#lets see how quickly this post gets stolen on twitter

[astralwukong]

oh but this bumbleby scene >>>>>>>>>>>

[hematomes]

HI as most of you know last month my genshin account was hacked and it was one of the most stressful situations of my life, essentially because I did not know what to do at first. Recently I've seen people going through that too, so I thought I'd try and help them out. Also added preventive measures in case it happens, because you need a fair amount of information to prove its your account.

This comes from my personal experience and also compiles advice from the subreddit r/GenshinHacked. I'd advise against looking elsewhere because Twitter threads are a confusing mess full of contradictory info, and this subreddit is really well-done. You can directly see other people's experiences and they answer rather quickly when you make a post so!!

Also I'm severely sleep deprived right now so english hard. Obviously reblogs are very much appreciated since it's to help the community but you know. Whatever let's get into it

1. What NOT to do

- DO NOT try to buy it back. This is actually the reason I'm putting this guide together, because I've seen people buy their account back and, seriously, don't. Buying an account is against the ToS and could result in your account being banned, which is way worse than hacked because then you most likely won't get it back. Additionally, it doesn't mean the hacker won't somehow steal it again. There's no security, you'd be depending on the asshole who literally stole your account. Do not. Do that.

- DO NOT buy accounts in general. It doesn't do any good. Like I said it's against the ToS and exposes you to it getting banned or even, in the worst case, sued by Hoyoverse. Most accounts put to sale are also stolen accounts, btw. There's at least half a dozen websites dedicated to selling and buying accounts, and a shit ton of them are stolen. It's not worth it, even if the account has your fave 5* character(s) c6r5.

- DO NOT contact the hacker or, if your account has been bought, the buyer. This will just increase the chance of it getting trashed, weapons and artifacts destroyed etc. Make sure to tell your friends not to contact them either even if they want to, it's extremely important. Even when you get your account back, just block everyone from the friendlist that you don't recognize and, if someone joins your world on behalf of the buyer, block them too. I don't co-op often but I did get like half a dozen of co-op requests after getting my account back.

- DO NOT attempt to hack it back. It could result in a much worse state, e.g your account being banned. Also if you fail, higher chance of getting your account trashed.

- DO NOT assume the worst. This is mostly for your own mental health. There's a good chance your account was bought or at least the hacker's trying to sell it, so deleting weapons and artifacts would be stupid. And even if they do (which sucks), keep in mind that you'd still have your characters. If you end up with no artifacts and are on the EU server, send me an ask or a dm and I'll help you farm them back for as long as it takes! /srs

2. What to do INSTEAD

- Allow yourself to panic. It's a really stressful thing to go through, so it's only natural to be distressed. I cried for hours, man. It's okay, you'll be fine, but for now just let it happen.

- Immediately go to the aforementioned subreddit r/GenshinHacked, specifically the menu tab, and click "Recovery Form Guide". You can also reach it directly using this link: Recovery Form Guide. It tells you how to get the form, and every step of the process. Don't hesitate to make a post asking for help, they're really sweet and understanding. However if anyone contacts you through dms or even comments about some random guy being able to get it back, ignore it. It's a scam.

- Follow each step carefully, and wait. It typically takes 5-10 working days to get a response from hoyoverse, sometimes less and sometimes more. It's hard, but you can't really do anything about it. I'd say distract yourself with something else but that shit did not work for me. Just know you're not the only one going through that and I'm mentally hugging you.

- Don't give up. It can take a few tries to get it back, but as long as you have the necessary informations and can prove it's your account, you'll get it back.

3. Preventive mesures

- Don't give anyone information on your account, unless you trust them. If someone joins your world and offers to buy you a welkin, a battle pass or even just crystals but need your info to buy it, it's a scam. There's an affiliate website to gift crystals to other players - and I think you only need their UID), so they can go through there if they're sincere.

- Only buy crystals directly from Hoyoverse or affiliated websites. Same with your info.

- Install Malwarebytes on your device and let it check it for malwares. If there's anything, even if you haven't been hacked yet, completely reset your device and change your passwords.

- Enable 2FA (two-factor authentication) on your hoyolab account AND your e-mail address. I use the app Authy, so far it's been working great. I can't vouch for any other. For the hoyolab account, you can link your phone number for example.

- Collect the following information on your account:

The date you created your account. You can verify it by logging into Genshin. Menu > Character Archives > Amber. Bottom right you'll see the day you acquired her, which typically corresponds to the date you created the account.

The device you created your account with, with information about it. The form usually says what they need, and the guide from r/GenshinHacked also help. Keep it safe!

The receipt for your first top-up, if you're not f2p. A screenshot of the e-mail will suffice as far as I know (I use Google Pay tho so I'm not sure how it works for other payment options).

Information on the device you play the most with. The form is pretty clear about it.

Additional information you can get now: 5* characters (with the day you obtained them + constellations), 5* weapons (with the date you obtained them + refinements), event weapons, which characters you picked from the Liyue Lantern Rite these past 2 years (NOT absolutely necessary, I didn't add that). You can provide screenshots of getting the characters and weapons with the UID visible, but keep in mind that these can be forged so it's not fool-proof.

I got reasonably lucky: they answered in roughly a week and my form was accepted on the first try, essentially because I provided the information mentioned above. If you can access it, keep it somewhere safe.

[malon235]

Of Visions and Hearts

A #thomato Drabble

(This was originally a threadfic I wrote for Twitter but it was just too long. Figure this would be a nice first real post on Tumblr instead!)

*~*~*

By order of the Almighty Shogun, the person selected as the 100th vision seizure under the Vision Hunt Decree is Thoma, housekeeper and retainer of the Kamisato clan.

The words of the report were branded into Ayato’s brain, the simple sheet of parchment handed to him by one of his shuumatsuban ninjas just before he retired for the evening.

Does he dare tell Thoma of his fate? Does he try to hide his lover away, risking the wrath of the Shogunate upon his family, his clan, the entire commission? He does not know…

Thoma slips into their room, silent as always, never wanting to disturb him in case he is already asleep. When emerald eyes spot him, sitting up with his head in his hands, he hums with curiosity.

“Love, what’s wrong?” the housekeeper asks quietly, dropping to his knees at the side of the futon, reaching out to pull Ayato’s hands away from his face, revealing his panicked expression.

Ayato groans, still unable to decide how to proceed. “I… nothing,” he stammers, shaking his head and placing as genuine of a smile on his face as he can. “It’s nothing, just a long day.”

Thoma raises an eyebrow, skeptical of the sudden response, and suspicious of the obviously forced smile on his lover’s face. “Ok… if you’re sure it’s nothing.”

“I promise, everything is just fine,” Ayato lies smoothly, gesturing to the bed with a nod of his head. “Now, let’s get a good night’s sleep.”

With a sigh, Thoma concedes that there’s nothing more he can do to pry, and quickly strips off his clothing and slips into his sleepwear before joining Ayato in their bed.

Even with Thoma wrapped securely in his arms, Ayato can’t get the message out of his thoughts, and he lays awake for hours.

Thoma. Their next target is Thoma. They’re going to take his vision, and then…

Thoma… my dear Thoma will be…

Gone? Lost forever?

Ayato shudders, a picture of his lover with dull, deadened eyes, the light stolen from his emerald orbs with the loss of his life’s ambition. An empty shell doomed to walk the nation with no reason to exist.

Thoma shifts in his embrace, and his sleep-worn voice permeates Ayato’s thoughts. “Ayato, please tell me what is bothering you…”

“Thoma… love, please don’t make me say it...” Ayato whimpers, still not wanting to breathe life into the message by speaking it aloud.

“You can’t sleep, so obviously it’s something serious,” Thoma replies, propping himself up on an elbow to stare at him. “Just tell me, maybe I can help.”

“That’s the thing, there’s nothing you can do to help this…” Ayato can feel his heart pounding in his chest, the anguish of what is to come tearing at his very soul.

Thoma chuckles, still blissfully unaware of the truth. “Come on, there’s nothing that we can’t take care of if we do it together, right?”

Ayato’s resolve snaps, he sits straight up and grabs Thoma by his shoulders, staring directly into those emerald eyes he adores so much. “It’s you, Thoma. The 100th vision… the ceremony tomorrow….”

Silence falls between them as Ayato trembles, shocked at his sudden outburst. Thoma’s eyes widen and the colour drains from his face.

“Me?” Thoma whispers, his voice wavering slightly. “They’ve chosen… me?”

“Yes,” Ayato replies, dropping his eyes to the space between them, tracing the pattern of the blanket. “I found out just before I left my office…”

Thoma sighs, letting out the breath he had been holding. “Well, we both knew it was only a matter of time before they would come for one of us.”

“But Thoma…” Ayato gasps, “I can’t stand to lose you…” His hands shake where they are gripped tightly into the soft shirt covering Thoma’s shoulders.

“You won’t, I promise,” Thoma replies, causing Ayato to look up once more, and he chokes as he sees the tranquil look on Thoma’s face. It’s the look of a person who has seen their fate and decided that there’s no fighting it.

“But…”

“No, love, no buts,” Thoma murmurs, pulling Ayato into his arms and hugging him tightly. “There’s no way I would ever stop loving you, no matter what may happen to me.”

“Thoma, they’re going to take your vision…” Ayato replies, nuzzling his face into the crook of Thoma’s neck, his breath ruffling the soft hairs.

Thoma chuckles again, as if they weren’t discussing the possible end of his very existence. “That’s just it, they’re only taking my vision, they can never steal my heart.”

“How can you know that?”

Thoma pulls them apart, staring directly into Ayato’s violet eyes, his lips curled into a soft smile. “Because, Ayato, you stole my heart long ago, and you hold it with you wherever you go.”

Ayato stares at his lover for several moments before a strained laugh bursts from his throat. Thoma chuckles in response, and they laugh together for a while, falling into each other’s arms once more.

***

The following morning they dress in silence, Thoma helping his lover into his more elaborate outfit while Ayato wrings his hands together nervously.

“You know what to do, yes?”

Thoma nods, pulling his hair back into its usual ponytail and securing it with the stand of red cord. “Don’t resist, don’t fight back, and just go quietly.”

“I’ll have several of my men watching you, they’ll report back to me when it happens and trail you all the way to the ceremony. Just…” Ayato’s voice finally cracks, his emotions seeping out.

“Thank you,” Thoma whispers, wrapping his arms around Ayato’s torso and pulling them together in a tight hug. “I know this is difficult for you, but I’ll be fine, I promise.”

Ayato sighs, pressing a kiss into the side of Thoma’s neck, inhaling his lover’s smoky scent. “Be careful, and come home safe to me, ok?”

Thoma turns his head and captures Ayato’s lips with his, kissing him like it could be their last, before he pulls away. “I will, I promise.”

Their hands are still linked as they make their way from their rooms, Ayato clinging to Thoma’s fingers all the way to the front doors of the estate, not wanting to let him go.

Thoma squeezes their held hands, lifting them to his lips to place one last kiss on Ayato’s knuckles. “See you soon,” he murmurs before turning and leaving the building, the door closing behind him.

Ayato feels his heart clench, and for the first time in a long time he prays.

Celestia, please keep him safe, and let my love come home to me.

With Thoma facing his fate, Ayato turns and returns to his office, putting in place the next pieces of the puzzle to hopefully prevent this from happening ever again.

*~*~*

[qnewsau]

When life throws a curveball

New Post has been published on https://qnews.com.au/when-life-throws-a-curveball/

When life throws a curveball

I had a very intense start to 2024. Everything that could go wrong, went wrong in those first few months. My very small family, my relationships, and my home were all up-ended.

WORDS Andrew Heslop

Within the first three months of this year, I had a break-in, a plumbing disaster destroyed my apartment, a close family member passed away, and my car was stolen and written off. During this time, I also moved from Sydney to a regional town, upending my life and routines, packing, unpacking, and the various complications and administrative changes.

I felt tremendously overwhelmed most of the time. As each new calamity took place, I felt hopeless in that moment. It felt unfair and demoralising. I decided, rather than give into the chaos and uncertainty, I could take control of how I was feeling and get back on my feet as quickly as possible.

I started to celebrate the things I had achieved in my life and put other calamitous periods of my life in perspective. Remembering my life has already been punctured by tumultuous periods, I could see that I’ve already faced difficult times.

As each crisis happened, I wrote out how I was feeling, including jotting down positive ways of framing what happened. I made sure I reminded myself of the things I could control, and relinquished worrying about the things that I couldn’t control. I made small, measurable improvements each day by keeping a list and actioning it.

Most importantly, I sought help when I needed it.

Taking care of myself has also been a big part of the process. I restarted my mindfulness and meditation, using apps on my phone that provide guided meditation. I also focused on eating healthy, and cutting down on booze. I’ve gotten back into walking and hiking. I’ve also started doing the daily crosswords and puzzles to keep my mind active.

I ’ve noticed that I have a far greater capacity to work through change than I give myself credit for. Even when change is unforeseen or devastating.

It’s not been easy, and these steps I’ve outlined above require conscious thought and effort to achieve. I can confidently say that a few months into being more intentional about how I feel and taking better care of my holistic health, I feel much better. I’m doing alright.

If you’d like to discuss options like these and more, we can support you, listen, and brainstorm some strategies as peers (someone else also living with HIV). Get in touch with a peer navigator at Positive Life NSW on (02) 8357 8386, 1800 245 677 (freecall) or contact@positivelife.org.au. -Positive Life NSW is the representative body for all people living with HIV in NSW. To find out more go to www.positivelife.org.au

HIV, partying and staying safe

HIV Long Term Survivors Awareness Day

HIV and moving away from the ‘big smoke’

Be a local disability advocate

HIV healthcare in the bush

Making connections when you’re HIV positive

Let’s throw out the resolutions!

Surviving the holiday season

I’m still here: living with HIV since 1984

HIV and Mental Wellbeing

For the latest LGBTIQA+ Sister Girl and Brother Boy news, entertainment, community stories in Australia, visit qnews.com.au. Check out our latest magazines or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

[blueberry-lemon]

[blog thoughts] artists can't catch a break lately

The past 12 months have not been a fun time for professional artists. Whether you're working as a freelancer or trying to get your portfolio out there for employers, every few months seems to bring a new infuriating obstacle for your future career.

Let's review the past year:

1. Ever-shifting tweaks to social media algorithms that are opaque and seem to punish posts that link to to external sites (stores, crowdfunding).

2. An attempt by crypto-bros to lure artists (and consumers) into commoditizing art into crypto tokens that exist solely to fluctuate in value and be flipped for profit.

3. The emergence of popular AI-powered art generators that learn by being fed hundreds of samples of stolen artwork. People found them hilarious at first (DALL-E memes) but they're quickly getting much, much better and are being used to intentionally emulate living artists.

4. Massive layoffs and cancellations for various TV animation studios as CEOs struggle to see streaming services as profitable.

5. Major social media platforms, which have become integral to making a living as a freelancer, being completely sabotaged by the decision-making of their owners. Notable with Instagram pivoting hard to short-form video, but now even more evident with the crumbling in trust at Twitter.

I think it is very easy for people who are outside of this world to shrug it off. Success on social media isn't a human right, obviously, and people "got by just fine" before these platforms existed. But let's be real, that's not gonna cut it.

The world of art, design, crafts, and independent work is much more competitive now than it ever was. Yeah, maybe a local freelancer in your town used to stand a chance selling their work for the holidays in 1998, but now every creator is competing with Amazon, Etsy, Target, and every other site and service that has online shopping and delivery. Consumers are, naturally, swayed by convenience. It's much easier to One-Click buy a print or pillow on Amazon than to even bother seeing what freelance artists have for sale.

It's also a constant competition for attention.

Yeah, your webcomic might have done pretty well in 2004 with a Paypal Donate button on its website and a few links of creator friends who share your affiliate link. Now, you're fighting in a sea of thousands of comics. Even worse, you're not just competing with fellow webcomics. You're competing with Marvel and DC's digital comic apps, you're competing against Netflix and every other streaming service, and you're competing with TikTok, Instagram, memes, video games, everything a person could be doing with their free time.

There's really only like three ways you can succeed as a freelance creator these days.

1. Get funded or supported by some sort of person or group or publisher who has wealth to spend.

2. Amass as many followers and views as possible.

3. Cultivate a small subset of your following that is passionate enough to be willing to spend money on you.

And these things are really not easy. If Twitter folds as a company (or becomes nearly unusable) it'll be even harder. Tumblr allows for virality, but doesn't allow for as much ownership over your posts or for easy networking and socializing with your peers. Cohost implicitly discourages virality for a more personal blog. Instagram has strict rules about content (must be image or video) and strict rules about linking to external sites. TikTok and Youtube, obviously, require video-producing and video-editing.

This doesn't mean hope is lost. This doesn't mean that we should give into despair.

It just means that we need to adapt. We need to post across multiple platforms, and tweak how we post to fit the culture of that platform. We need to stand against art theft and art as a speculative financial asset.

Most importantly, we need to lift each other up. When you love someone's work, let them know. Let the world know. If you've got money to spare, check out your favorite creators' Patreons or digital tip jars.

We don't know if we can depend on the virality of massive platforms anymore. We might return to the old, fragmented web, like boats pushed to distant islands. We'll need to take things into our own hands.

Make art, make rent, help others do the same.

[waitimcomingtoo]

Oh My God, They Were Roommates

Pairing: Tom Holland x Reader

Synopsis: You’re tired of denying your relationship in every interview, but Tom insists on keeping it a secret. Lucky for you, he’s terrible at keeping secrets

Masterlist

Secretly dating Tom Holland was not an easy job. You were his on and offscreen girlfriend, no people naturally wanted you to be together in real life. Towards the beginning of your relationship, you both agreed to keep it private. You’d managed to deny relationship rumors for over a year until you discovered something:

You and Tom were really really bad at keeping it a secret. 

Far too many times, you’d do or say something that confirmed your relationship. And far too many times, you’d have to go on twitter to say it was a joke and that you and Tom were just friends. You hated lying to your fans about the nature of your relationship, and Tom wasn’t fond of it either. You didn’t want to lie anymore. You were ready for the world to know. And yet, the worst secret keeper in Hollywood was determined to keep it a secret.

It all started with social media.

You had stirred up rumors that you and Tom were dating when you dyed your hair red after being cast as MJ and posted a photo of it, captioning it “Face it tiger…”. Tom couldn’t help himself from commenting “I hit the jackpot.” The Spider-Man and MJ reference did not go over people’s heads and the rumors were born.

“This would be such a cute way to confirm our relation.” You smiled as your scrolled through the comments of your picture. “We should tell them.”

“Not yet, darling. I’m not ready for the world to know.” Tom said, much to your disappointment.

“Okay. No, I get it.” You gave him a small smile and kissed his cheek, dropping the subject.

A few weeks later, you sent out a tweet that read, “Tom just hit a pothole so hard that he’s American now.”, leaving fans to wonder why you were together on your day off.

“They caught us. They know we’re on a date.” You said from the passenger seat.

“Friends can hang out on days off. That doesn’t mean we’re a couple.” Tom replied and you looked over at him.

“But we are a couple.” You reminded him, a little hurt at his phrasing.

“They don’t need to know that. I wouldn’t even respond to it. Don’t feed the flame.” Tom shrugged and shot you a smile. You faked a smile back and nodded.

“You’re right. I won’t respond.” You put your phone down and looked out the window, hoping he couldn’t sense your disappointment.

Then, it escalated to interviews.

“Does your friendship ever interfere with shooting the romantic scenes? Like, were you ever shooting a cuddling scene or a date scene where you were grossed out because you had to do romantic things with your friend?” The interviewer asked. You couldn’t help but laugh at the irony.

“Was it weird to do romantic things with my friend Tom? That’s a great question.” You said and Tom laughed from beside you, also seeing the irony. “It was pretty weird since we are such good friends.”

“The best of friends.” Tom egged on.

“Definitely.” You gave an over exaggerated nod. “He’s like family to me.”

“Like brother and sister.” Tom added and you burst out laughing. Tom laughed at your reaction and suddenly, you’re both hunched over laughing while the interviewer watched with a confused smile.

“I don’t think it was weird.” You said after you calmed down. “I have such a respect for Tom and I really admire his work as an actor, and I assume he feels the same for me-“

“More or less.” Tom joked.

“-so it wasn’t too bad.” You finished and elbowed him slightly.

“Was the first time you kissed awkward?” The interviewer asked.

“In the movie or-“ Tom began, forgetting the rest of the world didn’t know that you’d have a first kiss as Peter and MJ and a first kiss as a couple.

“No, it wasn’t awkward.” You quickly cut him off before he blew your cover. “At the end of the day, we’re both professionals and it’s just kissing. We do it all the time now.”

“Sometimes off screen. And that’s not a joke.” Tom brought up. “Especially during filming, I would sometimes forget we weren’t actually together and I’d walk into a room and kiss her.”

You smiled at the memory, remembering all the stolen kisses before you’d made it official.

“How did everyone else react?” The interviewer asked.

“They acted like it was completely normal.” You answered.

“Because for us, it was.” Tom shrugged.

“I will say, it did get complicated kissing you when were were shooting our reunion scene in Endgame because I had to be careful of your balls.” You said.

“What?” Tom nearly gasped. You realized how it sounded and slapped a hand over your mouth.

“Motion sensor balls. The little white motion sensor balls.” You quickly explained. “Oh my God. I meant the balls on the motion caption suit.”

“I was about to say.” Tom laughed at your accident innuendo.

“Ask the next question, please.” You pleaded to get out of the awkward moment.

“So did you guys meet through this movie?” The interviewer saved you.

“Yes. We met while filming Infinity War when no one had any idea our characters were going to date.” You answered confidently to redeem yourself.

“We were always paired together for junkets and she gradually became my best friend. Sorry Haz.” Tom apologized to the camera.

“It’s great that you guys were able to click. Your chemistry in the movie is really outstanding.” The interviewer complimented. “I’m sure that’s due to the friendship you’ve built off screen.”

“Yeah, I mean it always helps to be friends with your scene partner. And when we would have to spend hours in a prop bed together, cuddling and kissing while they got the perfect shot, it made us even closer. And as for the chemistry, I guess it kinda happened naturally.” You smiled shyly.

“Here’s a clip from the upcoming film.” The interview said to the camera. A scene from Far From Home played where Peter and MJ awkwardly yet adorably flirting with each other on the London Bridge. You couldn’t help but lovingly watch Tom as the clip played, overly proud of his job in the film.

“We do have great chemistry.” Tom nodded after the clip played. “We should date.” He added and you laughed.

“The fans would love that. I’m sure you’ve seen the campaigns online for you two to get together.” The interviewer remarked.

“We’ve seen it. Or at least, I have. Have you?” You asked Tom.

“I started the campaign.” Tom deadpanned.

“Oh, okay.” You nodded causally. You both kept a straight face for as long as you could before you burst into laughter. You curled into Toms side and laughed until your sides hurt.

“So is this really just a friendship? Nothing more?” The interviewer asked skeptically.

“No. We’re just really good friends.” Tom said firmly. You smile slowly faded and you gave a curt nod. For the rest of the interview, you were in autopilot. Every time you thought Tom was ready to tell the world, he hit you with the “just friends” line. It wasn’t him calling you “friend” that hurt you. It was him saying “just”. Every time he said it, he chipped into your heart. It hurt you to hear him play your relationship off as “just” anything.

At the next interview with Jimmy Kimmel, you had a bigger slip than usual.

“I love the pants Tom.” Jimmy complimented a few minutes into the interview. “But I do miss you in the Spiderman suit.”

“Oh, thank you.” Tom smiled and smoothed out his grey patterned pants. “My girlfriend picked them out.” He said causally. His eyes widened and you did your best to keep a neutral expression.

“Girlfriend?” Jimmy asked with a cheeky smile.

“Oh, Uh, yeah. I’ve been seeing someone for a while now. I wasn’t supposed to let that slip so no one tell her.” Tom grimaced before looking into the camera. “Sorry, baby. She is really good at fashion though. She picked out most of my outfits for the press tour.”

“Well I have to say, your girlfriend has great taste.” Jimmy said.

“Thank you.” You answered, then cleared your throat to cover up the slip up. Tom caught your mistake and stifled a laugh.

“What was that, Y/n?” Tom asked coyly, knowing full well what you had accidentally said.

“I said she’s gonna kill you.” You lied through a smile.

“You’ve met her?” Jimmy asked you and you thought quickly on your feet.

“Oh yes. I know her very well.” You nodded. It wasn’t a total lie. You knew yourself pretty well.

“So you guys are friends?” Jimmy continued.

“No. I cannot stand that girl.” You laughed and Tom rolled his eyes. If he wasn’t gonna admit that his girlfriend was you, you were gonna have some fun.

“Here we go.” Tom sighed and the audience laughed.

“Why not?” Jimmy inquired.

“Because all she does is talk about herself.” You said. Tom laughed the irony and you giggled yourself.

“Well what about you? Do you have a boyfriend?” Jimmy asked.

“I do have a boyfriend but he’s the worst.” You confirmed. Tom gave you a half cracked smile.

“What?” He asked, practically daring you to go on.

“Why do you say that?” Jimmy laughed.

“He can’t keep a secret to save his life.” You shrugged. “Except the one. He’s really good at keeping one.”

Tom knew exactly what you were doing and he couldn’t even blame you. He didn’t say anything, but patted your knee and left his hand there.

“So he’s like Tom then?” Jimmy said. “Tom, you’ve become infamous in Hollywood as being loose lipped.”

“He is not loose lipped, his lips are very nice.” You defended and Tom smiled shyly. “He just gets too excited and lets things slip.”

“Like you during that one scene.” Tom spoke up. You knew what he was talking about and your face reddened.

“Stop.” You warned.

“What did she let slip?” Jimmy wondered.

“Oh My God. This story is so embarrassing.” You whined as you covered your face in your hands. Tom laughed at your discomfort and took your hand.

“We were shooting the “steamy”, as one night call it, scene in the film and she was supposed to say “Peter”, you know my characters name, in like a breathy voice.” Tom explained.

“I’d like to preface that this was an accident.” You cut in.

“So we’re shooting the scene and right in my ear she goes “Tom…I mean Peter”. But the whole thing comes out in like a moan and I thought it was the funniest thing ever.” Tom told the story.

“It was so embarrassing! The whole crew heard.” You groaned while Tom and the audience laughed at your expense.

You and Tom walked into your shared hotel room after the interview and allowed yourselves to relax. While you were setting your purse down on the bed, Tom came behind you and wrapped his arms around your waist. You leaned into his embrace and smiled.

“That went a lot better than I thought. If people think we’re dating other people, they’ll stop asking us if we’re together. This will totally throw them off.” Tom said and he kissed your temple. Your smile dropped as you turned around in his arms.

“Or, we could use this as an opportunity to tell them the truth about us. They know you have a girlfriend. Why not tell them that girlfriend is me?” You asked.

“Because my fans will come at you with a fiery vengeance. It’s better if they think you’re just my best friend. Trust me, darling, you don’t want them to know it’s you.” Tom tilted your chin up to look at him.

“And trust me, Tom, I do.” You said, and left his embrace.

The next day, you pretended like nothing happened for the sake of all the junkets you had to get through. You could tell Tom was sorry from the guilty looks he kept giving you, but you wouldn’t look back at him.

“What’s the best part of the press tour?” The interviewer asked.

“Getting to spend all day with my best friend.” You laud the word on thick as you wrapped your arms around Toms neck and covered his cheek in kisses. He got your point and let you do it as his way of apologizing. The interviewer laughed along, knowing the effect your actions would have on the fans.

“It’s great that you two are best friends. Is this press tour similar to the Homecoming one where you had to spend all day with Robert?” Tom was asked.

“That was a lot different. Robert has more of a godfather role in my life. I can go to him for advice, but I can’t play table tennis with him at three am in the hotel lobby like I can with Y/n.” Tom answered. You were warmed back up to him and gave him a gentle smile.

“And what’s your relationship with him like?” The interviewer asked you.

“He’s like my dad. He used to carry bandaids around just because I got hurt so much on set.” You replied.

“I remember that. He was always prepared. I went to Robert once when I was sick and he hooked me up to this crazy machine. I was super scared but it’s Robert Downey Jr., so I wasn’t gonna say no.” Tom chimed in.

“He makes Marvel lower your paycheck every time you say no to him.” You joked.

“Exactly. So I let him hook me up to it and it totally cured me. I was better in 15 minutes.” Tom continued.

“Aw. That’s so funny to think of Robert playing doctor on set. I guess your relationship with him is similar to Tony’s relationship with Peter?” The interview asked Tom.

“Definitely, definitely. Minus the fighting crime together and dying in his arms, obviously.” Tom replied.

“Mr. Junior, I don’t feel so good.” You cut in with a laugh. Tom and the interviewer stopped and looked at you.

“What?” Tom asked with a growing smile.

“I said Mr. Junior, I don’t feel so good. Like Mr. Stark I don’t feel so good.” You explained. You looked at Tom in confusion as he and the interviewer shared a look.

“What?” Tom repeated.

“Because you said your relationship was similar so I said-“ You began.

“No, I heard what you said.” Tom cut you off. “Who’s Mr. Junior?”

“Robert.” You replied, still confused why everyone was making a big deal.

“It’s Mr. Downey.” Tom said and began to laugh.

“Why would it be Mr. Downey? You wouldn’t be Mr. Stanley. It’s the last name. Mr. Junior.” You said again, feeling yourself growing frustrated.

“Yes, and his last name is Downey. My middle name is Stanley.” Tom explained.

You sat in silence for a moment, contemplating what Tom was saying.

“Did you think his last name was Junior?” Tom broke the silence.

“No?” You said as more of a question than a statement.

“Have you seriously thought Roberts last name was Junior this entire time?” The interviewer asked, also laughing at you.

“I thought Downey was his middle name!” You shrieked.

“What?!” Tom asked and burst into laughter. You felt your face redden as the crew laughed at you as well.

“I thought he was Robert Downey Junior!” You said each name separately. “I thought he just used his full name like Neil Patrick Harris.”

“No.” Tom said in exasperation. “His fathers also named Robert so he’s Robert Downey Jr.”

“But he goes by RDJ! That implies that the “J” is a part of his initials.” You exclaimed.

“I cannot believe we’re having this conversation right now.” Tom said as he wiped a happy tear from his eye.

“How did you think I feel?” You asked.

“I can’t handle this. You’re so ridiculous.” Tom choked out through his laughter. “I love you.” You restrained yourself from telling him you loved him back, knowing you couldn’t possibly make it sound platonic.

“Aw.” The interviewer gushed. “You two are such cute friends.”

“Yeah.” You gave a tight lipped smile. “Friends.”

As the press tour neared its end, your ability to keep the secret worsened.

Tom gave you a quick kiss on the lips before the cameras started rolling. The interviewer almost caught it, but you pulled away quickly before he could.

“What is that?” Tom asked as you bite into something orange sometime during the junket.

“A carrot.” You shrugged as your chewed.

“Where did you get carrots?” Tom laughed in confusion.

“The snack table outside.” You replied as you ate another one.

“There’s a snack table? Oh, that’s why you tasted like peppers.” He realized. Neither of you realized what he said but the interviewer raised an eyebrow.

“You know I can’t resist some peppy boys.” You told him. “That better be cut out.” You warned the camera.

“You say that every interview.” Tom pointed out.

“It feels warranted every interview.” You giggled. “You know I debated stealing some of the pineapple from the snack table to take home?”

“Of course you did. You and your smoothies.” Tom rolled his eyes.

“I love smoothies! Is that a crime?” You turned in your seat to ask him.

“Yes! You drink a smoothie every morning and then get hungry twenty minutes later. You guys, she does not eat enough.” Tom said to the camera.

“It’s better than you and your thirty jars of jelly in the refrigerator because someone can’t go a day without toast.” You shot back.

“Oh, do you guys live together?” The interviewer asked in surprise.

You and Tom blinked in surprise at accidentally revealing that fact.

“Uhh, yeah. We’re um…” You started.

“Roommates.” Tom said quickly. “I live in the UK but I work mainly in the States, so I live with Y/n when I’m here.”

“Roommates? How cute.” The interviewer smiled.

“Just adorable.” You mumbled.

You dropped your purse on the hotel bed that night and put you hands on your hips. Without even looking at you, Tom could sense you anger. He sheepishly looked up at you and gave you a weak grin.

“I’m sorry?” He offered.

“For what?” You demanded.

“I don’t know. You haven’t told me yet.” He said.

“Roommates? You told him we were roommates?” You asked, not bothering to mask the hurt in your voice.

“Well why else would we live together?” Tom defended his answer.

“I don’t know, maybe because we’ve been in a committed relationship for over a year.” You grumbled. Tom heard the frustration in your voice and and put a gentle hand on your arm.

“But they don’t know that, darling.” He said softly.

“But I want them too. You keep pushing back telling our fans. You said we’d tell them before the press tour.” You said, feelings tears rise to your eyes.

“Yes, but then I realized all the interviews would focus on our relationship and not the movie.” Tom reminded you. “We needed to promote the movie.”

“No one needs to promote Marvel movies! They’re Marvel movies!” You exclaimed.

“I don’t understand why you’re so upset over this, sweetheart. We agreed not to tell our fans.” Tom tried to talk you down.

“We agreed not to tell our fans right away. It’s been a year Tom. Do you not want them to know?” You sighed.

“I like my privacy, love. I don’t want the world intruding on us. I love you too much to share.” Tom cupped your face in his hands but you looked away.

“You say you love me, but tell the world I’m nothing but a best friend.” You said sadly. “Or worse, a roommate.”

“I don’t know what to tell you, angel. I’m sorry.” Tom apologized. You dropped the subject and went to bed without another word. You were cold towards Tom all the next day until your interview that night, the last of the press tour.

The media frenzy of rumors came to an end during a game of Charades on Jimmy Fallon. You were on Jimmy’s team, leaving Tom and Benedict as your opponents. You shot flirty banter back and forth all game until finally, your team won.

“Haha.” You pointed a jeering finger at Tom as you got off the couch and approaching him. He had his bottom lip between his teeth as he watched you with pure joy. “Just like the War of 1812, the British lost-“ You couldn’t finish your burn because Tom had pulled you into a kiss.

“Sorry, darling. You looked so cute up there. I couldn’t resist.” He mumbled against your lips.

“Wait, are you two together?” Jimmy asked, interrupting the moment. He was looking back and forth between you and Tom and the camera. You realized that the moment occurred on live television and suddenly felt shyer than you ever had before.

Tom looked at you, allowing you to be the one to confirm it after wanting too for so long. You looked into the camera and smirked.

“Truth is…I am dating Tom Holland.” You said in true Tony Stark fashion. The audience irrupted into applause and you couldn’t stop your smile from breaking through. Tom looked at you fondly and pulled you into a hug.

“You didn’t have to do that.” You mumbled against his chest.

“Yes I did.” He whispered into your ear. “love my privacy, but I love you more.”

Tag List 🏷

@maybemona​ @foreverxholland​ @writing-for-hours-on-end​ @lavender-writer​ @captainmandeestudent17​ @whatareyouhidingpeter​ @takenbyheartstrings​ @ultrunning​ @imyourliquor-youremypoison​ @theolwebshooter​ @andreasworlsboring101​ @guksmyfav​ @waiting-to-be-myself​ @letsloveimagines​ @ho-ho-holland @peterparkoure​ @a-villain-vying-for-attention​ @m19friend @justcallmehitgirl​ @averyfosterthoughts​ @jackiehollanderr​ @tiny-friggin-human​ @celestial-skylines​ @loveat2am​ @mara-twins​ @iamaunicorn4704​ @delicately-important-trash​ @mjspxrker​ @spideygirl2003 @the-crazy-fanfictionist​ @kii-mii​ @maryjanee23​ @spacebitch2​ @vgiselle​ @geeksareunique​

[bbyboybrock--archived]

Shipped (Colby Brock Imagine)

Summary: *REQUEST* Omg your requests are open!! Can you do something about colby and reader dating in secret and she’s always hyping him up on everything and fans just think it’s cause they are best friends. But she posts a post wearing the love for hire letterman on accident and the fans connected it because Kat and Tara have it to so they figure out they are dating and go crazy (in a good way) for them 🥺❤️

Written: 2020

Word Count: 1,967

Warnings: Major fluff, Swearing

Masterlist

I harassed Colby into letting me listen to their new music. Let’s just say, when you guys hear this, you’re going to be glad One Direction is on a break. Can’t help but stan L4H!! #numeber1fan

I press "send tweet" before plugging in my phone and taking a quick shower. When I get out of the shower I grab my phone and throw myself onto Colby’s bed. It’s our bed at this point. I spend more time at the trap house than I do my apartment, I might as well move in. I go and read the comments under my tweet. Most of them are good. Some fans want me to leak the boys' music, others are freaking out over mine and Colby’s friendship. Someone makes it a point to mention how cute Colby and I would be as a couple and linked an edit that they made. Someone commented that fans like them, the one that posted the edit, are the problem and the reason why Colby doesn’t have any friends who are girls. There is a whole fight going on under that comment.

I quickly try to defuse the situation between the fans before exiting twitter altogether. I take my towel off of my damp hair and walk back into Colby’s bathroom to detangle it. When I finish doing my hair I grab the first jacket of Colby’s that I see to get warm. Lucky for me, it’s his Love for Hire lettermen jacket. For whatever reason, this jacket is more comfortable than any hoodie I’ve stolen during our entire relationship, maybe it’s because it smells strongly like him. Or maybe it’s because I get to finally live out my high school dream of wearing my boyfriend’s lettermen. Either way, Colby knows that this is my jacket now and he’s going to have to fight me to the death for it back. I don’t know if it’s because I freshly showered and my hair is fluffy, or because my skin is thanking me for not putting makeup on it yet, but something is compelling me to take a selfie in Colby’s bathroom mirror.

I get up on to the counter and try to position myself comfortably. I take a few selfies, while carefully not exposing Colby’s messy counter. I do cute poses with peace signs and my tongue sticking out. I do serious “model” poses with hair looking like I’m in a photoshoot. I take a couple and post them on my Instagram story. I triple check each one before pressing send to make sure they end up on my close friends’ list and not my public story. That would be disastrous. I saw how people were acting in the comments of my tweet supporting Colby when a fan posted an edit wishing we were dating. I can’t imagine how his fan base would react if they knew we really are dating and have been for well over a year.

Well, I can imagine how they would react, I’ve been around Colby long enough to figure out how his fanbase functions. Most of his fans would be supportive. Of the majority, there would be roughly half who constantly would show their support over our relationship. The other half would keep quiet and try not to mention it directly so they don’t “jinx” it. No matter how open Colby is with his fans, there is still so much of his life that he has to keep private from the rest of his fans who wouldn’t be supportive of our relationship. The obsessive ones who think that Colby is a toy and belongs to only them. In all honesty, Colby and I probably would have been together longer if it wasn’t for them. We probably wouldn’t have been friends. There was a period in his life when he wouldn’t make any new female friends because of what his old friends had to go through. Because of that, Colby has always been protective of me.

Even though we’ve been friends since he moved to Los Angles, he only introduced me to his fandom two years ago. Even then, it wasn’t like, boom: “here’s a girl that I’m friends with, be nice!” Colby made sure I was properly acclimated to his side of internet stardom by having me appear in all of his other friends’ videos and photos first before a strand of my hair was placed in one of his videos. And then he said, “here’s a girl that I’m friends with, be nice!” Being a Youtuber myself, I have some experience with fandoms. But nothing could prepare me for his intense fans. For the first couple of months after Colby put me on his channel, I understood why Colby kept so many of girl friends in the dark or why some chose to stop being friends with Colby in general. It’s only a select few fans, but when there are so many comments of harassment and death threats it can get overwhelming.

Those comments died down after a while though. Mostly because I either mute certain words from my comments or I don’t read them. Colby and I try really hard to hide our relationship. If we’re in videos together, we don’t sit too close. We keep our hands to ourselves; even a simple hand on the shoulder can cause a frenzy. We only post our couple pictures on our actual secret Instagram accounts and close friends list. Our friends know not to post anything where we might look too much like a couple. We make it a point to bicker like siblings whenever we do work together. Hell, the reason I still have my apartment is to avoid people finding out we’re dating. If I have my own place, people just think I’m visiting the guys whenever I’m over. And it works, everyone just assumes that we’re really close friends.

“I’m back and I bring food!” Colby yells as he opens the door to the room. I plug my dying phone back into the charger before abandoning it in the bathroom to greet Colby.

“Oh thank God, I was beginning to think you were with your hoes. But then I ran into Sam, Jake, and Corey in the kitchen so I relaxed.” I give Colby a quick kiss and help him with the shopping bags in his hand. I set them on the bed and start going through them.

“I wish, but they were too busy for me. So I went and got us stuff for this weekend.” Colby sets the food down and helps me unload the bags.

“Oh that reminds me, we need to stop by my place after dinner so I can pack my things.” Te whole friend group is renting a log cabin in woods for Thursday to Monday morning for bonding and to get a few collars done. Colby went and got a few road trip snacks without me. Probably because I would get distracted at Target and we would never leave. It’s fine, he remembered to get my favorite snacks.

“Yeah, okay, I figured. We could have gone earlier but I had to let you sleep in after you spent all night watching tiktoks.” Colby walks over to the couch and starts to set up our lunch in front of the tv.

“To be fair, I’m not responsible for the time lost when I’m on the tok. Besides, I learned more dances to teach you!” I take off Colby’s jacket and set it at the foot of the bed before joining Colby on the couch.

“Of course you did. You know how much I love learning a new TikTok dance every day.” Colby jokes before kissing my forehead. He hands me my food and turns on Netflix.

A few minutes into our show, there’s a loud, rapid knock at the door. Annoyed, Colby paused the show and puts his food down.

“What?” Colby asks as he gets up to open the door. Sam stands on the other side, relieved. The last time Sam knocked on the door like that, Colby and I were busy… rearranging furniture.

“Oh Colby, you’re home. But I’m not here for you. Y/N, did you mean to post that on your story?” Colby moves aside to let Sam in.

“Haha, Sammy, I’m not falling for that one. Colby already tried that on me last week.” I go back to eating my food and ignore Sam.

“No, I’m being serious. Katrina said she kept trying to reach you but you’re not answering. Fans are freaking out on twitter.”

“Oh shit!” I quickly put down my food and grab my phone in the bathroom. There are miss calls and texts from Kat, Tara, and Devyn. I unlock my phone and open Instagram to check my story. Sure enough, I accidentally sent one of my selfies to my main story instead of my close friends. The selfie looks harmless enough, except I’m wearing Colby’s jacket and it’s very obvious that I’m in his bathroom. Jake moved in some of the cardboard Colby’s into Colby’s room and one of them faces the mirror, you can kind of see it in the selfie. Most people might think nothing of it, but earlier this week Kat and Tara posted pictures of them wearing Sam and Jake’s jackets. With that association alone, everyone is going to find out.

“I don’t get it, there’s only a selfie on here. Did you already delete it?” Colby yells from the bedroom. I slowly walk out of the bathroom with a confused look on his face.

“Please tell me you’re joking.” I open up my story and check how many people have seen it.

“What, I’m lost… Oh… Oh! Oh, fuck!” Colby finally gets it and does something on his phone.

“‘Oh fuck’ is right. So many people took screenshots that even if I deleted it now, it would be pointless.” I walk to the bed and throw myself facedown, like a teen in a movie after having a shitty day at school.

“And you guys are trending on Twitter,” Sam says. I almost forgot he was still here.

“Dude,” Colby warns.

“Not helpful, I get it. I’ll be downstairs if you need me.” Sam leaves the room and I let out a scream as soon as I hear the door close. I feel the spot next to me sink as Colby sits down and starts rubbing my back.

“Hey, Y/N, these aren’t as bad as you think. I’m only seeing positive messaged. Look,” Colby gently pats my back to get my attention.

“Really? Let me see.” I sit up, sniffle, and peek at Colby’s phone as he reads.

“Are you crying?” Colby asks as he wipes my face.

“I immediately got overwhelmed. Let me read the tweets.” I take Colby’s phone scroll through the tweets. He’s right, they’re mostly positive. I haven’t seen a negative tweet yet. That’s the opposite of how I thought this would go. A few people are telling other fans to stop assuming, but even those are calm compared to the fight I saw earlier.

“See, I guess we were stressed all this time for no reason. We can do normal couple things like our friends and not go out of our way to hide everything.”

“That’ll be nice. It was getting exhausting. What do we do now? How do you want to approach this? Live stream? Youtube video?” I look at Colby and he has a big smile on his face.

“Right now, let’s just finish lunch. We can deal with this later. Now, I’m going to take this back. I don’t want you to start crying again.” Colby strokes my hair and kisses my forehead.

“I love you, Colbs,” I say softly.

“I love you too, Y/N.”

[munchcorner]

Stolen Photos (SakuAtsu)

Atsumu and Kiyoomi are both stubborn. Everyone could tell both of them are in love with each other, but neither of them wants to confess because of the fear of rejection.

Osamu, Rintarou, and Komori have been trying to make them confess, but nothing could beat their stubbornness. So, Rin decided to take photos as evidence.

He started to take photos of Atsumu and Kiyoomi when they're talking. Just the photo alone could serve as a testament to the love they feel for each other. But knowing those two, they'd just shrug it off and say that it's just their imaginations.

Rintarou took another photo. This time, it was when Atsumu was talking to Shoyo. Atsumu had this bright smile on his face as he jokes around with Shoyo, and behind them was Kiyoomi with his eyebrows furrowed and lips pouting. Rin stared at the photo, and he could see how the lens had captured the evident jealousy in Kiyoomi's eyes.

But that still wasn't enough. He needed more.

The third photo was an after-game photo. Rin was at the bleachers, and even though he's that far from them, he was still able to capture the smile on their faces. Everyone was celebrating around them. Their team was scattered around in obvious joy of winning, but even though they were surrounded by their teammates who wore the same uniform as them, Kiyoomi and Atsumu still looked like they were the only people at that moment. The photo looked like the world vanished around Kiyoomi and Atsumu, and Rin couldn't help but shake his head, "how stupid,"

Rin didn't like keeping from Kiyoomi and Atsumu. He wanted to quickly show them how in love they are. Even a simple camera lens can capture all those emotions. It's stupid how blind they are to each other's feelings when it's so obvious in their eyes, but Rin needed patience.

The fourth photo was taken when Atsumu landed on his feet wrong. Kiyoomi was the first to dash to Atsumu, and out of everyone in that photo, it was evident that Kiyoomi was the most concerned. You can see the worry and panic on his face as he gently puts the ice on Atsumu's face. But what intrigued Kiyoomi the most was Atsumu's expression. He looked at Kiyoomi as if he was out of his reach as if Kiyoomi was someone he was longing to have but couldn't. It made Rin smile, a sad one, because now he knows that the fear in their hearts was real.

So, Rin decided to make the fifth photo the last one. He didn't want to take more because the five photos he has are more than enough evidence of how much they love each other. He just wishes it's enough to erase their fear of rejection.

The last photo was taken after they got drunk at a branch opening of Onigiri Miya. Everyone laughed and talked at one table while Kiyoomi and Atsumu were preparing the new batch of onigiris. Rin snapped a photo of their small touches, ones that should seem like nothing, but when it's them, it feels so intimate.

The brush of their hands, the touching of their shoulder, and the small smiles looked like something that shouldn't be photographed. But Rin still took the photos. He went through the photos, and the more he goes through them, the more he wants them to be together.

A week had passed after Rin had taken the photos and printed them. Now, it was time for Osamu and Komori to do their work. They separately met up with Atsumu and Kiyoomi to show them the photos, to show them the love they refuse to acknowledge.

Rintarou prayed that it would knock some sense into them. That those photos would make them let out the emotions they've been desperately pushing down.

All three of them didn't know what happened after the meeting. Atsumu and Kiyoomi remained silent, which made them feel anxious. They just wanted Atsumu and Kiyoomi to accept their feelings. They didn't want to make them feel awkward with each other. But the anxiety they felt vanished when Atsumu and Kiyoomi came to Komori's birthday while holding hands.

"Shit, I thought we fucked up," Komori says after greeting them.

Kiyoomi rolls his eyes, "almost,"

"I bet it was Atsumu who was in denial," Osamu says with his arms crossed and eyebrow raised.

Kiyoomi nods, "Took forever to make him confess,"

"Hey!" Atsumu says with a blush, "it only took two weeks,"

"Two weeks was enough to make us feel anxious," Rintarou says before smacking both of them, "I thought my photography skills would cause a drift, you know,"

Osamu and Komori agreed by nodding their heads and adding more complaints. Kiyoomi and Atsumu silently listened before bowing, "thank you for all your efforts. We promise we'll make it up to you," they said in unison.

"it's fine. What matters is you're together," Rin says and takes a sip of his martini, "I felt like a creep for taking stolen photos of you two,"

"Yeah, you just have to pay us by inviting us to your wedding," Komori adds with a chuckle.

"But we just got together," Atsumu says with a smile.

"So, what? That's where you're heading. So you better repay me by being a good brother-in-law," Osamu jokes with a glare, "I don't accept those who don't deserve my brother,"

Kiyoomi rolls his eyes, "don't worry, I won't disappoint,"

They all laughed after that exchange. They talked a little more before they parted to party.

"I'm glad they decided to talk to us," Atsumu says while leaning on Kiyoomi's shoulder.

"I know. But I guess now I have to practice how to get on Osamu's good side," Kiyoomi jokes as he plays with Atsumu's fingers.

"Forget him. He already helped get us together that should be enough approval," Atsumu says before placing a kiss on Kiyoomi's lips, "I can't wait for you to be a Miya,"

"Me too," Kiyoomi whispers before they stood up to join their matchmakers.

--*--

I also have this posted on Twitter.

[jbbarnesnnoble]

Don’t Call Me Kid

Summary: A clandestine relationship is always destined to end in heartbreak. 

Features/Warnings: Angst, allusions to smut but no actual smut

Pairing: Tony Stark/Reader; Hints of Future Wanda Maximoff/Reader

Notes: Inspired by Taylor Swift’s illicit affairs. I will likely post a part 2, but it felt right to end this where I did 

Word Count: 1582

Shaky breaths filled the air, sweat shining on the pair of you as you cried out. It took you a few minutes to collect yourself after it all. You weren’t surprised when Tony tossed your shirt to you. You never stayed. He never wanted you to.

“Time to go, kid. You know the drill,” he said. You rolled your eyes. Kid. It was all you’d ever be to the billionaire. He and Pepper were on the outs again, and you were there. One of the younger members of the team. Inside the bedroom, it was baby, sweetheart, sweet platitudes meant to keep you wrapped up in the moment. The second it was over, the walls went back up and you went back to being kid. 

“Right. I’ll see you tomorrow,” you told him as you finished pulling on your clothes. You drew the hood of your hoodie up over your head. Tony didn’t often stay at the compound, opting for his cabin on the grounds. You jogged all the way back to the compound. You knew you smelled like him, that at the very least the two supersoldiers and Natasha knew. You saw the looks. Of judgement or concern you weren’t sure. You had caught bits of an argument Steve had with Tony a couple weeks prior. 

You were walking toward the lab. Tony had made adjustments to your suit. You were sure he had, but his message had also been clear in what he was looking for. You had swung by your room before heading down, taking a quick shower after sparring with Natasha and dabbing on the perfume Tony had gifted you for your birthday, just before the two of you had started sleeping together. That was all it was, you reminded yourself. Friends with benefits. 

You pushed away the guilt that ate at you. He and Pepper broke up. You knew it. The team knew it. She  had gone on dates. You still had girls’ nights with her, Wanda, and Natasha. You knew. But it didn’t stop you from feeling guilty about it. Some days you wanted to end it, but then Tony would make you see stars and you questioned why you wanted to end it in the first place. 

“End it, Tony. You’ll cause more pain if you don’t,” you heard Steve say as you turned a corner. You froze. 

“It’s none of your business, Cap. What I do outside of this team is none of your concern,” Tony said. 

“It is when it’s one of our team that you’re doing, Tony. She’s not some toy you can toss to the side once you’re done having your fun. She’s our friend, a teammate. Can you think about others for once in your life?” Steve asked. You heard the clatter of a tool against the ground and a curse from one of the men.

“When I want your opinion on my personal life, I’ll ask. She’s a big girl. She can make her own decisions,” Tony snapped. You decided to walk in and make your presence known before their argument could progress further. Steve’s head snapped toward the door as you entered.

“Oh, hey Steve. What brings you into the lab today? Tony’s showing me some adjustments he made to my suit,” you said. You felt his gaze, as if he was looking for an answer to an unasked question.

“Had some things to discuss. I was just heading out. We have a meeting in twenty,” he said. You frowned. You didn’t remember there being a meeting on the schedule. You almost missed the look he gave Tony before he left the lab. You frowned.

“What’s gotten up his ass, more than the usual stick?” you asked, hopping up on a counter. Tony moved to stand between your legs, pulling you into a deep kiss rather than answering. When the two of you broke apart, you gave him an expectant look.

“Cap’s just upset about something I did. Nothing you need to worry about sweetheart. Now, we’re on a time crunch,” he said before pulling you back in. 

You were fresh off a mission, somewhere in rural Ireland with Nat, Sam, Steve, and Bucky. You knew before getting off the quinjet what was waiting for you. You’d seen it on twitter when you’d boarded the jet to return home, the first time you’d checked your phone properly since the mission began. You’d seen the looks shared between Natasha, Steve, and Bucky. Natasha had asked you about you and Tony just a week prior, after several months of you and Tony tiptoeing around the compound. You hadn’t told her everything. You swore you’d be fine when it ended. Because that’s what it was, a question of when, not if. You knew Pepper was it for him. Anyone could see it. 

He was waiting for you in your room when you entered. You barely paid him any mind as you dumped your bag into the hamper, making a note to do your laundry in the morning. You didn’t glance his way until he cleared his throat. You took a breath before speaking. You had thought all the way home about what you wanted to say. Part of you wanted to give him some big speech, but you knew better. It wasn’t worth it. He wasn’t worth it. This was just a blip on his radar, a brief indiscretion while he and Pepper were separated. 

“I knew what this was when we started...just go. Please,” you said, not even looking at him. You felt his hand on your cheek, cupping in gently.

“Not until I know you’re okay,” he said. You looked up at him.

“Like I said. I knew what I was getting into,” you replied, your words not betraying the pain you felt. You had promised yourself when it started that you wouldn’t lose sight of what it was, of what you were. A fling, a way to forget. You had failed at that. Tony had you, hook, line, and sinker. You would allow yourself to be dragged to the depths if it meant one more stolen moment with him. But that’s what they were at the end of the day, weren’t they? Stolen moments. Tony was never yours. Not really. He would inevitably patch things up with Pepper. Stronger than ever. You were there. You were a warm body. You knew that, you let yourself forget that, for the few moments of bliss. 

“Sweetheart,” he started saying before you jerked away from him.

“Not your sweetheart, Tony. I get it. This was temporary. I’ll be fine,” you lied. He paused for a moment, looking you over for any sign you were lying. He sighed when you didn’t give an inch. 

“I care about you kid, remember that,” he said, before turning and walking out. You held it together until you knew he was gone and asked FRIDAY for privacy before allowing yourself to break down. Tony Stark had stolen your heart and you weren’t sure you’d ever get it back. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wanda watched you. You were more withdrawn. You avoided Tony, but that was nothing compared to how much you avoided Pepper. She had an idea of why. She had seen Tony leave your room shortly after your return from your last mission two weeks prior. It was a first. Usually you were the one sneaking around. She’d seen you returning from late night ‘jogs’ on more than one occasion, Tony’s cologne clinging to you. You wore a specific perfume those days. She made an effort not to read your thoughts, but sometimes, they were so loud, especially in the days since that mission.

You had fallen for him. That much was clear. Her heart broke for you. She flitted around the kitchen, gathering supplies on a tray. You were locked away in your bedroom. She could hear the folksy sounds of Taylor Swift’s new album drifting from behind it as she approached. Tea and sandwiches for both of you, with a side of your favorite candy. She set the tray down before knocking, opening the door when she got no response. You were curled up under the blanket Clint had gifted you the previous Christmas, a lopsided crochet blanket after he’d taken up the hobby while injured. 

“Go away,” you said. Wanda shook her head, knowing you couldn’t see her, before picking up the tray of goodies.

“Not happening. We don’t have to talk. But I’d like to have a cup of tea with my friend who I haven’t spoken to properly in weeks,” Wanda said. You sighed. 

“Where’d you get,” you trailed off seeing your favorite candy. Wanda smiled.

“I called in a favor,” she said as she sat on the loveseat in  your small sitting area. You sat down beside her, your blanket draped across your shoulders as she handed you the tea.

“Thanks,” you told her, your voice barely louder than a whisper. Wanda nodded.

“It’s what friends do,” she said. Friends. Right. Friends. You tried not to dwell on the thought that before Tony, it was Wanda you had wanted, but you were certain you would never have. Wanda who had held your heart. How quickly your affections had  changed. But that was the nature of things sometimes, wasn’t it? Lust confused for love and your heart broken. 

Wanda watched as you sipped the tea. There was a storm in your head and she had no idea how to guide you through it. 

[likeadevils]

hey! for your post about sun moon and rising but with taylor albums, can you list out the characteristics of each album? i'm having a hard time associating them and it'd make it a lot easier, if you could do that :)

oh totally! Its really all about your personal association, so i’ll give vibes for the era and the album. a good rule of thumb is to read the prologue if you want the tone for the era quickly. honestly, there’s no set system, go wild

taylor swift (2006) “debut”

era: blue and teal and brown. cowboy boots and sundresses, wild curly hair, trucks and mud and wildflowers. very 2006, very high school, very country

album: swings between pining from a distance and wanting to destroy a boys whole ass life and feeling like you have no friends and no one understands you in the whole world. like I said, very high school, but also full of whole ass bangers

fearless (2008)

era: yellow and white. 24/7 prom. she’s got the fairy tale aesthetics set in high school, she’s got calling your ex boyfriend out on national television, she's got so many headbands. god to be 8 years old when the joe jonas/taylor swift drama was going down

album: again, fairy tale set in high school. lots of crushes, lots of realizing men aren’t shit. it’s about the pull between childhood ideals and real life tearing them down, and deciding how much you should cling to your dreams and how much you have to let them go. it’s also a pull between knowing that these little moments are kinda ridiculous but also taking everything so goddamn seriously

speak now (2010)

era: purple purple purple. she’s starting to grow up! her look has evolved out of sundresses and prom dresses and into a more preppy style. she’s moved out of fantasy and into this like. circus aesthetic? 30s movie type thing? watch the mean music video, idk how to explain it. her hair is still curly and but under control, and she’s solidly Famous at this point. the idea that she can’t sing is Big, and the man-eater stereotype is starting to get popular 

album: she’s starting to grow out of country. she’s experimenting with rock, but her pop sound is starting to take off. it’s all about Dramatics: she’s experienced her first heartbreak, broke someone else’s heart, and was in an emotionally abusive relationship all within two years. she’s moved out of her parents house and is both infantilized and forced to grow up to fast by the media.

red (2012)

era: its 2012 hipster style. her hair is Straight and she’s wearing vintage dresses everywhere, and she’s posting sketches of red lips and quotes from fitzgerald about heartbreak and finding yourself on instagram. she is dating and breaking up with harry styles Very Publically, and its the last major relationship she’ll have for two more years. the idea that she dates to much is everywhere, and she’s being slut shamed to an insane degree, while also being dismissed as a goody-two-shoes

album: it’s designed so each song has the opposite emotions of the song before it. it’s dramatic and it’s heart wrenching and it portrays these relationships that were toxic and messy and captivating. has the last vestiges of country, some more rock, and the first pure Pop songs, all nestled against each other to give you the epic highs and lows of being 22

1989 (2014)

era: its the height of her stardom, and she’s more beloved then she’s ever been and (probably) will ever be again. she’s cut her hair and moved to New York, she’s wearing high waisted stuff and taking polaroids, and she’s been single for two years and it’s has given her the freedom to find a “tight” group of friends and herself. shes talking about third wave feminism all the time, she’s papped every day, and she started dating c*lvin h*rris; they date for a year, he was the first boyfriend to be posted on social media, and the one she was with the longest (until her current bf). publically, she’s the happiest and most successful she’s ever been. personally, it’s more complicated, especially by the last few months. “she lost him, but she found herself and somehow that was everything” and “from the girl who said she would never cut her hair or move to new york or find happiness in a world where she wasn't in love”

album: single handedly brings 80s pop into the mainstream. (like seriously, her only contemporary influence is lana del rey, and even that is only on a few tracks. listening to this when it came out was a religious experience). it sounds basic now but only because she influenced all of the pop music that came after her. its also her first sonically cohesive album since fearless. subject matter wise, its very 80s movie. it’s the first album without a break up song that ruins a man's whole career— no cold as you, dear john, or all too well type. the relationship is on and off again, but more muted and mature then the tumultuous ones portrayed on red. its very star crossed; two people who just can’t find the right time. she’s also writing about how fame has affected her— blank space, shake it off, and i know places all directly reference it, but the idea that the whole world is watching is woven all throughout the album

bleachella (2016) 

this isn't an album but its definitely an era

taylor has become so oversaturated that people are starting to turn on her, and her mental health is suffering. her relationship with c*lvin h*rris is falling apart, she's changing her hair every couple of moths (most notably she bleaches it, and goes to coachella. so like bleachella), and then all of a sudden The Phone Call happens. kim and kanye release edited footage of a phone call that makes it seem like taylor swift is a liar who intentionally plays the victim to stay in the public’s good graces, and the world pounces on it. between that and the idea that her friend group is super cliche-y and exclusionary, her reputation is ruined and she goes in hiding for months. before going into hiding though, she breaks it off with c*lvin (he throws a FIT on twitter) and starts a whirlwind romance with tom hiddleston that includes them flying all over the world on vacations and meeting each others parents super quickly. this all happens in one summer.

reputation (2017)

era: black and white and gold. very edgy, very rich, lots of snakes and casual wealth. there’s the aesthetic of her being very hurt and defensive and lashing out, but the reality of her being the happiest she’s ever been. she’s still famous, but she’s learned how to have a private life and healthy relationships. the tough times have shown her who and what’s important to her

album: pretty much that. the first half is brash and bombastic and playing off what people expect her to be like, how they expect her to fall in and out of love quickly and manipulate those around her to see her as a good person (while exploring sounds that no one expected her to explore) and the second half slows it down and shows her falling in love more explicitly and sweetly and under cover. “in the death of her reputation she felt truly alive” and “finding love through all the noise”

lover (2019)

era: bright pink and pastels and bright colors and happiness and butterflies!! she’s in love and beloved by the general public again, but all of her past albums have been stolen from her by a man she thought she could trust. sadly cut off short by covid. “step into the daylight and let it go”

album: her messiest album (sonically) since red. a popular saying when it first came out was that it had the writing of speak now but the sound of 1989, which is... understandable? its the kind of thing you have to form your own opinion on. it’s on the surface all bubblegum pop and being in love, but it has some of the absolute saddest songs of her entire discography. a 18 song long rollercoaster

folklore and evermore

preface: these are definitely two separate albums and there’s a definitely a difference but this girl has so many albums and it’s taken me an hour to answer this ask and it’s 1am right now so i’m gonna smush them together. go listen to them, and we’re in the era right now

eras: it been covid so all we’ve got are a couple performances and the album visuals. cottagecore, a return to the small town setting of her first two albums, very understated and timeless. one noteworthy element is that both albums were surprise releases (especially after lover had almost a year of build up that kinda worked against it). she’s reached a level of artistic respect that she’s never had

albums: folklore is a level of sonic and thematic cohesion comparable to 1989, as well as having a similar feeling of like. oh god we’ve been waiting for you to make an album like this for years and you’ve still exceeded every exception and made it surprising. evermore is mostly a continuation of its sound, though it’s a bit more experimental. both albums are incredibly mature, and move into non-autobiographical storytelling for most of the songs. it’s easy to build your own world based on one or both of the albums. their main themes are also mostly divorced from relationships, and more tied to personal identity and mental state (though there is quite a bit about divorce and heartbreak in both)

[davidmann95]

So... Crossover #1: any thoughts?

Anonymous said: You seemed not to think much of Crossover #1 on Twitter. Your full thoughts?

wcwit said: So Cates' Crossover #1, best bad comic of the year or just regular pretentious trash?

An incidental note upfront: What you’re seeing there is the apparently SUPER-RARE SECRET VARIANT COVER I unwittingly picked up at the store - at first glance indistinguishable from the standard cover, the kid getting four-color-fucked by mysterious comic book rays is in fact themselves reading a variant cover of the book, rather than the main cover again in an infinite painting-within-a-painting sort of deal that’s the standard.

So I wasn’t gonna get this: my initial post on the comic and what an obviously awful idea it was back when we only knew half the premise and it was known as Pray The Capes Away actually got some out-of-nowhere traction recently, and I’ve grown rapidly tired of Cates’ Marvel work. Even learning that it was going to be Image’s biggest debut in decades - Jesus fuck, how and why - mostly just made me wish it was Commanders in Crisis getting those kinds of numbers. But Sean Dillon/@deathchrist2000 and Ritesh Babu both got early looks at it and assured me that I, specifically, needed to see the last page, so in I dove. I’ll be posting my reaction to the last page below because I recorded it for their amusement, and below that I’ll talk about said last page. It may surprise you, however, that that wasn’t my main takeaway from the issue.

Let’s accentuate the positive first! This book is gorgeous. Geoff Shaw was terrific back with Thanos Wins, but this is an incredible stylistic level-up aided and abetted by Dee Cunniffe’s colors: it’s rote as hell to say “They mix the elevated and the mundane so well!”, but even beyond the obvious ben-day dots stuff there’s such a tangible sense that the comic book beings don’t belong here, that they’re of higher, misty, platonic stuff and we squishy non-paper-people inevitably crumble and break and bleed in their wake, communicating that big idea so much more powerfully than the actual loads of text on the subject. And if we’re talking good things, I’ll concede it’s possible that there could be subtleties that play out in more interesting ways as it goes on, and that not everything is meant to be taken at face value: a smart friend who actually did like it mentioned being interested in it as clumsy but potentially effective exploration of ‘what if the fun hobby you had inadvertently became contaminated and stigmatized by forces beyond your control?’ In a post-Comicsgate world where we recently ended up inches away from the Superman logo almost certainly becoming a fascist propaganda symbol ala the Punisher skull for at least a generation, that’s a defensible lens to view this book through.

For all Donny Cates’ legitimate talents however, I don’t think an expectation of subtlety is gonna work out with this one.

Okay first off getting into the rest of it the main characters’ name is Ellipsis because “Those three little dots...they can become anything”, so there’s that. More importantly, in the world of this story where comic fans face social oppression after superpeople materialize and fuck up Colorado, they face EVERY KIND OF OPPRESSION: there are clear parallels drawn in here to the violence and harassment faced by people persecuted for their religion, people seeking abortions, queer people, and people of color; this motherfucker even drops a “hates and fears” to let us know comic collecting basically makes you one of the goddamn X-Men. Which in theory could be a purely misjudged allegory rather than stemming from actual, obscenely inflated to the point of disgusting fears of ‘nerd oppression’, except that the book literally opens with a quote from Wertham. If Cates didn’t want to make the message “Hating comics? That’s bad. Like, racism bad”, he utterly, grotesquely failed by inextricably intermingling imagery of real-world bigotry with systemic, deluded fanboy paranoia, at least as of this first issue that’s supposed to meaningfully convey the premise. As a queer dude I think I’m somewhat in my lane to say it’s too blunt and broad and dopey to be particularly offensive, but the co-opting of oppression is what this is rooted in.

The idea of ‘comics good no matter what people think, ain’t it?’ extends to the last traditional local comic store standing in this world: much as superheroes are the primary cause of suffering in this world but the point of the story is still supposed to reveal the beauty in them, part of this is that the comics community isn’t perfect but it sure is great. Which is expressed here via Ellie’s boss Otto, a loveable asshole who yells at people coming in trying to sell the wrong kind of comics to fuck off, but at heart is we’re supposed to understand a good enough dude that the shop he runs is “the only home a lot of (the benighted nerds) have left” (because I guess in this alternate universe the physical stores are still the main hub through which comics fans talk with one another?).

So here’s a story of my very own! That’s me in 2013, it must’ve been some kind of special day because I’m wearing a shirt with a button. I’d at that point only frequented one of what would be my thus far four regular comic shops. The first was a great place, and while to say I had a sense of community there would be overstating it a bit, I was on really good terms with the owner and we regularly chatted when we had the time. When I left for college my store there wasn’t as well-stocked, and for some damn reason all variant covers were double-price, but I got along really well with the owner there too. The third I wasn’t so lucky; the guy regularly behind the desk was never overtly hostile, but clearly wanted to wring my neck every time I asked when a missing comic might get in or if I could update my pull list, and given I’m in the ‘ideal’ demographic for being a comic book store regular and was dropping a solid lump of money there every week, I wonder how others were treated there (the store nearly went under, was saved on the last day of operation by another store that wanted to incorporate it as part of its franchise, then shortly afterwards DID go under and is now I believe a beef jerky place). My current store is fine, I didn’t chat much with the folks behind the counter even before we all had medical incentive to get in and out of places fairly quickly but it almost always has what I’m looking for.

Just because those were my regular stores of course doesn’t mean those are the only ones I’ve ever gone to. About a year before that picture was taken - it’s the closest I could find - when I was 17 my store didn’t have something or another I was looking for, so I head across town to see if another place I had looked up had it. This other place didn’t have what I was looking for either, though I distinctly remember picking up a few issues of Hickman’s FF while I was there since I had foolishly fallen off, hence my remembering the year. I bought a couple issues, but hung around for a bit looking to see if I might grab something else out of a dollar box, setting my comics down. Without realizing it, I’d set my books down on top of another issue, and when I decided I wasn’t getting anything else, I just picked that up along with the rest of the pile and was about to walk out before the owner stopped me. He explained what I had done though assumed it had been deliberate, and because I was a good-hearted little geek I even recall thinking “Well, he’s gonna chew me out, but I guess I deserve it. I’ll try and take this to heart as a learning experience.”

Then he pulled up his shirt a little to show me the gun on his belt. He pointed at the security camera monitors at his desk, and explained to me that if I ever did something like that again, he would have it on tape, and he would pull that gun on me and hold me there while he called the cops.

As it turned out, the comic was free.

The whole thing was so sudden and bizarre and unexpected I didn’t actually freak out until the drive home. It wasn’t until weeks or maybe months later that I managed to tell my dad about the experience, because I *had* nearly stolen a (free) comic and my guilt was mixed in with my nerves and I guess I was somehow too close to register just how disproportionate his response was. It wasn’t until now, nearly a decade later and thinking about it for the first time in a long time as I write this, that I wondered if that might have gone differently - especially living in the midwest - if I hadn’t been a white, squeaky-voiced 17-year-old.

So, minor spoiler, when our cantankerous but well-meaning LCS owner yells to call the cops and grabs and yells at a small kid for pocketing a comic (and later displays fantasy racism towards said kid), I am not filled with nostalgic love for the brotherly safe space that is comic book stores, where this guy while not meant to be seen as perfect is still framed in part as a charming, witty representation of Why We Love These Places, And This Community, And This Genre, And This Medium. Cates is clearly drawing on real time at his local stores, but he equally clearly has a very different takeaway from those experiences than me. And I am, again, in a demographic - white, cis-male, abled, bi but more interested in women, disposable income, a lifelong collector - that the industry and a lot of the guys who sell it to us contort themselves around catering to, even if I had a single very negative experience and later an ongoing low-key uncomfortable one to help disabuse me of any notions of the purity of the dork community. In the world of Crossover as of #1, toxicity is intertwined, deliberately or not on the part of the creators, with what we love on the cosmic and small business scales alike, but at least in the latter case it’s the whole picture that’s beautiful, not any single kernel that needs to be worked on to be dug up.

So underneath is my video reaction to the last page of Crossover #1. Very minor spoilers because I mutter the last two words of the comic to myself, but under the video I discuss said final page and some other scattered thoughts. Whether you read that or not, my takeaway is this: I’m fascinated with wherever the hell this thing is going, I’m glad my dad liked it well enough to want to keep getting it because now I’ll get to see where it heads, but my first impression is that this is at heart meant as cheapass Oscar-bait for people who only read Batman. It’s big and high-concept but also small and intimate! It’s meta and about how great you, the reader are for your consumption, especially the consumption of this! It’s going to be in large part about a forbidden love between a couple divided across impermeable social lines (a couple where they’re a seemingly straight white man and woman, but one likes comics)! Maybe it’ll become Not That, and I’m sure it’ll do at least something interesting along the way because Cates has done good stuff before and there are some inherently interesting big ideas for him to play with here, but for the love of god if you’re thinking about getting this buy Commanders in Crisis too or instead, it’s another new book out of Image about superheroes dealing with the collapse of the multiverse but that one is really fucking good.

So the final page splash reveal is that when the comic book child discovered in here got out of Colorado, which has had an impenetrable energy shield erected around it by one of the heroes for years, she and others were ferried out of there...by Superman, as the narration declares that “This is a story...about hope.” They don’t say the word, but she sketches her savior, Ellie and Otto freak out and go “Is that---” when they see it, and on that last page we see that while a crude drawing it isn’t a rough analogue character, it’s a guy with a cape and trunks with an S on his chest. Surprisingly, I don’t have much to say: it’s just another blunt signifier that superheroes rule and are the best, paired with the most utterly devalued notion as of late of what makes Superman special in ‘hope’. I mean, I’m perversely excited to see whether this is building the entire series on a hook it can never deliver on, or if Cates actually has talked DC into an intercompany crossover; believable given they’ve done a bunch of those over the last several years, and why else would Mark Waid be supervising as ‘story editor’ on this? I guess it’ll shake out one way or another with #6 given Cates has said it “has one of the more epic and — I would argue historic — sequences in comic book history in it.” But I’m far less convinced this is gonna truly go into the meaty question of “What does Superman mean and what makes him unique in this world where superheroes in general are indisputably either failures or monstrous bastards given the scale of destruction their presence has brought about, and he himself failed to stop that?” than as some kind of holy grail of how great superheroes are despite how dang violent they’ve gotten these days for the crew to chase after, whatever additional twist will surely be placed upon it. At least he’s kinda helping an immigrant kid get over a wall, if that’s deliberate?

Random final thoughts:

* If I wrote the opening essay and turned it in in a college course, I would be expelled for plagiarizing Grant Morrison. This is not a joke.

* If mainstream American superhero comics ended January 2017 in this universe, its own last ‘crossover’ was Civil War II, which is hilarious.

* God, please tell me if it takes the dive after all that this isn’t somehow tied into whatever Waid’s Superman project is.

* I wouldn’t normally crap on issues with the finer details of worldbuilding, but A. This is rooted in a nominally ‘real’ world playing by recognizable rules, B. I’m ragging on this anyway so what’s the harm, and C. It’s really obvious. So: Why is one of the racists against the superheroes the guy who loves superheroes so much he’s the last holdout in the entire world still selling comic books about them? How does this modestly-sized shop exist long-term with apparently a significant regular customer base if there are no new comics or even reprints to restock with, ever? Who’s buying the serialized cop/cowboy comics that the U.S. government apparently created pretty much overnight (nobody, it’s just another Wertham dig)?

* The solicit for issue #3 proclaims “Don't miss this one, folks. If you do, it just might drive you...mad.”, so now I fear some kind of Ultra Comics riff.

* “Kids love chains” is the most metal-ass quote of all time and I hate that it’s being wasted as an arc title on this book.

[wayward-mikaelson]

Ain’t My Fault

Request By: @rileynicole1967​ 

Request: hi!! i was wondering if you could do a one shot for deanxreader based off the song “aint my fault” by Zara Larsson. maybe she could be singing it to him idk i’ll keep the specifics to you ;) do whatever your heart desires. maybe end it with implied smut or actual smut 😏 (it’s okay if you can’t or aren’t taking requests right now. but if you ever have time i’m sure you’ll have fun with it cause it’s such a fun/sexual song :)

Word Count: 2089

Pairing: Dean x Reader 

Characters: Dean and Reader

Summary: The Reader puts on a sexy show for Dean. But Dean is blindfolded.

Disclaimer: Language, Drinking, Mention of death, Angst, Blindfold, Sexual Choking, Hair pulling, A whole lot of touching and feeling, Implied Smut, 

A/N: This was AWESOME to write guys!! I listened to that song many time just to get the motel part perfect! 

A/N 2: Sorry this was supposed to be done yesterday but life kind of happened and took my 4 yr old on a much needed mommy/son outing for ice cream.

*18+ Content. Anyone that is younger than 18 will need to scroll right on. I don’t want to risk my account being thanosed

**Please DO NOT copy and paste my work WITHOUT my permission and WITHOUT giving me the proper credit. I work way too hard on my work to have to stolen. You may share the link to this post.

***This work is also posted on Instagram, Wattpad, and AO3. Please go show it some love over there.

****Follow my other accounts Instagram, Twitter, Wattpad, and AO3

*****DMs are OPEN for REQUESTS

Song Inspired by Zara Larsson’s Ain’t My Fault (Click HERE to listen)

Forever Tags: @donnaintx​ @myinconnelly1​ @magssteenkamp​ @elansaidaris​ @hobby27​ @440mxs-wife​

Dean/Jensen Tags: @akshi8278​ @squirrelnotsam​ @sandlee44​

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I sit in the bar and throw back another shot. My hunt didn't go as planned. Lost a friend and good hunter. Well, he wasn't that great of a hunter, but still. He didn't deserve to go out that way. May he rest in peace. Now to go back to Cheyenne, and tell his wife. I throw back another shot.

The door to bar opens and I feel the cool evening breeze. Out of habit, I look towards the door to see who is walking in. That's when I see him walk in. The red shirt he wears stands out more than anything in this bar. The way he runs his hands through his short hair makes me catch my breath. The way his body moves around, I instantly know he's a hunter. But not just any hunter, this is a Winchester.

He looks around the bar as if he's looking for someone. Even from across the bar, I can see his green eyes flutter this way and that. I have never seen green eyes like that. So bright and that they look almost fake. When he doesn't find or see what he's looking for he makes his way to the bar. He takes a seat a few seats away from me and orders a beer. He takes a couple glances around and those green eyes land on me. With a small smirk, he winks at me.

Quickly looking away, I order a few more rounds of shots. When the small drinks are placed in front of me, I shoot back the golden brown drink. I can still feel his eyes on me. A quick sideways glance, I see that he has turns part of his body towards me. I look away and shoot back that last three shots. I start to slip out of my chair and when I look up I see him standing right there. Beer bottle in hand.

How did he get here so fast? I wonder. I mean, I've heard stories about the Winchesters, so I'm not going to doubt anything at this point. "Sorry," I try to move pass him but his green eyes hold me there.

"Have we met?" His deep rough voice suddenly has my brain sending signal all the way down to my core. Fuck, the sound of his voice was almost better than the whiskey I just shot. I mean, this could be the alcohol talking too.

"I wouldn't forget you if we had." Did I really say that out loud? Yep, I'm an ass who will most likely regret this in the morning.

He chuckles which makes me wish I had my legs crossed. Fuck. I'm starting to feel the ache and pulling in between my legs. I knew I had to get out of here. Silent rule between us female hunters: Never sleep with a Winchester. If you do, don't get attached because those Winchester men are a love them in the moment kind of man. Then they are gone without a word the next morning.

"Good one," His smile lingers on his too perfect face. "I'm Dean Winchester." He stretches his free hand out.

"Figures. I've of heard of you," my hand, having a mind of its own, takes it and shakes it. "I'm YN YLN."

Dean Winchesters smile gets a bit bigger. He sits in the empty chair by him and without thinking, I do the same. I make sure I cross my legs too. "I've heard of you, too." Damn it, his voice really needs to stop doing that. I squeeze my legs tighter together. "Word on the street is that you're a badass hunter with a tongue who takes and gives no fucks."

"Is that what they're saying about me?" I chuckle and look down. "I get the job done. That's all."

For the next two hours we talk. We exchange some of our hunting stories. He has saved the world a several times and lives up to the stories I've heard from other hunters. As we talk, He drinks and I chug water and snack on some crappy bar fries. Before the clock hits ten, I get up out of my seat and tell him I gotta get back to my motel and get some sleep.

"Do you need a lift?" Deans voice, sexy as it is, is a bit slurry.

"No, It's just around the block," I say.

"Don't like it," He gets up and throws cash onto the bar counter. He takes keys out of his pocket and shakes them. "I'll take you back."

I smile and can't help but feel the tightness in my core. It's practically screaming right now. "I'm a big girl," I say remember that silent rule.

"I'm afraid I have to insist, sweetheart," He gently takes my arm and hooks it around his and walks me out. "You never know what sick bastard wants to get his hands on a beautiful thing like you. Hunter or not, you could get hurt."

So I let Dean Winchester take me back to my motel room.

Sitting in the parking lot in front of my room, we talk a little bit more. I haven't talked that much to just one person before. I have always kept talks with others short. I start to get out and Dean gets out with me.

"Don't say anything," He says walking around to my side. "Let me just make sure you make it inside alright."

I throw my hands up and let him walk me to the door. I repeat the silent rule in my head. Never sleep with a Winchester. Never sleep with a Winchester. Never sleep with a Winchester. I open my door and step inside, Dean watches my every move.

"Do you want to come in?" I catch myself asking.

"Sure," Dean follows me inside.

I don't know what the fuck I just did, but I am not backing out. My body seems to know what I what more than my brain. "I'm going to use the bathroom real quick." Before I close the door to the bathroom, I see Dean take a seat in the motel table chair and pull out his phone. I turn to the bathroom sink and splash my face and see the look in my own eyes. The lust. The hunger. The need.  I pull the hair band from my hair and shake it out.

"Here we go," I smile to myself. I instantly become a whole new person.

I make my way out of the bathroom. Dean is leaning back in the chair. "I hope you don't mind, but I raided your mini fridge." He points to a few empty mini bottles of alcohol.

"Oh that's fine," I walk over to my phone that's on the table and find the perfect song. Setting it down, I open up my bag and pull out the tie that I carry with me. "I hope you don't music."

"I love music," Dean says shifting in his seat. I can see a noticeable bulge forming tightly in his pants.

"Good," I turn towards Dean. "Just feel the music once the music starts." He eyes the tie in my hand. He smirks and raises an eyebrow. I bite my lip as I feel the wetness in my pants start to form. I take the tie and gently wrap it around his eyes and tie a knot so it's secure.

I press play on the phone and lean behind him. "Like I said, feel the music."

As the song starts, I slowly run my hands over his shoulders. Feeling the firm muscle under neath the layer of red. I suck in a soft breath. I lean behind him and press my lips to his neck and trail them to his ear. I feel the muscles tense and relax. I move to the other side and put my lips to his ear and whisper the lyrics to him.

"It ain't my fault you keep turning me on. It ain't my fault you got, got me so gone. It ain't my fault I'm not leavin' alone. It ain't my fault you keep turning me on." I slowly push away and notice a small little smile on his face. I walk around straddle his lap and start on the buttons of that red shirt. Figures, there's another layer under it.

I push this first layer down and when I do, Deans hands grab my hips. With one hand and take both of them and pin them down between our bodies. One of his fingers slips out and starts to firmly stroke the crotch of my jeans. I bite my lip and suck in a breath. Just the touch alone sends sparks throughout my body.

Taking my free hand, I grab the back of his head and grip the small hair. I feel his hands ball into fists. I press my forehead to his and he tries to bring his lips to mine. He can't due to my firm grip. "So if I put your hands where my eyes can't see. Then you're the one who's got a hold on me. No I, can't be responsible, responsible." I softly sing along to the song. I softly and quickly press my lips to his.

Dean's lips part and I feel the tip of his tongue on my lips. I push away and slid off his lap, making sure my hand brushed against his already hard erection. I make my way around the chair again and slowly slide my hands back down his chest. Sighing as I feel the muscles again. As the lyrics of the song start again It ain't my fault you came in looking like that. You just made me trip, fall, and land on your lap. Certain bad boy smooth, body hotter than a sauna. I don't mean to be rude, but I look so damn good on ya. I grip the bottom of his black t-shirt and pull it up over his head. Without the blindfold moving either.

Nothing prepared me for Deans hand to grip my neck gently but firmly from behind. Dean pulls my neck down and presses his lips to mine. He slips his tongue into my mouth and explores it. His tongue runs along my teeth and pushes my tongue aside. Trying to claim dominance.

I push away from him. His hand reluctantly pulls away from my neck and falls back to his lap. I walk around him and un do my pants and shimmy out of them. Dean tilts his to the side as he hears my pants hit the ground. I got back and sit on Deans lap but this time, my back is a hundred percent to him. I grab his hand and use them to run over my body. From my shirt covered breast to my naked thighs. My head rolls back and to the side as he take control of his hands back.

"Too much shirt," he whispers into my ear. He grabs the hem of my shirt and flawlessly takes it off. I hear the fabric fall floor and I bring a hand back to his face. As swiftly as he took my shirt off, he takes my bra off. Both his firm and calloused hands squeeze both my breast and pinches the sensitive nipple making them hard under his hands.  

My head falls back onto Deans shoulder. He takes hold of my neck again and kisses my neck and his free hand trails my body and slowly disappears under my lace panties. His finger slowly circle around my clit and that's all he does. I suck in a breath and bite my lip as my own arousal slowly turns into a climax.

Dean kisses my neck again as the lyrics of the song say So if I put your hands where my eyes can't see. Then you're the one who's got a hold on me. No I, can't be responsible, responsible. Then without warning, Dean pushes me off his lap. I turn to see him rip the tie of his face. Those gorgeous green eye were filled lust, hunger, desire, the whole bit.

He closes the gap between us and backs us to the bed where he pushes me down onto it. I lay on the bed and watch as he takes his pants off and slowly takes my panties off. He smiles at how wet they are. He sets them aside and settles himself between my legs. He takes my hands and pins them above my head.

"You're turn," he nips my ear and he slips inside me.

[f-o-r-g-e-t-m-e-n-0-t]

Royalty - Court Infiltration AU

(Posted this on Twitter ages ago)

Roxas is a man from the poorest of poor parts of town. The literal gutter. And he’s trying to infiltrate and make his way up through the ranks of the royal court. He’s scrimped, saved, bargained, bartered, traded, and even stolen to get the clothes he needs to blend in to the upper class.

He’s managed to make it into a smaller shindig. No royalty are there, but plenty of the rich, upper crust. It’s a feat unto itself that he made it that far without being caught, but he still has a long way to go.

He’s doing his best to go somewhat unnoticed when perhaps the most eye catching man in the room asks him to dance. Reluctantly, Roxas obliges.

The man is tall, and thin, with wild red hair and a coat to match. He’d be jaw droppingly gorgeous if Roxas weren’t sick with anxiety.

As they dance the man pulls Roxas close and begins to whisper in his ear.

“You’re a strange little thing, aren’t you, little sparrow?” he asks, voice low and husky. “That’s a fine coat you wear. It’s five years out of season but you make it look... decidedly classic. It’s lucky you matched it with your cuff links, though i don’t suppose you did so on purpose, and the one on your left hand his missing a gem, I see.”

Roxas’ face goes warm and his stomach plummets. The man continues.

“Your shoes haven’t been polished properly. You wear no jewelry, through again, you make it look like a conscious decision. To most. Oh, and your dancing leaves something to be desired.”

Roxas swallows hard, trying not to buckle under the onslaught of criticism. “Are you quite done? I didn’t come here tonight to be subject to your scrutiny.”

“No, I don’t suppose you did,” the man hims. “Begs the question; what did you come here for?” He looks Roxas directly in the eyes, and oh the man’s eyes are so green! “You’re not aristocrat. So then, who are you?”

Roxas wants to run. Wants to flee. He’s been caught already, and his plan is ruined. The man much see his panic, because he only chuckles and holds Roxas tighter as he spins him around the floor. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell. I’m sure most of the others here won’t make that connection, but you do stand out, my dear.”

“What exactly do you want then?”

“I’m merely curious,” he shrugs. “My name is Axel, by the way. Master of the Penbrook estate.”

“And designer for the upper class,” Roxas concludes, understanding how the man had so quickly picked out the flaws in his wardrobe.

“Ah, so you know me!” Axe chuckles, and yes, Roxas knows.

Axel is not only famous for his clothing and designs, which practically dictate the trends for the local aristocrats. He’s also infamous as a courtly troublemaker. He loves nothing more than a good scandal and so is immediately interested in the odd man clearly trying to sneak into court.

He decides he wants to help Roxas with whatever it is he’s doing, but first, he’s like to know exactly what that is.

Roxas confides that he wants to meet the prince. The youngest, specifically, Prince Riku. When asked why, Roxas merely answers “for love.”

Axel, assuming Roxas has a crush on the prince is all “I find the guy boring, but okay, let’s get you a prince.”

Queue a long story about Axel training Roxas how to fit in with the nobility. How to speak, how to dance, how to gossip, how to survive. They go so far as to give Roxas a full makeover and concoct, with the help of Axel’s friend Xion, a history and homeland for Roxas, if/when anyone asks who he is.

All the while, Axel falls slowly, deeply, madly in love with Roxas. Heart aching for the man who loves the Prince instead of him.

Of course, Roxas doesn’t actually love Riku. Rather, his brother Sora does. Years ago, when they were quite young, they met the prince. He and Sora bonded fast and hard, and when they were separated it broke Sora’s heart. Of course, he put on a brave face, smiling and saying “it can’t be helped. He’s a prince and I’m from the streets.” But Roxas sees right through him.

Roxas’ whole plan is to meet Riku for his brother’s sake. If he can just meet the man. Jsut have one conversation with him, he’s sure Riku will remember him. Will remember Sora. It’s just getting to the prince that is the challenge. And the risk. Roxas knows that if he’s caught, he could be executed. He doesn’t want Sora implicated in his plot, so he keeps information about is brother close to his chest.

Eventually, he confides this secret in Xion, who asks him - supposing all goes according to plan - what Roxas wants for himself. Roxas doesn’t know. He’s never really thought long term about what he wants. This has all been for his brother’s sake. All for what Sora wants. But Roxas? He doesn’t have an answe.

Later that night, however, it hits him. Axels giving him dance lessons, and he knows. He knows. He’s fallen for Axel. For the wild, rambunctious man who’s swept him off his feet and helped him with his wild and risky scheme, all with a smile on his face. Roxas wants Axel, but assumed that’s just an impossible dream.

Queue mutual pining and angst~

[princesslocket]

🧜‍♀️ Haimizu Little Mermaid AU 🧜‍♀️

Here’s another long AU idea thing I came up with. If you read this I hope you like it <3

The AU mostly follows Mizukamiya. He’s just a simple mermaid(man) who watches soccer players along the shores of a secluded island front that’s just barely visible from his underwater home. Although he plays a similar sport underwater, he can’t help but wonder what it would be like to play soccer on land with…legs!

One day Mizukamiya encounters a half shark mercreature who unintentionally grants him legs?! ((The half-octopus had just stolen a potion from a shady backwater alleyway that would grant them one of their hearts deepest wish and was hurriedly trying to sneak away with it when they bumped into Mizukamiya, spilling it onto the mermaid and thus granting him his wish)). Since his ‘transformation’ had happened so suddenly Mizukamiya was rushed to the surface by the half-octopus where he was quickly dumped onto the sand. When he turned around to thank the half-shark all he saw was a pair of glaring brown eyes before said eyes dove back under the water.

For the rest of the day Mizukamiya worked on learning how to walk. It took a great amount of effort since he was only ever accustomed to swimming around in the water but over the course of the day he figured out to move without falling face forward every other step. Around the time the sun began to set he found a pair of tattered clothes to where along with a makeshift shelter to sleep under for the night! When morning came around Mizukamiya would wander the shore some more in search of food, seeing as he could no longer eat what he was usually given underwater… During his search he’d wind up finding a group of teens playing soccer?! ((Luckily he had wandered to the area where his home was located near)). When he approached the group they happily let him join in. Around lunch time they all shared mini sandwiches and even offered Mizukamiya some spare clothes, all to which he graciously accepts. Unfortunately the group is unable to go start any other match afterwards because they all leave when a certain gray-haired guy heads their way. Mizukamiya is the only one to stay because he really doesn’t have anywhere else to go and because he doesn’t want to be rude.

The two don’t really end up talking… Mizukamiya tries to start up little conversations here and there but the other guy pretty much ignores him as he picks up liter along the shorelines. ((Mizukamiya helps clean up too- Placing trash into the bag the gray-haired guy is holding but other than that, it’s the only interaction they have)). For the next few days this cycle repeats. Mizukamiya playing soccer with the teens who journey to where he’s at, eating borrowed lunches, and then cleaning up with the guy, who he later finds out is named Haizaki. By the end of his first week of having legs, Mizukamiya is wondering how and if he’ll ever be able to return to the water. ((He’s tried going back in but has failed to make his tail or water breathing reappear)). He’s kind of growing desperate- So one night he tries to swim as far down as he can to find that half shark but alas his body doesn’t allow him to stay under long and he almost starts drowning but thanks to Haizaki, he’s brought back to the surface where’s he’s then scolded by the other. And since he can’t explain himself he just sits there and takes it before quietly muttering “you wouldn’t understand.”

After the incident Haizaki stops showing up. The soccer players also stop coming around, however their soccer ball is still there so Mizukamiya plays around with it every now and then… He’s been on the surface for about 2 weeks and hasn’t tried to go back in the water. He’s kind of come to terms that he’ll never be able to go back but surprise, surprise, just when he least expects it the half-octopus suddenly appears in front of him one afternoon, with legs?! They offer Mizukamiya a potion that will reverse the effects of his wish and just as he’s about to take it, Haizaki stops him- A soccer ball rams right into the potion, knocking it into the sand- The half-octopus and Mizukamiya look to Haizaki with shocked expressions. Haizaki takes Mizukamiya away and later reveals some shocking information about the half-octopus. ((Spoiler- The half-octopus is a bad guy who was going to poison Mizukamiya for reasons unknown)). The two of them then hide out at Haizaki’s place for the night. They end up forming somewhat of a friendship as they bond over their love of soccer and so on.

The next day they head into town to meet a few of Haizaki’s friends ((Tsunami, Tachimukai, Okuno and Akane)) and while talking Mizukamiya learns how each of them where once apart mermaids too, well minus Haizaki and Tachimukai, but they all end up forming a plan to get back at the half-octopus. Because of yeah! The half-octopus actually hadn’t been back to the surface for years until Mizukamiya showed up. So… They use Mizukamiya as bait to lure the half-octopus to where they last encountered them and sure enough the half-octopus shows up. From there the teens capture them and demand to be turned back to their former selves. The half-octopus only laughs at them, telling them the way to turn back is if a sacrifice is made. Of course nobody believes them but since the half-octopus drinks a bottle of poison before they can stop them, they’re kind of stuck with being human. Mizukamiya goes to bed with a heavy heart that night.

A month goes by before Mizukamiya starts to feel better. He’s slowly come to terms that this is his new life—He lives in a studio apartment next door to Haizaki and has more or less adapted to the human life style thanks to Tsunami and Akane’s advise. He’s also become the captain of the local soccer club! ((It’s a different group of teens from the ones he had been playing with earlier in the story)). And lastly, he’s become practically best friends with Haizaki and the group! ((He’s even got a small crush on Haizaki too)).

One night, Haizaki invites him out for a barbeque on the beach along with the rest of their friends. When they arrive Mizukamiya’s finds both Tsunami and Akane swimming around in the water. At first glance nothing appears to be out of place but when he gets closer he finds that their legs have been replaced with tails?! Tachimukai is the one to awkwardly explain how they transformed back- through a kiss… Mizukamiya had sensed some romantic tension throughout the group but had never paid any mind to it… until now so when he catches Tsunami staring fondly at Tachimukai he forces himself to look away with a laugh, congratulating everyone. ((And possibly crying on the inside because he knew Haizaki didn’t feel the same way about him)). But oh wait- A hand grabs his own, guiding him away from their friends and towards a more secluded area. He doesn’t get a chance to say anything because Haizaki kisses him as soon as they’re out of sight. And just like that Mizukamiya’s legs are replaced with a tail! Haizaki has to carry him back after that ((all the while grumbling about how heavy Mizukamiya is)). But when they rejoin the group Mizukamiya is placed into the water. From there the group congratulates each other and eventually eat before Tachimukai, Okuno, and Haizaki all wave goodbye. Since he wasn’t expecting them to leave, Mizukamiya tries to get back onto the surface but is pulled back by Akane who, with tears in her eyes, tells him that they can’t be on land anymore. Tsunami tries to lighten the mood by telling them they’re friends will be back the following day, but deep down Mizukamiya knows they won’t…

Several weeks go by and Mizukamiya has adjusted back to his old lifestyle under water. He’s welcomed back home with open arms and a very teary-eyed mother. Tsunami and Akane have both returned to their families and regularly keep in touch with Mizukamiya but everything just feels so different now. Mizukamiya misses life on land, which in retrospect wasn’t all that bad considering how he now preferred living on land rather than in the ocean. Another few days pass and he’s greeted by Tsunami, Akane, and their parents, along with his own. They all journey back to the shoreline where they last saw Tachimukai, Okuno, and Haizaki. From there Mizukamiya is given a necklace that will grant him legs for as long as he wears it. ((Akane and Tsunami had received theirs earlier that morning)). His mom tells him to go live his life on land, having been fully aware of his changed attitude at returning to the ocean. Mizukamiya thanks her and joins his friends as they each put on their necklaces to return to the surface --- The shocked expressions their human friends have are priceless…

And that’s all folks! I had posted this in a WAY SHORTER summary on Twitter a while back but uhhh never finished it. I still kind of want to make this into an actual fic and fix it up some more but who knows if that’ll ever happen. For now I hope you enjoyed this AU as it is. Thank you so much for taking the time to read it too by the way!!!

[fanficimagery]

Pull Me Closer

Summary: Imagine moving in across the street from Scotty Sire.

Words: 5.5K  Warnings: Language. I adore Kristen with all my heart, but for the sake of this imagine were just going to pretend Scotty is single.

Moving states away felt like a breath of fresh air, especially after the passing of your last living grandparent. Things were tense, even more so after the reading of the will, and the three bedroom home in California was calling your name. The front and back yard was spacious enough for your dog, and the pool and hot tub out back were perfect for you.

Before the move you had your personal belongings and some furniture you couldn't live without shipped to your new home where the house's occasional caretaker put it in the house for you, and even ordered some stuff online from a nearby warehouse that delivered directly to the house. Thankfully the caretaker put everything in their respective rooms, and even had the pool and hot tub set up for your arrival.

So pulling up in your Jeep Wrangler with the windows rolled down, you park in the driveway and stare up at the three bedroom home that is now all yours. Reaching over into the passenger seat, you rub your hand over Rocko's back- your fully grown black and gray Great Dane.

"Welcome home, Rocko. Lets go check it out."

Rocko quietly woofs as you exit your Jeep, quickly rushing around to the passenger side to open the door for your dog. He jumps out, tail wagging as he immediately sets out to sniff the entire yard. You then make your way over to the mailbox where your house key is hidden, your attention being stolen by raucous laughter from across the street. There are a group of boys, a couple of them filming as others run around with paintball guns.

"Whoa. Check out that horse!" The exclamation makes you chuckle, you grinning when you see their attention is on Rocko who's now standing at the curb and staring at the boys with a slightly wagging tail.

You whistle and gain Rocko's immediate attention. "Lets go, boy. Inside!" As you start to make your way towards the house, Rocko leaps into action and follows after you. You push the key into the lock and the door opens easily. Sighing in content, you scratch Rocko between the ears. "Home sweet home, pup."

After scoping out the neighborhood and getting a feel for it, you finally find yourself comfortable enough to jog around in order to get some sort of cardio in. The kids around the block especially love it when you jog with Rocko in tow and you soon find yourself fitting in.

And even though you've been in your new place for about a week and a half, today's the day the neighbors across the street have finally made themselves known.

You and Rocko are walking up to your mailbox when two boys jog across the street. You feel messy and gross because you'd been running around with Rocko for quite some time, but the boys are all smiles. Rocko quietly woofs in excitement and you scratch him between his cropped ears.

"Whoa," the tanned, dark haired individual muses. Only then do you realize he's got a camera in hand. "He's intimidating up close."

"Don't worry. He's a sweetheart. Rocko's just excited because you're new." Both guys seem to ease up at that, the dark haired one stepping up to Rocko and petting him, taking video.

The silver haired, red beaded guy chuckles. "Sorry about him. He's easily excited by dogs. We, uh, we live next door and figured we'd finally come over and say hi. I'm Scott."

"And I'm Todd," Todd says distractedly, leaning down to kiss Rocko before moving back at the last second, laughing.

"Y/N. And nice to finally meet you guys. I think you're the only ones I hadn't met."

Scott sheepishly rubs the back of his neck. "Sorry about that. We're usually home, but our friend needed some content for his vlog so he flew us out to Vegas and-"

"And it's been a party non-stop," Todd says. "Good times."

You laugh softly. "Your friend vlogs?"

"We all do, but David's got more of a following than us."

"Oh. That's cool," you admit. "I, uh, I actually post videos too, but nothing crazy or as frequent as those famous Youtubers do."

"Oh yeah? What do you post?"

"I cover songs that I can vibe with." Todd immediately looks up, pointing the camera at you and Scott. "And I do unboxing videos of some of my fanmail. I love opening up sketchy mail."

"Look, guys," Todd says, "Scott's found his soulmate."

You snort and Scott faintly blushes, glancing at his friend and shaking his head. "Dude, shut up." Then he looks back at you, smile a little wider and a little nervous. "I sing too, but I mostly post videos of the stupid shit me and my friends get up to."

"Why do I get the feeling the shit you and your friends get up to is off the walls insane?"

"Because it is," Todd tells you. "David likes to shoot us with a paintball gun when we least expect it."

"What?"

"It's fine. We get paid, so it's all good."

You chuckle in disbelief. "If you say so. I'm going to have to look you guys up on Youtube now."

"Do it," Scott agrees. "Just look up David Dobrik. We're all tagged in his videos."

"I will." You rock back on the heels of your feet, whistling shortly to catch Rocko's attention. "Well it was good to finally meet you both. I should, uh, I need to shower and eat," you say while slowly backing up the sidewalk into your yard.

"Wait, what?" Todd says, looking up in a hurry. "That's it? We don't get a name in return to look you up on Youtube?"

You and Scott both laugh. "Just look up Halsey on twitter. She tweeted out my latest cover of her song Graveyard a couple weeks ago."

"Halsey tweeted you!" Todd practically shouts. "Shut the fuck up."

"I'm serious." You suddenly can't stop laughing at Todd's excitement, he pushing the camera into Scott's hands so he can take out his phone and get on Twitter. "And on that note," you say when you see the app open up, "I'm gonna go. I don't like seeing people hear me sing for the first time. It's awkward."

"If you ever need anything, we're right across the street," Scott says.

"Ditto. My door is always open," you return.

Telling Scott and Todd your door was always open was probably a mistake, but after the first week of Todd walking in without so much as a head's up, it quickly became the norm. Todd usually showed up, asked about your day, and then spent the rest of the time laying with Rocko. Scott, however, greeted Rocko and then spent the rest of his time with you talking about music.

And within that week, they learned you were a great cook, but couldn't bake to save your life, and unfortunately found out you walked around the house semi-nude. For some reason you were more embarrassed about Scott seeing you in a t-shirt and underwear than Todd, and then quickly realized it wasn't really a big deal to them. Well at least not to Todd, but he still took pleasure in teasing you and giggling like a little girl when Scott would get defensive on your behalf.

And after the boys realized your house was a no-pants zone more often than not, Todd found it okay to strip down to his briefs when he needed a nap, Scott sometimes doing the same after sheepishly smiling and cuddling up with Rocko.

          - X - X - X - X - X -

You're unloading box after box in your driveway, your fan mail having arrived at your new address. Several of the boxes are rather heavy and you're unsure about how exactly you're going to get them inside, but a voice shouting from across the street makes you sigh in relief.

"Need some help?"

You turn around, shielding the sun from your eyes, and wave over Scott. "Yes, please!"

Scott jogs across the street, Todd following at a slower place with three other guys. But from binge watching numerous Youtube videos, you realize it's David, Zane, and Heath.

When Scott gets a glimpse at all the boxes up close, he grins. "Went a bit crazy shopping online, did you?"

"No." You huff a laugh. "It's mail from all my subscribers."

"Mail?" Todd asks, slinging an arm around your shoulders in greeting and pulling you into his side. "Does that mean you're going to make an unboxing video soon?"

"Yeah. Today."

"Sweet. I'm sticking around for that." You shrug, chuckling as Scott rolls his eyes. "By the way, meet our other friends. This is David, Heath, and Zane. Boys, this is Y/N."

"Oh hey! You're the singer," David muses, camera in hand. "Is this cool?" He then quickly asks, gesturing to his camera. "You're really good, by the way."

"Thank you and yes." You blush and Todd pinches your cheeks as he mockingly coos at you. He pinches a little too hard and you retaliate by shoving him off of you and punching him as his friends laugh. Scott then brings you into his side when Todd starts poking at you and you practically melt against him. "I've recently starting watching your guys' videos and can I just say that y'all are fuckin' wild?! Holy shit!"

"Ooh, girl," Heath then says. "That cover you did on Sam Smith's Stay With Me gave me the chills. My girlfriend Mariah is in love with your voice."

"I really liked Bad Liar by Imagine Dragons," Todd grins.

You laugh. "You guys really did go through my videos, huh."

"Duh." David giggles. "Scott and Todd couldn't shut up about you, so we had to look you up."

"Oh god."

"Mhm," Zane hums, cracking up a moment later when he can't take himself seriously. "Is it true our boys walked in on you in your underwear?"

"Jesus Christ. Did you guys really have to tell them that?"

Scott squeezes your shoulders. "Don't blame me. That was all Toddy."

Rolling your eyes, you let the smile continue to grace your lips to let the guys know you're not really upset about it. "To be fair, it was a Calvin Klein sports bra and boy short underwear. I also had a flannel shirt on, but it was left unbuttoned, and I never know when Todd is just going to barge in. It really wasn't that big of a deal. I was more startled than anything else."

"So let me get this straight," Zane says, glancing between you and Todd. "Todd saw you practically naked and he didn't try to hump you?"

You snort and then shake your head. "Nope."

"Baby!" Heath then coos at Todd, he and Zane sandwiching their friend in a hug. "You're growing up." You all laugh, David capturing it all on his camera.

"Well if you four are done," Scott says, "Y/N needed our help. Let's get this inside for her."

David's the only one who doesn't help, he being reluctant to put down his camera. You understand, even if his friends give him grief for it. "By the way, guys, don't mind Rocko. He's a gentle giant."

"Rocko?" Heath wonders.

David opens the door for all of you, he cursing quite loudly as Rocko lets out the deepest woof in his arsenal. You, Scott, and Todd all laugh.

"Rocko, my man." Todd enters, setting down his box before being distracted by your dog.

"I swear Todd only visits to eat my food or play with Rocko," you say.

When the guys all notice your set up in the living room and find out you do unboxing videos of your fan mail, they all ask to stick around. You don't mind the company, so you let them, even letting David continue to video for some content he can use in his own vlog.

Once everyone is settled, it's only you, Scott, and Zane in the actual shot. Heath and David sit off the sides, but close enough to be caught in frame should they want to be, and Todd sits behind the camera as he lounges with Rocko who's resting his head on the boy.

Your fan mail is nothing spectacular, the items ranging from band tees to posters to fan art of you and Rocko. And after each box is opened, you make sure to thank the person who sent it by giving them a shout-out. There are also boxes of snacks, which Heath and Zane seem really excited for, and you treat them to your favorites. There are some specialty candy that's only made in Texas that you make the boys all eat, but only Scott seems fond of the cherry flavored gummies that are covered in chili powder. The other snacks from Texas come from a store named Buc-ee's, and David, Heath, and Zane become quite fond of the Beaver Nuggets.

More mail is opened and you laugh as you open several packages just meant for Rocko- toys, treats, and even shirts made specifically for your Great Dane.

"We are seriously going to have to plan a trip to Texas just for Beaver Nuggets," David says, popping yet another caramel-coated, crunchy puff corn into his mouth.

"See. They're good, right?"

"Mhm." He eats a few more before asking, "So, Y/N, what's the weirdest thing you've ever received?"

You immediately blush and the guys all perk up. "Oh this is gonna be good," Todd muses.

"Fuck you." The guys all laugh and you sigh when you realize they're awaiting an answer. "Just.. hold on." You shoot a quick outro clip, thanking everyone for the mail and that you'd have a new song cover coming soon. Just as you're saying goodbye, the boys all squeeze in and wave at the camera. Laughing, you tell Todd to cut the camera off and then tell them what they want to hear. "So the weirdest thing I received was a box full of lingerie and sex toys."

"WHAT?!" Heath nearly shouts, Zane giggling at his side.

"And what's weird is that guy had my size down perfectly. Like if I had tried the lingerie on, it'd have fit."

Scott quirks an eyebrow at you. "If?"

"Yeah. There we no tags on the underwear and all the sex toys were out of their packaging. It was super sketchy!"

The guys all laugh at your grossed out expression. David leans forward, camera nearly in your face. "Now I think the question is, is would you have kept the sex toys had they been in their proper packaging?"

The room goes oddly silent. "Well.."

"You hesitated!" Todd screams, cackling.

You grab a pillow, chunking it at him. "A girl has her needs, you dick! But still, I don't know. Sex toys from a fan is still super weird."

"Baby," Heath coos, "lingerie from a fan is weird. Sex toys is crossing a line."

You nod in agreement and eventually get up to head to the kitchen. The boys all follow as you start bringing out food to eat, and Zane's whistle of appreciation catches your attention.

He's looking out into the back yard, David and Heath by his side. "No offense," Zane starts, "but how are you affording a place like this?"

You chuckle as you scoop some ice cream into a bowl. "It's been in the family for quite a while. I actually inherited it last month when my grandfather passed." The guys go quiet and you glance at them, smiling as they suddenly seem uneasy. "It's okay. My grandfather lived here up until his wife passed away. He moved closer to his family where he then proceeded to lose both his children. When my mom died, I was his only grandchild who continued to have anything to do with him and even moved him in with me when he got sick. I didn't even know this place existed until the reading of the will where he left me everything- this house and his money."

"Damn. I bet everyone else was pissed," Heath says.

"Yep. Hence the reason I'm here now. I got tired of listening to them belittle me, so I packed up myself and Rocko, and here we are."

"Well they sound like assholes," David tells you. "And I, for one, am glad you're here. Scotty is too."

"Dude."

Scott's sudden look of disbelief at his friend sends you into a bout of laughter, you holding your hands up when he nudges you in retaliation. Scott purses his lips to keep from laughing and you quickly wink at him before picking up your bowl of ice cream and moving on.

"Don't pretend I can't hear you," you say while hip checking Zane out of the doorway from where he was muttering something to Todd. "I saw the dry ice video. You guys are not fucking up my pool."

"No, but Y/N, just hear us out..!"

Weeks soon turned into months and you can't believe how much Scott and Todd have changed your life. Scott was a little tamer than Todd, which is probably why you were more drawn to him, but the boys were still wild. You had thought you kept the teeny tiny crush you developed on Scott under wraps pretty good, but when you were eventually introduced to the rest of their friends, Todd made sure the guys knew you were off limits less they wanted to step on Scott's toes. And because you were clearly holding out for their friend.

The girls were just stoked to have another female in the group, and you found yourself being asked on shopping trips and to attend hang out sessions more times than you ever were asked back in your hometown.

You went out with the entire group a total of two times when Scott asked you and you found they were just as crazy as they were in their videos. The first time you kept yourself limited to two drinks in order not to get out of hand, but the second time you were encouraged to let loose. Needless to say, your new friends saw you being a hot mess and you knew you'd never live it down. You had become Zane's favorite drinking buddy, right next to Heath.

But tonight is a night of peace and quiet, you staying in with Rocko and quietly celebrating your birthdays. And since you're not that fond of cake, you had found a bakery that was dedicated to making cakes for pets and ordered one for Rocko. Then once the sun has gone down, you get the cake out of the refrigerator and place four sparklers around the cake. You quickly tug a party hat on over your head and manage to get one on Rocko without him pawing it off, and then light the sparklers before grabbing a bottle of wine in your other hand. After quickly posing for a picture, you blow out the sparklers, take them out, and let Rocko devour his cake.

Once you've got yourself a glass of wine poured and have made yourself comfortable on the couch with some of your favorite movies queued up, you post the picture to your Instagram with the caption: Happy birthday to us! For the last four years, I've been honored to share my birthday with Rocko. All I need for this special day is the love of my fur baby.

Along with the picture of you and Rocko, and his cake, you post another picture with it that's of Rocko laying his head on your lap. After posting, you set your phone aside and settle in to watch movies.

           - X - X - X - X - X -

You're in the middle of Jeepers Creepers when your doorbell rings, you startling and then shushing Rocko when you startled him as well. Pressing pause on your movie, you get up to go answer the door. And when you swing it open, you're met with Scott's beaming smile and two cupcakes in hand- one cupcake with a lit candle shoved in it and the other with a dog treat shoved in it.

"Scotty," you chuckle, immediately melting and leaning bashfully against your door.

"Happy birthday, Y/N." He then leans his head in through the doorway, saying, "Happy birthday, Rocko!", to which Rocko woofs in response.

"What are you doing? I thought you were filming at David's tonight?"

"My bit was over with about ten minutes after I had gotten there," he says. "Now come on. Make a wish and blow out your candle."

You can't stop smiling, but you do as you're told. You stare at the flickering flame, make a wish, and then blow it out. Scott mock cheers. "Thank you. I've got beer in the fridge and Jeepers Creepers on TV if you want to stick around."

"Sounds like a plan."

After gesturing him inside, you huff a quiet laugh as he readily kicks off his shoes. As you head for the kitchen, you hear him call out to Rocko and feed your dog his own treat. You then return with a beer for Scott and another glass of wine for yourself, and take a seat on the other side of Rocko since he had snuggled up to Scott himself.

Ten minutes into the movie, you can't help but look at Scott again. He meets your gaze and grins, light from the TV reflecting off his nose ring. "I'm really glad you came, Scotty."

"Yeah? Me too."

Nearing the end of Jeepers Creepers 2, you can't help but take a quick picture of Scott and Rocko as they sleep on the couch. You have no idea how Scott is able to take so much of Rocko's weight on his arm, but he does and he looks quite adorable.

The picture gets posted straight away with the caption: I take back my earlier statement. All I need on this special day are my two favorite boys [heart eyes emoji] #WeakInTheKnees

You're floating in the middle of your pool, Rocko lounging on his own float not too far away as music fills the back yard from a portable speaker sitting on a nearby table. Your hands lazily sweep through the water at your sides to keep your float moving, and your eyes flutter open at the sound of a cat-calling whistle.

David stands at the edge of your pool, camera in hand and pointed directly at you with Jeff and Todd at his sides. Raising your hand, you flip off David's camera and then laugh when you hear Jeff say, "Man, Nerf is never allowed here. He'd be so jealous of Rocko's life."

"One of these days, Wittek, I'm gonna kidnap your dog and hold him hostage for a couple days. He ain't ever gonna wanna go back home to you."

"Keep dreaming, Y/L/N."

Todd suddenly whoops as he strips off his shirt, jumping into the pool a moment later. David laughs and when Todd doesn't immediately resurface, dread fills your stomach. David is still giggling and before you can say anything, you're yelping as your float is upended and you're rolling into the water.

Resurfacing and spluttering on water, you splash Todd's laughing face. "You're a dick, Toddy."

"You love me."

"Fuck off."

"Well not as much as you love Scotty."

David and Jeff laugh, and you splash him again. "Will you stop saying I'm in love with him?"

"Why? It's true. You're both just too goddamn oblivious to notice it."

"Oh I notice it," you say as you continue to tread water. "We're just- we can't escape the tip-toeing stage."

"Well escape it," Jeff says. "The sexual tension is killing us."

"God I hate you guys sometimes." Swimming over to the edge of the pool, you accept Jeff's helping hand. Then sitting on the ledge and accepting the towel David passes over, you ask, "So what's up?"

"Scotty's birthday is coming up. We need ideas," Todd says. He swims over, pulling himself out of the water and sitting next to you.

"Well I would offer up my pool, but I've seen how out of hand your parties tend to get. I don't want you to break my house," you say, chuckling.

David opens his mouth to deny the statement, but then shrugs and giggles. "Yeah."

You take a moment to think about it, clicking your tongue on the roof of your mouth. "What are you guys doing for music?"

"Not sure yet. Shouldn't be too hard to find a decent DJ."

"I think I might know someone. Someone pass me my phone." Jeff looks around until he spots it, grabbing it and giving it to you. You bring up your text messages, shooting off a series of texts back to back. "I'm not sure they'll agree, but if they do-"

"Who's they?" David asks.

"Some friends I knew from before they blew up," you say. Your phone dings and you read the texts coming through, smiling. "So my friends are actually in town for a few weeks. They're down to DJ and perform a bit of live music if you want them."

"Well who are they?" Todd wonders.

"If I tell you, not a word of this to anyone. Clear?" All three boys nod. "I know them as Alex and Drew, but they're more famously known as the Chainsmokers."

"Shut the fuck up," David immediately blurts. Todd and Jeff laugh. "Are you serious right now?"

"Yeah." You pull up the texts, showing them to your friends. "They're down to party. They like to surprise people so they'll probably wear masks or something and play some remixes. Then when things really get going, they'll go live."

"Holy shit." Todd is still laughing. "This party is gonna be dope!"

"Now I'm kind of jealous," Jeff chuckles. "Why couldn't you be my neighbor first?"

You scoop up some water in your hand and fling it over your shoulder. "Shut up." Then looking back at David and Todd, you say, "They'll need a stage to set up their shit. Is that do-able?"

"Uh yeah!" David nods.

"Cool. I'll help you plan some more later, but now I need some ideas. What is a good birthday present?"

"Sex."

"David!" Todd and Jeff laugh, and you attempt to splash water at David. He easily sidesteps it. "I'm serious"

Todd smiles. "Honestly? Sing for him. You know he's been wanting to hear you sing live instead of watching your videos."

"Ugh. I rather seduce him." David high fives you and you laugh directly into his camera. "If you put that in the vlog, I'm gonna drown you, Dobrik."

A week and a half later, it's Scott's birthday. Todd has managed to keep him busy all day, but not after you walked across the street to deliver him a birthday cupcake. Scott had beamed when he saw you, and then hugged you and pressed a kiss to your temple as Todd cooed from around the corner.

You had then proceeded to set up all day, laughing at everyone's reactions when Alex and Drew showed up to set up their area with turntables, lights, fog machines, and a few confetti cannons. You only expected some lights and music, so you thanked them profusely for going all out to which they assured you only the best for the guy who apparently held a special place in your heart. You had blushed that they picked up on that and then sighed when David, Natalie, and Zane overheard and continued to tease you throughout the entire day.

You got ready with all the girls at David's and then arrived at the small warehouse where the party was to take place. Alex and Drew wore light-up masks to conceal their identity until later in the party, and the guests started to show up by the carload.

Scott's started texting you about ten minutes ago, skeptical of Todd's motives and vague answers of where they were driving to. You had anticipated that, so you took a few selfies at your house and at David's beforehand to send to him so he wouldn't suspect you were in on anything. It worked.

You get anxious when you realize Scott and Todd have finally arrived, and the whole crowd of guests go silent. As planned, Todd enters first because there was no way Scott was going to when Todd didn't answer his questions, so it's only after Todd ducks out of the way do the lights flick on and everyone shouts Surprise!

Confetti rains down, and horns and sirens blare. Scott is beaming, hugging all his friends who are the front of the group. When he gets to you, he points an accusing finger in your face before wrapping you up in a hug. You laugh and squeeze your arms around his waist until he lets you go.

You're about to hang back as everyone crowds him, but he grabs your hand and the smile he flashes you has your stomach turning. He squeezes your hand and tugs you closer to his side, and you get the feeling that he doesn't want you to wander off too far from him.

The music is a hit with the crowd, as you expected, and Scott seems to be having a good time. The alcohol is flowing, David is directing bits here and there for the vlog, and everyone is having a good time on the dance floor. But soon enough a cake is being wheeled out and the entire crowd is singing happy birthday. Scott is bashful through the whole thing, he blowing out the candles and dodging the first handful of cake that Todd attempts to smash in his face.

"Alright, alright, alright," Alex says from behind his mask. "You guys throw an insane party, but let's kick things up a notch." The crowd cheers as horns blare over the speakers, but you can see the confusion in numerous faces. The masks finally come off and the crowd erupts louder. Scott's eyes widen and he looks at you in surprise. "We are the Chainsmokers and thank you guys for coming out to Scotty's birthday bash."

The music restarts, fog and confetti blasting as the music comes back on.

"Who the fuck got the Chainsmokers?" Scotty asks.

Everyone looks at you and you shrug. "They're friends of mine. I cashed in a favor."

Scott's eyes sparkle. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet, babe. The night is still young."

           - X - X - X - X - X -

The crowd is still hyped an hour after Alex and Drew had lifted off their masks, and then they're even more hyped when they realize the Chainsmokers are performing live. You, Scotty, David, Toddy, Natalie, Jeff, Heath, Zane, and Mariah are up on stage, and when the song switches to something a little slower Toddy looks at you expectantly. You wink, but make no move as your friend starts to perform the beginning of their hit song Closer. You can see Mariah lip syncing to Heath and you move to the beat next to Scotty, making him dance with you along to the lyrics. He obliges you, chuckling in amusement, and then pulling you closer to him when the beat drops.

Moments later, a microphone is pressed into your hand and you fight off a smirk when you see Scott's eyes widen as you bring the microphone up to your mouth, leading him towards the middle of the stage. "You look as good as the day I met you. I forgot just why I left you; I was insane."

Todd and Zane scream off to the side, holding onto one another. David records the entire thing and you can see your friends from the corner of your eyes as they get hyped up over you serenading Scotty.

"So baby pull me closer in the backseat of your Rover that I know you can't afford. Bite that tattoo on your shoulder." You mock bite at his shoulder and Scott laughs. "Pull the sheets right off the corner of the mattress that you stole from your roommate back in Boulder. We ain't ever getting older."

The beat drops and you're all set to start dancing, but Scotty surprises you. He grabs you by the back of your neck, reels you in, and presses his mouth against yours. Your friends, plus the crowd who you hardly even know, all erupt louder in excitement. Your left hand grasps onto his hip, the other still gripping tight to the microphone. Lights are flashing, confetti is raining down, and you pull back from Scotty to see his bright eyes shining down on you.

Heart pumping furiously, you bring the microphone back up to your mouth to sing, "We ain't ever getting older!" The beat drops yet again and this time it's you who brings him down into a kiss.

Scotty laughing against your mouth sends you into a fit of giggles, and when you eventually pull apart because of all the jostling your friends are doing, he keeps you close enough to mutter, "Best birthday ever," in your ear.

[chemicalpink]

Yoongi’s Friend (Jungkook x Reader)

Pairing: Jungkook x fem!reader

Warnings: none (so far)

A/N: I posted the teaser to this a few days ago so here is the continuation, hope you like it! xx

Summary: You are Yoongi’s friend and are spending too much time in his studio that you are just bound to bump a few too many times into Jungkook or the one where Kookie is too shy to talk to you but will drop by an annoyingly amount of times at the Genius Lab if it means seeing your face

“Okay so maybe if we bring it up half a key for the bridge” you said to Yoongi as you reached out to play the keyboard laying on his left as he watched you unamused, far too frustrated for this being the third day in a row working on the track. You and Min Yoongi had met not long ago through a mutual producer friend that was way too excited to get you both to collaborate, seen as you too were a musician, just obviously not as big as himself. 

“Hey hyung, Namjoon-hyung says that you need to have dinner with us toni-“ a voice coming from the door had you both turning towards it, spotting a messy mop of dark head and a surprised, childish like expression that belonged to none other than Jungkook, both your and his eyes locking for a brief second before you smiled at him, not that you two were close, hell, you two hadn’t even been introduced to each other because every time you came by BigHit, you spent it in Yoongi’s studio, but you’d be lying if you said you didn’t find the youngest attractive, especially after those beautiful vocals Yoongi had let you hear in the demos for the song you were currently working on.

Jungkook disappeared as quickly as he had appeared and without a further word, leaving Yoongi to release an annoyed sigh.

“It’s cute how they worry about you” you mentioned, starting to collect your things, not wanting to intervene in their plans “We can always clean the track some other day, Yoongles”

“Please don’t call me that” he had his head resting on the top of his chair, thinking about who knows what “It’s just that we’ve been on this for far too long and-”

“I’ll see what comes to mind back home, yeah?” you called from the door “I’ll text you”

･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ.･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ.･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ.･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ.･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆

They were all sitting across the living room, phones in hand as the TV played some movie in the back.“Yoongi-hyung?” Jungkook asked looking up from his phone as the elder just hummed in response, not bothering to look up “Who was that girl back in your studio?”

It wasn’t exactly like Yoongi didn’t share his side projects with the rest of the group- it was just that he liked to be sure they were coming out alright before announcing the news, but your collaboration was something that came out of nowhere, and so most of his time was spent inside the lab.

“Err… she’s just a producer” he said nonchalantly, hoping Jungkook would drop the topic and none of the other members paid attention to it, but of course, they didn’t. A string of questions ranging from ‘is it for your new mixtape’ to ‘is she pretty?” were thrown at him in the span of 10 seconds and he was forced to look up from the screen, making the room go silent at once “Her name’s Y/N, we met through a mutual friend, we’re working on a collaboration for her newest album, yeah she’s pretty and no, none of you idiots will get anywhere near her.”

No more words were shared as he got up from his spot and entered the studio once again, not before muttering a quick ‘thanks for the food’ to Jin.

･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ.･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ.･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ.･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ.･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆

The next day you arrived at the usual time, two americanos in hand.

“You know, I bumped into Jungkook and Jimin as I was entering the building,” you said, placing one of the cups on his desk as you took your usual spot on the couch next to it “Is it just me, or is the maknae growing prettier by the day?”

Yoongi almost choked on his sip of coffee as the words left your mouth “Please tell me I just hallucinated you saying that from sleep deprivation” you laughed at his reaction “Y/N...I’m going to have to ask you not so kindly not to even think about dating Jungkook” 

“Why though? He’s cute”

“Y/N, you and I are basically the same person, it would be as if Jungkook decided to date a female version of me” he shivered in an over-exaggerated way to show his disgust at the thought of it “And that’s a question I never want to be answered”

“Fine”

･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ.･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ.･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ.･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ.･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆

The next few days were spent with stolen glances while walking by Jungkook every time you set a foot in Big Hit’s building to go to Yoongi’s studio, and today was no exception as he shyly waved your way from one of the practice rooms you walked by on your way to the studio.

“Jungkook really is a cute one,” you said out loud as you were sitting in the couch scrolling through Twitter as Yoongi was typing away in the computer, your collaboration song almost done, just missing a few touch-ups 

“Gosh I thought we had talked about this, Y/N” Yoongi’s voice made your head turn faster than expected, cheeks going redder by the second, you surely didn’t mean for the phrase to escape your lips “I really really don’t want to know if Kook would date the female version of me” 

You rolled your eyes at that, but since you couldn’t tell whether or not he was being serious, decided to tease him further “I don’t know Yoongi, Jungkookie might have gotten you a new ARMY” you turned your phone screen for him to see your timeline overflowing with tweets from their fans, to what his eyes focused on yours in a disappointment manner

･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ.･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ.･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ.･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ.･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆

Of course, you weren’t about to admit that what began as a way of teasing Yoongi over his authoritary decision of prohibiting you to like the maknae, developed into a serious crush in the course of two weeks; aimlessly scrolling through Twitter turned into a full-consciously searching for ‘Boyfriend Material Jungkook thread’ and sure as hell you were not about to admit that most of your findings made you smile fondly, even making your heart skip a bit.

It was around 8 am as you were making your usual trip to Yoongi’s studio after getting two americanos in the cosy cafe on the way there that the rapper seemed to adore, smiling in the receptionist’s way as you greeted her and she granted you access to the building, making sure to wish her a nice day, nothing could have prepared you to what was about to happen.

“Y/N!” the mention of your name made you turn full 180 to be met by none other than Jungkook making his way to you, messy hair, loose black shirt and those goddamn grey sweatpants that made it so hard for you to look away from, it was almost impossible to believe that such a man let out the tiniest of ‘hi’ you way as he stood before you 

“Oh hey, Jungkook”  you could feel your cheeks redden by the second and it was hard to miss the bunny smile he threw your way, most probably at the increasing awkwardness thanks to the extending silence that grew between you, your wittiness and remaining brain cells leaving your body, making up the stupidest of excuses to run away from there “coffee, here” 

Jungkook laughed an adorable laugh as he threw a “thank you Y/N, I’ll see you around” as you were already entering the studio.

“God I have to be the greatest idiot living on Earth” you muttered as you took a sip from your coffee

“Well, I’m certainly not denying that-” Yoongi turned around on his chair “Wait where’s my coffee?” your eyes widened at that and offered him your cup

“Take mine, I gave yours to Jungkook”

“You gave, my coffee to Jungkook? Do I even wanna know?” he gladly took you cup from your hands as you groaned in annoyance, would it be so bad to just let him know about your crush? if anything, he was the one to blame in the first place.

“Listen, I panicked okay?” as you cringed at the events from a few moments ago, Yoongi’s expression remained the same, unreadable.

He took another sip from the cup and began to talk “Okay first of, may I just say I absolutely adore this coffee” he made a dramatic pause, much to his teasing style “Second, you’re trying to tell me that you pushed a cup of coffee in Jungkook’s hands and then ran off?” a few of his word cut off from small laughs escaping his mouth “The great Y/N fell into the charms of Jeon Jungkook? man…”

You hid behind your hands as he kept going with his monologue of how the youngest member was taking over the hearts of everyone “I mean technically… this is your fault”

Yoongi gasped “Aishh… my fault?” he laughed, gummy smile showing “ Let’s just get to work, lover girl”  

As much as he adored to tease you back for all the times you had teased him, the song wasn’t about to finish itself, or perhaps after all of this, he had just the right thing in mind to kill two birds with one stone.

･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ.･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ.･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ.･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ.･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆

Yoongi had texted you early in the morning to drop by the studio as early as possible, saying he was finally able to find that je ne sais quoi that was missing in your song, and so you happily obliged, Yoongi was an amazing producer and you couldn’t help but let your mind wander to all the possibilities, was it a change in key? or perhaps a new beat?

Your heart pounded the fastest it had ever beaten as you opened the door to the recording studio and your ears were filled with amazing vocals that belonged to none other than the dark-haired boy inside the booth, Jungkook.

“That was just amazing, you can come out Jungkook” Yoongi called from the mixing board

“What is this all about, Yoongi?” he smiled and turned to Jungkook as he made his way out and greeted you in the smallest voice possible, both your cheeks and his slightly pink.

“Oh, I’ll just Kookie here explain to you as I, Min Suga genius, get a very well deserved coffee” he patted the younger’s shoulder and soon disappeared through the door

Jungkook took a seat in the rolling chair and barely faced you as he scratched the back of his head, you not understanding a single thing of what was going on “Yoongi-hyung had this idea of mixing some hidden vocals and-” he raised his sight to watch your confused expression “yeah...I hope you don’t mind?”

You cleared your throat twice, in a failed attempt to calm yourself down “Not at all Kook, your vocals are not that bad- I mean, no, your vocals are amazing- they always are and...yeah, I’ll shut up now” you let out a breathy laugh, mentally hitting yourself in the head and wondered if there was any chance for earth to swallow you whole.

A few seconds went by of you roaming your eyes around the room, not having enough courage to meet his eyes, as the usual awkward silence filled the room until you felt his knee bump your own and felt his hand lift up your chin to meet his gaze, to which you were sure as hell he could now hear your heartbeat; the silence soon turned into a suffocating heat and mutual stolen glances to each other’s lips before he came closer and time seemed to slow down as you closed your eyes and felt his lips warm against your own, only to be met by nothingness and a closing door a few seconds after, when you opened your eyes again.

･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ.･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ.･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ.･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ.･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆

Your mind had gone blank after that kiss, you stopped going by the studio since you couldn’t quite wrap your mind around it, and you couldn’t raise enough courage to confront Jungkook about it.

One Sunday afternoon, there was a soft knock on your door, looking through the peephole twice, you couldn’t help a thousand thoughts running through your mind as you saw Jungkook standing on the other end of the door.

“Here” he shoved a small paper bag into your hands, just the way you had done that time with the coffee “Yoongi-hyung said they were your favourites and-” his eyes searched for your face and he sighed heavily “Y/N I’m so sorry for what happened the other day, I don’t know what got over me, I’ve just- I’ve liked you since the first day I saw you and-”  you cut him off by standing on your tiptoes and placing a tender and quick kiss on his lips before both of you broke into a smile.

He wasted no time in placing both of his hands on your waist and deliver a series of pecks on your lips as he walked both of you into your apartment, making sure to shut the door before your body was pressed between the wall and his own, your hands quickly finding their way behind his neck in an attempt to bring him any closer, your mouths finding their way against each other at the increasing tension, the warmth of his lips making you weak on the knees, a small smile playing on both of your faces as he placed his forehead against yours, breathing heavily.

“Next time don’t run away from me,” you said looking into his eyes

“Wasn’t planning on doing that” his thumb started caressing your cheek as he leaned in once again and you laughed at how stupid you both had been.