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theweasleytwinsownmyjuicyass · 5 months

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Wait for you Pt.2 | L.N.

Lando Norris x reader

Summary: Nothing can stand between true love. But what if said love is taken from one's memory?

Warnings: angst, fluff:3

Word count: ~4.9K

A/N: Hello hello! I have finally got aroud to finishing this piece! Hope ya'll enjoy it <3

Lando could not concentrate, not for more than a sentence before his mind was once again playing you as his favourite movie.

Your smile, your eyes it all felt too good to be true and lord… the kiss. Lando had to physically restrain himself every time his mind went there. All he wanted was to run out of this room full of people talking about plans for the upcoming race and just run to you.

His skin was itchy and on fire from waiting for your touch. Now that you’ve given him a dose, given him hope, he was hooked with anticipation for more.

After the conference everyone dispersed into their own rooms except for Lando who followed Oscar to his driver’s room.

“Oscar you will not believe what happened!” Lando giggled as he closed the door.

Thus began the recollection of the touching moment on the roof top with you.

“- and then I asked her out and she said yes, and even gave me a kiss on my cheek before I entered the conference room! Can you imagine that Oscar?! She kissed me!” excitement was pooling around Lando’s lower lash line.

Oscar had forgotten what a truly happy Lando looked like and no matter how tired he was now, he did not want to be anywhere but right here on the uncomfortably tough sofa, listening to his friend talk about his love, especially because that love was you.

“Well that sounds like good news mate, where are you gonna take her by the way?” Oscar watched the life drain from Lando’s face as the excitement for the rendezvous converted to pure stress of the situation.

“Oh my God?! Where am I going to take her?!” Lando started pacing around the small room in circles making Oscar feel positively dizzy just from following Lando with his eyes.

“HELP ME OSCAR!” The older male pulled at his own hair out of sheer desperation for someone else’s input.

“Well just take her where you’ve taken her before, it’ll help her jog the memory,” Oscar answered calmly, rubbing his eyes. Lando’s pacing really did make him dizzy.

“Wait, that’s actually a really good idea. She loved our first date, she was never tired from talking about it,” Lando‘s eyes sparkled with the memory of your hands wrapping around his every time you told someone about your first date. Those were the moments when Lando understood just how deeply he felt for you and how you loved him just as much.

“Exactly. Everything is gonna work out, I can feel it,” Oscar laid an encouraging hand on his teammates shoulder. If reassurance was what Lando needed, Oscar will be there to provide.

The next few days at the paddock were filled with shy glances and giggles as the date spurred the two to secure their connection. Your laughter was never ending as so were Lando’s bright smiles. It seemed that every sentence Lando could think of sounded like the funniest joke to your ears.

While Oscar explained their upcoming race schedule to Lando, comically unbeknownst to him, Lando’s eyes were trained only on one person, as for all his attention too.

“What do you think about that Lando?” Oscar looked into the eyes of his friend only to find his point of attention trained behind himself rather than at him.

As he turned to find the culprit of Lando’s attention, he found no one else but you perched on a counter, lit up by the golden evening sun. Lando giggled as you waved at him and lifted his hand to wave back at you, both of your blushes ever-growing.

“Oh c’mon man, we’ve been through this!” Oscar’s eyes rolled back into his skull.

Damn these two love birds. As much as Oscar was thrilled for his friends once again being together the shy-giggly faze is just as annoying as it was a year ago.

You winked at Lando and he almost lost his stance.

“Really?” Oscar signs.

“She’s flirting with me!” Lando became defensive clutching his chest.

“Mate she’s literally your girlfriend…”

“Yeah, but she doesn’t know that,” Lando’s smile never left his face as he watched your eyes focus back on the book that lay rested on your thighs.

In that moment something clicked for Lando. Life is truly as good as it can get. All uncertainty has been washed away by hope. It truly felt like you were healing him with every single glance. Perhaps it was just Lando’s imagination but whenever he met your eyes they were yours, he knew those eyes and for the first time in a long time Lando could let himself cry out of happiness when thinking of you. The clouds have dispersed, with each passing day you remembered more and said things that would make Lando stop in his tracks.

Lando no longer needed to look for you, because you were already there…

The over-packed luggage bag fell out of your hands at the sweet sight of a white fluffy bed. Lord knows you wasted no time jumping into the bed after kicking your shoes off at the door.

“Ughhh, this is heaven,” your voice was muffled by numerous pillows, but Lando still heard it clearly.

“I’m gonna set up my sim here, okay?” He asked, unsure if you wished for him to leave or stay. After all sleep was what you favoured over anything.

“Yeah it’s no problem, you know I don’t mind you being around,” you lifted your head slightly and shot him a smile.

“You’re the best!” Lando smiled in excitement and in a few minutes the desk area of the hotel bedroom became a sim racing corner.

“cute,” you admired the man only loud enough for yourself to hear.

It felt like only a couple seconds had passed before Lando was once again calling your name.

“Y/nnnn, are you sleeping?” His eyes met your half lidded ones. Gosh you looked cute, all sleepy… and so kissable.

“I am now,” you yawned the words out, eyes not yet fully open.

“Good, you better not be sleeping, I need you to see me win this,” his concentration in the game never faltered even with you on his mind.

“Don’t worry I’m awake,” you yawned once again making Lando chuckle. “You know, you could just wake me up when you finish and tell me the result?”

“Nooo,” he whined, “I need you to watch me win. Are you watching me?” He turned back for a second just to make sure you were behind him.

And you were. You were sitting there wrapped in a blanket, eyes big and oh so soft. You were there with him and that was all he ever needed.

You climbed out of the bed and stood behind him, hands in his hair and a kiss on his temple to which he let out a satisfactory sigh. ”You’re going to win Lan, I know you can.”

“I’ll only win if you’re by my side, love.” He crossed the finish line and turned around kissing you deeply before you could even congratulate him. His hands were quick to hook under your thighs, your warm skin tickling his fingers. He picked you up effortlessly, nestling the both of you into the bed that had already soaked up the scent of your floral perfume. It’s the same one he gifted you on your last birthday.

Your hands tangled around him, pulling him closer until you breathe the same air. His eyes were glossy, pupils dilated to a point where you could barely see the storm of green and blue. Your fingertips draged across his soft skin and to his silky curls. He was everywhere and you hoped it always stayed that way.

You’re still drunk on quality sleep when the morning light pulled you out of the peaceful slumber. Your hands instinctively reached out to the other side of the bed ghosting over the empty mattress, “Lan?”

A pout formed on your lips as you found the bed empty and void of any and all warmth.

Suddenly your eyes shot open but then again closed up, pain of the bright lighting residing in your retina.

You turned to your left side. Empty bedside. No Lando.

You felt yourself swimming in confusion. Your memories mixing with moments unseen before.

Was I dreaming? Dreaming of Lando in my bed? Quite puzzling indeed.

But what puzzled you most was that you were in Spain, but Lando was not in your bed.

That revelation, for some unknown reason, did not sit well with you.

Overwhelmed you sat up on the bed, trying so hard to understand why for the love of god you were looking for Lando in your bed.

Why would Lando be here? Why was he in my dream? Was it really a dream?

You got off the bed and started looking for any clues that the dream was not actually a dream but reality.

Although the only thing you found is yourself feeling something for Lando Norris you had not felt before.

Dream or reality? This only served to confuse your heart further.

Your eyes caught the clock on the wall, a clear sign that you should hurry as the slender black arrow was about to meet the number seven.

Today was a free day for the grid. That meant that you were to meet Oscar and Lando in the hotel gym and later head for a complimentary breakfast with the two.

Hanging at the gym with them was not as fun as most imagine. Without their active energy being aimed at making jokes it was easy to get bored since you were not in a mood for a workout.

After walking around for a good five minutes you ran into Alonso.

Ever since you first came to formula 1 Fernando fit right into your life, kind of like a father figure at most times and sometimes as an older and much wiser friend.

For that very reason you were now sat at one of the many leather benches talking the older man’s ear off about everything that had been going left instead of turning out right.

“Every day whenever I’m left alone it just gets so annoying, like I truly have nothing to do, but I have nothing I want to do. Like I’m just trying to sit somewhere and relax but it somehow feels too bland,” a heavy sign exited your lungs making Fernando put down his weights and put all of his attention on you now.

“Take them,” he was clutching a plastic earphone box lightly in his left hand, extending it towards you.

“Don’t you need them?” you lifted your eyes out of curiosity but did not dare take them just yet.

Fernando was quick to brush your question off, “Ech, I don’t like these wireless things, I always loose them.”

Your eyes locked on the case. Do I even like listening to music?

“Don’t worry these are unused, I got them from PR this morning,” he let out a chuckle, unnerved by your silence after being surrounded by your voice for so long.

“Are you sure?” you were uncertain but Fernando thrust the case into your hands and ruffled your hair as you smiled up at the man. “Thank you Fernando.”

“It’s all my pleasure sweetheart, it’s about time you started listening to your music again.”

Fernando walked away before you could inquire him about your taste of music, and how he knew so much about it.

There it was again, that uncomfortable feeling. You felt as if you were behind in class, like everyone knew what was going on and which formula to use for a certain problem, but you did not.

Everyone around you seemed to know things about you before you got to discover them yourself and that did nothing but make you uncomfortable in your own skin.

That is where the spiralling set in.

All of a sudden the world shifted off its natural axes and you were no longer there. Your words seemed to get stuck in your head, your movements too slow and every time you tried to pay attention your mind was engulfed in a thick cloud.

It was all messing you up to further close in on yourself.

Lando noticed. Of course Lando noticed. Even if it was only a week, Lando noticed…

There was one thing Lando actually paid attention to and it was you. But once again his great attraction to you was beginning to pain him, little by little scratching at his heart. With each cold shoulder and weak smile he could feel it, he could feel you moving further from him while he was stationary, just a few steps behind you, nonetheless too far than he’d like to be.

Lando’s eyes drifted around the white ceiling of his driver’s room as he tried to trace his steps back and see what might have caused you to stray from him. Was it something he did? If it was he’d better fix it before it became too late. But what could he have done?

You had the date about three weeks ago, that was fine, great even, and he hadn’t had you so happy and respondent in months. Then there was the free week before Spain which he spent with his family while you went to Australia with Oscar, but you texted and called every single day, most days it was you who initiated the calls and reassured him that he was not keeping you from sleep as the two of you were separated by many, many hours.

Then there was the night you landed in Spain. Lando had waited in the airport for hours, wishing he was the one to take you to the hotel and surprise you with your favourite flowers.

He remembered Spain last year. He could never forget, it was your first time at a race as a couple, the relationship still fresh as a wildflower. Lando was hoping for a win, and he felt he could win with you by his side, like he did the night before on the sim, only because you were there watching him with your soft loving and undeniably sleepy eyes…

He expected to jog your memory with the help of the familiar Spanish scenery however it appeared to blow up right in his face the next day.

He picked you up at the airport and you were happy. Right? Yes. You jumped into his arms, you held his hand and even let a tear escape your eye as you held the flowers close to your chest. On the ride to the hotel you talked so much, excitedly telling him about all kinds of aussie adventures you, Oscar and his girlfriend Lilly got up to. He listened all through them with a pearly smile, even if he had heard the stories before from Oscar, asking you questions while knowing the answers to them only because he knew you’d feel cared for and appreciated if he asked. And to end the short but splendid night you kissed goodnight after he walked you to your room. It was meant to be a thank you for his kindness but the real thank you for him where your eyes.

Your eyes were his weakness since day one.

But the next day your eyes were not your eyes anymore… They were not yours ever since.

Was this it? Is this how life is going to be now? He will work and work to get just a bit of you for you to forget it all the next day.

He had heard about such a thing from doctors how some amnesia patients have clear sky days when they become who they were before but even a slight factor can alter that and not an hour later they can forget all that happened before.

Does this mean you will never remember him?

What if you never love him again…

“Lan get up you muppet we have a race starting in 20,” Oscar yanked the older boy awake from his daydream and watched him return to reality. “Everything okay mate?” he observed the tired eyes of his friend.

“Yeah… let’s go.” Lando trained his gaze away from Oscar and left the room first. As much as he needed to talk about you now, he just couldn’t do it, not to Oscar, not again…

Your fingers mindlessly wrapped around your ring pulling it on and off constantly before your skin started burning, but that didn’t stop your behaviour.

Thanks to your mind running faster than an F1 car you’ve figured out a few things this week.

First. You liked Lando Norris. And that’s great.

But dreaming about him being your boyfriend? Now that’s a bit too much.

Second. You liked music. More than you initially thought you did.

Third. You liked cornflowers. The blue ones.

You didn’t know that before. You couldn’t really think of a flower you liked before…

Fourth. You had no idea who you were.

There it was again, that unshakable feeling out of alignment. Like the whole world had tilted and you were no longer on the same axis as before. Was it only a few degrees off but you felt worlds apart from the days before.

Your heart was racing again, lungs refusing to take in the oxygen, though it was all around. It was easy and natural to breathe, something no one needed to think about to control, it just happened and for some reason you were once again stuck unable to control your own self, just as you were unable to calm your pounding head.

You entered the garage where Oscar and Lando stood listening to one of their engineers explaining something to them animatedly. The earbuds in your ears were almost unnoticeable, even with the melodic tune, until you made eye contact with Lando’s clear blues did the familiar tune follow.

But I knew you,

Dancin' in your Levi's,

Drunk under a streetlight,

I knew you.

All of a sudden it hit you quite literally like a truck full of bricks. And the world completely swung off its axis.

The memories spun as a wind whirl in front of your eyes.

It played like a movie.

Your eyes filled with tears before you could turn away and leave the crowded space. Too confused and much too overwhelmed with what you’ve just remembered.

There was Lando, and he was everywhere. He was holding your hands and he was kissing you and he was sleeping in your bed. But you didn’t understand where all of this came from, when just moments ago you were trying to figure out if you even like the man, now you felt such a tremendous pull towards him, it scared you.

Lando had watched your small smile fade into a look of confusion and your eyes filled with tears. Your last look was it. Eyebrows pulled together, eyes glossy. Something he had not seen in months now. Your whole face was contoured with memories of you two together. And he could see that, he could see it from your eyes, the eyes that recognised him once more, only they were not glistening with love but with salty tears.

She remembered me. She is crying.

Panic ran Lando’s blood cold. He wanted to chase after you but before he could take one step in your direction a firm hand on his shoulder held him back.

Lando looked at the hand before lifting his eyes to meet the concerned eyes of his teammate, “Lando I know what she means to you, but you have a race starting in 5 minutes. We need to get in those cars.”

“But she’s crying Oscar, something is wrong.” Lando’s voice was demanding and rough, if he needed to push Oscar down to get to you he’d do it, no matter how much the thought of hurting his friend displeased him.

Oscar registered the fiery gaze that made home in Lando’s eyes and he did not want to see what followed but he had no thought of letting him go.

“You have to make a choice Lando. It was never going to be easy.”

As much as it hurt Oscar to say those words to his friend, all he wanted was for you and Lando to be together again.

But Oscar saw you this week. And he saw Lando this week. And neither were sights to marvel at.

You were always an extension of Lando and he poured all he had into the girl he loved. But you were different now, and that was changing Lando, although not always in a right way.

By the end of the day if you did not remember loving him and if their labour proved fruitless Lando would have nothing left. No you, no him. For now Lando at least had F1 and Oscar knew that the only thing he could do is help his friend protect his precious job because he had no call in your mind or feelings.

Only a month ago Oscar felt how everything would work out, but maybe working out meant you two finding your happiness apart and not together. Healing separately and moving on from what had passed. As disturbing as that sounded, it looked like the only solution for both of your wellness.

“Boys, cars, now!” a voice boomed, directing them to take their positions.

Oscar and Lando shared one last glance before Lando pulled his helmet back on and settled into his seat.

It’s gonna be a tough race. Oscar thought.

As expected the race was unlike no other this year, 3 crashes, 5 DNF’s all while Lando drove with the concentration of an eagle, his eyes on the road, but your eyes in his mind.

Lando was rethinking everything, he quite literally had the time, almost two hours before he’s allowed out of this car and can finally see you, he needed to be ready for what was to come in the future… or if there was any future for the two of you left.

What if it is the end?

What if you don’t want him anymore?

A couple of tears travelled down his hot cheek and mixed with his sweat. His eyes were burning, his chest was burning but he pushed and pushed himself unafraid to perform a dangerous over-take with the car in front of him. Mere seconds later a loud cheer echoed through his ear.

“P1 LANDO! YOU ARE THE WINNER LANDO!”

“I won?” He repeated while finishing the cool-down lap, complete disbelief soaking his words.

As soon as he stepped out of the car it was all cheering and flashing lights.

I need you to watch me win. Are you watching me? His own voice resonated through his ears, the memory of your eyes before him.

That was the last thread before he broke down crying next to his car.

Everyone cheered even louder. They thought he was facing the high of his life while he felt like rotting in hell.

He needed you to see him when he won. Now he did win, but you were not watching…

He knew you. He knew you so well. When you told him you’d be there, when you kissed his cheek, when you watched the night sky with him, when you held his hand. He knew you’d come back to him. He knew he’d get to hold your hand again and watch you smile all thanks to his wit.

Only he did not know it would be temporary…

Air got caught in Lando’s throat, it was suffocating being encaged within the helmet.

While Lando stood on the podium accepting his award not once did he look down at the crowd before him. Keeping his eyes on the trophy or the other men sharing the podium with him.

But never down, never to the left corner where from the side of his eye he could see that cluster of bright papaya, never to the very front of that gate, never to where you were supposed to be standing.

Because inside he knew that you were not there, but if he never looked back there then there will be no confirmation, so the theoretical possibility that you might just be there was all he could get and he would hold on to it for dear life.

If he never looked down, he could just let himself imagine that you were there, watching him win…

“See boy, you can’t win everything, but when your time comes, you get all that you want. And Lando, you very well deserve this,” it was Fernando tapping the younger boy on the shoulder, expressing his congratulations.

yeah… I won a race but I lost my love.

Sadness encapsulated his heart and the last thing he wanted now was to pretend to celebrate a long awaited win. Before anyone could get their hands on him he disappeared to his driver’s room.

He opened the door and locked it behind himself. He needed to be alone now.

“Lando,” your soft voice greeted him.

“I knew you,” your eyes were ablaze, “I don’t know how or where it came from, but I knew you and I loved you.” You tried your best to calmly express all feelings that came crashing down on you mere hours ago.

“Loved?” Lando breathed under his nose, he was shattered beyond repair as your declaration made him take in a large gulp of air. Lando could feel himself getting mad. This is so fucking unfair.

“You’re so mean.” He slumped down on the couch, his eyes directed away from you.

“What? Lando I’m trying to-“, you stepped closer to him, instantly regretting that decision.

“AND YOU DON‘T THINK I AM?! I’ve been trying for months now, all alone, while you wanted nothing to do with me. You didn’t even know me, while I had to live around you, still in love with you. It’s so unfair, SO FUCKING UNFAIR ALL OF THIS!”, his hands waved with inner rage. He knew he wasn’t mad at you, it was not your fault, but he was mad at something and he needed to let that out. He needed you to finally know how he felt.

“Lando I am sorry, I-“, you tried to interrupt before Lando completely broke.

“IT’S SO UNFAIR THAT YOU WEREN’T THERE, YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO WATCH ME. SURE YOU DON’T REMEMBER, BUT I DO, I REMEMBER, YOU PROMISED ME YOU’D WATCH ME WIN! AND YOU DIDN’T! YOU LIED!” With each word his voice became louder and louder, he was letting his emotions out for once, tired of holding them in for the sake of everyone else but himself.

“I know Lando! And I did watch you,” you tried to keep your mind levelled and let him let his frustrations out.

“NO, NO YOU DIDN’T, YOU RAN OUT BEFORE THE RACE COULD EVEN START, Y/N I SAW YOU!”

“I. WATCHED. YOU.” You’re the one to raise your voice now, getting close to his face. You needed to show him that you could hear him.

“We were here in Spain a year ago and you were sim racing before the race, you told me to watch you race, because you wanted me to see you win and you did win. But when we woke up the next day I had caught a cold and could not watch you race out on the circuit. You lost and you were crushed. I know Lando. I was there. And I am here now, only this time I was here too, I watched you race and I watched you win.” Your own voice glazed in assertiveness just to make him listen.

Lando’s eyes were in tears, his hands in tight fists unable to understand how something like this could have happened. All of these emotions crashing down on him, he didn’t know what to do, he did not know how to react, he was lost.

Your gentle touch worked to unwrap his tight grip and relax him before placing his palms on your tear stained cheeks.

You’d show him a way, the way you always had.

“I remember Lando. I remember everything. I am so sorry. I’m so sorry for leaving you alone for so long. I’m sorry it took me so long to come back to you. But we can fix this we can work on this together right?” you pleaded with your eyes, attentively searching his own for an answer.

Lando’s first instinct was to pull you into a crushing hug, breathing you in like you were his oxygen.

Lando finally felt at home. It was and always would be your touch, your presence that could ground him.

“You came back to me. I will do everything to keep you close, Y/n,” He whispered into your neck, the hot air tickling your skin making you giggle.

“You came back,” he held you even tighter and your hands were just as firm grasping him.

“I‘ll never leave you again,” you ran your hands through his soaked curls, letting the memories of your life before take over each one of your cells and fill you, “I’m sorry for taking so long my love,”

“Don’t be.” Lando broke the hug so he could look into your eyes again.

Now he saw his true prize. It was your eyes, your rosy cheeks, your glistening lips. You were back and you still loved him,“ I’d always wait for you.”

Tags: @goldsbitch @cmleitora @mickslover @darleneslane @queenofmanydreams @ujws5

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witchhazelevesque · 3 months

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I just finished rereading The Lost Hero and here are some notable things and stuff I’d forgotten:

Will had a quiver of arrows on his back when the trio arrived at camp- so his characterization was changed for BoO

Mr. D left a veritable forest of grapevines in the living room ‘to remember him by’

All the Hephaestus kids have Murphy beds except for Beckendorf/ Leo

3 Hypnos kids

Rachel has a prophecy pit crew that get her a stool and take care of her when she swoons from oracle business

Annabeth made an oath on the Styx to Jason not to tell anyone yet about Thalia being his sister

Piper is a really quick thinker

Jason is very good at reading people

Leo wishes Madea goes back to the fields of punishment “where she belonged” (resentful lil guy 💕)

Leo DID get to attend his mother’s funeral, glad to hear

In the 5th grade Leo made a ‘steam powered chicken chucker’ as a science project (precursor to the chicken nugget smoke screen mayhaps)

At least 12 Hephaestus kids at camp

At this point summoning lightning almost makes Jason pass out

There’s a parallel of Lityerses not being able to beat Jason’s Roman style sword fighting and the Romans not knowing how to combat Percy’s Greek style in SoN

Jason jokingly calls someone ‘General Eisenhower’, so a hint about him having military knowledge and knowing it so well he uses it as insults/jokes

He recognizes TV news broadcasts, so he prob watches those

Jason vaguely recognizes Piper’s dad in a picture because he has seen him in some movies

Piper calls Hedge by his first name by the end?? Leo uses Tempest as a power source- just plugs an electric saw into him and vroom vroom

Jason fought two different giants in the same day and both times literally went “guess I’ll die”

Jason refers to himself a praetor of the First Legion, though it is officially called the Twelfth Legion. Unclear if this is a mistake/ oversight or if it relates to Jason’s desire to change the Legion’s name that is later mentioned in SoN. Probably a mistake since it’s not brought up again to clear it up

Jason got back most of his memories, except for the location of Camp Jupiter (or the name actually)

Piper sleeps (at least once) with her dagger under her pillow

There’s a reference to 2009 and 2010 Party Ponies events

Hedge is Piper’s dad’s life coach

Piper tells Jason she’d follow him anywhere, paralleling how Frank later says he’d follow Percy anywhere

Chiron calls Lupa his ‘counterpart’

Leo was the one to figure out that Jason and Percy had been exchanged by Hera but then the story makes him forget this by the end to let Jason be the one to explicitly deliver that info??

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dixonsbrat · 7 months

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𖥔 𝐒𝐄𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐓 𝐕𝐀𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐄 𖥔

summary ; your valentine’s day takes a turn when what you think is just a surprise from peter turns out to be a lot more than you bargained for.

pairing ; mcu!peter parker x fem!reader

notes ; fluff, some mentions of anxiety, but mostly just peter being an oblivious lil himbo baby! this is a repost from my old acc x

do not transfer, translate or share my work to any other sites.

with valentine’s day just around the corner, it was easy to find yourself paranoid about the entire holiday and what exactly it meant for you and peter.

while for most people, it was a celebration of love and being able to embrace that, for you, it had become an anxiety-induced menace of a day that had you second-guessing everything.

the worst part of all was that you and peter technically weren’t together.

yet, as the days grew closer and you continued to get your hopes up, it was hard not to feel disheartened when he hadn’t uttered a single word about it. leading you to wonder if he had even given it any thought or if you were simply just getting in over your head about the whole thing.

to any stranger passing you by on the street and witnessing just how affectionate you were with each other, you looked like a couple. heck, you had even shared the occasional kiss, sometimes a little more, and on days when you would go to his apartment to study, it was never long before you’d find yourself snuggling in his bed while he tried to do homework over the top of you.

you never really cared to put a label on your situationship until now, and mostly because you didn’t think you had to.

but when the day finally arrives and peter was yet to exhibit any efforts in the name of romance, you were devastated.

“so, he really hasn’t said anything?” mj asks as you head to your locker, having just finished your last class of the day.

“nope. not a word,” you shake your head.

with her brows furrowing into a scowl, mj exhales, “man, i really thought he would have. i mean… it’s peter. the dude is literally the biggest softie i have ever met.”

despite the sadness you were feeling, you couldn’t help but crack a smile at your best friend’s words. she was the only one that knew how strongly you felt for peter.

after all, she was the one to point it out.

“i don’t know, maybe i’m just looking too much into it?” you lift your shoulders into a shrug at the same time you reach your locker.

“well, speak of the devil,” mj gestures towards the end of the hallway where peter and ned had just rounded the corner.

it only takes them a moment to catch sight of you, and when they do, peter beams with a smile and waves before heading in your direction. even as they passed by multiple girls carrying flowers and the various heart-shaped decorations scattered all over the halls, peter still hadn’t noticed.

“hey! ned and i were talking about going back to mine to study for that test we have coming up, and maybe watch a movie. you guys in?” he asks, tugging on the straps of his bag, completely ignorant to his surroundings.

it was like he had forgotten about the holiday’s existence altogether, or he was actively trying to avoid it. but why?

“i can’t. i, uh, i actually have a date tonight,” mj says, tucking her hair behind her ear as all eyes turn in her direction.

“wait, what? with who?” you ask, this being the first you were hearing about it. honestly, you were surprised she had even told you at all.

shaking her head, she looks down at her feet and shrugs, “just this guy. it doesn’t matter. but, uh, y/n is free tonight so… there’s that.”

the second the words leave her lips, peter’s attention returns to you. and you weren’t entirely sure, but it almost looked like he was relieved that you had no plans.

a small smile dangled on the corner of his mouth, and his deep brown eyes softened as they met yours. “oh, okay. well, uh, do you want to join us?” he sort of fumbles over his words.

while it wasn’t exactly what you had imagined spending the most romantic day of the year with peter would be like, it beat having to sit at home alone wallowing in your own self-pity. even if it was with the person causing it… and ned.

you open your mouth to speak when you’re interrupted by ned’s phone.

“actually, change of plans,” he says. “it’s betty… and she wants to see a movie tonight.”

“i thought you two broke up?” mj narrows her eyes with confusion.

“we did… but maybe she wants to get back together?” he turns to peter with hopeful eyes, and after a moment, the other boy gives him a nudge.

“dude, go!” he laughs. and just like that, ned rushes down the hall in search of betty, leaving the three of you dumbfounded as you let out a chorus of chuckles.

“on that note, i better get going too,” mj says once the laughter faded into sighs and points the same way ned had gone. “i’ll see you losers monday. have fun, studying.”

rolling your eyes, you wave goodbye to the girl, as the thought of being alone with peter all night creeps into your mind.

the idea alone causes your heart to fasten, thrumming loudly in your ears as your mouth becomes dry with nerves. it wasn’t like you at all to be so anxious around peter, and so much so that you almost couldn’t think straight. he was typically the one person you went to when you needed things to slow down, not make them difficult.

you try to play off the effect he was having on you as you close your locker and swing your bag over your shoulder, but the second your gaze meets his again, it only seems to amplify.

“so, it looks like it’s just you and me,” he shuffles awkwardly on his feet, tightening his grip on his bag straps once more.

“uh, yeah. looks like it.” you smile, swallowing the ball that had formed in your throat, and the two of you slowly head towards the exit.

the walk back to his apartment is quiet at first, but the second peter starts talking about the chemistry assignment he had coming up, there was no stopping him. though, you couldn’t shake the feeling like he was purposely trying to prolong the walk.

he insisted that you take the longer route, which you never do, and he even slowed down his pace through the park. and as you were passing the deli-grocery, he stopped off to buy you both a sandwich, which wasn’t completely out of the ordinary, but it did add another fifteen minutes to your time.

it was like he didn’t want to get back to the apartment, like the thought of being fully alone with you was something he didn’t want to partake in.

when you do finally reach the apartment, however, he fumbles to unlock the door and almost drops the keys in the process, but the second it’s open, you’re hesitant to even step inside. you had been there a million times before but this time, for whatever reason, felt different.

you wondered if it really were such a good idea for you to be there, to be alone with him when he was clearly opposed to the idea. which was odd considering he had been the one to initiate you going over there in the first place.

“do you want a drink or anything?” he asks as he passes the kitchen to put his bag in his room.

most days, you would follow him straight to his room, sometimes even beating him there, but with how he had been acting, it just didn’t feel right. so you lingered in the living room instead.

at least, until he pops his head out of the door, and with a reassuring smile surfacing on his lips, he gestures for you to follow.

“we’ve got water, juice or soda?” he asks as you enter the room, dropping his bag at the foot of his bed.

“water is fine,” you nod.

“okay, give me a sec,” he nods back, and having to cram past you to get out of the door, his hand runs down your arm so to not squish you. the touch immediately sends a pulse throughout your body, causing you to let out a small gasp.

you were just grateful peter was far enough away that he hadn’t heard it, or if he did, he didn’t show it.

with peter leaving you alone in his room, you take the chance to take it all in like you hadn’t been there before. you drop your bag beside his and slip out of your jacket before falling into a stupor on his bed.

peter’s room had always been comforting to you, though, since the blip, it didn’t quite feel like it was his anymore.

like everyone else that tragically disappeared, peter lost the majority of his belongings, as did you, but he no longer had any of his action figures or comic books. even the nerdy science posters that you would pick on him for, or his lego models - all the things that made peter’s room… his… was all gone.

shaking away the thoughts, you bury yourself in the comfort of his sheets, letting your fingers dance across the cotton as you wait for him to return. but when you move to grab your phone from your jacket pocket, something in the corner of your eye catches your attention.

it was the smallest glimmer of something red inside his closet, and the door was only open a crack, but it was enough to make your thoughts go wild.

was it possible that peter had bought you something for valentine’s day and this whole thing was just a ruse to get you alone with him? were ned and mj in on it? or had he decided against it, thinking that maybe it was too much, and that’s why it was hidden away in his closet?

perhaps that was why he had been acting so strange and why he had been pretending like today was nothing but any other regular day?

however, before you get the chance to relieve your suspicions, peter walks back in with two glasses of water, and when he sees that you had already made yourself comfortable, he draws in his bottom lip as a nervous smile takes hold of his features.

“something tells me you have absolutely no intention of studying,” he shakes his head.

“something tells me you’re right.” you pat the spot beside you, and he obliges, pulling his laptop from the desk beside the bed and finding a movie for you both to watch.

while you enjoyed laying with peter in comfortable silence, watching the film he had chosen, you couldn’t stop thinking about what was in his closet. the tiny sliver of red teasing you from between the slats, begging for you to confront it.

nevertheless, it takes two hours for peter to finally leave the room again, and within that time, he hadn’t mentioned it at all. which only made you all the more curious.

so the second he stepped out of the room, you set into motion to find out what it was he was hiding. and you knew you shouldn’t have, but not knowing was killing you, and you simply couldn’t help yourself.

you tip-toe across the floor, avoiding the creaky spot in the middle, and after a deep breath, you slowly open the door. though, what you were expecting to be a heart-shaped balloon or a cute stuffed animal that said something like ‘be my valentine?’ on the front, was far from what you had imagined.

instead, hanging on the metal rod was a suit. a suit that you would recognise absolutely anywhere with it’s distinct red and black colours, and who could forget the unmistakable mask with its intricate detailing.

then it hits you, and a shiver of realisation rolls down your spine.

setting out a gasp, you drop the suit to the floor and stumble back into the bed, knocking over a book in the process. you couldn’t believe what you had just discovered, and you barely get a moment to collect yourself before peter comes running to the door.

“hey, are you-” he stops the second he sees the suit, his smile falling as he takes in your bewildered state and it transforms into a look of horror.

“peter, i-”

“shit,” he exhales, cutting you off as he reaches for the material and throws it back into his closet as fast as he can, despite knowing that the damage was already done. “don’t look at that. that’s nothing. completely and totally nothing.”

“peter, was that - are you?” you try to get the words out, but you’re still in so much shock that it seems near impossible to do so.

“no. nope. It’s not…” he shakes his head rapidly, leaning against the closet now. “it was, uh, it was a gift from may. she knows i like superheroes, so, y'know?”

“peter…”

“it’s nothing, really. i promise. it was just a-”

“peter…”

“i was thinking of maybe even wearing it for halloween this year, what do you think? you could go as black widow, or umm, captain marvel?”

“peter!” this time when you say his name, he stops talking, realising that there was no way he was going to get out of this. and if he did, it would be a miracle. but you were smart, smart enough not to believe the nonsense that was pouring out of his mouth, and know that this was for real.

his head falls with defeat, and he drags himself to sit beside you. the air was heavy now, filled with worry as he tried to choose his words carefully. there were only so many ways you could tell someone you had a secret identity being a superhero and he had wanted to do it perfectly - but most importantly, not like this.

“look, i - i hated not being able to tell you but if everyone knew who i was then my life wouldn’t be the same anymore."

"but, this is me we’re talking about peter. i’m the same person that knows you still wear star wars underwear, and that you secretly love it when i choose to watch twilight on movie night.” you sigh, shoulders slumping slightly. “you can tell me anything.”

his eyes soften at your remark, and the ghost of a smile tugs at the corner of his lips. “i know, but i wanted… i wanted to keep you safe. there are bad guys out there that would like to come after spider-man and you knowing who i am, only puts you in danger."

"who else knows?"

"may, ned and… mj.”

“mj?” you retort.

“to be fair, i didn’t tell her. she worked it out herself and i swore her to secrecy so don’t be angry at her for not telling you.” he raises a finger to further prove his point. “i was actually planning on telling you about it tonight, but every time i thought about it, i got nervous and i couldn’t do it.”

“so that’s why you’ve been acting so weird?” you ask, nudging the boy’s shoulder playfully as relief washes over you. “and here i am thinking that it was me. the only reason i looked in your closet was because i… i thought… never mind it’s stupid.”

he chuckles, “no. you have to tell me now!”

you let your head fall back for a moment, and after letting out a deep breath, you sway your head back down. “okay. i saw the red through the cracks and i thought that maybe… it was a valentine’s day present. i know we never really put a label on… us… but i just, i don’t know, i thought that maybe that’s where we were and-”

your words turn into muffles as peter presses his lips to yours in a swift movement, and you’re taken back by his actions but you don’t push him off. your body feels electric and you kiss him back with a smile, sinking into it more before he pulls away.

he doesn’t pull back much, and instead, rests his forehead against yours as you both try to catch your breath. your heart thumps in your chest and you’re still so close that you were sharing the same air.

peter had kissed you many of times before, some of them turning into heated make-out sessions but this was different to any of those. this had purpose.

“sorry, you were rambling and i couldn’t help myself.” a coy smile flashes across his face for a moment, before being replaced with a look of uncertainty. “was that enough for you to see how i feel about you? or would you rather i change my relationship status too? or i could just post to the entire world about how much i love you?”

upon hearing the words, you pull away and a shallow gasp escapes you. you weren’t sure if peter had meant to say it, but whether he did or not, it was out there now and your heart pangs inside your chest as your stomach fills with butterflies.

“you love me?” you say between breaths and disbelief in your eyes.

he lets out a nervous laugh as his cheeks redden, and his fingers play with the folds of his shirt. “i mean, yeah… you’re kinda my favourite person in existence. it’d be hard not to.”

“really?”

he nods and walks back over to the closet. “yeah. also if you had of looked in the other side of my closet you would’ve seen this…"

you watch as he opens the closet door to reveal a beautiful bouquet of white and red flowers all wrapped up in bright red paper.

"i was going to give it to you when i told you about… y'know…” he widens his eyes. “but you sort of did that for me… plus, there was also this.”

this time he pulls out a small bag, something that you’d find at a jewellery store, and hands it to you. you look to him as though to be asking permission to open it, and he nods, gesturing for you to do so before leaning against his desk.

“it’s not a lot, and i’ve been saving for a while now to get it for you, but if you don’t like it then we can exchange it or get something else…”

opening the bag, you find a small box with gold detailing around the sides. and when you open it, inside sits a bracelet decorated with charms, but the one in the middle, that you can’t really see unless you’re looking close enough is a 'p’.

after a moment of basking in the sentiment of it all, you lean back and give him a warm smile.

“i love it,” you say, tears slowly starting to brim your eyes as your mouth involuntarily starts to crease. “and i love you.”

“yeah?” peter’s brows twitch, his eyes never leaving yours, and he lifts your palm to his lips for a feather-light kiss. he barely touches you, but it sets your skin alight.

then all of your focus is on him as you stand to meet him, enveloping him in another kiss. hands moving along his chest to fall behind his neck as he wraps his own around your waist and holds you tight. pulling you as close to him as humanly possible.

when you do finally pull apart, he clasps the bracelet around your wrist before you slide your fingers through his, savouring the warmth of his skin against yours.

“so, since you have two identities does that mean i get double the love?” you let out a small chuckle and peter matches it.

“i think i could manage that.” he says and places one more kiss on the tip of your nose.

#— 𝐯𝐞𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬 .ᐟ ᡣ𐭩 #— 𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐫 ᡣ𐭩 #peter parker x reader #peter parker x fem!reader #peter parker x you #peter parker x y/n #peter parker oneshot #peter parker one shot #peter parker imagine #peter parker fic #peter parker fluff

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ponett · 9 months

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Bobby's 2023 Media Wrap-Up

So! Like I said before, this past year I kept a running list of everything I watched, every game I finished, every new album I listened to, etc., and wrote one-paragraph blurbs with my thoughts on every single one. Please enjoy this journey through everything I liked, or didn't like, in 2023, with my favorites of the year listed at the bottom.

(Yes! This is long!!)

Some notes:

I mainly only included things I finished. Exceptions are marked with an asterisk.

I included some YouTube stuff as "TV shows" - mostly particularly long, high effort video essays and documentaries.

I was a bit less adventurous than I'd like to have been this year. Part of this was just that I felt like I was constantly playing catch-up with Big Releases I felt obligated to check out, and part of this was just executive dysfunction from burnout. Wait until you see how long it took me to beat Mario Wonder lmao

Yes, I need to read more books. I don't read a lot of books these days. I need to get back to Discworld.

COLOR KEY

Video Games • TV / Web Video • Movies • Comics • Music

January

1/15: Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn (MSQ) - Very slow at times, the Primal shit is generally extremely lame to me outside of the boss fights themselves, but god if the quality of life improvements over WoW, the JRPG energy, and the fact that it Actually Has A Story carry it pretty hard.

1/18: Sonic the Hedgehog: Scrapnik Island miniseries - One of the most creative and compelling uses of the Sonic IP… ever? Fantastic little self-contained arc about the struggles of Eggman’s abandoned creations that gracefully weaves between heartfelt optimism and moody horror with some of the best art ever seen in a Sonic comic.

1/18: Mega Man X4 - Glad I finally actually beat this after never even beating any of the Mavericks as a kid! I can see why it’s a lot of peoples’ favorites. The gameplay has very little of that X series bloat and is just fun, especially after getting X’s armor upgrades. (But the story really is a long series of missed opportunities.)

February

2/2: Donks - Felix Colgrave continues to be an exceptional artist. The sound design on this is fantastic and really sells this short as something unique. Had to go back and watch his older stuff again after this.

2/4: Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward (3.0 - 3.3 MSQ) - I get it now. I get why people say this is just a proper mainline Final Fantasy game built into the framework of an MMO. That shit ruled. Not even walking back the drama in Ul’Dah from the end of ARR can sour me on it because the main storyline was so strong.

2/8: Disneyland's Forgotten Sci-Fi Rock Band - Live From the Space Stage - A nice and honest tribute to a group of artists who could have easily been forgotten. In hindsight this feels like a precursor to Kevin’s Disney Channel jingle video, a tribute to the unsung artists pouring their hearts into “lesser” art for a megacorporation, art that was designed to be transient but sticks with people nonetheless.

2/9: Metroid Prime Remastered* - Not gonna finish because I just played through the Wii version in 2021, but still. Very, very pretty remaster.

2/16: Theatrhythm Final Bar Line - It’s more Theatrhythm. What more could I want

2/17: JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean (anime) - Probably the best part of the anime so far (assuming they continue on to SBR). A near perfect mix of the more structured plot of part 5 with the goofiness of parts 3 and 4 that crescendos into a fantastic, bombastic, emotional, bittersweet ending. The use of footage from the original opening and the new ending set to Roundabout in the finale were perfect, and made me intensely nostalgic for the early days of my JoJo fandom between seasons 1 and 2 of the anime.

2/22: Aggretsuko Season 5 - I don’t really know what to make of this one. Once you get past the agonizing initial arc all about Haida where Retsuko has to be his overbearing mommy GF who flips out and starts spying on him when she’s left on read and chides him when he misbehaves, it feels like an improvement over the previous seasons. But I don’t know how much of that is due to the extremely low bar set by season 4. And then the ending is extremely rushed and anticlimactic. They got legally married and the only acknowledgement was a shot of them signing the paperwork in a montage partway through the final episode?????????

2/24: Double Fine PsychOdyssey - God, what a journey the making of this game was. I already loved 2 Player’s past efforts at documenting Double Fine’s process, but this takes it to a whole new level. This feels culturally significant. The depth and honesty with which they depict not just the nitty gritty of making a game, but also the inherent struggles of working on a collaborative creative work for years at a time, is astounding. Not to mention that they were there to capture the shift from office life to remote work as COVID hit. So much of this would have been nightmarishly stressful to watch if I didn’t already know how successful the game was, but that’s just because they really didn’t sugarcoat it. And yet even after all that, it leaves me feeling optimistic about video games as an art form in a way that the constant headlines about cynical live service games don’t. There are still people out there pouring their hearts into making real art, and this is their story. Everyone who plays video games should watch this.

2/25: Cracker Island (Gorillaz) - New Gorillaz albums feel like less of an event these days, but after Humanz it feels like they’re just more chill with the project and their ambitions with it. Every couple years we get some more laid back jams from Damon along with some fun new collabs. Hard to complain. Favorite track: New Gold

2/25: Pool Kids (Pool Kids) - I discovered this band because Derek knows them and was excited when they got a song added to Fortnite through the Bandcamp collab. Always down to find more cool indie rock bands I can vibe with. The mix of dreamy vocals and energetic riffs on some of the tracks here almost fill the Crying-shaped hole in my heart. Almost… Favorite track: Conscious Uncoupling

2/25: Insane in the Rain (insaneintherainmusic) - I thought it was really funny timing when Carlos announced that his first original project would be a jazz fusion album inspired by acts like T-Square and Casiopea right as I was getting into those two specific bands. The final product does not disappoint. Favorite track: Insane in the Rain

2/26: Get Up Sequences Part Two (The Go! Team) - I’ve never been one to believe that a band’s sound has to remain exactly the same forever, but it really does hit you hard that the first two tracks here sound like classic The Go! Team. Their more recent cleaner sound is still here too, though, for a nice mix of old and new. Favorite track: Divebomb

2/28: Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury (Season 1) - Oh my god. Oh my god. I got distracted around the time I was finishing SLARPG, but finally catching up now, wow. My assumption that the seemingly lighter tone of the series compared to the prologue was there to lull us into a false sense of security before twisting the knife when war finally breaks out was spot on. This is peak Gundam.

March

3/4: Pizza Tower - One of the best platformers I’ve played in a long time. It transcends its blatant Wario Land inspirations with the sheer speed at which Peppino can move and the way things like the level design, his wall running, and even the hidden ability to do a second lap around the level reward getting into a flow state where you’re just constantly moving. This is the type of game that wants to turn you into a speedrunner. My only real complaint is a few iffy enemy designs that I wish would get patched.

3/6: Bloons TD 6 * - I bought this before bed one night on a nostalgic whim and then the next morning woke up and saw the Steam receipt email on my phone in one of the most “what did I do last night” moments of my life. I like when the monkeys pop the balloons.

3/7: The Book of Boba Fett - I put off finishing this show for a very long time but finally caved upon the release of The Mandalorian season 3. This show spends four episodes failing to make me give a shit about Boba Fett trying to be “the daimyo” and drive the drug trade off of Tatooine, then just gives up and becomes season 2.5 of Mando, which in turn feels like it undercuts the main series. It fails as both its own story and as a spinoff. I know that finishing this after Andor did it no favors, but WHOOF.

3/12: Obi-Wan Kenobi - Some interesting ideas in the first half hinting at a more introspective show, but it’s mostly swept aside in the back half so it can become a generic Star Wars adventure remixing things from A New Hope and Rebels (and apparently Jedi: Fallen Order). Action scenes have zero stakes because you know nothing can happen to any of the returning characters and none of the new ones are particularly interesting. Why there’s a second climax hinging on a Luke Skywalker death fakeout eludes me. Obi-Wan throwing the rocks at Vader is one of the funniest things in Star Wars history. But it was still better than Book of Boba Fett, I guess.

3/19: The King of Braves GaoGaiGar - Wow, cool robot indeed… GaoGaiGar isn’t going to blow anyone away with its writing, but sometimes you just need a really fun monster of the week mecha show with great action and lovably goofy characters. This is a show where like 20% of every episode consists of recycled transformation, combination, and signature attack sequences and I ate it up every time because they look fucking cool as hell. I don’t care. I’d watch Final Fusion another 49 times.

3/21: The Last of Us (HBO) * - Watched the first two episodes out of curiosity, but I’m not sure if I’ll continue because I don’t give a shit about The Last of Us. It’s definitely a well done adaptation, though, even if I know it’s inevitably going to devolve into miserable torture porn with questionable politics if they adapt Part II faithfully. The ending of episode 2 also lines up perfectly with where I stopped in the game in 2013 lmao

3/27: The Future is a Dead Mall - Decentraland and the Metaverse (Folding Ideas) - Another banger from Dan Olson. This time the premise inherently gives him more time to just show off a bunch of stupid ugly bullshit made by crypto guys, which is fun. My main complaint was that I wished he would’ve brought up Second Life more as a point of comparison (a thing I basically always want out of discussion of “the metaverse”), but he at least did touch on it in the last section.

3/31: The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog - I can’t believe after years of begging for the supporting cast to get more and better material in a Sonic game I got my wish in the form of a freeware murder mystery VN released for April Fools. This kicked ass.

April

4/7: Berserk - Completed Miura’s run and caught up on the chapters that have been released posthumously. It’s hard to say anything that hasn’t been said about Berserk, universally agreed upon as one of the greats of manga and fantasy fiction as a whole. What begins in its first few volumes as a nihilistic and edgy action comic built to facilitate as much sex and gore as possible quickly evolves into something deeply human and vulnerable and beautiful, both figuratively and in terms of its lavish art. The world sucks and is immeasurably cruel, and you will see that cruelty illustrated in graphic, sickening detail repeatedly throughout the series. (Perhaps a little too often throughout the Golden Age, where it feels like Miura never misses an opportunity to threaten Casca with sexual assault mid-battle.) But the point isn’t to wallow in that misery. It’s the story of a victim of horrific abuse learning to slowly open up to others, having those people he cares about torn away from him in the worst night of his life, hardening himself into a cold killing machine, and then slowly learning to open back up again, even if it means leaving himself vulnerable to more hurt. Anyone who says that the series peaked with the eclipse and went downhill in the “Guts’ JRPG Party” era is missing the point. Guts needed to find new people in his life to care about, to begin to find happiness again. Because no matter what unspeakable things Guts has gone through, it’s still possible for him to heal and to be loved. It takes time, but eventually you stop and realize that life has moved on.

4/8: Dedede’s Drum Dash Deluxe - Skipped it upon release because I didn’t particularly care for the minigame in Triple Deluxe, and I didn’t miss much. It’s fine as a little distraction, but not as a standalone rhythm game with only seven songs. If you don’t bother with the hard modes or chase after high scores this game is 15 minutes long. Oh how I yearn for Kirby to get the Theatrhythm treatment.

4/10: The King of Braves: GaoGaiGar FINAL - Eh… It was okay. Lots of cool robot fights, but said fights are stitched together with a mediocre plot that tries too hard to be more “mature” than its unabashedly schlocky kids’ show predecessor. Not crazy about the ending, either, which tries to be a bittersweet farewell closing off the series once and for all while also teasing that maybe there’ll be ANOTHER sequel after the OVA series they literally called “FINAL.” Ah well.

4/11: The Owl House - Sad to see this one go, but it’s hard to imagine them doing a better finale than this, even if they had gotten the six seasons they deserved. I’m not as obsessed with The Owl House as I probably would’ve been had it come out when I was, like, 20, but it’s a really fantastic show for all the reasons people always say. Great characters, great world, great story. I love that this starry-eyed fantasy story about a teenager finding love and a place where she belongs is also set on the rotting corpse of a titan with Hieronymous Bosch-inspired scenery and freaky monsters everywhere. What a great mix. If anything, I just wish I would’ve watched the first season as it aired so I could’ve had more time with it.

4/29: Mega Man Battle Network 3: Blue Version - FINALLY beat this via the new collection, 20 years after playing it as my first Mega Man game. (Technically my first was White, not Blue, but whatever.) There are more annoyances than I remember - lots of really really bad forced backtracking sections where you have to revisit every previous part of the internet, low chip drop rates, some really aggravating bosses like BubbleMan and KingMan, etc. But it’s still a great time overall. It’s Battle Network. In the back half the story gets surprisingly emotional, too. I was always under the assumption that the Hub stuff never came back up much in the story after 1, so I was pleasantly surprised with how relevant it was to the emotional arc of 3.

4/30: Mega Man Battle Network 4: Red Sun * - Yeah I’m not playing through the whole thing lmao. I just wanted to play the first couple hours for nostalgia’s sake, and as a baseline for how much better the rest are. Even before getting deep in the game and having to deal with all the shit gated between doing two new game+ playthroughs, it’s immediately obvious how much of a downgrade this one is. Tons of glaring errors and typos all over the script, blander music, a way more boring aesthetic for the internet, and a premise that mostly just recycles the tournament idea from 3.

May

5/14: The Venture Bros. - Glad I finally sat down and watched all of this with Anthony after having seen one (1) episode as a teenager and a bunch of random clips in the years since. Great show. Some jokes in the early seasons haven’t aged gracefully, but what the show grows into over time... man. Hank and Dean go from being the butt of the joke to being characters you actually sympathize with - while still also being funny little goofballs. And the journey Henchman 21 goes on throughout the show. Man. Amazing that a comedy like this could run for 20 years and maintain its level of quality. Can’t wait for the movie.

5/18: Future Me Hates Me (The Beths) - Okay yeah I’m now just discovering bands through Fortnite lmao. I can’t complain really, they pick some really great indie artists for the in-game radio stations. Anyway: It’s very easy to win me over with a combination of energetic power pop, catchy guitar riffs, and earnest lyrics like this. One of those albums where three or four tracks in I know I have to buy it. Favorite track: Not Running

5/18: Jump Rope Gazers (The Beths) - Ditto. Favorite track: Dying to Believe

5/18: Expert In A Dying Field (The Beths) - Another good album. (I’m listening to these in release order.) I’ve been a bit slower to warm up to this one, initially thinking it was a little too mellow overall, but it might be my favorite after a few listens. Some real high highs. Interestingly, the lead singer’s New Zealand accent is also coming out more in her singing? Favorite track: Your Side (or maybe Head in the Clouds)

5/19: The Super Mario Bros. Movie - As a Mario fan, I think I enjoyed it? As a movie, less so? It was decent, in spite of feeling like they came up with a list of fun action setpieces first and then wrote the absolute bare minimum possible for the story scenes tying it all together. Full thoughts here. (This is the first movie I’ve seen this year, huh? I really don’t watch a lot of movies.)

5/23: Don't Know What You're In Until You're Out (Gladie) - I feel like I don’t like Gladie as much as I should. Their style of noisy indie rock is very much in my wheelhouse, and I do enjoy listening to them, but I dunno. Maybe it’s that the particular style of vocals makes it more monotonous to me. A good album nonetheless, if not 100% my thing. Favorite track: Nothing

5/24: City Slicker (Ginger Root) - Yes I am still making my way through Bandcamp artists I heard on Fortnite don’t @ me. Any excuse to get me to listen to some cool city pop-inspired funk like this is a good excuse. Favorite track: Loretta

5/24: Rikki (Ginger Root) - Favorite track: Why Try

5/25: Spotlight People (Ginger Root) - Favorite track: The Classic

5/29: Succession - A good dramedy series that increasingly focuses more on the drama than the comedy as it progresses, but it’s hard to complain about that since the drama is so compellingly produced. I enjoyed it. That being said, I kind of rankle at the claims that it’s The Greatest TV Show Of All Time. It’s great, don’t get me wrong. Amazing performances all around. But the show LOVES to spin its wheels, to repeat itself, and to let most of its interesting dramatic developments fizzle out before anything really comes of them, almost as if the show is constantly getting bored with its own ideas. To some extent this is intentional - Logan Roy is the untouchable billionaire, his kids fail at everything (but will nonetheless remain billionaires), and in the long run none of them really give a shit about anything other than their own status. But it’s not like things tend to visibly impact anyone else, either, be they supporting characters or the world at large. Even the Big Scary Election, where the Roy siblings are directly responsible for plunging the nation into chaos, ultimately has zero impact on the finale a mere two episodes later. Certain Other Things do have an impact in the last season, though, allowing things to meaningfully change for the cast and for the show to sit with the ensuing drama, which has stopped me from souring on Succession more. There was finally a payoff for something. But it does still kind of feel like a show that goes in circles until it’s ready to call it quits, even if those circles did contain a lot of great acting and music along the way.

5/29: Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts - I’d watched the first 12 episodes when they originally released, but I guess the Netflix binge release and the fact that all three “seasons” came out in one year led to me waiting until it finished… and then I just never got around to finishing it. Glad I fixed that! Really fun and stylish cartoon with an art style reminiscent of Teen Titans, a hip hop-filled soundtrack, dynamic fight scenes, and a colorful post-apocalyptic world filled with mutant (mostly anthropomorphic) animals. I’ll admit that at times I do kinda roll my eyes at Kipo’s unshakeable belief that everyone can be friends in a way that I don’t necessarily with similar shows like Steven Universe, and not every joke lands, but I dunno. It’s a kids’ show. That’s to be expected. It doesn’t detract from the overall package for me.

June

6/1: Craig of the Creek (Season 4) - It’s been years and I’m still processing the fact that kids can turn on Cartoon Network and hear Jeff Rosenstock. Anyway! Craig continues to be one of the best cartoons on TV, consistently funny and creative and way more engaging than a show about a bunch of kids LARPing in the woods has any right to be. This season turned into One Piece with the gang effectively hunting down the Poneglyphs in search of a legendary treasure. The kids think it’ll be magic. It isn't. An increasing number of cartoon logic gags aside, this show is firmly set in the real world. Does that make it any less interesting? Hell no. Season 3 turned a game of capture the flag into an all-out five episode war between the heroes and villains, filled with dramatic turnabouts and a climactic guest appearance from Del the Funky Homosapien. I’m sure however they wrap things up in the (sadly shortened) final season, it’ll be great. (Also? I would watch a whole show based on that “what if” episode that jumped forward to everyone’s 20s.)

6/6: Barry - Holy shit, what a show. I ended up binging it in less than a week in a cycle of “okay, just one more episode.” The way this show is able to swing between tones and genres while still feeling like a cohesive whole is truly masterful. It’s a layered character drama, a tragic crime thriller, a farcical comedy, an understated action series, a surrealist morality play, and a scathing satire of Hollywood, all in one. Even within the criminal underworld subplots the show ranges in tone from Breaking Bad to Paddington 2. And it works! While the show naturally gets bleaker over time as it confronts the repercussions of Barry’s murders, it never completely loses sight of its comedic roots. My favorite episode was easily season 2’s “ronny/lily,” a mostly self-contained episode that somehow manages to keep throwing the perfect curveballs to escalate its dark comedy.

6/12: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (Extended Edition) - Y’all heard of this movie? Pretty good, it turns out. (I’d seen the theatrical cut before, but this was my first time watching the extended edition. I’ve also only seen parts of the other two movies, so it’s time I finally watch all the extended cuts. The Gollum game pushed me to this.)

6/13: The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (Extended Edition) - give it to us RAW and WRIGGLING

6/17: The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Extended Edition) - I’m not crying YOU’RE crying

6/22: Clone High (Season 2) - While the first episode being about “cancel culture” (or, more accurately, a teenager from 2003 being transported to 2023 and putting his foot in his mouth a lot) put a lot of people off, I ended up enjoying the new season of Clone High. The new clones grew on me as the season went on and their roles in the web of teen romance melodrama crystalized, and it made me laugh a lot, and Cleo/Frida is galaxy brained. Also they played one of my favorite Antarctigo Vespucci songs like a minute into the first episode. I don’t think I could really ask for much more.

6/28: The Mandalorian (Season 3) - I'd been watching this weekly but put off the last episode for no real reason. Responses to this season have been all over the place, but my blistering hot take is… it was fine. Is it as good as the first season? Probably not. But Mando no longer needs to carry the whole franchise on its shoulders and set the bar for how good the live action Disney Star Wars shows can be, because Andor exists, and it’s never gonna top Andor. The Mandalorian is free to just be a pulpy space adventure show where Giancarlo Esposito plays a scenery-chewing cartoon villain and a little puppet does wire stunts. These are things Andor cannot and should not do, but that’s Star Wars, baby. It’s delightful. I could watch Grogu get underhand tossed like a sack of flour all day.

July

7/2: Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury (Season 2) - LOVE WINS. (More nuanced take from way later: It definitely feels like a lot of the more messy political conflicts in this show got swept aside by the big final battle where some more easily resolved family conflicts take center stage. I’m not sure the ending is the most satisfying. But also this show only got half the episode count that damn near every other Gundam show ever made got, so that might be a factor here. Idk. Still one of my favorite Gundams.)

7/4: Final Fantasy XVI (watched Anthony play) - I had to write my longest Medium article ever about this one because I was so frustrated

7/10: Home Movies - “Things I like that I’ve never seen in full” has certainly been a recurring theme this year. Home Movies remains an all-time classic of animated comedy that went out on a high note before things got stale or the characters became parodies of themselves. While it’s mostly known for its funny improvised banter, throughout the last season you can really see the arc where Brendon no longer enjoys making movies, yet he feels obligated to keep using them to escape from the real world. In that light, the ending where the nature of their dysfunctional makeshift family is cemented, Brendon’s camera suddenly breaks, and life moves on really does feel like the perfect note to end on. Truly one of the best to ever do it.

7/15: The Legend of Zelda - Tears of the Kingdom - Wow. Just… wow. I had serious doubts about TotK in the months leading up to release due to how close Nintendo was playing their cards to their chest. I didn’t want this to be a Saints Row IV, where the game is fun enough but the recycled map makes it feel like a rehash. Instead, I found a game that made me look at BotW’s map in a whole new light, brimming with so many more things to do and people to meet. Add on a better, more versatile set of tools, more varied dungeons and bosses, and a story that I felt was told somewhat better and we’ve got a real contender for my new favorite Zelda game. It was hard to tear myself away, but as this list shows, it’s been basically the only game I’ve played since it came out.

7/16: Sonic Prime (Season 2) - I liked the parts with Shadow and Chaos Sonic, but I’ve come to the sad conclusion that most of this show is just mediocre. More thoughts here.

7/18: We ♥ Katamari Reroll + Royal Reverie - “I’m a dog, but I love Katamari Damacy.” Truer words have never been spoken.

7/19: Transformers: Rise of the Beasts - Pretty good! It didn’t blow me away, but after how bad the Bay movies got I’m just thankful to have a decently cohesive Transformers movie where the human story is okay and I like the bots (although half of them needed more screen time), even if it is just another Hollywood blockbuster about two sides fighting over a macguffin that devolves into a big CGI battle against an army of nameless monsters in the third act. This is basically a mid-tier MCU movie but with Transformers, which won’t do much for most people, but again: the bar was underground.

7/22: The Venture Bros.: Radiant is the Blood of the Baboon Heart - God DAMN. A phenomenal ending for the series. While I would have loved to see a full final season to get some more one-off episodes in there, this doesn’t feel creatively compromised in any way–either due to the time constraints, or due to a desire to make it more marketable as a movie. It really does feel like they just took their outlines for the canceled final season and gently massaged them into the shape of an 84-minute movie, and I mean that in the best possible way. It’s completely on par with the previous seasons. A hilarious and fitting sendoff for one of the greats of adult animation.

7/23: Beautiful Katamari - This was one of my first Xbox 360 games, but a frustrating temperature-based level made me put it down for 16 years. “Maybe it won’t be as bad now that I’ve beaten the first two games and am better at Katamari,” I thought. Nope! Still an absolutely dogshit level. But also, turns out the whole game is only like two hours long lmao. It’s still Katamari, so it’s still fun - the final level in particular, which seamlessly takes you from ground level all the way to space, feels like a logical endpoint for the series - but beyond that it just doesn't have the same soul without Keita Takahashi's input.

August

8/4: Doom Singer (Chris Farren) - I’ve been waiting so long for Chris and Jeff to do another Antarctigo Vespucci album, but god damn. This is the best of Chris’s solo work, and a contender for his best record, period. Every track’s a banger, with more energy than some of his previous solo work but also a good deal of variety. Favorite tracks: First Place, Cosmic Leash

8/4: Transformers Earthspark (Season 1) - This show had a bit of an uneven start, unsure if it wanted to have the emotional maturity of a more serious action cartoon or a preschool cartoon where the characters have little kid mood swings and outbursts and learn basic lessons. It also felt like it was speedrunning its Wholesome Found Family Dynamic with characters who just met, which didn’t feel earned. While these problems never completely go away (see: the cheap and corny way the otherwise very dark season finale suddenly resolves), the show improves quickly, and the positives outweigh the negatives. It’s so great to have a Transformers cartoon that feels fresh, giving us a post-war setting with a bunch of new characters and new dynamics between the Cybertronians and the humans. The returning characters are also uniformly great as the old veterans overseeing the new generation. (Reformed Megatron! Danny Pudi as Bumblebee! Steve Blum returning as Starscream! Keith David as Grimlock!!!) And those super dynamic action scenes! I can nitpick, but Earthspark’s a ton of fun, and easily the best new Transformers cartoon since Prime and Animated.

8/5: Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective (remaster) - Everyone who told me this game was a masterpiece was right. I had played the first chapter when it dropped as the demo for the iOS version years ago, but never went further than that until now. What a game. Absolutely incredible through and through. Great story, great twists, great characters, great puzzles, great art direction. Everything comes together so perfectly to form a totally unique, unforgettable package, a top tier video game murder mystery. Everyone should play this, preferably going in as blind as possible.

8/15: It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (Season 16) - Wow! Recent seasons of Sunny have been kind of up and down, with some interesting experiments (Mac Finds His Pride, the Ireland arc, etc.) paired with some comedic duds. Most of this latest season is standard fare for the series with fewer big creative swings, but it’s just hit after hit in terms of comedy. Not a single dud, whether we’re seeing Mac and Dennis try to start a rental business for inflatable furniture or watching the gang meet Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul, believing the entire time that the latter is Malcolm from Malcolm in the Middle. Even the attempts at topical comedy landed better. Easily the funniest season in years.

8/16: One Piece Film Gold - It’s easy to see why this one has kind of been forgotten in the wake of Stampede and Film Red, which revolve around established fan favorite characters, but this was still pretty fun. Perhaps a little too long, but it’s fun to see the Straw Hats fool around in a giant casino and do a heist. They definitely cranked the fanservice up even more than usual in this one, though, as I probably should have expected for a movie made alongside the anime’s adaptation of Dressrosa.

8/17: One Piece: Stampede - This one goes for a different kind of fanservice. While most One Piece movies are isolated from the ongoing plot and its expanded cast of characters, Stampede instead asks “What if we just put damn near every active character on the same island and had them fight?” The answer: a fun time! It would get old if all of the movies were like this, but after a bunch of movies that are just like “the Straw Hats are gonna land on another new island and fight some more weird guys” it’s fun to see characters like Law and Buggy and Smoker get in on the fun. It’s also nice to get a movie with the Wano era art style, and Usopp surprisingly gets some really good character moments in here.

8/18: One Piece Film Red - This really is the best of the One Piece movies, huh? (Baron Omatsuri is a close second.) It really feels like a change of pace after the last four with the most interesting and emotionally engaging story out of any of them. And even if the events of these movies are never canon, it still feels significant in my understanding of Shanks as a character as we move into the final phase of the manga.

8/21: Pikmin 4 - The opening hour of the game made me really question if they’d changed too much, with all the focus on your new dog unit over your Pikmin and the extremely dull, drawn out dialogue scenes with your new companions back at the base. But once I got into the swing of things I had a blast. This is probably my new favorite Pikmin game. There’s a great mix of activities here to keep things fresh. I also really ended up liking Oatchi’s role as basically your second captain who can also serve as your tank or a rideable mount. The Dandori stuff and nighttime missions in particular show off how useful Oatchi is for your multitasking without necessarily overshadowing the Pikmin.

8/22: Never Get Tired: The Bomb the Music Industry! Story - I literally backed this on Kickstarter eight years ago (my name is in the credits!) and then never got around to watching it for no reason. It’s on YouTube now, and Jeff’s got a new album out next week, so now feels like the perfect time to watch it. And man… what a great documentary. Obviously I’m just a fan of the band, but this also really spoke to me as an artist. Jeff wanting to stick to his principles and give out his music for free and play cheap all ages shows, his discomfort over the idea of selling merch, and the struggles that come with not playing the game like that… It's hard. They readily admit that Jeff is an idealist, that people fight him on this stuff, that he’s missed out on some big opportunities because of these stances, and that he’s had to compromise a bit on some of these things over time. But that incredible climax with their final show, including a full opening performance of the slowly building “Campaign for a Better Next Weekend” and the closing performance of “Future 86” where the whole audience is singing along as the members of the band are hugging and crying… it’s beautiful. This may have been a band where the members had to go back to their shitty day jobs after every tour because they weren’t selling out arenas, but their art meant something to people, and that makes it all worth it.

8/25: Nimona - I haven’t read the original comic (yet), so I can’t compare them too much, but it’s nonetheless pretty apparent that some things were softened and easy kids’ movie jokes were added by the studio to squeeze this graphic novel for teens into a PG animated movie. Regardless, the emotional throughline hits REALLY hard, particularly the very blatant trans allegory and the climax. (It’s no wonder Disney was afraid of this movie seeing the light of day lmao.) The animation is also very squishy and fun to watch throughout. Great movie.

8/26: Puss in Boots: The Last Wish - Spider-Verse really has done so much for animation, huh? This one was as good as everyone said. Beautiful use of stylized color and lighting throughout, and every time this movie very conspicuously shifted to different framerates for a flashy fight scene it owned. Very cute and heartwarming story, too, which thankfully gave its second act plenty of time to explore the cast and let them go on their journey, unlike a certain plumber movie that came out a few months later. Also I would let Death [redacted]

8/28: Holocure: Save the Fans! - This isn't really something I can beat, but I've been addicted to Holocure lately. I don't even watch VTubers aside from maybe seeing a funny Korone animation every now and then, this is just a really, really good freeware Vampire Survivors clone with a huge roster of varied characters to pick from.

8/31: HELLMODE (Jeff Rosenstock) - A new album from Jeff is always a major event for me. If there were any worries that he was starting to go soft at 40 (because one of the three singles off this album was a gentle acoustic piece), the frantic opening of this album put those worries to rest. The first two tracks are Jeff screaming out for help as he’s pulled in a million directions by the chaotic state of the world, a theme that becomes the thesis of the album. I’d say it lags slightly in the middle, but overall this is another extremely well-rounded record full of bangers that’s unapologetically Jeff, with possibly my favorite closing track he’s ever done. Favorite tracks: I WANNA BE WRONG, 3 SUMMERS

September

9/3: One Piece (live action, Season 1) - They did it. I can’t believe it, but they did it. While I have my nitpicks (Usopp and Sanji don’t get enough big moments to shine), this is an extremely solid and faithful adaptation of the first few arcs of One Piece with a great cast. For the most part the changes feel smart and logical, and the big emotional beats of the story are all there and executed very well. I doubted it a little in episodes 2-4, where the Orange Town and Syrup Village arcs saw some major changes to shift the action indoors, and the increased focus on the drama in favor of repeating every gag and battle from the manga 1:1 took a bit of getting used to, but by the end I was having a blast. It’s a different take on One Piece, but it still feels like One Piece. Genuinely very excited for season 2.

9/4: Pseudoregalia - A great little N64-style 3D Metroidvania focused on platforming and very satisfying movement. I always love entries in the genre that are less prescriptive in what order you have to tackle areas in, a la Symphony of the Night or Hollow Knight, and this one’s great in that regard. While there are a number of new moves to find, most of the map is open to you very early in the game, and smart use of your moveset can allow you to “sequence break” without even realizing it. (You would not believe how long I went without getting the wall run.) I do wish it had a map, but that’s already being patched in.

9/6: Bomb Rush Cyberfunk * - Not a bad game at all, but I quickly remembered how bad I am at skating games, so like… eh? Not sure I have much desire to play past chapter 2. Also the soundtrack is sadly kinda hit or miss for me outside of the obvious Naganuma tunes.

9/9: The History of the Minnesota Vikings (Dorktown) - Jon Bois never misses. Even as someone who doesn’t actively follow sports, Jon Bois is a master storyteller, using graphs and statistics and funny anecdotes to explore these deeply human stories. He can convey why people care so much about these teams, these people, and sports in general, and how our popular sports reflect on American culture. He could tell the story of just about any team or player in any sport and I just know I’ll come out the other side a misty-eyed fan. And what a fascinating cast of characters we have this time, with origin stories for everything from the Hail Mary pass to a Minnesota state supreme court judge to the Griddy. Nine hours well spent.

9/10: Timespinner - A fun and highly polished Metroidvania that maybe doesn’t quite have enough of its own identity in its quest to replicate Symphony of the Night…but also, like, this was pitched as a Symphony throwback on KickStarter in a pre-Bloodstained, pre-Hollow Knight world, so I can’t really blame ‘em! Stopping time to avoid boss attacks is fun, the pixel art is gorgeous, and I liked the dark science fantasy story about warring empires and meddling with time a lot more than I thought I would - lore journal text dumps and all.

9/14: The Decay of Sam & Cat (Quinton Reviews) - All the stuff at the end with Matt Bennett (the actor who played Robbie on Victorious and Sam & Cat) in this was really good and sweet. It’s that kind of thing that makes these videos feel like they’re still worthwhile on some level. But the padding and the things Quinton chooses to spend the colossal runtime on does drive me more and more insane with each passing Nick sitcom video. I don’t know how much longer he can keep this schtick up. I hope he’s able to move on to other things before too terribly long instead of continuing to extend this “miniseries.”

9/19: Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales - AKA Insomniac’s Marvel’s Spider-Man 1.5. It’s fun for the same reasons Peter’s first game was fun. I had a good time swinging around New York again in preparation for the sequel, and there’s a lot of cute stuff with Miles becoming Harlem’s neighborhood hero, but WOW did the Underground v. Roxxon conflict fall flat for me.

9/20: I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson - I understand so many posts now.

9/25: Spider-Man (2002) (rewatch) - It’s you who’s out, Gobby! OUT OF YOUR MIND!

9/25: Futurama (Season 8) - I was ready to be a hater, recalling the fact that Futurama has already had three “perfect endings” with the show getting a little weaker with every revival. Then I watched the first new episode on a whim and thought it wasn’t bad, so I was like, eh, sure, I’ll watch the rest. Overall Hulurama is hit or miss. There are chuckles to be had, and it sure as hell beats modern Simpsons, but almost every episode is either a belated take on an overplayed Topical Issue (the pandemic, Amazon, cancel culture, etc.) or a direct sequel to an old episode people liked. Or both! It’s also really noticeable that certain voice actors sound way older - Billy West is struggling with the Fry voice in particular, and it hurts his comedic timing. But just when all hope seemed lost after the nigh-incomprehensible toy-themed anthology episode, possibly the worst episode of the entire series… the last episode, where the Planet Express crew explores whether or not the universe could be a simulation, was really, really solid. Great note to end on to make me not regret my time with this season as a whole.

9/26: Spider-Man 2 (2004) (rewatch) - Once the GOAT, always the GOAT.

9/27: Spider-Man 3 (rewatch) - Revisiting this movie for the first time since I saw it in theaters… it’s not bad. It’s fine! It continues to have the heart and sincerity that make the first two movies work. It’s just not as concise with three villains vying for the spotlight, but I also wouldn’t cut any of them, necessarily. I guess Eddie/Venom would be the easiest, but Peter getting the black suit and giving in to his resentment feels too central to cut. (Yes, even with Emo Peter becoming a meme.)

9/28: Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake - I wasn’t really sure what to expect with this one, especially since I was never really a fan of the genderbend episodes in the original show. (At the time they mostly just felt like an excuse to crank up the teen romance stuff to 11.) But MAN. This was a fantastic coda to the original series. It made me care about Fionna and Cake and their friends as their own characters separate from their original counterparts, it gave the Simon/Betty arc a much more satisfying (if no less bittersweet) resolution than the original finale had time to do, and it even managed to be a multiverse story that didn’t make me roll my eyes in 2023. A+ all around. Makes me wanna rewatch the original show again. [spoiler: I did]

9/29: Meanwhile (aivi & surasshu) - It’s been a whole decade–they were busy with, you know, all the music in Steven Universe, among other things–but we finally have a new aivi & surasshu album! Their chiptune/piano fusion style is familiar, but they’ve definitely grown as composers in subtle ways. Favorite track: Time Travel

October

10/1: This is Financial Advice (Folding Ideas) - A lot of the nitty gritty finance law stuff turned into white noise for me, but still, great video. I had no idea that the GameStop stock craze devolved into this bizarre cult that thinks they’re going to crash the global economy and rise from the ashes as the new kings with the value of their GME stocks. Glad this video exists to try and balance out the narrative.

10/5: Sonic Frontiers: The Final Horizon DLC - Good ideas, absurdly frustrating and tedious execution. Full thoughts here.

10/10: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (rewatch) - I didn’t plan this, but very fitting that I would end up rewatching this on 10/10.

10/12: Half-Life Alyx but the Gnome is Self-Aware (wayneradiotv) - ha he! (Seriously though, that finale was a fucking masterpiece. The RTVS crew has an incredible knack for using the framing device of video game livestreams to blur the lines between comedy and horror, or ironic anti-humor and complete sincerity. I’ve never seen anything else like this.)

10/15: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse - Not sure how much I can say that hasn’t already been said. The most visually creative movie I’ve ever seen, grounded by some really excellent storytelling about Miles (and now Gwen) that’s probably better than his actual comics. But it also does feel like it’s about to end and then the movie just keeps going like ten times over lmao. Can’t wait to watch this a second time on a better TV.

10/20: Sonic Superstars - A mostly really solid and fun 2D Sonic game that’s unfortunately dragged down by an extremely hodgepodge soundtrack and some overly drawn out boss fights. I spent HOURS trying to beat the final boss of the bonus scenario (which is required for the true ending in this one) before giving up. Really a shame that that’s the note I’m leaving the game on, because I otherwise enjoyed it, but ah well. More thoughts here.

10/27: Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 - Another good Spider-Man game from Insomniac. Liked the story more than the one in Miles Morales, but maybe not as much as the first game. Extensive thoughts here.

10/28: Venom - Was in the mood for more Venom after the game. As expected this was not a very good movie, but the dynamic between Eddie and Venom made it a fun watch. Tom Hardy is constantly about to shit his pants in this movie. It’s great.

10/28: Venom: Let There Be Carnage - I had a way better time with this one. Is this a good movie? No. But it cranks the insanity of the first movie up to 11. Goofy as fuck in an extremely watchable way.

November

11/5: Pluto - An absolutely masterful series that anyone interested in sci-fi needs to watch. The anime adaptation was great, and I immediately understand why people who’ve read the manga speak so highly of it. Really makes me want to get into Astro Boy more, and also read some of Urasawa’s other works.

11/18: Scott Pilgrim Takes Off - Wow, just wow. When news of a Scott Pilgrim anime broke I was cautiously curious to see if we’d get a more direct adaptation of the comics, and instead it veered off in the exact opposite direction in the best way possible. This is almost entirely a different story, one that’s in conversation with the previous versions (sometimes in very meta ways), and I think it’s really valuable to see O’Malley revisiting these characters with new things to say about them. The major story divergence gives us a chance to examine the characters from a new angle - particularly Ramona, who’s the real protagonist of this version, and the evil exes, who completely steal the show. This was a great reminder of why I fell in love with this series as a teenager. I now genuinely hope we get more Scott Pilgrim.

11/22: Void Rivals (Issues #1 - #6) - The first arc of the new Robert Kirkman series that kicked off Skybound’s new “Energon Universe” is now complete, and I’m left thinking Void Rivals is… okay? I thought the first issue was a decent (if not particularly original) sci-fi comic with an appealing art style, which just so happens to also briefly have a Transformer in it so there can be a Big Surprise. And the series still hasn’t quite shaken that feeling to me. It’s an okay sci-fi series that arbitrarily dedicates a couple of pages of every issue to something from Transformers, but I’m not really sure what the shared universe stuff adds to Void Rivals, or what Void Rivals adds to Transformers and GI Joe. I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

11/22: Journey to EPCOT Center: A Symphonic History (Defunctland) - Yeah, gotta be honest, I only got halfway through this one. It seems like Kevin just 1) really wanted to push himself creatively and 2) make a love letter to Epcot, and while I respect that, I think it suffers as a historical documentary. It’s Fantasia but for the creation of Epcot. That might be very impressive on a technical level, but it feels more like a piece of Disney propaganda than prior Defunctland videos due to a lack of context and nuance.

11/24: Aperture Desk Job - A short, sweet, and funny little tech demo for my new Steam Deck set in the Portal universe. More effort was definitely put into this than was strictly necessary.

11/26: ESCHATOS - I am not good at bullet hell games, but I enjoy them from time to time and I really love this one’s FM synth soundtrack, so I picked it up on a whim in the Steam sale. I only beat it on Easy, but still, I had a lot of fun with it! It’s straightforward but very flashy, with the camera dynamically zooming around from set piece to set piece at ridiculous speeds and each level segueing directly into the next. The lack of a powerup system on the main mode in favor of just needing to know when to use your different shot types makes it feel very approachable.

11/27: Lunistice - A great little 3D platformer with a good soundtrack that I had fun hunting down all the secrets in. This is an easy recommendation for fans of games like Kirby or Klonoa - whimsical games set in colorful dream worlds where the underlying story can get a bit more somber. (Although the story in this one is mostly told through mildly cryptic lore dumps, so your mileage there may vary.)

11/28: Spark the Electric Jester 2 - The leap from 2D to 3D here is impressive, but this is very clearly a rough draft for Spark 3. Very, very fun Sonic-style 3D platforming, but the combat is lacking and the storytelling is just kinda bad. More extensive thoughts on this and the above two games here.

December

12/2: Fortnite (Chapter 4) - This was my first full chapter of Fortnite, after having been roped into the game by the siren songs of Zero Build mode and Goku during Chapter 3. This means it’s harder for me to compare this chapter to previous ones, but still, Fortnite remains a genuinely very well made Battle Royale shooter that’s a blast with friends. If I have any complaint about this Chapter, it’s that they would regularly introduce zany ideas and then slowly reel them back in, whether it was the Augment system or the increasingly mundane movement items. It also felt like it was a little too easy to get the perfect loadout in every match, meaning the final showdown would almost always be against players with Slurp Juice and gold shotguns. And I missed the smaller mid-season map updates of Chapter 3. But overall I still had a really good time, and look forward to playing more for the foreseeable future.

12/4: Plagiarism and You(Tube) (HBomberguy) - This will get written off by many as “YouTuber drama,” but this really is an excellent video essay that feels like the kick in the pants that YouTube needs. If video essayists are gonna be a major source of information for so many, then they gotta have standards. I also think it does a good job of highlighting the people that have been plagiarized and trying to drive more attention their way in an attempt to right those wrongs.

12/6: Transformers (Skybound comic) - We only got the first three issues of this in 2023, but I just HAVE to say something about how incredible this series is here. Daniel Warren Johnson is knocking it out of the park. This is the new bar for Transformers. The hand-inked art is extremely dynamic and full of character, and the story is using the familiar beats of G1 Transformers but doing very new things with them. You can tell this from the very first page, but the emotional scene of Optimus accidentally crushing a deer in the forest and realizing how fragile life is on Earth sealed the deal for me. And yet in the very same comics Optimus can do suplexes and clotheslines and lord knows how many other wrestling moves on Decepticons, and it doesn’t feel like tonal whiplash? These comics just fucking rule, and anyone with even the slightest interest in Transformers should be reading them.

12/8: What We Do in the Shadows (Season 5) - [spoilers] WWDITS has very much settled into being a status quo show. Every season has its own little arc where one or two things change to keep things interesting, but then everything returns to normal by the end. Guillermo finally becoming a vampire, only to become a human again in the end, might just be the most egregious example of this yet. But also… the show’s still really funny? And I continue to be happy that Kristen Schaal has stuck around as a series regular as the Guide. So it’s hard to complain. I could see the show running out of steam over the next few seasons, but it’s still hitting for me right now.

12/12: Pony Island - Finally got around to this since the trailer for the sequel dropped. I feel like playing this years later in a post-Inscryption world where Pony Island is a known quantity kind of lessens its impact, but still, it’s a fun and funny puzzle game where you try to hack your way out of a possessed arcade machine. I’m not sure I found it particularly scary, but I’m not sure it’s supposed to be? The way the game messes with you during the Asmodeus “boss fight” was probably the highlight for me. I also like being able to say things like “The part where you have to not kill Jesus was so hard. I kept getting terrible butterfly patterns.”

12/16: Breaking Bad VR but the AI is Self-Aware (wayneradiotv) - As always, Wayne and co.’s commitment to the bit is unrivaled. This kind of got interpreted as just a way to troll HLVRAI fans, but so many moments in this genuinely made me laugh out loud.

12/18: Soul of Sovereignty Prelude - As someone who would list Cucumber Quest as a big creative influence, I was naturally very excited for this first chapter of GGDG’s new visual novel. Their mentality of both scaling things back in terms of labor while also going more shamelessly self-indulgent in terms of storytelling after burning out on making webcomics has really spoken to me, and WOW, the end result of that new process of theirs is shaping up to be something really special. The art and music are sparse but extremely evocative, giving you the rough sketch of the world and letting your mind fill in the rest. The story blends literary high fantasy vibes with the style of fantasy seen in ‘90s JRPGs (you can definitely tell this came from an idea for an RPG), but rather than constantly winking at the audience and making self-aware video game references it plays these storytelling ideas extremely sincerely, giving them real dramatic weight while still indulging in fun tropes to their fullest extent. While it’s a far cry from their most famous work with much more mature content, GGDG always excels at creating characters and worlds that immediately grab me. I can’t wait for the rest.

12/18: Barbie - I’m only… what, five months late for the whole Barbenheimer thing? Perfect timing. Anyway! On the one hand, I get the critiques saying that this movie is just a major corporation funding a self-aware feminist critique of their own product as a marketing ploy. And I kinda agree with that. And the movie is a little too long, and I don’t really know what to think of the way the Barbie/Ken conflict plays out. Anthony asked me to summarize what the story ended up being about, and I had no idea what to even say. But also… I did still like the movie? We don’t get a lot of cartoonish, absurdist, fourth wall breaking comedies like this anymore, and this is a good one of those. Also the whole cast is great, the set design is kind of stunning, and the cinematography is consistently appealing. I wouldn’t say it’s a revolutionary work of feminist filmmaking by any stretch, but it’s a good comedy movie.

12/21: Dr. Stone: New World - Man, Dr. Stone is great. I’ve said this many times, but I just love that this series uses all the trappings of shounen that would normally be used to hype up the protagonist learning a new move to instead hype up things like the protagonist building a loom or a hot air balloon. It’s shounen Bill Nye. I didn’t completely love everything about the Treasure Island arc this season, but it all built towards a really fun climax with a lot of satisfying turnabouts where the heroes use their ingenuity to just barely win.

12/23: The History of Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out World Records (Summoning Salt) - Truly one of my favorite Summoning Salt videos ever, even with how repetitive Punch-Out can get to watch. It’s just so hard to beat “and that runner… was me.”

12/24: Super Mario Bros. Wonder - What more can be said that hasn’t already been said? It’s the best and most creative 2D Mario game since the ‘90s. The only real flaws are that it’s a little easy, the Search Party stages are annoying in singleplayer, and I wish that every boss prior to the final boss wasn’t just some form of Bowser Jr. fight. But those aren’t nearly enough to drag the whole experience down. It was a blast.

12/24: Do a Powerbomb! - Got this from Anthony as a birthday present. This is the previous series by the creative team currently doing the new Transformers comics I was gushing about a few entries ago. Even with the high bar set by those comics, Do a Powerbomb! exceeded my expectations. Holy shit. An absolutely entrancing fantasy wrestling miniseries full of dynamic, energetic action and tons of heart. These comics where a guy wrestles a giant talking orangutan almost made me cry. Twice. An instant favorite.

12/25: Adventure Time (rewatch) - We ended up finishing our rewatch of Adventure Time (the main series, anyway) on my 30th birthday, which feels appropriate. I already kinda knew this, but this rewatch has truly confirmed that Adventure Time is my favorite TV series of all time. The entire show is even better on a full series rewatch. In hindsight, even parts that annoyed me when they aired end up being important parts of the beautiful tapestry that is this series. The many low points of Finn’s adolescent love life are important stepping stones in his growth as a person, which leaves him in an extremely satisfying place by the end. Jake having kids didn’t get to be a huge status quo change because they grew up instantly, but then they did a bunch of fun episodes about Jake’s relationships with his adult children that deepened him as a character. And most of the big lore questions they kept teasing over the years (“Where’d the humans go?” “Who are Finn’s parents?” “When’s Finn gonna get a robot arm?” etc.) ended up getting satisfying and creative answers, because the show left itself the room to figure those things out later. This is a truly special, one-of-a-kind series, one that lasted nearly 300 episodes and yet still seems like it was over too soon. And yes, I did in fact cry during the final montage, like I knew I would. I will always cherish this show with all of my heart.

12/25: Olive the Other Reindeer (rewatch) - Haven’t seen this one since I was a kid! It was a favorite of mine back then, and while it might not be quite as funny as I remember it’s still very cute, with a 2D/3D hybrid art style that remains very unique and appealing. As an adult I can also appreciate the cast they got for this, with like half the cast of Futurama bolstered by guests like Michael Stipe from REM and The Sopranos’ Joe Pantoliano.

12/26: Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio - Anthony and I capped off our Christmas with the most jolly and festive stop motion movie of all! Jokes aside, man, what a beautiful movie. The animation is immaculate, and we really just don’t get children’s animated films like this anymore. Ones that overtly feature real world politics and religion and so many other dark themes in a way that doesn’t talk down to kids or sugarcoat things. This one hits hard. We need more movies like this.

12/31: Oppenheimer - This was an interesting one. Despite being three hours, the way that first hour jumps around in time makes it feel like Oppenheimer is constantly being propelled forward through life at a breakneck pace, swept up by the rising tide of nationalism in spite of his personal left wing politics, never really reflecting on what he’s doing until it’s too late. Then when he’s no longer useful to the empire, he’s chewed up and spat out, only to eventually be honored as a national hero as a symbolic gesture. It’s a compelling story. However, I’m a little torn on how certain aspects of history were framed. Does the abstraction of the bombings detract from the true weight of those events, in favor of sympathizing with the man who built the bomb? Or is it clever a way to show how the realities of the war were compartmentalized away by people who were complicit in its most heinous acts of violence? One minute a bunch of physicists are talking theory, thousands of miles away from the theaters of war, and the next they’ve killed 200,000 people. So which is it? Eh, probably somewhere in the middle, I guess. But I liked it overall.

12/31: Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe - I’ve been really surprised by how good this rerelease is. It kind of flew under the radar for me. I liked the original game, but at the time it also almost felt like the New Super Mario Bros. of Kirby. It was a straightforward throwback game where you went through a grass world, then a desert world, then a water world, etc., and also they added four player co-op. But returning to this one after the kinda mid Star Allies has made me appreciate just how solid RtDL is as a Kirby game. I really like the updated graphics, too - yes, even the new cel shaded outlines around the characters - even though I didn’t think it looked that great in screenshots. Also the two new copy abilities (Sand and Mecha) are fun, the minigame collection is shockingly fleshed out to the point that they could’ve sold it as a standalone eShop game, the collectible character masks are fun, and the new epilogue mode where you play as Magolor is one of the coolest bonus modes they’ve ever done. This is a top tier Kirby remake any fan of the series should check out.

Ongoing things I followed in 2023 that don't have a blurb:

Halo Infinite multiplayer

IDW Sonic the Hedgehog (main series + specials)

One Piece

Chainsaw Man

My Hero Academia (not caught up)

The JOJOlands (not caught up)

Things I started in 2023 that I still need to finish:

Freedom Planet 2

Hi-Fi Rush

Live A Live

Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

Picross 3D Round 2

Rhythm Heaven MegaMix

Mega Man Battle Network 5: Team ProtoMan

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart

Spark the Electric Jester 3

Sonic Dream Team

One Piece (Wano arc, anime)

Jujutsu Kaisen season 2 (I’ve already read the Shibuya arc already in the manga, though)

Astro Boy (2003 anime)

Futurama (original run rewatch)

One Piece (manga reread)

The Amazing Spider-Man (Lee/Ditko era)

Scott Pilgrim series (reread)

And finally... my favorites of 2023!!!

Overall favorite game: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Favorite indie game: Pseudoregalia

Games remastered in 2023 that are now among my all-time faves: Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective, We Love Katamari

Most pleasant surprise in gaming: The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog

Favorite film: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Favorite live action show: Barry

Favorite anime: Pluto

Favorite anime written by a Canadian guy and an American guy based on the Canadian guy's old graphic novel series: Scott PIlgrim Takes Off

Favorite live action adaptation of an anime that I still can't believe they didn't fuck up: One Piece

Favorite Western cartoon: Adventure Time: Fionna & Cake

Favorite older cartoon I only got around to watching in its entirety this year: The Venture Bros.

Favorite documentary: Double Fine PsychOdyssey

Favorite semi-improvised semi-scripted absurdist comedy/horror/tragedy Twitch livestream performance art thing: Half-Life Alyx but the Gnome is Self-Aware finale (wayneradiotv)

Favorite manga: Chainsaw Man

Favorite older manga that I only read this year: Berserk

Favorite Western comic book: Daniel Warren Johnson's Transformers

Favorite album: HELLMODE (Jeff Rosenstock)

And that's a wrap!!!!! Happy new year, everyone! Here's to me maybe actually reading a goddamn book this year

#bobby writes #i don't have a writing tag so i'm making one now to save this and other things

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littlexscarletxwitch · 1 year

Text

── ༊*·˚⋆ 𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲

paring: florence pugh x fem!reader

tag(s): fluff, based on endgame by taylor swift (you don't understand how much i'm loving this song), cute gf flo

warning(s): grammatical errors, unedited

word count: 2.2k

note: omg, it's finally here. I'm so sorry it took me sooo long, it just I was super busy. Was this inspire by Ms. Taylor Swift? Yes, yes it was. I really hope you guys like this one. I'm not a native english speaker, so please let me know about any sort of mistake. Love you all so much <3

note 2: guys, I'm currently reading 'Delilah Green doesnt' care' and it's giving me so many ideas for fics. So would any of you be interest in more mum!florence? Please let me know. Xoxo, M

requests are open! + check my rules here + masterlist <3

Your eyes were closed, your head was on her chest listening to her steady heartbeats, a soft smile formed on your lips.

“Promise me this is forever,” you whispered.

You knew she was awake, she was doing the same thing as you, enjoying the moment, living in the present.

Your eyes found hers already looking at you.

“I promise,” she said, her smile mirroring yours.

Her lips found yours as if sealing the promise forever, but nothing ever lasts forever. The kiss that was first sweet and soft and filled with love, turned bitter, harsh and cold. You pulled back confusion written all over your face.

You blink once then twice, and suddenly you were waking up on your bed, alone. You cursed yourself at the stupid memory. It was so pathetic to still think about Florence that way. You two were history, long forgotten, just a memory of your adolescence.

You shook your head, trying to wake up your foggy brain from the nap you had taken. And decided to get some work done as a way to clear your head from your silly old fantasies.

You made yourself a cup of tea, grabbed your notebook and put your headphones on. You only had three more months to finish your second album. The deadline wasn’t much of a concern of yours, what bothered you was the lack of inspiration. Every lyric you would write down was just trash, it was as if you were missing something. So far you had only five finished songs, and you needed ten more to have the album finished.

You were humming, moving your head to the beat as you let your brain come up with the right words, but it felt as if you were stuck.

“I wanna be your endgame,” you sang to the beat. “I wanna be, I wanna be your… ” you threw your head back in annoyance, frustration getting the best out of you.

You had been sitting on the floor for the last hour, trying to finish this one song but you were not even close to it. You took a deep breath trying not to lose your shit. Your phone buzzed, the screen lighting up with a new notification and that took your whole attention.

“Y/n Y/l/n and Drew Starkey spotted out for dinner,” you read out loud and couldn’t help rolling your eyes at the link your manager and best friend had sent you.

According to the news, you were dating both Drew Starkey and Joe Keery. You also almost got engaged the week before to Rudy Pankow, but apparently cheated on him with Maya Hawke. You knew better than to actually pay attention to fake news, but you couldn’t help to. After all that was now your life, the life of a startpop in the making, so much for a boring Oxford kid.

Your reputation precedes you, in rumours you were knee-deep. But there was nothing you could do about it. Exhausted from your social life and the poor lack of motivation to do the one thing you loved the most, you decided to go out on a walk, hoping it would help to clear your thoughts about both the fake news and Florence, who you tried to ignore from thinking of. But ever since that dream you found yourself thinking about her more often.

You knew she was as famous as you were, maybe even more. You had to admit to yourself that some nights you found some kind of comfort in her movies, watching her cute pouty face, the one she was most known for.

She was your first love, she taught you how to love, what it was to be loved. Of course it wasn’t easy to forget about her, even after all these years, some part of you still craved her love. It wasn’t that you didn’t love each other when you both decided to go separate ways, it was because things weren’t so simple anymore. You two weren’t just two teenargs in love, you were slowly becoming adults. She had booked roles and you were making your way into the music industry.

And without the two of you knowing you two just drifted apart, the two of you too caught up in your careers. But you loved her, so you decided to let her go, hoping and praying to the universe that maybe she would come back to you one day.

Your thoughts were interrupted as you opened the door to your local cafe and someone bumped into you.

“Sorry, I wasn’t… “ but you stopped cold once you saw the strangers eyes.

“Y/n?” she asked, her voice as soft and raspy as you remembered. “What are you doing here?” a smile formed on her face, as if she was genuinely happy to see you.

You shook your head trying to clear out your mind, was Florence really in front of you? “I, um, I lived here,” you blinked once, twice and she was still there. “Just around the corner,” you added, cursing yourself for being so awkward. “What are you doing here?”

Was this a sign of the universe? Have your prayers been answered?

“Visiting my family,” right her family, you thought. “Well, not just that, I’m also working,” she scratched the back of her neck. “I was actually hoping to see you, too.”

“Really?” that had to mean something, the universe couldn't be messing around with you this cruelly. Right?

“Yeah, I have, um… I have been thinking about you.” she smiled at you and you felt the butterflies in your stomach. “I think we should talk.”

“I, um,” what were you supposed to say? Were you willingly going to agree to spend time with the love of your life as if the two of you were going to be just friends? What was that supposed to mean?

“Yeah, sure. When are you free?” you finally agree.

You mentally checked your schedule, you were supposed to finish your songs but taking a break wouldn’t hurt anybody. Plus, you were going to get your coffee and get back to it right away.

“Um, what about now?”

Shit, you thought. She wasn’t going to give you any time to prepare yourself. Well, you better get into it, rip it off like a band aid.

“Okay, I was going to get a coffee and then we can…”

“Yeah, yeah, take your time. I’m going to find us a table.”

You order your coffee while mentally preparing for the conversation the two of you were going to have. What was she on about? Was it really a big coincidence? Did the universe put her in our path for some reason? You shook your head, you needed to stop thinking about the universe’s way of working for a second.

They handed you your coffee and now you had no more excuses to avoid her, not that you wanted to. Some part of you long to be near her, but you were scared of what this whole thing was about.

“So, um, what’s up with Drew?” she tried to pretend she didn’t care but was actually dying to know if you were actually dating him, not that you noticed it.

“Who?”

“Drew? Starkey?”

“Oh, yeah, Drew,” you chuckled, silly you for forgetting your own friend. “He’s just a friend, a really good friend,” was it your imagination or did she just let out a breath of relief. “What about Ashley?” you asked before taking a sip of your coffee.

She smiled at you, “She’s also a really good friend.”

“So, um…”

“Listen, Y/n…”

The both of you chuckled.

“You go first, Flo”

That nickname. It was stupid because everyone who knew her would call her ‘Flo’, but coming out of your lips felt different. She had missed hearing her name on your lips, she had missed you.

“I’m just going to say it, okay?” you only nodded. “I lied earlier, I’m not here for work or visiting my family. I came here to find you,” your lips parted in disbelief. “Ever since we broke things apart, I had been feeling like something was missing, Y/n. And I recently realised it was you. Well, I saw the article about you getting married and all I could think of was that something wasn’t right.”

“Florence I…”

“No, please let me finish,” she cut you off. “I understand that we are strangers to each other, but I would love to get to know you once again. We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to, it can be like a fresh start. I just really need you in my life, Y/n. I miss my best friend.”

You took another sip of your coffee, stealing time before giving her an answer. The truth was you already knew what you wanted, you knew it the moment you sat at the table, but you wanted to mess with her just a little bit.

You put your cup down, and finally your eyes found hers, “I would like nothing more.”

[...]

Ever since that day, Florence and you had been spending everyday together. Catching up with each other and going back to old habits.

The more you hang out with her, the more you could feel your old feeling coming back. But you didn’t want to rush things just to ruin them again. But one particular afternoon you couldn't hold back anymore and decided to do something about it.

She had fallen asleep 30 minutes ago, you chuckled as you realised her current state because she had picked out the movie but turns out she was more tired than what she let you see.

You headed to your small studio and decided to get back to the song you were working on before running into Florence. You knew exactly what you wanted to say, having found your new inspiration a few weeks ago.

You pressed play and the music started playing, you already had a few things written down in your notebook you just needed to put all your ideas together.

You were so lost and immersed in finishing the song, going at it back and forth, changing some lyrics, singing some ideas, writing and crossing out some bits, that you didn’t realise someone was watching you just when you were about to finish.

You had already recorded the whole song and were just checking it out when Florence leaned in the frame door.

Florence smiled as she listened to your sweet voice. She wondered who this song was about.

Knew her when I was young, reconnected when we were little bit older

Both sprung, I got issues and chips on both of my shoulders

She didn’t want to get her hopes up.

Reputation precedes me, in rumors, I'm knee-deep

The truth is, it’s easier to ignore it, believe me

She felt her heart shrinking in her chest.

Even when we'd argue, we'd not do it for long

And you understand the good and bad end up in the song

She listened closely to the song as you hummed to it.

For all your beautiful traits and the way you do it with ease

For all my flaws, paranoia, and insecurities

Her heartbeat and body temperature were rising.

I've made mistakes and made some choices, that's hard to deny

After the storm, something was born on the 4th of July

I've passed days without fun, this end game is the one

With four words on the tip of my tongue, I'll never say it

She couldn't take it any longer.

“I like it,” she said, getting closer to where you were sitting. “It’s catchy,” she said, trying to shake her feeling away. That song could be about anyone.

“I feel like something’s missing,” you scrunch your nose.

“Sing the corus to me, please,” she looked at you with her doe eyes and you swear you could have melted in that moment.

You shook your head with a smile on your face and compiled, “I wanna be your endgame, endgame,” you finished singing the chorus. “And then it goes. Big reputation, big reputation. Ooh, you and me, we got big reputations, ah,” you sang, trying to not look at Florence.

“You know, it sounds awfully familiar,” she teased, wanting nothing more than for it to be true.

“And you heard about me, ooh. I got some big enemies,” you kept on going.

“What are you trying to say, Y/n?” she kept on pushing you.

“Big reputation, big reputation. Ooh, you and me would be a big conversation, ah. And I heard about you, ooh. You like the bad ones, too,” you finished, trying to tell her that you were thinking exactly what she was thinking.

She was so close to you now, her knees brushing against yours, sending electricity throughout your body. You could feel her hot breath on your lips.

“I want to…” she didn’t finish her sentence because you were already nodding and she smashed her lips to yours in a second.

You felt as if a wave of cold water was washing over you. Her lips felt both familiar and new at the same time. You felt at home as she wrapped her arm around your waist and her other hand cupped your cheek. You didn’t want to ever stop kissing her, but both you and her needed to breathe so ultimately pulled apart.

She rested her forehead on yours, both of her hands cupping your cheeks, caressing your skin with her fingertips.

“I wanna be your endgame,” you quietly sang to her.

She chuckled before kissing you again and again and again.

Likes, comments and reblogs are appreciated! <3

-M

#florence pugh #florence pugh x reader #florence pugh x fem reader #florence pugh x y/n #florence pugh x you #florence pugh fluff #florence pugh imagine #littlexscarletxwitch's fic #Spotify #[🎧⊹♡] based on songs i love

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oftenwantedafton · 7 months

Text

The Perfect Girl - Dave Miller/William Afton x Female Reader

Finale

Rating - Explicit

Warnings - restraints, captivity, blood and violence, sexual content

Also available on AO3

There’s a large turnout for the candlelight vigil.

Former classmates. Members of the community. Your mother. Employees at the mall. William Afton remains at the edges of the crowd. Stares into the flame until his vision goes blurry. Thinks about you tucked away in his pizzeria. All his. Only his. His own.

Your car was finally discovered earlier that day, outside of town where he’d abandoned it. Wiped clean. No evidence he’d ever been inside of it. Purse found inside, apparently intact, no contents missing. Driver’s license. Social security card. Health insurance card. Credit card. Car insurance and registration. Makeup. Cash. There’s a film crew present doing a brief recap of the story of your disappearance. Interviewing your mother. Several others. They don’t ask the one person who knows what really happened.

He has to be extra cautious when returning to see you. There are so many people around. He actually leaves and comes back. Still waits to make sure he’s not being watched or followed. Slipping back through the mall entrance that’s been long forgotten. Winding through liminal spaces. Back inside the restaurant. Now back inside the room with you.

***

It’s late when your captor returns.

You’d fallen asleep on the couch, barely making it through the opening credits of the movie you’d put on. The cell phone is hidden behind the refrigerator, tucked on the floor just within reach but securely out of sight. You can tell William’s been outdoors; can feel the cooler autumn air still clinging to his body. You sit up, making room for him.

He still sits close. One arm curling around you. Possessive. His fingers are cool against the bare skin of your shoulder.

“How was the vigil? Did it just end now?” You glance at the clock. Nearly 3am.

“No. I left for a bit. To make sure…” You nod your understanding. No chance he was followed, then. Your location still a secret.

“Is my mom alright?”

“She’s being brave for the cameras. Behind the scenes, too. Optimistic you’ll be found.”

“Cameras?”

“The local news station was here. Doing a little blurb to refresh people’s memories. Hoping someone might suddenly remember a detail that had gotten overlooked previously. There aren’t any, of course.”

Afton sounds so confident. “You’re cold,” you say, the fingers absently stroking your bare shoulder making you shiver.

“So warm me up.”

You lean to kiss him. Even his lips are cool. He’d been outside a while. Maybe not so confident, then. Hesitating. Your tongue spears his mouth. Warm inside. Your fingers on his cheek. Rough stubble. Settling into that mess of hair. You’re already throbbing. Straddle his lap, the links of the chain clinking with the movement. Your hands now fiddling with the fly of his pants. He moans into your mouth and you answer in kind. His cock released, hot against your skin. “Please fuck me, William.” You beg against his ear. Lav at his neck. There are pajama shorts and panties to contend with. The shackle. He’s too impatient. You hear the snick of the pocket knife on his keyring opening. Tearing through the thin material barricading you from him. Clumsy sawing drags of the blade, not his usual artful handling. Desperate to get at you. The elastic waistbands give him the most difficulty. He curses when he knicks his thumb in the process. Shifts slightly to line you up with his erection. You sheathe him slowly. Hands resting on his shoulders trembling. Bloodied thumb pressed against your bottom lip. Your eyes flutter closed. Let it slip past your lips. Sucking. You finish your descent. He’s fully inside of you.

You bend to kiss him again. The taste of his blood still lingering. His tongue greedy for it. You raise and lower yourself. Grinding down. Bouncing. Fast and then slow. One hand cupping your ass cheek. “William…” You say his name over and over. What will your reward be this time? What do you dare ask for? Fresh air. A chance to use the phone. Just a quick call to emergency services. Let them trace it.

Is that really the only reason you’re doing this?

The pendant of the gifted necklace lying against the base of your throat. Your hand wrapped around his. You’ve no idea how it’s gotten there. He’s meeting your hips now. Moving faster. His eyes locked with yours. “Do it.”

You frown. Your pelvis hesitates mid motion. Does he want…?

“Do it,” he says again. He hasn’t stopped pummeling you.

He’s asked for this before. Your fingers tighten. You feel the movement of his Adam’s apple. The forced swallow against the pressure you’re exerting. The thin hiss of air exchange through the compressed passage. Your body dropping down onto his. Struggling for air yourself. Your arm shaking with tension.

Your fingers relax. Your face drops into the crook of his neck. A heavy rasp of air. He’s stopped moving. You’re still impaled. “I can't do it, I can’t hurt you.”

“Why not?”

“Because. I’m not violent,” you murmur, your face lifting so you can see his features.

He tucks a swathe of your hair behind one ear. “You are when you let yourself be. That’s the only difference between us. Restraint. Inhibition. I know you so well. Better than you know yourself…” His mouth on yours. “There’s another reason you won’t hurt me, isn’t there?” He kisses your neck and you shudder. “Isn’t there?” Firmer now. He expects an answer.

You nod.

“Say it.”

“William…”

“Why are you so afraid?”

“Because I’ve given you everything else. I’ll have nothing left if I…”

“You’ll have me. You have me. A decade ago I would never have forgiven…What have you done to me, to make me feel…” You kiss the rest of the words away. Grinding against him again. “Come to bed with me and let me fuck you properly.”

You climb off his lap. The sudden absence of his cock buried inside you already leaving you aching. Clothes discarded along the short path to the bed. You’re pressed down beneath him on top of the comforter. Back inside of you. As if you’d never been parted. A hand knotting in your hair. His mouth on your throat. Your fingers on his scars. Hot breath huffed against your skin. Little pleading noises escaping you. Half formed words. Nails digging into flesh. Knees pressing into ribs. A shake of muscles. You can’t withstand the battering any longer. Melting against him. His shuddering breath. Body dropping down, his weight on you. Making it hard to breathe. That molten flow deep in your core. The taut frame nearly suffocating you relaxing, stilling, depressing the mattress beside you instead.

Facing each other. Still on top of the covers. Respirations normal. The little firing of nerves less frequent, less intense. “What do you want?” His voice quiet.

“You.”

It’s only half a lie.

***

The roof of the mall the next evening. The first fresh air you’ve inhaled in months.

William keeps you tucked inside the shadowed stairwell. Still cautious. Bound to his wrist. You can see the stars. The autumn air is welcome. You've been gifted some new clothing. Weather appropriate for the coming months, although the pizzeria interior is always climate controlled. Maybe this wouldn’t be your only trip outside. If you were good. If you could convince him…

The phone is in your pants pocket. Turned on. Ready to use. If the battery lasted. If you had a signal. And then what? You’d have to toss it and hope it wouldn’t break. It would be better if you could somehow convince him to sever the ziptie. But why would he? Especially after what had happened last time. The agony of the indecision tortures you. Did you want to be restrained even more? Go back to having him not look at you, not speak to you? Not touch you…

In the end the mobile device goes unused. You can’t risk it.

You’re brought back to your confinement. Afton doesn’t stay. You don’t ask. You hide the phone in the same place as before, checking the battery life first. A warning to charge the device. The screen goes dark.

***

William finishes his security guard shift and lingers in his customary hiding spots until he’s certain the coast is clear before he returns to his restaurant.

Eases down into the swivel chair before the monitors on the security office. His eyes immediately focus on the displays for your room. You’re reading. Or at least you appear to be. He doesn’t see you turn a page. Notices the glint of your silver necklace. The wicked silver wink of the butcher knife on the desk in front of him. He reaches for it, rocking back in his chair. Point pressing against the new scab on his thumb. Not hard enough to puncture, just testing the sharpness. He already knows the blade is ready, freshly prepared after his most recent kills. Knows all about the secret you have stashed away. He’s the one that had placed it on the bathroom sink, after all. Another test. Another slim opportunity you’d wasted.

He wonders about that. Why you hadn’t at least made the attempt. Fearing his ire, perhaps. Of course he would’ve had to punish you.

But you were so good at finding the mercy in him.

The security guard realizes he’s bleeding again. He’s pushed too deeply. Or the knife is sharper than he’d thought. A little of both, perhaps. He rises to his feet. Rolls the handle of the blade in his palm. Leaves the room and enters yours.

***

You look up from the page you’d been stuck on, the same paragraph read repeatedly without comprehension. The door remains open behind William.

You notice the knife immediately and shrink back a little against the cushions of the couch. See the blood dripping from his other hand.

“William, what happened?”

He realizes where you’re staring and shrugs, unconcerned. “Cut myself.”

“You’re not going to put something on that?” You’re thinking about grabbing some napkins from the kitchen cupboard, already moving off the couch. He watches you, making no move to take the paper offering. “William…”

“I’ve been thinking about the other night. When you said you could never hurt me. You could, though, couldn’t you? If the circumstances demanded it. If it was your only chance of escape.” He sets the knife on the counter. “If I gave you one fair chance. Would you take it? Would you abandon me?”

“William, I don’t—”

“—Why didn’t you use the phone last night?”

You suck in a deep breath. Christ, he knew. He always does. When will you learn? Your heart races. “The battery was practically dead, I didn’t think it would even work.”

“You brought it with you, though, didn’t you? Intending to use it.”

It was useless to lie. “Yes.”

“So why didn’t you?”

“I just told you…”

He lifts the knife again and the argument dies in your throat. “You still don’t understand. After everything I’ve tried. It doesn’t matter how many rewards or punishments I mete.” The older man advances towards you. There’s nothing but the kitchen counter and cabinets at your back. He reaches for your chin, lifting it firmly. “I’m going to unlock your restraint.” Kneeling now. Your entire body is shaking. You don’t know what’s happening. You don’t think you’ve ever been this afraid.

The metal band releases. He tosses it aside, standing once more. Blood still leaks from his wound, pattering to the floor. “Take this.” He uncurls your fingers from their white knuckled grip on the edge of the counter. Presses the handle into them. “You only get one chance at this. Make it count. Your best bet is here,” he taps the side of his neck. “Quick thrust to sever carotid and jugular. A little slower for the axillary here,” he lifts his arm, gesturing to the hollow beneath. “Right side here for the liver is another good choice. But you should go for the throat. A quick end if your aim is true.”

“I’m not…I’m not doing that. Any of that.” There are tears sliding down your cheeks.

“Why not?”

“You know why not. I told you I’m not like you.”

“Not like me? Not crazy like me, you mean?” A bitter smile. The backs of his fingers drag through the salted tracks staining your face. “Don’t waste this opportunity. There won’t be another, I promise you.” His thumb dragging across your bottom lip. The bloodied one. A final mark upon you.

Your grip on the knife tightens. You hesitate. You can’t do it. Impossible. He has you trapped here in more ways than one. He knows it. Not just the restraints. Not just the threats. There was more preventing you from leaving. His influence over you too strong. Breaking you down steadily over the months. You hadn’t even been consciously aware of it before now. Every uttered consent. Every desire. You were his.

Your last chance to flee. A window of opportunity shutting. Hurting him wouldn’t be enough. Running would never put enough distance between you. There was no escape. He had to be the one to let you go. And he never would. Not unless you forced him to. An idea comes to you. The place where you could bury the blade that would do the most damage. Not inside of him. Inside of you. That which he treasures the most. The most damage you could inflict.

“Close your eyes.” You don’t want him to see what you’re attempting, trying to prevent you from doing this.

He nods in understanding, obeying. Those long dark lashes laid over smudged skin. So calm and accepting. You reverse the blade. Position it on the left side of your abdomen. You’ve no idea how lethal the placement is, just paying attention to Afton’s impromptu anatomy lesson and steering clear of any of those dangerous zones.

Now. Do it now. Don’t think. Just do it.

You grit your teeth. Shove the knife inside of you.

The pain. Unlike any other. A gasp. William’s eyes fly open. Frowning, not realizing what is happening. You collapse and he goes down with you, preventing your head from striking the concrete. You can feel the blood soaking through your shirt. His face above your wavering vision. The realization. You’d beaten him at his own game. You’d won.

***

You awaken to the bright lights inside of a hospital room.

So. Your gamble had paid off. You’d managed not to inflict any lethal damage. You’d finally escaped Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria.

William had brought you here. Surrendering. Letting you go.

He could come for you again, you suppose, the temporary relief smothered with this realization. But for now, you were free. You were safe.

Your wound really fucking hurts.

You find the call button to summon a nurse. Other staff follow. You’re told you’ve been out for nearly a week. Left outside the ER. Injured but no weapon found. A call that is traced to a very confused looking homeowner nearby. You know William won’t have left prints. Surgery. Sutured back together. Your mother is called. The police don’t allow much time before you’re questioned. And this is where you find yourself lying about your captivity. Stating you were driven somewhere. Far away, in the van a long time. Blindfolded. The sound of water. A young man’s voice. The lies spill from your lips easily. The authorities seem convinced. Your mother is anxious for you to be discharged.

You wonder if she’ll ever let you out of her sight again.

***

You’ve only missed one semester of college.

They allow you to begin in January. Your classes are shuffled around to accommodate you. Courses for first years will now be handled during your second year instead. You’re something of a celebrity. Constantly pestered with questions. The occasional journalist seeking a story. Your account never wavers and interest fades with time, like the healing laceration on your stomach.

You find yourself looking over your shoulder frequently. Imagining footsteps that aren’t there. You leave class one evening and fumble with your car key, struggling to fit it inside the lock. That nagging feeling that you’re being watched persisting. The hairs on the back of your neck lifting. The parking lot is emptying. There are a row of trees beside the building. The feeling intensifies. You cease your struggles and let the keyring dangle from your fingers. Tuck your backpack over your shoulder and step onto the mulch bordering the curb. Weaving between hedges. Nearly to the trees now. Cloaked in shadows.

You know the sound of William’s breathing as well as your own. Drawn towards him like a magnet, you find him. He’s dressed to match the night. Dark shirt, dark jacket and pants. The only lightness that pale skin of his. Visible in the brief moment the moon peeks from behind the clouds before becoming shadowed once again.

You shift the weight of your book bag. Finally ease it off of your shoulder, letting it drop to the carpet of pine needles and leaves.

“Why didn’t you tell the police about me?”

A valid query. Why hadn’t you? Why were you keeping the pizzeria and its murderous owner a secret? Preventing justice for all of its victims, yourself included?

“I don’t know.”

“I think you do.”

“Are you going to take me back?”

“Do you want to be taken back?”

“No,” you say softly.

A grunt. “You could have died. Stupid, what you did.”

“I was dying already, William. Just at a slower pace. I couldn’t stay there any longer.”

“Do you ever think about me?”

You swallow thickly. “All the time.”

“Is any of it fond? Or is it all bitter, tainted…You’ve no idea the emptiness you’ve left behind. The sheer ache…”

You move forward, wrapping your arms around him. Surprising you both. His arms finally settling around you, the stiff awkwardness melting.

“It wasn’t stupid, what you did. It was brilliant. Something I hadn’t anticipated.” There’s a note of pride in his voice.

“Please don’t hurt anyone else. Promise me you won’t. I’ll never tell anyone about what happened, just…”

A heavy sigh. “There are conditions for everything, aren’t there?” He combs his fingers through your hair. “A price to be paid for the things we desire.” Pushing gently against your face tucked against his chest. Lifting it. His lips finding yours. So warm contrasting with that winter air around you. Your hands linking behind his neck. Pulling him tighter. That familiar heat stirring your insides. The kiss becoming wetter, more frantic. Gasping breaths when you finally part.

“What do you want?” He’s trembling in your arms.

“You.”

It’s the truth.

#william afton x reader #william afton x you #dave miller x you #dave miller x reader

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itstorimf · 1 year

Text

risky, risky, risky - professor!dad!chan x female reader

chapter four: "Can you call me Chan instead?"

word count: 3.8K

warnings: SMUT (oral sex (m and f receiving), unprotected sex, dirty talk, name calling (baby and princess), praise?), foul language, age gap, mentions of death, children?

TAGLIST IS OPEN hehe

series masterlist

*written in Chris' POV*

Once my class had ended, I pulled out my phone and texted Jisung. I think I was just in so much shock from seeing Y/N again that I needed to tell someone! Changbin also felt the need to be a part of the fun.

They both proved to be nearly no help at all, so I sat in my classroom and took a deep breath. I recalled the last time I saw her. It felt so naughty to be thinking about my student that way, but I couldn't help it. It was wrong and yet all I wanted was to see her again. I thought that the note she had written for me was the last time I would ever hear from her again, but the universe seemed to have different plans. I was broken from my trance when I heard someone clear their throat, another student who had come in with questions about my homework policy.

I was in a complete daze in the other two classes that I had that day, completely shaken by my encounter with Y/N. Had I taken it too far after class? Would I lose my job because of our previous encounter? Surely I would be fine, but I couldn't help but worry. After all of my classes had ended for the day, thank God, I grabbed my bag and left, leaving to pick up Leo from his daycare.

"Daddy!" I heard my little boy yell as I made my way up tp the door. He jumped into my arms and threw his arms around my neck. We walked back to the car and I put him into his carseat.

"Were you a good boy today, Leo?" I asked with a smile on my face, buckling him in. Being around my son always put me in a good mood, no matter how shit my day had been.

"Mhmm," he responded with a smile. He was my spitting image, with some of his mother sprinkled in of course, but when he smiled two dimples appeared on his cheeks.

"Well then, I think good boys deserve some sweets! Would you like that, Leo?" Honestly, I think I needed something sweet myself to cheer myself up. Or a reward for actually making it through the day.

"Yes please Daddy!" Leo responded with a giggle. With that we drove to a little cafe on our way home.

*written in Y/N's POV*

The day seemed to go by a lot smoother after Wonnie and I got home.She insisted I watched a movie with her before I got ready for my closing shift at Chill. We finished some cheesy movie about two strangers that meet one day at a coffee shop and fall in love so easily. It honestly left a bad taste in my mouth. Nothing happens that easily, not without consequences at least. My mind wandered and thought about Chris every so often. What would it be like to fall in love with him? Maybe I would let myself if the circumstances weren't as complicated as they were. I had almost forgotten how attractive he was until I saw him again today.I don't know what image was hotter, the laid-back version of Chris that I met at Venom, or the put-together professional Chris that I was in the classroom. I physically shuttered at the idea that I was thinking about my professor this way, but I couldn't help it. He was hot, as fuck!

"You okay over there?" Wonyoung asked as she saw me shiver. Had she seen me zoning out this entire time?

"Yeah. I think I'm gonna shower before work," I announced as I threw the blanket off of me and got up from the couch. Wonnie said nothing else, just side-eyed me as I walked to the bathroom.

I got ready, putting on my uniform and throwing my hair into a high ponytail. I blew Wonnie a kiss before leaving the apartment and walked to Chill. I enjoyed walking to work most of the time, but today my mind couldn't seem to sit still. The walk, that's only usually 10 minutes, seemed so much longer today. How would I face him for the rest of the year without wanting to tear his clothes off? I pushed all of my thoughts aside as I walked into the cafe.

Work was annoyingly slow today, only a couple of students coming in here and there to study, but not nearly enough people came in to keep my attention. As I was sitting behind the register, I started doodling on a napkin that was just sitting there. I was interrupted when I heard the sound of the bell on the door, announcing that someone was here. I looked up from the napkin and there he was, YET AGAIN. Only this time, he had a little human attached to his side. My eyes widened in realization.

"H-hi wh-what can I g-get you both today?" I stuttered. Sure, my confidence had gone up over the Summer, but my past hook up slash current college professor walked into my place of work holding hands with a child. I tried to recall the night we met, and I don't think I remembered seeing a ring on his finger, but the child attached him wasn't comforting. He looked equally as uncomfortable with the fact that we were face to face for the second time today.

"Um.. just two small strawberry smoothies please?" He asked not breaking eye contact with me.

"I have waffle too please, Daddy?" the little one now in his arms asked. He looked just like Chris, just a smaller version. The child even had his dimples. Clearly his child by the whole 'Daddy' thing. He was pointing at the waffle in the pastry case next to the register.

"Sure. One waffle too, but plain please," he said putting his son down to reach for his wallet.

"You got it, but don't worry about paying, Mr. Bang," I said. I had already voided the order seeing as I was going to have to make it myself.

"Chris. Please. The whole Mr. Bang thing feels a little weird coming from you," he said with a smile, an uncomfortable smile, but a smile nonetheless. We were just two people. No classroom, no weird power dynamics, no alcohol in our systems and heavy bass influencing our decisions. Just two normal people again, meeting in a coffee shop. How cliche.

"Well, Chris, consider it an apology for my attitude earlier," I handed him a number and he walked over to a table near the corner, pulling the seat closer so he could sit next to the kid. I made their order pretty quickly seeing as there wasn't anyone after them in line and walked it over to their table.

"Uh thank you. Y/N this is my son, Leo. Can you say hi to Y/N, bud?" he said as I placed down their drinks and food.

"Hi Y/N!" Leo greeted, not really paying attention. Instead he was going to town on that waffle.

"Sorry. Waffles are kinda his thing right now," he said as he patted his son's head gently.

"No that's okay. Hi Leo!" I responded. "Enjoy. I have some cleaning that I need to do anyway," I stated as I started to walk away.

"Is your break soon?" he asked, and honestly, I was taken a bit back.

"It can be I guess. There really isn't anyone in here except for me. I can sit for a bit until someone comes in," I responded. Sitting here with Chris and Leo sounded a lot more exciting than wiping down the counter for the millionth time. He pulled up another chair and I sat across from him next to Leo. I learned that Leo had just turned three and that they both moved into the city a little over a year ago. "So what brought you here then?" I asked him.

"Well, mainly the job, but Leo's mum passed away a little before that, so it felt like a good opportunity to start over, I guess?" he responded. There wasn't a hint of discomfort in his tone, so I guessed that this was something he was comfortable talking about. I still felt super guilty for prompting him to tell me about his dead wife.

"I'm sorry, Chris. I had no idea," I immediately apologized.

"No, seriously its okay. It's gotten a lot easier since we moved here," he said with a smile, patting Leo's head gently again. "We should probably get going soon. I didn't see any other cars outside. Did you take an Uber here?" he asked me.

"Oh! Uh no I usually walk home after work," I responded already starting to clear the table we were sitting at.

"Y/N! Its already dark outside! I'll be back when you close," Chris responded.

"Chris, I live down the block its really not a-" I was cut off by his insisting.

"I will be back when you close," he said again, giving me a look that literally made my knees go weak. "It would truly be a shame not to see you in class on Thursday because you got kidnapped by some creep," he continued with a smile. This felt like a line that shouldn't be crossed. Given the history we already had, getting into a car with him alone felt like a trap, but I couldn't say no. I don't think he would've even let me if I tried.

"What about Leo?" He'll more than likely be asleep by then, which mean that Chris would have to take Leo with him or find a sitter for an hour.

"Don't worry about it. You're not walking home, Y/N," he finished as he was walking out of the door, a sleepy Leo in his arms.

The rest of my shift was severely uneventful. Only a few more customers coming in for some post dinner sweets. I closed up shop like usual and looked outside to see a black car parked in the row closest to the door. Out walked Chris, dressed in a hoodie, black gym shorts, and a beanie covering his hair. I thought to myself, 'so this is what casual Christopher is like?' and honestly he looked just as good as he did this morning. He leaned against the hood of his car and waited for me to walk out. I looked around to make sure I didn't miss anything, locked the front door, and walked towards him.

"Miss Y/LN," he announced as he opened the passenger side car door for me.

"Thank you for offering me a ride home, Chris," I said as I buckled my seat belt.

"Listen, I know I told you to call me Chris, but can you call me Chan instead? Chris still seems a little too professional," he said looking over at me. The source of light being the lamp post in the parking lot. It highlighted his features in the most disgustingly beautiful way, like a scene from a movie.

"Okay, Chan. Well, thank you for taking me home," I thanked again. He started his car and started driving. I gave him directions to the apartment and we were there in a matter of minutes. "See, I told you this was completely unnecessary," I said giving him a smile. We locked eyes, and for a moment it felt like the night we met. Yet again, just two regular people, sitting in a car under the dim light of the street lights outside. His eyes flickered to my lips and I mimicked his action. We inched closer to each other, leaning over the center console. I closed my eyes and felt his lips brush against mine. He wasn't initiating anything, almost as if he was asking me for permission to kiss me. I took control and kissed him first. He immediately reciprocated the gesture and kissed me back. It was delicate at first, almost like he was afraid I'd disappear if he kissed me too hard, but I wanted so much more. I wrapped my arms around the back of his neck to pull him closer, and he lifted me from the passenger seat and onto his lap. He swiped his tongue along my lips, begging for the kiss to deepen. It went from being an innocent kiss goodnight, to a full on heated make out session in a matter of seconds. "Do you want to come inside?" I asked boldly. I didn't want this to end here. "My roommate is staying at her boyfriend's place tonight," I offered. He nodded and we rushed inside.

*smut starts now, so if you're uncomfy with that, stop here and continue reading when you see bold text again. all you gotta know is that they had sex lol*

I practically slammed the front door shut and walked over to my room, Chan following close behind me. When we got into my room, I turned around and was greeted my Chan's lustful gaze. "Jump," he demanded and I did just that. He pinned me against the wall still carrying me, kissing me with an intensity that put my stomach in knots. He turned around and set me on the edge of my bed. Chan swiftly took his shirt off and I followed suit. I admired his toned abs for a moment before he grabbed the top hem of my pants pulling them down. He kneeled down and spread my legs apart looking and my clothed center. I could literally feel myself pulsing wanting to feel him inside of me. He pushed my panties to the side and stuck his finger inside of me and curled them upward, slowly pumping his digits against just the right spot. "Channie, more please," I said in between moans.

"Channie huh? Well, since you said please," before I could say anything else, he pulled my panties down and threw them to the other side of the room. He stopped for a second, looking at my aching core, licking his lips in anticipation. He spread my legs further and used his fingers to spread my lips apart. Finally, he attached his mouth on my clit, switching between sucking and licking the overly sensitive bud. Every so often he would hum, causing my stomach to twist harder and harder.

"Fuck I'm so fucking close Chan," I moaned as I arched my back, unable to keep myself still from the pure euphoria my body was feeling.

"Cum on my face baby," he urged. Unable to hold back, I felt myself let go, cumming onto Chan's mouth.

He got up from the the edge of my bed and met my lips in a needy kiss. I could taste my own arousal on his mouth and blushed slightly in embarrassment. He reached behind me and unclasped my bra, throwing it to wherever he threw my underwear. I covered myself with my hands.

"C'mon baby. It's nothing I haven't already seen," he said with a smirk, pinning my arms to the sides of my head. He took his time kissing my neck and my eyes rolled back in pleasure. I craved the feeling of his dick inside of me. As if he read my mind, he got up for a second to unbutton his black jeans, his boxers following after. Chan's cock, already swelling and hard, sprang up and hit his abdomen. My mouth was practically watering, forgetting how big he was. The first night we fucked, I had told him I was on the pill and that we didn't need to worry about a condom. Remembering that, he lined himself up with my center and rubbed the tip of his cock against it.

"Ugh God, will you please just fuck me already?" I practically yelled. I was so desperate for release, again.

"As you wish, princess," he slowly filled me up, and my walls already clenched around him. Everything felt so familiar, the feeling of his throbbing cock pumping in and out of my cunt, his scent, the feeling of his hands on my body, grabbing and squeezing my curves. "God, you feel so fucking good," he moaned throwing his head back in pleasure. He kept a good pace, not too fast, but oh lord was he fucking me hard. I was already sensitive from the previous orgasm, that I knew I wasn't gonna last very long. I clenched harder around him, feeling that familiar knot in my stomach beginning to unravel. "Are you already about to cum again baby?" he said playfully and continued, "Let me help you then." Chan reached down and began rubbing quick, tiny circles on my clit. I grabbed onto his forearms, to ground myself as I released all over his cock.

"So go-good Chan," I moaned as I came down from my high. I could tell that he was also about to cum because his thrusts were getting sloppier losing his rhythm. "I want you to cum in my mouth Channie," I told him looking up at him through my eyelashes.

"Fuck! You drive me crazy," he moaned as he pulled out of me. I got down on my knees in front of him and took the tip of his swollen cock into my mouth. Sucking harshly and bobbing my head down his length, I could hear him start to whimper. He grabbed the back of my head, gathering my hair into a ponytail. He thrusted into my mouth, causing me to gag a little. "Baby, I'm gonna cum," he announced as he thrusted one last time. I felt the warm liquid hit my tongue and I made sure to swallow every last drop. "You are fucking amazing, Y/N. You know that?" he said as I released his cock from my lips.

"Eh," I shrugged, "I try", I said with a smile.

*welcome back! smut over!*

"I really don't want to be that person who fucks and then leaves, but I kinda have to leave," he said letting the words at the end of his sentence become more of a mumble. I was a little sad, but honestly I didn't expect him to spend the night.

"No that's okay. I have class early in the morning anyway," I said still in a 'post-nut' daze. We both got dressed and I walked him to the front door.

"Don't be late on to class on Thursday, Miss Y/LN," he said with a smirk.

"I'm sorry, weren't you the late one, Professor Bang," I said hitting him playfully on his chest. He caught my wrist and pulled me in for a kiss. It was short, but still full of passion.

"That's still a little too weird to hear from you. Goodnight Y/N," he said smiling. God, those dimples are so dangerous.

"Goodnight Channie," I responded shutting the door. I walked back to my room, cracking the window in hopes that the smell of sex wouldn't be lingering when Wonyoung returned in the morning. Curling up into my sheets, dozing off in pure bliss.

*****

I decided not to tell Wonnie about my secret meeting with Chris. I know she was my best friend, but I promised her I would keep it professional. It wasn't until that following Thursday that I saw him again. We didn't talk much except for a simple good morning before class. He was sitting at his desk wearing the same coat he wore the class before. Before starting the lecture, he took the coat off, and just barely peeking through the top of his sweater, appeared a purple hickey sized bruise. I looked away, but Wonyoung obviously had noticed it too.

"Holy shit! Mr. Bang has a fucking hickey," she whisper-screamed at me. I looked up at her, unable to hide my blushing and discomfort. "Shut the fuck up! You didn't," she said.

"I- don't know what you're talking about," I said trying to deny everything.

"Y/N tell me right now that you and Mr. Bang didn't fuck again," she said in the same tone.

"I'm sorry. Ladies, am I interrupting something?" we looked up and the classes attention was on us. Chris was looking directly at me, and I looked at Wonyoung who was stunned, probably more because of the news she just received rather than us getting in trouble.

"Uh no sir. Just going over something on the syllabus," I said trying to give Chris a 'seriously dude?' kinda look. He caught the hint and continued on with his lecture. I felt my phone buzz in my back pocket.

I can safely say that it wasn't a one night thing. It never happened at school, but sometimes he would come over to mine or I would go over to his. It wasn't until the first night he invited me over that I found out that the first time we sex, it wasn't in his apartment.

We were laying in bed together after maybe the second or third round. My head was on his bare chest as he drew little circles on my back. "So how did we end up at your friends' place?" I asked out of curiosity.

"Well, you see, Leo was here with a babysitter while the three of us were out, and I guess my friends really wanted me to get laid. So they said, 'Hey our apartment is yours,' and I guess I just took them up on their offer," he explained so nonchalantly. "Don't worry! I bought Jisung new sheets the next day!" He said with a laugh. I stayed quiet in shock at how chill the three of them were about the situation.

It was so easy being around Chris. When we were alone, it was completely different. He was so much more playful and easy going. Then, we would basically pretend the other person didn't exist when we were in the same classroom. It was all so complicated. I could feel myself falling for him, I just didn't know how to stop. Maybe I didn't want to stop falling for him. Maybe I liked playing with fire a little too much to let Chris go. Maybe the risk was absolutely worth the reward.

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havocskies · 2 years

Note

hi u can do vance hopper x shy male reader who loves reading horror books and drawing gore horror stuff

THIEF | VANCE HOPPER X MALE READER

ofc i can !! i love this sm actually omg, thank you for requesting !!! as a shy horror nerd and someone who loves drawing this will be so easy to write i think

also i know requests are getting done very slowly it's bc i'm trying to work on all of them n most of them are fics 😭 i have stuff goin on irl too </33 also this is not proofread unfortunately 🫶

TWs: none

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"What are you drawing?"

As a particularly familiar voice greets your ears you look up, your attention stolen away from your sketchbook. It was your boyfriend who was currently hanging out with you. At the moment he seemed to be watching you draw, looming over your shoulder. In any other circumstance this would likely seem intimidating but he was your boyfriend no matter how scary he accidentally was sometimes.

"A killer from this one new horror movie I saw - Texas Chainsaw Massacre I think? It's pretty cool. I'm drawing Nubbins, the weird hitchhiker dude." You explain, the tips of your mouth being pulled into a careful smile. You didn't often talk this much about your drawings but you knew Vance was genuinely curious, even if he had no idea what you were drawing half the time. He liked horror movies but he wasn't an avid fan like you were. Plus you liked books more than movies, and books weren't really Vance's thing.

"Oh, I heard about that I think. I thought you liked books though?" Vance questioned, watching the careful movements of your pencil on paper with interest. His question made you giggle a little which earned you a small glare in return.

"I do, it just seemed interesting. I can still watch movies, y'know. I did draw Carrie earlier today, though. The girl from that one book by Steven King? She was bullied a lot and got pigs blood dumped on her at prom, went absolutely crazy?" You tried your best to explain the book in hopes your boyfriend would understand but he simply stared blankly, his mouth pushed into a frown. You tried your best not to giggle but Vance looked so much less intimidating while he was confused you couldn't help but find it a little cute.

He didn't find it as amusing as you did. Instead he huffed and rolled his eyes. "I'm not a nerd like you, I don't read every book that I see." He shot back despite nothing being said in the first place.

"I think you'd actually like reading. If you weren't on that pinball machine all day, I mean. I swear you like it more than me." You joke. This seems to spark some amusement in Vance. He laughs, and you laugh in return. Even so, he's quick to defend himself as always.

"I do not! You might as well love your books more, you stare at them more than you stare at me." He playfully pushes your shoulder which may have been a little too hard but you know he means nothing by it. You decide to drop the subject and turn the page to the drawing of Carrie you had finished before Vance came over. It was the scene where Carrie was dying at the end and Sue found her. You liked that scene a lot, it was nice to know Carrie died knowing Sue didn't hate her.

Vance stares at the drawing, his brows furrowed. "What's going on in it?" Oh. You had forgotten he wasn't aware.

"Carrie, the one dying, is kind of reading Sue's mind before she dies. She finds out Sue didn't actually hate her and didn't know what was going to happen at prom. I just like the scene, I don't know." You shrug, dismissing everything else you'd like to say about the book. While you're practically obsessed with it you know Vance doesn't really care for books at all, so you decide not to bore him about it. To your surprise he inquires more about it, anyway.

"What's the rest of the book about?" He seems genuinely interested, his gaze fixed on the drawing as he stares at every part, every detail. You hesitate for a second before answering briefly.

"This girl, like 17 or 18 I think, is bullied at school for being really sheltered by her mom. She doesn't really know a lot and is just kind of an outcast, I guess." You watch Vance's expression and surprisingly he's still listening, waiting for you to continue. You do. "Anyway, Sue gets Tommy to take her to prom so she can have a good time and live her life like an actual person. Her mom's super religious though so she didn't like it but Carrie went anyway. Another group of people poured pigs blood on her while they were crowned queen and queen."

Vance seemed as though he were in thought for a moment before he quickly fixed his expression. "It sounds okay, I guess." He shrugged and tapped his fingers against his arms. He normally fiddled with his pocket knife but you had recently asked him not to do it around you, it often made you nervous. He was understanding, and you knew he would be. Vance was without a doubt scary but you were his boyfriend, he wasn't going to scare you. Not with any harm, anyway.

Instead Vance had a habit of simply sneaking up on you or showing up behind corners while you were distracted. He still took joy in being an absolute menace, unfortunately. You're taken away from your thoughts as your boyfriend takes your pencil from your hand and more carefully takes your sketchbook. You allow him, you knew he had no malicious intent.

Often times when he took your sketchbook he simply wanted to look through it or occasionally doodle. This time it seemed as though he were trying to copy your drawing of Carrie right beside your own. His lips were pressed together and his brows furrowed as he focused, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly more when he messed up and had to erase his mistake. You weren't sure if he was frustrating himself until he threw the pencil down onto the bed and looked at you with a proud grin.

You take your attention away from Vance and look at his copy of your drawing. A small smile is placed upon your face as you study it. It really wasn't that good, but Vance was proud of it and it certainly was a bit better than it normally was. If your drawing wasn't right there you'd be able to guess it was Carrie. Had he been practicing or something?

"You have some competition, now." Your boyfriend boasted, his arms crossed as he looked down at your sketchbook and then back up to you. You snort, shaking your head a little in disbelief. "Clearly. Stop practicing, i'm supposed to be the artsy one in this relationship, that's my job. Not yours."

Vance let out a laugh at your response. "Maybe I will take your place. Be careful." You rolled your eyes in attempts to show your false lack of approval but the smile plastered onto your expression proved otherwise. You couldn't believe it, before you had dated Vance you would've assumed the most artsy thing he was interested in was carving things with his pocket knife. You were proven wrong, apparently.

Whether it was from an actual new interest in drawing or his competitive nature in general you weren't sure, but you weren't complaining. You were glad he at least had some sort of interest in the things your interested in, even if it was just to try and be better than you at it. An idea popped up into your head, an idea anyone else would get punched for even considering. You were his boyfriend though, so you were pretty much safe.

"I'll just beat your highscore at pinball or something. Doesn't seem that hard." You shrugged, taking a quick glance at Vance's expression. He looked shocked, his mouth slightly opened and his eyes wide. You almost laughed but you managed to bite your tongue. As much as you knew Vance wouldn't actually hurt you you couldn't count on him putting you in a light headlock, which was probably what he was considering right now.

"You wouldn't even get close." Vance's voice got lower, his tone nowhere far away from threatening. Still, the spark of amusement in his eyes is still there. He's only teasing.

"I'm thinking about it. Since we're picking up new hobbies and all." You flip through the pages of your sketchbook to try and seem as though this conversation wasn't interesting you in the slightest. You probably just looked a little dumb.

"You absolutely will not!" Vance quickly moves forward and holds you close in a position where you could barely move. You can't help but laugh, your fists flying backwards in an attempt to get out of your boyfriend's grasp. It comes nowhere near working but you can feel the vibrations of him trying his best to stop himself from laughing, too. It wasn't really working that well.

"Vance Hopper I will break that pinball machine instead!" You cackled, finally landing a hit on Vance. By the way he grunted and seemed to almost stagger a little you could tell you had accidentally hurt him more than you wanted to. Before you could even pause and apologize he was back to teasing as if you hadn't even done anything at all.

"I'll just take your sketchbook, then." Your boyfriend stated in a matter-of-fact tone. You barely even get your words out before he lets go and grabs your sketchbook before you get a chance to. Vance quickly gets off of your bed and you copy his movements, the two of you pausing as you wait for the other to move. You move first, grabbing for your sketchbook only for him to let out a bark of laughter and run out of your room. You want to say something but you decide to save your breath for the chase you knew he was likely going to win.

Vance ran from cops significantly more than you did. You never ran from cops, you didn't have to. This wasn't the first time he had unceremoniously stolen something from you and ran, unfortunately. He seemed to find it entertaining and while you did, too in a sense it didn't always end in you winning. Still, you decide to feed his already overgrown ego and chase him around your house in hopes he won't accidentally break anything in the process.

It doesn't take you long to catch up, once you get downstairs you find him waiting right in the living room. The second he sees you, though, he starts running again and you do, too. You dodge various pieces of furniture, almost knocking one of the chairs in your dining room over. Thankfully Vance is much less clumsy than you and as far as you have seen hasn't come close to breaking anything or knocking anything over.

"Give it!" You demand, your breath overtaking your voice as you struggle to get it back. Vance is struggling too, his chest rising and lowering as he stands with your sketchbook on the other side of the table. Rather than a proper response he gives an out of breath laugh. You know you won't get your stolen property back by simply catching him, that boy has outrun probably half of the police officers in Denver easily.

You try your best to formulate a plan in your head. You could trick him, but you weren't really sure how. Even though he had already failed two grades and was easily going on year three he wasn't an idiot. Whatever you quickly came up with he'd definitely figure out without a doubt. Bribery, maybe. The only thing he cares about his pinball, though, and you weren't that keen on wasting money when you knew he'd give it back eventually.

Even so, you wanted to win. You may be the polar opposite of your boyfriend personality wise but you were equally as competitive. You were going to get that sketchbook back on your own.

"I'll give you money for pinball if you give me my sketchbook." You try your best to hide your growing smirk. Vance raised one singular eyebrow, his breaths becoming more regulated as time goes on. You don't need a verbal response to know he's considering and likely wants you to go on.

"Enough for like - a few games maybe? I know you're short on change right now, you were complaining about it earlier at the Grab n' Go." You knew this because you were the one Vance was complaining to. You often watched him play pinball the same as he often watched you draw.

"Okay, deal." Vance shrugs, stepping forward. You know Vance, and you know he's not just gonna give it to you that easily. You're gonna have to be equally as mean if you want that sketchbook as bad as he does. As soon as he walks close enough you waste no time to tackle him to the ground, catching him off guard and causing both of you to tumble into the ground.

Before Vance has enough time to react you grab your sketchbook from his hands and try your best to get up. Instead he grabs your ankle and pulls you down, crawling forward in attempt to grab your own sketchbook from your hands after you had just taken it back from him. You loved him, but the audacity this boy has sometimes is truly unbelievable. Determined to not let Vance take it again you slide it across the floor, causing your boyfriend to pause and curse under his breath.

You could tell he was beginning to take this seriously. You were too, in a sense. You really wanted to win for once and Vance could tell. The two of you rush forward, your socks sliding on the floor of the dining room as you both try your best to get there first. Without thinking you push Vance's face away to try and give you enough time and stop him a little. It works, and you feel your sketchbook in your hands once again.

You decide to not make the mistake of lingering again and bolt upstairs deciding running outside with Vance chasing you would look a little odd without context. You also didn't feel like getting your socks dirty. Your boyfriend wastes no time chasing after you as you make your ways upstairs, the thumping of two pairs of feet on the stairs probably enough to cause an earthquake if you both tried hard enough.

You make it into your room before Vance does and, knowing exactly what he's gonna try, shove it into one of your drawers right after closing the door on his face. It opens right after you shut the drawer closed, leaving you to stand in your own room empty handed and a little nervous. Your boyfriend looks over your room in a frenzy to try and find your sketchbook and quickly gives up, accepting the sketchbook is gone but not yet accepting you actually won.

A proud grin adorns your face, your whole body shaking with leftover adrenaline from being chased around your own house and being knocked to the ground once or twice. Vance stares at you before huffing and sitting down onto your bed, the mattress shifting with the new weight of your boyfriend. You join him.

"So I don't get the change for pinball?" He asks, his voice full of disappointment that really doesn't match his personality at all. You sigh and roll your eyes ever so slightly, the smallest of smiles appearing as you fished through your pockets for change. As you hand it over to Vance his expression immediately lights up and he affectionately punches you in the shoulder, maybe a little harder than necessary. "Alright, thanks." He laughs, putting the coins into his own pockets. You really got robbed twice.

You snort in response and Vance seems to stare at your small bookshelf, his eyes apparently caught on a specific one. You follow his gaze but can't tell exactly which one he's looking at specifically, there are quite a few.

"Hey, isn't that the book you were talking about?" You narrow your eyes in thought before you finally come across the memory.

"Oh, yeah. Carrie. Why?"

"Can I uh - borrow it or something? I probably won't finish it, I'm not a literal nerd like you, but you seemed to like it so maybe it's not that bad." He shrugged nonchalantly, though his fixed attention on the book broke his 'cool guy' facade. You smirk, standing up and grabbing the book from the shelf.

"Sure, I don't mind. Just give it back at some point, please." You can't help but chuckle, holding the book out towards your boyfriend. He gives an indignant snort in response and takes it from your hands.

"No promises."

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katierosedreams2 · 1 year

Text

Im not a sissy…5

The school year has just flown by! It felt like just yesterday when I was dressed in my latex maid outfit, covered in cum, getting locked into my new ultra-micro chastity cage. I can hardly remember the crazy year we have had. So many parties! So many cocks! I can’t even clearly remember them all. And I’ve almost completely forgotten what it was like to not be a sissy slut. It feels more like it was a movie I had watched once rather than my own previous life.

If I really think back to when I was a child, I feel more like I was a girl dressed like a boy, rather than an actual boy. It’s weird how that works. Today I woke up excited, It was the end of the school year and Kailey and we had both finished our finals! Even though we partied and snuck into so many bars, we also studied a lot. That was one of the conditions of her parents for us to live in their apartment. We must get good grades. I always felt busy. Between getting ready for each day, studying, partying and cleaning the house, I had almost no free time anymore.

Today I got up and walked to the bathroom to pee. I slept naked last night. The weather had been perfect to keep the windows open, but not too hot to need to run the AC. I saw my reflection in the mirror as I entered and saw my thin girly body with this small metal thing. Looking down, it was perfectly flat from my view. I looked so feminine. I also looked so skinny! Kailey has had me on a very very strict diet recently. I swear it’s been mostly water, booze, and cum! What has my life become?

I started the shower and got in to shave and wash my long blond hair. It takes so long to shower, so so many products to make me pretty. But I guess it’s worth it. I do feel pretty! I got out and dyed off with our big, soft, fluffy towels. I then spent a long time drying my hair and then doing my makeup. I knew I was going to put my hair up in a pony tail and I wanted a more natural look for my makeup. Lots of mascara and natural colored eye shadow, and not too dramatic either. I put my hair in a high ponytail and went to pick out my outfit. It’s going to be an exciting day, a nice day for a party to kick off summer.

I picked out this super cute black vinyl bikini set and a matching skirt as a cover up and paired it with a pair of Pleaser 6 inch strap heels, also black in color, of course. I laid them out carefully on my perfectly made bed. I then put on one of my maid's uniforms. A short sleeveless dress maid of satin. I slipped into some black pumps and left my room to go start Kaileys coffee as I do every morning.

She was already up and sitting on the couch watching tv and shopping on her phone. Her make-up and hair were already done to perfection but she was still in her pjs. Pink satin short shorts and a small white tank top. “Good morning girl! How are you doing today!” I called to her from the kitchen as I made us both a cup of coffee. “Hey sissy girl! Wow, you look so cute! Are you excited for today?” She replied as she turned to see me.

“I’m very excited! Although I have no idea who you have invited!” I spoke as I worked, knowing my time to finish my chores and get ready was very short. “Oh don’t worry, I think you’ll really enjoy our guest!” As Kailey spoke I could hear her smile in her voice.

I’ve come to learn exactly what she meant. This was going to be a sex party. And with all of this studying we have been doing the last few weeks, I haven’t even had time to even think about sucking a real cock, let alone have one actually rammed down my throat. I could feel the thought making my little clitty leak in its cage. I can’t believe I’m actually excited about this. Excited to suck and gage on a superior dick! To get fucked by men with big thick massive cocks! And get filled and covered in cum! I can’t believe I’ve just become so incredibly horny and desperate that being used to please a real man gives me enough pleasure alone to make me cum!

I’ve only came twice since Kailey locked me in my new chastity. Although the last time nothing really came out at all. I just leaked some clear fluid. I think between the tightness of my chastity cutting off almost all cerculation to my tiny testicals and the hormones I’ve been taking have ruined me for good. I truly just get wet now, and I cum just like the sissy girl I have been forced to become.

I swayed my hips seductively as my heels clicked against the floor to hand Kailey her coffee. I don't really walk any other way these days. The thought of sucking cock still on my mind. “Thanks Rose! You’re a wonderful sissy girl! Oh and when you make my bed, can you please change the sheets first. I finally had time to use my favorite dildo last night and I can’t believe it but I ended up squirting all over my bed! I pasted out shortly afterward from the incredible orgasm, so I wasn’t able to do it myself!”

“Lucky you! I still haven’t cum since that club we went to downtown and those four guys took us into that back room.” I said without thinking much about it as I walked away. We both know she’s cum almost every single day I’ve been in chastity. “Oh well I’m sorry to hear that sweetie. You just need more dick I guess!” I could tell she wasn’t actually sorry for me. I know she loves my horny misery. It really seems to turn her on when I’m desperate and denied.

I’ve gotten so used to this, and have found myself truly giving in, all of my will power crushed, excepting my life as it is. I couldn’t help but agree with her. “I know right!” I spoke almost absent-minded as I walked off to her room to change her sheets. I stripped the dirty sheets off of her bed and I thought back as to how I got here. With Trent forcing me to become a sissy and now Kailey keeping me this way. I can’t even remember what it was like to wear boy's clothes or even leave the house without makeup. The thought frightened me. Leave the house without makeup! Oh god, I don’t think I could ever do that!

These girly thoughts didn’t scare me. I actually felt comforted by them. As I worked, my mind wondered, and by the time I finished changing the sheets and had the old ones in the wash, my mind was on boys. How many guys were coming over today? How big would their cocks be? How much would they cum? My mind was fixated on them. I’ve come to learn that pleasing a real man's dick is the only way I can get any pleaser myself.

“You’re thinking about sucking cock aren’t you?!” Kailey shouted from behind. I didn’t know she was there and I literally jumped from surprise! Also, how did she know?? “What?! No.” I hardly got out, not even convincing myself.

“Ha! You are! I knew it!” Kailey was overjoyed with this fact. “How did you know?” I didn’t even try to fight it. It didn’t even seem worth it. “You start moving extra seductively and you have this cute little smile and this sparkle in your eyes.” She said with this big pretty smile on her face. “It’s super cute! I love seeing just how much you have grown!”

I could only blush. I felt complimented and proud by what she was saying. I knew I should fight this, but too much of me wanted this. And my wet panties were just another sign of this fact.

I worked quickly on my chores with the time the party was to start rapidly approaching. We were going to have the party on our very large patio. I worked my butt off making sure everything was perfect, clean, and that there were plenty of snacks and drinks. I was changing out of my maid uniform and into my outfit for the party as I heard a knock at the door, shortly followed by the clicking of Kailys heels to answer it. I could hear her greet the guests and welcome them in. The deep voices of a large group of men filled the halls and I couldn’t help but feel aroused. I have been so horny and I truly have been opening up to accept myself as the slut I have become.

I checked my outfit and hair in the mirror, quickly applied more lipgloss and then rushed out of my room to see our guests! As I turned the corner, I saw 5 guys all standing around Kailey. The shortest of them probably being 6 feet, but most well above that. Even in her heels Kailey was dwarfed by the strong, tall, masculine men.

There was just enough time for the men to notice me when another knock on the door came. Since I was closest, I’d answer the door. “Hey guys! Thanks for coming! I’ll be right back, I’ll just go get the door!” I said, not even trying to hide my excitement and arousal. I walked as seductively as I could, hoping I was sexy enough to keep all of them staring at my very perky ass.

I opened the door to a very large group of very tall strong men mixed in with them were some of our girl friends dressed just as sexy and slutty as Kailey and I. “Hey every one! Come in, let’s party!” A wave of cheers was yelled back as a response from the group. The mixture of the men's deep voices talking and the clicking of the girls high heels filled our house instantly. Most men weren’t wearing much, short board shorts an a tank top at most. I could tell none of them were wearing underwear and I couldn’t help but stare at every guy and just be amazed and aroused by how big each one’s dick was! They were completely massive!

Kailey and I somehow got the large group of people to head outside on to our patio. The weather was warm, but not hot. Our very large hot tube was on a cool setting, so it would be refreshing. The music was good, and the booze was flowing. Before long, all of us girls were grinding and dancing with several guys each.

I was grinding my ass against a guy's huge cock. He grabbed my hips, forcing me against him, guiding my movements as my vinyl skirt slipped smoothly over his shorts, making his dick throb with every movement. The guy in front of me held my head as he stuck his tongue down my throat, keeping me from escaping his kisses. My hands couldn’t push them away either, as they were both busy rubbing the cocks over top the shorts of the men on either sides of me. I was trapped by these real men, already being used as their plaything, and my little clitty trapped in its cage leaked more than it had in some time. If erections were even possible for me, which they aren’t, I’d be as hard as a rock.

I was in heaven. I lost track of everything else going on around me other than these four horny men making me feel so small and girly. I haven’t done a single thing to a girl that anyone of these real men are doing to me. I never will. I am a failure as a man. I am a weak sissy girl. A slutty sissy faggot, and the thought couldn’t have turned me on more. I let out a loud moan as I made out with the giant of a man. And as my ass rubbed against the cock desperately trying to turn it on so much that he finally disregards my consent and fuck me so hard. I can’t stand it, my hands frantically finding the waistbands of the shorts of both the guys on my sides. My pretty manicured finger tips gently and seductively pulling down their shorts and wrapping around their huge dicks. They gently rubbed up and down the large hard shafts. The guy behind me saw this and finally got the message.

“Get this horny little slut over there!” I heard him yell out to the other men. He then grabbed me by my hips and picked me up. The two on my side both grabbed my hands and the guy I was kissing grabbed the hair on the back of my head. They carried me like a little sex doll over to one of the small tables we had. They pinned me down on my stomach. My high heels hardly on the ground, leaving my ass sticking out in the air. As they pinned me down, the guy in front of me threw his shorts down and just as my head hung off the other side of the small table, his massive cock approached my mouth. I eagerly opened my mouth to accept one of the most perfect dicks I'd ever seen. Excited I was going to be used for his pleaser and the pleaser of all the other men. I immediately gagged by it’s huge size as he wasted no time shoving it all the way down my whole throat in one forceful motion. He wasn’t going to wait for me to warm up and I felt his balls slap against my chin from the force and depth of his first thrust. Setting the tone as to how this was going to go.

The two men on my side also wasted no time in redirecting my hands to both of their cocks, forcing me to jerk both of them off. The man behind me also didn’t wait for any consent and pulled up my skirt, pulling my biking bottoms to the side and stuck his raw cock in my tight little asshole as he pinned me down by the small of my back. I had snuck some lube up there right before the party. I had learned from way too many past experiences to come prepared to make men cum. He was so thick though, it felt like I might split in half. And I did my best to try and relax and ignore the pain, but that happening at the same time as the guy shoving his cock down my throat, it was hard to do. He didn’t care though and followed the exact same aggressive approach as the guy in front of me. Forcing it deep inside of me.

All I could do was moan and gag from the pain. I could hardly stand it! I was totally helpless, I was too weak, girly, and pathetic to stop these real men from using me like a slutty sex doll. As much as it hurt, the reality of the gang rape I was being forced to be subjected to was such a turn on. I was leaking so much in my tiny micro chastity, desperate to be used by these men and hoping I could cum as a result of being their cock slave. Maybe their cum can fill my tight little ass as it overfills my mouth and rains all over me. Maybe then I could finally cum.

I was struggling to breathe from the huge thick cock fucking my face, filling up half of my whole throat. Tears rolled down my cheeks and I desperately gasped for air when I could. He didn’t care, he wanted to skull fuck me and he was going to. It was hard to focus on the two huge cocks I was jerk off, but every time I slowed down they had no problem grabbing my small little wrist and forcing me to move at the pace they wanted. Struggling to breathe helped keep my mind off the pain from the intense ass fucking I was getting. They didn’t want to be gentle and were putting me through the roughest fucking I have ever had.

I still tried my hardest to please and worship their big strong long thick dicks. This is all about their pleaser and I wanted them to feel so good. I wanted to make these real superior men cum, cum all over me and fill me up. I’m there cum slut and I’m desperate for it!

Eventually, I was able to relax enough to get into their rhythm. I felt the guy behind me pounding my g spot over and over again, working me closer to an orgasm. But the taste and feel of the big cock fucking my mouth was what was getting me closest. I don’t know why, but since I’ve been locked in chastity, most of the orgasms I’ve had are just from sucking dick. I’ve even had one just from practicing my blowjobs on my dildo.

Then I felt it, the cock in my right hand twitch and throb, the man grunted “don’t you dare stop slut!” As I felt him cum, it squirting over my arm, and then on to my back. As he moaned a masculine moan, the man on my left also started to cum and moan. I focused all I could on keeping my rhythm the same for both of them as my small pretty feminine hands stroked the cum out of these cocks. Jerking them off, rubbing up and down, something my micro cock hasn’t experienced in years and never will again.

The guy behind me then picked up his pace, his breathing got heavier and his massive penis thrusting as deep as it could go. His balls slapping me with such force it stung. Then he throbbed so intensely and I felt his cum fill my ass. He kept thrusting over and over and I felt his cum starting to run down my legs.

As he continued to pound my ass, the perfect dick that had been distorting my throat finally started to throb. He finally pulled it all the way out of my throat but just enough to keep his head in my mouth and shot more cum into my mouth than I had ever experienced. I tried to swallow it but I couldn't swallow fast enough. It shot out of my nose and the sides of my mouth. Dribbling down my chin. He slowly pumped the head of his cock back and forth in my mouth, messaging his tip with my tongue.

The guy behind me finally pulled out and shot more cum on my ass. The large flood of cum he pumped into me spilled down my legs from my gaping hole. I was so close to cumming, so desperate, but I wasn’t able to. In my hopeless desperation I wiggled my ass, begging to be fucked more.

Finally, as the last cock left my body, freeing my mouth, I gasped for air. I have no idea how long that happened for, or what anyone else was doing during that whole time. I looked up at the tall sexy man whose incredible dick I was sucking. “Thank you so much daddy!” I said without even thinking. He looked down at my cum covered face and said “Thats right you little sissy slut, your lucky to worship my dick. Beg daddy to suck his cock more.” I blushed and smiled “May I please suck your cock more daddy?” Fluttering my long lashes.

“You have to earn it bitch. You have to go on a date with me.” His large authoritative voice

so manly compared to mine. “What if I don’t want to?” I playfully flirted back, but secretly upset that he would immediately deny me.

“That wasn’t a question, slut! It was a command sissy girl.” He said in his strong voice as he grabbed my cum coved hand and wrapped it around his still hard cock and forced me to gently stroke it.

“What do you say faggot?” He’s demanding questioning tone frightened and aroused me. I jerked him off and said, “Please daddy, I want to worship your cock. May I please go out with you?!” I tried to sound as girly and sexy as I possibly could.

“Tell me how desperate you are for it. Tell me what a slut you are and how desperate you are.” He looked so strong, tall, and sexy and his commands combined with rubbing his cock, the taste and smell of his cum still in my mouth turned me on more and more. I felt an orgasm building up.

"Please daddy! Please, I’m a pathetic little sissy slut. I’m desperate to worship your cock and get your cum! Please let me please your dick! I'll be your perfect little cock slave! I want your dick!..” I was so desperate I was almost crying now. As I rubbed his dick, and verbally degraded myself, it finally happened, I came. It was so obvious because I stopped mid sentence, all I could do was moan and buck my ass like I was getting fucked while it happened. Still jerking off his cock as though each strok was making me cum more.

As soon as I finished, he grabbed me by my hair, forcing my face to look at him through my blurred vision. He said, “Now you may go on a date with me to worship my cock sissy. Now lick that cum off of you!” He then let go of my hair and walked away. I was left there all alone, covered in cum, and in a cloud of uforia. My heart and mind raced. I haven’t been on a date since I was with Trent! Oh my god, do I like this guy?! I didn’t want to think about that now.

Finally, after I regained my strength, I got up and started to do as I was told. I started licking my whole body clean of cum. This is when I noticed that everyone else also fucked each other and were all just about finished as well. Kailey snapped a photo of me as I licked my fingers clean.

She then walked over to me, she too was covered in cum. “Hey slut! I heard you had fun, so much fun that you’re going on a date with Mason!” I just blushed “He told me you begged to worship his dick so badly it finally made you came just from that!! How pathetic! You really are a cock slave sissy girl!” She laughed in her cute little laugh. “Here post this super cute pic of you licking his cum! You look so sexy but there’s defiantly something missing, right about here.” She then grabbed my bikini top. “We need to get this little girl some boobs!”

-Katierosedreams Og Cap

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