#makes me feel almost charismatic lmao

[roaringheat]

my boss has her issues ofc but her praising my customer skills sm and writing a little personal note in a christmas goodie bag she gave me basically thanking me for how good I am with customers has me so elated and shit. makes me feel like im actually contributing which means A LOT since im still fuckin up drinks every so often LMAO

[lizzaneia-elizalde]

Yandere! Male! idol x manager! gn! reader

WOOOH finally able to update. I got busy due to working for a summer reading camp. Woop tee doo... At least I got money for a new phone LMAO

And we finally, FINALLY finished the second set of yans! For now, no new yans will be done, and will be focusing on the boys!

Song featured: Too Sweet by Hozier

EDIT: I FORGOT THAT I MADE ELIAS THE SIBLING OF THE YAN! IDOL AND ALREADY NAMED HIM ZAYNE! I'll probably just change Zayne's to Tae-Joon.

Yan! Idol name: Raven/Tae-Joon

The deafening lights and cheers of the people in the gigantic stadium rang around the building. They kept cheering, almost shaking the whole place from their energy.

As the band started playing the intro song, the cheers suddenly amped up in intensity with the focus going back on the stage. Each and every lightstick glowed red, flooding the whole area with a scarlet hue.

The bass pumped, the music riffed, the vibe electric.

The stage fogged up, covering the whole place before the cheering got louder when a appeared in the fog.

Then, there he is.

"HOW'S IT GOING CITY OF [redacted]!"

A charismatic, boyish smile, with pearly white teeth that blinded the secret paparazzi in the crowd, with a tall and lean stature that encompasses talent and discipline in one body, and facial features that make people swoon even in just his photocards.

"RAVEN! RAVEN! RAVEN!"

The man, the idol named Raven, started to sing. His voice was smooth and low as the romantic yet also sensual lyrics pour out of his pink lips.

It can't be said I'm an early bird

It's ten o'clock before I say a word

Baby, I can never tell

How do you sleep so well?

He goes up to the edge, swinging around the mic stand as if it was a dance partner. One can hear the passion going off in his tone as his messy hair got flipped upward.

Don't you just wanna wake up, dark as a lake?

Smelling like a bonfire, lost in a haze?

If you're drunk on life, babe, I think it's great

But while in this world

He gets on the middle of the stage, and the pedestal raised as the spotlight went to him.

I think I'll take my whiskey neat

My coffee black and my bed at three

You're too sweet for me

You're too sweet for me

Everyone was seduced, everyone was mesmerized. Raven gave off seductive energy that they held their breath every time his gaze penetrates them. And some even assumed his gaze was on theirs, making them squeal.

It was truly a night for everyone in the stadium.

After almost two hours of performing, Raven, with sweat pouring out of him but still managed to look amazing, descended down on the stage hatch.

But the once shining star back in the stage suddenly threw his beret on the ground.

"FUCK! What was that buzzing sound in the dance break?!" Raven yelled. "Are you serious?! I thought we went over this!"

The people in the back started to groan inwardly. There he goes again.

"Ah... Tae-Joon..." The director said, "We made sure to reprimand the lights and sounds..."

Raven, or rather Tae-Joon off stage, clicked his tongue in anger. "Whatever. Bring me my coffee! I need a break."

"But you can just go home after the cleanup. Do you still want coffee?"

A naive voice said, obviously new to the scene as she juggle with her box of wires.

She's a big fan of Raven and pulled a lot of strings just to be there. A bit bold, she decided to be the concerned type of staff and berate him of his beverage choice.

Yet she absolutely cannot see the pale faces and the dread sticking on the visages of the people around her. She's in too deep in her tunnel vision of Raven to notice his microphone cracking. Another thing to add to the casualties.

"You... What's your name?" Raven glowered. The fan can feel her heart rate pick up as she told her name. "Oh. You're new. All i could say is..."

Raven got up to her and glared at her much smaller form "You're fired. Get out! Nobody gets to dictate what I damn drink!"

The woman was too stunned to speak as she got dragged out of the venue.

This is Raven. Or in real life, Tae-Joon. A charming man in his own right, in front of the public, he's a gentleman with a seductive touch. Talented, with a handsome visage, he's an international idol.

But in reality, he's one hell of a spoiled brat.

"I WANT MY COFFEE NOW!"

Somehow, because of his sheer dumb luck and his reputation, nobody from his staff decided to expose him for what he really is.

He's full of himself and loves to gloat about his own achievements. And one thing he makes sure to take advantage of is his looks.

He brushes his hair back, shaking off sweat (ew) yet somehow looks so ethereal as he clicked his tongue in annoyance, mesmerizing his staff.

He even went as far as to feed his delusional fans and stans.

He's that far gone.

"Where the hell is my coffee!"

"AY COFFEE!"

He's awful to everyone.

Except...

"Tsk. Tae-Joon... If I hear you yell one more time!"

Raven cowers a bit, pouting as he slithers towards his manager.

"But manager~!"

As if he's a new person, Raven clung to you. His head on your shoulder as he played with your left hand.

"I want my coffee and none of these incompetent people are giving me my coffee!" He whined like a child complaining to his parent. "Scold them for me pwease!"

The staff, used to it, sighed in relief as your deadpan look didn't tolerate Raven's rudeness. On your right hand is his coffee that you handed to him.

"Manager! Thank you so much!" His eyes wide and appreciative, he sips on it and sighs in relief. "Ah... So good... This is why I love you, manager."

Goodness. He's putty in your hands.

Tae-Joon was once a trainee. He's naturally good looking already so he's being pulled left and right by companies to be in their side. He's an uncut gem, a diamond in the rough waiting to be polished. They saw his potential and wanted a slice of his being.

The once sweet boy, hardened by the harsh training, became a gloating hardhead from the way these people fight for him. After all, he was just a quiet, ambitious guy in highschool. He wanted more, and he got it through hard work and natural charm. And now, years later, he's about to reach his dreams.

Yet once he got in the company of his choice, his demands were... Too much.

"I need to share a dorm with others? No way!"

"Ugh the mattress is too stiff."

"Seriously?! You want me to train for five hours a day?! Two hours! Just two hours!"

"What are these clothes?! These are not branded!"

"No way that I'm performing in that small stage. I don't care if I'm pre-debut, that is ass!"

"Trash beats. Next."

The company was exhausted. He's not even raking money in, yet he's too demanding for his own good.

Desperate, the company opened their doors for a babysitter manager that has a "calm and pleasing personality", "trait that can work in high stress situations", "adaptability", "great leadership skills and authoritative", and can "teach those who are under them". Aka: someone who can tame the damn bird.

That's where you came in.

You were just a fresh graduate in desperate need of a job. Nobody was hiring you since you're new, and needed more experience.

The hiring process was intense, to say the least. You had to herd rowdy children and change them to upright good kids in 10 days. You somehow did it and even got gifts from the grateful parents. Next, you had to juggle schedules and ridiculous demands. Then, you had to endure being yelled and insulted at.

Your mind, heart, and body are now made of steel from that hiring process and you're the only one who rose to the top.

"Congratulations. Here's your care. His name is Tae-Joon, stage name Raven." The head said, nervous and hopeful that you with Tae-Joon will change his attitude.

Tae-Joon raised an eyebrow and sneered. "Ugly."

You were flabbergasted. This is a supposed to be future idol?

But you can only manage a twitch on your lips.

It was hell with him. You thought the hiring process/training regimen was bad, but this was something else.

A explosive personality, he's sassy and mean to a point of wanting to face palm through your head. You had to physically reel him in at some point just because of a hater.

But unlike the others who cowered and tolerated his behavior, you were stern with his behavior and lectured him most of the time.

"You can't just yell at miss Park just because she messed up your order!"

"Get the hell up! You're going to be late to your training!"

"Who the heck do you think you are, ripping up clothes like that huh?!"

You were feisty in your own right and constantly butt heads with him.

But even then, even just with you around, he's just a growling beast cowering from your lectures as you yelled at him.

Yet, even if as you yell at him, your caring hands wiped his sweat off and gave him his water. If somebody actually messed with him, you would lecture that guy. And there are some times that you laugh at his antics and shake your head.

You treated him like an actual human with feelings, rather than a ticking time bomb.

Slowly but surely, Tae-Joon clung to you. You were his only ally in this godforsaken industry and the only one who understood him. You also didn't tolerate his personality and shaped him to be somehow decent.

And, as his manager, you cared for him like nobody did.

Your lectures became less frequent, and he had more instances to see where you smile at him proudly as he finally had his solo debut. More time to talk to him normally, and had small, intimate moments that fuels his social needs.

And as his fame skyrocket, you were always there, waving his lightstick and being his number one fan.

Understandably, he fell for you.

He started to be openly affectionate with you, constantly confessing his love to the point that management had to tell him off to stop being so open with his affection since paparazzi can take a video or picture and ruin his reputation.

He honestly doesn't care. But with you raising an eyebrow at him, he pouts and only becomes clingy in private.

He'd rather hold it in than nothing at all.

And hell be damned if someone took you away from him. Because he may be somehow tolerable now, but that's only because you're there with him.

Raven just got back from practicing for his new song, and was totally exhausted. He dragged his feet, clearly irritable especially that you weren't there with him.

The staff knew he's not in a good mood so they steer clear of his way.

"Have you seen my manager?" Raven asked a staff who only shook their head. "'kay..."

He looks so depressed that the people around him took pity on the guy as he trudged towards the head.

He passed a meeting room and he heard your voice.

"Another Tae-Joon?"

Another him? What?

He decided to listen in and he heard the managerial head clear his throat.

"Yes. Since Raven is calmer now, we think he needs to move on to another manager. You, on the other hand, will be training another... Hothead."

You held your head, feeling a headache incoming.

"No way. I'm not going through that again. I went through hell with Tae-Joon before. I'm not repeating that."

Ouch. Tae-Joon held his chest, a bit saddened by your words. Well, it was true but it didn't mean it didn't hurt.

Yet... You're not going to be his manager anymore?

Strangely, he felt the numbness creeping up his nape.

"No buts, y/n. You're going to be transfered."

"Did you ask Tae-Joon about this?"

"... Yes, Raven gave the thumbs up."

Liar. LIAR!

Tae-Joon wanted to rush in the room and shake the managerial head until he faints. He didn't give the thumbs up at all!

But he's strangely rooted in place as he heard you sigh.

"Okay. Where's this guy?"

"His name is [redacted]. He'll be here by Monday so be prepared."

When you finally finished the meeting, you went out of the room yet felt a lingering warmth by the wall.

Meanwhile, Tae-Joon rushed towards the trainee building. Eyes cold yet body tense. He wanted to see who the hell is this [redacted]. Nobody, as in nobody will be yours. Only he can be yours.

The trainees were flabbergasted as they saw Raven in the flesh, gawking at his presence and bowing in respect.

Tae-Joon didn't care. He wanted to see where this [redacted] is.

Room 5, and he bursts open through the door.

"What the hell- Raven?" The guy was slack jawed, starstruck. "I'm- I'm a big fan--"

Tae-Joon grabbed his collar and looked him in the eye. It was filled with unbridled rage yet at the same time, bone chilling coldness.

"Fix your fucking attitude." Tae-Joon warned. "Don't be over your head, worm. You better be goddamn nice or else I'll lob your head off."

[redacted] felt like it wasn't just a baseless joke, so he swallowed his saliva and nodded.

"Now. I better see you demand a transfer to the group idol department. You hear me? You aren't debuting solo." Tae-Joon tightened his grip. "Understood?"

It reached the ears of the head that Tae-Joon threatened [redacted]. But don't know what. All they know is that [redacted] pleaded to debut in a group and was suddenly meek and quiet when he transfered departments.

Yet, they somehow knew it had to do something with you, as he clung to you desperately for a week after that.

Then and there, they knew to never, ever try to separate you from him. If they don't want to let go of their greatest asset and set him off.

So, despite how dangerous Raven has become, they forced [redacted] to be quiet by... Not so savorable means.

"You're not leaving me, right?" Tae-Joon whispered, looking exhausted yet satisfied as he hugged your waist.

You, who just realized how deep Tae-Joon is in his affection, sighed and rubbed his head. "I'm not."

And it better stay that way.

[buckysgrace]

Friendly Competition

Billy Hargrove x Fem!Reader

Billy has almost beat Steve Harrington at everything he was once the best at. There is just one more thing left to obtain.

His girl.

CW: Smut, Breeding kink if you squint (wrap before you tap lmao) some manipulation, spitting, crying, some slapping idk, Billy is kinda a dick, cheating.

You weren't quite sure how you ended up befriending Billy Hargrove, but you did. You supposed it was the genuine interest that he showed in you. You weren't attracted to him like other girls were, you were just happy that someone seemed to care about the little things you had to say.

Steve had warned you. He had been completely furious when he found out you were speaking to him in the first place. You couldn't particularly blame him. You knew that Steve was jealous of the other boy. Billy had come in a like a tornado and scooped up all of Steve's hard work to take over the school.

It started small, so small that you barely noticed Billy's presence around you at first. He was just suddenly there with his pearly white smile and charismatic attitude. You could see why girls flocked to him so easily, but you were loyal to Steve.

"Is this yours?" You looked over your shoulder as Billy leaned in close to you, the smell of mint and cigarettes lingering on his breath. You looked at the wooden pencil he was holding in his hand.

"Maybe?" You set your book down, looking across your desk to see that you had knocked your pencil off without meaning to. You reached over to grab it, your fingers knocking against his as he handed you the pencil, "Thank you. You're a lifesaver." You teased softly as you sat it back on your desk. His smile only grew at your words.

"I'm Billy," He held his hand out and you hesitantly took a hold of his rough palm. You watched as he clasped his free hand on top of your palm, sandwiching your hand between his, "I don't know if we've met before?"

You almost told him that you knew who he was. It was only his first week at school and everyone had already been talking about him. That included your boyfriend. You thought it was a bit silly, worrying about his status and everything else when he'd be graduating in a few months. He had changed for the better, but you were worried he was on a slippery slope back to his previous self with how threatened he acted.

"Probably not," You smiled kindly as he released your hand, "We'll see each other at basketball games. I'm a cheerleader." You responded as you made small talk. You weren't really sure what Steve had been so worried about. He seemed pleasant as his smile grew.

"Good, I hope to see you around." There wasn't much to the conversation in your opinion, but you had given Billy everything he needed to know about you, like you were an open book.

////////////

"Do you understand this?" You were taken aback as Billy shuffled his desk towards yours, his knees brushing against your bare skin as you looked over to the paper he was holding. You squinted your eyes for a moment, having a hard time reading his handwriting.

"Oh, yeah. You just haven’t been carrying your numbers. So do it like this instead,” He scooted closer to watch you write out the problem for him. You paid no attention to how his eyes watched you, already used to the way he held contact, “Like this.” You pushed the paper back towards him. He looked over it for a moment, biting on his pencil.

“That makes a bit more sense,” He admitted slowly. He looked up to face you, his blue eyes flickering in the sunlight as he smiled gently. You felt your heart hammering in your chest, “Thank you. Steve didn’t mention you were smart.” You bit your lip, smiling at the mention of your boyfriend.

“What did he mention about me?” You smiles, thinking Billy was going to offer you another compliment that Steve had gushed about you. Billy chuckled, flicking his tongue across his bottom lip.

“Not much, he said you’re good with your mouth,” You stared in horror, feeling your body warm. Steve had mentioned that to you before, but you didn’t like that he was telling other people. You gulped hard, “Just locker room talk.” Billy admitted as his knee brushed against yours again. You nodded, trying not to act bothered as you turned away from him. You missed the smirk on his face and the way he looked at you as if you were a snack.

////////////

"I don't like you being around him," Steve was irritated after he crawled off of you. You sat up a bit, pulling the blanket over your chest as you stared at him confused, "Hargrove. I don't like you hanging out with Hargrove." You frowned, staring at his back muscles as he moved.

"I wouldn't really classify it as hanging out. He gave me his jacket because I was cold." You retorted as you furrowed your eyebrows together. Steve still looked pissed as he sat to the side of the bed. You weren't used to fighting with him and didn't understand why you were fighting so much recently. You had known Steve since grade school and remained semi friends through your schooling experience. It wasn't until his recent split with Nancy that he had shown interest you. You still weren't convinced that he hadn't used you as a rebound, but you had been together so long since then that it didn't seem to bother you anymore.

"It's because he wants you," Steve snapped as he pushed a hand through his thick hair, "He's flirting with you to get to me." You sat up further, moving the blankets so you could try and look at him. You had seen the girls Billy went after and you certainly didn't lump yourself into that group.

"Steve, this is getting out of hand. I think you're getting too paranoid. Does anyone really care about status that much?" You weren't super popular, but being on Steve's arm did leave you lumped into that crowd. You really didn't care about any of that, however, and didn't know why Steve let it get to him so much. He huffed.

"Yes, literally everyone cares about that but you." He sounded bitter, and you felt your eyes soften as you watched the hardened lines grow on his face as he was in deep thought. You sighed.

"I really don't talk to him. I promise and I'm sorry for wearing his jacket. I didn't think it was a big deal at the time," You decided apologizing was better than keeping on about some dumb fight. You knew that this was just knew to him. He was used to being the center of attention and having lots of friends. Now, his friend group had basically become just you while the rest huddled towards Billy. Steve was used to being a leader and not a follower.

"Maybe you should go," Steve sighed and you watched as he stood to hand you your clothes. You stared at the pile in your lap as you looked up at him surprised, "I have a lot to think about." You opened your mouth and shut it right away. You had planned this weekend specifically because his parents were out of town and now, he was kicking you out?

"Seriously?" You huffed as you began to dress yourself, completely irritated in the childish way he was acting, "You need to get over yourself. No one is out to get you." You shimmied your pants up over your hips, watching how he looked like he wanted to argue back. You didn't let him get the chance to start again before you were stomping down the clean hallway and down the stairs and out into the cool night sky.

You wrapped your arms around yourself as you began to trek your way back to your house. You cursed Steve for his extremely fancy house that was positioned out in the middle of nowhere as you began to lose yourself in your thoughts.

Anymore it felt like your relationship was too full, like Billy was driving a wedge between the two of you. All Steve could do was complain about something he had done that made him feel even more less than before.

You didn't think you were being disrespectful in your relationship. You still didn't classify Billy as a friend, but anymore he was a lot easier to talk to than Steve. He didn't complain about social status or how hard his life was at the moment. He asked about your interests and genuinely seemed to care about what you had to say. Then again, maybe you should give Steve the benefit of the doubt. Then you remembered how he was making you walk all the way home in the chill, dark and you felt yourself growing irritated all over again.

You felt yourself tense as a car slowed near you, driving with your pace. You tried to ignore it, hugging yourself tighter. If you ended up dying you would be haunting Steve for the rest of his miserable life,“You shouldn’t be out here alone,” You were shocked to hear Billy’s voice. He appeared like the devil himself, looking rather pleased as he realized who had been walking on their own, “Need a ride?” You forgot all about your conversation with Steve, nodding as you climbed your way into the car. You were too freaked out about being abducted now to care about your boyfriends complaints.

“Thanks,” You buckled up quickly, watching as he put his smoke out, “I can pay you back.” Billy shook his head, reaching forward to turn his music down.

“It’s no problem. Where do you live?” He questioned you softly. You felt like he wasn’t this nice with anyone else but figured that was Steve’s voice crawling inside you. You told him the address, sitting back as you relaxed a bit.

“You have a nice car,” You told him politely, trying to make conversation as he took his time driving you home, “It must’ve been expensive.”

“Not really,” Billy chuckled, “I fixed most of it up myself. What about you? Do you drive?” He kept turning the conversation towards you. You were pleasantly surprised. It felt like it had been a long time since anyone had been interested in you. What you liked, what you did. You happily rambled on, not paying attention to how Billy was taking the long way to get to your house.

////////

Then, the moments started to grow. He started to be there for you more often than Steve was. You began to rely on him more, misjudging his actions to be friendly.

"Can you pick me up tonight?" You asked Steve as you leaned against the locker in your cheerleading uniform. People were rushing by to get out of school, and you didn't blame them. You'd rather be heading home than staying to practice as well. Steve sighed, slamming his locker shut as he shoved his books into his backpack. Your smiled hardened, understanding he was going through a lot at the moment.

"I'll try. I have," He paused for a moment, "I have something going on tonight." You felt your eyebrows furrowing as you listened to him. He had never been so vague before.

"Something? Like what? You're going to miss basketball practice?" You rushed all of your questions out at once, trying to understand your boyfriend. He sighed, irritated.

"Does it matter? Something is going on and I can't make practice or pick you up. My life doesn't revolve around you, you know." He spit out angrily. You were floored. He never spoke to you in such a manner before. Whatever he was going through, he was blaming you for it. You found yourself frowning.

"Sorry I'm such a bother. I'll find my own way home." You muttered, pulling your backpack over your shoulder as you turned away before he could say anything else. You didn't need this, you didn't deserve this. You hadn't done anything wrong to him.

You were still mad through practice, missing most of your usual moves and beats. Chrissy had tried to talk to you, to ask you what was going on but you brushed her off too. Steve had left you in a rotten mood. It had been building for weeks and now it felt like it was becoming too much for you to handle.

"Don't tell me you're walking," The familiar blue Camaro appeared next to you, driving slowly as you made your way down the dirt path out of the school. You sighed, wanting to simmer in your anger on the long trek home, "Hey, what's wrong?" You stopped in your spot, feeling all of the emotions bubbling up inside of you as you turned to face him.

"Nothing's wrong. I'm walking home. I'm fine," You forced out, parading the best smile as you could manage. Billy looked at you unamused thorough his shades, "Seriously, I can walk home."

"Get in," He said simply as he stopped his car. He blew smoke out towards you as he waited for you to make up your mind. You sighed, thinking that it would serve Steve right to see you get in Billy's car, "I'll drive nice and slow, just for you." Billy teased. You scoffed, getting in the passenger seat and buckling up.

"You're such a gentleman," You teased with a roll of your eyes, "Take a left on this street." You told him, beginning to give him directions to your house. He flicked his eyes over towards you as you remembered he had already taken you to your house before.

"Something on your mind?" He questioned, lighting a cigarette as he glanced at you. You fiddled with the hem of your shirt, shrugging as you glanced towards him.

"There's just a lot going on, I guess." You admitted, finding an odd comfort as you sat in his blaring car. You glanced at him, watching the way his curls moved in the wind. It was nice, being somewhere and not having to listen to someone complain about him. You weren't sure if that was the best thing to admit.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked, looking at you uncertainly as he inhaled his cigarette. You watched the way the smoke tumbled from his pink lips. It felt nice having someone interested in what you were thinking about. Steve had been too wrapped up in his own problems recently to listen to you.

"Steve is just acting weird," You weren't sure why you blurted it out, maybe it felt like you had no one else to say it to. You could feel anger forming in the base of your stomach again, thinking about how quick Steve was to leave you to the side, "I don' t know, he's just frustrating sometimes." You leaned back in your seat, feeling bad for talking about your boyfriend in this manner. Billy glanced at you in keen interest as he pulled into your driveway.

"He wasn't at practice today," Billy told you what you already knew, "That's pretty weird." He took the last drag from his cigarette, watching you with keen interest. You swallowed a lump in your chest, wondering if he was thinking the same thing you were.

"Thanks for the ride," You replied with a soft smile, unbuckling your seatbelt, "I really appreciate it." You knew you would just spiral if you continued to think about what your boyfriend was too busy with that, he couldn't give you a drive home.

"What are you doing with him?" Your head snapped up, looking at your porch where Steve was resting on one of the top steps. You felt a bit sheepish, thinking about how you had just been talking about him.

"He gave me a ride, so I didn't have to walk in the dark." You replied dryly, putting on your backpack before taking slow steps towards Steve. He completely ignored your words.

"I thought I said I didn't want you hanging out around him," Steve looked at you betrayed, glaring towards the blue car that was still sitting in your driveway, "He's an asshole." You felt your shoulders stiffening in defense.

"I can make my own judgement. He gave me a ride, that's it," You were getting irritated, feeling a bit embarrassed that you were arguing while Billy was still watching, "Seriously. You're making a big deal out of nothing."

"He's not bothering you, is he?" You turned, watching Billy stand outside of his car. He was smoking again, watching you with concern. Steve scoffed, looking at you incredulously.

"Can you believe him? Asking if I'm bothering you," Steve pushed his hands through his hair, obviously ruffled as he took a step towards Billy. You followed him, not really wanting the two boys to get in a fight in front of your house. You'd have a hard time explaining that to your parents, "You can leave now." He hissed, glaring at Billy. You were too concerned with trying to keep your boyfriend calm that you missed the smirk on Billy's face.

"Just go," You were mad, giving Steve a serious look, "You're acting ridiculous. Just go home, Steve." You were exasperated but you still felt bad when he looked at you like you had smacked him.

"What about him?" He motioned towards Billy, his tone suddenly not sounding as angry as he looked at you desperately.

"He was trying to leave before you came out here acting all crazy," You protested, feeling the need to defend yourself. Steve's brown eyes softened, like he had just realized how brash he had been, "Seriously, just go home and rest. Or do something. I have homework to do." You felt a bit guilty, but you meant your words. You were too exhausted to listen to him complain about Billy tonight. You knew he would be mad at you, but you didn't care.

"Have a good night." Billy's voice carried through the thick tension, a hint of amusement in his tone as you walked up the stairs to your home. You thought about turning to wave to him but decided against it, not wanting Steve to have any more fuel to accuse you of anything.

////////////

"We can study up here," You walked up the staircasing, showing Billy up to your room. You had been partnered together for a presentation and you were hoping that you would get it done with quickly. You didn't need Steve showing up to your house, pouting because you were around Billy again, "It's a bit messy." You quickly kicked some things out of the way, trying to clear up the entrance way to your cluttered bedroom before reaching for your other homework you'd been working on.

After speaking with your boyfriends again you had agreed to stay away from Billy. You knew there had been nothing malicious about your behavior but decided that it was better to agree to his terms than continue to fight. It had worked for a while, until you realized he was talking to Nancy again. It fueled your anger, realizing that you would never been quite enough for him.

"Steve isn't here?" Billy questioned, his eyes lingering at different areas in your room. He seemed to be thinking the same thing that you were. You quickly removed your books from your bed, clearing up an area as you turned to look at him.

"No," You spoke, trying to hide your annoyance as you placed your schoolbooks on your dresser, "He had something to do with Nancy." You were sure irritation was evident as Billy turned to you curiously.

"I thought him, and Wheeler broke up?" Your hands lingered against the nightstand near your bed, staring down at the picture of you and Steve wrapped up in each other's arms. It hurt, thinking about what he was probably doing right now.

"I thought so too." You admitted, trying to ignore the pain in your heart and the lump that was forming in the back of your throat. It would be silly to cry in front of someone like Billy. You were sure he'd have no idea what to do.

"He doesn't deserve such a pretty thing like you," He stepped forward, staring down at you with intense blue eyes. Your heart sudden beat a different rhythm as your breath hitched in your chest. His hands gripped at your soft waist, rubbing patterns into your smooth skin with his rough hands.

"What are you doing?" Your breath came up rough as you looked up at the blonde boy, noticing the way his eyes were observing you. He looked like he wanted to eat you.

"When was the last time Steve touched you like this?" Billy asked as he seemed to tower over you. Your heart was pattering in your chest as you looked up at him unsure, his large hands squeezing your hips softly.

"A while," You admitted softly. Billy's fingers slowly pushed the hem of your shirt up. You felt as if your waist burst into flames from the sensation of him against you. You were melting against him, slowly moving with him as he backed you towards your bed, "He's been distracted." You tried to defend the brown eyed boy, remembering that he was your boyfriend.

"Such a shame, if I had you there would be no one else I'd think of," Billy's blue eyes held onto your gaze intensely. You were thankful he was holding onto you, fearing that if he let go, you'd fall onto your carpeted floor and melt away, "You're fucking stunning." He spoke close to your face. You hesitated in his hands, not moving your face forward as you watched him.

"I can't." You mumbled, unsure of your own words as your body seemed to be urging to press up against him. You hadn't felt this much tension or want in such a long time. It was hard to feel guilty with other sensations taking over your body. Billy cocked a grin, raising his eyebrow as his nose brushed against yours.

"You can't have fun, c'mon," He licked his white teeth, glancing away for a moment before looking at you again, "I just want you to feel good. It doesn't have to mean anything. He won't have to know." The words were balancing in your mind as you considered him.

"I don't want Steve to know. I don't want to hurt him" You were feeling your resolve break down as Billy's touch sent flames at your skin. You exhaled softly, moving your arms over your head as he pulled your shirt up. You stared into his blue eyes, watching as his eyes raked over your cleavage.

"He'd never know. You said it yourself; he's been distracted. You deserve to be treated like a Queen. Let me show you," He sounded convincing as he moved his hands behind your waist. He traveled his warm hands up your back softly, leaving goosebumps in his wake. Your heart was beating even faster as he slowly fiddled with your bra, pulling the straps apart before letting it slide down your shoulders. You quickly covered your boobs as he pulled the material off, a nervous smile pressing against your face, "Don't be nervous. You're fucking beautiful." Maybe it was because it had been so long since Steve had said those words to you, maybe you were just that deprived to search for comfort in anyone else. You listened to Billy, letting your hands fall to your sides as he drank you in, his blue eyes darkening.

He kept eye contact with you as he slowly lowered himself onto his knees of your bedroom floor. Your whole body was warming as you watched his movements slowly. There was something so odd in seeing someone like Billy on his knees for you. He unbuttoned your jeans slowly, gripping a hold of your panties along with your jeans as he pulled them down your thighs. You resisted the urge to cover your face in embarrassment as his features lit up. He smirked up at you, gently pressing his palm against your hip to knock you down onto your mattress. A squeal left your mouth, your chest filling with giddiness as you sat up on your elbows to look at him. He dragged you forward by your thighs, gleaming up at you.

"I bet your cunt tastes so sweet," He whispered as he rested your legs over his shoulders. He looked like sin as he dipped between your legs, flicking his tongue out against your wet folds. A moan left your mouth as you watched his eyes close for a moment as he savored the taste of you on his tongue, "Fuck, Harrington gave up this? Such a shame." Billy tsked, his fingers squeezing around your thighs as his mouth devoured your wet cunt. His tongue flicked and swirled between your folds before he played with your clit.

Your elbows slid out from under you as you rested against your mattress, your mouth parting in awe as you focused on the sensation of his mouth against you. You mewled out, reaching down to tangle his blonde locks in your nimble fingers. The guilt was fading away as the pleasure took over.

"Oh god," You whined out, feeling your back arching at the feeling of his thick fingers pressing into your wet hole. You whimpered softly, already feeling stretched around him as he curled his fingers into your heat. He was lapping his tongue lazily against your throbbing clit as your hands tightened in his hair. You whimpered softly, "Feels so good." You whined out, moving your hips against his hot tongue.

He chuckled softly, pulling his mouth away from your wet heat as he curled his fingers up against your walls and searched for the bundle of nerves inside of you. You were grinding down against his hand rapidly, ultimately showing him just how needy you actually were.

"Pretty Boy wasn't fucking you nearly good enough," Billy spit out, his lips trailing against your thighs as he moved his thrusted his fingers inside of you faster. You could feel the cool metal of his rings hitting against your entrance each time he pushed into you deeper, "I'll change that, baby. Gonna fuck you so nice, gonna fill that tight cunt with my cock." He promised, his teeth grazing against your thighs as he spoke. You whimpered, far into pleasure to care about how wrong his words are. You felt your toes curling as his thick digits hit that sweet spot inside of you.

"Billy!" You cried out, rolling your hips relentlessly as you chased that feeling again. You where whining, writhing on the bed as he dipped between your legs again and wrapped his pink lips around your clit. It was like he was rising you into the sky, bringing you closer and closer towards heaven.

He hummed again, sucking your clit hard as his fingers brought you to your high. You moaned, your fingers clinging to his hair as you shook around him. You were breathing hard as he slowly lowered you back to the Earth.

You were shaking still as he pulled away from you. You were in a daze as you stared up at the ceiling. It had been so long since you had had a proper orgasm. You felt your toes curl softly as he slid you back up towards your bed. You squealed softly, still trying to catch your breath.

Billy stood at the edge of the bed, unbuttoning the few buttons of his shirt before he pulled it off. You stared at his tanned skin, the toned muscles. Maybe it was your guilt, but you couldn't help but compare how he looked to Steve. You tried to shake the feelings away as he unlooped his belt and slowly pulled his jeans down his thick thighs.

Your felt your jaw dropped when he revealed his hard cock. It bobbed against his stomach, standing straight as he crawled onto your mattress to face you. You didn't look at his face, too preoccupied with staring at the thick, angry dick between his legs.

"You ready?" He didn't reach for a condom, instead he swirled the head of his cock along your sensitive clit. You jumped, hissing softly as you felt your legs shaking still from your previous orgasm. You nodded stiffly, wanting nothing more than to feel him stretching you out. He pushed his tip into you slowly, gauging your reaction.

It was like you were being split in half. Steve was long, but Billy seemed to be twice as thick. He was groaning softly, spreading your legs wider and up towards your chest as he bottomed out inside of you. You hissed softly, your walls burning as your cunt swallowed his fat cock. He looked down between your legs, spitting again as he coated your pussy with his saliva.

"Holy fuck," Billy cursed as he furrowed his eyebrows in concentration. His mouth opened in bliss as he stared down at you, "You've been holding out on me." He grunted, rocking his hips forward slowly. You blubbered at the feeling of pain and pleasure swirling inside of you.

"So big," You breathed out, unsure of how else to tell him you weren't used to his size yet. He smirked proudly, cupping your chin softly as his thumb played with your bottom lip, "S'lot." You admitted, fluttering your eyelashes as you looked up at the blonde boy again.

"Poor little baby isn't used to my big cock?" Billy teased playfully, moving his hips slowly as you adjusted around him. You whined, feeling his spit slip towards your throbbing clit. You shook your head pathetically, inhaling as you felt him slide deeper inside of him, "Don't worry, baby. When I'm done with you, you won't forget my cock." He promised, drawing his hips back softly before pushing into you harder. You squealed softly, reaching towards your pillows as the pleasure overtook the pain. You'd never been stretched in such a way before.

"Feels," You breathed out harshly as he bent lower to face you, his blue eyes watching you intensely as he built up a slow rhythm. Your pussy was growing more wet, your slick coating his hard length, "Feels so good." You whined softly, feeling your eyes close in awe. They snapped open hard when his hand connected against your cheek, smacking you softly to draw your attention back towards him.

"Hey, hey," He gripped your chin softly before he squeezed your cheeks together hard, pouting your lips out towards him, "I want you to watch me fucking this little pussy, okay? You're only to think of me right now." He demanded, looking at you seriously as you nodded your head. You were too full of his cock, in too much bliss to wonder about who else you'd be thinking of at this moment.

"Okay," You whined as he pushed his cock into you harder, leaning on your legs more as they began to burn from pleasure, "Mhm, god. Fuck me so good, Billy." You pleaded. He dipped his head low, pressing his rough lips against yours in a fleeting kiss. You felt momentarily frozen, thinking about how he tasted so much different than Steve. Steve was always sweet, Billy tasted of mint and cigarettes.

He didn't let you draw on your thoughts about Steve too long before he was slamming into you hard, his cock rubbing against your bundle of nerves as you cried out. You desperately wished to grind up against him, to push him in deeper but there was no moving under his tight grip.

"Such a greedy little whore," He spit out, watching the way you were desperately trying to move your hips, "Already made you cum on my fingers and tongue and you're grinding up against me like a bitch in heat. Was that not enough?" You shook your head, your moans cascading off of the walls.

"More," You begged, wanting to feel as much as him as possible, "Need more." You felt like crying when he stopped moving his hips. You could feel his hard length pulsing inside of you, but you still feared that you had said the wrong thing.

"Okay, I'll give you more of my cock, baby," He let go of your legs slowly as he pulled out of your tight hole. You whined, watching him move as he pulled his hard cock from your wet heat. You felt a look of betrayal forming on your face, "S'okay. I'm gonna give you my cock, baby. Just relax." You felt tense as he rolled you onto your hands and knees. He positioned you a bit, so you were facing the doorway. It felt odd, but you ignored it at the feeling of cool leather pressing against your neck. Your gasp was cut off by him wrapping his belt tightly around your neck. You struggled to breath for a moment. You felt like this was far out of your comfort zone.

"I don't know," You started to speak as you felt your pulse quickening against your wrists. Billy chuckled, sliding his hard cock between your wet folds before he tapped it against your hole playfully. You were arching back suddenly, forgetting your discomfort, "Fuck me." You changed your subject entirely, looking back over your shoulder to watch him. He grinned down at you, gripping onto the belt around your neck like it was a collar.

"You're so damn needy for my cock. Pretty Boy was just neglecting this pretty little cunt," Billy tsked as he slowly slid his tip inside of you. You moaned, trying to push back to urge him in. He gripped your backside, holding you still as he watched you, "Patience, baby. You'll get my cock soon enough. I promise." He slid in slowly, teasing you as every time he hit a deeper spot inside of you, he'd pull out again. You gripped your hands in fists around the sheets, desperately trying to hold yourself together. You wanted his cock so badly. You'd never wanted something so badly before.

"Please," You whined out, sounding breathless as he caressed your backside. You were willing to get on the ground and beg for him to fuck you. Your body was trembling with want. He bit his lip, trying to control his smirk as he slowly filled you. You mewled, feeling his balls pressing up against you from how deeply he filled you, "Yes, just like that." You sighed out in relief. Billy yanked on the belt, earning an odd sound from you as his other hand roughly smacked your backside a few times. You yelped; your moan cut off from his grip on the belt.

"S'okay baby, s'alright," Billy pulled out until only the head of his cock remained, then swiftly slammed into you. You rocked forward, your eyes hitting the back of your head as the pleasure gripped you. You felt drool forming in the corner of your mouth and you quickly tried to lick it away, "Gonna fuck you dumb, make you my own little cock slut." Billy promised, grinding his hips into you deeply before he built a rough pace. Every thrust left you slamming forward, nearing the edge of the bed as he held onto you tightly. You were a moaning mess, unable to focus on how wrong all of this was with his dick hitting your bundle of nerves with each wild thrust.

You wanted to cry out again, to tell him how good he felt inside of you, but your tongue was unable to form any words. The sounds of your skin meeting filled the room in a filthy way. Billy was grunting on top of you, smacking your backside as he dragged you along his cock. He gripped the belt, pulling you off of your elbows and against his sweaty chest as he beat his cock into your sensitive pussy. You glanced at him, whimpering as you tried to hold yourself up.

"Do you like my cock?" He asked roughly, his free hand snaking around your waist as he pressed down on the bulge forming on your abdomen from his thrusts. You whined at the odd sensation as you nodded your head quickly. He moved his hand away, smacking you lightly across your cheek, "Use your big girl words." He commanded. Your cheek lightly burned but you liked it. It was odd that the pain he was causing you made you feel so good.

"Yes," You spit out, feeling tears of pleasure beginning to form on your cheeks, "Love it so much." You nodded your head, looking at him sincerely. He smirked, licking at your swollen lips messily before he was shoving you back down with the belt. You gagged when he pulled too hard, trying to regain your breathing as he shoved your face into the mattress.

"Such a good cock whore," Billy praised as he snapped his hips forward harder. He was clawing at your waist, forcing you against him harder and you were more than happy to oblige. You didn't think it would ever feel so good to be called such terrible names, "Gonna make you my own little slut. Gonna fuck you whenever I want. You want that don't you?" He degraded as he smacked your sensitive skin again. You nodded, before quickly remembering to speak when you answered him.

"Yes," You wailed when he hit your bottom again. Your skin was beginning to feel raw and sore, "Wanna be your little slut." You promised him, nodding your head urgently to let him know that you meant it. He grunted, his fingers digging into his waist as he rolled his hips inside of you. The sensation caused your toes to curl and a loud moan to leave your lips. You could feel your stomach muscles beginning to curl, signaling that you were near.

"You wanna cum on my cock?" Billy leaned over your body, whispering huskily in your ear as his movements became more rapid. You were crying around his cock, begging him for more as your cunt gripped around his hard dick like a second skin. You were whimpering incoherently as you tried to form words.

"Yes," You finally breathed out as a line of spit let your parted lips, "So bad, please." You were begging, looking towards the blue-eyed boy. He licked his bottom lip, drawing his attention towards the doorway with a snort. You didn't care what had gathered his attention. You just never wanted him to stop moving.

"Show him how good you are baby, show him how good my cock feels," Billy snapped his hips forward, the head of his cock hitting against your bundle of nerves as he held on tightly to the belt around your neck. Your mind was fuzzy, too focused on the feeling of his cock inside you to fully understand his words. He used his other hand to smack your cheek, gripping your chin to face you towards the doorway, "Show him what he's been missing."

Your eyes met brown ones, but you were unable to do much about the boy in the doorway as you clenched around Billy's fat cock and came around him. You were shrill as you moaned, your eyes clenching shut tightly as your body trembled around Billy's tight grip. He grunted hard above you, drawing you back with the belt so you were forced to look at his flushed expression.

"Gonna cum inside your little cunt, fill you with my cum. You want that? You want me to breed you? Fill you with my seed?" He hissed out, his hips snapping against you harshly as he dragged you along his cock. You nodded in shame and pleasure, a bittersweet mixture as you were all too aware with your boyfriends' eyes watching your every movement.

You cried out another time, your toes curling again as you felt his warm cum fill the deepest parts of you. Your feet kicked off the mattress softly as he held onto the belt tighter, cutting off your airflow momentarily. He was grunting like a beast, using his other hand to claw at your sides as he came down from his high. you whimpered when he let go harshly, your head rocking forward towards your bed.

You were a mess. Hair tangled from being pulled, lips red and swollen with drool pooling down to your chest. Your skin was darker where Billy had smacked you, your pussy full of the mixture of the two of you. You were ashamed, staring up at the brown eyed boy as his eyes looked at you with horror. You tried to look away, to avert your eyes so you wouldn't have to feel your guilt.

Billy yanked the belt around your neck like it was a collar and you were a dog on a leash. He forced you to look at Steve's horrified expression as Billy's cheek pressed against yours. You felt his mouth curl into a smirk as he looked at Steve.

"Sorry man, she's a bit busy. I can't believe you weren't fucking this," Billy growled, turning your head to kiss you harshly. You whimpered in protest, feeling a pang in your chest, "She's so fucking good, man. I hope you don't mind. I just couldn't help myself." You slowly raised your eyes to look at Steve again, feeling guilty and ashamed. It was like he was stuck in his spot, no words coming forward as all he could do was stare at the two of you.

You were quiet, staring down at Steve's sneakers as Billy moved behind you. You were too aware of how you were still clamped down around his length, your pussy begging for him not to leave as he unstrapped the belt around your neck. You touched your raw skin softly, looking over your shoulder at the golden boy's proud face. He pulled out slowly, hissing from how hard you were clenched around him. You felt shame fueling every part of your body at the sound of your wet heat squelching around him, his laughter filled the tense room.

"Did you hear that?" Billy bit his lip, looking between your legs one last time before he smacked your ass hard. The sound echoed and you stiffeled a moan, feeling your legs give out from under you as you fell forward on your stomach. The sticky sensation of your mixture between your legs coated your thighs. Billy dressed himself quickly, looking towards Steve like he was waiting for him to say something or to make a move. Steve never moved from his spot in the doorway, too busy staring at you with disbelief. You were doing everything you could not to meet his eye contact. The nerves filling your body as the lust left with Billy, "I hope there's no hard feelings. I let her nice and wet for you, King Steve." Billy smacked Steve's shoulder, barely drawing a reaction from him. You watched Billy's smirk grow on his face as he pushed passed the brunette boy.

You slowly lifted your eyes to meet his gaze again, still fighting to regain your breath. Steve just stared, looking like he didn't quite recognize you at the moment. He stepped forward, his eyes narrowing as he watched you.

"I was right," Steve breathed out slowly as he finally broke the tension, "I told you he was using you to get to me."

[frogchiro]

(I'm pretty sure I sent this but it mightve not went through, if it did then ignore this one & I'm sorry!)

Pervy! 141 getting jealous at how much time you're spending with Graves. Always going to him to talk about your new tech, going to him for advice or company :( Why not them? They're more capable than he is! They deserve your attention too! Not fair >:(

So they death stare Graves from across the room as you're oblivious to them staring at you rambling behind the computer to him about some code you're figuring out or something else you're working on. You notice him staring at something not paying attention to what you're talking about so you lightly hit his shoulder, and he moves closer and wraps his arm around you, saying "Sorry darlin', repeat that for me?" All the while 141 is just fuming at how you're warming up to him. Price eventually calls you for sparring or something- anything to get you away from Graves.

♥︎♡♥︎♡♥︎

LMAO YOU'RE TOTALLY RIGHT

They'd get very pissy if you paid attention to any other man tbh (Pervy!141 can barely stand themselves) but Graves just....rubs them specially wrong :((

They can see clear as day, they're not stupid. Graves is extremely charismatic and confident and HE KNOWS IT, utilizes his southern charm to woo you and truth be told it works :(( Sure he's cocky, sometimes overconfident and arrogant but at the same time he's loyal, charming, gentle and so so protective, especially towards you, his favorite little hacker girl but he can't help it! :(( You're still so young, inexperienced and kind and sweet and he can't just not feel attracted and charmed by you. You're so intelligent, he calls you his 'little tech-wizard' and he smirks and chuckles at the bashful shy look you always get whenever he praises you, makes his cock twitch in his pants and imagines what other noises you'd make as he praises you in bed as you moan and squeal, promises of making you a mama, making you into his pretty little wife growled into your ear-

But the thing is-Philip is no stupid man, otherwise he wouldn't survive as long as he did. He sees the way Task Force 141 looks at you and how they look at you when you're with him; almost growling and snarling like a pack of wolves, possessive over their mate but Philip is no pussy and isn't scared of them, even more so he's pissed knowing that they want to take you from him >:(

It's a really good thing that you're in the more technical/intelligence field so that he can easily sweep you away under the excuse of going over some files or other tech stuff with you, the perfect way of talking with you and getting closer much to the displeasure of 141.

Even right now as you're going on about some files to be hacked he'd looking over your shoulder and staring right into Price's eyes as he and the rest of his little assemble stare daggers at him and barely hold themselves from charging forward and taking you from him, but that ain't gonna happen, not on his watch and Philip has to restrain himself from scowling as he's getting territorial himself.

The one thing that takes his attention is you and your big, concerned doe eyes when you look at him and ask him what's wrong and if he'd listening to you. The blonde man just shakes his head and smiles, southern charm coming forward full force and tells you 'not to worry 'bout that darlin'' before coming even closer to you, putting his heavy arm around your shoulders and leaning into you, pretending to be interested in whatever boring files there are and instead focusing on you as you flush and try to keep your voice from stuttering.

ON the other hand, 141 is gritting their teeth so hard it's a wonder that they're not cracked yet, fuming about that slimy American keeping your from them >:(

[beefboyandbabygirl]

Good Luck, Fermata Tower (18+)

pairing: fire-lookout!seungcheol x female!fire-lookout!reader

genre: firewatch au LMAO, smut (MDNI), soo much angst, COMFORT, fluff

description: after the death of your roommate you have to find a greater purpose to life. what better way than to became a fire lookout with a surprisingly charismatic neighbour tower?

warnings: this fic is a lot, please read ALL warnings. SUICIDE, implied suicidal thoughts, major character death 2x, reader goes through grief, so does seungcheol, AGE GAP, RADIO SEX??? LMAOOO, dirty talk, petnames, cockwarming, pentrative sex, strength kink, f. and m. masturbation (mutual?), PINING TO THE HIGHEST DEGREE, MENTIONS OF DOING DRUGS/DOING SHROOMS, talks of drowning, if u know the game i think you'll be able to visualize the beauty of this way more, intensive writing on the scenery and the emotions, LMK IF I FORGOT ANYTHING PLEASe

quotes from babygirl (@joshibambi): "im getting out lana", "im just gonna be making animal sounds", "can we make this into a play so i can perform this?", "OF ALL THE THINGS THAT COULD MAKE ME CRY IT WAS THE DESCRIPTION OF HIS HOT ASS FACE"

wordcount: 13.9k

a/n: HAPPY BIRTHDAY SEUNGCHEOL. i love this fic. the writing is a little novelly for a fic, but i was so passionate ab this whole firewatch thing and i got SO INTO the arcs and their personal losses and i just really love yn and seungcheol. i hope this was worth the wait and i apologize for not finishing sooner. all my love, beefboy

You and Mingyu meet at college at some parkour club that you’d both joined to make friends. You face-plant into the pavement and knock out a tooth and Mingyu takes you to a nearby hospital. You click instantly. 

You and Mingyu spend every moment together - you help him and he helps you. Mingyu is smart, you realize. He knows all the formulas in your mathematics course by heart. You tell him he’s smart and he says that no one else seems to think that.

You and Mingyu are best friends. You have matching necklaces that complete a heart. 

You and Mingyu party together and when you get too drunk, he carries you down the halls, home. Sometimes at night he sleeps in your bed. 

Your friend group thinks you’re dating, but you think you and Mingyu are something much more earnest than lovers. You think Mingyu is your soulmate. 

You piggy-back ride Mingyu at graduation and you give him a peck on the cheek when he shakes hands with the dean. 

You and Mingyu become roommates. You binge-watch terrible movies together and hold drinking games. It’s hard to admit some of your favorite memories are from watching the Alvin and The Chipmunks trilogy. 

The night before it happens you and Mingyu eat dinner together that he cooked. You see his snaggletooth every time he smiles. 

You’d almost lived together for two years that morning. He usually wakes earlier than you, but he is nowhere to be seen. The apartment is oddly still. You feel trapped. 

You enter Mingyu’s room.

You think he’s asleep. You leave him alone. 

Two hours later you grow worried. You enter his room to find him in the same position. You shake him. Mingyu doesn’t wake. 

The doctors say a case like Mingyu’s is extremely rare - he was in great shape. You’re not sure if that’s supposed to make you feel better. 

Mingyu’s funeral is grim. His death is so terrible, says the pastor, because it’s so domestic. You think it’s terrible because he is - was - the brightest, most amazing person to walk the earth. His parents want you to hold a speech, but you can’t find the words. You think you might sob if you go up there. You sob anyway. The flowers form a ring on the floor of the church and your soulmate is dead.

You can’t sleep anymore. You imagine him dying, left arm numb, alone in the dead of night and choking out your name, reaching for the thin wall that separated you. You cry for a whole month. The apartment is cursed so you live with your parents. 

One day, you see an ad for a job in the paper. 

You take it.  _____________________________

“Hello?” 

Static stormed the tower-house when the other end cut off.

“Are you there?” 

Your eyes frantically darted around the cabin. It was no more than a 13 foot rectangle and yet your tired eyes couldn’t find the radio, churning out a gruff voice. 

You’d just arrived, barely turned on the generator to allow light in. It was nighttime. The park’s dips and peaks were veiled in blue; the silhouettes of the trees, forking out in long, thin spikes, were navy and the lake Fermata was the brightest, glittering pearl from the moon above. Stars twinkled knowingly at you. 

There. A flash of yellow in your blurred vision. You picked up the worn, dirty radio in your heavy hand, pressing at its side. 

“Yeah, hi, I’m here,” you breathed out tiredly. You let go of the button and a small bit of static spoke back to you. 

“Y/n?” 

“Mhm.” 

“I’m Seungcheol. I’m in Bay Valley Tower. It’s to the east. Saw your light turn on,” His voice was gruff, laced with sleep. It had a rasp at every vowel, strings of vocal chords straining to spit out the words in between sticky ropes of bile. 

“It’s nice to meet you,” you said. You had nothing else to say. The flimsy, one person bed beckoned to your tired body. You moved, like a doll, one limb at a time, into its harbor, collapsing into the thin mattress. You laid on your side, moonlight shining in from the window by the door. 

“Yeah, yeah,” he said, carelessly. Impatient in tone, you imagined he’d probably been through this a hundred times before. “So,” he sighed out, deeply. “What’s your problem?” 

“Hm?” 

There was a shooting star, dancing across the sky in that moment. You watched it, shuffling onto your back with half-closed eyes. Stardust sprinkled from it on the open, empty sky.

“People here are all running from something. So what’s your deal?” 

You sighed, watching the star’s open path. It could go anywhere, you thought. Then you moved your arm, holding the receiver to your mouth. 

“Listen, Seungcheol. I’ve been hiking for two days, so I’m gonna go to bed now, okay? Hopefully you’ve found some manners by the time I wake up,” you mumbled, then let go of the button (it had a harsh, grainy texture for some reason), and laid your hand, radio in it, limply at your side. 

You heard a raspy chuckle from the other end. You had no energy to be angry. 

“Alright, Fermata Tower,” there was a smile in the anonymous man’s voice. 

There was a pause. The sound of the fierce breeze carried whiffs of autumn, as it lulled you to sleep. You had almost fallen into a black, snow-buried slumber when you heard the radio crinkle again: 

“Fermata, do you see that shooting star?” 

You had no energy to respond, radio spewing static in your open hand. Thankfully, Seungcheol seemed understanding.

“That’s good luck. So...”

A moment. You and Seungcheol watched the sky-dancer, apart. 

“Good luck.”  _____________________________

“You’re awake!” 

It was Seungcheol’s voice. Transformed by the orange hues of daytime, he sounded much more alive than the night prior. 

“I can see you sitting at your desk.” 

Indeed you were sitting on your desk - a flimsy wooden thing, which looked like it had come form a yard sale - studying the map of the massive park. There were simple cartoonish figures to indicate stresses of trees and drops in the terrain, and rock quarries and waterfalls and lakes. You’d delicately pointed out your own position with red marker, scribbling ‘me’ by it with a heavy child’s hand.

It was cold - the thin boards did not do much to ward away the heavy wind, hooting creeping in the cracks. It smelled like pine needles and tea, as you’d just boiled a lavender on the kettle. IT sat, heating your fingers where it rested beside them in a mug left behind by the previous firewatchman (it read: “don’t talk to me before I’ve had my coffee”). 

The radio clattered against the wood when you clumsily picked it up. 

“Didn’t know when I signed up for this that I would be dealing with a stalker,” you joked, smiling small when you heard the man on the other end let out a hearty laugh. 

“Hey, don’t go labeling me just yet, kid.”

“Kid?!” you said incredulously, dropping the marker that you had been so diligently using to scribble excellent comments on your map (latest was: “maybe cute bears”). “How old are you?!” 

“I’m 37,” Seungcheol said.

“Oof.” 

“Hey!” 

“I’m kidding!” you laughed, dropping your pen and leaning back in your seat. The view was beautiful. You could see the lake, surrounded by a rippling sea of trees, each top reaching for the sky, like you. “I’m 27, I’m getting up there with you.”

“Just a small decade.”

“I’m mature for my age.” 

Seungcheol chuckled on the other end of the radio. You spun around in your chair (it creaked horribly - it sounded like a pig at the sight of a cleaver) surveying each square of the forest from your windows. You narrowed your eyes, trying to spot his lookout tower. 

“How come you can see me but I can’t see you?” you mumbled, now standing to try and see, but it was drowned out by the sheer volume of pinewood. Seungcheol grumbled on the other end: “I should be East.” 

“Yeah, fuck, I forgot to tell you, I think I dropped my fucking compass on the way here,” you ran a hand through your hair and frown. 

“Uh, shit, you’re gonna have to pick up a new one, bud,” he said and you slumped. “Well, if you’re facing the lake - Fermata Lake, I mean - I should be to your left.” 

You followed his instructions. You faced the lake, then took two loggy steps to face left, then squinted incessantly at the horizon. Not dissimilar to a crowd in Times Square, the trees stood toe to toe all across at every inch you spied. The pines zagged upwards like Giza, and culminated into the biggest mountain in the park, just under the sun. The mountain loomed overhead where you finally spotted the lookout tower, like a monster crouched over its prey. You tried to shake off the thought and focus on the lone, floating tower in the pit of pointy trees.

“I see you, Bay Valley,” you breathed into the radio. 

The tower looked much more lonely from so far away. It was different when you were in it, but with the miles-long stretch between you two, you found it looked so small and feeble. You could make out the light turned on within it, a rectangle of burning orange. The shooting star must’ve crossed directly between your two towers. 

“Attagirl,” Seungcheol smiles. “Do you see me waving?”

“No, what the fuck.” 

“I got binoculars.” 

“Ew, you are a stalker!” 

“It’s for bird-watching!” Seungcheol informed you, offense in his tone. You cackled into the radio. “I like watching birds, thank you very much.” 

“Jeez, can’t believe what this job does to people.” 

“I liked bird-watching before I got this job,” Seungcheol said.

“You’re so white,” you grinned. 

“I’m not even white!” 

You and Seungcheol both laughed, joyous hiccups interrupted by bursts of static and 3 miles of rocky terrain and pine needles. You squint at the sun, traversing and dipping under the jagged hedges of the tree-line. 

Your head lolled over to spot between the desk and doorway, where you’d dropped your orange backpack (a peculiar color, come to think of it - same color as the lifejacket they deploy on airplanes when everything has already gone wrong). Now it was flopped onto its side, zipper ripped open and knick knacks and crumbs at its mouth, spilling onto the floor. 

“Where do I get a new compass?” you asked, looking at a yellowed book sat beside the backpack.

“Uh, shit, gimme a sec,” Seungcheol mumbled, and before his radio cut off, you heard, briefly, the itchy scrambling of papers, and the sound made him seem a lot more real. “We have these, uh, supply boxes scattered around. ‘M readin’ this, uhhh, fuckin’ info-thing.. Should say which of them supposedly has a compass.” 

“Sounds like you really know your stuff.” 

“Get off my ass, Fermata.” 

You heard papers rustle again and a small bump before the radio cut off, as if he put the radio down on the table. You awaited, arms crossed over your pink and gray striped hoodie, and staring at sundown. Orange flooded the sky, as if it were all engulfed in flames and this was really hell. 

“Uhhh, okay, I got it! There’s one down at Eleison Valley? The code is 1-2-3-4. That’s actually the code to all of them.” 

“Secure.”

“Shut up.” 

“Well, I can get some exploring done, at least,” you frown, spying a not-so-casual hike on the dotted surface of your map, when you tangoed back to the table, fiddling with the edge of the paper. 

“Yeah. You should probably do it tomorrow though. Sun’s coming down.” 

“Yeah. Can’t believe I slept that long.” 

“Don’t feel too bad about it, kid. I was knocked out for, like, two days after the hike out here. It’s a miracle you’re already awake.” 

“Thanks, Bay Valley,” you sighed, leaning back in your seat with some strained shuffling. You watched, eyes half-lidded as the sun fully disappeared behind the curtain of the park. Its light still roamed the sky, where it hid. Half dark blue, half red, the sky twinkled at you and your insignificance brilliantly. You tried not to think about how lonely and floaty your lookout tower must look from afar. Everything feels big when it’s close enough. 

“You’re welcome, Fermata.” _____________________________

“You think I could eat any of these mushrooms, BV?” 

“BV?” 

“Bay Valley.”

“Ah,” Seungcheol sighed on his end of the radio. You were trudging through the undergrowth in your new hiking boots, lifesaver-colored backpack on the plates of your back, weight pushing through the fabric of your jacket. “No, I don’t think that would be wise.” 

“Damn it. Was gonna get hella high,” you joked, eyeing another cluster of snow-white mushrooms under the shade of a tree, sloping along a gnarly root. Your crunching steps in the loose dirt came to a halt - there was a dropoff. The cliff cut off like a broken chocolate bar and a sharp rockwall supported it to the next layer of earth. 

The path was snaking down towards the lake. You’d circle around and climb up towards Tri Forks Tower, where eventually the climbing heights would bowl into Eleison Valley - a flower field, supposedly (in the map a little flower icon alerted you of this). 

“If I die from this rockwall, please, tell my family I love them,” you grumbled, fetching an itchy, frayed rope from the depths of your backpack. Squinting at the high sun, pale drops of sweat forming around your forehead, you slung it over the hook. The park was littered with these - rusted old things that were leaning forward from years of heavy hikers’ tugging. This one was particularly bent. 

“You’re so dramatic,” came Seungcheol from the speaker. 

“Am not, man, these rocks are like fucking knives!” 

“Such a drama queen. A real Primadonna.”

You huffed and puffed as you lowered yourself down the cliffside. Your boots pressed flat against the jagged rock, biceps burning as you held yourself up and walked down the side of it. The whole world was with you, sideways, and you would’ve stopped to appreciate it were you not sure you would pass out doing so. 

“Holy shit,” you said to yourself when you were finally on stable ground and not spider-manning the mineral deposits of the park. You put your hands on your hips and squinted at its imposing open jaw. 

“You down yet, Queen B?”

You panted, grimacing, when you tugged the rope hard and it leapt down like a flying snake: “Yeah, I’m down.” 

You continued padding through the forest. The earth was dry and it was summer, but the wind was harsh and it cooled your stovetop-skin as you walked along a rock quarry, Fermata Lake hiding behind the covers of huge, flat bulwark. You listened to the cacophonous call of the forest: rustling leaves and birds. 

“I had a friend - uh, friend of a friend, actually - who, like, got high as fuck off mushrooms and had a bad trip,” you said, mouth to the mic of the radio, as you studied the cover of the leaves. 

“Yeah? What happened?” Seungcheol hummed. 

“She said that, like -- fuck,” you breathed, scrambling over a particularly rocky rock. “She said there was, like, like her house flooded. Like, water just came gushing in and the whole house was, like, underwater suddenly and she.. She thought she was gonna drown. And her fuckin’ kitchen turned into, like, a coral reef or some shit, I don’t know.” 

“Shit,” Seungcheol seemed much more alert now. You heard him put something down on his table (you imagined it was just as shitty as your own). “I didn’t even know that was possible.” 

“It’s fucking crazy. Don’t do drugs, man.” 

You turned past the quarry and was met with the sight of the huge, gaping hole of Fermata Lake. Strangely oval, the lake was flanked on all sides with thick pineland, except for a slight angle where grassy hills turned upwards towards Tri Forks Tower. 

The water was much more green up close. Algae sloshed up the side of the gravel-earth, willing you into the murky depths. 

You stared at it for a while. You thought maybe you could make out someone standing at the bottom of the bowl-shape.

“I’m at Fermata Lake,” you said then, and then started walking again. 

“Good job! And you haven’t even died at a drop off yet,” Seungcheol joked and you laughed. 

“God, you’re such a jerk. I bet you’re fuckin’.. Watching birds right now like a nerd.” 

“Okay, rude-” 

“Why don’t you go outside and be productive?” 

“I’m looking for fires,” Seungcheol snarked back. “The binoculars are multi-use.” 

You let the conversation die down for a bit, focused on the walk. It was peaceful when you let it be, but at times you came to feel like you were being swallowed alive, or like the looming figure of Aluralura Mountain was pressing its boulder-brawn in between your shoulder blades. The air in the forests was thicker, so you stayed persistent in your path, as you climbed up the clearings and spotted Tri Forks in the distance. 

“Hey, uh, Y/n?” 

The sudden intrusion of Seungcheol on the radio had you jolting, dropping the radio into the earth (thankfully it was fine - here the earth was softer and it dipped under your boot and water pressed out from the mull). You bent over and picked it back up. 

“Jesus, you scared the shit out of me!” you scolded, wiping mud off the yellow plastic of the radio.

“Oh, uh, sorry..” 

It was only then that you noticed a meekness in Seungcheol’s voice. You, of course, had not the furthest idea what he looked like, but he sounded like he was holding a knife behind his back. You furrowed your brows and stared down the radio, as if it would give you answers. There was dirt clamoring the yellow, where your fingers had held on.

“What’s up?” you said and sounded fakely bright. 

“Well, I just-” he cut himself off with a cough, one that reached those stringent, thinning vocal cords and brought back the rasp. “I wanted to apologize. For the other night. I mean, when you came to the tower.” 

You didn’t respond, only furrowed your brow and looked out across the sun-lit moor. There was a deer traversing across the grass. 

“Uhm. Because. I was- I was kinda drunk, uh, when you came, and I know I was kinda pushy about, you know, why you came out here and all that.” 

“OH!” you exclaimed and the noise ended in a laugh. “Please, Seungcheol. Don’t worry about that. It’s fine.” 

“Okay, good,” he mumbled. 

The flower field came into view after climbing a particularly steep hill and it was a flower field - not just cartography myth. 

It was all sunflowers and catmint - a huge, long stretch of purple and yellow splotches, stemming from green, untamed grass - stretching as far as you could see, disappearing into a hill at the far horizon. You were sure the smell of pollen went for miles, flowerdust sprinkling the air in heavy coats. The path you were following split the field in two, a dry, boring gravel streak, but you saw, faded from sunlight, a once deep, now light, ashy brown box at the right side. 

“I found it!” you shrieked into the radio, a newfound strength gearing your legs into a sprint. “Fuck, yes!” 

“Good job, Fermata!” there was a smile in his voice. 

“Thank you!” 

You were also smiling, when you went up to it. It was rectangular and made of planks, held together by a metal loop and a padlock. Like everything else, it was dirty and ravished, and you felt a faint worry at the sight of scratch marks on its side. You clicked in the code: 1-2-3-4. 

The interior of the box was mostly empty. To your horror the first thing you saw was a porn magazine, which you did not dare to touch; then you saw a granola bar, which you did touch and stash away in your backpack, without any regard for how old it may have been; then came the compass, small and cheap metal and pointing out that you were, in fact, facing Northwest.

There was another item in the box. You did not initially see it, as it was taped to the interior of the lid, but when you raised your eyes, you saw it. It was a piece of paper - a note. 

Grimacing, you ripped it off where it was blowing violently in the wind, holding it tight between your fingers and smudging dirt along the untainted white. 

It read: 

‘Hey, Cheol. If you head up the path there’s a family of raccoons! I left this granola bar here so you could feed them! From Jun.’

“Hey, Seungcheol?” you said absently, staring over the blue, scribbled ink, worn out from months of rainwater dripping in through the planks. He hummed on the other end of the line. “There’s a note here for you. From a, uh, Jun?”

“Oh.”

There was a pause that you couldn’t decipher - maybe you could have, had you been there with Seungcheol. Maybe if you could read his face, his body, you could’ve known what it meant. But for now you just stood in the breeze. It was picking up, getting angrier, hurling at your clothes and hair, banishing you from the field. The flowers dangled uselessly. 

“Do you want me to read it to you?” 

Silence. 

“No, not really.” 

“Oh, okay. Uh, who’s- who’s Jun?” 

Silence. 

“The guy who used to work in Fermata Tower. Before you.” 

“Oh.” 

Every second was longer than the last. You wish you knew what it all meant, but you sensed in Seungcheol’s curtness that he was not taking questions currently, and so you looked around the quickly graying sky and the suddenly spiteful wind and folded the note away in your jacket pocket. 

“I’m gonna head back now,” even your voice was rocked by the wind. 

Seungcheol didn’t respond. 

You left Eleison Valley alone.  _____________________________

This was where it was supposed to be - greatness. Not success, but something greater, larger, more alive than you could ever be. You thought you’d find it in the mountains, the valleys, the lakes and the forests and maybe that had been naive of you - to think that nature and earth could give any sort of meaning that death had taken away from you. These shadowed parts only served to make you feel smaller, you realized. The mountains glared at you, the forests swallowed and spat you out. 

You couldn’t sleep. The image of Mingyu’s outstretched hand was back and you could almost see him from your flimsy bed, lying on his back with a tanned hand out for you. You left him alone, just like you always had. 

Burrowed under the veil of your thin blanket, grabbing at it with clumsy hands, you turned your back to Mingyu’s corpse on your floor.

A prickle sauntered up your back. It was that emotion that something was creeping closer, something was out to get you. That you would feel a cool, dead hand on your back and when it would spin you around his face would be there, and he’d look nothing like himself; he’d be pale and purple around the mouth and his eyes would be sunken and dark and all the glitter he possessed - that he used to possess - would be gone and something menacing, like a hungry mountain, would have replaced it. 

You thrashed, suddenly, to look back at the corpse. It was still there. Hadn’t moved an inch. Deja vu. 

Thoughtlessly, desperately, you fumbled for the radio wrapped up the sheets of your bed. Your fingertips found the plastic hardware, and it bounced at your eagerness, before you pulled it along the sheets and up to your mouth. 

“Seungcheol?” you gasped. 

When did you start crying? You decided you must’ve been crying all night and maybe you’d cried so much that your brain had stopped registering the feeling of wet tears. 

There was a pause. A long one. So long, you started to really become aware of the cries of the wind, the patter of the rain and the endless mumbling of the trees (and the gargled, bubbling blood rising from Imaginary Friend Mingyu’s half-open mouth). Then static spoke back to you: 

“Yeah?” his voice was so raspy, you registered that you must’ve awoken him from his sleep, but you couldn’t bring yourself to care. Your nails dug into the radio and you pressed it into your chest, holding on tight. 

“I can’t sleep,” you whispered, words full of shaky air. There was another pause and for a second you feared that Seungcheol might’ve gotten angry and gone back to bed. But he spoke again.

“Are you okay?” You heard rustling on his end, and you imagined him standing up from the bed, looking out at your lonely island of a lookout tower. “Do I need to trek over there?” 

“No!- no, I couldn’t ask you to do that,” you protested, then trailed off. 

“... Are you crying?” 

You squeezed your eyes shut: “I just- d’you remember what I said? About my- my friend’s friend who- who had a bad mushroom trip?” 

“Uh, yeah, I remember. Her- Her house flooded, right?” Seungcheol’s voice was tainted with thorough confusion, but not annoyance. Never annoyance. 

“Well, I just-” you sputtered and sighed. You almost wanted to stop talking and give up when Seungcheol stayed quiet on his end and drew the words forward: “It’s so stupid. Sometimes I just- I just feel like that. Like you’re drowning, everywhere you go. You know?” 

Your voice was stringent with nervousness, and you picked at your nail, wrapped around the radio in the shallow dark. 

“It’s not stupid, sweetheart,” he mumbled. It was amazing to you how gruff and tough Seungcheol turned soothing and caring so fast. The nickname felt like a warm hug, and you almost didn’t register the sound of fabric rustling once more. “I’m coming over.”

“N-No!” you gasped sharply. Your eyes flickered down. Mingyu watched from the floor, eyes glazed over from death. He smelled foul.

“Can you.. Can you just- talk to me?” you whispered helplessly, and Seungcheol quieted down, seemingly weighing your proposal. 

“Okay. Okay, sweetheart, I’ll talk to you,” Seungcheol whispered soothingly, and for God’s sake, you didn’t even know what he looked like, but the rasp in his voice, and the comfort and warmth that sung out the speaker of the radio had your heart clenching in your chest. “What do you wanna talk about?” 

“Um, I don’t know,” you sniffled. Seungcheol only softened his voice and sat, awake in the middle of the night, comforting you.

“Can I tell you about birds?” 

He told you about birds for 45 minutes before you fell asleep (something he had predicted would happen); he told you about how pheasants are known for their striking colors and how they have excellent eyesight; he told you how he saw a nightjar just before going to bed that night, and how they’re incredibly hard to spot; he told you about Barrow’s Goldeneyes, and how they’re the funniest little guys, and he loves them, because they glow purple in the sunlight; he told you about g…

Oh. You must’ve started dozing off.  _____________________________

You weren’t sure when it changed, but at some point you looked out the window, and the mountain looked a lot more like yourself. 

You were getting better, happier, you were waking up with more energy, you were bubblier. You weren’t entirely sure you could blame it on the park though. For two months you’d had your job and for about two months, every once in a while, you’d radioed Seungcheol at night, and without any question, he’d tell you about birds. 

It sounded stupid the more you thought about it, but his voice lulled you into a comfortable sleep even on Mingyu’s most insistent nights. 

You’d wake up and patrol your area, then you’d settle back in for a couple of hours, watching out for fire hazards and guests in the park, before you’d patrol one more time. Then you’d go to bed. 

This was not the type of job you took to make friends, but somehow Seungcheol had become the reason you woke up everyday. Everyday you looked forward to walking through the woods with his voice on your radio, and you looked forward to making him laugh and him making you laugh. 

“Seungcheol, I’ve got eyes on what I’m pretty sure is a Red-breasted Merganser, come in.” 

This morning you were up extraordinarily early - for you, that is. You weren’t certain what exactly prompted this early rise (maybe you were finally sleeping right thanks to a certain rough-throated man?), but nonetheless you’d enjoyed the view of dawn along the undergrowth and had eaten half-warm oatmeal in bed with an open book. Now you were bored and craving the attention of your only forest-companion. 

Seungcheol didn’t respond like you were expecting though. When the radio crinkled in response, you heard him panting on the other end and thumps, like he was picking it up off the floor. 

“That’s… That’s great, Fermata. I’ve gotta get my.. My binoculars out,” he heaved for air and fumbled clumsily with the sensitive mic. You cringed at the sound. 

“What are you doing? Why are you so out of breath?” you asked. A twinge of worry slipped out in your tone. Was he okay? 

“I’m, uh, working out,” Seungcheol chuckled, and he seemed to finally regain composure, clearing his throat sheepishly. “You’re not usually awake to hear it.” 

“You work out every day?” 

“Sure do - gotta be prepared to knock out a grizzly,” he grunted. 

You leaned back in your seat, a less than amused expression on your face, because a twirling strand of fire danced up your chest and settled into your cheeks. Why was it suddenly so hot? Fire spread across your nerve endings and twinged you red in the apples of your cheeks. You ran your hands over your face to soothe the sizzling.

This was ridiculous, you thought. Seungcheol was not making you blush. You didn’t even know what he looked like! He might as well have had an eye patch and a mohawk. But even as you halfheartedly scrutinized yourself, your thoughts clouded over the idea of sweet, attentive, raspy Seungcheol with big arms and thighs and a sculpted chest and-

“Are you- are you, like, buff?” 

The question left your lips before you could stop it. Your voice broke halfway through the sentence and you let go of the button with an embarrassed hiss, like a kettle huffing out air. The embarrassment, that was potent and squeezing at your chest, worsened when you heard Seungcheol’s throaty chuckle on the other end, limp and dry. 

“You’re curious today, aren’t you?” he mused then, smirk clear from the tone and pronunciation of the words, and you squeezed your eyes shut because why was his voice and the thought of him and the warmth coming through the radio speaker suddenly bothering you so much?

The truth was you hadn’t masturbated in months. With everything going on, you simply hadn’t felt the urge or the want. But, it occurred to you, now that you were slowly becoming a functioning human once more, the urge was returning hot and fast in your core, and, of course, your only companion with the raspy voice and the attentive words and the apparently muscly body was bringing forth this urge with ease. 

You pressed down the urge, taking a deep breath before you pressed the button once more. You were not going to masturbate to the thought of Seungcheol - not Seungcheol who you only knew by voice, who had been nothing but caring and sweet to you. You could not corrupt the preciousness of your companionship with your lewd, depraved thoughts. 

“I’m just curious what you look like. Unlike you, stalker, I don’t have binoculars!” That sounded a lot more like the you that had not just gotten wet at the thought of Seungcheol’s bulging muscles. 

“Hey! The power of the binoculars is limited. I can only really see your silhouette, nothing fancy,” he defended and then right as you were about to respond, he knocked the wind out of you again: “And yes, I’m pretty buff, if I do say so myself.”

Ugh. 

You went the rounds that day and got through another day without having to complete fire protocol, ending out the evening with a pack of instant noodles your family had so graciously sent you (Seungcheol scolded you: “That has no nutrients!”). However each step through the forest and each slurp of noodles and page of your book was plagued by the latent fire inside you. A burning occupied your abdomen fueled by the echoing morning voice of Bay Valley Tower. 

By nightfall you gave in. You were only a girl. This didn’t have to change anything, you thought, as the park turned plum purple. You settled into bed in your pajamas, sitting upright against the frail wood wall and letting your hair bunch on the rattling plate of glass. Your eyes moved to and fro, bouncing over the now lived-in cabin and taking in the dark void of the farest corner. 

Briefly, you fiddled with your radio in your palm. You could call Seungcheol and- wait, why would you do that? No, no. You packed away that wicked thought - it only served to make you feel more guilty. No, instead you slid down the wall to lay in your pillow, now positive you were alone. 

An owl hooted outside and you slipped your hand into your underwear. 

It was surprisingly easy to surrender your consciousness to the lust (and you had, God bless your soul, stayed wet throughout the entire day). It clouded you over, as you began rubbing up and down your pussy, ghosting over your clit to dip down to your glazed slit. Your eyes squeezed shut and you conjured your best doll-replica of Seungcheol.

In your dream he was a faceless mist, but he had a carved upper body, and from the fog surrounding his head spewed his voice - dripping in warmth and comfort, as you imagined it was his toned arm reaching between your legs and pumping into you.

Your other hand snaked down to your clit, where your hips canted off the bed. In the whirl of thrusting into yourself and rubbing tight circles in your clit, you realized, lip bitten raw under your prying teeth, that there was no reason to hold back your moans. It was only forest and wasteland for miles - and surely Seungcheol would not hear you in his floating snow globe. 

“A-ah, Seungcheol,” you wantonly murmured, burying your head in your pillow and sighing lazily. A flush had crept up your neck, where your chest expanded to allow for air. The pleasure was immense - probably more intense, since it had been quite a while - warmth spreading in your lower stomach and culminating at your throbbing clit. Recklessly, you moaned and thrashed as you fucked yourself on your fingers, hiking towards your orgasm. “Seungcheoool-”

“Y/n?” 

You froze. 

Maybe you’d imagined it. Still, your fingers were stopped in their tracks, simply resting on the warmth of your folds, itching to continue. You sat up in bed and tried to ward away the creeping panic. Your heart began to gallop to the beat of a siren. 

The air had been starched when you finally pulled your hand out of your underwear, hot cheeks and glistening hands all over, when you began searching for the radio.

“Y/n, are you okay?” 

You had your back hunched over the edge of the bed, searching for the little yellow receiver, when his voice came again in a thick forest of static. You snapped your head to under your comforter, where the noise was slightly muffled. 

In a blurred panic, you threw the comforter off of you and spotted the small radio by your calf, and you scrambled to pick it up. When the dirty plastic touched your cheek, you stopped, sighed a shaky, hot breath, and closed your eyes. 

“Yeah, I’m, uh, I’m fine. What’s up?” you let go of the button and cringed at your own disheveledness, the breath and shake in your voice. You pressed your forehead radio-front in a silent prayer. 

There was a hesitance to Seungcheol when he spoke next: “... You were calling for me, you sounded in pain?” 

This was certainly the worst thing he could’ve said. You would’ve rather he told you he spotted a bear at the foot of your tower, trying to eat you! You must’ve accidentally kicked the radio and hit the button, you decide, and you damn yourself for keeping it in the bed - of course, shit like this would happen!

“I was…-” (If only you were a better liar), “- pranking you…” 

Seungcheol huffed out in amusement on the other end and you wanted to jump off the railing to the lookout tower and break your neck. “You were pranking me?” 

You gulped with a decidedly dry mouth. “It was a bear attack prank.” 

Seungcheol was smiling: “Yeah?” 

You were not: “Yeah.” 

There was an entropic silence, where you thoughts came rambled and pleading in your head: Please, just let this go, please, just let this go, let’s pretend it never happened, let’s-

“You wanna know what I think you were doing?” 

Seungcheol’s voice had dropped an octave. The smile in his voice was gone and there was something menacing and commanding about him now. In the moment, overcome with a cocktail of guilt and shame, you could not discern if this was anger or lust - the first seemed fitting. 

“I think you were fucking your little fingers thinkin’ about me,” he hummed and in response you whined and squeezed your eyes shut. The shame encapsulated you. “Shh, shh, calm down, I’m not mad, honey.” 

Blinking through rapidly forming tears, you opened your eyes to stare, dumbfounded, at the radio (as if it were Seungcheol and you were not several miles apart). “Really?” 

“Not mad at all. Jus’ think you should’ve told me if you wanted my help,” he tutted on his end and, God, he was so nurturing and comforting and he knew it, and it was so sexy. Your pussy, which had vaguely throbbed from the negligence throughout, was now screaming for your attention, hole clenching sadly around nothing. 

“I thought you wouldn’t want-” 

“You’re crying again, baby,” he must’ve noted from the hoarseness of your voice and the sniffles that accompanied every syllable. 

“Just want you so bad,” you sobbed, now shamelessly slipping your hand back into your underwear and sighing dazedly in relief when you touched it again. 

“Need Seungcheol to take care of you, huh?” The smile in his voice was back. 

“Yeah.” 

“Bet you don’t want me talking about birds now, hm?” he chuckled (at his own joke), voice low and raspy. “Are you touching that pretty pussy?” 

“Mhmm,” you responded lazily, floating high on the sound of his voice and jolts of electricity they sent as you worked up a pace on your clit once more. The pain of the interruption ebbed away. 

“Good girl, hm?” He knew. “Getting off to the sound of my voice, eh? Don’t even know what I look like.” 

“Hng- k-know you’re b-buff,” you gritted out, voice coming in sharp breaths. Your body moved languidly, back arching off the bed and hair coming out in choppy strands on your pillow. Seungcheol scoffed out a laugh: “Like knowing I could just fold you in half? Fuck you into tomorrow? Hm?” 

You let out a loud, dumb whine of his name. It was a total inability to get over his words; how melodious it was, and yet, how contradictory the smoothness of his words were to the strained nature of his thrumming voice. And the worst of it all was how confident he was - you supposed hearing someone else masturbate to you would be a confidence boost - and how the arrogance swelled out in the most comforting, nurturing way. Each word felt like a hand on your body, like a caress that sent shivers down your spine. 

“Fuck, princess, say my name like that again. Please.” 

“Seungcheol!” you obliged mindlessly, legs shaking on either side of your glistening hand. 

“Shit, I-” he grunted, and you heard a fumbling of fabrics on his end. Your nerves spun in excitement at the thought of him getting hard at your voice. “Can you put two fingers in the pretty pussy - it’ll feel like one of mine, baby.” 

You cried out when your fingers entered yourself, pads of your fingertips rubbing against your walls. Outside of the windows, the park was an empty wasteland of mauve and orchid, and the Fermata lake was brilliantly alive and dipping under the three-quarter-moon. 

“Wish it was your pussy wrapped around my cock right now,” he grunted, and he’d lost breath and composure and if you knew what his face looked like, you would imagine it sweaty and twisted up and a red-lipped ‘o’ letting the jaw slack. 

Resuming your earlier motions (double-handing your own kitty), you felt your orgasm lurking in the pit of your stomach, a tight-wound knot being ripped apart. You were panting into the cool air, creating silver-clouds in your tower-home. “A-ah, want you inside me so bad, Cheol- shit! Gonna- gonna cum-” 

“Yeah? You gonna cum thinking about my cock inside you baby? Thinkin’ about me just bouncing you up and down like my little fuckdoll?” His speech ended in the prettiest moan you’d ever heard, and you imagined every well-defined, flexed muscle under the moonlight and the thought had your whole body jerking and shaking and when you closed your eyes the stars stayed with you, white and glimmering under your eyelid. 

The strangled moans of your orgasm sent Seungcheol over the edge - at least from what you could tell. His dirty talk turned into strings of curses and moans and grunts until the radio went dead, and all you could hear was your own labored breaths and the faraway hooting of a horned owl. 

The silence flatlined the excitement into nervousness. Your lip was almost automatically caught in your teeth and you glanced over the radio beside you through your lashes.

Oh shit. What the fuck had you done?

“Uh, did you-” the smell of sweat shot up as you shuffled in your sheet to grab the radio once more. “Did you, uh, cum?” 

Oh fuck. You just made it way worse.

The silence from the radio was much louder than any response, but when the receiver did finally crinkle with static, the sound of laughter exploded from it.

“Don’t fucking laugh at me, BV,” you scolded, but you were smiling and relief flooded you like water overflows Fermata Lake during heavy downpour. 

“I’m sorry,” he hiccuped on the other end. “It’s just-.. ‘DID YOU CUM?’” 

“Alright, I’m going to bed now. You suck,” you quacked, and even though you were alone you thought to suppress the gentle tugging at your lips into a sharky smile. 

“DID YOU CUM?” 

He sounded pretty when he laughed.  _____________________________

“I can’t believe I have to hike down here to confiscate some fireworks.” 

Your grumble came from the forest beside Fermata Lake. You were walking down a patch of dirt revealed from years’ of trampling feet, dewy sprigs of grass arching into the mud. A group of (presumably) teenagers were firing fireworks down near the edge of your assigned territory. 

“They’re a fire hazard!” Seungcheol squawked obviously, and you huffed in your boots, preparing to climb down a rocky slope. 

“I know that! It’s just everywhere - the website, the signs - don’t use fireworks!” you complained. Seungcheol hummed absently on the other line: “Go teach those suckers a lesson, Fermata!” 

“I will,” you said, agitated. 

“Just don’t fuck with their personal belongings. Last thing we need is a lawsuit. Again.”

“I won’t,” you said, deflated. 

Even in your most angered moments, you could hand yourself over to the gentle forest. No longer were you protruding into a bubble, straining to get through a barrier that was urging you out, but you were absorbed into it, like you were one of its own. 

The forest was lush with pines and brown and green moss painting bark and rocks, and the grass leapt higher than your knees, as you trudged further and further in. 

SWOOOOSH!

A firework propelled into the sky about 100 meters away, and you watched its ignited trails of smoke before it exploded into a fest of sparkling blue and gold. You huffed out in anger at the sight. The sky wasn’t even fully dark - it was merely a muted blue evening. 

“Did you see that?” Seungcheol came from the radio-speaker. 

“Yeah, I’m right with them.” 

As you padded closer the smell of wet pine cones and coltsfoot accompanied the sound of distant voices - indeed, they sounded juvenile. You could make out at least two girls and at least one boy, although their voices were hard to distinguish, the way they echoed in between the grid of trees.

“Hey!” you yelled, as you creeped just close enough. Their voices hushed and you saw their frightened faces lit by handheld, Target-bought flashlights when you peeled back the screen of a bramblebush. They were gathered together amongst a tent, flashlight lighting the plates of the faces ablaze in cool white.

“Cut it out with the fireworks, alright?” you huffed and your anger melted a little when you saw that they were indeed just kids - maybe 19? They seemed to have nothing to say, and so you scanned the beer cans and the scattered backpacks and finally caught sight of a bundle of rockets in the grass. Your brows furrowed, and you picked it up with a sternness. 

“Hey, that’s ours!” one kid chimed, but he made no move to stop you, really, as you trudged angrily back to the bush you had come from. 

“Not as long as you’re in our park, man. It’s a fire hazard.” 

“We’ll take them back home-” 

“Goodnight!” The desperate plea fell on deaf, tired ears. You just wanted to eat dinner, so you disappeared out on a trail of pine needles and valiantly ignored the trail of curses and insults following you. You could care less. 

“I got the fireworks, Seungcheol,” you sighed tiredly and your eyes were dark pits and your face was relaxed, if only to conservative energy. 

“Good job, Fermata.” 

You were not in the talking mood. Maybe Seungcheol could tell by your tone of voice; maybe he could hear it in your sigh; but Seungcheol piped up again: “You know, if you need some energy for the hike back, there’s a supply box - uhh, 52? - if you head upwards instead of towards Fermata Lake.” 

You wanted to be grumpy, you really did, but the thought of a salivating, expired, delicious, out-of-date granola bar had you changing course to the slowly gaining hill of the forest. 

It was weird. This was probably the closest you’d ever been to Seungcheol’s tower. Under the prickly cover of pine some mile in the distance, you could see a glowing square, perched over the treetops by long, wooden pillars, support beams crossing the middle. You couldn’t help but wanna go up to it. There had been an unbearable magnetic pull to his tower ever since that night however long ago. You decided to stay the course for Supply Box 52. 

“I can practically see you from here,” you commented, and the tower was becoming a beacon as the evening mulled darker and darker by the minute. 

“Really? Hang on,” he did not let go of the radio-button, and so you had the pleasure of listening to the ruffling of fabrics and thumps on the floor. “Can you see me flexing in the window?” 

“You’re such a dork,” you laughed, and the sound bounced off the pines and traveled up to the rock of the nearby Aluralura Mountain. “No, I’m not quite that close.” 

“Damn it!” 

“Yeah, it‘s a real shame,” you muttered, smiling, and then you caught sight of the supply box up ahead. The hill flattened out once more (to which you breathed a sigh of relief) and the box was perched on the edge facing the path that began onto the cliffs. This was Seungcheol’s territory - cliff sides and all. “I think I see Supply Box 52.”

“Open that bad boy up.” 

You entered the code, scrolling the mechanisms one by one until the numbers read 1-2-3-4 (you still thought this combination was ridiculous), and when you opened the lid it creaked horribly, worn from the weather. 

The wind was harsh that day, and a note, identical to the one you’d found at Eleison Valley, broke off its tape from the mean pushes of the wind. Instinctively, you grabbed it as it started to fly off, and your hand closed around it and crinkled it under your fingers. You looked at it with knitted brows. 

Wordlessly, you tucked it in between your side and your arm, redirecting your attention to the goodies in the supply box. 52 held a rope and a map and another directory for supply boxes and, to your exhausted delight, a box of grandma-looking caramels. You took the whole thing and stuffed it into your bag. 

As you shuffled, you put the note between your lips, stuffing the plastic container of gold-wrapped, sugary candies in between your rope and your own map and a coat for possible rain. When you zipped it up, the fabric of the bag warped grotesquely to fit the various items you’d brought. 

You pulled the note back out from your lips. A small wet patch of spit lingered on the paper, as you unfolded it. 

It read: 

‘Hey Seungcheol,

If you find this, I gotta go be with my mom now. I’ll miss you forever.

From Jun.’

The wind blew kisses on your back like the presence of a ghost.

“You find anything good?” Seungcheol’s voice peeked through the static of the radio. It had been quiet for a while. You couldn’t take your eyes off the letter. The ink was smudged and slurred. 

“Uh, caramels, actually,” you said, eyes dancing over each slope of ‘forever’. “Like, granny caramels.”

You put the letter away.  _____________________________

A week later and you were looking out of the window at pouring rain. The sky was smothered by a duvet of dark gray clouds, and the rain was coming harder than you’d ever seen. It was like thousands of bullets pelting into the ground and turning it soft and muddy, and the drops hit your roof like the nonstop click of a keyboard. 

"Rainy season, huh?” your mouth was to the radio. 

“Yeah. We’re gonna be staying up all night to watch out for lightning. Fire hazard.” 

“Shit, I should make coffee.” 

“I’m way ahead of you.” 

The lightning came and thunder followed. The sound was enormous and terrifying. It grumbled like a hungry beast and the sound bounced off of every mountain-wall and echoed from all sides. You felt very small, wrapped up in a blanket at your desk, a steaming cup of coffee by your side and your fire extinguisher evacuated from its holder to stand beside you, all red and shiny aluminum and rubber nozzle. 

“Did that look like it hit a tree?” you asked after seeing a zig-zagging bolt of lightning hanging a little too low over the crowns. Your voice was louder than usual - this night was a game of overpowering the screaming rain. It was some 1 AM.

“Uhhhhh, shit. Maybe. We’d see the fire, but it’s possible it’s at the root.” 

“Fuck,” you whispered. “Was that yours or my area?” 

“Uhhhhh-” 

“I’m gonna check it out.” 

Determined, you let the radio fall on the table, as you fumbled for another sweater. The knitted fabric slipped over your other sweater, and then you were wrapping yourself up in your raincoat.

“Maybe I should go - it’s slippery right now, it’s dangerous as fuck. You could fall and hit your head, you know. I think it was closer to me anyway, so--” 

“Seungcheol, I already have my coat on, I’m going!” 

And indeed you were going, despite the grumbled protests of Seungcheol. Your coat blew in the hurricane wind as you stood atop the cliff, looking down at the cascading water, that’d all race down to the sinkhole that was Fermata Lake. Through the clouds, there were no stars to trade glances with, not even ghosts.

You fought headwind the entire way, your hair flowing wildly and your coat threatening to unbutton at the will of the blasts. The ground under your rainboots had become mud and the further you trudged into the forest, the more the mud crept up your yellow shoe, slinging over you like liquid ropes. 

“I’m going down the drop off again!” you were screaming to overpower the wind, radio to your mouth before you dropped it into your pocket and retrieved your bag to regather your rope. 

“Be careful!” Seungcheol commandeered bitterly, muffled from your pocket. “It’s slippery as shit! Radio me immediately when you’re down, so I know you’re okay.” 

Even as your face grew wet and sore from the whipping rain, you scoffed. A gloved hand shoved into your pocket, brought the radio back up to your red lips: “Stop being such a pussy!” 

“Say yes, Y/n!” 

You rolled your eyes. “Aye, aye.”

“... I’ll take that, asshole.” 

Wet as a wipe, you slung your rope over the hook and prepared it in a slew of motions you’d by now memorized. Although, you noted your movements were awkward, somewhat impaired by the layers of fabric that encased you. Stubborn, you stood before the hook, grabbed onto the rope, and began walking backwards. 

Your booted foot curled around the edge of the cliffside, and with the tightened rope you began your careful horizontal walk. Raindrops pelted your face like a clenched fist, but you only blinked away the water and tried to focus on stepping carefully down the side of the rockface. 

KRRRRRRRRKKKKKK!

You screamed girlishly when your rope snapped from the hook, and you watched it come flying out over the ledge, before you realized, horrifically, you were already falling. 

It was barely a second, just one blurry image of the weeping sky, before you were on the ground, groaning in pain. A pulsing ache creeped up your spine, and you twisted your body in the mud to put the weight on your side. You sighed into the mud, dirt on your squished cheek. 

The rain was uncaring of your unfortunate situation, as you laid pathetically in the dirt, body scrunching up like an elastic, while your shadow was cast by sudden bursts of lightning. Panting, you pushed yourself up by your arms and felt blindly for your-

Where was your radio? 

Your pocket was deflated and empty, and you scrambled in the dirt, desperately, pushing yourself up completely to scan the area. You noted how the pain subsided into a small, dwindling soreness, thanking whatever God for your layers of clothing and the softness of the earth. 

There. A flash of yellow in your blurred vision, aided by another strike of lightning atop Aluralura Mountain. You picked up the worn, dirty radio in your heavy hand, pressing at its side. 

“Hello? Seungcheol?” 

There was no static to indicate your message had been relayed, and the usual red digital numbers telling you what channel you were on was gone, a simple, black screen remaining, mirroring your muddied face, twisted in anguish. 

“Fuck this,” you hissed, standing up on two legs. You looked back up to where your lookout tower was still ablaze, a yellow box in the heights. The rope was fucked. You had to go down anyway. Huffing, you started walking. 

You marched through the undergrowth, crossing through unpathed forest to reach the destination. It was near a hollow marked on your map, and so the expedition, although scarier, more empty and dark without Seungcheol's warm voice, was mild. 

Wet petals brushed your face from rows of bushes, and even through your gloves the cold left your fingertips numb. You sniffled in the dark. 

You found the hollow, then you found the tree. There was, indeed, ash going up the side of it, seemingly stemming from a smaller bush in the clearing, but the fire had been long put out by the insistent rain, and partially you felt disappointment that you’d trekked all the way out here, only for there to be no real danger. 

Heavier than ever, you turned your gaze to the glowing hut in the distance. 

You almost wanted to go back to your own hut, to turn your back to Seungcheol’s glowing tower and forget this ever happened. The anticipation of seeing him - of him seeing you - was a tall wall to overcome. But, you realized, not only was his tower closer; you also needed help. 

Your radio was fucked, your rope was fucked and moreover, you needed to be sure you hadn’t done irreparable damage to your back. With water dripping over the ledge of your hood, you began walking towards Seungcheol. 

Rainwater cascaded off the edge of the trees and the consistent dashed dots looked like tiny glass orbs in the light of Bay Valley Tower. It was intensely quiet for a while - it seemed like every bush-tailed critter of the forest had scuttered away to hide from the rain and the echoing growling of the sky. 

“Y/n!” 

You were so tired you almost could’ve missed it. Each layer of fabric weighed you down and the dirt smearing your cheeks and hands and fabrics could’ve melted you right into the earth. But indeed, a voice - so familiar it almost hurt - was calling to you in the dead of night.

“Seungcheol?” your first call was not a call, but a whisper, as you peered into the thick grooves of the forest. Then, your senses returned to you and you screamed as loud as you could: “Seungcheol!” 

“Y/n!”

You and Seungcheol called for each other, syllables echoing off the huge, towering presence Aluralura Mountain. Getting closer and then closer, and then you could see the figure of another raincoated person, shaded by a hood.

“Y/n? Oh, thank God!” He ran to you, swimming in the rubber of his red coat and pink lips peeking over the closed hood. 

It was a little paralyzing. He was so beautiful, you didn’t even know which speck of his shadowed face to look at. Tan, wet skin and big eyes from which the longest, blackest lashes you’d ever seen sprung. Most notable were his fuzzy, blocky eyebrows sitting over his brown eyes, fine wrinkles springing from the corners (you’d like to think you’d helped create some of those). His lips were big and bright and pouty, but it was wiped away when he smiled at the sight of you, and you could die, because a dimple indented itself in his cheek at the motion. 

“Are you okay?” his smile faded when you said nothing, only stared at him, and then stared at where his thick fingers wrapped around your arm. He leaned into you and God, you hadn’t seen him before this very moment, and now he was leaning over you and he was so close and he smelled like pinewood, and you were pretty sure you smelt exactly the same. 

You lowered yourself from your daze, trying to follow the pattering of rain atop both of your hoods. “Uh,” you gulped, finding his eyes, “yeah, I jus’... I thought you were joking when you said you weren’t white.” 

His laugh. His laugh was even prettier in person and it had the same rasp and the same disapproving hint to it that it had had at all your other jokes. “You’re unbelievable, you know that, Fermata?” 

“Bird watching is crazy, man.” 

He smiled and studied your face for a moment, still leaned over you and thoroughly ignoring the rain and the thunder and the dirt on your boots. Then the smile faded, just a little: “What happened to your radio?” 

“Oh- oh my God! Do you- do you remember my first day? The drop off! I fuckin’- fell down, my rope came undone on the hook! My radio was knocked the fuck out, it was crazy, I’m gonna need a new one-”

“Are you okay? You fell?” Seungcheol’s strong eyebrows became furrowed and the sight was so utterly mesmerizing to you. You waved him off: “I’ll be fine, please, I just want to get out of this weather.” 

Seungcheol did not seem to entirely believe you, but nonetheless he grabbed your hand - in his own rough, used one - and started leading you upwards (“If I don’t hold your hand, how can I be sure you don’t fall down another drop off?”).

Time was not as agonizingly slow by his size, and the tower seemed to propel towards you and the hands on your wristwatch seemed to move backwards. Not before long, you were climbing up the stairway with Seungcheol’s iron fist on your wrist, so as to prevent you from falling down something else (you had a feeling that he would not let this go). 

“I’m gonna make us some tea,” grumbled Seungcheol when you arrived.

“Yes, please,” you murmured. Your coat was folded beside you, starry raindrops soaking into a blanket thrown over his bed. 

It was warm in Seungcheol’s tower house - he had half a brain to put an electric heater in the corner of the room, unlike you - and it was only the sudden embrace of warmth that had you looking out into the park and realizing you would have frozen to death if you’d stayed. 

There was a warm glow from a naked bulb in the ceiling (you guessed Seungcheol had put it up himself), an old rug full of sand-corns, and a shelf with various books. Seungcheol also had a small kitchen, a desk and a bed, just like you. The layout was exactly the same, but sitting down on Seungcheol’s bed, you noted he must’ve made some alterations. Your fingers pulled at the white of the mattress - it was his own and it was much softer.  

When the electric kettle (a rusted, iron old thing) was cooking, Seungcheol turned to you sheepishly and unzipped his coat. You waited in secret anticipation for his supposedly smoking-hot bod, but were disappointed to see another sweater underneath it. 

Seungcheol stopped the kettle and took two large mugs from his cupboard. These, he placed on a carved tray (you thought he might have made it himself from pinewood), and then from a small, wooden tea box on his countertop, he produced two bright yellow tea packets, which he gently placed in the mugs. Then he poured in the water, steam traveling up to open his pores and whatnot. 

“Do you want anything in yours?” he asked, not really looking. 

“Uhm. No, no, thank you,” your hands were folded in your lap. 

He only grunted in response and left one tea untouched, then took a clear, plastic container of honey from an array of unrefrigerated condiments, and squirted half the bottle into his tea. He sniffled when he was done, grabbing the tray and turning to you. Tonight, Seungcheol was uncharacteristically nervous.

“Can you-?”

“Hm?”

“That little- little table over there-”

“What?”

“Can you grab it?- For- for the tray?” 

“Oh, yeah, sure.” 

The tea sat on the tray and the tray sat on the foldable table and you and Seungcheol sat before them on the edge of his bed. You took the hefty mug in your hand and took a slurp, looking over at him from the rim. Seungcheol looked at you awkwardly. He did not move for his tea. 

“I should take a look at your back,” he said. 

“What? Why?” you quacked disapprovingly. “You fell on it,” Seungcheol reminded you.

You shook your head silently. “I like your hut. It’s way better than mine.” 

“I’ve been here longer,” Seungcheol shrugged. You looked at him and he seemed displeased - this would not have been a big deal were you speaking to him on the radio, but his aura was much more commanding in person - something about his eyes, you thought. You had to look away, settling on your mug again (there was a cartoon dog on it). 

“I suppose that’s true,” you murmured. Seungcheol stared into the side of your face and his obvious concern for you weighed down at your muscles. 

A gentle pause where rain pattered his roof. 

“Are you okay?” 

You glanced over, nervously: “Tired.” 

He bit his lip: “Maybe I should’ve made coffee... Can we put instant coffee in tea?” 

“Seungcheol, I wanted to ask you something,” you said and put your mug down on the tray again with a small ‘clink’. Seungcheol rubbed his hands over his trouser-clad thighs, nodding, maybe more nervous than you. The warm glow of the bulb made him even prettier and all was warm and dry in the hut, even though rain was falling down in thick curtains just outside by the troughs. “It’s just..” you began, “you’ve been so avoidant about this.. Jun guy..”

Seungcheol’s sigh interrupted you before you could finish: “He was just the guy that worked here before you.” 

“I found another letter.”

Seungcheol’s furrowed expression softened and he looked at you with big, glassy brown eyes, hidden under a waft of choppy bangs. What was that in the shine of his pupil? Fear? Vulnerability? Sadness?

“It was about- it said he was gonna go be with his mother and that- that he would miss you,” you explained and your voice was snotty and throaty, and your eyes averted to a folded napkin beside a half-eaten slice of bread. A fly circulated it hungrily. 

Seungcheol’s lips made a tight line, dimples poking out pathetically. He cleared his throat and you heard the strain in his vocal chords once more (and it was so real because there he was - right beside you). 

“Me and Junhui came here together. We’d just finished college and we didn’t want-.. We didn’t want to be adults yet. Like, an office job, wife and kids,” he began and there was a tremor about Seungcheol tonight. “I don’t think he was made for a job like this though. I think the loneliness got to him.. Think he just lived with it ‘cause he could tell I liked it.” 

You nodded along until he wasn’t speaking anymore. Then a thick silence absorbed the two of you, a patch of moss drowned in the downpour. 

“His mom was dead, so..” he whispered. Tears gathered at his waterline like a string of stars. “So, yeah, he went to.. To be with her.” 

“I’m so sorry, Seungcheol,” you whispered and the echoing whispers of the storm bouncing off the rock faces of Aluralura mountain beckoned your hand onto his woolen sleeve. “I had no idea.” 

“They never found his body, you know? He’s just out there, somewhere,” both you and Seungcheol turned your heads out to the pitch black expanse of the massive park. Your mind wandered to every crook and crevice you’d seen out there, wondering if a dead body had hidden behind a quarry rock. “Fuckin’ terrified I’ll find him one day. Just… Rotten.” 

You didn’t know what to say. What do you say? Even though you’d stood in a similar situation - losing a friend - you couldn’t find anything that could ease his pain, the pain that was now tinting the light blue and dulling the sound of the rain. The whole room was pulsating. Luckily, it seemed Seungcheol had something more to say. You watched his lips pucker as the words tried to leave his tongue, then watched them draw back. 

“He used to.. He used to say this thing. It reminded me so much of what you- you said that night about, uhm, your friend’s friend. He used to say that- that sometimes he’d wake up in the middle of the night and he’d just be.. Totally.. Convinced that he was at the bottom of Fermata Lake and he was drowning,” Seungcheol’s voice broke one too many times and his jaw clenched. “God, I was so worried. Jus’ thought I couldn’t- I couldn’t be the reason that happened again.” 

“I…” A tear slipped down your face and your hand left Seungcheol’s arm to wipe it, furiously.He turned to you pitifully, the broad width of his shoulders hanging low. “I’m sorry- you weren’t meant to feel that way-”

“It’s okay. I wanted to help,” Seungcheol grabbed your hands in his, a deep frown on his lips. 

You stopped the tears, face burning hot and wet when you looked up at him again, calmed. His thumbs stroked over the backs of your hands. The pads were rough and beaten. 

“Y’know it was sort of the same for me,” you said. Seungcheol waited for you to talk patiently and with a small, encouraging smile, as warmth streamed from his hands into yours.

“Yeah, my- uh roommate - best friend - died. And I couldn’t stop thinking about how I found him, like, his hand was just outstretched towards- towards the wall to my room, and he must’ve just lied there while his heart was giving out and I wasn’t there-... And I found him the next morning like that and I thought he was asleep and I left him there. Again. And I just can’t stop seeing him everywhere and for a while I was afraid that he would move, you know, like, start crawling towards me or some shit, but I think now I’m actually more afraid that he’ll never move. I think that’s the joke or whatever, he just won’t move, he’ll just be there the way I left him- and I guess- I guess, I thought I could find some sort of higher purpose out here, but I just can’t.. I feel more as though.. Like, it was these things that took him away from me, these fundamental parts of- existence. Like all the cliffs have evil faces and they want to take me too, and maybe I did want them to take me, but not- not anymore. I don’t know if that makes any sense?” 

You peered up at Seungcheol through your lashes, wet and heavy. He was frowning, hands gripping yours tighter.

“You don’t want them to take you anymore?” he asked quietly. You shook your head. “How so?”

“Honestly, I don’t think it has much to do with me or the park. I think-” you gaze flitted to Seungcheol and he smiled knowingly. You scoffed and smiled too. 

Although you both were fully clothed (Seungcheol annoyingly so), it felt as if all the layers had been stripped away one by one; sweaters and trousers, skin and meat and bones. All there was left were two brightly glowing hearts in front of one another. 

“It’s okay,” he whispered then. “You don’t have to say it.”

You rolled your eyes: “I think it’s because of you.” 

He grinned, wrinkles crinkling the corners of his eyes and cheeks bunching up in shiny, red fat. You poorly suppressed your own grin and the two of you leaned into each other when your eyes hooked, laughing into each other's shoulders.

“You’re so dumb,” you complained, forehead scratching against the stiff, knitted threads in Seungcheol’s shirt. 

“I think- I think we both jus’ get dumber together,” you could feel his smile into your neck and the hot stream of air that bounced against the skin. 

Right as you were about to pull away, Seungcheol’s arms wrapped around your back and pushed you back into him. You giggled at the motion, but with little thought your own arms wrapped around his back too, and your knees clashed where they met. 

“Seungcheol?” your voice was muffled by his neck. His only response was hum, that ruminated from deep in his throat right by your ear. You pulled away until you were staring at his face. 

Each thick stroke of eyebrow hair, each long, black eyelash and each mole dotted on his softly aging skin was crystal clear then. Your hands wrapped around his biceps and felt your heart buzz at their pronounced carvings under the wool. Seungcheol smiled down at you in a sort of adoring way.

“I think-” you began, then felt stupid, then felt idiotic and cowardly. “I don’t know- I think we should kiss now?” 

It came out as more of a question than a statement. 

Seungcheol gravelled a laugh and his eyes became all squinty and he pursed his lips as if it concealed his amusement in any way at how you squirmed beneath him and your face heated up. 

“I think you’re right,” he nodded and you could barely register the feeling of joy that exploded in your chest, before Seungcheol’s pillowy lips crashed into yours at the same instance as a crack of thunder. 

The lightning was a flickering show to the performance of yours and Seungcheol’s passionate kiss. His lips molded to yours and yours to his, warm and chapped and your hands couldn’t help but wrap around the soft planes of his cheeks - to pull him further, to keep him with you. 

Seungcheol grappled for your hips, and you moaned in a sort of discombobulated agreement, as he, with shocking ease, pulled you into his lap. His hands on your body, stroking and pressing into the meat, left a burning ghostly trail behind it. 

“Can I be honest?” you mumbled in between bitten kisses and panted breaths. “You’re hotter than I imagined.” 

Seungcheol smiled into the kiss at that: “You too, baby. Now you get the real thing, hm? After fucking your sweet pussy thinking about me?” 

You whined in response, hips canting down into his and head dropping into the warm crook of his neck. You licked mindlessly at the skin, rolling your hips into his. Seungcheol groaned and steel hands halted your eager core. 

“Desperate so quick?” he quirked, and you cried out because how could even begin to describe how hot it was that he could entirely still your movements so nonchalantly? You swallowed before you tilted your head from the safety of his neck. 

“I have waited so fucking long for your cock, Cheol. I need it inside me now,” you said seriously, and it was his turn to swallow the rising viscous in his throat, before he nodded and pushed you off his lap to remove his trousers. 

You saw the way the metal of the belt reflected the light, as he (almost angrily) began journeying it off his middle, and you took the hint, beginning to discard your clothes. Your first sweater fell to the floor, then the next followed, and then you were stomping the floor to rid your soaked trousers. Another article of clothing that was soaked - your panties! And embarrassingly so, you thought, watching the slick, wet patch as you lowered the material to the floor. 

Only then did your attention return to Seungcheol, now fully naked in his hut with windows on all sides, and you audibly gasped. 

His torso was one huge slab of muscle and meat. The skin was relatively pale, pronounced pecs and his arms were like tree trunks at his sides. His thighs were fucking huge, indentations of muscles peering through his skin, as he impatiently worked his boxers off. 

He halted though at your gasp, smirking cockily before returning to his work.

“Is it as good as you imagined when you came thinkin’ ‘bout me?” he muttered as his boxers slid down his calf. Too busy staring at his girthy, leaking cock sprouting between his legs, you neglected to answer and Seungcheol continued in a deliberately raspy tone: “Jus’ thinking about your pretty moans, my cock’s aching for you, princess. You’re not gonna come warm it up, beautiful?” 

“Yes-” you stumbled over a treacherous boot, “yes, I am!” 

“Good girl,” Seungcheol rumbled, bemused, as your knees floundered into the mattress and back into his lap. Seungcheol seemed to have other plans, however, because as soon as you had found your footing, and his warm hands were sliding up your back and his neck was craned up to you, breath hitting your breasts, he raised you and flipped you over, so you were digging into the mattress and he was above you. The shadows only served to define the chisel of his arms further. 

His hand slid down your soft thighs, settling in between your legs to run two fingers through your folds. 

“Your pussy is so pretty,” he whispered, somewhat mesmerized at the slick coating his fingertips. You squirmed impatiently and he shushed you, ever so gently: “Shh, baby, I’ll take care of you.” 

Immediately following up on his promise, the two fingers snaked down to your sensitive, pulsing hole, prodding gently. You wiggled and whined, one of your hands (which had been gripping his bedsheets) stopped him at the wrist. He stopped, eyes flitting up to your flushed, shiny face questioningly. 

“I wan’ your cock now. No prep,” you scowled, strands of hair sticking out messily. Seungcheol frowned. 

“I need to-” 

“I’m wet enough, please, been thinkin’ ‘bout this since-..” you cut yourself off with a frustrated sigh, eyebrows knitted together in frustration. Seungcheol couldn’t help but smile at how fucked out you were already, so precious, all beautiful and naked and womanly. 

“You sure?” he asked, voice matching the depth of the thunder. You nodded eagerly: “Please, please-” 

“Okay,” he murmured, sticky hand leaving your burning pussy in favor of pressing it against the underside of your thigh. At the command of his strong hands, your body folded in half and the realization of your position had you crying out pathetically. “Anything for my beautiful baby.” 

My. His. The word choice had you clenching around nothing, all spread out for him while he lined his pretty, red cock up with your entrance. 

“Gonna feel real full in a minute, yeah?” he said absently, watching intently at how your pretty pussy was splayed out and ready and aching for him, mind reeling at the sight of you and the smell of you and how you felt under his hands. 

And suddenly it was there - a mountain of pressure building around the head of his cock as it pushed inside, bursting when he pushed in a little further, until he was fully nestled inside. Seungcheol was not unaffected, body curling over yours animalistically with a deep, throaty groan. You, too, had to squirm and moan wantonly, as your body shone under the bulb. 

“You’re so tight, pretty,” Seungcheol managed, face scrunched up, as his pelvis met your pubic bone. His hands gripped your shaking legs once more, fully folding you in half and you cried as the movement invited him further inside, feeling him brush the spongy spot inside you. 

“Feel s’good!” you moaned, even as he hadn’t moved yet, and Seungcheol’s hands squeezed you in response. 

Experimentally (perhaps fearful, as you had rushed into it without preparation), Seungcheol thrust shallowly and was pleased at your broken cry, so he did it again and then again, and then he was building up a rhythm and your sultry moans were slipping through the cracks of the hut and bouncing off the walls of Aluralura mountain and echoing twenty times over. 

There was nothing sweet about the pace of Seungcheol’s hips. He was pistoning in and out with an impressive agility, huffing over your folded body. It was desperation; the way your nails raked over his back and his sloping arms, and sweet, little whimpers and your pussy choking his cock. 

“Sweetest, prettiest-” he squeezed his eyes shut and groaned, stomach caving inwards and clenching. “Fuck, cutest, little princess being stuffed full of my cock.”

“Love your cock,” you babbled, “Love- love your cock, love you.” 

The words slipped out as if they were nothing, but their meaning was solidified by your raking hand sneaking up to his neck and pulling him down into another sloppy kiss. Tongues melding and spit trickling down your chin as he hummed into your mouth in the most wonderful way. 

“Love you, too. Pretty, funny, sweet girl-” 

“A-ah, ‘m gonna cum soon,” you warned, voice nothing but a breath, and your face pleasured, scrunched up in the dead of night. Your stomach was a well of pressure.

“I know, baby, I know. Squeezing me so tight,” he soothed, hands running up and down the plush underside of your thighs, as his hips continued their unrelenting pace. “Come on, cum on my cock.” 

“Fuck, fuck, fuck, Seungcheol-” a string of curses and his name followed as your pussy clenched one last hard time and your cum seeped out around his thick, veiny length.

Holding his own orgasm at bay, he clenched his jaw and gritted out: “Where d’you want my cum?” 

“Inside!” you mewled, overstimulated and sore, and legs still pressed to your chest, clammy and slick. 

Seungcheol would’ve made a snarky remark was he not already cumming at your words, white seed painting your insides and spilling out around his softening length. He thrust a couple more times, relishing in the sounds of your fucked-out moans before he’d emptied himself, and he dropped down beside you. 

Due to the nature of a one-person bed, you and Seungcheol were both pressed close to one another, covered in sweat. Your panting, huffing breaths synchronized and you stared into each other's eyes, all wild and blushed. 

“Holy shit,” you whispered, brought back to reality by a distant calling owl. You were still in the park, you realized - not some other pleasure dimension like one may have thought. Seungcheol smiled giddily.

You looked out into the wasteland, and your eyelids and limbs (draping over Seungcheol’s big, pretty body) were suddenly heavy. You yawned.

“D’you think we have to stay up anymore?”

Seungcheol watched you gauging the pinelands with starry eyes. “You can go to bed,” he offered gently, “I’ll stay up and make sure the storm’s over.” 

“Are you sure?” you mumbled, but you were already settling into the domes of his chest, closing your eyes. Seungcheol looked at you and thought you were adorable. 

“Yeah.” 

“Can you stay here?” 

“Yeah.” 

“Can your dick stay inside me?” 

This prompted a laughter blooming all the way from his chest, where your cheek bunched up against the skin. His arm was wrapped around your back. 

“Sure, baby.” 

You mumbled something like ‘okay’ or ‘good’ or ‘thank you’, and you drifted off into sleep with his arms around you, and when Seungcheol was certain the storm had passed, he nuzzled his head into your hair and dozed off himself. 

At the swimming red sky of dawn, your eyes pried open to see Seungcheol already awake, still wrapped around you. 

Nonchalantly (that is to say: as if your chest was not bursting with glee), you nodded your head over to the window behind him:

“Is that not a black-billed cuckoo?!” 

And Seungcheol thought that maybe you and him could find birds together elsewhere too. 

[atlasofthestaars]

Shang Tsung sfw alphabet please!

oh boy here we go LMAO

SHANG TSUNG

A = Affection (How affectionate are they? How do they show affection?)

In a relationship that he does not care about, I'd imagine Shang Tsung would shower his "lover" in gifts, compliments, affection, etc. This is because he is trying to get the other person to trust him and associate good things with him to get what he wants In a true relationship with Shang Tsung, he would be affectionate, but I don't think overly so. I think this is because he isn't trying to get anything from you. He doesn't want gifts and compliments to be what you remember him from. Certainly, every gift and compliment that are given to you are full of thought and love, but he doesn't want to take the chance that you'll think more of the presents and words than his true intent. I believe he'd be more physical, since in his head he'd think you'd be able to feel his love through his actions more. Although he isn't showering you in affection, everything he does is full of his love. Shang Tsung thinks you deserve the world, and if you wished he would give it to you, but I think the way he would prefer to show it is through the fact that he means it with you.

B = Best friend (What would they be like as a best friend? How would the friendship start?)

Shang Tsung is a guarded individual. Sure, he is suave and charismatic person, but it is all to further his own means. He lived a struggling childhood and I imagine that it taught him that in order to get what he wants, he must put himself first and foremost. He lied and schemed, even though he didn't need to, for his self preservation. So being the selfish person he is, it would be hard to be close with anyone. I can only really imagine him getting close with someone after so long, and probably after he can see you as both someone loyal to him AND an equal to him. Otherwise, I don't think he'd be close to someone akin to a best friend

If you manage to past that though, I'd imagine the embellished words would drop a bit more. I'd think he would be a little more real. Sure, he may speak in a certain way just because that's who he is, but I don't think he'd try to be sly or smug around you. He'd probably discuss gossip with you. I think you'd know you're close with Shang Tsung when you realize that he stops trying to impress you and just be well, him.

C = Cuddles (Do they like to cuddle? How would they cuddle?)

I think he wouldn't mind cuddling. But only in private, not because he's ashamed of you, but he doesn't want others to see this side of him. It's only for you, after all. No one else gets to see the privilege of him in such a vulnerable state. I think his cuddles would be essentially him draping himself over you, leaning his weight upon you as if he were a blanket. It's almost like a sign of trust. Like him silently telling you, "I know you wouldn't let me fall, you would support me."

D = Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How are they at cooking and cleaning?)

I don't think Shang Tsung is necessarily one for settling down, unless its lavishly. I think he is just a bit too greedy to want to settle for less than what he wants. And Shang Tsung wants as much as he can get. However, with a bit of convincing from you as well as depending on the conditions you both are under, I can imagine he might do it. If you are living lavishly, I can imagine it wouldn't be so bad to convince him. If you were both refugees from Outworld, he'd be a bit reluctant, but if you were in genuine distress and showed that to him, I could see him agreeing to settle down for both of your sakes to try and lay low.

Cooking and cleaning, I think he is sufficient at both. He had to live by himself for a bit so I imagine he would know how to do it in order to make himself presentable, and well, survive. He might not be the most fancy chef but its good enough. I imagine he knows how to be somewhat tidy. I think to present to others he's tidy, but personally he leaves a few things lying around and it's a little chaotic in his own personal spaces. If it were his choice though, he'd have someone else clean and cook for him, as long as they don't touch the especially personal items.

E = Ending (If they had to break up with their partner, how would they do it?)

If he truly loved you, I don't think he would have the heart to face you. I think he would flee with a note in the middle of the night, being a bit of a coward. If it was a result of a fight, I can imagine Shang Tsung saying the most vile things he probably doesn't mean just to try in the heat of the moment. He might immediately regret it, but it would take him a while to bring himself to be able to even try and reconcile with you due to his pride. I think those are ultimately the two ways he would do it.

F = Fiance(e) (How do they feel about commitment? How quick would they want to get married?)

I think Shang Tsung would only want to get married if he is certain that you are the one he is willing to live for. I don't think he'd like being tied down since he likes his options open (not talking about relationships wise, but the fact that he doesn't like the idea that this person would get in the way of options in case things go awry with plans). I think it'd take a lot of convincing, but if he loves you, then he would. If he has the luxury, I'd imagine ideally he'd love a grand celebration. But I would think he would end up eloping with you.

G = Gentle (How gentle are they, both physically and emotionally?)

I imagine Shang Tsung is good at pretending to be gentle, to the point of near sickly sweetness. Pretending is far too easy for him, but being sincere is harder. Being genuine with one's emotion is a struggle for him since all his life he has learned to manipulate others for his own gain. To be gentle with no intent behind him is hard to feel real. He can place an arm around you, allow you to cry into his shoulder and say the sweetest things, but I imagine it'd take a long time for him to feel like the actions and words he is doing and saying are real without ill intent, even if you feel like it is. Overall, knows how to be gentle with all his actions and words, but at first there is a certain warmth behind him. Over time, as he falls for you, there will be that little flame.

H = Hugs (Do they like hugs? How often do they do it? What are their hugs like?)

I like to think Shang Tsung is open to hugs. Moreso in private than public. Public, he'd sling an arm around your lower back or waist and stick to your side. In private, I imagine he'd drape himself over you much like I mentioned in cuddles. His hugs are loose. But if he is ever overwhelmed with a moment of love, he would give you the tightest squeeze you wouldn't even think he'd be capable of.

I = I love you (How fast do they say the L-word?)

To say "I love you" sincerely would take very, very long for Shang Tsung. It is easy to say "I love you" as a ploy, as a way to get people to fall and fawn in order to do what he wants. He's willing to play the heartfelt lover if it gives him the upper hand. To say it sincerely, would feel like, to him, that he is admitting that he gained a weakness. He would have to trust you with nearly his life to say it in a way that he means it. Even when he does muster the courage to admit that he is, indeed, in love, Shang Tsung doesn't say it often or in public (unless it is to show off). But when he does, every single time it is filled with all the love he has for him.

J = Jealousy (How jealous do they get? What do they do when they’re jealous?)

Shang Tsung is not very easily jealous. He is self assured, and he trusts you. If he ever does get jealous, he would be very passive aggressive. Snide remarks and pointed glares directed at the other person all veiled with a sickly charismatic smile. He'd wrap an arm around your waist and pull you to his side, using his body language to showcase that you two are together.

K = Kisses (What are their kisses like? Where do they like to kiss you? Where do they like to be kissed?)

Kisses with Shang Tsung vary. I imagine he'd do the very polite kisses like the kiss on the hand, on the forehead, etc. In public, if he ever does those kisses, they may be a tad dramatic to showcase the relationship. But it'd take a long time for a true kiss to come from him, and he'd very rarely do such things in public. But kisses with him are soft, precise, careful. Almost as if he is preventing himself from truly kissing you, as if kissing you with all his vigor would burn him. He would prefer kisses on his cheeks, or generally on his face.

L = Little ones (How are they around children?)

Shang Tsung understands children and knows how to handle them. But he doesn't like them, or at least at first. He thinks they're snobby, messy, etc. Even still, he knows how to lull them into a state of calm just because he is that charismatic. I imagine it'd take having a child of his own (or adopting one of his own) to have him actually like/love a child. But I think he'd need his partner to help him along that journey. Because then, he would understand why exactly parents go on this journey for their kids...even if they are a little snobby messes.

M = Morning (How are mornings spent with them?)

Shang Tsung like to preen himself in the morning, making sure he is presentable. In the beginnings of his relationship, he would probably make sure to always wake up before his partner so they would never see him unkempt. Later on, he would become perhaps a little more relaxed and allow his lover to see a bit of bedhead as he kisses them sweetly on the forehead and goes along his morning routine. He enjoys calmer mornings.

N = Night (How are nights spent with them?)

Nights are spent calmly in each others presence. He will probably be experimenting or reading a book in peace with you. Some chatter will be tossed around, here and there, but he enjoys a quiet night with you. I'd like to imagine he stays up late yet wakes up early, how he is able to seem so composed by doing both it is a mystery. If you fall asleep earlier than him, he will take a break to see you go to bed. Before he returns back to his business, he will press a tender kiss to your forehead. If you stay up, he will give you a pleasant smile and lead you to bed, pulling you in for a bit of cuddling.

O = Open (When would they start revealing things about themselves? Do they say everything all at once or wait a while to reveal things slowly?)

You will be waiting for a long, long while. That is assuming he will even tell you the truth. Shang Tsung requires trust in you before he can reveal the more personal things about himself. On top of being secretive, he does not enjoy others having something they can use against him. It may take years, if he does decide to do it. It'll be little bits and pieces, and you'll have to piece them together yourself. It is even doubtful if he will even tell you the whole truth, like how he got his powers and who he was before that.

P = Patience (How easily angered are they?)

Shang Tsung is a schemer, he is willing to wait for the perfect moment for his plans to fall into place. I imagine this patience transfers over. However, I imagine the one thing he cannot stand is lack of competency with common sense. He'd sneer and be very smug about those types of things, unless he is acting, then he'd act like a saint. With you, his lover, he'd be very patient though. Even if he does find something a little stupid from your lips, he'd probably find it somewhat charming.

Q = Quizzes (How much would they remember about you? Do they remember every little detail you mention in passing, or do they kind of forget everything?)

I feel like Shang Tsung would remember a lot. Due to his schemes, he would have to pick up on the little things one mentions to use it in the future. It is no different here, but for a less nefarious purpose. Don't be surprised if your favorite flower, which you mentioned once, appears upon your nightstand, or your favorite dessert is magically there for dinner.

R = Remember (What is their favorite moment in your relationship?)

For how over the top Shang Tsung can feel at times with his gestures (or at least, with how he projects himself to others) his fondest moment is one of the most mundane things possible. It was just you and him, sitting and enjoying a calm night. He looked up and saw you were occupied, but you looked ethereal as ever. A small smile on your face, the way the lights hit your face...there was nothing magical or special about that moment, but he ties it with the moment that he realized that you actually cared about him. He'd never admit this is his favorite memory though, he'd probably lie and say his favorite memory is something more grand. But still, his heart cannot lie.

S = Security (How protective are they? How would they protect you? How would they like to be protected?)

I think Shang Tsung would be protective of you. You alone are one of his very few weaknesses. To see you harmed would be a travesty and probably effect him more than he'd like to admit. Shang Tsung knows there are plenty who would like to take him down, and he's fine with that. He just doesn't want you dragged into his messes, even if you can take care of yourself. He would make sure that the people you associate with are genuine, and that you both are in secure locations. You don't need to protect him, he is very much capable, but the thought of you warning him for any potential threats to him does send his heart aflutter.

T = Try (How much effort would they put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, everyday tasks?)

A tremendous amount. Shang Tsung would put much thought and effort into every single one of those. Whether it be by how grand or how thoughtful it is, it shows. Gifts for you would be the things you've mentioned, or the things he's simply noticed. For example, if you were to ever finish a book that he knows is in a series, the moment you would finish that book, the next one in the series would be conveniently there. I believe Shang Tsung likes the idea of grand gestures, but he would probably excel the best in the more subtle ones.

U = Ugly (What would be some bad habits of theirs?)

Shang Tsung has plenty of nasty little habits. Keeping secrets that he should probably tell you, trying to pry for more information than he should at times, haggling with things he shouldn't, being far too ambitious and trying to play for himself. etc. things that are left over from his scheming days. Don't take it personally, he doesn't mean to do these things to you, but they are well, habits.

V = Vanity (How concerned are they with their looks?)

Looks are very important to him. Or at least, or himself. He likes to leave a lasting impression on people, and he would dislike that one to be anything less than a grand threat. Making sure he is pristine, has a reputation he enjoys, etc. all plays into this. His apparel is all carefully chosen, and how he portrays himself is important.

W = Whole (Would they feel incomplete without you?)

At first, no. But along the lines of the relationship, he would get attached without even realizing it. He would realize his attachment to you, but not the extent of it until too late. To admit this weakness is something he would probably not do unless you catch him in an especially affectionate mood.

X = Xtra (A random headcanon for them.)

Shang Tsung has very well manicured and soft hands. Just from them alone, you would not be able to tell he once lived a life of struggle. He would prefer it that way. And yet, if you're very aware, you may feel the slightest hint of callouses from his previous lifestyle. He would never explain them and deny that he even has them.

Y = Yuck (What are some things they wouldn’t like, either in general or in a partner?)

Slobs. He cannot be seen around them. He understands a bit of mess, his workstation is not organized at all, but to show it on yourself...Shang Tsung also doesn't quite like people with no ambition. Where is the drive to be better? He doesn't quite understand. He would probably think you're too soft and privileged to not want for something more.

Z = Zzz (What is a sleep habits of theirs?)

Shang Tsung, I'd like to imagine, is almost eerily still in his sleep. Once he lays in a position, he doesn't move. Barely even twitches. I imagine he is also a light sleeper, being able to wake in case someone tries to pull a fast one on him. So if you move a lot, he may have a bit of an issue with that.

[frostdayz]

one on one

eddie munson x reader : this is very very short bc I don't feel like writing more lmao.

summary: the very familiar and unfamiliar Eddie Munson shows you what he can do with a guitar in a parking lot

warnings: none :)

The sun was setting over Hawkins, casting long, lazy shadows over the high school grounds. I had stayed after class, finishing up a project that had taken way too long. As I walked toward the parking lot, the rumble of an old, beat-up van caught my attention. I turned my head just in time to see Eddie Munson leaning against his van, guitar slung across his back.

Eddie. He was always a bit of a mystery to me. With his wild hair, leather jacket, and a penchant for Dungeons & Dragons, he was as enigmatic as he was charismatic. I had never really talked to him, but I'd heard enough to know he was someone who followed his own rules. And for some reason, tonight, he was staring right at me with that mischievous grin of his.

I froze for a moment, then took a deep breath and walked over to him, my curiosity getting the better of me. "Hey, Eddie."

He looked up, his grin widening. "Hey, there, stranger. Fancy seeing you out here."

I shrugged, trying to play it cool even though my heart was beating a little faster than usual. "Just finishing up some work. What about you?"

Eddie pushed himself off the van, giving me a playful, exaggerated bow. "The usual. Being awesome and rocking out. You wanna come listen?"

I blinked, surprised. "You’re going to play here? In the parking lot?"

"Yep," he said with a grin. "Nothing like a bit of impromptu street performance. And who knows? Maybe you’ll be my lucky audience."

I laughed, feeling more at ease. "Alright, show me what you’ve got."

Eddie hopped into the van and emerged with his electric guitar, which he strapped on with practiced ease. He adjusted the strap, his fingers moving deftly over the strings as he began to play a familiar riff. The music filled the air with a raw, energetic vibe that was impossible to ignore.

I watched him play, mesmerized by the way his fingers danced over the strings and the way he seemed to lose himself in the music. There was something almost hypnotic about it, the way he poured his whole soul into every note.

As the song reached its climax, Eddie looked up, catching my eye. The intensity in his gaze softened as he noticed the genuine admiration on my face. He finished the riff with a flourish and grinned, looking both proud and slightly bashful.

"How was that?" he asked, his eyes twinkling.

I clapped, smiling wide. "That was amazing, Eddie. I didn’t know you could play like that."

He laughed, a bit embarrassed but pleased. "Glad you think so. It’s just something I love doing. Makes me feel… alive, you know?"

I nodded, feeling a new appreciation for him. "I get it. Music has a way of doing that."

We stood there for a moment, the warmth of the evening making everything feel a bit more intimate. Eddie was still holding his guitar, but now he was looking at me with a softer expression.

"Hey," he said, his voice dropping to a more serious tone, "I’m really glad you came over. It’s not often I get someone who actually seems interested in what I do."

I felt a flush of warmth at his words. "Well, I’m glad I did. Maybe you can play for me again sometime."

Eddie's smile grew, and there was a glimmer of something in his eyes that made my heart flutter. "I’d like that. A lot."

Eddie and I stood there, sharing a quiet moment of connection. The world around us seemed to fade away, leaving just the two of us and the lingering echoes of his music.

[wordbunch]

the fellowship meeting their partner’s family

a/n: this brilliant idea was requested by @starlady66! I hope I did okay, let me know how it was 😄 and yes, of course I am including Faramir too. if you liked this fic, consider reblogging it so more people can potentially see it and enjoy 💕 it gives me motivation to write more!

ARAGORN:

is a little quiet at first, but not awkwardly quiet

remembers what you had told him about your family and then brings it up in conversation with the

very very respectful

offers to help with anything and everything, from cooking to cleaning or fixing something

your family thought he was initially just a little odd, but they warmed up to him very quickly

he’s invited to every family gathering right away, you insist that he doesn’t have to come if it’s too much, but he really wants to

💐

BOROMIR:

brings them flowers and a fancy drink at least

wants to bring even more gifts but you reassure him he’s already doing enough

he’s an absolute favorite among your younger siblings/cousins, they don’t want to let him go

and it warms your heart so much

he praises you in front of the family and makes you blush

they all liked him immediately and he was super charming and easygoing, you were the more nervous one

💐

FARAMIR:

not gonna lie, he IS stressed out, but you reassure him he’s perfect and has nothing to worry about

literally practices how he’ll introduce himself and all that

he manages to accidentally fumble something, but it’s a perfect ice-breaker because everybody is laughing

they love him instantly, even if he’s initially a bit quiet and awkward

he was going to bring them some little present, but he forgot

eventually gets so carried away talking and having some deep discussion that you almost fall asleep by his side

💐

FRODO:

simultaneously he’s a nervous wreck, but also knows that he generally makes a good impression on people

runs his hand through his hair a million times to make it look neater

offers to help with the food even though it’s not his strongest suit

asks a lot of questions after he gets comfortable, and listens with interest

accidentally takes a short nap after the meal and is SUPER embarrassed

but nobody takes it the wrong way, it just becomes an inside joke that runs forever

💐

GIMLI:

lots of gifts for everyone. EVERYONE.

you think it’s too much but he just really wants to make a great impression

you’re important to him, so, your family is too

they bonded so quickly that they almost forgot that you were also there (oops lmao)

lots of laughing, and they would be asking him to retell some fun adventures you had together

he compliments the food a lot and eventually they’d pack him some leftovers

💐

LEGOLAS:

you know the charming, charismatic elf that he is? well, you can forget about that, it seems

he feels extremely awkward, no idea why

regardless, your family likes him immediately, even if they do consider him a bit strange

you try to carry the conversation most of the time and he’s very grateful for it

eventually when he gets over himself, he will be very communicative and pleasant

your family asks him a bunch of questions; they’ve never had a guest like that before!

💐

MERRY:

charming and witty as ever, also brings flowers

fits in right away, as if he’s always been a part of the family

they all think he’s hilarious and can’t get enough of his stories

he wants to hear the stories about you when you were a small child (and will use the new information to poke fun at you for eternity)

compliments everyone and everything, loves all the food

also invited to all the family gatherings and events henceforth

💐

PIPPIN:

is nervous, but hides it decently well, or eases it through humor

really wanted to bring a little gift, but forgot

accidentally knocks something over or trips or something like that, but you all just have a laugh about it (he blushes)

he likes to talk about how great you are, so he will definitely comment on that in front of your family too

okay, maybe they did think he was a little too chaotic or immature, but he has a heart of gold and they know it!

you will overhear them commenting on the way he looks at you and how good he treats you

💐

SAM:

brings a half of his garden as a present: flowers, vegetables, you name it

maybe even he cooks/bakes something and then brings it over, then blushes at the compliments

they all love him immediately (who doesn’t!)

loves to listen to your family’s stories about you

offers to help with washing up

a younger sibling/relative of yours asks him something like “when are you going to marry [Y/N]?”

💐

everything taglist: @starlady66​ @lotrnonsense​ @lazyoswald​ @entishramblings​ @thesolarangel​ (ty all for wanting to be tagged and reading my stuff <3)

[anneangel]

Ok, every time I watch 'The Great Mouse Detective' my mind clings to this.

Okay, there's nostalgia in this, my childhood and such. But that's not all, there's something 'magnetic' about the character Basil (Sherlock), which I can see why Dawson (Watson) is so impressed on Basil's presence. Basil is so energetic that he should come with a warning on his forehead: "danger 440 Volts".

This little mousie called Basil is incredible and unbearable at the same time, he is so full of energy that watching him act and talk makes me lose weight just by looking at him. Lmao. The fact is, Basil is very agitated and hyperactive.

And he's smart in a way that seems mad, especially when he gets an idea in his head and no one is going to stop him from following through. Basil can be harsh and full of himself at times, but he also redeems himself, as he can regret his bad actions seconds later when he realizes he hurt someone's feelings.

He wants interesting and vibrant cases like himself, like his mind is, that's what he likes. But he also hides too well that he knows how to care about people, when he should. Some empathy is in him, although he acts like a hyperactive machine of reasoning and action most of the time, who cannot remember client names or have no time for sentimentality. Lmao.

He is focused and proactive when his mind is working and everything is going as he wants. And at the same time Basil is a complete Drama Queen when things don't go as he plans. Changing mood so abruptly, from extreme vigor and energy to depression and anguish, that he is insanely exaggerated in 'Holmes' mode. Is fun to me.

Basil of Baker Street completely steals all the show, being a brilliant and charismatic protagonist

There is almost no space for Dawson (Watson), whose personality can go unnoticed and those who casually watch it may think that he is just the "fool and comic relief", the movie and fans are so focused on Basil, that we almost don't see how Dawson has so much empathy inside him, and a giant gentle, sympathetic and kind heart.

Dawson is balanced and calm and brings a good counterpoint to Basil's personality. Dawson is so naive, he seems silly in comparison to Basil. But don't be so easily fooled, Dawson can also be direct and angry and put Basil in the right direction, be it with questions, or by grumbling and bothering about how stupid the detective is being, or act sadness about something harsh, said by Basil, and its making the detective regret and be more 'condescending' instantly.

Dawson has the patience of a saint, an (half) limitless peace in relation to Basil, possibly Dawson is the only mouse who can be in the presence of the mouse detective without being overwhelmed by all of Basil's striking personality. Dawson colludes with Basil, without really being swallowed by him, knowing how to impose himself when he must.

Dawson makes a perfect pair for Basil, and yet it's barely noticeable, because he's there humbly adjusting Basil to good, but ignores his own participation, giving all the credit to Basil, adoring the 'amazing' Basil. When in fact Dawson also had a lot to do with the case and its good outcome. But Dawson doesn't care and is fine with making Basil proud as the star of the Show and giving him all the credit, and Dawson really thinks Basil deserves it all.

Basil and Dawson definitely manage to convey the Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson 'vibe' very well, so much so that for me this movie is a good adaptation of the Sherlock Holmes and John Watson universe.

Extra:

1) the 'case', although it is a Disney children's plot, is charming enough and brings good drama, from the beginning with the kidnapping scene to the end with the Big Ben scenes, the case has charismatic characters with whom we import (Olivia and Flaversham) and the film is full of references to the Canonical Sherlock Holmes books and others adaptations, to everyone's delight.

2) Ratigan (Moriarty), madness and dangerous he can be, beneath all the fancy pomp and satin. He kills a drunken accomplice for calling him 'Rat' (in other words, the truth). He tortures his most loyal henchman, Fidget, with his pet torture device (the cat). And he's so falsely polite when he's both blatantly cruel and mad. He is a villain with a lot of charisma, as well as scary

3) The movie soundtrack is so good. I love it from the 'main title', to the 'end title-credits' (Goodbye So Soon).

[hypnostouched]

i forever have dnd brainrot so,,, aftg dnd vibes

Neil is, of course, a rogue. lock picking, quick, lying sneaky lil bastard. In particular I would make him a Mastermind rogue as it comes with disguise profienecy , boosts so lying and vibes of a manipulator. I'd also build him into a wood elf - for the mechanical speed and hide buffs; but id flavour him as a half elf. The Hatford family would be elven and Mary is the one who trained Neil to hide and run. Other than some small things, he would look almost identical to his human father.

Now the Ravens in dnd, to me, are a Paladin order that is a lot more of a defined cult. They'd be a mix of Oath of Glory Paladins (one of their channel divinities is literally called Peerless Athlete) and Oath of Conquest Paladins (Kevin was Glory, Riko is Conquest) Paladins are physical builds with good Charisma and you can think whatever you like about the Ravens, they are charismatic (also to note, intimidation is a charisma skill in dnd)

now Oathbreaker has a very specific vibe but what I will focus on is the feeling of emptiness and darkness that come with it. Kevin is an oathbreaker when he leaves the Ravens, but he won't remain as one indefinitely. He would retake his Oath of Glory when it could mean something different to him (which would align with canon Kevin gtting his new tattoo). For him, being an Oathbreaker is connected to his fear and depression rather than any form of evil (High CHA Kevin is so funny to me bc its canon and i love a CHA build who generally doesnt seem charismatic until they turn it on) Kevin is a high elf seemingly in every way. He took after his mother almost entirely.

As said, Riko is a Conquest Paladin - I would also consider giving him a few levels in Shadow Sorcerer; as something he just is inherently rather than something he's trained to be like Paladin. Riko is also a half elf; most of the Moriyama family are High Elves but his mother was human. Riko can't claim that his family doesnt like him because of this, because Ichirou is also a half elf.

Returning to the foxes--

Andrew is a fighter. Human fighter, a v basic build lmao. he is a champion fighter; he's just a fucking threat.

Nicky is absolutely a bard (glamour). I would love to pitch Nicky as a Satyr because of their interest in freedom, revelry and enjoyment.

(can i just say its so hard to do dnd thoughts when so many characters are related and youre autistic so you have to factor all of that in)

Renee is a Barbarian/Cleric multiclass in the way that she used to be a barbarian and now mostly ignores those abilities to focus on her cleric shit. Light domain cleric. Also she is an air genasi and the colours in her hair are natural and look like the colours of sunset or sunrise on clouds

Dan is also a human fighter but she's a banneret fighter; which has a focus on inspiring allies. Still a threat, just also an inspirational one.

Aaron is a ranger; gloomstalker as he lurks around a lot. Mechanically he wouldn't be as high a level as Andrew. Neil is his favoured enemy.

Matt is a sun soul monk, taught to him by his mother. Bright and also quite scary when he's trying to kill you.

Allison is a bard/fighter multiclass. Similar to Renee, her Bard levels come from before her life with the foxes but she doesn't ignore them like Renee does. Eloquence Bard, champion fighter

[unclefathersantateddy]

what are your thoughts on teddy's relationship with his family and how they were abusive? what about his younger sister?? and his relationship with his ex wife where he was also abused by her 🤔 how do you think these affected his personality and relationships. sorry this is an English essay ass prompt but im genuinely curious lmao i love analyzing family history (obvs)

Light coming in with the big gun from the get-go!!! Hahaha thank you for a great question!!!

So from what we know about Teddy's mom, she's a bit of a Wild Card™. Likes to do what she wants, when she wants, isn't exactly your traditional grandma.

But given the majority of people become docile with age (rather than more adventurous), it stands to reason /why/ she waited until retirement to do all the things she enjoyed? Could that be why her and Teddy's dad always used to argue?

Teddy's age places his parents as either dating or hooking up around the 70s/80s. Assuming they've never left the US, this wasn't exactly a pinnacle time for women's rights.

So we have an oppressive timestamp, a turbulent relationship, and then an extinction burst (Teddy's mom doing ALL her interests in retirement) post-breakup.

These factors together connote that teddy's father may have been restrictive/disapproving of teddy's mother's interests, hobbies, passions - or may be indicative of teddy's father's disdain/nonchalance towards his wife in general. (I'm assuming they were married because 'merica). Which would be an apt representation of Boomer relationships, the whole "can't live with them, can't live without them" (totally healthy /s).

But on the flipside to a potentially controlling father, his mom IS a wild card lol. If she's still up to mad shit in retirement, WHAT was she into in her prime?? Was she Fully Unhinged™? Given her, "muchness" (for lack of better words), it stands to reason it may transfer as "feisty" or "fiery" during arguments with teddy's dad, so whilst his dad may have been authoritarian, his mom may have been inflammatory and antagonistic.

As for his sister GIVE HER SOME GD SCREEN TIME!!!!!!! WHO ARE DANA AND DAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I wanna see if she's exactly like Teddy or if she's his antithesis, are they both so interested in learning about the lives of every stranger they meet? That's beautiful bro. I hope so. I both want her to be an almost identical twin to teddy, and to look exactly like her bf Dan (like the Van Houtens in the Simpsons). I think I want Dana to have the spunkiness that teddy lacks. I love the "anxious older sibling, feral younger sibling" dynamics, like what Tina and Louise have. I want an episode where Teddy's in therapy talking to Dr Marjorie about his childhood whilst Dana's out back wrestling a bar fly for his teeth or smn. Same trauma but dealt with in VERY different ways. I need it!!!!!!!!! I deserve this!!!!!!!!! LOL.

Moving onto Denise, FUCK Denise. Fuck any single individual that makes you feel like you have to change your core sense of self in order to feel accepted and/or loved. You KNOW she's that slimy level of manipulative that easily gets her own way in every situation. The type that rarely gets called up but if you call them up everyone else around will take their side. The GOOD manipulators. Real piece of shit types. The type to push you so far into a corner you come out crazy. So crazy noone believes you and they all side with the charismatic one. (These people boil my soul into an angry black jus, I become one of the 4 biles). IIRC we don't even get a full line from her, I'm pretty sure she only says "teddy?" (But please correct me if that's false), but that's still enough to solidify her as a shithouse in my mind. Questioning his name like don't pretend you don't know or recognise him you shitcunt, he gave you so much of his life. Eat a dick.

As negative as all these experiences are, I do think they shaped teddy for the better! I mean, he is a lil anxious and awkward and doesn't have the best self-esteem/confidence. BUT, he's incredibly emotionally intelligent for an old white guy. He's SO full of love, for EVERYONE. Every single person he comes across or meets (as exampled by S12E4 Driving Big Dummy), he fundamentally enjoys experiencing. They're not just people to chat to, they are experiences to be had. They are characters you've never heard of to stories you've never read. His approach to people is polar opposite to how most of us perceive other people, most of us are like Bob, he doesn't /hate/ people, but he doesn't /like/ them either. Teddy DOES like other people, he REALLY likes other people, he put the work into his trauma so it didn't taint the rest of him. I'm not gonna speak on behalf of everyone with PTSD but I know for a lot of us we fester on our trauma and victimise ourselves, often resulting in self- alienation and isolation, teddy shows no sign of that. S8E5 Thanks-Hoarding picks up on teddy being a handyman so he can "fix" his parents relationship (simplifying), but it doesn't address the fact he is CONSTANTLY putting himself out there. Handymen are a word-of-mouth trade, to be a successful handyman you HAVE to put yourself out there. To meet new people is to be vulnerable, and to be vulnerable with PTSD is like a rabbit exposing its belly to an owl yknow? Throughout the entire show we see teddy consistently putting the work in. Into every part of his life, he's making the effort to improve his life. I know healthcare in the US is a privilege that only the capitalists can afford, but it is so refreshing to see an American go to therapy instead of just complaining about how much they need therapy lol (no judgment, again I appreciate it's a nigh impossible situation to escape).

Thank you for the incredibly stimulating question, light!! (Sorry if I didn't answer all the questions fully! Will edit or update later!🤍)

[candygalaxyyy]

The TopMew book store/ RayMew call scene is one of my favourites in the whole episode, like it has set up these three’s dynamic so well. I’ve already rewatched it at 20 times. And here are my favourite details:

Mew gets a call. Top is obviously intrigued as he stares at his pocket, but pretends to not be interested by mindlessly flipping through the book Mew picked - maybe not completely mindless as the book is on all about s*x, Top’s fav pass time ;). Anyways, this shows their push and pull dynamic, Top is pushing by looking at him pick up the call, but pulling by seemingly not being interested. Mew does the same, by taking the call in front of Mew after seeing it’s from Ray (cause there’s no way you’re telling me Mew doesn’t know that Ray likes him, HE KNOWS). They’re both pushing and pulling, it’s all very calculated

Ray calls Mew to check on him, because he is concerned about Mew being with Top from last night. i also feel like Ray wants Mew to be concerned about him as well. Top now knows that Mew is speaking to Ray due to the content of the conversation. So he looks over, obviously curious and reads Mew’s body language and behaviour. It’s all in his eyes. Top also know that Ray likes Mew. Top also notices that Mew isn’t paying any attention to him in this moment, so what does he do…

He (loudly) interrupts Mew’s call, when he could of clearly waited for him to finish, but no he interrupts the moment he realizes it’s Ray on the phone. He does it so casually too, ‘like oh since you’re on a call I’ll just give you some privacy, but you must notice me first…’, think of me while i leave type of energy. Now we definitely know that Top knows about Ray’s crush, cause even in the trailer he always intercepts the conversation when Ray is around Mew. Now wether Top does this is out of ‘competition’ for Mew or pure boyfriend coded jealousy or both, we do not know yet (I feel like it’s both). But one thing is clear, it’s calculated as always.

Ray hears the second person, and asks who it is. Mew simply replies by saying ‘a friend’, which Top obviously isn’t given the smile/smirk he does as he says it. Ray, being the lovesick boy that he is, immediately connects the dots and proceeds to question Mew about it. His eyes are even widened and he tenses up, you can see this as his arm veins start showing. Mew dismisses the question and ends the call. I truly believe Mew knows how Ray would get if he mentions Top coming over and them almost f***ing, so he brushes it off to not have to confront Ray’s feelings

And then we are left with a annoyed, jealous, frustrated and curious Ray; he’s rolling his eyes and frowning so hard. He’s stuck in the friend-zone and is desperately seeking love from Mew. On top of that, he has a charismatic, sexy, straightforward asshole of a love rival, needless to say he is distraught. Even his seatbelt begins to test his patience, poor Ray (lmao to him still wearing the ‘poor boy’ shirt when this happens, also he got kicked out from Sand’s place only to get ‘kicked out’ from his call with Mew)

I just love how this scene sets up the Top-Mew-Ray dynamic and storyline. TopMew = interested in e/o and are in an intimate relationship (yes even at this stage). Mew and Ray = close friends, some could argue for best friends even, but Ray has a crush on Mew (and he knows this, but avoids getting into that). Ray is always going to be hung up on or left alone by Mew with Top in the picture. Top and Ray = enemies that have to act as friends, cause they like the same guy, just that one is the fboy boyfriend and the other is pining one-sided love. Ray and Top will always be at each other’s throats! So far, the subtle acting alone is making me so invested in this storyline and I can’t wait to see where it goes.

[rosyandraw]

Hi I love you. I’ve been carefully waiting for you to update 🤍 but also I do have a question! I noticed that you made Damen a Scorpio, and Laurent a Taurus in NMFY. Was this intentional? Because I saw on capri twt someone made a timeline to show Damen & Lauren’s 6 year age gap, and their most likely birthday. And Damen being a Scorpio and Laurent being a Taurus totally fits 😭🤍 In case it was totally intentional and you wrote it based on the books, you’re absolutely brilliant and I love you more. I wanted to know whether you’re into zodiac and have opinion to their zodiac compatibility pairing

I LOVE THIS AND I LOVE YOU FOR ASKING (also I just updated when I said I was going to lmao, for once!)

Sorry my answer is so long. But here is my essay on Scorpio Damen and Scorpio/Taurus compatibility.

I haven't seen the timeline, so I did it based on the books and then my own opinion of their characters. I'm really into astrology. I'm into spiritualism too and I'm an eclectic neopagan (not that you asked lmao)

Laurent is late spring, so can only really be a Taurus or a Gemini based on the information we're given in the books. And I think Taurus is more Laurent's vibe.

We know they're 20 and 25 during the books which kicks off around June time but by Marlas, which would have been early spring/March Damen was already 19 and Laurent was approaching 14. So Damen's birthday has to be later than September as the books only span 3 months (being generous) but before Spring (battle at marlas).

Then it was just a matter of deciding what I felt vibed best with what we know of them. I toyed with a few for Damen but none of them felt right -Capricorn, Sag, Libra- they just don't fit him very well.

I think Damen fits a Scorpio for so many reasons, mostly because they're incredibly deep but don't really show it. They're charismatic people quite naturally but they can also be ruthless. They're also -like Taurus- extremely loyal.

Scorpio people feel very deeply, they can be great leaders, resourceful, passionate when something is important to them, they love challenges and tend to be fucking fearless when they see obstacles.

You’re probably thinking "but Scorpios are manipulators" and yes. They can be and I would argue that Damen isn’t the kind of person that manipulates on purpose but, as with most scorpio’s, he is charming when he wants to be and often charming people don’t recognise their influence on the people around them. He is also smart and strategic and his manner of looking at things coupled with a natural charisma often influences situations and the people around him without him purposefully thinking let me manipulate this. Manipulation doesn’t always equal sneaky, sometimes it references a natural sway and I think Scorpio is often this kind of person. Especially because they are almost always confident they are right and confidence is everything when you’re influencing a situation or person, whether you know it or not.

Scorpio is often calm and collected. They feel deeply but don’t show it the way you associate with the other water signs. They can be violent when pushed and can be relentless with it, whether it’s a physical fight, a slanging match, or a cause they believe in Scorpio is IMPOSSIBLE to fight with. They keep their heads, they aren’t prone to lashing out or to displays of emotion but they can and will absolutely ruin you if you get them there. If they were a sin I’d say it might be Pride.

We know from Canon Damen is very cool and collected in high stress situations. He compartmentalises to a fault, he doesn’t EVER let his situation get the better of him in terms of his emotions. I am talking explicitly about his ability to keep his shit together when in fight or flight and his decision making ability in high stress situations. And of course his penchant for not letting himself feel the horror and sadness of everything that has happened: Kastor, Jokaste, his dad dying, being stabbed by his brother, the post, Ancel etc.

He feels it very deeply but he doesn’t let it show, he doesn’t let it rule him and he doesn’t acknowledge it pretty much all the way through the books.

Scorpio is deeply self aware (not always emotionally) and there isn’t a single instance in the book where Damen doubts himself. Not even in chains. He doesn’t even really doubt Laurent even when Laurent throws test after test at him. There’s a loyalty and surety there.

In terms of sex and romance scorpio is the sign of sexuality which matches nice with Taurus because they are the sign of sensuality. We know Damen’s only two outlets in terms of his emotions are fighting and fucking. He is a deeply DEEPLY sexual person and he has so much passion in him that he literally walks into the lions den with an I love you and some big fucking balls. Like??? Who else but a scorpio would have the AUDACITY to do that shit?

Prone to one-night stands and expression through their bodies Scorpios will only truly be satisfied when they find the ONE which again -so is Taurus. And when they do they are loyal and passionate and tend to spend their teen years and 20s being fuck-boys and hoes until they realise they want more.

Sound familiar? The second Damen fucks Laurent there is no going back for him because he’s found the person that can satisfy both his intense needs: sex and the emotional intimacy he’d been craving (but ignoring) his whole life.

When Scorpio’s find the one they want the literally merge their lives and hearts and become the power couple WE kind of people.

Intelligent, loyal, strategic, dedicated to the people they care about, they work well under pressure, are focused, resourceful and hardworking. They enjoy the chase; they are competitive and they like a little mystery in their romance. When in love they are unshakeable and loyal and passionate above all else. Their kind of love can be too intense for most people but Taurus WANTS that security and the assurance, Taurus thrives on being the centre of someone’s world and no other zodiac sign will do it quite as well as Scorpio

Taurus and Scorpio have a lot of sexual energy between them and natural compatibility. So I think it makes a lot of sense, Laurent and Damen's chemistry on page is stellar and it is INSTANT.

I think any time I read an enemies to lovers I assume they have birth charts that are compatible because Love and Hate are so closely aligned. Hate is such a passionate sentiment, I don't think it's possible that two people like that don't have some natal compatibility/facets that make for glorious tension.

Anyway, sorry for the ramble and thank you for this because it was so so much fun to word vomit about it haha! 💕💕

[freedomaddict]

my own personal opinion on the rottmnt turtles in hogwarts houses:

Miguel: Ravenclaw. Mikey is SUPER creative, it's kind of his thing. Ravenclaws also value wit, and all of Mikey's jokes are well-timed, he's got a mental sharpness and has an inventive way to make a joke. He's also really smart - the episode with the mystic metal? he says to raph "we're not saying you never have good ideas, we're just saying that sometimes we do to!" he's got street smarts and creative smarts, and strategic smarts. (he could really be any house, i think

Ravenclaw would be the best fit tho) he's the ravenclaw who you think doesn't belong there, but once you get to know the house you'd never be able to imagine him anywhere else.

Big Red: Hufflepuff! Raph is like ... the definition of Hufflepuff. Loyalty, patience, trust, strong sense of justice, hard-working. Literally Raph. I think he could be in Hufflepuff and Gryffindor, but Hufflepuff would suit him best (in my opinion.) Plus, he's always trying to better the team by doing team building exercises (at least i think he does that often, seems like something he'd do) and teamwork is a big part of the hufflepuff house. he's the stereotype of the house - looks open and friendly, who's hugs are warm and safe.

Von Ryan: Slytherin. Before anyone yells, I'm both a donnie kinnie and a slytherin. Donnie belongs here lmao. The way he always tries to improve himself and is extremely goal-oriented. Slytherins value resourcefulness, and Donnie has had to learn to be resourceful when living in the sewers. He gets all of his stuff from a junkyard. Plus, dry humor? perfectionist? big on cost/benefit analysis? donnie fr. he seems like the stereotypical slytherin, the one who's quiet and everyone thinks is evil. (he'd also excel at potions.)

Leon: Tbh, he's pretty hard. I think he could either be gryffindor or slytherin, but also ravenclaw and fit almost perfectly in those houses, but I think he belongs in slytherin. im also a leo kinnie (heh) and honestly? Sarcastic humor, confident (or pretends to be,) competitive and charismatic? literally both signs of gryffindor and slytherin? it's so hard but he has a practical eye and the ability to quickly adapt when needed. he also has a lot of common sense, instead of taking on things he knows he can't do he results in something achievable (paper theives) and he's incredibly persuasive, a trait valued by slytherins. he seems like the slytherin who thinks they're better than everyone else, and once you get to know them you realize they actually are.

April: Hard one! She's so spunky and full pf personality (i love her so much) but i think she belongs in gryffindor. The first episode alone shows me that. Gryffindor traits are bravery, honor, loyalty, boldness and have strong moral centers. I think this is mostly shown in her interactions with the boys. (which is like the only interactions she has ok i know) She's willing to dive head-first into a conflict if it meant she could help her family somehow. There's no doubt that she would go to the ends of the earth for them, and if you think she'd turn her back her boys, you're crazy.

Cassandra: Gryffindor. Don't argue. When reading her wiki (it describes the characters way more in depth than i could) it talks about how much she values being loyal to the foot clan and how energetic/enthusiastic she is. She's courageous and stands up for what she believes is right, just like a gryffindor. She's always wanting to better herself and is quite stubborn.

Casey Jr: I know what house he's in, but i almost didn't want to sort him because it meant someone would be alone...he's a hufflepuff, through and through (i feel bad for leaving mikey alone, but he'll make friends soon enough.) Casey is hard-working and loyal, as we can see in the movie - taking on the mission leo told him to, and not once complaining, just worried about how he could complete it. He is honest the whole way through, not sugar coating anything to beating around the bush. and unafraid of being direct. He's also very polite and kind (i love him guys) and listens to other's input and ideas.

[thegamingcatmom]

hey so I really struggling to capture the Denali characteristics for a fic I'm thinking of writing.

>>>>> especially Carmen Eleazar <<<<< cause we hardly see them in the movies and we get 3 lines from Carmen and idk 10 lines from Eleazar in 2movies they in. Mostly I'm wondering on your Carmen Eleazar like did you made up what personality style they could be? Or use a wheel of choices on personality? Like what got you to think 'yeah this feels right' when writing their parts? I like ur tanya/Carmen fic. <3

Hi!

I totally get the struggle. It's really a shame they got so little screentime. Carmen and El are so charismatic and bring some diversity into all that...blondness. 😅

(I seem to have a thing for blondes though. 🤭)

Then again, none of the Denalis got the screentime they deserved. 😤

As for their personalities:

It´s really a mix of going with what lil canon gives us & what feels right. More the latter I´d say though because, as you said, there´s hardly enough material to really build on.

Carmen came a lot easier to me, I have to say. She´s canonically very maternal and nurturing, so I build on that. For example:

BD Part 1:

was the first to greet Bella at the wedding

"Irina, come, say hello to Bella" when Irina kinda forgot about everyone else cause she had a staring contest with the wolves

...Oh, that´s all we got here. LMAO, that sucks. 💀

BD Part 2:

"I can feel her" -> was the first to give Renesmée a chance

holds Tanya´s hand in support/comfort when the possibility of a war is being discussed

throws Tanya a look that basically says "what shall we do? whatever you decide, I´ll support it" when Edward asks who´ll join them in a battle that seems impossible to win

but not just that: Tanya actively seeks that advice too, looking up at Carmen like "what should I do, mom?"

at the end of the almost-battle, Carmen immediately goes to comfort Tanya over the loss of her sister

What sticks out most to me is that, instead of Tanya, it´s mostly Carmen who seems to be the voice of reason/driving force in most situations. Or, well, her coven members look to her for guidance, at least.

Carmen is Momma, so that´s how I try to write her. She´s the one you wanna go to when you just need a break from everyone and everything. Or for a pep talk. 😭❤️

As for Eleazar:

He´s tough to get to the bottom of, I gotta admit that. I´m still in the middle of writing his entrance, so that should tell you quite a bit. 💀

(In my defense though: his entrance is rather...wordy. 😅)

One thing I noticed: My writing style kinda changed once I got to his part because he´s just so different from the rest of the coven. He´s quite sophisticated, but more in a Professor kinda way, yknow? Very different from Tanya´s "I´m da queen" sophisticated. 😅

If I had to break my interpretation of his character down into one sentence, I guess I´d go with:

Adorable nerd who has a knack for being unsettling without meaning to. 🙃

He´s curious by nature, but tends to observe things from afar rather than approach them directly like his wife does. He has to be really fascinated by something or someone for him to act on his impulses.

...Which basically means studying that something or someone to death. 📖🔎

He lets his wife do the social stuff, for the most part. However, he has no problem tagging along when there´s a firm hand guiding him. So he´ll follow wherever Carmen goes, basically. 🤭

I´ve said it before:

Carmen = the Heart

Eleazar = the Brain

Carmen -> no hesitation, approaches Bella directly as if they´ve known each other forever, very maternal

Eleazar -> follows where his wife goes, keeps a polite distance as he observes the interaction, happy to be there nonetheless

It´s the mix that makes it perfect. 🫶

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For me, the most important thing is that it feels natural. When I write, I keep going like "is that actually something they would say/do?" for pretty much every spoken word and interaction.

When it comes to Tanya, I often find myself mulling over the most basic of things, such as whether she´d use "shall" or "will". She might be more prone to using "will" when she´s agitated, because I imagine she loses some of her posh attitude in the heat of the moment, lol.

It´s small things, but they can have a huge impact on the overall storytelling and reading experience. When it feels right to me whilst reading it, then I reckon it will feel right to others as well. (Which means the focus should be on what feels right for you.)

And that´s really the most important thing, I´d say:

Think about how you see the characters and what you wanna see them do with that. Make em your bitches. 😌👌

Thanks a lot for your ask & for the lovely feedback on my fic! 💋

[driverlando]

Heyy, is like to request a 💍 please! Also, CONGRATS ON 2K SO DESERVED BABES 💕

This is low-key hard but I'll try my best.

I'm a pretty outgoing person, really talkative and one of the biggest compliments I've ever gotten is that when talking to someone I make them feel really comfortable and help pull even shy people out of their shell. I've been called pretty charming and overall just sympathetic and a decent human. I like to think I'm pretty smart but I'm also extroverted (bad combo) so when I think I'm just trying to tell people interesting stuff, I tend to come off a bit cocky and arrogant. I will admit, I'm a tad bit narsicistic (is that how you spell it??) but I'm working on it, I swear! I'm from the U.S. south, so charm comes with the accent and the trucks. I enjoy listening to music and I like a bit of everything. I love Billy Joel, Zach Bryan, Jack Harlow, and Rihanna. I love travelling and meeting people from different places and one of my greatest skills is probably my lingustics. I pick up languages really easily and am proud to say that I know decent pieces of almost a dozen languages, varying levels of course. I'm pretty much fluent in Spanish, Italian, and Croatian, with a close skill in Dutch and Korean. I've been trying to learn some more Portugese but I'm really busy so it's hard to work as much as I want. However, I have a heavy southern drawl so that makes every language sound a bit weird. I love cooking and have been told I'm pretty good at drawing. I'm quite athletic and enjoy playing sports or even just backyard games with friends and family even though I tend to get a bit too competitive. I am very family oriented and have lots of pets, including a couple farm animals. I've been into F1 since I was a kid, along with basketball, baseball and American football.

Hope this wasn't as much of a mess as it seems to me, congrats again!!

THANK YOU LOVEEE!! I appreciate it sm 💘💘

I feel like Danny Ric would be your perfect match. you both have outgoing and charismatic personalities and enjoy making people feel comfortable (the best type of people honestly). and I can just imagine the jokes you two would share, you’d both be making eachother laugh practically all day long lmao. like your banter would be top tier for sure. I feel like he could be competitive too and that’d definitely make game nights at your house super interesting, it’d be so funny and entertaining fighting over a game. he’d also be in awe of you, and your language skills, I feel like he’d ask you to teach him and it’d just be super sweet. and you’d both visit all those sports games together and you could be his plus one to the met gala 😌