#of course the whole thing needs to be double blind

[icryyoumercy]

i keep thinking about that list of covid-vaccine side effects, and how it says '90% of everyone experienced side effects' and 'the most common side effect (9 out of 10 people) is pain at the site of injection'

and i just. i would argue that this isn't a side effect? it's a pretty straightforward effect of sticking a needle into someone's arm and then injecting them with any sort of substance?

[yandere-romanticaa]

I need to take a moment to appreciate my husband because I don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight unless I write something for him.

Imagine Jing Yuan constantly making up itty bitty excuses in order to see you. Fetch him this, make him some tea, oh would you look at that there's a meeting, why not join since you're already here? Oh come on, don't worry, no one will give you any funny looks if you're next to him!

People look and talk, of course they do. When was the last time the general ever took such interest in someone? His intentions are clearer than a spring sky, he is very much flirting with you. The gentle touches and his playful words are so hard to ignore that the Cloud Knights have several inside jokes because of their general. There's a catch though - you don't believe that Jing Yuan has feelings for you!

That is right. You are constantly explaining away his attitude and wandering hands as "Jing Yuan acting like Jing Yuan", nothing more, nothing less. The sheer amount of guards who give you a side eyed glance has long past the double digits because, good grief, how can a person be this blind?

Jing Yuan doesn't mind this. As a matter of fact, he takes great pleasure in your naivete.

Watching you crumble before him has become a favorite past time of his. Nothing makes him smile more than to see your resolve turn to mush the moment he takes the conversation in a direction which you are not prepared for. His touches are an odd mixture of being frequent enough that it would be odd if he hadn't touched you for more than 3 whole hours and so casual that one could be forgiven for mistaking you two as a pair. You brush him off with a huff, calling him all sorts of names as Jing Yuan laughs at your flustered being.

Times such as those it's so easy to forget the absolute power he holds over so many things and people.

Make no mistake dear. This is his way of claiming you, slowly but surely. Let the people speak, let them gossip.

Let them know that he set his sights on you.

No one would dare come near you if the public knew that you were his. If some fool ever even tried Jing Yuan would have no problem with staring down at them, the intensity of his gaze would send the message he was sending perfectly.

Leave if you wish to live.

He is a tactician at heart and right now, he is trying to map his way into your own.

[benedictscanvas]

filling an empty vase - roy kent x reader

pairing: roy kent x reader

word count: 3.4k (genuinely don't know how that happened)

warnings: language (duh) and some suggestive themes. the word shagging, which is too british not to include i'm afraid

a/n: this was an anonymous request that i'm not going to put here because it kinda ruins the whole plot! but it was such a fabulous request, so thank you anon, for giving me so much space to play. if you're not sure this is your request, you mentioned "Mr I Never Smile Kent" which funnily enough, made me smile!! enjoy sunflowers <3

---

You were such a professional in so many ways, but yet again you found your focus drifting during your meeting with the rest of the coaches. Your eyes find Roy’s face with such ease, lingering on the newly thicker beard he’s been sporting recently, then travelling down to broad shoulders, ones that fill out the door frame so nicely when he folds his arms. You’re so lucky he’s always folding his arms.

Before you can move onto admiring those arms, you see his head turn towards you and you look away before you can be caught. Instead of glancing at his face to see if he’s still looking at you, you decide it’s easier to join the conversation. As the goalkeeping coach, there isn’t always much you can contribute to these discussions, but they’re very insistent on including you.

“The only thing you need to be careful of is their counter-press,” you chime in, “Mind that the boys don’t get complacent in possession or my guy will be a sitting duck out there.”

“Good thinkin, Abe Lincoln. Why don’t we add that to our pre-game talk, coach, make sure someone’s watchin’ Zoreaux’s back at all times?”

“Already writing it down, coach,” Beard replied, gaining a double thumbs up from Ted who then continued talking. Even though you’d hardly been listening, you knew to do enough research beforehand so that you were free to let your mind wander and only speak up with a few key points.

You tune back in when you recognise the gruff tone of the very man you’re trying not to admire again.

“No. Y/N stole my fucking thing. I’ve gone over the rest in training,” he says dryly, and you duck your head to your lap to hide your smirk. Of course the two of you were on the same page about strategy, you always were. Usually he got to say it before you though, “Can we go now?”

“Unless anyone’s got anythin’ they want to add?” Ted looks around at everyone’s blank and frankly, very tired faces, “Not even somethin’ personal? Deep dark secret? Scandalous love affair, that kinda thing? Higgins, you look like there’s somethin’ right on the tip of that tongue.”

“I’m leaving,” Roy announced, walking into his office and shutting the door, even going so far as to shut the blinds on both windows before he presumably sat at his desk. You sighed and got up from your perch on the desk to take a step towards the dressing room.

“Afraid I’ve got some work to get done before I go home too,” you say, trying to be at least slightly nicer than Roy about it, “We can get personal tomorrow, alright Ted?”

He agrees with a happy grin on his face and you say goodbye to him, Beard and Trent collectively with a salute before turning on your heel and waving a goodbye to any of the team still around as you leave. You don’t go far. Unable to help yourself, you knock on Roy’s office door from the other side and shuffle your weight between your feet as you wait.

“Fuck off,” comes the greeting, so you open the door and slip inside.

“Even if it’s me?”

His head turns at the sound of your voice and suddenly his features look a special kind of soft, even in the harsh overhead lighting. He swivels his chair fully to face you, but makes no other move.

“Especially if it’s you,” he confirms, folding his arms again like he knew the effect he had on you, “You’re a fucking pervert.”

You gasp, clutching at the door handle behind you in a show of shock.

“I’m a what?”

“You heard me. Staring at me like you do in meetings wasn’t in your job description when we hired you, last I checked.”

“Last I checked, shagging your goalkeeping coach wasn’t in your job description, but you made pretty quick work of it.”

That was enough to get him moving. He’s quick out of his chair for a man with a bad knee, quick to crowd you against the wall just next to the door. Someone would have to really peer in to see the two of you, something he’d probably calculated even though your mind was already blank at the new proximity. 

“You’re right,” he says, voice sinfully low, hands either side of your hips but not touching you yet, “And I was staring at you the whole fucking meeting anyway, so I’m a pervert and a hypocrite.”

“Well, I don’t know if I can keep on with you if you’re both. One of them, maybe I can look past it, but both?”

Finally, one hand comes off the wall to stroke a line down your side with the backs of his knuckles. You try not to give him the satisfaction of shivering, but fail miserably.

“Think you can brave it?” he murmurs, that same hand brushing along your cheekbone, still all rough knuckles instead of his palm, “I’ll take you to Big Tesco later.”

Your whole face brightens despite the heavy tension that had settled like a mist in the room. You reach up to gently hold his wrist, stroking a thumb back and forth over the pulse that jumped there.

“Shit, you know the way to a girl’s heart, Kent,” you whisper, syrupy and cloying, “I take it all back. We can go as long as you like.”

The innuendo drew the growl from him that you’d been hoping for. The hand at your cheek was quick to turn until he was cupping your face and pulling you into him, kissing you deep and slow and longingly. Each kiss with him was better than the last. Yes, it had started hot and desperate after a month of unbearable electricity between you, a rushed encounter at a hotel after a particularly adrenaline-filled away game. 

Ever since, Roy had slowed things down. Not in the way you’d perhaps expected - he was still hot and heavy whenever the two of you got the chance, but he was taking his time with you. Teasing and learning. Nobody had ever treated you like this before, like you were something to be revered. Worshipped.

It was the same now, as he anchored himself with a hand on your back, pulling you further in, kissing you with genuine hunger.

“Roy? Can I come and get my stuff.”

Trent. It was always Trent. You liked the man so much, spent a lot of time with him, in fact, but if he interrupted you and Roy one more time, you had half a mind to hide his manuscript or something.

Roy did his special silent groan that he did whenever he couldn’t groan aloud, where he glared at the ceiling as he broke away from you and then clenched his fists in front of him. It was adorable, not that you would tell him that.

“All good,” you whisper, despite it definitely not being all good. It was entirely a joint decision not to tell the team about the two of you yet, but sometimes you wished you could announce it to the whole fucking world if it would get you some alone time.

You squeeze his hand and slip away to the adjoining door between his and Ted’s office. You hear Roy grunt for Ted to come in behind you, but you squeeze through into the other room before you hear any more of their inevitably one-sided conversation. Ted turns to you brightly as you enter.

“Decided you wanted to get personal sooner, Y/N?” he grins, and you can tell he isn’t really serious.

“Just forgot my keys,” you said sheepishly, retrieving them from the desk where you’d left them completely on purpose. It was always good to have a back-up plan and Roy wasn’t the only quick thinker between you, “See you tomorrow, Coach.”

“Can’t wait, coach!”

As you exit for real this time, glancing into Roy’s office as you pass, you take out your phone to shoot him a text. You’re saved under an unassuming name in his phone, so even if Trent sees it, he’ll be none the wiser.

We’re still on for tonight, right? The way I navigate a Big Tesco will blow your mind x

You press send with a smile to yourself, continuing on towards your office to pack up for the evening. Your phone buzzes before you even get there.

You blow my mind every fucking day. See you soon x

God, you could clutch your phone to your chest and squeal in the corridor, but instead, you speed up your walk to get home as quickly as possible. There was no harm in getting all dressed up to go to the supermarket when you were going with an insanely fit professional footballer, you reasoned.

---

Big Tesco. The place dreams are made of, or at least it was when you were younger and felt like you could get lost in the aisles and never return. Nowadays, it was likely nostalgia that kept you coming back, but it still felt like your first Big Tesco trip with Roy was a pretty big deal.

Mainly you needed snacks for movie night, but Roy was happy to indulge you and drive twenty minutes away for this if that’s what you wanted.

“If we’re doing Julia Roberts, we have to do Pretty Woman, obviously.”

“And Erin fucking Brockovich,” Roy agreed, “But if we do Sandra Bullock, we get the modern day masterpiece that is Miss Congeniality.”

“Oh, I still need to see that one!”

Roy stops, Pringles tube hovering above the trolley. He looks at you like he’s seeing you for the first time and he doesn’t like what he sees.

“Right, we’re doing Bullock then, if I have to fucking culture you as well as buy your snacks.”

“We’re splitting the snacks-”

“The fuck we are,” he cut in, already contradicting himself, “I was fucking joking, please can we not get into another snack debate. You bought them last time.”

“Fine. And I’m happy with Sandy, too, so you win twice, buddy,” you grin at him, not expecting him to grin back but ecstatic when he does. You have half a mind to press him up against the Doritos and finish what you’d started earlier, but you have plenty of time for that in appropriate places later.

You had all night, in fact, post-Sandra Bullock marathon. The thought brings a particular movie to mind.

“As long as we throw Two Weeks Notice in there too.”

“Hugh Grant? No.”

“Oh come on, he’s a national treasure,” you argue, sliding your arm through his as the two of you continue your journey through the aisles.

“He’s a fucking idiot, is what he is,” Roy bites back, as he picks up the chocolate he knows you love, “I’ll allow The Proposal.”

“You know what, that’s a better choice anyway. We have a deal if we can make a stop in the homeware section after this?” you say hopefully, excited when he sighs and nods. You kiss his shoulder as you continue walking, “We’re so fucking good at this compromising shit!”

You lean away from him enough to hold your hand up for a high five. He indulges you reluctantly with a light slap from his own.

“We are. It’s cause I’m so fucking nice.”

“To me,” you add, staring up at him as he slows the trolley to a stop beside the biscuits. He takes your face in his hands after a moment.

“To you, yeah,” he agrees, voice all soft like it had been earlier. You’re not going to kiss him senseless in a supermarket, the two of you had some shame and a lot of love for privacy, but it was nice to indulge in something like this, a sweet moment shared without fear of anyone seeing the two of you. You turn your head to kiss his palm, “You’ve sent me all fucking soft.”

“You love it.”

“Love you, more like,” he says, for the first fucking time, in a Big Tesco. You’d found out you were getting a party bus for your 10th birthday here too, so it was a location for big occasions. You kiss his palm; once, twice, three times.

“You have to say the I or it doesn’t mean anything,” you tease, but you’re beaming up at him as he strokes the skin underneath your eyes and you almost let them flutter shut.

“Who fucking told you that? Sounds like shit Jamie would say.”

“Jan Maas.”

“Fucking prick,” he says, then a moment later, “I love you, then, if you fucking insist.”

“I do insist,” you giggle, leaning forward until your face is in his chest so you can safely say: “I love you too.”

Its a little muffled, but thankfully he doesn’t ask you to repeat it again like you think he will. He just wraps his arms around your shoulders and keeps you close to him for a long while.

“Roy? Hey boyo!!”

You freeze in place, face still hidden. If anything, Roy’s arms tighten around you rather than letting go as he turns to see Colin waving at him, alongside Sam, Isaac, Jamie and the aforementioned Jan Maas. They all pile over towards him and you know its a matter of time before they realise its you. Jamie’s already bounding over as if he’s won the lottery.

“Roy’s got a girl! A real woman, like!” Jamie exclaims as he reaches them and you decide to get this over with sooner than later, lifting your head to stare at him wearily. He frowns, “Oh. Y/N, hiya.”

Of course he isn’t connecting any dots. He isn’t quite the connecting type, however much you love him to little pieces. Sam is staring at you a lot more knowingly, Isaac stuck with his mouth open. They’ve all caught on a little quicker than Jamie.

“The two of you together,” Jan muses, “I do not believe this is a pairing made to last.”

“Oi, Jan Maas,” Isaac pipes up, especially as Roy’s already stepped forward to threaten him, “Not cool.”

“I am just telling you the truth. You are both a little grumpy, you will not have the needed balance.”

“We’re balancing perfectly fucking well, thank you,” Roy says, and you can hear that he’s gritting his teeth, “As a team. Of coaches. Because that’s what we fucking are.”

Oh, he was going to play the ‘it wasn’t what it looked like’ card? You weren’t expecting it, but you’d happily back him up if he wanted you to.

“You are telling me that was a friend hug?” Sam asks, voice full of disbelief. You look up at Roy to see what he’ll say to that, but he’s already looking down at you with an untraceable look on his face. When he finally looks back at the boys, he takes your hand in his.

“No. It was a fucking boyfriend-girlfriend hug, alright? Any of you tell anyone before we do and I’ll feed you to a fucking monitor lizard.”

You’d watched a documentary about them last night that had likely led to that threat. Jamie’s snickering but tries to sober up when Roy immediately turns to him. He holds his hands up in surrender.

“I’m sorry mate, I am, I’ve jus’ never heard a grown man say ‘boyfriend-girlfriend’ before,” he says, back to giggling by the end of his sentence and Jan Maas is quick to dissolve into full blown laughter. You bring a hand up to your mouth to hide your own amusement, lest Roy feel betrayed by it.

“Right, fuck off and leave us alone then. We’re on a tight fucking movie night schedule and I won’t have you twats throwing us off.”

“Hey! That’s why we’re here! If we’re all doing movie night, why don’t you join us?” Sam asks, and you can see he’s teasing even if Roy can’t tell. Still, you take it as an opportunity to stake your claim as you wrap an arm around Roy’s bicep and cling to him.

“Look, you lot hog this man all day every day. I’m taking him home and we’ll see you tomorrow, alright?”

It was very Roy of you, just with the addition of a wink at the end that told the boys you were half-joking. Jamie seemed almost impressed, while Sam was trying not to laugh at you. That man never took you seriously, and you loved it.

“We’ll leave you to it then,” Isaac decided, dragging Jamie backwards a little by the collar when he opened his mouth to tease Roy one final time, “Enjoy your night, yeah? See you tomorrow.”

Roy grunted his goodbye, but you waved back at them when they waved, mostly at you. Jamie mouthed something at Roy but, luckily for you both, Roy couldn’t work it out.

“Pricks,” he mutters once they’re far away enough not to hear him and you let out a little snort.

“They were very nice about that, you know? I was expecting a lot worse,” you said, pleasantly surprised at the lack of proper teasing. You knew there was likely more to come once they’d had a while to process it, but still. There was a certain weight lifted knowing that someone had finally been told.

“Do people not say boyfriend-girlfriend anymore?” he asks abruptly, looking down at you from where you’re still clinging to him. You grin at up at him.

“We should bring it back. I love boyfriend-girlfriend. I think that’s how we should introduce ourselves to people from now on.”

He rolled his eyes at the sarcasm in your voice, but tugged you into a quick, public appropriate kiss nonetheless.

“Let’s get you some fucking hobnobs and then we can go and look at fancy glassware, yeah?,” he announces, shaking his head with such obvious fondness when you cheer and turn to the biscuits. He stays close, a hand hovering near your back, and you’re a little worried movie night might be forgotten when you get home given how handsy the two of you have been all day. You resume your shopping tucked into his side, and only bump into the boys twice more on your trip around the wonders of Big Tesco.

Later, when you’re eventually curled into Roy’s side during a movie night that started way later than intended, your phone buzzes a few too many times in a row to ignore. You glance at Roy quizzically as you grab it, seeing a bunch of texts coming in from Sam.

Couldn’t resist. Don’t let Roy hate me. I’ve deleted them on my phone now, so they’re just yours. Lunch tomorrow?

Roy grumbled a little beside you as he read over your shoulder, but really he should have gotten used to your occasional lunch plans with Sam by now, even if he liked having you all to himself for at least one hour during the day. You settle into him even more as you scroll through a bunch of photos Sam’s attached with wide eyes.

You staring up at Roy. Roy kissing you. The grins on both your faces when you part. Then one that has you reeling, where you’re facing the biscuits with your hands on your hips and Roy is looking at you. Enthralled. You’re not even fucking doing anything.

“That little shit,” Roy breathes, squeezing your thigh where his hand was already resting.

“I love them,” you say instead of responding, tilting your head back to look at Roy, “Our first proper photos together.”

“They look like a fucking pap took them,” he complains, but he's still studying them and you can tell he likes them really.

“Look how happy we look," you’re stuck on how he looks at you when you’re not even looking at him. When there’s nothing to be gained from it. You glance at the new vase sitting on your coffee table, with fresh flowers Roy had insisted on because 'if we're getting a fucking vase we have to fucking fill it'. Here he was, filling your life with so many little pieces of joy.

“Well we are fucking happy, aren’t we?”

There's a little bit of vulnerability in his question, like he needs confirmation. You lock your phone and toss it to the side, knowing you can reply to Sam in a bit. For now, you pause the movie and clamber to straddle Roy’s lap, seeing that look on his face again as he stares up at you. It only spurs you on.

“We’re very fucking happy, Roy.”

He grins, which is rare, but then he kisses you and that’s not rare at all.

(roy makes a mental note to thank sam for the pictures tomorrow, even if he tells him to do extra laps in the same sentence to maintain the balance)

[imaginesfordifferentfandoms]

Dear John

Click here for my masterlist.

Click here to add yourself to my taglist.

Prompt - ‘Run as fast as you can.’

When you had first met House hadn’t known what to think of the man. You hadn’t caught his attention, less vocal than some of the others competing for a fellowship under him but he had caught yours. He was so self-assured, the way he walked into a room and immediately started talking, not needing to see if he had everyone’s attention because he already knew he did. The games he played, putting you all against each other so obviously, eliminating people from any chance of a fellowship mid-sentence. 

You hadn’t known if he was a good man, it was hard to determine when you were in such a competitive environment where the man only wanted the best of the best but you had known he was a good doctor, sure he might not have given a damn about the patient but he was always determined to get a diagnosis. 

You had caught his attention two weeks into the fight for a fellowship. It had been an impossible case, not even he could figure it out, no matter how long he spent bouncing ideas back and forth just like the ball he threw against the wall. It was driving him crazy and even worse was that none of his potential fellows could figure it out either, how was he meant to create another perfect team when this lot couldn’t come up with anything? 

That was the day he noticed you. Of course he’d seen you before but you hadn’t done anything to catch his attention. He’d seen the way you’d open your mouth to say something only to close it, he’d seen you stick to the back of the group. He hadn’t said anything though, sure you were pretty and any other time he would’ve been all over you but it wasn’t worth his time if you weren’t going to be around long enough to make it fun. 

He stood at the front of the room, the remaining 26 hopefuls sat in seats around the room, all silently contemplating the case. House’s gaze shifted around the room, seeing nothing but stumped and defeated looks until he got to you.  

You were the only one in the room, himself included, who didn’t look disappointed, in fact you were sitting up straight in your seat whereas everyone else had slumped in theirs. Your eyebrows were knitted together, not in a frown but in a way that told House your thoughts were running wild. 

“You, number 7, come with me.” House said suddenly, watching as you startled in your seat and looked at him wide eyed as every gaze in the room turned to you. “Now.”

House didn’t wait after that, turning on his heels and leaving the room, hearing your footsteps hurrying behind him. He didn’t say anything in the elevator, staying silent until you both stood looking into the patient's room.

“What’s your diagnosis then, number 7?” He finally asked and your head shot from the patient to stare at House but he kept his eyes forward, waiting for you to speak.

“I don’t-”

“Oh don’t do that.” House interrupted, turning to glare at you. “Every single person in that room looked devastated. They couldn’t figure this out but you, no you have a diagnosis. You wanna work for me? Speak up, even if it’s idiotic it gives us something new to work with. So, go, what’s your theory?”

You took a shaky breath, letting his words roll around your head for a moment before nodding and turning back to look at the patient.

“Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.” You said, watching House out of the corner of your eye to see his eyebrows knit together. “Her husband said nearly a year ago she became clumsy, people with CJD lose balance and coordination, they see double or they have blind spots. He said it became worse a few months ago and this causes loss of brain function and mobility, her brain is forgetting how to do the things she’s been doing her whole life. Add that with going from a highly respected professor to not knowing basic answers to the questions we’ve asked, it makes sense.” You defended your theory, shifting to look back at House as he stayed silent, showing no signs of how he felt about your answer. “I know it’s a rare disease but-”

“You’re right.” House said as he cut you off again and you could do nothing but stare at him in disbelief. “It makes sense. Have a biopsy done to confirm.”

And that was that. House walked away leaving you staring at him before you were able to snap yourself back to reality and do as he requested.

House had been surprised by you. He had honestly expected that you wouldn’t have made it much further into this little game he had made of gaining a fellowship but now, now he suspected you’d already won and he was more than happy to focus his attention on you now.

After that day House watched as you grew, confident in yourself now and offering theories and diagnosis’. You blushed and stammered under his newly given attention but refused to give into the man’s request of dinner or skipping the meal and heading straight to the bedroom.

It wasn’t that you weren’t interested in him, you were but you refused to let anything happen, needing to know that if you were awarded a fellowship it would be because you deserved it not because you were sleeping with the man giving them out. 

Once you were in though you held out for only a few weeks before you found yourself sat opposite the doctor in a surprisingly nice restaurant, House seemingly making an effort with his appearance and it was easy to let yourself get swept up with him and even easier to let your guard down.

It didn’t matter that he was your boss, it didn’t matter that he was years older than you, all you cared about was how he made you feel. 

And so just like that you found yourself getting wrapped up in House, whether it be going out together for food after work or falling into bed with him, suddenly your whole life was consumed by House.

“So you and House, huh?” Cameron asked as you sat down at one of the tables in the cafeteria, taking a seat opposite you with her own lunch.

“What about it?” You asked, frowning slightly at her. 

You hadn’t spent much time with House’s old fellows, only Foreman who had been brought back whilst you were fighting for a spot. From what you heard Cameron and House used to have a thing but you hadn’t pried, not sure how serious it ever got or if it had just been a fling. 

“You like him?” She asked, ignoring your question and you tried to figure out what her plan was. “I’m not here to cause trouble, me and House, there was never anything there.”

“There was something.” You told her and watched as she sighed.

“I had a crush on him. I realised it was a bad idea.” She told you after a moment to think about it.

“Why?” 

“You want my advice?” She asked you, sitting up in her seat and continuing without giving you a chance to answer. “When it comes to House, just run. Run as fast as you can because that man is incapable of putting somebody else’s feelings before himself. This won’t end the way you want it to and you’ll be left alone, heartbroken and angry. You’ll have to see him at work and you’ll hate it.”

“Thanks for the advice but just because it ended badly for you doesn’t mean it will for me.” You said, standing from your seat and leaving the cafeteria.

Cuddy was the next person to warn you away from him. She had managed to catch you just as you were heading towards your car and told you to be careful, told you that you were a good doctor and she’d hate to see House ruin that.

You weren’t so sure what to say so just smiled politely and excused yourself, brushing off her warning just as you had Cameron’s. 

You refused to think much more about the two of them as you pulled up to House’s and the man let you in, immediately attaching his lips to yours and pushing all thoughts and warnings out of your head.

It stayed good for a while, or maybe it had never been good and you were just so blinded by your feelings for him that you couldn’t see how bad it was. 

When things eventually took a turn you tried so hard to blame it on something else, convinced yourself that it was just the pain in his leg that made his mood shift more often than you were used to. 

“We had plans.” You said into the phone, already sitting in the restaurant House had said he would meet you at after his meeting with Cuddy. 

“This is important.” House told you, his tone even and not showing much concern for the fact that he was standing you up. “It’s just dinner.”

“Yeah, yeah it’s just dinner.” You nodded even as your heart sank.

The next time he called you it was like it was a different man, so apologetic and full of promises to take you out again, to make it up to you. You had smiled and written his earlier behaviour off as Cuddy frustrating him but it started happening more and more to the point you dreaded answering his calls, not sure which version of House was going to be waiting on the other side.

You were more than used to getting stood up at this point, House differed between having excuses for not showing up or just brushing you off when you finally did manage to catch him. 

You could feel yourself becoming drained, dealing with House’s mood swings was starting to take its toll on you. The nights you spent with him where just as confusing as everything else, some days, usually the days he had seen you withdrawing, he showered you in affection, kissed every inch of your body and made you feel so loved, other days he shut you out, glared and snapped at you until you left and somehow always managed to make you feel like it was your fault. 

Even during work, House made you feel useless, no matter how right your diagnosis was, no matter how much the others stuck up for you it was like you couldn’t do anything. You couldn’t remember how many times you’d walked away and cried silently in the toilets or gone home only to cry yourself to sleep.

You hated that you felt so bad about yourself, you hated that you were doing everything you could to please this man and he always made you feel like you were the problem. You hated that you hadn’t taken Cameron and Cuddy’s warnings when they were given, hated that you were so wrapped up in how good House made you feel that you had let him treat you like you were nothing just to soak up the small bits of whatever this sick, twisted thing he had convinced you was love was.

House liked his puzzles, he liked his games and he liked answers. He liked knowing how far he could push you and still have you running back to him, still having you thinking he could do no wrong.

You couldn’t do it anymore. You couldn’t keep running away from the hospital in tears, you couldn’t keep playing his games with their ever changing rules that you couldn’t understand.

“You can’t leave, we can work this out.” House told you, a soft hurt look on his face.

You’d usually fall for it, usually shake your head like you were being foolish and fall into his arms, savour the day or two of the House you had fallen for before starting the cycle all over again when he eventually turned cruel.

Now that you had made the decision to leave you couldn’t believe how you had missed how bad everything about your relationship with him had been. How had you been so blind?

“That won’t work anymore. Whatever game you’ve been playing with me is done, go find some other girl who’s too naive, who wants to believe there’s good in people to mess with because I’m done.” You told him, feeling a spike of pride for finally standing up to him.

“What game? I have no idea what you’re talking about.” House sighed, leaning against the desk. “Look, I’m sorry, I know things have been rough but I’ll be better. I promise.”

You’d believed that the first time. And the second. And third and fourth time. 

You wouldn’t fall for it again.

“Bye House.” You said softly.

“Don’t do this.” He pleaded with you but you ignored him and turned to walk out of his office.

On the way down to Cuddy’s office you bumped into Cameron and because word spread like wildfire in the hospital she gave you a sad smile.

“I hate to say it but I told you so.” Cameron said and you couldn’t help but laugh, a small laugh that bubbled into a slightly maniacal one.

“I promise to listen to you next time.” You swore and Cameron laughed back, squeezing your shoulder gently.

“If you ever need anything…” Cameron told you and you nodded gratefully, smiling back at her before her pager alerted her she was needed and you said goodbye, heading into Cuddy’s office.

Cuddy was sympathetic, she’d been waiting months for this meeting, knowing that at some point House was going to ruin it and send one of their best fellows running out the door. 

“If you decide to come back I’ll find you a spot somewhere, somewhere far away from House.” Cuddy told you and you smiled at her, thankful for your time at the hospital and hoping one day you would take her up on her offer. “It’s a shame to lose you.”

“Thank you for everything.” You told her softly before standing and shaking the hand she reached out towards you.

“You’re really just gonna leave? Like this meant nothing to you?” House asked as you left the clinic, walking alongside you towards the exit.

“I loved you, House, and all I wanted was for you to love me back but all you ever did was mess with me. You never loved me, hell you never even cared about me!” You told him, yanking your arm from him when he tried to stop you.

“Oh please, I missed a few dates and suddenly I’m the bad guy.” House rolled his eyes and there he went again, trying to make you the problem.

“House, I’m done. I’m done trying to get you to love me, I’m done playing your games, to shifting my whole life to revolve around you. I’m done feeling like I’m not good enough. Tell everyone it’s me who doesn't understand you, who betrayed you, say whatever you want but I’m done with you.” You told him, refusing to let your eyes tear up, knowing House would see it and jump on it.

You took a deep breath, behind him Cuddy was making her way out of the clinic, watching you and House carefully but you just shook your head because you didn’t need her to intervene. 

You weren’t lying when you told House you were done so you ignored whatever retort he had and turned away from him, walking out of the door and finally let the tears fall, sitting in your car until you were able to breathe properly before making your way home with tears running down your cheeks.

Doctor Gregory House Taglist (Click the link in my bio to add yourself!) - 

@softmullet, @wheredidiputmyfish, @famouscrusadsluminary, @missabsey

[ghostie-in-wonderland]

Dancing with a ghost - any character x reader

angst; gn!reader; break-ups

My eyes opened up, the sun blinding me, causing me to flinch backwards. I groaned, pushing my body up. My bed cold on the side that used to be warm. I don’t think I can remember their warmth anymore. The pillow doesn’t smell like them either. I got up, walking to the bathroom, starting to get ready. One toothbrush, one face wash, everything that used to be a pair was now just one. My eyes looking up at the ceiling as I rinsed my mouthwash, tears flooding my eyes as I remembered only a few weeks ago. 

I spat my mouthwash in the sink. A laugh leaving my lips as I looked at them. Their response being a goofy look. I looked down at the sink, a wide smile on my face, as their arms wrapped around my waist. “I love you.” 

A frown coming to my face as I lifted my body away from the sink, their voice flowing through the air like a light breeze. My cheeks remembering the old burn from how much I smiled. I stepped out of the bathroom, walking to the closet. Their laugh echoing in my mind as I remember gently tossing them items to wear for the day. Every step breaking my heart more and more, although I don’t know if a heart this broken could break more. 

"Do I look good?” They always knew the answer. Of course they looked good, they were perfect to me, they never looked bad in my eyes. A tear falling down my cheek, my hand quickly going up to wipe at it. A sob leaving my lips as more memories flooded my brain, memories that were engrained into the walls. 

“What’s your problem?” Their voice wasn’t usually so sharp towards me, but maybe it made sense. 

“You’ve been gone for so long.” My voice echoing. “It feels like you’re a figment of my imagination.” 

"Maybe I don’t want to deal with you. Have you thought about how difficult you are?” 

I pulled my shirt on over my head. Maybe if I did things differently, maybe if I had been different. What could I have done better for them not to go? My hands going to my hair, holding my head like I was in pain, another sob leaving my lips. I could practically feel their arms wrapping around me to comfort me. Their soft whispers flooding my mind, except it was all gone. They weren’t here and they weren’t going to be coming back. I walked towards the kitchen, memories continuously flooding my memories. My foot falls seeming to dance with a ghost of someone who was long gone. 

“It’s for the best. I can’t be with you anymore. I can’t deal with this.” I was too much. I needed to be less. How does one be less though? My friends kept saying that they were the problem. They were the issue. I wish I could believe them. 

“Here’s your lunch, love.” My voice echoing in my empty apartment as I could hear their response. “Thank you, gorgeous. I’m so in love you. Have a good day.” Their lips brushing against my cheek. The memory of that look, that burning look. It wasn’t a bad burning though, one that made me feel warm, made it feel like I was whole. The feeling almost there. It was so light now, I could barely remember how either of them felt. Everyone kept telling me it’ll get better. How is something supposed to get better when it feels so wrong to be without them? 

I grabbed my keys off the counter, the jingle of multiple keys, an item short though. Our matching charms on our keychains, little reminders of each other to get us through the day. They had taken their’s off a couple days before they left. Mine broke off though. The jingle was wrong because of that. I walked to my door, their footsteps dancing around mine in the empty apartment. A tear falling from my eyes as I quickly wiped it away. After all, they were gone, and I was left to dance with a ghost. My door shut behind me, I turned, double checking it was locked, before finally heading towards the exit. My heart turning into a finer powder every day as I came and went from that apartment. As I remembered every detail, the good and the bad, of us.

[vulpixisananimal]

"So. . ."

(You were lying down on a couch. You were doing woodcarving; it was theraputic. Mirabelle had just come over from cleaning up and sat at the other end of the couch.)

"Hello Mirabelle, got any questions for your friendly star~"

(She tittered at that.) "Hehe, maybe a few. Even if it, might not matter much."

"Talking is still nice, ask away."

"Well. . ." (She thought for a second.) "Well are you, doing ok?"

"???" (That took you by surprise. You were expecting something about how the loops worked, or where they came from.) ". . . I'm, well I'm doing great! We've only been doing this for a few loops and that's practicaly No time at all~"

"W-well, I suppose, but I meant more in general."

(You paused carving.) "Hmm?"

"Well, Siffrin said you showed up soon after we beat the King. And, well, I was wondering, has it been alright? I-I mean, sharing a body with Sif and all. A-and like, since we didn't know you were around did we do something that made you-"

"Oh hush Mirabelle." (You twirl your dagger casually.) "It was a lovely time in Bambouche, really! The beach was just so nice, it was a good way to meet Nille too! No need to explain the whole being a star thing~"

"I guess so. . ."

"I will say, as much as I like Stardust," (You lower your tone to a dramatic one.) "Sharing a head with them is agony sometimes."

(She giggles again.) "Is it really that hard? Or. ."

"It's complicated. So, so complicated." (You thougt for a moment.) "Talking to eachother is like. . . Almost like someone else is having thoughts in your own head. And you have thoughts back. It can be hard to tell whos thoughts are whos, but you can 'talk' very fast."

"Because you're just thinking to eachother?"

"In a way~" (You tap your chin with your knife.) "It's hard to explain, but I might to better a better job next time, tee hee~"

(Another giggle.) "It makes some sense, I think."

"From what I've read it's a very complex disorder." (Odiles voice. You turn, she was finding a place to sit down.) "Each person experiences it differently too."

"Complex doesn't even start to describe it. . ." (You decide to just put away your carving.) "Headaches are almost constant."

"With how Siffrin thinks? Well I wouldn't wish that on anyone."

"Oh the burdens we must bare."

"What burdens are we bareing today?" (It was Isabeau walking in now.)

"The big furry types of course~"

"Ha! Haha!"

"Well you two have something in common."

"Tee hee~"

(You sat up and made room or Isabeau on the couch. He sat down and talked.) "Bonnie and Nille are just putting some leftovers away." (He looked over at Mirabelle.) "You're sure there's no bruising? Bonnie still has a headache."

(. . .)

"I'm positive, I double and tripple checked."

(For the love of Stars will you just tell me what I missed already?!? CLEARLY something happened you're not telling me.)

(I will not tell you.)

(You are infuriating.)

"Kid probably just needs a lie down." (Isa comments.)

"Once this is over we all do." (You say, you still felt exhausted from all this time craft. Will you at least tell me when we're out of this blinding loop?)

(I can agree to that.)

"Speaking of such. Would you mind if we try talking to Stardust now?" (Odile asked.)

(You nod.) "If ever there was a time for it~"

". . . So how do we do this?" (Asked Mirabelle.)

"Well, first I'll get Siffrin back here. It might get a bit confusing for us but don't worry about that~" (You thought for a moment.) "Although, Isabeau, if that mind craft is still afflicting Siffrin, could you try making sure he doesn't do anything stupid?"

"Uh, alright! I think I can do that."

"I'd like to ask Siffrin the questions if that's alright." (Odile had gotten up from her seat and walked over.)

"Of course, and Mirabelle if you could. . ."

"Morale support?" (She suggested.)

"Morale support!"

"Perfect, moral support it is."

(Alright. . . Siffrin. . .)

(You breath in, and out. Stardust, where just where are you Stardust. You were forced out quite abruptly, but you could come back with. . . The thoughts of Isabeau? No no, something bad maybe? Probaly not. What about his favorite foods? Oh well they did love that Pan Au Chocolate-)

(Huh?)

(You feel a bit dizzy. There you are Stardust~)

(Loop? What happened. I was forced out of front by Mal du Pays, I didn't remember much afterwards. You're here because they want to ask you a few questions. Yes? Why though?)

(They're worried about you. Something happened. So if you don't mind. . .)

(You blink a few times, you had a mild headache but it cleared fast.) "Uh. . ."

"Siffrin?" (Huh? Or Mirabelle was at your side. Isabeau and Odile too.)

(You rub your head.) "Hi uh. . . What happened?"

(Mirabelle glanced over to Odile, who started talking.) "Are you feeling alright, Siffrin?"

"Dazed, headache, confused. Did something happen??"

"I'm getting to that." (Odile continued.) "Do you remember what happened?"

"Uhm. . . I was talking to Ramos? Yeah, yeah Ramos came over to see Isabeau."

(You glance between the three of them. Loop what's going on?)

(Mental check in, Stardust.)

"And what did you talk about."

"It was. . . Right! We were chatting about our adventures, how we met Isabeau, and uh. . ."

(You glance at Isa as Odile continues.) "What else?"

"Well, well, they were curious if Isabeau mentioned them at all." (Why was it so hard to remember?)

"And you said. . ."

(You smiled.) "I said 'of course he did!'"

(. . .Stars.)

(Huh? Did you say something wrong? They all looked worried. Isabeau spoke up.) "Are. . . Are you sure Sif?"

"Positive, right?" (You think hard.) "Because. . . Because you talked about them helping you for the Defenders exams?"

(Isabeau looked. . . Sad? What was going on?!?)

"That, didn't happen, Siffrin." (Odile said.) "I'm, sorry but that's not true."

"Huh?!?"

(You could feel your breathing quicken. What do they mean??? Ramos was, was Isabeaus best friend, right? Hadn't you been excited to see them?!? That's why you came here in the first place right???)

(You have a headache. What was going on?!? No, no Ramos was your friend right?)

"Siffrin?" (You turn to Isabeau, he was holding out a hand. You grab it and squeeze. He doesn't even flinch.) "It's. . . Well, just take a breath first, ok? With me? Just like you showed us, right?"

(Right, right, just breathe. In. . . . and Out. . .)

(Feeling better, Stardust?)

(No, yes, maybe. Just. I'm just confused.) "Alright, alright, please tell me what happened, please."

"Siffrin, well, Ramos isn't really, a good person right now, I think." (You turn to Mirabelle as she continues.) "They, well, Loop told us that they've been effecting people with Mind Craft. You included."

(??????????)

(It's a craft type that effects ones memories, ones mind. Your perception of Ramos has been altered, Stardust.)

(Odile talking now.) "It should be reversable, but from what I know it might be more difficult as it may be powered by a wish. If that's the case it could. . ."

"It would just take a while!" (Mira jumps in.) "But! The good news is Loop isn't effected?"

(Your breathing is getting heavy again. What? But, Ramos was a big figure in Isabeaus life, right? There where all those stories! Like, like.)

(You cannot remember.)

(It's a trick, Stardust~ A nasty one at that.)

(You lean into Isabeau, you feel lightheaded.) "A-are you sure? I, I mean. . ." (It. . . It was really hard to believe. You had this feeling, this instinct, that Ramos was a friend, the best, the. . .)

"Sorry Sif." (Isa gently put a hand on your head. You didnt flinch.) "We'll get this figured out, ok?"

". . . Promise?"

"I promise!"

"Of course I promise!" (Mirabelle chimed in.)

"I don't want to see what happens when your memory gets worse. I promise we'll figure it out." (Odile adds.)

(You nod. And sigh.) ". . . Thank you."

(Your head hurts. Loop, can you, can you please just deal with this?)

(Of course Stardust~ It might be better since-)

(Because Ramos might still be able to effect me. Yeah. I wouldn't want to hurt anyone.)

(You breathe in, and out. And in the future, you can take over in a pinch if needed, ok?)

(Same back to you. stars, even for Mal too. Just in case.)

(Thank you.)

(. . . . .)

[You got the Memory of Switching! When equipped, this will make it easier for you to switch out with your headmates, even durring battle!]

(You pause a second before moving. Isabeau is comfortable, he's got a hand on your head. No need to pull away immediatly.)

(Is now really the time?)

(Hush you. Stardust's gone now, let me have this.)

(You took one more second before getting up and stretching.) "Well! That was quite enlightening~"

"Loop?"

"Yes yes, Stardust decided to go for now, didn't trust themself to act rational."

"Aww. . ." (Isabeau awkwardly rubbed his side.) "I can't imagine how he must be feeling."

"Now where have I heared that before." (Odile adds, going back to her own seat.)

"We miss anything?" (It was Nille, she and Bonnie where walking in.)

"Just checked in on Siffrin." (Odile sighs.) "Unfortunatly, the mind craft stuck."

"Crab" (Nille sat down on the ground.)

"Stupid Crabbing mind crab" (Bonnie stormed over to a chair and sat down.)

"Language."

(You laugh.) "You'll never get Bonbon to stop swearing at this rate."

"Oh I will!" (She replied, rolling her eyes.)

"Nuh uh!" (Bonnie stuck out their tongue.)

"Yuh huh!"

"Nuh uh!!!"

"Yuh huh or you a stupid face."

"YOU'RE a stupid face!"

"Gasp!! Bonnie! How could you! Your own Sister!"

(You fail to hold in your laughter.)

(Why couldn't ever day be this simple.)

[luna0713hunter]

Tell me a lie

Part 1

Modern au!Choso x reader,breakup,angst,hurt/comfort,happy ending i promise

The day you break up with Choso, ironically,is the anniversary of the day you two met.

Breaking up with Choso,was easy;you two weren't real couples to begin with. The whole thing only started out as a joke;since the two of you kept getting hit on in College almost every day,you thought it'll be a funny idea to play pretend with your best friend.

"what if we pretend to date?i bet that'll help us out."

It was a joke. A stupid, thoughtless joke.

A joke,that got real too fast.

"what if we did?"

So you did. At that time,it seemed like the best idea; after all,you and Choso never had any romantic feelings toward one another,so it wouldn't hurt right?

But breaking up did hurt. No matter what.

Falling in love with Choso was easy. Of course it was;he was the kindest guy you've ever knew. He was your best friend since the first semester in college,and the only guy you could rely on.

Falling in love with Choso was easy, because you've always loved him deep in your heart.

The sky was blue,night was dark,and you loved Choso Kamo.

Simple as that.

But as you watch Choso stare down at his hands across yours on the small table tucked in the corner of a cozy cafe,you cant help but to wonder how easy it would be to reach out and wrap your fingers around his.

But no. You wont do that; because that wasnt the deal. You both had agreed that after college ends,so does your fake relationship. And thats why you're here;to end whatever was going on between the two of you.

"so...thats it." You clear your throat,trying to muster enough courage for an awkward smile, "the last day of college. "

Choso doesnt say a word.

"what,uh,what would you do now?"

Your eyes remain on the way his long, elegant fingers tap against the coffee mug he's holding.

Tap,tap,tap

"I'll look for job. Take care of Yuji."

"oh yeah!you mentioned he's gonna live with you from now on,must be exciting!"

And finally,Choso looks up. And how you wished he'd continue to look at you forever.

"if we're done here,i should go pick up Yuji from his daycare."

And you just nod, dumbfounded as he grabs his coat and pays for both of your drinks. You dont say a word,not until he's almost out of the door,before glancing back at you with the smallest,most forced smile you've ever seen from him.

"it was nice being with you,y/n. Take care."

"you too Choso..."

I Love you

You dont say. Instead,you just sit there,staring out of the cafe window as the first snowflakes of winter start to fall.

And if you've shed a tear or two,no one would know.

+++

"yes!yes thank you so much!!! I'll head straight there!!!"

As you rush to the nearest bus stop,you check the address your friend has sent you. If you took the bus right now,you would be there in no time!

Why the rush?

Lets just say,job hunting was going nowhere. So as soon as your friend from college mentioned she knew someone who needed a sitter for their sibling,you jumped at the opportunity.

As you get off the bus,you double check the location your friend has sent you and smile;the house is nothing big,just a regular household you see on streets. The front yard has few flowers and plants,and when you ring the doorbell,your heart beats loudly against your ribcage.

The door swings open,and when you dont see anyone in front of you, you raise your brow until you hear a tiny,excited voice calling for you.

"Hi y/n!!"

Your eyes draws downward,and you let out a small squeak;the small boy standing in front of you is nothing but adorable. His spikey pinkish hair is messy,and his big brown eyes are so innocent. There are scratches and small bruises on his cheeks,arms and knees,and the huge, blinding smile he's giving you makes anyone's heart melt.

But that's not the reason you're almost having a heart attack no.

The reason is-

"Yuji!i told you not to open the door without me!!"

Yuji,the small boy turns around and smiles sheepishly.

"Sorry,Choso-nii!"

You swallow,and as you're wondering if its too late to turn around and run,the man himself,Choso freaking Kamo opens the door wider and upon seeing you,grows quiet.

There's an awkward moment where neither of you say anything.

"...y/n. Why are you here..?"

You cough,and hold up your phone for him to see.

"Remember Yuki,from college?she told me her friend needed a sitter for his younger sibling...so.."

"You're my new sitter,y/n?!"

The small squeal has you melting and you knee in front of Yuji and ruffle his hair.

"hey Yuji,i see you still remember me."

The boy gives you a toothy grin, showing you he's missing a few,and nods.

"Big bro always talks about you-"

"Yuji," Choso's calm voice snaps both of your heads his way, "why dont you go watch tv while we speak?"

Yuji,the ever polite kid he is,rushes inside. Leaving you alone with your kinda-friend who you haven't seen in six months.

Not since your break-up.

When Choso clears his throat,you nervously glance up at him and hate the way your heart throbs,even after six months.

You still love him.

"so," he awkwardly steps aside, "want a cup of tea?"

[pigmentpoltergeist]

I finished The Sunshine Court the other day and the hyper fixation is hitting, so here’s some evidence gathering for the question of what the fuck is going on with the Knox family—

Cat trips up when telling Jean how many siblings Jeremy has, tripping between the words ‘has’ and ‘3’ in a way that leaves Jean unsure what she’d had to change. This might be because of Jeremy’s boundary setting around calling his step-relatives relatives—maybe something about Cat almost not including a step sibling in the count but correcting herself because they’re in public and the Knoxs have that whole ‘public facing unity’ thing going on—but, that feels like it would be a really out of character punch for Cat to pull, especially right before insulting Bryson. I think it’s much more likely that a Knox sibling is either dead or gone—so either Cat tripped over ‘3’ and Jeremy had/has a fourth sibling, or Cat tripped over ‘has’ and there’s something going on with the other Knox brother that makes Cat double think using the present tense. But--

In the same section, when she insults Bryson, Cat says that there's bound to be a jerk or two once you pass four kids. So, my money is on there being another Knox sibling we haven't heard about yet

There are a lot of emotionally charged reactions to the way Jean talks about the Ravens/his past in the book, so this moment in chapter ten doesn't get a lot of focus from Jean's pov, but Jeremy has a big reaction to Jean’s off-hand speculation about whether or not Grayson will kill himself. Jeremy bites back at that so hard that Cat winches. (But, that’s all she does. Cat doesn’t seem confused about the reaction at all.) This reaction from Jeremy especially stands out next to how deliberately patient Jeremy tries to be with biting back his first reaction to most of the wild information Jean keeps dropping on him. This might be a misread or a jumped-to conclusion on my part, but it feels like suicide, specifically, might be a soft spot for Jeremy. But, since Grayson is Lucas' brother, it's equally possible that, if there's a nerve being hit here, it's sibling death.

(This bit is more blind speculation on my part, but something about the impressive amount of self control Jeremy has when receiving distressing information from Jean feels like it's going to be important. Compared to Cat and Laila needing to be calmed down/stopped from reacting multiple times when getting new Jean Lore, it’s really notable how many of Jeremy’s own initial reactions we watch him bury on page—he does react to a lot, of course, but compared to the baseline regular/not in-the-know-about-the-mafia-shit characters, Jeremy manages himself weirdly well. He seems to have an amount of practice in emotional self control that is notable, is what I'm saying, especially in scenes like the conversation in the book store where he keeps clenching his knuckles white and almost snapping coat hangers and just. Carrying on the conversation until an emotion like concern or shock stops him in his tracks. Combined with that line Cat has about how Jeremy is living proof that “the right therapist can be life changing”, my money’s on Jeremy having had some serious anger issues at some point; probably high school, considering what he says when explaining the trojans’ good sportsmenship to Jean—)

On Jean’s first night living with the trojans, Jeremy has a little monologue about how he wasn't 'born trojan’ and how his high school team encouraged competitive attitudes and insults just as badly as any other team. That monologue gets interrupted by a line about how Jeremy “clapped his hands together as if crushing his past self between the two.” That feels loaded, even if it's not out and out confirmation that Jeremy was involved in a toxic level of competitiveness/antagonism. There's something about high school Jeremy that Jeremy really doesn't like.

Whatever the big, family destroying event was, Annalise’s scene implies that it happened/came to a head at the fall banquet of Jeremy’s freshman year. (That probably means that, if any other Knox siblings were directly involved in the event, they would have needed to be invited to the banquet; either as a player or a guest.)

Annalise. Annalise has big beef with exy, and with Jeremy playing exy. Jeremy doesn’t just say that she stopped coming to his games, he says that she has gone out of her way to forget everything she ever learned about the game. That might just be hyperbole for hyperbole’s sake, but, given the fact that Jeremy says she hasn’t forgiven him for still playing the game, I feel like some of Annalise’s baggage here isn’t just that Jeremy happened to be at an exy banquet when the bad thing happened—it feels like she’s placing a share of the blame on the sport itself.

So, in terms of out and out conclusions to draw: something happened in the fall of Jeremy’s freshman year of college. This nebulous thing severed the family badly, and is also the reason that the entire sport of exy is dead to Jeremy’s sister. The Knox family lost a sibling (unless you assume that it’s specifically Jeremy’s friend group that considers him to have one less sibling, which is possible since it’s only Cat we see trip, but seems less likely to me). Finally, given Jeremy’s reaction to the Wayne/Grayson conversation, I’d be willing to bet there’s also a suicide/death at play.

(Blind guess I’m making: I think it's possible that maybe a Knox sibling killed themself because of exy. Maybe due to not getting accepted to a top rank school when their brother made it onto the second ranked school in the country off of the same high school team, maybe because of Jeremy hitting the collegent level and out performing them, maybe in part fueled by some residual animosity from a high school rivalry between themself and Jeremy. Whatever the case, it would have needed to happen in the aftermath of an altercation/argument between them and Jeremy at the fall banquet for the way Jeremy time-stamps it to make sense.

But, this is a blind guess on the heels of a first read through of the book--a book where Jeremy is going out of his way to not think about important information--so this is probably way off base. Given the way his family reacts to small things like Jeremy dying his own hair, any number of small scandals at the banquet could have been enough for them to blame him for 'breaking the family apart'.)

(Also, fully unrelated Jeremy fact that I couldn’t fit anywhere else: Jeremy’s dad is in the military and maybe alive? Given the fact that Jeremy will not call his step-grandfather his grandfather, I’m assuming his line about his dad having been stationed in Europe a few times is about his biological father, and I don’t know why he’d pick the word stationed if it wasn’t a military thing.

The way Jeremy cuts himself off in that same line is really weird, too. It’s not a period, it trails off weirdly and he shrugs. What’s that about, Jeremy?

Anyway, hope the fact that Jeremy’s dad was stationed in Europe a few times doesn’t come up in the plot line about a European crime family’s activities being investigated and possibly publicized.)

[tmntkiseki]

11 17 and 21

11.) Which version of Raphael is your favorite?

At this point in my TMNT journey, I still have yet to encounter a Raphael that beats the 2003 version for me. It's funny; under normal circumstances, the "angry/aggressive on the outside, soft/sweet on the inside" type of character really does not do it for me anymore, but the thing I really appreciate about 2k3 Raphael is that his short temper and aggression are not only treated as actual problems by the narrative, but it is something that he himself is aware of and is actively working on because, you know, the last thing he wants to do is hurt the people he loves in a blind rage. He really does go through a lot of character development over the course of the series and by the time the controversial Fast Forward season rolls around, he's significantly mellowed out and his relationships with his brothers have improved as a result. (Back to the Sewer may be the one season I truly dislike, but this scene with Raph and Mikey from "Super Power Struggle" has my heart.)

17.) Which version of the Shredder is your favorite?

It's funny; even though I absolutely love 2003 Shredder for how much of a threat he is throughout the series, I much prefer the characterization for the IDW Shredder. I just... love all the lore and depth he's been given as an antagonist. I would need to go back and reread some issues of the IDW comics I've already gone through to give my full thoughts on the guy, but he is pretty much single-handedly responsible for making me like "Yeah, Shredder works much better as a human character."

21.) What is your favorite story arc?

The Adventures in Turtlesitting/Good Genes arc. I am such a sucker for the whole "normally sweet character goes through a monstrous transformation that causes them to attack their loved ones" plot and the fact that Donatello's double mutation was killing him from the inside out added to the stakes of the whole thing. Never mind that the arc showed just how far the brothers are willing to go for each other, even if that meant making a deal with one of their worst enemies IE Bishop. (The arc also brought back Leatherhead after he basically disappeared following the end of Season 3, which I'm very happy about.)

[vocallywritten]

So the thing about Colin's feelings for Penelope is that it's more complicated than Penelope's feelings for Colin. At least at first. For Penelope, it's love at first sight. She meets Colin and falls in love with him in that moment. Now, later, she does admit to Eloise that it was a "childish infatuation that turned into a genuine friendship overtime", and I think she frames it that way because her love has matured and grown. But for the purposes of understanding her character, we all know, as the audience, that Penelope is in love with Colin from the very first episode.

Colin's feelings are a little harder to interpret, but what I love about Luke Newton's performance is that all of his actions in the previous two seasons have a new depth to them now that season 3 is out.

We don't know how old Colin and Penelope were when they met in the show, we only know that they were children. There's a lot of untapped potential there, in those years before the start of the first season. So I think it's totally valid to headcanon that Colin was in love with Penelope all along and just didn't realize. Personally, I disagree.

I don't think Colin needs to have been in love with Penelope from the beginning. In fact, I take great exception to such a black and white interpretation of what love is and how people feel it. And I think the show itself also takes up this perspective. There's some discussion to be had about how effective they are, but season three especially seems to be very interested in exploring how love can take many different forms.

Benedict even says to Eloise what I believe to be the season's and perhaps the show's ethos. "Love is not finite."

There's nothing wrong with thinking that Colin was also in love with Penelope this whole time, and if that's your belief, I certainly don't want to take it from you. But personally, I think the story has so much more depth, and so much more to say about the nature of love if he *wasn't*.

Because even if he wasn't in love with her, that doesn't invalidate the fondness and care he obviously had for her as a friend. Love is not finite, and it cannot fit neatly into whatever box you feel the most comfortable shoving it into. Romantic and platonic love are not opposites, even if people act like they are. Love grows and changes, both as you grow and change, and as the person you love does the same.

Penelope’s love for Colin changed over the course of season three. She said it herself, the love she had for Colin in the beginning was a child's infatuation. She was blinded by her own adoration of him for the first two seasons, which made her believe he was perfect and unattainable. But in season three, the rose colored glasses are off and Colin has fallen from the pedestal she put him on, and she loves him anyway. She is finally able to be herself around him, and really get to know him as a person, and she loves him but that love is changed. It's mature, and deeper, and truer than her childhood crush.

Colin almost has two journeys of loving Penelope. Personally, I think the first starts in season 2. I think over the summer they exchanged letters is when Colin's feelings for Penelope truly begin to shift, but he doesn't have the maturity to notice or understand. He takes comfort in his closeness with Penelope but is too hurt by the events of season 1 to be able to see his newfound closeness with Penelope for what it could be. Then there's the Lady Whistledown of it all in season 3, as Colin must reconcile his understanding of who Penelope is with the addition of knowing about her double life. His love must now expand to include this whole other side of Penelope he didn't fully realize was there.

The love Colin and Penelope have for each other changes and grows so much over the course of the show (season 3 especially, of course, but the whole show features so many shifts). Their relationship, I think, is such a perfect example of what the show wants to explore: love and the many forms it takes.

[bnesszai]

helloo hehe 🫶

kunichuuzai + “Those are my boyfriends.”

or skk + the word ‘black’

hihi<3

I decided to set this first one in my painterzai au:3

“Those are my boyfriends,” Dazai says, smiling wide.

Sigma rolls her eyes. “Yes, I'm aware. I'm pretty sure everyone with eyes is painfully aware, thank you.”

“But did you know that they're mine?”

Fighting down a smile, Sigma pinches Dazai's cheek. “You're annoying,” he says, “but I'm glad you're happy.”

Happiness is an odd thing for Dazai. It swirls around in their chest, weaving in and out of the spaces between overwhelming despair and numbness. Happiness never attaches to their ribs, but it stays, flowing in and out of their veins. Sometimes, when Chuuya and Kunikida look at Dazai like they're a sacred thing, the happiness stills, just for a moment.

It's warm and Dazai cradles it to his chest.

“Yeah,” they say after a bit. “I suppose I am.”

Sigma smiles. “Don't let them go.”

Dazai looks back across the gallery, watching Kunikida laugh and Chuuya laugh with an artist. Then, as if sensing Dazai's gaze, they both turn and give them Earth melting smiles.

Dazai has let go of many things in their life, refused to even reach out for many others. But those two, they think, those two are permanent.

“Never.”

*

And now to completely change the tone. Rip.

skk + black

It's pitch black when Chuuya wakes up.

Everything hurts. They haven't used corruption in a year, but his body doesn't forget how it felt to be torn apart. He needs a hot bath, but the idea of getting up is unbearable.

Outside, he can hear rain pounding against the pavement. Wind howls between buildings. It's a storm, and Chuuya can guess what will come next even before the flash of light blinds them.

Ice runs through his veins and Chuuya feels their heart pick up, slamming against their ribs in a desperate attempt to escape. And of course, Chuuya's headphones are in the kitchen, discarded on the counter from the last time they made dinner. And of course, it is 256am and so no one will be coming by, no one will be calling, and no one will distract him with video games.

Dazai used to.

At the thought, Chuuya clenches his jaw, hisses when pain shoots up to his skull.

On bad pain days, Dazai used to draw Chuuya a bath and carry him to it with minimal complaints. On stormy days, Dazai would break in and bait Chuuya with some sort of bet to play video games. The volume would be turned way too high, the windows would be blacked out, and Dazai would even through that awful, stink, black coat of his around Chuuya. If Chuuya fell asleep, he woke up with his head in Dazai's lap, Dazai's hair carding through his hair, and a light humming from the back of Dazai's throat.

It was the closest Chuuya ever felt to being a human.

Another bright flash, a loud rumbling. Chuuya throws a blanket over his head with a whimper. Dazai isn't here anymore. Double Black, they are still called, but only one of them remains.

Everything hurts, everything is either black or shocking, blinding white, and everything remains that way because Chuuya remains alone.

Chuuya wonders if the blackness of Dazai's soul finally consumed them. Chuuya wonders if it would creep in and swallow him whole, too

[daffodildelight]

Animagus (Part Two) | Ominis Gaunt x Reader

Title: Animagus (Part Two)

Pairing: Ominis Gaunt x fem!reader

Summary: Knowing how he feels about you it's time to do something about it

Themes/Warnings: fluff, mutual pining, insecurities

Word count: 1600ish

A/N: Not edited at all, make sure to read part one first: here

Waking up in the morning is not a particularly fun thing to do but you didn’t really have to do that when you didn’t have any sleep. Heart buzzing a million miles an hour and a smile you can’t wipe from your face even when it starts to hurt.

Anne was deeply confused about your whole attitude for the last 12 hours but especially worried about the fact you look like a serial killer, with tired eyes and a smile that can stretch on for miles.

“What is up with you?” Anne groans struggling to get into a seating opposition on her bed. “No one should be this happy in the morning, not even you” She yawns half her sentence before standing up and approaching you. “What happened last night?” she quizzes you.

“Something wonderful happened, something so wonderful that I can’t tell you” you cheered with a grin on your face. Anne makes her way to her trunk and pulls out her uniform and robes before chucking them over her shoulder and heading towards the lavatory “Okay you psychopath. Studying must have really gotten you going last night” she sighs. You can’t help but laugh “It really did”.

Anne takes her leave while you get ready for the school day, double-checking your appearance the entire time. You know Ominis is blind but you wanted to look good yourself, which gives you more confidence in what you're going to do. With one last look in the mirror, you sprayed yourself with some perfume which Ominis commented on a year ago saying you smelled good and you were ready to start the day.

Normally you would meet up with Sebastian or Anne before heading to the great hall and meeting up with Ominis but today is Wednesday and Sebastian has a meeting with cross wands and Anne needs to talk with Poppy Sweeting about some questions coming up in the Care of Magical Creatures N.E.W.Ts. So you were off to the great hall alone to meet up and have breakfast with Ominis alone.

You were feeling kind of nervous, you weren’t going to talk about your findings with Ominis at the great hall because there were too many people and you still had a chance of being rejected, so you had to act normal until you can find an opening to drag Ominis into an abandoned corridor.

Walking along the corridors to the great hall you put you’re mind somewhere else, you focus on the paintings and watch how they interact with students. What looks to be a knight in a portrait threatens to report some students to the headmaster because they moved his fame over an inch. The portrait opposite him, a lady with 2 daughters, fights with the knight stating that the students did nothing wrong. It was quite a funny argument to watch but you really did want to spend some extra time with Ominis so you went on your merry way.

Entering the great hall you feel unbelievably sweaty to the point where you’re rubbing your hands on your Slytherin robes. Walking towards your usual seating place you see Ominis reading a book. Reading as in gliding his finger across the page to ‘read’ the braille. You stand over his shoulder and watch how his hand glide and notice how good his hands look. Yes, this is a bit weird but you never notice how veiny his hands are and that the beauty marks on his face are also on his hands. How could his hands be so perfect?

You grab his shoulder to gain his attention, he turns to you with his pearly white smile and offers his hand so you can sit down on the bench. Feeling nervous you wipe your hands one more time on your robes before grasping his pale hands for help sitting down of course.

“Good morning (Y/N) you smell lovely today” Ominis speaks before closing his book and putting it in his shoulder bag. Heat spread through your face not only for the compliment but also because of how nervous you are. “Thank you Ominis, your hair looks extra superb today” hoping your voice doesn’t give away how anxious you are. He gives you smile before grabbing two plates that were left off to the side.

“Here have some breakfast, I know you love the fruit salad so I made sure to come in earlier to get you some before it ran out” Ominis states before moving the bowl of fruit salad in front of you. Your heart melts, he’s so compassionate, and just wants to make you confess more.

“I was wondering if we could chat in private Ominis? Sometime during the day?” You ask with a face full of fruit salad. Ominis looks apprehensive and reaches for his drink before asking “Hope I haven't done anything bad?”

Letting out a laugh hopefully to reassure him you tell him “Of course, you're not in trouble.” he lets out a sigh of relief “Why do you make it sound like that then?” Ominis then reaches for a piece of toast. Clearing your throat “I just need to talk to you about something important” starting to feel nervous again.

“I don’t understand why you just can’t tell me now, no one can hear us?” Ominis is making this harder for you without even knowing. I mean you could do it now, the only reason you wanted to do it later was that you could procrastinate or just end up not doing it. “Are you okay (Y/N)? Your breathing funny?” That was his way of saying you might want to stop before going into a full-blown panic attack. “It must be pretty serious to warrant this response, I really hope it's not that bad” Ominis puts his hand on your shoulder and leans in closer hoping to comfort you but it really does the opposite when he’s so close that you can smell his aftershave.

Moving slightly back before you do something stupid like kiss him you quickly rush out the words “It’s not bad I promise, I’m just trying to get the nerve to tell you”. Ominis begins to rub your shoulder “Just take your time (Y/N)” before making a joke to ease the growing tension “Just say it I won't bite”. You let out a nervous giggle.

You know the facts like the back of your hand. You know he likes you because he said so and was thinking about asking you to the ball so now you just have to ‘woman up’ and do it. With the remaining courage you have left, you loudly whispered “I like you” into the air hoping Ominis could hear you. A few seconds pass and you feel like you're about to explode from nerves and Ominis's face has changed from concerned to shock. It’s been about 20 seconds of silence. Feeling rejected you quickly say “ah just joking see you later” in the best tone you could possibly say before quickly grabbing your shoulder bag and standing up.

All you could think about was how could this have gone so wrong, you really thought he would’ve said yes after last night. It feels like your heart is about to explode from heartache and you just want to crawl into bed a die. But before you could even think about heading towards your dorm room Ominis grabs your arm quite harshly and drags you back down to the table. “Sorry, that was a bit harsh” Ominis states before rubbing the spot where he grabbed you. Unable to see what Ominis is feeling at this moment you sit there in silence hoping he would be the first one to speak seeing as he really wanted you there. Ominis leans in closer so that you could feel his breath on your nose. “Do you mean it?” He questions before continuing “Because if this is a joke, it’s a very cruel one”

You start nodding your head, hoping he would continue this conversation. Until you realised how stupid you are because he’s blind and can’t see you nod. “Sorry I was nodding” feeling like an idiot you lower your head to look at the floor to avoid seeing him. It’s like Ominis knew you were trying to focus on something else because he then brings his hand under your chin to look back at him. “I like you too, I have for a while” Ominis then tucks some hair behind your ear. “I also wanted to ask if you wanted to go to the Ball with me” You could tell he was nervous when he asked you this.

Before you could even think about your actions you lean up to kiss him on the cheek before giving him a hug. He wraps his arms around your back and puts his face in between your shoulder and neck. You giggle before happily replying “Of course, I’ll go to the Ball with you Ominis” you pull away and before you know it Ominis then kisses your cheek. The heat was starting to make its way up your face and you couldn’t help but feel an absolute attachment to one person.

Both of you don’t seem to notice the twins standing next to you. “Um, what did we just miss?” Anne says but can’t contain her smile. Sebastian, on the other hand, lets out a cheer “Finally it was killing me not telling you guys” he laughs before sitting next to me. You slip your hand into Ominis’ and chuckle before teasing Sebastian when he was gonna ask the MC out.

[j2h5b5]

Testing the Limits

Summary: JJ Maybank’s little sister is doing some experimenting.

***

Oh. Oh shit.

That was Milly Maybank’s first thought upon waking.

And it wasn’t just because her head felt like a balloon filled with blood, stretched fit to burst and throbbing along with the beat of her heart.

Or because her mouth seemed to be filled with cotton, and tasted like something had rotted inside there.

Or because her stomach was roiling like the HMS Pogue in a high wind and she was pretty sure she was about to vomit all over these clean white sheets.

These clean white sheets on her hospital bed.

Yep, that’s why she woke up mentally cussing.

Because she didn’t have much memory of last night, but what flashed through her mind wasn’t good at all, and whatever had happened to land her here had to have been literally catastrophic. They couldn’t fucking afford a hospital.

There was a needle in her arm with a clear tube leading up to a bag on a pole like you see on TV, and a beeping monitor that was presumably alerting everyone in the room to the fact that she was alive?

Everyone. That would be … Without moving her head (both because to do so would risk popping the balloon that was keeping her liquefied brain in place and also because she was afraid to draw attention), Milly took mental stock. Pope, Kiara, Sarah, John B. And, of course, JJ.

Her brother was perched in a very uncomfortable-looking plastic chair at her bedside, his blond head resting on his arms, which were resting on the edge of the mattress. His eyes were closed and she bit her lip as a flashback of the night before fluttered vaguely at the back of her mind.

What did you take? Milly, answer me, what did you take?

JJ, she’s not hearing you, she needs a hospital.

I know, FUCK, I KNOW, let’s go. Move, just fucking move, I’ve got her. Come here, baby sister. Come on, Jay’s got you.

The world tilting on its axis as strong arms lifted her like she weighed nothing at all.

A bumpy ride, tires spinning gravel and mud, panicked fussing and bickering that made no sense, then bright lights, violent and harsh.

Then nothing.

Then this.

That was it for the details of the AFTER. From the BEFORE, she remembered more than she wanted to. The fight with her brother, hurling sharp words at all his soft spots. Blind anger making her cruel. Running off into the night. Running toward the very thing JJ was trying to keep her from in the first place. Triumphant at winning the battle.

She’d stayed gone for two days. Ignoring texts and calls from all of them and successfully staying off the radar until she got too brave and went to grab a late lunch at The Wreck. Sitting at a deck table off in the far corner with her back to the late-afternoon stragglers. She had almost finished wolfing down her burger when an open palm smacked the back of her head hard and a much-loved voice with an icy sharp edge commanded: “Hey brat. Call your damn brother.”

Looking up at Kie, Milly saw the older girl’s annoyance and responded with an admittedly childish “No.”

“He’s worried about you.”

“He’s a dick.”

“Yeah? He’s JJ. That’s not the point. You owe him better than this.”

And Milly knew she was right, which was why she doubled down. “I don’t want to talk to him yet. I’ll call him when I’m ready, and when he’s done treating me like a stupid kid.”

“Stop acting like one.”

Milly pushed her chair back and stood up from the table, making to leave. Kiara set down the tray she was carrying and reached for Milly. “Wait, wait. Where are you staying? At least tell me that. Are you being careful?”

Dodging Kie’s grasping hand, Milly shot her a look of honest apology—really, this whole thing had gotten out of hand but she didn’t know how to fix it now. “I’m fine. Tell him I’m fine.”

And she left fast, because Kiara was a good runner and Milly wasn’t positive she wouldn’t be chased all the way back to where her new friends were waiting.

And now.

When she finally tore her eyes away from the head of floppy blond hair next to her, she realized the others—all of them—were watching her.

Time to face the music.

***

TBC?

[bubble-popping]

day 8, another day another au. dnb blood god au

Dream looked on in horror. Their supplies were low, armor close to breaking, and bodies weak from overexertion. At this rate, they wouldn't survive this round, and without them the village would crumble in minutes. They needed reinforcements of their own, but no one from another village would arrive in time if they weren't already on their way. Unless, there was a different kind of reinforcement they could call on...

He turned to face the other two. "You guys stall it, I have an idea." Without waiting for a response, Dream started to run away.

"What!?" Sapnap screeched, "You can't leave us to deal with that thing on our own!"

"I'll be quick, just don't die!" Dream called back and continued on his way. His destination soon came into view: the church. He skidded to a stop at the double doors, shoving them open and hurrying right up to the statue.

It was the same as always, unfeeling and oblivious to the world, to the peril that was quickly approaching. "I need your help," he spoke through rapid breaths, gaze fixed on the statue's unseeing eyes. "The whole village is in danger and we can't defend it on our own. Please, help us!" Of course, there was no response, but Dream expected that.

"You're called the Blood God for a reason, right?" The blond raised his axe and placed its blade at his palm. "I really hope this works..." He squeezed his eyes shut and sliced through the delicate skin with a grunt. Blood immediately began pouring out. His hand trembled as the warm liquid spilled down his wrist. He did the same to his other hand then dropped his weapon, hearing it clatter to the floor, his own blood covering it.

Dream lifted his hands and steeled himself before pressing them at the statue's chest. He bit back a noise of pain when his wounds stung at making contact with the smooth surface. "Please work, please work, please work..."

Panic bubbled in Dream's gut the longer nothing happened. He uselessly watched as blood stained the effigy's torso and slid down from where his hands sat. Was this really a fruitless endeavor? Did he leave his friends to die for nothing? Just the thought brought tears to his eyes that he tried to blink away.

A cracking noise made him snap his head up. A diagonal fissure separated the statue's face in two. Dream's brows furrowed and his eyes widened when more cracks appeared. Light escaped from between the jagged lines, further confusing the young man.

Soon, an entire chunk fell from the statue's head, exposing a light so intense Dream had to look away to avoid being blinded. He heard more pieces crash to the floor, but only glanced back when the light dimmed down.

What he saw made his heart stop.

"I-it's you..." The Blood God himself. He was alive, blinking and breathing, evident by the rise and fall of his chest which Dream felt since he still had his hands there. Realizing this, Dream attempted to remove them but his wrists were swiftly grabbed up by a firm grip. The god lowered his head and Dream yelped as he dragged his tongue over the slit on his right hand. "Wh-what are you doing?" Eyes as red as the blood still dripping down his arms flicked to meet Dream's and had the blond frozen in place, unable to look away.

The god then copied the strange gesture with Dream's other hand, though more leisurely, as if trying to savor the taste flooding his mouth. He slowly returned to his full height, almost a foot taller than Dream, and was nothing but intimidating looking down on the mere mortal.

"You say you require my assistance," his voice rang out in the small church, deep and oppressive. "My help is not free, human."

Suddenly, Dream was reminded of the reason he came in the first place. "That-that's fine! I'll do anything, just please help us!"

"Anything?" The Blood God rose a perfectly arched brow.

"Anything! Whatever you want, I don't care! Just, please, don't let my friends die..." Dream begged, the tears from before now flowing down his reddened cheeks in streams.

The god hummed thoughtfully before raising his other hand to place two fingers at Dream's sweaty forehead. "Stay here, and sleep." Dream's face twisted into an expression of confusion at first, then it relaxed completely as he blacked out.

[aaaaafro]

Seductress 2 - ITZY - Yuna x M! Reader. (+18?)

tw: gotcha again haha! no seggs but almost lol, idk maybe one day they'd be like uuughh seggs.

If you're looking for the first part: Here

"WAIT!" You and Ryujin shouted in perfect sync.

"Huh... Is that...?" The voice forge ahead as a hand finally pulls aside the blinds.

"HOLY SHIT!" Yuna screamed at the sight of her unnie in such a sinful situation.

"Yuna–." You tried talking but Ryujin quickly covered your mouth with her hand.

Meanwhile Yuna bolted out running. Your whole career in photography flashes right through your very eyes as you realize how bad your situation is.

"Stay here, I'll fix it." Ryujin reaffirms you before she runs out following Yuna.

You sat there in defeat as you fix the set as well as yourself before heading out. You can see the other crew returning back from their breaks giving you a smile as they one by one enter the building.

"Hey, did you have your break yet?" Lia surprised you with the sudden proximity between the two of you.

"O–oh, h-hey, no not yet b-but have you seen Ryujin?" You replied as she puts on a thinking face which is quite adorable if you're being honest.

"I think I did see her chasing after Yuna... Why? Did something happen?" She asked.

"N–no, I just have something to tell her." You replied as she just gave you that iconic eye smile.

"Alrighty, I'll leave you to it then but you'll be the one taking my pictures right?" Lia asks as she wiggles herself closer to you, closer than you'd like.

"I-i don't k-know, maybe?" You ended it with a nervous chuckle realizing that Lia is basically grinding herself on you.

"I-i need to g-go." Regrettably pulling away yourself but you've honestly have had enough of all of it, like honestly you couldn't think of any other way to fuck yourself up even more.

You ran towards ITZY's RV and you noticed the door was left slightly open. There's a conversation on going but it was too inaudible for you.

With a couple of useless weak knocks you peek your head in to see the two women responsible for your impending downfall.

"It's not what it seems!" Ryujin was holding her screams at Yuna who's just sitting there with her arms crossed.

"You cannot be serious with me right now unnie!" Yuna was infuriated to say the least.

"Oh look speaking of the devil!" She added once she noticed you're listening to them.

"Since you're here do you mind explaining yourself then?" Yuna stood up walking past Ryujin stopping right in front of you.

"Yuna–.” Ryujin called.

"Shut up unnie!" But her maknae was determined to get something out of you.

"I–.” You're ready to fry your brain out to try and come up with a logical explanation for what Yuna just witnessed but then Ryujin grabs Yuna's arm earning her attention.

A regretful sigh left Ryujin before saying "Fine! You can go first."

It's such an abstract thing for her to say specially when you consider they were in a middle of an argument. However as you took your time to recollect your thoughts, piecing together moments that led to this and seeing how all of Yuna's anger slowly changes into excitement sends your senses warnings.

"Really unnie?!" The young girl asked and you can clearly see how Ryujin is disappointed but just nodded.

Seeing the two of them have a change of mood in a flash made you take a step back, Yuna notices this and shifts her attention back to you.

Your heartbeat doubles seeing the maknae's furtive smile as she takes a step forward with every backward step that you took.

Of course being inside a RV can only mean such little space, your back inevitably hits a dead end. Your breathing becomes erratic each step Yuna takes. The distance between the two of you closing in faster and faster.

"We're gonna have so much fun." Said Yuna who's completely closed the distance between the two of you and now has her hand on your chest.

If that wasn't enough her face is inching closer and closer to the point her lips and yours might as well connect.

Your knees almost buckled but was saved when Ryujin fakes a cough catching yours and Yuna's attention. The youngest scoffs before exiting the RV leaving you and Ryujin alone.

As ridiculous as it sounds, you're in relief to be with Ryujin instead of Yuna. Just as you're about to recover she suddenly appears right in front of you.

"Don't be at ease. Just because I allow Yuna to take her shot doesn't mean I won't shoot mine." She whispered gently running her finger on your lips.

"See ya later." Ryujin winks before exiting the vehicle.

You stood there motionless, trying to wrap yourself up to what will happen from here on out but since there's no rest for the wicked your moment to recover was cut short when a staff knocks on the opened RV door.

"You good? We're starting." She asked before signalling towards the photoshoot and walking away.

"Uh–yeah, I'll be there." You replied as you following along.

Entering the production you're nerves starting to act up seeing Lia exiting the studio. She notices you before pouting, curious as to why you decided to approach her.

"Where were you? I thought you'd be the one to take my photos." She acted all gloomy but it was still cute nonetheless.

"Sorry, I was caught up with something." Your response made Lia raise her brow but before she could even say something the floor director calls you.

Yet again lady luck isn't much on your side today that the previous photographer is taking an emergency off leaving you the rest of the member and better yet if it isn't the world's best maknae Yuna who's currently in the middle of the studio.

So, the shoot starts and despite your best effort to forget everything that happened moments ago, your brain is caught up with two things.

First, what the heck is going to happen to you knowing that Ryujin and Yuna seems to be on to something with whatever the hell they were agreeing on earlier.

Second, Yuna is fucking gorgeous and perhaps if the circumstances were different you'd be thankful for the opportunity to take her photos. With the simplicity of her outfit paired with her otherworldly visuals, you can't deny that the woman in front of you may or may not be a goddess in her past life but your mind kept coming back to the events earlier.

Having the involuntary flashbacks you begin to sweat and your hands starts shaking, you try your best to play it off as you shake your hands but it's too late Yuna took notice of this.

And you know this how?

Just as the director calls for a switch of pose. Yuna rests her beautiful face on her hand and gives you this subtle but sinister smile.

Yet again you're having flashbacks from your shoot with Ryujin as you looked at Yuna through the lens.

She's oozing confidence...

She's something else...

She's well aware that you're staring...

She's doing it on purpose...

She's holding her pose for you...

She's seducing you...

You honestly thought you wouldn't make it but you're nonetheless thankful that you've taken decent photos till the director calls it a day after the review. Everyone started packing up and you doubled your efforts to help quicken the pace hoping to call it a day.

All of the crew then starts saying their goodbyes and one of the assistant of ITZY approaches you. Having an idea of what the deal is, you tried your best to relax and act all natural.

"Hey, great work out there." She greets and you just gave her one of those force smiles.

"Oh seems like you're tired..." and once again you just gave her a half-assed chuckle.

"I apologize if it's a bad time but Yuna said that she wants to give you something for your work today... If it's okay, she wants you to come to their RV?" You didn't even try to think that Yuna's actually planning something good but it'd be suspicious to refuse so you reluctantly agreed.

At this point you're just digging your own grave as you've reached ITZY's RV which is surprisingly quiet considering that all members are supposed to be inside.

You're about to knock when all of a sudden the door swung opens, if not one of the luckiest thing that happened, you stumble involuntarily dodging it. You hear a gasps from the inside to see a tall silhouette of a person.

"Omg oppa!" It was no other than Yuna.

"I'm so sorry." She quickly came to help you up even dusting off your pants.

"I'm alright, I just stopped by because someone said you're giving me something?" Hearing this she stopped all of a sudden before inviting you in.

Despite your brain's best effort to tell you that you should just turn back and walk away, your body doesn't really have much of a choice specially when Yuna reaches for your hand.

You can't even blame her as you just let her pull you in with no resistance at all. Once seated nicely you're only realizing that the inside is completely devoid of anyone else but the two of you, to that you're heart rate doubles but the fun never stops there as Yuna took a seat right next to you before resting her head on your shoulder.

Immediately your body stiffens and that made Yuna recoil for a second before placing her head back to your shoulder.

'Innocence' a word constantly associated with Yuna, yet no matter how hard you think of it, you couldn't help but look back at what happened earlier, the way she whispered 'We're gonna have so much fun.' in your ear that radiates nothing about innocence.

"Where are the other members?" You asked.

"Almost all of them are gone but I think Chaeryeong-unnie is still outside." She replied.

"I'm sorry oppa." That was unexpected like everything that happened today.

"About earlier... I shouldn't have scared you like that." She continued before capturing your arm and hugging it.

"I-... It's f-fine." Is it really? Especially when Yuna tightens her hold of your arm taking the friction between your arm and her body to a whole new level.

"Really oppa?" With her cute enthusiastic voice that contrasts the grinds she's currently doing on your arm.

You're currently choking on your own tongue, so nodding is the only option to reply and gladly she understood before flashing her bright smile that can easily dethrone the sun.

Just as you're about to relax because of the lightness of the situation Yuna shifted your arm in between her legs pulling it closer to the point of just outright pressing it against her core which is really warm.

All of those and yet she still has that smile that should be considered innocent but to you it is not. However her facial expression distorts as you realize that she's actually getting off on her grinding, her shorts didn't give the feeling any justice as your forearm is basically a sausage between two freshly toasted buns as her core radiates so much heat that you actually couldn't comprehend if your arm is sweating or it's actually Yuna's...

"Y-yuna!" You called before finally retrieving your arm and stood up looking down to Yuna who now looks upset.

"O–oppa..." She called complimenting her sad eyes with a pout.

Any sane person would've surrendered themselves the second their eyes met hers but not you, not now with the thought of you, losing your job, your resolve is stronger than ever.

"P–pleaseeee." She called going on all fours on the crawling towards you as you took a step back.

"This is wrong–.” Right? Who in their right mind would think this is okay.

"Fine." She broke out of her act like it was nothing finally recompose herself.

The stupid you thinking that everything is fine now can go fuck himself as Yuna took you by the collar before clashing lips with you. Immediately having flashbacks from your time with Ryujin but this is worlds different.

As much as you hate to say it, you actually prefer this more than Ryujin's. It might be due to Yuna not being as dominant as Ryujin. Damn it why are you comparing them? Shouldn't you be thinking of your way out of this?

Think? What's that supposed to be? The only thing you can think of is just how famished Yuna is. Evidently from the way she almost took half of your face in digging her tongue inside your mouth, lapping you up from your lips to neck as she sneakily pulled you back to the couch.

Yuna even sat you down and straddled without breaking contact as she continues to eat you up, her spits covering up a good amount of your chest like a good post work out.

"Y–your u–... Unnies might come i–in." That's your pathetic attempt to make her stop but on the contrary she shoots a murderous look at you before ripping your shirt off.

Yuna's actions couldn't speak any louder as she just starts palming every inch of your torso and of course reconnecting her lips with yours. Obviously you're far from controlling your hormones and so your buddy downtown couldn't get a hold of himself.

Of course Yuna wouldn't fail to notice this as she starts grinding her core on top of your bulge, this caused you to groan in the kiss and you can clearly feel her smile forming as she doubles her efforts.

Despite the immense bliss the two of you are currently riding on for Yuna it's as if never enough. She reluctantly stops her feast and stands up to skillfully remove her needless pants.

Surprising you is that with everything that she has done you can still see her blush as she exposes her seemingly damp underwear, evident with its spot right in the middle.

That didn't last though as she retakes her position on top of you perfectly lining her core on your manhood right to the very center to which her clothed soft lips nestle your length.

It causes Yuna to let out a soft whimper that will be stuck in your mind forever. She then starts grinding her lower half, rubbing her wet snatch on your covered member.

The two of you moaned into the kiss as she starts getting more and more aggressive with her movements even going as far as biting your lower lip and pulling it back.

Now your hands having a life of its own starts moving up her slim waist and tracing her tone back, to which Yuna's breathing becomes more erratic each second. Growing impatiently as your hand took its time exploring her back side.

After your finger glides on her spine sending chills to her body, her hands have had enough of your teasing, she pulls both of them intertwining your fingers with her and even taking in your index and middle finger in her mouth, licking it a good amount before she slides it down to her chin leaving a good trail of her spit along with it.

Ultimately landing on her breast, she then guides your finger creating circles on her nub which is poking through her sports bra.

"Are we having fun now oppa?" Her seductive tone enters your ear like an addicting melody.

As you're about to agree a gasp right beside you woke the two of you up from your pleasure trance. With your eyeballs almost falling out. You and Yuna couldn't get off of each other quick enough as you turned towards the source the two of you couldn't help but gasp in response. The person was about to run outside before:

"WAIT!" You and Yuna echoed each other.

[el-moscorrofio-y-el-mercachifle]

What do you think would have happened to change the course of history as we know it in the show if the guy who accompanies his friend for the betty-aura maria double date was genuinely interested in getting to know her (at least being a friend to her)...maybe they had a common interest in say finance or books or music. Betty wrote in her diary that men seek for desirable women and she didn't feel like that. What if this guy made a decent attempt to connect to her and wanted to see her again. Your opinions are so interesting and I want to hear your thoughts. Thank you and have a good day.

Omgggg I looooove this question!! But also it's so complicated to answer because this supposes to alter a LOOOOT! On one hand we can go for the realistic route of "if Betty hadn't had her hope of love fully crushed and she had actually seen that another man could have had an interest in her, she wouldn't have beeb so utterly blind and devoted towards Armando" especially because the night of the doubke date is the night that Betty gives on on love. On the other hand, we can also take the also canon but less realistic view of "Armando and Betty were destined to be and once Betty fell for Armando there was no going back nor person that ever made her doubt it," given that they share a canonical psychic or soul bond. In other words, would Betty give it a chance with someone else, or would her love blind her to anh other possibility but Armando?

Although I DEFINITELY think that a love rival would have spiced things up and quickened Armando's realization of his own feelings, which I loooove and it's why I DESPERATELY wanna write about that lmao. After all, he did have the biggest jump in his own feelings for Betty when he learned about Nicolás, except that this would be an even bigger kick in the face because he doesn't yet have the embargo excuse! And also, he could actually get to see a real peak of Betty being courted. I've actually been trying to write a short story based on the idea of a rival!

Anyways, let's see!

Imagining that the guy, Rafael (canon name) actually liked Betty would imply that we need to re imagine his whole personality lmao that canon ratman is canonically too uncool for my girlie, but let's say that he is a now a cool guy. He's charming, fun, and actually not superficial. He's open to friendship

He doesn't immediately reject Betty at all, and is in an active conversation with Betty through the whole night. He doesn't leave early, and let's say they even dance a little. They're in a friendly convo but there's no romantic spark.

In any case, Aura Maria is still happy for Betty! She's enjoying her time with the other guy but she's happy to see that Betty and Rafael are getting along, even if she's a bit sad that there's obviously no attraction between them

Anyways, Betty gets a little later home, and when her mom asks about how it went, Betty is so happy to tell her she had an actual good time! She writes in her diary that she had a good time but can't help but feel a little disappointed, because she noticed the guy wasn't into her like that

At this point it's where the major change happens, because this is the night that Betty is fully convinced that she will never experience love, that men only like beautiful women, that the powerhouse of her life must be work, and that Armando is the only man who will ever want and need her, even if it's only because of her work

In this scenario, Betty isn't as pessimistic as she was in the novela. She is just a little sad, but she didn't give up on love fully, because she wasn't fully rejected and mistreated like in the novela. She actually has a bit of hope because the guy and her exchanged numbers.

This supposes a BIG change because it's due to the devoted mentality that Betty agrees to do everything Armando asks for

Given that the dude is from Medellin, this would imply that they cant see each other often, and their relationship, fully platonic at first, would be mainly through phone

So this means Armando doesn't really have to know about him for a while

Obviously Aura Maria would mention Rafael and their night out all together to the rest of the Cuartel, but Betty would shut all of that down arguing that they just ended up as friends

But this is definitely a source for the Cuartel to gossip and tease her! They would definitely ask her if she's now over Nicolás, and she'd say no

Betty and this dude's friendship would continue for a while, but at the same time, Betty spends most of her time with Armando, which also furthers her crush on him, because after all, I really don't think Betty would ever fully love another man

(This is mainly because it's heavily implied in the show thay Armando and Betty share a special psychic connection and that it's probably faithed to be, like when Armando yelled her name and she heard it all the way to Cartagena lmao I don't think either of them would have been happy with any other partner)

There would need to be a point in which Rafael comes back, and that would probably be when things really get going!

Him being away is the main reason why I don't think it would fully develop into a relationship. Betty just wouldn't be able to lower enough of her barriers like that

It'd be interesting to see when him comjng back happens, but for the fun of it, let's say this happens before the embargo. Just to change this up a little from the canon "Nicolás is Betty's bf" canon paranoia

Imagine this dude coming over to Ecomoda one day showing up with a bouquet for Betty. Aura Maria would be sooooo happy for her and would so quickly call her to her office to tell her he's there!!

Would Betty accept these flowers?? Probably she'd be a bit hesitant but get them at the end. She's kinda flattered with them but remember she still has so many barriers up because of the trauma she went through

What for Rafael and any other man may be a simple gentlemanly and romantic present for their lady love, for Betty it can be a painful reminder of what happened. It's not thay she doesn't want to give herself the opportunity to love, it's just that fear will always remain after such trauma

With Armando, after all, she was already fully devoted and trusting of him because he had demonstrated through actions, words, and even conversations with Mario that he appreciated and trusted her fully, and even when their relationship started Betty continued to be full of doubts but she loved him so much that she couldn't close herself to the experience. He made her feel safe enough to lower her barriers and push herself through her doubts. With Rafael it's hard to get to this level of trust and safety when they basically just communicated through phone for a while

Anyways, imagine Betty coming back to her office holding this big bouquet of roses. Imagine Armando's stunned face for a moment, before asking what is that and why she has it, before Betty laughingly and dismissingly saying a friend got it for her

Imagine his killer stare. Just imagine that lmao

His deadfaced, teeth gritted, muscle tensed, sarcastic and dry comment of "what a romantic 'friend', right?" Lmaoooo

He'd totally spiral. He'd be in a terrible mood the whole day!

Imagine he goes out of his office because he's so angry and the first thing he hears Bertha and Sofia talking about is Rafael lmao

He's definitely go as far as to ask Aura Maria about this dude once he finds out they're friends

He'd be so angry and mortified with no apparent reason as to why when learning those two had been on a date, dancing and chatting and having fun

Ohhhh, imagine that same day Armando actually gets to meet him!! Perhaps Rafael goes to Ecomoda yo invite Betty to lunch

Lmao imagine Armando witnessing that and making up something like a lunch meeting just so she doesn't go

To me this scenario is soooo hilarous, the idea of a rival kills me because it's so full of potential for funny jealous Armando and Mario teasing him about it lmao i want a full fanfiction of this😂😂

Anyways, I don't really think this would become a full relationship. There may be some interest between the parts but I don't think it'd be strong enough to become a relationship and they can always use the distance excuse

Maybe Rafael realizes that Betty's appearence is a deal breaker after all, after months of only talking through phone and basically forgetting how she looks. It wouldn't be such a stretch, after all, it's basically Armando's situation in the sense that they like Betty's personality very very much but they can't break past her appearence

Armandk was forced to see past that due to the embargo, but Rafael can just walk away. He has no real attachment, and ghe "situationship" can easily be broken up becauseof the "distance" between where they live

But the simple fact of knowing that Betty can actually be desirable for other men, see it first hand, and that she's interested in dating, will definitely make Armando be extra alert

It's also the realization that Betty is sweet, kind, and devoted to other people. It's basically the same realization Armando has when he first heard about Betty havin a bf, except that he is now seeing it with his own eyes!

Would this quicken things? Feeling wise, absolutely. Action wise? Hard to say. Armando still has so many prejudices and his own barriers up

Although it would definitely later be fuel for Calderón's tease and further of Armando's paranoia.

Something like "Well, maybe her crush on Nicolás is stronger than we thought, after all she also rejected that other dude. And an uggo of such magnitude giving up an opportunity like that? It has to be love!" Every time Betty rejects Armando or tries to break up

On the other hand, if this man turns out to be more Michel like, given that he is introduced so early in the story, he could change everything. It all depend on how his personality and goals are, but given that he's a canonical asshole and this scenario supposes re inventing him completely, it opens so many possibilities

Since he's a blanck slate, how do we want him to be according to what story we want? Is he carefree and laid back? Protective and serious? Fun and trusting?

Because if we go full Michel mode, he could have wanted to make Betty his gf and take her away from that toxic work environment to take her to work where he does, resulting in Ecomoda collapsing under Armando's bad decisions

Would they be happy? No, Betty and Armandk are faithed to be and they definitely wouldn't be happy without each other

This whole idea of Rafael offers soooo many scenarios, depending on when he shows up, what his intentions are or end up being, in what point of Betty's arch he appears, etc!

So much fanfic material omg

The question made me crack my brain open trying to put a single answer to a vlear scenario but since there are so many choices I put a bit of everything. I think it endedup being more scrambled than of usual lmao

Thank you for the question!