#i wasn't allowed to literally do anything after school we were pretty much only allowed 1 hobby

[inkskinned]

one of the things about having an unstable parent is that it can so easily ruin your future. you want to get out, but getting out takes having agency. it takes the resume and the grades and the stellar community service history.

but you have to choose your battles. you know if you sign up for an after-school activity, it'll be okay for a while, so long as the activity is parent-approved and god-fearing. over time, like all things, it will become an argument (i can't keep carting your ass to these things) or a weapon (talk to me like that again, see if you get to go to practice). sometimes, if you love the thing, it's worth it. but you also know better than to love something: that's how they get you. if you ever actually want something, it will always be the center of their attention. they will never stop threatening you with it. telling you of course i'm a good parent, i came to all of those stupid events.

you learn to balance yourself perfectly. you can either have a social life or you can have hobbies. both of these things will be under constant scrutiny. you spend too much time with her, you should be at home with family is equally paired with you're acting like this because you're addicted to what's on that goddamn screen. you cannot ever actually win, so everything falls within a barter system that you calculate before entering: do you want to learn how to drive? if so, you'll need to give up asking for a new laptop, even though yours died. maybe you can work on a computer at the library. of course, that would mean you'd be allowed to go to the library, which would mean something else has to bleed. nothing ever actually comes free.

and that bitter, horrible irony: you could be literally following their orders and it still isn't pretty. they tell you to get a job; they hate that your job keeps you late and gives you access to actual money. they tell you to do better in school; they say no child of mine needs a tutor. they want you to stop being so morose, don't you know there are people who are really suffering - but they revile the idea you might actually need therapy.

you didn't survive that fall the way other people would. you've seen other people scramble and get their way out, however they could. maybe you were made too-soft: the answer didn't come to you easily. it wasn't quick. it was brutal and nasty. some people even asked you why didn't you just work hard and escape during school? and you felt your head spinning. why didn't you? (they control your financial aid. they control your loan status. they love having that kind of thing). maybe in another life you got diagnosed sooner and got the meds you needed to actually focus and got attention from the right teachers who helped you clear hurdles to get up out of here - but for now? here?

the effort of trying. the effort of not-dying. that kind of effort was absolutely agonizing.

[heygerald]

Falling Without A Harness - Chapter 9

AU where Tom Ryder is still an asshole, just not a psychotic one. When Parker joins Colt on set, things between the siblings gets argumentative. How hard will she try to convince everyone of something only she seems to see?

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Parker was dying.

Well, no, not really, but she was pretty sure that dying on the inside was the same kind of misery as dying on the outside—something Colt would wholeheartedly disagree with, but, whatever, he wasn't around to dispute such a wild claim—and as she failed at yet another attempt, she quite literally could feel her sanity evaporating like water on a hot summer day. It was ridiculous that the instructions were only five steps; even more ridiculous that there were high school art students who could do this with their eyes closed while gabbing about what the prettiest Met Gala dress of the year was and contemplating what the next Suzanne Collins' book would be.

"I think she should write more prequel books," said high school art student was blabbering on from the other side of the shelf, and while Parker's eyes went crossed and frustration welled like a heavy weight on her chest, Melissa didn't seem to notice as her train of thought continued on a cross-continental journey. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I will always love Katniss and Peeta's story, and hearing about their kids would be interesting, but there are seventy some years of Games that we haven't even heard about yet. That's so much material for her to write about!"

Parker glanced at the mess lying at her feet; tape and paint and abused shelf liner was sprawled around her as if a bomb had just gone off, and while Melissa continued on her fifth monologue of the hour, Parker almost wished one would.

"—did you see it? It was so good. Tom Blythe has to be my new celebrity crush. Right behind Tom Ryder, of course, but above Tyler Poser. Nothing against him personally, he just hasn't really done anything since Teen Wolf, you know? And—"

She was pretty sure black spots were dotting her vision, and when she attempted for a sixth time to smooth the bubbles out of her liner, Parker swore her head was going to implode.

How did one talk so much?

And more importantly—

"Jesus Christ!" she cried above the din of chatter. Melissa's voice cut off at the exclamation, but as she crossed one arm over the other—ruler clattering to the ground in frustration—the radio continued to play a steady stream of Taylor Swift and Katy Perry. "I'm so confused!"

A steady silence came from the adjacent aisle for half a moment.

"You... don't get the Hunger Games prequel? I thought you read it."

"Oh my fu—" she started, before cutting herself off. Melissa had gotten on her last week about having such foul language, and while Parker really didn't care about being a bad influence on the next generation, she did care about the stupid little jar sitting on the front counter that had collected half of her weekly coffee allowance in just three days. Pinching her nose, she swerved, "fudge, I don't get how you're doing this. I really don't."

"Doing—?"

"Not Suzzanne Collins," she snapped before Melissa could even go down that particular road. Honestly, the girl never stopped talking. "I understand that. I read those books before you were even born, kid."

"Okay, I'm not that young, and you're not old enough to be calling me kid," her voice floated above the shelves; judgmental and scornful all in one.

Parker pinched the bridge of her nose, only for some wayward tape to get stuck to her cheek, and as she ripped it off her skin with a groan, she considered sinking onto the cold floor for a nap.

Said floor was a mess of art supplies, however, and so she elected to tap her foot in an impatient staccato on the ground. Knowing there was only one thing left to do, Parker swallowed whatever pride still existed after this little art project. "...I don't understand how to put on the shelf liners," she admitted. "It doesn't make any sense, and I'm wasting material, and I'm—I'm going to set this place on fire if I have to keep doing this!"

A tut followed by Birkenstocks on hard wood before Melissa was popping around her side of the shelves. She looked too cute to be doing something misery-inducing like this—bubble braids over each shoulder, mascara and glittery white eyeshadow to balance out the glow of highlighter on her cheeks and nose, lips a soft bubblegum pink to compliment the pale color of her sweater—and Parker added it to the list of things that her employee did to annoy the shit out of her.

Teenagers were supposed to be pimply and awkward; when did the next generation start skipping that phase to jump right into cute outfits like that?

"What are you—?" she started, only to zero in on the absolute disaster that was Parker's attempts at interior design. The shelf liner was warbled and misshapen, cut too short on one side and too long on the other, and at her feet half a yard of wasted material lay sprawled. "Parker! Do you have any idea how expensive this stuff is?"

Parker blinked at her. "Do I—? Of course I do! I was the one that bought it in the first place!" she snarked incredulously.

"Then why are you wasting it?"

"Well—because—I'm not doing it on purpose!" she blustered.

Melissa clearly didn't seem to believe that if her raised brow was anything to go by. As if Parker had woken up that morning with the single goal in mind of making this process as difficult and expensive as possible.

Yeah, right.

Parker hadn't been stealing eggs and bread from her brother's when she visited just for the thrill of the grift.

"The instructions don't make any sense," she continued to defend herself; though, the fact that she needed to in the first place was ridiculous. It was her shop, afterall, and she was the owner. Oh, right. She was the owner. "I knew we shouldn't have done this. The paint and decorations look good enough. Why, oh why, did I let you talk me into doing shelf liners too? You know the books are just going to cover the pattern, right? No one will see them."

That seemed to upset Melissa, and in response, the teenager's entire face contorted into something righteous.

"Firstly," she said, flinging up a electric blue nail, "everyone will see them. The books are only so big, so the liner is still visible even when the shelf is full, and when people take books off the shelf it adds character to the store. And secondly," she continued, ticking another finger up into the air, "I've already finished three whole shelves in the time it's taken you to do half of one. Improperly, too. It's not impossible. You're just bad at it."

"Ugh!" Parker's mouth fell open. "Excuse me. I'm not bad at it."

"Could'a fooled me."

"You know," she snarked while planting her hands firmly onto her hips. Melissa didn't seem intimidated one bit, and she watched as the teenager gently pulled up her crumpled liner. "You're lucky I'm your boss because someone else might fire you for sass like that."

Melissa shot her a blithe look while dropping the ruined liner to the ground. Within seconds, she cut a new piece—perfectly sized—and calmly started lying it down. "Okay, sure, Park. Whatever you say."

"I could!"

"Uh-huh," the girl said again, clearly not buying into the power play for a second. Parker might have taken more offense to that if, well, Melissa wasn't right. She never had an employee before, but Parker didn't handle workplace confrontations well, and she couldn't imagine ever firing anyone. Let alone her best customer.

Still. She could at least pretend to be intimidated.

Before Parker could argue that point, Melissa stepped back from the shelf with a flourish to reveal a perfectly placed, smooth and colorful liner.

"Son of a..." Parker muttered at how easy she had made it look. Not to mention the fact that it did look really good. She could already picture how much character it would add once the shelves were re-stocked with their books. "How did you—?"

"It's honestly so easy. Like, I'm embarrassed for you."

And—yeah.

Parker was definitely dying.

"I liked you better when you only came in once a week," she announced, dropping the wasted paper into the trash bag. "You were a lot nicer then, at least. And you already gave me money instead of costing me heaps of it."

Unbothered, the teen popped her bubblegum with a shrug. "You were a lot cooler then, too."

"What—?" she cried, tracking around the shelf in Melissa's wake. The teenager seemed pretty pleased with herself, and as she giggled into her hand, Parker propped her shoulder against the wall with a glower. "Oh. Hardy-har-har. Hilarious. Let's all pick on Parker; that seems like a fun way to spend the day. How about this? You can finish this little project yourself since it was your idea in the first place."

That managed to wipe the smirk off of her face, and Melissa responded by stomping her foot. "This place is huge! There's no way I can finish this on my own."

"Please," Parker rolled her eyes, not buying that for a moment. "You've done six times as much as me in an hour, and better too. It's like you said—I suck at this."

"I didn't say you suck."

"Bad, suck, they're all the same insult. Are you regretting the sass now?"

Melissa scowled. "Fine. But I want to re-negotiate my salary."

That wiped whatever smug look Parker was wearing off her face in seconds, and as if this was a game of tug-o-war, the smugness transferred back to Melissa in the following seconds. So smug, in fact, that she started humming to herself as she set to work on the next line of shelves.

Shaking her head, Parker couldn't do anything but laugh. "Fat chance of that! You're already robbing me blind with the stupid swear jar. Besides, this whole thing was your idea; you wanted the job, and now you got the job. You don't get to re-negotiate your hourly pay when you've barely been here a month. That's not how employee contracts work."

"America as a late stage capitalistic society is failing and is not what you should be basing a business model on, but if that's how you want to play it, fine. This is a supply and demand market. There's nothing to say I can't negotiate my salary when my needs as an employee go up. Your demand has changed, ergo my supply for you has changed," she chirped, and not for the first time, Parker was wondering when teenagers became so socially aware. When she was Melissa's age, she babysat for five bucks an hour, and most of that was just spent making sure the kids didn't swallow their Gumby doll. Needs of an employee her ass. "Besides, we agreed on that salary when I thought I would have help doing the manual labor."

"You're awfully smart for someone that didn't read the fine print."

Melissa paused in her work to cross one arm over the other. And—fuck—how was she being intimidated by someone wearing a best friends forever necklace?

Saved by the tinkle of the front door bell, Parker broke off their stare down to give the girl a flippant gesture that would definitely not hold up in court as any sort of agreement, before moving towards the front. She didn't even care that they were closed, a customer was more than welcome at the moment. Even a neighborhood cat would do.

Melissa trailed after.

"All I'm saying is—" she started.

"Ah, ah, ah. No money talk in front of customers. It's totally kitsch," Parker chirped over her shoulder.

"It's Sunday. We shouldn't even have customers. Can't we just tell them to leave?"

"And they say good customer service is dead," said customer drawled from the front counter as he pilfered through her bowl of mints. Several clattered to the floor as he tried to dig out his favorite flavor, and with a wince, Parker watched him not-so-subtly nudged them under the counter with his shoe as if it hadn't happened at all. "Er, those were already down there when I got here."

"Ass," she rolled her eyes, bending over to scoop the mints up before mice decided to add themselves onto the list of things she had to deal with. She was already stuck between two pestering leeches, a third infestation was not ideal.

Before Melissa could complain, Parker stuck a dollar into the swear jar.

"Whatever. Tom, we were just—" Melissa pushed past Parker with an exuberance that had been lacking moments before. It deflated the moment she got a better look at him, however, and the girl's grin slipped into a sour frown. She crossed one arm over the other to peer suspiciously at the blonde. "Wait, you're not Tom."

Colt experienced a variety of emotions in a single second, and Parker couldn't help but laugh when he let out an offended squeak.

"What—how does she know Tom?" he hissed.

Parker dumped the fallen mints back into the bowl with a shrug. "He's stopped by before. She's a huge fan. Number one, apparently. She's seen all his stuff."

"Twice," Melissa added.

Parker pointed at her. "Twice," she reiterated, just knowing that it would piss Colt off.

Just as expected, he responded by rolling his eyes with a second, high-pitched groan. It sounded like he was in pain. "You're a fan of Ryder? Seriously?"

Melissa squared her shoulders at him. "Seriously."

"You do know that he wears a wig, right?"

She huffed. "No, he doesn't."

"Uh, yes he does."

"Does not."

"Does too."

"Does—"

"Okay, that's enough of that," Parker interjected with a groan of her own. What had started off as an amusing blow to her brother's ego was quickly turning into a headache. "Melissa, don't bully him. He has a sensitive ego."

Colt threw his arms up—bowl of mints scattering everywhere—to cry, "Parker! That's not—I don't—who even is this?"

"Who am I? I work here. Who are you?" she shot back, bright eyes narrowed into slits. Parker could imagine her in high-school now, scaring off boys left and right, and if her brother didn't have the mental maturity of a middle schooler, she might have let them argue a little bit longer.

Alas. Colt's weakness was women, and she didn't fancy giving him chest compressions when he inevitably choked on his pride.

"Melissa," she gestured, "this is my brother, Colt. He's a professional stuntman, and has been Tom Ryder's stuntdouble for years. That how I met him in the first place. Colt, this is my new employee, who also happens to be a teenage girl, Melissa."

In unison, the pair gave cagey hmphs.

"Nice to meet you or whatever," Colt sniffed.

"Yeah," she responded with a blithe look. "Totally."

Parker glanced between the pair; both had matching postures, arms crossed, arms averted, neither wanting to acknowledge the other, and she pinched the bridge of her nose with a heavy sigh. Although, to be fair, only one of the two was an actual adult. Despite how Melissa might carry herself from time to time.

Remembering this, she steered the conversation back to more important things. "If I step out for lunch with Colt, do you think you can finish the shelf liners? You can invite one or two friends to hang out. If they help, I suppose I can pay them too."

Pettiness forgotten, Melissa gave Parker a wide-eyed look. "Really?"

"Flat rate. Fifty for the day, a max of two friends. Just no posting on instagram or snapchat or—you know—anything else. I don't need social media being my downfall before I even get started."

"Oh my god, you're so old, Parker. Who would even want to cancel you?" Melissa laughed over her shoulder before disappearing towards the back. Her cell phone was already dialing, and by the time she started pasting on liners, her friends were already on their way.

With that taken care of, Parker blinked over at her brother.

"Yes."

Colt, having replaced whatever book he was pretending to read, furrowed his brows at her. "Yes, what?"

"Whatever you're going to suggest we do, yes, please take me away from here before I commit a craft-themed crime."

"Is that a crime?"

"A violent one."

He clicked his tongue, tossing another mint into his mouth with a curious side-eye across the counter. "Maybe I just wanted to stop in and see how things were looking. You were talking about it at the party so much I figured I'd have to see it eventually."

That was a lame excuse and they both knew it. Colt may have been her biggest cheerleader, but her brother didn't know the difference between paint and lacquer. Not to mention that he was red-green colorblind, and would certainly have a hard time noticing any change in paint around them.

"Coooolllltttttt," she whined.

He quirked his brow at her. "Seriously?"

"Please?" she asked, slumping across the counter. When that didn't work she attempted to flutter her eyelashes at him. That only provoked an eyeroll from him, and she deflated with a moan. "I'll ber lurnch," she muttered into her sweater sleeves.

He lifted a finger to his ear, patronizing and provoking all in a single sweeping gesture. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't get that. What did you say?"

Atop her arms, she glared before slowly reiterating, "I'll buy lunch."

That he understood.

The bastard.

"Well, why didn't you just say so?" he cooed, and when he attempted to pat her atop the head, Parker swatted him away with a glare. She was already reconsidering going anywhere with him, but a single glance towards what was awaiting her in the back of the shop had her sitting up straight. "I have to go to set today for some wardrobe fittings and thought you'd want to come with. Might as well see how the magic is made. We're gonna be late if you keep moping, though."

"We wouldn't have been late if you didn't get all mouthy with Melissa," she snarked while gathering her things. Feeling a bit guilty about leaving the kid to finish the work, she dug a twenty out of her wallet. "I'll be back later! There's money on the counter to get lunch for you girls!"

She got no response—as a mom rarely did with a teenager—and it took Colt tugging her by the elbow to get Parker to step outside. His truck was parked right in front of a fire hydrant.

She raised a brow at him, utterly unimpressed.

"What?" he asked when he caught the look she was shooting him. And, as if it wasn't a low-stakes crime that he was committing, Colt just grinned. "Relax, grumpy-pants. It's a Sunday. Fire hydrants don't count on Sundays. Now get in before we really are late."

There was a lot to say to that, but Parker didn't bother wasting the energy, and with an easy-going grin of her own, she clambered inside.

---

An hour later and Parker finds herself propped on an overflowing table filled with sewing needles, accessories, pens, papers, and a binder flush with polaroid photos of her brother from every angle. The film's wardrobe department, despite his warnings in the car, was more than thrilled that Colt had brought along his sister, and while he was poked and prodded, shifted left and right on a pedestal for everyone to critique, Parker had been set up with an iced coffee, some freshly made baklava, and front row seats to the most amusing thing she had seen in weeks.

"I think the crotch is too tight," Betty said, tugging on the material with long, sharp fingernails that Colt eyed like they were a sleeping snake. "See how it's bunching, we need to let it out, or maybe—see this? We could try—"

"No, no, no, it doesn't need to be let out," Sasha, a blonde woman with oversized cat-eye glasses tutted. "It's supposed to be tight. Remember?"

"It'll rip."

"It'll be fine."

"I suppose for standing, but I think he'll be wearing them for a running sequence—"

The ladies bickered back and forth, hands clawing too close for comfort at her brother's privates, and every so often he would wince when they tugged a little too hard. Parker, watching all of it, giggled every time it happened.

"How come I've never been brought along to fittings before?" she mused, a Cheshire-like grin in place. He had been standing up there for the lasty forty minutes, and every time she took a sip of her drink, Colt would look a little more green in envy at their difference in treatment. "This is fun."

"Fun," he said, mocking her with an eyeroll. "You come up here and try this."

"I happen to think I would look amazing in those pants. I have the ass for them, anyway," she chirped, and Sasha took a break from her bickering just to laugh at the idea. Beaming, Parker added, "I didn't realize that wardrobe fittings for the stunt double would be so... invasive."

"Yeah, well, usually the pants aren't so tight. That's all thanks to Ryder."

"I bet they look good on Tom," she said, half teasing, half meaning it. Anything looked good on Tom as time had proven again and again; from covered in sweat, puking in a toilet to wearing Gucci brand glasses, she had yet to see the guy look bad. Speaking of, "shouldn't he be here too?"

Colt, adjusting the tight collar of his leather jacket, shot her a look. "He's probably staring at himself in a mirror somewhere. That's how they trap raccoons, you know. They get so distracted by their own reflection that they forget to run off before the coon dogs get them."

"That's not a thing."

"Sure it is," he said, twisting on the pedestal as the ladies started to adjust the inseam of the pants. He eyed their gleaming needles nervously as they continued on their warpath across the fabric. "You should watch Animal Planet sometime. They did a whole episode on it."

"On how to catch raccoons?" Parker reiterated, absolutely not believing her brother for a second.

"It was a special."

"Maybe a Looney Tunes' special," she deadpanned with an eyeroll. Colt's mouth propped open in argument, only to freeze up when two pairs of hands started plucking the fabric across his butt, and she watched his face flush red. "Seriously? You're such a child!"

Being called out, Colt scowled at his sister. "Am not."

"Are too."

"Am—you know what?" he caught himself before he could go on his second preschool tirade of the day. Parker sipped her drink with an impish gleam in her eyes. "Whatever. You're supposed to be amusing me, not stirring up shit. Tell me something interesting."

"Sure, Caesar," she rolled her eyes. "What would your highness like to be amused by?

"I don't know! Anything. Like—what were you and Melissa doing today at the shop that had you running scared?"

She blew a raspberry, spinning slightly on the table to snatch up an oversized top hat. She didn't have a clue what sort of movie it would be acceptable for—definitely not a sci-fi one—but she traced the stitching with a bored eye anyways. "Shelf liners. They're way harder than they look, and she can get mean when she wants to be. I swear she acts like she's the boss sometimes."

"Ooooh," he teased. "Scared of a teenager?"

"You should see her first thing in the morning. She must wake up at five am to do her beauty routine, and anyone with that sort of willpower should be feared. I think I'll have to move when she finally saves up for her car. God knows the roadways won't be safe."

"Just because you can't wake up before noon without a liter of coffee doesn't mean everyone else can't. Some people are naturally early risers."

"Says the guy that slept for nineteen hours straight once."

Colt shot her a cross look. "I had a concussion."

"All the morning reason not to sleep that long. Isn't rule number one of head injuries that you're supposed to wake up every so often for a health check?" she asked.

Her brother popped his mouth open to argue, finger poised, before he slowly let it drift down to his side. His silence spoke volumes, however, and she raised her brows at him with a smug smile.

"Oh, like you're so perfect," he huffed irritably.

To which she beamed, plopping the top hat onto her head with a flourish. "Maybe I am. Ever thought about that? I'm pretty, popular with famous people, and am the reigning champion at beerball five years running."

"You cheat at beerball," he snarked before the rest of what she said caught up to him. With a gesture, Colt flexed on the pedestal, adding, "and you're not the only hot Seavers. Look at me? See how these pants are hugging my curves? You wish."

Parker laughed at that, couldn't help it if she tried. Her brother was so ridiculous that at times the way he spewed word vomit surprised even her. Not to mention the fact that he was her brother, best friend on too many planes to count; it was hard not to be in a good mood when hanging with him. Even if she was watching him get pampered like a princess before an upcoming ball.

Speaking of, "so, you don't think Tom will be around?"

Something bewildered cracked across his features at the same time that Sasha and Betty told him to step down from the pedestal. The ladies took their notes to the table, adjusting this and that, while Colt stepped behind a privacy screen. She could hear him grunting as he tried to maneuver out of the pinned clothes without sticking himself.

"Do we need to talk about this?" his voice echoed.

"About what?"

"You. Tom. Whatever weird relationship the two of you have going on," he continued, before yelping when he did stick himself on a pin. Sasha rushed behind the screen to help him get out of the pants, and when she returned, she had the garments in hand. "It's sickening to even think about."

"How is us being friends sickening?" Parker echoed.

"Because—you—he—the guy is an ass!"

"He's not an ass," she argued back, surprising herself at how quickly she came to his defense and how little she actually cared. There were few things her and Colt disagreed on; siblings that knew each other as well as they did often had minor squabbles, but nothing ever world-changing or big. Yet, it didn't feel right to let him say those sorts of things. She could consider why later. "He's just... misunderstood."

"Misunderstood?" his voice pitched behind the screen, before he was stepping out in a totally new suit. It was black and yellow, leather, emboldened with the NASA logo, and for a moment she forgot entirely what they were talking about to ogle it appreciatively.

"Ooh, nice job ladies, I like that one."

Colt paused, glancing down at himself. "It is nice," he said in surprise, twisting and turning in the mirror. As he smoothed the material down, he added, "comfortable too. Is this worn much in the film?"

Betty checked her notes. "Looks like he wears it in a few scenes. Oh, looks like you should be wearing it for a harness drop, so make sure you tell us if it's too tight anywhere," she said as the women headed back over to him with their tape measures and pins. "Good?"

He stretched up and down, left and right, before gesturing to the armpit seams. "Probably could be loosened a bit."

She nodded, and the ladies got to work on that, as Colt returned his attention to his sister. Clearing his throat, he continued their earlier disagreement. "I can't believe you of all people think he's misunderstood."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Uh, hello? Remember the whole coffee thing?"

"I think I understood him perfectly well then," she argued, top hat shifting on her head as she gestured. It was surprisingly heavy, and Parker fixed its lean half-heartedly. "He was an asshole during that encounter, and several encounters since then."

"Then what's with the whole PR parade?"

"I just think he's, I don't know... not always like that."

Colt stared at her; blinking, wide-eyed, with wheels spinning slowly between his ears. She swore she could smell the smoke from there, and Parker prepared herself for whatever ridiculous conclusion he was going to come once the spinning stopped.

"You didn't drink any kool-aid recently did you?"

And, yup. She saw that one coming from a mile away.

"Jesus Christ, Colt," she rolled her eyes, huffing. "When are you going to stop with that Jonestown shit?"

"It was a big deal! More people should be talking about it."

"Yeah, like, three decades ago. No one is trying to copy it with kool-aid. That would be a little bit of an obvious tactic, don't you think? I don't know how many times I have to tell you that I'm not in a cult!"

He held his hands up to placate her, before dropping them back down at Sasha's disgruntled tsk-ing. Parker supposed the ladies would be amused by their conversation if they weren't so intently focused on their work. That or they would be seriously concerned for the siblings' mental welfare.

"I'm just checking. Cult leaders are hard to spot you know. That's their whole gimmick. They look normal, just like you and me, and then next thing you know—wham! Indoctrination. Cult. Weird clothes and bad bathing habits and no teeth. It's a slide, not stepping stones, Park. Tom Cruise fell for it in the eighties and hasn't gotten out since"

"Yeah, well, I don't have any sort of money to give a potential cult leader so I don't really think I'm a good target in the first place. Plus, Tom Cruise seems to be doing just fine with the whole Scientology thing," she replied drolly. He didn't have an argument to that, and she shook the melting ice in her cup half-heartedly. "All I'm saying is he's under a lot of pressure from a lot of people. Isn't it possible that he overreacts sometimes?"

He didn't look pleased with her line of questioning one bit, shaking his head at her like a disappointed parent. "I don't think you should be friends."

"What?"

"I don't like it. I don't like it at all."

"Now who's drinking the kool-aid?"

"I'm just saying! It's weird," he continued, gesturing to her a second time only for Betty to snatch his arm and tug it back down with a glare. Colt didn't seem to notice, however, as he barreled on in the way that idiots often did. "First, it's the bookstore. Normal, no biggie. Then, it's the little giggling and laughter. Odd, but whatever. But then, all of the sudden, he has an invite to my exclusive birthday party—"

She threw her head back with a groan, top hat tumbling to the table. "I already apologized for that!"

"—and next thing you know, our Friday night is being highjacked by some ritzy party in upper LA where I have to wear my nice shoes and act like an adult. I'm telling you—rockslides only take a pebble."

"Are you saying you didn't have fun?" she asked with a pointed look, to which her brother hedged and hawed instead of answering. Like a guilty dog that knew it was in trouble, he avoided eye contact. Replacing the top hat onto her head, she waved her hands around. "See? So what's the problem? You got along then, too, didn't you?"

"Well, yeah."

"Then isn't it possible you misjudged him too?"

"I've known him a lot longer than you."

"But you've never actually spent time with him outside of work."

"For good reason."

"Really? Because you always seem to get along when I'm around," she continued, not ready to let the point go if only because she needed it to stick. "So, how good can the reason be? Maybe he's grown up since you first met him, and you just don't want to accept that."

It was a solid argument, they both knew that.

But Colt was as stubborn as she was. He sniffed. "Well, I still don't like it. Is something going on between you two?"

"Like what?" she asked, despite knowing exactly what was going on between the two of them.

They had kissed. Once. Twice. Three times. Then a few more times until she couldn't really remember what was happening. All she knew was one moment they were kissing and the next moment she was riding home with Colt and Jody, bewildered, breathless, and giddy.

"I have no clue what you're on about," she said despite knowing exactly what he was on about, deciding that gaslighting her brother might be the best option at the moment. "We're just friends."

"Well, obviously," he scoffed, as if anything else was beyond the scope of his imagination.

Which—fair.

She couldn't exactly begrudge him for thinking that there was no chance in hell Parker could kiss someone like Tom Ryder. She could barely believe it, and she was the one that had done it. Still, she scowled at him, contemplating it she wanted to drop the subject entirely or tell him in explicit detail all the reasons he was an idiot, but before she could, the fitting room door opened, and in he walked.

He looked good.

He always looked good.

But today he looked especially good with his dewy skin and jean jacket. Or, maybe, Parker was just looking at him in a new light, and when his gaze landed on her, she couldn't help but grin at him.

"Hey, Tom," she said with a little too much enthusiasm. If he thought it was odd, however, he didn't comment on it. Just ran his gaze over her.

"Nice hat. I'm glad you're finally taking my advice and trying to improve your style, but this isn't exactly what I had in mind."

"The—? Oh!" Parker snatched the top hat off her head with a blush, and in face of her karma, Colt snorted with pleased laughter. Ass. She shot him a side-eye before chirping, "it's Colt's, actually. I told him it looked ridiculous, but the prom is coming up, and Jody is just so exited. You should see his cummerbund. Straight out of the eighteen hundreds."

That effectively wiped the smirk off his face, and Colt started to argue just as Betty ushered him towards the privacy screen for another fitting.

Pleased, she blinked back at Tom.

"What are you doing here?"

"Colt dragged me along for his fittings. Something about being scared of the fashion department team," she joked in a half-whisper, gesturing to where he was hidden behind the privacy screen knowing that he wouldn't be able to hear her. "What are you doing here?"

"I just finished my fittings."

She perked. "Oh, you're done, then?"

He nodded just as Colt re-appeared from behind the screen. The flight suit had been replaced with a suave looking tuxedo that seemed to fit wrong in every place it could, and without knowing fashion at all, Parker had a feeling it would be a while before they finished pinning this particular look. Feeling both rebellious and like a high-schooler with a crush, she cast her brother a look. He immediately caught it, and returned one of his own.

Don't you dare, he said.

She lifted a brow testily. Oh, I dare, the look said.

And just like that, Parker faced Tom and asked, "you want to get lunch?"

"With you two?"

"I don't think Colt will be finished for awhile," she said, mock sincerity in her voice. Her brother heard it, face blustered and annoyed, as she batted her lashes across the room at him. "We could always bring him back something."

"But—!" Colt cried, gesturing at them so hard that he almost whacked Sasha in the head. He didn't even notice in his rush to argue, and it took both seamstresses to position him on the pedestal where they wanted him. "We were gonna get lunch!"

"Well, you're not done, and I'm starving."

"I—I could be done. Right?" he asked, turning his own version of puppy dog eyes towards Sasha and Betty. Unlike Jody and their mom, however, it seemed that they were immune to his charms, and together, they tutted at him. "...but—but!"

"This one needs a lot of work on it," Sasha said, as Betty patted him on the back. "And there's still four more looks to get through before we move you to hair and makeup for mock-ups."

"But—!"

"Don't worry Colt," she cooed at him with a victorious grin, and she would have felt bad for abandoning him if he hadn't been so adamant about his opinion on who she could be friends with. Plus, he accused her of being in a cult four times a year; this was his penance. "We'll bring you back something."

"Do I even want to know what that was about?" Tom asked her once they were in the safety of the hallway.

Parker gave an impish look. "Just Colt being Colt. He gets mopey when he's hungry. Is Mexican okay? I really am starving."

His amusement turned scathing. "Mexican? That's all carbs. No fucking way, I just had my fitting done this morning, and I'm not going to have my pants let out."

She rolled her eyes. "Carbs are good for you," she tutted.

"Not that many."

"Rock, paper, scissors?"

Tom blinked at her—as if he couldn't believe she would suggest such a childish solution—and started off down the hallway without another word.

"Well—we can do two out of three!" she cried in his wake, and it wasn't until he disappeared around the corner did she realize that he might actually leave her to deal with Colt alone. Yelping, she rushed after him. "Okay, okay! Fine! Sushi?"

---

"I can't believe you actually eat this stuff," Parker whined twenty minutes later, a salad with more vegetables than she could name, quinoa, and some sort of vinaigrette dousing the top set out in front of her. The lettuce is limp when she lifts it with a fork, and she can't even pretend to find it appetizing as Tom munches through his. "Like, seriously? I'm not about to be Punk'D?"

He rolled his eyes at her. "You have to be famous to be Punk'D."

"I'm with you, aren't I?" she sassed, prodding the food like a toddler not allowed to leave the table before finishing their peas. She wrinkled her nose at the idea. "I get that salad is healthy or whatever, but don't you ever eat anything that tastes good?"

"This does taste good."

She shot him a look of disbelief to which he shrugged.

"I mean, kind of good," he corrected after a moment.

"It's disgusting. Why is it both limp and hard? You know an entire ethnic community eats all the carbs associated with Mexican food and they're thriving. Have you ever seen a Cinco de Mayo party? Unreal how much fun they're having."

"That's because they're drunk on tequila."

"Well, sure," she hedged, head tipping left and right as she tried to ignore the weird smell coming from the bowl in front of her. "But you gotta live a little, right?"

"I don't want to live a little," he corrected her, spitting out the word like it was distasteful. But he had that same sort of tone that he used when he was repeating something he heard a thousand times, but didn't necessarily believe. "I want to live to be a hundred, and I want to look good while doing that."

"Colt eats Mexican food," she argued.

"Colt isn't the face of a multi-million dollar movie franchise."

"No, just the body."

"Maybe you should have just gone out to lunch with Colt, then," he said, both look and tone cross.

And suddenly Parker felt like she had ceremoniously swallowed her foot in front of him. It hadn't occurred to her that he might have a touchy relationship with food, and guilt settled on her shoulders like a weight. She felt pretty stupid for not seeing that—just like she had told Colt, the amount of pressure he was under at all times was not something either sibling would be able to comprehend—and five minutes into lunch she had already made an ass of herself.

"Sorry," she said, stuffing limp lettuce into her mouth as if to prove that she agreed with him. It tasted gross, though, and Tom definitely didn't miss the way she had to choke it down. "Mhmm, it's so... salad-y."

Whether it was her tone or the look she made while saying it, something about the act worked, and when he shook his head she caught the edges of a smile peeking across his face.

Feeling better, Parker aimed for more neutral territory.

"So, your party was fun," she said, before immediately realizing that was clearly not a neutral territory if the way he paused in his chewing was anything to go by. The last thing she wanted was to come across as some sort of lovesick teenager, and she nearly choked on her tongue to add, "I just mean—Colt and Jody really liked it. She got to network a lot. Plus, Colt has been dying to see your house for, like, ever."

"He has?"

"Sure," she shrugged. "You guys have worked together for almost a decade. I think he's always wondered what your life outside of work looked like."

Tom digested that information as slowly as he digested his food, and she managed another bite of soggy, lemon-flavored lettuce before he decided on a reaction. "I didn't realize that he really cared."

"What do you mean?"

Tom shrugged; one of the rare moments he actually looked awkward while talking about something, and Parker set aside her fork to wash the bad flavor down with some bitter tasting kombucha.

Bad. It was all bad. The health food industry had to be some sort of joke.

"I don't know; just never really thought about hanging out with Colt outside of the set. I told you the stunt guys don't like me."

"What?" she deadpanned. "You? That is such shocking news. I'm shocked."

Tom huffed, then laughed, before shaking his head at her. "Don't be an ass."

"Me? Never."

"Never," he echoed, clearly mocking her. She didn't mind though. It wasn't vindictive or mean, and if it made him feel better, her ego could handle a little mocking banter. Especially when his shoulders relaxed as if a weight was being taken off them. "Whatever. Glad they, uh, had fun."

"Well, you know—open bar, secrets about the Hollywood elite. What wasn't there to like about the party?"

He nodded, another bite taken, as Parker miserably tried to force herself to eat her own food. When he had suggested a vegan salad spot, she hadn't been thrilled, but never in her wildest dreams did she imagine it would be this bad.

"Did, uh," he cleared his throat, "you enjoy the party?"

"Hm?" she hummed, not properly hearing the question as she tried to figure out if the brown thing in her bowl was a raisin or a date. Then she did, and Parker blinked up to find Tom watching her carefully. "Oh. Yeah. Yes. I had, you know, lots of fun. With Colt, Jody, er... you."

He glanced away, nodding, before peeking back at her. "Yeah?"

"Yeah. Yeah, it was... it was nice. I mean—not just the, er—you know. Not just when you—when I—when we..." she overemphasized, face hot and red as she struggled to put her thoughts into words. She absolutely didn't want to sound like their kiss was the only thing she had thought about all weekend, but she also didn't want to act indifferent because dating had somehow drifted into a game of tag nowadays.

Not that they were dating.

Oh god.

It was one kiss. Obviously they weren't dating, and he probably hadn't even thought about it a second time, and that's probably not what he was asking about in the first place, and—she was obsessing, wasn't she?

Oh, god.

"...um," Parker choked, swallowing some more kombucha before remembering she actually hated the taste of it. Wiping her mouth, she slumped onto the table with an embarrassed sigh. "Can you just put me out of my misery, please?"

Tom lifted a brow. "You might do that yourself. Are you having a stroke?"

"Maybe."

He passed over his cup of water, and Parker took a couple small sips until her cheeks didn't feel so hot. He was still watching her, still eating his food, but it was clear from the sparkle in his eye and the smug curve of his mouth that he was greatly enjoying the show. "Just wanted to make sure you had fun," he said.

"I would have had fun if we just played twenty questions," she said, catching the way he hesitated in his eating, before continuing. The cocky gleam was gone from his eye, and something kind remained when he glanced at her. "Not to complain about the... other stuff, but I meant everything I told you. I don't hang out with you for an open bar."

Tom's gaze swept the planes of her face before he nodded. It was a confident nod, for once, and he spoke he almost sounded... happy.

"Well, that's a relief at least. With how much you drink, I'm a little worried between you and Gail I'm going to go bankrupt this year. I swear every party costs more and more."

"Can't you set a budget?"

"It's Hollywood," he deadpanned, and she supposed that was an obvious enough answer that the deadpanning was necessary. "You think anything is ever under-budget?"

Parker wouldn't really know; the only thing she stuck to a budget for was Bath & Body Works lotions and Uber Eats. Just like he had said though, if she didn't, she was confident that she would be bankrupt within days.

Shrugging, she quipped, "next time you can just invite Jody and I. By keeping Colt away, you'll probably spare yourself a few thousand on alcohol alone. Though, he did behave himself last time since he was the designated driver, but I swear he's put a few bars out of business from Happy Hour deals alone."

Tom, another heaping of lettuce down, jabbed a fork at her. "Think I'd be better keeping you away considering how many napkins you took."

"Oh, shut up. They're, like, fifty cents each!"

"You had at least a hundred in you purse when you left."

"Well—" she threw her arms up, blustering, "it's not like I took all of them. Plus, when I sell them on eBay I'll give you a commission. Unlike when you got this fancy sci-fi role. I'm still waiting on my agent's fee for that one."

He shook his head at her. "Yeah, just hold your breath on that one."

With all the maturity she could muster, Parker stuck her tongue out at Tom, and with all the maturity he could muster, he chucked a carrot at her. It bounced onto the patio ground, and she noticed with a look of betrayal that not even the local squirrel population would touch it.

"Tom," she leaned forward, "I am begging you. I need carbs."

"You don't—"

"I'm going to die. Dramatically. And not quietly. Everyone will know, and they're going to think you killed me, and the tabloids will never let that go. Forgot living to a hundred, you'll be seventy and in a retirement home. Please."

Her pleading did nothing.

So, taking drastic measures, Parker used all of her own acting experience to flutter her eyelashes at him, eyes wide and dog-like. And whether it was the pathetic way she threw herself onto the table, or maybe it was the smell of the hotdog cart from down the street, but after a long moment of begging, Tom's shoulder sank with a sigh.

"Jesus Christ, fine."

"Oh, thank god," she slumped, a disgruntled look towards her salad and kombucha before the idea of real food had her perking right back up. She had tossed their stuff in the trash before Tom could manage one more bite of his salad, and though he tried to look disgruntled by that fact, when she tugged him to his feet with a giggle, he was fighting off a smile. "Have you ever had the monster burrito from Lolita's? It has cream cheese and pickles."

"That sounds disgusting."

"I know!" she bounced in excitement, pulling him along after her, gabbing all the way.

Tom let her drag him down the street without any complaint, let her order him her favorite burrito, chips, and Mexican lemonade without arguing—though he did try to see the calorie count on the menu before she snatched it away from him—and because they were on an empty set on a Sunday no one paid them much mind.

A good thing, too, because if someone had, they might have noticed the goofy grin she was wearing, or the amused smile he was; and if they looked closer, they might have even noticed that even after they got to where they were going, Tom Ryder was still holding her hand as they waited in line, letting her lean against his chest as they waited on their orders, before sitting awfully close to her on a little stone bench outside.

But, no one noticed.

Not until her shrill ringtone broke through their game of twenty questions about an hour later as her brother complained about how hungry he was. And though he suspected something weird was going on, not even Colt noticed the sly smiles they shared with one another when they delivered his food as promised or the spot of wet lipgloss smeared on Tom Ryder's mouth.

[urmomsbunkmate]

Accidents happen ?

Kirishima x femreader

Potential series if u BOOTYFUL people would like

Warnings- nude taking? Boobies, hot sexy momma y/n, female masturbation if u squint. suggestive shit rn but if we do more then the suggesting will be literal. I cannot think of anything else rn

Synopsis-Y/N SENDS ACCIDENTALLY SENT NUDE TO A KINDHEARTED and CUTE BOY.

OR

EIJIRO KRISHIMA GETS SENT NUDES FROM THE PRETTY GIRL IN ART CLASS.

———

The sun was long gone as Y/n released low sigh, situating herself in front of her large mirror, sitting on the ground practically nude. The pink lace accentuated her perky breasts and her hardened nipples after rolling them between her fingers, contrasting against her soft tan skin. She slightly angled herself to the left making her ass curve into the picture. The lingerie wrapped around her tailbone wearing as a thong. although the lining was moved to the side as she teased herself, knowing this Denki guy wasn't going to send anything cum worthy back. They were all just so useless.

The brushed her wavy pink hair cascade down her boobs, a messy look that is arousing in this context. Her lips were glistening in glistening lip gloss, the upper part of her face was never included in the pictures of course.  She drew a line at that. Her future had some have some hope.

Y/n knows she's pretty. She knows. But she hates when other people only treat her as a pretty face, expecting sex or nudes just because she's a beautiful girl. Her old boyfriends did that. People still do that. She's treated like a plastic barbie with this box she lives in, a box people think her whole life revolves around. People think the box contains booze and sex and nothing nice - she's just a pretty face, what more can she be? The box cannot possibly contain anything other than those things, like intelligence and integrity.

The girl sighs, the thought of what she has become haunts her. She never wanted to be this: this Barbie in a plastic box, one who says yes to sex and nudes and doesn't refuse, one who goes through the motions like a robot as greasy jocks have the best orgasm of their life, one who longs for a sense of stability, of integrity. Your quirks pretty much define you for the rest of your life, and she could do nothing to change that. Y/n wants a nice boyfriend, one who actually cares about her, one who knows her birthday and gives her a kiss on the forehead out of the blue, one who isn't afraid to be her person despite the repercussions that come with her. She's said to be too pretty for a relationship, too much of a whore. Who'd want to date her?

So many people have called her a whore that she just sticks with it, knowing she'll be nothing more.

Y/n snaps from her trance, looking at herself in the mirror before continuing what she prepares herself for. Y/n settled on the perfect one, and she's tempted to send it to the chat since she debates it's her best one yet. The lingerie is just perfectly in place, her lips are slightly parted, breasts pushed up and shadowed from the light, making them bigger.

She knows this'll give Denki what he wants.

Putting on plaid shorts and a large sweatshirt, she yawns, seeing the time is nearing midnight. It's usually around the time she goes to bed on a school night, given her homework is massive and she normally spends the majority of her time doing school related things.

Padding against her carpet floor, she lazily walks to the other side of the room to turn on her fan, something that is background noise and allows her to sleep with ease. Her eyes are lethargically glued to her screen, blinking sleepily as she types out the number clicking the K and selecting the first number she saw.

Choosing the photo and pressing send without any further thought, the clueless girl goes to bed, not knowing what she has done.

Where as the boy just trying to work out before he falls asleep get the most jaw dropping notification from an unknown number.

Y/n

(1 attached photo)

KIRISHIMA ( art class)

Um I don't think u meant to do that

Y/n

oh my god

KIRISHIMA ( art class)

It okay don't worry we all make stupid mistakes

Y/n

hello kind person, that was not meant for u 🥰

KIRISHIMA ( art class)

I didn't look for more that 2 seconds if it makes u feel better

Y/n

Not really but I'm so fuckin sorry

KIRISHIMA ( art class)

😭😭 it's okay

Y/n

Can u delete it please 🙏

For the sake of the people

KIRISHIMA ( art class)

Oh I did that ages ago

I kinda worked out it wasn't for me

Y/n

thank u ☺️ i could literally kiss u

KIRISHIMA ( art class)

Like what else am I supposed to do?

Y/n

The male race has no boundaries

I'm not willing to push what is already not there

KIRISHIMA ( art class)

On behalf of the male race I'm sorry!🫶

Some of them just aren't manly

Y/n

ur an angel

KIRISHIMA ( art class)

So I've been told

Y/n

It means a lot that u delete it btw

KIRISHIMA ( art class)

That what I'm here for saving the day

U look pretty in pink

(Deleted)

Y/n

Don't go a heroic on me

Is that all u 1-A kids do?

KIRISHIMA ( art class)

Nahhh we also braid each others hair when the times right

It's good team bonding

Y/n

😬

Imma assume it's a joke but my hearts telling me otherwise

KIRISHIMA ( art class)

I'll guess u will never know

Y/n

I like u red

Ur nicer than I though you'd be

KIRISHIMA ( art class)

Compliment? I'll take it

Y/n

Good choice

I gotta go sleep

See u in art red

KIRISHIMA ( art class)

Good night

Kirishima dropped his phone upon his aches and let out a loud sigh. His cheeks flushed a red colour, imitating his face. The whole situation was utterly insane but somehow, in some weird fucked up way his ultimate classroom crush had initiated conversations. Well not conversation of such, but now he felt like he could say hello or wave when he saw her without making it utterly weird

Oh actually he could probably take that back. It will probably make his crush on her 10 times more awkward. Unless she didn't find it awkward, wait did he make her uncomfortable.

The boy grabbed onto his pillow and shouted a loud "you idiot!" Into the fabric. What is wrong with him.

“Shut your fucking face shitty hair!” A shout followed by pounding on his wall echoed into his room.

“Sorry.”

———

Omg okay let’s not idk if I’m feeling it, I tried not to hold back or go all the way in. So this is what I’ve got.

Please like and comment if I should continue on?? Does our fake red baby ever get to see the big titi queen again ?

Like people what should I do👎🫄🏿🍋😁🔛🚶🏿‍♀️🤪🫶🏃🏻‍♂️��☺️😊

[ripeteeth]

For the book asks: 1, 8, 19?

book you’ve reread the most times?

Hmm, fuck. That's a great question. Barring children's books, it's probably Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay. When I was younger, my grandmother would take me to the bookstore every time I visited her (she lived in another state so I saw her a couple of times a year) and I was allowed to always pick out one book. I got that one when I was about 14? It was my first time reading anything like that, where nothing was wholly black and white and the POV shifted to the character you previously assumed was the villain, only to realize that they were perfectly human with their own hopes, dreams, aches, miseries, and desires. It really floored me. I still love it.

8. what is the first book you remember reading yourself?

Ever? God, I have no idea. I remember reading a children's picture book of Rikki-Tikki-Tavi in kindergarten, but that was with my class (and I have extremely vivid memories of sitting on a blue tarp in the middle of that classroom, the Waipahu breeze coming through the open door, and my crush's knee pressed up against mine while we read the book). I remember that around first grade, I really loved The Magic School Bus, The Teacher From The Black Lagoon, and as I got a little older, Sideways Stories From Wayside School, but I truly can't tell you the first book I remember reading. For adult books though, the first one I ever read by myself was What Looks Like Crazy On An Ordinary Day by Pearl Cleage, which I read when I was about 12 and snuck off my mom's bookshelf because I wasn't sure if I was supposed to be reading it. I pretty much fell in love with lit fiction after that and read a lot of it. My mom and I have bonded over that book, which was really amazing one to stumble on at that young age, as it centers on an HIV+ positive woman beginning a relationship and falling in love and stresses respect and enthusiastic consent in a beautiful way.

19. most disliked popular books?

YEAH BABY I'M A HATER.

Straight up, I gotta confess that I loathed This Is How You Lose The Time War, as I choked on the purple prose and lack of character development. I think that, if it had been marketed as a sort of prose poem, I would have liked it more, and I am genuinely very glad for the author that the book has recently had a spike in popularity. I also can't stand Love In The Time of Cholera, Prozac Nation, and literally anything by Ayn Rand, which I unfortunately read both We the Living and half of Atlas Shrugged because an old boyfriend worshipped her. (I was 18 and had no idea how fucked up she - or he - was, but damn that opened my eyes.) I also loathe Love You Forever, which I sold a bunch of when I worked at a bookstore and found really creepy.

Also, no hate to Neil Gaiman, but I find it very difficult to get into most of his books, though I did love Good Omens, but I think that there was enough of Pratchett in it to work for me. I've just accepted that Gaiman writes for an audience that isn't me, though he's lovely online.

[Wanna ask me book questions? Please do! I love to talk shit.]

[frazzledsoul]

I think it's interesting that in season 4 we get one (1) appearance from Dean at the beginning of the season (the episode where he gets married) and although it's clearly not a good idea and he's moping over Rory, he pretty much drops out of the narrative completely and we don't see him again for ten episodes. There's a lot going on in Stars Hollow at that time: Lorelai and Sookie are getting the inn put together, Lane starts working for Luke and has a falling out with her mother, Sookie gives birth, there's the Festival of Living Art, Luke and Lorelai "break the bells", and of course Liz and Jess show up at the Firelight Festival and cause a lot of drama. Rory's social life at Yale is somewhat pitiful so she comes home pretty much every weekend yet she has zero interaction with Dean and Lindsey and they are not involved in anything at all that happens, even the major town events.

I mention this because Rory is drawn back into Dean's orbit in the episode after Jess drops his love bomb and runs in a major way and their relationship continues to get more and more inappropriate in the last third of the season. Dean sells Rory his sob story of how Lindsay is pushing him to work (even though we later see that she's trying pretty hard to be the stay-at-home wife he wanted and make him happy). Rory chastises Dean for dropping out of college, seemingly oblivious to the fact that his goals were never the same as hers were and wanting them to be the same isn't going to erase their incompatibility. And of course, while this is all going on Luke's ill-advised marriage is also unraveling as he and Lorelai become closer. Given the previous example Lorelai set for her by hooking up with Christopher while he was with Sherry and then making out with Max while she was still technically dating Twilight Dad as well as the separation of the grandparents, it was fairly easy for Rory to conclude that this marriage business really doesn't matter and to look to Dean for comfort and and affirmation as she reminisces about the relationship she thinks she remembers.

And you know what goes away around this time, too? Any of her half-hearted attempts to socialize at Yale or to get something started romantically. She tried being independent and it sucked, so she interprets Dean's possessiveness and desire to limit her interactions with Jess as affection (which is all kind of messed up in itself, but that's another issue). Jess's second love bomb sends her further down that path where she's willing to do just about anything to feel safe again, because she never was allowed to process that break-up and Jess is too messed up at the time to offer her much of an explanation because he doesn't have the language for that either yet.

I still have a lot of trouble processing how Rory suddenly becomes convinced that she wants to relive the halcyon days of a relationship where Dean was often very unhappy with her and that ended because she fell in love with someone she found more intellectually compatible. Even though she is doing some pretty messed up rationalization leading up to her deflowering, she literally goes from "maybe you and Lindsay should go away together" to "Oh, I always knew this would happen! Let me play you this atrocious song to commemorate the occasion!" in two minutes (and we all know the sex took even less time). She backs off pretty soon afterwards and doesn't seem to mourn (and only seems to date Dean out of pity) but the whole thing is still so improbable, even all these years later. I still don't think she ever wanted a relationship, but she got drawn into the idea that losing her virginity in this way was something that wasn't as threatening as dealing with her feelings for her other ex.

(You know what would be even less threatening? Just boinking Marty and leaving your high school boyfriends alone. Just saying).

So was this character arc planned, or could we have gotten rid of Dean after his wedding? I honestly think it's the latter. He could have disappeared after the wedding and we'd have a completely different storyline. Probably a better one.

[yandere-sins]

Do you currently live in Germany? Is smoking very prevalent there and for underage kids too? I know drinking is pretty common from what i heard but idk. Not judging btw just curious lol! I like your story times 😂 im still reeling over the cheater guy

I do live in Germany, and I'll probably never move away if I'm honest. Most other countries really don't appeal to me and I have my family and friends here, so no real reason to move. If I do get the chance to marry outside of my home country (which would be very appreciated personally), I don't think I would move away from all the benefits (unless my partner turns out to be finnish or smth, upgrades are fine lol).

However, I can't tell you how it is these days with kids, I am too old to actually know what's going on and too young to have my own lol. These days it might be a bit more prevalent than in the past, especially with parents too. Back in my school time it was more of a "cool kids" activity and there weren't that many kids in every class who were active smokers. I wasn't a cool kid per se but I had a lot of friends that were and they were smokers so occasionally I'd join and eventually it turned into social smoking with others, and then when I started working and there were benefits to being a smoker (more breaks, the stress would lift a bit, everyone was doing it so it was another way to socialize) I committed to it. But there were lots of struggles like parents who were still firmly against it, how to get cigarettes (you'd need to ask someone who was older or had connections), hiding it from parents and teachers. It was quite an ordeal. But like I said, no idea what is going on with the youth today.

Also "drinking is pretty common", is probably a stretch ^^' I did go out a lot as a teenager, but mostly on the weekend. I think a lot of people think giving teenagers the ability to buy beer and wine with 16 will automatically make them alcoholics but back when we did it, it really was more of a weekend party thing. And even then, most of my friends knew their limits and personally, I never met someone with alcohol poisoning while underage. It also was an ordeal as well because we'd only be able to drink outdoors or if one of the parents allowed it (but they'd usually supervise us), so if it rained or was winter, tough luck. And we got shooed away constantly. Sometimes we'd change the location 3-5 times a night because someone felt offended by the volume or us just hanging out casually. And there was only one 16+ club in all of the city, and I lived pretty far from it so there was almost an hour drive to and from to calculate, while also needing to be at home at midnight.

At the same time, when I finally turned 18 and got to drink harder stuff I pretty much knew my limits. I never threw up and can hold my liquor well, also don't suffer from hangovers, though recently I started getting stomach aches from wine so I'm refraining. I basically only drink cocktails, sparkling wine and seldomly whiskey at this point, and so rarely that it's hardly worth mentioning. I remember drinking a cocktail when Suzume came out in the cinema, so in April, and nothing since then lol I think the experience really helps you get better with these kinds of substances, and you learn to use them healthily if you're not drowning your feeling in them and just have fun like they are meant for.

I will tell you tho, the most garbage drink I used to have is Aperol Cola. No idea why my friend thought that was good. It's disgusting, overly sweet and bitter at the same time, literally nauseating, unhealthy af, and has no good quality about it. Especially when it gets warm, blergh. Do not recommend. You'll never drink Aperol again after that.

Looking back at it, partying was exhausting and even now where I'm free to do whatever I want, I never go to a club anymore because it's just a waste of my time tbh lol

But I really can't tell you how it is these days with the teenagers. If anything I see more smokers but very, very little drinkers. Something definitely changed, but maybe I'm just not in the right places to actually notice it.

Also, I'm glad you enjoy the story times! They are literally just silly anecdotes of a stranger, but it's still nice to reminiscence sometimes ^^

[fizzingwizard]

Funny little thought.

From the time I was six till I was about fifteen, my family was entrenched in evangelicalism. From age 10, I started going to the school at my church, which meant I was inundated with religion six out of seven days a week. Only Saturday was free of it. And some days I would get religious lessons at school, go home, then go back to church, which was the school, for evening youth group and stuff. Looking back it just feels like a lot, but.

Somehow I still wiggled out of that mindset and I think a lot of my peers did too, tbh. After all, church is where I learned what different sex acts were and about homosexuality. Not from people saying how evil they were - of course there were plenty of adults doing that, but the kids were all totally unconcerned and eager to shock other kids with what they knew hahaha.

Anyway, there's lots I could talk about, but what I was thinking about today was pretty innocent effect of being required to think of religion and only religion as a valuable pursuit for such a big chunk of childhood. It was about music. I was allowed to read and watch anything that was age appropriate, regardless of whether it was "Christian" enough. My parents would have objected if there had been sex or homosexuality (or rather if they'd known there was those things >_>;), but for the most part it wasn't hard to keep those things private.

Music was different because I played it in my room. On a stereo. Without headphones x'D I did have an mp3 player which I took with my on walks, but the things I liked to dance in my room. Not conducive to wearing headphones. So I would blast music pretty much constantly when I was home. And my options for acceptable music were pretty much: secular music my parents had grown up with and couldn't see anything unacceptable in it, or Christian Contemporary Music (CCM).

Well, I didn't hate my parents' favorite bands, but they weren't very now. So my favorite musicians were artists no one but my best friend had ever heard of. He and I would belt their songs whenever we felt like it, so just imagine two nerdy kids biking up and down the road screeching "JESUS IS THE WAY THE TRUTH THE LIGHT" off-key because we keep going in and out of each other's ear shot xP

These were some of my favorite artists:

Point of Grace

Third Day

Avalon

Rachael Lampa

Casting Crowns

MercyMe

Skillet

Steven Curtis Chapman

ZoeGirl

Rebecca St James

Mark Schultz

V*enna

And so many more that I've forgotten. And I loved them whole-heartedly. I just went through the wikis for some early 2000s WOW Music CDs and literally my heart clenched with nostalgia seeing some of the song titles and artist names that I haven't thought about in so long. It brought back an era of my life that I feel so out of touch with now. It's not that I miss it exactly, but I suppose I miss that naivete and security I had at that age, which was mostly due to being a kid with a pretty decent childhood. It's similar nostalgia that I feel when I think back on high school, or non-school memories before that.

Music gets so wrapped up with memory that no matter what, I can't dislike these CCM artists. Nor can I forget about them. I still listen to a few favorites, especially songs by Point of Grace, which seems like such a weird group to become the favorite of a 10 year old, but me and my best friend were obsessed, like obsessed with them at that age. Bought ever album and knew all the words.

When I listen to those CCM songs now, as an adult, a lot of them don't hold up. We used to get told that "Christian content usually falls short when it's literature or movies, but music is equal to secular stuff." I don't think that's 100% wrong, but it's certainly not as clear a success story as we were told it was. My main beef is with the female artists, many of whom just leaned in so much on purity and abstinence, even while some of them pandered a lot to secular audiences. But it's not just the themes but the lyrics and music itself. V*enna, which as far as I know had only one CD, is just some of the worst music. I liked their album as a kid, but when I listened to it a while back I was just cringing. Really amateurish, so no wonder it didn't go far.

But there's a lot of fun to be had with CCM too, like Audio Adrenaline's rock cover of Little Drummer Boy which still splits my ear drums while making me ask "Why?" And there's the nonsensical conundrum of groups like Skillet or Creed, which some fans who only knew their secular stuff are stunned to learn they were included in Christian music stores. Or Jump5, a tween bobby group which sang about God, made money by putting tracks in Disney movies, and overall existed to make money.

Speaking of money. When I was fourteen, our youth group decided to start a band and I was a vocalist. The band only had one performance. You know why? The pastor at my church LEAPT on the idea because he thought we would get famous and... make lots of money for the church...?? Honestly, we were VERY amateurish, the lead singer I think was decent but very much did not want to be in the band long term, the musicians were so-so, and I was definitely so-so. But the pastor got involved and pressed us to be amazing and to have an amazing band name which I can't remember anymore and well we just flopped. None of us were into the idea but him. If he hadn't gotten dollar signs in his eyes we might've had a bit of fun, which was the only intention. But this was a pastor who was bent on his plan to make the church a mega-church and becime famous for his Idk pastor skills or whatever.

Back to music. So I do still love those artists from my childhood, regardless of how good they are objectively. But I got to wondering, what kind of music would I have been a fan of at that age (early teens) if I hadn't felt like secular stuff was off limits? I did somehow become a fan of Avril Lavigne and I am not even sure how that happened. One year my dad bought me Hilary Duff's first CD, which told me that he had no idea what my music tastes were or that we didn't even pay for the channel her shows were on so I didn't know who she was :P (But I appreciated the effort at bonding lol) That's much cleaner than Avril, at least.

Aside from Avril, I think I probably would have been a My Chemical Romance girl. Honestly, I probably would've been annoying into them if I found them at the right age. But I never heard "Helena" until this year. Fall Out Boy maybe, Green Day? Snow Patrol, Pink, Bjork, Nightwish are some groups I became fans of later, once I was out of the church. Best friend introduced me to Vienna Teng and Tori Amos. I like rock and metal now, but as a teen I didn't much, and I'm trying to think what was popular when I was in high school. I would go to the movies and not recognize any of the songs in them haha.

I just had the funny thought that I could have been so different as a teenager if I'd listened to different music... I bet I'd have been more emo or something lol. Idk, the groups that pop into my mind seem emo.

super nostalgia now whoa

/conversation with teenage fizz haha

[aahsokaatano]

I havent heard about the songbird! Can we get that story?

Lmao yes of course

So when I was about... probably 7 or 8? My mom and I went to the Cleveland Zoo.

For context, I grew up going to the much smaller zoo that was closer to my hometown, and that is the one that I still remember with the most fondness (especially that summer zoo camp program that you and I did together one year, that was super fun!). But the Cleveland Zoo wasn't too far away, all things considered - just a few hours by car. And it's got a bunch of things that the local zoo did not have.

Such as an aviary.

The aviary is the ONLY thing I remember about that trip - actually it's the only thing I remember about the Cleveland Zoo in general even though I'm fairly certain I went there more than once, but this memory blotted out literally everything else surrounding the Cleveland Zoo.

So in the aviary, at least when I went there as a child, you were given a little cup of... food of some kind? I THINK it was like. Nectar/sugar water, and was for the hummingbirds, but it might have been seeds? There may have been a selection of both. I legitimately do not remember the contents. I just remember crushing that paper cup in my hand while screeching in pain.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

See, this little trip happened in the fall - probably on a teacher work day or something, when I was out of school, and after the family business from the previous story had closed for the season so my mom was free. And during the previous summer, I had been allowed to get my ears pierced. I didn't have a lot of earrings at the time, so I was mostly still wearing the piercing pair.

Which were little studs with pale blue balls - they looked pretty similar to this

Now. The Cleveland Zoo aviary has a lot of birds flying around freely. And they know that people have food, because pretty much every person walks in with one of those little cups.

I very clearly remember having a delightful time watching birds land on my hand to eat out of the little cup, flitting around my mom and I because we were pretty much the only people in there other than a zookeeper.

I felt a bird land on my shoulder. No biggie.

I felt a sudden SEARING PAIN in my earlobe.

The little shit on my shoulder had seen my earrings and decided "oh that is very food-shaped" and BIT ME. And when I screamed and jerked my head, it decided to HANG ON.

This was about the point where I reflexively crushed the little paper cup that all of the polite birds were eating out of and scared them off. But not the asshole on my shoulder, oh no, it decided that it was actually a bulldog and was going to hang on to my ear for all it was worth.

So now I'm flipping out, my mom is trying to shoo it off and making no progress, the zookeeper runs over and is trying to help my mom and is also making no progress, and the bird is still absolutely convinced that if it just holds on long enough, that tiny bit of painted metal will magically turn into an edible seed.

The zookeeper finally whapped the bird a few times with her walkie-talkie and it decided that my earrings weren't worth that sort of nonsense and let go, flying off without a care in the goddamn world

I wasn't bleeding or anything, but my earlobe was noticeably swollen for several days after the fact, and I have a probably lifelong fear of small birds now

Hawks? Eagles? Vultures? Herons? Cool.

Sparrows and finches and robins? Can fuck RIGHT off.

I don't even wear earrings anymore and my piercings have long since closed but I still don't trust those little shits.

[talesofasapphic]

The hardest thing for me about dating a woman and realising I'm actually gay and not just bisexual is that, almost a year in, I still feel like an imposter.

I came out to my parents as bisexual around 11 years old. They were incredibly supportive, it was no big deal. When my friends found out they did the whole 'ew do you LIKE me?' thing but I didn't lose friends over it. I had wicked crushes on girls in high school. But, I have only been with men until my current relationship. I got married young, had children. Ended up in another long term relationship and had another child with that man. My partners knew I identified as bisexual, and the one when I was still young let me explore it romantically with women on the internet (because he wanted to be able to have relationships with other people) but obviously not physically, despite the fact that he then slept with someone else. I was allowed to be attracted to women, but not in any real way, just in a way that would maybe get him in a threesome one day. Our relationship ended because he was a shitty person at that time and made a lot of shitty choices.

My next relationship turned out to be a very unsafe and violent relationship. The fact that I liked women always threatened him and any time I talked about a woman too much - even if I had just made a new friend, for example - I would be accused of having feelings for that woman and then the cheating accusations would start. I made a new work friend who was a lesbian and I never heard the end of it from the moment he found out she was gay. To him, it was a matter of time before I cheated on him with her. Nevermind that I never cheated once in my relationships, never mind that I was not attracted to her. She was my friend, and that alone caused me so much trouble.

I quickly learned it was not safe to find women attractive. To say anything about it besides agree that a female celebrity he liked was 'pretty hot' was dangerous. To look slightly too long at a woman on the street, or in the store, to even watch a video by a lesbian creator or a woman I found attractive was not okay. I mean, I wasn't allowed to do the same for other men, either, but I had zero interest anyway. I did tell him many times if I wasn't with him I would be with a woman. I was adamant about that. But while I was with him, I had to shut it down. I learned to stop looking at people as anything more than cardboard cutouts. Nothing about anybody was attractive.

Now, I am with a woman. Having experienced a wlw relationship I have not a single doubt in my mind that I am gay. We have an amazing relationship, we are almost a year in and still haven't had a single argument. And I am attracted to her in a way that I have never been attracted to anyone before. The idea of ever having a man touch me again, the idea that they ever did, literally makes me feel sick. I always felt dirty, used and guilty after sex with a man. I haven't felt that way once with her.

But. I still find myself repressing the thought that I find women attractive. I see an attractive woman and immediately shut it down, look away, and bury it. But I see my girlfriend looking at other women. She's super subtle about, but I see it, probably because I've also noticed someone is attractive and subconsciously check to see whether she thinks so too. We have open conversations about women we find attractive and it's so refreshing. She's a natural flirt just in the way she banters with people, and she's checked in with me about how I feel about it because she doesn't always realise she does it, and she does it even with people she's not actually attracted to. I said hell yeah baby, get your flirt on. As long as it's harmless, I don't mind. We went to an event recently where she was crushing on a girl there (it was a character in a show of sorts) but she was still very much obviously with me and not trying to hide it or get with this other person at all, and just having that security in our relationship where it's okay to find other people attractive is really healing to me, and to her too I hope because she was also never allowed to look. So I'm learning to look, to get that wave of panic that this is not okay and not safe, and then let it go, and I hope that in time my feelings of being an imposter fade.

[casspurrjoybell-20]

FOOLS - Chapter 56 - Part 1

BOOK ONE: The 'Fools Fall in Love' Trilogy

*Warning Adult Content*

Samuel Moretti

I know Noah said he wanted to be alone but I didn't want to leave him at a time like this.

I didn't know where his head was.

After a moment of silence, I decided to speak.

"Um... I know you're not religious or anything and maybe this is stupid but my mom told me once that when someone died, it was because they were needed for something better in Heaven 'a greater purpose' and they were no longer needed on Earth," I told him.

Noah laughed, wiping his tear filled eyes.

"I'm pretty sure my dad isn't making it to Heaven anytime soon, thanks though," then he looked at me, meeting my eyes.

"Seriously, thank you for being here and at the hospital and staying the night with me," he whispered.

"Noah. I know you've been through a lot, we're not together anymore but I'll always be here for you."

Noah not so subtly glanced down at my mouth and my heart started beating out of my chest.

I couldn't even comprehend what he was doing and before I knew it, Noah leaned closer, his hand on my cheek, his lips were hovering over mine.

"I've missed you," he murmured before closing the gap between us and placing his lips on mine.

Our mouths moved slowly in sync with each other, savoring every forgotten taste.

I gripped his shirt and tugged him closer.

My body grew hot all over and that's when it picked up pace.

I opened my mouth, allowing Noah's tongue to find mine.

Both of us were breathing heavy.

We laid back onto his bed, my hand weaving through his hair.

I missed Noah too.

God, I couldn't believe I almost went on a date with someone else.

There was no one I wanted beside Noah Wright but maybe then wasn't the best time.

Noah's hand slid down my thigh to my knee, back up my thigh, then moved to the belt of my black dress pants and though I wanted to go further, I couldn't let us continue, I grabbed his hand and stopped him.

"Noah, wait."

"Why?"

His hand was out of mine and back on my thigh.

"My dad was the only reason we broke up. He's gone. Can't we just..."

Noah leaned back into me.

"Be together?" he asked, in a hushed voice, before kissing me.

I turned my face and broke it off again.

"No," I whispered.

I wanted to cry but I knew what I was doing was right.

Noah sat up as did I.

"I don't get it. Do you not want to be with me anymore?" he asked me looking confused and rejected.

"Yes. I mean no," I shook my head and took his hands in mine.

"I mean I want to be with you, Noah, I love you. That will never change but so much has happened and..."

Noah slipped his hands away from me and stood up.

"What are you saying?"

I got up and laid my hand on his cheek to get him to look at me.

"Let me finish," my hands slid to his and intertwined.

"I want to be with you. I just don't think you're in the right mindset right now. Your dad's funeral was literally a couple hours ago. We don't have to rush back into things. I want to be with you," I repeated almost desperately.

I needed him to understand that; that I still wanted him so, so badly.

"But I think we should just leave things the way they are for now."

Noah nodded then whispered...

"I wanna be alone right now."

He dropped my hands.

I frowned.

"Noah..."

"I understand what you're saying, Sam. I'm just really tired, right now," Noah told me as he walked past me and laid back down on his bed.

I sighed.

"Okay. I'll see you at school tomorrow?"

"I don't know about that," Noah whispered and my heart sank.

From the stories he's told me, I know he battled with depression after his mom left him and I don't want to witness him going down that dark, horrid path.

"Noah, don't do this. You've worked so hard to bring your grades back up. I know it's not easy and I can't even begin to imagine what you're going through but don't shut down now, not when you're so close to graduating, okay?"

"Okay," he whispered with a nod then averted his eyes away from me.

"Tell me you'll be at school tomorrow," I wasn't demanding, I was pleading.

He was silent for a moment then finally spoke.

"I'll be at school tomorrow," he confirmed but it didn't sound believable.

"If you need me, call me or text me. You can always stay over at my house, you know my parents won't mind. So please, please, call me if you need me, okay?"

Noah nodded then closed his eyes.

I watched him for a couple seconds before sighing and walking out of his bedroom, shutting his door but not before hearing him mumble...

"I'll always need you."

[justanothergreb]

Quite a few things have been bothering me lately, particularly around being judged for some of my choices in life but my big one I really want to get off my chest - I don't need to be judged or garner sympathy and looks for dating a 22/23 year old when I was 16/17. Particularly from my partner of 10 years who seems to have conveniently forgotten most of my relationship history (more on that another time). He actually said he found it creepy and disgusting this week and pulled a face like I have never seen before which made me feel incredibly annoyed. I'm not here to garner pity or be told I was groomed by the way, just sharing to get it off my chest.

I met M when I was 15 at football with my dad. M worked with my dad and came up to say hello. At the time M was completely "my type" - tall, skinny, skinhead, piercings, a softboi in his manner - but there was never a chance in hell I was allowed a boyfriend with my parents, especially not one who was older. I found M's attempts at flirting with my dad around funny (and now looking back, fucking brazen), not bothered I was 15 and about to start sixth form. I still trusted my dad implicitly then, so would tell him when he tried to slip me his number or attempt to ask me out.

If you're wondering if he knew I was only 15, yes he did. Most people knew how old I was but anyone who didn't often aged me in my early 20s and would comment I acted more like I was at uni than sixth form. No one was more stunned than me when, after a good few months of seeing M around a lot, my parents allowed him to take me on a date. By now I was 17, very much into him and excited. I'd skived school (to do a geography project in Wollaton Park) and was so excited to go out. He wasn't my first proper kiss (those are stories for other days) but he was my first proper boyfriend not from the internet. He was my first for pretty much everything. He was caring, passionate but at times overwhelming. Lovebombing was definitely his thing and I would get grand gifts and love notes. You'd think I would have loved it but it was just a bit much.

I still remember my dad telling me off for texting M while he was at work and took great pleasure in telling him to see who text who first and to kindly not read my phone bills. I wonder if my dad thought he could control this relationship and that's why he seemingly encouraged it? Put his daughter with someone he could control to try and stop me from fleeing his control.

He felt mature but I quickly discovered he was anything but. I imagine it was exactly like what dating someone my own age was like with the difference being he had a disposable income. Childish, obsessed with sex, no emotional maturity. I still remember he once asked me at 17 to actually pay for things on dates. I literally had a Sunday job and money from Connexions. At 18 I felt like I was the full adult in the relationship and secretly couldn't wait to get away to uni. He never understood why I wanted to go and took no interest in any of it. I still remember being utterly horrified that his idea of a uni present was to buy me a vibrator and I remember angrily giving it back to him saying I would not be needing or using that. It was mortifying.

We broke up a few weeks later. I was fed up of him paying no attention to my life and the few phone calls we had he attempted to turn into phone sex, something I still have no desire to partake in (sorry if anyone wanted me to hop on the phone sex as a side gig). I had also started to develop feelings for one of my room mates which were surprisingly reciprocated one slightly drunken evening with a passionate kiss instigated on his end. I couldn't live with the guilt and broke up with M immediately the day after never mentioning the kiss or T1. My dad tried to guilt me into getting back with him to no avail.

A few months later, M ended up with my friends sister, 2 years younger than me. He broke up with her just a few weeks after she gave birth to their son and God knows what he does now. His ex is thriving and just got married, which is why this story has been shared with you all. Showing my partner her wedding photo triggered the story again and the judgement.

Do I think I was groomed? Honestly no. I gave as good as I got flirting with him and remember actively encouraging him. He was both mature but immature. Would I do it again? Absolutely. I wouldn't be part of the person I am today if I hadn't have had my experiences with M. Have I just waffled? Yep but it was good to get it out.

[thingstotellthem]

If only I knew sooner you got arrested for CHASING LITERAL CHILDREN WITH A PRACTICE SWORD because they would call you Jesus occasionally I would have ripped up the note you gave me with your contacts. A note you gave me at my place of work, mind you. My friends warned me, my parents warned me, my sister warned me, and I was stupid enough to not listen and then became responsible for the emotions of a fully grown adult who was 10 years older than me, but not adult enough to NOT send his literal fucking mother to fix his shit after I snapped and wanted out after once again being verbally berated through text messages because I didn't respond within 10 minutes or less whilst out in public, despite knowing what I was doing and where I was. I never could do anything with friends without anticipating the angry messages and then followed by your demand that I'd still go to see you. I wasn't even allowed to be angry when you not only didn't want to show up at my parents for Christmas dinner together, you made me APOLOGIZE for getting mad at you for pretty much making me go alone and then only arriving when dinner was already served because "no strict time was set." We eat at 5. You arrived at 15 past 5. I told you the time dinner would be served and at 3 'o clock you were still scrolling Facebook to pick fights with strangers on the internet. Not only that, but you couldn't even be on time the one time there WAS a set time cause you STILL arrived an hour late, once again making me apologize for being mad at you over it. But yes, 32 year old mama's boy, please do go on about how I, someone 10 years younger than you, who has a job, actually finished school, doesn't need mommy to fix my shit and is able to at least somewhat take care of myself is more of a child, and in your words, "Worth less than nothing", while you, a grown man whose biggest hobby it is to pick fights with strangers on the internet, made your mother call your 10 year younger ex to talk to them for you, does not have a job and is seemingly actively avoiding to get one, did not finish school, threatens and physically chases literal children with what is essentially just a blunt weapon over name-calling you can expect as an alt person, especially from 12-14 year olds, made a huge deal about me just wanting my own stuff back all whilst asking back a birthday present you gave me whilst framing it as a privilege that I get to keep some other gifts just because you personally don't have a use for it and let's not forget to mention, cannot properly behave like a functioning person upon spotting me while being in my place of work while I'm at work, on the days you KNOW I'm at work, get to claim you are so great and how you are so much more mature than me, that I'm going to miss out and what not. No thank you, I will no longer allow you to drag me down and try and make me feel like I have to be with you 24/7 or else I'll get in big trouble with you. Instilling fear no longer works on me. I am my own person. I have my own life. Oh, and let's not forget, claiming that I was the reason you cut yourself simply because I told you I was done and would happily come and pick up my stuff after YOU SUGGESTED IT YOURSELF I had to come pick up my stuff only to proceed to not let me in to do so, and me telling you I did not appreciate that I had to apologize every time YOU did something that hurt me doesn't exactly scream maturity to me either, but I'm the younger one, so what do I know, I guess.

.

[kpop-dungeon-dark]

His Little Princess. (Nerd!Hyunjin x You)

•TRIGGER WARNING•

Warning(s): Non-Con, humiliation, punishment, degradation, kidnapping. Both of you are legal in this. Read at your own risk.

Hyunjin's hands were a little shaky as he stood in front of the busy table during break time, knowing it was the only time when he'd be able to approach her as their schedules clashed. Adjusting his round spectacles one more time, the boy turned his head to look at his friends at a table far away. The 8 boys gave him huge smiles and stuck their thumbs up at him, nodding at their friend as they silently encouraged him to go for it. Taking in a huge breath, Hyunjin turned to look forward again, taking the few remaining steps towards it.

"Y- Y/n…" His soft call went unnoticed as all the cool kids on the table continued to eat and enjoy their break. Looking back at his friends, he groaned inwardly but they shook their heads and warned him not to come back without asking her. Yes, it seemed easy in the heat of the moment but now… standing in front of all these people… even thinking of proposing her while she looked so pretty with her pink dyed hair… busy on her phone like this…

"Y- Y/n!" Hyunjin let out after standing there for 5 minutes. The whole table went silent as his heart started to thump anxiously. Okay snap. Maybe that was too loud. Everyone slowly started to quieten down, heads turning toward Hyunjin and just why was a nerdy loser like him calling someone as the pretty and beautiful Y/n like this so informally?

"U- Uh…" The girl who had averted her gaze from her phone sounded, raising an eyebrow because she remembered him from one of her classes last year. Maybe…? She wasn't even sure if she'd even seen him before.

"I- I was wondering…" Biting the inside of his cheek, Hyunjin gave himself a whole mental peptalk, feeling like his heart was about to burst from all this attention on him. Come on. It wasn't this hard… right? He'd prepared for like two weeks now. Ever since senior prom was announced. It was his last prom. Last year's had been terrible too. It was now or never. "I was wo-ndering i- if you c- could come with m- me t- to senior p- prom-" before he could finish his sentence, some people on her table started chuckling.

"Wooooooh! Is our very own Y/n getting asked out right now?!" A girl bitchily laughed while clapping, causing the girl in question to bite her lip, cheeks flushing.

Fuck. Why couldn't he have just slid in a letter or something like the rest of her admirers? Was embarrassing her like this in the cafeteria necessary?

"I cannot believe this nerd just asked Y/n out!" A guy shook his head before the whole cafeteria started to buzz with whispers.

"Hey boy!" Hyunjin fell to the floor when a muscular guy from the table, who always followed Y/n around like a dog, suddenly got up, pissed. "Get the fuck back! Why're you embarrassing her?!" Grabbing a carton of juice her angrily splashed it at Hyunjin's face. "Is this your little attempt at making her a laughing stock or what?! You know damn well people like her don't go with people like us!"

Everyone started laughing at Hyunjin, pointing at him while ridiculing him, causing tears to form under his juice covered spectacles, only getting further ruined when a girl from the table tossed her lunch on him. But none of that humiliation could have broken his heart as much as when Y/n got up without sparing him another glance, picking her bag up before leaving the cafeteria in anger and embarrassment.

.

"Who the fuck does that girl think she is?" Minho spat in pure hatred as Hyunjin finally went to sleep in his room, the rest of the boys now downstairs in his living room. "I knew she was a self proclaimed Princess and all but this?!" It was already really hard to impress the boy and this had angered him.

They had scooped a crying and heartbroken Hyunjin up from the cafeteria, the muscular guy insulting them as well as he 'advised' them to bring Hyunjin off his little cloud. Then they'd brought the boy home on short leave before forcing him to shower and then he just shut off, collapsing on the bed before going to sleep.

"These popular people are ruthless…" Changbin sighed, tiredly relaxing on the couch.

"They're nobody's. Changing groups is nothing to them. Friends don't mean anything to them neither do feelings. If you're popular, they're your friend. But if you're not, you don't matter as a person." Chan shook his head in distaste, all of them hurt for their friend.

"You're right." Jeongin agreed.

"Guys…" Seungmin, who was the only one that hadn't spoken until now ever since the incident sounded, raising his head. "I… have a plan."

.

Y/n slowly raised to consciousness, blinking and groaning when she didn't recognize her surroundings, feeling a painful bound around her wrists as her ankles burned too. "W- What the…" She tried to speak, blinking as the girl tried to recall her recent memories, gasping once she remembered. Oh yes. She was in the parking lot of the school, walking to her car when she felt someone grab her from behind before a wet, funny smelling towel was pressed to her mouth.

"I- Is someone h- here…?" She whispered, throat painfully dry. "Hello…?" Her voice broke. "H- Help! Someone… h- help!" Y/n's body slowly started to fill with panic as she tried to struggle, realising that she was in a basement, placed on a chair whilst her hands were cuffed and legs were tied to a damn spreaderbar.

"Nobody will help you so I suggest you stop that pathetic little screaming already, Princess." Felix spoke as him and all the boys except Hyunjin entered he basement, smirking at her panicked state.

"Oh look who's awake!" Changbin ridiculed with a mocking smile.

"Tsk. Do you even deserve the 'help' that you oh so desperately want?" Han was disgusted with her as he glared at her.

"Y- YOU- WHO ARE YOU?! WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?!" Y/n yelled at them, trying to break out of her restraints pathetically, trying to recognise them before realising in despair that she didn't know any of these nerves. "LET ME GO! OR YOU'LL GO TO JAIL- AHHH!" The males laughed at her when she fell off the chair, falling on her face as her skirt flew up.

"We will go to jail?!" Woojin raised an eyebrow as he crouched in front of her. "When disgusting whores like you get to roam around freely?!" Pulling his hand back, the boy slapped her across the face, making her cry out.

"Uhuhuh~" Chan shook his head as he sat on the chair and pulled her back by the spreader bar. "Now, now, Woojin. Little girls shouldn't be hit like that." Before the stronger one of them all picked the girl up by the spreader bar, all of them laughing at the humiliating sight since her skirt was up all the way. "This is how brats are supposed to be handled." Laying her over his knees, Chan landed a smack on Y/n's ass, making her legs kick in pain as she tried to struggle but it was literally impossible.

"Do you think you even deserve to struggle?! After you've been so disgusting and rightfully deserving of this punishment?!" Minho slapped her jiggling ass now, not one of them willing to get effected even though she was a living breathing female with a gorgeous body and they were all inexperienced virgins. Why? Because she was Hyunjin's.

His little Princess.

"O- OKAY PLEASE S- STOP! PLEASE! I WON'T TELL THE COPS! JUST STOP! PLEASE!" The girl started begging now, making them chuckle at her, the rest landing smacks on her ass now as Chan manhandled her struggle, not allowing her to move one bit. "P- PLEASE! O- OUCH!"

"You popular people are so pathetic. Acting all mighty but actually not capable of anything." Jeongin shook his head in disdain.

"Oh it's not just that reason but one of the many behind these popular kids being pathetic!" Han smacked the back of her head, enjoying how she shook under them.

"Hyunjin better punish her well! Tsk! He was just trying to ask you on a date! With all due respect!" Changbin pulled at her hair.

"And you treated her like he disrespected you or something." Seungmin shook his head in disgust.

"How do you like it now, huh?" Felix suddenly splashed ice cold water on her face, causing her to cry out as he ignored her begs, a cold expression on his face.

The boys were ignoring her constant pleads and cries, laughing and spanking her before a voice came from upstairs, a shadow forming on the stairs. "... Guys?" It had been 2 days since the whole incident, Hyunjin was slowly recovering. "W- What are you doin-" the boy's eyes widened as he moved further down, his legs going shaky at the sight before him.

"I- Is that… WHAT THE HECK?!" Rushing the rest of the way to Chan, Hyunjin crouched down in front of him, moving the weeping girl's hair out of the way. "IS T- THAT Y/-" gasping loudly, the boy looked around at his friends, getting angry at the sight of her red face with her skirt resting on her back, limbs tied up tightly. "WHAT ARE YOU-- LET HER GO!" Getting up on his feet, he tried to fight Chan, being pushed back by Han and Changbin as he tried to reach Y/n.

"Don't you remember how you were insulted for literally only trying to ask the girl you like out?!" Felix yelled over the commotion he was making with Han and Changbin.

"We are not your enemies!" Han panted heavily, having a hard time pushing the bigger boy back.

"They dumped food on you! Pushed you to the ground! Made fun of you! The whole cafeteria laughed at you!" Minho added in to the fire, frustrated from how fucking whipped their friend pathetically was.

"B- But that's n- not Y/n's f- fault!" Hyunjin wavered, biting his lip as his heart started thumping.

"Yes it fucking is!" Seungmin shot at him. "You think anyone would have dared done anything had she not done that pathetic cute little act before walking out on her Princess heals like that?" Hyunjin blinked at them and then at her struggling and crying form, his fresh wounds cutting open once again as he remembered all of it. Pushing Han and Changbin away, the boy walked closer to her now, crouching in front of Chan as he tucked some of her hair behind her ear.

"H- HYUNJIN PLEASE! PLEASE! I DIDN'T EVEN SAY ANYTHING! I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING! PLEASE!" His heart flurttered from how his name rolled off her tongue, throat getting dry. Oh how he'd wished to hear her say his name.

"Yes, you did." Reaching for her ass, Hyunjin placed his shaking and sweaty hand over it, feeling it up before he groped it, instantly getting hard. "Yes, you did. You allowed them to treat me like that." Y/n was shaking her head repeatedly and he grew frustrated, slapping her already spanked cheek. "Don't lie… baby. I fucking hate it when people do that."

Getting up, he started undoing his belt before he could stop himself, pulling it out the hoops before doubling it and bringing it to her ass, feeling a strange kind of satisfaction from her cry of pain. "All I asked was a question. I never stepped past my boundaries…" Going for her beautiful sit spots now, Hyunjin forced himself to not drool before he made her scream again. "And you had them humiliate me like that as if I did something disrespectful… tsk…" Y/n was shaking in Chan's hold as she hysterically cried from the pain, shock and terror. "And now I have no choice but to humiliate you back, huh?"

"Exactly, good little girls don't behave like that at all." Jeongin shook his head, making Hyunjin look up at all of them, a new kind of darkness in his eyes.

"Get out." That was enough to make them all empty the basement of his house as his parents were never home, taking Y/n from Chan before he followed others and closed the door behind them. "Had you not done that disgusting little act, you wouldn't have been humiliated like this, baby." The girl trembled as he sat in the chair, throwing the belt away.

"H- Hyunjin, p- please… I am sorry…"

"Sorry doesn't cut it, I am afraid, darling." Affectionately brushing her hair out of her pretty face, Hyunjin admired her beautiful features that were currently swollen and red, pressing his lips to her nose. "Not when you're looking so beautiful like this with your ass tight in this lace underwear, baby." The girl felt a shudder go down his spine as he caressed and groped her ass to soothe the pain. "I hope you didn't let them see too much, huh? You're all mine."

Y/n let out a weak little whimper when he placed her on the ground, spreading the bar which forcefully held her legs open, causing him to get even more hard from the sight. "I wasn't planning this, Princess. But now that you're here…" Hyunjin's voice was dangerously low as he opened his pants, hurriedly tugging them down along his boxers and allowing his hard cock go spring out.

"W- Wait!" The girl tried to look behind her as she was on her chest. "What are you d- doing?!" Her time was alert and alarmed, breaths heavy.

"What am I doing?" Raising an eyebrow, Hyunjin wiped the sweat off his forehead and pushed his hair back that was heavily sweating, adjusting his spectacles as he crouched behind her. "What do you fucking think?" As Y/n slowly realised what was about to take place, her struggles became frequent and loud once again, begging him to stop. "Tsk… sorry but I don't listen to nasty little whores. I bet you're not even a virgin despite barely being 18, huh?" Grabbing her panties, Hyunjin ripped them off, leaning down to kiss and lick at her bruised ass, the marks caused by his belt and his friends -which he wasn't so happy about- making his cock twitch as the tip grazed against the soft skin of her sitspots, causing the girl to shudder.

"H- Hyunji--"

"Just shut up already, Y/n-ah…" His fingers started to graze against her squishy pussy lips that were leaking. "You're leaking so much… Tsk… is it one of your fetishes? Being punished by your… owner and his friends? Was that maybe why you overacted so much on the situation? Purposefully acting out… perhaps?" The girl could only pathetically cry in response, hating how his finger pushed in her pussy lips, the spreader bar forcing her to open up as his index finger slowly rubbed her up and down.

"So what if a… nerd likes a popular girl? Must it be so complicated? Must it always be so fucking stereotypical? Why? Are we not humans?" His nail prodded against her opening slowly that he wasn't honestly sure was even her opening, looking down to make sure he wasn't doing anything wrong, his only knowledge all the porn he'd watched. "Why am I treated like trash, huh?" A gasp left Y/n when his finger suddenly slid in her cunt, slowly pumping up and down. "Just because I wear spectacles for my bad eyesight and am good at studying? Is that so bad, huh?!"

"N- No! No! Please!"

"Yes… yes…" Hyunjin slowly spoke, rage filling him now as he smacked her ass with his free hand again, continuing to finger her. "That's exactly what it is. I am trash because I am better than you, right? You popular kids are nothing but pathetic little disgusting insecure jealous shits." Adding another finger inside her, Hyunjin scissored her walls and prepared her for his surprisingly big cock.

"And do you know what should happen to disgusting little kids like you?" Gripping his cock with one hand, the boy started to piss on her red ass, making it burn before he pulled his fingers out of her, getting her shirt out of the way and spraying some on her back too, making her squeal loudly in disgust, trying to get away. "They should know their place and be kept in it. All of you should have an owner like me to make you learn."

Shaking his head at her crying, the male pushed his still leaking length in her hole, moaning and grunting at how tight but pleasurable it really was, spreading the bar to it's highest limit before gripping her thighs, his lips falling open at how good it felt. "N- No!" Hyunjin grunted and turned her around on his cock. "I want to see you as I fuck into you and claim you! You're all mine!"

Starting to fuck her hard and rough, the boy reached over and kissed her swells, using one of his hands to rip her bra off. "Fuck…" Hyunjin couldn't believe the beautiful sight before him. "You're so beautiful, Y/n…" He complemented, genuinely affectionate. "Truly… both up here" he finally kissed her lips, moaning at the taste of her raspberry chapstick. "And down here" the boy kissed both of her adorable little fat tits, licking at the nipple and giggling when they hardened. "It really happens in real life!" He excitedly remarked, twitching inside her, already close from all that he got to see.

"I am lucky I have friends that care for me" his hips were moving at a quick pace, Hyunjin's cock bulging against the skin of her stomach, it's shape and movement easy to make out as he used her as a literal sock. "Because I was planning to give up on you. The last 3 days have been so hard. I was starting to believe that maybe there really was no way. That maybe all pretty and popular girls have to go to the cocky muscular jerk that just plays them, makes them cry. Maybe guys like me are always nothing but a mat for Princess' to wipe their feet on." He couldn't help but softly smack her face, pulling at her hair before biting down at her neck to leave marks.

"H- Hyunjin… p- please sto-"

The boy sighed in disappointment at her whisper, shaking his head before pinching her nipple and kissing her again. "No, baby. No. You'll be good and behave. If you don't behave, I promise this will go on and on. There is no way out of this unless you act good. Like a good little Princess." Kissing her lips again, Hyunjin finally managed to push his balls in, collapsing against her as his own sweat fell on the glass of his spectacles. "M- My little Princess. I've always liked you in silence. Ever since Kindergarten. But I won't anymore. You will be mine now that we are of age."

Y/n could only shudder as she felt him cum deep inside her, kissing her lips again as he went motionless, holding her as tight to himself as he could.

It went on for another two hours, Hyunjin losing a track of just how many times he came deep inside her, fucking her in unconsciousness too as she helplessly dozed off and woke up again before she agreed. She will be a good girl. For him.

That was the only way.

.

Y/n didn't really go to school after that incident, the prom approaching just 3 days later. "You look absolutely stunning, Princess." Hyunjin's voice rang in his bedroom and from behind Y/n as she stared at herself in the mirror.

"Ehhh~ s- stop…" The girl whimpered out, blushing as she lowered her head and turned around, slowly reaching him before she nuzzled her face in arm shyly, not even looking at him. "I- I don't."

"Yes, you do" the boy's eyebrows furrowed as he softly grasped her wrist, tightening his hold on it possessively. "You're the prettiest Princess to ever exist. And you look so beautiful in this moment that my heart might just stop" gripping her ass that was locked in a chastity, Hyunjin pulled her closer, growling lowly before he gripped her chin and forcefully kissed her.

"I- I love how I c- can be at my utmost c- comfort with you…" She whispered, so glad that she was in a comfortable dress that she liked and not a high-end extremely revealing dress that she didn't even like deep down but wore it for the name and price, being uncomfortable in it the whole time. Before her eyebrows furrowed because he wasn't wearing his spectacles.

Her pussy shivered from just how Hyunjin kept her in her little place as well.

"That is a normal feeling for those surrounded by people that actually care for them and not their status, Angel." Y/n sighed and nodded slowly, knowing he was right. She knew her friends were fake and bitched behind her back. Of course she did. "Now…" He heavily sighed and moved past her and towards the dressing table. "Let's get those uncomfortable and irritating contacts in."

Y/n quickly reached him, stopping his hand from grabbing the container before she reached for his spectacles resting not so far away, unfolding them before resting them on his nose and pushing them up. "Must the nerd always change for the girl he likes?" A bright smile made its way on his face at her words, chucking deeply before he nodded and kissed her forehead appreciatively. "What you did was wrong but I was no good either. Thank you, Hyunjin. Please always keep me as your little Princess. It's the only time I wanna be a Princess honestly."

His heart was fluttering. "That is the only thing you were born to be, Angel." She giggled at his words before stopping, realising that he was serious and gulping at his serious expression.

"Y- Yes, Hyunjin…" She felt so damn small. Fuck. Fiddling with jacket, Y/n sneakily looked up at the handsome boy. "I- I've been g- good, right Hyunjin?"

His hands toyed with her ass as he swayed them side by side slowly. "Hmm…?"

"T- Then… w- will you please m- make me feel g- good?" Her locked pussy was leaking.

A deep chuckle left him. "Hmm. Maybe?" When the girl whined and pouted softly, Hyungjin gripped her hair and pulled her face closer before kissing her deeply. "Behave tonight and I'll consider, alright?" Before both of them left to prom.

.

[giorno-plays-piano]

Vicious

Part VI

Pairing: Steve x reader, Bucky x reader, Thor x reader, Loki x reader, Peter x reader

Warnings: yandere, obsession, stalking, possessiveness, theft, mention of blackmail, all characters are adults.

Words: 1567.

Summary: Transferring to Stark Academy that has only allowed to take in female students last semester, you realize you are just one of three young women among hundreds of students. Your things are constantly being stolen, and soon you begin fearing for your safety.

Part I

Part II

Part III

Part IV

Part V

________

You spent the rest of your evening like a somnambulist, barely able to concentrate on your projects before you went to bed, barely finishing half of the things you planned for today. Even the change of locks didn't make you as happy as you thought it would. It felt like something between a dream and a nightmare.

Lying in the dark, you stared at the ceiling, thinking of what happened just a couple of hours ago. Why did he do it? Was it just out of habit and didn’t mean anything? Naturally, with his appearance and easy-going attitude, he probably dated many girls and didn’t think much before kissing someone he liked.

Remembering the way he talked to you in the morning, you thought he must have pretended to be shy around you. Thor certainly wasn’t sheepish.

Was it all a sham? Was Loki right about all of them, playing their roles to get close to you? You couldn’t forget the way Thor looked the moment he told you about being smart. It was like something switched inside him, and for a second you saw the real Thor who was far from being your simple, good-natured athlete.

Why did you keep thinking about that stupid kiss even after seeing the man could be dangerous?

Aroused and angry, you tossed and turned until you fell asleep.

____________

Waking up was especially tough, despite the fact you didn't really do much yesterday, meaning you were going to spend your weekend studying. Shoot, and that's when you planned to visit that new chocolate boutique in the city. Maybe you could still make it if you spent more time studying today?

But then again, going to the city alone might be a bad idea. Even if the guys who stole your things were beaten, it didn't mean it had always been the same people following you. The school was full of weirdos, in the end. What if somebody went after you? Steve would definitely say you had to bring one of your guards with you.

Damn. It was better staying in the dorm then.

"Good morning! Are you ready?" Peter's voice broke through the silence, and you flinched, hurriedly applying some lipstick because you didn't have enough time to put your makeup properly.

Well, at least you were fully dressed.

"Just give me a second!" Picking up your bag, you put your shoes on and opened the door, looking at a young guy who's face was lit up like a Christmas tree. "Hi!"

He definitely liked what he saw, and you felt your cheeks growing hot from embarrassment. From the very start of the semester Peter acted very sweet around you, and you thought you could be friends with him. He wouldn't do something as ugly as blackmailing, would he? Thor said it too. Clearly, Steve was exaggerating.

"Did you sleep well? I've heard you changed your lock, so now it'll be better."

"Ugh, I hope so. But I still sleep with my dresser blocking the door." Sighing, started walking, afraid to look in the faces of other students, hurrying off to school.

They must have been disgusted, watching you being friendly with one guy after being all lovey-dovey with the other just yesterday. Although you didn't see anyone in particular, you were sure somebody saw Thor kissing you. And now you were walking the corridors with Peter.

"By the way, what's your Insta?"

What? Your Instagram? Whatever for? Although you had no idea why he needed it, you let him add you, by the time leaving the dorm and walking towards the main building.

Suddenly, Peter got pretty close, his arm on your waist as he lifted up his phone and hummed, "Look here and smile!"

Before you realized what he was doing, the boy kissed your temple, and you heard the sound of a photo being taken by his front-facing camera. What the Hell?!

"Peter!" Pissed at him, you quickly break free and stepped back, but he was already looking at his phone, editing the photo and posting it almost immediately.

You heard your phone buzz when he marked you on the photo.

"That's a good one. You look very cute here."

"What are you doing?!"

"Making a proof we're dating, of course?"

You were taken aback by the sincerity in his voice, and Peter smiled from ear to ear like an excited teenager, showing you the picture: it wasn't that bad, and you looked as if you were slightly embarrassed by Peter's closeness. Oh, of course. He had to convince his friends he was dating you, but he didn't kiss you on the lips that could make other people too suspicious. Instead, friends of Barnes or, say, Thor, would still think it was all for show, and it was their friend who dated you for real.

Shit, Steve's plan was incredibly complicated, and you didn't like it at all.

"Oh, alright." You mumbled, lowering your eyes to the ground, and Peter laughed.

"We'll make a TikTok dance later. If you wanna make people talk, just use your social media." He winked at you and put the phone in the pocket of his pants, resuming walking, and you moved along, your face still hot.

God, what did these guys got you into? You felt like you were lost in the middle of a play, not even having a script to read what was your role in all this.

Before you parted your ways, going to a different classrooms, Peter talked about videogames, the upcoming Resident Evil - apparently, his favorite franchise - and some Dota tournament, but you didn't know much about it, and Peter offered to show you his favorite games "because you can't spend all your time studying!"

He was as careless and sweet as always, but you couldn't get Steve's words out of your mind. Damn, if only you could know for sure that Peter didn't blackmail anyone. Who could you talk to about it? Obviously, not Peter himself, but every time he spoke you had that nagging feeling you needed to talk to him. You barely kept your mouth shut before he went to a different room.

Ugh, why didn't you transfer anywhere else when you still had a chance? Obviously, now you could only drop out of school, and it definitely wasn't something you were going to do.

Luckily, the next couple of hours you were busy with your classes, trying your best to prepare for the upcoming exams. The academy held high standards, and even though you were a good student, it still took lots of efforts to keep up the good work. How Thor even managed to get enrolled, judging by the fact he hated studying and often skipped classes?

Ah yes, he mentioned something about getting a scholarship from the academy for his success in the sport.

By the lunch time you were drained, listening to Peter chatting with an absent-mindedly epxression on your face. Funny enough, Peter's grades were better than yours, even though he spent much less time studying. What, was he some genius like Loki? You felt a little envy.

"I gotta go take my tracksuit, I have PE next," the boy said, and you nodded, throwing away the leftovers of your lunch.

As you stood close while he grabbed his sportclothes, you heard two guys talking behind the lockers to your right.

"Have you seen her today? She's with Parker!"

You tensed immediately. Of course, they were talking about you.

"Yeah, so what?"

"She was with Thor yesterday!"

Watching you froze on the spot, Peter stilled too, listening carefully. Oh shit, you hoped no one cared about who you went with - why should they, in the end - but, apparently, you were drawing too much attention simply because you were a girl among hundreds of male students.

"So what?" The other guy asked impatiently, growing tired of this conversation.

"Are you stupid? She's going out with them! I bet she's looking for a guy." The first student said with excitement, and you cringed. No, you weren't going out with anyone, you wanted to stop the weirdos from following you and steeling your things. Was it too much to ask?

"Yeah, who cares?"

"We have three fucking girls in the whole school, and you don't care if one of them could be going out with you? Besides, this one's pretty. I'd fuck her!"

You felt like you were going to puke any moment. Why on Earth did you decide to transfer to an all-boys school? It was like the whole school were a men’s room filled with stupid-ass guys, and you were locked inside, forced to listen them talk junk.

"You'd fuck a sheep, weirdo. Go get yourself a girlfriend if you can’t stop thinking with your dick.”

Laughing, the guy left, and his friend followed him, shouting something stupid while you breathed out a sigh of relief. Of course, you knew there would be some talk, but you didn’t expect it to be so... gross. Were you really gonna spend the two remaining years here?

Watching you getting frustrated, Peter gently touched you by the arm and said softly, “Don’t worry. They won’t talk rubbish about you.”

“What do you mean?” Suddenly thinking of Steve’s words, you blurted out exactly what you were thinking of the whole day, “Are you going to blackmail them with something?”

“I... what?”

Part VII

__________

Tags: @finleyjayne @alexakeyloveloki   ​@helenaeisenhower @villanellevi @hurricanerin ​@inlovewiththefictionalcharacters @chris-evans-indian-fanfic @navegandoaciegas @rosalynshields @brattycherub @sllooney @angrythingstarlight @lookiamtrying @buckysbunny @stargazingfangirl18 @dillybuggg @literate-lamb @cosicas-cuquis @sarge-barnes-sir @buckybarnesplumwhore @jaysayey @megzdoodle @gotnofucks @lux-ravenwolf @ximebebx @jeremyrennerfanxxxx123 @sourpatchspinster @biiskuitx @stupendouslovegardener @iheartsebandchris @lovelydarkdaydream @soleil-dor @illyrianprincess @vampirestrawberries @goodgodimaweirdperson @frontmanash @freya-heya @yandematic @mariatietacapitu @d3monslust @maybesandohnos @ibeatuptwinks @mangobangi

[dilucids]

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤLove in cameras ━━ Genshin idol! au

newbie! idol!reader collaborating on a photoshoot together with idol! genshin characters

includes beidou, rosaria, childe, zhongli, diluc and xiao

( back on that idol au grind. also, the sheer amount of 'male reader' shit on this app that involves incest makes me genuinely tear up and take a shot everytime i say 'shot', you'd be drunk enough to hook up with zhongli dragon form. )

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ〔 BEIDOU ━━ UNCROWNED QUEEN OF THE OCEAN 〕

━━ one of the most nerve-wrecking things ever because she's simply so intimidating and good at what she does.

━━ you're literally shaking in your seat as she takes her solo shots, watching her lean on one leg, placing the other by her side, stretching her arms all the whilst making eye contact with the camera.

━━ she just looks so professional and you're afraid you won't be able to live up to her and ruin the entire shoot since even though you're both idols, she's been in more magazines as a senior group compared to you.

━━ when you switch for your solo shots, she seems to sense how nervous you were ( although you weren't really hiding it much with your shaky knees and annoying tapping your foot. )

━━ she places a hand on your shoulder and gives you a smile and a thumbs up, telling you you'll be okay.

━━ you realise she wasn't as menacing and stoic as she was in magazines and slightly relax.

━━ helps you relax by offering support behind the camera!!!

You lean sideways a little, allowing the thin material to fall off your shoulder a little as you glance back at the camera, lips slightly apart. Your stoic facade is broken almost immediately when you hear Beidou hollering and clapping in the background. You begin to laugh in suprised shock as the staff around the set follow her example, the shuttering of cameras now longer heard as it is replaced with clapping and whooping.

You grow a little embarrassed, glancing over at Beidou for help but she seems proud, stood there with hands on her hips and a satisfied grin. You realise she isn't going to help you out so you attempt to calm the set down with thanks and bows until you're continuing with the shoot.

━━ beidou has a very large presence, so it's very hard to have magnetism next to her but you somehow make it work.

━━ compared to your solo shots, your duo shots have a pirate/knight theme.

━━ with beidou in a pirate getup and you in a knight getup, it was obvious to see that this was some type of old ancient rivalry between the two groups and you two were meant to potray that anger and tension.

━━ due to you being new to this type of scene, she'll take the lead, making sure that her pose allowed you to fit in perfectly, whether it be far away, close, a sword to her throat, you splayed on the floor and her leaning in with her sword next to your head. ( thank god that shot was meant to focus on beidou cause with her that close to you, you couldn't keep a straight face. )

━━ of course even with such a theme, fan service is everything! so some of the poses are a little more touchy touchy and if she can tell you're nervous, will immediately lighten the mood and assure you you're doing well.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ〔 ROSARIA ━━ THORNING BENEVOLENCE 〕

━━ like beidou, will naturally exude professionalism and skill.

━━ unlike beidou though, she'll probably ignore your nervousness or bluntly tell you to toughen up if you want to make it, it sounds harsh but you know it's her own way of advice giving.

━━ her poses are less showy than beidou, more elegant and graceful as she rests her hands on her waist or cross her legs over each other over the arm of the chair and look back at the camera.

━━ will watch you, probably assessing your style, as you take your solo shots and if she notices your embarrassment ( she definitely does ), well she doesn't stop.

━━ will somehow converse with the photographer about poses she thinks will bring out your potential and it works, she has an eye for these things apparently and a lot of photographers like her style of modelling.

As you step back, allowing the staff to move props around, you glance back at the director of the shoot and Rosaria stood before the screen, showing off the photos. They seem to be deep in conversation, the only giveaway about the tense conversation however was the director's furrowed eyebrows and lips pressed into a tight line, Rosaria had no expression on her face.

The director seems to give up after Rosaria says something, pointing at the screen with her arms crossed, walking away with a shake of his head albeit the smile of being challenged. You immediately look away when she peers up at you, catching your eyes for a split second; you knew she had been shamelessly staring at you but it was quite embarrassing to be caught yourself.

"Here we go," snaps you out of your embarrassment and you're back to sitting on a black throne lined with gold, posing for the shoot.

━━ it's awkward before the camera is on you two as you stand on the set but once the camera is on? you two flow so perfectly together.

━━ rosaria would allow you to take the reins, allowing you to do what you felt was natural and would simply follow. ( another one of her ways of easing newbies into the modelling scene. )

━━ if your pose is a little awkward though, she'd quietly tell you to move certain ways and try not to overpower you ( but if you were overpowered, that'd be your own fault and you should try harder. that's her motto. )

━━ it actually surprises you how good she looked with a spear in hand and how well it suited her.

━━ it was kinda nerve-wracking to be working with rosaria but you absolutely loved it and would kill to work with her and have her guidance again ( deffo should ask for her number for future guidance!! )

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ〔 CHILDE ━━ 11TH FATUI HARBINGER 〕

━━ looks professional on camera but is surprisingly childlike off camera.

━━ why is his little brother on the set wearing a pj mask costume again? right, he had to pick him up from school earlier than usual cause teucer said he was sick and wanted childe to come so he got use his older brother's reputation to get closer to that female teacher he liked. as for the pj mask costume, he wanted to fit in with the shoot theme so the poor stylists had to pull out some slightly too large, dusty halloween costume they found somewhere for him. great.

━━ other than that, childe is great at what he does, amazing at facial expressions like *whistles*, terrifyingly good at making the expressions asked of him. ( can cry on command actually (( learnt to entertain his younger siblings. )) ).

━━ you're intimidated by him at first but when you guys are taking a small break between his shoot and yours, you get to see him play around with his teucer and oh my god.

━━ he's literally carrying teucer above his head, teucer posed as superman with one arm sticking out and the other on his hip as he carefully runs throughout the set.

━━ when it's actually your turn, he will secretly hype you up with teucer.

"Pretty," Teucer mutters under his breath as prop flower petals are being thrown up as you pose under them. Childe smiles a little as he ruffles his younger brother's hair, "isn't my partner the prettiest?"

You're oblivious to these comments, focusing on the camera that was following your every move but your eyes glance over to the two brothers ever so often, finding their closeness rather endearing.

"They're prettier and nicer than your last partner," Teucer huffs, thinking of the previous collaboration he had attended with another celebrity, although she was a little too flirty with Childe for Teucer's liking. "Momma said you have to find a good person, big bro" Teucer reminds aa Childe smiles amused. "Are they a good person?" Childe thrusts his thumb over in your direction.

Teucer hums, thinking carefully with his chin in hand before nodding, beaming at Childe. "I'm sure they'll fit in nicely with everyone!" Your future had just been planned and you had no say in it at all.

━━ as for duo shots, it's another enemies theme but it's more of an assassination theme with childe holding a bow, perched on a higher stage than you.

━━ took ten minutes for childe to figure out how to look good with a bow in hand, with an eye scrunched up like he was actually aiming at you. ( of course he wouldn't have succeeded if not for teucer shouting advice at him off set with his hands on his hips. )

━━ he swears he almost feels the adrenaline of the scene as if his life was actually on the line when you shoot him a glare like directed.

━━ you two get on pretty well off set as well! you joke around as props are being moved around or make up is being fixed for either of you.

━━ you feel bad when you actually stab him with the fake sword, but he plays through with it, acting like he was dying.

━━ play fighting with teucer as an evil overlord ( still wearing his pj mask costume ) mind controlling childe's lover ( you ) into thinking he was the enemy ( teucer came up with the plot ).

━━ slipped his number into your pocket as you two were posing.

━━ teucer also got to keep his pj mask costume!!

━━ posts a picture of you messing around with teucer on his instagram.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ〔 ZHONGLI ━━ VAGO MUNDO 〕

━━ probably the most professional out of them all.

━━ his poses are quite simplistic as he models the suit, hand in his pocket, fixing a cuff link, checking the time, simply casting his gaze to the side but he still holds a very large presence on set.

━━ would calmly converse with you as if you two had been friends for a long time, with a small smile on his face.

━━ if he can tell you're nervous, he'll tell you small anecdotes about anything and everything. when it's your turn, he give your shoulder a small squeeze and nod at you.

━━ talks to the director about poses as well, has a keen eye about what prop should be used and the positioning of them; you're suprised he isn't the director of the shoot.

━━ when you thank him for his help on the sidelines, he'll shake his head and tell you it was due to your talent and that he was only creating opportunities for them to naturally shine.

━━ was literally made for the camera, just the way he poses, the way he holds himself; god, it would've been a crime if this man had never been placed front page of a magazine.

You're entraced by the way he moves━━ subtle ways, like placing one foot ahead of the other, a hand in his pocket, looking down at the watch on his wrist. He's amazing. You could watch him for ages; he was like a sculpture made by the Gods, their most prized possession. What else could explain his sharp jawline, the bangs framing his face, his long hair pulled back into a low ponytail?

"You're staring," a staff member nudges you with a small smile, you snap out of it right away, slightly embarrassed at being caught. She laughs however, waving you off, "it's okay, we were all like that at first." You nod awkwardly, her words not helping at easing the embarrassment filling you.

You're talking with a staff member when he comes striding towards you, appearing behind you and scaring off the makeup artist with a mere smile and gracing you with a hand on your shoulder. "You're up next, good luck."

━━ mentally prepare yourself to be within a five metre radius of this man for the next hour or so.

━━ whether you're weak to pretty faces or not, i assure you, this man will honestly be the death of you if your guard is down even the littlest bit.

━━ the theme of this shoot? ceo/secretary and it does make sense━━ no it would make sense, if you were the secretary, not the ceo. but apparently fans like this type of power dynamic ( assuming you're shorter than him ) and so for the future of your careers you persevere.

━━ zhongli stood clad in a suit, next to you with his hands behind his back and you sat down at a desk, eyebrows furrowed like you're examining paper work or zhongli pouring you a cup of tea. you're pretty sure this is some odd dream at this point.

━━ you only persevere until zhongli has to pose as if he was fixing your tie.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ〔 DILUC RAGNVINDR ━━ DARKNIGHT HERO 〕

━━ intimidating. intimidating. intimidating.

━━ did you wrong god in some type of way in your past life because being watched so openly as you pose for the camera for such a man, naturally exerting power, with eyebrows furrowed was one of the most terrifying things ever.

━━ his poses are similar to zhongli's but he puts a little more back into it, dignified aura as he crosses his leg, or one hand holding his hair up into a high pony as the other is near his mouth, using his teeth to pull the bobble off his wrist.

━━ also more open to differing hairstyles! unlike zhongli who only keeps his hair in a low ponytail, diluc can comprise with a low pony, high pony or even a messy bun.

━━ good balance of praise and constructive criticism; will tell you if you're doing good but will also tell you if you could improve in certain areas or even help with poses.

━━ diluc has amazing chemistry with everyone, he fits naturally into other people's style of modelling and can alter himself or his partner to fit if necessary, he also has a large presence on camera and sometimes accidentally overtakes when he gets too into the shoot.

"Calm down," you step back in reflex when you hear Diluc's voice just behind you, "your nervousness is plastered all over your face." You make a sound of acknowledgement and bow your head, "just take a few breaths and imagine you're at home in your mirror bathroom." It scared you that he knew infront of your mirror bathroom, you were the most confident but thanks to his help, you were able to ease yourself into modelling.

"You did well," he smiles at you when you come off the set, patting you on the shoulder. You smile back, "thanks to your advice," you redirect the compliment back at him. The short interaction ends when you two have to change into your couple costume.

━━ unintended sexual tension 👫

━━ was supposed to be casual poses, really easy ones with you two sat on steps with a respective cigarette in hand as friends but somehow,,,,, you two looked like y'all had fucked a second before hopping onto the set.

━━ so, the director took the inherent sexual tension and put it into use; changing just seeming like you were smoke buddies into poses where you two leaning into the same flame to light up your cigarettes. ( close ups of you two staring into each other's eyes over the flame! )

━━ kept lesser tension packed photos though and the one above^^ just as a small treat for the fans.

━━ he definitely posted a picture of you ( tagged ) behind the scenes on his instagram with no caption though.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ〔 XIAO ━━ CONQUEROR OF DEMONS 〕

━━ more reserved, if he has a problem with the way you do things, doesn't say anything and just makes a certain expression with his face.

━━ his poses vary, he's able to adapt to each and every theme that's given to him and usually plays it safe with poses. he's usually modelling for makeup brands so he's very good with close ups, or hand and face poses; also is very used to working with many people but often never attempts to befriend.

━━ if you initiate conversation, he'll use dry replies or even attempt to leg it out of the conversation, only because he's a little shy or doesn't really understand social rules after a while, he'll given into your conversations and try to reply normally.

━━ i feel like he has mints with him no matter where he goes so expect a "do you want a mint?" halfway into your conversation.

━━ definitely is trusted with the music that plays in the background as you guys work. xiao is literally globally known for having one of the best music tastes and often makes songs hit the 'top 100' even if it's been out for years.

━━ it takes him a little while to get used to a new partner so give him a few test shots to get your vibe checked and he'll adapt!

You try hard to ignore the song in the background, but it's stuck in your head. Watching Xiao placing his fingers gingerly on his face as he peers to the side, the camera zooming into his face, you tap your foot along to the beat━━ you've never heard this song before but it really suited your tastes.

"Excuse me," you call out to a staff member who was walking past, he stops and nods at you, pulling down his headphones, "do you know what song this is?" He shakes his head however, leaving you with disappointment but not before he tells you that this was Xiao's Spotify playlist. You nod and thank you, immediately finding Xiao on Spotify to see all his different playlists for different moods.

You never understood why fans chose to listen to their idol's playlist because some of their music tastes was just trash but Xiao had genuinely good taste and it kinda suprised you.

━━ close proximity poses since you two are modelling for a makeup brand; some shots are just headshots with you two practically sat ontop of each other.

━━ some poses are torso shots, where you're both holding the product. there was a pose where you got to act as if you were applying eyeliner onto xiao's eyes and there was definitely a period of time when xiao couldn't stop blushing.

━━ he absentmindedly hums the song in the background as you two wait on set for the director to finish their conversation with the photographer.

━━ posts a picture of himself that you took whilst he was asleep and tagged you before the photoshoot was released so fans started speculating the weirdest shit and he never bothered to clear it up, just waited until the photos were released and hoped someone in his fandom was smart enough to connect dots.

[david-watts]

could you pls tell me some stories about the pretty things ? i’ve been reading about their escapades in new zealand and i find them so fascinating!

well!!! the idiots who nearly got themselves banned from a whole country!! sure thing hold on

phil may absolutely had daddy issues. I read his wiki page (usually I avoid reading the wiki pages of things I am Very Interested In it's one of my weird aversions) trying to find out how tall he was and apparently his mother remarried and he changed his surname back to may after that at some point I can't really remember lol! I never found out how tall he was

viv prince, the original drummer, got fired because he simply didn't show up anymore. later he joined the hell's angels and according to the back of one of my vinyl he was 'the only guy to ever get kicked out of the hell's angels' which is hilarious to me what did he even do

the album emotions wasn't meant to have as much production to it, that was studio interference, though while I think they were probably not that happy about it I don't actually know how much was voluntarily allowed

not strictly pretty things, but dick taylor quit the rolling stones (well ok it wasn't the stones Yet) to focus on art school. at art school him and phil may made a new band. he literally went 'you guys are idiots I'm out' only to arguably join an even bigger bunch of idiots

do I even need to mention the fact that phil may, brian pendleton, possibly also viv prince and brian jones all shared a house? because I will. literally obsessed with that fact (I don't actually know if either brian p or prince actually lived there, but it's mentioned in laura jackson's biography on brian jones that three of the pretty things lived in that house, and as both dick taylor and john stax lived at 13 chester street, or at least until they were evicted, and considering brian p left that jumper laying about...)

speaking of brian jones him and phil may travelled to stones concerts in a separate car to the other stones. that and brian literally running after the doorman of a hotel the two were staying at together to correct him after he'd greeting may as mick jagger. I've talked about that fact before but it drives my little brain absolutely nuts thinking about it. did brian have a type? long-haired brunettes??

one of the bassists for the pretty things in their s.f. sorrow/electric banana/pre-parachute era was wally allen. he was also in the marcus hook roll band. I don't know if he was just producing or if he played on any tracks off the top of my head. but of course, the marcus hook roll band had four different members of the young family and as aonus I'll mention that angus young was not meant to be there allegedly, he tagged along with malcolm, and he had to be coaxed into playing with beer and naked women. iirc he would've been about seventeen at the time.

and lastly how can we forget that certain parts of the usa banned don't bring me down because of 'implied sexual contact' in regards to the verse where a girl is brought home and they 'have a little rave'. but nothing was said about the fact that on the studio version of the song, where it definitely sounds like phil sings 'I need a lover/yeah someone new/and then to him/I will be true' and then even sings about even buying a wedding ring for his lover! trust me guys that's not gay at all!! promise!!!

anyway I hope I haven't told all these stories before!! I don't really have many sources. literally just what's mentioned in other biographies or in the liner notes of a few lps because I haven't been able to get my hands on any biographies or anything lol