#my first genuine outburst of laughter this year

[daisyblog]

I Think I'm In Love

Our Story Masterlist Summary: Fans meet YN at LOT Wembley N4.

Based on this request. Also a big thank you to @onlyangle1 for helping me.

Molly and Ava, two best friends who shared their love and obsession for Harry Styles. The pair had waited for what felt like years for this day. The day they finally got to use their Harry Styles Love On Tour tickets.

They had tickets for the front area of the standing pitch. Despite not being at the barricade and having an up close view of the man himself, they were content in being at the concert and having a large space around them, to be able to dance and jump around in later on.

The two girls had just sat down on the ground, as Wet Leg had left the stage. “What do you think he’ll wear?”.

Ava thought as she played with the boa around her neck. “If we see hitties, I’m gonna faint.”.

“Oh please, that would literally make my night if he does!”. Molly got herself excited at the thought.

The two friends, took some photos together, wanting to remember this night and of course to post on their social media’s to let everyone they knew that they had seen Harry Styles.

The sound of the stadium singing Angels by Robbie Williams filled their ears, but what caught their eyes was YN, stood to the side of them, recording as she sadly smiled.

“Fuck, is that YN?” Ava nudged her friend.

“It is, I think I’m going to have a panic attack!” Molly spoke as she repeated to herself how much she needed to remain calm.

“She looks sad.” Ava observed. “Do you think we should ask her if she’s alright?”.

Molly managed to calm her nerves and get the attention of YN, who smiled at the sound of the girls calling her name.

“Hi!” YN gave the girls a genuine smile as she walked over to where they were now stood.

Ava took the lead, not trusting Molly to hold it together. “We’re sorry to bother you, we just wanted to check you were alright?”.

“You looked a little sad.” Molly added.

YN placed her phone in her pocket. “Yeah I’m alright.” YN hesitated. “That song reminds me of me Mum and sister.”.

“Awww.” Molly felt herself get emotional. “C’mere, have a hug.”. She wrapped her arms around YN, who gladly took it.

“Thank you!” YN rubbed a stray tear away from her cheek.

Ava couldn’t help but notice the band that now laid on YN’s finger. Wanting to change the subject as she could see YN wiping away her tear. “Congratulations on your engagement!”.

“Oh my…yeah…congratulations…I literally fucking screamed when I saw your post last night!” Molly spoke, excitement evident in her voice.

YN laughed at the girls outburst. “Aww thank you!” Blush creeping up onto her check. “It still hasn’t sunk in.”.

"It's such a beautiful ring." Ava complimented, the gold band that sat upon YN's finger.

"The boy did good!' Ava nudged Molly for her comment, but YN let out a loud chuckle, finding the comment funny.

YN nodded in agreement. "He did...I'm very lucky.".

The sound of Bohemian Rhapsody beginning, got the crowd excited knowing that Harry would be on stage soon. Ava and Molly joined in with the singing stadium.

Mama, life had just begun But now I've gone and thrown it all away Mama, ooh, didn't mean to make you cry If I'm not back again this time tomorrow Carry on, carry on as if nothing really matters

The two friends, expected YN to have disappeared now that Harry was due to come on stage any moment. But they were pleasantly surprised to see YN still stood to the side of them but this time with Brad by her side.

As the intro video played, Ava and Molly were on edge waiting for the first glance of Harry. As Daydreaming began, and Harry appeared wearing his signature overalls but for the last night at Wembley decided to be shirtless, showing off his butterfly tattoo. Ava and Molly held onto each other as they jumped up and down at the sight of Harry and his lack of t-shirt.

But what set the two girls and the other fans around them into laughter was when YN could be heard shouting. "THE HITTIES ARE OUT! WOOOOO!".

Livin' in a daydream She said, "Love me like you paid me" You know I'll be gone for so long So give me all of your love, give me something to dream about

Ooh-ooh

Stay until the morning 'Cause, baby, loving you's the real thing It just feels right When you give me all of your love, give me something to dream about So give me all of your love, give me something to dream about

Ava and Molly were jumping around, just like the other fans in the stadium. Dancing, singing and having a blast..completely in awe of the man on the stage. YN and Brad were still near by also enjoying themselves, singing and dancing along.

The sound of Golden began and Harry was instructed the fans to get low. "Are you ready to have some fun with us tonight, Wembley?".

Molly turned to Ava, completely forgetting who was standing behind them. "I think I'm in love!". The girl shouted, as she was still in denial that they were watching Harry Styles perform.

Bringing the girls back into reality was YN's accent from behind them. "He has that affect on you!". Most girlfriends, in YN's case fiancée, wouldn't have liked that comment being said. But YN understood, she really did because Harry did have that affect on others. He was infectious!

As Adore You came to an end, Harry made his way down the platform to wave to the fans who stood towards the back of the stadium. Ava, Molly and the fans near by were quick to cheer and wave to the man himself.

After Harry's little speech thanking the opening acts and explaining how he had burnt his tongue on some soup, he sang Keep Driving. It was no secret that fans loved singing along to a particular part so Molly and Ava were preparing themselves to belt out the famous line.

Passports in footwells Kiss her and don't tells Wine glass, puff pass, tea with cyborgs Riot America, science and edibles Life hacks going viral in the bathroom

But making Brad, the girls and fans around them explode with laughter was YN's version as she sang behind them. "Cocaine, side boob, choke ME with a sea view!".

Toothache, bad move Just act normal Moka pot Monday, it's all good Hey, you Should we just keep driving?

One Direction fans loved Stockholm Syndrome so it was no surprise the stadium went crazy as they showed their love for the song written and performed by their favourite band. YN also joining in with the fans around her.

The sound of Sweet Creature beginning to play, caused the stadium to become a calm atmosphere, almost like everyone was enjoying the moment as Harry hadn’t sung it live for a few years. YN could see the two friends, holding onto each other whilst listening to Harry sing, wanting to capture the moment she snapped a quick photo from behind the two girls and took a short video as they had their arms wrapped around eachothers shoulders. Hoping she could try and send it to them later.

Still standing at the front of the stage, Harry peered out at the crowd looking from one side to the other. “Uh speaking of Sweet Creature…I wanna say before we go any further a massive massive thank you to you and the people of London for all the support you have given me over the last thirteen or so years of my life. This... city has blessed me with a home, and certainly the most important people in my life who have supported me over the years and I would not be here without them, thank you so much, and to all who have made it tonight. The first time I ever came to London was thirteen years ago, it was just across the street, for the boot-camp stages of X-Factor I’d never been here before, it was quite scary coming to London; but making that journey meant I got to meet my special person…the better half of me and Wembley will always be our special place for us so I’d like to play a song for her tonight, this is for you YN…this is Love Of My Life”.

During Satellite a large group of fans created a circle and YN couldn’t help but join in. They waited for Harry to sing “Spinning out, waiting for ya to pull me in” before they all ran into the circle and then dance around in crowd.

YN loved the TPWK dance that the fans had created and she spent hours learning the steps when it first went viral. So when Harry began to sing the lyrics, she couldn’t help but fill with excitement of joining the fans around her. “Maybe we can…find a place to feel good…and we can treat people with kindness…find a place to feel good”.

Whenever Harry surprised the fans by singing Medicine, her heart filled with joy over the fans screaming with happiness as the music to the saucy song began. She would admit though that Harry singing the unrealised song and moving his hips in certain ways made her feel a certain way too, one that would have to wait for the end of the show and they were alone in their hotel room. “You got that something, I got me an appetite, now I can taste it…we're getting dizzy, oh, we're getting dizzy, oh��la-la-da-da, da”.

Knowing the set list by heart now, YN knew it was her queue to leave when Harry finished singing As It Was. Wanting to thank the two girls for being so kind and friendly, she quickly gave them a cuddle and promised to follow them back on instagram later on.

Molly and Ava watched as YN left the pit and quickly made her way backstage to meet the main man himself. “I can’t believe that just happened”.

Ava felt like she was in a dream and she was going to be woken up to reality any minute. “Pinch me…but did we just spend the entire concert with YN Tomlinson?!”.

“She worked her way through a cheap pack of cigarettes”.

---

molly_x

liked by avaflorence, yntomlinson on and 463 others

molly_x Ava and I’s reaction after watching Harry Styles with YN!!✨❤️🫶🏼 🪩 View all 46 comments tagged: avaflorence harrystyles yntomlinson

avaflorence Amazing night✌🏼I want to do it again! YN made our night so much better x ⌞molly_x She’s such a beautiful soul🩷

friend2 So lucky 😩

yntomlinson Thank you girlies for letting me join you at the show🫶🏼I had the best night and have told Harry about two of his biggest fans!❤️ ⌞harryfan6 your so lucky yn commented and liked your post!! ⌞molly_x Sorry I just needed to calm myself because I can’t believe you’ve actually commented and liked my photo (fangirl moment 😱). Thank you for being so lovely to us…and taking that photo and video of us, we are so grateful!❤️❤️❤️

harryfan9 Is YN starting a new trend of being in the pit with the fans????

harryfan7 Things like this never happen at my shows😢😢😢

Tag List:

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[theonlyonesora]

Shadows of the Fushiguro

Chapter 1: Grease and Shadows

The air in the McDonald’s was thick with the smell of grease and overcooked fries, mingling with the faint sweetness of spilled sodas and ketchup-stained trays. It wasn’t the first time the Fushiguros found themselves in this setting, and it likely wouldn’t be the last. The sharp clang of metal trays, laughter from children, and the incessant hum of conversations formed a chaotic symphony, almost drowning out the tension simmering between the small family.

Toji Fushiguro stood at the front of the line, his imposing frame a stark contrast to the vibrant plastic colors of the restaurant. His raven-black hair was unkempt, and his tired eyes betrayed a man who had seen far too much. Beside him, Kiyomi, barely 14, shifted nervously, her dark hair tied into a loose ponytail. She kept glancing down at Megumi, her five-year-old brother, who clung to her side, his small fists clenched in frustration.

As Toji handed over the crumpled bills he had hastily pulled from his pocket, the cashier’s neutral smile faltered. “That’ll be $80,” she said politely, though her tone carried a faint trace of pity.

Toji’s lips twitched into a dry smile as he patted his pocket again, revealing nothing but empty fabric. He turned to his children with an expression that was equal parts nonchalant and expectant. “Hey, kids, do you have any money?”

Kiyomi hesitated before pulling a worn ten-dollar bill from her pocket. “Here, Dad,” she murmured, handing it over without complaint.

Toji took the money, glancing at her with a raised brow. “This all you’ve got?” he asked, his voice calm, almost teasing. Before she could answer, he ruffled her hair lightly. “Guess I didn’t exactly set a good example, huh?”

Megumi’s jaw tightened. His small frame trembled as he fought to keep his voice steady. "Seriously? This again?” he thought bitterly. His eyes darted to Kiyomi, who was always too quick to give in, too kind for her own good.

Toji ordered the single meal their combined funds could afford. As the tray slid onto the counter, he turned to his kids. “Well, looks like we’ve only got enough for one. Who’s giving up some fries?”

“I’ll do it,” Kiyomi said softly, without hesitation.

Toji’s expression softened for a moment, a rare flicker of genuine warmth passing through his eyes. He patted her head again, a hint of pride in his voice. “That’s my girl.”

But for Megumi, it was too much. His fists clenched tighter, and his young face twisted with barely-contained anger. “Damn it, Dad! Every time it’s the same! You waste everything on those stupid bets, and then Kiyomi’s the one who has to fix it!”

Kiyomi quickly stepped in, her voice gentle but firm. “Megumi, it’s okay—”

“No, it’s not okay!” Megumi’s voice rose, sharp and cutting, drawing a few curious glances from nearby customers. His eyes burned with a mix of resentment and helplessness. “He does this every time, and you always let him!”

Toji, unfazed by the outburst, let out a dry chuckle. “Relax, kid. It’s just fries. No need to get worked up over something so small.”

“It’s not small!” Megumi shot back, his voice trembling. “You’re always—”

“That’s enough, Megumi,” Kiyomi interrupted, her voice calm but commanding. She placed a hand on his shoulder and leaned down slightly to meet his glare. “Go wait at the table.”

For a moment, Megumi looked like he might argue, but the quiet strength in Kiyomi’s gaze stopped him. He let out a frustrated huff and stormed off to a nearby table, his small form rigid with anger.

Toji watched him go, his expression unreadable, before turning to Kiyomi. “You’re a good kid, Kiyomi. Don’t let his temper get to you.”

Kiyomi’s lips pressed into a thin line as she nodded, though her eyes betrayed her unease. She was used to this dance—to soothing Megumi’s anger while pretending not to notice the cracks in their father’s façade.

“I’ll go sit with him,” she said quietly, clutching the tray of food and heading to the table where Megumi sat, arms crossed and face turned away.

As Kiyomi slid into the seat across from her brother, Toji leaned against the counter, watching them with a faint, almost wistful smile. “Kids,” he muttered under his breath.

Kiyomi broke the silence, placing a small carton of fries in front of Megumi. “Here. I’ll share with you.”

Megumi glanced at her, his anger melting into guilt. “…Thanks,” he mumbled.

She offered him a soft smile, one that carried the weight of too much responsibility for someone her age. “It’s okay, Megumi. Really.”

But they both knew it wasn’t.

[prettynice8]

Kinkmas Day 11: Body marking

Pairing: Yuta Okkotsu x male reader

This guy

Warnings: Kissing, no actual sexy times, in public kind of, very queer reader if yk yk I can say that, you can't but I can, body marking DUH

Word count: 1447

It was a normal day at school, teachers talked about random shit, well teacher, napping in class, training, that one weird emo guy with the chef ass looking outfit staring at you, just girly things.

Yeah, that's weird, you always see that kid staring at you, and it's not like some loser staring at you, it's Yuta Okkotsu, the it girl of this school. Some say he'll surpass Gojo, a special grade in only second year, and you two have only talked a handful of times. So why the fuck would he care about you.

Now some may say that he's looking at something else, but this happens too often to be just that. To be fair, he isn't staring at you with mal intent, or like he's staring into your very soul, just quick little glances, but like a lot.

You think it's a little weird but never give it more thought than that, well that's actually not true at all. You wonder about it quite often actually. Like why is this hot, emo, country crippling guy staring at you so much.

He's also always around when you're training with students, which is rare because you're too delicate to get your hands dirty, but like he's rarely if ever around when other kids are practicing.

Speaking of which, you are sitting down in the grass, watching the first years battle it out with Maki and Panda when, speaking of the devil, Yuta finally makes his move and sits by you.

"Hi," he greeted, a light smile on his lips.

"Hello," You greeted him, smiling back at him as well. It's silent for a while after that, you not really knowing how to talk to someone on such a high pedestal such as him, and he's socially awkward. The silence is finally broken when he gains the courage to speak.

"So, what do you think of the fight?" He asked, clearly uncomfortable.

"I don't really care, I'm only here because Nobara and I were supposed to get coffee after her training." You replied.

"Why aren't you out there?" He asked yet another question, wanting the conversation to keep on going.

"And ruin my hair. I would also have to change my clothes, then change them back, and fight," You droned on, "I mean sure Megumi and Yuji are kinda hot, that might be a good enough reason but not today." You finished flatly.

Yuta was shocked when you said those two were hot, well not that much. He kind of expected you were gay by the way you walked, talked, did everything. Good for him, now he knows for sure.

"And then I could chip a nail which is just super incon-"

"Wait, you're gay?" He cut you off, you look at him like he's the dumbest person on earth, which he kind of is right now.

"DUH!" You shout, all the people training stop, Megumi mid punch from Panda's stomach, at your sudden outburst.

"What was that for?!" Nobara shouted back,

"Well, you see-" you cut him off now, "He asked if I was gay." You said nonchalantly.

Yuji, Megumi, Nobara, Panda, and Maki all give Yuta the same look you did, then they erupt into laughter.

"He might as well have a light up rainbow sign." Yuji said in between bursts of laughter.

"Did you really not know?" Megumi asked, even sneaking in a chuckle or two.

"I-I-I don't know." He stuttered, a little embarrassed having everyone laugh at him. You put your hand on his shoulder, so you don't talk over onto the ground, instantly causing blush to form on his cheeks.

"It's ok Yuta, not all of us can pick up on such clues, unless those clues are ramming into you like a fire truck." Nobara said, causing everyone to laugh more. Yuta starts to get very nervous and almost gets up and walks away, until he sees you genuinely smiling at him.

"Don't worry about it, the important thing is that I'm open for business for you." You stated, the laughter carrying on into your comment, Yuji and Nobara are actually lying on the ground from hilarity. "But be quick, who knows how long it is before I settle with those two." gesturing over to Yuji and Megumi.

Yuji blows a kiss at you, while Megumi looks away, blush creeping onto his face. It's at this point when Yuta starts to laugh too, shocking everyone, but the infectiousness of his laughter bleeds onto everyone else, causing another outburst.

After a while of pointless conversation that doesn't progress the plot, you and Nobara finally go to get coffee. After you two get your drinks and try each other out, you both find a seat and begin to talk.

"That Yuta guy definitely likes you." She stated, like it's some casual thing that everyone knows.

"No, he doesn't, today was like the first day he's actually come to me." You spoke. "Though he does look at me an awful lot."

"You think." She stated bluntly. "Do you like him?"

"I mean I don't know about dating him, but I would totally suck his dick." You answered, you both shared a good laugh from your reply too.

You both make your way to the dorms, saying your goodbyes and exiting into your own respective rooms. It was on your way when you saw Yuta.

"Hiiii!" You hollered, waving your hand at him, much more comfortable now with him. He waves back,

"Hi," he said, walking up to you. You two stop in the middle of the hallway.

"Where have you been?" You asked.

"In my dorm, I came out to see if I could get in a good training session." He answered, "Wanna join?"

"Absolutely not." You stated bluntly.

"Well, it was worth a try." He said, looking a little dejected that you turned him down so quickly, but it wasn't like a date or anything and he half expected you to say no, and then an idea pops into his head.

"Would you like to do something else?" He asked, smiling that sweet innocent smile.

"What were you thinking?" You asked back. He answers by pulling you into a tight broom closet, locking the door behind him, and then pushing you into the wall and kissing you. This isn't exactly what masterminds are made of but not a terrible idea.

You were more surprised about the insane speed in which he did this and not about the kiss itself, which you kindly return when he backs away.

His hands go for your ass, squeezing and groping it. Your hands go to his hair, it feels soft yet also oily.

"Are you sure this is ok?" he asked, not wanting to do something you're not comfortable with, such a bare minimum gentleman. You answer by pulling him back into the kiss, opening your mouth to grant his tongue access, which he gladly accepts.

Your tongues dance together in a sweet embrace, his then seemingly exploring your entire mouth. Your body gets goosebumps from the exchange, your pants also becoming tighter.

He takes parts off from yours, only to place it on your neck. He kisses it, finding your sensitive parts and then gently biting into them, causing you to shriek.

"Are you ok?" He asked.

"Well, please continue." You replied.

Continue he does, fully biting into your neck and then licking the parts he bit. His teeth attacked every square inch of it, biting, kissing, and licking the whole thing.

Your neck becomes littered with hickeys, almost the entire thing red and indented with bite marks, not that you're complaining. You're surprised with how well he's doing, no way he's had experience with his socially awkward ass, he truly is a prodigy.

He shows his genius more when he lifts up your shirt to suck on your nipples, licking over the right one and biting it, while fondling the left one with his hand. The sensations make you even harder, apparently having the same effect on him, as you can feel his hard on through his pants. Your hands tighten in his hair as he starts to bite more aggressively on your left nipple, pulling at the other one.

He goes from your nipples to the rest of your chest. biting and licking at it, blush covering your face from the act. You're so hard that you feel like you could cum right then and there... until this mother fucker stops.

He whispers in your ear, 'If you want more, follow me into my dorm." He then leaves the closet in all of your disheveled glory.

Now you know why he's been staring at you.

THE END

[cyberdragoninfinity]

Hello, I've been enjoying your Arc-V reactions so much. I had a question since you called Yuya your favorite protagonist, do you have some like deeper character analysis thoughts on him? I feel like I had a strong grasp of his character in season 1, but in seasons 2 and 3 I don't think I understood well what the writers were going for with him, other than he's extremely repressed because both parents told him he's never allowed to get angry or cry and express any negative emotions.

WAH THANK YOU apologies this took ten thousand years to get to..late june/july is always busy for my art fightin' ass

ANYWAY IVE BEEN HMMING AND PONDERING OVER THIS FOR A WHILE and like. i think the tricky thing with yuya is that, well, i don't think the WRITERS even fully had a grasp on what they wanted to go for with him in the later seasons (and/or what they wanted to do with arc-v's themes. and the plot. and the all of it lmao) so it really is a bit of a 'there's multiple reads you can have on this character and while not all of 'em are right, not all of 'em are probably wrong either'; the narrative frankly doesn't have a strong enough backbone for like the entire second half to put full conviction into one definite read. Great news for guys who like to think way too much about yugioh characters!! Less great news for "trying to actually grasp wtf the actual honest to god true intent of the writing was" 🥴

All that on the table and now aside, let's talk about the little unwell tomato of the hour. First I do think it's a bit misleading to say Yuya's especially repressed, per say--there's an element of unconscious ignoring/avoidance to repression, and let's be real this kid is certainly not ignoring his negative emotions. The negative emotions are beating his ass. He is spending half the series having catastrophic emotional meltdowns and veering directly into sobs and explosive rage outbursts and feeling Bad almost constantly. I think with him it's more an instance of him having just an absolute pisspoor handling on his emotional regulation... because yeah his parents have been giving him terrible self-help advice for years </3

I don't think theyve necessarily told him he's not allowed to be sad/get angry/express negative emotions--instead it's more of a case where (with Yusho especially) Yuya's being told if he DOES feel sad or upset, then that needs to be met with a smile in order to truly push past it and to feel better, i.e. if you fake the laughter then it will become genuine laughter and youll be a-ok and HAPPY!! YAY HAPPY ^_^ (yusho you cant fucking say that to your coughing baby who's also a hydrogen bomb!!!! oh god!!!!)

arc-v is Very into this idea of illustration emotions as through the metaphor of a pendulum (huh wonder why) especially like.... 'when you're crying, laugh instead, and that will swing your emotions back around again into positive ones' and 'if you're courageous and confident and push through feeling upset, that courage will swing back and turn into happiness.' which is like... IT'S ALMOST SOMETHING. THEYRE ALMOST SAYING SOMETHING MEANINGFUL. BUT YUYA IS SUCH A BAD MAIN CHARACTER TO EMBODY THIS THEMATIC CONCEPT. he's neurotic and kind of not particularly brave and wretchedly insecure and again his emotional regulation is complete dogwater and he's not a very good, confident duelist (or showman even) and so on and so forth. And the problem I think is as you get into season 2 and 3 the stakes keep getting higher and urgent but Yuya doesn't really like.... Grow very much in those aforementioned areas. They just start piling more and more insane shit on him and then it's not just his dad telling him to smile more but also like half the rest of the cast and the narrative itself BUT THERE NEVER GETS TO BE A MOMENT WHERE LIKE. THAT MANTRA FEELS EARNED, FOR YUYA. The writers reeeeally really want him to be this embodiment of laughter and always swinging back around to smile in the face of adversity but most of the moments we see them trying to make Yuya out to be this in the show, where his dueling brings smiles to everyone and ends classism and makes the bad guys nice immediately, they just feel kind of....fake. ive mentioned before how the end of arc-v feels like a fake tumblr post but alongside that a lot of season 2/3's writing for yuya feels like the exaggerated parody of steven universe that su critical blogs in 2015 were convincing themselves existed. and don't get me wrong it's fucking hysterical, I think it's hilarious yuya fixed arc-v aster in like two duels and now he's not an authoritarian child soldier anymore, but we do have to also Be So Serious.

sorry i just needed to post CHILL OUT ON THE GLOOM AND DOOM :/ again. this aster definitely has killed people but it's fine yuya fixed him. he's fine.

IMO It's hard to get a grasp on/understand Yuya's character in the later half of the series cuz yuya's character is so weighed down with these big idealistic themes the show didn't actually put any work towards getting him on a narratively satisfying track to fulfill them. He spends like 2/3s of season two literally locked in rooms astral projecting every so often like COME ON. and season 3 much like a lot of arc-v ALMOST GETS THERE. ALMOST SAYS SOMETHING, WITH YURI AND WITH ZARC. What happens when someone's happiness comes about from pain and violence? What happens when a smile is full of malice? That could be such a cool opportunity to explore the pitfalls of the pendulum emotion metaphor the show sets up, how that can be twisted into something harmful, but. well. that's not what we got huh :,)

anyway all that to say i think yuya's a sweet kid who has such a genuinely big heart and is a really interesting character, but it's almost this sort of key feature of his that he's really not a terribly happy person despite the smiley emoji-shaped hole the show's plot tries to jam him into (and cuz of that there's just so much dissonance in that that makes his whole deal kind of murky when all is said and done.) he's really a character that just has nonstop shit Happening to him whether he wants it to or not and it's kind of insane how little agency he has for like... So Much of the Show. He's made into a mouthpiece for Smile Away Da Pain and like.... for what? [arc-v spoilers if it matters] at the end of the series the other three yuboys are effectively dead and soul-absorbed and don't come back and it's like. you cant Smile World that loss away, arc-v. yknow?

i have no idea what my point was anymore, it is very late haha. LOVE YUYA. THEY COULD HAVE SAID SOME REALLY THOUGHT PROVOKING SHIT WITH HIM. AND YET !

[b4ts1e]

▀▄▀▄▀▄A Misread Situation▄▀▄▀▄▀ (𝚖𝚊𝚜𝚌!𝙼𝙲)

𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚎𝚛'𝚜 𝙸𝚗𝚌𝚕𝚞𝚍𝚎𝚍: 𝚀𝚒𝚞/𝙰𝚞𝚝𝚞𝚖𝚗 𝙻𝚒𝚗 𝙱𝚊𝚡𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚆𝚊𝚛𝚍 𝙳𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚎𝚗 𝙼𝚞𝚛𝚛𝚊𝚢 𝚃𝚊𝚖𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝙱𝚊𝚞𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚗 𝙼𝙲 𝚂𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚍 (𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝙾𝙻:𝙽&𝙵)

𝙲𝚘𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚙𝚝:

Kiddos shall be 10 years old like in the base game! I also changed the outburst into something more canon- since I highly doubt she'd get extremely upset unless it had genuinely hurt MC or some else she cares for.

(𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚛𝚍 𝙿𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚘𝚗)

It was after class time, Tamarack and MC were talking casually as they packed their things away so they could head home once their rightful gaurdians arrived. At first the conversation was neutral before it took a slightly more- upsetting turn. The two talking softly about their parents, MC taking a seat ontop of his desk as Tamarack sat in her seat like usual.

"So- I know I've asked before but doesn't it make you sad that your parents sent you here to live with your Oma and Opa?" he asked, messing with his fingers in his lap. "Not really- but I do miss them a lot sometimes. Oma and Opa are very caring though, and they have time to play with me too! Mom and Dad were always suuuper busy with their jobs... But that's okay! I get to explore the forest behind our houses now!" she explained, voice fluctuating with her emotions.

"I understand that- momma is busy as well, and well- my dad...I've never met him so-" MC explained a bit, lacing his fingers together to prevent his fiddling. "I noticed that, how come you don't know him?" she asked curiously, not a single ill intention behind her question. "Momma told me it's something called- artifical insemination? Basically, my dad is an annoymous person who helped my momma have me."

"Oh okay." Tamarack answered, not understanding entirely but grasping the basic explaination he gave to her. "Well look at it this way! We're just more similar now!!!" she said cheerfully with a clap of her hands- her radient joy making the boy smile softly. "Yeah!!!" he agreed with a laugh before 'the boys club' entered the room rather loudly. Darren complaining about something or another, most likely about Qiu insisting on making sure MC and Tamarack got home safely.

"Oh hi you three." the girl greeted softly, catching their attention. Darren rolling his eyes softly, Qiu offering her a smile, and Baxter nodding his head in acknowledgement. "Oh! Darren told me this joke earlier, wanna hear it?" Qiu asked, approaching the two calmly despite his grin. "Sure." MC replied quickly, offering his neighbor a small smile. "Wait Qiu-" Baxter started but got cut off by the said boy telling the joke. "Are your guys' parents ninjas? They must be really good at their jobs huh? Cause I've never seen 'em!" he said, expecting laughter but getting a dead silence instead. Darren flinched slightly at the poor execution of the joke, as well as how directed he had said it.

MC was stunned to silence, looking to Tamarack for her reaction- seeing slight anger welling up in her eyes, but Qiu was oblivious to it as he told another joke. "So- there's this webpage for orphans right? Sadly it doesn't have a home page." he tries again, but fails and before he can try again Tamarack stands up- face downcast.

"That's not funny." she said, voice shockingly stoic before Mrs. Murray walked in telling her that her grandparents were here for her. Tamarack leaves, waving to MC without a word. Qiu was silent, not understanding what was wrong with what he had said. "Qiu. Those aren't things you can joke about with Tamarack." MC explained, disappointed but as upset as his feminine friend had been. "Why not? It's just a joke?" he asked, tilting his head to the side.

"She misses her parents Qiu, plus we were just talking about that kind of stuff. I'm not as upset since I don't have much of an attachment to a man I've never met, but she loves her parents- despite them being too busy for her." he explained, hopping off the desk and adjusting his bag on his shoulder. "Oh. OH. Oh no, I didn't mean it like that-" Qiu said, slight sorrow in his eyes as he realizes how those jokes sounded. "I am so sorry MC! I didn't realize, I just wanted to share the jokes with you both..." Qiu said genuinely, hugging himself slightly.

"I'm not the one you should apologize to Autumn, like I said- not attached to a man I don't know. Tomorrow though, apologize to Tamarack." he explained before looking to the other two boys. "Thank you Baxter for trying to stop him before, but Darren please don't make jokes like that around Tamarack alright?" he addressed individully. "Yeah I know how parental absense can be a sensitive topic for some, I apologize I didn't stop him sooner." the professional thirteen year old said, crossing his arms- hiding his hands. "All that matters is you tried, thank you." he said before Mrs. Murray entered the room again and informed him of his mother's arrival outside.

"I'll see you guys tomorrow, but please- give Tama some space okay?" Mc said before exiting the room without hearing the answer from the boys.

Qiu felt terrible, he hadn't meant to hurt Tamarack- truly. He just wanted to share the jokes he had been told before the three boys arrived to the classroom. He had not expected nor thought that the joke could've hurt his friends, but for now- he covered his concerned expression with his usual grin and focused on hanging out with Baxter and Darren. Despite the two knowing he wasn't as alright as he presented, the both of them allowed it for the moment- after all Qiu always tried to take care of his friends. It was tough for him to know that he hurt one of them on accident.

𝚆𝚘𝚛𝚍 𝙲𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚝: 917

[not-poignant]

Hey! I got into your work recently, with Falling Falling Stars (which I adore!!), and quickly jumped into Underline the Black. I was shocked to see Dr. Gary shift to being the main love interest, but I was engaged in seeing this new dynamic with him and Efnisien. Two questions: 1. Gary feels like a different character than in FFS, and I'm wondering what were the sprouts in character traits in FFS tht you expanded in UtB? 2.What would Arden be like in UtB? (Srry if u've answered b4)

Hi anon!

I'm so glad you enjoyed Falling Falling Stars! Funny fact about that, my beta and I actually shipped Gary and Efnisien really hard in the first few chapters, but I knew they weren't end-game and it had to stay professional, so we kind of back-burnered it for over year and then Underline the Black was born.

So we actually saw the huge, huge potential for chemistry even then. Some of the readers did too, and there are actually some comments in the first and second chapters where Dr Gary is present, where people talk about their chemistry and/or shipping them. And some continue to do so as the story goes on!

As for the sprouts, I genuinely feel there are far more similarities between Dr Gary from FFS and Gary from UtB than differences, so I'll just start listing em out.

Both doctors of niche psychology that most psychologists don't really want to go into and/or specialise in.

Both CEOs of Hillview

Both controlling in their personal lives

Both extremely private people who reveal almost nothing about their personal life by preference (this is not just Dr Gary's job in FFS, he's the same with Mika in The Moon is Down).

Both familiar with BDSM and kink

Both enjoy prodding and poking at a person and even deliberately provoking discomfort in them verbally.

Both enjoy trouble-shooting complex issues, but sometimes have significant blind spots and/or become so focused on one thing they miss another.

Both are quick to apologise when they recognise they've done something wrong, and naturally seek to repair a situation

Both are semi-competitive with their colleagues, but also friendly with them.

Both are highly professional, and will use that professionalism as a front to hide their true feelings about a situation.

Both feel extremely strong bursts of empathy or compassion.

Both have a golden retriever named Polly (Efnisien tries to break the glass in the photo of Polly in FFS - this is the scene where Gary says it's Perspex).

Both have practice dealing with volatile situations and people.

Both enjoy topping / dominating others in the bedroom (though they do have other styles, the biggest departure is here, because Gary is a peak alpha in one story and just a tired person in the other).

Both overwork extremely and;

Both need Efnisien to learn how to work more realistic hours for their health.

Both are friends with Henton (and are betrayed by him)

Both prefer structured forms of support rather than spontaneously reaching out for support, though Dr Gary in FFS is more mature here than Gary in UtB is.

Both dress the same way

Both have the same style of talking, and the same way of framing thoughts when they speak.

Both dislike disruptions to their personal life.

Both are very zen about the fact that 'bad things happen in the world' which gives them an unusually large capacity to work in fields where other mental health professionals often don't want to work (omega rehabilitation sciences for Gary in UtB and aberrant juvenile psychology in FFS)

Both have a laconic and dry sense of humour and are not frequently prone to outbursts of emotion or laughter.

Despite being quite 'closed in' on the surface, both can be quite transparent about their emotional state, but not often in a very labile way. So they will calmly state they are sad while feeling sad, instead of tearfully stating it.

I could go on and on and on anon, but to me, you can see that I pretty much see the main departure as being purely biological/hormonal re: Gary being a peak alpha and the changes that have had to happen along that strata.

Otherwise to me, they are both very much Gary!

As for Arden, I suspect he'd be a beta dominant probably living the same kind of life he's living now in FFS!

[beevean]

Oh! I really liked your interpretation!

Feel free to agree with my takes or not ^^ I guess when I saw them as kindred spirits and opposites attract, i meant more that Sonic and Elise are both more introverted and akward when it comes to love, while Amy is more extroverted and wears her feelings on her shoulder.

Sonic and Elise also tend to put the needs of others before themselves (hiding their own needs in the process) have pressure on their shoulders (Elise ruling a country, Sonic having to stop Eggman and saving the world multiple times) and have a love for freedom and adventure (Elise is able to discover this part of herself while she's with Sonic, she comes to enjoy the adventure they've been on, and even has a bit of a thrill seeking side towards the end. She points straight at the burning remains of the egg carrier and is like "yeah let's jump")

And when I say Sonic is able to be more vulnerable when he's with Elise, there's little things that I noticed. Not just him slowing down and taking his time (the scene right before mephiles kills Sonic comes to mind, their casually walking together and Sonic is smiling) Elise is patient with him and they're able to take their time with eachother, and she's also understanding of him. She knows he can't stay in Soleanna, and while she's sad, she's fine with it and doesn't pressure him about it.

Sonic isn't a character that is super touchy feely, and tends not to show alot of vulnerablility around others. Yet we see him holding her hand several times, the first time he hesitates a bit before taking her hand and running through the fields. And the ending where they laugh, it really feels like a genuine outburst of laughter. Usually when Sonic laughs, it's more of a chuckle. It's just the little things with their relationship and how Sonic acts around Elise that I really like.

I see your point! I don't think Sonic and Amy being introverted and extroverted respectively is enough to say that they're opposites, but I recognize that Sonic and Elise have more traits in common than I thought :)

I'm not sure if I think Sonic feels the pressure of saving the world for Eggman? It's not really his duty in the same way Elise ruling a country is. Sonic is freedom incarnate, and so is his choice to thwart Eggman's plans. But you're right that Elise loves fun and she's much more daring than one would expect! Or perhaps it's Sonic's influence? :P

Nothing to add about the last paragraphs. Sonic's laughter in the final cutscene was a meme for years because Jason didn't sound great lol, which is a shame because if you go past it, Sonic saving Elise from the exploding Egg Carrier and the two laughing afterwards because of the adrenaline rush is a good scene :) "Nice smile!"

[nahimarchive]

“you’re a true romantic, aren’t you?” nahim laughed again as he wandered, the sound of it light, almost fluttering. there was no mocking in it, though. merely amusement and a surprising fondness for a fleeting moment. it should’ve been expected. from what nahim had been able to observe over the many years, roland never seemed to do anything in half measures. it made sense that he would throw himself into such fanciful notions with equal devotion. to some, it might even seem impressive. to nahim, it was a glaring display of vulnerability that left roland far too exposed. if he wasn’t careful, someone could easily take advantage of such a fact. “good for you.” as the topic shifted to more interesting territory, nahim forced himself to bite back a smile at roland’s obvious discomfort at having his past heartbreak dragged back into the conversational limelight, still apparently raw enough to call for a drink. oh, roland. “it’s as you said, though, isn’t it?” he paused his assessment of the suite to watch roland again, his gaze entirely sympathetic. the mask was easy enough to wear when the desired outcome was so clearly in reach. “there’s always time. in this instance, time was all you could rely on to give you the distance you needed to move on. that’s the thing with time, isn’t it? it passes anyway. regardless of the hurt we suffer, of all the highs and lows, it passes. and look where it got you. don’t look so crestfallen, roland. you should be at least a little more proud of yourself.”

roland’s laughter was a wonderfully affirming sound. if a good first impression (second, technically, but it wasn’t worth going over again) could be made, it would certainly make the necessary process far easier to execute. “ah, but you know what he was like. if he wasn’t involved with everyone else, he tended to get rather… waspish.” that was putting it unbelievably lightly but nahim knew he didn’t have to go into any great detail. though marcellino’s genuinely devastating outbursts were saved for the privacy of the palazzo, nahim had witnessed the numerous occasions where his sire’s composure had slipped considerably during his residencies at the castle. as roland divulged the frankly disappointing approach adopted by the rest of the council surrounding exponentially heightened security, nahim’s expression soured into one of faint irritation, surprisingly on roland’s behalf. “you were? how foolish of them. they might as well consider themselves complicit, if that’s truly the case. should such a dark fate ever befall us again, just know you’ll have my unwavering support. i’d hate to see the council suffer again. i’ve barely settled in. it really wouldn’t be fair.”

Roland made a quiet noise of sympathy. It was true, Nahim did have quite a mess to clean up given how poorly Marcellino had operated. "Personally I always think there's time." Roland couldn't help interjecting that though he sobered a little as Nahim mentioned not being ready to move on. Roland understood that quite well, though he again seemed a little taken aback that Nahim had brought it up so boldly. "It...wasn't." He took a hurried sip of his drink after the confirmation. It hadn't been easy at all and he was paying for it now, given how Rhys was still keeping him at arm's length in spite of all the effort he was putting in. Still, he hoped that was nearly at an end and he'd come to terms wtih it all anyway. Roland had no desire to elaborate, especially not with Nahim who he hardly knew.

The other councilman went on about Marcellino's reaction to the assassination attempts and Roland was vaguely amused. "I suppose that's not the worst idea though it didn't turn out that way." Apparently, Marcellino could think occasionally, what a surprise. The grin and the elaboration about how Marcellino had actually wanted to be targeted in a bizarre way drew a chuckle from Roland. "I can believe it of him. He should've counted himself lucky. It was hardly enjoyable having to constantly look over my shoulder for months at a time." The attack itself had been fairly traumatic, too. Nahim finally settled and Roland turned more to face him. His expression darkened a little at the mention of security measures. "It certainly should have been and we did enact security measures though they obviously weren't enough. I advocated for much stronger methods of interrogation and security but was roundly shouted down." He made a face at that, since the memory clearly displeased him. It had mostly been Raphael, but still. It was never fun to be discounted like that.

[nights-at-crystarium]

Fragments - episodes 1-3 author notes

A sort of an analysis post, rambling about the stuff I’m trying to imply in my comic. Read and see how much you’ve noticed or missed :>

Starting with the obvious parallels.

Raha’s expectations vs reality.

Our Warrior is, indeed, unfortunately, not what he seems.

^ In this scene Vivi’s genuinely enjoying himself, getting that sweet revenge on the owner of that disembodied voice.

In this scene, however, he’s not only amused, but also overplaying a bit out of sheer pettiness. “Oh it’s THAT guy again, let’s show him his place”.

It’s not too important to point out in the comic, but the laughter scene does stretch on for long enough to consider that Vivi may not be 100% genuine here.

It goes unnoticed by both parties, but Vivi’s less-than-valiant behavior effectively shatters whatever wall could’ve initially been between them. Now they’re equal.

And not only Raha doesn’t feel any reverent tremble before the hero of Eorzea anymore, he all but hisses at Vivi, scared that he’d go around telling everyone about his shame.

Which never happens!

Everyone around them is confused by Vivi’s sudden outburst and their cryptic exchange of? Threats? Promises? Whatever that was?

Again, they don’t notice that yet but you’re allowed to know that they’re kinda on the same wavelength, sharing one braincell. By “don’t you-” Raha means “don’t you fucking tell them about me landing in the river”, and “shh, we’re good, I’d never” from Vivi is a reassurance that he didn’t, and won’t. A shared secret’s still a bonding material, even if it’s this ridiculous.

Their exchanges overall are rather short during the entire ARR arc because, take it or leave it, they don’t have much in common yet. Not much to talk about. However their sass and mischief are colliding in explosions.

A bit of a break from the lyrical mood, look at these defeated ixal. I’ve looked up their refs, rolled up my sleeves and then decided to just not x’D

I’m incredibly proud of this frame.

Like seriously it turned out so good composition-wise. Also the lance! You won’t find it ingame, not in this game at least - it’s a guild wars sunspear. A bit of an easter egg and a cheeky reference to the sun, Azem, yadda. Vivi doesn’t keep this spear for too long, I’m not even sure if I’ll draw it again. Next time he carries a weapon on-screen it’s a new one, completely original because I don’t like any ingame lance :’>

Also a random semi-related fact: Vivi’s gridanian! So Raha unknowingly chooses the worst possible matchup. Pretending an elemental or whatever he thought he sounded like, should I even mention hiding in the GREEN TREES as a REDHEAD.

The first scene takes place on a summer night.

Not sure if I could convey “summer” somehow but it’s not that important. I just wanted to go all in on the ShB foreshadowing. And I personally associate Vivi with a summer night. Midsummer. Fae. Wait, it’s way too early for that-

Thank you for reading the comic, I’ve been working on it for over a month now, with maybe one day off per week, that’s how excited I am. This workload could be unhealthy in the long run, so I’ll try to keep the updates within 5-6 pages/10-12 frames from now on. Still quite an amount to dish out in one week, but otherwise I wouldn’t reach their “endgame” even in 5 years. Well, I’m just starting out and seeing what works best for me. I took this month off work to fully dedicate to the comic and see where it lands me money-wise, but I’ll have to go back to adoptable-making in September. My monthly needs are ~$1400, comic currently makes ~200 ;w; But again it’s too early to judge, I’m hoping that more people join patreon or kofi.

[reidjumpers]

Okay so you said to send prompts so we can talk about dad!Spencer so my thoughts: how does Spencer and pregnant!BAU reader tell the team that they are expecting?? Is it like a game? Do they just announce it suddenly? How does it go

IT TOOK ME SO LONG BECAUSE I CAN’T DECIDE THE ENDING BUT HERE WE GO. OK THEN since JJ was the first person who find out, so here how it goes:

Spencer and you have been talking about it for quite some time. Your parents and his mom already knew, and sooner or later you have to break the news to the team too. Spencer had been a little more agitated than you, mainly because a) he couldn’t conceal his happiness for so long; b) he would want you to stay back safely if the team called for a case.

You suggested a quite straightforward method, inviting everyone for dinner to break the news. He agreed and promised he would start looking for some good restaurant to invite everyone. You tried to suggest cooking the food by yourself and he shot down the idea almost immediately.

All the plans were thrown out of the window, however, as soon as you found yourself standing in front of Morgan’s desk, lips quivering and eyes glossed with tears. Morgan peeled his eyes away from his paperwork slowly, almost syrupy-like, and was more than surprised to find you staring at him tearfully.

“I am sorry,” you blurted out immediately, leaving him no room to ask why you were staring at him like that.

Morgan blinked. “What?”

“I am sorry!” you repeated, with more force in your voice that left him stunned. “Please forgive me.”

“For…?”

“I ate your cake.”

“My cake?” Morgan repeated dumbly and slowly. He blinked, tried to piece everything together, slowly walking back through all the course of events in his life that led him to this exact moment. “The chocolate cake I left in the fridge at the break room?”

“Yes, that one. I am sorry, I didn’t mean to!” you started to sniffle, feeling some stray tears started to stream down your face. Morgan looked alarmed as he straightened up on his seat. “I am sorry!”

Morgan was more than confused, if not alarmed by your sudden tearful confession of you eating his cake. You saw JJ stood up from her seat from your peripheral vision, pushing a chair towards you and gently coaxed you to sit down. You couldn’t really register what happened through your high wave of guilt and tearful eyes, but suddenly Emily is standing next to you and JJ rubbed your back soothingly.

“Morgan!” you yelled his name, agitated by his silence. “Say something!”

You could feel Emily gesturing something towards Morgan, mouthed some words you couldn’t hear. Morgan flickered his eyes between you and Emily, his eyebrows furrowed together in a mixture of confusion and pure concern.

You know that it was stupid, and you probably had made a scene in the middle of the bullpen. Judging from the fact that Garcia is suddenly asking everyone what happened and Hotch — oh god Hotch is watching you having a tearful outburst — is out of his office, you knew that you had attracted everyone’s attention.

You couldn’t really tell whether it was mortification, or guilt, or just overall your hormones messing with your head, but you started to cry harder. Violent sobs wrecked through your body, and suddenly you’re engulfed in Emily’s embrace. Morgan looked even more alarmed with your violent sobs, wrecking his head to find a word to say.

“It’s alright. Hey, hey, hey, look at me,” Morgan gently placed his hand atop yours, coaxing you to look at him. You lifted your head to meet his eyes, and a pang of guilt punched your chest at the gaze he sent you. “It doesn’t matter, it’s okay. It’s just a cake.”

The concerned stares he gave you knocked out the air out of your lungs. You knew he was genuine with his words, but it had upset you even more knowing he probably felt guilty for making you cry in the middle of a bullpen. You felt like a child, and you were angry with yourself.

Morgan blinked, again, didn’t know what to do. To be really frank, he didn’t care about the cake one bit. He didn’t mind if anyone ate his cake at all. But all of his effort to comfort you seemingly only made you more upset and he really was at the end of his wit.

“What’s going on?” Spencer, like a knight in shining armor that he is, showed up just right in time. His eyes widened at the sight of you crying in Emily’s arms, and immediately made his way towards you. He shot a glare towards Morgan who immediately raised his hand to the air in surrender.

You immediately threw yourself into his embrace, couldn’t really bring yourself to care and remind yourself that you’re in the middle of a professional setting surrounded by your coworker. Spencer rubbed your back soothingly and gently rocked your body back and forth as you cried into his shirt. You mumbled something incoherently into his shirt as you sobbed.

“Sweetheart, what was that?” Spencer gently pushed himself away to take a better look towards your face. You glanced up to see him through your wet eyelashes, frowning at worry plastered all over his face.

“I ate Morgan’s cake,” you said again through your tears. “I didn’t mean to. It was the baby, I swear.”

You could feel Spencer stiffened underneath your arms as you said that, but you realized a little too late after a long silence fell and everyone stared at you with a wide eye. You swore somebody could drop a pin and it could be heard clearly.

“I—” you opened your mouth but then closed it again, more to address your wide-eyed husband rather than anyone in the room. You swore you could spot some hidden amusement and wonder behind those eyes, and suddenly you felt absolutely annoyed.

“I’m sorry,” Garcia was the first one who broke the silence. “Did you say baby?”

You took a quick glance towards Spencer. He just smiled and shrugged and you caught JJ quietly turned around and walked towards her desk to hide a smile and suppress a laughter. Well, the cat is finally out of the bag at last. All it took was one meltdown over a piece of cake.

“Uh… surprise?”

“What the hell,” Emily let out a snort of laughter. You shot her a glare that did nothing but made her laugh even harder, shaking her head as she draped an arm around your shoulder. “That was one hell of a dramatic way to announce your pregnancy. I really appreciate it, I always know you’re my best friend for a reason. Congratulations.”

“Oh my god! Ohmygod we’re having another baby!” Garcia squealed. “Congratulations. I love you, even though you hid it from us this long!”

You grinned at Garcia as she pulled you and Spencer into a hug. “Thank you.”

Hotch gave you a long look. “I am really happy for you both. Congratulations, but next time, please refrain from having a dramatic announcement,” he said sternly, although you swore you caught his lips twitching.

After many rounds of congratulations from everyone, the initial crowd that gathered dissipated and soon it returned into another normal day in FBI’s Quarter. Still, you couldn’t help but to notice Morgan keep staring at you with a mixture of awe and wonder.

“Is that why you yelled at me once when I was wearing my perfume? Even though I have been using it for years?” Morgan asked you with a voice thick with awe. You started to blushed furiously as the memory of you lashed out on him at the overwhelming smell of his perfume started to fill your head. “I should’ve known! But I just took it as you having a hangover.”

“I’m sorry, your perfume makes me nauseous,” you muttered meekly as your eyes glaring holes into your paperwork in order to avoid his eyes.

Morgan just laughed out loud. Glad that he found humor in your struggle. “Just keep in mind that Derek is a nice name for a baby boy.”

[foolforharrry]

Sneak Peek

just a sneak peek of a little something I'm working on atm. it's a little bit different from the last few things I've posted here, but I'm excited about it

-

“Ivy!”

The sound of my name has me whipping my head around in search of the source. Relief instantly has my shoulders sagging when I spot Phoebe shouldering her way through the tight crowd. Her wild, dark curls are falling freely over her shoulders. Much like my own.

It has a genuine smile breaking out on my face. The first real one tonight.

“Beebs!”, I exclaim back to her, my level of enthusiasm matching hers as she only grins harder at the nickname.

Waiting patiently for her to make her way to me, I take another sip of the red plastic cup I’ve kept tucked to my chest since I came here as if it was made of gold. Considering the slight buzz that’s starting to settle in my body from the alcoholic drink, it should be protected as such.

The second she’s within reach, she holds onto my shoulder, a cup of her own in her other hand. “I didn’t think you’d come.”, Phoebe tells me, her hips swinging along to the music that’s almost drowning out the chatter of the strangers around us. There is no judgement in her words. She just sounds over the moon at the fact that I didn’t get cold feet.

My tendency is to drop out at the last minute when it comes to these kinds of gatherings so I don’t blame her.

Instead of telling her that, I instead throw my hands out to the side, the words at the tip of my tongue dying when a small portion of my drink splatters across a guy’s back. The sparkly, silver material of the shirt is visibly darker in the blue lighting.

Phoebe and I look from his back to each other with jaws dropped in shock and anticipation. But when the outburst never comes, the man not even seeming to notice, we break into a fit of laughter that has us holding onto each other for balance.

“This is why I shouldn’t have.”

Quick to shake her head, she takes my face in her hands, forcing me to meet her eye. “This is exactly why I’m happy you came here, diva.” Phoebe ignores my eye roll at the nickname she won’t let go. “He didn’t even bat an eye. You’re fine. Plus. He probably got the shirt from his mum or something and is only wearing it to say he did it at least once.”

Despite not understanding exactly where she was going with that, I still give her an appreciative kiss on the cheek. “Thank you, beebs. And you promised you’d help me get myself a New Year’s kiss, didn’t you?”

“Even if it’s the last thing I do.”, Phoebe nods curtly, turning her head to the side as she takes a large sip of her tequila, her eyes settling on something as I take another sip of my own drink. The crisp taste of my vodka sprite slides down my throat as I swallow.

Phoebe then turns her attention back to me, her eyes falling to my body. It’s with a proud look that she returns her gaze to my face, “And with that dress.”, she whistles. “You’re not even gonna need the two hours that’s left until midnight.”

-

[jooreads]

I adore 'slice of life' type stories, and heartkook does them exceptionally well. I'll be gushing about them a lot on this blog 💜

*whispers* Also the first fanfic writer whose work I fell heads over heels for👀

puns || kim seokjin

Kim Seokjin x reader

Summary: A handsome stranger is telling puns on the bus, and you find them almost as funny as he does.

Genre: fluff

Words: 1838

I sighed as I took a seat on the bus, on my way to work. I always enjoyed the ride there; it gave me a chance to clear my mind and people-watch for the journey, preparing myself for the busy and tiring night ahead. I stretched my legs, tired from college all day, and knowing I would be on my feet all night.

Despite my fatigue, I was in a good mood, happily watching the city pass by and enjoying the warm, late spring weather. I moved my attention from the window to the door as the bus stopped, allowing people to get on. I watched as an old man pottered on first, a middle-aged woman following him, and just behind her two young men, talking amicably as they strolled on. 

Both were evidently attractive, but my eyes lingered on the taller one. He had light brown hair framing his forehead and smooth skin, his facial features almost making him appear godly as they spread into a beautiful smile. They took a seat in front of me, their backs to me as they continued their conversation. 

Unintentionally, I began to listen to what they were saying, my attention automatically drawn to them.

“Okay, Yoongi, listen to this one,” the taller one started, already grinning, “how does a penguin build its house?” His friend simply sighed in response, looking out of the window. “Igloos it together!” He exclaimed, letting out a loud, squeaky laugh and clapping his hands together.

I grinned at the joke, knowing they couldn’t see me. I had an easy sense of humour, and puns were my weakness. ‘Yoongi’ didn’t even bat an eyelid at the joke, remaining completely deadpan, but the tall one didn’t seemed phased by this reaction. In fact, his failure to elicit a reaction in his friend only seemed to encourage him as he continued.

“Hey, did you hear about the kidnapping?” He asked, giggling. 

“No.” His friend said, sounding completely unamused and sick of puns. 

“Well, don’t worry, he woke up.” His doe eyes turned to crescents, his body shaking as he chuckled. I had to stifle a laugh at that one, leaning back and smirking. I admired his willpower; determinedly continuing despite his friend’s obvious disinterest. Again, the other boy barely reacted. 

They then began another conversation, discussing what they would do that night. I was still listening to them (reassuring myself that it would be pretty hard for me not to, considering how close they were sitting to me), and though not staring obviously, I couldn’t seem to keep my eyes off the taller boy as he spoke. The late afternoon sun leaking through the bus windows lit up his features, making his hair appear golden and his skin glowing. I dragged my gaze away and looked out of the window, listening as they discussed which restaurant to visit later.

“Should we go to that new place down the road? Their cold noodles are supposed to be really good.” The smaller boy was contemplating, scrolling through his phone. 

“That reminds me,” started the taller one, “what do you call a fake noodle?” His friend groaned, and I couldn’t help but to smile. 

“I don’t care.” Yoongi continued to look at his phone. I leant forward, excited for the answer.

“An impasta!” He finished the joke, clapping his hands. I couldn’t help the barking laugh that escaped my lips for a second before I clapped a hand over my mouth. My face heated up as I realised how loud it had been. Both boys whipped their heads around, the one who told the joke grinning at me.

“Sorry,” I giggled, waving my hand, “that was a really good joke.” He beamed at me, still laughing himself.

“Right? See, Yoongi, someone with a real sense of humour!” He said triumphantly, gesturing towards me, and I blushed. Yoongi just shook his head at the both of us, giving me a small, polite smile, before returning to finding a restaurant on his phone. The other one turned back to me, a friendly smile gracing his features.

“Do you know any jokes?” He asked after a moment. I racked my brains for a good pun, wanting to keep the conversation going with him. 

“Okay, what do you call an elephant that doesn’t matter?” I questioned, already smiling as I thought about the answer. He pondered it for a second, before shaking his head.

“I don’t know.”

“An irrelephant.” I answered, and he immediately erupted into laughter, clapping his hands together. I beamed, proud of myself for making him laugh. I was surprised to see Yoongi turn around briefly with a small grin at my joke too. This immediately offended the taller one.

“Ya, why do you laugh at her jokes but not at mine?” He demanded, his eyes growing wide. Yoongi scoffed as I watched on with amusement.

“Her jokes are better than yours.” He replied bluntly, and received another outraged look from the boy next to him, who then turned to me, ignoring the comment.

“That was a good one. What’s your name?” He chuckled. 

“I’m Y/N.” I returned his smile.

“Jin,” he gestured to himself, “and Yoongi.” He pointed to his darker haired friend. “Nice to meet you.” 

Finally, he had a name. I looked at him, taking in his soft features and open face. It suited him. 

We continued to chat good-naturedly as the bus rattled around the city, my forearms now resting on the backs of their chairs as I leaned forward. Yoongi turned out to be a lot friendlier than he looked, and Jin was just as enigmatic as he seemed from an outside perspective. I found myself frowning, disappointment filling me as I saw my bus stop looming ahead.

I needed to find a way to see him again. Thinking quickly, I pulled out a scrap of paper and scribbled something down, leaning on the empty seat next to me. I stood up as the bus slowed to a stop, stumbling a bit and holding onto a pole for support.

“This is my stop, but I couldn’t help but to overhear that you guys are looking for a place to eat.” I grinned, handing Jin the piece of paper. “This is the restaurant I work at. It’s pretty good.” I heard the bus doors open behind me. “Stop by if you feel like it. I’m working all night.” 

I got off before I could hear a reply, watching him grin at me through the window as the bus drove off, my own cheeks still stretched into a cheerful smile.

Later that evening as I waited tables, I kept getting distracted by watching the door for the people coming in, hoping to see Jin’s face amongst the swarms of customers entering. I bit my lip, trying to catch a glance of him as I took orders and hurriedly laid places.

“Y/N, can you focus please? What is up with you today?” My colleague asked irritably, her arms laden with dishes as she pointed to the table that needed to be cleared. I shook my head, apologising.

“Yes, sorry, nothing.” I sighed, quickly moving to pick up empty dishes. I carried them back to the bar, seeing her shake her head in annoyance, frowning at the door.

“Look,” she nodded to the door, “flip a coin to decide who takes them?” 

I looked to the entrance to see a boisterous group of young men, talking loudly and laughing; the type of customers you didn’t want to be in charge of. However, I immediately recognised Yoongi at the front of the group, his distinctive hair and piercing gaze separating him easily from the average customer, and next to him, a taller, more familiar boy. Jin noticed me quickly and met my gaze, waving across the room. I grinned, patting my colleague’s shoulder.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got it.” I made my way over to them, smirking. 

“Good evening gentlemen.” I said, giving them all menus but repeatedly meeting Jin’s gaze as I did so. I briefly looked around at the six other boys, recognising only Yoongi, and receiving smiles from all of them.

“Y/N,” my attention was brought back to Jin. He pretended to look at the menu for a while before looking up. “why couldn’t the bicycle stand up by itself?” I supressed a smile, pretending to think for a moment.

“…is it because it was two tired?” I asked innocently, watching as his face dropped. His expression of shock was priceless, and I laughed along with the six others, who immediately began teasing him.

“You’ve been practicing.” He narrowed his eyes at me, grinning.

“Well, I had to, to keep up with you.” I flirted back, and he simply stared back with a small grin. I felt his eyes on me as I took their orders and went to serve other tables, the smile barely leaving my face.

I got reprimanded several times by colleagues as I spent most of the night by their table, exchanging puns with Jin and joking around with the others, and only leaving when I was afraid I would actually lose my job. All seven of them gave off an aura of sincerity and humility that drew me towards them, but the energy between Jin and I was something that was impossible to describe; I couldn’t seem to stay away from him.

At the end of my shift, they finally decided it was time to leave. The other boys waved goodbye, giving me a generous tip before walking out, still talking and laughing loudly. Jin was the last to leave the table, and he stayed sitting as I cleared it around him.

“Can I help you?” He asked, reaching for some plates, but I slapped his hand away.

“No, Jin, it’s literally my job.” I chuckled. “Besides, my manager will think I’m slacking if he sees a customer helping me.” He nodded understandingly, resting his chin in his hands and watching me for a moment, a small smile on his face. Once I had finished wiping the table he stood up and walked around it, coming to stand very close to me. I had to crane my neck upwards to see him, and I could feel the heat radiating off his body as he peered down at me.

I waited for him to say something as he seemed to just be studying my face. I distracted myself, putting my notebook away and wiping my hands on a cloth, before he finally spoke.

“So Y/N.” I looked up and met his intense gaze, my breath catching in my throat. He cocked his head to the side, the corner of his mouth lifting. “Do you like raisins?”

I frowned for a second, before smiling dejectedly; that hadn’t been what I was expecting him to say, but how could I expect anything else but another pun? I sighed patiently, giving him a small smile.

“Not really.” I admitted and he smirked, his eyes glinting. 

“Then how about a date?”

masterlist

[soupbabe]

Heard you wanted to be spammed with requests-

So uh- Idk if you do platonic headcanons but- maybe platonic Stardust crusaders with a pillar crusader? Doesn't matter what,,, gender the bby pillar person is,,, just,,, sweet pillar babe who's tall af- and totally acts like a doofus at times---

You dont have to do this tho uvu

Stardust Crusaders + Pillarman! Reader HCs

It says Pillar*man* in title, but reader will be gender neutral, I think that's just the species (?) name! Also I like doing platonic requests so I don't mind doing this at all ! <3

Joseph Joestar

He met you around the time he met Santana

You were stuck in the same Pillar as the youngest pillarman, also playing the role of a guard dog before you were turned into stone

The main difference between you and your (uh forced adopted?) brother is that your face broke out in a huge smile and giggles filled the room when he booped your nose and told you to be happy

You were loyal to Kars, but throughout the time in Battle Tendency that decreased due to the realization that he never cared about you and did abandon you without thought

Joseph was there to comfort you through it and you helped in defeating Kars in return

After BT, you were sent to be studied at the Speedwagon Foundation and years later they were able to replicate the red stone of Aja for you

Ultimate Y/N ! Ultimate Y/N !

Sunburn no more

You became a nature deity, similar to Kars

First thing you did when the study was done was prank Joseph into thinking that the Ultimate Lifeform came back

Although it didn't work all too well, your forced down smile and stifled giggles definitely wasn't a sign of Kars, despite the mighty wings you sprouted

You lived with Suzi Q and Joseph for the majority of your new life and you adored being apart of their lives

Also they did make you babysit Holly numerous times even though you had no idea what a human baby looked like until now

Should've learned their lesson when one time you were caught making a rough sketch of what would have been a traditional pillarman tattoo on a 10 year old Holly, claiming that it's needed for her to grow up big and strong like you

Although you weren't a stand user, you had experience fighting ancient supernatural beings stronger than some stand users and you were a deity among men. Joseph didn't wait to take you with him when he found out that Dio was making a return

When Holly got sick and it was clear the crusaders had to go to Egypt, you didn't hesitate to sign up. It was a rare time that you were serious and your loyalty to your aged best friend shined through. You loved his family and you saw Holly grow up, of course you'd be there for him

Throughout SDC, you mostly just laughed at him (mostly during the fight with Mariah) and cracked jokes with him to ease tense situations

Also that bit at the end of the show where he pretended that Dio possessed his body?? He got that from you and you both laughed while Jotaro gave you both a glare

Iggy

Oh my god you barked back.

Y'all gossip with each other in dog, you're a nature deity, of course you can understand him perfectly

Added bonus of your powers is that he naturally relaxes with you

Sleepy gremlin

Jotaro Kujo

It took him a while to warm up to you

You were raised by Kars and Esidisi, dealing people who come off as cold and have occasional outbursts of anger come natural to you

He first doesn't think of you as anything when he first saw you

It wasn't until you sized him up, easily towering over the 6'5" teen, his eyes widened in astonishment a little

He has no problems with you, you're respectful to his mother and you respect his privacy for the most part

You're real bonding moment was when you made a lame, but fairfly obscure, fish pun when beating up the stand user of Dark Blue Moon

You both talked about marine life, he was genuinely interested in your experiences with ancient marine species and types of life before evolution made them what they were today

Although he doesn't like the happy go lucky types of people (they remind him of his annoying fangirls) you'll be the exception

A moment you both really became friends was in the Steely Dan fight

You shot your hand up in excitement, offering to aid in beating the hell out of the cocky bastard that mistreated Jotaro and Joseph

It was a good moment for you both to have light hearted banter and you ended the fight with a smile and a high five

Although persuading Joot to do the high five went more like: "Jotaro please" "No." "Pleassseeeeeee" "*sigh* Leave me alone after this."

I thank that you can't see stands. I can only imagine the endless lighthearted fights you and Star Platinum would have, you both giving each other proud smiles of how strong your friend has become

Noriaki Kakyoin

You gave a welcoming and cheerful aura when he woke up at the Kujo household

Out of all Crusaders, I do like to think that you would think of Kakyoin as more of a little brother

Probably because you miss Santana a bit tbh, red hair and a more reserved personality?? Easy for that to happen

Although you do make sure to keep that distinction between the two separate beings, gotta be healthy bby

You were one to always encourage him to get more out of his shell and be the friend he deserved

He would encourage you to speak about Pillarman society/culture when you both roomed together

One time you pranked him by giving him a handful cherries and giving him a tiny jumpscare when the cherries actually did turn back into your hand

Sometimes you both make fun of Polnareff together </3

Jean-Pierre Polnareff

,,,,big tall gentle giant? Oh my god he would've melted for you at first

He flirted with you first thing after the fight with Avdol, only to be immediately shut down with your laughter

It's not the first time someone hit on you, but his attempt was so cheesy and bad that it was funny

Don't worry he didn't keep on flirting with you though, it was clear that you weren't interested

That and you told him that you were over 1000 years old

You both were outgoing so it wasn't a big surprise that you two got along so well

He actually enjoys your tales of past fights and how it was like not being able to be in the sun for the longest time

That and he asked for hair care tips, your hair is very beautiful to him and to keep it as such even when you were turned to stone? Impressive

You both are dumbasses together, but you're the one to save his ass all the time

Especially during the first fight with Hol Horse, guns can't kill you and even then your skin can create a harsh shell to soften the blow

You just laughed it off, said that it tickled, and encouraged Polnareff to chase after the (now) frightened cowboy

You and Polnareff also have a lot in common too and you both are able to be for each other when it comes to Polnareff's grief over his sister and you technically being the only pillarman alive

Omg Y/N I can't believe you have yourself an emotional support himbo I'm jealous

You're also a wingman/wingwoman for him, years and years of experience (and using Joseph in his younger years as a "what not to do" reference) led you to being the perfect helper in getting whoever Polnareff wants

Muhammad Avdol

He's read about the Pillarmen, but he never thought that they were actually real

So when he met you he was flabbergasted

You and Avdol's friendship is like him unintentionally parenting a 7 foot 5 year old on one of those kid leashes

He knows that almost nothing can cause you great harm, but he still worries

Because of that his favorite form of hanging out with you involves chatting over tea or showing you foods you might not be aware of

In all honesty, it's greatly appreciated since your diet switched from vampires and humans to absorbing like 2-3 raw cows every other week. Your "palate" is not as expansive as you may think

While in India, you were able to buy some Henna and Avdol was very open to you giving him a mock Pillar tattoo

He wore it with pride and was very greatful

Sometimes when he gets homesick you make your arm into a chicken, and although it isn't the real thing, he appreciates it

You also show him ancient Pillar rituals too and it's his favorite thing to listen to

In return, you bother him to show you how to read tarot and tell him about (in your words) "occult business~"

You balance each other out and Avdol cherishes you greatly

When the mission to Egypt was over, he did name a chicken after you btw

[stuckybarton]

Red Velvet Cake

Summary:   Behind the sweet smile and angelic personality was a spitfire when someone dared destroy her little bakery in the heart of New York. Steve finds that out the hard way when his girlfriend's bakery becomes collateral damage in a small fight in New York. Warning: Profanities. Mild Violence. (Two Loud Slaps to be specific). Grammar Errors. Not Beta’d. Characters: Unnamed Female Character x Steve Rogers Words: 1,775 A/N: I don’t know, I just thought of this idea and thought why not. Masterlist

You had never thought your life would become this wild, but you've gone with the flow. Who would have ever thought that finally starting this bakery in the heart of New York. It was tough, with just a handful of employees, would bring you into so much chaos in your once peaceful life.

Meeting the Avengers had been a wild ride with a smooth beginning for you. First meeting Sam, a man that was looking for a quick snack post-work out. A man with a soft smile and quick quips that brought a smile on everyone's faces every single time he would come to visit. Then eventually, he came not alone, but with two of his best friend and your life changed ever since.

Bucky Barnes was the mellow of the trio, preferring to stay in the background while Sam would try his hardest to flirt with you and push his other friend with you. But he always had this charm on him that had a few of your female employees swooning just by the simply nickname of Doll he would throw at them.

But Sam's other friend had all his attention on you just as much as you had your entire attention on him. The dame that always spoiled him with sweets and made him enjoy morning runs more now that your bakery become their daily stop after.

It started out with the flirtation, at least that was what Steve believed it to be. Having been used to Sam's daily flirtation, you got so immune to it that it had become easier to hide the warmth in your cheeks or the heart eyes that Sam and Bucky were once quick to point out when Steve wasn't looking. Eventually it ended with him finally asking you out for lunch and the rest, as they say was history between the two of you.

Eventually, it had brought you into the circle of what was his team. The Avengers. Starting with one Tony Stark that had visited your bakery one fair morning and brought everything in your bakery long before the trio would come for their visit. It was an eventful day for you, that much you could admit. Everyone had the rest of the day to themselves and gave you time to spend with Steve, as annoyed as he was to not be able to have his usual treats. You made him your special apple pie as compensation, much to his enjoyment.

Then it was the rest of the team, Natasha Romanoff, Wanda Maximoff, and Vision. Visiting after getting a taste of your pastries that Tony Stark had generously provided for the team. Now like the trio, you now have another trio you can call as your regulars. Then there was Clint Barton, Thor, and Dr. Bruce Banner that eventually came to visit after everyone had egged them on and they would come for a few pastries and coffee, but not as much as the rest of the bunch. You were alright with that, being able to meet Steve's team and knowing each and every single one of them were good people in their own little way was enough for you.

Weeks turned into months, and months now turned to almost two years. Your life at the bakery was filled with ups and downs just as much as your relationship with one Steve Rogers. The constant fear you had when he was on a mission, uncertain whether he would come back alive or not.  Then there was the more often than not times that you were too consumed with the bustling number of customers than you only had time to give him a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek before helping out on the cashier. It had once been a fight between the two of you because of your line of work, but you would constantly compromise. He was out saving the world while you were living the dream you had always wanted for yourself with baking. Instead of his apartment in Brooklyn, Steve was now living with you, in the humble little apartment you had above the bakery. Your little piece of heaven.

This life you had created with Steve was something you had never thought you'd have for yourself but you were enjoying it immensely. You would want nothing more in your life. Until things had gone horribly bad and you want nothing more than to kill Steven Grant Rogers and the rest of the Avengers.

~

Y/N was going to kill him. That much Steve had known while they continued on with the debriefing. A quarter of New York City was wiped clean by the attack of the alien overlord attempting their luck on the planet. As much as Tony had assured that they could stay in the tower while repairs were being made, He was still uncertain with what you would be feeling because of it.

Nothing hurts him more than seeing you sad or disappointed.

"What's the ETA on the repair?" he inquired as soon as the meeting was done.

"More or less two weeks. We've had our team assure Y/N that her employees would be paid full for the two weeks while we are doing repairs." Tony explained. "Last time I heard she barely spoke a word while she helped her employees with cleaning up."

Steve could only sigh, annoyance peaking through his mind. It was worst than he thought.

"Mister Stark, Ms. Y/L/N is on her way to the meeting room." F.R.I.D.A.Y announced.

Before the A.I could finish with the announcement, the sudden slam of the door had everyone's head turn, every single one ready for another fight. But the sight of the innocent Y/N looking displeased brought everyone to a slight calm. There was still a problem, but this was better than another alien attack.

"Babe-"

The resounding slap had everyone else wincing. So much for the Super Serum. Everyone could see the red imprint on Steve's face and your shaky hand responsible for the said mark on the Captain's face.

"Your fucking shield destroyed the ramekins." you snapped, Steve could practically see you shaking from where you stood in front of him.

You were nothing, compared to him, a Super Soldier. But just the sight of you, fuming to the nose made everyone believe that you can easily take him on. This was a genuine surprise for Steve. He had seen so much side of his girlfriend of nearly two years. Through many stages of emotional turmoil, happiness, sadness, annoyance, dysphoria, and that godforsaken puppy dog eyes that he could never say no to. But this, the sight of you  angry, genuinely furious was the last thing he would have ever thought to see from you.

"Everyone has a long day, Y/N." Tony approached and the glare than now focused on her made it very well known that his presence and his response was the biggest mistake he has ever made in the moment. "Why don--"

Tony wasn't able to finish his sentence as he gets to experience the same slap handed to him by you. Without the Super Soldier Serum, the sound of the slap resounded even louder than the former. Everyone was left in a mix of shock and the need to hold in their laughter at the shock look than now lingered on Tony's face as he rubbed his red cheek.

"As for you," you snapped pointing your finger right into Tony. "You're going to pay for both the fuckin bakery and my apartment upstairs. Of all the places Stark, you just had to throw the alien on my newly renovated bathroom."

Tony could only nod.

"Your people also need to talk to my employees, some of them are injured because a big fucking green dickhead thought it would be nice to throw alien matters into the basement like basketballs through the hoops." you snapped side-glancing towards the guilty Bruce Banner that refused to make any eye contact with you. "You're covered for their hospital bills, therapy, and two weeks of their supposed shift."

Tony gaped nodding.

"Jesus, why the fuck does it always have to be New York, better yet, why the hell does it have to be in the US? There are so many fucking countries in this world." You ranted turning your attention back to Steve that now broke into a small smile at your outburst. "You're not off the hook. We're staying here, but you're sleeping on the coach until further notice."

What smile he had now comes falling from his face. Blinking, this was a dangerous situation. Far more dangerous than his earlier encounter with the aliens only hours ago. But all he could do was nod, not knowing if any protest from him would result in a worst punishment.

"Sam," you turned to the man that now looked scared to be your focus. "Can you show me to the kitchen? I'll try making everyone someone to eat. God knows you're all starving." you request, all signs of anger now slowly dissolving from your features.

Steve didn't know what scared him more at this point, your anger or how quick you were able to recover from said anger. As Sam escorted you out of the meeting room, the rest of the team also made their way out to help you in whatever you may need in the kitchen. It now left Steve and Tony alone, practically still feeling the aftermath of your slap.

"Having second thought about proposing, Lover Boy?" Tony finally broke the awkward silence.

Taking a deep breath, the first chuckle all day finally escaped his lips.

No, he was far from having second thoughts. The engagement ring hidden in his locker room made it evident to him what he was about to do on their 2nd anniversary. It would take some convincing on your part after what happened. But you loved him enough to forgive him for what happened, since technically it wasn't really his fault why the bakery was ruined.

"The proposal is still a go, Tony." he responds finally leaving the meeting room to making his way to the kitchen, already hard at work with cooking what he assumed was spaghetti and meatballs and his favourite red velvet cake.

"Steve's not having any cake right?" Nat asked as soon as she caught sight of him.

"You know what, Romanoff--"

"Not even a fucking crumb." Your response even with you facing away from him had everyone roaring in laughter and Steve rolling his eyes even with the smile on his lips growing bigger at the situations.

The things he has to endure for love.

[ateezinmymind]

my brother’s best friend (part 1)

word count: 4k

fluff, slight angst??

(series masterlist)

tag list: @brie02 @a-soft-hornytiny @reeateez @multidreams-and-desires

Jung Wooyoung, the boy who was irresistible, but off limits. Jung Wooyoung, the boy who just had to be your brother’s best friend…

“Y/n!”

Snapping your eyes out of the reoccurring unsettling thoughts, remembering you're still in the 1st hour. You guess the bell already rang, seeing everyone had their bodies turned in the teachers direction.

The class murmuring amongst themselves, the small episodes of laughter and whispers.

“You didn’t even hear!” Gripping your shoulder and shaking it around, you roll your head towards the boy sitting next to you. “The announcements said there’s going to be a school bonfire this Friday!! Aren’t you excited?” Not getting the ecstatic reaction he was hoping for, scoffing out Wooyoung leaned back into his desk.

Looking down at the ground you searched for a reasonable excuse to tell the guy you’ve been dreaming about, you weren’t going.

“y’know.. Woo I don’t think that’s really my scene“ bringing your gaze into his unamused eyes you continue without confidence, “a-and you know it.”

Flicking the loose bangs that fell to his eyes, Wooyoung looks at you with disappointment. “That doesn’t mean you can’t change.” Leaning forward in his desk once more, taking his chin to his hands, closing his eyes he whispers out “you don’t have to stay hidden away from the fun”

———

Why was he so committed to bringing you out of your comfort zone? It’s not like he actually enjoys being in your presence. He and your brother have always been picky about the terms of you hanging out with them. Yeosang loves you of course, like any brother would, it was indescribable and obvious. But once he graduated high school, last year. He had told Wooyoung to keep his intended boundaries from you and not spend as much time with you when he came over. But even during Yeosang’s senior year, you and Wooyoung actually came to become close friends.

October, 29th << Junior year

“Get off! Get off! I can’t breathe!” Spitting out fits of giggles and snorts, Wooyoung laid sprawled out on top of you. “No! I can’t, I’m sorry y/n.” giving a wiggle seeking comfort “you stole my spot.”

It was true. You did steal his seat on the couch. It was so tempting to lay your head down when he got up to use the restroom.

The three of you were having a scary movie marathon, which meant lots of snacks, blankets and jump scares. When the first movie ended you hadn’t realized you had clung to Wooyoung’s side until Yeosang gave a cold glare and a questioning “what the fuck?” And from there, was when Woo got the sudden urge to get out of the brewing situation by going to use the bathroom.

Rolling your eyes, giving out a huff, you lay yourself along the sofa. “Why are you acting like that Yeosang??” lifting himself up off the recliner he goes to put in the next movie, slumping down and ejecting the disk he quips out, “like what?” Giving out a small chuckle from annoyance, you stick your tongue out to the back of his head. “Like you’re going to have me banned from my own existence”

Closing the case, Yeosang turns around and tilts his head to the side. Plastering you a look of disgust, “I’m sorry, but I just witnessed my sister boggling my best friend. To which I might add, is off the table”

Lifting your head up and forcing it back down, you continuously hit it over the sounds of your groans. There was no wrong intention of being friendly and quite frankly seeking comfort from the scary movie, it was stupid. Right as Yeosang gets up off the floor and heads to the kitchen to refill his bowl of popcorn, Wooyoung comes out of the bathroom. In perfect timing.

“You little-“ he blurts, running towards you as evil giggles ignite within him as he plunges his hands on your shoulders. Rocking you up and down as he makes his way on top of your flat frame.

Hearing laughter and squeals come from the living room, Yeosang puts his phone down and peeks into the area. Observing the way your face is flushed, and how you’re literally being all up in Wooyoung‘s damn business, made his blood boil. Stomping back to the kitchen, the beeping of the microwave feeding his flaming fire of rage, gets feverishly opened and as he takes the popcorn out of its bag and into the bowl. He makes sure to slam it shut unnecessarily hard.

“Dude get off my fucking sister, that’s gross.” As silence blanketed the room, the tension before significantly increased. “Chill, we were just messing around-“ Wooyoung says almost defensively.

Propping your elbows up, swiping a hand over your forehead, moving the messed up hair. You look up at Wooyoung, who’s jaw clenches and unclenches, as the veins in his neck become prominent.

Tapping his arm as a gesture for him to release you from his trap, the awkward silence feeds your urge to leave this situation completely. “Please get up Woo” you practically plead out. So he does, he releases his hands on your waist and gives you a light apology. “Sorry-“

“Thanks.” Yeosang spits out. “Now we can continue on to the next movie…” looking over at you getting off the couch, he gives one last blow, “the reason why you’re even here.”

Your eyes become blurry with tears, from both embarrassment and the sudden anger rising within. Now standing, you quickly fold the blanket you were wrapped in just seconds before. Draping it over the cushion, you look at Yeosang who snidely smirks in satisfaction at the television. Then to Wooyoung who portrays himself in a stiff manner. His arms folded over his chest, left leg bouncing quickly, and wearing an expressionless face.

Quickly looking down to the floor, you make your way across the room and to the bottom of the stairs. Trying not to embarrass yourself any more, you try and sound the least bit affected by your feelings. “Goodnight. Thank you for letting me hang out-” leaving the boys to continue watching by themselves.

Making your way up to enclose yourself in your room, face hot and limbs jittery. Why did Yeosang have to humiliate you in such ways, you knew Wooyoung didn’t mean anything by it. Of course that’s not the same way you feel about him, because who wouldn’t have some intimate feelings for him. He was a charmer, and hell he knew it. Wooyoung never bent out of shape about it though, he had times of modesty and respect, especially when he was trying to get on someone’s good side.

There was that one week where he spent his entire day, everyday to help out with the junior class decorations for the school spirit competition. You’d never seen him so motivated before that, it still makes you chuckle to this day. He’s always yearning for affection, though he can be seen to come off as a cold hearted person, Wooyoung wants to please the people around him. He doesn’t like having enemies or people who look down on him, and he won’t risk his reputation of being ‘everyone’s friend’. It’s in his nature to be a comforting presence, and that's why you think you’re so fond of him.

Opening the door to your bedroom, getting welcomed by your favorite scent from the lit candle by the window, you let out a long sigh of exasperation. At least this was the longest you’ve got to hang with them yet. You could see this as a plus, though because this outburst had to happen today.. right when Halloween is around the corner. Your once exciting ideas flew out the window while insecurities sank their teeth in.

It was a stupid idea to begin with, of course you shouldn’t hang out with him, he wasn’t your friend. It’s not like you befriended him first, even though he’s been your classmate since the beginning of this school year, your junior year, you drew an interest in him when he made his way to introduce himself. He had been so funny, making the whole class laugh out from this one awfully corny joke.

Wooyoung being the new student was like a fresh start to a better experience. He wanted to put his past behind him, and change his former and darker days.

In all honesty Wooyoung didn’t share a lot about his life, which is interesting to consider— for he’s so determined to be a safe place for everyone else. You were clueless about how his life besides your home and school goes down. It’s not that you were suspicious about him hiding something, but if he in fact was even the slimmest bit of your friend, you’d want him to open up too.

Walking over to your nightstand, turning on the warm lit lamp you sit on the end of the bed and flop down on your back. “Thank you for letting me hang out??” Slapping your forehead, you give a cry of humiliation, “why did I say that-“ you shouldn’t have to have permission to be friendly with your brother, and frankly his friends! Why was Yeosang so picky when it came to Wooyoung but not the others?? You’ve had your times of fun with Seonghwa, why was he so different?? It made you angry to say the least.

The other boys came over a lot more before Wooyoung showed up. Mingi and Seonghwa showed you a side you’ve missed with Yeosang.. they brought him comfort and genuine smiles and hospitality. They didn’t hold a grudge on each other, they didn’t keep secrets, and he actually liked to talk about them in your presence. This year changed how things were..Mingi left schools when Wooyoung came, and Yeosang stopped hanging out with Seonghwa. Obviously it was a sensitive topic, but that only intrigued you more.

Getting up, quickly making your way to the bathroom, trying not to wake yourself up before you wouldn’t be able to sleep. You take care of your nightly routine of washing your face, brushing your teeth, etcetera. Hearing Wooyoung give a quick and loud commentary about the typical people in scary movies from down stairs, you rub your eyes with exhaustion. Today drained you, and in order for this Halloween weekend to be a success, there needs to be some time to sleep. Blowing out your candle, and then turning off your lamp, you hop into the warmth of your bed, and fall into a slumber.

October, 30th << Junior year

“KANG YEOSANG YOU PIECE OF SHIT!” opening your eyes, the screaming voice of Wooyoung does its job of erupting ears, and it makes you roll out of bed. Groaning with annoyance, once again make your way to the bathroom to wash up.

Going to your closet, picking out an outfit for the day you choose some casual leggings with a t-shirt. Another scream from outside your door makes you think of all the possibilities causing it could be. It’s only 9 in the morning and already they’ve woken the house.

Walking across the hall to your brothers room, you give a quick knock. “Yeosang??” you ask, but you’re only met with giggles and then a smack, ending in a “OUCH!” assuming it’s from Wooyoung, given his standards.

Turning the handle, you peek through the door to see your brother and his friend sitting on the floor, faces lit with blue in the dark room, and nudging each other repeatedly. They’re absolutely unfazed, and had no clue the door even opened. You roll your eyes, at the fact they woke you up with video games..typical—

“Hey!” getting their attention, they swivel their heads over to you immediately. In all honesty you didn’t even think they’d hear you, so a bit flustered about how much attention you had made you just laugh. “Do you guys want breakfast?” softly saying, and all they do is turn back to the screen and give a sigh of relief and a happy “YES PLEASE!” making you gently close the door and head your way down the stairs.

“Good morning mom!” stepping into the kitchen you sing out to where she is sitting at the table reading a book and sipping on coffee. Looking up at you, and giving a bright smile, she gets up and greets you in a morning hug and kiss, “Good morning my sweet y/n, how did you sleep?”

Giving a light chuckle and soft smile back, you separate yourself from her body and turn to the fridge. “It was fine...actually pretty nice. Since I didn’t stay up as long as the boys-“ then turning to playfully give your mom another roll of your eyes and finish saying, “but they DID wake me up!” making her laugh out loud, she sits back down and picks up her book and sighs out- but joyfully, “Yep, I heard” craning your head back to look at her face, you see she wasn’t mad, just wearing a smile sweetly.

There’s times where you think your mom needs help, with dad rarely being around because of work, you never find her complaining. She is strong, practically caring for three children, because Wooyoung is welcomed whenever he wants. It’s a problem, but it’s become a habit or probably more a lifestyle.

Taking out the carton of eggs, some bacon and fruit you start on breakfast. You thought just something simple would do.. there’s no need to go all out. Your mom kept trying to help you out, but everytime you insisted she’d relax instead.

After finally cutting and washing the various fruits and filling the plates of food, you give your mom her meal first. Setting it in front of her reading state, you kiss her cheek “here you are! I’ll go get the boys” you say and turn to set your way up the staircase.

Skipping two steps at a time, you reach the top and strut to your brothers room. Hearing the muffled conversation, knowing you shouldn't invade either of their privacy, curiosity took its turn in you. No more screams or fits of laughter spilled out through the crack, only the low inaudible stammers.

Softly placing your hand on the door frame, leaning your head in for better comprehension, the conversation clears up and becomes coherent. Not even needing to be in the room, you know there's tension going on. “But that's a whole different story Woo, I didn't feel that way with Seonghwa..it was just d-different.” you had no idea what was going down, why was Yeosang talking about Seonghwa? “sure, I get that. But i just don't understand why you are always so weird about me wanting to acknowledge your sister..you get such a temper when she's around.” then there was a long pause, hearing someone shuffling about, sounding like they're on the bed, the interesting conversation continued but a little quieter. “Wait..Wait!” hearing giggles come around, the grip on the door frame tightens, your whole body on edge for more information. Both of them erupting in a small fit of laughter, “so it was Seonghwa!! That’s why!!” you hear Yesang trying to rebuttal but unable through his annoyed groaning and small chuckles.

So this was all about something Seonghwa did? Or is it something you missed, having really no clue what this is about, you straighten your body away from your brother's private talk. You hear the muffled sounds of them again as you head to the stairs. Your mind thinks of a billion ways to connect something. Leaving them be, you turn to give a shout for breakfast once you reach the steps again. And with what little you knew, you never got the chance to figure out their meaning in that exclusive talk.

———

The morning quickly turned to evening, the day spent uselessly. Yeosang and Wooyoung ended up going out after you fed them, something to do with their “weekend plans”, whatever that meant. So you wasted time cleaning and being of help to your mom. When the boys came back, you all had dinner together and then Wooyoung went home. You weren’t even sure what this certain tension going on was about, and how Halloween hadn’t even been brought up at all. It was almost awkward, and uncomfortable to try and possibly bring up.

After you washed the dishes and wiped the counters clean, you made your way to your room for the night. Passing Yeosang’s closed room, you hear his video game playing making your body involuntarily knock on his door.

“Come in!” he shouts over the sounds. Entering in with his invitation, once Yeosang sees it’s you he pauses and softly smiles up to you. There he was, that was your brother. The sweet brother whom you love dearly, and whom loves you— even when it’s hard to tell. The brother who has always been there for you, your other half. Well that was the true him, at least how it used to be before.

“Hey yeo yeo— can I sit with you?” you feel yourself cheering back to his sweet expression. Earning a pat next to himself on the bed, you skitter forward and crawl to him. “You okay?” he gently says, throwing his controller to the side.

Nodding your head, you reach for his hand. Taking it in yours, you give him a reassuring squeeze and giggle. “Yeah, yeah~ I just want you to know that I’m sorry.” you say lowering your voice to almost a whisper. Actually really not sure what you were saying sorry for exactly, but in all this mishap you find yourself being the one the blame. Lacing his fingers with yours, Yeosang perks his head to the side and lightly sighs. “Y/n, please don’t..” he starts with a comforting tone, taking his other hand to tap your knee. “No apologizing, it’s over and it was stupid” he scoffs. “Okay and also— you didn’t miss much” he picks up his controller again after giving your hand one last grip “it was so predictable and not even scary-“

Finding his amusement enlightening, you give a laugh and slide your legs off the side of the bed. “Well, fine. But I love you Yeosang..” you say getting up, and turning to look at him lightly.

“And I love you dork, but let’s not get too sappy now okay?” he chuckles. “I gotta beat this game real quick so you can join in~”

And that’s what the both of you did that night, played video games, proving each other wrong, having little arguments, the tiniest bit of pushing and pinching but overall bonding again. The night couldn’t go on forever sadly though, it had to end at some point. Sharing laughs and love, everything seemed perfect.. that this would be your brother always.

But did he really mean it?

———

<< present day

That weekend had always left you wondering what you did wrong. The day after your evening games with Yeosang, he didn’t end up going out for Halloween. Wooyoung didn’t show up, it was interesting to say the least.. but there wasn’t really anything you could do.

After the bell rang, students flooded the hallways, the chatter rang through the building and you packed your things by your locker. School went by surprisingly quick, and throughout it all Wooyoung had pressured you further to go to the bonfire this weekend. His reasonings didn't really make you want to go, you didn't really feel the need to. It would be a night full of your annoying classmates, the screeches and shouts of people doing something unabiding of their safety, and the only friend you would be with was Wooyoung.

Closing your locker you feel your phone start buzzing in your pocket.

Before getting it out to answer you see Wooyoung at the end of the hallway leaning against the wall, hands in his pockets. Maybe he was waiting for you? He had said that he was going to stay after school for a test he missed. Because he didn’t show up at all last week, and came back like it was nothing, saying he got sick.

As you continue to walk to the lobby you answer the call not paying attention to the ID, “hello?”

“Y/n, hurry up I’m waiting..” the male voice sounded so familiar, you sped up quickly waving bye to Woo as he pushed off the wall seeming like he wanted to talk. “Wait.. who is this?” turning the corner you see Seonghwa standing there, wearing a smile

“it’s me..”

part 2

[peachyteez]

little wanderer ≫ DAY FOUR, BABY STEPS.

this fellow stray cat hybrid has been hanging around jiyu’s condo for as long as he could remember, although jiyu may not have noticed him. the cold winter breeze and jiyu’s open bedroom window prompts him to sneak into her bedroom one night. it was just suppose to be one night, but the gods must’ve been smiling upon him.

PART OF THE HEAVEN SERIES.

✧ taglist: @defsoul15, @jaeminpeachy, @joongiebug, @sunsethw4, @t-tbinnie, @chanyeolol, @danibookmarks, @hello-its-ya-boi, @murralyn, @alienmashup, @panini, @moon8894, @koasworld, @taetae123094, @luv3rxcha, @treasure-hwa, @etherealbyeol, @hwaseongzzz, @lovely-sanie, @orbitiiny, @pirate-of-the-dark-seas, @babydolljo, @ms-starlight, @everrrlasting, @bls-luv-me, @atzgiggle, @arohabyeol, @rainbowmagicpixecorn, @soverystupid, @ayetothezee, @kingalls00, @sanstreasure0305, @sparklingmallow, @kpopnightingale, @rosesarethebest, @stillcantfindaproperusername, @bonbonhwa, @its-sarah-stark, @sanismybb, @frankenstein852, @peachseok, @woopetals, @exhofayemars, @pvrkacciosan

✧ notes: y’all, i’m so sorry san’s chapters took basically two months—

✧ WARNING: brief mention of death

back。|  next。

waking up in one of the guest bedrooms, jiyu wearily blinked a couple times before remembering the events from the night before. letting out a small sigh, she sat up and stretched her arms above her head. i hope i didn’t scare him away for good this time.

the various voices and clanks of pans she could hear downstairs made her curious. she glanced at the clock above the bedroom door. 7:34 AM. she tilted her head in confusion. the five boys usually lugged themselves out of bed by 8 earliest, so what’s got them up and running so early?

slipping out of bed and leaving the room, she peered over the railing to see the five boys trying to cook what she assumed was breakfast. she saw some of them (mingi and yunho) struggling with trying to work the induction stove, while some of them (yeosang and hongjoong) were somewhat messily cracking eggs and whisking them. she swore seonghwa had slumped a little just watching them. 

but what surprised her the most was the cat hybrid that had slid over to help yeosang and hongjoong. 

“oh, good morning!” yunho happily greeted her with a wave. at his call, they all followed the puppy’s gaze to see jiyu staring at them from the second floor. “did you sleep well?”

jiyu nodded, not knowing what to process first—the fact that the kitchen might have a chance of burning down, or the fact that san was still there. she slowly descended down the stairs. 

sensing jiyu’s confusion, seonghwa sheepishly scratched the back of his neck. “we all felt bad after your little...talk yesterday,” he admitted, the others nodding along with him. like hongjoong had said the previous night, they all shared blame for her outburst since they all once shared similar thoughts with san. “and it was actually san’s idea to make breakfast...”

jiyu’s eyes widened even more before she moved her gaze from seonghwa to san, who had awkwardly hid behind yeosang. after jiyu left the room, san felt pretty guilty, which was a first for him when it came to humans. it wasn’t until the others had briefed him on their own stories with her did he start to realize that she had been telling the truth. she was right; if she had only taken care of them out of obligation for her career, she would’ve sent them to shelters after they had recovered. but no, she took them under her wing and cared for them as if they were her own children and friends. 

“...so considering how you’re doing all this,” she gestured to the eggs, and other various breakfast ingredients lying around the counter, “is this your way of accepting my offer of staying?” she turned to san, or rather yeosang. 

san shyly side-stepped away from yeosang. he couldn’t meet her eyes as he fiddled with his fingers. after a moment of silence, he nodded. “...if that offer still stands. i know i haven’t been the nicest, but after last night, i don’t think you’re such a bad person—”

“so you thought i was a bad person all throughout the time we’ve known each other?” jiyu teasingly pressed, keeping up an offended facade. 

san’s head instantly snapped up at the realization of his words. flustered, he waved his hands in front of him defensively. “wait—no, that’s not what i meant—”

jiyu burst out into laughter and leaned onto the counter. she never would’ve thought that san would have a change of heart with the way she acted last night, yet the universe is always full of surprises for her. “don’t worry, i was just messing with you,” she explained through her laughs before calming down. “and i’m sorry if i crossed a line last night. it’s just...i’ve had a lot on my mind recently and my emotions seemed to have spilled over. i know that sounds like an excuse but for me, it’s the truth.”

although some of the hybrids in the room had no idea what was bothering her so much, they had to agree with her. ever since she went out with sunwoo the day before, she seemed lost in her thoughts more often or just zoning out.

“it’s alright, really,” san reassured. “i was accusing you of ulterior motives, too so...i think you had a right to at least be angry.”

walking up to the cat hybrid, she softly smiled and held her hand out to him. “so are we good now?” 

san slowly clutched her tiny hands in his and gave it a small, yet firm shake. like proud parents, seonghwa and hongjoong looked at the interaction with proud smiles on their faces. as a matter of fact, they all did. they didn’t realize their small talk from last night would actually help san. 

taking a good look at the state of the kitchen, jiyu found it amusing how they were all trying to avoid her look, knowing they were guilty of the mess. “now then...do you all need some help?” she asked, stifling her chuckles at how they eagerly nodded at her offer. 

breakfast was more lively than it had been the last few days. rather than hiding in his own corner, she could see san communicating with the everyone else, herself included. the others were asking questions and just trying to nudge san to feel more relaxed around them. jiyu didn’t understand how he had a change of heart just over one night, but she was glad to see him progress.

but a question nagged at her from the back of her mind. just who was after san that they beat him to a pulp so badly? who was san and where was he from before becoming a stray? jiyu wanted to ask him so bad to see if she could offer him anymore help, but would it come off as being nosy? would san just retreat back into his little shell?

at that moment, it was like san read her mind. “i think...you all deserve an explanation...considering how i put you all at risk last night,” she nervously said, fiddling with his tail. 

“only if you’re okay with it,” seonghwa reassured from next to him. 

san took a moment to gather his thoughts and words. “i actually came from owners that were...well-off, you could put it. if i remember correctly, they adopted my parents first, then i was born a few years after. unfortunately, they died when i was seven due to what they told me was an accident.”

jiyu felt her heart break for san. he looked so somber at the mention of his parents that she almost told him he didn’t have to force himself. but san continued to talk. 

“after my parents died, the family was so nice to me. they basically treated me like i was their own son. they had a daughter around my age, too...so i even had a friend. i thought i had everything, i thought life was great...” he paused again, pursing his lips as he reminisced his past. “but then one wrong move made me a monster in their eyes.” his ears slumped on his head as his whole figure seemed to shrink. his head was bent down, unable to make eye contact with anyone out of fear that they would reject him like his old family did. 

“you don’t have to tell us what you did if it makes you uncomfortable, san,” hongjoong noted the cat’s tensed state, almost as if he was forcing himself to say what he had to say. 

san nodded, an action so small and light that you could’ve missed if you weren’t paying attention. jiyu switched to the seat next to him and gently pat his back in a comforting motion. “hey, it’s okay, san. let me tell you, if you’re ever comfortable enough to tell us what you did, i swear on my life that our views about you would never change. all of us here...i’m pretty sure i can speak for all of us when i say we’ve made some horrible mistakes in the past, too.”

san lifted his head up in the slightest and saw them all nod at jiyu’s words. looking over to jiyu, he found her softly smiling at him. “i’m not exactly sure what convinced you to stay with us, but i’ll be sure to help you out in any way i can. and you can take your time with us. take baby steps into trusting us, just remember that we’re here every step of the way. and if and when the time comes that you can tell is what happened, we’ll listen with open ears and hearts. okay?”

san took her words to heart. he felt the warmth of her words, and how she genuinely meant what she said. seeing the others’ reassuring faces made things a lot better, too. 

“they told me their story,” san quietly mumbled. jiyu tilted her head in confusion. “how you helped them. i guess that’s what kind of made me take the leap, too.” he confessed. 

jiyu stared at the others with wide eyes. she was surprised they even vouched for her. hongjoong playfully snorted before ruffling her hair. “why are you looking at us like that? all we told him was the truth.”

yunho enthusiastically nodded. “yeah! you saved mingi and i from our old owners and the cold.” mingi nodded with a grin, his bunny ears perking up and bouncing along with his nods. 

“and you saved me from getting put down,” seonghwa chimed in.

“and you helped me open up and trust again,” yeosang languidly added. it was rare for jiyu to hear yeosang say something as sappy as that since their dynamics was usually a lot of teasing (from yeosang), but whenever he did say something warm, it held all the more weight and impact. 

jiyu’s bottom lip started to slightly quiver as she felt herself become overwhelmed with emotions—good ones this time. “you guys are gonna make me cry and it’s only 8 in the morning!”

san snickered. “they weren’t kidding when they said you get emotional a lot, too.”

“they what—!”

“we’re sorry, we didn’t mean it!” mingi apologized while laughing before running away to the living room couch. 

“san, that was supposed to be a secret!” yunho playfully whispered before getting a light flick on the forehead by jiyu. 

“alright, you all get one flick each, come here!” she mischievously smiled before going after each and every one of them. san just watched with amusement at the scene. ‘she really is like a kid on the inside.’ he mused to himself while mingi’s screams echoed around.