#little announcement post thingy

[wrylu]

hLELO AMAZING SKILLED WONDERFUL CITEAZENS!!!!! with school around the corner for me (not looking forward to that!!!), i just wanted to say that content might be a little slower after aug 15😔😔 but don't worry, i have some things queued up for some weeks time :] that's all i wanted to say,.,,. you have a good day/afternoon/night now!!! and drink some water you fool

[lesbianwithchainsaws]

I can't find the inbox trick or treat post right now, but I would also like to participate in it!!! I can offer photos or, if anyone wants anything more, can offer horror movie facts or recs, or maybe community headcanons/ficlets!

[agdreamtale]

little thingie announcement

nothing serious! we just plan on making an informative doc about the au along with concept art of the characters involved in agdt, so far it's going to include: main characters involved with little bios, settings, timeline of events, links of the askblog in order, and then concept art and sketches that we prefer being in a doc rather than an individual post

we have no current date of when we'll finish this but the reason we're doing so is because we noticed a lot of people curious about the overall idea of the au + we'd like to keep the info organized since we don't want people to be confused when they first dive into the story.

on that note, leave questions you may have about the lore, characters, settings, etc. on this post (not the inbox so we can easily see it here) so we can include it on a faq section or sneak it into an existing portion of the doc where it's appropriate.

again, thank you for the support! we hope to be able to share more with you in the future :)

[youvebeenlivingfictional]

The Periphery

Pairing: Bradley Rooster Bradshaw x Reader

Rating: M

Notes: This accidental behemoth is based on this post and part of the lil fic triptych with The Worst Best Man (Jake Hangman Seresin x Reader) @tropes-and-tales Team Prime (Bob Floyd x Reader)

No physical descriptions, no use of y/n. Also not beta-read. Because it never is.

Length: 11.1K

Warnings: Slowburn (i know, shocker); angst (I know, shocker); fluff; happy ending!!

Summary: You’d met Bradley a few times before the happy couple had announced their nuptials, and you’d always gotten a pretty good vibe from him. He was sweet, he was easy to talk to—and it helped that he was easy on the eyes. In fact, as soon as you’d been told that Bradley Bradshaw was going to be the Best Man, you were well on your way to having a crush on the guy. 

“Alright, what have we got, what have we gooooot…” Bradley asked, turning the steering wheel and guiding the Bronco onto the avenue. 

“Let’s see,” You looked down your checklist. “Candy and labels for the favor bags?” 

“Check.” 

“Final payment for the florist.” 

“Check.” 

“Final payment for the cake.” 

“Check.” 

“Drop off the…Card-thingies for the seating placement at the venue.” 

“Place cards?” Bradley chuckled. 

“You knew what I meant. Only thing left is putting the favor bags together and we are set.” 

“Hell yeah. Up top.” 

You glanced over, smile widening when you spotted Bradley holding his hand up. You gave him a high five, chuckling as he crowed, “Boom! Dream team right here.” 

You leaned back in your seat, shifting a little bit. Bradley was certainly the easiest person you’d had to work with over the course of this wedding—bride and groom included. You’d met him a few times before the happy couple had announced their nuptials, and you’d always gotten a pretty good vibe from him. He was sweet, he was easy to talk to—and it helped that he was easy on the eyes. In fact, as soon as you’d been told that Bradley Bradshaw was going to be the Best Man, you were well on your way to having a crush on the guy. 

“Oh—Shit,” Bradley muttered. 

“What is it?” You frowned. 

“No, nothing. I need to grab my tux,” He jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “Just remembered.” 

“Oh,” You frowned, glancing back as he drove past the shop. “Do you wanna go now?” 

“Uh…You sure?” He asked, raising his brows. 

“Yeah! The rest of my day’s clear, I don’t mind.” 

“You are a lifesaver,” Bradley swore, pulling his car into a parking spot. You waved him off, setting the checklist on the backseat of the car. 

“Hang on,” He warned. You frowned, shaking your head, then smiled as he rounded the front of the car, opening the door for you. 

“You’re such a gentleman, Bradshaw,” You teased. 

“I try.” 

He held the door open for you at the shop, too, and you tried not to get too flustered about it. But Bradley really was a gentleman. He’d shown you that repeatedly over the course of wedding prep, checking in periodically to see if you needed help with anything, or just to chat. 

He gave his name at the desk, nodding and offering his thanks as the attendant left to get his suit. 

“You get your dress yet?” He asked. 

“Yep. Picked it up earlier in the week.” 

“You are on it. I don’t know how you do it.”

You shrugged, trying to ignore the bubble of flattery rising in your gut. “This isn’t my first wedding.” 

“How many times have you been a Maid of Honor?” 

“This is the…fourth time?” 

“Holy hell.” 

“I kinda like it,” You chuckled. “It was stressful the first time but the fourth time around, it’s sort of old hat, you know.” 

“Bradshaw?” The attendant called out, waving the two of you deeper into the shop. “If you’ll follow me? We just want to make sure the alterations are all set before we send it out with you.” 

You trailed after him, tucking your hands into your pockets, and grinning as he gave you a little wink before ducking into the changing room. You sat down in one of the chairs nearby, scrolling through your phone and shooting a text to Katie, the bride. You frowned as your phone began to ring, and you tapped on Katie’s name, taking the call and raising it to your ear. 

“Hey, lady. How are you doing?” You asked.

“I’m okay. Are you guys done, have you gotten everything?” 

You tried not to groan at the panicked edge in her voice.

“We have the stuff for the favor bags, we dropped the checks off.” 

“Are you putting the bags together today?” 

“Not today, but they will be done,” You leaned into the word to stave off her argument, “Before the end of the week, and dropped off to the venue on Friday.” 

“Promise?”

“You have my word. Take a deep breath.” 

“That Katie?” Bradley called out from behind the curtain. 

“Yeah!” 

“Tell her we’ll get it done!” 

“I did!” You laughed before adding, “Bradley says we’ll get it done, too. ‘Kay?” 

“Fine,” She sighed before belatedly tacking on, “Thank you.” 

“You’re welcome. I’ll see you tomorrow. Call me if you need anything.” 

“I will. Thanks, hon.” 

“Anytime. Bye.” You lowered your phone, looking down as you heard the curtain being pushed aside. You glanced up, doing a double-take at the sight of him. Your stomach flooded with butterflies at the sight. You bit your lip, gaze sweeping him from head to toe. You’d been to fittings with a few groomsmen in your day, but Bradley looked damn good. The suit fit him like a glove. You stood from where you’d settled down, tucking your phone away and stepping closer, folding your arms across your chest to fight off the urge to reach out and touch. Luckily for you, he hadn’t caught sight of your blatant interest as you hovered in his periphery. He was too busy double-checking his buttons.

“…It fits well,” You offered. 

“Yeah?” He asked, glancing back at you. You couldn’t help the way your smile widened as you nodded, allowing yourself to move a couple of steps closer. 

“Yeah. Do you like it?” 

“Wearing a suit feels a little weird,” He chuckled, turning to look at himself in the mirror. “But I guess it’s good practice.” 

“Good practice?” You repeated, brow furrowing. “What do you mean?” 

“I’m getting married next year. Actually, all of this has been good practice. You’ve been a lot more helpful than you know.”

Your smile stayed frozen in place as your neck went hot, your blood roaring in your ears. It made sense. It made so much sense, and it had no right to hurt, to twist your insides up. You nodded, and dropped your gaze to his left hand, like you could spot where the ring would sit; you wondered what kind, what metal. Engraved? Plain? Gold? Silver? Bradley struck you as the type to have a plain outer band, and an engraving inside—some secret message, or initials, or the date that they met—the date of their wedding anniversary so that he’d never forget, but Bradley wasn’t the type to forget— 

“You’re sure it looks alright?” 

His question jolted you, made your smile twitch a touch wider out of panic, your eyes bright, attentive, and flickering to his face. Even with your newfound knowledge, your upset, your crushing disappointment—you couldn’t help the softening of your expression at his blatant nerves.

“Yes,” You nodded. “I’m sure.” 

–  

It was ridiculous, right? 

It was ridiculous that it formed a knot in your chest. It was ridiculous that you were so rocked by the revelation that you couldn’t sleep. You needed to do something to get your mind off of what you’d learned; off of the sight of Bradley in that tux, bright and hopeful. 

He’d told you all about his fiancé on the drive back to your place. That was sort of your fault. You had asked—but it had seemed rude not to, once you knew that there was someone in the picture. Bradley had told you all about Liz: how they met (she was a friend of his WSO’s), how long they’d been together (six months), how the proposal had gone (she’d been the one to plan it—from the ring, to where he proposed, to the photographer who photographed the occasion, to the party of friends and family that they went to afterward), how the wedding planning was going. 

“It’s been a bit of whirlwind, planning-wise…Actually, the whole relationship has been,” He’d shrugged. “And our schedules are nuts. We kinda keep moving the goalposts.” 

“On what?” 

“…Well, when it’s gonna be, for one.” 

His laughing admission had planted a little seed of hope in the nest of dismayed vipers making a home in your belly, but you wouldn’t allow it to take root. It was to be expected. Like he said, their schedules were nuts. But still…

When it’s gonna be.

It rose to the top of mind now and again as you worked on the favors through the night, putting custom labels on the bottles of wine, making sure each bag had a corkscrew, and tying a strip of white ribbon around the neck of the bottle. 

When it’s gonna be. 

Couldn’t they just elope, if they were so worried about that? Have a proper wedding later, when things were more settled, if it was causing them so much stress? You hadn’t brought that up, of course. It wasn’t any of your business. 

When it’s gonna be. 

You set the final bottle in the final bag, then dropped the corkscrew inside. You’d already put on the label, and the ribbon. You sighed heavily, looking around your living room. It was crowded with nearly two hundred completed favor bags. How the hell were you going to get them down to your car? Could you even fit all of these in your car? You groaned, leaning back against the couch and scrubbing your hands over your tired eyes. 

Maybe you hadn’t only done the favors to keep your mind off of Bradley. Maybe you’d done it to avoid him, too, just a little. Getting them all done yourself meant that you didn’t have to spend an extra couple of hours with him. Sure, it would’ve gone faster with two, but if you wanted this crush to end with the wedding, you needed to start distancing yourself. 

It wasn’t the kindest way to deal with the circumstances—and maybe your feelings would ebb, now that you knew there was absolutely no chance of acting on them. 

Still, whatever happened, you’d gotten the favors done before the end of the week, as you’d promised Katie. 

–  

“When should I come by? I can bring pizza or something, we’ll get those favors knocked out before the party.” 

It was a sweet offer, because Bradley was a sweet guy. You planted your elbow on your desk, plaintively eyeing your work email before looking around to see if any of your coworkers were listening in. 

“Actually, I took care of them,” You admitted. There was a pause on the other end of the phone, and you bit your lip, waiting for his answer. 

“You—…All of them?” He finally asked. 

“Mhm!” You forced the tone of your hum to be bright and chipper. 

“That’s, like…That’s like two hundred bags.” 

“One hundred and ninety-seven, but. Close!” 

“I could’a helped you.” 

You thought that he sounded disappointed, but surely you were reading into it. 

“No, I know! I know. I got them done, it was no problem. I had time.” 

There was another pause on the other end of the phone, and you found yourself wondering if he was distracted with whatever he was doing on the other end of the line. 

“…How long did it take?” He asked. 

“A bit? I don’t know. I didn’t time it. It was fine, I was awake.” 

“You did them last night?”

“Yes! When else?” You laughed nervously. “Look, it’s seriously fine. They’re all set.” 

“Are you alright?” 

You sagged back in your office chair. 

“Yeah,” You fibbed. 

Another harrowing pause. Then—

“Alright.” 

It sounded like a tired concession. You forced yourself to draw in a deep breath, trying to lift the anxious weight moving to settle in your chest. 

“I’ll need help bringing them to the venue,” You added. 

“I can do that.” 

You knew he could; you hadn’t doubted his willingness to help at any turn. You tipped your head into your hand, nodding a little bit. 

“Sounds good, thank you.”

“You looking forward to the party tonight?” 

No, you really weren’t. In your experience, joint bachelor/bachelorette parties were either hellishly boring, or nothing but trouble. 

“Yeah!” You chirped. “It’s gonna be fun!”

–  

Dinner had been nice. The first couple of rounds of drinks had also been nice. Moving to a club had felt like a bad idea, but there you were nonetheless, crammed between the bar and Bradley. You were trying to focus on anything but the feeling of his body behind yours and the scent of his cologne as you waited for your drinks. This was bad. This was sort of torture. You peered around your shoulder as you heard Katie shriek in excitement, and smiling as her fiance, Cory, leaned in to give her a kiss. 

“They’re sweet.” 

Bradley had to get close to say it—to speak it into your ear, over the sound of the music. He rested his hand on your hip, as if he had to hold and keep your attention, as if you wouldn’t know that he was talking to you. You managed a nod, your fingers flexing against the bar. You lowered your head, stomach twisting as the bartender pushed your drinks toward you. You reached out, passing Bradley’s drink back to him before you took hold of your own. 

Bradley gave your hip a squeeze, steering you back toward the group. Oh—god. You closed your eyes tightly for a second before you turned to face Bradley. You pressed your drink toward his hand, forcing him to let go of you and take hold of it, and leaned in so that he could hear you. 

“I’m going to get some air! I’ll be right back.” 

You turned, squeezing through fellow clubbers before he could ask or argue. You gave the bouncer a murmur of, “Excuse me,” As you slid past him. You puffed softly as the sounds of the club dropped away. The air outside was warm; the breeze pushing over you almost smelled sweet compared to the stench of sweat and booze waiting for you back inside. 

Ugh, god. You didn’t want to go back inside, but you knew you couldn’t get away with going home. Most of your stuff was inside, anyway—your phone, your wallet, your bag. 

“Do you have a light?” 

You glanced up at the question, giving the man asking a small shake of your head. 

“No, sorry.” 

“Eh. I’ll find one.” The man reached into his pocket, tapping out two cigarettes. “Want one?”

“I’m good, but thank you.” 

He grunted, pushing the other one back into the pack before drawing one out and tucking it between his lips. He wandered away, and you leaned back against the outside of the club. 

Maybe you could slide into the booth, grab your things, say goodbye to Katie and Cory, and just dip without him noticing—

“Sure you don’t want one?” 

You looked up, nerves twisting as the man leaned close against the wall beside you. You shook your head, straightening up. 

“Honestly, I’m fine,” You insisted, heading for the door. 

“Hey, c’mon. You could at least keep me company,” The man argued, taking hold of your wrist and tugging you back toward him. Panic trickled through your veins as you tried to yank your wrist back, hissing, “Let go of me—”

“Hey!” 

You hardly caught sight of Bradley before he was shoving the man harshly against the wall. 

“The fuck, dude!” The smoker spluttered, dropping your wrist as he gave Bradley’s chest a shove in return. 

“She said let go, asshole,” Bradley seethed, knocking the man’s hands away. Oh, fuck. You glanced nervously toward the bouncer and the people waiting on line as they took notice of the trouble brewing. Bradley could not get into shit on the weekend of the wedding—Katie would kill you both. 

“He did, he let go! He let go,” You insisted, resting your hand on Bradley’s chest. When it didn’t nudge him back, you took hold of his hand, tugging him back with all your might and hardly budging him. “Let’s go!” You gave his arm another pull, pleading, “Bradley, please.” 

It took another harrowing moment of contentious staring between the two before Bradley drew away, his tight, sharp gaze still set on the other man. You gripped his hand more tightly, raising your other hand to press against his shoulder. 

“Let’s go back inside,” You urged. “Come on.” 

It took another couple of pulls before Bradley acquiesced, trailing you back toward the bouncer. He hesitated at the door, eyes still set on the man before he allowed you to pull him in. 

“Are you alright?” Were the first words out of his mouth. 

“Are you crazy?” Were yours as you ripped your hand away from his. “What the hell were you thinking!” 

Bradley looked stricken, brow knitting together. 

“The hell did you expect me to do? He was all over you!”

“Why did you even follow me outside?” 

“You practically ran out here, I thought something was wrong—and then I got out there and it was worse than I thought.” 

You sighed heavily, turning away and shaking your head. 

“Let’s just…Can we go back to the others?” You mumbled, turning from him. You heard him fall into step a couple of paces behind you, seeming to keep a measured distance as you made your way back to the rest of the wedding party. Once there, you embedded yourself deep into the corner with the bride and the other bridesmaids, forcing your smile wide and avoiding Bradley for the rest of the night. 

–  

It had been terrifying, having someone grab you—but the speed with which Bradley had come to your rescue was…Sort of hot? Sure, you could’ve gotten out of it yourself, but he hadn’t even hesitated. He’d gotten right up in that guy’s face—for you. You were certain that he would’ve done it for any of the other bridesmaids…Though you weren’t sure if he would’ve followed them outside…

No, he would’ve. Surely he would’ve. He was a good guy, it seemed like something he would do—

“Hey.” 

He was nice, and sweet, and…Really, really attractive, god. The look on his face, the cords of his neck straining as he’d shoved the man, as he’d hissed, She said let go, asshole—

“Hey!” 

You jumped at the feeling of Katie flicking the side of your head. The backseat of the uber was a tight squeeze with you, Karie, and Cory. You turned from looking out through the car window, smiling when you saw her watching you. Cozied into Cory’s side, she was peering at you with hazy blue eyes; her copper hair seemed dull under the glow of passing streetlights; her bride sash hung limply around her middle.

“What?” You chuckled. 

“What’s going on with you?” 

“What do you mean?” 

“You’re being all…” She waved a finger at you. “You’re being weird. What happened?” 

“Nothing happened.” 

“I heard Bradley tell Cory that someone grabbed you.” 

Your face burned with embarrassment, but you forced your expression to a neutral set.

“It was some drunk guy outside of the club,” You excused. “No big deal, you know. Nothing I’ve never dealt with.” 

“You were all weird when you came back, too. All quiet.” 

“It was loud in there, and I didn’t have much to say. I was vibing.” 

Katie’s eyes narrowed slightly, and you could feel her winding up for a question before she was distracted by the sound of Cory snoring behind her. You grinned as she shifted beside him, elbowing in the side with a hiss of, “Babe! Don’t snore, you’re gonna kill my uber rating!”

–  

Loading the favor bags into Bradley’s Bronco was done in awkward silence. Neither of you said much, apart from, “Here,” and, “Thanks,” and, “I can grab that one.” Despite how carefully they were cushioned as you put them into the car, you found yourself looking into the backseat every few moments as you heard the bottles rattling from some bump in the road. You glanced at Bradley as you turned to look through the windshield again. You weren’t hungover, but you did have a growing headache. 

“…Sorry I got snippy last night.” 

It sort of pained you to say it, but you’d been repeating it in your head for the last two hours. You had to work your way up to saying it. You’d played with the phrasing, the tone, the pace, and it still felt stupid as it came out of your mouth. Before Bradley could say anything, you added, “I know you were just trying to help and I shouldn’t have freaked out at you like that.” 

Bradley still didn’t respond, and it took everything in your power to not turn and look at him, to see if he was even listening, or if he was rolling his eyes. But after a moment, he offered, “S’alright. I may’ve overreacted a little.” 

“…I thought you were gonna slug the guy.” You were trying to tease him, but Bradley didn’t even miss a beat:

“I thought I was, too.” 

You turned to look at him then, stunned. Bradley kept his focus on the road, his jaw clenched, his gaze unreadable behind his sunglasses. You swallowed thickly, looking into the backseat again as the bottles rattled. 

“Would you stop fussin’ over those?” He groaned. “They’re fine.” 

“They better be. We don’t have any extras if they break.” 

“Want me to slow the car to fifteen miles an hour?” 

You could see him starting to smile in your periphery. Your stupid, crush-blind giddiness welled, feeling the tension in the car begin to break down. 

“No…” You twisted back around in your seat, slumping petulantly. “Twenty will be fine.” 

Bradley turned to look at you as the car came to a stop at a red light, gazing at you over the top of his sunglasses. 

“Twenty-three, final offer.” 

“Sold.”

Bradley’s smile made your stomach flip, and you both turned to look through the windshield again as the light turned green. 

–  

The wedding was perfect. The reception was painful. 

Liz seemed lovely, and for as kind as you were trying to be, your attempts were made even more difficult by your wealth of feeling for Bradley, and the adoring way that he curled his arm around her shoulders, pressed a kiss to her cheek, her lips, her temple; the way he offered to get her a drink, or something to eat; the way his hand slid automatically to her hip, or her lower back; the way he hung on her every word.

You didn’t belabor it. When you spotted the two of them dancing together, her body cradled safely against his, you furiously pushed away your feelings of inadequacy and upset away in favor of looking at Katie and Cory. You relaxed at the sight of them—at the love in their eyes, the sureness there.

It reminded you that loving someone wasn’t supposed to hurt. So whatever it was that you felt for Bradley could be left behind, in that room. You needed it to be. 

–  

“You missed the bouquet toss.” 

The sound of his voice made you shiver a little. Aw, hell. You’d only just managed to center yourself. Looking out over the moonlit ocean had calmed you, somewhat. But maybe whatever feelings you had for Bradley could be left…On the venue’s patio? But you glanced back, leaning against the railing and eyeing Bradley as he came closer. 

“I’m alright with that. The last time I was in the middle of one of those, I almost got socked in the face.” 

“Yeesh,” Bradley muttered.

“Yeah, bouquet tosses are no joke.” 

He rested his arms against the wide railing beside you, looking out over the water. The two of you stood in calm silence for a while.

“So when’s your next Maid of Honor gig?”

You smiled, shaking your head. “Hopefully not for a while. I think I need a break from the wedding circuit.” 

“You say circuit or circus?” 

“Bit of column A, bit of column B.” 

Bradley chuckled.

“Well, whenever it is, if you need a hand, you let me know.” 

“Even if you’re not involved in the wedding?” 

“Sure. This was honestly kinda fun. And it’s ‘cause I did it with you.” 

The butterflies in your chest whirled restlessly as you felt Bradley look at you. You forced yourself to laugh, shaking your head.

“I wouldn’t foist wedding duties on you if you weren’t part of the wedding, Bradley. That would be mean. I appreciate the offer, though.” 

“…Could I pick your brain about wedding stuff, sometime?” He hedged. “You know, as Liz and I get closer to ours?” 

You could say no. You could remind him of what you said, of the fact that you were getting off of the wedding circuit once this wedding was up. You could stick to your conviction that as the necessity for your proximity passed, you’d keep your distance from him— 

“Of course you can,” You nodded, turning to look at him. His sweet smile and the full weight of his gaze and focus were enough to crack you in two. 

“Dream team?” He asked, holding his hand up for a high five. You nodded, giving him a quick high five before you curled your arms around yourself. 

“Dream team.”

–  

It had been a mistake to reopen the lines of communication. You’d made the decision while tipsy, sending him an innocent, innocuous message. You hadn’t even expected a response—but he’d gotten back to you within minutes. You could’ve cut the communication dead there, but you’d found yourself grappling for connection, for the feeling of being wanted. You knew you’d get it from your ex, for better or for worse, and you needed something to drown the rotting buds of affection that you still felt blooming for Bradley. 

You hadn’t seen Bradley since the wedding, but the two of you had kept in touch. When he’d started calling you, most of the conversation had been around his wedding prep, but it hadn’t stayed that way. The two of you always managed to get off-topic—to ask and talk about one another’s lives, your days, your work. After the first couple of months, he seemed to drop the wedding chat entirely, just calling to talk. When you did try to steer it back in that direction—to a venue, or a time of year, or flowers—he managed to talk his way out of it. And you could’ve pried, but you let him avoid the topic. You were happy not to hear about Liz. Whenever your phone buzzed and his name appeared, your heart made a sharp leap from your chest to your throat. You craved the sound of his voice, missed the sight of his smile, reveled in his teasing and laughter. 

So sure, starting a conversation with your ex, Ryan, had been sort of stupid. But it felt smarter than allowing your crush for an engaged man to completely cloud your judgement.

– 

“Are you going to Cory and Katie’s for brunch this weekend?” 

“Is that this weekend?” You groaned, tipping your head back. “Fuck, I forgot.” 

“I thought you would’ve been on top of that! You were so on top of things for the wedding.” 

“Well, that was different. That was way more involved.” 

“Hey, brunch can be pretty damn involved.” 

“You speaking from experience, Bradshaw?” 

“I have faced some terrifying situations, but the worst of which was a bottomless brunch when they ran out of prosecco.” 

You rolled your eyes, shifting in your office chair and stifling a snort. 

“You’re such a weirdo.” 

“So am I gonna see you?” 

Am I gonna see you. 

Not are we going to see you—because presumably Liz would be there, too. A few months ago, Bradley had mentioned wanting to bring her more into the fold, into his group of friends. Most of his friends knew Cory and Katie; most of them would probably be at brunch. 

“Uh…” You eyed your calendar. “Maybe?” 

“You too busy for me now?” 

“For you?” You scoffed a laugh. “This isn’t your brunch, mister.” 

“No, I know. That’s not what I mean, it just…” 

Bradley trailed off on the other end of the phone, and you frowned, shaking your head. 

“‘It just’, what?” 

“It’s been a while since the wedding. It’d be nice to see you.” 

“It’d be nice to see you, too.” The admission felt dangerous, but it was too late to draw back in—and it was mutual. You wouldn’t have dared say it to him if he hadn’t said it first. 

“So come by,” He urged. “At least for a bit.” 

–  

For a bit. You could make it a short stop. 

“We’ll be fast,” You swore. “Like, a hello and a bellini and then we are out of there.” 

“Why are we going if you don’t even want to stay long?” 

It was a valid question, but it made you bristle a bit. It was clear that Ryan wasn’t excited to go. Well, he’d never gotten along with your friends, anyway. He’d had a feeling that they didn’t like him—and he had been right. You hadn’t told anyone that the two of you were seeing one another again, and maybe it was unfair to ambush them like this, but you didn’t think you could be around Bradley and Liz—around their cooing and teasing and sweetness—without something or someone to distract you from the reality of the situation. 

“You want me to drop you off somewhere?” You asked. “I can. I can drop you off and pick you up when I’m done.” 

“I’m only meant—” 

“You don’t have to go if you don’t want to go.”  

“I never said I didn’t wanna go.” 

“You’re acting like it.” 

“You’re the one saying we don’t have to say long!” He scoffed. “Can we park and get in there?” 

You puffed your cheeks out and pushed out a breath, shaking your head a little bit. This was a bad idea. Maybe you should turn around and head home—

But your heart leapt at the sight of Bradley’s Bronco parked a few cars back from Katie and Cory’s, and you knew you wouldn’t turn around. 

Quick in, quick out. One bellini, maybe half of a bagel, a warning that you had other plans and couldn’t stick around long. Ask Katie how the honeymoon was, tell Cory to call you when they needed to plan the baby shower, maybe high five Bradley, and then you’d dip.

“We always hang out with my friends,” Ryan grumbled as you parked. 

“Why is that even something you’d complain about?” 

“Because you hide me from yours.” 

You put the car in park, stomach churning guiltily as you met his eye. 

“You don’t like my friends,” You reminded him. 

“I’m willing to try, but they need to be, too.” 

“…Okay,” You nodded. “I’ll talk to them about it. Not now, but like. I’ll talk to them about it.” 

“Thank you.” 

You sighed softly, reaching out and taking his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “I’m sorry.” 

“I know.” Ryan tipped his head back against the rest, slightly mussing his ash blond hair. “I don’t get why you’re so freaked about this brunch thing. It’s, like. Supposed to be chill, right?” 

“It is. It is, it’s gonna be a lot of people, their apartment is pretty small. You know how I get when it’s loud and crowded, and…Overloads me.”

Ryan rolled his eyes, glancing toward the building.

“Let’s get you in and out, then,” He offered. “And then we can get me in and out.” He waggled his brows, and you huffed, drawing your hand out of his and getting out of the car. 

Ryan took hold of your hand again once the two of you were on the sidewalk, trailing you as you led him to the door of the apartment building. You could hear music and chatter coming from Katie and Cory’s. You drew in a deep breath before you raised your hand, knocking on the door. It was a moment before it opened, and as soon as it did, your heart stuttered in your chest.

Your attraction to Bradley had never faded like it was supposed to. You had worked at it. You’d reminded yourself of the pros and cons, beaten yourself over the head with the fact that he was with someone, in a committed relationship. You had pushed yourself back into Ryan’s arms because, for a time, you had felt wanted by him. Things had never been perfect between you. You butted heads, and you tended to not want to budge on your arguments. You were quick to anger with one another, with each little nitpick reopening the old wounds. Your relationship had been on-again off-again for a couple of years, with each period of on-again falling into the same patterns that had led to the two of you splitting up in the first place. 

This latest stint with Ryan had only been exacerbated by your frequent conversations with and interest in another man. Every conversation, every touch, hold, kiss, conversation, had been haunted with the idea of Bradley lingering in your periphery. 

“Hey!” Bradley grinned. He reached out, drawing you in without a second’s thought or hesitation. 

You leaned into him, curling your arm around his middle and patting his back. You held for as long as was appropriate, and not nearly as long as you’d like; the scent of him threatened to draw you back in. You would’ve embraced him fully if Ryan wasn’t still holding your other hand. 

“I can’t believe you made it—Katie literally just told me there was no way you were showing up,” He added, leaning back to get a better look at you. 

“Yeah, well,” You smiled weakly. “We can’t stay too long, but we wanted to drop in and see everyone.” 

Your repeated use of we seemed to jolt Bradley. His gaze dropped to your other hand, then swept up Ryan’s arm to take in his face. 

“Bradley, this is Ryan,” You added, stepping back to allow Ryan to come into the apartment fully. “Ryan, Bradley. Bradley was the Best Man at Katie and Cory’s wedding.” 

“Aw, yeah, I’ve seen pictures from the day-of,” Ryan held his hand out, giving Bradley’s a shake. “Nice to meet you, man.” 

“Nice to meet you, too,” Bradley nodded. 

“Where’s Liz!” You tacked on, glancing around. A look that you didn’t recognize flashed across Bradley’s face, but it was gone in a blink.

“Ah, she, uh…She couldn’t make it.” 

“Aw, I’m sorry,” You frowned—and you tried to mean it. 

“It’s alright. Come on, come in,” Bradley added, waving you inside. “Sorry, I shouldn’t stall you guys in the doorway.” 

“It’s okay,” You laughed, looking around before glancing back at Ryan. “Let’s see if we can go find the newlyweds.” You glanced up at Bradley, patting his shoulder lightly. “I’ll see you around.” 

It felt wrong to say—it felt worse when you saw Bradley’s expression falter a touch. But you were already turning away from him and heading for a group of a few of your friends. You saw the flash of their horror and confusion before they pushed smiles onto their faces, squealing, “Hey!” as a group. 

“Hi!” You smiled back, giving Ryan’s hand a reassuring squeeze. You leaned into each of them, kissing their cheeks before leaning back. Katie hardly leaned into you; her gaze was still set on your ex.

“Y’all remember Ryan,” You asked, waving back toward him. It garnered nods and murmurs of agreement. 

“Nice to see you,” He offered before he leaned in a little. “I’m going to go grab a drink. You want one?” 

“Sure,” You nodded, “Thanks.” 

Before you could blink, Ryan ducked in, pressing his lips to yours in a quick, warm kiss. He didn’t overdo it, or make it pointedly salacious for the sake of your friends, like he may have in the past. Now, he gave your lower back a pat and turned, heading away from you, and leaving your little group in a pointed silence. You didn’t meet any of their eyes. You stared at Katie’s glass and warned them: 

“I don’t want to talk about it right now.” 

It forced them off of the topic, and onto a new subject: Katie and Cory’s honeymoon in Ibiza. You found yourself half-listening; the other ear was unwittingly searching out the sound of Bradley’s voice in your periphery. You caught on it now and again for a syllable or two, and your head would twitch in his direction. It was impossible for you not to. As badly as you wanted to go to him—to soak up his smiles and his warm, kind eyes—you rooted yourself with your friends, averting your gaze from their nervous and judgemental glances. 

But when the conversation shifted again—when your ear caught on Ella’s comment of, “—A shame about Bradley and Liz, isn’t it?” Your head snapped to them.

“I know,” Katie sighed, shaking her head, “He’s such a good guy.” 

“What happened?” You frowned, shaking your head. The others glanced around conspiratorially before they leaned in a little more. 

“Apparently,” Katie leaned into it, “He and Liz, like…Imploded. She said it was taking them too long to get the wedding together, he said that it would take as long as they needed—” 

“Neither of them would budge,” Ella shrugged. “Apparently she eloped with some guy she met, like, the week after they split.” 

“Oh, my god,” You breathed. The news twisted you all up; you didn’t know how it was possible that someone could do that to Bradley. 

“Honestly, I don’t think she really even wanted to be married to him,” Cassie offered. “I think she just wanted to be married.” 

You found yourself twisting around to try and catch sight of Bradley then—like you could see some visible sign of the change, the distress; like the ring you’d come to imagine sitting on his finger had disappeared. 

And then Ryan rested a hand on your lower back and pressed a bellini into your hand, and it was like a bucket of ice water had been tipped over your head. 

Bradley hadn’t said a thing to you. You had been asking about Liz for months. You had questioned their plans: their honeymoon arrangements, their colors, their venue options; you’d offered to get him in touch with coordinators, with florists, and DJs and caterers and bakers and goddamnit, why hadn’t he told you? 

Why hadn’t he at least feigned that the wedding was on hold? That they were regrouping, or restrategizing, or asked you to change the topic, or to just shut the hell up about it? Had he not wanted you to know? Was it a matter of his loss, his pride? 

Finally catching sight of him across the room, you found him with a gaggle of guys. He had a glass in his hand, and a smile on his face as he laughed—the kind that made his eyes crinkle, and his chin tip up with the force of it. You saw his head turn toward you a touch, and you hurriedly averted your gaze, raising your glass to your lips and taking a deep draw from your glass. Fuck, fuck fuck fuck. The alcohol seemed to burn and bubble as it dropped into your belly. 

“Hon, are you okay?” Ella asked, frowning at you. “You’re looking a little green around the gills.” 

“Uh…No, you know what, I actually, um,” You cleared your throat. “I’m not feeling well. I think we should get going, actually, we’ve got some other things that we need to, um…” You cleared your throat, glancing back toward Ryan. He looked as confused as your friends. Maybe he figured the two of you would stay for more than five minutes. You were a flurry of apology as you pecked their cheeks, grabbing Ryan’s hand and half-dragging him out of the apartment. 

“They say something about me?” He asked tiredly as the two of you left. 

“No,” You shook your head, climbing into the car. “No, it really—I really do feel like shit right now.” 

Your heart was pounding in your chest; the blood was roaring in your ears; your head was spinning. You stuck the key into the ignition before you leaned back to put your seatbelt on, drawing in a deep breath as you tried to calm yourself down. 

“If you feel so shitty, you probably shouldn’t be driving,” Ryan grumbled. 

“I can handle it.”

“You could’ve at least waited for me to get something to eat—” 

“Oh my god,” You groaned. “Maybe you should’ve grabbed a bagel while you were already in the kitchen, then.” 

“You said you wanted a drink.” 

“You offered to get me one!” 

You turned to the car, turning the key in the ignition before glancing at Ryan, doing a double take and waving at his chest.

“…What?” He asked. 

“Would you put your fricking seatbelt on, please?” 

“Seriously?” 

“Yes, seriously!” You insisted. “God forbid something happen, I don’t want you flying through the fucking windshield—” 

“You know what?” Ryan reached out, opening the door. “I’m gonna walk.” 

“You’re gonna walk?” You scoffed. “You’re really gonna fucking—” 

You winced as he slammed the door shut. You shook your head, glancing into the rear view. Fucking fine. If he wanted to walk, he could fucking walk. You glanced to the side mirrors and checked your blindspot before flooring it out of the spot and peeling down the block. You glanced down as you heard your phone buzz, certain you would have a text from Ryan, asking you to pick him up at the corner. 

Instead, you spotted Bradley’s name. You found yourself pitching your phone into the passenger side footwell on instinct as you turned back to the road.

He hadn’t even thought about pulling you in when he saw you. He’d drawn you into his arms, completely disregarding Ryan—so much so that he seemed surprised when you pointed Ryan out. He’d acted like you were the only person there. 

You pressed your elbow against the door, resting your head on your head. 

Six months. You had been asking Bradley (or trying to ask Bradley) about the wedding for the last six months. He had played along. You felt stupid, embarrassed. 

And goddamnit, you felt hopeful. 

–  

When you finally got home and retrieved your phone from the car footwell, you had three texts and five missed calls. 

Three of the missed calls were from Ryan, as well as one of the texts—a request to sit down and hash out whatever the hell happened at the party. Another was from Katie (Bitch, you got a lot of explaining to do with a gif of Ricky Ricardo waggling his finger). You saw the missed calls and texts from Bradley last: 

BB (#DreamTeam)

Sorry I missed you on your way out

As if it was his fault.

Well, then again, it sort of was.

You eyed the last time he called; it had been a few minutes ago. You huffed softly, considering your options. You shot a text over to Ryan agreeing to meet first. You knew that delaying your response in favor of calling Bradley would send your guilt through the roof. Then, you hesitantly tapped on Bradley’s name, putting the phone on speaker. You glanced around, sighing and leaning back in the driver’s seat as the ringtone brrrr’d in the absence of his response. It was one ring away from going voicemail when you heard him pick up. 

“Hello?” He answered.

“Hey. Sorry, I was driving, I didn’t, uh—I didn’t see that you called.” 

“That’s okay.” 

You nodded a little before you paused, brows raising a touch. 

“So what’s up?” You finally pressed. 

“Seemed like you left in a hurry. I turned around and you were just gone.” 

“Something came up.” 

“Katie said you weren’t feeling well.” 

Snitch. 

“I wasn’t.” 

“Feeling better now?” Bradley pried, and before you could even think of your answer, “Wanna go grab a drink, or…Dinner, something?” 

You tipped your head back against the rest, closing your eyes. No. No. That was an awful idea. You needed to get together with Ryan as soon as possible, to get your shit together, to work out whatever you needed to work out—

–  

“You been here before?” You asked. 

“Uh—”

“Hey, Rooster!” 

Your brows raised as he raised a hand, waving at a woman not too far off. He turned a bashful smile toward you as he lowered his hand, folding his arms on the bar. 

“It’s near the base, so it’s pretty popular with people in the service.” 

“It’s nice in here,” You nodded, looking around. 

“Nicer than Katie’s?” 

He didn’t bother trying to be subtle, leaning into the question. You slowly turned to face forward again, casting the bartender a smile and a thanks as she set your drinks down. Bradley waited until she drifted away before he added, 

“You ran out of there like you were on fire.” 

“Thought you turned around I was just gone,” You reminded him, raising your brows. Bradley’s eyes skated across your face. 

“Saw you out of the corner of my eye,” He admitted. 

“How’d you know it was me?”

“I’ve seen you ditch out of somewhere before.” 

You turned from him, taking up your beer. 

“You need someone to sock that guy, I’m your first call,” Bradley added, and you couldn’t help but smile ruefully as you shook your head. 

“I don’t think that’ll be necessary.” 

“Katie said he doesn’t treat you right.” 

“The way Liz treated you?” 

It fell out of your mouth before you can stop it. You watched Bradley’s expression harden, his jaw clenching as his fingers flexed around the bottle in front of him. He didn’t hold your gaze. As bad as you felt for mentioning it, you couldn’t have it over your head anymore. 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” You plied when he gave no answer. “I asked about that shit for months, like a fricking idiot.” 

“You weren’t an idiot. You didn’t know.”

“Exactly my point! Why didn’t you at least pretend you had postponed it or something?” 

“I didn’t wanna talk about it. I still don’t.” 

“Then why’d you invite me out?” 

“I said I didn’t want to talk about that, not that I didn’t want to talk at all.” 

You both turned back to your drinks, gaze set contentiously on them. 

“…I take it Katie told you about Ryan?” You hedged.

“A bit, yeah.” 

“What’d she say?” 

“That he’s a dick who won’t compromise.” 

“Yeah, well,” You shifted on your bar stool. “I don’t exactly have a gold medal in that, either when it comes to him.” 

“Just him?” 

You considered for a moment, tipping your chin up and eyeing the opposite wall. 

“We butt heads, we always have. It always starts out pretty well, and then…I don’t know. Little things start to break down, little communication errors or fights and they get bigger and bigger, and,” You raised a hand, mimicking an explosion. “He was peeved when we went to Katie’s, thought I pulled him out of there because they said something to me about him. I mean, they would’ve, probably. And they clearly said something to you.” 

“She said she had no idea how you even linked back up.” 

“I texted him a kitty picture.” 

You saw Bradley frown out of the corner of your eye, his mouth working wordlessly as he seemed to grapple with something. It clicked, and you groaned, “No, an actual cat, you—” You reached out, giving his shoulder a light shove as the two of you dissolved into laughter, “You perv.” 

–  

You don’t let Bradley right back in, and you don’t show Ryan right out, either. Where your friendship with Bradley had been middling, your reopened channels of communication were slowly bringing it back to life. Where your relationship with Ryan had been waning, you gave it another shot in earnest. 

– 

“So when do I get to meet him?” Bradley asked.

“You already met him,” You chuckled. 

“Not properly. I didn’t get a chance to really talk to him.” 

“You want to?” 

Bradley leaned back in his seat a little. You could feel his gaze sweeping you, even as you poked at your dinner. 

“You don’t want me to?” He batted back. You shrugged. 

“I have no problem with it. Kinda surprised, considering what Katie’s told you about him.” 

“I like to draw my own conclusions. ‘Sides, if you’re with him, he can’t be all that bad.” 

“Your opinion of me is way too high, Bradshaw.” 

“Your opinion of yourself isn’t high enough.” 

Your stomach flipped at his insistence, and you raised your drink to swallow your arguments. 

“Gonna have to meet him soon,” He added. 

“Why’s that?” 

“I’m goin’ away.” 

He said it so casually, so easily, like it wouldn’t hit you below the belt and ruin your appetite. You carefully lowered your glass back to the table. 

“When?” You asked as lightly as you could manage. 

“Next week.” 

“How long will you be gone?” 

“At least a couple of months.” 

You nodded a little, belly squirming with nerves. It was a wholly irrational response. You knew very well what Bradley did. You just hadn’t come into contact with the reality of it before. 

“So?” He leaned against the table. “When can I meet him?”

“…I don’t know, I don’t…” You shook your head. “I don’t know when he’s, um…” Your brain was scrambled all of the sudden. It was like it was being overtaken with the knowledge of Bradley’s leaving, the possibilities. “I’ll ask.” 

“I’ll pencil it in.” 

“Am I gonna see you before I leave?” 

“With Ryan?” 

“I mean if he can’t make it.” 

You give Bradley a guarded gaze from beneath your eyelids, smiling as you see him nodding. 

“Course you’re gonna. Dream team, remember?” 

– 

“Think your guy can pencil me in for when I’m back?” 

You grimaced at his question. Bradley had been gone for almost a month, and asking that question for nearly just as long. Your phone time had only increased with his being so far away; you got a call from him every other day, if not every day. You shifted on your couch, eyeing your tv boredly. 

“Be kinda weird for you to hang out with a guy I’m not with anymore, but yeah, I’m sure we could work something out.” 

There was a moment of quiet on the other end of the phone before he asked, “When’d that happen?“

"Yesterday.”

“And what happened there?” 

“We were not, uh…” You shook your head. “Ultimately, we weren’t compatible. I think that’s the nice way to say it.” 

“What’s the mean way?” 

“He’s a fucking dumbass.” 

“Makes sense.”

“Does it?”

“Sure. Anyone who can’t make it work with you—there’s gotta be something wrong with ‘em.” 

You tipped your head back against your couch, your feet kicking with childish excitement. Ugh, goddamnit, he always seemed to know the right thing to say. 

“Anyway,” You pushed on as you settled back down. “I can still set you up with Ryan.” 

“No thank you.”

“Gee, why not?”

“He’s not really my type. Sounds like he’d be Liz’s, though.” 

You smiled a little ruefully, hand scrubbing over the side of your neck. It had taken some time, but Bradley had finally opened up to you about what had gone wrong. It hadn’t been anyone’s fault, he’d sworn. It was just that they were in different places, ready (or not ready) for different things. He’d gradually gone from not giving a damn what she’d gotten up to without him to wishing her well. You couldn’t imagine feeling the same good will toward Ryan. 

“Doesn’t seem like she needs a fix up,” You quipped.

“She certainly does not.” 

“Mm. How’s it going over there?”

“It’s been alright. Tiring,” Bradley admitted. “We’ve moved on to parameter-specific runs, and it’s, uh…It’s gonna be a hard one.” 

You bit your lip. You weren’t sure what to say that he surely hadn’t heard a hundred times before. Tell him that he would be fine? Beg him to come home safely? 

You hadn’t been able to spend time alone with Bradley before he’d left. Katie had wound up having a small dinner at her place—something for friends, something more casual. You couldn’t bring yourself to selfishly break off another bit of his time, and you’d soaked up all of him that you could while you were there. When the party had ended, you’d trailed him back to the Bronco. Your conversation had gone on and on outside of it, and then inside when you couldn’t bring yourself to stand still. Even then, practically facing one another in the front seat of his car, you’d found yourself feeling antsy. You’d wanted to tell him something beyond the fact that you would miss him. You wanted to tell him that you were worried about him; you wanted to somehow let him know that the news of his sudden departure had kept you up for the better part of a week; you wanted to know if he would be thinking of you, too; you wanted to reach out and touch—his hand, his arm, his cheek, something. 

But you’d kept to your side of the car, bottled your protests and worries, and resolutely tried to ignore the way your heart leapt in your throat whenever his knee nearly brushed yours. 

Now, the clarity of distance told you that you’d done the right thing. Laying some confession of interest or a kiss on him would’ve clouded the lines of communication that you had open now—lines that you weren’t willing to jeopardize. 

“You’ll get it,” You finally said, “Whatever it is.” 

“I’d tell you more, but—”

“No, that’s alright. I think that would just make me more worried, anyway.” 

“You worry about me?” 

Crap. You slid down in your seat, pressing your head back against the cushion. 

“Course I do,” You admitted quietly, as if he could lose the sound of you over the phone—as if your mumbled confirmation wouldn’t be chased or leaned into. 

“You don’t have to.” 

“Oh, well, thank you for that absolution. I was only worrying for fun.” 

“C’mon,” Bradley chuckled softly. “That’s not what I meant.” 

“I know,” You grumbled. 

“It’s nice.” 

“It’s nice? You enjoy making me worry? That’s just cruel, Bradshaw.” 

“Swear to god, when I get back, I’m gonna—” 

“What?” You goaded, heart ticking up in your chest. “What are you gonna do?” 

Maybe it was a step too far. Bradley went quiet on the other end of the phone. Your mouth went dry as you waited with nervous anticipation. And then you registered the yell of someone on the other end of the phone, the use of his callsign. 

“Shit,” He muttered, then, louder: “I gotta go.” 

“Okay,” You nodded. It was better that he couldn’t see the nod, or the way panic washed across your face. “Be careful.” 

He didn’t need to be told that, but you couldn’t help the plea. 

“I will,” He swore. And then he was gone. You lowered your phone, watching as BB (#DreamTeam) flickered away, leaving your lock screen. Gonna what? What the hell was he gonna do when he got back? 

Then again, you weren’t sure you cared what it was, so long as he did get back. 

–  

“Did I wake you up?” 

“No!” You leaned over, turning your lamp on and pushing yourself to sit up, your phone clutched in your hand. You knew that the first thing you’d said to him, your groggy little opening gambit of, “Whazzit?” had probably given the game away, but hell, he’d asked.

You’d hardly heard from Bradley for the last few weeks. You hadn’t reached out. You hadn’t wanted to bother or distract him from his task. But on the late nights when you couldn’t sleep, you found yourself wondering if Bradley hadn’t contacted you because he couldn’t—because something had gone wrong. You’d found yourself constantly checking your phone, keeping it on the edge of your periphery on the off-chance he called or texted. 

“You lying to me?” He added. At least he sounded a little amused by the prospect. You scrubbed your hand across your eyes. Damnit. 

“…A little bit,” You mumbled. 

“Go back to sleep.” 

“Nooo,” You whined, kicking your feet petulantly beneath your sheets. “Talk to me.” 

“You laying down?” 

“…I was.” 

“Lay back down.” 

The order felt a little salacious, but you were sure he meant nothing by it. Still, you slid down as he said, tipping your sleep-heavy head back against the pillows. 

“Talk to me,” You urged again. “Please?” 

“You should’ve let me go to voicemail.” 

“I said talk, not argue.” 

“Now who’s arguing?” 

You smiled, letting your eyes close. 

“‘M not arguing. Making a point isn’t arguing.” 

“It is when you use that tone.” 

“Are you okay?” 

“I’m fine.” 

His reassurance made you melt into the mattress a little more. 

“Good,” You mumbled. “I was afraid you weren’t.” 

“Don’t worry about that.” 

“Don’t tell me what to do.” 

“Now you’re arguing again,” He chuckled. “You always this combative when you wake up?” 

“Wouldn’t you like to know.” 

“…Yeah, I would.” 

For a moment, you were certain you imagined him saying it, or that you’d managed to mishear him in his hazy state. 

“You could, you know,” You finally offered.

“Oh yeah? How would I do that?” 

His voice was different than you were used to—low and soothing, and curled with a wink that you longed to see. 

“How do you think?” 

“Could always call you in the middle of the night again.” 

You pushed a sleepy, ugly giggle, then slapped your hand over your mouth when you realized that the sound escaped you. Bradley laughed quietly on the other end. 

“If that’s the route you wanna go, Bradshaw.” 

“I am sorry,” He added. “I forgot what time it was over there.” 

“S’okay, I don’t mind. I missed your voice.” 

God, being tired made you far more loose-lipped than you typically were. You were already penciling in a reminder to be mortified about this conversation in the morning. But it was chased and erased by Bradley’s gentle, 

“I missed yours, too.” 

Your stomach squirmed at the sentiment, a goofy smile spreading across your face. 

“Even when it sounds like I’ve been gargling gravel?” You teased. 

“You don’t sound like that.” 

It took you a few moments to answer. As badly as you wanted to stay awake, you could feel sleep sinking its claws into you, drawing you back down. 

“No? Feels like I do.” 

“You don’t. You might if you stay up talking to me, though.” 

“Worth it,” You insisted. You didn’t know if he took longer to answer, or if it took longer to register with you. But his voice finally worked through:

“Go back to sleep.” 

“I don’t wanna.”

“I’ll see you soon.” 

“You promise?” 

“I promise.” 

“Mmmkay,” You finally relented. “Get home safe, please.” 

“I will.” 

–  

In the morning, you were far less embarrassed than you thought you would be. Sure, there were still things that you sort of wish that you hadn’t said, but they were clouded out by other things—like the way Bradley had reassured you that you didn’t sound like hell, and the fact that he’d missed your voice in the first place. 

Still, all of those things were stomped out by one thing that you were almost certain had been a figment of your sleep-addled mind, something that you wanted desperately to be real, but would never bring yourself to ask Bradley about—

The sound of his warm, tender little murmur right before you’d drifted off entirely: 

“Goodnight, sweetheart.”

You spent the morning stewing over whether or not you’d really heard Bradley say that, or if you’d conjured it up. Maybe it was something that you simply wanted so badly that you had imagined it. 

Your eyes kept darting to your phone during work, your heart leaping into your throat every time the screen lit up. It was usually some app alert. Every time you perked up at the sight of it only to be let down, you felt silly. It was another entire day of ebbing excitement and rising disappointment, raising your hopes for absolutely nothing. By the time you left your office, you’d exhausted yourself. You were being ridiculous. Sure, he’d said he’d see you soon, but that was probably relative to—

“Did you manage to fall back asleep? Or did you stop talking because you were bored with me?” 

Your eyes widened, your mouth falling open at the sight of him outside your office building. You didn’t even think as you darted toward him, barrelling into him. Bradley took hold of you as though you hadn’t run into him with any force. He held firm, curling his arms around your shoulders as you clung to him. Neither of you spoke for a few minutes. He smoothed his hand over your back as you grappled with it all—the feel of him; the scent of his cologne and aftershave; the fact that you could see him, touch him, prove to yourself that he was okay. 

When you finally managed to talk yourself into loosening your grasp, you drew back a little, your bashful embarrassment bubbling up and trying to overtake the joy that you felt. Bradley simply smiled, cupping your cheek in a way that made your heart sing. 

“Hi there,” He murmured.

“Hi,” You laughed nervously. “I’m sorry, I didn’t—I wasn’t thinking.” 

“S’alright,” He shook his head. “I’m not complaining.” 

“When you said you’d see me soon, I didn’t think you meant so soon.” 

“I know. I wanted to surprise you.” 

“Well, mission accomplished.” 

His thumb swept gently over the apple of your cheek, his smile pulling wide to match yours. 

“When did you get back?” You asked.

“Couple of hours ago.” 

And he was there, with you? Your fingers tightened in the fabric of his shirt. 

“Aren’t you tired?”

“A little.” 

“Are you hungry?” 

“I could eat.” 

“What do you want?” 

Bradley’s tongue swept across his lips, his eyes skimming your face for a moment. Then, seeming to rethink something, he shrugged. 

“Whatever you’ve got.” 

–  

Technically you didn’t have much, but Bradley didn’t gripe about ordering in pizza. Hell, when you suggested it, he let out a groan that rattled right through you before emphatically agreeing: 

“Fuck yes. Please.” 

The way he said it stuck with you for entirely the wrong reason, and you found yourself almost studiously perusing a delivery app for the best option to keep him from clocking your aroused embarrassment. You didn’t have a dining room table, so the two of you wound up eating side by side, close, with some nonsense tv show that neither of you were really paying attention to playing in the background. When you asked about how it had gone, as delicately as possible, he shrugged.

“I won’t pretend it was the worst mission I’ve ever flown,” He said. “But I’m going to pretend that it was the best, either.” 

He didn’t go into specifics, but that was alright. You still weren’t quite certain that you wanted him to. The less you knew, the better. Besides, it didn’t matter, anyway. He was there, safe, with you. 

“Well,” You leaned back, on your couch, dusting the crumbs off of your fingers. “I’m glad it worked out.” “Mm,” He nodded, pushing his plate away before he looked around. You raised your brows as he lowered his hand to the cushions, giving them a squeeze. 

“So,” He smiled, “This where you usually call me from?” 

“Usually.”

“Even last night?” 

“Last night was a bit of an exception. I think we both know that.” 

“Where were you?” 

You nodded toward the hall. “My room. That’s where I gargle gravel.” 

“I told you you didn’t sound bad,” Bradley laughed.  

“Yeah, you did, and I still don’t believe you.” 

Bradley shook his head a little. Out of the corner of your eye, you could see his hand sliding across the cushion, a little closer to you. 

“You sounded good,” He insisted. 

“Good might be stretching it.” 

“Good’s the tip of the iceberg.” 

Your tummy fluttered at the feeling of his fingertips tenderly skating over the back of your hand. Your fingers wriggled, like it would entice him to touch you more—like if you didn’t move, didn’t react, he’d pull away or stop. Bradley lowered his gaze to your hands, and your breath caught in your throat as you felt him gently turn yours, his calloused fingertips skating across your palm. 

“…Bradley?” 

“Mhm?” 

“This may be an incredibly dumb question—” 

“Doubt it.”

“Wh—” You laughed nervously before you could finish the question. “Why did you…I mean, you just got back. Why’d you come see me?” 

“Because I missed you.” He took hold of your hand, his thumb sweeping along the side. “I needed to see you.” 

The word makes your pulse quicken, and you blink a few times to try and clear your swimming head. 

“…Needed?” You repeated dazedly. Bradley nodded, lifting his head to meet your eye. 

“Needed, sweetheart.” 

The way he said it was so soft, and warm, and so perfectly familiar that you could’ve cried. But Bradley was already cradling your cheek, already drawing you close and leaning in to meet you halfway. You raised your other hand, cupping the side of his neck as your lips met for the first time. Your eyes closed as you savored the tender slip and press of his kiss. The mustache was a little bristly, but hardly as intrusive as you thought it may be. The slight tickle of it made you smile. 

Bradley drew back, pressing a kiss to your cheek, then your jaw before he pressed his face into your neck. 

“Goddamn,” He mumbled, voice rumbling against your skin. “I’ve been thinking about this for a long time.” 

“You have?” You asked, sliding your hand up into his hair. 

“Longer than I should’ve been.” 

You bit your lip, resting your head against his. 

“If it makes you feel any better, so have I.” 

He pressed a sweet kiss to the crook of your neck before sweeping his lips over your neck and jaw, up to your ear.

“It does.”

You shivered at the caress of his breath. You turned your head shyly, nuzzling the tip of his nose with yours before tipping your chin up, giving him another gentle kiss. Bradley sighed into you, his grip in your hand tightening as you shifted closer to him. You hummed softly as he leaned back, resting his forehead against yours, chasing his lips for another peck.

“Before I completely monopolize your time, is there anything else that you planned on doing tonight?” You asked. Bradley chuckled, shaking his head.

“I did want to do one thing.”

You tried not to let your disappointment show as you, just nodded.

“What’s that?”

“See how combative you are when you wake up.”

You grinned wide, raising your hand and curling it in his collar, drawing him closer.

“Just you wait, mister.”

Taglist: @missredherring ; @fantasticcopeaglepasta ;  @paintballkid711 ; @massivecolorspygiant ; @blueeyesatnight; @recklessworry ; @amneris21 ; @ew-erin ; @youngkenobilove ; @carbonated-beverage​​​ ; @lorecraft ; @moonlightburned ; @milf-trinity ; @nolanell ; @millllenniawrites ; @chattychell ; @dihra-vesa​ ; @videogamesandpoorlifechoices​ ; @missswriter ; @thembosapphicclown ; @brandyllyn ; @wildmoonflower ; @buckybarneshairpullingkink ; @mad-girl-without-a-box ; @winchestershiresauce

[sugdenlovesdingle]

So...when is Ryan Hawley rejoining Emmerdale? We need a Robron Reunion soon right? Seb is growing up without his Dads, Aaron is stuck in the village and Robert is stuck on the IoW! Of course, when Robert and Aaron come face to face, they will not see eye to eye. So, what would you prefer? A massive blow up like Chrissie and Robert causing havoc in the village or a slow burn like before the 2018 reunion - but obviously with a sane, Maxine written SL? If RWRB fans can manifest a sequel into reality, 911 Buddie fans have the Buckley-Diaz family within reach, we can dream about a Robron wedding in Las Vegas right? 😝😂

lol I don't think buddie fans are really the best example here.

but yes, he's done the guest parts on other shows, he's done voice over work, he's made two kids - time to go back!

Though Maxine isn't a writer on emmerdale anymore (something about rats and sinking ships) but since we're fully 🤡🤡🤡 here maybe she'll do a guest ep for a special occasion!

Like Aaron being shifty for weeks, secret phone calls and texts, snapping at Vinny when he tries to look at his screen. Telling him it's none of his business when he asks what he's hiding. And then one random tuesday he'll announce he's going away for a couple of days and no, he won't tell where to.

And then we get Aaron getting in his car and adjusting the mirrors For Reasons and we see he has one of those picture key chain thingies hanging from his rear-view mirror with their wedding pic with Seb in it and he drives away (this would actually work with the bts pic Danny posted where he's filming with/in Aaron's car!). And there's a few shots of him driving until he pulls up to a random house somewhere. He parks his car and gets out, walks up to the house and rings the doorbell, a person we don't know opens the door. "Hi Aaron. He's waiting for you."

Aaron goes in and we see a little boy watching tv and clutching a giraffe plushie, and a packed backpack next to him.

The person tries to get the kid's attention but he's focused on the tv and they sort of apologise to Aaron who just shrugs and sits down next to him.

"Hey mate, what are you watching?"

And the boy quickly looks at him and smiles and then starts telling him all about the thing he's watching.

And Aaron just lets him ramble and just has this *fond* look in his eyes the whole time.

*some other stuff happens, tom is still abusing belle, everyone is miserable*

When we come back to Aaron and the boy, the show he was watching has ended and he's sitting next to Aaron who has his arm around him.

"So are you ready to go home?"

the boy nods and we see a shot of the person who let Aaron in smiling at the two of them.

"Alright, lets go then. Go say bye."

The boy walks up to the person and says bye and they bend down to hug him.

"Bye Sebastian, it's been a pleasure having you here but I'm sure you'll be very happy back with your dads again."

*gasp* *shock* The boy is Seb!

They leave and we see Aaron strap Seb into a car seat and triple check all of the straps and buckles until he's satisfied and he gets behind the wheel and starts the car.

He tells Seb to wave at the person as they drive away and we see them round the corner and disappear from view.

Then there's some more shots of Aaron driving but it's notably a very different road/route than before and we see him maybe check google maps on his phone a lot, indicating that he doesn't know the road where they're going.

It's implied they've been on road a long time and they stop at a mcdonalds or something to get something to eat and Seb gets to play in the ballpit for a while.

Aaron is still on his phone A LOT and texting someone until his phone rings in his hand. He answers in typical Aaron style with a few one word answers and then hangs up, and tells Seb they have to go again.

When they get into the car he tells Seb it's only short drive now and we see them drive to a bus station and pull over.

Aaron smiles at something in front of them and gets out of the car, standing by the door, not quite believing his eyes.

"You took your time." someone out of view tells him and he laughs.

"Shut up and get over here you."

And we see him stepping away from the car, walking towards someone, and when the other person is within reach, he grabs a suit jacket and the camera focuses on his hands - fists balled into the fabric.

"I've missed you mister Dingle."

And the camera *FINALLY* pans up and we see Robert half smiling, half crying, pulling back a little to REALLY look at Aaron.

And he cups his face and wipes away a stray tear with his thumb.

"I missed you too mister Sugden"

*credits roll, the nation rejoices, all is right in the world again, robron are reunited*

[bluginkgo]

Quick announcement (before the diarrhea of information):

I'm gonna go on a semi-hiatus for a week or so. I'll still be around, just not posting any drawings. Need to replenish my energy and drawing reserves cause I'm dead >_<

Sleep behind scenes!

So... Ginkgo why the hell did this take you so long? Sorry, sorry 😅 Here's what happened. I got burned out after like 10 pages (specifically the manor backgrounds killed me, plus having the full gang in the story) and then got sick and was not feeling all that great. Working through the burn out, sick, AND college work on top was quite hard not gonna lie though, but I wanted to finish it ^^

Alright, now as for little unnecessary Easter eggs, I added as nods to the show and my other interests. ^_^

1. Undertale save point. Undertale had me sucked in for a good long while, and for some odd reason decided to re-emerge in a form of the star save. Made it purple for Uzi's effect over N. She made him more rebellious, so he started to question why is it his memories and dreams are strange/corrupted/missing instead of just going with the flow.

2. Ep3 nod. V and N have history, history that I wish we get to see. V was nicer, kinder, in my opinion, prior to the absolute solver going rampage. So it makes sense for them to have some sort of friendship at the VERY least. So I decides to give it a small spin to it too. A direct quote from ep3 ^_^

3. Ep 2 + 5 nod. I kinda pulled the moment when James dismissed N from ep2 together with events that follow after N leaves library in ep5. Chronologically, these events don't fit together, seeing as ep2 is when N first meets Cyn and ep5 is when she's already set up the massacre. But this is exactly what I was going for. N's memories are jumbled at best, so I took liberty in mixing, matching, and editing his memories just as the admin program would probably.

4. Absolute Solver symbols nod. My chats with @absolute-solver (sorry for annoying you with tag 😅) made me realize that the absolute solver ought to have more presence now. It's activated and running systems in the background for Uzi. Whiiiiich means that drawing absolute solver should start now. BUT, it's rudimentary at best. Symbols don't really make sense and are not completed for most of the time. Not until Uzi at least sees the error message in ep2, when she truly starts questioning what that weird symbol on her visor is. I headcanon that N does know or at least feel that the absolute solver symbol is familiar, hence the little comment.

5. Absolute Solver Nori. Why is there so many absolute solver Nori around? I'm certain she went back to normal, just like in pictures Khan showed us in ep4 post core collapse. But I connected the solvers together here. Uzi's absolute solver string is up and running, and because the solver is a hivemind, it'd connect the memories and warp them a little. So that's why Uzi's doodle of her and Nori at the end (and during memory recall) was so full of absolute solver. It's slowly taking root, whether she wants it to or not.

Personal touches/added/cut ideas:

N's tail wrapping around Uzi like a hug. Originally, Uzi was supposed to look more nervous, but not for the reasons you might think. I cut the nervous look to a more upset look so it wouldn't be confused for fear. Uzi's never scared of N (yes, I don't count ep2 either, that was a lot of events at once and very little time to process them). The nervous look was more of a "Why are you butting in?" type, you know? Being a loner makes you cautious, so when N prods at feelings, I figured Uzi would be a bit defensive.

Cyn is fully rendered and yet I glitched her so much I felt bad. So here's full absolute solver Cyn eldrich monster thingy. ^_^

I pulled a Hazbin hotel moment. Did you see it? Abracadabra GONE! All the scraps from first couple pages with NUzi chatting POOFED out of the existence. Did I get lazy and tired? Yes, that was the tell tale sign of burn out, when I stopped keeping track of background details and just kept the pod.

These progress shots show pretty well how the story boarding goes and how I change my mind too easily. 😅 storyboard is still as much of a mess as ever, sketch shows you I was gonna keep Uzi's hat, but decided against it in final product. I figured this. Nori gave Uzi the jacket whenever Uzi got a bigger body + hair. These are the same jacket and hair Uzi has in canon. Uzi's body is just upgraded again and her hair gets shorter in that regard. The jacket would be big on her, and cover her hands, but what's up with the fluff if I draw canon jacket more spiky? And where's the death battery drawing? I headcanon Uzi drew those on once she got into the angsty teenager stage. The jacket is more spiky from wear and tear.

Fun fact! You can sorta tell who's gonna show up in the comic by what memes I post prior. Here's some examples ^_^ Cyn showed up, and that was first practice with maid outfits and Cyn's eldrich form. Closely followed by manor gang, the second/final form of maid and butler outfits and prime practice for those scenes. This example is a bit spoiler for a meme I'm working on right now! I've never drawn Nori before, so I quickly sketched out the idea and continued on with the comic (otherwise, I'd lose my steam and procrastinate on it again). Memes are filler for you guys while I work on the actual projects (comics), and along the way, they give me practice and change in drawing style ^_^

Is it a coincidence that this comic is called Sleep with the release of a certain horror game? Actually, yeah pure coincidence 😅 I had this drafted allll the way back in November, and didn't take particular interest in poppy playtime until I saw lanky boi, which was actually during a stream I watched on release day of the chapter.

(I didn't know tumblr, or at least the phone app, had a tag limit of 30, BOY was I surprised @brookiedaaroacecookie that must have been THE tag city, sorry 😅)

Next comic is Loneliness 1 and 2

This one is split into 2 POVs from both Uzi and N side, thus its 2 separate comics. That one will be more NUzi centered, too, a slight angst and comfort spin to it. That will come... sometime. I have a few more projects I wanna finish up with prior to starting on these guys ^_^

Why are you still reading this? Omg, have a cookie 🍪 you made it. Have a nice day now ^_^

[l3m0n-c0r3]

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT TO MY MINECRAFT MUTUALS. /SRS

@ekster--exotic @s7nnydrop-flower @magsillian @c-large-pancake-with-holes @w1llow-w1sp @jamb3rry (if i forgot any pls lmk)

whole lot of yapping ahead, ik some ppl wont care about reading it all so i put the keep reading thingy

UPDATE: my fucking tablet might be broken 😇🖕 (yes im too lazy to make a separate post about it) ((nvm it was just dead and the charger port is shit HELP))

hunt will not be on minecraft for a little while, i dont know how long it will till he is back but he had his ipad taken from him, his only way of keeping in touch with us is through tumblr, im going to try my best to keep him updated about whats happening between us but as you guys know im not on everyday like i used to be, so if you could could you please maybe update hunt on whats been going on on the days i dont get on?

thank you if so, i will make another post when hunt gets hus ipad back, i will also make this post temporarily my pinned post,

old pinned post is right here

ok yap fest over, back to your regularly scheduled nonsense i guess

[holden-caulfield]

𝐒𝐏𝐎𝐈𝐋𝐒𝐏𝐎𝐑𝐓

━ 𝐌𝐀𝐈𝐍 𝐌.𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 - 𝐗.𝐓. 𝐌.𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓

━ 𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐘: reader and xavier spend an afternoon together and without knowing what to do, xavier decides to animate reader's tattoos.

━ 𝐏𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆: xavier thorpe x tattoed!reader

━ 𝐑𝐄𝐐𝐔𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐃: yes

━ 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒: reader has tattoos

━ 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓: 745

━ 𝐀/𝐍: i had already started working on this but then you sent me the inbox thingy and now i actually have an excuse to post this sooooo, this one's for you @oeuryale , you genius bestie

It had become a normal occurrence for you and Xavier to spend the afternoons together. What you did didn't really matter as long it was you two.

Sometimes you would spend the day studying together, getting so little work done that you had to spend the next day separated to actually manage to do something. Sometimes it would be him painting and you reading a book, usually out loud so he could hear it as well; sometimes you would just stare at him while he did his thing, making unhelpful comments followed by his snarky comebacks, back and forth like an old couple that never grew up.

But that afternoon you had nothing to do: no exams ahead (and even if there were they could have waited), no inspiration to paint, no interesting book to read. You just sat together on a patch of grass, legs sprawled all over the ground and head in the clouds.

"What are we doing?" You asked, turning your head to look at Xavier, who was looking at the ground with more interest than he usually had in class.

He didn't even lift his eyes, still staring down. "I'm currently counting the blades of grass but i'd be happy to change activity as soon as you find one."

You huffed as you let your head fall on his legs in defeat.

"Now i've lost count." He declared out loud and if you hadn't been so completely bored out of your mind, his comment would have stolen a laugh from you.

Silence reigned again as you stared at the sky above you: bright blue covered by just a couple of clouds, announcing the imminent arrival of summer. Not a bird flying, not a wisp of wind; absolutely nothing that could entertain the two of you.

It wasn't usually like that: even when you had nothing to do, you always found something stupid to do, something at least slightly interesting to talk about. But that day seemed so dull and empty that not even Xavier could turn it around.

A couple of birds appeared in your line of vision, soaring through the sky. A new cloud, darker and grayer than the others appeared out of nowhere, but it didn't worry you. It was when a big blackish spider started crawling up your arm that you got back up, hands struggling to drive away the creature from your arm, immediately realizing what was going on.

"You got anymore of those?" Asked Xavier as you looked up at him with both anger and relief at having finally found a distraction. He pointed at the small tattoos on your arm, the tattoos that were now flying over your head and crawling down your arm.

"You could have warned me, you know?"

"Then it wouldn't have been fun, you know?" He mocked as he crossed his legs and balanced his elbows on his knees, hands supporting his chin. He had a new glint in his eye that matched your own, so he repeated the question. "Do you have more? I vividly remember a snake there somewhere..."

"You're so not animating that snake," you intimated as he leaned closer to you.

"You're no fun, Y/n."

"I do have a couple of dragons however, still interested?" You offered, lifting the sleeve of your shirt a little more to reveal two tiny dragons, imprinted on the skin.

"Now we're talking," he said, preparing his hands, hovering over your skin. "Not as fun as the snake, but it'll have to do for now."

"You are not animating that snake, Xavier." You kept going as small charcoal dragons began flying out of your skin and floating between the two of you.

"Why not? I love that snake." He said, looking at the newest company you had just found. One of the dragons looked him in the eyes with what seemed like a scowl on his little face, as if he was agreeing with you.

"And you know full well that the place where that snake is, is not for the public." You remarked, offering the tiny dragon your palm to rest.

"I am not the public,"

"We are in public."

He huffed, leaning down on the grass but not before smashing his hand against your own, crashing the small creature to nothing.

"Hey!"

He brought his arms behind his head, his characteristic smirk staining his face. "Looks like there's only one option left..."

"Forget the snake," you stated once more. "Not happening."

"Spoilsport."

general taglist - @henqtic @wh0re4blaise @pagesofhistory @sanctimoniousslytherpuff @maybesandohnos @youreso-golden @beforeoursunsets @o-rion-sta-r @mollysolo @dlmmdl @chaoticgirl04 @badass-yn @peachybaes @dreamcxtcherr @aleksanderwh0r3 @miraclesoflove @amourslover @i-love-scott-mccall @just-wordsandthoughts @onyourgoddamnleft

[if you don't want to be tagged anymore, tell me!]

[boiledbirdy]

Duke Thomas Headcannons

⭐️He is either insanely talkative quoting memes sarcasm dripping out of his ass or completely silent

⭐️Duke is the type of person and leader that doesn’t need words to have an impact on people, but does use words primarily

⭐️He’s a people watcher, the type of guy to order one blue berry scone and a vanilla cream coffee and sit there for hours, barley noticeable scone half eaten and sits in seeming focus while watching the ins and outs of the coffee shop

⭐️Is the type of person to have everything but the one specific common thing EX Duke has a mini magnet chessboard, tissues, hair ties, flashcards, a few extra snacks for his friends, pens every color of the rainbow (except for black) like hoW?

⭐️Has doctor hand writing (very ineligible)

⭐️Relating to the one above takes most of his school notes in doodles that just make sense to him

⭐️Is the kid who can do really cool pen tricks when no one notices, if you ask him to do it consciously he cannot

⭐️Detective wise he cannot use the professional terminology that Bruce has tried drilling into him for hours upon hour, case notes are various ways of typing thing or thingy that Duke has to translate before entering into the database cause his brain just can’t compute

⭐️Low-budget Sci-Fi movies are his shit, its on a sketchy ass website or youtube 50/50 on whether you can recognize the costumes from JC Penny

⭐️He is as scared of villains as he is of his own powers

Sticks his tongue into his cheek when he’s thinks really hard

⭐️Authority figures have failed him to many times that he just does not trust them.

⭐️after yr 1 with the Waynes he knows that they aren’t family in his eyes but more the closest friends which makes him scared of what happens when his parents get back conscious. - will he ever be the stereotypical family that’s been driving him for all these years. - will he actually be a child or just be a caretaker to his own parents????

⭐️Love and Family aren’t words he likes much but trusts more through actions

⭐️I think he may have 3c or 4a hair???

⭐️Knows seemingly everyone in Gotham??? Like oh thats Richard he’s a plumber yeah he has two little girls and he’s a single dad (gives a whole flashback for this middle aged man)

⭐️His room decor is really obscure band and movie posters and the live laugh love like signs that he found in hobby lobby, thrift shops, or tjmax

⭐️In spars and in real combat will bite people if he needs to or feels trapped

⭐️that being said Duke motherfuckin’ Thomas is feral like the type of feral where you get a shiver up your spine before he comes in a room

⭐️Chronically listens to Pearl Jam, Red Hot Chillipeppers, Joy Division, 2Pac, and Drake (theres more but thats short hand)

⭐️He has tumblr and has announced to the world through twitter that he sees all of the Wayne posts on there and supports those accounts especially the more bizarre ones

⭐️Favorite color is that deep deep lucid blue that seems to just be the paint of clear night sky (#030640) is the hex color code

⭐️he texts like a psychopath with the correct grammer everywhere but spell check is off and the short hand acronyms are constant

⭐️favorite soda is probably mtn dew which I disapprove but it’s the fact of my brain

[beagleamarelo-moved]

heey, i'm here to announce that i have now a ko-fi page!! :)

here's the link to my ko-fi!

you can support me with $1 or more, ask for fanart or OCs commissions! you can ask me to draw any band member or OC you wish!

you can also subscribe to become a beagleamarelo-maniac!! and get exclusive content O: like WIPs and behind the scenes stories.

feel free to support me if you want to so i can keep drawing my thingies for you guys!! <3

if you can't give me a tip, you can share this post!! also, here's a little george to make you smile. he's sort of holding this levitating coffee cup.

[grape-icing]

hi!! could you write a short story thingy between cg! roxy and regressor! dave? platonic ofc!!! i think roxy would act as a mother figure to dave!!! maybe dave comes over to roxys for a playdate for the first time, and he’s a little nervous to be so vulnerable around someone for the first time!! idk, you can take whatever creative liberty you want with it!! :)) thank you!!

HAIIII IM SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG!!! IVE HAD TESTING ALL WEEK AND I HAD NO IDEAS!!! SORRY IN ADVANCE IF ITS BAD!!! I'll also post this on ao3 :33333

Actual story!!

Dave was pretty nervous about John's doctor's appointment because he knew John would call a babysitter. Which was fine he supposed due to the fact he already told everyone about his regression but he hadn't been watched by anyone else before. Bluh!!! Even the thought of it made him anxious. Dave curled up next to John, filled with worry.

“Something worry bud?” John questioned the sudden movement of the younger boy.

“Uh no” Dave replied which was a lie because he didn't want John to get worried and potentially miss his appointment. Although now that Dave thought about it….

Well never mind, the mystery babysitter was here. Dave really hoped it wasn't someone in his family.

“Oh! That must be her.” John got up and raced towards the door.

“Hiya Roxy!” Dave was doomed, why did it have to be his mom? Sister? thing of all people, well at least it's not Dirk.

“Ok, so he knows where everything is and stuff. Uh, am I missing anything? Oh, his favorite juice is in the fridge. Shoot I'm already late! Okay got to go, bye Dave I love ya!” John quickly left.

“Hai Davey!” Roxy announced. Dave turned away.

“Oh um okay. Do you want to watch a movie or play or….uhm…do something?” Roxy questioned, trying to get him to do anything.

“No,” Dave said quick and bluntly.

“You don't wanna do…anything like at all? Not even a movie?” Roxy walked over and sat right beside him.

“I- uhm sure, I guess,” Dave replied not trying to hurt his mother's feelings. Dave didn't actually know if Roxy considered herself his mother but she didn't mind being called “Mom” so maybe.

“Good!! So whatcha wanna watch honey?” Roxy reached over to grab the remote.

“Uhm I'm not sure, maybe Octonauts? You can pick if you want though.” Dave said in a softer voice than earlier.

“Nah, Octonauts work!” Roxy quickly put the show on and wrapped an arm around Dave, which he wiggled and squirmed his way out of.

After around 20 minutes Roxy suggested they go outside and get some fresh air which Dave very nervously said yes to.

“Need any help getting your shoes on, baby?” Roxy asked while bending down to him.

“no” Dave stated. Roxy saw right through the lie and helped him tie his shoes.

“Uh m-mom,” Dave muttered.

“Hm? What is it pumpkin?” Roxy questioned as she finished trying the younger one's shoes.

“Nothing much. I was just wondering if it was hot outside.” Dave asked while standing up.

“Oh yeah, it's going to be very hot, perfect for playing!” Roxy said cheerfully while grabbing her purse to leave.

“Oh” whined Dave.

“Is something wrong muffin?” Roxy asked due to the tone of his voice. “If you don't want to play that's okay, we can get ice cream if you want!”

“I want um ice cream, please” Dave followed Roxy onto the front steps.

“Alrighty! We can totes do that, I think there's an ice cream place right around here.”

Roxy carefully held his hand the entire walk home, which Dave thought was nice. After about five minutes of walking, they made it to the ice cream parlor.

“Look! We're here!” Roxy bumped Dave on the shoulder to draw his attention.

“Mhm,” Dave quietly followed his mother over to the counter to order their ice creams.

“Okay I'll have one strawberry ice cream and, what do you want Dave?”

“Uhh cookies and cream please.”

After the two got their ice cream they started to walk back home.

“Hey Rox, do ya know um when dad is going to be home?”

“Yeah, he has to run some errands so it might be another hour or two. Don't worry though! Me and you will have loads of fun.” Roxy reassured him that the time would fly by and she'd be out in no time.

“It's okay if you don't want me to stay. I'm not mad I promise.” Roxy gently stoked his hair.

“N-no I don't want you to leave I just don't want you to uhmm never mind.” Dave quickly cut himself off before starting to try and speed-walk home.

“Dave baby slow down. You can tell me anything! I wouldn't say a peep to anybody, not even John!” Dave hit a full stop when she said that.

“Uhm well that was kinda it, I don't want you to go and talk about me to like, I don't know, Rose or Dirk?” Roxy turned to Dave and pulled him into a hug.

“I would never do that, but I can understand why you would think that. Hehe, I talk a bunch so it's reasonable.”

Dave and Roxy stood, embraced in that hug for at least a minute straight before going back to walking again.

Once the two of them returned to the house Roxy decided it would be best just to stay home due to the heat instead of playing outside. Roxy put Dave’s show back on before realizing he was probably still hungry.

“Hey sweet pea, you hungry?” Dave silently nodded. While Roxy went to cook him something, Dave slowly moved over to where he kept all of his little items but started to hesitate, finally, he picked up his bottle.

“Whatcha messing with Dave?” Roxy asked, coming into the room to check on him.

“Uh n-nothing?” Dave squealed out as he quickly shoved what he was holding behind his back.

“Are you sure? Because that didn't seem like nothing?” Roxy questioned as she got closer. “What’s behind your back, Dave?”

“Nothing like I said!” Dave said in an elevated tone, leaning away from her, trying to conceal what was behind him.

“Dude, I need to see what's behind you so I can make sure it’s nothing dangerous.” Roxy pulled his arms away from his back, which was surprisingly easy.

“Pumpkin if you wanted a drink you could have just asked. I'll bring it when I bring your food. I'll be right back!” Roxy placed a small kiss on his forehead and went back to the kitchen.

While Roxy was in the kitchen she quickly filled up his bottle with the apple juice in the fridge, Grabbed his food, and made her way back into the living room. When she got there she handed him the plate.

“Um, thanks” Dave muttered while eating a big spoonful.

“Of course!” Roxy answered.

“Oh, wait! Here’s your bottle, sweetie.” Roxy handed him his cup and sat down beside him. Dave mumbled something inaudible and shoved it where it couldn’t be seen due to him being embarrassed by it. Which obviously confused Roxy.

“You okay little dude? I saw you hiding your drink, any reason for it? if it’s because of me, you don't gotta worry, I don't care whatcha do as long as you’re not getting hurt or making a mess.” Roxy moved closer so she was basically right against Dave’s back, She gave him a small hug from behind. Dave leaned into her warm embrace and cautiously reached for his bottle, looking over at Roxy to make sure she wouldn't judge him or anything like that. Roxy planted a small kiss on his head as he finally started to drink his juice. After around twenty minutes Roxy pulled a blanket over him as soon as she realized he was asleep.

“Hey! I'm back!” John announced, getting cut off by a loud “shhh!!” from Roxy.

[melissamasakari]

Confessions you didn`t notice

Chapter five. Solstice thingies.

The next week was quite routine. A bunch of small tasks, replenishing the warehouse, hunting for all sorts of monsters outside. Nothing special. And then on Sunday fireside Gale announced the grandiose construction of the century. According to him, the neighboring government had finally agreed with Portia to build a road to Sandrock. For this purpose, a huge bridge and transport network were designed. That sounded like tons of interesting orders and it was promised that orders will be posted tomorrow. For now, I can check materials and prepare.

So on Monday morning I already got the first specific task. Wow, that's a big deal. Fortunately, the deadlines are not as tight as is it customary with external investments. I made a plan, ran around abandoned ruins, and returned home. In the evening I heard a familiar stomp at the gate. Wow, who got here! And I already missed him a lot by now.

“Melissa, are you home?” Arlo kicked the gate a couple of times. Red-block-head, I'll just kill you! I just fixed the fence!

“What, smoking furnaces in the yard are not enough evidence for the great detective?”

“Well, knowing you, they are not. You can easily fire up the grill and go somewhere. I have to look after your stuff from time to time.”

“Come in, stop yelling over the fence. You'll scare away the neighbors' chickens.”

“You asked to knock. So I knock. But usually it doesn't help.”

“OK. What do you need now? Some great feats or something simpler?”

“Personal,” oh, that’s a smile. Okay, red-block-head, you’re off the hook.

“Did you broke new dummy within a week, or is something rotten in the warehouse?” I inquired, while trying not to show embarrassment and excessive interest.

“No! Are you going to the fest tomorrow? I got busy and completely forgot that there was also a snowball battle there.”

“Fest? Tomorrow?”

“Well, yes, Winter Solstice. We celebrate the end of the year, make wishes, and share plans for the next year. This kind of stuff.”

“We just didn’t celebrate this. There was something similar, but it was in the fall. Tell me about what will happen there.”

Redhead told in detail how they celebrate here in Portia the date that I usually call the New Year. The part with the big pot of shared soup is a little unclear to me, but overall it sounds very interesting. It's probably worth going. Wait. He just invited me to a public event. It doesn’t seem like a date; I don’t even dare to consider it so. But it turns out that we will be together in front of a crowd of people all day long, won’t we? Well, if I will not blush too much and stutter, no one will really notice anything. At the same time, I’ll piss off Nora. Moreover, I still don’t know what he decided about her, maybe he has a harem of little sisters formed through my efforts.

“How does it sound? Will you go?

“With you? Yes, with you I'll even go through the jaws of Death. And back.”

“I hope it's unnecessary. So, meet me at Alice's store in the morning.”

“Fine. Why there?”

“Approximately equal distance.”

“Fair point. I don’t need to run to the guild in the morning,” I nodded at the traditional chaos around the assembly site. “I have full bunch of orders until the end of the spring.”

On Tuesday morning I dresses up, grabbed gifts for friends and headed to the meeting place. Holy Mr. Peach, just how nervous I am! This is definitely NOT A DATE, why am I so worked up? Oh, there he is, waving his hand. Somehow I got there too quickly.

“Hey!” Arlo offered me his hand, inviting me to grab his forearm.

“Glad to see you so cheerful. That’s your favorite event, I guess?”

“Sure thing. A city hotpot is a big deal, especially when it's so cold and snowy. That’s nothing better than a hefty pot of hot, spicy soup in such a weather!”

“Is it so very spicy?”

“It depends on how much pepper and ginger the townspeople throw in there. And what?”

“Do they usually throw a lot? I don't really like spiced food while I can still stomach ginger or mustard. But I was sick tired of hot pepper even in Barnarock. For some reason everyone there was obsessed with it. What a nonsense, there is a wild heat all around, and they are still have to put it inside themselves also. Brr.”

“Then it’s better not to. Or grab a portion at the very beginning. Well, it's a pity. I thought you liked it somewhat spicy too. You've been cooking spicy food recently.”

“There was almost no pepper there.”

“And it still turned out very tasty. Maybe you can share the recipe?”

“No way! Then you will stop dropping by.”

“You don’t think I have no reasons to visit you other than dinner, do you?”

“Well... I don’t disturb public order. I don't eat kids for lunch. I don’t slander my neighbors. What else is within your responsibility?”

“Fires, for example. A disgusting thing. In summer, the meadows often burn. Come, help yourself before they fill it up. And I'll wait.”

I poured myself a portion, threw in a communal pot a couple of peppers myself, and together with Arlo we walked away from the cauldron to the bench so as not to disturb anyone. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed church attire in the crowd. I wonder if Nora was staring at me or ogling the redhead now? She was probably not pleased that she wasn’t invited by him. And Arlo didn't seem to notice anything yet. Great.

“Well, is it okay? Not too spicy for you?”

“It'll do. But after my intervention, it probably became much more scalding.”

“What did you add there? I'm not familiar with this type.”

“Duvos pepper. Two full pods. Remy once asked for a spicy crepe with duvos powder. Well, I still had some spare pods lying around.”

“Then I’ll run to try it before it was diluted. Be right back.”

While he was pushing towards the cauldron and fiddling with the plates, Nora suddenly approached me. Surprise. And what for?

“Are you enjoying the holiday?”

“Yes, we don’t celebrate that one where I am from. A curious event. Did you want something?”

“I wanted to challenge you!”

“To challenge me? Such an honor! Aren't you afraid of denting your robe?”

“I mean snowballs,” she hesitated. “After the hot pot. On the field.”

“Don’t you think that you and I are in very unequal conditions?”

“Elaborate.”

“As far as I know, you are from a region where snow is common. But this year, I think, is the first time I’ve seen snow myself.”

Very flushed Arlo loomed behind Nora. I wonder how much did he manage to hear? And how will he react.

“That didn’t stop you from running with everyone else at the last festival.”

“It didn’t hurt to run. But it was inconvenient for you to hide.”

“And I wasn’t hiding at all! Everything according to the common rules by the way! Well, do you accept the challenge? Or are you afraid of embarrassing yourself?”

“Ha. No way I'll refuse! If you want a battle, you'll get it. Just don't cry too much.”

“Are you chatting, girls? Great. I hope you two will become good friends.”

“We'll see, honey.”

Nora shuddered. She chuckled and, looking like an insulted princess, headed towards the gate. What a spirit! I hope Arlo won't be too upset when I’ll make her spit snow. Again.

“What were you talking about?”

“Didn't you hear?”

“In outline. It's quite noisy here.”

“Nora wants a snowball fight with me. Is it time for me to run scared?”

“Just drop it. She's a nice girl. Try to get to know her better and you'll see.

“I will try. But I don't promise anything. Cause I think we have nothing in common, you know.” Well, except for the same crush I guess.“Do tell me what do you think of my secret ingredient? I remember Remy even cried. I didn’t get if it was from nostalgia, happiness or l from mucosal burn.”

“It’s a fine brew. You should at least have given a warning, you hooligan. Otherwise you will have to be detained for sabotage. The children, over there, are just spitting from it.”

“You understand that your flimsy cage won’t hold me, right?”

“It shouldn't. But the fine to the workshop’s rating and the ban on taking government commissions will do better.”

“Oh, so you’re a sly one! You’re looking too pleased for such serious threats,” feigning offense I lightly hit him on the shoulder with my fist.

“Let's go, people have already gathered on the field.”

Now it dawned on me why no one cleaned the scenery from the last feast. The decorations were the same, except that the children had built more snow fortifications around. Today's snowball battle had half the time allocated compared with the last feast. I need to use it wisely.

“Well, are you ready?” Nora inquired capriciously. “I can give you a ten-point head start.”

“I reject. Make sure you don't need an advantage yourself.”

“Redhead, do calm down. You'll scare away all the townspeople.”

“Fine point from a redhead yourself. Are you on offense or defense?”

“I hope to have time to play both parts. Besides, I promised you.”

This sly blockhead first went to the side of defense and throughout the battle looked after and protected Nora from my tried. So, are they dating or not? If they are dating, then why did he invite me? Lost in thought, I missed the hard hit. Ugh! Well, now you BOTH will hear from me.

“Keep your eyes open!” Arlo shouted, made a funny face and rolled into another shelter.

I took the opportunity and landed a fine projectile into his “little sister”. Hey, he didn’t have enough time to cover her this time. And she asked for it herself! I'll make her cry later. I dodged her retaliatory projectile without any problems, as well as the Arlo's attempts to provoke me into a rash attack. Changing my position, I took careful aim, pretending to be aiming at him. As I had planned, he deftly dodged, exposing my real target for my attack. Nora was left without a hat. And then that sly redhead got hit in the face. Victory is mine!

“Kid, is it just me, or are you too aggressive today?” Sam slapped me on the shoulder from behind.

“Blame the hot pepper. Don't worry, I'm cooling down quickly.”

“Ugh, I'm not playing against you anymore.” Shaking out the snow from under his jacket, Arlo said, coming closer. Nora was not with him, so I can hope that she will not dare to take revenge soon.

“You signed up for this yourself. There is sparring. There is the Land Run. There are snow-fights now too. What's left there?”

“Fishing.”

“Ugh, disgusting! Any other options?”

“Ghost hunt. And the harvest festival.”

“You don’t participate in that two. I have a hard time imagining your attempts to grow a champion pumpkin.”

“I can eat up a champion pumpkin. But I do not want to. It's too sweet so I'll have a terrible headache.”

“Guys, the second round is starting, we’re dividing into teams again,” reminded Sam, who had observed our skirmish from sidelines earlier.

I didn’t want to go to the defense of the “castle”. Arlo kept his promise and didn’t play against me either. Somehow, completely imperceptibly, the game turned into “escape from the redheads.” Almost our entire team dropped out early, and the two of us really gave our opponents a cold one by the collar. Take that! Quite suddenly, evening came and it was time for the annual group photo. The townspeople flocked back, gathering under the Wishing tree. Wait, why did Nora decide to stand next to me? Is she trying to befriend me now? Was it HE who advised her to stick up to me? Hey, my opinion is not taken into account? Okay, girl, just smile. Hmmm, well, my face got somewhat too ghastly. I just hope Arlo won’t lay this photo on his dresser.

“Sam, don't go away yet.”

“I wasn’t going to; I’ll just gather our team.”

“Okay, I'll wait by the swing. Let the crowd disperse a little.”

Taking advantage of the respite, I rummaged through my bag. Luckily, all the packages are in place, so I can hand them all over.

“Remy, this one for you. I think it will come in handy,” I handed my friend the package, through the packaging of which the fabric was visible.

“New jacket. Cool, thank you, this is exactly what I wanted. And this is for you, open it quickly.”

Inside the small box I found brand new blue boxing gloves. Unable to contain my joy, I hugged my friend tightly.

“My turn! Here you go, little fella. It's your size, I checked twice. I know that your old one is completely worn out.”

“Wow! It's good that I didn't have time to order it myself. I'll be back in my favorite uniform jacket when it gets warmer. Now it’s your turn. It wasn't easy to get.” Sam pulled out a warm blanket with a picture of a horse from the bundle, beamed and hugged me.

“Thanks, kid! Remy, let's go. I'll help you with your knee, you’ve put a lot of strain on it today.”

“Arlo. This is for you. I thought you could use a replacement. This one should be sturdier and fit for a slightly heavier load,” I handed him a brand new arm stretcher with reinforced springs.

“You noticed then? I was just about to order a new one from you. Thank you! Now wait a minute.”

He began to rummage through the inner pocket of his jacket.

“Come closer. Here. Freeze,” he took a bright blue piece of fabric from the package.

Is this... Bandanna? Is it the same as his? While I looked at his gift in surprise and delight, Arlo carefully folded the bandanna in half and began tying it around my neck. He fiddled with it a little, straightened it, smoothed it out, and walked back a couple of steps to admire it. I'm sure I'm blushing A LOT right now. He carried it with him all day after all.

“What, Am I supposed to get hugs? Or did I guess wrong?”

“Why not? You guessed just right” I looked around, but no one seemed to be trampling around. So...OK.

“Then I’m waiting,” he spread his arms invitingly.

Gathering all of my courage, I rushed to him. I wrapped my arms around his neck, reached out and quickly kissed him on the cheek, quietly saying “thank you.” Wow, his beard was so soft. And his herbal scent made me melt. Oh. Stunned by my determination, I just as quickly let him go, walked away to a decent distance and started running away, hiding my completely blushed face in my hood.

[sunreisets]

Will be mostly offline until Logan’s contract status is announced just like I have stated in my bio. This entire thingy of going onto social media to check what up for him isn’t helping my mental health but I still wish the best for him for the race . Hope he stays and he deserves the seat, I just need a little break to be able to breathe and collect my thoughts.

I’ll still be on tumblr. Don’t worry, I’ll just not reblog anything or post anything for the meantime. Feel free to message me or send asks!

[mushroomly]

Little drabble thingy

Tws: death, angst, spoilers

So last night I’m falling asleep and I was thinking

like a 10 yo kny obsessed reader gets isekaid to kny

She knows everything about the plot

befriends Hashiras

But especially Sanemi and Giyuu (SaneGiyuu in this)

This takes place about 2-3 years before main plot

she begins training

(for plot purposes, she uses a breathing style called cloud breathing. You’ll see why later)

Anyway

she trains for couple years

attends final selection at about twelve (advanced, ok?)

Meets Muichiro

she had gotten bounced between Hashiras for a while before she settled on her breathing style

but now it’s just w Sanemi, Giyuu, and Mui, who have the closest breathing styles to her

anyway

cute teenager crush between mui and reader

(forgot to mention that reader sees sanegiyuu as father figures)

Reader isn’t Hashira level, but she’s considered a tsuguko

Okay

Reader and Mui get together

Then infinity castle happens

Muzan figures out somehow that she knows everything

And has Nakime isolate her, only letting her hear the death announcements

Cue crow saying “The mist Hashira, Tokito Muichiro, has fallen to upper moon one!”

Breakdown ensues

Reader activates slayer mark attempting to get out of there, to get to her friends, family

Nakime dies, reader is spat into the open, fights Muzan, you know the drill

Post battle, she passes out (injuries, slayer mark, etc)

when she wakes up, she breaks down again

it’s not just that Muichiro died; it’s that, despite all of her knowledge, she was unable to do anything

she was powerless

sanemi and Giyuu comfort her

she withdraws for a while, before realizing her days with sanemi and Giyuu are numbered (slayer mark :()

Attempts to live her best life w them

Both turn 25, both die

while reader was friends w kamaboko squad, she was closer w Hashiras

she awaited the day that she turned 25 (ik this makes no sense, but reader biologically and somewhat mentally remained 14. This isn’t meant to be an actual writing, just a though I had lol)

On her death bed, she sees sanegiyuu

she dies

runs up

Hugs them while crying happy tears

“Dads!”

“Hey, little gremlin!” (Sanemis nickname for u)

Muichiro shows up (u don’t notice, too busy hugging lol)

“Sorry I’m late…”

reader looks up at sanegiyuu and they’re like ‘go on’

she runs up to Muichiro, adorable hug whilst reader sobs occurs

“Never leave me again like that! Never!”

this made a heck of a lot more sense in my head lol

I literally almost cried thinking about it

[a-dream-bookmark]

a dream bookmark presents: JAN 2023

feel-good (adj.)

causing a feeling of happiness and well-being

Welcome to A Good Bookmark, our January 2023 recommendations list with the theme around feel-good fics. From the start of the month, we have compiled a list of fics the community has given and prepared to give to you. We would like to provide our biggest appreciation to the people contributing to the making of this list. Thank you so much and we would announce the theme for February 2023 soon!

Do you want to know more about us? Check this out!

The list is below the cut!

MEMBER'S RECS

ENHYPEN

|| crossroads by @writingmochi | requested by @writingmochi

Pairing: jay x fem.reader

Genre: coming of age, bildungsroman, melodrama, slow burn, slice of life, realistic fiction, romance, high school au, fluff, angst

Synopsis: crossroads have always been a part of your life. every zebra crossing you pass, every train interchange you go through, every hallway you walk in on your way to class, every eye you encounter with or without greeting. no one seems to dare to cross your tangled crossroads unless you cross it to meet them on the other side. that is until jay—a candidate for the student council president—has crossed one path with one single chocolate

What they said about the fic: though it is weird recommending my own fic for a fic recs post, i still believe that this fic encapsulates the theme well. it's still a fic that i like to read to make me feel something good through the hardship the mc has and how she and jay's connection develops over time.

COMMUNITY'S RECS

ENHYPEN

|| camellia by @delcakoo | requested by Anonymous

Pairing: prince!jungwon x gardener!f!reader

Genre: fluff ft teasing princewon ^^

Synopsis: the last thing you expected was to find a boy sniffing your flowers at past midnight, but when you see him pluck a harmless rose from it’s stem, of course you must furiously chase after him! if only you knew that it was the prince of your kingdom whom you’d just tackled to the ground..

What they said about the fic: this fic definitely made my heart flutter hehe <3 i love prince jungwon/royalty fics!

|| my little girl. by @wonvelvet | requested by Anonymous

This fic has dark/mature themes

Pairing: park jongseong(jay) x f!reader

Genre: fluff, comfort angst, plain angst, age gap (7 years), neighbors to probable lovers, dentist!jay, neighbor!jay and scenes of babysitter!jay, somewhat strangers to lovers?, (happy) open ending :)

Synopsis: you had always had daddy issues, for as long as you could remember. so when jay came along with his caring nature, how could you possibly keep your feelings at bay? not to forget, your roses of love have wilted long before you even knew what love meant but jay, he’s here at your doorstep with a watering can. will you be able to refuse?

or, new neighbor dr jay park is asked to babysit you over the week. ironically the only man you have ever had a crush on. you are so determined to put aside the feelings but jay makes things so much harder. he is way too sweet and caring and you are way too pessimistic and insecure. how is it going to work with you gravitating towards him in inadvertence and jay welcoming your presence with candor radiance? especially with all of your buried issues coming to life more than ever.

What they said about the fic: it's such a good comfort fic!

STRAY KIDS

|| heartbeat by @sulfurcosmos | requested by Anonymous

Pairing: bang chan x gn!reader

Genre: fluff, established relationship

|| warm winter by @sulfurcosmos | requested by Anonymous

Pairing: husband!bang chan x fem!reader

Genre: fluff, established relationship

TXT

|| the only exception by @byeomtori | requested by Anonymous

Pairing: beomgyu x female reader

Genre: love at first sight au, summer love thingy, reader is a rich kid, beomgyu’s love languages are act of service and physical touch, hence there’s a lot of pda, lots of reference to paramore’s the only exception and txt’s our summer lyrics, angst

Synopsis: you were not the type to believe in the existence of love. until you had to spend the rest of your summer with a distant relative whom you’ve never met your entire life, in small town with an ocean view, where fate had brought you a boy whose eyes shine brighter than any stars in the night sky. and maybe, just maybe, love does exist.

What they said about the fic: Perfect to fall in love with summer! The vibe of it is nostalgic, soft and serene. Whenever I need comfort in my life, I always go back to this one.

Reading it with rosé's cover of the only exception is how I fell in love with summer. It has such warmth and wholesome way of describing things like eating watermelons with him, how he has a bicycle named chieko, cliffs, walking beside the sea barefoot, bonfires. It all feels like a perfect dream to never wake up to.

The characters are all written beautifully. Specially beomgyu, for me it highlights his personality the best. With accurate details like his parrot toto, him being a menace but a boy everyone loves, his coming back to y/n one night to seek comfort, him writing a song for y/n with his guitar. It's filled with beomgyuesque details! One of my favourite lines from the fic is 'He smells like summer' .

In a nutshell, a really good read. If I could only go back to read it for the first time again - I'd be the happiest.

Navigation | Collections

[tickly-trashcan]

hey guys haha i have a kind of announcement thingy... it is not sunshine and rainbows unfortunately orz

(there will be a tl;dr at the end if yall dont wanna read all my random thoughts lol)

i am going to just be completely honest. i don't really want to write anymore. at least not on this blog...

i know that i have requests but i really have been struggling with... everything!! i just graduated and that was like a punch in the face because everything that i've been feeling for months really became... real??? like i thought i had just been hallucinating all the really bad feelings but it was real!!!

i've been lacking motivation with writing, and every time ive sat down to write i feel bad and terrible and it really is an awful feeling and i'm sick of it... and even when im not writing my silly goof tickle fics those feelings somehow creep into my brain and it's been making it really hard for me to write anything that ive enjoyed.

so... i think what im trying to say... is that i'm going to stop writing for this blog. it isn't because of anyone, i think that its just because ive been doing it for so long that it's become a genuine stresser for me, and i think that by separating myself from this blog, it'll be much easier for me to... exist!

i could go into a LOT more details about how ive been feeling but i really dont want to go too crazy since i am... on the internet lolol but i think that it would be better for me to not write anymore.

so what does this mean for this blog???

i'm not going to be deactivating this blog, and i'll make sure that all my links and such are up to date before i officially leave. I'm not going to like... sign out, and i'll still be active every now and then, but if you'd like to get my discord for any contact, please let me know! i'm not super active on discord right now either though, so please be aware of that lol

this blog is essentially going to be an archive. i'll go through my masterlists and update all of my other important posts, but otherwise, there probably won't be any new content from me.

I probably won't be active on ao3 either, but if you'd like to give my old works a peek as well, you're more than welcome. the link is right here if you're interested!

there's still some stuff that i'm working out as well in my personal life and in cleaning up some loose ends on this blog, so if i take a little bit in responding to anyone, that's why. i'm sorry this is kind of a bleak little post, but i really can't do it anymore.

to everyone who sent in a request in the last round of prompts, thank you so much because it really did make me excited, but i'm not going to be able to complete them... i really appreciate every single one of you, and i hope you can forgive me orz

TL;DR

I'm really really tired and have had a lot of negative feelings for a really long time, and I think that leaving this blog in terms of writing will be best for me in the long run. There will be no more new content from me, but I might still remain active with communications if I can. I'll be updating my blog until it's good enough to leave, and then I will no longer be a content creator.

(sorry that tl;dr sounds more negative than the rest of my post LOL i'm really fine i just... i need to rip the bandaid off and just... be done)