightened up.

 “So…may I know why you were acting so aloof and annoyed around me, Kim Taehyung?” Jin teased, making himself comfortable beside the younger man, who was lying on a mat, looking up at the night sky, free of city lights.

“Go spend time with Namjoon. You didn’t even comment on my beard.” He pouted.

“I have the entire month free. I’ll take you wherever you want.”

“You’re very bad. Every time I try to stay angry with you, you- you lighten up the shitty mood.” Taehyung turned towards Jin, his eyes sparkling. “That’s cheating.”

Jin gave a soft laugh and placed his head on Tae’s chest. And in a matter of few seconds, Jin could feel Taehyung’s thumb trace his lips.

“Taehyung-ah?”

“Hmm?”

“Why do you love someone like me?”

“Should I have a reason to love you?”

“Shouldn’t there be?”

“I don’t need one. All that matters is that I do.”

“Aish…you’re so simple.” Jin quickly lifted his head and adjusted Tae’s shirt, before looking at him in the eye. “Your turn, lie on me.”

Taehyung quickly got up and made himself comfortable in between Jin’s legs, quickly leaning on his shoulder.

“The beard doesn’t look that bad.” Jin chuckled. “It just becomes extremely annoying when you try to nuzzle or breathe over my neck.”

“Yoongi-hyung said I look like a caveman.” Taehyung pouted.

“Yeah. Definitely.”

“Hyung!” Taehyung whined, making the older give him a quick peck on his forehead. “Caveman or not, you’ll always be mine.”

“Then don’t leave like today. Like I did the last time.” Taehyung immediately turned, his eyes turning serious. More than pain, Jin could feel the latter’s determination, to make things work, in his voice.

“Never.”

“Promise me. That you’ll never leave or hide anything from me. We’ll work it together. No matter how small or big the problem is.” Taehyung slowly held Jin’s hand, caressing the older’s knuckles with his thumb. 

Jin continued to gaze at Taehyung’s hair, a beautiful mess all thanks to the late September wind. There was no way he was going to leave Tae. There was no way he was going to experience that dreadful feeling once again.

“I promise.” Jin smiled, watching the boxy grin creep into the younger’s face. 

[larenoz]

Roswell New Mexico - Live Rewatch - Ep 1 - Pilot

So I don’t really have much in the way of original content on my blog. So I decided it might be fun to post the live blog I’ve been doing on discord of the rewatch our server is doing for Roswell, New Mexico over the hiatus period. 

I’ve only posted my comments, so there might be a couple of bits that look out of place. These are my responses to other people’s comments. I’m up to episode 6, so I will post the backlog and then do one a week until the re-watch is complete.

Be warned, there is swearing. 

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

Sorry, cat decided it wanted a cuddle

I love the glass effect, it's so cool

You may not plan to see the small people again, Liz but we know it's gonna happen!!

Not gonna lie, I love poltics in my TV

You quote that verdict to him, Liz!!

That vent tells us so much about Liz in such a short period of time.

You're finally back says Max.Because he's been waiting for that to happen the whole time.

Excuse me Sheriff, with that good girl comment. Rude!

Arturo, playing along with Liz's mpreg story.

Fuck, I just realised - mpreg is canon!?!

Rosa!!

I want antenna headband

Cream on a milkshake is wrong.

So many people in this show have pretty eyes!!

Nooo.

Damn that's alot of lights to replace

I love that damn bullet hole in Liz's dress. It was the first indication they weren't gonna make everyone dumb as a bag of rocks and drag the storyline out FOR EVER.

Hoverboarding. Iz!!

Hey there Kyle!

Annnd here it comes, I'm in love.

That smug fucking grin. The song.

That look when he's trying to get the keys. That look would make you do just about anything.

That Michael monologue. It just gets better everytime I watch it.

Without a doubt, top 3 best character intros ever.

And we're only 15 mins in! I need to make less comments

I didn't think anyone was reading!! :wink:

"Untie some loose ends" - you go Iz

Oh Max you fucker. Telling Michael he wouldn't do anything for anyone else. Excuse fucking you.

Ok, blasting Max across the room is kinda hot. But then his guilty face! :sob:

And god, that little shoulder touch on Iz one the way out.

Another example of non-verbal storytelling. In one scene we get the fractured relationship between Max and Michael, we get that Iz and Michael are close and that both boys defer/protect Iz. So much with so little. It also sets up the physicality of the broken relationship between Max and Michael.

Others have commented on how Max is physically intimidating with people, and literally pushes Michael around, but to be fair, Michael is pretty much the same with Max (but never really with anyone else that we see on screen though we hear about it.

And then in a few lines, Iz gives us a lifetime of fears and concerns - dissection, prison, lying and hiding to loved ones - the rest of the season in seconds of dialogue

Ah, the ONLY thing that gives me Max feels is how dismissive both Iz and Michael are of Max's feelings about Liz. Especially annoying consider Michael should really fucking know better.

Yeah, because he's been pining for Alex just as long.

Unrequited love hurts just as much. Kiss or no kiss.

That's my take anyway.

Here it comes...

Typing may get bad. Cat is sitting on chest and I can't see keyboard.

Seriously, there is nothing overtly relationshippy or sexual, no pointed stares, but just how soft Michael is, even as he's making the real Manes man comment, you just know these two have a past, and that past was probably intimate.

The casual sex comment though, oh yeah they've fucked. That is such a fuck you comment to an ex.

And again with massive story in few words - Alex knocking his leg. "3/4 of one"

That run and tell Daddy line. The nastiest thing Michael says in the entire season, although we don't know that yet. And it strikes such a dissonant tone, even though we don't know why. I'm gonna put it down to things changing so much between shooting the pilot and the rest of the season.

Just my humble opinion but the shirt changing scene could've lasted longer. Just sayin'

Maths, lots and lots of maths

I love the glass SFX

Rosa!! "All our lives that kids been making eyes at you"

Oh Liz, such a good sister. Fixing up the memorial. And the braclets

Ah, sneaky Liz appears

Oh yeah can he keep a secret

Liz begging Max to tell her she isn't loosing her mind. Fuuuck.

Not cool Michael. Great control, but not cool.

Racist Hank, you douche bag

And Maria introduced as taking no shit from ANYONE.

Iz and her slideshow. I love that line.

Why is Iz so vehement that Michael would be so upset about telling Liz?

Max loosing it and Iz looking quite surprised. Forshadowing

yes, Iz no like about it. He is in love with her.

Ah Iz, Iz, Iz. "Too many secrets, things she can't ever know" you don't know the half of it.

Fall in love with someone else.  - If I could have, I would have. Fuck, Max, I feel you on that one.

Jesus, how do all these guys make dark flannel look so hot?

Dance it out. i don't dance in this town anymore, Kyle...

Hot take, I know everyone is mad for Trevino's cheekbones, but honestly, they aren't my thing. But his eyes, gods, his eyes. He has the best eyes on the show. God that make me sound like a freak.

"whatever" with that tiny, tiny almost invisible smirk. Yeah, you think you're all that

He manages that whole distraction use me, use me speech without coming off as a total wanker. And that is pretty amazing.

The station promo/ad on my cable channel has a bit for Roswell - tag line: "Beam me up hotties." Too right.

Scientist Liz!!

Needs answers now.

Fuck you Jesse Manes

I hate you already.

No Kyle, don't do it. But thank fuck he doesn't just start talking,

Yeah, nah Max. That's not how it works. It's not ok if people are nice to you but shitty to everyone else.

Why should Michael like the world? it's been pretty shitty to him!?!

Liz with the serial killer joke, just with the wrong person!!

The pods are sorta cool.

They could've been so chessy.

Now we know why the three of them are so close. And just about the only real bit of exposition on the show.

But will you Liz? Will you keep the promise?

Secret Bunker No 1

"This matters to you, so I'm here". :heart:

Do what Michael, what could you possibly mean?

"Just like you did 10 yrs ago".......

What are you max? Just a guy from Roswell

In Max's favour, when he says he stayed in Roswell, and didn't follow Liz because of Iz and Michael, he doesn't sound resentful, which is sort of what you'd expect here. I like that.And Max going to the reunion for Iz. And Liz tagging along even though she's expecting a bad reception.

"i don't save people all the time. I never save people" But you saved Liz, And why is that Max?

OT re Trevino's eyes. It was that gif set of him laying on his stomach  on his bed (?) with his doggo, looking up to the camera. That angle, OMG, his eyes....

And no verbal confirmation, just Liz realising exactly what Max said - that even though he's in a job where he'd be in contact with sick/dying people alot, he's never saved anyone before. Omph

Of course you remember the very first time you met, Max.

Little kid Max is sooo cute.

Ah you big sap, Max.

No kissing. An "Echo" of what he feels for Liz.

Nice choice of words there writers.

We see what you did there.

So far it's taken me 2 hrs to watch 50 mins

Fuck you again Jesse Manes

Swoon Kyle's eyes.

And we have Kyle's first exposure to the fact that the govt knows about aliens and did medical type stuff to them.  Does this hover in the back of his mind from now on? is this the reason for the quick reaction to his fathers actions at Caufield.?

No he's fucking not cooking meth. Seriously, Alex, what the fuck?

Sorry Alex, not cool, not cool AT all.

I want to see the outakes of Tyler saying phenyl-2-propanone

Because I'm a bitch like that

Yeah, that so serious up close and personal for straight people....

And there is Alex's nastiest line - You're wasting your life. Gods, that is such a shit thing to say to Michael.

And re outtakes because Tyler would laugh and do that thing where he covers his mouth as he trys to stop himself giggling. That's soooo cute.

But anyway, back to the show...

Oh, he wants to hold something, Michael but it's not your hand...

Macho cowboy swagger.

Did it get old for you.

No it did not get fucking old for him. At all.

Michael walking away with arm around girl. Noting for those who say they didn't realise Michael was bi after watching the pilot. How?

How could you miss it?

You go Maria - dying alone of syphillis to bitch

Maybe Liz does still dance in Roswell!! She just needs a good reason.

And that song begins.

"You can't hide from who you are". Alex's prothesis as he looks at himeself skating in the slide show. Fucking killing us.

And it only gets worse-

I don't thnk that's an unpopular opinon at all. That's totally where I see his headspace. But that does result in him saying some nasty shit to Michael. And it's because we know it's not true that it hurts so much.

Fair warning it may take me half an hour to get through the next 2 mins of show!!

Long shot - "Nostalgia's a bitch"

Fuck, the way Michael looks at Alex as he's leaning against the door. People have started wars to have someone look at them like that. That's Greek epic shit right there.

Then cut shot to Max and Iz looking at Liz.

Alex expecting Michael to be gone from Roswell.

"Is that what you want" as Michael takes a step closer. Not "wanted", but "want".

"What I want doesn't matter" as they both slowly sway towards each other. Bullshit, Alex. What you want is ALL that matters. Fuck everything else.

Michael's eyes flicking up to Alex's face....

And Michael launches himself at Alex like a dying man.

God, how do you even describe that kiss?? Everything about it is just.......

But it's more than just the fire. Its the tenderness of Michael gently craddling Alexs' head even though the kiss is passionate and desperate.

Battery break

And then, back to reality - Iz knows that Max has told Liz.

And then Jess Fucking Manes (I fututus et mori in ignie cunne) (don't look that up it's very bad swearing) talking about being monsters who despise compassion and love. Projecting much.

"Thrive on our tragedy". Die MF Die

Despise Love over a visual of Michael and Alex. Die some more you MF

But you haven't told Liz everything have you Max. There's still some stuff you're hiding.

"When the truth hunts you down"

Yeah, that truth is going to hunt you down and fuck you up Max

My house just wobbled.

No, there isn't a secret that is safe.

And people will be caught in the crossfire - have already.

"What's lost will be found, when the truth hunts you down."

Well doesn't that one line sum up a ton of shit that goes down in the rest of the season.

And fin

3 hrs

That was not what I planned.

[fluffy-marshmallow-heart]

Drake's Diary ch.17 - Climbing Trees

The Royal Romance-Drake's POV

Drake x MC (Emma)

Words: 2242

For the last event before the Engagement Tour kicks off, the friends gather at Applewood Manor to conduct their own investigation.

Today is the country picnic at Applewood Manor. It was the last event before heading off on the engagement tour. Drake was actually freaking out about the tour, but he was trying his best to stay in this moment. At least he’s still able to get away from everyone here, but on the train? Not so much. Add that to being in tight quarters with Emma…. yeah, he was nervous he wasn’t going to be able to keep his hands off her. He already couldn’t seem to stop kissing her. Touching was definitely next. He’d envisioned them together so many times, except now his thoughts were turning to them being together on the train.

  Today, however, he needed to help with the investigation into the conspiracy, so he needed to get his mind out of the gutter. This was where the incriminating photos of Emma and Tariq were taken. He really hoped they would find something to help clear her name. Which, as it turns out, he was also terrified of. Once she was free, she could choose who to be with. Drake desperately wanted her to choose him…but compared to Liam? Who would?

As he walks across the lawn, he sees Emma talking with Hana, Penelope, Kiara, Lord Neville and Lord Rashad. He shuddered. He couldn’t stand Neville. He was the biggest, most pompous, self-righteous asshole Drake had ever met. Luckily, he didn’t see him much. But if he was here…that meant Drake was going to be seeing a lot more of him. After what seemed like way too long, they finally took their leave, and Penelope walked off towards a server carrying curry chicken skewers.

Drake quickly sidled up to them. “Hey, Rose. Hana. Maxwell, er, caught me up on the plan. Now might be a good time…”

“Oh! Right! I’ll…be right back. I just remembered something I really must speak to Madeleine about.” Hana winks before walking towards Madeleine, who is chatting with some nobles across the lawn.

“Drake, I’m surprised to see you here.” Kiara said flirtily.

Drake grimaced. “Me too. But I try to support Liam when I can.” For the love of…please don’t flirt with me. I am not interested on any level. I really hope she gets that.

Kiara trailed a finger down his arm. “You’ve always been such a good friend to him. It’s part of why I always liked you. It’s such a shame what happened to your sister.”

“Wait…You’ve always liked Drake? Could have fooled me.” Emma told her icily.

Drake looked at her in surprise. Is she…jealous? This is the second time now…no one’s ever been jealous for me. And just when I thought she couldn’t get more adorable...

“Not all of us wear our hearts on our sleeves.” Kiara replied.

Then it finally sank in what Kiara had said. “Back up a second…I didn’t know that you and Savannah spent time together.” Drake said.

“Not much, really. It’s just she was so friendly. And she was coming along so well in her French lessons, and I was surpri…”

“French lessons?” Drake cut in.  “Savannah didn’t speak French.”

Kiara shook her head. “I was teaching her before…”

A loud crash sounds from behind them. Madeleine stands next to a caterer who is covered in curry sauce. A crowd begins to form around them. Drake catches Hana’s eye, and she winks before turning to the caterer.

“Oh my! I’m so terribly sorry! Please, let me help you clean that up!”

“This is a disaster.” Madeleine scowled.

“It was an accident! Here, we’ll fix it in no time.”

As they are bickering, Emma was suddenly speaking ever so quietly in his ear. “Pssttt. Drake, that’s our cue.”

“Wait, I need to talk to Kia…”

“There’s no time, we have to go while no one is looking!” She whispered harshly, causing another surprised reaction to wash over him. Damn…she really wants me away from Kiara. But she’s also right. We have to go now.

They slip away from Kiara and head in the opposite direction from the scene. They spot a security officer making his way toward the crowd. He glances at Emma and pauses, then shakes his head and keeps walking. She and Drake continue toward the edge of the manor, rounding the corner so they’re out of sight from the picnic. They walk over to the swath of manicured gardens beneath Emma’s bedroom window. Maxwell approaches, holding a skewer of curry chicken.

“Where’s Bertrand?” Emma asked.

“I sent him up to your room to stand in for you. I relayed everything that happened, so he’ll know where to go.”

“Bertrand is going to stand in for me?”

Maxwell nodded. “Little known fact, before he was Duke Ramsford, Bertrand was an accomplished human statue.”

Emma stared at him. “What?”

“Kidding! But he will do almost anything to clear your name.”

Drake rolled his eyes. “Alright Rose, where do you think we should start?”

“We should try to line up the shot.” She said immediately.

Good idea. Why couldn’t I think of that? So simple…

Drake pulls a camera from his pocket and holds it up to his eye, aiming it at the window. He snaps a photo, then compares the image on the screen to a copy of one of the pictures of Emma and Tariq. His blood begins to boil looking at that photo again. The nerve of whoever did this. Drake wanted to kill them. Or publicly humiliate them, the second option probably being better if the person was noble. Nobles can’t bear to be humiliated. There’s basically nothing worse.

Maxwell cuts through his thoughts. “Looks like Bertrand is ready.”

Drake glanced over at him.  “This angle doesn’t look right. I think we’d have to be standing over there to get the right view.” He points to a patch of bushes circling a tall tree closer to the manor. They head to the bushes, leaning this way and that in efforts to match the angle of the photographs.

Emma gasped. “I can see right into my bedroom from here! Drake, hand me the camera.” She takes the camera and holds it to her eye, comparing the view to the picture.

She shook her head. “Too low. Even someone seven feet tall couldn’t have taken this.”

Drake looked up at the tree. “They must have climbed the tree!”

She sighed. “I guess that means I’m climbing a tree…” She hangs the camera from her neck, grits her teeth and approaches the tree. The first few branches are easy to scale, and soon she’s halfway to the top.

Drake’s heart is pounding the entire time, praying this goes well. The last thing I need is for her to fall out of the tree. I better move under where she’s climbing so I can catch her if she does.

 As he puts himself in a better position, she grasps the next branch to pull herself up and the bark falls off, causing her to lose her grip. Drake’s heart completely stops, but she manages to grab hold of the branch and pull herself up.

“Go Spider-Emma!” Maxwell called.

Okay. She’s good. Breathe. BREATHE.

She lifts the camera to her eye and snaps a picture. “It’s a perfect match! This is really close to the manor…”

Drake frowned. “Whoever did it must have been at the party.”

“More than that, it means whoever did it must have been waiting around for the right shot. I mean…I’m literally up a tree. Whoever took these pictures wasn’t just standing around and happened to see…they were waiting!”

Drake realized she was completely right and started fuming. “They knew Tariq would be in your room, which means it was definitely a set up and the photographer was in on it. And whoever hired the photographer must have known the manor pretty well to know about the view from this spot.”

Emma’s eyebrows furrowed. “Maxwell, didn’t you say that a reporter snuck into the party that night?”

“Yeah. A bold move, considering it was a private event…”

“We need to confirm if the reporter you saw is the same one who climbed the tree and took the photo.” Drake interrupted. Clearly someone hasn’t put two and two together.

“Right. Now I’ll go get Bertrand and meet you back here.”

“Can’t you just text him?” Emma asked.

Maxwell glared at her. “Think Emma! What if they’re monitoring the airwaves?” As Maxwell races off to fetch Bertrand, Emma continues to stare at the window.

Drake watches her a second. “You coming down, Rose?”

“Yeah, just thinking about how you came to my rescue that night.”

Drake grinned. “I think I remember you coming to my rescue.”

She let out a laugh. “Maybe a little. Drake, I…I just wanted to say thank you.”

He blushed. “It was nothing, Rose. Really.”

“It wasn’t nothing. Not me.”

“Well…ugh…just…” He was fumbling for his words, she was looking at him so intensely again. That look…I never see her look at anyone but me like that. “Just get down from there, before you hurt yourself.”

She’s about to begin her descent when she reaches for something tangled amongst the twigs and leaves. She grabs it and continues down, Drake catching her by the waist and guiding her the rest of the way. For a moment they stayed that way, him holding her from behind, her head starting to tilt back towards him and lips parting. He starts leaning in for the kiss he was craving so badly, when he hears footsteps headed their way. He clears his throat and quickly steps away, just as Maxwell and Bertrand come into view.

Not missing a beat, Emma pulls out her find. “I might have found something. Look.”

Drake looked at the security badge she was holding out. “Mansingh?”

“It’s the company they used for security at the party. Super high-tech. Turn it over!” Maxwell exclaimed.

She turns the badge over, but the other side is covered with dirt. Maxwell quickly scrubs the dirt off with his sleeve.

Bertrand scowled. “Maxwell, you’re making a mess. What would father say?”

Maxwell cast his eyes away. “The great Barthelemy Beaumont always had a lot to say about me.”

Emma gently laid her hand on his shoulder. “In this case, I think he’d at least be pleased that we’re making progress towards clearing the house name.”

“Perhaps.” Bertrand admitted, still scowling.

Wiping the dirt off reveals a photograph of a woman wearing a red blazer, with dark shoulder length hair.

“That must be the reporter! How did she get her hands on a Mansingh security badge?” Bertrand asked

Emma narrowed her eyes. “She must have had help from the inside. Someone who could get her security clearance to a private party.”

“Probably whoever hired her. This badge must’ve given her access to the grounds, but when she was spotted taking pictures at a closed event…” Drake’s fists were curled into balls, as his all his anger had now returned.

Bertrand agreed. “Her ruse was uncovered, and she was ejected.”

Drake looked back at the tree. “She could’ve lost the badge in the branches here or tried to toss it away, so no one knew how deep the conspiracy ran. Does it say who she is?”

Emma shook her head. “There’s something written beneath her picture, but it’s damaged…I can’t read it.”

“But at least we have a real clue. We’ll investigate further. Good work…With the picnic ending, we should get packed for our departure on the engagement tour tomorrow.” Bertrand said curtly, and he and Maxwell start toward the manor. When Emma goes to follow, Drake holds her back. “Wait, do you have a minute? I just thought of something important.”

“What is it?”

“I was just thinking, Rose…this isn’t the first set of photos someone has tried to turn against you.”

She looked at him in surprise. “You mean the ones from the bachelor party? The ones you and Bastien kept from going to print?”

“Yeah. I don’t think it’s a coincidence either.”

“Did you ever find out who did it?”

Drake sighed. “I have hunches, but nothing conclusive.”

She thought a moment. “A maid from the manor revealed that a disguised noble lady told her to pull a prank on Tariq the night the pictures were taken.”

“Hmm…there might be a connection between the noble lady, the bachelor photos, and this photographer. Either way, this conspiracy goes deeper than we thought. Just…be careful, Rose.”

“Oh, Drake. I’m always careful, aren’t I?” She smirked.

He ran his hand through his hair. “Not…exactly. I can think of plenty of times you’ve pressed your luck.”

“Oh yeah? Name one.” She challenged, stepping closer to him.

“Uhm…well…just in general…there’s a whole conspiracy…obviously that wouldn’t happen if you were more careful…”

“Mmhmm. Anything else? Because it seems like you were talking about more than this conspiracy…which is only one thing by the way, and we were already discussing it, so it doesn’t count in this conversation.”

Drake swallowed. “Uhm…just…being here…?”

She was a breath away from him now. “Being…here? In Cordonia? Or with you?”

Drake’s breath caught in his throat, and she smiled slyly at him. “Well then. What’s one more so-called careless act going to do?”

She pulled him into a kiss, moaning softly as his arms circled her immediately, before pulling away.

“I’ll see you on the train, Drake.”

“Uh…right…the train…with small quarters…” He swallowed. This tour may be the death of me.

@blackwidow2721 @sleepwalkingelite @flowerpowell @agent-bossypants @annekebbphotography @carabeth @gardeningourmet @eileendannie @dancetothestoriesinyoursoul @alesana45 @imaketerriblechoices @zigortega4life​​ @hrhdes @akrenich @feartheendlesssummer @drakewalkerisreal @i-only-signed-up-for-fanfiction

[oopsabird]

1; & 3, 5, 10 for take my heart &/so much like stars

1. Of the fics you’ve written, which is your  favourite and why?

Of all of my fics, that award I think would have to go to “I have loved the stars too fondly” (my Hamlet fic). Partly because I’m exceptionally pleased with how the prose and story/visuals execution turned out (in the most recent edited edition, which I think was last spruced up in 2016), and partly because since Hamlet is public domain, it technically sits on a sort of par with The Lion King in terms of canon-ness (or at least that’s what I say to boost my own ego lol). Of my WW fics (completed ones), I like “And In The Morning” best - it executes exactly the imagery and mood I intended it to, and I like it so much that I actually frequently forget that the hug it adds to the airfield aftermath scene isn’t actually canon, despite me carrying it over to all my other fics (it happened off-screen and I will take that headcanon to my grave). gambit, that wonderful whumpy collection of historical anachronisms, medical bullshitting, and tropes, is a very close second there, purely because I designed it to be a collection of things I enjoy in fic so of course I love it.

3. Which part of [title] was hardest to write?

take my heart clean apart if it helps yours beat: Trying to convey exactly the physical positions and body language I was picturing in my head while maintaining prose and mood was probably the toughest. I tend to picture my fics like films in my head beforehand, complete with camera angles and cuts and mood lighting and a lot of minute physical/action detail, so trying to cram all that information into a sentence that still reads nicely and gets the intended feeling across is my most frequent struggle in writing. This was a fic that to me carried just as much of its mood and angst in things like the touch of a shoulder or the intonation of a word as it did in the prose, so it was tough, but I think I struck a pretty good balance.

so much like stars: I know the answer to this instantly, and you may know it too since I mention it in the end note of the fic: the undressing scene. Like, I basically worship Lindy Hemming for her costume design work in this movie and legitimately think she deserved to at least be nominated for an Oscar for it (product placement: the Wonder Woman Artbook is well worth its $50 price tag for the incredible insight into the crazy amount of craftmanship and work that went into making this movie. Must-have if you are fascinated by film-making and Wonder Woman. Hence why I have it.) All that being said, the (truly excellent) costumes for Sameer and Charlie have an INSANE amount of layers and pieces, and because I am a stickler for prop continuity I took it upon myself to keep track of each and every one. Except for a few I omitted because I knew nobody else is enough of a nerd about this movie to know the difference lol. It was a nightmare of my own making but in the end also a good writing exercise for managing prop pieces in a scene. But still. SO. MANY. JACKETS.

I really do go on in the rest of these answers, so please find them tucked under the cut!

5. Did you make an outline for [title], and if so did you stick to it?

I have what I would call a very ADHD writing technique, in which I will generally impulsively write the scenes I have visualized most clearly first, regardless of their place in the fic; then I spend possibly weeks jumping around and filling in the patches between scenes whenever inspiration strikes, generally working either from a vague “it will go like this overall” plan stored in my brain, or a placeholder in-text like “[they leave the bar and travel home. Charlie falls asleep in the cab]”. I almost always write my openings last, after having built the rest of the fic together bit-by-bit and now needing a way to segue the reader into it. That’s process is basically how I wrote both of these, except these were essentially written as a moment of hyperfocus rather than over a long period of time - each of them developed very quickly from initial idea to publication in a short period because I didn’t do literally anything else during that time (take my heart over a period of 12 hours, so much like stars over a period of three days). The only fic I have that really has a concretely written formal outline is The Big Fic (that mythological creature from my WIP list), and that’s because I’ve spent months actively workshopping the shit out of it and treating the damn thing like a novel (which is probably why finishing it escapes me).

10. What are some facts that readers may not know about [title]?

Ooooooo this is a delightful question, because as you can probably tell from my lengthy author’s notes on AO3, I looooove giving “director’s commentary” and spilling extra-textual info about my fics!

take my heart: 

I don’t like that this is yet another WW fic I’ve done where Diana appears but doesn’t speak, but couldn’t (yet) find a way to give her even a passing line that didn’t feel shoehorned. 

The choice to use present tense was made on a whim.

Though the fic doesn’t actually mention it explicitly (the one that I borrowed my own headcanon from does), the injury Charlie received to his shoulder and was put on leave for is that he “froze up” during their last mission and got shot (it was a graze), fell off his sniper perch and hit his head (a version of this incident is detailed in To Burn And Keep Quiet).

I worry that I write too many fics where Sameer is just a lens for processing Charlie’s trauma and emotional arcs in the text, and want to do more pieces that give Sami other plots and motivations and have him operating as a character more independently from his relationship to and feelings for Charlie.

Originally the idea was going to be Sami saying “I love you” knowing it will be forgotten in the morning, but then when I was writing it I was like “wait, I’ve thought of something worse! how delightful!”.

The “over breakfasts and newspapers” line is intended as a reference to Steve’s in-movie explanation to Diana of what people do when there are no wars to fight.

I decided to have it rain at one point because in the movie when Diana enters the pub with Steve the pavement is shown to be wet so I figure it must have been that kind of day, and also because it was raining all day while I wrote so I was really feeling it.

so much like stars: 

I went to painstaking googling lengths to find a French-language song  for the opening that was both period-accurate and suitable to the mood.

I actually omitted at least one costume piece: Sami wears these absurd-looking knit legwarmer-looking things over his boots and the bottom of his pants (these can be glimpsed in some scenes), and not only do they really look strange with just the suit (less so with all his coats and everything on), but I have no idea what they’re called and was sick of writing costume pieces, so I left them out knowing nobody else is enough of a nerd about it to notice.

I originally wanted to give this fic a fade-to-black/”soft focus” They Done Fucked romantic get-together conclusion (hence the setup with the windowless room, the creaky bed, the washbasin), but as the fic progressed I decided against it because it didn’t feel right for the tone/situation or the fact that that’s not my actual headcanon for how that night would’ve gone (and I was shooting for canon-compliant). An unfinished draft of that alternate ending does exist, but it’s not as of yet in any shape to be shown to anybody. Yet.

I worried while writing (still do, a bit) that this fic wouldn’t be liked/read by other fans because I know that the version of Charlie I have developed/analyzed out of my repeated close readings of the film and headcanons is a much more likable character than the impression of him you get after just one or two viewings of the film, so I worried that more casual/less obsessed fans reading this (and indeed, several of my other fics) wouldn’t be able to suspend their disbelief enough to accept me saying “yeah, Sameer is very in love with him. attacted to him, even.” without having been along for the ride on my entire crazy obsession with this movie and these characters. Luckily the way Sameer’s interactions with him in the film are acted and shot do the vast majority of the heavy lifting in-canon for this ship already, so readers are more likely to take “Sami is in love with Charlie, secretly” as read without me having to do too much extra stuff to back it up or make it plausible. “Charlie is in love with Sami” doesn’t require nearly as much work to “justify” because Sami is extremely handsome and charming and much of the fandom seems to adore him anyway, so its more like “yeah obviously, who WOULDN’T be in love with him in some way or another?”

I watched the entire “Night In Veld” set of scenes (through from Sami bringing Diana and Steve drinks to that wonderful Wondertrev fade-to-black scene) probably about 8+ times during the process of writing this fic, just to keep myself in the right frame of mind/mood; at this point I could recite it word-for-word.

Sami’s list of “Reasons Not To Tell Him” is pretty much my favourite part of the fic.

The “Sami wears undershirts with sleeves, Charlie wears sleeveless ones” distinction is my own little bit of costume design and also a headcanon that I carry through almost all of my fics.

I had a lot of trouble trying to balance my dedication to the principle “write non-English dialogue in the correct language” with “you can’t subtitle this, there is a LOT of French, and it needs to be comprehensible for an English audience”. What you see in the fic is my version of a happy medium, which I think works rather well.

Thank you for asking this!!!! And thank you to anybody who stuck it out to read this whole damn thing and indulge my infodumping!

[scoundrels-in-love]

Rainy watches Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Let me start this with saying I did spoil my self and quite thoroughly before this movie. And my initial opinion was that this movie will be absolute disappointments on all fronts I cared about.

So, when I walked in the cinema, my expectations were so low, it’d be hard to fall lower. (But as we know, I had same thoughts about year 2017 and it proved me wrong, so it’s not like it was impossible.) I came out thinking, damn, it was pretty okay movie. Maybe even good. No, it will not be my favorite Star Wars movie, it is still Rogue One and I did like The Force Awakens better, but I think the trilogy does not die with it. Especially since it’s trilogy and there is a lot to be seen in Episode 9 still.

I will not give it rating, I can’t rate these things and if I was forced to, I would not give even Rogue One a 10. That’s just how I am. But what I will do is write a long-ass recap and analysis of the movie. Having read spoilers and reactions to them, I have come conclusion a lot of the rage, in my opinion, comes from focusing on the details instead of lessons they’re trying to show. Lessons we may see us give a very satisfying conclusion in Episode 9.

Obviously, spoilers below. All of the spoilers. Read at your own risk. Later, when more folks have seen the movie, I may do shorter extractions with add-ons for specific plot points or characters. Also, this will be ship stanning or hate free (and in general, I tried to keep this positive, instead of dissing anything, though there are quite a few things I dislike). I have my preferences, but those will, hopefully, remain beyond the walls of this recap. Also, it’ll be all over the place, bouncing to and from various details, etc. If you stick around, let me know what you think, I’d love that!

Let me start this with saying I am not built for war movies. I do not deal well with deaths of characters even as brief as Rose’s sister or the pilots who exchanged smile and salutes before the docking bay thingie was blown up. Each time a ship or speeder goes down, I wince and break a little bit inside. So, obviously, that sets me up for being emotionally vulnerable all through the movie.

I did not expect TLJ to start essentially immediately after TFA ended. That took me by surprise and threw me right in middle of hell. I think it was rather solid choice, though.

A lot of people disliked how disheartened and disillusioned Luke was. I think he was still wrapped in illusion, one that Rey forcefully breached. And he was weighed down by guilt. So much of it. He did not just fail Ben, or his sister and Han. He failed himself. In a moment of slip, he lost everything and was reminded that even strongest, kindest hearts can have a slip up, no matter how momentary. And it can have horrible consequences.

To be honest, when Kylo said Luke had tried to kill him I was like “no, that’s Snoke manipulating his memories”. And if it had been the case, I would be okay with it. Right now, I lean more towards the fact Luke never actually physically soul searched Darth Vader, never witnessed that darkness and the endless blood on his hand. And the dark side was so thick around young Ben, that Snoke’s influence could’ve dripped onto Luke in that moment. Just a bit of tar, lasting for few seconds, but enough to turn the tide. If only Ben could’ve slept through it, but it was not meant to be. Possibly also because of Snoke.

Something that struck me deeply was the way Luke had to watch the Tree burn down. For me, it felt like he was forced to watch his second home burn down. Like he had wanted to leave his uncle’s and aunt’s home, he wished to leave ways of Jedi behind, something that had become a home to him in spiritual sense. But in the end, the choice was never entirely given to him, someone else made it for him and he had to watch his home become embers. And as always, Luke carved his own path ahead from that moment.

Yoda’s lesson was, FOR ONCE, one thing said out-loud from the many the movie tried to get across. Failures will happen. Failing does not define us. How we get up from them is what matters. That makes us who we are.

Some say whole Finn’s and Rose’s mission was a filler, absolutely pointless. But, if we’re being really mean, pretty much every star wars episode has one of these scenes/story lines. And, I do not think it was entirely failure. Yes, it was a detour and one that failed, but it also lit another spark, in the hearts of the children on that planet. Plus, again, lesson about failures - they did not let it beat them down and returned to fight to the last breath.

In my opinion, another lesson was ‘retreating is not necessarily cowardice’. Is Finn a coward? No, my son is brave beyond reason. He may want to escape, back in TFA and at start of TLJ, but especially in latter it is to find a spot of safety which can be a beacon for Rey and Luke Skywalker, the HOPES of the galaxy. And even then, the moment he sees a chance to do more, to actively participate in saving, he’s right back in the fray.

Poe gets literal slap in the face for not realizing it. He gets punch in soul later, when Viceadmiral Holdo does what she does and Leia tells him “she was busy saving people, instead of showing she is a hero.” WHAT A GODDAMN QUOTE. Which I sadly don’t remember correctly.

I have a lot of feelings about Admiral Holdo in general. I cried and literally saluted her in cinema when she stayed behind. I felt a little bad I wished she had pulled the last move a moment sooner so more than like, 6 ships out of 30 survived the assault. But she truly went out like the Queen she was.

I think a lot of people could be pissed about how Resistance wasn’t united, how there was an uprising in itself. But we have to realize, it is made of people. Not humans or aliens differentiating here. Just, different people. And there will be disputes and issues. And it’s normal, it’s understandable. Especially in a hellish situation like this. It makes sense. Resistance isn’t flawless, the unity of it must be hard fought for. (Let us recall Rogue One.) Yes, she could’ve handled it better, but she knew Poe would oppose and try to undermine it. In the end, both she and Leia knew his heart is in the right place.

Also, yes, I tried to count how many ships might’ve reached the surface of salt planet. I was devastated it was so few and that the ones who made to Millenium Falcon were literally a handful.

I absolutely loved how Poe was like “LEIA!!!” when it turned out it was her to be breaking in the bridge, so sure she’d be so against Holdo’s decision. only for her to stun him. Like, you still have so much to learn, my boy.

Oh man, I am afraid to get started on Leia, to be honest. Carrie Fisher was my Top Shining Star in this movie. For me, she was the mirror of every loss Rebellion suffered. Her expressions, her eyes. The way she felt Luke pass away, the way she felt Kylo... Ben, nearby. Each and every time I was wrecked. I sobbed during Luke’s and Leia’s reunion, she was beautifully regal and in character and Luke was also most Luke again, reassuring there is hope for Ben. Just before he appeared, I did want to scream, are you just going to sit and take your death? Go out and fight, for one more moment. (Leia with a blaster was a vision.)

When Carrie’s daughter was watching through window at her somewhere in vast space, I teared up thinking about how prophetical this was. And in a sense, Carrie Fisher, did rise up against impossible odds to continue to live in our lives. I don’t know how they will respectfully write Leia Organa off screen, but they better do it right.

I have some issues with space physics in this movie, like would Leia and Rose’s sister for that matter, hovering over open space, like, pull off what they did? But again, this is movie where space explosions have sound, etc. So I am just going to scream: LEIA CANONICALLY USED THE FORCE.

I knew Luke was an illusion/hologram. There was no way he could make it to base, no matter how he tried. And it made me think of just how immensely powerful he is. The way Han’s little dice thing lasted even beyond his departure, the way everyone saw and felt him. I cried so hard during that forehead kiss, I still tear up.

I can’t say I dig Luke simply left, just like that. I feel like there is more he could have done. But at the same time, it seemed to me, and to Rey and Leia, as if he left with purpose. Is he going there to be a Force Ghost and influencing fate and people by popping up all over the place? I don’t know. I hope it is not actual last we see of him.

Skywalkers being drama queens continue, volume lost count a: the cape drop by Kylo Ren. Volume lost count b: the shoulder brush off Luke does after all he walks out of the smoke. I loved that sass. In fact, we saw that the moment Rey appeared, he kinda sparked back to life, with the smirk he gives her when he swings on his spear. I admit some lines felt a little out of character/the mood felt off, but overall, Mark Hamill did magic.

Which brings me to another point of this movie: downfall of pride. Luke threw that around left and right, but it goes beyond Jedi. It goes beyond essentially blind faith Light Side always prevails just because. It also is the cornerstone of Snoke’s demise. “Oh, he was so hyped up and meant to be badass, died just so simply!! HOW COME. BAD WRITING” people say. But, was it not what happened to Emperor? To essentially pretty much EVERY Sith lord and even Jedi that has graced canon, extended universe and so forth? He thought he was beyond anyone’s reach, he thought he could humiliate Kylo Ren to his heart’s content, feed the anger in him, but did not think of the backlash. Did not think that simply taking him back in fold could not be enough. Did not think of age old lesson - there is always two, no more and no less. A Lord and their apprentice. Kylo Ren thinks it is time he took apprentice, Rey. So he offs his Master. And that IS something Snoke should’ve seen, but he did not, because he thought there is no way someone as torn as Kylo could turn against him. That Kylo is thoroughly dependent on him.

Speaking of Kylo, since TFA I wanted him to be shown more as his own person instead of puppet in Snoke’s ugly hands. This movie did that. It made him, if not entirely sympathetic, then still more acceptable. I was glad he was not the one to fire missile at the bridge, he even looked shell-shocked when other tie-fighters did it. And he also never denied than Han loved him, instead he reflected it to try and get at Ray. I enjoyed his thought of that all old must end. In this, he reminds me of Revan from KOTOR and SWTOR. First, he was Jedi (in training), then fell to the Dark side and eventually, went nuts and decided he must end all there is and start over. So, in a sense, a bit of Emperor’s dogma, too?

The cinematography and symbolism of the lightsaber being torn apart, at the same time as the battleship was stunning and I still shiver thinking about it.

As Snoke said, Rey and Kylo are indeed foils to each other, darkness attracted to light and light attracted to darkness. Incredibly raw power. I would like to see this end with Gray Jedi kind of mindset, maintainers of actual balance. This movie MAY set it up for Kylo to have redemption arc at the very end and a (co) founder of Gray Jedi order. Or it may set up him as weak villain all through and through. Weak in the sense he is already blinded by rage and fight with his past, as proven by his fight with Luke. He loses the final, in a sense incredibly easy, battle just because he has to finish Luke off. Either he will clear his head or go about everything as incredibly unstable as he is. And fall because of his pride, as did every Sith before him.

I do wonder, if next movie will start after time, when literally a handful of people are rebuilding the Resistance or we will once again be thrown right into another chasing scene of Millennium Falcon.  There’s potential in both.

Lot of people are saying this movie decimates Rey’s character. I do not entirely agree. She is desperate to clutch onto hope Galaxy can be saved via returning to Ben to light because she’s been denied all other options. Luke has become less of hero in her eyes, in fact, he had considered becoming a cold blooded murderer. And even then, she offers him to come with her and he refuses. Because Rey, fundamentally, believes in best in people. Like Luke once did. What’s more, if she does indeed know her parents were nobodies who traded her for a ration of booze, these are memories, pain and betrayal stirred up by dark side. She is drawn to it. But at the end of it, she does not take Kylo’s hand, sees it can only breed more so much more pain and returns to her friends. I do not think she will ever entirely fall to Dark Side, there is not enough time to make her do that and then retrieve her from it in one movie.

Speaking of Rey’s parentage, Snoke said he created the force bond between Kylo and her, and essentially that he planted certain things in it. Lies about her parents could be one of the things he put in there, to give Kylo tools. The mirror could have been a way to show she is born from Force, much like Anakin was. When Light side was dominant, he was the one to bring more Balance, perhaps by falling to Dark side. Now, Force may have given Galaxy another hero, to turn the tides towards Light.

Now I would like to speak some of other badass lady - Rose. I felt for her, deeply. She was not afraid to stand up to her literal hero. She did not hesitate to say what she hated about the whole rich-planet. She has and always will give everything for Hope.  I have to say, her proclaiming she saved Finn was a VERY big stretch, though. They were literally going to be killed in 10 more minutes, if Kylo wasn’t so busy with focusing Luke. Like, no. You didn’t save him. You delayed the inevitable and incidentally, both of you survived. Also, you don’t have to look at him like coward about knowing where escape pods are on First Order ship. He literally was in clean up crew. Of course he did. But she matters so much in maintaining balance between foolish bravery and retreating is not cowardice message, in fact underlining the latter, by reminding that Rebellion is about saving those we love, not simply murdering the ones we hate.

This episode was SO strong with parallels. Like all the parallels all the fricking time. Finn and Poe getting slapped by their bosses/ex-bosses. Kylo and Rey both calling Millennium Falcon ‘that junk’. THE HUG BETWEEN FINN AND REY from TFA and at the end of TLJ. ‘Floating rocks’, of course. The moment I saw the rock block, I thought, well, here comes ‘Force is sometimes about floating rocks, too’. As well as ‘every thing you just said is absolutely wrong’. A classic. And, like, all the fricking glasses/containers of liquids shaking to show tremors all through the whole movie. There were at least 5 shots of that. We get it, things are getting shaken up. We get it.

Honestly, any scene on the salt planet was SUCH A LOOK. I have NO idea why the speeders had to extend the ‘leg’, apparently for balance, but I think mostly to create a stunning visual moment. After the speeders split up, and mission was essentially failed, it looked like blood on snow. Bloody ice underneath snow. It was gorgeous, heartbreaking symbolism of all the blood that has been spilled. Perhaps even of the bloodshed that rests under proclaimed purity of Jedi mindset. It made my gut clench. Just as did the moment it spills into the base, when First Order finally arrives.

Speaking of which, Hux, what did you think you’re gonna get, screaming at Kylo that First Order is leaderless? Lmao. Loved how they fought for control in walkers/ship. Like they both said “open fire” and Kylo looked at Hux, essentially “binch, really?”.

I did like the whole thing on the rich-folk planet. Amused at BB-8′s tactics of subduing people. Loved the escape of Finn and Rose, that the animals escaped. Heck, I was so worried for them, that they’d just get mowed down or recaptured. I had to remind myself, maybe even death is better than the life they had.

I think they pulled a really good (double?) bluff with their hacker. I mean, I was not convinced he was on their side, but when he gave the necklace back to Rose, I can see why Finn and Rose would think he’s truly fighting the good fight. I also really hope Finn fetched the necklace out of the wreck for Rose, it doesn’t deserve to be left behind.

It’s a small thing, but I LOVED that Finn didn’t strike Phasma down from behind. Like, of course it was still kinda underhanded, but she could’ve rose weapon in defense (if someone suddenly says hey behind you in this situation, you don’t think it’s an ally). But still. Her quick demise is one of my actual “:/” moments in the movie, I did think she should’ve gotten more time, more stories. But my original point is, my boy didn’t try to kill anyone from back.

Ships or no, I love every glimpse of Finn and Poe and Rey friendship, the way they deeply care for one another. Nothing can take away that Finn screamed for Rey and asked about her first, or that Rey’s one request to Chewie was to tell him something. And Finn wearing Poe’s jacket! Oh man, Poe’s and BB-8′s reunion had me clutching my heart mentally. And I am very glad to add Rose to this roster. I don’t know if Finn reciprocates her feelings or hers are actually more than being still kinda awe-struck for him. But no matter what, he cares about her deeply. With her, we get to see he will always go and save his friend and take care of them with all he got. We didn’t get the line ‘now I have something to fight for’, but I clearly think that’s definition of Finn - fighting for those he cares about, platonically or not.

Also, how did Rey get from Snoke’s escape ship to Millennium Falcon? And how did communication device work from Resistance Cruiser to First Order ship, without interception and all? /squints slightly

I am very glad Rey saved the books, I think it will do her good to study them and figure out her own path inbetween the lines.

And I think that’s.... That’s actually it. Or I am too tired to remember more points. Other than few, plot unrelated observations:

The porgs were a menace. I liked and hated them at the same time, I could only think how mad Han would be about this literal infestation.

The little alien-nuns of Ach-To, tho. They live in peace and suddenly comes this girl, blasts a house up, crashes their cart with cut-in-half boulder. I feel for them.

Salt foxes are AMAZING. (What the heck at the soldier dude who straight up tastes white substance on an unfamiliar planet OFF THE GROUND. You got guts.)

Did the kid at the end use the Force to make broom lean into his hand or was I just too blurry eyed?

Also someone wrote amazing thought of how we should’ve seen Anakin and Luke meet up in the Force, with Han, too, imo. And I really wish for it.