#it's so fun seeing everyone come together to do this and being able to recognize folks based on their styles alone

[taeghi]

casual | teaser

full release : read here

you thought you could handle being casual with notorious fratboy!heeseung, but when feelings get involved, you soon realize that 'casual' isn't so simple.

PAIRING : fratboy!heeseung x reader

GENRE : smut, fwb to lovers, enemies? to lovers?? & a little angst?? + 5 smut scenes lol

WC : probs 20k

taglist : ???

YOU LOVE CASUAL SEX.

you've always prided yourself on being the type who keeps things casual. it's not that you're afraid of commitment; rather, you find comfort in the simplicity of fucking and then never seeing the person again. there’s no messy entanglements or feelings. it’s a way to satisfy your desires without the emotional baggage that comes with more serious relationships.

you’d rather be alone, but you still have fun with your friends when you go out. you've never been content with surface-level explanations or shallow interactions. you crave depth, in people and experiences. which you have found to be, truthfully, hard in today’s day and age. 

you’re sensitive to most things, so you try to cover it up– protect yourself– with all the partying, the drinking, the sex. 

and tonight, like every other normal friday night; you’re at a party. 

there’s a familiar thump of music and loud chatter around you that you’ve grown accustomed to. yooyeon and gracie, your closest friends are an inseparable couple, are by your side. they've been together for what feels like forever, the kind of relationship that makes you simultaneously envious and relieved you're not in a relationship.

as you continue to sip your drink, yooyeon leans in with her knowing smile, “so, y/n,” teases, “have you decided when you’re gonna settle down? find yourself a nice guy and stop with all these one night stands?” 

you roll your eyes playfully, used to this conversation. "never," you reply with a grin, "casual hookups forever, remember?"

gracie chuckles, shaking her head fondly. "come on, yn," she chimes in, her voice warm with affection, “you know it’s gonna have to get boring at some point.” 

you shrug nonchalantly, though their words do make you pause for a moment. "maybe someday," you concede, though deep down, you're not so sure. relationships have never been your thing, and the thought of settling down feels suffocating.

"come on, yn," yooyeon nudges you gently, her expression softening, "we love you just the way you are. but don't close yourself off to the possibility, okay?"

you nod, grateful for their understanding. deep down, you know they're right—they always are. but for now, you want to find someone to relieve the ache that’s been in your core all day. 

you turn to gracie, the one who always knows all the drama on your college campus, “who is here that i can hook up with?” 

gracie rolls her eyes and looks around the crowded frat house, “hm,” she thinks outloud, “well jeongin and bella broke up this week…” 

you shake your head, “too soon, i don’t want to be a potential rebound for him.” 

yooyeon scoffs and continues to drink, listening to your guys’ conversation. 

“how about,” gracie, “mark? he’s real chatty though.”

you groan, “then no.”

gracie goes on a small list of people that she sees around, but none of them suffice. none of them are your type or seem to be able to satisfy you. you tell your friends that you’re going to go get another drink– you’ll need one. 

the kitchen table has a handful of drinks to choose from. there’s punch and beer and vodka, half of it has been spilt all over said table. 

“the punch is good,” a voice suddenly says from beside you. 

when you turn, you instantly recognize him– he’s one of the frat boys that lives in this house, maybe the most popular one of them all. 

lee heeseung stands beside you with an air of confidence that is probably more on the cocky side. his posture is relaxed yet demeaning. his hair is tousled and his clothes give off a carefree attitude. 

pretty much everyone at your college knows lee heeseung from his parties, his stories, the multiple girls he has slept with. you’ve heard enough stories about him to write an entire book, yet his entire persona is more annoying than appealing to you. his entire act is one that you’ve seen played out too many times before. 

“good to know,” you say and grab a beer instead. 

heeseung raises his eyebrow at your choice, “i’m heeseung.” his voice is smooth and cuts through the noise of the party. 

you take a sip of your beer, “i know who you are.” you reply bounty, not bothering to hide your disinterest.

intrigued by your coldness, “right,” he acknowledges with a smirk, “and i know who you are.” 

“congrats," you say dryly, with a fake excitement to your tone. 

heeseung suddenly leans in closer to you and whispers into your ear, his voice low, "you're the girl who only does casual sex, right?"

you're taken aback by his boldness, but there's a flicker of curiosity in your eyes. "i might be,"

heeseung smirks down at you at your answer. you let yourself think that maybe the notorious fuckboy is pretty handsome. his complexion seemingly glows, his eyes are full of a flirty playfulness, and his smile is charming enough. 

“well, do you wanna have casual sex with me?” 

if it wasn’t lee heeseung standing in front of you, you would be surprised. 

instead, you let out a groan, your face contorts in disgust, “god no.” 

heeseung tilts his head, “why not? i thought you were into that.” 

“because you’re like a walking std.” 

instead of getting offended like you had hoped, heeseung bursts out laughing in the middle of the kitchen, his eyes squinting. 

"damn, straight to the point," he manages between chuckles, clearly amused by your blunt response. 

you roll your eyes, trying not to let his laughter get under your skin. "just being honest," you retort, though there's a hint of begrudging amusement in your tone. 

“i’ll see you around, y/n.” 

you turn on your heel, your back already faced him when you reply, “no, you won’t.”

@ taeghi, 2024. do not repost or reuse in anyway.

PLEASE REBLOG IF YOU ENJOY, AS LIKES MAKE IT HARD FOR WORK TO BE SPREAD AND ENJOYED BY OTHERS :)

stay safe everyone :)

[lynnimini]

₊⊹ 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘱𝘪𝘥 𝘤𝘶𝘱𝘪𝘥 ₊⊹

description: fluff ⋆ university au ⋆ fuckboy taesan turned loser

in which fuckboy turned loser taesan finds himself unexpectedly chasing after a sweet and innocent girl he met at a party

pairings: h. taesan x afab!reader

words: 4.6k

warnings: mildly suggestive ⋆ cussing ⋆ mentions of alcohol & sex

author’s note: hiii it’s lynn again!! (˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶) this oneshot is partially inspired by nct dream’s japanese song “stupid cupid” so i strongly recommend that you listen to it while reading (ㅅ´ ˘ `) happy reading !!

tags: @onedoornet

the arrow of love accidentally pierced me

"i'm not going."

taesan groaned and refused to move as jaehyun and leehan pulled his arm insistently to get him off the bed, miserably failing in their attempts to drag taesan to yet another party.

"since when do you of all people say no to parties"

jaehyun scoffed and crossed his arms while taesan glared back at him.

"i wanna have fun instead of being your guys' dd again. i go to parties with you guys and don't even get to drink let alone get laid"

he complained, waving his hands back and forth as leehan sprayed cologne all over the place, obviously bored with the way things were going with jaehyun's horrible attempt at persuading taesan to come.

"you don't have to be dd so pleaseeee come with us. it's literally walking distance to the other building"

jaehyun resorted to begging, dropping to his knees and holding his hands together in front of taesan. taesan just scoffed in amusement before looking at leehan.

"no dd?"

leehan shook his head in response, ceasing his cologne attacks. taesan let out a light sigh, stretching his arms before getting up off the bed.

"dress code is formal"

jaehyun shouted excitedly before running to the other room to grab his own outfit he brought to taesan's dorm.

taesan rummaged through his closet and found a black collared shirt with dress pants. he had no clue who chose the party theme but silently thanked them for giving him an excuse to wear that one shirt that emphasized his arm muscles perfectly.

"pregame~"

jaehyun sang as he came back holding three shot glasses and some soju, quickly pouring it before handing one to each person.

"to jaehyun hopefully getting laid tonight"

leehan toasted as jaehyun shamelessly seconded the wish.

'hopefully me too if these fuckers don't ruin it again'

taesan thought to himself as they all clinked shot glasses, downing them as fast as jaehyun poured them. the three sighed as the familiar slight fuzzy feeling coursed through their veins.

"okay let's go ladies !!"

jaehyun excitedly ushered everyone out the door, practically dragging taesan out of his own home.

"i need want a girl"

jaehyun whined the entire way there, leehan silently shaking his head at his desperation while taesan exasperatedly sighed.

"you say this and fumble every time because of how drunk you get. you think you'd learn after how many times it happened"

taesan shook his head as he raised his hand to ring the doorbell. he didn't even get near it before the door swung open and the most beautiful girl he's ever seen stepped out.

"oh shit it’s freezing- oh sorry, i opened the door kinda fast didn’t i? but hey, welcome in"

you looked up with a smile at the three boys, nodding briefly before stepping outside to go to your car and grab more drinks.

jaehyun and leehan excitedly went in, taesan following suit shortly after looking back to get a good look at you. not being able to see much since it was so dark out, he just went inside to make himself a drink.

taesan forgot about you for a while, instead drinking and hanging out with other people he recognized at the party. he stayed with sungho and riwoo, his upperclassman friends from his class.

"oh y/n!"

sungho called you over and waved after seeing you finally put all the drinks on the counter. you gave him a bright smile and waved back, carefully walking over while avoiding bumping into other people.

"hey guys, how's the party?"

you asked with a slight giggle as you gave sungho a side hug, already a little tipsy from the fruity cocktail you held.

"it's great y/n. glad to see you're finally loosening up"

sungho joked as you nudged his shoulder lightly. taesan just watched your guys' interaction, mostly focusing on you. he recognized you as the one who swung open the door, and he finally got to take a good look at you in better lighting.

you were much shorter than him and wearing a tight, navy blue dress that hugged all your curves so perfectly. your hair was curled and had tiny blue bows in it to match your dress. you had glittery makeup that made you glow even more when you smiled.

it was simple: taesan couldn't keep his eyes off you. and not in the normal 'she's so bad' kinda way. he fell in love on sight.

"he's kidding, i'm actually the one who introduced him to all our regulars who throw parties"

you smiled at taesan with a hint of worry in your eyes at how dazed he seemed. taesan snapped out of it and nodded back at you.

"oh? did you two already know each other?"

riwoo asked in slight surprise, becoming even more amused when the two of you shook your heads. he'd been observing the entire thing, and could clearly see taesan was unusually interested in you.

"oh my gosh, i'm so sorry. i haven't even introduced myself yet. i'm y/n"

you smiled brightly and stuck a hand out for taesan to shake and he took it delicately, squeezing it gently. you just missed the faint blush spreading on the back of his neck before he covered it up with his hand.

"i'm taesan. i think i've seen you around campus. nursing major right?"

you adopted a look of surprise and nodded.

"yeah, how'd you know??"

"your pretty face isn't exactly forgettable, you know"

you froze up in shock at how bold taesan was being for someone you just met. taesan felt like he wanted to die at the corny line.

usually fuckboy taesan was more pulled together and could say stuff like that easily, but around you? he had no idea what had gotten into him.

sungho and riwoo just stared in astonishment at the clear flirting happening between the two of you

"sungho and i are gonna go out to the car real quick. we'll be right back"

riwoo said all of a sudden, pointedly smirking at taesan before dragging sungho off to sit outside for a bit. you watched with slight shock as the two quickly darted through the crowd to get outside, turning your attention back to an equally flustered taesan.

"okay anyways mr. stalker, i haven't seen you around campus. what's your major?"

you asked as you gestured towards the counter, offering to make taesan a drink. he quickly downed the little beer he had left and followed you.

"i'm a kines major. i saw you a couple times when preparing for the sports clinic event"

"ooh so we might be working together soon for the sports clinic event soon?"

you turned to look at him, smiling as you handed him a fruity pink cocktail. taesan looked down and smiled slightly at the glitter coating the rim, praying that it was edible as he took the glass from your hand. he didn't miss the way your hand lingered on his before fully handing it over.

"yeah, and i might be the patient with how sweet this drink looks"

taesan looked at you teasingly as he gestured to the glittery drink, making you giggle as he took a sip.

"how is it?"

"good. it's not too sweet for me, thank goodness"

taesan nodded and you let out a little sigh of relief, a smile spreading on your face as you sipped your own drink.

"so anyways, are you a lightweight?

before you two knew it, you had migrated to the couch to have an actual conversation, taking more than enough twisted teas with you.

"fuck no. bet i could drink more than you"

taesan snorted, looking at your mock offense as you gasped.

"you're on"

you grinned as you clinked cocktail glasses with him, preparing for a long night of drinking with someone new.

"so how'd you get to know sungho and riwoo?"

taesan looked at you while passing a can of twisted tea, clinking your guys' cans together while you thought of how you guys met.

"we met in one of my classes last year. those two basically took me into their friend group and watched over me since i didn't know anyone, and we got close that way. and you?"

"they're kines majors too, so we work together a lot. they're hella cool people"

you hummed and nodded in agreement.

at first it was just small talk and getting to know each other, but it quickly escalated to faint touches and obvious flirting. at least on taesan's part.

"we should meet up sometime to go eat"

taesan turned his head to look at you, both of you sitting sloppily on the couch, already pretty tipsy. you giggled and looked at him.

"i'd like that. wanna go out to eat something together?"

you kept giggling, slurring your words as you reached to clutch taesan's arm for stability before pulling away, laying down in the process. he didn't miss the way you trailed your nails down his forearm before pulling away.

"of course. make it a date?

taesan finished off his can of twisted tea before looking back at you, eyes getting heavy as he reached to interlock his fingers with yours.

before you could even say anything, taesan passed out right next to you. you shot up and checked to see if he was okay before lying back down next to him, laughing nonstop at how ridiculous the situation was.

as if on cue, jaehyun and leehan stumbled into the living room and saw taesan passed out next to you.

"did this loser actually fall asleep?"

leehan snorted as you giggled, shaking your head and clearly having no idea what was actually going on. jaehyun just laughed and worked to drag taesan up and out.

"thanks for hosting y/n. it was fun"

jaehyun gave you a smile and wave before putting taesan on his back. as the three left, your roommate came into the room with a smirk as she picked you up and brought you to your room.

"oh pretty girl, we're gonna have a fun talk tomorrow"

chaeryeong scoffed, an amused smile spreading across her lips as you smacked your lips and smiled contently as you fell asleep.

girl you got me crazy, blame it on stupid cupid

taesan woke up the next morning feeling like absolute shit. he got up to go get water from the kitchen and saw jaehyun sitting at the counter, looking like he was also dying of a fat headache.

"hey"

jaehyun croaked out as he passed taesan a packet of liquid iv and a plate of pancakes.

"hey. did u get anyone's number this time?"

taesan asked as customary after a party, with jaehyun groaning and shaking his head as usual.

"i saw you talking it up with y/n though"

jaehyun teased and a slight smile appeared on taesan's face. before he could say anything, leehan ran into the room.

"you're talking to y/n? of all people you chose y/n??"

leehan said a little too loudly, causing the other two to clutch their heads and hurriedly shush him for how loud he was being.

"what's wrong with y/n? you know her or something?"

taesan's eyebrows furrowed and jaehyun nodded in agreement.

"nothing's wrong with y/n. but you?? and y/n?? mister fuckboy taesan trying to get in the pants of the nicest person in the world??"

leehan questioned as taesan looked taken aback.

"who said i wanted to get in her pants? and why are you so shocked in the first place?"

leehan sighed and took a fat swig of jaehyun's water, ignoring jaehyun's protests.

"y/n doesn't seem like the type of girl you can fuck around with for fun. she gives off the vibe of looking for a genuine relationship"

leehan explained as jaehyun snatched his water back and chugged the rest.

"well good because i actually like her"

taesan scoffed as jaehyun spat out the water across the kitchen island.

"WHAT."

leehan and jaehyun both turned to taesan with the most incredulous looks in their eyes. taesan looked at them and scoffed.

"is it that hard to believe i can like someone?"

"yes."

"dude you're literally the epitome of an emo fuckboy."

"okay rude. maybe not like her, but i'm interested"

taesan rolled his eyes while the other two collected themselves and laughed.

"you and y/n as a couple would be insane"

leehan cackled as he walked out of the room, jaehyun's own laughs quieting as he cleaned up the water.

"whatever. see you in class tomorrow"

taesan glared at jaehyun, going back to the guest room to grab his stuff, promptly leaving to go to his own apartment.

24/7 like a party ... it's going to go out of control, heartbeat

for the next couple days, taesan miraculously saw you everywhere. sure, he'd seen you around campus once or twice, but now? you were popping up around every corner every second of the day, and taesan was going insane.

"bro why do you keep staring at that fountain? it’s the middle of winter. it’s not even running"

jaehyun complained as he looked over at the fountain and saw absolutely nothing. taesan shook out of his daze and turned back to jaehyun.

"just spacing out"

he shrugged and jaehyun gave him a weird look, continuing whatever he was talking about while taesan stayed dazed.

"is that y/n?"

leehan suddenly said and taesan whipped his head towards the fountain again. but you weren't there.

"holy shit he wants her bad"

jaehyun and leehan started laughing as taesan just groaned and put his head in his hands.

"i've been seeing her around here every day and i swear i've never even seen her here before that party. should've gotten her number"

taesan muttered as he lifted his head to look at the two, who were the ones staring at the fountain this time.

"i think you manifested y/n's appearance"

leehan laughed and jaehyun waved at taesan, motioning him to go over to you.

"go talk to her and get her number loverboy"

he hissed and taesan hesitated. seeing you weren't with friends or anything today, he decided to go over before you left.

it's going to be bad if you keep going like this

"y/n?"

you looked up to see taesan walking towards you, acting all surprised that you were there as if he hadn't seen you there for a whole week straight.

"oh hey, taesan right? good to see you again"

you smiled as taesan came to a stop right in front of you.

"how's the clinic been going for you? i haven't seen you around so i guess we didn't sign up for the same shifts or something?"

taesan asked and your smile dropped a little. you really thought you'd see taesan at the clinic sessions, and not seeing him until now made your unusual encounter all the more nerve racking.

"it's been a lot of fun working with my classmates and meeting the kines majors"

your bright smile came back and taesan couldn't help but smile back at you.

"that's great, they're all really good people. um, well, i was wondering if-"

"Y/N!"

you whipped your head around to see sungho calling your name and waving at you. you smiled and waved back while taesan also waved awkwardly.

"oh hey taesan. y/n and i were about to go shopping around the area. wanna join us?"

sungho invited and taesan shook his head.

"i just came over to say hi real quick. jaehyun and leehan are over there waiting for me anyways"

he gestured towards his friends, and you and sungho both nodded in understanding.

"well, bye taesan"

you reached to give taesan's arm a quick, gentle squeeze as you walked by. sungho smirked at the sight as he gave taesan a pat on the back, unknowingly having ruined taesan's attempt to get your number.

taesan walked like a dejected puppy back to his friends who were eagerly waiting to hear the story by this point.

"i got cockblocked and didn't get her number"

he groaned and buried his face in his hands while the other two looked on and laughed.

"never in my life did i think taesan was a loser until now"

leehan chuckled as he calmed down, jaehyun still dying and fighting for his life while taesan continued to look dejected.

all taesan could think about is what that touch on the arm meant. was it casual? did you already pick up on the fact that he liked you? did you reciprocate? he was completely confused.

"watch, i'm gonna get her number soon"

taesan declared as he got up and started walking to his next class after bidding the two goodbye.

"wanna bet that he isn't gonna get it by the time the week is over"

"bet he is"

"$20?"

"you're on"

is it bad? is it good?

taesan was able to poke his head around the clinic to visit you under the pretense of visiting his other kines major friends.

and every. single. time. you drove taesan crazy with the subtle touches you would give in response to his poor flirting.

at first it started simple with a little squeeze of the hand or arm, but then it escalated to interlocking your fingers together while you had a conversation.

taesan thought it was cute with the way you played with his fingers while he talked, but also? it set his heart on fire and he lost his train of thought the moment he felt you rub your thumb against the palm of his hand.

"um, taesan?"

you questioned in response to his silence, to which taesan shook out of his daze and kept yapping about what kines majors do.

taesan thought he was fumbling bad. he stuttered constantly, ears flushed whenever you gave him one of your light touches, and was visibly shaking when you held his hand. the boy was so worried that he was gonna scare you off just by coming off so awkward.

i don't know what to do

“what the fuck”

riwoo woke up to an obnoxious taesan banging on the door, to which he scrambled to open it as soon as possible.

“what’s wrong?”

riwoo croaked out as he saw taesan’s panicked face.

“i think i’m fumbling y/n”

he breathed out as he walked in and collapsed on the couch, a confused riwoo following behind him after shutting the door.

“what did you do”

riwoo collapsed next to him, grabbing a pillow and shutting his eyes while preparing to listen to taesan’s rant.

“i don’t even know but i’ve been hella nervous around her and stuttering and i still haven’t asked for her number and she’s been all touchy with me and i’m scared of what she thinks of me i’m so confused”

taesan said all at once while riwoo stayed silent to process it all.

“wait so are you really interested in something real with her?”

riwoo opened his eyes and admitted defeat since he couldn’t go back to sleep with a yapping taesan.

taesan’s eyebrows furrowed before nodding slightly.

“well thank goodness because she’s not the type to fuck around. anyways, if she’s been touchy and not dry then i think that means you’re okay no? y/n plays dumb but she’s not naive. if she’s acting like that then she’s probably interested too”

riwoo concluded before thinking for a bit again.

“just start by getting her number. i don’t know why you think it’s so hard after having an entire catalog of girls’ numbers, but start by deleting all those if you want something serious. and be good to her. that girl’s my ride or die”

riwoo yawned as he ushered taesan out the door.

“you really think i can get her number?”

“positive, you fucking loser”

riwoo teased as taesan rolled his eyes, taking a deep breath before walking down to find y/n at the clinic again.

he saw you standing in the doorway preparing to take a patient in for a flu shot. you glanced up and gave taesan a small smile before closing the door for the patient’s privacy.

taesan’s heart was racing a mile a minute as he sat and waited for you to be done in the room. he took a while to calm his heart down and steel up his nerves, but he did over the course of the 20 minutes you were gone.

“taesan? what are you doing here?”

taesan jumped slightly at the sound of your voice, not realizing you had walked the patient out already and stood in front of him.

“i came to say hi, maybe ask if you wanted to get lunch or something?”

taesan tried to be as nonchalant as possible while he said that, but the rosy blush on his cheeks gave him away. you couldn’t help the small smile that spread to the corners of your lips.

“i’d love to! just let me get changed really quick”

you grabbed your tote bag and ran off to the dressing room to change as soon as possible. taesan laughed lightly at how you seemed so excited to go eat after probably 6 hours at the clinic.

“ready?”

taesan stood up the moment he saw you come out and you smiled and nodded.

“i was thinking we could walk to somewhere around campus. you craving anything specific?”

taesan looked at you while you two walked and you thought for a minute before looking up at him.

“i’ve kinda been craving udon”

you admitted and taesan looked at you as if you were the most perfect person in the world. udon? in the middle of winter?? with a beautiful girl??? taesan was practically on cloud 9.

“sounds perfect to me”

taesan smiled and you two walked together down to the little area on campus full of restaurants and little shops. the two of you sat down in a small booth and taesan could barely keep eye contact with you. he thanked god that you decided to sit opposite of him or else you would’ve felt the seat shake from how much he was trembling.

“do you have any classes after this?”

you suddenly asked and taesan shook his head.

“do you?”

you sadly nodded your head.

“i have psych in 2 hours so we can still stay here and talk for a good while”

you smiled as you looked at taesan and he couldn’t help but mirror your smile too. the sweet waitress came back with your guys’ bowls of udon, so the conversation quieted for a while, with some small talk and jokes scattered in between bites.

“thank you for coming to see me and taking me to get lunch”

you said happily as you took the check from the waitress’s hands, smile dropping when you saw that the bill was paid for entirely.

“taesan what the hell? you didn’t have to pay for lunch. i can pay you back”

you hurriedly opened your purse until taesan stopped you and shook his head.

“i asked you to lunch so i’m gonna pay. don’t even worry about it”

he said as he guided you to stand up and walk outside. you had a slight frown on your lips, feeling guilty for not having contributed at all.

“let me pay for lunch next time though, please?”

you pleaded with taesan and he looked at you skeptically before laughing and nodding.

“give me your number so we can plan another lunch date?”

you smirked and raised your eyebrows at that, but put your number in taesan’s phone nonetheless.

“you’re not slick han taesan, i see you”

you laughed and taesan looked away in slight embarrassment before laughing with you. in reality, taesan’s heart was bursting with joy, but he wasn’t about to let you know that he was freaking out inside.

“i’ll walk you to class. it’s on the way to the dorms anyways”

taesan looked at you and said, making you smile at him gratefully.

“at least it’s a short walk. ready to go?”

you snaked your arm around taesan’s, holding it close while you two walked back to campus.

“i had a lot of fun talking to you today. i’ve been wondering if you were ever gonna reach out after we talked at my party”

you admitted as you two walked back to school. taesan scoffed in an attempt to hide how happy he was that you reciprocated.

“i had a lot of fun talking to you then too. i wanted to talk to you more but i didn’t have your number”

taesan said as he reached a hand up to cover the blush on his neck. it didn’t go unnoticed by you but you didn’t mention it.

“well you do now. i gotta go but text me whenever so we can go on a longer date next time taesan”

you gave taesan’s arm one final squeeze with a sweet smile before disappearing into the lecture room, slowly disappearing from taesan’s line of sight.

the moment taesan couldn’t see you anymore, he started smiling so widely he thought his cheeks were gonna stretch out.

“bro she’s so sweet and so cute and i finally got her number”

taesan yapped all about you to jaehyun and leehan, who were less than happy to listen but also happy for you. they loved you like a sister and were happy it was taesan of all people who liked you enough to change his fuckboy ways.

however, things usually happen in more ways than one, don’t they? as they say, all’s fair in love and war.

blame it on stupid cupid

“chaer?”

you woke up on the night of your party and rubbed your eyes to find your roommate basically trembling with excitement to hear the story of you and taesan.

“girl you gotta tell me everything that happened between you guys”

chaeryeong jumped onto your bed and waited eagerly to hear the story.

“nothing even happened. he’s just really sweet and wanted to get to know me a little. was too drunk to get my number though”

you said simply, hoping that chaeryeong wouldn’t question it, but she did.

“what do you mean he didn’t get your number? you’re SO FINE i would’ve asked immediately”

she complained and you shrugged. all of a sudden she shot up, startling you in the process.

“fuck no y/n, this is operation ‘get you with taesan’ time”

chaeryeong said and you groaned, not bothering to hide your amused smile.

“lay it on me. what’s your amazing plan chaer?”

“GIRL OKAY so you need to walk by these places every day. taesan passes by them pretty often. i see him all the time walking to class so make HIM come to YOU”

she huffed proudly after she finished her speech and you clapped sarcastically.

“i can try. we also have clinic together so maybe he can ask for my number then too”

“also make sure to touch his shoulder or something. guys are like, from the victorian era. they’ll take ANYTHING as a sign so long as you give it to them”

you weren’t that confident taesan was even interested in you like that, but seeing the way he looked for you every time you passed by the fountain made you wanna keep teasing him by simply passing by.

the moment he actually came up to you was the moment you knew you got him. and so, the actual mastermind behind you and taesan progressing was none other than lee chaeryeong.

girl you got me crazy, blame it on stupid cupid

[goldfades]

PARDON MY EMOTIONS / I SHOULD PROBABLY KEEP IT ALL TO MYSELF ── 𝐉𝐁⁵

❪ requested -> "jude angst to fluff WITH PLOT!" ❫

─ pairing | jude bellingham x fem!reader

─ word count | 1.7k

─ warnings | lots of angst to fluff, miscommunication (kind of), jude being an ASSHOLE but making up for it.

─ ev's notes ! | i'm now in my football kick due to the euros and copa america so please send in requests!!! 🤗🎀

⇨ missing out on updates? check out my masterlist!

BEING IN A RELATIONSHIP with England's star football player had its ups and downs.

You got to be a WAG, enjoying the glamorous lifestyle that came with dating Jude. From attending high-profile matches and exclusive events to traveling the world and mingling with other footballers and celebrities, life was never boring. The media attention was overwhelming at times, but you learned to navigate the spotlight and maintain a sense of normalcy.

However, that was the problem. You longed for a sense of normalcy, that was all you wanted was for your relationship. The glitz and glamour of being a WAG was only fun for a bit, not it seemed like you never got a moment to yourself. This was the root of all your relationships, somehow ─ Jude never understood why you wouldn't like all the media attention.

"It's overwhelming," you muttered as you played with the bottom of your of your coffee cup, the warm ceramic providing little comfort. Jude sat across from you, his expression both of concern and confusion.

"What do you mean, overwhelming?" He replied, his gaze locked on you. "This is part of the life we have. The attention, the media... it's just something we have to deal with."

You sighed, looking out the window at the city outside. "But that's just it, Jude. I never wanted this. I love you, and I support your career, but I miss having a private life. I miss being able to go out without cameras following us or people recognizing us everywhere we go."

"Overwhelming for you?" He sighed, his expression hardening. "How do you think I feel? Look, I'm not asking for much ─ I've given you the best life I can,"

You scoffed, he wasn't listening to what you were saying. "This isn't about you or-or what you've given me. I'm grateful, I really am-"

"Doesn't sound like it," Jude cut you off, his voice rising in frustration. "It sounds like you're not happy with anything I've done."

You felt a surge of anger, the words bubbling up before you could stop them. "That's not fair, Jude," you sighed. "I've been by your side through everything, and all I'm asking for is a little understanding. I need space, I need to feel like my own person, not just an accessory to your life."

Jude stood up, his chair scraping loudly against the floor. "So, what? You want me to quit football? Give up everything I've worked for?"

"No!" You stood up as well, your heart pounding. "I don't want you to give up anything. I just want you to see things from my perspective for once. I'm losing myself in all of this, and I feel like an accessory you just get to show off."

"Well, you know that's not true," his eyes softened for a moment, but then the frustration returned. "I thought we were a team. I thought we were in this together. But it feels like you're just... giving up."

"I'm not giving up," you said, your voice breaking. "It's hard for me too, like I'm just a pretty face with no dreams or aspirations. That's what they think-"

"Who cares what they think? I know you're more than that, everyone you care about knows that." Jude let out a huff as he glared at you.

"Well it's always just been about you, Jude," you didn't mean it to come out so harsh ─ your tone hard and cold. "Moving to Spain and-and all this, it's hard on me too."

That seemed to hit a nerve because Jude's eyes went wide before he scoffed. "You think this has been easy for me? You think moving to a different country, dealing with the pressure of a new team, and trying to keep us together is all about me?"

You flinched at his words, but your frustration was too strong to back down now. "That's not what I'm saying, Jude. I just want you to see that I'm struggling too. I left everything behind to be with you. My friends, my family, my life — everything."

Jude's face softened slightly, but his jaw was still tight with anger. "I need you to understand that this life comes with sacrifices. We both have to make them, this is what you signed up for."

"I know that, Jude," you said, tears welling up in your eyes as you sniffled. "But sometimes it feels like I'm the only one sacrificing. I feel like I'm losing myself, and I don't know how to fix it."

You wiped away a tear before continuing, averting your gaze from Jude. "I just need to feel like I'm more than just your girlfriend. I need to feel like I have my own purpose."

"You are!" Jude snapped, before sighing.

You sent him a glare as you sighed loudly, getting tired of not being heard. "Don't raise your voice!"

"You're being ungrateful, I've given you everything! A nice house, a nice car, you know how many girls would kill to be in your position?"

That was the last straw. Your mouth was slightly agape as you took in his words. Ungrateful? How could he say that after everything you've sacrificed to be with him?

"Fuck," you sighed as you looked up, meeting his gaze. "Is that how low you think of me? Fine, then. Let them have my position, since apparently, you think I'm just here for the perks," you said, your voice trembling with a mix of hurt and anger.

Jude's face fell, a mixture of regret and panic crossing his features. "I didn't mean it like that. I'm just frustrated. I love you, and I want us to be happy."

You shook your head, taking a step back. "That's not enough, Jude. Love isn't just about the nice things or the glamorous life. It's about understanding each other. And right now, I don't feel understood."

"That's not what I meant," Jude sighed as he began rubbing his temple. "Jesus, I need some space from you."

You glared as he grabbed his keys from the counter and you watched him walk out of the room, feeling your stomach twist in anxiety and hurt. The sound of the door closing echoed in the silence, leaving you standing alone in the kitchen. Tears streamed down your face as you sank into a chair, feeling the weight of the argument pressing down on you.

You sat there for a while, trying to process everything that had just happened. The love you had for Jude was undeniable, but the constant feeling of being misunderstood was taking its toll. You needed to find a way to reclaim your sense of self, to feel heard in your relationship.

After a few moments, you wiped your tears and took a deep breath. You needed to do something, anything, to clear your mind. You decided to go for a walk, hoping the fresh air would help you think more clearly. Grabbing your jacket, you stepped outside and started walking aimlessly through the streets of the city.

As you walked, you reflected on your relationship with Jude. There had been so many beautiful moments, but lately, it seemed like the challenges were overshadowing the good times. You loved him deeply, but you needed to find a way to communicate better, to make him understand how you felt without it turning into a fight.

After a while, you headed back home, feeling a bit more centered. When you entered the apartment, you heard the TV and sighed. You took off your jacket and made your way to the living room, your gaze landing on Jude was too immersed in the show he was watch to realize you'd come home.

He finally met your gaze and instantly muted the TV, the tension palpable as you walked toward him.

"Hey," you whispered as he gave you a small smile.

He tapped to the spot next to him, inviting you to sit down. You hesitated for a moment before joining him on the couch, the silence between you heavy with tension.

"Hey," he said softly, his eyes filled with regret. "I've been thinking about what you said."

You nodded, your heart aching at the sight of his earnest expression. "Me too. I just... I need you to understand how hard this is for me."

Jude took a deep breath, his hand reaching out to gently take yours. "I know I've been incredibly fucking selfish, and I haven't been listening to you. I didn't realize how much you were sacrificing and how it was affecting you until now and... and I'm sorry."

Tears welled up in your eyes again, but this time they were tears of relief. "I appreciate that, Jude. I love you, but I need to find my own way, to have something that's mine."

He nodded, squeezing your hand. "Yeah, I get that. And I want to help you find that. We can work on this together, maybe you can look into things that interest you here, find something that makes you happy."

A small smile tugged at your lips. "I’d like that. And maybe we can set some boundaries with the media, try to keep our private life a bit more private."

"Yeah, absolutely," Jude agreed, his eyes shining with determination. "I'll talk to my manager and see what we can do about that. Your happiness is important to me... you are important to me."

You leaned your head against his shoulder, feeling a sense of reassurance. "Thank you, Jude. I just want us to be happy together, without all the pressure and stress."

He kissed the top of your head, his arm wrapping around you protectively. "We will, I promise."

"I love you, a lot," Jude continued, his voice soft. "I didn't mean anything I said earlier, I was just angry. I don't know..." He trailed off, before pausing. "I don't know what I'd do with you, baby."

You looked up at him, your eyes meeting his brown ones, and you could see the depth of his feelings for you. "I love you too, Jude," you whispered, your heart swelling with emotion.

As you cuddled together on the couch, the warmth of his embrace enveloping you, you felt a sense of peace.

"How about we start fresh tomorrow?" Jude suggested, his voice gentle. "We can spend the day together, just us. No media, no distractions. Just enjoying each other's company."

You nodded, feeling a wave of relief. "I'd love that. It sounds perfect."

He smiled, his eyes twinkling with affection. "Good. It's a date then."

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

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

[rafeandonlyrafe]

girls night guardian

words: 1.3k

warnings: request!, drinking, partying, violence, college au

“you sure you don't want me to come?” rafe asks, adjusting the strap on your dress for you, wishing it covered up more of your body.

“it's girls night rafey.” you shake your head. “besides, it's just a sorority party. there will barely be any guys there.”

“yeah, alright.” rafe sighs. he trusts you to party on your own without him, its everyone else that he doesn't trust. whether it's a friend encouraging you to drink more than you should or a guy dancing up on you.

“i don't wanna be out super late anyways. will probably head home around 11:30 if you wanna stay up.” you offer, knowing rafe would feel better if he was able to make sure you were home safe before falling asleep.

“definitely will.” rafe cups your face, pressing his lips to yours, smearing the lipgloss you had just reapplied.

“okay.” you smile at him, swiping your thumb across his lower lip to get some of the sparkles off. “love you baby.”

you weren't sure at first when your highschool sweetheart asked to move to the same college town as you. worried living together and attending university away from the outer banks would put too much stress on your relationship, but it's only strengthened.

“i love you so much more princess.” rafe says. you learned not to argue back about who loves who more, rafe will always insist it's him. “you sure you don't want me to walk you there?”

“thanks for the offer, but you know katie only lives three houses down.” you pat his cheek before opening the door, stepping into the cool night, the setting sun casting a warm orange glow among your neighborhood, technically off campus but steps away from the greek life houses, every house being rented by students for the course of their education.

“alright, have fun princess.” rafe says, watching you walk out the door. you close it behind you, but aren't surprised when you hear it reopen a minute later, rafe watching you until you reach katies door. 

you raise your fist to knock, but before you can even make a sound, your best friend flings the door open with a squeal.

“i am so excited for girls night.” she says, looping elbows with you and ushering you back down the steps. knowing katie, she's probably been ready to go since lunchtime.

“me too.” you smile. you love rafe and love partying with him, but it's fun to occasionally leave the boyfriends at home and just have a blast with your girls.

you reach the party quickly, it's only about a two minute walk until you see the sorority house, and hear the loud music. 

it's a rush of hugs and squeals and greetings when you enter, your friend taylor making it her mission to drag everyone towards the dance floor, which the entire living room has basically been converted into, with a makeshift bar in the corner.

you laugh and dance with your friends, occasionally downing whatever alcohol that is pushed into your hands by katie or taylor.

you aren't too drunk, but your bladder has filled so you tell katie, practically having to scream into her ear, that you were going to find a bathroom. you navigate through the hallways, not surprised that it isn't insanely packed like other parties. the sorority girls don't invite as many people as the frat houses do.

you head up the stairs and use the first open bathroom you find, glad that its so clean unlike some of the other ones you've used at parties.

you make eye contact with a man you don't recognize as you exit, causing you to quickly rush down the stairs. the university isn't that small, so it's strange and almost jarring to see an unfamiliar face.

“hey, taylor!” you call out, looping arms with her once you reach the living room, hoping being with your friend would dissuade the man from talking to you, but it clearly doesn't work when he comes up, a flirtatious smirk on his face.

“hey gorgeous.” he reaches his hand out. “im mike.”

“hi mike.” you say politely, but don't reach out to shake his hand. “i have a boyfriend.”

“damn.” he looks around. “i don't see him though.”

“he's around.” you mumble, not wanting this random persistent guy to think that you're here alone. “just giving me some space to dance with my girls.”

“if he's giving you space for your girls, how about for me too?” mike smirks, reaching out towards your waist, but you manage to step back in time before his fingers graze you, taylor in tow.

“hey, she said she had a boyfriend, why don't you just leave her alone?” taylor pipes up, and suddenly mikes eyes turn from friendly to heated, anger overtaking his expression.

“don't think i was talking to you, bitch.” he grunts out, making both of you gasp.

“what did you just call the lady?” a voice rings out from behind mike, and you let out a sigh of relief as he turns and comes face to face with rafe.

mike goes to respond, probably continuing to argue or to tell rafe to piss off, but before his words can leave his mouth, rafe decks him straight in the jaw.

you expected the punch, so you knew to move out of the way as mike falls backwards. he's an inch or so taller than rafe, but with rafes surprise and muscles, mike has no chance as your boyfriend pounces on him, making sure his face will tell the story of his behavior for the next couple weeks.

you watch with wide eyes as rafe punches him. it's not the first time you've seen rafe beat anyone up, but it's been a while, his behavior so different in college than it is when he's in the outer banks.

“okay, okay.” you pull at rafe when it's clear mike can't take much more. rafe pulls away, his eyes suddenly softening, cupping your cheeks in his warm hands. he presses a kiss to your lips as his thumbs swipe over your skin. 

“are you okay baby?” 

“yeah.” you nod. “im fine, promise.” 

“and you're alright taylor?” rafe asks. he's become the honorary defender of all of your friends, especially the single ones who he considers it his duty to protect just as much as you.

“im alright, thanks rafe.” taylor smiles at him in relief, corners of her mouth only raising higher as mike groans on the floor. you'd be worried about her reaction to him if it wasn't for everyone knowing that rafe only has eyes for you. a few girls tried to get with him when you first moved from the outer banks, but rafe made it very clear that he wasn't interested.

“oh my god, thank god you got here fast.” katie says to rafe, joining the group. “i texted him the second that guy came up to you, he just gave me terrible vibes.”

“you were definitely right for doing that.” rafe says. “now how about i get you ladies home?”

your friends nod as rafe wraps his arm around your shoulder, leading everyone out of the house. he makes polite conversations with the girls as he walks them home before continuing the couple feet back to your house.

the second rafe gets you inside, door locked tight behind you, the tension leaves his body and he lets out a deep sigh.

“it's okay, im home.” you rub your hands over his shoulders. “im safe.”

“i know.” rafe pulls you into his chest, needing to feel you. he presses kisses to the top of your head. “but you know im not gonna let you have any more girl nights, right?”

you let out a giggle. “i don't think any of the girls will mind if i haul you along with me.”

“better not.” rafe smirks as you look up at him. 

you grin up at him. “our protector.”

taglist: @winterrrnight @bejeweledreverie @drewstarkeyslut @forstarkey @f4ll-for-you @dilvcv @drudyslut @jjmaybankswifes-blog @rafescokenostril @jjsmarijuana @seeingstarks @angelofcigs @cece45450 @babygorewhore @vanessa-rafesgirl @michelleisheres-blog @outerbankspov @drewstarkeyswifehoe @cutielando @kamninaries @buckyswhxre @rafeinterlude @bellbottombaby @deeaardiary @rubixgsworld @wearemadeofstardust0 @leighbronk @starkeysheart @pradabambie @tobesolovelysstuff @alexiskirkland

[stormblessed95]

Watching Are You Sure?! EP 1

A reminder of how I do these reaction posts as I watch things. I just write my reactions and thoughts down literally as a happen. Think more of a bullet point format. I'll include links when I can to videos, thanks to the people who twt who upload clips. And at the end, I'll do a better wrap up of all my opinions. I hope everyone enjoyed the show so far!!

The episode starts with Jimin showing up right before JKs GMA performance and interview, July 14th 2023.

Them meeting up and talking about how he has his performance in NY on GMA later. Jimin saying that he hadn't seen him in a while, their schedules kept them SO BUSY 😭😭 this trip was so good for them. And the way he caressed JKs throat and told him to rest his voice and take care of it since it had been hurting. 🥺 So many soft touches too as soon as they were able to see each other again. And we didn't even get to see their actual reunion.

JK packing up his hotel room and talking about how he never traveled so freely before. They are so sweet and so busy and I'm so glad they were able to carve out even just a few weekends for time to themselves. And the way when the staff was talking to them about plans and who would drive etc, JK said he would drive and was just sitting there talking about traffic while they were holding hands interlocked resting in Jimins lap 😭 that's so??!!

Then fighting over the AC in the car in efforts to take care of the other is so cute. Jimin wanting to make sure JKs throat stayed okay, JK not wanting Jimin to get sick. They baby the heck out of each other. And Jimin watching his GMA performance on his phone 🥰 JKs cute smile while Jimin was jamming out to his music 🥺

"JungJi" new ship name alert?! Lmao!

JK ordering for the table 💜

The absolute bickering over who is a bad driver/bad at parking. The get out. Lmao the way they absolutely irritate each other on purpose is amazing and soooo best friends/might as well be married behavior 😂🤣

When they went shopping together and JK said they should buy the same shorts together 😍🥰 matchy matchy always!!

And an ARMY recognized them and saying hello and they were so cutely excited about it. "We've still got it." 😍🥺🥰

JK ordering for them again at the brewery 🥰 and I love that they went to an LGBTQ friendly brewery for one of their first hang out spots. Some ARMYs went and talked to the people working and said they everyone said Jikook were super polite, no one had recognized them and they kept to themselves a bit and just had some phones/go pros for recording.

The way that they also started talking about how this was their trip before military service. And how JK started bonking Jimin over the head with his camera when he mentioned it. Jimin was giggling but you KNOW that they was emotional from it too. This was when they were thinking there was still a chance they would be separated for 2 years. I know they were anxious to get to cherish this time spent together. I know it meant SO much to them both and probably so much to JK that Jimin traveled all this way and made it happen.

The way that JKs kayak tipped over immediately and Jimin just was cackling as he continued to paddle away and the staff were fishing JK out of the lake 🤣🤣🤣 just for JK to furiously row up on him and be like "you have your phone?? Tip over!!" 🤣🤣 They are so funny and cute! And Jimin taking a photo of his baby 💜 the way Jimin spent the whole time on the water just laughing and smiling fondly at everything JK would do. It's so freaking sweet. They just really had so much fun together being silly and goofy.

Not Jimin giving JK the "you come here often?" Pick up line and the immediate roleplay they both get into 😅🤣😂 they really can't go too long without at least a little bit of flirting lol

We know there was a getaway cabin with a 2 bed option but Jikook picked the one with just one bed. Lmfao good for them. Hey BH, we know you have no issues with filming the members while they sleep, even while they share the bed. How come we got zero footage of Jikook sharing the bed? 😂😂

Jimin being like "JK, you are a good cook 🥺" and Jungkook just immediately getting to work on cooking them dinner 🥺💜 although when Jimin asked for a taste, why did JK feed him from his FINGER?! Lmfao and what the hell was the noise he made when Jimin licked his finger 😂🤣 half moan, half laugh? I don't even know lmao

And the way he ran to go feed Jimin a piece of the chicken because he was proud of how his cooking was turning out. Sooo cute. Jimin accidentally dropped a piece of chicken and acted like he committed a great offence 😭😂 the way they spilt dinner duties though was so cutely domestic.

JK speaking directly to the camera to speak to the viewers. Man has done too many hours long live streams. Lmao he is too used to just chatting with ARMYs 🤣😂 that was adorable and Jimin thought so too. And the way Jimin goes "I miss V" and JK immediately is like "let's call him!" Anything to make Jimin smile! But they clearly cut so much of that convo, BH, give me my members loving each other istg I miss them too much. And don't even get me started on the yoonminkook conversation. I genuinely almost teared up. I miss BTS so much 😭 their laughter is healing

Jimin getting a stomach bug 😭😭 my poor baby. And the screen just going black while Jikook cuddle?? The give us minimal Audio and a black screen and then they cut away entirely and we KNOW they are cuddling. Lmfao TF BH!! We know they cuddle, where is my fanservice?! And JK turned over at some point and elbowed Jimin in the nose. You KNOW they were all up in each other's business on that bed for that to happen 😂😂😂

And my poor Jimmie... He feels so bad 😭😭 JK is taking such sweet care of him though.

JK outside stacking rocks while Jimin rests is giving me Yumi vibes. Lmfao I love him (and her!) SO MUCH! The way he prayed after too for a good trip with Jimin. The rock tower is also (correct me here if needed) a way to pray for someone's health and well-being. My poor sick Jiminie. Yumi also used the rock towers as ways to pray and communicate with her Gods.

Wrap up thoughts?

Not much I haven't already said honestly. Lol but just more emphasis on how special this trip is, both to Jikook themselves and for us to have it shared with us. This IS comfort TV. They bring each other such peace and happiness. They both banter and tease and have such fun. They both baby the heck out of the other. JK taking care of a sick Jimin was soooo nice seeing. The way Jimin wasn't feeling good, but rallied in order to have a good time for their weekend away.

It's also interesting that so much of this is honestly filmed from GoPro. They have some staff and crew there, but from what I've seen it's a smaller number than normally goes to film these shows and they are left alone with just installed cameras fairly often. That's extra nice for them. 💜

I am and forever will be salty about all the cuts. The Tae face time was cut short, the cuddling was cut, so much was cut. Which duh, I get why. But I still want more 😂 looking forward to the behinds to see if we get anything more. That black screen cut from them cuddling though was 👀👀😂😂

JK was such a good leader and took charge so much so far this trip. It was cool to see, Jimin ALSO thought so! The way he was speak for both of them, drove them around, ordered food and drinks for them, gave dinner prep instructions. Gave Jimin his medicine.... I'm not saying it's hyung behavior.... But... Lol also I did notice that there was a pretty even split of address between him calling Jimin hyung, or just by his name. Along with all the little random bits of flirting sprinkled through the episode lol so cute..

Hope you guys enjoyed it!! And thanks for reading all my random thoughts! Onto episode 2!

[greynatomy]

football or football?

lucy bronze x reader

lucy won the very close poll.

been seeing the whole taylor swift and travis kelce thing on tiktok and got this idea.

this became longer than Iithought it’d be. was supposed to be a ficlet. oh, well.

let me know what you think!

-grey

———

For the past two weeks, you’ve been trending on twitter. At first you don’t know what it’s about, but your publicist caught you up saying how there’s a footballer — American footballer — who keeps mentioning you in interviews and on his podcast. It was honestly getting pretty annoying, not just to you, but also to your very jealous girlfriend.

You’d both decided to keep your relationship private, with you being a popular musician and your girlfriend being a top footballer in the league. Except, the media has been labeling your relationship as friends, best friends who support each other. Never once has there been an article where you both are speculated to be dating.

You’ve both been fun with it, being able to not have to hide anything, but with the whole Travis Kelce using your name to stay relevant to the media, your girlfriend is getting fed up.

“I don’t know why he keeps bringing you up? Not once have you mentioned him on anything. ‘The ball is in your court?’ Like what does that mean?” Lucy rambles.

“Honestly, I’m getting tired of it too. I’ve been so busy with touring that I didn’t even know about it until Sarah told me.” You reply, cuddling up to her on the bed, your head on her chest.

“Did Sarah tell you what you should do?”

“Sarah’s pretty much fed up like the both of us so she said it’s up to me. She doesn’t care if I tell him to fuck off, I’d do it anyway without telling her.”

“Didn’t you say he invited you to a game?”

“Yeah, he did. Why?” You we’re getting skeptical with the way Lucy has a smirk and mischievous look on her face.

“Don’t you think it’s time for us to come out, no?”

“Been together four years. Probably long overdue.”

“Well you better tell him that you’d love to accept that invitation, with a plus one of course.”

“I’m liking the way you think.”

———

Now a week later, you and Lucy were dressed up in red, arriving at Arrowhead Stadium. Lucy had a red England bucket hat on that she took off your head. You were being escorted to the friends and family box by security, running into people who recognized you. One hand holding Lucy’s the other waving to people as you passed.

Walking into the box, you were met with lots of people, Travis’ mom was the one to come and greet you.

“It’s nice to meet you Mrs. Kelce.”

“Oh, please call me Donna. It’s so nice to meet you. I’m a big fan of your music, been wanting to meet you ever since Travis said that you’d both started talking.”

“That’s so nice of you, thank you, but unfortunately all the conversations your son had with me are one sided. I’ve never once entertained anything he said. The only time I’ve texted back was to tell him I’d love to attend a game. Never been to an American Football game before.”

“Really? My son said you guys were getting along.”

“Unfortunately for him, we haven’t. But I’d like to introduce you to my partner Lucy.”

“Oh, it’s very nice to meet you as well Lucy. I’m sorry if my son cause any trouble between the two of you.”

“It’s no worries at all. Excited to watch the game.”

“You’ve got an accent. Where are you from?”

“From England.”

“Yeah, I’m a sucker for accents. But let’s not let the situation get in the way and enjoy this game.”

———

liked by fan1, fan2 and 23,749 others

ynupdates yn seen at the kansas chief’s game

view all comments

fan1 NO WAY SHES THERE

fan2 MAMA KELCE IS WITH HER

fan3 is ynvis real?!?!

fan4 is everyone gonna ignore lucy bronze right next to her

———

The game just finished. Everyone is cheering as the Chief’s won a game at home. You and Donna hug each other close, jumping up and down. Lucy was actually awestruck by all the people celebrating their team winning, thinking back to all the times fans of hers and her team celebrated like this.

Moments after, you follow Debby to the hallways, no doubt leading to her son. Travis comes out freshly showered and changed a bit after, going straight to his Mom for a hug. Then he turns to you opening his arms out for a hug, so you give him a side hug, not wanting to be mean. Cameras click nonstop towards the two of you.

“It’s nice to finally meet you.” He says to you.

“You as well. Great game you played out there.”

“Thank you. Wanna go somewhere more private so we can hear each other better without the prying eyes?”

“Yeah, sure.”

He leads towards the exit, you following behind him, your hand holding Lucy’s tightly, who Travis hadn’t acknowledged at all. Exiting towards the garage where his and your cars are parked, you relax a bit, relieved to be away from the cameras. Lucy walks a bit off to the side to let you two talk, but still close enough to hear, in case he says something he shouldn’t.

“Im glad you accepted my invite.”

“Yeah, me too. I’ve never been to or seen an American Football game.”

“American Football?”

“Well, yeah. The U.S is the only one that plays this sport. Football is played throughout the world.”

“Wow, you’re gonna be like that?” He says, thinking you’re flirting with him by saying his sport isn’t widely played.

“Be like what?”

“Never mind. But I just wanted to ask if you wanna hang out right now? Get to know each other a bit more.” He steps closer towards you, but you step back.

“I’d have to decline. My girlfriend and I have to get back to England. She’s got a couple Football matches coming up.”

“Girlfriend?” Travis is shocked by the information. “I didn’t know you were even with someone.”

“I’m surprised no one knows. They see two girls and automatically think they’re best friends or something. But, no, been with that girl right there four years. It was very obvious.” You wave Lucy over. “Travis this is Lucy Bronze, my girlfriend—”

“—Actually fiancé. Proposed a couple weeks ago, so there’s still some getting used to. It’s nice to meet you mate. Heard you’ve been talking ‘bout my girl pretty often past few weeks.”

The look on Travis’ face is laughable.

“Uh, yeah. Sorry about that. I didn’t know.”

“Yeah, we’re very private people. But now that you’ve met my girl after being all up in her DM’s, you’d stop using her name to stay relevant yeah? ‘Cause it’s making you look desperate.”

You didn’t interfere. You’re stood off to the side, a proud look on your face.

“Yeah, of course. Never again.”

“The last thing you should talk about in that little podcast of yours is a public apology using her name for fame like many men have in the past.”

After a moment of Lucy staring at Travis she speaks up again. It was a bit funny how intimidated he looked at Lucy, seeing as she’s almost a foot shorter than him

“Well, mate, we best be off. I’ve got some Football to be preparing for, my girl by my side always. Best of luck to you. Hope you find someone that isn’t taken.”

With that, she takes a hold of your hand, leading you to the car. You give him a little wave, leaving him speechless in the middle of the parking garage.

———

liked by leahwilliamsonn, lucybronze and 10,375,829 others

yourinstagram Thank you travis for the invite! Had a lot of fun at my first ever American Football game with my Fiancé. Congrats to you and your team on the win! #KansasCityChiefs

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lucybronze very different from football for sure

↳ yourinstagram very different

leahwilliamsonn where was my invite?

↳ yourinstagram you didn’t get one

↳ leahwilliamsonn rude

fan1 SHES ENGAGED

fan2 ynvis isn’t real thank god!

fan3 OHMYGOD ITS LUCY BRONZE ALCJHD

fan4 this is a very polite way of saying ‘keep my name out your fucking mouth’

[starrclown]

I've see ALOT of LMK angst and I have nothing better to do (cause it's late at night) and I'm not working on my LMK apocalypse au right now sooo-

LMK ANGST HEADCANNONS

Triggerwarning for Violence, Blood, Suicidal thoughts, and other general upsetting topics.

(Feel free to leave yours below. Let's make these characters sad together!)

:D

Pigsy gets upset when people joke about Wukong being Mk's dad. It's insulting to him, the one that raises Mk since he was so little.

Wukong is someone that craves physically touch but also can't stand it. It stems from all the violence he's been apart of + the crown messed him up alot. He was SUPER uncomfortable with Mk touching him in the beginning. It has to be on his terms if you wanna touch him.

Macaque doesn't have a heart beat anymore.

Because of Macaque never coming back when Wukong needed him, Wukong had no trust that Macaque will come back if they have a argument. He assumes that Macaque is just gone and gets upset about it. Eventually Macaque comes back and realizes Wukong's upset but he doesn't bring it up cause he doesn't know how.

Redson doesn't really understand why his father doesn't seem to like him. He assumed that his dad would be overjoyed to see him again, not how he's acting now.

Mei had many breakdowns because of her grades and the pressure to be a spectacular student.

Pigsy got bullied alot in school for being a pig demon. It wasn't everyone, most people liked him, just a specific group of kids.

To add on to #7, Tang used to beat himself up over not being able to help Pigsy. He HATED seeing Pigsy getting bullied but he knew that if he tried to start a fight he would either get beat because he can't fight or get himself kicked out of school.

Mk gets nightmares of Wukong getting forced into the scroll. Sometimes he wonders what would of happened if Wukong never got out. He usually ends up crying.

The closest thing Sandy ever got to being violent is when one of his cats scared him and he accidently dropped Mo. He cried. Alot. (Mo was fine but he just hates his cats being hurt.)

Sandy still doesn't know Hunstman is dead. He just thinks that Huntsman was scared of him so he never came back. (Guess Hunstmans my favorite and he's dead and i hate it here god dammit.)

No one can say anything about Azure or Azure's death around Wukong because he will get upset. Macaque made a joke one time and Wukong lost his shit. He's still kinda shooken up about it.

Some of the baby monkies recognize Macaque as the one disguised as Wukong that ate the monkey and passed it around. Those monkies REFUSE to be around him. They get violent if they have to be around him.

Nezha wants to see Wukong, Redson, and the others more but his job is so demanding he barely gets to leave.

Wukong physically couldn't be around Tang for long periods of time when they first met. He got more comfortable with him over time but Tang reminded him to much of Tripitaka and he couldn't handle it.

Mei doesn't yell out of anger, like serious anger alot. When she finally yelled at Wukong because of the fire, all Wukong saw was Ao Lie screaming at him. (Stole that headcannon from a friend of mine. Thanks Ainnur you ruined my life.)

Mk brought up the fact that Wukong was willing to put the fire into himself and sacrifice himself, almost certainly killing himself in the process one time. Wukong kinda laughed and just said "Yeah, had to save the world bud. It's a shame Macaque messed up my plan, the world woulda been a little bit more peaceful if me AND Lady Bone Demon died." He wasn't even trying to admit suicidal feelings, he was just being honest. This scared the SHIT out of Mk because Wukong just admitted that he can and will kill himself if he feel he needs too.

Sandy often feels left out of the group and not as important but he doesn't wanna ruin everyone's fun so he stays quiet.

Bai he was ready to die when she was found by the Monkie Gang. She wasn't scared of death anymore.

Bai he was scared of Wukong when they first met face to face. Wukong apologized and explained himself. Over time she got a little more comfortable with him. She understands why he's apologizing but at that point she was so ready to die she didn't care who did it.

Redson wants to be around Sun Wukong again but he doesn't know how to start the relationship again. Same on Wukongs part but he's a bit more forward.

Macaque gets physical in fights fast. Partly cause his fights with Peng, Partly cause of his life before Wukong, Partly cause of Lady Bone Demon. If Macaque thinks a situation will get rough, he'll try to fight but if he thinks he'll lose he'll dip.

Princess Iron Fan unintentionally critiques Redsons's looks all the time. It messes with him alot so he's quite insecure.

Mei feels the need to always be upbeat and cheerful so Mk doesn't sink to far into depression. She can tell when he does this for her but she doesn't bring it up.

Pigsy's worst fear is that Mk won't come back home. The nightmares he's had of this is brutal.

I could make more but I'm sleeeeepppy. I'll make a part two one day though. Leave your own headcannons cause seeing other people break down these characters is so fun.

(How some people think Mk will be in season 5)

- ⭐️StarClown⭐️

[emthimofnight]

What are Stellar's relationships like with the other main Sonic Co.?

I'll break down a handful of relevant relationships for you!!

Sonic - Stellar's dad

Stellar loves her dad, and is most like him in personality. This makes it so they are usually on the same page when it comes to what they do and don't like, but it also means that there is no one on earth who can annoy Stellar like Sonic can. 😂 As much as she loves joking around with him, sometimes his teasing and sarcasm can get on her nerves. Sonic has truly adapted to his role as an embarrassing dad, so dad jokes are non-stop in the hedgehog household. Even so, Stellar loves Sonic a lot and nothing makes her happier than running all over Green Hill with him! She wishes he'd take her on more of his big adventures.

Shadow - Stellar's papa

Stellar and Shadow are very close, but in a way that is different than how she is close with Sonic. Shadow is a quiet, steady, and responsible force in her life, one that she appreciates greatly. She knows she can rely on him for almost anything, and she finds a great amount of comfort in his presence. Shadow would do almost anything for her, and she knows it. That being said, Shadow can come across as overprotective, which becomes a point of contention between the two of them.

Tails - Uncle figure

Since Tails and Sonic were living together when Stellar arrived, he's always been an active part of her life. Once he got over the drama surrounding her existence, he was SUPER stoked to be an uncle! He was one of her regular babysitters growing up, and she really likes trying to bring out his more playful side. Even so, she finds it a bit hard to connect to him and his interests at times, as she's not very techy. She might not understand all of his brainiac lingo, but she does love all the fun gadgets he comes up with! He actually helped create her skates as a way to help vent her excess chaos energy!

Knuckles - Uncle figure

Knuckles is probably the uncle she relates to the most, as she shares his love of adventure and the outdoors! She often spends time listening to him tell stories of all the adventures he and Sonic have gone on, her eyes filled with stars. She admires him greatly, and thinks he's super cool! The only thing she doesn't get is how he can spend so much of his time sitting around and guarding the Master Emerald. She has far too much energy to be able to sit still for that long!

Amy - Aunt figure

Amy was another of her regular babysitters growing up, which is also how she and Camellia became so close. Amy would come over to visit with Camellia in tow, and the two would spend a majority of the time playing together. She sees Amy as a warm, loving person, and she feels like she could tell her almost anything. She does know not to piss her off, though! Amy is a force to be reckoned with when she's upset! Of course, she's delighted whenever she comes over, and it always helps that she brings yummy baked goods with her!

Rouge - Aunt figure

The aunt she's closest with, Rouge helped Stellar shape a lot of her personal style. She's the rich auntie type, always coming over with gifts and taking Stellar out to have girl time. She is responsible for a lot of the more feminine aspects of Stellar, seeing as she's the one who introduced the world of cosmetics to her. If it wasn't for her, Stellar would have been dressed in oversized t-shirts and running shoes all her life!

Blaze - Aunt figure

Being softer and more reserved, Stellar finds it harder to connect with Blaze. It's not that she doesn't appreciate her, she's just can find her a bit hard to read at times. She definitely exudes that queenly energy, and she can find that a bit intimidating at times. Even so, she's always happy to get opportunities to know her better, and she recognizes she's an empathetic and responsible person.

I should also mention that the only one out of this group that she genuinely sees like blood family is Tails. Everyone else are kind of like god parents or something, haha! She doesn't see any of the other fankids as cousins, basically. She sees them as peers/friends.

[ember-owlet]

₊˚‧♱₊˚ Halloween with the Tulpar crew ₊˚♱‧₊˚.

disclaimer: jimmy will not be included in these headcanons!! i recognize that he is well-written and deeply flawed, but it is for my own comfort that i will not be creating content of him on this account. thank you for understanding, happy halloween firelights!!

dynamic: caregivers! anya, curly, daisuke, and swansea

content warning: none! just short and sweet headcanons with the crew ˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

Anya:

The most cautious of the crew on Halloween night. Of course she wants you to have fun but worries about the potential risks involved as she values your safety above all else.

One of her safety precations is wearing visible stickers/accessories for navigating the streets, and will never say no to holding your hand when walking side by side.

Another steadfast safety precaution that she has is to always remain in sight and to not run, even if there are others doing so.

She is extremely thorough when inspecting your Halloween candy, organizing them with you by your favorites and least favorites to ration as a special treat. Though, you are free to help yourself to a handful of sweets after working so hard to fill your bucket.

As much as she loves to watch you collect candy, she also loves to be a fun house that gives away treats to the other trick or treaters. She'll have all sorts of dye-free, non-dairy, or sugar free candy alternatives to make sure that everyone is able to feel like they could participate in the holiday festivities.

For those that don't care for candy or can't have any, she also makes little packets of coloring activities with small plastic toys.

Puts in the most effort to decorate for the holidays with warm lights being her favorite; she'll string them up alongisde the house to bring in the warmth of fall.

She'll also put up her favorite vintage decorations or small trinkets that she's collected over the years, relaying stories of how she had come to aquire each of them.

Spiced apple cider is her favorite fall drink, and was given a particularly delicious recipe from Swansea, and since then has become a favorite tradition to drink it in your matching mugs.

Anya loves horror movies, and can't think of a better way to spend the evening than being cuddled on the couch and watching her favorites. If you ask she'd be happy to recount her favorite facts throughout the film as though you had your own personal commentary track.

If Daisuke happens to be available she'd invite him over to share in their common interest of slasher films as the only ones on the crew who find enjoyment in them. Because of this you'd have quite an extensive knowledge on horror films, whether you like them or not.

There's no other Halloween song that gets the two of you into the spooky mindset quite like "This is Halloween", and will immediately sing or hum it at any given chance, no matter where you are.

Curly:

Will basically do whatever you want as long as you're spending the holiday together.

You wanna go out and trick or treat? He'll have matching costumes ready.

Want to just stay inside? He's already got a pumpkin on the counter with recipes for baked pumpkin seeds after you're done carving.

Don't want to do anything special? He's already got plans for the night to include a warm meal and a cozy autumn movie.

I have no explanation but he has a notrious fall candle that only he appreciates its smell. Everyone else begs him not to light it every year because the house reeks of spiced body spray but he loves it. Anya can feel the headache coming in seeing its putrid glassy orange color being brought into the living room.

The one to host a Halloween party with the crew, but wants to keep the drinking and rowdy behavior to a minimum when you're around, especially to be respectful of Swansea's sobriety.

Loves to listen to classic Halloween songs and does silly dances to make you giggle (The Monster Mash or Ghostbusters in particular).

Also loves to watch children's Halloween movies but makes the excuse that watching "those scary horror films" will give you nightmares and he doesn't want you keeping him up all night (but really, we all know that he just wants to watch cartoons.)

Is the best at making you feel safe during your Halloween outings, always shielding you behind him and walking head first into the haunted houses and would never leave your side as you were his responsibility.

Daisuke:

Once the two of you are out the door, get ready for a long night ahead, because neither of you are getting home until someone drops. /lh

If your goal is to fill your candy bucket to the brim he'll do his best to make sure that its done. If he thinks that the quota isn't being met fast enough he'd bring his own bucket to double up the earnings at each house.

Doesn't mind holding hands if you get scared of other costumes or if you need support going through haunted house exhibits.

Though being scared doesn't excuse you from receiving light teasing, he'll be sure to remind you that there's nothing to be afraid of, and if it gets too much then just tugging on his sleeve will be the cue to take you home.

If you both were to retire early, the two of you would make a de-tour to Anya's house to spend the rest of the night watching their favorite horror films to discuss/analyze.

Likes to dress in costumes with matching outfits! Bonus points if the costumes were somehow a joke or meme.

I am a firm believer that he wears crocs with halloween charms on them to celebrate the holiday.

Lets you keep and eat as much candy as you like, though he is quite thorough checking the wrappers for any tampering before handing your bucket back to you.

Swansea:

The least interested in doing anything outlandish or festive. If he had it his way, he'd be sitting on the couch on Halloween night, watching re-runs of his favorite TV shows and in bed before 8pm.

But alas, with you around he'd oblige on taking you out or doing whatever you like for the majority of Halloween night, as long as the two of you are back home and in bed at an appropriate time.

Never dresses in costume, but is open to wearing a festive T-Shirt that doesn't take much effort to put on.

However, when it comes to Halloween treats there's no one better at making the house smell cozy and warm. Whether its apple cider, cookies, pie, or soup, everything is insisted on being homemade.

He'd keep a bowl of dough in the fridge so you two can enjoy a small snack before or after heading out to trick or treat.

Will take a "Dad/Boss Tax" of your candy when you get home while inspecting your earnings, chuckling as you pout after watching your hard work being snacked on.

"That's just policy kiddo. I take you out, I get first pick of the treats."

[saezurusteve]

Please help me understand, what do you think happened to Yashiro?How did he go from a domineering/dominant being to a being who allows himself to be dominated? Did Hirata destroy Yashiro or were barriers torn down by Doumeki? I think he's fragile, without sarcasm, he's not egocentric, he seems like another character. I'm rereading it again and I'm in chapter 23 where he literally rides Doumeki and says barbaric things. Now he can't even run away properly

At the end of chapter 23, you get to see Yashiro spectacularly meltdown in the shower at Doumeki's apartment.

Study that face because you will see it again.

From the very moment we meet Yashiro in chapter 1 (of Saezuru) he tells us that despite the guy we met in Don't Stay Gold, he's actually harbored feelings of love.

But Yashiro has felt for a very long time that he is far too twisted to have something like that for himself, so he hands Kuga to Kageyama as a test to see, just to see, what it would be like to see Kageyama in love and to imagine himself in that part.

Because Yashiro is so afraid of rejection that he can't get up the courage to confess, leaving any feelings Kageyama might have had to turn into pity.

So it's not like any of these "want to be wanted" feelings are new to Yashiro, but he never got the chance to experiment for himself to see how HE falls in love, what does it look like for him?

Enter Doumeki:

Doumeki is kind of a sub for Kageyama from high school, until he starts to say things to Yashiro like "I always thought you were beautiful" and outward signs of concern "aren't you cold" (naked on the floor of the bathroom giving me a blowjob) or "I thought I was going to lose you" (when you got shot and saw me crying.) Doumeki is able to look beyond the defensive Yashiro and express his feelings.

In the beginning of Chapter 2, Yashiro begins to get jealous of anyone who has Doumeki's attention. But he tries to curb his own behavior and cut Doumeki off, until he meets Doumeki's sister, Aoi. Yashiro becomes invested in Doumeki's life and happiness.

This is a regular thing for Yashiro. He is a really good guy to the people he cares about. He can be a total punk ass to people he wants to piss off.

I won't go into the repeated faces of jealousy... they look a lot like the one above when he turns as Doumeki starts to wake up. You can have fun looking those up (I'll give you a hint... he gives the same look to Kageyama's gf, to Aoi, and to Mama-san... haha let's not forget Kuga.)

When things get heated and Yashiro should put a stop to things, he gives Doumeki a pass. (He gave me a blowjob at the hospital... probably nothing...) Because these blatant shows of concern for Yashiro's well-being are a major turn-on for Yashiro.

So by the time we get to Doumeki's apartment, Yashiro is not only primed for love, but ready to accept the curse:

Yashiro realizes that he is out of his league. Doumeki is a heavy tank of love and Yashiro has no idea what to do next. He tells himself that no one can love him, and that Doumeki doesn't really mean it. But the curse has been cast.

Let's skip ahead 4 years, and they meet again. Yashiro is plagued with horrible dreams of being alone, and his body is rejecting everyone but the one he's dreaming about. When they see each other again it all comes back.

Now Yashiro has to deal with the fact that his body is responding to only to Doumeki, and we see him meltdown again.

And he confesses that he never had it together to start with. His feelings are a mess where Doumeki is concerned.

That brings us almost up to speed... however, you mentioned that you thought Yashiro has become fragile...

I think the proper word for Yashiro is vulnerable. And recognize that face? That's the meltdown face... however, Yashiro is hurt and he's showing his vulnerable side to Doumeki. He's beyond jealousy now, he is stamping his feet and throwing the tantrum he's bottled up for years.

Instead of running away, Yashiro is actually confronting Doumeki about his feelings. Doumeki may have not seen it a few chapters ago, but he certainly sees it now. It's all been a revelation that Yashiro needs to know that he's still cared for. He still needs to see Doumeki as that guy who gives a crap about whether or not Yashiro is comfortable.

All we need now is for Yashiro to see that Doumeki needs the reassurance that Yashiro will still accept him even if he leaves his side for a little while. And so that WE can have this kind of stuff every chapter.

[echantedtoon]

A Lovers' Circle (Poly Haishira x Reader) Ch5 Date Weekend: Friday

(Warnings for some innuendos. 

If anyone is confused by Sanemi's surprised behavior, it's because I'm Kimetsu Gauken it's cannon that while Sanemi is kind to women and children, everyone is afraid of him due to his scary appearance. So Yn being genuinely kind to him despite his appearance is surprising to him.)

The day was bright and beautiful as the morning light fell through the window and grazed over the few patrons still in the small cafe she worked at. The murmuring hums of light talk, generic elevator like music, and the occasional bike passing by outside. It combined with the sounds from the kitchen. Clinking dishes, utilities, and the occasional shout of an order ready to be served. Relatively peaceful and normal day for those whom worked the cafe life.

It was a demanding job sometimes if you had to handle multiple orders by yourself especially if you were by yourself or happened to be short-staffed that day or if there just so happened to be a large crowd. But it wasn't a bad job. The Patrons were mostly friendly aside from the occasional Karen or grumpy person in the morning who demanded their caffeine high for the morning. It always smelt nice with the lingering scents of coffee, chocolate, and various hand made baked goods in the glass display nearby.

After a while one would even start to recognize the frequent customers visiting the shoppe's doors. The guy who always hugged down at least three cups of coffee in the morning before classes. The couple always coming in Thursday afternoon for the college students discount on the sandwiches. That one girl always stumbling in with a mountain of papers always quickly buying a quick donut before scurrying away. There was the frequent college students or bookworms that just liked to sit in the cafe and do their own things. Sometimes they'd order snacks sometimes they didn't but that was life. But such was life on campus.

It was a slow day this morning in particular.

The smells of glass cleaner mixed in with the scents of coffee and sweet vanilla as a cloth ran across the shiny glass of the display case. Inside it beheld the delicious sights within it's hold. A few cupcakes and cakes ready to be bought and eaten. Tempted to take one herself. But it'd have to come out of his pockets if she did so. Not many people had come in today either. A few in the morning for a quick coffee run before classes but for now it was just her alone here. She didn't mind, it was peaceful and quiet other than the distant sounds of the generic elevator like music that constantly played around the area.

She couldn't wait for the end of the week. There was going to be a girls night with all her girlfriends and then they were going to spend the entire weekend together going to the spa, and the amusement park, and then there was going to be a cute little movie marathon!! Oh it was gonna be so much fun! And it's been so long since they all got to spend time together! She was so excited, she barely heard the door open. Only being aware of the fact when the door opened and the bell above rang a cute little jingle causing her bright green eyes to snap around.

She gasped. "Obi!"

The slightly smaller black haired that walked in barely reacted to her. Maybe it was because he didn't get a chance to before she squealed excitedly and rushed him. Pulling him into a nearly bone crushing hug and literally lifting the man off his feet.

"I missed you so much!"

"Ish omly beem a few hours," he replied to the best of his abilities half muffled by the fact she was crushing him into herself.

She squeezed him just a bit tighter for a second or two. "Mm mm!" Before finally releasing him back onto his feet allowing him to wheeze for air, but by now he was used to it after being together for so long. "You're always so sweet coming to see me at work!" She gushed grasping her cheeks.

It took him a few seconds to collect himself but he was able to recover from his girlfriend's usual greeting and looked at her evenly. "I'm happy you seem to be in better spirits." Mitch matched eyes glanced partially past her and made contact with a wiping cloth and a bottle of glass cleaner abandoned on top of the display case of delicious pastries. "Is your shift over with yet?"

"Almost! I'm just cleaning up and getting ready to clean out the display case. You know what that means!" She gushed brightly at the thought. "Which means lots of free leftovers for us tonight! It's gonna be so yummy!"

"Just be sure you don't eat all of it before we get it to the others. Don't want a repeat of last time." Last time she unknowingly snacked on everything before they could reach Kyojuro's house and they ended up having to drive out last minute and get take out and frozen pizzas. Poor Mitsuri nearly cried for an hour after trying to pay for everything.

Her face lit up an embarrassed pink as she pouted. "I won't! Besides everyone's supposed to bring something! What are you bringing everyone?"

His answer was to raise a box of canned Moonbucks coffee. "This."

"Obanai, coffee isn't a good choice for a potluck! We're supposed to bring something everyone can enjoy!"

"They do. Especially Shiny and Sanemi. They're always tired as fuck."

"And no cussing! We're trying to make a good first impression for Gyomei! What's his new girlfriend gonna think if you do that?"

"Didn't he just say they just went on like two dates? That's not a girlfriend." Her eyes narrowed at him. "*sigh* Fine. But I'm not the one you should be worried about."

"Sanemi promised everyone he won't say anything mean."

"It's not Sanemi I'm worried about." Knowing Tengen and his 'flamboyant' (innuendy) way of talking a lot of the time you couldn't tell if he was flirting, teasing, both, or just talking. Not always the best thing for a great first impression.

"Oh Tengen's gonna be fine! You'll see!" She patted his shoulder before bubbly bouncing towards the counter again. "I'm gonna finish up cleaning now so we can grab the goodies and go!"

"M'kay. I'll just wait for you to get done then." He went right ahead and made himself comfortable in a nearby chair as she happily went back. "Are Hinatsuru and Makio still here too?"

She nodded wiping at the remaining glass. "Yep! They're cleaning up the back! We should be done real soon!"

"Good. I can't stand Tengen making anymore jokes about me trying to steal his wives again. The sooner we leave the better."

"Oh you don't really mind that!,"she sang from where she was finishing up cleaning the display case. "He's just teasing you."

"Yeah. Well I wish he'd do it in a different way." He rolled his eyes at her insistence. "How much longer until they're done?"

"Just now actually." 

A new voice echoed out of no where and both pairs of eyes looked up at who had just walked in. Pink eyes crinkled up in a smile as two women appeared both had black haired tied up in ponytails but but only one had orange bangs and was carrying a broom. Immediately the orange eyed one just went to sweeping up the front where he was sitting as Hinatsuru held up two large boxes, the kind you'd buy a dozen donuts in. 

"Hi, Obinai," she greeted him with a cute smile. "Come to give us a ride there?"

He nodded eyeing Makio starting to thoroughly sweep the floors, moving tables and chairs and reaching under booths connected to the wall. "Yes. Are you all ready to go?"

She shook her head. "We have to clean up before closing for the weekend, but we haven't gotten the front yet. Besides-" She held the boxes higher. "We still need to box up the goods." 

He nodded. "Right.." before slowly standing up and grabbing the canned coffee he just quickly bought from the local convenience store. "I'll just wait for you guys in the car then. Parked right out front."

He left them to it he supposed walking out with the sound of the bell above and back to a beaten up old hand me down van. It wasn't the prettiest car, but it worked, it got him places, and it's what he can afford so he treated it with care.  From the inside he boredly watch his girlfriend and their partners sweeping and mopping up the front. Mitsuri was quick to wipe down the large windows inside and out before disappearing back in and a moment later the three emerged back out. Mitsuri first holding the door open for Hinatusu to walk out carrying the two boxes with Makio right behind them. He patiently waited still for them to get inside the van with him with Mitsuri leaning over to give a large kiss to his cheek leaving behind a giant kiss mark no doubt the others will tease him for it later. 

"Hey. So you girls finally ready now?" Regardless of asking he was already reaching out for the key and starting the engine.

"Yep! But they wouldn't let me hold the boxes."

"Last time you ate it all before we even got to Kyojuro's 

His girlfriend whined as he was already shifting to reverse. "I didn't mean to! They were just so yummy!"

"Yeah? Well this time we're holding onto them."

"I'm assuming we're going to Kyojuro's then."

The car slowly turned to the right and began it's long journey down the roads. From all of the places they lived, Kyojuro lived the farthest away from the University. Nearly an hour's drive worth of traveling by car. It was a wonder that Kyojuro wasn't more late to classes, but then again it was easier for him to blink with Tengen during school days and just go home on the weekends and holidays. The drive there was mostly silent other than the happy hums of Mitsuri who once and a while gave the boxes in the back a look but they were firmly sat in Makio's lap and he doubted that she'd let her go anywhere near them. 

The roads continued to get a bit crowded from the weekend rush for everyone to go to the beach or wherever the rowdy crowds took them. For them it was a long well deserved weekend planned out a whole month in advance and meeting a really special guest. He wasn't too thrilled about having to help play host to a newcomer but he'd be nice for Gyomei and meet this girl. With a sigh, he turned a corner and went up a street only to slow down to a stop and park right in front of a large home. They were here. He just wondered how many of them were here already. 

The first one there was Mitsuri excitedly just running up the driveway and without even bothering to knock, threw the front door open beaming wildly. "HI GUYS!!"

"Hey, Peaches n Cream is here with her dashing night in shining armor! And of course my two beautiful princesses.~"

"Shut up, Tengen!," he shouted as he finally got inside behind the girls.

Most everyone was there. Tengen had taken up most of the small sofa laid across it with his head in Suma's lap getting it massaged by the looks of it. Sanemi looked bored off to the side only looking up when the four of them came walking in. Knowing Kyojuro he was somewhere else in his house. 

"Where's everyone?"

Tengen waved a hand too invested by the soothing hands of his wife. "Kyo's ordering some more pizza. Giyuu said he'd be grabbing the others and Gyomei said he's gonna be late and to start the movie without him." He finally seemed to perk up slightly eyeing the boxes Hinatusu was carrying. "What do we have here though?"

"Everyone's bringing something to eat, Tengen. Which reminds me." He slapped down the box of canned coffee on the coffee table between all of them before plopping himself down on the second couch with a sigh. "A little gift from me to you."

"Oh finally. I need something to keep me awake during this bore fest."

Sanemi was already tearing up the box to get to the delicious taste of coffee. The girls filed into the kitchen presumably to put away the food minus Mitsuri who must've found Kyojuro because everyone heard him give a loud grunt from the kitchen area before loud laughter echoed out from both of them. No doubt she must've given him a surprise glomp- CLICK! The sounds of a a can being opened filled the small house as the white haired man threw his head back to just start chugging it down. 

"Hey, Obanai. Did you bring the movie?"

"Yep. A horror one. Nothing like the one Tengen picked out last time."

"Hey! What was wrong with what I picked?!"

"You picked a documentary on Katsushika Hokusai."

"And what's wrong with that?! He was a very talented artist!"

"When you said you brought 'the most flamboyant movie ever' I thought it'd at least be about something cool like swords or wrestling! This is why we take turns picking movies instead of letting you in charge."

"YOU TWO JUST DON'T GET ARTISTS!!"

Both Sanemi and Obanai exchanged looks- Sanemi took a louder drag of his coffee can as Obanai just got up to start the movie. The others started filing in sooner than they expected. Kyojuro finished up ordering them pizza for the big dinner and came back to rejoin everyone as the movie started. Five minutes in the door opened again and in walked Kochos and Giyuu with a bag of chicken wings from a nearby fast food place and a couple six packs of different sodas like Peppi and Coda. It was all placed in the kitchen as they awaited the arrival of pizza and Gyomei bringing along their mystery guest. Shinobu helped herself to some of the canned coffee as well before flopping herself across Sanemi to casually cuddle not that anyone minded. 

The movie was just about near the end when Tengen abruptly sat up and nearly knocked over Kanae sitting on the armrest of said sofa, eyes alert and looking right at the door.

"Oi. Watch it, Uzui. You nearly knocked my girl off-"

"Someone's here!"

His announcement had everyone going silent for a long moment. Someone eventually paused the movie, not sure who, but the newfound quietness of the home made it easier to hear things. A small cough or two from everyone turning to stare at the door. Obanai exchanged looks with Suma the latter shrugging her shoulders. Sanemi was the only one who broke the silence taking a sip of his drink. Until they heard it. The heavy footfalls of a familiar heavyset person making their way to the door.

THUNK. THUNK. THUNK. THUNK.

They came up the porch steps and slowly towards the door getting closer and closer. 

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.

Heavy and loud but gentle knocks reverberated from the doorway and echoed out into the large living room. No one made a move to get up stunned and after a moment, they came again a little louder this time.

"Maybe we have the wrong address?"

"No. I've been here plenty of times. This is the correct house."

Two voices came from behind the door one familiar one not but it was enough to get Kyojuro to place down his bottle of water and get off the couch. 

"It's strange that no one answered by now though."

"Maybe we're the first ones here? But we did say we'd be running late..Did they go to a movie theater or something?"

Any voices quieted when his footfalls approached the door and he stood there a moment, taking a second to look back to everyone else who still stared silently, before reaching out to grab the doorknob, twist it, and slowly opened the door up. Red-orange eyes blinked widely at who was on the other side.. before his usual bright grin dawned his handsome features.

"GYOMEI!," Kyojuro greeted loudly holding out his arms, "SO HAPPY YOU'RE FINALLY HERE! WE'VE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU!!" No else could see from their sitting spots, but Kyojuro's head tilted downwards to the right instead of up to the tall man in the doorway. "AH! You must be the guest he told us about! A pleasure!"

A deep sigh was given outside of the doorway followed by a tiny woman's chuckle. "Y/n, this is Kyojuro Rengoku. I'm going to be spending the weekend with him here. Kyojuro Y/n. Do try not to shout her ears off."

"GLADLY!!"

A few eyes blinked when a woman's small hand appeared sticking into the doorway. "It's so nice to meet you! Gyomei's told me so much about everyone."

Kyojuro gladly shook her hand. "A pleasure! Please come in!" Before stepping aside for them both to come in. "We were just in the middle of watching a movie!"

"Sounds lovely."

Everyone watched as in walked Gyomei who had to duck in order to get inside behind him followed a girl, with long f/c hair and a smile on her face as she gave a look around before her eyes caught onto the other ten pairs of eyes looking at her. F/c orbs blinked in surprise seeing so many people blinking but she still smiled widely at them. 

"Oh my. There certainly is a lot of people here. Hello."

"HI!!," Suma yelled out breaking the awkward silence as she waved a full arm at her. "Oh my gosh! You're so pretty!"

"She is pretty cute. Dam, Gyomei. You didn't tell us she was a cutie.~" Tengen smiled widely at her. "Where were you when I got married?~ OW!!"

A smack went off as Kanae's hand met the back of Tengen's head as her polite smile never wavered. "Tengen, control yourself. That's not a polite way to greet someone."

Said man hissed rubbing his head as Gyomei's hands met his face in embarrassment already. Although surprisingly the woman's face while slightly surprised, didn't really change from her smile. Gyomei sucked in a deep breath and eventually pulled his head out from his hands and gestured to the white haired man whom just spoke. 

"Y/n, allow me to introduce you to Tengen Uzui. The women next to him are his wives," how he knew all three of his gorgeous wives were all laid on him Tengen would never know but he was right. "That Suma, Makio, and the one to the far left is Hinatusu. The lady on his left is Kanae Kocho."

"Wives?" She glanced over them. "Wow. I wasn't expecting anyone to be married. Usually everyone I know is really busy trying to get through college."

Tengen didn't take any offense to that laughing loudly. "Well family arranged marriages would do that." He waved at her anyways. "Nice to meet ya! Hope the big lug hasn't been too much to handle.~"

"T-Tengen!" Gyomei's face frowned at him harder but the girl only giggled more.

"Thank you. He's actually been really sweet.~ " Her eyes glanced over everyone else in curiosity. "But I don't think I've met everyone yet."

"O-Oh. Of course. *ahem*"

Ignoring Tengen's smirk boring into him, he gestured to the others. Introducing them as Mitsuri Kanroji. Iguro Obanai. Sanemi Shinazugawa. And Shinobu Kocho. And explaining who exactly was who's girlfriend or boyfriend to you and making it easier to understand what dynamics were which. Nervously awaiting her response and hoping she wouldn't change her mind and think it was weird after all. Instead everyone was surprised by the gentle and kind smile on her face making her look so adorable as she bowed. 

"I'm happy to meet you all! It's so nice to meet Gyomei's friends! Uh- Boyfriends and girlfriends. Or..." She slowly stood straight again with a confused scrunch to her face. "...What do you all refer to each other as?" 

"We call our significant other by the regular boyfriend or girlfriend title otherwise we just call each other out partners," Shinobu explained with a smile, "Other than Tengen since he's really the only one married." She gestured referring to his wives. 

"Oh! I'll keep that in mind then."

"What do you have in that box?"

It was the first time someone mentioned the box she was carrying and pointed it out. It was just a plain bakery like box, the kind Hinatsuru was carrying earlier. She smiled wider at them all. 

"Y/n remembered me mentioning that Sanemi liked ohagi." Sanemi's eyes snapped up at the mention of his favorite food. Hand paused mid sip as he glanced up at Gyomei's smiling face. "She brought along some to share-"

"Ohagi?" She nodded and opened her mouth but Sanemi was already standing up and descended upon her. Blinking as he was leaning over her suddenly and his hands roughly pushed the box open. His smile widening as the delicious scent of red bean ohagi hot him. "Fuck yeah! Thanks, Mei! I didn't think they sold 'em this late."

That's right. Gyomei mentioned that the cafe he took you too sold his friend's favorite ohagi. She blinked as he just roughly grabbed one of the ohagis and took a massive bite nearly swallowing it whole. A pleased noise left his mouth as the sweet taste hit him and he continued devouring onto a second one pulled up from the box with a third in the other hand. 

"So good!," he managed to get out between bites as he continued eating.  "Mei, I owe you one."

"I-..Well thank you but I didn't buy them." His large hand patted the new woman on the back. "Y/n here made them herself." Sanemi paused comically mid bite. "That's why we were late. I'm afraid it took a little longer than expected for her to get off work and make them all."

She nodded smiling. "I'm glad you like them though. I've only made them a handful of times."

"Did I miss something?," a new voice asked from the kitchen just as Giyuu appeared from the kitchen carrying a drink and what looked like a donut swiped from what the girls brought 

"Ah. Giyuu, right on time." Gyomei gestured with a smile. "Y/n this is Giyuu Tomioka. He's taking the same health course you are so you both might know each other."

You stared at him for a second before nodding. "I vaguely remember you but I don't think we actually talked before. You're taking the health course too."

He nodded. "Working on a bachelor's degree in physical education, and the health classes will help me improve my skills as a p.e. teacher."

"Oh! So you're studying to become a teacher too?"

He nodded. "All of us are. Why are you taking the same classes?" The blunt way he asked could've been rude to anyone and got a concerned look from Gyomei but she didn't bat an eye.

"I'm studying a degree in baking and pastry arts and the health classes help me understand people's health better. You never know if someone has special dietary needs or allergies."

"Huh... That's very observant. Would you like something to drink? Coda alright?"

She nodded. "That'd be fine."

"In the meantime why don't you two come join us for the rest of the movie?" Kyojuro motioned for Tengen and the girls to move over making room for the you and Gyomei on one of the sofas. "It's a good movie and pizza should be arriving any moment now."

"I'd love to!"

Giyuu was nice enough to take the box of ohagi to the kitchen before Sanemi- ate it all, and the both of you were settled down to watch the rest of the movie or in Gyomei's case listen. Pizza arrived a little bit later and it too was taken to the kitchen before Giyuu handed you a cup of soda with a thanks from you. The movie was alright but it didn't make much sense since you didn't see the entire story however judging by everyone's else's reaction it must've been at least a compelling story. Afterwards Obanai and who you remembered was called Makio offered to get up to get pizza for everyone. 

"Oh finally. At least something worthwhile."

Kanae shot her boyfriend a glare. "Sanemi, don't be mean! It was Obi's turn to pick the movie and we have a guest here!" She scolded him.

"Tch! Whatever!" Sanemi grumbled in annoyed defeat leaning back where he sat, crossing his scar littered arms and throwing one leg over the over. "The whole day's been boring."

"Sanemi."

"Well it's true," he countered at Kanae when she frowned at him. Directing a hand towards the big screen. "When Obanai said he'd be bringing the movie, I was expecting something actually scary like The Exorcism or Night of the Living Corpse! Both of those are scary. But no. Instead he brings a documentary on Pythons."

"It is not a documentary!" Mitch-matched green and yellow eyes narrowed at Sanemi from the doorway to the kitchen. An accusing hand pointing at the bored looking white haired man. "Mutant Boss is an excellent horror flick that you just don't appreciate the complex storytelling behind."

"It's about a mad scientist that mutates a couple lizards and they eat people until the hero tricks them into going inside a junkyard incinerator that burns them to death. What complex story is there?! It's not even scary!"

"Excuse me!? Being swallowed whole by a giant snake IS terrifying! And the story is only half about the snakes! How about the deformed doctor who lost everything and sacrificed himself for his best friend who he secretly loved?!"

"Just admit you have a fetish!"

"WHAT?!"

"OK!! SUBJECT CHANGE!" Rengoku yelled out holding up his hands before anymore arguing could be done between the two of them and to their credit both of them didn't say anything but still glared at each other. With a sigh his hand reached up to rub at his face. "Sorry about that." Eyes glanced towards the newest woman who didn't look the least bit bothered. "They're like this a lot but I promise they're not usually this ..rude."

A sound pierced the air. One that had Sanemi pausing in his motion of bringing the canned coffee to his lips and just about made everyone else freeze as multiple eyes blinked at the woman giggling and smiling at them all.

"It's alright. I don't really mind a bit. Please don't feel like you have to act differently on my account. I really want to know everyone."

"Oh good. At least I don't have to worry about walking on eggshells anymore." The man known as Tengen sighed before just throwing an arms around both Sanemi and one of his wives, Suma if she remembered right. "Y'know...If you guys are bored n' really want something to do, I got-"

"Hell. No " Eyes scowled up to Tengen's bored face as Sanemi simultaneously leaned out of his arm and firmly placed the can back down in the coffee table in front of them. "For the last time we are NOT doing your stupid push up game!"

F/c blinked at him. Curiosity peeking out with the blink of lashes. "Push up game?"

"Yeah! It's this real fun idea Tengen came up with!," Suma gushed waving an arm excitedly. "It's a challenge! All the guys do push ups with one of us sitting on their backs and whoever lasts the longest wins!"

"Yeah but Sanemi and Obanai never wanna do it." Tengen chastised rolling his eyes boredly and slinging one arm behind his head. "Killjoys. They never want to do anything fun."

If anger had a picture in the dictionary, Sanemi would be it with the way he snapped at his friend and partner. "Yeah! Fun things! I actually do those! Your idea isn't fun, it's fucking stupid as shit!" Obanai made a noise of agreement from the kitchen. "A push up contest? That's middle school crap!"

"You won't let me paint you or do any of my ideas. I swear it's like you hate my stuff." ...a smirk appeared on his face then. "But I know you don't really hate the idea. It's something else.~"

"Oh sure." He rolled his eyes hard grabbing his drink again to occupy himself. "And what do tell is this 'something else'?"

"You're fucking weaker than I am with your wussy muscles."

CRINKLE!

F/x eyes blinked as a weak can had no chance and was cushed by a stiffened hand around it's weak metal body. The soft metal crinkle sound of a can being crushed was enough to signify the situation to Gyomei, whom only sighed and reached up to rub his face something like 'goodness here we go' leaving his mouth. Silence stilled as Sanemi went unusually silent, veins popping up along his arms and his forehead as black pupils went small. Ever so slowly, one white haired man looked at the other.

"What did you fucking say to me?," Sanemi asked slowly almost inhumanly so. His left eyelid twitching twice.

"You heard me,~" Tengen sing songed out with a smirk, showing not an ounce of fear towards the admittedly scary face. "You're weak compared to me. A mouse. Miniscule-"

"You fucking take that back right the fuck now, Uzui."

"No." His face fully turned that smirk to him now leaning closer to be in Sanemi's face. "You can just prove it instead."

"FINE!" A thudding was heard as the can was thrown on the coffee table and a hand was pointed straight to Tengen's Cheshire cat grin. "But you're going to fucking eat those words when I fucking beat you at your stupid game!!"

"Finally!" Tengen leaned back up with a smile. "We can have everyone participate!"

"Yeah. No. Count me out."

"C'mon, Obi. It's all in good fun," Mitsuri gently tugged on her boyfriend's shirt where it held onto his shoulder. "You can lift me up on your back."

Those different eyes widened at her in an instant. ".....Oh alright. But just this once." Eyes narrowed at Tengen who barked a laugh at him. Predictable. It made the man narrow his eyes and cross his arms. "And only if the prize is worth the effort. What does the winner get anyways?"

"That's a good point," Shinobu pointed out, "You never told us what the winners get. So cough it up."

Tengen hummed. "How about a free painting? Ill draw anything you want."

"I'm not doing any manual labor for a painting!"

"We'll bet a hundred dollars each!", Sanemi declared giving a devious smile. "Whoever wins gets the money!"

"Fifty bucks each! Some of us are broker than others!," Giyuu butted in.

"Deal!"

"Deal! But on one condition," Tengen quickly agreed with a bright smile, "The money can only be used for the winner's girlfriend for their date night. After all it's nearly Christmas. We need to spoil our darlings.~"

"FINE!! Oh I'm going to use your face to wipe the floors when I'm done!" Sanemi grinned deviously wider as he abruptly stood up still clenching his fists.

"HA! We'll see about that! I'm already thinking about how I'm going to be giving my wives' the most romantic night of their lives.~

He too stood up as Rengoku turned to Giyuu. "I think I'll join! Sounds like fun! What about you?"

Giyuu didn't answer him at first, calmly finishing whatever it was he was drinking and looking at Shinobu. "I would like to treat you to a nice dinner." He bluntly told her as her ever smiling face looked at him. "Should we try?"

"Why not? It'll be a fun challenge, and I'd like to run it into everyone's faces."

"Oi! Babe, get over here and sit on my back!"

"Kyojuro can borrow Makio-"

"Count me out," Makio stated bluntly from where she stood still leaning against the wall. "Someone has to be the ref anyways, so I'll do it."

"Ok! Kyo can borrow Hinatsuru then and I'll take Suma!"

F/c eyes still blinked watching with an amused smile. Quite a lively bunch. Weren't they? Gyomei sighed next to you tiredly but smiled despite himself as the sounds of scraping furniture being moved around to make room for the lot of them all shuffling around into place. Murmuring about how fun this was going to be of how stupid it was or that they were going to kick Tengen's ass. Good thing Rengoku's home happened to have a very large living room.

"Hey, Gyomei!," Rengoku called making the man blink. "Come join us! It'll be fun!"

Gyomei blinked surprised his way before holding up a hand. "No. I better not. Makio said she did not want to participate."

"Have your girlfriend there sit on your back then!"

A choke sound escaped Gyomei's throat as he blinked Tengen's way. "I beg your pardon?!"

"You know what I mean. C'mon. She can sit on your back and act as weights. The rest of us are doing it too and I'm sure she doesn't mind."

"Now Y-You see here, Tengen," he sternly said brows furrowing, "I am not about to ask her to subject herself to that just for a silly game. Especially something so...I-Intimate."

"Gyomei, you're the kind of person who thinks hand holding is scandalous."

Gyomei frowned harder but a woman's voice next to him surprised him. "Actually I don't mind." Gyomei paused, blinked, and then turned his head shocked to her. "It's ok. Actually it sounds fun, and I've never been invited to be a part of a game before."

"I-...I do not know."

"C'mon, Mei! Relax and have some fun with us! Your girl's cool with it, and besides think of the nice date you can take it on if you win!"

"Yeah, Gyomei it'll be fun!" "Come join us!" "Live a little will you?"

"Oh alright." He sighed hearing the bout of everyone else's voices encouraging him to come join their game and have fun with them. "But only this once. I happen to think this is entirely out of the question for a third date."

Despite his words he ended up slowly standing off of the nice soft sofa, it let out a squeak from his shifting weight. A much smaller hand grabbed his in fun anticipation pulling him further into the space they cleared away, footsteps sounding as everyone else shifted to make room for the other two of them. Once everyone else was settled Makio downed her soda and let out a small sigh before leaning herself off the wall.

"Ok. Let's keep this fair," she stated firmly hands on her hips. "Here's the rules. Each guy has one of us weighing him down, if anyone gets off your back for any reason you're out. If anyone of you fall or something you're also out. There's no time limits, but the last one remaining wins. Lastly, you can do the push ups as fast or as slow as you want. Again there's not really a number limit. It isn't about how many you can do.. It's about how LONG you can do the push ups with the weight." She seemed to remember something. "Oh. One last thing. You have to do a full push up every time. All the way down and then all the way back up. No half assing it. If I see anyone trying to cheat, then you're out."

"We get it! Let's just get this over with!" Sanemi rubbed his hands together. "I got three hundred bucks with my name on it!"

"HA! If your weak muscles can handle that!"

Sanemi just growled at Tengen before just dropping to his hands and feet. "Let's just get it over with already!"

Makio watched and waited as everyone else got into the push up position, and the girls gently sit down on each respective boy's backs (or in Suma's case throw herself into Tengen's back although their husband was barely affected by her giddy enthusiasm). Gyomei seemed very reluctant to be doing this but stiffened as he felt someone suddenly sit down on his back.

"Here you go!," Kyojuro's voice sounded helping Y/n hoist herself into his frame.

"Thank you. ..I'm not too heavy am I?"

"Haha! Not at all! You were as light as a feather and with Gyomei's strength you'd weigh nothing to him!" Kyojuro have a small amused smile to the pink rising to his friend's face.

"Alright, alright." Makio's voice once again cut through the air as FINALLY EVERYONE was settled. "Ready? ..START!!"

Immediately the air was filled with cheering and giggling from the girls either encouraging the boys on in their endeavors or giggling loudly at the sudden motion of being lifted up and down. Mostly that last one applying to Suma giggling her head off as she lovingly wrapped her arms around Tengen's neck. In the meantime Makio watched with narrowed eyes like a hawk, grazing back and forth constantly at everyone else in front of her the same way a drill Sargent would watch his troops train.

For the first ten minutes nothing really changed other than a couple of the guys starting to sweat under the weight and physical activity they were pushing themselves to do, in Sanemi's case with incredible determination and gritted teeth. It was only around the fifteen minute mark that the first of them began to struggle. Makio zeroing her eyes in on Obanai's shaking arms and excessive sweating seeming to struggle pushing himself back all the way up with Mitsuri on his back.

"Obanai, you about to drop there?" Her brow rose as a head of black hair shook no

"N-No..I can...make it," he struggled to get out between gasps of air making Mitsuri look concerned.

"Maybe we should stop, Obi. I don't want you to get hurt." Her concerned puppy dog eyes gazed over his shaking arms before she shot Tengen a frown when another round of laughter left his mouth.

"To be honest I bet that's how he'd like to die. You crushing him under you!"

"That's not funny!" "S-Shut..UP!!"

Obanai lasted another three minutes. The shaking in his arms becoming more and more worse than before with each passing second- Before out of nowhere he collapsed. Falling face first onto the floor with a loud thud, and a surprised squeak from Mitsuri as she fell backwards off of him. Makio quickly checked on the wheezing man and thankfully he was alright just tired and was dragged into a chair by both ladies to catch his breath and get a cold drink of whatever liquids was placed on the snack tables.

"C'mon guys. Let's go!" Makio ordered clapping her hands together as Mitsuri fanned her poor exhausted boyfriend behind her. "Up. Down. Up. Down. Keep those push ups coming! You want that money don't you?!"

"Is she a ref or coach?," Sanemi gritted through his teeth but felt a gentle hand ruffle his hair.

"Relax your muscles, Nemi. It'll be easier to do if you weren't tense," Kanae suggested from where she sat between his shoulder blades.

"I would if I could."

Another bout of annoyance was added to him seeing the others barely breaking a sweat, especially Giyuu. The guy was still going on without a problem with Shinobu even having the audacity to be laying on his back looking so relaxed. Her purple eyes caught Sanemi's..And a cheeky smile and wave was sent his way making him growl again. Like he'll be was loosing! HE. WAS. NOT. LOOSING!!

"Looking a little hot under the collar there, Sanemi.~"

He snapped turning to the other white haired man with gritted teeth bared. "SHUT UP YOU DUMB-!!"

"Ah!?"

A loud squeak sound echoed out as Kanae wobbled from the sudden movement Sanemi made, holding her arms out to regain balance but falling over anyways-

"SHIT!!"

It was quick thinking of instinctively reaction, but Sanemi completely stopped what and was doing and flipped. Landing hard on his back and catching Kanae on top of himself before she could hit the hard floor.

"Sanemi, you're out!"

"WHAT?!" He shot Makio a raged look from where he laid. Kanae looking up from his chest. "THAT'S NOT FAIR! HE DISTRACTED ME!!"

"There's no rules against talking. You made her fall off yourself," Makio sternly said pointed behind her. "Now move it!"

Sanemi looked absolutely mad especially when Tengen chuckled at them. Oh he was definitely getting him back later for this but for now Kanae got up ushering her angry boyfriend up with her before he could get the idea to kick Tengen's arms from under himself. Two out only four left and it had only been about twenty five minutes. Rengoku was next, not because he slipped or got super tired but because he said he didn't want to get super sweaty and ruin his shirt with sweat stains, so he stopped, politely waited for Hinatsuru to safely get off him, before leaving really quick to go clean himself off and grab a new shirt. He returned later to everyone cheering one of the three guys left except for Sanemi who continued to sulk on a chair.

It was Gyomei, Tengen, and Giyuu left. Suma continued to giggle loudly, Y/n still smiled, and Shinobu continued to lay along Giyuu's back without a care in the world. It was surprising that Giyuu had so much stamina but then again he mentioned wanting to be a physical education teacher, it made sense he'd be able to pace himself accordingly to keep up with the other two.

"UGH!! C'MON!! ONE OF YOU TWO BEAT HIM!!," Sanemi eventually yelled at the both of the men who weren't the smug Tengen. "I DON'T CARE WHICH ONE JUST DON'T LET HIM WIN!"

Almost forty minutes in now when another one of them dropped out. Giyuu did. His heavy breathing and fatigue eventually getting the better of him and he slowly stopped. Resting onto his knees and hands as Shinobu perked up at the sudden stop in motion.

"Giyuu's out!," Makio announced firmly as the two slowly stood back up. "Only two people left! C'mon you two! Let's go!"

"C'MON, MEI! PUT SOME MUSCLE INTO IT!! MY DIGNITY'S RIDING ON YOUR WIN!" "GO, TENGEN! GO!" "Put your backs into it!"

Everyone cheered and laughed at the two still going. It was a toss up between Gyomei and Tengen! The two tallest people in the group and possibly the strongest in this kept going. Lungs breathed in panting breaths as muscles burnt and sweat ran off their foreheads as it continued past the forty five minutes mark and to the fifty minute checkpoint. Everyone watching in wait for whoever would give in first, especially Sanemi. Tengen must've felt his eyes because he looked up briefly and smirked smugly again at him only aging on the man's anger more before he glanced from Tengen to Suma still giggling on his back...Sanemi paused. Gaze slowly looking at Makio and then the other girls. Gears turning in his head until an idea hit him and a devious smile again crossed his mind.

"There's not gonna be a winner at this rate!", he suddenly shouted getting most everyone's attention. "Y'know what this needs?" He waited two seconds making sure most everyone had eyes on him. "More weight! ... C'mon guys. More weight! More weight!"

"More weight!," Obanai unsurprisingly joined Sanemi in his cheering. "More weight! More weight!"

"That's not fair!"

"Actually, Makio. There's no rules saying there couldn't be more weight added." Tengen looked almost horrified as Sanemi chuckled and Makio hummed in thought.

"... Alright. More weight!" A loud 'YES' erupted from Sanemi. "But there has to be an equal amount for each of them."

"Right! Babe, get on Mei!"

"Now hold on a minute!"

"What's wrong, Tengen?" Sanemi grinned widely at him condescendingly. "Too weak to do it?"

"Of course not!," he panted out between breaths eyes darting around. "But-..It's just...N-No one asked Gyomei if he was alright with it!"

"I. Do not. Mind," Gyomei managed to say between pushed upward and making Tengen look at him wide eyed.

"That settles it! Shinobu and Hinatsuru join Suma. Kanau and Mitsuri up with Y/n. Let's go!" Makio ordered.

Tengen looked more pale but didn't fight it when both girls came on over. Both men slowing down as the four girls climbed onto each of them adding more weight to the mix. Tengen gritted his teeth with a grunt but pushed onwards. Mitsuri joining Suma in giggling as Shinobu simply leaned back smiling. Hinatsuru and Kanae held similar smiles as they continued to push through more seconds passing...But Sanemi wasn't done getting even. He just waited a few minutes to watch Tengen struggle before opening his mouth.

"Hey, Makio. That's not fair to Gyomei."

Makio looked over her shoulder at him with a raised brow. "What?"

He shrugged. "It's not fair to Gyomei. That's all."

"What isn't fair?"

"You said there has to be an equal amount of weight right?" He shrugged casually again. "Mitsuri and Kanae weigh more on him than Hina and Shino does on Tengen." Immediately Tengen's face snapped up wide eyed.

"What are you talking about? Are you calling them fat or something?!"

"Actually statistically speaking-", Giyuu butted in literally and genuinely thinking while holding his chin in thought, "-Mitsuri and Kanae's muscle density is much greater than either Hinatusu or Shinobu...So they'd genuinely weigh about one person more combined when added with Y/n. So legitimately speaking..." He looked at Sanemi. "Sanemi calculated it right. Tengen is genuinely carrying less weight than Gyomei is. About a whole person worth."

Tengen couldn't go anymore pale as Sanemi smirked. "Of course I'm right! Everyone knows my math is always on point!" He whipped back to Makio. "You should join Tengen."

"What?"

"Yeah, Makio! Come join us! It's fun!"

"I don't want to."

"C'mon Makio. You said so yourself. Equal weight."

"Oh alright!" She rolled her eyes and made her way towards Tengen much to his horror. "But only because you all won't stop bugging me!"

Tengen didn't argue. Couldn't argue as Makio just walked over and just sat down on his back when he dipped down again making him give off a grunt and Sanemi laughed loudly.

"C'mon, Tengen! You can do it!" "Crush him like a grape, Gyomei!"

More cheers. More laughter. More their muscles burnt pushing the weight up and down. And up and down. And up and ..Down. He could feel his arms shaking. Swear dripping down his face as he struggled to push back up. Come on! He can do it! Hecandoithecandoithecandoit! He..can..do.. The girls amongst Tengen squealed out as he suddenly shifted. No one fell off or got hurt thank goodness but his left hand slipped, and in order to save his balance, his forearms made contact with the floor effectively stopping everyone else from falling.

"THAT'S IT! TENGEN LOST!!"

An uproar of typical college boy cheers came from mostly Sanemi and Obanai as they taunted the honestly tired and heavily gasping man, whom looked annoyed but too tired to say anything about it for now.

"You did your best, Tengen!," Rengoku consoled his boyfriend going to help him stand back up as the ladies slipped off his back. "How do you feel?"

Despite his current state, Tengen laughed. "I ju-just *ha* almost got crushed to-to *gasp* death by a hoard of the most beautiful women in-n the world." He gasped out between breaths. "If I-I had to d-die that *gasp* way....I would've died happy.~"

Despite himself most everyone gave a few giggles including Sanemi whom was nice enough to start helping you three off Gyomei by lifting you up and setting you back down on your feet. You thanked him with a smile which caught him off guard and made him blink surprised but you were already turning to Gyomei slowly standing up and being careful not to accidentally knock anyone over.

"That was so fun! I didn't know you were so strong!," she gushed in delight and it made the larger man go a deeper pink and rub at his neck.

"I-...Well it's healthy to keep in shape. *Ahem*"

"In your face, Asshole! You couldn't even win at your own game! Fork up the money!," Sanemi shouted somewhere to right.

"Hey! I'll win next time, and the money goes to Gyomei. Remember? The winner? Honestly he's gonna be able to buy his girlfriend one hell of a Christmas present."

"LET'S NOT WORRY ABOUT THAT NOW!," Kyojuro's booming voice cut off everyone else and gained attention quickly. "All of us are disgustingly sweaty and not very clean. Let's go clean up and let the girls have some time to eat! You all can borrow my washer and dryer for your clothes since I doubt anyone but I have access to extra clothing."

"Actually we packed all of you guys some extra clothes, Mei included." Kanae interrupted gesturing to the giant extra black duffle bag in the corner. Oh was that what that was?

"...You girls just conveniently packed everyone an extra pair of clothes? Why?"

"You're guys. We knew you'd do something weird or stupid and get yourselves dirty." Makio bluntly stated before making a shooing motions at them. "But Kyo's right. You all smell like a sweaty gym locker room. Go take a shower and wash those clothes! We're not lugging dirty sweat soaked clothes home with us!" 

"It is getting late." You glanced out the closest window and saw the lights starting to wane in the sky. "I'd better head home."

"No! Stay!" Mitsuri suddenly grabbed your hands and pulled them up. "At least wait to say goodbye to Gyomei first and have dinner with us! It'd be unfair if you didn't get to eat anything after cooking something for us and coming all the way out here to see us!" She insisted making you blink.

"Really? I don't want to be a bother."

"If course not." Shinobu tugged you towards the kitchen with a smile. "Come on and eat while we wait for the boys to finish cleaning up."

"Well.. alright then."

[c-e-d-dreamer]

Top Shelf Love: Chapter 2

A/N: Has anyone else been watching the Stanley Cup Playoffs? Just Me? I haven't decided yet who I want to be in the final ever since my Canes have been eliminated... Anyways! All this to say that it's been fun writing this hockey fic while watching hockey, and I hope everyone enjoys reading this latest chapter :)

Read on AO3 // Chapter Masterlist // Previous Part // Next Part

Cassian

Despite having played the Kraken in Seattle once last season, Cassian has to admit it’s pretty nice being on the home side of Climate Pledge Arena. Sure, playing in a place like Madison Square Garden most nights was a dream, one he held since he was just a boy, but there’s something to be said about all the upgrades and modernity that a newer arena has to offer.

Following the director of team services out of the elevator, they come to a set of frosted glass doors, the Kraken logo split between the two. As they step closer, the doors automatically slide open, revealing the locker room, and Cassian barely swallows down an impressed whistle. It’s certainly spacious, even for an NHL locker room, LED lights and the Kraken logo displayed on the ceiling. At least, he won’t have to worry about stepping on it here.

“Valdarez.”

Cassian turns just in time to see a tall man walking toward him, blonde hair cut short and beard trimmed to just a stubble along his cheeks. His grin is wide and easy, revealing the chipped upper tooth on the left side. It’s easy enough for Cassian to recognize the captain of the team, Fionn Donoch. He still remembers watching him lift the Cup back when Cassian was just a teen.

“Wanted to make sure I came down to meet you myself,” Fionn continues, holding out his hand for Cassian to shake.

“Are you sure you didn’t just want to come down and remind me who’s really in charge here?”

Fionn laughs good naturedly at the joke, slapping Cassian on the back. “You’re going to fit right in here. So, what do you think so far?”

Cassian glances around the locker room again, thinking back to the practice facilities he’d toured earlier. “Yeah, it’s pretty nice, all the fancy arena upgrades.”

“Definitely not the worst place to call home, right? Listen, they don’t have the ice down yet, but I can still show you if you want.”

At Cassian’s nod, Fionn leads the way out of the locker room. They pass through a glass lined hallway, Fionn explaining how during game days, it’s lit with blue LED lights, how fans typically line the other side, banging the glass and getting the boys going. Then they’re stepping onto the home bench and the arena floor, and Cassian gets to appreciate what the view will be from ice level. He turns slowly in a circle, taking in the stands, the scoreboards, the afternoon light streaming through the wall of windows.

He takes a deep breath in, and for a moment, he can almost hear it. The blare of the goal horn. The roar of the crowd. He can almost feel the cool bite off the ice against his cheeks. Can almost feel the surety, the peace that comes from having it beneath his skates, from the comfortable weight of a stick in his hands.

“Have you met with Miller yet?”

Cassian shakes his head of the daydream, turning back toward Fionn. “Yeah, I met with the whole staff earlier this morning.”

He and Fionn continue to talk shop, talk the system, before making their way together toward the garage and their cars. Or, in Cassian’s case, his rental car until he’s able to secure a new apartment and get all his things shipped out. He supposes he should check in with that realtor Eris connected him with again.

“If you need anything, don’t hesitate to reach out,” Fionn tells him, offering another easy grin as he hits the remote of his car. “Even if it’s just food recommendations.”

“Thanks, but I’m actually meant to be meeting up with a friend after this. She’s going to give me the whole tour of the city and all that.”

“She, huh? Let me know if I need to pass her number along to the wife. I don’t think they’ve done dues yet for this season.”

Cassian chuckles at the teasing smirk on Fionn’s face, the implication of his words. But then he thinks back to Nesta. Thinks back to the photos of her Instagram, to those icy blue eyes and that damn expression on her face. He can’t deny there’s been a low, simmering heat in his gut all morning, sparking at the fact he finally gets to meet Nesta, finally gets to witness that fire in person.

“Only if I’m lucky.”

~ * * * ~

Large, looping letters declare Grumpy & Sunshine Books above the door, the window display to the left of the door decked out with an artsy display of flowers and hanging book pages. Cassian glances down at the phone in his hand, the Map displayed on the screen there, confirming he’s in the right place. With a nod, he pockets his phone and presses forward, stepping through the front door.

The scent of paper and ink greets him as soon as Cassian steps inside, along with something vanilla. A candle that he can’t see? There’s a table display of books immediately inside, and Cassian casts them a cursory glance, taking in more looping text and what looks to be a variety of cartoon characters on the covers. He weaves around shelves and more table displays, past a wall of vines and succulents and a pink neon sign declaring Most ardently.

And at the very center of the store, Cassian finds the register and the woman he’s looking for bent over a book behind it. Cassian had known Nesta was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen since he first saw her picture, but seeing her in person is another thing altogether. Seeing her standing there in front of him almost has him wanting to drop down to his knees right there in the middle of the bookstore.

Her hair is braided back in an intricate updo, but with her head bent down, a strand of golden brown hair tumbles down her temple and kisses her jawline. Deft fingers brush the hair aside and behind her ear absently, further revealing the sharp cut of her cheekbones. When she turns the page of her book, her lips part, eyebrows jumping, and Cassian thinks he might give anything to see her eyes properly, to see if they spark and flare along with whatever she’s just read.

He’d give anything to have those eyes on him.

“Reading on the job?”

Nesta snaps her book closed, her attention finally rising, and Cassian gets his first look at those blue eyes he’s so often thought about. They’re a similar shade to Feyre’s, sure, and yet so different somehow. They seem to burn with a silver fire that leaves the cool shade of them looking like a storm roiled sea, especially when that gaze narrows on him, her lips pinching into a scowl.

Cassian doesn’t let the reaction deter him. If anything, it only stokes the embers in his own chest, beckoning him into the flames. He closes the final few steps between them, leaning against the register counter with a smirk.

“Nesta Archeron,” Cassian greets.

“Cassian Valdarez.”

His name falling from her lips shouldn’t sound as sweet as it does, especially with the clipped tone she speaks it, but a zing of electricity still skitters down Cassian’s spine nonetheless. What would it take to have her saying his name again? To have her sighing it? For him to taste it?

“So you do know me, then?” Cassian drawls, daring to glance down at her book. A Calanmai Secret. “And yet, you couldn’t answer any of my texts.”

Nesta crosses her arms, leveling him with a hard look that Cassian is sure is meant to send him running. “Most people would take that as a hint. Yet here you are. In my bookstore.”

“Feyre said you’d show me around the city.”

“Feyre asked me to show you around. I don’t recall ever agreeing.”

“I’m starting to think you’re the grumpy on the sign outside,” Cassian chuckles softly, hoping to at least earn the hint of a smile at his teasing joke.

Instead, Nesta settles both hands on the register counter, leaning forward. “Buy something. Or get out of my store.”

Cassian tilts his head, taken back by the harsh reaction. He’ll clearly have to work harder to get her to smile or laugh. Challenge accepted. Already, he can hear Az’s voice in his mind, making a dry comment about his taste in women. Already, he can see the way Rhys would roll his eyes.

“Fine,” Cassian says easily with a shrug, stepping back from the register counter. “The historical section is…?”

Nesta merely points to a bookshelf to his left, so Cassian turns his attention toward it. He grabs the first book within reach, the spine a blue and green. He’s intent on striding right back up to Nesta and proudly purchasing the book, but then he catches sight of the cover. Of the shirtless man that takes up the cover, the model’s skin clearly oiled up so every ridge of muscle is on full display. A tartan hangs low on the man’s hips, and just above the man the title is scrawled, Highland Escape.

“This… is not what I meant.”

Rather than direct him toward the historical fiction section, Nesta crosses her arms across her chest, her lips tugging up into a smirk. And, oh, there’s a real challenge blazing in her gaze now, that fire that had called to Cassian even in photo form sparking in her blue eyes. It’s beautiful, that look on her face, daring him to play.

He glances around the bookstore again, this time with fresh eyes. The greenery on the walls, the different table displays, the pink neon sign with an Austen quote. Of course. He’d heard of bookstores like these, ones that specialize in romance novels.

When he looks back toward Nesta, she has that same daring expression on her face, her smirk already starting to grow as though she’s won. As beautiful as it is, as beautiful as she is, Cassian refuses to back down. Heat flares through his chest as he fights back a smirk of his own, more than ready to keep this game of theirs going. He clears his throat and turns back to the shelf, sliding the book in his hand back into place. He takes his time reading the different titles along the spine before finally settling on a different book, tugging it free and sidling back up at the register counter.

“I’ll take this one,” Cassian tells Nesta with a grin, sliding the book across to her.

Nesta hums, glancing down toward the book he’s selected. Viking Bride. Cassian waits for the mask to slip, to see a hint of a reaction take over her face, but she’s nothing but cool and silent as she rings him up. The transaction complete, she tucks his receipt into the cover of the book, sliding it back over to him.

“Have a nice day,” Nesta offers, her tone mockingly sweet.

Cassian reaches for the book, his fingers brushing along Nesta’s own until she snatches her hand away. “You know, I’m beginning to think you don’t like me.”

Nesta snorts and rolls her eyes. “Whatever gave you that impression?”

“Oh, yeah, Nes, you’re a real ray of sunshine right now.”

“Don’t call me that.”

There’s no stopping Cassian’s smirk at earning that reaction, a little tidbit he tucks away, even as he continues, “but it’s not really fair, is it? I mean, you don’t even know me. This is literally our first time ever meeting. What could I have possibly done?”

Nesta’s face falls, a new emotion flashing through her blue eyes. It’s certainly the cool, haughty mask slipping away, but not how Cassian wanted. He frowns at the sudden change, but before he can even begin to attempt to decipher what that emotion is, what that expression could mean, Nesta turns away from him.

“If I give you a tour of the city, will you leave me alone after that?”

~ * * * ~

Nesta

Nesta doesn’t know what she expected. She knew, in the back of her mind, that despite never responding to a single one of Cassian’s texts, that that wouldn’t be the last of things. But she can’t say she expected him to show up at her bookstore. Didn’t expect him to stride in with a smirk and an easy confidence, to almost proudly buy a viking romance novel.

She wants to hate that he still looks as good as the last time she saw him at Feyre’s engagement party. His hair is loose, dark curls hanging around his temples and tumbling down to his shoulders. His eyes are a hazel as bright as Nesta remembers, a maze of greens and golds that seem to spark with a flickering flame. And that cocksure smile has no damn right being as attractive as it is.

She wants to hate the way he didn’t back down from her ire, from all the quips she threw his way. Instead, he only seemed to rise to meet her, seemed to enjoy it as though it was a game between them. She wants to deny the way his fingers brushing against hers sent a shiver ricocheting up her arm and down her spine.

And he doesn’t even remember her.

She’d felt stupid that night in New York, but she feels even more stupid now. She certainly hadn’t expected an apology or anything, but this is like a slap in the face. And on the heels of that churning feeling roiling through her gut is anger. It burns red hot through her veins, flaring like a wildfire that licks between her ribs.

“If I give you a tour of the city, will you leave me alone after that?”

Cassian clears his throat awkwardly, that cocksure smirk finally slipping. “You want me to leave you alone?”

“What are you doing here?”

Nesta’s attention snaps toward the new voice, finding Emerie standing just inside the door, her brown eyes narrowed on Cassian.

“Hey, how’s it going?” Cassian answers easily despite Emerie’s clipped question. He holds his hand out toward her to shake, but Emerie doesn’t take it. “I’m Cassian.”

“I know who you are,” Emerie tells him airily, stepping behind the register counter.

She reaches out as she passes, fingers curling around Nesta’s wrist and squeezing lightly. It’s a silent question out of view of Cassian’s eyes, to check that she’s alright. Nesta meets her best friend’s gaze and offers the smallest hint of a nod.

“You do? Are you a hockey fan, then?” Cassian asks, unaware of the silent conversation happening without him.

Emerie snorts at the implication. “No. There’s only one hockey fan in this bookstore, and it’s not me.”

“I feel like you don’t like me either…” Cassian comments quietly, tilting his head slightly. “Is everyone the grumpy on the sign? You might want to consider a new name if there’s no sunshine.”

“Gwyn is the sunshine, and trust me when I say you’re lucky that you don’t have to deal with her.”

Nesta has to press her lips together to keep from laughing at the way Cassian’s eyes widen slightly in horror. It’s certainly not a misplaced expression. Gwyn was one of Nesta’s first friends when she first moved to Seattle, and while the redhead is one of the kindest people Nesta has ever met, she’s also the fiercest. Beneath all the bright smiles and easy laughs there’s a viciousness that can and will be released, especially when it comes to those Gwyn cares about.

“I don’t know. You said there’s one hockey fan, right? And I’m guessing it’s this Gwyn. Maybe I do want to meet her. We can talk all things Kraken.”

“Gwyn’s a Nashville fan,” Nesta informs Cassian. “They’re her hometown team.”

And dedicated to her hometown team she is. Nesta doesn’t think she’ll ever forget the first time she and Gwyn went to grab dinner at a sport’s bar, the first time witnessing the way Gwyn ranted and shouted at the large television on the wall.

Nesta waits for Cassian’s face to drop again at this newest tidbit, but what she doesn’t expect is for his grin to grow wider and stretch across his face, for the golds of his eyes to glint. He looks like a child that just stepped foot into a candy store, like this is exactly what he was waiting for, and it has Nesta frowning in confusion.

“My brother plays for the Preds. Azriel. You know, if she wanted, I could probably get her a signed jersey.”

“Gwyn would absolutely lose her mind,” Emerie comments under her breath.

“And what’s the price for this signed jersey?” Nesta dares to ask, squinting suspiciously at Cassian.

Cassian shrugs a shoulder, all faux innocence. “Well, you clearly don’t want to give me a tour, so how about just dinner? You can give me a list of your recommendations then.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“A dinner for a jersey. Sounds like a fair trade to me. Don’t you think, Nes?”

Nesta sighs, shaking her head. “Fine. One dinner and in exchange, you’ll get a Nashville jersey signed. By the whole team.”

Cassian’s smile twists into a smirk, gaze flickering and darkening as he holds his hand out across the register counter. “It’s a bargain.”

Nesta already knows she’s going to regret this, but she reaches forward, sliding her hand into Cassian’s. His fingers curl around her own with ease, his grip surprisingly gentle. His hand is so large compared to her own, practically swallowing hers whole, and the callouses slide against her palm when she pulls her hand back. She has to forcibly shove down a shiver before it can skitter up her spine in reaction.

“Let’s go, then,” Nesta says, gathering up her things where she stored them beneath the register.

She and Emerie share one final look before Nesta leads Cassian out the door and back onto the street. Thankfully, it’s a short walk to one of the local restaurants that focuses on PNW cuisine, a good introduction for Cassian to the city and area.

“So, I have to ask,” Cassian begins once they’re seated at a small table near the back of the restaurant, the waitress vanishing with their drink order.

“Ask about what?” Nesta asks, not even bothering to look up from the menu even though she already knows what she’s going to order.

“About the bookstore.”

Nesta’s gaze flicks over the top of the menu in her hands, eyes narrowing. “Some people like to read, meathead.”

Cassian tips his head back and lets out a booming laugh, earning a few curious looks from the other tables. “Did you really just call me a meathead?”

“I’ve seen you play, seen you fighting other players on the ice.”

“Are you watching my games, sweetheart?” Cassian asks, leaning across the table to smirk at her, those hazel eyes of his glinting in amusement again.

Nesta rolls her eyes, leaning forward as well to sneer, “you wish. I told you, Gwyn is a Nashville fan. I occasionally watch a game with her.”

Cassian hums, and Nesta bristles at the way he continues to eye her. Something about those hazel eyes is almost unsettling, as though he’s looking through her in a way no one ever has. It takes everything within her not to shift in her seat, to simply turn her attention back to her menu.

“History.”

Nesta looks up again with a frown. “What?”

“History,” Cassian repeats, leaning back casually in his chair. “That’s what my degree is in.”

“I thought hockey players got drafted at eighteen? That’s what Gwyn has always said at least.”

“That’s true, but not everyone joins the NHL right out of the draft. I played for my college team for two years before I was finally called up.”

“And what? You magically finished your degree in two years?”

Cassian laughs again, this time a low chuckle that’s surprisingly warm, that practically wraps itself around Nesta’s limbs. “Lucky for me, there’s this really amazing thing called online classes.”

“Oh.”

Nesta doesn’t know what else to say to that, but thankfully, she’s spared when their waitress returns to their table, ready to take their food orders. When she steps away again, Nesta no longer has her menu to use as a distraction, has nowhere else to look except at the man sitting across the table from her. The low light of the restaurant cuts shadows across his cheeks and jaw, the candles on each table flickering in and deepening the hazel of his eyes. The large span of his hand is on full display as he curls his fingers easily around the bottle of wine he ordered, filling Nesta’s glass before he fills his own.

“You never answered my question,” Cassian tells her, setting the bottle back down. “About the bookstore.”

“I told you, some people enjoy reading. Myself included.”

“Yeah, but I remember Feyre talking about how you went to law school, that you’d be terrorizing courtrooms and making everyone regret going up against you. So, what happened? How do you go from lawyer to bookstore owner?”

The urge to lash out, to make a snapping reply that diverts the conversation, claws up Nesta’s throat. She rarely talks about it, about him. The reason she made the move to Seattle in the first place, leaving a gaping wound as big as the distance between them with her sisters. The reason the dream she thought she had, the dream she swore she always wanted, shattered between her fingers like glass, shards cutting deep and leaving her bloodied. The reason she retreated and fell back into the shadows, that Emerie and Gwyn had to pull her out.

There are days where it all still feels so raw, no matter how much time has passed. Days where a sickening feeling will churn through her gut as soon as she opens her eyes. Days where she can still hear his voice, still feel his hands. Days where the voice in her mind morphs into her own worst thoughts, into her mother’s clipped, cool tone.

“My life fell apart, and I decided to open a bookstore with my friends,” Nesta finally answers with a derisive drawl. “Happy?”

Cassian’s face falls, lips tugging down in a small frown. “What does that mean?”

Nesta doesn’t want his pity. It’s the one thing she hates most, people looking at her with pity in their eyes. As though they feel sorry for her, as though she’s weak. When she finally walked away, finally got out, she swore to herself that she would never be weak again, and she’ll be damned if she starts now.

“Last I checked, I don’t have to tell you my whole life story. I answered your question, did I not?”

“Nes–”

“You get one dinner as part of our bargain, remember? Do you really want to ruin it?”

—

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[crescencestudio]

Hello! I don’t know if this has been asked yet, but how would the Alaris cast (+ Van) react to a drunk MC telling them, "I have an amazing partner, so back off" and rejecting them when they’re already in a relationship with each other?

OHHHOHOHOHO. i'm not going to lie i had to read this a couple of times to understand--that's where my brain is at right now kmfdooaos but this is a cute ask 👹

✨ LIs Reactions to Drunk MC Rejecting Them when They're Already Together

Kayn: Gets sparkles in their eyes when you say you have an "amazing partner". Doesn't even care that you're currently rejecting them. Starts asking you about this partner and why they're so amazing. Records your responses to hold it over you for life.

Druk: His muscles are not going to get him out of this one folks. Probably gets the most tilted out of all the LIs. In his attempts to prove he's your partner, it'll probably go down like that one Spongebob meme. Eventually gives up and just throws you over his shoulder to take you home

Fenir: When I say Shocked. Will keep trying to reason with you to his dying breath that you're already together. Asks you questions like "What does your partner look like?" and you describe him and he's like "Oh?? Blue hair?? like MINE??". Starts backfiring when you say ur partner is grumpy and he doesn't want to admit he is grumpy.

Etza: Is able to trick you like you're a mere street cat being lured in by food. Asks where your partner is or offers to come with you to go find them and eventually is able to herd you home. Probably the smoothest to handle the situation out of the LIs.

Kuna'a: Hate to say they're kinda into it ngl, like is this some kind of roleplay LMFKSOA?? Tries to seduce you under this new identity you've given him. Gets Extremely Mixed feelings if his plan works though. Wakes up the next day really grumpy

Aisa: So bamboozled and doesn't know what's happening. Leaves and comes back 5 seconds later to see if your response will change and you recognize them like some kind of object permanence test. Keeps doing this until you don't reject them. Very entertaining to watch them try and stay patient with you.

Van: Depends on the lifetime. Mean!Van would start fighting fr like yall r about to throw hands. Van in the other lives I think would clam up actually and not know what to do. Straight up falls to his knees LSOSO. If you're out with a group, everyone will make fun of him and he'll just kinda T-T sulk dososososo

[johnnieguilbertsgirlfriend]

jealous? (smut) part 1

Part 1 --- Part 2 --- Part 3 (part 2 and 3 are on my wattpad @willpoulterswife)

word count: 1.2k - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - fluff, eventual smut

*beep beep beep* your alarm went off at 8:30 am. needing time to get ready, you sighed as you got up to start the morning. it would be your first day working as an intern for a game-developing company named Tuckersoft. being pretty new to this area as you had just moved, your place was in good condition. wanting to make a good first impression, you took a shower, did your hair and changed into a nice outfit, and applied light makeup. feeling good, you walk out of your apartment, turning up the music in your earbuds, only to see a blonde man, no older than 25, fidgeting with the door handle that presumably led to his apartment. thinking nothing of it, you head into the lift and out of the building. the crisp and semi-cold air hit you as you stepped outside, being glad it wasn't hot otherwise you might've melted. conveniently, the office you would be working at was only a few blocks down, so you could walk to it. "This it it." you whisper to yourself. taking out your earbuds and slightly fixing up your hair.

when you walk in you are greeted by Mr.Thakur, your boss. you two had spoken before when he was doing your interview to see if you were fit for the position. (good thing you were) "Hello y/n, it's a pleasure to see you again! Please, come into my office." together you discussed the workload for today which, to your disappointment, was only sorting through papers. while in your head you thought it was a little dumb, you didn't show it on your face and agreed. "Now follow me," Thakur said, "There are a few people I would like you to meet." he introduced you to almost everyone on the floor since you would be working with some of them often. taking a stop at the last cubicle, he said "And finally we have Colin."

you recognized the man's face from your apartment building, but didn't mention it. you were hesitant to greet him as he looked far in the zone, but Thakur tapped his shoulder and he pulled of his headphones. "Hello, I'm y/n." you said, giving a warm and gentle smile. you see it in his face that the man seemed to have remember you as well, saying "I'm Colin, yeah?" shaking your handing and then pushing his glasses up. "Ah no need to be cold Colin. Come on, show her what you've been working on!" Thakur said cheerfully. he's told you about the boy before, saying how he was his star employee. you took his word for it, but were still interested in him. the blonde started up the game and said "This is my latest, it's called Nohzdyve." playing a little through the game, there seemed to have been a glitch. "Buffer error." you quietly blurted out, but just enough for them to hear and they both look at you. awkwardly, you try to revive yourself in the situation "The sprites have overrun the video game memory..." your cheeks turning to light pink. "How did you know that?" Colin asks. Then, Thakur turns to Colin giving him a hearty pat on the back "Looks like you've got some company" he states, chuckling afterwards. "Anyways, you two will be working together. For now, y/n will be helping sort your papers and may be able to help you out if you get stuck on something, have fun." he places some of Colin's papers onto your desk and grins, walking away. you turn to look at Colin and after a few seconds he looks back at you saying, "Well, let's start."

as you were working together, you and Colin seemed to get along naturally, without having to force anything. (almost as if you two had met before...) being Colin's temporary assistant is not what you had in mind, but you didn't mind it at all. the conversations between you two were effortless and it seemed like you were both interested in the other. the two of you enjoyed each other's presence. actually, you found him quite handsome and the way he focused while coding games made you focus on him and not the papers. "Y/N," Colin said, snapping you out of your bubble. "It's lunch break, wanna grab a drink?" you nod your head and stand up, flustered that he caught you staring. honestly, you didn't even have an appetite, you just wanted to be around him. he felt the same way.

walking through the small city, talking about anything and everything. you were glad you had him as a colleague. both of you find a coffee shop not far away from the office building. Colin greets the barista, "I'll have a (idfk any drinks be fr). What do you want love?" he says, turning to you. "I," you take a second to think "I'll get the (insert ur drink here) please." grabbing your card out of the wallet, you tap him on the shoulder and attempt to give it to him. he pushes the card away with his finger, "It's alright, pretty girls don't pay." Colin says while taking his card out. you thank him for being so polite and a rose color appears on your face again. he smirks and takes the two coffees, handing one to you. a bench outside attracts your attention and you sit down and pat the spot beside you. Colin starts the conversation,

"So what made you choose here? We live in the same apartment and I've never seen you before, meaning you're new." this definitely meant he saw you walk out. you respond with, "We'll I've heard of Tuckersoft and happened to like video games, and coding." he quips back, "You like coding? I could've sworn you like sorting papers." you found it really funny and started to laughed. being a more serious type of guy, Colin rarely laughs, but your laugh made him laugh, and he found that cute. "No, you're right, I really like being your personal assistant." coming out more flirtatious than you intended it to be, he returned the gesture "Oh yeah? Prove it to me darling."

more weeks go by since that interaction and your "friendship" grew. Thakur had gotten rid of the "papers" job and had put you and Colin to work on games together. being put next to him almost all day, staying up late with him, making flirty remarks towards one another, you would be lying if you said you didn't have a crush on him. Colin gestures for you to come over to him. "What's up Col?"

"Can't seem to find the mistake here, could you help?" you reply with a small mhm. wanting there to be more between you, and feeling bold today, you sit right on his lap. Colin's eyebrows raise but he would be lying if he said he hated it, because he loved it. unconsciously, you move a little bit and it makes Colin's breath hitch slightly, biting his lip a bit. he takes both hands and places them on your hips, making sure you're stable. you fix his error within a couple of minutes, "All done." you say innocently, getting up, making sure to move a little more, and returning to your side of the desk.

this full story is on my wattpad!!! <3 (link on blog)

[mysticbewitched]

Hey mystic

I was gonna link an ask from earlier but i cant seem to put links in here for some reason and google is not helping. Its the one about the non-dualism community and how toxic it can be. I just wanted to say I am glad others agree. I wouldn't consider myself a beginner to loa manifesting or shifting. I just think its crazy how someone says things like "just be" and someone asks them to clarify it and they respond by saying something like "do you need help drinking water."

Trends come and go, I'm sure once ND is no longer new someone else will unearth some old spiritual practice and claim its above LOA as well. I just wish everyone would be accepting and encouraging instead of what seems to be condescending because they think they know something no one else does.

Lastly I heard you say on the podcast the person you were gonna do it with is no longer in your life, sorry to hear that. I only bring this up because I believe I saw a post saying you manifested this person into your life and then they changed (I could be wrong though). I also manifested someone back (an ex) but it was a 'manifestation' and all i ended up creating was misery.

You don't have to answer this if the last part is too personal, but if you want send me a message. Just wanted to say I think you have some great views that resonated.

Great podcast btw

I completely agree with you and I'm glad that others are able to see the madness that I'm seeing.

What they usually mean by telling you all, "just be" is they're telling you to realize your true self as awareness. They're telling you to just recognize your divine nature in the present moment and enjoy knowing yourself.

I don't see why they don't just tell you to turn within and recognize your true self as awareness in this present moment without all the riddles.

I agree that everyone here should turn within themselves and listen to their inner guidance instead of relying on the "others" for advice, because then the constant search and craving for more answers will never end. However, at the same time, it's the polite and helpful thing to do to let your readers know exactly what they're looking for while you advise for them to look within themselves for the truth: realizing divine the source of your true self.

If everyone knew what they were looking for, I think they would have an easier time turning within and trusting their inner voice to lead them to answers.

I feel as if the lack of clarification on exactly what to look for is unnecessary and it can come off as mind games instead of just being direct with the readers and telling them all, "you're turning within to realize your true nature. Hint: you are always *aware.*"

I happen to notice from time to time as well that some of these bloggers feel the need to use the whole "words are meaningless" nonsense as a moronic excuse to bully or put down other blogs amongst themselves or with their anons for simply viewing things in a different perspective and I don't think that's cool for anyone to do.

That behavior isn't right. It's just plain mean.

Everyone is entitled to their own perspective and share their own views, but to publicly put down specific blog names for everyone to hear and make fun of them together? Very condescending and cold.

Oh, believe me, I'm waiting for the next spiritual trend to come out of nowhere. I wonder what it's going to be next. Now my curiosity is in flames.

To end things here, I want to thank you so much for your kinds words and the lovely compliment.

Your feedback and appreciation for the podcast means so much to me. I'm so very glad to hear that my perspective of things resonated with you.

Thank you for enjoying my podcast.

[drawingoddessy]

Hyper-analysis of Lightbulb season 2 episode 12

Part 3

Here it comes full circle, Lightbulb finally begins to express her feelings. Testtube realizes there is a method to her madness… thats she's not some dimwitted weirdo that stubbles into solutions.

But Lightbulb expresses the feeling of the show becoming more complex than her (like I mentioned in the segment when they went to the past).

And speaks about how she’s better just latching on to people like paintbrush who aren’t as “dumb” and "crazy" as her (Shown in the argument with Salt and Pepper).

But Testtube instantly stops her saying “you don’t stumble into solutions, you recognize them” showing that now Testtube realizes that Lightbulb is smart and capable. She just has her own way of doing things. And finishes with “Logic needs chaos” (refer to how Testtube saw Lightbulb use both logic and chaos to get out of the future.) and Lightbulb learns vise-versa that too much chaos isn’t good. (Learned from the contestants being too chaotic and lacking a sense of reality). And they find a their own side of that balance.

And more jokes bc this poor baby isn’t good at being emotional.

Anyways they girlboss using both logic and chaos and make it back!

Lightbulb approaches paintbrush after with a new confidence in her skills. Notice how this entire conversation she appeals to both logic and fun to successfully be able to understand and comfort Paintbrush emotionally.

And Paintbrush does the same, matching Lightbulb a bit. They begin to find a middle ground that leads them to understand eachother better. This literally SHOW that logic (paintbrush) needs chaos (Lightbulb) because both work together.

Paintbrush’s character arc now mirrors Lightbulbs in the sense they both preferred their own way of working. Lightbulb understands that feeling because she literally escaped this reality for one where everyone was like her and did things her way.

This whole adventure with Testtube taught Lightbulb how to connect with others that aren’t like her.

She uses Baxter to connect with Paintbrush but this time instead of accidentally disregarding Paintbrush’s feelings she uses him to show that she does understand them and others will too. (She learned this from the contestants ignoring her when she vented).

She uses Baxter because Baxter gave her happiness, so she extends that happiness Baxter gave her to paintbrush in their time of need.

It comes down to the elimination, and once again Lightbulb uses Baxter to help Paintbrush. But this time she gives him to Paintbrush. This is so powerful because Baxter is so important to Lightbulb. But she’s willing to loose that emotional support because she’s not alone anymore. She has Fan and Testtube.

The music in the background is the soft instrumental of the end credits “Just Like me” but at the end it changes the melody to one of the end credits where it says:

“the person I now see

is a person who is just like me

I mean, well, their not just like me

but why should we ever try to be”

This instrumental plays behinds the final interaction with Paintbrush and Lightbulb, this melody shows them finally having an understanding of eachother. They are two sides of the same coin, and they realize now. They literally complete eachother.

Once paintbrush leaves, Lightbulb leans on Testtube for support because now she’s not alone anymore…

AND DONE! I hoped you guys liked my very messy and disorganized analysis about one of my favorite episodes! Can y'all tell Lightbulb is one of my favorite characters?

Previous Part——Bonus!!