#just find myself utterly charmed by this movie
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You ever watch a movie that's just so stupid that you find yourself charmed by it instead of annoyed?
#geeky talks#mr geeky and i are watching the beekeeper (2024)#and i'm so utterly charmed by how bad it all is#like this entire movie is kicked off by an old lady jason statham knows getting scammed out of her money#and then he went and used ~secret contacts~ to find where the scammers are set up#and then he goes and just blows up their office?#dumb. absolutely asinine. amazing. no notes#and ohmygod the writing is so bad#just find myself utterly charmed by this movie#we'll see how i feel after the first 30 mins which is as far as we got tonight
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Hey, I just wanted to say that The Bear That Wasn't was one of my favorite picture books as a child, but since I wasn't aware of Tashlin back then I only learned it was his work after seeing you tweet it a while back. Revisiting it, it's still joyous and funny, but there's a deep poignant truth in the story that's very relevant to both myself and the world at large. And while Tashlin had an amazing career, The Bear That Wasn't is the work of his that I cherish the most.
I'M SOOOO HONORED AND TOUCHED BY THIS ASK!!!! thank you for sending this in!! i'm so happy to hear you have such a special connection with this book!! i really wish i had known about it sooner--one of my many artistic aspirations as a kid was to be a children's book illustrator, and that's a book that i know i would have been utterly fixated by and used as inspiration had i had it. so this makes me so happy to hear!!
and YES, I AAAABSOLUTELY recommend everyone reading this ask to read the book! you can! right here! for free! treat your eyeballs not only to these gorgeous Tashlin drawings, but a very touching and as you said POIGNANT story!! it's so fantastic. Frank Tashlin is seriously one of my biggest and most omnipresent inspirations, i swear he just about influences every facet of my life that i could possibly regard with any sort of artistic influence. he was an amazing cartoonist, an amazing cartoon director, an amazing live action director and now an amazing author!!
another book i'd love to get my hands on is another one of his, The Possum That Didn't. images are a bit hard to come by online, but the illustrations still have that same charm and it's just!! UGH! the level of talent on display!!
while images may be hard to find, there is an animated version! i'll have to give it a watch since i haven't seen it myself! i also need to reacquaint myself with Chuck Jones' adaptation of The Bear That Wasn't. i'm glad that Tash's books were regarded enough to get animated adaptations... and by his old coworkers, no less! though if memory serves, i don't think Tash was very impressed with Jones' take lol
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i wasn't very happy with how it was coming out so i (hopefully momentarily) abandoned it, but a few months ago i tried doing some screenshot redraws mimicking the style of Tashlin's book illustrations in hope of creating a mock-up storybook adaptation of Nasty Quacks as a sort of "prep project" for another project i do have in mind and do want to commit to.. maybe someday i'll pick it back up. but, needless to say, his books are as big of an influence on me as his cartoons and his movies and his comics!! i'm so glad to hear this
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Hiii, I'm glad the ask box is open!
Idk if you already did a rec list on this, but can you recommend me old bls, like 90/2000s? I watched Seven days movies and its really good
Oh yay! Seven Days is the best. Actually, I have never done this. Here's a list of...
10+ BL's rated 7/10 or higher that aired prior to 2018
Just Friends?
Korea 2009 Gaga
This is Korea's first (kinda) upbeat version of a BL featuring already established boyfriends, one of whom is on military leave, trying to decide on coming out, family life, and the future. All of these are themes Korea will pretty much never tackle again, retreating as they would to their bubble. But what a fun little offering this little show was and is to this day. You should watch it.
Love Sick & Love Sick 2
Thai 2014 YouTube
This is one of those BLs that owes almost nothing to yaoi, although it started a number of tropes that are now endemic to Thai BL. What it is, instead, is a well scripted story of bisexual self-discovery and the inherent chaos of loving someone of the same gender for the first time, all wrapped up in hormones, existing relationships, and communication issues. It is high school queer angst at its messiest. Nothing is going to be easy for these boys because queer isnât easy but also because life isnât easy⌠welcome to adulthood sweethearts.
I'm actually considering a rewatch of these beginning of 2024 in honor of the 10 year anniversary if anyone wants to join.
Seven Days
Japan 2015 grey
The asker already mentioned it but still, never doubt my ability to recommend this show. One of the best live action yaois ever made, with perfectly structured angst, fantastic characters and acting, and no problematic tropes (rare in Japanese BL). The leads have excellent chemistry although itâs low heat thereâs still some really cute mutual kisses.
Addicted: Heroin
China 2016 Viki
When Chinese BL was good it was very dirty good and when it was bad it was censored. This is the model for that statement: rich kid falls madly for the genius poor kid in his class, starts an aggressive pursuit, includes kidnapping for love, obsession, stepbrother trope, plus some cheating. I love this BL because of what I could have been. Just stop watching it after The Sex Scene. Okay?
SOTUS & SOTUS S & SOTUS Our Skyy
Thai 2016 YouTube
This is the BL that launched a hundred BLs. No literally, it was SOTUSâs international success that pretty much built the Thai BL industry into the juggernaut it is today. People have baggage around SOTUS, I have nostalgia. Trigger warning on bully hazing. Review and discussion here.
Make it Right 1 & 2 (but not Beach)
Thai 2016 YouTube (Cheewin warning)
What to say about this show, the origin of the Thai BL pulps? Itâs objectively terrible, and not just the leads but the side couple too - yet I love it. I tend to call myself the âworldâs foremost Make It Right apologist.â I recognize the issues but I find it utterly charming, especially Teeâs utter devotion to Fuse the baby bi disaster.
Long Time No See
Korea 2017 Gaga
Catfishing assassins on either side of a turf war who fall in love not knowing they are on opposite sides. Or do they? Good fight sequences, mature characters, high heat, very suspenseful, AND an HEA. If you like KinnPorsche or Kiseki you will LOVE this one.
HIStory Obsessed
Taiwan 2017 Viki
I weirdly love this but you should know what you are in for: that title. It has a stalking theme meets fated mates and quite a bit of dubious consent. Uke obsessed with seme to the point of losing himself and his identity dies after being rejected, and then has a chance to reboot his life. He decides to save himself by never falling in love. But destiny is a bitch, and this time the seme becomes obsessed with him. This one owes a lot to dark Chinese and Japanese BL, but kind of corrects for the expected sad dead finale by ending happily and playing with a ton of BL tropes. The leads have good chemistry, it's higher heat and the first time Taiwan starts to push that, and VERY DRAMATIC.
Some Others you might consider
Candy and Kiss - Japan 2015
Silhouette of Your Voice (Hidamari ga Kikoeru) - Japan 2017
Red Balloon - Taiwan 2017
(source)
#good BLs before the modern age of BL#early BL recs#old BLs#BLs prior to 2018#recommended BLs#Just Friends?#Korean BL#Love Sick#Thai BL#Seven Days the series#Japanese bl#live action yaoi#Addicted: Heroin#chinese bl#SOTUS#SOTUS S#gmmtv#Make it Right#Long Time No See#HIStory Obsessed#Taiwanese BL
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hi hi! for the ask game 7 and 11 are super interesting questions imo! I hope you have a wonderful day despite all the chaos, you truly do matter no matter what everyone (even your government) says!
7⌠What do you think is the most accurate representation of witchcraft in fictional media? (shows, movies or books!)
_
Although she isn't technically a witch and doesn't cast spells or have stereotypical witch-like abilities, I still find my favorite show, which I find accurate enough that it doesnât leave me annoyed and frustrated, is Ghost Whisperer.
As a practitioner whose focus is on spirits and the dead, I utterly love this show.
Yes, it can be a bit overdramatic and silly. But it's a TV show, one whose main goal is for the main character, Melinda Gordon, to work with the spirits around her so she can help them cross over.
âââââ
11⌠What are the top 3 fruits that you use more often in your craft? what's their significance to you?
_
Mandarin Oranges: This fruit is one of my favorites to use as offerings. They leave everything feeling happier, even just my home. I also love using them in my protection spells and teas. Truly, I think the only reason I use them so much is because I don't like actual Oranges.
Blueberries: I think they're cute, simple, and easy to use. I like using them in my magical teas before stressful days or visiting home with negative energy.
Apples: I love apples. From the skin to the flesh, even the seeds! Apple seeds are one of my favorite ingredients for baneful workings (personally, I avoid doing these forms of magic unless I have no choice). I love leaving apple slices out for wandering spirits who come to visit. I love drying them for charms to put around the houseâeither for a little extra luck or for a sweet feeling. I think they are my favorite fruit to use in my practice. Plus, I love baked apples, and that's a whole other thing.
⢠A fruit i want to use more in my practice is Saskatoon berries. They are so important to me, yet I just don't use them. So, reminder for myself- use more Saskatoon berries!
âââââ
Thank you! It's very hard to feel positive right now when it seems my own neighbors wish me ill will, but I am working my hardest to be okay. Right now, my goal is to keep moving forward and try my best to find happiness. I pray for Mother Earth and my fellow cousins living on this wonderful planet.
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đ§¸âŚwritten shipâŚđ§¸
@alaezasmystery235
i should be the one thanking you for fixing your old request, I truly appreciate it and since your request was so utterly perfect I immediately knew who to ship you with, so sit back and relax and ily so much xoxoxo
wren xx
~enhypen~ sunghoonđ§¸
Ahh let me tell you I was so excited to be starting off your ship with this. I personally feel biased towards this ship, it just feels so right and I canât get the image of you and Sunghoon out of my head. In this case he would definitely be the one who is absolutely whipped for you. You just introduced him to so many new things in terms of happiness and a peaceful type of connection. Normally there would be an instance where two people find it hard to get along or discuss certain things because there is barely a point of interest that overlaps.
Somehow the differences between the two of you are what connects you, Sunghoon absolutely adores the fact that you arenât the same, he definitely wouldnât want to fall for another version of himself. Whereâs the fun in that? Â He knew you would metaphorically take him on the ride of his life in terms of new experiences and he loved it. Even if he was ice cold to begin with his heart was beating twice the speed and he knew then and there that he had fallen in love with you.
There are many reasons as to why the two of you became so close on day one of your relationship, but the most obvious contributing factor is your honesty, both of you knew what you were getting out of your relationship, but apart from that Sunghoon is such a simp for people who are honest with him. He actually encourages your honesty, tell him how much of a fool he is and he will have the biggest cheesiest grin. But even if you are very straightforward with him he knows how to have you swooning over him. In many ways he is able to bring out your friendly nature, thatâs not to say you werenât nice to him itâs just that even when you tease him or pretend to be strict, he is able to charm you enough to shower him with love. What makes your love even more charming is the fact that youâre both quite hardened on the outside, both of you possess a really strong presence, so in actuality you could read each other extremely well even when you werenât showing more than a pinch of actual emotion.
Even though Sunghoon would have fallen for a variety of reasons he is always intrigued and even amused at your leadership skills and exceptional confidence. Something that brings him great pride in your relationship is the fact that he has a girlfriend who doesnât mind leading the relationship at times.
And it may seem like I am contradicting myself when I mention this but, there are a few hobbies and interests that do overlap but apart from those three things you are both complete opposites in morals and interests. Regardless, Sunghoon loves this and he will make the most out of the three hobbies or interests that you do share, those being reading, daydreaming and dancing. Before I move on to the conclusion of this part of your ship, I just need to quickly mention that I donât even know if Sunghoon is particularly fond of horror thriller movies, and if he isnât he definitely puts on a brave front for you.
This is important to mention because that is literally the best description of your relationship. Sunghoon is just a lovesick man who would show you the world on a magic carpet if he could. The love for you he feels is real, but the realest thing is the shy smile he has when he is around you.
~bts~ jungkook đ§¸
This was totally one of those ships where it felt so obvious, yet I truly didnât know why I ship you with Jungkook as much as I do. But I decided to just wing it and see how the written section of this ship would turn out. Throughout your description one key thing stuck out to me and that was the fact that you seem like a very passionate person. Whether it be the fact that youâre friendly and place significant value on the connections that you have with people or the fact that you are so passionate about your interests. You just seem enthusiastic about your life and all the chaos that ensues, even if you get stressed you come across as a very optimistic person.
This is definitely something that works very well with Jungkook, there has been a lot of growth during his time as an idol, regardless, he is still quite youthful and excitable. He really just leans into experimenting with who he is and his image and that works so well with everything that you are.
Jungkook would be so passionate about falling in love and getting the opportunity to show you just how much love he holds in his heart, and there is no question about it, he would be so certain that youâre the person he wants to pursue a relationship with.
Straight off the bat I just know you are both the most outgoing and adventurous couple, and you have that young love type of charm. Whether you decide to have a more public relationship or not, itâs just hard for people to not admire the connection that you have with Jungkook. Your relationship is one built on immense trust and honesty due to the fact that you are both quite humble, trustworthy and honest. Unlike your ship with Sunghoon both of you are two peas in a pod. Jungkook truly gets you even if you come across as being a bit more calculating and mysterious at times.
Another thing that I really need to mention. You briefly described your general style and way of going about things as being similar to Jennie Kim and this is the part of the ship where I have to start trusting my heart but I really feel like a person of that calibre is a beautiful contrast to Jungkookâs appearance and personality. Youâre a very fun partner to him, he is a pretty casual guy and he will always be down to do anything you want to do. He is an easy person to read so you will notice when he isnât really into the activity of the day but this is Jungkook we are talking about! He will make your days so fun and interesting; he did write Seven after all.
I donât know where to put this but Jungkook would totally serenade you and sometimes his spur of the moment songs can be little questionable and desperate but this is just a sign that he trusts you so much. He isnât afraid to get a little goofy. Â Regardless, you have a very good connection. He is more street-smart but he is still very witty and intellectual and will randomly launch into very deep and intelligent conversations. So really, he has his silly moments but he is also smart enough to keep up with you, heâs a multi talent and so are you.
Even though you had found a way to get along and live a really good life together Jungkook was and is still mystified by the mask that you wear, he knows a sweet cutie is under there so he persists and remains loyal with his love for you. He is willing to explore the extent of his feelings for you and in doing so he realises that his heart beats in time with yours.
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Hello! How are you feeling?
What is your motivation to write and what got you to start writing? Did you love to write since you learnt how to or is it a hobby you developed later on? And last but not least - what drew you to Loki?(i hope none of these are too intrusive, if they are, I'm very sorry that i asked that)
I hope you get back to feeling supre healthy in no time me!
Lots of loveâ¤ď¸â¤ď¸
Hi there, nonny! âşď¸ Well... I'm feeling okay, but not excellent. đ Thanks for asking! âşď¸
Ohhh I love your questions! 𼰠Let's dig into this! đ (This might become a long answer... I'm already apologising. đ)
My motivation: Lot of things. I am a very creative person. I love to explore the 'what if's' of a plot. I love to create my own version of characters and their stories. Also, all the lovely people on here, who are reading my stories are a huge motivation. All my friends on here, who share the same passion as I do. It's great!
What got me into writing: Harry Potter. My first fic was a continuation of a fic (I think. Can't remember exactly, it's been a long time) I read about, uhhh... 8, 9 years back? That was the start. I stopped writing again, though, 'cause I was sooo bad at it. đ
A really good friend of mine pulled me back into writing again, when she showed me Doctor Who, about 6 years back.
Did I love to write since I learned it or is it a hobby I developed over time? Yep, loved it from the very start. I saw it, tried it, loved it - even though I was really shitty in the beginning. đ It was my way of escaping reality - and it still is.
What drew me to Loki: Weeeell... He popped up on my tumblr dashboard from time to time, and I always asked myself: Who is that handsome, mysterious stranger and why is he here??? No joke, he followed me - until I finally decided to find out who the hell he is. That's how I discovered the movie 'Thor'. I watched it and immediately fell head over heels for Loki. It's not just his incredibly good looks, no... I just love his character. He's so multifaceted. He can be dark, mysterious, dangerous, mean and arrogant, but also sassy, funny, vulnerable and utterly charming. Despite that, I tend to love the 'bad guys/misunderstood characters' in movies and series, so... đ
Thank you sooo much for these questions! They are not intrusive at all! I loved them! 𼰠You are so kind, thank you! Sending lots of love back! đ
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My heart thumped a frantic rhythm against my ribs as I shuffled into geometry class, late again. My locker had decided to stage a mini rebellion, swallowing my backpack whole, and the only witness to my morning struggle was the disapproving gaze of Mr. Davis, our ever-stern geometry teacher.
That is, until a chuckle cut through the tense silence. I looked up to find Ethan, the boy with eyes the color of melted chocolate and a grin that could disarm a bomb, stifling a laugh.
"Everything alright there, Amelia?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Just a little locker malfunction," I mumbled, cheeks burning with heat. "Sorry for the interruption, Mr. Davis."
Mr. Davis mumbled something about tardiness, but his stern look softened when he saw Ethan's face. Ethan had a way of disarming everyone, even the most hardened teachers.
That small interaction, right there in the middle of geometry class, was the spark that ignited everything. Before that, Ethan was just another face in the crowded halls, a boy I admired from afar. But that day, a connection formed, a silent understanding that blossomed into whispered conversations during lunch and stolen glances across the cafeteria.
One day, as we snuck out for an unauthorized "bathroom break" (which really meant hiding on the roof to escape a particularly soul-crushing lecture on isosceles triangles), I blurted it out. "Every day is more fun ever since I saw you," I confessed, feeling the words tumble out in a rush. "Fear disappears when you are with me."
Ethan's eyes widened. Then, a slow smile spread across his face, chasing away the shadows I hadn't even realized were there. "That's⌠exactly how I feel," he admitted, his voice a husky whisper.
And just like that, we were officially an item. Our world became a whirlwind of stolen glances in hallways, whispered secrets during movie nights at each other's homes, and the thrill of holding hands under the bleachers during football games. We were young, awkward, and utterly smitten.
Ethan wasn't just funny and charming; he was my confidante, my biggest cheerleader. He believed in my dreams when I doubted myself, celebrated my successes like they were his own, and picked me up when I stumbled. He challenged me to be better, to push my boundaries, and in return, I did the same for him.
Our high school journey wasn't all sunshine and stolen kisses. There were fights, of course, mostly fueled by teenage angst and insecurities. But even during the stormiest of times, the memory of that day on the roof, our fears dissipating in each other's presence, kept us tethered.
Graduation day arrived in a flurry of tears, laughter, and bittersweet goodbyes. We were headed to different colleges, chasing different dreams, but the fear of losing each other was overshadowed by the promise of staying connected, of our love story continuing on a new chapter.
Years passed, filled with late-night video calls, cross-country visits, and countless texts filled with inside jokes and shared dreams. Distance couldn't sever the bond we'd forged, a bond built on shared laughter, quiet understanding, and the unwavering belief that no matter what life threw our way, we'd face it together.
And we did. We navigated the challenges of adulthood, supporting each other through career changes, family struggles, and the general chaos of life. The boy with the chocolate-colored eyes and the disarming grin became the man who held my hand through every triumph and every tear, the one constant in a world that sometimes felt ever-changing.
One day, on a visit back to our hometown, we found ourselves standing on the rooftop of our old high school, the place where it all began. The city lights twinkled in the distance, reminding us of the path we'd traveled together.
"Remember geometry class and the isosceles triangle fiasco?" I asked, a smile tugging at my lips.
Ethan chuckled, pulling me closer. "How could I forget? It was the day I fell in love with a girl who hated geometry."
He took a deep breath, his eyes searching mine. "And Amelia," he continued, his voice thick with emotion, "every day is still more fun since I saw you. The fear⌠well, it might not always disappear, but with you by my side, it feels more like a shared adventure."
Tears welled up in my eyes, a testament to the love story that began on a rooftop, a story that promised to continue, an adventure we'd face side by side, forever.
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Head Over Feet (Brian Johnson x Fem!Reader)
Masterlist
Word Count: 4.8k
Synopsis: Whatâs that sound? Itâs another anachronistic Brian Johnson songfic! (Based on Alanis Morissetteâs Head Over Feet) Youâre one of Benderâs trash-punk friends and things change drastically when he brings the scrawny brain from detention with him to meet you all. Set up in snippets, your relationship develops with Brian, even if you werenât really looking for a relationship.
CW: Teenage smoking (including reader), swearing, parental abuse (being being kicked out), sexism, angst and fluff
âThis is Johnson,â Bender indicated the boy he brought along to your groupâs spot under the bleachers.
âBrian, please.â The kid corrected. You eyed the gangly youth from top to bottom; in his sweater over a crisply-ironed collared shirt and khakis, he definitely didnât fit in here with you all. Youâd be called grungy punks at best. You didnât think any of you even owned an iron and crisp definitely wasnât your style. You blew out a puff of smoke, exhaling the nicotine from your lungs and shifted your gaze to Bender, wondering what he was at with this. He wasnât the best guy, but pranking this preppy little nerd by bringing him down to your hangout? That seemed beneath him.
âYou, uh, running some kinda charity here, Bender? Weâre not exactly Make-A-Wish material, kid.â Scorch told the blonde dweeb and you snorted at the thought.
âShut the fuck up,â was all Bender said in response. The rest of the twenty minutes of Brian Johnson standing there was of course, incredibly awkward and it was clear to everyone that he didnât fit in. But that didnât stop him from coming back a week later. And again a few days after that. And again and again until, well, that dork had grown on the lot of you. While he didnât partake in cigarette smoking like most of you, he did take Bender up on his weed on several occasions and was actually really funny while high. He did weirdly spot-on impressions and had a sense of humor that none of your group had anticipated.
And, as much as you would vehemently deny it, you liked him when he was sober, too. He was incredibly smart and helpful and while his jokes were different without marijuana in his system, he could be amusing. That first awkward encounter was back in March, maybe April. But now you spent time with him without the convenience of school pulling you together. Now it was June and you sought to spend time with him, even without the group. Tonight, you were laying in a field not far from the high school, just the two of you. You liked to listen to him ramble on about the constellations and the myths about why they were named as they were. You remembered liking that as a kid, but you didnât remember most of the stories. You knew you could ask him questions about the actual stars, too. Like, the science of it, and he would know. But youâd rather let him ramble and tackle one subject at a time. Even though he focused more on science and math, he was a pretty good storyteller, and right now that provided you with more of an escape than talking about the chemical composition of a star. When he finished his retelling of Ursa Minorâs story, however, he remained silent and didnât start up a new piece of lore. After a moment, you looked at him to see what the hold up was, but you just caught his eye as his gaze was already fixed on you. Your heart started pounding in your chest because you knew what was coming.
âYou know, we could go on an actual date some time.â Brian suggested, breaking the silence. You closed your eyes, almost wincing at the words. He was generally more subtle than this, but the same idea had been brought up before. It wasnât that you didnât like Brian. In general, you did, and in the honest depths of your soul, it was as more than a friend. But, every time it came down to this subject, you panicked. You had never been serious with anyone and the thought of dating was completely foreign to you. You had messed around with some guys before but you never had feelings for them. You didnât know how to depend on another person, to have an actual relationship with them.
I had no choice but to hear you
You stated your case time and again
I thought about it
You sighed, your eyes still closed. You didnât know what to tell him. Before, he always left it as more of a hint and it was easier to dodge. Now he was just coming out and saying it. Basically asking you out, so you would actually have to turn him down this time. The terrible thing was, you didnât really want to. The conscious side of you wanted to agree and go out with him, on a proper date. But your subconscious kicked you into fight or flight mode and if you werenât in the middle of a field, you might have picked flight and walked away. But that didnât seem to be an option.
âLook, Johnson. Itâs not that easy. Just...donât waste your time on me.â
âIâm already wasting my time on you.â He pointed out, but when you took a peek at him, he didnât seem upset about it. He was actually grinning about it. âWeâre already wasting our time out here. Or at the library, or under the bleachers⌠So why not like, a movie theater or dinner, or my house?â
âOh yeah, your mom would love having me around.â You joked, humorlessly. The smattering of times you had met Brianâs mother hadnât gone swimmingly. You could read the derision in her voice and knew she did not approve of her good little baby hanging out with a neâer-do-well like you.
âSheâd come around. Youâre different once someone actually gets to know you.â He meant it as a compliment, but you took it as your out.
âWhat the hell is that supposed to mean?â You leapt up, indignantly and he just gaped at you like a fish out of water.
âI didnât mean anything bad by it, I swear!â He put his hands up defensively as you looked down at him. âForget it, Iâm sorry.â You had victory, he dropped the subject and your friendship could last another night and you could try to pretend like he wasnât right, that you two werenât meant to be something more.
*~~~~*
You treat me like I'm a princess
I'm not used to liking that
You ask how my day was
For the most part, working at Bertâs auto shop felt worthwhile and valuable. Other days, it chewed you up and spit you out. It was hard being in such a masculine environment and not fitting into that type. Customers (mostly men, but even the women too) thought that you were less knowledgeable and handy than your cohorts. Benderâs teasing didnât help that image, either.
Now you slid into the booth at Ginoâs pizzeria utterly deflated and defeated. Of course, Brian took notice right away. âRough day?â He inquired, pushing a menu towards you even though he knew you ordered the same thing every time.
âThatâs not even the half of it. Why does Bender hafta be such a dick all the time?!â You asked, incredulously but sincerely, diving right into your problem.
âI donât know. I think he thinks itâs part of his charm? Maybe it is. I mean, weâre still friends with him.â You nodded at his point, but clenched your fists just the same.
âI just wish he knew when to back off sometimes. Like, he never realizes heâs taking it too far and digging you further into a shithole.â
âWhat did he do this time?â Brianâs gaze on you was unbroken; it made you feel important, like your opinion, your story, was the only thing that mattered.
âSo we got this old guy in the shop today. Beautiful car, so of course he was hesitant with me touching it.â You began and his eyebrows furrowed, already not liking the direction this was going. âAnd Iâm trying to prove myself worthy to work on this car, even though I would just be doing an oil change, which isnât like a big deal anyway, right? Simple stuff.â You looked to him to get acknowledgement to move forward.
âI mean, I guess. I donât really know about oil changes or anything about cars. But I know you do.â
âRight, so Bender has to go and make a crack to the old guy about how they wonât let me near it and Iâm just the secretary for the shop or whatever. Just a total dick move. But of course the guy believed him and laughed with him and sent me to go get him a cup of coffee? I mean, what the hell is that?â
âThatâs not right. And you wear a mechanicâs uniform at work, why would he think--?â
âBecause macho man Bender told him I was! He was more believable than me.â You sank back and put a hand up to brace your forehead as the waitress approached the table. You prepared to order your drink when she set down exactly what you would have ordered in front of you and walked away, promising to come back in a few minutes. You blinked at the cup as if it magically had appeared.
âI uh, figured youâd get the usual and youâd need it when you got here, so I ordered for you. I hope thatâs okay.â Brian said and then looked away, suddenly embarrassed by the idea. Since he wasnât looking at you anyway, you allowed your lips to twitch up into a smile threatening to break out on your face...but only for a moment.
âYeah, whatever. So anyway, BenderâŚâ you carried on, pretending nothing happened, but secretly cataloguing his gesture in your memory.
*~~~~*
The only thing worse than arguing with Brian or him pissing you off was him making you laugh. There were times that you would go home with sore sides and itchy eyes from the tears that formed while laughing so hard. Then you would always, always reflect on the hours you just spent together, feeling the warmth and butterflies tickle your insides and a nervous heat would prickle your skin as you thought about how happy Brian made you. He never pushed you to do anything; he liked you the way you were. Sure, he would drop hints here and there about how you should stop smoking or give you advice when you had a particularly bad argument with one of your friends, but overall, he just accepted you. And you knew how hard that was to find.
You had never been popular and when junior high rolled around, you accepted that you never would be. You found your own little group of outcasts who understood what it was like to be kicked down time and again, and now he had somehow joined that group too. You knew he understood how it felt. Even though he looked different and came from a very different social circle, he had been looked down upon by his peers all his life. You were guilty of judging him the same way when you first met him, but now you couldnât imagine life without him. He was cut of the same cloth and you could see yourself in him, which is why you just clicked. And he was so kind and so patient with you. You tried to push him away dozens of times, to put up the barriers and the walls that worked so well for everyone that came before him; you couldnât be hurt if you never got attached. Where most people gave up and only saw the cold, distant bitch you gave them, Brian always saw something more. He didnât give up in breaking down those walls, and even accepted just being your friend. That made you love him even more.
Shit, wait. Did you just think about loving Brian? A crush is one thing. Having a buddy to fool around with is one thing. Being in love was quite another.
You've already won me over in spite of me
Don't be alarmed if I fall head over feet
Don't be surprised if I love you for all that you are
I couldn't help it
It's all your fault
*~~~~*
Mercedes Johnson was all about keeping up appearances, but that didnât mean you couldnât hear her arguing with Brian on the other side of the door, about you. Again. You had known from the second you met her that she didnât like you. She was instantly worried about the influence youâd have on her son; it was a common reaction from parents based on the way you looked and the company you kept. You would think youâd be used to it by now.
However, it truthfully bothered you more because this was Brianâs mother. You were hoping that she would be different and see the person underneath like her son had, or at the very least, that she would eventually warm up to you. You had no luck with either.
âIâm not comfortable with having her over at the house right now.â You could hear her tell Brian.
âSheâs my friend, ma. Of course sheâs going to come over--â
âIâm aware of that but you know I wish she werenât. I would prefer that you keep the company of other friends.â The formality of her sentences while she was still cruelly putting you both down made you cringe.
âYou donât know her because you wonât give her a chance. Sheâs not that different from my other friends.â
âYou have friends in the Physics Club, from Knowledge Bowl, Honor Students. You donât need the association with a hoodlum like that or John Bender and I donât know why you keep insisting on bringing them into my home when I have repeatedly told you no. I donât want them around your sister, or even you!â
âFine. Then weâll leave.â You heard the door swing open harshly and Brian was motioning for you to follow him out of the house.
âBrian Ralph Johnson!â You heard his mother cry after the two of you. Brian held open the front door for you and you looked at him cautiously before rushing out. You knew you werenât wanted there, but you were worried that he wouldnât come with you. You were even more worried that he would. âYou are not leaving this house.â Mercedes put on the most intimidating tone you had witnessed her use.
âNo, I am. We are. Iâll see you later.â
âDonât bother coming back tonight if you walk out of this house!â She was now pink-faced and losing all of the reserved, polished look you had seen her have. She had never been so...uncomposed.
âDonât worry. I wonât.â Brian said and grabbed you by the elbow as he escorted you down the driveway to your car. He immediately got into the passenger seat and as you sunk behind the steering wheel, you glanced at him.
âBrian, this is stupid. You donât have to---you shouldnât do this.â The whole situation reminded you of the many times you had been kicked out of your house. This was just another home you werenât welcome in.
He clenched his jaw in response. âLetâs just go. Iâll figure it out later. Please, just drive.â
Your love is thick and it swallowed me whole
You're so much braver than I gave you credit for
That's not lip service
âYour mom gave you a choice, you know. Itâs not like she told you to get out. She actually told you not to leave.â You said as you both sat on the trunk of your car, looking out across the field that was slowly turning to a golden hue, both from the afternoon sun and the change into autumn. Neither of your houses were really an option to go to, so you just chose the empty field that you would look at stars in during the summer.
âItâs not like it was really a choice though, was it? Iâm tired of her trying to control every part of my life. I need to start thinking for myself, doing things for myself. She needs to understand that Iâm going to do what I want, and like who I want to like.â He looked at you meaningfully for a moment, but you looked away quickly. It was too heavy for you to process right now.
âThatâs a big step. Iâm really impressed with you for standing up for yourself.â You told him, and he gave you an appreciative, heart-stopping smile in return that caused your cheeks to flush. Your parents had shouted at you to leave so many times before, any time you were âinconvenientâ for them, that it was hard to relate to someone who chose not to stay. But you wanted to support him and you did feel proud of him today. You thought back to the most recent event in which you had been dismissed from your family, and how you had tried to take it out on Brian:
You slammed your locker and watched him almost jump out of his skin. âI donât want to talk about this.â You growled at Brian.
âI understand that, but you need to. You canât just--â
âJust what?â
âYou canât just act like nothing happened or run away from it...run away from here.â You had been disciplined at school yet again and your parents had had enough. You had a big fight with them the night prior and did not sleep in your own bed. The tiredness racked your body today and you were stiff from sleeping in your car. If it werenât for the social aspect, you wouldnât have bothered coming to school. But you quickly realized you werenât in the mood to talk to anyone, and you were only making the situation worse.
âLike hell I canât.â You stated, quickly turning to walk away.
âY/N, donât. Come on, talk to me. Tell me what happened. We can figure it out together.â
âThereâs nothing to figure out, bucko. Iâll be fine. Iâll do this on my own. Iâm used to that anyway.â
âBut you donât have to be alone, Y/N. Thatâs what Iâm saying! Thatâs my whole point: Iâm here for you!â
âI didnât ask you to be, Brian.â
âNo, because friends donât have to ask.â His words scared you. Nobody had so adamantly offered to be a safety net to you before.
âYeah,â you scoffed, âweâre great friends. Weâve bonded so much in the, what, four months youâve known me?â You rolled your eyes, trying to make him feel uncomfortable, to drive a wedge between you. You only knew how to put up walls, how to run.
âYou know we are.â
âYeah, sure, right. Friends. Not like you want to sleep with me or anything.â You tried to drive another knife into him, to play it off like he was following you only because he had a crush on you, one you tried to pretend wasnât reciprocated. âItâs not going to happen, Brian. So just accept that weâre not friends.â
He let you get about three steps away before you heard him say, âNo. I know what youâre doing, and itâs not going to work. Sure, part of me wants something more, but...I care about you, Y/N. And if we can just be friends, I am happy with that, I swear. But donât do this to me. Donât try to shut me out or walk away or act like youâre fine. I know you well enough to know youâre not.â When you turned around, you could see that he had tears rimming his eyes, threatening to fall, which made your own tears spring up as well. âI am your friend. Iâm not going to just let you go and do something stupid. You are going to talk about this. If not to me, then someone else. But you canât just run away or sleep in your car or, orâŚâ
âOkay.â You said, softly.
âOkay?â
âFine, letâs talk about it. I screwed up again and my parents kicked me out. So what do I do?â
âY/N, Iâm so sorry. I...weâll think of something.â He began to tell you, but you bit your lip and drowned him out in your own sobs. Everything crashed in on you at once; you hadnât escaped in time. You slid down your locker wall and sat on the floor. Brian joined you and put his arm around you tentatively.
You are the bearer of unconditional things
You held your breath and the door for me
Thanks for your patience
After that day, you knew he wouldnât let you go. You tried your best to brush him off, to hurt him, to land irreparable blows. But it was all in vain; he stuck by you. You admired how he stood up for you, for your relationship, whatever that meant. He didnât back down, even though you knew he genuinely cared what you thought. He was willing to put everything on the line just to be with you, in whatever capacity you would allot him. And today, he had chosen you again. He had picked a fight with his mother and chosen you. He placed you above being safe and comfortable and at home right now.
âIâm sorry, this must seem so stupid to be complaining about. I know I donât have it that bad, itâs just that--â
âNo, your problems are valid, too. Your mom sucks.â You told him and he laughed, âBut I would be lying if I said it wasnât...weird to have someone be given the choice to stay instead of being yelled at to get out and that youâre worthless and---Iâm sorry. I donât mean to make this about me.â You said softly, looking down at your hands.
âNo, I get it. Itâs gotta be on your mind a lot, the uncertainty. Plus, I donât mind talking about you.â He nudged your shoulder with his own, trying to be playful but you knew he meant that. He always put you first. You couldnât help your next impulse as your hand shot up to cup his face and you leaned in and kissed him roughly. You werenât entirely sure why you had done it. It would probably change everything and you couldnât tell if you were doing it selfishly to feel like someone cared or to keep him around or because you truly wanted to. Of course, he kissed you back, and the feeling it gave you pushed a lot of those doubts from your mind.
You're the best listener that I've ever met
You're my best friend
Best friend with benefits
What took me so long?
*~~~~*
The kiss in the field still didnât mean you were âtogether.â Realistically, it complicated things for a while. You avoided Brian for a couple of days and didnât discuss it when you finally caved in to your desire to see him. He didnât bring it up either, even though there were many times he would look at your lips like he wanted to make a move again, but you never talked about it. Things began to look ânormalâ after about two weeks. You spent time at the record shop, or under the bleachers with your friends or in the library with his friends. He nagged you about giving up smoking and you finally listened, much to his surprise.
âWhat made you finally decide to quit?â He asked, looking at the nicotine patch on your arm. You shrugged, not wanting to tell him the truth.
âI guess I just finally got tired of you being a broken record, mother hen.â You teased him, but he just smiled because he was happy with your choice. The truth of the matter was, you had done it for him. While you werenât with him, you wanted to be. You didnât want to keep doing something that bothered him so much, but you also knew that eventually, your habit of smoking would cost time with him and you didnât want that. You lied to yourself that you didnât want a relationship and werenât thinking about a future with Brian, but you were. Every time he helped you study or encouraged you to do your best, the time your parents were out of town so he had made you his âspecialtyâ of spaghetti in your kitchen, when you drove him around singing songs together on the radio...you thought about doing those things with him forever and instead of the fear you used to feel at such a thought, you felt happiness. You anticipated a future with him, something to look forward to.
I've never felt this healthy before
I've never wanted something rational
I am aware now
I am aware now
*~~~~*
âItâs kind of weird, yeah. But theyâre cute together, I guess.â You had just returned from a movie with Bender and Claire. You were surprised at how long their relationship had lasted, especially since you had hated Claire at first. You assumed she was dating Bender as a statement, but it had been over six months and they were still together and it just seemed to work.
âIt must be nice to have someone like that. Even if they donât make sense, they care about each other. It just must be a nice thing to have a relationship like that.â Brian looked at you for a moment before backpedaling, realizing he must have made it sound like he was guilt-tripping you. âDonât worry, I wonât ask you out again. I really just was complimenting them--â
âWell, maybe you should.â You cut him off.
You realized how rare a find like Brian truly was. He always put you before himself; he listened to all of your problems and knew when to offer solutions and when to just listen. He was endlessly supportive, and kind. He kept taking giant risks just to be with you, to show you that you mattered to him. You knew, without him saying it, that he loved you. Why else would someone go to the lengths he did, just to make you happy? You had tried everything to shake him, to get rid of him so neither one of you would be in too deep to get hurt. But he stayed, and now, you wouldnât want him to go anyway. It was too late; you were both already in too deep.
He just blinked at you, sure he had heard incorrectly. âWh-what?â
âI said, maybe you should. Ask me out again.â
âY/N, do you want to go out with me?â He asked, unsure. It felt like a setup, but he knew you wouldnât do something so cruel to him.
âYes.â You replied, softly.
âWhy?â He asked with furrowed eyebrows.
âI donât know. I guess you won me over.â You chuckled, but he failed to see the humor in it, so you changed to a more serious tone. âBrian, I thought that these feelings would go away, that you would go away. Lord knows how hard Iâve tried to push you. But...you didnât and the feelings didnât. I-I love you. And Iâm pretty sure Iâm going to keep loving you, I donât want to waste my time with anyone else. And...And I think that you love me.â
âI do.â He breathed quietly, with zero hesitation.
âSo, why fight it any more? I was afraid that I would hurt you, but I think Iâve already done that and youâve stuck around.â He nodded in confirmation of that fact. âAnd I was scared that I would get hurt but...but Iâve realized that you wonât do that to me, either.â
You've already won me over in spite of me
Don't be alarmed if I fall head over feet
And don't be surprised if I love you for all that you are
I couldn't help it
It's all your fault
He took your hands in his, âYouâre serious? You really want this? Because, you know how I feel. How Iâve always felt.â You nodded in response, tears quickly filling your eyes, which was a rarity for you. He leaned in towards you to kiss you, for the first time since your conversation in the field over a month ago. He waited for you to be ready in every aspect of your relationship and you had never known so much love and respect before. It took some adjusting to, but he had pulled you in and made you fall for him again and again.
Just gonna tag my buddy...
@90sinequity
#brian johnson x reader#brian x reader#breakfast club#the breakfast club#reader insert#reader-insert#romance#mild angst#angst with a happy ending
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Part 5 of Wonderful! Au. *boyband voice* banterâs back alright!
Also on AO3
~*~
Jon: Hello everyone, and welcome back to our regular format. If my husband being horribly soppy-
Martin:-hey!-
Jon: -turned you off the how, this should be a refreshing return to formula, though I canât guarantee there wonât be further horrible soppiness-
Martin, performatively under his breath: -most people thought it was charming-
Jon: -as that tends to happen when one is recording with the love of their life. If last weekâs episode is the only one that you like, too bad, Iâm back in full form, and should be at least through the rest of the season.
Martin: This show doesnât have seasons? Due to the whole lack of a narrative thing?
Jon: I was referring to spring.
Martin: Oh, right.
[A beat passes.]
Martin, flatly: Oh. Great goof hon.
Jon, smug: Thank you.
Jon, sincere: Also, before we get properly started, I did want to actually thank everyone who sent well wishes.
M artin: Yes! We got positively inundated with lovely messages, it definitely brightened both of our days. I would even say it was wonderful.
[Jon groans.]
Jon: I am..not proud of the energy weâve created for this episode so far, and we havenât even hit the small wonders. Speaking of, do you have a small wonder this week?
Martin: Mineâs bad action movies.
Jon: Really? I had no idea you even liked them, let alone consider them wonderful.
Martin: Okay, so, saying I like them is a bit of a misnomer? Itâs more that I like what they can do more than the movies themselves?
Jon: Elaborate?
Martin: It probably comes as a surprise to no one that Iâve tried my hand at a fair amount of mindfulness and mediation techniques. Iâve found poetry and journaling have been helpful for actually processing life events and whatnot, but when it comes to giving your brain a hard wipe and reset, nothing is half as quick and effective as a shitty shoot-em-up. Somethings about 2 hours of cartoonish, pg-13 violence held together with the absolute loosest of plots brings me to a state of mental blankness that would make a monk jealous.
Jon: How have I never witnessed you doing this? When are you sneaking off to go see Micheal Tarantino or who ever films?
M artin: Thatâs definitely not the right name.
Jon: Martin, dear, I donât care. And youâre dodging the question.
Martin, fond: Iâm not dodging anything. Since apparently weâre getting into it, you havenât caught me cavorting with a movie involving more explosions than character development lately because I havenât been. Havenât needed it, in recent years. Turns out when youâre not crushingly lonely and working a literal nightmare of job, thereâs less of a drive to try and escape your own thoughts. Shocker, I know. Still, to anyone out there that feels like their brain is on fire, go try watching a fast and furious. Any of âem, it doesnât matter. Or even better, Chronicles of Riddick. I canât remember a single goddamn detail of that movie, which makes it perfect for what Iâm talking about.
Jon: I have the strong feeling that th is is a âmileage may varyâ scenario.
Martin: Well, yeah, thatâs this whole podcast. Plus, I imagine that movies like this would cause more stress to someone who cares about, say, world-building or rules consistency.
Jon: I wonder who you could possibly be referring to.
Martin: Itâs a purely hypothetical person, love, donât worry about it. Any small wonders?
Jon: Yes! Particularly relevant to the last week, my small wonder is stripping the sheets from your bed when itâs been too long between washes.
Martin: How very specific. M ost people would just say âclean sheetsâ.
Jon: Well, for one, Iâm fairly certain that weâve already covered clean sheets-
Martin: Shit, have we? Thank god other people keep track of this, otherwise this show would be unbearably repetitive.
Jon: Christ, yes. I typically check the website a good three times while prepping, and every about one out of those three times I find Iâm trying to do an topic we did 30 episodes again. Anyway, um, itâs just nice, I think. When youâve been too busy or sick or away for awhile, tossing the sheets in the wash makes a room instantly seem nicer. Of all the chores out there, this one, at least for me, has the highest reward to effort ratio.
Martin: Hard agree. Especially when the y have that slight funk of having been around to long, getting rid of that is such a relief. Speaking of, we need to change our sheets soon.
Jon: We can do it after the episode. Who goes first this week?
Martin: Considering last week was only me talking, Iâm gonna say itâs you.
Jon: Alright, then. My first thing this week is Martin K. Blackwood.
Martin: Absolutely not!
Jon: Oh, you can do a whole episode on me, but I canât do one little segment on my husband, whom I love very dearly?
Martin: Not while Iâm sat here, no!
Jon: So youâre saying you donât want me to tell the internet that your resolve to be kind even in the face of indescribable cruelty is one of the mot breathtaking things Iâve ever witnessed, or how I find it incredibly endearing when you get so emotional that your voice comes out as a squeak, or even that, on a more base level, youâre very physically attractive, and I could lose entire days thinking about your arms alone?
Martin, audibly blushing, voice the aforementioned squeak: Oh my god, Jon!
Jon, laughing: Then itâs probably for the best that my actual first thing is best friends.
Martin, peaking the audio levels: Oh you absolute bastard! Do you enjoy this? Do you get some sort of perverse sense of entertainment from riling me up?
Jon: Oh, donât you start. As if youâre not as bad as I am. Maybe even worse.
Martin: Thatâs notâŚ
Jon: Yes?
Martin: Okay. Maybe itâs slightly true. Really, what is romance for if not flustering your partner with compliments?
Jon, teasing: I certainly canât think of anything.
Martin: Hush, you.
Jon: No, I donât think I will.
Martin: Fine. I suppose you can tell our delightful audience about the power of friendship or whatever.
Jon: I wouldâve assumed more enthusiasm, considering this segment is still, indirectly, about you.
Martin: In what way?
Jon: In the way that, to the shock of all, youâre my best friend.
Martin, pleased: Oh, is that what I am?
Jon, exasperated: Yes, dearest husband, I wouldnât have married you otherwise. Though, upon reflection, I knew you were my best friend before I knew I held romantic feelings for you.
Martin: When was that?
Jon, letting out a breath that vibrates his lips: God it was...2016? I think it mightâve literally been the day after you told me about your CV.
Martin: That early? Huh. I wonder if thatâs what people were picking up when they said they we were close.
Jon: What people?
Martin: I donât know specifically, thatâs just what Daisy told me.
Jon: Daisy? When the hell-?
Martin: It...was when she was interrogating me? And, because sometimes I have to be a parody of myself, pretty much my only take away from that interrogation was âpeople think me and Jon are closeâ.
Jon: Well then. Itâs not like they were wrong.
Martin, smug: No, no they werenât.
Martin, sincere: And youâre my best friend, too.
Jon: I was certainly hoping that youâre in this relationship for more than my good looks and incredible fortune, both in the monetary and luck sense.
Martin: You say that as if you arenât good looking, which we all know is patently untrue.
Jon: Youâre biased. Youâd say I was good looking if I were nothing more than some primordial ooze with thoughts about its station.
Martin: Iâm being completely objective. If you were primordial ooze with thoughts above its station, youâd be the cutest ooze of them all. Thatâs just scientific fact.
Jon: Iâm starting to think we might be insufferable.
Martin: Starting to? Might be?
Jon:âŚ
[Jon clears his throat]
Jon: What I find wonderful about the concept of best friends is, to me, theyâre the closest thing real life has to soulmates. I donât personally believe that thereâs some..grand mystic force that drives people to be tied together in the manner that narrative typical soulmates are, and if there was I donât think it would necessarily be the kind of emotional, heartfelt bond one would hope for, but I do believe that thereâs individuals that get to know one another, and because of that knowledge, they chose to stick with one another. It doesnât have to be a romantic, which is why I say best friend rather than specifically âspouseâ, but I would argue that the basis of a strong romance like you and I have, is very much rooted in that connection. A true best friendship is an equal partnership, and thereâs a sense of..matched sensibilities and understanding that can be utterly incandescent when it happens.
I also think that having one or more best friends makes living life on a day to day basis both better and just flat easier. The dark times arenât as dark, and the bright times shine even more. I know from my own personal experience there are events that I..that I donât know how I wouldâve made it through without you. Hell, last week my..recovery period wouldâve taken much longer if you hadnât been there.
Itâs an amazing thing to have someone to share things with, both triumphs and burdens. Um, also, according to Dictionary.com, the term best friends in English has been around since the 1200s. Something about that delights me, like, yes, weâve had this casual way of referring to a Favorite Person for roughly 800 years. That makes it a hold-out from early Middle English. I dunno, itâs one of those things that make me feel overall very charmed by humanity.
Martin, audibly smiling: No, yeah, hard agree.
Jon: Whatâs that look for?
Martin: Nothing. Just. I love you a whole lot, you know that?
Jon, voice soft: I may have heard you say that once or twice. Per hour.
Martin: Only that often? I really need to be more diligent about that.
[Thereâs a bet of silence, presumably where theyâre making doe eyes at each other.]
Jon: Whatâs your first thing?
Martin: Oh, um, right. Rats!
Jon: The expression or the animal?
Martin: Jon, have you ever once heard me say âratsâ as an expression? Obviously Iâm referring to the animal.
Jon: Ah. Shouldâve known, considering that what, a third?, of all your segments have been on animals.
Martin: Yeah? And? You got a problem with critters? With creatures? With lil guys?
Jon, laughing: No, no, itâs very sweet. Iâm just surprised you never became a vet.
Martin: Oh believe me, I wanted to. But then I learned that it was not, in fact, a job composed entirely of getting paid to play with other peopleâs pets.
Jon: You had that job, though, didnât you? I thought I remembered you mentioning a month long stint at a doggie day care.
Martin, sighing dreamily: Best job I ever had. Too bad that place was shut down after it was revealed to be a money laundering front.
Jon: Good lord.
Jon: Martin did you...did you know it was a money laundering front at the time?
Martin:
Martin: Would it make you feel better if I said no?
Jon: Martin!
Martin: I figured it out like a week in, but, like, who cares? The pay was decent and the floor was super easy to clean, which is very much a plus for even a front of a doggie day care.
Jon: Thatâs...rather a lot. How about instead of getting into that any further, you tell me about rodents.
Martin: I would love to. But first, we have a shoutout!
Jon: Ooo, a shoutout. Does it specify who should read?
Martin: Let me check. It...does...notâŚ..
...
Jon: Martin?
[A beat.]
Martin: Right! Sorry, um. This weekâs shoutout is from Tim, to Danny. It says, âDanny! My favorite person who shares genetic material with me! I wanted to say thank you for your podcast obsession from 4 months ago, and specifically for telling me about these marrieds. Theyâve gotten me through many a dull hour at the publishing house. Also, with this shoutout, Iâve officially gotten ahead on the Superior [Last Name Redacted] Brother scoreboard, so suck it. Love you lots, and looking forward to your visit next month, Tim.â
Jon: Oh.
Jon: Um. Thatâs very..sweet? I think? Mostly?
Martin: Yeah, Iâd say so. Uh. We have to take a quick break because, uh, someone is..at our front door! Be back with you all in, from your side of things, just a moment.
#wonderful! au#jonmartin#jon sims#martin blackwood#>:3#shoutouts are their versions of jumbotrons btw
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Sonic Boom (AÂ âSonic the Hedgehog 2âł Review)
OK, full disclosure: I didnât especially like the first âSonic the Hedgehogâ movie.  I appreciate what other fans saw in it, and Iâd even say I agree: the movieâs portrayal of Sonic himself was genuinely pretty good, an interesting reinterpretation of the character that plays him more as an overly energetic Kid in contrast to the Teenager With Attitude heâs traditionally portrayed as, matched with a charming vocal performance by Ben Schwartz and an intensely appealing design from fan-favorite artist Tyson Hesse.  But as important as getting Sonic right is to a âSonicâ movie, for me itâs not enough to compensate for a story that was, at best, pretty generic, with some frustratingly poor effects work and some thoroughly uninspired directing.  Oh, and I also really didnât like Jim Carreyâs Robotnik, who for me never stopped feeling like An Excuse For Jim Carrey To Do Schtick first, with any sort of actual consistent characterization a very distant second. Again, I get why others feel differently, but thatâs just where it lands for me.
So it should tell you something significant that I find myself a lot more favorably disposed to âSonic the Hedgehog 2â. Â
To be clear, thatâs not the same as saying I thought it was the absolute best; it recreates a lot of the first movieâs weaknesses and adds on some truly baffling ones of its own.  The story especially remains less than spectacular; itâs thankfully not as bland as the first one, pulling more overtly from the narrative of the âSonicâ games enough to give itself a slightly more distinct personality, but it still struggles with things like Pacing (the second act especially is inexcusably bloated, but weâll get to the specifics on that in a minute) and Coherency.  That last point is especially frustrating when it comes to Tails, a mainstay of the âSonicâ games who joins the movies here.  While still voiced with appreciable charm by his long-time VA Colleen OâShaughnessey, the story only ever kind of knows what to do with him; his motivations are left frustratingly vague, and he ultimately isnât given as much to do or as much importance to the story as you might expect.  Itâs not a total failure, indeed ultimately Tailsâ presence (and Knucklesâ as well, but again Iâll get to that in a bit) proves a worthwhile one for how he brings with him his iconic friendship with Sonic and how well that works for both characters, but it is hard to miss how minor Tails feels here, especially compared to some of the stuff the movie wastes time on that I rather wished it hadnât.  In particular it attempts to beef up the roles of returning minor characters from the previous film in ways that didnât really work for me; thatâs bad enough when it comes to a needless sub-plot involving Adam Pallyâs Deputy Wade and Lee Madjoubâs Agent Stone which at least has the good sense to be short even as it doesnât really add anything to the main story, but it is very bad in the case of that distended second act I mentioned.  Thatâs where the movie very obviously and forcibly twists itself in such a way as to shift focus away from literally any of the characters we are actually supposed to be following to instead turn into a completely different movie focused around Natasha Rockwellâs Rachel and newcomer Shemar Moore as her fiancĂŠ Randall, a pair of characters who, up until that exact moment, have been utterly inconsequential to the main story, and will in fact return to being completely inconsequential the moment their tedious mini-movie runs its course.  Mind you, Iâm even willing to say something half-way nice about this, as the nasty jokes at Rachelâs expense were one of my least favorite aspects of the first movie, and I also at least theoretically appreciate the chance this affords Tika Sumpterâs Maddie to do more this time around, but itâs just so enervating and unfunny to me and it seriously comes out of nowhere and grinds the entire rest of the movie to a halt.  I donât even especially like it for the Lore-Building function itâs meant to serve (which I wonât spoil here), which feels like it could and indeed should have been handled literally any other way.
But for all those criticisms, I did ultimately say I came out of this one feeling fairly good about it, and that holds true. Â The key (and youâll notice this applies to why so much of what I just talked about doesnât work for me) is that the movie is much more explicitly centered on Sonic, who remains as charming and endearing a presence here as he was before but now has even greater room to really flourish because everything now relates much more directly to him, rather than having to be mediated through other characters first. Â Thatâs especially true of Carrey; Iâm still not entirely sold on him in this particular role, but not only does the movie at least work a little harder to make his Robotnik feel like an actual character rather than a fairly random string of Comedy Moments, but moreover Carreyâs willfully petulant take on him plays so much more effectively when itâs bouncing off of the childish Sonic, and especially when complemented by the real MVP of the whole thing, Knuckles the Echidna. Â Played by Idris Elba, who is hardly taxing himself here but nonetheless delivers a fun performance that makes perfect use of his signature deep voice both for Menace and for humor (the movie gets a very impressive amount of mileage out of having him deliver his portentous proclamations with the exact same tone with which he naively blunders through misunderstandings), he acts as a great foil to both Sonic and Robotnik with his earnestness and forthrightness, which both makes him a meaningfully difficult obstacle for Sonic to conquer and a plausible stooge for Robotnik to manipulate toward his own ends without either one just rendering him a total clown. Â Despite my earlier complaints, Tails too works at fleshing Sonicâs character out by being a genuine peer to him, someone Sonic can relate to on his own level, and perhaps even more importantly by being someone Sonic feels obligated to protect. Â That last point is especially significant; the first movie was mostly about Sonic trying to keep himself out of trouble with others coming to his rescue, but here the emotional and thematic arc of the film centers on Sonic trying to be the Protector to those he cares about most. Â The way that initially starts with his belief that he needs to find an Epic Quest with which to prove himself but ends with his recognizing that it isnât just about him honestly works far better than I wouldâve expected; itâs not exactly the freshest storyline, but the movie commits to it sincerely enough, with enough emotionally authentic moments (again, especially when it comes to how Sonicâs affection for Tails develops and then drives him) to make it resonate. Â And pushing all of that over the edge is the movieâs action sequences. Â I will say that another problem from the first film that the sequel carries over is a certain weakness for compositing its animated characters into shots; itâs mostly fine when theyâre primarily interacting with each other, but there are several instances where they interact with real-world objects that just look and feel notably poor. Â But this time around, a lot more of the movie is almost entirely animated than isnât, so it never becomes that distracting a problem, and moreover the various action set-pieces here feel a lot more energetic and inventive than the original. Â I give a lot of credit for that to Tyson Hesse, for the record, who returns here in a major creative role as Storyboard Supervisor, and his influence on things is very keenly felt all throughout, especially during the movieâs climax, which handily serves as the big highlight of the whole thing with its delightful mix of Epic Action, Charming Personality, and Satisfying Pay-Offs.
Look, if youâre not already a big âSonicâ fan, I donât imagine this movie is going to do much for you; I enjoyed it myself, but itâs not especially hard for me to recognize its limitations. Â Still and all, though, rounded out as it is by some very well-picked fan-friendly references, a sense of humor that works more often than it doesnât (well, outside of that truly bizarre tangent in Act 2), and a brighter more energized overall spirit, as a long-time âSonicâ fan this definitely feels a lot more like the movie I would want out of this series. Which probably slants my opinions in a fairly biased way, but so be it; thereâs only so far one can fight against oneâs self in the name of objectivity, and in this case? Â Yeah, this movie gave me a lot more of what I wanted, and Iâm really glad for that.
#sonic the hedgehog#sonic the hedgehog 2#sonic the hedgehog: the movie#review#ericthemason#My writing
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what ARE your fav trash watches? I havenât watched a lot of series yet so DSN is prob one of my only trash watches that I enjoyed enough to rewatch so farâŚ(thereâs maybe a few contenders but they either just finished or are close to finishing lol)
Oh you're trying to out me, aren't you? Iâm brave, I own my trashy inclinations.Â
My Favorite Trash Watches!
Imma pick the ones that I actually rewatch even though the show is trash, as opposed to the times I trash watched a show and mostly just enjoyed eviscerating it. (Those are all listed here.)
ALL THE TRIGGERS!Â
HIStory 4: Close to You (the side couple) - 2021 Taiwan
Issues: stepbrothers, obsession, stalking, psychopathic tendencies, dubious consent Â
Oh yeah, I am beyond aware of how terrible this story arc is: consent issues, stalking, everything is terrible. I just LOVE the chemistry so much and frankly I donât care to examine the part of my brain that likes this couple. BECAUSE I AM TRASH.Â
Irresistible Love: Secret of the Valet & Irresistible Love 2Â - China 2016
(sometimes also called Uncontrolled Love or Force Majeure)Â
Issues: whipping boy, obsession, CEO, office/home, codependent, obsessive/tsundere, kidnapping
Exists in 2 parts/movies, 2nd movie has two alternate endings: a kinda happy and a definitely NOT happy, usually found grey on YT. I not-so-secretly love this BL: Kidnapping, whipping boy, obsession, mutilation, very hard fought happy ending (in one version). Absolutely classic Chinese BL pre-censorship. It's a wild melodramatic ride.Â
TharnType - Thailand 2019Â
Issues: dub con, conflation of gay with pedophile, domestic violence, rough play Â
To be fair I havenât rewatched in YEARS, partly because we have just gotten more higher heat just as good (Why R U? Cutie Pie... Taiwan). There was a while there back when it was up on YouTube that this show was, basically, it.Â
HIStory Obsessed - Taiwan 2017Â
Issues: stalking, obsession, rough play, identity lossÂ
The softest version of the worldâs most problematic yaoi tropes, while still managing to be those tropes.
Make It Right - Thailand 2016-2017Â
Issues: dub con, messy bi, cheating, push/pull, terrible chemistryÂ
What to say about this show, the origin of the Thai BL pulps? Itâs objectively problematic, and not just the leads but the side couple too, and yet I love it. I tend to call myself the âworlds foremost Make It Right apologist.â I recognize the issues but I find it utterly charming, especially Teeâs utter devotion to Fuse the disaster.Â
Others I Hold Trashily Dear?Â
2009 Takumi-kun 2: Rainbow Colored Glass - Japan
2021 Nitiman - Thai
2021 Second Chance - Thai
2021 You Are Ma Boy AKA EM LĂ CHĂNG TRAI CᝌA ANH - Vietnam
(source)Â
#trashy bl#my favorite trash watches#thai bl#Make It Right#taiwanese bl#HIStory Obsession#HIStory Obsessed#TharnType#Irresistible Love: Secret of the Valet#chinese bl#Irresistible Love 2#Uncontrolled Love#Force Majeure#HIStory 4: Close to You
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WARNING: This post will ruin you. Like Medusa; look at your peril.
But here is is. Itâs the one youâve all been waiting for.
Kirk bod appreciation #7: The RIDICULOUSLY BEAUTIFUL FACE. A highly technical and academic review.
This is a rather nebulous one. And not, on the face of it (pardon the pun) very philosophical, as itâs essentially about Kirk being stupidly pretty. This post probably will (it will) descend into just screaming and sobbing, but there will be, I promise, *some* meaningful insight into the meaning of âbeautyâ and textual analysis of its role herein.
Beauty is subjective. But look at him. Itâs not just being aesthetic, but itâs the *way* heâs aesthetic. Here I might repeat myself a bit, but stay with me. I may have mentioned before once hearing him described as âbeautiful in the way women are often described as beautifulâ. He is PRETTY. He is indeed often conveyed in the way the women stereotypically (not necessarily rightly) are on screen: perfect, smooth skin; soft, big eyes; luscious lips (his body is sensually curvaceous and furthermore itâs emphasised). Heâs not androgynous though. Heâs masculine. And yet I still sense what was meant in describing him as âbeautiful in the way women are often described as beautifulâ. He is a rather uncommon form of gender fuckery. He is a form of stereotype-subversion not commonly acknowledged. He seems to be everything at once, ALL THE GENDER; combines whichever traits he desires from those categories, and yet is undeniably a man and masculine whatever the ingredients. HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE, one might wonder. The fact of the matter is, that it IS. And it teaches us something.
The FUCK. nO. You are not allowed to be that pretty, and you are NOT allowed to look at her like that. Weâre trying to have a SENSIBLE DISCUSSION here.
Sorry, that was a non-sequitur / nothing to do with what we learn by Kirkâs embodiment; I was just ambushed by my own gif. Only the control of a Vulcan. ONLY that could possibly withstand this onslaught. And even that wonât hold up forever AS WE WELL KNOW
God.
This is going well, as you can tell.
OK. So, itâs claimed he has Eyes and Stupidly Long Weakness-Inducing Eyelashes. You know, from all that fanfic that goes on about âbig, sparkling eyesâ and him fanning his âlong, copper eyelashesâ. I mean, yeah right, tropey mc tropeface -
ITâS TRUE. HE IS LITERALLY AN ANIME PRINCESS.
There are some moments where he just BLINKS and, how to describe it...how does a BLINK have that effect. Itâs NOT ALLOWED.
...Iâm sorry. It IS allowed. All of it. I am not shaming you your beauty. Never change, Jim. Never.
OK. Iâm ok. 3 pics down, we can get through this -
Oh you are joking. Stop.
I donât understand how anyone can be so beautiful. Life is a lie. Reality is fake -
- you did NOT just turn your big anime eyes on Spock. You do know this is why he ran away to PURGE ALL HIS EMOTIONS?
And for that matter, you know when Kirk looks his most beautiful? Literally WHEN HEâS LOOKING AT SPOCK. Spock talks some bollocks and Kirk just sparkles like a fucking angel:
Unbelievable. But utterly undeniable.
Sigh. Moving on.
Oh - someone once suggested I talk about The Lips. Lips are so wonderful arenât they. So many wonderful things they can do.
And Kirkâs. Theyâre there in every picture: perfect, rosy, soft and madness-inducing. My advice is just...donât think about them. But since Iâve been asked to draw attention to them, well, youâve just sealed your fate. Scroll down at your peril.
I WARNED YOU.
I am pulling NO punches.
Iâve seen this great meme going around:
Excuse me though....CUTE?
Thatâs the understatement of the 23rd century.
Try impossibly beautiful, mind and body: heart of solid gold, soul deep in love with you. Those eyes and all their passion burned into your memories a thousand times over, along with - maybe, suggestibly, idk Iâm extrapolating from all the goddamn tension - even the one unforgettable time he laid between lily-white sheets and gave himself to you; every gift of the mind, body and soul - and your ostensibly-forced Vulcan conditioning, that completely ignored how incompatible one part of you was with it, caused so much dissonance that you thought the only possible course of action for you both to survive was to BREAK UP, tear yourself from this beauty and love and sweetness to PURGE ALL EMOTIONS because nothing, nothing equipped you for this; you were set up specifically to fail, and fail hard in the face of transcendental love and beauty by those who rejected such things and didnât understand you and could never imagine this for you and who instead of helping your beautiful neurodivergent brain flourish taught you to repress and caused you pain and shame and Gol was so hard and Kirk was so sad, so very sad and depressed and hurt and yet he couldnât stop loving you with a bond so strong he called to you across the stars and Gol was all for naught yet you still didnât know how to live like this, it was torture, torture until the mind meld with the living machine flashed your BIOS and you knew, love.exe was suddenly running with no errors and he came after you and held you and you held hands and, and -
.
*sobbing*
.
just...give me a moment
.
YOU WONDER WHAT THE SUBTEXT (FRIKKINâ MAIN TEXT) OF STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE WAS ALL ABOUT???
The pain?? The angst?? The two logical entities seeking contact, love, THIS SIMPLE FEELING? That fucking moment when spock walks on the bridge and the only way he can control himself is to be SUPER Vulcan, while his love gazes at him with those EYES, fucking huge and glittering and hurt and loving?? Is it so much a mystery what memories these two are carrying, whatâs behind the searing tension???????
Love him. Love him Spock. Take him in your arms and love him. Heâs for you. All for you. Fucking hell guys. The fuck. This movie.
.
ok.
ok I can do this
CAN U NOT
those damn eyes I swear
Itâs obviously not all just superficial physical beauty. What IS beauty? Narratively we do sometimes find this âprettinessâ enhanced and emphasized like the old vaseline lens to set the tone of a scene (heâs vulnerable and delicate, or someoneâs indeed in love with him so we see their âlensâ on him); but it is somewhat intangible and nebulous and changeable. I donât think aesthetic beauty, if one deems it so, on its own, would be enough for the likes of Spock (indeed, no woman could charm him thusly); it's about something deeper. Itâs about who he is. Who he is inside: the beautiful AND the imperfect. How his good and bad - how his âallâ - chimes with Spockâs 'allâ. The Enemy Within deals with this, and shows how Spock loves all of Kirk, wants him complete, with both his light and shadow. The beauty of all of us is this totality and variance, not one intangible quality.
Iâll bet Spockâs parents knew immediately. Can you imagine Sarek trying to be a total bitch over Kirk, having heard the rumours and just wanting to have one more thing to reject Spock over, immediately projecting onto Kirk as some blow-up pretty-boy and how Incredibly More Disappointing My Son Is for being Obviously In Love With Stupid Illogical Human Doll Face Bubble Butt Bimbo Captain, and Amandaâs like, stfu, let me remind you Kirk is actually a Fucking Amazing Highly Decorated Starship Captain who Saves Your Life and donât you DARE resent him just because heâs got tits/ass/tum/lips that wonât quit and is obviously the freakinâ sun Spock orbits. Mr âI married a human but that was special because it was logicalâ or some bullshit. How is Kirk an illogical choice? I mean literally, Spock is a Science Genius⢠on the federationâs FLAGSHIP whose well-matched Genius Captain⢠understands him, accepts him, brings the best out of him, helps him fulfil his whole potential and is in love with him in the deepest and purest way and will be his bonded soulmate for ALL OF TIME and that fucking sour-faced bih at the start of that ep, ffs.
Of course Amanda stays in touch with Kirk, adores the fuck out of him, sends him old Vulcan lit on tâhyâla bonds (yes sarek, a TâHYâLA bond, so revered freakinâ poets write about it) etc because frankly her son could do FAR FUCKING WORSE.
FAR. FUCKING. WORSE.
Donât...just donât slip the bod into the equation, the face is enough for one post. Weâre all in therapy for this already, letâs not relapse.
Oh, whatâs the use. Iâm gonna die. This is it. This is like the Monty Python joke that is so funny it kills you. This man is lethal. I need to stop this thread and purge all my emotions
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Thatâs it. Iâm dead. Youâre dead. Weâre all dead.
I hope, however, seeing this post was worth it. See you at Gol everyone.
.
.
The Forbidden Texts, DO NOT READ:
Kirk bod appreciation #6: The Curves. The Front. The...chest. AND THE AMAZING GREEN WRAP
Kirk bod appreciation #5: The Paws
Kirk bod appreciation #4: The Curves. The Back. Poetry in motion. Â
Kirk bod appreciation #3: Season 3 (Part 1)
Kirk bod appreciation #2b: The Gluteus Maximus
Kirk bod appreciation #2a: The Gluteus Maximus
Kirk bod appreciation #1: The Tum
#long post#star trek#what it's all about#james kirk#jim kirk#captain kirk#spock#SPACE HUSBANDS#love#beauty#jim kirk is beautiful#k/s#spirk#kirk/spock#star trek the original series#star trek the motion picture#tmp#kolinahr#don't do kolinahr spock#gol#the enemy within#t'hy'la#bonded#in love#kirk bod appreciation#protect jim kirk
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After Your Team Loses
Pairing: Marcus Pike x F!Reader (The Mentalist)*
Summary: After F!Readerâs team loses, she contemplates her relationship with Marcus whose not as big of a hockey fan as she, and then things get spicy.Â
Warnings: 18+ ONLY mention of age gap, smut (oral F!Receiving, unprotected sex, creampie)
Word Count: 1643
a/n: Please pity me, Iâm a Leafs fan and I wrote this to console myself after their loss. I did keep the team in the story unnamed so it could be any team knocked out of the playoffs at any time as itâs not year or season specific really.Â
MY MASTERLIST
You turned the TV off quickly when the after-game interviews started, not wanting to indulge in the pain of listening to the other team gloat and celebrate the overtime victory that knocked your team out of the playoffs yet again. You had promised yourself that you would have no expectations this year, you wanted to protect your heart from another disappointment.Â
But saying you wouldnât be bothered was much different than actually being okay with another let down. Despite your best efforts, you were completely and utterly devastated once again. You downed the rest of your now warm beer and sighed sadly.Â
âThereâs always next year,â Marcus said softly, pulling you into his side on the couch.Â
âYou said that last year too,â you lamented, frustration seeping into your voice.Â
âI know, Iâm sorry,â he said with a furrowed brow.Â
You had done your darndest to make Marcus Pike a hockey fan, and while you knew heâd rather be watching a classic movie, he never missed a game you wanted to watch.Â
Marcus was blindingly supportive and you felt so guilty for thinking it, but you wished he understood your passion for the game and shared it with you. You wished he didnât have to work so hard to care about the thing that had defined much of your life.Â
âI think I might just go to bed,â you said, pulling yourself up from the couch.Â
âI could come with you,â he offered, standing next to you.
âItâs fine, you said you had work to do after the game so you take care of that and join me later,â you said, kissing him quickly on the cheek, dismissing him.Â
You took yourself through your nightly routine, your body going through the motions while your brain was in overdrive contemplating your entire relationship and your life in general. The wildly different ways you two had reacted to that loss highlighted just how unexpected your relationship with him was.Â
Your friends and family were surprised when they met him. While obviously they were charmed by him and objectively thought he was a great guy, they had shared with you their surprise that he turned out to be the one for you.Â
âHeâs not who I pictured for you, is all,â your mother said after meeting him, explaining her surprise when you explained how much you cared for him.Â
But was caring for him enough? Shouldnât you two have more shared life experiences and passions? Questions like these plagued your mind at the most random of times and ate at you tonight as you reflected on his lack of hockey passion.Â
You looked around and sighed. You should have gone home to your own place tonight where your mind would be less overwhelmed by Marcus so you could be more objective in your thought process. It was hard to remain neutral on the relationship while staring at his aftershave on the counter next to your moisturizer.Â
Marcus is older than you, more established and itâs most obvious when it comes to your apartments. Yours was full of second hand furniture where his was curated and deliberately decorated. It was dripping in his personality, where you were still finding your way.Â
But then you looked back at your moisturizer on the counter and it made you smile. Yes this place was all Marcus, but he had made room for you and your things here effortlessly in small and big ways.Â
You looked at yourself in the mirror and felt embarrassed by your doubt, but empowered by your sudden resolve. Questioning your relationship isnât a bad thing, it gives you an opportunity to check in with yourself and your needs which is very healthy. You had come to the conclusion that effort was worth more than random shared likes. The effort you two put into making each other happy would outlast any fad or hobby and would make the perfect foundation for a life together. And frankly, you never had to make an effort to love him, that came naturally.Â
You wandered back to where Marcus was working and he looked up with a soft smile and eyes full of love.Â
âHey, honey,â he whispered, reaching out to you.Â
âIâm sorry Iâm in a mood,â you said, letting him pull you on to his lap.Â
âHockey matters to you, your team matters to you, itâs okay to let it affect your emotions,â he said sympathetically and he kissed your forehead.
You closed your eyes, feeling the scratch of his moustache against your forehead as you inhaled the scent of him. You wrapped your arms around his neck and settled into him.
âLetâs move in together,â you whispered.
He lifted his hands to your cheeks and looked at you deep in your eyes.Â
âAre you serious?â he asked, breathless and smiling.Â
âAbsolutely. I want to build a life together,â you said.Â
âWe can pack your stuff up this weekend and bring it over,â he said after he kissed you deeply.Â
You pulled back, âYou donât want to move into my place?â
He stuttered a moment until you broke into laughter, âIâm obviously kidding, my place sucks. I want to live here.â
He smiled and kissed you again.Â
âI want to put up my team banner somewhere though,â you said, biting your lip, âItâs super tacky and doesnât match your aesthetic at all, but I want it.â
He smiled at you fondly, âOf course, this is going to be our place so we can create our own aesthetic.â
You pulled him to stand up as you kissed him and wrapped your arms around his neck, dragging him towards the bedroom with his hands tightly gripped to your waist. You kept backing up until the back of your legs hit the bed.Â
You pulled his shirt up over his head and ran your fingers over his chest and the slight pouch of his belly you worshipped whenever he gave you the chance. He used to be self-conscious about it, but youâve done all you can to correct him of that insecurity.Â
He didnât give you the chance tonight, too excited, too eager to wait. He ripped your jersey off your head and tossed it aside for the last time this season. Then his hands were pawing your breasts over your bra as he worked his teeth across your neck. He made quick work of stripping your bra off to drop his mouth to your breasts and sucked a small hickey just under your nipple.Â
He pushed you to your back on the bed and pulled on your leggings to reveal your panties, soaked through already with your arousal. He groaned at the sight and you arched your back against the soft bed in anticipation.Â
Normally Marcus was patient, gentle, but tonight he was enthusiastic and less controlled than usual. He didnât take his time removing your panties, instead he just shoved them to the side and after you nodded eagerly, he plunged headfirst into your dripping cunt.Â
He pushed his nose through your slick folds to nudge against your clit as he tasted your entrance with his tongue. He gripped your thighs as he did and you closed your eyes, trying to catch your breath. He quickly used his mouth to build a heat deep in your core.Â
Then he slipped two fingers gently, but purposefully inside you, stroking the tender spot that had you seeing stars. Your hands reached down to entangle them in his hair and grip chunks of it tightly as you felt yourself reaching your peak.Â
âIâm going to cum,â you breathed moments before your orgasm crashed down on you.Â
Some guys you had been with would speed up or change position when you said that which frustrated you to no end. Not Marcus Pike though. Marcus Pike was consistent and thorough in all things. His pace remained steady to push you through your orgasm and he didnât relent until you were a shivering, quivering mess beneath him.Â
He lifted his head from between your legs with your slick stuck to his moustache. He was smiling broadly at you as he finally removed your now fully ruined panties. You smiled back and reached for him, pulling him in for a kiss. You struggled to pull his pants off while deepening the kiss, but he didnât laugh at you. He just smiled, his lips against yours, as he helped you get him naked and lined up between your legs.Â
âI love you,â he whispered against your lips with intoxicating breath.Â
âI love you too,â you replied and lined him up at your still pulsating pussy.Â
He pushed into you slowly, growing you accustomed to his member as you gripped his shoulders tightly and threw your head back with a moan. He filled you up completely and it never failed to send tingles through your entire body.Â
He picked up his pace and moved his thumb to your clit. He pounded into you, making your tits bounce, in time with the pattern on your already sensitive clit. You locked your eyes on his knowing how much he liked to see your eyes when he came. It took a lot of willpower not to close your eyes in bliss as he pulled a second orgasm through your body.Â
He came deep inside you, spilling himself in you, leaking out your entrance with a satisfying quelch as he pumped a couple extra times through his shuddering release. He collapsed on top of you to catch his breath. You kissed his forehead and ran your fingers through his soft and now disheveled hair.Â
You were so content, so satisfied you temporarily forgot about your teamâs devastating loss. Instead your thoughts were wrapped up in your relationship with the man you loved, and the one whoâd you be living with very, very soon.Â
Tags: @autumnleaves1991-blogâ
#marcus pike#marcus pike x reader#marcus pike x F!Reader#hockey#Toronto Maple Leafs#the mentalist#pedro pascal#fan fiction
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A Year and a Day of Incorrect Quotes
Today marks one year and one day since my first incorrect quote post, which effectively marked my entrance into the FNDM.
I'm grateful for everyone who's come to my blog and enjoyed the stuff I post. I love it here on tumblr, and it really is one of those places I wished I had discovered sooner.
Rambling self-reflection regarding my experience with RWBY below, a candid look at how and why it's impacted my life, and my best attempt at explaining why it means so much to me. Consider yourself warned.
I started this blog cause I wanted to get involved in the FNDM, to give something back to the show that has given me so much. Before watching RWBY I had never touched tumblr, or fandoms, or fanfiction or anything even remotely similar.
Now, I find myself feeling more at home here in the RWBY FNDM then anywhere else, I write RWBY fanfiction (insert shameless plug for my pollination endgame time-travel fix-it where the brother gods each send back one character and they have to fix everything while the world around them slowly becomes different then the one they remember - One Never Steps Foot In The Same River Twice), and I run this blog. It's kind of crazy, actually. Crazy, most of all, because if you had told me about any of it just a couple years ago, I wouldn't have believed you. More than that, if you had explained what RWBY was about, I probably wouldn't have even wanted to watch it.
I found RWBY through youtube recommending volume 1 as a "free movie with ads" (lol nice try but adblock exists) back in December 2020, while volume 8 was airing. I knew nothing about the show or RT, and just clicked it cause it was the end of the workday and I wanted something to unwind with. I'd seen anime before, but hadn't watched any in a while.
I laughed at the silly jokes, enjoyed the charm that the early animation had, and generally didn't think much about what I was watching. Volume 1 ended, and I figured, what the heck, I'll watch volume 2 tomorrow. So I did.
I distinctly remember Oobleck questioning the girls during their mission to Mountain Glenn being the first time I really stopped and realized this show had potential. Still, I laughed at the jokes and enjoyed the 2nd volume. When the breach happened, I kinda wondered if this was the type of show that wouldn't have "consequences."
Then volume 3 came.
Unfortunately I was spoiled regarding Pyrrha's fate by youtube comments, but Ruby's eyes still took me completely by surprise. The end of volume 3 was the point at which I knew I'd finish the series. I just had to know what happened next.
Volumes 4-8 are, frankly, a bit of a daze for me. I obsessively watched the show. I ended up going from starting the show to finishing up to where volume 8 had aired in like.. 5 weekdays (on top of working full time).
Usually when I watch something, I tend to be quite expressive. I laugh at its jokes (no matter how bad they are), I make jokes (even if they can't hear me), I poke fun at it, and all around just enjoy it. Not with RWBY. I progressively got quieter and quieter until I was watching the show in complete silence, utterly motionless as I stared at the screen with an intensity I hadn't known I could possess.
It was... an extremely unsettling experience. It was while watching volume 6 that it finally hit me that this wasn't going to go on forever. Eventually I would hit the end. The thought filled me with inexplicable dread. A day later, I did hit the end.
I remember just sitting there, so unsure of what had just happened. I already knew that this show was different, but I wasn't even close to being able to say why. It was an inexplicable feeling that would last for months. So, I did the only thing I could think of, and went right back to watching the first episode of volume 1 again.
Before I get into why RWBY connected with me so much, I have to take a step back. I build my identity around the media I consume. I can pretty accurately track my personality development from high school through college through six different works of media. Each taught me something essential about myself and how I view the world, whether it was how to love myself, or how I am absolutely terrible at handling grief, or how I believed that everyone is inherently selfish (and that's not a bad thing). Little did I realize that RWBY had just become the seventh work that would in time become more important than all the rest combined.
I'm confident that in 10 years, I will look back at the day that I watched RWBY as one of, if not the most, important day of my life. RWBY has touched every facet of my identity and become the dominant thread of my entire life. As I write this, I sit here listening to the RWBY volume 8 soundtrack, wearing a Team RWBY shirt, with a RWBY volume 6 poster on my wall, typing on my RWBY blog, looking at my 2nd monitor which has a RWBY background, with my youtube recommendations almost entirely RWBY (that, or obscure history videos), with several open tabs for RWBY fanfiction, the RWBY wiki, the RWBY page on the shipping wiki (I didn't even know shipping existed before watching RWBY), and of course RWBY itself on the RT website (because I am in a continual state of rewatching RWBY and started volume 2 again today).
And that's just what is within arm's reach.
Before watching RWBY, I couldn't have told you what it means to be non-binary, now I am non-binary. Same with ace, and panromantic. RWBY fanfiction was instrumental in introducing me into that world (and is also where I learned what transgender meant). RWBY's affected my political views, my outlook on life, the ideals and core values that I hold dear. It's changed how I want to live my life and what I think is most important in it.
This is by no means a complete list. A complete list would be twice the length of this entire post.
So, how on earth did it do all that???
For months I struggled with that question. I knew that RWBY was different, that it was important, but I couldn't even begin to put any words to why that was. I didn't have any answer to it. Now, I realize there are lots of answers.
I remember discussing the show a week after I watched it with my best friend. She asked what I liked about it, and all I could come up with is "I don't know." Was it the writing? No, the writing was just okay, I said (I was a fool, the writing is fucking PHENOMINAL and I was just too awestruck to see it yet). Was it this, was it that? No, no and no.
Eventually I was struck by (my first) revelation, but to explain why it was so revolutionary, I have to give more history.
People say that kids are pure and kind and if we could all just be like kids, the world would be a better place. That's bullshit. Tell me where the kindness is in telling an eight year old that everyone would throw a party the day I died. Or actively telling me that they wished I would die. Or forming the "I hate ThePalestRose club." Or chasing me around the playground throwing water bottles at me. Suffice to say, I wasn't well liked.
Eventually, I annoyed my way into joining a group of friends, and we spent the next nine years of school together, our own little clique. I learned to ignore those who didn't want me around them, and retreated into myself. You weren't a target if you didn't cry. So I didn't cry.
Then college rolled around. Most of our little group went to a local school all together, but I got into a good tech school that was far away. So, I went off. I met a couple of amazing people (my best friend!) there, and after the first semester I came home and hung out with my high school friends, nothing amiss. I remember we all watched Downfall on the last day of our breaks, before heading back to school. It would've been a pleasant memory if it wasn't the last one I had with any of them.
Come that first spring break, I come home expecting us to all get together, only to find out that none of them will speak to me. I remember finding out from my parents in the back of the car when we were driving home that something had happened. They knew before me, because our families had all been friends, and they wouldn't talk to them either.
And that was just the thing, it was just something. I have no idea what, but the only friends I had ever made in 12 years of mandatory schooling, some of which I had known for a majority of my life, just collectively stopped speaking to me without a word.
To say I was crushed would be an understatement. To say I was depressed would be more accurate. I contemplated the pros and cons of suicide daily. My ability to socialize with others, which had always been pretty poor, was completely shot. To this day, I really haven't ever made any new friends since this happened 5 years ago. My ability to form bonds of friendship just-- snapped.
I don't think I cried then either.
I had to know, why? Why did they abandon me? What did I do to them?? What did I do wrong??
Sleep was no respite, as I started to have persistent nightmares about the entire thing. They ranged from me begging for forgiveness for some unknown crime, to watching myself waste away in isolation forever, to teary-eyed reunions that I knew would never happen. I tried everything I could think of to stop them, but nothing ever did.
So, then you have to imagine my surprise when, two months after watching RWBY, I had an epiphany. I hadn't had a single nightmare since I watched the show. That might not sound like much, but the revelation hit me like a ton of bricks.
It was the fourth rewatch before I realized that Yang's story, especially her volume 4 story, had connected with me deeply. She had been abandoned by everyone and yet still found the strength to come out the other side whole. It was... inspiring. Which lead to my second revelation, that I looked up to these characters.
That doesn't sound like much of a revelation, but it really was to me. I don't look up to anyone. I considered myself cynical and jaded, and I really didn't have admiration for anyone. To find myself suddenly looking up to these characters-- these anime girls no less-- was shocking.
Then the volume 8 finale happened. I couldn't even listen to the ending credits song at first. I was just so shocked and numb. Eventually, my hunger for every last RWBY detail overrode my shock and I listened to it. I think that was the moment that everything really broke. I bawled my eyes out and spent most of that Saturday crying, unable to hold it all in any longer.
It was the start of a transformative process that saw me rearrange my entire identity, to truly heal from what had happened, and let me move forward. I tried to make a conscious choice to let myself be more emotionally open. I let myself feel things that I had been repressing for as long as I could remember. I changed who I was to a point where I feel like I'm entirely unrecognizable to my past self, and I love it.
I've never been happier, and I really do think that RWBY enabled me to make that transformation, and I don't think it would've been possible without it. There's still lots of problems, and my life's always going to be a work in progress. I still don't really know how to make friends, but I don't feel terrified of social rejection when I talk to strangers now.
This is just one tiny portion of all I could talk about with this show. Everywhere I turn to in it, it feels like it was written for me. Like someone understood me to an impossible degree, and wrote it with me in mind. It's crazy to think that anything like that could ever exist, much less that I've had the good fortune to watch it.
So what am I to make of all this? Well, this blog exists to try and give back just a tiny bit of what the show has given me. My fanfics are meant to be my love letter to the show. I'm looking into getting into other forms of content creation, because I just want to do as much as possible.
I don't think all of these realizations are the end for me. No, I think I'm still in the beginning of my RWBY journey. Maybe when the show ends, I'll consider that the end of the beginning. But I'm pretty confident that as long as I'm still breathing, I'll be wanting to consume and create RWBY content.
I still don't think I have a full answer for why RWBY means so much to me. Just today, driving home, I realized that it was what taught me that you have to choose happiness (or at least, choose not to be unhappy). These words are a poor expression, but they're the best I can do right now.
Maybe it's unhealthy to have so much of my identity wrapped up in this single all-encompassing idea. But as someone who felt no reason to live for so long, I'll take that risk to be able to feel the weight of these emotions for just one more day.
So that brings me to the end. Why did I post this in the first place? I guess it's an exercise in vulnerability.
I don't talk about myself, I'm convinced myself no one cares. One of my bosses at work (a really kind old man who has been way too good to me) asked me recently about what I do for fun. It was the last day he would be there before undergoing open heart surgery, which he wasn't sure he would survive.
I was extremely cagey. It was almost physically painful to say anything. My anxiety was awful. I told him I wrote stuff, and he was kind enough to say he would like to read it some time. I doubt he really would want to read RWBY fanfiction, but still.
He's still in the hospital, recovering, but in high spirits.
But the experience made me realize that vulnerability, like trust, is a risk, but it's a risk I need to take again.
#rwby#self reflection#thepalestthoughts#thank you for an amazing year#and i hope to be here again next year with another update#celebrating another year in the rwby fandom#there are a million little reasons and a million massive reasons i love this show#i could never hope to list them all but this is a little piece
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Everlasting Roses
Based on this imagine by @imagine-loki
A/N: I apparently had enough creativity in me to write this. Please consider it my Valentineâs and birthday gift to all of you. Enjoy!!
Summary: You arenât partial to Valentineâs Day. At least, until you received a bouquet of roses from someone. If only you knew who. Strange how they never wilted...
Word count: 1480
Paring: Loki x reader
Warnings: fluff? Maybe a teeny bit angsty? Unbetaâd.
Disclaimer: photo isnât mine
ââĽď¸ââĽď¸ââĽď¸â
Winter was finally ending. But with the end of the cold season came one holiday. One holiday that you wished every year didnât exist. Or at least that people would make less fuss about it.
Valentineâs Day. You, of course, had no qualms about couples showing each other how much they loved each other. How much they meant to each other. But having the holiday practically shoved down your throat what with all the roses and hearts plastered in every store, looking like Cupid had regurgitated his sickly sweet obsession everywhere. It was, to be frank, quite sickening.
Not to mention the hurt, the constant reminder, the ache that started inside you in early January, when decorations were being put up, advertisements reminding everyone that the holiday was coming up.
As if anyone could forget.
Nevertheless, no matter how alone you felt, how utterly lonely you were, you always kept those feeling to your self. No need to drag anyone down with you, while they were all busy planning on how to surprise their significant other.
Tony, unsurprisingly, would spend an exorbitant amount of money on his gifts to Pepper. Steve opted for a more traditional date with Nat. Wanda, who wasnât entirely familiar with the holiday, and Vision, who felt more comfortable at the compound, both agreed to stay home and have a movie night together.
Needless to say, you were one of the few people on the team who didnât have anyone to celebrate the day with. But you were happy for everyone else. Truly you were. Seeing them so smitten with one another was adorable. And you always encouraged your friends to go all out for their partner. They all appreciated your help. And if your face fell after they left, being freshly reminded of how single you were, they never saw it. No one did.
Or so you thought.
ââĽď¸ââĽď¸ââĽď¸â
February 14th. Seven am. You had to get to the kitchen before anyone else. Bucky mentioned something about making breakfast for Sam today and you did not want to witness that disaster.
After showering and getting dressed for the day, you head to the kitchen to make a pot of coffee and snag an apple. As soon as you enter though, you stop in your tracks. Sitting on the counter is a large, beautiful bouquet of red roses. You frown. No one had said they were planning on leaving roses in the kitchen. Everyone who decided on gifting it, wanted to present it to their Valentine. So who were these for?
Stepping closer to investigate, you find a card hidden in the lush greenery.
With a name written in delicate loops.
Your name.
Heart beating rapidly and hands shaking slightly, you pluck the card from the holder and open it. More elegant loops are inside, a message.
âSomeone as lovely as you should not be without a gift on this day.â
Thatâs it. No signature, no clue as to who could have left these for you. You search the rest of the bouquet, looking for another note, something, but itâs futile. Thereâs nothing.
âWhatcha got there doll?â
You jump, clutching the card to your chest. âGeez Bucky! You scared me!â
He laughs sheepishly. âSorry, didnât mean to.â His eyes flit to the letter you were still clutching to the roses behind you. He slowly smirks.
âThought you said you didnât have anyone special?â
âI donât! I just walked in here to get some coffee and found these sitting here. With a card. With... with my name on the card. But I have no idea who left them.â
He holds out his hand and you give him the card. He arches a brow when he looks back up at you after reading the note and you blush.
âI donât know who itâs from Bucky.â
He hands it back to you and shrugs. âMe either. Maybe you recently caught someoneâs eye and theyâre too shy to say anything.â
âYeah... maybe.â
He gives you a reassuring smile and heads to the fridge to make breakfast while you take your roses to your room.
You spend you the rest of the day subtly dropping hints to everyone, trying to see if someone would slip and admit to being the one to have left those for you. Other times, you werenât so subtle, asking outright but to no avail. Everyone assured you the werenât the ones to have bought them for you.
ââĽď¸ââĽď¸ââĽď¸â
You tried to forget about the mysterious rose deliverer. Weeks go past and every time you walked past the beautifully fragrant roses, you couldnât help but try to find out who sent them. Youâd stare hard at them, as if the delicate petals held the answers themselves but refused to tell you. It reached to the point where you felt as though they were mocking you. The answer had to be simple, it had to be someone you knew. But you asked everyone you knew. Several times! So much so that everyone would groan when you had that determined look in your eyes.
Itâs nearly the middle of March and youâre standing before the flowers, rubbing the soft petals between your fingers. The answer was staring right at you. It had to be. You counted the roses again, as if they offered a clue. Fifteen. Fifteen beautiful, deep, red roses. You inhale their scent, sweet, but never overpowering. How they never lost their scent, astounded you. How they maintained their charming beauty even... even after all this time. Even though you havenât trimmed them or anything. They still look as stunning as the day you got them... almost a month ago. Itâs as if... as if they were staying alive by... by magic.
âYou have got to be kidding me.â
You had asked everyone but him about the roses. The thought had definitely crossed your mind, but since when had he taken an interest in you? You brushed it aside, âItâs impossibleâ youâd scold yourself. The gorgeous dark prince, having feelings for you? The likelihood of that was as likely as Thor knowing how to tap dance. At least, thatâs what you convinced yourself.
You go on a search to find him, mind racing.
What if you were wrong? What if it wasnât him? But fifteen roses instead of the usual dozen or two dozen? Wasnât three his number or something like that? He had mentioned once, in passing, that the number was usually associated with him. And never wilting flowers? Like the were imbued with a magical spell to ensure theyâre everlasting.
Turning a corner, you run into a solid wall of muscles and almost tumble backwards had the person not wrapped their arm around your waist to steady you.
You look up to see it was the man you were looking for.
âLoki! It- itâs you!â
âI am indeed, myself.â He tells you with an arched brow.
A heat roses to your cheek. âNo, no I mean... the roses.â Your certainty quickly vanishes as he looks at you with those piercing green eyes. âThe roses I received on Valentineâs Day... theyâre from you. Right?â
âTook you long enough.â
The grin he gives you at his admission instantly settles your nerves.
âTheyâre beautiful! Thank you so much for them.â It takes all your will power to not hug him but thereâs a question nagging at you. âBut... why?â
His brows furrow and he frowns. âWere they not to your liking? I had assumed-â
âNo! I mean... I do like them. I love them. But... why me? Why would you give me roses that day.â
âHow could I not? They way you would assist everyone in their little schemes, no matter if you were hurting.â
âH-how did-?â
âI could see it, darling. When you thought no one was looking, I saw the pain, the ache you held.â
His arm is still around your waist and he pulls you flush against him. You gape up at him, face still hot. His eyes search your face and he gently brushed his knuckles against your cheek.
âIs it wrong for me to say Iâm pleased no one took notice of you yet? For I want you to be mine. If, of course, youâll have me?â
Your tongue darts out, nervously, and you put a hand on his chest. Leaning close to him, you press a soft kiss to his lips.
âI want you... more than anything.â
He smirks and his eyes turn a shade darker before he kisses you, deeply. You wind your arms around his neck, holding him close as he traces your bottom lip with his tongue, asking for entry. You part your lips in a soft gasp as you feel him hardening against your stomach.
He pulls away, eyes blown dark, the penetrating green barely there.
âWe have much lost time to make up for, darling.â
You nod and take his hand, pulling him back to your room, ready to not waste another minute without him.
ââĽď¸ââĽď¸ââĽď¸â
My ride or die: @lehuka123 @thejournalman @myraiswack @loki-yoursaviourishere @just-the-hiddles @confetti-its-an-imagine-blog @thehumanistsdiary @fanfictionaries @astheworlddturns @bbarnestan @buckyfan12 @vodka-and-some-sass
Loki: @delightfulheartdream @imherefortomhiddleston @molloy-morris @imnotrevealingmyname @lokis-leah @lucywrites02
Tag lists are open!!
#Everlasting Roses#Loki fic#Loki fluff#Loki x you#Loki x reader#loki laufeyson x you#loki laufeyson x reader#loki odinson x you#loki odinson x reader#Loki fanfic#Loki fanfiction#Loki laufeyson fluff#Loki odinson fluff#loki imagine#Loki Valentine imagine#Valentine fic
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Breathless Charm
Notes: A short little Hotch/Rossi first date story for @valyerena. Happy Birthday! I have more in the works for these two (a lot of my 200 followers celebration requests have been for Hossi and I'm not upset), but I wanted to make sure to get something up for your birthday. <3 It's barely edited and a little disjointed but fluffy and sweet.
There was a little restaurant Aaron had always wanted to go to. It was right down on the pier with a view of the water and Mount Rainier, but Haley didn't like seafood and it was far too indulgent to go on his own, or so he told himself. It wasn't exactly fancy, you didn't need reservations and there certainly wasn't a dress code but there was just something that had always just drawn him to it. In fact, it was more of a tourist trap than anything if he really considered it, but that didn't matter. Maybe it was the bright orange neon sign you could see from miles away, right there on the boardwalk, next to the aquarium and the tourists and the smell of the Puget Sound that called to him. He'd walked by it dozens of times a week during his lunch hour, biked past it, rode the train past it. No matter where he went in Seattle, he seemed to gravitate there, and yet he never went, just watched couples and happy families going in and out and dreamed of it. It had become an odd fixation of his, a point of contention between he and Haley until they moved back East and it was forced to live only in his subconscious.
âAaron, why don't you just get lunch there? It's a fish bar, not a Michelin star restaurant.â
âBy myself?â he asked, scandalized by the thought. He wasn't sure why, he'd always liked being alone, he'd eaten at plenty of establishments on his own, even gone to movies on his own. Still, he stared at Haley like she had a second head and she just laughed at how utterly ridiculous her husband was while she folded laundry on the sofa.
âYes, Aaron. By yourself.â
âThey have salads and burgers, too, you know.â Stabbing in the dark. He knew she wasn't going to take the bait. She just rolled her eyes dramatically and threw a towel at him to fold.
âI'm not going to order a burger or a salad at a seafood restaurant. Find someone who likes fish and go with them, or go by yourself. Or...never go. Your call, babe.â
Being back in Seattle, it was the first thing he thought of. They landed, and he stood up, arched his back to stretch out, and followed Dave out of the jet thinking about that stupid little restaurant, so built up in his psyche now that it couldn't possibly live up to the hype. Maybe it wouldn't even be open anymore, maybe it was a sushi place or a gift shop now. He frowned, standing in the purple and gold twilight, dreading the ride downtown. He'd asked them to just get them their own vehicle but the head of the Field Office insisted on driving them, said it was an honor but Aaron wasn't sure they'd feel that way when he threw up all over the backseat.
âDinner?â Aaron asked, sliding into the backseat of the SUV with some trepidation, arranging his bags at his feet and on his lap. He hugged the door close and did his best to avoid looking out the window, instead he focused on Dave and the other agents while they spoke, just to avoid the inevitable motion sickness that came from being in the back of a moving vehicle. Nothing exposed his need for control faster than not being the one to drive. There was no focusing on a fixed point that would help him, just careful distraction, so Dave did his best to keep the conversation with the other two agents engaging.
âI could eat,â Dave replied under his breath, still listening to the agents in the front seat. He could tell the agents were nervous, the way they rambled on and on about everything they'd set up and done for the week, looking for nods of approval or pats on the back from the more seasoned agents in the back. It happened often when they flew out to help prep for big trials, and in this case, it was the biggest Washington State had seen in decades, so the newspapers were saying. When Aaron had been asked to come out, he insisted on bringing Dave as well, Dave knew the case better than anyone and Derek could run things back home for a few days.
âYou like seafood?â Aaron whispered, taking a chance. Dave shrugged and nodded, a careless little motion that read as being non-committal at best. Aaron stared at him, willing him to say something, give him a solid answer.
âSure,â was his reply, and that was that. Aaron took it as a done deal, they were going to his little fish bar and he was finally going to be disappointed by reality not living up to fantasy. They dropped their files off at the Field Office and made their way to the hotel, asking to get an SUV for their own use for the rest of the week. Aaron knew he wouldn't be able to be carted around like a child in the back of an SUV all week, there was no way. He'd rather walk or get a bike.
âWe can drive you anywhere you need to go, it's no trouble,â Agent Kennedy said, a little bashfully. Dave shook his head and tried not to crush the kid, he looked so young. He wasn't sure he'd ever been so young in his life.
âI'm sure you must have better things to do than chauffeur two old men around,â Dave replied, winking, lightening the mood. âWe can drive ourselves. Agent Hotchner lived in Seattle for two years, we'll manage.â Agent Kennedy opened his mouth to protest, but the look on Aaron's face when he returned from checking them in scared him into silent agreement with their demands. He told them he'd do what he could and left them to get settled in.
âSharing a room,â Aaron said, waving the key. âThe bureau's generosity knows no bounds.â
âJust like old times,â replied Dave, with a coy little smile and they made for the elevator at the end of the corridor. Aaron wasn't unhappy about it, he'd always liked sharing his room with Dave, there was something so easy about the way they fell into sync together, shared a space without stepping on toes. Dave always brought the nice scotch and he slept so peacefully that Aaron couldn't help getting at least a little good shut eye when they shared a room. âSo, this restaurant you want to take me to...it's the one Haley wouldn't go to, huh?â
âYou remember that?â
âAaron,â Dave started, but he caught himself, carefully planned his reply instead of just winging it. Not the time to be coy, to flirt, not until wine. They'd been cautiously flirting for years, but wine helped. âI listen when you talk.â Sappy, but not over the top. It made Aaron blush, though, he could see it. Aaron didn't blush the way other people did, it never hit his cheeks, but his neck would flush bright splotchy pinks and reds and Dave knew it spread down to his collar bone like a rash. He'd made an inappropriate joke once while Aaron was in the hospital and watched it happen through the wide open gown, was so enthralled by how bizarre it was. He couldn't imagine anything more on brand, he even blushed in private, like he was allergic to attention. You had to know what you were looking for to even notice.
They settled into the hotel room, changed from work clothes to play, and set out on foot. Aaron decided he only needed a sweater, maybe because he was showing off over having lived in Seattle â he wouldn't bring an umbrella and he wouldn't wear a jacket, the locals didn't bother with those things and he'd been local once. He didn't know why he felt so strongly about it, but he watched as Dave put on his dinner jacket and a pea coat and he thought about grabbing his coat anyway, but dug in. He'd manage. It was April, it wasn't warm but it wasn't cold either. Their hotel was just up the street from the boardwalk, they could see the lights and the people from their sixth floor window. The walk was brisk, a little windy and they sucked in the smell of the briny sea air and watched the throngs of people pass them in loud groups, families with children tugging them along toward the aquarium or the market.
âA neon sign?â Dave asked, turning to Aaron, who had his hands shoved in his pockets to keep his fingers warm, regretting his decision not to bring his coat already. He'd forgotten how quickly the temperature changed on the water.
âIt's busy, that's a good sign right?â
âIs it?â
âListen,â Aaron began, but Dave just shook his head and opened the door for Aaron, letting him enter first. The humid heat hit them quickly, and Aaron smiled. It smelled like oysters and lemons.
âI'll try anything once. They'd better have good drinks.â
Much to Aaron's chagrin, they were seated outside, right on the pier and perused the menu as they listened to the water slapping against the pilings below them, the far off sounds of sea lions and the aquarium. The wind was chilly, his nose felt frozen but at least they'd been seated beneath an umbrella with a heater tucked inside so it was bearable. The wine list was enough for Dave to decide the restaurant was okay, not exactly what he would have selected but then, he had expensive taste. Their seafood was as fresh as it could be and prepared with skill, lightly fried oysters and carefully cooked salmon still delightful and soft and pink. They ordered nearly everything on the menu after Dave decided Aaron had waited long enough to try the damn place and then watched his brow furrow in desperation over what to pick. Conversation never lulled, and Aaron thought maybe he was flirting but he was out of his depths in that department. The more wine they consumed, the further back their stories went, dredging up old memories of Gideon and Max and driving or the time the bureau put them on a god forsaken Greyhound bus to somewhere in the mid-west, but they couldn't remember where now, the wine had pickled a few of the more important bits of the memories. Probably for the best, they both realized as they got further into it.
âYou threw up in that nasty little bathroom,â Dave blurted out and Aaron laughed, nodding. He hadn't forgotten that bit, though he'd been hoping Dave would have.
âIt was that air freshener the driver kept spraying, gave me a migraine.â That was the story he'd stuck with, but it was all of the smells of the bus, the motion sickness, anxiety, it was a perfect storm. He'd never been on a Greyhound bus before, and he had outright refused them since. There were two other cases that the bureau wanted to put them on those buses for and he paid for a plane ticket out of his own pocket just to avoid it each time.
âYeah, well it was better than the smell of the diapers. I'm not sure what they were feeding that kid but I almost joined you.â
When they stood to leave, bellies full and more than a little wine drunk, Aaron shoved his hands deep into his pockets and felt a sinking regret over his decision not to bring his coat. The temperature had dropped significantly and the walk back to the hotel wasn't long, but it was long enough that his wool sweater would lose its battle with the wind. Dave slipped his pea coat off of the back of his seat and handed it to Aaron with a knowing smile. In truth, he'd only grabbed it because he knew how stubborn his friend was, his dinner jacket was more than enough for a chilly spring evening.
âNo, Dave,â Aaron protested, but Dave just pushed it at him again. They stared at one another silently, Dave not willing to take no for an answer. He'd leave the coat on the chair before he put it back on himself and Aaron knew it.
âI'm plenty comfortable the way I am,â he replied and watched as Aaron pulled the jacket on slowly. He adjusted the sleeves of his sweater, tugged at them until they weren't bunched up, and smiled.
âThanks Dave.â He knew he'd been played. Dave knew him too well.
They made their way up the boardwalk, side by side, taking the long way back to the hotel on boozy legs, breathing in the salty sea air. They were silent, just listening to the slap of the water against wood and rocks, the gulls above them screeching and squawking, the cars roaring past on the highways that twisted and curled above the city. The way the city lights reflected over the black water danced in Aaron's eyes and he felt like he was home, silly as it was. He'd loved this city once. Getting as far away from Virginia as he could had been his only real tangible dream, and for two short years, it was a reality. Slowly, he realized that might have been why he anchored himself so hard to that restaurant, a reason to return. Unfinished business in the Emerald City. It hadn't been disappointing, but he knew while he ate his meal that it hadn't been about the food at all, it was the feeling, the fixed point on his horizon. That neon sign.
âFish Bar?â Dave asked, one eyebrow shooting comically toward his hairline. Aaron smiled a little sheepishly and looked down at his feet as he walked.
âWhat's wrong with that?â
âOh, nothing. I just think I could have done better for a first date, that's all.â
Aaron made a small strangled sound, his neck flushing beneath the collar of his wool sweater and he hugged Dave's coat tight around himself. After an awful stretched moment of silence, he caught his bearings and laughed. âOkay, hot shot. Prove it.â
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