#im just. so done. with this day already and this week and everything.

[orchidseason]

Too Clingy...?

ִ ࣪𖤐 loser!ellie w x fem!reader

After weeks of tension with your roommate, you turn to your girlfriend Ellie for comfort. But when a teasing comment makes you question your place in her life, you distance yourself, afraid of being "clingy."

warnings ִ ࣪𖤐 word count 1.5k, college!AU, established relationship, anxiety (r), overthinking, hurt/comfort, misunderstanding, emotional breakdown, mild language, kissing

It had been a rough few weeks. The tension with your roommate had reached a breaking point, and you were finding it hard to breathe, let alone function. Every day felt like a struggle. You’d been feeling emotionally drained, constantly walking on eggshells, and trying to avoid conflict in your own space. Your dorm room had become a place of silence, and it felt like you were suffocating.

One night, after another argument with your roommate that left you feeling small and unimportant, you packed a bag and went straight to Ellie’s. You didn’t even need to text her beforehand—Ellie always knew when you needed her. Her dorm had become your safe space, the place where you could let go of all the tension and just breathe.

Ellie opened the door, her face softening when she saw you. She immediately pulled you into a tight hug. “Hey! Woah...what’s wrong?” she asked, her voice gentle.

You sniffled and buried your face in her shoulder. “My roommates a fucking bitch. She argues with me about the stupidest things and leaves passive aggressive sticky notes everywhere and then she just keeps-I just cant do it. Im so done."

Ellie tightened her grip on you, her hands running through your hair soothingly. “Shh, babe. You’re always welcome here, you know that. You don’t need to explain it all to me."

In the weeks that followed, you found yourself at Ellie’s more often than not. Being with her was an escape. You’d spend your evenings wrapped in the warmth of her arms, playing games, watching movies, or simply lying together in a comfortable silence. For the first time in a long time, you truly felt like you could let go of all the stress that had built up.

You and Ellie were lying on her bed, curled up together. You had your head resting on her shoulder while she played Minecraft on her phone, tapping away at the screen as you both enjoyed the quiet of the room. It was one of those perfect moments where everything felt in place. You didn’t need to talk. You didn’t need to do anything except be there with her.

Ellie talked suddenly, breaking the silence. She glanced at you with a teasing grin. “You’re really here every night now, huh? I might start calling you my official roommate. Getting a little clingy, mm?"

The comment hung in the air, and your stomach sank. The word "clingy" hit you like a ton of bricks. She said it with that usual mischievous smile, but something about the way she said it made your chest tighten.

Clingy.

The word echoed in your mind as you lay there, still and frozen. Had you been too much? Was she annoyed with you? You’d been spending so much time at her place lately, leaning on her for comfort when you didn’t know where else to go. Maybe she was tired of it. Maybe she was tired of you.

Ellie went on, completely unaware of how her words had affected you. “I’m just messing with you,” she said, laughing lightly, pressing a kiss to your cheek, "you know my favorite you is clingy you."

Still, you couldn’t shake the doubt. It festered in the pit of your stomach. Clingy. You wanted to push it out of your mind, but it was all you could think about. Maybe she really was tired of you. Maybe her joke had truth lining in it and she was wanting some space from you.

You stayed quiet, too lost in your head to respond. When the moment passed, you quietly gathered your things, not looking at Ellie. “I should head out... I’ve got a lot of work to do,” you said, your voice soft and distant.

Ellie didn’t seem to notice your change in energy. She was already absorbed in her phone again, focused on the game, not on you. She didn’t look up when you left, but if she had-she would not have let you leave.

As you walked out, your heart felt heavy. Had you been too much? Too clingy? Ellie had always been understanding, but that comment, though playful, made you spiral.

You didn’t go back to your dorm. Instead, you found yourself at the library, hiding away from the world. You tried to focus on your schoolwork, but the thoughts wouldn’t stop swirling in your mind. Was she really tired of you? Had you made things awkward? You didn’t want to burden her anymore, but the more you thought about it, the more you questioned whether she really wanted you around.

Days passed, and you kept your distance. You couldn’t bring yourself to reach out to Ellie. Maybe she was right; maybe you had become clingy, and now you were giving her space to breathe.

You didn't respond to her texts and calls and you're sure that's what set her off to finally just track you down on your shared location one afternoon.

While you were hunched over a stack of textbooks in the library, you heard a familiar voice.

“Hey,” Ellie said softly, making you jump. You didn’t even need to look up to know it was her. “Haven’t seen you around in a while. Everything okay?”

"That's good news, isn't it?"

She looks confused, a little hurt, "what...?"

Your throat tightened, and before you could stop it, all the thoughts you’d been bottling up poured out. “You didn’t do anything wrong,” you said, voice cracking. “It’s just... It's me. I’ve been overthinking everything since you called me clingy. I know it was a joke, but Ellie it's true. I spend so much time at your dorm, in your space. I didn't want to overwhelm you anymore so I just-"

Ellie knelt in front of you, her gaze softening. “No, hey stop that,” she said gently, taking your hands in hers. “I didn’t mean it like that. I was just messing with you. I love having you in my dorm, I prefer it. You’re not clingy. You never could be. I’m sorry I made you feel like you were.”

You bit your lip, feeling the weight lift off your shoulders, but the hurt was still there, lingering. “I didn’t want to make things weird, and here I am making it weird."

Ellie smiled, brushing a hand over your cheek. “You could never make things weird, babe. I promise."

You blinked back tears, suddenly overwhelmed by how much you needed to hear those words. Ellie leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to your forehead. “I’m always here for you, okay? Don’t shut me out.”

You smiled, finally feeling like you could breathe again. You nodded, feeling safe in her arms as she held you close.

“I love you,” you whispered.

“I love you too,” Ellie replied, leaning in after to press a kiss to your lips.

taglist // @kaykeryyy

[littlxpxtal]

The Beach

TYRANTS || STORY MASTERLIST

PAIRING: rafe cameron x fem!reader

WARNINGS: MDNI 18+ Content, swearing, sexual content, drug and alcohol use, violence

WORD COUNT: 3k

If I told you that I loved you

Tell me, what would you say?

If I told you that I hated you

Would you go away?

Now I need your help with everything that I do

I don't want to lie, I've been relying on you

Fallin' again

I need a pick-me-up

I've been callin' you "friend,"

I might need to give it up

April

Fuck you

I hover my thumb over the send button for a long breath. When I exhale, I press send, click my phone off and toss it onto my bed. It lands face down.

I walk over to my bathroom, shutting the door behind me and striping down.

The pogues went back to the cut, sending JJ off into the swamp lands with a backpack full of food and camping gear. We are hoping in the next few days we can figure something out to make sure he can come back home safely.

While I shower, I think of all the new information I learned about the mission, and how getting the rest of the gold out was the next goal, but they would have to do it very strategically.

My mind wanders to rafe for a second, and I wonder if he’s back from his trip. Then I remember I hate him, and don’t want to hear back from him. I think about how after my shower, i'm going to block him. I should’ve done that after sending the message anyways.

I’m not entirely sure why it took me so long to send it. I drafted that text the same night JJ and I talked about rafe. I think it just took me a bit of time to finally be able to let go, and let him know I refuse to be treated like this.

There was a small part of me that hoped he already blocked me, so he wouldn’t even see the message from me.

Tomorrow is the last day of spring break, and my family will be back on the outbreaks by nightfall. I think about how I’ll try my best to be asleep by the time they get back tomorrow so I can avoid any questions.

The pogues helped me clean everything, washed bed sheets and dishes, took out the trash and wiped everything down. There was no trace of life in the house, not even from me.

I make mental to do lists of what I still need to do before graduation, what i should wear to school this week, and what color to polish my nails. My mind wanders and runs a million miles a minute as I step out of the shower, ringing my hair into the towel, and plopping it on top of my head. I lotion my body and face up, then wrap myself in a robe.

When I walk out of my bathroom, a shriek spaces my lips.

Rafe is sitting on the edge of my bed, and he’s playing with one of the trinkets from my book shelf.

“What’re you-“ I hold on tightly to the doorknob, ready to run back into the bathroom if needed. I couldn’t read his expression at all.

“You shouldn’t leave the door that leads from the outside, directly into your bedroom, unlocked. Especially when you’re home alone.” He says coyly.

“I think we are privileged enough to know that we don’t really have to worry about those kinds of things here on figure 8, now do we?” I tilt my head, and take in his presence. He’s wearing a hoodie with the hood up. His eyes are on my body, wrapped up in a silk sobe.

“Why are you texting me all crazy like that for, hm?” His eyes finally flicker up to meet mine. They are cold and hard. I glance over to scan my room, find anything to pique my interest enough to not give into the urge to look back at him. My heartbeat raced and I felt my mouth get drier by the second.

“I had been wanting to say it for days, but I figured it would be best if I waited until you were done with your trip so I didnt bother you.’ he scoffs and stands up, taking a step towards me. I responded with a small step backwards, my breath hitching in my throat.

“You think some text behind a screen would’ve ruined my trip? You think saying “fuck you” to me, is something I would get worked up about?”

my lips trembles, my body is reacting in a way as if im getting scolded, or reprimanded for speaking back to an adult.

I don’t speak, my body freezes and he takes another step towards me, his head dipping down.

“You think I care about the fact that you helped hide maybank here at your house?” I hyelped, and my hands trembled. I looked down at the ground, and he’s finally close enough where I can smell his cologne.

He hooks his finger under my chin, and I flinch. My back is pressed against the doorframe, and he leans forward, pushing my chin up, and y eyes meet his,

“Cat got your tongue?” He coos, his eyes look manic, and there’s a slight tremor in his hand.

“I think you do care. And it would’ve ruined your trip.” I finally croak out, letting out the breath I had been holding.

“And I mean it. Fuck you rafe. Fuck you and the mind games you play with me. Your not even my boyfriend and you like to control everything, and if i'm not doing something you Like, you use move onto another one of your girls. Like im disposable, like i dont matter. And I know i Fucking matter to you.”

I dont really mean to say the last part, but it came out anyways. I was just being honest.

He doesn’t respond for a while so we stand in silence, and he stares down at me, his finger still holding under my chin.

He leans down and presses a soft kiss to my lips. I dont object, but I dont open my mouth for more.

“You dont mean it” his whispers, his lips brushing against mine.

“Yes i do” I mumble, my brain getting light from the feeling he brought in my mind.

his other hands reach up and trailing down the valley of my chest against the robe. His fingers make it down to where the rob is tied, and he glances up with a smirk.

“Tell me, y/n, did you finally sleep with him? Did you get back at me?” He hot breath fans against my chest, and he lowers on his knees, slowly pulling open the tied pieces of my robe.

”What Don't you get about the fact that JJ and I don't do that. Never have and never will.” I try my best to pretend I am unaffected by the way his fingers trail up my inner thigh, right to the line of my robe, barely hanging open. His lips press right below my naval, and a whimper escapes my lips.

“It would’ve ruined my trip” he whispers, using his hands to open my legs, I press harder against the wall, the towel on my head finally dropping to the ground, I pull my wet hair to one side, looking down at rafe. His pupils are blown, his bottom lip between his teeth, waiting for my response.

“I know it would’ve” I say with a smirk.

”you give me a constant headache” he grumbles, pressing another kiss to the inside of my thigh.

”You Make this whole thing so hard. Would be easier if you just stopped overreacting” I retaliate, bending my knees slightly, opening up my thighs more. He grips my hips and Iicks a strip up my slit.

“Wheres the fun in that?” He says with a chuckle before diving in, suckling on my clit, his fingers burned deep into my hips. I moaned out in pleasure, my hands entangling themselves in his hair.

He hums with pleasure against my heat, and I find myself panting, my head hung low, bottom lip between my teeth.

“So did you fuck her again?” I ask, hissing as he sucks hard on my clit in response.

“Nah” he responds quickly, before his mouth attaches back to my folds, his tongue lapping up and down rhythmically.

I whimper a few times, and he looks up to my eye contact with me.

“You’re easy to piss off” he says against my pussy.

”sounds like you do it on purpose” I groan and bcuck my hips against his face. He releases his mouth, its covered in my slick, and his eyes are still blown out. His right hand trails down, and he runs two fingers between my folds, pushing into my hole, just teasing it slightly. I breath out heavily and he smirks.

“You’re fun to play with” he drawls out, his eyes focuses on the way his fingers are sliding into and out, deeper with each pump. My legs start to shake as he curls his fingers inside. Once they are fully inside , he quickens his pace, the silence in the room filled with the wet sounds of his fingers pumping in and out of me.

“‘M not a fucking toy” I grit out, pulling his hard harder, squeezing my eyes shut as I feel myself reaching my peak. He doesn’t respond, and instead brings his mouth back up to my clit, flicking it with his tongue, swirling around in circles, clockwise then counterclockwise.

“Fuckkkkk” I groan out, seeing white behind my closed lids. I cum all over rafes face. I dont get to ride it very long, before he’s dragging me over to the bed, and pushing my face down, ass up. He pulls the robe full off my body, and presses my face down into the pillows, I feel himself line his cock up with my entrance, and he pushes in.

”Rafe” I groan, holding out the sheets with all my might. I finish riding out my high as he pounds into me from behind, his hands gripped on both sides of my hips.

Profanities slip from his mouth, accompanied with a few whimpers of my name.

I gain enough strength to push my self up, so im in tabletop position, while he still pumps in and out of me. I turn my head and look back to see the hoods of his eyes are hanging low, his jaw is slack, his tongue peaking out the side, and drips of sweat are beading on his forehead. A whimper erupts from his mouth, and he grunts after, his eyes snapping open to meet mine, as if he sensed me looking at him.

“This what you wanted? Huh?” I bat my lashes innocently and bit my bottom lip.

”Wanted to piss me off so much I just had to come over and fuck you just to get you to shut the fuck up? Huh pretty girl?” My eyes roll back and my head hangs down. He’s tsks his tongue, leaning forward, one hand gripped tightly on my hips, the other gathers my hair in his fist, and he yanks me back, my shoulders pressing up against his chest. He cocks his fist down to the right, angling my head up and back to look up at him. His pace hasn’t faltered once, and the continuing sound of my pussy squelching against his throbbing cock is only getting louder, I can no longer contain my moans, and I squeeze my eyes shut as they spill out of my mouth. He takes this opportunity of my open my mouth to spit in it. My eyes shoot open, and we hold eye contact for a second before I swallow and he smiles.

“All you have to do is ask nicely you know?” His grip on my hair still tight, and his dick is ramming into my harder than before.

“That doesn’t sound like something I’d do.” I whisper, looking deep into his eyes. His smile never faulters, and he leans down and kisses me.

“Don’t ever say that shit to me again” he says, breathing into my mouth, his eyes shut, still pounding relentless into me.

“What? Oh, Fuck you” I whimper out. Everything happens so quickly.

His eyes snap open and they darken, he lets go of my hair, pushing me down by my shoulder too the bed.

”Don’t.” He gives my ass a hard slap, making me yelp out.

”Ever” he pulls his dick out, and grabs my hips, flipping me onto my back.

”fucking” he pushing my legs open, and wraps them around his hips.

”say that” his right hand reaches up and wraps around my throat, putting just enough pressure.

”again” he growls the last word before ramming himself into me.

I lift my head up and attach my mouth on his shoulder, sucking harshly to cover the moans I wanted to scream out. His head rests against mine, and he grunts.

“You gonna be a good girl for me now?” He breathes out heavily, and looks down at me. We make eye contact and I pout, refusing to give in. His hand is still on my throat, and he gives it a squeeze. I groan in response, shutting my eyes.

“Look at me” he commands. My eyes flutter open and he has a smirk on his face.

“I’ll only be a good girl if you promise to stop fucking other girls”

His hips stutter a second before he completely stops. The grip on my throat is released,and he pushes himself up on both hands, hovering over me, my legs still tightly wrapped around his hips.

“Is that what you really want?” He asks sincerely.

I wiggle my hips to try and get him to keep going, but he doesn’t budge.

“I dunno. Can we just keep fucking?” I please, grabbing onto his bicep and reaching up to kiss his neck.

“Sure” he whispers before thrusting again.

We dont say anything the rest of the time, until Rafe is about to cum.

”’m close”

”Not inside me” I protest.

”Fucking duh” he grumbles into my neck before pulling out and finishing on my stomach. He immediately stands up, grabs a tissue and starts cleaning me off.

Once he’s done, he passes me my robe, and he puts his clothes back on.

“Well, are we like good now?” He asks, checking his pockets for his wallet and keys.

”Yea, we always were”

”Right” he says, scratching the back of his head. “Im just gonna” he points towards the door he snuck through. I nod my head in understanding, and watch him leave. I turned off my bedside lamp, and laid in silence.

My moment of self loathing was interrupting by my phone ringing.

Sabrina

I answer immediately

“Sab?” I say into the phone, sitting up.

”Y/N, you need to get down to the beach right now. Like NOW”

I furrow my brow, take my phone from my ear to check the time. I was 9:27pm

”I dont know Sab I was about to go to bed honestly.”

”Bitch, it’s the last night of spring break. And mostly everyone is back, and we’re partying on the beach. Get here NOW” she yells the last part into the phone before hanging up. I hurriedly pack a bag with miscellaneous illegal items, slip on a hoodie and shorts then run out the door. I check Sabrina’s location to see where on the beach she was, and it was decently close for me to make it on foot.

When I arrive, I see a mix of faces, those I get along with, and those who I simply pretend dont exist on a regular basis. Before Sabrina sees me, I catch a glimpse of rafe. He’s taking a drag of a cig while Kelce talks to him and Topper. Topper looks semi interested, while rafe looks like he couldn’t care less. His face looks angry and hard. And hot. Like. Really fucking hot.

Before I could analyze his face more, Sabrina yells out my name, and his head whips in my direction. I look away before our eyes meet, and smile when they land on Sabrina.

“Hi baby, I missed you” she cried out, standing up to greet me with a hug. She’s sitting on a towel that topper brought. I smile down at them and look around to see where I can set up. Conveniently, there’s a spot next to rafe in between him and some random kook.

“Why dont you go sit by rafe and cheer him up a bit. He’s in one of his moods.” Topper jokes, nudging his head over. I give a fake smile and trudge over, laying my towel down without acknowledging him.

When I sit down, he gives me a Look.

“What? We’re you saving this for someone?” I say with a smirk. He gives me a fake smile, and laugh then rolls his eyes.

I pul out the bottle of wine I stole from my parents bar and take a big gulp. I hand it out to him, and he takes it, drinking a small mouthful before passing it back.

We get along cordially, mainly because we dot actually talk to each other. We just silently pass the bottle back and forth between each other, while people chatter among us.

When the night gets late, and everyone starts slowly leaving the beach, it ends up just me and rafe, my head laying on his lap, staring at the stars as he stroked my hair and looked out into the ocean.

”This is nice” he mumbles. I nod my head in agreement and he looks down.

His face is sad, and his eyes are brimmed with tears.

“Y/N, I dont think I can be the person you need.” He whispers, and a tear slips down from his face and lands on my cheek. He wipes it away then looks back out into the ocean.

“Could you try?” I as. My face is hot and flushed from the alcohol, and I was probably going to say something I would later regret. But i don't care. I wanted him to want to try for me.

“You might have to teach me”

“Okay” I whisper. “Rafe?”

”Yes, Y/N?”

”Can you take me home? And will you stay with me?” He smiles.

“Of course”

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

Tags: @ltristessedureratoujours @davinashifts333 @tomholland792

[jaggedamethyst]

circuit breaker 🔬🌌 (part six)

tutor!jayce talis x reader, ekko x reader college au

content: after a week of sessions with jayce, you finally have to take your quiz

i dont think there's any warnings here...sad ekko like the chat requested though!!!

notes: i regret nothing

word count: 2.6k

series master list

。·:*:·ﾟ★,。·:*:·ﾟ☆　　 。·:*:·ﾟ★,。·:*:·ﾟ☆

The start of class almost always was filled with you and Viktor talking. In fact, it was the way you first met—casually asking one another about the syllabus. There was a nostalgia whenever the two of you would meet before your scheduled start time. Viktor was truly a good friend, you’d always thought. You wouldn’t pass up your chats for anything. 

“Me and Jayce had a few sessions this week, I feel like I’m prepared for once.” You looked down at your planner as you spoke. 

Viktor dug in his bag, “I’m glad to hear that. It’s great to know that Jayce is a good tutor.” 

“He is,” you nodded, continuing your writing. 

A sound of your instructor coming in made you grab your laptop. On Fridays it went unspoken that the first task of the day was the weekly quiz. You shook off your hands, feeling a sudden nervousness. 

Viktor placed a hand on your shoulder, “You’ve got this.” He sent you a soft smile before turning to open his laptop—not at all phased by the quiz. 

“Not to change the subject, but,” you leaned over to Viktor, “How’s Sky?” 

You immediately noticed the blush prickle on his cheeks. “I think…we should focus on the task at hand.” 

A knowing smile found its way to you, “Send her my regards, then.” 

The both of you stifled a laugh, your whispers echoing over the quieting class. Soon, the only sound to be heard was that of paper being written on and calculators clacking. It comforted you to know that everyone seemed to take this seriously. In the sea of people, you thought, maybe there were others who also had a lot at stake. You let the thought carry you, almost sinking you into a warmth that made you feel surprisingly comfortable. 

Scrolling through the questions left you to picture your sessions, to imagine Jayce outlining the graph for you. The color coordinated arrows filled your mind, and the answers came flooding in. You had to be sure; you checked, double checked, and even triple checked for simple mistakes you’d made before. Before you knew it, you were submitting the quiz with a sharp breath in. 

You glanced over to Viktor who’d already finished. He looked at your screen expectantly, just as eager to see your result. With one click, the submission page loaded—with another your score appeared on the screen. 

“Oh my gosh?” You whispered quickly and looked to Viktor with wide eyes. 

“Does that say what I think it says?” 

“Viktor… I got an 87%.” 

“I can see that,” he mirrored you wide eyed expression but kept his tone low. “Well done.” 

“With the midterm in two weeks I really needed this.” You nodded to yourself, feeling the tears well in your eyes. As embarrassing as it might be, this was a reflection of your hard work and perseverance—you could do this. 

Viktor rubbed your now shaking arm encouragingly. “Good job.” 

You exhaled the weight of everything as you spoke, “Thank you.” 

With a quick flip of your hand, you pulled out your phone. You made sure to not make much noise, wiping the tears that threatened to fall from your lash line. Scrolling through your recent messages was much more conflicting than you’d imagined. The urge to press on Jayce’s name, to tell him immediately was immense. You let the thought come and go, deciding against bothering him with something so minuscule. Ekko, though, he’d understand. 

You grimaced at the last messages you sent to each other being so plain—empty, even, after what happened with Jayce. You didn’t intentionally push him away—there was just so much going on. 

hi

i miss you !!! 

btw i did good on my quiz…so you should come out with me to celebrate tonight…because im def celebrating 

please? 

You frowned at your phone. Enough time passed where you thought Ekko might be ignoring you. But you couldn’t pester him—that would be even worse than simply being left on seen. Deciding to let it go for now, you paid attention to the lecture, typing away notes that you would undoubtedly bring back to Jayce to decipher later. Just before you closed your laptop, a notification popped up on screen and illuminated the top corner. 

let me know where the celebration is you know i love a good party

As the first text from Ekko went away another popped up in its place. 

i missed you too

——————

For once your afternoon and evening weren’t spent in worry about the next big thing you had to do. Your quiz was done, you’d done a good job, and you still had time to prepare for the midterm. On top of this, you had the opportunity to reconcile with Ekko; you were truly grateful. 

Arriving at the bar, you were immediately bombarded with the sound of people talking and the overwhelming background music. Your eyes trailed the sea of people, searching for any familiar figures until you settled on two. Viktor and Ekko were sitting in the corner, tucked away in a spot they knew you’d like. It was slightly intimate and allowed you to actually talk—you appreciated the thought. 

You approached the table, waving at the pair. 

“Look who finally decided to show up.” Viktor joked, nudging Ekko.

They looked at each other, Ekko speaking up, “Hey, it takes time to look good, right?” 

“Absolutely,” you high fived Ekko as you slid in beside him. The booth was rounded, which you always liked. Instead of being forced to choose what side of a seated booth to be on, you could sit and see everyone equally. You’d mentioned that particularly annoying feeling before—and they remembered. “So is anyone gonna get the fries or should I?” 

“Already ordered,” Viktor said, “Ekko made sure to get those and your drink.” 

Ekko nodded, “Shirley Temple so you can be fake drunk like you do…for the vibes you know?” 

Just then, the ordered arrived. You exchanged looks with your friends, “I love you so much.” 

“And we love you,” Viktor spoke up. “But don’t be angry with me. I saw Sky walk in just a few minutes ago.” 

“In any other circumstance, I’d be a hater…but I know you like her so go ahead.” 

“You are an amazing friend.” He moved to stand, putting pressure on his cane. “I’ll be back, but you’re in good hands.” With that, he walked away and moved toward Sky on the opposite side of the bar. 

The sound of Ekko beside you broke your gaze, “Hi.” 

“Hi.” 

“Congrats on your quiz, knew you could do it.” 

You nodded, “Thank you.” You let silence fill the space for a few seconds before speaking. You didn’t want to face the awkwardness, but it was inevitable. “I’m sorry.” 

“Don’t be sorry, it wasn’t your fault.” 

“But Jayce showed up to help me and it interrupted our whole thing—and I feel so bad.” 

“Dont,” he twisted his lip, and reiterated. “It’s not on you.” 

“You sure?” 

“I just dont like people trying to walk all over you…you don’t deserve that.” 

You agreed, “I know.” You moved to start in on your fries, taking a sip of your drink between your chews. 

You and Ekko fell in and out of conversation, sometimes letting the comfortable quiet sit between you before laughing together again. Between the sweet giggles from the both of you and the crinkles in your eyes from pure enjoyment, Ekko paused. You watched him look at you with a more serious look on his face. 

“What,” you reached for a napkin, “Is there something on my face, or-“ 

“No,” he laughed, then. “There’s just nobody like you, really.” He punctuated the sentence with a slow roll of your name from his lips. You straightened up at that, looking down at your plate of half-eaten fries. 

Usually, you just liked the ambience of a bar. The social setting got you just out of your comfort zone enough to fulfill your quota without overwhelming you. But the ruckus had done just that. To top it off, you weren’t even a drinker. You never drank, in fact. It just wasn’t a taste you enjoyed. So you settled on the somewhat enjoyable appetizers they offered and would call it a night. Tonight was different. You became increasingly aware of the sensory overload, and whatever Ekko was trying to say had you feeling stir crazy. 

“I have to pee.” 

Without another word, you pushed out of the booth and beelined it for the back of the building. You moved away from the blaring sounds of people talking, cutting the corner toward the bathrooms. Even if you didn’t have to go, the solace of a quieter room sounded nice right now. You took your time, going through the motions slow—even making sure to take extra time to dry your hands twice. Your mind wandered between the hand dryer and paper towels; the time dragged but not enough to allow you to avoid the reality waiting just beyond the door. 

You stepped out, a bit disoriented by which direction you had to go in. 

“Funny seeing you here.” 

You perked up at the sound of Jayce’s voice to the side of you. Without thinking, you approached him and paused, before reaching to hug him in gratitude. 

He continued, voice muffled by you pressing into his chest. “Heard someone did well on their quiz.” Viktor must’ve told him, you figured. 

“That would be me,” you looked up at him. “With your help, of course.” 

He backed up, breaking the hug and wiping his hands in a dramatic motion. “Oh no,” he shook his head, “That was all you.”

“Oh, please. We both know I wouldn’t have done remotely well without you.” 

He grasped both of your arms at your sides, shaking you reassuringly. “What did I say about giving yourself more credit?” 

Peering up at him, you didn’t speak, just twisted your face in recollection. You took the time to observe him, his hair looking slightly different. The volume had fallen through the day obviously, and the bags under his eyes were more visible than you’d ever seen them. 

Jayce spoke again, “So how was it? Tell me all about it.” 

You stayed close to him, recounting the details of the quiz. “And like in our sessions, I made sure to go back and check my work. Made me feel way more confident and obviously… it paid off.” You put your hands on your hips, “Eighty freakin seven.” 

Jayce just smiled warmly. Not responding, but rather just admiring you and how happy you were. He reveled in the pride you showed, knowing he had a part but that it was ultimately you who had done the work. 

With a hand on your shoulder, Jayce finally spoke. “You’re really smart, you know that?” 

You suddenly became aware of how desolate the hall to the bathroom was. The sound of people socializing only echoed as opposed to resounding in your ears. Music seemed to dissipate where it would screech. You were left with nothing but the tingling of Jayce’s grip on you and the intense focus of his eyes. 

You continued to study him, watching as his chest rose and fell—mirroring you. You blinked, finally responding through a whisper. “I have a good tutor.” 

The words just barely passed your lips—tumbling off of them slowly in a way that had the man mesmerized. You watched his eyes flicker down and then back up to you. 

The hand on your shoulder found itself snaking around and up to your cheek, a thumb rubbing small back and forth motions into your skin. Jayce allowed his other hand to mimic the motion—both of his hands now cupping your face in intrigue. 

He tilted his head slightly before pushing himself forward with urgency. You hadn’t registered how quickly Jayce’s lips connected with yours until they slowed against you—appreciating the feeling. The tension in your body had released, allowing you to reach your arms up and around Jayce’s neck. Your lips molded into each other’s, like they were meant to be there and intended to stay. You tugged on the hair at the nape of his neck, allowing yourself to nip at Jayce’s lips. 

You pulled back slightly, observing only the lower half of his face. The way the ghost of facial hair lingered there. How the swell of his lower lip almost always resembled a pout—even when he smiled. 

He couldn’t stand the distance and pulled you back in, working on a lip at a time. He groaned to himself, drowning in the sweetness of your lips. He continued to nudge into you, accidentally pushing your back to the wall. Your hands roamed his back, clawing at anything to ground you. His rough stubble, the fabric of his clothes, that scent of him that you loved so much, it was all too much. 

The sound of an approaching person startled you, even more so when you heard it was accompanied by the noise of clinking metal. When you realized, you pushed Jayce away—an apologetic look all over your face. 

A call of your name had you straightening your clothes; Jayce remained still, watching you. 

Viktor had come into view, pausing his steps at the sight of the pair of you. 

“Hey,” you spoke first. “You okay?” 

Viktor looked at Jayce, then at you. “I’m well. Just curious to see where you disappeared to.” 

“Oh…I just,” you smoothed over your shirt again, “Just had to use the bathroom.”

Viktor quickly flickered over to Jayce. “And you?” 

Clearly not paying attention and still looking at you, Jayce let out a sound. “Hmm?” 

“Are you also using the bathroom, Jayce?”

“Right, yeah…” he cleared his throat. “I just stepped out. We ran into each other.” 

With your lips? Viktor wanted to say. 

“Right, well.” You interjected, “I think this celebration’s lasted long enough.” You clasped your hands together dramatically. “I should head home for the night.” 

You allowed your peripheral to linger on Jayce, expecting something from him, before fully turning your head. He masked a smile—but the quick upturn of his lip made the motion apparent.

You awkwardly raised your hand, waving to Jayce and slipping past Viktor’s standing form. Flustered didn't even begin to explain it. You moved fluidly through the now growing crowd of people, the bar becoming more packed as the night went on. Without a second thought you approached Ekko, tapping his shoulder and motioning for him to leave with you. 

“I’m tired, I think. You wanna head out?” 

Without a reply, Ekko stood, following you toward the exit. The brisk air whipped around your skin—a chill there that hadn’t been before the sun went down. You shivered, then, both at the temperature and at the lingering feeling of Jayce’s lips on yours. 

Ekko broke your train of thought, “You okay?” 

You looked over to him, “Yeah, why?” 

“It’s just,” his focus was quickly drawn to your lips. “Just that you wanted to leave so suddenly, I guess.” His mouth seemed to open and close, searching for the words. Ultimately he was taken aback; he noticed the displaced sheen of your chapstick. The shine of the balm that was once properly placed seemed to have traveled and smeared around your mouth. 

Ekko nodded to himself, urging his body to take a step away from where he’d been so close to you. 

You cleared your throat, missing the way Ekko’s body slumped. “I just wanna get some sleep, it’s been a long week.” 

“Okay.” 

Your brow arched at him, then. “You alright?” 

Ekko swallowed in his mouth, controlling his stride and masking his distress. “I’m good…let’s head back.” 

“Okay.” Your voice trailed off. You matched his step back to your place until he stopped to see you off. Without another word, you waved bye—watching him disappear down the path. 

taglist

@juskonutoh @sseleniaa @aerina127 @sleepysoldier @angelicmisty @1800latenitecreep @venus-in-roses @myxticmoon @rando-no-5

[the-kipsabian]

so

the mail service just sent all my stuff back that was going overseas cause apparently theres this new rule i didnt know about that regular letters cant include ANYTHING else than just cards or letters or they'll need to have custom slips and other stuff like that included and im just

i dont have spoons to deal with this right now. yeah maybe its my fault and i should have double checked before sending stuff out. sure, im an idiot, i thought this still worked

just love having a complete meltdown the first thing in the morning when i see a pile of returned letters sitting by my door cause i tried to do something nice and once again failed miserably

sorry everyone

[newtness532]

i know that graduating one semester later is not that big of a deal and i haven't made any plans about what comes next so it doesnt even make a difference. so why does it feel just so terrible

[pilonciillo]

on another note

[outer-edges]

r/regretfulparents is my hellscape. i know most of them are just going through hard times and venting and probably don't actually regret it but like. i genuinely think motherhood would be my most awful prison. the whole sub is like the scariest horror game the internet has to offer for me.

[despite-everything]

i really pared-down my record collection since i'm moving cross-country, but i'm so emotional about it. i'm moving to new york, so i need to be thoughtful about the small space i'll have, but it's fucking hard! that said, it should only be about $100 to ship the boxes as media mail, so thank god for that. but i culled more than 100 albums in the process...

[electric-plants]

i was estimating this cytham fic to total around ~5000 words but i just finished the second section out of five and it already passed that🙃🙃

[izzy-b-hands]

I will be forever grateful i can be on this new med. it's one a lot of folks also need and can struggle to have access to! It's important i be on it, especially if i start doing any vid collabs

(some of which, really, all of which, i unfortunately actually need to cancel that were in the preplanning stages, bc the election results have me wanting to wait and see how the general atmosphere of the country is before i agree to meet up with anyone. I feel bad for cancelling, but also i just can't know for sure how safe things are/might be going forward and I'd rather avoid the potential of. ya know. various not great things that could happen at a meet up, tho i would certainly hope they wouldn't. i don't feel like actually addressing them rn, u guys know what i mean)

That said, if the truvada initial side effects could fuck off asap would be so lovely. three weeks at worst, then they should be gone/much better or so i am told. really hope that's true bc losing my mornings to being dizzy and nauseous is Not Working for me lmao. im on week two, and now understand why my new doc said to call if i needed any 'cheerleading' and support to get thru the side effects, bc apparently she's done that for several ppl to make sure they actually make it thru the three weeks and keep on it (lovely of her!!)

[kneworder]

this is the closest i have ever come to failing all my classes 😃

[risingsunresistance]

feels weird to not have much to post, i feel like i basically disappeared off social media compared to how i used to post but. there is simultaneously so much going on (things that are boring/heavy and not fun to post about) and nothing at all going on (i have not been able to play anything very much and havent been watching anything besides random documentaries i stumble across), leading to me having nothing to say lmao

i did finally write down a bunch of hypixel worldbuilding headcanon junk instead of having it only be word-of-mouth between me and ark lol. only 1700 words, i can do better 👍 it was literally only about admin magic, what exactly it means to "hack," what a server is, and limbo kjgfhk. i might make a big post about the limbo section one day :]

[junewild]

DEEPLY UPSETTING

[todayisafridaynight]

SORRY in advance for the long ask pleeease take your time and take care, I hope you feel better + get to have a good time at the con or hanging out with your dad :( It means the world to me that you enjoy my stuff though! It did take me a while to notice you were even following me (hence. @ing you on a post you'd already seen gdjfshld) but we got there eventually...

Definitely definitely was expecting to see more of Infinite Wealth at the summit… since the tweets mentioned character introductions but didn't specify for which game, I was under the impression we'd at least be introduced to the as-yet-unidentified voices in the trailer. Gameplay would've been HUGE to include too 😩 I guess it makes enough sense though, since it's not The Upcoming Release...

I shall bide my time. I have no idea what to expect from fall summit (as intended). But if it's going to be a seasonal thing, I figure a potential "winter summit" is the latest it could be to show us gameplay for something that's suppsed to be an early 2024 release, if not just putting out trailers or other showcases and stuff independently.

LEGIT THOUGH IT JUST MAKES IT SOUND LIKE KIRYU IS LYING TO SOUND COOL GDJSKGLDS which is also Arakawa-esque… "maybe I felt like impressing an idiot kid"… If nothing else, I feel like I'll enjoy the dynamic they're going for with those two. Specifically casting Kiryu as a "big brother" figure rather than a father figure also makes me WEEP because the only "aniki" Ichi's ever had is Jo. So it's like... from Jo to Joryu...

Also I just really like the acting choices by the mocap actor for Kiryu, I feel like we've never really seen him move that… casually? His mannerisms also 100% make him look like he's lying lol like there are multiple "tells" it's so funny

I glossed over the proposal (because I expected that to be the main topic anyway, being the only dialogue scene we got) but I completely agree with everything that's been said, basically. Reverse chick magnet for life… but I do expect there's more to it than meets the eye because summit is pretty focused on "generating buzz," so the fact it feels so out of place is probably what they were banking on.

Because like, on top of everything mentioned, Ichiban is portrayed as an entirely passive participant in the romances in 7, and IIRC for Saeko and Eri he wasn't really even fully aware they were into him. So for him to not only be the one to propose but bomb so hard a seasoned hostess (as Kiryu points out in JP)--who'd rather be groped than subjected to Weird Shit--blew up at him and there was fallout from Adachi and Nanba is a huge deviation from how he's portrayed.

It's also kind of like, to me, the translation says something a little different than what was actually being said; Ichi's emphasis wasn't really on the fact she rejected him (implying he expected her to accept + placing more importance on his own feelings vs hers), but the fact she "chewed him out" (implying he should've known better in the first place than to ask).

Of course, he's apparently planning on trying again so he is hoping she'll accept eventually, and the general tone of the interaction suggests he should've known better regardless, but both say something slightly different about his characterization in this scene to me. There's also TL weirdness with Ichi saying Kiryu seems like a good dude rather than just… him explaining that he doesn't mean anything bad by saying he doesn't seem like a ladies' man, which is a bigger mistake but less consequential, I guess.

There's also Saeko's line from the original teaser, "You say that like you're proposing," so it would seem she's already caught off guard (i.e. not taking it seriously yet) and not too thrilled with the idea (provided it's the same convo). I don't really have much to go off of, but if they are in a relationship, I can only assume either she's made it clear she doesn't want to get married or his proposal method was just That Bad, or they're not in a relationship.

In the latter case all I have to pull from is other media with characters who are somewhat like Ichi, but it made me think of times I've seen characters propose for legal or financial reasons or etc. and get Totally Owned, and I'd honestly find that a believable Ichi Situation… Ichi thinking like 50 steps ahead and not explaining himself properly and just Making Saeko More Mad… I'm just musing, though.

Yokoyama and co. were--if I heard right--being pretty cagey about whether they ARE in a relationship in the first place though, which strikes me as odd compared to RGGS' openness about Kaito's ex in the Lost Judgment DLC. So… definitely not beating the red herring allegations just yet, at any rate. Especially when said DLC involves a fake-out on a proposal lmao

Putting all that aside since we can't make any definitive statements anyway, I AM going to make the definitive statement that literally every single design in Gaiden so far is indeed drippy as hell.

such is the cruel fate of being shadowbanned on this webbed site I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream etc etc ( ╯-╰ ; ) but we did get there! and i very much do enjoy what you post :]

if there's nothing for fall summit (though i'm going to hope a lil there will be since that's what. three months from now) then there'll definitely be something for winter summit. if the idea is that there's more of a focus on gaiden since its release date is sooner, then it's fair to assume- with that logic- the winter one'll have the bulk of LAD8 news and demos. either way, im excited for both to see what both of them bring us !

ignoring the elephant in the room of the proposal thing, i also really liked the vibe of it all (and ive also been trying reeaaally hard to make a joke connecting jo and joryu since that's also a bit i enjoy) (❁´◡`❁) i did like that lowkey feel and just the casualness of the atmosphere and the slight awkward/uncomfortable-but-not-overly-offended-and-even-minorly-comedic energy from kiryu lmao. cant ever go wrong with having a scene that's there to slow everythin down a bit, and it does help set up a kind of homely/familial vibe ♪(´▽｀)

i dont need to comment any more on the proposal thing either LMAO everything ima say i been repeating for the past. X asks 😩

and with that. yeah everyone looks FIRE as hell in gaiden (EXCEPT nishitani ima be 100%.... idk the loud primary colors aren't doing it for me.... points for the nails and hair though) 😩

[dreamyberry]

/19.1.25

[coridallasmultipass]

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