#literally all i can think about right now is how badly i want a soda

[jinxs-gf]

Can I? (kiss the hurt away)

YJ!Conner Kent x Spider!Reader

summary: you get hurt during a mission and Conner just wants to help. this finally brings you two together.

content/warnings: set in s1, lots of wounds, blood mentioned, awkward flirting…this was a shared prompt w my two besties, here’s my version! (I switched it up a bit), funny writing bc it’s from spider!reader’s perspective (mostly)

word count: 2.1k

a/n: FIRST CONNER FIC YAYAYYAYAYAY I hope people actually read for him lmaooo…enjoy!

There's a ringing in your ear for a while, your vision blurred. Just as you come out of it there's a voice—

"You okay?"

One you're very familiar with.

You slowly blink your eyes open. You're not sure what the hell your enemy just blasted you with, but it was enough to knock you out and make everything hurt. A lot.

"Uhh I think so?" Conner watched the white eyes of your mask blink, he could tell you were in fact, not okay.

He could see it from a distance, the distance he unknowingly made while fighting. He promised himself he'd stay close at all times when the team was in danger, when you could potentially get hurt. And look at you now. His ignorance to what was going on around him got you hurt.

At least that's what he told himself.

You swat his hands as he starts fussing over you, too disoriented to think about the action. Until you see his hurt face. He was only trying to help.

But Conner thinks, you were pushing him away, and rightfully so when he's the reason you're hurt in the first place.

"No no it's-" you heave a rugged sigh, your lungs feeling heavy. "I'm just out of it. Sorry. What was that guy packing in his gun anyways?"

Conner's reluctant in his assistance to you now, but you encourage him with a smile. He lifts you to your feet, securing an arm around your waist to ensure you wouldn't fall back down. You definitely weren't in a state to be walking and that's proven when your legs wobble and all your weight falls onto him. Something he doesn't mind and in a different situation would smile at.

But you hiss as his pulls you up, and he's brought back to reality.

"Thanks Con-man." Another smile for him and his shoulders relax.

"I have no idea what that man was packing in his gun. All I know is it hurt you...really badly. You were out the rest of the fight."

"I was?" A quick look around and sure enough, you were. The quietness of the area should've been a clear sign there was no longer a battle going on.

"Looks like I was." And suddenly the team is behind you. It's a miracle the rest of them avoided getting hurt the way you did (which was a little embarrassing considering your spider senses).

"You alright, Spidey?" Wally and Artemis ask at the same time, they glare at each other for it.

"Jinx. Artemis, you owe me a soda."

"I do not-" you cut them off, ending the argument before it could start.

"Yeah I'm alright." But the way you leaned heavily onto the SuperBoy and breathed unevenly told a different story. Although that was nothing new, was it? You somehow were constantly hanging off the boy one way or another (not literally...though you wish it was).

"Are you sure? We'll have you get checked back at headquarters," Kaldur speaks. You simply nod, too weak to really do much else.

Robin was looking worriedly, trying to hide it but you could see right through him. You shot him a smile.

While the team discussed what to do with the bad guy, you stayed with Conner. There was an awkward silence until he spoke up, having enough of your small hisses and puffs at his side.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't know, everything? I'm hurting everywhere," you were practically mumbling, fatigue evident with every word you spoke.

He huffs and places you on the floor again, carefully avoiding any rubble from the fight. Another pained hiss from you.

"Sorry sorry, I know," he's trying to figure out his next move. "I don't know how to make it better."

You shake your head, "that's alright Conner. You don't need to, you're not a doctor or anything."

And yet he looks guilty, like your wounds and the fact that he hasn't already done something to ease the pain was his fault. He eyed the arm you've been holding around your abdomen this whole time.

"You being here right now is enough. I promise. And this," you lift your arm finally, making a soft noise of pain in between, "it'll go down by tomorrow-"

"Shit! When did that happen?" His voice startles you, the sudden noise rattling your probably concussed brain. You finally look down to see blood dripping from a scratch in your suit.

"Shit. When did that happen? How..."

"I didn't realize it was that bad. I'm sorry."

"No Conner, it's okay-"

"Can I?"

"Huh?" And Conner is gesturing to your mask, your eyes widen.

"You're breathing too heavily for it to be comfortable. Please?" He wouldn't say part of it was because he needed to see your face to comfort him.

You nod.

He doesn't freak out when he takes it off, so that's a good sign.

"How do I look?" he doesn't answer for a few seconds, he's carefully observing your face it seems. You can't help but smile.

And he smiles back, "still beautiful as ever."

"Okay lover boy," you desperately wish the mask was on, if only to hide your timid expression. "You don't need to flatter me."

Conner clears his throat quickly, awkwardly. As if he didn't realize he said it out loud.

He really didn't mean to. But seeing how shy and...dare he say happy you looked after he said it, he thinks it wasn't such a bad thing.

"You have a few scratches. But you're still-"

"Beautiful as ever, yeah yeah I heard you," maybe he wasn't going to say it again, but you weren't going to risk it. You don't think you could take it if he said it. You'd probably do something stupid like kiss him—

He swallows thickly, still embarrassed. "We need to get you back," he goes to pick you up, only this time it's not so you can stand upright. No. He's preparing to carry you bridal style. Oh no. Now you really might kiss him (that is if you don't pass out within the next few seconds). "Can I carry you? I don't think you're in good enough shape to walk right now."

"Rude."

"No I didn't mean-"

You laugh, maybe a little meanly, you knew he wasn't good on certain social cues yet, making teasing him easy, "sorry- I know what you mean. Yeah it's...alright. You can totally carry me." Now you were beginning to feel awkward.

He picks you up easily. And you're starting to agree with him, you definitely weren't in any shape to walk if him lifting you was enough to make you dizzy.

You weren't kidding yourself when you said you'd pass out before you could kiss him.

Your head lays comfortably on his chest...right over his heart which happened to be beating like crazy.

Was that your doing? You really hope so.

He carries you a little behind the rest of the team, murmuring reassurances and praise. 'You did good back there.' 'You're gonna be okay, I'll make sure of it.' 'Stay close to me okay? I'll make it better.'

Bioship took you all back to Mount Justice, M'gann talking your ear off the whole time. Starting with worried rambles about how hurt you looked and fading into a new tv show she got into. One she wished her people on Mars could enjoy.

Usually you wouldn't mind it, but you could feel an oncoming headache the whole ride. You didn't have the heart to tell her to stop nor that you weren't really listening. Not feeling bad only because Wally seemed enthralled with her storytelling (suck up) and flirted here and there.

You were too busy focusing on your shadow anyways. Aka the SuperBoy who refused to leave your side and was quite literally on you the whole way. Between him, M'gann, and Wally's flirting with her (and Robin's occasional butting in to tease) you were surprised you didn't go insane on the ride back.

When you did get back, they told you it was bad (fatal for a normal person) but nothing you couldn't handle. Just a broken rib (unfortunately common for you) and a slight concussion. Great. Accompanied with bruises and the big gash on your abdomen. That weapon really did a number on you. Conner went off on the adults for saying it was "nothing you couldn't handle" because you were "on the brink of dying". Which is a bit dramatic, but having him be so protective over you was kind of nice...or whatever.

They suggested you took a break for a week and a half (a conclusion you came to after you'd negotiated with them for a good 5 minutes. because who do they think they were benching you—for good reason—for 2 weeks?!) should a mission come up within that time.

You sighed on the couch, everyone was either in their rooms or went home for the day. They said their goodbyes and wished you well, to which you replied 'pfft I'll be better by tomorrow. just watch.' It would be really embarrassing if you weren't better by tomorrow...you unfortunately bet money on it. Stupid.

"You okay?"

"A little better now. Thanks for taking care of me."

"I wish I could've done more...I said I would but all I did was sit back and watch everyone else take care of you." This was clearly eating at him, although it's a wonder why.

Nothing about the situation was his fault nor should he feel guilty about "not doing enough."

"Conner, I told you it's alright and that you being there for me was enough. And I meant every word."

He sits with you, thigh to thigh with his head in his hands.

You pat his shoulder, "it's alright big guy. I'm okay, I'll be fully recovered soon."

"Not soon enough."

You sigh, he could be really stubborn sometimes. Frustratingly so.

"Con, please. Look at me?" He listens. And you regret asking him. You hate the look in his eyes, or rather you hate the way it makes you feel. Another case of you're going to kiss him if he keeps this up.

How could such a big, stubborn, and (apparently) non-affectionate guy have the biggest puppy eyes? Ones that have you melting.

His face is now in your palms. With the way he's looking at you, surely he wouldn't mind if you gave in and...kissed him, right?

"Can I kiss you?"

He's stunned for a moment before finally speaking up, "isn't it obvious that I want you to?"

You both share shy smiles thinking, finally.

You lean in, hands still cupping his face, his now doing the same.

Although the kiss was a little awkward, the two of you not exactly experienced in that department (him coming out of a literal tube only months ago), as well as a little...messy—it was everything you could've wanted in your first kiss with him. A kiss that was going to be the start of the two of you. SuperBoy and the Spider. You hated how warm the thought made you.

You were practically radiating giddiness, Conner could feel it. He pulled away still smiling, "I've wanted to do that for a really long time now."

"Me too. You know what also was great about that? You kissed my ouchies away. I'm all better now."

"Ouchies? What are we, five?"

There's silence, not of awkwardness, but from two of you reeling from the kiss, processing the fact that it was real.

"I don't want to be the one to break this up but...we should really get to bed. With your concussion and training being early tomorrow..."

"Yeah, of course," the giddiness hasn't left, "would you uh...want to come? With me? To bed."

"Gee Spider, at least take me to dinner first."

"Oh, so he's got jokes now?"

"Only for you, babe."

"Ew, you sound like Wally."

"Ouch? Don't insult me like that," but he doesn't look offended in the slightest. There's probably the biggest smile you've seen on his face, ever.

Safe to say it was not fun explaining why Conner was in your bed the next morning, trying to convince everyone it was purely innocent.

Batman was disappointed, reminding you that you needed to wait until you were healed before you did anything physical. Haha. Very funny.

And the team snapped pictures that they would definitely use against Conner (seeing as he was the more...emotionally constipated and reluctantly affectionate one).

But you honestly couldn't be happier. And neither could he.

does it seem a bit rushed at the end? unfortunately

do I have the patience to fix it? no

hope you enjoyed :D

[fortheloveofowen]

Luke Patterson College Au

Summary: Just some Luke college! This is more or less if Luke was in college NOW lol IDK if that makes sense, but just pretend it does

Warnings: Man-whore Luke (I eat it up), mentions of sex, mentions of drug use/alcohol use, I'm in love with Luke I'm so delulu

Note: I am literally just working, and I'm bored so typing this on my work computer :) I hope you guys like this one, I've been wanting to make a Luke college au so so badly ;) Also guys I dropped out of college soooo living vicariously through this rn

𓆩♡𓆪𓆩♡𓆪𓆩♡𓆪𓆩♡𓆪𓆩♡𓆪𓆩♡𓆪𓆩♡𓆪𓆩♡𓆪𓆩♡𓆪𓆩♡𓆪𓆩♡𓆪𓆩♡𓆪𓆩♡𓆪𓆩♡𓆪𓆩♡𓆪𓆩♡𓆪𓆩♡𓆪𓆩

Major: Childhood Education

Minor: Music Composition

Was on the hockey team freshman and sophomore year, but quit once his band started getting booked

Can't y'all just see him as the cutest little elementary school music teacher like showing his students his guitar and talking about when he was in a band awww

Luke and Alex definitely have a shared house off-campus and they like throw parties like it's nobody's business

Definitely tried to join Alex's comic book club, but was quickly kicked out because he spilled soda on Reggie's collector's edition of the original Spiderman comics

"Dude, do you know how expensive this was? Like, for real?"

Luke is definitely known as somewhat of a player around campus and pretty much everyone knows who he is. He can usually be found with his tongue down a random girls throat

But, that's what college is about for him duh

He never wanted to go in the first place, but when his parents put that check in his lap to send him to school what else could he do? Especially when his buddy, Bobby, told him about all the hot chicks running around campus

So how do you meet Mr. Luke? Well, you were couped up in the library preparing for this god awful Bio final that has been stressing you to the point of pulling your hair out when you hear some.... children's laughter???

You look to the main double-door entrance and see a gaggle of children that can't be more than 5 or 6 years old barreling through the doors

And what shocked you most was... Luke Patterson leading this wild pack of children into the building??? I guess you had just never taken interest in what his major is or really anything about him, so you couldn't be too sure what his intentions were

A quiet Luke puts up a finger to his lips and begins counting down from 10, attempting to shush the kids he was directing

"Hey guys, can we quiet down please, we can't be too loud in the library! shhhhh"

And you're like is he soft? and good with kids? Definitely not soft (or so you think right now hehe), but he is great with kids

The kids are shuffling around the library, giggling at the pages in the anatomy books while Luke sits at a nearby table

"Are they bothering you? I knew it was a bad idea to bring them here, but I-I-It's about to rain... had no idea where else to take them..."

And you're just like huh? Because one, why is he talking to you, and two, this is not the same douchebag player you thought you knew. But, you end up telling him that they're fine and you continued studying until your roommate, Julie, asked if you wanted to meet up for dinner

You don't end up seeing Luke for a while after the first meet, and you had long let him disappear from your thoughts

That is until your friend Flynn decides to drag you to a party to "celebrate" finals being over (Even though you'd rather be couped up in your room rewatching Scooby Doo if you were being honest)

The house wasn't anything too crazy, donned with LED lights and some old beer cans strewn across the porch

You had been drinking with Flynn for a while, the fresh smell of marijuana and vomit stinging your nose as you waltzed around the house

Your bladder quickly caught up with you, though, as you excused yourself from Flynn for a second to find a pisser because you know you can't hold your pee while you're drunk

So, you're bobbing around sticking your head into pretty much every single room when you finally come across a door at the end of the hallway

You turn the door handle, astonished to find it unlocked, but you let yourself in and...

There's Luke... hands under a tiny blonde girl's shirt as he kissed up and down her neck

"Oh my god, I can... I am so sorry let me just go!"

You shout almost too eager as you swiftly slam the door and make your way back downstairs, ready to tell Flynn the shit you just walked into

But, alas, your friend is sitting on the couch with Reggie, one of Luke's closest friends, you've come to find out so you averted your attention to the kitchen

It was quiet in here, other than the small bits of banter going on around you in the almost empty kitchen

You stared into your cup of whatever concoction Flynn had made you when you're startled by a sudden presence to your left

"Hey, you're the girl from the library right? Sorry about uhhh... the bathroom sitch.... just doing my civil duty haha"

Luke slurred out as he hoisted himself onto the kitchen counter beside you

You nod your head, not really trying to engage with his "type"

"You wanna dance? Everyone else here is so boring..."

You and Luke head out to the living where masses of people were dancing along to whatever rap song was blaring over the speaker

Luke instinctively holds you by the waist as you sway the entire night, especially when you sway to his bedroom and then to his bed and then.... you get the picture

And Luke took care of you that night, kissing your shoulders, looking into your eyes as he kissed up your stomach bro omg I am getting ahead of myself

But, anyways, you wake up and immediately feel TONED HANDSOME arms around your waist and you're like??? because this is definitely not your bed and who is this man?

Your eyes peak out over the covers and you have the biggest "oh fuck" moment of your life because YOU JUST SLEPT WITH LUKE PATTERSON

So, without thinking you swiftly jump up out of bed and search around his room for your clothes, but not before you're interrupted by a groan and a yawn coming from the bed

"Shit..."

You mutter under your breath as Luke peers at you through hooded lids

When did he become so beautiful and why the hell hadn't you realized until now??

"Good morning to you too... You're leaving already? Didn't enjoy the show?"

He wiggles his eyebrows at you are you're like oh... my... god I gotta get out of here so you scurry off without much of a goodbye, but not before Luke puts his number into your phone

This goes on for a while, you sneaking over to his house, sleeping in his bed, waking up in his arms, and then spending the morning talking and eating breakfast. But, no lovely-dovey shit... ever

It had become somewhat of a routine, but for Luke, this wasn't normal

He'd sleep with a girl a few times, but then ditch her before things could get too serious

But now he's got himself a drawer of your clothes, and your smile embedded in his brain

So you're over this one time and you both had woken up rather sleepy due to the events of the prior night hehehehe

And Luke is just staring at you so lovingly and it was different than any way he had looked at you before

And he just instinctively wraps you in his arms and spoons you

You're like

"Luke, didn't we say that cuddling was off the table if we're awake? We're not like together, remember?"

And he freezes and is like

"We're together. We sleep together, we spend the mornings together, we are quite literally the definition of together..."

Aww he just chews on his thumb and looks up at you through his eyelashes and just kisses you

You and Luke are the couple that literally everyone is digusted with

He constantly needs to be touching you and will literally wait outside your classes so he can flash you that geeky smile and chuckle while holding out some food or coffee

He just wants to take care of you in all ways possible

Finally lets you come to one of his band practices and everyone is like

"Wow you're significant other is so cool, Luke!"

And he just gets antsy and is like yeah I know now leave them alone before I get jealous hehehe

Such a jealous boyfriend and sometimes you have to remind him how much you love him and he can get really insecure but he finds that comfort in you

Practically thinks you are gold and literally nothing in this world could compare to you

𓆩♡𓆪𓆩♡𓆪𓆩♡𓆪𓆩♡𓆪𓆩♡𓆪𓆩♡𓆪𓆩♡𓆪𓆩♡𓆪𓆩♡𓆪𓆩♡𓆪𓆩♡𓆪𓆩♡𓆪𓆩♡𓆪𓆩♡𓆪𓆩♡𓆪𓆩♡𓆪𓆩♡𓆪𓆩

Alrighty y'all that is it for now, but I hope you likeeee

[spiderh0rse]

arlen's mind notes! all ten episodes in here, mostly because i don't feel like splitting them up at All. w/e we vibe

e1

oh i HATE that alarm

does Not remember the prior night

,,,shares a room with Barney. gazes sidelong at Ryan. who says the same "I'm not his dad" thing. Only two beds in the room. What Is Going On Here.

Lives on-site, keeps his gun in his room. The room is pitifully small for two.

The background music is diagetic.

Thinks he may hate mornings more than anyone else in the world

The sink doesn't turn on but there Is a pool of water not draining from the sink. Rinses his hands in that.

Apparently slept in his uniform.

The vending machine ate his money D: At least tries to get breakfast.

Slur count one.

beeps out the swears but not the slur. Okay.

Complains about the ramp in the dorms. Says they won't have any handicapped security guards, and it's only guards and scientists in that specific hall. Clearly does not know about Keller.

Lampshades the Rescas ahead of time

Does seem to have a unique model.

Not a computer expert, he just presses keys and they work

New security guard swagger Disgusts him

falls asleep at his post

One of the other people at his station is named C.J.

INCREDIBLY concerned at a helicopter exploding and killing people right next to him, as well as some aliens arriving. Reasonable response!

Calls for backup.

middle initial is J!

A C G and F all have been giving reports of aliens

Kate is in Sector F

ah his name is spelled Tod. One d.

e2

maintains what I'd consider realistic reactions to corpses and aliens

inspects a dead vortigaunt

very sharp reflexes

screams when he sees zombies unexpectedly

Figures out the mechanics of the headcrabs but refuses to linger on it

calls some pipes gay??

finds the room that had music going. There's a lot of beds in here.

mumbling SO badly. I can barely hear him

stops to watch a zombie fiddle with a vending machine before killing it

shoots a vending machine for soda!

"sprite is fucking awesome"

slur count TWO

shoots a box open. Three boxes

delighted to have a shotgun. Considers himself invincible while having one

SUDDENLY REMEMBERS KATE

the instinct of every mindverse character: wait for the houndeye to finish charging up and get ear blasted

the houndeye very well may have ruptured his kidney. He keeps going around like that anyways

pool cue weapon,, does he know how fragile those things are? Very! I love pool.

seems to casually call things gay as an insult

questions half the things he says making sense

gets electrocuted and complains loudly about the pain

he wants to break physics too!

busts into the women's washroom with no comment

seems to think he's at risk of a heart attack if he doesn't calm down

e3

"okay, I'm calm now i think. I hope." Chat, I don't think he's calm

repeating to himself to be calm, calm... Briefly interrupts with a I WANT TO KILL EVERYBODY and then calms right back down

finds the target range calming. Possibly because of the ammo

"not barely anything"

takes the alien issue as an excuse to go into places he's not meant to be

"security... is everyone's job" enters the security only room

absolutely delighted to use grenades at any opportunity

watches the nature channel. Frequently sees thing spraying goo everywhere

just. So lame. He's great.

tells a door closing on him is Not Polite

PAC MAN

ARCADE IN THIS PLACE FUCK YES

he isn't sure if he wants to be upset over the money wasted on the arcade or that He wasn't invited in

he is working on a gun that he seems to think needs replacing

despite asking for a replacement two months ago, he has not been Issued the replacement gun

seems to enjoy talking through the things he's physically doing

FLYING HEADCRAB

has schizophrenia and admits it acts up sometimes. Mmmmay be another joke? Feels literal to me.

wonders what a barnacle will do to him if he touches it

jeez he can kill a barnacle with a single pool cue hit

gets headaches after being choked

stresses to the soldiers that he is Not evil, it's. It's Him. Tod Jarley Arlen. Says that's not actually his name he's just very scared.

cuts a couple gs off the end of his words

delights in gunning down the soldiers while it's happening (seems very mad they're trying to kill him) but follows it up with

"I just killed two people. That's nice to know. I'm going to hell."

e4

describes himself as a "homicidal maniac" and says it's going to be hard to take that in

seems to be in shock, actually!

avoids killing the next soldiers he comes across and just Runs

hits his nose trying to get into a vent

thinks he broke his nose!

he is still trying to forget that he's murdering people

immediately has to kill more soldiers. Plaintively expresses that this Isn't fun and he Doesn't like murdering people

thinks watching the blood splatter is fun. Immediately asks what's wrong with him

turret. He officially loves his life

happy to destroy the turret!

the cliffside is Also not fun!

usually flat affect except when his life is in active danger

wishes Kate was here :(

has played Minecraft! Which. Was first made playable by the public in 2009. Full release was 2011, I think.

gman!! Tod knows him! He's seen him, anyways. Tod doesn't want a thing to do with him, "even if it is an alien apocalypse." Clearly has some understanding of what he is.

if he misses an exit behind a door he's going to cry

you just shot a SNOT MONSTER, sir

sounds like he's about to cry when he finds a body a bullsquid tore up

tells things to go to hell pretty frequently

tad hurt by falling from a height

doesn't hesitate overmuch to do something dangerous when it's his only option

OH. oh he has BADLY injured his legs that sounded deeply unpleasant

laughs a bit while in pain

okay the way this mod is made he is blatantly taking hits but doesn't comment at all so we shall just kindly hold kayfabe

seems less bothered by killing people right now. Course corrects from wanting people to approach him to telling himself to calm down

doesn't actually Want to become a homicidal maniac

e5

HE-ROLLED

just keeps using grenades every chance he gets. I don't blame him the blast radius on these are NUTS

"on three. One. Three!"

never learned how to use the railcars

amazed at the car's still functioning after multiple explosions

pondering the implications of the aliens overrunning Black Mesa despite their heavy armemants

always thought conspiracy theorists were idiots

very happy that he Isn't a conspiracy theorists

yells at himself to Wake Up just. To test if he's asleep. Doesn't seem too bothered that he isn't

BULLSQUID SPIT TO THE EYE. even after it mostly clears his sight is a bit fuzzy

the acid in his eyes hurts more than when he broke his arm. Most pain he's ever been in!

slur count... Stays at two. Barely.

screams and runs from an alien grunt in the MOST visceral and personlike way I've seen ANY mindverse character do

tries so hard to convince himself he's dreaming and that none of this is real. Drops it when he sees someone hurt but possibly not dead

doesn't know if ducks have assholes

no longer remembers the way out after that panic

did NOT realize vortigaunts were lethal enough to explode people

seems to dislike people being quiet all the time

this is the First time he's been bothered by blood, picking something up off the ground

gets a BIG ol infodump of the half life lore

there's some Secret Radio the guards can use to do stuff and. Help people with I guess????

convinced fate wants him dead

deeply afraid of the special forces

Jordan? Whos- OHHH from sector G!

Rachel? Ohhhh she's the onw that exploded

Tod has got to get to the loading bay and warn gordon freeman about. Special forces I think?? What even is this plot

no matter the subject matter, Tod speaks in a very flat manner over the radio

he has been working at Black Mesa for five minutes

very afraid of the entire united states military

OH HEY he's the guard at the end of Apprehension!

that's sick one of the snipers gets him!

e6

impressed by the training course hologram

has no idea how the HEV suit knows his health. Finds it tight. Why is he getting HEV training??

dealt with Positive Parents mail in high school. Poor kids school, he says

"who in the world called running and jumping commands"

ohhhh he's getting training in case scientists trained with it are all too busy for something that needs it

baits someone into thinking of an innuendo. Then makes a yo mama joke

well! Well that wasn't a slur! But it is rude!

think the long jump module looks like a jetpack that goes on his arm

ponders stealing the HEV suit. He likes it.

he is Not jumping onto that target. Misses it instead.

he hates the hologram now >:(

thinks the medkits feel nice. A bit drugged. He's very calm.

tries to crush a roach. They annoy him

sees the intended route and bypasses it

crate madness

thinks he's been hearing scientists crawling through the vents

slenderman reference... First made in 2009. Has never found him scary.

happy to lay hands on a gun. Confused as to why the scientists need guns

very good in the target range. Drops his gun once he's done

hates swimming and being wet

underwater mumbling!!!

thinks having the charging unit right after a bunch of water is a bit foolish

black mesa green goop! Explosion hits him! Incredibly!! Bothered!!!!

goop on his foot

sick the day they were taught how to use the trains

smokes, listens to the radio. Thats his idea of relaxing

plans to kick Barney out for the night, send him to his girlfriend's house.

Barney hates snakes.

e7

oh he's coming back from being shot

where IS he, yeah

they TOOK his RADIO and FLASHLIGHT

YELLING IN PAIN MY FAVOURITE :D

SO scared

snarks towards the military for a bit in anger

knows he can get morphine from the first aid kits but that's not his highest priority

priorities: find gun, get Kate/find car. Whichever of those comes first

yells every time he shoots something right now

getting a bit of an adrenaline rush killing stuff right now. That IS dulling the pain. He wonders if it's bad that he wants to keep that rush going

thinks having an alien as a pet would be sick

vulgar man. Vulgar.

AUGH ALIEN GRUNT. shot BEES at him

sees aliens being gunned down by turrets and decides he Isn't Doing That.

out of ammo... Oh boy.

wants a pet houndeye :> calls them dogs and creepers at once

freaks the fuck out at hearing military radio chatter

didn't realize how much pain he was in until he got painkillers

other than the painkilling seems entirely unaffected by the drugs

no longer avoiding killing people.

slur count three.

cars!!!

"hard as all living cunt" you have a way with words, Arlen

wh. Why is there a dead survey team member out here. why is anyone here wearing an HEV.

has no clue how he's in a relationship with Kate

slur count four.

"what the pancake"

e8

just got hit in the head with a brick because of a FLY

gets higher-pitched when he yells. sounds like most interps of karkat

"beep. Beep. Beep. BEEP." (anger in his heart)

amazed at how fragile black mesa security is

tod arlen says acab! well. well i think he is trying to quote a john mulaney bit but yknow still counts

tells the scientists to pick up guns

"you wouldn't blow up your mother like that!"

got some glass in his arm :( hurts less than the shredded cheese

dry shredded cheese is a deadly weapon

a bit shocked at a talking vortigaunt. wonders if he's going insane. does try to talk back to the guy

oh boy how. how is this plot going

whoevers voicing the the vortigaunts here is great. unless these are voice lines im not familiar with being clipped here? well either way very nice arrangement

hes always been freaked out by corpses but thinks after today that either wont be a problem or hell have ptsd

the scientists expect the security guards to do everything other than science proper.

he did NOT go to enginering school

just keeps knockin back morphine

fails to consider shotguns decreasing accuracy across a distance

shuffles his way along a really small ledge. very good at that! seems to know to keep his center of balance low

doesn't injure himself! woo!

he got called to work on computers in biology once. the scientists there had managed to plug a power strip into itself and were then wondering why it wouldn't work.

oh hey the zombies can open doors

simmons and walter! they have Not heard from Kate :(

weird goop in scientist tubes! does make him feel a bit better after the multiple gunshot wounds

calls simmons "sims" once- twice! more! just very often.

keeps getting syringes of science goop

simmons seems to have been kidnapped. tod hopes he gets out alright.

gets kicked off a platform and takes a head injury. pretty sure.

e9

has adjusted to the cycle of shoot people get shot eventually get knocked out

has no clue what day it is and is very confused overall

very confused about how he isn't dead

wonders vaguely if he's only alive because the alien overlord wants him alive for some reason

"front horse of a macadamia nut"

telling himself to stop thinking logically because it clearly does not mesh with the situation

avoids flickering lights

loud noises make his headache worse

he is just SO uncomfortable

sings Some song about cap guns

forced to stand in front of an eye scanner while getting shot

"that wasn't your average military. that was advanced military"

he makes a ton of very sexual metaphors and only means then that way some of the time

calls himself TJ with the ease of someone who's been called that for much of his life

doctor roleplay,,,,

worries about alien illnesses and if humans can handle the new diseases

it's night! It is Not tomorrow yet

dislikes loud noises right now

OHHHH this is the landing pad from the tram ride in hl1? Maybe? Yeah it is!

explosion RIGHT next to him

he'd rather freeze than burn

e10

WHAT IS THAT VOICE YOU'RE DOING. ARLEN

shocked at how easily he can kill military

slur count four :(

genuinely hopes he isn't god

HES GOT A CHOCOLATE BAR

it's not good chocolate

he. He thinks it's 2016????? Huh??????? Okay that sure is a year.

this room reeks of special forces

YOWLS

I WAS RIGHT IT IS LOUSY WITH NINJAS

Donald Duck noises,,,

can't get his mind off the year, says he can't remember anything other than Black Mesa, isn't sure how long he's been here...

tries to blow up the morphine. It doesn't work.

rationalizes that with everything hes been seeing the past few days being however his brain has been choosing to interpret it all. That's why the clocks don't have hands

"I'M SMARTER THAN YOU, BRAIN. I HAVE A GUN."

ponders that he may actually be in hell. Wonders how he'll bust out if that's the case

giving up on finding Kate. Or despairs that he won't find her

stares at him in the eyes. He is so interesting.

doesn't care about Kate as much as he wants to, but won't pretend he cares more because that'd be lying

scared of his dad. Hated him once

hurt a lot of people while addicted

face-heel turn he's trying to figure out how to get Deeper into hell now

oh man he is deeply suicidal good lord

starts spitting word salad for fun

figures he may as well embrace insanity

rhymes decently well!

mmmm credits

SECRET BONUS - HE'S IN A TUBE I GUESS. UNDERWATER MUMBLING. KATE FISHES HIM OUT AND THEN DOES NOT TALK

[winderlylandchime]

2/2 of 2x08: ‘why is she acting like this? Is she okay? Oh god, is she sick? What’s wrong deb? Talk to me, redhead! *deb tells vic about ben* please, for the love of everything i own, stop talking. Why are you still talking? I said STOP! Twist your words? Deb, girl..that’s what you said, do you want me to rewind the tapes? AND TO SAY THAT TO VIC?! YOU WISH HE WASNT WHAT NOW? Listen to me Deb, straight still gets hiv. MIKE GET BEHIND ME, I MIGHT HATE YOU BUT I GOT YOU! OH NO HES HEARING HER! WASTING AWAY TO NOTHING? AND SHE SAYS THAT TO VIC OF ALL PEOPLE?! Poor vic. Fought for his life and now his sister says all that?! *pauses the tv and looks at me all scared* just so you know, i would NEVER say something like that to you. I might be an idiot but I’m not *waves his hand at the tv* that dumb…can you get me another soda?’… ‘he’s more sad for vic than himself? Damn, he has his nice moments. Deb, why would he have to tell you about Ben? That is literally none of your business. What’s up with you and Ted? SHE FORBIDS HIM FROM DATING BEN? Man, i hope Ben fucks the shit out of Mike this episode. I’m talking can’t walk for a week type of fuck! Because yall are pissing me off!’ And now the scene with britin is up!!!! ‘Ohhh look at them. Getting busy! Why is Justin talking about Ben? What is going on this episode..Man, ben has to have the craziest hiccups this episode. THATS RIGHT BRI! ITS MIKES DECISION! FINALLY SOMEONE WHO IS SMART! *pauses tv* justin. No. Please never do it raw. You can’t trust anyone THAT much. Cheating exists. And also you and Bri Bri don’t exactly have the most….how shall I put it nicely? Ethical relationship..is that respectful? Idk either way *shakes his head* no blondie! Brian..smack sense into him, don’t encourage him! GOOD BOY! EXACTLY BRIAN! Condoms are your best friend *shakes his pill bottle* next to these lil shits. HE WANTS HIM SAFE! AND HE WANTS HIM AROUND FOR A LONG TIME, YOU MIGHT AS WELL SAY I LOVE YOU! (My name) did you hear that?! He wants him safe! And around! FOR A LONG TIME! That’s like many years! I cannot wait for him to say i love you to Justin! Would be a dope finale. Like *pretends to be brian, ig* “Justin!!! I love you. And i wanna be with you!” Yeah that’s the shit!’ My heart breaks for when he’s gonna see the finale. ‘Brian looks good. Leather jacket, messy hair…i fuck with it. Ohhh i like Brian and this bandana chick! Look at him taking his kid to the park. OH FUCK HER PARENTS *the scene in the park with that random lady comes up* the fuck they do?! I bet Michael just got a boner hearing her say that..Brian..Brian, come on i was rooting for you! Not to be the devil’s advocate but at least his reasoning was nicer in some weird way.’ He just scoffed at the sight of Deb so i’d say he’s doing well ‘Deb..you’ve talked enough. I think you should be quiet for the next 3 episodes..oh vic forgave her way too fast! Couldn’t be me tho’ ‘…no offense but if your parents don’t like you, you really shouldn’t care..but i get it, our greatest fault as human beings is the need we all have to be loved, it’s the only thing we all have in common. *look at me as if he just saw me* ice cream! *goes to get ice cream*’ I honestly wonder how he would watch this if he wasn’t high as a kite. ‘Is justin blowing a strap on?? Go off, i guess! Oh shit oh shit! Oh the dad is having a blast. i am honestly impressed that brian is quiet’ The scene with Ben and Mikey is on and he is not okay ‘NO MIKE NO! I mean do what makes you feel comfortable but NOOO DONT LET THEM GET TO YOU! But also I support your decision but fuck’ this obviously ended with him going for a smoke and is currently outside talking to mom and lying about why he was MIA, he also tried to turn the subject on qaf but failed badly bc his attempt was ‘how would you feel if i had a boyfriend with hiv?’ It was followed by ‘no mom, i im not gay. I’m not. HE IS JUST A FRIEND’ Keep my soul in thoughts and prayers because i am going through it.

AHAHAH YES. Exactly. Deb is such a fucking hypocrite. Ugh she is the worst about Ben’s HIV. And then Michael makes it so fucking awkward when he confronts Debbie IN FRONT OF BEN.

Your brother screaming about a) wearing a condom and b) I WANT YOU SAFE AND I WANT YOU AROUND FOR A LONG TIME is all of us. He is in the fandom. Brian DOES love him.

“our greatest fault as human beings is the need we all have to be loved, it’s the only thing we all have in common” - I know you described him as a himbo but Brother Anon is spitting some serious thoughts here.

Asking your mom how she would react if he had a boyfriend with HIV. I am dyingggggg. I love you brother.

Thoughts & Prayers Anon. You are truly doing the lord’s work.

[indigoumbrella]

Tagged by @valalaraptor (thank you!)

Rules: Answer these questions, then create 10 new ones and tag 10 people.

You’re about to be stranded in the year 1999! What single object do you bring with you? Honestly, the only thing I’d want with me is my child but he’s not an object. So my brain so I don’t make the same mistakes. Just as long as I get to keep my baby, I’m good.

What is your go-to comfort food? BAGELS

Art Deco or Art Nouveau? Art Deco is too shiny and “Everything is chrome in the future.” I love the organic nature of Art Nouveau. It’s one of my all-time favorites.

In your opinion, what was the best invention of the 2010′s? Idk... I suddenly can’t remember a single thing that has been invented this last decade.

You can only use one expletive for the rest of your life, the rest get censored The Good Place style. Which dirty word do you pick? Fuck. Idk who I would be as a person without it.

If you were a clown, what would your stage name be? Princess Noodleman

By chance, you’ve become a wizard/witch/spellcaster! What is your familiar? This is something I’ve definitely thought about and it would be a magpie for sure.

In your opinion, what’s the worst thing humanity has done to pizza? People can do whatever the hell they want with pizza. As long as I don’t have to eat it, you do you, baby!

You just got your necromancy certification! Which famous person do you bring back to life for a year? None of them. There are other people more worthy of an extra year of life. If I have to be selfish, I would pick my grandma. She’s not famous but I still have a lot of things to say.

If you could get rid of one household chore forever, by whatever means, which one would it be? Dishes. Period. I will gladly do all of the other chores as long as I don’t have to do dishes.

I’ve thought about this for a bit but I can’t think of a single question to ask. I’m sorry but I am very small and very stupid. HOWEVER I will tag my bff @jackson-dies-at-the-end and my sisters @alllthisbadblood and @emeraldumbrella if they would like to answer the questions you came up with because I’m incapable of thinking of my own. :X

[wishful-soda]

Firstly I want to state that this ask is going to be long rant dear wishful-soda but I feel like your blog is such a nice and safe space for this type of renting, especially for us daniel girlies❤ So here I go...😅

For us Daniel girlies this season has been so difficult😭Daniel might not be performing very well this year-and I'm sure every fan is aware of this- but he doesn't deserve this treatmeant either. He has been basically through hell this year and there are people saying that he deserves this and also criticize us fans that we are going over the top to defend him. Like is this people are real?? Do they read the same things as we do?? Of course we might be little biased sometimes because because he is our favorite driver but I genuinely think that these people are just horrible. He has been slandered and dragged through entire media. I feel so sad for him because when things like this happen in any type of sport, people forget the past achievements and the talent of the said person. Honestly, I am on the fucking verge of a mental breakdown because of this news that are coming out everyday. Then I think if I am like this I CAN NOT imagine how this situation is like for Daniel.

That joke of a man named Zak Brown is doing everything in his power to push Daniel out of his seat while Lando gets royalty treatment from him. Please don't get me wrong on this sentence. I don't hate Lando, on the contrary I like him very much and I think he is a very talented driver but I'm just using it to make a comparison how badly Zak treats Daniel.

Not only he treats Daniel very poorly, he is giving Mclaren a very hard time. This is is very old and respectable one and now it is nothing but a mess and needs to do a very serious PR damage control and I say this as a person who studied Business Administartion.

This PR suicide leads me to think from a company-point as well. In this day of age, PR and Marketing is everything and after all Mclaren Racing is a company under The Mclaren Group and it has it's owners and board members. My mind is LITERALLY BLOWN AWAY that how are this people allowing him offering a seat that is already taken to a lot of people?! It is beyond unprofessional. He makes them look very bad. It doesn't matter that he is the CEO unless he owns 51% of that company(which I don't have the knowledege of), he will do what the board members tells him to do-for this type of big decisions. At this point, I think that he keeps it up like this, the only person that is going to be replaced will be him because he is getting a lot of criticism and hate at the moment because the team is like a circus right now.

Okay my rent is done dear wishful-soda😅 And I will be going back to my corner, thinking about how nice it would be that Cyril to return to F1 and reunited with his baby boy Daniel and save him from this horrible situation ❤️‍🩹 #cyrilwouldnever #cyrilabiteboulsupremacy💯

And let us not forget to do a prayer circle for Daniel everyone. Let us hope and pray that he will get over this horrible situation and afterwards that he will enter his villian era to prove this people wrong 😉🙏🏻✨️

Hi baybes! You are absolutely right, this is a safe space for ranting.

You are totally right. This has been a tough season for Daniel. And somehow having a tough first half of a season, erases all the good he's done in the past in some people's eyes. It's incredibly illogical, but that's exactly how he's being treated now. As if he's never done anything worth shit in his career when he's actually done quite a bit and is a fucking damn good driver.

Meanwhile, we're hearing how legendary and amazing Lando is. I'm not saying he's not a good driver, but to simply compare the two, Lando just doesn't have better results except for this first half of the season. So the narrative is stemming from somewhere, it all comes from somewhere and I think it's 10000% from the toxicity of McLaren. Right in line with the PR nightmare you mentioned. They are not showing that they value Daniel and think he's worth working with. They're not showing that they know he's a killer driver but is just struggling with the fucking tractor beast of a car they've given him this year.

I would fucking LOVE to see Zak get replaced as CEO. As an American, I don't love the picture he paints of us. He fulfills a lot of shit stereotypes. He's also just a garbage human in general so there's that too. I will legit throw a party if they replace him, regardless if Daniel is on the team or not, I just want to see him GONE.

and you're right; CYRIL WOULD NEVER.

Hope you have a good rest of your day bby, and Daniel girl rants are always welcome here 😘💖💖

[adorethedistance]

Party Hard - Owen Joyner x Reader

JATP masterlist

Warnings: drinking, partying, intoxication, non sexual stripping, swearing probably, 

Words: 6343 (which, if you know me, is a FUCK ton)

Summary: Going from tipsy to full on drunk is a terrible idea, but especially when you’ve got a secret to hide that could mean the difference between preserving and ruining your relationship with your best friend.

A/N: A couple items before we get started: I think I’m back on my bullshit? I mean I wrote this fic and it’s three times the length of my normal fics. Also I wrote this headassery as a literal self insert me(ace) x someone and so there are a couple flaws here and there that make this something I’m not 100% proud of. Owen picks the reader up a few times and I’m aware this kind of thing can really effect someone’s experience with this fic so I do apologize for the lack of inclusivity in regards to body type/ableism. I’m falling really behind on school work because I just can’t find the motivation which either means y’all will be seeing a lot more of me soon or absolutely nothing at all. Not sure which yet.

“You’ve got it so bad.” Charlie rests his left arm on his best friend’s shoulder, tipping back the half-full angry orchard bottle he’d been nursing for the better half of an hour. Owen’s stare is immediately broken and he crosses his arms defensively.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Sure you don’t.” Turning to meet his friend’s smug stare, Owen shoots Charlie a glare of annoyance before returning his attention to the girl on the dance floor. Surrounded by a gaggle of her closest friends, Y/n is dancing and singing her heart out to Fergalicious with Chelsea, Leila, Savannah, and Carolynn. The bunch of them share in sporadic laughs as they exchange ridiculous dance moves just to add to the fleeting moment’s laughter. An assortment of screeches and squawks blend together as they all prepare to sing the rap section of the song. Observing the level of excitement the girls have over the verse, Owen can’t help but laugh at the spectacle.

“Why don’t you just ask her out already?” Charlie inquires between sips of his cold drink.

“What?”

“Y/n. Why have you not asked her out.”

“We’re just friends.”

“Yeah. Because you haven’t asked her out.” Owen rolls his eyes before turning 90 degrees to fully face the smug guitarist. He turns about-face to prove a point, but another symphony of squeals at the next song choice drags his attention back to his other best friend on the dance floor. “You’re so whipped.”

“Am not.”

“Are too! Look, if you don’t ask her out tonight, I will.”

“You’re not even into her,” Owen protests unceremoniously. Setting the molasses colored bottle on the counter next to Owen, Charlie steps back and copies his position of crossed arms and a relaxed stance.

“You’re right, I’m not. But you are, and if that’s what it takes to light the fire under your ass then I’ll do it.”

“She wouldn’t say yes.”

“Are you sure? I mean, the only way to know for sure is to ask.” And with that, Charlie is off, speeding toward Y/n at a pace that launches Owen into an impulsive chase. To prevent his friend from doing something stupid, Owen shoves him in the opposite direction from the group of girls on the dance floor. What he hadn’t anticipated was Charlie moving so far so fast. Owen has longer legs, he’s supposed to be the faster one, not Charlie. That’s why he hadn’t anticipated turning away from his musical friend to come face to face with a very flushed Y/n. Her lip-gloss coated lips are parted as she catches her breath from all the dancing. They look so soft and inviting that Owen can’t help but stare, and doesn’t realize the several looks of confusion among the girls around him.

“Everything okay, Owen?” Snapping out of his hyper focused stare, Owen blinks a few times, trying to generate a reason for coming over.

“You’ve been dancing for a while.”

“...Yeah?”

“Let me fix you a drink?” His statement comes out as more of a question but the breathless girl agrees nonetheless. Owen extends his hand to her which she gladly accepts but not without a quick word to her friends.

“I’ll be right back, I’m getting a drink.”

Her friends aren’t stupid, quite the opposite actually. And they see right through Owen’s facade of fixing her a drink because she’d been ‘dancing a while’. Please. As if they didn’t know a desperate attempt at flirting when they saw it.

The pounding music from the backyard begins to fade and muffle once the pair step into the Shada’s beautiful kitchen space. Owen leads her to the kitchen island where he has her take a seat on one of the barstools in front of the high countertop. Stepping around the fixture, Owen busies himself with whipping up a drink for Y/n at the makeshift bar on the island. He doesn’t even have to ask what it is she wants. Ice, pink whitney, club soda, and a splash of lime juice mixed together in a red solo cup Owen had considerately written her name on before going all mixologist-mode.

“Your usual.”

“Thank you, sir. You know, I’ve only had a handful of barbecue chips since I got here, and I’m already tipsy, so this actually might get me completely drunk.” Taking a sip, Y/n hums out of pleasure, “Why do you make my favorite drink better than I make my favorite drink?”

“So you have a reason to keep me around.” At the sound of Y/n’s laugh, Owen cracks a smile in time with his favorite sound in the world. The blonde haired man leans forward to rest his weight on his left forearm. He stares at her with adoration seeping from his gaze, before lifting his own cup to drink with her.

“What is that?” she asks, sitting up taller to try and see into Owen’s cup over the island.

“Jack Daniels.”

“I want some.”

“No,” Owen answers swiftly albeit softly. Y/n, however, is not feeling as conciliatory.

“No?”

“Have you ever tried whiskey before?”

“Well, no-”

“You’re drinking a fruit flavored cocktail that’s like 30% nonalcoholic. A sip of this would knock you off your little ass.” Y/n frowns at his words and employs a fake pout of anger to guilt her now laughing friend. Despite her smile, she whines,

“You suck.” Owen merely shrugs unapologetically before sipping and wincing at his drink of choice. “So… how did your date go- with Amy?” And there it is. The question that’s been at the forefront of Y/n’s mind for the last 24 hours.

Owen met this girl Amy at a more professional house party type of event and they hit it off right away. They spent the night invested in conversation, sharing in a cacophony of laughter. Y/n had no right to be upset, but she was. Amy was drop dead gorgeous in that Mini length red, velvet dress that hugged her curves in all the right places. Her figure was snatched to the gods, and she was about 5’3”; a seemingly irrelevant thing to notice, but Y/n knew that was the height Owen loved in a partner. At least, based on all his previous flings. And not to mention, her beautiful golden blonde hair that extended all the way down her toned back. Amy was perfect to all standards including that of any straight man with eyes and undoubtedly Owen’s. They spent the entire night together, Y/n long forgotten despite having been Owen’s plus one.

Y/n on the other hand didn’t exactly view herself as the drop-dead gorgeous supermodel type. Seeing how Owen took an interest in her at that event, it was no wonder Y/n was jealous. In fact, she had been so jealous that she allowed their flirting to ruin her entire evening.

She had been invited platonically as Owen’s guest, but Owen didn’t feel guilty about leaving her alone once he saw Charlie was by her side the whole night. Little did he know Charlie was only there for her because Owen wasn’t. It was pity company. Pity company that she was grateful to have as she cried into a few gin and tonics. Y/n avoided telling Charlie about her feelings for the adorable drummer, but with the way events transpired, he had figured out what it was that had upset her.

Charlie so badly wanted to give Owen the guilt trip of a lifetime. And he did once he and Owen were alone, heading home in Charlie’s orange hatchback car. He did so by telling Owen about how his best friend had spent the entire evening crying into gin and tonics. ‘Y/n doesn’t even like gin and tonic’ was all Owen could come up with.

When he inquired about why his best friend was crying, Charlie said he didn’t know, but it may have had something to do with the fact that the person who invited her spent the whole night ignoring her; he left it at that, leaving Owen to connect the dots, sort of. Owen had come to the realization that Y/n must have been crying over him, but why? Unable to comprehend a reason, he pushed the situation to the back of his mind. So far back that when Amy texted him that same night, he immediately responded and eventually set up a date for them to get dinner alone Friday evening.

The date was fine. Objectively there was nothing wrong with it. But every time Amy took a sip of the gin and tonic she had ordered, he couldn’t help being reminded of Y/n that night. It took Owen a solid thirty minutes to finally conclude that maybe Y/n was... jealous? Of what? Of Amy? Quickly reviewing a long list of qualities, identical to the one that Y/n had thoroughly checked through when she first saw the blonde, Owen realized she was indeed jealous of Amy. But why? What did Amy have that Y/n didn’t?

Oh.

His initial conclusion in the car with Charlie had to be right. Y/n was crying over him, and seemingly jealous of Amy, all because Amy had his attention. Why was that a problem?

Oh… no. No, Y/n does not have feelings for him. Y/n is... well, Y/n. His best friend, his partner in crime, his confidant, there’s no way she’s in love with him. There’s a different reason as to why she’d been crying into drinks she didn’t like. And that different reason is why her text replies have been short and cold when he had asked for date night conversation pointers. And that different reason is why her smile kept faltering on FaceTime when he was asking for fashion advice for his date.

Y/n is not in love with her best friend.

Owen had spent the past year pushing down his feelings for the girl that threatened to bubble over the top. If Y/n was truly into him, he would’ve acted on them. But she isn’t, so he didn’t. At least, that’s what Owen told himself…

“It was alright,” he offers lamely as a reply to her inquiry. Y/n simply nods and takes another swig of her drink to dull the ache in the center of her chest.

“Just alright?”

“Okay, it was better than alright. She was great.” There’s a hole burning in the center of her heart, and against her better judgment, she expands the deficit by asking for more information.

“What does that mean- that she was ‘great’?”

“You know…” Owen trails off in search of the right words, some words, any words, but nothing comes to him. To sell her nonchalant demeanor, the hopelessly devoted girl is staring down into her cup as if it’s the most interesting thing in the room. She didn’t expect Owen’s eyes to be boring into hers when she looked back up, so she quickly musters a polite smile. Maybe the average onlooker couldn’t tell it was fake, but Owen knows something is off. He just knows. Because he knows her.

“How did those conversation pointers pan out?” She’s deflecting, he thinks.

“One of them worked.” I’m just feeding into it, he thinks.

“Only one of them?” He’s holding back something, she thinks.

“Well, yeah. We didn’t really do much talking if you get what I mean.” I don’t think I can handle this, she thinks.

“I see…” The pair stands together in a silence so tense they felt like strangers. It’s awful. Y/n and Owen hate every second of it, but what could they do? In a moment blinded by upset, Y/n reaches across the island to grab the newly opened bottle of grey goose and pours what must’ve been no less than three shots of liquid into her cup. No club soda or lemonade this time, she chugs down the rest of her drink in a flash; Owen stares at her in disbelief and shock.

Y/n hates being drunk, she likes being the designated driver, she’s never had straight up liquor in her life, and she’s a lightweight, that’s for damn sure. Owen knows all of these things and is even more surprised to see her reaching for an almost empty bottle of gin.

“Hey. Maybe you should take it easy, you’re gonna hurt yourself.”

“I’m fine.”

“You’re a lightweight and you know it. Put the cup down.” When Y/n shakes her head no, something in Owen snaps and his desire to be gentle is long forgotten. “Y/n. Put the drink down.”

“Why do you care, Owen?” In taking time to respond, Owen sees the opportunity and goes for it, taking the cup from her loose grasp and splashing it down the drain of the vegetable sink. “What the fuck?!”

“I think you’ve had enough to drink. Come on.” It’s only a matter of time until Y/n becomes an incoherent human being that’s impossible to wrangle, so Owen is very aware he’s on the clock. Snagging two Arrowhead water bottles in one hand, he takes Y/n’s hand in the other and brings her into the Shada’s den. There are only a few other people in the room, one is a couple and the other a pair of pining idiots, to which Owen becomes slightly wary. Not that the dynamic would change much. He and Y/n are practically a couple according to everyone around them.

Chelsea and Charlie are sitting fairly close together for just friends, on the chocolate brown loveseat facing the couch that Owen has plopped his increasingly intoxicated friend onto; Leila is sitting in a single armchair that a very tipsy Taylor is hanging over the back of to hug her shoulders. Upon seeing Y/n’s pouting expression Chelsea seeks more information,

“You good, fam?”

“He threw it down the sink!” She’s fading faster than Owen had hoped.

“I did. I poured what would’ve been her fifth and sixth shots down the sink.”

“Jesus, Y/n, are you trying to kill yourself?”

“What are you, a cop?” Even tipsy she’s still sharp as a tack. If Owen wasn’t frustrated with her at the moment, he would’ve probably laughed. But he is, so he didn’t. Slipping back into caretaker mode, he hands her one of the water bottles he snagged from the cooler on the way out. In her typical stubborn and petulant fashion, Y/n weakly throws the unopened bottle onto the couch cushion next to her. All their friends laugh but Owen isn’t having it.

“Y/n.” And it only takes a firm call of her name for the slumped over lightweight to glare at him but oblige. She retrieves the bottle and sticks her arm out straight toward Owen’s still standing figure.

“I can’t open it.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this fucked up,” Leila comments.

“I don’t think I’ve seen you fucked up period,” Chelsea adds on. Charlie laughs lightly before resuming whatever conversation the four of them had going pre-Owen and Y/n’s entrance.

Satisfied with the small sips she’s taking of her water, Owen relaxes and takes a seat next to her on the couch. The temporary break in her temper tantrum allows Owen to save his breath; he opens his own water bottle, taking a few drinks which ended up being half the bottle. He’s given her a good bit of room on the couch but it isn’t good enough for Y/n. It takes her a few failed attempts to screw on the cap of her water but once it’s properly sealed, she moves closer to her best friend. The water has acted like some magical temperament cure as Y/n’s previously permanent pout has disappeared.

Owen knows he and Y/n are close enough to where cuddling wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. But the way she’s burrowed into his side, picking up his seemingly ‘heavy’ arm to place it around her own inebriated frame, laying her head high up on his chest, and unintentionally resting her hand on his lower abdomen, something feels off. Her hand isn’t dangerously low, but low enough that the side of her limp palm has met the waistband of his jeans. Owen can’t help but feel his skin tingle and burn under her touch. Why is he so affected by her touch all of a sudden?

Owen is pulled from his snowballing thoughts by the sound of Y/n’s muffled voice against his chest. He leans down as far as he can which places his head on top of hers gently.

“Hmm?”

“I’m sorry.”

“Hey, you don’t need to be sorry,” he whispers just loud enough for her to hear. A tiny drop of warmth on his shirt under her head triggers Owen’s memory: Y/n’s an emotional drunk. She doesn’t get drunk often but when she does, she goes all in and becomes somewhat manic as a result. That accounts for her previous anger. Now it’s sadness, so in about ten minutes, she’ll be easily excitable and bouncing off the walls.

Y/n had carpooled with Leila and Chelsea to the party, and though Owen was upset about her not picking him up like they’d briefly talked about at first, he’s suddenly thankful for the arrangement.

“Let’s get you home, yeah?”

“Unhhh.” The lack of a coherent response is enough for Owen, and after finishing the rest of his water, he sits up on the couch.

“Where’s your house key? Hm?” The prospect of losing her key is absolutely devastating to Y/n as she begins to weep. Her imminent distress in response to Owen’s question has all their friends laughing once more; Leila speaks up,

“Check the left chest pocket of her jacket.”

Owen nods, noting the directions, and gently rolls his friend over on her back. Deciding against using her strength, Y/n flops over onto her other side which still allows Owen access to her pocket. His long fingers dwarf the button fastener on her jacket that she often struggles to open, and sure enough her sky blue house key is in her pocket just as Leila said.

“Thanks,” he acknowledges Leila before taking Y/n’s cold hands in his own larger ones to help her stand. It’s a bit of a struggle to stand and as a result, the fading girl leans a bit of her weight into Owen’s side. “You gonna say bye to our friends?”

Y/n nods a goodbye to each person in the room, moving from left to right naming Leila, Taylor, Chelsea, and then Charlie. Upon saying bye to Charlie the small girl starts to cry again, harder this time, much to everyone’s confusion.

“What’s wrong?”

“Charlie looked a-at me like he didn’t l-like me.” The entire room bursts out laughing, Owen included this time, but she’s still crying. “It’s no-not funny.”

“I know. You’re right, it’s not funny.” Owen’s exaggerated sympathy goes undetected by the very emotional Y/n as she presses her face into his grey long sleeve shirt. She reaches up to hug her arms around Owen’s neck for stability as she adds more tears to the tiny spot from before. “Can you walk?” He asks genuinely as more of her weight leans into him. The only response Owen gets is a few soft sobs, and in reaction to her messy state, lets out a subtle eye roll. He shakes his head before bending down to place one arm under her knees and the other behind her shoulder blades, sweeping her off the ground before she can protest.

“Would you guys tell Jer thanks and that I had to take her home?” A symphony of affirmations and goodbyes usher him out of the house, and once outside Y/n’s crying diminuendos into short sniffles and the occasional sigh.

“Here, be careful,” Owen panics as his friend nearly bangs the front of her head against the roof of his car. Once he cautiously places all her limbs in the passenger side, Owen shuts the door and hurries over to the driver’s side as if Y/n could hurt herself in the next five seconds. He places the key in the ignition but before he even touches the gear shift, he turns and looks quizzically at his best friend. The sniffling and sighs coming from her puffy face have lulled her into an almost unconscious state; Owen puffs out a frustrated sigh as he reaches across the entire car to grab Y/n’s seatbelt for her.

Another thing about drunk Y/n is that her emotional state makes her more likely to give in to physical impulses. So after she registers Owen leaning across her lap for the seatbelt, she grabs his shoulder so he doesn’t move away. The action surprises Owen and he turns his face to look into her half-lidded eyes. He’s trying to make sense of the action but his trailing thoughts are interrupted when the girl in the passenger’s seat leans forward slightly to put her face against Owen’s neck.

“I like your smell.” Owen tries so hard not to laugh in fear of upsetting her again, but he can’t conceal the smile growing on his face. He then gently pulls away from her grasp in order to actually start driving,

“Okay. Thank you.”

The car ride is composed of mostly comfortable silence with the occasional inebriated comment or nonsensical sound from the girl in the passenger seat; Owen had been so captivated by Y/n’s uncharacteristically relaxed state, he’d been driving on autopilot and instead of turning left to get on the highway that runs south to where her apartment is, he’d gone north to go to his own place. No big deal, Owen didn’t plan on leaving her intoxicated and alone, and she’s stayed the night plenty of times before now. What’s one more night? It isn’t until he puts the car in park and helps her out of the vehicle that Y/n clocks her surroundings.

“I don’t live here.”

“You don’t, no, but I do,” Owen replies simply before he slides out of the car. Y/n stays in the car as if Owen told her not to move, and looks up at him confusedly when he opens her door. In her tipsy state, she is able to recognize what Owen is doing and smugly places her hand over the buckle of her seatbelt. With her tiny palm over the red button, she begins giggling maniacally.

“What are you doing?” Owen asks with a frustrated sigh although he can’t help the small smile overtaking his features at the sound of her growing laughter. He doesn’t get a response, just more giggling which lets him know he’s going to have to do things the hard way now that she’s in a lifted mood. “Kid, you have to get out of the car.”

“You can’t make me.”

Owen takes a step back from the open door to reevaluate. Y/n always tells him to work smarter, not harder. Another one of her many bouts of wisdom is that you can keep the attention of children and adults alike with a vastly dynamic change in volume. The question is will she notice Owen using this tactic on her in her drunken state?

“Hey, Y/n/n,” his speech drops to a low whisper. “I’m sad, can you hold my hand?” The change in volume works exactly as described; completely convinced by the sincerity of his whispering, Y/n gives him her right hand. “Can I have the other one?”

When she nods a small ‘yes’ and gives him both of her hands, Owen finds himself fighting the urge to laugh at how easy that was. He takes both of her cool hands in his larger left one to reach across her body and release her seatbelt with a swift CLICK.

Luckily Y/n didn’t tangle herself up in the seatbelt, but she had other ideas for causing trouble. Owen helped her out of the car but once she was standing on her own two feet, she began running away from him. With a slam of the car door and a string of breathy curses later, he chases after his best friend before she can hurt herself on literally anything in the parking garage. The sound of Y/n’s laughter carries through the vacant space, and despite all her best efforts, Owen quickly catches up to her. Her giddy intoxication allowed for the suspension of disbelief that she could outrun the much taller Owen Joyner, but she’s sorely mistaken when his strong arms wrap around her waist and lift her feet off the ground. Y/n’s bouts of laughter are contagious; Owen finds himself laughing alongside his best friend. Setting her feet back on the ground he asks,

“Are you going to run away again if I let go of you?”

“Yeah,” she chokes out through the tail end of her laughing fit. The candidness of her reply prompts Owen to throw his head back, shaking it as if in disagreement with the universe itself,

“I appreciate your honesty.” And with that, Y/n screeches in glee as her best friend maneuvers her body in his grip to lift her over his right shoulder.

“Owen!”

“You did this to yourself, kid.”

The silent elevator ride up to his flat is comfortable relative to the current position they’re in. Y/n’s no longer fighting being carried but instead entertains herself by tapping out an intricate beat on the surface of Owen’s back.

“Guess what song this is.”

The beat she’s playing is close to incoherent and Owen tries to stifle his full laugh in fear of making her cry again. He’s been successful so far, but now having Y/n over his shoulder, she can feel the movement of his abdomen that was unintelligible by sight alone.

“Your favorite song,” he guesses insincerely.

“No, my favorite song doesn’t sound like that. It was sicko mode.”

“That was not sicko mode.”

“Owen, how come you don’t wear a badge?”

“What?”

“Because you’re the song police?” Owen can’t help but snort out a laugh even though the comment was made at his expense. Still sharp as a tack.

Once the pair reach the front door of Owen’s ‘bachelorette pad’ as Y/n liked to call it, he sets her back on the ground albeit reluctantly as he recalls why he was carrying her in the first place. Thinking quickly on his feet, Owen forms a plan that’s more likely than not foolproof.

“Hey, Y/n/n?”

“Yeah?” Her voice is still right behind him thankfully.

“Can I have a hug?” After a few seconds of silence in the hall, Owen begins to doubt his plan until he feels the weight of his best friend leaning on his toned back. With her cheek pressed against the middle of his spine, Y/n brings her arms around his waist, clasping her hands tightly together. Her semi-public display of affection allows Owen some time to unlock his front door. Once he props the door open, Owen realizes that Y/n probably isn’t going to let go any time soon and opts to waddle through the threshold with her still attached to him. He’s able to turn around and lock them back in for the night which makes the girl begin to laugh.

“Was this your plan all along? To get me drunk so you could lock me in your apartment and hold me prisoner for the rest of my life?”

“And I would’ve gotten away with it, too...”

“If it weren’t for those meddling kids and their dog.”

True to his imagination that Y/n wasn’t letting go any time soon, Owen swivels her around his torso so that he could hold her to his side rather than support her with his back. He now has his right arm over both of her shoulders as she continues to hug her best friend. The way she leans her head onto his chest makes Owen’s heartbeat the tiniest bit faster. ‘She’s drunk, she doesn’t know what this does to you’ is the mantra blaring through Owen’s subconscious. Shaking any and all sort of romantic thoughts out of his head, he begins to lead her back to his bedroom.

Flicking the lights on proves to be a mistake once Y/n starts groaning miserably, and Owen decides the floor lamp is a better option than the overheads. Much to Owen’s surprise and relief, Y/n moves to sit on the edge of his bed on her own volition. She’s not upright for long as she collapses into the sheets of his unmade bed that contemplated neatening before leaving the house; hindsight is 20/20.

“Hmm. I like your smell,” Y/n parrots despite already bringing up the topic on the ride home.

“This is the same cologne I always use.”

“No. I like your natural smell.”

“What?”

“I was reading up about pheromones the other day. And there was this thing that said when couples like each others’ scent, it’s like a primal way of seeing if you’re immuno-compatible with someone so your offspring have the best chance for survival. It’s an evolutionary thing for the survival of our species. Ants have pheromones, too.”

Sometimes she has trouble remembering to feed herself, but leave it to Y/n to remember extensive information about pheromones whilst intoxicated. The concept is intriguing to Owen, so he proceeds to ask questions, ignoring the tug on his heart he felt after hearing her say the word ‘couples’.

“So, if I like your scent, we’re immuno-?”

“Compatible, yeah. But it’s mostly me because you can sniff out my period.”

“I can what?”

“I read that men can tell when a woman is at her most fertile because that’s when they like her smell the best. They did a study where a bunch of men were introduced to a few different scents, and without fail, the one they liked the most or would describe as ‘sexy’ or ‘attractive’ was the scent they took from the woman who was ovulating.”

Y/n continues talking about what she learned about pheromones as Owen picks up a bit of the mess around his room. She returns to the topic of ant pheromones as he digs through his surprisingly large closet for something for his friend to sleep in. His temporarily bubbly best friend also notes that he should ‘sniff her now because she’s ovulating and he would like that’ which makes him laugh into the drawers of his waist-height dresser. Returning to find her still slumped over on the bed, he pats her leg and beckons her to sit up. After Y/n’s upright again, Owen hands her his classic black ‘BEANS’ t-shirt and a pair of briefs that won’t properly fit her but will fit better than a pair of his actual pants.

“Can you put these on for me?”

“Yeah.” Owen’s conflicted with both wanting to respect Y/n’s privacy by leaving the room, and prioritizing her safety, and not leaving her unattended at any moment. He comes to a compromise which is staying by her side but turning a full 180 to face the wall of his bedroom. A couple of moments pass until Y/n begins whining frustratedly.

“Owen.”

“Huh?”

“I can’t ubns-” her words become incomprehensible as she begins to cry again and Owen turns around to find her struggling with the buttons on her shirt, her jacket long discarded on the bedroom floor. This shirt: her white, cap-sleeve crop top with a peter pan collar that she wore for anything mildly significant, this was her favorite. Owen remembers her fussing about how she ruined it only to find that she just forgot to steam it one day. So with a little heat and water, Owen had fixed the shirt like nothing ever happened, and he’d do it a million times over again if it meant he got to relive seeing the smile that graced her face for the first time again.

“What’s wrong?”

“I can’t do the buttons.” She runs the back of her right hand against her tired eyes to wipe away her tears and Owen internally curses himself for the way the small action makes his heart flutter.

“Do you need help?”

“Yeah.”

“Listen to me, you are okay,” he sinks to kneel in front of Y/n as she sits tiredly on the edge of the bed. Owen doesn’t miss the slight tremble of his hands as he reaches up to unbutton her shirt, but he prays that she will. Through tiny sniffles and teary eyes, she watches his hands effortlessly work down the length of her shirt, each button modestly dancing between his fingertips. Once the short top is fully unbuttoned, Owen returns to his normal standing height and Y/n attempts to shrug the fabric off her body. She struggles lightly and knowing her frustration is imminent, Owen reaches down to gingerly push the sleeves off her shoulders. The light graze of his rough, calloused skin against her own skin sends electric-like shocks through the both of them; yet neither of them believed the other felt it too.

Owen hastily withdraws his hands and, without warning, Y/n quickly removes the bralette she was wearing. Owen’s eyes widen slightly at her lack of inhibition. He does his best to be a gentleman and swiftly redirects his gaze to the white ceiling fan that has all of a sudden become the most intriguing object in the universe. His lower peripheral vision indicates that she’s finally slipped the black tee over her head, but she begins sniffling more fiercely as she struggles with taking off her jeans. Owen sighs and drops to his knees once more in spite of himself, and aids his best friend in slipping the material over the length of her calves and off the tips of her toes. Hoping to speed up the process, he grabs the briefs he had brought her and unfolds them in preparation for helping her into them. His efforts are all for naught as Y/n forgoes the need for any more clothing and slides under the covers of his unmade bed. Owen then turns to leave the bedroom, opting to set up on the couch for the night before Y/n’s small voice is cutting through the comfortable silence.

“Where are you going?” He sighs,

“I’ll be right back, okay? I’ll get you some water and Advil for when you wake up tomorrow.” Y/n then nods acceptingly and allows her eyes to flutter closed as he leaves the room. Despite how tired she feels, Y/n won’t quite yet let herself sleep--not ‘til Owen is beside her. When he returns he sets the ibuprofen bottle on the nightstand before uncapping the Kirkland brand water bottle he had in the fridge. He coaxes her into sitting up just one more time so she can drink some of the water before falling asleep. She sits and rubs her tired eyes as she drinks and Owen has to physically force himself to look away from the adorable sight. He just wants to take care of her forever but things have always been strictly platonic between them.

The risk of making their friendship weird or awkward was just too great.

“Goodnight kid, I’ll be right outside if you need me.” Owen leaves without awaiting a response and lets out an annoyed sigh before setting himself up on the couch in his living room. He was so focused on getting Y/n to bed safely that he forgot to grab clothes for himself. Not a big deal. He simply strips down to just his underwear and climbs underneath the thick Pottery Barn throw blanket Y/n had gifted him as a housewarming gift. That and a fire extinguisher because ‘you don’t notice its absence until you need it’ she claimed. The memory makes Owen smile and he allows his eyes to close after a long day.

A long day that was about to get longer. Owen finds himself sinking further and further into sleep until he hears the padding of footsteps that are now in his living room. He’s too tired to open his eyes, and it’s not like he doesn’t already know who it is. What does surprise him, however, is the feeling of the familiar weight squeezing between the couch and his turned back.

“What are you doing?” He half mumbles into the night.

“You’re warm.”

“That was not the question, Y/n/n.” After not receiving a reply, Owen turns as best as he can to look at his friend who’s nestling her way into his sleeping arrangement for the night. “Kid-”

“I just wanna be with you.”

“Alright,” Owen sighs out of irritation, exhaustion, and a sliver of adoration before sitting up on the couch, “Come on.”

He stands up, fully expecting to have to drag her back to the bedroom, but finds relief in seeing her struggle her way off the couch. Slipping her tired hand into his unexpecting, larger one, Y/n allows her friend to lead her into the bedroom for the second time that night.

Owen considerately lifts the covers for her to climb back into before getting into the other side of the bed.

“Owen.”

“Hm?”

“Guess what.”

“What?���

“I love you.”

“Love you, too, kid.”

“No,” Y/n speaks in a casual tone as if she’s not divulging into her biggest emotional trepidation to date. “I love you, Owen.”

Owen can’t help the way his heart seemingly stops. The way the butterflies in his stomach are going wild. The way he wants to smile like he’s the biggest lovestruck idiot on planet Earth.

She’s drunk. She doesn’t know what she’s saying. She won’t remember this tomorrow.

“I’m in love with you, Y/n.”

She won’t remember that tomorrow.

***

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[bokunosimpfiction]

Demon!Dimitrescux Reader

Synopsis: Lady Dimitrescu reveals herself as a demon that has made it her personal mission to guard you after what you believe is the case of worst/best timing of your entire life. No trigger warnings. 1.6k words.

A/N: This took me less than two hours to write/publish this. I needed this out of my system ASAP

             The black Toyota Corolla had to look strangely familiar your first pass down the street. It reminded you of your boyfriend’s car, and you swore that the digits of the license plate must have been one or two off his, and the generic pine tree air freshener must have been a different color. Not to mention the woman in the backseat with a cocktail dress on.

             You chose not to think about it as you walked into the 7-11 in nothing but your pajamas and the pair of crocs you haven’t worn since being on the college swim team. It wasn’t hard to decide what to grab off the shelves. A bag of chips store brand sour patch kids and gummy worms, a two-liter of Pepsi, and a bottle of wine too big for one person. The cashier looked just as tired as you did, and you understood what it was like, barely, time is a social construct that distanced you deeply from the night shifts you pulled at this same store while in college. Nine to five shifts (Dolly Parton shifts, your coworker would call them with a smile) were only better because you could sit down and have a stable sleep schedule. It was the same grueling work, and in your case, you had to deal with the same shitty people that complained about things you can’t control.

             His droning voice pulled you out of your train of thoughts. “The total is forty-eight fifty-seven.” He was either crying in the backroom while you were picking out your chips or hit a massive dab, you weren’t sure, but his red eyes made either option feasible. You didn’t comment on it, only handing him two twenties and a ten and taking the change back before walking out the door. You didn’t say anything to him, and vice versa, which you appreciated because you didn’t have the energy to deal with a chatty Kathy right now. And as you pull yourself down the street, your bag of crap from 7-11 in your hand, you pass that same deja-vu-mobile and look at the stickers on the back.

             The same I love my dog and proud cat-dad stickers in the exact same place, the dent on the right side of the bumper, and the license plate that was in fact, one hundred percent his. Which begs the question, who was the girl in the cocktail dress, and what was she doing in the backseat? The question didn’t matter for long because the car promptly burst into flames. Oh well. Wait.

The.

Car.

Is.

On.

Fire.

             It’s your boyfriend’s car.

Your

Boyfriends.

Car.

Is.

On.

Fire.

             You wipe out your phone to call the fire department when you see the girl in the same cocktail dress crawl out of the car, dress pulled up to her waist, barefoot and mascara streaming down her face. She’s violently beating his clutch against the ground, desperate to put out the flames while your boyfriend slams the door open on the other side and throws himself out full force onto the asphalt of the busy street. He looks up and sees the anger in your eyes.

             “Hey, babe.”

             “I-I-can-” he stutters violently. His face was red in anger and blood dripping from his nose due to the face-first collision with the freshly paved street.

             “We’re over.”

             You do him the favor of calling the fire department for his car and walk off as soon as you hear the sirens of the firetruck. You didn’t have anything to do with it. No need to watch the fallout when you had nothing to do with the disaster. Besides, your soda’s getting cold, you wanted to drink that before it got Luke-warm. You ended up dropping off the crap and walking to the 24-7 grocery store a little farther in the other direction to get ice cream. Standing in the frozen aisle, in nothing but your pajamas, bright red crocs, and moist eyes, you try and decide between the weird, nuanced flavors that all taste like vanilla anyhow.

             You look up towards the top shelf when you notice the woman leaning over you. She’s deathly pale, skin as pale as paper and lipstick so red it glowed compared to everything else. Her huge hat would make a shadow on her face if it weren’t propped right above her hairline.

             “So, did you enjoy the show sweet-heart,” she whispers in your ear. You feel her breath on your neck and her gaze freezes your heart. “You didn’t think that his car catching on fire was a happy accident now did you?”

             You turn around, only not to see her behind you, but on the fogged-up glass doors on the other side of the aisle. “Did you really think that I’d be standing right behind you?” Her question is almost taunting.

             “Who are you?”

             She breathes into her elegant pipe only to blow out to re-fog the glass before staring dead into your eyes and saying the words that changed your life forever. “I’m your guardian demon.”

             You honestly thought you were losing your mind, seeing this woman in the glass, telling you she was a demon who set your ex’s car on fire. (It felt odd to call him that, you had been dating him for three years). Her elegant leg steps through the glass, her dress riding up to just below her knee before it hit the ground and the rest of her flowed into our realm as smoothly as her dress swayed when she walked over to you.

             She was almost twice your height, and the view from where she stood in front of you made her feel even more so tall. “So mortal, what do you have to say, knowing that you have a five-hundred-year-old all-powerful demon protecting you?”

             “What happened to my guardian angel?”

             She scoffs. “You never had one. Most people nowadays have guardian angels, in fact, I’ve only heard of one other mortal who hasn’t had one that’s alive right now.”

             “What do you mean?” You can’t help but ask. There’s an entire world of things you didn’t understand. Angels. Demons. Hell, even bigfoot could be real for all you know.

             “Well, darling, there is a very simple answer to that question: there are only so many angels for so many mortals, and so sometimes a few slip through the cracks of the system, and that’s where we step in.” She moves around to the refrigerator next to you and inspects the sorbets. “Despite what the church tells you, us demons love humans. They’re a claim to social status. You bring a human home, and you’re viewed as wealthy, famous even.”

             “So that’s what you get out of taking a person’s soul in a deal.”

             She turns to you. “When I what now?”

             “Ya’ know,” you say, “a person makes a deal with a demon in exchange for money or fame, and when they die their soul belongs to the demon and they’re doomed to eternal hell yada-yada-yada.”

             “Is that what they’re teaching you, now.”

             “At least that’s what my mother says. I didn’t really believe in any of this stuff till you stepped out of the door and said you set my ex’s car on fire.”

             “I would have done it sooner, but you looked so happy with him, it was difficult to pull that away from you,” she sighs before standing up to her full height, “that woman he was with was going to give you HPV and I’d prefer the human I fought tooth and nail over to not get an STD. I would never have let that stupid-man-thing touch you had I known he would cheat on you with a mortal so… infected.” What an interesting word to decide to land on.

             She turns and waltzes back across the aisle with a grace that has long been lost to time. “And besides, you’re better off without him, with him off your mind you’ll be able to take that new project on at work and get that raise you’ve been needing so badly.”

             You’re still trying to process this. “You mentioned that you only heard of one other mortal with a demon guardian. Who is he?”

             “His name doesn’t matter, all I really care about is that damn man-child, Heisenberg, is watching him, which means he won’t be alive much longer.”

             “Do you kill us?”

             She puts her hand to her chest and looks genuinely offended before her features soften when she realizes you had never met a demon in your entire life not to mention even believing in them. “We would never. Our humans are like our children, and while we may not be able to subtle pull strings to protect those that we watch over, we do have our more… direct ways of protecting them.”

             “Like setting his car on fire.”

             “I’ve done worse things to keep you safe.”

             Your face pales, but your curiosity brightens your eyes. “Like what?”

             “Your so demand, child, but remember when lightning struck the tree in your backyard, and it fell and landed on your neighbor fifteen or so years ago?”

             You can’t formulate words.

             “Or how your car broke down on the side of the road so you couldn’t reach the hotel you booked?”

             “You did that!”

             “They were going to steal your luggage!” She scoffs before taking a long drag from her pipe. “Anymore, questions?”

             “Is Jesus real?”

             “I wasn’t there for that, and if he was, he hasn’t left his fluffy little sky bed since being nailed to that goddamn cross.”

             “One more.”

             “It better not be stupid, darling.”

             “What ice cream should I get?”

             Her soft smile returns. “Get the java-chip, but the one right behind the front one, there’s a little extra than usual in that container.”

[bronan]

That prompt game: vert 16, 23, 27 and 35

Thanks anon!!! I love Vert and wow you picked some gooood prompts 🙏💦

HEADCANON PROMPT MEME:

16. Smile – okay let's get the obvious out of the way, vert wheeler has the best smile and we know this because we all have eyes that can see. he tries to be serious and stern when it's Leader Time but it's hard for him to hold that smile back when he's feelin' it. It’s really cute.

alright alright now when I saw this prompt, the first thing that popped into my head was this: vert smiling at his dad, a moment when you know his heart was hurting so bad but he still wanted to try to reassure jack that he would be okay, that they'd both be okay. Sometimes, things like saying goodbye... it's way too hard to talk about it or say it plainly out loud, but a smile can convey a lot of things, can be a small comfort. You can tell when vert's doing this - smiling for the sake of smiling, not because he's happy - because you can see it in his eyes. I'm sure he got used to seeing his mom smile at him when he caught her feeling down and overwhelmed after jack's disappearance. Just an automatic, learned reaction at this point; I could see vert being absolutely stressed beyond belief but if someone were to catch him off guard he'd probably flash them a smile while his eyes said "God please end me we are out of soda for the fifth time this week and it's only Tuesday." 

People who can read vert well will know the difference in a heart beat, lol. And sometimes he's just not good at faking it at all. But he does try.

23. Romance – we all saw how he tried to hit on Grace, right? god. help this poor boy. Vert is so cute because he's so awkward. At least, with grace he was. I think it would be easier for him to make the transition from friend to significant other with someone he'd gone through life-or-death situations with, a close friend, someone he knows well and has gotten very used to. I think he just knew so little about Grace and psyched himself out badly, totally fumbled it.

That being said, I hope he's still awkward sometimes. I hope he still stumbles over his words and gets red and loses his train of thought when he looks into their eyes a little too long. It's just way too cute. I don't know what I'd do if vert were suave and cool with flirting.

As a partner, we already know that vert would be 100% there for his significant other just like he's there for his team. Vert tried to play the tough guy card in the beginning of the show by saying he didn't need a team, but he sure changed his tune fast once he had his new teammates in front of him. Vert is the kind of guy who loves fiercely and honestly and with his whole heart. Anyone would be really lucky to have him. 🥺 king

27. Sleep – vert's bedhead cracks me up and I didn't ever fully understand it until I started going to sleep with product in my short hair. I literally wake up with my hair going in twelve different directions and brother it is stuck like that until I wash it. Vert is clearly a morning shower-er. I imagine he's just so exhausted by the end of the day that he collapses into bed (probably facedown, let's be real) and zonks out until the morning. Hair askew. Pillow lines in his cheek. Feeling like he got hit by a truck. You know, that really deep sleep where your body wasn't quite sure if you were ever even gonna wake up again so it just didn't prepare itself in time when morning comes.

Then there's those nights where Vert just can't shut his brain off, so he lies awake and tosses and turns and gets frustrated as hell. When he was a kid who couldn't sleep, I headcanon that jack would take vert on late night car rides, listening to the radio until he passed out from the ride, where jack would then circle back to the house and carry him to bed. He hasn’t been able to do that for a long, long time, but it's probably not strange to catch Vert going out on his own for a drive, late at night, just him and the radio. It's different when your dad's not there to drive you, though.

35. Guilt – do you ever wonder if vert blames himself - even just partially - on his dad leaving? I mean, before he knew that jack didn't actually mean to abandon him like that. I think vert takes so much on and tries to carry everything and everyone on his shoulders. He is the leader. He has people who depend on him, a multiverse that is depending on him - and he's just 18. You already know that Vert takes every action - and its corresponding consequence - personally, as if he were the one who caused that wreck, or made that person get hurt, etc. He comes away from every single mission replaying it in his head whenever there's a call that was a bit too close, or a downright bad experience. How could he have done better? He failed his team just then, didn't he? Someone got hurt and maybe he could have prevented it. They were counting on him.

Vert needs time to decompress after missions. They're a lot. It's just a LOT, saving the multiverse. Keeping his home safe. Keeping his friends alive. And every single time something bad happens, Vert blames himself for it. Guilt would gnaw at him all day long if he didn't have his friends to pull him out of it. That, and the drive to keep on keepin' on, the type of resilience that puts vert back out there every single day until the job's done. I think it takes a special kind of strength to get back up every single time and I think Vert draws a lot of that strength from his love for his friends. And I think that’s pretty cool of him.

[nancydfan]

I think that Mia gets too bad of a rap from a lot of people.

Like yes, was she an agent of a super shady organization responsible for making a bio weapon that destroyed a great deal of lives? Yes. However we don’t know her motivation for joining them yet.

They could have lied honestly. Like The Connections could have advertised themselves to be a great, loving work environment and maybe Mia was young and naive and joined them. Or maybe she was desperate for money, and it was the only job that would hire her. Or hell, maybe she fully knew what they were and joined anyway, either on account of her morals being twisted back then or thinking that even though the company was evil maybe she could do good. Who knows, honestly.

Either way, with The Connections being a shady organization there’s like a very high chance that you don’t get to walk away from them alive. I’m sure if you quit they’d see you as a liability and take you out with no mercy. And that’s why I think Mia didn’t leave, because she knew she would be killed if she did, and maybe that’s why she took the job with Eveline, because it was more of a “you will do this or else” than an option for her (whether it was implied by her boss or if they were upfront about what bad things would happen if she didn’t take the job).

And maybe if her morals were twisted before I fully think meeting and falling in love with Ethan changed her if that was the case, because the Mia we see in RE7 and RE8 is a good person. We see that in how when the Baker’s rescue her she thanks them but tries to leave immediately and tries to warn them about staying away from Eveline (as shown in the note she left in the dlc “Daughters”). She could have tried to get them to call the hospital or her company but she didn’t, because she knew that she was under Eveline’s control and the longer she stayed there the more danger the family was. If she was a shitty person she wouldn’t have done this, she would have done everything she could to save herself.

We also see that in how she leaves a final video note for Ethan, telling him to stay away no matter what, because she didn’t want him to get dragged down in her mess. She knows how much Ethan loves her and I’m sure she knows if she sent a video saying “Ethan pls help” he’d come running for her, but she didn’t because she loves him and wants him to live even if she can’t be there with him. We see it AGAIN when she saves Ethan from Eveline’s grasp, when she tears him from the mold thing he was in and pushes him out so Eveline couldn’t hurt him. Fully knowing she’d have to face Eveline’s wrath.

And for everyone saying “why didn’t she just tell him then” I mean think about it. I think if this super shady organization found out someone they didn’t hire knew what was going on they’d kill them because again they’d be a liability and a threat. And that’s why she doesn’t tell Ethan because she doesn’t want him to be targeted and killed by them. I think if she had the opportunity she would have left The Connections but knows that it would result in her death anyway, and telling Ethan the truth would just end in his death if they found out and it was too risky in her mind.

And I think it’s this same form of protection that prevents her from telling Ethan he’s infected. She says (or at least we can assume that this was her) in Donna’s section that she didn’t tell him because she was afraid she’d lose him. I don’t think he’d divorce her if he found out he was molded (that doesn’t really make sense for his character), I think she was genuinely afraid he’d die (again) or worse begin to transform into a monster the way the rest of the infected did. And that’s why she keeps it hidden because she was scared to death he’d die or suffer a worse fate. Am I saying she was right in hiding it? No, but I think that everyone saying she’s manipulative and gaslighting are wrong because she truly loves Ethan and Rose, and I know she’d give her life gladly if it meant they could live.

I saw other people get mad because Rose is essentially being used as a bio weapon and how could Mia let this happen and I’m like?? She probably doesn’t have a say?? I mean yes Blue Umbrella is supposed to be “the good guys” now but like they’re still a huge organization, I’m sure Mia did her best to prevent this from happening and keep Rose safe but like at the end of the day what can she really do against a huge company?? If anything get mad at Chris because I’m sure he’s got some clout or something in that company that could have allowed Rose to live a normal life without Umbrella or maybe not being used as a weapon but idk 🤷🏻‍♀️ a lot of people were like “Mia’s sO annoying at the beginning of the game” but fam that wasn’t even her?? That’s Miranda?? Besides even if it was Mia that blew up on Ethan in the hospital (as per Ethan’s diary) 1.) people deal with trauma differently, and I’m not saying it’s healthy but she’s scarred and doing her best and 2.) probably was afraid if they talked too much about Louisiana Ethan would realize he was infected and then BAM he’s either dead or a mutated monster. And in the cutscene of Mia saying “you matter!” Can you imagine the stress of knowing your husband is Mr Mold Man and not being able to do anything about it, out of fear of what could happen to him? Like of course she’s upset and going to blow when provoked (not that Ethan was aggressive or anything just that he was prying into a very high pressure soda that is Mia’s emotions lol) because she’s been bottling this up and has no one to talk to, and after a while anyone would explode. I think she would have told him if he hadn’t answered that call. Also marriage is not rainbows and butterflies, sometimes you get into messy fights with your partner and sometimes you or the other person say things you don’t mean but at the end of the day you love each other and try to be better. If anything Capcom was depicting a normal marriage tbh.

At the end of the day Mia is not the bad guy. She is only human who tried her best to keep her family safe against all the odds and idc what anyone says, Ethan and Mia love each other and have a healthy relationship and that’s that.

I hope I do this ask justice cause this is the kinda ask I’ve been like hoping for cause you are absolutely gosh damn right.

I’m a chill person & I’m never gonna probably get up into someone’s face about anything cause it’s fandom. I’m not here to cater your experience. That being said, when I see some of these frankly bad takes on Mia I’m like

We know Jack shit about why Mia joined the Connections. Literally nothing so people who have a whole solidified nasty opinion of Mia should probably just sit down. You don’t have to like her. But you also could like, idk, be absolutely dead wrong cause lol Capcom went, yeah we’re not gonna explain any of that.

I got the impression that in between re7 and re8 that they are hiding from the connections too but I may have misunderstood that In re8. I think it makes sense it’s the type of organization you do not leave. No matter how badly you want to and once Ethan came along, do people really think she’d risk him? Spoiler alert: no, no she wouldn’t.

Also, re7 started w Alan. He’s the one that let eveline get out of control so...I feel like people forget that.

I’ve been talking to a friend about people using the Miranda Mia against the real Mia and I don’t know how to kindly tell people that the game kinda absolutely explained that’s not Mia? I do think Mias got a temper which makes sense because Ethan is so even tempered that he can balance her out better. But Miranda Mia was a fuckin bitch. She was needling Ethan’s pain and mocking him. Do people think Ethan sat around for three years taking that? Ethan’s a big boy. He can take care of himself. He was even fighting back w Miranda Mia so manipulative and abusive takes belong in the toilet w the rest of the shit.

Mia blowing up at Ethan means nothing. My parents have proven to me marriage is not easy. You will lose it on people when emotions run high. It happens. There’s a world of difference between a moment of anger versus abuse. But you still love and forgive people for moments of anger because we all have them. And I’m sure Ethan can be just as much as a pain in the ass. I love him more than most and I’d be the first person to admit I’m sure he didn’t make it easy all the time either.

Mia held the truth from Ethan because she was scared not just for her but for him too. It’s a selfless kind of lie. We all do them so I don’t know why Mia is getting burned at the stake for it. I’m just not movable on this. That was a heavy thing to carry and she was doing her best.

As for Rose, I don’t even know what Capcom is doing. How can anyone else know? She’s special and powerful. Maybe she wanted that life? I think we can reserve judgement until re9.

Like I said above, no one has to like Mia. Maybe you don’t vibe w her or maybe you still just don’t care for her. That’s cool. But my gosh don’t lie about the kind of person she is. If you can’t acknowledge her world and heart belongs to Ethan and Rose, I’m just not sure what to tell you.

Sorry for ranting on your ask nonnie 😆 I really appreciate that you sent this in! It needed said imo

[unmanageable-day]

Can I Love?

CHAPTER 18

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Summary. Lee Y/N was the first love of one when he was a middle schooler. He never knew her name and he never saw her again. Several years later, he met her again …unfortunately under a disadvantaged circumstances.

wc/warning. 1125 words / i believe none, but feel free to call me out if there is something i should take down

TAGLIST. @boogyuu @samemagicpoint @anjiuniverse @lovingyu-04 @serenadesvt @naphthalene-ball @sensorivm @chaseyui @wonhaotrsh @jonashuji @skylions-den @niikipuff @renvibes @moonlit-willow [ hit me up if you’re interested to be tagged for the next update ♡ ]

~ previously when Chan was hanging out with Seungcheol

You noticed Mingyu and Seokmin suddenly being weird when suddenly they kept making excuses to go somewhere else, to the extent that they tried to prevent you from going home, when your house was literally five steps away. Mingyu started with saying that he wanted to take a look to the cat cafe, but Minghao effectively rejected the idea, saying the place was closed after 5 PM. Then Seokmin said you should buy instant ramen, sausage, and cheese and everything because he was craving. You snapped at him, “Don’t underestimate my bakery. If it’s just sausage and cheese, we have like tons in our storage.”

Losing their arguments and knowing it was inevitable to meet Seungcheol in the bakery with Chan, Mingyu and Seokmin decided to walk before you, trying to be your guards. You were simply thinking that those two were just being their silly selves, until you stepped into your bakery, and you knew just why. Your eyes met Chan; he happily waved his hand at you. The man sitting beside Chan drew a little smile when he looked at you.

“Y/N, you said you were tired. Let’s go upstairs,” Mingyu quickly said before anything.

“Right, you stayed awake all night studying for today’s quiz,” Minghao added.

“Chan, we’ll be in Y/N’s room. Mingyu and I will join you and hyung in a bit, okay?” Seokmin threw a friendly smile at your brother and Seungcheol before he excused himself to escort you to your room.

Despite being confused, Chan just nodded. He managed to ask if you needed anything, but Minghao answered him for you, saying everything was good.

Again, he was puzzled to see this weird dynamic between the four of you. Xu Minghao was always caring to both of you and your brother. Chan acknowledged that fact. But the mood was too odd to ignore. Is it perhaps because of Seungcheol hyung? he wondered. Was their date really a so so? Or did it end badly?

Chan turned back to Seungcheol, letting out a natural fake chuckle. “Sorry about that,” he said.

Seungcheol shook his head. “It’s okay.”

As promised, Mingyu and Seokmin soon joined Chan and Seungcheol in the bakery hall. Seokmin convinced your brother that you just needed me time, in which he and Mingyu voluntarily left you with Minghao, simply because Minghao was the most quiet one. Later on, Mingyu always dodged any questions from Seungcheol that were related to you. But eventually, it slipped from Seokmin’s mouth that all of you went to the same campus. Chan slightly widened his eyes at this new information.

“You didn’t know?” Mingyu asked, slightly confused as well to know that Chan really had very little idea about Seungcheol.

“Hyung never told me,” said Chan innocently, slightly eyeing the oldest one who gulped his cola, ignoring the burning sensation in his throat.

“I didn’t? My bad. I thought I did,” uttered Seungcheol nervously as he opened a new can of soda.

Seungcheol stayed late that day as Chan insisted that he should stay for dinner. Of course, he’d gladly agree if it means he could see you again. Meanwhile you planned to skip dinner if Seungcheol was still there. Or eating out with Minghao, Mingyu, and Seokmin would do too. Apparently your parents had prepared a feast with big portion of pretty much everything. You had no choice but to stay, unless the food waste would pile up.

“Noona, I didn’t know you and hyung know each other,” Chan began to break the ice. Although the meal taste great, the ambience was tense. You, Minghao, and Seungcheol barely talked. Mingyu and Seokmin also kept the conversation simple. Maybe Vernon and Seungkwan were right. He wasn’t sure if he should bring this up, but he just wanted to test the water.

You didn’t respond to him. You silently keep munching whatever Minghao gave to you in your plate.

Chan continued, “Because, when I asked Noona how the blind date was, she just said so-so. It’s probably weird to meet someone from the same uni, yeah? But it’s nice to know you guys are not totally strangers. What is your relationship?”

“Strictly strangers who happened to go to the same uni,” you briefly answered.

“Not even friends, or acquaintances?” Chan asked again.

“Friends?” Minghao chuckled in mocking manner. He continued, unaware of his raising tone when talking, “Chan, do you know what he did to your sister was hum—”

“AH!”  Exclaiming in panic, Seungcheol abruptly stood up. All eyes were on him, including the displeased look on Minghao’s face because the oldest interrupted him. He landed a nervous gaze at Mingyu and Seokmin, seeking for help but to no avail. “Humorless. I thought I’m a humorous person but apparently not,” he quickly added. Getting restless, his eyes were quivering and lost focus.

“He may not look like it but he’s actually very  protective of his sister. He may be smaller than you but he will fight  you.” This warning from Soonyoung was glued in his head.

First, he didn’t want to get beaten up. Second, he would need Chan’s support.

Chan paused for a while, trying to digest the whole scene before him. You, on the other hand, remained silent and unfazed.

“I’m full. You guys can continue eating.” You excused yourself to go upstairs. Of course, Minghao would follow after you.

“Those two get along very well. They have similar interests and share many  things in common,” Chan commented.

“Yeah, Mingyu and Seokmin too, right? The four of you are always seen together,” Seungcheol said, trying to validate that the relationship between you and him was pure platonic. This time, the 97z boys said nothing but just gave an ambiguous smile to the older guy. Then they decided to join you and Minghao in your room.

As they were left alone, Seungcheol encouraged himself to ask this. “Chan, what do you think about second date? There’s this jazz music concert. I think Y/N would like it.”

The younger drew a little smile but his expression was full of doubts. “I’m  not sure, Hyung. I don’t usually encourage her to go on a second date, especially if the first date was ‘so so’, so…” He shrugged. But he did emphasize on the so-so part.

Nodding understandingly, Seungcheol tried to maintain his smile. His confidence was already crumbling down inside. The mixed feelings were playing in his guts. I can’t lose like this.

“Oh, for my birthday party next week, I’m booking a restaurant instead of throwing a party in the house. I mean, I don’t want Noona to scold me afterwards.” Chan flashed him a bright smile. But that pretty smile somehow disturbed him. He was positive now Chan won’t take his side.

[parkertech]

Tattoos & Tears — CHAPTER 5

summary: on everybody's 18th birthday, they get a tattoo of their soulmate written on their wrist. for you, it's your best friend who you thought you got over. who even has a girlfriend of his own.

warnings: swearing, angst

———————————————————————

The next month had to be the hardest month Peter had to go through, ever since Tony’s death. Peter hated himself for how his feelings did a full 180. He didn’t feel anything with MJ anymore. No happiness, no excitement, not even any boredom. He just felt numb around her.

Of course he didn’t say anything. He knew if he did he would hurt her. He knew every ‘I love you’ from her was genuine. His truth was reminded like an annoying fly in his face that wouldn’t go away. He didn’t want to feel like this. But you can’t control your heart.

That exact heart ached for you all the time. It ached for your touch, for your kisses, for you laughs and smiles, for you in general. But he couldn’t get that. What made it worse was that he was with MJ and didn’t get the balls to tell her the truth. But what made it absolutely aggravating and unbearable was that Brad has asked you out. And you said yes.

You fucking said yes.

Of course you would say yes. Because he’s your soulmate.

Fucking soulmates.

He grew the hate to word. It was an annoying thing. Some stupid determination that isn’t even based off your opinion. It’s literally just because it said so.

Peter did what you did when you were in heartbreak. Isolate from you. He couldn’t stand the pain every time he saw you and Brad. He dug it down deep which added to his numbness.

It had now been 3 months. 3 long, nerve wracking months. Peter’s birthday was today. Well, when the clock hit 12. He wasn’t excited. Not even a little bit. Tonight was the night his supposed ‘love of his life’ would be determined. And he knew it wasn’t going to be MJ. His truth was going to come out today. He could already picture her tear stained face, red cheeks, pure hurt and pain across her face. He closed his and groaned at the thought, before hesitantly and unwillingly get ready for the day.

MJ wasn’t waiting for him at his locker today. He sighed in relief, feeling already some of the pressure in his chest die down. He put in his locker combo before grabbing his calculus textbook along with some random, dingy notebooks. He felt a random pair of arms wrap around him, and he sighed loudly. He turned around, expecting to find MJ. But it wasn’t. It was you.

“Hi Peter!” You said enthusiastically, with a bright smile. Peter blinked a few times, thinking he was dreaming. But his pounding heart reminded him to snap out of it.

“H-Hey, Y/N! What’s up?” He stuttered. He mentally beat himself up for how obvious he was being, keeping his focus on you. Your radiant smile all of a sudden made the room more happy, and it made him mimic it.

“What’s up? Well, I hear someone’s big night is tonight!” His face fell a little and he started at you sadly. You furrowed your eyebrows, looking him up and down. “You okay, buddy?” Peter shook his head a few times, before nodding.

“Yeah, I’m good...” he trailed off. You went back to your happy demeanor and touched his shoulder. He felt it ignite to life, leaving a slight tingle and warmth.

“You better be. You can’t be grumpy when you find out who your soulmate is going to be!” You said, trying to bring back the good mood. Peter looked down at his beat up sneakers and swallowed the huge lump in his throat.

But I want my soulmate to be you, he thought to himself.

“Yeah, I know.” Peter was acting weird. He wasn’t being his jittery self, making cheesy puns, nerding on about new tech and shit. He was being distant, and you could tell.

“Pete, is everything okay with you? Do you need to tell me something?” You ask silently. Peter was tempting when you said that, but decided to not. He’d just weird you out.

“No, I’m fine. Just tired...” He lied. You could see he didn’t want to be pushed, so you nodded hesitantly.

“Alright...well, we’re gonna go to your place tonight, right?” Peter’s head shot up from the floor, pure anxiety in his eyes.

“What, why? Why would be going to my place?” You give him an obvious look, but Peter doesn’t catch on.

“It’s your birthday. We’re gonna celebrate! Don’t worry, it’s not a party, because I know you hate them. It’s just me, Ned, Betty, and MJ of course.”

“Why ‘of course’? You don’t know MJ.” He said a little aggressively. It was because he didn’t want MJ, but that doesn’t mean he could take it out on you. He saw your face turn into a taken aback one, but in a defensive way. Shit.

“Okay, calm down. She’s your girlfriend, number one. Number two, I do know MJ because we’ve been friends since freshman year.” There was a pause since Peter didn’t know what to say. He let his guilt and embarrassment eat him away, which made you scoff and shake your head. “Fine, since you’re in a bad mood, I’m just gonna leave you alone.”

“No, wait, Y/N-“

“See you at your place, Peter.” You replied coldly. Peter’s entire mood went downhill all over again when he saw you walk away from him. Well, more like stomp away from him. He hit his head on his locker 3 times, muttering curses under his breath.

Why is everything going wrong? One second he was fine, happy. The next he was upset, and disappointed. He couldn’t do this anymore. He had to tell MJ. Tonight.

———

The rest of the school day had went by. May heard about his little gathering, and left him alone. That was after she gave him her gift—a Polaroid camera. Of course, May would’ve gotten him something better, but she wasn’t the richest. That didn’t mean Peter didn’t appreciate it though. He appreciated everything May got him. How could he not? It was May for crying out loud.

After an hour when May left, he heard a knock at his door, and got up from the couch with a sigh. Before he opened the door, he looked through the peephole in the middle. You weren’t lying—MJ, Ned, Betty, and you were standing there, waiting for Peter to open the door. Peter took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself, before grabbing the door handle and opening the door.

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” You all shouted in unison Peter groaned and dramatically held his ears.

“You guys know it’s not my birthday yet, right?” Ned shrugs and steps inside, the rest of you following. Peter just now noticed some of you had small bags and different boxes wrapped in wrapping paper, which he assumed were his gifts.

“Doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate.” Ned replied dully. MJ gave him a quick kiss, going for his lips. But involuntarily, he turned his head so she kissed his cheek. Thank god she didn’t say anything about it. Everyone put their gifts on the counter top of the kitchen, before jumping on the couch.

“Well, he’s been in a very snappy mood, soooo...” you point out playfully. Peter catches you smiling at him, and rolled his eyes before mimicking him.

“Yeah, I was just tired.” He mumbled while popping some popcorn. Peter grabbed a variety of sodas and placed them in front of the couch while waiting for the popcorn. “May’s not home, so we can swear and shit.”

“Yeah, but don’t fuck MJ.” Ned says sarcastically. Everyone chuckles a bit except for Peter.

“You’re just salty you can’t get birthday sex.” MJ snarks back. You let out an ‘oooooh’ while Betty whispered something in Ned’s ear. Whatever it was, it got his eyes to widen and his eyebrows to raise. She giggled and smirked a bit, and you fake gagged.

“Ew, stop eye fucking each other.” You scold playfully. They both roll their eyes while MJ gets off the couch and whispers something to Peter. You eyed her all the way, not even noticing you were glaring, until she left the living room and somewhere in the back. When Peter followed her, your heart clenched a bit and a small lump formed in your throat. It didn’t take a detective to figure out what was going to happen. Can you blame him, though? It was MJ of course he’d rather be alone with her.

If only Peter could tell you how wrong he was.

MJ was straddling his lap, kissing and sucking on his neck like her life depended on it, her shirt tossed aside next to her. Even though Peter was gripping her hips, his face screamed “get me out of here.” Her sucking just annoyed and discomforted him, and he would do anything to get out of this situation. Anything. MJ noticed his behavior, and slowly removed her lips from his neck.

“Is everything okay?” She asks shyly. It’s a little embarrassing when your boyfriend doesn’t give you his usual reaction in this kind of moment. Peter looked at her concerned eyes, and then down at the ground.

“Yeah, I’m just not really feeling this right now...”

“Oh...” MJ said kind of sadly. She hurried her shirt back over her head, and sat next to Peter. There was an awkward silence in the room, as she stared down at her hands in her lap and Peter stared at the carpeted floor under his feet. “Is everything okay with you?” It took Peter a second to process her words, before he looked up at her and furrowed his eyebrows.

“Yeah, yeah, of course I’m fine.” He lied.

‘No, I’m not fine. I realized I’m not in love with you a month ago and I can’t bring myself to tell you because I know I’ll hurt you.’ His thoughts were screaming at him now. MJ being the most observant person on planet earth, could see straight through him.

“You’re lying,” Peter groaned slightly and pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes. MJ is silent again for a few moments before continuing, “is it Spider-Man shit?”

“No, that’s not it.” Peter said quickly, shaking his head. “It’s just....I-“ He wanted to say it, say it so fucking badly. “I just-“ He stopped, realizing this could actually happen. He could pour out the truth and everything would be over. He wouldn’t have this weight on his shoulders anymore.

Then he remembered it’s his birthday. He doesn’t wanna ruin this day. If he’s going to tell her, it was not going to be tonight. He needed to have one good day. “I’m just tired, and stressed. School and shit...” He mumbled.

Please believe me, please believe me, please believe me!

“Do you wanna talk about it?” She bought it. Peter let out a breath in relief, before shaking his head.

“No, I just-I wanna enjoy today. It’s my birthday in like, an hour, so...” MJ nods understandingly before kissing his cheek, hoping it would relax his nerves.

“You can tell me anything, okay?” She reassured. ‘If only that were true.’ Peter thought to himself. He nodded again, before MJ squeezed his shoulder and went back out to the living room, Peter following.

Since it was his special day, Peter made a rule that he could put on whatever movie and no one could complain. To no ones surprise, it was Star Wars for the one hundredth million time. Everyone passed out in pure boredom except for Peter. He checked the time on his phone. 11:59. Great. His fate was about to be determined by a tattoo. He gently pushed MJ’s head off of his lap, before running over to his room, and sitting down on the bed. He didn’t realize how long a minute actually was until he sat there in his own silence.

What if it says MJ? It could happen. Maybe he’s just in a weird faze and doesn’t realize it. I mean, why else wouldn’t he have broken up with her by now? If he truly ‘loved’ you as he said he did, he would’ve tried to win you over already. But he hasn’t. So what the fuck where his feelings doing? Fucking feelings...they’re so annoying.

Peter checked the time again on his phone. 12:00.

He didn’t realize it was going to actually happen until he looked at the time.

God, shit, fuck, I’m not ready for this. Don’t be a pussy, Peter. You fight criminals for fucks sake. A tattoo won’t hurt you.

He kept mentally reassuring himself, before he finally took a good amount of air in, and held up his wrist in front of his face. His right eye slowly peeled open, and he saw the first letter. It wasn’t M. His other eye opened, and he felt his face drop the second he read the full thing.

Y/N.

It’s there. That’s her name. This is real. I can’t take this back. Holy fuck. Oh my god. Peter had no idea what to think. He actually convinced himself for a second he didn’t love you. But the ink on his wrist just said ‘fuck that’ and smashed his beliefs into a million pieces.

‘Who’s your soulmate?’

‘It’s...Brad Davis!’

He was your soulmate.

And you knew.

And you lied about it. You said it was Brad. That’s why you got mad when he said to stay away from him. That’s why he was mad when you said Brad was your soulmate. Because he was yours.

You lied. And you did it on purpose.

Peter felt hot and angry tears glossing his eyes as the gears turned in his head. All the puzzle pieces were clicking, and just created anger in him. He didn’t know if it was directed towards him for not noticing sooner, or at you for lying to him about this kind of thing. It was a mix, most likely.

Peter‘s spidey-sense tingled and his ears started ringing, which made him direct his head towards the doorway. His face paled when you saw you standing there, your arms wrapped around your body, and your eyes being slightly glossy like his. Peter stood up and flared at you, a scowl across his face. His reaction—something that you dreaded, made you swallow hard, and look down at the ground. He was definitely angry, something you knew was going to happen. Now that I was actually happening now, it was a hundred times more nerve wracking. Your anxiety was at an all time high, and you slowly turned around, facing the door. You placed your shaky hands on it, slowly pushing it shut before turning the lock on the knob.

“I-I think we need to talk...” you stuttered nervously. Peter could feel his fists clench shut, trying to contain his anger, before replying.

“Yeah. I think we do.”

———————————————————————

a/n: after a million centuries chapter 5 is FINALLY here. sorry for the long wait, i had a pretty bad two weeks...but I’m fine now, sooo

Taglist 🏷 (requests are open!)

@marvel4geeks @ladykxxx08 @chloecreatesfictions @joyleenl @witchything @pluckypete @yourneighbourhoodclown @whatareyouhidingpeter @elamvlfoy @trumpettay @pparkeramorr @naioimie

[kookiesjoonies]

rule breaker — jhs | part ten.

rule breaker | part ten: ramen & froyo.

a/n: this chapter is quite a few days late, but i literally had the worst case of writer’s block of my LIFE. i started this chapter, n then completely scrapped it. and i’m glad i did, bc the first draft was SHIT. LMAO. anyway, come talk to me abt hoseok n yn please. i want to hear your thoughts. especiallyyyy after this chapter! thank u all for reading! xo

main pairing: choreographer!hoseok x idol!reader

side ships: vmin, namkook

word count: 5.1k

warnings: fluff, angst, wet dream (dunno if that qualifies as a warning, but uhhh just in case lmaodskjd), masturbation, squirting

— SERIES SUMMARY

your career as an idol comes first, end of discussion. and to make sure that you stay on track, you implement two foolproof rules to abide by:

rule #1: no distractions. rule #2: no mixing business with pleasure.

and those rules seem simple enough to follow. that is, until you develop a crush on your new choreographer.

Dance practice was over and you felt like you’d just run a marathon. No, wait, scratch that. You felt like you’d run five marathons. Dancing with Hoseok was no joke. He always pushed you to work harder, to do better. And any time you were convinced you couldn’t perfect a move, he’d encourage you and offer you a thousand reasons as to why you could.

Both of you were drenched in sweat. Your grey crop top soaked and dark in certain areas, perhaps revealing a bit too much of what was underneath. Hoseok’s hair was sticky and wet against his forehead, and he’d pushed it back since practice ended.

You’d have been stupid to ignore just how attractive such a simple gesture made him look. Still, you tried your hardest to push such thoughts out of your mind. You shouldn’t be thinking of him in such a way. But you blamed it on the sensual dance routine that you’d just completed with him.

Jimin was just supposed to be late to practice, but he ended up having to skip it all together. Which meant that every single sexy move you were supposed to do with your best friend, you’d done with Hoseok instead.

At first, it was awkward. You didn’t know where to put your hands, and he was hesitant to put his on your body as well. Eventually though, the two of you relaxed into one another. The feeling of his fingertips on the bare skin of your hips was exhilarating, as well as the feeling of his length being pressed against your ass while you pushed back against him.

The way that he watched you in the mirror, the way way his pupils had clearly dilated, sent immediate relief washing over you. You weren’t the only one affected by the routine the two of you were performing. But at the end of the day, it was just that. A performance.

And that’s what you’d keep telling yourself, even if deep down, you didn’t believe it even for a second.  

“Well, I don’t know about you,” Hoseok began, lifting the bottom of his muscle tank top up to his face to wipe the beads of sweat trickling down, “but I worked up quite the appetite.”

Your eyes shot down to admire his perfectly sculpted abs that were practically begging for your touch, your tongue poking out to wet your lips at the delicious sight.

“Y/n?” Hoseok was speaking again, this time albeit a little louder, which snapped you out of your trance.

Embarrassed, your neck straightened up so that you could now look at the man towering above you face to face. And you willed your cheeks not to turn red, hoping and praying that he didn’t catch you checking him out.

“Huh?” That was all you could muster up, unsure of what he’d even said to begin with.

To your surprise, he offered you a chuckle in response.

“I said I was hungry. You want to go grab lunch?”

The two of you’d never hung out outside of the studio before, so you were a little taken aback by his suggestion.

He could sense your hesitation, and he stuttered as he tried to play it off nonchalantly.

“Or, uhm— we don’t—, we don’t have to. I just figured—“

You cut him off, a small smile creeping it’s way onto your face. He really was adorable when he rambled.

“Hobi, we can get lunch. I just wish I didn’t have to go out in public looking so gross.” You were half joking, half serious.

Your hair felt greasy, you weren’t wearing any makeup, and your athletic clothes were sweaty and sticky. So, you were definitely not fit to be seen in public at the moment.

“You don’t look gross.” Hoseok was quick to reassure you, matching your smile with a wide one of his own.

“No?” You asked, wanting him to compliment you one more time. Even though, you weren’t sure why you wanted him to do so so badly.

“Nope!” he shook his head, “you look like you’ve been working hard.”

You internally groaned. Not exactly the kind of compliment you were hoping for, but it would do, you supposed.

“In that case, did you have a place in mind for lunch? Or..?”

“There’s this place down the street that has the best cooked ramen!” you found it adorable, the way he was so enthusiastic even while talking about food, “Is that okay? I mean— do, uhm— do you like ramen?”

A tiny giggle left your mouth before you could stop it, and you offered him a quick nod of your head.

“I love ramen.”

“Great!” he grinned, “let’s go then!”

Turns out, Hoseok was right. This place did have the best ramen. You were sure you could slurp up at least ten bowls of it.

Your choreographer was sitting across from you at the small round table. The place was quaint, small, and yet surprisingly busy. Various K-Pop songs boomed through the speakers overhead, and the hustle and bustle of the restaurant workers never seemed to cease. The sound of the other diners mumbling bounced off of the walls, and the aroma of the foods being cooked in the kitchen were to die for.

“So,” Hoseok spoke up after practically inhaling a few bites of his ramen, “do you like the place?”

You didn’t hesitate in answering, “Yes! I can’t believe it’s been so close to the studio for so long and I never knew about it.”

“You’re welcome.” He winked at you, a playful gesture that for some reason, had your heart doing flips in your chest.

You gathered a small bunch of noodles with your chopsticks, bringing them up to shove the food into your mouth.

“Aren’t you nervous people will recognize you?” Hoseok questioned, taking a sip of the soda that was sitting beside of his bowl.

You shrugged, chewing and swallowing the bite you’d just taken before answering him.

“It’s just part of the gig, you know?”

“No,” he admitted, “I don’t know. How do you do it? How do you deal with people constantly invading your privacy?”

“It’s not easy,” you answered honestly, “but I’ve been doing it for almost six years now, so. I’d like to think I’ve gotten used to it.”

“You handle it well. The way you carry yourself, even with all of the pressure you’re under, it’s admirable. And the fact that you’re so— so kind, so down to earth, even with the millions of fans you have.. it’s amazing, really.”

His series of seemingly never ending compliments were successful in creating flutters in your stomach. You were sure your cheeks and the tips of your ears were tinted pink, and your spine tingled as you happily took in every single one of his words.

“Hobi,” you couldn’t hide the grin that was now plastered across your face, “you’re too sweet.”

This time, it was Hoseok’s turn to blush. You’d said something so simple, yet it had the apples of his cheeks tinged red. He’d hoped you hadn’t noticed. But you did, which only made you want to continue your compliments further. If it meant seeing him like that, all flustered and shy, you’d compliment him twenty four hours, seven days a week.

Even if, technically, you shouldn’t be trying to make him blush. But at that exact moment, you couldn’t be bothered to give a single fuck.

“I mean it,” you continued, swirling the few remaining noodles around in the bowl below you, “you’re so kind to me, always. You have no idea how much I appreciate it.”

He glanced away from you then, turning his attention to watch the waiters walk in and out of the kitchen. You didn’t miss the dark shade of red that had taken over his entire face. And yeah, you found it undeniably adorable.

Before you could say anything else to him, a familiar sounding song blared from the sound system above you. You couldn’t help but to laugh, shaking your head as you listened to the low beat of take me.

Hoseok faced you again, a smirk present as his ears perked up to listen.

“Hey, that sounds kind of familiar.”

“Never heard this song before in my life.”

You kept a straight face, for the most part. But Hoseok didn’t miss the glimmer of playfulness in your eyes.

“Ahh,” he decided to play along, finishing up the last few bites of his meal, “a shame you haven’t heard it. The artist who sings it, she’s truly something special. Insanely talented, an incredible dancer.”

“Maybe she’s just an ‘incredible dancer’ because she has such a good teacher.”

“Nope!” he was quick to shut you down, “she’s talented because she’s hardworking and she never settles for anything but the best.”

If you didn’t know better, you could’ve sworn he was flirting with you. And maybe he was. Or, maybe you just wanted him to be? But then, why did you want him to be? Your brain was scrambled, too many thoughts running a million miles a minute.

The sound of footsteps approaching your table pulled you out of your own head, and standing before you was a tall, lean yet muscular man with dark hair. He had a freckle just under his bottom lip, which you were quick to note was quite cute. You assumed he was a fan, but as soon as he addressed the man sitting in front of you as Hobi, you quickly realized he was here for him and not you.

“Here’s that movie you wanted to borrow.” The younger boy handed a disk over to his friend, and you watched the exchange curiously.

“Ahhh! Thank you, Jungkookie! I’ve been wanting to see this for ages!” Hoseok quickly stuffed the film into his bag at his feet.

“Hmm,” you observed, tapping your manicured nails on the top of the table, “Jungkook, I presume?”

He seemed shock at the mention of his name. Or rather, at the sound of familiarity laced in your tone.

“Uhm, yeah..?” he cocked an eyebrow, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket.

Your attention turned to Hoseok, and you pointed a finger at Jungkook.

“Is he the one who thinks I’m a diva?”

Hoseok had a mouthful of soda, and damn near did a spit take at your obvious call out.

“You told her?!” Jungkook slapped his hyung’s shoulder, and you watched as Hoseok soothed the abused spot with his hand.

“It just slipped!” The older male was quick to defend himself, and you couldn’t help but to laugh at the whole ordeal.

“Guys,” you said, “it’s fine! Jungkook, I’m sorry that you think I’m a diva. I’d like to think I’m not, but your own opinions can’t be helped.”

“She is not a diva, I promise. She’s anything but.”

You couldn’t help but to smile wide at the sound of Hoseok defending your name.

Jungkook rubbed the back of his neck nervously, “Ahhh, I shouldn’t be so quick to judge, or to assume. I don’t even know you. I apologize.”

He bowed in front of you, and you waved him off.

“I promise, it’s fine,” you assured him, “I accept your apology. Any friend of Hoseok’s is a friend of mine.”

He sighed, relieved.

“In that case, could you get Jimin’s autograph for me? I’m like, his biggest fan.”

Hoseok groaned before bringing the palm of his hand up and dragging it down his face. You just laughed, nodding your head once in response.

“I’ll see what I can do. You should come by the studio with Hobi sometime, you’ll probably run into Jimin there.”

“Really?!” He lit up like a kid in a candy store, and it seemed as though his older friend had had enough.

“Okay!” Hoseok said, shooing Jungkook away from the table, “You’ve fulfilled your purpose of dropping off the movie. Thank you!”

“Awww, but hyung!” Jungkook pouted, “I was hoping I could join the two of you, and you know, tell her a secret of yours since you told her one of mine.”

You perked up in your seat, gaze shifting to Hoseok as you eyed him curiously.

“What secret?” You asked, hearing Jungkook snicker to your side.

“Ignore him.” Hoseok groaned.

“Alright, alright. I’ll leave,” Jungkook held his hands up in front of him in defeat, “but you should tell her, is all I’m saying.”

“Tell me what?” You asked, intrigued and confused all at the same time.

Hoseok shook his head.

“Nothing, he’s just an idiot,” he insisted, laughing the entire situation off, “we should uhm— grab froyo after this, if you’re not busy, I mean.”

“Ugh, the key to my heart.”

He smiled at your immediate acceptance, flagging your waiter down and digging in his pocket for his wallet.

You did the same, unzipping your purse to retrieve your credit card.

“No, no, Y/n. I got it! My treat.”

“Hoseok, I can’t let you—“

Before you could argue further, the waiter was walking away with Hoseok’s money. He was unbelievable.

He paid for froyo, too. Despite your arguing.

The two of you were walking along the river, enjoying your cups of frozen treats. It was spring, nearly summer, so the weather was just right. The sun was shining beautifully on the water beside you, not a cloud to be found in the sky. It truly was a beautiful day.

“It doesn’t shock me that your favorite color is yellow.” You started, dipping your spoon into your birthday cake flavored yogurt.

“Why not?” Hoseok retorted, bringing a spoonful of his own dessert up and to his lips.

“Because it’s a bright, happy color. And you are a bright, happy person.”

He flashed you that big, toothy grin that you’d grown to adore so much.

“Alright then, what’s your favorite color?”

“Red.” You answered without hesitation.

He shook his head, quiet laughter exuding from his throat.

“What’s so funny?”

“Nothing,” he insisted, “red just matches your personality perfectly.”

You cocked a brow, licking a bite of froyo from the spoon.

“How do you figure?”

“You’re full of fire, full of passion. A force to be reckoned with, you go head first into everything that you do and you don’t stop until you’ve achieved your goal.”

“You got all of that from the color red?”

“Mhm.” He just nodded at you, his smile never once faltering. Your damn heart was doing the flipping thing again and you feared it would leap right out of your chest if he looked at you like that for a second longer.

“Okay,” you said, dipping your spoon into the bowl, “you have to try this. It’s so good.”

You lifted the plastic utensil up to his mouth, and he only hesitated for a moment for allowing the sensation of birthday cake flavor to flood his taste buds. His eyes lit up, and his tone was enthusiastic.

“Mmm! That is good! I’m not usually a giant fan of cake flavored things, but I’d eat that.”

You fake gasped, bringing your free hand over your chest.

“How dare you! Birthday cake is the best flavor!”

“Pffft, no way!” he was quick to shut you down, gulping down another bite of his own treat, “brownie batter is. Here, you try.”

He was bringing his spoon up to your lips in an instant, and you poked your tongue out to give it a test lick. Usually, chocolate flavored ice cream wasn’t your favorite. But this was incredible.

“Aww, man! I like yours better!” You pouted, and Hoseok’s heart sank at the sight.

He knew you were being playful, but still, he couldn’t help himself.

“Here,” he held out his bowl to you, “we can trade.”

You shook your head, refusing the gesture, “I can’t take your food!”

“Yes you can! Please, for me. I want you to enjoy this.” His voice was kind, sincere. How could you say no to that?

“Only if you’re sure.” You said, hesitantly switching your bowl out for his.

“I’m sure.” He smiled at you again, and you felt like you’d been grounded down to the earth once and for all.

You didn’t make it home until the sun was about to set. Having too much fun with Hobi, you decided you could afford to stay out for a bit. He really was wonderful company, he seemed to make even the simplest of things fun. You’d hoped you’d get to hang out with him like that again in the future, the near future, to be exact. It was different than when the two of you were in the studio.

There, you were working. But today, you were out having lunch and enjoying spending casual time together. It felt like it went on forever, yet not nearly as long as you hoped it would last all at the same time.

However, you were happy to finally be in the comfort of your own home. Practice had kicked your ass today, and you were exhausted, grimy, and in desperate need of a shower and a nap.

Taehyung wasn’t home either, so you were home alone and excited by that fact. Very rarely did you ever have time to yourself and yourself alone. Except, you weren’t alone. And you didn’t know that until you walked into your master bedroom and saw Jimin sprawled out on your bed.

He nearly gave you a damn heart attack, had you shrieking like a banshee and clutching your chest.

“Jimin! What the fuck?!”

“It’s your fault for giving me a key.” He was flipping through a magazine, unfazed as ever.

“You could’ve texted me and told me you were coming over!” You scolded, and he just grinned.

“Where’s the fun in that?”

“I hate you sometimes.”

“Liar.”

You walked further into your room as you rolled your eyes, picking up a pillow and tossing it forcefully at his head.

“Hey!” He whined.

“Why did you show up here unannounced?” You questioned, lying down beside of him on your king sized bed.

“Wanted to see how practice went.” He turned the page, and you peered over his shoulder to see what he was reading. Of course it was a fashion magazine.

“Fine.” You answered simply, and your best friend was shutting the catalog instantly.  

“Damn, one syllable is all I get? Must’ve been better than I thought.” His smile was mischievous, and you had half a mind to smack it right off of his face.

“We danced. I learned the routine, and you did not. Which means you’ll have to work extra hard trying to catch up tomorrow.”

He rolled his eyes, knowing exactly what you were trying to do.

“Dude, shut up. You know I could learn it in my sleep, and you also know the ‘routine’ isn’t what I’m asking about.”

“Jimin,” you groaned, “don’t start.”

“Was it hot? Did you get off on grinding on Hoseok?” He wiggled his brows, and you flicked his nose with your thumb and middle finger.

“Ow!” He cried out, bringing a hand up to rub over the sore spot you’d just created.

“Don’t ask stupid shit like that.”

“Come on, Y/n. It’s me. You can talk to me about this shit.” He tried to convince you, and somewhere inside of you, you wanted to.

Because yeah, maybe you did get aroused from Hoseok’s hands on your ass. And maybe you did get a little wet when you were grinding against his thigh.

But who wouldn’t have? He was a fairly attractive man, after all. It didn’t mean anything. At least, that’s what you kept telling yourself.

“I’m going to take a shower.” You quickly changed the subject, swinging your legs over the side of the bed.

Jimin couldn’t help but to roll his eyes.

“You’re so fucking stubborn.”

“I know. Are you spending the night?”

You heard him sigh, a sad sigh that made your heart clench.

“I would, but... I don’t want to make Tae uncomfortable.”

“I get it. But you’re welcome to stay, you know that. This house is plenty big enough, and we always hang out in my room anyways.”

“Yeah, I know. But I’ve already pissed him off, or whatever. I’m sure me staying here would just add to that.”

You frowned, wishing that you could do something, or say anything to ease his obvious hurt.

“I love you, Chim.”

“Love you.”

Normally, you’d stay up until at least midnight. Tonight, however, you were exceptionally exhausted and were lying in bed by nine.

Your satin sheets felt extra comfortable underneath you, and your eyelids were heavy. Friends played on the big, wall mounted television in front of you, and the sound of your air conditioner running was lulling you right to sleep. Before you knew it, you were slipping into a state of blissful unconsciousness.

You weren’t sure how you’d ended up in Hoseok’s apartment. And you definitely weren’t sure how you’d ended up nearly naked underneath him on his couch. You were squirming below his touch, his blunt fingernails lightly scraping down your stomach, leaving goosebumps in their wake.

His hips were rutting into yours, Hoseok’s hardened length rubbing along your soaked, clothed core. You were a moaning mess, slews of curses and praises spilled out of your mouth, letting him know that you were fucking loving everything that he was giving you.

“Hoseok, please don’t stop.” Your voice was quiet, barely above a whisper as you clutched onto his back in an attempt to keep yourself grounded. You felt like you were floating, like you were in a completely different time and place.

“God, I’ve waited so long for this,” he was growling lowly into your ear, his fingers descending south and flicking the thin strap of your thong against your hip, “waited so long for you.”

You yelped at the feeling of the string stinging your skin, your shriek turning into a whiny moan as you felt his hand begin to slip into your panties. You couldn’t wait for him to finally be where you needed him most. You didn’t care if his fingers were inside of you, his tongue, or his cock. You just needed some part of him filling you up. You needed it in the same way that you needed oxygen to survive, and you feared that you would die if he didn’t touch you right here, right now.

His head was hovering above yours now, and you were sure he was about to lean in for a kiss. Which had your pussy clenching around nothing. It had just occurred to you that you’d never kissed him, and all you wanted was to taste him. You were sure he’d taste delicious, sickeningly sweet.

Instead of his lips pressing against yours, though, they parted. And he began repeating your first name over and over again like a mantra, gradually getting louder and louder as the seconds ticked by.

One final yell of your name had your eyelids shooting open, the sound of Hoseok’s voice being replaced by the low tone of your brother’s. You blinked once, and then two more times for good measure. It took you a whole minute to realize that you were at home. In your bedroom, not in your choreographer’s apartment.

“Tae?” your voice was groggy, “what time is it?”

“Past ten. I could hear you from down the hall, it sounded like you were in pain so I came to check on you,” he said, cocking his head to the side as he stared down at you, “must’ve been one hell of a nightmare.”

Embarrassment immediately came over you, and you were thankful for the dark lighting of the room because you were sure your face was similar to the color of a tomato.

“Yeah— uh, just a... bad dream. I’m good.”

“If you’re sure.” His voice was laced with genuine concern, and you almost laughed. Such a protective older brother.

“I’m good, Tae. Swear.”

He nodded, mumbling a goodnight to you before turning to leave your bedroom.

You called out to him before he could shut the door.

“Hey, wait a second!”

“Yeah?” He was confused again, and you worried your lower lip before you spoke.

You weren’t usually one to meddle in his personal life, but this time, you felt like you had to. Or, that you at least had to try.

“You need to talk to Jimin. He thinks he made you upset, or mad. At the very least, you should tell him you aren’t angry with him.”

“Noted.”

That was all he said before he was shutting your door, and you couldn’t stop the dramatic roll of your eyes. Typical Taehyung.

You pushed your hair back and out of your face, grimacing as you felt the beads of sweat pooling on your forehead. In your half asleep state, you’d almost forgotten what you’d been dreaming about. You let out a groan as the images flashed through your memory.

Not only were you dreaming about Hoseok, but it was a wet dream. Surely, you hadn’t actually gotten aroused by it.

You bit down on your bottom lip before sliding your hand underneath your duvet, pressing your fingers against your underwear to test for any dampness. You gasped as you were greeted with soaked panties, hissing through your teeth as your fingertips barely grazed over your clit.

Before you really knew what you were doing, your hips were bucking up and into your hand. You pushed the cotton fabric to the side, letting your middle finger drag along your slick folds. You sighed at the feeling, your head tilting back as your eyes screwed shut. It was almost unbelievable how drenched you were just from a fucking dream. And a dream about your fucking choreographer, to beat it all.

You moaned at the images of Hoseok during practice earlier flooded your mind. He was so hot, and so sweaty. The way his fingers curled around your thighs had you wondering what it would feel like if he was the one touching you right now instead of yourself.

Maybe it was wrong, but you didn’t care. You kept yourself focused on Hoseok as you used your middle finger to circle around your throbbing bundle of nerves, whines and praises of his name slipping out of your mouth.

You dipped a finger down to tease your slit, imagining the entire time that it was him. You slipped a single digit into your heat and keened at the sensation. Hoseok’s fingers were much longer than yours, and you were sure he could have you cumming with them in no time.

Still, you decided to work with what you had and began to fuck into yourself until you were knuckle deep. You added a second finger and moaned at the stretch, your thighs beginning to shake already.

“Fuck, Hoseok!”

You picked up the pace of your fingers, curling once you found that spot that drove you absolutely mad. Using your free hand, you allowed your index and middle fingers to vigorously rub at your clit.

It was too much, too soon. Your walls contracted around your fingers, and your legs convulsed. Your thighs were trying to squeeze together and you were arching off the bed as you felt your lower stomach knot up, fire spreading from head to toe and making your toes curl.

Your orgasm hit so hard that you were practically screaming, Hoseok’s name being the only word left in your vocabulary. This was harder than any orgasm you’d had in a long time, and you could feel your juices squirting out and all over your hand and wrist. You squealed at the feeling, using your fingers to fuck yourself through your high.

Your breathing was erratic, and stars were circling above your head. You groaned as you pulled your hands away from your cunt, wincing at the emptiness.

An arm rested over your eyes as you attempted to stop panting. Slowly, you felt like you were back on earth again and the black dots you were seeing went away.

There was no fucking way that just happened. You did not get off while thinking of Hoseok.

You were furious. And you wished that you were mad at yourself, but the only reason you were angry was because you’d had to get yourself off. You wished it would’ve been him doing it instead.

Against your better judgement, you grabbed your phone off of your nightstand. It was eleven now, and although Hoseok was sure to be asleep, you needed to hear his voice. For what reason? You weren’t sure. Either way, you were scrolling through your contacts to find his name, pressing the call button with a bit too much enthusiasm.

When he answered the phone, his voice was raspy, deeper than usual. You were right, he’d been asleep.

“Hello?”

“Uhm, hi.” You said, voice shy and almost inaudible.

“Y/n? What time is it? Is everything okay?” He sounded worried.

“I’m okay! Uhh, it’s past eleven. I’m sorry for waking you, I didn’t mean to.” 

Yes you did.

He was beginning to sound a bit more awake now, and you heard him yawn on the other line.

“It’s alright, I just wasn’t expecting you to call. Or, call this late.”

“Yeah..”

It was silent for a few seconds, neither of you knowing quite what to say. You couldn’t exactly tell him that you’d just made yourself squirt to the thought of him. And he wasn’t about to tell you that he was glad you called.

“What are you doing up?”

“Uhm—“ you stumbled, trying to come up with any excuse other than the truth, “I couldn’t sleep.”

You heard him chuckle, and it was as if all of your worries and nervousness evaporated at the sound of his laughter.

“Not that I’m not flattered, but.. why did you call me because you couldn’t sleep?”

You groaned internally. Why did he have to ask such questions?

“I just... I don’t know. I wanted to talk to you, is all, I guess.”

“Okay.” He seemed satisfied with your answer, and you sighed in relief.

“Hobi?”

“Hmm?”

“Will you FaceTime me until I fall asleep?”

As badly as you longed to see him in person, you figured that this would do for now.

“Absolutely.”

He was calling you instantly, and you smiled as soon as you laid eyes on him. His hair was disheveled from sleeping, and his cheeks were a bit puffy. Suddenly, the other side of your bed felt a bit too empty. And you wondered what it would feel like if he were laying beside of you.

↼ masterlist ⇀

a/n: if you’d like to be added to the tag list, just send me an ask, message, or reply to this post! let me know what you think of the series, i love hearing your feedback. enjoy! xo

tag list: @ppersonna @neouihobi @vanteatj1n @55west81st @jjiminah @cesthoney @vaehyungsworld @ggukiyo @devotedlywriting @consensual-trashtalk @w1tchcraftt @threedecadesofawkward @chocobetterknot @americano-sprite @yoongisabby @hobi-love @justpeachyjoon @excuseme-youpretty @sunkissed725 @amoreguk @koostime @cobbiebaexqueen @imluckybitches @taefect94 @parkmaeri​ @bts-7-forever​ @gukniverse​ @untainted-memories​

a/n: tumblr won’t let me tag certain people for whatever reason. so if you’ve asked to be tagged and don’t see your name, that’s why! i apologize. :/

[mikrokyla]

I read your Oneshot stories..I read all of it..Actually i fall in love with your story and Thank you for writing all of this story..Miya Atsumu,Sakusa Kiyoomi,Sugawara Koushi and Oikawa Tooru..i hope you will release another story..I hope one day you will release a story about Semi Eita from Shiratorizawa..Actually if your request still open..I want a story about Semi Eita take care of his girlfriend that badly injured when playing Volleyball at National..I hope you have a nice day and Love you

hdjahskaja you’re so sweet thank you sm 💗 also thanks for the request, here you go!!

take care; semi eita

request: semi taking care of his injured girlfriend

masterlist

Semi’s foot taps on the ground rapidly, tightly clutching the phone in his hand.

‘Their game should be over, why hasn’t she texted me back yet?’

“Semi-Semi! Look at him, all worried about his girlfriend!” His teammate Tendou exclaims.

“Stop calling me that! And I’m not worried, I’m just… concerned.” Semi replies.

“That’s the same thing.”

His lips form into a pout and he sighs. “Y/n just hasn’t texted me yet. I’m pretty sure her match should be done by now.”

“Well we have a match like really soon, so don’t worry about it. I’m sure she’s fine, Semi.” Shirabu says, patting his back. Semi nods his head, but that doesn’t stop him from worrying.

As they enter the gym for their next match at the Nationals, Semi can’t help but scan the audience, looking for you.

‘Maybe she wants to surprise me?’

After searching the audience multiple times, he gives up and just continues warming up with his teammates for their game. When Semi goes over to the ball cart to get another volleyball, Shirabu asks:

“Hey, isn't that girl the setter for Shiratorizawa’s girls’ volleyball team?”

Semi immediately looks up, hopeful that his girlfriend is with her, but it’s just her. Oddly though, the girl is nervously staring straight at him. “Why is she looking at me like that?”

Shirabu shrugs then calls the girl over. “Hey, you, setter for the girls’ team—do you know where Y/n is?”

The girl quickly walks towards them, eyeing their scary coach. “Um, yeah. I came here to tell Semi that Y/n is at the infirmary, she got injured during our game.”

They both look at Semi, looking for a reaction from him. He’s quietly staring at the girl, definitely shocked. Suddenly he yells out, causing both teams on the court to turn their attention to him:

“INJURED?! ARE YOU SERIOUS?! WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME THAT SOONER?!”

“Don’t yell at her, Semi! Just relax! How badly injured is she anyways?”

“She sprained her ankle pretty badly.”

“Okay, listen Semi, you’re going to pretend she said ‘It was a minor accident, she’ll be in tip-top shape after your game’ and calm yourself down.”

“How am I supposed to stay calm when my girlfriend is badly injured and I can’t be there to comfort her?!” Semi snaps back at Shirabu.

Shirabu sighs. “We have a game in like 5 minutes, we can’t go to the infirmary now. You have to wait until we finish this match.”

“What’s up with you two, you guys are being loud and not practicing, coach is gonna yell at you guys.” Tendou says, walking up to them.

Shirabu turns to the girl. “You should go now before our coach yells at us and make sure to comfort Y/n while Semi can’t.”

“I get it! I can’t help Y/n right now! You don’t have to say it out loud!” Semi blabbers, grabbing a ball and dragging Tendou to practice with him.

“I was just- nevermind, I don’t feel like arguing with you.” Shirabu shakes his head and follows after them to continue practicing too. So, the match starts and all Semi can think about is you. Laying in the infirmary. With a badly sprained ankle.

The result of his constant worry, they won their match very quickly, completely destroying the other team. As soon as their coach finishes talking to the team, Semi immediately leaves the gym and runs towards the infirmary to see you.

He enters the room and quickly runs up to you, holding your hand. “Oh my gosh, Y/n, are you okay? What happened? How did you sprain your ankle? Tell me, please. I was so worried about you.”

“I’m okay, love.” You reply, but the small pout and puppy eyes on his face doesn’t convince him otherwise. “I’m serious, I just landed on the ground in a bad way and sprained my ankle. Even though I won’t be able to play for a bit, I’ll be okay.”

Semi sighs and brings your hand up to his lips, kissing your knuckles. Then he stands up and walks to the end of the bed, checking out your ankle. “Does it hurt when I apply pressure on it?”

“A bit.”

“Can you walk?” He asks, returning back to your side and holding your hand. “Have you tried?”

“I can't really walk, it hurts when I put all my weight on it.”

He nods his head. “Are you allowed to leave? I can take you home so you can rest better, if you want.”

“I think I’m allowed to leave, it really wasn’t that bad.”

“You can barely walk and you’re not allowed to play until it heals. It is bad. Actually, any injury you get is bad, love.”

You smile and pat his head. “You’re so cute. Do you wanna leave now?”

“Sure. I’ll just tell the nurse that we’re gonna leave for you—Do you need help getting up? Do you want me to carry you?”

“No. Don’t carry me. I got it. Just go inform the nurse.” You quickly reply. To be honest, you really were injured badly, but you’re afraid your boyfriend might worry about you too much so you just say you’re okay. You quietly sit up and move your legs, slowly getting off the bed and trying to stand up.

You attempt to walk on your own, but the pain hits and you stumble. Semi is quick to notice and rushes to hold you up for balance. “Woah, careful. Are you okay?” He gently rubs your cheek back and forth with his thumb, his other hand wrapped around your waist to support you.

You blush and nod your head. “Yeah, let’s go now?”

“Yeah. Put your arm around my neck, I’ll hold you while we walk outside.”

“Eita, I don’t think-“

“No, I’m helping you, I don’t care what you say.”

Yeah. He literally helps you and cares for you nonstop. A day or two after your injury, instead of doing anything else, he’s taking care of you. You watch Semi carefully place the ice pack over your ankle and then cover you up with fluffy blankets.

“Is it too hot? Is the blanket okay? Do you want me to take it off?”

“No, it’s okay. You should rest, you’ve been helping me all day.”

“I’m not tired though.” Semi says. He sits next to you and kisses you on the lips. “And of course I’m helping you, you need to get better quickly.”

“Why do I need to get better quickly?” You ask, smiling.

“So I can take you out on more dates.” He smiles and continues kissing you. You laugh and proceed to kiss him back, but after a few minutes of kissing he suddenly pulls away and asks, “Oh yeah, what do you wanna eat? Do you want me to order something? Or maybe even make something—I don’t really know how to cook but I can try.”

“Um, I have instant ramen you can easily make. Can you cook two please? One for me and you.”

“Mhm.” Semi nods his head and leaves the room to make ramen. He searches the kitchen for the ramen packets, muttering to himself. “Where is the ramen?”

“It’s in that cabinet, Eita.” You say, dragging yourself towards him.

His eyes widen seeing you walk towards him and immediately runs up to you. “Hey, what are you doing out of bed—you shouldn’t be walking, you might hurt yourself.”

“It’s okay, I got it.”

“Are you sure? Don’t be hard on yourself, okay? I don’t want you to be in any more pain than you’re already in.” Semi says, worried. He puts his arms around your waist and pulls you close so you can relax in his arms. “Do you wanna sit down?”

“I’m fine in your arms.” You say with a smile. He sighs and blushes then gives you a quick kiss on your forehead, pulling you into a hug after. “You’re the best boyfriend ever, did you know that love?”

“Yeah, whatever—sit down now so I can make ramen.” Semi changes the subject, flustered. He helps you sit down then returns to the kitchen to make ramen. Once he’s finished, he brings both bowls to the table and instead of eating, he’s trying to feed you.

“I can feed myself, Eita.”

“I want to feed you though.” He says, pouting.

“No, your ramen is going to get cold.” You take the spoon from him and take a bite of the ramen yourself, Semi watching you quietly. “Go eat, love.”

“Alright. You sure you don’t need help?”

“Yes, I’m sure I don’t need help.”

“Well do you want anything to drink? Water? Juice? Soda?” Semi asks, standing up.

“Love, just don’t worry about it and sit down with me. You need to eat too.”

“But-“

“No, sit down and eat or else I’ll kick you out.”

Semi sits down, frowning. “That’s mean.”

For a while, you guys actually eat peacefully without Semi trying to take care of you every five seconds and it’s literally killing him because all he wants to do is help you.

“Do you-“

“No.”

“You don’t even know what I was going to ask.”

“Well what were you going to ask?” You look at him. He stares at you for a few minutes then sighs, looking down at his bowl.

“Do you need a new ice pack for your ankle…”

“Eita, stop worrying about me, you’re going to make me go crazy—I’m fine!” You groan.

“I can't help it.. I just want to make sure you’re not in pain.” He whines.

“Well I’m not in pain, so don’t worry, okay?” You place your hand over his and give it a tight squeeze for reassurance. “What will happen if you get sick cause you’re too busy taking care of me, hm? You won’t be able to play at the Nationals.”

“Okay fine. I won’t take care of you as much but I’ll still take care of you, okay?”

“No-“

“No, Y/n. You can’t stop me from not helping you. You have no choice.” Semi says and kisses your hand. He smiles. “Love you.”

You sigh because you know you really can’t stop him so you just reply, “I love you too. Finish your ramen now.”

Semi continues eating his ramen then glances at you and says, “You too, so we can make out on the bed again.”

“Yuck.” You joke, making him pout. You laugh seeing his pout and reply, “I’m just kidding. Oh, by the way, my friend told me you were panicking like crazy when she told you I was injured.”

“Of course I did.”

“You’re so cute.” Semi blushes, but he pretends like you didn’t say anything. You continue teasing him. “Were you really worrying about me in front of your teammates? That’s so cute.”

“Whatever.”

“Aw, I have such a cute boyfriend, so cute.”

“Love, stop it.” Semi groans, covering his face.

“You’re blushing, that’s adorable.”

Semi peeks at you then blushes more. “Stop.”

The teasing goes on for a while because he knows he can’t do anything about it, but mainly it’s because it makes you smile so he just leaves you be. He’s that thoughtful and it’s the reason why you fell for him honestly. After cleaning up and settling comfortably in bed (and a few minutes of making out), you both cuddle together in bed.

“You have a game tomorrow, right?”

“Yeah. I’ll come over right after though.”

You open your mouth to reply, but remember he’s just going to keep denying and come over anyways.

“See. You can’t stop me.”

“Alright, go home now, I’m kicking you out.”

“Wait what, why?”

“Because you’re going to have to get up early so I want you to sleep well.” You sit up and start to get out of bed.

“Wait, stay in bed, you might have trouble trying to get back if you walk me out. I’ll just leave on my own, stay here and take care, okay? I’ll come over right after my game.” He gives you a kiss on the lips before leaving and says, “Bye bye, I love you. Text me, okay?”

“Bye. I love you too.”

As soon as Semi leaves, you smile and sigh because he really is the best and most caring boyfriend you can ever ask for. And to Semi, you’re also the best girlfriend he can ever ask for, so it’s just instinct that he makes sure you’re always okay. So, for at least a week, it’s a routine for Semi to come over almost everyday to take care of you until you fully recover from your injury.

When you do recover, it makes him very happy because he can take you out on dates like he said and it’s just the cutest thing ever. Even though you recovered, Semi still makes sure you’re okay and worries you might injure yourself 24/7, but there’s no stopping him and that’s fine.

As long as you’re okay that’s all that matters to him.

end. 2,177 words.

masterlist

[m6p2s5gziax8]

Deconstructing Season 3 Jim Hopper

Note1 - I wrote this before the 2020.02.14 "Stranger Things 4 | From Russia with love" teaser. I'm glad they didn't try to drag out the "is Hopper really dead" question - he's 100% back! Note2 - Ok, now that so many of us are inside and ST4 is delayed, I'm going to finally post this and hope some folks find it interesting. Note3 - 6+ months later, I'm finally posting this for real, enjoy! :)

Please Read * !!! MASSIVE S3 SPOILERS !!! * I am a huge fan of Stranger Things and Jim Hopper. * This is a critical analysis of season 3 Jim Hopper, aka s3-Hop. * I would never want to sour anyone's enjoyment of the show or s3-Hop. * Please skip this essay if you enjoy s3-Hop! * If you viewed season 3 and thought "Hopper sure was different" or "Hopper wasn't enjoyable like in s1 and s2" then please read on!

uber-TL;DR * s3-Hopper was unbelievably and (for me) unenjoyably different from s1/s2 * for s4, my hope is this extreme character shift is acknowledged by Hopper to Mike, Eleven, and Joyce

longer-TL;DR There were many changes in Stranger Things with season 3: the mall, the bright color pallet, the love-quadrangle pitting El/Max vs Mike/Lucas, Dustin splitting off from the boys to join the Scoops Troop, and the campy, Scooby-Doo-esque Russian base plot. I can accept these changes and enjoy many of their elements.

But s3 brought one massive change that was not a new character, location, nemesis, or team combo: I felt Jim Hopper's character change was simply unbelievable and unenjoyable.

Sadly, I may be in a tiny minority that does not speak up or that critical comments about a beloved show get "black holed" by show boosters on social media. Many ST fans were sad and angry that Hopper appears to have died and the letter reading at the end of s3 was very dramatic and moving. So analysis, and especially criticism, of s3-Hop is frequently down-voted or not liked and thus not socialized.

This is an attempt to collect the thoughts of one very unhappy s1/s2-Hopper fan about s3-Hop. I hope readers will enjoy the long detailed analysis (sorry it is so long!) and I look forward to any comments and feedback.

FWIW, I'm a big Stranger Things fan and David Harbour is a great actor (even in s3) and a Good person IRL. I loved s1/s2 Jim Hopper and how he was written in the official book Darkness on the Edge of Town.

Here are some collected and reformatted writings I've done on Hopper and his s3 change. My fave ST character is Eleven so s3-Hop becoming so different and unenjoyable is particularly jarring for me.

s3-Hop was so different from s1/s2-Hop as to make it seem like he is a new character. Not only that, but I did not enjoy this new character who acts: * anxious * whiny * selfish * sarcastic * self-entitled * super-violent

Recall Hopper's pre-s3 history from s1, s2, and the official book Darkness on the Edge of Town: * volunteered for the military at 18 (not drafted) * 3 years combat in Vietnam, awarded Bronze Star * 2 years as a Hawkins policemen, marries, has a daughter * 6 years in New York City as a homicide detective * after his daughter dies, hits the bottle/pills, gets divorced * back in Hawkins as Chief of Police and dating women * goes into the Upside Down and literally brings Will back to life with Joyce * takes Eleven in, she runs away, they each apologize * Hop protects Eleven while she unloads at maximum to fend off the Mind Flayer and close the Gate * El goes to the Snow Ball dance and Mike comes over for 6 months to be with her (and smooch!)

Now look at s3-Hop - a very brief s3 timeline: * he's anxious, has no gravitas or authority - he gets advice from Joyce on El/Mike * the evening of s3e1, s3-Hop writes about "emotions" and how he's upset about change * Then s3-Hop continues writing wise words about life that are all read in s3e8 * AFTER writing why he's upset and these wise words, s3-Hop proceeds to act like a mega-jerk * he is gleeful when Eleven is upset that Mike is not coming over * s3-Hop bizarrely thinks whining to Joyce will make her like him * WORST OF ALL, s3-Hop does not say "daughter", "kid", "Eleven", or "El" from s3e2-s3e7

Hopper went from a mega-over-protective dad in s2 who was able to legally adopt Eleven right before the Snow Ball to a jarringly different character in s3. I can see s3-Hop making bad judgments and behaving badly but just not in this anxious/silly/immature way. Why not have him be brooding and angry? That would be consistent with s1/s2. I fear the writers wanted a whacky/silly/goofy characterization for s3-Hop so that's what we got instead.

I can not stress this point enough: Hopper went from being El's loving, protective parent to forgetting about her once he broke her and Mike apart.

At the start of s3e2, Hopper watching El being upset and storming into her room because she missed Mike, his smiling while eating cereal, and then gleefully singing while going to work is when I was broke and I thought: This is not my Hopper.

s3 Hopper and Eleven then Hopper forgets Eleven - an episodic timeline:

e1 - Hopper is anxious and unnerved by Mike visiting Eleven daily since it reduces s3-Hop's time with El e1 - Hopper lies to Mike about his Grandma being sick and then frightens him into not coming over

e2 - When Eleven is upset the next day about Mike not appearing, Hopper is joyful e2 - Note, the song played while s3-Hop is gleeful at Eleven's separation from Mike is the same one that was used when s2-Hop took El into his cabin and started cleaning it up. What a terrible ruination of a wonderful, charming moment from s2. When I hear "You Don't Mess Around with Jim" now I just think of how unhappy El was and how uncaring s3-Hop was of her feelings after he chased Mike away.

e3 - Hopper drives home drunk and enters the cabin yelling angrily only to burst in on El and Max with no Mike; s3-Hop is very happy e3 - Note, s3-Hop wrote in his letter the night before that he missed spending time with El so his accepting Max with El at the cabin is inconsistent with what he wrote.

e4 - Hop adventures with Joyce (no mention of Eleven)

e5 - Hop, Joyce, and now Alexei road trip on the way to Illinois e5 - Hop does not mention El but at the gas station Joyce is worried and calls Karen: JOY - Oh, hey, Karen, it's Joyce. Yeah, I... I'm just checking on Will. At the movies?

e6 - Alexei describes how the Russians are re-opening the Gate and Joyce quickly gets up: HOP - Where are you going? JOY - To call our children. e6 - Note, Joyce said "our children" so she is also worried for El while an indifferent Hop drinks vodka with Murray e6 - Hop calls the feds and afterwards sits down and lights a cigarette, then: JOY - So, now what? HOP - Now, we, uh... we wait. JOY - How long do we wait? HOP - As long as it takes. JOY - How can you just sit there being calm? HOP - I am not calm! JOY - Our kids are in danger! HOP - You said they were at the festival! JOY - Which is, like, ten minutes from the gate! HOP - What are you doing? Joyce? HOP - What are you doing? JOY - [she calls the feds again pressing them to hurry] e6 - Note, s3-Hop talks here (and in most of s3) with various combinations of sarcasm, exasperation, indifference, and irritation. Just hearing his tone is so unpleasant and jarringly different from s1/s2-Hop.

e7 - in the car ride home, Hopper sarcastically ridicules Joyce about her being concerned about the kids: HOP - Oh! Wait, that's right! We're on our way to rescue our children from the big, bad Fourth of July celebration! JOY - You know what, if you can't handle this, then just turn around and drop me off first. HOP - What are you gonna do? You gonna walk back to Hawkins? JOY - I will do anything if it gets me away from you!

e8 - FINALLY Hopper arrives at the Mall and holds Eleven while she drinks a soda and rests her wounded leg e8 - Inexplicably, Joyce agrees to go on a date with Hop before the climax when he disappears

Why did the Stranger Things writers change Jim Hopper so much and so negatively in s3?

I think the writers want us to enjoy (or experience in my case) a new, goofy, ha-ha, funny version of Hopper who: * can't parent a teenage girl dating a boy, * is chasing Joyce for a date and then a relationship while she is still grieving the loss of Bob, and * despite acting like a jerk "sacrifices" himself in the end.

Then, to cap the season off, we get gut punched emotionally by Eleven reading s3-Hop's letter.

The writers likely thought the viewers would fall into two groups: * s3-Hop likers who enjoy this new s3-Hop would be upset at his "death" and moved to tears by the letter * s3-Hop dislikers who were annoyed by s3-Hop would flip to likers because of his "sacrifice" and feel guilty so they are also moved to tears by the letter

But remember: the timing of s3-Hop writing the letter about emotions with sagely advice. He wrote it the end of s3e1, after getting advice from Joyce at the store and just before lying to and threatening Mike to break him up with El. I don't think the writers thought viewers would catch this since the letter is so dramatically read (awesome performances by David and Millie) way at the end of the season in s3e8 after s3-Hop disappeared.

Why did s3-Hop act so different from s1/s2 and so badly if he can write so openly and wisely in s3e1 about emotions in the letter?

Why does this dramatic character transition occur? * s1/s2-Hop - bad temper, apathetic, lackadaisical with a good heart and over-protective of Eleven * s3-Hop - anxious, whiny, sarcastic, immature, self-entitled, selfish and mocking of Joyce for worrying about the kids including El

The breaker with s3-Hop for me was his complete turn around regarding Eleven. For s3e1 his only interest was stopping Mike from coming over and taking up El's time which he wanted for himself. Once the breakup was achieved he was very happy despite El's obvious upset.

Note, after breaking up El/Mike we never see s3-Hop make Eggo extravaganzas or watch a western with Eleven like he said he yearned for in the letter. Nor does he mention it to Joyce after breaking El and Mike apart. He read El's note on the fridge and proceeded to adventure with Joyce, all the while whiny to her about wanting a relationship.

Joyce on three occasions showed concerned and called someone about "Will", "our children", and "Our kids" and finally she said to Hop "I will do anything if it gets me away from you" because of his mocking her concern. (That was my favorite line in s3! - Joyce is so awesome)

After breaking up Mike and Eleven, from e4 to e7 Hopper did not show concern or caring about his adopted daughter. It was not until s3e8 in the Mall when Hop is seen holding El while she sips a soda and later he talks to her and is loving and supportive.

Is this Jim Hopper from s2 who was an over-protective, super-loving father to Eleven? Does Mike coming over and using most of El's time turn this decorated Vietnam combat veteran, who was a 6 year NYC homicide detective and current Chief of Police into an anxious, shrill father who can't think straight?

Why not have Hopper react to wanting more time with Eleven and wanting to date Joyce like the normal s1/s2-Hop we know and love?

I blame the writers from wanting s3-Hop to have an arc from nervous/unhinged to "sacrificing himself" and then the letter being read.

I think the s3-Hop character change was done so we'd be gut punched when he "died" and then the letter was read. And there's the additional goal of getting Hopper to fit in with the "summer of love" theme of s3 with him breaking up a love pairing with El/Mike and pursuing his own love with Joyce.

But the timing of when Hop wrote the letter just doesn't make any sense because of how he acted later. Additionally, if s3-Hop can not follow the life advice he wrote down, why does he act badly in such a different way then when he acted badly in s1/s2?

Because of this extreme character change I sadly can not watch s3-Hop anymore without being upset. It's just so unbelievable and unenjoyable.

Did Sarah's death or Mike's dating Eleven or PTSD from Vietnan explain or justify Hopper's s3 change?

These items have been mentioned as possible explanations for s3-Hop being so different from s1/s2. I initially tried to use Mike dating El as an excuse for Hopper's changes but after three s3 viewings I gave up because of everything else I've written in this essay. Here are some reasons while these explanations do not work for me.

1) Sarah's death was wrapped up when Hopper and Joyce saved Will in the upside down. Hopper literally brought Will back to life, something he could not do with Sarah. This was in incredibly moving scene and the end of a powerful arc for Hopper. But the point is it was the end of the arc: Sarah's death still impacts Hopper in s2 dealing with Eleven but Sarah dying isn't a driving force for s3-Hop and how he acts. That arc wrapped up and though it guides s2-Hop, he still acts in a consistent manor. In season 3 there's no mention of Sarah making s3-Hop stressed out so that arc is not in play.

2) Mike dating Eleven and their disrespecting Hopper are certainly stresses for s3-Hop but his reaction to breaking them up is out of character. El and Mike giggle and whisper with each other. Then s3-Hop - an adult, parent, and police chief - cruelly lies to Mike that his grandma is sick and then holds him in the car and threatens him after Mike angrily used profanity. Many commenters call Mike a "little sh|t" and side with tough guy s3-Hop and his approach. It would be consistent and believable for s3-Hop to act like this at night and then the next morning to have shown some remorse or some kind of caring to Eleven. s3-Hop could have said "too bad Mike isn't coming, let's have Eggos tonight and watch a Western." But he did not say anything to El. Instead, he smiled and then happily sang in the car on the way to work.

3) PTSD does not explain s3-Hop's behavior since we never see any evidence in the show that he is having flashbacks or any issues related to Vietnam. Also, writers just can't use PTSD as a do-anything-whenever-you-want-with-a-character excuse. Not only is there no Vietnam PTSD evidence in the episodes, there are many quotes from the official book with Hopper that he does not have PTSD.

3a) In s1, s2, and s3 the words "Vietnam" and "veteran" are never spoken. The only indication of Vietnam is a box under under Hop's cabin floor that Eleven sees when she discovers the trap door. Hopper never speaks of dreams or flashbacks and there is no other indication he has PTSD from Vietnam. His divorce, drinking, and pill abuse are all from Sarah dying based on what we see in the episodes.

3b) From the official book Stranger Things: Darkness on the Edge of Town (published May 28 2019):

1984 DECEMBER 26 - 11 days after the Snow Ball Dance with Jim and El in the cabin: The truth was, Hopper realized, that he didn’t want to talk about Vietnam, not because it was a trauma or a personal demon, but because it was ancient history—but more than that, it felt like part of some other person’s life. Although he hadn’t really stopped to consider it properly, he was aware of how he had compartmentalized his past in his own mind. So, yes, Vietnam had been difficult, and he had come back changed—as most people did, of course—but it just wasn’t relevant, not anymore. That wasn’t him, not now. Because he had come to accept that there were really only two parts to his life. Before Sara. After Sara. And nothing else really mattered. Vietnam included. He just wasn’t quite sure how he was going to explain that to El. “Because,” said Hopper with a smile, “Vietnam was a long time ago. I mean, a really long time ago. And I’m not that person now.” He leaned forward on the table, resting on his elbows. “Look, I’m sorry, really. I can understand that you are curious. And I understand you want to know more about me. I’m your—” He paused. El raised an eyebrow, cocked her chin again, waiting for the response. Hopper sighed, happily. “I’m your dad, now. And yes, there is a lot you don’t know about me. Vietnam included. One day I’ll tell you about it, when you’re older.”

1977 JULY 13 - Homicide Detective Hopper in New York City: This was a support group for veterans of the Vietnam War. Hopper knew such groups existed. He knew full well that such groups were needed. That he’d come out of the war unscathed and with his marbles all where they should be was a blessing. Okay, it had changed him, and he wasn’t going to pretend that it hadn’t been difficult at times. But what the war had done to some people... He’d never felt the need to attend a meeting like this himself, but he was glad they were there for those who did feel that need.

How can Jim Hopper's portrayal recover in season 4?

First off, there is no doubt that David Harbour is returning to play Jim Hopper in season 4 (and s5 if there is one). This is David's big, career making role that is getting him award nominations/wins (the most for any adult ST actor), and he just got a huge raise (80k to 350k per episode). And, most importantly, he loves doing the show and the people in it (especially Millie).

Since what's done is done with s3-Hop, what can happen with Hopper in s4 to bring him back into a believable and enjoyable form for huge ST fans who miss s1/s2 Jim Hopper?

I am very much hoping that Hopper will dial back or eliminate his new s3 qualities, like being whiny, selfish, complaining constantly, etc. Please bring back some of his old s1/s2 strength and empathy under a grumpy exterior.

And I hope Hopper does a reset with three people:

1) Mike - Hopper needs to do more to make up to Mike than just saying "Mike, Be careful" like he did in s3e8 at the Mall. Hop should clearly say that he accepts Mike as El's boyfriend and that he knows he'll do everything possible to keep her safe. Which is actually what Mike did for all of s3 while s3-Hop was adventuring with Joyce.

2) Eleven - While the Letter explains why Hop was feeling upset (change, less time with El, etc), it does not justify how s3-Hop acted afterward when he lied and threatened Mike breaking them up. Hop needs to clearly apologize to Eleven for being selfish, immature, and inconsiderate.

3) Joyce - I hope that Hopper admits to Joyce that he acted like a jerk towards her and that he promises to be a better person in general and especially better with her. That's the only way I can make any sense out of Joyce and Hopper being any kind of couple: Hop has to own up to his terrible behavior towards Joyce and promise to be better.

The End! Sort of... :)

Well, you've read or skimmed or skipped all the way to the almost end and I thank you for taking time to look at my thoughts about Jim Hopper's portrayal in season 3. I still love Hop and think David does an incredible acting job with him in each season. I've been 100% sure he's coming back since the Duffers have bluntly said: no body = no death. So while I'm a little scared at how Hopper will be characterized in season 4, I'm also very excited to see it! Word is that season 4 will have more episodes (10, 11, 12?) than normal. Plus, the Duffers just signed a big deal with Netflix so I'm wondering if season 4 will be a semi-finale for the series and give the Duffers and the stars a break to do other stuff and then come back for a movie or a season after more ideas have percolated in the Duffers' creative minds.

So, here's looking forward to season 4 when we can see Jim Hopper evolve along with all the other great Stranger Things characters.

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #369

“so close, no matter how far  /  couldn’t be much more from the heart  /  forever trusting who we are  /  and nothing else matters”

What are three emotions you experience regularly? Sadness, shame, and stress. Is there someone right now whom you really wish would care for you? -___- Does your job allow visible tattoos? I don’t have a job, but quite honestly, I probably wouldn't take a job that didn't. I just love tattoos a lot and plan on having many, and ignorance and old-fashioned bullshit isn't gonna stop me. Do you know anyone that’s transgender? Yes. Do you think dress codes are unfair? In some places, like schools, yes. Are in a relationship? Tell me about it. I'm not. How is your road rage? I don't have road rage. By god does my sister, though. Favorite cosmetic brands? I don't wear makeup nearly enough to have a preference. The beach or the pool? The pool. I hate the feeling of sand, plus the salty wind and heat. Manga or anime? Anime. Favorites for manga? I've never read any. It's tempting to read Deadman Wonderland since it continues off the very short anime, but I just don't want to. Manga isn't my style. Favorites for anime? Fullmetal Alchemist (including Brotherhood), Ginga Densetsu Weed, and Deadman Wonderland. Favorite academic subject? English. A card game that you’re good at? I'm not exceptionally good at any. Do you eat breakfast? Pretty much always. A popular book you haven’t read yet? To Kill A Mockingbird, to name one I feel like everyone had to read in school. Do you like sweaters? I'm an oversized hoodie person, really. I don't like the look of zippers. Do you like sushi? Never tried it, never will. Do you wear prescription glasses? Yes. I badly need a new pair, because I can't see for shit. Generally, are you more likely to blame others or yourself for problems you experience? Myself. What is one thing about your life that you don’t ever see changing, even if you might wish it would? I have a feeling I'll always have some degree of social anxiety. I'm sure there are other things just not coming to me. At what point in your life have you been the most social or had the most friendships? And at which point have you been the least social? I had the most friends in my childhood years, probably. Or high school when I actually had a friend group. I'm sure I was most social as a kid in elementary school, not dealing with my social anxiety. I've been the least social like... now, honestly. I go essentially nowhere and have very few friends. Do you prefer to have a few close friends or a bunch of random acquaintances? Which would describe what you have now? I want close friends. I have like... two or so close friends and a handful of acquaintances. I don't know which I have "more" of when you consider the actual level of friendship/"quality" I guess. Do you journal? Generally, what do you write about? Do you find it helpful to get your thoughts out that way, or do you prefer another form of self-expression? I don't actually journal, but you could consider these surveys my "journal." I guess it's kinda why I do them so frequently? Like it lets me get stuff that's going on out, so I find it kinda therapeutic versus keeping all my thoughts jumbled up in my head. Have you ever been somewhere and REALLY didn't like a food that you were expected to eat? How did you deal with this? Are you someone who is likely to suck it up and be polite or refuse and save your taste buds? To start off, I am VERY bad at sucking it up and eating something I don't like. My gag reflex is very strong, and I'm also extremely sensitive to textures I don't like, so my reactions are just very involuntary. I can try to subdue my expression when I dislike something, buuut that's extremely difficult. But anyway, yes, I've been to places where I definitely disliked the food, especially this one occasion where we went to a local Southern cooking restaurant that literally ASSUMED you want the staple foods and sweet tea, none of which I enjoy. While everyone else was eating, I just very awkwardly sat there doing nothing and pretty much panicking over looking rude. Thank god, Ashley's father-in-law noticed and called over the waiter for me to actually order something, the way it should be. I was very thankful but still felt bad. What is one way in which you compare yourself to others? In this comparison, do you regard yourself as better or worse off than the people to whom you usually do the comparing? I am very bad and comparing successes with others, but only in ways that demeans me. Like I look at others and am just like, "Why aren't I there yet?" It always leads to anger and disgust of myself. What is something you’ve been particularly grateful for lately? I've thought a lot lately about how thankful I am to have my mom. She does so very much for me, and I don't think I could absolutely ever repay her in full. I wish I could. She's a damn superhero. What kind of change or opportunity would be the biggest help in your life right now? I was initially going to say getting a job, but thinking about it, getting to my goal weight might be an even greater help. It would help my leg pain, not having to carry as much around, I'm sure my hyperhidrosis wouldn't be as bad (I hope), and it would MASSIVELY affect my happiness. Like I cannot tell you how negatively my weight has damaged my self-esteem, confidence, and peace with myself. Is there one emotion that you experience more often than any other? Is there an emotion you rarely ever experience? I'd say I experience stress more than anything. I'm always thinking of something that's causing a ruckus in my life. A rare emotion for me is uhhhh jealousy, even though I've dealt with it more lately. What is one illness you are afraid of having? Do you know anyone who has faced this illness? The disease that I think scares me more than any is Alzheimer's/dementia. I just... cannot possibly imagine. How do you tend to behave when you’re sick? What kinds of things do you like people to do for you, if anything, to help you feel better? I'm very mopey and tired, and I can be a bit more irritable. I really, really appreciate help with things like chores when I'm not feeling well. When was the last time you did something you were proud of? Were other people proud of you as well? Does it matter to you whether or not other people care about your accomplishments, or is your own satisfaction enough? It's a very small thing, but I weaned down from having two cans of soda a day to just one. Mom is proud of me for it, which I appreciate a lot. Admittedly, it does kinda matter to me that those who know it's a big deal to me see and care about my accomplishments. I'm bad about needing external validation. What is your least favorite thing about the season you’re currently experiencing? Are you okay with most types of weather, or are you only happy under certain conditions? Ugh, the heat. Spring and summer are miserable to me because I veeery much love the chilly weather and no damn humidity. Have you made any changes to your style or “look” lately? How often do you change your appearance, hairstyle, fashion, etc? Or is it a pretty constant thing? No; my style is pretty constant. What was the last thing you felt hopeful about? Do you think there’s a good chance of whatever-it-is working out in your favor, or not so much? Getting a job at the tattoo parlor. I'm fearful that they won't be open to the position I'd like, so I'm trying to not get my hopes up too high. We'll find out in two days. Have you ever “recovered” from anything? What does “recovery” mean or look like to you? Yes, a traumatic breakup. I'd say recovery is just healing as much as possible from something, be it physical or emotional. What are some ways your childhood differed from those of others around you? Do you think this difference was harmful or advantageous in the long run? My dad was an alcoholic, if that qualifies. That definitely isn't a *normal* thing for someone's childhood. I think it was harmful, honestly, especially because I've had more than a few nightmares about my dad drunk. When was the last time you did something out in nature? Do you notice a dip in your mood when you don’t get enough of the Great Outdoors? Oh jeez... Probably not since Sara and I went catfishing with my dad. I wandered around with her some as she ventured for toads, haha. I don't really notice a dip in my mood, just because I'm so used to being indoors. I do prefer getting some time with nature, it's just hard and uncomfortable with how easy I sweat, and my knees sure do cuss me the fuck out in the form of a billion cracks if I walk much (by my standards...). What did you dream about last night? I had two dreams, but I only remember one, in which a giant green tree python was eating me backwards so I was conscious through it all. No hard feelings, I still want one as a pet, haha. They're GORGEOUS snakes and no, absolutely cannot eat you even if it tried its damnedest. What were your childhood dreams? To be a paleontologist, then a vet. What are your dreams now? If we're talking career-wise, to be a nature and wildlife photographer that gets to travel a lot. What are some Halloween costumes you would like to wear in the future? I've mentioned that #1 on my list is Ms. Oogie Boogie, then uhhhh... wow, I'm surprised I'm blanking, because I know there are lots I've thought of. Were you born with hair on your head? Yes. Would you rather have a home birth or hospital birth? I'm not having kids, but holy mother of fuck I'd have my baby at a hospital with a goddamn epidural. I do NOT know how some people can do it naturally, bigass props to them. Do you currently live in the house you grew up in? No. If not, what do you miss about it?^ It was just in general a nice house, the best one we've lived in. We had a pretty big yard too, so lots of room to play around as kids. What’s your favorite type of yogurt? I'm not a big yogurt person, really. What were your high school’s team colors? Red and white. Who were your best friends in high school? Hannia, Girt, Maria, Megan, Dennis, Dakota... What would be the best surprise you could receive right now? A tarantula. *puppy eyes emoji* Were there any subjects in school that were really easy for you? If so, what? English courses were very easy for me, and I was pretty good with science. Did you ever skip a grade or get held back a grade? Not like, a whole grade, but I surpassed Writing I in my last college endeavor and started out in Writing II instead. What’s your favorite rock band? Oh brother, you can't ask me this. Who’s your favorite country singer? I consistently like Tim McGraw a bit. How many drawers does your dresser have? My dresser is unnecessarily big. There's like five or six. Have you ever taken a picture at the perfect moment? Yes. One of my favorite pictures I've taken was at Ashley's gender reveal for Emerson; even she didn't know. When her husband pulled the fog thing and it was pink, her expression was just priceless. Was your first car used or new? I haven't had my first personal car. How did you discover your favorite band? By going through my mom's CDs when I was getting into rock music. Ozzy was the first truly metal and not rock band that I ventured into. What was the last big decision you made? BIG decision... I don't know. Probably dropping out of college. What is your favorite thing to go shopping for? I love window shopping for pets online, haha. What was the last thing you changed your mind about? A political stance. Who was the last friend you saw, and what did you do together? Oh yikes, it's been more than a while... It may have been Girt? In which case we probably watched TV or played board games together. Who tends to show up in your dreams? Do you ever wonder if you appear in anyone else’s dreams? Jason just loves to show up in my dreams more than anyone else. I don't really wonder that, no. What is something you wish you could say to someone who is no longer in your life, or something you wish they could know? I wish I could tell Bryar (Jason's friend I got in a fight with) I misunderstood something he said to me ("martyr" has two different definitions, and I somehow didn't know the modern one at the time) that made me seem like an absolute, attention-seeking bitch. It's so fucking embarrassing to look back on, because I agreed with him because I thought he meant it as I would die for my beliefs, which is true. What worries you most about your future? Whether or not I'll ever be in the physical shape I want to be in again. Or if I'll have a stable job. What is something you do to feel better when you’re scared? Find distractions, like funny YouTube videos. I also engage in deep breathing and grounding methods. What is the strangest book you have ever read? How did you find out about it? Oh my god, in elementary school, we read a book where everything a boy touched turned to chocolate. Weird book. Do you prefer to watch movies or tv alone or with other people? Is there anything you refuse to watch alone? Other people, definitely. I like having someone to talk to and comment on what we're watching. There's nothing I won't watch alone. What was the subject of the last video you watched? It was a let's play.