#okay im really bad with side profiles

[solplease]

meet my oc rowan :]

close ups and more about him under the cut!

(had trouble with the cropping oopsies)

rowan doesn't have a specific age but he is an adult

self proclaimed chill guy (he's not chill at all)

clingy and whiny

he overthinks a looooot

believes you'll fall in love with him and live happily ever after

he's kind of pathetic

huge loser

is terrified of you abandoning him

will probably kidnap you if he deems necessary? (whatever that means)

he likes flowers :] (he's got a book on the language of flowers and thinks he's cool bc of it)

he was named after a plant (wow!)

he wears heart earrings and has a second pair to match with you

[ohmy-gojo]

firm believer that nanami should have a cooking account on social medias

one thing about nanami, hes really good at cooking (tho its not surprising) he was a decent cook before he met you, just whipping up some salad for lunch and baking bread for a treat once in a while

but when you came to his life, along came your late night food cravings. not that he ever complained, he loved every little quirks of yours. dating since high school and still together, hes proud to say his cooking has gotten much better than before. and now he cooks not because he needs to, but because he enjoys it and has someone who appreciates it so much (with eyes who look at him as if he hangs the stars in the sky and ofc, endless kisses)

in your opinion though, hes the best cook ever. not only aiding to your cravings, but also getting creative with it. he manages to make everything look so simple and easy yet so cute. it feels illegal to enjoy his work alone. and since youre no gatekeeper, you decided to bring it up one day

"do you ever think of creating a cooking channel?"

nanami paused for a moment before returning back to his work, which was making pompompurin themed mozzarella buns for you. he hummed softly

"the thought didnt really cross my mind. why do you say that though?"

you sat up straight, ready to bring out your powerpoint presentation on how hes the best cook ever and should be cherished like the king he is.

"duh are you seriously asking why? you cook so good and i feel like you should be, i dont know, seen and applauded and, and- appreciated for your talent!" you rambled

a small smile and a blush, which you missed since his back was turned, graced his face

"but you do that plenty you know," he said teasingly "you appreciate me quite much and quite well."

you blushed at his words knowing well what he was implying to then furrowed your brows stubbornly

"dont make this about me now! just maybe.. think about this okay? i know how much you enjoy cooking and if you ever feel like sharing your art with the world, know that im always by your side." you finished with a soft smile

that night, after finishing dinner and the treats he made for you, he mulled over your words instead of reading his novels during bedtime like he usually did as he waited for you to finish your skincare routine. he thought and thought and suddenly it wasnt a bad idea? getting to share the love of cooking for the love of his life as long his face isnt shown? hes down.

when he bought this up during breakfast next day, you almost choked on the omelette he made for you (ofc added a smiley face with sauce) and stared at him through wide eyes. he chuckled at your reaction and handed you oreo milkshake.

you took the responsibility of acting as his social media manager of course as a supportive wifey. you made sure the profile was him, simple and sophisticated also cute as hell and when it was time for the filming

"just be yourself ken," you smiled gently at him, seeing him subtly furrowing his brows, a gesture which meant he was nervous. "people will love you!"

he smiled back at you and pecked your forehead "just so you know that whatever happens, im still only cooking for you and only you in my mind."

thus you pressed the record button. for the first video of his account, he made your favorite food. paired with his classical music playlist playing in the background, the cozy atmosphere and his gentle hands, you had no doubt that the video was gonna blow up

and blow up it did. because in the first two days, the first and only video he created garnered over a million views and 800k likes as well as quite a lot of followers. even though you expected just as much, he seemed to be in shock at the growing numbers

"see!? youre a celebrity already! remember me when you get famous ken."

he chuckled at your words, shaking his head fondly and returned back to his work, making a healthy salad recipe for you since you (🫵🏻) always neglect your veggies.

[femsolid]

There's a huge misogynist where I work. Always condescending, never takes responsibility for his mistakes, vulgar, belittling and making crude remarks about women's appearance. I seem to be the only one who doesn't take it. So naturally we had some tense exchanges, through wich I remained professional and he didn't. I reported it to my manager and I was told "that's just how he is, he's kidding" no he's not, I said, he's being cruel and sexist. Then I tell HR during a meeting about harassment, they write what I say and read it back to me, like we do at the police station, and one of them reads : "he makes sarcastic comments" and I'm like "what? I never said "sarcastic"? I said he makes humiliating and cruel remarks, infantalizing and belittling my work" "I think you said sarcastic" "No I said SEXIST, that's the S word I used." Then I talked about it to a close collegue and friend of mine and she responded with "im not taking sides as I've had no issue with him, you both need to work on your relationship or it's gonna end badly for you both". Us both? Then two other female colleagues, one of which presents herself as the great defender against harassment at work, a headstrong woman supposedly.

- oh he's not bad, not really, that's just how he is, he's joking

- no he's not, he's obnoxious and sexist

- there's much worse people here you should be weary of, he's not bad

- so because he's not the worst I'm supposed to let it fly? He is bad. He said women your age were past the expiration date btw. That's okay with you?

- Really? No that's wrong

- He made Mary cry by commenting on her appearance

- Well, you know, Mary, she's not exemplary either, she has...

- Irrelevant! I don't care what Mary has done, that doesn't make his behaviour okay. Emeline from IT made a post on Teams to help us solve a technical issue. He caught her at lunch and said in front of everyone she was playing the beauty queen with her profile picture on Teams and that she only made the post to get men's attention. That's fine with you?

- No but...

Then a coach went to talk to him and came back with "he's not bad, he said you two were fine now" "we're not fine, just because I stay professional doesn't mean we're fine" "you both need to work on your-" "what do I have to change exactly? I've stayed the same. He's vile. You don't have to agree with me. I'm not gonna change my opinion." And I turned back towards my computer.

The same company that forces us to take an E-learning class about harassment and sexism at work. Give me a break. I expect men to defend their class but this doormat mentality in women is awful.

[fragileporcelaine]

౨ৎ ˙⋆.˚ brothersbestfriend!rafe saves you from a tragic date

you decide to download some dating apps due to your non-existent love life, after swiping left at some weird matches until a guy catches your eye ethan baker you swipe right intrested at his profile, minutes later a message is sent.

" Hey! your really beautiful " he types

you smile at the sweet message and type back " aw! thank you, your not too bad yourself " a few messages turns into you and ethan constantly messaging for 3 days straight until ethan decides to make a move

" I really do enjoy speaking with you, so would you like to go on a date with me? " you grin because you really do like him you quickly type back " of course! how about that really nice restaurant that just opened in figure eight on friday? "

friday finally comes around and you put on a short jean skirt, red floraly scandalous shirt, you hear a knock on your door and know its ethan.

" hey ethan, its nice to finally meet you! " you say with a cheeky smile on your face, ethan leans down and kisses your cheek.

" hey gorgeous, same with you, the reservation is really soon, we really have to get going " he holds your hand and leads to towards his car, ethan walks straight to the drivers side expecting you to open the passenger seats door yourself, you brush off this one mistake thinking in your head " hmm, maybe its not that serious to him "

" sorry is it okay if i put my headphones in, just nerves you know " you look at him hoping it doesnt bother him

" yeah of course i'd rather talk when we're at the restaurant too not good at multitasking " he says nervously laughing

you eventually get to the restaurant and your about 15 minutes into the date, you like ethan, you have a good feeling about him until you dont.

" how did your last relationship end? " you ask curiously

" oh, well she broke up with me due to my "misogynistic views" she called it apparently saying her job should be cleaning is misogynistic? " he said rolling his eyes

you immediately have a weird feeling in your stomach but brush it off. another 15 minutes go by.

" hey so after this we're going to mine, i have some wine" he confidently says expecting you to agree.

" could you excuse me, i need to go to the bathroom " you stand up and walk away fidgiting with your hands, " i need to get out of here " you think to yourself. you message your brother hoping he responds

" please pick me up this dates going horribly " you rapidly message him. he responds as soon as the text goes through " can't. "

you look through your contacts wondering who else you can message, rafe cameron your brothers bestfriend, you sigh knowing you and his friendship isn't the best, but he's your last resort " please pick me up, this dates tragic and i feel really unsafe " you type hoping he responds, 2 minutes go by, no respond. you walk back to the table tragicly hoping you somehow get out of this. 3 minutes later you hear a slam coming from the entrance.

rafe cameron.

rafe walks towards you plopping his motorcycle helmet on your head " we're going " he says nonchalantly. ethan stands up " who the fuck are you " he says in an agressive tone stepping towards rafe. " one inch closer and your leaving with your nose broken. " ethan steps back almost in fear. you feel your face getting warm as rafe grabs your hand and leads you to the front door holding your hand softly.

rafe hops onto his motorcycle holding your hand making sure you dont hurt yourself, he takes your hands and put them around his waist making sure your secure and safe,

" thank you so much rafe. " you say breaking your silence, rafe doesnt respond and starts speeding away to your house. after a very silent couple of minutes you get to your house and rafe leads you to your front door.

" hey do you want to come in for a second? " you ask rafe hoping he agrees, to your luck he nods and steps inside, you both walk towards the living room and you fall down onto the sofa in relief.

you start rambling " listen im so sorry i know its a friday night and i just took you away from whatever you were doing like im just so sorry and i should of waited and i could of messaged my brother again and like- "

" stop speaking. " rafe says in a soft tone

" excuse me? " you say almost confused.

" i said stop speaking, do you want to know what i was doing? "

you nod waiting for him to continue

" i had a bunch of friends over. "

" oh my gosh im so sorry "

" stop speaking. " he says with a rougher tone " i saw your text i saw you felt unsafe i saw you needed me, i grabbed my helmet i grabbed my keys and i left. i didnt say anything i just got on my bike and i got to you, because i will choose you over everyone else every time. "

you furrow your eyebrows, again waiting for him to explain what he meant. rafe steps towards you looking down at you sitting down.

" what are you- what are you saying? " you say knowing your face is turning red

" i will choose you. "

" okay but what about my brother " you say almost laughing thinking this is a joke

" over your brother every time. "

" what does this mean? " you say feeling something you've never felt before.

rafe crouches to get to your eye-level " i'll show you what this means " rafe kisses you on the lips for a second. " but i'll show you on a different night, when you havent just came back from a shit date. "

rafe walks towards the door not allowing you to get out another word. next thing you know you hear the engine of a motorcycle driving away.

[bahrtofane]

in which jude is your best friend, or well, was. hes much more now

word count - 1.3K

watch it - arguments, yelling. happy ending tho hehe

------

“Can you grab my purse? I left it in the back seat." 

Jude looks up from his phone at the doorway and gives you a nod, “Yeah gimme a sec, i got it.”

You send him a smile and thanks before taking your shoes off and relaxing on his couch. Today was an impromptu hang out, practice ended early and the personal trainer was out, so this was one of the few days Jude had to relax.

He still wanted to spend it with you, even after you told him he should use the opportunity to nap or just relax in his room. 

'What's the point if I can't bother you at the same time ?' was all he said. 

so you caved and got ready for him to pick you up, soon to raid his fridge or find another movie to watch. (which you always end up talking over but that's okay. It's the thought that counts. you even have your own Netflix profile on his tv !)

Your phone goes off and you're pleasantly surprised to find it's the man you met a few days ago. You caught his eye and he politely approached you while you were on a little coffee run. a treat after a bad few days. 

You smile when you text your date back confirmation. Dinner date this Saturday how exciting !

Jude comes back with your purse in hand, sliding it on the table your way before crashing into your side. 

"Jesus Jude- my god- you're too big to be doing that. you're gonna kill me someday." you sputter.

"no, it's good to keep you on your toes." he giggles while smothering himself into your side

you groan trying to get him off before resorting to kicking him off with your legs. 

he yells before hitting the ground, "Im worth too much for you to be throwing me around what the hell."

"you started it! you're so annoying, oh my god."

he narrows his eyes before getting up and sitting a far distance away from you, for safety. 

he puts on a movie and continues to sulk while you roll your eyes. 

‘Oh by the way I'm gonna have to cancel saturday. “ 

“What, why ? What happened?“ 

“I have a dinner date that day ! isn't that exciting.’

Jude only scowls at you, unimpressed. “You're canceling, over a man. First of all, why is this the first time I'm hearing about this guy. And why didn't you tell him you were busy and just pick a different day.”

“Saturday is his only day off. I don't know why you're so mad.” You frown. 

“Saturday afternoon is my only afternoon off.”

“Jude. Why are you being so childish?”

“I don't know because you're putting some guy you just met before me, your best friend.”

“He's not just some guy I think we could really be something. Why do you have to be so protective of me? I'm not 5 oh my god.”

“It's not just that it's that you're canceling our hangout for him.”

“We always hang out-”

“Exactly so I don't know why you're jumping so quickly to change it over some dick.”

“Im not like that and you fucking know it. You of all people should know that this is a chance I don't want to miss out on just because we order food and stare at a tv for hours on saturdays.”

“Oh so that's all it is to you. Staring at a tv.’ Jude rolls his eyes.

“It's not like that, I love hanging out with you. "

" I just don't understand why you're suddenly so eager to see anyone right now . I can't make any plans with anyone without you storming down here and telling me it's a waste of time. " He sighs 

You stare at him in disbelief. “Because you have a career ?? i don't give two shits who you talk to, but I can't let you make dumb decisions. I will always be your best friend, that's my job and nothing more."

"That's why this is so frustrating,” He waves his hands in the air aimlessly, “Do you even know what you're saying to me?"

"You're not making sense." You shake your head. 

 “I don't want to fight with you, I just don't understand why you're acting so selfish.”

“That's your problem, you act like I'm doing something wrong instead of being happy for me."

“You dont fucking get it do you oh my god I dont know how to be any more clear with you so you can get It.”

You don't say anything, choosing not to read any deeper into his words and instead watch the rest of the movie in silence. You don't have it in you to argue with him anymore. You care for him, truly. He's your best friend and you couldn't be happier or more proud to be able to have him by your side. 

But there's always that prickle of feeling that lays within you. A prickle of yearning, a wanting for more. You're not blind by any means, Jude is a handsome man and he's grown into his features better than you expected. 

You don't know if it's just delusion, but there's always a base layer of tension between you too. Always a second away from something going too far and it leading where it probably shouldn't. 

But you know it's deeper than a what if for you. You've found a good friend in him and somewhere along the way you've drifted to less than only platonic feelings. But you also know the way Jude is, the way he acts and talks is just that. Not meant to be read deeper and you dont let anything get your hopes up anymore. 

It's the reason why you said yes to that guy in the first place, so you can hopefully stop crushing on your best friend and move on.

Your over-thinking soon passes the time and you find yourself in an awkward quiet that neither of you want to break in fear of more arguing. But Jude takes the risk.

"I'm sorry," he mumbles.

"For what Jude? "

"For how I acted, and what I said. It was an asshole move to assume you're only gonna meet him for dick when I know you aren't like that. And for acting like you can only hang out with me. I'm sorry.”

You sit there silently, not saying a word. 

He turns to face you almost desperately, “You're my best friend you really are. I care about you, more than anyone else. And i just- fuck it. You’ve given me some of the most precious moments of my life, but I think I’d be a better boyfriend if you’d let me, friends just doesn’t do justice to what I feel for you anymore.”

You stand up and walk over to him, standing between his legs and placing his hands in yours, gently smiling.

“Please say something.” He whispers. 

“I can't think of anything I want more than for you to be mine Jude.”

He jumps at that, bringing you flush to his chest, “What about the guy on saturday?’ “I'm obviously going to cancel and tell him I'm no longer available.”

“Good.” He smiles. There is a moment where his gaze focuses on your lips and you can feel your face blush at the newfound attention.

“Can I, kiss you ?” He breathes

You give a nod, and no sooner do his hands gently cup your face, his lips meeting yours.

[frillydolle]

Hi, could you do something like: you and Will are in a relationship, and Hanniball can't just ignore you, he'd like to take you away from Will or something, but you just ignore him. Maybe he sees you two together (an obscenity)? If you're comfortable.

Love your writing and thank you!!!💗💗

tags ͡˚̣̣̣𓎟𓎟　 hannigram?　 possessive will?　 suggestive　 mdni　 not proofread　 femreader

“ah, will. you didn't tell me that someone would accompany you to my dinner party.”

“oh, hannibal. shes my partner, [name]. and he is dr. hannibal lecter.”

you and will have been dating for months now, an entering couple you two were. you were definitely his polar opposite; you were more.. out there, more bubbly and approachable. will remained a little reserved despite a deepening darkness. since hannibal was discretely changing him more and more, but you didn't know that. to you, it was just your boyfriend and his psychiatrist. will kept his past a big secret from you, but thankfully, you weren't too invasive.

and that was the start of it all.

the downside is that hannibal took a sort of interest in you. will quickly notice this since he was a profiler, but you were oblivious because what sort of psychiatrist takes a liking to their patient's girlfriend? will didn't bring up such a topic for conversation to hannibal. he wasn't sure if he was ready for the answer that he'd give him.

you caught your partner's psychiatrist stare at you or felt his gaze linger for a little too long. you mentally just put it down as first impression. he was very knowledgeable in human behaviour after all.

“[name]. would you like to help me bring out the dessert? i don't want you to be so stultified.”

“oh, hannibal id love to, but will needs me for a moment. im sorry.”

well, that wasn't the answer he expected from you. although it's like you glued yourself to him since you haven't left will's side unless if you were bringing a drink for him and yourself. despite his calm words or reassuring you that it's okay and that you should see will. he was a little... displeased. he was sure that you would've agreed. no worries, he wasn't the type to back down easily.

being the manipulative and yet composed individual that he is, hannibal wouldn't mind playing the long game. he was a patient man after all.

you were practically glued to will the entire party, not that will complained since he absolutely adored the idea of you never leaving his touch. his hand was intertwined with yours, or he'd have his hand resting around your waist. he'd even rest his hand on your back if the two of you left together. you'd kiss his cheek or his lips, the sweet giggle leaving your lips if he made you laugh. your laugh always made him dizzy with adoration, like he was lovestruck.

at this moment in time, hannibal hasn't seen the two of you for a long while now. you wouldn't leave without saying goodbye since it'd be otherwise rude not to, so you still had to be in his home. but where? dinner was about to be served and he wasn't going to serve it without everyone's company being there with him. he was determined to find the two of you, just for a moment. dinner and manners were important, right now.

you and will totally didn't find a room filled with the fine literature that fills the mind palace of hannibal lecter. will was sitting beside you, his hand was caressing yours softlh as you both share nothing more than subtle intimacy, of course. the two of you were guests so it was nothing more than touching and making out. “will.. we should get back down soon─”

“he won't mind too much, sweetheart.” he replies with a small huff between kisses. his hand reaches to the back of your neck, just pulling you deeper into the kiss. he jusg wanted this badly as much as you do. you trust his words that everything is okay since he knew hannibal well. if will says hannibal won't mind then surely he doesn't really mind, right?

“i know, but─ i feel a little bad..”

“he doesn't even know we left, hes too busy greeting the guests.”

it's not like they've stayed up in this room filled with books ever since they arrived. they greeted hannibal and some of his colleagues. everyone was really nice but will was still his usual standoffish self, he preferred your company and your company alone. or hannibal's company.. if you weren't here.

“am i intruding?”

oh.

[anteatrrr]

eeewwwee i hate this.

also not trying to make out Princess Hat to be like a villain or anything💔💔💔💔💔 i love my one sided tape measure x princess hat yuri❤️❤️🙏

also the reason i didn’t draw beer keg is because I CANT DRAW HIM I TRIED AND IT WAS TERRIBLE. IT SBETTER IF HE STAYS AS HIS STORYBOARD.

OMG THE QUALITY SUCKS…PLEASE CLICK ON THE IMAGE…

also it continues under the cut❤️❤️

i’m pretty sure this is around 41:45, in Voice Actor Livestream #5!

btw can we ignore any mistakes i made on dialogue.

tape measure side profile ❤️❤️

hi here’s a few sketches it’s like twelve AM so maybe these don’t look the best sorry🙏🙏

these are NOT getting colored and the anatomy is NOT getting fixed❤️❤️

“these look really bad, antsy.” sorry im justtryin g to cope but its not really working

firepound in there because

idk bro i

i love cl-AHA-sh to be ch-AHA-mpion!!! /ref

yesterday i saw fanart of glitchtape and i started rolling on the floor screaming (hit my head on accident). I HATE THIS SHIIIPP IM GOING TO DIEEE

ctbc voice actor livestream 3

32:32

Glitchy: “I don’t like physical affection, sorry.”

my reason for the cuddling (??) is that they were just tired, and they’re more okay with it when they’re close with the person. streams aren’t all that canon so itsok🙏

anyways. my otps! ❤️🙏

[parokka]

so apparently I've been tried to be cancelled over *checks notes* being an immature teen?? i went through the document and i can genuinely not defend pilot wings because her behavior has always concerned me myself when it came to making those kind of comments but i really didn't want to touch on it since we had a fragile friendship and it scared me to really say anything on how her jokes sometimes got out of hand. but i acknowledge it, the death threats were never ok.

also ive NEVER encouraged another person to look up the nsfw artists mocked but they themselves have promoted themselves in the r/parappa server which is the reason i resent it so much. they have had 2 nsfw artists with their profiles open for any minor in the server to access. and poor moderation leading to a very curious 15 year old me to grooming. i have also in fact argued constantly with younger people in the server who tried to look these things up but i couldn't really do much for them.

however in the document i gotta say it's a bit ridiculous for what im being called out for. most of the images attached aren't even me doing the weird jokes and from former members that have been actually banned for even worse behavior. i won't get into that very deeply since it's really old and sensitive incidents which have then been taken care of.

either way for the lesser ones it's okay if it's not your cup of tea but i think everyone understands teens have the tendency to do horrible jokes as a 14-16 year old i was always told this was okay and again these screenshots are pretty old and ive matured or im trying to. by in fact even deciding to leave the parappa community in the first place since ive only had bad memories attached, being a victim of grooming ive been here since i was 14 and a really stupid kid. really, but i in fact picked up that behavior from the same itself r/parappa server where the moderators even encouraged this behavior and so i continued with that kind of humor.

r/parappa EVEN had a channel for messed up stuff called cursed and cringe where people have posted actual cropped nsfw so i find these claims a little hypocritical on their side, do i have to bring up the nsfw emojis they've had for YEARS allegedly?

this account will remain dead for the time being but i just had to come back to try to clean my name a little. i either way do not plan on coming back to the community at all and the server where all of this came from was already deleted weeks ago due to my decision on this. the document talks about digging up old drama when the person behind this is doing the exact same.

[drmellking]

tagged by the lovelies @daffi-990 @spotsandsocks @honestlydarkprincess @weewootruck @buddierights @loveyouanyway <33

here's a moodboard for lawyer buck!

“But you're in luck.”

They're standing in the middle of a lobby and Eddie can see the people outside, hear the muffled noise of the busy street of L.A. But he stops and he turns to look at the guy, raising an eyebrow. “I am?”

“I just quit to open my own office. And I happen to love taking pro-bono cases.” The guy smiles, bright and still nervous and anxious but a little bigger now. “If you come by my new place this week and tell me more about what you need, I"m sure we could figure something out.”

“Your place?”

“My office! I, uh— I still don't have a business card but here.” The blond tries to balance the box with only one arm, pressing it against his side as he struggles to grab a pen from his pocket.

Eddie thinks about telling him he has a phone and that he could just spell out his number but the show is entertaining and amusing and Eddie’s had a bad day, okay? He deserves to have some fun, even if it's at the expense of this disaster, mess of a lawyer.

“I'm Buck, by the way.”

“Buck?” Eddie raises an eyebrow. What kind of wacky lawyer is this?

“Well, I'm Evan Buckley but everyone calls me Buck.” The man— Buck, flashes him a smile and then looks back down, scrabbling his number on a piece of paper and then ripping it out to hand it out to Eddie. “And you'd be my first client! Cool, huh?"

Eddie presses his lips into a firm line as he hesitantly takes the paper with the phone number on it, their fingers brushing for the briefest of moments.

“That doesn't sound too comforting.” Eddie mutters,

“And I'm Eddie, by the way. Eddie Diaz.”

“Oh, I meant my first client outside of the firm!” Buck gives him a bashful smile, his cheeks tinting a dark shade of pink. “I'm pretty good, I promise! You can look me up online, I've been on some high profile cases. You're in good hands, I promise.”

Eddie is skeptical but he guesses he might as well hear the guy out. He doesn't really have much of a choice, really.

“Thanks. So I'll call you?”

“Yeah! Can't wait!”

tagging @monsterrae1 @hoodie-buck @the-likesofus @devirnis @wildlife4life @evanbegins @exhuastedpigeon @eddiebabygirldiaz @sunshinediaz and anyone else who wants to! im lazy today and can't think of urls tbh

[genderqueerdykes]

About your "Men (including cishet men) welcome to interact" post

As someone who's most important/supportive person in their life is our dad, & we have (or just have meet) other men who has meant a lot to us or have been really supportive or even our role models, sometimes people hatred or just distrust they have and how openly rude they are about it just a lot sometimes. Obviously & Honestly there's a lot to be said here(about this topic as whole) but we are not able to(personal comfortability & actual writing ability). Thank you for being a blog that has been here allowing us to be able to explore, understand, learn our(& others) identities/experiences in world, not making us feel bad for the people who support us just because of how the judge based off of the same thing the rest of society shuns us for. (a side note because of your blog we were able to get the nerve and make the push to start T just over a year ago now. A lot of it due to the help and support we got from our dad, who despite us being an adult has financially covered everything for it and the rest of our health as we are also disabled and only recently have been able to work at all) Thank you for your time in just reading this if ya do.

thanks for taking the time to send this, i really appreciate it!

i'm tired of seeing hate for the sake of hate. hate solves very little. like being a hater sucks actually, it's not cool to be shitty to other people for no reason. it bothers me deeply that people refuse to accept that there genuinely are cishet men who are queer allies out there, and in fact, some of them are absolutely amazing queer allies. i've had friends who were cishet men and gendered me correctly after i came out to them. i've had cishet men stand up for me when someone questions my manhood.

nobody considers the fact that there are queer people that just might have a loved one, partner, or friend who is a cishet man. why would it ever be okay to openly show hate to someone who supports you? hell, how you even expect someone to respect your gender and your orientation if you hate them based off of their gender and orientation? profiling someone based off of their gender & orientation is quite literally what queerphobes do, and doing it to random cishet men who haven't hurt you will not make those queerphobes stop profiling you.

treating someone else like shit just because you've been treated like shit is passing your trauma on to someone else. you're bleeding on someone who did not cut you.

(a side note because of your blog we were able to get the nerve and make the push to start T just over a year ago now. A lot of it due to the help and support we got from our dad, who despite us being an adult has financially covered everything for it and the rest of our health as we are also disabled and only recently have been able to work at all)

first of all i'm so happy to hear that! i hope things have been going well for you with T, and i am genuinely so fucking happy to hear that your dad is so supportive. he sounds amazing i'm glad he wants to help you become the happiest version of yourself you can be. there really are supportive cishet men out there. some of them are dads, uncles, cousins, brothers, sons, friends and partners. there's no reason we should treat them like absolute shit when they support us. we need to love them just as they love us.

take care of yourself! thank you for sending this i really appreciate it! let me know if you need any help with regards to HRT! im always happy to help! good luck in your transition, stay safe!

[nessieart]

The Way Back. IV

WC:4.9k

eventual bucky x reader. maybe steve x reader. im still deciding dontshootme

Summary: These powers were meant to help people. Help The Avengers, your family. It felt like every time you used them, something bad always happened. Maybe someone has the answers, somewhere.

Masterlist

AN- not really proofread, all mistakes are my own. please enjoy!

Previously:

Howard nodded along, giving you soft, encouraging words whenever you would pause. He took the empty tea cup from your hands, placing it on the nightstand. he waited a moment more, searching for any lingering signs of tears or heartache.

He clears his throat, "Maybe you should look for a way back to your time, honey," he says quietly. His eyes dart away from yours when your head snaps up.

"But-"

"I know," his reassuring smile is sad and doesn't reach his eyes. "Maybe you just need the closure of seeing Tony okay," It's hard for Howard to talk about his son he doesn't have, only knowing about him from the stories you've told.

"What about you?"

"You need to stop worrying about everyone ese, Y/N. And worry about yourself."

You sigh. It feels like a weight is lifted off your shoulders, "I'll think about it, ok?"

Howard nods, his hands falling on top of yours and then squeezing, "Get some rest, kid."

The next few weeks go by quickly. You haven't made your mind up to visit the Sanctum or not yet. So, you throw yourself into organizing the Stark Expo. Contacting vendors and scientists, the list Howard gave you is long, and you wonder if even half the people will respond because of the war over seas.

You're surprised to hear back from almost all of the people on the list. Using Howard's blueprint of the grounds, you set the vendors and creators all throughout the area, making sure to place everyone just far enough apart to not be overwhelming.

One evening, Jarvis drops you off at the Expo fair grounds. Things were still in the process of being built, so you wanted to make sure everything was getting done the way you envisioned it.

"Don't worry about picking me up, J, I'll manage," you smile at him through the open window.

"Alright, Ms Stark. I'll see you later," his smooth English accent carries through the car, and then he drives away.

After entering the fair grounds, you notice a new recruitment banner across from where the main stage would be. A few people were lined up outside. Some were a little eager, while others seemed anxious.

Huh, that's new.

Towards the back of the line, one familiar head of brunette hair stands out, his head bowed low and hands shoved deep into his pockets. You hedge close, maybe it was just your eyes playing tricks on you.

"James?" You ask. You can see his side profile now, getting closer. His head shoots up, eyes wide as they move to focus on you.

"Ch-Charlotte? What, uh, what are you doing here?" Bucky looks up the line, then back to you, stepping out of line to make his way over.

"I could ask you the same thing," you nod toward the sign above. "Thinkin' of enlisting?"

Bucky stares at you for a moment, your arms wrapping around the folder full of permits and city code enforcement papers to your chest. One of his hands comes up to run through his hair. He seems exhausted but puts a smile on his face anyway.

"Well," his hand still in his pocket pulls out an envelope, "I've been drafted, actually," the smile doesn't reach his eyes you notice now, as he looks at the offending piece of paper in his hands.

"Oh, James," you place a hand on his forearm, "I'm sorry." You had no idea he was drafted, Steve never mentioned it.

Bucky shrugs, "My dad seems to be happy about it. Says it'll force me to grow up and take responsibility," he sighs. "My ma, not so much." He shrugs.

"And what does Steve think?"

Bucky shoves the envelope back in his pocket, eyes skating across your face and then off to the side. "He doesn't know. He's been trying to enlist since they opened the first doors for recruitment." Bucky grimaces, "But he's so," he stops and paces away from you, eyes lingering on the ENLIST NOW! sign.

After a few minutes of him being lost in thought, you step closer, peering up at him through your lashes.

"James?" When he slowly drags his eyes to you, you continue, "It's OK to be afraid. No one would think any different."

"Go out dancing with me Friday night," he says suddenly. You laugh, but it doesn't deter him.

You eye him when he turns to you fully, "I'll think about it, pretty boy." The grin he gives you is blinding. "But you have to invite Steve, and maybe I'll say yes." Bucky nods in agreement.

"Ms. Charlotte!" Someone calls, and you turn to see Dr. Erskine, clipboard in hand, and he waves. You return his smile and wave.

Before you walk away to talk to Erskine, you give Bucky a serious look, "tell Steve about the draft. He'll understand. You're his best friend, James, he can't stay mad at you for long." You squeeze his arm before you depart.

When you're halfway to the doctor, Bucky snaps out of his thoughts, "Charlotte," he calls, and you turn to him with a tilt of your head, "how do you do it? How do you know so much?"

You smile and shrug, "comes with the territory," you wink. When you reach Dr. Erskine, he shakes your hand with a smile. "Hello, Doctor, wonderful to see you again."

"Please, Abraham. And it is a pleasure to see you, my dear." He places his hand on the small of your back, ushering you inside the building. You spare one last glance behind you toward Bucky. His eyes are already on you. A light dusting of color goes across his cheeks at being caught.

"Friend of yours?" Abraham asks when he too looks back at Bucky.

Bucky ducks his head and moves to the back of the recruitment line.

"Sort of. A friend of a friend kind of thing."

"He is signing up for the Armed Forces?" Erskine asks. He leads you into his office, leaning against his desk. He offers you a chair in front of him. You sit, pulling at the paper edges inside your folder.

"Not exactly. He was drafted. Things don't really go well for him later in life. Seeing him like this - before - is nice," you absentmindedly say. You look up at him and forget who you're talking to. Eyes wide, as he tilts his head at you. "I- I mean. Shit."

Erskine gives you another once over. Your heart pounding against your rib cage. You could talk your way out of a lot of things. Being friends with Tony for so long and now Howard, you were really good with talking your way out of trouble.

But there was something kind in Abraham's eyes that made you want to tell him everything. Maybe you did, Howard was the only person who knows your secret. You suspect Jarvis does, but he's never brought it up.

"If-if I tell you something, you don't have to believe me - or maybe you'll think I'm crazy, but um-" you look up at him, his eyes still kind, he gives you an encouraging smile. "I'm from the future," you cringe a bit. At least with Howard, he was a man of science. And maybe a little science fiction. He believed you after he saw that faint glowing scar on your chest. He also claimed he was the smartest man alive. Of course, he'd believe you.

Sure, Erskine was a man of science, creating the serum that changes Steve's life forever, but -

You see him nod, eyes taking measured glances across your features.

He hums. It seems like ages before either of you say another word. He puts his clipboard down, hands resting on the desk, and he hums again. Then nods resolutely.

"I see," is all he says. And you're terrified of any word out of his mouth. Your eyes are wide and unblinking, glossy with held back tears.

"How far in the future, my dear?" He isn't condescending when he asks. It's genuine, and you stare at him for a long moment.

It's different telling someone else, someone other than Howard, or Jarvis. It makes it real. Even though literally being in 1943 didn't make it any less real. This seems almost freeing maybe?

"2018," you say quietly. There's a deep breath in, and he's on his feet. You still think the worse, despite the kindness in his eyes. You wish now more than ever, for your phone. Shoot off a text to Howard to come and save you. But there's no one here to save you, but yourself.

"Did we win?" Is all he says, "Do we - I mean -" he looks sad, looking down at his shoes.

"We do."

Bucky had waited for you after your encounter at the Stark Expo grounds. He wanted to meet up again. So you agreed for coffee the next day. And then agreed to go dancing with him and Steve a week from Friday.

**

"What do you mean, 'going out'? Out where?" Howard has his hands on his hips, brow pulled low over his eyes. He's across the room, but you can see him clear as day in the mirror of your vanity. "With who?" he takes a step forward, now crossing his arms over his chest.

"Friends," is all you give him. He scoffs.

"Since when do you make friends?" Where did -" he stops, eyes going wide, then narrowing. "Are these 'friends', boys?"

You scoff again, "they aren't boys, Howie," you fix a rogue strand of hair, rolling your eyes at him in the mirror. "They're friends of mine from -" You stop short because you've said too much now. Howard's arms drop to the side, eyes wide and pleading.

"Y/N, please tell me, it's not who I think it is…"

"it's just dancing, Howie," you turn to him. "I've been doing nothing but work to keep my mind off where I am. I'm stuck here, Howie! I can't ever go home! And I just want to live my life. I - I never got to just… be. I've been fighting for so long, and I'm tired. Howie, I'm so tired."

You look up, trying not to mess your mascara up with unshed tears. You sniffle.

"Can't ever..Y/N.." he takes a step forward, closer to you. "You didn't?"

You look down at your feet, "I went a few days ago," you say quietly. You shrug, "Just to make sure."

Howard paces in a circle, head leaning back as his hands come up to his face as he sighs heavily. The sound muffled, "You told me you changed your mind," his hands come down to rest on his neck and whirl around to face you. "You told me you wouldn't!" There's a glassy shine to his eyes, and he blinks away when you give him a look.

**

For some reason, the giant oak doors seemed ominous here, now, then they did while you lived here.

The New York Sanctum was more intimidating this time around than the first time you stood here with Stephen. You knock on the hard wooden door, the sound echoing and wood hard against your knuckles.

And wait.

The heavy door opens, you half expected Wong to answer with his usual bored attitude, but it isn't him. And you're in a time where you don't know anyone. The Ancient One probably isn't even here in New York. Not that that would ever stop her.

"May I help you, miss?" The man at the door says. He looks down his nose at you, eyes squinting and taking in your attire. As if slacks are a new invention, you roll your eyes.

"I'm here to see The Sorcerer Supreme," you muster up as much confidence as you can, lifting your chin a little higher when the man at the door scrunches his eyebrows in return.

"There is no one by that name here," his accented voice says harshly. He shifts to close the door in your face. "Now please, leave."

You stick your foot into the door before it closes, your hands glow blue for a moment, the Mystic magic forming around your wrists as you hold the door open with your palm. The man on the other side of the door stops, his eyes wide as he stares at your Magic.

You push your way in, side stepping the man and moving further into the foyer. Only a few relics are different in this time. There's no giant Hulk-sized hole in the grand staircase either.

Things are familiar, yet nothing is the same.

"You misunderstand me," you say. The man whirls around, slamming the door closed behind him, as you lean against the banister. "I wasn't asking to see her. I was telling you."

The man does his thing, arms coming around and stance wide to defend, the orange glow of his Mystic Magic spin around his palms.

"No, you misunderstand. I am the protector of this Sanctum, and you will not go further, demon!"

You scoff, "I'm not a demon, dude," rolling your shoulders as you stand," I'm from the future." Your Magic rolls down your arms in a blue glow, the Mystic symbols spinning around your wrists and fanning out to hover around your palms as you mimic his stance.

He doesn't seem to budge. Even with your admission, he goes to attack.

"That is quite enough, Roland," a soft but demanding voice says from the top of the staircase.

You really half expect to see Stephen, but the sight of the Ancient One brings a smile to your face, and tears spring up and burn the back of your eyes as you grin up at her. You turn from the man, Roland, shaking your powers from your limbs and bowing in greeting to your old master. When you stand back up, her eyebrow is raised in amusement.

"And who might you be?" She says as she descends the stairs. "You are no ordinary human if you can see past the perception filter of the Sanctum. And you are trained. Maybe not…" she hums, accessing you.

You wait as her eyes search you, looking for something off - or other - about you.

"My name is Y/N. I'm from 2018. We've met, or we will meet. In the future," you tell her. It's fast and jumbled as you try to get your words out coherently.

The Ancient One hums, arms crossing behind her as she stops in front of you. "How did you get here in 1943?"

"Madam, you can't posi -" Roland goes to interject, but the Anciet One just holds up her hand, never breaking eye contact with you.

"We - my friends and I - were fighting against a mad man," you shake your head at the memory. "He was - is - after the Infinity Stones. He already had 3." You take a deep breath. Willing yourself to continue, you haven't thought about what happened on Titan in a while. Trying not to think about the worst case scenario. Maybe Tony, Stephen, and Peter were okay as long as you didn't think about it.

"he took my friend. He has the Time Stone," At your words, the Sorcerer Supreme takes a step back, eyes widening slightly. You gulp, "my friend was going to give it to Thanos. The mad man with the stones, to-to save my life." You look down at your feet.

"Before the Stone could get to Thanos, I grabbed it, crushed it against my chest," at this you unzip your jacket, showing her the faint pulsing glow of the scar on your chest, "and then I was waking up in a hospital bed here in 1942. A year ago."

When you look back up, she's studying you again. Maybe to see if she can catch a lie, maybe. "What is it you want from me?" She asks cautiously.

"Use the Time Stone to send me back. I have to go back!" You plead. It's silent for a while. The Ancient One paces around the foyer.

She stops after what feels like an eternity, "This friend of yours, the one with the Stone. Is he the Sorcerer Supreme in your time?" Her back is facing you. She turns her head to look over her shoulder at you, and you nod.

"Sort of," you shrug. And when her eyebrow raises at your answer, you tell her. Tell her of how you met Stephen, how you both went to Kamar-Taj and your time together. She trained you to hone your powers. "I- I haven't been able to use them since coming to this time."

"You still haven't answered my question," she says softly, taking in your reaction closely this time. She nods solemnly. "Ah, I see," she holds a hand up when you go to speak, silencing anything else you have to say.

"I think I destroyed the Time Stone," you say after a while. The Ancient One led you to her study, a large room with bookshelves lining the walls. It smells familiar, old leather bound books and incense.

You sit in front of her desk without her prompting you. There's a small smirk on her face.

"So? Can you send me back?" Your leg bounces impatiently.

"I do not believe you destroyed the Stone. Though, I am surprised your - hm - Dr. Strange gave up the Time Stone to begin with," she began. She gave you another once over. "I do believe it sent you here for a reason. However, that reason may have yet to make itself known." She pauses again, eyes focusing in thought.

"I suppose it couldn't hurt to try," she smirks.

You followed the Ancient One to the vault where the Eye of Agamotto is kept. The doors opened as she neared it. The Stone floats out of its cradle and hovers in front of you. It feels like an eternity as you stare at the Stone. You release a breath after it drops into your hands.

The room begins to glow green, and your powers pulse from the scar. It knocks your breath straight from your lungs. Your powers pulse again. It feels like your body has been asleep for the last few months. It's tingly, and you can finally breathe for the first time. Blood flowing to places you seem to have forgotten existed. Your powers beam to life, engulfing your hands in blue.

"Fascinating," the Ancient One mumbles, she moves around your body, accessing the dual glowing from you and the Stone.

"Now, what do I do?" You ask. The glow around the room seems to dim and brighten with each breath you take.

"Try what you did before. We may never know until you replicate it."

You nod, hands glowing a little brighter, you bring the stone to the scar on your chest. You feel a pull tug at the center of your chest, you think of Tony and Peter. Think of Stephen.

When the Stone meets your crystalline scar, there's a blinding green light and a ringing in your ears.

As the light fades, your eyes readjust to your surroundings. The Stone was no longer in y our hands. Your breath hitches at the thought of being back in your own time.

And then the light fades, and the room comes back into focus.

The Ancient One had a serious look on her face, thoughtful and determined. "I see," she says, waving her hands to show the Time Stone back in its place within the Eye.

Tears spring to your eyes, they burn as they come forth, then dribble down your face.

"I'm st-stuck here."

**

You step out of the portal in an alley, a block away from the bar Bucky had told you about. It took a lot of convincing on your part to reassure Howard you would be fine.

You fought aliens and Gods and murder bots. What could possibly go wrong on one night of dancing?

You laugh to yourself quietly as you make your way down the street. It felt really good to use your powers again. The flood gates opening and pouring out, your powers rushing forth felt like cold water on a hot summer day.

Refreshing. Revitalizing.

One day, you'll get used to people giving you odd looks. Only because of your clothing of choice this time, and not because you were an Avenger.

The bar comes into view, and there's a small pit of anxiety crawling up your sides. You inhale a deep breath to calm the sudden onslaught of nerves.

"It's just dancing," you mumble as you open the door. "It's just Steve…and," you glance around the dimly lit room. The music is moderately loud. It smells like smoke and alcohol, stale peanuts, and old beer.

You see him leaning against the bar, one elbow propped up holding a drink and his other hand in his pocket. "Bucky," you exhale.He looks young, is your first thought as you step into the bar more. He's handsome, is your second thought. Youthful and carefree, it's nice to see. It brings a smile to your face. The last memory you have of Bucky is him beaten, bloody, and broken, leaning on an equally beaten Steve as they walked away from you and Tony. Cold and heartbroken in Siberia.

You shake your head, dismissing the thoughts from your mind. Bucky's eyes scan the room, and they land on you. He straightens and smiles bright. It's lopsided and boyish.

"Hey, soldier," you greet him when you stop in front of him. Bucky ducks his head a little, not used to the title.

He takes a sip of his whiskey, eyes roaming your figure. His eyebrows scrunch slightly.

"Charlotte, you - uh - you look ni- beautiful," you think you see a blush rise to his cheeks.

You chuckle, "thank you, James. There's one thing you need to know about me. I don't 'do' dresses," you smirk. He nods his head very fast.

In a sudden burst of confidence, Bucky leans in toward you, a hand hover over the small of your back. You have to tilt your head back to see his face.

"I mean it, you look beautiful, doll," his eyes sparkle as his boyish smrik grows. What a charmer.

"I bet you say that to all the girls, Bucky," you tease, placing a hand on his chest. You push him away slightly so you can order a drink for yourself, but Bucky steps back into your space, holding your hand to his chest.

He looks over your shoulder for a moment, then down at you as he lowers his face next to your ear.

"Maybe, but I'm here with the prettiest dame in Brooklyn tonight. And there's nowhere else I'd rather be."

Oh, he's good. You bring a hand over your mouth to stifle the laugh that wants to bubble out.

"Alright, soldier, buy a gal a drink first," you chuckle. It earns you a bright smile, and Bucky turns to get the bartenders attention.

As you gaze around the bar, you see a familiar head of blonde hair, then realize he's leaving. You turn to Bucky, "why is Steve leaving?" Bucky stiffens next to you. He looks at you from the corner of his eye. "James…?"

Bucky shrugs one shoulder, trying to give you his famous smile, "Don't worry about, Steve. You don't know him like I do. He'll be fine," he hands you your drink, and you glare at it.

"Bucky," he winces. He usually prefers people call him Bucky, but he's gotten used to you calling him James. He doesn't like it. He likes the way you call him James. He hates it.

You turn on your heel, letting out a frustrated sigh as you storm your way out of the bar.

"Charlotte!" You hear Bucky call out, but you ignore him, pushing open the door and stepping out onto the sidewalk.

There's a street lamp right outside the bar, and another on the corner. That's where you see Steve. He's standing under the light, his shoulders slumped, and his hands in his pockets.

"Steve!" You call out as you speed walk toward him. He spins around, eyes frantic until they land on you.

"Charlie? What - "he looks behind you, maybe looking for Bucky, but you shake your head.

"What happened? I thought we were goin' dancing?" You give him a hopeful smile. He avoids your gaze, shuffling on his feet. "Steve?" You reach for his hand, and he lets you take it.

"I told Bucky I'd only agree to go out if you'd be there, too." Steve's head whips up to look at you, eyes wide. "So? Will you come back with me?"

Steve's eye shift between yours, "You mean it?" he asks quietly.

You giggle - down right giggle, something you never do, "Of course, I mean it, Tough Guy. You do look rather handsome, and I'd hate for all the ladies to miss it," you wink at him.

There's a blush creeping up his cheeks, and the street light makes it seem fluorescent. Steve follows you back to the bar, never once taking his hand from yours. He never really noticed until you both are back inside and standing next to Bucky again.

"Now, was that so hard?" You ask the both of them.

Steve goes to tug his hand from yours, "People are staring, Charlie," he tells you.

You snort, taking Bucky's drink from his hand and downing it in one gulp. It burns a little, but you welcome it.

"So what? Let them," you try to tug Steve to the dance floor, but he digs his heels in and pulls his hand free from yours.

"I - uh, I don't dance," he says as he sits on a stool.

"Oh."

Bucky pulls you to him with an arm wrapped around your waist, "C'mon, doll, I'll dance with ya." He grabs your hand and spins you in place and leads you out onto the dance floor.

You don't know how to dance to the upbeat jazz, but Bucky's a good leader, and you've only tripped over your feet a few times, but he doesn't seem to mind. He pulls you close a few times and dips his head down to run his nose along yours, but he always pulls back again when he swings you out for a dip or spin. It makes you laugh, your face hurting from smiling so much.

You and Bucky are out of breath when you catch up with Steve. He found a table in the corner out of the way. It's darker here, and Steve's nursing a beer as he eyes you both.

Bucky helps you sit, tucking your chair in, and he leans down between you and Steve. "I'll grab a round of drinks, be right back."

Your face still hurts from smiling so wide, and you turn to Steve, "I've never danced like that before," you say out of breath. Steve's brows furrow in question. Surely you've danced plenty, you're a sight to look at. Pretty and curvy in all the right places, lots of men would trip over themselves to get to dance with you. But he doesn't say any of that out loud.

From where you're sitting, you can see the majority of the bar, dance floor, and entrance. You can see Bucky leaning against the bar, ordering drinks, a playful smirk on his lips seems to be his default look.

"How come you came tonight if you don't dance?" You ask Steve. He fidgets in his seat. "It's OK if you don't dance, but sitting here watching people, watching Bucky dance with girls. It can't be fun."

Steve huffs and looks back towards the bar, Bucky looks over then, sending Steve a smile, then looks at you with a wink.

Before Steve could reply, the door to the bar bursts open. A frantic looking man paces around the entrance for a minute, and Steve turns to see what the commotion is.

You catch the man's eye, you jump up, chair knocking back and falling to the floor. Steve jumps and looks at you.

Howard catches your eye, you see him visibly relax, you both rush towards each other, and your hands immediately land on his face.

"Howie! What the hell?" There's a cut under his eye, and a bruise forming under the other, his lip is split, and his hair is a wild mess. There's a few faint scratches across his cheek, and oil or dirt smudges across his forehead.

His hands grip your wrists, and you notice a few of his knuckles are split. "Lab accident," he shakes it off. Code for something else. There's no lab at the house. Listen, honey. I uh -" he looks around the bar, noticing a few people staring and muttering. "I need your help, please?"

Your shoulders slump, "but," you look back to your table, Steve and Bucky have concerned looks on their faces. Howard squeezes your wrists, his eyes pleading.

"OK, Howie," you sigh, "I'll come with you."

"That's my girl," he smiles brightly, all previous signs of anxiety vanishing in the blink of an eye. Howard pulls you along, out of the noisy bar and across the street to his car. Fancy and flashy for this side of town.

Before you could reach for the handle, a call of your assumed name comes from the sidewalk across the street. You turn your gaze back to Bucky, and Steve, looking hopeful you'll change your mind and come back.

"Hold on, Howie," you tell him as you make your way back across the street. "I'm sorry, I- um, wouldn't leave if he didn't ask." Your eyes bounce from Bucky to Steve.

"Coulda told us you had a boyfriend, dollie," Bucky all but bites out. He doesn't meet your eye, glaring across the street at Howard, who was leaning against the hood of his car with his arms crossed. "Got yourself a rich fella, yeah?"

You snort, failing to hold in your laughter, "Oh, James, Howard isn't my boyfriend. He's my brother," you laugh again when he and Steve snap their heads to you. You cup one side of each of their faces, placing a quick kiss on their cheeks. In turn, they flush, cheeks turning hot as you retract your hands.

"Stark!" Howard calls from across the street. You can tell he was getting restless. You give Steve and Bucky a wink before you turn and jog over to Howard, "Yeah, yeah, Stark, hold your damn horses."

Bucky and Steve share an equally shocked expression, "Stark?!" they gape after you as Howard starts the car and drives off down the dark street at a very questionable speed.

**

Next>>

[gutsyns]

Summary: Just a drabble from my drafts. I’m convinced Dallas would probably wreck havoc in Johnnys relationships until he got to know the other person well enough or they showed enough steel to make him back off🤷🏼‍♀️ Characters are aged up a few years just bc.

-

The shop bell jingles softly, bringing your attention away from the magazine you had been idly staring at for the past twenty minutes. It was late, close to closing and the only people you were expecting to cross the doorway was either in the form of your father with late minute supplies, or trouble.

You glance down at the bat by your feet, weary, but feel yourself breath out a sigh of relief when you take in the familiar face staring back at you, sheepish, but with a small smile on his face.

Johnny puts both hands in the air, taking a small step through the threshold.

“Easy there. I come in peace.”

You’re about to laugh, greet him like you normally would, but you pause. It had been two weeks since you had seen him, practically radio silence on his end. You’d tried to call him at the Curtis’, but there always seemed to be some sort of excuse for why he couldn’t come to the phone. For awhile you had been worried. What if his folks had gotten him, hurt him real bad this time? What if he’d gotten jumped again?

Then you had seen him out with Pony and Dallas getting cokes about a week back and the message he hadn’t had the guts to tell you to your face began to come through a little bit clearer.

“Hey.” You say eventually. “I haven’t seen around you for awhile.”

“Yeah.” Johnny at least has the good grace to look chagrined as he slips behind the counter and sits down beside you, rubbing the back of his neck. “Dally said- well Dal had mentioned you’d been hanging around a lot is all, so.”

“Huh?”

You stare at his side-profile, stunned. He won’t make eye contact, instead staring pointedly at the display of gum you had put out earlier in the day. His ears are turning a fantastic shade of red, something that, under normal circumstances was endearing, but right now was just infuriating.

“Dallas said what?”

There’s no mistaking the dumbfounded fury in your voice, but Johnny just shakes his head and, finally making eye contact, sends you a pleading stare.

“It really ain’t that big of a deal. Dal just has a hard time adjusting to new people s’all. Give ‘im some time, he’ll come around.”

You glance around the shop, waiting for someone to pop out from a corner and tell you this is all a big joke. When no such thing happens, you look back at Johnny and brace your hands against the counter, breathing heavy. You laugh softly, before scrubbing a hand across your eyes.

“I’m sorry. Are you meaning to tell me that you’ve been going out of you way to avoid me because Dallas Winston told you to?”

Johnny winces and hunches his shoulders, defensive against your anger. Normally that would be enough to make you take a deep breath and reign it in, unwilling to be anything close to a reminder of his nightmare childhood, but this is… this is just too much.

“I thought I’d done something to make you mad.” You say, voice shaking with unnamed emotion. “I thought I’d… hurt you in some way, and all this times it’s been because big bad Dal doesn’t want to share his best friend.”

You laugh again, though the situation is far from funny. Johnnys face goes blank, distant and he squares his shoulders. There’s something dangerous glinting in his dark eyes, a warning that is demanding to not be ignored, but you’re far beyond recognising red flags by this point.

“C’mon Johnny, you can’t tell me you don’t see how insane that is?”

“Now just wait a damn minute-“ Johnny starts, fire in his voice, but your father chooses that exact moment to walk through the door.

He pauses for a moment, observing the two of you. Eyes flickering back and fourth between Johnnys stiff figure and your infuriated expression. He’s weary, nodding to Johnny before seeking you out.

“Everything okay, baby?”

“Peachy.” You breath, but there’s tears pricking in your eyes.

Your fathers eyes narrow in on Johnny, clearly deciding that he’s now public enemy number one and you can see how skittish it makes the other boy. Despite your anger, it makes your heart ache a little to see the nervous energy enter him, the near inevitable way he seems to brace himself for a blow. It makes you want to flay his parents, leave their skin on the local trees as a warning to anyone that dare try to hurt him again.

But. But this time, he’s hurt you. He needs to know that.

“My father is not going to lay a hand on you.” You whisper, just low enough for the both of you to hear.

Johnnys eyes snap to yours, and there’s kinship there, right then. An understanding. His shoulders lose their tension, and you both breathe.

“Johnny was just leaving, dad.” You say, heart pounding. “He’s got a thing with his friend.”

Dark eyes snap to yours, beseeching. Desperate. He looks so sad and it makes you want to forget everything that has happened, but you can’t. You won’t be second best, won’t be reduced to a problem that Dallas Winston wants to get rid of, and one that can be dismissed so easily.

“Don’t do this.” Johnny says, low, urgent, but you dismiss him.

You turn, busing yourself with the normal routine of locking down the shop. Even so, you can’t ignore how your hands shake. How your heart is beating a mile a minute. How you can feel Johnny’s stare on your back, even as you try to block him out.

“We’re closing now, son. Think it’s time to go.”

Your fathers voice is gentle, even after the ire he’d given Johnny when he’d seen the two of you fighting. You think maybe your dad understands Johnny in a way- in a way that makes you want to switch off your brain and never think about your grandparents again.

“Don’t do this.” Johnny says again, loud enough that its audible to both you and your father. He sounds unhinged, and it’s enough to make you spin around and look at him.

“I didn’t do anything, Johnny. You did. You’re a grown man, eighteen damn years of age. You chose Dallas. That’s fine. I’m not the one that made it a choice to begin with. Just don’t come weepin’ to me about the consequences.”

You spin, incensed and tear-blind, into the backroom. There’s soft murmurs, then the soft tinkling of the bell at the door.

Your fathers hand clamps down on your shoulder a moment later.

“All okay, bug?”

You can’t answer straight away, trying to fight back the tears. Even though you’d told him to leave, wanted him to leave even, it was still disappointing that he did.

“I’m fine.” You whisper, voice breaking.

And when your father pulls you in for a hug, you feel so incredibly small and young. The tears spill over without permission and you bury your head in your fathers shoulder, desperately wishing you had never heard of that damned, stupid gang in the first place.

[n0vazsq]

Fame | Matt Sturniolo x Reader

pairing . . . matt sturniolo x small!creator!reader

summary . . . When Matt Sturniolo suddenly follows you on instagram, you message him to try to get him to answer your questions

request . . . yes!!

word count . . . 1.2k+

warnings . . . none!

faceclaim . . . N/A

alexavia yaps . . . the moodboard is so bad im sorry like i tried making it good but it was shitty asl </3 anyhow i hope you guys like this and tysm for reading!! also idk how matt talks bc i never watched the sturniolo triplets so i hope this is accuracte!!

taglist . . . @barcapix ,, @f1lover55 ,, @ilovebarcaaa ,, @httpsdana (lmk if you want to join the taglist!)

. . . It started with a follow.

You were sitting cross legged on your bed, scrolling through your phone while mentally debating if you should edit your latest vlog or leave it for later. Procrastination had won the battle, again, so there you were, mindlessly switching between TikTok and Instagram. The notifications were nothing new, a few likes here, a couple of DMs there. Nothing that really grabbed your attention.

Until you saw it.

matthew.sturniolo has followed you.

You blinked, feeling your heart skip a beat. Then, as if the words might change if you stared long enough, you double checked. Yup. Matt Sturniolo, the Matt Sturniolo, was now following you.

You weren’t delusional. You knew who he was. One third of the Sturniolo Triplets, someone you’d seen all over your For You page with his hilarious jokes and presence.

You were still growing as an influencer and had been gaining some attraction lately, but you were far from being 'big'. That’s what made it all the more surreal. Why would he follow you?

You stared at his name for a solid minute, thumb hovering over the DM button.

"No, no, no," you muttered to yourself. "Don’t be weird. Just act normal. He probably hit follow by accident."

Still, your curiosity got the better of you. Before you knew it, you tapped on his profile, scrolling through his posts. That familiar mix of car photos, group pictures with his brothers, and some other photos that showed his softer side.

You’d always found him cute, but seeing that little blue checkmark next to his name on your notification tab? Yeah, that hit different.

You told yourself you wouldn’t message him.

But then you absolutely did.

You: hey! random question but did you mean to follow me or was that an accident?

As soon as you sent it, you tossed your phone onto the bed, face buried in your hands. Why did you have to say anything? You could feel the secondhand embarrassment creeping in even though he hadn’t replied yet.

But when you picked your phone up ten minutes later, expecting radio silence, you saw the little notification that made your breath hitch.

matthew.sturniolo has replied.

You opened the message with slightly shaky fingers.

Matt: nah it wasn’t an accident. your content popped up on my fyp a couple times. you’re really funny, i thought i’d follow. also cute

Your jaw dropped. You read his message three times just to make sure your eyes weren’t playing tricks on you.

You: wait, what??? you’ve seen my stuff??

Matt: yeah! you’re growing fast tho, i’m not surprised you’re showing up more

You grinned so hard your cheeks hurt. Matt Sturniolo had actually seen your content. You’d have to call your best friend later and freak out properly, but for now, you tried to play it cool.

You: okay that’s insane, tysm!! sorry for thinking you hit follow by accident

Matt: it's alright

Matt: i mean i could unfollow if that’s what you want

You: don’t you dare

And just like that, the floodgates opened.

What started as one random message turned into a back and forth that stretched out across the day. Matt was funny and easy to talk to, the kind of person who made conversation feel natural.

At first, you just talked about random stuff like your videos, his upcoming projects, what it was like being an influencer. But as the days passed, your messages grew longer and the topics deeper.

Late night conversations about favorite childhood memories, life goals, and stupid inside jokes you’d developed over time.

Matt: you ever get those nights where you’re just sitting there like ‘what am i even doing with my life?’

You: literally me at 2am every other day. glad i’m not alone.

Matt: nah you’re good. you’re actually killing it

You: oh wow, matthew sturniolo complimenting me? screenshotting for proof

Matt: yeah yeah, chill before i take it back

You laughed into your pillow more often than you cared to admit. He was quick to tease but always managed to make you feel seen.

And yeah, maybe there was something there, a little bit of extra charm in the way he typed. Nothing over the top, but enough to make your stomach flutter.

It was about a month later when he dropped the question.

Matt: not to sound weird or anything but i feel like i’ve known you forever lmao. wanna meet up sometime? get coffee or something?

You froze mid scroll. Meet up? As in, in person? You reread the message, pulse racing. What was he thinking? What were you thinking? You tried to play it cool, but the butterflies in your stomach had other plans.

You: i’d like that!!

Matt: bet. are you around LA this weekend?

Lucky for you, you were. Your brain was already going into overdrive as you mentally planned an outfit, tried to figure out what you’d say, and convinced yourself not to freak out.

Saturday came faster than you expected. The moment you saw him waiting outside the coffee shop, dressed in jeans, a hoodie, and a baseball cap, your nerves evaporated just a little. He spotted you almost immediately, his face lighting up with a smile.

"You made it," he said as you approached.

"Did you think I was gonna bail?" you teased, earning a laugh from him.

"No, you don’t seem like the type."

The conversation flowed just as easily in person as it had online. Over coffee, you found yourself forgetting the 'Matt Sturniolo' everyone knew from the internet. He was just Matt, a little quieter than his brothers, funny, and ridiculously easy to be around.

He asked about your family, your goals, and what inspired you to start creating content. You asked him about growing up in the spotlight, what his brothers were really like behind the scenes, and whether he ever got tired of the constant attention.

"Sometimes," he admitted, swirling his drink with his straw. "But it’s worth it when I get to meet beautiful people like you."

Your face flushed, and you had to look away to hide your smile.

The meetup turned into something more. Days turned into weeks, and suddenly, Matt had become a constant in your life. Whether it was late night FaceTimes, sending each other playlists, or just tagging each other in memes, there was a bond between you two that neither of you could ignore.

"You’re my favorite distraction," Matt joked one night while you were on the phone.

"Is that your way of saying I’m annoying?" you shot back.

"Nah," he said softly. "It’s my way of saying you’re kinda special."

And in that moment, you knew.

What started with a follow had become so much more. Matt wasn’t just someone you looked up to anymore; he was someone you could count on, someone who made you laugh, and someone who saw you for exactly who you were.

Your career was growing, sure, but so was something else, something you hadn’t expected. And as Matt sent you another late night message that simply said "goodnight, talk to you tomorrow?" you realized you wouldn’t have it any other way.

And immediately after that, you two made it official.

yourusername

liked by matthew.sturniolo, christophersturniolo and 14k others

yourusername him>>>>

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[vasito-de-leche]

A short (or not) ramble of scenarios and questions for reverse: 1999 self aware. (sorry if this bothers you, I just don’t have enough confidence to post it on my own blog (plus I love your content))

- Okay so first of all, in the main page of the game, when you click on the upper left corner with your level and username, you go to a screen with Vertin looking fly as ever along with some user information.

So if Vertin can see the game’s ui, then she can see the year in which the player has joined the game (2023-2024). I haven’t dived deep into Vertin’s character so I can’t portray her reaction to much, but I feel like she would tell this info to someone close like Sonetto.

Also our motto: I put “When in a rush, say ‘runs in high heels cutely.’”. I’d be so embarrassed if anyone (even fictional sentient characters) saw that. Like im dead.

On that topic, when you mentioned in your Sonetto self aware post that she can sometimes see us, and honestly, I’d be even more embarrassed. Cause like, if any of the characters from games I played, were sentient and could see me, id pray they didn’t see my bad angle. Like imagine looking up to the sky to see, just for a second, the chin of a head as the hands go to scratch their nose. Like the first impressions I would make.

- P2p players. Imagine the player spending money on the game (at the risk of Vertin possibly seeing their credit card number) to help level up or get costumes for their fave characters.

(Some misc. questions)

-what would happen if player didn’t log in the game for a while (a week to a month as best) cause I would ditch some games to spend more time on others

- What does Vertin think of the mail messages that the player gets? Like the latest mail I got was the discord event invitation. Upon closer inspection and critical thinking, it would hint that there would be more players other than us because it says the winners get 60 clear drops (oh and money too)

- If I remember correctly, I think you mentioned about Vertin hearing the player sometimes. So imagine her hearing us trash talk certain character *cough* Constantine *cough*.

(Anyways, I love your content ❤️ especially your fmn headcanons, can’t wait to see more posts!!)

;R1999 - Self-Aware AU (2)

Answering some questions and discussing the Self-Aware AU. A follow up of this post.

not a bother at all, you bring up really good questions and details that are fun to explore! I'm glad you like my stuff, have a nice day o7!

On the subject of Vertin seeing the player's profile.

With the way I intended to portray Vertin within the AU, I don't think she would be affected by the date on the Player's profile!

This is the date you came into contact with her from your perspective, whatever time and space that flows within your world, not hers─the world behind the fourth barrier that she cannot see nor hear nor even fathom, let alone try to make sense of. In a way, it's like expecting ants to care about concepts we made up, such as time. They understand night and day, they do not understand 3PM nor 8AM.

Is it truly proof that time can go beyond 1999, when this is something that only she can see? When it doesn't affect a single thing within her universe by being part of a game menu meant for your eyes only? There's also the fact that she finds out the proper time of the world in the 1.4 update, in Chapter 05.

Her dynamic with the Player is something I like to keep vague, so that everyone can fill in the blanks, but ultimately it is something so complex and private for Vertin─who sees it as a one-sided relationship, since she cannot hear nor see you, unlike other arcanists who may reach the 100% bond─that I don't think she would talk about it with anyone, not even Sonetto! The name on your profile and whatever message you've written there are secrets she will take to her grave. The idea of Vertin being the eyes and hands of the Player, but having no way to truly see or hear them makes for a really fun concept to explore!

And on the subject of messages, let's be honest, if you've written something funny or some modern shitpost, chances are she won't understand it LMFAO so it's okay! I literally just have my socials and "men enjoyer" listed there.

Oh! But since you brought it up, the message section could be a fun, little way to communicate with Vertin, since she can read what's on there!

As for P2P players, Vertin wouldn't see any information from the Player's credit card since that's something that happens outside the app lolol. Like, to me, it directly opens to google play transaction stuff.

On the subject of the player dropping the game for long periods of time.

Hmm, in the first post I said that there might be characters ouside Vertin and her suitcase who may be self-aware, with their own goals and such. But nothing truly "matters" unless the Player is there to witness it. So to keep including these possibilities and details, I feel like there's two options, pick whichever you like the most!

One, time continues as usual within the game─but once it reaches an important date where the plot is meant to kick in with some important event, it simply resets back to where you left it. This is a world that exists outside of your perception, but cannot continue without you.

Two, time freezes entirely within the game─but only for those who are not self-aware. Keep in mind we're talking about long periods of time, this wouldn't happen if you log in every day, or every few days. This is what happens when your phone picks up the fact that Reverse: 1999 is one of the unused apps taking up space in your phone. This is a world that stops existing once you stop looking at it.

In both options, the Wilderness would remain unaffected as it seems to be entirely disconnected from the flow of time and space outside of it.

On the subject of the game's mail.

Since the messages auto-delete and all, I can't check but I'm pretty sure Vertin receives mail too? There were a few ones from a few characters a while back like Druvis III or An-an Lee, and I think the implication is that they were vaguely addressing Vertin?

If someone has screenshots and can confirm this, please let me know!

Either way, the easy answer is that yeah, she knows this is a game, so she could make the assumption that there's more players. She has access to your friend list, after all! And even if you don't have anyone added, the fact that it exists is enough for her to start connecting the dots.

I don't remember saying that Vertin can hear the Player, though! I think I was pretty consistent with her not being able to see nor hear you, to have the Player as some sort of eldritch, unknowable entity. But I also write so much stuff in this blog that it's hard to keep up sometimes lolol, if I've mentioned somewhere that Vertin can hear the player, it was a mistake!

[nathalielpzart]

Whjejdjd, making one week post kinda failed because my energy to sketch something was a struggle.

Okay, I have ideas, but... It's the motivation to look up references that's really stopping me...hahahahhaha 🙃(*T^T).

IM SORRY!!! It's an everyday struggle now, but I'm trying my best ( ＞Д＜；)!!

Anyways!! Another Zukaang sketch, at least, yay! ＼(^-^)／ But I'm so bad with side profile faces/poses...again (^_^;). Ugh, its really been a long time *internally screaming!!*

<*sighs*> I'll re-sketch this later or fix it another time. (^o^;)

This sketch came from one my favorite zukaang rewrite/homage fanfic: "Could We Have Been" by @stark-phd ( ☆∀☆)✨️!! It's obviously not done but I felt inspired in sketching the boys at least. Go check it out, it's so... GOOD! ✨️✨️ Hope you all like this sketch, at least, a little bit 🥺☺️.

[jaemified]

through the window (21 days) - lee chan

“waiting 21 days isnt so bad if itll always end like this.”

pairing ; lee chan x fem!reader

genre ; fluff but pretty cheesy fluff, strangers to lovers, neighbors to lovers, not a smau but twt profiles are showed

warnings ; swearing, floods, isolation, separation, chans flirty (thats a warning in itself), reader has zero relationship experience

wordcount ; 2.7k

synopsis ; after a long series of floods, youre finally able to meet the boy across the street who had caught your eye throughout the long few weeks.

note - chan isnt an idol but minnie/soyeon are

note 2 - idk what chan is looking at in that pic

read below the cut !

DECEMBER 8, 2023

winter, also known as flood season.

the town where you lived in was already at a low altitude, so the bridge built to cross over the river to the other side of the street always had submerged during this time of year.

the thing that sucked the most about all this, was you were pretty much rained in for however long it takes for the water to drain with absolutely no way out.

so naturally, you all had came prepared.

your roommates minnie and soyeon never minded all the rain as they hated going in to work at the crack of dawn, yet you however, loved what you did. tutoring a kids after school program wasnt half as bad as the average person might think.

but, of course seeing as they were all a bunch of middle school kids, they could be a handful. you decided to listen to your friends and use these next few weeks to relax.

or, what you thought relaxing was.

“come on y/n! dont you wanna make strawberry shortcake with us?” minnie yelled at you over soyeons loud music while you studied over the next lesson plan for your kids.

“maybe later- i really wanna get a head start on these lessons.”

“seriously y/n?” soyeon murmured in slight disgust, “i seriously doubt the first thing those kids want to be thinking about is what they’re gonna do with their math tutor after a free half month.”

you shrugged and took a sip of your coffee before typing in the highlighted notes from the handbook into your computer.

“come on. youre not spending our one free break of the year like this again!” soyeon exclaimed as she snatched the book out of your hands, then closing your laptop before putting them both away in the cabinet under the tv.

“you know i can just get that myself right?”

“no, because i won’t let you.” she replied, locking the door and putting the key in her pocket.

“come on! im passionate about what i do, i dont mind it at all!”

“me and minnie are passionate about writing songs too, but even we know when its good enough to take a break.”

“okay i know i don’t work half as hard as idols do but i still have bills to come by! besides, corporate management demands i have the next lesson plan finalized before the end of the week!”

“corporates a bitch, they gotta be more mindful of how they treat their employees. like how do you be top tutoring company in the country and you still cant manage your employees the way they deserve?” minnie shouted in frustration.

“and dont worry about bills for now, we got it.” soyeon whispered to you.

“minnie- you realize cube is the same way to you guys right? and you work way harder then i do despite not getting the income you deserve.”

“yeah but we manage. we have a contract anyway. i know we’re passionate about what we do but we most certainly are not passionate about who we work for.” soyeon replied for minnie as she couldn’t hear over the sound of the blender (why was she using a blender again?)

you sigh soaking in how much pressure your friends are under at work, realizing you don’t even have it half as bad despite having a pretty shitty boss.

“how bout you find someone worth crossing an ocean for? itll be half as fun for us as itd be for you, since it’s in our contract we aren’t allowed to date.” minnie spoke after the whirring of the kitchen appliances died down.

“how.. we are entirely stranded until however long it takes for this stupid flood to drain.”

“do some stalking on insta. let’s find you like uh.. celebrity crush or ulzzang you can fan girl over or something.”

you scoffed in annoyance and slight disgust with your friends knowing you never really cared for any of that.

you decided to sit down at the bay window by the front door, scrolling through your phone before something outside caught your eye.

there you saw a guy across the way, sitting in his bay window just like you, he who seemingly just finished receiving a lecture from his friends.

you watched as he ran a hand through his fluffy dark brown hair, before he turned your way, your eyes locking.

immediately, it was part of your instinct to nervously turn away.

before slowly looking back, that is.

there you found the beautiful brown haired boy, still looking at you, with a golden smile.

your heart melted (but you thought you were having palpitations) when you saw him look at you so fondly.

what is this feeling?

you slowly raise a hand, and wave to him shyly.

he waved back, before forming a heart with his arms he held over his head.

you laughed quiet enough so your friends couldn’t hear you, but your facial expressions were bright enough so he could be aware he was able to make you laugh.

the boy laughed in response before he seemed to mouth something, but you weren’t the best at reading lips.

you tilted your head in confusion before he jokingly rolled his eyes, and saying it again, but slower.

“cu-tie.” you realized he said, or attempted to say.

“cu-tie?” you sounded out, making sure you understood right.

he nodded before pointing at you, his finger tapping against the glass, “cutie.”

he absolutely reveled in the way you smiled so brightly, the way your cheeks flushed pink and your eyes sparkled with excitement.

you didnt even realize how you were falling for his charms.

before you were even able to say anything back, his friend came up from behind him, attempting to drag him away, yet the guy was still persistent.

you watched how his friend started to get angry, so the guy rolled his eyes and stood up, walking away with his friend down the hall.

but not before waving back at you, blowing a kiss.

you got up from your seat before wrapping your arms around minnie, resting your head on her shoulder while you spared a small glance at whatever soyeon was watching in the living room.

“hmm? what do you need now my child?” she dramatically questioned, as she knew you only got clingy when you needed something.

“whos that guy that lives across the.. on the other side of the bridge? in that dark brown house with the black roof?”

“oh? house 133 right? thats seokmin, minghao, and.. what’s the other ones name? I always forget.. chan! yeah, chan.”

soyeon jumped up in surprise, pausing her show after hearing you pique your interest at a guy for the first time.

“why? you like one of them? which one? minghao? he was pretty well liked for a foreigner. he was in the same exchange program as minnie. ” she excitedly asked.

“w-what? no! i was just asking cause i saw one of them out there earlier.” you unconvincingly lied.

“oh she totally likes minghao.” “not even!”

“sweetheart, we aren’t as dumb as you think we are.” minnie pouted at you while she pulled away to put the cake in the oven.

you huffed in disbelief before going to take a bag of chips from the pantry, walking down to your room to finish the lesson plan. (on the laptop your boss lent you since soyeon took your personal one).

meanwhile, there you left chan, day dreaming about you all day long. he was so curious about you, yet he felt so stupid for crushing on some girl he’d never spoken to before.

not like he even could at this point, you were stuck in the middle of a flood, anyway.

“whats on your mind channie? you seem out of it.” seokmin asked while he blindly stirred the tteokbokki, turning to face the younger boy behind him, sitting at the kitchen island.

“its chan. whens he not out of it?” minghao chuckled, throwing a chip at his cheek, sliding to sit over at the stool next to him as he emerged from his bedroom.

“who lives in that white house on the other side of the bridge? isnt that where soyeon lives? we went to high school together.” chan half-mindedly queried, zoning out as he stared into the marble counters.

“yeah, why?” minghao responded.

“did she move out or something? there was another girl there and it wasnt soyeon or minnie.”

“oh, you mean y/n? she graduated a year before you or something, but at another school. we used to work at the same tea house before she left for that tutoring agency.”

“y/n? sounds vaguely familiar. i think i remember seungkwan mention her being in his class.”

“why are you mentioning her all of a sudden? you never cared for girls.” seokmin teased with a wide smile.

“oh come on. you know he’s quite the flirt.” minghao playfully cooed at chan, dramatically waving his hand back at seokmin.

“you two are insufferable.” he groaned, banging his head against the counter.

you found yourself up at night, scrolling through twitter before you decided to search for the guy you ‘met’ today. minghao, was it?

‘xu minghao’ was what you had entered into the search bar, clicking on the top result.

‘myunghoez’

‘huh.’ you thought to yourself. so it couldnt be him, but seokmin didnt seem to have an account as you searched for his name.

you looked up chans name next, thinking maybe,, that there could be a chance it’s him. his profile picture was technically him, but not, him. but in your defense, how could you tell who was who if chans profile picture was a baby picture?

though you knew youd never hear the end of it from her, you decided to ask soyeon.

“do you have a picture of chan?”

“yeah hold on. its just an old screenshot from an old tweet though.” she mumbled before pulling up her phone to show you.

‘wow.’ you thought to yourself, ‘so this really was the guy i met today.’

before soyeon could ask any questions, you quickly thanked her and ran back to your room before posting a small something in reference to what minnie had said to you earlier.

days, weeks, went by of you and chan interacting through the window despite never seeing each other up close, or ever hearing the others voice.

but despite being isolated from separately, you still had fallen for one another nonetheless.

you loved the way you would feel butterflies in your stomach whenever he made a heart with his hands for you, and he absolutely adored the way you in the end would just make a big sign telling him what you wanted to say when you gave up on trying to get him to read your lips.

of course the flood had its downside, i mean being stuck with the same 2 other people for almost a month definitely takes a toll on you, isolation definitely can get depressing with no way out.

but in the end, it had its upside as well. you were able to meet a great guy despite never technically talking face to face, having only lip reading to communicate (why didn’t you think of social media?). not to mention you were able to put more time into a forgotten passion after all of your energy being used up as a tutor.

marine animals.

you and chan had technically discussed the idea of possibly having a first date when you get out of here, yet you still hadn’t decided where you’d go or what you’d do seeing as you both were pretty passionate about different things.

chan had always loved the stars, you had always loved marine life. but, you decided you would finalize a date night once you both get to meet face to face.

DECEMBER 29

after a long 21 days of disappointment, spending christmas without your family, 3 going on 4 weeks of crazed loneliness, you finally woke up one morning to find the overflowing river, drained, and to its regular level.

you were able to see the bridge once more and though the wood might be rotting, you just couldnt wait to cross it.

you immediately ran down the hall, dressing however best you could, fixing your hair to be as best as it would go, being sure to brush your teeth and pop in a mint before running straight out the door. (and ignoring all of soyeons questions as well as minnies protests)

as you stepped out the front door, you saw chan just leaving his house looking as beautiful as ever.

you ran straight for the bridge, chan catching you before you could slip on a puddle before he picked you up into a big hug.

“you’re just as gorgeous up close as you were through a window.” he whispered as he pulled you close, his hand cradling the back of your head, pulling it to rest against his chest.

“and you’re still just as much of a flirt arent you?” you chuckled before slightly cringing at your attempt to reciprocate the excitement.

you were excited, believe me, just couldn’t express it as well as he could.

“i cant believe it took 21 days to finally be with you.”

“it was worth the wait wasnt it?”

“you’ll always be worth the wait.” chan mumbled against your skin as he pressed a soft kiss into your cheek.

“cant believe you’re real..” you mumbled, leaning further into his touch.

“cant believe i got someone like you to fall for someone like me.”

“chan you’re so cheesy.”

“only for you.” he replied with that stupid grin you grew to love so much.

the two of you later took the time to talk more about life, each other, finally exchange numbers, then eventually decide what you’d do for your first date night.

“see you tomorrow at 12?”

“tomorrow at 12.”

DECEMBER 30

you practically couldn’t sleep as you bubbled in excitement. you picked out a pretty black dress that went nicely with a random pair of white sneakers before heading out on your way while your roommates were out at work.

“lookin as pretty as always.” chan smiled while he opened his car door for you.

“still as handsome as ever arent you?” you jokingly rolled your eyes as he backed out the parking lot.

you two had many common interests, yet what you were most passionate about definitely was pretty parallel to one another.

chan loved the stars, you loved the sea. so, you decided to go to an aquarium (that also included solar system exhibits), grab some food from a cafe you found out you both loved, go for a late drive to the beach, watch the sunset, then stargaze.

call it cliche but it was perfect for you both.

chan wrapped an arm around you as you both stared into the night sky, all the stars displayed beautifully.

he would point at a random star and say it reminded him of you, because it stood out from the rest, distinct, but perfect in his eyes.

he was the sweetest guy ever, perfectly fitting the standard for what’s considered boyfriend material, almost unrealistic, even.

“youre a person worth crossing an ocean for.” you told him more then truthfully, bringing a hand up to softly stroke his cheek.

“out of all the stars in the sky, youre the only one id pick.” he cringed realizing how corny it was. “too cheesy?”

“just enough.” you reassured, before sealing both yours and his lips into a warm and comforting kiss. chan had never felt safer in another’s embrace.

“waiting 21 days isnt so bad if itll always end like this.”