#i'm just looking to make more connections here

[absoluteocellibehavior]

*pulls up a chair*

*sits cutely*

Did you miss me?

Wow, ok. Where do I even begin?! Let's start with Kayne and The Tower itself. You may think that pulling cards like The Devil or Death are gonna be the ones that you're worried about but no. You got a Tower in your reading? Buckle up. The Tower is characterized with massive change, upheaval, and chaos. I honestly could not think of anything more fitting for our "Crawling Chaos." It is a change that affects you on all levels: physically, mentally, and spiritually. A massive, unexpected change that knocks down that stable structure built on unstable grounds. The Tower is also characterized with divine intervention that causes this massive change for your greater good. Well, the greater good is not the case with Kayne but he is certainly divinely intervening. He's got a hand in everything. Playing chess while everyone is playing checkers. He knows exactly how to get the people that he needs in the spots that he needs them without them questioning it. Look at those strings he's got on our little boys down at the bottom!

Going back to what I said about the shaky foundation. John and Arthur are the tower itself in this case. They have built this structure out of necessity. They are bonded to one another. So, their relationship has to be built up with one another. However, with the amount of lies and things kept from one another, this "stable structure" is liable to cracks. Just think about the amount of divorces we joke about. Yeah, that's what I'm talking about. However, any of the massive things that have broken down their relationship back to the roots have been, for the most part, caused by Kayne. For example, Arthur's deal with Kayne causes Arthur to have to start from square one (no matter how unsuccessfully) with Yellow. John's deal with Kayne leads to John having to lie and manipulate Arthur into getting him to New York to the Grey Stone which culminates to another shattering of their relationship. However, after each of these events, Arthur and John have had to build their trust and bond with one another again. Arguably, I would say it gets stronger every time especially with how they are with one another in Season Five. Yet this cycle of destruction and renewal has Kayne looming over it and we truly can't be certain when Kayne's going to knock them down again.

OTHER CUTESY DETAILS <3 First of all, hello Chakra symbolism! We got two going here! The Crown Chakra is represent by the, well, crown lookin thing behind Kayne's head. This is actually something that shows up in the Rider-Waite tarot deck symbolizing energy coming down through the most divine part of yourself. This is just even more fun symbolism of Kayne's hand and intervention in everything. Down at the bottom between the boys, you've got the opposite: The Root Chakra. This is your grounding chakra. Your earthy chakra. A humanly connected one as opposed to the divine we previously spoke of. A major theme in Malevolent is what it means to be human. Both Arthur and John are painfully human, representing "humanity in all its forms" (borrowing a line from the most recent chapter). Over the course of the parts, you have Arthur and John changing and growing into themselves, choosing when to change or staying stubborn in certain areas. All of these choices symbolizing the essence of the human experience. They learn from one another. This leads into the next fun detail. John and Arthur are in the position of "The Creation of Adam", except your expected roles are reversed. John is Adam and Arthur is God. However, it makes sense in this case. Rather than Adam becoming close to the divine through a tainting of a relationship with God and partaking in the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, you have John becoming closer to humanity through his experiences in his bonding to Arthur (not all due to Arthur, mind you). And this little outreaching of hands is happening -- you guessed it -- in front of the Root Chakra.

Last little fun detail. If you don't know, Nyarlathotep in the OG Lovecraft lore often shown as an Egyptian pharaoh. So, we get some of that symbolism with Kayne here with little Eye of Horus designs on his clothing which was tied to the belief of the gods ruling over humankind. This is the left eye but we see Kayne looking out of his RIGHT eye leaning towards the Eye of Ra instead. The Eye of Ra is said to be able to see anything. Which is painfully ironic for Kayne because is this nearly the case except for that pesky little Black Stone, huh?! Fun details <3

XVI The Tower

Who’d want to be human anyway? Who pilots all these crude machines?

[hanniebaeee]

Neon Heat

Felix x fem!reader

Warnings : drinking, making out MDNI

Genre: strangers to lovers, fluff, suggestive

Summary: You are at the pub with your friends, and you're confused by the signs on the bathroom doors. But a sexy stranger helps you out, and then you go on to become more than strangers.

Ok, so this is a problem.

Your bladder is so close to bursting, the two beers you had with your friends demanding an immediate release. You don't understand how your friends have already started on the third one already. 

But now staring at the bathroom doors, you are trying to comprehend which is which. Obviously you've seen those signs before - in your biology textbooks.

But seeing it on bathroom doors? You're confused. And being tipsy isn't helping your situation either. 

One had a circle-and-line (♀️) symbol and the other had some kind of arrow sticking up (♂️).

Which was which?

Your brain tries to connect the dots through the haze of your tipsy buzz. Circle… arrow… wait, what? Who thought this was a good idea? You tilt your head, narrowing your eyes as if staring harder would magically give you clarity.

“Need some help there, love?”

The voice startles you, deep and smooth with a hint of teasing. 

You turn to see the owner of the said voice. He's tall and leaning casually against the wall with his dark hair framing his face neatly. He was dressed in all black - looking way too classy and sexy to be standing here with you. 

His brown eyes sparkle like he knows exactly what kind of effect he is having on you. And even under the dim lighting of the rest area, you can see a dusting of freckles over his skin. And it made him look even more hot somehow. 

You blink, momentarily forgetting how to function as a human being.

“Uh - what?” you stammer, trying not to look as affected as you feel.

He grins and says, “The one with the arrow sticking up? That’s the men’s room. Think of it as a…you know...easier to remember.”

His eyebrows raise suggestively as he point upwards, and then he winks.

He winks.

You blush instantly, and you could feel the heat creeping down your neck.

“Oh. Right. Arrow. Up. Got it.” You nod like an idiot, still staring at him like he’d just descended from the heavens. “Thanks for that. Um.. I gotta-”

“Of course, glad to be of help,” He says, and you bolt into the right bathroom, internally screaming because that did not just happen!!

By the time you calm yourself (and your bladder) down and get back to your table, your friends immediately notice your flustered state.

“What happened?” Jennie asks, eyes sparkling with curiosity.

“Are you ok?” Jisoo adds, leaning in conspiratorially.

You take a sip of your drink, trying to play it cool as you tell them you're just tispy. Of course the playing cool part doesn't last long because Mr. Freckles was sitting at a table right across from yours, laughing with some other (hot) guys. 

You look away quickly, and try not to glance his way after that. Also failing, because the next time you do, he's already looking at you.

Oh yes, he is. 

The night rolls on, your friends chatting and laughing, but you are only half-listening now. Because his gaze is searing, heavy with intent, and you could feel it in your core.

He looks ethereal under the neon lights and honestly, it was starting to get to you now.

At one point, he leans back in his chair, stretching lazily, and tilts his head toward the exit.

The message was clear: Meet me outside. You watch as he stands up, and walks out, your eyes following him all the way to the exit. 

Your pulse skyrockets. Is this really happening?

This isn't something you do. You don't like casual relationships or hook ups. Hell, you didn't even know his name. But there was something about him that made you want to follow him out. 

Ok, so if this is how you die, then what a pity, because you are already on your feet. 

The girls look up at you, and Jisoo, the always the sharpest says, “If you're going home with him, I'm gonna be so mad.”

“Oh my God! I won't!” You hiss, cheeks heating up. 

“Don't have too much fun!!” Jennie sings as as you make a beeline for the exit. 

The cool night air hits your face as you step out into the dimly lit garden behind the pub. It is quiet except for the muffled bass of music thumping from inside. You barely have time to wonder where he is when you spot him. 

“Thought you might leave me hanging.”  

Bathed in the soft glow of fairy lights, he looks gorgeous. His hands are shoved into his pockets, his posture relaxed, but the intensity in his eyes was anything but relaxed. It doesn't look like he is here to play around.

“I wasn’t sure if you were-” you admit, your voice quieter than you intended. “I don't do one night stands or hookups or whatever.”

“Oh, I wasn't looking for one.” He steps closer, his smile returning. “You’ve been driving me insane all night. So I wanted to know if it was just me, or if you felt it too.”

Your breath hitches as he closes the distance between you.  

“What exactly did you have in mind?” you asked, trying to sound confident (your body is betraying you in more ways than you can count right now).

“I would take you out first. You know, buy you some flowers, take you out to dinner. Talk. If you're interested, of course.”

“Oh.” Loss of vocabulary - you couldn't think of a sentence to say. 

He reaches out, his fingers brushing against yours, sending a jolt of electricity up your arm.

“In our case, I think we'll have to shuffle it up a bit…” He says, before his lips meet yours soft yet firm, and yes. You're gone. Completely. 

His hand cups your jaw, tilting your face up as he deepened the kiss. You can’t help the soft moan that escapes your lips as his tongue teases yours. 

And he responds with a low hum that vibrates against your mouth. 

The kiss turns heated quickly, his hands sliding down to grip your waist and pull you flush against him. Your fingers tangle in his hair, earning a groan from him that sends a shiver down your spine. 

“God,” he murmurs against your lips, his voice thick with desire. “You’re going to be the death of me.”  

“You started it,” you tease, your voice breathless as you nipped at his bottom lip.  

He chuckles, but it quickly turns into a sharp intake of breath as you tug him closer. His hands slip down the curve of your hips, and he presses you gently against the brick wall of the pub. 

“What's your name, sweetheart?” he whispers, his lips trailing down your jaw to your neck, leaving open-mouthed kisses that have your knees buckling. 

“Y/N,” you say, pulling him back up to your lips. “And yours?”

“Felix,”  

You lost track of time as the two of you melted into each other, the kisses getting more heated, and the feeling of his hands on your body getting more familiar.

Eventually you both pull back, panting and disheveled, and exchange soft smiles.

“So, about that dinner… does tomorrow sound good? I don't want to wait…” Felix asks, moving a strand of hair off your face.

You nod happily, and say, “Sounds perfect.”

“Good. I'll pick you up at 7?” 

“Ok,”

“And come prepared? ‘Cos I'm taking you home,” He says, his teasing grin back on again. “Maybe teach you a little about the signs…”

“Oh my God, Felix!” You laugh, and he laughs with you. 

After exchanging numbers, and one kiss too many, you two walk back to your own tables where your respective friends tease you endlessly for this. 

Jennie and Jisoo are on you for the juicy details and you give in, dying of happiness and also embarrassment - because honestly, this isn't how you pictured finding love.

As the boys start getting ready to leave, Felix glances at you, and you smile. That seems to have snapped something in him because he comes over to press a quick kiss to your cheek (making the boys go feral with laughter), and your own friends watched in amusement as you both said your goodbyes. 

“See you tomorrow,” Felix whispers. 

“See you,” You say, and watch him leave. 

And you squeal in joy making Jennie and Jisoo laugh. Because this feels great. 

Like it's meant to be. 

Divider - @saradika-graphics

Tags: @moonchild9350 @velvetmoonlght @eastjonowhere @pixie-felix @sailor--sun @satosugu4l

[gothicfied]

Thanos / Player 230 Headcanons

Paring: Thanos / Player 230 x fem!reader

Warnings: Mentions of death/dying and gunshots (typical squid game stuff), other than that it's just fluff, although this is probably buns (my first time writing something like this, I'm sorry, people😔🙏)

જ⁀➴ In his mind, you were this little lamb who needed his protection. Even if you proved yourself to be capable of surviving on your own, Thanos was set on dragging you with him, insisting that it'd be better if you would just stick with his group (much to your and also Nam-gyus annoyance). And, considering he was ready to sacrifice other peoples lives for this prize money, you were scared to refuse him.

જ⁀➴ At some point, you found it endearing how much he seemed to care for you. His cheesy raps about you, his pet names - 'baby', 'princess', 'sweetheart' - the way he was actually putting in the effort to get you through the games, ready to sacrifice a 'friend' (poor Gyeong-su).. you couldn't help but relish the affection he was showing you.

જ⁀➴ It was nice feeling something other than fear and dread, so you couldn't help but entertain Thanos' feelings. Perhaps you weren't just entertaining them? It was hard to ignore the growing connection between you two. Especially when he seemed to open up more and more, especially after lights out.

જ⁀➴ When the drugs wore off, Thanos was actually nice to talk to. At night, he'd come and sit on your bed, comforting you if you were scared (which you very obviously were). Draping an arm around your shoulders, he'd listen to every worry, thought and wish you have and would just stay quiet for those moments (which was very rare and made you appreciate these moments even more).

જ⁀➴ For some reason, you two understand each other. Sure, when high, Thanos was insufferable, loud and annoying and would do every stupid thing imaginable just to impress you. He'd play risky during the games, just to never shut up about how he survived it and how 'he would never die and leave you alone'. After that, the moments where he seemed to be vulnerable meant that much more to you.

જ⁀➴ Thanos' confidence is unwavering. He'd be relentless and would chase after you, regardless if you wanted it or not. In his opinion, you two were the most perfect match and he'd do anything to be able to call you his. Your beauty, your determination and the way you carried yourself simply mesmerized him.

જ⁀➴ After every game you two survived, he'd pull you close to him, tightly wrapping his arms around you and hug you until you couldn't properly breath anymore. "I'm so happy you made it out alive, princess. God, I couldn't imagine what I would do without you in here!"

જ⁀➴ Even with you there with him, Thanos needs that prize money. Would he sacrifice you for it? Never in a million years. Does he still pressure you into voting to continue? Yes, absolutely.

"Come on, baby! Just one more game, I promise." He snakes his arms around your waist, leaning down while talking, "you know I'll protect you. And with the money, we can build a new, happy lives together. What do you say?"

જ⁀➴ Seeing you scared expression while loud gunshots filled the room during the mingle game does something to him, though. Thanos' eyes bore into yours, making you look away quickly. He needs that money, he knows you do, too. But seeing you so distraught might actually make hin change his mind about wanting to continue. After all, he's completely head over heels for you and he'd do everything not to lose you.

[rozhliena]

mc x mammon

you construct intricate rituals in order to touch the skin of the avatar of greed, ambiguous season but i would venture it's still during s1 of the original game, mostly just palavering about the gaze nothing actually occurs

They say the eyes are the windows to the soul.

"Don't you get eyestrain?" you ask Mammon, tilting your head as you sink back into the pillows on your bed. "With the sunglasses." It isn't bright in your room, the lights set just shy of their dimmest mode as you get ready to go to bed, and neither is his D.D.D.'s brightness set high. But he wears them all the time anyway, even in the evening. "Or are your eyes just sensitive?"

From where he's leaning at the side of your bed, frantically tapping some blinking lights on his D.D.D., Mammon shakes his head. "Nah, my eyes are fine," he says. "I just like the look of 'em."

A fair, if somewhat odd, assessment. You can't say you dislike the look, either, which has grown as familiar as the sight of him in your room — you're actually not sure why he's here today. It just seems like a given, some routine you've fallen into. There are two toothbrushes in the bathroom connecting to the bedroom, and there is a hamper in the corner for clothes that aren't yours, though they never seem to make it into the basket without your help, and the extra hangers in your wardrobe have lately been put into use more often than not. It's not exactly normal, you know that, but it comes so naturally.

"Are you gambling on mobile games again?" you ask, reaching over to pluck the sunglasses off his face, wondering if you should feel amusement or concern at the fact that he hadn't reacted to the motion at all. But maybe that's natural to him, too. You look at the orange-tinted lenses curiously. "You probably shouldn't, you know."

"I'm gonna win this one, serious, y'know, statistically and shit — "

When you put the sunglasses on, they're slightly large on your face, and they really aren't special aside from being from a Devildom designer brand that sounds suspiciously similar to the human world's Gucci. A typical pair of polarized sunglasses. You sigh, pulling them off. You lean over to place them back on Mammon's face, slightly askew. "Still losing?" You know he is; he's already out of in-game currency. Sure enough, the lights on the animated slot machine go red.

"Hey! You jinxed me!" he complains, adjusting the crooked sunglasses as the plaintive whine of a loser's trombone plays from his phone's speakers, but he turns off the game and stretches across your bed. His eyes peek out above the tinted lenses of his sunglasses, toward you. Like he's expecting something. You wonder if he's even aware of the way he looks at you sometimes, so intently it seems to go right through to the back of your neck.

"What's up," you say.

His gaze shifts, lands on the second hamper in the room, half-filled with his clothes by someone who isn't him. He's thanked you for it before, but you wonder what he actually thinks about the entire thing. "I dunno. Just lookin'." At this angle, you can only make out the blue in his eyes.

You sit up. "Are demon eyes different from human eyes? Like, in terms of biology."

Mammon looks at you, a little incredulously, and then laughs. "Man, how the hell would I know that? I ain't a nerd like Satan."

You shrug, moving so you're facing him properly. "I don't know. But can I check?"

He grimaces, but he's already folding up his sunglasses and hooking them into the collar of his shirt. "Like, you're not gonna poke 'em or anything, right? Would you even know the difference between, y'know, human and demon eyes?"

"Maybe. I don't know." When you moved just now, your hand brushed against his, where below the knuckles is the faded smudge of a stamp he'd had to get at one of Beel's games. Identical to one on your own hand. The game itself hadn't been particularly intriguing, and what you remember more than anything else is that it had been cold that day. You and he had to huddle up together beneath a blanket, and Mammon's bony elbows poked into your ribs to such an extent that you wondered if it wasn't less comfortable in the blanket than outside of it. But when he turned to you, smiling sheepishly, looking at you the way he does, warmth bloomed in your chest and you couldn't even feel the ache over it.

Mammon looks at you the way he does and shrugs. "Whatever. All yours."

There's no way to make this seem normal, you know that. When you take his face in your hands you don't think too much about how easily his face fits against your palms as you angle his head toward the light. His cheeks are warm. He doesn't resist at all. "Don't close your eyes so I can look at your pupils."

It's not an order, but Mammon goes along with it anyway, though his eyes tremble a little, avoiding your gaze, when you lean in to inspect.

When the light hits them, the pupils constrict like they would in any other eye. Whenever Mammon looks over his sunglasses, his eyes are like the bright blue sky of the human world above a sea of sand, but up this close, they're entirely normal. The same pupils, irises, sclerae. Tear ducts. The delicate blood vessels along the white of the eye. Eyelashes, to keep out debris. It's almost disappointing. The only distinction anyone could make between his eyes and those of a human's is that his irises are unnaturally vivid and possess two colors, but even then, there are some humans with those same traits.

"I can't tell the difference," you admit. "They look like any other set of eyes."

The set in question flicks to yours, narrowing slightly. "Hey, just 'cause I'm being generous doesn't mean you can go lumpin' me in with everyone else." He reaches up, his hand finding purchase at one of your wrists like he's going to wrench you away from him, but he just keeps it there. "I'm the Great Mammon, y'know?" The warmth bleeds into your skin.

"I know that," you say softly, still not thinking. "Hey, close your eyes." Again, it's not an order, no force behind the words, but again Mammon obliges. His eyelashes are so light they're almost transparent. You brush the pad of your thumb over the thin skin of the eyelid, over the light oily sheen there. His closed eyes quiver beneath your touch.

"Does eyeshadow give you trouble?" you ask. "Because of your eyelids."

"Lil bit," he says. "When I do gigs I gotta prime 'em and carry those blotting things. But hey, I always end up lookin' good, yeah?" His mouth turns up in a contagious grin.

"You do." It comes out of your mouth so easily. His cheeks go warm at the admission, but he doesn't say anything this time. He's letting you feel around his eyes like it's nothing, and you think, maybe there isn't any real difference between demons and humans, after all. Eyes or otherwise. You let your fingers trace along his face to under the chin, angling his head upward. During the game, you had reached down to one of his arms and squeezed, not because it accomplished anything for heat, but because it was instinctual, like scratching an itch, or like blinking.

Your faces are so close. Kissing Mammon would be so simple — twist of the wrist, tilt of the head. You'd land his lips in one try; it would come naturally, and his mouth would be soft and warm. You wonder if he would let you kiss him.

Mammon's eyes flutter open. His grasp on your wrist tightens slightly. You can feel his breath on your face. Your own breath catches in your throat. "What're you doing?" he whispers.

"Just looking," you whisper back. He doesn't let go.

[wosoloml]

red string theory || lotte wubben-moy x reader

summary: the first time you see lotte wubben moy, you didnt actually see her.

your life was always connected because you are meant to be.

warnings: none, just fluffy fluff with my lotte girl

from this request

a/n: i hope its okay what i wrote it about lotte because i thought this request is so lotte coded

wc: 1,739 words

"Are you nervous about tomorrow?" my work colleague, who is also my best friend, Jules, looks at me with a focused expression.

A few years ago, I attended college in the USA, where I ran my own sports blog for the university newspaper. I especially enjoyed writing about the women’s football team because I witnessed the sport gaining more popularity there.

It felt so empowering to see how all the girls were following their dreams, and I always wanted to share their stories so everyone could see their passion.

I was packing all my work stuff into my bag when Jules called out my name.

"Y/N, can you please help me real quick?"

I sighed but stopped what I was doing and walked into the salesroom.

"Can you make a latte macchiato real quick? Table 7 has a big order, and I’m swamped. Sorry for interrupting you," she said.

I smiled softly at her before glancing at the girl who had ordered the latte. I barely registered her, only noticing how graceful her movements were.

It felt kind of ironic that my last customer of the day would be such a mysterious woman.

But life moved on, as it always does, and that moment faded into the countless fleeting, insignificant encounters you never expect to think about again. Until much later.

----

"Oh my girl, Jules, you made it!" I pulled her into a tight hug.

"Of course! It's your graduation today! I'm so proud of you, my little nerd."

After three years of hard work, endless studying, and way too much crying, I’m finally done. I’m now a certified sports journalist with a focus on women’s football. I couldn’t be happier.

"Now it’s time for you to introduce me to your girlfriend! I can’t wait to meet the mysterious Alessia in person."

Her smile grew even wider as I mentioned her girlfriend. "Come on, she’s right over there, chatting with an old friend from university she randomly ran into here."

----

I’ve checked my phone. 8:00. I arrived at the training ground of THE Arsenal Women’s Football Club.

When I sent my application to a few football clubs as a media coordinator, I never thought my childhood club would hire me. I spent the last few days looking for an outfit and stayed awake the whole night out of nervousness.

It’s already my second week, and I’m still not used to being around all these inspiring and energizing women. You weren’t exactly starstruck, but there was something about being around people you’d admired from afar that left you feeling slightly unsteady.

But it’s different with Lotte. From day one, she helped me with everything. Lotte, however, had a way of disarming you with her easy demeanor. When she introduced herself, it was as if you hadn’t spent the last three days binge-watching match highlights featuring her perfect tackles and precise passes.

Over the weeks, you got used to seeing her around the training ground. She always made an effort to say hi, even if it was just a quick wave or a casual “How’s it going?” Each interaction was brief, professional, and—you told yourself—entirely inconsequential. Except that, somehow, you found yourself looking forward to them.

She had this smile and the way she cared about everyone around her that sticks in my mind, and I can’t stop thinking about her even after work. It’s like we’ve known each other for years.

---

Today was Media Day, and even though I love the girls, I was relieved to have a moment for myself in the cafeteria. Suddenly, someone asked, 'May I join?' At first, I didn’t realize they were talking to me, but when my eyes met my favorite defender's, I knew Lotte was the one addressing me.

'Not at all,' I replied, gesturing to the empty seat.

I don’t want to admit it, but knowing I wasn’t paired up with Lotte for today’s interviews made me a bit sad. That’s why I’m even happier to spot her here during my little break.

She set down her tray, which held a steaming bowl of soup and a sandwich that looked far too healthy for my taste. 'So, how’s life in the media world? Still surviving?'

I chuckled at her words. 'It’s going well. After today, I have a lot of videos to edit, and I still write a blog for a college newspaper, with the deadline coming up, so I’m a bit stressed. The time difference with the USA makes it even harder. But who am I complaining to? I’m sure your schedule is even more packed.' I babbled, feeling a bit embarrassed that I hadn’t stopped talking. It was just a simple question—no need to turn it into a whole essay.

She listened closely the entire time, trying to keep up with me. "Really? You’re very ambitious about your job. I like that. You mentioned the USA. Are you writing for an American college?"

I felt seen, and it made me feel special. I adore her so much. I gathered my thoughts again to answer her.

"Yes! I went to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and have always had a passion for writing. They had a women’s football team that was still in its early stages. They inspired me so much that I decided to write about them in the weekly college newspaper. Sorry for beating around the bush, yes, I write for an American college." My cheeks turned red because, once again, I rambled on.

I noticed the sudden change in her behavior. "Wait, really?" She looked at me, kind of stunned and questioning. "I’ve been to UNC too, before signing professionally for Arsenal. Do you mean the North Carolina Tar Heels? I played for them while you were writing for them."

I widened my eyes in disbelief. "That caught me off guard—wow. We’ve been so close and never talked to each other."

“It’s like we were orbiting each other,” she said one day, her voice thoughtful. “Like we were always meant to meet, but the timing just wasn’t right.”

Her words stuck with me, replaying in my mind long after she’d said them.

---------

Over the next few weeks, sometimes Lotte would bring me a coffee. A few days later, I noticed something as she handed me the cup. "Since when do you get your coffee from that shop near Covent Garden? The one with the green awning?" She looked confused and stuttered, "Since forever. It's my favorite coffee shop. Do you know it?"

"Are you joking? I worked there a few years ago."

“I can’t believe this. It’s like we’ve been circling each other our whole lives.”

This connection with Lotte feels so magical, I can’t even process how life always seemed to bring us together.

“Maybe it’s fate,” you said softly, the words slipping out before you could stop them.

She smiled, a slow, knowing smile that made your heart skip a beat. “Maybe it is.”

-------

As the weeks turned into months, your relationship with Lotte continued to grow stronger. The bond you shared deepened, built on a foundation of shared history and the undeniable pull you felt toward each other.

One evening, as you sat on her couch with a cup of tea in hand, she reached over and intertwined her fingers with yours.

“You know,” she said softly, her voice quiet, “I’ve always believed in timing. That everything happens when it’s meant to.”

You looked at her, your heart full. “And what about us? What does this timing mean?”

She smiled, her eyes warm and steady. “It means we’re exactly where we’re supposed to be.”

And for the first time, you believed her.

[holyguardian]

Somnus made a move that blossomed a smile on her face. It tickled her that he played right into her risk-taking — she looked more pleased than a cat who got the canary when she claimed that piece. She was honestly too puffed up happy to consider the reason behind his play.

Aerith had stepped into his territory. She would probably soon realise where she had landed herself, all while talking his ear off.

"Cute that you think you're winning." she shot back, far too proud as she motioned to him for his turn.

"Ouhf. My arms hurt just thinking about it." she then half-heartedly complained. She would rather climb a mossy wall slick from morning fog than be stuck at the mortar and pestle grinding away. "My favourite is called the forest banquet, and I think we call it that because it's only something you would serve at a banquet. It can be made with boar but venison is best." If she wasn't careful she'd end up explaining the whole process and bore him to tears. "The main parts are you have to grind up everything in the marinade until it's smooth. It doesn't work otherwise, and you have to make so much of it to cover the dish too, it's such a pain. Then the meat has to marinate for days. Someone has to keep turning it so all of it remains well coated. It's so good though."

She sat back a little in her chair and shifted from watching his hands as he contemplated his next move, to actually looking up to his face. Did he not realise how verbal his hands were? It was... kind of endearing.

As he got more serious her own expression gentled. If he tried to tell her this in the morning, she probably wouldn't have been as open to listen. Because then, it would have felt... like politics... but here and now, it felt real. It felt human. They were connecting and she believed in his words, even exhaled a small amused breath through her nose when he brought up the dragon.

"Your way?" she naturally asked, giving a curious tilt of her head. There were still more mysteries about him. She knew little of his abilities, even if part of his magic had travelled up her arm, she didn't know what he was capable of.

Aerith's posture straightened a little, and she half-turned to briefly look over to Nidhogg who still had a half-lidded eye trained on them. She turned back with an almost guilty smile. "For what it's worth, I didn't mean to surprise you with the dragon either. I'm a bit protective of him, I don't like to introduce him to just anyone, not unless I have to. I was going to warn you about him but it didn't feel like the right time." Then... Nidhogg just dropped in.

Aerith wasn’t the first princess he met. Far from it. And with Aera around, Somnus felt that most princesses had been similar to her. Maybe behind their walls they all were different, but usually there was a healthy distance und just exchanges of formal pleasantries. Like the court rules foresaw.

With her though? She just talked. And made him talk.

She claimed she had a hand in the relationship of the queen and king. She did not fault him for hunting, even if she did not like meat so much. She knew she was cheating with her abilities to fish. She was so open about everything and offered perspectives that were… refreshing. That did not fit into the very strict and oldschool views the court here often applied to everything.

Somnus eyed the chess board for a moment. She was baiting him, wasn’t she? But he would do as she wished. With a smile, he slowly lifted the figure on his side that she apparently intended to strike next.

“Well. You will have to tell me about your favourite labour-intensive meal dish now. And of course you will have to show me the fishing trick after I won here.”

And he sat the figure down, gesturing towards her then.

“The ocean… it’s beautiful. Wild. So endlessly more than a lake or river. I need to show it to you...”

Though this had him leaning back a bit, the smile fading for a more serious expression.

“Yesterday evening, when we were by the cliffs… Aerith, I did not intend to lead you on, or what ever it is you believed. I was just- I was afraid you would actually try to climb down there and would end up hurt. Back then I did not know you could climb any wall. Or control plants and water. I also did not know your family had a dragon, which they would probably have gladly fed me to, if you had gotten injured in my company.”

The last sentence painted a little streak of mischief into his eyes again.

“I wanted to get you down there – but… safer. My way.”

[bbrissonn]

𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 - 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐡

☆⋆｡°‧★ in which dahlia feels like a high school girl again

☆⋆｡°‧★ will smith x dahlia monroe

☆⋆｡°‧★ wc: 2k

☆⋆｡°‧★ au masterlist

☆⋆｡°‧★ this is not proofread so ignore any mistakes :)

‎‧₊˚✧[ OCTOBER 31, 2023 ]✧˚₊‧

"we're still good for tonight?" will asked the girl as they stood outside the conte forum. dahlia's morning class had been cancelled and she had decided to accompany the boy from his class to practice, along with a quick stop at one of the dinning hall.

there were a couple of halloween parties happening tonight, which will's captain had made a firm point that no one was to attend any of them. the two had then agreed to spend the evening together, watching halloween movies.

"duh." the girl smiled as she pressed a soft peck to his cheek, their hands connected as they smiled at each other. "vi's gonna be gone, you can come to mine." the girl then suggested. will had yet to see her dorm, something that for some reason truly interested him. it was like a visual representation of her mind.

"yeah that works. i don't know what gabe's plan are, so at least we won't get interrupted." the boy answered leaning down a placing a soft kiss on her lips. their short kiss somehow turned into 10 more longer and longer kisses, neither of them wanting to part ways.

"will."

"mmh?" the boy hummed before connecting their lips, his hands cupping her face softly.

"you really need to go." she said, before will quickly connected their lips again, completely ignoring her words. "you're gonna be late."

"don't care." he smirked, before leaning in once again, but dahlia was quicker. she placed both her hands on his chest, softly pushing him back.

"well, i do. so enough." the girl said sternly, although a wide smile was plastered on her face as will rolled his eyes slightly, smiling as well.

"why are you doing this to me, dahls?" he whined dramatically making the girl roll her eyes as well.

"you'll survive, pretty boy." she said before pecking his lips and quickly stepping back. she started heading slowly heading to her class before will had the chance to continue anything.

"you're the worst."

"you love it."

"i'll see you after?"

"i'll be waiting." she smiled before turning around and walking away from him. will stood in place, a smile on his face as he watched the girl walk away. he probably would've stayed there forever if it wasn't for some of the guys arriving.

"what's up, smitty?" jacob said as he the fellow freshmen approached him, snapping the boy out of his trance.

"nothing, why?" the blond boy answered, his voice abnormally higher than usual. the boys all looked between themselves, all noticing his higher pitch.

"why're you just standing here?" will vote asked, making the blond boy's eyes go wide.

"no reason. we should really go in." he answered and waisted no time making his way inside, leaving all of his friends confused.

｡ﾟ•┈୨♡୧┈• ｡ﾟ

"hey." will smiled as dahlia opened her dorm room. the girl quickly his awkward posture, both of his hands behind his back as he had a nervous smile on his face.

"hi, you okay?"

"what? oh, yeah, yeah. i'm okay... i, uhm, got these for you." the boy stuttered as he brought his hands forwards, revealing a bouquet of lilies of the valley, making dahlia's jaw drop slightly. no one had even given her flowers, especially lilies of the valley, which she had briefly mentioned to be her favourite.

"wow, will, i- thank you." the girl gasped as she took them form him admiring them as the boy stepped him, a soft smile on hi face. "they're beautiful." the girl stated as started looking around her room for something to put them in, she didn't have a vase, so at this point anything could work.

meanwhile, will slowly stepped into the room his eyes wondering around. their dorm room had the same layout as his, but it was much cleaner than his. she had a couple of paintings hung above her desk, along with some pictures of her and her friends above her bed. on her nightstand stood a framed picture of who he assumed was her parents, holding who he also assumed to be her as a baby.

"that's cute." the boy mumbled, making the girl look over at him. she followed his eyesight over the wall of pictures, smiling softly as she placed the flowers down on her desk.

"they're my people." she smiled as she watched the boy walk over to her nightstand and pickup the framed picture. her smile only grew as she walked over to him, her arms wrapping around his waist from behind, her head leaning on his biceps.

"you?"

"mhm. think i was maybe 5 months old."

"you were so small." the boy chuckled as he looked between the picture and the girl. she still looked to same to him. "you look a lot like your dad." he remarked, making dahlia chuckle softly.

"everyone says that, but he doesn't see it. thinks i look exactly like my mom."

"you're an only child, right?"

"yeah."

"ever wish you had siblings?"

"sometimes." she admitted as will placed the frame back and sat down on the edge of her bed. dahlia stood between his legs, her arms moving to his neck as his wrapped around her waist. "but, why mess with perfection, you know." she joked, making will smile softly at her before pulling her close and resting his head on her chest.

"how was practice?" the girl asked after a minute of silence, her tone matching his previous one. the boy sighed slightly before resting his chin on her chest and looking up at her. her hands moved to cup his cheeks, leaning down to connect their foreheads.

"missed you."

"it was 3 hours, will."

"yeah, 3 hours too long." he mumbled before puckering his lips slightly. dahlia laughed slightly, throwing her head back, before leaning down and connecting their lips together.

their small innocent kiss soon turned into a small make out, their tongues dancing together as will's hand moved all over her body. the boy was quick to pull her onto his lap, shifting the two of them so he was leaning against the headboard.

the air in the room was hot as their bodies danced together. dahlia's hands gripping and pulling at all of his curls, moving down to pull on his chain every once in a while. as for will, his hands were all over the place, never staying still for more than 10 seconds. their lips took turn moving to the other's neck, sucking and bitting softly.

the two eventually pulled away almost ten minutes later, a string of saliva connecting them shortly before snapping. dahlia leaned her forehead against his as she tried to catch her breath, her eyes shut as will softly rubbed her sides.

will's eyes were wide opened as his mind were crazy. she somehow looked even prettier than she already did. he truly couldn't believe what was happening to him. never did he ever think that he would find himself in this position, a pretty girl who truly liked him just for him and not because he played hockey. a girl who always wanted to know more about, but somehow already knew so much about him. someone that can so easily learn how to read in a short period of time.

dahlia was all he could think about. whenever he woke up, she was the first thing that crossed his mind, her notification always being the one he's looking for. her little doodles in his notebooks, the way her touch felt on his skin. and will would never admit this to anyone, but his camera roll stood a picture of his hand with her number written on it, along with the heart she had left. just thinking about that moment, butterflies flew in his stomach. and whenever he would think about the moment their eyes first met, gosh he felt sick in the best way possible.

"think 'm falling in love with you." the boy admitted before he even had time to process the thought. dahlia's eyes flew wide open as will's words registered in his head. there was no way he just that !

"what?" the girl exclaimed, her voice a vast contrast to the previous silence in the room. there was no way this was happening to him. he wanted noting more than to runaway in the moment, but with dahlia on his lap, there was no way for him to go. he hoped that if he prayed hard enough, a giant blackhole would open beneath him and sallow him up. "will. will? will!"

"shit, oh my god, dahls... i'm so sorry, i shouldn't have-"

"say it again." the girl cut him off, her eyes looking straight into his.

"what?"

"say it again. wanna hear you say it again, will." the girl begged, her lips itching closer to his.

"think 'm falling in love with you, dahls." the boy repeated, his voice quiet and shaky. dahlia was quick to smile before placing a deep and long kiss to will's lips.

"i'm falling in love with you, too, will. real fucking hard, and i really hope i never stop falling." the girl admitted, making will let out a sigh he didn't even know he was holding in.

"then we can keep falling together."

"i'd like that." the girl smiled before once against connecting their lips.

the two teenagers eventually did end up watching a movie like they had planned to, although their was a lot more kissing than watching taking place. will had fallen asleep at some point around 11:30, leaving dahlia to stare at him for a couple of minutes before placing her laptop, which they had used to watch the movie, away and falling asleep herself in his arms.

｡ﾟ•┈୨♡୧┈• ｡ﾟ

the next morning, will woke up in almost panic as he opened in his eyes to see that he was very much not in his room. he quickly pushed himself up, looking around the room only to remember he was in dahlia's room.

"stop moving." the girl whined softly as she tried her hardest to pull the boy back down. will smiled softly before laying back down, wrapping his arms around the girl and pulling her close to his chest.

"sorry."

"you're so warm." the girl gushed as she tried to bring herself as close to the boy as possible making him giggle lightly as the feeling of her face in his neck.

"'m sorry for falling asleep."

"don't worry. you're really comfy." dahlia said, finally pulling away from him and looking up softly at him. her eyes were barely opened as her hair flew in all directions on her head.

"am i?"

"mhm. might have to throw away my pillows and just keep you here forever." she joked before pecking his lips and letting her head fall into his chest.

"dahls?"

"mm."

"you're all i think about, you know."

"that's cute, willy." the girl smiled against his chest. only to find herself being forced to look up at the boy by his hands cupping her face and angling it upwards.

"i'm being serious, dahlia. fuck, every morning you're the first thing i think about, i'm in class and i can't focus on what's going on 'cause everything reminds me of you. and then you try and help me understand, but you're next to me and all i can think about is how much i'm falling for you. even when i'm at practice, can't stop thinking about you, dahls. and i don't think i ever want to stop thinking about you." the boy finally admitted what had been roaming in his head for way longer than he would like to admit. "i wanna be your boyfriend, dahls."

dahlia found herself blushing as she tried her hardest to keep eye contact with the boys. no one had ever said anything like this to her before, she thought stuff like this only happened in movies and books.

"i wanna be your girlfriend, will." she said, and the two were quick to connect their lips together. "so, we're... dating?" the girl asked shyly as the two of them pulled away, both of their face flush red.

"yeah... if that's what you want, of course."

"of course that's what i want, silly." the girl laughed before once again connecting their lips. it safe to say that the two barely made it on time to their first class of the day.

[patchwork-crow-writes]

No, actually, you get the Kralsei "incest" rant now, I've decided.

The ship being considered incest or incest-adjacent is largely a result of several assumptions that are being made about Ralsei, and to a lesser extent about Kris as well. For this to work, you have to assume the following:

Ralsei is modeled primarily on Asriel

All Boss Monsters of a certain age look identical to one another and are related to one another

Kris had absolutely no hand in Ralsei's creation

Kris is heavily uncomfortable with Ralsei's existence

The entire implied romantic undertones of Ralsei's feelings towards Kris were designed to be incestuous from the start

In order, I shall deconstruct and debunk these. Very long post below the read more, you have been warned.

While it is true that Ralsei does share some superficial similarities with Asriel, he's actually much, MUCH more similar to Kris in many ways. All he shares with Asriel is an anagrammed name and a passing likeness. They're not similar in terms of personality, and that goes regardless of which Asriel we're even talking about. Many people associate Ralsei with Undertale's incarnation of Asriel, who doesn't even exist in the same universe. Any similarities between the two are inferred entirely by the player, aided and abetted by the game making these subtle hints that they're "connected" in some way. Yeah, about as connected as Undertale is to Deltarune. To take this a step further, consider Kris and Frisk. No-one is conflating these two, not in a million years. And yet look, they share an anagrammed name and a passing likeness, so they're basically the same person, aren't they? I mean, we both control them through the SOUL, and they're both protagonists of games made by Toby Fox, so if anything they're more similar to each other than Ralsei is to Asriel. But of course, that's utterly absurd, and we all know it. *

I refer you once again to the humans. And before you tell me "they all obviously look different to each other" - and of course I'm not saying they're not different when they obviously are - consider how a monster might look at these humans if you placed them side-by-side. Pale-ish skin, brown hair, no obvious gender markers, similar height profiles. Any monster who's not intimately familiar with any of the humans in question might perhaps confuse them. And so it is with us and Boss Monsters. Just because Ralsei and Asriel share certain characteristics common to ALL boss monsters does not make them the same, or even similar, to each other. You only have to look at the sprites for the two side-by-side to see that there are plenty of differences between them. And as for Deltarune's Asriel? We haven't even seen this guy, we have NO idea what he looks like. We're just making assumptions again based on incomplete information. And if we assume that all boss monsters are related in some way due to how similar they might appear, then what does that make Toriel and Asgore, two boss monsters who have canonically produced offspring in both continuities? I don't need to say it, do I? *

It should be clarified here that I don't just mean Kris consciously made Ralsei at any point, either as an imaginary friend or monster-sona or what-have-you, but that Ralsei's creation as a darkner is somehow linked to how Kris saw themself/wished to be seen in their childhood. The most obvious piece of evidence supporting this is the horned headband that Toriel mentions at the end of Chapter 1. It's heavily implied that Kris would wear it so that they could be the same as their adoptive family, before they supposedly lost it somewhere down the line. It's not too much of a leap in logic to infer from this that Ralsei was created from that headband, at least in part. That said, there are certain aspects of Ralsei that don't exactly fit this neat mold, and I am willing to concede this point if it turns out that the headband thing is a massive misdirect. Nonetheless, I would say that the evidence we currently have to hand points more resolutely towards Ralsei being an aspect of Kris than of him being an aspect of Asriel. *

So I'm just going to say it: WE DON'T KNOW. Because Kris is our protagonist and POV character, it's incredibly easy to forget that we know next-to-nothing about the inner workings of their mind. They have no dialogue except what we tell them to say, and anything we CAN say about them is inferred from how other characters respond to their tone of voice. Of course, we can infer that Kris doesn't fully consider Ralsei a good friend based on his tea healing 60HP, but that on its own doesn't really tell us anything of much substance because you can't exactly cross-reference those numbers against a handy chart or anything - it's all context-dependent. We do at least know that they are comfortable enough around Ralsei to play the odd prank on him, which we know is something they used to do a lot of with Noelle and Asriel, two people they were close to growing up. They will, of their own volition, interpret our instruction to "take a bite" of Ralsei's dummy's clothes to make it look like they're kissing it on the cheek. I don't think that's something you would do with somebody who freaked you out on an existential level, or somebody who reminded you of your brother. Again, I am willing to concede this point should it turn out my interpretation of these clues is incorrect. *

Ask yourself this: What would Kralsei being incest - or incest-adjacent, or pseudo-incest, or whatever - contribute to the characters of Kris and Ralsei, to our relationship to them as players, or to the narrative or wider themes of Deltarune as a whole? I'll tell you - nothing whatsoever. The most such an interpretation can EVER say is that we as players are so easily manipulated by window-dressing and flattery that we will, knowingly or otherwise, romantically pair two characters together who are related in some way, shape or form. And let's say that this IS the intent behind their dynamic - all it amounts to, all it can ever amount to, is a great bit gotcha from Toby Fox himself. Haha, I tricked you into shipping two characters who are secretly related, isn't that fucked up of you? Somehow, I don't think that was his intention with this, it seems such a petty and small-minded thing for somebody who we know is capable of creating moving, thought-provoking, horrifying and beautiful stories. He's better than that. It turns the entire thing into a glorified skill-check: are YOU smart enough to identify that you're being encouraged to engage in incest-shipping, or are you a dumbass who only sees what's presented to you and doesn't ask questions about it? Contrary to popular belief, we're not all 5-D chess grandmasters, and shockingly not everybody is going to interpret the clues in this way. All it does is make people who DO earnestly ship Kralsei feel bad for something the game WAS ENCOURAGING THEM TO DO. Which would be fine if we were playing, say, Spec Ops: The Line, which is very much built around that conceit. And hey, if you wanna feel shitty about shipping two characters together in an extremely unhealthy and harmful manner, Snowgrave is right there. The difference here is that the weird route is A) completely optional, B) difficult if not impossible to accidentally trigger, C) completely derails the game's story and emotional beats, and D) doesn't rely on the shock value of surprise incest to carry it. Snowgrave actually has something INTERESTING to say about the nature of former friends, forced romance, a player's control over a protagonist and how people can be manipulated to do horrendous things by proxy. All the incest interpretation of Kralsei has to offer is that... it's incest, and you're a bit yucky for partaking in it. I'll wrap up this point by saying: incest is a very emotive topic and produces visceral emotional reactions in a lot of people. It's very clever that people have looked critically at Kralsei and observed the possibility, the interpretation, that this could be what's happening, but if the aim in doing so was to promote debate and analysis on the topic, I'm afraid it's only succeeded in doing the exact opposite, causing people to disengage from it entirely. And I strongly believe that's going to severely harm the state of discourse going into Deltarune's future chapters, because how are you going to talk about the game and what it's trying to say if you keep dodging a major part of it for fear of being thought of as pro-incest? It sucks if you're invested in the ship because no-one wants to discuss it, it sucks if you're NOT invested in the ship because it's not likely going to just evaporate come chapter 3, it sucks for everybody.

Now, having said all of that, I am not here to convince you that Kralsei is the truth and the life and what-have-you - you can read any of my other essays on the topic if you want to be preached to in that manner. You're valid and based for not liking Kralsei for any reason, and I wholeheartedly respect your opinion. All I'm trying to say here is that, calling it incest because "Ralsei is/looks like Asriel" or "Kris hates Ralsei" or whatever doesn't do anything for anyone. There are plenty of valid reasons not to like the ship, I just don't think that this is one of them.

Rant over, have a lovely day :D

[gyoobies]

Title: Campfire Connection

Pairing: Lee Know x Fem Reader

Genre: fluff, smut

MINORS DNI! Go do your homework or something.

CONTAINS, Smut, slight angst, mutual pining, unprotected sex ( don't do this, always protect yourself).

<That's all I got.... Sorry, not sorry.

You had honestly never been rejected by anyone, nor had you ever really had to pursue any romantic interests.  It was just always kind of your luck that whoever you were into was usually into you as well. So it was a pretty big blow to your ego when the person you were interested in this time showed up to the group camping trip with some random waitress he'd met only a few weeks prior.  

"Hey, the guys noticed a couple of the single sleeper tents were damaged while they were putting them up, so you'll have to share with someone." Your best friend said as they approached you sulking at one of the picnic tables nearby. You rolled your eyes as your friend delivered the news.

"OK, well, I'll share with Felix." 

"Actually, everyone is paired off already. Felix is with Hyunjin and Han because they have a bigger tent, Seungmin is with Jeongin, so that leaves you and Minho."

"Seriously? Did no one check the tents beforehand?" You said as you sighed, startling a bit when you you heard a voice respond that wasn't your friend's.

"Sorry I wasn't more thorough. I can swap with Felix since you're not happy about the setup." Minho said as he walked off.

Your friend nudged you to follow. "Don't be like that. It's getting late and for the most part, everyone has started dropping their stuff in their tents.

"Fine, but don't think I don't suspect you and Chan for this little arrangement. Why was Minho even over this way anyway?!"  You whisper Yelled.

"Maybe he was looking for you." Your friend said while wiggling their eyebrows, causing you to scrunch your face as you made your way to the tent you'd be sharing with Minho. 

Toeing off your shoes and dipping down to enter the tent, you notice Minho starting to put his things back into his bag. "Hey, wait, you don't have to switch. It's nothing against you, I just wasn't expecting to be sharing a tent."

'Not with me at least.' He thought to himself. Although you had only informed your friend and their boyfriend Chan about your crush on Changbin, Minho wasn't stupid. It was easy for him to see how you looked at Changbin whenever he was around because it's how he looked at you, not that you ever noticed.

"Wow,  this is probably the best sleep setup I've ever seen camping. I'm jealous, and the cat pillows are adorable." You giggled. 

Minho smirked, "if you like, you can sleep here, I mean, I can sleep on whatever you have and you can sleep here."

"Oh no, I couldn't, it seems like you've put a lot of effort into making it cozy, but thank you. Thanks for letting me sleep in your tent too." You said as you began to set up your sleeping bag on the opposite side of the tent. 

"No need to thank me, it's my fault it turned out like this, remember. " He said with the sweetest smile, as if he wasn't lowkey shading you from the incident earlier. 

The sound of the tent zipper saved you from having to apologize again.

"Hey,  so yea, we're going to start a fire soon and like, don't be mad, but I kind of forgot to pack the extra blankets you brought in the car."  Said an obviously nervous Chan.

"So, what I'm hearing is my friend is going to be single soon." You said as you flung your pillow at Chan, but he easily dodged it. 

"Whoa relax! Good thing your aim isn't that great." 

"But mine is." 

Before you or Chan could register what Minho meant, the pillow had already hit it's target, Chan's face.

"Yes! That was perfect!" You said through your laughter.

 "Hey, it's ok. You won't freeze, I've got more than enough to share with you."

Although you knew it was an offer for extra blankets, the way he said it made your mind wander just a bit.

"See! You're upset for nothing, Minho has got you covered...get it?! Because he's sharing his blankets with you?" Taking the death glares from both you and Minho as a hint, he decided to leave.

Once you had set up your sleeping area, you made your way over to where the fire had been started and took a seat next to your friend.

"About time you joined us." 

"Whatever, move over loser."

"So, Minho is fighting your battles I hear."

"Please, can you not."

"What?! You're the one that said you thought he was attractive when I first started seeing Chris, and if I remember correctly, you wanted him before you wanted Binnie. Just saying, he's single, you're single, maybe."

"Maybe... I'd like to not be a notch on his belt, and yes, you're absolutely correct. I was interested in him in the beginning, but the guy literally has a new prospect every other week. I'll pass thanks."

With that the conversation between you and your friend about your love life ended. 

A few drinks and roasted hot dogs in, you were all feeling good, and you fully understood why paying extra for the campsite a bit further way from the other sites, with its own bathhouse was necessary. 

"The sex can't be good." Your friend said as they nodded in the direction of Changbin's date grinding stiffly against him.

You burst out laughing pulling your friend to their feet so the two of you could dance together.

"Let's make the boys jealous." you whispered.

Rolling your bodies together, you smirked at each other when you noticed the sudden silence around you. You were so busy dancing you didn't realize your friend was plotting against you. You felt their hand creeping up your thigh, and before you could even react, they had wrapped their arm around your waist, lifting the oversized hoodie you were sporting to reveal the barely there yoga shorts hidden underneath.  You glared at them earning a giggle in response. 

"Why?"

"Because you have a great ass and you should share it with the world."

"Sorry to break up a good time, but I'm getting jealous." Said Chan with the cutest pout on his face.

"Ugh fine! You can have them back now. Hater." You rolled your eyes playfully as you walked away, heading toward the cooler to grab a water before calling it a night and heading back to the tent.

About a half hour later Minho returned to find you huddled up in your sleeping bag with the extra blanket he'd given you, watching a movie on your phone. You were startled when Minho put another blanket over you. 

"Minho! What are you doing?"

"It's supposed to get really cold tonight."

"Then you'll need this." You said as you tried to give him his blanket back. 

"I still have more than enough to keep me warm, I promise." 

There it was, that damn smile, still as breathtaking as the first day you'd met him.

"You ok?"

"Huh? Oh! Yea you're fi- I mean I'm fine." You said as you turned away quickly, thanking him for the blanket and trying to pretend like you were really into the movie you had been watching, and not dying of embarrassment on the inside.

Minho smirked to himself at the thought of you getting all starry-eyed for him. 'Maybe he still had a shot after all', he thought to himself as he settled in for the night. 

You woke early the next morning, surprisingly well rested for having slept on the ground. You gathered all you needed to shower before really starting your day, being careful not to make too much noise, and wake your tent mate. You made a mental note as you stepped out into the brisk morning air after your shower to thank Chan for having the brain power to think of getting a site with a bathhouse despite his recent failures.  You bounced over to the area where you had all gathered the night before and started another fire in preparation to make breakfast for everyone. Nothing spectacular just easy to fix over a campfire.  Setting everything you needed out, you got to work. 

"Want some help?" Came a voice still thick with sleep from behind you.  Much to your surprise, it was Changbin.

"I wasn't expecting anyone else to be awake for at least another hour or so."

"Well, I guess I could always go back to sleep. "

"Oh no! It's too late now, I'm gonna put you to work." You laughed.

The two of you worked well together, laughing and playing around as you went. With an extra pair of hands helping, everything was ready in no time at all.

A comfortable chatter had set in between the two of you as you began to set out the food on the picnic tables. Changbin was always good company. It was one of the reasons you developed a crush on him in the first place.

First to arrive was was Felix, quickly followed by Han, Hyunjin, Seungmin and Jeongin. 

"Mmmm, the food smells so good"  Felix says, voice a few octaves lower than usual as he rested his head on your shoulder, watching you boil water for anyone that would like tea or coffee. 

"Wow! And I thought your voice couldn't get any deeper." You laughed. "Go eat before it gets cold, or they eat it all."

"Coooffeeeeeee, cooooooooofeeeeeeeeee"

"I know who that is." You giggled as you turned to see your friend, who of course was walking toward you like a zombie as they continued to vocalize their desire for caffeine.

"Black, no sugar, no cream,  just the way you like it." 

"Blessings on you and your vibrator, may the mortor stay lively and the battery stay full." they declared as you handed them the cup.

 Their humor was one of their most charming points, and you could only laugh, being used to this behavior.

"Wow, how embarrassing."

You looked up to see Changbin's +1 glaring at you.

"And why would that be embarrassing?" You questioned.

"If you're fine with the world knowing you're lonely, then I guess it's not embarrassing for you." She said with a smug look on her face as she gripped Changbin's arm.

"Who said I was using the vibrator alone?"  You laughed, walking to take a seat at the table that was now filled with blushing men. Felix nudged your side with a playful smirk. "She's so annoying." he whispered.

You and Felix carried on much like usual, makingnfun of Chan and exchanging knowing looks anytine Changbin's tag along opened her mouth. Despite all the fun you were having being caty with Felix, it didn't take long for you to realize someone still hadn't showed up to eat, so you took a moment to step away and  stash some food for him, knowing if you didn't, he wouldn't have a snowballs chance at getting any.

Finally finding the strength to get up, after a rough night of trying to sleep, Minho groaned realizing he had unfortunately underestimated how much he would need that extra blanket in the middle of the night. Making his way out of the tent, he began to approach the group. Taking a look around at all the tables, he noticed he was the last one to wake, so he had zero expectations that any of whatever everyone was eating was left. 

"Finally, you've decided to join us!" said a disgustingly energetic Chan.

Minho offered little more than a grumble as a response, while he went to rummage through the bin that held the dry goods, settling on a couple of granola bars, he shuffled over to take a seat.

You watched as he took a seat at the far end of the table wearing a very dissatisfied pout as he looked around at the now empty plates. You watched him for only a moment before you decided to put an end to his grumpy mood. 

"I think this will taste better." you said as you placed the plate of food you had stashed away in front of him with a hot cup of coffee.

The look of surprise quickly turned into a smile, accompanied by a soft "Thanks for thinking about me."

That simple statement, for reasons you weren't willing to admit, gave you butterflies.

"What kind of person would I be if forgot about you after you gave me your extra blankets?" 

It was then that he decided that he could sleep through two more nights of cold if it meant getting a little more attention from you. 

You thoroughly checked your camera equipment as you packed everything you'd need to take with you on your hike. You exited the tent so quickly you almost crashed face first into your tent mate, who had obviously just come from the showers based on the damp towel around his neck and the wet strands of hair that laid across his forehead.

"From the looks of that camera bag, I assume you're not going swimming with everyone else?"

"No, maybe I'll go tomorrow, but the weather right now is perfect, so I'm going to go explore and take some photos. What about you?"

"I'm not sure actually. I'm not really in the swimming mood."

"Well, you're welcome to tag along with me if you'd like."

Minho answered so quickly, you wondered if he had been hoping you'd ask him to accompany you in the first place.

"Sounds good, just give me a second to get ready." He said as he flashed that knee weakening smile.

You  watched everyone excitedly getting ready to go swimming as you waited patiently at the picnic tables, a bit nervously if you were being honest, but why were you nervous in the first place? You weren't interested in him anymore, now you wasted time trying to figure out how Binnie ended up with such an annoying bitch. The minute he stepped out of the tent and began to make his way towards you, you remembered why. Minho was insanely hot, even though he was sporting a simple tee, shorts and a backwards cap, he looked absolutely edible. In all your pining over Changbin you had actually forgotten how bad you used to have it for him.

"All set!" He said as he stopped in front of you.

You gave a nod and began to lift the bag you'd packed but Minho quickly grabbed it from you. 

"Let me carry it, you're letting me tag along, so the least I can do is carry your bag." He said. As he squatted to tie his shoe.

" I also saved you from starvation, don't forget that." You joked.

He looked up at you just before finishing up his double knot in his laces. "I'll never forget that." He smiled, and stood before turning to head out of the camp.

"Wow, so you two are ditching us?!" Screamed Chan while the two of you waved him off as you began to leave.

"I hope he makes a move, I'm tired of watching him steal glances at her and pouting when she runs off with Felix." Said Chan, causing your friend to giggle at his serious father like expression.

" He better! Binnie is not an option anymore, so he'd better claim her before this guy she works with gets the courage to ask her out."

"There's another guy?!

Your friend laughed at Chan's shocked expression. " Yes, but he's shy. The poor guy is a constant shade of blush pink anytime she's around him. Oh! and he's hot! Like crazy hot. Probably a sub too, she'd have fun with that I bet. Ooooo she could dress him up in a harness to show off those abs."

"Hey! Are you cheering for Minho or the hot shy sub with abs she works with?!"

"Seoho."

"What?"

"Seoho, that's his name, and of course I'm pulling for Minho! I'm just saying she won't be available forever, especially not if her hot neighbor makes a move."

"NEIGHBOR!"

Your friend just laughed. I'm kidding, both her neighbors are gay...but one is a lesbian and she is bi so..."

Before your friend could even finish their sentence Chan was already frantically texting Minho.

"Wow this place is seriously so beautiful" you said as you took photos of the wildflowers that littered the landscape. Every intricate detail of each flower holding your attention, so much so that you didn't notice the way Minho was smiling at you.

"Cute"

"Huh?"

" You, you're so excited about flowers, it's cute."

You gave a bashful smile and began taking photos.

The rest of the day went much like that, you taking photos and Minho complimenting your photography style and your little quirks. 

Minho watched you fondly as you photographed a patch of flowers by a small creek, until his phone began to vibrate. He took it out of his pocket to see that it was his weather app that had sent a storm alert. He quickly opened it to see when the storm would hit, and noticed a few text messages from Chan. After getting the information he needed from the app he opened the messages Chan had sent.

"Make your move!"

"There's a hot sub with abs that wants her to dom him! Apparently really hot!"

"And shy!"

"Did you know she's bi?!"

"She has a lesbian neighbor!"

Minho just stared at his phone with a confused expression on his face, trying to decipher what he was trying to say.

"Everything ok?" You questioned as you looked at the odd expression on his face.

"Huh? Oh, yea, we should head back. I just got a weather alert that says it's going to rain in a couple hours."

You sighed, you hated that you had to cut your litte photo session short, but you quickly packed up.

"Great! Knowing our luck Chan probably didn't pack any tarps."

That statement earned a chuckle from Minho.

"You're right because I packed them." He said as he held out a hand for you.

It was unexpected but you didn't hesitate to grab hold of it, taking notice of the way your hands fit together perfectly. 

"Its a bit rocky, we have to move quickly, and I don't want you to fall."

You trailed hastily behind Minho as he navigated the way back with urgency. This in no way stopped you from admiring his physique. He was on the shorter side, just a few inches taller than you, but his broad back, and toned legs were signs that he was strong. This lead you to daydream all the way back to camp about how he could probably lift you easily.

The two of you were first to arrive back at the  campsite, Minho wasted no time getting the tarps out to put up. 

"What should I help with?" 

"Well, if you want, you can set out the tarps, ropes and stakes next to the other tents. It'll make the process faster for them if its organized already when they get back."

Nodding your head in agreement you set off to get the tarps. You worked diligently to untangle a few of the ropes, and once you'd gotten everything separated you began to lay all they would need next to each tent. Minho watched you as you moved about the campsite until he saw the pleasant expression that had been plastered on your face change to an unreadable one when you'd made it to Changbin's tent.

You hadn't meant to invade anyone's privacy, but you couldn't help but notice the box of condoms proudly on display in Changbin's tent through the slightly open entrance. You were startled out of your daze when you heard a yelp, quickly turning your attention to the direction of the sound.

Minho internally scolded himself, he was so distracted by you and trying to figure out what you saw that changed your expression, that he wasn't watching where he was going as he backed up to check his handy work on the tarp and tripped over a fallen branch. Quickly you made your way to him, worried he could be seriously hurt.

 "Minho! Are your ok? Does anything hurt?"

With smiling eyes he looked up at you as you kneeled at his side. "Only my pride."

Why did he have to be so damn cute? 

You grabbed his hand to help him sit up and found yourself staring directly into his eyes. 

"Are you sure?"  You said dropping your eyes to scan over him for any cuts or bruises.

"I promise, I'm not hurt" He said softly as he tucked his finger under your chin to guide your eyes back to his. His gaze was more than reassurance that he was ok, it was like a beacon, calling to the desires you thought you no longer had. Luckily everyone started to arrive back to the camp before you did something stupid. Quickly you stood up and held your hand out to help him up. 

"We're back!" Said Chan as he made his way to begin hanging the tarp over his tent.

You sighed in annoyance at the smirk on your friend's face as they looked back and forth between you and Minho. 

"Hey! We're probably going to be stuck in our tents for a while until the heaviest part of the rain passes." Minho shouted out for all to hear.

"Yea I figured. Let's make some ramen for now and campfire pizzas or something for later and grab snacks for the tents."  Your friend suggested.

"do you want me to grab any specific snacks from the food tent" you asked Minho as you began to step away.

"anything is fine." He responded coyly.

You knew the moment you were alone, the questions would be neverending, so you decided to spill before they had the opportunity to ask anything. The minute you both walked into the food tent you started talking.

"I'm confused."

"Huh? About what?"

"Everything I thought I knew about Minho's personality, but I think I was wrong." You said as you avoided looking at your friend.  You knew there was most likely a smug look on their face.

"Oh! Really?"

"Shut up! But he's actually really sweet, smart, and funny."

"Don't forget ridiculously fucking hot! Like wow!"

"Please, shut up."

"What? It's true!"

You sighed loudly "I know! And I don't know if it's the lack of sex, the scenery, the realization that we have a lot in common or a combination of it all, but if you had taken a little longer to come back I probably would have mounted him."

"Damn, that's hot! I don't see the issue."

"Of fucking course you don't! I like him, but I don't want to be his flavor of the week."

"Who said you would be? Maybe you're just assuming he's like that, just like you assumed you knew other parts of his personality. Now here you are having a sexually frustrated meltdown in a tent, desperately clutching cup ramen. Look, I'm not saying he's perfect, but just because he may have dated a lot, does that mean he doesn't deserve a chance to show you something different?"

You mulled over your friends words as the two of you prepared food. They weren't wrong, you wouldn't want someone to hold your past relationships against you. You also had to remind yourself that you weren't even sure if he was actually into you. 

After every tarp was up and everyone had filled their tents with snacks, everyone spent the time before the rain, chatting and eating cup ramen together.

"So what did you two find when you ditched us." Said Hyunjin. 

"Peace" you responded causing the group to chuckle.

Before Hyunjin could offer any snarky responses rain began to fall. You all began to scramble tossing the trash and making sure everything was secured. Before you made your way to the tent, your friend pulled you aside to remind you to be open minded.

You dipped to make your way under the tarp and found that Minho had thoughtfully brought a small plastic bin with a lid to keep your shoes in so they were sure not to get wet from the rain while sitting outside.

Once inside you found your tent mate had changed his clothes and was now relaxing among his pillows, headphones on and eyes closed. You had to admit, you were hoping that being confined to your tent would give you a little more time to get to know him better, but that didn't seem to be in the cards, so you settled into your sleeping area and decided to watch a movie. Before you could even find one that interested you, Minho had thrown a pillow and startled you.

"HEY!" You hissed.

"Sorry, I thought you had earbuds in." He laughed.  "Do you wanna watch a movie with me?" He said as he made room for you next to him. "You'll have to come over here because I need to set-up on that side."  

"Set-up?"

"You'll see. Just come."

You made your way over to his adorable sleeping area and tried to make yourself comfortable as you watched him set-up a mini projector that connected to his phone and a screen the he pulled from his bag.

"Wow you really camp in luxury. I'm really regretting not taking you up on your offer to swap now that I know how comfortable it is." You said through laughter.

Minho shot you wink over his shoulder.

"Well, its big enough for two if you dont mind sharing? I would offer to swap, but truthfully, I am starting to feel that fall from earlier a bit, so I kind of need the extra cushion." In that moment you mentally thanked your friend and Chan for inviting you on this camping trip.

"I can massage where it hurts if you'd like."

You noticed his ears begin to turn red before he answered, a bit shyly. "Um, it's ok, I'm not sure asking you to rub my ass is appropriate."

You quickly burried your face in the pillows to muffle your laughter. " I'm sorry, I just didn't think about the fact that it could have been anything other than your back that hurt."

You studied his features that showed all the signs of embarrassment as he continued his set-up. His ears were now a blazing red, and a slight tint of pink could be seen across his face.

"Cute." You mumbled.

Once he had everything set up, he took his place beside you so you could pick a movie together. After a couple of minutes you decided on an action movie.

 Minho made himself comfortable and laid on his side, resting his head on his hand. You followed his lead, laying on your stomach and resting your head on your arms so you didn't block his view.

About thirty-five minutes in, you had to say something. 

"Minho?"

"Yea?"

"This movie sucks."

 He erupted into laughter. "You picked it!"

"I know!" You groaned as you rolled to your back and let out an exasperated chuckle. 

"Well, we can watch something else, but you can't pick " 

You immediately hit him with one of his cat pillows. 

"Aww you're pouting!  Cute." He cooed.

You turned your head slightly to find Minho's eyes lingering on your face.

"You say that a lot."

"Only when it's true." He said as he moved a bit closer to you.

You could feel the pull again, the attraction, the need to feel his lips on yours, but you needed to know something first.

"You know who else is really cute? That girl  you're dating, with the short hair." 

A smirk crept onto his face. 

"Ah! Yea, she is cute, but I'm not dating her."

"Oh! Sorry. The girl that came over with the red hair about a week ago was cute too."

You felt him move a bit closer. "Hmmmm she is too, but I'm not dating her either."

"Oh! Well the gi-"  before you could fish for anymore information, Minho cut you off.

"I'm not dating anyone currently. I haven't dated anyone seriously for a while. Some of the girls you see come over are there to review their dance videos so I can instruct them on what needs to be cleaned up. I have them come to our place because sometimes they aren't able to make it to the studio before the building closes. Others are dates, but you don't see them around for long because I know what I'm looking for and they weren't it. So, do you wanna know about the girl I brought over a few months ago too, orrrr?"

You were visibly embarrassed to have shamelessly questioned him about his dating life and he definitely picked up on it because once again he was laughing at your expense.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to pry."

"It's fine really. I guess now that I think about it, it probably didn't look good from the outside looking in, to see me with a different girl every week."  Minho paused when he noticed you looking at him with a soft smile pulling at your lips. "What?"

You turned to stare at the ceiling of the tent before confessing. "Nothing, I'm just glad things worked out how they did. You're a lot different from how I perceived you and I may have never gotten to know you if it wasn't for this trip. You probably think I'm a lot different too huh?" You said as you turned your head to him slightly.  The expression on his face was very serious as he responded with a very clear "No". You didn't know exactly how to react other than to question his response.

"No? You don't have any change in your opinion of me now that you know me better?"

"No" He said again as he shifted even closer to you. Now able to look down at your face as he spoke. "My opinion of you is the same now as it was the first day you came over and Chan introduced you as his partner's partner in crime. You're smart, confident, funny, and beautiful, you're perfect. I don't see anything different, so I don't need to change my opinion."

You we taken back by his statement at first, but decided he must be joking to get a flustered reaction out of you. "Yea, sure, whatever." you said laughing it off as you rolled your eyes, turning away from him slightly.

At that moment his phone chimed signaling a new message was waiting. Minho almost felt defeated. Did you really not believe him? Or were you pretending you didn't believe him to possibly deter him from confessing? Maybe you were still holding on to your feelings for Changbin.  Again, his phone chimed, this time he opened the messages.  Of course they were from Chan.

"Did you tell her yet?"

"Don't miss your chance."

"Remember she had a crush on you first, not Changbin."

He was blankly staring at Chan's messages trying to work up the nerve to really confess and prepare himself for a possible rejection. It was only when you began to get up to move away from him that he realized he had made the situation awkward by going silent. 

"WAIT!" Without thinking, he pulled you back into his chest, and let out a deep breath to calm his nerves. Finally finding the courage to speak, he let everything he'd kept to himself out.

"You know how I said the girls I dated didn't last long because they weren't what I was looking for?" He pause for you to answer.

"Yea."

"I guess I phrased it wrong. I shouldn't have said they weren't what I was looking for, but they weren't who I was looking for.  It doesn't  take long for me to figure out when someone's not a good match for me, it also doesn't take me much time to figure out when someone is probably perfect for me, but they have eyes for someone else."

You tried to turn over so you could see his face but he held you in place.

"Please, just let me finish this while I have the nerve. I know who I want, I've known for months, and this camping trip was gonna be my last attempt to get you to notice me."

You were surprised to hear him confessing like this. You knew he likely found you attractive, but you hadn't really thought he'd have such deep hidden feelings for you.

"You're so confident and sure of yourself, I've seen women literally fall over themselves when you're around, so why were you nervous to tell me how you feel?" You questioned.

"Please don't be upset with how this is going to come out, but how am I supposed to feel when the woman I've been secretly falling for was falling for one of my best friends? Seeing you com over to have movie nights, and just hang out with him. It's not exactly a confidence booster and I didn't want to ruin anything. You both seemed to enjoy being around one another and from what I had seen in his last relationship, Bin was a good boyfriend, I thought maybe he'd probably treat you better than I could, so I decided to try to let go, but I couldn't and I don't want to anymore. Today was the best date I've had in years, and it wasn't even a real date. Wow! that sounds so pathetic, but it's true." He took another deep breath to calm his heart that felt as if it was going to beat right out of his chest.

"I think I'm going to shut up now, before I embarrass myself any more."

You sat there for a moment with his arms still wrapped around you, his forehead now pressed to your shoulder and just tried to process everything that he said.

You were wrong. So, so, so, so wrong in your assumptions about Minho. Yes, he was blunt, tough, and a bit sarcastic, but he was also sweet, attentive, funny and apparently very misunderstood by you.

"I'm sorry." Was the first thing you thought to say, but you realized when you felt his grip loosen that maybe you should have started off with something else, something less rejection sounding. You quickly turned to face him, cupping his face with both your hands you kissed him softly before continuing.  "I meant I'm sorry that I made assumptions about you, I wrote you off before really getting to know you. I'm glad you decided to take a chance and try again."

Minho smiled at you sweetly before kissing you again. "Does this mean you want to try dating me?"

"Yes, but I need to know that it won't bother you knowing I had a crush on your friend?"

"I'm not going to say I won't be jealous when you interact with him sometimes, but I think I'll be ok, so long as you promise to stop eye fucking him and start eye fucking me."

 You both erupted into laughter only stopping when you leaned in to whisper in his ear.

"I may have decided against trying to date you, but I never stopped eye fucking you. Besides I can do more than just eye fuck you now."

"You better be careful, teasing will get you punished." He growled.

"Hmm I do like the thought of being punished by you, but not today. Today, I'm going to be so good, gonna be the best girl to you. Lay down for me." You whispered sweetly.

Minho did as you asked, resting his upper body back against his pile of pillows. His eyes followed your movements as you removed your pants and top, revealing soft pink panties and a matching bra.

"So cute." He said with a smile.

"Oh baby, if you like my camping underwear, wait til we get back home. I have some really nice ones you'll love". You giggled.

"I want to see them all."

"I'll  show you whatever you want." You said as you ran your hands up his thighs, stopping when you reached the waistband of his sweats. You looked up to find Minho watching, waiting for your next move. "Can I have permission to touch you?"

Throwing his head back he let out a low groan, he didn't know if you were just guessing or if you could read him that well already, but one thing was for sure, if you were this good at being "the best girl" for him, he couldn't wait for the day you'd be a bad girl.

 "Yes, you have permission to do anything you want."

You tucked you fingers inside his waistband making sure you grab his underwear as well, before pulling them off.

"I knew such a pretty face would have an equally pretty dick to match."  You said just before spitting on his dick to stroke it. You watched as he threw his head back again, enticing you with that pretty neck of his.  A few more strokes and then you took him in your mouth, earning a sinful moan from Minho. If it was possible you'd spend every day with his dick shoved down your throat just to hear his soft breathy moans.

He threaded his fingers in your hair and began to gently thrust into your mouth. His moans quickly went from soft and breathy to low, sinful grunts with every thrust and you took this as a signal that he was going to cum.  Soon he was just fucking your throat and all you could think about was swallowing every drop of him. 

*chime*

*chime*

*chime*

Minho groan in annoyance letting go of your head. I have to respond or he'll just keep asking. You removed Minho's dick from your mouth briefly to respond.

"It's Chan, isn't it?"

"Yes, I'm sorry. He's been messaging me the entire time to encourage me to confess, he even messaged me while we were hiking."

"OK well, tell him you did so he'll stop interrupting." You said while trailing your finger along the length of his dick causing it to twitch.

"Baby, this is Chan he'll just have more questions."

"Fine! We'll do it this way." You huffed as you moved to grab his phone noticing the background was a photo of you in the wildflower field from earlier. You turned to to him with a questioning look, making him flustered as he reached for his phone.

"I'm sorry. I know I should have asked, but everything in that moment was perfect and I figured I could at least have that memory if you rejected me."

 Your heart fluttered knowing he had sneakily taken a picture of you as a keepsake, and as badly as you wanted him before, that feeling had increased exponentially now. You straddled him moving your panties to the side to grind your wet pussy on his dick.  You lifted slightly to line him up with your entrance, gasping in unison with him when you eased all the way down, filling yourself with him completely.  You leaned down to kiss him and he took the chance to flip you over, positioning himself on top of you. 

 "Can you open wider for me?" He said as he pushed your legs further apart.  "Just like that" He moaned. His slow deep strokes sent waves of tingles across your body with every thrust.  

*chime*

"That's it!" You screamed as you grabbed his phone to call your biggest inconvenience since this trip began. The phone barely rang before an eager Chan could be heard. Minho slowed his thrusts so as not to give away what you were doing, but you didn't care if they heard, in fact, you called so he could hear, effectively answering any and all of his questions about how the confession went.

"Finally! how did it go? Does she feel the same?"

"Chan!"

 "Oh! It's you!"  

"Yes its me, and if you don't stop interrupting I will gladly choke you tomorrow."

"But where-" Chan's train of thought derailed the moment Minho picked up the pace grunting as he did and you whimpered into the phone. 

"He's busy, oh fuck! Right there! Bye." You moaned.

You could hear your friend cheering in the background as you ended the call. 

You always just thought sex so good it made your toes curl was just an exaggeration until now. Wrapping your legs around his waist you pulled him closer needing to feel his weight on you.  

"You feel so good." He said as he took one of your legs from his waist, and hooked it over his shoulder. The new angle gave you everything you needed and it wasn't long before he groaned at how your pussy squeezed his dick, mimicking the way your hands were squeezing forearms as you came.

Breathlessly you called his name he continued to fuck you, never letting up even after the second orgasm that quickly followed your first. You whimpered when he pulled out of your dripping pussy and flipped you to your stomach.

"Ass up baby, I can stop holding off now that I've gotten two orgasms out of you."

You whimpered as you got into position, arching your back so that your ass was at the perfect angle for him to pound into you.

"Fuck" He whispered before diving in to taste you.  You jolted at the unexpected feeling of his mouth on you. Why was he so good at everything?! You had to bury your face deep into the pillows to muffle your cries. Sure, your tent was further away from the other tents and the sound of the pattering rain was drowning out almost every sound as it got heavier, but the last thing you wanted was for them to hear you screaming his name and begging him to fuck you senseless. Satisfied with finally tasting you the way he had always wanted, he rose to his knees and positioned himself behind you, caressing your ass gently before sliding inside you. Minho leaned over you momentarily to nip at your shoulder as he began to thrust into you. Confident that you had adjusted to this new position he picked up his pace. Mesmerized by the way your ass jiggled every time he snapped his hips into you, he hadn't even realized his thrusts had gotten harder and faster until his final thrust that made you collapse, caused him to slip out of you just before his climax. Quickly he pumped himself to completion, groaning as he reached his release, painting your ass and thighs with his cum.

He took a moment to catch his breath and admire the sight of his pearly droplets beginning to drip down the curve of your ass, he wondered momentarily if you'd allow him to do the same to your tongue, before rummaging through one of his bags, and retrieving a towel to clean you of his mess.

Taking his place beside you, he ran his fingers up and down your back soothingly, kissing your shoulder. He gazed at you fondly as you laid there, eyes closed, head still surrounded by his mountain of pillows. He was exhausted and he was sure you'd both be asleep in no time, if you weren't already. 

The next morning Minho woke first, happy to see he wasn't just dreaming. You opened your eyes as he greeted you with a kiss to your forehead.

"Good morning kitten. How do you feel?"

"I don't think I have a lower half anymore."

Minho burst into giggles. "Well, I guess that means I have to carry you the the showers."

"I can manage but you have to shower with me in case my legs betray me for last night."

"I can definitely do that, but let's rest a little more first, it's still early, it's only 6."

Wrapping the blankets around the both of you tighter, Minho held you close as you both drifted off to sleep again. 

"Aren't you glad I wasn't more thorough with checking tents now?" He laughed. 

Epilogue: The bonfire crackled as Changbin took another sip of his beer. It's been about two months since the camping trip and about two weeks since he called it off with the girl he'd taken on the camping trip. She was never meant to be long term, just another distraction from the heartbreak of his ex cheating on him and a way to keep you from falling for him. He knew eventually he'd want something more serious again one day, someone more compatible with him. He thought of how you were always there to cheer him up, to coax him out of whatever funk he was in and get him to hang with the group to help ease his pain after his breakup. Over time, he could feel a shift in your friendship, and it scared him. He wasn't ready to date anyone, let alone someone like you. You were ready to love, and give your all and it wouldn't be fair for him to take that from you when he just wasn't ready to give it back, especially when one of his best friends couldn't keep his eyes off you. He knew Minho had an interest in you from the day they all met you. He felt a pang of guilt as he thought about how your efforts to cheer him up got in the way of you getting to know Minho better. Sure, that didn't stop the others, especially Felix and Hyunjin from building relationships with you, but Minho's situation was a bit different. Kind of hard to show interest in someone if they're busy showering their affection on someone else. It was best for him to step aside so you two could find each other.

"Do you regret it?" Han said as he came to sit beside his friend.

Looking over to the patio where you and Minho had snuggled up on the porch swing, Changbin sighed. "Sometimes I do, but then I see how happy they are, and that's how I know I made the right choice."

NOTE: If you guys want to experience this story from the bestie's POV Here 👈🏾

[mashounen1945]

I was about to add my two cents to this, but then I realized that'd make me go off on a tangent too far from the central topic of this post, and the exact subject I was planning to address is... more on the absurd/ridiculous end, shall we say*. So I decided to put such digression on a post of my own, separate from this thread of reblogs [here it is: https://www.tumblr.com/mashounen1945/772076335363440640/stuffedeggplants].

[* Here's a couple of clues on what I was planning to write about: it's two vampire stories with not-so-subtle references to the Jewish people and Judaism, both of those stories predictably aged like milk, one of them is an old Mexican parody movie, and the other one is a small bunch of "old" (please pay attention to the air quotes) Japanese "bullet hell" videogames only released on PC]

Other than that, I'm just gonna recommend checking out this extended thread [https://www.tumblr.com/stuffedeggplants/771835963238498304/youre-not-crazy-he-looks-like-vlad-the-impaler] with additional contributions by @anartificialsatellite, @smegorl and @stuffedeggplants, as well as this reblog [https://www.tumblr.com/stripedroseandsketchpads/772034266619052032/hey-uh-so-theres-a-couple-things-i-wanna-point] by @stripedroseandsketchpads where they warn about something else in this new Nosferatu film.

“If it should be, and he came to London, with his teeming millions. … There may be a solemn duty; and if it come we must not shrink from it.”—Bram Stoker, Dracula

A vampire must avoid direct sunlight to avoid crumbling into ash, yet few folk horrors have been subject to more scrutiny than the transformative bloodsuckers who dominate the night. A new and absolutely terrific cinematic take on the myth, Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu, has hit theaters, and its most notable element, in addition to outstanding performances, dialogue, and production design, is that this new version really amps up the lusty goth quotient. (So much hallucinatory writhing and moaning!) However, its release so close to the inauguration of a U.S. president who has stoked fears of immigrants draws out xenophobic elements inherent to the text, and an inner tension with its own reactionary origin is part of the genius of this new film.

If you aren’t a subscriber to Fangoria magazine, you may not know the Nosferatu backstory. The first version, released in 1922, is a landmark of German filmmaking that plundered intellectual property as if it were the grave of a Victorian noblewoman buried with her jewels—a fate some of the characters in Dracula think has befallen poor Lucy Westenra, before it is revealed she is actually an accursed undead demon!

Unlike his most famous literary creation, though, Irish-born writer Bram Stoker does not walk the earth a century after his death. As such, the theater manager who wrote books on the side would likely be surprised at the strength of his legacy. Dracula, published in 1897, was only a modest success at the time. It was not even the first book about vampires published in English; how it became the wellspring for vampire iconography—to the point that is used to sell breakfast cereal—is perhaps due to vivid, dueling film interpretations.

In 1921, a German film producer with an interest in the occult created a new studio (Prana) with an eye toward making supernatural-themed films, and kicked things off with an adaptation of Dracula. He hired Henrik Galeen, who co-wrote the outstanding expressionist The Golem: How He Came Into the World, to write the screenplay, and F. W. Murnau—who would later make Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans, one of the undisputed masterpieces of silent cinema—to direct. But he did not pay for the rights to Bram Stoker’s book. Instead, Galeen changed the names of the characters (Count Dracula to Count Orlok) and the location (London to Wisborg, a fictional German city), and made some additional tweaks to the narrative. The title, Nosferatu, is a word used in Dracula to categorize vampires, meaning undead. (The etymology of this word remains debated, but it may have its roots in the Greek nosophoros, meaning “disease-bearing.”)

Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror was released to significant acclaim, but one person who wasn’t happily chomping on popcorn was Florence Balcombe, Bram Stoker’s widow. An anonymous informant sent her a handbill from the movie’s lavish premiere at the Marble Hall of the Berlin Zoological Gardens. The promotional material boasted that the film was “freely adapted” from Dracula. Balcombe took this to court, won her case, and bankrupted Prana, which was ordered to destroy every copy of Nosferatu. Clearly, this did not happen, as you can still watch the movie today—and, despite the iffy ethical origins, you should; it’s terrific.

But what Balcombe did next was key. Springboarding off the increased interest in the story (and to guarantee proper payment on copyrighted material), she greenlit a stage production. The show ended up being a hit in London in 1927, then moved to New York later the same year. That version starred Bela Lugosi. Four years later, Lugosi reprised the role for Tod Browning’s film version for Universal Pictures, the first talkie in the Universal Monsters series. It was a sensation, and Lugosi’s sharp-toothed Transylvanian is now an early screen icon on par with Chaplin’s Little Tramp.

Other Dracula movies were soon in the works—a Spanish-language version was actually shot concurrently with Browning’s, using the same sets—and have never stopped. Hammer Studios in Britain made several classics starring Christopher Lee; there’s the Andy Warhol-presented Blood for Dracula; the disco era’s comedy Love at First Bite; Francis Ford Coppola’s stylistic version from the 1990s; and then there’s Adam Sandler’s Hotel Transylvania cartoons. Moreover, Lugosi knew a good gig when he saw it. The actor reprised his role for comedy (Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein—and also the Count!) and special appearances (a gig on Fred Allen’s top rated Texaco Star Theater radio show is just one example), and also starred in several Dracula-esque horror titles like The Devil Bat. While Lugosi’s lines from Dracula were instantly quotable (“I never drink … wine” is certainly my favorite), behind it all was the less hokey, dreamlike silent film version of Nosferatu, sprung from illicit origins and filled with striking sinister imagery.

Shadow of the Vampire, released in 2000, imagines that the original production was cursed because actor Max Schreck, who played Count Orlok, was truly a vampire. (Willem Dafoe was nominated for an Oscar for his performance of Schreck in this behind-the-scenes comedy, which is especially amusing because he plays the part of Prof. von Frantz, a spin on Stoker’s Dr. Van Helsing, in the new film.) Shadow of the Vampire’s premise—the cover up of an unsettling (fictional) aspect of the original Nosferatu—works because, while the intentions of Murnau and company are hard to know, it is easy to see how German audiences of the 1920s could read Nosferatu as antisemitic.

The film and its source material read like a laundry list of antisemitic tropes: The Count comes from “the East,” a backwards, superstitious land. (Transylvania, while certainly a real place, means “beyond the woods.”) He has somehow amassed a fortune despite living apart from the villagers who fear and despise him. He is a non-metaphorical bloodsucker. When he gets to civilization, he immediately starts preying on women. In most versions of the story, the first woman he assaults turns into a vampire herself, then starts draining the blood of babies and children, recalling the many examples of supposed blood libel used to excuse antisemitic violence throughout the previous centuries. When the character of Mina Harker (called Ellen Hutter in Nosferatu) is finally penetrated by the count, she declares that her blood is “unclean.” The Count’s curse demands that he sleep each night in the earth of his origin, but he comes up with a sneaky loophole by packing several coffins filled with Transylvanian dirt. One way to interpret the Count’s actions is metaphorical: The immigrants are unwilling to assimilate and they taint our family lines and drag their traditions along with them from the old country. But on a much more literal level, it is quite bluntly blut und bloden, blood and soil, a Nazi rallying cry since the 1920s that, unfortunately, persists to this day.

While these symbolic plot elements exist in the 1897 novel, it was the 1922 German film that dialed them up, adding some undeniable antisemitic visual tropes. Count Orlok, compared to the Spirit Halloween-ready Count Dracula, has a hooked nose and rodent-like clutching hands, an exaggerated reinterpretation of the Count’s features compared to how they are described in Stoker’s book. (Lugosi’s Dracula from 1931 eases up on the visual stereotypes considerably, but he does wear a six-pointed star the first time we see him.)

Murnau also added a plague element to Nosferatu’s storyline. When the Count’s ship comes to Wisborg, it arrives with rats and a rapidly spreading sickness. This “verminization” goes hand-in-hand with the notion of the “dirty Jew.” It is believed that Julius Streicher, editor-in-chief of the Nazi mouthpiece Der Stürmer, was a fan of the film, and Hitler himself, in Mein Kampf, compared Jews to vampires.

So hold on a second, you are telling me that a major motion picture studio has released a work of antisemitic propaganda, and it’s in theaters right now? Do I need to send an angry letter? No, not at all. Please do not cancel Robert Eggers, one of the more brilliant directors on the scene today, whose take on Nosferatu tamps down the antisemitism. (This is his fourth film, following The Witch, The Lighthouse, and The Northman, all very sharp plays on genre storytelling, and all worth watching.). Now, Count Orlok just has a weird and striking nose, not a hook nose. He is also less of a schemer. He is compelled to come to Wisborg, as if it is part of his burdensome curse. If one were to ask, “Why make this movie again?” I’d say that, apart from the exemplary sets and performances and cinematography, Eggers emboldens the supernatural, psychosexual connection between the Count and Ellen. Yes, the town leaders of Wisborg—ostensibly the heroes—remain understandably xenophobic. But Eggers adds a top layer of tragedy, by making the subtext text: The Count and Ellen should be able to get their telepathic freak on, but the social codes of the 1830s are so stifling that even the Prince of Darkness can’t fight them. This creates a tension to the story (and its anti-immigration strain) that feels entirely new.

Considering that hardly anyone watching the new Nosferatu will be unfamiliar with vampire tropes, Eggers is well within his rights to essentially copy-paste elements from the more problematic version and build on it. The added shading, leaving the audience wondering if maybe the Count isn’t such a villain, is enough nuance to keep this from feeling like a definitive political statement. After all, the first thing you’ll likely talk about after seeing it is Ellen’s (Lily-Rose Depp) several moments of bed-ridden, prurient murmuring “he’s coming!” from a dream-like haze. For a director who has made three sharp movies dealing with the supernatural or fantastic, this story is in Eggers’ blood.

10 Vampire Streaming Recommendations

Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror (1922), dir. F.W. Murnau: The original nightmare.

Dracula (1931), dir. Tod Browning: The birth of a franchise. Warning: Though there are many classic moments, much of this movie is dull.

Dracula Has Risen from the Grave (1968), dir. Freddie Francis: The third Christopher Lee Dracula picture, and one that likely influenced the new one—as it was, for its time, a bit on the randy side.

Blacula (1972), dir. William Crain: An 18th century African prince is transformed into a vampire by Count Dracula himself, and ends up in 1970s Los Angeles. Released during the first wave of blaxploitation films, this was the first one to get supernatural.

Love at First Bite (1979), dir. Stan Dragoti: The Count comes to groovy New York and is faced with nonstop schtick. Richard Benjamin plays the famed vampire hunter Van Helsing’s grandson, a neurotic shrink named Dr. Jeffrey Rosenberg.

Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979), dir. Werner Herzog: Before Eggers, there was this German-language take focusing on Count Orlok. A slow-paced film that goes heavy on the plague storyline, featuring a substantial number of rats.

Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992), dir. Francis Ford Coppola: Gen X Dracula, with Winona Ryder, Gary Oldman, and Keanu Reeves.

Thirst (2009), dir. Park Chan-wook: Not a Dracula film, but an unpredictable spin on the vampire myth from one of South Korea’s great filmmakers.

Only Lovers Left Alive (2013), dir. Jim Jarmusch: Cinema’s king of deadpan cool presents artists and rock musicians as vampires eternally on the fringes of society. (A documentary?)

El Conde (2023), dir. Pablo Larraín: Perhaps of particular interest to Foreign Policy readers, this Spanish-language picture, available on Netflix, suggests that Augusto Pinochet was actually a vampire, and takes it from there.

[signanothername]

Hey, so i saw your answered asks about how you portray platonic relationships as just as deep and valuable as romantic relationships, and I just want to say I really appreciate it.

As a cupioromantic, though I do really desire a relationship like that it has only ever been because there's so much more that is societally acceptable to do with a partner than a friend. I want to hug my bestie more often, hold hands with them all the time and give them kisses. I want to say 'I love you' to them and have everyone understand that it is strictly platonic. But unfortunately that isn't how the world works. (As emphasis, I even got bullied off of reddit once pretty much because I made a post about getting a gf and everyone kept telling me that I wasn't actually aro)

I honestly don't even know what I'm saying anymore. It's not like you drawing skeletons being hyperaffectionate without sexiness or romance involved will change the world. But it has certainly changed mine. I feel more comfortable and validated in my identity than ever before. I just want to say thank you for that.

(You don't have to respond btw, I understand it might be awkward. I just really need to get this out. Sorry-)

Ah yes, the world continues to be arophopic and people being rude and making assumption about relationships that doesn’t concern them as per usual 🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️

Idk what’s hard about looking at two people being extremely affectionate and instead of thinking “wow they’re romantically involved” they think “wow they have a happy relationship whatever it may be”, it’s not that hard not to make assumptions and accept something as ambiguous until it’s explicitly stated

But alas, the human nature continues to not surprise me with its usual insensitivity

I’m sorry you had to endure that bullshit, you absolutely are a valid Aro and you absolutely can be in a relationship and still be Aro, never let anyone tell you otherwise <3

Not all Aros want to stay alone in a house, having a stable connection with someone, wanting to grow old with someone, isn’t inherently romantic in nature, and you can absolutely desire that stable connection and still be Aro af

But I’m genuinely glad my portrayal of these skelles made you feel validated, you deserve to feel validated <3333

Here’s some more affectionate skelles for you <333

[gnckholin]

okay I need to preface this with yes I like having representation and anyone who's been around my blog long enough should know that renarin is my specialest little guy him and him and rlain are very cute and if y'all really need it this is coming from the perspective of a queer man if you turn this into a pissing on the poor type deal I will simply block you but. now that I've had time to stew on it.

the rlainarin arc was a bit boring.

part of this is I think rooted in Brandon trying to be a Good Ally™ doing Good Representation™ and he worked a lot with sensitivity readers to make sure things are handled well but it just felt a bit... tokenizing? like they were in the spiritual realm as a bit of plot convenience but also it kinda felt like an excuse to keep them relevant enough to give them pov chapters. and it's cute! don't get me wrong! but also every other characters get emotional arcs about growing as a person and they got...trying to ask your crush out? it felt very out of place.

now you might be saying hold on! they're not primarily pov characters you can't expect as much nuance emotionally as someone like kaladin. and you're right! but let's look at the other supporting cast members here. jasnah gets the struggle of power and her entire attempt to keep thaylenah which results in a meaningful paradigm shift for her! navani gets to work on her connection with the sibling and uncover the past. we don't even really see much of relationship between renarin and glys much less rlain and tumi. sure they may have been good representation! but they were mediocre arcs. even in the discussions I'm seeing lately of favorite parts, it's not that people have disliked it it's just...nothing to write home about?

it also feels particularly weird to have an arc around "my family will think it's weird" when it's been pretty well established that alethi in general are like. fine with queerness. and sure you can say "well they're nobles" but at this point renarin is in line for 0 titles. dalinar was only going to give king of urithiru to someone who wanted it, jasnah planned on being the last queen of alethkar, there's literally no point? it feels a little love Simon. and yes absolutely in modern western culture people can feel weird about coming out to people who would be accepting and that's fine! but that's also rooted in real world homophobia which alethkar doesn't seem to have.

even when we compare with the other canonically queer stormlight character, it just kinda. . .falls flat. part of this is that shallan wasn't intended to be queer but honestly it feels like it reads well. she doesn't have to turn to camera and say she's different she's bisexual she can just be a person. she can fall in love with adolin she can get flustered around jasnah veil can call women hot and it's like. fine. and it feels more authentic to the setting! a lot of the rlainarin arc in WAT felt like it was meant to be educational. for cishet people. and like that's fine! but it doesn't make for an engaging character arc. I can't even say it really makes for good reading.

and look, I get it, we all like seeing them get flustered and worry about what the other one thinks and we all get to be excited when they confess their feelings and kiss but it just feels so tonally dissonant that like. I can't believe this was intended to fit into the main plot. it feels a bit patronizing - like look we have good healthy representation now! I'm doing so good at this! and genuinely from the bottom of my heart it's thrilling that the largest name in fantasy is willing to do this even more so considering the religious background he's writing from I'm not writing all this to say Brandon is a bad guy or secretly a homophobe I'm just saying. I wish we had more, y'know? something less feel good for the cishets for being good allies something with more of a real plot that engages with the themes of the series and whatnot. I'm looking forward to arc 2 (in like 10-15 years)! I'm looking forward to more rlain and renarin and their dynamic! I just hope it feels less. educational.

anyway a lot of this was directly inspired by verilybitchie's video on good representation it really helped me out my finger on why their arc felt a bit flat so please go check it out she's a great creator.

[yjhariani]

Ghost X gn!reader (CoD X SCP)

You're an MTF soldier. They had to give you amnestics, but it went wrong and made you forget ever meeting your significant other. Was it actually just an accident or was there something more? (no promise of making this a series, but I'm trying).

Angst but not really.

Once Simon got the call, he knew something bad happened.

It was not your number. It was not your voice that called from the other side. Being in roughly the same field as you, he knew what this call meant.

Bad news.

Even though Simon personally had never made this kind of call before, he had been there a few times when his colleagues had to. Price dominantly.

All the calls were the result of one specific event. Death of a soldier.

So, Simon did not even let the caller finish their first sentence. He cut them off with a simple, “I’ll be there,” before hanging up.

Simon considered putting on his uniform, but he realised that where you work, everything was classified. It would be no use hiding himself because they knew who everybody was anyway. He was especially attached to you and he knew that meant the place you worked at probably knew what he ate for breakfast better than he himself did.

Once arriving at your base, Simon was not even surprised that one mention of your name got him rushed straight to the base hospital.

As of now, Simon had not decided what to feel. He just kept walking, following this person who took him to the dark part of the hospital. However, he accepted that he felt the slight confusion tugging at his mind when they continued walking pass instead of walking into the morgue.

Even so, Simon kept his words behind his tongue.

Soon, they reached a thick, barred, metal double door with two securities standing in front of them. The person leading their way only mentioned your name before the security officers—if that was what they were—unbarred the door and opened it.

Simon’s guide turned to face him and quietly, as if they were not supposed to make a noise here, said, “I don’t have clearance for this level, but you will see your partner���s Team Leader.”

With an understanding nod, Simon walked through the door into a short, dim-lit tunnel. At the end of it, a twin hospital door stood. From here, it looked like a regular hospital, only it was placed underground and had barely anyone inside.

Inside, stood awaiting, a soldier still in field uniform. She looked quite messy. It made Simon wonder if he had looked that messy when something this horrible happened to him in the field. Whatever this something was.

Seeing Simon, that older woman walked up to him and nodded, rubbing her hands nervously.

“Ghost,” she greeted. “Or do you prefer Lieutenant Riley?”

Outside his uniform? Both sounded bad. Simon was here for you. He could not care less what people address him with.

“Are they in one piece?” Simon asked right away.

Just after saying the question, it registered in Simon’s mind that he had been thinking that it must have been so bad that they had to bring him into this super-secure underground hospital just to ID you.

Connecting the dots, the woman scrunched her eyebrows as her head tilted slightly to the side.

“They’re not dead,” she said. “I tried to tell you in the call, but you didn’t seem to be taking any explanation.”

They’re not dead, Simon repeated in his head. A bleed of warmth grew in his chest.

“However,” the woman continued, “on our mission, something terrible has happened. Out of the five of us, only your partner and I made it out.”

Simon did not react. He did not say anything. He did not move a muscle.

“Your partner… needed amnestics administered in their system. We did—uh… we were in the middle of administering the amnestics when,” the woman took a deep breath and sighed, “we had a breach in the facility.”

There came a halt as the woman flipped through the words in her mind.

“We successfully administered the amnestics,” the woman stated. “Just… not the correct one.”

This time, a spasm came about Simon's forehead.

“Usually, we don’t share this detail, but your partner is very important to us and we respect them, so we are telling you this,” she paused before continuing, “What we initially intended to modify was the events of the last two days, but… with the breach happening, everything went, uh… out of our hands. Your partner has lost… the memory of all that happened in the past two years.”

It took a moment to sink in Simon’s head. Once it did, all he thought about was that he met you a little bit less than two years ago.

Simon was just about to meet the 141 at a pub when the whole area was suddenly secured. There were soldiers from the Foundations all over the place and they clocked them instantly. They asked for their assistance on a job that Simon did not have the memory of any more. One of the Foundations’ soldiers he worked with was you.

It was not the worst of missions that the 141 was able to not get amnestic administered—at least that they knew of. So, that meant Simon got to keep your memory. The two of you had not stopped talking since.

The thought of having himself removed from your memory at once made warmth that bled in Simon’s chest froze in an instant.

“I know how much they mean to you and we can offer to have you—”

Knowing what she wanted to say, Simon immediately cut her off with, “Where are they?”

With so, the woman led Simon to a room. She opened the door for him, but did not step in.

Stepping in with a heavy heart, Simon eventually saw you. You were sitting on the hospital bed, an IV plugged into the back of your hand, and several recent injuries were painted on you.

In your hands, Simon saw a familiar white envelope. Then, he saw that you finally looked at him. No smile. No recognition.

“Are you Simon?” you asked.

“I am,” was all that Simon managed to say.

“They told me,” you nodded before lightly waving the envelope in your hands. “Two weeks to go, huh? Guess you’d want to call off the wedding?”

Bullets in his flesh felt like nothing compared to what Simon just heard coming out of your mouth.

Stepping closer, Simon exhaled. He glanced at the wedding invitation in your hand, seeing that it was addressed to ORCA. You said it was your Team Leader, who Simon guessed was also the one to give you that invitation. The woman who Simon just saw.

“If you want to call it off, we call it off,” Simon did not even believe he said that, but refused to show that.

“You sound like you don't want to?” you asked.

Simon looked at you, lightly raising an eyebrow.

“I mean… I don’t know who you are,” you said. “I think?”

For a while, Simon only looked at you. What you had on your face was not your lying face. It was not a joke. It was real. You did not remember him at all.

There came the moment when the two of you said nothing, hardly looking at each other. Then, you stretched an arm out to the side table and lifted your phone.

“I read our texts, saw our pictures,” you said. “You seemed to be my everything.”

If he could, Simon would punch something so hard right now.

“I’m sorry,” you quickly said once seeing how Simon’s subtle reactions were. “I… I’m just trying to figure things out.”

“‘s all right,” Simon nodded, understanding.

You tried a thin, apologetic smile.

“Must be hard for you,” you said.

Another long pause came in between you both.

“Do you want to hug me?” you offered, arms lightly opened.

Usually, you did not even have to ask and Simon would just come right at you. However, it took a lot for Simon to hold himself back when you saw him as a stranger.

“You don’t have to–”

“I want to,” you cut him off. “Maybe it’ll feel familiar, I don’t know. If you want to.”

After a moment of consideration, Simon carefully approached you. Even though he moved slowly and with care, once the two of you got close enough, you attached yourselves to each other like magnets. Your arms lightly wrapped around each other before, as if there was a whirlpool in between you that pulled your cores, your arms tightened around each other.

The only reason Simon released you was because you let out a slightly uncomfortable exhale.

“Apologies,” Simon said, thinking he might have hugged you too tightly.

“No, it’s alright,” you replied.

Another moment passed with the two of you just looking at each other. It was apparent that you were studying him.

“At some point I’m going to have to be released from here,” you brought up. “Can I go home with you?”

“Sure you’re alright with that?” Simon asked.

“Are you?” you asked back.

Simon almost said ‘Totally!’ but then, he kept getting reminded that he was just a stranger to you and he was not always good with that type of relationship. Strangers tended to see him and avoided him, praying to never make eye contact with him.

However, you seemed genuine. He still saw the kindness and the shimmer in your eyes even though it was different from how you looked at him last–two weeks ago.

So, Simon said, “Yeah.”

“I don’t want to burden you,” you added eagerly. “If you don’t have the space, I don’t–”

“We just bought a house,” Simon almost excitedly replied.

“Oh,” you responded.

“We,” Simon hesitated to continue, “we adopted this devilish cat not long ago and he already pissed on everything.”

For the first time after Simon saw you laugh a couple of weeks ago, he saw you letting out a chuckle. For a second, Simon almost forgot that something bad had happened to you.

“I can help you clean up if you let me stay in your house,” Simon almost did not hear you say.

Our house, Simon wanted to say, but refused to.

“So… can I?” you asked.

“Already said yes,” Simon reminded.

“Okay,” you nodded.

No words were exchanged for some time after that.

“Are you staying here long? I wouldn’t mind getting to know you a little,” you said.

Simon let a small smile bloom on his face.

“You said that once,” Simon said, pulling a chair before he sat on it next to your bed.

[bellisima-writes]

10 People I'd Like to Know Better

Thanks for the tags @gaiaseyes451 and @beerok23!💜!💜

last song: Gloria by the Lumineers

favourite colour: Red, like a deep luscious red that you know would taste good if you licked it. Don't act innocent, you know exactly what I mean by that. Red is a color that you just know tastes good.

last book: I am currently trying to read the Witcher series (per @lickthecowhappy's suggestion) so I am at the start of the Last Wish

last movie: Moana 2 (I have young kidsssss)

last TV show: My oldest is almost 10 which means she stays up late. Which also means I have so little time to watch adult things. So we've been watching the Office with her. I think I want to watch the Good Place with her next tho (I've never watched it!)

sweet/spicy/savoury: Sweet followed very, very closely by spicy. Habanero maple syrup is one of my favorite things on the planet.

last thing i searched online: How to explain a 10 year career hiatus in a cover letter (looking to return to work since having kids. It's been an interesting experience so far).

current obsession: Have not moved on from Good Omens, but recently realized that my obsession may be more in my own little connected universe of fics that I wrote rather than the actual canon at this point😳. I'm sure once we get that first glimpse of red and white hair that will change very quickly.

looking forward to: Going back to work and having a more established adult life again, honestly. I've been so lucky to be home with my kids while they are young, but I am ready. And figuring out how my newfound passion for writing is going to fit into that new life of mine. Another big year of change over here for me, and I am eagerly looking forward to how the growing pains are going to make way for something beautiful beyond.

ten people i’d like to know better:

@addledmongoose, @di-42, @afrenchwriter, @haemey, @eybefioro, @alwaystuesday, @katspause, @alphacentaurinebula, @shadesofecclescakes, @ochre-sunflower and whoever wants to do it (but also feel free to ignore!)

[angeldeviloshi]

Ch. 189 Fumiko thoughts compiled from my bsky.

The Fumiko and Makima parallels back again with her immortality(?) coming at the cost of human life offered as resource for the state but in this case, it's her own life and body.

Fumiko and Yoshida's role reversals are so!!!!!!

I'm still mind blown by "Yoshida-senpai" she got us good.

The point is that her calling Denji-senpai (and the fact that her senpai specifically is carried over into the localisation) is noteworthy in of itself due to her technically being both Denji and Yoshida's senior as an adult and was mostly playing the role of their junior.

This is carried over into her being the "Denji-senpai" fan and not just a chainsaw man fan.

Her calling Yoshida "senpai" has more layers of implications than her calling Denji "senpai" however due to their jobs and how it reflects their positions.

In the case with Yoshida, Fumiko could be referencing her student roleplay or addressing Yoshida as her actual senior in Public Safety, or both. It both reframes the scene at the hospital and expands on her audience with the cabinet.

Given that Yoshida hasn't been in PS long himself and he's still in high school. So the term "Yoshida-senpai" in a professional context would place him in a position of higher authority to Fumiko despite being a teen who recently joined PS for roughly a year or so.

It serves a huge role in their dynamic here and it contributes to their framing as well, of who is in control.

It's the juxtaposition of seniority as both age and position that she's playing with Yoshida here. And having that acknowledged opens things up for me personally. If that makes sense.

Fumiko having Tomie-coded abilities would actually tie in so well with Aging here.

The youthful woman in a cycle of exploit of her body, it really amps up the disposability of it, as well as the stasis that comes with it. That it's triggered as she dies too.

She can renew herself + her role as the junior placing her alongside and beneath the children.

Her weaponising her womanhood too in her seduction. She effectively becomes an immortal tool herself. Transcending human and dog as the "unbreakable toy".

Especially when accounting for Aging using "boku" too. It's a pronoun that's commonly used by children because they'll often be addressing people they have to be respectful of, namely their elders until they grow out of it.

Youth placed over old(er) age.

Ok Fumiko's regeneration makes me all the more curious about her connection to Quanxi.

Fumiko feeding her organs to a devil, the winner + her past with the Gun Fiend fight and her being a chainsaw man fan is so!!!

When Denji was revived with the blood of the civilians in the area to defeat Aki-47.

Denji revving up the Chainsaw by devouring the guts of the old, the last thing Aging took from Fumiko being her intestines...

I kinda also wonder if Fumiko's deliberate lowering of herself is a conditional thing for her regeneration to work. Hence the fail girl moments. Like she has to be inferior in some capacity to side with "the winner" she makes herself subordinate to.

It being triggered as she dies too, when she's at her most pathetic, beaten down.

Circling back to the Makima/Barem parallels again. Makima's ability works in her seeing herself as above others, Fumiko's could potentially be the inverse of that while mirroring Denji's eating of Makima as his victory over her.

And then you have Barem playing the victim card with the crowd looking pathetic and bloody to turn them against Nayuta.

Fumiko establishing herself as prey, to be eaten both literally and metaphorically (sex) in order to be able to escape.

In a paradoxical way, this also reflects how women (esp in Japan too) often have to be passive to avoid stigmatisation and escalation of SA/harassment.

Just suck it up, be the convincing victim to be taken seriously, but if you let it get to that point aren't you just letting it happen?

And if you can discard and disconnect from this victimhood of yours, then your womanhood remains untainted, "unused".

She can't be competent but she's still useful.

The woman in the workplace...

Her referring to Yoshida as senpai despite her age also kinda signifies how women are made subordinate to men in the workplace even those who are younger/greener.

[fallingrealms16]

CAITVI FIC REC LIST PART 4 (???) <3333

MUAHAHAHA part 4 at your service and it smells like horny jail to me *salutes*

HERE WE GO! Lots of short fics because I’m also currently reading the long ones for you horny bastards (ily)

Also sorry not sorry, while I read the LONGGG fics, you guys are just gonna have to deal with these smutty (some aren’t tho) short fics for now. Again, I’m not sorry and it will most definitely happen again.

Reminder‼️ pretty please read all the tags on each fic before reading as I am not responsible for any emotional trauma you may experience ^3^ (more notes at the bottom ty, ily <3)

alleyways by lgbtocha @lgbtocha

2.2K Words // Chapters: 1/1 // 2K Hits // COMPLETED

//EXPLICIT// +artist fanart on X/Twitter

Caitlyn and Vi take things further after the kiss, and Vi's gauntlets get involved.

Alleyways artwork by @CamSexily ^^^

more than enough by awarmspring

2.3K Words // Chapters: 1/1 // 8K Hits // COMPLETED

//EXPLICIT//

“You do know how to unbuckle this belt by now, no?” Caitlyn's accent slips out as she looks down her pants and back at Vi with a smile on her face, visibly a teasing one.

“You don't like it this way?” Vi stops in her tracks, voice slightly hesitant for a moment before she moves her hands to Caitlyn's pants.

“I'm just teasing you,” Caitlyn giggles and Vi's eyebrows relax at the view. “This way is good, too.”

Vi raises an eyebrow at her, the fond memory of their first time together making her lips curl into a tiny smile, and she retorts. “Just good?”

Caitlyn and Vi try something new.

That Night by lettucehater007 @lettucehater007

2.9K Words // Chapters: 1/1 // 817 Hits // COMPLETED

//TEEN AND UP// pre season 2 fic

A continuation of the bedroom scene in epsiode 8, the part that we don't see on screen before Vi and Caitlyn talk to the council.

Desire Unleashed by elle_fics

5K Words // Chapters: 1/2 // 3.2K Hits // COMPLETED

//EXPLICIT//

Vi surprises Caitlyn with a new and experimental toy, it opens up a new world of exploration and desire for both of them. Their connection deepens as they navigate new physical and emotional boundaries, discovering hidden desires and indulging in intense moments of passion.

ASSisted Lift by Kestra711

6K Words // Chapters: 2/2 // 5K Hits // COMPLETED

//EXPLICIT//

Listen, Con posted a request out for artists and writers see the notes. My brain goblins supplied “You always said you could squat 3 of me, right?” “Well time to prove it Handsome” and then built a one-shot around a single line of dialogue. So here we are. Enjoy Jinx being a little shit to annoy her sister only to have it backfire when Vi and Caitlyn become inappropriate at the gym.

Overstimulated by visbutchh

6.4K Words // Chapters: 1/1 // 1.6K Hits // COMPLETED

//EXPLICIT//

caitlyn’s jealousy leads them to vi making her come over and over again.

Visbutchh X^^^

your dearest fantasy (i could be a good mother) by shadowsandsouls @sapphicwiles <333

6.7K Words // Chapters: 2/4 // 8K Hits // NOT COMPLETED (yet)

//EXPLICIT//

“Family is the most important thing to you.”

“You are my family. That will always be enough.”

“That’s not what I meant. You want to be a mother.” It wasn’t a question.

Or

Vi and Caitlyn learn something new about each other through sex

STARTED THIS AND IT WAS COMPLETED 1/1??? You’re telling me there’s gonna be more chapters WHAT

Tastes like she might be the one by Hhehe

7K Words // Chapters: 2/2 // 7.7K Hits // COMPLETED

//EXPLICIT// 1st ch. bottom Vi 2nd ch. bottom Caitlyn

Caitlyn has been given a really special gift to use it with her girlfriend.

Get well by Supposedly_Ivy

9.5K Words // Chapters: 1/1 // 1K Hits // COMPLETED

//EXPLICIT//

Vi's old habits don't fit the same way they used to, and Caitlyn isn't very good at running from herself. In other words, they fuck on a Sunday night in June, and it doesn't mean anything. Right?

BONUS SAD FICS!!!

Angst/hurt/no comfort/some~comfort (pls read 🏷️ cautiously)

Icy Fingers Round My Skin by Mango_Magpie

25K Words // Chapters: 6/6 // 3K Hits // COMPLETED

//EXPLICIT// mainly E - violence, part 1

Vi loses everything in one night, her whole life incinerated in blue smoke. Now, stuck in a concrete cell with nothing but her own monstrous thoughts for company, she’s forced to contend with a world in which her home, family, and purpose in life have all been ripped away by a monster with an amber eye. This is a multi-chapter character study, centering on the trauma Vi endures while in Stillwater.

Part 2: Ginko (post prison Vi x Cait)