#me racking my brain trying to think of a genuine answer all day

[royaltea000]

how are julchen's shippinf dynamics with the other nyos to you?

pruk, pruhun, prus, lietpru, etc etc. badically js ur main ships in the nyoverse

I had to really think about this one cuz I don’t normally do nyo stuff in general so the ship dynamics never really occurred to me.

Julchen in my head is way more dominant than regular Gil so she’s almost always a top - I say almost because I thought about nyo ruspru and thought mmmno make her a switch that’d be hot ùwú

Nyo prucan is also more appealing to me now cuz it’s got the same energy as that one really outgoing social sports girl adopting you in highschool and trying to get you to be more confident

I still wanna ship pruk as well but I kinda hate Arthur’s canon nyo design so that’s gotta change - I wanna see em wrestle in battlefield mud, tits swingin in the breeze

[mytheoristavenue]

MHA Mezo Shoji x Reader - Smile with your Eyes

Summary: Who knew one compliment would turn Shoji's whole world on its head?

Warnings: Fluff, light angst, short, not proofread, gn!reader

"You should smile more, you have a lovely smile." The comment caught Shoji so off guard, he stopped in his tracks, doing a double take as you passed by. He wasn't even fully convinced his mind hadn't made it up to torment him over his crush on you.

"Did you say something?" He asked, paused in the hallway, tilting his head when you looked back at him with a warm smile.

"I said you have a lovely smile, Shoji." You repeated sweetly before turning back to go on your way.

Little did you know, that small compliment set Shoji's world on fire. When had you seen him without a mask? He couldn't for the life of him remember. He racked his brain trying to figure it out, deconstructing the praise until it turned onto an insult. Were you mocking him? You'd never do that, right?

Regardless, Shoji continued to stew on your comment for days. He began to avoid you, look over his shoulder, even when he knew he was alone, worried you might be spying on him. He was so paranoid.

"Shoji," You stood in front of him, his back against a wall- literally. "Are you mad at me?" You blinked up at him, head tilted slightly.

"W-Well-" He started, feeling heat creep up the column of his neck. "I-I..."

"I'm sorry if I did something to hurt your feelings, just tell me what it was so I don't do it again," you explained matter of factly. "I care about you, you're my friend and I want to make sure I'm not accidentally repeatedly hurting your feelings. You had always been a very straightforward person, not seeing the point in beating around the bush. This was the most efficient way to fix the issue in your mind.

Despite your frankness, Shoji was further confused by the conviction behind your words. You can't possibly be this oblivious to his reasons for avoiding you unless he'd misunderstood everything all along. "Y-You said I had a lovely smile..." He finally confessed, rigid against the wall, feeling silly for letting someone half his size pin him without even physically touching him.

"I'm sorry," you promptly apologize. "I didn't think saying so would upset you," you admit with a serious but kind expression. "I actually still don't but my mother always says 'it doesn't matter how your words hurt someone, if they do, you just apologize.'"

Your reaction caught him by surprise. So it wasn't a prank then. Boy, did he feel silly. He raised a dupli-mouth to explain, only to be interrupted by your index finger against his lips. "I don't have to understand how what I said hurt you, just that it did and that I shouldn't repeat it."

"Wait," he finally said, hands finding your shoulders, yanking away when you jump in surprise. "D-Did you mean it...?"

"Of course I did," you answered bluntly, peering up at him, relaxing under his touch. "I wouldn't have said it otherwise. I think you have a bright and genuine smile. It lights up my day when I see it."

You could almost see the blush rise up over the hem of his mask as he swallowed, eyeing you cautiously. "But you've even seen me without a mask," he argues weakly. "Y-You haven't have you?"

"No," you confirm, feeling the tension release from his muscles. "But I don't see what that has to do with it." Shoji was beginning to wonder if you were stupid, or if you were talking about his dupli-mouths when suddenly, you shifted, raising the textbook in your hands to cover your face from the nose down.

He couldn't keep from melting at the warm, kind grin that cracked across your face from behind the book. Though he couldn't see your lips, he didn't miss the way your eyes sparkled and the corners of your eyes crinkled, pushed up by your glowing cheeks. "When someone smiles, you can see it in their eyes." You explain, not that it was needed. Tucking the book under your arm, you reach up, fingertips brushing his tan skin, feeling just left of his eye. "You don't have crow's feet, so that means you don't smile often, or you didn't used to, at least. But I've noticed lately you smile a lot. I can tell because your eyes always light up when you do."

Shoji's breath hitched as you deconstructed him. Had you always been this smart? Or were you just really observant? "I don't know much about you, and that's okay," you continued. "But I know you must have had a time in your life where you didn't have anything to smile for." How could you possibly keep hitting the nail on the head? It unnerved him how you unknowingly unravelled all his secrets, giving him the warmest smile all the while.

"I said what I said because I wanted to know that I like your smile, and I appreciate seeing it," you gently reassure. "But I understand it made you uncomfortable, so I won't-"

"No, please," he finally choked out, glancing away nervously. "I-I don't want you to stop saying it." He finally confessed, confusing you further. "It...means a lot from you, and I'd like to hear it more often, actually..."

Your shoulders finally slump and you beam up at him, joy radiating from you as you nod in understanding. "I love your smile, Shoji, please let me see it more often!"

He had no idea what compelled him to do it, but he glanced around, checking that the coast was clear before reaching up and very briefly yanking his mask down, flashing a sunny grin, eyes closed and brows furrowed. It was the type of smile you'd seen multiple times on the likes of Kirishima or Kaminari, but never on Shoji.

Your eyes wet, you took him in, trying to memorize his visage for the few seconds he showed it. His smirk was all scar tissue and straight, perfect teeth. "Shoji..." you whispered, breath swallowed. "You're smile..."

For a moment, Shoji could feel the guilt of a grave mistake crawl up his back and sit on his shoulder like a little devil. His hands retracted from your shoulders finally and his fist balled anxiously.

"You have the most beautiful smile in the world!"

[billys-pretty-babe]

We Were Just Kids, Babe

Pairing : Billy Hargrove x Fem!Reader

Summary : You were the love of Billy's life, or at least that's what he always told you.

Warnings : swearing, little mentions of smut, drinking

Word Count : 2,802

A/N : there is a time skip, it'll be marked. inspired by loml by taylor swift

October 1985

Billy laid in your bed, his head in your lap as you scratched his head gently. "You're the love of my life, you know that? Once we leave this shitty town, we'll get married." You softly laughed before smiling down at him. "I love you." He smiled, "I love you too." His words were genuine, there was no reason for you to not trust him.

He relaxed against you; his skin was warm on yours as you pushed his hair back with each rake of your fingers. He rolled over, his forehead resting against your stomach as he kissed it through the shirt you were wearing. He moved his left arm from underneath him and wrapped it around your waist.

"Imagine little Hargrove babies." You softly laughed, "With your hair, that's the Hargrove look." He laughed and nodded, cuddling up to you a little more. He was still cautious, he still had some walls up, but they were rapidly crumbling each time he was with you.

His thumb rubbed over the material of the shirt before snaking under it to hold you a little tighter. "I'll never leave you, you're everything to me." You smiled and hummed at the warmth of his skin; it was a little cold in Hawkins, so you were grateful he ran hot. You were happy, truly and genuinely happy because everything felt right. Your boyfriend, your very first boyfriend wanted to marry you and have kids.

Months had passed and everything was rocky in the relationship. Billy didn't seem happy lately and you were starting to question if it was because of you. You racked your brain, trying to figure out if you had done something and came up with nothing. Maybe he was just having a hard time, that's what it had to be, right?

The look in his eyes never left, he still had love in them. You made sure every single time you saw him. The two of you had been together since November of 1984, so you had already been together for a little over a year.

It was unexpected. You had never cried in his room before, not even when you had sex for the first time. Hearing him cry about how he felt like he was falling out of love was enough for you to burst into tears. Your eyes were burning from the mascara and eyeliner, you did your best to hold it together, but you just couldn't.

He gently grabbed you, pulling you close to him as he held the back of your head to his chest as he pressed his lips to your head. "I'm still your friend, baby. I'm just in a bad spot right now and I can't give you everything I have. You're supposed to be my first priority. One day, okay?" You didn't answer him, holding your fingers behind his back as you took it all in.

You knew you couldn't be friends with him, not when he had kissed you so softly with love and passion, not when he had been inside you, and certainly not when you had professed your love to him for months.

May 1990

You smiled as you watched your younger brother walk across the stage at Hawkins High. You saw the familiar flash of red hair on the football field and your heart raced, starting to wonder if Billy had attended. You didn't think so, he and Max didn't get along. Your mom held onto your arm as she wiped her eyes gently to not mess up her makeup.

The graduates tossed their caps into the air and you smiled, remembering when you and Billy had done the same. You saw your brother go to Max, he always had a crush on her until they started dating their Junior year, Lucas and his family having moved because of Mr. Sinclair's job.

Your mom pouted her lip a little, watching the two of them as they walked through the gates hand-in-hand. The Hargrove-Mayfield family joined your family at your household. Your dad had asked the big question, "Neil, where's Billy?" Neil looked at your dad as he cracked the tab of the beer can.

"He'll be here soon. He got caught up at work. He works at that big mechanic shop in Indianapolis." Your dad hummed and nodded and nodded his head in your direction, "She goes to University of Indianapolis." Neil glanced at you as he softly hummed and nodded. He had liked you as Billy's girlfriend, he thought you could change him, but Billy didn't need changing in your eyes.

Susan looked at you, "Any boys at school, honey?" You softly laughed and shook your head, "No boys, just books." She softly laughed and nodded. "Smart girl you have on your hands," she said to your parents. They both nodded with pride. You walked into the garage, looking through the alcohol fridge as you heard a very familiar exhaust. You glanced out of the little windows, seeing the blue Camaro.

You gulped and grabbed one of your mom's wine coolers, grabbing a second one just in case. You walked into the house, "Billy's here," you said as your throat closed a little. You cleared it and walked to the cupboard, grabbing a cup as you poured both wine coolers into it. You threw the glasses away and took a sip before turning back to where everyone was in the dining room.

You had just walked into the room when there was a knock on the door. Your mom looked at your brother, "Go get the door." He opened his mouth to talk back, and she narrowed her eyes. He sighed and got up, brushing past you to get the door. You sat back down at your seat and sighed when the only empty chair was beside you.

Your brother opened the dining room door and held it open for Billy. He changed, not much but he looked manly. His mustache was full and not the same one he sported in high school. He had a stubbly beard along with more tattoos and he had a little hoop in his ear, the same one he used to wear when he was a lifeguard.

He looked at Max, patting her shoulder gently. "Congrats, I'm proud of you." She smiled and thanked him. You furrowed your brow, the last time you had seen the both of them, they couldn't stand each other. Something changed between them, you wondered what it was.

He greeted your parents before looking down at you in your wooden chair. He smiled, "Hey," he said. You gave him a half-smile before responding, "Hi." He sat beside you and you could smell his cologne and body wash. You recognized the scents, something you had bought him for his eighteenth birthday.

You got up, excusing yourself and Max looked at you just was the door shut. She got up, "I'll go check on her." Your mom nodded and she left the dining room, seeing you outside on the back porch swing. She walked outside and sat beside you. "What happened between you two," you asked her. She sighed, "After you guys broke up, he wasn't himself. He was nicer, he wasn't angry anymore. We did sibling stuff; I finally had a brother." You nodded, tapping your ring on the glass cup you were holding.

"Was the breakup bad?" You shrugged, "What's your definition of bad?" She sighed and nodded. "He fell out of love, that's what he told me." She nodded, rubbing your back. "He found out you were going to that school and found a job there. He was hoping you two would cross paths, he calls a lot.” That made you happy, that he always called Max.

The two of you stayed outside for a little while longer before walking inside as the doorbell rang. Your mom peeked her head out of the dining room, "That's the pizza." You nodded and opened the door, accepting the pizza from the man as you grabbed the money on the countertop. "The tip is at the top." The man smiled and nodded.

"Is that Billy Hargrove's car?" You raised a brow. He chuckled, "I don't know if you remember me. I'm Tommy Hagan, I hung around Billy in his junior year. I graduated that year." You hummed, "Yeah, I remember sorry." He softly laughed and nodded. "So, you two are still together?" You grimaced and shook your head, "No, it's my brother and Max's graduation that he's here for. We broke up a few years ago." He nodded and apologized.

"What's taking so long," Billy's voice asked as it got closer with his footsteps. You felt his body heat on your body when he came to the door. You handed the food to Max before following her inside to let them talk. Soon, he made his way back to the dining room and he sat down beside you again.

You all grabbed food and began eating. "Mom," you said. She turned to you with a smile. "I'm gonna eat outside, there's too many people in here." She nodded before turning back to Susan. You stood up and walked outside and sat at the small table, listening to the nighttime critters chirp and make sounds. The glass door shut at the chair across from you creaked under someone's weight. "You're avoiding me."

You looked up and wanted to cry. He looked like your Billy, but he was no longer your Billy. "I wonder why," you said as you picked apart the pizza. He sighed, "We were just kids, babe. We're adults now, I have my shit straight now." You hummed, poking at the pepperoni. "Please, just talk to me. I'll get down on my knees and beg if I have to." You scoffed, "Yeah right, Billy Hargrove begging?" He got up, his chair making a loud, ugly sound against the concrete. He wiped his hands on his jeans, and he stood before you, slowly sinking down to his knees.

"I am begging you to just talk to me. Tell me you hate me, tell me to fuck off. Just something directed at me." It had shocked you that he was here, on his knees. One thing with Billy, he really didn't beg for anything, but he was begging for you. "What do I say to the person who promised me everything and I got nothing?" He grabbed the chair behind him, pulling himself into it as he moved closer to you.

"I was dumb for doing what I did. I didn't fall out of love with you because if I fell out of love, I wouldn't have followed you to Indianapolis. I got scared because I made promises to you, and I didn't want them to be empty. We were eighteen, I couldn't give you any of that." You choked up a little, kicking your foot. "Billy, we didn't need to immediately get married and have kids. I was willing to wait for you." He nodded, "I know." You raised a brow and he put his thumb behind him.

"When I talk to Max your brother is usually there." You hummed and nodded, "Yeah, they're dating or something like that. I think they're testing the water." He groaned, "Great, another guy I have to watch out for." You laughed softly. He ate some of his pizza and took a sip of his beer.

"I miss you." Your heart stopped and you looked at him. "In what way?" He put his can down. "In every single way. I haven't been with anyone since we broke up." You nodded. "Have you?" You shook your head, "No." He nodded, moving a little closer to you, his jean-clad knee now was against your thigh.

"I think if you gave me a second chance we could get married before those little shits in there." You laughed, "We are not competing with our siblings to see who gets married first." He shrugged, taking another bite of his food. "One chance, that's all I'm asking and at the end of the night if you still hate me, just tell me to go fuck myself and I will." You sighed, "I don't hate you; I could never hate you. Not after everything we did together." He smirked, "Like what?" You rolled your eyes, "Shut up," you murmured. He snickered, taking a sip.

"One chance, I mean it. That's all you get." He nodded. "That's all I need, babe." He finished up his beer, "Did you drive here?" You shook your head, "My mom picked me up. The semester is over." He nodded, "Wanna hang out tomorrow then? I don't have work until Monday. We can do anything you want." You nodded, "Sure, B." He smiled before leaning in and kissing your cheek.

"I won't kiss you until you kiss me permission to so that'll have to do for now." You nodded and finished up your food before taking the plate inside as Billy followed you. You yawned softly, having a long day of travel. You peeked into the dining room, "I'm gonna go to bed." Your mom nodded, "Where's Billy?" You pointed behind you. She smiled and nodded and you went to your room.

He followed you and sat on your bed. You looked at him, "I don't remember inviting you in here." He rolled his eyes and laid down, "Shh, I'm tired too." You laughed, finding his old basketball shorts as you flung them at him. He walked into your bathroom. "Do you have an extra toothbrush?" You hummed, "I think it's in a box under my sink, near the Tampax box." You heard the cabinet door shut as the water ran.

You got undressed and put on different clothes. The air was humid so you made sure to put on something light that wouldn't stick to your skin very much. He walked out of the bathroom and laid on your bed. He was muscular but still soft looking and his happy trail was a lot fuller. You brushed your teeth before laying beside him. His arms were crossed behind his head as he looked at your ceiling.

"We fucked in this bed." You elbowed him in the ribs, and he laughed loudly. "It's true, multiple times too. I can still hear my children." You laughed, pushing him a little. It got quiet, a little too quiet for your comfort. "Hey Billy." He hummed, looking at you. "Please kiss me." He smiled and leaned towards you, holding your face as he kissed you softly.

You held onto him, your thumb running over his rib tattoo. His lips moved against yours as he rolled into you a little, needing you as close as possible. He pulled away first and you raised a brow before feeling it as you laughed. "It's natural." You laughed again at him defending his erection. He grumbled, putting his hand over your mouth.

You licked his palm, and he had no reaction, "Just feeding into the fire, babe." You snickered a little and you looked him in his eyes, seeing the same love you saw five years ago.

"What're you thinking about?" You hummed and he asked the question again. "Nothing, doesn't matter." He pursed his lips, "I'm not dumb. Tell me." Your fingers dug into his skin a little, just needing to feel that he was actually there. "Do you think we'll get married?" He smiled, "Maybe, I think so. Like I said earlier, we were kids. I think now that we're a little older we know what we want. I have a stable job that makes good money. You graduate next spring and once you do and we're together. We'll get a nice house in Indianapolis and a dog or cat, your choice, and then babies." You smiled and leaned into him.

His hand pulled you closer to him and you smiled, "You got more muscles." He laughed and nodded, "Kinda have to when you're picking up heavy car parts and tires and shit. Is it uncomfortable?" You shook your head as you rested it on his pec. "Not at all, you're soft when you're relaxed." He laughed and ran his calloused hand over your hair. He kissed right at your hairline, and you smiled, shutting your eyes.

"Go to sleep, we'll go get some breakfast when we wake up." You nodded, putting your leg on his hip and he reached down and grabbed under your knee, holding your leg on him. "Goodnight," you murmured. He smiled, "Goodnight, babe." You held onto him, cuddling with him just like you did in high school.

As you were drifting off to sleep you had one hope, that this would work because you wouldn't be able to go through the same heartbreak again.

[darylscarollolz]

LOST TIME

Carl Grimes x Reader

Genre: fluff

Warnings:

Summary: Carls been avoiding his “best friend” for days. It’s time for a confrontation.

Word count: 781

Carl had been avoiding me for days, I could tell. I think everyone could tell. It seemed like one day we were perfectly fine and the next he could barely even look me in the eyes. I racked my brain for anything I could have done to maybe upset him or put him off but nothing could come to mind. And I mean nothing.

Carl and I had been close friends for as long as I can remember. Ever since the beginning of the apocalypse we were close. And as time went on we only got closer. At least; until last week. The two of us had been hanging out watching the sunset, talking. Like usual. There was nothing different about this day than any other day. We talked about everything under the moon, family, friends, love, everything. And the next day, bam, he just started avoiding me. Carl refused to even make eye contact.

That’s how I found myself in the situation I’m in now. Anxiously waiting for Rick to grab Carl for me. It had gotten to the point where I needed to talk to him. For my own sanity.

He was reluctant to come down, It was easy to tell by the time it took Rick to coax him down. when he was, however, standing infront of me his gaze was at our feet.

“Hey..” was all he could muster.

“Hey..” I swallowed hard, trying to think of the best way to bring the topic up without upsetting him (in case I had done anything wrong). “Can we talk for a moment.. just us? It’ll be quick.” Again Carl seemed reluctant but in the end nodded. Following me as I walked to a more secluded area for the two of us to talk.

“What do you wanna talk about?” Carls voice was weak, nervous almost.

“You have no idea?” It was a genuine question on my end. “None at all?”

“I might…”

“Should you start or should I?” His lack of an answer told me that I was going to be the one to have to start. “It feels like you’ve been avoiding me.. for the last few days.” I even gave him a moment to say something, but he didn’t. “And I’m sorry if I upset you somehow, if there was anything I did but-“ I was cut off, partially by surprise of him shaking his head. A soft “no” falling past his lips.

“No?” I questioned, an eye brow raised in confusion

“You didn’t upset me..” his eyes never left the ground beneath him, staring at his boots. “I just…” a sigh slipped past his lips as he forced himself to look up. Our eyes meeting for the first time all week.

“I’m sorry for avoiding you..”

“That doesn’t answer why, though. I don’t know what I did to make you want to avoid me.”

“It’s nothing you did… I just..” there was another deep sigh as he shut his eyes and gathered himself “I’ve been getting scared..”

“Of me?” I almost laughed.

“No not of you… well yes of you.. it’s complicated”

“Well could you try to explain?” I could feel my own annoyance peaking as he was trying to avoid the topic, not as a whole, more trying to avoid the center of the topic

“Look… y/n… I really like you and being your friend is the best thing that’s ever happened to me but..” he paused for a moment, as if formulating his words “recently I’ve realized that maybe that appreciation I have for you is less friendly than I thought..” he stopped again, searching for a reaction. When he didn’t get one, he continued. “I realized I was starting to feel more romantic feelings for you…” the next words came out like it was him just spitting it all out “and I know you don’t feel the same and that kind of scares me but I don’t want to force you into anything because I really do like you and-“

“Carl.” With a firm tone I cut him off. I could see the fear across his eyes as he swallowed. Looking from my eyes down to his feet. “I like you too” he looked almost as if he would double over, his breath catching in his throat

“What…”

“I like you” i repeated, laughing softly at his shocked state

“Say it again.. please”

“Jesus Carl, I like you” I took a step closer, gently taking his hand in mine “I wish you’d just told me instead of avoiding me..”

“Yeah…” he nodded, his eyes trailing from our linked hands up to my eyes “can we make up for the lost time?”

————————————————————————

Yay first fic done! I’m hoping and praying it’s alright. I haven’t written stuff in awhile and I’m always looking to improve. I wanted my first post to be fluffy so here we go :)

[sgiandubh]

Hi, I don't know if you understand me or go through this, I would like to know your feeling about it.

After all this circus (which I can't take anymore and after a few years in the fandom) I can't stand Caitríona anymore. I swear I try, I swear I try to get excited about her projects. I swear I try to understand her reasons, her anger, her antipathy towards us all these years. For a long time I managed to suppress this sad feeling I feel for her, but now it screams. I can not anymore.

On the other hand, I still support Sam, even more than I should, because he, along with her, plays the main role in the narrative and is not a saint. I think these feelings would be the signal to leave the ship. I no longer admire her, I no longer miss her, at least on social media, I no longer even want to see her face.

I feel bad for feeling this way, I don't know what to do. Have you ever felt like that? And before you start offending me, I'll tell you: I'm not anti, only or whatever. I am someone who paid a lot of attention to this narrative and ended up hurt, very hurt by them, by her specially…

Dear Feel Bad Anon,

I was just about to go to bed after a very, very long and dense day, but your question stopped me in my tracks. Story of my life, really: that banging on the dorm's door at midnight ('it's vile X, we just broke up, help') - ah, the memories. So, I will not let you down.

First of all, thank you for this ask. It is a genuine one, I know it. It takes a lot of honesty to write it down without cackle, hysteria and the everlasting 'they owe me' refrain (no, they don't owe anybody anything, because, Anon, do you owe anybody anything when you are that much in love? I am sure you don't give a hoot about Aunt Y and Neighbor Z, Anon, and fuck them and their curiosity, eh?). And, my goodness, you really do sound exhausted, here.

Take a good look at this pic I took in Mandalay (see post below) of a Yama Zatdaw (Ramayana) puppet show:

All these public ten years are summed up in here: the puppeteers (TPTB), the puppets (S&C) and the convenient prop ( T) in the middle.

Where are the private ten years? I could think of this Amarapura pic, taken the day after the puppet show:

And that is ok, Anon. It's them. Their lives. Their love. We are just peepers through a keyhole, in here: let's try and do it gracefully.

You don't like C anymore? S couldn't give a damn about how you feel, Anon, and forgive me if I sound brutal. He loves her and he already did the unthinkable for her. C does give a damn about you, however. Not because she cares about you, but because she probably thinks your intelligence and your questioning endanger her narrative and put at risk all the negotiated perks. This is why she thought intelligent to bark at you and publicly insult you: by a simple zealot reflex, her part of the bargain. It has nothing to do with her private truth. You are disappointed by a puppet, not the real C. Or, using this time Plato's Allegory of the Cave, you are mad at the silhouettes reflected on the walls of that cave, not at the people whose reflections you see - those people are outside the cave.

Get out of that mental cave, Anon. Stop racking your brains off trying to give definitive answers that cannot be honestly given with the amount of information we have. Stop obsessing about a visibly curated social media presence, online times and all this shit - they mean very little, especially at this point in time. Trust your heart and your intuition. Trust your life experience. Trust yourself, not me. All this side of the fandom can offer you is based on our own life paths and street smarts. Do I think it's legit? Of course, otherwise I'd not be here or I'd be a pervert. Do I think that together we'd be a step closer to what really is? Oh, by all means. But you are the only sovereign master of the course, here. You are the only one able to choose between believing or rejecting, staying on deck or jumping ship.

I chose to be interested in the puppeteers, Anon. The paper trail. The minute intricacies. The boring details Mordor does not want to see or doesn't know how to translate in simple English. That is really what keeps me going and that is something I will never publicly trade. The more I look into it, the clearer the picture is. Oh, for sure, I take great pleasure in seeing and discussing the script inconsistencies - don't we all? But to me and as I see it, this is the tip of the iceberg. The bar I set myself for public happenings, statements and all the shit show is very low. It avoids undue disappointment and even allows me to be relaxed about it. Not always. Not a perfect strategy. But it is my way of managing it and so far, it works.

Take at least a day off Tumblr. Think of it as detox. I can guarantee you will see it way clearer. I wish you well, Anon. And I really hope my long, long answer helped at least a little bit.

[mazeinthemiroh]

Headcanon how skz would confess to their crush?

how stray kids would confess to their crush

genre: headcanons; fluff

word count: 1.7k

warnings: cursing, i got emotionally invested in hyunjin's and jeongin's so ignore me

pls like and reblog if you enjoy <3

bangchan

there's not a lot helping this man honestly

he spends days racking his brain for a good way to tell you that he is completely and utterly in love with you

should he make a grand gesture?

should he be smooth and nonchalant with it?

he's a libra so his indecisiveness is sort of a given lmao same bro

he even consults stays on his weekly channie's room live, only to be spammed with various ultra cheesy pick-up lines

if you were a transformer, you'd be Optimus fine

he ends up trying to do it on a whim

which is unlike him. he tends to plan everything to a T

but he feels that with feelings like love, there's not much to plan. he forces himself to be impulsive

and it works!

he makes it a casual affair: just two friends hanging out in a familiar setting (chan needed the familiarity to calm his nerves a bit)

and he just came out with it

"listen, i know we've been friends for a while. but i can't help the romantic feelings i now have."

he'd give a little shy smile, his eyes trying to look into yours but he can't hold your gaze for long enough.

"so, i was thinking maybe we could... go out? i'd think we'd be really good together."

lee know

my gosh

it takes so freaking long for minho to confess to you it's actually frustrating

infuriating, even

you guys are practically dating anyway with the way you flirt and feel comfortable with each other

people see you guys together in public and assume that you're already dating

so YOU MIGHT AS WELL BE

but nothing was confirmed

no words solidified a definite bond

so things felt a bit uncertain, even with the definite mutual liking between you both

minho takes his sweet time that's for sure

he just wants to be certain that you like him the way he does too. sometimes he has a hard time differentiating between people who are being friendly compared with people who are actively taking a romantic interest

he wants to make sure his feelings are being reciprocated in a genuine way

it's hard to read people sometimes

once he's certain that you like him the way he does, he will just come out and say it

"hey, you wanna go out with me?"

he would say it with a little, shy side grin. i mean how can you say no to that??

changbin

changbin is not-so-subtle about his feelings for you

it's written all over his face from as soon as you walk in the room

he's wrapped around your finger

and he's confident in himself too

so there's nothing really stopping him from just going up and asking you out

but he needs to know where your heads at before he makes THE move

considering he hangs out with you a whole lot anyway, this comes quite easily to him

"are you interested in someone at the moment?"

he'd ask. and you'd answer, "yes actually." and his plan goes downhill from there.

does that mean you're interested in someone else or... or maybe it means you're interested in him??

"oh? who's that then?" he'd ask, a jealous tone not well-hidden

"oh i can't say," you'd shake your head playfully.

he's suddenly quiet when he figures out what you're trying to insinuate. he'd thought this'll be easier.

you'd give him some help at this point

"but he's got an outgoing personality. big muscles. and a handsome face, too." you'd smile at him knowingly, hoping he'd take the hint.

he almost laughs at himself for not realising before. that's all the reassurance he needs.

"well, from what i hear, he likes you too. a lot."

hyunjin

oh, my precious hyunne

this man would only ever fall for someone who is really close to him

i'm talking best friends, joint at the hip, couldn't live without the type of closeness you share

you're his no. 1

and you know it

spending a lot of time with hyunjin on a regular basis and you know that, just by the way you catch him looking at you, there is something much more than friendship taking place

one time you were sitting on the living room floor with him, laughing your heads off

it was late and night and obviously, the perfect time for hyunjin to do your makeup

because why the heck not

he's making you look like a clown. why did he choose that shade of eyeshadow? and why is lipstick on your cheeks

"you look so much better like this" hyunjin teased in between hysterical laughs

"shut uppp hwang hyunjin!" you tried to push him away and prevent him from doing any more. "just you wait until i do your makeup."

after the laughter settled down he looked at you with a loving gaze. that was when you both realised how close you were together. there was such an immense fondness in his eyes that told you everything you need to know

and soon, his lips were connected to yours

his confession.

han

being close to han is your gateway to his mind

it's hard to imagine that someone like han, who can be quite hesitant and awkward with getting too close to people despite being loud and usually the first one to break the ice

that he could be so naturally himself with you

even as a friend, he's quite touchy. usually reaching out to hold your hand or pulling you in for a cuddle on the sofa

that's how you know that he likes you before he even confesses

he's not like this with anyone

it'd be when you are cuddling up together, pizza all eaten and anime playing on the tv

this was perfect.

han would let out a big, content sigh and nuzzle into you

the absent-minded phrase of "i love you" would slip out in this peaceful moment

and suddenly you both forget how to breathe. you raised your head off his shoulder.

"huh?"

"huh?"

...

the silence was unbearable

"i mean uh... i love this anime. yeah. it's my favourite. i've actually watched the whole thing so i don't know why i'm watching it again. anyways *fake yawns* it's getting late, i might go to bed."

you just chuckled at him, feeling so relieved of his feelings for you.

very smooth, han. very smooth.

felix

i'm so on the fence about him

like i can totally see him being hella romantic and thinking the whole thing through

he'll end up buying you flowers and a box of chocolates, you know, the cliche things that a cute af

and he will knock on your door and present you with these things with a beaming smile and some sweet words to serenade you off to the land of romance

OR

he will confess to you all at once

no warning, no coherent reasoning, no thought behind those eyes

just felix's enfp brain going absolutely haywire, we love to see it

i usually go with the latter for him. because, while he is super duper romantic and wants his feelings to come out in a perfectly curated way, the likelihood is that his intense feelings for you will get the better of him

he can't hold himself back before he even thinks about it

"you're so gorgeous"

he'd say as he looked at you from across the kitchen. the both of you had just finished making brownies together and felix couldn't help but find you the most attractive you have ever been right now

"oh?" you'd say, taken aback by his forwardness

felix's heart dropped for a second. but that feeling was momentary. he soon felt light and happy, and a smile breezed over his face

"yeah" he'd reply, warmly, "so gorgeous, i might even give you a little kiss"

seungmin

seungmin is so precious CAN WE TAKE A MOMENT TO APPRECIATE THAT

he is just so ;-;

anyways he thinks long and hard about confessing to you

which, in other words, means he puts off confessing to you for like so many stupid-ass reasons

what's putting you off seungmin? the candles? the moonlight? the fact that your venus isn't in retrograde???

like JUST DO IT

he builds up to it though, bless him

it's just in his nature. he wants to pace himself STREAM MY PACE BTW

he might warm up to it. perhaps becoming more bolder with his compliments for you

"that colour really suits you"

"you should style your hair like that more often"

"i find it so easy to talk to you, which is a rare feeling for me, honestly"

and soon he's buying you cute little gifts

"i saw this and thought of you"

i mean that's code for 'i love you' anyways but whatever

he finally gives you a very personal gift for you, with a note attached to it: "to the person i love most. you deserve it"

why you gotta make us cry like that seungmin, gosh??

jeongin

jeongin found it harder talking to you in person

he can be a shy bean at times

an absolute cutie-pie

but he didn't want you to just know him for his shyer side. he didn't want his social hesitance to push you away from getting to know the real him

luckily, you had each other's numbers

and the texting was constant

staying up all night just talking to each other. you both got zero sleep but the rush, the joy, the familiarity of these texts were more tempting than any type of sleep was

you got to see his witty, intelligent personality. his sense of humour. you got used to the way he teased you, and boy did you like it

these interactions made it ten times easier to talk to each other in person

but one night, jeongin confessed to you

"i fucking love you btw"

he wasn't drunk. he supposed he was sort of... caught up in the moment. it came out of nowhere.

waiting for your response was torture

he waited, and waited

and waited some more

nothing.

until the next time you met face to face. he was dreading this interaction until you grabbed him swiftly. your lips connected in passionate bliss until you both pulled away

"i fucking love you too"

[reminiscingtonight]

Puppy Love

Sofia Huerta x Reader

Word Count: 1.5k

[WOSO Masterlist]

When Sofia got the call from Nikki, she was concerned. Nikki had been watching Daisy while Sofia herself was off for the set of friendlies in New Zealand. 

It was a quick call. Nikki had an emergency that she had to leave for, which meant she couldn’t watch Daisy anymore. Sofia was racking her brain, mentally making a list of people she could call last minute to watch Daisy, when Nikki informed her of your existence. 

“My best friend is staying at my place right now, so I hope it’s okay if she watches Daisy.”

Sofia was skeptical at first. Especially when Nikki let it slip that you had two dogs of your own.

“Nik, I love you, but I don’t know if you telling me one girl is watching four dogs is making me feel any better.”

“Sof,” Nikki starts. “I know this isn’t the ideal situation, but I promise she’s amazing with dogs. Daisy will be well taken care of until you get back in a couple days.”

Really, it’s the photo you send not even ten minutes after she hangs up the phone with her club teammate that makes Sofia start to think about you in a different light. 

In it, Daisy’s half laying on top of an unfamiliar german shepherd. Burger has his paws resting upon this dog’s head too, but it doesn’t seem to faze the dog at all. She squints, wondering if she’ll get a glimpse of your second mysterious dog, but can’t seem to find it anywhere. 

Your text accompanying the picture is sweet and simple.

[I know this isn’t the best of circumstances but I promise Daisy’s being well taken care of!]

Sofia sits up in her bed, smiling at the image of three dogs. 

[I hope she hasn’t been too much trouble. Nikki said something about you taking care of four dogs?? I can get someone to come grab her in the morning]

Your response is instantaneous. This time it’s a picture of you cuddling with all four dogs. Sofia’s first thought is that you’re cute. Leave up to Nikki to be friends with someone who looks like a literal goddess. Sofia’s too busy admiring the way you look underneath all of the fur that she doesn’t see the caption at first. 

[Don’t worry about it! This cuddle puddle wouldn’t be the same without Daisy here!]

She can’t deny how happy Daisy looks, licking your cheek while you have a wide grin in the picture. 

[If you’re sure. I don’t want to trouble you too much]

You guys text back and forth for a little bit before you call it a night. Sofia feels guilty for a second, forgetting about the time difference. It’s already close to midnight where she is, she couldn’t imagine how long you’ve been awake now. 

When she falls asleep later that night, she does so with the image of your bright smile painted on the inside of her eyelids, wondering what your voice sounds like. 

---

The two of you communicate regularly. You send her countless pictures of Daisy with the three other dogs in your care. Daisy looks so genuinely happy in each one, Sofia almost feels guilty for having to take her away from the other dogs in a couple days.

With each interaction between the two of you, Sofia can’t help but crush on you harder. You’re just so easy to talk to, not to mention how good you are with Daisy.

The first time she calls you, Sofia makes the excuse of wanting to see Daisy. The way you answer while in a sports bra and the shortest running shorts ever nearly makes Sofia’s brain short-circuit. 

“Sorry,” you huff, brushing your hair out of your face. “We just came back from a run.”

“Is it not freezing over there right now?” Sofia laughs, trying to mask her flusterness with a joke. 

The grin you give her makes her heart feel funny. “I’m Seattle born and raised. The cold doesn’t bother me.”

“Okay, weirdo.”

Although it’s the first time the two of you talk, conversation comes easily. By the time Rose comes to get her for practice, Sofia almost doesn’t want to leave. 

“Sof, we gotta--” Rose blinks, looking over Sofia’s shoulder at the phone. “(Y/N)?”

You look up from where you’re fixing yourself some food. “Oh hey, Rose!”

Sofia looks between the two of you. “You guys know each other?”

Rose rolls her eyes. “Do I know (Y/N)? She literally named one of her dogs after me.”

“Fake news. Rosie the dog came with her name from the shelter. You’re just the annoying human that came with Nikki from soccer.”

Sofia nearly chokes at the offhanded way you insult Rose. Rose merely snorts as if the two of you have had this conversation multiple times already. 

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. You better be treating mini me with all the love she deserves. Anyways,” she turns back towards the defender. “We gotta go. Bus leaves in ten.”

“Right, sorry. Be right there.”

“Go kick some soccer ass. It was nice talking to you.”

Sofia doesn’t have a chance to say anything before you’re switching the camera. Sofia’s met with the giant face of her dog. 

“Daisy, come here! Say bye to your mom!”

When you finally hang up the phone, Sofia has the biggest smile on her face. When she looks up, getting ready to leave the room, she realizes with a start that Rose is still lingering by the door. 

The younger girl has a shit eating grin on her face that only spells trouble. “Sof, do you have a crush?”

“What? No! Of course not!” she sputters.

“Right. So you wouldn’t care if I told you (Y/N) was single.”

“She’s single?” Sofia doesn’t have a chance to stop herself before she asks the question. 

By the time they get to the bus, Rose has teased her so much that Sofia has no choice but to sink into her seat with a red face.

---

You’re playing fetch with the dogs when Sofia meets you in person for the first time. Daisy races past your outstretched hand to barrel into her owner, barking with joy. 

“Hi, Daisy girl! Were you good for (Y/N)?” 

The soft crunching of gravel has her looking up again. You look as good in person as you did over the screen of her phone. If anything, you look even better. Sofia has to swallow her groan when you give her a soft smile. 

“Hi.” 

“Hey.”

She doesn’t know if it’s weird, but Sofia hugs you all the same when she gets up. She doesn’t know if she’s imagining it too when she spots a faint blush on your cheeks. 

“It’s great to finally meet you.”

“Yeah of course. Thank you so much for watching Daisy. I’m sure you didn’t sign up to watch four dogs when you decided to come visit Nikki.”

“Is that what she told you?” you laugh. 

Sofia frowns. “What, she didn’t actually have a real emergency?”

“No, no, she did. I was just referring to the ‘visiting Nik’ thing.”

Sofia stays silent, not really sure where you’re going with this. 

“I moved back here from Cali a couple months ago. I’m Nikki’s permanent roommate, no matter how hard she tries to get rid of me.”

“Oh, so I guess I’ll be seeing you around?” She tries to play it off as if she doesn’t have any real expectations to see you again, but deep down, Sofia knows that she’d do anything just to make up a reason to get to see you after you give back Daisy. 

“Well yeah, you’re kind of stuck with me now. Daisy and I have really bonded in your absence. I’m expecting full visiting privileges.” Your words are spoken with a grin, and Sofia can’t help but laugh at your demand.

“I’m gonna miss you, Daisy girl.” Leaning down, you press a kiss Daisy’s forehead, the giant pup wiggling from all of your attention.

“We can always take our dogs out for a puppy play date,” Sofia shrugs, trying to play it cool. “That way you can see Daisy again. And I’m sure she’d love to play with your dogs too.”

“Or…” you trail off, keeping your eyes focused on where the three dogs are now rolling around together on the ground. 

“Or?” Sofia repeats, trying not to get her hopes up. 

You look nervous now, eyes still not meeting hers. “I know a restaurant nearby that’s pet friendly. If you happen to be free tomorrow night, I’d love some company.”

“Are you asking me out on a date?”

You chew on the inside of your cheeks, finally raising your eyes to meet hers. “Are you going to get creeped out if I say yes?”

Sofia’s heart instantly feels warm. She’s smiling so hard that her cheeks hurt, but she really couldn’t care less. “Text me the time and place. I’ll be there.”

Your eyes light up. “Right, yeah, cool. I’ll definitely do that.”

By the time she leaves hours later, having been caught up getting to know you, Sofia has a feeling that maybe, hopefully, both her and Daisy will be seeing a lot more of you.

[iamacolor]

Lmao my ask got sent before I finished. Yeah I agree, the fact that you could literally pick a random romance drama and there's a 90% chance it will have a protective and crazyily devoted man but you have to rack your brain for women is certainly something to ponder. I've watched hundreds of dramas and it's like looking for a unicorn idk 😐 like you can have your madly devoted guys but what's the harm in doing the same thing for the ladies it doesn't even take that much. I'm genuinely curious what is the thought process behind this because they are actively trying to not do it or sometimes it doesn't even occur to them that wait this is strange why is it only the guy that's doing all the work in this relationship and the woman only gets to react to that, even dramas that have badass smart women that save the day etc that's almost exclusively dedicated to things outside the romance which is crazy to me when the guy's entire personality becomes him saving the girl and wanting to fulfill her every with and whim.

i'm still scared to press any punctuation or space/enter button when answering or making an ask for fear of this happening lol

i think it's rooted in two things: - the idea that romance (either the actual genre or a plotline in another genre) is made to be an ideal to hope for, a fantasy for straight women in contrast to the real world - so we're getting lots of devoted men who are ready to do it all for their ladies and who want to do things for them and who don't feel threatened or emasculated by their feelings and who carry the relationship foward instead of letting the woman do all the (practical and emotional) work which is usually the case in real life lol and so they have to be the one who do the most in the show to counter that and be progressive because irl they usually do the least (or they do the most damage) - they have to seem too good to be true and kind of surreal in a way because that's how "rare" actual devotion is irl towards women (or at least it's so rarely talked about or praised or commented the way even though women are often expected to just serve and please - especially in very openly patriarcal societies which korea seems to be) and there's nothing wrong with dreaming of someone who'd do everything for you and who'd actually live up to what a partner is supposed to be but like you said a relationship is supposed to be a back and forth - but this is actually regarded as progressive by some people because it's just not the reality. and again there's technically nothing wrong with this kind of story the issue is the fact that it's so predominant like you pointed out - traditional gender roles (which are sexist) that prefer to have women be a passive subject to men's emotions/passions/feelings/actions (even when these emotions aren't threatening) instead of fully fleshed out characters with various motives and struggles and passions etc whereas the men are the real active subject of any story - this also ensures that the men remain the heros and the ones who lead the story, the relationship, who fight and win, who conquer and protect, who has depth and big feelings etc the women aren't often given the same depth because a) i genuinely think a lot of writers/producers see female characters as stand-ins for audience members so they can't be too proactive and unique and they think audience members care more about seeing things done to them than about seeing them actually doing things (and again nothing wrong with swooning over a romantic hero who does it all, i totally get the appeal of a man who's ready to face the world for you and treat you like a princess but romance stories are mostly women-led stories and so the female characters should be getting a chance to do it all! i don't just want to see a man treat a woman incredibely well, i also want to see a woman's journey to love and how it moves her and impacts her life, her job, her relationships...) and b) they risk overshadowing the male lead (which would probably be seen as emasculating or something) and making it seem like men might need women not just for emotional purposes and we can't have that of course!

i do think a significant part of most romantic shows' audience are expecting this kind of dynamic from a story and so they would definitely criticise it if it was too balanced or even reversed or if it became too rare and so the audience and the makers kind of feed themselves in a circle

[seiwas]

Sel😆!!! its the nonie with the young bittersweet relationship again (I find this title long and funny lol)! 

thank you for being so kind and genuine first of all🥺 I love talking about this with you!!! and for an emoji could I have a ⭐️ pls🥺🫶?

and I definitely agree about how it’s possible to be friends with an ex! like I think it is but bc of the history I can also see that it would be difficult😭 and kinda of nerve racking ngl, like that’s how I think I would feel about it, like there is a part of me that would be excited! I just think that I would also be a little scared because who knows how it would go🧍‍♀️because like we did used to be something more but I really did enjoy that friendship and our banter so idk😭🤷‍♀️ (this is obviously still very much causing me to overthink it lol🤦‍♀️). 

AND LMAO THE WAY YOUR BF STILL TEASES YOU ABOUT IT😭 like what that’s so silly goofy of him😭 I’m glad that he’s been such a good sport about it🥺 (also how does he tease you if you don’t mind me asking?? I just find it so endearing that you guys are so open and comfortable with each other to do that😭🫶) and the hiking pics!!!! that’s so cute!!! and especially with their hands around their shoulders like🥹

(also I’m so sorry if this response feels a little incoherent or as if my thoughts were flying in all kinds of directions, I feel like my brain was put in a blender by my professors today😵‍💫) 

I hope your day went well Sel!!! and that you’re week has been going great!!! btw I’m loving the iwa brainrot on here right now😆! I was taking peeks on here throughout the day and giggling like a maniac🤭

I wish you the best weekend ever and I hope you get to rest up and enjoy some time for yourself too!!!🥺🫶💖

omg nonie hello welcome back!! 🥺 that is such a long silly title!! 😭 we can change it to ⭐️ nonie!! hehe

and of course!! aah i love listening to the stories people tell me!! esp if it's smth meaningful to them 🥹 (maybe it's the psych major in me 😭)

i get what you mean!! omg i think esp if it ended amicably, it leaves room for so many more possibilities! who knows how it would go indeed 😭 i love reading exes to lovers tropes but wouldn't know how that'd go down irl tbh 😭 you can choose not to answer this bc it might be a bit touchy, but! do you think if you were given another chance, you'd want to try again w him? or if you were to be friends again, do you think you'd still have leftover feelings?

and my bf is so silly goofy pls 😭 i think i see bits of my faves in him everyday!! (looks like iwa, kirishima + yuuji in how kind and smiley he is, atsumu + gojo in how silly n playful he is 😭, he has a bit of deku in him too from how shy he can get w strangers! it's just a whole mishmash of them! 😭) but he's honestly the best! super chill and such a good sport!!

how he teases me about it omg in some pictures where i'm beside my 'ex-thing', he says rlly jokingly while waggling his eyebrows and smiling: OOOO YOU'RE KINDA CLOSE THERE HMMM; or he'd give me a look every time 'ex-thing' is brought up in convos, almost like he's saying '~~OH OH OH YOUR EX-THING!!' so like waggling eyebrows again and smiling HAHA i always roll my eyes and push him away when he does it HAHA we've been together for a long time and started out as good friends (5 years together + 2-3 as friends!) so i think we can be a bit silly like that bc we've known each other for so long 🥹

also no worries!! omg i feel like my thoughts are scattered all over the place all the time too 😭 i hope your day in uni went well nonie!! 🥹 am gonna start baking cookies rn hihi

AND!! THE IWA BRAINROT oh my god koi's really been feeding us lately w em i can't 😭😭 pls i'm glad u're enjoying it bc i'm dYING HSDBFHAS

hope your weekend is amazing as well nonie, you are so sweet!! don't forget to rest up too!! 🥹💗

[hunrising]

What’s baffling to me is that according to what western governments/media said these past days, hamas shouldn’t have attacked civilians in response to the violence they’ve been suffering for decades because it violates international laws, and I agree, civilians shouldn’t have been victims of an attack like this. However now, according to those same people, Israel has the absolute right to defend itself and have no other option but to respond aggressively, no matter how many civilians get caught in the crossfire, and thus also violating international laws? I’ve been racking my brain to see if I’m missing something, or if all of these politicians and journalists are intentionally contradicting themselves in order to please each other?

no literalllyyyyy and when you say that people are like well do you support terrorists like no i just don't think the answer to civilians getting killed is to kill more civilians/ commit genocide how is this not common sense?

no genuinely like cant you see that this is just how Israel is trying to justify their actions? and for some reason??? they are justifying them??????

[crinkle-eyed-boo]

Sunday Snippet

Okay! I’ve been tagged by @louandhazaf @lovingstheantidote and @littleroverlouis to share a snippet of what I’m working on. (I’ve also been tagged in last line challenges by @kingsofeverything @allwaswell16 @absoloutenonsense @wabadabadaba and @alwaysxlarrie in last line challenges so consider this my fulfillment!!) I DID get some writing done tonight for Arise, Fair Sun, so here you go! It’s a bit messy, but it’s progress and I am happy about THAT. 

“Louis, oh my god,” Harry wheezes, wiping tears from his eyes. “I had a complex about how I smelled for years. Years! Do you have any idea how much money I spent on Axe Body Spray thanks to you?” 

“I mean, it’s probably as much as I spent on Odor-Eaters Foot Powder, so I’d call it even,” Louis chuckles. 

“What?” Harry asks, confused. “Why?” 

“Harry, do you not remember your comeback to that comment?” 

Harry looks at Louis blankly as he racks his brain for a response. 

None comes. 

“I…I don’t,” Harry answers genuinely. “I think I’ve just focused so much on what you said that I completely blocked it out.” 

“I figured as much,” Louis answers simply.

Louis doesn’t say anything else, he just takes a dainty sip of his margarita, his eyes twinkling. 

“Okay, drama queen,” Harry finally huffs, rolling his eyes. “Just tell me what the fuck I said, okay?” 

“Let’s see,” Louis hums, tapping his index finger to his lips as he pretends to be deep in thought, clearly relishing his moment. “I believe the exact words were ‘I’m surprised you can smell anything over the stench of your feet, Tomlinson.’” 

“I did–” 

Harry cuts himself off mid-protest as the memory comes screaming back to him, the echo of his own voice ringing in his ear. 

“–I did say that,” Harry finishes, his eyes widening in shock.

“You did,” Louis confirms. 

“Oh my God, Louis, that was a shitty thing to say,” Harry immediately apologizes. “I’m so sorry.” 

“Don’t be,” Louis dismisses with a wave of his hand and an easy smile. “My feet did smell.” 

“Still,” Harry grimaces. “All this time I’ve had in my head that you were like, this horrible bully but I was just as mean to you–”

“I never saw it that way though,” Louis counters. 

“How did you see it?” 

“It was just like…you won that day,” Louis explains. “You got me good. And I respected that? If anything, it just made me like you more. I would get you good another day. Like I said, I thought arguing was our thing. It still is our thing. Isn’t it?” 

Harry hears Jade’s voice in his head, telling him how he and Louis were obsessed with each other in school, how they were always trying to one-up each other, how they were always fighting for each other’s attention, never content until they got it. He thinks back to all the fights he’s picked with Louis over the past two months from smoothie preferences to Dirty Dancing to Romeo and Juliet’s motivations and Harry suddenly realizes that he’s done it just for the sheer enjoyment of arguing with him. 

It totally is their thing. 

And it’s entirely possible that he’s been a fool for a very long time. 

Tagging @disgruntledkittenface @uhoh-but-yeah-alright @sadaveniren @indiaalphawhiskey @myfineline @greenfeelings @infinitelymint @fallinglikethis @becomeawendybird @justalarryblog @twopoppies and @daggerandrose to share if they so desire

[kl125]

hey!! you commented on my post ab mileven and byler and I looooved it. your explanation is genuinely the best one I’ve seen and from that point of view I can totally understand how mileven could work out.

I’m curious to know what you think about a few other things if you’re willing to answer!

1. I agree that if mileven is endgame the use of a lighthearted and funny breakup was a bad choice. but I’m wondering what you think of the fact that mike and will’s conversations in that season are very serious and obviously a lot of care was put into those scenes.

2. also, I reblogged a post a few days ago where the creator edited mikes monologue to be a bit more romantic and I’m wondering why they didn’t do a more isolated montage if it’s meant to be romantic. I’ve been racking my brain to come up with an explanation for this bc I like to try to find counterpoints to byler theories just to see if there are any you know. but I rlly cant understand why they didn’t make it more intimate and leave will out of the frame/show more memories.

if you have any thoughts pls let me know bc I adored the way you explained your pov!!

Hello again, friend! Glad to see you enjoyed the analysis! I’d be more than happy to expand on these points, along with the other asks you sent.

1. I think the writer’s must have weighed which storylines could best fit a more lighthearted tone, and which really needed some seriousness. However, one of Season Three’s biggest weaknesses was its jarring tonal shifts. I don’t think Mike and El’s breakup should have been played for laughs, but I see why they picked that one over others for the lighthearted tone. However, just because something is played for laughs doesn’t mean it’s not important to the story, or that the writers didn’t care about it.

For Will’s storyline, it needed the weight of a serious tone. Playing it for laughs would have completely undermined Will’s trauma and the “coming-of-age” aspect. He’s screaming for help and attention, so playing that one for laughs would have seemed cheap and unimportant.

2. I think they were trying to focus on the big picture. Mike’s monologue wasn’t solely about their relationship. It was about El and how she views her place in the world. It was about reminding her that she can do anything she sets her mind to. Maybe they could have made it more pointed, but I guarantee if they had done that, there would be people asking why they didn’t do the opposite. In truth, it’s all about balance, and in that moment, El needed encouragement from someone she loves. She’s not basing her self-worth entirely on what he says, but there’s something to be said for hearing someone you love say that you’re capable and strong. El has always drawn strength from people she loves. Her mom, Hopper, Mike, etc. It’s not that the writers didn’t care, it’s that they were trying to encompass a lot of one storyline into a small amount of time.

Blame me entirely for waiting so long. Life got in the way, and then I took a social media break. Hopefully, I’ll get the other asks you sent answered soon.

[misschifuyu]

Arguments with Mikey

requested

characters: sano manjiro + gn! reader

genre: fluff - at the end

warnings: none

now, to actually get mikey in the situation that he would start an argument with you will take some doing

of course, he's gotten into little disagreements with other members of toman - namely, draken - but when the two of you started dating, he would try his best to avoid them with you

the most you would get is him complaining about some little, unimportant thing that happened to him. and it would never really be to you, more so to the actual problem in his eyes

today, however, it seemed that something had really set him off. having been waiting for him during most of the afternoon, you were overjoyed to see him at your doorstep upon answering the light knocks

he had appeared to be rather tired, exhausted from the long day that was coming to an end; because of this, you had told him to crash out on your couch whilst you got him something to eat

as you prepared him a small snack, you could hear him move around in the living room, probably searching for the remote control

judging by the silence that hung between the four walls told you, without a single drop of doubt, that your boyfriend was far from in the best mood

you'd just tuck him into the sofa with a blanket and he would be fine, you thought. sometimes you just had to leave him to his own thoughts, it was really the best option when it came to his troubled days

and so you handed him the bowl of crisps, giving him a warm smile as you realised he had managed to find and put on his favourite tv channel.

now all you had to do was wait a good 20 minutes and then he'd be back to his usual self, looking for you and-

"what's that?"

his voice was low, but it was clear that something had grabbed his attention. he was staring up at you from his position, though not at your face. eyes skimming over just below his jaw, you were a little puzzled as to what he was doing

"hm? what's what?"

"have you been hanging out with one of the other guys, Y/N?"

truly, you hand't the faintest clue at what he was speaking of. hanging out with other guys? sure, you had been been with mitsuya just yesterday and happened to see draken that morning, but not in the way you thought he was implying

why was he even asking such a question?

"...no? mikey, why would you think that?"

at the hesitation from your response, the blond huffed in annoyance, eyebrows scrunching together as he placed the bowl you had just given him to the side.

it didn't even seem to be one of his occasional, childish irritation; it looked to be as though he was actually angry

"mikey, what's wrong? did something happen?"

"I don't know, you tell me. it looks like someone had a fun time whilst I was out"

narrowing your eyes, you racked your brain to try and figure out what he could be referring to

firstly, you had spent the whole afternoon in your home, having only seen your friends that morning. and you still weren't sure what he had seen that-

wait

bringing your hand up to your neck, you finally remembered the red mark that had tinted your skin

"yeah, exactly. so who was it? you've been all friendly with mitsuya as of late, I'm sure he got the wrong message and took the initiative. actually...how come you let him? I really thought we had something, Y/N; and yet, here we are, and it-"

"mikey, this is a-"

before you were able to speak up, a hand was quickly whipped up, palm facing your direction as he interrupted your following words

"no, I don't want to hear another word. I'll deal with him, mark my words. he's not going to know what the hell hit him"

now you knew he was genuinely pissed. standing up from the cushions, he had taken up a stance that only looked to be trouble

you could see one of his hands ball up into a fist, and you knew you had to stop him before he actually went after mitsuya

"then, we can talk about this because, frankly, I hadn't expected this from you in the slightest. am I really that much of a pain to deal with? hm? I guess he's better for you-"

"manjiro! it's a mosquito bite!"

stopping him in his tracks, you were able to finally get a word out to him. he had started rambling, and you knew that never ended in a pretty sight.

the last thing you needed was for him to convince himself that he wasn't enough for you over such a little thing that was a bug big

it was now his turn to scrutinise you with his eyes, looking over at your neck once more. taking a few steps closer to you, he quickly noticed, upon closer inspection, that there was no way that could be a hickey

"no, im not hanging out with any other guys, you muppet, and you most definitely don't need to go and beat mitsuya up; he's a nice guy, mikey, there's now way he'd do something like this, and you know that"

you could see him bite the inside of his cheek, realising that he had, indeed, miscalculated the whole situation

his attitude quickly shifted into one that you were much more familiar with, his shoulders visibly losing the tension they had built up during his little ramble. that's when he scrunched up his nose

"how was I supposed to know that'"

at his change of face, you finally let out the giggle you had been holding in since you realised what he was going off about.

he could be such an oblivious idiot at times, but it was one of the many reasons you loved him. how couldn't you when he started to pout in defeat, just as he was doing now?

"please, you know id never do such a thing, mikey. you're more than enough of a chore for me, there's no way I could take someone else up"

bringing him into a hug, you could tell that what you had just said hit him like a truck at full speed, his body tensing up once again as if he were about to start another speech of his

"wha- what ?! chore? what do you mean? I-"

"hush, I was just joking..."

as you laid your head on his chest, you could hear his heartbeat start to calm down, bringing back the mikey you knew and loved more than words could ever describe

he just had his odd moments here and there, that was all

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 320: Deku vs. Class 1-A

Previously on BnHA: Flashback!Kacchan was all “fuck Deku and fuck his stupid goodbye letters, I need to speak to somebody in charge.” Endeavor was all “hello, I am Somebody In Charge.” Kacchan was all “listen up asshole, you need to let us go out and collect our wayward nerd because you stupidly left him alone with All Might and that’s a fast track to disaster right there.” Endeavor was all, “[self-incriminating silence].” Rat Principal was all, “okay sure, have fun kids.” Back in the present, class 1-A was all “hi Deku” and Deku was all “I’M FINE!!!!!” and Kacchan was all “THAT’S WHAT I THOUGHT YOU’D SAY YOU DUMB FUCKING NERD” and so the kids all got ready to fight, because OF COURSE they’re gonna fight. Sorry guys, but yeah it’s happening.

Today on BnHA: Kacchan is all “what’s up Deku you look like a possessed Rorschach test, so anyway how are the new quirks coming along.” Deku is all “they’re coming along like THIS” and uses Smokescreen to try and get away. Kacchan is all “PHASE ONE COMMENCE”, and Kouda, Sero, Jirou, and Ojiro leap into the fray to shower Deku with heaps of love and violence, because this is a shounen manga and kicking someone’s ass while simultaneously proclaiming your undying admiration for them is just how it’s done in these parts. The KoudaSeroOJirou squad then passes the baton to Satou, Momo, Tokoyami, Kaminari, and Shouji, who are all “fuck this mask” and do a bunch of stuff to tear Deku’s mask off because they’re the real heroes. Shouto is all “LOOK AT THE LITTLE CRYBABY, THAT’S RIGHT, GO AHEAD AND FUCKING CRY and by the way let us share your burden please,” and once again I swear this is all very deeply moving and touching within the actual context. The chapter ends with Tsuyu being all “look at me. I’m the cliffhanger now,” and damn.

lol what

I don’t think anyone was expecting that. I mean, not that I’ve got anything against Tsuyu or anything. anyways it’s a very nice cover and I love the colors and I hope this means Tsuyu’s gonna do something badass

also, “Deku vs Class A” -- pretty much the expected title, but it’s still got me hyped nonetheless fuck yeah let’s go

IIDA ANGST

Iida Tenya really said “fuck the uniform code, we’re leaving the helmet at home today.” sorry kids, prim and proper C-3PO Comic Relief Iida has left the building. can I interest you in some Serious Iida

meanwhile Kacchan is all “sup Deku, I heard you got a few more quirks, and might I just add that you look like the Snyder Cut of Detective Pikachu”

“you look like a tarred and feathered squid” okay easy there Kacchan. I mean it’s all true of course, but still

“thank you all for coming” OH EXCUSE ME SON, WERE YOU PLANNING ON GOING SOMEWHERE. LET’S JUST SEE HOW THAT PLAYS OUT

yep and there’s Smokescreen, right on cue

okay Horikoshi, I leave it in your hands. hopefully you can come up with some more interesting combos than my dumbass predictions lol

LOL THIS ISN’T A COMBO AT ALL

“explosions solve everything” -- Horikoshi Kouhei, 2021. something something shockwave, something something handwave ta-da no more smoke. lol okay then

oh, ouch

he would know, wouldn’t he. nice application of one of your many hard-earned life lessons, Kacchan

by the way you guys, just as an experiment, I’m going to try to anticipate some of the discourse this week in the hopes of preemptively addressing it and thus saving myself some time later on lol. so here’s our first test run!

ANTICIPATED DISCOURSE: “oh my god what a fucking hypocrite can you believe this fucking guy”

PREEMPTIVE REBUTTAL: it’s precisely because Kacchan has been in this exact situation himself that he’s able to recognize his past self in Deku now and call him out on it. just because it took him sixteen years to get it through his head that he can’t accomplish every single thing completely by himself doesn’t mean Deku has to go down that same path. so yeah, maybe it is a bit hypocritical, but if you insist that the only people qualified to call out stupid shit are people who have never done a single stupid thing in their own lives, then what you’re basically saying is that absolutely no one on earth is qualified lol. so yeah, I’d have to disagree

and one last unrelated note, I’m willing to bet the whole “you didn’t even say a word before you ran off” thing is possibly the first thing Kacchan’s said in this whole encounter that actually does stem from genuine hurt rather than his tough-love-harsh-truths strategy. I’M TAKING NOTES HERE HORIKOSHI. at this rate it’ll take twice as many chapters as DvK2 for them to hash out all the stuff between them, geez

anyway so I gotta say, so far Deku vs. Class A is looking an awful lot like a DvK3 wearing a hat, trenchcoat, and sunglasses lol

OH SHIT I TAKE IT BACK??

FUCK YEAH, YOU GO KOUDA. and I guess he ditched his mask as well! excellent

so far the strategy here seems to be “Kacchan says all the mean tough love shit while the rest of 1-A balances it out with warmth and kindness”, which actually works pretty well imo. Deku is one of those people that doesn’t usually need a Kacchan Translator anyway, but just in case, this is very efficient

mm but of course Deku is slingshotting himself away with Blackwhip. all right then, who’s up next!

FUCK YEAH

okay but seriously you guys, what is going on with Sero’s face in these last couple of chapters though, it’s really starting to unnerve me. is he trying to emulate Kacchan’s whole asymmetrical facial expressions thing?

in fact let me just quickly hit pause here because,

ANTICIPATED DISCOURSE: “SERO IS TOGA??!”

PREEMPTIVE REBUTTAL: no

oh snap looks like Jirou’s getting in on the action too!

poor Jirou probably spent days racking her brain trying to think of something she could bond with Deku over. is Horikoshi doing these in reverse order of the kids who have had the most interaction with him? that would explain why poor Kouda didn’t get a flashback lol

omg. well that answers that

so by my count, Satou and Hagakure are the only ones remaining in this first tier of kids who Still Appreciate Midoriya even though they’ve barely ever spoken two words to him in their lives lol. so they’ll probably be next, and then we’ll get to the next tier of kids who are pretty good friends with him but not quite besties. and then we’ll move on to the IidaRokiRaka trio, and then lastly, to the boy who is in a tier all his own

BUT FIRST, A WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR

and by “sponsor” I mean the Dekuangst. just in case that wasn’t clear. indeed, many thanks to the Dekuangst for making this all possible

(ETA: okay so this whole “take me away” line seemed pretty weird to me, and sure enough it’s yet another one of those cases where only the verb is specified, and the object is left to the reader’s interpretation. so even though the translation says “take me away”, I’m pretty sure that what Deku’s actually saying is “take you away” -- as in, his loved ones will be taken away by AFO.

and that is literally the way he phrases it, though -- the verb used is “奪う” (ubau), meaning “to snatch away; to dispossess; to steal.” which, god, that hurts my whole goddamn heart though, because for him to say it like that?? not “AFO will kill you”, but “AFO will take you away from me.” he can’t have nice things anymore because of AFO. he can’t be around the people he loves because AFO will hurt them. he can’t have happiness because AFO will take it away from him. anyway so where the fuck is AFO right now, motherfucker I just want to talk.)

by the way can Ojiro just extend his tail to whatever fucking length he wants or what because it’s like twelve feet long in this panel lol

WOOO FUCK YEAH TOKOYAMI

YOU LOVE TO SEE IT!! BUT WHERE’S YOUR FLASHBACK? YOU’VE HAD A BUNCH OF INTERACTIONS WITH HIM, THAT’S NOT FAIR

okay so now Satou’s stepping in which is back to my anticipated order, so maybe Toko will finish his little moment afterward

dskfjfkk

“REMEMBER THAT TIME DEKU BORROWED SATOU’S FOOD COLORING” Horikoshi says, sweating. “AND REMEMBER THAT TIME HE, UM, SMILED IN HAGAKURE’S GENERAL DIRECTION”

actually I am curious about what Hagakure’s part will be because, you know, the whole traitor thing lol

(ETA: funny how we just skipped right over it huh. can we get a traitor reveal countdown started here? definitely getting close to that time.)

whoa lol wtf

MOMO??? THIS HAS MOMO WRITTEN ALL OVER IT DAMMIT

-- SWEET MOTHER OF FUCK

“SORRY MIDORIYA-SAN, I LEFT MY FUCKING CHILL AT HOME IN THE LOCKER NEXT TO IIDA’S HELMET” holy shit lmao

and here I thought she’d get a flashback to her time on the Baku Rescue Squad or something. but nope, no flashbacks from Momo, only terrifying sci-fi torture devices

poor Dark Shadow is such a trooper omg

“why am I the only one who has to make prolonged contact with his smelly disgusting self” taking one for the team there DS

FUCK YEAH KAMINARI NO JUTSU

THE PRICKLY BASTARD WHISPERER STRIKES AGAIN!! don’t suppose you brought any clean clothes you could sneakily force him into huh Kami

okay here we go, so now Shouji and Tokoyami are joining forces

um excuse me this is fucking awesome

wonder how he’ll break free? don’t think he’ll reveal Fa Jin until the end of the chapter, so maybe Air Force or something? idk

TOKO GETS AN EXTENDED MOMENT BECAUSE HE IS A TIER TWO PATREON REWARD LEVEL FRIEND YAY

WHY IS MOMO MAKING THIS FACE LOL YOUR THING WAS WAY WORSE

and Shouji just casually hitting him with what is easily the best comment from anyone yet. too bad Deku’s just gonna ignore it. you deserve better Shouji

KAMINARI OMFG

it only just occurred to me that Kami is currently trapped inside Dark Shadow right along with him lmao omg. realest one in the entirety of BnHA, right here. we will never forget your sacrifice

aaaaaaand Deku’s yeeting himself

do you really hate the thought of taking a bath that much my dude

oh shit the mask!!

-- oh shit the feels

o(TヘTo)

fuck. and I mean, we knew he was crying, that was a done deal. but still, to see him in this much pain is just...

and the acknowledgement that he knows they’re worried about him, but that it doesn’t change his mind one bit. this, right here, is why they have to be a bit harsh with him, you guys. because they’re up against the full, unbridled stubbornness of Midoriya fucking Izuku, and if they don’t match that stubbornness with an equal stubbornness of their own, they basically don’t stand a chance

(ETA: quick note that there is apparently another mistranslation here -- rather than saying that his friends are oblivious to the danger, what Deku is actually saying is that none of his friends have activated his Danger Sense once throughout this entire fight. which I had been wondering about, and it turns out Horikoshi actually confirmed it. so basically none of the kids bears any ill intent toward him, and there’s literal proof right there.

incidentally, as @class1akids​ pointed out, this also casts an interesting light on this chapter in terms of who hasn’t fought Deku yet. not to play the Hagakure Traitor Music for the billionth time you guys, but I’M JUST SAYING lol.)

anyway, but the good news is that they all seem to understand that. and the even better news is that we have reached the tier 3 friends!!

“OR ELSE” lol, great to see Shouto wielding his friendship just as aggressively as Deku once did towards him. I do love a good role reversal

p.s., ANTICIPATED DISCOURSE: “why is Shouto being so cruel to Deku can’t he see how hard this is on him”

PREEMPTIVE REBUTTAL: this is a callback to the classic “even heroes cry when they have to” Shouto line from chapter 137. Shouto is clearly following Kacchan’s lead here and going for the more ruthless approach, knowing that the gentle approach isn’t getting through to him (if anything it’s only making him more stubborn as we saw on the previous page). basically it’s his way of pointing out that even heroes are still only human, and so is Deku last time he checked

ah okay, and there Tsuyu is at last

okay real talk, I get why Tsuyu is included in the tier 3 friends, because she was one of the first people to team up with Deku going all the way back to USJ. but that said, this probably would have had more impact if their most recent interaction hadn’t been like 150 chapters ago

but anyway though it’s still a good speech. maybe not quite a cliffhanger-level speech, but a good speech nonetheless. in a way though, I’m glad to see that Horikoshi seemingly didn’t give a fuck whether he ended this on an actual cliffhanger or not for once

and that “headed toward the climax” part has me excited too, ngl. because if we really are getting to the so-called climax this soon, that makes me even more certain that there is indeed a DvK3 in the forecast. so I presume that next week (or I guess two weeks from now) will be the tier 3s along with the remaining tier 2s like Kirishima and Aoyama

and then after that, well... [orange and green banners being hoisted] [sound of screeching airhorns and vuvuzelas in the distance] [sound of All Might approaching in his car which I didn’t notice until I looked back at this page a second time whoops] THE PROPHECY WILL NOT BE DENIED

[helloalycia]

The Wrong Lifetime – Four // Wanda Maximoff

chapter three | story masterlist | main masterlist | wattpad | chapter five

author’s note: I hope you all don’t mind the slow burn because it’s like my favourite thing and i promise things will get spicy soon 😂

Since my rather abrupt revelation about Wanda, I found myself racked with guilt.

Not because she was a girl – I couldn't help my feelings in that sense – but because she was my brother's fiancé. And every time he came to me, gushing about how great of a date they had or how much he was falling for her, the guilt hit me like a sharp pain in the chest, because I understood what he was saying. I felt the same.

And it didn't help when they would occasionally go on dates in front of me, and all I could feel was an unexplainable jealousy in the pit of my stomach. I had no right to feel like this when she was an engaged woman. Her naturally flirtatious personality was simply that: a personality. And even though we'd had a genuinely lovely day a week ago when she invited me to her home, it was no reason for me to think of her in such a way.

The next date on Y/B/N and Wanda's journey to marriage was at our house in the garden. I wasn't actually aware of it until I saw them sat on some garden furniture.

My mum wanted me to help her with some gardening and I found her kneeling by some plant pots, a fair distance away from Wanda and my brother. As I approached her, I glanced in the couple's direction, seeing them sat opposite one another and enjoying a selection of finger foods and tea. They were far away enough to have privacy, but close enough for me to make out their expressions.

"For goodness sake, Y/N," my mother said when I kneeled down beside her to help. "Do you have to wear those horrendous trousers?"

I rolled my eyes, sitting on the ground comfortably. "I'm curious, mother. Do you like anything that I do?"

She gave me a disapproving glance. "I'm only looking out for you, dear. That outfit is very... unladylike."

"Well, they're comfortable," I quipped, before grabbing a spade and getting to work.

"So are dresses," she pointed out, continuing repotting her plants. "And they're prettier, too."

"Considering I have to wear a dress all the time and that I'm in the comfort of my own home, I'm going to pretend you didn't just make me feel bad for wearing these."

She didn't say anything, but I could tell she wasn't happy. I didn't mind wearing dresses, but I would be lying if I said trousers weren't more comfortable. The only time I could wear them was at home when doing chores or simply lounging around. I'd make the most of it whilst I could, no matter what comments my mother made.

I wasn't afraid to get my hands dirty as I helped her repot the plants before digging into the soil and planting some seeds she'd bought this morning. My mother, despite adoring gardening, hated getting messy, so you can imagine the look on her face when I got soil all over my clothes.

"I wish you would act like a lady sometimes," she mumbled to herself, but I didn't let it faze me. It was all I heard, so I was used to it.

Laughter sounded from behind us and I risked glancing back, seeing Wanda laughing at something Y/B/N said. I rolled my eyes subconsciously before looking back to what I was doing. My fingernails dug into the soil with irritation, directed at them and also myself. Though, despite my irritation, I still had an urge to glance back at Wanda, and when I did she was looking my way this time. A mere glance on her part, but she directed a smile my way before looking to my brother again.

I'd like to say that was it, but I continued to steal glances of her as I worked alongside my mum, taking what I could get as I admired her from afar.

She looked stunning today, as she always did. Her long curls were left out, flowing over her shoulders and pretty green dress; I wasn't close enough to be able to tell, but I was sure that her dress complimented her eyes. A dark forest green colour with golden flecks, matching the deep green of her dress. Or so I assumed.

"They seem like they're getting on well," my mum said at one point, earning my attention. She was talking about Y/B/N and Wanda as she continued, "They make such a lovely couple."

I swallowed hard, nodding lamely. "They sure do, mum."

She gave me a sideways glance. "You know, your brother will be married soon and then it will be your turn."

I groaned quietly, knowing where this was going. There was no point trying to stop her because once she started, that was it.

"You can't just keep locking yourself in your room and writing stories," she was saying, but I attempted to tune her out which sometimes felt impossible since she had no off button and her shrill voice always managed to break through my bubble. "You have to find a husband. An actual person who you can marry and who can take care of you."

"I can take care of myself."

"Y/N, you know that's not what I mean..." but I stopped listening as she got started going on another ramble about the benefits of having a husband.

Instead, my eyes darted around the garden until they naturally gravitated towards Wanda. It was definitely the wrong time to get distracted by her though, since she seemed to be sucking some food off her thumb. As she did, her eyes found mine and she took that as her opportunity to wink in my direction playfully, hiding a smile as her thumb remained between her teeth. Y/B/N didn't seem to notice, as he was looking the other way, and I felt my cheeks heating up as I looked away quickly, remembering my dream.

She's going to marry your brother. She's going to marry your brother. She's going to marry your brother.

A stupid mantra that didn't work, but I attempted to drill it into my brain anyway.

"...and it would be nice to be able to do all the wedding stuff for you next time around," my mum continued to ramble, unaware of my flustered self.

The image of Wanda sucking her thumb was permanently engraved in my head and I struggled to wish it away. No more staring for today, I told myself, before getting lost in gardening again.

After ten more minutes of nonstop nattering about finding a husband for me, my mother excused herself to refill the watering can. I was grateful for her momentary absence, appreciating the silence and lack of guilt-tripping. Until I heard footsteps behind me shortly after, making me groan loudly.

"I'm not finding a husband right now!" I snapped, unable to take it any longer. But when I spun around to give her a piece of my mind, my mouth hung open like a fish out of water.

"I'd sure hope not," Wanda answered with a stifled laugh. "Then I'd have to share your company with somebody else."

Closing my mouth and standing up, I cleared my throat. "Sorry. I thought you were my mum."

She nodded, eyes roaming my whole body for a second, making me nervous under her stare. I hadn't actually seen her since my inappropriate dream and it was growing increasingly difficult to be so close to her without thinking about it.

"I figured. I just wanted to say hi," she said, expression softening as she met my eyes.

I was right about the dress bringing her eyes out more. A forest green colour, as I'd predicted.

"Hi," I said, giving her a small, nervous smile. "Erm, how is your date going?"

She shrugged, raising her hand to hold her forearm comfortably. "It's okay. It's wonderful out here, I'll give him that."

Relaxing into the conversation, my awkwardness fading already, I smiled in agreement. "Yeah, it is pretty."

A smirk appeared on her lips. "Yeah. So are the gardeners."

Admittedly, it took me a few seconds longer than it should have to realise she was talking about me. When I did, I felt a heat creeping up my neck and to my face and looked to the grass to distract myself. See, when she did stuff like that, it made me question a hell of a lot.

She chuckled. "So, gardening. Another dislike of yours?"

I shook my head, risking looking back up to her. "No, actually. I don't mind it. I'm just not a fan when it gives my mother an opportunity to discuss marriage."

Wanda's interested was piqued as she quirked a brow. "Oh? Your mother has suitors for you?"

I squeezed my eyes shut at the possibility, shaking my head. "I'd rather not ask, Wanda."

She let out a short laugh. "You've got time anyway. At least until Y/B/N and I are married."

I hoped she didn't see the involuntary wince I did at the mention of that. "Honestly, I'm not even thinking about that now... I'm nowhere near ready for that."

"Would you not want to get married?" she asked curiously, tilting her head to the side.

I sighed, looking around, unable to keep my eyes still. "I don't know, I guess? Eventually? But to somebody I love, not some arranged marriage just for the sake of it." My words sank in quite quickly and I straightened up, instantly looking to Wanda with apologetic eyes. "Bloody hell, that is not what I meant to say–"

"It's fine," she reassured me with a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "I get it. And, well, you're not wrong."

I smiled halfheartedly, the guilt at my previous words still present. I could honestly say that I wasn't aiming that comment at her, but I wouldn't blame her if she took it that way.

"It's important to fall in love with the person you marry," she said, gaze locked on mine. "You have to learn about them, who they are. Their likes, their dislikes. Their personality. If they have a sense of humour or if they're as dry as cardboard. If they're into you as much as you're into them."

Nodding slowly, I wasn't sure what to say. My mouth went dry the longer she watched me, eyes dancing with an emotion I couldn't recognise. Then her eyes fell to my lips and my knees began to shake subtly, wanting to give in because of how confused I was.

"Y/N, dear, don't dirty Wanda's dress with your muddy hands!" my mum called, breaking the strange silence that had built between the brunette and I.

Stepping back with realisation (and grateful for the interruption), I wiped my hands on my shirt subconsciously, making a further mess of my already mud-stained clothes. "Sorry."

When I looked up, Wanda was chewing on her lip, eyes doing a once over on me yet again. It was moments like this when I couldn't tell if she was teasing me or if she actually had an interest in me, maybe, like that.

"Wanda, honey, let's get you inside," my mum spoke, approaching the two of us and looking to her.

Nodding, Wanda glanced at me once more, shooting me a sweet smile, before being led away by my mum. I breathed out slowly, knowing it was wrong of me to feel this way about her. But it was hard not to fall for her when she had so much about her that was interesting.

Her passion for art, her teasing, playful attitude, her sense of humour... and then there were the physical aspects, like her beaming smile, her luxuriant brown hair and her entrancing hazel eyes. She was literally perfect and my brother was one lucky man. For once in my life, I was actually jealous of something he had that I didn't.

"Y/N!"

Speaking of the devil...

"Y/B/N, hey," I said with a smile as he approached me with an extra jump in his step. "What's up?"

Grin on his lips, he smacked my arm. "Did you see, Wanda? Didn't she look stunning?"

The guilt was cutting real deep. "She did."

"I think I'm in love," he gushed, eyes rolling backwards with delight. "She's perfect, Y/N, you don't get it."

"I can imagine...," I mumbled, but he barely noticed, too lovestruck to realise.

"Every date I've been on with her has been amazing," he continued. "If we weren't already engaged, I would've proposed!"

I raised my eyebrows with surprise, definitely not expecting this. He'd made his attraction to her known since the moment we'd met her, constantly talking about how gorgeous she was, but he'd never sounded happier than he did now.

"Mum adores her," he said with a content smile. "Dad would probably marry her if we was thirty years younger. And you–" He looked to me gratefully. "You're making an effort and I appreciate it."

Oh, God, the guilt was overwhelming.

"Everything is going perfectly," he finished with a sigh. "I just– I can't wait to marry her, Y/N."

I smiled for his sake, but my insides were shrivelling up and failing me. I was a horrible person, wasn't I? What kind of monster falls for her brother's fiancé? Me. I'm the monster. But not anymore. I couldn't let this get out of hand. I had to do better.

I promised myself I'd do better.

—

Doing better was going well, I'd like to think. I mean, it had only been two weeks, so I couldn't guarantee, but I was no longer having... thoughts... about the Maximoff in question.

Yes, there was that familiar inkling of jealousy tugging away in my stomach whenever Y/B/N would talk about her, but I think I was getting better at ignoring it. I had convinced myself that my feelings towards Wanda were not true but merely a schoolgirl crush (which I wasn't allowed to have, but still) and that I'd get over it after some time.

I'd liked, maybe two girls in my life before her. The first being when I was a child, about five, and a girl in my class did something different to her hair. If I remember correctly, she always had one ponytail that sat at the back of her neck, then one day, she came in with two braids down her head and it really wasn't a massive change, but five year old me developed a huge crush on her. That was when I learnt that a girl liking a girl was not only forbidden, but viewed as a sin.

The second girl I liked was in my Literature class in secondary school. She was probably the first person I'd fallen for in a way that was considered more than a simple crush. Something about her way with words was so attractive to me, as was the cute smile she'd send my way whenever she'd be my partner for an assignment. I never told her how I felt for she only ever treated me as a friend and the last thing I wanted was to bring shame to my family for liking girls.

Those instances, and the fact that I regularly found myself admiring women in a way I found incapable with men, made me realise I was different and I always would be. And so, the chatter about finding a husband and getting married always scared me because I was afraid that I'd be stuck in a place that I would never get to be myself in. Even though that was the reality of most women anyway.

So, in addition to the fact that it was wrong of me to like women (though it felt anything but) and that the woman I liked now was my brother's fiancé, I convinced myself it was just a mere crush I had on Wanda. She was a pretty girl with an attractive personality and that was it.

Or so I thought.

"Go get your brother, Y/N," my mum said one evening. "He's in his study. Dinner is almost ready."

I nodded and headed to my brother's study across the hall. He was sat at his desk, focusing on something specific that he was writing and barely acknowledging my presence. I glanced around the room, taking in the bookshelves filled with manuscripts, both published and unpublished, and notebooks of ideas piled on desks.

I wasn't jealous of this place, I really wasn't. And I wasn't jealous of my brother either, even when he got credit for things I'd written. I was just angry and hurt that I couldn't have the some privileges he got, such as his own personal study to write whatever he pleased.

"Dinner's almost ready," I called to him from the doorway. "C'mon."

He didn't turn around as he answered, "I'll be with you, one second."

Curious to what had captured his attention, I pushed myself from the doorway and approached his desk. He had a lamp turned on, the yellow light lighting the page he was scribbling on. I peeked over his shoulder and saw him pause from writing, stuck in thought. It gave me the chance to read some words and I tried not to laugh.

"Oh my god, is that a love letter?"

Surprised at my presence, he covered the page with his elbows and leaned on them, looking to me with red cheeks.

"What? No, that's... no," he stumbled out, shaking his head.

Stifled smile on my lips, I looked to him with humoured eyes. "You have to let me read it."

He shook his head frantically, trying to play it cool. "I don't think I can do that."

Well, now I was really curious.

"C'mon, I've read pretty much everything you've ever written," I told him, perching myself on the edge of his desk. "Just a little read and I'll drop it."

Pondering my words, he slowly began to straighten up, uncovering the page. With a sigh of submission, he nodded to it, wordlessly giving me permission to look. I grinned, grabbing the page and holding it to the light so I could read it.

It was mostly ramblings – unfinished sentences, phrases, clauses – but it was all about a certain someone, a love letter as I predicted. It talked about this person's body and lips and humour and fingers and because I was so caught up in teasing my brother, I failed to realise that I was reading about Wanda. At least until it mentioned her accent.

My smile faded when I saw the way he wrote about her, with such passion and ferocity and– he was seriously in love with her. And it may or may not have stung a little because everything he'd written was accurate and I felt the same way. Well, not the in love bit, but pretty much everything else.

"So? Is it bad?" he asked nervously, and I lowered the page to see he was waiting for a verdict. "It's messy, I know. I was just journaling and then it kind of happened."

"It's sweet," I told him truthfully, offering him a reassuring smile.

His shoulders relaxed as I put the page back on the desk before him. "Thank you, Y/N." He paused, before glancing up at me sheepishly. "Now that you're here, you may as well tell me if there's anything I can do to improve."

I raised my eyebrows. "Why? Are you planning on giving this to her?"

He shook his head instantly. "No, oh God, no. That would be severely humiliating. I just thought you could help me for me. You always make my writing better."

I snickered, shaking my head with amusement. Behind the scenes was where I thrived apparently.

"Quickly," I told him as he held out the paper to me. "Mum is waiting for us."

He nodded obediently and I took the paper from his grasp, getting another look at it. Skimming it with my eyes yet again, I found the first criticism and pointed to it so he could see.

"This bit here," I said gently. "You talk about her eyes and say they're magnetic."

"Is that not good?" he asked with a frown.

"It is, it is," I said politely, not wanting to offend him. "But that's all you've written. You want to give the reader a reason to believe you. Why are they magnetic? What about them do you find yourself attracted to?"

He nodded, seeming to get it. Leaning back in his seat, he had a think. I waited patiently, curious to what he would come up with, but then he sighed defeatedly and looked to me.

"What would you write?" he asked, and I smiled with disbelief. It always ended up like this. Me helping him, challenging him with a thought, then him ending up using what I say.

"Okay, let me think," I said, crossing my arms and staring ahead. "Wanda's eyes."

"Here," Y/B/N said, making a gesture to placing something invisible on my head. When I quirked a brow of confusion, he added, "It's your thinking cap."

I rolled my eyes but laughed quietly at his stupidity, then tried to think about what to describe Wanda's eyes as.

It wasn't difficult to imagine them despite having not seen them in a few days. They were always bright, animated, lively. Whether it was green, blue or brown, they were irresistible and as my brother wrote, they were magnetic.

I breathed out, speaking from the heart without thinking. "When Wanda Maximoff looks into your eyes it's like she holds all of the elements in a single gaze. At times, they're greener than the earth itself, captivating and tranquil and daring you to look away. But then they're also bluer than the brightest of skies and darkest of oceans, deep and and liberating and easy for you to get swallowed up in."

A smile fell on my lips at the thought. She truly was something.

I continued slowly, "In the light, you can make out golden flecks, like the first sliver of the sun in Spring. It's hopeful and guiding and fills you with warmth. But what isn't obvious upon first glance is how tempestuous they are, like air itself. She's got a passion behind her eyes that is scary at first, but when you get to know her, you realise that it's a storm worth raging."

It went quiet when I finished and I zoned back into reality, Wanda's eyes blinking away from my mind in an instant. I pursed my lips and looked to Y/B/N with mild concern, realising just how much I'd rambled. He raised his eyebrows with surprise, staring at me.

"Y/N, that was amazing! How did you think of that?" he asked in bewilderment.

I shrugged, feeling my face heat up with embarrassment. "I don't know. I just thought about a random set of hazel eyes and applied my thoughts to it."

He smiled, impressed. "Amazing. I love it."

Grabbing a pen, he began to write furiously on the page and I stood up, dusting myself off.

"You sure that's not going to her?" I asked, still feeling fuzzy from what I'd said and hoping she'd never see it.

"Very sure," he promised, not looking up. "It's just for me."

I studied him judgementally. "Okay, well, maybe get rid of that part about her breasts then. It's a little creepy."

He looked up to me with a boyish grin. "I'm only a man, Y/N. Can you blame me?"

I rolled my eyes, shuddering at what he was implying. The mere implication of a thought of him and Wanda... nope, I didn't want to go there.

"I'll see you at dinner," I said, pointing a thumb over my shoulder. "Try to hurry, yeah?"

"Yes, I'll be right with you," he assured me, his hand moving in a flurry as he wrote. "Just writing what you said so I don't forget. Could be good for a future book, who knows?"

I forced a smile, humming in agreement. "Right. Well, I'll see you at the table."

He nodded and I left his room, letting out a deep breath. Just another day in the Y/L/N household.

—

Popping into town for errands was surprisingly not a task I found boring. If anything, I preferred it, using it as a chance to get away from my mother's incessant marriage-related conversations and my father's constant praising for anything Y/B/N did. Nowadays, it was also a way to escape anything wedding-related, which was a plus.

This time, I was only nipping out to return a book to the library, but my mum caught me before leaving and asked me to deliver some letters to the post office since I was already heading that way. Happy to prolong this outing as much as possible, I accepted the errand and headed to the post office after returning my book.

When I was there, an advertisement caught my eye. A chalkboard outside the store displayed a deal the train station were doing. I probably would have ignored it if it weren't for the mention of Blackpool.

2 FOR 1 ON BLACKPOOL TRAIN TICKETS THIS WEEKEND

Remembering my conversation with Wanda, I realised I hadn't actually followed up with her on my promise of taking her there to paint. She probably didn't even remember, since it was a while ago when we spoke of it, but the idea of going there with her made me excited. Was it stupid to get the tickets? Probably. But did I go inside and get them? Of course.

It was only when I got home did I realise how silly it was. Would she even want to go? What if she made an excuse to get out of it? Oh, this whole thing was stupid. I was overthinking it. Friends went on day trips all the time, it's wasn't a big deal.

To my surprise, when I poked my head into the living room to tell my mum I'd posted her letters, Wanda was sat on the couch with her. They were drinking some tea and having scones, chatting away. I'd called my mum before noticing, so when they looked my way, I clumsily entered and straightened up to make myself look presentable.

"Sorry, I didn't know you had company," I apologised with an awkward smile, eyes flickering to a smiling Wanda before looking to my mum. "I just wanted to let you know that I dropped the letters off by the post office."

"Perfect, Y/N, thank you," she said in response, before looking to the setup before her. "You can join us if you'd like."

I was quick to smile gratefully, though shook my head. "It's okay, you guys enjoy. I'll just be in my room if you need me."

My mum shrugged, sipping her tea, and Wanda watched me with a small smile, nodding in greeting, before looking away. I licked my lips uncomfortably before backing out the room and heading upstairs.

I was working on yet another manuscript that wouldn't see the light of day at my desk when I heard a knock on my door about an hour later.

"Come in!" I called, not looking up.

The door opened and I finished my train of thought before turning around, surprised to see Wanda walking into my room.

"Oh, hi," I got out suddenly, words falling from my mouth without me thinking first.

She smiled softly, stopping before me. "Hey. I'm heading home now, but I just wanted to say goodbye."

I stared at her, forgetting how to speak because she was wearing a lovely floral dress that complimented her figure perfectly.

"Oh, and I thought you might like these," she added before forgetting, then held out a box towards me.

Recovering from my initial stupor, I reached out and accepted the box, realising they were chocolates.

"I got them for your mum, but she said she's not a fan of hazelnut," she explained, and I looked up to see her looking elsewhere with a nervous smile on her lips. "You don't have to have them of course. I can just... eat them myself."

An amused smile tugged at my lips as I quirked a brow. "You'd eat them all yourself?"

She was very much aware of how silly she sounded, but she was adamant on appearing confident, so she nodded with certainty. "Yes... apparently I would."

Lighthearted laughter escaped my lips as I set the box to the side. She was trying to stand her ground, but then she sighed and began to laugh, too. My heart fluttered in my chest at the sound and I appreciated the crinkle by her eyes when her smile widened.

"Thank you," I said, settling on a smile as I watched her with amusement.

She nodded, smile of her own still present, before pointing behind her. "I'll, erm, go now."

When she turned to leave, I felt inclined to say, "Wait!"

She paused, turning around patiently, and I knew there was no going back now. Standing up, I grabbed my purse from the side and pulled out the train tickets.

"When I was out today, I saw that the train station were doing this deal on tickets to Blackpool," I started, hoping she couldn't see my hands trembling slightly. "And I remembered that I promised to take you so you could see the water." I closed my eyes, praying that this wouldn't be a mistake, before opening them and looking to Wanda. "We can go, if you'd still like to." 

She raised her eyebrows, eyes glued to the tickets in my hand. No words were being said and my heart thumped in my chest with the realisation that I may have done something insanely stupid. Before I could even think to apologise, a grin spread across her face and her dazzling blue eyes met mine, freezing me in place.

"Are you serious? Y/N, I'd love to!" she exclaimed, then proceeded to launch herself onto me, arms wrapping tightly around my neck.

I gulped as she did, not expecting that reaction, but returned the hug by folding my arms around her waist loosely. She smelt really good, which was probably wrong of me to note, and I enjoyed the feeling of her so close to me, also wrong of me to note.

"Okay, well, the tickets are for this weekend," I said, desperately trying not to stammer when she pulled away. "I can meet you at the station in the morning. Eight."

Her eyes danced with excitement as she accepted the ticket I held out to her. I reminded myself that this was just a friendly day trip and nothing more.

"Eight," she confirmed, attempting to stifle her eagerness by biting her lip and nodding.

I swallowed hard, trying ever-so-hard not to let my gaze drop to her lips. Because then I'd think about kissing her and that was definitely not what I should be thinking about my soon-to-be sister-in-law.

Oh, God, I was screwed.

[tricksters-captain]

Benny Watts/The Queens Gambit imagines - From Pawn to Pen Part 4

AN: I’m sorry I missed posting last week. I’m currently going through a hard break up and it’s really taking a lot of energy out of me so I struggle to write at the moment. 

Overall Summary: You’re a young journalist for Chess Review, with a love for chess and a desire for knowledge. One day at a tournament, you come across the famous Benny Watts...

In this chapter: You return to Boston for the week. 

(PART 1) (PART 2) (PART 3)

Pairing(s): Benny Watts x Fem!reader

Word Count: 1,940

Warnings: Some strong language

You smiled as you looked at the copies of ‘Chess Review’ on the racks. 

Your first front page piece for Chess Review. 

They had used one of the pictures of Benny that you had taken at the hotel and you were pretty proud of your photography skills. 

You picked up a copy and took it inside to pay for it. 

On second thought, you picked up two so you could mail one to Angelie. 

You left the store quickly after and started to walk back to your apartment. 

Boston was busier than you had remembered and you finally had some time to sort out the apartment after your article went down well with the big man. 

You opened the door to your apartment and put down your groceries on the kitchen counter top. 

The last tenant hadn’t left the place in too bad a state, just a carpet stain here and there and a broken lamp. 

You had bought some paint to redecorate your living room and bedroom since it seemed too boring after where you lived in Paris. You had spent the last couple days painting and then you finally left to go check out your title page. 

The books that Benny had given you were still on your small two person dining room table where you had left them when you first got back. You looked over at them and furrowed your brow as you thought about whether you are actually going to bother to read them or not. 

Your phone started to ring and your frown disappeared when you realised it was probably Angelie. No one else had your number besides your work. 

“Hello?” You answered it, taking the phone off the wall as you leant beside it. 

“Miss (Y/L/N)?” You’d recognise that voice anywhere after listening to it so much over the last tournament. 

“Benny Watts?” You asked, almost in shock. 

“Have you read those books I leant you yet?” He asked, not even bothering to confirm it was him. 

“It’s been four days.” You told him flatly. 

“You could’ve easily gotten through at least two of them by now.” Benny challenged you which caused you to shake your head (even though he couldn’t see). 

“You know, Benny Watts, I do have a life to live.” You defended yourself to which Benny found amusing. 

“So, you’re back in Boston since you picked up this phone.” Benny changed the subject completely. 

“How did you even get this number?” You asked, genuinely curious and a little worried. 

“You really think Chess Review won’t hand over your telephone number to their favourite US chess player?” 

“You got it from Beth Harmon then?”  You teased the boy to which he responded with a dry laughter. 

“Ha Ha. Very funny.” Benny retorted, “If you’re in Boston, it means you currently aren’t working. Fancy an educational trip to New York City?” 

“Benny, I told you. I’m not coming to New York.” You reminded him about how you declined previously when he asked. 

“Come on, just for the weekend? We’ll play some chess, do some tourist shit and eat some food?” Benny asked, trying his best to persuade you Benny Watts style. 

“I’ve also told you before that I don’t play.” You felt a small bubble of excitement in your stomach as you considered going to New York but you quickly squashed it down. 

“What are you afraid of?” Benny asked. Deja Vu. 

“Why are you pushing this?” You closed your eyes as you let your head roll back to press against the wall. 

“Because I see that same light that’s in Beth Harmon, that’s in every decent chess player when you see a chess board.” Benny confessed to you. 

“I’m sorry, Benny. You’ll just have to find someone else to play with. I don’t want to be apart of this little game.” You hung up the phone with a sad sigh before Benny could respond. 

You found yourself looking at the books again. 

You picked up Benny’s and you opened it...

“I’ve been waiting all day for your call.” You half scolded Angelie as you answered the call. 

You heard Angelie’s laughter through the phone and it made you home sick. 

“Je suis désolé!” Angie apologised. “This new project has me so busy, constantly on set, costume changes, make up changes, redoing scene..!” 

“It sounds awful.”  You chuckled, 

“It is! You wouldn’t understand... You’re just a big time American journalist.” Angelie pouted. “Anyway, how are you?” 

“I’m okay.” You lied. 

“Menteuse!” Angelie called you out. “Tell me the truth. What is bothering you, Mon Cher?” 

“Benny Watts called me today.” You had filled her in on the tournament with him once you had first arrived back in Boston and she had already previously told you off for not taking his offer to New York. 

“He did?!” Angie gasped. 

“Yes, he did. He got my number through work and called me to ask if I had read the books he gave me which I haven’t because it’s been less than a week since. the tournament.” You explained. 

“That boy is in love with you, I am telling you now.” Angie was always the hopeless romantic type. It’s how she has had her heart broke so many times. 

“The boy wants to play chess with me to assert his masculine dominance over me and boost his ego with an easy win.” You argued. 

“You are always so negative about men! You hardly know this one!” Angelie groaned. 

“He’s Benny Watts. That’s all I need to know.” 

“I think you should go to New York and meet with him.” Angelie told you. You hadn’t even informed her about the fact he asked you again. 

“I think I should stay here and enjoy my first weekend off in six months.” You shook your head at the idea. 

“(Y/n), you only live once and how many girls are invited to New York by the Benny Watts?!” 

“Probably quite a lot.” You knew Angie was only trying to hype you up but you couldn’t help but knock her down. 

“Even if that is so. You could probably get another article out of it. Benny Watts and his life in the big apple?” Angie suggested. 

“I’m sure ‘LIFE’ has already done that piece before.” You pushed another idea aside. 

“Trust me, (Y/n). You need to stop being so afraid of the unknown and who knows, maybe you’ll enjoy yourself?” Angelie had had enough of the negativity from you at this point. 

There was a sudden knock at your door. 

“I’m sorry, Angie. Someone’s just knocked on my door, I’ll have to call you back.” You looked over at your front door and wondered who it could be. 

“Ça va. Call me back!” She told you as the knock occurred again. 

“Je t'aime.” You hung the phone back up on the wall and went over to your door. 

You opened it and you felt your face go white at the sight of who stood there. 

“Jesus, you look like you’ve seen a ghost.” Benny Watts. 

BENNY WATTS.

“What the hell are you doing here?” You asked him. 

“Well,  you wouldn’t come to me so I came to you.” Benny shrugged. 

“You can’t just stalk someone. This isn’t okay. This isn’t cute!” You were bewildered. 

“This isn’t stalking. It’s simply coming to Boston to visit a friend.” He defended himself as he stood out in the hallway. 

“I wouldn’t call us friends, Benny.” You scoffed. 

“Ouch.” Benny put his hand on his heart. 

You went to close your door on him but Benny stopped you. 

“Wait.” He pleaded. His cocky demeanour suddenly dropped. “Look, I know this is weird but I really wanted to see you.” Benny started to explain. 

“I––” He cut you short. 

“–– This isn’t some game. I just want to help you. I want you to play chess again. I want you to play with me.” Benny stayed with his hand against the door and his foot in the gap as he spoke. 

“This is crazy, Benny.” You told him, your eyes locked on his as you felt your heart race. 

“I know.” Benny stepped back. “I’m staying in the hotel down the block. I’ll be here all weekend. If you don’t want to see me, then don’t. But if you change your mind. I’ll be around.” 

You watched him back away from the door and head back down the stairs. 

Benny fucking Watts. 

You rushed back to the phone and dialled Angelie’s number. 

“Bonjour?” She answered, 

“You’ll never guess who was at the door.” 

You ended up tossing and turning all night. 

You caved in at around 3am and started to read Benny’s book again. 

You finished it by the time the sun was rising. 

You had a cold shower to wake you up at around 9am and then you stared in the mirror as the thoughts racked your brain. 

You walked over to your chess set that rested on the dresser top and you took it over to your bed, opening it up. 

You set up the board and stared at it.  

You picked up the queen. The same queen that Benny had held in the photo you took. 

You caved. 

You dressed and did simple make up before heading to the hotel that Benny had told you he was staying. 

“I’m looking for Mr Benny Watts.” You asked the elderly lady at the front desk. 

“He’s staying in room 306 but I’m almost certain I saw him leave about an hour ago for breakfast.” She informed you. 

You thanked her then sighed. 

You left the hotel lobby and started down the street. There was plenty of places to eat around the hotel, you almost considered just waiting in the lobby for him to return. 

Then you saw it. 

Through a window of a small diner. 

The famous black hat. 

You pushed open the diner door and walked towards the booth where Benny was sat. 

He had his back to you but he didn’t seem surprised to see you when you sat down opposite him.  

“Morning.” He greeted you as he munched on some pancakes. 

“I won’t play chess with you.” You stated. “I won’t play chess with you but I will spend the weekend with you and you can talk about it.”

Benny remained silent as his brown eyes watched you carefully. 

“I finished your book.” You told him. “I'm ready to learn.” 

Benny placed his knife and fork down, picking up the napkin beside his plate to wipe his mouth. 

“Great.” He nodded, interlinking his fingers above his food as he elbows rested on the table.  “Let’s begin.” 

(WHAT HAPPENS NEXT HERE)

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