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#might continue this into something longer if the vibe strikes me
ferrocyan · 4 months
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division - for the single word drabble prompt!
thanks for the prompt! i gotta admit to just, uh, kinda running w this vibe bc it sort of fits my obsession with the edw caster role quest, haha. this is really unpolished but i hope you enjoy!
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he hears someone walk near, each of their footsteps carrying a throb of pain in his head.
"how are you, my friend? are you feeling better?" aymeric asks.
his eyes closed, brows knit in concentration, he chants for equilibrium. deep breaths, inhale, exhale.
nothing. there is a hole in his head, though not physical, and its gaping maw tears at the rest of his mind.
"c'astarhte," aymeric calls. tart opens an eye.
"so you know," he huffs.
"yes. i know that you don't want me to notice. but i must say, hiding your face only makes your identity more obvious."
aymeric's smile is irritating. tart buries his head under his pillow, which earns him a sigh.
"for once, please just let me know how you feel," begs the lord speaker.
tart considers. this is not something equilibrium can fix; neither can chirurgeons. the ache howls, echoing the blasphemy that caused it. he props himself up on his elbow. glaring at aymeric, he grits his teeth and lets out the words.
"ishgard has ways of denying certain people's existnce. mean really, completely erase them, unlike the shite that bishop was spewing about himself. my family no longer exists. how dare he accuse me of not understanding how it feels to be rejected? and how dare you take my prey?"
aymeric listens. he makes people understand, even without telling them, that he has heard and understood their words. he excels at his job in this way.
but this isn't work. "even after cutting down bishop vartinoix, for a moment i felt the presence of danger behind me," his jaws set, aymeric purses his lips before continuing, "the presence of another blasphemy. and even now, your aether is unstable, partly burned off. that means that you would have joined your prey had i not intervened. am i wrong?"
tart conceals his surprise with a scowl, but the flapping of his ears gives it away. so the lord commander bites back now. "settle this outside. now," he gets up and off the bed, then walks out of the infirmary.
aymeric follows, uncertain. "have i crossed a line?" he asks. tart ignores him. the two enter the proving grounds, empty for the day.
"have been dealing with this for a while. aetheric instability." tart puts on his coat and hood, then unsheathes his rapier. "practicing red magic helps in finding balance. but need a target dummy, of course, which is you," points at aymeric, who chuckles in return.
tart holds his focus in his right hand, blade in the left. his tail flicks uneasily. "go easy on me, won't you?"
"what? oh my, i never thought i would hear that from the warrior of light!" aymeric laughs as he readies his own sword.
"i'm ill, you blackguard."
"then maybe you should rest properly."
"hasn't helped. this might, so stand still and let me cast magic at you."
aymeric nods. tart kicks off the fight by stepping back and keeping his distance. throws quick spells and darts away.
it's clear he isn't serious either as none of the attacks amount to much to aymeric. he approaches and returns the offense.
tart blocks his sword with his own. the strikes are heavy, and his defensive tendencies fail him. he starts to parry, then evade, stepping aside to chant a spell and strike back. he laughs, pleased with himself.
aymeric picks up his pace. his azure blade flashes as he strikes close to tart, again and again, but none reaches. tart grins wider.
focus attached to the rapier's hilt, its magic flows through the thin sword. tart stops evading and rushes toward aymeric. spells now strengthening his blow, he pushes back against the lord commander. finally, a feint and a low strike manage to disarm him.
aymeric drops his sword obligingly. "well done, my friend! you really are magnificent."
tart rolls his eyes even though he can't stop grinning. "say that when you aren't taking it easy against me."
"please, any such notion was dispelled by your swordmanship. i took our battle seriously, i assure you," aymeric chuckles. the two of them sheathe their swords and exit together.
he really does feel lighter, tart thinks to himself. his head has quieted down. he considers thanking aymeric for his help, but refrains since it would make him happy.
on their return to the temple knights' strategy room, tart glances toward his companion. "not scared i'll turn into a blasphemy too?"
"no. are you?" aymeric asks in return. tart looks away. "i refuse to accept that--if you'll pardon me for saying so." that earns him a bark of laughter.
"right. get out of my sight, then," tart swats at him with his tail. "find me at the forgotten knight if anything comes up."
aymeric nods. "certainly. but please do try to take it easy for the rest of the day."
tart pays him no mind and waves goodbye.
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kitkatt0430 · 1 year
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6, 23, 28, and 29 for the fanfic writing game.
6.) What’s the last line you wrote?
Of course... Eobard did wonder just what kind of effect those healing blue flames might have on a damaged speedforce connection...
23.) Is writing the beginning, middle, or end of the story easiest? Hardest?
The middle. Definitely the middle. It's what gets me left with several unfinished long fics. If there's too much middle I eventually start losing momentum and need a break and then adhd kicks in because if I'm not looking at something does it exist? (yes, but do I remember it exists... no) And then getting back into finishing those fics becomes a gargantuan task.
28.) What area of writing do you want to improve in?
Related to the above. Finishing my long fics. I want to improve on that and figure out what I can do to improve my ability to stick with longer fics and series until they're finished. Shorter stories are definitely my strength as a writer, but I have a lot of longer ideas that I want to tell - or finish telling - so I continue to work on my ability to focus on an idea without burning out on it.
29.) What’s something about your writing that you’re proud of?
I used to really struggle with dialogue and balancing showing vs telling - both of which are typically necessary to build a good story, despite the common advice to "show, don't tell".
Dialogue in particular tends to flow pretty well for me these days and making sure to keep it clear who is saying what without being too cluttered about it. But I do think I still struggle with giving the characters their distinct verbal ticks. Still, compared to where I started as a teenager, I've improved a lot.
For showing vs telling, I had to grow out of the urge to show every little thing that happened to the characters I write. For a long while I was doing that to the point of self sabotage - I just... never let myself get anything posted and kept circling the same scenes aiming for perfections. I needed very much to learn that time skips are my friend and it's okay to let events happen off screen and get explained through exposition instead. And not only have I gotten comfortable with doing more telling in my stories, I've let myself get experimental with it.
Spiral was very much an experiment in a story heavy on telling more than showing, since I was aiming for a narrator heavy, borderline fairy tale-ish vibe to the whole thing. It was a step outside my comfort zone, but I really love the final result. And I'd like to think what little dialogue is in the fic is pretty snappy too. :D
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kindahoping4forever · 3 years
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Feedback // Ashton Irwin
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I've been sitting on this fic for a minute so thank you to everyone who's patiently waited for me to post it (shoutout to Sly)! This story was really just me getting inspired and clowning after Ashton's "Down To Earth" IG stream back in April. As always, thanks to @cal-puddies for the invaluable guidance as I tried to pare my writing style down into a pwp format (try being the operative word, 3500 words is still the best we could do lmao).
Warnings: Distracted Boyfriend!Ash, oral sex on a male, moderately rough unprotected sex (on the red leather couch) including mild dirty talk, brief choking and a spank or two.
Word Count: 3535
Masterlist // Ko-Fi and New 2021 Taglist linked above
Let  me  know  what  you  think!
"Baby! I didn't know you were home!"
You turn around to see Ashton in the doorway of the bedroom, voice as cheerful as the yellow beanie covering his head.
"Didn't hear you come in," he comments, walking over to you.
You slide your arms around your boyfriend’s neck with a sigh. "Rushed up here, phone was about two seconds from shutting off," you explain, greeting him with a tender kiss.
He watches as you kick off your shoes and yank your bra off under your shirt, tossing everything haphazardly in the direction of the closet before flinging yourself on the bed. "Tough day?"
You groan, dragging your hands over your face before extending your arms, encouraging him to join you. “Eh, not great and very long,” you report, giving a satisfied sigh when Ash climbs on the bed and immediately pulls you on top of him, wrapping his arms around you tightly. You do the same and the both of you lay quietly in this prone embrace for several peaceful moments before you break the silence. “How about you, how was your day?”
You feel him shrug under your body. “Can’t complain,” is his simple reply.
“Make anything cool?” You prompt, knowing he’s being low-key because he thinks you need to chill out, not realizing nothing relaxes you more than listening to him talk about his passions.
“Hmm… anything cool...” Ash giggles, hugging you closer. “I dunno, got a good start goin’ on this one track that could be pretty cool, got a nice vibe.”
You raise your head up to look at him and scratch your fingers across his beard, you’re so glad he decided to let it grow again. “Yeah? Tell me more.”
He hums as you continue to rub his face. “Only been at it for a couple hours, ‘s just a track for now, we’ll see what I can do with it,” he breezes, moving your hand from his face to his mouth so he can kiss it.
“Well, whenever you feel like you need a fresh pair of ears, I’d love to hear it,” you enthuse, moving to lay at his side.
He turns to give you a bright grin. “Yeah? A little in-house focus group?” He teases, leaning in for a sweet kiss that starts to get needy the longer it goes on.
You pull off his hat, running your fingers through his long hair as he moves to kiss along your neck. “Don’t know if you know this but I’m a big fan of your work,” you tease back.
He kisses your lips again, biting a bit as he pulls away to quip, “We talking ‘bout my music or something else?”
You giggle, deciding that indulging this frisky mood is exactly how you would like to unwind tonight. You inch closer, pulling him back into a kiss and he responds eagerly, hand coming up to massage at the base of your neck like it always does. For the next few minutes, the only thoughts in your mind revolve around Ashton, how he feels, how he tastes and where you need his mouth or hands on you next.
When you let out a moan at the way his fingers are gripping your skin under your shirt and he doesn’t press himself against you in response, you can tell he’s gotten distracted. You laugh knowingly against his lips, “You’re back to thinking about that song now, aren’t you?”
He looks at you with a sheepish smile. “I was actually still workin’ and came up here just to grab a hoodie when I found you.”
You playfully push him off of you, shaking your head. “Dude, you should’ve told me! You know I’m not one to fuck with The Process,” you admonish, scrunching your nose up at the trail of kisses he pecks over your face as he sits up.
“Nah, my brain needed a break and my girl needed me, it worked out perfectly,” he insists, rubbing your arm affectionately before getting off the bed.
He quickly fishes his desired sweatshirt out of the closet and pulls it on over his t-shirt, mussing his hair even more than you already had. He walks back over, ready to kiss you goodbye when you sit up on your knees to stop him. “I was serious about giving it a listen if ya want,” you say, smoothing his hair down before resting your hands on top of his inside his hoodie pocket. “If you’re not ready that’s fine but just FYI I‘m interested.”
Ash grins at you, squeezing your hands before using them to pull you to your feet. “Aww, you know you’re my fave audience, baby,” he gushes, reaching to grab his hat off the bed. “Let’s go give it a spin.”
“Well. As much as you can ‘spin’ a computer file,” you mutter, trying to annoy him just because it’s fun.
As you head for the door, you hear him snort behind you a split second before he grabs you, sliding his beanie on your head far enough to cover your eyes; you burst into giggles as he playfully bumps into you, passing you in the hallway. “Smart ass,” he grumbles, voice still smiling.
Ash makes it down to the basement first and starts clicking on files and flicking switches, excited to play his work for you. You stop at the foot of the stairs and survey the room with wonder. Multiple guitars - electric, acoustic, bass, 12-string - are strewn across the room, cables run from his computer to the adjacent room where he houses his drums, food delivery containers line the coffee table; he’s clearly been down here since you left this morning.
While he sets up, you make yourself useful, setting the guitars back in their racks, stacking the food trash; when you’re done, you start to drag a chair over to the computer when you notice he’s staring at you like you’ve grown an extra head.
“What are ya mad at me or somethin’?” He scoffs, patting his legs and looking at you expectantly.
You smirk and take a seat in his lap, watching closely as his long fingers fly over the keyboard, hand adeptly working the mouse, making a few final adjustments to the track. You hear a quiet “there we go” under his breath and then he’s settling in, pulling you back against him and rubbing over your thighs as you wait for the song to begin.
It’s a simple demo so far - layered background vocals, drum and bass, some synth, a little guitar line here and there - but he’s right, it’s definitely a vibe. You’re pleased that his reflection is visible in the computer screen, you love seeing him grooving behind you, pursing his lips and nodding his head along to the beat as you feel his fingers tapping along on your waist while he holds you close.
The track is short and before he can even ask your opinion, you tell him to play it again; his face lights up at your request and he proudly complies. When it finishes this time, you shift to look at him and smile. “That’s wild you did that all yourself and in such a short amount of time,” you marvel. “See, I was right, you did do something cool.”
Ashton laughs, kissing the side of your head as he leans forward to reach the keyboard. “You think so? Well, what’s really cool is this…” He starts clicking around again, isolating the different elements and revealing which sounds are electronic and which are live instruments, which section he thinks he’ll write lyrics over tomorrow, where he’s thinking of pasting in more guitar.
You respond when appropriate but mostly you just listen intently, watching fondly as he animatedly details his thought process; this is why you offered to come down here with him, this is the best part about being his “fave audience.” You love his music but more than that, you love how much he loves his music.
He stops mid-explanation of a section to tinker with it, clearly having a brainstorm right in front of you. You curl into his chest, observing quietly as he cycles through effects and begins stacking tracks. He chews his lip, deep in thought as he lets the song play again and you can't help but press a few kisses to his jaw.
Ash continues his work and you continue yours, moving from his jaw to his neck; your kisses eventually become more heated, with you adding tongue and even teeth to the equation. You suck his earlobe into your mouth, wiggling his earring with the tip of your tongue and finally he pulls away, chuckling, "Baby, come on."
You shrug, playing with his hair. "I just love watching you work."
He laughs, "Then goddamn, baby, let me work!" He growls as you nip at his throat and you smile to yourself because you can tell he's already rethinking his request.
"Seems like you shoulda thought about this before you invited a girl down to your basement to listen to some dreamy space pop alien makeout jam," you tease, relishing the feeling of his laughter vibrating his throat under your tongue.
"Can I get you to leave that review when this goes up on iTunes?" He cracks, finally turning his attention to you.
"I might be persuaded," you flirt, humming with victory as he pulls you into a hungry kiss.
Ashton wastes no time returning the affection you showed him, lips devouring yours, hands quickly making their way under your shirt to lazily massage your tits. You’re mid-moan, his fingers just about to make it inside your waistband when suddenly he’s pulling away.
It takes you a beat to realize what’s happened, your body confused by the sudden absence of his touch. You open your eyes to see him busy at the computer again and it’s so absurd to you, you have to laugh.
“Two minutes,” he says half-apologetically, half-distracted, squeezing your thigh but not taking his eyes off the screen.
You smirk to yourself, immediately aware of what your next move is. “Take as long as you need, baby. When genius strikes, you gotta go for it,” you state ominously, not that he notices. Nor does he notice you sliding yourself off his lap and onto the floor between his legs.
You run your hands up and down his thick thighs before letting your touch wander to the front of his jeans, palming over his crotch, happy to find that at least part of him was interested in your makeout session. You can’t decide if you’re more amused or annoyed by his focus but it’s not until your hand is on his cock, freeing him from his pants that he tears himself away from his project.
“Excuse me, ma’am, can I help you with something?”
You lock eyes with him as you stick your tongue out and dramatically lick your hand, coating your palm with saliva before giving his cock a tight squeeze and beginning to stroke him steadily. “I also had a genius idea I was just following through on,” you shrug. “Might take a little longer than two minutes, though, I’m a bit out of practice… my boyfriend’s been pretty busy.”
Ash giggles wildly, both at your joke and your audacity. “You’re crazy, I’m literally about to be done with… fuck…” His retort is interrupted by you, eyes still trained on his, licking long stripes up the sides of his cock, sucking gently at the head before licking your way back down.
“Go ahead and finish your work, baby, I’ll just keep busy until you’re done,” you insist, mischief in your eyes as you look up one last time before taking him into your mouth.
You hear a sharp inhale, a softly chuckled “fuckin’ ridiculous” and then finally, mouse clicks as he attempts to get back to it. You do your best to distract him, bobbing up and down enthusiastically, sucking loudly, humming around him, making sure he knows how much you’re enjoying your task.
It only takes a minute or so for him to get sidetracked by your efforts. “This is a shitty home demo I’ve spent all of 90 minutes on, there’s no way it’s so good you just had to have my cock right here and now,” he insists, struggling to keep his voice steady, not wanting you to hear how affected he is.
You pop off, gingerly playing with his balls as you zing back, “I dunno babe, you guys had plenty of shitty songs on your first album and from what I’ve heard, you did more than alright in the pussy department.”
Ashton’s laughter quickly turns to a strained moan as you slide back down on him, letting him hit the back of your throat. “My bad, didn’t realize I’d shacked up with a groupie,” he jokes. You silently congratulate yourself as you notice him flexing his hand into a fist, knowing he’s trying to keep himself from pressing down on your head.
You pull off him again, making sure to let the spit cascade from your mouth as you smugly reply, “Like I said before: big fan.” Before he can even think about responding, your mouth is back on him.
You’re not surprised he attempts to resume working again; you’re both stubborn, it’s a wonder anything ever gets resolved in your relationship. You can tell he’s trying his best to stay on task but the whispered curses under his breath give him away. As a last resort, he turns the volume on his speaker up a few more notches, hoping the track will drown out the exaggerated choking sounds you’re intent on making.
A few moments later, he reaches down and yanks his beanie off your head. “Fuckin’ bright yellow bouncing over my crotch is hard to ignore,” he grumbles. “All I see is my hat, looks like I’m suckin’ my own dick for all I know.”
You can’t resist continuing to rib him. “How is that not your greatest fantasy? Your favorite person giving you your favorite pleasure?”
He snorts, shaking his head. “I’m sorry, did you want to blow me or roast me?”
You give him your brightest smile and reply, “Unlike you, I’m pretty good at multi-tasking.”
A brief cackle and a clipped “alright” are all you hear before you’re being hoisted up off the ground, thrown over Ash’s shoulder and carried over to the couch across the room. You squeal with surprise and delight as he unceremoniously dumps you on it, briskly strips you both of your clothes and promptly bends you over the red leather.
He nudges your knees further apart, pressing you against the back of the couch. “Of course you’re this fuckin’ wet already,” he teases, breath hot on your neck as he runs himself through your folds. “You think that’s from my cock down your throat or from you winding me up so much?”
Whatever clever comeback you’d thought up dies on the tip of your tongue because suddenly he’s sliding his cock inside you and now that’s all you can care about. You whine as he quickly establishes a vigorous pace, one hand bracing himself against the couch, the other reaching around you, down your torso to reach your clit. “How’s this for multi-tasking?”
A few breathless cries of his name are the best you can manage as he relentlessly plays with you, somehow in perfect rhythm with his rough thrusts, sending your whole body into sensory overload.
“Or how ‘bout this?” He growls, moving his hand from between your legs to your throat, fingers offering just the slightest amount of pressure, knowing it’ll drive you crazy wondering if and when he’ll add more. “Don’t got any more funny jokes for me, baby?”
You moan at his taunting, placing a hand on top of his on your neck, trying to get him to squeeze harder; he refuses and his denial makes you moan even louder. "Jesus, Ash," you pant, pushing back against him to egg him on. “Feels so fucking good.”
You're so caught up that you don't even notice his song is still playing over the speakers until a few moments later when Ashton suddenly pulls out of you, muttering to himself as he grabs the remote from the coffee table and shuts the music off.
Confused, you look back and see him amusedly shaking his head. "Yes, I was still producing that in my head, don’t start," he giggles.
You fall back on the couch, laughing in disbelief. “We’ve gotta get you some hobbies, buddy, that’s insane.”
He snickers, laying you on your back and settling on the couch behind you, pulling your leg over his hip. “I don’t think fucking you counts as a hobby,” he jokes, gripping his cock and slipping it back inside you.
“Not with that attitude,” you quip, a little more breathlessly than you meant to but with how slowly Ash is rocking into you, you can’t help it.
You tilt towards him, angling yourself to pull his mouth down to yours; you’re feeling overwhelmed and you need him close. His tongue traces over your lips, his kiss the familiar reassurance you need in this moment. “Ash…” You whimper quietly, closing your eyes and savoring the feel of his beard grazing your skin.
“I know, baby, me too,” he soothes, cradling you tighter against him. His hips begin to pick up speed and his hand moves to knead your breasts and tug at your nipples before travelling further down.
Ashton rubs slow, tight circles on your clit, stopping to give your thigh a light smack when you start raising your hips a little too eagerly, bucking up in an attempt to get him to move at a speed more to your liking. You moan first at the realization that he’s going to keep teasing you like this and then again, louder, at the sharp slap of his palm that once again comes down on your skin.
“You’ve got a nice tone tonight, baby, I should get you to lay down some vocals for this track,” he jokes, choking back a moan of his own when your surprised laughter causes you to clench around his length.
You chuckle smugly at him, “Not so funny all of a sudden, huh?”
You feel yourself getting closer so you start rolling your hips along with his, murmuring at the feeling of him deep inside you; you grind against his hand playing between your legs and as he finally amps up the pace, your release becomes closer and closer to reality. Your breathing syncs with his in a needy, staccato rhythm that wouldn’t have sounded out of place in his song.
“Is this what you wanted?” He huffs out. Typically when he asks you that while he’s buried in you, there’s a tone of arrogance or punishment behind it but right now as he holds you, your sounds continuing to meld together, it couldn’t feel farther from that.
“Yes, Ash, god yes…” you breathe, reaching to hold onto him as your orgasm overtakes you.
Ashton keeps driving his cock inside you, whining slightly at the feeling of you pulsing around him. You cry out, not realizing how loud or long your moans are until you hear his voice in your ear, gently lulling you back down.
He’s still moving inside you, hips beginning to stutter and when you hear his breath catch, you know he’s there. You tuck yourself into him, cooing, “Come on, Ash... fill me up, babe.” Three strokes later and he’s pumping his cum inside you, gasping your name. He slows his movements, heavy breath underscored by a contented hum as you caress his bearded cheek.
He leans in and kisses you passionately, completely enveloping you, possibly your favorite feeling in the world. He exhales loudly and keeps holding you, kissing over your face tenderly.
You giggle as he indulges for a moment before reluctantly pulling away, reaching for the takeout napkins on the coffee table; he attentively cleans you up and quickly settles back onto the couch, pulling you on top of him.
You lay together, blissed out, while you play with the necklace hanging down on his chest and he strokes over your hair.
“Hey, sorry I gave you such a hard time,” you smile. “Didn’t realize how much I wanted your attention until I didn’t have it anymore.”
He looks at you, amused. “Honestly didn’t notice you acting any differently.”
You jab his side. “Also sorry I talked shit about your first album, I do actually like it quite a bit.”
Ash cackles, tracing designs on your back. “Oh good, I was worried that was going to be what finally drives us apart,” he cracks.
You snicker, nuzzling your head into his chest. You enjoy a few quiet moments together before he begins softly humming an unfamiliar melody and you smile, knowing his creative wheels are turning again.
You lift your head up again to offer one last apology. “I’m sorry I once again disrupted The Process.”
Ashton laughs mischievously, running his hands down your body. “I mean… overall I’d say this was some pretty valuable feedback.”
————-
Thank you to everyone who has signed up for the taglist, both for the support and the lovely (occasionally hilarious) feedback! If you haven’t signed up yet, the form is linked above! (If you signed up and your name is crossed out or not listed, I was unable to tag you, please check your blog settings and either re-sign up or send me a message letting me know you allow mentions now) @notinthesameguey @cxddlyash @2fangirl4u @cashtonasfuck @talkfastromance4 @itjustkindahappenedreally @saywhatnow07 @mymindwide @suchalonelysunflower @pxrxmoore @findingliam-o @fedorable-killjoys @trix-arent-for-kids @olivia-foster-irwin @saphseoul @calmsweetcreature @onthecliffside-mgc @feliznavidaddycal @himbohood @maggiesupertramp @wiiildflowerrr @karajaynetoday @ashtonangst @sunshineeashton @aladyofalbion @youngblood199456 @xsongbirdx @loveroflrh @fairytrice @calumrose @irwindoll @polycashton @in-superbloom
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miekasa · 3 years
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random armin/mikasa/jean headcanons (college au)
↯ pairing: armin x (fem) reader, mikasa x (fem) reader, jean x (fem) reader
↯ genres and warnings: college au, fluff, lets see how many times i can mention eren in writing that has absolutely nothing to do with him
↯ notes: this.... probably won’t be a regular thing, i don’t know that i can consistently continue writing for them, but this sure was fun and reminded me that i actually have feelings for someone other than levi :// didn’t ask for that, but here we are
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ARMIN ARLERT
Would most likely get pretty good grades, but he can definitely be lazy about it and hear me out.
If it’s a class that he likes and is genuinely interested in (which is the majority of them), he’s going to put in the work—sometimes too much work—to make sure he’s doing well. He usually studies very meticulously, and stays on top of his game throughout the semester.
But if it’s one of those bs classes the university makes you take, or some kind of stupid elective that was the only course that could fit into his schedule? Well, Armin is smart enough to bullshit his way through anything, so he’s not going to exert himself for a class he doesn’t even care about. 
Oh, and he’s very vocal about complaining to you about said bullshit courses. (Completely justified, go off king).
“I swear sometimes the TA just lowers marks randomly to ‘keep the class average.’ Granted, I didn’t really study for the quiz, so I wasn’t expecting a stellar grade or anything, but I know they do that sometimes.” “Well, babe, why didn’t you study.” “Because I hate it, (Y/N).”
Like I said, takes school seriously and tries his best; but even he knows he doesn’t have to be at 100% all the time. It’s also kind of a flex how smart he is and how much he can get by on doing the absolute bare minimum.
Poor Connie is studying his ass off for their shared elective and Armin barely looked at the first page of the textbook, and he’ll probably get a 90 anyways.
Imagine he’s so caught up with his other classes, he actually forgets about a midterm for his stupid elective, and at first he’s freaking out, so you kind of have to remind him of who tf he is. You finally get him to relax and he blinks at you, “Oh right, I didn’t study because I didn’t have to haha nice.” 
Helps you prepare for presentations by letting you practice them in front of him. Actually gives good feedback, but sometimes he’s just watching you and not really listening.
Sometimes, you have to be the one to remind him to take a step back and take care of himself, before his schoolwork. He doesn’t like to worry you, and likely feels guilty when he sees you walking up to him in the library at 2am; so he won’t fight you on it, and just lets you help him pack up all his stuff and head home for the day.
Likes head massages. Maybe sometimes has faked a little bit of a headache to get you to massage his head and play with his hair. He’ll never tell.
If you rub his cheek while he’s laying on top of you, he will knock out like a baby. Almost immediately. It’s a surefire way to get him to go to sleep.
Schedules dates with you, and plans them out meticulously. Sometimes gets playful and sends you a whole ass e-vite.
“Armin, why do I have an email invitation for our date to the library?” “So that you don’t forget, of course.” “How could I forget, it’s later today, and you’re literally helping me study for my midterm.” “With popcorn!”
Probably the type to get a job on campus. You and your friends come to visit him when he’s on shift and annoy him. He secretly likes it.
Oh, he’s kind of shady. Scratch that, can be very shady. He complains about school to you, but also just complains to you in general; he doesn’t outwardly do that a lot, but you’re his confidant.
Sometimes you get surprised and call him out on it and you’re like “Oh my god, Armin, the poor girl didn’t mean to mess up the project,” and he’s like “Well. Sometimes people are idiots and it has to be said.”
Has a bad habit of rolling his eyes and he doesn’t even realize he’s doing it. “Did you just roll your eyes at me.” “I don’t know, did I?” Bye.
His hands are always covered in some kind of ink/markings. Accidental brushes of his pens, streaks from his highlighters or markers, a little bit of lead from his pencil along the side of his palm.
Speaking of which, he strikes me as the kind of guy to keep a bullet journal. Not necessarily decked out and fancy with Polaroids and extravagant fonts; but definitely neat, and decorated to some extent, depending on how he’s feeling. It makes him feel organized.
He would pencil in important dates and markers of your relationship into said journal. “Friday night: museum date—remember to buy the tickets in advance.”
If anyone is going to buy, wash, peel, and cut up fruit for you, it’s going to be Armin.
Lowkey tutoring all of his friends, and might be the sole reason that Connie hasn’t dropped out yet. He likes tutoring you the most, though. 
Get this, sometimes he asks you to tutor him, even if he knows damn well he doesn’t need it. Maybe he’ll even sign up for a stupid elective if it’s a class you’ve taken before, just to have an excuse to get you to teach him something. 
Likes trying new things with you. He might not always like the new things that you try, but he’s open to trying them at least once. Well… most things anyways. Just don’t ask him to get up at dawn and go jogging with you.
I genuinely cannot tell if he would be a morning person or not. Maybe mid-morning. Probably not a rise-and-shine at 6am kind of guy, but is up by at least 10:00am every day. Very cute when he’s groggy though, and stumbles around a bit like a baby deer when he first gets up, especially if he’s hungry.
He likes to bike. And really likes when you go on bike rides with him. As long as you both are on your own bikes, you learned the hard way that tandem biking isn’t cut out for you.
Knows that all-nighters aren’t good for you, but sometimes you have to pull them anyways. If you both have a lot to get done, he’ll stay up with you and make sure you both take breaks and drink water.
Can twirl his pens in that really fast and fancy way, and can do the thing where he rolls it between all his fingers too. I’ll let you think bout the implications of that for yourself.
He likes watching cartoons, and reels you into all his favorites. Definitely likes to stay in on weekends watching cartoons with you and just chilling.
Will go to a party with you if you ask, or if his friends are hosting, but nothing beyond that. You didn’t hear this from me, but he’d probably like to smoke more than drink.
Sometimes you think he needs a break and you commission Eren to take him out for the night, but Armin still comes back looking more composed than him. A little sleepy and maybe a bit out of it, but not sloshed, much to your disappointment. “Eren, you really couldn’t have tried to be more a bad influence?? I was counting on you!!”
Eren’s confused, like, “Did you want me to get him white boy wasted??” “Yeah, kinda!! It’s what he deserves every once in a while. Ugh, next time I’m calling in Sasha, she knows how to drink.”
By the way, if you’re dating Armin, you’re kind of dating (or at least babysitting) Eren too. Or vice versa. Either way, they will also go on dates without you. (“Hanging out. We’re hanging out, and I’m tutoring him so he doesn’t fail Biology, (Y/N).” “Likely story, ocean eyes.”)
Can be touchy in a very absentminded way. He’ll reach out to play with your ears/earrings, habitually rub at your shoulders if you’re standing in front of him, mindlessly toy with the ends of your clothing. Half the time he doesn’t even realize he’s doing it, he’s so cute.
Plays one sport—is on the soccer team. It keeps him busy, and forces him to focus on something that isn’t academics once in a while. He’s pretty good at it, too; he and Eren make a good team when they play together.
You and Eren tried to get him to join the baseball team too. Eren, because he likes playing with Armin. You, because, well… the uniforms. He would look so good in the uniform.
MIKASA ACKERMAN
Makes her classes look like a breeze, even though it’s at least 300 pages of reading and writing per week.
Kind of gives me Elle Woods “What, like it’s hard?” kind of vibes when it comes to schoolwork. You’re in awe of how she just did 75 pages of reading with a tiny ass font in one sitting, and she just blinks at you like “Was it supposed to be difficult?”
Speaking of which, she likes to read in general; for leisure, outside of her school work. She’ll recommend you books, too. If you don’t like to read, she’ll still try and rope you in with shorter stories, or just read them aloud to you herself. 
Sits at a table across from you while you both do your schoolwork independently. It doesn’t sound like much, but it’s a quiet, almost implicit sense of intimacy that she really likes.
Bundles you up when it’s cold, and won’t take no for an answer. You will wear a hat, whether you like it or not.
Always prepared—and by that I mean, she carries things on her that she realizes you might need. Tissues, extra pens, an extra pair of mittens. She strikes me as the kind of person to pay attention to details like those.
Likes to walk you to class, even if her class is very far away from your building. She doesn’t mind.
On that note, she knows your schedule pretty well, where it pertains to classes and personal interests.
If you’re the type of person who can slack off or even just get caught up in other things when it comes to school work, she’ll be there to keep you on track and hold you accountable. Usually through setting aside times to study with you, but can even be through small things like asking you how your assignment is going.
(Nevermind that you completely forgot about the assignment, and hadn’t even started it—but that’s the point; she knew that).
Hear me out: holding pinkies. Maybe not when you’re walking, but when you’re seated next to each other. The longer you’re together, the more likely she is to initiate it, too.
Would rather study at home/in her apartment than in the library, but if you like to study there, she can compromise a few days out of the week.
Makes you playlists, and they’re usually really good, because she knows you so well. Sometimes she gets cute and customizes the cover art to a picture of the both of you.
She’s your ride or die, so if you complain to her about a prof you don’t like or a TA you don’t think is fair she’s 100% on your side. She might not always be able to do anything about it, but she’ll definitely let you complain to her.
Texts you throughout the day to check up on you, but usually disguised through other questions. Asks what you want/had for lunch when she’s really checking to make sure you ate. Asks you what time your lectures end, just to make sure you didn’t skip it (again). Asks you what time you’re going to be done studying to make sure you don’t stay up all night cramming again.
Takes a genuine interest in your courses, and absolutely loves to listen to you talk about them.
If your classes are vastly different, she’ll still try and help you however she can, even if it’s only in small ways, like proofreading something for you.
Doesn’t use emojis alot, so your contact doesn’t have a bunch of hearts next your name on anything. But she does put your last name in as Ackerman. 
Has social media, but mostly uses it to keep up with her friends, and you. You’re in most of the few pictures that she does post, and she might not say it, but she really likes it when you post photos of/with her. 
Not sure why, but I think she’d be a pretty decent artist if she tried. That trend of doing glass paintings on TikTok? I think she’d be into that, and would plan out the whole thing as a date with you.
Keeps up with all your favorite shows to talk about or watch them with you. Sometimes she’ll purposely miss a few episodes so that she can spend the night and marathon them with you.
Likes to stay in and drink cheap wine and just watch or talk about whatever with you. You could watch a terrible show just to laugh and comment on it the entire time and she would be so happy. 
Doesn’t like to sit down on public transportation, and honestly would rather you didn’t either, but she’s not going to stop you from taking a seat. If you’re sitting, she’ll stand in front of/over you, and always keeps wire headphones long enough for you to share music that way.
The most insufferable human when she’s sick and she knows it. She hates being sick. And she knows you shouldn’t be around her or else you might get sick but she also just wants you to hold her. (You do).
Likes to sleepover at your place. Talks with you about your day while you lay down. Always smells good. Very cuddly when sleepy. 10/10.
Hates the act of doing her laundry, but likes doing it with you. Lowkey starts buying and using the same detergent and fabric softener as you because it makes her smell like you.
Gets very embarrassed if you kiss her in public. Very red in the cheeks, it’s kind of cute, so I wouldn’t blame you if you did it on purpose.
JEAN KIRSTEIN
Jean is… quite smart, if you ask me. Or, at the very least, analytical, which can be applied to a variety of academic settings.
The only thing is, he’s incredibly lazy about it. He wants to do well in school, and can definitely pull himself together for a midterm or an exam; but is horrible at keeping pace with all his other work and assignments on a regular basis.
He also can’t sit still, which is why even though he is very kind and chivalrous and brings many snacks to your study sessions, he is also competing for number one worst study partner. Right next to Eren and Sasha.
Gets pouty when you tell him you don’t want to study with him. “But… but… but I brought snacks! And bubble tea!” “Yes, but you also have the attention span of a rabbit, Jean.”
At the end of the day he understands… that doesn’t mean he’s not going to be bitter about it LOLOL. It’s fine, you can make it up to him by hanging out with him afterwards.
Is, like, classically trained in at least two instruments because his mom put him in lessons as a child. He used to hate it growing up, and he doesn’t practice much now, so he never talks about it.
One day you happen to mention something about comparing two songs, telling him they remind you of each other but you don’t know exactly why or why, and very nonchalantly he’s like, “They sound similar because they share the same major chord in the chorus, and they’re in the same key.” 
And you just kind of blink at him like, “Okay, Beethoven. How. How did you know that.”
Once you realize he can, like, actually play the piano and violin really well you’re always begging him to play for you. It doesn’t happen often—it’s not like he owns a violin anymore and he certainly doesn’t have a grand piano in his shitty college apartment—but sometimes you sneak into the music room when it’s empty and he’ll play something for you.
He’s a romantic at heart, so he doesn’t mind, and if anything kind of enjoys you watching him play. It’s much better than playing for random parents in a recital. You’re dead if you ever mention it to any of his friends though.
Also not a frat boy, but definitely likes to party. Everything with reason. If he crushed a midterm on Thursday, he deserves to throw back a few beers on Friday night, you know?
Touchy when he’s drunk. Well, touchier than normal; he’d be the most affectionate out of every one on a regular basis. But he’s touchy and messy when he’s drunk, so he’s all over you.
Messy, but happy. All smiles and giggles and red cheeks, with his arm around your shoulder, boasting you anybody who will listen about his super hot girlfriend.
He and Eren throw the best parties when they team up together. (Only slightly related, but those two, when drunk together, could probably pass as a couple; they’re so uncharacteristically happy, and affectionate. You may or may not be keeping some photo and video evidence of Eren and Jean drunk cuddling).
Sends you videos when you’re in the middle of class. And only then. He plans it to be annoying. Because he is annoying.
Also always sending you those in-messsage games while you’re in the middle of lecture or studying. “PLEASE play virtual pool with me!! I’ll even let you win one round!!” “I AM TRYING TO LEARN!!” “LEARN LATER 😡😡😡”
A fucking fiend in your Instagram comments. It’s a miracle none of them have been removed or reported for inappropriate content. Replies to OTHER people’s comments complimenting YOU!! He’s so much
@sashabraus: aww you look so cute @youruser!! that color looks so good on you 💕 @jeannotjean: omg omg tysm @sashabraus 😊 i picked it myself @youruser: SHE WAS TALKING TO ME @jeannotjean!!! ME!!! @jeannotjean: @youruser you have no proof 🙄 @youruser: SHE USED MY @!!!! GET OUT OF MY COMMENTS!!! @jeannotjean: you’re so hot when you yell at me via insta comments 🥵🥵🥵 would it be better if i slid into your dm’s instead 😫😫😉 @youruser: @jeannotjean BLOCKED!! EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY!!
You try explaining your coursework to him and he’s just looking at you with puppy dog eyes like, “I haven’t a clue what you’re talking about, babe, but you look hot while doing it, so, please, continue.”
He’s another cocky annoying bastard (endearing). Always tilting you head up to look at him and smirk at you. Pisses you off just to put his arm around your shoulder and be like, “It’s okay, I know you love me anyways.” Winks at you in public just to embarrass you. He’s the worst. The worst.
King of picking you up and throwing you over his shoulder for absolutely no reason at all.
He lowkey wants to get an ear piercing and uses you to talk him into it. “Don’t you think I’d look hot with a piercing? I think I would.” “You would look good regardless, Jean. So, do it if you want to.” “Right. But, like.... do you think I would look hot.”
For as annoying and cocky as he can be, the second you actually genuinely tell him you think he’s attractive or talented or whatever, he gets kind of shy. It’s very cute. 
Likes trying new restaurants with you, even though he really should stop spending all his money on food. Sometimes trying new restaurants means ordering from a new place, but it’s whatever, you know.
Honestly… the two of you would probably have a ridiculously high Uber Eats bill. You really should go outside and, like, be people every once in a while LOLOL
Okay, but it’s mostly Jean’s fault. For as much as he likes to party, and doesn’t mind hosting a party, he doesn’t do much beyond that. He hangs out with his/your friends, and with you, obviously, but he’s not the kind of guy to have his weekend booked up all the time.
He would much rather stay in with you, and talk trash about his stupid group project partners, and lay on your stomach and try to teach you how to play his favorite video games.
Spoiler: he fucking lies and/or leaves out key parts of the gameplay!! Just so he can crush you and laugh about it!! Annoying, but you’re the one keeping him around, so, who can you really blame but yourself.
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29 + 1 (Part Two)
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𝔰𝔶𝔫𝔬𝔭𝔰𝔦𝔰: In which Seokjin is the Devil from The Devil Wears Prada, Taehyung is your work Jesus and Jimin is your handsome successful brother.
𝔭𝔞𝔦𝔯𝔦𝔫𝔤𝔰: seokjin x reader (squint harder than before for taehyung x reader) 
𝔤𝔢𝔫𝔯𝔢: slice of life; ceo!seokjin; a dash of enemies to lovers au 
𝔴𝔠: 7.6k
𝔴𝔞𝔯𝔫𝔦𝔫𝔤𝔰: language; a plethora of drunk people, maybe a sext, and a ton of lying (possible implication of impending smut?!) 
𝔞/𝔫: this part came out longer than i thought it would be but *shrugs* feedback and thoughts always welcomed. enjoy (:  𝔡𝔦𝔰𝔠𝔩𝔞𝔦𝔪𝔢𝔯: DailyHive is real; this is not associated with it 
part one || part three 
The bright pop music that is blaring from the speakers does little to slow your animated talking. Bodies are packed into the small local bar, and students on summer break fill booths and form a snake of impatient, drunk (and horny) people. A slow trickle of the brazen has started to fill the dance floor as the evening morphs into the night.
  You whip your hair into a ponytail and dab at the sweat that is beading your forehead. You definitely should have worn that sleeveless top rather than this thicker t-shirt dress.
  “So, is he like your sugar daddy or something?” Taehyung asks, “Also drink.”
  Friday nights were usually spent at home, snuggled under the blankets in your pjs binging another rewatch of Friends. After work today, you could no longer hold onto your secret and invited Taehyung out for drinks. His girlfriend, Fei, was supposed to join but had been held back for overtime.
  You tip the shot back with no chase.
  “You’re a monster,” he comments as he bites into his lemon piece.
  The two of you had made a bet at the beginning of the evening: you each chose a pop song and each time it played, the nominee had to take a shot. That was your fourth of the night, and to say there was a bit of a buzz is an understatement.
  “It’s all throat technique, Tae,” you say with a bit of a slur, “Hit the back and swallow. No innuendo intended. Also, why the hell haven’t you had any to drink?”
  “You picked ‘Peaches’ for fuck’s sake.”
  “I told you I don’t listen to pop music. It was the first one playing.”
  “And shouldn’t that have told you something? Justin Bieber of all people?”
  “Shut up. It’s your song.” You nod at the pink-faced barista for another round. She slaps your order in front of the two of you without so much a glance.
You don’t even know what song is playing, but you feel quite satisfied watching Taehyung make a face as he downs it in one go.
  He clears his throat after the liquor has burned its way down to his stomach. “Back to my question: is he your sugar daddy?”
  You bark out a laugh. Was he? Perhaps the fact that he paid for fancy meals at lunch? Those have been his one o’clock meetings for the past two months.
  “I don’t know. I’d rather he buy me a car or pay my rent if anything. A casual 1k a week wouldn’t be so bad either. We just sit in his office and eat in secret, Tae. He’s ‘training me in the art of culinary cuisine’. I think it’s just so I don’t embarrass him by stuffing a shrimp cocktail up my nose.”
  “You do know – ”
“Yes, I know. And I would never. It’s a metaphor. It’s just that the position ‘intern’ is quite loosely defined at DailyHive, don’t you think?”
  Taehyung rinses his mouth with water before speaking. “So let me get this right. Mr. Kim calls you into his office, says he’s going to take you as his guest to the biggest tech event of the year, treats you to lunches and doesn’t ask for anything in return? No secret midnight meetups or shady business deals…”
  You shake your head.
  “Damn,” Taehyung says, resting his arm on the bar table, “Forget sugar daddy. He’s just daddy.”
  Sticking your tongue out, you gag visibly at his comment. “Do not ever call him that again, Tae; ev-er.”
  He laughs and watches you pensively. After a moment’s thought, he says, “Nobody has ever called me Tae.”
  “What do they call you then?” you reply, wrinkling your brows together. A cute brunette across the room catches your eyes and for the briefest of seconds, you wonder what a one-night-stand would feel like.
  He shrugs. “Just Taehyung.”
  The brunette waves in your direction. You are about to return his wave when an equally cute brunette runs up to him. He promptly kisses her before swivelling her around to join his group of friends.
  “Sorry. Do you want me to stop? I just assumed since we were out of the office…”
Oh Fate, how cruel you are. Life of twenty cats and solidarity, here you come. Maybe dogs. You feel like you could be more of a dog person.
  “No,” he stops you, “You can call me Tae. Whatever you want.”
  You turn your attention back on the also cute brunette in front of you. In all honestly, despite his youthful god-like countenance, he looks slightly out of place at this college bar with you in his upstanding business attire and dorkishly adorable thick-framed glasses.
  “Sure. How about Tee-Tee? Or Hyungie? The TaeMan?” You wiggle your brows with the suggestion.
  “God help me.”
  The two of you clink your shot glasses together even though neither of your songs are being played.
  His Apple watch lights up to indicate an incoming message. He relays the text to you, “Fei’s done work. She’s on her way now.” You can’t help but notice a shift in his previously excited demeanor.
  You nudge him with your elbow. “Aren’t you excited? She’ll need a glass of wine or two to destress after work. I might be projecting onto you for this part, but you’re buzzed. So after we get her to unwind I’m sure the overwhelming power of pheromones will get you lucky tonight.” You wink at him to emphasize your point.  
“She’s not a big drinker. She’s probably just going to come and ask to leave in five minutes. Bars like this aren’t really her thing either,” he states. He then unbuckles his watch and tucks it away into the pocket of his pants. Undoing the cuffs of his shirt, he rolls up the sleeves and continues to regard you solemnly. “Okay, next round is one me. Are you absolutely sure you don’t want to switch songs?”
  You notice how nice, long, and slender his fingers are. Plus the thing of girls liking when men have visible veins on their forearm? That had never really caught your attention until now.
  “She’s a bit of a bitch,” you say and immediately regret, “Shit, sorry. That just slipped out. Alcohol.”
  He offers you his water to drink.
  “I mean, she’s a little…uptight at times? But people can be completely different in and out of work. I can only imagine how stressful it is in her position. Working overtime until 9pm on a Saturday night seriously sucks,” you say to try and mend your wrongdoing.
  “Fei in the office is basically Fei at home,” he says softly, “It’s always work with her.”
  “We support career-driven women, yeah?” A smile is offered from you to him.
  He finally lets out a small one and nods. Out of the blue, he reaches over and covers your hand with his. Staring intently into your eyes, he says, “I know she makes you do her reports and occupies your time to do her coffee runs as well. You can say no to her. She may be my girlfriend, but you’re technically my intern, and I will stand on your side no matter what.”
  “Um, okay. Thanks, Tae,” you say. His sincerity has caught you off guard.
  At that moment, the sound of clicking heels pierce its way into your eardrums through the noise of the even busier bar. Taehyung quickly retracts his hand.
  Fei arrives, not a hair out of place in her tightly pulled bun. Her lips are painted a striking red against the paleness of her skin, and her manicured nails dig into the forearm of Taehyung when she reaches them. Even though she is wearing an otherwise drab office business suit, the curvature of her body draws quite a few glances from the younger men in the crowd.
  “It’s like a zoo here,” she sneers, turning away from a sacrificial lamb who had been bold enough step out of his circle of friends to greet her with a sleezy “hey”.
  “Hi, Fei. Busy night?” you greet her first.
  She gives you a tight-lipped smile. “Yes. I don’t know why you weren’t there. Isn’t it the intern’s job to complete reports?”
  Again, a loosely defined use of “intern” at DailyHive.
  You return her smile with a crisp one of your own.
  She turns away from you and regards Taehyung, who looks as if he had been the sacrificial lamb instead. “Teddybear, let’s go home. You know this type of place isn’t my vibe. I’m getting a headache already.”
  You raise an eyebrow at his pet name.
  He turns a little bit pinker, if that is possible under the current alcohol-induced glow of his cheeks, and says, “Um, sure. Y/N, are you going to be okay getting home?”
  Waving him off, you show him your phone. “30% left. I’ve got pepper spray in my bag and enough booze in me to not run from a fight. I’ll call an Uber home soon, don’t worry.”
  Fei has already begun to fight her way through the squirming, dancing bodies. Taehyung glances quickly at her and turns back to you once last time. “Text me that you’re home safe.”
  “Will do, boss,” you smile at him warmly.
  He lingers for just a moment more before running after his impatiently waiting girlfriend.
  You turn back to the bar and order another beer for yourself. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is perhaps the biggest perk of being single.
...
On the opposite side of town, sinking deeply into a soft lounge chair is Seokjin enjoying a rare evening out with his best friend. He has swapped his usual attire for a more relaxed fit of a white oversized crewneck and techwear bottoms. A heavy, exorbitant fur-lined long leather coat hangs on the coat rack beside the door to their private VVIP room. He swirls his glass of Chateau Lafite before sipping delicately.
  Outside, only a handful of patrons sit quietly engrossed in their own conversations. It is a relatively empty night at the high-end lounge. A lady sings sultrily on stage with the smooth background of a saxophone as accompaniment.
  Junho has poured himself another glass while he is talking to Seokjin. Seokjin had since slightly tuned out his friend’s rather elongated rendition of another celebrity sighting to occupy his mind with another individual.
  “Earth to Jin? When did you get so lightweight since I’ve been gone?” Junho waves a hand in front of Seokjin’s nose.
  Seokjin blinks to refocus.
  “The mansion I bought last year or the one I bought last month?” he reiterates. Sensing that Seokjin truly had no idea what the topic at hand had been, he tries again.
  “Where should I do my birthday party this year, man? I thought the mansion from last year since it’s closer to the city, but I feel like it’s been reused too many times. It’s not completely furnished yet, but the property I got last month is significantly bigger and I can probably host more people.”
  “The new place then,” Seokjin answers half-heartedly.
  Junho grumbles something intelligible.
  “What did you say?”
  “Nothing,” Junho sighs, “Tell me what’s new with you. How’s that little project of yours going? I still can’t believe you won’t let me know who you’re planning to take to the Gala.”
  Seokjin had refused to release even the slightest detail about you to Junho. Letting him know that Seokjin had agreed to one of his plans would be enough to inflate Junho’s ego for at least a little while.
  “It’s been going...”
  Junho waits for more of Seokjin’s answer, but his friend’s attention has been turned to a received text.
  10:17pm “Safe and sound, Teddy Bear.”
  10:17pm “Or should I say Taeddybear? 🥴”
10:18pm “That last beer done me rael godo.”
  10:18pm “Real good**”
  Seokjin raises a brow at the unknown number. He responds back.
  10:18pm “Who is this? I think you’ve got the wrong number.”
  Junho crosses his legs and sits back with a sigh. He presses the button to request for an attendant.
  10:19pm “You know who… Anyways, I just wanted to say thank you for saying you’ve got my back. It’s definitely appreciated.”
  The response doesn’t do much except to further pique Seokjin’s curiosity.
  “Sorry,” he says, sliding his phone back into his pocket, “Rogue text I think.”
  Junho shrugs. “Is that right? Seems to have caught your attention.” There is now a manner of indifference to his voice.
  “It’s going well, by the way – answering your question. I mean, all things considered. It’s not like I have to teach her how not to stuff a cocktail shrimp up your nose.”
  His friend snorts. “I’d be concerned and against this person if it’s who you’re planning to bring.”
  Seokjin’s phone buzzes again.
  10:21pm “Pray for me when I wake up with the worst hangover of my life. I’m going to bed now.”
  A moment of silence.
  10:21pm “I hope I didn’t piss off Fei tonight for stealing you for the evening.”
  10:22pm “Okay I’ll shut up now. Please don’t tell me you’re reading this. You should be getting some 😼💦.”
  The emoji makes Seokjin choke, liquid sputtering from his lips.
  Junho cusses. He angrily dabs at the speckle of red wine that has landed on his pearly white top.
  10:23pm Download attached image. “Just in case, here’s a little something to get the night started 😉”
  “What the hell man?” Junho gets up and makes his way to the bathroom. Luckily, the previously called attendant had arrived in time to escort him.
Seokjin barely notices that he is alone in room as he taps the download button. It isn’t until he has returned home and is looking at the picture one last time before bed that he realizes who his mysterious texter is.
  The employee nametag clipped to the collar of your workday shirt hanging on the arm of a chair can only be found when zoomed in past your painted toes and naked feet.
... 
You cannot hide your nervousness when you arrive at your “lunch meeting” the following Monday morning. All weekend, you had cursed yourself for not better checking who the recipient of your texts were before pressing send. Never had you thought that in your drunken stupor you would mix up “The Devil” in your contact list with “Taehyung Kim.” Curse you and your lack of friends beginning with the letter “T”.
  You balk before, a hand poised in perfect position for a knock. Maybe he didn’t download it? And even if he did, it was just a troll feet pic. You had made sure that it was as pg-13 as possible before you had sent it.
  “Hi,” you greet sheepishly when he has given you the go to enter.
  In a smart plain blue button-up and round frames that are almost certainly for the aesthetics, the CEO of the company and your boss sizes you up and down.
  “I know we’ve gotten to know each other better these past few weeks. But you’d think it’s still common courtesy to at least make eye contact,” he says. You look at him wide eyed without a word.
  He rolls his eyes but does not gesture to your usual seat. In fact, you don’t spy a take-out container in sight. He instead stands up and picks up his phone, walking to the door. He notices you have yet to move.
  “Let’s get moving. You’ve only got a 45 minute lunch.”
  You scramble to match his speed and catch Taehyung’s eye as you grab your jacket at your desk. Taehyung’s gaze follows you as you hurry to leave in pursuit of Seokjin’s coattail.
... 
The restaurant is a popular vegan establishment with a plethora of greenery crawling up its high ceilings and a window-framed overview of the city’s skyline. Waiters and waitresses who may just as well be walking New York Fashion Week serve you brunch mimosas on a golden plate; they attentively wait to the side in case you ever run out of water.
  Common topics are rare between the two of you. Initially, you respectfully kept quiet and only answered questions when asked, but you have never been one for awkward silence. Yes, it’s awkward only if you make it awkward; there is just no denying the hanging suspense that curls your toes each time. Recently, you have started with simple inquiries regarding the company, who they might meet at the Gala and everyday mundane topics.
  “You’re probably wondering why we’re out of the office,” Seokjin says. He continues shortly after taking a bite of his meal and ignores the look of your surprise at his initiation of a conversation. “My office has been getting stuffy with the warmer weather so I thought it’d be nice to get some fresh air. How’s the food?”
You nod, making small sounds of contentment as you chew on the Avocado Lime Tartare. Mmm… tart-y.
  He takes a deep breath in, stalling the incoming conversation. “It’s my friend’s birthday this next weekend.”
  “Oh,” you say, “Happy early birthday to him.”
  “He’s my best friend.”
  “Well… An extra happy early birthday to him.”
  A sigh. “Are you free next weekend?”
  Your chewing comes to a halt and you blink once at his question. Next weekend is the weekend before the Silver Gala. It is also the sole weekend before your birthday the following Friday after the Gala. You had hoped to spend it with Taehyung and maybe even Jimin who had promised to be in town on a long overdue vacation despite your chastising to visit your parents first.
  He senses your trepidation. Quickly, he explains himself, 
“He’s having a birthday party Saturday night. He has a place about an hour north of here. I can have somebody pick you up if that’s more convenient. I don’t have a birthday present for him and thought it’d be nice for you to meet him.”
  “You’re giving him me for a present?” you ask, incredulously.
  He bites his tongue. He never anticipated how awkward this conversation could go.
  “You’re going as my plus one. He really wants to meet you; in fact, he insisted that you be there. He’ll be at the gala too. I have something else planned for his birthday present,” he adds hastily, “Besides, you’re less than qualified as a present.”
  Musing silently to yourself, you wonder if in any situation should a human be qualified as a present. Despite that, you hate yourself as you agree on the spot.
  The rest of the lunch passes by quickly in dull silence. As Seokjin pays for the meal on the company card (and hands you the receipt for reimbursement), you note that there has been no comment made on any strange photos texted to him over the weekend.
  Perhaps being nonchalantly implied as a human birthday gift to a stranger is your karma for sending weird texts to your boss.
  Seokjin stays inside the car as he drops you off at the office after lunch, already preparing for his next business meeting. You nod your goodbye and step onto the pavement through the courteously held open door of the limousine.
“Y/N, try a soft pink. Fuchsia is not your colour,” he tells you as the door is closed.  
He then leaves you standing in front of the large office doors, staring at your chipped, week-old purple toenails.
... 
“I’m not exactly expecting a package in the mail or a dress laid out on the hotel bed – ”
“You guys are staying at a hotel?” Taehyung says over the phone.
  You are standing in your bedroom, an hour before when Seokjin is supposed to pick you up as an offering to his best friend. There are two dresses laid out on your Hello Kitty bed covers: a simple black dress you had worn once when you were a little bit more in shape and your prom dress.
  “No, I’m at home. But I mean, let me play into this movie metaphor.”
  “You suck at metaphors.”
  You have your phone propped up on some pillows so that you can see Taehyung as you debate your fashion decision. He is in a relaxed white tee, hair messily framing his face after a shower and a bowl of popcorn in his hands. You watch as a droplet of water runs down his face from his still-wet hair. He nonchalantly licks it off from the side of his mouth.
  “As I was saying, it wouldn’t hurt to get me something. He made it seem like it was a big deal. Like doesn’t the male lead usually surprise the female lead with a big bouquet of flowers and this over-the-top expensive dress which she wears and makes the male lead fall head over heels in love with her?”
  He chews silently on a kernel then probes, “You want Mr. Kim to fall in love with you?”
  “No,” you hastily correct, “It’s a metaphor. I think you’re the one who sucks at metaphors.”
  There is a beep on your phone to indicate you have another incoming call.
  “Tae, I’m going to have to call you back. My brother’s calling me,” you tell him. The black dress; your old prom dress is way too early 2000s. Black never hurts.
  “Okay. Have fun tonight. Pretend that it’s your birthday party. And then I’ll meet you for brunch tomorrow, my treat? You can tell me all about it,” he says. “Also the black. You look cute in that one.”
  “My party if I was 30, rich and successful. Oh wait, I’ll have one thing in common soon; that’s a start. Thanks though. I’ll call you tomorrow morning once I get up,” you say, then switch the call over to your brother. You had missed the flush of his cheeks as you busily swipe your phone.
Sticking the prom dress back into your closet, you rummage around the meager display of shoeboxes for a pair of high heels.
  “Hey, Jimin,” you greet over the phone.
  “Jesus, I do not need to be accosted by my half-naked sister,” he yells over the phone.
  You turn rapidly, seeing that you had accidentally continued a video call from when you had hung up on Taehyung. You throw a pillow over the camera in your haste to cover yourself up.
  “I was going to ask why you’re dressed like that but on second thought, I think I’ll leave your sexual exploits as your own secret.”
  Despite how disturbed you feel about this comment, his cheerful voice makes you smile.
  “So little sis, the weekend before the big three-oh!”
  “Please stop reminding me.”
  “Where do you want to meet tonight? I just got off the plane, but I can be ready to meet in about an hour. I booked a hotel close to the airport.”
  Shit. You forgot to tell Jimin. These heels will have to do.
  “Um… I, uh…”
  “What?”
  You clear your throat and begin to undress in front of the mirror. You have a sudden conscious thought that the dusty treadmill in your living room seems to be staring daggers at your back. 
  “I’ve got plans tonight.”
  “Plans? I wasn’t even aware you had friends here.”
  “Ouch, Jimin. But yes, I have friends. In fact, I am meeting a friend for brunch tomorrow if you want to join. I’m sure he’ll be okay with it.”
  “He?” Jimin repeats, “Should I put on my big brother boxing gloves? Give him a good talking to in case he’s interested in my baby sister?” Pause. “Was that who you were calling before?”  
You bite your answer back, not feeling the need to go down that rabbit hole.
  “He’s just a friend; A co-worker really,” you say, “He’s also unavailable. And before you suggest anything, his goalkeeper is technically one of my bosses so I do not want to try and shoot past her thank you very much.”
  Jimin laughs. “I wasn’t going to suggest anything. Well if you’re busy tonight, tomorrow morning works for me. Give me a call. I’ll spend the night in watching some good ol’ Netflix and enjoy this vacation time.”
  “Sorry again,” you apologize.
  “Go out and have fun,” he says, “You deserve it.”
  The two of you finish off the call with the usual goodbyes. You have forty-five minutes to dress the part of a sparkly birthday surprise for the co-founder of the company you work for. Throwing on your favourite throwback music, you get to work.
  Once satisfied, you snap a picture and sending it to Taehyung making special care that you have picked the right individual this time.
... 
The mansion is bigger than you could have ever imagined, and the amount of people present are…
  “You’re telling me I can do whatever I want tonight,” you ask Seokjin in the car.
  There is no denying that Seokjin knows how to dress for an event. In a velvety black and white suit, contrasted by his blonde hair which he has elected to temporarily dye for the evening, he looks very much the posh CEO magazines brand him out to be. You are glad you elected for the simple black dress as standing beside this Renaissance statue in a floral pastel yellow dress would be like planting dandelions in Kanye’s sculpture garden (if he ever wanted one).
  “The majority of people won’t recognize you after tonight. They’ll also be too drunk to even register anything you tell them,” Seokjin says.
  He cannot believe that you chose a simple black dress. Did you really not own anything remotely feminine besides the most generic clubbing outfit? Even if you had wanted to make an appearance as a hooker, at least make it an expensive-looking one. Maybe he should have bought you that Versace dress he spotted in the window the other day. Instead…
  “Take this. Your earrings are too gaudy for this event.”
  You touch the sparkly black cats you have put into your ears. Their eyes are made of crystal, and you thought it looked quite fetching in the light. Opening up the box, you see a dainty elegant pair of teardrop earrings that may or may not be of real diamonds.
  “Only Junho will know who you really are and then you can enjoy the rest of your night. I don’t want you to feel like you’re being held here against your will.”
  Putting them on, you note that even this simple change in attire has elevated the entirety of your presence. You felt as luxurious as this gift.
  “Thanks, Seokjin,” you try the first name basis he had insisted upon for this evening, “Not going to lie, I had imagined that maybe you’d send me a dress in the mail or something, but this is still very nice.”
  He snorts and rolls his eyes. “Like in the movies? Please, I run a start-up company. I’m not a millionaire and I don’t think you would appreciate my handouts.”
  You don’t respond, making your second note of the night on the Prada label on the cuff of his suit. “To clarify, I don’t introduce myself as your plus-one tonight.”
  “No. I don’t want you associated with me,” he curtly states. He watches as your smirk twitches and he hits himself mentally in the head again. “It’s to protect you. There are bound to be tons of paparazzi tonight at a party as big as this. I don’t want you to find yourself in the tabloids tomorrow morning. Just be smart.”
  The car pulls to a stop after inching its way up to the front door. People mill about outside in extravagant brands, holding glasses of champagne. The man of the hour is somewhere inside the building, charming his way into new business deals as well as making new friends.
  “Stay close to me. You can leave after we meet Junho. It is his birthday after all,” Seokjin offers a hand as you step out of the car.
  You take it, looping yourself into him so that your hand rests on his forearm. You are only 13 days younger than Junho, and yet this striking contrast in lifestyle hits you like a landslide while the two of you walk up the stairs and into the mansion.
  Inside, it is dim with disco lights flashing to the beat of amped party music. Upon entrance, the two of you are offered glasses of liquor (you take a swirling iridescent drink) to which you are then ushered to where the birthday boy lounges.
  Junho has an even more youthful face than Seokjin does. Where Seokjin’s features exude class and charm, Junho appears mischievous and looks to have stepped out of every girl’s bad boy dream.
  You stop Seokjin with a tug and make him look at you. “Tell me: do I look like a passable birthday offering?”
  Seokjin rolls his eyes and pulls you along with him.
  “Jin!” Junho hollers loudly across the room when spotting his oldest friend. There is a doll-like female magnetized to his side. “This is Clara, my date for the evening.”
  Seokjin shakes her hand and greets them. The female cannot seem to pry her eyes away from this handsome new stranger. He introduces himself chivalrously to her as Junho sides up to you and grips your hands in his. His breath smells strongly of mixed drinks, and you know that in about fifteen minutes the entire night will be a blur for him.
  “You must be Y/N!” he says excitedly, “Jin didn’t tell me that you were coming! What a surprise!”
  “I am,” you greet back with a large smile. “Although I’m also surprised. Seokjin told me that you had insisted I came.”
  Seokjin grits his teeth, annoyed at Junho. Would he ever learn when to keep his big mouth closed?
Laughing loudly, Junho grabs two drinks just as a waiter passes by and hands them to you. “Insist might be a strong word,” he says, drilling another hole unknowingly, “I honestly thought I’d have to play part-time wingman tonight. But I’m glad he’s got someone by his side.” He jabs you a little too hard in the ribs. “Next week’s gala is going to be fun! Okay, now there’s only one rule tonight: there are no rules!”
  The four of you clink your glasses together, while you do your best to hide an embarrassed smile on behalf of the birthday boy.
  “You bet I’m going around as your trophy wife tonight,” you whisper in Seokjin’s ear when Junho looks away.
  He whirls around to look at you, the tip of both your noses impossibly close together. He can taste the acidity of the wine when you breath out with a wicked smile. He barely has time to stop you as you peel yourself away to mingle with the crowds.
  Seokjin is about to follow you but Junho pulls him away, flamboyantly introducing his handsome best friend to a group of international models. He turns on his brightest smile, but his heart thunders in his chest at you calling yourself his wife.
... 
You twirl around in your dress, nobody noticing the small splash of champagne on the front of it in the quickly changing lights.
  “He bought this for me last week. Says it reminds him of the first night we met. Our eyes met across the waters in Tuscany where he was on a business trip. I’ll let you on a little secret, but I was his mistress for a little while.”
  Seokjin cannot make out the words you are saying to a small but growing group of people around you. He stands across from Junho, but looks over the latter’s shoulders to watch as you do another spin.
  “A little while, Charlotte? Are you still his mistress?” an older lady with an exuberant amount of jewels hanging off her body whispers with a keen interest in your expertly spun story.
  Charlotte Dior Laurent, an identity you are pretty sure is an amalgamation of French brands from the top of your mind. You continue to personify this character however.
“Don’t worry. He’s left her since. I know I know, my friends all say the same. ‘He’s already been divorced three times. How can you be sure he won’t leave you?’”
  At this point, you are in way over your head at having told this story to at least two other groups and a multitude of other renditions to whomever you have met tonight. But there is something powerful about liquid courage as it courses through your body.
  The lady lays a hand on your arm. “I don’t want your heart to break. You are still young.”
  Looking up between the heads of your audience, you catch Seokjin’s eyes. They are fiery and it sends a strange sensation up your toes to your abdomen. You give a titillating wave at him in which he does not return.
“He says I’m special and different. How can you say no to that?” you exclaim with exasperation, fully committing to the poor damsel just oh-so in love.
  There is a look of genuine concern on the lady’s face at your statement.
  Before you can dig yourself a deeper hole, you place your empty glass on the table and excuse yourself. You do not know if it’s the drinking on a relatively empty stomach or if the room is really much warmer due to the multitude of bodies, but you head out to the balcony.
  On your way out, you notice that the clock reads twenty minutes past midnight. This gives you a shock at how fast time has passed. Perhaps you should go find Seokjin if you are to get a decent amount of sleep before meeting with Taehyung and Jimin tomorrow. Speaking of Taehyung…
  You pull out your phone and see that there are two unread messages. The first is from Jimin, confirming that he is indeed invited to brunch tomorrow morning. The second is a response from Taehyung.
  11:09pm “Wow. You have me a little lost for words. I had imagined you’d look nice in the dress but… You really are beautiful.”
  Smiling, you type in your response.
  12:21am “Thanks, Tae. You’re up late.” You take a picture of the earrings Seokjin had gifted you and attach it to the message. “What do you think of these?”
Barely have you returned your phone into your bag when it buzzes again. This time you receive an attached image. Taehyung seems to be sitting in front of a monitor, as his face glows with a blue light and contorted into a pensive furrow of his brows.
  12:21am “A little different from your usual style. Are they new? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you wear those.”
  12:21am “Fei’s out with some friends tonight. She likes when I wait for her to come back before I sleep. To make sure she’s safe, I guess.”
  12:22am “Pooey. I should’ve brought you as my plus-one 😩. Also, Seokjin bought them for me for tonight. He says my other earrings are too gaudy.”
  12:24am “First name basis 🙃”
  12:25am “How is your night going? Having fun?”
  You are about give Taehyung a call for a detailed recounting of tonight’s escapades when someone speaks out from within the shadows.
  “A penny for your thoughts?” He walks into the moonlight. You flush, meeting the eyes of this particularly dashing gentleman, the phonecall immediately forgotten.
  Oh, Alcohol, you make even the smartest of people do dumb shit. And right now, your effects are even worse on this idiot.
  Your mouth hangs slightly open as you watch him puff out smoke from his cigar and offer it to you. He brushes up beside you, his fingers trailing up your hand which grips the balcony. You cannot seem to break away from his gaze.
  “Lung cancer has an increasing incidence rate particularly for females due to smoking. Are you sure you want to be condoning this type of behaviour?” Seokjin interjects himself between you and your Tuxedo Mask, pushing the outstretched cigar back towards its owner.
  There is a small stare down amongst the two men before the latter quietly exits the stage. Your eyes continue to linger on him even as he walks towards another female alone in the night enjoying the outdoor breeze.
  “You’ve just ruined by chance. I could have seduced then blackmailed him with the story of his illegitimate child to play Black Widow,” you whine.
  Seokjin takes the glass that had somehow magically appeared in your hand during the short walk from inside to outside on the balcony.
  “How many have you had since we came?” he asks.
  You sigh wistfully, still in your dangerous daydream. “I don’t know. I’ve lost count.” You turn your attention back to him eventually. “What are you doing here? Did you see me with him and get all jealous, hubby?” you tease.
  He scoffs, drinking from your glass and pulling a face. Once again, there is that twist and jump within his chest, but he attributes it to whatever nasty concoction he had just ingested. He pours its contents over the railing and into whatever shrubbery lies below. “You seriously went with being my trophy wife?”
  You shrug. “Of sorts. You’d better be right about people being too drunk slash not caring about me enough after tonight to remember the things I’ve said. ‘Cuz you’ve been divorced three times, had me along with another as your mistress, I think you’ve sired a few illegitimate children and all in all, a Games of Throne life. Damn, maybe I made you a little too badass.”
  “You’re having water for the rest of the night,” he says.
  You glare at him, contemplating on making a remark about his equally flushed face but decide against it. Instead, you lean onto the balcony and give a cat stretch. A large sigh escapes from you.
  Wordlessly, he shakes off his jacket and places it around your shoulder all the while averting his gaze on the unblemished skin of your upper thighs that had been exposed from your previous movement.
  Your blood feels like liquid fire coursing through your veins. Feeling overheated even in the evening breeze, you give him back his jacket. You note his reluctance to meet you even as you throw what could be a thousand dollar jacket in the air to him. “So what’s it like to live like this every day?” you say in wonder. You feel said breeze return and lean over the balcony to catch its chill.
  “Like what?” he asks. The warm summer night’s breeze blows through, settling his hair in a childish tousle.
  “Like rich,” you say. You sigh again. “Believe it or not, I’m the same age as your birthday boy best friend.
  And everything feels absolutely unreal right now. If I hadn’t agreed to come here tonight with you, I’d probably be at another dingy bar knocking back shots with my brother and friend.”
  “Are you a secret alcoholic?”
  You glare at him. “No,” you state matter-of-factly. “As I was trying to share, this type of lifestyle is something I could ever only imagine. I’m not ungrateful about spending time with them, but at the end of the night I’d go home, sweaty, drunk and gross, and then simply pass out. My bank account might be a couple hundred bucks lighter. Come Monday I’ll be working my ass off just to earn back what I had spent. Then cue the repeating cycle.”
  Resting your chin on your palm, your other hand sweeps your hair back behind your ear.
  “It’s amazing the difference a few life choices can have.”
  Seokjin remains silent beside you. Truthfully, he is at a loss of words. The moonlight plays across your face and caresses your nose down to your lips. You are arching your back once again to pull away the soreness that comes with wearing high heel the entire night. It is just a simple black dress but on you it made you look –
  “Well, you’re Mrs. Kim tonight,” he starts.
  “Charlotte Dior Laurent,” you correct him.
  He raises an eyebrow. “Okay… Ms. Charlotte Dior Laurent. Tonight you get to live like the rich, as you’ve put it. As a rich person, what would you like to do?”
  You ponder his question a few moments for the answer. “Hmm…I think I’d like to play golf. It’s a rich person’s sport. I want to play it on a private golf course, wearing cute golfing outfits and talk about million-dollar deals with a client without a care in the world. I want to order sangria by the gallon.”
  He laughs out loud. It takes a while for him to be able to speak again, but when he does you feel as if the night has been illuminated a few degrees brighter. “I personally don’t have a private golf course, but Junho does here in his backyard if you’re up for it. I can’t promise cute golfing outfits so you’ll have to do with your wine stained dress. And if you’re really up for it I can pretend to make business deals with you, that’s my job anyways.”
  You grin, taking the hand he has offered you. “Call.” The two of you shake upon his suggestion.
As he is leads you by the hand towards the dim gates of said golf course, you tug at him gently. “There’s something missing…” you say.
  He shakes his head and pulls you back in towards the party room. 
“I’ll see what they have at the bar.”
... 
As the hands of the clock continue to spin past another hour, the summer night takes a chilly turn. Seokjin has lent you his jacket but even that cannot stop your fingers from becoming numb. Your hands shake even as they tightly hold the golf club. Seokjin watches you in silence as you prepare to hit the golf ball, a beer in one hand and a few opened bottles littered on the grass beside him. The club hits the ball with a resounding “cling” but does little in propelling it a few centimeters.
  “This one doesn’t count,” you announce, “It’s too dark to see anything here.”
  Seokjin takes a swig as you readjust your position. You sway in the wind and the last tendrils of your hair come undone in its half up half down hairdo. Your hair now whips wildly around your face when another gust blows through.
  “Shit!” you exclaim, missing the ball again. “Why is golfing so hard?!”
  You throw your club down and trudge to Seokjin. The six pack the two of you had been sharing has officially been depleted. Seokjin offers you his half empty bottle. This time, you are the one watching as he goes to your spot and effortlessly swings his target into the darkness.
  He smirks from the spot.
  You grumble. “You’ve had years of practice. Not fair.”
  “You’ve got to do better than that, Mrs. Johnson,” he says, teasing you.
  Your grumble becomes more audible. You place the now empty bottle on the ground and cross your arms against your chest. Since telling him of your other American alias from tonight, he has not ceased to remind you of your strange choice of name.
  “Just so you know, Mrs. Johnson can afford both an affair and the consequential prenup,” you huff.
  “It’s still a stupid last name.”
  “It’s an American multinational corporation with an income in the billions, okay?”
  “Keep telling yourself that if it makes you sleep better at night. Now come on, I’ve got one last ball. Take a swing.”
  Groaning, you shuffle over. You wish you had not suggested golf. You had never been good at sports anyways – bad hand-eye coordination.
  He stands beside you this time, scrutinizing your every movement with hawk-like eyes. “No, not like that,” he says, “Have a wider stance and bend your knees. Better centre of gravity gives you a better swing. Also hold it with a neutral grip.”
  You readjust your positioning following his instructions.
  “Index finger down the center. Good. And three knuckles on each hand. No, that’s two. Okay your hands are just weird now. Three. I said three.”
  “Stop standing there and show me then, Mr. Know-It-All,” you say, your patience in this makeshift lesson also coming to an end.
  He walks closer to you, reaching out for the golf club. He retracts his hands in seeing that you have yet to let go. “You got to – ”
“You can touch me. I did tell you that Mrs. Johnson can afford an affair and prenup. Besides, I’m not going to be able to learn anything if I can’t even see you in this dark.”
  He comes behind you and puts a foot between yours to guide your stance. Wrapping his arms around you, he fixes the placement of your hands to grip the shaft of the club in the way he had previously instructed.
  Perhaps it is the mixture of wine, champagne and beer offered tonight, but being enveloped in the warmth of this embrace intoxicates you. The tingles that are sent down from his soft breathing on the base of your neck, make you shake like a leaf in the wind.
He inhales the sweet undertones of your perfume. The tendrils of your hair brush against his collarbone, sending a sensual kiss onto his skin. Unconsciously, he draws you closer to him, shielding you from another gust.
“Now you just want to swing,” he says, the words a mixture of a whisper and guttural grunt. His chest rumbles with it, passing the vibration through to your back.
  You remain as still as a statue and lean ever so slightly back into him until your entire backside is pressed upon him.
  You can’t stop yourself as you ask him, “Do you want to have sex with me?”
...
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ddarkhours · 4 years
Text
SKZ masturbating headcanons
Word Count: 1990 for the full thing; Requested: Nope hehe i just really wanted to do this:D
a/n: this is maybe my third time ever doing headcanons so we’ll see how this goes but i really liked writing this and it was me just being thirsty more than me writing it lmao anyway enjoy
Chan
Minho
I think Chan jacks off a few times a week. I feel like he’d do it mostly at home or in the bathroom but the thought of him doing it in the studio has been in my mind for a while. Like normally he’d go in the shower and turn on the water to mask any sounds, but sometimes he’s in the studio and he just needs to relax y’know. Also all of those background noises in some 3racha songs. He would put on some loud music, even though the studio is soundproof you can never be too safe, he would pull up a video on his phone (you decide if the video is his or not), and just pull his dick out, not fully taking his pants off. I see him groaning a lot and just breathing heavy, not really moaning especially since he’s alone. His hand doesn’t feel the same as you but it’ll do in the moment. I don’t think it would take him too long to cum and when he’d finish he would stop his movements, holding his cock at the base and just letting it shoot, groaning after every string of cum, and maybe a hiss here and there, either over his hand or in a tissue for convenience sake. 
That curtain he has on his bed is really giving me many thoughts here hhh. Anyway. Because he sleeps naked and that curtain is there on his bed, we can all use our imaginations to see what usually goes down. Minho is a little shit, so I see him kind of being an exhibitionist and because he doesn’t share a bunk with anyone I can see him masturbating in his bed most of the time. I don’t think he’d be too into porn, I mean sure he watches it sometimes but he prefers to use his imagination here, thinking of what you two did last weekend or the last time you gave him head/he ate you out, your moans are occupying his mind while he does it. I feel like Minho likes to tease himself so he doesn’t cum too often. He’d rather have one mind blowing orgasm a week than a couple mediocre ones. I think he’d jerk himself off and edge himself a couple of times a week but not let himself cum, just for the thrill of it, to see how far he can take it, feeling himself half hard all day turns him on even more. And when he finally let’s himself cum he’d be so spent. Groaning a lot and moaning quietly, he’d slow down his hand to almost a painful speed going down towards the base of his dick. He’d shoot over his stomach and probably up to his chest since he hasn’t cum in a while and continue to move his hand until his dick is basically soft and his orgasm wore off.
Changbin
Now. Idk if it’s because they’re producers or What but I can also picture Changbin jerking off in the studio, but more often than Chan. He’d do it in there most of the times he does it, maybe a couple of times a week because he feels comfy in there. He would do it when he takes a break from work, he’d just let his mind wander and most of the time it ends up in the gutter. He’d start to think about you, he’d think about the last time you guys fucked, when he hit it from the back, the way you moved over his dick. I have a feeling he would rub his cock through his pants for most if not all of it, in case anyone knocks on the door or wants to come in. If anyone were to come in he would stop, immediately. He isn’t into showing off at all. Unless of course it was you but that’s not what this is about rn lmao. He might cum in his pants or pull his dick out just to cum, like Chan either over his hand or in a tissue, but I see him hissing a lot more than Chan, and when his orgasm hits slowing down and tugging towards his tip basically milking himself for as long as he can.
Hyunjin
OKAY. Hyunjin would do it at his desk, no questions asked. I think he’d watch a lot of porn. I think his favourite videos would be something of you, maybe a clip you sent him or something you filmed together, and I think he would really love it if it was a short clip that just looped over and over. He’d get so into it, matching his rhythm with the video. OH also he gives me the vibe of someone who’d use a cock ring:) just to drag it out a little longer. Also strikes me as the type of guy who’d pull his dick back and let it slap against his stomach. You know how dramatic Hyunjin is, he’d be moaning and groaning and throwing his head back when he got somewhat close to cumming, I think he also really likes dirty talk a lot so he’d whisper things as if you were there fhfdj. His head would fall back and he’d lean forward, spreading his legs more, squeezing near the tip and catching his cum in his other hand.
Jisung
Jisung is a bundle of energy, and I think he gets riled up easily so I see him jerking off almost probably every day. He doesn’t have a preference on where he does it, probably wherever he can get privacy at the moment and I also think he wouldn’t be embarrassed to ask for privacy. Like if he just got to the bathroom, rock hard from thinking about you all day, and someone tried to ask him to let them shower first he’d tell them straight up “Kinda have something I need to take care of”. Absolutely shameless. But sometimes when he wants to drag it out a bit or finally has some free time he gives the vibe that he’d have a fleshlight or those silicone eggs. He would pull up some videos on his laptop, imagining it’s you and that you’re riding him, thrusting up into the toy. He’d pull out to cum most of the time because cleaning it is a pain. He would jerk himself off so fast just trying to cum, his hand would go over his cock at lightning speed, letting out high pitched moans and shooting over his abs and just laying there with his dick in his hand as his heart rate calmed down… Alternatively if he’s super into it and just lost in the pleasure he’ll just let himself go and cum inside, shoving his dick as far as he can into it and holding it down as his spurts of cum would shoot inside.
Felix
Most of these have gone solo but even when jerking off Felix would want to do mutual masturbation or at the very least call you to hear your voice. Felix is so sweet:(( and he’s so clingy even if he can’t directly see you, he’d want you to talk dirty to him through the phone, and ask you to moan for him. I think he’d really be into facetiming and just watching you play with yourself, that’s what gets him off the most, knowing that you feel good too. He’d say things like “baby tell me how good you feel”, “I wish you were here with me” and such. I feel like he’d either ask you if he can cum or he’d ask you to cum with him. He’d be so into it, letting his head fall back and moaning super deep raspy moans, stroking his dick for you to see, shooting wherever it lands, he doesn’t care at that moment. If he was to do it alone I think he’d be into ruining his own orgasm and making himself cum a couple of times, doing this occasionally and only once or twice per round. He’d jerk off to the thought of you, using both hands to rub his cock and when he’d feel close he would remove his hands, leaving his body quivering, the thought of you pushing him closer and closer with his dick twitching until with one last breath he finally lets go and he cums just from the thought of you, your body, you taking him, he would moan and buck his hips into nothing, his seed landing all over himself and the floor/bed sheets. His spurts of cum would get weaker and weaker with each orgasm, until he finally let’s himself enjoy his orgasm and his cum would cover his hand.
Seungmin
Does it in the bathroom strictly, he’s a neat freak you can’t change my mind. Cumming anywhere besides the drain just seems messy and unhygienic. Seungmin is the only member that I don’t really have a clear picture in my head of. I feel like he could go both ways and just use his hands or have some sort of toy. I’m thinking vibrating cock ring so that he doesn’t have to use his hands as much. I can see him putting his arm on the wall and putting his face in the crook of his elbow to suppress any moans as he thinks of you. The vibrations of the ring are enough to make him cum on it’s own so his hand is stroking his dick slowly. oH he plays with his nipples a lot, even when he’s alone it makes him cum faster. He’d imagine you masturbating, his hand slowly starting to pick up speed until he’s breathing heavily, biting the inside of his arm, the vibrations of the toy making his legs shake and he’d spill his cum down the drain, his hand helping milk himself under the running water.
Jeongin
He’d do it a lot. He is the youngest so I’m imagining he would be horny a lot. He would do it on his bed as much as he could, laying on his back with his shirt pulled up and his shorts pulled down just enough for his cock and balls to be out with one hand behind his head. I think he watches a lot of porn too, maybe hentai but I’m not gonna go too deep into that. He would have his phone propped up either on some pillows in front of him or on the wall. He jerks off in waves- let me explain- he goes fast and brings himself closer to orgasm before slowing down, playing with his tip, massaging it for a little bit before going again. He’d do this a lot, everytime he would play with his tip he’d use his finger tips to massage behind the head where it feels reall good. It would make his legs shake and his cock twitch so much it would slip out of his hands sometimes, his jaw would hang open and he’d time it so it lines up with the best part of the video. When the person in the video cums it would send him reeling, it would be the tipping point that makes him cum. He would try to stay as quiet as possible, not only for the members not to hear him but also for his own enjoyment. He’d hold his hand still while he fucks up into it, pretending it’s the real thing. He’d aim for his stomach but with how good it feels it would be all over his bedsheets.
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vickyvicarious · 3 years
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Leverage Redemption Pros/Cons List
Okay! Now that I've finally finished watching the first half of Leverage: Redemption, I thought I'd kind of sum up my overall impression. Sort of a pro/con list, except a little more just loosely structured rambles on each bullet point rather than a simple list.
This got way out of hand from what I expected so I'm going to put it all under a cut. If you want the actual bulletpoint list, here it is:
PROS
References
Continuity
Nate
Representation
Themes
New Characters
General Vibe
CONS
'Maker and Fixer'
Episode Twins
Sophie's Stagefright
Thiefsome
You might notice the pros list is longer, and that's because I do love the show! I really like most of what it does, and my gripes are fewer in number and mostly smaller in size. But they do exist and I felt like talking about them as well as the stuff I loved.
PROS
References
There is clearly so much love and respect for the original show here. Quite aside from the general situation, there's a lot of references to individual episodes or character traits from the first show. For example, Parker's comments on disliking clowns, liking puppets, disliking horses, stabbing vs. tasing people. The tasing was an ongoing thing in the original, the stabbing happened once (S1) but was referenced later in the original show, the clown thing only had a few mentions scattered across the entire original show. The puppet thing was mentioned once in S5, and the horses thing in particular was only brought up in S1 once. But they didn't miss the chance to put the nod to it in there; in fact with those alone we see a good mix of common/ongoing jokes and smaller details.
We got "dammit Hardison" and "it's a very distinctive..." but also Eliot and Parker arguing about him catering a mob wedding, and Eliot being delighted by lemon as a secret ingredient in a dish in that same episode (another reference to the mob episode). Hardison and Eliot banter about "plan M", an ongoing joke starting from the very first episode of the original show. We see Sophie bring up Hardison's accent in the Ice Job, Parker also makes reference to an early episode when describing "backlash effect" to Breanna, in an episode that also references her brother slightly if you look for it.
Heck, the last episode of these first eight makes a big deal out of nearly reproducing the iconic opening lines of the original show with Fake Nate's "we provide... an advantage." And I mean, all the "let's go steal a ___" with Harry being confused about how to use them.
Some of the lines are more obviously references to the original show, but they strike a decent balance with smaller or unspoken stuff as well, and also mix in some references between the team to events we the audience have never seen. If someone was coming into this show for the first time, they wouldn't get all the easter egg joy but most of the references would stand on their own as dialogue anyway. In general, I think they struck a good balance of restating needed context for new viewers while still having enough standalone good lines and more-fun-if-you-get-it callbacks.
Continuity
Similar to the last point, but slightly different. The characters' development from the original to now is shown so well. I'm not going to go on about this too long, but the writers clearly didn't want to let the original characters stagnate during the offscreen years. There was a lot of real thought put into how they would change or not.
It's really written well. We can see just how cohesive a team Parker, Hardison, and Eliot became. We get a sense of how they've spent their time, and there's plenty of evidence that they remained incredibly close with Sophie and Nate until this past year. The way everyone defers to Parker is different from the original show and clearly demonstrates how she's been well established as the leader for years now - they show this well even as Parker is stepping back to let Sophie take point in these episodes. Eventually that is actually called out by Sophie in the eighth episode, so we might see more mastermind Parker in the back half of the show, maybe. But even with her leading, it's clear how collaborative the team has become, with everyone bouncing ideas off one another and adding their input freely. Sometimes they even get so caught up they leave the newbies completely in the dust. But for the most part we get a good sense of how the Parker/Hardison/Eliot team worked with her having final say on plans but the others discussing everything together. A little bit more collaborative than it was with Nate at the helm.
Meanwhile Sophie has built a home and is deeply attached to it. She and Nate really did retire, at least for the most part, and she was living her happy ending until he died. She's out of practice but still as skilled as ever, and we're shown how much her grief has changed her and how concerned the others are for her.
There's a lot of emphasis on how they all look after one another and the found family is clearer than ever. Sophie even calls Hardison "his father's son" - clearly referring to Nate.
Nate
Speaking of Nate! They handled his loss so, so well. His story was the most complete at the end of the last show, and just from a narrative point, losing him makes the most sense of all the characters. But the way he dies and his impact on the show and the characters continues. It's very respectful to who he was - who he truly was.
Nate was someone they all loved, but he was a deeply flawed individual. Sophie talks about how he burned too hot, but at least he burned - possibly implying to me that his drinking was related to his death. In any case, there's no mystery to it. We don't know how he died but that's not what's most important about his death. This isn't a quest for revenge or anything... it's just a study of grief and trying to heal.
Back to who he really was real quick - the show doesn't eulogize him as better than he was. They're honest about him. From the first episode's toast they raise in his memory, to the final episode where Sophie and Eliot are deeply confused by Fake Nate singing his praises, the team knows who he was. They don't erase his flaws... but at the same time he was so clearly theirs. He was family, he was the man they trusted and loved and followed into incredibly dangerous situations, and whose loss they all still feel deeply.
That said, the show doesn't harp on this point. They reference him, but they don't overwhelm new viewers with a constant barrage of Nate talk. It always serves a purpose, primarily for Sophie's storyline of moving through her grief. Anyway, @robinasnyder said all of this way better than me here, so go read that as well.
Representation
Or should I say, Jewish Hardison, Autistic Parker, Queer Breanna!
Granted, Hardison's religion isn't quite explicitly stated to be Jewish so much as he mentions that his "Nana runs a multi-denominational household", but nonetheless. He gets the shows big thesis statement moment, he gets a beautiful speech about redemption that is the emotional cornerstone of that episode and probably Harry's entire arc throughout the show. And while I'm not Jewish myself, most of what I've seen from Jewish fans is saying that Hardison's words here were excellent representation of their beliefs. (@featherquillpen does a great job in that meta of contextualizing this with his depiction in the original show as well.)
Autistic Parker, however, is shown pretty dang blatantly. She already was very much coded as autistic in the original show, but the reboot has if anything gone further. She sees a child psychologist because she likes using puppets to represent emotions, she stims, she uses cue cards and pre-written scripts for social interactions, there's mention of possible texture sensitivity and her clothes are generally more loose and comfortable. She's gotten better at performing empathy and understanding how people typically work, but it's specifically described as something she learned how to do and she views her brain as being different from ones that work that way (same link). Again, not autistic myself but from what I've seen autistic fans find a lot to relate to in her portrayal. And best of all, this well-rounded and respectful depiction does not show any of these qualities as a lack on her part. There's no more of those kinda ableist comments or "what's wrong with you" jokes that were in the original show. Parker is the way she is, and that allows her to do things differently. She's loved for who she is, and any effort made to fit in is more just to know how so that she can use it to her advantage when she wants to on the job - for her convenience, not others' comfort.
Speaking of loved for who you are.... okay, again, queer Breanna isn't confirmed onscreen yet, and I don't count Word of God as true canon. But I can definitely believe we're building there. Breanna dresses in a very GNC way, and just her dialogue and, I dunno, vibes seem very queer to me. She has a beautiful speech in the Card Game Job about not belonging or being accepted and specifically mentions "the way they love" as one of those things that made her feel like she didn't belong. And that scene is given so much weight and respect. (Not to mention other hints throughout the episode about how much finding her own space meant to her.) Also, the whole theme of feeling rejected and the key for her to begin really flourishing is acceptance for who she is, not any desire for her to be anyone else, is made into another big moment. Yeah, textually that moment is about her feeling like she has to fill Hardison's shoes and worrying about her past, but the themes are there, man.
Themes
I talked a bit about this yesterday, so I'm mostly just going to link to that post, but... this series so far is doing a really good job in my opinion of giving people arcs and having some good themes. Namely the redemption one, from Hardison's speech (which I'm gonna talk a little more about in the next point), and this overall theme of growing up and looking to the future (from above the linked post).
New Characters
Harry and Breanna are fantastic characters. I was kind of worried about Harry being a replacement Nate, but... he really isn't. Sure, he's the older white guy who has an angsty past but it's in a very different way and his personality and relationships with the rest of the crew are correspondingly different. I think the dynamic of a very friendly, cheerful, kind, but still bad guy (as @soundsfaebutokay points out) is a great one to show, and he's got a really cool arc I think of learning to be a better person, and truly understanding Hardison's point about redemption being a process not a goal. His role on the team also has some interesting applications and drawbacks, as @allegorymetaphor talked about. I've kind of grown to think that the show is gradually building up to an eventual Sophie/Harry romance a ways down the line, and I'm actually here for it. Regardless, his relationships with everyone are really interesting.
As for Breanna, first of all and most importantly I love her. Secondly, I think she's got a really interesting story. She's a link to Hardison's past, and provides a really interesting perspective for us as someone younger who has grown up a) looking up to Leverage and b) in a bleaker and more hopeless world. Breanna's not an optimist, and she's not someone who was self-sufficient and unconcerned with the rest of the world at the start, like everyone else. She believes that the world sucks and she wants it to be better, but she doesn't know how to make that happen. She outright says she's desperate and that's why she's working with Leverage. At the same time, Breanna is pretty down on herself and wants to prove herself but gets easily shaken by mistakes or being scolded, which is a stark contrast to Hardison's general self-confidence. There are several times when she starts to have an idea then hesitates to share it, or expects her emotions to be dismissed, or gets really disheartened when she's corrected or rejected, or dwells on her mistakes, or when she is accepted or praised she usually takes a surprised beat and is shy about it (she almost always looks down and away from the person, and her smile is often small or startled). Breanna looks up to the team so much (Parker especially, then probably Eliot) and she wants to prove herself. It's going to be so good to see her grow.
General Vibe
A brief note, but it seems a fitting one to end on. The show keeps it's overall tone and feeling from the original show. The fun, the competency porn, the bad guys and clever plans and happy endings. It's got differences for sure, but the characters are recognizably themselves and the show as a whole is recognizably still Leverage. For the most part they just got the feeling right, and it's really nice.
CONS (no, not that kind)
'Maker and Fixer'
So when I started writing this meta earlier today, I was actually a lot more annoyed by the lack of unique 'maker' skills being shown by Breanna. Basically the only time she tries to use a drone, the very thing she introduced herself as being good at, it breaks instantly. I was concerned about her being relegated into just doing what Hardison did, instead of bringing her own stuff to the table. But the seventh episode eased some of those fears, and the meta I just wrote for someone else asking about Breanna's 'maker' skills as shown this season made me realize there's more nuance than that. I'd still like to have seen more of that from her, but for now the fact that we don't see a lot of 'maker' from her so far seems more like a character decision based in Breanna's insecurities.
Harry definitely gets more 'inside man' usage. His knowledge as a 'fixer' comes in handy several times. Nonetheless, I'm really curious if there are any bigger ways to use it, aside from him just adding in some exposition/insight from time to time. I'm not even entirely sure how much more they can pull from this premise in terms of relevant skills, but I hope there's more and I'd like to see it. Maybe a con built more around him playing a longer role playing his old self, like they tried in the Tower Job? Maybe it's more a matter of him needed distance from that part of his past, being unable to face it without lashing out - in that case it could be a good character growth moment possibly for him to succeed in being Scummy Lawyer again down the line? I dunno.
Episode Twins
This was something small that kind of bothered me a little earlier in the season. It's kind of the negative side to the references, I guess? And I'm not even sure how much it annoys me really, but I just kinda noticed and felt sort of weird about it.
Rollin' on the River has a lot of references/callbacks to the The Wedding Job.
The Tower Job has a lot of references/callbacks to The White Rabbit Job.
The Paranormal Hacktivity Job has a lot of references/callbacks to the Future Job.
I guess I was getting a little concerned that there would be a 'match this episode' situation where almost every new Redemption episode is very reminiscent of an old one. I love the callbacks, but I don't want to see a lack of creativity in this new show, and this worried me for a minute. Especially when it was combined with all three of those episodes dealing with housing issues of some kind. Now, that's a huge concern for a lot of people, and each episode has its own take on a different problem within that huge umbrella, but it still got me worried about a lack of variety in topics/cases.
The rest of the episodes failing to line up so neatly in my head with older episodes helped a lot to ease this one, though. Still, this is my complaining section so I figured I'd express my concerns as they were at the time. Even if I no longer really worry about it much.
Sophie's Stagefright
Yeah, I know this is just a small moment in a single episode, but it annoyed me! Eliot made a bit of a face at Sophie going onstage, but I thought it was just him being annoyed at the general situation. However, they started out with her being awful up there until she realized the poem was relevant to the con - at which point her reading got so much better.
This felt like a complete betrayal of Sophie's beautiful moment at the end of the original show where she got over her trouble with regular acting and played Lady Macbeth beautifully in front of a full theater of audience members. This was part of the con, but only in the sense that it gave her an alibi/place to hide, and I always interpreted it as her genuinely getting over her stagefright problems. It felt like such a beautiful place to end her arc for that show, especially after all her time spent directing.
Now, her difficulty onstage in the Card Game Job was brief and at the very beginning of being up on stage. @rinahale suggested to me that maybe it was a deliberate tactic to draw the guy's attention, and the later skill was simply her shifting focus to make the sonnet easier for Breanna to listen to and interpret, but he seemed more enraptured when she was doing well than otherwise in my opinion and it just doesn't quite sit well with me. My other theory was that maybe she just hasn't been up on stage in a long time, and much like she complaining about being rusty at grifting before the team pushed her into trying, she got nervous for a moment at the very beginning. The problem there is that I think she'd definitely still get involved in theater even when she and Nate were retired. I guess she could've quit after he died, and a year might be long enough to make her doubt herself again, but... still.
I just resent that they even left it ambiguous at all. Sophie's skills should be solid on stage at this point in my opinion.
Thiefsome
...And now we come to my main complaint. This is, by far, the biggest issue I have with the show.
I feel like I should put a disclaimer here that I had my doubts from the beginning about the thiefsome becoming canon onscreen. I thought the famous "the OT3 is safe" tweet could easily just mean that they are all still alive and well, or all still working together, without giving us confirmation of a romantic relationship. Despite this, the general fandom expectations/hopes really got to me, especially with the whole "lock/pick/key" thing. I tried to temper my expectations again when the character descriptions came out and only mentioned Hardison loving Parker, not Eliot, but I still got my hopes up.
The thing is, I was disappointed pretty quickly.
The very first episode told me that in all likelihood we would never see Hardison and Parker and Eliot together in a romantic sense. Oh, there was so much coding. So much hinting. So much in the way of conversations that were about Parker/Hardison's relationship but then Eliot kept getting brought into them. They were portrayed as a unit of three.
But then there was this.
I love all of those scenes of Parker and Hardison being intimate and loving and comfortable with one another and their relationship. I really do. But it didn't escape my notice that there's nothing of the sort with Eliot. If they wanted a canon onscreen thiefsome, it would by far make the most sense to just have it established from the start. But there aren't any scenes where Eliot shares the same kind of physical closeness with either of them like they do each other. Parker and Hardison kiss; he doesn't kiss anyone. They have several clearly romantic conversations when alone; he gets important conversations with both but the sense of it being romantic isn't there.
Establishing Eliot as part of the relationship after Hardison is gone just... doesn't make any sense. It would be more likely to confuse new viewers, to make them wonder if Parker is cheating on Hardison with Eliot, or if they have a Y shaped relationship rather that a triangle. It would be so much clumsier.
Still, up until the Double-Edged-Sword Job I believed the writers might keep it at this level of 'plausible hinting but not quite saying'. There's a lot of great stuff with all of them, and I never expecting making out or whatever anyway; a cheek-kiss was about the height of my hopes to be honest. I mostly just hoped for outright confirmation and, failing that, I was happy enough to have the many hints and implications.
But then Marshal Maria Shipp came along. And I don't really have anything against her as a character - in fact, I think she has interesting story potential and will definitely come back. But the episode framed her fight with Eliot as a sexyfight TM, much like his fight with Mikel back in the day. And then his flirting with her rode the line a little of "he's playing her for the con" and "he's genuinely flirting." The scene where he tells her his real name is particularly iffy, but actually was the one that convinced me he was playing her. Because he seems to be watching her really closely, and to be very concerned about her figuring out who he really is. I am very aware though that I'm doing a lot of work to interpret it the way I want. On surface appearance, Eliot's just flirting with an attractive woman, like he did on the last show. And that's probably the intention, too.
But the real nail in the coffin for me was when Sophie compared herself and Nate to Eliot and Maria. That was a genuine scene, not the continuation of the teasing from before. And Sophie is the one whose insight into people is always, always trustworthy. She is family to the thiefsome. For this to make any sense, either Eliot/Parker/Hardison isn't a thing, or they are and Sophie doesn't know - and I can't imagine why in the hell she wouldn't know.
Any argument to make them still canon leaves me unsatisfied. If she knows and they haven't admitted it to her - why wouldn't they, after all this time? Why would she not have picked up on it even without an outright announcement? Some people suggested they wouldn't admit it because they thought Nate would be weird about it, but that doesn't seem any more in character to me than the other possibilities. In fact, the only option that doesn't go against my understanding of these people and their observational abilities/the close relationship they share.... is that the thiefsome is not a thing.
And furthermore, the implication of this conversation - especially the way it ended, with Eliot stomping off looking embarrassed while Sophie smiled knowingly - is that Eliot will get into another relationship onscreen. Maybe not a full-blown romantic relationship. But the Maria Shipp tension is going to be resolved somehow, and at this point I'm half-expecting a hook-up simply because of Sophie's reaction and how much I trust her judgement of such things. Even if she's letting her grief cloud her usual perceptiveness... it feels iffy.
It just kinda feels like I wasn't even allowed to keep my "interpret these hints/maybe they are" thiefsome that I expected after the first couple episodes convinced me we wouldn't get outright confirmation. (I mean, I will anyway, and I love the hints and allusions regardless.) And while I'm definitely not the kind of fan who is dependent on canon for my ships, and still enjoy all their interactions/will keep right on headcanoning them all in a relationship, it's just.... a bummer.
Feels like a real cop-out. Like the hints of Breanna being queer are enough to meet their quota and they won't try anything 'risky' like a poly relationship. I dunno. It's annoying.
.
That's the end of the list! Again, overall I love the new show a lot and have few complaints.
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watery-melon-baller · 3 years
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Danny Phantom Fic Recs
Absolutely nobody asked for this, but I feel like doing this so here are some, as the title says, Danny Phantom fic recs! There’s not really any cohesion or theme to this, these are just fics I find good in general. They’re not ones I’ve seen around on a ton of rec lists, so maybe this can help people find something new to read.
Tucker Foley and the Long Arc of the Paranormal Universe by helpivefallenandicantgetup
I cannot recommend this fic enough. The quality of the writing is extremely high. It may start off a bit slow, but once you get into it it really sucks you in. It’s a longer one, currently sitting just above 90,000 words, and still a work in progress but actively updating. The fic is a paranormal mystery AU centering around Tucker, as the title implies, with some good focus put on Sam as well. Danny is the new kid in town, and, not to spoil too much, it crafts an interesting mystery around a series of related murders. This fic provides a remarkably fresh take on the Danny Phantom characters and setting. I in particular love how the interpersonal relationships between characters come so naturally. The take on the characters really stands out to me, giving a lot of depth to them in a way that makes them feel like full people. The plot is engaging, with each development adding to the intrigue. Seriously, probably the best piece of fanfiction I’ve read, ever.
Face to Face by DP_Marvel94
This one has a special place in my heart. It’s one of the first long pieces of fanfiction I read (currently sitting around 150,000 words), and it’s a good one. It’s a very character driven story, centering around what happens when Danny, not long after the accident, tries to get rid of his powers but instead splits himself in two. Now I will say I’m a big sucker for split Danny stories, but even so this is a very interesting take on the concept. As I said, it’s highly character driven, with an engaging arc of Danny learning to accept himself. Another thing that stands out about it is the writing of Jack and Maddie, with some excellent takes on a reveal and reveal aftermath. Big queer allegory vibes, which sure hits for me. This fic is still in progress and continues to update.
Losing Teeth by halfpastdead
This one’s much shorter, a oneshot of around 2000 words. Still, it’s one I find myself coming back to again and again. It’s about Danny becoming more ghostly after a few days stuck in Phantom form. Highkey angst with the Fenton parents, which I am here for. The author portrays the consequences of a post reveal Danny well, how Danny struggles from the trauma of them hunting him, how they can’t just instantly let go of their prejudices once they know the truth. The writing and prose is well done, with good characterization as well.
Doppelgänger by CrzyFun
Boy oh boy do I love this one. It’s halfa trio AND qpr trio, two concepts I love immensely. The writing is well done, and it’s really interesting to see how things have been changed. It’s very much an AU, following through canon but showing how things change with all the tweaks made and, of course, the halfa trio thing. It works well, as do the little tweaks to character. Especially standing out is the portrayal of Valerie; the author manages to give her a lot of nuance and development, giving her a realistic relationship with Danny and the trio as Doppelgänger. And the queerness, I love the queerness so much. This fic currently sits around 40,000 words, so pretty middling in length. It went on a hiatus for a while, but now it’s back to regular updates and seems set to be completed soon.
Eidolon Interloper by HeroineofTime
Everything HeroineofTime writes is so good. Their two other DP fics, Can I Not Grasp Them with a Tighter Clasp? (Around 20,000 word completed multichapter, psychological horror centering around Danny’s protection obsession going too far) and Speak of the Banshee (A ghost speak humor oneshot with Danny and Valerie, at about 7000 words) were both excellent and I enjoyed them immensely. You should read them both. Eidolon Interloper just stands out for its originality and length. It is a crossover with The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, but as someone who has never played Twilight Princess and has very limited knowledge on it, I had no issues getting into it. It follows Danny after he falls through a portal into the world of Twilight Princess and proceeds to have a terrible time. I really enjoyed the handling of Danny’s character and how his secret-keeping goes. Currently around 50,000 words, it is ongoing. I binged it.
Analog by Workparty
I don’t know, I just enjoyed this one. It’s kind of an anthology of oneshots exploring Danny-clone related situations, scenarios, and AUs. It’s well written and I like how the author explores different ideas and themes. I actually don’t have a lot to say about this one, it’s just good. This one is actually completed, sitting around 20,000 words over 7 chapters.
There Is A Light That Never Goes Out by LichrallyJustVibin
I love full ghost Danny aus so much, and this is pretty much the perfect take on a full ghost Danny au. And that pretty much sums up the plot: Danny Dies. Now he has to deal with the aftermath of that. The author puts so much character into the narration; they absolutely nail everyone’s voice. They also manage to strike such an expert balance between angst and fluff, which really makes the fic. It might be abandoned (it hasn’t updated since January), but I’m unsure as of now. Still, the 14,000 words we do have are completely worth checking out. Seriously, this fic is so good.
That’s what I have for now! If any of these interest you, please go check them out, they’re all really good. -Aru
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oneyeartowrite · 3 years
Text
First Fic: Bugged
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Gordon strolled into the middle of the room, smug grin splitting his face, and just stood there, waiting for one of them to ask.
Scott opened his mouth, but Virgil’s finger wag snapped his jaw shut.
“Don’t ask…”
Gordon threw his arms out. “What do you mean don’t ask?”
Virgil turned his finger towards Gordon, jabbing it at him. Despite being stood across the room Gordon still clutched his chest at the suggestion of his brothers stabbing finger.
“I recognise that look.”
“What look?” Gordon threw his arms up again, still grinning smugly. His amber eyes crinkled, and he chuckled, a full-on pantomime-villain-kind of chuckle.
Scott lifted his eyebrow. “You’re aware we heard that, right?”
Gordon didn’t answer, he continued to grin, and look shifty as hell. Super-villain vibes rolled over the room. His face reddened and he curled his fingers towards his mouth, still laughing. Like a giggling child.
Scott spoke out of the corner of his mouth, directing his question to Virgil. “This freaking you out too?”
Virgil huffed. “I’m used to it.”
Gordon didn’t appear to be breathing. Too lost in his dastardly deeds. Scott and Virgil shared a concerned glance, then decided, if he needed to breathe, he’d breathe.
Alan strolled in, and instead of stepping down into the seating area, he jumped over the back off the sofa and landed on his knees.
“So…what’s happening?”
“We’re having a well-earned rest.” Scott told him. Then added with a glare. “And don’t climb over the back of the sofa like that.”
Alan didn’t apologise, he threw a look in Gordon’s direction, and smiled. “He told you yet?”
“No.” Virgil said. “And we’re not asking.”
Scott performed a zip motion across his lips.
“He’s gonna burst if you don’t ask him.” Alan said, looking to Gordon. His grin climbed higher. “Actually, keep it up. I want to see Gordon’s head go pop.”
“Alan.” Scott snapped.
He rolled his eyes in response. “Two strikes to me, I’m shutting up.”          
Gordon breathed finally, a long gulp of an inhale that made him bow. Scott and Alan didn’t react, but Virgil shuffled forward on his seat, mildly concerned his sibling might dropped to his knees.
He did, but not in a medical emergency kind of way, more the over dramatic—Gordon—kind of way.
“Is nobody going to ask me?”
“No.” Virgil said. “Get up.”
“I’ll hold my breath until I pass out if you don’t.”
Scott slammed his palm onto his forehead. “Fine—
Virgil’s eyebrows flew into his hairline. “Scott, no!”
“What have you done?”
Gordon sprung to his feet. “What have I done?”
“Yes. That is what I asked.”
Virgil dropped his head into his hands and growled. “Damn it Gordo, just get on with it.”
“Okay, okay.” He shook out his hands. “I’m a little excited that’s all.”
Alan glanced at him. “This isn’t going to go the way you think it will.”
“Don’t ruin it.” He took a deep breath. “So you know how John’s always listening, dropping into conversations, and generally, sticking his nose in where it’s not wanted.”
“Gordon,” Scott sighed. “Let it go. It wasn’t John’s fault he called you while you were practising your seductive poses in the mirror.”
Gordon narrowed his eyes. “He said I looked constipated.”
Alan grabbed a cushion to muffle his laugh.
“Anyway, I thought I’d get my own back on big brother in the sky.”
“Did you send him mouldy bagels?” Virgil asked.
“No, but I may one day. When I was up there helping him with maintenance, I might have hid a microphone.” He giggled into his fingertips again. “So we can hear Johnny.”
“That was your evil plan?” Virgil raised his eyebrow. “You put a microphone up there so you can hear him?”
“Yes!”
“We can all hear him. All we’ve got to do is press the button.”
Alan shrugged. “Not even press it, we wave our hand in the air over it.”
“Yes, yes.” Gordon said. “But he knows we’re listening. He doesn’t know about this, and it means we can listen in any time.”
Scott’s eyebrows met in the middle, and he spoke slowly, trying to keep the reins on his anger. “So let me get this straight. You decided it would be a good idea to invade John’s privacy by bugging thunderbird five.”
“Yes.”
“You think that’s a good idea?” Scott’s cheeks began to redden.
“Yes, that’s what I said.”
Virgil sighed. “Gordo doesn’t understand subtly, Scott.”
“It’s a spectacularly bad idea!” Scott had released the reins. The blue of his eyes popped. “You know how sensitive he is about his privacy.”
“What about mine?” Gordon said.
“He called you for a rescue. It wasn’t your fault you were pouting and posing to Prince’s kiss and didn’t hear him.”
Gordon rolled his eyes, and looked away. “No privacy, and we live on an island!”
“Told you they wouldn’t like it.” Alan said. “I’m surprised Scott hasn’t ordered me up there to help John find it.”
Scott opened his mouth to do just that, but a finger wag from Virgil stopped him. Virgil, who was the second most sensitive Tracy brother behind John. Virgil who valued his privacy, and understood John’s need for his own. He was the one that stopped Scott.
“You would be able to hear him right now?”
Scott and Alan’s jaws dropped, and Alan, surprisingly, recovered his ability to speak first. “You can’t be serious?”
“It was a difficult last mission.”
He’d been on the comms to Virgil throughout, and when the mission ended, John had seemed quieter than normal. Something had been off, and when Virgil questioned him, he got the expected but no-less-frustrating, ‘fine’.  
Scott stood up. “Then let’s call him. The proper way.”
“He’ll just say he’s fine, but he’s not fine. I know he’s not, the whole time his voice, it sounded softer than normal.”
“You think he’s just gonna be walking around thunderbird five talking to himself? He’s alone up there.��� Scott blinked. He’s alone up there. That outburst hurt. He dropped back down to the sofa.
“He’s not alone,” Alan said. “He’s got Eos.”
Gordon stood before them, not giddy and giggling anymore. He looked uncertain, like his grand plan had been a bad idea. He’d only wanted to lighten the mood, but maybe—just maybe eavesdropping on his John was a bad idea.
“Just once.” Virgil wasn’t speaking to Gordon, but Scott. His hands twitched on his knees, gripping them slightly. “Please Scott, just once, and then we can send Gordon back up there to debug five.”
“Just. Once.” Scott’s cold tone made them all shudder. He didn’t want to listen in, he didn’t want to spy, but this was John, and John was never forthcoming when something was troubling him. Virgil’s concern had sparked his own, and he wouldn’t be able to sleep, eat or think before it was resolved.
“Do it.” Virgil said.
Gordon spun around, tapped on his wrist strap and connected to thunderbird five.
“He can’t hear us though, right?” Scott asked.
“No. It’s just us that can hear him.”
There was only silence. They passed around a worried look then John spoke, sending Gordon a foot into the air. He screamed, then hid when John spoke again.
“I know what you’re doing.”
Alan hid under a cushion pretending to be a corpse, Gordon hid behind a plant making the leaves shake with his shivers, but Virgil and Scott froze helplessly, hearts racing and apologies tangling their tongues.  
“I’m not doing anything.” Came Eos childlike reply.
John sighed. “You’ve been nonstop talking at me for the last hour, usually I don’t mind, but why Eos, why are you asking me about celebrities, and pop culture, and make-up?”
Gordon’s head popped up from behind the plant. He blinked and looked around like meerkat. “Make up? John likes makeup.”
“Quiet.” Virgil snapped. “We’re supposed to be listening.”
John made a weird noise, it was only Alan who seemed to recognise it. “He yawned. He was doing that a lot on my mission earlier, but when I asked him how much sleep he’d gotten, he just said he was fine.”
“Fine.” Virgil muttered. “The evillest four-letter word.”
Gordon’s gaze trailed across the ceiling. “Wouldn’t the evillest four-letter word be evil?”
Virgil launched a cushion at him.
“You know why.” Eos whispered. “I’m trying to send you to sleep, and I might add, it appears to be working.”
John slurred something not one of them understood.
“But I think you’ll be more comfortable in your bed.”
“I can’t just go to bed.” John complained.
Something warm and gooey ran through Scott’s chest. John sounded like he did when he was younger, when he fought sleep like it was a demon just so he could read more.
“Things to do, rescues to coordinate, people to save,” John’s voice trailed off, “bagels to eat.”
“You need to sleep, John. Your brothers are starting to notice how tired you are.”
They all froze, and three pairs of guilty eyes fell on Virgil, the only one who’d thought John wasn’t quite himself. The one who rubbed his chin as he listened. Thick eyebrows pressing together as he frowned into space.
“They haven’t noticed.”
Scott’s heart twisted suddenly. How had he not noticed. John didn’t sound upset though, he sounded relived. Then he added just for good measure, and to irritate everyone listening in. “I’m fine Eos.”
Eos ignored his fine, and continued. “Virgil has noticed. Virgil’s worried about you, and I know you hate it when any of them worry about you.”
“Telling them I’m tired will make them worry.”
“Not telling them will make them worry, and angry too.” Eos countered. “I won’t keep hiding this from them any longer.”
“Eos,” Desperation filled John’s voice. He sounded wide awake again, and slightly panicked, “Don’t you dare call them.”
“I’m not going call them John, I wouldn’t do that, but I’m not gonna help you cover this up anymore.”
The brothers stared at each other in the silence. Cover for him? What did that mean? John’s silence spurred Eos to say more, to slap John around the face with what she was now unwilling to do.
“I won’t adjust the pitch of your voice, so you sound normal. I won’t touch up the hologram to hide how tired you look. I won’t change the readings on your suit—
“Okay, I get it.” John said.
“You need to rest. Not here, sprawled on the floor, but in a proper bed.”
Virgil was on his feet at sprawled on the floor. He glanced at Scott, and grew alarmed at the vein jumping at his temple. Angry Scott wasn’t pretty. He brought his arm up slowly, about to call John on the proper channel
“Wait.” Gordon said. “Just wait.”
Air wheezed in and out of Scott’s nose. He cared, they all knew he did, but his care tended to be explosive first, followed by the coddle-care.
“Eos?” John said.
“Yes, John.”
“You’re right.”
“Of course, I am. You don’t need to state the obvious.”
John sighed.
Then the alarm blared in the room, and they all pretended to look busy, except Virgil who stood waiting for John’s hologram to appear. It did. They all stared. Ruffled hair, and dark circles under John’s eyes, and cheekbones that could cut glass. He looked haunted, and didn’t make eye contact with any of them.
“I…the…could…if…may…”
Scott was controlling his anger, Alan, his fear of ghosts, and Virgil, he rocked forward on his toes as if considering tackling John’s hologram into the room.
Gordon brushed his hands down his shirt. He had this. Gordo’s time to shine. Breaking the atmosphere was his speciality.
“A+++ for the communication, bro.”
John smiled and lifted eyes up to meet him. “I’m tired.” His eyes drifted shut, and Virgil took a step forward, closer to John. “I’m really fucking tired. I’m sorry.”
“You’re sorry for being tired?” Scott said, exasperated.  
“No.” John lowered his head and looked slightly through the top set of his lashes at the brother mostly likely to strangle him for being an idiot. “I’m sorry for not telling you sooner.”
“Come down.”  Virgil said, flexing his fingers at his sides. He needed to get his hands on John, needed to play Doctor Virgil and fix the man masquerading as his brother on the hologram.
“Thunderbird five is already in position.” Eos chirped. “The space elevator is ready for John.”
“See you soon.” John said, cutting comms.
Scott glanced at Virgil. They nodded.
“That microphones staying where it is.” Scott said.
“What about John’s privacy?” Alan asked.
“We’ll only invade it when we feel like we have too.” Scott stiffened. “When we feel like we have to.”
Someone released a long blistering sigh. They looked for the culprit before realising they were still connected to thunderbird five.
“See,” Eos said. “That wasn’t so bad, was it?”
“Scott looks like he’s gonna kill me….”
Scott blinked, and made a conscious effort to relax his shoulders. Yes, he wanted to kill John. He wanted to smother him to death with his concern.
“Alan looks afraid…”
Alan jumped, dropping the cushion he’d been clawing at. He was afraid, but only because his brother looked so exhausted. He’d only stop being afraid when he was home, in bed, on the mend.
“Virgil looks like he’s fiddling with invisible needles to stick in my arms…”
Virgil stopped twitching his fingers. Yes, John was getting an IV as soon as his arm was within reach, but he knew John hated it, he’d be gentle, and sit with him while it brought colour back into his face.
“And Gordon?” Eos asked.
Gordon swallowed and looked up at nothing. John wasn’t actually there, but he still looked up as if he was.
John laughed softly, a sound that made everyone in the room relax a fraction. Gordon smiled too, because he was the joker in the family, and lightening the mood was his god-given right.
“Gordon?” They could hear the smile in John’s voice. “Well, he still looks constipated.”
************************************************************************
I’m thinking about continuing this, more times the brothers eavesdrop on John. Let me know if anyone wants more!
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ussgallifrey · 4 years
Text
Jealous
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✦ Summary: The little green monster has a way of ruining a perfectly good night, and he is not talking about the Hulk. ✦ Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Female Reader ✦ Warnings: Little bit of angst, jealousy ✦ Word Count: 2.4k ✦ Author's Note: This was written ages ago for a request that's now vanished from my ask box from an anon asking for a jealous Bucky.
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It's there in the curl of your lashes and the hand that you bat against the Asgardian's arm - that's when the clenching sensation presses down on his throat. When he feels his fingers wrap a little tighter around the shot glass on the bar. The night long since gave way to the pleasant thrum of inebriation, but all Bucky can sense is the bitter taste in his mouth when he watches you laugh so freely across the room.
Another gloating tale of ancient glories, a genuine laugh, a flirtatious quip - Bucky's painfully present for it all.
He had been cowardly perched on this one bar stool for almost the entire evening, trying to find some liquid courage - though he couldn't get drunk, not even close, it was just a bit of a placebo to get the gears going. Meanwhile, you flitted between the others with a carefree ease and an intoxicating smile. Wrapped up in soft pinks and a striking flower in your hair.
Bucky glowers at his reflection in the mirror behind the bar.
He had watched the way you seemed to flow through the crowd, taking the time to join each circle of people. Laughing unabashedly with Clint and Tony, resting your head on Natalia's shoulder, letting Sam throw a too familiar arm over your shoulders and tug you closer. That one probably stung most of all.
Your laugh seems to rise above the music and the crowd - an arrow sent right towards him, alluringly sweet in its intensity. But it's not for his ears, not happening because of something he said. No, you're wrapped up in the blonde demigod's looming stature and chiseled everything.
Maybe he lingers too long on the shape of your body leaning against the other man's. The styling of your hair, the way your eyes never leave Thor's. And the way the Asgardian's eyes seem to dip below your eye level to wander freely along the lines of your body.
He struggles to swallow the darkness that threatens to rise - the itch in his throat that ices over his heart and makes his blood run cold. It's metallic and chilled and difficult to ignore and he hates himself all the more for letting it take over.
Thor's returning laugh is deep and rich, coated with the finer golds and riches of a royal lineage. Bucky has to steady himself with a hand on the bartop when the blonde ducks down to place a kiss to your cheek, a fitting smile on his face as he excuses himself from your presence.
It's hard to ignore the giddy rush of nerves that seems to creep up as your smile turns bashful, averting your gaze as you press a trepid finger against your cheek. And then you're turning and he's looking down at his drink - trying to ignore the sting and pangs of the little green monster.
"Mr. Barnes," you cheerily greet as you plop down on the neighboring barstool, a manicured hand placed just a breath away from his own much larger hand. 
Pulling his gaze from the gemstones on the end of your nails, Bucky nods in acknowledgment. Not trusting his mouth for anything as his stomach still sloshes and slurs with the sourness of unwarranted jealousy.
That sweet perfume seems to mingle in the air between you, something floral and soft - warm and pink to match your dress and nails. Princess-like, something entirely untouchable and angelic.
"You've been… notably absent tonight," you pester, sipping from your nearly emptied neon-blue cocktail.
"Have I?" he lets his finger drag along the rim of the glass, catching a drop of condensation. 
You hum with a nod, "Been missing you something fierce."
That gains his attention as he finally lifts his head up, trying to read your doe-eyed expression. 
He turns a little more towards you, a knee daring to touch your own but not quite able to close the gap. 
"That so?"
Another hum, followed by another sip. Gaze drawn low to watch the way your fingers wrap around the black straw, lazily gliding up and down as you give a coy smile his way.
There's a distant part of himself - the shadow of a man who used to look like him, but a little more clean-cut - that would know the right things to say. The sweet prose and flirt to get you turning his way, wrapping you around his finger, and never letting go. He'd sure like to get in contact with that version of Bucky Barnes right about now because he's feeling next to hopeless in your presence.
"This isn't really your vibe, is it?"
Vibe? Right, more slang and lingo that sometimes has him stumbling over his own feet and looking like a right fool in front of everyone else.
You seem to catch on to his internal dilemma because you're quick to clarify, "You're not big on parties."
No argument there. He rubs the back of his neck as he fails to avoid your gaze, "Yeah, uh, no. Definitely no."
There's a little cooing sound in return, a batting of long eyelashes as you swirl your tongue around the straw, taking a long final sip of your drink. He could get lost in the action alone, watching your lips pursed together to suck on the straw, cheeks hollowing out - it's hypnotizing and entirely dirty, but he just can't look away.
But then Thor's bellowing laugh carries far across the party to lodge itself directly into Bucky's ears. He can't help but grimace, staring down at the bar in favor of actually groaning his disdain.
But you catch on - of course you do. You follow the pitiful trail of jealousy right up to his seething face like a bloodhound. He must reek of it too because your sweet expression seems to fall in an instant.
"Do you," your fingers stroke along the tip of the straw. "Do you not like Thor?"
He balks at how easily you hit the nail on his head. "Wha - no. I - he's, I mean, I don't really even know the guy, you know?"
There's this look that settles on your face that says you're not buying a line of his bullshit.
"He's sweet."
Bucky taps his glass with an impatient finger. If he has to sit here and listen to you compliment Thor, he might just vomit. Oh, he'll sit and listen alright, but it doesn't mean he has to like it.
"I'm happy for him and Jane," you continue. "Says he plans to stay on Earth for a while, think he couldn't stay away from her any longer."
You're talking, but the words aren't registering the way they should be. It's just an infinite loop of you laughing and Thor kissing your cheek.
"They're a good fit for each other."
Of false images of Thor wrapping his arm around you, dipping you backwards, and kissing you senseless.
"You'd never think they would make a good couple, right? But they totally work in their own way."
How easily you'd be swept off your feet, probably picked up and made to wrap your legs around him. He was probably shirtless at this point because why wouldn't he be? 
"Hey, are you - are you okay? Bucky? Did I say something or...?"
God, why was he so hung up on this? Why couldn't he just work out the nerve to just go up to you and ask you out? It wasn't that hard, right? Just a few words, his heart waiting on the side to be broken, his returning ego to be bruised. 
It's not like he could compete with someone like Thor. The man was literally a God; a legendary being of Norse mythology and epics. Compared to… him. Him with the flashing neon sign above his head that read Fucked.
"Bucky?"
It was probably a fool's hope that you would've been interested in him. He was so many things this side of wrong. Not golden and wonderful like the man you had been laughing with for the past thirty minutes.
There's a hand on his.
Oh.
Slowly, he looks over at you. 
You smile gently. Thumb carefully rubbing over his knuckle in a soothing motion, "You drifted away on me. I - I wasn't sure if…"
The words fade away with a cautious touch. He wants to turn his hand, lace his fingers with yours. It feels right in his mind, he wants it to be right.
A soft silence drapes itself over you both. Your hand remaining on his, fingers lazily rubbing circles over the top of his tense knuckles.
"You know," you say after a moment. "I think I'm ready to get out of here."
You watch his expression with a curious gaze before continuing, "Even I can get partied out, Barnes."
He doesn't want you to leave, enjoying this haven you've created in the corner of the bar with him. It's the lingering hope that burns in his chest that maybe he stands a chance with you. Maybe he can win you over if he ever gets the nerve.
But you don't move to leave, fingers coming to a sudden rest - a breath away from his skin.
"Are you out of here too?"
Is that a twinge of hopefulness in your voice? It's nearly hard to believe, but he latches on to it like a lifeline. Finding himself nodding fast and dumb as he says, "Yeah, yeah. I'm good here."
Your hand runs its way up and over his arm and shoulder, lingering above the collar of his leather jacket. Waiting, he realizes. Waiting for him to join you.
There's a surprising amount of nerves going haywire in his body because his legs seem unusually shaky as he stands from the bar. But you're there, batting those glittery eyes as you wait. Your body manages to press up against his side as you wade through the remaining partiers. Floral perfume wafts up from your exposed neck and he nearly buckles over.
"My lady!" Thor bellows in shock, a stupid grin upon his stupid face as he manages to untangle himself from the group.
He pauses in front of you both, baring Bucky not even the slightest glance.
"Surely you're not leaving so soon."
When did he grab your hands in his large godly ones? Why does Bucky's stomach feel like it's going to make him spew all over the floor now?
Your laugh is easy as you gently pull your hands back, "Even mere mortals like me know when to call it quits, Thor."
And it's only then that the god seems to take in the dark figure you're leaning on, mismatched eyes looking Bucky over with a sudden glint of realization. He backs away almost immediately, "Oh, of course! Another time, then."
It's only when you're walking again that the blonde throws him a playful wink, which makes Bucky feel all sorts of confused.
And the thing is, he's not even entirely sure where you're going and if you expect him to follow you there. He'd like to think that, but he can't be sure. 
The warmth of the party gives way to the misting rain of the darkened city streets. Illuminated only by the neon signs and streetlights. Seeing the contrast to you, wrapped in soft pinks and gentle flowers, only makes Bucky feel all the more aware of his surroundings. But you seem to pay no mind to it whatsoever as you make your way down the sidewalk.
You're tucked against his right side, arm rubbing against the leather of his sleeve, your pink dress fluttering in the gentle breeze of the night. And when a car rushes by on the slick road, it'd be impossible to not notice the way you shiver. When you stop at the crosswalk, Bucky doesn't even think - pulling his jacket off and draping it over your shoulders.
There's a little gasping sound as you pull it tight around you and your eyes are absolutely shimmering in the street light when you look up at him. Bucky can actually feel the moment his heart swells.
"Thank you," it's said so softly, so sweetly. And you finish it by gently squeezing his hand.
He takes a chance, throwing his arm over your shoulder and tugging you close. The contented sigh that falls from your lips makes him know he made the right move.
You pass the walk in pleasant silence, occasionally bumping his hip with your own, a soft laugh when he looks down at you curiously. It doesn't take a genius to figure out where you're headed as the glowing tower comes into view.
You pause at the front entrance - the harsh lights from the lobby illuminate the space behind you, making you glow in the rainy night air. Bucky reluctantly pulls his hand away. Feeling lucky enough to have gotten to walk you home, but not enough to expect anything beyond this point.
But your drawn brows pull his attention as you grab his hand back, "And where do you think you're going?"
He huffs a laugh. Steeling his nerves as he sheepishly looks up at you, "Guess that depends."
You give a thoughtful nod before tugging him flush against you. He gasps, despite his best intentions.
Brushing his hand against your cheek, you give a pleasant little mewl. His heart thumps harshly in his chest as his eyes darken. 
"You know," you murmur against his hand - your hands now resting on his hips - as you pause, pressing a kiss to his palm. "Jealousy isn't a good look on you."
Bucky groans softly, feeling the weight of the evening sinking lower in his chest.
"Especially," you continue. "When you could just have what you want."
Your mouth finds the underside of his chin, kissing lightly on his Adam's apple. Manicured nails find their way into his hair, scratching carefully against his scalp and neck. And then you pull back, dark eyes staring up at him with a smirk.
"That is, if you want it, Sergeant."
Soft hands smooth over his arms, down his sides, to his hips once more.
"Do you want it, Bucky?"
His mouth feels dry as he takes in your beautiful features. The way your dress curves your figure, the way his jacket seems to be perfectly made to fit your shoulders. The obvious thrum of passion coursing through him. And just one look into your eyes gives him all the reassurance he needs - there's no competition here, you only have eyes for him.
So, he settles his hands on your hips, fingers splayed out along your lower back.
"Yes," he says hoarsely. "I definitely want."
And then you're angling your head up to meet his lips as you walk the two of you backwards into the tower and out of the misting rain, into something decidedly warmer and better.
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Text
Ten Things I Hate About You
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Pairing: Mark Lee x Reader ft. Haechan, Johnny and mention of Jeno
Words: 7.7k
Genre: Fluff, the tiniest bit of angst if you squint, college au
Warning: Tiniest bit of cursing, kissing, family issues, anxiety attack
Summary: You never had the luxury of selecting who you were going to tutor, so when you paired with the only person you disliked, Lee Mark, you couldn’t help but formulate a list of the ten things you hated about him.
A/N: Okay so, I will admit this is longer than I anticipated, my bad. Mark has been stuck in my head and this was my way of getting him out. Basically, each part is a snip bit/ scene from the day named in bold.  *This is very very very minimally edited 
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“Who the hell is that?” was not the most flattering thing someone could say when being given a free tutor. Hell, it wasn’t a flattering thing to say under any circumstance. Yet, there you were, walking slowly towards your literature class’s resident idiot, Mark.
“Me, I’m Y/N,” he looked you up and down, frowning slightly before looking back at the professor. The boy seemed to always believe that his opinions mattered to anyone but himself. He was always screaming his misconstrued thoughts during class or more likely not showing up at all, and everything about him seemed to piss you off.
Maybe it was the way he spoke to people, always assuming he was in the right. Or, maybe it was the fact that he spoke period, always rambling about absolutely nothing while the class was engaged in relevant and important conversation. More likely, it was the permanent grin etched on his face, as if nothing could touch him, not even the failing grade he was receiving in this class.
“Mark, this is quite literally your last shot because there is seriously nothing else I can do for you,” you tuned out the rest of the conversation, only raising an eyebrow once you heard that Mark wouldn’t be able to pass without a certain score on the final.
“And you really should thank Y/N, there are other students she could be helping,” your eyes shot up at the mention of your name, blushing lightly as the men looked at you.
It wasn’t as if you had volunteered to tutor Mark specifically. You had been tutoring since high school and figured it was the perfect work-study job to take up. Except you didn’t choose who to tutor, only which subjects. Unfortunately, literature happened to be one of them, and Mark happened to suck at it.
“Now, both of you get out of here,” he pointed to the doorway with a slight smirk on his face as Mark trudged away clearly annoyed.
“We can work Monday, Wednesday, and Friday until the test. We can meet up at the library,” you offered, following after the boy who seemed to only quicken his pace. Jerk.
“Not Friday, that’s a busy day,” he shrugged, looking at everything but you. 
“The test is three weeks from today and judging by your, uhm previous scores, you need all the time you can get,” the boy whipped around at that statement, raising his brow at you. You didn’t understand why he seemed so shocked, you were only telling the truth.
“Fine, catch you later,” His eyes were looking behind you, focused on something else before he finally walked away from you. 
That was another thing that bothered you, he never made eye contact. It was like no one was worth the time of day to him. 
“What are you looking at,” A familiar arm snaked its way around your shoulders, pulling you into his chest as you prepared to go home. You smelled the familiar scent of aftershave and light cologne that immediately brought a smile to your face.
“You’ll never guess who I have to tutor,” you looked up at your best friend, Haechan, grinning at his confused face. Haechan had been your best friend since you were kids in the sandbox and since then, wherever he was you were likely right beside him.
“Let’s go eat, and you can tell me all about it,” He spun you around, walking you towards the exit.
-
“Maybe you’re being too hard on him,” the boy suggested, playing with his food before taking a bite. That was his habit whenever you ate together, he would mull over his food as if building a masterpiece before devouring an entire plate in a few bites.
“What do you mean?” You furrowed your brows at the statement. 
“I mean, I dunno, maybe don’t judge a book by its cover and stuff,” A slight blush rose to his cheeks as he realized how cringey what he had said was. His eyes met yours for a split second before you both let out a few synchronized chuckles.
“That was so bad, Chan,” you reached over to poke his cheek, laughing even harder as his cheeks became a deeper shade of red.
“I mean seriously, can you even name ten things you don’t like about him?” He asked, suddenly raising his brows in a challenging manner.
“Honestly, I could name ten things I hate about him,” you admitted, taking a bite of your food to punctuate your point. He only shook his head in disapproval as a response before continuing.
“Get back to me in a few weeks, I bet you’ll even end up friends. He seems nice from what I’ve heard” he sent a knowing wink your way before calling the waitress over.
As he began talking to the waitress, his question was still lingering in your mind. Ten things you hated about Mark. You already had certain attributes running around in your head, but you wondered how many more you were going to add to your list. 
          1. I hate that he is inconsiderate
           [Monday]
It was only the first day of your study sessions with Mark, and of course he was late. You were sitting at your usual table in the corner of the library, checking your phone for the nth time. He was almost an hour late and you were anything but surprised. The boy didn’t strike you as the type to keep his word.
“Hey, tutor girl,” The voice struck you from your thoughts, coming from someone you didn’t think you’d see today.
“Mark,” You nodded towards the seat across from you, opening the textbook you had sat in front of you. The boy sat silently, a smug grin painted across his face as he looked at you, eyes focused above your head. 
“I had something pop up, sorry about that man,” even his apologies were insincere and annoying. You almost wanted to toss the coffee drink in his hands into the trash, but you found it in yourself to give him the benefit of the doubt.
“Whatever, let's just get started,” He nodded in response, glancing down at your textbook with a look of uncertainty, “Did you bring your textbook?” It was then that you realized that he hadn’t brought anything with him, not even a pencil. Of course he was unprepared.
“It’s fine, use mine,” You turned yours around towards him before pointing towards a specific chapter. He nodded in response before flicking his eyes back up in your general direction.
“Today, we’ll start with the basics of analyzing a text. We’ll do ethos, pathos, and logos. It’s pretty simple but it’s gonna help with the essay portion,” You rambled on for a few minutes about the basis of arguments and speeches. His eyes were in the book but you couldn't tell if he was understanding or not. Throughout your explanation, you could see his leg shaking and his fingers tapping on the table. 
“Is there anything you want me to go over?” his eyes were still glued to the book as he looked back up at you. He was smiling, as usual, but something about the look in his eye told you that he was utterly confused. 
“No, Uh, I think I understand,” His taps became a bit more intense until he realized you were watching him and stopped. 
“It’s okay if you don't,” you said mindlessly, “I’m here to help,” as much as you weren’t a fan of Mark, you wanted him to do well. It was a part of the reason you liked tutoring. Seeing someone work hard for something, and helping them get there was one of the best feelings in the world.
“It’s fine,” he shrugged, smiling wider. You didn’t understand why he didn’t just say he needed help since it was literally your job, but you didn’t want to make him uncomfortable.
“Let’s go over it one more time, for my sake,” you went over the material again, using more examples, even some from popular music to explain the definitions he didn’t understand.
“I mean, I already understood, but I get it, more,” He said sheepishly, rubbing his face in his hand. You smiled a bit at the light pink color growing on his cheeks as you switched subjects.
“Okay, I believe you. We have some more material to cover though. Since you’re picking it up so quickly,” you smirked at the last statement, flipping the textbook in front of him to the correct page. You ignored his groan of despair, instead continuing the lesson you had planned.
You had believed after the first lesson, he might be easy to work with, but eventually, you were proved wrong. Mark was an absolute menace. His incessant taps on the table, glances around the room, random babbling, and absolute lack of interest in what you said, was pissing you off. Even the librarian had walked over to tell him to be quiet.
“Let’s take a break,” he suggested, running a hand through his hair.
“It’s been thirty minutes, Mark,” you rolled your eyes, pointing back at the sheet in front of you. He seemed to lose focus often, so you decided making him take notes might help.
“I know, but honestly my brain is full,” he whined, sending puppy dog eyes your way. Usually, you would have been able to say no, but his puckered lip and innocent eyes were beginning to sway you. 
“Fine, ten minutes,” you gave in to a smiling mark, who shot his fist up in excitement. He leaned back in his chair, looking into space with a look you couldn’t decipher. He was visibly deep in thought and you were beginning to feel very awkward as time went on.
“Tutor girl, yeah she’s tutoring me
 I wanna go home cause that’s the place to be,
Wherever I am, the vibe is nice,
Cause I’m cool like ice,” he went on and on rambling random rhymes with the biggest smile on his face. Nothing would have made you happier than saying that it sounded terrible, and while the rhymes themselves were ridiculous, his voice had a certain addictive vibe that made you want to keep listening.
He suddenly stopped, grinning at your lack of words “Shocked into silence, they say I have that effect on people,” he smirked nonchalantly eliciting a groan of annoyance from you.
“I don’t know who ‘they’ are, but your ten minutes are up,” 
“What! It’s been like three at most,” he complained, dropping his head in annoyance.
“Well, at least stop being so loud,” you rolled your eyes at the boy, who lit up once again. 
You sat in silence for a few seconds before he finally spoke, “Why are you so uptight, tutor girl?” The nickname was really beginning to bug you and so was the boy sitting across from you.
“I have a name you know,” you finally comment, ignoring his question. You were fiddling with your fingers under the table, doing anything to keep your mind off of the uncomfortable question he had asked.
“I know, Y/N,” Your eyes shot up at the mention of your name, almost giving you whiplash. 
“So, why do you call me that?” 
“It’s just a nickname,” he shrugged lightly before beginning to beatbox. He was like a child with the shortest attention span you had seen on anyone above the age of fifteen.
“It’s definitely been ten minutes now,” you pushed his paper towards him before beginning the next lesson.
            2. I hate that he really is a mystery
                 [thursday]
“I’ve never been here,” You commented, looking up at your very tall friend, Johnny opening the door for you. He was a few years older than you but you ended up bonding through the tutoring center you both worked at.
The building was a typical cafe with a warm mocha toned interior. It had bookcases lining one wall with two big grandpa chairs watching over the small tables littered around the room. The place was relatively empty, with only a few people taking up two tables near the bookshelves. It was super cozy and inviting which made you question why you hadn’t been there sooner.
“Really? A lot of people from school come here,” you only nodded in response, following the boy towards the register. 
Once inside, you immediately walked to the baked goods section, eyeing the various desserts.  
You were glad Johnny called. You had been stressed out, from your mom riding you about job applications, classes reaching finals time, tutoring Mark, etc etc. It felt like as you got older the weight on your shoulders got heavier and heavier. Everyone in your life needed you to decide on your future and you just weren’t there yet. You couldn't even decide on a pastry let alone where you wanted to be in ten years. 
“Are you ready to order?” Johnny tapped your shoulder, pulling you away from your thoughts.
“Sure,” you nodded, masking the sadness the thoughts had brought on.
You watched as the older boy tapped the service bell before peering over the counter.  “Someone’s coming,” he said, leaning back.
“Hey Johnny, what can I get ya today,” the familiar voice caused your eyes to bulge as you looked up at the owner.
“Tutor girl?” 
“Mark,” you mumbled quietly, nodding in his direction. It seemed as if your problems followed you everywhere.
“You two know each other?”Johnny asked with a grin.
Mark answered quickly “We take lit together,” you frowned at the lack of mentioning the fact that you were his tutor. 
“Ah okay,”
“How do you two know each other?” you asked, only half caring.
“We’ve been friends since his freshman year,” The older boy explained.
“Anyway, what do you want bro?” Mark asked informally, smile bright as he got ready to punch the buttons on the screen in front of him.
“I’ll have an americano, give me like two extra shots,” Johnny looked at you, waiting for your order as Mark tapped on the screen.
“Can I get an americano and a chocolate croissant,” 
“Sure,” the younger boy said absentmindedly.
Johnny reached into his wallet before you could even say anything, looking down at you with a “don’t argue” look. You were used to him paying whenever you went out together or even with other friends, even though you always put up a fight.
“Don’t worry about it,” Mark said, pushing Johnny’s card back at him, “on the house,” he explained.
“You sure?” 
“Yeah don’t worry about it,”
“Thank you,” you smiled sincerely, surprised by the gesture.
“He never pays for me,” Johnny said, chuckling as if it were an inside joke before he began looking for a seat.
He finally selected a table in the corner with two chairs beside it, right next to a window. You sat down in the chair, giving the place a once over again. Something had caught your eye this time. You watched as the dark-haired boy darted around behind the register, preparing your drinks expertly. 
“I didn’t know he worked here,” You mumbled absentmindedly, still watching the boy work.
“Yeah, he works at a restaurant too,” Johnny commented, smiling knowingly in your direction. You furrowed your brows as you looked back at him. You didn’t know he had one job, let alone two. 
“Oh,” was all you said, leaving it at that. It seemed like Mark really was a mystery to you. You knew virtually nothing about him. Something about that fact gave you an unsettling feeling that you were too stubborn to think about any further.
             3. I hate that he asks too many questions
                  [Friday]
“I don’t want to gooo,” you whined, fighting against Haechan who was currently pushing you towards the library.
“It’s only the third day. You’re such a baby,” You could practically hear his eyes roll as he stopped in front of the door. He had given you a ride to the library, as he always would if he had time.
“Am not,”
“Are too,” 
“Am not,”
“Are too,” 
“Am not,” Despite how childish it was, you literally stamped your foot, leading to a laughing fit from the two of you. 
“I can’t believe you,” he sighed, lightly shoving you.
“I’m very mature though, on a serious-,” you suddenly stopped speaking as you noticed he wasn’t looking at you anymore, “what is it?” you turned on your heel only to be met with the infamous boy himself.
“Am I too early?” he looked down at his phone with furrowed brows before looking back at you. 
“No, you’re actually on time,” you didn’t mean to come off as passive-aggressive but judging from Mark’s raised brows, you did.
You watched as Haechan reached out to shake Mark’s hand with a friendly smile and a quick mutter of his name. Mark responded by smiling awkwardly before finally reciprocating the gesture. “I’m Mark,” he introduced himself with his world-famous grin before flicking his gaze in your direction.
It was silent for a few moments before Haechan finally said something, “I’ll leave you guys to it,” he smiled one last time, sending you a mischievous look before leaving the two of you alone.
“You ready?” he asked, reaching up to grab the nape of his neck awkwardly. You quickly noticed the Jansport backpack he was sporting. It was a small thing but something about the fact that he came prepared made you feel weird.
“Uhh, yeah,” you opened the door to the library, walking quickly to the usual spot in the corner, Mark trudging quietly behind you.
“I made some flashcards for you,” You began, reaching into your bag and pulling out the index cards that you had put on a binder ring.
“Thanks,” he took the cards from your hand with a smile.
“So that guy’s your boyfriend?” he asked casually while shuffling through the cards.
You jaw all but dropped in shock as you fumbled to find the right words, “absolutely not,” you finally said, “he’s like a brother,” you clarified, waiting for his reaction.
The question made you feel uneasy coming from his mouth. It seemed random and very odd considering neither one of you had ever discussed anything personal.
“Oh, okay. You seem close,” he commented, continuing to look through the flashcards.
“We are, but uh, today lets just talk about your essay structure,” you changed the subject promptly, noticing the grin that was solidifying on his face.
Ten minutes later you could already tell he was distracted, judging by his taps on the table that were rapidly reaching a fever pitch.
He looked in your direction suddenly, “What do you want to do, tutor girl, like after graduation” 
Mark asked you the question like it was the most casual thing to say, like it was comparable to “how was your day” or “what kind of coffee do you like.” No one had really asked you that before, what you wanted to do.
“uh, I’m not sure honestly,” you were unsure of why you were even entertaining the conversation. Had it been asked a few days ago you might have just rolled your eyes and answered with the generic response you had been trained to use.
“Really? You seem like the type to plan everything a hundred steps ahead,” 
You quirked your eyebrow up in surprise “What’s that supposed to mean,” 
A light blush found its way onto his cheeks as he stumbled over his words, “No, it’s just that you, like, seem put together, like you know what you want,” he clarified.
The notion confused you to an extent. You never knew what you wanted. You had spent so long doing what people told you that you should do, that you barely even thought about what you wanted. Honestly speaking, you had only started tutoring because your mother told you it would look good on college applications. You had just so happened to actually end up enjoying it. That was the real reason you always did everything the same way and were what Mark called ‘uptight’.
“I don’t,” you admitted, “I have a hard time knowing what I want,” you trailed off quietly before asking him the same question.
“I want to pursue music, but I’m not sure if it’s practical,” he said shrugging.
“It isn’t practical,” you agreed, smiling lightly at the shocked face Mark sent you, “but if it’s something you want to do, it’s worth trying,” you finished, watching as Mark let out a breath. 
He sighed, “I wish it were that easy,” his table tapping picked up a slow pace. You nodded in agreement, realizing that you were in a similar predicament. “Well, what do you like to do?” he asked suddenly.
“You ask a lot of questions,” you replied simply, playing with the seam of your jeans.
             4. I hate that he’s unbelievably stubborn
                   [Monday]
“Mark, honestly we can just reschedule,” You watched as the boy shook his head, jumping from his previous position.
“No, I’m fine,” he shook his head a few times before gesturing in your direction for you to continue.
The boy kept nodding off throughout your lesson and showing obvious signs that he was in no way capable of learning anything. His eyes were bloodshot as if he hadn’t slept all weekend, his eye bags were at least three shades darker than usual, and most importantly he wasn’t making any noises at all. Not even his usual incessant table taps.
“Mark, you did pretty well on the practice quiz, you can take the day off,” you tried to reason with the boy whose eyes were barely open. It looked like he was sleeping with his eyes open.
“No no, y/n,” him using your real name made you feel weird and told you that he was definitely not in the right mind. “You came all the way here, let’s just start,” 
You chuckled lightly at his groggy and barely comprehensible voice as you closed your books. 
“Why are you so tired anyway? Did you work over the weekend?” you found yourself actually curious about his answer, not just asking something random for the sake of it not being awkward.
He answered simply, trying his best to hide a yawn, “yep,” 
You shook your head disapprovingly before finally speaking, “Alright this is what we’re going to do. One more practice test and then please go home and do us both a favor and go to sleep,” 
“I don’t want to be an inconvenience,” he admitted, sitting upright.
“You’re more of an inconvenience this way because I can't tutor someone who can’t even spell their own name,” I tapped on the corner of his notes, where he had written his name as “mar” leaving the last letter off.
“Fine,” he said finally, lifting his hoodie off of his head.
“You’re so god damn stubborn,” you whispered mostly to yourself.
“I can hear you, y’know,” you smiled at his remark before setting a practice test in front of him.
               5. I hate that he sees what no one else does
                     [Friday]
“Yes, mom,” you paused for a moment, waiting for your mother’s usual rant about how you never did anything right, and how at your age she was already starting her own business, yada yada, the usual. 
“I know,” pause, “I sent them out last week, remember?” pause, “I will,”
“Hey, tutor girl,” Mark greeted, taking his usual seat in front of you. He had a concerned look on his face as he noticed you were on the phone having an unpleasant conversation.
You pulled the phone away from your face, “I’ll be right back,” you shot him a small generic smile before walking outside of the building.
“Y/N if you don’t get it together, I’m going to-” your mother’s voice could be heard despite the fact that you had pulled the phone away from your face.
“I’m in the middle of a tutoring session, I have to call you back later,” you interrupted, pressing the hang-up button soon after.
You took a few long breaths before plastering a smile onto your face and walking back inside the building. You could feel Mark’s eyes on you as you walked towards him trying your best to keep up a strong facade.
“Are you okay,” the concern in his voice as you looked at him almost wiped the smile off of your face.
“I’m fine, let’s get started,”
“It’s okay if you’re not. You can tell me about it,” he paused for a few moments, tapping on the table as he usually did, “I can tell you’re you aren’t,” 
“It’s nothing, let’s just start,” you waved your hand in dismissal.
“If that’s what you want,” he phrased it more like a question than a statement.
“So, today let’s talk about how point of view affects the entire story,” you began your explanation, the fake smile long gone as you gave examples from the required reading. Mark seemed only half interested in what you were saying, which was usually normal, except today you could feel his eyes glued to your face while yours were in the book as you gestured to certain sentences. 
You were not in the mood for his antics and as time passed he was truly starting to bug you. “What!? What are you looking at?” you whisper-yelled in his direction. You found yourself feeling immediately guilty as the boy looked at you in complete and utter shock. His lips had slightly parted into an ‘o’ shape and his brows were slightly raised. His cheeks had even begun turning into a deep red.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t-” he mumbled, trailing off at the end.
You raised your hand to your head, feeling a headache coming on, “no, I’m sorry. Honestly, I’m a little stressed out,” you admitted.
“It’s okay, you can talk to me about it. Like, if you want,” he looked at you expectantly, with a concerned expression adorning his face.
“It’s just my mom. She has a lot of expectations for me. It’s stressful sometimes, y’know,” he nodded at your words, waiting for you to continue, “It’s overwhelming. I don’t really know what to do. It’s like she’s been controlling my life for so long that I don’t even know what I want to do without her telling me,” you finished. 
It felt good letting it all out, and for some reason, you felt comfortable telling Mark about it. He seemed to really listen to you, like he actually cared. 
“Have you ever talked to her about it?” he asked.
“No, she’s not the best listener,” he nodded again.
“Then I think right now all you can do is try to figure out what you actually want for yourself. Like what’s something you really want to do? Like bucket list stuff,” he asked with wide eyes.
“I dunno, maybe a road trip,” you said the first thing that came to mind, mentally slapping yourself at how lame the answer was. “I’ve never really been anywhere,” you explained simply. “Kind of lame,”
He shook his head, “It's not lame if it’s something you want.” You only nodded in response.
“What you want is important, Y/N. Even if you don't know exactly what that is yet.”
               6. I hate that he is everywhere
                     [monday]
“It’s not my fault,” Haechan rolled his eyes at your shocked expression as he spoke.
“Haechan,” you said slowly, “I really shouldn’t have to explain it to you,” you shook your head in his direction. 
You were walking down the main commons area in your school, killing time before your next class.
“If someone says to you, hey! Can I borrow your hanger, how am I supposed to guess that they’ll-” he stopped speaking suddenly, a smile breaking out on his face, “look there’s your boy,” he nodded slightly in the direction ahead of you.
You looked up, almost immediately spotting Mark. He was smiling brightly as he spoke to a girl beside him. She looked to be familiar, maybe from the year below you. You watched as they laughed together, heads falling back as if they were in a movie. You had to admit, they made a cute couple.
“He’s not my boy,” you shoved your friend with light force, ignoring the tight feeling in your chest.
“Don’t worry, pretty sure she’s dating Jeno. Actually no, I’m super sure, every time I see them, they’re sucking face,” he grimaces at the notion, furrowing his brows tightly as if remembering the image vividly.
You shrugged your shoulders nonchalantly, “Why would I worry?”
“Okay, y/n,” he matched your expression, shrugging in the same way you did.
            7. I hate that his car smells just like him
                   [Tuesday]
“No it’s fine, I’ll just find a way home,” you glanced at Mark, whose eyes were on you already. “No, Haechan don’t worry about it. I’ll text you later,” you hung the phone up and looked up at the boy ahead of you.
After you opened up to Mark the previous week, he had begun taking a seat next to you in class. It seemed like you had become friends, or acquaintances at least. That felt weird to even think about. You and Mark were friends? No, acquaintances, you were just acquaintances. 
“Everything okay?” he asked, gathering his belongings.
“Yea, I just have to walk home,” you answered absentmindedly before standing.
“I can, like, give you a ride,” he offered nonchalantly, standing in front of you.
“You drive?”
He smirked at the question, “just got a new car,” 
“Okay then, if it’s no trouble,” you agreed, nodding at him. It was super weird how comfortable you were around him now. There were still things you very much disliked about him, but getting to know him had shown you that there were some things you hadn’t known at all.
“Alright,” he smiled in your general direction before leading the way. You had grown used to his quick pace, keeping up with ease now. 
“It’s nice right,” he pats the old black car lightly, as if he was afraid something would fall off. 
“Super nice,” you agreed with a grin.
You both walked to your respective sides and slid into your seats quietly. You were immediately hit with the smell of watermelon air freshener and the cologne Mark usually wore. 
“You can put your address in,” he pointed to the GPS on the car and you promptly typed it in.
There was a lasting awkward silence after that, Mark focusing diligently on driving while you were focused on counting the red cars that went by. You wondered how long it would take for someone to say something. Eventually, Mark just put on the radio, hoping to fill the silence.
He winced slightly at the country song that began playing, “You wanna hear one of my songs,” he said suddenly, a small smile accompanying his words.
“Sure,” you were actually curious, seeing as you had never heard him rap seriously, only hearing his mumbles when he was bored.
“Press the acronym one,” he said, handing you his phone, eyes still trained on the road. It was almost comical how focused he was while driving whereas during tutoring sessions he was always distracted.
“Que-tay, uhm, qwe-ta,” you tried pronouncing the acronym, eliciting a laughing fit from Mark. His laugh was so innocent you couldn’t help but smile along even though you didn’t know what was so funny.
“Key-tah,” he finally said with a smile.
“Ah,” you nodded, turning the volume up.
The song started off subtly, with a chill beat that matched the atmosphere in the car. You could see Mark’s light blush peeking from your peripheral as the song went on. By the time the second verse began, Mark was humming along before finally fully rapping alongside himself. Again, you were reminded of how addictive his voice was. 
He seemed so passionate at that moment, so confident. He was showing a side to himself that you hadn’t seen before. Someone so comfortable where he was. Someone truly in their element.
“I get why you want to do music,” you commented as the song ended.
“Why?” 
“You love it. I can tell. It’s like more than just a career for you, it’s a part of you,” you said matter of factly. The statement confused you to some degree. You had never seen someone so comfortable in their element. You hated to admit it but you were even a little jealous.
He smiled at that notion, “It is a part of me. Ever since I was young, my dad taught me how to play guitar and that really just jump started my love for it.” You nodded in understanding before picking a random Frank Ocean song on his playlist. 
“You should come to my showcase next week, I just got offered a spot today,” he said suddenly. You were completely shocked that he had asked you. 
“You can bring your friend, I think our whole class is going. It’s supposed to be an end of finals celebration” ah, everyone was going. 
“Okay,” you accepted simply, heat rushing to your cheeks for an unknown reason.
“just put your number in my phone, I’ll send the details later,”
The car ride from then on was more comfortable. What was once an awkward silence had become a relaxed atmosphere where you and Mark would chat about random things like the music on his playlist or the watermelon screensaver on his phone. 
              8.  I hate that he thinks can pull one over on me
                    [wednesday]
 “tutor girl, what’s up?” Mark crashed down into the seat in front of you, setting down a drink carrier from his cafe and a bag.
“Hi, Mark,” you greeted with a smile, shaking your head at his noisy entrance.
“Here you go,” he pushed an Iced Americano in your direction, following with the white bag.
“Oh, thank you, you didn’t have to get me anything,” you watched the smile on his face widen as he shook his head.
“It’s the least I could I could do for my favorite tutor,” your felt your cheeks get hot until you remembered one very important detail.
“I’m your only tutor, and you still have to take the full practice test,” you said sternly, putting the straw in the coffee quickly.
“Come on,” he whined out before starting a whole argumentative speech about how the practice tests were annoying.
               9. I hate that he doubts himself
                    [thursday]
“I mean, and I say this with full respect,” Mark began, “I truly don’t think I’m going to do that well,” he admitted, toying with the drawstring of his hoodie.
“Mark, just because you say with full respect, doesn’t make it more respectful,” you said with a grin, “but seriously, you’ve been doing so well on your practice quizzes. Over 60% every time, which is way better than what we started with,” you admitted, wincing a bit at the last statement you let slip out.
“Still, that’s not a passing grade,” he shrugged, utterly defeated as he picked up the essay rubric from his desk. His usual brighter than the sun smile had disappeared, leaving you feeling uncomfortably cold.
“Honestly your lack of trust in my tutoring skills is beginning to annoy me,” 
“No, dude, I trust you,” your eyes flew to him at that statement. He was still pondering over the paper in front of him as he continued, “I just feel like I suck at this stupid subject,” he threw the paper back onto the table at that statement.
You found yourself giving a pep talk without even a second thought “No, you don’t. You’re caught on quickly. You’re so smart but you need to stop second-guessing yourself. You’re going to do well. Even better than well because you have my help.”
“Thanks, tutor girl. I appreciate you,” you could tell he was sincere because he had met your eyes, even if just for a split second. It was the first time he had ever looked you in your eyes and it was making you feel things.
“I’m serious though, you are way smarter than you give yourself credit for, and you should know that you are no matter what score you get on this stupid test,” you finish, grinning as the smile returned on his face.
“Okay,” he nodded lightly as he stood waiting for you to join him.
You chuckled lightly at the boy as you looked up at him, “What is it, Mark?” he had a sheepish look on his face as if he was nervous about something other than the obvious.
“uhm well,” He was looking intently at you when you didn’t notice, waiting for any signs that he was annoying you.
“Actually, there’s something I was going to ask you,” a light blush found its way onto his cheeks as he spoke. You nodded in his direction waiting for whatever he had to say, looking up to find his eyes on you. 
At that moment you noticed almost like for the first time how pretty his eyes were. They were so doe-like and innocent, you couldn’t stop staring. 
To outsiders, you both would have seemed very odd as you stood just staring at each other. 
“Well, I-”
“Y/N, hurry- oh shoot, sorry,” Haechan’s voice rang from the doorway, pulling you out of whatever trance you had been in.
“I’m almost done,” you widened your eyes in Haechan’s direction for emphasis, looking back at Mark who had already looked away. “What were you saying, Mark?”
He smiled lightly for a moment, “Don’t worry about it. It’s nothing important,”
You furrowed your brows lightly, “You sure.”
“Yeah, we’ll talk later,” 
              10. I hate that I don’t hate him
                   [Friday]
“I told you so,” Haechan was grinning ear to ear as he joined you on your walk to class.
“I could name ten things I hate about him, yeah right,” He laughed to himself suddenly, mocking your old statement. “Imagine my shock seeing your face a few inches away from his. I should’ve taken a picture.”
“Shut up,” you pushed him lightly, finally reaching the door to the lit class.
“I’ll see you afterwards, good luck,” he said, sending you a final wave before walking away.
It was the test date and you were sure that Mark was nervous. As soon as you got into the room, you noticed his fingers tapping violently on the desk, his single mechanical pencil clattering as it jumped around. He was there early, earlier than you were and that was saying something. The room was empty except for the two of you, even despite you being only about fifteen minutes early.
“Mark,” you had to call his name a second time to get his attention. “Mark, relax,” you took the seat next to him and swiftly grabbed his chattering hand in your own. You watched as his leg began bouncing up and down as if it were mocking the pencil’s previous movement, “Mark, breathe,” his eyes were glued to something in the distance, his breath labored.
“Shit, I’m not prepared,” he muttered quietly, “I should have done another quiz,” he breathed out. “and I can’t fucking breathe,” he clenched his brows at the last statement, his breathing coming out as quick huffs.
“Look at me, Mark,” you reached up to turn his chin towards you. “I think you’re having an anxiety attack,” you said the words slowly, hoping to not make it any worse.
“You have to breathe, I’m right here and I’m not going to let go of you,” you squeezed lightly on his hand to emphasize your words.
“You’ve studied and studied. You’ve worked hard. You’re going to do well. All you have to do now is relax and breathe. In and out,” his eyes were glued to yours before he finally closed them altogether and began taking slow deep breaths.
“I’m here with you, and we’re both going to destroy this thing,” he nodded slowly at your words, opening them a few minutes later as his breathing reached a normal pace and his leg stopped bouncing. 
You released his hand in the next second, sending him a small smile.
“I’m glad you’re with me,” was the last thing he said before people began filing into the room.
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[Monday]
“I know what you’ve all been waiting for. I have your graded finals,” Your professor had waited until the end of the day to finally share the news, leaving everyone anxious.
It was utterly silent as he passed them around, only the sound of him saying a quick “see me after class,” to Mark, who immediately winced at the statement. You couldn’t help but furrow your brows in confusion, noticing that Mark hadn’t received his test back.
“Class is dismissed,” he pointed towards the doorway after delivering the final test, smiling lightly at the people whose arms were thrown up in celebration.
Your score wasn’t that big of a surprise, you had gotten what was expected of you. You were way more interested in Mark. So you decided to wait outside the door, watching as students filed out.
It seemed like hours had passed while you were waiting for him. You mindlessly scrolled through your phone, completely missing the sounds of someone walking up to you, that someone being Mark himself.
You yelped in surprise as you were lifted off of your feet and spun around in the air.
“What the hell,” was all you said as the boy set you down.
“Y/N, Look!” he exclaimed, handing you the test with a huge eighty-five percent scribbled in red on the top right corner of the sheet.
“Mark, I told you, you could do it,” you hugged the smiling boy, grinning brightly at him.
“I couldn’t have without you, Y/N,” the sincerity in his eyes as they bore into your own was making you melt on the spot. 
“No more tutor girl?” you asked, grin never falling.
“You’ll always be tutor girl but, uh,” he paused as if deep in thought for a moment, “I really like spending time with you. I think it will be weird not seeing you all the time,” you nodded in agreement, realizing that the semester had ended, meaning it was summer break.
“Well, we’re friends now right. We can still hang out,” you offered, watching as the boy looked down with a look you couldn’t decipher.
“Um, I know we’re friends, but,” he stepped a little closer to you, “I was wondering like, y’know if it’s possible, if you maybe wanna,” he continued to stumble over his words. You couldn’t help but smile at his very awkward, very cute way of asking you what you already knew he was getting at.
“Mark, do you want to go out sometime,” you finally blurted, chuckling at his pink face. 
“Yes, I would like that a lot,” he said nodding.
“I don’t know if you knew but uhm, I mean it was before, but basically um, I’m sorry I judged you before, Mark,” you apologized suddenly watching as he shook his head in dismissal. It had been on your mind for a while even despite him not knowing.
“I knew you felt that way before. That’s kind of why I was so like reluctant to have you as my tutor,” he grabbed your hand and squeezed lightly.
“That’s why you were so weird the day he told us,” you nodded in understanding remembering the look Mark gave you when you were first introduced, as if you spat in his drink. In his defense you deserved it.
“Honestly, yeah,” he confessed, “but in your defense, I am kind of an acquired taste,” 
“That’s not an excuse. I was an idiot,” you admitted, “Mark, you’re amazing,” he smiled lightly at your last statement, taking the time to just look at you. His brown eyes were like a pool, drawing you in until you sank, unable to stop staring.
He reached out, cupping your cheek with his hand before speaking, “Can I kiss you?”
You only nodded in response, waiting patiently as he lowered his head towards your face until he was less than a centimeter away. It felt like hours had passed until his lips grazed yours, allowing a tingling sensation to move throughout your body.
 In a flash, your arms were around his neck and he was holding onto you delicately, like you would break if he was too rough. He tasted like a mixture of mint and watermelon gum. His warm foresty and floral scent was filling your senses, actively intoxicating you as his lips moved against yours rhythmically. The kiss was greater than any apology you could have given him since it was full of the emotion you couldn’t fully articulate. Mark was fully focused on you in the moment, lips moving against yours like a magnet.
“I told you to become friends, not make out in public,” you heard Haechan’s voice interrupt, causing you to immediately pull away from the boy in front of you. You couldn’t help but laugh uncontrollably at Haechan's mortified face and Mark’s intense blush.
“Sorry,” Mark muttered quietly, smiling as he looked down at you.
Haechan walked towards the older boy, looping a hand around his shoulder as he spoke, “Y’know, I always saw this coming. She said she didn’t like you, but a best friend always knows,” you could only shake your head as Mark looked back at you as if asking for help. You could hear Haechan going on and on about his premonitions as you trailed behind the two boys, feeling a sense of happiness you hadn’t felt in a long time. 
Mark was someone you could never see yourself with. He was loud, always distracted, obnoxious, stubborn, and mysterious. But he was also kind, deliberate, hard-working, smart, infectiously positive, and beautiful. You didn’t know when the thought struck you, but as you looked up at the brunette boy walking ahead you finally knew what you wanted. You wanted him by your side for as long as possible.
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snarkwriteswrasslin · 4 years
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I don't know how I am just finding your tumblr now, but I love your writing! Any chance you'd do some HCs for a Sexy Chuckie T?
Ahhh, omg, you’re so sweet, anonymous! Thank you!?! like, this truly made my night? As far as Chuckie T goes, I got you, bb. You didn’t say whether you wanted NSFW or just straight up headcanons, so I hope it’s okay I kept this kind of safe and tame?
Warnings: 
Nope. I kept it pretty clean. Hella fluffy, but clean.
Tagging:
@writertoo18 @thatnerdwriter @wrestlingismyguiltypleasure @chasingeverybreakingwave @waywardwrestlewritingwaif @sassymox @champbucks @hungmanhorsecarriage  @wardl0w @ryantaylorgirl @dilfmoxley @hotyeehawman @darbysallins @gabbynorth98 @bec0m
@linziland13 @irish-newzealand-idian-dutch  @daddyslittlevillain
Other Stuff:
[ about page | masterlist | tag list ]
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First off.. His dog must approve of you. No ifs, ands or buts. Doggo gets the final say. Chuck figures that his pets have been around longer than you and long after you’re gone, if things don’t work, his pets will continue to be around. Not to mention, he loves/trusts them above pretty much anybody else other than Trent and possibly, Orange... So.. If the pets like you, you get allowed closer. 
Given how outgoing and well... Blunt the guy is. Might surprise you to know that he likes to take things real slow when it comes to getting involved with a person. I mean... not a slow crawl that feels like a million years, but there’s no whirlwind. He likes to take his time and really get to know a person.Because the connection is important and he needs to feel connected when he’s involved with someone.
-- I should warn. Guy kind of strikes me as having a sliiiight, teeny.. tiny.. Possible jealous side. Manifests as protectiveness. He’s totally one of those guys you can trust to guard your drink at a party with his very life. And if you’re with him and some unsavory random approaches? Whew.. Whether you’re just a friend or you’re with him, with him, he’s not about some random coming onto you inappropriately, or that’s the vibe I get.
There are so many fucking times you come home to disasters and both he and Trent are standing there, attempting to look innocent only to blurt out at the same time “He started it!”. With the two of them around, life is never dull. It’s one never ending prank war, actually. You’ve just come to accept the random plastic snakes in the fridge... Or the kitchen disasters. Impromptu wrestling matches.
-- Or, the time that they were going to hug each other and somehow managed to wind up smooshing you right in the middle.
Will totally sit on your lap as a joke. Also gives you ‘lapdances’ when he’s trying to be funny or a smartass after you’ve watched Magic Mike. His argument was “Anybody can do that shit, darlin.” and when you said prove it, well..
-- It was a fun and wild night. That’s all I’m saying. You may or may not have discovered just how ‘flexible’ Chuckie really is.
He loves tickling you. And he does it when you’re not expecting it and won’t stop til you’re nearly on the floor curled up and dying of laughter.
He sends you memes. I mean yeah, he could send you a thousand peen pics, but he’d prefer all of... that... to transpire in person. He’s more hands on. Anyway, he sends you memes and the occasional voice recording of him, singing loud and badly off key to some old love song on the radio. All of that wild stuff happens when he’s home.
Like a typical ‘smartass’ he posts only the WORST photos of you two together (ie, the most hilarious or hilariously inappropriate) for anniversaries and birthdays or other life occasions. But to flip the script.. He writes these long and amazingly sweet and tender posts beneath the photo atrocities that he posts of you two. It’s sweet. Give me a minute, somebody’s cutting onions over here.
Loves to stand behind you when you’re cooking and steal bites. Or just rest his chin on your shoulder and ask you question after question after question about what you’re making, what this is, what that is, when the food will be done.
The man is so good at surprising you with random things that you wanted but barely mentioned that you wanted that sometimes, you wonder if he’s a psychic or not.
Your mom loves him to death.And he’s so freakin sweet to her, it’s adorable.
Downtime consists of ya’ll, vegging out in your room with all the animals on the bed with you and various video games being played. Or romantic little getaways that he planned while still away from you, without even a hint or your knowledge he was up to something.
If you guys have a fight, he tends to walk out of the room and go cool down. He’ll cool down and then come back. When you tell him he’s been a butthead, he listens. Then he explains his side. He’s not ashamed to communicate and has no problem admitting when he’s wrong, although sometimes, he can purposely be a bit of a butthead just because... He wouldn’t be him if he didn’t dig in his heels a little. But he never says or does anything that he knows he can’t take back later. He’d rather walk away and let both of ya’ll cool off and calm down.
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lady-kaichou · 2 years
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A month or so ago, I dreamt I was spending time with Velez in his bedroom. He was lying in bed solely in his Calvin Klein. It felt just like old times, so I went to lie on top of him. He then asked, “Are you still talking to him?” I couldn’t figure out if he was referring to my former relationship with Matthew or my potential new one with Wyatt. All I know is that whoever he was referring to, I chose him in that paradisiacal moment.
A few days ago, I dreamt about Velez anew. Although I can’t recall what that particular dream centered around, I just know it had something to do with us being together still.
Last night, I was spending time with Velez thrice more. He held me to his chest seeing as we hadn’t laid eyes on each other since Sunday, August 30th, 2020. Apparently, I had left Wyatt for him since he whispered into my ear, “I’ve been waiting for you for hours,” in his usual sarcasm.
It’s a shame he never gave me the chance to tell him why I love him to this day. I’m not saying I was or am in love with him, I simply acknowledge the potential there had we both been healed just a tad bit more from our heartache. In time, he could’ve convinced me that V no longer lived in his heart in spite of the 8 years they’d been together.
Anyhow, other than my first serious relationship with Israel, no one had ever taken me out properly before. Israel and I both know that he just took me out over the obligation of being my boyfriend. Moreover, I loved Velez for making me feel loved. “If I’m going to be fucking you, I might as well take you out,” he had said when I initially presented to him the idea of being friends with benefits.
In light of the aforementioned, I used to feel guilt over not dreaming such nostalgic dreams about Matthew. I still love and was in love with him after all. So why don’t I dream beautiful dreams about him? Perhaps for the same reason I believed we wouldn’t work out. He didn’t strike me as ready to be in a serious relationship, even if he wanted to be. I couldn’t will him to be ready just as I couldn’t picture a future together.
I remember feeling so out of place during his family’s Christmas party. Present were his parents, his four older sisters and their significant others, his twin brother, and his nephew. The only one who helped ease my growing discomfort was the boyfriend—now fiancé—of one of his sisters when it didn’t even fall on him to do so. While I know Matthew hadn’t dated in over 10 years, it would have made a colossal difference if he had thought to check how I was doing seeing as no one was really including me in their conversation.
Albeit Israel ultimately didn’t love me in a way that mattered because I now know I wasn’t ready to be in a serious relationship at 19, I’ve got to give Matthew credit. He only failed to take me out because he was tired from his 8:00-5:00 6 days a week. On top of this, he himself stated the obvious that he was too scared to fall in love with me. I told myself it was okay because we’d work through his reintegration into a relationship—and a serious one at that—together, except I was used to being the one that was reassured. That he couldn’t reassure me made me increasingly insecure about us having any real weight.
Times he did take me out, the Israel vibes continued because he didn’t hold my hand as we walked, much less did he kiss me. If I reached my own hand out, it didn’t last long. And the one time I felt we were making progress, my insecurities got the better of me when we regrouped with his family. One of his sisters pointed out that we were actually walking with our arms linked together and I didn’t think twice about it before letting go because I knew that Matthew was only going to be embarrassed by the comment. It only made matters worse that he didn’t show affection toward me whether or not we were in public.
I’m certain our relationship would’ve made it further or even all the way if only we lived in the same state. Regrettably, I sabotaged our relationship by entertaining Vela. I honestly think I did this because I didn’t want to go through what I went through with Israel all over again. I didn’t want to be in another long distance relationship for 2 and a half years just to find out that he met someone else. That Matthew was too afraid to be all in made the thought seem unbearably plausible; therefore, I in turn became too scared to love him.
In a sense, Matthew continues to be “the one that got away”. I truly hadn’t felt butterflies like that since back when I was 16, falling in love for the first time with Sean Michael Walker. That long distance relationship lasted two days short of 2 years as it was Sean Michael’s first serious relationship and he was convinced there was no way for us to meet. Looking back, that was puppy love, yes. But he was the first guy that I believed when he said he loved me.
At any rate, I was old enough for the puppy love to be real by the time I began dating Matthew at 23. Alas, I finally stopped contacting him since he stopped replying. His birthday came and went and I didn’t text him even if it might mean he thinks I forgot. I must be selfless by meeting him halfway through letting him go that he may grow even if it means losing him altogether for good. Just like I suspected, I’m unprepared although I knew this outcome was looming…
And so we come to the man who acknowledged that I was worth getting to know. Wyatt Andrew Peterson. He reassures me about wanting to be in our relationship without my having to ask, and he is always there when I have my bouts of mourning over my older sister. I don’t take for granted how these things alone prove to be more than enough for me to continue to love and be in love with him. Withal, it goes without saying that he takes me out every so often.
I can tell that Wyatt is ready to become a father, so the question is whether I’m ready to become a mother. I consider him worthy and time only keeps ticking, so I’m debating timing it so that I give birth once I’m 27 since it’ll be my golden year. The scary part is that this means I ought become pregnant by November of this year at the latest when I always pictured myself having a baby at 30.
The good part is that I have been mentally preparing myself even if I think all of my preparation will just end up going out the window once I’m holding PollyAnna in my arms. I have no idea what I would want to name a boy, so I’ll allow myself to picture a girl for now although part of me wishes I get a boy first. I’m hoping the boy will watch over his siblings, otherwise I don’t care what I have.
Wyatt says it doesn’t matter if we have a boy or girl first, but he has put Porter on the table. My only qualm is that unlike PollyAnna, Porter doesn’t have a particularly thoughtful meaning. I suppose we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it, and if all goes well, we will end up with both a boy and a girl which would mean the best of both worlds.
Now, I don’t know that what I’ve written even does either of my former relationships nor my current one justice, much less if I should disclose these details about my former ones. I do, however, feel better after having jotted my thoughts down.
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azucanela · 4 years
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GOING TO A CAT CAFÉ WITH THEM [GENDER NEUTRAL HEADCANNONS & SCENARIOS]
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FT. AKAASHI KEIJI, KENMA KOZUME,  USHIJIMA WAKATOSHI
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SUMMARY: Going to a cat café with the boys is eventful!
WORD COUNT: 2.2k
WARNINGS: domestic, fluff, established? relationship, aged up for no reason
A/N: proudest of ushijima’s that is all akjsdjkasd also disregard random keyboard smashes, i think i caught them all but my cat kinda just did a dance on my keyboard ya know and uhhh yeah if you followed me for haikyuu!! now is the time to get your juice bc i have a [another] tsukki fic in the works
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AKAASHI KEIJI
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HEADCANNONS & SCENARIOS
100% his idea, or at least hes the one who initiated the date after hearing you offhandedly mention a new cat café coming to town, i feel like akaashi likes cats and dogs so he’ll be happy no matter what. but like cats just hold a special place in his heart because i dunno, akaashi lowkey reminds me of a cat, i have no explanation
akaashi honestly just thinks it would be cute to watch you interact with cats, like obviously he likes cats himself, but like w o w 
his s/o AND cats, how could this get better
“Y/N?” Akaashi spoke softly, arms wrapped around Y/N as he rested his head on their shoulder. Y/N hummed absentmindedly as they continued to cut the fruit before them, tilting their head towards him to indicate that they are listening. “I was thinking that for our date next week we could go to the cat café you mentioned.” 
Y/N pauses, their hands freezing as they spoke, “are you for real?”
Akaashi smiled, pressing a kiss to Y/N’s neck, “yes for real. You said you wanted to go and it sounds fun.”
“Have I ever told you how amazing you are?”
He offers them a small smile before pressing another kiss to their cheek, “Not often enough.” Comes his response, earning and eye roll from Y/N, though they lean further into his hold.
“Well, I’m excited to go with you.”
akaashi is the type to pay more attention to you than the cats, he finds your interactions with them entertaining and just all around thinks everything about that is adorable.
he loves watching you in general because he’s an observant kind of person. watching your mannerisms and interactions with others is how he kinda get to know you in his own sort of way, if that makes sense? he just compiles all this information about you in his head
obviously he’ll be petting cats as well but i feel like akaashi is actually really cold, like naturally cold, so cats might find that off putting but also he is probably really good with cats
they’ll be pestering him but he’s just watching you with a SOFT look on his face, like even the other people in the cat café are jealous watching because wow he likes likes you
likes to just hold cats, and cuddle, akaashi seems like the type to enjoy napping and could easily be compared to one himself because i dunno,,, he has cat vibes
Akaashi’s eyes don’t leave Y/N’s figure as he watches them pet the cat before them affectionately, a smile coming onto his face as he silently thanks himself for suggesting this. He absentmindedly strokes the cat seated in his own lap as his eyes meet theirs.
“Keiji we need to come back here.” They exclaim, smile on their face as they stare back down at the cat in glee.
He couldn’t help but wonder if they should consider adopting their own cat, nodding along to her words in agreement, “we should.” 
Y/N beams at Akaashi, moving closer to him to press a kiss to his cheek before returning their attention to the cat. In the corner of their eye, they can feel Akaashi’s eyes remain on them momentarily, before his gaze falls onto the cat once more. And Y/N can’t help but smile as they think of what the rest of the day holds.
And the cat they may or may not have been looking into buying.
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KENMA KOZUME
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HEADCANNONS & SCENARIOS
cat person HANDS down, i feel like this is a universally accepted fact, but cats are just calm. dogs definitely overwhelm kenma, they’re too high maintenance, and he probably finds them gross ngl.
i feel like he’s definitely wanted to go to a cat café with you, he’s just never asked because he thinks you’ll say no or smth
if you don’t ask he will ask eventually though, but i feel like you’d hear about a cat café nearby and be like wait kenma likes cats we should go
“Hey babe?” Y/N spoke from their seat on the couch, feet resting on Kenma’s lap and eyes still on their phone as they stared at the ad for the cat café.
Kenma on the other hand, sat with his eyes trained on the TV screen as he played on his many video games. He’s speaking lowly into the small mic connected to his headphones, but that doesn’t stop him from humming in reply to Y/N’s question as he brings a hand to move one of the headphones off his ear to listen. 
“Would you be interested in going to a cat café with me?”
Almost immediately, Kenma turns to Y/N, nodding far more eagerly than they expected. Kenma mumbles something into his mic before the TV screen goes black and he’s taking his headset off before spreading Y/N’s leg to move between them and rest his head on their stomach and look up towards them. “When?”
he would be so excited, like it would be the day of and he’d be trying to rush you out of the house because he wants to go see the cats n o w
don’t even try to talk to him when you finally get there because kenma is SUBMERGED in cats, he is no longer with you, his mind is with the cats. okay??? okay. glad we are on the same page.
kenma knows how to treat cats to get them to like him, he knows how to pet them and approach them, he has done research because he is SO READY to ask you about adopting a cat together— this is basically a proposal, say yes. 
in general the cats would enjoy his presence, he’s calm and wouldn’t manhandle them, he understands boundaries and isn’t going to bother cats that don’t want to be bothered
he probably wouldn’t like attract cats, but he definitely wouldn’t scare them off, and if you visit the cat café frequently enough they’ll all definitely start to gravitate towards you because wow!! the guy who gives good pets!!
yeah but dont go to a cate café for a date, you’ll get neglected, his attention is on the cats. he will, on occasion, look towards you and see how you are doing with the cats. this is a test to see if you are worthy of owning a cat with him
if you pass then he now wants to marry you congrats. 
slightly off topic but kenma strikes me as the type of person who is just cold all the time
A soft smile found its way onto Kenma’s face as he gently petted the cats, scratching behind its ear before looking up at Y/N, who stared at him with a smile of their own. “Having fun?” They asked, hand on the cat seated in their lap. 
The boy in question nodded, leaning downwards towards the cat, “we should come here again.” Y/N is about to reply when the cat in Kenma’s lap reaches up and swats aggressively at his hair, a look of shock followed by another smile making its way onto his face as he allowed more hair to come into his face.
“Yes, we definitely should.” 
Kenma looks up to Y/N, cheeks dusted in red as he tilts his head at her, “maybe we could adopt a cat.” He looks back down at the cat before him, “do you think they’d let us—”
“We both know the answer,” Y/N replies before he can finish, “but I’m sure we can look into it.”
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USHIJIMA WAKATOSHI
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HEADCANNONS & SCENARIOS
honestly
both a cat and dog person but cats hit different 
ushijima was probably talking about you with tendou, offhandedly, and he mentioned how he wanted to do something with you for like your anniversary or some sort of occasion or just purely because he is grateful for your existence
and then he was like, “yes I was considering taking them on a date to this—” he’s gonna say a fancy restaraunt and tendou is gonna be like lmao no
"So, what are you doing this weekend Ushiwaka?” Ushijima doesn’t same to take notice of Tendou’s suggestive brow raising, or the suggestive look on his face, much to Tendou’s dismay.
He replies nonetheless, “I intend to take Y/N on a date, they’ve done a lot for me and I figured they would enjoy the new—”
“Let me stop you right there my tall friend.” Ushijima frowned at the interruption but paused, gazing at Tendou with a look of confusion as he grinned widely at the renowned ace. “Cat cafés are the perfect way to express your gratitude to your lover.”
Ushijma tilts his head at Tendou, “cat café?” The questioning tone brings an incredulous look onto Tendou’s face as he stares at Ushijima.
“Don’t tell me you don’t know what cat cafés are– you seem like a cat person, there’s no way I was wrong—”
tendou suggested going to a cafe date, and i feel like its because he just has a feeling that ushijima wakatoshi likes cat, and is completely incapable of planning a date well enough
tendou lowkey wants to go— maybe even bringing goshiki along, suggesting that he could observe was elite aces do in their free time, something the young and easily influenced boy would definitely [eagerly] agree to do alongside tendou — but he thinks stalking you and ushijima is like...
ya know, stalkerish. not that this has ever stopped him before, but he has a feeling that ushijima would want to return to the cat café and he’d have another chance to witness his interactions with cats
speaking of
when y’all get there its gonna be... kinda chaotic
this can go two ways for ushijima, like he’s a big guy and i feel like he is on the warmer side because of this and his athleticism and stuff like that, a mini human heater if you will.
he is also very tall and resembles a tree
many cats will love him, coming over to him and winding between his legs, purring against him and enjoying his warmth. but also meowing at him until he p i c k s t h e m u p. ushijima is confused by this, but at some point he does pick up the cat to ask— literally ask — what is wrong, and it stops meowing so he’s like oh okay then you’re fine. he puts the cat down and its BACK TO MEOWING AT HIM AND HE’S???
there’s definitely going to be a cat that literally climbs him, like sinks its claws into his pant legs, and maybe even to the skin, and climbs up his body to try and steady its self on his shoulders
i feel like he has good pain tolerance so he should be fine
but there is definitely going to be a cat that does not like him and its like scared of him because wow!! tall human!! scary face!! no!!
ushijima is probably gonna watch you while all these cats are harassing him for attention, but no— his attention is on you, his beautiful s/o.
Y/N grinned as they watched their boyfriend stare down at the cat that rubbed itself against his pant legs, purring and meowing repetitively as it look up at him. “Babe, why don’t you pick up the cat?” Y/N suggested, gesturing with their free hand to the cat below. 
Ushijima offered them a small — and most definitely nervous — smile as he leaned down, eyes fixating on the cat as his hands came to its side and he lifted it upwards to cradle the cat in his arms. “What’s wrong?” He asked, eyes narrowing at the cat in confusion.
Y/N nearly laughed at the question as the cat ceased meowing, prompting Ushijima to frown as he nodded solemnly, “you want to be put down then?” He asks, freeing the cat from his grasp and gently placing it on the ground, only to be met with another, rather aggressive meow. 
He probably would’ve picked the cat up again had the small cat that had effectively evaded him their entire time in the cat café not appeared in the corner of his eye. Y/N watched as he turned slowly, gaze falling on the cat that stared at him with piercing eyes.
And then ran away.
A laugh escaped Y/N as they watched the interaction, only for Ushijima to look up at them and frown, huffing as he carefully maneuvered through the cat café in fear of hurting a cat. “Come here— no, stop that. Stop running—” His arms were extended outwards as he slowly walked towards the cat, brows pursed together in concentration.
Y/N simply stared, a small smile on their face as they decided they wanted to do this again. 
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tags: @therainroguefanfiction​ @iwaizoom​ @shawkneecaps​ @kuroirl​ @shinaus​
@beifongsss​ [bruh i dont even think you asked to be added but like i cant remember so] 
124 notes · View notes
hains-mae · 4 years
Text
Flowers - Pt. 3
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5 (end)
(Damian x Reader) Soulmate AU
Rating: T
Ages: Damian and you are 16, everyone’s ages follow after.
Summary: Soulmate AU where the wounds on your soulmate turns into a flower tattoo on your skin, if it heals with no scars the tattoo goes away, if it heals with a scar then the tattoo stays.
It just got worse.
Disclaimer: I do not own DC. If I did, I wouldn’t make it as confusing as it is now.
The convention hall was huge. The lights shone brightly at the many innovative inventions made by the young minds of Gotham City. the entire city was invited to participate after all. As Wayne Enterprise made the whole event international, we had guests from all over the globe looking for potential students to take under their wing. Rumour has it that everyone on the guest list was hand picked by the man, Bruce Wayne, himself.
I looked around in a daze as I clutched the metal briefcase that held my project.
Running in an hour or two of sleep and caffein, I made my way through the growing crowd. Finally I was able to locate my designated table, a small booth in the chemistry section. I made quick work on unpacking the projector and placed it square on a folding table. It would play the presentation of what my project was about and all the necessary details to explain the chemical compounds and a quick scanned blueprint.
“I feel so nervous.” I mumbled to no one in particular.
Then placing a black cloth on the table as my workspace, I made sure to put the specifically designed gun carefully on a stand that I had quickly melded together. The projectiles rested in the container. Only two remained. I stared at it for a while as the scene of that fateful night replayed in my head.
I had found my soulmate.
Which was good.
He was Robin.
Which was bad.
There was a chance he could be Damian Wayne.
Which was worse.
This relationship was doomed from the start. My soulmate was a freaking vigilante! He was running around at night, putting his life in danger. Death was a constant in my mind after that. Knowing that one day I might loose him. It was a weird thing, this soulmate bond that we shared. Somehow meeting him solidified his existence in my life. Now every time I received another flower on my skin I would know what might’ve caused it. Worry started to form in my gut as I thought about the bullet wound in his shoulder.
I shook my head to get any more lingering thoughts out as I willed myself to focus on the task at hand. I needed to get my head in the game.
Pulling the beakers and flasks out as carefully as I could, I placed them each on the other side of the table. I filled them with their chemicals and started the burner. I had wanted to show them the process as a prototype. I doubted anybody here wanted to be encased in rock.
I was so deep in thought as I mindlessly tinkered around to keep my hands busy that I didn’t even realise a figure standing before me until he cleared his throat.
Looking up from my notes my eyes grew wide.
Mr. Bruce Wayne, owner and CEO of the Wayne Enterprises was standing at my table. He had a charming smile plastered on his face.
“My, what an interesting piece we have here. Don’t you agree Damian?” His voice was calm and even.
Speak of the devil, and he shall appear.
“I do, father.” He agreed. His eyes caught mine, and all I could do was stare into his green orbs.
“Oh forgive me.” Mr. Wayne chuckled and held out his hand. “Bruce Wayne.”
I returned the gesture and shook his hand telling him my own name.
“Pleasure to meet you.” He said. “And this is my son, Damian.”
“We met.” He said simply, but still took my hand and shook it.
“I’m really interested in your work.” Mr. Wayne continued. “I’d like to come back after I make the opening speech.”
“Of course.” I plastered on the best smile I could muster.
It wasn’t too long after that when Mr. Wayne came back, but this time he had an entourage. To his right he had his sons, all 4 of them. They were exactly as the magazines showed and described them to be. Each one was dashing. I didn’t know much about them, but hearing their names tossed around every day in school made me involuntarily learn anyway.
Richard, the eldest had a polite smile and kind blue eyes. They were warm in a comforting way and his manners were that of a well bred socialite. He waved at some of the students and nodded at a few of the adults he passed.
The one beside him was Jason, his cold glare could strike fear into anyone’s hearts. Especially when he is backed up with high status and money. No one dared mess with him. But even I had to admit there was a certain charm to his features, he had a bad boy kind of vibe.
Tim was next, walking just a few steps ahead of his older brothers. His nose was buried in an iPad and his fingers were flying through the screen at top speed. He was just a few years older than me, and I’ve actually seen him around the campus before, but I never met him.
Lastly, Damian. He stole a glance at me as they walked towards my table and turned to Tim, mumbling something before looking ahead.
To Mr. Wayne’s left were two well renowned chemists that I personally follow. Their works and research papers were incredible, it was actually the basis of my own invention. Instantly the butterflies in my stomach fluttered around.
After introductions were made, I presented my work and did a sample test before leading their attention to the finished product which were the glowing orbs.
“And what inspired you to create such an invention?” Mr. Wayne inquired.
“I just wanted to help.” I said truthfully. “We’re aware of the crimes around our city, and I thought it would make the job of catching the criminals easier.”
“And it will.” He smiled. “I’d like to offer you an internship in my company. And if you wouldn’t mind, a mentorship with my two top scientists there.”
“It would be an honour!”
This had to be the greatest moment of my life. For the first time that day I felt my mood get better.
The rest of the days passed on in a blur. My invention was one of the top picked topics in the scene, much to my pleasure, and the interview for the internships and mentorships went well. I honestly couldn’t ask for more.
Mr. Wayne’s secretary handed me, and a couple of other students he scouted, a form to fill out and sign. Our parents/legal guardians were immediately informed and the school assured them before any action is taken they will be holding another meeting. Everything seemed to be going smoothly. Many of us were able to grab great opportunities, both in and out of the cities.
I looked around and saw all the doors opening up for the next generation in Gotham. Happy smiles and excited chatter filled the room. Promises of a greater future were announced. I realised, this was probably history in the making. This would be where everything turns around for the better. I might sound overly sentimental, and perhaps a tad bit exaggerated, but I was feeling hopeful.
The interviews were over, and after the last of them had been held, the announcement came to remind us of the upcoming gala. We had an entire day to prepare – “Therefore, use it wisely.” Our professor advised.
Many of the girls had rushed out in groups (with a teacher chaperone) as they headed towards the fancy boutiques and malls. I on the other hand decided to be practical. My roommate and a couple of friends that I had made during my stay, required it be essential that I tag along with them. I was peer pressured (and I say that lightly), but it felt good to explore the city without the danger.
“Oh my god I just saw the Wayne brothers!” Someone squealed at the store front that we were in.
“What? No way! Where?” Another piqued.
We heard the teacher sigh and ask us not to make a scene since we were in public. I felt myself tense at the thought of him and his green eyes.
“They’re heading this way!”
I dove behind one of the clothing hangers and hid as best as I could. Good lord, is this some kind of drama series? My new friends sputtered out a greeting as I imagined them walking by, and all I could do was concentrate on not self-combusting.
“Y/n?”
My eyes darted up from the spot on the floor that I was staring at. I didn’t want to come out, but the longer I stayed behind the wall of clothes, the more embarrassed I became. With a defeated sigh, I walked out.
“H-hey.” I waved lamely.
“What were you doing behind the clothes rack?” Damian cocked a brow at me.
“I was looking at it, kinda the reason I came here.” I said, not really meaning to sound defensive but it came out that way anyway, and I already wanted to take it back.
“You’re that girl with the blue marbles.” The eldest said smiling broadly. “Y/n L/n, right?”
I nodded meekly.
Dick smirked and went back to his smoothie.
“The one Damian wouldn’t shut up about?” Jason teased wickedly. I felt my blood rise up to my face.
Damian kicked him behind his knees which only made the man laugh.
“You know better than to tease.” Tim rolled his eyes at his brothers antics. “You’re embarrassing him in front of his crush.”
I just wished the floor would swallow me whole right now.
Tim immediately hid behind Dick and the laughter was nearly uncontrollable from his brothers. Damian was currently fuming, and tomato red in the face.
“I’m going to kill you Drake.” He said through clenched teeth.
Dick groaned. “Cant you guys behave?” He strolled over to me and tapped my shoulder lightly. “You’re embarrassing y/n.”
“Sorry, it was just meant for lil-D over here.” Jason apologised.
“Alright boys, that’s enough.” The teacher called out. “We’ve got a schedule to follow. I’ll have to cut this meeting short.” She was right, and I was so thankful at the moment that we did.
Dick apologised again, and pushed his brothers to move along. As soon as they were out of earshot the girls bombarded me with questions, demanding they know the details. There wasn’t anything to tell, since I’ve only known them as long as the length of this trip, but they didn’t let the subject go. I thanked my lucky stars that the rumours I heard about the boys and their fanatic fangirls did not exist in the group I was in. They had gushed about how lucky I was to catch their eye – I really wish they didn’t – and how amazing it must be for them to hold an interest in me – I honestly could care less. But girls being girls, I had to let them be.
The evening  of the gala arrived faster than I anticipated, and true to their promise, the girls had all squeezed themselves into my room.
“You guys really don’t have to do this.” I said, slightly exasperated.
“Nonsense.” They quipped back. “We’re all going to look fabulous and make a great impression.”
They rolled out their brush pouches and stacked their make up on the vanity table. I eyed it all wearily.
Sometimes I had to hand it them, females can be terrifying when they need to be.
“Do you think this will be it?” One of them asked out of the blue. “Is this what is going to turn this city around.”
“I hope so. Thing’s are getting worse around Gotham, if this works, we can secure a safer future.”
“Look at us sounding diplomatic.” We laughed at that.
“I think it’ll work out.” I told them with an air of confidence. I saw the looks everyone had at the gatherings. It wasn’t just hope. There was a sense of motivation. An active decision in every one of them that wanted to strive for more. It was encouraging and empowering.
We all shared a unanimous agreement and continued on preparing.
I wasn’t joking when I said I would be practical. I pulled out one of my mothers old gowns from a battered box that was hidden deep under my suitcase. It was off white, with a few hints of lavender and creamy grey. The dress was long-sleeved, made with loose and flowy material. The collar tapered upwards and into a modest keyhole neckline. On my waist rested a silver strap embezzled with crystals. It’s length reached the floor and the slightest movement swayed in the wind. It made me look like I was floating.
As we made our way to the entrance of the gala, men in black suit tailcoats took our coats and opened the grand doors. I was in shock at the beauty of the room.
The entire ceiling look painted on by Michelangelo, in between hung massive sparkling chandeliers. The windows were from ceiling to floor and draped in expensive red velvet curtains. I gazed in awe at the marbled floor that were polished so well we could see our reflection from it.
Light music hummed tastefully in the air as my friends were whisked off by the boys for a dance.
“Y/n!” A savvy voice called out from across the crowd. Turning around I found the Wayne brothers around a table. I managed a wave.
They waved back and invited me over. How could I refuse? Steeling my nerves, I walked towards them.
“Good evening.” I said politely.
“You look stunning.” Dick complimented. Beside him was a woman with incredibly dazzling red hair, it almost looked like it was on fire. Her bright smile reached up to her green eyes. “This is Kory. Kory Anders. Kory, Y/n.”
She stood up tall and shook my outstretched hand.
“Pleasure.” I said as I introduced myself.
“It is glorious to finally meet you.” She said. “I have heard many things.”
I noted her slight accent and choice of words. She must’ve come from another country.
“All good I hope.” I chuckled nervously.
Her smile only widened. “You need not worry.”
“Would you like to sit with us?” Tim offered.
I looked across the dance hall and saw that my friends were already at their own table. I accepted it and sat down at the last seat which was available, and as fate would have it, it was next to Damian.
When I moved to take my place, his perfume infiltrated my senses, leaving me slightly light headed. I pushed my qualms away not wanting to look rude.
“Hello again.” I spoke to him.
Damian nodded, his expression unreadable.
We made small talk, and discussed about the what I should be expecting when I started working at their fathers’ company. They gave me the basic ropes and tried to ease the pressure away.
Then the topic moved to my invention. I told them how I actually got the idea from my dad, they found it honourable in a way. I felt a sense of pride blossom.
Jokes went around as the food was being served. I quickly learnt Dick had the worst case of pun-overdrive, yet it still had me giggling because of how bad it was. Jason was not any better at his come backs to his brothers play on words. They made quiet the duo. Kory laughed heartily between them. Tim and Damian were taking turns lightly jabbing one another, it was almost endearing. As I looked at them from where I sat I couldn’t help but miss the simpler times my family and I shared.
The melody from the band took a slow turn and I saw Dick stand up.
“May I have this dance?” He offered his hand to Kory and exaggerated a bow.
“I would be delighted.” She giggled and let herself be swept onto the dance floor.
I watched as they danced to a slow waltz. Her hands were on his neck as his was kept firmly on the small of her back. They looked lovely together.
“That’s my cue.” Jason spoke up, his eyes gazing the crowd for what I assume was a possible dance partner.
Tim followed shortly behind, but not without leaving us with a wink and tap on his nose.
Damian cleared his throat, breaking my reverie.
He stood and offered his hand. “Would you like to dance?”
I blinked at him, surprised that he actually asked. I gingerly put my hand on his and nodded.
He expertly sashayed us to the middle and twirled me around before moving us to the rhythm of the music.
“You’re good.” I should’ve known he was a skilled dancer.
“You’re not so bad yourself.” He replied.
His scent was overwhelming, especially being this close to him. I reminded myself that his boy could very well be Robin.
Robin, the vigilante. I sighed inwardly. How could I have forgotten? But if he was then… My hand that was on his shoulder tightened ever so slightly as I remembered the gun shot.
“Is everything okay?” Damian asked, squeezing my hand.
“Yeah, everything’s fine.” I lied. The urge to just ask him never felt so powerful until this moment.
It’s not your place to know. I scolded myself for being presumptuous. This could all have been a big misunderstanding on my part, and I could very well upset him if I asked, not to mention embarrass myself. It wasn’t that I wanted to pry, but the bond I shared with my soulmate only seemed to strengthen these past few days. It drew us closer but I couldn’t begin to explain how. You hugged him, you hugged a stranger – that is a mystery in itself, my inner muse stated.
But then the question of the day was; if he was aware of who I was. There was no way he could possibly tell, there was no proof except for the time I cried out in pain when he got shot. Then again, anyone would’ve screamed if they witnessed that.
I settled with the verdict that he most likely doesn’t know.
“I’d like to apologise about yesterday.” Damian said, sounding solemn. “My brothers have been a thorn to my side ever since I could remember.”
I laughed. “It was embarrassing, but I forgive you, and your brothers.” He visibly relaxed. “It felt like I was reliving some old memories.”
“Do you have siblings as well?”
I shook my head. “No, but it would be nice to. Unfortunately right now it’s just me and my mom. It gets a little lonely but we manage.”
Damian let out a quiet ‘oh’ before lapsing into silence again. I didn’t want to kill the mood so I quickly thought of what to say to keep the conversation going.
“So what about you?” I asked. “I mean, anything you’re comfortable sharing of course.”
The boy sighed and looked up to think before answering.
“I like to paint.” He said. My eyes grew wide at that.
“For real?”
He arched a brow in confusion. “Yes. Is something wrong with that?”
I quickly shook my head again. “No, no of course not. I just, well, it’s surprising. That’s all.”
“Tt, not something you expected?” He teased lightly which only made me surprised all the more.
Was he trying to – flirt?
I laughed. “Guilty as charged.”
Damian looked a little proud of himself.
“What do you like to paint?” I asked curiously.
“Mostly portraits.” He answered easily. “And my pets.”
I gave a fake gasp. “The Damian Wayne, painting his pets. I would never have guessed.”
He smirked.
“So, is it a dog?” I asked.
“Yes, there’s a dog.”
“There’s? Meaning there are more?”
He smirked again this time wider.
“A cat.” I guessed.
He nodded. “Yes there’s a cat too. Though I doubt you’d be able to guess the rest of them.”
Laughing again, I shook my head in disbelief. “You are one intriguing person, Damian Wayne.”
“I could say the same about you.” He told me squarely.
The heat on my cheeks creept up. I looked away a little embarrassed.
He opened his mouth to say something to me, but was cut off.
I heard screams.
Damian quickly pushed me to the ground and shielded me as the glass windows shattered. The shards fell ferociously all around us.
“Fuck.” He gritted his teeth and looked down at me. “Are you okay?”
I nodded. “What was that?” I clutched my head, my ears were ringing from the sound of the blast that shattered the windows. I looked around panicked and scared.
“Don’t know.” He told me gruffly as he pulled us both back up.
Grappling hooks shot up from the broken windows and before I knew it I saw the pointed end of a sword aimed towards Damian’s.
“Damian!”
In that moment I cast aside all the doubts. I still wasn’t sure but if by a long shot; this was Robin, if Damian was Robin, then he could do something about this.
He knew how to fight. Unlike me. If I could give him a head start or a fighting chance, then he and the other superheroes could save everyone.
That’s what I told myself anyway as time stilled and I took the leap.
The blade sliced into my lower back and for a split second all I could feel was searing hot white pain. I cried out as it rippled through my torso. The sword was pulled out just as quick as it was pushed in. I could swear the world was tipping over. The blood had gushed out and I found it staining Damian’s pristine suit.
I could barely hear Damian’s scream as I phased in and out of consciousness. Somehow he had blocked another hit that was aimed at us before kicking the man as far away as possible. He pulled me towards him and muttered something incoherent before dashing across the hall.
The warmth of my own blood pooled over me. Mom would kill me when she saw the stain, if I wouldn’t bleed to death before she finds out that is.
“Shitshitshit, y/n!” He ducked behind a table and grabbed a bunch of  napkins, applying pressure as he held it against my stomach. “Stay with me, you’re going to be alright.”
I weakly nodded, feeling sick to my stomach at the smell of iron and sudden blood loss.
“Fuck.” Jason slid next to us as the gunshots started to fire. He noticed me and his features paled. “Oh, shit.”
“Jason, I need to bring her somewhere safe!” Damian said, his voice urgent.
“All citizen, please evacuate the building!” A strong voice bellowed from above us. It was a woman, dressed in purple. Her hair was on fire (literally) as it trailed behind her.
Starfire. But what was she doing in Metropolis…?
The people ran towards the entrance and a man in a tight body suit with a blue winged symbol on his chest directed the crowd flow.
Superboy zoomed in next, his features etched in worry as soon as he saw me. The wound must’ve been worse that I thought.
“What the hell is going on?!” Damian demanded from the superhero. “I thought this place was secured.”
“Kryptonite.” Superbly answered with an ominous tone. “I don’t know what happened but we should get the civilians – uh, you guys, to safety.”
The amendment wasn’t lost on me.
“Y/n, I’m going to find you after all this is over.” Damian promised. “Until then please, hang in there.”
I managed a weak smile and a sad excuse of a chuckle as the blood started to run down the corner of my mouth.
“I still need to guess the rest of your pets.” I joked, hoping to lighten the scene.
His response was a pained smile.
“Take her to Alfred.” He delicately passed me on to Superboy’s arms. “He’ll know what to do.”
Superboy nodded and flew away. The last thing I remembered was Nightwing and Starfire fighting off mechanical robots and ninja assassins. After that, my world went dark.
...
...
... to be continued ...
362 notes · View notes
jade-marie · 3 years
Text
Top 10 books fics I read in 2020
Tagged by @sothischickshe
I don’t read books. I’m trash. So have my top 10 fics. These aren’t in any real order, btw.
Finally got round to adding some content to each one. Send word to my family, I died doing this. All the fluffy goodness is hitting me right in the feels😭😭😭
Do not collect $200 by @mrslackles
My OG favourite series. I will talk about this till the cows come home, I will read it over and over again until the day I die. So fucking good. The plot, the characterisation, the angst, the fluff, it just has everything and I fucking love it.
Favourite snippet:
Her touch is so light that Rio shivers and his tongue darts out for a second, meeting two of her fingers, and it makes their eyes meet.
And the look she finds there, god, it’s indescribable – no words, there are no words. Yet she knows what it means. Nobody’s ever told me I’m a good kisser and nobody’s ever touched you like this.
She doesn’t say it aloud but it doesn’t matter, not really. They both know it.
And Beth doesn't know when she falls asleep, only that it's with her palm on his throat and her fingers splayed over his lips.
Lush life by @hereliesbb
Lush life is basically my comfort blanket. I have a bad day, I read it and I’m smiling again. Every time. Without fail. The fluffiest fucking shit I’ve ever read in my life, even the angst is fluffy. I love it so much, I cannot find the words. 
Favourite snippet:
“What?” she asked when she saw he was staring. She looked back in the mirror to make sure she didn’t have anything in her teeth.
“You’re beautiful,” he said and then huffed like he was making fun of himself. Beth felt her face flush and about a hundred thousand butterflies take flight inside of her.
Warm water by @inyoursheets
Angst, yearning, friends to lovers, slow burn AND THEY WERE ROOMMATES. Such a good read omg 😫
Favourite snippet:
She kisses him.
Elizabeth. Elizabeth kisses him.
He can’t move—can’t think, not with her up close, her scent overwhelming him, her soft body pressed into him—when she’s already pulling back, jerking to a halt.
And just like that, he’s done. Finished. Can no longer find it in him to keep it up, his carefully crafted indifference, the control he tried to grasp so eagerly. No point guarding it from her any longer, not with those wild, wide eyes peering up at him like he can give her something, here, now.
Good sport by fireinsideforfun
Again, phenominal characterisation. I love the way she portrays their vulnerability. It’s just so so so beautifully written. 
Also, the image of Rio drowning in a pair of ginormous pyjamas makes me feel some shit🤣
 Favourite snippet:
“You’re not going to go rotten on me, are you darlin’?” he quietly asks her.
The question takes her aback, because although his voice is gentle his eyes are speaking volumes, something dark and desolate brewing.
“No. Never,” she says to him and means it.
He scoffs. “How can you know?”
“Because we’ve already been there before,” she says, and she can tell he knows what she’s referring to. “I already tried to get rid of the king and I couldn’t do it. We’ve been through those motions together. It’s done.”
Milkshakes by @emilykolburn
Dad Rio vibes, Rio and babies. Milkshake meetcute. I cannot. Literally so adorable.
Favourite snippet:
Rio was looking her up and down, slowly taking in every inch of her that he could, and she noted that he had that twinkle in his eyes again. When his eyes eventually found hers, he tilted his head to the side a little, tongue running slowly across his bottom lip. The intensity in the eye contact alone made her want to shrink away. She wasn’t used to it, she realised, but the longer they looked into each other’s eyes, and the way the corner of his mouth slowly twitched up into a smirk, she found she liked it.
Irresistible by @wakeupflawless
Highschool au. Enemies to lovers. I eat that shit UP.
Before anyone could say anything, she grabbed the front of his shirt, yanking him down to her for a very public, very dirty kiss.
“Oh, shit,” She heard Pedro say.
For once in his life Rio must have been stunned, because he was frozen against her for a moment. He grabbed her hips, pulling her closer to him and deepening the kiss. The bystanders erupted, she heard hoots and hollers coming from the guys and exclamations of “Oh my God!” from the girls.
“Hey! That’s enough” Called the Vice Principal, “Everyone get to class!”
Beth broke their kiss, panting slightly and grinning ear to ear.
“What was that?” Rio asked, raising his eyebrows.
“So everyone knows I’m hittin’ it,” Beth replied, smirking, “And also to say sorry,”
Love despite by @itsbriology
Dad Rio strikes again. If Lindsay throws in one more big-hand-small-baby-ratio reference... i’m pretty sure my ovaries will explode inside of my body and I’ll die of internal bleeding 🙃🙃🙃
Favourite snippet:
The hiccups lasted longer than he thought, almost to the point he wondered if there wasn’t something else he could do for her. But they eventually slowed and so did her tears, and then he stopped and looked down at her little head full of soft brown hair that had landed on his chest and watched her eyes drift shut again from the pure exhaustion of the near traumatizing event.
“There ya go, sleepy head. See, I told ya.” He laughed down at her as he continued holding her and pushing the cart down the aisle. A little old lady stopped and took in the sight of them.
“Someone’s a good daddy,” She smiled up at him with Jane cozy in his arms and he stopped. The lady looked to be about eighty and probably weighed seventy pounds.
“Uhh, no… this ain’t…” He tried telling her but she interrupted.
“What an adorable little girl you’ve got there.”
The lady looked up at them grinning.“Thank you.” He smiled back, not knowing what else to say in that moment.
Criminology 101 by @sdktrs12
College au. Cars being destroyed. Fluffy shit. Idiots being idiots. LOVE ITTTTT
He moves one hand up to brush her hair out of her face. “Do you trust me?”
I do that’s the whole problem, she wants to scream. She finds herself nodding quietly instead.
“That’s good.” He leans down, presses his lips against her temple in a soft kiss that makes her heart skip a beat.
Beth closes her eyes as she leans into him, giving in and letting herself fall into the dark abyss that is his touch, his smell, his voice.
Shit.
She’s in so much trouble.
Both sides of the law by @joeyjoeylee
Slow burn. Y E A R N I N G. But they don’t even know they’re yearning. Taking the constant oneupmanship and translating it into a law school setting - genius. So so good.
Favourite snippet:
“Shouldn’t you be at the bar?” She really needed to let Gretchen know some of the staff had a distinct professionalism problem. If, or when, she was in charge of throwing the party next year, she’d have to make sure they did a better job of recruiting the help.
“Was just there, actually.” He wiggled his hand to show her the beer bottle he was holding. “But Gretch got on me ‘bout not having my nametag.”
She was confused and a little scandalized. Was he really drinking on the job? And…”Gretch”? He had to mean Gretchen? Granted, Beth barely knew her, but Gretchen hadn’t seemed like someone who would be on a first name basis with the staff. And why would he have a nametag? Nametags were for the students, and he was just a bartender…
Oh.
Oh no.
Everything seemed suddenly to be moving very slowly and she seemed to be watching it all unfold from outside her own body.
She watched him lean closer again to reach behind her and pick up the last nametag from the table.
She watched him pluck the Sharpie from her hand and use it to cross out “Christopher” then write “Rio” in big block letters that still managed to look messy.
Then she watched as he made a production of pinning the nametag just so to his lapel, mirroring her, exact and mocking, grinning down at her all the while.
Oh no.
A time to kill @sothischickshe
JUSTICE FOR MICK. And his shirt. Poor bby did not sign up for dealing with these two dumbasses and their dumbassery. Grumpy Rio pov is always a winner in my book. It’s comedy gold.
Favourite snippet:
Jesus, her hair is past lank. He sniffs. “You’re ripe. Go shower, man.”
Elizabeth grumbles incessantly until he agrees she can have coffee first, but he draws a line under a single cup, demanding she hurry.
Rio opens the windows wide as they allow. There’s a distinct scent of manure in the air, but it honestly might be preferable.
“That shirt needs washing too!” he yells from a safe nasal distance.
She literally punts the shirt at him from the bathroom, before slamming then locking the door. The handle vibrates for ages after.
He debates sourcing some tongs to handle the offending item with. When he can’t find any, considers setting fire to it instead. Surely Elizabeth can make herself a dress outta all the hair she incessantly moults over every inch or some shit.
Eventually he chucks it in for a wash with some other bits, holding his nose closed.
Elizabeth’s in the bathroom for fucking ages. He assumes it’s payback for pointing out she stunk, or whatever. But it ain’t cute.
He jiggles the handle, knocks on the door. There’s no response.
“Oi!” Rio shouts. “Hurry up, I gotta piss!” It’s not, strictly speaking, true. But. It could be. Hogging the bathroom’s just rude.
“Go away!” she squawks. Then, “Go outside!”
He keeps it up, and she mostly ignores him. Though when he insinuates she’s taking the world’s longest shit, she does straight up tell him to fuck off.
Tagging @purplemagic @wakeupflawless @00gangfriend00 @joeyjoeylee
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