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lxdymoon0357 · 6 months ago

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Hello 👋 can I pls request relationship and suggestive headcanons for Claude (wmmap) Regis (FIDWYM) and Lante Agriche with a female reader? Thank you ❤️

(some days, I'm gonna be better and consistent...:[ | Warnings: mentions of dying at childbirth, blood, murder, NSFW content, diana-claude poly mentions? idk..Anyways, NSFW content. )

Claude De Alger Obelia, Legis Floyen and Lante Agriche SFW/NSFW HCs

Claude De Alger Obelia

♕ Definitely loves to spoil you! He loves to spoil you when he can, bringing jewellery, making your favourite food, spending extra time with you, buying you clothes, flowers, gifts, anything you want! He is always happy to spoil you, Athy gets a bit worried, but she also loves you and makes handmade gifts for you which you definitely appreciate!

♕ Constantly worried for your health and safety, has a maid and a guard follow you everywhere, he would let them follow you to the bathroom if it wasn't unethical, but yeah..Constantly worried something is gonna happen to you..

♕ Also, constantly making sure you're in top health, always consults doctors about anything he finds unusual on you, if you two were to have kids, he's have a long talk with doctors if you can have kids and there won't be any complications and if anything were to happen, if he'd be able to save you over the kid...

♕ Definitely not loosing you to childbirth like he lost Diana, you both are the biggest jewels in his eyes and he doesn't want to lose you like he lost Diana. Definitely thinks how you both would be with each other if you met, would you both like each other more than him? Would you be open to be with both of them or would he simply be with Diana and you'd go off with someone else??

♕ You, him and Athy spend a lot of time together, eating, tea parties, talking about trends, gossiping or anything in between about Athy's love interests or something. Sometimes even Jeanette joins you both, she's so happy to be included, but after Anastacius left with her, she was happy to learn things from far away, you gave her your blessings, she'll miss all of you but tries to find time to visit when she can..

♕ You and Claude would dance together late at night for fun, it's so quiet and so intimate and so romantic, cue you both forgetting the dance and end up making out against a wall with him leaving hickeys! speaking of them, he leaves TOO many damn hickeys, it's his love language at one point...

♕ He is a busy man, being an emperor and all, but he still finds time for you, you're the most important thing to him after Athy and he tries to find time for both of you, together and individually like during meals, before he goes to sleep, after he wakes up, free time, he loves to spend it with you or alone doing something he enjoys..

♕ He is romantic while sex, but also very rough, be careful, don't piss him off, you won't be able to sit with a bruised ass or the aching cunt or walk due to the shaking and sore legs. He knows how to make brats behave, loves you but don't piss him off.

♕ Hates it when other people stare, will go to a nearby room or maybe the balcony if he's extra mad and simply fuck you till you're screaming your throat raw with leaving hickeys and making sure everyone and especially the person is hearing and seeing the whole thing...Likes the eyes on him sometimes, don't know why but he does, maybe it gives him thrill maybe it gives him the chance to prove himself in some way maybe he gets gratification, no way. But likes the way when you're bent over and crying your eyes out.

♕ Cages your hand above your head with a single one of his own and simply fingers you before pulling away and edging you till you're asking him to properly fuck you dumb, even if he's feeling soft, he likes to do it cause you're crying face and whines and moans sound cut to him and he can never get enough of it

♕ Leaves a lot of bitemarks, hickeys, bruises, it's concerning if you don't know it's out of love and how much he can't control his strength at times..When he's about to cum, he bites your neck to muffle his own moans and whines when you're clenching down on him..One hand constantly working on your clit.

♕ Let's say they have some medicine which works as Plan B, cause keep in mind, he will be breeding you, it's one of his biggest kinks, he would love to see you pregnant with his baby who is your and his mix, Athy needs a sibling after all! Will be pounding in you even after you've gone enough, he cant help himself sometimes!

Legis Adri Floyen

◈ Now Legis would be a bit closed off, but still after a while be extremely sweet and romantic, constantly being a gentleman, holding your hand when you're walking down the stairs, gets you gifts, when you got tired, he carried you where you want, feeds you, kisses you and looks at you like you're gold.

◈ You and Jubelian have to sometimes remind him to take breaks, you and Jubelian and literally bestest of friends yet being the cutest mother-daughter duo in Legis's eyes, two of his favourite girls being together and happy and getting alone and all the cute stuff?! Oh man, he feels like he's in heaven!

◈ Loves to spend time with you and Juve when he can, bringing you both gifts and you both in return make tiny gifts for him, like bouquets or like maybe you stitched something for him on a napkin and he carried it everywhere, or maybe you and Juve went out together to choose and mix-match jewellery for Legis and then you both gift it to him, she is always so happy to spend time with her parents!

◈ He and you would spend time kissing and then Juve would be grossed out but finds it cute or maybe you and Legis would spend time sparring or sword-fighting cause women back then used to do a lot of sports including archery, sword-fighting, hiking, so maybe he would love for you to join him in sparring sometime or maybe hand-to-hand combat where you are always winning because he refuses to put in effort, he gets too mesmerised by you anyway.

◈ He would love to take you on trips to anywhere you want, get dresses custom made so no-one else can have them, have portraits painted of you, he's such a sweetheart!! He would love to have a family portrait with you and Juve beside him!!

◈ Another thing is, matching clothes!! You wear something matching in your outfits at ALL times, be it a brooch, be it the colour of the clothing, be it the way the pattern of the dress, he loves to match with you, he even has dresses which are carbon copies of some of Juve's! You both look gorgeous in them!!

◈ Kind of needs your reassurance that he is doing the correct thing, if there is something you don't like, please say cause when you do things passive and aggressively, it makes him overthink things....And if he overthinks, he cries and I'm sure you don't want your husband to cry? Yeah, that's what I thought, communicate!

◈ Okay, first he finds you cute and adorable and hot and so squishable and he folds you like a chair fucking you in matching press with your thighs pressed against your chest while he toys with your cunt and clit so sweetly, it's almost innocent in a way!

◈ PRAISE!! Of-course, the biggest praise kink is in him, his eyes start to water from overwhelming love when he is praised during sex, so just to ground him, hold his hand tightly in yours in anyway you can to remind him you're both there..He gets carried away, poor baby..

◈ Loves to see you ride him, cause it's so cute in his eyes when you're trying your best to take him cause first of he's VERY BIG, secondly you try your best to take him, struggle with it, crying for him to do something to make something out of your fruitless ventures, of-course he teases you until you beg a lot, but because he likes your cries and tears and face

◈ Speaking of crying, he won't stop eating your cunt until tears are streaming down he's pulled a good few orgasms, your cunt is almost raw but i's still drooling...and he can't get enough, you're just sound so cute and taste so amazing, but okay, he'll take pity and fuck you properly, if you don't tell him to, he'll cum from just eating you out, grinding against whatever he can.

◈ Suck him off under his desk after he's overworked, probably one of the only dilfs who moans and whimpers and can't hide them, he sounds cute, as you gag on his cock, he sounds adorable!! Not your fault it's a good way to relax him from overworking and to just tease him!

◈ He sometimes gets so lot in making you cum, he does it for a good while until he simply pulls dry orgasms, until legs are shaking, you're both covered in bodily fluids, drools, sweat, clit is engorged a bit and it hurts but feels too good for him to pull out now as you wrap your legs around his waist to keep him close..

Lante Agriche

☠ Now for this request, I will say he's like a yandere-type in love with you and he's a bit sane and okay in head. Lante would always follow you around, carrying you when he can, holding you on his lap during those special dinners with his top three favourite kids as he fed you food with his hands, does your hair, albeit a bit haphazardly.

☠ He desperately needs you be locked down with him, he would kill anyone you pay too much attention to, that includes his kids, well your kids are his favourite kids, so he doesn't want you to be sad, but threatening them is the way to go!!

☠ likes to bring you the severed head of his victims as gifts with a deranged smile, expecting praise. I hope you give some to him for the sake of your neck joint...I mean, he'd also bring bloodied flowers, a skull, some sword, some jewel, etc, whatever he finds interesting all covered in blood cause he thinks you look hot in blood and everything looks better covered in blood.

☠ Leaves hickeys on your necks, for everyone and leaves more if you try to cover them. He has no shame, not like anyone would dare to say anything, but if they did, you'd have another severed head to your collection. So enjoy!!

☠ DESPISES people staring at you for a second too late, hates it, cannot stand it, will not stand for it, will kill someone for it. I mean, he's a man known for crimes, of-course he's gonna murder someone for looking at you too long! He's such a munchy weirdo..

☠ Would have your ring on your hand AT ALL TIMES, ain't no one snatching up his weirdo, hell naw! Anyways, he gets new rings made for you whenever you need one and it's all decorated well and stuff and so now you have a ring collection and it's very gorgeous and probably cost more than the whole manor and humans who die inside regularly!

☠ He slow dances with you over the dead bodies of people, enjoying the way their bones crunch under you both as you both softly danced while you both are in each other's embrace and are softly being intimate in silence..

☠ Oh now, don't think that if he got jealous and mad at some public event he is also one to not care if he fucks you on a balcony when everyone can hear you both while you scream and wail like it's no one's business in the balcony and later on everyone's too shy to make eye contact with you, including the kids and other wives...

☠ Bending you over on his desk to fuck you all while there are people in the next room or simply eat you out until you cry, but eating you out is a unusual occurrence...He doesn't just give you pleasure without getting anything in return, no.

☠ Edging you constantly, not letting you cum until you beg hard enough or until he possibly can't take it anymore or until you do it yourself earning a punishment by him where either he overstimulates you till you physically pass out and only have dry orgasms, so there are a few options of him to choose from, maybe play the safe submissive and subservient role for a while unless you're confident in your skills as a dom to top him..

☠ knife kink, I said it. Knife kink, holds a knife to your neck while he makes you ride him, and presses it down sometimes to nick your body parts for fun and for the sadistic tendencies...

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twilightkitkat · 23 days ago

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Poolverine but they dress up as each other for Halloween. I'm not just talking about swapping costumes—they go all in. They get those facial prosthetics to get each other's skin textures right, Wade goes in with makeup for detailing, and Wade wears a bodysuit while Logan wears slight platform shoes and shapewear to roughly match their builds.

They put on each other's suits and make sure the proportions are as accurate as possible. Wade even goes as far as to call in a few favors to get voice-changing abilities.

Then, Halloween, they pretend to be each other. They try to match each other's personalities and mannerisms and see if anyone can notice.

At first, you'd think it'd be obvious that they switched. But here's the thing: they know each other. Wade knows how Logan moves and talks and acts and fights. Logan knows how to predict Wade's moods and reactions and decisions. They're incredibly self-aware and in sync.

They both show up to their friend's Halloween party dressed as each other. The crowd is incredibly large because everyone invited all the people that they know, which includes Vanessa's new friends and the majority of the X-mansion.

The only person who knew off the bat was Laura. There was no hiding it from her with her sense of smell, but they didn't intend to. She was in on the joke and came to watch the shitshow in action.

When asked about their costume, "Wade" says that Deadpool is what all the kids want to dress up as for Halloween, and he was just following the trend! Besides, no need to waste money buying a costume when he has the best one right in his closet. He's the scariest to be, obviously, because Deadpool is such a fearsome name.

Logan matches Wade's pitch immaculately, curling his voice into a whine before going back to talking cheerily as if nothing happened. Nobody bats an eye, classic Wade behavior.

Any slight imperfections are hidden by the flashing lights and relaxed atmosphere and large crowd. It's hard to pick out their friends in a crowd, let alone tell the differences between their carefully crafted copycat plans.

Laura gets closer to "Logan" and asks him how "Wade" has been lately, playing along. He responds with a grunt and an exasperated but fond summary of Wade's newest hyperfixation, acting as if he didn't know any of the terminology for it.

She has to hide a shit-eating grin when some of the people who knew Logan from the X-mansion came up to greet him and ask him how he's been. Plan successful.

"Logan" reaches out and pats a few heads, lingering just long enough to show he cares but pulling away soon enough to avoid deep intimacy. He answers questions with the same gruff tone as the actual Logan, giving just enough information to satisfy their questions.

Miraculously, the night continues and they haven't been caught. This is quite frankly hilarious because the two had done their rounds with each other's friends and acquaintances and apparently knew enough about each other to answer accurately. It's a pretty big feat, and even Laura has to reluctantly admit she's impressed by how well they know each other to pull this off.

The two draw together near the end, bickering as usual and using each other's tactics. Wade has to stifle a giggle at Logan imitating his out to not break character, and Logan has to hold himself back from burying his face in his hands out of embarrassment.

The real challenge is when Vanessa comes in to greet "Wade," with her new boyfriend in tow. Because Logan knows how Wade should act: vaguely uncomfortable and awkward, cagey toward the new guy, with an undertone of yearning and regret.

He knows this, but it stings. It hurts to know that while Wade and him are living together, a part of Wade will always belong to Vanessa. He knows it's irrational and that he's the main person in Wade's life, but the thought of them together makes him feel vaguely nauseous.

But he promised Wade he'd try to do this with him. They'd made bets and everything about who would find out and who wouldn't. He didn't want to ruin his fun.

So Logan grits his teeth and shifts into character, acting a little tense but also relieved to see her. Acting a bit more closed off and tense when the new guy introduces himself, and a little embarrassed to be seen with "Logan." Guilty, almost, like he'd been caught doing something he shouldn't.

But Vanessa's expression isn't remorseful or awkward. Instead, she raises an eyebrow, crosses her arms, and asks him what's wrong. Tells him that something's clearly bothering him and that he knows he can come to her for anything.

Logan becomes confused. What was he doing wrong? Was he not giving her the "puppy dog eyes" convincingly enough? Was he not portraying the bittersweet feeling of seeing "the one who got away" well?

But then she asks him if he and "Logan" were fighting. If something was going wrong in their relationship for him to act so cagey and upset.

...And Logan is baffled. What the hell does them fighting have to do with this?

Until she continues. She tells him that she knows how much "Logan" means to him and that she knows Logan feels the same (it's obvious just in the way he looks at Wade), so she's sure they'll figure it out soon.

She chuckles and shakes her head and says that it's endearing how Wade constantly talks about Logan as if he's the only topic in the world. That she's glad he's happy and that she remembered him asking to meet her boyfriend at some point so he could "rate her taste." She pats his shoulder, placatingly, and tells him that she's always there to talk if anything happens. Then she leaves.

And oh.

Logan thought he had Wade's personality down to a science, that he knew almost everything about him. His thoughts, his feelings, his relationships. ...But apparently, he was wrong for once.

Then he takes a second to stand there and analyze his interactions with Wade. And he realizes that she was right. That Wade glancing constantly back at him when Vanessa was there wasn't awkward pining for his ex, but just Wade wanting to look at Logan.

Now that he thinks about it, Wade doesn't just do that around Vanessa. He did it around almost everyone. He'd intermittently glance at Logan with what he assumed to be embarrassment over him, but now he realizes it was endearment. Awe. Bashfulness and slight pride over getting to introduce Logan to his friends instead of being ashamed of him.

And Logan realized that maybe he didn't know everything about Wade. That maybe, some of his assumptions were based more on his own experiences and past rather than the present. That he let his jealousy and insecurity and anxiety cloud his interpretation until it became foggy, creating the same rough shape but without the structure.

...And Logan smiles, under the mask. A warm, incredulous thing. That Wade spent most of his time with Vanessa talking about him. That it was so obvious Wade loved him that everyone commented on it. He'd never had someone be proud of belonging to him before, showing him off like he was something worth coveting. It felt nice.

Eventually, he rejoined "Logan's" side. He sidled up to him and threw an arm around his shoulder, throwing out a flirty comment and cuddling closer. "Logan" let him, letting his shoulder slump and wrapping an arm around him in return.

"Wade" stared at "Logan," watching his expressions shift and the curve of his lips as they moved. He let the adoration and wonder swell up in him, seeing how accurately Wade played the part.

It was obvious that he was staring, but nobody batted an eye. They all accepted it as normal, as if it was perfectly in character for Wade to stare at Logan with full focus even while people flitted and talked around them.

When Logan leaned in to kiss Wade's shoulder, nobody said anything.

(They manage to make it through the night without anyone calling them out on their impersonation. When they reveal it the next day, everyone is shocked. It was so realistic that they couldn't even tell.

Well, almost everyone is shocked. Laura rolls her eyes and Vanessa hides a knowing smile behind the rim of her coffee cup.)

#poolverine #deadclaws #kitkat #deadpool 3 #deadpool and wolverine #logan howlett #wade wilson #deadpool movie #wade x logan #wade/logan #poolverine angst #but only a little #mainly fluff #theyre adorable #i love them #halloween special!!!!

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lieutenantak · 2 months ago

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i'm late to the party and someone surely has already done it, but lemme offer you my take on the miku trend with a french revolutionary miku largely inspired by Eugène Delacroix' "Liberty Leading The People"

we're kinda renowed for yelling after our politicians after all

#art #my art #hatsune miku #vocaloid hatsune #miku fanart #miku from my culture #artists on tumblr #regional miku

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rhiannswork · 2 years ago

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hii i was wondering if u could write something about a pool party that morgan throws, so ofc bau!reader and the rest of the team goes. spencer gets in the pool and everybody is speechless when they notice the scratches on his back. unbeknown to your involvement.

the water’s fine.

spencer ᕁ bau!reader

warnings: allusions to sex, suggestive if you squint with a monocle, smart reid (i did some research for that btw lolol), private relationships, hmm i think that’s it!

"hey, yln made it after all!" morgan exclaimed while relaxing by the pool, drink in hand. "sorry, guys. i had a bit of trouble finding a good bathing suit," you explained, not entirely truthful about the reason for your tardiness. in reality, you and spencer got sidetracked once you found the perfect suit, causing both of you to arrive late. yet somehow, spencer managed to beat you to morgan’s location.

as morgan gestured towards spencer, he reassured, "don’t worry, pretty boy just arrived." emily found it amusing, asking "who reads at a pool party?" while opening her soda can. "spencer reid does," jj responded as she sat beside the pool with her feet dangling in the water, earning a laugh from penelope who was sunbathing on a unicorn float.

"hey derek, do you have any more of those floats? i think i’m going to get in the pool." you placed your bag by the patio table and started to apply some sunblock. "sure thing, i’ll go inflate it." "thank you!" you shouted as he walked away from the group.

as you applied the rest of your sunblock, you couldn't help but notice the chatter of your colleagues. you walked over to spencer, who was deep into reading his book. "hey handsome," you whispered, making sure only he could hear you. spencer raised his head, squinting as he blocked the sun with his hand. "hi baby," he replied with the same volume. "are you planning to get in the pool, or will you stay here and read?" you giggled. "i’m going to finish this book," he said with a shrug. "suit yourself!" you walked off.

soon after, morgan returned holding a heart-shaped floatie which he handed to you before returning to his chair. you threw the floatie into the pool and gradually got in after it. descending the pool steps, you winced as the cold water rushed over your body. "why is it always freezing when you first get in the pool?" you complained as you reached for the heart-shaped floatie.

“the cold going into the pool is actually a result of conduction of heat. see, water is a much better conductor of heat rather than air. energy can flow from your body quicker than it would if you were surrounded by air at the same temperature. even if the water is much warmer than the air, you would still feel cool getting in.” spencer answered your rhetorical question.

"let’s not ask reid any science questions today," penelope giggled as she took a sip of her soda can. "my apologies," he chuckled, refocusing on the final chapter of his book. you shook your head and repositioned yourself in the float, finally finding a comfortable spot.

"spencer, come join us in the pool, the water is great!" jj exclaimed, eyeing the artificial waterfall nearby. "but I'm not finished with my book," spencer whined. "if he doesn't want to swim, that's okay," you shrugged as you started to float around in the pool.

he’s knows you, he’s caught on to what he calls the ‘yn trend’. when you say “that’s okay, it’s fine” he knows what you really mean. he huffed and placed his book down and walked over to the pool.

"i knew you would," you teased as you made your way to the edge of the pool. spencer removed his shirt and you couldn't help but keep your eyes on his body. "wow, spence! you’ve got the body and the brains," penelope commented, lifting her sunglasses for a better look.

"i’ll only be here for a few minutes," he muttered before diving into the pool. the sudden rush of coldness left him shivering, but he quickly adjusted and began to swim around. as he explored the refreshing waters, he found himself falling in love with the pool.

"spence what’s going on with your back?" jj tilted her head. spencer turned to face jj and emily, who had come over. emily commented, "it’s so red." spencer lifted up slightly and morgan asked, "pretty boy, are you allergic to chlorine? you should've told me earlier." "i’m not allergic! i don't know what you guys are talking about." he raised his voice, combing his wet hair back.

you hadn’t been paying much attention to the conversation that had erupted about spencer’s back. you looked over to see penelope inspecting him. “it looks like scratches… reid are you seeing someone?”

you could tell that spencer was caught off guard by penelope’s question. he stuttered a bit before responding, "uh, no, i’m not seeing anyone." penelope didn't seem convinced. “okay i know i’m not a profiler like you guys but this doesn’t just happen.” she traced the scratches with the pad of her finger.

you watched spencer becoming slightly uncomfortable with the questions of his dating status. “spencer, let’s go see if it really is scratches from fingernails.” you slipped off the plastic float and went to grab a towel to wrap around your body. spencer followed you into morgan’s home and slid the patio door to limit the cool air from coming in.

“jesus, did i really do that?” you spun spencer around to look at his back. “you did.” he chuckled throwing his head down. “‘m sorry…” you felt a little guilty, you didn’t mean for him to become a target of interrogation.

“don’t worry about it… i like it when i make you feel good.” he smiled with his hand on your face, his thumb slightly grazing your face. “yeah?” you slightly smiled. “mhm.” you reached for his lips until you heard the door open.

“and now we know who the culprit is.” morgan laughed with a empty glass of piña colada of his hand.

#spencer reid #spencer reid smut #spencer reid criminal minds #spencer reid fluff #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid imagine #criminal minds fic #criminal minds #criminal minds smut

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mimikila · 2 months ago

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10 things I hate love about you

a/n: Hey! So this is my first fanfic here, english is not my first language so I apologize for any mistake. If you have any questions, ask in the comments and I will clarify!

Synopsis: You hate most teenagers. Seungmin is one of them, and he also has a terrible habit with betting. What happens when he loses a bet and is forced to take you to the prom?

+40k words

pairing: bad boy!Seungmin x hater!Reader

Inspired by "10 things I hate about you"

TW: fem!reader, comedy, dirty jokes, bad words, angst, comfort, dick!Yeonjun (srry), stupid!Seungmin, Y/N is a hater of everyone, kind of enemies to lovers, mentions of sex (nothing explicit), drugs, mentions of getting drunk, partys. (let me know if i forgot somenthing)

You were never one to do things for the sake of others. She hates following what's in trending, hates teenagers who don't have their own personality, hates those who have sex for fun, hates couples who are together just to not be alone and hates even more those who stop doing what they want just to fit in somewhere.

Obviously she hates school. Okay, not exactly school. But the place surrounded by teenagers with raging hormones, there was exactly what you didn't like.

"When will you finally agree to go out with me, sweetie?" Choi Yeonjun's provocative voice sounded in her ears. Wonderful, just what I needed this morning. She thinks.

"Maybe in one of my darkest nightmares." she answers him without even looking into the redhead's eyes, more interested to remove the books needed for the next class from your locker.

"Come on, you don't have to be so annoying all the time." Yeonjun follows her as she walks to her room, his usual playful face only making her angrier. "But apparently you do." She quickens her pace before he even gives up following her with an irritated smile and a roll of his eyes.

The girl sits at her desk when she arrives in the classroom, her best - and only - friend, Yunjin, the person she still supported in that place, was a year younger, therefore, from a different class, which made her completely alone during the classes.

Excellent. Just the way she liked it.

The literature teacher was saying something that probably only you were listening to when the class is interrupted by a late student.

All the bored students turn their heads towards the sound of the door opening as a way to escape the monotony of class. "Sorry, I'm late. I was.. uhm-" he scratches the back of his head trying his best to think of a good excuse. again. "Smoking in the back hallway? That's new." The teacher says ironically, before pointing out, what he automatically understood, After all, it wouldn't be the first time he ended up in the principal's office.

Kim Seungmin.

a summary of everything you most hated, Impressionable. His addiction to tobacco and his obvious presence at almost every party was visible to anyone. He was different from Yeonjun however, even though they seemed to sympathize with each other. Silent, perhaps because he had nothing smart to say. He wore only dark clothes with thick leather jackets and spent most of his breaks with the group of punks who use drugs and listen to exaggeratedly loud music behind the school. He interrupted classes with stupid questions just to make others laugh and took part in surreal bets for pure entertainment. Getting into fights over a pack of cigarettes, skipping classes, going to detention, you're sure he just doesn't have a longer body count because girls are afraid of him.

In other words, a complete asshole.

Your thought is interrupted when some laughter came from the other students as soon as Seungmin was kicked out of the room. You roll your eyes before raising your hand to interrupt the teacher's speech. "Do you always have to have an opinion about everything?" he sighs as he sat at his desk at the front of the room. This would be a long class.

"I told you, if you couldn't stay away from the board for a week you would lose." Yeonjun laughs playfully along with some of his friends.

"It didn't count this time, it wasn't even because of a fight. I was just late." Seungmin mumbles before inhaling his cigarette, not finding the things amusing at all.

"Without specifics, a trip to the board is a trip to the board." Yeonjun says with that damn smile. bastard. Seungmin thinks.

"Fine, damn it." Seungmin stubs out his cigarette on the wall he was leaning against with an irritated sigh. "What do you want?" he crosses his arms while looking at Yeonjun with a frown, already deeply regretting this fucking challenge.

"Um... I don't know, but I'll definitely think about it." His laugh is cut off as Yeonjun's gaze catches you passing through the yard.

The student council girl runs towards her as soon as she sees her approaching one of the prom posters, but she doesn't get there fast enough before she rips it off the wall and crushes it with one hand.

"Pathetic tradition." you mutter to yourself while walking to meet Yunjin.

Bingo.

"I think I've thought enough." Yeonjun close his eyes with a smirk and Seungmin can feel a shiver just for of what awaited him. "Look." Yeonjun turns Kim around while holding his shoulders, before pointing at the two girls who were chatting carelessly.

"Yunjin? I was expecting worse than that." Seungmin crosses his arms in front of his chest, watching the pretty girl let out a laugh.

"No, no. No Yunjin, look closer." Yeonjun already laughs, amused by what he had prepared for the Doberman boy.

"I'll pass." Seungmin turns around before starting to walk - run away - from the red-haired guy. "you have no choice! last month I went on a date with Seo Shin-ae because of that bet, without complaining!" Yeonjun chases him before Seungmin himself stopped running with a sigh.

"What do I have to do?" He crosses his arms as he glares at the taller guy furiously. "Take her to the prom." Yeonjun says without thinking twice, with the same shitty smile. "I'll. pass."

"You have no choice." In any normal situation, Seungmin could just give up that bet, he might not have even made it in the first place. But that would be too much for his ego and fragile masculinity. "Fine."

"Hah, you're gonna die." Yeonjun scoffs, knowing very well who Seungmin would have to deal with. "I hope so." Those are his last words before storming out of the school yard, seconds before the break alarm goes off.

Sweat poured down your face as you breathed heavily. You crawl tiredly to the benches next to the field to get a bottle of water, opening it and pouring a good amount into your mouth and face.

What a wonderful sight. Seungmin thinks with a disgusted expression. Sighing, he accepts his fate as he puts a smile on his face as he approaches the bench of the women's soccer team members.

"Hey, how are you?" He asks with his seductive and carefree tone, resting one of his hands on the back of the seat and using the other to brush his bangs out of the eyes. Obviously acting charming.

She stares at him with a frown and almost the same look of disgust he gave her a few seconds ago. "Sweaty like a pig." You tighten the bottle cap without even looking at him.

this girl...

He forces his best laugh as he bites his bottom lip, part of it because he was punishing himself for such humiliation.

"at 22:30"

"what?" She finally looks at him, part of her bangs obstructing her vision before she tries to tuck them behind her ear, to no avail. “Go out with me” Seungmin says as if she had already accepted. She scoffs.

"Lost another bet, Kim?" You smile before starting to walk off the field. Seungmin smiles just knowing that she knew his name. "Is it so difficult to imagine that someone wants your company out of pure and spontaneous desire?" He scoffs back, following her. This is familiar.

“If that someone is you, or Yeonjun, or any of your little bitch friends, yes, it is.” You waste no time looking at him as you grabbed your backpack from the floor.

"You're pretty."

"Is that your only reason?"

"It's just a damn date!" Seungmin he finally stops chasing her, watching her continue running away without even checking in on him.

"I'll pass." He bites his lower lip at the familiarity of those words, sighing irritably as he runs his hand through his bangs in a failed attempt to calm himself.

"You're cooked." He hears the voice of his friend, Jeongin.

One year younger, handsome, sweet and stylish, but for some reason he was adopted by the group of crazy smoking punks. Your words.

The blonde followed the entire scene while eating a bag of potatoes fries, enjoying the torture of his almost brother and best friend.

"Oh, really?" Seungmin scoffs, still looking at the way where you went, before turning to his friend and dropping his bag of potatoes on the floor.

"Are you stalking me?" You get out of your marine blue Chevrolet, a small gift from your father that you got last year. Her usual anger was ever present in her voice.

"Are you that cocky?" Seungmin responds with his annoyingly pretty smile. She crosses her arms, unconvinced by his answer. He sighs in defeat.

"I was at the bar across the street, saw your car and wanted to say hi." He feels like a little child finding excuses to his angry parents.

"Well, you already said. Bye." She says before going her own way, leaving him behind awkwardly. He sighs again.

Seungmin starts to feel hopeless when he sees Yeonjun park his convertible right behind her car, purposely blocking her path. "Any lucky today?"

Seungmin just gives him the middle finger before the redhead get out of his car and walk past him. Perfect timing for you to exit the grocery store and see your car stuck between the sidewalk and Yeonjun's stupidly expensive vehicle. "You've got to be kidding...."

A dented car and Seungmin serving as an alibe for Yeonjun's complaint against her for purposely reversing her car.

He was lost.

It has never been so difficult to please some girl. You were openly a hater of everything and everyone around you. He sighs. Ever since he tried to ask her out, he's been sighing more than he has in his entire life.

"I need your help." The brunette crosses his arms on the lunch table. Jeongin looks up at him, his eyebrows raised. "That's crazy, huh?"

Seungmin rolls his eyes.

"She just doesn't like men." He says sulking.

"Maybe she just doesn't like you."

"Hardly. Anyway, how would I know what she likes?" Jeongin exchanges looks with Seungmin before saying. "I have an idea."

“Kim Seungmin wants to go out with Y/N?” Yunjin frowns in confusion, the duo in front of her sighing. "Kind of-"

"He wants to." Jeongin corrects. Yunjin and he weren't exactly friends, but they had a common class, which made them exchange some polite pleasantries. "He needs help because he doesn't seem to have a chance with her."

"It's not like I don't have-"

"What does she like?" Jeongin maintains the conversation with Yunjin, ignoring Seungmin's interruptions, making him scoff and cross his arms like a grumpy child. "Does she even like guys?" The oldest rolls his eyes.

"She likes handsome guys, she has a poster of Gong Yoo in her room." Yunjin explains with a giggle, remembering the times she frequented your room. Seungmin thinks about how much easier it would be to have to hang out with her and not you.

The blonde boy looks briefly at his friend with furrowed eyebrows, the older one raises an eyebrow at him. "You're not that bad." Jeongin tries to convince himself with a little smile. "Now you..."

"She doesn't like smokers, or loud or quarrelsome guys." The girl with blue hair starts to score while looking at Seungmin, looking more and more hopeless. "But if it makes you feel better, she thinks your smile is pretty."

"My smile?"

"His smile??"

Seungmin elbows Jeongin who complains audibly. "Yes, she said something like..." Yunjin searches her memory, trying to remember what you had said to her a few days ago.

"He won't leave me alone, he thinks I'm stupid for believing that it's not just another bet between him and Yeonjun." You flip through the page of the old fashion magazine you had for years now, sighing nervously as you vent to Yunjin.

"Maybe it's not a bet, why don't you just agree to go out with him and find out?" The younger girl seemed much more focused on filing her nails than actually talking. "He irritates me! Always showing that...damn. pretty. smile. He knows it's pretty and that's the most annoying thing." You closed the magazine irritably, lifting your head from the pillow as you used your hands aggressively to prove your point.

"He annoys you or turns you on?" Yunjin teases, finally looking at you. "It takes a lot more than a smile to turn me on, believe me. And he's a complete asshole, his bangs are ridiculous and he's not interesting at all." You turn your attention back to the magazine as you lay back on the bed.

"That's a begining." Jeongin always optimistic.

"My bangs aren't ridiculous!" Seungmin stands up irritably before being pulled down again by his friend.

"Okay, okay. We need to know what she likes. Books, music, hobbies.." The blonde takes his attention back to Yunjin, who was listening attentively.

"She likes feminist poetry." Seungmin rolls his eyes. "She loves music, she goes to the music store almost every day to play the piano, even though she never buy one." Yunjin smiles as she thinks about what her friend liked, probably the only person who really supports her.

"She bought tickets for Mitski too."

"And what the fuck is that exactly?" Seungmin closes his eyes. He hated the fact that a small bet was taking up so much of his days.

"Music for melancholy teenage girls with mommy issues." Jeongin responds, receiving a pout from Yunjin. "The show is this Saturday, maybe you show up and she ends up seeing you? It would make you more interesting in her eyes."

"No way, what would people think of me if they saw me there?" Seungmin leans his back against the bench while crossing his arms in front of him. "Do you want the gal or not?" the youngest raises an eyebrow at him.

Melancholic teenage girls, just like

Jeogin said. Seungmin felt watched as he entered the bar where the show was taking place, he looked both ways to make sure he didn't know anyone there.

You hummed and swayed your body from side to side with Yunjin very close to the stage, stopping to touch your friend's ear and shout so she could hear. "I'm going to get something to drink!"

She walked through the small huddled crowd at the front of the stage, muttering a few apologies to get closer to the bar. "a bloody marry, please!" You say, loud enough for the bartender to hear.

She downs the drink in one go, feeling the unusual burn in her throat as she swallows. "I didn't know you drank." The inconveniently familiar voice makes her roll her eyes.

"What are you doing here? Do you know Mitski?" She asks, now looking at him, noticing him there for the first time.

"And who doesn't?" He says, finishing his drink, before standing up and walking into the crowd. right, acting disinterested.

She follows him out of pure curiosity, she justifies herself . "And since when do you consume indie music?" She scoffs as she approaches him.

"Ah. that's my favorite one." Seungmin ignores her before humming the lyrics from 'Your best American girl'. She scoffs again, not believing it for a second.

"Are you high?"

"No, I stopped smoking, they say it's bad for your health, right?" He looks at her for the first time, or at least the first time she's noticed. "Oh, really..? good for you then." you speak awkwardly, running out of things to respond. He smiles to himself. Victory.

"And if I may say so, you're pretty when you are not wearing the same pair of jeans as always." Seungmin teases with that sideways smile again, now he knew she liked it.

"Hah, you think so?" She tries to mock him even though she feels a pang of embarrassment at the compliment. "You also look... acceptable, with your bangs swept back." He rolls his eyes at her attempt at a compliment.

"Thanks?" He jokes and she laughs, for the first time time looking genuine. Point for him.

"You know... You're not that uninteresting." He arches an eyebrow. "So will you go with me to the party tomorrow?" Seungmin wastes no time and she rolls her eyes.

"Party? What party?" She asks, showing no interest however. She was now missing a great song to be talking to him.

"Changbin, the rich producer who studied at our school." He smiles as he realizes he hasn't been rejected yet.

"This guy doesn't even study there anymore and he still invites that bunch of teenagers?" The girl asks rhetorically, he sighs.

"Do you always talk like a grandma?" He bites his lower lip. Was this a habit of his? Damn habit. "Most of the time."

He rolls his eyes, grabbing one of her hands to spin her to the beat of the music. Even though 'Nobody' didn't go with dancing. "You really need to learn how to socialize."

She feels something in her stomach that she hasn't felt in a long time. "I have to study."

"Then I'll pick you up at nine."

"You don't know where I live."

"I'll figure it out."

She rolls her eyes as he walks away, probably leaving after getting what he wants. You sigh before walking back closer to Yunjin.

"Why did I agree with this?" You mutter a little to yourself as you both enter the large house.

"Because I asked you to." Seungmin was right behind her as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She mocks his response before entering the much acclaimed 'party'.

He sees Yeonjun in the middle of some girls, his smile disappears as soon as he looks at the guy with his arm around her neck and Seungmin smiles victoriously. Yeonjun clenches his jaw, something about him being able to get close to you so easily made him... jealous? He scoffs before turning his attention back to Lia, or whatever the name of the girl in front of him was.

You really don't know how you ended up here.

On top of the main table swaying to the music of some pop singer you hate it, while a bunch of teenagers supported you to continue.

"She really came." Seungmin wakes up when he hears Jeongin's voice next to him, with a bag of potatoes in his hand as he watches the entire scene. He has deja vú.

The brunette sighs irritably before approaching the table. "Okay, okay the show is over, you're drunk." He tries hard to get you off the 'stage', with you complaining while you get down from the place. "You need some air." He raises his eyebrows in a lament, before dragging her to the porch of the house.

"I... I'm... great, I just need- one more drink..." She mumbles drunkenly as she reaches out to steal the drink from someone else, who quickly dodges her and walks away irritably.

"I would never imagine that someone like you would drink so much like this." Seungmin scoffs before placing her near the stone fences for support. "Isn't that what you guys do at parties?" She mutters with a few strands of hair stuck to her lip gloss, throwing all her weight on the marble piece right below her.

"There's hair in your mouth." The boy teases her before taking one of his hands to look for the strands stuck to her lips, his gaze focused on the movement. before he raises the focus to her eyes.

The party music seems to fade away as he stares into your eyes, his hand drops to your chin and he doesn't seem to want to break his gaze.

"I can see my reflection in your eyes." She says in a sigh, and he bites his bottom lip with a smile.

Seungmin gets closer to her face, and for half a second, he forgot about that bet. His attention too focused on her long eyelashes and then on her parted lips. He starts to close his eyes before being abruptly stopped when she pulls away from him and turns to the other side with a groan, letting everything she consumed at the party out.

The boy scratches the back of his head with a sigh, embarrassed by his own actions as he remembers seconds ago. "Come on, let's go home."

You can't remember the last time you laughed this much, it seemed like everything Seungmin said was funny.

"Wait a minute, you sing?" You ask in surprise.

"I've been singing since I was nine" He replies, focusing on driving.

"Show me." The girl says with bright eyes, still a little drunk.

"No."

"Come on! Show me, I want to hear it." She whimpers.

"I don't sing in front of people." Seungmin has a pout surprisingly cute on the face.

"Oh, are you shy?" Y/N quips with a giggle.

"I am." He laughs back, before stopping the car right in front of her house. "You're at home."

She looks out the window, seeing the place she grew up in, but at the moment it didn't seem like where she wanted to be. She turns to him again. "Thank you for inviting me, after all you're not that bad."

"This may have been the best compliment you've ever given me." He scoffs with a smile, one hand still resting on the steering wheel of the car and the other going to run through his bangs, he suddenly remembers that he was wearing his hair as usual. "Oh, I forgot to comb my bangs back today."

"It looks good like this." You respond faster than you intended. "You said it looked ridiculous." He laughs when he remembers, biting the lower lip.

"What? I never said that." raising an eyebrow in confusion, looking at him with a small smile.

"Right, you never said that." He quickly corrects himself, the two stare at each other in silence before bursting into laughter at the same time.

Everything felt right, laughing in the passenger seat right next to Seungmin, who was smiling just like you. Is this real?

Their laughter subsides as their eyes lock again, the previous tension returning as their gazes lock onto each other. You are the first to approach this time, leaving your face just inches from his as you close your eyes. He was going to do the same before a pang of guilt stopped him, and he sighs. Why can't I just be a selfish bastard like always? He thinks before pulling away and looking ahead of the road.

"It's late, you should come in." Seungmin murmurs in a sigh and you open your eyes, but he refuses to look at you. You scoff.

"You're unbelievable." She mocks before quickly taking off her belt, opening the car door and getting out without looking back, entering her house.

What was his problem?

"What have you done now?" Jeongin asks with a frown, the two of them sitting in the stands of the big football field while Seungmin asked the younger boy for advice. How ironic.

"Nothing, that's the problem." Seungmin sighs, looking at the field only to see you playing along with the rest of the team. "She was drunk, I didn't want to.." He can't finish his sentence.

"When did you become so moralistic?" Jeongin scoffs. "You know what? I don't know!" the brunette takes hands to his face, frustrated.

"Look, whatever happened, go out there and apologize." The blonde crosses his arms while rolling his eyes. "Why are you assuming I'm the one who fucked up?"

"And it wasn't?" Seungmin doesn't respond. Jeongin sighs. "Wait a day for her to calm down and then put your ego aside and humble yourself for forgiveness." The brunette makes a face at him before looking at the field. to see her again.

You were furious, and everyone in that camp had already noticed. Dribbling an adversary and knocking down another as if she were playing rugby, kicking the ball into the goal with so much force that the goalkeeper didn't even try to catch it, ducking to save his life.

"Two days, I will wait two days." Seungmin says as he stared at the entire scene in horror.

"Yeah, that's better." The blonde does the same. "By the way, I'm dating Yunjin now" Jeongin smiles proudly, his eyes closing in the process.

"Huh? since when?" Seungmin brings his attention back to the shorter one.

"Since the party, we kissed and now we're going out ." He explains with his nose in the air.

"Where did you kiss?"

"In the car, after I dropped her off at home."

....

A sigh.

"Okay I guess I have class now." Seungmin doesn't wait for a response before walking off the field, leaving a confused and offended Jeongin.

Seungmin would definitely regret this.

Bribing the people at the radio club wasn't that difficult. A few grams of the most popular weed of the moment was enough for him to have his ten minutes of fame. The band was the hardest part, but luckily he had a close friend, Han Jisung, who coincidentally was captain of the orchestra.

Done.

You were training on the football field like every wednesday, when you hear the loud speakers echoing. Weird. Is the school on fire?

"Uriga nanun...

Gin siganmankeum neureonan gidaeneun"

A song..? A strangely familiar male voice. You and the rest of the team stop to pay attention.

"Eojjeomyeon dang-yeonhaljido molla.."

Try again. It was a beautiful song, yes, but why out of nowhere?

"Sumaneun oechimdo"

She looks around as do the rest of the people in the field.

"Seoroui mamen dachi motan chae"

...

"Geureoke heulleogagido haetjiman."

Your gaze finally meets his, sitting at the very top of the stands, he is surprisingly looking straight at you. You bite your lip to contain your smile. "Unbelievable..."

"So whenever you ask me again how I feel..."

The school orchestra plays it when the chorus starts, you look around, it was hard to believe. Am I in a romantic comedy?

"Please remember my answer is you."

You smile at him and he smiles back as he sings the words. His voice was so beautiful. You knew good singers, but this was different. She felt like he was singing for her.

"Meon gireul dasi doraganda haedo"

He looks away from her only to see Lady Shin, better known as Miss Principal, walking towards him.

"Nan yeojeonhi gateun mamil tenikka."

Seungmin continues singing until the older woman approaches him.

"We'll be alright, I want to try again."

He takes a final bow before following the nervous lady inside the school, managing to hear the applause of everyone watching.

Seungmin looks away from the director who was scolding him, as usual, looking at you again, with a sideways smile as he waved softly at her. You smile with a nod, still in disbelief. You wanted to be mad at him, you wanted to think it was just a challenge from him and Yeonjun and then ignore him completely. But Kim Seungmin was trying hard to get into her heart.

He will be the death of you.

"Miss Y/N, What are you doing here?" The voice of the detention teacher awakens Seungmin from the moon world. The boy quickly looks towards the door, to see you standing there with a half smile.

"Detention, sir. Arguing with a teacher." She explains herself without any remorse. He bites his lower lip to contain the smile. You definitely did it on purpose.

"Sure, sit down." The teacher says, and she does so when she finds a place next to him.

"You're a good singer." Another point for him.

"So I'm forgiven?" Seungmin supports his chin with one hand and smiles softly.

"Yeah, I guess so." She responds without looking at him, opening one of her books to appear uninterested. He smiles.

"Let's go to karaoke." Seungmin follows you down the halls to your locker. He's been getting more clingy. Sitting with you at lunch and unconsciously kicking Yunjin out, walking you home, 'helping' you with your homework in the library, but really just staring at you while you write.

Seungmin told himself that he was just trying hard for the bet, but the blunt truth is that he didn't even remember that anymore. He's gotten used to smoking just one cigarette before bed, and waking up early to take a shower to make sure you don't smell the smoke. He read more books than he had ever read in his entire life and to be honest, Mitski's music wasn't that bad. Jeongin makes fun of him, knowing his friend well enough to know that this wasn't all to prove his masculinity to Yeonjun. The fact is that he likes you.

"I can't sing." You laugh at him, trying your best to shove all of your notebooks inside the small school locker. "Well, I know." He scoffs back, that smile never leaving his lips as he leans his head against the locker next to you.

"Have you lost your shyness?" You finally closes it and leans against the door, looking directly at him now.

"I think serenading you in front of half the school helped me with that." He scoffs, his voice a few tones lower than normal, his gaze never leaving yours before he reaches up to tuck a strand of your hair behind your ear.

"Let's go to karaoke then." You try changing his attention out of pure embarrassment, feeling your cheeks burn as you turn away from the metal lockers, walking to your next class. "But don't make fun of me."

"I can't promise that."

"Your task is to redo this little Shakespeare poem. You have until class before the ball to do it." Old Professor Jin says with a yawn.

Right. The bail.

Suddenly Seungmin remember your initial purpose. He sighs. He obviously wanted to take you to the prom, but not because of the bet, no, he wanted to take you because he wanted to have you around, he didn't want anyone else, he wanted you.

The boy looks at her only to see her absently playing with a colored pen, for the first time you seemed disconnected from the class. What were you thinking? He smiles foolishly.

Singing wasn't your strong point, you loved music, but you preferred to stick to instruments. She was certainly leaving her comfort zone when she agreed to go to karaoke with Seungmin.

After the second song, where Seungmin made her sure he wouldn't make fun of her for her voice, she feels at ease. The two sang together, Seungmin introducing his voice whenever he felt it was necessary. - whenever she would go out of tune -, and she was grateful for that. Something about her laughing and him talking nonsense in between lyrics made her feel at home, almost like she'd known him for years. How long have they been talking? a month? maybe a month and a half? She's not sure. But it already felt like an eternity.

"Only? Do you want to tell me something or.." Seungmin makes fun of her song choice, she just laughs in return. "It's a beautiful song." You respond and he nods.

"Be my only one"

You sing, Seungmin doesn’t interrupt. He looks at her with puppy eyes as he watched her mouth move to the melody of the song, he wasn't really listening, too distracted by whatever it was right now. Her eyes shine as she reads the lyrics on the monitor, the light from the TV illuminating her entire body. Every detail of her face being analyzed by him. Her big eyelashes, her hair that fell a little on her face and her full lips that moved as the song went by. Ah, those lips. He then remembers when he was so close to them that he could feel their breath caress his face.

"Now I believe"

Y/N turns her gaze to him when she notices him being very silent. Right. The karaoke.

"A song called la la la la"

Seungmin sings with her, his voice drawn out by the small laugh he let out when he remembered that the song existed.

"You who searched and searched and wandered"

The monitor was forgotten as He looked into your eyes, you tried your best to remember the lyrics that always played on the radio when you drove back home.

"My, oh my, oh my, oh, my love"

The feeling of everything being blurry returns when the two maintain eye contact, she watching her reflection in Seungmin's eyes and he trying hard not to kiss her at that moment. How did she end up here? With the kind of guy she hated, in a 12 square meter room, singing, looking into his eyes with the greatest sexual tension she'd ever felt.

"Be my only love"

He gives up, As soon as the last words of the chorus come out of both of them, he approaches completely, their lips colliding. That feeling in your stomach again. It's like fireworks when Seungmin brings a hand to her cheek, letting go of the microphone to rest his hand on the bench right behind you. This looks like a scene from a romance book. She thinks. He almost faints when the kiss stops for a second and she parts her lips to give way to his tongue, which he doesn't take long to accept. His hands go to her waist as he deepens the kiss, her back rests against the wall when Seungmin leans even closer, as if he wasn't already close enough.

He pulls away to catch his breath, both of them breathing heavily as he rests his forehead against hers, sighing. "Go to the prom with me."

"I'm not really into that kind of stuff."

"But you're into me though." He teases, and she laughs before capturing his lips again.

He needed to talk to Yeonjun.

With a lame excuse he loses you and goes to the back of the school, not taking long to find Yeonjun and the rest of his 'friends'. "We need to talk."

"What's up Seungmin! How long friend, you've been kind of busy recently." Yeonjun takes the cigarette out of his mouth to greet the brunette, wrapping an arm around his neck as he pulls him closer to the circle. The redhead offers him a cigarette, Seungmin sighs irritated, picking up the rolled-up piece of paper with his hand, only to throw it on the floor.

"I give up." He says just like that, Yeonjun looks at him confused. "The damn bet, I give up, I'm not going to do that, you win." Seungmin looks deeply into his eyes as he says this, Yeonjun scoffs.

"You've got to be joking, are you serious, Minnie?" The redhead uses the old nickname on purpose, making Seungmin even more uncomfortable. "I thought you were better than this, you can't take a girl to the dance?" Yeonjun laughs dryly. He clenches his jaw.

"I don't care what you think, I just want to make it clear that it's over. I'm not going to be a part of this anymore." Seungmin says firmly, Yeonjun's smile disappears.

"What's your problem Seungmin? Have you gotten into her pants already? Have you had enough?" Seungmin turns to leave, not wanting to hear all that bullshit. “I bet you had fun, Y/N is good in everything she does. When I found out that she played the piano I finally understood why those little hands were so skilled-"

Yeonjun's voice is interrupted when Seungmin drops a closed fist on his cheekbone. That would definitely leave a mark. The redhead has little time to react before Seungmin pushes him and he hits his back on the ground. All Yeonjun can feel are the punches of the youngest in his face.

The fight doesn't last long when the two's friends run to separate them, now a group of other students are already surrounding them when Seungmin hears director Shin's familiar voice. Shit.

He doesn't think straight as he follows her out of the circle of students, nervously trying to brush his bangs out of his face. Seungmin couldn't hear anything, and his vision was blurry too. What was Yeonjun's problem? Was he just messing with him? Did he really already have...? That didn't make sense. No, it didn't feel right. You would never be with someone like that. Someone who smokes, fights, screams, hates rules, someone who makes stupid bets. Someone like Yeonjun. Someone like Seungmin.

Oh.

His thought is interrupted when he feels the burning of a gaze penetrating him, beyond of all the others, he felt this one up close. He lifts his head to see you staring at him, near the alley where Yeonjun and his friends were. Did she hear that? Her look was answer enough. Lips swollen from her teeth biting them anxiously, red nose and wet eyes. She heard that.

Seungmin is used to fucking everything up.

But this time he really regretted it.

"Some brave to read your poem in front of the class?"

Seungmin was done. part of it was because he knew he fucked up with everything, and the other part was because you were avoiding him. Missing all the classes you had together. You never missed classes. He tried his best to forget, tried to convince himself that 'It was just a girl', but he couldn't. No, not even if he wanted to. And he didn't want to.

With the head resting on his arms and his body leaning on the table he looked absently out the window, wondering where you were. He had done his homework for the first time. But you weren't there to hear it.

22:30, That time reminded you of him. Damn.

All the other students were probably having fun, dancing and getting drunk in a room full of fancy dresses and music. But you were in your room, alone.

You scribbled randomly in your notebook as you did your best to relax, 'Reflections' played on your small radio on the corner of the table. This song reminded you of him. Damn. You sigh audibly, throwing your pen somewhere on the desk as you kicked the wall in front of you to move away from the table, letting your head fall to your side and look at the ceiling.

You have condemned yourself for falling for it again. Yeonjun was an asshole, and you learned that the worst way.

first year, you weren't you yet. Little girl who wanted most was to fit in.

And then he appeared. Knight in armor, handsome, charming, with dyed hair and a pretty smile. Yeonjun was your prince. Or that's what you thought. Two months of dating was what it took for him to get what he wanted. After using all his charm he completely seduced you, behind his luxurious convertible. He had you at his mercy.

He didn't force you, no, you did it on your own, after all, everyone was doing it, right? then a week later when he was flirting with Chaewon like you were nothing, it made your heart break into a thousand pieces. Days later you found out about the gambling addiction between Yeonjun and his friends.

You promised never to fall into the clutches of stupid teenagers again.

You sighed, closing your eyes to block out the light from the chandelier in your room, taking deep breaths to calm yourself.

Tic

Weird

Tic

...

Tic

What the hell is that? You open your eyes and look around the room before see a rock hitting the window glass. Very weird. You take cautious steps to the window, opening one of the doors before a rock flies over your head, landing somewhere in the room.

"Sorry!" Kim Seungmin. Exactly the person you wanted to see. You scoff, turning to go back to your bed. "Wait!"

You ignore it, laying down on your bed and looking at the ceiling again.

Seungmin looks up, seeing you disappear into the room, he sighs, ready to give up when he notices that you didn't close the window.

"I'm not sure if you can hear me, but- uhm... I did my homework, ahmm.." He sighs, opening the crumpled piece of paper he's tucked away in his big leather jacket. He clears his throat.

"I love how you talk to me

And how your hair is always blocking your eyes

I love how you sing out of tune

And I love your stubbornness"

He smiles to himself as he reads.

"I love your worn pair of jeans

And I love how you can read my mind.

I love this about you so much

That I even feel sick

I love how you ignore red traffic lights

And I love it when you're brutally honest."

He laughs to himself, unconsciously reaching to brush off his bangs of the eyes.

"I love when you make me smile

And even more when you look into my eyes

I love how you hum when you're distracted

And the fact that you love weird music"

He swallows hard, sucking in some air as he reads his own previously written words. He moistens his lips before continuing.

"But I especially love

how you make me feel loved

Even though I'm everything you hate

And for that, and more

...

I love you."

He still looks at the paper when he bites his bottom lip. Seungmin looks up to see the window, only to notice that you weren’t there yet. He sighs, crumpling up the paper and stuffing it back into his pocket. "I really meant it." He concludes, turning to head back to the car.

Seungmin didn't want to lose you, but he would learn to deal with it. He would try hard to forget everything he spent with you, the show, the party, the football field, the library, the car, the karaoke. Everything. And as his last act of love, he would leave you alone.

Three steps, maybe four, is all he can walk before he feels a weight on his back, staggering him and almost falling to the ground. You snaked your arms around his slim waist, as you buried your face in his back, sniffling. "Stupid....Stupid- I...I hate you." She whimpers, her voice muffled by the fabric. He sighs with relief.

Seungmin turns to hug you from the front, resting his chin on the top of your head as he closes his eyes. "I love you too, baby." He whispers, and you feel those damn butterflies. "I'm really sorry."

"You better be!" She cries, hitting his chest as she pulls her face away from his now wet shirt, looking at him. He brings both hands to her face to wipe away her tears. She sobs.

"You know, I really intended to take you to the prom, I mean- because I wanted to, not because.. you know-" You cut him off when you crash your lips onto his abruptly, shutting him up. It takes a second for him to hug you again, gently taking one hand to your face and the other to your waist. The kiss was wet, a mess, but he couldn't be happier. He smiles, and the bail is forgotten.

"I hate myself for not being able to hate you."

"And I love you."

End.

#kim seungmin x reader #seungmin x reader #fanfic #stray kids x reader #stray kids #jeongin #yeonjun #yunjin #fem reader #x reader #reader insert #skz stay #skz #skz x reader #10 things i hate about you

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johnnybaileys · 9 months ago

Text

at this point it almost feels like joe alwyn was the one kept locked away for 6 years because the man couldn't fill up his car or get a haircut without getting stalked. the photos coming out now are at events where he has an opportunity to know it's coming, select his clothing and styling, wear a pin representing a cause that's important to him. he has control of his appearances now instead of gritting his teeth during pap walks for backgrid.

we know how ts feels when she feels the narrative is being pulled out of her control ("gaslit by an entire system"). a sense of control over one's own life seems essential for sanity and i don't think it's fair for people to gloss over the part where she agreed to the level of privacy he needed and publicly endorsed it during some of her media statements made during the relationship (which i applaud for being unusually restrained and mature at the time). extreme extroverts and extreme introverts can try to make it work but neither is wrong if it doesn't work (if the breakdown is specifically about that difference between them) and it's kinda crappy to couch it in terms of "being locked away" now. especially since some of the locking away was due to a global pandemic.

joe alwyn wasn't on my radar for most of the 6 years except 1) i felt her music entered a new era of relationship contentment and grown up sensuality that reflected late 20s/early 30s womanhood and then transitioned into a more literary set of albums (folkmore) that had a broader focus thematically and 2) i heard little about him and there was effectively zero romantic drama for 5 full years. what a break for her (and us!).

now i'm more impressed by him than ever. he's quiet in the wake of it all, focuses on his industry commitments and the work he's doing, and absolutely glows with newfound relaxed joy. i absolutely do not think women shouldn't be entitled to have strong, deep emotions and write about those experiences. her work is perhaps the strongest ever in terms of conveying a feminine quixotic, idealized romantic viewpoint and then the flipside of idealizing (it's giving BPD!!!) which is devaluation/disillusionment/disenchantment, resentment, feelings of being deceived or let down ("maybe this thing was a masterpiece 'til you tore it all up" being the early and best example).

the way joe has handled this, though, has made his status in my mind go from "just some guy" to an example of stability and fortitude that interests me. I personally believe that not publicly suffering is not necessarily a sign of callous lack of empathy - sometimes it means maturity and perspective. sw*fties harassing her exes want/ed to see a public mea culpa/punishment/expression of suffering that they feel equals their idols' - it's giving fatal attraction from those fans. maybe we don't need our past partners to suffer. maybe processing feelings involves personal reflection and doesn't require another party.

i'll leave off with this to support idealization/devaluation (the classic bpd trend):

Devils roll the dice, angels roll their eyes

'Cause I can't help it if you look like an angel

Say you're sorry, that face of an angel

And I damn sure would've never danced with the devil

Dear reader, when you aim at the devil

He looks up, grinning like a devil

#anti taylor swift #free joe alwyn

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goldfades · 9 months ago

Text

𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐛𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐚 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡. | delicate au, jack hughes

౨ৎ ─ summary | this takes place in late august of 2023, a little before the njd season started. jack hughes dm's the girl the whole internet thinks he's dating and invites her to a pre-season get-together at his house.

─ word count | 1.9k

─ warnings | anxiety, some flirting? nothing else!

─ taglist | @dancerbailey3 @valluvsu @daisysnhl @dasiysthings @iminlovewithtz11 @literatureluster @lvrzegras @lxvleyzoe @bowen-power @ru-kru @jackhughesily @hearts-for-luke

─ ev's notes | please lmk ur thoughts on this au so far! i, of course, always read ur guys feedback so anything would be very much appreciated.

Accept message request from jhughes (jackhughes)?

jhughes: have you seen twitter? we're trending 🤣 jhughes: looks like i'm your bf now 🤷🏻🤷🏻

libbytf: yeah um i don't even know how that happened😭 libbytf: they're crazy, that's not either of us?

jhughes: it does really look like us though haha 🤣 i don't blame them

libbytf: the more i look the photos the more i disagree lol, i hope they figure it out on their own 😭

jhughes: haha yeah [seen]

jhughes: me and luke are having a pre season party, you should come if ur free jhughes: oh and if leon wants you to hahaha😭

libbytf: when is it? i'll see if i can come and if i'm in town

jhughes: next saturday at our new place

libbytf: i'll let you know!

jhughes: k lmk ( 👍🏻 )

Libby stared down at her screen, trying to comprehend what had just happened. Did she just get asked out?

She received the message later that day and she was surprised that Jack Hughes had messaged her. She wasn't starstruck or anything but he didn't seem like the "dm" type, he looked more like the type to approach you in public.

She shook her head, she didn't even know if he was hitting on her. He probably wasn't even trying to come off that way, he probably just needed more people at his party. And the truth was, after the whole "Josh" thing, she didn't really have anything to do because everyone in the world was seemingly against her. The messy breakup with Josh had left her feeling exposed, as if every aspect of her personal life was now fair game for public scrutiny.

She had been under the spotlight for years now, long before she had even considered the idea of being a singer. Her sister and father were already apart of the "Hollywood" circle, she has seen this kind of stuff before. She's never been apart of the gossip, though - this was the first time she'd been in the spotlight for a bad reason.

Growing up in the shadow of her sister's and father's fame had accustomed her to the entertainment industry and all the drama that came with it. But now, as the fallout from her breakup with Josh engulfed her, Libby found herself thrust into uncharted territory. The barrage of rumors and gossip had stripped away the layers of privacy she had worked so hard to preserve, leaving her feeling vulnerable.

Libby couldn't even turn to her music anymore, she felt like it was no use because the whole internet (and their moms) hated her for no reason other than her relationship, or lack thereof.

She was pulled out of her thoughts as she felt her phone buzz on her bed. She reached for it lazily and opened it, reading the message.

leon 😛 are you down for something this weekend?

Libby typed out a quick response.

libs 🥸 depends

leon 😛 me and some of the team are gonna have a party this weekend to celebrate the start of the season, they told me to bring someone and ur all i have

leon 😛 unless u say no i'll ask someone else

libs 🥸 jack already asked me so sure :)

leon 😛 wait so ur his plus one?

libs 🥸 no bc he's the literal host, he just invited me😭😭

leon 😛 thats weird but okay, can u still be my plus one

libs 🥸 idk if that'll change anything but sure!!

She sighed at her brother's slight stupidity. It sounds like she was going to be going to the party this weekend. As she agreed, Libby couldn't help but feel a twinge of anxiety about attending Jack's party. The thought of facing a bunch of strangers, each with their own preconceived notions about who she was, made her stomach churn.

Before she could turn off her phone, her phone buzzed and she looked at the notification.

jhughes (jackhughes) started following you!

──

"Have you been on Twitter?" Leon spoke up as he drove, his eyes glancing toward Libby before focusing back on the road.

She shrugged, "Yeah. Why?"

"Everyone thinks you're dating Jack, it's kinda funny. Isn't this like, your first time meeting him?" Leon replied with a small laugh, shaking his head.

"It's pretty dumb, isn't it?" Libby replied, her voice tinged with amusement. "Well this is like my second or third time meeting him so it's not like we're strangers but still, we're far from strangers."

"Are you sure about that? He messaged you." Leon joked as he smirked at you as you rolled your eyes. She knew he was joking but a part of her thought that maybe he was flirting with her. But Libby could not even mention that to Leon because it'll make him go crazy, staying quiet was the better option.

"Shut up," Libby mumbled as Leon laughed. "The pictures aren't even us, you know?"

"The guy looks a lot like Jack but not you. It's so funny especially because everyone swears that they know you so well but they can't even tell the difference you and some other person." Leon grinned, clearly enjoying the absurdity of the situation. "Well, I guess the internet just loves drama. Can't blame them for trying to spice things up, it is fun."

"I just hope people figure it out soon," Libby sighed, glancing out of the car window at the passing city lights. "I mean, it's not like I need more rumors right now."

Leon shrugged. "Yeah, I get it. But you know what they say, any publicity is good publicity."

"Yeah at least I'll know my new album will get tons of new streams, thanks to Josh's fangirls."

"You mean dickriders? Jesus, have you seen the comments?" Leon scoffed, making a turn to Jack and Luke's home.

Libby sighed, her shoulders slumping as she leaned back against the car seat. "Yeah, I've seen them. It's like they're just waiting for the opportunity to tear me apart completely, I can't even go on Instagram anymore."

Leon's expression softened with empathy as he reached out to place a comforting hand on Libby's arm. "They're just fucking bored, that's all. They have to tear someone down to feel better. Don't let them get to you."

Libby nodded, grateful for her brother's words of encouragement. "I know, it's just hard sometimes, you know? Feels like I'm constantly under a microscope."

Leon nodded in understanding, his gaze unwavering in its support. "Yeah, I get it. But remember, those comments don't define you. You're so much more than what people say about you."

Libby managed a small smile as they reached Jack's home. The night air was crisp as Libby and Leon made their way towards Jack's home. The distant noise from the party spilled into the quiet neighborhood as they walked towards the entrance.

The home was pretty big but you weren't surprised, they were really good and popular hockey players so of course they had a big home. However, as you walked into their porch, you noticed how clean it was. Not many boys in their twenties kept their homes so clean and organized but Libby was pleasantly surprised at how clean their home was and she hadn't even been inside yet.

Leon gave the door a few knocks before the door opened to reveal Jack, a big grin on his face and a backwards cap on his head. "Leon! You made it!"

"Yeah, and I brought Libs!" Leon grinned back at Jack as his gaze finally fell on Libby, she felt his eyes scan her body before they landed on her eyes once again.

Libby felt a slight flush rise to her cheeks as she met Jack's gaze. His warm smile putting her at ease as she returned it, trying to ignore the flutter of nerves in her stomach.

"Awesome! Come on in, guys." Jack ushered them inside, the sounds of the party becoming more pronounced as they stepped inside.

"There's some chips in the kitchen and you guys can just help yourself to the drinks inside the fridge, just don't drink any of our protein smoothies." Jack side glanced to Leon playfully, in which he responded with a quick fine. "Everyone's in the living room playing pool."

"I'm gonna go get a beer, if y'all don't mind." Leon called out as he headed towards the kitchen, leaving Libby and Jack by the entrance.

As Leon left, Libby shifted her gaze to Jack with a warm smile. There was a brief awkward silence before Jack broke it, "I didn't know that you lived in Jersey."

"Well I don't but ever since Leon's moved here I've been spending every second at his place. I actually live in New York City but it gets a little hectic, I need a break sometimes from... everything." Libby explained as she recalled all the drama from the summer, from everything with Olivia to Josh, it was eventful.

Jack nodded, his expression sympathetic as he listened to Libby's explanation. "I get it. New York can be intense, especially with everything going on."

Libby sighed, feeling a weight lift off her shoulders as she spoke about the challenges she faced. "Yeah, it's been a lot to deal with lately. Sometimes, it's nice to escape to somewhere quieter, you know?"

Jack's gaze softened with understanding. "I get it. I'm sorry by the way, with the whole uh... thing." Jack didn't really want to specify but they both knew as Libby nodded.

Libby gave him a sweet smile but before she could respond, Luke came in wearing a Devils jersey. "Dude I've been looking everywhere for you, there's something wrong with the-" He cut himself as he noticed Libby.

"Hey Luke." Libby greeted the tall curly-head with a grin as he walked over to where Libby was and gave her a side hug as Jack observed.

"Libby! I haven't seen you in a while, how's everything?" Luke asked casually as he pulled back.

"Can't complain." You spoke with a small grin as you looked in between the boys. "You?"

"Very excited for the new season, I don't know if you could tell." Luke chuckled as he looked down at the jersey.

Libby couldn't help but chuckle at Luke's enthusiasm. Even though she's never formally met Jack, her and Luke have a pretty good friendship through Leon. As soon as they met they clicked and now they're practically tied at the hip. "Hmm... I couldn't tell. Go Rangers, right?"

"Hey, hey, hey!"

"Whoa, don't you dare step foot in our homes and disrespect us like that. That is a like a slur around here." Jack shook his head playfully as him and Luke exchanged looks before all three of you busted out laughing.

"Sorry, sorry won't happen again!"

"It better not or we're gonna have to kick you out." Luke threatened with a mock-serious expression. "But seriously Jack, the TV isn't working and everyone wants to play Fifa for some reason."

Jack shrugged as he motioned to Libby towards the living room, "I don't even know if we own Fifa..."

They all entered the spacious living room where everyone was. There were some teammates who she recognized and some people she'd never seen before. Jack and Luke ventured off toward the TV, leaving Libby to go stand by the couch. She'd enjoyed the night so far but as she stood there, anxiety began to creep into her stomach.

Everyone here knew somebody and right now the only people she was close with was her brother, Luke and Jack and they were all playing Fifa right now.

"Libs, get a controller we need one more player!" Jack shouted from the coach and waved at her to come over. Libby hesitated for a moment, feeling a familiar pang of anxiety at the thought of joining a group of people she didn't know well. But as she stared back at Jack, she swallowed all her fears and walked over, taking a controller.

As she settled in next to them, Libby felt a sense of normalcy wash over her. For the first time in a long time, she felt like she could just be herself, without the weight of everyone's expectations or the glare of being perceived.

↳ make sure to check out my navigation or masterlist if you enjoyed! any interaction is greatly appreciated !

↳ thank you for reading all the way through, as always ♡

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yourmamakira · 6 months ago

Note

can you do some colby brock one shots plz?😋 love you🫶🫶

Omg. You're my first request in a year 🥹YES YES OFC I WILL GIVE YOU COLBY!

"SOMBER BEGINNINGS"

C. BROCK, she/her

Set in the early Sam and Colby days. "When Reader and Colby meet at a Highschool party in the 2000s, prom night didn't start well, until the two met and changed their lives forever."

The year was in the 2000. When being a dick was a fashion trend. And unfortunately for reader, she had been a victim of one of the biggest dicks in the school.

She had been asked to the dance by Bryce, one of the most popular boys who had a history of being a dick. Matter of fact, he was the biggest dick anyone could ever meet.

Reader wasn't the ugliest girl in school but she dam sure wasn't the most attractive. She'd seen herself as very mid. So when Bryce asked her out, she wanted to believe it wasn't some prank, but she gave it a shot. People could change, right?

It was the night of the dance, the sophomore had put on her best dress for her first real dance she ever attended. She had on converses to match with her old hand me down dark green dress.

She walked into the massive gym which was filled to the brim with explosive teens and music as She looked around in search of her date.

She further looked around while walking deeper into the sweaty gym. She had gotten there kinda late and the dance had already started, but it's not like she was in any rush.

She gave up looking for a second and went over to the juice bar, she grabbed the least suspicious looking Punch and grabbed a cup hoping it wouldn't be liquor.

She took a sip and sighed in relief tasting it was normal punch, she turned around and bumped into a chest.

She looked up to be met with the most beautiful pair of icy blue eyes she had ever seen in her life, the boy looked back down at her and they were in some type of trance.

He smiled and her heart skipped a beat, his teeth were perfectly white and his hair was straight out of my chemical romance.

She was only snapped out of her spell when he spoke, "My bad, I didn't mean to bump into you, I hope I didn't ruin you're pretty dress"

She looked down at her dress and seen is was perfectly fine, "not at all, it was already crappy anyways" she chuckled nervously. He made her nervous.

He looked her up and down from head to toe, "I don't think it's crappy." He spoke with such certainty it made her heart flutter.

She looked back up at him and then back down to her cup, she was going to speak before a voice called out and joined the pair.

"Yo Colby! What are you doing brother?" A blonde with messy hair and bright eyes came over to the her and Colby,

he looked between the two before his eyes settled on her, " Who's this?" Colby looked at Sam before looking back at her.

She grew nervous as both pairs of blue eyes settled on her, "I-I'm [Y/N], I'm a sophomore, I'm in your guy's chemistry class..."

They looked between each other before smiling, Sam smiled before nodding his head, "oh yeah! I remember you, your that girl who drew that sick ass drawing, right?"

She nodded and smiled while looking down, "yeah, that's me."

They were going to speak before they were yet again cut off, a voice drew them away from her, Sam smiled before saying a goodbye and then walking away,

Colby looked back at her with that same smile she wished didn't have to leave, "I'll see you around, [Y/N]." She nodded before watching Colby leave.

She smiled to herself before one of her few friends came over to grab her,

"[Y/N]! Where have you been?" We've been looking for you everywhere!" The girl looked back to where she last seen Colby to not be able to find him.

She sighed before being pulled away onto the dance floor, she had long forgotten about her date, not thinking much of it.

An hour has passed and she was having more fun then she thought she would, and just when she Thought she was safe out of the corner of her eye she spotted Bryce, with another girl grinding up against him.

She sucked in a breath before turning back around, she held back a few tears and turned back around.

"HEY [Y/N]!"

She spun around and was met with a cup of fruit punch to her dress, she gasped and looked up to see Bryce and the girl he was with laughing their asses off.

They snickered in joy, "You really thought I would want to be seen with a loser like you?"

She couldn't hold back the tears anymore and she began to walk out of the gymnasium, she bumped right into a chest and looked up to see Colby,

His eyebrows furrowed as he looked down at the girl he hadn't seen not to long ago perfectly fine. "[Y/N]?"

She shook her head as she let out a chocked sob as she ran out of the gym and out of the school.

She walked out into the play ground and sat on the swing. She took off her shoes and broke down. She had actually fallen for Bryce's Tricks. Believing she was different than any other girl at her school.

She soon wished it Was Liquor instead of actual juice.

She sobbed for what felt like hours but was only a few minutes before hearing a set of foot steps go to sit on the swing beside her.

She looked the other way not wanting to face the embarrassment of tonight.

And just when her night couldn't get anymore bizarre a voice she didn't expect piped up beside her.

"You know, your dress isn't completely ruined."

She whipped her head up to be faced with the same Icy blue eye she couldn't stop thinking about through out the night.

She looked back down at her dress to see a deep red stain from the juice. She chuckled dryly .

"Not like it matters now..."

He tilted his head to the side, "why is that?"

She looked back at him and sadly smiled, "not like I have a real prom date anyways. Just an Unless dress for a supposed unless girl like me..." tears began to brim her eyes once more, making her eye lashes stick together in a clumpy look.

Suddenly the breeze of the night time was gone and she was covered with a blazer, she looked over to Colby and saw that smile again, he held out his hand and she looked down at it.

She took his hand and he shook it but didn't let it go.

"We never properly met. Hi, My names Colby Brock, what's your name?"

She hiccups and then sniffled before wiping her eyes dry.

She shook his hand back and kept her hold, "Hi Colby, My names [Y/N] [L/N], nice to meet you."

"Hi [Y/N], Would you like to go the dance with me?"

She gasped quietly and her cheeks began to heat up, Colby waited patiently for her answer and she looked down at their hands.

She looked back up at Colby and smiled slightly, "I would love to go to the dance with you, Colby."

He stood up from the swing and she followed suit. He raised his hand and wiped her eyes dry of the rest of her tears.

They looked into the eyes of the other and it was as if two worlds mixed with one. She knew this was the start of somthing. The start of something life changing.

And so did he, and they couldn't be more happy.

Sorry this took SO long, and this is kinda a long one but I hope you and the others like it 🥹

#kira speaks #sam and colby #colby brock #colby brock x reader #colby brock x y/n #sam and colby x reader

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gentlebeardsbarngrill · 10 months ago

Text

01/26/2024 Daily OFMD Recap

TLDR; Renew As A Crew/Hoist The Ads; Cast & Crew Sightings; Queerties; Twitter Watch parties; Articles; Reasons to keep fighting; Love Notes; Daily Darby/Tonights Taika;

== Renew As A Crew / Hoist The Ads ==

Tumblr Post / Twitter Post /Instagram Post

Link to vote

==Cast & Crew Sightings==

While the sighting hasn't occurred yet... looks like Vico Ortiz, Nathan Foad, and Con O'Neill will all be attending Galaxy Con in San Jose on August 16-18, 2024 at the San Jose Mcenery Convention Center. Tickets available now. Src: _irene_adler on IG

One thing to note.. Chaos dad has been pretty consistent about reaching out every 3 days-ish lately.. I'm interested to see if tomorrow he shows up again. Just a theory.

== Queerties ==

If you're down, please vote for the Queerties each day! If you want to just vote for OFMD categories, feel free to visit: TV Comedy Best TV Performance Wanna help another Taika/Rhys verse Queertie? Vote for Kaimana for Best Film Performance in Next Goal Wins!

==Twitter Watch Parties==

Sadly, today #PirateOmens came to an end, but our friend @dandeebakes is already fast at work getting other cool Watch parties together! Please send them some love!

=HuntForThePirateHome=

HuntForThePirateHome Watch Party Starts Sunday Jan 28 at 3 PM EST, 12 PT, 8 PM GMT. Hashtags for that event are:

#HuntForThePirateHome

#AdoptOurCrew

#SaveOFMD

Thank you to @blueberreads for catching these trends on twitter during the Pirate Omens watch, definitely kept engagement up.

==LubeAsACrew==

#LubeAsACrew is back on 1/31/24 at 4PM PT, 1PM ET. Next up are S1 Episodes 5, 6, 7.

== How To Help ==

How To Help Save OFMD Task List - US How to Help Save OFMD Task List - Outside US

==Articles==

15 Things We’ll Miss About ‘Our Flag Means Death’

2024’s Canceled Shows, for Your Final Consideration

Relisting The Guardian's article from yesterday because they've opened comments, and it can help with engagement so feel free to comment on it now!

Also, @itsmfgames Has been kind enough to be keeping up a running list of Articles about the campaigns -- so if you have the time and want to go catch up on some articles, please checkout the guide below and visit this google doc for the list! It's been added to the Daily Renewal List for both US and Outside-US, so feel free to check it out there as needed.

== Reasons to Keep Fighting ==

Throwing in some great points from our tumblr folks regarding the cancellation that really helped me feel pumped today.

@celluloidbroomcloset's Our Flag Means Death was cancelled because it’s gay.

@queerly-autistic's break down on why Not All Fan Campaigns Are The Same.

@saltpepperbeard's reasoning for Clinging Onto Hope

@tulipseason's lovely reasons The Show Is Irreplaceable

== Love Notes ==

Alright lovelies. I have so many words to say about how great you all are, how much I love you (and I'm sure you're tired of hearing them), but I went back to work today after 7 days of being sick and now my brain is mush. So instead I'm going to put the text of one of my son's books in here because I think every one of us should feel loved like we were when we were 5.

On The Night You Were Born - By Nancy Tillman On the night you were born, the moon smiled with such wonder that the stars peeked in to see you and the night wind whispered, “Life will never be the same.” Because there had never been anyone like you… ever in the world. So enchanted with you were the wind and the rain, that they whispered the sound of your wonderful name. It sailed through the farmland High on the breeze… Over the ocean… And through the trees… Until everyone heard it and everyone knew of the one and only ever you. Not once had there been such eyes, such a nose, such silly, wiggly, wonderful toes. When the polar bears heard, they danced until dawn. From faraway places, the geese flew home. The moon stayed up until morning next day. And none of the ladybugs flew away. So whenever you doubt just how special you are and you wonder who loves you, how much and how far, Listen for geese honking high in the sky. (They’re singing a song to remember you by.) Or notice the bears asleep at the zoo. (It’s because they’ve been dancing all night for you!) Or drift off to sleep to the sound of the wind. (Listen closely… it’s whispering your name again!) If the moon stays up until morning one day, or a ladybug lands and decides to stay, or a little bird sits at your window awhile, it’s because they’re all hoping to see you smile… For never before in story or rhyme (not even once upon a time) has the world ever known a you, my friend, and it never will, not ever again… Heaven blew every trumpet And played every horn On the wonderful, marvelous Night you were born

== Daily Darby / Tonights Taika ==

The gifs today are courtesy of our lovely @ofmd-ann who blesses us every day with gifs that make me swoon. Darby / Taika

Warning to all you gif makers, I'm gonna be bugging the crap out of you soon for permission to share on these recaps :P -- feel free to say no!

#ofmd daily recaps #ofmd daily recap #ofmd #save ofmd #hoist the ads #renew as a crew #save our flag means death #our flag means death #stede bonnet #gentlebeard #edward teach #rhys darby #blackbonnet #taika waititi

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bree-cheesy · 2 years ago

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Sticky Club

Older Eddie Munson x fem!reader

A/N: Look at me pumping out two fics within like a day and a half. Be proud of me. I decided to try out the Older Eddie hype since I've seen these fics everywhere lately. I hope I did the whole trend justice. It's a little short, but I didn't want to write a huge fic and just wanted to get straight into the shit y'all wanna read anyway.

Side Note: I deleted this cause I wasn't super proud of it at first, but I'm reposting this because I feel like it definitely could've done better than it did. Not to be cocky or anything.

Credit to @patrick-stewart for the gif!

Warnings: SMUT 18+!! MINORS FUCK OFF! Porn with a little bit of plot. Not much plot in this. (kissing, dirty talk, sort of rough eddie, fingering, nipple play, public sex (club bathroom), dirty club dancing, unprotected p in v sex, doggy style rough fucking, loud reader, giving of hickeys.) Older Eddie Munson (early 30's), Younger reader (mid 20's), language. No use of Y/N. Strange guy tried to grind up against reader on the dance floor. I think that's it. As always, let me me know and I'll fix it!

Word Count: 1873

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You were kind of a hermit. You didn’t like to go out much and parties just weren’t your scene. You obviously went out occasionally, but it was probably once a month if that. It’s not that you hated people, you were just focused on your college work and trying to keep up good grades. Your best friends Robin, Nancy, and Steve were avid party goers. They always tried to get you to go out with them, but being the youngest of the group and the only one still in school, there just wasn’t much free time to go out with them. Tonight was different though. It was the end of the semester and all grades were final so you could finally let loose a little. Your friends were taking you out to a concert. It was for a band you hadn’t heard of before, but they said it was an old friend they all had from high school.

“Girl, you look great, don’t even.” Nancy looked at you and smiled. You were wearing an outfit you usually didn’t. Most of your outfits consisted of jeans and sweatshirts, not short tight skirts and tank tops like this. You frowned and looked at yourself in the mirror again.

“You sure?” You pulled the skirt down a little. “Seems a little… skimpy.”

“Trust me, you will be getting laid tonight wearing that. Trust me.” Robin announced, barging in the room uninvited. She looked you up and down and gave you a thumbs up. “You ready? Steve and I are ready to leave.” Nancy nodded and pulled her shoes on before walking out. You sighed and followed the two girls out.

You got to the club the band was performing at and noticed it was packed. There were huge groups of people everywhere. Girls wearing tight band tees and skirts that pretty much showed their whole ass. It smelled like sweat and vodka. Kinda made you gag a little, but you toughed through it. Nancy led you over to the bar to order drinks for everyone while Steve and Robin claimed a booth. You two walked back with the drinks and you slid in the booth next to Robin. You were all talking when a tall man with long brown curly hair, a guitar strapped across her shoulder, and had a t-shirt of the band on it.

“Eddie!” Nancy stood up and hugged him tight. Steve fist bumped him and Robin gave him a high five. Steve introduced you to Eddie and you noticed he stared a little longer than normal. You blushed softly and nervously sipped your fruity drink when he complimented you. “We’re super excited you’re finally performing here! We missed being able to see you.” Nancy scooted over so Eddie could slide in next to her.

“Yeah, missed seeing you guys! This will be good, I promise.” Eddie chuckled and stole a sip from Steve’s drink. Steve scowled and snatched the drink back.

Eddie soon left and the rest of you got up to get close to the performance. You were so nervous. The spark you felt with Eddie was such a huge shock, now you were scared to be so up close to him. The performance started and you didn’t notice how hard you were biting your lip while staring at Eddie until you tasted blood. He glanced at you and smirked while playing the guitar when he saw the blood on your bottom lip. You blushed and looked down. When he started singing you were dancing with Robin while Steve was dancing with Nancy. Eddie’s eyes were on you like a hawk. God, he couldn’t look away. That tight skirt you were wearing was riding up while you swayed your hips. He could almost see the bottom of your black lacy panties.

At the end of the performance, you were still dancing with Robin. You felt someone come up behind you and the strange hands held you tight against the body behind you. You turned your head and saw a weird man practically drooling at you and grinding up against your ass. You pushed him off and Robin stepped between the two of you. He put up a fight with Steve until suddenly he was thrown on the ground. Eddie pushed him to the ground and got security to kick him out.

“You okay?” Steve looked at you and put his hands on your shoulders. You nodded and smiled.

“Yeah. He didn’t do anything serious.” He nodded and let go of you.

The group, with Eddie, sat back down at your booth and Eddie slid in next to you, pushing up close to you so Robin could fit in next to you two. Your breath caught in your throat. He smelled like sweat and faded cologne. It was a scent you could get addicted to. It was dangerous. You learned Eddie was 32. He was a little older than the rest of the group, but that just made him all that much hotter.

“How’d you meet these idiots?” Eddie asked, looking at you with a smile and a tenderness in his eyes.

“Oh, I met Robin when she was graduating and the rest of them kind of just took me in.” You looked down at your drink and sipped it. Eddie put an arm around your shoulder and pulled you close to him, squeezing you slightly.

“Well, any friend of these people is my friend.” You chuckled nervously and glanced up at him.

Steve was talking about something that happened at his job when you felt Eddie’s hand on your thigh. You gulped nervously and felt him run his fingers in soft circles on your inner thigh. You bit the inside of your lip when he leaned a little closer into you. He squeezed your thigh and raised his hand higher. You put your hand on his, stopping him from going further. He cleared his throat and kept his hand on your knee.

The group had all gotten up to dance and Eddie took your hand, pulling you with him. You gasped softly when he pulled your back into his chest and held onto your hips, swaying the both of you to the music. You bit your lip and shut your eyes, leaning your head back on his shoulder. He ran his hand up your thigh and over your belly, lightly rubbing your breasts over your shirt.

“Eddie…” You moaned softly and he leaned his head down, kissing the side of your neck. You reached a hand back and tangled it in his hair. He tucked his fingers into the top of your skirt and squeezed your ass with the other one. He kissed up your neck and pressed his lips against your ear.

“Feel good, sweetheart? Everyone’s looking at us. Some of the girls look like they wanna kill you.” He flipped you around and you gasped, wrapping your arms around his neck. He grinned and grabbed your ass with both hands, pressing your hips more up against him. “Such a pretty girl…”

You moaned softly and he pressed his forehead against yours, grinding harder against you to the music. “Eddie… please…”

He grinned and grabbed your hand, pulling you to the bathroom. He locked the door and pressed you up against the sink. His lips crashed down on yours and you groaned into his mouth, kissing him back almost immediately. You hitched your leg up around his waist and he lifted you up onto the counter. Your hands went to the buttons on his black dress shirt and started undoing them, running your fingers over every expanse of skin you exposed. He kissed down your neck and sucked a few marks into it. You smiled and moaned, pushing the shirt off his shoulders. He pulled your tank top off and dropped it on the floor. He kissed you again and squeezed your breasts over your lacy bra.

“Eddie, fuck… that feels so good…!” You moaned into his mouth and he grinned, reaching back to take the bra off, throwing it off somewhere in the sticky club bathroom.

“Yeah? Feel s’good when I touch you, baby? Wanna feel my mouth?” He pulled back and wrapped your legs around his waist. You nodded and moaned, digging the heels of your heels into the back of his thighs. He grinned and his lips instantly attached to your nipple, sucking and biting it. You cried out and threw your head back, tangling your fingers in his hair.

His hands went down and hiked your skirt up so he could slip his hand in your panties. “Fuck… So goddamn wet already…!” He groaned and swirled the tip of his tongue against your nipple. He rubbed your clit in time with his tongue and you panted heavily, grinding up against his hand. “Such a good fucking girl…” He grabbed your thighs and pulled your panties down your legs, shoving them in his back pocket. He slipped two fingers inside you in time with his thumb rubbing your clit. You instantly clenched down around his fingers and moaned, grabbing onto his shoulders.

“E-Eddie, your fingers a-are so big…!” You whined and bucked up harder against his hand. “I need… I need more… Please, Eddie…”

“Please what, honey? Use your words.” He mockingly pouted and fingered you faster.

“F-Fuck me! Please fuck me!” You cried out and sobbed in pleasure, pulling at your nipples.

He pulled you off the counter and bent you over it. He pulled his aching cock out and spit on his hand, stroking it a little before slowly pushing in. You groaned in unison, creating a song of pleasure between the two of you. He didn’t hold back at all. He growled like an animal and fucked you hard, the slapping of skin loud and could be heard over the muffled music behind the bathroom door. You sobbed, your eyes filling with tears of pure pleasure, moaning and gripping the counter hard.

“Goddamn, baby… So fucking tight around me… Gonna fucking milk me dry, huh? Want my cum deep inside you, honey?” You nodded and moaned louder.

“Y-Yes…! Please cum so deep inside me! I want it so bad…!” Your mouth hung open and he went faster.

“Cum for me first, baby. I’ll give you anything you want if you cum all over my cock.” He groaned and rubbed your clit in time with thrusts.

You cried out, finally given permission and came harder around his cock, squeezing hard around him and moaning loudly. Eddie grunted and groaned, grabbing your chin and pulling you up to kiss you hard, still pounding into you from behind. You begged and pleaded with him to cum and he finally granted you your wish, cumming deep inside you and moaning into your ear. You both caught your breath and your eyes shut as you slumped against the counter. You heard him grab some paper towels and get them wet, wiping your sensitive cunt clean before helping you fix your clothes. You both walked out of the bathroom a few minutes later and your group all gave you knowing looks. Eddie grinned and kissed your cheek while you blushed and buried your face deep in his chest in embarrassment.

#eddie munson #eddie munson smut #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x fem!reader #eddie munson x you #eddie munson x female reader #eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson fic #stranger things #older eddie munson #joseph quinn #joseph quinn x reader #joseph quinn smut #stranger things smut

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awkwardchaosposts · 2 months ago

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Pavlov's dog

Part 1

Yandere!Mira x male!reader

Trigger warning: Swearing and mentions of car crash and guns. Mira is manipulative and doesn't seem people as actual complex human beings

Please note: this isn't proofread

/⁠ᐠ⁠｡⁠ꞈ⁠｡⁠��⁠\/⁠ᐠ⁠｡⁠ꞈ⁠｡⁠ᐟ⁠\/⁠ᐠ⁠｡⁠ꞈ⁠｡⁠ᐟ⁠\/⁠ᐠ⁠｡⁠ꞈ⁠｡⁠ᐟ⁠\/⁠ᐠ⁠｡⁠ꞈ⁠｡⁠ᐟ⁠\/⁠ᐠ⁠｡⁠ꞈ⁠｡⁠ᐟ⁠\

"A little more"

You worked at a local frozen yogurt shop and have had unreasonable customers before but this middle aged woman telling you to bombard their frozen yogurt in way too many sprinkles was definitely the worst.

"Here you go ma'am"

"More"

With a sigh you mustered your best 'I'm not being paid enough for this smile' and added four more spoonfuls of sprinkles.

It's been a trend lately. So called influencers would come into the shop and shove a camera in your face while asking for an ungodly amount of toppings. you're not exactly sure why but it's made your job harder to do that's for sure.

"Thanks" She paid without even leaving a tip.

~*~*~*~*~

Despite dealing with unreasonable customers,cleaning up after questionable puddles in the bathrooms and working under a tight time crunch you did have a pretty kind manager.

Workers were allowed to take some ice cream home with them which you definitely enjoyed. You'd always pack some to take home with you to share with your roommate.

By the time you closed the shop and drove home it was dark, no one was on the road. You were exhausted and just wanted to go home so you passed a red light. You didn't see the other car coming. It hit your left at the intersection and sent you swerving. you desperately tried to take control by frantically turning the wheel but it happened so fast.

I'm dead. Atleast I hope so. I can't pay that insurance so god help me.

Your car was upside down and you had a giant fucking migraine. You reached out to soothe the pain. Blood. There was blood on your hand. It took a while for your body to move, unbuckle your seatbelt and crawl out the car with slow tired movements.

"Are you alright?"

...what the actual hell?

The other driver was just here. How'd they disappear. Did they just drive off?

"Damn hit and runners" You couldn't shake this feeling though that something was off. This city felt more empty.

~*~*~*~*

"You're such a slut. Am I not enough for you?"

The beach was thrilling at first. Mira loved the borderlands. She loved the way her little boytoys got so worked up when she played their small minds like her own personal orchestra.

She yawned as she heard this guy yap angrily about her sleeping around. She really didn't care that she hurt his feelings. He was just a toy that frankly wasn't as fun to play with anymore "Can we wrap this up?"

"You fucking bitch" the man's anger was riled up by her nonchalance.

She rolled her eyes as he stormed out and decided to pour herself a nice cup of tea. The woman sat on the balcony of her private,upgraded room. She peered down at the crowd.

Playing with men and women were fun but the thing she loved most was watching how people tried to find meaning in this world. Hatter with his drinking and Chishiya with his overthinking and forced apathy. It was so entertaining but she's growing bored.

She needed something new. A new doll to play with. These people have become way too predictable.

That's when she saw you. She's never seen someone look so unsure of themselves. The way you moved so stiff like a robot made her smile.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

You tried doing things on your own but one game of diamonds and you were positively traumatised. You'd often get nightmares about all those innocent people.

At first you thought this was a hell made specially for you but upon meeting a man called Arisu you got more clarity over the situation.

This place was suspected to be some alternative universe that's called the borderlands. No one's sure how it works but you have an expiration date and need to compete in games to survive. There's also this place called the beach.

It feels weird seeing people have fun and party when there's so much death happening around them.

"Arisu?" At some point you've lost him in the crowd.

You tried to weave through the cluster of people to catch up with the acquaintance in the distance, accidentally bumping into a dark haired man with multiple piercings. "Oi,you messed up my shirt you little shit"

A gun was pointed at your chest before you could even stutter out an apology over the spilled drink. "I-I didn't mean to...I just-" Why couldn't you speak? You felt frozen like a deer in headlights. Why isn't your brain working? Why can't you just move or at least say something and talk your way out of this?

"Put the gun down Niragi"

This Niragi guy looked annoyed but reluctantly put his gun down. "Fuck this" He spat on your shoes and you cringed at the gross sight but decided to be passive and not say anything.

Mira smiled in response. Usually she wouldn't care about who Niragi shoots but she can't let him break her toys before she gets to even play with them. That would just be unethical.

Upon looking closer she had a moment of recognition and it only made her more excited but she masked it well "Y/N-san"

Her smile was sweet yet not warm or genuine. It irked you a bit that someone could look so...welcoming yet threatening all at once. For a moment you were confused by her comment "You know my name?" How the hell did she know your name?

Then it hit you.

"Mira?"

/⁠ᐠ⁠｡⁠ꞈ⁠｡⁠ᐟ⁠\/⁠ᐠ⁠｡⁠ꞈ⁠｡⁠ᐟ⁠\/⁠ᐠ⁠｡⁠ꞈ⁠｡⁠ᐟ⁠\/⁠ᐠ⁠｡⁠ꞈ⁠｡⁠ᐟ⁠\/⁠ᐠ⁠｡⁠ꞈ⁠｡⁠ᐟ⁠\/⁠ᐠ⁠｡⁠ꞈ⁠｡⁠ᐟ⁠\/⁠ᐠ⁠｡⁠ꞈ⁠｡⁠ᐟ⁠\

A/N: I'm trying out something new. let me know if you want a part two :)

Part 2:

#alice in borderland #alice in boderland x reader #aib x reader #yandere #yandere x reader #yandere x you #yandere x y/n #yandere x darling #shy reader #mira kano

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karahalloway · 11 months ago

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(Less Than) Noble Intentions: Chapter 16 - Snakes in the Garden

Fandom: TRR

Pairing: Drake Walker x F!OC (Harper Gale)

Series Summary: The social season may be over, but Harper Gale’s problems are just beginning. With everyone at court a potential suspect, can she and Drake survive the engagement tour and get to the bottom of the plot against her and clear her name? An AU take of TRR2 featuring my OTP - Harper & Drake.

Masterlist: (Less Than) Noble Intentions

Chapter Summary: Harper greets the world as the new Duchess of Valtoria, but that is not the only newsworthy item that rocks the Apple Harvest Festival...

Word Count: 7,300

Rating/Warnings: M (swearing, angst, possible ulterior motives)

Chapter theme song:

A/N1: Things are slowly coming to a head! Thanks for bearing with me on this series - I know I have a lot of other projects in the works, so I have not been updating as much as I probably should. But, we are finally getting to the exciting parts (as if what's happened until now hasn't been exciting 🤣) as after this chapter, we are into the meat of the engagement tour, and all the juicy plot changes that I have been wanting to write for over a year will finally come to a fore! *evil laugh*

A/N2: If you have not heard of TURN - the TV show from which I borrowed the chapter theme song - then, I can highly recommend it (especially if you like historical dramas, US history (specifically the Revolutionary War period), or just really good story-telling)!

A/N3: This is also much submission for @choicesjanuary2024 Day 12: Smiles / Secret

Chapter 16 - Snakes in the Garden

"Are you sure I look okay?" I ask, nervously pulling at the high-necked strip of emerald lace that circles my throat.

"Stop fiddling!" Bertrand berates, slapping my hand away. "We are running late as it, and we cannot afford to lose any more time to last minute touch-ups!"

"Yeah, but—"

"You look great, Harper," Maxwell assures me with a beaming smile. "Marcie did a great job."

The petite make-up artist that the Beaumonts had procured out of thin air bobs a curtsy to my right. "It was my pleasure, Your Grace."

Her words hit me like a whiplash.

Your Grace.

My new form of address. One I'm not sure I'm ever going to get used to. Lady Harper had been one thing, but that had always felt like a curtesy. A temporary formality that had been extended to me by virtue of my sponsorship by the Beaumonts during the social season.

But there is nothing temporary about my current situation. The weight of the ring on my hand — and its implications — bears down heavily on my finger... and my thoughts. Especially since I still haven't found a moment alone with Drake to finish our conversation from this morning... or bring him up to speed on my new status.

Because no sooner had my ennoblement been sealed with the very expensive — and very potent — champagne, than the Beaumonts had shown back up (somewhat mercifully) to crash Christian's surprise party.

And from there it had been a whirlwind of hair, makeup and outfitting for the all-important Apple Harvest Festival where I am due to make my grand debut as the new Duchess of Valtoria.

A position of some importance — Bertrand has stressed, multiple times — given that in addition to the impressive estate that I am now the official caretaker of, I also have a seat on the infamous Council, as well as a seat on the even more exclusive Privy Council. Not to mention my own fleet of staff, vehicles, bank accounts, and carefully curated online profiles.

Which is why — on top of everything — the ever-industrious press corps have worked at record speed to throw the fruits of yesterday's labours together into an exclusive, twelve-page spread as part of a special edition of Trend magazine, which dropped this morning.

And while I haven't actually had a chance to read through the copy that currently sits on the coffee table of my room (together with every other major national and international news publication), Maxwell has assured me that the social media reactions have — so far — been positive. The snaps of my stress-fuelled efforts at yesterday's apple pick have apparently helped.

Which means that Jonathan's PR gamble is starting to pay dividends, and I now have a public image to maintain. Not just for myself, but for Cordonia as well. Because when I step outside today, I'll be representing everything that the kingdom under Christian's burgeoning rule is striving to be — beauty, modernity, opportunity.

Definitely not the best day to wake up with a litany of awkwardly situated bruises!

Thankfully, both Maxwell and Bertrand seem to have had a chance to pull themselves together after this morning's surprising (and definitely explosive!) turn of events, and — after the initial shock — have set about covering for mine and Drake's mess with the same coordinated precision that they employed to pull the Beaumont Bash out of their butts.

With the result that they somehow managed to transform me from the black and blue disaster I woke up as, into the picture of a polished and refined lady.

I glance apprehensively out at the bright sunshine blanketing the hills. Hopefully, the carefully applied window-dressing survives the literal trial by fire it's about to be subjected to. Because just like yesterday, the temperature is set to climb into the mid-90's today as well, which means I'll most likely end up sweating buckets again, thanks to the Edwardian nature of my dress's neckline.

And what I definitely don't need today is for all the blush and cover-up getting smudged away so that everyone at the event can start speculating about the intimate placement of my of hickeys!

I close my eyes wearily. God, I can't wait for all this to be over...

"No catnaps!" snaps Bertrand, slapping a wide-brimmed hat onto my head. "The people are waiting on us!"

I barely have time to grab my matching clutch before the Beaumonts are whisking me out of my room and down the length of the corridor towards the manor's lawn.

"Surely the Festival can start without us...!" I gasp as I stumble after Bertrand in my heels.

"No, it cannot," he reprimands. "All members of the Council must be present for the ceremonial tree planting."

I frown. "Tree planting? Isn't that a little... agrarian for the aristos?"

"It is a time-honoured tradition!" corrects Bertrand. "Cordonia owes its existence and livelihood to the noble Ruby, so it is the duty of the Council to ensure that the fruits of our bounty are secured for future generations! Hence, the requirement to plant new saplings at the end of each harvest!"

"If you say so..." I concede as we pass through the back doors of the manor.

Based on what I saw at the apple pick, Bertrand's pronouncement seems optimistic at best, given that none of the aristos even bothered to lift a finger to a tree yesterday.

But, looks can always be deceiving, so maybe today is the day that the I am pleasantly surprised for once.

A deafening cheer erupts as the Beaumonts and I step out onto the manor's steps.

Snapping my head towards the source of the commotion, I see what appears to be thousands of people crammed behind velvet-lined cordons, screaming and jostling for position like they're in the front row of a Taylor Swift concert...

...and it takes me a second to realise that it's my name that they're shouting.

"Duchess!"

"Lady Harper, we love you!"

"You're the true Apple Queen, no matter what anyone says!"

"Wow..." I blink, taken aback by the fervency of the crowd's reaction. "I didn't realise I had such a rabid following..."

"Best wave to them," suggests Maxwell, leaning in as he raises his arm into the air with a wide smile.

"Okay..." I concede hesitantly, turning to the crowd to do the same.

The last time I experienced anything remotely like this had been on the red carpet at the Derby — my first public outing as a suitor. But even the bright flash of the cameras and the intrusive questions that the reporters had flung at me paled in comparison to the reaction I am receiving today.

Phones and cameras are thrust into the air as the Beaumonts and I descend the manor's stairs to the accompaniment of the increasingly frenzied cheers and shouts of encouragement. Even a few bouquets of flowers fly through the air, narrowly missing my hat.

And I can't help but smile in the face of the genuine outpouring of support from the crowd. Because it sure as heck feels good to be on top for once!

However, arriving at the edge of the orchard where the tree planting ceremony is due to take place, I am greeted by a very different type of welcome.

Snooty expressions drip down the ends of aristocratic noses as the members of the Council pass silent judgment on my somewhat bombastic entrance.

"They're just jealous," Maxwell whispers to me as we take up our spots at the edge of the gathering.

"Yeah..." I agree with a stilted voice. "That's what I'm worried about."

I know firsthand of the lengths that these people are willing to go to in order to exact vengeance for perceived slights. And I did not particularly feel like painting a target on my back a second time while I am still trying to recover from the hurt caused by the first.

Maybe this is a mistake...

But I don't have time to think on it long, because the public erupts into an even more deafening outburst as Christian appears with Madeleine on his arm.

"Look at her..." snips a voice from behind me. "Acting like she's Queen already."

I whip around in disbelief. "Olivia!"

The Duchess of Lythikos cuts her green eyes over at me with a derisive look. "Oh, don't look so surprised, Harper. Just because you are now a duchess, does not mean that the rest of us have taken early retirement."

"Trust me," I grumble under my breath, "this was not the plan."

"Opportunities multiply as they are seized," she replies sagely.

I quirk a brow at her. "Meaning?"

"Meaning," she expounds surly, "opportunity breeds opportunity. And only by exploiting every advantage will you uncover previously hidden gains. Do they not teach The Art of War inyour schools?"

"No..."

She scoffs under her breath. "Explains a lot."

I roll my eyes at her as Christian and Madeleine pause on the steps for photos and a couple of quick sound bites. "I guess this means your sabbatical was productive?"

"Exceedingly."

I heave a breath. "At least one of us is making progress..."

"Oh, don't sell yourself short," she counters out of the corner of her mouth. "Your recent advancements have served as a welcome distraction..."

"Not sure if that’s a compliment, or not..." I admit sourly.

"You have more power than you realise," she insists quietly. "Make sure you use it."

"Wow..." I mutter, glancing over at her in genuine surprise. "Friendly advice from the Scarlet Duchess? What else have you learnt during your time away?"

"Our interests are temporarily aligned, nothing more," she replies, shooting daggers across the lawn towards Madeleine. "And I'll fill you in shortly."

"Well, it's good to have you back, regardless," I say with a dip of my head. "Your Grace."

Olivia shoots me a sidelong look. "Don't get sentimental on me, Duchess."

But I can see the hint of a smile pulling at her lips.

Christian and Madeleine arrive at the edge of the trees. Stepping up to the row of waiting saplings, Christian pulls a stack of notecards out of his pocket and delivers a short speech to the click of the cameras.

As the mandatory applause dies down, he slots the pieces of paper carefully away... and pulls off his jacket.

"What are you doing?" hisses Madeleine as the crowd descends into a hubbub of excited reactions.

"Taking a leaf out of the Duchess of Valtoria's book," he replies, handing his jacket off to the closest shocked Councillor as he sets about rolling up his sleeves.

"Out of—!" Madeleine bristles in indignation, while trying to maintain an outwardly calm composure. "The only thing you have taken is leave of your senses! Now get back here and—!"

Ignoring his fiancée's outburst, Christian grabs the ribbon-bedecked shovel out of the hands of the footman that was holding it, and steps up to a clear patch of grass. Adjusting his grip on the handle, he digs the metal blade decisively into the ground to the accompanying slew of clicking camera shutters.

"Shall we?" asks Olivia with a sly smirk as she pushes her way to the front of the line of gawping nobles.

"Let's," I agree, instantly catching onto her plan.

"Lady Harper!" hisses Bertrand from behind me. "What do you think you're—?"

"Lending a hand to the King," I throw back over my shoulder as I step to the front of the row of aristos who are looking mutely onto the sight of their monarch working up an actual sweat before them.

Grabbing another shovel from the pile in the corner — these ones obviously having seen some honest work already, judging by the dirt encrusted on their faces — I join the King of Cordonia in enlarging the hole in the ground.

Because regardless of Christian's underlying motives for ennobling me, and whatever his broader game may be, what he is doing right now is bigger than me, bigger than him, bigger than any of us. And that deserves recognition. Especially when he is taking such active — and public — strides towards being the change he wants to see unfurl during his rule. Where the ruling class doesn't just offer empty platitudes and hollow ceremony, but actually practices what it preaches. So, what better way to do that, than by planting the seeds of change in front of thousands of people in the literal heart of the kingdom?

Christian rewards my arrival with a nod and a smile as I take up position next to him.

Hefting my shovel, I slice it into the earth that he's already uncovered, using the somewhat flimsy sole of my heeled sandals to drive it deeper.

Scooping the blade back out, I suddenly feel a presence to my left. Looking up, I see that Maxwell has also joined our impromptu work crew.

Throwing me a wink, he drops his shovel in next to mine.

With the three of us working on tandem, it takes us almost no time at all to dig out a hole large enough to house the new apple tree.

Wiping the sweat from my forehead — the weatherman had not lied, that's for sure! — I see that Olivia, with some assistance from Hana, has already prepared the sapling by shunting it closer to the hole and removing the burlap covering from its roots.

Laying down our shovels, we help her manoeuvre the tree to the edge of the dint. Cheers and applause rise up from the onlookers as the sapling thuds into the earth. Olivia uses one of the knives from her hidden arsenal to slice off the twines holding the branches together, and the tree unfurls itself with a satisfied snap.

"Your Majesty!" shouts a reporter, who I recognise as Frederick Capone. "One for the Cordonian Times, if you please!"

"And for the CBS!" adds Donald Brine, muscling his way to the front.

"Certainly," accedes Christian graciously, holding his arm out. "It was a group effort, after all."

We all gather in — sweaty and dirty, but smiling — as the press corps immortalises the scene...

...and I innocuously sweep my hair over my shoulder in a vain effort to try and hide any bruises that may have become uncovered as a result of the unplanned exertion.

"Thank you for joining me in my moment of impulsivity," Christian acknowledges softly as the bulbs flash.

"Please," scoffs Olivia out of the side of her mouth. "It was coordinated from the start."

"The people don't seem to mind," counters Hana with a demure smile as she faces the cameras.

"With the exception of about half-dozen," I note, glancing back at the disgruntled looks of the Councillors from behind us, as they try to save face by applauding our efforts together with the rest of the crowd.

"They'll fall in line." Christian assures me as he lifts his hand with a wave.

I feel a prick between my shoulder blades. Turning my head, I catch sight of the cold fire radiating out of Madeleine's gaze from behind the mask of her perfect smile.

"Maybe not everyone..." I mutter under my breath as I turn back towards the paps.

I'm already on Madeleine's shit list for daring to return to court after my very public humiliation and banishment. On the night of her engagement tour launch party, no less! So, the fact that I ended up upstaging her — again — probably means that I've sunk even further down the ladder of her estimations.

To what end, I have no idea. But I'm going to have to start being more careful from here on out.

Once the press are finally placated, we disperse across the lawn in search of some much-needed refreshments.

"Harper!"

I swallow a groan as I'm brought up short, mere steps from the freshly squeezed, rosemary-infused lemonade that I desperately need after toiling away in this heat. "What now, Bertrand...?"

"I... uhm..." He clears his throat as I turn to face him. "I wanted to apologise for my earlier outburst. It was unseemly... and in retrospect, short-sighted."

"What do you mean?" I ask with a frown. Bertrand very rarely — if ever! — apologised.

"The public reaction to the tree planting has been overwhelming," he clarifies, pulling his phone out.

My eyes bulge as I take in the view count on the screen. "A hundred thousand views already!"

"And counting," Bertrand adds. "And that is only one website."

"And look at the comments!" I exclaim, scrolling through the feed. "They're loving Maxwell as well!"

"Yes, it appears that my brother has a keener instinct for media relations than I do..."

"You should tell him that," I say. "It would mean the world to him."

Bertrand looks momentarily taken aback. "I... Well..." He clears his throat again. "Yes. Maybe I will. He deserves some recognition for his efforts in diverting — at least temporarily — the negative attention away from our financial predicaments."

"A simple hug and a 'thank-you' will do," I tell him with a knowing look.

Bertrand reels back in abject horror. "I will not subject my brother to such a sordid display of affection! Especially in public!"

I heave a sigh. "And there's your problem, right th—"

I trail off as I spot a familiar figure signalling to me from over Bertrand's shoulders.

"Excuse me," I say, palming Bertrand's phone back to him as I move towards one of the marquees that had been set up at the edge of the lawn.

Slipping inside the flap of the tent, I come face-to-face with Ana de Luca.

"Your Grace," she nods, dipping into a curtesy, something she hasn't deigned to do before. "Thank you for making the time."

"Ana," I nod in return, wondering why the influential editor of Trend chose to pull me away for a private meeting. Especially after I cornered her so forcefully at Madeleine's garden party a few days ago.

"I suppose congratulations are in order," she continues, straightening back up. "Since returning to court you have managed to elevate yourself not just in rank, but in the eyes of the public as well. Rolling your sleeves up in tandem with the King was a masterful piece of image enhancement."

"I didn't do it for myself," I reply evenly.

"Of course," she nods quickly. "We must all step in line with our new King. But your reputation is certainly reaping the benefits as well."

"As is your bottom line," I point out.

"Your initiative is markedly boosting sales of this month's special edition, as well as traffic to our website," she concedes. "For which Trend is very grateful. But that is not the reason I pulled you aside."

"What is it then?"

"I found out the name of the photographer," she replies, reaching into her handbag.

I feel my heart jump in my chest. "You're joking..."

She raises a brow at me from behind the lenses of her black-out Versace shades as she pulls a small flash-drive out. "I can assure you that I am not."

I quickly pull myself back together. "No. Of course not..."

Handing the drive over, she adds. "On there you will find all the pertinent information I was able to obtain through my own means."

"Thank you," I say sincerely, taking the piece of plastic from her. "I honestly was not expecting this..."

She shrugs an elegant shoulder. "I said I would look into it, so I did. It is not much, but I am sure you have people who can hopefully take it further."

"I do," I affirm, slotting the device into my clutch.

"After all," she adds with a knowing quirk to her lips. "You are not the only one with a vested interest in seeing your name cleared, Your Grace."

With another quick bob, she exits the marquee.

I let out a low exhale as the tent flap drops back into place in her wake. "Thank God..."

Some much-needed progress at last!

Hopefully, Drake can take the information from the drive and do a deep dive into the photographer to see if they ever crossed paths with whoever it is that has it in for me.

Which reminds me...

Opening my clutch up again, I pull my phone out and type up a quick message to my elusive boyfriend.

I haven't seen or heard from him since the event started. And now I have two pieces of critical information I need to share with him. So, rather than chasing after him like some damsel in distress, I'm going to make him come to me for a change. Because time is of the essence, and I don't want to wait.

Hitting send, I exit the tent and head back towards the orchard. I figure that since everyone is on the lawn, the secluded garden hidden amongst the trees will give me and Drake the best chance to meet in private, away from the prying eyes of the court and the press.

Slipping between the tree trunks, I try to make my way as casually as possible through the orchard, as if I am simply out for a walk, in order to ward off potential suspicion. But, as I drift further away from the Festival, I start to pick up the pace, mindful of the short timeframe I gave Drake... as well as the exposed roots on the ground.

Because as much as I might want to hurry, I definitely don't want — or need — a twisted ankle the day before we're due to start the international leg of the trip. As Mom was right — I should take advantage of the upcoming whirlwind tour of Europe to at least try and get some sightseeing in. As who knows when I'll get the chance to do this again...

...especially if I'm forced to become a hermit because we fail to expose the mastermind behind the press scandal.

I shake my head. No. I need to stay positive. It's the only way I'm going to get through—

"Competing with a herd of elephants, Gale?"

I snap my gaze up at the sound of Drake's voice... and nearly trip over a hidden apple lodged in the grass.

"You try sneaking ‘round in four-inch heels," I grumble back at him, while using the trunk of a nearby tree to steady myself.

He mutters something under his breath as he steps over to me with an outstretched hand. "Here."

Grabbing his hand, I navigate gingerly away from the tree, only to find that the slightly rotten fruit has become impaled on the end of my stiletto.

"Great..." I groan, trying to flick the stupid thing off... But it stays stubbornly stuck.

"You're a walking disaster, y'know that, right?" drawls Drake as he drops down in front of me.

"Ha-ha, funny," I snark back at him while trying to balance on one foot on the uneven ground.

He meets my eye with a wry look as he finally manages to pull the offending fruit off with a squelch. "You're only gripin' 'cause it's true."

"Yeah, well, not all of us have... reflexes... like Neo..." I reply sardonically as I save myself from tipping over by grabbing onto Drake's shoulder.

He stifles a scoff as he tosses the apple into the trees. "You good?"

"Yeah," I confirm, righting myself again and letting go of his shirt.

Drake regards me critically for a long moment — as if expecting me to keel over again at the drop of a hat — before pushing himself up.

"Thanks," I say, laying an appreciative hand on his arm.

The humour fades from his gaze at the contact.

"Drake..." I start...

...but he's already pulled away.

"What did you want to talk about?" he asks, not quite meeting my eyes as he slots his hands into his pockets, the momentary lightness of our previous interaction gone.

I heave a breath.

We really need to talk about what happened this morning. But his suddenly standoffish demeanour makes it clear that he's not quite ready for that yet.

So, I decide to start with something less contentious.

"We have a lead on the photographer," I tell him, reaching into my clutch.

His head perks up with interest. "That was fast."

"Teamwork makes the dream work," I agree with a smile, pulling the flash drive back out and holding it out to him.

His posture suddenly stiffens. "The hell is that?"

I glance around me uncertainly. "What?"

"The fucking ring on your finger," he declares dispassionately, his accusatory gaze scorching into my outstretched hand.

My heart drops. Oh, no...

This is not how I wanted to break it to him. But unfortunately for both of us, the cat has now ripped itself out of the proverbial bag, so I'm just going to have to scamper after it.

Taking a steadying inhale, I look him square in the eye. "It's my new signet ring." I turn my hand over to show it to him.

His face darkens. "Fils de pute de—" he grits under his breath, snapping a hand out to grab my wrist.

My eyes widen. "Drake, what are y—?"

A storm is raging in his espresso gaze. "Signet rings go on the little finger. On the right hand."

"Oh," is all I can manage as he swipes the golden band off my left ring finger.

"You didn't know, did you?" he asks softly, reaching for my other hand... more gently this time.

I shake my head with a constricted throat. "No, I—"

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

My head jerks ‘round at the sound of the unexpected voice. "Christian!"

"I see you couldn't resist a somewhat impulsive stroll through the orchards, either?" he asks, more rhetorically than anything else. "The scent of apples is truly luscious this time of year."

"Erm... yes...!" I manage to squeak out, shoving my right hand behind my back. "Smells like apple juice!"

Christian's brow quivers ever so slightly at my slightly random — and obviously unexpected — comparison.

But I'm too busy coordinating with Drake to get the signet ring shoved back onto my hand while trying to palm the flash drive off to him without dropping either in the process. As both outcomes would lead to some very awkward conversations!

I feel the warmth of the metal slide onto the index finger of my hand (Drake had probably ascertained that the circumference of the band was too large for my pinky), and I'm finally able to breathe a sigh of relief.

Embarrassing backpedaling, narrowly averted!

Drake uses the opportunity to extract the flash drive from my hand as well, dropping the device casually into his pocket as he moves beside me. "She ain't wrong."

"No," concedes Christian, eying the two of us for a second longer than strictly comfortable. "She rarely is."

"So, umm... Are you hiding from the paps as well?" I ask in a bid to diffuse the growing tension in the air.

"No, I came looking for you, actually," he corrects, taking a step forward. "I saw you slip into the orchard, and thought it prudent to follow you."

"Oh?" I say, feeling my stomach tighten again. "Worried I might get lost?"

"I was hoping to catch you alone," he corrects, coming to a stop in front of me.

I swallow tightly as I see him glance over at Drake.

Please don't fight... Please don't fight...

Christian's gaze reverts to me. "But I suppose it is convenient for Drake to happen to be here as well."

My heart skips an uncomfortable beat. "It is?"

"Yes," he affirms. "I have received some news that you'll both be interested in hearing."

"Well, don't keep us in damn suspense, then..." mutters Drake with a noticeable edge to his voice.

I try to reach discretely out to brush my fingers against his, to reassure him that come what may, we'll get through it together, that—

"We found Tariq."

Christian's words hit me like a kick to the chest. The breath explodes out of me so forcefully that I am actually forced to take a step back in a bid to maintain my balance as the apple trees descend into a spin around me.

No way...

"Where?"

Drake's voice floats across the edge of my awareness. And even in my spaced-out state, I can feel the weight of the cold, calculated fury infused into that single word.

No corner... No mercy.

"Dubai," replies Christian, who also sounds like he's miles away. "He—"

But Drake's already spun away. "Send me the coordinates."

"Harper?"

I blink up at Christian in a daze. "Huh?"

"Are you alright?" he asks, laying a concerned hand on my cheek. "You... You looked as if you were about to faint..."

"I..." I swallow past the sudden dryness in my throat. "I'm okay."

"Are you certain?" he presses, peering down at me. "I could ring for a doctor, and—"

"No," I insist, pulling away from him. "I'm fine. I... I guess I just got caught off-guard..."

"It is an unexpected development, certainly," he concedes. "But hopefully still a welcome one?"

"Yes!" I blurt out. "Of course! I want to clear my name more than anyone, and Tariq is key to that! I just..." My voice trails uncertainly off.

Christian flashes me a knowing half-smile. "Feel some trepidation about the prospect...?"

"I guess so," I concede, my fingers moving unconsciously to the horseshoe charm at my wrist.

Because as much as I may want Tariq to pay for what he did from a rational point of view, from an emotional standpoint, I’m terrified.

As even though I know in the back of my mind that a lot of my trepidation has to do with the fact that I am still trying to recover from the psychological trauma that Tariq inflicted on me, a major part of me is also scared of what setting the record straight would entail in practice.

Christian had mentioned that there were 'methods of persuasion' that could be used to force a confession from Tariq. But then what? Would I be made to very publicly relive the entire horrible episode in the form of TV spots and interviews, or would we be able to get by with one official press release? And given my spotty history with the press, will people actually believe my side of the story...?

I mean, Meghan and Harry didn’t exactly fare well in the court of public opinion when they tried to counter the official royal narrative...

On top of all that, in light of my very visceral reactions to returning to Applewood, I have no idea how I'm going to react to seeing Tariq in person again. Would I burst into tears? Have a nervous breakdown? Dissolve into a panic attack? Stab him in the gut and then the nuts?

And (possibly worst of all) what if we discover that Tariq had been acting alone? And his attack on me — while traumatising — is in no way connected to the larger, and definitely more dangerous plot to remove me from the running for Queen? What then...?

"Your qualms are not as misplaced as you may initially think," Christian consoles. "It is a daunting prospect to face the person who actively sought to harm you."

Something in his tone catches my attention. "What do you mean?"

Christian heaves a sigh. "I do not know if you are aware of this, but several years ago, I was the target of an assassination attempt."

I nod tightly. "Yes. Drake told me."

"Then I presume he also told you how deeply the experience affected me," he says, catching my eye with an uncharacteristically guarded look.

"Yes," I affirm, thinking back to the conversation in Olivia's wine cellar that felt like years ago.

"What he probably didn't tell you, however," he continues, "is that I visited the perpetrator in prison."

My jaw drops. "You what!"

"Not publicly and certainly not in any official capacity." He shakes his head wryly. "I did not even talk to the man."

"Then why...?"

"I... I was having trouble reconciling with what had happened," he explains. "And moving past it. The trauma councillor that I was working with suggested that it was perhaps because I was subconsciously endowing the gunman with too much power, and thereby transmuting the man into something more akin to an evil monster."

A shiver runs down my spine at Christian's words. It's like he's talking about Tariq...

"So, to help break the negative emotional associations I had built up, my councillor arranged a clandestine meeting where I would have the opportunity to face the man."

"How... How did that go?" I ask nervously.

"I was terrified, of course," Christian admits. "I had no idea what to expect and each scenario I imagined in my head was worse than the last. But, when I finally got into room where the meeting was to take place, I was surprised by what I saw. As rather than some hulking, shadowy fiend, it was a pale, somewhat diminutive man sat across from me."

"So… what did you do?"

"We simply sat at a table and stared at each other," he recounts. "He with more than a bit of contemptuous malice, I have to admit, but in that moment, I realised that he was a flesh-and-blood person who had fallen prey to the same misguided emotions as I — anger, fear, resentment — just manifested differently. And that helped set me onto the path of true healing. As ultimately, I was able to forgive him."

"Forgive him?" I gasp disbelievingly. "For trying to murder you?"

"Nobody acts in isolation," Christian advises calmly. "Even the most unconscionable horrors perpetrated by the villains of humanity — torture, mass murder, genocide — sprout from the basis of an emotional or psychological motivator such as love, fear, greed, jealousy... to name but a few. So, while we may disagree with and condemn the action retrospectively from the safety of the moral high-ground, it is very possible that had we found ourselves in a similar situation, we would end up being just as guilty as the person we are looking to condemn."

"So, what?" I demand testily. "I should feel sorry for Tariq for what he did to me?"

"Showing empathy and compassion towards our counterparts does not mean forgetting or excusing the harm suffered," counsels Christian. "But it will certainly allow you to start on the path of true healing."

I shake my head as I turn away. "I'm not sure Tariq deserves that..."

"It is by no means an easy assignment," he admits, laying a hand on my shoulder. "But even if you cannot find it in your heart presently to forgive him, do at least try to keep yourself open to the possibility down the line. You may be surprised by the results."

Looking up, I can see that there is sincerity welling on his emerald gaze. And — for once — I don't doubt the true intent of his words. "Thanks. I'll think about it."

"As diplomatic as ever," he smiles, the tips of his fingers brushing down my back as he drops his hand. "And, regardless of what you choose to do, I'll be right by your side to support you."

"Thanks," I mutter with what I hope is a genuine smile, suddenly acutely aware of the fact that with Drake’s abrupt departure, it’s just me and Christian amongst the trees. Taking a step back towards the way I’d come, I ask, "So, umm... How did you end up finding him?"

"Instagram," replies Christian with a wry chuckle as he falls into step beside me.

My head snaps up in bewilderment. "He posted his whereabouts?"

"No," he laughs, looping my arm through his in reassurance. "Not intentionally, at any rate. He took shelter on his cousin's yacht docked off the coast of the Palm Jumeirah, and—"

"What's that?" I ask with a frown.

"One of a trio of artificially constructed archipelagos located off the coast of Dubai," he explains. "They are so called for their shape, which resemble stylised palm trees."

"Sounds... fancy," I admit, while trying to maintain some semblance of platonic distance between the two of us.

"They really are a sight to behold," he affirms, pulling me back to his side. "But it is part of the reason why we were not able to locate him initially — we knew he has family in the Emirates, of course, but—"

"He does?" I interject in surprise. This is certainly news to me...!

"Yes," he nods. "His father is a Cordonian nobleman, but his mother hails from the House of Al Falasi, the branch of the Bani Yas tribe that also produced Dubai's ruling family."

My eyes widen. "So, his mom is royalty?"

"No," chuckles Christian. "She is not directly connected to the Al Maktoum dynasty. But her family is nevertheless influential in the region. Which is why when we hit a roadblock with the French authorities, we decided to focus our efforts on countries where we knew he had familial or business connections. The Emirates, however, boast a multitude of private airfields, not to mention water-based ports of entry, so attempting to narrow down Tariq’s possible time and method of arrival and determining where he went from there was providing to be a complex undertaking. Especially since we had to ensure to conduct our enquiries outside of the official channels."

"Specifically, via social media," I supply dryly.

"Yes," confirms Christian, only half jokingly. "When we realised that Tariq must have switched off or changed out his phone, Drake suggested that we set up a facial recognition-based search algorithm that could scour the various social media and news portals in a bid to help us pinpoint his exact location."

"That sounds... technical," I admit.

"A few years ago, it would have been, But the technology is relatively commonplace now, thankfully."

"So, you managed to get a hit?"

"Yes," he affirms. "One of his cousins on his mother's side posted a selfie featuring his new yacht a couple of days ago... and someone who partially matched Tariq's features was visible on the edge of the frame. But it wasn't until this morning that our man on the ground was able to obtain independent confirmation that it really was him."

"Wow..." I manage. "Talk about blind, dumb luck."

"Never underestimate the awesome power of serendipity," counsels Christian with a smile as we reach the edge of the trees again. "It certainly played a hand in crossing our paths."

I swallow nervously. "Yeah, I—"

"You have some nerve!"

Before I have a chance to realise what is happening, Madeleine has swooped in from seemingly out of nowhere to intercept us with all the wrathful precision of a homing missile.

"Ow!" I hiss, feeling the ends of her manicured nails sink into my arm as she wrenches me off Christian like I'm some kind of plague.

"One would think you would be grateful to His Majesty for his benevolent generosity in elevating your previously non-existent status to that of a duchess," she spits with barely disguised contempt as she pulls me nose-to-nose with her.

"Get off me!" I grit, trying to shake her loose.

"Madeleine..." interjects Christian from behind me in a voice that I only heard him use once before... in the hallway at Ramsford when he realised that Drake had brought me back to Cordonia. "You overstep."

But the Countess of Fydelia seems to hear neither of us as she tightens her claw-like hold on me. "Yet instead, you repay him by not only by hijacking a royal event to serve your own shameless self-aggrandisement—"

I shake my head in disbelief. "Wait... Wh—?"

"—but then you have the unmitigated gall—"

"Madeleine," says Christian again, more forcefully this time. "That is enough."

But Madeleine is oblivious to the quiet threat suffused into the sound of her name, choosing to continue her tirade instead, "—to sneak off into the bushes with my fiancé in order to do God-knows-what when he should be—"

"I said, enough!" snaps Christian, coming suddenly between Madeleine and me with a face of thunder.

The force of his command is loud enough to cause a few heads on the edge of the lawn to turn curiously towards us.

Even Madeleine startles somewhat in response to the uncharacteristically vehement order. But not enough to let go of me.

"Can you not see what she is doing?" she demands indignantly as she turns to face Christian. "Or does she have you wrapped so tightly around her finger that you cannot even—?"

"How I choose to spend my time with the Duchess of Valtoria in private is of no concern to you, Countess," interjects Christian bluntly. "Or do I need to remind you of the conditions of our engagement?"

Madeleine's alabaster cheeks flush scarlet. "No..."

"Then I strongly suggest that you unhand Lady Harper, and ensure that this kind of juvenile outburst does not happen again."

Madeleine's eyes blaze with cold fury. But she relinquishes her hold on me, nevertheless. "My apologies, Duchess..." she snips, her voice dripping with insincerity.

I reach up to rub the spot where her nails had been on the verge of puncturing my skin.

Bitch...

Christian nods tersely in approval. "Now that that is sorted, I believe our guests are waiting. Lady Madeleine, if you'd be so kind..."

Madeleine takes his arm with a look that could've killed. "Of course, Your Majesty."

"Lady Harper," acknowledges Christian with a dip of his head as he starts to steer his seething fiancée away.

Knowing that all eyes are still on us, I drop into a quick curtesy as they walk past, on one hand grateful to Christian for shutting Madeleine down, but on the other hand wondering how badly we kicked into a nest of hornets in the process.

As it is clear that Madeleine is still raging with jealous insecurity... Perhaps even more so than she had been back at her manor when she cornered me in the bathroom. And the fact that — despite the massive diamond on her finger — I now technically outrank her is definitely not helping the situation!

So much for making allies at court…

Blowing a wayward strand of hair out of my face, I turn back towards the festivities…

…only to be greeted by a wall of judgemental eyes, and more than a few camera lenses.

"Great..." I mutter under my breath.

Whether catching me with Christian had been the genuine straw that snapped Madeleine's cool, or whether she deliberately fabricated the showdown to undermine the positive reactions I got from the press earlier, the end result is the same...

I'm going to be on the front page tomorrow. Again.

Exactly in what form, I have no idea. But I've been at court long enough now to know that the whole thing will be blown completely out of proportion, and the resulting story will generate even more press frenzy.

But if there’s one thing that Drake has taught me, it’s that I cannot allow myself to give the aristos the satisfaction of ever thinking that they’ve managed to squash me into the dirt. Because that would undermine the entire reason why I came back to court in the first place, and given how close we now are to claiming back the truth, it would be a massive and premature admission of defeat.

So, raising my chin defiantly, I make my way back across the lawn to rejoin the remainder of the Festival.

The story continues in Chapter 17 - News Flash

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piro-piroooooo · 2 months ago

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I was thinking of doing a Miku for the cultural Miku trend... but I'm already quite late and I've been thinking of some things...

I'm Mexican (hehe <3), but I don't see any point in drawing another adelita Miku, or a Miku dressed in any Mexican indigenous attire. I'm not part of any indigenous group, I don't understand those attires. I grew up and live in a poor small industrial city. Of course there is culture in here, but it doesn't look pretty. It isn't pretty colorful dresses, dances, rituals or an ancestral connection to our land and the gods that inhabit it. That can be found in the rural towns that surround my city, the ones that get tourists.

There is no specific cultural attire I can claim or use to represent my cultural experience. What should I dress my Miku in? The local soccer team shirt? The vests the local politicians are often seen wearing? Sure, I could do that I guess.

I'm not saying any of this to complain. Actually, quite the opposite. I love my ugly city. I love my ugly-looking culture. My culture looks like make-shift tents that house weekly farmer's markets. Children making memories of school in classrooms with cement floors and decades old equipment. Neighborhoods coming together to make anniversary parties for holes in the streets. It's showering with a bucket of water you heated on the stove and a recycled yogurt container because the government refuses to do anything about the water shortages. And there's a lot of happiness that can be found in this kind of life.

I used to be very bitter about the way my culture came to be. My way of life was created by a history filled with violence, colonization, and death. Me and the people around me are the result of europeans mixing with the native population. Our poverty and lack of indigenous cultural identity was caused by the explotation of this land and its resources.

Today the independence of my country is celebrated. I have a lot of feelings about it and at the same time I feel nothing. Of course, I'm bitter and angry about the history of my country and its current state. But also, today I went out to buy some groceries we needed to prepare pambazos and passed by a festival. People were eating good food, smiling, creating happy memories. There's joy to be found in this ugly small industrial city.

Maybe I will just draw Miku in my middle school uniform. Carrying that backpack too big for her, y una torta de buebito para comerse en el recreo.

Feliz día de la independencia de México :^)

#textpost #mexico #mexico magico #latam posting #cultural miku #cultural miku trend #spanish

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biff-adventurer · 1 year ago

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Spontaneous Roleplay for Dummies OR How to roleplay with random strangers on the internet, no plotting required OR XIV in game roleplay specific & general writing tips

I've been roleplaying for a good long while now and I'm starting to see some issues trending lately. So here is a guide/tips from me, a spontaneous RPer, who has run into a lot of younger or newer RPers without a lot of guidance. Let me have the honor of trying to help. Or at least let me share what I want some people to know.

i) So you go to a venue. The safest way to start RPing with literally anyone in particular is to ask them an opening question. It doesn’t have to be ground-breaking.

Sonny Silvertear: “Hi there! I'm Sonny, what’s your name?” “ Luna Lifebringer: “Hi? My name’s Luna.”

ii) If the stranger doesn’t “yes and” you, move on. People are jerks, and if they judge you, that’s on them. If someone doesn’t respond in fifteen minutes, you’re safe to move on. (People type slow in game, so fifteen minutes feels like the safest number to me. Please work within your comfort zone–it’s a part of creating boundaries and protecting yourself!)

iv) If you’re the stranger sitting around waiting for someone to ask you a question, the polite thing to do is “yes and” them back. Sometimes, this means just saying something that your new roleplay partner can respond to. It doesn’t always have to be a question!

Luna Lifebringer: “Are you new here? I haven’t seen you around.” Sonny Silvertear: “It’s my first time here. Do you come here often?”

Remember: No talk is too small. Small talk can lead to big talk if you continue to “yes and” with your partner. If you take an interest in someone else’s character, the courteous thing is for them to take an interest in yours.

(As an aside, it’s a little narcissistic to wonder why someone took an interest in your character unless they offer the information themselves. If they compliment you, make sure you find something nice and genuine to say back! Most of the time, the safe assumption is that people are just trying to make friends–unless you have good reason to believe otherwise, of course.)

v) “But I play a character who doesn’t talk too much?” Body language is a great way to show emotion for characters who are stoic. If they can’t offer much dialogue, you can help your partner out by sharing your character’s thoughts or assumptions in your prose. It does NOT have to be fancy or complicated.

Luna Lifebringer: “Not really, no.” Luna raised an eyebrow, then turned to her drink. She wasn’t sure why this cheerful stranger was talking to her, but she didn’t mind it. She just didn’t think it made sense to share her prior line of thought–about the adventure she’d just survived, in a dungeon where she pretty much carried the party with the strength of her white magic.

Sonny Silvertear: “You seem to have a lot on your mind. Do you wanna talk about it?”

Luna Lifebringer: “Not really, no.” She smiled weakly at Sonny, but without any malice. She didn’t want him to think she was annoyed. “What about you? Something on your mind?”

Sonny Silvertear: “Not really, no.” He had to laugh. Should he have come up with conversation topics beforehand? He was new at the social thing, which he hadn’t known was part of the adventuring thing until he’d picked up the mantle of sprout.

Luna Lifebringer: Luna Lifebringer laughs, too. “I guess we both came out to enjoy a nice drink.”

Sonny Silvertear: “I really like drinking. But I’m not, like, a drunk!”

vi) “But how do I get out of small talk territory?” This is where you choose to be vulnerable. Contrary to what some people might tell you, it’s alright to share some exposition about your character’s backstory. It just has to seem natural–and the best way to make something seem natural is to find a natural opportunity to share.

Luna Lifebringer: “Well, good. Because I hate drunks, lies and deception. Especially deception.”

Sonny Silvertear: “Anyone who knows a drunk hates drunks.”

Luna Lifebringer: “You, too? I’ll drink to that!”

vii) “But my partner isn’t picking up on my cues.” That happens sometimes. It can happen a lot if your cues aren’t obvious. It can also happen if you run into a lot of people who are either really uninterested, really tired, or just really not perceptive. Those are all not your fault, so you can’t compensate for that. When you find yourself working too hard, it’s okay to drop the RP, either by finding a reason to leave, talking to someone else, or simply ending the conversation.

viii) “What if I’m not getting their cues?” Then it’s perfectly harmless to bring up what you think they’re referring to, or something new entirely, so long as you acknowledge whatever else the person said. Remember that you don’t have to respond to every single line–just what you think is important, either to you or to them. That way, no one feels like they wasted what they wrote.

Sonny Silvertear: “Yeah, me, too. My dad.”

Luna Lifebringer: “That sucks.”

Sonny Silvertear: “Yeah. My dad sucked.”

Luna Lifebringer: “Mine did, too. Is there a rule somewhere that says dads have to suck?”

Sonny Silvertear: “I think that’s part of why everyone hates drunks. Because they make terrible fathers.”

ix) Don’t write more than you need to. An easy way to lose your partner’s attention or try their patience is making them read a small novel, only to find out the last two lines are all they need to read to reply. That doesn’t mean you can’t share lovely details about your characters; it just means you need to choose those details wisely. For example, if there’s something about your character that we can’t see on the model, like freckles under a scar or a third color of hair on their head, bring it up if it seems relevant. Just ask yourself why it’s relevant and why you want your new partner to know about it.

Luna Lifebringer: She laughed. It was bubbly, but there was a sadness hiding amid the bubbles somewhere. “More women need to not sleep with drunk dudes.”

Sonny Silvertear: He nodded once, firmly. His smile reached his eyes, though the light in them was gone. He looked at his hands. Without gloves to hide the scars, it was easy to see how rough they were. “It would save everyone a lot of stress, time and work.”

x) Use the right words. It’s hard to figure out what the right words are, but sometimes, that’s because they’re simple. And sometimes it’s because they’re not. Really, the key is to make sure the word means what you think it means. The thesaurus doesn’t give you words that are exactly interchangeable; it gives you words that can mean the same things, in a general sense, but mean something specific when you look closer.

Old: Luna looked around the bar. She was by herself, but she was waiting for someone, so she didn’t feel like a total loser. She just needed to be patient. She smiled at the bartender and took her drink, then looked around some more for the right seat. (Grade: C)

New: Luna looked around the bar. She felt self-conscious, but reminded herself that she was waiting for someone. When the bartender handed her the drink she ordered, she smiled graciously. Then, she looked for a place to sit. (Grade: B)

Don’t ask me how to get an A, starters are hard. Making yourself look known and available, and giving people an insight to where your character is mentally, is a good start. Frankly, I’d just sit my character somewhere before I made a starter but I wanted to try something new. I don’t think it worked. But the point is, the words are better. They’re more varied and less soulless. But sometimes soulless gets you through the day, so don’t judge yourself too hard.

xi) When writing a character from a specific place, try to use in-game dialogue to influence the depiction of your character’s ethnic background or childhood experiences. There are a lot of NPCs in the game and a lot of MSQ dialogue by people from different places on the Star. So, if you start RPing a character of a different background than yours, the best starting point is the source material. Although the source has its own problems, it’s also the text we share. Identifying the problems in the material is more like the second or third step in character building; but it’s unlikely folks will be angry with you for drawing from the source. However, do try to research the places in game and their real world counterparts to get a sense of where your character should be. It helps add depth and it helps you learn about the world, too! Creating, writing and researching for non-Western characters is its own large topic; this is just a good starting point, in my experience.

xii) In Conclusion: show people you care to know about other people’s characters. Focus on what they need to know about yours in the moment. Artistry can follow once you have the meat down in place. Don’t commit so much to aesthetic that you lose the ability to build relationships with other people. When you take an interest in those around you, the world really opens up. And isn’t that what being an adventurer is all about?

#ooc;;#ffxiv #ffxiv roleplay

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