#never making fun of caffeine dependent people again
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Hi tumblr dot com. I have officialy finished my first week of internship. a full week of 8 to 5 -w-)b I feel.. exsanguinated. @ people with jobs.. How .
#and I thought uni was exhausting#never making fun of caffeine dependent people again#whoever said graphic design is fun is Lying btw .#i’m just lucky my workplace is comfortable and unpopulated#the entire team including me = 9 people#the hardest thing so far is getting your work done on time and getting ready to receive work any time#</3 I don’t mesh in well cause I’m very… introverted and stoic and I am Trying but my coworkers don’t really engage with me#literally spent 2 hours in a desolate corner just curled up lmao 😔#burnout is reeeeeaaaaaaaaaaall I was not ready for this but i didnt have a choice either#technically I spend 12 hours out every day and come home after dark and its depressing#i feel like a robot
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i was wondering if you could give some points and tips on writing about a character who is suffering from DRUG ABUSE
Writing A Drug Addict Character
Know Your Drugs
Was the drug invented? A scene using insulin set in 1820 is problematic since this treatment wasn’t discovered until the 1900s. Fentanyl shouldn’t be used in a 1930s scene since it wasn’t available for use until the 1960s—opium or morphine would be more accurate choices.
Was the method invented? Since insulin must be given as a shot, that scene is even less authentic as the hypodermic needle wasn’t invented until the mid-1800s. Older historical fiction could involve the use of poultices and mustard packs, while skin drug patches (transdermal patches) are only appropriate in more modern scenes.
The most common drugs abused by gangs are: Marijuana, Methamphetamine, Heroin, Cocaine
Or, it can be prescription drugs
Although many medications can be abused, the following three classes are most commonly abused:
Opioids—usually prescribed to treat pain;
Central nervous system (CNS) depressants—used to treat anxiety and sleep disorders; and
Stimulants—most often prescribed to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). (common example? caffeine)
Write In Stages
Stage 1: First Use
Some people use a substance for the first time out of curiosity, while others use substances due to peer pressure. People may also be prescribed medication, such as opioids, by their doctor. Individuals may view their first use as a one-time occurrence, but this opens the door for future use. Some people try a substance one time and never use it again.
You character will feel:
Angry and/or desperate
Miserable
Lonely
Trying to run away from a certain problem
Persuaded into doing drug
Guilty
Stage 2: Regular Use
If a person uses a substance and enjoys how it makes them feel or believes it will improve their life, they may start to use the substance regularly. They may use drugs or drink alcohol on the weekends while at parties or hanging out with friends. Occasional use may become a regular occurrence. It might become a part of a person’s routine.
Your character:
Will start getting in careless activities while doing drugs
Will probably be violent
Won’t think he has any issue whatsoever and shrug it off
Start associating themselves with harder drug users
Have a false sense of security that they’re able to quit whenever they want.
Stage 3: Risky Use
The next stage after regular use is risky use. A person will continue to use a substance despite the physical, mental, legal or social consequences. Their use likely started as a way to escape or have fun with peers but has now taken priority over other aspects of their life.
Your Character will feel:
uncomfortable around family members/friends who start to notice
Exhibit more reckless behavior
Driving under influence, stealing money to finance substance use, etc.
Underperforming at work or school
Experience tension in personal relationships
Stage 4: Dependence
The next stage is a physical, mental and emotional reliance on the substance. The individual is no longer using the substance for medical or recreational purposes. When a person doesn’t use the substance, their body will exhibit withdrawal symptoms, such as tremors, headaches, nausea, anxiety and muscle cramps.
Your Chracter Will:
Develop a sort of rountine/typical place where they abuse
Believe that the substance is essential for survival
Use substance even when it's unnecessary
Stage 5: Substance Use Disorder
While some people use dependency and substance use disorder interchangeably, they’re very different. Once a person develops a substance use disorder, substance misuse becomes a compulsion rather than a conscious choice. They’ll also experience severe physical and mental side effects, depending on the substance they’re using.
Your Character:
Has noe developed a chronic disease with the risk of relapse
Is now incapable of quitting on their own
Feel like life is impossible to deal with without the substance.
Lose their job, fail out of school, become isolated from friends and family or give up their passions or hobbies.
Research the Trends
Medical knowledge changes over time and with it the drugs prescribed. This then impacts the type of prescription drugs available on the streets.
late 1800s: chloral hydrate used for anxiety and insomnia > bromides > 1920s: barbiturates, barbital > benzodiazepines ("benzos") > early 2000s: opiod drugs > opiod drug bans led to growth of black markets: ilicit fentanyl > and so on...
Different countries/locations will have varying trends of drug abuse (depending on laws, availability, costs, etc.)
Research the Slag
look for "[drug name] trip report" on YouTube, etc. to get first-hand accounts of how drug addicts behave.
The main focus should always be to use the words your characters would use in ways that suit the world you have created.
The slang for certain drugs is a difficult vocabulary to maintain as it is ever-changing and varies based on country, region, town, even by streets. Some writers use what they know or have heard locally, others invent their own.
Resources
FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and DEA online databases and drug resources
Social networking groups focusing on related specialty writing topics, such as trauma or emergency medicine
Newspaper articles and medical journals are great places to find real cases.
The US national poison center
Helpful Vocab:
Addled - sense of confusion + complete lack of mental awareness
Crazed - emotional anguish experienced by the addict
Desperate
Despondent
Erratic
Fidgety
Hopeless
Impressionable
Struggling
#writing#writers and poets#creative writers#helping writers#creative writing#let's write#poets and writers#writers on tumblr#writeblr#resources for writers#writing inspiration#writing advice#writing prompt#writing tips#on writing#writer#writing community#writerscommunity#writer on tumblr#writer things#writer problems#writer community#writer stuff#writblr#writers of tumblr#writers community#writers block#writers life#writing questions#writing quotes
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promises to keep (flatmate!matty x reader fluff)
matty made a promise to do something for you before you dated, and this is what happens when an opportunity to fulfil it arises once you're together - kinda sorta a sequel to this, but can be read standalone. day 4 of valentine's week. enjoy <3
“matthew? have you got a minute?”
shit. the full name.
gritting his teeth in a grimace, matty puts down his guitar and follows your voice. “coming now, sweetheart.”
“much appreciated,” comes your tetchy reply. matty winces, wracking his brain in an attempt to figure out why you're not best pleased with him right now, but he comes up short.
he gets it as soon as he enters the kitchen, though; the french press in your hand - and the grumpiness on your pretty, sleepy face - reminds him of everything he needs to know. it also almost manages to stop matty from missing the fact you’re wearing his glassjaw hoodie, a pair of fluffy socks, and very little else. almost. “ah, fuck.”
“indeed,” you say, putting the cafetiere on the counter and frowning (quite adorably, to be honest) at your boyfriend. “actually, that was my exact phrasing when i came in here for a coffee, only to find that the grounds from the last cup hadn't been emptied.”
“m'sorry, baby,” matty moves to hug you.
you, however, have other ideas, and put your arm out to keep him back. “nope! no chance! absolutely not! you can't boyfriend your way out of this one, healy, this is a flatmate issue.”
matty sighs, but he can't exactly argue - the rules on emptying the coffee grounds have been finite since you moved in, the only way to ensure two caffeine-dependent people could cohabit in relative peace. “you're right. i really am sorry, darlin - let me clean it out now, and i'll make you a coffee, yeah?”
“thank you,” your face softens, into the cheeky smirk that never fails to make matty's heart feel funny. “would you make me a bit of toast, too, while you're at it?”
“it'll cost you a kiss, that one.”
“s'pose i could fork out for that,” you wrap your arms around matty's neck, hands sliding home into his hair to pull him down for a kiss. he dips you as you make out, like the two of you are lovers in an old hollywood romance film, and you giggle against his lips as he gently pulls you back to stand. “that was fun!”
“i was kinda scared i'd drop you, i won't lie.”
you laugh, ruffling matty's hair before taking a seat at the breakfast bar. “i would've dragged you with me if you had.”
“i'd expect nothing less,” he smiles, rinsing the coffee grounds from the press and holding it up to the light to check its cleanliness, before popping two slices of bread in the toaster. “what d'you want on your toast, by the way, babe?”
“hmm,” you tilt your head. “do we still have nutella?”
matty squints as he wracks his brain, then rummages around in one of the cupboards. “aha!” he emerges triumphant, almost-empty jar in hand. “enough for toast. but i'll need to get more before the weekend.”
“why? you don't even like it that much.”
“well, what else am i going to put on your valentine’s breakfast pancakes?”
you beam. “am i getting breakfast in bed?”
“course you are,” matty runs over to kiss your nose. “you're getting spoiled, sweetheart.”
“so are you. i was gonna keep it a surprise, but…” you pause dramatically. “i bought new lingerie.”
he drops the butter knife in shock. it hits the countertop with a clatter, and his head almost follows suit. “fuck,” he croaks out. “what colour?”
“dark red. your favourite,” you smile. “i look really sexy in it.”
“i bet you do, baby,” matty sighs happily, pouring coffee into your favourite mug. “can't wait to get into that hotel room and take it off you.”
“me either. and thank you for organising all that, my love. m’excited,” you smile, leaning up to kiss matty as he brings your breakfast over. “thank you for this, too. love you.”
“love you,” he kisses you again. “bring it to the living room? wanna cuddle.”
you nod, picking up your mug and plate and following matty through. he settles on the sofa first, arranging the blankets draped over it and taking your plate from you as you snuggle into his arms. with a kiss to your head, he flicks the tv on, and the two of you sit in contented silence for a little while - with the exception of you crunching your toast - watching animal park.
matty nudges you when the camera zooms in on a pair of lions curled up together on a rock. “us.”
“really?” you snort, putting your plate on the coffee table. “you think we're lions?”
“yeah. you're the brains behind everything, and i just chill out and have really cool hair.”
you laugh, bringing his hand to your lips and kissing it. “you're an idiot, healy.”
“but i'm your idiot. and i'm right,” matty looks down at you, grinning. “and you've got a little bit of nutella on your lip. here, let me,” he leans down and kisses it away. “there.”
“thanks, lover,” you stretch, snuggling back into your boyfriend with a sigh. “the lions are boring me a bit now, though. what else is on?”
“hmm, let's see,” matty clicks through channels, watching each for a couple of seconds before continuing to search - only when a familiar shot of a girl curled up in a chair reading the bell jar appears does he stop. “oh! babe, look! 10 things!”
“aww, i love this film,” you curl up even further into him, playing with the neck of his t-shirt. “remember when we watched this together in my room?”
matty's voice is quiet when he answers, but you can hear him smile. “thought about it every day since we did, darlin.”
he grins bashfully when you turn to look at him, open-mouthed. you smile, too, so sweetly that it hurts his heart. “same. it was all i ever wanted, to be so intimate like that with you,” you reach up to stroke his face. “best feeling in the world, knowing i get to do it for real now.”
all matty can do is softly hold your face and kiss you, until he runs out of breath and has to pull away from your chocolate-flavoured lips; even then, though, he keeps his hands on your jaw, and murmurs against your lips. “my dream girl. m'so in love with you.”
“i love you so much,” you whisper. “d'you wanna keep watching this, then?”
“course. rite of passage, innit?” your boyfriend grins, tugging you onto his lap and wrapping his arms around you. you turn to kiss him softly once more, then rest your head against his chest and look at the screen.
the time passes a lot like it did the last time you and matty did this, but instead of mutual pining and an undercurrent of sadness knowing you weren't really together, it's just completely… lovely. you press kisses to each other's heads and hands and lips, and just bask uninterrupted in the love evident between the two of you in the room. aside from the kisses, you don't even move.
that is, until the scene matty knows is your favourite begins. he grins, shifting you slightly further up on his lap so he can look at you properly, and begins to sing into your ear along with heath ledger onscreen. “you're just too good to be true, can't take my eyes off of you…”
your cheeks lift into a smile, and matty can practically feel the heat radiating off them. but still, you keep your eyes on the tv, the only proper acknowledgement of matty's singing being the way you softly squeeze his thigh.
“... you'd be like heaven to touch, i wanna hold you so much,” he continues, resting his head against yours and smiling when you giggle, then taking your hand. “at long last love has arrived, and i thank god i'm alive,” he moves his hand up to gently turn your head, singing the last bit to your adorably flustered smiling face. “you're just too good to be true, can't take my eyes off of you.”
you laugh joyously when he stops singing - the best sound matty thinks he's ever heard - and pull him into a kiss. “you're serenading me?!”
“you asked me to, first time we watched this,” matty smiles warmly, tucking a stray strand of hair behind your ear. “and i promised you i would.”
“i did?” your brow furrows so cutely. “you did?”
“just as you fell asleep. therefore,” he grins, taking a deep breath before literally belting. “i love you, baby, and if it's quite alright i need you, baby, to warm the lonely nights. i love you, baby - trust in me when i say…”
you beam, wrapping your arms around his neck and swaying as you join in the song. “oh, pretty baby, don’t bring me down, i pray,” the two of you giggle as you sing, and matty's never been so in love in his life. “oh, pretty baby, now that i've found you, stay, and let me love you, baby, let me love you.”
as your voices fade out, matty leans forward and kisses you chastely; he beams and caresses your cheek when he pulls back. “thank you for letting me keep my promise. and for singing with me - that was lovely. should get you on the next album.”
“no, i think i'm content with just singing to you at home,” you smile, playing with the curls at the nape of his neck. “thank you for doing that for me. always found it really romantic, that scene and that song. but you know how i am about pda, so what you just did was really perfect,” you kiss him again. “i honestly can't remember you making that promise, though.”
“i think you had already fallen asleep on me, darlin,” matty giggles. “but i wanted to keep it, anyway. and speaking of promises to keep,” his face goes a bit more serious, but still tender, as he picks up your left hand and kisses your ring finger - your breath catches in your throat, eyes widening and welling up. “gonna marry you someday. i mean it.”
you nod, a teary smile on your beautiful face, and pull him into a hug. “i can't wait.”
#mads muses#mads does writing#flatmate!matty#valentine75#matty healy fanfiction#matty healy fanfic#matty healy fic#matty healy fluff#matty healy x reader#matty x reader
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okay this is my biggest conspiracy theory except it's not really a Conspiracy Theory because I am not actually positing a shadowy prime mover who planned the whole thing from the start. that always ends up in wildly antisemitic places where I do not go, and also I don't think anyone in history has had their shit together enough to mastermind Schemes of this type. my theories are always more like "this happened serendipitously and at some point maybe someone noticed and took advantage but there's certainly no central figure in charge."
so we start with the normalization of overwork in our society, since roughly forever. in modern times this led to abuse of medical and recreational stimulants -- everyone was on speed in the 50s and coke in the 80s -- but we all kind of figured out that was a bad idea, for the most part. what we still had after the white powder settled, though, was caffeine. totally legal, totally normalized.
but people were still overworked, and they also still wanted to have energy after work, to do fun things with the little free time left to them.
enter energy drinks.
unlike coffee, which still has the feeling of a daytime beverage and also to some extent a workplace beverage, energy drinks are an anytime food! you can even get them in mixed drinks for a night out. they're for work AND play. they come in a wide range of dose strengths, including a shooter for when you're in really dire straits. after all, taking caffeine pills feels like "pill-popping," but having a little beverage is fine, right?
at the same time, there is increasing interest in remedies for a variety of unspecific ailments caused by "toxins," the new buzzword in a very old industry of patent nostrums and dubious cure-alls. the theory is that some sort of unspecified substance has entered your body, and in order to feel well again you need to detox and cleanse -- which in practice involves a lot of induced defecation. And this is supposed to be good for feelings of fatigue, muscle soreness, anxiety, stomach upset, and difficulty sleeping.
See where I'm going with this?
The "toxins" that make you feel terrible all the time are caffeine. Not heavy metals, or refined sugar, or vaccines, or yeast. It's just fucking caffeine.
Well, caffeine and chronic overwork/sleep deprivation, which is not entirely a direct result of the caffeine but is certainly enabled/exacerbated by it. Everyone is working too much and taking stimulants to get through the day and in fact experiencing mild overdose symptoms on a fairly regular basis (irritable? jittery? that's caffeine toxicity) and it's no wonder we all feel like shit.
And then! When you come home from your day of pushing your mind and body too hard! It is ALSO normalized to take downers to level out! Alcohol is also a toxin, and it takes a lot less of it to start doing systemic damage than most people realize. When you wake up in the morning feeling foggy and achy, it may not be enough to register as a proper hangover, but it's almost certainly the combined effect of alcohol and caffeine withdrawal. Both mild! Both nearly harmless and easily recovered from! If you're not doing it on a regular basis and if you're getting enough rest, which you're not, as we previously established.
It's the chronicity that's the issue, the neverending grind of it all. You can't recover from chronic sleep deprivation or overwork with an extra few hours of rest on the weekends. You can't recover from long-term chemical dependence with a 24-hour tolerance break. If you're a wage earner in late-stage capitalism your options for reversing the damage are pretty limited and they all look like deprivation: prioritizing an unbroken 8-9 hours of sleep per night may well mean giving up most if not all of your social life and leisure activities. Fuck that.
And to be clear, I don't consider choosing to stay out late with a vodka Red Bull to be a personal failure of any kind, just like I don't think poor people should never buy themselves anything nice. If work keeps trying to take more and more of your time, you gotta carve out time for yourself somewhere. But... y'all know me. I want people to know the risks.
I think a lot of people don't realize that their bodies are under this much strain. They don't know that we are better suited for a 4-6 hour work day, that 6-7 hours of sleep is genuinely not enough for most people, that as little as 2 cups of coffee might be enough to put them over the recommended maximum caffeine intake. They don't know that they're drinking enough alcohol to cause health problems.
If you know and you decide to do it anyway that's fine, it's your right. I do inadvisable shit all the time. But people don't know, they're not being told, because they can't be allowed to question the material conditions they're being forced to endure -- and then they're being sold a bunch of useless or even harmful bullshit to "cure" the inevitable consequences of those conditions.
#drugs#alcohol#don't get me STARTED on people dependent on legal drugs sneering at people dependent on illegal drugs#girl (gn) have you seen yourself in caffeine withdrawal don't talk to me
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Things that i find useful during my highschool years🌟🌟
I can't really say that i have the best grades and everything during my time in highschool but i did find a way to balance both studying and socialising so you can have fun in highschool!!
🌟 D.I.Y (do it yourself )
No im not saying that you should be building anything silly! What i meant was that you should do everything yourself during your study sessions. From notes and researching past questions, do it yourself. Sometimes its easier for me to store certain information when im handling them firsthand and help me review better last minute because i know where everything is written, where every information was explained because i spend so much time doing it rather than read the premade notes online📝
🌟 Make it fun!!
The first thing you're gonna understand is that studying is stressful af, like no shit. But just because it is doesn't mean we can make it fun-stressful right? Things like silly acronym, modified lyric of a catchy songs and even hilarious characteristics of your friend can help you along the way! Lets say what if i want to remember the metal reactivity series. That thing is looonggg af to remember and a hassle to so why not change it into silly mmemonic?
🌟 Letting go ≠ failing
Fool around, watch movies, play games, anything honestly! Letting loose doesn't equals to a bad result. If done in moderation can actually help you have a better time in studying. You can't cram 50++ in your brain and expect it to understand all of it without giving it time to rest. Treat yourself once in a while! Sometimes even just a cup of hot chocolate after an hour of doing essay would do the trick☕✨
(p/s: letting loose is NOT the same as procrastinating!!! Remember guys, rest in moderation 😭)
🌟 Eat healthy, think pretty
You know how they say that your gut is connected to your brain right? (Do they really say that???) . There's a day where you've got no appetite but still need to eat and so you just eat random snack you found in the fridge? Yeah, stop that. Like literally hun. Before you go all " you cant expect us to eat a balanced neal everyday😡😡". Baby girlies, we can eat those mouth watering, feet curling treats for alllll i careeee. But we need to learn on when to avoid them. I remember that one time i binged eat a whole jar of preserved mangoes the night before a test and ends up not remembering anything that i studied. *Shivers* eghh wouldn't want to experience that again! So avoid food that are:
High in sugar
Caffeine
Sour
And as my mom always say🙄🙄 high in msg (yes, those mouth watering instant mee😢)
🌟 Dont bother with other people
Oh my goshh, you're so dependable~ like an older sister🥺... Guys never, and i repeat, NEVER involve yourself in other people problems unless you want to waste your time with things that probably wont help you much. If you're thinking im telling you to be selfish then yes, you're absolutely right. Be selfish!!! If it simple things like giving advice or just simply being there for mental support then go on, i support you wholeheartedly but if you're directly involving yourself and being the middlemen 😐 naww take a big step back. You're not gonna risk your emotional and mental health over other people feud!
🌟 Find your own pace
With all the class rivalry going on you must be tempted to follow the class rythm, especially if its fast paced because you'll feel like you left out right? Here's the thing babe, every people have their own learning techniques and that means each have their own understanding pace. Some people store information quickly and others not so much. And honestly that's fine! Its not about who finishes the syllabus first but its about who understands them better. How do you expect to score your written exam if you barely understand the topic you're working with? So my advice is that you take a deep breath and find the study techniques that fit you the most and apply to everyday use. Once you realise it you probably has finished the whole topic without you know it!
🌟 Give em love and att yea?
Everyone has that one teacher who looovess to give and give and give you loads of notes. Yeah i know, it's a hassle to go through each and everyone of them right? But if you're letting them be and not touch them just because you have your own ur sitting on a goldmine babes. Those notes/question sometimes contains crucial information that you didn't realise you were missing the whole time. Other times the module that you just did for fun ends up having the exact type of questions that come out during midterms. Shocking right? Even if they're inanimate you need to treat them as if they we're alive. Give them attention, read them, mark them,scribble on them. You must love the knowledge if you want to gain it. How do you expect to gain something from someone that hates you?
And that's it for today folks! I know its not much and there's probably a thousand post that looks the same as mine but hey, Im just doing this for fun based of my experience yeah? Bubbyerrr🏃🏻♀️💨💨
#study motivation#study tips#study time#student life#wild af for me to post it here with my lingo being absolutely brokeeee#english bad but im badder🥱💅🏻
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Hello again!
I did this lil silly survey a long while ago :)
I wanted to ask if you would mind to answer a few of my questions again :3
If not, that's totally fine! No pressure!
How many hours do you sleep per night?
How many hours are enough to get through the day and how many are a lot for your standard?
Is caffein (in any form) part of your morning routine or your 'last resort'?
How do you feel over the day before and after consuming caffein (if you consume any)?
For example: sluggish, foggy, awake, exhausted, grumpy, just tired, etc.
Thank you a lot for (maybe) participating!
If you want, I can add you when I post the results, but I can also leave you out :)
I'm not really consistent with the hours I sleep. HOWEVER! my sleep schedule is a lot better than it has been! So I get from between 5 to 8 hours of sleep usually!
I can function on pretty much any amount of sleep tbh, it just depends on my mood that day.
And I think you can never have too much sleep.
I do consume coffee. But I don't need it to get through the day. Sometimes, I'm just like. It's a coffee day. And have a coffee. But I'm one of those people that coffee doesn't really have an effect on? But I can't have energy drinks because they make me anxious. So I don't really have an In between.
Fun fact about sleep. Some people are programmed to need less sleep while others need more! So if anyone reading this thinks. " I never feel fully rested" it might just mean that biologicaly you need to sleep more.
Society has put everyone into a box. And said, "Adults need at least 8 hours," but that's simply not the case. 8 hours is a baseline. But it's just capitalist bull to say it's what everyone needs. So you'r not "Lazy", Society is just dumb, and we have forgotten we are literally animals that can do as we please.
Rant aside, I hope that helps!
#shardkn1ght asks#shardkn1ght personal#shardkn1ght answers#shark knight#i know a lot about sleep#it was a fixation for a bit#data about sleeping and the human brain are interesting
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Accept, Adjust.
I'm a bad person.
I'm selfish, conceited and self centred. I somehow manage to convince myself I'm better than a lot of people because I just am, despite the fact that said people are getting better jobs, better opportunities and better everything. So maybe I'm a loser too. A selfish, conceited and self centred loser.
I didn't go off track, I did everything right as much as "right" goes and whatever the fuck "right" means. I have no idea anymore.
I have no idea about anything anymore. Whatever I believed and hoped has led me to this very moment in time where I write about how screwed I am at 1:32 am in the morning.
I wake up, do my shit, mindlessly watch something on tv, scroll through my phone, workout to get some sort of dopamine, have a bunch of caffeine to get that dopamine fix again which will, god willing, eventually lead me to die by the ripe age of 50.
I have nothing to do and quite honestly I don't think I wanna do anything that will in the future get me to a moment such as this.
A bachelor's in English is fun if you wanna throw facts and complicated words at people or better yet, act snobby. Because that's the best part of having a degree in English language and literature, you can be a certified snob. You know stuff these science nerds and number crunchers could never comprehend.(I'm exaggerating. I’m sleep deprived ok)
But apart from that, you get a lot of unemployment, self doubt, a lot of "what the fuck was I thinking?"I don't think I have another "what the fuck was I thinking" in me to take a master's degree in English. I cannot put myself in the world of LinkedIn again.
It's unexplainable, this feeling, this uncertainty that apparently everyone goes through, so it's nothing special. I'm not entitled to complain, because it happens to everyone. I can't complain because it's the economy that doesn't have job opportunities. It happens to everyone. It's a reality I have to adjust to.
Accept, adjust.
So I take a master's in something because what if I don't get a promotion because I don't have a master's?
What if I fall behind ?
What if?
Then I should get a government job hopefully because it's secure. You put in a mediocre effort to get a decent salary because it's the government, neither of us care about each other.
Who cares about passion? Passion is the new word for hobby. Passion is what you put aside to focus on real shit, like a job you hate that pays you alright. Passion is what you pick up when you're away from the job you hate.
I can't put away something I know I'm supposed to do, not as an occupation but for myself. But that's me being selfish. How can I ever think about myself?
I have to think about others. If you have no others depending on you, you need other "others" in your life. You need a husband, a wife, a few kids because who are you? What kind of a person are you to not have others depending on you? You have to think about others. You need to find stability and security even before you have these "others". If not, you may never get them. And if you don't get them, you're alone and that makes you selfish. How dare you think and provide for only yourself?
Accept, adjust.
"No one's gonna marry you if you're this way"
"Here's hoping"
Maybe it'll all work out and make sense.
But what if it'll only make sense because I caved and accepted all this ? If I adjusted. I won't even realise I'm part of the rat race where my dreams are only those that I see in my sleep, to wake up and realise everything I've ever dreamt with my eyes open is a pipe dream. I can't stop and pull back then, can I? Will I even realise all this then?Will it matter even if I do? Will I still be selfish if I do ?
I never realised how linear time is and how fast it goes by. I feel like I was 18 just last year and now I'm 21. And somehow the more I dwell on it the older I become.
I don't even remember yesterday, that's how fast it all goes. And I'm afraid that before I realise it, one day I'll just be too old and it'll be too late. Full of regret and resentment.
What I have towards writing is just..... just stupid. I love and hate it at the same time. I think about it all the time like a creepy ex boyfriend, I can't get it out of my mind. It haunts me day in and day out. I want to write everything about everything. But I can't find the words, maybe I know them but I can't put them together in such a way that it perfectly expresses what I truly want. (What do I want?)
And because I can't do that, I believe I'm a bad writer. Because that's literally the entire purpose. Know the words, put them together, and write. Fucking idiot.
I love it so much that I hate how much I love it. It eats my brain and turns me insane and I fucking hate it because I'm scared.
I'm so scared.
The feel of your flesh tearing and your creative mind rotting between becoming a human machine like everyone else to survive and following your passion.
So what's my purpose?
What if I know that I wasn't put here to be like everyone else? To merely survive, to exist for others, as others say. What if you know it but others don't see it? Will you be anything without their recognition?
What if what if what if
Accept adjust, accept adjust.
It's a constant ever teetering ride of "am I enough?" "I got this", " I need people", "I hate everyone"
In the end the madness of art is how we persevere despite everyone telling us not to.
Unfortunately today, knowing and realising all this makes you selfish, conceited, self centred and ultimately a bad person. So maybe I am a bad person.
I care about what others say, hear them, get anxious, lose my appetite, have a meltdown, get depressed, have a nap, get a fucking ulcer in my stomach.
But that's ok because I'm my worst enemy. You're your worst enemy.
Occasionally I think we just need to screw the others and tell ourselves "fuck you, watch this."
#writings#words#my writing#life#literature#my words#art#artists on tumblr#passion#first time posting please bear with me#thoughts#late night thoughts#feelings#emotions#quotes
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Awwww im sorry :(
Life sucks most of the time (unfortunately) sometimes and a lot of ppl deal with it better than us.
If no one’s said it yet IM FUCKING PROUD OF YOU FOR NOT GIVING IN.
Regarding the angst fics: GIMME. I’ll be the LAST person complaining cause it actually makes me feel something other than indifference and numb.
And max??? Your Ghoul max especially??? I WILL EAT THAT SHIT UP. GIMME. (On your own time and writing speed ofc).
If it ain’t obvious I’ll read pretty much anything you write. I’m a sucker for your ao3, I’m rereading one fic or another daily atp.
Also cause I always see you and 🦡 talking about energy drinks (monster) I’ll add my little quirks about caffeine in general cause I keep being told I’m weird for it and need some kind of opinion from ppl who don’t know anything about me:
I have said for YEARS that I don’t want to try energy drinks because I have an addictive personality. I damn well knew that I’d be addicted to the caffeine “high” or sleep (depending on how my adhd took it).
Until February when my friend but redbull in a separate cup and had me try it. Summary is I liked it and immediately wanted to cry when she told me cause damnit I’ve been avoiding it!!!!
So now I have EXTREMELY strict rules about my redbull consumption (it’s the only source of caffeine other than Coca Cola I actually enjoy the taste of (no I don’t like coffee)). And refuse to try anything else because one is bad enough.
Sorry this is so long but your always asking for ppl to talk… so I just did (whoops)
- 🦒
Okay yes… I am aching for human interaction. The interaction I’ve had with friends recently is not the greatest but in my defense! I’m still religious and so are they and we all have different values. As in - tumblr is like my side hoe that nobody knows about. I’m also bisexual which isn’t the most values thing in Christianity and so I get some weird looks when I rant about pretty woman. I CANT HELP IT THO WHY ARE YOU ALL SO GOOD LOOKING IT’S NOT FAIRRRRR. Same goes for a lot of other shit. Drinking and sex and smoking and sex and - the list goes on for days. IDK man just Lemme liveeee. Also trying to explain to people why you won’t go back t church is a pain. Like - idk? You watched my dad abuse my mom for YEARS, didn’t say anything and gossiped instead about how we were the ones not following him as the head of the household, the proceeded to hail him a hero because he stayed with my mom after she dealt with a fucking predator? Not thanks! I’d prefer never to speak to y’all again!
(Sorry for the random trauma dump lol)
That all being said, the interaction I’ve had is limited to my fiancé and my beta reader who is overseas in the UK. My fiancé has friends and goes out with them and I sit watching movies with my parents while getting trashed. My sister is there too. I love her dearly. But she’s 17 and dual enrolled to graduate with her associates degree in a couple of months so she’s busy T_T
Basically - I’m alone with my thoughts majority of the time and it’s not a fun place to be.
I’m considering making this specific Ghouls Max fic into a mini series because there is so much shit here. Plus, background Landoscar and Charlos have me FERAL. The plot is actually a lot like my Ao3 fic in some ways but not? Like themes are similar ig. I fell in love though and might make a series of one shots that follow Max and Reader post the events of that fic 👀 (which I will have for you EVENTUALLY)
Redbull isn't my favorite unless it's sugar-free (don't ask why because I find it IRONIC). I feel you with the caffeine thing and finding it hard to pace. I don't have a crazy reaction to caffeine and usually get by with a monster in the morning. Coffee tastes gross unless it's one of those places that have their own coffee beans and stuff. Which - okay - I'm from Washington state, and we have SO MANY COFFE PLACES HERE. I have three that are a 20-minute walk from my house. Also, Starbucks sucks.
Saw your ask right after this by the way and laughed because I'm blind and the emojis looked similar, so I didn't even realize at first!
I'm glad to see me and 🏍 are spreading our propaganda 😂
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What I knew saved me, sort of. Knowledge is power. It’s true. As soon as he was gone I wanted to get high. I felt, I feel so lonely in this city. I don’t have a sense of community and I have so much social anxiety. This is the reason why I want to get high. I used to tell myself so many lies. That I was doomed, that I was borderline, depressed and worse. I used to say “Im fucked up because of my childhood”, I used to think that depression was a disease. Now I have all this awareness about what I need to stop these so called mental illnesses. My heart is full with this relationship, with my pets, where I decided to go with my professional life. So I feel so much better than before. Im less broke and less broken. But I still miss having friends. I don’t know how to exist without being useful. I guess you can’t really be lovable without being useful to some degree. But my worthiness shouldn’t be depending only on what I can contribute to. I should just be existing and be fine with it. I guess I must give anxiety to people because I don’t know what to do, or say. Everyday I have to choose to be fine. It’s definitely hard when it doesn’t come naturally to you. It’s so weird to chose to be fine instead of waking up fine. I’m so sensitive to caffeine that a little bit of macha gets me extremely happy and excited. When it wears off it’s no fun.
When it comes to you I have the most difficult time going with the flow. I’ve been wondering for a long time now if your problem were more psychological than physiological. I would hope so, even though those are connected. But it’s not like I can make you meditate. All I can do is provide the safest place for you. I fucked up in the past and I carry all this guilt around when look at your big green eyes. You know it’s a vicious circle. It’s hard no to react to each and every crises you have. Im scared to lose you and you don’t understand that, not fully.
Sometimes it scares me to think how sensitive I am. I wonder if I would lose my mind, how much, how much more, if something really bad happene? The more I learn about the mind and the body, the more power I realise I have and I wish I could still play the victim, let myself, my mind go. But I am so much stronger than I thought. I think that’s what surprises me the most right now. I am not the smartest, but I am smarter than I thought. And it’s hard to realise all my believes about myself are wrong. That I have this flame inside of me and that nothing would destroy me the way I thought it would. In the past I use to lay down on my couch and get high on codeine to numb the pain. And then somehow, I would get up again. It got worse, then better. Now it never gets that bad anymore.
I have a few rules I should establish for myself :
1- Never think that what you’re feeling at night is true. I tend to stress out so much at night. My anxiety and distorted sense of reality gets the absolute best of me.
2- You too often want to make your narrative the reality. Every time you meet someone, that a change occurs, that something is even slightly off, your mind goes to the worst case scenario. And you know what ? The worst case scenario might as well happen. It’s called life. You decide if it’s gonna get the best of you.
3- Your pain comes from the fact that you don’t even analyse your negative feelings. You just complain and try to distract yourself or pretend you are fine. Well, guess what. YOU ARE NOT FINE. Not always. Everybody has bad days. That’s how it’s supposed to work. You want to get better ? Start by letting the bad feelings existing and analysing them. Bad days are normal. Normalise them.
4- You carry the burden of wanting to be there for everyone. Well, first it’s a distortion of your job. You can’t be the wise woman at all time. The saviour, the psychologist, the coach. You don’t have all the answers even though I might add you pretty much figured life out. I mean, Im not 100% sure because I haven’t been through the hardest time of my life yet, but I think by now I get a good portion of the meaning of life right.
5- Society makes people, especially women feel like getting old sucks. We live in a patriarchal and capitalist society that makes everyone feel like they are never doing enough or never having enough. Well, enough of that bullshit. I mean when I think about how miserable I was when I was younger, going shopping every week-end, caring so much about my appearance... I still care a lot about my appearance though but that’s also my job at the moment. + I never really liked my face but there is always room for improvement.
6- You always want to control people around you and hypothetic future. It’s just absolutely fucking ridiculous how you’re giving everyone anxiety by caring too much. Don’t get me wrong, you’re allowed to love people around you with your whole heart. But again... there is a difference between loving someone and being constantly scared of losing someone. And always making sure that people know they’re loved is not having to touch them and cross their boundaries all the time. Because you’re just trying to analyse their reaction to you in order to notice any subtile change that would make think they reject you. You’re trying to reinsure yourself, not them. Loving someone is not worrying about losing them all the time. It’s about existing side by side, interacting when necessary, detaching your identity from them. Not completely of course. Just finding a balance.
7- Find more time to get bored. Find more time away from your phone. Less time playing guitar or drawing or accomplishing anything in hope that other will like the result. It totally kills your creativity. You just annoyed because you never gonna be a freaking superstar. Why do you want to be a superstar, the best of the best at everything ? Why is life an endless competition ? Im tired of pretending winning fulfils me. I am running after an endless desire of being needed, admired instead of being loved. I’m running after dopamine and always wondering what’s next. Enough of that shit. You don’t need to be the best, you need to try your best.
8- Let go. Just fucking let go. Every single time you’re circling over and over again around a negative feeling, it’s because you don’t analyse it so you can’t let go of it. You don’t let go because you chose to look at what you can’t control. And also because you’re afraid that if you let go, it means it wasn’t meaningful. Because you’re scared of being empty deep down. It would confirm all too well what your shitty childhood made you feel like you deserved. Every freaking time you actually let go, it feels so much lighter on your shoulder. You are allowed to fall and go back on your horses, then fall again. It’s called the healing process. Better practice that on small things of the ordinary before you have to let go of something bigger. Letting go is awesome. Go with the flow.
I always knew it was about balance. From a very young, even as fucked up as I was, I always knew I wanted balance. Not happiness. Just a sense of safety in every situation. The idea that yeah, I can handle it. That the narrative of me being sensitive didn’t mean I was fragile. I am not fragile. I experience higher, more intense feeling. It doesn’t mean I can’t go back to a safe baseline once these strong feelings made their time inside me. And just knowing that should make them less intense already.
9.... you’re safe. You made it. Life is beautiful and ugly. Happy and tragic. When I think about all the absolutely horrifying situation I used to put myself through even when I moved to Canada, all of this mess, I realise how different I am now. Because I live with myself everyday I don’t really have a clear awareness of how much I changed, but I did. People around me did to. For the worst or the better. We always change. It hurts me to see people I care about not changing in the right direction, like my sister. But I can’t really do anything about it except telling them Im there for them. That I love them.
xx Romane to Romane
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love ur blog, btw this is a request for draco malfoy: can you make it where the reader loves coffee and draco also apparently is in love with it and they meet at some coffee shop and yeah u can continue how u like it
Hi lovely! Thank you for your kind words and your request. 💕
As a caffeine dependent human, writing this was so much fun. I hope you like it. X
Same Ideas. Varying Interpretations (Draco Malfoy x Reader)
Word count: 1517
Coffee shop AU
Warnings: None just excessive mentions of coffee and soft!Draco pining for the reader.
Draco Malfoy was never really a morning person.
The only reason he even dragged himself out of bed was the want for a decent sized cup of coffee from the coffee shop down the street.
Even though he was not a morning person, he was definitely becoming a weekend person.
Weekends meant he could wake up late, maybe prolong his otherwise quick shower.
To top it all off, that he wouldn’t even have to order his coffee to go!
In fact, he would get to sit on one of those infuriating little tables in the far corner that never stopped wobbling and look at you and whatever it is that you were drinking that day.
Sometimes you’d have a tall glass filled to the brim with iced coffee next to you. On other times, you’d be hugging a mug and absently licking whipped cream off your lips—making his heart palpitate in the process.
But within the unpredictability of your coffee order and the color of the dresses that you wore, two things remained constant.
One, you seemed to really like the buttered croissant they served.
Two, he loved watching you nibble into it as you flipped through the pages of your book.
And so, on a strangely sunny Saturday morning, Draco decided to stop beating around the bush and he finally managed to ask the lady at the counter to have a croissant delivered to your table.
“Oh. I didn’t order any today.” You said politely and shook your head when you saw the pastry.
“Courtesy of one of our regular patrons.” The server smiled before leaving you with a golden brown and perfectly curvaceous croissant.
Draco observed the whole interaction from afar—taking long slow sips of coffee as dark as his black suit.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want you to know it was him. He just wasn’t sure how you’d feel about a stranger buying you a croissant.
~~~~~~
The very next Saturday, Draco took his regular seat at the coffee shop and opened the daily prophet in front of him.
Your table remained empty as he scanned the paper—pretending like your absence didn’t bother him.
I drove her away.
That’s the only explanation.
Why is she not here?
Draco was so busy hyperventilating all alone that he almost didn’t notice a server bring what looked like a buttered croissant on his table.
He put his paper down for a second and arched a brow at the server who simply shrugged as he nodded towards the door.
You were just exiting the coffee shop with a to-go cup in your hands—clad in a lilac colored blouse that somehow made the freshly cut tulips wrapped in paper you had tucked under your arms look even more vibrant.
When Draco took notice of the to-go cup in your hand, he quickly paid for his coffee and followed you out.
“How did you know it was me?” He called out making him instantly regret this decision when you whirled around to face him.
To his utter surprise, you flashed him a small smile.
“Black coffee, no sugar or creamer.” You said. “Every weekend, I see you drink the same hot beverage mr. regular patron. It probably tastes horrible by the way.”
“It absolutely does not.” He retorted as you both started to walk down the cobblestone. “I don’t understand why you’d choose to ruin a drink that is perfectly good on its own.”
And both of you kept talking and talking as he walked you all the way home.
“It was nice talking to you.” You said as you stepped onto your front porch step.
“Likewise y/n.” Draco said as he put his hands in his pockets and started to turn away.
Throughout your walk, he’d wanted to ask if you’d like to have dinner with him sometime but the words refused to leave his lips partly due to his fear of rejection.
Just as he was walking away, he heard you call out his name.
“Draco. Wait.”
“Yes?”
“Dinner tomorrow? Seven-ish? No pressure.” You asked.
Draco didn’t know what you meant by seven-ish—if it meant after or before seven. What he did know was that he was going to be there early anyway.
Just to be sure.
~~~~~~~~~
When Draco saw you in your deep red dress that night, he quickly decided then and there that he’d never look at the color the same way ever again.
He was sure that he’d forever associate the color with your stunning little number for the rest of eternity.
And to his absolute and utter delight, the date went perfectly well.
It was strange how things flowed so naturally with you that it felt almost effortless.
So much so that both of you were the very last people that left the restaurant that night. And being the caffeine addicts that you both were, both of you found yourselfs craving a cup of coffee.
“I don’t think there’s anything open at this ungodly hour of the night Draco.” You said sadly as you walked with him down the sidewalk—moonlight casting terribly tall shadows of the two of you on the ground.
The tip of your fingers lightly brushed with his as if on accident and he seized this opportunity to intertwine your fingers with his.
He fought the smile tugging at his lips when he felt you hold his hands tight before finally saying.
“I know a place.”
~~~~~~~~~~~
You let him take the lead as you both ran along the sidewalks giggling like children towards wherever he was taking you.
From one of the houses along the way, an elderly man poked his head outside of his window and yelled at you both for causing a ruckus at two-thirty in the morning.
“Shhhhhhh…” Draco whispered, suppressing a chuckle as you both hid inside an alcove as placed his hands over your mouth.
His face was so terribly close to yours and you felt tingly all over your body when you looked into his shiny grey eyes.
He had the kind of eyes that could convince you to do just about anything with one simple look.
Terrifying yet so so comforting.
When the threat of being yelled at by the old man cleared, he led you all the way to a small 24/7 diner situated at the far end of the road.
The lady at the counter gave him a smile like he visited the place all the time.
“Are you a regular patron over here too?” You asked out of curiosity the lady poured you both a cup of coffee.
“I come here when I can’t sleep.” He said, taking a gulp of his coffee. “No one really comes here at this time of the night and the coffee isn’t half bad.”
You nodded and took a big sip from your own cup observing how his skin glowed a shade of bright pink from the neon sign on the window.
It felt good with him.
Even the black coffee that you were drinking felt nice and soothing.
Just when you thought the night couldn’t get any better, a slow song started to play on the radio at the diner. It didn’t even bother you that the song kept cutting off due to the static.
“This is such a lovely song.” You told him, making a crooked smile form on his face.
“Care to dance with me then?” He asked.
“Here? ”
“Yes here.”
You opened your mouth to object but he was already pulling you up—gently swaying you to the music.
The lady at the counter shook her head and went towards the back of the diner leaving you both to it.
With his arms around your waist and your head resting on his chest, your bodies moved with the music.
From where your head was resting, you could easily hear the wild thumping of his heart and you wondered if he could hear yours.
You slowly tilted your head upwards to look at him and he lovingly tucked a loose strand of hair behind your ears.
As his face drew in closer and closer, you closed your eyes and met him halfway.
His lips tasted like caffeine.
They woke you up, gave you a rush and had something addictive about them.
He kissed you so tenderly—his lips moving slowly in synchronisation with yours.
But somewhere between those soft kisses, you could tell that he was holding back something more ravenous and intense.
It only made you want to keep kissing him.
That night and the nights to come.
~~~~~~some months later~~~~~~~
“Not this again.” Your boyfriend shook his head as he took a sip from his mug before taking a bite from YOUR croissant.
“Well forgive me for wanting my coffee to actually taste good.” You rolled your eyes at him as you stirred your straw of your iced coffee. You’d asked for two pumps of vanilla syrup to be added to your drink and Draco gagged at the idea.
The way you both took your respective coffees was a perfect way to describe your relationship.
Same ideas.
Varying interpretations.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Taglist: @dracomalfoyisindahouse @dracomalfoys-wh0re @maybesandohnos @justfangirlthingies @desiredmalfoy @dlmmdl @trainintersection @fa-me @dracoswhore007 @paulina1998 @wh0re4blaise @marrymetheonott @quacksonsssandtea @letoof @rvaldez7569 @loloo22 @emma67 @berriemalfoy @thegaudess @itchywitch33 @louweasleymalfoy @lunar0se10 @savagelysarcasticslytherin @fleursbabe @teawineaddict @thebitchybeatle @malfoyxxdraco23 @fantasyfairysworld @trashyvicks @h0ggyw0ggyh0gwarts @l0vely-lupin @linasylveon @amwitherspoon
Love,
V
#harry potter#draco malfoy imagine#draco malfoy x reader#draco x reader#draco malfoy#draco fanfiction#draco fluff#draco lucius malfoy#draco malfoy fluff
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hi, rory! <3 what majors would the sc veterans take if they were in the modern world?
hi, anon !! thank you so much for this ask, this is heaven in disguise from all my schoolwork. tbh, the whole time i was working for a lab report, my mind will go back to this ask bc i wanted to have the association as accurate as possible hhhajshw
i asked one of my friends for help and thank God for them bc my single brain cell really said 'it's time for you to rest' after staring at one backlog. without further ado, here are the veterans' majors if they're studying in university:
first off, hange zoe, because if you ask me this question in real life, they would be the only one i can answer. every damn time i would think of them in a college setting, being a biology major is really hange's forte. at this point, this is what everyone would associate them with.
hange is all about experimenting and doing brilliant breakthroughs in any field of science but knowing that they have this unparalleled fascination with the unusual and unexpected life-forms (ahem titans ahem), the biology lab would be the surest place where you could find hange. i feel like biology is too broad so i will add that microbiology or bacteriology are just some of the specializations they will be taking in their time in college.
imagine, being lab partners with hange and immediately knowing that you will have one of the highest grades in the class because they're that well-versed in a specific lab report. and if you're partners with them for the rest of the academic year, you might as well have a shot at an immaculate grade. i'm not saying that you should depend on them too much though hHHHH, hange is still a member of the majority of the student body who relies heavily on caffeine to keep them invigorated. who isn't at this point?
so far, some of the biology majors that i encountered (well, more like chatted behind a screen — online classes suck), they have this energy that could drain my social battery too quickly and hange fits that description. (note that this doesn't apply to any college bc i observed this in mine soooo 🤭) they're the type to always go on a tangent on a certain science article or coerce you into joining this org thing. i can imagine levi just looking at hange like they're the one sucking his brain cells out whenever they speak about a documentary in bbc they watched the night before.
and if you're stuck on anything biology-related, hange will be the best person to ask help from. they're the first ray of sunlight you get while waking up. they're that approachable.
okay, so erwin smith.
don't come at me but he just radiates this ceo vibes and with that, one of his probably majors is business administration. i know this is so stereotypical of me but let's face it, erwin is a smooth talker through and through and if he doesn't take up marketing, business is one way to spend his college years. knowing his personality in attack on titan of establishing deals easily with a determined resolve, he fits the broadest description of being a business administration major. (again, don't come at me because my consultant for this statement is google and nobody comes after google sometimes hhhhh)
just for the benefit of myself, i will add what google says about this major, "[they] learn the mechanics of business through classes in fundamentals, such as finance, accounting and marketing ... students find ways to solve problems using data and they develop communication and managerial skills." and i thank you.
he's also probably the most well-spoken and most professional when conversing with others among his friends (and i'm not saying this to drag the other characters but this is what i pick up on) and that is exactly the qualities his major specializes. it is expected for them to strike deals and be a people person and who better character for the job than our very own erwin smith 🤩
now i mentioned 'one of the probable majors' and yes, aside from business administration, philosophy just exudes erwin smith. ngl, when i imagined erwin in a college setting, this major will always come first. his mind is just so sexy to me??? and i hope you guys think the same, too, because i don't want to be the only one who thinks that 👀 kidding aside, erwin is one of the smartest people in attack on titan and every time he speaks in one episode, my brain will instantly go mush, and that's what i feel when i hear philosophy majors talk.
philosophy majors (according to any other youtuber who does lookbooks for various majors hhhhhh) challenge what is unanswerable and analyze questions with no right answer. i feel like erwin, like hange, will talk all night to explain a theory. just imagine a date with him and you just listen to him rant about a topic that they should be making a report on. just listen to this man, okay?? it's adorable when he lets his guard down to include you in his little bubble of philosophies. he would also mention random things that he learned in classes, sometimes finding joy in knowing the philosophies of other people, or even deciphering levi's dream of an apocalyptic world. (it pisses levi off but he just leave him be.)
if you want a man who can do both of these majors, erwin smith is the answer 😉
sigh, mike zacharias.
this man holds so many talents and will forever amaze me.
i assume all of us here watched the movie perfume. and no, i'm not saying that mike is going to be a murderer but just like the main character of that film, making perfumes will be his forte with that sense of smell of his. and here, i conclude that mike will definitely take up chemical engineering.
he gives me the vibes that if it covers the one thing he does best, he will love his major. (mr. zacharias, can you please spare me that quality because i really need that now 😩) being in the labs while experimenting mundane things that can be found in the environment to create different scents is also a likely situation you can find him in, again, very much like hange. he's the type of student who really puts so much effort in staying afloat the honors list, even to the point of topping midterms in his major, for the sake of his dream. there will never be a moment where you will catch him complain about his major and professors.
he's that type of friend in college who agrees to any rant you say but in reality, he's got his life easy 😭
i headcanon mike owning a perfume shop after college just like how levi always dreamed of having a tea shop.
okay, imagine this little scenario if you're dating mike where he creates this unique perfumes as random gifts for you. they're not the typical perfumes that can seep through the room and can make you gag for no reason, they're subtle scents that will stay for the duration of the day. because again, he's got a sensitive nose, so making perfumes according to what his sense of smell dictates will always result in a revolutionary experiment. if you're randomly blurting out that you want a fusion of flowers and fruits as your perfume, say no more, he's your man.
now, the veteran who i find the hardest to associate a major with — levi ackerman.
after much deliberation and a break from plant physiology, i see him taking up law or criminology.
(i asked some of this from my mom because she attended law school :>>>)
levi is so organized and detailed in the things that he do and he fits in either of these majors since they require tedious memorizations and analysis of laws and crime scenes while being assertive enough to defend someone. he's the typical person who blurts out the true situation of a crime scene when watching film adaptations. yeah, he's that person, the one who sucks the enthusiasm out of you while watching a movie because he just had to correct some of the scenes. nevertheless, he means well though, he just wanted you to understand the reality unlike how films portray gruesome murders. movie nights always end up with levi ranting about half-assed mystery clichés.
levi's binder of readings are always too bright for everyone's good. his notes are full of highlighters and scribbles that it can blind someone. for one, he's always up all night studying his readings and cases for a practice court so by choosing neon highlighters, it's a way for him to wake up. there isn't one book in his possession that he doesn't highlight like it's a fricking coloring book. hange once jokingly said that his binder now acts like his bible and for once, he agrees because he was never seen without one. hange had a field day since levi never agrees with them.
when doing practice courts though, his go-to resting bitch face always come in handy when carrying out his role as one of the lawyers. he's just so sexy with his hands in the pockets of his slacks as he tries to justify his supposed client. the way he questions the accused definitely isn't hot because he's like one of the panelists in your thesis defense, the one who just comes up with questions that have you melting on the spot. he's dangerous i tell you. it also doesn't help if you accidentally hurt one of his friends or just landed randomly in his blacklist for being annoying as hell. relax though, he doesn't mean harm other than the fact that he's ready to throw some hands from all the pent-up rage he gathered in his body.
of course, i couldn't forget how he dresses up like a typical dark academia fanatic so look out for eye-candy.
if you want someone who can recite articles from the constitution, this man is perfect for you 😌
i had so much fun doing this !! again, i'm not generalizing every major i've talked about in these little headcanons, this is all for fun and based on the people i encountered in college. if you want more of this, don't hesitate to ask !! 😚
#attack on titan#aot#levi ackerman#aot x reader#attack on titan x reader#snk#levi ackerman x reader#attack on titan headcanons#hange zoe#hange zoe x reader#mike zacharias#mike zacharias x reader#erwin smith#college au#erwin smith x reader
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something sweet
maybe having someone to help you out in the stockroom wasn't so bad after all.
PAIRING: itadori yuuji x reader
GENRE: fluff, strangers to lovers
WORD COUNT: 2.5k
WARNINGS: almost stabbed, mentions of sharp things (boxcutters and broken glass), making out
it’s not like you had a problem with the same menial tasks everyday.
in fact, you would even say that it was a fun way to spend your free period. it was better than doing some complicated assignment or even having to talk to people with your lack of sleep and patience. coffee never allowed for a proper nap no matter how exhausted you were and your teacher wouldn’t allow that anyways.
it was an easy job that you could do with minimal help. all you had to do was put the beakers away, clean up the floor once in awhile, maybe pop some bubble wrap when new packages arrived. being alone in the stockroom was nice because you were able to turn on some music on your headphones, do whatever dances you felt like doing as long as you were still doing your job. no help was needed or wanted.
“where should i put this?”
you jump, nearly stabbing the blonde haired boy behind you with a boxcutter. luckily, he was quick, jumping backwards with a yelp as you took a deep breath in to process the situation. you didn’t accidentally hurt the boy in front of you, did you? your face falls and the initial rush of fear turns into guilt. “i’m sorry! i didn’t know you were there!”
“it’s okay,’ he responds with a smile, unphased by the fact his shirt had almost been slashed, ‘i understand. you’re probably here alone most of the time, right?”
“yeah, i wasn’t expecting for anyone else to be here,” you sigh before realizing what he had probably walked in on before the whole ordeal, “wait.. did you see me doing anything?”
“you’re a pretty good dancer if that’s what you’re asking.”
embarrassment. your cheeks feel unbelievably hot and your stomach turns while embarrassment settles in your body. this period was your alone time, your chance to flail about and having someone else witness it? definitely not preferable. although, he does seem nice and he hasn’t made fun of you. not yet, at least.
his voice brings you out of your train of thought. “so, where should i put that thing?”
he carries on as if nothing happened. thank god. “the flask goes in that cabinet, bottom shelf. you’ll see more just like it.” you reply, pointing to the space.
he mumbles a quick thank you before doing unloading more of the new flasks onto the cabinet. you work on your own, choosing to count the new magnets on the other side of the room, doing your best to avoid him considering you just embarrassed yourself in front of the stranger by nearly injuring him for asking a simple question. though, he looks slightly familiar, he’ll probably be gone tomorrow and that’s all that matters.
behind you, yuji takes small glances while he puts away the flasks, waiting for you to turn around and ask for his name. hell, he’s waiting for any type of question. after all, who sees a random boy in their work space and doesn’t question it at all?
when the next day comes, you’re proven wrong because he sits in the chair, awaiting another order from you. you curse under your breath before putting on a faux smile. “do you need help with anything?”
“do you need help with anything?”
“no, thanks. i’m good on my own. you can go back to whatever you do in this period.”
he scratches his head, eyebrows furrowing together. “i thought you needed help. that’s what my math teacher told me when he sent me here.”
“not really? i can usually get a lot done on my own. who told you i needed help?”
“gojo. i’m his teacher assistant, but i don’t know how to do the math he’s teaching, so i can’t really help anyone.” he explains
“oh, yeah! i had him for calculus last semester,” your eyes light up at the mention of your favorite white haired mentor, “weird guy. good teacher.”
wait. gojo’s teacher assistant?
you’ve heard your friends talk about him, given that they were in that exact class the blonde haired boy was supposed to be in right now. the one guy that pe teachers fawn over and coaches try to recruit? why did they put him in the math department instead of pe? what’s his name again? yuki? yugi?
“you’re yuji itadori?”
“yuji itadori.” he confirms and you’re relieved. good thing you didn’t mess up his name.
no wonder he looked familiar. miwa was fascinated by his physical ability, you distinctly remember her pointing him out during lunch and telling you about how he was ‘scarily fast’ and could probably ‘lift ten of her at a time.’ although, it was from far away and he was partially blocked by a girl with short brown hair and megumi, the intimidating spikey haired quiet boy in some of your classes.
but yuji didn’t look like someone who could lift ten miwas up close. maybe he was hiding behind the oversized hoodie he wore, but he was a kind looking boy with wide eyes and messy tufts of strawberry blonde hair. throughout the short time you’ve seen him up close, he always had a slight smile on his resting face. in short, he looked approachable and was seemingly friendly.
“so, do you need help with anything?” he asks again and you decide that maybe he can be of use to you. especially if he has the strength that miwa had described.
“actually, yeah. can you lift those boxes over there and bring them to the other side of the room? they’re kind of heavy-”
she was correct because he lifts the box, which is supposedly about thirty kilograms according to your teacher, with ease. now, you don’t have to constantly go back and forth around the room just to put the packaged metal away in a farther cabinet and he can probably just put them away himself, too. it goes that way for the next hour and a half, both of you staying in your respective sides of the room, putting away your own respective items.
“thanks, itadori.”
“call me yuji.”
“will do.”
over the next two weeks, you two don’t talk as much as yuji had hoped.
he still remembers gojo’s words of encouragement, his push to get his favorite student to talk to the person who drops off notes to the teacher across the hallway from time to time. he’s never talked to you and he doubts you would even know that he existed in the first place. in fact, he was perfectly content with just stapling the papers that gojo would give him, maybe getting his own homework done in the period, but he was insistent.
“i’ve seen you staring outside the window whenever they pass by, yuji. just talk to them.”
“it’s okay.’
“no it’s not. get to know her. what if they’re nice? hmmmmm?”
“i’ll talk to her myself at some point.”
that was all it took for gojo to leave him alone, not that he didn’t like gojo or anything, especially with gojo being his second favorite teacher in the first place, but he’s content with his little crush. and again, he doubted that you would remember him in your history class and from the looks of it, he was right.
he just didn’t expect to be sent at the very stockroom that you would be in. for the rest of the semester. gojo had definitely set him up for something.
yuji was in that conflicting position in which he didn’t know whether to start a conversation or not because he didn’t want to bother you. but he also wanted to get to know you up close. of course he can sense your exhaustion himself through droopy eyelids that threaten to close and your dependence on caffeine, something he had learned about you so far in these few weeks. the only thing, it seems like.
as for you, a short talk with your science teacher confirmed that he wouldn’t be leaving anytime soon and though you will miss dancing around the stockroom by yourself, he wasn’t bad company. he mostly kept to himself, often being more rigid when you barely spared him a glance. at the times you would speak to him, he seemed more excitable and easygoing, listening to every word you say.
“yuji?”
“hmm?”
“come help me by unboxing these beakers, alright?” you patted the spot next to you before sliding the blade down the tape, “don’t worry. i’m not gonna stab you.”
“i guess i’ll help,” he snorts, “don’t you usually do these by yourself?”
“yeah, but since you’re spending the semester with me in here, we might as well get to know each other right?”
the whirring of the fan, the sound of your voice — it all seemed to fade into the background as his heart thumped hard in his chest. a million thoughts, both good and bad, race through his head as he formulated different questions, answers, and scenarios in his mind, all of them being a jumble of fantasy and panic.
you wave a hand in front of his face in an attempt to catch his attention. he seemed completely frozen, staring at you with dead eyes and it’s now that you realize you haven’t seen him up this close. honey brown eyes, the soft curve of his nose, and were those crinkles under his eyes, too? up until now, you only knew him as the ‘athletic man who was bad at math’, but he was also undeniably beautiful with his carved face and strawberry blonde hair.
“yuuuuuuuji?”
“oh! i’m sorry! did you say you wanted to get to know me?”
“yeah, we’re kind of stuck in this room everyday for an hour and a half together. i might as well find out what your favorite color is or something.”
“red! my turn! what were you listening to when you almost stabbed me?”
“hey! it was an accident!” he giggles, slicing the tape seal down the middle and opening up the package and pointing right at it. “you see that? that could have been me. i should at least know what i’m being stabbed to.”
“meg thee stallion..”
“nevermind. she’s beautiful and i wouldn’t mind dying to her music.”
you snort, thinking up another question. maybe you should ask him about why that megumi guy was so gloomy? nope, might get too personal. what about the reason he’s here? nope, you already know.
“why don’t you do any sports even though you’re literally physically gifted?” you ask curiously. there’s still a smile on his face, but his expression becomes more wistful. you didn’t accidentally hit a spot, did you?
“my grandpa is in the hospital,” oh shit, you think, “i visit him everyday and if i was on a team, i would have to go to practice at the same time.”
“i’m sorry. i didn’t mean to hit a sensitive topic, but that’s sweet of you.’
“i don’t mind. and i’m sorry if i made you uncomfortable.”
“no, it’s alright. let’s just keep asking questions then, okay?”
he nods.
in one hour, you learn that yuji itadori also likes karaoke, rice bowls, and that he’s just as bad at science than math. ironic. and yuji enjoys getting to know more about you, falling into easy conversation, becoming less of a nervous wreck. the more you speak, the deeper he falls into the trance and he silently thanks gojo for letting him get a closer look because you’re even better than what he could have imagined.
but the period is coming to an end and it’s time for him to carry off the last box of beakers to his side of the room. at least there’s time for another question and it’s his turn to ask.
“what’s your type?”
you place your fingers on your chin as you think for a moment, finding a common trait in every crush for a proper answer.
“i guess my type would be sweet boys. with pretty faces, like you, i guess.”
the response is nonchalant and you don’t think twice about it. maybe you were a little too tired to process how he’d interpret it or maybe a little too tired to filter yourself, but it slips out of your mouth like butter and you’re completely unphased. shameless, even.
meanwhile, the box drops to the ground and like before, every other noise besides his own heartbeat fades into the background, even the sound of shattering glass. heat creeps of his neck into his cheeks until his face is burning, his feet stuck in their place and his palms becoming uncomfortably sweaty. his mouth is wide open, but no words come out.
“yuji! we need to clean this, hurry up!”
your voice brings him out of his thoughts as he realizes what’s been done and immediately snaps back to carefully, but quickly, picking up the shards of glass and placing them in this box. “i-i’m sorry!”
“don’t worry. just leave the box on the counter and we’ll deal with it tomorrow.”
maybe you didn’t quite realize what you had said or what effect you had on him during that time in the stockroom because you continue everyday as if nothing happened.
it’s been, what? a little over a three weeks? and sitting next to you still causes his mind to go to odd places, ones with you. he starts to notice little things about you, too. how your tongue peaks out of your mouth when you’re peeling another sheet of bubble wrap off of some glassware, how you only count in even numbers when you take inventory of the containers.
god, you were adorable.
“yuji?”
“yeah?”
“did gojo ever tell you that there’s no cameras in here?”
“no? i thought they had security cameras everywhere.”
“that’s only hallways and classrooms. there’s none of them here. do you know what that means?”
“what?”
his head is already turned in your direction, the perfect opportunity to lean in and catch his lips. it’s small and he’s hesitant at first, but before you know it, your hands tangle in his hair, bringing him closer to you. he tastes like something sweet, like cherries, and his lips are warm. one hand rests on your cheek, his thumb brushing against it endearingly. when he pulls away, both of you are panting for air, the packages long forgotten.
“this sounds bad, but i’m glad that you’re terrible at math.”
“thanks.” he laughs and admires the look of your heated cheeks and swollen lips before pulling you back in for another searing kiss.
sure. being in that room by yourself could be fun, a perfect break with menial tasks lacking human interaction. you were far too tired to be patient with other people. but there was an exception.
© this is a work of @crybabygumi, all rights reserved. do not plagiarize, copy, or repost.
#itadori yuji x reader#itadori x reader#itadori yuuji x reader#yuji itadori x reader#yuuji itadori x reader#jjk x reader#jujutsu kaisen x reader#yuji itadori fluff#itadori yuji fluff#jjk fluff#jujutsu kaisen fluff#🌟 — works!#🌟 — fluff!#🌟 — itadori yuuji!#🌸 — blossom#🌷 — sfw
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Someone Real - Part 1
Summary: You had nurtured a crush on Brian Kang since high school. So, when he asks you to pretend to be his girlfriend for a family gathering, you jump at the chance and your fantasies start to come to life. However, instead of how you imagined your feelings to bloom, your new neighbour Jae shows you another path to love.
Pairing: Jae Park / Brian Kang x female reader
Genre: romance / fluff / angst / fake dating + fwb au / neighbours to lovers au
Warnings: friends with benefits mentioning, angsty moments, there’s a bit of a love-triangle.
Word count: 1131
Prologue | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Epilogue
“Let me guess, caramel macchiato?” Brian mentioned as he sat down at the table you had secured for your meeting at a coffee shop two days later.
You glanced up at him and smiled. “Close. It’s a caramel frappe, so I can see why you’d guess that, Mr Americano.”
“Is it your preferred drink?” he wondered, and you grinned.
“Depends on if I’m in the mood for caffeine or not.”
“You like sweet things. Noted.”
“Are you still trying to drink tea instead of coffee these days?” you asked, and Brian tilted his head to the side.
“You’re more observant than I am.”
“Oh, uh…” You tried not to look too caught in headlights. The years you spent crushing on the man before you had built you quite the catalogue of information. You didn’t want to come across as someone who knew too much.
Or as someone who liked him too much, secretly.
Brian’s easy smile calmed your nerves as he leaned back in his chair. “This will be a piece of cake then. You’ll be able to fool everyone with me if you’re aware of my little vices already. I’ll have to catch up, however.”
“Well, it’s why we’ve met today, right? Game plan and all. So, this cousin of yours. Her wedding sounds like a big deal.”
Brian nodded. “The fact that she’s younger than me and getting married first is causing quite the talk among our family too. Thanks again for stepping up with me for this whole agreement. You’re saving me from a lot of attention I don’t really want right now.”
“Can I ask you a question?”
“Shoot.”
“Why aren’t you dating anyone?” you gingerly wondered, peering at the man across from you with some interest.
You had known Brian since high school. He was incredibly charming, and whilst you had never been bold enough to approach him about your feelings, many peers had. Into adulthood, that trend seemed to continue. It was no secret in your friends’ group that Brian was well-versed in women, and the need for you in this role still did seem a little farfetched.
Brian could have any woman he wanted. You were convinced of this.
“Dating is burdensome. I don’t have enough energy for myself most days, let alone consider someone else’s feelings too. It’s easier to get through these younger years having fun and being single, don’t you think?”
As a hopeless romantic, your heart immediately refuted his opinion. However, you weren’t so lucky in love, and to most people, it would appear you didn’t have much interest in finding The One either.
Nurturing your crush on Brian this long had made other men incomparable.
“We’re still young,” you agreed, and Brian grinned. “But why me?”
“Can I be honest with you? I guess, in a situation like we’ve chosen, honesty is key. Being on the same page will help us succeed with this.”
You nodded.
“You’re a sweet person, Y/N. You’re loyal, dependable, and I can see my family liking you. You’re likeable. People feel comfortable around you, you know.”
You smiled outwardly, but you didn’t know whether his words were a compliment or not. You didn’t want to be just comfortable to Brian Kang. You had to admit he hadn’t lied either. You were all those things. And for those traits, Brian had picked you over all the others you could think of that could have stood in as his partner.
You knew Suzy from Sales would be fuming if she ever caught wind of this.
Accepting it further, you smiled more brightly. “I guess I’m good with making people feel at ease around me.”
“Totally. You’re the best for that, Y/N. I always feel like you would do anything with me. I like that.”
You smiled brightly, warming up to his approach. “So, let’s talk more about who I need to know about.”
A few hours later, you were at home, scrolling through Brian’s Facebook friends and familiarising yourself with faces and names. He had been thorough, and when you looked at each person, you felt as if you already knew what to expect from each one of them.
“Getting ready to meet the family, are you?”
Glancing over at Lainey entering your room, you held up a hand. “If you have anything negative to say, I’m not going to listen.”
“I’m curious. Why are you doing this? Did he tell you why he needs you as his fake date?”
“I’m dependable.”
“Is that code for gullible?” Lainey quipped, and you glowered at your best friend. “Okay, I’m sorry. But seriously, you’ve been in Brian’s world for this long, and you’ve never been on his radar before. Don’t you find that weird?”
You shook your head. “I understand why he’s picked me over the likes of Suzy.”
“Oh?”
“I’m likeable. He thinks I’ll be someone who will hit off well with his family.”
“As opposed to someone who is showy and beautiful like Suzy?”
“Ouch.”
“You’re beautiful too, Y/N. You deserve the world. And a whole lot better than being someone’s fake anything. At least Suzy is used to fake things, like her bra-”
“Lainey, let’s not.”
“Fine. When’s your first meeting?”
“This weekend. There’s a family gathering at his Uncle’s home. It’s where we’ll debut as a couple.”
“I know I’m totally against this. Morally. But I must admit, I’m keen to hear all about how this goes.”
You smiled. “You’re not the only one anticipating this first venture into Brian’s world.”
“You look nervous.”
Looking over at Brian, who was driving you both to the party, you smiled softly. “A little.”
“Don’t be. My family will love you.”
“I want this to go well for you.”
“What could go wrong? We’ve got our story of how we started dating sorted, and you’ve gone over the main people to know about four times already. Relax, we’ll do great together.”
“Right. You’re right.”
“Of course, I am. You’re going to wow them all. I just know it.”
With Brian’s encouragement, you relaxed enough for the final leg of the trip, arriving at the party forty minutes later. Getting out of the car, you waited for Brian before stepping towards the garden where you could hear jovial conversations happening.
And then Brian slipped his hand to the small of your back. It surprised you, and you looked up at him with round eyes.
He glanced down at you and shot you one of the best smiles you had ever seen. “Are you ready, sweetheart?”
Oh boy. With the way your heart was pounding in your chest, you struggled to answer him verbally, simply nodding your head eagerly as you jarringly walked towards the hedge opening.
Maybe you weren’t quite ready to fake date with Brian after all.
_________________
Part 2
All rights reserved © prettywordsyouleft
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#kwritersworldnet#kdiarynet#day6 fiction#day6 fanfic#day6 romance#day6 fluff#day6 au#young k fiction#young k fanfic#young k fluff#young k romance#young k au#pwyl; someone real#kpop fiction#kpop fanfic#kpop fluff#kpop romance#young k scenarios#day6 scenarios
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Hero Complex | Owen Patrick Joyner
Requested by anonymous: Hi!! Can you do one where the reader is Jeremys little sister and she comes to set and hits it off with Owen and they start to hang out a lot and Jeremy gets really protective of her
A/N: I hope this is what you were looking for!
Pairing: Owen Patrick Joyner x Little Shada!Reader, Jeremy Shada x Little Sister!Reader
Warnings: fluff, big fight, anxiety
Words: 7,084
Reader’s POV
Jeremy and I have been the best of friends ever since the day I was born. He might be my older brother, but I’ve always considered him more like my best friend. We used to play games together when we were younger where I’d pretend to be a princess and he was the knight protecting my castle from dragons and dangerous monsters. Or, when we were in a swimming pool, I’d pretend to be a mermaid and he was my dolphin. We played so many pretend games, I’d lost track of most of them. When we got older and made a lot of new friends, we still tried to take at least one night in the week where we’d spend time together, whether it was watching movies together or jamming or just chatting about absolute nonsense or going out together. I even got to be his best (wo)man when he married Carolynn about a month ago, and we’ve been calling each other non-stop since he started this new project of his with Netflix called Julie and The Phantoms. I helped him prepare for his audition and was equally as excited as he was when he got it. This role was written for him. Though, when bootcamp and filming started, it did mean I’d have to miss him for a very long time since he was all the way in Vancouver for months on end. So, now I’ve come up with the idea to go and visit him and Carolynn in Canada. I’d called Carolynn to help me out and surprise him. She picked me up from the airport just a few minutes ago, and as we’re catching up in the car, I can’t help but feel giddy at seeing my brother again. It feels ages since I’ve last seen him at his wedding. That’s also when I saw the rest of the cast last. Jeremy had introduced me to the ones that were at the party, and I loved hanging out with them. It felt like being introduced to one big family that quickly became part of my own family. That was one fun night, but that’s all it was. One night of spending time with all these people and then never hearing or seeing them again. To be fair, they were all really busy with rehearsals and filming and everything. “Are you ready?” Carolynn asks when we’re at the door of their Vancouver apartment. “Yes!” I reply in a hushed voice, just to make sure Jeremy doesn’t hear me. Carolynn unlocks the door and walks in first, I follow suit. My eyes dart around quickly to take in as much as possible before the two of us turn a corner to the living room here Jeremy’s on the couch, watching something on the tv. “What’re you watching, bro?” His head snaps up at the sound of my voice, his eyes widening as he takes in my presence. “No way!” he exclaims as he gets up quickly and rushes over to me, taking me in his arms in a bone-crushing hug. “I can’t believe you’re here!” he mumbles in my ear as he twirls me around. “I wanted to surprise you,” I tell him as he puts me down again, taking my hands in his instead. “I don’t go back to college until like next week, so I figured, why not?” I’m overexplaining again, I know it. Jeremy doesn’t care how I’m here, he just cares that I’m here. “You wanna come to Set with me today?” he asks with this sparkle in his eyes he only gets when he’s really excited about something. “I’m sure the others would love to see you again!” I can’t help the smile tugging at my lips as I think about how much fun they all were at the wedding. There’s no denying that I’d love to see them again too. So, I nod my head eagerly, earning an excited squeal from the boy in front of me. “The driver will be here in half an hour, you need some time to freshen up after your flight?” “Yes, please!” Carolynn guides me to the bathroom where she puts out a pair of towels for me. I shoot her a thankful smile and when she’s out of the bathroom, I get into the shower. Once I’m all dressed and ready to go, the driver is already in front of the building. “Hey, Darren,” Jeremy greets as he gets in. “My little sister’s coming with me today.” He buckles himself into the seat as I do the same. “Hi, I’m Y/N, it’s nice to meet you,” I say to the driver. He gives me a kind smile through the rearview mirror, letting out a small ‘hi’. He must not be very talkative. “What scenes are you filming today?” I ask my brother instead whilst the driver heads down to the next stop. “I think there’s a gig scene we’re filming today,” he answers, and the car comes to a standstill. “We’ve got about ten more minutes before Charlie and Owen head down. You want some coffee?” My eyes bulge out of their sockets at the thought of caffeine alone. I’ve been up for so long, I could use a good shot of wakeup-juice. “Guess that’s a yes. Let’s go!” he lets out a chuckle before getting out of the car with me in tow. “Do I need to remember anything I can or can’t do on set?” I ask the only thought that’s been haunting my mind since coming up with this idea. I knew he was going to have to work, and I also knew he would want to bring me to set. As a newbie to this entire world of filming a show, I worried I would be in the way or say the wrong things or break something. I knew I needed some pointers from my best friend to calm me down. “Just try not to trip over anything, Clumsy,” he simply answers before turning to the barista. This coffee shop seems really quiet at this time of the day, there are no customers at the counter. Just a few at the tables, most of them with their laptops open. “A large coffee with two extra espresso shots, and a medium black coffee to go, please,” he tells the man behind the counter. “Can I get your names, please?” he asks with the pen in hand. “You can write Shada on both of them,” Jeremy answers. The man nods his head curtly before scribbling down the name on both cups. He pays the barista and then moves to the end of the counter, pulling me along. “Filming with Kenny Ortega is really chill, Lil’ One, no need to worry,” he reassures me, taking me into a side-way hug, planting a kiss to my hair. “I’m just really nervous to be on a set, does that sound ridiculous?” I ask, twisting the bracelet around my wrist. It’s the one I got from Jeremy and Carolynn for Christmas last year. “No, I think that’s pretty normal. I ought to bring you to set more often, get you used to it all.” “Yeah,” I agree in a hushed voice, going over every possible situation that could go wrong. My train of thought is interrupted by the barista calling out our last name, sliding the two cups over at us. I grab the large cup whilst Jeremy takes his, and exit the joint to head back to the car. “Oh, seems like we’re right on time,” he points out, waving at two boys near the car. The brunette I know as Charlie, waves back before hopping into the front seat next to Darren. The blonde guy, better known as Owen, doesn’t get in yet, and instead waits for us to reach the car. He holds the door open for me, letting me get in first before hopping in himself. Jeremy jogs to the other side, getting in there. Now I’m squeezed between the two boys, clutching my coffee as if my life depends on it. “It’s good to see you again, lil’ Shada,” Charlie says, turning to face us. I giggle at the nickname. They’d called me that at the wedding. The entire night. “Surprising your big brother?” I nod my head in response. “Yeah, I didn’t have anything better to do, so… Came to annoy my brother and his buddies at work.” This makes all three boys laugh, which, not going to lie, makes me feel ten times more at ease. I thought seeing the boys again would be awkward. It’s anything but that. They make me feel so relaxed, and as though I’m a part of their group. Once we’re at the set, Jeremy introduces me to most of the crew and the rest of the cast, but especially Kenny Ortega. “Oh, look at that! Lil’ Shada’s here!” he says, opening his arms for a hug, which I gladly give him. I did meet him at the wedding, but it was so brief, I didn't think he’d remember me. “Hi, Kenny!” I greet excitedly and then let go of him. “You don’t mind if I hang around the set the next couple of days, right?” He inspects me from head to toe, eyebrows raised, and I can’t help the anxiety that’s welling up inside of me. I knew I shouldn’t have come over, I knew this was a bad idea. Kenny doesn’t want me here. I’m just going to be in the way of his mastermind working its magic on this show. I’m going to be a distraction for the actors, especially Jeremy. “Of course I don’t mind, Lil’ Shada! Jeremy's family is my family!” The pressures and intrusive thoughts wash away immediately. Those are the words I needed to hear. I sometimes think I need too much affirmation and confirmation, that other people get annoyed. My therapist told me that’s just my anxious brain speaking. He said if I want confirmation, I need to ask for it. Jeremy has been a great sport in my mental health journey from the very beginning. He took me to my sessions, did the exercises my therapist gave me with me. He’s always making sure I’m okay and gives me the confirmation I need whenever he feels I need it. Which is always at the right moment. “See, Lil’ One? Told you it would be okay!” I shoot both the men a thankful and relieved smile. Kenny places a hand on my shoulder as he passes me, leaving Jeremy and me all by ourselves. “You wanna go to makeup and wardrobe with me?” he asks, to which I nod. He then grabs my hand and leads me to the destined trailer. The second I step inside, I hear an ear-piercing screech coming from one of the chairs, and before I know it, I’m engulfed in a group hug by two pairs of arms. The sweet floral scent entering my nose tells me who it is without having to look at them. Savannah Lee May and Victoria Caro. “Hi, girlies,” I giggle, hugging them back equally as tight. The two let go of me, keeping me at arms length to inspect my entire being. Their make-up is only half done, Savannah’s hair is curled to perfection whilst Tori’s is put up in curlers. “I can’t believe you’re here, Lil’ Shada!” Savannah says, tucking a strand of my hair behind my ear. “We were just talking about you last night,” she points at Tori, who nods vigorously. “Yeah! We were wondering when we’d see you again because we missed you after your brother’s wedding!” the smaller girl explains. My heart melts at the idea of these two girls caring so much about me, they’re wondering when they’d see me again. “Aw, you guys! I missed you too!” I pout, trying my hardest not to start crying from happiness. “Hey! What about us?!” Owen’s voice sounds from the back of the trailer. I turn around to find him in the last chair, getting his hair done. “I missed you too, Owen, but I already saw you earlier!” I tell him whilst making my way to Madison and Jadah in the other chairs. I hug them each from behind, making sure not to ruin their neatly-done hair. “Yeah! But you didn’t say you missed us!” he exclaims. His bottom lip sticks out in a pout. Shaking my head, I make my way towards him and place my hands on his shoulders as I stand behind him. “I thought that was a given,” I whisper in his ear and then turn again to find Sacha and my brother near the doorway. The latter is looking at me with happiness emanating from his eyes. “Hey, Sacha!” I offer the boy a wave, which he returns with a smile. A busy-looking woman squeezes past me towards Owen, so I take a step back to give her more room. I watch her as she plays around with his hair, using spritzes of hairspray to keep it in place. I always loved doing other people’s hair when I was younger. I braided all of my cousins’ hair or used curlers on them whilst playing ‘hair-dresser’. My love for hairdressing went out the door as I got older and more anxious, but seeing this woman play around with Owen’s hair so determinedly, it reawakens the desire and enthusiasm. “This is Teresa,” Owen says when he catches me staring at his head and Teresa’s fingers. “She’s a magician when it comes to hair.” Teresa shoots me a kind smile through the mirror, which I nervously return. They caught me staring, that must’ve been a weird -- and kind of creepy, let’s be honest -- sight. “Y/N used to dream about becoming a hairdresser,” Jeremy informs them when he’s taken a seat in one of the chairs too. As both Teresa and Owen look at me with surprise in their eyes, I feel the heat rising to my cheeks. “You wanna give it a try?” Teresa asks, stepping aside from Owen. I open my mouth in pure horror, not knowing what to tell her. There’s no way I could ever do what Teresa’s doing. What if I mess it up entirely? What if I ruin all the work Teresa has put into his hair? What if I ruin Owen’s hair? “There’s not much you can do wrong with Owen’s hair. It pretty much just does what you ask,” Teresa tries to reassure me after probably seeing the absolute horror in my face. I glance at Owen in the mirror. He gives me an encouraging nod. “Okay…” I mumble and step up to his chair. “How do you need his hair?” I ask Teresa. Owen’s character Alex probably has a specific way to how he wears his hair. He’s a ghost from the 90’s, I’m sure it’s a little different from his usual hairstyle. “Leonardo DiCaprio from Titanic,” Teresa simply replies, which is enough for me to know. I nervously raise my fingers to Owen’s head, suddenly anxious about the fact that I’m going to be touching this attractive man’s hair. My eyes dart over to his reflection in the mirror, our eyes locking. He licks his lips before they curl up into a smile that gives me enough encouragement to just go for it. I play around with it a little and grab a comb to guide me before asking the hairspray. Teresa hands me the bottle and I spritz some more of the product onto his blonde locks. Though Teresa has already done the works, pretty much, I’m just left with the finishing touches. It takes me about five minutes to get it in perfect shape. “You can tell you’ve had years of practice,” Teresa says, impressed at my work. “I mean, you pretty much did the gist, I just… finished it…” I trail off shyly. I avert my eyes from Teresa to Owen, who’s checking himself out in the mirror. “No offense, T,” he starts, turning to Teresa, “But I think someone’s coming for your job.” I’m frozen to the floor from the compliments that I don’t even move when Owen gets up from his chair and turns around. Suddenly, he’s mere inches away from me and all I can do is crane my neck to look up at him. A vibe I never felt around him when I first met him surrounds us now, resting down on us like a blanket. I don’t know why this is happening or how, but all I can see for a good minute is Owen and his tender smile. Until he places his hands on my waist, picks me up, and puts me down again a feet further. “I gotta go,” he says with a smile, “See you around, Lil’ Shada.” He boops my nose. The sudden movement startles me a little. I watch him walk out of the trailer before I come back from my daze and find everyone else in the trailer looking at me. “What?!” I ask, confused at why I’m being stared at. “What was that about?” Jadah asks, chuckling as she turns to face me. “What was what?” I ask again, seriously unaware what had just happened. “You, pretty much drowning in Owen’s eyes,” Madison reminds me. The thought of Owen’s eyes looking into mine just minutes ago warms me up from the inside out. Especially the nose-boop. “What?! No, I wasn’t,” I deny, but I don’t think I can hide it from either of these people. Thank God Jeremy had left before Owen. He would not have liked that. Jeremy is an amazing brother, but he can get a little overprotective when it comes to love-interests. “I’m gonna go…” I cough awkwardly, trying to come up with a good excuse, “Find my brother…” That feeling I had in that trailer doesn’t subside for the rest of the day. Sometimes I think it does, and then Owen looks my way or sends me a wink from the other side of the room and I’m back to feeling absolutely and utterly mushy. “Hey, you wanna go get lunch with us, Lil’ One?” Jeremy asks around noon when they’re done filming the scene. I take a look behind him, Owen and Charlie standing there, awaiting my answer. I lock eyes with Owen again, and he offers me a beautiful smile that persuades me. “Yeah, sure,” I reply and link my arm with Jeremy’s. The two other boys fall into step with us, Owen on my left, Charlie on Jeremy’s right. “Where are the others?” I ask. Not that I don’t like the idea of having lunch with these three boys. I just really like hanging out with the others too. “They had to start filming another scene, they had lunch earlier,” Jeremy informs me as we enter the restaurant on the other side of the street from the lot. Owen takes a seat next to me while Jeremy and Charlie sit down on the opposite side of the table. “So, Lil’ Shada,” Charlie starts after we’ve ordered our food and drinks. “I heard you did Owen’s hair this morning…” I am taken aback by his subject of choice, especially since he makes it sound so teasing. My eyes dart from my brother to Charlie and back, unsure of what to say. Owen jumps to the rescue then, feeling me tense up beside him. “Yeah, she did a wonderful job! Her fingers are kinda like magic.” I look up at him, earning a smile from him in return. “Yeah, well, what can I say? It’s a talent,” I flip my hair over my shoulder confidently, though in my mind I’m wondering where all this confidence comes from. Even Jeremy is a little surprised by it whilst the other boys just laugh. “Maybe you should ask Kenny to start next week,” Charlie suggests with an excited grin. “Yeah! Then you could stay with us longer!” Owen’s enthusiasm dazzles me even more so than the words that come out of his mouth. He wants me to stay longer… “I still have to get through college, you guys. I can’t just quit?” I’m catapulted back into reality as those words roll off my mouth. “Do you know how much college costs?!” Owen and Charlie share a glance, wondering if either one of them knows. “I’m an actor, Lil’ Shada, so no…” Owen whispers in my ear without breaking eye contact with his buddy on the other side of the table. I let out a laugh, shaking my head in amusement. “How long are you staying?” Charlie then asks, his eyes flickering from me to Owen and back. “A week. I start college again next Monday,” I reply when the waitress finally brings us our food. “Thank you,” I say to her with a smile, the others doing the same. “So, you’re just gonna stay a week?” Owen queries before taking a bite from his lunch. “Yep… Going home on Sunday,” I answer. The disappointment in his face is prominent. “But I might come back soon if Jeremy will let me.” My eyes dart over to my brother, who hasn’t said much since we sat down. “Can’t really say no to Lil’ Shada, can I?” My lips curl up in thankfulness. “Besides, I think the rest of the cast would hate my ass if I took you away from them.” His eyes flick towards Owen for a split second. He has caught on to the vibe Owen and I have been giving off towards each other. Maybe it’s not just in my mind. “That’s very true,” Owen agrees, his mouth full of food. I turn my head to look at him, eyebrows raised at his immature way of eating his food. My eyes then fall on his chin, which has a little dressing seeping down it. I raise my hand and swipe my finger across his skin, taking the sauce away. He freezes at that moment, halting mid-chew. “Dressing,” I show him before licking it off my thumb. He swallows harshly and when I look back at the boys on the other side of the table, they’re staring at me too with wide eyes. “Someone ought to get this dude a bib,” I joke, trying to take the tension away. Charlie lets out a laugh, nodding his head agreeingly before turning back to his food. My brother, however, just raises his eyebrows at me. He doesn’t love the idea of his little sister being intimate with anyone. Especially not one of his best buddies. I can’t help it though. I’m a twenty-one year old woman, I have feelings. I have hormones. Jeremy’s overprotectiveness isn’t going to take away the fun from this week. I’m not going to let it.
And I don’t. I spend the entire week on set, either hanging out with some of the girls or with my brother and the other boys. Teresa lets me help out in the mornings with the cast’s hair, teaching me some new tips and tricks. If anything, it just brings me closer to the cast, which is a nice bonus. Mainly because it also brings me closer to Owen. The connection we created during my time in Vancouver has only grown from that first day. Whenever Jeremy’s not around or he can’t hear it, the two of us harmlessly flirt with one another and, whenever he doesn’t have a scene to shoot, we hang out together. One day, he took me to Julie’s bedroom set where we sat on her bed and talked until we fell asleep huddled up into a cuddle. Jeremy wasn’t happy when he found us like that. Even though I did tell him it was just an innocent nap. He didn’t take it. My brother’s disapproval didn’t stop us though. We just kept going to that set to take a nap together. It has become my favorite part of the day. “Hey,” he captures my attention. We’re cuddled up on Julie’s bed, legs entangled. My head’s resting on his chest, one arm slung over his stomach whilst the other is squished between our bodies. He has his left arm draped around my shoulder, his fingers trailing up and down my arm. “What?” I ask, looking up at him. He’s staring at the decorative lights above us. “Do you really have to leave tomorrow?” His voice sounds so soft, I’d almost believe he’s sad. “I mean… Yeah… I don’t think I can miss my first classes of the semester,” I whisper as though it’s a secret. My fingers start drawing patterns on his chest and abdomen as my eyes focus on them instead of his face. I’m too scared I might kiss him if I keep looking at him. “Can’t you follow them online? Or just… I don’t know…” he exhales deeply, my head bobbing along. “I just don’t want you to leave yet.” I want to reply, but people bursting in the room cut me off. I scramble upright, terrified it might be Jeremy. Instead, Owen and I are tackled by Charlie, Savannah and Madison. “Group cuddle!” they scream, making me and Owen giggle. I go back to my previous position while Charlie comes to rest his head on my thigh, his arms around my waist, the rest of his body curled up between Owen and me. Savannah takes Owen’s other side, mirroring my position while Madi rests her head on his stomach. “What were you guys chatting about so intimately?” Savannah asks, followed by a yawn. “Me leaving,” I sigh joylessly. I feel Charlie’s arms tighten around me and Owen tense beneath me. Savannah’s eyes lock with mine, a pout forming on her face. “I don’t want you to leave. It’s been way too fun with you around,” she whispers. “I agree,” Charlie mutters. “Ditto,” says Madison, making me smile widely. Even more so when Owen presses a kiss to my hair. This is where I want to be for the rest of my life. Not on some stupid campus studying for a job I don’t even want to do. I need more time with these people. And I’m going to get it. It’s about time I did something for myself instead of constantly doing shit for others.
“Can I talk to you guys for a moment?” I ask Carolynn and Jeremy at the dinner table. Jeremy halts, his fork lifted mid-air, while Carolynn simply places her cutlery down, giving me her undivided attention. I inhale deeply, trying to gather all of my courage. “I was wondering if I could stay here a little longer? I haven’t talked to mom and dad yet, but I wanna do an independent study this year while interning with Teresa.” Jeremy drops his fork on his plate, a loud clatter echoing through the place. “She asked if that would be something I’m interested in, and to be quite frank, I am. Helping around this week really reminded me of how much I loved doing it.” I glance at Jeremy, noticing how tense and frustrated he’s becoming with every word I say. “Being a doctor was never my dream, Jer. It was mom’s. I think I need to do this. I need to do more things for myself instead of wanting to please others.” “I agree, sweetie,” Carolynn chimes in, offering me a supportive smile before the two of us turn back to the man of the house. He has his lips pursed, clearly mulling this over in his head. “This is about Owen, isn’t it?” he finally asks. The mention of the boy I had grown so attached to startles me at first, I didn’t expect him to be brought up in this conversation since it has nothing to do with him. “He put you up to this?” I open my mouth, but no sound comes out. I have no clue what to tell him. On one hand, I do want more time with him and Charlie and all the other cast members. I want more time with my brother. But I can’t hide that it’s mostly Owen that’s drawing me here. Spending time with him made me feel so much more connected to myself, in some way. He calms my anxiety. He makes me feel happy. Genuinely happy. “Of course he didn’t, Jer. Why would he do that?” I finally manage to bring out. “Because you’re clearly in love with him, Y/N!” The loudness of his voice and harshness of his tone makes me flinch. “But he’s not right for you! He’s distracting you from your goals, making you think this is what you want! You don’t know what love feels like but you think you do! You and Owen can’t happen, and you can’t stay here. You have to go back home!” The anger and frustration builds inside of me, and pours out in the form of tears. “You don’t have a say in this, Jer! I am twenty-one, I’m not a child anymore! I can decide what I want to do with my life and I can decide who I love!” I’m surprised by the words that flow out of my mouth. “I get that you wanna be the protective brother, Jeremy, but this is going too far. You have to let me make my own mistakes! You have to let me live my life the way I want it to!” He angrily shoves his chair back when he stands up in frustration, making Carolynn flinch. “You’re still a child, Y/N!” he shouts at me. I stand up too, leaning my hands on the tabletop. “I’m not even a year younger than you, Jer! If I’m a child, so are you!” I yell back. “At least I’m married and have a family!” he aggressively points at Carolynn, who’s rubbing her face in desperation. My eyes flicker from my sister-in-law back to my brother. “I would be in a relationship if you didn’t scare off every person I ever brought home!” “I didn’t want you getting hurt, but did I ever get a thank you for that?!” I scoff at him. He’s not playing the petty card right now. “That’s just life, Jer! People get hurt! People break your heart! But you never even let me experience that pain because you’re too obsessed with being the good brother!” My heart is pounding out of my chest. Jeremy and I have never fought like this. Sure, we used to bicker when we were teenagers, but it’s always been something stupid. This screaming match sounds like years of bundled up distress from both of us. “You have a hero complex, Jer…” I lower the volume of my own voice. Jeremy lets his head drop, knowing all too well I’m right. About everything. About the hero complex, about him meddling in my life. Everything. “I think it’s better if you go to your room for a while, Y/N,” Carolynn orders sweetly. The pent-up anger still hasn’t gone completely, it makes me want to lash out at Carolynn too. “Still not a child,” I mutter instead before grabbing my bag and leaving the apartment. Once the cold Vancouver air hits me, the realization of what just happened does too. The tears escape again, along with anger and regret. I don’t regret what I said to my brother. It’s the truth. It’s exactly what I’ve been thinking for years. What I do regret is telling him all of that in a burst of anger instead of a civilized conversation like we used to back in the day. That’s the only thing I really do regret. After a while of roaming the streets of Vancouver and getting riled up about the whole situation again, I find myself aggressively knocking at Charlie and Owen’s door. I don’t know where else to go and Owen’s the only one who could calm me down from the anger and frustration I’m still holding inside for my brother. I still can’t believe he even dared to say that to me. “Lil’ Shada!” Charlie greets excitedly, but his smile quickly disappears upon seeing my state of being. Jaw clenched, balled fists, tears running down my face. “Hey, Gorgeous, are you okay?” Owen appears in the door too after hearing Charlie utter my nickname. Upon seeing the boy, I race into the apartment, grab his face and bring him down to meet his lips. He’s startled at the force and aggression I’m putting into this kiss, but that soon dissolves when he kisses back. His hands find their way to my waist, pulling me closer and closer until I can’t do anything else but wrap my legs around his waist. He holds me tight, scared he might drop me while my fingers find their way into his hair. I pull back from his lips, but keep my forehead pressed to his. Both of us are panting from the intensity. I can tell from that sparkle in his eyes he has no clue what happened, but he wanted it to happen for a while. “I’m gonna stay,” I tell him in a whisper, which only makes the sparkle in his eyes more earnest. Without another doubt, he crashes his lips on mine again. This time, he takes it a little slower, making it more sensational without depriving it from the sizzle from before. I try to forget about the fight I’d just had with Jeremy and focus solely on Owen, but my brain counteracts. His words are on repeat in my mind like syncopated beats. This time Owen pulls back when he no doubtedly tastes the saltiness of my tears mixing in with the passion. He looks at me, the sparkle in his eyes making room for worry. “Hey, hey, what’s wrong?” he whispers, putting me down on my feet again but keeping his arms around me and my body close. “I’m sorry, I just…” I inhale sharply, “I had a major fight with Jeremy and I just can’t shake it. I have never seen him like this…” Owen snakes his arms around my shoulders, pushing him closer into his chest. He lets me cry for a while, holding me in his arms until I’ve calmed down a little. He takes me to the couch where Charlie’s sitting too. I hadn’t even noticed him still in the room, let alone that he moved. “Talk to me, Gorgeous,” Owen whispers, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. He’d stopped calling me “Lil’ Shada” a while ago, which makes me feel like I’m more than just Jer’s little sister. Savannah told me it was what he did to anyone he liked. Those little details are his way of showing his appreciation or love to someone. I like the small details in Owen’s love language. “I wanted to ask him and Care if I could stay at their place a little while longer, and I told him about the independent study and internship I wanted to do while here. For some reason, he thought I was doing all of this for you, that you put me up to this.” Owen inhales sharply at this. I can tell he hates being part of a fight between two people that mean a lot to him. “I told him it had nothing to do with you, but he didn’t believe me. He was shouting and screaming that I was still a child and that I couldn’t make my own decisions. I told him he had a hero complex,” I scoff at myself. This whole fight sounds even more ridiculous now. “Told him that he wants to be the good brother and that he has this idea of being a good brother that doesn’t let his little sister live… or love.” Owen’s eyes flick at mine, a small smile tugging at his lips. “I shouldn’t have shouted at him though… This was all just pent-up anger and frustration from the past twenty-one years. I should’ve just told him to back off like an adult instead of yelling at him like a child.” I glance at Charlie, who had been listening to the entire conversation. His eyes look somber, almost heartbroken. These two boys are just too good for this world. I can’t imagine a life without them anymore. “We both acted like children,” I mutter, shaking my head. There’s rap on the door, shaking all three of us awake from the somber cloud we’re all on because of me. We exchange glances, knowing exactly who’s at the door. Charlie goes first, Owen and me following suit. The anxiety welling up inside of me must be visible to him because he takes my hand, intertwining our fingers as we stand a little behind Charlie as he opens the door. “Hey, Char… Is Y/N here?” I hear my brother ask. The Canadian boy opens the door a little further, presenting Owen and I. Jeremy had been crying too, I can tell. His eyes are red and puffy, his lips swollen from biting on them in distress. “I’m so sorry, Lil’ One,” he mutters from the door. That’s enough for me to let go of Owen and launch myself into my brother’s arms. He’s stunned at first, but then wraps his arms around me too. “I know I can be a little overbearing sometimes, but you have to know it’s only because I love you,” he whispers in my ear, followed by a sniffle. “You’re an adult, just like me, and it’s time I treat you like one.” I push him back slightly but keep my hands on his shoulders. “It’s about time you figured that out.” He lets out a chuckle, dropping his head in defeat. “Hey,” he looks back up. “Thanks for looking out for me. I know you mean well.” “We’re family, Lil’ One, we’re supposed to look out for one another,” he looks past me at the two other boys, “We’re all family.” Charlie and Owen walk up to us, the latter scratching the back of his head with a pained expression on his face. “Yeah, can we not call it a family? Because otherwise, I’m in love with a family member.” He places his hands on my shoulders and presses a kiss to my hair. I meet his eyes whilst my heart beats faster. He’s in love with me. A boy I’m in love with is in love with me too. I mean, of course he is, he wouldn’t have kissed me like that. Jeremy glances from me to Owen and back, trying to decide what to think about this entire situation. I can tell it’s hard for him to let this idea of his little sister go, but he’s trying. “Be careful with her, alright? You might be my best friend, but I will not hesitate to kill you,” Jeremy’s pointing at Owen, a harsh look on his face. “Bro, I could never hurt her,” he reassures my older brother, and me at the same time. “You better keep that promise, Joyner!” That night, Jeremy calls Carolynn over too, and the five of us sit on the couch all night, talking and watching movies. I love being in Owen’s arms so much. Though we used to cuddle and be flirty with each other before, it really does give a whole different vibe knowing I could just turn my head and kiss him now. My parents allow me to stay in Vancouver and go through with my plan, much to all of our relief. Days on set are amazing. I help Teresa and the other hairstylists every morning and during all the scenes when they need touch ups, spend every night at Owen’s and Charlie’s place, and have the most fun I ever had in my life with all these people around here. “Cuddle session?” Owen whispers in my ear when we’re rounding up the scene. His sudden hands on my shoulders and lips against my ear makes me jump at first, but I calm down just as quickly. “Baby, I’m working,” I giggle, clearing all the hair products from the table, knowing he’ll convince me within five seconds. Teresa really is a very loose mentor and wouldn’t mind if I escaped now. “But you’re almost finished though? And Teresa is here to take over from you?” he tries, which makes me look up at him, and then at Teresa. The woman I call my Canadian mother winks at me, letting me know I’m good to go. I turn around in Owen’s arms, wrapping my arms around his neck. “You are so lucky Teresa’s this awesome,” I tell him and peck his lips quickly. “Thank you, T.” I grab Owen’s hand and guide him to the bedroom set we’d used so many times for cuddles, whether that be alone or with the others. The second we’re in the room, Owen tugs at my arm, making me stumble into him with a squeal. Before I can ask what he’s doing, he cups my face with his warm hands and brings me in for a passionate kiss. He pushes me backwards when I kiss back, right until I feel the bed push into the back of my knees. I crawl backwards, Owen following suit as he’s still attached to my lips. He pulls back for a moment, looking me in the eyes with those tender eyes of his. He’s holding up his weight by placing a hand next to my head, using the other to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. “I love you,” he whispers, causing the corners of my mouth to curl up into a smile automatically. “I love you too,” I whisper back and diminish the space between our lips by pulling him down by the back of his neck. My fingers tangle up into the blonde hair I styled this morning. Doing his hair might just be my favorite part of the day, along with this. “Group cuddle!” Our intimate moment is disturbed by a mop of our friends attacking us on the bed. With a groan, Owen drops next to me, the others piling onto us. That lunch break, all of us take a collective nap on Julie’s bed, some on stomachs, on chests, shoulders, thighs. All our limbs are tangled up together, no bystander would be able to tell which limb belongs to who. To say my new job is the best ever would be an understatement.
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Nannyette
Chapter 6 – Radio Mysteries Are Still a Thing
Chapter 1 Chapter 5
“I’m not tired though.” Mar’i whined in a sleepy voice.
Marinette smiled down at her as she patted down the comforter around her. Mar’i’s eyes were barely staying open as she talked. “Yeah, I can tell. But your Mommy has a bunch of super fun things planned for you two as soon as she gets home tomorrow. I know she is really excited to spend time with you, so you want to be rested and full of energy for her tomorrow, right?”
“I’m so excited.” Mar’i squealed quietly, suddenly reenergized thinking about spending time with her Mom. “We’re going to bake cupcakes and go shopping and practice flying and get lunch together and get our nails painted and take some cupcakes to Daddy. You and Tim should come with us!”
Marinette smiled at her. “I’m flattered you want us to come with you but I think you and your Mommy should get some time alone. I know she’s missed you a lot.”
Mar’i thought it over and nodded as she thought. “And you and Tim should get some time alone, too. I know he likes you a lot.”
Marinette’s cheeks flushed. “That's nice. Tim is a very nice and thoughtful man. I'm sure he likes lots of people.”
Mar’i’s eyes started getting heavy again as she corrected Marinette. “Not really.”
Marinette blushed further. “Well then I feel honored.”
“But he likes you. He gets happy when he sees you. You two should go on a date.” Mar’i nodded decidedly, or at least tried to. The yawn interrupted the serious face she was trying to make.
Marinette’s smile turned bittersweet. “Thank you, but he has Kon.”
“But they don’t go on dates. Kon goes on dates with Cassie, not Tim.” Mar’i said quietly as she turned to a more comfortable position under the cover. “He thinks you should date Tim, too.”
Marinette looked at her confused. “Oh?”
“Yeah,” she slurred, barely still awake. “He told me today… It’s a secret though, so don’t tell Tim.”
Marinette quietly closed Mar’i’s door and padded out to the living room. She stumbled slightly when she saw Tim was still there with papers and photos scattered across the living room table. She blushed thinking about her conversation with Mar’i. “You’re still here.” She said quietly.
“Yeah, I hope you don’t mind. I was looking over some of Dick’s files and didn’t want to take them out of the apartment.” Tim shrugged in what he hoped was a casual manner. The less she thought about the lie the more convincing it would be.
She grabbed her school bag and settled on the opposite side of the couch from Tim. She scanned over the photos quickly as she pulled her books and notebooks out, not sure if it was any of her business. But then again, if he didn’t want her to see them, he wouldn’t have them out in the open on the coffee table. She paused her unpacking when she saw the bloody body. “What… what is this? I thought Dick was the detective. Or is this one of the cases your family is working on?”
“Oh, no.” Tim looked up sheepishly. “I like working on cold cases. This is a file Dick set aside for me to look into.”
“Oh, right.” She nodded distractedly, examining the pictures again. “Are these the cases Kon was talking about? That you two work on together.”
Tim looked confused for a few seconds before remembering what she was talking about. He looked away sheepishly. “No, he wasn’t sure if you knew about our hero activities, so he was looking for a way to say he’s only responsible for me when we’re in the field. We partner together a lot on missions.”
“Ahhh, that’s what you meant.” Marinette said quietly to herself, almost too quietly for Tim to hear. She squeezed her eyes shut and mentally face palmed. God what an idiot! She called Adrien her partner, too. She really, really should have thought of that! She was totally blaming the damned concussion. As though it hadn’t taken enough from her already; reduced caffeine, reduced electronics, and reduced energy. It really had to add reduced rational thought?
“What?” He scrunched up his nose adorably in confusion.
“Oh, nothing.” She flapped her hands like she was shooing away the question. “You mentioned Kon was your partner. I just realized you meant in your hero activities.”
Tim looked at her mortified. “You thought Kon and I…” He had been flirting his ass off for the past few weeks, granted it was awkward, clumsy, terrible flirting. But it was flirting none the less. Had she not noticed?
Marinette shrugged at him, an apologetic grimace on her face. “You two seem very close and you mentioned he helped take care of you and was your partner and Kori mentioned you were always together so... It seemed to fit.”
“No!” Tim said too loudly. What was wrong with him volume regulator lately, he chastised himself. “No,” he repeated quieter this time. “No, we’re just good friends, best friends. He’s my partner, you know, my superhero partner. No, I’m not in… um… I mean… I’m not dating anyone right now.” Tim stuttered out. “My last girlfriend and I broke up ages ago.”
“Oh,” Marinette nodded, looking away to try to hide her blush. “That’s um… that’s good to know. Must have made New Year’s awkward for you. Nobody to kiss and all. It was for me anyway.” She turned back to the pictures again scanning them absentmindedly to distract her brain from thinking about her not at all subtle hint. God, when did she lose her ability to flirt? She puckered her lips in annoyance when she realized she never had it. “And the police suspect him but can’t make it stick?” She asked pointing to a wealthy looking businessman in one of the photos.
Tim shook his head to focus on what she was pointing to and try to remember the case again after the myriad of revelations Marinette had just revealed in the last minute or so, including the confirmation that she was single. He examined the picture she was pointing to and looked at her wide eyed in surprise. “No, but that’s who I suspect. He had the most to gain if you consider the repercussions.” Marinette looked at him questioningly. “The wife was the immediate suspect. She was having an affair with her husband’s secretary and she inherits everything. But if she was implicated in his death, she could be sued and lose any stake in the company, whether it was proven in court or not. It would go to the next in line, which is him.”
Marinette nodded along with him looking at each of the people as he pointed them out. “Makes sense. No proof though?”
“Not enough. What made you suspect him?” He looked over at her curiously.
“He changed his suit.” Tim looked at her blankly. “See these are pictures from the same party.” She scooted closer to Tim to point out to two pictures. Tim scooted closer to her to get a better look at them. “Everyone is in the same clothes except for him. He’s wearing different suits.”
“Those look like the same suit to me.” Tim said doubtfully.
Marinette scoffed at him. “I’m sure they were supposed to. It wouldn’t work if the suits didn’t look the same. But see the lapels?” She leaned over Tim’s shoulder to point to the man’s lapels. “They’re a different sheen. This one is shinier than this other one. And see the buttons, this one has a design. I can’t make out what it is, but there is one, but this other one, doesn’t have a design. Plus, this one is Tom Ford and this one is Armani.”
Tim’s mouth dropped as he turned to her dumbfounded. “How did you know that?”
“I’m more than you give me credit for.” She grinned smugly at him. She froze when she noticed how close they had gotten. Their faces were only a few centimeters from each other, their mouths so close she could feel his breath on her face. He froze too, his eyes widening as he made the same realization. After a second, Marinette’s courage failed her and she backed away from Tim shyly. What if Mar’i was wrong? She was only 4, she could have misread the signals. Just because Tim wasn’t dating, it didn’t mean he wanted to date her. He was smart and funny and handsome and sweet. He probably already had his eye on someone.
Marinette grabbed her discarded textbook and held it up for him to see, her notebook shoved haphazardly into it. “I’m a design student and have my own online boutique. If I didn’t notice that, I’d have to seriously reconsider my career path. And I’ve seen enough murder mysteries to know that if someone changes clothes in the middle of a party, there’s a reason. Could be that someone spilled something on him, but with a suit that expensive, someone would know it happened. If it was staff, they would be worried about getting fired and sued. Worth looking for the suit anyway. Depending on how cocky he is, he may have kept it and just gotten it dry cleaned, thinking nobody would investigate him anyway.”
Tim looked at her in awe. “You… you like murder mysteries?” he was finally able to stutter out.
“Yeah. Normally, I’d have one on in the background while I work on homework but, concussion and electronics aren’t a good mix. Hell, normally, all my design research would be online… concussions are a bitch. My electronic activity has been restricted.”
“Yeah, I mean not the worst I’ve gotten, but the limited electronics thing is just the worst.”
“Yeah, I imagine without magic to protect you, you guys must get hurt a lot.”
He gave her a double take. “Why would magic be involved?”
“Oh… our heroes had magic to protect them and used magic to reverse the damage they and the rest of us sustained.” She tried to shrug nonchalantly like it was nothing important.
“Your heroes?” Marinette turned away from his adorably scrunched nose.
“Paris’ heroes. Ladybug and Chat Noir… Rena Rouge, Carapace, King Monkey… Multimouse?” She listed off as casually as she could manage.
“I think I’ve heard of Ladybug and Chat Noir, maybe. They disappeared a few years ago, right?”
“Yeah. Their job was done. One occasionally pops up in New York to help Knight Owl and Majestia but, pretty much, they disappeared.”
“Their job wasn’t stopping criminals?”
“No,” she said affronted. “Their job was to catch the villain who had stolen two miraculous and deal with damage caused by the miraculous. When the villain was caught their job was done.”
“Huh,” Tim turned away to think about that. “I guess I’ve never thought about not trying to help people. If I can help, I want to do it.”
Marinette’s eyes turned serious. “It’s bigger than that though. The miraculous are bound to creatures with god-like abilities. The miraculous in Paris had the ability to rewrite history and reality itself. The potential for that to go horribly wrong or fall into the wrong hands and be used for evil is too great.” She sighed and looked at her book. “Not to mention the heroes were children when they started fighting and they couldn’t reveal their identities to anyone so their only support was each other. They deserved a break, a chance to heal and be children. Children shouldn’t be taking on the battles of grownups.”
Tim looked at her sympathetically. “Definitely not the philosophy I grew up with, as a child vigilante.”
Marinette gave him a weak smile. “Maybe you deserve a break too.”
Tim looked away for a few moments, considering what she had said. “Maybe…”
His thoughts were interrupted by a loud yawn. He looked over and saw a sheepish look on her face. “Sorry. I think the pool tired me out just as much as Mar’i.”
“You should take a nap. I can watch over things while you do,” he offered gently.
“No, thank you though.” She gave him a grateful smile and held up her textbook. “I have miles to go and chapters of text to read before I sleep. I usually have something else on while I do though, something to distract my brain.”
He looked over at her and gave her a small smile. “You know they have radio murder mysteries. I can find one to play while you work on your homework, if you want.”
“Yeah,” she smiled back wider, appreciating the change of topic. “I’d like that.”
“I… there are a few to choose from,” he said holding up his phone. “Did you want to choose?”
Marinette moved so she was touching him and looked through his phone. “That one looks interesting,” she commented handing it back to him.
Tim smiled and started the mystery. He smiled wider when he noticed she didn’t move away from him after choosing the mystery. He waited a few minutes then slung his arm around her shoulders. He held his breath waiting to see her reaction. Marinette stiffened only for a second then relaxed into his side. Tim let go of the breath he was holding and enjoyed the feeling of having Marinette next to him.
Marinette opened her textbook and started reading and making notes while Tim pulled up more information on the suspect for the case on his laptop. After a few minutes, he noticed Marinette’s pencil had dropped and her breathing had evened out. He looked down at her and the sight filled his heart with warmth. She had fallen asleep curled up into his side, with her head on his shoulder and her hand on his chest. He smiled affectionately, relishing the feeling of having her curled up against him.
He gently closed her textbook and moved it and her notebook out of the way. He grabbed the blanket haphazardly thrown over the back of the couch and wrapped it around the two of them. He pulled her closer into his chest and leaned further back into the couch to get more comfortable. His smile softened even more when she sighed contentedly and snuggled further into his chest. He would stay in this position as long as he could, as long as she wanted.
Chapter 7
Tags:
@timari-month-event @ichigorose @stainedglassm @better-toast @theymakeupfairies @trippingovermyfeet
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hi heres me projecting a sad thingy on steve. he secretly has a BIG thing for being called annoying, throughout his entire childhood his parents werent afraid of saying he was annoying or a bother, his friends growing up didnt hold back either, nancy said it too, even when she meant it in a cute way it still hurt. then the first time billy said it, except Billy was the only one who was able to catch the sudden switch, the switch from happy loud steve to quiet and dull.
“-and that’s when Tommy H. tried to pass the ball to George, but he wasn’t looking at it hit him in the head, and George started crying, and Tommy had to write him a note and now he can’t play outside during recess all week.” Steve was swinging his legs under the dinner table, sitting with his parents as they ate quietly.
He was recounting the daily second grade stories, pushing mushy vegetables around his plate.
His parents kept passing looks back and forth, looks Steve didn’t quite understand.
“And George doesn’t like Tommy, so I think that he-”
“Steven, I would like to enjoy my meal in peace, please.” His dad didn’t even look over at him.
“Uh, okay. Sorry, Dad.” He set his fork down, suddenly didn’t want to bother pretending eating his veggies. “May I be excused?” It was easier to simply retreat, go play in his room for the rest of the night.
Steve doesn’t like the way his dad looks at him sometimes.
It makes him feel bad inside. His dad simply waved a hand.
Steve took his plate into the kitchen, carefully placing it on the counter.
“He’s such a bother sometimes. Going on about the other children like it matters.”
“Richard, he’s a child.”
“And I don’t want him to grow into an adult that thinks it’s okay to annoy me people to death.”
Steve didn’t know what annoy means.
He asks his teacher the next day.
“To annoy someone means to irritate them. To bother them and make them angry.”
So, he irritated his father. He bothered him to the point where he was angry.
Steve didn’t speak the next night.
Or the next.
-
“Tommy, come on.”
Steve was not above whining.
“I wanna try it.”
Tommy had snuck a beer out of his dad’s stash in the fridge in the garage.
Tommy and Carol had each tried a sip, grimacing at the taste.
“I don’t thin you’re ready for it, Stevie. Still acting like a baby.”
They were fourteen, going into high school at the end of summer.
“Man, I am not. Just let me try it. I gotta get used tot he taste before we start going to parties.”
“No one’s gonna invite you to parties if you’re this annoying.”
The words stung, but Tommy passed him the beer while he said them, grinning lazily.
The beer tasted like shit.
Steve couldn’t discern it from the sour taste in his mouth that word left.
Annoying.
-
“Nancy,” Steve sang.
He was laying on her bed, his head flopped over the side, looking at her upside down. “Nancy.”
“Steve, I’ve gotta finish this.”
“Nancy, that essay’s due in like, a week.”
“I’ve got to finish this draft. Mrs. Lorraine said she’d read over it tomorrow and give me any pointers.” Steve rolled his eyes.
“You don’t need any pointers. You know she’s just gonna tell you it’s perfect.”
She was quiet.
“C’mon, Nance. Just lay with me for a little while. It’s been such a shitty week. Did I tell you my parents came home?”
“Yes. A few times.”
“I just always ask them to call first. If’ they called before going to the airport, I’d have like, a day or so, or at least a few hours before they get here depending on where they are. But they never do and they get on me about the house being a mess when it’s not, I’ve just left like, a pair of shoes out or something and-”
“Steve, I have to finish this. God, you can be so annoying sometimes.”
The words hit Steve like ice.
He sat up quickly, tugging on his shoes from next to the bed, yanking his sweater back on.
“I’m just gonna go then. Annoy my parents at home.” She didn’t say anything.
He rolled his eyes.
-
“Bill, where are you goin’?”
Billy was trying to get himself out of bed, gonna go make them both some coffee.
“I need some fuckin’ caffeine. Don’t know if you realized this, I didn’t get much sleep last night.”
Steve stretched lazily, finally letting Billy slid out from under the covers and pull on a pair of shorts from the floor.
He was smiling lazily, looked so perfect in the soft light of morning.
“Bring me a cup?”
“Yeah, Baby.”
“With a little bit of cream, and two scoops of sugar and-”
“I know how you take it, Pretty Boy.”
“And would you do some toast, too? I’ve got the good jam in the fridge, that fresh raspberry stuff from the old couple down the street. Will you do sourdough? It’s in he pantry, not the breadbox, and just a little bit of that Amish butter and then a layer of jam-” Billy flopped onto the bed, letting his weight press into Steve.
“I got an idea. You could come make yourself your high maintenance toast before I get annoyed to death.”
Billy meant it cute.
As cute as he can mean things while still making fun of Steve.
His idea was to get Steve in the kitchen with him. They could turn on the little radio down there and make breakfast together. It would be nice.
But it was alarming.
He was watching Steve’s face as he said it, and the second he let slip annoyed to death, Steve’s eyes went blank.
He stopped talking, smiling benignly up at Billy.
“What’s up?” Steve just shook his head. “No, something’s wrong, I can tell.”
“Nothing’s wrong. I’m fine.”
Steve’s words were clipped.
“You’re not fine. Tell me what’s wrong? What’d I do?”
“You didn’t do anything. I just-” he sighed. “I know I can be annoying sometimes. I’m working on it.”
“Why?”
“Because, because,” Steve wasn’t looking at him, “because it sucks, being around someone that just makes you mad because they won’t shut up.”
“Baby, you never make me mad. I’m sorry I said that, it was a joke. I don’t actually think you’re annoying. I just, I thought maybe we could make breakfast together.” His cheeks were hot, admitting that to Steve.
Billy doesn’t think it’ll matter how long they’re together, he’ll always get flustered admitting his feelings, or even getting close to doing so.
“No, Billy. It’s fine. I’ll try to keep it in mind. When to shut my mouth.”
“Steve, I fucking never want you to shut your mouth. I want you to talk to me forever and ever. I wanna hear about your fucking toast every single morning. I wanna hear about your day every night, and I wanna hear what pisses you off, and what makes you sad, and what makes you happy. Never stop talking to me, okay? Just love hearing your voice.”
“I, alright.” Steve’s eyes were bright again, but he still looked unsure.
“Come downstairs. Tell me about the fuckin’ Amish butter and why in the hell you have it.”
“It’s hand churned.”
“Yeah? Why’s that make it special?”
Steve appraised Billy.
He tried to keep his face open, tried to make sure Steve knew he wanted to know.
“It just makes it taste better. I think it’s because they use really fresh butter milk. I get it at the farmer’s market and the woman that sells it says they have a farm. They have goat cheese, too, and I’ve always wanted to try it because they have ones made with different herbs, and they all look so good.”
Billy was still on top of Steve, watching him intently as he spoke.
It made Steve warm. Washed out that sour feeling in his throat.
Because Billy wanted to hear him.
And Steve doesn’t know anybody that’s ever wanted that.
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