#new fans - here for the music - are desperately needed for a breath of fresh air in this fandom

[berlinini]

I’ve been thinking about the discussion on here about LTHQ and Louis not actively nurturing and working to maintain his current fan base, which, I think, is partially due to misunderstanding the fan base and a lot to do with taking fan support for granted. But I think now there’s a more serious problem — the way the cancellation of the Asian leg was so terribly and inexplicably mishandled is the type of thing that could actively push fans out of the fandom, or at least weaken their support. The way it was handled was dismissive and disrespectful - the complete contradiction of “special relationship.” I am certain that if I were to go to a PR firm and ask, as a general question, how should any artist handle the cancellation of the entire leg of a tour, they would NOT advise: 1) delay the response of the artist’s team for hours, 2) delay any communication by the artist themselves for hours after that, and 3) when the artist does make a statement, keep it as brief and generic as possible. I don’t think this incident on its own has had a lasting negative effect, but if we end up with a pattern of mistakes that actively and clearly devalue the fans, I think there will be a weakening of the fandom, and deservedly so.

I guess it’s a “special relationship” when it’s convenient… other times it’s just a mass of people willing to open their wallet anytime without any thoughts. And bragging about it.

[hermannsthumb]

hiiiii im a HUGE fan of your work. i was wondering if you would care to do #23-bonfire or #15-bobbing for apples off the fall prompt list?

23. Bonfire

from autumn fic prompts here

i had enough time today to bang this one out really fast, because i desperately wanted to write something halloweeny after spending all month working on the hallozine! take a short fic with some dumb boys (the best kind of boys) making out! (ALSO THANK U!!!)

---------------------------------------------------------

Newt usually doesn’t bother hitting up Shatterdome parties, mostly because he’s become too high-strung, like, 80% of the time to actually enjoy himself at anything that cuts into time that could be spent doing something useful in the lab (he can’t believe he’s actually saying that), but the flyers posted semi-discreetly on corkboards around the base for this year’s Halloween bash caught his eye. A rooftop Halloween bonfire. The brazenness of advertising something so clearly a massively illegal fire hazard impressed him, and in the spirit of sticking it to the man Newt felt like he was obliged to go.

He half-asses a costume an hour before the bonfire starts with the help of some random shit he finds around the lab and shows up fashionably late with a six-pack of low quality beer he shoved into the back of the lab minifridge a couple months ago. The bonfire is being held at the same rooftop he and Hermann sometimes sneak off to to bitch at each other in private when they need some fresh air, to Newt’s surprise, since he’s been operating under the assumption for several years now that they're the only two who know about it. Hermann was the one to pick the lock on the maintenance access door, after all.

The bonfire is more of a controlled campfire in a metal fire pit and being heavily monitored by a j-tech with a poker in a Frankenstein’s monster costume, but Newt finds it admirable all the same.

He trades his six pack in for something that looks moderately less awful from a booze table and takes in the party. There’s Halloween party garland and orange-purple string lights strung around the railings, a few lit up Styrofoam jack-o-lanterns smiling on the snack tables, and generically spooky instrumental music blasting from someone’s Bluetooth speaker. Most of his fellow partygoers are unrecognizable in their costumes.

Well, not everyone.

He’s more than slightly astonished to see Hermann hunched in on himself at the far end of the roof (their spot, Newt would call it, if he wanted to get all sentimental about it), illuminated by string lights, the hood of his massive green parka tucked down low over his face and his fingers wrapped tight around what looks like the same kind of beer as Newt. Hermann doesn’t really do stuff like this, you know, the whole socializing, making an effort to make an effort thing, and—on top of that—he scoffed when Newt tried to subtly imply yesterday over lunch that he should tag along with Newt to the party. Fire hazard, he said, I have no desire to be written up by the Marshal because I’m a huge kiss-up nerd with absolutely zero Halloween spirit, Newton, or, you know, something like what.

Newt makes a beeline for his colleague before Hermann can look up and make a beeline of his own straight out of here. Then again, Newt was the one to invite Hermann in the first place, so he has to imagine the guy won’t completely mind breathing the same air as him for a few minutes.

“Nice costume,” Newt says, sidling up next to Hermann. Hermann doesn’t bother greeting him like a normal human being, just sighs in the put-upon way he likes to direct at Newt alone. “What are you going as, a big nerd?” He plucks at the sleeve of Hermann’s parka. “How are you not dying in that thing right now?”

The Octobers here are very different from the quaint, chilly little New England falls Newt grew up with: warm and humid, and absolutely way too warm and humid for Hermann’s ridiculous big coat. Hermann ignores him, so as payback Newt steals and takes a swig from his beer while Hermann makes a noise of protest. "Did you at least sterilize that equipment before coming up here?" he finally says. “I don’t believe anyone will be very pleased if you get kaiju slime all over the punch bowl. What are you meant to be, anyway?”

“Obviously I’m a mad scientist,” Newt says. He snaps his work goggles down awkwardly over his glasses and pops the collar of his white labcoat, which he’d painstakingly splattered with some blue dye that vaguely resembles kaiju blood. (He was tempted to use actual neutralized blood for authenticity’s sake but ultimately decided that would be a stupid, possibly biohazardous idea.)

Hermann arches his eyebrows, apparently unimpressed.

“Whatever, dude, at least I put in some effort,” Newt says. He pushes the goggles back up and makes a face at Hermann. “I thought you weren’t gonna come to this thing anyway?” Hermann had been pretty adamant about it being a stupid idea.

“I wasn’t intending to,” Hermann says, scowling, and in retaliation swipes Newt’s untouched beer. “I happened to be here when it started—I didn’t realize it was being held at this particular rooftop. I thought I may as well stay. I haven’t got anything better to do, after all.” He takes a sip of Newt's beer.

“Ooh, you party animal,” Newt says.

He tugs Hermann’s hood down off his head so he doesn’t have to think about how bad Hermann must be sweating under it anymore. Beneath it Hermann’s hair is messy and a little staticky, sticking up in the back, and his cheeks and ears are flushed red from either alcohol or heat or both, visible even in the low light. It’s really pretty cute.

Feeling bold, Newt tugs him forward by the parka’s zipper and kisses him. He feels Hermann’s frown gradually smooth out to a stoic just-there smile beneath his lips. Hermann taps his chest gently. “Newton, not in public,” he mumbles.

Pavlovian response to kiss Hermann, Newt thinks; they make out here at least every other week. And anyway, it’s dark enough and they’re far away enough from the crowd around the bonfire that you’d really have to squint to tell who they are, so it's not really that public. Newt recognized Hermann immediately, obviously, but that’s because he instinctively looks for Hermann upon entering any given location on the base. Newt’s being so sentimental tonight. He’s not sure what’s gotten into him.

“You can just admit you wanted to check out the bonfire,” Newt says. “That’s a significantly less weird reason for lurking around in the dark than being too stubborn to leave when everyone crashed your super emo brooding time. You can have fun sometimes, Hermann.” Newt could maybe use that reminder too. “We can have fun,” he amends.

“I wasn’t brooding,” Hermann says.

“Then what were you doing?” Newt says, and at the little embarrassed flick of Hermann’s eyes to the ground, he quickly develops a hypothesis. “Dude, were you waiting for me to get here? And in our spot? Why didn't you just say you changed your mind?”

“I was not,” Hermann says, but he’s the one to close the gap between them this time. Hermann always kisses a little hesitantly at first, like he’s not sure if he’s doing it right, or that Newt is suddenly gonna change his mind three seconds in, but he also gets into it just as fast, and the payoff is always worth it. Soon he’s sliding his hand up the side of Newt’s face and toying with the strap of his safety goggles, his lips parting under Newt’s.

In public! Newt thinks to exclaim, but that’s definitely enough to cut things very, very short, so he keeps his stupid thoughts to himself and grabs the front of Hermann’s parka. “How long do you think we have before they shut this down?” Newt gasps when Hermann slides down to kiss under his jaw. “The—the bonfire, I mean.”

“Not very long,” Hermann says against his throat. “I’ll be fast.”

[imkylotrash]

Chaos In My Bones

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x reader

Summary: You’re not supposed to fall in love with him. Hell, up until this point you thought you weren’t capable of love. But he brings you a feeling of serenity that nothing or no one else can. It’s just too bad it’s not enough to stop you from being the villain in this story. 

A/N I haven’t really stuck to plot of the movies but just used different plot points that fit into the story. 

Tagging: @bitchwhytho​ @music-of-melody​

You meet him the first time when he’s still the winter soldier - a protect created from deep within the Hydra facilities. You’ve heard rumours of his true identity but Bucky Barnes from 1945 doesn’t mean much to you and neither does Captain America. It’s your lack of empathy that makes you so damn good at what you do. Unlike Bucky, you don’t need someone to fry your brain to convince you that killing people is fun. All your job comes down to is who’s the highest bidder. 

It’s the reason Hydra hires you to work with the Winter Soldier. Granted, he’s one of the best there is but it’s a big assignment and it comes with a lot of risks. They want to make sure the job is done right. That’s the first time you see him in the fryer and it feels wrong. You don’t know how to explain it but seeing him writhing in pain makes your stomach churn. You turn away from it not ready to dive into the feelings the sight brings out in you. His scream pierces your ears to the point where you have to leave the room. 

“Get it together,” you whisper leaning your hands on your knees. You’ve barely talked to the brown-haired man in the other room and here you are feeling sick at the thought of him being in pain. You’ve seen men in pain all your live and most of the time you’ve been the reason for it, but not him. You can’t watch him. 

“Are you getting soft on me?” You turn around to see the man who gave the order to fry his brain once more stand there looking at you. 

“No, sir. Absolutely not, sir.” You take a deep breath hoping you sound as convincing at you’re trying to sound. Fresh air is what saves you. You find your way to the roof stumbling out. What is happening to you? Several deep breaths before you feel somewhat in control again. You tell yourself to get over it refusing to feel weak over a man. It gets easier when you see him the next time seeing as he doesn’t remember you. But still you’re drawn together. You don’t want to care but for the first time in your life, you can’t control your own feelings. There’s no numbing the fire he’s started in your chest. 

-

“Budapest, huh?” You’re turning over one of the few books in the apartment when he walks in. He’s back to his normal self but the ghost of what the Winter Soldier did still lingers in the corner. 

“What are you doing here?” he asks throwing his backpack on the bed. You put the book down on the table looking at the view rather than him. It’s been a while since you saw him last and while you know nothing has changed, it still feels different. Every time you see each other, he’s taken another step away from the world that you’re so integrated in that there’s no escape for you. 

“I had a job to do in Tatabánya. Figured I’d stop by and see how you were doing.” You don’t tell him about the man whose blood splattered onto your skin the night before and he doesn’t ask. It’s the only way to make this work. 

“Also, I missed you,” you add in a softer tone taking two steps towards him. 

“I told you, you should just stay here.” It’s said as a joke but you know he means it. He’d want nothing more than for you to retire and create a simple, peaceful life with him but you can’t do that. You can’t give it up no matter how much you care about him. It’s all you know and you’re good at it. 

“You’d get tired of me if you saw me all the time,” you say finally closing the gap between the two of you and wrapping your arms around him. His metal arm feels cold even through the sleeve but it’s a feeling you’ve come to adore. You reach up to caress his cheek before kissing him. It’s exactly what you need after a rough job. 

“How long are you here for?” he asks hope evident in his voice. 

“I have three days.” It’s better than he hoped for but less than he wanted. It’s all you can offer though and he knows it. 

“Let’s make the most of our time then.” 

- 

“I’ll never get tired of waking up next to you,” he hums nuzzling his face in the crook of your neck. You want to stay in bed with him but you also know that any minute now a new assignment will check in on your phone and you’ll have to leave for the airport. 

“You know, you say that every time yet you never come see me. I always have to find you.” You know why though. Steve is openly against Bucky’s “relationship” with you knowing who you are and what you do. You doubt any of the Avengers are a fan of you considering you’re the very thing they fight every day to stop. Lucky for you, Bucky has decided not to listen to them. 

“I’d be flying all around the world if I were to follow you,” he mumbles tightening his grip on you. Once again, his metal arm has a cooling effect on your skin which is much needed in the summer time. 

“You’d be able to experience the world. I don’t see what’s wrong with that,” you whisper. Being here with him is the only place you can afford to relax. You’ve made a lot of enemies over the years but no one will be able to find you here. 

“I don’t care about the world. I care about you.” You’re about to answer when your phone rings. Your face turns pale when you see your next target. You knew the Accords had been tough on the Avengers. It had broken them apart but you never thought the day would come where someone would want them dead.

“Why is there a photo of Steve on your phone?” Bucky asks not fully awake. 

“The government has deemed him a liability to the safety of America.” You’ve never bothered with politics or worried about picking a side. 

“What are you saying?” Bucky sits up and the fact that he’s not touching you anymore doesn’t go unnoticed. 

“I’m saying he is now considered an outlaw due to the Accords. And they want him gone.” Another text chimes in asking you to confirm the assignment. If you didn’t know Bucky, you’d have no qualms taking out Captain America. You don’t particularly like him very much and you know he hates your guts. 

“But you can say no, right?” He’s not looking at you because he already knows the answer. This will tear you apart and you’ll let it. You’re not the good guy in this story, and you won’t become a hero either. You’ve never felt remorse or regretted being the villain - someone had to. 

“We both know I’m not going to say no, Bucky.” The worst part is how you don’t even feel sad about having to kill his best friend. You don’t want to lose Bucky, but you knew it would only be a matter of time before a job would rip you apart. 

“I can’t sta-”

“I know.” For the first time, you find yourself wishing you thought like a good person but there’s chaos in your bones and a storm in your mind. You don’t know how to be good even if you tried. 

“I can give you a head start to warn him but I will be coming for him. It’s the best I can do.” Maybe when the dust settles, you’ll be able to rekindle the fire but you doubt that he’ll ever move past the fact that you killed his best friend. 

“How much time?” 

“Two hours. It’s enough time to call him and get on a plane. I can’t stop this. He caused it himself when he decided he was above the law. If it wasn’t me, it would’ve been someone else.” 

“Since when do you care about the law?” he sneers painfully aware that the clock is ticking. 1 hour and 57 minutes. 

“I don’t. But whoever hired me does.” You type out “confirmed” hitting send. It’ll keep them from giving the assignment to someone else. You’re one of the only people who’ll stand a chance against Captain America so it doesn’t surprise you that you were first choice. 1 hour and 54 minutes. 

“I am begging you. Please don’t do this.” His eyes show the desperation he’s trying to keep out of his voice but it’s no use. There are two outcomes; either you kill Cap or he kills you. 

“You know I can’t. Giving you a head start is all I can do.” What you don’t say is that you don’t want to. You’re addicted to the hunt, the feeling of power when you’re holding someone else’s life in your hands. It’s too good a feeling. Bucky knows it wrong when he takes you in his arms and kisses you. He knows you’ve just become the enemy but even the devil has charm. He’s kissing you to tell you everything he’ll never be able to express with words and you reciprocate. You do love him - it’s just not enough. 

“Goodbye, Bucky.” 

[fragileizywriting]

the stars are nothing (compared to your constellations of freckles)

pairing: Adrien / Marinette word count: 7,521 chapter: 1/1 rating: G summary: “I used to have a huge— huge— crush on you when we were younger. She took hold of it and has been running with the idea that we’re perfect for each other ever since then.” Adrien nearly choked on his drink. “Really?” “It was embarrassing.” Marinette placed the cup down and rubbed her fingers together for warmth. “B-but trust me, the crush is gone now, don’t worry.” “G-gone?” Was the sky spinning, or was he just seeing things? Was he melting? Even while sitting, he felt like the world had been pulled out from underneath him. She used to have a crush on him. She used to have a crush on him. Only to give it up so she could— so she could— Date Chat Noir. Date him. His breath crumbled in his lungs, suffocating and painful in the cold air. AO3 link

He heard her first before actually seeing her. His back turned to their tent in the cool, chilly night— he knew just by the sound of her voice she had tucked herself into her knitted cap, and layered long sleeves to keep the cold air from permeating into her skin. “Oh— Hi, Adrien.”

“Did I wake you?”

“No, no. Just— just looking for something to do for a little while. Couldn’t fall asleep?”

He poked a bit at the firepit with a metal prong, watching the flames lick the sides of the sticks he’d put inside the bowl the way Nino had taught him to do. He sat back onto his little floor cushion, turning just so to catch a hint of Marinette’s pink lips pulled into a shy smile as she zipped the tent behind her closed.

He shook his head, warm in the chest as Marinette pulled out another cushion from the small laundry bag they had brought to store them in, and she sat close to the fire. Close enough for him to wrap his arms around her, if he were any bolder, or if he was any less terrified. “Not yet. Nino is moving too much, and I can’t find his phone to stop the music blaring from his headphones— I’d follow the wire, but they’re bluetooth. He’s going to go deaf in his sleep one day from how loud it is.”

Her laughter filled him to the brim with warmth, and he couldn’t stop himself from letting his own smile form.

“What about you? What are you doing out here instead of sleeping?”

She laughed to herself, rubbing her hands together, trying to keep herself warm. He wished he could reach over to her and warm them for her— but he was nothing more than a stranger to her. He turned his attention back to the fire to keep himself from acting on impulse. “Oh— well— It’s embarrassing to admit, really.”

He smiled into the collar of his sweater. “Try me.”

Always up for a challenge, Marinette’s eyes sparkled as she took his bait. “I move a lot in my sleep, too. I’m a hugger.”

“Oh really?” Adrien wanted nothing more than to tell her that he knew exactly that. He knew what Marinette looked like tucked under his chin, arms somehow making it to his hair and petting behind the ears. The sweet smell of milk soap on her skin making up for the headbutts he’d get as she tossed and turned in his arms. The way to only manage to get her to hold still for even a brief period of time was to sleep on top of her, blanketing her in his own weight.

He knew that she hated his fake snoring. He wasn’t sure if he did it for some backwards irony to make up for the lack of sleep he always got, but he loved the sweet and generous laughter he got out of her from it.

He knew that her laughter was contagious past nine at night— where her smile would take form into one of the most beautiful sights he’d ever seen, where her eyes would twinkle like stars.

He knew that when she finally did sleep, and finally did stop moving for the night, her weight was comforting on him— assuming that somehow she’d flipped their positions throughout the night to rest her head on the space on his shoulder. She’d always complained about the sleekness of his hexleather costume and how it was impossible for her to feel comfortable without slipping off, and yet she fell asleep for hours on him without having her head slip off him uncomfortably.

He knew that her hair tickled his nose when she slept, and that he only slept well when he could smell the easy scent of her shampoo pressed up against him.

And he knew that Marinette only slept well when she could press the meat of her palm on the space just below his clavicle, letting her hand rest where his chest rose and fell.

“Oh, yeah. I’m a total annoyance— Alya hates it— she feels claustrophobic whenever she sleeps near me, so I’m letting her get some sleep before I head back in.” Marinette sat back, humor lining her own voice, completely oblivious to the way Adrien was buzzing in his seat with yearning— wishing to the point it hurt to just reach out to her and kiss her. “How long have you been out here for?”

“I’m not sure. An hour, I think?” Adrien poked at the fire again, flipping one of the sticks over to the other side and watching the fresh bark crumble and burn. Ever since they’d tucked in for the night, he hadn’t been able to sleep. It’d been a long while since he had to sleep without Marinette with him, and the experience was foreign.

His hands had gravitated so much towards the other heat source in bed— Nino— looking for a hand to hold or someone’s neck to nuzzle. He’d nearly pulled Nino onto him like he was used to doing with Marinette— and while he was sure Nino wouldn’t mind, Adrien had left the tent before it had gotten embarrassing. He missed her warmth.

He didn’t know heartache could be so strong.

Marinette fiddled with her phone, swiping through her conversation on her apps, waiting for the circle bar to finish loading and refresh for new messages. Nothing. Adrien tried not to pay attention to what was on her phone— he was just a friend, she didn’t know him— but he couldn’t help himself watch her refresh their conversation over and over again on a blackened messenger app, lilac pink chat bubbles jumping back and forth on her screen with every refresh.

Waiting for a response from him.

Him.

Chat Noir him.

But not Adrien him.

She sighed to herself, biting her bottom lip, accepting the lack of internet. “I guess there’s no signal out here?”

“I tried sending out a couple of messages already,” He nodded, admitting to her face that he had tried to respond. She didn’t know he was referring to that— was it obvious in his eyes at how much he wished he could say it to her? “Nothing— uhm— nothing went through.”

They break eye contact after a moment.

His heart felt heavy.

“Oh, wow. The service here must be a lot worse than I thought. I hope we don’t need to contact anyone this weekend, or anything like that.” Marinette crossed her legs in front of her, wiping her palms on her pajama pants. Chat Noir paw-prints dotted all on the legs— a gift from him last christmas. He’d bought it off of the original fan merch website after spending a while looking for what to get her. She’d laughed about it, given Chat Noir a glare that had dissolved into laughter as he had opened his own gift and confetti had ruptured out of the small box.

He loved the bed slippers she had given him, and always made sure to hide it away under his bed or in his closet whenever his friends came over.

It wasn’t a gift for Adrien. Because it wasn��t for this half of him.

It was a gift for Chat Noir— and he made sure to keep it away from his civilian friends. The mint green color for the bunnies was incredibly endearing.

She wore her own gift for laughs sometimes, always finding it incredibly humorous that he’d gone out and bought his own merch. He always made sure to pepper her face with kisses every time she wore it, telling her that she looked like she was his biggest fan. It never failed to make her laugh to the point of losing her breath.

Adrien never felt so far away from her than sitting right next to her in front of the fire.

It made him want to cry that Marinette had put it on willingly, unknowing that he was here, most likely for the simple reason to have a bit of him with her while she left the city for the weekend. Adrien blushed to himself, staring away from Marinette’s hands, who he’d gotten entranced to looking at the way they moved. He wished he could hold her hand. His voice felt weak. “W-well I’m sure we won’t need to call anyone for a while. We brought enough food to last for a week, Nino’s decision. If we hike up more of the mountain tomorrow, we’ll probably have more signal.”

A private smile filtered to her face, one that he shouldn’t be able to read. But he knew everything about Marinette now. She was excited to have service. She wanted to text him. She curled her legs in closer to her, holding herself tight, resting her forehead and tired eyes on her knees. The small lock of hair that escaped her cap fell from her shoulder, spilling softly onto her collarbone.

Adrien tried not to stare, the words he so desperately wanted to say and had practiced for the entire night getting stuck at the edge of his throat. He— he couldn’t do it.

Coward. Coward.

Marinette would hate him, wouldn’t she? She’d trusted her entire life with Chat Noir— but he was a nobody to her when he was Adrien. What chance did he have to ruin her trust like that, and hope that it turned out okay?

“I won’t be able to send a goodnight text tonight. I hope… I hope that’s okay.” Marinette murmured to herself, speaking into her knees. Adrien wondered if she missed him as much as he missed her— regardless of her being right next to him.

He wondered if he’d be able to tell her the truth like he had planned to. His mouth refused to move, his tongue pretending to be made out of cement. He’d fought countless of Akumas, stared at death hundreds of times— he faulters now. Here. An entire galaxy and universe between them, even as they’re just centimeters away from each other.

He pretended not to hear her, favoring on bringing the subject back to the cold. He poked a bit more at the fire, letting a fresh new stick fall into the pit, enjoying the way the flame licked the surface. “Hey, I think there’s hot chocolate left in the container from dinner. Do you want to share the rest of it?”

“Oh, that’s a great idea. Let me go find it. It’s in the cooler, right?” The fire coated her cheeks rosy pink. She’d gotten so much better at communicating with Adrien him the last two years ever since Chat Noir him had shown up at her doorstep— and while she was finally able to maintain eye contact with Adrien without squeaking, she was always outspoken with him whenever he was covered in hexleather as Chat Noir— always so opinionated and passionate. Adrien couldn’t help himself by falling in love. Smitten as a kitten.

Marinette would’ve loved that pun. He wished he could tell her it.

Just three words. Just three words. All he had to do was just say three words.

He poked at the fire listlessly, trying to hype himself up to tell her the truth. She deserved to know. She deserved to know that it was him. The boy who showed up at her door every night was nothing more than her classmate that she had managed to finally stop sputtering in front of. He wanted to tell her that he loved her outside of his suit— he wanted to tell her that he wanted to be with her always, hexleather or genuine skin— he wanted to fall asleep with her tucked underneath his chin every day for the rest of his life.

He continued to poke at the fire with his prong. He couldn’t tell her.

Marinette found her way back over to him and she pushed her floor pillow closer to him with a foot, trying to balance her phone in one hand and the camping insulation bottle in the other. Her smile shy, she sat down before she had even made up her mind. Adrien tried not to scare her off.

She passed him a cup, and Adrien wept on the inside at their fingertips touching each other. Why was he such a coward? Why couldn’t he turn to her and tell her— “Adrien? Everything okay?”

“Sorry,” He dropped the metal fire poker in his hand, leaning forward to give her better attention. She held the hot chocolate bottle in between two mittened hands, smile soft and curious on her face. He tried not to dissolve into a blush, cursing himself for letting his thoughts run away without him. He bit the inside of his cheek as she poured his drink for him, the sound of the fire crackling and hissing loud against the silence of their breaths.

He hadn’t been joking when he had said that Nino’s music had been too loud. Even when Adrien had originally gotten over trying to cuddle with Nino under the covers, the music blasting in his headphones was enough to wake Adrien up from the edge of sleep. Leaning back against the fallen log, cradling the cup of hot chocolate in his hands and looking into the fire, Adrien reasoned that he could fall asleep in the position he was in. He was sure his back would protest the hike they would go on the following day if he did, but at least he wouldn’t be waking up to his hand searching for body warmth.

“I feel kind of bad for the both of them.” Marinette pulled her legs up to put her chin on, hugging her knees with her arms.

“Who?” Adrien took a sip out of his cup. Lukewarm and agonizingly sweet from all the undissolved sugar that sat at the bottom of the bottle. Perfect for the chill. Perfect for him to get his mind off of things for a bit.

He could see from the corner of his eyes that Marinette was gazing into the fireplace, the strings from her cap falling across her shoulders. He wanted to reach over and tuck that stray piece of hair under her hat— brush her bangs back and kiss her forehead. “Alya and Nino. I feel kind of bad that they have to sleep in separate tents because of us.”

“I’m sure they don’t mind it.” He kept his tone polite, trying not to devolve into his usual banter of flirts. I wouldn’t mind sharing another bed with you. He was Adrien. He was just a friend. She didn’t know him well enough. She didn’t know how well their fingers intertwined.

A short chilly breeze cut through their conversation, sending a plume of smoke from the fire into their general direction. The two of them parted, jumping quickly off their cushions as they tried not to laugh too hard. The smell of smoke burned in his nose and stained his clothes— no doubt his hair smelled like smoke, too. He should’ve worn a hat to keep the smoke smell off. Too late now.

Marinette laughed from the other side of the firepit, the light bright enough for him to see how sparkly her blue eyes were. He could probably see stars in them, if he got close enough— he knew that they lived there often whenever she was with him. “Was that the fire telling us to go to bed?”

“Not a chance,” He kept his voice low, and took a sip from his cup. It just barely tasted like smoke, which was a good sign to keep drinking. “But it may have been the fire telling us to get warmer. It’s freezing out here.”

As if she’d noticed only when he said it, she nodded in agreement, suddenly shivering under her three layers of clothes. He hoped she wouldn’t catch a cold from how much shivering she was doing.

He passed her the handle of his mug and asked her to wait, unzipping his tent to grab for his blanket. He almost hit the back of Nino’s calf in search for an end of the blanket to pull on. He brought the blanket’s edge around his shoulders, letting a big portion of the fabric drape across his shoulder as he accepted his cup back. He held the rest of the blanket with his long arm and shrugged his shoulder, beckoning Marinette to come closer and share the blanket with him.

As a friend. Just a friend. Always a friend.

He was miserable without being able to touch her.

They sat back down on the pillows, shoulders barely touching. She accepted the other end of the blanket with a thankful smile, and draped the remaining fabric over her thin frame. They sat in comfortable silence, letting the smoke billow up and the blanket cover them from the chill. He sipped from his cup contently, trying his best to stay at ease with her next to him.

Soft, strained laughter made its way out of Marinette’s throat. “No, I don’t think Alya’s okay with sleeping away from her boyfriend. Alya’s been trying to get me to change tents with Nino the entire trip over. This was supposed to be their getaway from home, you know. I’m sure she doesn’t actually mind sleeping in another tent, but I think she’d like it a lot more if they were together.”

“Is that what the both of you were talking about in the back of the van?” Nino had wanted to drive for the majority of the car trip, saying that whoever drived was always considered the designated controller of the speakers. Alya had sent him in the passenger seat, claiming that his kilometers of model-legs would cramp in the back seat no matter how much space he was given. His chance to try to warm himself up to talking to Marinette had been squished.

Marinette and Alya had spent the entire car ride talking in hushed voices in the back of the van, and Adrien wasn’t able to hear them over the sound of the speakers. Marinette had been stained permanently red from whatever blush had come up throughout the trip by the time they had made it to the park they were camping at. At the time, Adrien hadn’t understood what the fuss was about.

“Y-yeah.” She took a sip from her own cup.

“I’m sorry.” He found himself speaking before he was able to think of something to say, fingers white-knuckling around his mug. “Uhm. I know I make you uncomfortable sometimes— so the switch— it wouldn’t have been ideal.”

Marinette turned to him as best as she could on her floor pillow, trying her best not to jostle her hot chocolate. “No— no you don’t— make me uncomfortable. Honestly— I— I’m just really shy.”

He knew that wasn’t true. He knew for a fact that Marinette wasn’t shy with anything except when it came to Adrien. Marinette was vocal about everything and anything with everybody— he’d seen her bicker with akumatized people just as he showed up to take her away from trouble, and even when tossed over his shoulder to run she’d continue to ask them to let go of the akumas in them. Marinette was brave— and he knew that— and she knew that— but she couldn’t tell Adrien.

He wanted to cry. He was a coward who couldn’t tell her.

“Still though,” He cleared his throat as he felt a wave of tears threaten to take over his voice. “I don’t ever want to purposely make you uncomfortable, Marinette. You’re one of my closest friends. Being in a tent together would’ve made you uncomfortable, wouldn’t it?”

And incredibly difficult to explain if he had pulled her on him in the middle of the night, like he usually did under the context of being Chat Noir. It was one thing to explain doing it when he did it all the time. It was another to try to make an excuse when he was just his civilian self.

“No, no! I promise— I promise you don’t make me uncomfortable. Alya’s just been pressuring me to pair up with you since the beginning of time, it feels like.” She ducked her head, shy. Her cap’s strings bobbed at the movement, and she pulled at her collar as if she was struggling with admitting it. “I used to have a huge— huge— crush on you when we were younger. She took hold of it and has been running with the idea that we’re perfect for each other ever since then.”

He nearly choked on his drink. “Really?”

“It was embarrassing.” She placed the cup down and rubbed her fingers together for warmth. “B-but trust me, the crush is gone now, don’t worry.”

“G-gone?” Was the sky spinning, or was he just seeing things? Was he melting? Even while sitting he felt like the world had been pulled out from underneath him. She used to have a crush on him. She used to have a crush on him. Only to give it up so she could— so she could—

Date Chat Noir.

Date him.

His breath crumbled in his lungs, suffocating and painful in the cold air.

“I mean it’s been years now, and we’re good friends like you’ve said and— well I just— well— I have a boyfriend.” He saw her visibly bite her tongue at that. Her eyes widened at what she’d just said, nervously patting at her Chat Noir pajama pants, finally realizing that she’d admitted to having a crush on him. “I don’t think— and the tent is so small— it would be like sharing a bed and—”

“I— Oh— you do?” He had no words, staring at her with wide, slow-blinking eyes. Marinette had never referred to him as her— her— oh. Oh. Wait. Hold on. “But Marinette I would never— uh— and I never knew— I’m sorry—”

Something rattled in his chest, threatening to make him cough. Inhaled the hot chocolate into the wrong tube, he reasoned, but he couldn’t focus on it now.

Marinette referred to him as her boyfriend.

She used to have a crush on him.

The firepit was too loud in his ears. It was too hot under the blanket, surely that was it.

She smothered her nervous laughter into her cup, gazing behind her to see if Alya stirred at all in her tent. They didn’t have to worry about Nino, with his noise-canceling headphones. A bear could come in and take all their food and Nino wouldn’t notice. Or a boar. Many boars. Wolves. Cows. An entire procession of cows. With cowbells.

Adrien could scream at the top of his lungs— and he was very close to doing it— and Nino would be completely deaf to all of it.

“No, no, I didn’t— I didn’t mean to suggest that you’d do something, oh my god I’m so sorry, that’s not what I meant at all— I know you wouldn’t.” She groaned. “It— I just meant— it just wouldn’t feel okay to me.”

“Right. Yeah I’m— sorry. I never knew you had a boyfriend— god— I’m so sorry for—” Adrien couldn’t breathe, trying to clear his throat. She had a crush on him. Had. The stars in her eyes were blinding. “How— uh— how? How long, I mean?”

She blushed. How was he supposed to survive this? Oh— and she’d never called him her boyfriend before, at least not to his knowledge. They kissed a lot, they played video games, he helped her study and she would let him catnap on her chaise during the afternoon sun, but— well— there was only so much dating they could do when one of them was masked as one of the Heroes of Paris and was also a coward that couldn’t tell the girl he loved and dated that he was a civilian that she knew and— Adrien wanted to kick himself.

“Two years, maybe. That sounds about right, I guess?” She spoke so softly that he almost missed it in his turmoil.

He felt faint. “Two years?”

“We don’t really have an anniversary.” She had the idea to be sheepish as he stared at her, scratching the back of her neck with her fingers while she worried her lip between her teeth. She broke eye contact with him in favor of looking down at her cup which was only left with the small dots of undissolved chocolate spots. Adrien couldn’t stop staring at the way the firelight illuminated her face.

“He’s… very lucky to have you.” Adrien managed to say after a long pause in the conversation, his hands flexing hard around his own cup. Thoughts of being called her boyfriend so casually to anyone else made his entire body heat up in warm thoughts, and it made him want to take off his sweater from how sweaty the back of his neck was starting to get. If he could drown himself at the lake, he would’ve.

“He’s a private person,” She tried reasoning to him, under the impression that he was upset. “I don’t mention him because I don’t want to overwhelm him.”

Only half-true. Everyone knew who Chat Noir was, and even Marinette herself knew that he talked about his life as best as he could under the circumstances of not being able to reveal his secret identity. It would make him absolutely delighted to hear Marinette mention him even more in casual conversations like this.

“I can relate to being a private person,” Adrien chose to say, leaning hard onto his life-of-fame outlook. “Does Alya know about him?”

Marinette frowned. “Oh, god, no. Please don’t tell her— she’d never let me hear the end of it of how excited she is and the double dates and so many things we could do. We’ve never really discussed if we were ever going to tell others but I think it’s for the best we don’t. Alya wouldn’t be happy finding out that it’s already been two years, we’ve dug ourselves into a pit with this one honestly.”

Especially since it was Chat Noir. Alya would suffocate the both of them. The fact that he could envision it with such clarity made him grit his teeth.

He winced sympathetically. “I get you. Don’t worry, Marinette. Your secret’s safe with me. I promise. And don’t worry about your— ah— boyfriend. I hope he’s a nice guy.”

She nodded a bit too enthusiastically. “Oh. He’s wonderful.”

She gladly took his cup once he was done drinking the rest of the hot chocolate, and stood up to bin it. His hands clammed cold against the fabric of his pajama pants, and he wiped them against his thighs. He needed to tell her.

Seriously. He needed to tell her.

It wouldn’t be okay to continue this lie in front of her— especially since she called him her boyfriend to his face even though they’ve never talked about it— god what was he supposed to say to her when they saw each other again back at her house? How was he supposed to continue doing what he was doing now that he knew that she had a crush on him once?

He was going to faint.

He pulled out his phone while she pittered behind him, and cursed at the blinking empty spot on the top left corner of his screen. No signal. He couldn’t even text it to her even if he wanted to. He refreshed the messaging app just as a last measure, looking for anything that could come through. Nothing.

It wasn’t as if he hadn’t tried earlier today, hitting refresh over and over on the app looking for new messages. He’d typed and then untyped messages on how he would tell her what he’d been trying to prepare himself to say for weeks. Everytime he thought he had gotten a message that looked perfect, he thought of the way Marinette smiled and laughed, and realized that he would break into a thousand little cataclysm pieces if he messed this up and lost it. Lost her.

Was he a coward? Could he truly not just turn to her and open his mouth and say the words that he’s been trying to say all night ever since he came out of his tent and started poking at the fire, longing for her to be right next to him and happy that they were together? And not have to hide behind a stupid hexleather domino mask and have Plagg complain to him that he was being too much of a lovesick idiot to do anything about it except just continue to go to her house?

Was he not able to confess his true feelings to a girl who had literally just spoken about having a crush on him to the point that their friends had tried to set her up on numerous occasions with him? And yet, his mouth remained shut. Coward. He was a coward.

“Marinette?” He turned to look for her, surprised that she was returning to her seat with an apple. He pocketed his phone, shy. He watched her eat, battling his mouth and brain for words to form and speak and say it.

“Adrien? Everything okay?” She looked as nervous as he did.

“Yeah. Yeah, everything’s okay.” His tongue felt too big for his mouth. He didn’t want to ruin this. She was the greatest thing to happen to him. He couldn’t do it. Even if it made him flounder and upset at his cowardice, he couldn’t tell her. If something happened to their relationship because she was upset about it being him, Adrien would never be able to live it down.

“Are you sure?” He watched a trail of juice from the apple curl down her wrist.

“Oh, yeah. You should tell me more about him.” Adrien almost thunked his head back into the log behind him, disappointed in the way his voice sounded desperate. Anything to get Marinette from questioning why he looked like he was about to faint.

She looked up at him in between long lashes, adoration so crystal clear on his face. No. He definitely couldn’t tell her that it was him. “He’s my best friend. He’s my whole world.”

“More than Alya is?” He hoped he didn’t sound winded.

“Absolutely more.” She passed the apple between her hands, the puff at the end of her cap bobbing with her movements. “Oops. Don’t tell her that.”

He grabbed for the metal poker, letting his hands fidget with the sticks and the slow crackle of the fire. “What makes him your best friend?”

“He just knows so much about me. We spend so much time together. We’re hardly ever apart.”

“What’s your favorite moment with him?”

He knew her well enough to recognize her nostalgic gaze up to the starlit sky. He recognized her smile— reminiscing with such raw longing that Adrien had to give a double take in her direction. He wondered what specific moment she was thinking about. He wondered what moment he would pick if she ever asked him.

He remembered the days he would show up at her trap door, looking for somewhere to stay after a fight with his dad. Back when things were simple and Marinette was the only thing that could fix it.

Who was he kidding? Marinette was still the only thing that could fix it.

He remembered after the first few Akuma fights, when he would show up at her door just as a courtesy to check in if she was okay— the Akuma fights where Marinette would be in the middle of the fight begging the akumatized person to change their mind— and he would stay for hours. Under the pretence that he was concerned for a citizen of Paris, of course.

He remembered when she cried on his for the first time— something had happened at school that he had never understood because Marinette was a silent cryer when she cried, and didn’t speak other than the occasional curse word. He remembered when he cried on her for the first time. That was when he found out that she smelled like milksoap— and the scent had clung to his nose like a blanket for the entirety of the following day. The following school day he had felt that he was floating, drifting away in a cloud of milksoap.

He’d been useless during that following Akuma attack.

He remembered their first kiss— how could he not? The memory was seared into his head for the rest of time. It was one thing for him to lay on her bed while they watched cartoons together. It was another to lean towards her, hogging her body pillow, while she looked at him with wide expectant eyes. She wanted something from him, and he wasn’t sure what. A gentle little smile. Her breath caught on something. He couldn’t stop looking at her. What other choice did he have but to kiss her in that moment?

In her soft pajamas? Hair down? Cherry lip balm? The smell of hot chocolate on her breath? He wasn’t a fool. He had never been more sure of something in his life.

He still couldn’t remember what the cartoon was about.

Plagg had made fun of him for the entire day following it. He couldn’t help himself. All he wanted to do for the rest of his life was kiss her.

“My favorite memory would be… well. There was a day where he found out I have freckles.” Her voice took him out of his thoughts, and he nearly missed it.

“Your— your freckles?” He tilted his head, trying to give the impression that he had been paying attention.

Marinette’s eyes softened towards the fire, completely lost in thought. Adrien tried not to lose his breath. Even wind-chilled, and lips chapped, she made his heart hurt. “It was late, once. I think we were watching a movie at my place.”

It had been his idea to watch the movie. He had been absolutely certain that she would’ve loved the movie— and he was still sure— but they’d never finished. The entire time he had completely ignored it in favor of playing a game with her on trying to put his head on her lap without her trying to push him off the bed. She had laughed the entire time while he was trying, advocating on closing the movie app in favor of letting him cuddle. He’d gotten too close to her face, in the process— her laughter had died down. Her eyes were so much more bluer up close.

She had freckles. He remembered counting them— a smattering of dots across the bridge of her nose and the tops of her cheekbones. He’d lost track after twenty, since she’d broken away from him, stammering over her words that reminded him of when she talked to him as Adrien. It hadn’t taken a lot of brain power to realize that their movie night was done. He’d gone home after apologizing, and could barely look at her in the eye the next day.

“He looked at me like he had finally realized what I looked like,” Marinette laughed to herself, taking a bite of her apple. She was nearly done with it, Adrien noticed too late. She was going to get up soon. Maybe even head to bed. “It was the sweetest little moment we had, I feel like. I think about it all the time.”

Adrien could only keep the polite smile on his face for so long. Was she yearning for him? Did she know how much he wanted to burst from being so close to her but having to be a complete stranger? Did she know that he wanted to drown himself in the lake from how awake he was? If they parted for the night, he wouldn’t be able to sleep for the next week and a half. Plagg would never stop teasing him about it for the rest of time. If only she knew what he was going through. He tried not to choke on his tongue as his mouth ran over itself. “Marinette? I want to tell you something.”

She turned away from the fire to look at him fast enough to give him whiplash. “Oh. Did I— I’m sorry— did I over talk?”

“No, no not at all!” He could hear the strain in his voice. I’m here. I’m right here. It’s me. “I just. I just. Uhm.”

She tried to appease him. “Oh. If it’s about me having a crush on you, it’s okay. We’re just friends.”

He was an idiot. A huge idiot. Say the words. Say them. She was right there. Hugging distance. Kissing distance. He wanted to kiss her so badly. “No— well. It’s about the ‘you having a crush on me’ part, yes, but not just that.”

“Go on?” She winced at the weakness of her voice.

“I’m sorry.” Oh, he really wanted to drown himself now. What was wrong with him? Why couldn’t he say it? He fought akumas harder than this, and he had bruises to prove it. Why couldn’t he just say the words? His hands were shaking in his lap. He was freezing and on fire. His miraculous ring was never more interesting than it was as he twisted it on his finger with his other hand.

She frowned, not at all understanding. “What are you apologizing for?”

“I’m sorry for not knowing you had a crush on me when we were younger.” He was the emotional equivalent of grasping at straws, desperate for himself to be able to say the words in the most graceful way. Chat Noir was a coward. He wondered if Ladybug would be mad if she knew that he was floundering on telling a girl his true feelings.

“Oh— oh. That’s— that’s fine.”

“It isn’t. I should’ve realized.” He was nervous enough to rake an entire hand into his hair. “I should’ve seen the signs. I’m sorry. I didn’t realize. I thought you had been just a best friend at the time.”

“Seriously— it’s— it’s fine.” She waved him away. “It was such a long— long— time ago. We were children.”

Adrien could do nothing but be silent for the following minutes. Marinette had a boyfriend now. Of course she would be over him. Even though she was still dating him. What a confusing mess…

Would she still be over him after he told her? If she walked away, or zipped herself in her tent? The following day of hiking would be awkward and terrible. Oh, God. He didn’t want to lose her. If he sat here and ignored everything— continued to stare into the fire, with her at his side— would he be able to withstand the rest of the weekend? She was understanding, and she was kind, but he couldn’t help himself from trying to preserve one of the best things to happen to him.

Would it hurt if he fell face first into the fire? Anything would be more bearable than this. He would never be able to model again— no more money, fine. Who cared? He’d be dead. Maybe. He could feel it bubbling in him, threatening to escape his mouth in whichever way it could.

“I— I’m Chat Noir.” He bit his tongue so hard he could taste copper, trying to stop himself from talking. He managed to hold back a string of curses that tried slipping through.

She nearly dropped her apple, which was now mostly cored, searching his face for a joke. “I— hold on— what?”

“I’m Chat. I’m Chat Noir.” He barreled through it like ripping off a bandaid, refusing to make eye contact. “I know you were talking about me being your boyfriend. For two years. It’s— I’m— I’m Chat Noir.”

“Are— are you sure?”

“What?” It was his turn to frown at her. Was she starting to smile? “What— huh? What do you mean ‘am I sure’?”

“Are you sure you’re Chat Noir?”

He had the audacity to look down at his miraculous ring, wondering for a split second if he had hallucinated the past four years of his life. “I think so.”

She threw her hands around him tight, fisting the back of his sweater with her hands. The apple went flying from her hand, past his tent, and somewhere into the bushes— snapping twigs along its path. The fire crackled low as the last stick in the firepit burned, the branding heat leaving way to the chill air. He paid no mind to any of it, his nose full of milksoap, and his hands full of soft fabric from her layers of long sleeves.

Laughter bubbled in his ear as she clung to him— soft, sweet laughter that gripped his heart to the point it hurt. “I’m kidding, I’m kidding. I already knew, Adrien— I’ve been waiting for you to tell me for a couple of hours now.”

“What? How— how did— you—” He couldn’t help himself from pulling her closer, burying his face into her shoulder, feeling faint and overwhelmed. He couldn’t feel the log behind him, and he couldn’t feel his toes.

She curled her hand in his hair, and Adrien nearly lost his mind. The entire time he had felt guilty about keeping this from her and she’d accepted him with open arms. He would argue that crying was absolutely a valid response. “It’s okay. It’s okay. Don’t cry, kitty-cat— it’s okay.”

He sucked in a breath. “How long have you known?”

“Just today. I found out this morning.”

“What do you mean? How did you—”

“You left early from my house today. You— you told me you needed to get ready for our trip, which was why you left so early from my house” She whispered. “I thought that was your way of telling me that you’re Adrien— but— you never mentioned it when we met up again at Alya’s house so I thought I’d— hallucinated it in my sleep.”

“Why didn’t you say something?” His mouth pinched. “Please— why— why didn’t you?”

She wiped a tear from his face. And then another. And then another. “I— I didn’t know if I’d heard you correctly, Adrien! I didn’t want to give something away just in case— so I’ve been trying to drop hints this entire time, instead.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay, kitty-cat. You’re okay. Please don’t cry.”

He smothered her, pulled her into his lap to wrap the blanket around them, sucking in breath after breath. “I hadn’t even realized what I did— I’m sorry. I’m sorry I left you waiting for me to admit it— I’m sorry that I took so long to tell you— I’m so sorry that it took me this long.”

“It’s okay.” She shook her head, the strings of the cap falling across her shoulders again. “It’s okay, Adrien. We’re okay. Everything is okay.”

He tucked the stray piece of hair back underneath her cap, hands buzzing from the ability to touch her. He followed the outline of her eyes with his thumbs— he followed the outline of her cheeks and jawline, as well— petting each individual freckle that dusted her cheeks. “Marinette— my god— I’ve— I’ve been going crazy this entire day— I couldn’t do it anymore. I needed to tell you— I’ve been wanting to— to tell you— for— for the past two years. God. God.”

He tried his best not to squish her while he hugged her, but he couldn’t contain himself as soft peels of laughter mixed with his tears escaped. She laughed, and hugged him just as hard, squeezing all of the air in his lungs out.

Everything was okay. Everything was going to be okay.

“I couldn’t fall asleep without you, Princess.” He managed to say after they’ve cried enough.

“I couldn’t either,” She confessed into his shoulder. “It was terrible— so horrible. Alya hogs the sheets— and then she has the audacity to complain about me moving around too much. I honestly was starting to go nuts, I’m so tired without you. I can’t sleep without you anymore, kitty-cat— I was about to somehow convince you that we needed to sleep in the same area together.”

“I wouldn’t mind sharing a bed with you.” He kept his laughter down at the little pinch she gave him at his side. He couldn’t stop himself from pressing kisses to her forehead, at the edge of where her cap met her hairline when he brushed her hair back— when he kissed each individual constellation of freckles that dotted her upper cheekbones. “I’ll have you know, I’m an expert sleeper.”

She kissed him sweetly on the lips, giggling to the point it looked like it hurt. Adrien tried not to sniffle too hard as warmth after warmth filled his chest. “Believe me— trust me— we’ll sleep fine from now on.”

[sckyie]

song: streetcar by daniel caesar

word count: 2.6k

genre + warnings: angst to fluff; reminiscing in past heartbreak, breakdowns, timeskips, swearing, someone gets slapped

pronouns used: she/her

a/n: here's part 2 to driver's license,, i hope this was okay >~< i had to include a new song to the mix (its going into the playlist) soooo enjoy :) also my ratio for angst to fluff is TERRIBLE im sorry

Ever since you had confessed your feelings to your best friend, you had became so distant from everyone. Knowing you might've ruined one of the best friendships shook you. Lately you'd been driving around past curfew just to keep your mind off him. Passing all the street lights just felt like you were driving down memories. 

That flickering light at the corner where Oikawa had helped you after crashing your bike into a pole. Or that bright cool light by the park where you, Iwa, and Oikawa first started playing volleyball. Or that one littered with stickers where you told both the boys that they better remember you when they were famous. 

Apathy overcame your entire being. Nothing seemed to matter anymore, who knew heartbreak could have this effect on a person? It was hard going to school, avoiding Oikawa in every hall, dodging Iwaizumi on your way out, and even trying to ignore Kasumi was too much. It hurt like hell but you didn't want to know what Oikawa had to say. More so, you didn't want to hear what he was going to say, you knew what he'd tell you.

Two months until graduation.

It had been a over a month since that confession. The bright girl everyone used to know dulled out. No one knew why nor how it happened. It only stung between you and the boy you knew you could never love. Oikawa and Kasumi remained together despite the lingering thought of those words you said to him. 

"I- You- Ugh! Just go away, I don't want to see you!" The crack in your voice shook those hidden feelings within you.

"Why not!" Oikawa held onto your forearm, restricting you from running away.

"Because I fucking loved you idiot!" You screamed as hot tears rolled down your cheeks. Oikawa froze at your words, unable to process them.

"You...loved me?" He asked.

"I still fucking love you! God, I hate you- I just- Let go!" You shoved him away from you. "I'm leaving. If you try to stop me, I'm never speaking to you again."

Yet, you never spoke to him regardless. The sudden break between you two effected Iwaizumi as well. Although he had no part in the situation, he was torn who's side to take. He knew your secret but he couldn't betray both his best friends. Seeing you two spilt was like watching glass break. It's sudden, scattered, irreplaceable but if you tried to fix it, you could cut yourself or ruin the glass even more.

Oikawa took your last words as your goodbye. What was worse was that, he couldn't bring himself to find the right words to say to you. How could his best friend love him and never tell him? He never did end up telling Kasumi that he loved her. He began to question his feelings about her and well, you. 

One more month until graduation.

"Hey Y/n, are you going to the third year dance?" Hanamaki taps your shoulder as you doodle on your notes. You shook your head, knowing well enough how you'd have to see Oikawa and Kasumi together. "Come on, we're all going."

"No thanks," You smiled. A sudden ache in your chest hit you as you looked back at your notes. "I don't like dances."

"Liar," Matsukawa joins into the conversation. "What happened to you?"

"Hm?" You looked up, tilting your head at him.

"Just come along, we'll drive," He suggests. "You don't need a date. Just tag along with he boys and Kasumi."

"Again no thanks," You turned him down. "I'm not on good terms with Oikawa right now. I don't want to see him."

"Well, then let's all four go together then. Me, you, Mattsun, and Iwa," Makki says. "We lowkey miss having you around."

"Yeah, come on, we don't have to go with them," Matsukawa agreed.

"Promise we won't hang around them?" You ask solemnly. They nod at you, prompting you to let out a long sigh. "Fine. I don't have a dress, do you guys want to come with to find one?" 

Two weeks until graduation.

You stood in line with the three boys to get inside the ballroom for the dance. You carefully adjusted Matsukawa's corsage that matched your dress. Kasumi and Oikawa had came later, waiting farther back in line. He rests his hand on her waist as he examined the people in line when he spots you. This was the first time in forever since he could see you clearly. He had only caught glimpses of you through the halls, never seeing your face.

Was that the reason the guys didn't want to ride with him? For you? It hit a bit knowing they chose you over him but he knew how you haven't hung out with anyone lately. Always avoiding people, never trying to talk to anyone. 

Inside the ballroom, you and the boys sat together at your assigned table. The songs seemed redundant, leaving you four to occasionally get up to dance. It wasn't until a slow song that caught your attention. You had your head leaning against Iwaizumi's shoulder when you spotted Oikawa and Kasumi walking center stage.

"I'm gonna go outside for some fresh air," You say, standing up. You adjusted your dress before walking away to the outside patio. The muffled sound of the slow song was heard as you rested your arms on the railing. You closed your eyes, trying to focus on the sounds of the streets nearby. It was hard to drown out the feelings of Oikawa after seeing him with Kasumi. You feel the pain well up, trying your best to resist crying.

You open your eyes as you feel something being placed on your shoulders. "You'll get sick out here," Iwaizumi says, standing beside you. "You're thinking of him aren't you?"

"Can we not talk about him?" You breathed, tears slowly rolling down your face. "I just don't want to think about how bad I fucked up."

"Well," Iwaizumi looked down at the ground. "Will you dance with me?" You turned to see him holding out his hand for you. Taking his offer, Iwa holds you close as the music played. He let you cry in his arms, knowing well enough that you needed this. Having held all your pain behind driving, you couldn't show how much you were in pain. 

"Thank you Iwa," You sniffled into his chest. 

"I'm always here for you," He smiled. "You're like a little sister to me...It pains me to see you all dull and hurt...When Makki asked you to come out with us, I didn't expect you to agree but I'm glad you did." 

"Can I tell you something?" You panted for air through your tears.

Oikawa held Kasumi close, carefully swaying back and forth together. With her head resting on his chest, he was able to see through the patio window. He spots you and Iwaizumi dancing but for some reason it stung in his chest to see that. Why is he hurt? He's with Kasumi and he loves her, right?

Graduation day.

A group of cheers goes around the ceremony as your final day in high school is finally over. You greet your old classmates one more time, saving your close friends for last. For some reason, all the pain you previously carried had faded away. You approach the gate to meet with your friends for the last time before you go off your separate paths. Makki and Mattsun agreed to text you more to keep up with each other.

Iwaizumi had hugged you once last time, telling you to do your best. You smiled for the first time in a while. It was strange but Iwa was glad to see you starting to move on. You and him agreed to update each other on your mental healths and to hang out whenever you'd visit. Then it was the one you dreaded.

Saying goodbye to Oikawa, it'll be the last time you'll see him. You waited patiently for him as he was caught up by some fans and Kasumi. When he did manage to leave the underclassmen, he spotted you waiting. "Hey babe, can you go on ahead? I want to talk to Y/n," He says to his girlfriend. She nods happily, walking by you as she left. 

"Hey," He stops a few feet away from you, scared to step any closer.

"Hi," You said. "I have a few words for you." You let out a small chuckle, leading him to believe it was something good.

"Good or bad?" He laughed.

"Well," You started. "I just wanted to say goodbye for the last time...It was nice being your friend and I know how rough it turned out in the end...I'm sorry for not telling you before how I felt. I just thought I wasn't good enough for you and that you'd fall for someone else. Kasumi is a great girl and you two are amazing together...I really wish you guys the best...I know you'll do outstanding in volleyball like the king you are. You better not forget us when you're famous..Listen, I have to go before I'm late, so this is...it...Goodbye Tooru." You wiped a tear from your cheek, smiling at him. You quickly turned around, disappearing into the city. 

"Wait! Y/n!" He rushes after you, only to get lost in the crowd of third years saying their goodbyes. Oikawa felt tears well up in his eyes as he desperately looked around for you. "You didn't let me say..." He whispered to himself.

A week later, Oikawa and Iwaizumi join each other to lunch at your favorite restaurant. Iwa scrolls on his phone waiting for the food while Oikawa looked at the booth you two would always get. "Hey Iwa-chan?" He asks. "Do you know where Y/n decided to go after graduation?" Iwaizumi stopped scrolling to think back at the third year dance.

"Can I tell you something?" You panted for air through your tears.

"Anything," Iwa replied.

"I'm moving away from Miyagi immediately after graduation," You sniffled. "Remember when we were kids and we said we wanted to live in Tokyo or Kyoto?"

"Y-yeah," He was a little shaken up hearing that you'll be leaving so soon. 

"My uncle just moved to Kyoto and he offer me a room there...and I said yes," You started to trace circles on his back. "It's by that college I wanted to go to and they have good jobs there and-"

"You don't have to explain yourself. You'll do amazing out there," Iwa chuckled. "Just promise you'll visit sometime?" He knew how much you needed to be away from Miyagi. Although it pained him, he knew it was only for the best.

"No," Iwa lied. "I haven't seen her. She hasn't texted in a while.

Three months after graduation.

You got into a cab on your way to your new job at a café. You stared out the window, admiring the new city you live in. Learning to adjust and work around the city was tough. The feeling of calling Kyoto home was strange, knowing that it wasn't. 

Ever since you had said goodbye to Oikawa, things in his life changed. He believed losing you wasn't fair, not knowing where you'd gone always haunted him. He had broken up with Kasumi over the guilt held over his head. Always thinking about you when he was with her wasn't right. With you being gone, his only priority became volleyball. 

You however, had let go of those old feelings you held onto. That last goodbye satisfied you, letting you sleep at night and allowed you to love yourself more. You've grown so much from dull slump you were stuck in for weeks. Though living in a different environment made it feel like you weren't even there.

Oikawa roamed the streets slowly approaching different shops along the sidewalk. He had some free time before the practice match he had, so it wouldn't hurt to explore, right?

That's when it happened.

You closed the door to your cab, turning towards the café's direction. Your eyes lock onto a set of familiar pupils. Frozen in time, the two of you never exchanged a word yet, suddenly a rush of emotions filled you both.

Pain, anger, fear, regret, almost everything you felt in the past came back to you seeing him. Standing before you, the man you once loved. The man you might still love.

You snapped out of your thoughts, walking towards him, stopping a few feet away from him. "Y/n what-" You raised your hand, harshly impacting Oikawa's cheek. His hand flies up to his face, holding the spot you smacked.

"You seriously broke up with Kasumi for me?" You growled. "Y-you're an idiot y'know? She was good to you too! Also ignoring Iwa for volleyball? I told you not to-"

"You kept track of me?" He whispered, a slight smile creeping on his face.

"W-Well obviously! I ask Iwa about you from time to time," You muttered. You looked up to Oikawa and saw him grin down at you.

Before you could say anything else, Oikawa puts his two hands on the sides of your cheeks. He pulls your face close to his, crashing his lips against yours. You tense at the action, gripping his wrists. He doesn't pull away until you settle into the kiss.

Your hands melt away from his wrists and reach for his torso. Your lips moved together in sync, almost as if it were a familiar feeling. He pulls away from you, pressing his forehead against yours. "You never let me say my goodbye," Oikawa snickered. "You said goodbye to me then disappeared without a trace."

"Sorry," You blushed. His hands move to your waist, still holding you close to him.

"I wanted to tell you that..." He took a deep breath before continuing. "I love you too. I'm sorry I'm so late in telling you and I'm sorry for being caught up with Kasumi. I didn't know what I was doing and I couldn't talk to you...I fucked up for not seeing how much you- well how much I loved you...I know this is all late and you probably don't want to hear any of this but-"

You tiptoed and kissed his nose, making him stop. "How'd you find out you loved me?" You looked at him curiously.

"I was driving down your street and all the old streets we'd walk through," He started. "It reminded me of you and then I saw that white streetcar. The one that is always parked by the laundromat? It made me realize how much you meant to me."

"Seriously? That old junk car?" You laughed.

"Hey, it reminded me of you okay, just seeing it whenever we hungout and passed it," Oikawa squeezed your hip, making you chuckle at him. "Will you ever forgive me?"

Your laughter ceases as you look up at him. "I had to learn how to drive on the highway on my own, jerk," You brought up.

"Is that a yes?" He smirked.

"...No...Maybe," You squinted your eyes at him. "You owe me ramen."

"Wait how'd you know how I've been these last few months?" Oikawa pulls away from your hold.

"Oh Iwa was the first to know I was moving, I asked him to check on you every now and then. I just wanted to make sure your pretty face doesn't do anything stupid. You did by the way, you did some stupid shit," You grinned. "Hey are you hungry? I can get you something from the café for free." You turned away from him, heading to your job.

"Hey you can't just insult me then leave, come here," He runs after you stopping you a few steps away from work. Oikawa plants a rough kiss on your lips before looking down at you. "The only stupid thing I did was not tell you I loved you sooner."

taglist: @amillionfandoms-onlyoneme @d0llpie @elianetsantana @joy-laufeyson @kac-chowsballs

[k-hiphopshit]

You Are A Goddess (Jay Park x Reader)

 hey guys... what’s up? how’s it going? let’s just cut to the shit, i felt nostalgic and started reading the imagines i used to port and I want to start writing again so...here goes nothing, this was requested by anon probably years ago i’m sorry baby for taking this long but I hope they see this and like it

Jay was a very handsome and charismatic man, you met him when you had gotten a job as Joon Kyungs a.k.a Dok2 personal assistant, so that meant you had to make a tons of phonecalls to other artists and people in the industry to confirm, arrange or cancel and inform about all types of things.

Jay was a bit stunned when he heard your voice over the phone, he could hear your smile, you sounded like you were really happy and excited for something and since he was drowning in responsibilities it was a breath of fresh air to hear someone talk in such a soothing and positive way. When he found out you were calling on Kyung’s behalf he got in contact with him and asked him about you

“Oh (y/n), she is my star right now, she is on top of everything and i’ve never met a person that is smiling genuinely so much”

After a few weeks joon kyung hosted an event for his birthday which meant you were in charge of pretty much everything and had to make sure everything went smoothly and exactly how your boss requested it. You saw Joon Kyung waving you over, he was with Dong gab and two other men you hadn’t personally met but you knew of them, well it wasn’t that hard since it was the infamous Jay Park and Simon D

“(y/n) let me introduce you to my good friends Jay Park and Kisok”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, I am a big fan of your music and achievements”

“Thank you, that means a lot. We’ve been also hearing a lot of good things about you as well”

Jay took the lead and tried to stall the conversation as much as he could. As soon as you walked over to them he felt your positive aura that was so addictive, you seemed so grounded and so effortlessly put together it was fascinating for him, since in his industry they were so many people that tried so hard to seem like something they aren’t and were never meant to be it was a nice fresh tone to be around someone that seemed authentic.

“I’m sure he is exaggerating as always, but i’ll gladly take any compliment I can get”

-

After that Jay pursued you, he wanted to be around you, listen to you talk, he craved that comfortable and inviting aura you exude, not too long after that you started dating and not too long after that you were puking like you had been possessed by a Demon.

Jay was so excited about the baby, of course he was shocked at first and very scared since he had so many people depending on him that he was on call 24/7 with everyone and a child is a big responsibility, however in his eyes he couldn’t wait to be blessed by you with such gift, you would bring a life into this world, a beautiful combination of him and you and how could he deny himself such heaven?

He made sure you had everything you needed at any time, he was there at every doctors appointment, he was there when you needed some help to put your shoes on, baking and making all kinds of crazy recipes that you craved and of course he was there when you gave birth to a beautiful baby girl named Kyung Mi.

Yet not everyone shared his excitement, the media were ruthless and the fans were not pleased to say the least, their idol and a well known bachelor was suddenly not only in a relationship but also was having a baby. Your face was plastered all over the tabloids and of course they started digging up your past. While you were still pregnant Jay made sure to hide as much as he could, after you gave birth not only you started seeing more and more of it what also did not help was the extra weight you had gained and it seemed to be very stubborn,

“What are you doing? it’s 3 am?”

Jay had just walked in after a concert, expecting to find his girlfriend and baby girl sleeping, on the contrary he found you exercising and doing crunches at the living room with the baby monitor right next to you.

“Exactly, which means is the only time I can work out without Mi needing something”

He had noticed how you started eating less, always talking about new healthier recipes and it wasn’t the first time he had caught you working out in the middle of the night. He huffed and walked towards you as he sat down on the floor while you kept going with your work out

“Baby you’ve been staying up late to work out more and more”

“Don’t start Jay, you just got home as well”

“I had to work”

“Yes, so did I Jay. But now I have a family to take care of”

He bit his lower lip in a settle way to hold back his words. He knew how much it hurt you that you were staying home since you loved your job so much, of course Kyung understood and told you that when you feel ready to come back the spot is yours. Still, you felt in complete, nothing was the same anymore, you didn’t fit in your clothes, your breasts were swollen and bruised since Kyung Mi was starting to bite and of course the waking up in the middle of the night from the crying did not help either. Jay tried to help as much as he could , unfortunately he couldn’t drop everything and stay home so he understood your frustration.

“How about we take a shower together? We are both sweaty and we can... help each other”

“You can go first”

That also was a part of your new life, you wanted to have sex with Jay... who wouldn’t the problem wasn’t him it was you, you felt fat and ugly and just wanted to cover up and go to bed.

Jay was of course very supportive and expressed his feelings for you every day, that didn’t change the way you saw yourself even when you wished it did. Jay sighed and got up from the floor, leaving you be and getting lost in his own thoughts.

He had to do something and he had to do it quickly. Some how some way there was something he could do that would help you, of course that meant he needed advice from a woman and preferably someone that knew you.

-

“What’s going on big papa?”

Jessi teased as she picked up the phone. You and Jessi had gotten closer over the years and she was someone you used to go out with very often, so Jay thought maybe she had any good ideas.

“Hey, I need your help with something”

“I hope you didn’t hurt my baby (y/n), you owe her after pushing a baby out of her”

“No i didn’t do anything. She’s been very distant lately, she seems to be kind of sulking because of the baby weight and it has taken such a big toll on her”

“Well yeah i’m sure it did, have you tried like having a conversation?”

“yes but she is shutting me out, blaming me about not helping her and missing her job”

“Oh man, Let me see what I can come up with”

-

Jessi was a Saint sent straight from heaven. Her plan was brilliant, she went over the house at 10 a.m and pretty much kicked you out and send you at a well known spa and resort as a “god mother gift” where she had planned a full boy massage and a facial, as well as a sauna and yoga. You haven’t felt this relaxed in a while, letting someone take care of you and not having to worry about the baby crying and if she needs a diaper change was something she desperately needed. 

After everything she was led to a room that had a big package with a beautiful pink bow and a letter. As she opened it she immediately recognized the hand writing.

“To my baby mama,

Take a sweet nap and in 3 hours a hair and make up artist will come to get you all dolled up for our dinner. 

I love you,

your baby daddy”

You smiled and chose to not open the box yet, you left it to the side and laid down on the bed smiling brightly at the letter he had left you. You knew he cared but it was still nice to see that he really did try.

As the letter promised a hair and make up artist came and hooked you up with the good stuff, they made you look like a person you hadn’t see in a while. You went for a nice soft gold eye make up and a red lip and you hair just a nice blow out but it was just so refreshing to finally look like your old self. Then came the the time to finally open the box and of course what was inside was absolutely stunning

It was tight around your stomach which you did not love and it did put you down a little bit but since you had nothing else to wear you just pushed it in the back of your mind, he had even bought your favorite perfume to wear and of course you noticed the lack of undewear in the box.

As you walked in the hotels restaurant you noticed nobody else was in here other than the servers and Jay. He got up and offered you a single red rose

“Milady”

You giggle as you took it and gave it a little sniff. You couldn’t hold back and went in to hug him, which he wanted to do as well.

“You look ravishing baby”

“Thank you, you look handsome as well”

He pulled back your seat and as you sat down he placed a gentle kiss on your shoulder right on top of the extremely thin spaghetti strap of your dress before taking a seat directly in front of you.

“Tonight is not about me beautiful, tonight is dedicated to you. The sexiest woman on the planet”

“Oh please, maybe after I love half of what I weight”

“Baby why are you putting yourself down? You know I would love you no matter what you weight right?”

You bit your lip. You knew Jay loved you, it was just you that felt insecure and almost like you were holding him back from everything, his career, his friends, everything had changed now and you felt responsible for it, the reason that you were so good at your job was that you took responsibility for everything so naturally it happened now as well.

“I know it’s just, I feel like I’m holding you back”

“What? What do you mean?”

“You were supposed to have a world tour this year and you cancelled it, as well as many other performances cause you wanted to come to doctors appointments”

“Exactly, I chose to cancel them baby, I wanted to be there”

“Yes but... I don’t know I just feel like I’m a burden, also I’ve gain weight and I feel... ugly”

There was a silence after that, since the waiter came and placed the food in front of you. You looked down at your feet, embarrassed and also a bit nervous of what Jay would say, after the waiter walked away Jay got up from his seat and kneeled in front of you, placing his one hand on top of yours and the other reached your chin so you can meet his eyes.

“You are one strong woman you know that? You loved me unconditionally and you gave me a beautiful child, sometimes I feel like I don’t deserve such a person in my life, you are no longer a woman to me... you are a Goddess. That’s why I don’t think i’ll find a more perfect time to do this”

“Do what?”

He reached for his pocket and pulled a small red velvet box. As soon as you saw it you started tearing up and your breathing stopped. Jay looked at you once again, he was saving it for the end of the meal but now it just seemed such a perfect moment.

“(Y/F/N) will you do me the absolute honor and let me your husband?”

“yes”

you whispered as you bot got up and went for a passionate kiss letting your feelings flow and the tears roll down your cheek. You were so happy, finally after so long you felt the connection you had with him before the baby, you missed this pure raw bond you shared, the passion flowed after so many months of complete drought.

“You are so pretty even when you cry”

You laughed once again as you gently wiped your tears not to mess your perfectly applicated make up. He slipped the ring on your finger and kissed your hand 

“Let’s eat and then I can take my dessert in the bedroom”

“Can’t wait mister Park”

[the-knight-of-the-stars]

Shuri and Carlos and Jay

Sorry I´m so horribly late at this... But its finally done! yey! Hope is not too messy

For this Ship Game

Indiscreet

The party had lost its color several hours ago. With the passing of time, the same repetitive waltz played over and over again, and the quiet voices of the guests trying to sound demure with their flat conversation had ended up leaving those present in a strange state of boredom and fed up. The musicians themselves didn't seem to play as keenly, and the music dripped wearily from the instruments, floating on the empty dance floor as the waiters tried not to nod, beginning to lose their upright posture next to the tables of half-eaten snacks.

Shuri sat in the middle of the cottony environment, sitting at her table in the open air, resting her head on her hands and by inertia watching as Evie passed from table to table asking how everyone was spending it. The wind began to lightly shake the colored ribbons that decorated the tables, and Shuri was grateful that at least the breeze could lessen the heat of the strong summer sun. She blew out a tired breath, looking away, wondering for the sixth time why she had agreed to come to this party.

In her defense, the idea of a supposedly informal picnic, in Auradon Castle's new garden honoring the recently named Lady Mal and hosted by the very nice Evie, hadn't sounded so bad at first. Of course, Shuri couldn't have known that Lady Mal would be three whole hours late in arriving and that she would only be able to speak to Evie when she was rushing by to ask if they needed anything, as she looked at the sun to check the time, trying to hide her exasperation for the obvious failure of the party.

As Shuri fingered the bland sandwiches on her plate with her fork, Carlos returned with a couple of cold drinks. He sat down next to her, and Shuri straightened up to look at him, thanking him for the drink with a small smile. At least, Shuri thought sipping her drink, she'd had the good sense not to go to the party alone. If it weren't for Carlos, Shuri was sure she would have left the party in the first hour. But despite the uncomfortable boredom she felt, Shuri had allowed herself to enjoy Carlos's company with much more comfort than she had been able to until now. Having him close felt like sunshine.

"I can't take this any longer ..." Shuri exclaimed looking at the grassy ground and kicking it desperately "Is there any purpose to this? She is not even here "

"Yeah, sorry about that," Carlos said with a pained smile "I should have told you that the plan changes are Mal's trademark"

Shuri answered with a long, loud sigh, looking around and wondering if everyone would have the same desire to leave as she did.

Carlos gulped, daring to look at Shuri and unconsciously starting to form a smile. He could feel bubbles popping inside him. He liked Shuri in a way he could never have expected. She seemed to him to be the coolest person he knew, she was funny, fresh, sincere, and wonderfully intelligent. Shuri's talents had amazed him since he'd first seen her come as a special guest to demonstrate in robotics class, and he hadn't been able to take his eyes off her since. He admired every part of her, even though he had no idea how to show it.

Carlos had never so wished he could put his shyness aside. Just seeing her eyes made him nervous, she had a beautiful look. Carlos shook his head, and looked away, biting his lip anxiously, wondering what to say.

"Well ... you know ... if you want ..." began Carlos awkwardly trying to sound calm "I brought my headphones ... I'm not the biggest fan of parties either ... we can listen to something if you want ...

Shuri watched him for an instant. The proposal had surprised him, but an excited gleam appeared in her eyes. For the first time, she seemed slightly nervous.

"Of course, why not?" she replied with a small smile. Carlos also smiled.

He took them out of his coat pocket and handed one to Shuri to share. The afternoon heat was raging, and the wind blew, cooling their faces. Carlos chose a simple song, soft tune, and few instruments, but wonderfully happy. Shuri was surprised by how much the music managed to light up the atmosphere. She realized that she was closer to Carlos now than she had been all morning, their arms brushing, but she felt much more comfortable than she had expected.

Carlos's lips trembled slightly, but he seemed delighted to be by her side. Shuri smiled, feeling the music dance in her chest. She, too, was beginning to feel enchanted. She had always been fancied by Carlos, he was simple and brilliant. They understood each other with surprising ease, despite their differences in character. It had taken Shuri a while to realize Carlos' particular interest in her, his small approaches and spontaneous details, and the idea had amused her immensely. Shuri herself had been surprised at how much she had come to like him. He was a kind of sweet that she had never known.

"Thank you for joining me today" Shuri thanked him, believing it prudent that this time, she was the one to initiate the approach "You are much better at these things than I am."

Carlos lowered his head and smiled slightly. Was he ashamed? Shuri thought with a certain nervousness. That had been a compliment, she had paid him a compliment, hadn't she?

"It is my pleasure, I like to believe that in another life I would have been a fantastic princess" replied Carlos, a little more daring, bringing his face closer and looking into her eyes. Shuri laughed, more relaxed.

"I believe it too" she replied in a good mood.

"Or perhaps I am in this life as well, who knows?"

"Yeah, maybe, you certainly have the character"

"Oh, I do?"

“Absolutely, kind, crowd-pleasing, discrete. But you do need to be more arrogant, like a real royal "

"You are not arrogant, and you are a real royal"

"You underestimate me, white head"

"Really?"

"Sure, I'm a genius, arrogance is my life juice"

"Well, I think you are sweeter than you give yourself credit for" replied Carlos with a mischievous smile.

"Oh, shut up! I'm not sweet! " Shuri responded offended, giving him a small blow on the shoulder, holding back the laugh.

"What? You are sweet ”

Suri shook her head, smiling.

"I knew you were a boot licker"

Carlos responded with a laugh, raising his hands, in a certain attitude of Oh, you caught me there. Shuri leaned back in her seat, looking pleased with her friend. For a moment, she had forgotten how boring the party was, and even the music that was playing in her ear. The afternoon was beginning, and the rest of the guests seemed to have begun to lose their patience, fed up with the heat and monotony. But now Shuri was feeling a bit more optimistic. Maybe going there today had not been a total waste.

Shuri approached, a little more confident, and discreetly rested her head on Carlos's shoulder. He didn't move. H could hear her breathing. Shuri allowed herself to think that Carlos could be truly charming. No, not entirely a waste. There was a certain charm in that summer noon, it awakened the most subtle senses.

Just as they began to relax between the music and the soft breathing, their calm was suddenly interrupted. Suddenly, Shuri felt the tickle of a breath on the back of her neck.

"Hey!"

She looked back in surprise, and Jay's confident smile greeted her.

Unlike them, decked out in elegant clothes and neat demeanor, Jay was wearing one of his old sleeveless Saturday shirts and ripped jeans. His hair was messy, his face was glowing. Shuri guessed that he had just showered after Journey practice, and run all the way there.

"Hi princess" he greeted with his charming half-smile. Shuri answered him in the same way.

"Jay you bastard" she replied "You scared me! What are you doing here? It's a private party. You do know what that means, right? "

"Of course. It means entering is twice as fun. "

"Let's see if you keep smiling when one of the princesses sees you and sends the guards on you"

"Oh please, I thought you knew me," Jay said with an arrogant smile, sliding to sit in the chair next to her "Princesses love me"

Shuri rolled her eyes, and leaned back in her seat, suppressing a smile. Jay winked at Carlos in greeting and blew Shuri an imaginary kiss. She laughed, she knew what Jay had come for. He liked to cause trouble, he was always lighting sparks. And lately, he seemed to have gotten into the habit of showing up in the same places as her, with his seductive demeanor, bad jokes, and sassy approaches. Ultimately, Jay seemed interested in her. But Jay seemed to be interested in everyone, and unlike Carlos, he wasn't quiet about it.

"So… what have you been doing this beautiful morning?" Jay asked, popping one of the sandwiches on the table. “Did Mal already bored you to death with her speech? I heard her rehearsing last night… A nightmare”

Jay shook himself as if the idea had given him chills. Carlos gave a little laugh.

"I wish" replied Carlos "She didn't even come"

"Really?"

"Really" Shuri affirmed with a sigh.

"Well, too bad" Jay replied getting up from the chair "What do you say, are we leaving here?"

"We can't go big brain," said Shuri "We accept the invitation, now we have to wait for her to arrive"

"Oh come on Shuri ..." said Jay taking her hand and pressing his face to Shuri's shoulder "We're going to die of boredom here"

"Enough," Shuri said, pushing him away laughing, trying not to blush "I remind you that you don't have to stay, you weren't even invited"

"Well it should have been, don't you think?" Jay replied, kneeling between their chairs so that he could put his arms around both of them. "This party got so much better with me in it."

"Don't get your hopes up, we were fine without you, right Carlos?" Shuri exclaimed jokingly. Carlos smiled slightly, looking at Jay with a new twinkle in his eyes.

"I mean ... A little more fun would do us good" he replied with a shrug. Jay grinned from ear to ear.

"See? That's my man ”said Jay excitedly, leaning over Carlos to slap an enthusiastic kiss on his cheek. Carlos pulled away feeling his face heat up and gave a nervous laugh. "Come on Shuri ... don't tell me you don't want a more exciting Saturday"

Shuri refused to answer, crossing her arms, and raising an eyebrow. Jay smiled. After a heavy morning of training, Shuri felt like a delicious bucket of water. Jay liked the cool way Shuri managed to capture his humor, that she could joke with him in the same way. They managed to understand each other extraordinarily well. Somehow they were very similar, Jay could recognize it, but his own strength did not compare to the strength that emanated from everything Shuri did, it was a worthy, almost supernatural strength. But beautifully human.

Despite his magnificent intelligence, Shuri never made him feel like a fool. Jay knew how easy it would be for her to do it, but instead, she chose to be his friend. She chose to be simple, strangely, normal. Funny, exciting, awkward at moments, a little weird... like him. Although in reality, nothing about Shuri was ordinary.

Anxious, Jay rested his head on the table and ran his gaze between Shuri and Carlos. They looked gorgeous in their white party outfits, like two angels, getting bored in the sun from an emotionless party. The thought made him laugh. Maybe, he could be their devil.

Carlos looked to the sides, starting to blush to see that some guests were beginning to notice the disheveled athlete half lying on his table. Jay thought his nervousness was adorable. He could understand it, Shuri had that effect on people, you just felt the need to like her.

Seeing Shuri continue to be reluctant, Jay, with deft hands, took with his fingertips the sandwich that was resting on her plate.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?" Shuri asked "That's mine"

"Oh is it? Sorry princess ”Jay replied. And he put the sandwich in his mouth, holding it between his teeth "Why don't you come and have it?"

She shook her head, pursing her lips to keep from laughing.

"Don't test me, thief" she said, imitating the hissing way he called her princess "You could get burned if you play with fire"

Jay chewed on the sandwich, enduring Shuri's cosmic dark eyes, and smiled.

"I think I'd like it" replied Jay "You know would. I like... you"

Shuri knew it.

"And where would you take us?" she inquired approaching him.

"Where the wind takes us, somewhere we can be alone. All three,” Jay replied with a smile as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Shuri lowered her head thoughtfully, licking her lips. SH had imagined it, but I heard it was something different. Bum Bum Bum.

“Please Shuri, I had the most horrible morning, and you two had it too. I think we could use a little fire, ” Jay said with a shrug, a smile that invited them to fun.

Shuri thought for a moment. Bum Bum Bum. Her heart sang in her chest. What was that emotion running inside her? The brilliant thought of an unexpected adventure. She turned to see Carlos for a moment, and he too seemed excited about the idea. And the strangest of all, those two boys were an adventure. On a morning so flat, so white, it was the last thing she would have expected, but her heart kept beating.

The wind ruffled her clothes, made her skin crawl. Her friends looked radiant in the sun. The three seemed to share that strange feeling of boredom and fun at that failed party. Children playing politics, a forgotten and old-fashioned high society. Three extraordinary teenagers. They didn't really felt that way. How absurd that life they led sometimes seemed. The most normal thing seemed to be what happened between them. That first-time tender emotion, as mature as they could feel it. Wasn't that love? The most extraordinarily ordinary thing.

Shuri pursed her lips. She had done much more dangerous things in the past, she had fought, she had stood up in the name of her nation. Why did the idea of sneaking out from a party with two boys make her feel so adrenaline-fueled? She did not know it. But she liked it. A leap of courage, a little fire.

"Let's do it"

Jay laughed with victory, and ecstatic, he put his face close to hers. Shuri did not retreat, she kept her smile. So he kissed her, as he had wanted to do for so long. It was smooth and fleeting, barely lasting an instant. Shuri covered her mouth, laughing. She didn't even think about people seeing them.

Jay ran into the labyrinth of gardens, Carlos and Shuri followed him laughing, leaving behind their possessions, and the looks of the confused people watching them abandon the table. Carlos, on a happy impulse, offered his hand to Shuri. She hesitated for a second and took it, a new lightness in her chest, Carlos´s grip was firm and loving. And the two of them ran after Jay holding hands, engulfed in dreamy joy. Music of their own that resounded in their hearts. Losing themselves in the maze of roses and dahlias, jostling each other, splashing in the lily ponds, and rolling in the fields of freshly cut grass.

Daisies and herbs filled their hair, mud stained their clothes, drowned in the scent of flowers and the skin of others. They laughed until they were out of breath and were intoxicated by the embrace of each other, hiding their faces in other clothes and in the bushes of the garden. The sun was shining strong and high. Sweet, sweet summer love.

[bijvoorbeeldja]

never have I ever -- sobbe one-shot

inspired by the lovely prompt from @braimemystical! sorry it took so long, bb!

.............

Everyone was already a few drinks when Jana abruptly stood up from the couch, stumbling slightly with a laugh as Jens steadied her. 

That weekend, they’d all been uninterested in attending any of the parties their classmates were throwing, instead migrating together to Sander’s apartment to talk and drink and probably, fall asleep on top of each other on the small couches before the night was over. 

After Jana got up, she began pushing chairs and tables out of the way, turning the music down, and ushering everyone into a circle on the floor. 

Sander had only recently moved out of his parent’s house, now living by himself in a one-room studio closer to his school and his weekend job at a local art gallery. Technically, Robbe still lived with his parents, but he was such a frequent visitor at Sander’s place, that he had his own drawers in the boy’s bedroom dresser, a spare toothbrush in the bathroom, and a side of the bed he preferred. While the apartment was still sparse, Sander had added his own artsy touches, including modern-style furniture and framed artwork of Robbe, which Jens and Moyo promptly teased him for when they first entered, jabbing him in the arm and raising their eyebrows.

Now, Jana was breathlessly manhandling the furniture, then grabbing a few nearly-full bottles of vodka as she plopped on the ground, announcing that they were officially starting a rousing game of “Never Have I Ever.”

There were a few groans as everyone shuffled from their comfortable positions. Robbe, who had been sitting on Sander’s lap nursing his second beer, whined as Sander slid him off his lap, setting his drink down and rubbing his hands together in excitement.

“Ooooh,” he crooned. “A game! Let’s do this.” He joined Jana on the floor, pulling Robbe with him, then starting to pour drinks into shot glasses she was lining up. Amber and Aaron joined them, hands still intertwined. Jens clapped Moyo on the back and they finally heaved themselves off the couch and into the makeshift circle on the floor. 

“Okay, I’ll start,” Sander said, cracking his knuckles dramatically and stretching his neck as if bracing himself for war. He held up a shot glass, filled to the brim, liquid teetering out as he spoke. 

“Never have I ever…” he bit his lip, thinking as he stared into the distance. Then he got a wicked grin on his face, glancing over at Robbe. “Never have I ever cried during Call Me By Your Name.”

“Sander!” Robbe shouted, shoving his arm, sending the liquid spilling out of his glass. “You were never supposed to mention that! It was one time! I had something in my eye!”

Everyone was laughing and Robbe blushed, his lips forming a pout that Sander reached over to kiss. 

“It was so adorable, baby! I couldn’t resist! My sensitive boyfriend.” He purred.

Robbe palmed a hand over his face, as if trying to wipe the blush from his cheeks. 

“Drink up, IJzermans!” Jens yelled over the noise.

Everyone watched in shock as Moyo, too, held up a glass, clinking it to Robbe’s as they both downed their shot.

“You, too, man?” Jens said, breaking out into a new bout of laughter that had him doubled over.

“It’s an emotional movie!” Moyo said, shaking away their teasing. “That shit caused some serious waterworks, man. I won’t even lie.”

Sander laughed between the kisses he was still planting on Robbe’s pouting lips, willing him to smile, which he finally did as Jens announced it was his turn.

“Never have I ever,” he began, thinking. “...sung karaoke!”

“Are you kidding?” Jana shouted, incredulous. “That’s like a rite of passage! We’re doing that for our next hangout, for sure.” She held up her glass before downing it, joined by Aaron, Zoe, Moyo, and Sander. 

“How did you not know that?” Jens asked, smiling playfully at Jana. “Didn’t we date?”

“Oh, shut up,” Jana said, shoving him lightly. “Just because we hooked up doesn’t mean we know everything about each other.”

“Ooooh, drama!” Aaron cooed, clapping his hands excitedly. “I knew this game was a good idea.” 

“On that note,” Jana interjected, still smiling, “I think it’s my turn!” She rubbed her hands together, bracing herself. She was looking off into the distance, thinking, then suddenly looked over at Robbe. “Never have I ever….have a crush on my best friend...of the same sex.”

Robbe’s eyes widened, a bright blush creeping us his cheeks. Everyone was oooooh-ing now, looking from Robbe to Jens, then excitedly to Sander.

“C’mon,” Jana urged, lifting her eyebrows. “Drink up, Robbe!”

“Okay, that was like years ago, Jana,” Robbe whined, gazing sheepishly at Sander, looking for signs of anger or hurt. “I was still figuring everything out and didn’t even know I had feelings for Jens!”

Sander was smiling, looking down with his tongue in his cheek. 

“I can’t believe you had the hots for Jens,” Moyo said, shaking his head and laughing.

“Hey!” Jens yelled out, a look of mock-offense on his face. “What do you mean? Of course Robbe had a crush on me! I mean, look at me!”

Jana scoffed and rolled her eyes, while Aaron was shaking his head and rubbing his hands over his face. “We could’ve had a Broerrrs romance,” he said. “Wild.”

“Not even,” Robbe said defiantly. “Nothing was ever going to happen there. Obviously. The only boy I’ve ever been in love with — the only one I’ll ever be in love with — is Sander.” He looked desperately at Sander, searching for any sign that he was offended by the turn this conversation had taken. Sander eye’s were bright, sparkling at him.

“Awww,” Jana and Zoe squealed to each other. “That’s precious.”

“Watch out, Sander,” Jens teased, “I might come back to steal yo’ mans. You know he had the hots for me.”

“Sander,” Robbe pleaded, ignoring Jens. “You know that there was nothing between Jens and I, right?” He reached for Sander’s hand, who squeezed it back reassuringly. 

“You’re about to get real drunk, baby,” Sander said then, smirking. “‘Cause it’s my turn.”

Robbe swallowed, blushing a deeper shade of pink, downing the punishment his last revealing “have I ever.”

“Never have I ever…” Sander began, still not taking his eyes off Robbe. “...begged for cyber sex five nights in row.”

“Daaaaaaaamn,” Moyo said, looking away and play-fanning himself with his hand. “It just got hot in here.”

“Sander!” Robbe hush-squealed at him, the second time that evening. “We are not going to talk about our sex life in front of everyone!”

“Drink up, IJzermans,” Sander said, wiggling his eyebrows. Robbe poured into his shot glass from the big bottle in the middle of the floor, then drank it quickly, still flushed. Sander licked his lips, watching him intently.

“Um, do we need to leave the room?” Amber said, embarrassed. 

“Well,” Moyo smirked. “Apparently Robbe likes the virtual stuff, so…”

Robbe blushed again, looking down. “No, we’re going to behave ourselves now,” he said, quietly. “Right, Sander?”

“Speak for yourself,” Sander said grinning, while Robbe groaned. 

“Oh-kay,” Zoe said, clapping her hands. Robbe mouthed a thank you at her from across the circle, grateful for the distraction. “My turn!” She rolled her glass between her hands, thinking. “Never have I ever...made a vlog.” She smirked at the broerrrs, lifting her glass, urging them to drink. 

“Oh c’mon,” Aaron said, wincing as he swallowed down his shot. “You wish you could be as cool as us.”

Zoe scoffed. “You know, I really don’t.”

Robbe was already starting to feel warm and light, a combination of the alcohol — which he was disproportionately drinking in comparison to everyone else — and the baring of the dirty details of his relationship. He was not going to survive this game. Thinking this, he turned to look at Sander, who was gazing at him, licking his lips.

Oh boy, Robbe thought. Now he was even more woozy. Everyone else’s conversation and laughter around him was blurring and bubbling and Sander’s gaze was hot on him. He tugged at the collar of his shirt, aching for the relief of fresh air.  

“....that rapping video?” He heard Jana say. “That was...wow. That was something else.” She busted up into a fit of laughter, Zoe and Amber joining in. 

“What?!” Jens shouted. “That was one of our best!” More laughter erupted from the girls.

“Okay, okay, that’s enough,” Moyo said, quieting everyone. “I’ll remember this conversation when we’re famous.”

Jana scoffed and Amber shook her head. 

“Who’s next?” Moyo asked, looking around, settling with a smirk on Sander. “Jack Frost? Got anything else you want to share about our boy?”

“Nooooo,” Robbe objected, slurring slightly. “No more from you, you hear me?” He shook his empty shot glass at Sander.

“Oh, like what?” Sander said, shrugging innocently. “I mean, you’d be surprised what Robbe has done….but then we’d be here all night and Robbe would be even more drunk than he already is. 

More oooohs filled the room, and Robbe couldn’t take it. Loopy and overheated, he launched at Sander, tackling him to the ground and pressing a finger to his lips. “Quiet, you!” 

Sander eyes widened, and he leaned up to kiss Robbe, his finger caught between their kiss.

Ooohs turned to ewwwws quickly as Sander started pulling Robbe closer, ignoring their friends around them as he connected their lips and refused to let go.

“Aaaaaand that,” Jens said, shifting to stand, “is our cue to exit.”

Everyone scrambled to escape the PDA, Jana doubling back with a hand shielding her eyes to grab the bottle of alcohol and run back to catch up with the exiting crew. 

“Do you think I was going to let you just sit there looking so hot and suffer through talk about your crush on Jens?” Sander leaned up to whisper in Robbe’s ear, nipping it softly. “I needed to get everyone out of here. Fast.”

Robbe just pulled back, looking at him with heavy breath. Before he leaned down to give Sander a passionate kiss, he heard Jens yell from the doorway.

“Use protection, you two!”

[tsukihimeyfan]

Sozin’s Comet’s Deus Ex Machina (and ways to fix them)

I’m sure that most of us AtLA fans can agree that the four part Finale was one of the best moments in animation history, with astoundingly well choreographed fight scenes, fantastic emotional beats, gorgeous animation, and frankly breath-taking music. However, I’m also sure I’m not the only one who was frustrated by one aspect of it in particular, the one blot on an otherwise perfect finale: what I like to call the “lion-turtle and pointy rock” ex machina.

The saddest part is that there was very little they had to change to get to a satisfactory, ties-everything-together ending. For example, take Energy-bending and the Lion-turtle. I saw a post a while ago where they suggested that energybending could’ve been related to what Aang learned from the swamp and the Guru, and it just makes SO much sense (Note: I saw the post months ago and I can’t find it anymore, so if anyone knows who first posted that theory please let me know so that I can give credit where credit’s due). After all, Aang seemed to use the energy of the swamp to sense where Appa and Momo were, and later, during Appa’s Lost Days, Guru Pathik says this:

Meaning he, a non-bender, is capable of reading the energy of others, and of locating people bonded to them from miles away. Let’s not forget that he had also previously sensed everything Appa had gone through with the same ability. Sounds like a really useful skill, wouldn’t you say?

Also, looking at both “sensing” occurrences, they look remarkably similar, so we can be reasonably sure that they’re both employing the same method.

It would’ve been so easy to have Aang take a moment to ask how Guru Pathik met Appa. After all, as far as the Gaang knew, Appa was taken by merchants to be sold in Ba Sing Se, so he shouldn’t have had a chance to meet anyone at the Eastern Air Temple. Did the merchants pass through the temple on the way to Ba Sing Se? Did the Guru try to set Appa free? Pathik would then have to explain how Appa had already escaped on his own, and he helped him find Aang by reading his energy. Aang could then ask the Guru to teach him this ability so that if they ever get separated again he’d be able to find and help Appa easily. Boom - energybending basics acquired.

A highly spiritual person like Aang would no doubt have little problems mastering the sensing ability, especially since he’s used a limited version of it before at the Swamp. Also, if we think about how much the spiritual mentors in the show have tried to drill it into Aang that all things are connected,

we can assume that after mastering everything Guru Pathik could do he would eventually be able to sense even people vaguely connected to him from far away. Being the Avatar, the bridge between the spiritual and physical worlds, would almost certainly also help him master energysensing abilities no other had before. 

Maybe they could’ve added a few 30 second scenes here and there of Aang meditating to hone his energysensing skills. Also, during the whole Boiling Rock debacle, imagine how great it would’ve been if Sokka had asked Aang about his dad and, after pressing his hand to Sokka’s forehead and following his bond to his father, Aang was able to tell him that his dad was alive and well, and that he was somewhere in the direction they’d come from, though at that point he wouldn’t be able to pinpoint his exact location.

“I’m sorry Sokka... I can’t tell exactly where he is yet... I know that’s not really helpful...”

“No, knowing he’s alright is plenty. Thanks, buddy”

After Sokka and Zuko rescue Hakoda, I could picture Aang practicing harder than ever until he could use Hakoda’s bond to Bato and the others to locate them in a prison in Caldera City (which would’ve made rescue before ending the war difficult to say the least, and would explain how they were all there for Zuko’s coronation so fast)

Later, during Aang’s trip to the mysterious island, it would’ve been so cool if, instead of handing him the ability, the lion-turtle just told him this:

... and maybe showed him visions of his energysensing training when he did the forehead-touch thing. Then, during the battle with Ozai, maybe after redirecting the lightning away from Ozai Aang could think to himself “I can’t... he may be a monster, but he’s still my friend’s father!”. Then, he suddenly realizes that just like with his friends and family, Aang has a connection with Ozai too, and that if sensing someone’s energy happens by putting a bit of his energy into them, maybe he can use the same route to take some of Ozai’s energy away from him.

Imagine how amazing it would’ve been if they’d added those little snippets of Aang’s energybending training all throughout book 3, without giving it that name, and then Aang used what he’d learned from Guru Pathik and Huu and what he’d taught himself to rediscover a technique that hadn’t been used in millenia all by himself! (well, with a little “nudge in the right direction” from lionturtle-sensei) We were SO close, all the building blocks were there but... *sigh* we ended up still so far. 

Continued with solving “pointy-rock-ex-machina” under the cut

In Book 2, we’re told that to master the Avatar State Aang has to “let go of his attachments”, but that plot point is dropped completely and all he has to do is get hit in his lightning scar and BAM! Avatar State unlocked, no letting go required! 😒 

He was still just as attached to Katara as he was during Book 2, if not more so. So, in the interest of trying to figure out how to tie up as many loose ends as possible, we could try to hit two birds with one stone by fixing another thing at the same time that wasn’t addressed either. 

We could start with a conversation between Aang and Katara where he apologizes for kissing her when she clearly didn’t want him to at some point during Sozin’s Comet Part 1 - The Phoenix King.

“I accept your apology Aang” Katara’d say, “but from now on make sure to respect people’s boundaries, Ok? Especially girls’ boundaries :) We can talk about this more after everything’s over”

At this point, maybe Aang could be left to think and reflect on his relationship with Katara, on his attachment to her, and on how he’d started thinking about her as “his” almost without any input from her.

Maybe Aang could begin to really understand what Guru Pathik was trying to teach him when he said “you must let go”, and the difference between love and unhealthy attachment to people.

He’d therefore be going into the fight with Ozai with that fresh on his mind.

Then, as the battle raged and he grew increasingly desperate, maybe he’d try a few times to force himself into the Avatar State only to fail miserably. 

At this moment

when he’s been overpowered and cornered (and also has a little bit of “downtime” to think), he could start desperately trying to figure out a way to enter the Avatar State, and wondering why he can’t do it. Katara’s been healing him every day! The scar doesn’t even hurt anymore! Why doesn’t it work???

Then, he'd realize that it doesn’t really make sense for a lightning strike to lock his 7th Chakra, since according to what Guru Pathik taught him chakras are locked or unlocked through changes in emotional and spiritual state, not physical. 

(Note: this is also backed up by what little I know of irl chakras and activating Kundalini in the Yoga school of Hindu philosophy. If anyone knows more about it please feel free to add to this or correct me. I’d love to learn how the concept of chakras in Avatar contrasts with its real life counterpart 😊)

Also, if the lightning had messed with the Avatar State some other way, like by blocking his chi for example, he shouldn’t be able to bend properly either.

So what could’ve caused his problem with the Avatar State? 

Of course! After Katara saved him, Aang became even more focused on gaining her love, and grew even more attached to her than he’d been before! Of course he can’t enter the Avatar State! 

Now, I’m a Zutara shipper all the way, and this would work much better if that had been canon, but this could work even with a Kataang endgame since, as I said before, Aang kind of become obsessed with the idea of making Katara “his” no matter what, a clear earthly attachment, instead of loving her unselfishly and letting her love him in her way:

Notice that he said “we kissed” even though he kissed her, and then “I thought we were gonna be together”, an assumption he made without asking her anything once. Same as in this scene:

Mastering the Avatar State doesn’t mean not loving anyone romantically, as we can clearly see through Avatar Roku’s example (also the “if you want power abandon your loved ones” message is stupid and I don’t like it at all. This would be better imo)

Even during the process for unlocking the chakras, the Fourth Chakra tells us that finding love isn’t contrary to spirituality, and can even be a source of spiritual strength. However, I’ve always thought it was a bit strange that the “new love” Aang found to fill the hole left by the deaths of his people was.... just Katara

Because what Aang lost was essentially all of his family and friends right? So wouldn’t it have made more sense for Aang to envision Sokka, Toph, Appa and Momo as well? You know, his old family vs. his new family?

I didn’t fully understand what exactly was wrong with it until I read some of tumblr user marsreds’ metas on the matter, and I have to agree with them that it seems Aang was sort of focusing on his love for Katara so much partially as a way to cope with the loss of his people. To keep it out of mind. That’s not how you build a wholesome romantic relationship, and it doesn’t seem like the best way to deal with grief either. No wonder his Seventh Chakra was blocked.

I would’ve loved to see Aang realize at the moment of truth that in order to access the Avatar State he simply had to let Katara go enough so that he could love her selflessly, so that her wants and needs, and the needs of the world, could come first. He needed to become able to accept her answer, whatever it was, when she gave it. He needed to come to understand that his happiness wasn’t completely (or even mostly) dependent on getting into a relationship with Katara. He had a family he’d found all on his own, made up of friends who adored him and who would’ve given their lives for him if necessary. He was not alone in the world any more. Even if she told him no, he would in all likelihood find new love and be happy.

(in fact we have proof and there’s a perfect candidate right there in the Fire Nation but I digress)

The rest of the finale could’ve played out exactly the same as canon, and in the end Aang would’ve had a better understanding of himself and some inner peace. They could’ve also given us an inkling that Aang would later get to mourn over the deaths of his people properly, surrounded by his loved ones (maybe, ideally, in a hypothetical Book 4-AIR?. God, I wish)

I’ve seen some posts about Aang letting go of his attachment to the Air Nomad’s teachings instead (with maybe that very decision to put the needs of the world above his own being what unlocks his Seventh Chakra), and those are magnificent ideas as well, but I myself would’ve preferred if it went this way because I think there’s something beautifully poetic and satisfying about Aang staying true to himself, finding an alternate solution to violence that would still protect the world, and using the wisdom of His People to put an end to the very war that caused their destruction, while simultaneously giving the worst possible punishment to a man as power-hungry as Ozai

...and leaving him the same way he’s left many of the Fire Nation’s victims in the past: trapped, powerless and forgotten.

I also feel like this ties up all the loose ends better, since it was his attachment to Katara specifically which stopped him from mastering the Avatar State in the first place. And, Kataang endgame or not, it would’ve sent a wonderful message about building and maintaining healthy relationships, perfect for the show’s target audience of preteen and teenage kids.

Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk

[texastheband]

Texas V Wu-Tang Clan

Interview by Steven Daly Photography by Peter Robathan Taken from The Face - December 1997

It’s the pop story of ’97, the most unlikely end to a weird year: TEXAS collaborating with the WU-TANG CLAN. First, a Scottish rock band on the verge of slip-sliding away into a tasteful obscurity was reborn via a slew of hit singles and a glut of stylish imagery. Now, in New York, their Brit-cool meets hip hop in a mutually beneficial deal. For everyone concerned, it’s all they need to get on…

Sharleen Spiteri took the call in her front hall. "Yo, Peach," growled a strange voice over transatlantic wires. The gentleman caller was none other than Ol’ Dirty Bastard, court jester of New York hip hop dynasty the Wu-Tang Clan. Apparently Mr Bastard fancied working with Spiteri and her band, Texas. It all started in August, with one of Texas’ managers discussing Land Rovers with someone called Power in New York, who turned out to be the manager of the Clan. A video of Texas’ "Say What You Want" was dispatched, and prodigiously gifted Wu-Tang chieftain RZA signed on to do a re-recording of the single for a prospective single project. Original rapper OI’ Dirty Bastard was replaced by Method Man, the next Clan member with a solo album scheduled.

The hook-up with the Wu-Tang Clan is the perfect climax to a year that’s seen Texas rise from a tumbleweed-strewn grave to grab the pole position in British Pop. A year in which Glasgow’s Sharleen Spiteri has stared out, defiantly remade and remodelled, from every magazine cover and TV show. From a media point-of-view, Texas’ – Spiteri’s – reconfiguring of music and fashion has been the year’s dream ticket. Ever since Bryan Ferry took the innovative step of getting Anthony Proce in to design Roxy Music’s wardrobe in the early seventies, successive phases of pop’s history have thrown up performers who use the fashion photographers, stylists and designers du jour to present The Package. It is these performers who most often capture the youthful mood of their time: that’s why you can see the vulgar glamour of the Seventies in the cut of Ferry’s sleazy lounge-lizard jib; the naive aspiration of the early Eighties in the box-suited and pixie-booted "style" of Spandau Ballet; and the onset of the late-Eighties mixing and matching of different cultures in Neneh Cherry’s Buffalo Stance. When we look back at 1997 we will see in Texas’ sound and vision a new mix, all to do with living the high life but keeping it real. Catwalk and street, the designer and the understated, Prada and Nike; the slick and the cred. Ten years’ gone Scottish guitar outfit and this season’s bright young labels (in both senses). The setting too, has helped. Fashion, again, is big cultural business. Clever pop stars (Goldie! Liam!) want to be seen by the runway and hanging out at fashion parties; young designers yearn to be visible on the stage or the podium (viz. Antonio Berardi’s autumn London show at Brixton Academy). Factor in a paucity of self-motivating, button-pressing, songwriting, photogenic women in British music, and you have a ready-made media phenomenon.

Sharleen Spiteri is holding court at a New York restaurant with a gang of Calvin Klein employees who’ve just accompanied her to the VH-1 Fashion Awards. The annual ceremony is a mutually convenient arrangement, a TV cluster-fuck where the music and fashion industries exchange credibility and cachet. Texas are contemplating just such an exchange themselves, having recently been given the OK by CK. (Tommy Hilfiger has also made overtures.) Spiteri is to have an audience with Klein himself; she’s already been bribed with a trunkful of CK merch, including the streaked black dress – "inspired by [the artist] Brice Marden" – she’s wearing tonight.

Someone suggests that Texas would be perfect for Fashionably Loud, an MTV special where models strut on stage as the hot bands of the moment rock out. "Forget it," quips Spiteri. "there’s only room for one star up where we play." If Spiteri were to join Kate Moss and Christy Turlington on the Calvin Klein payroll it would not, as she sees it, detract from Texas’ music. "Fashion and music have always been connected, and now more than ever," says the singer. "You couldn’t have one without the other. If there’s shit music at a runway show it just doesn’t work."

Meanwhile, there’s the songs. With "White On Blonde", Texas’ fourth album, the music takes care of itself. Radio-friendly unit-shifters abound, helped on their way by producers Mike hedges (manic Street Preachers) and Manchester’s Grand Central. The singles have been, in sequence, nu-soul fresh ("Say What You Want"), springy pop ("Halo"), Motown-sunny ("Black Eyed Boy") and winter warming ("Put Your Arms Around Me"). The B-side remixers have covered all bases in these dance-savvy late Nineties, ranging from of-the-moment talents like the Ballistic Brothers and Trailerman to old stand-bys like Andy Weatherall and 808 State. Texas, patently, lost their dancefloor cherry by cherry-picking the brightest and the best.

Of course, while the singles have all enjoyed heavy airplay and gone top ten, and while "White on Blonde" has sold two million copies (more than its two predecessors put together), the remixes haven’t necessarily helped those sales. As the go-faster stripes of credibility on the solid saloon car, though, they’ve still been essential to The Package; all part of the thoroughly modern mix.

So now, the Wu-Tang Clan. To many, though, this latest development could smack of opportunism. One group are renegade roughnecks who mythologise themselves in epic hip hop anthems; the others are fastidiously tasteful Scots with an eye for perfectly modern consensus-pop. The Wu-Tang Clan are certainly among the aesthetically correct names that Texas always drop in interviews, but can there possibly be a legitimate connection between the two? "A lot of the Wu-Tang backing tracks have the feel of soundtracks, and we’ve always gone for a cinematic sound," says Johnny McElhone, Spiteri’s genial songwriting partner and bass player. "And I’ve always liked Al Green, and they use a lot of Willie Mitchell, Al Green, that whole Hi Records sound, and make it modern. And Marvin Gaye: Method Man, in that duet with Mary J. Blige, used ‘You’re All I Need To Get By."

Having dominated the charts in Europe this year, Texas are now, logically, turning their attention to America: the country that has always inspired them, whether it’s the dusty, pseudo-roots sound of their first three albums, or the iconic-soul and post-soul sounds of Memphis and Staten Island that they give props to now; the place where success has always eluded them. Yet given the commercial momentum of "White on Blonde", their approach to the Wu-Tang Clan is surely not driven by desperation. They are, then, viewing the collaboration with a combination of fan-like wonder and disbelief.

"Method Man is just a wicked, wicked rapper," enthuses Spiteri. "I can’t wait to hear the combination of my vocals and his – I‘m really excited about it. I have a kind of sweet, virginal thing going on, and he’s got this dirty sex vibe. It could be the perfect marriage."

It’s a Saturday night in Manhattan, and ten storeys above Times Square, Sharleen Spiteri sits on the floor of a recording studio, tinkering with her latest high-tech gadget, a Philips computer about the size of a TV remote. Across the street, three ten-foot high electronic ticker-tapes provide testimony to Monday’s stockmarket crash. No matter how much Spiteri plays with her new toy, there’s still that nagging worry: what if the Wu-Tang Clan won’t show? They’re supposed to be on a tour bus returning from a gig in Washington, DC today, but these, after all, are the original masters of disaster. The crew whose normal modus operandi seems to be chaos. The band that recently quit a national tour because only five of the nine members could be relied upon to turn up.

The studio has been booked since six, so Spiteri and McElhone breathe signs of relief when RZA and his posse finally roll in around ten. Among the dozen-strong throng, they’re surprised to see Wu-Tang member Reakwon, a stout fellow with a Mercedes cap and a Fort Knox of gold dental work. Several cigars are hollowed out, their contents replaced with weed; bottles of Cristal champagne and Hennessy are passed around as the air grows thick with smoke.

Half an hour later, method Man makes his entrance. Stooped over, he looks deceptively short – maybe only six-four in his Hilfiger fleece hoodie. "I’m John-John," he tells Sharleen, referring to his alias, Johnny Blaze. Pulling out the big blunt from behind his ear, Method Man considers the job at hand. "She got a nice voice," drawls the laconic giant. "This band not exactly my type of listening material, but they going in the right direction, if you ask me, by fucking with us. I’m waiting for RZA to put down a beat, hear how the vocals sound melded with the track before I come with ideas. I’m one of those guys."

As his friends get on with the serious business of partying, RZA goes to work, feeding a succession of sample-laden discs into a sampler. He has a diffident, genius-at-work charisma about him as he sits with his back to the room, keyboard at side. With a flick of his prodigiously ringed hand he reaches out and conjures up a brutal bassline. The speakers pulse violently. RZA takes a sip of Hennessy. "Record this, right here!" he tells the bewildered-looking engineer.

RZA has decided to dispense with the original master tapes, shipped over from Britain. He wants a completely new version, recorded rough-and-ready without the standard safety net of a time-code. This convention-trashing, wildstyle approach to recording elicits some consternation from the studio’s engineer, a central-casting white guy who warns RZA: "You won’t be able to synch to this, you know." RZA waves him away and turns to Johnny McElhone. "This riff is in E," McElhone tells RZA. "Maybe we should try it in the original key, D." "What are you saying? I understand no keys," says RZA. "You want me to sing the whole song straight through?" asks Spiteri, trying to divine RZA’s intentions. He orders the lights turned down, and offers Sharleen some herbal inspiration. She politely declines and walks to the vocal booth. "What’s her name? Sheree?" asks RZA as Spiteri warms up. The engineer wants to know if he should maybe start recording. "Always record everything!" exclaims RZA. "Ready, get set, go! Play and record, play and record!" Spiteri rattles of a perfect new version of ‘Say What You Want’, grooving along by herself and passionately acting out every word, even the ones borrowed from Marvin Gaye’s ‘Sexual Healing". Now it’s time for Method Man, who at this point is so herbally inspired that he can hardly open his eyes. He jumps up and lopes around the main room, running off his newly written rhymes and clutching a bottle of Crystal. Method walks up to the mic and opens his mouth, and that treacly baritone sets a typically morbid scene: "Fifteen men on a dead man’s chest…" The Texas duo just look at each other, shaking their heads in awe.

The hours and the rhymes pass. Around 6am, things are starting to get a little weird. As Method Man snoozes on the sofa, RZA bounces off the walls, dancing like a dervish. "These are the new rhythms," he yells. "These are the new dances from Africa. I learned them when I was there last week!" McElhone and Spiteri crack up. The engineer probably wishes he were in Africa right now; he further draws RZA’s ire by making a mistake as he runs off some rough cassettes. As everyone says goodbye, RZA decides that he’s taking the studio’s sampler – he already has two of the $3,500 items, but at this point it’s all about the wind-up. The engineer, though, having last seen the end of his tether a good few hours ago, has had enough. By the commencement of office hours that morning, the rest of the session will have been cancelled and the band and Clan banned from this studio.

After a few frantic phone calls later that morning, a studio is found that is prepared to let the Wu-Tang Clan through the door. With one precondition: only two of them are allowed in the studio. Now it’s midnight, and four-fifths of Texas watch a trio of RZA-hired session men go through their paces. They shift effortlessly through a handful of soul and funk styles, and the Scots mutter approval. These are the kind of players that are so good they can get away with wearing questionable knitwear.

Soon, another couple of Wus pop in. Then another couple. In the control room RZA orders up a bottle of Hennessy and talks about hearing "Say What You Want" for the first time. "I didn’t fully understand the sound of it," admits the soft-spoken maestro. "It was obviously a popular song, a radio song, and my sound is the total opposite. But I thought that the artist had something, so I thought: "Let’s take her and rock her to my beat."

"Sweet soul, that’s what her stuff sounded like to me. Smooth. It reminded me of the Seventies: in those days, they did songs that would fit anywhere. If you went to a club getting high it would fit; if you was cleaning up your house it would fit. That’s when you’ve got a real great song right there." Whether or not "Say What You Want" is a great song, it’s not quite coming together tonight. Despite the best offers of the studio management, a full complement of Wu posse members ended up in the house. As the night drags on the trio of musicians don’t get with the track, and by eight the following morning there is little in the way of usable material. But everyone stays upbeat. Texas will work on the track in Glasgow, and send it back to RZA to finish, along with a new song based around one of his samples. After vowing to stay in touch, everyone stumbles out into the Manhattan morning light together, the Scots with an American name, and the Clan without a tartan.

From a distance the collaboration will continue. But it’s only a different kind of distance. Culturally, creatively, the gap between the Wu-Tang Clan and the old twang clan is considerable. Yet so it goes, this cross-cultural exchange programme. Whether it’s The Stones copping blues movies, Bowie digging the Philadelphia Sound, Lisa Stansfield getting soulful with Barry White, Sting getting doleful with Puff Daddy… Whether it’s Todd Terry reviving Everything But The Girl or Armand Van Helden making Sneaker Pimps the unwitting jumpstarters of speed garage, naked opportunism and risk-taking innovation have always been confused. Now, with genres blurred and tricknology proceeding apace, anything is possible and everything is permitted. Perhaps it is this, the sheer unlikeliness, that makes the Texas-Wu experiment the most illuminating collaboration of the year. Whether it works or not.

"If you play her stuff in a club, everybody be dancing, but it’s a clear room and you can see everybody’s face," RZA reflects on the departing Sharleen Spiteri. "But if you play mine, the room is smoky." And perhaps it is here, among the clouds and the clarity, between the smoke and the mirrors, where a new sound and vision lies.

Text originally posted on texasindemand.com

[pyox1]

New Year - Cho Seungyoun

Hello! I’ve been wanting to write longer scenarios for a while now, and this is something kinda new for me so I hope you all enjoy it!! (I swear it gets better towards the end lol)

I hope the new year will only bring great things to each and everyone of you:))) Thank you all so much for supporting me and my works. It’s truly a dream come true.

Please give feedback if possible, I always love reading what you guys think:)

Genre : fluff, ANGSTY, (tinyyy bit suggestive)

Pairing : Seungyoun x reader

Word count : 1,5k

(there’s literally no correlation with the gif and this imagine pls don’t mind me askjdkds)

“(Y/n)?”

You didn’t even need to turn around to know who the owner of that voice was, since you could distinguish it apart from millions. Hearing the door being shut, steps made their way next to you. Through your flowing hair, you saw Seungyoun’s enticing figure stand against the metallic fence. He wasn’t looking at you, seemingly too engrossed into the city’s late night view.

“What brings you here? Tired of the crowd?” The way that it slipped out of your mouth could’ve made it seem like it was a reproach. The black haired boy snickered, before letting out a sigh. If you knew better it could have almost sounded as if he was sad.

“Yeah, you could say something like that.” Even with the door closed behind you, the loud music and obnoxious cheering were still very apparent. Nevertheless, you couldn’t expect anything else from a new year’s eve party. It was tradition that your friend Hangyul threw a huge party on new year’s eve, inviting each year more and more people to get shit faced. Usually, you wouldn’t mind getting blackout drunk with a couple strangers, but this year seemed different. It felt like something was missing. Maybe it was the fact that you were once again, alone, with no one to kiss when the clock strikes midnight. Or maybe it was the fact that the one you wanted to lock lips with was standing there next to you, unattainable.

“I was looking for you.” His eyes continued to gaze upon the illuminated buildings, while his voice sounded just as distant. It didn’t seem like he was waiting for an answer, so you stayed silent. He huffed, his hands shuffling through his hair. It was one of the signs that indicated that he wanted to say something, without knowing how to express it. Sometimes you felt like you knew him too well to only be his friend.

“You look gorgeous tonight, you know.” This time, his eyes were on you. Your words got stuck in your throat, taken aback. This wasn’t anything new. Seungyoun always knew what to say to get a reaction from you.

“Don’t say stuff like that.” You giggled nervously, staring at the hem of your dress. He inched himself closer, enough so that you could feel his black jeans rub against your naked thighs. Your stomach tightened at the contact.

“Why not?” The smirk in his tone was evident. Seeing you all giddy for him drove him insane. If only he had the guts to tell you.

“You know you can’t.” You whispered, your small smile disappearing. For a second, he froze, realization washing over his pupils. “This is wrong Seungyoun.” It seemed like he understood. For a moment, you even thought that he was going to go back in.

“Then tell me,” His hand grazed over your lower back before setting itself on your hip, his touch sending shivers down your spine. “Why does it feel so right when we’re this close?”

“Seungyoun…” The way your cold body reacted to his warmth almost made you pass out. He nuzzled his face in your neck, his nose tickling your skin. Automatically, you pressed yourself closer, craving his touch. He laughed, the sound muffled by your skin. His hands massaged the flesh of your hips, enjoying the gasps that escaped your lips when he occasionally groped your bottom. Any sane thought had now left your mind. You were getting lost in the way his breath fanned over your ear, the way his arms held you tightly and the way he was slowly starting to grind against you. Everything felt surreal. It was only when his fingers made their way under your dress that you knew you couldn’t go all the way with this.

“Stop,” When pushing him away, he didn’t try to hold you back. Emotions taking over you, tears started to fog your vision. “Why are you doing this to me?” You didn’t need to explain yourself for him to understand you. He knew what you meant, and it pained him. Tears sliding down your rosy cheeks, Seungyoun’s felt his heart rip in half.

“Please (y/n)… Don’t cry.” He said, while stepping cautiously towards you. It was barely audible but you were almost sure that you had heard his voice crack. When he saw that you weren’t going to back away, he engulfed you in his arms. This time, there was nothing sexual about it. You let yourself sob into his chest, his hands caressing your hair at the same time. “Look at me (y/n),” His hands cupped your face, holding eye contact. “I can’t keep looking at you without knowing that you aren’t mine to hold onto every night. I want to be able to go on dates with you, to hold your hand whenever I want to. I want to be the reason you laugh out loud, not cry.” His thumb circled over your cheekbone.

“Don’t make me believe in something that’s impossible.” You croaked weakly.

“I swear, everything will get better. I’ll work things out, don’t you worry. I know the situation isn’t the best right now but I can’t stop myself from telling you how I truly feel about you.” A single tear ran down his eye.

The echoes of laughs and screams coming from the house suddenly grew louder. Quickly checking your phone, you noticed the time.

11:59

You could now hear a very clear countdown. It was almost as if the whole city was shouting at the same time, impatiently waiting for the new year.

“3,” Your thumb slipped over Seungyoun’s face, wiping away his tear.

“2,” He then smiled at you. The most heartbreaking smile you had ever seen.

“1,” The moon shining on him, he literally glowed of ethereal beauty. Your heart raced in your thoracic cage. You could’ve sworn that you felt Seungyoun’s heart beat faster against yours as well.

“Happy new year!” Just like that, his lips were on yours. His lips were soft and demanding. Passion and sadness mixed together, he wanted to show you just how much you meant to him. You could still taste the saltiness of his tears when his tongue passed over your bottom lip. Teeth clashing, the both of you were desperate, wanting to eternalize the moment for the longest time possible. Your hands reached up to his hair, pulling at his roots, eliciting a small moan from him. You savored everything you could; his touch, his taste, his scent. It was all so intoxicating.

When you finally pulled away, Seungyoun kissed your for head softly.

“Seungyoun, I love you.” The words had left your mouth before you could even process them.

“I-”

“Seungie?” All of the sudden, the warmth you previously felt around your body had faded into thin air. The boy before you cleared his throat, flattening his shirt. There, holding the balcony door open, stood a beautiful girl wearing one of the sexiest dresses you had ever seen.

“Sorry sweetie, I just needed some fresh air.” The small girl waved around a red cup, clearly already drunk. She frowned, staring at the both of you. Somewhere, you hoped that she’d noticed how flushed the both of you were. You wanted her to call him out, but that wouldn’t happen of course. That would be too good to be true.

“You didn’t even kiss me when the ball dropped” She whined. Seungyoun laughed bitterly, looking everywhere but your direction. Maybe he was relieved that she hadn’t noticed.

“I’ll make it up to you babe.”

“Come in now, you’re gonna catch a cold if you stay outside for so long. Plus, it’s getting kinda lonely in here.” She winked at him, biting her lip. He walked over to her, but not before shooting you an apologetic smile, which made you want to scoff. How dared he? He had just confessed his heart out to you, and now he was acting as if he was speaking to a stranger. Before he could close the door, he told you those words that you wished you hadn’t heard.

“I’m sorry. I love you.”

This is why you and Seungyoun will never be a thing. He has already made so many promises, all of them staying unfulfilled. You hated that you thought that tonight would’ve been different. You hated how he still gave you hope.

And above anything else, you hated how deeply in love you were with him.

[sinnamonfox]

~ Sean x Finn - A band AU~

There’s this somewhat lengthy AU I wrote in the beginning of May but wasn’t ready to post it. It’s more detailed NSFW than the rest of the snippets I’ve posted here and I guess I felt self-conscious about it, but.. it’s stupid? Soo fuck insecurities, here comes a dose of a smutty AU with the boys. Enjoy <3 

NSFW warning: blowjob, riding & use of recreational drugs

The Humboldt Crew has become a relatively famous alternative band among teens in Seattle's area in the last 6 years. The members are all teenage runaways, highschool drop-outs who met and connected through their same goal in life; making music (and getting high also helped in bonding). They play punk music with a hint of some softer vibes here and there. Cassidy's the lead singer, with the occasional acoustic guitar, Hannah, the eldest of them's behind the drums. Penny plays the bass while Finn, the youngest, shreds the electric guitar. 

Finn's 24, got his dreads in a ponytail with all sorts of beads in it, his left arm is covered in wristbands, has different kinds of metal rings, covering parts of his 'free piza' tattoo which isn't his only ink by any means. He's got the triangles, the vertical line on his chin, the few other lines and nonsense scattered all over his body which he got while being wasted or just because he could. He even has a full-sleeve on his left arm, it's a mix of 'cool, abstract shit' as he’d said it.

Finn's easy going, very sweet and chill with their fans, more often than not hooking up with some of them but he's got a steady fuck buddy thing going on with Hannah if neither of them get a date by the end of the night after a gig. Finn loves to fuck, just like his tattoo suggests, the post-concert adrenaline mixed with the marijuana making those strangers all the more appealing. Deep down he knows he’s missing something. The feel of belonging romantically to someone else and having a meaningful connection is something he wishes he had but doesn’t feel like he deserves it. 

Sean's a band geek, currently a senior in college at the age of 22. He's studying art, already making money out of it due to his luck, talent and having a best friend who majors in marketing. Lyla manages the advertisement, finds clients for him and is basically doing everything important accounting work for her childhood best friend, so naturally they share the income. It's a working deal between the two, helped them find a small but nice little apartment. They get graphic design commissions from small and medium-sized businesses to have their logo made, the style of their website, menus for restaurants and so on.

Sean's love life is dull, to put it bluntly. They go to college parties with Lyla and different concerts in the city so he's sort of trying to have fun, meeting new people along the way. He's bisexual and not a virgin in any sense. Had three girlfriends in the past and a boyfriend but none of them ended too well. Sean feels like he didn't find common ground with any of them, not in a classical romantic sense and not between the sheets either so they weren't long-lasting relationships. Sean was longing to finally find someone like that so Lyla, the Love Witch was on the lookout for him, 'advertising' not only his art but her best friend too whenever she had the chance, even though Sean asked her not to, multiple times.

Sean knows The Humboldt Crew's music, been a fan with Lyla since around the beginning. They get a commission from them to make different designs for their merch and their third album cover. Needless to say, he's excited to be working on that and as a friendly gesture, they even receive V.I.P. tickets to one of their shows. They get to rock out in the front row, singing along to the lyrics they both know so well with a plastic cup of beer in their hands and whoa, that guitarist is kinda hot?

Finn's a star, but one of those who don't even realize how good they are. Finn goes with the flow, he's confident and isn't afraid to be himself on stage, he enjoys the music immensely and it's showing in his behavour. He's jumping around with Penny and Cassidy, sharing grins and joyful looks, even takes off his tank top halfway through the concert to the crowd's amazement. Lyla notices Sean's interest and tells him how she's heard that he was pansexual so he's got a chance but Sean brushes it off, not believing that for a second.

She drags him backstage after the concert to meet the band. They're just as chill as they seem from afar, a very interesting crew with different personalities that somehow still found a way to work together. Sean can tell they're like a family from how they act around each other. The second Finn lays eyes on Sean from across the room, he just knows he needs to get to him so he walks up and introduces himself charmingly, flirting from the get go which instantly has Sean's cheeks go red because holy shit, this guy.

Finn picks up on it, knows he's got a chance and makes it his mission to seduce Sean because he's fucking smitten with the shy artist. Sean stammers, feeling like and idiot, especially since Finn's still half-naked with his sexy tattoos out in the open and are those nipple piercings? Lyla sees Sean's face and doesn’t need more, she scores them an invite to the band's house, where the private afterparty is held.

Of course, they get high. Finn chose to sit next to Sean, pressed to his side and is doing everything to mercilessly tease the younger to the point where he has to excuse himself and go out for some fresh air. It's not even that he's nervous, the weed and buzz from the alcohol has him in a good mood but Finn gets him so ridiculously turned on, like never before and he doesn't know what to do with it. The nonchalant touches on his thigh, his hot breath on his ear telling him he wants to see his skillful artist hands in action sometime, those pet names that make him melt and want to climb in his lap right there. This isn't like him, not at all. Sean never had a one night stand before but he was actually considering it because the guitarist is downright irresistible.

He smokes a cigarette out there in the dimly lit backyard, alone with his thoughts, at least for a while. Finn gets worried, thinking he came on too strong or he misunderstood the signs. Sean's startled out of his train of thought when Finn joins him on the wooden bench outside. He goes to apologize when Sean frowns and stops him. "No, no! Shit dude- I'm totally into it, it's just.." He lets out a frustrated sound, the words not coming to him as he gestures helplessly with his hands as if that'd help his case. "Never done something like this, I just met you and you're hot as hell, feeling me up and- Fuck, maybe I'll just shut up." Finn's easy laughter makes him smile too because somehow, it doesnt feel like he's laughing at him. 

"Damn sweetie, ever been told you're real cute when you get all blushy?" Finn teases which just makes it worse. Tells Sean he doesn't have to do anything he's not 100% sure about and he won't make him either. Finn’s starting to really like Sean. Interacting with him feels so real, no lies and pretending. The artist doesn’t treat him differently just because he’s semi-famous. Meanwhile, Sean's touched by his patience and thanks him for being so cool, also shuffles closer to the tattooed punk because he does want it, tells him so. 

"Then what are you afraid of?" The question breezes out of Finn’s mouth, the corners quirking up from finding Sean adorable.

"Nothing." Sean whispers back before closing the distance between them and it's one of those legendary, movie-like kisses that neither of them had before, with fireworks going off in the background. One that shakes you to the core and leaves you trembling, sucks the breath right out of your lungs. Sparks fly and it turns extremely heated with Sean swinging his leg over Finn's lap, Finn's calloused guitarist fingers travel up his tshirt at the back and pull the artist closer in desperation. Finn’s tongue tests the waters, asking permission into Sean’s mouth and he gains it almost immediately. After a few minutes of making out, they're both so stupidly hard, grinding mindlessly against each other while exchanging the sloppy kisses that fill up the night air with wet smacking sounds and occasional moans from the both of them. Finn's the one to initiate continuing it in his room, ready to back out if needed but as Sean's lustfilled eyes find his, telling him to lead the way, he’s sure about what comes next.

They sneak by the others and up the stairs but they're not even fully on the second level before Finn presses Sean against the wall and their lips collide in burning passion. Sean's making needy sounds and Finn's so drunk on it, pining his wrists to the wall and massaging their tongue’s together, taking charge of the situation. Sean absolutely loves it.

Somehow, the two men find themselves in the messy room with Sean on his back on a beat-up mattress. It's a miracle they managed to get that far. Not even five minutes later they're both fully naked and Finn's sucking off the younger eagerly, his mouth proving to be just as skillful working on his cock as it was spewing out filth, his fingers are opening up the tan male thoroughly. When Sean can't take it any longer, he pulls him up by his dreads and flips them over to Finn's surprise. 

After taking care of protection and applying lube, Sean sinks down on Finn's impressive length with a long, drawn-out moan that's rivaled by Finn's sounds of pleasure and his praises. His strong thighs flex as he begins bouncing. He’s clawing at the flat, pale stomach in ecstasy because this is perfect, Finn’s length is just perfect, hitting his sweet spots without needing to be guided. Sean wants to keep it down but when Finn starts fucking up right into his prostate, he loses all sense of control and let's go of his high-pitched moans. Finn takes the opportunity to take over again and pushes Sean on his back to pummel into him wildly, his dreads bouncing with his movements, both of them sweating. Sean can't think of anything else, he only feels the way Finn's sliding in and out of him, angling his hips with such expertise, it drives him crazy.

When Sean comes, it's with a scream of Finn's name that he paints his stomach, one hand jacking himself off, the fingers on the other digging into Finn's back, holding on for dear life. He clenches around Finn's dick which sends the other over the edge as well, spilling in the condom with a loud grunt and chanting of his partner's name. Sean's heart is thumping in his ears as he feels Finn breathe raggedly into his neck in the aftermath. He also has a lazy smile on his face when the older kisses him again. They're both sort of surprised at what just happened so no wonder they're grinning like idiots. Finn chuckles into the brief, sensual kiss before gently pulling out and taking care of the mess they've made with the help of Sean.

They're exhausted, it was a long night. Finn tells Sean he should stay if he wanted to, the arm he throws over Sean's sweaty torso is nice and despite their messiness, the artist burrows closer, welcoming the hug and agreeing to the plan. They fall asleep that way, wrapped up in each other, strangers who just met a few hours ago yet it’s already had such a huge impact on both of them. The next morning, Sean wakes up earlier and yesterday’s events come back to him, making him blush. He's hugging the musician's naked body from the back which just feels so natural, as if it wasn't the first time it happened and he's known him for longer than just one night. As Sean begins overthinking, it hits him; was this really a casual hook up? Are all of them so damn hard to walk away from? He feels somewhat stupid for having those feelings but.. this man beside him seems so full of love. The way he treated his crew, how he made sure Sean was feeling comfortable with the situation, his eyes going soft whenever Sean stuttered in embarrassment of right when he released.

When those piercing blue eyes take him in after waking up, Finn starts the morning with a groggy, „Good mornin’, beautiful.” Sean’s heart skips a beat and in the next second soft lips are on his again, movements so different to the night prior. More languid and sweet, as if Finn was bittersweetly memorizing the curve of Sean’s lips before he disappears, like he’s just used to people leaving him after they get what they want. Sean kisses back with the same intensity, no rushing in the slightest. They share a lazy smile, Sean’s face is flushed and connects their lips once again, letting Finn know he has no intentions leaving just yet. 

He’ll have time to thank Lyla later.

[codyfernmorelikedaddyfern]

Could you combine 63 & 91 with Xavier. Either at the fitness studio or at home. Lots of smut please.

Okay so… I started writing this smut prompt and all of a sudden, I felt the light bulb turn on in my head and I was like “Hey. This would fit so well in the Hiding universe.So I wrote it with it in mind… It’s longer than a blurb and it doesn’t have a LOT of smut but, you know, they fuck.

Description: After consuming their relationship for the first time, Xavier struggles to keep his mind off of (Y/N)’s body during his usual aerobic lesson

Warnings: Sex, marking, bruises, the usual…

Word count: 1903

17th May 1984

He couldn’t help his gaze lingering on the swell of her ass or the valley of her breasts. The music, blaring, wasn’t a good enough distraction when he was having the whole room thrust and roll their hips the way he did the night before. How could he focus on their routine when a similar shroud of sweat covered her body, her cheeks still flushed with a dusting of pink? How could he possibly give them an effective workout when the only thing that was going through his mind was (Y/N) desperately asking for more beneath him like the night before.

Xavier had had many lovers, he had fucked plenty of girls and even dabbled with a couple of men. However, there was something so special about how his girl had surrendered herself to him fully, delving far deeper than gentle kisses and tired embraces in the confines of her couch or his bed.(Y/N) had been confident enough to let him taste, feel and truly see her and if he had any doubts about his feelings for the girl before, it was gone quicker than the clothes they wore the night before. Heart thrumming in his chest as he slipped between her folds for the first time, he already knew he was falling in love with her. And so was she.

The clock struck 7 and the tension of have so many eyes trained on his aroused frame left Xavier. Sharing a quick glance,(Y/N) slipped her bag over her shoulder as Montana hooked her finger around the strap to pull her friend with her.“I think Xavier has a thing for you”she teased, poking her (Y/H/C)’s arms. “What do you mean” a blush crept on her face while the blond pulled her to the locker rooms. “He’s had a hard on during the whole class and he looked ready to pounce on you at any second” Tana playfully rolled her eyes at her friend as they made their way to the showers.

It’s only when (Y/N shed her sweat-soaked leotard that the dots connected in Montana’s head. Fingerprints littering her thighs and love bites marking the way down for her collarbones to her navel poorly concealed by the cream towel she wrapped around her body.The expression on the blonde’s face was priceless. She knew all too well the behaviour Xavier could fall into whilst intimate, the need to feel a claim on his lover. The need for them to wear his battle scars. The simple thought of having his girl completely covered under her workout gear whilst no one around her knew how she was begging for him to claim her, touch her and love her.

“So what? We had a bit of fun, (Y/N) playfully rolled her eyes.- How long has it been? Does Chet knows?- It only happened yesterday, chill. And no, he doesn’t know and he doesn’t need to.- So are you guys a thing, the blonde asked.- Tana, it’s really no big deal. We’ve just, you know, been hanging out.- Do you like him?”

The silence and deepening shades of crimson spreading across(Y/N)’s cheeks was good enough of an answer and the flood of answers that passed the blonde’s lips only brought her closer to the conclusion that, as obvious as it was, there was much more than “hanging out” between the both of them, a fact that Xavier and (Y/N) were blatantly aware of.

She silently reached her locker before pulling a fresh outfit out of her bag. “I’ll see you downstairs” the (Y/H/C) smiled at Montana as she slipped her bag over her shoulder, making her way out of the female’s changing room for a toned pair of arms to wrap around her waist.Yanking her back closer to the male’s changing room, the overpowering smell of Xavier’s perfume mixed with body washed made his girl’s heart peak only to calm down pretty much in the same breath. Like a pair of teenagers teetering around the edge of getting caught, they both giggled once faced with each other.

(Y/N) quickly leaned back against the wall, her hands shyly crossed behind her back. He took in the sight of her blushing cheeks and how she slipped her bottom lip between her teeth. “I can’t stop thinking about last night” he whispered after checking the hallway, sure that the halls were empty enough to allow themselves to push another PDA boundary. Reaching up to rest his hand above her head for leverage, he leaned closer, the only thing she could do was chew harder on her lip. “You literally and figuratively blew my mind” his voice teased once again while his lips curved in a cheeky smirk.

Playfully, she gingerly punched his chest as he slipped his other hand in his pocket. “I really want to kiss you right now” Xavier somewhat begged, desired pooling past his lips with a rasp. Her fingers sunk against the aim of his pockets to pull his hips closer as she suppress a chuckle with a tempting “Then do it”. Her neck extended in the same breath as he leaned down, the only thing stopping them to satiate their cravings being the loud clattering of plastic and metal.Instinctively, their fingers left each other’s grasps to straighten up and look in the direction of the noise.

“Sorry about that” Chet mumbled as he walked out of the male’s changing room. “It’s that damn bucket” he continued before pushing past the love birds, turning at the end of the corridor to see Xavier walk back in the changing room. (Y/N) took the hint and slowly made her way down the corridor only to be tugged back in the musty locker room her lover had slipped into.

As he pressed her body against the cold tiles, his lips desperately latched against his mouth, his frame pinning her down to the wall.Parting the kiss to crown her neck with burning hot trails, she gingerly whimpered. “Xavier, we can’t do that here, what if someone catches us?”. A light scoff was all that left his lips as he worked on unbuckling his belt,his other hand clawing and palming at her thighs. “Then we better put on a show, baby girl” his voice rasped once again, releasing his grip on her to pull her further down the room.

Like a pair of fugitives, they quickly pressed each other in one of the many nooks of the shower room and their lips found one another once more to desperately fill the void created by their craving of the other.Quickly than she could process, (Y/N)’s blue denim and cotton panties were pooled at her left ankle, the right one perched high on Xavier’s waist who fought the tight confines of his boxers to free himself.Long and slow strokes were wrapped around his girthy shaft, the lithe fingers of his lover bringing him to full hardness, only stopping as he sheathed himself in a condom. Teeth clashing with another hungry kiss, (Y/N)’s leg pulled the blonde closer. “Someone’s eager” he was quick to tease her only for her to quip back with a “says the one who couldn’t wait to get home”. And she was right, he couldn’t wait. He needed to consume her right here and right now and as he lined himself with her now-dripping folds, she captured her lower lip tightly between her teeth. With a swift roll of his hips, he was finally buried deep between her thighs and she was already whimpering for more.Just like the night before.

Just like they rehearsed less than an hour before, his pelvis went to swivel to meet hers at a moderate pace. (Y/N) softly mewled against the skin of his neck while she nuzzled against him, her hand tucked under his tee-shirt to claw at his supple flesh.The gentle plea for “More” was music to Xavier’s ears and it only encouraged him to thrust quicker between his lover’s thighs after pulling her other leg up to dig deeper in her throbbing cunt. And she was nothing short but eager to let him know how good the faster pace made her feel. White hot sparks of ecstasy coursed through her vein and soon enough, her fingers were committed to dig into the blonde’s back with angry red trails.Another desperate kiss was applying to the column of her neck as she tipped her head back, pants and strained moans escaping her lungs. “I know for a fact that you can be a hell of a lot louder than that.” Xavier rasped, his digits creating new bruises against the gentle skin of her thighs. With his words, she allowed a mewl to echo through the empty shower room. “What if Chet is still around? What if he hears us?” she sheepishly moaned once more right before feeling his cock drill faster into her. “Then, let him hear how good I can make you feel” his words fanned out across her skin.

Her orgasm quickly crept up on her at his words, now letting herself succumb fully to his thrusts. Vocalising louder than before in a lewd harmony, (Y/N) reached her climax. Trembling in her lover’s arms, her cunt tightly fluttered against his shaft as she released. If last night was any sort of reference, the guttural groans and sloppy bucking of his hips only meant that he was on the edge of his own Little Death. Moans sputtered out of his lungs while he released deep between her thighs in the safe confines of the condom he slipped on before consuming his girl.

The tension of their debacle slowly seeping out of the air,he gingerly let himself pull out of her before discarding the condom in a nearby bin. Limply pulling her clothes back on, she chuckled playfully as their eyes met, completely fucked and flushed.Tenderly leaning to press a gentle kiss on (Y/N)’s lips, Xavier wrapped his arms around her waist. “Next time, should we try the women’s room?” he whispered in the shell of her ear as he buckled his belt back in place after adjusting himself back in his clothes.

Despite her face saying “How dare you”, he clearly read the soft “yes please” her eyes silently meant. “Maybe even the janitor’s cupboard?” he finished with a wink as she pushed past him. “Sure but the jackpot is the studio.Still need to practice my splits, remember?” (Y/N) cheekily teased,releasing a little yelp when Xavier’s hand landed a sharp spank to her denim-clad ass, causing her to jog out of the changing room without looking back at her lover.

Scratching the back of his neck, he already wished for it to be next Thursday so he could take (Y/N) out for dinner and happily ask his girl to fully belong to him.

______________________________________________________________

Hiding squad: @idespac​, @psychobitchtess, @hplotrfan​, @tea-party-at-wonderland​​, @langdxn​, @hecohansen31​​ & @blakewaterxx​​

Random tags: @antichristfern, @littledemondani, @fckinsupreme, @wroteclassicaly & @leatherduncan

Just let me know if you would like to be tagged whenever I post a piece!

[ruensroad]

dance with me (make me sway)

Continuation of this new Sangyu AU, for @this-solaris-life​ and @bloody-bee-tea​ <3

---

It’d felt like forever before the music finally started. Plied with wine and good company, the various sect leaders seated around them grew ever more ruddy cheeked and glassy eyed until, finally it was time.

He still shot a look at Jin Guangshan, making sure the man was still halfway slumped in his great seat and uncaring of the world, before collecting himself and taking a quick shot of wine for courage.

Da-ge, of course, noticed, and chuckled around his own cup. He wine had done wonders for his own tense shoulders, but nothing for his staring across the room at a smiling face. “So, finally going to make your move?”

And here he’d thought he’d been subtle. “I don’t know,” Nie Huaisang huffed, snapping his fan shut decisively. “Are you going to win back San-ge?”

He got a glare, but it was too soft to be a true threat. “Men-Jin Guangyao made his choice,” Da-ge murmured, and it honestly hurt to see him so sadly resigned. “I will not be what holds him back from what he wants.”

“What he thinks he wants,” Nie Huaisang countered, then had to laugh a little when a blur of black and white stumbled past. Wei Wuxian, of course, dragging his cultivation partner for a dance.

That was his cue, as they’d planned, and he didn’t need a roguish wink from the man to know it. Still, he nodded, and glanced over to where his reason for drinking slightly too much was currently pouring out a fresh cup of wine.

Mo Xuanyu was a vision tonight, his hair up in a half bun, soft and lovely with his long fingers surprisingly steady on the cups. Being Jin Zixuan’s server for the night was an honor, even if it grated a bit on Nie Huaisangs nerves to see the man treated like a servant. He was nollified to see that, at least, Jin Zixuan was smiling at him, at ease and still gooey-eyed over his wife, who also had a sweet smile for Mo Xuanyu.

Mo Xuanyu smiled shyly back, ears red, before retreating to let the married lovebirds coo at one another, and Nie Huaisang took his opening.

He crossed the room direct, dodging laughing, drunken couples and Wei Wuxian’s wild laughter as he did so. He bowed once he was before Jin Zixuan and Lady Jiang, though he didn’t miss the way Mo Xuanyu went absolutely still behind them, eyes wide and grip going white on the wine jug.

And why shouldn’t he, really? Despite Nie Huaisang’s best efforts after that first, rather failed first try, he hadn’t been able to meet the man again until nearly a month after the fact, and now they were in view of many, instead of flirting in an abandoned training area.

If Mo Xuanyu smashed that wine bottle in his face for being this crazy and bold... well. He’d more than understand.

“First Master Jin, Lady Jiang,” he said, voice in his best, most charming register. “I was wondering if I could steal your fine server away for a dance or two?”

Mo Xuanyu, as it so happened, fumbled the jug and had to set it down, movements stiff and face red, brows furrowed and incredulous. His eyes immediately snapped to where Jin Guangshan was sitting, then back to him, the what the actual fuck loud and clear.

Jin Zixuan seemed in a similar state of mind, narrowing his eyes at Nie Huaisang in suspicion. They weren’t the closest half siblings in the world, but it seemed the Jin Heir had nonetheless chosen to be a protective sort of big brother regardless.

Thank the gods for Lady Jiang, who’d no doubt heard the gossip from Wei Wuxian by now, and set a calming hand on Jin Zixuan’s arm. “Only if that is his wish,” she said, too pleasant, and Nie Huaisang could feel the steel waiting under the silk of her voice. Jin Zixuan looked immediately in love all over again, and Nie Huaisang couldn’t even blame him.

“Young Master Nie...” Mo Xuanyu pursed his lips and glanced to the throne once more, torn, but then something like want flickered over his uncertainty seeing Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji dancing as another song picked up. It still took him a long while to answer, long enough they were all fidgeting in the awkward air.

It was with the same determination, the same high chin as when he’d stunned Nie Huaisang with his archery skill, that Mo Xuanyu finally nodded and accepted his outstretched hand. It was sad to see such confidence slip away as he followed Nie Huaisang to the dance floor, but at least Mo Xuanyu was trying and that was more than he’d expected to get.

“What are you doing?” he murmured as they stood opposite one another, wrists gently twisting in the air between them before they moved in a slow, intimate circle. So, even treated as a servant, Mo Xuanyu had nonetheless received a decent gentleman’s education. He didn’t put a foot wrong.

“I told you that I wished to see you dance,” Nie Huaisang chuckled, because it was that simple, and watched him with all his curiosity and interest naked on his face. “And I was right. You are made for this.”

He delighted to see another blush, even if the man’s mouth twisted, like he couldn’t decide if he wanted to smile or keep right on scowling. “You could get me into trouble,” he said, and it was true enough.

“That is not my goal,” Nie Huaisang promised. “One word is all it will take from you to make me leave you alone. Tell me to go and I will.”

They fell into another silence at that and continued in their orbit of each other, eyes locked, bodies arching in, so close to touching, yet so far apart.

“Tell me what you want from me,” Mo Xuanyu said when another dance started, bringing them arm and arm, twisting in place. It was an odd delight the slight authority in that soft voice, the lack of proper titles. Like they were on equal footing, two men breaching the edge of curiosity together.

“To know more about you,” Nie Huaisang gave him, because it was the truth, and looked up at him through his lashes, grinning sweet. “And perhaps more if that is what you desire.”

“You...” More flushed skin and dark eyes, more thoughtful, embarrassed silence. But still Mo Xuanyu did not stop their dance, or push him away. If anything, their circles were getting naturally tighter, closer, until their sleeves were brushing.

Nie Huaisang shivered to hear it and smiled for him, his own cheeks flaring with heat. For whatever reason, his blush was what decided Mo Xuanyu, who pressed their palms together on the final beat and just breathed out, assessing him.

“You know I cannot court you in public. My father...”

“I’m aware,” Nie Huaisang said quickly, hoping he was as reassuring as he wanted to sound. “And I am prepared to keep it secret as long as you need.”

“Secret.” Mo Xuanyu’s face finally lifted in amusement and he grew twice as lovely before Nie Huaisang’s eyes. “Like almost everyone in this room doesn’t know already.”

“Those that know understand secrets when they are important,” Nie Huaisang promised. “I am a good actor if it comes down to that, too. I will protect your honor, I swear it.”

Mo Xuanyu swallowed and his eyes darted to his father, a true fear on his face, but also a growing defiance.

“Honor means nothing when you make me want the darkest parts I’ve buried in myself,” he admitted, which had Nie Huaisang going still, missing the beginning to another dance. Mo Xuanyu easily stepped in to save them, leading Nie Huaisang through the new set. “You are going to be terrible for my self-control, I can tell.”

“I will stop when you say,” Nie Huaisang said again, oddly breathless as he was turned in a circle. Mo Xuanyu laughed, bittersweet, and leaned in a little, their hands meeting between them.

“But maybe I don’t want this to stop,” Mo Xuanyu said, a unhappy smile liting his face. “And that, Young Master Nie, is why I can never say yes.”

Nie Huaisang swallowed and looked down, sighing, but nodded once. Yet, before he could apologize and sulk away, a shaking finger tapped his chin, making him look up again.

Mo Xuanyu looked beautiful and utterly caught, wanting and scared, longing and desperate. Still, he stood tall, and Nie Huaisang lost his breath all over again, even before he got a far warmer, gentler smile. “But that doesn’t mean I’ll tell you no either.”

[gracexbeck]

Facade | Quentin Beck x Reader

Word Count: 2.2k Warnings: Far From Home spoilers and slightly obsessive/possessive/manipulative Quentin; implications of sex

When Quentin came up with his plan to become "the next Tony Stark", he knew he was missing something. And when he saw you, a chaperone for Peter Parker's class during their European field trip, he knew exactly what, well, who it was. He needed a damsel in distress. A companion. Someone to be on his arm on the red carpet. He needed someone to be the Pepper Potts to Tony Stark, the Bucky Barnes to Steve Rogers, the Wanda Maximoff to Vision.

His plan was quite simple actually. When he first saw you leading the students around, rolling your eyes at that weird teacher that kept talking about his ex-wife, he was captivated. He immediately used his drones and his cronies to find out everything about you. From your friends and family, to your job, to your mother's maiden name, to all your favorite things, your darkest secrets and all that good stuff. Then all he had to do was stage a "little accident" where you were and rescue you and put his acting skills to use.

The Water Elemental was great for this. You got yourself separated from the rest of your group to look for that kid Peter Parker. He was always running off whenever things were going bad and you and your favorite student, MJ had this theory that he was the friendly, neighborhood Spider-Man.

"Peter?!" You shouted as you ran down the cobblestone streets, feeling like a fish swimming upstream as you battled the swarm of people trying to escape.

"What the hell," you grumbled to yourself, questioning why you volunteered to chaperone a bunch of hormonal teenagers. All of a sudden, a huge wave enveloped you, pulling you into the river.

"This is not how I die!" you huffed as you tried to swim your way out of the watery mess. But the current was too strong. You felt yourself slowly getting pulled closer to the Elemental.

"Oh shi-"

You were cut off by someone grabbing you and the next thing you knew, you were flying in the air.

"I got you miss," a strangers deep voice whispered in your ear. You looked up at your savior and saw a magical Asgardian astronaut? You didn't actually know what was happening and you definitely didn't recognize him as one of the Avengers. He placed you on the roof of a building.

"I'll be back in a second," he remarks. You couldn't tell because of his fishbowl helmet thingy, but you were pretty damn sure he said that with a smirk. Entranced by this mysterious new hero, you stared in awe as he defeated the water monster with ease. He quickly returned to you and took off his helmet, revealing his face.

Damn. You thought to yourself. Why are all these superheroes super hot?

"Are you okay?" He asked you, his voice laced with concern.

"I'm completely soaked but I'm fine," you responded. You could feel his deep blue eyes penetrating you.

"It can't be," he murmured, staring at you in awe. "Y/N?"

"How-How do you know my name?" You questioned him, slowly backing away.

"Don't!" He begged. "It's just.." His voice faltered and he took a shaky breath. "You were my wife."

"I was what?!"

"Sorry, that was, I mean..." He let out an exasperated sigh. "Let me explain from the beginning. Please."

"Fine, but make it quick," you agreed. "I gotta get back to my group."

"My name is Quentin Beck. I'm from another Earth. Earth-833. The whole time-traveling and the Blip, all of that, it tore hole in the multiverse. And that's how these Elementals and I got here." He cautiously took a step towards you, not wanting to scare you off.

"You were my wife Y/N. In that Earth. But..." He trailed off once again.

"I died and you couldn't save me?"

He nodded solemnly. "Along with our kids. And the Fire Elemental, that was the one that destroyed my Earth." He closed the gap between the two of you, taking your hands.

"I swear, on my life, that I will protect you and this Earth."

"Quentin," you said, trying to console him. "I'm sorry about what happened, but I barely know you. I'm sorry," you said, pulling away.

"Please!" He exclaimed, desperate for your attention. "You may not know me, but I know you."

He launched into a full on speech, complete with personal details from your life, things only your closest friends and family knew about you. There was something about him, something that pulled you into a trance. He was mesmerizing. His charisma, his longing stares, his raw emotion drew you into his charm and you found yourself agreeing to a date later on that evening. He dropped you off at your hotel, pressed a soft kiss to your cheek and flew away saying, "I'll see you at seven!"

Your students gaped in awe and pestered you with questions. Even Flash was amazed and nearly fainted at the close proximity Mysterio was to him.

Eventually, seven o'clock came and Quentin met you outside your hotel wearing a button up with its sleeves rolled up, revealing his (very muscular) forearms.

He sure does clean up nice. You thought to yourself as he offered you his arm. You were wearing your favorite f/c dress that fell just above your knees.

"You look beautiful, Y/N," he breathed in your ear as he pulled you closer. "You always do."

All you could do was smile and blush at his simple yet sweet compliment. The two of you walked around the city of Venice, chatting the whole time. It seemed as though you'd known this man your entire life and you felt you could tell him anything. As you and Quentin sat on a bench continued to talk, a string quartet began to play some music. Quentin stood up and offered you his hand.

"May I have this dance?" He asked you with a shy smile.

"You may," you responded with a grin.

He pulled you a close and intimate slow dance and while it felt cliche at first, it felt as if you were the only two people on Earth. He eventually had to leave, saying that he had to meet with Fury and when you arrived back at your hotel, all you could do was smile as you replayed the night's events in your mind as you drifted off into a comforting sleep.

A couple days later in Prague, you lead your students into the opera house and sat in the back, missing Quentin. You hadn't seen him since your date but he texted you all time. Right before the opera began, you noticed MJ following Peter out of the opera house. Not wanting to lose your students, you followed them. You managed to catch up to MJ.

"What do you think you're doing?" You huffed, coming up behind her.

"Ms. L/N?!" She yelped. "I um, I was just...I needed a breath of fresh air?"

"I saw you follow Peter," you remarked.

"What? I totally was not, I definitely most certainly not following Peter because he's definitely up to something," she stammered in reply.

"I'll take care of him later MJ, but you need to go back to your classmates," you commented. "I know you have a crush on him but that doesn't mean-"

You were cut off by people's screams. You looked up and saw this fiery thing emerge and begin to destroy stuff.

"Okay, you definitely gotta go now," you quipped as you pushed in the direction of the opera house. "I'll find Peter." Again.

MJ rushed into an alley as you began to search for the child. "Why does he always gotta do this," you grumbled to yourself as you pushed past the frantic crowd. Suddenly what you assumed was the Fire Elemental was in front of you.

"Oh for heavens sake not again," you complained, bracing yourself for the worst. But, it never came. The next thing you knew, you were in Quentin's arms once again and he and some sticky guy in all black that claimed to be "Night Monkey" (and was suspiciously similar to Spider-Man) ended up beating the fiery creature.

Once the chaos dwindled, you found yourself in Quentin's hotel room, laying in his bed, wrapped in his arms.

"I don't know what I would've done if I lost you again Y/N," he confessed.

"But you didn't lose me," you responded with a small smile. "Thank you."

He captured you into a kiss, a kiss that quickly turned passionate as you ran your hands through his hair and clothes began to fly off. He encapsulated you into a deeper kiss, with you longing for his touch and you let your bodies melt into the night.

—————————-

You woke up in an empty bed, sunlight streaming in through the windows. You got out of the bed and wandered into the closet. You threw on one of his t-shirts and then you heard his voice.

"Oh, we're in the endgame now buddy!" You heard him exclaim. Curious, you moved closer to the sound of his voice.

"I've got our little Y/N wrapped around my finger. I can't believe she actually fell for that story. My fans are going to absolutely love this. Next thing you know, we're going to be the next Pepper Potts and Tony Stark. She's the perfect damsel in distress. I'll see you in a little bit so we can finish our London plans. Okay?"

Fell for his story? Damsel in distress? London? Your mind began to race. What was going on? You grabbed your phone and looked at it. You had several text messages from MJ and Peter, all claiming that Quentin wasn't who he said he was. That he faked all the attacks just so he could become a hero in the public's eye. It couldn't be true, could it? After all he did for you? Your heart pounded and a knot formed in your stomach. You didn't know what to think.

The door flew open and in walked Quentin.

"Hey baby, didn't expect you to be up so early," he exclaimed with a smile as he leaned in to kiss you. "Last night was amazing Y/N. I really think we should-"

You cut him off by pushing him away. "Stay away from me!" You croaked, your voice shaking slightly.

"What's wrong, baby?" He questioned, frowning at you.

"What's wrong? What's wrong is that you lied to me!" You hissed at him. "You used me! You pretended to be a hero!" You backed away from him even more. "But you're not."

His eyes darkened and his persona changed entirely. This was not the Quentin you had quickly fallen for. This was someone completely different. Someone dangerous.

"Stop it right there," he threatened, his voice low and deadly.

"I can't believe I fell for you," you seethed. "I honestly thought you were someone I could love. But it was just a facade. It was fake. And everyone's going to know it."

You made a run for the door but Quentin was quicker. He grabbed you by the waist and threw you onto the bed. He pulled out handcuffs from god knows where and cuffed you to the bed frame.

"Let me go!" You snapped at him. "Or else you'll really regret it."

"Enough!" He bellowed at you. "Now listen to me, sweetheart." His voice sent chills down your spine.

"I'm not the only one with skeletons in my closet," he sneered at you, as he stood up. "I know you're secretly a SHIELD agent and that your mission for Fury is to look over Spider-Man, who just happens to be your student, Peter Parker."

You gasped. He knew. He knew everything about you. You felt your heart drop as you knew what was coming next.

"Shut up, Beck," you growled.

"And I know you were a double agent for SHIELD and Hydra until Captain America took them down for a second time."

"I said, shut up!"

Yeah, it was true. You were a double agent. But only because your boyfriend back then, Grant Ward, convinced you to join. But when you saw Hydra for what it was, you turned on them, confessed to Fury your involvement and you were able to help take them down.

"So unless you want your little secret to get out into the world and if you want to protect your precious Parker, I suggest you listen to me," he commanded. Feeling as if you didn't have a choice, you pressed your lips together and glared at Quentin.

"Everything I felt for you was real Y/N," he declared. "You're the one for me. You're my soulmate. And you're going to be with me forever darling. Whether you like it or not. You're going to be my partner and we're going to be the next big power couple."

"Please, don't do this," you begged him, tears prickling at your eyes.

"That's too bad honey," he said with a sinister grin. "Because from now on, you're mine, Y/N. You're. Mine."

[ssa25]

Not for You - Sasuhina

Rated: T (for curse words and other implicit details) 

 Hinata pulled the lapels of her borrowed faux leather jacket closer together to keep out the evening breeze. And, under that pretense, cover up her decolletage that seemed to strain against the black tube top Ino had also lent (read:forced) her to wear. The girl had some crazy convincing skills.

“C’mon Hinata… We can’t have Naruto waiting too long… Lord knows he can’t keep it together for too long without letting his inner fuckboy out…”

The telltale blush on Hyuuga Hinata was creeping up slowly. But she tried to calm her nerves. She could do this, she definitely could. Flirt with Naruto. 

It had only been a week since she was introduced to him at the apartment she moved into. Yamanaka Ino and Haruno Sakura were next door neighbours, and good friends with Tenten, her flatmate. 

The girls had been welcoming, much to her relief. It was hard to transfer universities in the middle of sophomore year, but desperate times called for desperate measures. After her father’s car accident and Hanabi being a teenager, her Uncle Hizashi had them move to Konoha to live with his family. Hyuuga Hiashi who was wheelchair bound for the next few months, now was under the care of his twin brother and his family. Hanabi could focus on school and Hinata didn't have to consider dropping out of university to care for him. Their Uncle's home wasn't lavish by any stretch and Hinata didn’t want to impede anymore than she had to, so she opted to rent out near university. 

It was there that she first met Uzumaki Naruto. Tall, blonde, fit and tanned, she was practically moony eyed for the first few seconds when Tenten introduced him to her. He had been kind enough to help Ino and Sakura assemble their new dining table, after their old rickety one collapsed, unable to bear Ino and her weird but sweet boyfriend Sai’s weight, as per Sakura’s accusations. All in all, moving to Konoha had been a weirdly pleasant experience, and meeting Naruto was just turning out to be the highlight of it all. 

Tenten was quick on the uptake and got Hinata to attend the Friday night party at a Nara Shikamaru’s mansion. She had never met him, but that wasn’t going to be a big deal. Everyone was invited. 

“Uh-oh, Sakura just messaged, she is too busy looking for Sasuke to keep a tab on Naruto.”, Tenten looked up from her phone at her blond and the blue haired companion. “The house is right around the corner. Let’s get going.”

They could even hear the low hum of music that was probably blasting over at their destination. Hinata took a deep breath to calm her nerves. She looked to the side and found dark tinted window of an black SUV, reflecting her flushed nervous appearance. Turning fully to it, she pushed her fingers through her hair touch up the sexy messy hair Ino had helped her with. Smacking her lips together to keep her lip gloss even, her eyes drifted downwards to birth of her cleavage and her face contorted into a nervous frown. Parting the sides of the jacket, she saw how the top was literally like second skin on her body. Never did she think that her body could look sexy and alluring. She traced the hem of the neckline wondering if others would deem it as slutty. 

She had always dressed modestly, her dresses always below knee length, her jeans always baggy and her tops always three sizes bigger. Her father had severely restricted her since she was very young and forbid them to wear anything remotely suggestive. Now that she was on her own, she had the chance to change her style, but this outfit was clearly an exaggeration.

She pulled up the neckline to cover what she could and pulled the jacket close. And tried to look more determined than shy. 

"I can do this… I can talk to Naruto…. Yeah..", she muttered words of courage to herself. 

“Hinata..??", Ino called her. Tenten and her were already a few yards away.

“Yeah, I-I’ll be there…”

Just as she cast a final glance at her reflection, she heard the whirring sound of the tinted window lowering. She gasped and took a step back, horrified to see a dark haired stranger looking back at her from the inside of the SUV. 

It was so embarrassing, she wanted to smack her head somewhere. Unsure of what she should do in such an awkward situation, she muttered a ‘sorry’ and started walking away, mentally cursing her rotten luck. Ino and Tenten were nowhere in sight, they had probably just turned around the corner. 

She decided it would be better to join them. But on hearing a short whistle from behind her, she halted and turned slowly to see the guy in the car, open his door and get out. He had a slight smirk on his face as he looked at her and shut the door. 

"You might want to take off your jacket. Naruto would come talk to you himself." 

If she thought she couldn't get any redder than she usually did, she was proven wrong.

--

“Sasuke’s back!!! ”, Sakura’s voice boomed over the loud music. 

Hinata choked on the cheap wine she had been sipping on, while talking to Naruto, when she saw the man Sakura had pulled towards them. It was the same creep of a guy she had seen minutes back. 

Trying to cough it out, Naruto helped pat her back.

“Hey, hey, you alright?”

She nodded her head and thought about ducking away under some excuse. 

“Hinata, I want you to meet Uchiha Sasuke… Sasuke, this is Hinata, she just moved in with Tenten.”

“Hi. ”, Sasuke greeted her nonchalantly, but his eyes hovered over her. She shifted on her legs, clearly uncomfortable. Now that she remembered, she had heard his name in quite a few conversations between the girls. 

She felt mortified to even think that this Sasuke guy might tell on her to Naruto. And then Naruto might think she was a weirdo. Amd avoid her. Oh, how she hated her luck.

Lost in her thoughts, she realised a little late at the few pairs of eyes staring at her, waiting for her response. She realised her mistake and quickly muttered a garbled ‘Hello’ back at him. 

“Bastard, where did you disappear to? Sakura was going crazy looking for you…”, Naruto complained to him. 

“I needed some fresh air.”, he replied leaning on the wall beside him. 

“I told her you would lurking somewhere nearby, but she wouldn't listen…Anyway, I was just telling Hinata here about our upcoming basketball game against Suna .. Right before she choked on her drink…”

“Clothes too tight maybe…”, Sasuke muttered. 

“What?”, Naruto and Sakura asked together. 

“T-T-Tell me more about the game Naruto… ”, Hinata distracted Naruto from the evil acquaintance who was tattling on her. She had zipped up her jacket to make sure no one got an eyeful of what he had already seen. If that was the reaction, it was going to garner, she wasn’t too sure she could handle the attention. 

"Sure.", her blonde haired crush grinned at her. "So, Sasuke and I are like….the star players of our team… Though, Shikamaru is the captain…. He is a lazy ass, but is the best strategist… And Suna Uni has an amazing team too… My friend Gaara plays in that team… Super guy, I'll introduce you to him at the afterparty. "

Hinata was only half listening to what he had to say, because it was starting to feel like a hot furnace inside the jacket. It was too crowded, the music was too loud, it was all just too much for her senses. She lifted her long locks over her shoulders just to ventilate herself. 

"F*ck, why is it so hot in here..", Ino commented as she joined the group with her boyfriend Sai. She was fanning herself with a magazine. And had already taken off her denim jacket. 

Just then, a brown haired guy with triangle shaped tattoos on his cheeks snickered and butted in between Sasuke and Naruto. "Yo yo yo…. Guess what I did… It's genius…" 

Tenten looked at him suspiciously and replied. "What Kiba?" 

"Turned up the heaters to the max in all the rooms…. In no time, chicks will be shedding their clothes.. It's gonna be epic.. ", Kiba laughed and patted the guys' backs and walked away in the direction of the dancing crowd. 

The girls gasped at his revelation and Hinata could only frown worriedly. She was definitely not taking off her jacket, but the only other option was to either get out of there or pass out from the intense heat. 

Before she could inform any of the girls about her problem, Ino and Sai volunteered to find Shikamaru and get him to fix this mess, while Tenten left to refill her cup. The only other person left was Sakura, but she had pressed herself to Sasuke's side with no intention of letting go. 

"Narutooooooooo" 

A shrill voice screeched over the music. . 

"F*cking hell…. Shion is here..", Naruto said as he nervously glanced around. "Who the f*ck invited her?" 

"No one you idiot. It's an open invitation.", Sasuke replied with a straight face. 

"Sh*t!", he scratched the back of his head and took a few steps back. "Well, it was nice chatting to you guys… See ya later."

With that, he rushed away from them to a different part of the mansion. 

Hinata looked at his back in confusion. "What happened to him?", she asked Sakura. 

The pretty pink haired woman wearing a tight red tube top and dark skinny jeans laughed in response. "He is avoiding Shion… He slept with her few months back… And now he can't get her off his back. Trust me, don't ever tell her that you like Naruto… That woman is crazy possessive about him…" 

Hinata looked wide-eyed at Sakura, who didn't seem perturbed about spilling out about her crush on Naruto. She glanced at Sasuke who gave her a knowing smirk while drinking from his cup. It made her break out in a fresh round of sweat. As if, her jacket already wasn't feeling sticky on her skin. 

"I… I need some fresh air.", she announced and walked away from the duo. 

It took her a bit to navigate through the half drunk crowd of young adults, before she located the door to the back garden. 

From the little, she had seen the mansion seemed even bigger on the inside than it looked from the outside. She had not met Shikamaru yet, but it seemed like his parents were loaded.

The back gardens seemed even more ostentatious than the front. There was a small gazebo on one side of it, which seemed unoccupied. She quickly occupied one of the wooden benches inside the gazebo, with her back leaning on the inside wall. 

After a quick glance around, she unzipped the jacket and breathed out a sigh of relief. She should have stuck to wearing her own clothes, she surmised. This whole daring outfit was a bad bad idea. She slung the jacket down from her shoulders to her elbows to air out her back. 

“You should take off that jacket.”, her heart lurched as she heard someone speak into her ears. 

She spun around in her seat to find Sasuke, his eyes filled with mirth.

"What are you doing here?", she asked him suspiciously.

But he just walked around and got into the gazebo, sitting on a bench opposite to her. This time he had a bottle of beer in his hand. 

She slipped the jacket back up her shoulders and looked away from him. Was he following her? She didn’t even have the courage to ask him blatantly. 

She decided to ignore him, hoping he would go back to wherever he came from and she could continue cooling herself. If not, she would have to look for another place for some solitary cooling off. 

"So, Naruto, huh?", he spoke again. 

"E-excuse me??" 

"Quite curious I think, he hardly had anyone pinning after him when he was younger. Noe he's got a handful. Is it the hair? Or the tan?", he mulled over loud enough for her to hear. 

Hinata crossed her arms across her abdomen and looked down on the weather-worn wooden planks to hide her blush. "I don't believe that's any of your busi-" 

"Aa, both then." 

Hinata huffed in frustration and glared at the man, but he seemed unruffled. She really wanted to speak up for herself. 

“Y-you know, it isn’t polite to look at a woman in her vulnerable state without her knowledge.”

“Hardly my fault. You did all of that yourself.”, Sasuke replied as folded one leg over the other. 

“But you could have let me know of your presence behind the tinted windows.”

“Why would I do that? In fact, as I had mentioned before, you are quite appropriately dressed for Naruto…. He is looking for a good lay tonight… Like most guys here… ”

She looked aghast at what he was insinuating. He was clearly an obnoxious person.

“Most guys like…. you?...”

“Hn… Depends… Are you suggesting something?”

She narrowed her eyes at him and grimaced. “You… You are really obnoxious."

The man chuckled at her. 

“Aren’t you overreacting?”, he asked as she folded her arms and looked away from him.

Hinata was a very patient person on a good day. But today, she was not in the mood to put up with any judgement from a guy who, up until a few hours back, had not even been aware of her existence. Or maybe it was just the wine talking. 

“Maybe I am, I’m not so sure myself. But I’m positively certain that I don’t want to talk to you anymore.”

That was when they heard some giggles behind the some thick bushes few yards away. 

Sasuke didn't say anything after she made her reluctance to chat, verbally clear to him. An awkward silence followed for the next minute or so, and Hinata considered going back home. Naruto was hiding, and she was uncomfortable with her clothes.

When she stood up, the quiet of the evening was disrupted by lewd feminine moans. 

"Umm...Ah...Yes...Yes…. F*ck…. yes…..yes…. Sai…. F*ck… you're so big…" 

Hinata was horrified beyond words, while her face looked like a ripe tomato. When she heard Sasuke snicker at her, she floundered internally to snap back at him. 

"Yes, Ino… Now we know that Sai is big.", Sasuke announced loud enough for the whole garden to have heard. 

They heard Ino shriek before hearing a loud thump. Seconds later, they had Ino straightening her skirt as she stood in front of them, glaring at the Uchiha, with Sai right behind her. When she saw Hinata with him, she was surprised, to say the least. 

"Oh… Hinata… What are you doing here? With Sasuke?" 

With Sasuke? Hinata was shocked at the mild implication in her words. "N-Nothing… I… I-It was too hot inside, so I came here to cool off." 

"Ino said the same thing.", Sai said with a passive expression. "So she wanted to f*ck outside." 

Ino elbowed him lightly to shut him up. "My apologies. Sai doesn't have a filter. I tried to get Shikamaru to turn off the heaters, but he doesn't seem to want to come out of his room. Apparently, he had a fight with Temari earlier. So he is sulking by himself."

"Tch."

Ino put her hands on her hips as she looked at Sasuke, before turning to Hinata again. "Stay away from him Hinata." 

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the blonde woman. "What the f*ck is that about?" 

"Nothing.", she replied with a shrug. "Just that Sakura has serious dibs on you. Hinata was probably not aware of it." 

Sasuke sneered, "Ah, dibs. Sure. Because you are still pre-schoolers who don't understand when someone says that they are not interested."

"Well, you are never interested in anyone." 

"Not true.", he snapped back at her. 

Ino seemed a little surprised. So she leaned forward with a mocking smile. "Oh, really…. Tell me one person who has your interest." 

Hinata moved her eyes back and forth between the two, preferring to be the passive witness of the exchange, like Sai. But when she saw Sasuke stare at her purposefully with an upward tilt of one corner of his lips, she got a strange sense of foreboding.