#it is just amusing to me that so many people are fast to defend the company

[repurposedmeatlocker]

With the new Disney movie Wish out, I find it interesting how a lot of people's criticism comes down to the argument that "Disney used to be about artistry and pushing the animated medium. Now, it is only concerned with being commercially appealing and financially safe."

While this has some truth to it, it feels awfully simplistic in regards to what the studio actually, and always has, represented. Even back when the studio first came to fruition, commercialism was ALWAYS a part of the Disney formula. There are definitely films that diverge from this, but ultimately, it is the financial superiority of the company that has allowed it to stand in power for so long. It may have just been a small element in the beginning, but it is a growing factor that only now has taken unashamed center stage.

A film like Wish is not showing the company "falling to the evils of capitalism." It is showing, in bold text, the dark shadow that has been behind the corporation the whole time!

[bullet-clubs-bitch]

Mine

Jay White X Fem Reader requested by: @switchbabeeexo

Jay White Masterlist Main Masterlist (word count 1,200)

Summary: Ever since Jay joined the AEW roster he has gained the attention of the female talent. The girls backstage are drawn to his foreign accent and mysterious personality. It doesn’t matter how many times Jay tells you he’s not interested in those girls you still find yourself growing insecure. What happens when the voices get too loud and you need that extra reassurance? 

I was well aware of all the new attention Jay would get once he joined AEW so why was I so shocked when the women backstage threw themselves at him? This wasn’t something new, in fact, it happened all the time in Japan. The difference was the girls here were different, they were special, they were gorgeous. I watched every week as different women tried to flirt with Jay, they were practically foaming at the mouth. “Oh my gawddd, your accent is so hotttt” many of them would say as they leaned on his shoulder. You could tell that Jay coudn’t give a fuck about these girls, he never fed into their fantasies. Instead, he would brush every comment off like it was nothing. He knew I hated it, he found it amusing how much I cared about the comments when he didn’t.

I sat at catering staring daggers at Jay and Harley Cameron, she was attempting to flirt with him. Her hand was on his chest as her breasts fell out of her top. Jay on the other hand was completely ignoring her. Just then Jay and I made eye contact. He could see the anger in my eyes and was quick to excuse himself from Harley. “You know I wasn’t even paying attention to her right?” he told me. “I don’t even like any of these women” He knew I was mad and wound’t forgive him that easily. “Y/n I’m sorry, you know I love you” “Why is it that I can’t even talk to Will Ospeary without you wanting to kill someone when you get to flirt with the female talent” I asked him. “That’s different-” “No it’s not!” “Will is in love with you, he wants to fuck you” “Don’t you think those girls want that too. Look at Harley over there, she was just eye fucking you” “Come on Y/n, you’re being ridiculous” “No, I’m done” I yelled before walking out of the building. “Don’t worry JayJay, you can sleep in my bed tonight” Harley said to Jay. “Fuck off” Jay spat back. 

On my way out of the arena, I ran into no other than Will. “What’s wrong love? Did the switchblade finally cut you?” he asked. “I don’t want to talk about it” I told him, trying to leave as fast as I could. “Are you sure, you look like you’re about to cry” he told me sincerely. Next thing I knew I was in his hotel room in tears as he held me. “I can’t believe someone would say something like that. That’s complete bullshit” Will told me “What did Jay say when you told him?” “He said I was overreacting” “I’m really sorry Y/n, you didn’t deserve that” I don’t know how or why I was venting to Will but it felt good that someone was finally listening to me. I couldn't stop thinking about what I overheard a week prior to this mess. I had heard the other girls talking shit about me and when I told Jay about it he just brushed it off like it was nothing. The conversation was between Harley and Saraya. “I can’t believe Jay is still with her. You would think once he made it he would get rid of her” Harley said “Like I get they have been together for a long time and everything but let’s just face it, he could do better” she continued “I don’t even know what it is that he sees in her? She’s not pretty, she’s boring, there is nothing special about her. There are so many other people out there, look at all the models that want him and yet he’s still with her” I was trying not to cry as I heard Harley’s words. Sure they hurt but who she was talking to hurt more. One of my best friends Saraya stood next to her, listening to the conversation. “Once you get to know her, Y/n is really nice Harley. You don’t even know her!” I listened as Saraya defended me but that didn’t take away from the hurtful words. 

Once I left Will’s room I returned to my own hotel room. All I wanted to do was have a hot shower. I opened the door expecting to be alone since Dynamite was on the air but to my surprise, Jay was waiting for me. “Where were you?” he asked calmly “Does it matter where I was?” I asked him “You were with him weren’t you?” “Maybe I was, maybe I wasn’t. Why should you care, at least Will cares about me?” I could see the pain in his eyes “I do care about you Y/n, I love you. I’m sorry about earlier, I really am” I knew he was sincere but I still wasn’t convinced he was sorry. “Do you know how gorgeous you are? You are the most beautiful girl I have ever seen” he told me “I don’t care what those other girls think, you are the only person I need. You’re not boring Y/n, they are just jealous of you. Jealous of how naturally perfect you are. Look at the girls that flirt with me, they are all fake, they are not real. Fake tits, fake lips, fake everything. They are so ugly both inside and out that they need to do all of these things to at least have a chance against you. You have perfect plump lips that I love to kiss and bite. I would be scared Harley’s filler would explode if I did that to her. Your chest is warm and soft, those girls have fucken hard boulders in their tops” I couldn't help the laugh I let out at his comments. “It’s true! You are just perfect, I love every single thing about you. All of your ‘imperfections’ are perfections.” I didn’t even realize I was crying until Jay wiped away my tears and held me close. “I know, I know baby, I’m sorry” Jay and I stayed like that for a while, in each other’s loving embrace before sharing a hot shower.

I let the hot water burn my skin as Jay rubbed bubbles all over my body. “I don’t think you understand how obsessed with you I am. I love every single part of you Y/n” Jay told me as he began placing kisses all over my body. “This scar you claim to hate, love it,” he said as he kissed the deep scar on my side “Your hip dips, love them, stretch marks, love them, your beauty marks, obsessed” Every single ‘flaw’ I had pointed out over the years Jay told me he loved, kissing every single one lovingly. “You know how much I love you when I’m on my knees for you Y/n,” Jay told me, his eyes now dark. “Do you forgive me?” he asked “Yes, I’m sorry Jay. I love you too” “No, I’m sorry Y/n. I hope this will make it up to you” 

[kit-walk3r]

Summer Lovin’ (Jimmy Darling x fem!reader)

It’s 1950, a new freak show in town and you’re about to have the best summer of your life.

Warnings: sex references (nothing explicit)

It was 1950 when you met Jimmy Darling. Fraulein Elsa’s Cabinet of Curiosities, a travelling freak show, had just arrived in town, causing quite the scandal. Everyone was talking about it; some were excited to see what freaks the show had to offer, others disgusted by the thought of those different from themselves inhabiting ‘their’ town for a few months. You liked to think you were more open minded than a lot of the older folk, so saw no problem in welcoming the freaks.

You met Jimmy outside the grocery store. You were just leaving when the bottom of the brown paper bag broke, sending your groceries to the floor. You groaned, bending down to pick up your now discarded food, luckily it was mostly cans so nothing was squashed or crushed. However, they were a nightmare to pick up and you were attempting to pile the tins in your arms when two gloved hands reached out and picked the remaining cans off the ground. You looked up, ready to thank the kind stranger who helped, when you came face to face with a handsome face. Tanned skin from days in the sun, dark brown, almost black, eyes with almost a twinkle in them and curls of brown hair.

“Oh, hi,” you awkwardly greeted the stranger. “Uh, thank you.”

The handsome stranger grinned. “No problem, ma’am,” your eyes cast downward, cheeks blushing slightly. “Do you need help taking them to your car?”

You shyly nodded, motioning to a small, tan car not too far away. “It’s that one.”

The man nodded and the two of you made your way over to your car. You opened the trunk and put the cans you were holding inside before moving so he could do the same.

“Thank you,” you said again, closing the trunk before looking back at him with a grateful smile. “Not many people would have helped.”

“Just doing what any gentleman should,” The stranger shrugged as if it were no big deal, even though it was to you. “Should never leave a pretty lady in trouble.”

You blushed again at ‘pretty lady’.

“As a real ‘thank you’ you could come pay us a visit,” he handed you one of the flyers he had tucked under his arm. You accepted it and took a quick look. Fraulein Elsa’s Cabinet of Curiosities. Ah, so the stranger was a part of the freak show. “Tell them Jimmy sent you.”

Jimmy.

You nodded and tucked the flyer away in your purse. “I’ll see what I can do.”

Jimmy grinned. “Great. Hope to see you there,” he sent you a wink and just like that was on his way.

It was after Jimmy had gone when you realised the fast beating of your heart and intense flush of your cheeks. You internally cringed, hoping Jimmy didn’t notice how flustered he made you.

- - -

“Why exactly are we here?” Your friend Ruth asked as you both made your way towards the freak show the following night.

“I thought it would be fun,” you shrugged innocently. You hadn’t told your friend about your encounter with Jimmy and how he’d invited you along.

“But it’s just a bunch of weirdos,” Ruth argued, grimacing at one of the posters featuring someone called the ‘Illustrated Seal’.

“They’re not that bad,” you defended. “It’s just a couple of hours, what harm can it do?”

You noticed the lack of people as the two of you approached the ticket booth. Sat there was a very tall woman, just sitting down was your own height. “Two tickets, please,” you said politely. You thought for a moment before quietly adding “Jimmy sent me.”

The woman in the booth smirked as she handed over two tickets. “One of Jimmy’s girls, huh?” She chuckled quietly to herself. You blushed lightly and handed over the money. “Enjoy the show.”

You hoped Ruth hadn’t paid attention to your exchange but as soon as you left the booth she turned to you with an intrigued yet amused face. “Jimmy sent you?” She raised an eyebrow. “Who the hell is Jimmy?”

“Just some guy that I met at the grocery store,” you answered truthfully. “He invited me to come see the show. I could hardly say no after he helped me take my things to my car when my bag broke.”

Ruth had definitely noticed how red your cheeks got when you spoke about Jimmy. “And are you hoping to see Jimmy tonight?” She emphasised his name as she teased.

“Why do you keep saying his name like that?” You rolled your eyes. “Anyway, I’m just saying thank you. But honestly? It looks like we’re the ones doing them a favour,” you looked around the quiet fairground. There were the odd few people but it was still quiet considering it was only fifteen minutes until showtime. “It’s so quiet.”

“I’m not surprised,” Ruth shrugged. “A freak show isn’t the most appealing place to spend a Friday night.” Her tone turned bitter at the end.

“Will you stop complaining?” You rolled your eyes. “It’s just a couple of hours!”

“Yeah, yeah,” Ruth muttered. “Let’s just go sit down.”

There were a few more people in the tent, but not enough to qualify for a full house when combined with the people waiting outside. It was a shame really, since you knew this probably how they made a living, selling tickets. But Ruth was sort of right, for most people a freak show wouldn’t be the most appealing place to visit and, as welcoming as you were to the freaks, you wondered if you would have actually bothered attending if Jimmy hadn’t invited you.

You and Ruth took a seat in the third row and waited for the show to start. Once it began you found that you were genuinely enthralled by it, and wondered how these people were so hated. They were all entertaining and charismatic, and you especially loved Ma Petite.

Then it was Jimmy’s turn to perform. Even though you knew Jimmy worked for the freak show it never occurred to you that he was a performer, since he looked fairly normal, but as he walked out on that stage and you saw his hands it all made sense. You remembered the black gloves he was wearing when you met, and realised that they were just a disguise to try and cover up his unusual hands. A pang of sadness hit you at the thought of Jimmy having to cover a part of himself up to try and fit into society. He shouldn’t have to do that.

When Jimmy’s name was announced you saw Ruth perk up, obviously intrigued to see the mysterious guy who invited you to the freak show and had you blushing badly. She nudged you playfully when she saw his face in a clear sense of ‘approval’, but as soon as she caught sight of his hands her grin dropped and her eyes kept flickering between them and you. Now that approval was gone, and all you got now was a sense of disgust.

Your mind was on Jimmy for the remainder of the performance, barely even acknowledging the other performers. He was just as handsome as you remembered, making you blush even more. How was it that a guy you’d spoken to once had this much of an affect on you?

Once the show was over you gave the freaks a standing ovation and round of applause before leaving the tent with Ruth. “So that was Jimmy?” She said, unimpressed.

You hummed in response.

“You never said he had freaky hands,” Ruth grimaced. “He might have one hell of a face but I wouldn’t want those hands anywhere near me, they’re horrifying.”

You scowled. “They’re not horrifying,” you defended, unhappy with how Ruth was talking about Jimmy. “And anyway, I didn’t know. He was wearing gloves when I met him.”

“Of course,” Ruth said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. “Hid the freak part of himself to flirt with you and sell you a ticket and once he had your money he flaunted it. The guy was clearly leading you on.”

“No he wasn’t, it was nothing like that,” you groaned. “He just helped me with my groceries, that’s all.”

“Face it, Y/N, that guy had no interest in you, you’re just another ticket sale to him,” Ruth said matter of factly. She opened her mouth to continue speaking when she was cut off by a voice.

“Hello, ladies,” You both spun around to see Jimmy standing behind you, an innocent look on his face as if he hadn’t just been eavesdropping on your conversation. “Enjoy the show?”

You smiled whilst Ruth flushed with embarrassment. “Very much,” you nodded. “It was wonderful.”

“Well, I’m glad you enjoyed it,” Jimmy grinned. His eyes briefly flickered to Ruth, who was completely silent, before returning to you. “I’m so happy you turned up.”

“Really?” Your cheeks turned pink, and Ruth rolled her eyes at Jimmy’s obvious flirting technique.

“Of course,” Jimmy said. “It’s always encouraging when you’ve got a pretty lady watching you.”

“Well, thank you for inviting me,” you smiled shyly. Ruth was still silent, but also still clearly judging the conversation.

“If you’re not doing anything right now would you maybe wanna take a walk?” Jimmy asked and your eyes widened slightly at his forward request. You weren't expecting him to outright ask you out, you weren't expecting anything from him. “If it’s okay with your friend here, of course,”

You looked back at Ruth with a pleading look in your eye, silently begging her to let you go with him. Ruth sighed. “Fine,” she muttered. “Go ahead.”

You grinned and gave her a hug. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” you said. “Get home safe!” You said your goodbyes and watched as Ruth walked away, alone, before turning back to Jimmy.

“Wanna lead the way?” You asked. Jimmy nodded, extending his arm with a cheeky grin. You smiled back and linked your arm with his and the two of you began to walk away from the freak show and down a soft path leading towards some trees.

“It really was a great show,” you said.

“Thank you,” the gratitude was evident in Jimmy’s voice. “We all try our best.”

“Well your best is great,” you responded. There was quiet for a while before you spoke up again. “How long have you been in the freak show?” You asked. “If you don’t mind me asking.”

“I’ve been travelling as long as I can remember,” Jimmy explained. “My mom- the bearded lady- and I moved between a lot of shows when I was little, some good, some bad. We’ve been in this one for a while now, though. It actually feels like a family.”

You smiled at Jimmy’s response, genuinely interested in his life in the freak show. “That’s great, that you’re all a family,” you said softly.

“It is,” Jimmy agreed. “We’ve always got each other’s backs.” The two of you continued walking. “What about you, doll?” He asked, and as usual you blushed at the nickname.

“There’s not much to tell,” you shrugged. “I’m twenty-one, I’m an only child and I still live at home with my parents and I have a part time job as a secretary at some office, nothing interesting. Guess I’m pretty boring.” You felt embarrassed. Jimmy was living a life travelling the country, entertaining people with a group of people he could call his family whereas you cooked for your parents and answered phone calls for a living. You were pretty dull.

“Are you kidding? There’s nothing boring about that,” Jimmy defended you, nudging your shoulder in an attempt at cheering you up. “The mundane life is the best life.”

Jimmy’s support and optimism made you feel warm inside and you smiled softly at his support.

Your walk continued in a comfortable silence, the two of you just enjoying each other’s company as the sun reached its final moments of sunset. You could see the illumination of fireflies start to appear and you marvelled at their beauty.

You looked down at yours and Jimmy’s linked arms before stopping walking and pulling your arm out of his. A flash of confusion crossed Jimmy’s face, accompanied by a brief look of… hurt? As if he thought you were rejecting him. Instead, you did the opposite and grasped his hand with yours. The skin of his hands was rough and obviously it wasn’t the easiest to interlock your fingers but he was warm, and there was something about this that just felt right.

Jimmy’s eyes widened with shock slightly and your actions and he stared at your interlocked hands. He’d been with a number of girls in his twenty two years, but none of them had so freely embraced his hands in a manner that wasn’t for sexual gratification. Your hands were soft and warm and felt so delicate underneath his own. This feeling was new, and it felt nice.

Jimmy looked up from your joined hands to your face and saw your gentle smile and warm eyes. He found that he couldn’t stop himself and he leaned down to kiss you.

It was very brief, practically a peck, and you had no time to respond before Jimmy pulled back, looking almost ashamed. “I’m sorry,” he apologised, letting go of your hand and running it through his hair nervously. He looked awkward, as if he was going to run away at any moment and nothing like the confident, flirtatious guy you met at the grocery store. You found this endearing, however, and to put him out of his misery you used your now free hands to pull Jimmy back in for a much deeper kiss, which he responded to almost immediately.

Jimmy’s lips were soft under yours, a lot softer than you would have thought. His hands that were now around your waist held you gently, as if he was trying not to break you, and you could feel the heat radiating from his touch through the fabric of your dress. This kiss felt heavenly, and you couldn’t stop yourself from deepening it a little more. You didn’t want it to end.

Eventually, Jimmy pulled back, panting as he regained his breath. He grinned, and you couldn’t help mirror it, filled with excitement. “Damn, you sure know how to kiss,” Jimmy chuckled, and your only response was to pull him down for another one.

Your moment continued for a few seconds longer before Jimmy pulled back again. “As much as I’m enjoying this,” he said with a cheeky grin before leaning down so that his mouth was level with your ear, “and, believe me, I am,” you shuddered at the feeling of his hot breath against your skin and pouted when he pulled back. “It’s dark and I don’t know about you, doll, but I’d much rather be able to see you.”

You nodded in agreement. Thanks to the fireflies and lights in the distance you could see some parts of Jimmy, but the rest was concealed by darkness.

“You wanna take this back to my trailer?” Jimmy asked hopefully.

You nodded.

- - -

A couple of hours later and yours and Jimmy’s activities had finally slowed down. After stumbling your way back to the fairground (with the occasional pit stop for some more fooling around since the two of you couldn’t let each other go) you finally made it back to Jimmy’s trailer. There was a slight awkwardness at first but it didn’t take long for the lip-locking to continue, and soon after layers of clothes were coming off and Jimmy was showing you what his hands could really do. It was an intense, overwhelming experience and as the two of you lay side by side, catching your breaths, you were starting to come down from your high.

Besides the sound of your laboured breaths there was a comfortable silence in the trailer, neither of you feeling the need to talk as you recovered. Instead, Jimmy just wrapped an arm around you and you snuggled in closer to him, resting your head on his bare chest as you traced random patterns onto his skin with your finger. The silence continued, and you could have stayed in that moment forever… until you saw the clock and realised what time it was.

“Oh, shit!” You shot up, disturbing Jimmy who you realised was drifting off to sleep. You got up from the makeshift bed and grabbed your clothes that were scattered all over the floor before quickly attempting to redress in a way that made you look presentable.

“Where you going in such a hurry, baby?” Jimmy mumbled as he sat up and watched you put your clothes back on. You barely registered that he called you ‘baby’, too panicked about being late home.

“I need to get home,” you tried to explain as you pulled up your tights, internally groaning when you noticed a large pull in them. You hoped your mother wouldn’t notice. “I’m late and my parents will be worried sick.”

“You’re twenty one,” Jimmy pointed out as he pulled on his own underwear, followed by his wife beater. “Can’t you make your own rules?”

You shook your head. “Not whilst I live with my parents. Their house, their rules,” you attempted to zip up the back of your dress but struggled. “Could you zip me up?”

Jimmy nodded and came over to you. He brushed your hair over your shoulder before gently zipping up the fabric. You shivered as his fingers grazed the skin of your back and a soft sigh escaped you when you felt his lips ghost against the side of your neck, just beneath your ear.

“Are you sure you can’t stay?” He murmured, and it took all of your self-restraint to say no.

“I can’t,” you turned around so you were face to face with Jimmy and you gently rested your hands on his chest. “My parents would call the police or send out a search party. It would be a nightmare.”

“Well, can I at least see you again?” Jimmy asked before kissing you once more. You responded just for a moment before pulling back, knowing that if you continued for just a second longer you would not be leaving this trailer until the morning.

“If you want to,” you shrugged innocently.

Jimmy grinned, his arms wrapping themselves around your waist. “Oh, I want to,” he pulled you closer towards him and slowly pressed a few light kisses to your neck. He was really making it hard for you to leave.

“Jimmy I really have to go,” you insisted and Jimmy groaned as he pulled back.

“Let me drive you back at least?” Jimmy offered and you nodded, remembering the motorcycle parked not too far away.

You watched as Jimmy pulled on the rest of his clothes and wondered how you had gotten so lucky.

- - -

For the rest of the summer the freak show was in town you and Jimmy frequently met up. Early on the two of you agreed that this would be just a summer fling, both aware that Jimmy wouldn’t be around forever as the show was set to move on to another state. You made sure to make the most of the time you had though, so Jimmy often took you out for picnics and such as well as back to his trailer.

You’d informed Ruth about the little arrangement you had with Jimmy and, after asking for the sordid details (especially about his hands), she agreed to cover for you for your parents, allowing you to spend nights with Jimmy instead of having to rush back home for a certain hour. However, this did make for an awkward first meeting with Jimmy’s mother when she didn’t knock before coming into his trailer one morning. It was awful and you were certain Ethel hated you, but she always made sure that there was a plate of breakfast saved for you in the mornings you were over. It turned out she was very welcoming of you, as were all the freaks, and you realised that this really was a family.

Of course it was hard when Jimmy finally had to go, but you’d been preparing for it so was ready for the goodbye. You parted on good terms, there were no tears or sobs. Just a hug, a kiss on the cheek from Jimmy and a reminder from you that if Jimmy were ever in town again to come find you. Then he and the rest of the freaks left, and you moved on with your life.

- - -

Two years later you were leaving work when you noticed a familiar figure standing outside the building. You grinned at Jimmy, who was smiling straight at you, and you hurried towards him. You noticed his now wooden hands but didn’t mention it and instead pulled him into a tight hug.

“What are you doing here?” You asked as you pulled back. You’d not heard anything about the freak show being back in town.

Jimmy simply said: “You said to come find you.”

•———•

I hope this was okay for my first Jimmy fic. I know a lot of you reading this would have preferred it if smut was involved but unfortunately that is something that I am currently not confident enough to write, I hope you understand.

Requests are welcome!

Taglist: @jellyluvr @howtobesasha @dewberryobssesed @luv4evan

Want to join my taglist? Just reply here!

[lorre-verie]

⇢ ˗ˏˋ 𝐌𝐲 𝐒𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐂𝐡. 4 ࿐ྂ 

summary: Ao’nung’s unbridled and seemingly nonsensical rage causes him to do the dumbest thing you’ve ever seen him do in your entire 15 years of living. The next time you talk to Neteyam, you realise it is you who must pay for the weight of your brother’s crimes.

word count: 2.1k

pairings: neteyam x gn! Ao’nung’s older twin! Reader

warnings: sadness, ao’nung and reader reconciling, i think there’s cussing somewhere, more sadness

part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5 | masterlist

“You’ve struck me down and thrown away my heart, and you dare laugh?” Neteyam grasped at his chest, mimicking heartbreak. You laughed harder at his amusing behaviour. He kept finding ways to cheer you up, and you were grateful to him for it. 

The day after Ao’nung’s outburst, you came to Neteyam for comfort. You were both sitting on a tiny sandy island just a little ways from Awa’atlu, cracking jokes and teaching each other stuff.

He had taught you some more english lingo, and you taught him how to swim faster. Not too fast though, you worried that if you taught him too well he’d be faster than you. 

You never told him about what Ao’nung had said the other night, you just wanted him to make you feel like everything was going to be okay again. You had gotten used to his presence and the way he made a deep buzzing sound in your heart.

“Okay okay, what’s a playboy again?” you tried to comprehend the language, but there were just so many rules and confusing terms. “A playboy is a guy who can get a lot of people pining for him, you know, like me,” he smiled smugly.

You laughed, slapping his elbow at his amazingly stupid words.“Yeah, right! The only person you talk to aside from your family is me! And I don’t like you in that way,” you retorted, stifling the rest of your laugh. 

“Really?” he frowned, before leaning in closer to you, eyes flickering from your eyes to your lips. “Wanna test that theory?” he smiled. 

This was the second time Neteyam had been this close, the distance between you two threatening to close ever so suddenly like a door in a room with an open window. You wanted to kiss him, but it just felt too soon. 

You placed a hand gently on his chest, about to push him away, but before you could the sounds of an ilu splashing out of the water caught both your attention. Ao’nung leered at you two with immeasurable anger behind his eyes, something that Neteyam hadn’t been able to catch. 

“Hey fish lips, give us some space, yeah?” Neteyam called out to him with a grin on his face. With that you quickly pushed Neteyam away, getting up on your feet. “Ao’nung,” you put your two hands out as if to defend yourself,  “this isn’t what it looks like.”

Neteyam looked confused at your statement. He was still sitting down, looking at how Ao’nung practically leapt off the ilu, taking heavy steps towards you with a scowl on his face. “Really?” your brother spat. “Your excuses are getting lamer and lamer as the days go by, Y/N.” 

Your ears flattened, clenching your jaw. “Ao’nung, let’s go talk somewhere else.” you avoided Neteyam’s gaze, continuing to look at your younger twin.

“No. We can talk right here, in front of him.” Ao’nung pointed at the still bewildered omaticayan who was getting up, his finger trembling with fury.

“Fine!” you snapped. “I still don’t get why you’re so hung up about me and Tsireya liking people. It’s not that serious!” 

“It’s not about you liking people.” he snarled. “It’s about you liking them. They aren’t one of us!”

“Why the hell does that matter!” you shouted back. Your brother’s eyes widened when the foreign word spilled out of your mouth, before his expression turned hard.

“He’s brainwashing you.” he whispered to himself, as if he had come to a mind blowing realisation. 

“Y/N, he’s one of those demons, we can’t trust them!” as he got closer to you, you backed away before Neteyam stopped him by the shoulder. “Don’t get any closer,” he warned, his voice low. 

“Get off me, demon.” Ao’nung spat, grabbing Neteyam’s arm and throwing it off his own shoulder, seemingly appalled at the touch. 

“I’ve already gotten rid of your brother, don’t make me do the same to you–” he stopped mid sentence, as if caught off guard. His body froze, lips still parted. 

A short moment of silence followed that was almost unbearable. 

“What did you say?” Neteyam spoke up, eyes turned to slits. Ao’nung couldn’t answer him, his frightened eyes fixed on you. You inhaled deeply, suppressing the anger that boiled under your skin. If your little brother had meant what he just said, he was in for it now. 

“Ao’nung,” you seethed, your voice low.

“What did you do?”

(this would be a VERY appropriate time to play slipping through my fingers by ABBA)

You watched silently as Neteyam dragged your brother by the kuru, bringing him to his father. “Tell him what you told me,” he practically growled, tugging on Ao’nung’s kuru. Your brother fell silent for a bit, before confessing what he’d done.

He’d told the father of the boy he’d just doomed that he tricked his son into going out of the reef, leaving him to fend for himself for a ‘joke.’

The sky felt like it was crumbling as you sat there, legs dangling at the edge of your marui, watching people leave and return on their ilus in a desperate search for Neteyam’s brother. You were to stay back and assist any affairs unrelated to his disappearance, an order met by your protests at first.

You felt a shift in the atmosphere, the feeling of someone’s tenseness radiating through the air. “Ao’nung.” you called out, and you imagined him stiffening. “Come,” you patted the spot next to you. “Sit.” 

Reluctantly, he dragged his heavy body towards you, sitting down without a word. He had expected you to start scolding him, to start screaming at him for his stupidity, but instead, 

you snaked your arm around his shoulder, pulling him towards you. 

“I don’t know what reason you had for doing what you did, but I just want you to know,” he sucked in a breath, awaiting his damnation. 

“You’re going to be alright,” you smiled softly, nudging his head to rest on your shoulder. 

Huh?

“You don’t have to say anything. Just know that when the time comes, I’ll be here for you.” 

He was utterly baffled. 

What were you doing? 

Trying to guilt him into apologising? 

Because you didn’t need to do that, he already would have to pay for his stupid crime for the rest of his life. He wanted to lift his head up, to reject your reassurance,

but he just couldn’t. 

Instead, a single tear flowed down his cheek, landing softly on your skin. 

With your hand placed softly on his shoulder, you rest your head upon his, gently rubbing soothing circles into his tense muscles.

“Y/N! The meanies kept on picking me today!” a tiny Ao’nung cried to you, his tears soaking your shoulder as he cried on it. 

“Shh, baby bro. It’s going to be alright,” a little you hugged him tightly, leading him to sit where you both were sitting right now. 

The silence was filled with his sniffles, both past and present. 

“You’re going to be alright.” both little you and present you whispered, shutting your eyes tightly and squeezing his shoulder. 

The memory of the promise you made to him rushed back to you, as clear as if it had happened yesterday. Despite being twins, he was much smaller than you at the time, which made him an easy target for others to tease. 

Although the teasing was meant to be lighthearted, he struggled to find the humour in it, which was kind of ironic now. 

“Nung,” the small you said, a serious look in your eyes. 

You smiled to yourself, remembering your slurred words. You were only 5 years old at the time, your sentences barely coherent to adults. But being twins, you could understand each other perfectly.

“I will protect you, always.” 

“No matter what?”

“No matter what. 

nothing can ever, 

ever, 

take me away from you,

I. promise.”

Tears well up in your eyes as you realised, you had already broken that promise many times over.

Each time you retreated to your private little sanctuary, avoiding your problems, you were also avoiding him. 

Perhaps, just perhaps, it was not escaping from your duties that made you guilty, but it was escaping from your brother.

You recollected a memory of returning home from a little escapade, having spent the time climbing trees. This was when you were 7, before you’d even found the cave. 

As you arrived back home, you saw your mother attending to Ao'nung, who had a deep cut on his arm, crying loudly. A tiny Tsireya was there too, offering comfort by holding his hand. Apparently, it happened while he was in the water alone. “He said he wasn’t watching where he was going, and knocked into a rock,” your mother explained.

But the fear and confusion in his eyes as he looked up at you told you otherwise.

You never got to find out what truly happened, because you never really cared to ask. You were too obsessed with finding your own free time. 

Unbeknownst to you, a dark silhouette creeped by the entrance of your marui. It leered at you comforting your little brother, ears flicking with contempt as it heard your small reassurances.

It's not your fault,

I’m so sorry,

Everything will be fine.

And as soon as the shadow appeared, it was gone. 

Lo’ak came back past eclipse with one of your own people who’d found him just within the reef, you were able to hear the relieved sighs of your parents and his own as he approached the island. 

You stood behind your father, his hand firmly on the back of Ao’nung’s neck. Lo’ak had a look of pure anger on his face when he looked at your brother, like he wanted to punt him in the face, only to be stopped by his father as he stomped up onto the woven deck. 

Jake Sully inspected his son, checking his back for any bruises. “He’s fine, just a few scratches.” he said loudly, so that the crowd of metkayina would disperse quickly. 

Neytiri hurried from behind the crowd, quickly checking to see that her son was alright. When she confirmed she wasn’t hurt, she quickly scolded him. 

“I pray for the strength that I will not rip the eyeballs out of my youngest son!” she hissed, making a grabbing motion at Lo’ak’s eye, to which Tsireya next to you winced. 

“No,” your father said, pushing Ao’nung down to kneel. “My son knows better than to take him outside of the reef. The blame is his.”

Jake nodded hesitantly, deciding he didn’t want to cause any more trouble with the Olo’eyktan. “Okay, let’s go.” 

“No.”

“It’s not Ao’nung’s fault,” Lo’ak shook his head, looking up at your father. Ao’nung’s head turned up at this, both you and him (and your mother) were bewildered at this. 

“It was my idea. Ao’nung tried to talk me out of it, really.”

Neteyam put a hand on Lo’ak’s arm, silently asking him with his eyes, What are you doing? He only gave his older brother a glance of the eye to respond.

Your mother and father exchanged looks. They always did this, communicating without even needing to speak to each other. Lo’ak was covering for their son, they knew it. But why, was the question.

Your father pulled up Ao’nung, turning to him. “Is this true?” he asked, disbelief laced between his words. 

Although you admired your parents for their ability to see through such lies, you were also disappointed they didn’t believe their own son could be responsible for one moment. Your eyes darted towards Neteyam who was walking away with his family, and you quickly excused yourself. 

As you approached, however, you heard his parents scolding him. “Where were you?” Neytiri asked. “Yeah, what happened to keep an eye on your brother?” Jake said in english, it seemed he noticed you were coming towards them, but he didn’t know you could understand their conversation. 

You gulped, knowing that Neteyam was with you when Lo’ak was led outside the reef. “Sorry sir.” Neteyam muttered. You couldn’t see his face, but you could tell from his tone of voice that he was not happy.

Jake and Neytiri left him, Jake nodding to you before he left as some form of greeting. “Neteyam, how are you feeling?” you asked him softly.

He sighed, turning towards you. There was a glint of something you’d never seen before in his eyes, and you couldn’t quite figure out what it was. But as he narrowed them, it became clear.

He was glaring at you with utter distaste.

“I don’t feel like talking to you right now.” he said, his tone indicating that his anger was threatening to reach boiling, and you were the cause. 

Your heart dropped all the way to your stomach as he stalked away, leaving you wondering. 

What did I do?

part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5 | masterlist

Idk what to say except oh no angst 😨 this part is definitely shorter than the others and idk why, it just seemed that this was enough words to convey the message. i THINK that the next part is the finale, but we’ll just have to see. Also if you’ve been reading this series from the start, you’ll notice that all the chapters have undergone a design transformation cause I just thought it looked better <3

Taglist: @strawberryclouds22 @assistantquail @st4rrry @neteyamforlife @heaven1oo4 @spicycloudsalad @1ntefly @laylasbunbunny @fanboyluvr @xoxobabe @thecrazyswamp @amortencjja @lynbubble @jakesullyssluttt @gabithefanwriter @erenjaegerwifee @abbersreads

note: usernames in red are the ones i couldn't tag

[dragon-chica]

Enid Sinclair Relationship Headcanons

Fandom: Wednesday

Sweetest, wonderful, most sunshine girlfriend ever that makes every day so much better by being around her.

Enid is very affectionate, hand holding, hugs, cuddling, physical touch is her #1 love language.

Also really likes the idea of love languages and wants to know yours! Says you're compatible even if the chart doesn't agree, she also just likes trying to guess other peoples' with you.

Doesn't think she's the jealous type but someone stole her spot next to you and she growled at them.

Was happy as soon as they left! Slipping her hand into yours and talking as if nothing happened, you just smile at her, amused.

She loves making playlists for you! Has a playlist for every occasion, roadtrip, grocery trip, study date, and they all have super long names and will send you ones titled "because i miss you ❤️❤️❤️"

She will try to finds song you will like, and listen to your favorite songs and bands even if she really isn't into it.

She loves Taylor Swift and Harry Styles, will recreate TS music videos on tiktok using littlest pet shops.

Tries to get you to dance with her! She loves dancing in her room and having fun and does her best to get you to join. She likes dancing just for fun, and little tiktok dances, but also wants to dress up with you and try to 'recreate' romantic dancing scenes.

You send her Monsters and Men on a playlist "indie werewolf tunes"

She tries to be vague but it's very obvious she's bragging about you on her blog.

Skin care is very important!! She'll drag you to her room for facemasks and manicures, she can do some pretty impressive little nail designs on you too.

She comes up with the cutest dates! has a pinterest board dedicated to cute things you can do together and cute couple ideas.

Biggest heart eyes if you surprise her with a cute date even if it's simple like a picnic 🥺

So! Many! Cute! Nicknames! She wants you to like your nickname and have something special for you but she can't help but call you anything that comes to mind "sweatheart, honeybun, cutiepie, cupcake"

Personal Space is really not her thing and if you're okay with it she will be touching you all the time, in your bubble, leaning her head on you, just being casually cuddly.

Very into PDA but tells you she doesn't want to be cringy or 'too coupley' and explains to you how to go about that.

They're all very sweet and you tell her they seem pretty fitting for her instead, which she will argue with you on.

You call her even cuter things though, even if you're not really one for giving out nicknames. "Lovebug" is just too good not to call her.

She always tries to do things that interest you! Even if they're spooky or uncomfortable likes bugs...she looks so pained but fully puts in an effort to enjoy it if you do.

Uses emojis with every text, she is a fast texter and can go on nonstop when you're not together and suddenly your screen is a wall of at least 40% emoji to text ratio.

So many hearts and "🥺🥺" and every other sweet/cute one. She can convey such long things with emojis and you've become a pro at deciphering her hieroglyphs.

Shopping dates! Even if you don't buy much, choosing outfits for each other to try on is so much fun.

100% will buy a stuffed animal and call it your child, switching who's bed it sleeps on regularly is a must.

Movie nights! She actually likes watching horror movies that aren't too gorey, but is easily spooked. She falls for every jumpscare and her claws come out when she yelps.

Her instinct is to protect you though! Which means if you're scared or not, you'll be yanked into her lap for safely, and might get a little poked by her claws while she clings to you.

You will defend her from anything but when someone called her your golden retriever,,,you admit there wasn't much of an argument there and she was a tiny bit offended.

You send her pictures of cute things with "this reminded me of you ❤️" and you can hear her squeal from 2 corridors away.

She told you her fears of dying alone if she's never able to transform, that she would be alone all her life and no one would love her so you blurted out "You wont be alone, I love you and I'll be there."

Which made you worry because you never actually talked about the future even though you know you want to be right her the rest of your life.

She froze for a moment, staring at you with watery eyes and you really started to panic but she surged forward wrapping you in a werewolf strength hug and kept crying and thanking you.

She tried to be diplomatic when you met her family but when her mom is disappointed in her, and you, and she's really unsure if you were serious about physically fighting the hag woman, it was not a relaxing time.

Her dad likes you though, he sees how happy you make Enid and that's all he wants.

[theladyalchemist]

A TALE OF THE DARK KNIGHT & THE PHEONIX 🕷️

A short fictional/non-fictional story I wrote about an argument I had with my ex boyfriend who has his Pluto and Mars conjunct my 12H Pluto..which is also conjunct my ASC and Chiron 12H. I mentioned these aspects instead of our 8H synastry because I kinda felt like those placements related more to this particular situation.

“Be your fucking self!” He says with rage in his voice. I sit listening to him call me out over the jail phone, body filling with anger as he speaks with demand. “This n*gga is crazy” I thought as I carry on to defend myself, unsure of why he keeps saying those exact words to me. “Am I being myself?” My subconscious thought wondered as the phone hung up. I then proceed to roll one under stress, turn on my rock music, and let the anger release with each puff. I personally considered myself one of the weirdest girls from Dallas based off my music taste alone, so I couldn't really grasp what he meant. I was like every other black girl from Dallas who grew up listening to UGK, Slim thug, Trill Ent., Gucci Mane, Future, Kevin Gates, Jodeci, Tyrese, etc…yet most times I find myself dancing all over my room to Willow Smith, Deftones, Lana del Rey, Justin Bieber, Girl in Red, Coldplay,Avril Lavigne and the list of Popstars, Rockstars, and country singers goes on. Music I couldn’t play around my “so called” friends because it was considered weird. I’m also the black girl who can be the life of the party at a club, but I would prefer going to museums, art galleries, arcades, hiking, amusement parks, going to the beach, going to music festivals, open mic nights, trying new foods, meeting new people, rooftop parties, traveling and the best of them all.. going to fashion shows. The kind of black girl who writes poetry/short stories nobody knows about, and keeps a diary. The black girl who’s too black for other races and not black enough for black people. The girl who goes missing on social media for months, comes back for a few days, and then goes ghost again. The girl all alone in a world of casual sex/relationships, because I believe in being with one person and continuing to be there even when things get tough. A girl obsessed with horror movies, and dark romance.“Till death do us part” is a term that makes me wet. A hopeless romantic. The girl who can only have sex with a man who will go through hell with me and walk out with the key. The girl who knew what and how sacred sex was at just 8 years old. But also the girl with insecurities surrounding sex from being brought up in a family who suppressed my sexuality. “Go change out of that skirt!” They would say, whenever men would come over. Calling me fast whenever I would dress up showing my skin. Telling me “he’s just going to have sex with you and leave you”, everytime I would have a boyfriend. Traumatizing me with the horror stories of my mother being raped by 3 men as a child, and projecting the outcome onto me if I showed any parts of my feminine side. The girl who is now a 24 year old virgin, afraid that men would take advantage of me and not knowing how to let go of the men that do. A girl who has been both stable and unstable trying her best to be a woman. To own her authenticity even if the world doesn’t accept her.

“Be your fucking self!”, the agonizing words he said replaying over and over in my head. I then imagine me screaming “I AM!” So loudly that the earth starts to shake. “He doesn’t understand” I thought to myself. It was better to tell myself that he didn’t understand than to admit he could be right. If he was right then that would mean the suppression I saw within him, I also had within myself. Was he my mirror? How did he unknowingly know that I had so many things inside me that I kept suppressed? It was the feeling of someone reading your diary without your permission, and then using your secrets against you. I hated him for the ways he went about things, yet craved him for ripping out every part of me that wasn’t real. Parts that I couldn’t see. He seen through her illusion and killed her before she could kill me. The girl I’ve let take over me for so long, lying on the ground with a knife in her heart bleeding out to her death. With the power of his words there she layed, finally dead. And there I rose, covered in her blood, reborn again.

[lurkingshan]

Make it Right 2

I have so many thoughts and feelings about this show that I'm struggling to decide where to start. I guess the best place is my overall impressions, which haven't changed since I finished the first series: I LOVE THIS SHOW AND I WILL DEFEND THESE CHARACTERS TO ANYONE. Fight me!

Now real talk, does this show have high production quality, smart writing and plotting, sharp editing, scene construction, and overall narrative consistency and coherence? No, it does not. It has none of those things, and a lot of them have gotten markedly worse from the first season. But all that barely phased me because the characters just hooked themselves right into my heart and wouldn't let go. This show is very very messy, but in the most lovable way ("LIKE GAY PEOPLE" - @bengiyo).

There were three main storylines that I was invested in for this second season. I will talk about them in order of least to most emotional investment.  @waitmyturtles @wen-kexing-apologist @manogirl tagging you to come back to this later after you finish your watches because I want to talk about ALL OF THIS. For anyone reading - major spoilers from here on out!!

Yok & Lukmo

Boy, I did not expect this romance, and I really liked it. Which came as a surprise, because I did not care much about Mo in the first series. I was more invested in Yok, but in season 1 he felt kind of removed from everyone else, which was of course by design. He felt apart from the other boys because he is different. And it was just really really lovely to see a femme gay character get to embrace who he is and be loved for it. I like that he was wary of Mo and tested him for awhile before he let him in, and that Mo did waver a bit when he was first challenged on whether he really was okay being in a gay relationship. That felt authentic to me, and only made it feel more solid when they came back together with Mo more confident in what he wanted. I also liked that in the end Yok's mom stepped up to take her kid's side and express her acceptance of who he is and his relationship - it was very sweet.

I do have to deduct some points here for that very tonally bizarre sex scene that got tacked on to the end of their story. The way that scene was directed, shot, and edited just didn't feel in line with their dynamic at all, and I spent most of it thinking we were in some kind of weird dream sequence. I did find it amusing though that these two were better with physical intimacy in their one scene than the leads ever managed across two full seasons.

Frame & Book

My beloveds!! They were my favorite part of season 1, and I still loved them here, though I think the show faltered a lot on their storyline in season 2. The ideas behind their arc - Book working through some past relationship trauma, dealing with the fallout of Book's public violation, Frame struggling to hang in as Book pushed him away - were all good. But the execution was pretty spotty. The entire arc needed some clearer storyboarding and a pacing and sequencing revamp. The choppy editing this season felt most evident to me in this storyline, where I often felt like scenes came abruptly out of nowhere or felt out of sequence, and emotional swings happened too fast to be believable. And I didn't love where the show ultimately took some of the resolutions with the ex-boyfriend (and the teacher who was apparently inviting his students for group sex parties??) but I can't say they aren't in line with this show's overall forgiving attitude toward whatever these boys get up to.

All that said, at the core of this storyline was Frame and Book struggling to endure a traumatic event together, figuring out how they need to show up for each other in those moments, and learning from their mistakes to become better communicators. All of that worked and fit the characters really well. I believed that Book would totally shut down and push Frame out in the face of public humiliation and deep shame. I believed Frame would try and try and try to get through to him but also experience moments of weakness where he would be tempted to just say fuck it and go back to the easier path of casual hookups. And though a lot of the journey to get there was sloppily executed, I believed that they would ultimately come out of that mess more committed and in love than before (I could have done without all the wedding talk though, they are 16 people!).

​Fuse & Tee

And here we come to the arc that frustrated and thrilled me in equal measure. FUSE YOU ABSOLUTE WANKER I WANT TO YEET YOU OFF A CLIFF AND ALSO GIVE YOU A GIANT HUG. I was deep in my feelings about this story all season. Fuse made me so mad, Tee made me so sad, and they both made me so happy in the end when they finally figured out their shit.

Fuse's storyline feels very familiar to a lot of early Thai bl. His inability to let go of his shitty girlfriend and his constant wavering between Jean and Tee was reminiscent of Phun in Love Sick (and would also be a dynamic repeated in other shows like Together with Me). The key difference for me, and what made it comparably more upsetting than in Love Sick, is that unlike Noh, Tee did not have his own other relationship to deal with or any ambivalence about whether he wanted to actually be together. Tee only ​wanted Fuse, and wanted commitment and fidelity from him, and watching Tee get increasingly depressed as he tried to be happy just getting what he could from Fuse, caught in a cycle of getting hope and then being rejected again, was so painful. And while he might not have been fully aware of how selfish and cruel he was being at first, eventually Fuse definitely saw how this was affecting Tee and came to understand he was the cause, and he still didn't stop fucking with him! I was so angry with him around the midpoint of the season, I just wanted Tee to dump him and start dating his little friend. 

What made it all so much harder to swallow is that Jean and Fuse's relationship was so mild. THEY DON'T EVEN LIKE EACH OTHER. Fuse does not want to touch or kiss her - that was established way back at the beginning of season 1. They go long stretches where they don't even talk to each other until one of them remembers the other exists. Jean has a whole other boyfriend that she seems to have a much deeper relationship with. And this is where the show kind of pissed me off, because the way they turned Jean into an evil manipulative woman stereotype with her pulling this elaborate scheme to pretend her boyfriend was her brother so she could parade around town with him (and even brazenly bring him in front of Fuse!) just felt so false and over the top to me. Why would she bother to do any of that just for the sake of stringing along this boy who isn't even interested in being her boyfriend in any real way? @bengiyo mentioned that his reading of it was she is insecure in her relationship with the older boy and so wants Fuse as a back up, which I could buy to a certain extent, but they really lost me with the lengths she went to. Jean is a very pretty girl who will no doubt have another boyfriend in a week; all this just to hang on to Fuse? I didn't buy it.

And that's a problem because it made it harder to understand why the hell Fuse was having such a hard time letting go of her, and why he was willing to hurt Tee so much in the process. I think if he genuinely liked Jean and had a deeper relationship with her, that would have worked better for me. As it was, he just seemed like a coward, and the way he kept rejecting Tee and then still trying to have his way with him after was infuriating. When he told Tee he was breaking up with him and staying with Jean, and then still tried to get him to sleep with him after, that's when I was ready to strangle this kid. And some of this I can rationalize as him not being ready to firmly commit to being out in a gay relationship and needing Jean as a kind of shield and safety blanket, but if that was the intent I think the show muddied the message a bit by having literally everyone already know about Tee and Fuse. That horse was long out of the barn before Fuse finally did something about Jean.

To the show's credit, it knows exactly how awful Fuse was throughout this entire debacle, and the last segment of their arc is all about Fuse recognizing it himself and atoning for his behavior with Tee. I love that we saw him apologize to Tee with increasing sincerity. I love that we saw him finally be the one to pursue Tee and make his feelings clear, and that Tee actually made him work for it. I loved that we had multiple episodes of Fuse trying to work up the courage to ask Tee to be his faen, and that Tee knew what was happening and enjoyed watching Fuse flounder. My absolute favorite scene was Fuse finally breaking down and confessing to Tee at the beach (with a little help from best bro Lukmo) - that he knows he was wrong, that he knows he was selfish, that he understands what Tee means to him now, that he loves him and wants to be with him and he's ready to commit to that. And Tee, because he is a kind and generous person who has been patiently waiting for this all along, immediately forgave him and responded in kind. It was so emotionally cathartic and satisfying, and felt very much earned after that loooooong journey through the mess. More than anything else I felt so proud of Fuse, and so happy for Tee, and I believed they would be solid from that point on. I didn't even need the sweet little epilogue to feel that way, but I was delighted to get it (and a direct homage to Love Sick with Fuse putting his hand over the camera lens as he leaned over to kiss his boyfriend).

Final thoughts

As I wrapped up my watch I have been reflecting on why this show is not as beloved in fandom as something like Love Sick. Why does it not seem to have the same nostalgic pull? Why don't people (other than @absolutebl and @bengiyo) talk about it as much as other classic Thai bls? And the only thing I can think of is that it's too raw for most of the bl audience. And I mean raw in every sense - the production, the acting, the emotions, the inexperience and naivete and even the physicality of the characters. Nothing particularly sophisticated is happening here, and nothing is smoothed over. If you want to love these characters, you have to love them through all the bad decisions and fucked up choices and flaws run wild. You have to love them when they're ugly as much as when they're beautiful. And I think that's hard for a lot of the audience that just wants to see sweet love stories. But I am here for it and so glad I finally got to watch this.

[adultswim2021]

Robot Chicken #79: “Please Do Not Notify Our Contractors” | September 13, 2009 - 11:30PM | S04E18

I have to finish a Jeopardy board for my “online friends” game night tonight, so I’ll make this as brief as I can, which is usually not very. Four longish sketches for me to comment on! 

One is a parody of the end of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. I think. I only saw that movie once ever in my entire life. I don’t think I like Indiana Jones, like, at all. Anyway: This is about the knight that is guarding the holy grail, and how he got along for all those years before Indiana Jones got there. It also explains why there were so many other grails there to confuse him; they were fast food cups from him ordering in. I don’t hate this premise, I just hate hearing Breckin Meyer doing a British accent. It just sounds like a high school drama student approximating Monty Python sketches to me. 

There’s a sketch where a father hides in his young son’s closet to prove to him that there’s no such thing as a bogeyman. It backfires, because he learns that his son is domming his teddy bear and now he’s trapped in there as to not confront this terrible truth. I’m not sure if I missed the full joke of this sketch; there were key phrases that seemed to suggest that the kid was playing out some role playing fantasy he has or reenacting a trauma from a previous living situation? He does say the teddy bear is adopted? Like, I’m honestly not sure if the joke is that the kid is planning to rape his adoptive father or something, I genuinely feel like i missed a key detail. NOT SPENDING MORE TIME ON THIS TO FIGURE IT OUT, SORRY.

There’s a very long sketch where it’s Beast from Beauty and the Beast on a dating reality show where he fucks and sucks various beauties of various backgrounds. Technically this is a new idea, I guess, but the tropes of reality shows have been fodder for comedy for so gosh darn long, and none of those jokes seem particularly inspired. The funniest joke in this is the running gag of the angry mob that keeps interrupting it, but then I remembered about January 6th and instantly got PTSD from it :( 

Okay; the best sketch of the night was Montage, about a superhero of sorts who helps people by showing up an enacting a montage. There’s been comedy about the montage trope for years, but the part where he does a montage to age up a house thief so that he becomes too frail to complete his crime is pretty inspired. And the ending was really good, where Montage’s nemesis End Credits man shows up, for both being a clever joke and also letting me know that the show was about to end. 

EPHEMERA CORNER:

The Office (UK) (September 19, 2009 - 12:00AM)

I recently watched a video where a British man defended the post-classic era of the Simposns. It only solidified my personal theory that as outsiders to American culture, British people are less likely to be able to discern the very clear difference between good and bad episodes of The Simpsons. But this is a two-way street, mostly resulting in Americans not realizing Ricky Gervais sucks until he became the most cartoonishly awful version of himself. 

Did I love The Office back then? Yes. I haven’t tried to watch it in full in probably 20 years or so, so I don’t know if it “holds up” (I mean that in the least obnoxious way possible). I only got into the American Office after exhausting rewatches of the British one, after being told how much better it got after it’s first season (of which I saw the first episode, a remake of the first British episode, and hated).

The Office airing on Adult Swim is one of my favorite bits of Adult Swim lore. Because it was promoted for weeks with Ricky Gervais being, for it’s time, funny and cheeky in promos. You got the impression he riffed them all out, letting his naturally-amusing arrogance drive them with inspired one-liners. The show’s odd runtime meant that Adult Swim had to air it in 45 minute time slots with extensively long introductions with Ricky Gervais talking about the episode for a few minutes before letting it play. 

The difference between the promos he cut and the intros, despite being the exact same camera setup, was stark. Ricky would pretentiously prattle on about how David Brent was (I used to do an impression of this and it made two people laugh really hard, so I consider it one of my greatest bit) “huuurrtiiing”, almost like we’d failed as an audience by this character buffoonish. Ricky was basically preparing us for watching a Ken Loach film, and not an above-average BBC Sitcom. It could very well be the first instance of me thinking “this dude seems like he sucks”. 

Surprisingly, these intros seem to be missing from the internet. I keep teasing the fact that some day I’ll dig out my DVD-Rs and try and find this stuff to post somewhere, but who knows at this point. I genuinely don’t know where they are and I have so much fucking shit I need to purge just to get to the pile that MIGHT contain them. But maybe some day. Enjoy the one promo I found, which doesn’t really illustrate what I’m talking about almost at all. Sorry.

MAIL BAG

The Boondocks pilot got leaked online archive DOT org/details/boondockspilot

Nice!

[mistralxsoul]

"Are you here to kill me? Because I have to admit, I find the possibility very exciting." [viciouscomplex :3]

@viciouscomplex

Flynn had heard tales of the Great Transgressor. A sick fiend who murders innocents for fun, a crazed maniac who finds joy in the chaos, an absolutely irredeemable man… Those were just a small and select few of the rumors that would stretch across the land about the man known as the Great Transgressor. It was hard not to hear about him during his travels, and even back at home.

Every so often, he would show up on Vision Central due to some crime the man had committed, though as much as the people pleaded for the man to be condemned, no matter how many enforcers appeared, it never seemed to be enough. He would always seem to escape and would inevitably be rumored or seen again elsewhere.

The people seemed to forget real fast what someone looked like after they appeared on the Vision Central. Most would just assume that whoever was judged as guilty, they were no longer a problem. They would be vanquished from the world and that would be it. It left Flynn rather unsettled. More than likely, most of the criminals shown were people who had been forced to take that path due to how badly a system had failed them.

With the Vision Orbs, no matter how badly the world had failed them, there were no second chances.

Flynn couldn’t see every announcement on Vision Central, but he still tried to commit each face to memory in order to have something that could push himself forward through the ranks so he could work to change that system. The Great Transgressor was one of those faces that he could never forget.

Still, he never thought he would be standing face to face with the man himself during his own travels. And unfortunately for Vicious, Flynn’s code of honor as a knight would never allow such a villain to get away.

Still, the criminal seemed to already get the feeling of what Flynn’s intentions are, because he says… that with such a disgusting and amused grin on his face. Flynn has to literally fight to suppress the chill that shoots up his spine.

His sword is quickly drawn. “I will not allow you to make a mockery of me. It’s not my place to bring judgment upon you but I will be taking you into custody and you will be tried for your crimes accordingly.”

While Flynn couldn’t speak for others, he had no real intention of using his Vision Orb to deliver justice to the man before him. As bad as he seemed, as awful as the rumors were, every single person deserves a chance to defend themselves.

Even… this guy, he thought begrudgingly.

“Please make this as simple as possible and surrender. I will only ask once.”

[queenoftsage]

I don't hate always being right... lol...

Always being right about those 'off' feelings I get when I see people I have never ever met.

Sometimes it happens very hard, like... YO, I don't know you... Why do you come off as sketchy?

It happened to me with that famous dude that everyone loves, and I am in love with watching how his fans are scrambling around to defend him.

*cackles*

I even said it once in a video... Though I removed that video from the interbutts, I did say something along the lines of 'I might be completely absolutely wrong about this dude, but there's just something 'off' about him.'

Fast forward to NOW, and there have been so many things surfacing about him. It's.... Not even surprising anymore. Also, can't say those things are true because as always they are 'alleged' ...

... huh... Aren't they always.

Me personally, I'm ready to see how they're going to bring down my favorite once he does that role of a real life psycho. He's challenging himself, and I'm sure he's going to do an excellent job. However, I'm almost anticipating backlash, and I want to see what takes these people throw out there. It's going to be a journey... Or none at all.

... sometimes I feel like my fave is protected by very powerful people, and that's even scarier to be honest. lol.

tsk.

Anyway... Just had to write this, because I just finished watching a video about that dude and I thought it was amusing. The comments especially were very very amusing.

[luxmaeastra]

Something in him distantly rung, he knew it was a dominance display. That Valg enjoyed such things.

He wasn't all Valg though and it didn't set well with him. It only woke his magic up, did Polaris deal with this? She had never said a bad word about Leuke, just found him amusing.

But he remembered those months they'd been his court. He remembered snapping. Leuke only grinned turning away from to walk down the hall. His friends trailing him, the servants and others stepping out of his way.

He turned back to him and grinned.

"Clearly it's the -"

Erebus finally moved, calling on his magic. He was fast, quick. He had been trained thoroughly by Korok and Achlys before he ever stepped foot out of their court.

His friends went down, his shadows leeching their souls. Leuke moved slipping out of the way but Erebus spun slamming his face into the wall. He struggled against him, but he could hold on his shadows began to drain him.

He let go, he didn't want to kill him. He didn't want to take a life unless he had to. Life was precious, his was everything to someone. Even if privately found she deserved so much more. This wasn't his family, his sister or friends. He barely knew her, what did he know?

He let him go, his heart faint. He walked away ignoring as the screams began from the servants and gaurds. No one stopped him, not because they didn't want to fight for him. He felt and saw how popular Leuke was. His people adored him but he could felt him stop them. That rage, that lightheadedness he stuffed down. He would not rule them, he would not kill them.

Perhaps Leuke knew that, perhaps he saw exactly what would happen if his people ran at him. He'd defend himself, they wanted him to be Valg? He'd be one if that's what they wanted.

But no one - no one talked down him like that. No one -

He slipped into Polaris sitting room. He ignored Xanthos who lounged in a chair reading a book. He focused on his cousin, Rigelus was going to be furious.

"I - I may have done something stupid."

Polaris eyes lifted to him, her eyes narrowing.

"How stupid?"

"I - Leuke was being - he talked down to me. And I - I may have nearly killed him?"

"Nearly?"

Xanthos glanced to him. He went back to his book when Erebus nodded.

"If he isn't dead I wouldn't worry. He won't try that shit again. He was just feeling you out, my parents will agree. You're fine Erebus...good on you too."

Gods he hated the Valg.

The whole point of him coming to Winter was for him to improve his trade, prove himself, and come out of his shell. She supposed this was one way of doing that, one way of making a mark and coming out of the little world of solitude.

Polaris sighed, looking back towards Xanthos when he spoke. Yes, he wasn't dead and he stood up for himself. Yet it would make him a target, was he ready for what he had attracted? Someone who would be bigger than Leuke will decide they want to feel him out.

"Xanthos's parents maybe be good, but I will remind you to keep your wits about you. Winter is alive as much as the people in it, as much as the royal family will always rule, Winter likes to hand-pick important people," she explained. "The Bride Rite selects Winter's Brides for example, many incorrectly assume it is to prove we are worthy of our mates - the Royal Prince's - but it is more than that."

Winter liked to test people, would Erebus survive a test if it came?

[wisteriashouse]

easy.

pairing: kamisato ayato x reader

word count: 5.5k

synopsis: the yashiro commissioner is a difficult man, yes, but kamisato ayato is so very easy to love.

a/n: prequel can be found here!

It is no secret that Kamisato Ayato is a difficult man.

You’re quite sure that most of the common folk would agree with your assessment, despite never having met the Kamisato clan head face to face before. As the head of one of the most eminent and illustrious clans in Inazuma, surely the Yashiro Commissioner must be a man of high standards and demands, they sympathise with you, shaking their heads in pity. The Yashiro Commission’s festivals and events are all meticulously planned with consideration for the people, but I heard that he only has one personal assistant. Surely he must work you to the bone!

Contrary to what they think, however, Kamisato Ayato is difficult for a completely different reason in your eyes.

It’s only a few weeks from the Irodori Festival, the very first celebration of cultural exchange that Inazuma will be able to enjoy ever since the Raiden Shogun closed the country’s borders years ago. Because of this, the anticipation among the citizens have only been growing ever since it was announced, with many townsfolk passing by eagerly asking after details with bright, excited smiles.

In stark contrast, however, the inside of the Yashiro Commission resembles a swarm of ants on a hot stove, messengers and officials rushing frantically to and fro as you make preparations for the event. And the preparations seem to be only increasing the closer you draw to the date, with your master being called to Tenshukaku more and more frequently for discussions. There is still much work to be done, however, which explains why you’ve been holed up alone in your master’s study for most part of the day with a sore back from hunching over papers and an inkwell that’s fast running out.

Just as you’re about to reluctantly start on a fresh batch of paperwork, you’re interrupted by the door to your master’s office sliding open. Thoma stands in the doorway, just as he has several times over the last few weeks, wearing a guilty grin on his face. While the sight of him used to be a welcome break from work (you are a seasoned taste tester for the fusion desserts he enjoys experimenting with), now you only let out a long, vexed groan and promptly knock your forehead against the expensive Yumemiru table.

“My apologies…” Thoma begins sheepishly, but you don’t seem to be listening.

“He’s got to be doing this deliberately,” you declare in frustration, setting down the pen so that you can massage your temples. “You’re telling me that milord forgot his umbrella again?”

“I did try to remind him before he left the estate this afternoon, but he must have forgotten with how much he has on his mind,” the housekeeper says apologetically. You appreciate the attempt to defend Lord Ayato, but knowing your master, he probably just couldn’t be bothered to remember about it at all.

“This is already the third time this month…” you mutter under your breath as you rise to take the wagasa from Thoma. It’s a beautiful, ornamental yet functional piece of art, its snow white canopy decorated with delicate hand painted camellias, proudly bearing the crest of an owner who can’t be bothered to remember its existence. “After the festival, remind me to make an offering at the Grand Narukami Shrine to pray for our master’s failing memory.”

Thoma lets out a cough at your seemingly insubordinate words, but there’s a trace of amusement in his eyes. “Maybe praying to the Raiden Shogun to make the rains less frequent would be an easier solution,” he quips, and you have to bite back a snort of amusement at his jest. He’s more than used to the strange dynamic between you and Lord Ayato. “The chief should be wrapping up a meeting with the Yae Publishing House at Uyuu Restaurant soon. You should be on your way.”

“He can afford to wait,” you grumble, but begin to put away the paperwork you’d been doing. For someone in possession of a Hydro Vision, your master complains incessantly about inconvenience whenever he happens to get caught in the rain. Much like a cat… or a spoiled brat, really. Still, he’s only just recovered from a fever and you’re not too enthusiastic about having to nurse him back to health a second time, so you wave goodbye to Thoma and begin to make your way to the city.

You’re crossing the Byakko Plains when the first drops of rain begin to fall, prompting you to quicken your pace. Although the walk to the city from the Kamisato Estate is considered quite the distance, you’ve never really minded with how beautiful the scenery is. It’s still far preferable to being cooped inside the office all day, surrounded by ever growing stacks of paperwork.

By the time you’ve climbed all the flights of stairs leading to Inazuma City, briefly stopping for a chat with Yoimiya at Naganohara Fireworks along the way about the upcoming festival (“A festival without fireworks! Can you believe it?”), the rain still hasn’t let up in the least — in fact, it seems to have only gotten heavier. Careful not to step into any puddles, you lift your head when you reach Uyuu Restaurant at last and happen to catch a glimpse of pink hair at the front entrance.

“Lady Miko,” you greet, closing the umbrella neatly as you join her under the eaves. She’s dressed in a silk haori embroidered with cherry blossoms today, perhaps a precaution against the cooling weather. You briefly wonder if you should have brought one for your master as well. “It’s a pleasure to run into you here.”

The Guuji of the Grand Narukami Shrine turns around at your greeting, purple eyes flashing with amusement when she catches sight of the umbrella in your hands. “Ahh, it’s you, darling. Here to collect the Yashiro brat?”

You nod, gracefully ignoring the way she addresses your master. Lady Miko and Lord Ayato have a… peculiar relationship, if you want to put things simply. Lord Ayato states that she’s one of the few people who he actually enjoys working with, while Lady Miko often entrusts your master with carrying out her many strange ideas. However, neither of them seem to be on… conventionally friendly terms, despite this.

“I hope your meeting with my lord went smoothly.”

“No thanks to him, I would say.” Lady Miko sighs dramatically, but there’s a playful glint in her eyes. “Dear me, look at those dark circles under your pretty eyes,” she tuts, grasping your chin lightly between her fingers to turn your head. Used to her behaviour, you allow her to pull and prod at your cheeks obediently. “Have you been staying up late? He’s working you far too hard, the scoundrel.”

“It’s only to be expected,” you answer graciously. You’re only half tempted to rat your master out for giving you the extra work of coming all the way here just to bring him an umbrella. “There’s much to be done for the Irodori Festival, and as one of his servants, it’s my responsibility to lessen the load on my lord’s shoulders.”

Lady Miko only tuts at your response. “It’s a pity a lovely one like you was taken in by that charming smile.” Shaking her head, mischief briefly flashes across her often dignified features. “Perhaps you would consider a position at the Yae Publishing House instead?”

You’re about to reply when the weight of a familiar hand settles on your shoulder, tugging you back gently so that you bump against the person’s chest, out of Lady Miko’s reach.

“I’ll thank you to refrain from attempting to poach my personal assistant, Lady Guuji.” The chuckle that follows his words is so close that you can feel hot breath brushing over the shell of your ear. “I only have one, after all.”

You hold back a shiver at the proximity of his voice.

“Through no one else’s fault but your own,” Lady Miko sniffs as your master smiles courteously at her, ever polite and cultured. “I heard that many of those who tried to become your aides ended up becoming overwhelmed with work. You’re a difficult master, they’ve said.”

Lord Ayato only laughs at her words. “The duties of the Yashiro Commission are not few, I’m afraid. And it is credit to my current assistant for keeping up with me, no?”

“A waste of perfectly good talent, in my opinion. A job at the Yae Publishing House would be far less taxing.”

Although the topic of their conversation, you, on the other hand, are far too aware of the hand still resting on your shoulder to pay attention to another of their petty squabbles. Your master’s thumb is rubbing slow circles where his hand rests, and from the looks of it, he doesn’t even seem to be consciously aware that he’s doing such a thing. You cough subtly into your fist, trying to hint at him to remember his propriety in public.

“I will be sure to properly compensate my assistant, so there’s no need to worry yourself over this, Lady Guuji.” From the way his hand still lingers there, it seems that Lord Ayato didn’t catch on. Resigning yourself to your fate, you turn your gaze to the shops opposite the street in hopes that he doesn’t catch sight of the heat suffusing your cheeks. It's unfortunate for you that the front of Aisa Bathhouse is nothing interesting to look at. “As much as I’m enjoying this pleasant chat, however, there is still much we need to accomplish before the festival, so I hope you’ll excuse us.”

Guuji Yae’s eyes narrow at your master’s words, the tip of one of her ears flicking with amusement. “It’s a pity that not more people can see past that pretty face of yours, Kamisato Ayato,” she says with a smile as sweet as a whopperflower masquerading as a sugar flower.

Your master gives an impenetrable one in return. “Thank you humbly for such a flattering compliment, Lady Guuji,” he accepts graciously, and Lady Miko titters at his response. You do your best to prevent your eyes from rolling to the heavens. That’s your master, just as shameless as ever.

Lady Miko’s gaze slides over to you. “If you ever find yourself in search of a better job, just drop by the Yae Publishing House, my dear. I’m sure I could use an adept worker such as yourself there.”

You bow politely to her. “I’m very grateful for your offer, Lady Miko…” you glance at your master out of the corner of your eye, and he raises an eyebrow, one corner of his mouth quirking up. As if he doesn’t know what your answer is going to be already. “But I have already promised my servitude to the Kamisato clan.”

Lady Miko lets out a disappointed sigh, opening her own umbrella as she steps out from under the eaves. “And what a pity that is.” She sends you a little wink over her shoulder. “Well, the offer is always open to you, so long as you desire it. See you around, dearest.” With that, she strolls off leisurely into the rain.

The second Lady Miko is out of sight, you turn around to give your master a scolding look.

“Milord—”

A gloved finger is pressed to your lips before you can so much as begin to speak. “I know, I know. My deepest apologies,” Lord Ayato says, not looking the least bit contrite. You give him a look, totally unconvinced. “Thoma did remind me about it, but I must have forgotten it by the door. How silly of me.”

Silly of him, indeed. You take a step back to put some distance between the two of you, fiddling with the umbrella in an attempt to distract yourself from how close you are standing. “You’re so spoiled, my lord.”

Your master’s eyes curve into crescent moons. “Mmhmm. You spoil me, that’s why.”

You resist the urge to knock him over the head with his own umbrella. Instead, you settle for a long suffering sigh. “Then perhaps I shouldn’t,” you tell him as you open the umbrella and hold it over his head, careful to cover his expensive coat from the rain. “You can stay at the Komore Teahouse until the storm blows over and return to the Kamisato Estate on your own. There is too much work to be done to waste time like this, my lord.”

“Yes, yes, I understand.” He doesn’t mention that although you’ve been threatening him with the exact same thing the last few times this has happened, you’ve never made good on your word to abandon him. The two of you step out into the rain together, the falling drops making little pitter patter sounds against the canopy of your umbrella. “How was the walk here? I trust that the monsters near the paths have already been chased off.”

As the two of you walk under the cherry blossom boughs lining the main street, your master talks to you about anything and everything — from the new tempura dish at Uyuu Restaurant to the new hairpin he’d purchased for his sister, to how he’d noticed that one of the Kujou elders was trying to cover up his balding head with a wig during their meeting today. That forces you to fight back a snort of laughter and a sigh of dismay simultaneously. For someone who claims to find small talk nothing but an arduous chore, your master is rather… enjoyable to converse with, not that you would ever tell him that in fear of inflating his already inflated ego even further.

As soon as you reach the pass at Byakko Plain, however, the rain picks up in intensity all of a sudden, turning from a mere rainshower to an actual downpour. While you’re considering giving your master the umbrella and making a run for it, he beckons for you to hand it over to him instead.

You give him a bemused look. “My lord?”

“I’ll take the umbrella,” he explains, plucking the umbrella from your grasp and holding it over both your heads. Your sore arm is immediately grateful for the respite. “It’ll shield us better if we raise it higher, but,” his eyes crinkle with amusement as he looks down at you, “you’re a little too… vertically challenged for that, so let me do it.”

You grumble at his words but are unable to find anything to retort with, and so keep your mouth shut. Seeing the expression on your face, your master stifles a laugh behind his hand before he reaches out to pull you closer. Taken by surprise, you let out a little yelp when you find yourself tucked against his side and one of his arms around your shoulder. He smells of spring, of petrichor and camellias and an underlying scent that’s just distinctively him. You’re more flustered than you care to admit.

“My lord,” you begin to scold the second you regain your bearings, trying to pull away, “just what are you trying to do this time—”

“Stay closer to me,” your master orders, the corners of his mouth hooked up with amusement. You’re so close that your lips could touch his beauty mark if you just dared turn your head. “Wouldn’t want either of us to get wet from the rain, would we?”

Fox-like would be the word that you would use to describe his smile, dripping with the satisfaction you so often see when your master accomplishes something. You don’t know what exactly he thinks he’s achieving here, but you just sigh and move to hold onto his sleeve with a tentative hand, fingers curling around the silken fabric.

“... Only until we reach the estate, my lord.”

His smile widens just a hint, but you keep your gaze firmly fixed on the path ahead of you as you carefully manoeuvre the two of you out around any puddles. If you look up, Lord Ayato would surely tease you to no end about how red your face is.

You can practically hear the smile in his voice. “Yes, of course.”

Fortunately, the two of you manage to reach the Kamisato Estate without being completely soaked through, with Lord Ayato refusing to return the umbrella to you for the rest of the way. Fortunately for you, Thoma is already waiting at the entrance with warm towels and immediately shoos the two of you to dry up before you catch colds (although he’s probably more concerned about the two of you tracking rainwater all over his painstakingly polished floors).

“You’re always such a mother hen, Thoma,” Lord Ayato comments with a laugh, shaking his head as Thoma drops a towel into his arms. “The rain wasn’t that heavy.”

You nod in agreement, beginning to towel your hair dry. As heavy as the rain had seemed, you seem to be relatively dry. Perhaps Lord Ayato’s method of holding the umbrella higher really did work.

As your master is ushered away by Thoma to change into dry clothes, however, you notice that one side of his sleeves has been soaked through with rain.

And against your better judgement, your heart skips a beat.

Fortunately for you, your master does not fall ill after his little stint in the rain, which means that you are not left to sort out the remaining piles of Irodori Festival paperwork on your work. Unfortunately, however, you are still holed up in Lord Ayato’s office for hours on end, several days in a row, poring over pamphlets and proposals sent by various vendors from overseas.

“My lord, I think we’ll need to reorganise the layout for the event square at Ritou,” you tell your master, pointing at the plans spread out over his table. It’s been hours since the sky has fallen dark, but the two of you don’t have the option of not working through the night with the Irodori Festival drawing ever closer. You can count the hours of rest you’ve had for the past few days on both hands. “One of the vendors managed to free up some time in their schedule to attend, so we need to shift some of the makeshift stalls to give them space.”

Lord Ayato sighs as he looks over the plans a second time. The shadows under his eyes are even more pronounced in the flickering candlelight of the lamps, and he’d abandoned his coat completely at some point, the expensive garment thrown over one of the decorative folding screens in the corner of his office.

“Can’t we decline them?”

“It’s a pop-up store sent by Mondstadt’s Angel’s Share, my lord,” you explain ruefully, and your master pinches the bridge of his nose, clearly vexed by all the last minute changes. “It’s not our best interest to turn them down, not when the Dawn Winery has been so highly anticipated.”

“Have them discuss sharing a space with the Sailing Breeze,” he decides at last. “If we cannot come to a consensus, we will look into revising the layout of the stalls. How are the publicity pamphlets coming along?”

“Printing is already done and the pamphlets are stored at the Yae Publishing storehouse for the time being.” You look down at the list of logistics in your hands. It’s so long, you’ve already tripped over it twice. “They’ll begin distribution to the surrounding villages tomorrow.”

“Wonderful. Do remember to have a gift sent to Lady Guuji in appreciation of her help tomorrow.” His tired eyes narrow in a brief spark of amusement. “Perhaps some of that pickled kiviak we’ve received from Snezhnaya's merchants... What a rare treat, don’t you think?”

“I’ll deliver some of Uyuu Restaurant’s fried tofu to the Grand Narukami Shrine tomorrow,” you answer, shaking your head at your master’s antics. He has quite the penchant for thinking about how to step on people’s toes, though most of them are rarely carried out (fortunately).

Your master sighs in faux disappointment, but nods anyway. You’re halfway through noting that down when he frowns all of a sudden and shakes his head. “No, you’ll stay here with me tomorrow,” Lord Ayato orders. “There’s no need for you to head to the Grand Narukami Shrine. I need your help with going through the… budget proposals.”

Briefly, you wonder if his memory is truly falling apart with how much work he’s been doing. Perhaps a visit to the Grand Narukami Shrine is really in order to pray for your master’s head. “My lord, we did the budgeting just yesterday. It’s quite difficult to forget, considering that we spent the entire afternoon on it.”

“Financing is an important part of running an event,” Lord Ayato chides, returning his attention to his work. You give him a look, unconvinced. “Those vexing Kanjou officials will hound our people if a single Mora is unaccounted for, so we’ll go through it again briefly to make sure everything is in order. As for sending a gift to Lady Guuji…” He considers this briefly. “I’ll send Thoma. That expression he makes whenever I tell him he has to visit the Grand Narukami Shrine… yes, ever so amusing. It’ll be a perfect break from work.”

He chuckles at the thought of it. Wordlessly, you reach over to a pile of scrolls next to you, pick up a moderately thick one and promptly proceed to knock your master over the head with it.

“Ouch. What was that for?”

“Please stop smiling like that,” you say, frowning at your master. “It makes you look like a pervert, my lord.”

“I look like a pervert?” A laugh bubbles out of Lord Ayato’s chest, and he reaches out to poke your forehead with his brush in retaliation. “I seem to remember Lady Guuji praising my good looks just this afternoon. Are you saying that the Chief Priestess of the Grand Narukami Shrine was lying?”

“She was insulting your personality, my lord. Are you sure your mind isn’t failing you? Perhaps you really do need some rest.”

Your master must pick up on the note of worry in your voice past the verbal jabs, because he pauses in his work to reach over and pinch your cheek. You bat his hand away, but he’s already chuckling, brush twirling lax between his long fingers. “I’m quite alright. This is hardly the worst I’ve been through,” he reassures you, and to his credit, as tired as he must be, there’s a certain liveliness in his eyes. “How about you?”

You blink at him, confused for a moment before you realise that he’s asking after your wellbeing as well. “I’m fine, my lord, there’s no need to worry about me,” you try to say as convincingly as you can, as though you weren’t holding back yawns just a while ago. Lord Ayato has asked you to retire for the night multiple times, but you’ve refused. How can a servant possibly head to bed before their master? You pick up a stack of books and set them on the table in front of you. “The faster we finish this, the sooner we can rest. Let’s keep going, my lord.”

Your master eyes you with a steady gaze, but chooses not to say anything. He probably knows that you’re far too stubborn to listen to what he has to say, anyway. Returning to your work, you start to go through the harbour schedule. “Watatsumi… Liyue Harbour… Dornman Port…”

The two of you continue like this, the only indication of the passage of time being the growing pile of completed paperwork at your side. While you would normally be proud of the amount you’ve achieved in such a short time, you’re so tired that you’re already struggling to keep your eyes open.

In an attempt to stay awake, you begin to speak aloud as you work, hoping that doing so would help to keep your mind alert.

“My lord?” Lord Ayato doesn’t look up from his work, but he does hum lightly in response to let you know that he’s listening, so you continue. “Did you know that I used to think that you were the sort of person who actually enjoyed work?”

A quiet laugh escapes him. “Why, how flattering. I can’t imagine anyone regarding work as a hobby.” There’s the sound of a page turning. “That sounds like a nice thing, however. It would probably make it a lot easier to finish all of this work.”

You grumble when you see two clashing docking schedules. You’ll have to bring this up with the officials at Ritou tomorrow. “I wonder just how you used to manage without me.”

It’s only after you say those words do you realise that you sound like you’re bragging, but your master replies before you can take back your sentence. “I wonder about that sometimes. Well, staying up would be far more boring without your company, for one.” The movement of his pen is almost hypnotising to watch, long fingers guiding the nib to leave bold, elegant strokes on the paper. You press the back of your hand over your mouth and try unsuccessfully to hold back a yawn.

“I hardly see how I make interesting company at this godforsaken hour of the night.” Turning back to your work, you’re about to dip your pen back into the inkwell when your master suddenly pipes up.

“What else did you think of me when you first met me?”

You blink, unused to your master initiating conversation while the two of you are working. He’s a little more indulgent of you when you need a break from work, but he often prefers to work in silence, keeping his words curt and efficient with most of the other servants. Still, since he asked… Pausing in your work, you recall when you’d met your master for the first time.

The first time you’d met Lord Ayato had been a few years ago, at a job opening for the position of his personal aide. The Kamisato clan was practically a household name in Inazuma, as one arm of the Tri-Commission. Other than that, you’d also heard the rumours, of course, from those who had previously held the position. Most had either quit of their own volition or been fired by the young master of the Kamisato clan. In addition to this, the fact that most of them were learned officials in their own right made you almost give up entirely on attending the interview.

“That you would be a slave driver,” you mumble in answer, your words interspersed with a yet another yawn. You’re far too tired to hold back the next sentence that springs into your mind. “And that you were kind of an asshole, probably.”

“That’s quite crass,” your master comments, but he sounds more amused by your observations. “And yet you still decided to work under me. Perhaps you found me too charming to resist? Lady Guuji did say that I have you bewitched by my good looks.”

“The pay was good, my lord,” you retort, but your words lack any bite. “Perhaps if you want to keep me by your side, you should raise my salary.”

It’s a joke, of course, but Lord Ayato looks up at you immediately with a serious expression on his face. “If that is what you desire, then you simply need to name your price. I believe you more than deserve it.”

You give him an unimpressed look, although it’s probably ruined by the yawn you let out. “My lord, don’t just make offers like that. What if I took advantage of it and demanded some sort of extravagant salary, hmm?”

“Money is of no bother to me,” he laughs lightly, and you roll your eyes. The spoiled brat… “And besides, I think I can offer a far more competitive price than the Yae Publishing House ever could.”

Upon hearing those words, you let out a graceless snort. “Is that why you’re sending Thoma to the Grand Narukami Shrine in my place instead?”

“Of course not. As I said, the budget is a matter of grave importance.” Your master’s voice is just a little too smooth for your good, perhaps... Your eyelids are so heavy, you can’t keep them from slipping shut. “When it comes to major events like festivals, all financial matters need to be carefully taken care of…”

Ayato catches the brush right before it can slip from your grasp with one hand, the other reaching out to cradle your head with lightning fast reflexes so that you don’t knock face first onto the table. For a moment, the young lord simply stares down at you, stunned, before he lets out a stifled laugh and shakes his head. You actually fell asleep like this…

“Am I truly that boring?” He asks aloud, but you don’t reply except with a quiet snore. A light chuckle escapes him.“Silly. If you were that tired, you should have just gone to bed first…”

Setting down the pen in his hand, Ayato moves all the brushes and papers over to his side of the table so that you don’t end up drooling on any important documents, before delicately resting your head on the tabletop. You don’t stir in the slightest, obviously done for the night. “Now, now, what should I do with you?”

Some part of him considers carrying you back to your quarters so that you can sleep properly, but if you happen to wake up, he’s sure that you’ll insist on continuing to do work with him. No, that won’t do, so he’ll simply have to think of another way.

“Hmm.” Rising to his feet, the Yashiro Commissioner gathers just a hint of hydro energy between his fingertips, before proceeding to extinguish all the lanterns in his office, save for the one beside his desk. Next, he reaches for his coat and carefully tucks it over your shoulders, holding his breath when you grumble a little in your sleep. There, that should be comfortable enough.

Satisfied, the Commissioner settles behind his table once more, returning to his work. And if he lets his gazes stay a little too long when he glances up between pages, or his touches linger just a bit when he brushes the hair from your mouth with his bare fingertips, well…

… only he has to know that, doesn’t he?

The sounds of birds chirping outside rouses you from your slumber.

Sitting up in alarm, it takes a moment for what had transpired yesterday night to catch up. You had been talking with your master, and had somehow fallen asleep right in front of him… Groaning, you drag a hand over your face to wipe the sleep from your eyes, only mildly embarrassed. So much for a servant not retiring before their master, you’d even fallen asleep in the middle of a conversation with him! You don’t quite remember it happening, but you hope that your master didn’t have too much of a hard time getting you back to your quarters.

Another chirp spurs you to get your day started, and you’re just about to extricate yourself from the warmth of your blankets only to realise… that these aren’t your blankets. Frowning down at them, recognition dawns slowly upon you when you see the elaborate camellias embroidered over them with fine silk thread, a luxury that you would never be able to afford. The only reason you do recognise them is because—

“Milord?” The word is choked out of you, strangled, and you sit up properly to realise that you are not in your own room after all, but in an empty corner of your master’s office, cleared of books and paperwork for you to sleep comfortably at. His coat, which you realise that you’ve been lying on for the entire night, has been neatly folded and tucked under your head to serve as a pillow. And as for the man himself, well…

Your master is still seated at his desk, but he’s fast asleep, head resting on his arms and his pen abandoned a short distance away from him. As quietly as possible, you reach out and close his inkwell for him even though what’s remaining must have been ruined from evaporation by now. The candle in his tableside lamp has been burnt to a stub. He must have fallen asleep before putting it out.

For a moment, you contemplate waking Lord Ayato — if he truly does want to go through the budgeting again today, he’ll have to get a lot more work done in the morning. Still, you have a feeling that he won’t oppose putting it aside if you send Thoma to the Grand Narukami Shrine instead. You quietly apologise and thank the poor housekeeper deep in your heart.

Kneeling at the opposite side of his desk, you reach over and gently brush his hair behind his ear. “What a difficult man,” you mutter under your breath, but there’s a smile on your face as you let your master sleep just a moment longer.

The Yashiro Commissioner is a difficult man, yes, but Kamisato Ayato is so very easy to love.

[kakubun]

what if you were their personal helper?

a/n: im biased on all of these because basically you're special to them in a type of way

part 2

warnings: chapter 189-206 spoilers‼‼, suggestive, violence mentions

sanzu

you would be his personal cook that mikey assigned

you really worked hard at making the best dishes for sanzu (1. 50/50 chance of getting killed because you might never know with his pill popping ass and 2. you don't want to purposely mess up good ingredients)

sanzu though, really loves your dishes

he would say horrendous compliments like how he was about to have an orgasm biting into the steak minutes ago (rindou looks up at him from his laptop in disgust while ran scoffs in amusement)

ran suggested to maybe gift you something or pay a visit to whoever is cooking his meals and damn well sanzu was thrilled to hear that idea and was ready to work on it

(the haitani brothers thought the same, that you were probably going to shit your pants if bonten's number 2 suddenly appeared right beside you out of nowhere)

the very next day, his preffered time of lunch was much more later than the others so it's pretty normal for the others to not see him at the table and knowing that he's doing his own business

but this is completely different than what he usually does, he's looking for you! and there you were, in the flesh and busy preparing his meal

you look rather panicked, oh how many guesses he had. it was near his lunch time, you cooked the wrong meal, you're panicking about the slighest things or you thought you were doing it wrong

turns out you just wanted to cut the right size of tomatoes because you cut one ridiculously large chunk so you huffed and picked another tomato and nearly laughed at your stupidity

well sanzu was correct in some ways but you were just minutes away in finishing so he watched

with every second he stepped closer and the closer he got which was just right over your shoulder, you squeled because 1) creepy and 2) his breath was tickling your neck that you just had to make noise

you grabbed your wrist and your finger bled, in the state of suprise you accidently cut your thumb, luckily it was only a little so you rushed to the sink to wash it off

sanzu had a smile on his face, oh woops accidently shocked a poor person by breathing on them so the best he could do was offering a bandaid that was in his pocket

you glanced at his arm and saw the bonten tattoo inked on it so your eyes lit up in fear in why a bonten member is up infront of you

you gulped and he couldn't help but giggle to how terrified you looked and he twirled the plate that his food on it

"you're almost finished with my food, huh? quickly, you have a few seconds" you looked at him again but with genuine curiousity and suprise that said "sanzu haruchiyo? what is he doing here?"

your thoughts swirled in your head in chaos, finishing up his food and the waiter that were to take his food entered the kitchen

he froze in the doorway, recognizing the feared bonten 2 and sanzu asked him to go away by simply motioning it with his hand as well as adding in a "if you don't go, i'll kill you" by doing a slashing motion across his neck, you did not know how fast the waiter walked out of there

sanzu carried his plate towards the table your partners and you ate at and sat there, tilting his head when you stayed at the same spot

"sit here, i wanna talk" shitting your pants is a understatement, dying should be the right term

but no worries when you sat down, he smiled again with his eyes closed (though you're not sure what kind of smile was this, his rare ones? because if it is then you can make it out of here without being out in a grave)

let's just say he was interested in you and he said quite some nice words to you, this won't be the first time he'll crash into your life and have moments of talking to you after all, you're his cook right?

you're just lucky enough when he decides that you're one of the few pieces he'll cherish in his life, one he wouldn't kill but respect deeply and stick around with

kokonoi

you were his respectable assistant that deals with errands, well a more better term is a spy

you listened to conversations about bonten in the dark and sneak off to inform the others, first of all koko of course

your relationship between him was proffesional and all, reporting about what bonten enemies have said, nod and leave

but there was a time where he finally got to know you a bit better

you were a bit later than the time he asked for you to come to his office after your work, about 10 minutes atleast and he raised his eyebrow at you when you slipped into his office out of breath but quickly regain it as to not piss him off any further

"sorry sir, i got attacked" attacked you say? he got up from his seat, slowly approacing you and you sweat

overall his demeanor was cocky and all but you've never seen a scary side so supposingly it's okay for you to not feel threatened but would he really be angry at you for getting attacked?

"i don't see any bruises on you, did you really get attacked?" that sly grin showcased itself, he felt the taste of a lie coming but it didn't when you spoke up again

"i fought back sir, with this." you pulled out the staff, pressing the button to open it and twirled it over for him to see

it was the staff he gave, well actually showed off when he opened the weapons room, telling you to atleast get a weapon to defend yourself, if you can even though (he halfly joked at the end with his tongue out)

you told him that it was the gang that was still gaining these "leaks and secrets" or so to speak, are the ones rindou falsely put out in the open and the gang planned to go to one of the secret bases that bonten usually went to

besides what you say is necessary information but he circled around you in silence and decided to try to hit your head but you smack his hand away with the staff

he went for your neck but you swiftly wack the staff into his waist and he groaned, impressed

he was about to say something but sanzu interrupted by opening the door without knocking and almost bumped koko with the door

"heheh sorry, can i borrow your assistant, come come~" sanzu sung out but koko shooed him away, wanting some time to talk to you but pink crazed bastard wanted to talk to you so he shut the door on him and yelled at him to go away for a moment

after that day, more people seem to recognize and fought with you

it would pretty ironic if koko were to be the one ordering them to attack you

" i wanna see you fight more" whatever he says, you just hope it actually isn't him sending mofos to attack you because that would be a d!ck move

but he didn't, one of the bonten members revealed that a little spy is watching them from above like the idiots they were that they bumbled out their secrets for the spy to hear (guess who)

so he rewards you, after the hell you went through, you better be gifted

extra!!:

"may i measure you?" you looked back at the person in shock as they smiled warmly at you and you suspiciously glared at them, reaching slowly for your staff.

"sir kokonoi has asked to measure you." they went to stretch out the measuring tape and held it around your waist, you hesitated on holding up your shirt because of how ticklish and feathery their fingers were. this was all too sudden but you go along with it.

while you twist your shirt up, they placed a note in your back pocket and you questioned on why did they do that, you reached it while they're measuring your legs.

"i'll send someone in to measure your size for your clothing, do you also want lingerie to be part of your gift too?~" the note said and you nearly stumbled into the tailor when you tried rereading it all over again.

"what colour do you want? do you want a matching set?" "no!!"

(koko's probably pissing himself right now, trying to imagine your panicky expression, laughing like a maniac in his office)

ran

you worked as his personal maid and he admired how careful you were

you were pretty noticeable since you took your time on one thing at a time like dusting off shelves and cupboards for a long moment or scrubbing away at the dirt in the plate that stuck too long there (i mean it's reasonable but you stressed over it for a few minutes)

he approached at some times to check on you and he would smile sadistically at times when you look at him like a deer in headlights, wondering what you did wrong to make him approach you himself

he just wanted to praise and point out some of your habits which you rubbed your neck to and nodded to do better next time

it also gave him a chance to see your stretched arm and your hands, especially your knuckles more better than afar (not in a creepy way)

your knuckles were deep red and would have cuts over it and he would leave at that but it got too much for him whenever he came to you and it kept getting worse

he popped the question when you moved his flowers into a pot to sit in the sun when your hands were all bandaged up

"why has the condition of your hands worsen everytime i come to you?" so he did notice, you sighed and told him the truth while you rubbed your bandaged knuckles

"people are picking on me so hitting their faces makes my knuckles hurt and become ugly each time i return back here" he was suprised that you even used your fists and he held your hands and spoke softly

"you didn't use the baton i gave you?" you feel yourself burn, you had to pull away from him and you wanted to jog off into the sun but you akwardly shrugged instead

"i'm a lot more used to using fists to fight plus i.. might have hit my face with the baton once" his laugh was sugary sweet, the rarest you've ever heard but he was laughing at your mistake so you bit your tongue and fumed, going back to arranging his flowers (that he's probably allergic to but keeps them around cause they're pretty💀)

he patted your shoulder, casually correcting himself that it was cute that atleast you did try to use the baton that he lended to you

"i'll teach you, every evening at around 4, i'll train you to use the baton so it's less work for your fists and more for your baton." you responded that mikey had his meal around that time and you had to clean the table cloth after he eats, shyly you admit that he tends to be a little messy when eating

ran smiled, stuffing his hands into his pockets and going off after insulting you one last time

"i'm impressed that you're more careful with the table cloth than your own hands" and that ends the evening with you screaming into your hands because of how frustating, ran haitani bonten executive was

extra!!:

"now i really need you to be honest with me, how do you even fight with your fists?" "your brother teaches me how to break their limbs but i accidently graze the floor sometimes because of how tough the enemy is"

well that was pretty shocking, he looks at you with suprise in his eyes, you also looked at him suprised, you just didn't know how expressive he was and you're finding out about them because of these 4pm sessions.

"doesn't he have a maid that helps him out?" "he says i make great coffee" ran grumbled that you shouldn't even serve a fucker who drinks coffee in the first place and you couldn't help laughing. in exchange for the love of coffee, rindou might as well train you. he's not blind, he sees the bruises on your hands when you return back to the headquarters.

(and to maybe trigger ran a little since he was the one mainly teaching reader his fighting style and not ran and his lame ass baton and he just stole his maid for a few seconds, might as well train them as a reward)

"show me a better compliment and i might stop serving him" "you're good with your hands" you smirked and got up and tapped his shoulders with the baton, teasing him into giving you more compliments

"shut it now before i use my hands to shut you up" "you may at anytime" and he did, now you can imagine what he did lol

[storiesforallfandoms]

the type you bring home to mom ~ eddie kaspbrak;it chapter two

word count: 2361

request?: no

description: in which he finally brings his girlfriend home to his over protective mother, and it goes exactly as he thought it would

pairing: teen!eddie kasprak x female!reader

warnings: swearing, overbearing mother, derogatory name calling (i guess?), basically eddie’s mom just sucking

masterlist (one, two)

note: (y/n/p) = your parents’ names

I played with the hem of my dress as I walked up to the Kaspbrak household. I was regretting my choice in wardrobe, but it was too late to change now. I knew nothing would feel right anyways, I had already changed three times before I came over.

For the first time in our year long relationship, I was meeting Eddie’s mother. We had somehow managed to keep our relationship a secret for so long that I never felt like I had to meet her, and Eddie wasn’t exactly pushing for it either. As much as he loved his mom, he also knew she was manipulative and overbearing, and he often told me how he was afraid of his mom scaring me off because of these facts.

When the news eventually got out and travelled quickly through the small town of Derry, as gossip usually does, it got to Ms. Kaspbrak in no time. She immediately demanded to meet me, and Eddie set up a dinner at his house for the occasion.

Before I could even knock on the door, it swung open to reveal my tall boyfriend smiling down at me. Any tension I had melted away as I looked up at him, into those beautiful eyes that could calm me down whenever they were on me. He took my face in his hands and pulled me to kiss him. It was such a normal action that, at first, I leaned into it happily, until I realized the circumstances of my visit and quickly pushed him away.

“She’s not here,” he said, as if reading my worried thoughts. “She’s gone out to get some stuff for dinner.”

He stepped aside to let me step into the house. It wasn’t unfamiliar territory; Eddie and I had had many rendezvous there during the rare moments when his mom wasn’t home, but it felt wrong to be there on this occasion. I just wanted it to end already, and to go home or go for a long drive with Eddie.

“Come, sit,” he said, leading me to his living room. We sat close to one another on the couch, so close that we were just barley touching. Feeling his arm brush against mine sent sparks through me.

“How worried should I be?” I asked him, trying to remain as light as possible.

He sighed and shuffled in his seat. “I wish I could tell you not at all, but...”

He trailed off so I finished his sentence for him, “But it’s your mom.”

Eddie nodded. “But it’s my mom.”

One of his arms was around my waist. I hadn’t realized that the skirt of my dress had hiked up a little until the hand around my waist started to play with the hem, his fingertips brushing against my ass. His other hand touched my leg, starting lightly on my knee and then slowly travelling up my thigh till it stopped on my inner thigh. I shivered, wanting him to go further.

Most people who knew him would never believe that Eddie Kaspbrak, the hypochondriac, fast talking, former sheltered mama’s boy, would be absolutely mind blowing in bed, and constantly handsy whenever we were alone. I hadn’t even believed it until we got together, but man, Eddie knew how to make me feel absolutely amazing.

He leaned forward to kiss my neck, his fingers tracing circles in my inner thigh. I was shivering with anticipation and whimpers were escaping my lips. I could feel Eddie’s amused smirk against my neck as he placed another kiss there and lifted his head to look at me. He kissed my lips and his hand finally made its way further up my skirt.

Our moment was interrupted by the sound of a car door slamming. I practically jumped to the other side of the couch, touching my neck in hopes that he hadn’t accidentally left hickies there.

“You’re good,” he said, understanding what I had been doing.

The front door opened and I suddenly felt paralyzed. I wasn’t sure if I should stand up or stay sat down, if I should move even further away from Eddie or stay exactly where I was. In the end, I stayed frozen like a deer in headlights as his mom rounded the corner, arms full of grocery bags.

“Oh,” she said when her eyes landed on me. “Is this...her?”

There was a slight leer to the way she said “her”, which made me want to squirm under her intense gaze.

“Mom,” Eddie said, a partial warning tone in his voice, “this is (Y/N), my girlfriend.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Ms. Kaspbrak,” I said. “Do you, um, need any help with - ”

“No,” she cut me off. “I have it. You’re early.”

“I told her this is when to get here,” Eddie defended. “You wouldn’t tell me exactly when to invite her over.”

“Well, this is hardly dinner time,” his mother huffed. “It’ll take me a while to get dinner ready.”

“I can help,” I offered again.

“No,” she said, sharply, which told me that was the end of the matter.

I shrunk down in my spot on the couch.

“Mom,” Eddie snapped again.

She glared at me before turning to her son, trying to soften her expression for him. “I’ll let you know when the food is ready. For now...stay here.”

When she disappeared into the kitchen, Eddie immediately moved to sit next to me and took my hand in his.

“I’m okay,” I assured him. “I’ll get through it. It’s just dinner then we’re done, right?”

He nodded, but I could see the worry on his face still.

A while later, Ms. Kaspbrak called to tell us dinner was ready. She had made sure to place everything so that Eddie and I were sat at the heads of the table, far apart from one another, while she was sat between us. Eddie and I shared a look before sitting in our designated spots.

Dinner started with awkward silence besides our cutlery against the plates. I tried to keep my attention on my plate, but every so often I’d glance up at the Kaspbraks to see Eddie nervously glancing between me and his mother, and his mom just glaring daggers at me. The nervousness I was feeling took away my appetite, but I felt like I had to eat everything to make a good impression, if that was even possible.

“So,” Ms. Kaspbrak said, drawing our attention to her, “(Y/N). Your parents are (Y/P/N), right?”

She already knew the answer to this question. I had grown up in Derry, where everyone knew everyone. There was a reason she was asking, and I had a feeling I already knew what that reason was.

“They are, yeah,” I responded.

“And they’re divorced, aren’t they?”

“Mom!” Eddie groaned.

“It’s just a question, Eddie,” his mom said.

“It’s okay,” I said with a shrug. “I don’t mind talking about it. That’s kind of old news anyways. They divorced when I was 10, dad moved to the next town over and mom got full custody of me.”

“That doesn’t seem like a very stable upbringing,” Ms. Kaspbrak commented. “I’m sure it’s taken such a toll on you, you must’ve decided to rebel somehow.”

Eddie put his face in his hands, officially admitting defeat on trying to stop his mother.

“Actually it wasn’t anything like that,” I said. “Mom and dad stayed pretty civil. There wasn’t any big fight or anything, just an agreement that they’re better off not being married. When dad moved he made sure to stay in constant contact, and comes to visit all the time or I’d go to visit him. Mom always made sure I had a roof over my head and food on the table. They both love me unconditionally, even if they’re not together.”

Ms. Kaspbrak sat back in her seat, a sour look on her face. “Well...regardless, it’s just not right to be raised by a single mother.”

Feeling a bit brave, I raised an eyebrow at her. “Eddie was raised by a single mother.”

“That’s different. My husband died, he didn’t decide to abandon me and Eddie.”

“My dad didn’t abandon us, he’s still very much a part of our lives.”

She ignored me and continued to eat. I looked across the table at Eddie to see him avoiding all eye contact with either of us as he pushed his food around on his plate. As if feeling my gaze, he looked up at me. I gave him a small smile to try and indicate that I wasn’t upset with him. I wanted him to know everything was going to be okay, even if I didn’t fully believe it myself.

“How many boys have you had sex with, (Y/N)?”

The question caught me off guard and I nearly choked on the food I had just put in my mouth.

“Jesus Christ, mom!” Eddie snapped.

“Don’t take the Lord’s name in vein, Edward,” his mother chastised him.

“You can’t just ask something like that, mom, that’s none of your business.”

“Of course it’s my business. I need to make sure my son isn’t dating a slut. I remember you were friends with Beverly March before she moved away, and trust me, I heard all sorts of stories about her. Anyone who would hang around with her must be somewhat similar.”

The mention of the untrue bullshit that used to be spread about Bev made the anger within me bubble over. I was seeing red as I looked up at Ms. Kaspbrak, and I was ready to pounce.

“Actually, your son took my virginity, and I took his,” I told her. “And we have sex quite a lot, sometimes upstairs in his bedroom when you’re not home. Although, for someone who says he was a virgin I don’t know how much I believe it. Eddie has done things that I don’t even think the most experienced of people could do.”

If he was upset with me for saying all of this, Eddie’s face didn’t show it. He was sipping on his water, trying to hide the smug smile that broke out across his face.

Ms. Kaspbrak’s face turned blood red before she rose from the table. “Get the fuck out of my house!”

“Gladly,” I said, abandoning my dinner to quickly leave the shitty situation.

“And don’t you dare come anywhere near my son again, or else I will have the cops on you!” she threatened.

I stopped and turned back to face her. “For what? For dating your son? For showing him that there’s someone who actually cares about him without manipulating him? For finally cutting the cord that you’ve had wrapped around his neck since he was born? Ms. Kaspbrak, I understand that you’re afraid to lose your son the way you lost your husband, but being a manipulative bitch who forced him to think he had illnesses he didn’t have for years and insulting his girlfriend in front of him is not the way to keep him around. Eddie is 18 years old, he’s an adult. He can do whatever he wants, which includes dating whoever he wants and leaving this hell hole that you have the audacity to call a home. The day that you finally accept that just might be the day that Eddie finally considers you to be an actual mother.”

And with that, I decided not to overstay my welcome and left.

I was only a few feet away from Eddie’s house when I heard him calling after me. I slowed my pace just enough that he could catch up with me, but didn’t completely stop. I wanted to put as much distance between myself and the Kaspbrak house as I could.

“I’m sorry,” I sighed as he fell in step next to me.

“For what?” Eddie asked. “I should be the one apologizing to you.”

“You warned me on how she would be, and I still let her get to me,” I said. “I probably made having to live there a whole lot harder.”

“It was hard to begin with, (Y/N). Nothing could make it harder than what it was,” he told me. “What you said, it was all true. Mom needed to hear that. Doesn’t mean she liked hearing it, or that she’ll actually accept it, but she needed to hear it none the less.”

“I guess I could’ve said it nicer,” I said. “Or at least not included details of our sex life.”

Eddie awkwardly chuckled. “Yeah, could’ve done without mom knowing I’m a sex god.”

I gave him a look and playfully nudged him. “I never said you were a sex god.”

“Eddie has done things that I don’t even think the most experienced of people could do I believe were your exact words.”

“I only said that to make her more upset.”

“So you’re saying I’m bad at sex?”

I pushed him again. “Eddie!”

He laughed and put an arm around my waist. “I appreciate the compliment either way. And I hope you know how much I love you.”

I smiled up at him and leaned into his touch. “I love you, too.”

We walked in silence for a while and, before I knew it, we were at my house. We stopped and turned to face each other.

“Want to stay over tonight?” I asked. “I figure going home isn’t exactly the best option right now.”

“It’s not,” he agreed. “Will your mom be okay with it?”

“Of course she will, she loves you. She’ll probably even cover for you if your mom calls.”

“I take it back, I don’t love you. I love your mom.”

“And I take back my offer. Go sleep on the streets.”

I took off for my front door with Eddie hot on my trail. I tried to open it and lock him out before he caught up to me, but of course his long legs gave him an advantage. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me away from the door, both of our laughs ringing out through the otherwise quiet neighborhood.

[whiteqnn]

PURE [2] - Corpse Husband x Fem! Reader

Pairing: Corpse Husband x Fem!Reader

A/N:  443 notes?! THIS IS INSANE! Thank you guys so much for all the love under the first part of this, I was so shocked to see how many people enjoyed this story! I hope this one will be just as fun for you as the first one ^^

part 1

part 3 

part 4 

part 5

PURE [2]

Corpse stared at the red screen with the word IMPOSTOR written in the middle, his eyes widened, a small smile tugging at his lips. 

“No way” he murmured into his microphone, no longer holding himself from breaking into laughter. “Do you guys see this? I wish I could see Y/N’s reaction.”

It took his audience just a second to respond, his chat being flooded with lots of comments about the said girl. 

“SHES SHOOK” he managed to read one from the hundreds of comments, once again bursting into laughter. “Yeah, I can imagine.”

He decided to follow Lily for a while to make himself less suspicious. He probably didn’t need to do that this time, since the others usually suspected him when he was innocent. Ironically, each time he was the impostor, they seemed completely blind to every murder he committed. 

They were both doing their tasks in O2 when the first body was reported. 

“Woah, Y/N is fast” he mumbled, before unmuting himself. 

“Okay,” Lily began speaking first “Corpse is 100% innocent, we were together this whole round, doing our tasks in O2. That’s all I have.”

“Yeah I saw you guys in there,” Felix said. “Where’s the body Sykkuno?”

“Um, so first of all I can also vouch for Dave and Y/N, we were hanging out all this time. So in the beginning, we were all in the upper engine, protecting each other like good friends that we are, and then we headed towards the medbay. And that’s where it gets interesting because I’m pretty sure I saw Poki leave medbay and run to the cafeteria.”

“You really think I would kill my best friend in the first round?”

“Yeah well, some people do” Sean scoffed, clearly referring to the last game when he was murdered by Felix. “Besides, I saw you guys when I was leaving Security so it looks like you were with her the entire round.”

“Wha- Okay, let me defend myself. I would never kill her if I was the impostor, which I’m not because she’d literally come barging into my room to murder me. She’d kill me for killing her first.”

Toast, who seemingly still held grudge against Corpse’s fellow impostor, decided to call Y/N out “Y’know, we all played with Rae before, so we all know how furious she gets after being killed first... but there’s one person who doesn’t know that.”

“Y/N/N?” Sean’s voice blared through their headphones “As much as I know how hard it would be for her to make the first kill, I can actually see that happening.”

“What?! Sykkuno vouched for me literally seconds ago, where the heck did you get that from Toast?” she asked in utter shock. Corpse glanced at his chat and leaned towards his mic, making sure that he was muted in the game.

“Y’know guys, if I didn’t know she’s the impostor, I’d believe in her every word. I mean, she’s so innocent, just listen to her.” he said with a smile, not expecting in the slightest how his audience will react. 

“Aww, he goes soft for her ^^” 

“The duo we need but don’t deserve”

“Y/N FOR THE BRIDE”

“What?” he almost stuttered, quickly going through the growing number of such comments. “I mean-”

“Ooh, someone’s getting angry. Where the heck? That’s aggressive, Y/N” Felix’s amused voice brought him back to reality, and even though Corpse didn’t use a webcam, he still tried to hide his pink-tinted cheeks in the material of his hoodie.

“It was not me! I swear! I was doing my tasks all this time, making sure that no one murders Sykkuno or Dave!” 

“You’re pretty defensive for someone who claims to be innocent,” Toast said with a smirk hiding in his voice. 

“Give her a break guys, she was literally with us all this time. I’m sure we would’ve noticed if she killed somebody” Dave stood up for her, but it seemed like all the attention was directed from Poki to Y/N. 

“Well maybe the other impostor is either you or Sykkuno and you’re just trying to clear each other?”

“Um, if there were two impostors among the three of us, the third person would have to be a crewmate. I mean, it would be impossible for them to kill somebody without a crewmate seeing it.” Sykkuno pointed out, much to Corpses’ relief. 

“I knew Sykkuno would vouch for her” he told his chat, before unmuting himself to defend Y/N as well “Haven’t we already established that Poki is sus as well? She was last seen near the body and has no alibi.” 

“I didn’t do it. The only person that could vouch for me is dead, we were with each other the entire round. I leave her for a few seconds and somebody kills her, but it wasn’t me.” 

“I don’t think she’s lying guys, I mean, if she killed Rae she’d probably be dead already” Felix chuckled “Let’s just skip this round, we don’t have enough evidence.”

“Alright, but Y/N,” Toast said, as everyone pressed the skip button “I have my eyes on you.”

Corpse could hear her sigh before everyone muted their mics. 

“We’ve gotta get rid of Toast guys, he’s too suspicious. I don’t want him accusing my partner in crime, even though he’s right” he chuckled under his breath, following Toast’s character into Admin. “Alright, Felix is with us as well, good. If I just pretend I’m doing card swipe, they’re gonna both vouch for me since everyone knows I’m great at this task.” he shook his head with a deep laugh escaping his throat. 

He could see the other two astronauts running around admin, before they both decided to leave, which gave Corpse a perfect opportunity to frame Toast. He killed the lights and chased his victim who, much to his joy, was now completely alone in comms. 

“Hi, Felix. Bye, Felix.” Corpse snapped his neck before speeding out of the room and venting into Navigation.

That’s when someone fixed the lights. And Corpse jumped out of the vent, only to come face to face with none other than Toast. 

“SHIT” he laughed in panic, seeing that he couldn’t use the kill function yet. “Shit, he must’ve seen me.”

And indeed, it took Toast just a split of second to run out of the room and speed towards the emergency button, Corpse hot on his tail, even though he knew he wouldn’t avoid getting ejected. 

“I’m busted guys, there’s no way they’re gonna believe me” he told his audience, watching as Toast’s character approached the button. However, Corpse wasn’t sure if he was just seeing things, but he thought that he saw an outline of another character appear out of nowhere just mere seconds before Toast called the meeting...

“YES” he almost screamed, at the same time laughing hysterically, when he saw the red cross decorating Toast’s name. 

“WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?!” Sean yelled, similarly to every other player that remained alive. “HOW DID THAT HAPPENED?!”

“Oh my God.”

“But- I don’t get it. What just happened?” Y/N’s soft voice sounded out, making Corpse laugh even more. 

“Someone killed Toast the moment he called the meeting.” Sykkuno explained, barely holding himself from laughing.

“Is that even possible?” she asked confused, her voice sounding so innocent and sweet that the other impostor couldn’t stop himself from grinning.

“Oh my god, she’s just- I can’t.” he chuckled deeply “She’s too precious guys, I swear I’m gonna do everything to keep her alive.”

“Yeah, that’s some big brain move. And since Toast is dead, there’s only one person with balls who could do it” Sean said, clearly very sure of his next words.

“CORPSE!” Lily chirped into her microphone, her voice soon being followed by others who eagerly agreed with her. 

“Okay, I admit I saw them in admin where I was doing the card swipe, but then they both left and I haven’t seen them anymore.”

“Were you in admin this whole time?” Poki asked. 

“Um- yeah, pretty much. I tried to beat my own record in failing a card swipe.” he replied, making everyone laugh. He thought of it as a good cover, unless someone entered the admin after he left... 

“Sykkuno where are you?” Poki directed her next question to the lime astronaut.

“Why am I accused again?” he asked confused “I was with Sean in medbay, I think Y/N joined us for a moment to do the scan, then she left, and then Toast called the meeting.”

“So maybe it’s her?” Dave commented “I mean, medbay is right next to the cafeteria, so she had quite an easy access to the emergency button.”

“Yeah, that would actually make sense” Lily added.

“Oh no, they’re gonna vote her off...” Corpse mumbled under his breath, deciding that he had to intervene. She just saved his ass, he couldn’t possibly just watch her get ejected because of that. 

“Guys, I didn’t even know it was possible to kill someone this way. Trust me, I played only a few times and Jack made sure not to reveal any of his big brain moves.” she scoffed at the last part, making Jack let out a loud laugh.

“How can we be sure you’re not just acting all innocent? I mean, you exposed Felix last game, being one of the last people to stay alive.”

“Y/N was with me when Toast called the meeting, she is innocent” Corpse decided to finally speak up. The silence settled among other players. “She found me in admin and made sure nobody killed me when I failed the fucking card swipe.”

“Why are you saying this just now, Corpse?”

“Cause he’s fallen for her god damn trap! I told you!” Sean argued.

“What trap?” Y/N asked confused.

“I mean, who wouldn’t? It’s like listening to an angel” Corpse said, before he could stop himself. Everyone on the call went wild, just like his chat did... He didn’t know why he said that, it just slipped before he really thought about it.

“Corpse, you do realize you’re simping only makes you even more suspicious?” Poki asked with a laugh, and Corpse felt the blush rising up his cheeks. Even more, when Y/N completely ignored this comment, deciding to suddenly stay quiet...

Did he make her uncomfortable with such comments?

“Seriously though, I’m pretty sure it wasn’t her. We watched each other’s back, so I’m also clean.” 

“As much as I hate to do it, I have to agree with Corpse on this one” Sean suddenly said. “That she’s innocent, I mean. I’m sure Corpse just follows her around like a lost puppy and I didn’t see the two of them, but I doubt Y/N knew it’s possible to kill somebody like that. No offense kiddo.”

“See? Guys, it wasn’t me!” she exclaimed. 

“Wait, why do you hate to agree with me?” Corpse asked in confusion.

“CAUSE YOU’RE KINDA SUS CORPSE” 

“What? I just told you my alibi, weren’t you listening Jack?”

“We have twenty seconds left” Lily reminded, cause everyone seemed to forget about the voting time. “We don’t skip at 7, right?”

“Alright, I’m voting Corpse, I still think he’s sus even though I agreed with him.” Sean announced, much to Y/N’s dismay. She quickly objected, trying to defend her fellow impostor:

“It’s NOT him, I watched him fail that dang card swipe!”

“DANG?! NO NEED TO BE SO OFFENSIVE YOUNG LADY” 

“I’m also voting Corpse, he must be one of them.” Lily agreed with Jack.

“Sykkuno, I hope you’re not doing what I think you’re doing” Y/N asked the lime astronaut, who was silent for the past few minutes.

“I um- I don’t know, they kinda have a point Y/N...”

“Sykkuno, listen to me.” she lowered her voice, trying to convince him “Corpse is not the impostor. You know you can trust me, right?”

“...”

“SYKKUNO GOD DAMN IT, DON’T LISTEN TO HER!”

“Sorry guys...”

Corpse burst out laughing, seeing that out of seven remaining players, five of them decided to skip. 

“She’s too good” he chuckled, quickly running up Y/N’s character when they started the next round. He circled her white astronaut, and she seemed to get his message because she eagerly followed him into Electrical to fake the tasks and wait for someone to show up. 

Soon enough two figures waltzed into the room, only to be simultaneously decapitated by the two impostors, who then swiftly vented into medbay and locked the door to their crime scene. 

“That was smooth” Corpse smiled, happily running around Y/N’s character. “I love being impostors with Y/N, it’s so much fun. The best thing is that no one besides Toast really suspects her of doing something wrong.”

Corpse figured Y/N sabotaged the oxygen because the next thing he saw was Lily running past medbay to stop it from depleting. 

“Ladies first, Y/N” he mumbled, and even though she couldn’t hear him, her small character sped up and left the medbay, chasing after Lily. He waited a few seconds, before bursting out laughing.

Victory. 

“WHAT THE FUCK?!” Sean yelled in shock “Y/N?! EXPLAIN YOURSELF RIGHT NOW”

“Y/N HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?!”

“That was... I would never guess it was you!” 

“I’m sorry guys, I really didn’t want to kill any of you” she laughed apologetically, but Corpse could sense she was smiling “I just had no other choice...”

“Yeah, I’m sure you killed us by accident” Toast’s voice blared out, followed by loud laughter.

“What was that again? I didn’t even know you could kill someone this way?” Felix mocked in a high pitched voice, making them laugh hysterically. Corpse also found himself unable to catch a breath between his giggles.

“I told you guys they’d fuck us up.” Rae spoke up “But I was actually glad Y/N killed me first, watching her kill Toast was so much fun.”

“Ha ha, thanks, Rae!” Toast exclaimed ironically.

“Y/N and Corpse are just complete serial killers, I don’t know how else to comment that” Felix chuckled. 

“Well...” Corpse mumbled, unmuting his microphone “I can’t disagree. She’s a perfect partner in crime.”

“NOT AGAIN WITH SIMPING CORPSE” he heard Sean’s response, and once again felt awkward when his all his friends laughed at him, and Y/N remained quiet. 

That was, however, until her soft voice effectively quietened everyone. 

“It was.. an honor to murder my friends with you.” 

Corpse never thought his face could hurt from smiling so much...

“Alright, who’s up for another game?” Felix asked after a few moments, and received a chorus of me’s from almost everyone. 

“Unfortunately I have to go now, but it was so fun playing with you guys!” Y/N said, making everyone (Corpse included) object rather loudly:

“One more round, please? I want to see you kill someone again!”

“C’mon kid, what else do you have to do?”

“Stay with us Y/N, I need someone to protect me!” 

“I’m sorry but I’m really tired. I’m sure I’d just fall asleep on my desk and Toast would come up behind my back to murder me.”

“Well, that was actually my plan...” the man in question replied with a chuckle.

“You sure you don’t wanna stay?” Corpse finally asked “Killing won’t be the same without you...”

“I know, and I’m sorry... But I was working the whole day and my eyes just hurt and I feel like I’m gonna faint” she replied. 

“Alright, but just so you know, we’re playing again later this week, and I better see you entering the lobby on time” Felix said, trying to sound threatening, but failing at it. Y/N giggled to herself, the sound making Corpse smile almost unknowingly. 

“I wouldn’t dare to miss a chance to murder my new friends!” 

“Oh my god, she’s too adorable!” 

Everyone said their goodbyes and soon Y/N left the call, her small astronaut disappearing from the lobby, much to Corpse’s disappointment. He wished she’d stay a little longer, playing with her was something he found incredibly fun and quite relaxing if he was completely honest. Or maybe aside from playing itself, listening to her voice was what kept bringing a smile to his face every time she spoke up. 

“Guys, I think I’m also gonna call it a day, it was really fun.”

“What? It’s not even been over an hour!” Rae protested. 

“Yeah, I um.. I know but-”

“Don’t push him guys, he can’t play without his partner in crime” Toast’s teasing voice made everyone burst out laughing, and Corpse just shook his head, glad that nobody could see how red his face became.

“Fuck you guys, okay?” he chuckled into the mic, before finally saying his goodbyes and leaving as well. He thanked his viewers for watching and promised to stay longer next time, before closing the discord. 

He sat for a moment in his chair, staring at the black screen, a smile slowly widening on his lips. It was one of the best games he had ever played in Among Us, and he couldn’t wait to be Impostor with Y/N again. 

“Perfect partner in crime... I’m such an idiot” he mumbled under his breath and felt himself blush, shaking his head at how awkward that must’ve sounded. He pulled his phone out and checked his Twitter, only for his eyes to widen once he saw the top trending hashtags. 

#Y/NxCorpse

#Y/NfortheBride

#PerfectPartnerInCrime

“Oh my God...” Corpse yelped, covering his eyes with his hand as if it would make all those tweets disappear. “Why am I the way I am?” 

He considered texting her, trying to maybe make things less awkward than they already were, but decided against it. He feared he’d make even more of an idiot out of himself... 

Convinced that all those comments about simping and now those hashtags made her uncomfortable, it didn’t even cross his mind that Y/N might be looking at them at the exact same moment, with adorable blush tinting her cheeks, and her lips turning into a small, shy smile...  

A/N: I think about writing 3rd part... 

[bluefirewrites]

‘Retail Romance?’ Juke Mall!AU Drabble

About a year ago I made a post about a JATP Mall AU where everyone works at the mall in various stores. Lately, given that I now work at a mall, I’ve been greatly inspired to write a little bit for this AU. I’m still debating whether or not to turn this into a fic. 

Enjoy.

From the moment she left her shift at Aéropostale, Julie could feel eyes on her, the whispers following right after...

She knows what it’s about. Flynn gave her the riot act this morning.

It was one big misunderstanding. A rumor that grew a life of its own through the many retellings.

The Sunset Galleria in Los Feliz, California is, by no means, a small shopping complex. No. This mall is home to over 100 stores, the employees even more numerous and ever rotating and changing. 

But word travels. And it travels fast. 

For the record, Julie would never, ever do what they said. Absolutely not in the service elevator. And especially not with-

"Hey.” 

She spins around at the sound of the voice. Great. 

The boy in the cutoffs doesn’t manage his usual grin, his hazel eyes reading something nervous. 

The whispers seem to intensify, now that they’re interacting in the middle of the mall- several of the kiosks playing audience. 

Seeing the Spencer’s employee for the first time since that night unlocks a quiet rage. They need to talk. 

"Sidebar." Julie hisses and pulls Luke to the nearest store, which so happens to be Casper. 

The mattress store doesn't appear to be busy. No one follows them inside. Perfect.

"Hiya Julie. Hi Luke." The salesperson greets.

"Hey George." The two of them reciprocate at half the energy. 

Julie bypasses the mattresses and heads straight towards one of the house cubbies. She practically forces Luke inside and closes the curtain shut behind them. 

She goes right down to business.

"Are you hearing what they’re saying about us?” 

Luke groans. He must have already known that too.

"And you think cornering me at Caspers isn't gonna make it worse?"

"Luke!” Julie snaps, "You did tell people nothing happened in the elevator, right?"

"I tried!" Luke defends. 

"There's do or do not, there is no try!"

The boy quirks a brow, "Yoda? Seriously?"

Julie crosses her arm, "Yes seriously!"

She’s as serious as anyone can be in this situation. 

The whole thing started because of one faulty service elevator and an ill-fated trash run. She and Luke had been stuck for a little over an hour- the longest hour of Julie’s life. 

They talked. About music, about life (which Luke would argue to be one and the same). That was all that happened. 

But, given how they were found, it might have hinted the contrary. 

With no heating, Julie having forgotten her jacket, and Luke’s aversion to sleeves as a whole- cuddling seemed like the smart choice. 

A short snooze followed, and the next thing Julie knew, the elevator was operating and Nick from the Apple Store had to be the one to rouse them. 

Embarrassed couldn’t begin to cover what Julie had been feeling. Especially since Luke had a bit of a reputation at the mall for his looks alone. 

(All someone had to do was say ‘that hot Spencer’s guy’ and people would automatically know who they were talking about).  

All Julie wanted was to work her shitty job while going to school. She had no time to deal with any of this. And from what she gathered, Luke Patterson is always involved in some sort of trouble. 

Julie’s mouth puckers into a frown, “Look, I get how this might be all amusing to you, but I’m telling you, kindly, to knock it off.” 

"Hold up," Luke makes a 'time out' gesture, "Did you think that I’m making shit up for people?

"How else could it have spiraled the way that it did?” 

Luke appears offended, "I dunno, maybe it's because Nick was the one who found us?"

"Nick's a nice guy." Julie would see the blonde around and would often chat during his breaks. He had always been so sweet to her. 

"Perspective, perspective,” Luke mutters. 

Julie senses something in his tone.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing."

"Luke!"

"Can we just drop this?" Luke glances at the curtain, “My 15′s almost up. And I wanted to say ‘hey’ earlier because of this-” He digs into his pocket and pulls out a chain with a dahlia charm, “You forgot it in the elevator.” 

Julie snatches up the necklace, holding onto it tight. It had been her mom’s. 

“Uh, thanks.” She says sheepishly. Remorse seeps in, “Sorry for blowing up on you. I know you’re not like that. I guess I got a little freaked. 

Luke’s shoulder sag, “I get it. It’s not fun being ‘food court convo’. But it’ll blow over when something even weirder happens. Like the Easter Bunny could show up hungover again?” “Oh god,” Julie grimaces, remembering last spring’s incident, “I’ve never seen someone projectile vomit so much. The kids were traumatized.” 

“At least we only traumatized Nick,” Luke parts the curtain, ready to head out, “The guy’s got a big, fat, crush on you, you know?”  Julie blows out an unamused breath, “So Flynn says.” 

“So what? You’re not into Apple Store boys?” Luke jokes, though it seems forced. 

“I just think ‘mall-ationships’ are messy.” Julie admits. 

“Right,” The boy points pathetically between him and Julie, “Messy.”

There’s not much of a goodbye when Luke scurries out of the house display and out of the store altogether, already late returning from his break. Julie takes a moment to sit on the bed. She’s not ready to leave and face everyone just yet. 

She re-clasps her necklace and ruminates. 

“Messy,” she repeats to herself as she plays with the dahlia charm, “We can’t have that...” 

Tagging: @blush-and-books @lydias–stiles @smolfangirl @echocharm17618 @thedeathdeelers @lukepattersun @ourstarscollided @missjoolee @story-courty @heademptynothoughts @mouse-fantoms @thereigning-lorelai @lucid-h​ @quicktypesomethingclever​