#id feel so awkward doing that especially since it's probably just gonna be me today shhdhdhdhd

[bunnyb34r]

Facing my fear of movie theaters by going to the first showing of the day sgdggdgd

I think I'll be the only person there which would be awesome tbh

AND I dont have to break my streak of having seen every hunger games movie in theaters :D I'm excited man

[leossmoonn]

Dear Y/n

masterlist

pairing - carl gallagher x fem!reader

type - fluff

note  / request - “OMFG FINALLY SOMEONE WRITES FOR RECENT CARL GALLAGHER. Can we get one where the reader is Kev and V’s daughter so they grew up together. And maybe Carl is her secret admirer” so i made debbie and you seniors and carl a junior since he is technically a year younger than debbie. so let’s pretend that debbie stayed in school and carl never went to military school lol, just for the sake of this imagine. enjoy!

summary - you find a note in your locker from a secret admirer and try to figure it out who is your secret admirer

warnings - language

————

*gif isn't mine*

“Hey, girl!” Debbie exclaimed. You looked up from your phone, smiling as you spotted your friend. 

“Hey,” you smiled while walking up to her. Your attention when to Franny, who was sitting in her stroller. You crouched down and smiled at the baby. 

“Hi, baby. How are you? Do you like going to school with Mommy? You know, some day you’ll be going to school. I’ll be an adult and with kids, too!” You babbled to the baby. Franny squealed and held her hands up to you. You giggled, bopping her nose before going up back to talk to Debbie. 

“You’re really good with her,” Debbie complimented.  

“Thanks, kids kinda like me,” you giggled. 

Debbie rolled her eyes, “Yeah, we know. Anyways, can we hang at your house?” 

You two started walking to your guys’s lockers. “Sure. I have to babysit Jems and Ames, though. Mom and Dad don’t get off work until like, midnight.”

Debbie nodded. “Franny can play with them.”

“Sounds good,” you nodded. You unlocked your locker, a piece of paper falling out. 

“What’s that?” Debbie asked.

“I don't know,” you muttered, furrowing your brows. You picked up the paper, unfolding it. Your eyes widened as you saw its contents. It read:

Dear Y/n,

I thought your outfit looked really good. Not that your outfits don’t always look good, but today’s my favorite. I really like your jeans and your red shirt. Red really looks good with your eyes. 

From,

Secret Admirer

Debbie read the note with you, laughing as she got to the end. “You have a secret admirer!”

You smiled, “Yeah. This is cute. I wonder who it’s from.”

“Maybe it’s from Dean Kepner,” Debbie said, nudging your shoulder teasingly. 

You rolled your eyes, “That is the funniest shit I have ever heard.”

“Well, what if it is! I noticed him staring at your shirt today,” Debbie said.

You scoffed, “Yeah, more like staring at my tits. This note said nothing about my  tits. It’s probably not him. Plus, I’m pretty sure Dean can’t make compound sentences. He’s worse at speaking than Ames and Jems, and they’re 3 years old.

Debbie chuckled, “True. Well, we should try to figure it out.”

“Eh. It's probably some jackass who wants to get in my head, and then embarrass me because I thought someone liked me,” you said. 

“Be more optimistic!” Debbie exclaimed. 

“Hm, I will if I get a second note. Let’s go, Jems and Ames are expecting me to pick them up from daycare,” you said. You grabbed a few textbooks and shut your locker. “Is Carl coming home with us?” You asked. 

“I think so,” Debbie said. “Alright. Where is he?” You asked. 

“Probably making out with some slut in the bathrooms,” Debbie said.

“Probably,” you snorted.

You and Debbie walked to the nearest bathroom, peeking behind the corner to see if you could hear any noise. Surprisingly, it was quiet. 

“What are you guys doing?” 

You both jumped, turning around and seeing a confused Carl behind you. 

Carl was Debbie’s little brother. They were both Gallagher’s. They were children of the alcoholic and drug addict Frank and Monica. They lived on the South Side of Chicago, which was where you also lived. 

You were Y/n Ball. Daughter of Veronica Fisher and Kevin Ball. You had lived next to the Gallagher’s all your life. You were their best friend. Well, their only best friend, really. Your mom and their older sister, Fiona, had been friends since forever. You had been born around the same time as Debbie, who was the third oldest out of the 6 Gallagher children, so you two have been basically best friends since birth. Carl was also one of the Gallagher kids you were also the close with, too, him being just a year younger than you. You three had basically grown up together, so being best friends was pretty natural. 

“We were seeing if you were fucking anyone,” Debbie answered. 

Carl scrunched his face up in disgust. “I don’t do that.”

You laughed, “Sure you don’t. C’mon, C-Dog, I gotta pick up the little missies.”

“Alright, Y/n/n,” Carl smiled at the nickname you had given him ever since you two had gotten closer. 

You two hadn’t always been close before. Debbie and you were by far the closest, with being in the same grade and all. You and Carl hung out a lot, but it wasn’t really until he started high school when you two actually hung out one-on-one. He had come to you for relationship advice when he was dating this one girl, Dominique, who turned out to be a horrible person. You two have since bonded about your past, failed relationships, and how shitty life is. 

Since getting closer with him, you had kind of developed a little crush on him. He had always been cute, but when puberty hit him, he became really hot, really quick. You never showed any other feelings for him than platonic, though. You didn’t want to deal with all the drama that it would bring between you and your families. 

“Stop eye-fucking each other, please,” Debbie groaned, walking away from you two.

You rolled your eyes, “Like you should talk. Every guy you meet you imagine sleeping with them.”

“Not true!” Debbie defended herself. 

“Yeah, right. That’s why you have a baby,” Carl joked. 

“You guys are so mean,” Debbie muttered. 

“That one was pretty mean, but at least it didn’t come from me,” you smiled. 

“Yeah, it came from the asshole who got circumcised for a girl,” Debbie laughed. 

You laughed with her, Carl rolling his eyes and blushing. He looked to you and noticed a piece of paper peeking out from your jeans. 

“What's that?” He asked and pointed.

“Oh, it’s a note that someone gave me,” you said. You took it out and gave it to Carl. He opened it and read it. 

“This is nice,” he said. 

“Yeah, it’s pretty cute,” you agreed. He handed you the note back. “Who do you think it is?”

“I don’t know, honestly. I’m kind of thinking it’s a joke, so I wanna wait till I get another one,” you said, folding it back into your pocket. 

“I think it’s Dean Kepner,” Debbie stated.  You rolled your eyes, “Yeah, you're the only one.”

“Is that the popular football guy? In your grade?” Carl asked. 

“Yep. He’s so hot,” Debbie sighed dreamily. 

“I don’t think so,” you stated.

Carl looked at you and nodded. “Yeah, I heard he does hard drugs.”

“Yeah, another reason why I don’t fuck with him. I mean, I have a beer every other night, but never am I gonna do drugs. That shit messes you up,” you sighed. 

“Yeah, we know. We had Monica as our mother,” Debbie said. 

You chuckled, walking over to your car. You got in the driver seat, Carl sitting in the passengers. Debbie usually sat there, but since she has a baby, you told her it wasn’t safe to put Franny in the passenger seat, especially since if the even of an accident, the airbag goes off and hurts Franny. 

You drove to daycare, humming songs from the radio while doing so. While you were driving, Carl couldn’t help but stare between your face and the note in your pocket. You didn’t know, but the person who wrote you the note was him. 

Carl was usually pretty confident and outgoing. All of his family like that. You had to do that to survive the South Side. But when it came to you, he was like jello. He didn’t know how to act, speak, whether he could look at you two seconds longer than normal. You never noticed his behaviour change, though. To you, he was always quiet and low-key. He was thankful that he never questioned why he was so quiet around you, especially since he was a loud, annoying kid when he was younger. 

With these notes, he would be able to say what he was afraid to say to your face. He didn’t want to face rejection, especially by the pretty senior girl that had lived next to him since the day he was born. It would be awkward if you did reject him, so he just kept quiet until maybe he worked up the courage to ask you out depending on wether you liked the notes or not. 

You parked in a handicap parking spot. “Alright, one of you wanna go and help me get Ames and Jems?” You asked. 

“Carl, can you do it, I wanna stay with Franny,” Debbie said.

“Yeah, sure,” Carl nodded. He got out of the car with you, walking into the daycare. 

You walked up to front desk. “Hi, I’m here for Amy and Jemma Ball. I'm their older sister, Y/n,” you said.

“Alright, can I see ID?” The woman asked. 

You nodded and got your wallet out of your back pocket. You handed her your ID. She handed it back to you. 

“Alright, go ahead and head in,” she said.

“Thank you,” you smiled. 

She hummed a ‘you’re welcome’ as you and Carl went into the play room. 

“Why do you have to give her your ID?” Carl asked. 

“I think it’s because she’s new, and also I didn’t drop them off this morning. They wanna make sure no one kidnaps children,” you explained. 

Carl nodded. “Ah, makes sense.”

“Yeah, the usual woman here, Julie, moved to Florida. She always gave me and the girls a mint when we left, and never asked for my ID,” you said.

“Wow, she sounds cool,” Carl said. 

“Yep, she was,” you smiled. 

You walked into the room, spotting Jemma and Amy immediately. They spotted you two, smiling and running up to you. 

“Hi, babes!” You exclaimed, crouching down and catching them in your arms. 

“Hi, Y/n!” They both squealed. 

“Ready to go home?” You asked. 

They both nodded. 

“Alright. Let me go get your stuff, hang out with Uncle Carl for a few minutes, okay?” You said. 

“Okay,” Jemma said.

You walked over to their cubby, grabbing their baby bags. You went back over to Carl, taking a hold of both of the girls’s hands. 

“Let’s go, babes,” you said. 

“I’m hungry!” Amy exclaimed. 

“I’ll get you a snack when we get home, alright?” You asked. 

Amy nodded, smiling excitedly. You smiled at her, looking up to see Carl opening the door for you. 

“Thanks,” you smiled at him. 

“No problem,” he nodded and followed behind you. You put the girls in the backseat with Debbie, unloading their bags in the trunk. You got in the front seat, starting the car. 

“Do you want to be dropped off at your house or stay with us at my place?” You asked Carl. 

“I'll hang with you guys,” Carl said. 

You nodded, “Sounds good.”

You drove back home, parking the car on the side. You unlocked the front door, immediately dropping all the bags you had. You slumped on the couch, taking a breather. 

“Can we have a snack?” Jemma asked. 

“Oh, yeah, right,” you said, getting up. “You guys want some fruit snacks?” “Yeah!” Amy exclaimed. 

You nodded, going to the pantry and getting two packs of fruit snacks for each of them. You led them back to the couch, turning on the tv. 

“Watch TV with Franny, okay? Sissy has to do homework,” you said. 

The twins nodded, looking at Paw Patrol, which was what was playing. You went to the kitchen table, unloading your backpack. 

“You’re really good at taking care of them,” Carl said, sitting next to you. 

You smiled, “Thanks. Mom and Dad do a lot, but since they are a little older and so am I, they let me have more responsibility. They have to work and stuff to make sure we can afford everything. I’d like to say I’m an expert at taking care of Amy and Jemma.”

Carl chuckled, “Yeah, I couldn’t imagine taking care of a kid.”

“Well, you have been taking care of Liam since he was born, right?” You asked. 

Carl shrugged, “I guess.”

“Taking care of kids is easy if you like them,” you shrugged. 

“Makes sense,” he said.

You hummed. 

“So, are you waiting for another note?” Carl asked. 

“Hm, kind of, yeah. I would be lying if I didn’t say I hoped this will turn into some cute, romantic love story with someone,” you chuckled. 

Carl blushed a little, focusing on his own homework. “Yeah, that’d be nice. 

————

“Yeah, Mom, I got it. No problem, see you later,” you said, hanging up the call. You sighed, walking slowly to your locker. 

Your mom had just called you to come to the Alibi to help out since business was buzzing. Word was, Frank was up to one of his schemes again and got the Alibi full and drunk. You couldn’t wait to deal with perky, 50 year-old men catcalling you. You were wearing a sweatshirt, too, which you knew would make it worse since the men always would try to have you take it off, and never stopped pushing. Luckily, you had pepper spray with you at all times so if someone ever got too much, you wouldn’t hesitate to spray them. 

You opened your locker, putting away a few binders when you noticed another note. You grabbed it, unfolding it with a hint of excitement. You would be lying if you said you hadn't been looking forward to this all day. 

You opened the note, smiling widely as its contents. 

Dear Y/n,

Your makeup looks amazing today. You’re really talented with the eyeliner and stuff. Oh, and your lipstick matches really well with your outfit, too.

From,  Secret Admirer

“Another note, huh?” Debbie said, approaching you. 

You smiled and nodded. “Yep.”

“What's that?” Carl asked. 

“Another note from Y/n’s admirer,” Debbie smiled. 

Carl flushed a little. “Oh.”

“Yeah,” you smiled. “I hope this is for real. I want to meet this person.”

“Maybe you will,” Carl said. You looked to him, a worried expression settling on your face. 

“You okay, C-Dog?” You asked. 

“Yeah. I’m gonna catch the bus. See you guys later,” he said, walking off quickly. 

You furrowed your brows. “What's got his dick in a twist?”

“I have no idea. Maybe he likes you,” Debbie smirked. 

Your heart fluttered a little at the thought of him liking you. Debbie knew you liked Carl, so maybe she was fucking with you, but you had to ask to be sure. 

“Does he?” 

“I think,” Debbie said. 

“Oh,” you muttered. “Cool,” you smiled. 

You weren’t going to confront him just yet, but you prayed to God your secret admirer was Carl. 

————

“Hey, there’s something for you in the mail,” Veronica said. 

You furrowed your brows. “Who’s it from?”

“It doesn’t have a name,” Veronica said, hanging you an envelope. “It just has your name on it.”

“Huh,” you said, taking the envelope. You tore it open, your eyes widening as you saw another note it in. 

“What is it?” Kevin asked. 

“A note,” you said. “From my secret admirer.”

“You have a secret admirer! Wow,” Kevin said. 

“Yeah,” you chuckled. You sat on the couch, opening the note. 

Dear Y/n,

I thought you looked really pretty today. I hope you don’t find it weird I mailed this to your house, I actually live close to you, so I saw you crossing the street today. Anyways, I just thought I would let you know you look pretty. 

From, 

Secret Admirer

You found yourself giggling, setting the note down. Even though you were flattered, you found it a little weird this person knew where you lived, even if they supposedly lived near. You didn’t know why they couldn’t just tell you all these things in person. 

“What does it say?” Veronica asked.

“The note calls me pretty,” you said, putting it back in its envelope. 

“Hm, well, whoever this is isn’t wrong,” Veronica grinned. “Do you have any idea who it is?”

You sighed, “Nope. It says they live close to me, though.”

“Maybe it’s one of the Gallagher’s,” Kevin suggested. 

Your eyes went wide, remembering what Debbie had said to a few days ago when you got the second note. You shook your head, though. Carl was out with his friends right now, you had just left his house, too, and there was no sign of him. 

“Nah, no offence to them, none of them are this romantic or anything. Well, except Ian, but he’s gay,” you said. 

“Maybe ask about it, though? All of our other neighbours are old men, and that does not look like old man handwriting,” Veronica said. 

“Maybe I will. I mean, Debbie said Carl liked me, and when I got the second note, Carl was acting all weird and shit,” you said.

Veronica eyes widened. “Carl?”

“Yeah,” you said. “I don’t care if it's him, though, it'd be kind of weird.”

Veronica sat down on the couch next to you. “You like him, don’t you?”

“Kind of,” you said sheepishly. 

“Well, I think you should ask him about it. If he says no, then don’t mention your feelings for him. If he says yes the notes are from him, then confess,” Veronica said.

“Should I do that?” You asked. 

“I think so, baby. Carl’s a good kid, especially with you around. I wouldn’t have a problem with you two dating.”

You smiled, “Thanks, Mom. I’ll go to his place tomorrow.”

“My baby is about to get a boyfriend!” Kevin whooped. “If he hurts you, I will kill him.”

You chuckled, “Thanks, Dad.”

————

You walked into the Gallagher’s house, spotting Fiona in the kitchen.

“Hey, Fi,” you smiled. 

“Hey, Y/n! Are you here fo Debbie? She went out,” Fiona said.

“No, actually. I’m here for Carl,” you said.

“Oh, okay. Well, he’s upstairs,” Fiona said.

“Thanks, Fi,” you smiled and made your way up to Carl’s room. You saw that the door was wide open.

You went in, not seeing Carl anywhere.

Where is he? You thought.

You went around his room, walking around the room. His room was ridiculously messy. Clothes everywhere, food and plates all over the dresser, weird liquid on the floor. You chuckled to yourself as you had to step over the puddle. 

“Boys are horrific,” you muttered to yourself. 

You went to the desk, sitting down in the desk chair. You looked around on the desk, seeing court date papers, old homework, and cigarette boxes. As you looked more to your right, something had caught your eye. There was a paper with your name on it on the back. 

You picked it up hesitantly, slowly unfolding it. Your eyes widened as you saw the words “Dear Y/n”. You knew you shouldn't, but you went ahead and read it anyways. You just wanted to make sure you were correct of your suspicions. 

Dear Y/n,

After these few weeks, I have decided to try and be brave and go up to ask you out. I think you’re really pretty and you’re so funny and nice. I’ve liked you since I started high school, and even if I get rejected, I know I would regret not trying to ask you out. So, I was wondering if you wanted to go on a date?

From, 

Secret Admirer, aka Carl (Gallagher)

“Y/n?” You snapped your head back, seeing Carl in a towel. Your eyes quickly ran past his chest, seeing the toned muscles in his arms and stomach. You eyes went up to his face, lingering on his lips. You then went up to his eyes, seeing them wide and filled with wonder. 

“Sorry, I’ll, uh, go,” you muttered and stood up, leaving the note on the desk. 

“What?” Carl asked. He was beyond confused, but when he saw you and the note, he put the pieces together. As you went to walk out of his room, he grabbed your arm, pulling you back gently so you two were face-to-face.  

“Did read the note?” He asked.

You looked up at him sheepishly, “Yeah, I’m sorry for invading your privacy.”

Carl sighed, “It’s alright. I’m, uh, sorry if I wasn't who you were expecting or anything. I know I’m probably not the person you like or anything, but I just wanted to try and see if you liked me. Ian and Lip said that was a cute idea, the notes.”

Your eyes lit up with he voiced his concerns. Your lips upturned into a smile, your eyes staring into his. 

“Carl, I like you, too,” you said. 

Carl’s eyes widened. “Wha-what?”

You took his hands in yours. “It was a cute idea. And I’ve liked you for the last 3 years, too. I was hoping it was you, actually.”

Carl blushed, a big smile appearing on his face. “Really?” “Yep,” you nodded. 

“Awesome!” Carl chuckled. “So, do you want to go on a date with me?”

“Yeah, I’d love to,” you smiled. 

“Cool,” he smiled. “Well, I need to get dressed. You can stay and watch if you want,” he smirked. 

You giggled at his words. “Don’t mind if I do.”

————

this was trash i am sorry

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@kaitieskidmore1​

[swtltlmrvlgrl]

Accidents Happen

Summary:

The story is set in an alternative MC universe where Tony Stark is still alive and is paying for Peter Parker’s college tuition fees. The college life is not really something that he looks forward to, especially when he’s far away from Ned and MJ. But luckily he was able to meet the reader!

This story is part of my one-shot compilations inspired by the song “You Shine” from the musical “Carrie”, wherein two people see the way each other shines.

Pairing: Peter Parker x Reader

Warning: Fluff, awkward university students, accident, injury

Word Count: 2,906

First Day of School. Peter Parker cringes at the thought. It’s not that he hates school, he just feels uneasy at the thought that he’s new and he doesn’t have his friends, Ned and MJ, with him.

And I’m Spider-Man, I have better things to do, he thought.

If it wasn’t for his promise to Mr. Stark, to finish his college degree in exchange for full access to the Avengers Compound and all the tech that comes with it, he would’ve webbed his way out of the school before he could even get in the school.

Tony Stark, a genius, billionaire, playboy and philanthropist, initially wanted to enroll Peter in the most elite school in America but good thing Peter was able to convince him not too. With the looks of how the students dress up and the amount of cars outside the parking area, this would’ve gotten much worse if he followed Mr. Stark’s initial plan. Peter adjusts his second-hand, thrift-store-bought backpack and walks straight towards his classroom.

Before entering the classroom, he double checks the text written on his ID to see if it matches the name of the room. He slowly enters the room and lo-and-behold, a classroom that can be converted to an IMAX movie theater, welcomes him.

He scans the room and decides to sit on the desk located a few meters away from the exit door. With his elbow on the desk and his chin resting on the palm of his hand, he observes the students already forming groups amongst themselves. Peter made no attempt to join a clique or to join any group, just looking at his wrinkled plaid shirt over his 5-year old white shirt, he knows he doesn’t belong. But he knows that’s not enough of a reason to just stop making new friends.

You’re an Avenger, man. With all the courage that he could muster, he scans the room and tries to find at least one person who hasn't had any chance to make friends yet.

Before he could turn around to check if the seat behind him is also empty, you walk towards Peter’s direction. You were wearing a blue oversized sweatshirt. A tinge of reds were peaking through the gaps between the folds of your black denim pants and white sneakers also caught Peter’s attention.

This is my chance.

Before Peter could even speak with you, a voice coming from the professor disrupted Peter’s plans.

“Hi class. Good morning.” The professor flashes his name and the subject name on the screen of the projector. “For today, I will be discussing the syllabus, I think we’ll finish early. I won’t be sharing the soft copy of my slide, so please take down notes.”

Bummed that he wasn’t able to talk to you, Peter made a mental note to at least try to start a conversation with you after class. He then rummages through his things, only to realize that he wasn’t able to bring any pens. He vaguely remembers Aunt May borrowing it earlier, but he’s not really sure if she was able to return it. “Oh no.” He whispers and takes out his notebook instead.

Peter is in the middle of pretending that he’s taking down notes, when he feels a soft tap on his shoulders.

“You can borrow this if you want.” You offer a ballpen to Peter.

Peter is taken aback by this sudden interaction.

“Ah!” You exclaim. “Don’t worry, the case is pink but the ink’s black.”

“T-thanks.” Peter stuttered. “I - I don’t mind the color.”

I don’t mind the color?? What the hell does that mean?! Peter smiles at your direction while mentally cursing at his awkward self on the inside.

-----

The professor finishes up his lecture and you start to fix up your things.

“Thank you for this.” Peter interrupts, while you were in the middle of putting your notebook in your black leather backpack. “I-I left my pen at home and -” With his left hand, he rubs his nape, as he hands you the pen with his right. “I’m Peter, by the way, Peter Parker.”

“Y/N. Y/N, L/N.” You respond and push back the pen. “You can have the pen for a while. You’ll probably need that for your next classes.”

“Oh. Uh!.” That… makes sense. Not gonna lie, Peter was a little surprised by your response, he definitely did not include that in his list of possible scenarios. “Right. I’ll just return this tomorrow.”

“Sure! What time’s your lunch tomorrow?” You ask, as the two of you walk out of the room. “My lunch time is...” He looks at the back of his ID, “a little early… 11:30AM. How about you?”

“Ow. Too bad. Mine’s 12nn.”

Your small pout wasn’t left unnoticed (and it was a little cute and Peter couldn’t help but smile.) “Wanna compare schedules?” Peter asks.

“Sure!” you answer excitedly.

“So…” Peter scans your schedule. "We’re classmates in… Literature… and…”

“History.” You add. The two of you looked at each other and smiled.

“I guess we’ll see each other a lot?” Peter comments.

“Yeah. I hope so.” You answer and smile at him.

-----

The two of you started eating together ever since the day returned the pen to you. Seating next to Peter is probably one of the best decisions that you made in your life. Having someone to eat with during lunch time was a thorn out of your chest because eating alone is one of your fears.

Generally, it takes a long time before you can adjust yourself to someone (contrary to the popular belief that you’re “friendly’), but Peter’s obvious awkwardness and warmth just made it more comfortable for you. Knowing that someone is as shy as you, but still trying to converse with you is something that you really appreciate 0 it makes you want to try to converse too.

From having lunch together, you two ended up walking home together, as well. Some days you would wait for him, some days he would wait for you and then some days he has to go earlier because he had something to do for Mr. Stark. Walking home together wasn’t really something that you explicitly told each other to do, it just felt like a natural thing to do.

“Hey.” you say, one day. “Let’s go to the clinic on our way home.”

“Why?” Peter asks, his voice sounds a little worried.“ Do you feel sick?”

You don’t answer and continue walking instead. After arriving at the clinic, you open the door and Mary, the University nurse, greets you with a warm smile.

“Y/N! What’s up?” Mary inquires.

“Hi Mary!” You stride inside and Peter follows. “Can I have some of your bandages?”

“Sure! Why? Don’t tell me you got injured again.” Mary echoes your soft chuckle. “No, not me this time.”

Mary pauses whatever she’s doing and observes you, as you point at the empty chair to where Peter can sit while you look for the bandages in the cabinet. Peter looks a little confused. With a white square bag in one hand, you approach the chair where Peter was seated.

“Give me your hand.” You instruct Peter, he hands you his left hand. “Your other hand, you silly.” You smile.

“I don’t think -” The pain he felt after you touch his right hand stops him mid-sentence.

“Sorry.” You whisper. Peter was wearing a long-sleeved flannel shirt that you had to slide up. His hand is swollen as you expected.

“I-” Peter starts. “I fell from the stairs.” Of course that is a lie. Because, he, in fact, fell from a building because he was running late for Literature class. He didn’t really mind it, because it happens all the time and he knows he’ll heal eventually.

You gently place a cold compress on Peter’s hand. “I noticed that you were having a hard time writing a while ago.” You pause for a while and look at him. “You don’t have to explain anything Peter. Plus, since you injured your dominant hand, I just thought you might need help with wrapping this up.”

“My mom’s a nurse.” You mention, while wrapping the bandage around Peter’s hand. “We used to pretend to be injured and wrap bandages during play time.”

Peter hums, amused. “You’re amazing, you know.” He comments. “You’ve always been like this since the day we first met. It’s like, you can read my mind.”

You laugh. “I don’t know why, but I always get that comment about me.” You pull down and button up Peter’s Sleeve. “But I don’t think I’m amazing, though.”

Before Peter could say anything, you stand up, fix the chair and return the bandage to where you got it. “Let’s go home?”

Peter nods and you bid goodbye to Mary.

“Bye, Mary. Thanks.” Peter echoes and waves his hand briefly.

“Take care, you two.” Mary responds.

-----

On your way home, Peter stops in his tracks and points at the ice cream truck by the park. “Hey. Let’s get some ice cream. Sit by the bench over there.” He pauses and looks at you. “I’ll go get you some. My treat.” He winks and runs towards the truck.

You sit down on the bench located under a tree, stretch your arms a little while taking a breath of fresh air. A few moments later, you see Peter striding towards the bench. He stops in front of you, with two ice creams in his left hand - his fingers strategically intertwined to make sure the ice creams won’t fall down. One of the ice cream was probably cookies and cream flavored and the other one was chocolate for sure.

“You know” You comment, as you reach out for what you assume as the cookies and cream flavored ice cream. “If you can hold two ice cream cones in one hand you should might as well try to write with it.”

Peter laughs and sits next to you and hands you a paper towel. “I’ll put that on my to-do list.”

You grab the paper towel that Peter handed you and the two of you proceed eating. You were silent for a whole minute until Peter started speaking again.

“I still think you’re amazing though.” Peter comments. While you were focusing on eating your ice cream, he looked at you briefly and looked away when you started laughing.

“Why are you bringing up that topic again?” A layer of ice cream got stuck on your throat making you cough a little, you clear your throat, and continue. “I don’t think being… hmm… how should I call this?” You pause to think for a second. “Sensitive? I don’t think it’s something amazing.”

“Why is that?” Peter was curious. “It’s like you’re a mind-reader! It’s amazing!”

You chuckle. “Why? Are you going to recruit me to the Avengers or something?”

Did she notice that I’m Spider-Man, too? “Hehe-he.” Peter laughs awkwardly and continues eating his ice cream.

“But seriously though.” You continue, while chewing some of the ice cream cone bits in your mouth. “As much as being...err...hyper-sensitive with other people’s non-verbal nuances is a good thing, especially when I have a friend like Peter Parker who tends to keep their struggles to themselves.”

“Hey! I don’t do that…”

You glare at him, smile a little and take a deep breath. “It’s not particularly amazing when I have to stand in front of many people…” You finish up with your ice cream and crumple the piece of paper towel on your hand. “...and notice every little change in expression each time you utter a word… Or when you sit alone in the middle of crowded places and just feel the eyes of people staring at you, judging you.” You look at Peter and smile a little more as you try to make it look like it’s not that big of an issue.

Peter had finished his ice cream as well. “Y/N…” Peter might not be as sensitive as you, but he looks at you as if he sees beyond your half-hearted smile. Peter moves and scoots closer to you while adjusting himself to face you. He takes your hand, opens it, and takes the balled up paper towel that you’ve been gripping while you were speaking. With his left hand, he puts the paper towel into his bag’s side pocket, while making sure that his right hand never left yours.

“I’m sorry… I never meant to make you feel uncomfortable.” You look at Peter. He was gazing at you, looking straight into your eyes.

“It’s fine, Peter. It’s not like you -”

“Y/N.” Peter cuts you off. “Whether or not I wanted to, I made you feel uncomfortable and I have to apologize. Okay?” Peter pauses. “Can you promise me one thing?”

“What is it?” You ask.

“I - I’m not as sensitive as you and I might not always notice whether you feel bad or not.” Peter continues. “If it’s alright with you… can you promise to not hide your feelings when you’re with me? I mean - it’s difficult, you know. Having to hide your feelings all the time. At least if you’re with me… even if it’s for a short time, you don’t have to carry the burden of hiding it.”

You smile at Peter, tears welling up on your eyes. “Peter…”

“But if you’re not comfortable with that, it’s fine -”

You release your hand from Peter’s hand, form a fist and raise your pinky finger. “I promise.”

Peter smiles and entangles his pinky finger into yours. “Promise.”

“Just promise that you won’t fall down the stairs again.” You joke.

Peter chuckles while reaching out for your face to wipe the tear that you didn’t notice fall from your eye.

“If you have presentations where you have to speak in front of the class, whether I’m your classmate or not, I’ll try to be there and maybe you can try to focus on me?” Peter clears his throat. “I mean… just to keep your attention out of the other people.”

You laugh and Peter joins you too. “Thanks, Pete.”

-----

“I have something to buy at the grocery.” You tell Peter while the two of you are waiting for the traffic light to turn green. “You can go ahead.”

“Take care!” Peter shouts as the two of you go your separate ways.

“You too!” You shout back and make your way towards the grocery.

Peter waits until you’re out of sight before he goes to the alleyway to change into his suit and start his patrol. He webs his way up the building and gets a glimpse of you entering the grocery. He nods a little and webs away to find people he needs to help out.

-----

Normal. That’s what Peter would probably describe the first hour of his patrol today - stopping thieves from running away, saving cats that got stuck on a tree and telling a lost man the directions. It was all just normal everyday, neighborhood Spider-Man things.

He was about to take a break when he felt the hair in his arms stand up.

Peter tingle.

“Y/N!” He exclaims as he hurries down towards the direction of the grocery where he last saw you.

I hope I’m wrong. I hope I’m wrong. He repeats in his head. Y/N, please, please be safe.

-----

You were on your way to cross the street when a running child and stumbled into you, causing your groceries to fall down. You squat to pick up the groceries, you look up to search for the child, only to find him still running.

Towards the pedestrian lane.

Red light.

Huge truck.

Fast.

You stand up and dash towards the kid, leaving your groceries scattered across the pavement.

Will I make it?

You run as fast as you can.

I won’t make it. The truck’s too fast.

You run faster.

A little more.

You reach for him and you push him towards (what you think is) safety as hard as hard as you can. All the energy in your body had left you and the last thing you can remember was the loud honk from the truck and then everything was silent.

-----

Your eyes are still closed when you feel an arm tightly wrapped around you. You look up only to find yourself swinging in the air while being held and carried by none other than Spider-Man.

The two of you reach what seems to be the top of some building, you're not even sure what building it is because everything happened so fast.

Spider-Man put you down at last.

“Thank you.” You tell him as you pat down and straighten your clothes. “I’m sorry you had to...carry me. Is the - uhm - is the kid safe?” You ask him.

Spider-Man chuckles. “You were literally about to die a while ago and the first thing you think of is the well-being of other people.” He sighs. “Are YOU okay?”

You pause for a second to the sudden idea that popped into your mind while you're face-to-face with THE Spider-Man.

Familiar.

Oddly familiar.

His voice is a little muffled, but you know that voice. You hear that voice every day. And that height. You take a step forward. That scent.

That warmth.

“Peter?” You step closer to the man that you’re 90% sure is your friend, Peter Parker, dressed in the Spider-Man costume. “Is that you?”

A/N: It's my first time writing for Peter Parker! How was it?? Haha. I hope I did his character justice.

I'm so excited to write five different stories with different pairings inspired from the song "You Shine". I haven't watched the musical but whenever I hear that song, I feel so encouraged and it makes me feel assured that somewhere out there, there are people who can see good things in me that I can't see for myself. Next up, Bucky Barnes x Reader! Look forward to it!

Masterlist

[flames-bring-a-ton-of-ash]

Irresistible Danger - Part 55

Synopsis:  After being caught outside the compound on your own, Negan decides to punish you in the best way possible ;)

Words: 2,953

Warnings: nsfw, smut, swearing

ID Masterlist can be found HERE

Masterlist of all my fics can be found HERE

Testing Boundaries

When you arrived at the kitchen a few hours later for dinner prep, you were surprised to find Ben conspicuously absent. At first you worried that he was afraid to show his face after being caught with Simon last night, but the staff member named Andrew informed you that he had temporarily stepped out when one of Negan’s men came in and said he needed Ben’s assistance with something. When Andrew verified the man’s identity as “the big smiley one with the mustache”, you had a feeling you knew just what kind of “assistance” had been needed. You weren’t even upset about it, because truth be told, Ben deserved some breaks from the kitchen. And you had a feeling that Simon possessed just enough carefree attitude and allure to make sure Ben got them. 

With the rest of the staff busy at their various tasks, and without Ben there as a distraction, you quickly became consumed with thoughts of your earlier conversation with Maria. She had made it seem as though Amber had been subdued, at least temporarily, and the rest of the wives weren’t in an uproar over the lack of attention from Negan, but the fact that a conversation about you had occurred at all put you a bit on edge. It was now obvious to the wives that you were the reason for Negan’s change in behavior, and you wondered how long it would take for that to leak to the rest of the community. And when that happened, people were sure to wonder and speculate, right? Hell, you had a bunch of questions still, and you were the one personally involved in the situation! 

By the time the first round of food was exiting the kitchen and being served to hungry patrons, your brain was starting to ache from how much that padlocked box of unanswered questions was jumping around, screaming to be opened and explored. You knew it couldn’t be ignored for much longer, but were terrified of what you might find if you let it loose. You already knew you were developing an emotional attachment to Negan, but if you opened that padlock and really took a look at the items inside, you might realize just how strong the emotions waiting to be uncovered really were. Hell, you had almost stupidly blurted some of what you were feeling out in the woods yesterday, and had barely caught yourself in time. 

Besides, the scariest part of opening that box wasn’t just looking at your own emotions and asking the tough questions, it was then also having to see what his responses would be.

Well the unknown is almost worse, so it’s time to suck it up and have a serious conversation with him about where all of this is going. Ask him about if he’s keeping his wives, admit you know he hasn’t been sleeping with them, and see what he says. Worst case scenario he laughs in your face, sends you away, and never speaks to you again. Easy peasy. 

Just as you were about to work up to a full internal panic attack at the thought of discussing it with him, the doors to the kitchen swung open, and Ben appeared. To anyone else he’d probably look the same as usual, but as he headed in your direction you could see a slight flush to his cheeks and a couple pieces of hair that were suspiciously more disheveled than usual. 

“I’m so sorry for missing prep,” he said by way of greeting, looking a bit tense, as if unsure how you’d treat him after the previous evening.

“Don’t apologize for things if you don’t actually regret them,” you teased with a smirk and playful shake of your head, voice low enough so that only he could hear. 

He choked on a laugh, shoulders visibly relaxing when he realized that nothing had changed between the two of you, and there was zero need for formality or awkwardness. 

Nudging you with his shoulder, he said, “Thanks.” It was one simple word, but the slightly shaky and whispered tone let you know how much emotion was behind it. 

A surge of protectiveness surged in you. If it hadn’t been apparent before how willing you were to Ricardo death-stab anyone who tried to make fun of or harm Ben, it definitely was now. He was one of the sweetest humans you had ever met, and Simon better treat him right or else he’d be dealing with you and your pointy sidekick.

“So, uh, what kind of ‘assistance’ did he need your help with?” You tried for cool and casual, but couldn’t totally hide a teasing grin.

“Oh, nothing much. He just needed a bit of a hand with something, if you know what I mean.” 

At the look of surprise on your face, he started laughing loud enough to draw a few curious gazes from the others. “Besides that, he was letting me know he wouldn’t be around for a day or two.”

Brows furrowing, you asked, “Is Negan sending him back to an outpost?”

“No, he’s joining the supply run tomorrow.” 

At this, you jolted with a different kind of surprise. “They’re going on a run tomorrow?”

“Yea, but I think it was a spur of the moment decision. He didn’t give me any details, but I got the sense that it hadn’t been planned in advance.” 

You nodded, “That makes sense.” If Negan had planned this run before today, he’d have most likely told you...right? 

“I’m sure he’d have told you if he knew,” Ben said, as if he were reading your thoughts. 

“Yea, you’re probably right,” you said, deciding to make that the one thing you didn’t need to overanalyze to death. Instead, you felt a pang in knowing that he wouldn’t be here for a couple of days. You had really been enjoying all this one-on-one time with him, even though it was unrealistic to expect it to last forever. 

You wanted to ask Ben more questions about Simon, but didn’t want to risk any other staff overhearing. Vowing to sit him down outside the kitchen and get all the details in the near future, you refocused on serving dinner. Both brain and body were kept busy for the next few hours with making sure everyone got a serving of food, including the staff and yourself, and then helping with the clean-up. 

It wasn’t until you were back upstairs, lounging in your own bed, that you returned to the dilemma of what to do next. Originally, you had planned to start a conversation with Negan about the wife situation, but now you didn’t think the timing was right. If he was going on a run tomorrow then he needed a clear head and to focus on staying safe, not be preoccupied with your concerns and questions. Especially since you didn’t know if asking about the wives would lead to an argument, and you definitely didn’t want to be on bad terms when he left.

Seeing him tonight and trying to act like your brain hadn’t been a whirlwind of confusing thoughts all day sounded exhausting as hell. But not seeing him and then something potentially happening to him on the run…

You had stood from the bed and headed towards the door before the thought could even finish itself. Nope, there was no way you weren’t gonna go see him, even if it was just for a little bit before returning to your own room for the night. Your watch said it was almost 8:30, so you had a little time before he’d probably be winding down for the night, since chances were good they’d leave at the crack of dawn tomorrow. 

No community members paid you much attention when you headed to the stairwell, but when you got to the top and entered the hall leading to Negan’s room, your stomach dropped at the sight of a small group of Saviors walking down the hall in your direction.

You guessed that they were the group going on the run tomorrow, and had just come from a meeting in one of the unoccupied rooms on this floor. While you were unsure whether to turn around and hightail it back downstairs, your subconscious kept marching forward, no fucks to give that you could be accused of trespassing on a level where community members weren’t supposed to wander. 

When they got closer, you saw a couple of the Saviors give furrowed looks, and one even opened his mouth as if to reprimand you.

“Hey, you can’t just be-“

He was interrupted when another man clapped a large hand on his shoulder, effectively cutting him off mid-sentence. Relief flooded through you at the sight of Simon.

“Now now, Ryan. Don’t you know that this little lady here gets a free pass? Negan’s orders, so don't forget.”

Face instantly becoming less hostile, the man gave a nod of understanding and a quick, “Apologies, Miss,” as they passed. Simon gave a signature wink and grin, and you forced a smile in return, brain still preoccupied with his words.

Had Negan really told them that you were to be allowed up here? If so, did that mean he didn’t care if they knew you and him were...whatever you were? Your subconscious was now skipping with glee rather than marching, and your brain gave an exasperated sigh and glared at you while tossing yet another question into the padlocked box.

Arriving at Negan’s door, you gave a soft knock and then opened it at his muffled, “Come in.” He was sitting at his desk with those nerdy, yet also sexy as hell, black-rimmed glasses perched on his nose as he shuffled through a stack of papers.

He looked up, and your heart rate accelerated when he smiled in welcome and said, “Hey, doll.”

“Hey, yourself,” you replied, smiling back. 

He pulled off the glasses (lord, why was that move so damn attractive?!) before rubbing at his tired eyes. Pushing the chair back a bit, he gave you a slow once over before clapping a hand to his knee expectantly.

Unlike when he had last made the gesture, the evening you ate lasagna together, this time you didn’t hesitate. Rounding the desk, you settled onto his warm lap and tilted your head back with a satisfied hum when he placed a possessive kiss on your lips. 

Glancing at the papers strewn across the polished wooden surface, you saw that they were full of lists and numbers, most likely of supplies. He nuzzled at the side of your neck, the friction from his beard causing a little shudder to go down your spine. Your brain rattled the padlocked box in annoyance, narrowly avoiding the tomato thrown at it by your subconscious. 

The reminder helped you refocus on how you had earlier decided not to have sex with him tonight. Not with all the questions and uncertainty floating around your head, and especially not when he needed to be well-rested and undistracted, in preparation for the run. But then the self-doubt creeped in and whispered, What if he decides to go find comfort elsewhere, if you won’t give it to him? He’s already had you and the chase is over, so what makes you think he’ll stay if you backtrack into more platonic interactions?

Your brain picked up the tomato and chucked it at the self-doubt, while the subconscious screamed in excitement at the prospect of a food fight. You tried to ignore all of them and refocus on Negan. Besides, while a risky move, you couldn’t help but wonder what his reaction would be when denied sex, something you bet he never had worried about with his wives.

“I heard you’re going on a run tomorrow,” you stated, trying not to let all of the conflicting emotions racing through you bleed into your tone.

Giving a sigh, he lifted his mouth from your neck, and you instantly wanted to take back your words at the loss. “Yea, gonna leave at 5 in the fucking morning to make a surprise trip to fucking Hilltop and see what’s up with that motherfucker, Gregory.”

Hearing the irritation in his voice, you asked “Has he been giving you problems?” 

“You could fucking say that. Didn’t fully meet his quota the last two times, so this is his third time’s the fucking charm chance to make up for it.”

Worry shot through you at this, remembering in the past when Negan had said Simon got a weird feeling about Gregory. You weren’t sure if the man was conniving or just plain dumb to be fucking with Negan’s supply rules like this, but it put you on edge. 

“Well, just be careful,” you couldn’t help but say, looking up into his handsome-as-hell face. 

He chuckled and bent down to kiss you again, murmuring, “Don’t fucking worry, doll. Nothing could keep me from coming back now.” 

You wanted so badly to give in, to respond to the kiss in full and let it escalate. His words warmed your chest at the thought of being his main reason for returning safely. You wanted to be his main everything, the way he was quickly becoming yours. You were falling for this man, but were scared to completely let go until a serious discussion was had...after he returned from the run. 

With one last lingering peck, you pulled back and reluctantly stood off his lap. “Well, it’s getting late so I should probably get back to my room.”

“What?” he asked, voice instantly stern and brows lowered in confusion. 

“You need sleep before the run, and I’ll just be a distraction. I could set an alarm and come see you off in the morning, if you want.” 

The hope that he’d be placated by what you thought was a logical argument was quickly dashed when he replied, “I think fucking not.”

“Negan, you need-”

He abruptly stood, and before you could even process what he was about to do, you were hoisted up and over his shoulder, head hanging down his back and ass in the air as he strode across the office and into his dark bedroom.

“What the hell!” you shrieked, lightly smacking his back with the palm of your hand. 

Kicking the bedroom door shut behind him, he took a few steps into the room before putting you down. The room was only lit by a few stray moonbeams, but you swore there was mirth dancing in the shadows of his amber gaze, which only made you more flustered. 

“I cannot believe you just did that!” you exclaimed, readjusting the bottom of your shirt where it had ridden up. 

“Well, maybe now you’ll fucking learn not to try and tell me what I need, doll.”

“Everyone needs sleep,” you fired back with a glare. You were just miffed enough at being manhandled to act petulant, even if the move had also been kinda hot, in a primitive sort of way. 

“What I need, is for you to get in the fucking bed,” he growled. 

A wave of heat poured over you at the words, and your brain stopped working in full sentences due to the amount of blood flow that had rapidly traveled south. 

“But...sleep,” you tried one more time, frantically trying remind your body of the ‘no sex tonight’ rule. 

Giving a ‘holy mother of god woman why are you like this’ level of sigh, he said, “Yes, doll, I’ll fucking sleep. But I can still do that with you here. So get in. The. Fucking. Bed.”

Realizing resistance was futile, you threw your hands in the air and muttered ‘fine’ before stripping off your shoes and jeans, and crawling between the covers. You pointedly left on your underwear and shirt, a nonverbal reminder that sleep was on the menu, and no more...no matter how much your body was screaming that it hated you for denying it. 

In unspoken agreement, Negan stripped down to just his boxer briefs, rather than his usual bed attire of naked, and crawled under the covers. Pulling you into his body, back to his chest, his head rested a few inches behind yours. He leaned in and kissed the back of your neck, and biting your lip was all that held back a whimper. 

“You better fully wake me up in the morning, so I can say goodbye,” you mumbled, the decadently soft mattress and pillow quickly putting you into a drowsy haze.

The hand he had rested lightly on your hip gave an affectionate squeeze, and he whispered, “I will. Now stop talking, doll. I need sleep, remember.”

Ignoring the sarcasm in his tone, you snuggled back tighter against him, and sighed in contentment. “Good night.”

His voice lost all teasing and became lower and softer when he replied, “Night, doll.” 

Smiling, your muscles relaxed into the mattress. It wasn’t until you were cocooned back in this glorious bed with him that it became apparent just how exhausted you were. The mental gymnastics your brain had gone through today had thoroughly worn you out. However, a part of that persistent self-doubt had now broken off and shriveled up to dust when it saw that Negan was perfectly willing to have you in his bed like this, with no sexual expectations. If you could stay awake long enough to fully think it through, you’d be shocked as hell that he hadn’t pushed. The fact that he hadn’t even brought up sex, that he still wanted you here with him, even just to do this…

Your last coherent thought was maybe he’s falling for you too, and then sleep took over.

~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

[gaymershigh]

Hello! I saw your askbox and open and read your rules and you are right, it's not often I see Male×Male reader inserts in the TWST fandom. So, I'd thought I'd request some to help the cause! If I may, can I request some headcannons of dorm leaders of TWST×Male!Reader who is in their dorm and has been noticeably stressed in their schoolwork and one night is seen super stressed out and the dorm leader's fellow students pull the reader aside and hand the reader over to the dorm leader because the reader refuse to listen to anyone else?

Of course you may! Tbh, this is such a nice request, I enjoy doing multiple characters, but it's so difficult for me to write for Azul and Vil in this hc for some reason??

REMINDER: Don't overwork yourself just because you don't think it's enough! The fact that you're trying is already amazing! Please remember to take care of your health because you matter! 💜

Triggers: None!

Dorm Leaders dealing with a stressed Male!Reader

Ever since Riddle got a text from Trey and its about his boyfriend doing his schoolwork on ungodly hours he was worried, very worried.

He wants to come to you and make a 2 hour speech about how you shouldn't overwork yourself but he barely has anytime as well, he's a very busy man as well.

So he decided to order your friends, Ace and Deuce to tell you to not overwork yourself. Hell, he even prepared a script for them.

Of course, it didn't work. It was so obvious it was from a script because Deuce sounds so robotic and Ace kept correcting Deuce. Your stubbornness makes it even more awkward and worse.

He ordered Trey and Cater this time, with a whole new script too.

They did a good job and all, but it also failed because your ass is so stubborn and Cater is pretty impatient and kept using his phone.

This only made you stressed out even more because these mofos probably dont understand how you feel.

Deuce's dense ass noticed this and told Ace about it. And that's how Ace got a big brain idea.

You were screaming, usually, the ADeuce duo usually stays at your dorm to chill while you do your work and NOT drag you to their dorm.

They shoved you to Riddle's room and what you're not expecting was your boyfriend showing a very worried face.

He immediately hugged you tightly before you could say a word. He cupped your face and caressed your cheek.

“My sweetheart, please don't overwork yourself, it's unhealthy for you. From now on, only work yourself for 2 hours max. Come now, let's drink some tea together.”

He knows that something's up when you haven't been hanging out with him for a while.

He misses his herbivore so much, he misses cuddling his boyfriend but he's too prideful to admit.

When he found out you've been doing your schoolwork 24/7 by Ruggie, his response is indecisive but on the inside he's bothered.

Since he's too lazy to move on his very comfortable position, he threatened ordered his dorm members to convince you to stop overstressing yourself.

Knowing Savanaclaw, of course they failed, there was no hope to begin with. It was a disaster. They tried but they're way too intimidating for you to even listen to their words. Thank god Ruggie was there to bail them out so it wasn't too awkward.

This made Leona very moody. Not only he cannot snuggle with you, his plan failed and he now forces himself to sleep alone in pain. Boohoo.

Ruggie can't stand this man's temper tantrums so he just snatched you away from your dorm and toss you to a sleeping Leona.

The lazy lion woke up immediately when he recognized your scent. Since he's still sleepy however, he just pulled you to his bed and hugged you close with his tail wrapped on your leg

“Hmph, you chose your schoolwork over me and had the audacity to not meet up for the entire week? You're not going anywhere this time, especially with you in my arms.”

He won't blame you to be honest. He overworks himself too and ignore your warnings multiple times. However, that doesn't mean he's not going to do anything about it.

He at least has time to spend with you but you didn't. Of course that made the octopus upset and he's not gonna five up when it comes to you.

He stalks you everytime he gets the chance. Your stressed expression really displeases him. He wants to do something about this so bad but he doesn't want to disturb his already stressed boyfriend.

Jade caught on to Azul's bizarre behavior and he cam up with an idea to surprise both of you.

“Kidnapping shrimpy? Ok!” of course Floyd would say yes, it's Floyd.

You're screaming in distress and confusion. Just a second ago you were messaging your temples because you couldn't mesmerize what Mr. Trein taught you and now you're getting kidnapped by the Leech twins, what a surprise. An unwelcome one at that.

Azul was shocked when he hears your cries as the twins dropped you off his room, still tied in ropes and leaving like nothing happened.

Azul untied you, explaining theories as to why they would do such things, but when he does got the right answer, he blushed in embarrassment. He caused this.

He placed a soft kiss and holds your hand gently.

“I apologize for causing a huge ruckus. It's just I missed you when you barely replied to my calls and texts and you kept working and that made me worried sick! I'm sorry that I sound selfish but.. Could you stay here a bit longer, please?”

Oh dear. How could you say no to that?

Ok first of all how could you even ignore him? He always keep coming to you and basically screaming at you.

Your stress may could have took the you over and may accidentally snapped at him for being too noisy.

This made him sad and left the room. BUT HEY AT LEAST YOU GOT SOME PEACE AND QUIET AM I RIGHT?

But if you think that's gonna make him upset??? You're his wonderful boyfriend! His treasure! No matter what, just seeing thinking of you makes him happy again.

This didn't last as you kept ignoring his daily chat with you and his messages and calls. This wasn't okay.

This genuinely made him stressed as well, he probably doesn't even exist to you anymore. Despite it just being 2 days if felt like forever since you talk to him or even looking at him with a smile.

Kalim wanted to spend fun times with his boyfriend like always. Not just sit there and look at him groaning at the worksheet every now and then.

He missed you so much. Even though he sees you, it just doesn't feel the same.

He got less happier as the days go by, everyone got worried sick. Even Jamil felt disturbed about it, usually he would be living the life when Kalim's quiet.

Everything's the usual today. Kalim visiting you and he's quiet again. You of course felt bad but you really need to pass this test.

But out of nowhere, you kept getting text messages from Jamil screaming to you about talking to Kalim and how pathetic he looks when sad.

When you turned around, your heart shattered to pieces. There it is, a sad Kalim in tears, curling himself on your bed to at least have your scent on him.

You stopped what you're doing and hop on tour bed and press his face against the crook of your neck, muttering sorry.

“Ahhh! I miss you so much,habibi!(my love) please don't overwork yourself and ignore me! I love you so much and seeing you date your homework then dating me hurts me! Please dont leave me! I'll be the best boyfriend ever!”

Who do you think you are, to ignore your lover's calling just for a paper of misery? How foolish.

Vil understood that your future is important to you, but do you really need to worry when you're dating the Vil Schoenheit? The beautiful, rich man who spoils you every single day?

Not only that, stress causes wrinkles and you're also ruining your sleep schedule?! Unacceptable.

He kept ranting to you about how greasy your hair and how big the bags under your eyes are.

To the point you have to lock your door to refrain him for entering and rant. You're already stressing out and there's literally no way you're going to hear about your dramatic boyfriend moan about your appearance.

He kept calling and texting you and you also ignore that. If anything you gave good morning texts or either leave him on read.

And he's not tolerating that.

His job was easier to handle than the others. He can just ask Rook to kidnap you and he would oblige and do so in an instant.

And he just did that.

Unlike the others, you know exactly what's going to happen when Rook is violently dragging you to Pomefiore. He's going to put you in Vil's room, listen to him rant for a few hours and do beauty things or whatever.

Well, have of that did happen when Rook closed Vil's door. He did rant but what your not expecting was him being very gentle and sweet.

“I knew it, you got increasingly worse. Oh well, I will refix this mess later. But for now, you should rest right beside me. No leaving no matter the circumstances, you understand, potato?”

I mean, of course you're gonna ignore him, he's just a gross, weeby loser. There's no way he can impact your life positively in any single way. If anything, he probably causes trouble to his you anyway.

He doesn't really wanna stop you, he really cherishes you and your choices even if they're not good and losing someone like you is probably gonna take years to move on to.

Poor Ortho, he needs to hear his brother rant about his boyfriend not being able to see nor play games with because he's busy working himself.

But this made Ortho worry. Not only id his brother is sad but you're risking your health to do schoowork! That's no good.

This made you confused. Ortho kept muttering about your health status to himself everytime you pass by the hallways.

And everyday, your stress levels increase and your health is deteriorating.

He needs to make you rest at all cost but he knows your stubborn. So he has to do one thing that makes your knees weak.

His very own special puppy eyes.

Ortho innocently dragged you to Idia without either of you guy's knowledge.

When Idia finds out, he immediately apologized for the inconvenience he caused and you might have to be the one to comfort him.

“I'M SERIOUSLY SO SORRY! I just really wanted to play games with you and hangout with you like usual.. Eh? You will?? REALLY!?”

At first, the fae didn't even realise you are stressing despite showing a few signals.

Until you start ignoring him. Then you got a pouty Malleus. (aw)

He doesn't understand why you're struggling with Mr. Divus' homework, it seems so easy to him, why is it so hard for you?

That made you upset and he still doesn't know why.

He never had a boyfriend like you before so of course he's not gonna understand gen z struggles. Spare him please.

Lilia gave him some tips, only for it to be tricks and make you more upset. snide mf

Seeing a sad Malleus made Sebek upset, then mad.

He asked Lilia what's wrong with his young master.

And when he found out you're replacing him with your schoolwork and then for some reason 'stressing' about it??

How rude!

Sebek kept nagging at you to stop working and pay attention to your damn boyfriend but you couldn't care less about Sebek and his shenanigans.

You only start sweating when he suddenly yanked your arm and dragged you to Diasomnia.

And what you see is a pouty Malleus playing with his little game.

When you sat next to him, he immediately wrapped you in his arms.

“My darling, I plead for you not to pressure yourself in something that only destroys you even more. What progress you have done is enough for today but as of now, you need rest. Release all your negativity away, love.”

This is literally my second work but I already feel like a failure.

-𝕸𝖎𝖗𝖎

[artificialqueens]

Galactica, Chapter 23 (Group Fic) - TheDane/Veronica

A/N: We know our posting schedule has gotten slower, but we hope you’re still enjoying the story. XOXO! Click here if you’re looking for previous chapters (or here if you’d rather read on AO3). 💫

Last Chapter: The Galactica afterparty brought people together in many different ways.  

This Chapter: NYFW comes to an end, and the team leaves for London, some more enthusiastically than others.

***

Ivy strolled through the courtyard at Bryant Park, on her way to deliver a charged battery pack to Raja before the Ralph Lauren show began, since Raja was as incapable of keeping her own alive as she was caring for the plants she continually adopted, all of that falling on Ivy - who fortunately didn’t mind, enjoying the relaxing tasks of caring for them as a break from the craziness of corporate life.

Most assistants as experienced as Ivy would be annoyed at doing this kind of menial delivery task, some probably even seeing it as demeaning, but Ivy was happy for the excuse to get out of the office and observe the colorful chaos of New York Fashion Week in person. Especially today, on the last day, when people from every walk of life seemed to converge in Bryant Park in a strange and glorious blend of humanity.

If Ivy was being honest with herself, she was quite the people watcher. She loved sitting back and collecting knowledge about others, not because she wanted to do anything with the information, but just to satisfy her own relentless curiosity, which was as much a part of her as the gap in her teeth.

She’d seen so much over the course of this week, so many things that she knew people probably had no idea she knew. She had watched her own boss quietly panic a few hours before the Galactica show, a look in her eyes that everyone else missed--people always assumed that Raja was 100% confident all the time, but Ivy knew better. She’d seen the way Pearl showed up every day looking more and more hungover, the young executive clearly going through something that she was desperately trying to party away. She’d noticed Violet at the party last night, slipping away with Sutan, one of her first glimpses ever into Violet’s personal life.

After dropping off the battery pack, Ivy took her time returning to the line of waiting taxis, taking in the eclectic group of people swarming around and she stopped to buy herself an iced coffee. She was leaning against the wall when she noticed someone staring at her. Ivy definitely recognized the other woman, a redhead with even brighter hair than her own, but she couldn’t place her, which made her feel slightly uncomfortable as the other didn’t look away, their eyes meeting across the courtyard. A fellow observer, she supposed.

Ivy smiled a little, deciding to take a chance on fate, and raised her hand to wave, and the other woman returning it with the brightest smile Ivy had ever seen.

***

“Remember to check with the hotel if they have washed the sheets correctly. You know I can’t tolerate perfume.”

“Yes Miss.” Violet nodded as she jotted down the last of what Fame had asked her. They were leaving the last show of the week, the sun going down as Fame walked towards her car.

“And what about Monday?”

“Your travel itinerary is printed, packed and ready to go. I even emailed it to Mr. Bertschy.”

“Good.” Fame looked at Violet, her sunglasses perched in her blonde hair, and for a moment, just a moment, it almost seemed like Fame was smiling.

“That’s all.”

***

Courtney swayed a bit to the music in the crowded club. It was Saturday: New York Fashion Week was officially over, and on Monday, her boss was flying to Europe for three weeks. Three amazing weeks where she wouldn’t have to run around like a maniac fetching coffee or jumping up in fear every time she heard footsteps or trying to read her mind while on the receiving end of a withering glare.

“Uh oh…”

“What?” Courtney asked, seeing Willam’s furrowed brow.

“Four o’clock. Someone better call the wedgie police, because...yikes.”

Courtney giggled, turning her gaze in the direction Willam gestured and then immediately covering her face.

“Oh god, that looks painful!”

“I bet she’s bleeding.”

Courtney laughed harder. She’d been having a surprisingly good time with Willam; in spite of her apprehension about him, it wasn’t awkward at all. She felt comfortable, almost like she was with one of her girlfriends. He was funny and charming and when she said she was thinking about going vegan, didn’t make an annoyed face. He simply took out his phone and searched for the best vegan restaurants in the neighborhood.

He’d treated her to a pretty good dinner, where he’d again listened kindly while she vented about work, and then they’d made the short walk to the club, where Sólseturstríðsmenn was about to perform.

The best thing about Willam so far, though, was that he was such a perfect gentleman. He wasn’t trying to get her drunk, or getting handsy like most guys. He was treating her like a person, which Courtney supposed shouldn’t have been such a brand new experience on a date, but here she was.

“So, I know you said that you’re a lightweight, but I’m gonna grab another drink. You want one?”

“Um...yeah, okay,” Courtney said with a smile. “Why not?”

As he headed towards the bar, Courtney watched him closely, trying to gauge her attraction. As different as he was from the boys she’d dated in the past, there was something oddly compelling about him. She found her eyes drifting down to his ass--which wasn’t flat like most guys, but rounded, almost peachy, and Courtney wondered what it would feel like to just grab ahold of it. She looked away quickly, her cheeks growing hot.

She wondered if he would try to kiss her tonight. She didn’t love the idea of a beard against her face, but he did have full, soft lips, and maybe it would be nice. Maybe she did like Willam. Wouldn’t it be crazy to date a boy who didn’t make her sigh with irritation when his name came up on the caller ID?  

When he returned with the drinks, she accepted hers gratefully and beamed up at him.

“What?” he asked, those pretty blue eyes looking at her with amused curiosity.

“I was just thinking about what a good time I’m having,” said Courtney.

“Why do you sound so surprised?” he laughed. “I’m a very fucking good time.”

Courtney gave a cute shrug, then giggled, taking his arm and leaning a head on his shoulder. Maybe she should have tried dating a guy who wasn’t an absolute dickhead much sooner.

***

“You’re such a brat,” Pearl laughed, sipping a beer as she watched Trixie stuff clothes into his suitcase, pouting the whole time.

He had really hoped to avoid Europe this year, or at least be able to cut his trip short. But instead, Fame had decided that it was important for the whole senior creative team to be there the entire time, to absorb the inspiration. As if he couldn't get all the inspiration he needed right here in New York.

Trixie looked up at Pearl with a scowl.

“Don’t you have your own packing to do?” he asked.

“It takes me exactly 4 minutes to pack,” Pearl told him, a smirk on her face. “When you’re this perfect, everything looks good together.”

“All black everything helps too.”

“I have whites.”

“Whatever.” Trixie rolled his eyes.

“I don’t know why you’re pouting, man. It’s three weeks in Europe, paid for by the company. Partying on someone else’s dime.” Pearl flipped her long blonde hair over her shoulder. “It’s the dream.”

“I don’t like partying.”

“You used to like partying,” Pearl said, adding, “You used to be cool.”

“Well, I guess I’m just not cool anymore!” Trixie snapped, just as Katya appeared in the doorway.

“Of course you’re cool, baby,” she cooed. “The coolest cat in the joint.”

Pearl burst out laughing, and Trixie crossed his arms.

“Are you mocking me now, too?”

“Nooo, never!” Katya dropped down to her knees beside him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. “And just to show you how great I think you are, I’m making a special lunch just for you.”

“Oh yeah?” Trixie asked, suddenly interested.

“Uh huh…” Katya rubbed his back. “Now, I’ve never tasted this regional delicacy myself, but I have it on good authority that it’s one of your very favorites. It’s called ‘Tater Tot Hotdish.’”

“What? Tater Tot Hotdish? Seriously?” Trixie clapped his hands excitedly.

“Yes, baby, and I made enough for you to take a big old portion with you on the place tomorrow.”

“God, you’re the absolute best,” Trixie said, taking Katya’s face in his hands and laying a kiss on her. “I’m gonna miss you so much.”

“Aww, I’ll miss you too, along with the goods.” Katya squeezed his ass, giggling.

Trixie pulled back to study her face. She seemed normal, but he’d noticed her getting up early lately, meeting one of her friends from rehab in the mornings before work. They’d been together long enough for him to know that these things came in cycles, and getting some extra support was nothing to panic over, but with both him and Pearl leaving town at the same time, he couldn’t help but worry.

“Are you gonna be okay while we’re gone? Really?”

“Of course I am, sugarbutt.” Katya gave him one of her signature 1000-watt smiles. “Now, excuse me, I need to go check on your tots.”

He watched her go, still not entirely convinced. Maybe it would be a good idea for someone to check on her while he was away. Someone responsible and trustworthy...

***

Violet saw her work phone vibrate out of the corner of her eye, her screen lighting up. She tried to read it, tried to make out who had contacted her, when she was pulled out of her thoughts.

“Am I not entertaining enough?”

Violet turned to look, Sutan’s warm voice loud and clear, a smirk on his lips. They were eating breakfast at a cafe near his apartment, a plate of half eaten avocado on rye in front of her, while Sutan had opted for waffles and scrambled eggs.

“Of course.”

It had been Violet’s idea to meet up for breakfast before Sutan had to leave. She had meant to come over, had meant to spend more time with him, but the week had flown by, and suddenly it had passed without the two of them actually seeing each other.

“I just need-” Violet bit her lip and titled her phone, surprise hitting her when she saw that Trixie was the one who had texted. “Oh. I have to-”

“Lovely eyes-” Violet looked at him again, Sutan’s elbow leaning on the table, his fingers around a steaming hot cup of coffee. “What could possibly be more important than me?”

“Work.”

“Ow.” Sutan laughed, holding a hand to his heart, and Violet felt a surge of embarrassment crash over her.

“Sorry,” Violet hadn’t meant to be so blunt, hadn’t meant to dismiss him so harshly, “I didn’t-”

Her phone vibrated again, and Violet saw that she had gotten a second message from Trixie.

“I have to-”

“Ignore me if you must,” Sutan was clearly entertained by it, his tone teasing, “but know that I’m not usually treated like this Miss Chachki.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Violet opened the texts, quickly scanning them.

TRIXIE: Hi Violet. I was wondering if you could do me a favor? While I’m in Europe, do you mind checking in on Katya?

TRIXIE: Just once or twice if you have time.

Violet bit her lip. She considered Katya someone she liked, maybe even a friend if the blonde agreed, but she wasn’t sure and that she was close enough to check in on her, whatever that meant.

TRIXIE: You could bring her dinner? She likes chinese.

“So,” Sutan titled his head, his foot on tapping against her shin.  “Is it important?”

Sutan’s voice was still warm, his tone still light, but Violet didn’t want to push him any further, didn’t want to risk him getting annoyed or tired. Violet flipped her phone, turning the screen to the table. “It’s not an emergency.”

“Good,” Sutan chuckled, and Violet felt her stomach do a flip, the man stupidly attractive when he was laughing, his dark eyes ones she swore she could drown in. “I was worried for a minute that Fame had remembered she was flying tomorrow.”

“Ah,” Violet hid a smile behind her teacup.

“I’m just happy that I’m on an entirely different flight.”

She had never seen Fame on a plane, but she had heard first hand experiences from senior staff who had been with her, and had even helped her prepare more than once.

“Speaking about phones though-” Sutan smirked.

“We weren’t-“

“I looked for you on Instagram.”

Violet raised an eyebrow, her food still forgotten on her plate. “Why?”

“Because I enjoy your company?” Sutan chuckled, and Violet realized that she was being unnecessarily harsh once again, but she didn’t like that Sutan had gone looking for information about her, her chest tightening. “I couldn’t find you, do you have a nickname or somethi-”

“I don’t have an account.”

“Violet,” Sutan leaned back in his chair, “Just because I wasn’t upset about the assistant thing doesn’t mean I’m okay with you lying.”

“I’m not lying.”

“Please.” Sutan rolled his eyes, actually sounding annoyed now. “Why wouldn’t you-“

“I don’t use social media.” Violet ran her fingers through her hair, looking directly at Sutan. “I don’t have time.”

She wasn’t lying. When everyone else had jumped on the social media train, Violet had been busy, so she had never gotten on Myspace or Twitter or Instagram or whatever else people had profiles on. When Violet applied to Parsons, she had even deactivated the Facebook her mom had made her make when she moved to New York, the decision almost making itself.

Her lack of social media was one of the reasons she became friends with Pearl, the blonde absolutely fascinated by the fact that the only way she could reach Violet was by email or text.

She wasn’t unaware of the online world, Pearl keeping her in the loop of trends, and she sometimes used the office computer to look at pugs on Youtube, but all in all, Violet simply wasn’t interested in creating her own content.

“Do you promise?”

Violet was happy with being anonymous, was very happy that she didn’t exist online, and she intended to keep it that way for as long as she possibly could.

“I promise,” Violet nodded, leaning over the table to give Sutan a quick, closed mouthed kiss.

***

“Darling,” Fame tightened her grip, the fabric of Patrick’s jacket between her fingers. The hustle and bustle of the airport was all around them, and Fame wished she could disappear.  “Look at me.”

Fame huffed, turning her head and nuzzling further into Patrick’s neck.

“I know you’re upset-” Patrick ran a hand up her back.

To say that she was upset was an understatement. In fact, she was livid, anxiety and anger like a storm inside of her. She knew it wasn’t fair, knew she was being a child, but she didn’t want to fly without Patrick, didn’t want to risk her life without her husband at her side.

She had asked him to come along, had been ready to beg, but Patrick had work, had his own company to run, and it wasn’t fair of Fame to expect him to get on a transAtlantic flight with her, just so she didn’t have to do it alone.

“You’ll be fine.”

Fame sighed, the scent of Patrick filling her nose. They were waiting for Raja and Raven, Raja ready to take her hand and not let go until they touched down in London.

Fame knew that Raven hated it, but she could live with the stink eyes and Raven’s pouting if it meant that she had one of the few people she trusted by her side the entire time she was off the ground.

***

Courtney typed at lightning speed, adding the last three messages into Miss Fame’s phonesheet, then clicked back over to continue checking her emails.

Since most of the senior executives were on a plane to London, she had been expecting a chill morning, but it was the exact opposite: the phone was ringing off the hook: press requests for interviews and to borrow pieces of the collection, invitations, buyers, influencers. Not to mention the flurry of activity within the company to get the ready to wear versions of the Spring line into stores. Courtney could barely read one email before three more came in, she and Violet in constant communication as they made sure nothing slipped through the cracks.

The one saving grace was that apparently, it was tradition for things around the office to get much more casual while Fame and the others were away, and so she was wearing jeans, sneakers, and a cute Lululemon top.

The clothes were such a huge bonus that Courtney didn’t even mind that Violet had sent her to marketing three times: running up and down the stairs in sneakers was a hell of a lot nicer than doing it in heels.

Courtney was almost finished catching up on her emails when Violet stood up.

“I’m getting a cup of tea, do you want anything?”

Courtney looked up with a smile, thrilled that she and Violet were getting along so well today. Although the frenzied activity was a bit overwhelming for her, Violet seemed to thrive in it, and thus her patience had increased about two thousand percent.

“Um, I’ll take coconut water, if we have any. Thanks,” Courtney said, and Violet nodded, ducking into the kitchen.

The phone rang once again, and Courtney answered it, picking up her notepad and a pen. “Miss Fame’s office…”

“Hi, Bianca Del Rio for Fame.”

“I’m sorry, she’s unavailable right now, may I take a message?” Courtney asked sweetly. She couldn’t help wondering if Bianca might possibly recognize her voice, and found her cheeks coloring slightly at the thought.

“Oh shit. She’s on the plane to London now, huh?”

“Umm…” Courtney knew that she wasn’t supposed to reveal exactly where Fame was, but it was one of her closest friends, so maybe it would be okay. She settled on a slightly evasive, “...Possibly.”

Bianca laughed. “Very good work, Courtney. Protecting your boss’s privacy. I love it.”

“I do my best,” Courtney said, trying to suppress the grin she couldn’t seem to help whenever Bianca paid her a compliment. She wasn’t sure why, though, since Bianca obviously couldn’t see her, but even so… “Did you want to leave a message?”

“Nah...I’ll just text her,” Bianca said. “Bye, Courtney. Have a good day.”

“Bye, Bianca. You too.” Courtney hung up, just as Violet’s head appeared in the doorway, irritation all over her face.

“That better not have been Bianca Del Rio,” Violet said, a hand on her hip.

“Umm…”

“Courtney! We’ve been over this. You need to show people more respect. She’s the editor-in-chief of Marie-Claire, for god’s sake!”

“I know, but I…” Courtney trailed off, biting her lip. She wasn’t sure how to explain to Violet how wrong it would’ve felt to address Bianca as ‘Ms. Del Rio’ like she was supposed to. It was so stiff and formal, and their relationship felt much more casual than that. Courtney blushed, realizing that even the word ‘relationship’ was an overstatement. She was probably just being stupid, should probably just listen to Violet and shut up. “I’m sorry, I’ll remember next time.”

“You better,” Violet said. “Because if Miss Fame had heard that, she would’ve been livid.”

Courtney nodded, and Violet seemed satisfied with that, handing over the bottle of coconut water.

***

In the nearly four years that Ivy had worked for Raja, she’d lost count of the number of times people expressed amazement that the infamous “Dragon Lady” had managed to hold onto an assistant for so long.

In spite of Raja’s deserved reputation for being tough, Ivy felt immensely lucky to be working for her. For one thing, she was smart and insanely talented. And while she was by no means soft or low maintenance, Ivy always found her to be fair--even generous, when the situation warranted it. And the fact that she respected Ivy so much, often asking her for her opinions and consulting with her about important decisions, meant a lot--as did the trust she put in her to handle many things on her own. They had a system, and it worked for both of them.

But all that said, Ivy still enjoyed the few times a year when her boss was out of town. For one thing, it was nice to be more in control of her own schedule, and for another, it gave her the opportunity to work on one of her absolute favorite tasks: organizing the deep storage in one of their downstairs warehouses.

The styling closet next to Raja’s office was relatively easy to keep up with. Sure, it got a little messy at times, but if she stayed late or came in early every few weeks, she could manage. But the warehouse was another animal entirely. It often became the dumping ground for everything from design, referred to with nicknames like the Bermuda Triangle and the Couture Graveyard.

It was Ivy’s job to keep everything neat and labeled, and with how rare it was for her to get large amounts of time to handle it, this was no small feat. Right now, her task was to meticulously label and store every piece from the runway show, and to update her system to track the loans. She always felt a little bad about the cast-offs. In the past, they saved every garment, even the ones that were not approved, usually all smushed together in one extra-large garment bag--but this collection had about 10 times the amount of these little orphaned pieces as usual.

The three weeks of European Fashion Week were truly the greatest; all of senior management was  gone, which meant that the support staff could wear whatever they wanted to the office. Ivy was personally dressed in something she would never get caught dead in with Raja in the office, but sneakers and jeans were perfect for dancing along to Taylor Swift and moving heavy boxes as she got down to the nitty gritty of cleaning the warehouse.

[thebibliomancer]

Essential Avengers: Avengers #216: “... To Avenge the Avengers!”

February, 1982

"Avenge us, Tigra! The Molecule Man must die!”

Eesh, the Avengers plus Silver Surfer have gone full Hamlet’s Dad on Tigra and she’s gonna cat Molecule Man and his plush himself to death. But he’s ready for it.

But why? Well...

Last time: Silver Surfer inadvertently gave Molecule Man the idea to eat Earth. The Avengers and the Surfer teamed up to stop him but he just Molecule Manned their sweet gear into nothing, captured them all, and then stomped them under a giant boot-o-matic crusher! Except Tigra who he kept around because he wanted someone to talk at and because Tigra had claimed that she liked him!

This time: “Tigra... the Last Avenger!”

Nice touch that the book name inside the book has been changed to match even if the cover hasn’t.

That is a tough hat to wear. Did you know its only been a little over a week since she joined the team?

And in that time she got thrown into space by an Elf-Queen, watched a founding Avenger have an emotional breakdown and try to kill his friends to make them like him again, had her soul set on fire, been repeatedly harassed in public, and watched the whole team be killed with her life only being spared because she begged for her life!

Is this the worst week and change in Avengers history? IT MIGHT WELL BE!

“She was spared. The fear of death has drained away now, leaving only emptiness behind. She has never felt so alone.”

This narration set in the same panel where Molecule Man is all but slapping the giant boot and going ‘this bad boy can crush so many fucking Avengers in it.’

Well really, its more like

Molecule Man: “Well, cat-lady, they’re dead! Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, and that Silver Surfer guy -- squished flat by my giant boot-o-matic crusher! You know, I made this thing out of molecules from a scrapyard! Yessir, I believe in recycling!”

But that’s about the same level of dissonance between jolly goofus villain rambling and hollow despair.

Anyway, Molecule Man calls her out on being such a bummer because she’s moping over there when he’s feeling good about killing the Avengers and really Tigra try to consider how he feels geez.

So she shakes off the despair and asks hey what exactly is Molecule Man going to do with her?

Tigra: “Am I going to be your mate or...”

Molecule Man: “What? Nah! I never got along with girls! I mean, you know... that way! Yessir, mom always warned me about... that! And she was right! You can be my friend! No! Make that -- my pet! Here, kitty, kitty!”

Wow.

That. That dodged a bullet in a cool Matrix bullet time way right into another bullet.

Let’s please not get too creepy with this, huh? You listening to me, comic published nearly forty years ago? Let’s not get creepy!

Molecule Man decides to be a responsible pet owner and feed his pet. He can control molecules so obviously it should be no trouble to just rearrange them into any configuration he--

Okay, its apparently really hard to make food! Way too complicated!

He’s going to be an irresponsible pet owner and not feed Tigra. And meanwhile he’s going to chow down on some undifferentiated mush or possibly a pile of dust. Its all molecules so its all the same to him.

Tigra didn’t even want food but asks him where the bathroom is.

Molecule Man: “Bathroom? Hmm... well, I really don’t understand how plumbing works, so I couldn’t make a bathroom! If you want, though, I could sort of fake it...”

Tigra: “No, I’ll be all right! i just feel a little sick...”

Molecule Man: “So go be sick for a while! I’ve got to get started on my little project anyway! If I’m going to eat this stupid planet -- I’ve got to prepare by clearing away all the living things from a few square miles of land.”

And he gets started! A giant ridge of land just peels up from the ground, like Molecule Man is skinning a fruit before eating. Also a volcano erupts. Pretty sure there weren’t any volcanoes in New Jersey before now.

Fairly sure.

Outside the dome, thankfully the army has been evacuating everyone in a fifty-mile radius or else a lot of people would be dead. VOLCANO.

Then the Fantastic Four arrive.

Yayyyyy! Oh whoa whoa, Fantastic Fourrr!

They’ve got the best Molecule Man mashing record so they’re here to do what they do do.

Which in this context is fail like champs.

Ben Grimm the Thing tries to shatter the dome with a punch and no dice. Then Human Torch cranks up to nova flame and applies the heat of a sun on one little spot on the dome.

Johnny about wears himself out doing it and still no result.

Guess Iron Man, Thor, and Silver Surfer > a pinpoint miniature sun.

Meanwhile inside, Molecule Man tells Tigra hey get a load of this. And then he levitates a couple billion gallons of water from the Delaware River and dumps it on the Fantastic Four, plus the army, washing them away.

Invisible Woman: “Reed, it -- it doesn’t seem possible!”

Mr. Fantastic: “Everything is made of molecules, Sue! Anything is possible for the Molecule Man!”

Molecule Man far too hax.

But meanwhile, gasp, the Avengers weren’t actually all killed in a book with their name on it! This is unprecedented!

And Silver Surfer is ready to explain their unlikely survival of giant crushing boot.

See, Silver Surfer wasn’t quite as knocked unconscious as the three Avengers so he played possum. When Molecule Man put the Avengers plus Silver Surfer in the crushing boot and when it was just about to crush, Silver Surfer used the Power Cosmic to disintegrate the bottom part of the boot so that the Avengers and him fell to a lower floor. Completely uncrushed!

So that’s good.

The bad is that Silver Surfer has to report that Tigra is still in Molecule Man’s clutches.

The awkward is that Iron Man and Thor lost their armor and hammer respectively so Cap is like ‘wait, what are Tony Stark and Perfectly Normal Dr. Donald Blake doing here??’

So Tony and Don come clean about his secret ID.

Tony Stark, Actually Iron Man: “I feel a little foolish about keeping that secret from you till now! I’m sure Don feels the same way...”

Donald Blake, Dr. Thor: “Right, Tony...”

So now Cap is in on the secret which previously bound Tony and Don together as the Best Friends Avengers Who Aren’t Beast and Wonder Man.

Remember when they discovered each other’s secret IDs? Good times. Well, weird times. That was the issue when that hates-robots group suicide bombed Vision for dating a meat woman.

Also, Tony was only wearing underwear under the Iron Man armor so Don gave him his suit jacket to wear as a loincloth. Mighty nice of him.

Silver Surfer has just been standing on the sides not caring about all this secret ID nonsense or personal drama so he chimes in to point out that Molecule Man is going to eat the planet unless they stop him.

Cap decides that he and the Surfer have to strike before Molecule Man realizes they’re alive. Tony and Don have the important mission to hide somewhere safe.

Tony and Don object to being sidelined. Strongly.

Tony: “You think Iron Man is just a suit of armor, Cap? Is that what you’re saying?”

Don: “I found this rod to use as a makeshift cane! It won’t change me into a thunder god, but it’ll help me get around -- if only to draw fire!”

Tony: “Like it or not, we’re with you!”

Don: “The Avengers stand assembled, Captain America! Now, lead us!”

Cap: “All right! I get the message! I should have known better than to think you’d -- I mean, you two are the best...”

Tony: “Save it, Cap! We’ve got work to do!”

Aww.

This is everything I could have hoped for out of secret ID reveal. Cap starts thinking of them as civilians now that they have real person names but ultimately it brings them closer as teammates.

I love it. Granted, I love it because my favorite form of Avengers is a group of friends and set of interpersonal dramas roughly shaped like a superhero team.

Later, in the nighttime and in the room that Molecule Man made for Tigra.

... Wow, Molecule Man.

Wow.

So we’ve got a giant cat shaped bed. A giant, terrifying cat head on the wall. And a giant ball of yarn. But not giant sized cat tree? Fie and shame.

Anyway, Tigra is sitting on bed lamenting and decrying the Fantastic Four’s failure. Especially as it pertains to her situation.

Tigra: “I -- I just can’t believe the Fantastic Four failed! How could they let me -- and the world down like that? How could they? Right now, Reed Richards is probably locked in his lab trying to invent a gizmo that’ll pierce the dome! Hmf! Who knows how long that might take? The Molecule Man plans to eat the Earth tomorrow morning!”

Nothing like a nice filling breakfast, I guess.

She grants that Reed doesn’t know there’s an everyone’s-deadline so instead Tigra bemoans that it’s all up to her.

Tigra: “I should have tried to jump him today! I can’t believe I didn’t! I was standing right next to him a couple of times! I’m cat-quick! Why didn’t I lunge at him and claw him to shreds before he could move? Could it be because my muscles felt like jelly -- ? I was trembling -- ? In shock -- ? Afraid of him? Hey, shouldn’t I be? I mean, I saw him crush my friends to a bloody smear! And I had a spooky feeling that he was somehow, secretly ready for an attack -- and hoping I’d give him an excuse to dice me into furry cubes!”

And because this is a Tigra character beat page, she also thinks about how easy the hero gig used to seem when it was for smaller stakes. But with the actual literal fate of the world at stake... “I never thought that when the big test came I’d be a scaredy cat!”

But she remembers what Cap said during the Ghost Rider story that its not wrong to be frightened if you don’t let fear dictate your actions.

So she creeps out into the night to Molecule Man’s bedroom.

Oh, that’s a neat touch.

Her shadow on the wall looks a lot like a tiger because her hair curls at the end like a tail.

Neat.

So anyway, she doesn’t understand how Molecule Man can be so confident that he’s just sleeping with his door wide open and with no defenses and wonders if there’s a trap or whether he’s just counting on her to think that there’s a trap.

She’s about five seconds from a full-blown I know you know that I know that you know episode.

The only way to find out is just go for it so she creeps into the room. The garish room.

This is even more wow than Tigra’s room.

But as she creeps into the room and up to the enormous, ridiculous bed, she realizes that she has to kill him. If she attacks and doesn’t kill him with the first strike, what he could do is too horrible for her to imagine.

But what she doesn’t realize is that Molecule Man isn’t sleeping soundly and isn’t unprepared. 

He’s stretched monomolecular filaments across the room, too thin for even Tigra to spot.

Now usually monomolecular filaments is one of those ‘oops I’ve been cut to pieces by invisible wires’ thing. You’ve probably seen it in a couple of anime. But this is more like a bunch of cans on a string.

Tigra breaks one of the filaments while she creeps forward. Something that she couldn’t possibly know but which instantly alerts him.

And his response is a “Oh, ho! Just wait’ll she tries it! This’ll be fun!”

Because Tigra’s instinct was correct. Molecule Man was keeping her around just to kill when she finally tried anything. Its been a game. See how far he can push Tigra and how messily he can deal with her when she loses.

This is pretty tense stuff! Well, it lasts a page so it doesn’t overfocus on this specific tense scenario but still!

Tigra: “I’m in range! All I’ve got to do is spring and... and kill him! He murdered my friends! He’s going to destroy the whole world! I’ve got to kill him! Come on, lady! Do it! What’s wrong? He deserves it! He’s a murderer -- ! A rotten little wimp! He calls you ‘kitty’! Kill him! I hate him! I hate him! but... i just can’t kill him!”

And apologizing to Cap for not being able to go through with it, she slinks out of the room trying to think of another way.

Inside the room, Molecule Man sits up disgruntled, just not understanding at all why she didn’t go through with it. There’s no way she could have known that he was ready for her so why wouldn’t she try to do a murder!

And then as Tigra is wishing she had someone to talk to, someone grabs her and pulls her around a corner.

Boom, a comedy after all that one page of tension.

And it’s Cap because there’s like four people it could have been.

Tigra is elated that the Cap is alive, that she’s not alone anymore! And she tries to confess that she attempted to kill Molecule Man to avenge the Avengers. That maybe she should have because now she might lose them again!

Tony: “You did fine, Tigra! Relax!”

But she doesn’t feel like she did fine so she tries to explain that she let the Avengers down by giving into cowardice. She told Molecule Man she liked him to stay alive.

Cap: “Good strategy, Tigra -- preserving your life so you’d be able to carry on the battle!”

She tries to explain it wasn’t strategy so much as being terrified but she gets distracted because she’s just realized that in this group of Cap and Silver Guy there’s two people she doesn’t know.

Cap: “Dr. Don Blake, who’s secretly Thor and Tony Stark who is Iron Man’s alter ego!”

Her mood immediately flips.

Tigra: “You guys are really Thor and Iron Man? Really? And it’s okay for me to know? Really?”

Tony Stark: “Why not? Somehow those secrets seem pretty trivial, what with the world on the verge of being the Molecule Man’s breakfast!”

He says that but he still looks pretty annoyed at Cap just blurting it out.

And geez, Cap, you gotta let people reveal their own secret identities. Or make up some dumb excuse that everyone instantly believes.

Its the done thing.

In terms of Avengers drama though this is pretty good. Thor, Cap, and Iron Man have been working together for a really long time. Even though Cap didn’t form the Avengers he’s basically been there so long they consider him an honorary founder.

Cap learning Iron Man and Thor’s secret identities can be a ‘we should have told you sooner!’ thing.

Tigra just joined the team! Like a week ago!

They need to work together now and there’s probably no smooth lie that could paper over where Iron Man and Thor went and why these two are here now but its probably still a little galling that Cap just blurts it out to the newest person on the team.

Its great. I’d love to see the repercussions of this.

Anyway, time is short so Tony gets to explaining the plan.

He found his broken armor and managed to scavenge enough bits and pieces to make a little device he’s calling a screamer. It’ll emit a high-pitched noise that should disorient Molecule Man.

And then the device just poofs into smoke in Tony’s hand.

Whoops, Molecule Man overheard their plan to beat up Molecule Man and also heard Tony call him names.

So he pulls together all the loose dust in the room and uses it to strangle Tony.

Wow, they’ve gone from having a “layered assault” to watching someone literally choke on Molecule Man’s dust. That’s got to be the quickest turnaround from hope to nope.

Tigra goes wild, rushing at Molecule Man and screaming that she shoulda killed him before and she’s damn well going to scratch his face off now!

But Molecule Man asks her to talk to the hand. Zing.

Puns.

Although “Don’t scream at me, Kitty! ‘Cause I’ll slap you down!”

Sure. That’s good wordplay too.

Having just been comedically (although seriously) WHAP!’d across the room, Tigra has her own words to say.

Tigra: “You -- you weak, slimy excuse for a human being! How could I have stooped so low as to humble myself to garbage like you? So you’ve got power! Big deal! You were a nerd before -- you’re still a nerd! You were a mistake! You shouldn’t even have been born! You crybaby! All you do is blame the world for your own inedequacy! Go on, kill me, nerd! I despise living in the same world with you!”

Wow. She really took all those personal details he shared and slapped him upside the head with them.

Goes to show. Don’t try to destroy the world. People will have rude things to say.

Meanwhile, Cap and Silver Surfer are trying to save Tony but can’t clear the super condense dust faster than Molecule Man gathers it.

Cap tells Tigra to get Molecule Man because that’s their only chance but Tigra is too hurt from being slapped by a giant hand.

Molecule Man: “I’ve got to hand it to you guys, it must’ve taken some doing to escape my crusher! This time, I’m going to make sure you’re dead! Hmm... someone’s missing! But who?”

And he’s done process of elimination and realized that the guy Thor turned into is missing and figures he ran away when Entirely Normal But Furious Dr. Donald Blake tells Molecule Man to grit his teeth.

And then Molecule Man runs off yelling because Dr. Donald Blake can throw down. He possibly broke Molecule Man’s nose with that one punch.

Good job, Dr. Donald Blake.

With Molecule Man not focusing on the dust thing, Tony is free of the dust thing but unconscious. Dr. Donald Blake tells the others that he’ll take care of Tony and that they should go chase Molecule Man since they can run better than he can.

So Cap, Tigra, and Silver Surfer go off in pursuit of Molecule Man.

Silver Surfer reminds that he can track Molecule Man’s unique energies. Cap helpfully points out that they can also just track the trail of blood drips from Molecule Man’s nose. And Tigra goes ‘also I can smell him’ because its good to have three different ways to find a guy.

They find him in some sort of throne room (curled up in pain on the throne) and charge at him. But he’s not in the mood for their shenanigans.

So he sends a tidal wave of molecules at them.

Cap shouts for Silver Surfer to do something and he does do something indeed.

The Surfer blasts the wave of matter with the power cosmic so hard that it transmutes into raw energy and just explodes through the top of the palace in a beautiful pyrotechnic display.

It also completely exhausts the Surfer and he just kind of plops down for a nap right there on the ground.

Cap tells Tigra to watch the Surfer and then goes to take the Molecule Man on alone.

This isn’t a great plan but also their already small roster has kind of dwindled to this point.

And maybe Cap sort of doesn’t want to throw Tigra at Molecule Man when she’s already been hurt and was voicing all those doubts earlier. Can’t say for sure. She’s about to offer for help but Cap is like ‘WHOOPS NOW OR NEVER!’

Molecule Man must be in a whimsical mood, I mean more so than usual have you seen what he’s been getting up to? Because he converts some of the furnishings into a bunch of stars to shoot at Cap.

Its funny because Cap wears a star. It’d be ironic if he got smacked in the face with one, probably.

But Molecule Man activated Cap’s speechifying and that buffs him because nobody likes hearing Cap talk about freedom and justice and doing right more than Cap probably.

What I’m saying is that he leaps and gambols between the stars and I feel its because he has Stuff To Say that he’s doing so well.

Cap: “You make me sick, mister! They say power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely,  and you’re living proof of it! You might kill me! After all, I’m just an ordinary man -- but men like me have always found a way to bring high-and-mighty tyrants like you to their knees! There’s never enough power to save madmen like you -- from ultimate, bitter defeat!”

WAK!

And perhaps it wasn’t just his agility that was improved by inspirational speeching himself. Because he knocks Molecule Man down with that one punch and he doesn’t get back up.

Or maybe Molecule Man just has a glass jaw.

Don Blake and Tony Stark show up and Silver Surfer wakes up but he runs in with the rest anyway for some reason. Tony tells Tigra to watch Molecule Man while he has an Important Debate with Cap.

See, Tony has realized something. Knocking down Molecule Man is just the first step. If Molecule Man gets back up, he might start eating the Earth again and the Avengers might not be able to stop him.

So he asks Don Blake if there’s a medical way to just sort of keep Molecule Man knocked out.

Don Blake: “How? We can’t just keep hitting him on the head -- this isn’t a T.V. show! I mean, how hard do you hit him? How many times can you do that before causing serious brain damage... or death?”

Realism? In a comic book? What are YOU doing here??

Anyway, Tony doesn’t see any other option but to kill Molecule Man.

Cap protests that Molecule Man is a human being with rights to due process and a trial by jury of his peers!

But Tony is convincing the others. As an Actual Doctor, Don Blake doesn’t like to hear this. He wants to save lives. But he can’t refute Tony.

And Silver Surfer also seems on Team Tony.

Silver Surfer: “I understand what it is to sacrifice one life so that a multitude, a world might live! It seems clear that this Molecule Man cannot be imprisoned or held in check! He... must die to save the Earth... though I could never bring myself to slay him!”

Don’t you have the power cosmic? Surely there’s a power cosmic option available?

To be fair though his the power cosmic might be exhausted at the moment.

Still. Geez, Silver Surfer. ‘He gotta die but 1-2-3-not-it’ is really how you’re playing this??

Meanwhile, Tigra has decided that being asked to watch Molecule Man implies a certain duty perhaps even responsibility to tell him how much he sucks. Which is a lot.

And recall that she’s already told him how much he sucks earlier in the fight. So she has found a second wind in telling him how much he sucks.

Tigra: “You little jerk! Don’t you see? Cap was wrong! Power very seldom corrupts! It usually doesn’t change anything! It just magnifies what’s already there, whether it’s good and noble or evil and petty!”

“You were a nerd before... now you’re a powerful nerd! Big deal! Dummy! The shame of it is that with your power you can build... you can contribute! You don’t have to be a loser anymore!”

“Why are you such a fool? Why can’t you see that killing a planetful of people doesn’t make you even -- it just make you lonelier than ever!”

Wow. It feels like Tigra could hypothetically be talking about all different kinds of entitled nerds who then become the jerks as adults!

Anyway.

Tony and Cap are still arguing.

Tony, at least, isn’t going to ask someone to do something he wouldn’t do himself. I.e., he’s going to kill Molecule Man himself and save four billion people.

Cap: “Tony... please! I can’t let you do this!”

Tony: “You can take me in for murder afterward, Cap, but for now, stand aside! I’m warning you...”

Cap: “You’ll have to go through me, Tony...”

You’re warning him, Tony? You don’t have armor. You don’t even have pants. What are you going to do to supersoldier Captain America?

Logic aside, what strikes me is how much this foreshadows.

Before Civil War contrived that superhero registration, the big hot button superhero debate issue is whether superheroes should kill in extreme circumstances.

Spoilers for the NINETIES but the Regular and West Coast Avengers will come to schism and Cap and Iron Man will basically break up over whether or not to kill the Kree Supreme Intelligence after it engineered a war that killed 90% of the Kree people on purpose.

Shooter is long gone by that point but I guess someone is going to pick up the thread.

Because the debate doesn’t get settled here or rather does, sorta, in favor of Cap but not in a way he expects.

Interrupting the sad fist fight between Cap and a nearly naked man, Molecule Man pops up and tells everyone that Tigra has convinced him to turn his life around.

Tigra: “Guys, Mr. Owen Reece and I have talked, and, well, I convinced him to give himself up!”

Mr. Owen Reece: “Yes, I want to start seeing a therapist!”

Cap: “huh?”

Mr. Owen Reece: “I know I’ll have to go to jail... but that’s okay! It’ll give me time to think things out! I’ll make an opening in the dome now so you can call the authorities!”

Don Blake: “s-sure!”

God, that is just great. I love this as a resolution so much. This is a resolution that Squirrel Girl would bring us, although we’d get more of the actual convincing.

Still very, very good. Good to be optimistic in comics sometimes. Sometimes villains can seek redemption if only a cat yells at them long enough.

Although I think the best part is how baffled everyone is by the plot twist.

So with but a “Soon...” caption, the police have come to pick up Mr. Owen Reece and brought Miss Hanrahan who is going to be his therapist.

Holy crap, a therapist in Marvel who isn’t Doc Sampson but will work with superpowered nonsense!

Can we bring Miss Hanrahan back??

A couple things I like here.

One is that Mr. Owen Reece has changed off-panel into a suit instead of his supervillain costume. Now that’s him making an honest effort.

Two is Very Annoyed Tony Stark in the back of the pack of Avengers. He’s wearing a handkerchief as a mask because someone might recognize him as Tony Stark and then wonder ‘hey why is Tony Stark here.’

Three is the proud smile from Tigra when seeing Mr. Owen Reece meet his therapist.

Melts my heart a little.

Before he goes away to jail, Mr. Owen Reece takes a quick sidebar with the Avengers.

He retroactively feels just awful about ruining their various gadgets so he decides to make right.

He reintegrates Mjolnir, Toomie the surfboard, and Cap’s shield exactly as they were. Original molecules and all! They were so weird that he remembered where they all went.

As for Iron Man’s Iron Man armor.... look, he did his best.

Mr. Owen Reece: “But your armor, with all those complicated electronic gadgets is just too tricky for me to reassemble! You needed something more proper to wear till you get home, though -- so I whipped up some red and gold cloth and made you an Iron Man leisure suit! I hope it’s okay!”

Amazing. Simply incredible.

Although I think my favorite part was Mr. Owen Reece realizing ‘hey Iron Man should be wearing pants!’

Anyway, he also takes apart his Molecule Man Doom Fortress and puts those molecules back where he found them. More or less. He tries.

And, yes, he does rebuild the entire town of Netcong, New Jersey. Except the plumbing.

In a funny call back to Reece admitting he doesn’t really understand plumbing, none of the plumbing in the rebuilt town works.

Later, back at Avengers Mansion, Silver Surfer is offered a spot on the team but turns it down.

FOR THE PATHS OF DESTINY DO BECKON HIM DOWN A LONELY ROAD THAT MUST BE TRAVELED ALONE

Its the only who he has ever known. Except for all the time he spend with Galactus. Or the Defenders. Or later on when he has a companion to take on space nonsense.

Tigra also takes this time to say farewell.

Tigra: “I’m just not in the same league as you guys! I mean, sure I’ve got lots of super-ability, and, usually, I'm even pretty heroic -- but not up to your standard! I mean two of you, without your powers, no less, really showed me what it’s all about back there! And let’s face it, you guys mess with some heavy-duty opposition! I think I’ll quit while I’m ahead!”

=C

Noooooooooo

But but but Tigraaa you were a source of joy and fuuuuuuuun

You only joined at the end of #211! It’s only been about a week in-universe!

Darn.

The three other Avengers all say their goodbyes.

Thor reminds her that she was the one who turned around Mr. Owen Reece but Tigra says she got lucky.

Iron Man gives her one of Tony Stark’s cards and tells her to call Tony Stark who is definitely not him anytime she needs anything.

Jarvis even tears up at her leaving, although he denies it because a good butler never dies on duty and then blames his allergies.

And then Tigra is off. Damn. If I didn’t know who might be joining the Avengers soon I’d be completely inconsolable instead of just very.

So now the Avengers are down to just three members. That’s not a team. That’s a crossover. Probably why Jarvis wonders if a membership drive is in order.

NEXT: The return of... Yellowjacket, the Wasp, and Egghead!

I’m game for Wasp coming back! Don’t think it likely that Yellowjacket is just going to come back to the team just like that! And Egghead? The villain who blew up a city with a killsat and killed Hawkeye’s brother? Unlikely recruit!

(No I know that’s not what the NEXT means)

Hey, follow @essential-avengers​ because the Hank Pym just keeps happening. Like and reblog too please. Be sad with me that Tigra is gone.

[lovemesomesurveys]

“I’m a dick, I’m addicted to you”

Do you add extra letters to words sometimes? (ex. haaaa) Yeahhh.

Do you like the letter Z or Q better? I don’t favor one over the other. Who would you like to be stuck on an island with? I’d like to not be stuck on an island at all. What's your favorite quote? I have a lot of favorite quotes. I just love relatable stuff that puts into words how I’m feeling or what I’m thinking better than I can. I struggle with expressing myself and putting it into words, so. Name one random fact about your best friend. She loves the ID channel.

Do you like vegetables or fruit better? Gonna be honest, I don’t eat much of either one. Especially, fruit... it’s been a few years since I’ve had any. :X I have spinach, potatoes, and green onions pretty often, but that’s all the veggies I’ve had in a few years as well. In comparison to my zero fruit intake it’s something at least, ha. There are fruits I like and a few more veggies as well, but I just haven’t had them in awhile. What brand of shoes do you wear? Adidas. What's your favorite smiley face? On the computer I use :) Do you believe that if someone goes to bed thinking of u, u dream of them? I’ve heard that before and it can be a cute thought, but nah. Have you ever snitched on someone for cheating? No. Do you own a Snuggie? I do. What's your favorite number? 8. Which of the 7 dwarves are you most like from Snow White? Sleepy. What's the last movie you watched? Dumb and Dumber yesterday. What's your favorite month? October and December.

“I’m alright”

Do you like the smell of campfires? Yesss. If you could do one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be? I don’t know. Do you like eggnog? Yes. Is there a song out right now that you can't stand? I haven’t heard any new music recently. I haven’t been listening to music lately. If you could stay one age forever, what age would you pick? I’d be fine if I just stayed 31 here on out. What's your favorite state? I like my state the best out of the few states I’ve been to (the others being Arizona, Idaho, and Georgia). There’s a few I’d like to visit that could potentially take the top spot for me, though. Have you ever went in public with your tag still on your clothes? I don’t think so.

Would you say your loud or shy? I’m quiet and shy. What's your favorite symbol on the computer? I don’t have one. Are you afraid of clowns? Pennywise is awesome. Do you wear glasses? I do. Ever rode on a horse? Just on one at the pumpkin patch as a kid. Poor horse, guided around in a circle all day.  Do you have trouble saying or spelling some words? I think I spell pretty well. I stumble over my words when I talk sometimes, but I think my pronunciation is pretty good. Have you ever thought something was just to good to be true? Many times. And when I think that, it’s usually true. Do you like potatoes? I love potatoes.

“I’m in trouble, I’m an addict, I’m addicted to this girl”

Are you random? My thoughts and dreams are really random, but I wouldn’t describe myself that way. I’d say I’m predictable and boring. Do you believe that aliens are real? I don’t know. Certainly not the weird looking green creatures that are usually depicted for some reason. Do you sleep with the TV on? I do. I’ve done that ever since I was a kid. What's the longest you've slept in? Like 5PM or so. Have you ever seen a hairy toe? Yes. What's the last thing you watched on TV? Roseanne this morning. Do you have a song stuck in your head? Not at the moment. Who do you talk to the most? My mom and brother. What's the first thing you get on when the internet comes up? When the internet comes up oh man, was this made in the late 90s, early 2000s? lol. The first thing I do when I get on my laptop is continue scrolling through my Tumblr feed or do a survey. When's the last time you were sick? I’ve been sick with something for the past week. And no, it’s not the rona.

Which is your favorite: Music, Dogs, Shoes, Books, Jonas Brother? I love a variety of music, I love doggos in general, but I’m biased towards Labs and German Shepherds, Adidas are my favorite shoes, and back in my die hard Jonas Brothers days I was a total Joe girl. What color is your hair brush? Rose gold. Do you enjoy arcades? I did when I was a kid. We used to have one at my mall back when I was a kid that was a fun place to go. And Chuck E Cheese, ha. Have you ever liked 2 people at once? Yes. Have you taken a nap today? Not so far.

“show me the meaning of being lonely”

Would you ever want to be in a horror movie? I think it’d certainly come off as believable because I’m such a scardy cat and super jumpy. Being chased would genuinely scare me even it was acting. Even knowing what was going to happen I know I’d still be jumpy. Only thing is I don’t have the scream down that you gotta have for a horror movie.  Have you ever been to Washington D.C? Nope. Do you hate when girls have guyish names and boys have girly names? I really don’t care.  Have you lost or gained any weight since February? I know I haven’t gained any weight. I’ve probably lost some weight, which is really not good for someone who’s already underweight.  Have you ever felt like no one wanted to be around you? Yes. I don’t even want to be around me. I often feel like I’m such a burden and annoyance. It’s my own thinking and feeling, though. My family doesn’t do or say anything to make me feel that way. I have had other people make me feel that way, though.   Have you ever had to use a pay phone? Yes. Have you listened to music today? Nope. It’s been awhile since I’ve listened to music, actually. Do you only drink bottled water? Yes. Don’t judge me. I bet someone is on your mind right now, right? No, actually. Do you like writing in pen or pencil better? Pen, definitely. What's the last magazine you bought? I don’t even remember it’s been so long. Has anyone in your family ever forgot your birthday? My parents, brother, and close family members always remember. Was it any of your friends birthday in the past week? My older brother’s birthday was a couple days ago. Is anyone else in the same room as you? Nope. Are you one of the popular people in your grade? I’m done with school, but no I was never popular.

“you never call me when you’re sober”

What word best describes you in the dictonary? ”Depressed”, “Awkward”, “Lame”, “Loser”, “Ugly”... Do you like Soy Milk? Yeah, I’m lactose intolerant. I use that or almond milk. I don’t drink any kind of milk by itself, but I use those in stuff like coffee drinks and cereal. And for dunking my cookies and brownies in. Where were you at 10:30am yesterday? Right here in bed where I spent all weekend. I was having a really rough weekend. I felt really shitty and had zero energy. I couldn’t even drag myself outta bed for coffee, so that’s how you know I was feeling really bad. Thankfully, my mom and brother brought me a Starbucks. Do you think ghosts are real? I believe in spirits, but not actual Caspers. Do you know anyone who has been attacked by a shark? No. What is your best friend's mom name? Lupe. Have you ever made out in a movie theatre? No. What part of your body do you wash first? My arms and work my way down. Do you have an innie or an outie? Innie. How do you think the dinosaurs died? An asteroid. What's your favorite flavor of Pringles? Sour cream and onion, cheddar and sour cream, pizza, and ranch.  What was the last thing you got grounded for? Something when I was like 12. Did you go to a water park last summer? I don’t go to the water park ever. What shoe do you put on first? I think the right. Finish the sentence: Girls.. Just wanna have fun.

“I think we’re alone now”

Have you ever had a song or poem written about you? No. Did you have a nickname growing up? My family called my Noodles, ha. When was the last time you played the air guitar? I don’t know. Have you ever biten your toenail? Ew, no. I’m not flexible enough to even do that, but I would never want to so it’s fine. Have you ever been dared to do something that you regretted? No. I didn’t do dares. Favorite website? Tumblr and YouTube. Worst thing that has ever happened to you? Probably the incident that made me a paraplegic at 7 months old. That’s certainly top of the list. Best thing that has happened to you? My doggos are definitely amongst the top. Best friend? My mom. If you could dye your hair any color, what color would it be? I dye it red and would like to continue to do so. Do you have a wii? It’s my brother’s, but since we live in the same house and I’ve used it, too, I’m gonna say yes.  Most used phrase on IM? I don’t remember, it’s been over a decade since I’ve used IM. Have you ever heard of The Beatles? Of course. Have you ever wanted to give money to a charity? Yes, and I have given to charities.

“Who says you’re not beautiful?”

Would you ever want to have 14 kids? Uh, noooo. I don’t even want one.  Are you wearing any bracelets right now? Nope. Do you have any jewelry that once belonged to an old family member? No. Do you dream every night? I usually do. Give me on of your goals Just taking it day by day. Do you like skinny jeans? Yeah, those are the only jeans I have. Do you ever say stuff that you don’t mean? It happens. Have you ever said "I love you" and not meant it? Yeah, but that was back when I was 16 and felt pressured into saying it back to my boyfriend at the time even though I didn’t have those feelings. Ever since then I haven’t thrown those words around lightly. What is your dream guy/girl? A patient, understanding, caring, loving, trustworthy, good sense of humor kind of guy. Do you hate when people overract? I can definitely be one of those people that overreact. And I know I’m overreacting when it’s happening, but I can’t help myself. I sometimes see people in situations where I’m like, ‘omg, they’re totally overreacting’ and think it could be handled differently, but yet I do the same thing. When was the last time you used the oven? It’s been awhile, actually... I don’t remember. Have you ever wanted to be free like a bird? ”And I’m as free as a bird now... and this bird you cannot change.” Are you a worrier? Oh am I ever. Does your house have an attic? Nope. Are you going fishing this weekend? No. I don’t go fishing.

[velasnyx]

Welcome to the Pack Ch.7

We went back to the temple. It was a silent walk. I really thought she was going to kill me. I would've never thought she was like this when I first met her. Hell, I didn't think I she was a werewolf.

“So… when were you bitten?” I asked. “I wasn't. I come from a family of born werewolves,” Mia answered. Born werewolves. Can't imagine growing up a werewolf was easy. “So everyone in your family is a werewolf?”. “My father was human. He, along with my younger sister, was the only normal human in the pack,” she answered.

So, her sister's human. Must be awkward knowing your one of the only humans in the family. “So, you guys had this temple all to yourselves?”. “No. Our pack was pretty big. Like an extended family”. Past tense. Can't help but feel curious. Do I dare ask? “Was?”. I guess I do dare ask. She looked back at me. “Yes. Was,” she said. Okay. Not gonna pry on that one.

We reached the temple. “What was this place used for?” I asked. “Most of the pack lived nearby on the pack grounds. Others would take refuge here during a full moon. It was the safest place for werewolves to come during one. Our pack had ways of keeping them in one place so they wouldn't hurt themselves or others. We served as the peacekeepers between humans and werewolves,” Mia said. I guess they had done a great job since literally no one knew werewolves actually existed. I wonder what happened to them. They seemed rather important.

“Where would they keep the werewolves? I don't see a place you could keep them”. The place seemed too small to be able to keep a lot of people. “Come with me,” Mia said.

I followed her into a room where it was lit by candles aligned on the floor. At the end, there was a folding screen. It had writing on it I didn't understand. I think it was in Japanese.

I followed Mia behind it. We stood in front of a long box. “You wanted to show me a box?” I asked. She shot me a look. “Patience is a virtue”. She kneeled down and opened a hidden hatch which revealed five holes. Mia protracted her claws and inserted them into the holes. An unlocking sound went off and the box slid to the side, revealing a set of stairs. “C'mon”.

I followed Mia down the stairs and into an wide and open space. There were multiple cages along the walls. To think that this was under the temple. This is crazy. “Hey, Mia,” a voice greeted. My attention turned to a man. He was tall with tan skin and white hair. A scar ran horizontally across the middle of his face. “Hey, Diego. Thought you were here,” Mia said. He chuckled. “You smelt me all the way up there?” he asked. Mia shook her head. “The candles were on”. He nodded. “So who's this?” he asked.

He looked at me. That's when I noticed his eyes. He was blind. “She's the new addition to our pack,” Mia said. “Your first beta. Nice to meet you. I’m Diego,” he said, extending his hand. I shook it. “So, it's just you two?” I asked. They nodded. “Well, now it's three since you're here,”  he said.

I didn't really say whether or not Id stay. This is all so much to take in. But do I really have a choice? I can't control this. If I could kill Atmey then I could easily kill someone else. I could hurt people I care about. No. If they can give me the opportunity to keep this under control then I have to stay. It's the only way.

“I'm stuck like this. I have to live with this the rest of my life. I don't want to hurt anyone, especially the people I care about. I have to be able to control this,” I said. They looked at me, a little puzzled. “Don't worry, kid. We'll make sure you get control over this. Just like us,” Diego said. “Promise me. Promise me you'll help me control this”. Mia placed her hand on my shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Emily”. “Ema,” I corrected. “Ema… I promise you. We'll make sure you learn to control this. As long as we work together, it'll happen for sure,” Mia said. She smiled sweetly at me. “Thank you”.

I went back home. After everything that happened today, I just wanted to rest. I was tired. I was overwhelmed. I was scared. Scared of myself. Its surreal that I can turn into this… beast… and I'm dangerous. It's too much for one person to handle.

I entered my apartment. “Hey”. I went for my gun. That's right, Mia destroyed my gun. It didn't really matter since it was sister that was in my apartment.

“Don't worry, it's just me,” she said. I relaxed. “What're you doing here?” I asked. She raised a brow at me. “What? I can't visit my own sister? Besides… I uh… I heard about what happened to Atmey,” she said. I'm sure everyone has. The media must be all over it at this point. They'll probably be wanting interviews tomorrow. I do not want to talk about this. “Yeah”. Lana looked sympathetic. “You alright?” she asked. I nodded.

“I brought some take-out. Got your favorite,” she said. I tried to brighten up. I don't want to make this weird and I can't make her think something's up. She definitely can't know about this werewolf thing. I mean, it's crazy. She'll think I'm absolutely nuts.

We sat on the couch and watched tv after dinner. We were silent. Usually, we'd be talking away. There was always something to talk about, something to catch up on. Not this time. It was awkward to say the least. Bit I rather be awkward than to tell her what's happened.

“Hey Ema… you know you can talk to me, right?” she asked. Yeah, that's how it used to be. I knew I could talk to her about anything. Mainly because she was the only person I could talk to. After mom and dad died, she was the only one I had left. We had to be there for each other.

I nodded. “Is there something you're not telling me? Do you know something I don't about Atmey?” Lana asked. My heart stopped. She's suspecting something's wrong. Gotta stay cool. “No. I'm just… still bothered by the way he went,” I said. “He went the same way his victims did. I think it's pretty fitting,” Lana said. I shrugged. “I didn't want to see the end result. His body was ripped apart. Barely unrecognizable. It was… not something I wanted to see,” I responded. Another long silence. “You think you'll get over this feeling?” she asked. Not even a little bit. “Probably. I'm a detective. I've seen things just as bad,” I lied. Lana sighed. She took hold of my hand. “Ema, you don't have to act strong in front of me. I'm your sister,” she said. She smiled at me.

I broke down. I couldn't take it anymore. It's so overwhelming. I wish I could tell her and get it off my chest but I can't. And it's killing me. But I guess this'll have to do. Lana pulled me close, wrapping her arms around me. I wondered if Lana would still comfort me if she knew what I was and what I had done. I wondered if she'd still see me the same way. If she'd still show me the love and compassion she always has.

[thesean]

Change

Rating: General Audience Warnings: None. Mild language. Characters: Todoroki Shouto, Iida Tenya Relationship: Todoroki Shouto/Iida Tenya Tags: Pro Heroes, Mutual Pining, Reunions, Past Feelings Resolved, they both have gay panic, they’re pro heroes and gay what r u gonna do abt it Language: English Word Count: 1771 read on ao3 for optimal reading experience

Summary:

Change comes naturally to everyone, of course he should expect this, especially of Tenya Iida. He always changed in U.A. Experience, tragedy, and life all factors to it. So he should expect it now more than ever.

Or

It's been 10 years since they've graduated and only now do they talk again.

There are many things that’s changed since he attended U.A. One of those things being the simple fact he hasn’t seen the man standing before him since graduating all those years ago. It’s strange, he thinks, how close they once were only to be swept away by the complications of their lives.

Things have changed. He’s changed.

Tenya Iida has changed in the way he holds himself, radiating confidence, passion, and warmth. He sees it now in the way he holds out his hand for Shouto to grab on to as he pulls him away from the interviewers. He sees it in the way he still remembers how easily overwhelmed he would get around people and how he grins, a look in his eyes saying “you’ll be fine now.”

Iida’s changed in the way that he projects himself, once brimming with energy and no control over how loud he was, he’s now mellow and quieter. Shouto wonders briefly if something happened that caused him to become this way.

Iida’s changed in the way he looks and sounds; back in high school, he’d always been muscular, but now it seems he’s really bulked up, perhaps due to how tall he is now. That’s another thing, Iida is now… so much taller than he is. Before, they’d been pretty close in height but now Shouto has to look up at him to talk to him. His voice has gotten so much deeper, too, but still so full of passion despite how much quieter he’s gotten.

Iida’s changed in the way that a scar runs up his neck and to his chin. In the way there’s a cut in his right eyebrow. In the way he’s not wearing glasses anymore, (must be contacts, he concludes.) In the way his lips tug upwards into a smile when he notices Shouto been staring.

Oh fuck.

He’s been staring.

“It’s been a while, hasn’t it?” Iida starts and Shouto is so thankful he didn’t make a comment on him staring.

“Yeah… uh… sorry for not… texting you or anything. I lost all my old contacts.” Still as useless in a conversation as ever, with a side of anxiety over the fact it’s been ten years and wow Iida’s kinda handsome. No, he’s very handsome.

“Oh! That’s understandable, I doubt I would have been able to respond much anyways. The transition stage of me becoming the head of the Idaten Agency has been hectic. I’ve been keeping tabs on how everyone’s doing with their own careers though, so you don’t have to go into too much detail about how everything’s going for you if you don’t want to.”

Of course he’s that considerate that he’s kept track of the old class’s progress. Of course he tells him he doesn’t have to talk about his work life. Of course …

Stupid… handsome… Iida with his stunning eyes and radiant smile. Dammit.

What’s going on here? He thought he got over those feelings he harbored for him years ago. And they’re resurfacing? He would love to hit his feelings back so they don’t invade his thoughts so suddenly.

Or get swallowed up by the earth. Either one is fine.

“Yeah uh… it’s… been going okay. I guess. Just… doing what I have to do…”

Iida nods and smiles that full smile again and Shouto can’t help but look away, he’s afraid if he looks any more he will most definitely be red and Iida will most definitely notice and ask what’s wrong and he doesn’t want that.

“That’s good to hear!” Iida places his hands on his hips and he gives a curt nod, “Well, I should be heading back to give a report about today’s incident. It was nice talking to you again!”

“You too.”

Shouto almost has half the heart to ask Iida to stay a little longer, to catch up more, but by the time he opens his mouth to speak, he’s gone. Ah, that’s something that never changed. Tenya Iida was, and will always be, fast. Fast to start a conversation, fast to warm up to, fast to run, and fast to leave. One moment he’s in your life and the next he’s not.

How strange…

It’s not until he gets back to his home that he gets a text from an unknown number.

(  Missed working with you. :]  ) 1m.

(  This is Tenya Iida btw.  ) 40s.

(  I should have started with that, shouldn’t I?  ) 5s.

Shouto had forgotten how quick Iida was when it came to sending texts. Nonetheless, the corner of his lips twitched upwards as he started to text his response after saving him to his contacts.

(  yeah same  )

(  wasnt expecting 2 see u tbh  )

(  u rlly saved me  )

(  also i missed u 2 has it rlly been 10 yrs  )

(  Time seems to fly when we’re busy!  )

(  And it’s not a problem.  )

(  We should head somewhere to

 catch up some time.                    )

(  id like that  )

(  where?  )

(  There’s a cafe near my agency.  )

(  It just opened so I was intending on trying it.  )

     -   Tenya🏃 has shared a location    -

(  sounds good  )

(  Great! When would a good time be for you?  )

(  any times fine  )

(  How does Sunday at 1pm sound?  )

(  works for me  )

(  Alright! See you then! :]  )

Shouto stares at the screen, squinting. He pauses, brows furrowing. Did… Did Iida ask him out? Is that what just happened? No, no he’s just reading into it too much is all. Yeah, that’s it, just what his stupid subconscious wants him to believe.

His stupid subconscious also thinks Iida is stupidly handsome.

How is he going to survive this outing?

The answer is simple: he’s not. He’s standing outside of the cafe, hand hovering over the door, and the worst part is he’s late.

He lets out a breath and swings to door open. Once inside he starts to scan the room for Iida. Oh. There he is. He’s waving him down enthusiastically, arms swinging stiffly and Shouto thinks to himself There’s the Iida I knew .

He makes his way and sits down across from him, glancing around every so often should there be any fans or something.

There’s that look in Iida’s eyes again, the one that says “you’ll be okay.” And Shouto really wasn’t ever able to figure out how Iida read him so easily despite the fact his expression hardly ever changed. (That’s a fact he’s been made very aware of through the years.)

“Sorry for being late. I got lost.” Not a lie. He did get lost.

“That’s okay! You’re here now, so that’s what matters!”

Oh, that’s something else that’s changed. Shouto was sure he would’ve gotten a light scolding about punctuality but… huh… That’s… weird . He doesn’t know what he thinks about this Iida. The Iida he knew wouldn’t let it go by until he got it through his head.

“You’ve… changed.”

Iida seems to deflate at this and Shouto kicks himself in his mind.

“Ah… yes well, things have happened over the past few years. I suppose I’ve become more “relaxed” than I was back at U.A. It’s proven to be efficient for Idaten to work together better.”

Yeah no he… regrets saying that.

And still, Iida continues, “I suppose another factor is from my runin with a villain.”

“Is… Did you get the scar from that?” Another insensitive question, he realizes after it leaves his mouth.

“Yes. It was when I had just taken over the Idaten Agency. Unfortunately my teammates didn’t see eye to eye in how I lead things which lead to us getting distracted from the mission, they made it clear to me that Tensei and I have very different ways of leading which I was well aware of when taking the position. It was an eye-opening experience, to say the least. It’s been… difficult. But it’s nothing I can’t overcome.”

Still as stubborn as ever, it seems that hasn’t changed which is something Shouto’s glad for. It’s strange, he realizes, Iida has changed so much and yet he’s still as socially awkward as ever. It’s almost like he’s talking to a stranger.

He doesn’t like that.

“Oh… that’s rough.”

Iida clears his throat and nods, looking away, eyes distant and unfocused. He mulls over Iida’s words for a while and- oh… that’s another thing that hasn’t changed, unfortunately. It still seems he’s living in the shadow of his brother’s legacy, and that his sidekicks made it a permanent reminder of this in the form of scar is…

It makes him mad.

“Your brother’s probably really proud of you.”

“He is but… ah, here I am… We haven’t spoken in ten years and I am already airing all my grievances to you.” He almost seems ashamed of this and it makes Shouto’s heart ache for him.

“I don’t mind… We use to do it a lot. So I can… I understand.”

They’re virtually strangers but in this moment, Shouto feels 15 again, sitting in a hospital bed, feet away from Iida as he listens to the test results on his hand and how they talked for what feels like eternity.

“Thank you but… Still, it’s hardly fair of me to lay this all out on you but-” he cuts himself off mid-sentence as if just realizing something.

Shouto looks at him confused.

“Ah… I just realized.”

“What?”

“I asked you out on a date, didn't I? This is a date.”

Shouto opens his mouth. Oh, wow, what a real curveball that sentence was. Of everything he was expecting out of Iida’s mouth it was not that. The topic really took a 180 there.

“S-sorry! Ah, I didn’t mean to jump that on you. I… It was- I mean, that’s to say. I didn’t mean to say that out loud. I mean, that was highly inappropriate of me, I should probably go. It’s been 10 years. What was I thinking? I’m so sorry T-”

“Shut up.”

Iida shuts up, going rigid, standing completely still and… is he holding his breath?

“Breathe.”

He breathes.

“Let’s… start over…”

Iida gives him a confused look and watches as he stands up, holds out his hand, and looks up at him.

“I’m Shouto.”

His large hand envelopes his own, small hand, and he gently shakes it.

“Ii-… Tenya.”

“I wouldn’t mind… if this is a date.”

“You wouldn’t?”

“I… I liked you, a lot, in high school.”

“... I did too.”

“Oh.”

“Indeed.”

“We were kinda stupid back then.”

“Utter delinquents.”

“Yeah, “I’m gonna hunt down and kill the hero killer”.”

“That’s not fair.”

“I never said I liked people who followed the rules.”

“Point taken…”

And that’s enough… This will be enough for him.

[theres-no-paradise]

Sorry not Sorry

Chapter 8  Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5  Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 9 

Summary: A random number wakes you up early on a Saturday morning. But it doesn't stop there. The stranger keeps on sending messages, and you have no idea what is happening, when you start to develop feelings for the unknown person.

Pairings: Tom Holland  x Reader [submit your name: How it works]

Y/N your Name

Y/F  your friends name

Word Count:  1932

Warnings: There will be swearing for sure, lots of sarcasm

A/N: Chapter 8 is done! A little late, sorry for that, but I hope you like it. We are slowly working our way towards the main plot, so stay tuned on the upcoming chapters. Feel free to let me know what you think, too! Im so Happy about all the feedback I get. It really helps me to stay motivated and write for you :)

It was a day after the Incident in the pub and you were laying in bed and staring at the ceiling for what felt like an eternity. Your phone was on the nightstand next you, silent since the last message from the night before. The only sound in your home were loudspeakers, playing some music from your Spotify playlist.

‘Things will happen while they can, I will wait here for my man tonight. It's easy when you're big in Japaaaan. Oh, when you're big in Japan, tonight Big in Japaaaan, be tight. Big in Japan, ooh the eastern sea's so blueee’, you sang along and tried to not think about your embarrassing encounter with Tom. Afternoon was slowly creeping by and you didn't do anything all day until your phone buzzed for the first time that day and you turned over to grab it from the stand.

The Spiderman: I’m leaving in two days to Montreal. Wanna meet up properly this time?

You immediately sat up straight in your bed, staring at the message that came from Tom. You giggled a little at the new Nickname in your contacts. The whole situation seemed to be unreal, you still couldn't imagine that the Tom Holland was the person who messaged you by accident. And yet here you were, reading a message from him once again.

You: I swear, I’m living in a fanfic or something …

The Spiderman: ?

You: Nevermind lol . Yes, I’d like to meet. Any idea what to do?

The Spiderman: Do you like dogs?

You: Positive.

The Spiderman: Fancy a walk in the park with me and Tess?

You jumped out of your bed and ran over to your wardrobe to get some clothes, at the same time you typed in your response. A walk in the park sounded just great for a sunny afternoon date. Meet? Just a walk? What were you supposed to call this? You were unsure if this counted as a date or not so you just shoved that thought into the darkest corner of your mind and chose some casual clothes. Jeans and a simple T-Shirt would do for a walk in the park.

You: Sure! Where and when?

The Spiderman: Richmond Park. And whenever you’re free

You: I’ll get ready and let you know when I’m about to get on the train.

You showered, dressed up and put some decent make up on your face before you rushed out of your apartment. Usually it took you a little longer to get ready but this time you didn't want to waste any time. What was happening with you?

The Spiderman: Alright. Ill pick you up from the Station.

You: Omw. See you!

The Spiderman: in a bit! X

The time on the train passed by quickly and you arrived in no time at the station, that was closest to the Park. You’ve been here before, so this area was familiar to you as you got out of the train to meet Tom, you remembered the buildings and surroundings.

“You look nice”, was the first thing, Tom said and immediately you felt your ears turn red and warm. You hoped for your cheeks to stay pale.

“Thank you. Even though I’m not wearing anything special”, you laughed, a little nervous.

“But you still look nice.”

“Thank you Mr. handsome”, another giggle escaped your lips as you approached the pair. You embraced Tom in a hug, before turning all your attention to the dog, that was sitting well behaved next to him. “And who are you?” you asked even though you knew Tessa already from Photos on the internet. You stroked her chin and head before getting up again. “That’s my dog, Tess”, Tom answered and you smiled, giving the dog one last pat on the head. “She’s gorgeous. Take good care of her or she might be gone later”, you joked, smiling wide. “You think someone could steal her?”, Tom wondered and motioned you to follow him out of the building. “Oh absolutely”, you grinned, winking at him. ‘It’s easier than I expected’, you thought to yourself as you walked next to the guy you’ve been talking to for the past few weeks. After the incident in the Pub, you were over thinking so much about your behaviour earlier. That you weren't even capable to say a proper word. You believed, that meeting him again would be so awkward after the first encounter but you were glad, that it wasn't as you expected it to be.

“Wanna hold her?”, Tom’s words threw you out of your train of thoughts and you stared at the leash for a second before realizing what he was saying. “Sure”, you answered while taking Tessa’s leash, holding onto it tightly so you wouldn't lose it because of your clumsiness. “So, how was your day?” Tom asked casually, as you walked in the direction of Richmond Park.  

“It was good. Silent and nice and yours?” you didn't tell him the part where you stressed yourself out because he asked you to meet. You tried to play it off cool.

“I had a few interviews this morning, so I’m a little tired”, he admitted, with a small smile on his lips.

“You should rest. You’ll be busy again once you're back at work”, “But that’d mean I’d miss some quality time with a certain girl”, his laugh made you look up to him with a questioning look on your face.  

“Oh you can just hang out with your dog all day at home?”, you joked, totally getting his saying.

“You're a dork”

“Naaah, I got your intention”, winking at him you walked a little faster so that you could reach the park and let Tessa run. “But I just don't like to play hah”, you added.

“No games here any way!”  

You both walked through the park, enjoying the summer sun on your skin. You let Tess run around freely, make her get the sticks you threw or play fetch with her ball. Tom was looking at you many times in silence, you felt it but you didn't say anything. The silence between you two was nice and not awkward at all and you enjoyed the attention you got from him, even if it was him staring at you.

“Would you have ever imagined us to actually meet?”, the brunette asked after a while as you decided to walk back slowly.

“To be honest, no.”

“Why?” “I don't know. I think I was scared? If you would've asked to meet before we saw each other in the pub, I would have declined”, you admitted.

“Hmm”

“I didn't know what to expect. Sure it somehow excited me because I actually enjoyed your texts.”

“Oh, you did? I knew it!”, Tom laughed and you joined in.

“Sure I still do. But whenever I tried to imagine our first meet, I couldn't”

“I understand. It's hard to think of someone when you haven't even seen their face before.”

“Exactly, but now I'm kinda glad we met.” your words weren't louder than a whisper but Tom seemed to understand everything without a problem. “So am I!”

You kept strolling through the park, talking about everything that came up to your mind. Tom asked you about your job and what you did in your free time, except for texting him. And you asked him the same. Especially about the past weeks as he was traveling the world. He told you about all the places he went to and you were in awe. You liked the glimmer in his eyes as he talked about traveling to all the places he hasn't been before. “Are you excited for Montreal?” “Oh absolutely. It’s gonna be busy with all the work there but I'm looking forward to it” he was genuinely excited, you could tell and suddenly there was a weird feeling in your chest. As something was stinging you.

“I'm a little jealous, I admit”, you said, laughing a little.

“Oh, I’ll bring you something or sent you a card if you want!” Tom suggested and you shrugged.

“No, you're busy enough. You don't need to get me anything” ‘please do bring me something’, you thought to yourself.

“I’ll do it anyway. No discussion” ‘Yes!’

You were slowly approaching the Neighbourhood with the train station just around the corner and it made you a little sad that the day was about to come to an end. “Wanna stay for dinner?”

“I’d love too but I don't want to-” you couldn't finish your sentence which was pretty much about bothering him more. Tom must’ve felt this because immediately he said: “Okay, come on, we’re getting Dinner at mine!”

“I hate you so much.”

“I know.” You both laughed once again. As you did many times this day.

There was tons of Chinese takeaway spread out over the small table in the living room. You sat on the brown sofa, legs crossed and a box with rice and chicken on your lap as you watched Sons of Anarchy on Tom’s big, old TV. When will he get a new one anyway? This model seemed to be from the early 00’s.

“I enjoyed today a lot. Thanks for inviting me over.”, you mumbled shyly, after finishing your food.

“It was my pleasure. We should hangout again sometime” Tom suggested as he stuffed some more noodles into his mouth. You smiled softly and nodded: “Id actually like that a lot, Tom.”

“Good, maybe I can make some room tomorrow?”, he wondered and you felt your cheeks warming up the probably hundreds time this day. But last minute you remembered, that you were  and not able to hang out.

“I'm afraid I'm busy. Can't miss my meetings”, you shrugged. You would’ve loved to hang out with him, but work was calling for you and you couldn't just call in sick because of some random guy. Okay, Tom wasn't random at all but still, calling in sick just for him to meet up with you wouldnt work.  

“What a shame.”

“Just give me a call once you're back in town and I make sure to make time”

“Sounds like a deal”

After you boarded the train, you sat on a free place next to the window, as it started to move towards your destination. You recalled the past hour and felt the heat overcome your body once again, as your mind wandered off to the brown eyes that stared at you for the millionth time that day. You remembered how Tom’s arm felt behind you, as he rested it on the back of his sofa. His fingers slightly touching your shoulder as you scooped up a little closer to him, trying to not make it too obvious that you enjoyed his little touches. There wasn’t much interaction between the two of you while watching Tom’s favourite TV show, which you learned that night. It was just the two of you, enjoying a Series and being close to each other. It wasn’t awkward or weird in any way, just nice and comfortable over all. Deep down you wished, that he would’ve made a bigger move and one thing could’ve led to another but that would either mean you’d become friends with benefits, which you obviously didn’t want, or just a one time fling and he’d be gone forever because you couldn’t look him in the eyes once again. You liked the slow pace, you both unconsciously decided to have with the whole ‘getting to know’ scenario and you wouldn’t want to have it any other way. But there was one thing worrying you: The Distance.  

Taglist:  @hollandorks  @beardedsteveslut @ilivefortomholland @casualprincess77 @agirlwithpointlessideas @isabellamozarella03 @MENDES-HOLLAND @thiswildfire @wastedheartnat @hollandbaby @moonofmy-life @smileylaurens @random-fandom-lady @heartoftheadventure @blackazkaban @augurydemon @homecomjng @punkass-potato @unfoldingdaydreams @thefriendlyneighborhoodspidey @rivedale @tiffanypooh

[inejgvafa]

Apollo, centaur, hippolytus, aegis, and athuna 😅 one of each category, sorry if it's too much P. S. I love your blog, have a great day 💛

nothing is ever too much

Apollo: What kind of music are you into? 

hip-hop/rap, R&B, pop, alternative, and sometimes classical bc i’m a band geek 

Centaur: Last book you read?

the last book i finished reading was The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (it was pretty good, would recommend especially if you love imagery&magic in books) however, the book i’m currently reading is A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab (i love it so far!)

Hippolytus: Tell an experience you will never forget.

man this is a hard one but i think i have one after staring at my screen for so long. okay this might be a little long but i’ll try to keep it short (im putting this in after i typed everything.. sorry its not short at all). so this was my first ever homecoming in high school. i was a freshmen and the guy who asked me to the dance was one too. he also payed for my admission. lets call him Dan. Basically everything that could’ve gone wrong that night went wrong. Let me tell you guys COMMUNICATION is KEY!!!! It started off on a bad foot. He didn’t communicate times very well so i ended up missing pictures and dinner with him bc i was getting ready lol. I tell him we can just meet @ at the school where the dance is being held. he agrees. I get to the school and line up at the entrance and go inside. It takes about 5 minutes for me to find him and we say our hellos and i apologize for missing dinner&pics. Just let me reiterate that this is HOMECOMING: A FRICKIN DANCE.. so me having common sense expected to dance, but apparently Dan did not agree. He refused to dance, even tho i asked him a bunch of times. he was what one would call socially awkward even tho we were friends before he asked me to go. i try to be nice but im miserable and my friends are out on the dance floor partying it up w/o me so i tell him im gonna hang with my girls for a lil bit and that id catch up later. side note: i did not catch up with him later… so its towards the end of the night and i just spent the last 2 hours with my girls in the middle of the dance floor and i realize i completely forgot about Dan. naturally i go looking for him but find a mutual friend instead. we will call this mutual friend Jon. Jon tells me that Dan was beyond pissed and that he had to take him into the bathroom to calm him down. I already feel bad and this makes it a 1000 times worse. but little do i know this was only the beginning. Jon then proceeds to tell me that Dan actually got so mad in the bathroom that he punched one of the metal hand dryers (look it up for a reference if you do not know what they are) and i’m in shock and then Jon tells me Dan had his mom pick him up bc he had to go to the hospital bc he thought he broke his hand side note: it was NOT broken… I’m feel bad but its not like i told him to punch a very hard metal object. Dan was my ride home so i just hitched a ride from one of my friends and that was the night done. The next week at school Dan had a wrap around his hand (only bruised) and he told the entire band (concert band/marching band) that i was a hoe for ditching him to dance with other guys in a grind circle A FRICKIN GRIND CIRCLE! at least put some effort into your lies to make them believable but apparently they were believable enough bc half the band actually gave me dirty looks and called me a whore lol. i was pretty unfazed bc i didn’t really care what they thought and bc i knew my side of the story. i didn’t tell anyone mine and i just let Dan tell his side while he looked like an idiot for getting “ditched.” flash forward to today: the band is back to normal bc eventually my friends told my side of the story and people understood. Dan and I haven’t spoken a word since that night and he’s kind of fallen from graces if you know what i mean. i will never forget this whole fiasco and if there is anything to be learned its don’t go to a dance if you don’t intend on dancing LMAOO.

Aegis: What is your favorite book or series?

My favorite book of all time is probably A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas but my favorite series is The Infernal Devices trilogy by Cassandra Clare. ACOMAF was an amazing second book (in the ACOTAR series) and the author, in my opinion, got every single thing right. The Infernal Devices was my first ever YA series and it truly got me into reading so it will always have a special place in my heart

Athuna: If you could live anywhere in the world for the rest of your life, where would it be?

this is a tough decision but I’d probably say somewhere in the Phillipines bc that’s where my mom is from. Somewhere in Canada would be nice too or Hawaii or Italy. I’m very indecisive as you can see. But honestly anywhere in Asia and I think I’d be content. 

[k-popscenxrios]

Only 6 Months (CEO!Jungkook x Barista!OC) Part 5

I’m sorry this is being posted later than usual! I had things to do today, so I couldn’t post until now!

Summary: Who knew that pretending to be in love could create such chaos?

Words: 4,600+ Genre: PURE flufffff

Part 1 - Part 4 - Part 6

⇨ Masterlist ⇦

“I need you to come over tonight.”

Jungkook’s eyes raised at the phone call he was getting from Chaerin, “Tonight? I’m not sure if I can… I might have a meeting tonight. It hasn’t been finalized yet, but meetings almost always happen the time they’re originally planned…”

Chaerin’s sigh came through to his end, “I would really like for you to be here… it’s been almost a month since we started this fake dating thing and I still haven’t made you meet my friends.”

“I can’t help it if the meeting is tonight, but I’ll try and be there,” he assured, “I should know really soon if the meeting can happen or not.”

“Okay…” Chaerin trialed off, still sounding a bit disappointed. She was starting to feel worried about how tonight was gonna go…

“I’ve gotta go, Chaerin,” Jungkook said, but he hated having to hang up on her. She just replied with a quick ‘okay’ as he hung up and made his way to his dad’s office.

Chaerin, on the other hand, was standing in her room and looking at her reflection. She had really screwed herself and Jungkook over, and all just because of her frustration.

Ever since the night she lied and told Kiseung she couldn’t find her phone to miss the double date, Kiseung has been very short with Chaerin. Nari and Hyomin tried to get her to lighten up, but any time that Chaerin was home later than normal or any time she went somewhere other than work, she was always on top of her. It was almost like she had turned into her mother.

Today she became really fed up with Kiseung and her yelling, so she started to yell at her back. The double date night came up during that argument, to which Chaerin brought up Jungkook. She told her that Jungkook and her had been dating for about two months, she had just never really told anyone since she wasn’t sure she liked him.

At first Kiseung was just pissed that she’s had a boyfriend for a long time yet didn’t tell them, but then she started to not believe her. The only way that she would believe her is if she saw them together in person.

The worst part about that night is not even having to introduce Jungkook to her insane friend, but the fact that they’re gonna have to seem like a couple that’s been dating for two months. They all know her really well and know that she wouldn’t just date anyone. She would have to really like them to not only date them, but date them for this long.

God, am I really gonna have to love up on Jungkook? Her thoughts started swarming with what was going to happen if he was able to come tonight. Is he going to have a major problem with that…?

She was scared out of her thoughts as her phone’s ringtone pierced her ears. She looked at the caller ID and took a deep breath when she saw Jungkook’s name… Or more of his gross nickname she realized she was going to have to call him tonight…

“Hey, I can’t believe it, but the meeting was pushed to tomorrow during lunch break. It sucks cause I won’t have a lunch break, but I’ll be able to be there tonight.” his voice came through, and his words were both relieved and nervous at the same time.

“That’s good…” she answered short and simple. Jungkook could tell something was wrong by her tone.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, causing her to shift her position to sit on the edge of her bed.

“You’re going to have to really channel your acting skills in. My friends will know that we’re not a real couple if you don’t help me play it up like we are. I’m even excepting them to want to see as much as us kiss each other…”

Both of them were awkwardly silent as Chaerin cleared her throat to continue, “Well… I don’t necessarily want that, especially since it’ll be really awkward, but just be prepared. At least be expecting a kiss on the cheek…”

“That’s okay,” he seemed to try and shrug it off, “Though if they’d really notice stuff so small, wouldn’t they know if we’ve never kissed? I don’t know when you last kissed a guy, but they might sense your discomfort…”

Chaerin hated to admit it, but he was right, “Yeah… I’m just afraid they won’t be convinced at all without something like that.”

“I wasn’t…” Jungkook felt his face heat up, “I wasn’t meaning that we wouldn’t… uh… do that stuff. I just meant… We might just need to…” he cleared his throat, “...practice.”

Both ends were silent as Chaerin felt her whole body heat up. She hated that she was blushing so hard, but she is just so awkward with guys and anything that has to do with anything other than friendship involving them.

“S-Sorry, that’s probably too much,” Jungkook nervously laughed as he loosened the collar on his button up, “We’ll just need to do our best at acting.”

Chaerin was really regretting what she was about to say before she even said it, “I’ll head over there so we can practice… okay?”

Both ends were painfully silent again as Chaerin felt her insides twist and turn. She hated that she was so nervous and terrified about what he was going to say, but she really couldn’t help it.

“...Okay.” Jungkook found himself nodding. His face was so red that he had to turn up the air conditioning in his car, “I’ll see you there soon…”

“Yeah…” Chaerin said softly as they hung up without a goodbye.

At this point, she wasn’t sure how she was going to get out of the house without someone noticing her blush. To her luck, no one was on in her trail to the front door as she practically rushed out of the apartment.

Oh my God, what am I about to do?

It seemed like the drive was a lot faster than it should have been as Chaerin pulled in front of Jungkook’s house. She glanced at her phone and saw she had three missed calls from Kiseung, so her disappearance didn’t go unnoticed. She simply texted back that she had to help a coworker that Kiseung didn’t know so that she would hopefully stop calling her.

 She took a deep breath and looked at Jungkook’s house. Her eyes trailed from his house to his driveway as she noticed that Jungkook was just now pulling up. She didn’t realize that she had beaten him to his own home, and felt her nerves multiply at the sight of him. He parked near her and got out of his car, waiting for her to do so as well. She reluctantly opened her door and stepped out, shutting it behind her.

 “Hey,” he smiled at her. Both of them were obviously really nervous, yet at the same time they tried to hide it the best they could.

 “Hi,” Chaerin replied as she followed Jungkook up to the front door. She was struggling with her words, but she needed to be as calm as possible. “We only have about an hour and thirty minutes till you’re supposed to be there… so we don’t have much time.”

 Jungkook glanced back at her and then continued walking to the door, “This shouldn’t take too long…”

 I hope so… Chaerin found herself thinking as she took a deep breath. Once they were inside, he led her to his room and excused himself to go change.

 Chaerin watched him walk into his bathroom to change as her face started to heat up. Why right now? They hadn’t even started yet!

 It only took him a few seconds before he was back and just in a simple t-shirt and jeans. “This makes me look normal, right?”

 Chaerin couldn’t help but smile, “You say that like you never look normal.”

 Jungkook’s serious expression broke out into a smile as a few laughs escaped his mouth, “I meant, do I look like I’m not anyone special? Like I’m not insanely rich?”

 “Well with that attitude, anyone could probably figure that out,” Chaerin found herself teasing him as he sighed and just sat down next to her.

 “My attitude is fine!” he defended, but his next action made Chaerin’s mind leave her teasing state. His hand had grabbed hers as he laced his fingers with hers. Her face flushed and her eyes looked down at his hand which felt soft and warm.

 Her eyes looked at their hands as Jungkook gave hers a small squeeze. She looked back up at him and her eyes locked on his.

 “This is only step one… step two is a hug, but I’ll only hug you when you’re ready,” he informed, causing Chaerin to feel even more embarrassed. Why was this so hard for her? She could be a really good actor sometimes, but she was having such a hard time with him being so close to her. She wasn’t that awkward with relationships, was she?

 “I’m ready when you are,” she said as confidently as she could as Jungkook slowly let go of her hand. She turned to him and his arms wrapped around her waist. She was a little surprised at how he was hugging her, but she had to remind herself why they were having to hug in the first place.

 She wrapped her arms around his neck and he pulled her into him. The hug was actually really nice and warm, and she was able to sigh and lean her head into his neck. His scent filled her lungs as she found herself closing her eyes and trying to relax into him. Maybe this was good for them? Maybe this was actually going to make things easier and more convincing than she thought. Maybe this could help her get over her fear of being in a relationship…

 Jungkook noticed that she had relaxed into him and he smiled softly. Her breath was hitting the skin on his neck, but it didn't really bother him. He rested his head on hers as she just sat there with him.

 After a few minutes, Jungkook was afraid that she had fallen asleep. He was about to gently wake her up when she slowly moved her head from where it rested. His eyes locked on hers as she moved away from him a little bit.

 Chaerin could feel her face burning at the situation, but at this point she didn't feel all that flustered. He was actually really nice to cuddle with, and he didn't seem to mind…

 While she was feeling better and more comfortable around him, she started to feel nervous all over again as Jungkook moved closer to her. She knew what was about to come, and she felt herself holding her breath as he grew closer and closer. His lips were now a hair’s breadth away from hers, and she found her eyes moving down to look at his nose.

 It had only just occurred to her that she was about to kiss the son of one of the richest men in South Korea.

 His lips finally touched hers, but neither of them dared to move it any further. Chaerin’s heart beat was drastically increasing at the contact as she forced her eyes closed. It was really awkward at first since neither of them were moving, but eventually Jungkook moved his hand from around her waist to move into her hair. He pulled her a little closer as Chaerin just followed his lead, trying not to do anything wrong. She had only kissed one other boy when she was only 13, and the kiss was a peck on the lips. She had never seriously kissed a guy before, and the last thing she wanted was to do something wrong.

 The kiss wasn't supposed to last long, but after Chaerin was able to catch her breath, Jungkook grabbed her chin and pulled her in to kiss her again. She was really confused and flustered about him pulling her in again, and the kiss deepened a little further as Jungkook leaned further into her.

 The longer their lips were in contact, the weirder Chaerin started to feel. She couldn't tell if she was liking it or not, but that wasn't really the point, was it? The point was to just look like they were in love.

 Jungkook let out a small breath through his nose and pulled away for a second to angle his head the opposite way. Chaerin responded to him by moving her head as well and meeting his lips in another soft kiss.

 Chaerin found herself pulling away slowly after a few more seconds had passed. Her eyes gravitated downward as she was finding it hard to look him in the eye again. He didn't try to say anything to her as he just laid his head on her shoulder.

 “You know…” Jungkook said quietly as he moved his head up from her shoulder to look at her in the eyes. Chaerin tried her best to look him in the eyes and not look as nervous as she really was. She did notice that he had a light blush on his face, which made her relieved that she wasn’t the only one blushing.

 “You’re not a bad kisser,” he finished, causing Chaerin to look away. She was not expecting him to say anything like that. “I just thought you should know since you seemed really nervous.”

 Chaerin was way too nervous to look at him, but she muttered a thank you in his direction. He smiled at her shy reactions since she seemed so outgoing every other time they were together. It was amusing to see her shy side, and he even found it a little cute.

 They sat in a silence that was comfortable for Jungkook, but uncomfortable for Chaerin for a few more seconds before she glanced at her phone. It had only been twenty minutes since she got here! Only twenty minutes! She thought it had been an hour, but she figured that the awkward atmosphere was just messing with her perception of time.

 “Hey, are you okay?” Jungkook asked, trying to look her in the face. She turned her face his way and looked at him for a few seconds before looking away again.

 Why am I all the sudden thinking about how nice he looks right now? Chaerin cried to herself, wanting to change this situation. She didn’t like this, she didn’t like her thoughts, and she didn’t like how good he smelled…

 “God!” she cried out loud, immediately realizing her mistake. Jungkook’s eyebrows raised and his eyes slightly widened at her sudden outburst. She seemed to be in full panic mode, and he could just picture how bad tonight would be for her if he didn’t straighten this out. Instead of making things worse in any way, he slowly grabbed her hand and gave it a light squeeze.

 Her eyes moved to their hands again before slowly moving to look at Jungkook in the eyes for longer than a few seconds. He gave a small smile that helped her calm down a little bit.

 “I know you really want your friends off your back,” he started, looking down at his lap for a few seconds, “and I want this performance to be as convincing as possible. You need to try and push out any negative thoughts and just think about how great it will be when they finally believe that you’re happy with me.”

 Chaerin took a deep breath and nodded, but a little part of her found what he said to be upsetting. She was so confused emotionally, but she knew that now was not the time to focus on something like that. All she needed was to “prove” to them that she was happy with Jungkook.

 Though she decided to push out all her thoughts of how it wouldn’t be bad to actually be with him.

 “You’re right…” she nodded, gaining confidence again. Jungkook smiled and released her hand, only to wrap his arm around her waist and slide her into him. She squealed a little at the sudden action as he just giggled at her little noise. She glared at him, but he just ignored it and leaned in to kiss her.

 The kiss surprised her at first, but she found herself just relaxing into it this time.

 He pulled away slowly and smiled softly at her, making her heart flutter a little bit. She smiled back and laid her head on his shoulder.

 “That was pretty convincing if you ask me,” Jungkook nodded, causing Chaerin to nod with him. “I think we’ll be fine tonight.”

 “Me too,” she agreed, sighing heavily. Despite this not having taken very long, she knew she should probably head back to her apartment.

 “I should probably leave,” Chaerin voiced, “If I’m gone for too long then they’ll probably accuse me of trying to ditch or something.

 “Okay,” Jungkook laughed slightly as Chaerin moved from his side and grabbed all her stuff, “I’ll see you in an hour?”

 “Mhm,” she nodded, heading toward the door, “Make sure you act normal to fit with your ‘normal’ look!”

 Jungkook laughed again and waved in Chaerin’s direction, “I’ll be fine! Drive safe!”

  “Where the h*** did you go?!” Kiseung was steaming when Chaerin got home. Chaerin just sighed and walked past her.

 “I already texted you and told you. You’ve been breathing down my neck too much recently,” she replied back, and Kiseung let out a huff.

 “You two need to just calm down, my God…” Nari sighed, “You’ve both become seriously annoying. Especially you, Kiseung. I can’t believe that you think that Chaerin would fake having a boyfriend.”

 “I’ve caught her lying several times recently, so I just don’t trust anything she says!” Kiseung cried, “She hardly speaks to any of us anymore!”

 “Maybe that’s because you’re always yelling at her…” Hyomin shook her head, “This argument has gone on for way too long. If Chaerin’s boyfriend is real, I want you to apologize to her.”

 Chaerin laughed slightly at Kiseung, but Hyomin was quick to wipe the smile off her face.

 “And you. You have to quit being secretive about this boyfriend. I want to see him over here sometimes and I want you to be open about what’s happening in your relationship with him.”

 Chaerin’s smile faded, but she nodded, “Alright. I don’t know how often he could be over, though. He’s pretty busy with his job.”

 “What is his job exactly?” Nari asked as the rest of the girls looked to Chaerin. She took a deep breath and tried to figure out how she could make it seem like he wasn’t the rich CEO’s son.

 “He works for Shinhwa Group,”(Boys Over Flowers, anyone?) she shrugged, “I don’t know exactly what he does there, though…”

 They all just nodded in response as Chaerin tried to remind herself what she said that was his job. She didn’t lie, but she needed to make sure Jungkook knew that she didn’t lie.

 “Does it pay well?” Kiseung asked as Chaerin raised her eyebrows.

 “I don’t know? I don’t ask him how much he gets paid.” she shrugged, “but I’ve got to get ready. I want to look nice when he shows up soon.”

 Before any of them could even say anything, she rushed to her room and closed the door. Kiseung closed her eyes and sighed.

 “She’s been ‘dating’ him for two months, and all we know about him is his name and that he works somewhere at Shinhwa Group.” she said, feeling seriously frustrated, “That girl is hiding something, and I want to know what it is and why…”

 “I don’t know,” Hyomin shook her head, “She might just really like this guy and didn’t know how to tell us.”

 “No, I doubt it,” Nari shook her head, “I’ve known her since fifth grade, and she’s never acted so defensive when talking to us like this. It really feels like she’s hiding something from us.”

 “Exactly!” Kiseung cried, “I just want to have the normal, less frustrating Chaerin back.”

 “Same here…” Hyomin agreed, “But you’re at fault, too. You need to lighten up on her a little. Being really harsh with her hasn’t gotten you anywhere.”

 Kiseung nodded slowly, “I know… just really want to know what she’s hiding and why she’s hiding it.” Her eyes trailed in the direction that Chaerin had run off in as she looked at the clock. Hopefully she’ll figure some of this out when he’s over.

  Jungkook texted Chaerin when he had arrived to the building, and she had replied to him what their apartment number was soon after. She was waiting nervously by the door for him to show up as Kiseung and watched from a distance.

 There was a knock on the door as Chaerin hurried to open it. Jungkook smiled as he came into her view, and she smiled back. She gestured for him to come in, and as he passed her, he placed a soft kiss on her cheek.

 A blush started to creep on her face, but she tried her best to contain it as she closed the door. Kiseung, Nari, and Hyomin were all waiting patiently in the livingroom for the two of them to walk in, and all three gave friendly smiles and waves to Jungkook. He smiled back and waved, slightly bowing as well.

 “Annyeonghaseyo, I’m Jeon Jungkook. It’s nice to meet you three. I’ve heard a good bit about you.” he smiled as Kiseung sent a glare in Chaerin’s direction.

 “All good, I hope?” she asked, her eyes not leaving Chaerin’s direction. Chaerin pretended that she didn’t notice as she just kept looking Jungkook’s way.

 “Mostly,” he laughed, grabbing Chaerin’s hand and lacing his fingers with hers. She moved closer to him at this action as the rest of her friends didn’t know what to think.

 “Well,” Hyomin nervously laughed, “It’s nice to meet you, Jungkook-ssi. I’m Jung Hyomin.”

 “I’m Cho Nari,” Nari smiled, “I wish I could say I had heard of you before now.”

 Jungkook just laughed at her comment as his gaze moved to Kiseung. She was looking at Jungkook with unsure eyes as she crossed her arms. “How old are you?”

 “22,” Jungkook answered shortly, figuring that a string of questions was about to flow from her mouth.

 “Where were you born?”

 “Busan.”

 “Do you get paid well?”

 Jungkook laughed slightly, “I believe I do.”

 “How long have you known Chaerin?”

 He had to think about it for a few seconds before answering. He knew that they knew they had been ‘dating’ for one month, but he wasn’t sure what she had told them. He tried to be as vague as possible with his answer. “I’ve known her due to going to the coffee shop a good bit. I don’t remember when exactly, but we started talking and eventually I asked her on a date.”

 Kiseung seemed to be fine with that answer as she just moved on, “Hobby?”

 “Singing and photography,” he answered, which actually surprised Chaerin. He didn’t ever say anything about singing to her, and she’s never heard him sing a note. She wasn’t sure if it was just a lie, or if he was being serious.

 “Birthday?”

 “September 1st.”

 “How many dates have you been on with her?”

 “I don’t know, I’ve lost count.”

 “Was Chaerin a touch-me-not with you ever?”

 “When we first started dating she seemed to have issues with the small things, but I helped her get over some of those pretty quickly.”

 “Have you two kissed?”

 “Okay, isn’t that enough?” Hyomin nervously laughed as Kiseung sighed and reluctantly nodded.

 “Sure. But don’t think I won’t be asking questions again later.” she replied, sitting on one of the couches. “Hyomin’s been making some desserts, but we don’t have any real food. I hope that’s okay.”

 “That’s fine with me,” Jungkook nodded and smiled. Chaerin started to pull him to sit down on the bigger of the two living room couches. She cuddled into him a little bit, but not too much.

 The night didn’t seem as bad as Chaerin thought it would be as Kiseung just kept firing questions at Jungkook and he just fired back good answers. She was actually starting to get kind of bored and was falling asleep against his side. She found her eyes closing slowly, and Jungkook and Kiseung’s voices seemed to fade away as she fell into deeper and deeper sleep.

 It wasn’t until she heard one question that she felt wide awake. She didn’t move, but she was listening very carefully to what Jungkook was about to say.

 “Do I love her?” he asked back, “Well of course I do… When she’s sad, I’m sad. When she’s happy, I’m happy. I try and be there for her whenever she needs me, and I’m ready to support her in everything she does. She is my angel, and I couldn’t ask for someone better than her… words can’t even explain how I feel about her.”

 Chaerin knew that the confession was fake and full of bullcrap, but her face was burning really badly. What he said wasn’t anything unique or never heard before, but having someone say that about her felt unreal. It gave her a funny feeling in her chest, and she wasn’t sure how she felt about it.

 Kiseung smiled softly at his answer, “I’m sorry I was so hard on you earlier… She’s just been so suspicious lately, and I thought that she was lying about having a boyfriend.”

 Jungkook placed a soft kiss on Chaerin’s head and then took a deep breath, “It’s fine. I understand why you would feel that way. I’m just glad you know I’m real and that you don’t hate me.”

 Kiseung laughed and shook her head, “No, you’re really sweet… I think it’s amazing that someone as sweet as you ended up with Chaerin… She’s really bad about friendzoning guys really quickly, and it’s nice to know that you got to her heart through being nice to her.”

 “Well shouldn’t that be everyone’s strategy to get a girl?” he asked, to which Kiseung nodded.

 “Of course it is… It just feels like guys think that if they’re a douche or just cause they’re good looking that they could just pick up girls to follow them around… It’s disgusting, really.” Kiseung rambled, looking from Jungkook to Chaerin, “Though you’re really good looking and you have a kind heart. It’s like she hit the jackpot, since I hardly see anyone like that anymore.”

 “Thank you, but I don’t think I’m that much better than anyone else. Everyone has their flaws, mine just aren’t in that area,” he answered, causing Kiseung to shift her position in her seat. She looked at Chaerin’s sleeping face and smiled softly.

 “I’m just glad she found a good guy,” Kiseung looked at Jungkook again, “I hope you stay in her life, Jungkook. I really do.”

 He smiled back and pulled Chaerin a little closer. She was stirring in her sleep and seemed uncomfortable, so he found himself pulling her to almost sit in his lap. She had opened her eyes slightly, and Jungkook told her to continue napping if she really needed it. He gave her a soft peck on the lips as she smiled and cuddled up to him even more than before.

 Kiseung excused herself to the kitchen as she walked out and spotted Nari and Hyomin just sitting at the kitchen bar, eating brownies and looking at their phones.

 “I hope Chaerin keeps him,” Kiseung got their attention as they looked up from their phones, “I really hope he doesn't break her heart.”

Omg things are actually starting to happen now~ Thank you for reading!

⇨ Masterlist ⇦

-Admin Jinnie

[holdenmgrudges]

Chapter 1 - Newbsies

Hello, tumblrinas and tumblrones, it is I, Holden M. Grudges. Today I am venturing into the world of Alternate Universe Fanfiction. The fandom being Newsies. The reason for this is my recent obsession with the live musical and reading other AU fics. So I give you the first chapter in my new project, which I will hopefully finish this time. This AU is set in a high school where David and his twin sister Sarah (from the 1992 movie) are new students. Ships include but are not limited to: Javid, Newsbians, Sprace and even some Jackcrutchie (why wasn't this ship named Crack?). So go ahead and click the read more if you're interested. I'm gonna try to make this a weekly thing, but I make no promises. Also, it's my birthday so hbd to me. A really great gift would be an invitation to AO3 so I can post this on there, but I assume any readers I can get will also be on Tumblr. Anyway, enjoy, and thank you for reading.

Or read on AO3 if you prefer.

David Jacobs didn’t like this. But it wasn’t like he had a choice. His parents had made the decision to move for better paying jobs. “We need the money,” they said. “You’ll be going to college soon.” Truth was, David didn’t even know if he wanted to go to college. Sure, he was the studious type, and his face was usually hidden behind a book, but it was mostly to make his parents proud. It was hardly for fun. Although it did give him a good reason to decline invitations to parties and other social gatherings he didn’t want to attend.

Except David did want to attend. He just felt very awkward around people. He didn’t have many friends before he moved, and the ones he did weren’t close. He’d never felt like he belonged, and now that they’d moved, he knew he’d belong even less. Starting over was one thing. Starting over when you felt like you hadn’t even started at your last town was the worst.

So no, David didn’t like this. He straight up hated it. It was his first day of school, and he wasn’t looking forward to any of it. His head filled with thoughts of everything bad that could happen. Like his locker not opening. Or getting lost and being late to class, where everyone would stare at him as he came in. Walking down the lunch tables, trying to pick where to sit while everyone spread out so he wouldn’t sit with them.

“It’s all in your head,” his twin sister, Sarah, said to him. “Just relax. You’ll be fine.” David tried, but he just kept thinking too much. He knew it was easy for Sarah. She just had to walk through the hallways and catch someone’s eye. She wasn’t the most popular girl, but she was very beautiful and that made her popular with the boys. Though as far as David knew, she’d never gone out with any of them. He figured it was because his parents were so overprotective of her, but Sarah had other reasons.

Sarah Jacobs was okay with this. She embraced change. Especially when everything in her hometown bored her. The boys, the girls, the monotonousness. This new town wasn’t any bigger, but it was definitely more diverse. And it was new, which was the important part. Unlike David, Sarah had big dreams for college. She knew she wanted out of the small town life. “You keep your big life in a small town,” she’d tell her friends. “Give me a small life in the big city.” Where she wanted to go, she didn’t know. She just knew she wanted to get out.

Luckily, their new town was sort of an in-between. It was more of a big town or a small city. Not exactly where Sarah wanted to end up, but fine for right now. At least it was a step in the right direction. In two years time she’d kiss goodbye to this town and move on to bigger and better things.

So yes, Sarah was okay with this. She thought that maybe she’d get less attention. She was known for being a party girl, though she didn’t much like to party. She just knew there was nothing else to do. So she put on this charismatic persona while deep inside, she just wanted to not be noticed.

So on her first day of school, she walked down the hall with David, a bright smile on her face, not staring at anyone in particular. As they reached the main office, a girl came out of the principal’s office looking frustrated. Sarah noticed her brown curls and thought she was pretty. And then she looked into the girl’s brown eyes and saw her staring back. The girl looked embarrassed and then quickly rushed past into the hallway.

For a second, Sarah thought of following her, but she was brought back to reality by David, who was trying to get her attention. “Sarah, are you gonna ask?”

It took her a second to remember what they were doing there, and she rolled her eyes as she did. She walked over to the main desk where a woman wearing glasses looked up at her. A plaque on the desk read Miss Hannah. “Hi,” Sarah said. “I was wondering if we could have a couple of maps of the school? We’re new.” She wouldn’t have asked if not for David and his fear of getting lost on the first day. Miss Hannah gave them each a map, and off they went to homeroom, which they had together.

The day didn’t go as bad as David thought. But it also wasn’t perfect.

During PE class, they had to do a lap around the school track and he fell a bit behind. Although they were only required to do one lap, one of his other classmates showed off and did an extra lap, telling David to “keep up, kid,” as he passed him by. David couldn’t help but be a little offended, especially since the guy looked younger than him.

Then, between classes, he accidentally bumped into a group of students. They looked like they were bodyguarding the guy in the middle. He was shorter than the rest, but had massive arms, and gave David a look that could kill. David quickly apologized and he could swear he heard some of the guys growl. The guy in the middle nodded at him before leading the rest of the group away.

At lunch, he didn’t bother finding a table to sit at. Instead, he chose a bench and listened to music on his phone. He looked around, wishing someone, anyone, would walk up and talk to him. But no one did.

After lunch, he had art class. David wasn’t an artist, but it was a required class and he figured art was an elective where he didn’t have to talk to anyone. The teacher taught them some basics on vanishing points and asked them to start on a drawing that would become one of their big projects.

David had an idea to sketch his home town, or as close as he could get it to look like his home town, hoping no one was looking at his bad drawing. Of course, he couldn’t help but glance at other people’s work to see what they were drawing.

Sitting next to him was a boy who looked older and tougher. Not the type of guy he’d expect in an art class. When he looked at the guy’s artwork, however, David was amazed. The guy wasn’t drawing anything with a vanishing point. He was drawing a portrait of a pretty girl with curls. It seemed to be out of memory, as there wasn’t any reference picture near him. David couldn’t help but stare a little too long. Long enough for the guy to notice. “You know I’m not doing the same assignment, right?” the guy asked.

David was caught off guard, forgetting how to speak for a second. “Oh uh…”

“I’m one of the advance students,” the guy continued. “I did your assignment two years ago. Probably still have it somewhere. I could show you if you’d like.”

This guy was being so friendly and David didn’t know what to do except give him a quick smile. “Uh, no thanks. I think I’d rather handle this on my own.” He wanted to tell him that seeing the guy’s artwork would only make him think his own was horrible in comparison.

“Fair enough, but if you want my help, I’m Jack.”

“I’m Dave.” No, wait. “David.”

“Dave or David? I don’t wanna call you by the wrong name, now.”

David couldn’t help but think that Dave did sound cooler than David, so why not make it his official nickname? “Dave…” Or did that sound like he was trying too hard to be cool? “...Id.”

“Dave...id?” Jack looked as confused as David seemed, but he shrugged it off and went back to his drawing. “I’ll call you Davey, if that’s cool.”

Was the name Davey cool? It sounded cool when it was coming from Jack. And yet, David couldn’t help but think that Jack found him weird now. “Yeah, that’s cool.” Jack gave him a smile between pencil strokes. The guy was trying hard to be friendly, the least David could do was be friendly back. “And so is your drawing. It’s...amazing.”

“Thanks,” Jack said, laughing a little. “I’ll be glad when it’s done. She’s my ex so it’s kinda weird I’m still drawing her. We were together when I started it, and then we broke up and I got stuck having to finish this project…”

“I’m sorry,” David said, feeling like he created some kind of awkward conversation.

“Nah, it’s fine,” Jack said, going back to the drawing. “There’s plenty of fish in the sea for me. But I’ll probably give her the drawing when I’m done with it. As like a peace offering or something. Make things less awkward when we see each other.” There was a slight pause before Jack seemed to remember something. “Speaking of,” he said, reaching into his backpack and pulling out a flyer. “If you’re an ally or even part of the community, we always welcome new members.” He handed David the flyer, which read, LGBTQ+ Club.

David’s eyes widened a bit, both surprised and excited that this school had a club like this. There wasn’t one at his old school, and when he asked Sarah to start one, she refused because she knew he wouldn’t attend.

“Something wrong?” Jack asked.

“No, no...This is really awesome,” David answered, finally finding his voice.

“Glad you think so. Not everyone does,” Jack said with a slight scowl. “So will we see you there? We meet during lunch on Wednesdays. No need to wear pink.”

David laughed at the joke and then nodded. “Yeah, count me in.” And for once, David actually intended on going.

The rest of the class went by pretty fast. Jack and Davey mostly focused on their work, while now and again Jack asked him about his interests. Music, movies, tv, etc. David tried to keep his answers short enough so as not to go off on a rant, yet long enough to keep Jack interested. He knew it was only their first day meeting, and class wasn’t even an hour long, but David sensed that this could actually turn into a real friendship.

Sarah’s day had gone well too, though for some reason she couldn’t get the girl from the main office out of her mind. The girl had looked so troubled and Sarah was stuck wondering what the problem was. But everywhere she looked, she couldn’t find her. She tried focusing on her classes to get her mind off the girl. Of course, as soon as the bell ran and she was back out in the hallway, she was back at it.

Unluckily, a couple of boys, who looked like they could be brothers, started hitting on Sarah in the hallway. She tried to ignore them but they followed her to her last class, biology, stepping in front of the doorway before she could get in. This was the one thing boys did that she would never get used to. She was about to yell at the two boys until another boy interrupted.

“Really, Delancys? You think stopping the poor girl from getting to class is gonna make her wanna follow you home? Get outta the way.” The Delancys stared at the boy for a second, but moved when he made a threatening movement toward them. Sarah rolled her eyes at the boys and walked into the classroom.

As she took her seat, the boy followed and sat behind her. “You’re not even gonna say thanks?” he asked.

Sarah turned to stare at him and smiled. “Sorry, I forgot. Thanks for the help. Though, I probably could’ve handled them.”

“Those are the Delancys. Maybe on their own they can be handled, but together you never know what they can do.”

“I’ll keep that in mind if they try to pick me up with cheesy lines again,” she said with a laugh.

“You saying cheesy pickup lines are harmless?”

“I’m saying no one actually falls for them. And the only boys that use them are the ones that know they’re gonna get shot down.”

“So you’re saying that if I came up to you and said...Roses are red, violets are blue, there’s nothing in the world more prettier than you...I’d be asking to get shot down?”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying,” Sarah said with a laugh.

“Well, what I’m saying is that there’ve been assault rumors about them. So a simple rejection might not be enough.”

“Gotcha,” she replied, rethinking her opinions on this boy. “Thank you, sincerely.” She paused, considering telling him her name. After a second, she decided to do so. “I’m Sarah.”

“Jack,” the boy said. They smiled at each other before Sarah turned around to pay attention to the teacher.

A while later, they had to get in pairs, and Jack tapped on Sarah’s shoulder. She turned to him and with a mischievous smile he spoke. “We have great chemistry, let’s do some biology.”

Sarah couldn’t help but laugh and look embarrassed at the fact that she did. Jack raised his eyebrow, waiting for her to respond. Finally, she nodded and replied, “All right, I’ll be your partner, Jack.”

For the rest of class, Jack tried to get Sarah to laugh at some other pickup lines, while she tried to get him to focus on their schoolwork. Still, she thought he was fun and even though she just met him, she could see herself going out on a date with him.

After school, Jack Kelly practically skipped to his motorcycle, leaning on it while he waited for his best friend to get there. He was feeling a type of way. The same way he’d felt when he’d first met Katherine Plumber, the first time he’d met Racetrack Higgins, and probably even the first time he’d met Spot Conlon, though he couldn’t be sure as that was a long time ago. But he knew the feeling and it brought him joy to feel that way again. His head was so far up in the clouds, he didn’t hear the hobble of a boot and a crutch behind him.

“Hey, Jack…” he heard a voice say.

“Hmm…” Jack mumbled, still not fully paying attention.

“Jaaaaaa-ack!” the voice sang loudly, snapping him out of it.

Jack turned to see Crutchie standing there looking a bit worried.

“Uh-oh. It’s happening again, isn’t it?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Jack replied, mounting the motorcycle.

Crutchie rolled his eyes and got on the motorcycle, behind him. “Sure, sure...pretend like you don’t know what I mean.” He and Jack put their helmets on and then Crutchie turned his crutch sideways, slipping it under Jack’s arm, but holding onto it so that Jack could drive safely. He wrapped his free arm around Jack’s abdomen and held on tightly. Jack then started the bike. They were so used to doing this, it was second nature.

When they got home, they took the elevator up to the top floor, where they lived. They usually parted ways, but on several occasions, like when one of them needed to talk, they’d go up to the roof. It was one of those days.

“Alright,” Jack started. “I think I do know what you’re talking about.”

Crutchie lifted an eyebrow and then gave Jack a big smile. He didn’t say another word, but headed up the stairs that led to the roof. The first few times, he’d needed help doing this, but after practicing a lot on his own, going up the stairs was pretty easy. He remembered Jack’s impressed face the first time he’d gone up by himself and strived to get that reaction out of him all the time.

They sat down on a couple of deck chairs once they got to the rooftop, Jack a bit flustered, trying to come up with the words to tell Crutchie. He didn’t know why he didn’t want to tell him. Crutchie had been there for more serious talks. He’d also been there for the talks about Katherine and Racetrack. It was nothing new, and yet it was. Every time felt like it was new.

“So, tell me about this person you’ve met,” Crutchie started, having heard this story many times, and expecting to hear it many more.

“Crutchie…” Jack thought maybe he was embarrassed because he’d had this conversation so many times. But what was one more? “I’ve met someone.”

“Yes, we’ve established that.” Crutchie just wanted to know how similar or different this person was to the last.

“I just...I don’t know if it’ll go anywhere but...this person…is beautiful. And funny.”

“What’s their name?”

“It doesn’t matter.” And then Jack realized why he didn’t want to say anything. Yes, it was because it was a familiar conversation. Every time he started crushing on someone, he knew it would only be a matter of time before things ended badly. Like with Katherine. He missed her, but knew it wouldn’t work out. And with Racetrack. He could have fallen for him, but it wasn’t meant to be. And with Spot...Well, that was never going to go well. “Nothing can happen.”

Crutchie looked up in surprise, wondering if Jack was finally starting to mature and realize he didn’t have to date everyone he crossed paths with. “Why not?”

“Because I ruin everything. I’m a relationship ruiner.”

“You haven’t ruined ours,” Crutchie suggested, turning away when he realized what he’d said.

“No, I’m talking about relationships, not friendships. You know I have loads of friends. You and me...we’re like brothers. I love you in a different way.”

Crutchie gave Jack a smile and hugged him, though on the inside he felt his heart break a little. But that was also nothing new.

Jack wrapped his arm around Crutchie, leaning his head on the other boy’s. “I think it’s time I just take a break from dating and...focus on just being friends. It’s worked with Race and I can see it working with Katherine...You know, once she forgives me.”

“I think that sounds like a great idea,” Crutchie stated. “Focus on you. If you can’t love yourself, how in the hell are you gonna love somebody else?”

“Amen,” Jack said, his thoughts still on the special someone he had met that day.

[noxrynne]

i dont really have the highest hopes for making the goal i had for school odds are i fail a class, do poorly in another or two, and maybe get by decently in one of them i really regret doing online courses since it always goes back to “oh i missed that because it wasn’t posted,” “oh the professors don’t use the news alert system when new stuff is added with a concise explanation of what I need to do in that post blurb that’s 3500 words of bs,” “oh i didnt realize this awkward and uncomfortable ‘post your personal assignments here that are about yourself so a bunch of strangers can also read and criticize it’ was required,” “the syllabus is written out of order, it’s messy and has a bunch of color code usage that’s never explained and makes reading it harder and, oh, they want me to print it out too bad i dont have a fucking printer and looking at it makes me want to throw up since it’s literally just everything put up on a page and i just start panicking because its so much stuff and it immediately overwhelms me” i also fuckin hate the professors who’ll say like “if you’re here just to get a degree you’re in the wrong place” b/c it’s like college costs a lot of fuckin money and you can bet your ass the only reason im here is to get a degree so i can eventually have a job that lets me be financially stable. trying to say “oh it’s just for funtime education” is bullshit when it costs what it does and isn’t even accessible to everyone from the get-go. i could learn the exact same shit for free from a fucking library and the internet, and talk to people i know if i have questions about material. but that doesn’t give me the piece of paper i need. idk i wish there was more of a “oh i can go do this and be fine financially” rather than needing to spend years in a university because i really hate it. i *wish* i hadn’t fucked up before and been as suicidal and couldve got through it *before* its used as a “yea we can’t have you here cuz you dropped out in the past” *even when* it’s an associated school with the one i *did* drop out of and they told me they *would* re-accept me when i was healthier. no im not a great student. i get overwhelmed really easily, i stress out over everything too much, i break down if i miss one assignment. i dont do well on the shit i actually try really hard at. i dont participate in class because it’s a terrifying experience to be called a fucking “idiot” again by a professor (ty philosopher dickhead at uwgb im gonna fucking punch you if i ever see you) i *forget* about assignments a *lot* and *yes* that’s a *my* problem thing but it’s something so extremely difficult to work around without having someone telling me about it, or just having a visible schedule written down about what’s due on a front page that always pops up. which i mean yeah it’s extra work i guess for the professor to just copy paste some info that’d really help me out, and no i dont have this issue as much in a traditional school b/c i actually *go* to the classes to sit in and be reminded through that. and yea im probly gonna fail out unless the other university sighs and says “well she did try and it was online” and ngl i probably would be *fine* in a regular classroom oriented thing *now* it’s more organized and there’s a schedule i can keep to and get into and when i get *into* a schedule i stick to it 100% b/c i derive a sense of security, existence and safety from having schedules. but if i fail out and they dont sigh and say “okay” then im kinda fucked. i mean, i could probably attempt to get through another year there and maybe go to the actual school instead of the online bullshit and *maybe* then i’d actually meet the reqs. but idk if that offer is gonna stand after this year. and idk im just back to feeling really fucking hopeless and empty. i mean ive been feeling this way all this month. i feel like nothings fucking worth it because i feel like i just cant do it. and that ultimately im gonna end up fucked. and i *know* im 90% of the problem. i *know* my thinking of “what’s the point” is screwing me over. i *know* accidentally falling asleep an staying asleep for a whole day is a fucking issue. i *know* i shouldnt forget important shit i need to do. i *know* i should participate no matter how fucking uncomfortable and frightened it makes me. but it feels fucking *impossible* to work with 0 energy. it feels terrifying to be asked “write an introspective piece about yourself and reflect on the events of your life that made you who you are today” BECAUSE i dont talk about THAT STUFF to people I DONT KNOW i *BARELY* covered those topics in *therapy* because of how uncomfortable they make me. and I DONT need a bunch of strangers in a class knowing the shit that happened to me. and fuck i feel like the entire idea behind the writing assignment was “oh this’ll be fun haha” but it’s like... remembering *most of the shit hat directly impacted how i am today* is one of the most fucking difficult things for me to do, especially publicly. i *regret* online schooling. i didnt realize how much i dont work with it until i thought about it this year. i get overwhelmed. i get stressed. i get depressed. i get suicidal. i get hopeless. i feel useless. i didnt realize i *need* to actually *go* to a class because it helps with the isolation i put myself in. because i straight up actually understand shit when someone is actually explaining it to me and not just handing me a textbook and saying “read it that’s it that’s the entire class, but oh, write an informed paper structured off what you read and if you dont understand the material well go fuck yourself i guess.” and in actually *going* there to a physical room it becomes easier to do things like homework and assignments *because i can walk over to the library*. what *really* shit on my previous school ability was like i was overwhelmed (we *just* moved to a *completely* different state and environment, i *just* had a series of panic attacks in italy b/c i thought i could handle it on my own) and the first school didn’t have a/c and it was fucking 101 outside every day and i dont do well in heat, and by that, i mean i hyperventilate, i get dizzy, i get lightheaded, i get emotional and frightened and stressed and cant sleep. the professor who asked if we read the chapter (I DID) and then pointed at me to explain what i read (I DIDNT FUCKING UNDERSTAND IT), and when i finished he just laughed and told me to sit down and pretty much called me an idiot in front of everyone and i started crying. (i also got a 0 so i failed the reading since he didnt believe i read it). at *that* school there were no therapy or counseling or offers like that. the art building made me cry and feel unsafe (i couldnt control it), having to walk *all* the way back to my dorm building at 12AM b/c that’s when my one class ended was *terrifying* then in a different school it was just i had a class that made me physically uncomfortable to be in. i *hated* being in the freshman course for feminism so much. not b/c i hate the material, but i felt so “other” and uncomfortable b/c im a trans woman being asked about my male perspective on shit and i just. i remember leaving because i just felt upset and depressed and i couldn’t get over the really bad dysphoria i kept having in that class (the professor there was the reason i went to counseling on campus, she’s the one who referred me to it in the first place). on top of that, the dorm i was told id be getting was a fucking lie. i was supposed to have one or 0 roommates. i got 5 roommates. beds didn’t fit me b/c of my height (i slept with the back of my feet on an iron bar). the food was straight fucking garbage. one of my roommates just randomly touched me all the time. hugged me, put arms around my neck, *kissed my cheek*. another was always drunk and loud. another talked about making bombs incessantly. one of them seemed actually concerned about me and he came in once or twice when i was face down on my bed just not moving b/c of therapy sessions and talked to me once or twice to make sure i was still alive. friday mornings in winter id be up at 5AM, trying to get ready without waking any of the 5 other people, then walk outside with no access to breakfast/coffee/anything (b/c too early) to get to a class across and off the campus i had to walk to (and when snow was present my feet were numb b/c of all the water that got into my shoes). and then there was the legit getting 4 hours of sleep if that a week. eating basically nothing. extremely suicidal and getting to the point where i was having days where i legitimately could not discern what was real and wasn’t. and then i left ‘cuz my other option was to be hospitalized. from there its just been attempts at online schools. which i already tiraded about above. i mean fuck id be happy if i *could* just go work in retail and make a decent wage and not have to work every waking hour of my life to make it work. like. i *wish* i was lucky enough to be one of those “i had no degree but x really liked my resume” stories i always read about. i *wish* writing and publishing a book was considered and *was* a viable career option without needing to get really fucking lucky. im passionate about writing fiction, but in order to do that professionally, i need a 4 year degree from an institution. i can technically publish something, but if no one ever hears about it or cares, then it doesn’t become a job to have and it does little else. and then there’s also just a lot of irl shit i keep worrying about and dwelling on and nearly making some really fucked up or stupid decisions in the interim. and idk i just i wish i was one of those ppl who felt like they had a future and aren’t likely to die before age 25. or one of those people who just *does* something and it works out and they get to exist.

[junioradventure]

[FANACCT] IMFACT- Tension Up Fansign+Fanmeeting (IMFACTORY) 170521- PLUS tips for these events! (Fanboy)

Hi everyone~ I’m here to share my amazing experience at IMFACT’s Fansign + Fanmeeting Event! If you were looking for reasons to stan IMFACT, I’m here to help you. Simply put, IMFACT treats their fans very well, and especially care for their international fans, as they want to have many opportunities to perform in all the countries around the world. 

I love this concept; it’s so bright, vivid, and screams energetic!

TIME TO START THE FANACCOUNT! Information about this event: - IMFACT has not had an actual fansign event in Korea for a really long time, probably since “Feel So Good” era. They had a CD signing event in Japan not too long ago, but they said it was not the same as a real fansign event. So this was a special event prepared for fans, and doubled as a fanmeeting (involves live performances). - The event participation was carried out first-come first-serve to 120 people. - To apply for this event, the process was different from the traditional fansign process. Instead of buying an album on-site or online, two requirements had to be fulfilled: * We had to send Star Empire Ent. an email with the appropriate information (name, account number, Daum fancafe ID, etc.) before the deadline * We had to send the money (20,000 won) through an account transfer at the appropriate time slot. In this case, when it hit 8pm on the day the payment period started, we could proceed with the account transfer. Because of this, having a Korean bank account was extremely helpful and made the process much easier.  - The staff provided the CD on-site, which made sense because we had to do an account transfer instead of the usual process. The CD had no wrapper and might be a special edition for this event. Nothing seems different about this album than a normal one, except the fact that it seemed like it was opened (plus there was no photocard, idk if the actual album has one or not). I transferred my money right when it struck 8 and played the waiting game. After worrying about getting in, I finally found out that I had gotten in... Thank goodness. I was waiting for a chance to meet them since “In the Club” came out. ON THE DAY OF... Okay. So the event would start at around 2pm according to the post on the fancafe. I woke up at 10ish and left right before noon. The event was held at a Catholic Youth Center (of all places) in Hongdae. I knew Hongdae somewhat but not the exact whereabouts of this site, so I wanted to leave earlier just in case I wandered too much. It turns out, the location was very easy to find, so I grabbed a bite at the convenience store and then went to the Youth Center. I had to say, at first when everyone was lining up, things were a bit confusing. We were told to go down to the lobby floor (accessible by staircase) to check-in. Apparently, the staff were calling us in by numerical order, but on the fancafe post with the official list of participants, there weren’t any numbers by our names. Instead, we had to manually count down the list of people to find our number, and we would tell that to the staff. That must have been a bit annoying for the people who were farther down the list, especially in the 100′s. Luckily, I was only number 40. The order of our names was actually our seat order. That means I was in seat 40. The staff called us in by groups of 5-10. I confirmed my identity with only an ID needed to prove it. Once I was verified, the staff gave me a piece of paper with my seat number and a bottle of sparkling water (how thoughtful!) Then it was waiting time again.

Don’t lose any piece of paper, especially one with your seat number, given to you by staff at the event. They also gave us a complementary sticky note where we write our name. We would stick this on the inside of our albums, opposite of the photo pages for the members’ reference when they sign your album.  I brought extra sticky notes to mark where each member would sign. You should always bring spare notes because you can use this chance to ask the members a question or write a lovely note for them. Note: Some groups do not allow questions, so always follow the rules and read the information carefully on fancafe updates. After a bit more waiting, we could go in! I should probably get started on the actual event and the members. OK! We were waiting when all of a sudden, THE LIGHTS JUST DIMMED AND TURNED OFF. LIKE WHAT THE. The room was silent until “Please Be My First Love” CAME ON AND IMFACT WALKED ONSTAGE, SINGING IT LIVE! My heart died for a little instant, as my brain struggled to comprehend and process what was happening. Everyone seemed to be shook because there was not a single noise from the audience when IMFACT began singing. That was such a nice surprise and ahhhh I just love that song so much. Listen and love it lots.

After that impromptu performance, the boys sat at the table for the start of the fansigning. They greeted us and said a few words, thanking us for coming to this long-awaited event. Jian tried to add some things, but he kinda hesitated and seemed so cutely awkward like awww it’s okay, you’re so precious!!  ONE RANDOM CUTE NOTE: The members commented about how many people came to this event, specially international fans (there was a handful of English-speaking fans there, and a lot of Japanese fans ((yay!))) BUT SANG ACTUALLY ANNOUNCED, “There’s a male fan here too!” AND THAT WAS ME Y’ALL. I WAS THE ONLY MALE FAN THERE AND AHHH I FELT SO SPECIAL. I waved like crazy when Sang said that, and some fans laughed. Taeho and Jian seemed pleasantly amused at this. Soon, the fansigning portion officially began. Let’s move on to individual member interactions I had~ (warning: FEELS AHEAD!!) The order was like this: Jeup→Ungjae(bias!!)→Sang→Taeho→Jian HANDSOME MAIN VOCAL, PARK JEUP ★ Jeup was so friendly and talkative!! Even though my Korean isn’t perfect, we talked the whole time. What really makes me appreciate a group is when they take into consideration your level of Korean if you’re an international fan. Some groups (not going to name names) make the situation awkward for international fans because of the language barrier. I’m not bashing these groups just for that reason, but it still is disappointing when you want to be open and flexible to your diverse fanbase, wherever they may be from. What I mean is, I had an experience with an idol group or two where members did not talk to me much, in English nor Korean, even when I was trying my hardest to speak in Korean. Thankfully, Jeup complimented my Korean skills. Anyway, he asked when I became a fan of them. I told him ever since “Feel So Good” era, and that I especially liked that track. I asked him, what was his favorite song, and he first replied, “Tension Up”, but also added, “In the Club” and “Please Be My First Love”. I agreed, saying that the trio of songs were all great. I commented that I especially think of PBMFL as 강추 (strong recommendation). Jeup burst out in laughter and complimented me again, saying that I even knew slang like “강추".  He also asked where I came from, which is like a customary question we international fans get from idols. I told him America, specifically Hawaii, and pointed at the post-it note for him.

Translation- Q:This isn’t a question, but please come to Hawaii! A: All right. We’ll definitely go. (YAAAAAAAAAAAS PLEASE COME AND VACATION IN HAWAII!!) Jeup looked at the note and actually said he really wants to visit Hawaii. I advertised the islands to him, saying that the weather is nice, the sceneries are great, and he added, “the beaches are good too”. So, he expressed that he wants to take all of the members there to have fun. Please do, we’ll welcome you warmly~ Finally, I told him his hairstyle was really nice today. It was spiked up and it really suited him! He thanked me, and I asked what he personally thought of it. J: I like it. Styling the hair upward is very masculine. Me: Right, I agree. Do you prefer having your hair styled up or bangs down? J: *thinks for a bit* I think both is good, but now, having your hair styled up is rather cool now. So I personally like it this way. Me: Yeah! Especially since nowadays it’s quite hot, right? J: Right! Then I told him I’d continue supporting IMFACT in the future. Such a cool guy~ Gonna hold you to your words, Jeup. See you guys in Hawaii. A hui ho! BOYFRIEND MATERIAL/GENIUS LYRICIST/SHY CUTIE BIAS, NA UNGJAE!! ❤ Okay, I’m already dying of feels again and I haven’t even told you guys my interaction. So I can’t believe I was actually meeting Ungjae. I spazzed about him so much recently before and I had so many feels, but it’s always so different when you meet idols in real life. I told him I’m from Hawaii, like I always do.  U: Hawaii? Wow. Me: Am I the first fan from Hawaii? U: *kind of confused* Sorry? Me: Am I the first fan from Hawaii that you’ve met? U: Ah, yes *laughs* Me: *proud* U: And you’ve come all the way to Korea. Me: Yeah, I’m actually an exchange student. U: Wow, really? *impressed* You’re really good at Korean. Me: Ah, thank you. I still got a long way to go. But I’ve been in Korea for around 9 months.  And, since this was a golden opportunity, thanks to my friend’s suggestion, I decided to just wing it and see what would happen if I wrote my bias a cute joking question.

Translation: Ungjae-yah, I like you the best ㅎㅎ Wanna go shopping together later? (I’m older so I’m using banmal/informal language) Bottom right corner of signature: Thank you!! I WAS SO SHY WHEN HE KEPT LOOKING AT THE NOTE, I WAS LIKE OMG OKAY MAYBE I SHOULDN’T HAVE WRITTEN IT, WHAT IF HE REPLIES NEGATIVELY?! But that was just my panic mode. Most idols with a good heart would play along! But since this was the first time I met my bias face to face, I was slightly worried what he would think. This is how the convo basically went: U:  Ah, shopping? *curious* Me: Yeah *laughs uncomfortably, shy shy shy af* U: *genuinely interested* What kinds of clothes do you want? Me: I like casual clothes U: *smiles* Ah, casual? Ah, I like hip-hop style so... Hongdae has a few places, not a lot. But for casual clothes... *recommends some stuff but I forgot what he said exactly, sorry bb* We talked a bit more about stores and things. It felt more like he was giving me recommendations HAHA but since he wrote, “Cool~!” on my note, then I’ll take that as a yes ❤ Anyway, I got pretty bold at this point and thought, well, might as well just go all out. Me: Actually, you’re my favorite member. You’re really handsome. U: *shyly smiles* *bows head slowly in appreciation* AHHHHHH HE WAS SO ADORABLE WHEN HE WAS SHY, SUCH A QTPIE I SWEAR. SUCH CHARISMA ONSTAGE BUT IN PERSON HE’S JUST A CINNAMON ROLL AHHHH STAN UNGJAE STAN IMFACT EVERYONE. Lastly, I asked him about his work as IMFACT’s lyricist. Me: So, you’re in charge of composing lyrics? U: Of course. Me: When you write lyrics, where do you usually draw your inspiration? U: *thinks* hmm... Well, I just draw inspiration from real life. When I’m thinking about something or when I watch a show or drama, I just get thoughts and write them. It was time to move on, so I gave him one last firm handshake and moved on. Thanks to his sunny smile, I was able to feel accomplished after talking to him. I officially didn’t mess up royally in front of my bias! THE SUNSHINE OF IMFACT, LEE SANG ☀ LOVE, LOVE, LOVE THIS GUY. HE WAS SO NICE!! He already pointed me out in the beginning but seriously, this guy is awesome. Right when I moved to him, he extended his hand out and gave me a big, friendly handshake. He greeted me, “What’s up?!!” in English. S: Ah, Hawaii~ my sister went to America. (I love that random transition of topics) Me: Really? Where in America? S: *says in English* America. For study. Me: *internally: I know Sang, I’m asking where* Where, in America? *says it again* S: *I think he didn’t specify, or he forgot, but he said she just studied abroad, and came back. I just accepted that answer lol* Me: You should come visit Hawaii!! And then he proceeds to tell me that he really wants to go. He looks at my post-it.

Translation- Q: Do you have a favorite Nine Muses song? (NM and IMFACT are same company) I told him that I really like Namyu and that they’re my favorite group, and since the two groups are the same company, I wanted to ask him what his fave song from them was. He wrote Drama, and ofc I love that song too. Darn, I forgot some other little things I might have talked to him about. But here’s another thing~ (I was just speaking my mind at this point) Me: Since there’s a lot I don’t know, who is the visual in IMFACT? S: Actually, we leave it up to the fans, who see members as visuals in their own viewpoints. Like, if a fan watches us, they’ll think “Ah, I like this one! He’s a visual!” These kinds of thoughts. So it’s an individual’s preference. *how precious is this* Me: Really? Well, honestly, I think you’re the visual. S: Ah, really? *short shy moment, gives me another handshake for the compliment* Me: Yeah, you’re really, really handsome. I can’t stress this enough, THIS GUY IS SO GREAT!! I forget what else we talked about, but at the end, I got flustered lol just.... ahhhhhhh > < NEXT, MAIN DANCER BUT TRYNA SNATCH DAT MAIN VOCAL POSITION, KIM TAEHO ♦ Taeho is really cool and just polite and nice~ I just loved his reaction when I said I was from Hawaii. He was like, “Wa, Hawaii?” like aw. And I had to tell him about how cool it was that he got more lines this comeback. Seriously, seems like all the vocals in this group can be main.  Me: Also, I really like how you got a lot of parts this time around. T: Ah, really? *smiles* You like my vocals? Me: Yeah! Compared to the older songs, you got a lot of parts. Isn’t it nice?  T: Yep~ *high-five* Thank you~ Me: Hm, how are the parts distributed, anyway? T: Actually, we each get together and divide the parts based on who fits the lines the most. We come to an agreement and split the parts that way. Like we say, “Oh, I think you would fit this part well”, and so on. Me: Wow, that’s nice~ What do you honestly think of the title track, “Tension Up”? T: I do like it. It’s really exciting. I also like In the Club and especially Please Be My First Love. That kind of style. *sly self-promo as always* Me; I agree!  T: We have more songs in store, so please anticipate them. Me: Ah, could you give me a little hint about the next track? *COMEBACK SPOILER EXCLUSIVELY FROM TAEHO* T: Compared to “Tension Up”, the next one is a bit... slower tempo. It’s hip-hop, but more... relaxing? Chill? Me: Ah, really? Sounds exciting. I’ll continue supporting IMFACT in the future~

I don’t remember much else that we talked about, but that was still a lot~ Such a sweet guy. Really cares for his fans, like all of them.  THE AWKWARD BUT SWAG RAPPER LEADER, LEE JIAN ♠ Last but definitely not least, I met Jian~ Awkward little greetings ftw. Me: Hi~ Jian-ssi~ Oh, where’d your note go? JA: Hi, it’s right here~ *looks at said note* Me: Oh *flustered af, drops head in embarrassment*

Translation-  Q: Is an IMFACT X Nine Muses collab possible?? A: We’ve done one! On the picture: Nine Muses Noonas are coming back soon, so please give them lots of support, and if a chance for a collab presents itself, we’ll do it for sure! In response to my surprise at his answer, we had a convo. JA: We collaborated before. Me: Oh right, "Dream”, right? (referring to Sang x Keumjo’s duet) JA: Actually, during the Star Empire Family Concert in Japan. Me: Oh, really? JA: Yeah. It was me and Keumjo-noona, we did a collab. Me: Ah, which song? I didn’t know. JA: Taeyang-sunbaenim’s “Eyes, Nose, Lips”. Me: Oh, I’ve never seen it. Do you think it would be on YouTube? JA: I think it’ll come up if you search it there. I told him about Nine Muses being my favorite girl group, and he mentioned that they helped IMFACT a lot, and he really appreciates them. AND HERE’S WHEN I LITERALLY SAID WHAT HAS BEEN BOTHERING ME FOR SOME TIME LOL HEAR ME OUT, OKAY? Me: Okay, this isn’t an insult, but I have something to say... JA: Okay, what is it? Me: When I look at you, Jian, I think of Euaerin. You remind me of her a lot. Like your tone... And I remember when you impersonated her. JA: Ah, really?~ *smiling* Actually, I really look up to her. She’s helped me a lot. *I forgot what he said specifically, but he was really chill and nice about this LOL I hope it didn’t offend him cuz they could be counterparts! Killer rappers and amazing dancers.*

Like look at this goddess

And then look at this hunk! LOL. Their sharp features stand out, and they’re really charismatic. (God I miss Euaerin now).  And then it was time to continue my attack on Jian. But this time, I wanted to give him a direct compliment~ Me: But Jian-ssi. JA: *interested* yes? Me:You’re really handsome. JA: *amused at my straightforwardness* Ah, thank you~ *laughs* Me: Yeah, especially this... *gestures at the amazing tie he’s wearing, bless his outfit and his whole existence* It suits you very much. Did you pick it yourself? JA: Actually, the stylists did it...  Me: Oh, well it still looks good! Then it was time to go *sad face* Me: *reads Jian’s message on my album* Ah, but don’t worry~ I’m not just a Nine Muses fan, I’m also IMFACT’s fan~ I’ll support you in the future! JA: Thank you! See you! Me: Bye bye! JA: Bye~ Junior~~ Just the way he said my name at the end made me so warm on the inside hehehehe~ they are all sweethearts. It took a long while to go through all 120 fans, but it was great. They had a little game session with the fans, where they would draw something on a notepad and then the fans guess the answer. The ones who answered would get a chance to take a selca with them. *ahhh jelly* Honestly, during that game, I was confused AF about what they were drawing LMAO I did not know how the fans could get all the right answers! I was stumped. Then IMFACT performed some songs, as this was the “fanmeeting” part of the event. They performed some fan favorites- Tension Up (of course) and Lollipop. And during Lollipop, Sang was EXTRA and ran offstage momentarily and I GOT TO TOUCH HIS HAND AGAIN~! HE’S SO GREAT WITH FANSERVICE. LOVE YOU SANG!! Seriously, they know how to charm their fans and make them feel loved! It was almost time to go, but IMFACT asked the staff if they could do one more encore stage of Please Be My First Love. The fans were cheering, wanting it, AND SO WAS I, LIKE THIS SONG IS SUCH A TREASURE. BEST CHILL SONG RIGHT NOW. Refreshing like a breath of spring air~ Their vocals were on point and it was cute because in the middle, when Ungjae started rapping, his mic turned off for some reasons and had some difficulties but the members helped and lent him a mic until it started working again. So talented and thoughtful agh.  Then, it was time to go~ they waved goodbye and the lights dimmed and turned off again, just like the beginning. Just as they had come. They all disappeared backstage, except Jeup who straggled and stayed back a little to say one last cute farewell to the audience. And that was it. A great day well spent. It was so worth the trouble of applying, even if it was a different format than I was used to. IMFACT is so underrated, and I think Star Empire is not doing the best that they can to help them succeed. Like, the members are all charming and talented and exceptional, but their title songs are not innovative, unique, or otherwise outstanding to really catch the public’s eye. Star Empire failed ZE:A and they messed up Namyu, and I feel so bad for IMFACT. But hope remains, and I will keep supporting them in their journey. I wish them all the luck for stardom.  Please give IMFACT a try. Listen to their b-sides too, they have really good side tracks, which seem to be the real hidden gems of their music. RECOMMENDATIONS FROM ME: Woo Please Be My First Love (If I didn’t stress this enough) In The Club (an excellent r&b, more somber song of theirs) Mirrorz Feel So Good (a really underrated title track, really hype-worthy) And that’s it for my fanaccount!! It’s super long but it’s all my thoughts~ I’m going to make a video for this whole experience, hopefully by tomorrow. I spent so much time on this, hahaha. Until next time~