#oh and your peers finding out you’re a bitch that harasses everyone and being the mocking stock lmao

[peaceeandcoolestvibes]

CATCH THE SHADE

R@ts finding out John was always serious about charlotte and going on Reddit to beg for sympathy for more than 1k people drag her at almost 40 years old (it’s embarrassing and it seems she didn’t get enough heat with the 20 blogs she run). Nobody likes poop perry 😂

[dyingrosesandwriting]

Home (Yandere x Reader)

Word count: ~2100

“I can’t believe I wrote this.” Muttered a quiet voice in the dark.

“I mean, this is so repetitive and boring!” Exclaimed the figure in the dark, obscured by a blanket thrown over herself, light from her device creating a silhouette visible from the window. Not like anyone would see, or at least that was what you thought.

However, you were very wrong, as unbeknownst to you, a male sat right outside your window. He was cloaked in shadows and a hoodie, while wearing a grin on his face. As the unknown male peered through your window, you got out of the tent of sheets and walked out of your room to the hall.

“Now’s my chance” muttered your stalker with a chuckle, as he started picking the your window lock.

You stood in your bathroom, brushing your teeth, when you heard a noise come from your room, shaking, you put your toothbrush back and went inside to investigate.

“Hello?” You called out, your voice cracking. Your feet felt like they were freezing on the floorboards.

“I have a weapon you know!” You shouted, trying to intimidate whatever had intruded your house. You did in fact have a weapon,  which meant if worse came to worse, you could probably fight back.

You opened your bedroom door, heart pumping so hard it resonated through your whole body, only to find... Nothing unusual.

You searched through any places that an intruder could hide, behind your cabinets, behind your door, under your bed, and now your closet, the only place left, you had already armed yourself with a kitchen knife and a torch, and with a deep breath you swung open the tall door.

You gasped as you saw a man in front of you, he gave you a smile as you froze up, and spoke with a sickly sweet voice,

“Aww, you found me, babe!” He stepped out of your racks of clothes, revealing his tall, looming figure and something in his hands.

You tried to run, use your weapon, do anything, but fear had petrified you to your spot, and now you were being held down by the man as he held that thing in his hands to your mouth. You realised only too late that it was a chloroform rag as you started to fall unconscious. “Shhhh,” He hushed.

“It’s going to be alright...”

///

“Hey baby, I was wondering when you’d wake up!” Exclaimed a voice from... somewhere.

Yoy couldn’t seem to see until you had blinked a bit, but even then you disregarded the voice and tried to stretch your arms, trying to shake off the tendrils of sleepiness. But to your horror you couldn’t move your arms much at all. You looked around to try and find the cause of it, when you spotted that man from last night sitting at the edge of what was definitely not your bed.

"Did he actually kidnap me?" You thought, your mind started racing with questions, "What’s he going to do to me?" "Am I going to die?" "Why me?" Your thoughts were cut off though as he spoke again.

“Are you ignoring me babe?” He asked,

“You know that won’t end well. For either of us.” He whispered in your ear, causing goose bumps to erupt over your neck.

“Why am I here?” You squeaked out, holding back tears. The man noticed your fear and started rubbing your cheek despite your obvious discomfort, “You’re here," He paused, "Because I love you.”

“W-what?” You gasped out.

“I have loved you since we first met, in seventh grade, you helped me out all the time!”

“Remember?”

He stared at you expectantly, but you couldn’t remember him, you graduated a year ago, but you'd suppressed those memories long ago.

The man looked familiar though, not with a comforting sense of familiarity, instead with a deep seeded fear, like he’d been responsible for the ‘incident' at the end of seventh grade.

“You don’t remember me?” He asked her, his voice shaky and uneven. You were just about to answer when he’d started screaming,

“You fucking bitch! How could you forget me! We’re soulmates, or are you too much of a whore to remember that?”

All of his shouting had driven you to the point of tears, not like you weren't probably already going to cry. You had tried to hold them back but they flowed across your cheeks as you sobbed quietly, willing your captor to not notice them in fear of being hurt.

“I’m sorry...” He stated calmly, although you could hear his heavy breaths, and stared into your eyes as he started to stroke through your hair. You thought of slapping his hand away but thought of the consequences, and that you couldn’t move your hands.

“I should of known you'd forgotten, seventh grade was pretty traumatic." He sighed, but you felt like he was involved in that trauma.

“I guess I should reintroduce myself then,” He added, with a peck to your blotchy red cheek.

“My name’s Blake.”

“And you babe, helped me out when no one else would!” He shifted off the bed and grabbed a photo album, “Every single day I was tormented by those fucking bastards,” He seemingly struggled to keep his voice level.

“But you always saved me afterwards!” He added with a wide smile and opened up the album to a page full of photos of you, some were from behind, some were seemingly consensual, and others had been taken while you were asleep, and all of them made you incredibly uncomfortable.

You decided to just nod along.

“Did you ever even question why everyone hated me?”

“N-no.”

Blake chuckled and answered. “All of them made a fit just because I followed you home one day,” You felt bile crawl up your throat as your stomach began to turn.

“I was only following you to protect you from those creeps!”

“But, y’ know I taught them all a lesson babe.”

Blake's words had proved exactly what you were dreading.

He’d been responsible for the 'incident' in seventh grade.

///

I stood in front of the school bathroom mirror, freshening up before I’d head out with my boyfriend, or whatever we were now.

I'd confessed to him yesterday and he said he’d liked me too, although not as long as I had, so we'd decided to date.

After about five minutes I finished brushing my hair for the third time today and headed outside the main gate to meet him, but he wasn’t there.

After standing there and looking in every direction, I checked my phone; nothing.

I sent him a text:

where r u???

Sent

I waited ten minutes for a reply, but nothing, not even a ‘seen’. I started to search around, asking the kids who where still hanging around if they’d seen him. A group of them said they’d seen him following another dude through the hall,

“Great,” I thought, “he’s just gonna cop out on me before the first date.”

I figured I should at least find him and tell him my frustration if he wasn’t going to read my texts, so I headed towards the gym, presumably where one of his team members had probably dragged him off to.

As I walked through the hall towards the gym I heard a strange noise; Something muffled.

I quietly stepped towards the door it was coming from, the storage closet, and listened.

“So what did you drag me here for?” Someone asked.

“You took something from me,” Someone else answered back.

“What did I take?” The first person asked, the smugness feeling very familiar.

“YOU FUCKING KNOW!” Roared back the other person. Fearing things were gonna get ugly, I tried to open the door but it wouldn’t budge. I looked around for anyone, but the halls were empty. It must’ve been way past the end bell now so the only people left were in their clubs.

I had one choice: to try stop this while I could.

I prepared myself and rammed the door with my shoulder with all my strength.

First try; it didn’t budge.

Second try; Something smashed in the closet.

Third try; if this didn’t work I’d need to go get help.

But thankfully, it did.

But I wouldn't be so thankful soon.

Just as the door busted open, I saw it. The beaten body of my boyfriend and a tall, dark figure grasping a baseball bat hunched over him.

I tried to reach out to him but the man grabbed my wrist, twisted it, and pushed me to the ground. Through the pain I held back tears as I tried to get up, but what I saw next had me begging for the blurry censorship my tears provided.

I got up, but before I ran for someone to break this up, I tried to punch this psycho while he resumed to beating my boyfriend to a pulp with his bat.

Instead however, he turned right around as my fist collided with his back and struck my shins with his bat, the residual pain keeping me on my knees after the initial strike.

“No, no, you’re gonna watch this,” A voice too deranged to recognise muttered.

He continued to senselessly beat the barely alive mess of flesh, blood and bone that was once my boyfriend into a pulp.

“It’s all for you after all.”

///

“No! No no no no no!” You cried in shock and terror.

“Oh, but yes!” He replied in a mockingly jolly tone, “You have no idea how fucking great it felt to crush that insect of a boyfriend!” He added, licking his lips and thinking with a nostalgic look on his face.

“Just... Why?”

“Why? Isn’t it obvious?”

“I told you already; I love you.”

“I just want you all to myself, tied up and away from all the fucking perves that want you for themselves.” Blake held you tightly in his arms, you knew better than to squirm.

“S-so you wanted them to hate me?” You cried in confusion.

“Well...  It certainly wasn’t part of the plan, but how could you have a relationship if everyone thought you killed your last boyfriend?”

“How could you not fall for me? The clumsy but charming guy of your dreams, who was always there?” He asked staring deep into your eyes.

“I mean seriously, how couldn’t you?!” He raised his voice, “I WAS ALWAYS THERE, BUT ALL YOU DID WAS IGNORE ME AND PLAN ON LEAVING THIS ‘DUMPSTER OF A TOWN’!” he continued, voice now booming in the small room.

Your eyes immediately dilated and your palms began to sweat, tears pricking at your eyes once again.

“YOU'VE BEEN TRYING FOR YEARS, FUCKING YEARS, TO LEAVE ME!”

“W-why?” He’d finally calmed down, and started almost crying himself, the sight made you feel an uncomfortable mix of smug and sorry.

No.

He's a murderer.

“I couldn’t live with the harassment anymore.” You started calmly, hoping you wouldn’t flare up his anger.

“Didn’t you want me to be happy?” You asked.

“But I need you to be happy.” He responded weakly.

You remained silent and decided to take a closer look at the room you were stuck in.

You were currently laying on a queen sized bed, with three layers of blankets and plain blue sheets.

The walls of the room were painted the same blue as the sheets, though it was hard to tell at first due to photos of you and posters covering most of the area.

"The room must be Blake's," You thought. "Which means..." Your stomach turned at the thought.

You'd have to sleep with this psycho.

And then what would happen?

He would push himself onto you, and you'd either have to accept it, or... You didn't want to think about what he'd do to you.

His threats when you didn't acknowledge him, the fact that he broke into your home and kidnapped you, and...

What he did to your boyfriend.

And how he enjoyed the aftermath of fear and bullying towards you. He stood by as people made your life a living hell. Because they thought you were a criminal, a murderer that was about to get what they deserved.

Maybe they were right. You did kill him. Who knows how many other deaths you were responsible for?

No.

He killed him. Blake did.

And all of this, that's what'll clear your name once you escape wherever this psycho is keeping you.

"W-where are we?" Your voice came out softer and meeker than you'd like, but maybe that would help. Get him to believe you were just scared and worried, though you really were.

The male sat in front of you, shaking a small amount.

"Home."

Uh, so this is kinda old, but then I added onto it and rewrote it to be x reader. I was mega hyped for this blog when I started writing this, even making a Pinterest board for this character, but I never actually described his appearance, and personality wise he is a pissbaby.

Bruh, my first draft on this account made realise I changed his name from Joey to Blake.

Edit: I fucking forgot to change his name once and used third person phrasing instead of second person in one part. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

[nejitenforlife]

Mutual Attraction

A NejiTen One-Shot AU

Rating: T

Words: 6,145

Summary: When Tenten is being harassed by someone at a bar, she is rescued by a very attractive - and very familiar looking - man.

I posted this a while ago to FFN and AO3, but I don’t think I’ve posted it on Tumblr, so here you go. Please enjoy.

.

There were specific reasons Tenten hated parties. Whether they be in bars, clubs, or in someone's house, they were always the same—excessively loud with an almost constant stench of sweat and cigarette smoke permeating the air.

But that wasn't the worst part.

Oh no.

The worst part was in the form of the man standing right in front of her, desperately trying to flirt his way into her pants.

Tenten fought the desire to roll her eyes, her hand gripping her glass of liquor a little tighter as the man—Deidara, he had said his name was—grinned at her, his arms gesturing animatedly as he spoke. He was telling her a joke, having to shout over the loud music, but she wasn't listening. She hated when men hit on her—not that it happened often, but still—as though they were God’s gift to women.

She realized he had stopped speaking, giving her an expectant look that suggested he was waiting for her reaction, and she let out a polite chuckle in response. She didn't want to be here, but she wasn't a bitch. She would be as polite as she could be until she could extract herself from the situation. 

Then she would find Temari and strangle the life out of her blonde friend for dragging her to this damn bar.

Usually, Tenten didn't mind having a drink in a bar with a nice atmosphere, but not tonight. Her friends, Ino and Sai, had finally decided to tie the knot, and this was supposed to be their engagement party. Not the kind of place Tenten would have chosen for a party herself, and she hadn’t wanted to come, despite having been friends with the blonde since college, but Temari had made her.

Everyone was here. Tenten had caught glimpses of Naruto and Kiba playing a loud game of pool in the corner, Naruto's girlfriend, Hinata, sitting quietly as she watched them, a shy but happy smile on her lips. Sakura was sitting in a booth with her boyfriend, Sasuke, the woman talking enthusiastically while her counterpart remained stoically silent. Tenten still didn't understand what the pinkette saw in the moody raven-haired man, but he made her happy, so Tenten couldn't complain. Shikamaru and Shino were sharing another booth in the corner, the pair looking almost as uncomfortable as Tenten felt, and she decided to make her way over and hang out with them for a while, away from the loudness of the bar.

She had barely even arrived and had only gone up to the bar to get a drink, where she was rudely intercepted by this man who still had not stopped talking.

Did he ever shut up?

Unable to hold back the sigh, Tenten took a long sip of her whiskey and enjoyed the way the golden liquid warmed her throat on its way down to her stomach. 

Maybe if she drank enough, she wouldn't feel so annoyed.

“You wanna dance?” The man—Deidara, she reminded herself again—tried to lean closer to her ear as he spoke, but Tenten stepped away from him, making him repeat the question a little louder.

She shook her head, wondering if her face was still impassive or if he could see her impatience creeping onto her features. “No, thank you. I want to go sit down.”

He looked around, his lips turning down in a frown as he noted the full tables. “I don't think there's any spare tables, but we could find a more secluded corner and talk, yeah.” He ended the sentence with a suggestive eyebrow raise, and Tenten had to fight the desire to roll her eyes again.

“Actually,” she started, taking another small step away from the overly friendly blond. “I'm here with friends and would like to sit with them.”

“Oh?” His eyes widened before what she imagined was supposed to be a flirtatious smile graced his lips. “I wouldn't mind meeting your friends. Where are they sitting?”

She had tried to be nice. Hell, she had spent the last ten minutes listening to his attempts of flirtation. But he was getting on her last nerves. 

“Look, I'm sure you're a nice guy,” she said, trying to keep her voice even without letting her irritation seep through. “But I'm not interested.”

“Don't be shy, yeah,” he replied, unfazed at being turned down. “I'm sure you'll change your mind once we get to know each other.”

Tenten opened her mouth to say that no, she would not be changing her mind and could he please leave her before her patience snaps and she punches him in the face, when she felt an arm snake around her waist, causing her to squeak in surprise. A large hand pressed against her hip, pulling her close to a warm, hard body. She barely even had time to register what was happening before the person spoke.

“I am sorry for being late, my love,” the smooth voice rumbled from beside her. “Is this a friend of yours?”

Tenten knew what the stranger was doing immediately, and although she didn't appreciate that he had assumed she needed help, she was secretly grateful for it.

Moving her arm to rest along his back, she looked up with a wide grin, a grin which threatened to falter when she saw the face of the man who had deemed to rescue her.

To say he was handsome would be an understatement. He was breathtakingly beautiful—and yes, Tenten didn't mind calling a man beautiful. He had black hair that rested just above his shoulders, and although Tenten didn't usually like men with long hair, it seemed to work for him. No, she corrected herself. It definitely worked for him.

His pale, lavender eyes met her brown ones and Tenten had to stop herself from gasping. His eyes were mesmerizing, and although they seemed familiar, she couldn’t figure out why.

Deidara took a step back at the appearance of the newcomer, his hands out in a placating manner in front of his body. “I, uh, didn't realize you were taken. Sorry man, I didn't mean anything by it, yeah.”

“No harm done,” the newcomer replied. “But if I catch you talking to my girlfriend again, I will not be so polite.”

Tenten watched Deidara go, relieved to have finally gotten rid of him—though, she supposed the newcomer was responsible for that, not her.

Their arms were still around each other and Tenten suddenly felt very nervous. It wasn't that she wasn't used to guys—she had plenty of male friends—but he was a stranger. A beautiful stranger. She extracted her arm from around his waist and stepped back, feeling every movement of his arm as it fell away from her body.

Was it wrong that she felt bare without it?

No, that was stupid. She didn't even know the man and he had barely been holding her for a couple of minutes. Maybe she was just missing the feeling of physical contact. She may have a lot of male friends, but she hadn't dated anyone in a very long time.

“Thank you for that,” Tenten said, forcing her head up to look him in the eye with a smile. “He would have left eventually, but he was being stubborn.”

His lavender eyes were intense as they bore into hers, and Tenten could feel herself flushing at his attention. “You are welcome.” .

.

. Neji didn't know what possessed him to help the dark-haired beauty. He had only just arrived at the bar and was looking for his cousin when he spotted the woman, looking uncomfortable as a man with long blond hair tied back in a high ponytail chatted her up. Her fingers were tapping her glass impatiently and her eyes continued to sweep the room, as if looking for a way to escape the man's attentions.

It wasn't in Neji's nature to help others, not really. He had grown up in a wealthy family, spoiled from the day he was born by his parents, and from a young age, he tended to only do things that would benefit him. But as soon as his eyes had locked onto the woman, noting appreciatively the way her jeans hugged the curves of her ass, he was lost. His feet had made their way to her without his brain directing them and before he knew it, he was pulling her close to his body, relishing the feel of her softness pressed against him.

She was staring at him now, head tilted back slightly so her eyes—the colour of warm chocolate—could peer into his, a smile on her pretty pink lips. She was thanking him, he knew that, but he couldn't hear her words, too caught up as he was in staring at her features. Would she mind if he leaned down to kiss her? Probably, given the fact that she had just gotten rid of the last man that intruded into her space. Still, it didn't stop Neji from staring at her lips, imagining what they would feel like pressed against his own.

Absentmindedly, he realized that she looked vaguely familiar. But surely, he would remember a woman as attractive as this one. A frown tugged his lips downwards as he wondered where they may know each other.

.

.

.

He was staring.

Tenten wasn't sure whether she should say something or not. It wasn't like she disapproved of his staring—not like she had disapproved of Deidara’s attentions. But he hadn't replied to her and she was beginning to feel a little embarrassed. Especially when his lavender eyes kept flicking to her lips.

Did he want to kiss her? Tenten was tempted to ask him to do just that, but she didn't think it would be appropriate. He had helped her, yes, but that did not mean he was interested in her.

Besides, she reminded herself, he's a stranger!

Someone jostled her as they walked past, knocking her to the side. The man's arm sprung out like lightning, keeping her from toppling over, and breaking whatever moment they were having. 

“Thank you,” she said again, stepping back from him.

“You are welcome,” he replied in that same, smooth tone. Tenten shivered despite the warmth of the bar, unable to turn away from his intense gaze.

“A-anyway, I should go. My friends are over there,” she pointed in the general direction of where Shikamaru and Shino were sitting while silently cursing herself for stuttering. She had never stuttered before in her life!

The man turned to the direction she was pointing, his gaze lingering before turning back to meet hers. “I have some friends that way as well. Shall I walk you to your destination?”

Tenten nodded her head dumbly. He placed a hand gently at the small of her back and followed her as she weaved her way through the crowd towards where her friends were sitting, all the while wondering if she could convince him to stay with her a little longer. Maybe get to know each other? 

Unless he already had a girlfriend. Tenten stumbled as the thought crashed into her, barely registering as he held her elbow to steady her. She sent him a quick, strained smile before picking up her pace. Why hadn't she thought of that straight away? Of course he would have a girlfriend—how could he not?

Tenten suddenly felt silly for being attracted to him, especially after only just meeting him. She wasn’t the type of woman who could attract a man like this. It wasn't that she was unattractive, but she had enough experience to know that once a man found out how into sports she was—and how much of a tomboy she was—they would be turned off. And this man—this beautiful stranger—looked very much like he hadn’t played a game of sports in his life.

Of course, she had had a few dalliances during her college years—Kiba being one of them—but that was purely out of a bored curiosity on both their parts. They had only ever gotten to second base and had quickly realized how weird—and gross—it was for them to be a couple when they only saw each other as friends.

So yeah, Tenten didn't have a lot of experience with men of this sort of... calibre.

“Are you all right?”

Tenten jumped at hearing his voice so close to her ear. He had leaned down to whisper instead of shouting above the din, and the combination of his breath against her skin and the rumble of his voice had her suppressing another shiver.

“Y-yeah, thanks,” she replied, turning her head towards him only to bite back a gasp at how close they were. His face was mere inches from her own and she could feel each exhale he made caress her cheeks and lips.

Speaking of lips… Tenten licked hers subconsciously and the man’s eyes immediately locked onto the wet appendage. The lavender darkened to an almost violet colour and Tenten stopped breathing altogether as she watched him in stunned fascination.

Another jostle—she really did hate crowded places—this time against her back, had her careening into the stranger in front of her. She was half relieved that her lips didn’t smack his while she fell into his arms, like in one of those silly Korean dramas Sakura made her sit through. But a part of her was also disappointed as well. Why couldn’t she be the heroine of a romance drama, where she is saved by a handsome stranger who falls quickly, deeply, and madly in love with her? Would that be too much to ask?

Of course, if this was a romantic drama, she would no doubt have to fend off a jealous ex-girlfriend and have water thrown at her face by his mother (or grandmother, maybe even both). That was something Tenten wasn’t keen on, and she was glad that real life wasn’t so dramatic.

For the second time in one evening, Tenten extracted herself from the kind stranger, throwing him a brief smile while mumbling a ‘thank you’ that she knew wouldn’t be heard over the noise of the bar. And then, she turned and walked away from him, almost powerwalking the rest of the way to the table.

By the time Tenten made it to Shikamaru’s table, Kiba, Naruto, and Hinata had joined them. Naruto was mumbling something about a ‘cheater’ while Kiba grinned and punched him in the shoulder, looking very chuffed with himself.

“Hi, guys!” Tenten beamed at her friends. Her heart, which had been pounding vigorously since she first laid eyes on the handsome stranger, was finally calming down. She slipped in beside Kiba and he immediately threw his arm around her shoulder, ruffling the hair she had spent all of five minutes brushing and putting into a bun. She sent him a mock glare and shoved her elbow into his ribs.

“We’ve been waiting forever,” he whined. “Where were you?”

Tenten rolled her eyes. “Don’t get me started. Temari wanted to get here ‘fashionably late’ for some reason and when we finally arrived, I went to get a drink at the bar only to be stopped by an overly friendly guy who wouldn’t stop talking. It was almost impossible to get away from him.”

“Damn, I would love to have seen that!” Kiba laughed at what Tenten could only assume was an image of her trying to fend off a male admirer and she couldn’t help but feel irritated by it. Why would it be so funny?

“Neji! You’re here!” Hinata jumped out of her seat, rushing over to greet the person whose name sounded vaguely familiar to Tenten, though she couldn’t remember why. She turned in her seat to see who her friend was greeting, curious, and her mouth dropped at the sight before her.

.

.

.

The dark-haired beauty had stopped at the table he was heading to. Not only had she stopped, but she sat down and chatted with them as though they were old friends.

That was unexpected. But finally, her face came to his mind—a photo Hinata had sent to him when she first started college five years ago and met her new roommate. She had told him the roommate was very nice, though a little louder than she was used to, but they got along well. He recognized the face now. She was a little older, of course, and her hair longer, but it was definitely her.

What had Hinata said her name was?

“Neji!” His cousin moved around the booth to fling herself into his arms. It was uncharacteristic behaviour, but he supposed she had been living out in the world for a few years now, so it was only right that she would grow as a person and not be that shy, quiet little girl anymore. The realization hit him hard—she was a woman now. A woman who had a boyfriend, going by her last email to him before his flight back to Japan a week ago.

He smiled as he briefly returned her hug before setting her back down. He noticed the booth full of people watching him, though the blond didn’t seem jealous of their interaction. No doubt Hinata had told her boyfriend that her cousin would be coming tonight.

What did surprise Neji, though, was the flare of jealousy he felt as he watched his dark-haired beauty cuddled up against another man. Her eyes were wide with surprise—no doubt she hadn’t realized he was heading to the same table as she—and the man beside her prodded her shoulder with his free hand, leaning close to her ear to whisper something.

She blushed, a pretty pink that spread over her cheeks, and bit her bottom lip at whatever he had said to her before turning to jab her elbow into his side again.

They seemed very close, but he wasn’t certain whether they were together or just friends. Surely, if he were her boyfriend, she would have told the jerk at the bar and he would have left her alone a lot sooner. Maybe, despite her appearance, she liked the attention of other men on her?

But… no. That didn’t seem right either. She had genuinely looked frustrated when the blond at the bar was flirting with her.

Neji lightened, thinking that perhaps they weren’t a couple after all, though he still sent the guy a glare when he tucked Neji’s dark-haired beauty closer to his side.

“Come and sit down, Neji,” Hinata said, pulling on his hand. “I want to introduce you to my friends. Some of them, anyway. The others are somewhere here, but I’ll introduce you to them later.”

Neji followed her, a little too eagerly if he were to admit it to himself. Not because he cared to know these people. He had enough friends—one friend really, but it was plenty enough for him—but he was curious to learn about one person in particular. And he was more than delighted to find himself sitting directly across from her, her cheeks still flushing prettily as she tried to disentangle her friend’s arm from her shoulder.

.

.

.

Tenten couldn’t keep the blush from her face. Especially not after what Kiba had whispered to her. Now she was desperately trying to move away from him so that Neji—Hinata’s cousin, she finally realized, remembering some photos she had seen of him over the years—didn’t think they were a couple. Was that too late already? They looked pretty friendly together, but that was just because she had known the canine breeder since they were in high school.

She stole a glance at the lavender eyed man across from her as she took a sip of her whiskey while Hinata introduced him to everyone at the table, but he wasn’t looking at her. Instead, he was glaring very pointedly at Kiba, who seemed to think it was quite amusing, and he squeezed her shoulder in response to the newcomer’s stare.

“Stop it,” she hissed, turning to send him a glare of her own. She thrilled to think that Neji could be jealous of the attention Kiba was giving her, but she also hated the thought that he might believe they were dating.

Kiba grinned at her attempts to push him away, leaning closer to her ear again. “This is so much fun, Tenten,” he chuckled. “He barely knows you and he’s already this jealous. Should we see if we can make him hit me?”

“He won’t need to. I want to hit you already.” She stood abruptly, pulling him up by his collar as she went. “Go dance or something.”

The pout he sent her way usually had her caving in seconds, giving in to any of the crazy schemes that he cooked up in that brain of his, but she wouldn’t be swayed this time. She really liked this guy—despite having only just met him—and she didn’t want her idiot of a best friend ruining any slim chance she might have.

His pout turned into a grin, as if he could read her thoughts, and he sent her a wink, causing her blush to reignite as his words rushed back to her head. Damn, Tenten, he had whispered. He looks like he’s undressing you with his eyes. You gonna go home with him?

She most certainly would not be going home with him, but she couldn’t deny that Kiba’s words—and the idea that this extremely handsome man found her attractive enough to imagine her naked—had heat curling through her belly that had nothing to do with the whiskey.

Tenten was glad to see the back of her infuriating friend, and she sat back down with a sigh, forgetting to even try and look graceful. She inwardly winced, but then decided that it shouldn’t matter. If he wasn’t going to like her for who she was, then he wasn’t worth it.

Deciding it would be best to distract herself, she turned to face Shikamaru, who hadn’t said a word since she had taken a seat at the booth. “You aren’t with Temari tonight?”

Shikamaru replied with a roll of his eyes, but she could see the hurt in their depth when he looked at her. “I’m surprised she didn’t tell you. I’m in the doghouse.”

Oh. Tenten thought back to when they were getting ready for the evening. Temari had seemed a little more subdued than usual, but Tenten hadn’t thought anything of it. Now she felt like a cow. “What happened?”

“She said I forgot our anniversary.”

“What?” Tenten stared at him in shock. “You forgot your anniversary? Don’t you realize how special anniversaries are for women? Especially your first!”

“I know,” Shikamaru replied, practically growling as he glared at her. “And I didn’t forget. She’s the one who got the dates wrong.”

Tenten almost spat out the whiskey she was sipping, partly due to her friend’s words and partly because of a foot that had started to make its way up her leg, caressing it. She sent a wide-eyed glance at Neji, who remained impassive at the conversation going on around him as he stared back at her. She felt her face heating again and determined to concentrate on Shikamaru and his tale of forgotten anniversaries. That was much easier to deal with than a very handsome man playing footsies with her under the table.

“Why do you think she got the dates wrong?”

This time a sigh accompanied his eye roll, and Tenten could read his lips as he muttered a quiet ‘so troublesome’ under his breath. “One year ago today, we went on our first date, but I didn’t officially ask her out until a week later. So technically, our anniversary isn’t until next Saturday. But she is being too stubborn to even listen to me.”

That made sense. Tenten wasn’t sure what she would think in that situation. She could understand both sides of the story, and despite feeling sorry for Shikamaru, it was also amusing.

“If Temari is refusing to listen to you, why don’t you send her a message saying what you just told me. But leave out the ‘being too stubborn’ part. I’ll talk to her tomorrow as well and let her know about the misunderstanding just in case she refuses to read your message.” Tenten reached over to pat her friend on the shoulder. “Don’t worry about it, Shikamaru. She’ll forgive you in no time. Just… make sure you make the anniversary day extra special for her, okay?” She glanced to the other side of Shikamaru. “When did Shino leave?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. When we were talking, maybe. Anyway,” he stood up from his seat, taking a moment to stretch his arms over his head. “I’m going to go. I’ve already said congratulations to the happy couple, and it’s way past when I usually go to bed.”

“Drive safely. And don’t forget to message Temari.” Tenten called to his retreating back.

She had forgotten about the foot sliding up and down her leg during her conversation, but now, as she realized it was only the two of them left at the booth, it was the only thing on her mind. Despite her jeans and Neji’s shoes, Tenten still managed to shiver from the contact, and it took her far too long to build up the courage to meet his enchanting gaze.

“Hi,” she said, loud enough for him to hear but not so loud that she was yelling.

He smirked in response, and she wasn’t sure if it was because of her sudden shyness or the fact that they were finally alone together. “Hi,” he replied easily, his smooth voice warming her body far better than any glass of whiskey could.

Tenten hadn’t realized she had a weakness for voices until she met Neji. Or maybe it was just his voice she had a weakness for. “So, you went to a college overseas?” She knew it was an asinine question to ask, but she had to say something.

Neji stood slowly and Tenten felt a pang of hurt that he was leaving after she had asked him a question. But no, he wasn’t leaving at all. Instead, he made his way to her side of the booth and slid in beside her, his arm resting casually against the back of the bench behind her head.

He leaned in until he could speak without having to raise his voice. “It is a little frustrating having to talk over the noise. You do not mind this, do you?”

Mind it? Tenten was afraid she was about to swoon by being so close to him, while a part of her—a wild, reckless part that she hadn’t even known she possessed—wanted to crawl into his lap and sift her fingers through his hair. Would it be as soft to touch as it looked?

She managed to nod a response and watched as that smirk touched his lips again. And damn if she didn’t find that extremely hot.

“To answer your question,” he continued, settling back against the bench as though he owned it. “Yes. I went to college in Sydney, Australia.”

“Wow, that’s cool! Did Hinata ever think of going overseas to study?” Tenten couldn’t even imagine how expensive an overseas college life would be, but she was also jealous that he had already travelled so far despite being so young.

“Her father tried to pressure her into going, but she was too shy. She would not have handled another country very well.”

No, she wouldn’t have. Tenten remembered her first meeting with the woman. Hinata had barely spoken two sentences to her, and Tenten had to pry even those out of her. She had truly come a long way in five years.

“What about you?” he asked. She felt a lock of her hair being twined around a finger and blushed but didn’t comment on it. Unlike the man from earlier, Neji didn’t make her feel uncomfortable at all. “What was your major?”

Of course, he had to go and ask that. The one question she was embarrassed to answer. Not usually, of course, but for once, she had wished she had chosen a major that was a little more attractive. “I majored in Physical Education.” She couldn’t look at him as she said it, her eyes finding a pile of crumbs on the table and staring at that instead. “I like sports and I want to teach kids to enjoy it as well.”

“That is commendable,” he replied, shocking her. What shocked her more was when he tucked a finger under her chin and lifted her head to look at him. “But why do you look like this is something to be ashamed of?”

“I-I’m not ashamed of it. I just,” she bit her lip, working it with her teeth until his finger pried it out of her mouth. His finger lingered on her lip, smoothing soft lines against it as if to erase the damage her teeth may have done before letting his hand drop. “Guys don’t seem to like the fact that I’m athletic. I think they’re intimidated or something.” She shrugged, eyes once again breaking contact with his. “I’m not one of those girls who just does Yoga or Pilates to maintain a healthy body. Ever since high school, I’ve competed in a variety of different sports, and I join a lot of marathons each year.”

He was silent for some time, long enough that Tenten began to regret saying so much. Her eyes found his again, unable to take the silence any longer, only to find him staring at her in serious contemplation.

“And men find this… unappealing?” he asked. She would have thought he was mocking her, except he had voiced the question with such seriousness, his eyebrows drawn low over his eyes as though he couldn’t quite understand.

“Yes. They say they’re fine with it, up until they see me actually participating in some form of sports.” Tenten snorted, unable to help herself. “They especially don’t like it when I beat them at something. Apparently, it hurts their manly pride.”

“Ah.” He leaned back slightly, his eyebrows lifting as he took in her words. Part of her wondered if he was just like every other man she had known, but he was still twirling a lock of hair around his finger, and he seemed to have moved his arm so it was resting over her shoulders instead of the back of the bench. Surely, that was a good sign, right?

He was still staring at her as well, and Tenten was beginning to squirm under his scrutiny. “Anyway, that’s me. Tell me about yourself.”

Instead of replying to her question, he asked one of his own. “You are not dating that… Kiba, was it?”

Tenten couldn’t help laughing. They had tried a few years ago, but it had felt wrong to both of them, and they realized they were better off as friends. “God, no. Kiba is a good friend of mine. We’ve known each other for years, but that’s it.”

“Good.”

Tenten’s eyes widened in shock at his admission. Neji sent her a smile, looking uncertain for the first time that evening until she smiled at him in return.

He untangled his fingers from her hair and pressed his hand against her neck, drawing her closer to him. Tenten’s breath caught at his boldness, unused to men being so forward with her. Well, there had been that guy at the bar, but she hadn’t been interested in him at all. This man, however, made her feel weak at the knees and she didn’t mind one bit when his intense gaze never strayed from her face.

Was it possible to melt into a puddle by just a look?

Neji’s gaze flicked to her lips briefly before meeting her eyes again. “I find a strong woman very attractive,” he admitted, no trace of embarrassment on his features at the confession.

“You do?” Her voice was barely a whisper, but they were so close now that she knew he would hear her. Her heart pounded in her chest at his words, both elated and suspicious at the same time. How did she know he would stay true to them?

Fingers caressed a path along her cheek, and her entire vision was filled up by him. It was as though the loudness of the bar faded into the background and it was just the two of them alone, and Tenten decided she very much liked that idea.

.

.

.

Neji couldn’t get over how beautiful Tenten was, and for the first time, he regretted not visiting more often over the years. If he had—and if he had taken an interest in learning his cousin’s friends—he could have met Tenten a lot sooner. The knowledge that she had been here this whole time without his knowledge caused a blinding need within him. Not just a sexual need—though he couldn’t deny that was part of it—but a need to make up for all the time they had lost by being separated. Now that he was living here permanently again, he would make that happen. If she was willing, of course.

“Most definitely,” Neji replied, his voice dropping to a seductive purr as his eyes once again found her lips. He was dying to kiss her, but not until she was convinced that he was telling the truth. Would she mind if he told her that her physical prowess turned him on? “Besides,” he continued. “There is only one particular physical activity that I care to excel in.”

His smile widened a notch at seeing that pretty pink flush cover her cheeks as his words sunk in. He could see her mind working as she pictured just what sort of physical activity he was referring to. He couldn’t stop his own mind from wandering there, and he felt blood rush to his loins at the images that ran through his mind.

.

.

.

He couldn’t possibly have been referring to sex, could he? But even as Tenten tried to dissuade herself of the thought, she knew that had been exactly what he meant. “Do you?” The question was out of her mouth before she even had time to ponder it, and her face flushed anew as the desire to bury herself under the table consumed her.

“Do I?” he repeated, an eyebrow cocked as he tried to piece together her meaning. She knew exactly when he had, a slow smirk forming on his lips as his eyes turned violet once more. “I assure you, my chocolate-eyed beauty, that I am very adept at that form of activity.”

Tenten feared that he would be able to hear the pounding of her heart as he moved closer, until their faces were inches apart. Was he finally going to kiss her? Her eyes locked onto his lips and her tongue reached out to wet hers in preparation.

A low noise rumbled from the back of Neji’s throat. “You are teasing me, Tenten.”

“S-sorry, I’m not meaning to.” She darted her gaze away from his lips to rest on his shoulder.

“We just have one last item left to discuss,” he rumbled, and Tenten’s eyes flew back to his face, confused. What was left to talk about? He seemed tense, as though it was taking all his effort to stay completely still and not close the small gap between them. “Are you looking for a temporary companion, or a long-term one?”

“If you’re meaning whether I want a one-night stand,” she replied, finding the strength to maintain eye contact. “The answer is no. I don’t do one-night stands. But I also don’t have sex on the first date, either.”

Neji’s eyes sparkled at her words. “Then it’s a good thing this isn’t our first date. Or are you imagining that it is? Should I ask you to be my girlfriend now, so that there is no confusion when the anniversary comes around?”

Tenten laughed at his reference to Shikamaru and Temari’s dilemma. She didn’t think he had been paying attention, and her heart warmed at the thought that they could be together long enough to have an anniversary. Tenten’s eyes closed to half-mast and she could hear the sultry tone to her voice as she answered, “I don’t think it would hurt leaving it until tomorrow.”

“Good,” came Neji’s whispered reply a moment before he finally closed the gap and kissed her.

It looks like I might just be going home with him tonight, after all.

[team-free-will-oneshots]

"Screw people.”

Title: “Screw People.” Requests:  Could you please do a shy hunter reader that’s a bookworm and doesn’t talk much with both him and the reader starting to get crushes on each other - @hford0311 and also; Dean request, if you want. In a bar/club, protecting the reader from jackasses, goes wrong when Dean gets kicked out, expects reader to go back into bar. Reader leaves with Dean? If you want to that is :) - @brokencasbutt67-writer Pairing: Dean x Reader Warnings: alcohol mentions, cursing, canon-typical violence, sexual harassment Word Count: 3.5k

note; i loved both of these requests and saw them fitting well together, hope u guys enjoy !! (also i was listening to this version of ‘iris’ by the goo goo dolls while writing the ending in the Impala, could be cool to listen to while reading if u want!)

alsoooo sorry this has taken so long to get up, thank you so much to the people who requested this for their patience!!!! xxxx

Masterlist

Finally, you were alone.

The mood was set, scented candles wafting lavender smoke into the air as you settled back onto the bed, a coy smile carving your expression as you turned down the fresh sheets. A blissful sigh fell through your parted lips as you stretched out your arm, fingers grasping and searching until finally, they found it - the object that had been at the back of your mind all day, tinging every thought, spurring every movement...

You pulled the hardcover edition of your favourite book into your lap, a grin splitting your face as you snuggled beneath your duvet and ardently threw open the novel to the page you had marked all-too-long ago. The tantalising rustling of pages paired with the familiar musk of a well-loved book served to eagerly drag you into the story’s depths, and suddenly you felt like a child again; tucked beneath your blankets well after bedtime, eyes straining in the dim light as you hungrily devoured a new story, pages flying as you frantically read, drinking in the fresh plot and bubbling with excitement over the adventures of the characters as you escaped into a fantasy world all your own, if only for a few hours.

The hunting life allowed little time for the simple pleasures of life - between the constantly switching monster of the week, paired with the looming threats that always overshadowed those associated with the Winchester brothers, you’d barely had a moment to yourself in weeks. And so, the moment the boys declared it was time for a break, you were snatching your favourite book from where it had been gathering dust on your shelf, bracing yourself to forget the outside world and the troubles it held, to escape into a world where a happy ending was guaranteed, where you weren’t destined to lose all those you cared for.

That was the beauty of books, you reasoned. You near always knew what to expect. Heroes meeting and facing adversaries, learning lessons about themselves and their relationships, and by the end of it all, finding some semblance of fulfilment or at the very least, closure. And of course, you weren’t one to complain about a touch of romance thrown in along the way.

Life had no such guidelines, especially the hunting life; no promises of happiness, of even making it past the next week. People were even less predictable; at least books were easy to read. Life’s characters were far less easy to understand. Perhaps that was why you insisted on avoiding them as vehemently as you did - books were your comfort, and all people had given you thus far was grief.

“Hey, Y/N, you busy?”

Well… maybe not all people.

You held up your book wordlessly, nose still buried beneath the pages as you ignored Dean Winchester’s query. He chuckled, leaning against the doorway.

“Whatcha reading?” he asked, peering at the cover as he sauntered into the room. You sighed, keeping your page with your thumb as you let the book fall shut around your fingers.

“Old favourite,” you explained. Dean nodded appreciatively.

“Cool. Well, just wanted to say hey - you did a great job on the hunt today, by the way,” he informed you, flashing you a proud smile that had you fighting to ignore the butterflies in your stomach, the slight acceleration of your heart. 

“O-oh. Thanks, but… I don’t think it was anything too spectacular,” you protested weakly, a nervous chuckle escaping you as you fiddled idly with the pages of your book. Dean shrugged.

“Hey, you got the job done - Sam and I woulda been toast without you,” he said. “You should give yourself some credit.”

You allowed a smile. “Thanks,” you tentatively replied, voice small. Dean held your gaze a moment longer, eyes heavy with an emotion you couldn’t quite place, before he cleared his throat and ducked his head.

“Look, uh- Sam and I are headed out tonight. Nothing fancy, just headed to the bar, some celebratory hey-we-killed-a-nest drinks, you know the drill. You can- you can come with us, if you want,” he invited. You laughed dryly.

“Thanks, but… I don’t think that’s really my scene,” you said. “Being surrounded by people? Not my thing.”

Dean shook his head in amusement. “I can’t believe how shy you are - you just took out those vamps like it’s nothing, Y/N. That’s pretty damn impressive,” he commended. “You have nothing to be shy about - you’re a total badass. If anyone has the right to be a cocky son-of-a-bitch, it’s you.”

You hid your smile as you glanced down to the book in your lap, fingertips nervously rubbing over the paper, curling it beneath your touch.

“I think you have enough cockiness for the both of us,” you said, sending him a shy grin. He snorted.

“Yeah, maybe. Well, offer still stands - Sam and I are leaving in fifteen,” he told you, straightening up and casting you once last, lingering glance as he headed towards the door. Your awaiting novel itched in your hands, eager to be read, but you paused as Dean hovered uncertainly for a moment by the doorway, as if locked in an internal debate.

“Hey, Dean?” you asked quietly, the words flying from your lips before you could halt them. That was the thing about Dean - talking to people wasn’t always easy for you, but something about the eldest Winchester set you at ease in a way no one else could ever hope to. He turned around immediately.

“Yeah?”

You tore your gaze from his jade eyes, though you felt the raise of goosebumps along your skin as he kept his soft stare trained on you. You flushed, tucking your hair behind your ear, cold fingers discordant against the heat of your cheeks.

“You ever think… sometimes monsters are easier to deal with than people?”

Dean frowned, ambling over to your bed and perching himself at its edge, only a few feet away from you. He shrugged. “Sometimes, sure - but people… people you can reason with. They have… morals, you know? A code. Means they can be scarier, sure, when they decide not to care - but when they do care, it’s…” Dean’s eyes flickered from yours to the ground, and he licked his lips as he chuckled breathlessly. “When you find someone to care about… I can’t imagine anything better,” he said, his eyes darting up to your own. You found yourself locked under the vice of his gaze, his expression softening with a flicker of vulnerability before he cleared his throat and broke the trance. “Why’d you ask?”

You released a breath you hadn’t realised you’d been holding. “I dunno. I guess, just- what you were saying earlier, about being a good hunter? It’s because monsters are easier. I get monsters - most of them don’t think too hard - all instinct, y’know? But people are… people are manipulative. They judge and they hate and they hurt, I just… with monsters, I know what I’m getting. People are a lot harder to trust,” you explained. Dean nodded slowly.

“Yeah. Yeah, I get that, but… ah, you’re probably right. Screw people,” he said with a cheeky grin. “But it’s not like you need to stay in contact with everyone you meet. Sometimes fun can just be… fun. Doesn’t need to be serious,” he told you, though there was a trepidatory edge to his playful tone. “You should come out tonight - let loose for once. You deserve it.”

An amused hum fell vibrated in your throat. “I dunno, I’m an all-in kinda person,” you mumbled, and you saw a small smile tilt the corner of Dean’s lips.

“Yeah. Me too.”

You scoffed. “You, really? Mr Different-Girl-Every-Night? You’re a serial flirt,” you teased, and he smiled, shaking his head.

“Yeah, but there’s a difference between a fling and actually getting to know someone - I dunno if you’ve noticed, but sometimes it feels like I care a little too much.” His smile died, and he quickly shook his head, throwing up another grinning facade. “Well, I’ll let you get back to your nerdiness.” He cast a pointed glare at your book. “Seeya later.”

Dean left, the bedsprings jumping back into place as he picked himself up from the seat, traipsing through the door and leaving you with sweaty palms and a stomach full of butterflies. You watched as he left, eyes lingering a moment too long on the empty doorway before you turned your attention back to the novel in your lap.

You wanted to read, you really did - but it seemed no matter how hard you tried, the words would blur into an incomprehensible mass that your eyes instinctively skimmed, only for you to reach the end of the page without having understood any of it at all. After a few failed attempts at reading the same few lines over, you sighed in defeat, setting the book aside as you leaned back against the headrest.

Maybe Dean was right - maybe you should give ‘people’ another chance. Maybe it was time to put your incessant shyness and distrust behind you, to ‘let loose’, as Dean had so aptly described it. 

Dean…

You thought of the warmth of his smile, the vibrant ringing of his laugh, the coy smiles he’d shoot you when no one else was looking… the idea of going out was sounding more and more appealing.

And so, you decisively marched to the library, where Dean was grabbing Baby’s keys as Sam shrugged on his jacket. The sound of your footsteps had both their eyes jumping towards you, and you could’ve sworn you saw a flicker of hope in Dean’s surprised expression.

“Hey, uh, I was thinking that I might take you up on that offer, Dean,” you said, extending a wry smile. “Mind if I come?”

Dean’s mouth opened and closed silently, before he finally nodded. “I-uh- yeah, of course!” he exclaimed, just as shocked at your decision to step out of your comfort zone as you were. “What changed your mind?”

You shrugged, looking down at your feet as you scuffed the floor with the toe of your boot. “Maybe I should give people a chance - you’re right, I should let loose every now and then,” you said, tone clouded with false certainty. Dean frowned, but let your uncertainty slide as his concerned expression was replaced with an encouraging smile.

“Great, finally a drinking partner who can keep up with me,” he quipped, shooting a glare at Sam, who rolled his eyes.

“Hey, someone has to drive you home when you’re plastered,” Sam countered. You laughed, the uneasy atmosphere dissipating as the three of you walked to the car. Dean shot you a wolfish grin, and the warm sensation that buzzed in your chest had you certain that you were making the right choice.

What was the worst that could happen?

---

Turned out, the ‘worst’ had a name - it was Brandon. You knew this only because he refused to let you forget it.

“Come on, sweet cheeks, let me buy you a drink,” he coaxed, words stumbling into one another as his hot breath rolled over your face, reeking of beer as he leaned in uncomfortably close on clumsy feet. 

“Uh, I’m good, thanks,” you replied, throwing him a distasteful, uncertain glance as you took a step back. Your eyes flitted over to the bar, where Sam was talking to a girl and Dean was grabbing drinks for the both of you. Catching your glance, his brow furrowed, eyes narrowing as he noticed your company.

‘You okay?’ he mouthed. You managed to give him a tight-lipped smile and a short nod before Brandon was dragging your attention back to him.

“Oh, come on, don’t be like that, baby,” he slurred, leaning forward so that his face was inches from yours. “It’s just one drink.”

You took another step back. “Like I said, I’m good,” you insisted, though your voice came out small and hesitant. You gritted your teeth as he snorted scornfully, and your hand balled into your fist at your side as he sauntered forwards once more. Though you weren’t necessarily one for confrontation, you had no qualms about putting this asshole in his place. Barely twenty-four hours ago you’d single-handedly taken on three vampires - you were pretty sure you could handle an overeager drunken bastard.

Before you had the chance to put him in his place, however, Brandon was being shoved away from you by a familiar pair of toned arms. 

“They’re not interested, jackass,” Dean growled, taking a protective stance over you that you comfortably settled into. The drunk stumbled back, mouth falling open in outrage.

“Who asked you, huh?” he challenged, and Dean chuckled, shaking his head as he ran his tongue along his teeth. You could see his hands curled into white-knuckled fists at his side.

“I think a better question is; why can’t you take no for an answer? They said they’re good, man. Give it a rest,” Dean spat through clenched teeth. Brandon snorted.

“Mind your own fucking business, dick,” he snarled. “You want ‘em all to yourself, huh? Selfish prick.”

Dean scoffed, shaking his head with a grim smile, and for a moment you thought he was going to turn away… until he slammed his fist into your harasser’s jaw with a hard crack that made even you wince.

When Brandon arose, he was nursing a red jaw and a bleeding nose, but the red fluid trickling across his lips and staining his chin did nothing to mask the pure hatred etched into his expression as he lunged at Dean. The eldest Winchester blocked him easily, grabbing his wrist and slamming his face into a nearby booth table. There was a flurry of movement and shouts as Dean landed another punch to the man’s cheek, pressing him into the table with his arms locked behind his back.

“Apologise,” Dean demanded, and Brandon gasped for air.

“I’m sorry, man, I’m sorry!” he exclaimed. Dean kneed him, and the man grunted in pain.

“Not to me, idiot. To them,” he hissed, nodding towards where you stood with wide eyes and brow half-cocked in appreciation at Dean’s strength as he held the bulky man down like he weighed nothing. 

“I’m sorry! Christ, let me go, please!” he said frantically. 

“Dean, what the hell!” Sam’s voice interjected from behind you, and suddenly a bouncer was peeling Dean from his bruised and bloody opponent.

“Time to go,” he said in a gruff voice. Sam stepped forward, and the bouncer shot him a look.

“He with you?”

“Look, we don’t want any trouble-” Sam began, but Dean made a sound of angered amusement.

“Speak for yourself, Sammy,” he muttered, still glaring daggers at Brandon. Dean caught your eye as the bouncer dragged him outside, and the last you saw of him before he was tossed outside was his cocky wink. You chuckled to yourself as Sam quirked an eyebrow.

“What the hell happened?”

You shook your head, walking to a window and watching as Dean paced before finally heading towards the parked Impala. 

“Guy was a dick - he deserved it,” you said, watching as Dean wiped his bloody knuckles on his jacket. “Look, I think I’m gonna head off with Dean,” you added, and Sam cast you a concerned expression.

“Do you want me to come?” he asked, though you could hear the reluctance in his tone as he glanced back at the girl he’d been talking with, who was still waiting for him by the bar. You smirked.

“Nah, I’m good - you go have some fun,” you teased, giving Sam a playful smile that he sheepishly returned.

“Alright. Seeya later, Y/N.”

Sam left, and you braved the cool night air as you walked to the Impala. The tail lights were on but the engine was off, the car sitting perfectly still in the parking lot. As you approached, the music from the bar echoed distantly behind you, captured by the walls and bouncing hollowly into the darkness, fading into nothing but a thumping bass and a vague suggestion of guitar and vocals.

You tried the passenger door. Locked. You tapped on the window, and watched as Dean leaned across the seat to unlatch it. The moment it swung open you slipped inside, the familiar scent of leather overruling the pollution and alcoholic odour the car park carried. The door fell shut with a heavy click, blocking any lingering traces of music from your ears. 

The two of you sat in silence for a moment, hearing only the haggard sounds of one another’s breathing and the light static of the radio. You glanced over at Dean.

“How’s your hand?” you asked. Dean laughed darkly.

“Fine,” he told you, but extended his hand towards you when you raised a quizzical brow. You tenderly took his palm against your own, turning over his fist to look at his knuckles - red and raw and tender, but nothing serious. Instead of releasing him from your grip, you gave his hand a gentle squeeze, and Dean tentatively raised his gaze to yours. 

“I could’ve handled that guy, y’know,” you told him sternly. Dean ducked his head guiltily.

“Yeah, I know, it was just… the way he was treating you…” He trailed off, a weighted sigh heaving from his lips as he shook his head to himself. “You didn’t deserve that. No one does, but… especially not you. I… got angry.”

You smiled wryly. “Bit of an understatement,” you said, and he laughed, genuinely this time.

“Yeah, maybe,” he allowed. “Look, I don’t think I’m welcome here tonight - I’m gonna head home. Just… give me a call when you wanna be picked up.”

“Nah, I’m ready to call it a night, too,” you said, leaning back into the seat. Dean looked at you in surprise.

“What? What happened to getting loose, giving people a chance, all that crap? Seriously, I don’t think you need to worry about that jackass - I doubt that dickhead will ever approach another person in his life,” he said seriously, and you laughed.

“Yeah, I doubt it - but I don’t think I’m really in the mood to let my hair down,” you replied, amused.

“Wait, what? But we were having such a good time!” he countered, and you met his eyes again, nodding.

“Yeah - we were. Screw other people, Dean. I thought I needed to act like someone I’m not to be happy - someone I thought I should be. But… partying? Being around a whole bunch of strangers? That’s not me, Dean. I… I don’t need to surround myself with people to be happy, it’s not in my nature. I just need… a few people I really care about,” you said, giving him a tiny smile and a pointed look.

“Yeah, you’re right,” he murmured. “Y/N… sweetheart, you never need to make yourself uncomfortable because you feel like that’s how you ‘should be.’ You… damn, Y/N, you might be shy, but it’s frickin’ adorable,” he said playfully, and you laughed, elbowing him gently as you ducked your head in embarrassment, tucking your hair behind your ear.

“I mean it, Y/N - you’re… you’re fucking amazing,” Dean breathed, and your laughter died as his eyes found yours again. He held your gaze, and you felt his eyes burning into your soul, piercing through your quiet front and seeing you for you in a way that no one else ever had.

And suddenly, he was kissing you.

His breath was warm as it blended with yours, and he tasted of whiskey and moonshine as his large hand found your cheek, cradling it as though you were something easily broken. His chapped lips bit into your own and your leg cramped up as you twisted to press closer to him, but none of that seemed to matter as you lost yourself in the bliss of kissing Dean Winchester.

You pulled away, catching your breath and taking a moment to soothe your racing heart as you ran your hand along his jaw, his stubble grazing your fingertips as he closed his eyes beneath your loving touch. 

“So… you’re sure you don’t wanna go back in?” he checked, and you giggled, shaking your head.

“Definitely not,” you breathed, your breath fanning over his lips as you leaned your forehead against his. Dean melted against you, his arms looping around your waist and bringing you close to his chest.

“Good,” he murmured, “because I don’t think I can let you go until I get another kiss…” he said, raising a cocky eyebrow. You grinned.

“I think that could be arranged…” you purred, sealing your mouth against his.

Screw people, you thought as you lost yourself once again in Dean’s reverent touch. You had all you needed right here.

__________

Forever tags: @babygirloreo​ @calaofnoldor​ @lmpala97​ @sebastianshoe​ @81mysteriouslyme​ @castieliswatchingoverme​ @kina666​ @liviaolivia​ @simplyxparker​ @helpmeluci​ @demonsofhunting​ @bee-happy-buzz-on​ @lilulo-12​ @amandatar-06​

Dean tags: @polina-93​ @justagirlinafandomworld​ @coupleofgoons​ @justanotherwinchester​ @shadowkat-83​ @teenwaywardasgardian​

If you want to be added to any tag lists just shoot me a message!

[worryinglyinnocent]

Fic: The Real Housewives of Storybrooke (17/?)

A fic based on this premise here, following the lives of Storybrooke’s elite wives, with all the scandal, bitching and backstabbing that goes on behind the scenes of high society…

This verse is open for prompts!

====

[One] [Two] [Three] [Four] [Five] [Six] [Seven] [Eight] [Nine] [Ten] [Eleven] [Twelve] [Thirteen] [Fourteen] [Fifteen] [Sixteen] [AO3]

====

REGINA

“Darling, you look like you could use a drink.”

A tumbler with a generous measure of amber liquid in it floated in front of Regina’s face, the ice cubes tinkling in time with the bracelets on the heavily laden hand that was holding it. She looked up to see Carrie de Ville giving her a sympathetic smile, and she accepted the whisky gratefully. 

Carrie sat down on the steps beside her. Regina had escaped out of the increasingly stuffy ballroom and come out for some fresh air, and once she had sat down, she knew that she wasn’t going to be getting up again in a hurry. Even though it had turned out for the best, the confrontation with Zelena had been exhausting, and Regina, for all she was the soul of the party at the best of times, wanted nothing more than to go home to bed. 

“I understand that there was a bit of a kerfuffle earlier,” Carrie said conversationally. Regina just groaned. “Don’t worry, I was on the other side of the room and it was a very quiet kerfuffle, but Robyn dragging her mother out was certainly a sight to behold.”

Regina sighed. “It’s my fault. I knew that she was going to make trouble, she as good as said that she was last night, but I’m just so sick of accommodating her to make sure that she doesn’t make trouble - and half the time even if I do pander to her then she makes trouble anyway - I just didn’t want to do it anymore.”

“No, I think you’ve done the right thing.” Carrie took a sip of her own drink. “She’s never going to learn if you let her have her own way all the time. She’s very much like a child in that respect. She’ll constantly push against her boundaries. Especially if we don’t enforce them. Still, from what I’ve heard, I think that these events will have put a dampener on her spirit, at least for a little while.” 

“Here’s hoping.” Regina raised her glass in a toast and chinked it against Carrie’s. “I think she might finally stop harassing Belle at any rate. Our little bookworm was absolutely magnificent earlier. I mean, she was magnificent when she was smacking Zelena in the face too, but tonight she was the epitome of calm disdain, I was amazed. You’d think she’d had that speech planned. And we’ve always known that Robyn has a tiny bit of influence over her mother. Maybe that can come into the fore now.”

“Here’s hoping. What was it all about, anyway?”

Regina shook her head. “It’s Belle and Cameron’s private business and not mine to share. I only know because I was in earshot of Zelena’s vitriol, so I’m pretending I haven’t heard until I’m told officially.”

“Ah, I see.” Carrie was grinning her conspiratorial grin, and Regina immediately knew that she’d figured it out for herself. Carrie was one of the Golds’ closest friends after all, and she of all people knew how desperately they wanted to have a child together. “Well, let’s put that away and not let it spoil the rest of the night. I think that the party’s been a great success. How much do you think you’ve managed to raise?”

“Enough to make a difference, hopefully. I should really get back in there, Mary Margaret will be making her speech soon and I promised that I’d be there to prod her in front of the microphone if she gets cold feet.”

“Ah, we’ve got time. How’s the fight going in the council chambers?”

“Really well. It’s almost in the bag, and Victoria Belfrey’s going to be spitting feathers soon. I must admit that it’s been fun watching Fiona try and scramble to save the situation. I wonder when I ought to tell her that there’s going to be an investigation into her taking bribes?”

“Oh, I think that should be a lovely surprise for her when she gets the letter, don’t you think?” Carrie winked. “We don’t want to be giving her any chance to weasel her way out of it all now, do we?”

“Carrie, sometimes I think you’re downright evil.”

“One of us has to be, and my shoulders are broad.”

“How come you get to come and hide out here and I don’t?” 

Regina looked over her shoulder to see Robin peering out of the door. He came over and sat down on her other side, pulling off his bow tie and loosening his shirt collar. As much as she loved it when he got nicely dressed up, Regina did have to admit that she liked it even better when the tuxedo started coming off, as it inevitably did towards this stage of the evening. 

“I was going to call Robyn,” he said. “I didn’t see her come back in after she pulled Zelena out and I was beginning to, well, not worry, but wonder.”

“Yes, probably a sound idea. I can’t say that I blame her if she’s decided not to come back out of embarrassment, but it would be a shame. Robyn likes a good party.”

Robin moved off to the side and took out his phone, and Carrie leaned into Regina’s side. 

“Come on. Let’s go back in and given Mary Margaret moral support through her speech, and then you can slope off home and get your wonderfully dishevelled man just where you want him. If you’re not too tired for that, of course.”

Regina felt like she was dead on her feet, but when it came to getting Robin out of formalwear, she could always find a little bit of energy in her reserves, and she smiled. Carrie gave a salacious wink and stood up, offering a hand to pull Regina off the steps. 

“I can’t bow out early,” she protested. “I’m hosting the thing.”

“Oh, nonsense.” Carrie waved away her worries with her whisky tumbler, amazingly not spilling any. “I can take over for you. You know that Ursula and I will be here to the bitter end, we always are.”

Regina remembered a few occasions when she’d held functions at her own house and Carrie and Ursula had ended up helping to clean up afterwards. She certainly couldn’t fault their dedication to getting the most out of every party.

“I suppose I can rely on that if nothing else,” she said. 

“Exactly. After everything you’ve had to put up with tonight, I think you deserve to take a breather.”

Robin finished his phone call then and came over to them. 

“She went to call Tilly but she’ll be back in a couple of minutes. Shall we go and hear Mary Margaret’s masterwork?”

Regina linked her arms through Carrie and Robin’s. “Yes. And then, it’s time to go home.”

X

MARY MARGARET

Mary Margaret was not used to making speeches, and she had to say that her maiden attempt had gone very well even if she did say so herself. Everyone had applauded at the end of it and no one had broken into giggles or awkward coughing fits halfway through, and there had been no horrible moments of stony silence. Still, it wasn’t an experience that she was going to want to repeat in a hurry, as much as she knew that it was excellent practice for the more hands-on role that she was now taking in her own company. 

David came over as she made her way towards the bar for a pick-up after stepping away from the microphone. 

“I think you did great,” he said. “Now you can put it all away and never have to make a public appearance again.”

It wasn’t going to be quite that simple, of course, not when the Trust was going to be at the forefront of the conservation efforts in Storybrooke; Mary Margaret knew that she had just established herself as the figurehead of the fight against Belfrey Developments. Victoria Belfrey and Fiona Black were both conspicuously absent from the party, and Mary Margaret hoped that meant that the tide of public opinion was turning against them. 

“Well, I can hope so.” They made it to the bar and as tempted as Mary Margaret was to order a quadruple vodka and tonic to lay her out for the rest of the evening, she stuck to wine. 

“Darling, I think that was a triumph.” Carrie de Ville came over and air-kissed her on both cheeks. “It’s almost a shame that the enemy isn’t here to have heard it.” 

Mary Margaret had never quite known how to handle Carrie, who was larger than life at the best of times and even larger once she had several units of alcohol inside her. She certainly wouldn’t want to come up on the wrong side of her and she was very glad that they were united in the stand against Belfrey. 

Regina and Robin had followed Carrie over and waited until she was distracted ordering refills before speaking to Mary Margaret.

“That was really good, Mary. I don’t think you need to worry.” Regina smiled. “Robin and I are going home now. I think Carrie’s decided to take hosting duties upon herself, although if she drinks any more whisky then Ursula might have to take her home in a wheelbarrow.”

Mary Margaret eyed up Carrie’s tumbler dubiously. “Yes, I can quite see that happening. Are you ok? I saw that there was a bit of drama with Zelena earlier but I wasn’t close enough to hear what was going on.”

“Yes, she was just being her usual self, but I think the wind’s been taken out of her sails somewhat now. All the same, it’s been exhausting trying to deal with her, and I think I need to go and lie down and not think about anything for about a week.”

“Well, I think you deserve that. You go and enjoy the rest of your evening in peace. Now that all the talking’s done, I can’t see people hanging around for a lot longer.”

“Oh, I don’t know. There’s still a lot of food available and the queue for the bar isn’t getting any shorter. You know Storybrooke. We may not be a particularly large place but we do love any opportunity for a good party.”

Goodbyes were said and Regina and Robin made their way towards the exit. 

“Do you want to bow out too?” David asked. 

Mary Margaret looked around at the ballroom and the party still in full swing.

“No, I think I’m good to stay for a while. We haven’t had a proper date night for ages. Might as well make use of the babysitter.”

David smiled. “I like the way you think.”

[yakumtsaki]

CHILLIN LIKE A VILLAIN. Pleased with yourself, are you, Becky with the good hair?

-Oh quite, though I’d be more pleased if my damn arm would unglitch.

HA looks like it got stuck while you were putting your filthy hands on Wyatt. God’s punishment is swift. Know what else is gonna be swift? YOUR DEATH. Get him, Waylon Fairchild Dementia Raven Way!

-Ugh, no way, I’m exhausted, everyone is in love with me and I just want to be with Draco, ok? Why couldn’t Satan make me less beautiful? IT’S A CURSE

Waylon sis truly don’t even talk to me about curses and Satan right now, this entire lot is cursed and crawling with evil spirits and beelzebubian energies. Ever since we moved here my life has never known peace. Next thing you know snakes are gonna start manifesting in this house physically.

Well looks like the snakes are already here. FRANCES WILL YOU FUCKING STOP ALREADY YOU GOT WHAT YOU WANTED JOYATT IS DEAD NOW CEASE AND DESIST

-No way bitch, time to suffer. Look at it and weep, look at it with your own two eyes!

First of all I’ve been weeping since yesterday so joke’s on you. Secondly I still can’t believe you did this to me after I generously gave you this whole debonair look YOU’RE THE WORST

-La la la can’t hear you over the sound of your plans crumbling all around me!!

I’m seriously gonna murder you a thousand times. Wyatt what about you, you dumbass bimbo? What do you have to say for yourself?

-Not beaucoup, I honestly don’t know why I’m doing this, it makes absolument no sense! Huhu! 

I hate you both so fucking much I might actually vomit.

Ugh my poor Jojo </3 I’m so sorry that your love life has turned into a giant pile of crap.

-Please, who cares.. Definitely not me!

Yeah well that much is obvious! Are you sure you’re alright tho? Because you look, you know. worryingly expressionless and in denial.

-Oh no, I’m just focusing on my new proposal,“Project MKUltra: The Comeback”. It’ll be a cold day in hell before I have to deal with adulterous whores again!

Good, good, pour yourself into your art. Speaking of, maybe it’s also time to pour yourself a refreshing drink?

Attaboy, milk that cowplant, Jojo!

-Hmm this process feels oddly sexual..

Yea, I can tell by your massive erection, jesus, I mean even for you-

-Ew no what the hell? That’s just because Ti-Ning is dead!

Oh ok, that’s fine then!

-YES YEEEEES I FEEL THE POWER COURSING THROUGH MY VEINS

Hard to believe anything can course through your veins with all that ice in there but alright. Now we just have to wait..

..for the cowplant to get hungry again. I literally can’t with Daniel and Gunther constantly picking fights with Jojo’s former suitors, especially since Jojo doesn’t seem to give enough of a fuck to fight them himself. We are family, I got all my sisters with me!

Ugh I keep forgetting Daniel has 9 nice points, what a crybaby. How you gonna fight capitalism when you can’t even fight Wyatt?? MAN UP DAN

Nice, there we go! I’m truly living for Brit’s utter lack of interest in fights happening next to her. Her aspiration bar is about to hit the crapper bc I’m even worse at playing popularity sims than I am at getting couples not to whore around, so the time has come..

TO PARTY HARD, TOGA STYLE. I really threw this party thinking it would be a success and save Brit from aspiration failure, so obviously the time has come to acknowledge that I’m even stupider than Wyatt. Things get off to a good enough start with the profs tickling each other, which everyone knows is the mark of a wild college party!

Ti-Ning, gone but never forgotten.

-Hey Brit, want some Ti-Ning to wash down that pizza? 

-Please stop addressing me.

-That’s right, address moi instead! 

NO YOU DON’T WYATT. YOU HAD YOUR CHANCE

..........................................................................all I can say is LMAO

Wyatt, sweetie, full offense, exactly how dumb are you?

-What? I wanna marry Jojό! <3

Ok. Do you have any recollection of breaking his “heart” 2 hours ago, setting him on the path of a complete nervous breakdown?

-Oh, that was just a bump on la route, don’t be so dramatique!

-Does it count as a win if the only thing you put in the hole.. are your tears?

.....god.

Meanwhile and to the surprise of no one, Gunther is being sexually harassed by a professor, namely Down-With-The-Kids-Pink-Beanie.

-Sooo Gunther, half-alien professor told me all about you, you little ginger minx.. What do you say you and I adjourn somewhere private and I see if the carpet matches the drapes..

-EW forget it, lady, you’re not even in the art department and I only have one rule: no whoring without extra scoring.

Um what about the rule of monogamous dating which you are currently doing with Mel?

-RIGHT that too!

Once again...god.

The one person having a great time at this party is Kevin Beare, who eats half a pizza by himself..

..and then moves on to chips. He legit came here for the free food and didn’t talk to anyone the entire time, which is what I do at every party except with drinks. Live your truth, Kev!

Look who’s back from class and still glitched lolol

-Can you please reset me already, I had to take an exam like this!!!

Pfff grades??? There are so many more important things in life, Fran. Live a little, join the celebration.. party like there’s no tomorrow. CAUSE THERE ISN’T

I’ve no idea what happened here but Tiffany is non-stop bullying this 2006-Oliver-Sykes haired professor. Judging from Pink Beanie and sims professors in general it’s safe to say he deserves it. GET HIM TIFF 

-Why doesn’t anyone want to fuck me, Frank? What am I doing wrong? Has Woody Allen been lying to us about hot young women being uncontrollably attracted to neurotic, misogynist, mediocre intellectuals over 60?

Oh great, I thought this party was gonna end as a dud but I see we’re going for full-on disaster.

-I’ve just about had enough of you and your passé casquette, communiste! 

-My casquette is not passé, it’s classic!

-LADY STOP TRYING TO GET UNDER MY TOGA

-Aw come on, please? For mommy?

-You should use that line on Jojo where it might actually work!

Enemies, these bitches my enemies, not on my level so they just pretend to be, yes, why do you envy me? Cause I am the MVP, these bitches my enemies ♪

-FOR THE GLORY OF THE USSR 

Yea, seems about right. Whatever though, cause after the party..

COMES THE CAKE.

Goodbye Francis, it’s been nice, hope you find your paradise!

-Oh please, SEE YOU IN HELL BITCH. WAIT FOR ME CAUSE I’M GONNA FIGHT YOU THERE TOO

It’s a beautiful morning and our llama friend is back to spread some school pride and presumably some bodily fluids. We almost went an entire day without seeing him but here he is again!  GET OUT OF MELODY’S SHOWER YOU FUCKING CREEP

-FINE. YOU’RE GONNA APPRECIATE ME WHEN I’M GONE

Yea don’t worry that day is permanently coming as soon as we milk Frances out of the cowplant. Honestly this fucking llama is the last straw, the time has come for me to take back control of this house..

..starting with getting sweet, dumb Wyatt back with Jojo! I really think the Frances thing was a fluke, I mean W wasn’t in a committed relationship with Jo, he didn’t initiate it and he rolled the want to get engaged to him for the second time after it. So the whole thing = Fran’s + ACR’s fault!!!1 Also and more importantly we have literally 0 other viable options and college is almost done so it’s time for Jojo to put Lemonade on repeat and get over it.

Let’s bring out the big guns!

-Mom! it’s so good to hear your insufferably domineering voice. Did you get my latest murder pics?

-Ha! Yes they are great, thank you mom. Soon I’ll add the french courtesan to my album. Now tell me, in as much detail as possible, how proud of me you are!

-I don’t know how Wyatt is doing, he’s the french courtesan, I’m going to kill him! Are you even listening to me?

-What do you mean it’s probably my fault? Can you divorce dad already, his influence on your brain has been catastrophic.

-Love is a battlefield? Mom seriously. Divorce. Now.

-Ugh yes, I could imprison him in a gigantic safe for a few days instead of killing him, but what on earth would that achieve?

-Well I don’t care about having a husband! Worst case scenario, I’ll just marry Max!

-Yes, Max does look like dad. Yes, he is as dumb as him. YES, MOM, I KNOW. HONESTLY YOU’RE ONE TO TALK 

-Well, I have to go now, but you’ve certainly given me a lot to think about. And by that I mean which care home to put you in cause you’ve obviously lost it. Goodbye, mother.

As soon as Jojo hangs up the phone Melody runs over to autonomously lecture him. Nice move, Mel, let’s peer pressure him till he caves!

-Jojo this is an intervention but please don’t mistake it as me actually caring about you. Your bullshit harem drama has taken over the entire greek house storyline and enough is enough, we demand equal airtime. Just forgive Wyatt already, he’s too hot for you and you were literally dating 2 other dudes at the same time and you also treated him like shit and you are the worst and Gunther is the best and he’s gonna beat you for heir. Melody out.

Yes, powerful stuff, thank you, Mel. Now Wyatt, let’s apologize!

-I’m so sorry I kissed Frances, Jojό, I don’t know what I was thinking </3

That’s a great start Wyatt, now let’s try it facing the right way!

-I’m so sorry I kissed Frances, Jojό, I don’t know what I was thinking </3 Also I’m totally planning our wedding in my head you right now.

Ok, smaller steps, let’s get him to not hate you first!

If there’s one thing I hate about ts2 it’s how ridiculously hard it is to be forgiven for cheating, shit is unreal. Wyatt has been apologizing for about 3 years now and Jojo is still furious jfc, it’s legit easier to get forgiven for cheating irl than it is in this game.

-For the thousandth time, I’m so so sorry Jojό, honestly in the dark of the nuit at first I thought Frances was you and then it was too late!

-Yes, it was also broad daylight.

-Well you know I have bad eyesight, mon cheri :(

Wyatt seriously, we’ve reached the point where you’re throwing junk out there, so let’s take a break.. 

..from this fucking house! It’s date time! Time for dinner and public woohoo in that vegan restaurant downtown, cause I’ve ignored Gunther so hard his aspiration is currently scarlet red. Mel is doing great though, like all knowledge sims in uni, she’s legit never not-platinum. The adorable couple make themselves right at home, by doing literally what they do at home 20h a day. NOT WHAT WE CAME HERE FOR GET UP

-Maybe if we act like children they’ll think we’re under 12 and we’ll get a discount!

-We’re so in sync, babe, I brought my monster trucks with me for this very eventuality!

-Here, let me blow you a kiss, babe. A prelude of tonight’s blowing. 

-Honestly, every time you talk, I just see the eggplant emoji <3

I didn’t vomit from Wyatt/Frances but this date might actually do the trick!

-Do you think the waiter is mad that we insisted on lobster in a vegan restaurant and he had to go fishing for it?

-Whatever, babe, we deserve it. 

-We really do. I ship us.

-I ship us too <3

Good because I don’t anymore.

Yaas, aspiration problems taken care of! Mel’s shy ass hilariously had a fear of having her photo taken, but public fornication she has no issue with.

-Having your photo taken is unnatural! I’m just using the photo booth as god intended. 

Ofc, on the 6th day, god created the photobooth for people to publicly fuck in.

-Wow Mel, my reflection in your sunglasses is so beautiful.

-So is mine in yours, babe.

-I almost wish we could look into each other’s eyes but then it’d ruin our whole look. You know what, screw it..

-..I was gonna wait till we graduated it and were more mature and crap like that, but whatever, babe, when it’s right, you know. Will you marry me, Melody Tinker, despite the certainty that one or more of our kids will get the Komei nose?

-Oh my god, Gunther! I literally thought you’d never ask, because, let’s be real, you’re a gigantic slut.

-These days are gone, babe, I’m a changed man!

-This ring has been in my family for half a generation, ever since my mom stole it from Florence Delarosa who was obviously never gonna need it.

-Oh it’s beautiful and the fact it’s stolen makes it even more precious!

It’s morphin time! Let’s pretend the red around Gunther’s memory signifies passion and not a crippling fear of commitment. Congrats you gross, crazy kids!

It’s also morphine time, cause damn are we broke as shit. In hindsight perhaps we shouldn’t have gotten the lobster.

We return home, where I’m trying to fulfill Jojo’s longstanding wish to see Ti-Ning’s ghost but apparently Ti-Ning is an even bigger asshole dead than he was alive. Bitch seems to be deliberately refusing to scare Jojo, I mean we’ve been standing around playing ghostbusters for like 4 hours now and it’s just not happening-

-but some scary shit IS happening inside. WHAT FRESH HELL IS THIS.

-What!? We’re just talking about our mutual interest in entertainment.

Brit seriously, don’t make me kill you cause I’ll do it, I’m kinda on a roll here and completely exhausted from this fuckery.

-Gawd, fine, I’m gonna go to sleep.

GO TO A DIFFERENT BED. I’ve noticed a sudden and disturbing reappearance of slutty wants in Gunther’s panel immediately after the engagement, which I’m guessing is some kind of regression back to his usual pattern, like he’s rolling wants to woohoo 10 sims and makeout with another 20 and idek. It’s extremely pissing me off and it’s also extremely not happening.

I JUST SAID IT’S NOT HAPPENING. FUCKING STOP IT.

-We’re just friends!!! Paranoid much?

CAN YOU BLAME ME 

Look here, THIS is the distance I wanna see between you two. It’s also NOT the distance I wanna see between Wyatt and Jojo, man this apology shit is taking fucking forever UGGGH

-Jojό, are you still mad at me?

-What do you think?

-No?

-Guess again.

-No?

-Ugh.

-Oh Jojό, I know you hate me but I’m gonna keep apologizing for the rest of ma vie, cause I really have nothing better to do. And also because je t’aime, Jojό.  Why can't I free your doubtful mind and melt your cold cold cœur?

YES. FUCKING FINALLY. I HEAR HEARTS I HEAR HEARTS!!!!!

THEY’RE JUST NOT COMING FROM THE LIVING ROOM!!!!!11

KILL ME. I WILL PAY SOMEONE TO KILL ME. DON’T TELL ME WHEN YOU’RE COMING JUST SHOW UP AND DO IT. TAKE MY CAT ON THE WAY OUT AND FIND HIM A GOOD HOME. I’M DONE.

[thesselsewhere]

Prompt from @ooobirdy : 148 with any characters you want to write for -  “Thanks for helping me back there “ 

Maria Lewis and John Laurens ( with other peeps but mostly focuses on them )

( I headcanon that Maria and John are besties )

Warnings: some violence and bad editing, expect grammatical errors

John’s breath came in ragged gasps as he ran from the threats behind him. This time, he’d probably stepped over the bounds a little too much this time around.

He had scratches and bruises on his face, knuckles a little worn from slamming them into someone’s stomach, his hair fallen out of his hair tie. He was normally a very light-footed nimble guy for his height and should have lost them by now, but that wasn’t the case today, or rather, tonight.

The street lights weren’t much of help, it just put him in the spotlight, aiding his pursuers in their hunt for revenge. Stupid, why’d you have to have cause so much trouble on Saturday nights.

John Laurens leaped over crates and piles of trash, occasionally spotting a huddle of movement among the mess. Ugh, I wish I could to help them, but I’ll get killed if I do.

He honestly didn’t doubt that thought very much, as he’d ran into this shady gang more than once. Laurens always escaped unscathed, with merely a warning and a threat to never come back. He would be punished severely if he came next time.

The man really didn’t want to know what the punishment was.

The indecipherable shouts from the people giving chase to John gave him the motivation to run even faster, but caught up in his thoughts, did not notice the small figure appearing from his left.

There was a slam! and surprised yelps as everyone crashed together, Samuel Seabury hitting his back and the girl running into his side. What is a lady doing out here on a Saturday night, especially here???

John righted himself up very quickly, dodging a punch from Charles Lee. Whipping his head around to see where the young woman went, he was quite shocked to find she was not there. Instead, the woman in the red, tattered dress was rearing up defensively against John adversaries. 

Still woozy from being knocked down by two people he threw a lame punch at Benedict Arnold, who had just kicked him in the shin earlier. Missing by quite a distance, he felt a shoe connect to his chest and rolled over, heaving for a breath as the wind was knocked out of his chest.

Then hell froze over.

The very same girl who smashed into him earlier brandished a knife and curling fist. One could very clearly hear the impact of the fist into bones, earning a very high shriek as Samuel fell over a cardboard box.

She shoved Lee in Arnold, causing them to impact the concrete ground with a resounding thunk!

Seabury had already gotten up to pick a fight with her, and they circled each other warily. Creeping back up again was Charles...

And John leaping on to his back, accidentally driving his knee into his side, but all the better. Lee flailed for moment before Laurens cut off his air and dropped him unconscious on to a plastic chair that had been basically destroyed.

Peering over his shoulder, Benedict had already been knocked out earlier and Samuel was fleeing the scene, probably too cowardly to face them.

Laurens and her stared at each other for a moment, then looked at the ground.

“ Uh, you come here often and save people’s asses all the time or something?” John commented nervously. She smiled wanly at him and opened her mouth to respond.

“ No, I broke up with my ex-boyfriend a few weeks ago and he and his gang have been harassing me since. Also, I live not too far away from here so they intercepted me on the way home.”

“ You don’t have to answer, but what’s your boyfriend - sorry, ex-boyfriend’s - name?”

“ James motherfucking Reynolds. Also it’s fine.”

“ Oh my god, I hate that bastard so much. He ran over my neighbor’s cats and all the animals on the road all the time. I hate him, like can he just appreciate nature and stop being such a bitch? Not only does he kill living, breathing creatures, it’s also bad for other people on the road! Someone could freak out and fall off the road.”

The girl laughed heartily, occasionally running her fingers across her knuckles to smoothen them.

“ Oh wow I completely forgot to introduce myself. My name is John Laurens, I’m 19 years old, and I'm obviously an animal activist. And um, if you’re fine with it, I’m bisexual with a preference for boys. Also pronouns are he/him.” For some reason, he felt fairly comfortable talking to the nice stranger.

“ It’s all fine. I mean, we’re all kinda gay if you know what I mean. I’m Maria Lewis, 18 years old, and I like to kick a bad guy’s ass every now and then. Lesbian and pronouns are she/they.”

“ Then why’d you date an asshole like him?”

“ Um, he was the only person to give me attention so I just went with it. Looking back, I cringe at 15 year old me.”

“ Hashtag relatable.”

“ Hahaha, very funny Laurens.”

“ Oh, so we’re on last name terms or something?”

“ I guess we are.”

“ Well, I just have to say, thanks for helping me back there.”

“ It’s not a problem. You, uh, wanna hang out sometime? Go kick some ass or grab a coffee?”

“ Why not both?”

AHHH I WAS SUPPOSED TO POST THIS YESTERDAY but I had an angry/depressive episode so yeah...

Hope you enjoyed reading this and remember to send asks! Today and Friday morning are the last opportunities to send asks ( seriously, don’t be shy ) since I’ll be away for a weekend trip! ( no nsfw and most ships are acceptable )

[ghostlyraptor]

Highschool AU, where Ohm and Cartoonz are in different classes but a school program has a mentor mentee thing, so Ohm has to mentor Cartoonz to help him pass his classes (i always imagined Ohm would be the smart type and Cartoonz the athletic type)

Sorry this took so long! I had to take a break from it and then I realized there would be NO WAY I could do this in just one part. So, There will be multiple parts!

                       You’re Supposed To Be Studying, Not Flirting ( Pt 1 )

                                               Word Count: 2019

Almost a month ago, Ryan's high school announced they'd be doing a tutor program. Nothing special. Except, the tutors would be high grade students and they'd either be asked to tutor someone, or be given someone who had failing grades. Ryan was pretty okay with this, freshmen and some of his own classmates would ask for help or tutoring before the program, so he didn't think any different of it. Just, as one of the students with the highest grades, he was the one who usually got people who were failing. And those people were usually the delinquent crowd, to no surprise honestly. A lot of the people in that crowd were assholes and would often tease Ryan and other kids, sometimes getting physical. Apparently a delinquent had been expelled for the year because he had a knife on him. Someone by the name of Tyler. Oh well, Ryan didn't really care for the gossip, but sometimes it was literally unavoidable.

So far, Ryan had been getting the delinquents that weren't that bad, just really stressed and ended up joining the wrong crowd. The assholes he did have scheduled never came anyway, so every so often he'd get a free period or got to go home early. Today was one such day, but he had to stay after for awhile anyway. Some tutors would bring people to their place to study and teach, which Ryan did do sometimes, but like today, sometimes he actually had a few things to do after school.

"Ryan? Are you in here?"

"Yeah I'm in here Mr Ardale." Ryan turned around from the seat he was in. When he stayed at school to tutor he'd be in one of the private study rooms.

"Alright good. Abigail is sorry about not making it, as she's probably told you, but that's not why I came to find you." Mr Ardale stayed by the frame of the door, half his body poking into the room, one of his hands grasping the frame for support.

"If I need to redo a test or you need help cleaning the classroom again I'd be glad to." Mr Ardale was one of the school's science teachers so he often asked any students who stayed after to help him clean the room.

"Haha, no not today, but your eagerness to help is always pleasing to hear." Mr Ardale stepped into the room finally. "I actually have another student for you to tutor. Now I know you already have a lot of other peers you help tutor but-""Mr Ardale it's fine, half of them never show up anyways. I told you that last week."

"Oh. Oh right you did. Well I have the student with me right now." Mr Ardale dragged in a kid around the same age as Ryan. He had dark, gingery hair that spiked up, and the hoodie that was currently down had devil horns on it. "This is Luke. The only thing he's actually failing is my science class but his other grades are getting dangerously low.""O-Oh, alright, good to know."

"Well, I have to do some adult teacher things, you do your student tutor things!" Mr Ardale chuckled and waved as he left, closing the door as he did so. Suddenly there was a hand waving in front of his face.

"Yo, Ryan, right? You gonna tutor me or keep staring into space?" That seemed to do the trick as Ryan's eyes tuned back to reality. He half mindedly pushed up his slipping glasses as he nodded.

"Yeah of course. I'd be a pretty stupid tutor if I didn't tutor anyone." Ryan flashed a small grin and walked over to one of the several chairs by a table in the middle of the room. Ryan went through the basic tutoring, focusing on today's science, but his mind was also trailing off. He was actually tutoring Luke, the kid who had a reputation for not taking anyone's shit and generally being a loner when he wasn't at some sports practice. Well, except the Jon kid, or Delirious as everyone called him at the school. He had yet to find out why that was though. If you saw one of them, the other was probably nearby.

"Ryan. Ryan, you're spacing out again. You okay?" Ryan once again snapped out of his own thoughts. He rubbed his face, his glasses pushing up.

"I'm good, guess school took more out of me today then I thought." Ryan put his hands back on the table near where his school supplies were. Luke shrugged.

"Well ain't my business to pry so whatever you say." Ryan managed to stay in an aware enough state to actually help Luke with his school work, but there was a constant voice in the back of his head burning with curiosity. How the hell did he get this much back work? Did he keep glancing at Ryan or was he just looking at Ryan's paper? How can a dude be so attraaaaa, attributing to sports but not his school work. Ryan pulled his head up after the last thought, looking over at the clock above the still closed door.

"It's almost time to go so feel free to pack up your stuff for today." Luke nodded, piling his things into his bag fairly quickly as if it was some constant routine.

"Oh by the way," Luke turned to look at Ryan "your face was pretty red the whole time~" Luke playfully poked Ryan's cheek, smirking, leaving the room before Ryan could get a response out of his even more red face. Ryan huffed and placed a hand over his poked cheek. Where he was poked felt a bit tingly, but he wasn't very against it. So when Ryan got home that night, he found himself thinking of the boy with dark brown eyes that he'd love to stare at all day. Luke was the school's mystery. He did sports and was pretty good, but he never solicited with teammates unless it was for practice. He'd crack jokes and was generally cheerful around others, but he preferred hang out with one person on the daily. The one person he'd always be around at some point was Delirious and no one knew exactly how they were friends, just that if you messed with one you messed with other. He never talked to Ryan unless they had the same class, yet Ryan fell hard. Ryan rolled onto his stomach and pressed his face into his pillow quietly groaning. He went to sleep a little later, not wanting to fuck up his sleep schedule.

The next day at school was pretty normal. Delinquents harassing him and his friend Craig, who was with him at the moment, per usual, and pretty uninteresting classes. Only thing that wasn't normal was lunch. Craig had a different lunch block and his other friend who everyone just called Satt used their lunch block to work on some back work from when he had gotten sick. So Ryan got to sit by himself for the lunch block. Invigorating. Well, he thought he'd be sitting by himself but Luke decided he'd sit with him.

"Hey Ryan!" Ryan's head jolted up. He was focusing on spinning around a pencil in his hands since he wasn't that hungry.

"Oh, hey Luke." Ryan looked up at Luke pausing for a moment. "What, What are you doing?"

"I saw you over here on your own and decided to join you. You don't mind though right?" Luke raised an eyebrow, and his tilted like some kind of puppy. Ryan was weak.

"Y-Yeah, no, your good, go ahead." Ryan could feel his legs turn to jelly and his hands felt incredibly warm.

"Sweet!" Luke sat next to Ryan, a grin playing on his face. "Is it alright if my friend Jon joins too? If he actually gets here at least." Again with the innocence in his eyes. How damn far did Ryan fall?

"It's cool, I don't mind who sits over here. Not like I own the table." Ryan mentally slapped himself. Of course he doesn't own the table! Why would he? God his heart felt like it was going a mile a minute.

"So do you usually sit with anyone else?""Huh, oh, yeah, of course. Usually my friend Satt will join me and every once and awhile my other friend Craig will sneak down to join us." Why was he so interested? Isn't he supposed to be the loner who only hangs out with one other person?

"Well where are they today?" Seriously, why was he so curious. And talkative. Not even Ryan was this talkative and he could be a bit of a chatter mouth.

"Satt was sick a few days ago so he has back work and Craig actually needed to stay in class today. Luke nodded at Ryan's quick to the point response and the conversation seemed to stop there. But soon Luke seemed to perk up as a boy with short black hair, dark tan skin, a few piercings, and of all things, clown make-up, walked up.

"Hey Luke!" They seemed very upbeat.

"Hey Jon, about time your gay ass showed up," Luke immediately said. Ryan sort of just, stayed quiet and to the sidelines.

"Shuch up, I was talkin' to Evan. And my ass is pan, not gay bitch nugget." Luke laughed before talking again. Ryan wanted to hear it again, it made him fell as if he had just heard an angel.

"Bitch nugget? Really? Your insults get more and more bizarre." Finally Jon sat down next to Luke, setting his tray down since he was the only one at the table who had actually gotten lunch.

"Who's this anyway? He's pretty cute lookin' he your date or something?" Jon said casually, starting to actually eat his food. Ryan's cheeks went red and he cast his eyes to his hand that were in his lap.

"No Del he's not my date, stop being embarrassing. He's my tutor from the school's new program." Ryan looked up when Luke started talking. Wait was he blushing too? No, it was probably just the light overhead.

"Oh! Sorry man," Del said towards Ryan. "You're not very talkative are you?"

"Thank you, captain obvious, for your great observation." Ryan meant to say that to himself so when he said it out loud his eyes widened. He expected Delirious to be upset, maybe even pissed, but his apology was never even uttered before Delirious started laughing. It was loud and bubbly and weird and maybe annoying to some, but it made Ryan want to laugh along. When Del finally calmed down, which actually took a bit, he didn't sound mad at all.

"I like this guy! His sarcasm is on point!" Jon put his elbows on the table, a wide grin and bright blue eyes very apparent. "What's your name again?"

"It's, It's Ryan," he said a bit cautious. No wonder people called him Delirious. It not only described his laugh perfectly but he was definitely someone unique.

"Well Ryan, I can see myself talking to you more often!" Jon's grin stayed plastered on his face and god was it contagious, because Ryan could feel a smile grow on his face too. Ryan's focus was broke as he heard Luke chuckling.

"You're both so weird."

"Yeah you love it though!" Delirious exclaimed, playfully elbowing Luke.

"Damn right I do," Luke said, before pulling both Del and Ryan closer in a group hug. Was it hot in there? Ryan thought it felt hot in there.

"Hey Ryan, didn't know you were a cherry~" Ryan was yanked from his thoughts by Luke's words. Was his face really that red? Did Luke know what he was doing to him?

"I didn't know you were a flirt," Ryan said without much thought. Luke laughed.

"Touché cherry."

"Oh god that nickname isn't going to stick is it?"

"Is now," Luke said, grinning wide.

"God damn it."

For the rest of the lunch block Ryan, Luke, and Jon ended up talking about anything. From various classes, video games they all played, to the most stupid shit that somehow qualified as funny to all of them. Ryan had actually enjoyed his lunch block without either Craig or Satt with him.

[tomhollandish]

One-shot: Devil’s in the Details

A/N: Wow, a Flash Thompson fic no one asked for!!! Written simply because I had idea for him running through my thoughts after the trailer dropped, so expect more (maybe)

Prompt: So, why did I have to punch that guy?

Warnings: Mentions of blood, Mentions of violence, Mentions of sexual harassment (verbal)

Word Count: 1,621

The crowd standing around the boy’s crumpled form is getting too tight, too big, and too loud for you to think. You can only blink, your mouth open so wide your jaw has almost locked. It hurts to shut it, but not as much as it must hurt the guy on the floor to even exist.

Looming above him in a blue letterman jacket, the assailant shakes his hand, knuckles red from the impact. He’s in the center of it all, the eye of the hurricane, the only one who is silent as his eyes move from the lump of human on the ground to you, cutting through other people’s entire beings to stare you down.

You can’t speak, you can’t think, you can’t breathe, and in order to regain the air in your lungs, you focus on the deep, labored breaths the jock is taking, his chest rising and falling like a tide. He straightens up before stalking over to you, his steps heavy and thundering. The crowd parts for him until you’re face to face, and every detail you’ve only seen from afar is now in HD.

He’s actually sort of captivating.

There’s so many bits and pieces that make up the full picture that is Flash Thompson: the now-mussed shiny dark hair, the tint of red across his cheeks from the exertion of the punch, the perfectly straight dark eyebrows that are lowered as he peers down at you, pink lips parted to even out his breathing (or possibly to make you stare at his mouth). You’d almost forgotten about the crown of people who are gawking at you before Flash stuffs his hands in his jacket pockets.

You’re suddenly aware that he’s expecting something from you, but you aren’t sure what. You raise your brows in silent question, not trusting your voice to work.

Flash hardly moves when he voiced “So why did I have to punch that guy?”

You nearly jump backwards as he leans forward in anticipation for your response. “I didn’t ask you to do anything!” you stammered, too bewildered to reply in your usual caustic manner. Flash’s lips tip into a small grin as he scoffs, looking over his shoulder to the guy who’s just starting to push himself off the floor.

“Well, you said somebody ought to,” he smirked, stepping away from you as the sound of high heels breaks up the crowd. You’re taken out of your trance, knowing full and well that the administration was here to sort things out. Everyone dispersed as the authoritative voice of Vice Principal Deaton barked out “Back to class, what’s wrong with all of you!”

The tall blonde woman walked a small circle around Flash and the other guy (who you could now identify as Roger, a creep and a loser who was sniffing back blood at this point), who were being held tightly by two security officers. Mrs. Deaton’s frizzy head slowly turned to you, taking in your disheveled clothes and shocked features before marching in your direction.

“Young lady, did you not hear what I said-“

“Wait! It’s-it’s not his fault!” you pleaded, and Flash’s head snapped up. He caught a glimpse of you over the vice principal’s padded shoulders, eyes frantic and wide. “He was defending me, it’s my fault!”

Her hawkish features moved very little as her eyes scanned your face. Her small lips pursed even tighter, making her look as though she was puckering her lips. She then heel-turned to Flash, who hastily ducked his head, feigning contemplation. You would have laughed if not for the glower you felt on your form.

“As nice as that sentiment is, Miss,” She paused, creasing her brows as if searching for your name. She left the sentence hanging, as though she meant to clip it there. “You weren’t the one who threw a punch, now were you?”

“Yeah but I…I provoked him!” you were reaching now, and you were sure the vice principal could tell, but she still stood there, sharp features set to a condescending frown. “I told him he should have punched him.”

“And why would you do a thing like that?” She was obviously trying to catch your lie, but you bit your lip. The truth was much more embarrassing than that.

“He,” you closed your eyes and sighed, trying to keep the lingering eyes out of your mind. “He harassed me.”

There was silence, and you opened your eyes to see Flash’s blown wide eyes dip in confusion, then horror, then rage. There wasn’t much he could do but glower at Roger, who was already having trouble breathing.

The women looked down at you with a softer, more sympathetic look in her eyes than before. “What did he say to you?”

You rubbed your forearm, nails scratching at the skin to convince yourself to repeat the words. “He said that because there were no seats left in History I could sit on his lap. And then he called me a bitch when I politely declined.”

“You called me bad Bill Cosby impressionist!” Roger suddenly barked, causing everyone to turn in disbelief. Your prudence melted, hands curling into fists by your side.

“You called me ‘sweet ass’ you perv! You got what was coming!” you nearly rolled your sleeves up your elbows when the vice principal pressed a dainty manicured hand to your shoulder.

“Please, lets-”

“How dare you say shit like that! What hell is wrong with you? I should have kicked your ass harder!”  Flash’s declaration cut of the mild words the vice was about to speak, causing the security guards to yank him back. He’s thrashing, but only mildly as he grits his teeth at Roger, who is more terrified than before.

“Mr. Thompson!” Her voice is loud like a bullet and Flash stops, turned around to face the two of you. “While your…assistance is appreciated, I still find it necessary to remind you that in order for your little game on Friday to happen, you need no further infractions on your quite extensive list.” She said all off this so precisely that you weren’t sure if this woman was all the way human.

But then her eyes became compassionate as she looked at you. “However, this one will slide, considering it wasn’t for your own pleasure.”

“Oh, it was my pleasure to beat the-” he stopped when he caught your eyes narrowed at him, slicing your hand at your neck. He looked back up to the vice who was tapping her shoes impatiently, and he gave her a grin. “I mean, thank you so much, Vice Principal Deaton.”

She seemed satisfied by that, and motioned for the guards to let go of his arm, but they continued to flank both Roger and Vice Principal Deaton.

The two of you were left in the hallway, standing shoulder to shoulder, waiting for nothing in particular. And then you start to laugh.

“I can’t believe you actually punched him in the face,” you wheezed, looking at Flash with a smile that melted him.

“I can’t believe you almost punched him in front of Deaton! She looked like she was going to give you a suspension on the spot!” You were both walking now, albeit slow and aimlessly. Your books were scattered across the floor and Flash’s nearly empty backpack was strewn down the hallway. Your laughter died out as you collected your respective things, before once again meeting face to face.

It had been his eyelashes that stole your attention this time; they were dark, thick and long, mockingly so. You weren’t sure what such nice features were doing on a boy like Flash Thompson, but you shrugged the thought away as you brought your focus back to his words.

“You’d better get to class before Deaton pulls you out of Friday’s game,” you remind him pointedly, but Flash just shrugs. His face gains a quality you can’t put a name to, his eyes glimmering as he gives you a right tipped smile.

“Friday’s game won’t mean anything if you’re not there,” he bargained, trying hard to keep eyes contact with you as you averted your gaze. “But, if you’re not up to it, how about a victory dinner right after it?”

You’re not surprised at his confidence, but you are surprised at how well he wears it. It’s quite a contrast to what you’re used to, and you curl some hair behind your ear.

“And what makes you so sure you’ll win?” you tease.

He gets even closer, eyes sort of lidded as he chuckles. “Well, I technically won a fight-”

“A one-sided fight,” you pointed, hoping to annoy him, but with no such luck. His grin only widened.

“I got off the hook for punching a guy in a face, and I got the most gorgeous girl in Midtown Science to speak to me today, so, you could kind of say I’m on a streak.”

You were stunned into silence. A retort almost left your lips but you hesitated, letting Flash’s words sink in. He was smooth, and strong, and obviously a lot different than you first assumed. Clutching your books to your chest, you opened your mouth before you’d fully weighed your options.

“I’ll think about it,” you stated, and his eyebrows shot up.

“That’s not a no,” he stated, head tipped to the side as he looks at you, a bright happy smile gracing all those features. He’s too far away to be in HD now, but he’s still brilliant, all of those details piecing together to make a truly blessed image.

“It’s not a yes,” you chastised, mostly to keep that stupid grin off your face. You’ve turned away from him by now, biting your lips to keep the thoughts of this upcoming Friday at bay.