#play 'my star's in decline' for the full effect | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

stopeatingwhales · 3 years ago

Text

playing cards x damon albarn

THIS WAS SO MUCH FUN TO WRITE OMG OK. hope you guys enjoy it!!!! I love arrogant damon sorry not sorry <3

Pairing: 1995 damon albarn x reader

Warnings: alcohol use

Word count: 2.339

@damonfuckingalbarn this is 4 u!!!! <3

༉‧₊˚✧

“Have this, you’ll like it far much more than what you’re drinking.”

Diverting my gaze from the beverage encapsulated in my palm, I met my view with the mysterious voice that had beckoned in my direction. “Excuse me?” I said, first landing my glare on his ethereal orbs, spheres that were so magnificent that I had to attempt a double-take; the idiosyncratic shades, merged together to create a masterpiece of different blues, as if they were small fragments of the water from most pure oceans, exemplifying the ideation of eyes that engulf you in at the instant - simply gazing into his orbs was the token I had needed to be entirely enthralled by his presence. Perhaps his gaze was too intense, too enticing, leading me on to trail my stare to admire the more gorgeous head of hair, which looked as if it hadn’t been brushed, though that portrayed its attractiveness. His face was beaming toward my direction, taking me aback slightly as I quickly ditched the sight of his face, drifting my sight to gawk at the two drinks clasped by his hands. “That looks like shit.”

A small scoff escaped his throat, evident that he was not expecting the abrupt attitude that had beckoned upon my lips. Slightly embarrassed at my dramatic remark, I adjusted my posture, accentuating such confidence that I had seemingly demonstrated so diligently with my demeanour. “Just try it.” he replied, placing one of the glasses on the dark wood counter, pushing it towards my direction lightly to prevent it from slipping off the glossy counter. Leaning my torso closer to the counter, I spent a couple seconds examining the contents of the unknown drink, it being something that I had never set my eyes upon.

Placing my original drink on the countertop, I nervously grasped the ambiguous drink that he had offered me, glancing back at him with an unsure expression illustrated on my features. In a way to reassure or encourage me, he nodded his head, resulting in me then taking a small sip to ease myself into the new flavour. Before the liquid had merely touched the back of my throat, I spat the contents back out into the glass. “That’s minging!” I choked, my face scrunching up in disgust. Focused on each move I was making, I felt his eyes continue to gawk at me as I attempted to rid the awful taste that lingered on my tongue by taking a lengthy sip of my pint, swallowing down the contents gleefully. Connecting my stare with his, I once again analysed his features, almost like my mind trying to discover what had been the true ideal that his beauty had enthralled me so rapidly just gaping at him. Perhaps I had over-emphasised his gorgeousness too much, though my doubts were denied as soon as my view had set upon his face once again. He had a smirk carefully illustrated at the side of his lip, curving the top of his cheek slightly, his face sculpted so delicately it urged the want to caress your finger against his skin, it conveying the impression that it was so soft, accentuating the prettiness of his facial features. Something inside me was itching towards the fact that he was somebody I knew, or at least somebody that I had seen somewhere, until it had clocked that he was from television, more specifically Top Of the Pops, last night. "You're that singer from that art school band, aren't you?" I questioned, my vision squinted together as I challenged my active recall abilities. “Damon isn’t it?”

"Wow, you know your music!" he laughed, edging his arm to rest on the counter. The stare orchestrated between us remained, as I left my mind to ponder over the common-knowledge of how men were like in bands. Aware of what he was going to solicit, and knowing that he would think it was going to be extremely easy, I had to prepare myself not to fall for it, no matter how good-looking or tempting the concept engulfed in my brain made it out to be. "Want to go out for dinner tomorrow?"

“No, sorry.” I bluntly replied, breaking the poignant eye contact to down the rest of my drink, slightly forcing the glass containing the beverage he had offered me, back to him. If I had my eyes lingering on his for any longer, I’d end up doing something I’d highly regret the next morning.

“Why not?” he quizzed, bewildered by my sudden response. Clearly he had never had a woman decline his offer before, or was definitely not expecting it after he had gone head to head and won against the second biggest band in the country the night previous. So arrogant.

“Because I don’t want to?” I replied, slightly amused by how perplexed he had gotten. Darting my eyes around the dimly-lit room, my gaze fixated on a booth consisting of boys that, from my vague memory, believed were his band members. Knowing that he was still looking at me, I allowed a smirk to fall on my lips as I thought of what to say next. “I've actually got my eye on that guy over there," I mumbled, pointing towards the familiar booth of boys, my index finger lingering on the tall, lanky boy, whose hair looked as soft as the petals of a newly-bloomed rose. Granting my finger to saunter for a while, it directed enough time for Damon to swivel his head around to see whomever I was speaking about. "Alex, isn't it?"

Switching my focus back to look at him, I noticed his jaw clench at my remark, his orbs dawdling over the three boys who had been engrossed in conversation. Feeling the smirk on my face widen, I relished in the sensation of battering his ego - even if it was just slightly. A small laugh escaped his throat as he locked his gaze with mine, clicking his tongue as he sneered, understanding what I was trying to do to him. It was a forced chuckle, most likely portrayed out of annoyance, “Look, I just think you’re really pretty, alright?”

Chewing on my bottom lip, I felt my stomach ignite at his frustration towards my obnoxiousness. Butterflies were blooming in my stomach as a certain heat flushed over my cheeks, my body mindful that I couldn’t keep up with such a persona for a much longer time. As well as this, it would potentially drive him away, which at this rate I didn’t want him to do, so I thought of the best possible solution to bring his hopes up, reaching to the ground underneath the barstool to grasp my bag, taking out a deck of cards. “Let’s play snap.” I exclaimed, beginning to shuffle the card deck.

“And you just carry those around do you?”

“It’s fun to play.” I replied, splitting the deck and then sliding him his share.

“Can I just get you a drink?” He groaned, though a small smile had perched on his lips at the irregularity of the situation. A girl is asking him to play cards after she simply rejected him, at a bar.

“You already did, Damon, and it was shit.” I spat back, fixing my eyes on his once again. He looked slightly offended at the insolence I demonstrated towards his efforts, which, for some reason, sank my heart a little. “If you win this game, I'll give you a second chance.”

“Deal,” He beamed, the signature devilish grin of his painted on his lips once again. “Might as well get you that drink now.” he added, his arrogance seeping through his teeth.

As we began placing our cards in the middle of the table, one after another, the environment was tense as to when two cards of the same origin would land upon each other. It was funny, I had gone out tonight to blow off steam from the stresses that work had offered me the past week, and somehow I had landed myself playing a game of cards with undoubtedly the most famous musician in Britain at the moment. “I’m not falling for it, you know.” I said, avoiding his gaze.

"Then why are you doing playing cards with me, love?" he interrogated, the sneer on his lips evident by his lustrous tone. He was right; his obvious pretentiousness, and egocentrism only edged me towards loving his company just that much more, which had disgracefully increased my attraction to him, but of course I wasn’t going to admit that, hell, I was adamant that I wasn’t going to fall for it, even though that was exactly what I had been doing this entire time - sinking down a hole of allurement from his persona that panned something inside of me that I wasn’t able to pinpoint on. Pop star effect, I suppose.

Completely silenced by his comment, I felt a certain radiance tease it’s way to my cheeks once again, edging me into humiliation even more to the fact that he could tell the effect his words were having on me - the sly grin on his features was felt in the tension shared between us. In an endeavour to shy away my embarrassment, I dragged out my packet of Marlboro cigarettes, snatching one from its packaging and lighting it before placing another card down on the deck that had been piling up since we had started. Inhaling sharply, I allowed the cancerous smoke to escape my lungs, my body adorning the relaxed feeling that seeped through after. “Can I have one?”

“No.”

“Why not? Your pack’s full!”

Pausing my movements before taking another hit from the roll of tobacco, a smirk lingered on my lips as I let my head rest on my palm, keeping my body upright. "Why? Those songs of yours not selling much?" I mocked, blowing another whiff of smoke into his face, the stunned expression held on his face only exhilarating me more in what felt like... control, though from the way he had been acting, I knew that such power was not going to last for a long while. "Put a card down, for goodness sake."

Scoffing, he followed my demand, though the card he placed down was the exact same as the one I placed down before, ensuing his hand slamming suddenly on top of the card deck, my mouth agape as I realised that he had won. “Look who won!”

A beam covered my face as I shook my head, watching him grab the attention of the bartender, asking for another drink that once again, I hadn’t heard of before. Once the bartender was done preparing the beverage, Damon passed it over to me, another grin captured on his expression. Sighing, I discarded the remains of my cigarette before taking a sip of another, unknown drink, the feeling of déjà vu hitting me as I had enraptured myself in the same situation when we had first spoken. "For fucks sake Damon, this tastes worse than the last one."

"More for me then, isn't it?" he grinned, my mind now aware that he had simply ordered such an appalling drink to agitate me. Be that as it may, he was aggravating, and took delight into making one’s time horribly spent, there was something about him that kept me latched onto him. Perhaps it was his glowing features, which were so enticing that it blinded me into thinking that he was the only other person in the room, and the only other person that I could set any fragment of attention towards.

"Stop pissing me off, you twat." I mumbled, looking at my bag as I placed the card deck back inside, it not proving much use to the situation anymore.

"You could quite easily just walk away, if I’m pissing you off this much.” he said, his head tilted to the side as his eyes lingered on me, practically forcing me to connect our gazes once again. “Doors just there, love." he uttered, beckoning his hand towards the timber door that divided us between the streets.

"Why would I leave when I'm getting free drinks?" I asked, trying to maintain whatever control I had over the situation, which had been deemed to have slipped out of my grasp at this given moment. The tension between us had been alleviating faster than it had been before, as we began reaching the climax of the encounter.

"You're not liking them though, are you?" he replied, face beginning to draw dangerously close to mine, his eyes flicking from my eyes to my lips every couple of seconds, contemplating how to end the situation. It was fully in control with him now; I was merely wrapped around his measly little finger, and he knew it. Our noses grazed ever-so-slightly on one another's as I felt his breath fan onto my cheeks - all I had craved for at this point was to attach my lips onto his, my breathing quickening as the realisation of just how close our bodies were to one another. "Just admit it, you're loving this." he mumbled.

"Am not." I whispered, my eyes staring at his lips as shuffled closer and closer to mine. We were both aware that what I had said was a lie, but my stubbornness wasn't ready to let that slide yet. Just as I thought we were going to connect lips, he darted his head away rapidly, the movement so swift I hadn't come to realize until a couple seconds afterwards, my cheeks now reddened to the point that I was almost convinced I had a fever.

"You fell for it, lovely." he grinned, placing a white slip on my lap, decorated with numbers to which I assumed were in relation to his telephone number. "Let me know when you're free!" he exclaimed, before waltzing off to the booth where his friends had, leaving me completely stunned, and exactly where I knew would be - absolutely encapsulated by the man known as Damon Albarn.

#damon albarn x reader #damon albarn #blur #blur band #band imagines #fluff #nineties #britpop #90s #music

73 notes · View notes

stardust-kenobi · 4 years ago

Text

Let Me Help You

Obi Wan x Reader

Summary: Obi Wan isn’t very tech-savy, and he wants you to help him with his computer while you two sit in the Jedi Temple library. You offer your assistance, and decide to help him in other ways, too.

Warnings: smut, dub-con!!, male oral receiving, public oral sex

Word count: 2k

A/N: ⚠️please DO NOT read if you’re uncomfortable with dub-con. It’s not for everyone. (In this specific plot it’s used because Obi Wan is trying to be a good Jedi) Consent is slightly more clear right before the act.

This was requested by anon! Thanks lovely, hope you enjoy 💕

(my gif)

Obi Wan’s face became more frustrated by the second. You sat across from him in the Temple library. You’d joined your friend today because he wanted the company while he completed some tasks undoubtedly related to his Jedi duties.

“You alright?” You inquired, attempting to withhold a giggle at the sight of a man who is so usually calm becoming annoyed at technology.

“This datapad is going to drive me mad” he huffed. His fingers furiously tapped away at his attempted tasks.

“Sounds like a user-error” you teased him while continuing to stare at him. He looked up at you, obviously trying not to smile back. “And it’s a desktop computer, so, not technically a data pad” you jokingly corrected him.

“Well, whatever it is, it doesn’t like me very much” he remarked and returned his attention to the illuminated screen.

“What exactly are you trying to do?”

“I’m trying to navigate the archives here but it keeps telling me I’m typing in invalid coordinates” his voice grew more annoyed.

“Would you like my help?” You offered kindly

“No, that’s not necessary.” He politely declined.

You waited, not responding, knowing he’d change his mind after another failed attempt. His eyes shot upward at you across the table and quickly looked back down, but then hesitantly returned to your gaze.

“Maybe I could use your help, y/n” he finally admitted.

“Mhm, that’s what I thought” you rose from your seat and headed around the table. You observed the room, and no one was around. You hadn’t seen anyone in the library since you walked in. You could probably hear a pin drop in the vast silence. You came around behind his chair and leaned down next to him. Obi Wan’s eyes could not have been less discreet as they peered over to your chest that was now at his eye level. Your shirt was low cut, and perhaps a little too tight, but nothing you wouldn’t normally wear. You noticed but said nothing to Obi Wan, just flattered that he wanted to look.

“Let me try and enter the coordinates. What were they?” You inquired. He gave you the same numbers he had been typing in. You unfortunately found yourself having the same issue he was having. Obi Wan laughed, mocking you for thinking it was his fault.

“User-error, was it?” He teased you. You shook your head and giggled.

“Let me try something else” you said. You attempted other methods in order to make it work.

“Why don’t you pull up a chair?” He suggested.

You looked around, there were no chairs close, except for your chair on the other side of the table.

“Oh no, that’s alright” you shrugged, but then an idea crept into your devious, sexually deprived head. You checked your surroundings again, no one was in the library. It was late, anyways, so it wasn’t unusual.

Obi Wan’s lap sat there, open and empty, legs spread open, as if it was waiting on you to fill the space. You slowly moved your hips downward and over onto his thighs. He didn’t say a word, protest, or even make a sound, until you were fully seated on his unprepared lap.

“Oh, um...alright then” he stuttered, unsure what to say, but didn’t reject you either.

“Sorry, I saw a perfectly good seat and took it. That okay?” You clearly played innocent.

He roughly cleared his throat and breathed out hard. His built up sexual tension was obvious, and you preyed on it guiltlessly.

“No problem at all” he chuckled, finally responding to you. Continuing to work at the computer in your new found seat, you rotated your hips side to side subtly, pressing more firm into him. Hardly any time had passed before you felt him grow aroused under your ass. You smirked, loving the effect you were having on him.

“Oh, there we go, it worked!” you announced suddenly. The screen displayed the archive location that he searched for, after tweaking with the settings for a bit.

“What worked?” He breathed out, clearly more flustered than the last time he spoke. It was as if he was snapped out of a trance. He was incredibly distracted and couldn’t even recall for the moment what you were even helping him with.

“The...computer?” You stated the obvious, turning around sharply to meet his eyes.

“Right!” He shyly remembered.

His erection was continuing to grow and he wondered if you could feel it against you.

“Something wrong, Obi Wan?” You asked him, Both of you were fully aware of what was happening, but the lack of direct communication refused to acknowledge it plainly.

“Oh, I’m fine” He replied, clearing his throat again.

“You sure? You seemed flustered” You pushed the conversation further.

“Y-yes I'm, uh, I’m sure” he stumbled over his words.

“Seems like you’re having a hard time with your words there, Master Kenobi” you purred, wasting no time dancing around the idea. “Well, something is hard” you smirked, getting close to his face while sitting sideways across his thighs.

His breath hitched in his throat when he heard your voice turn sensual. Obi Wan said nothing because he wasn’t sure what to say. He wanted you, that you could tell, but a man that lived so strictly by the Jedi code would be hard to crack. And in public? He’d be insane to let you seduce him.

“Y/n...” he groaned deeply. His body language communicating how hard it was to restrain himself.

“Yes?” You whispered while moving your lips to his bare neck. You placed your lips at his supple skin and pecked slowly and lightly.

“As lovely as this is, I can’t” he protested. “It’s forbidden for me to engage in this, y/n, you know that”

Regardless, your lips continued working at his neck. A hum, almost resembling a moan, crawled from his mouth.

“You’re telling me, that if I got on my knees, right now, right here in front of you, that you wouldn’t want me to suck your cock?” You purred so softly directly into his ear. You observed the chills that cascading down his body and you smiled against his skin.

“Stars, y/n, I’ve never heard you talk like this” He avoided the question, his breathing still tense. You felt his hips buck slightly up into your weight.

“I know how stressed you are, Obi Wan, let me help you” you offered. He looked into your eyes for a moment. Desperation was hidden deep in his gaze. He wanted a release, but had to make a decision of his morality and his loyalty to the Jedi Order.

“You want to do that to me...here?” He inquired the absurdity of your offered actions and especially there in public. His tone was so innocent and clueless to your attraction to him.

“Oh, Master Kenobi, it’d be my pleasure” you called him by his formal name yet again, even though you’d only ever called him Obi Wan. You assumed it might turn him on. You were right.

You softly press your lips onto his. He received your lips hesitantly, but then eagerly. You moved to straddle him, placing both legs on either side of his hips. You pushed your hips forward, curling them into his bulge. Becoming more comfortable with your touch, Obi Wan’s lips danced with yours passionately.

Butterflies fluttered in your belly as you finally acted on your eager built up desires for him.

“But, y/n, the Council -” he began again, breaking the kiss, and still worried for his long list of ethical restrictions on his life.

“I don’t see them here...do you? And we both know Anakin doesn’t follow the rules, does he?” You persisted.

“Well, no. I suppose you’re right” he whispered back, laughing quietly at your comment. He was nervous, but it was impossible for him to hide his new hunger for your lips around his cock.

“Allow yourself some fun, Master”

“Y/n, I want to, but I’ve never done anything like this before” He admitted casually.

“Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of you” you sweetly assured him.

“Okay, darling, but I do believe we must make this quick” he finally fully accepted the idea, but looked quickly around the very large room to confirm you were alone together.

“Oh it won’t take me long at all” you winked at him.

Removing yourself from his lap, his eyes never left you as he was unsure of your next step. You got on your knees in front of him, as you promised. His hands eagerly fumbled to pull his trousers down. You met his hands halfway and took over.

His cock begged to be let free from its restraints. Once the cloth passed his full length, it sprung out and met your eye level. He was so adorably nervous. You released a moan at the sight of him exposed to you.

You wrapped your hand around him and the contact made him twitch. He breathed out heavily as he’d never been touched like this by another person. Your eyes met his lustful gaze. You raised your eyebrows, non verbally asking If he was ready. He nodded his head, and you proceeded.

Your lips parted widely to bring him into your mouth. Your eyes locked as you lowered your mouth completely down his length, taking all of him into you. A feeling so unfamiliar to him caused Obi Wan to grip the arm rest of the chair. He breathed in sharply, and exhaled the sweetest moan. Using the moisture from your mouth, you glided yourself up and down slowly.

“Oh my stars, y/n” he whispered. You two knew you still needed to be quiet, in case someone was close.

Obi Wan was so sensitive and touch starved beyond belief. No matter how hard he tried to muffle himself, he was unsuccessful. Your ears were graced with the delicate sounds escaping his lips as you brought him more pleasure than he’d ever experienced before.

“Fuck” he cried, already so close to his climax from your skilled motions. Vulgarity flying from him was a new sound to you and it earned a warm sensation inside of you.

An aching formed between your legs, a feeling of pleasure that was all too familiar to you. You wanted him to take you right then and there, but you’d surely get caught. Another time, you thought.

Removing your mouth to rest your jaw, you pumped your hands around him. You looked up at him, his eyes had still not broken contact with you while you created a euphoric form of pleasure for him for the first time.

“Y/n...” he whimpered

“Yes, Master Kenobi?” You cooed and smiled at him. He formed a grin down at you that quickly turned back into his O-face as you pumped him faster.

“I’m...oh my” he started, his body couldn’t stay still.

“Are you gonna cum for me?”

“Oh, yes, y/n. I’m so close. I’m gonna cum” he whined.

You returned the moisture of your mouth back to his cock and sloppily, yet rhythmically, sucked him continuously, responding to the way his body moved and the sound of his moans. The veins in his length twitched and his hips shifted.

Obi Wan threw his head back in ecstasy and just then you felt your throat become coated in his hot cum. The suppression of the growls that formed from his climax was intense and deep, somehow loud and quiet simultaneously.

You swallowed him up and removed your mouth from his sensitive parts. Obi Wan’s head was still laid back, you watched as his chest rose and fell with the effort to catch his breath.

“Was that alright?” You asked, giggling, knowing the answer already.

“Well, I...darling that was...incredible” he finally expressed in between his deep breaths.

You helped him pull his trousers back up and plant a kiss on his cheek as you stood.

“Glad I could be of some assistance for you tonight” you winked.

He was blushing, still in disbelief that you two just engaged in such an act. He was so precious and shy about the whole thing, but enjoyed every single second of it.

“Perhaps maybe I can help you next time, hm?” He suggested. You bite your lip, already growing eager for the next time you’d be alone with him.

Kinda wanna make a part 2??

#Obi Wan #Obi Wan Kenobi #Obi Wan x reader #Obi Wan Kenobi x reader #obi wan x fem!reader #Obi wan x male!reader #Obi wan x gender neutral reader #Obi wan smut #Obi wan Kenobi smut #Obi wan fluff #Star Wars smut #aotc #rots #tpm #my gif #Obi wan Kenobi gif #Obi wan gif #my work #scheduled

563 notes · View notes

tommyhollandaisesauce · 4 years ago

Text

Let Me Do The Work TEASER [t.h.]

MASTERLIST

Pairing: Tom Holland x Fem!Reader

Word Count: ?k

Posted: 11/16/2020

Warning(s): Fluff, smut, unprotected sex (wrap it up kids), oral sex (f receiving), maybe too much plot? and definitely a whole lotta lazy sex sue me.

Summary: Tom thinks you deserve a reward after a hard few days at work.

A/N: First smut in the bag lets go. Also, the point of view makes no sense but continuity is not in my vocabulary so. Anyway, the full part is almost finished so lmk how you guys like this!

When Tom got home on Wednesday night the last thing he expected his girlfriend to say was “Wanna have sex?” He had asked a few times before if you could and your response was usually something to the effect of “Sorry babe, another time, I’m just exhausted.” He knew your job was taxing and took a lot out of you and, frankly, Tom could survive the work week without getting any. He also knew that once Friday night rolled around it was all systems go; the weekend was yours to fool around as much as you wanted. And he was willing to wait.

Asking never hurt, though. Tom wasn’t annoying about it, at least he hoped he wasn’t. And for all the times you’d asked to have sex after he had a particularly exhausting day on set and he agreed, he didn’t feel super guilty about asking now and then.

It was unusual that Tom would be so exhausted from working that he didn't have any energy left to have sex. There had been some rare days when Tom could barely keep his eyes open even though you were right there, naked and sweaty, and riding his cock right on the living room couch. Your hands would be resting on his broad shoulders, your fingers digging into the muscles beneath his freckled skin as you bounced on his cock and his hands could barely stay put on your waist or hips to help you move. Sure, he liked watching you rise and fall on his lap and he liked seeing himself disappear inside of you and he liked the way your tits bounced with every movement and he liked watching your face. God, he loved your gorgeous face.

Your eyes would flutter open and closed the closer you got and you’d look at him with your big, beautiful eyes that were dark and lust blown and your jaw would go slack and you’d throw your head back in pleasure. Your movements would get sloppier as you’d start shaking and convulsing while you came. His arms would lazily wrap around your waist to pull you closer and you’d nuzzle your face into the crook of his neck, breathing hard against his skin as you came down from your high. But Tom couldn’t find it in himself to even worry about his own orgasm, he just wanted to sleep.

So when he came home to your shared flat around 7 pm from walking Tessa on a particularly boring Wednesday, now that he had a break, and saw you lying on the couch with a glass of red wine in one hand and your other arm thrown over your eyes, he figured it was pointless to ask. You had gotten home sometime while he was out, didn’t bother changing out of your blouse and jeans just yet, popped a bottle open, and poured yourself a glass.

Tom unclipped the leash from Tessa’s collar, allowing her to run free around the flat. Immediately, she trotted over to you, nuzzling your legs with her nose until you caved and gave her a few scratches behind her ears. Tom slipped off his sneakers, padding over to you, causing Tessa to run off in search of her favorite toy. The couch sank under his weight as he sat down next to your head, your eyebrows raised at the shift.

“Hey, stranger,” you muttered, removing your arm from covering your half-lidded eyes. Your eyes sparkled in the dim living room lighting as you looked up at Tom. He couldn’t remember a single time they looked dull. Not during a fight, or when you were sad or tired or sick, never. They reminded him of stars. No matter what, they kept shining.

“Hi love,” Tom leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on your wine-stained lips. The upside-down angle was slightly awkward, but you’d be lying if you said you two hadn’t done the Spider-Man Kiss before, per his request.

You smiled up at him as he pulled away and closed your eyes. Tom threaded his fingers through your messy locks and you relaxed, even more, leaning your head into his hand.

“Long day?” He asked, continuing to run his fingers through your hair.

“Don’t even get me started,” you huffed out, dramatically throwing your arm back over your eyes, which made Tom chuckle at your antics.

“Tell me what happened?” He asked, and as you lowered your arm, you raised a single eyebrow at him.

“You sure?” You asked cautiously, “Because I wouldn’t wish the shit I dealt with today on my worst enemy.”

Tom scoffed, shrugging his shoulders, “Try me.”

You sighed before beginning your story. Today had been insufferable. From the minute you clocked in, to the minute you clocked out, it had been hell. One coworker in particular, with whom you were not super close or friends with in any way, kept nagging you about your relationship like she did every single day.

The incessant questioning and probing was getting old and, quite frankly, rude. The questions started out harmless, like everyone else’s when they found out the Tom Holland was your boyfriend. Some asked for autographs or pictures and you declined, saying that if he ever came in Tom would be more than happy to do that. And Tom agreed; you playing messenger was weird and not the type of thing either of you wanted people to get accustomed to. And most people understood; except for one.

The more she asked the worse they got. Personal questions were the norm now. Questions about family members and life together and sex. God, the sex questions never ended. ‘Is it good?’ and ‘What are you guys into?’ were some of her favorites. Sometimes she’d get creative with them and switch them up. And every time, you refused to answer. And you relayed this information to Tom like you did most days, and he rolled his eyes in annoyance at her ignorance before leaning down and pressing a soft kiss to your forehead when he saw you were getting riled up.

You softened immediately and sighed. Tom had a calming effect on you. Just being around him was relaxing. After so long together he still could calm you down. And he was cheaper than your copay for therapy, so hey why not vent to him?

“Just forget about her for now, babe,” Tom sighed out, continuing to stroke your hair, “she’s not worth your energy.”

“You're right,” you said quietly, “I’m home, I got my wine, I got my boy, I can relax.”

“Exactly,” Tom said, laughing at your words. He didn’t feel the need to say anything else as you both relaxed, his fingers still threaded in your hair, until a few more minutes went by, your eyes opened, and you turned your head to make sure you were setting down your not yet empty glass on the coffee table.

A soft “hey” escaped Tom’s lips as he watched you use your arms to lean up and turn to face him. He would’ve spoken more but was cut off as your lips pressed to his, the kiss awkward since you had caught him as he was speaking. His lips were slightly chapped and he tasted like spearmint gum as you hovered over him and moved your lips against his.

Tom sighed into the kiss, bringing one hand up to cup your cheek. You clumsily clambered into Tom’s sweatpants clad lap to straddle him and his other hand sat high on your thigh. The kiss was slow and passionate, neither of you in a rush to go further just yet. You melted into the kiss as his tongue slid along your lower lip to ask for permission to enter. You parted your lips immediately, allowing Tom access. After a few moments of lazily making out like teenagers, you pulled away to catch your breath. You closed your eyes, leaning your forehead against Tom’s as you both panted, trying to catch your breath.

“Can we go to our room?” You mumbled, just loud enough for Tom to hear. Your voice was low, soft, and a little shaky from being so tired. His eyes opened at your words and his ears perked up. Tom pulled his head away from yours and your eyes returned to their half-open state.

“I thought you were tired?” He questioned teasingly, tucking some strands of hair behind both your ears and resting his hands on your cheeks. You reached up and wrapped your fingers around Tom’s wrists, smiling sweetly at him. He was sure his heart damn near melted in his chest at the sight of his sleepy girlfriend asking to have sex with him.

“I am,” you said softly, smirking as Tom ran his hands down your sides and settled over your hips, “why do you think I wanna go to our room?” You joked, wrapping your arms loosely around his neck and ducking your head down to place soft kisses along the side of it. He sighed, tilting his head in the opposite direction to give you more room as your fingers carded through the short, soft curls at the back of his head.

“You sure?” Tom asked breathily, as you continued laying kisses across his jaw and below his ear, “Because I don’t want you to do it just because I want to-”

“Tom,” you huffed, pulling away from his neck, your hands migrating to rest on his shoulders. He straightened up and opened his eyes as the feeling of your soft lips disappeared from his neck. “I’m sure. Now shut up and take me to the bedroom.”

FULL PART

A/N: AAAHHHH ok I mean I definitely put words on the page lol. Fr tho this is the first time I’ve ever posted anything so lmk if y’all want the rest! Feedback is always appreciated! <3

#tom holland #tom holland x reader #tom holland fanfiction #tom holland smut #tom holland fluff #peter parker #peter parker x reader #peter parker fanfiction #peter parker smut #peter parker fluff #tommyhollandaisesauce

219 notes · View notes

noctualilith · 4 years ago

Text

And there was only one shower

Here is a fic that got inspired by a certain tiktok (this one: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMJVHQx9q/) shared in the Hazelnoots discord server and the discussion in the saucy channel thereafter. It’s my first solo fic *eek* I wrote this directly live on the server over three days nights, coming up to a surprising 6k+ words in the end, cheered on by a lovely live audience THANK YOU you know who you are! <3 Now it’s ready for the wilderness of the Internet, thanks to the rad queen of semicolons and the best beta @bkfstclubmember. All credit and gratitude to @lumosinlove for creating such an amazing universe and these lovable characters!

Soo, let’s imagine a slightly different timeline where Finn and Leo don’t kiss on their balcony and don’t get together that night, but maybe a little later. I am not thinking about the logistics too hard here because when I start to do that it will run away from me but let's say a roadie somewhere where Leo's family has relatives or a house so they can stay there, and he usually rooms with Finn so he invited him along.

Also: That is a real shower gel and description, I kid you not. I did research.

CW for smut, angst, panic attack in a shower

"There is actually only one shower, but it has like, two showerheads, so we can use that one."

A look, slightly longer-than-usual eye contact, and then Leo turned on his heel and headed up the stairs to the said shower. Finn was suddenly glad he declined the food, because his stomach dropped when he realized the implications. Was that...? It couldn't have been. But then again, why not?

He pushed all the air out of his lungs in a huge exhale, hands gripping the edges of the kitchen island where he was sitting just moments before, content to look but not touch. Never touch. Never let it be known that he liked to watch Leo cook, or read, or laugh at tiktok videos on his phone, or do anything that required his full focus for a moment and thus gave Finn a cover so it was safe to look and not be seen looking. He felt seen now. Did Leo notice? Has he noticed all along? Shit. Only one way to find out.

Finn started towards the stairs; the thudding of his steps almost drowned out by his heart beating out of his ribcage, so loud Finn was sure it was audible all the way to that cursed, blessed bathroom with only one shower.

"Are you coming? I got a towel for you. It's straight down the hall, last door on the left!" He heard Leo's voice coming closer and then he almost stumbled on the last step, his eyes taking in the miles of pale skin and long long legs, clad only in "...are those--Star Wars boxers?"

Leo looked down and then back up with a wry smile. "It's a trap?" he quipped with a raise of his eyebrows and Finn could swear he saw a challenge in his eyes.

A head tilt was his only warning before a towel hit him in the chest and Leo was retreating again, calling over his shoulder "You might wanna get naked, I heard showering in your clothes isn't nearly as effective!" followed by those same Star Wars boxers flying through the air in his direction.

"Oookay, let's do this," Finn muttered to himself and pulled off his hoodie together with the t-shirt underneath while walking down the hall and left it on the floor because nothing made sense anymore and there was a boy he really liked telling him to get naked.

Finn really really hoped this was what it looked like and at the same time it terrified him beyond imagination. Not that he hadn't imagined. He had imagined a number of things, but this actually happening? Not one of them. So far it had always been himself alone in the shower, eyes closed, trailing a hand down his own chest and imagining Leo's long fingers instead, oh god those fingers, his memory of Leo's grip on his mug of hot chocolate serving as a good enough reference for how he could grip other things and oh-- and... he might have a problem even before stepping into the bathroom if he didn't stop those thoughts now. After all, the improbable has suddenly become possible and was waiting for him on the other side of that door where the sound of running water was now beckoning him closer.

Finn pushed the door open, a cloud of steam greeting him and obscuring his vision for a moment. When it cleared, he could just about make out Leo's silhouette behind the glass partition running from wall to wall on the far end of the bathroom. The glass was now fogged up from the steam and blurred everything behind it, except for the shower door left open like an invitation. Leo's head turned towards him and Finn felt his skin heat up in response, helpless to stop the blush rising in his cheeks and willing his body to behave under Leo's gaze, at least until he had a confirmation that his longing wasn't one-sided. Until then, two could play this game, Finn thought as he stepped into the bathroom fully, letting the door close with a click and hooking his thumb in the waistband of his jeans. He could give Leo a show and see how he liked the tables turned.

Popping the button open and pulling the zipper down, Finn turned slightly so the arch of his back was in full view and threw a quick look over to Leo who stilled completely and was definitely watching him. Good, watch this, Finn thought as he slowly pushed the jeans together with his underwear down over his hips and thighs, drawing a sharp breath when his cock sprang free, thankfully still not visibly interested thanks to Finn internally freaking out even as he was leaning into the performance. He could swear that his gasp was echoed from inside the shower, but it might also just have been his imagination because the water was still running, and his thoughts were sprinting, the simple act of undressing suddenly taking forever and at the same time not nearly long enough.

They have been naked around each other plenty of times in the locker room, the showers at the rink, and then there was that one memorable time at the sauna during the team spa day... but this was different. This was deliberate. This was putting himself out there and meeting the challenge that rang clear in the room, as loud as Leo's silence and Finn's blood rushing in his ears, making him dizzy and bold at the same time.

He made sure his ass was on display as he bowed down to push his jeans over his calves, getting his socks and finally stepping out of the clothes. This time the gasp definitely wasn't just in his imagination and a satisfied smirk found its way to his lips. Still turned away from the eyes that he could now feel on his back, he straightened again, flexing just so, the way he knew made his shoulder blades look especially awesome. Reaching to grab the towel Leo threw at him earlier, he turned back to the shower and padded towards the glass door. Now or never. And never was not an option anymore.

"Took you long enough," Leo quipped after a pause as Finn stepped into the pocket of humid air in the, frankly, huge shower, sliding the glass door closed and turning the other showerhead on. Leo's voice sounded a little higher that usual and Finn couldn't guess if his cheeks were so rosy from the hot water or from his own little performance. It was a lovely look on him either way and this time Finn looked his fill, suppressing the urge to look away when the cornflower-blue eyes met his gaze and held it. Then Leo took a step towards him, and another, and another until he was right in front of Finn, still holding his gaze, their noses just shy of touching.

Finn couldn't help but take a stumbling half-step back, lips parting on a gasp, not knowing if the next sound out of his mouth would come out as a question or a plea. His eyes flicked to Leo's lips and back up, and from the corner of his eye he registered Leo's hand raising slowly and reaching towards his shoulder to-- "Use whatever you like, the shampoo and shower gel stuff is all on that shelf right there behind you. I personally like the honey and milk one the best, it smells so delicious." Leo's voice was normal again, conversational even, as he reached to grab a shampoo bottle off the shelf on the wall behind Finn's back and stepped away towards his own half of the shower.

Finn swayed after Leo's retreating figure unconsciously, his words only half-registering through the daze of suddenly having had Leo so close, naked and wet and right there--

"Harz?"

"...huh? Uhm, yea, yes. Shower gel, ah-- thanks."

Finn shook his head and ran his hand through his hair, now damp and sticking to his forehead and neck. He pressed one hand to the wall under the shelf and stared at it as if it had offended him while focusing on the coolness of the tiles to steady his still wobbly knees. Damn you, you win this one.

Turning his mind to the game they were now apparently playing, he took stock of the bottles on the shelf and spotted a winner.

"Honey and milk, you say? I personally would go for a Dark Temptation myself. A subtle, sweet fragrance with a hint of spice and hot chocolate," he read out loud from the label on the bottle before squeezing a generous amount into his palm, putting it back on the shelf and turning to face Leo again fully, drawing himself up to his full height and knowing what Leo will see when he chooses to look. Finn's cock was half-hard, not getting the memo that the moment was over before it really began, courtesy of Leo being a dirty player. Finn was eager to even the score.

"What do you say, Knutty. Is that something you would like?"

Leo was busying himself with his own bottle of shower gel, but Finn was sure he was paying attention because as soon as he turned towards him, Leo's eyes were on him. An edge of amusement played at the corner of his mouth and a hint of a challenge was visible in his posture, relaxed but ready to return the serve at the most opportune moment.

Finn shifted his weight mostly to one leg, cocking his hip playfully as Leo gave him a thorough once-over, his gaze slowly roving down Finn's body. He knew the second his plan worked by Leo's eyes widening and his shower gel bottle hitting the floor a beat later, the sound loud in the spacious shower. The hand that was holding the bottle was left grasping at air, fingers clenching on nothing and Finn noted with smug satisfaction that Leo's cock was now taking interest in the game too. If they could still call it a game. Finn wasn't backing down now; it was time to raise the stakes.

He walked towards Leo, stopping when he reached the dropped bottle which was now helplessly spinning in the water vortex flowing down the drain. Without acknowledging Leo's situation, he dropped into a crouch, retrieved the bottle and slowly looked up at Leo from under his eyelashes, now darker and clumped together with the wetness, framing his eyes prettily. He used to be insecure about it, no boy wants to be called pretty. Now, he used it to his full advantage, holding Leo's gaze as he held the bottle out to him, using every ounce of his will to stop his eyes from straying to Leo's hardening cock just inches from his face.

"You dropped something."

The little broken whimper that escaped Leo's throat almost made him break too, but Finn managed to swallow the answering sound that was building in his chest and held Leo's gaze unflinchingly, daring him to give up. To give in. Please give in.

He honestly couldn't anticipate where their next dance step would lead, but he was ready for any direction except backwards. They had passed the point of no return somewhere between the honey-scented soap suds coating Leo's strong shoulders and the background music of the water hitting the tiled floor and washing away all the pretenses. However, it still caught him unprepared when Leo dropped to his knees in front of him, ducking his head so that they were face to face and swallowing hard. His chest was heaving with gulping breaths as if he only now came up for air after being submerged underwater for too long. His eyes were flicking between Finn's searchingly, almost desperately, all playfulness from the moment before gone. Finn could drown in those blue eyes and go happily. He'd give up solid ground forever, willingly, if only Leo asked him to.

"Ask me," Finn breathed into the space between them.

Leo whimpered again, the sound like a static shock raising goosebumps on Finn's skin. Leo's hands fluttered up to Finn's face, wanting to touch but not daring for the question yet unspoken. The condensating humid air left droplets of water running like sweetwater tears down both their cheeks.

"Baby," Finn whispered again, "ask me."

Leo's whole body trembled at the endearment and his hand finally found its place cradling Finn's jaw, so careful and reverent as if he was handling a soap bubble, expecting it to burst at any second now, but trying to keep it intact for as long as possible. That is why you don't touch those, Finn's mind supplied. You look, but you don't touch. Oh.

"Oh, Leo," Finn suddenly saw that they had both been dancing to this particular tune for much longer than he realized. That for every time he had watched Leo from a distance, Leo had been yearning for him to come closer. For every locked bathroom door, there had been a too-loud music playing from Leo's room at the same time. For every late-night mug of hot chocolate Finn had brought to the boy sitting on their little balcony gazing up at the night sky, there had been a breakfast ready for him when he stumbled from his bedroom in the morning. Leo had been right there with him, neither of them brave enough to risk popping the bubble of I wonder and maybe and find that it only held air and apologies.

He covered Leo's hand on his cheek with his own, intertwining their fingers and turning his head to press a soft kiss to his palm, eyes closed for a long while, just holding this precious moment in his heart, writing it into his memories. This was the very edge of a waterfall and they were holding hands, ready to jump, high on the possibility of flight and aware of the inevitability of falling.

He heard Leo suck in a breath and felt his fingers twitch in his hold. Willing every ounce of the bravery he felt all the way to his bone marrow to pour into Leo through their joined hands, he kept his eyes closed and waited.

With the white noise of water still beating down around them and the sense of sight temporarily surrendered, he clung to Leo's pulse under his fingertips driving his own beating heart, anchoring him to the simple, undeniable fact that he wanted this with all his being. He felt the soft exhale that carried Leo's words before he heard them, his voice being the clearest sound of them all.

"Finn-- will you have me?"

Finn's yes was already on the way to meet the question the second it left Leo's lips, an affirmation of every cell in his body straining in Leo's direction.

"Yes, baby, yes, yes --if you'll have me."

He opened his eyes and was met by the most radiant smile making a home on Leo's face. I'm staring at the sun, Finn thought unbidden, his own laughter bubbling from deep within his belly, as Leo closed the distance between them, bringing their lips together. By a sheer feat of heroism, Finn kept perfectly still, letting Leo come to him, so ready to be kissed, finally-- only for Leo to stop a hair's breadth away before their lips met.

You little shit, Finn thought as Leo hovered painfully close, his whole body buzzing with the need to cross that line, and I'm so in love with you which wasn't even the most surprising event of the day if he was honest with himself. One last dance, before they collected the prize, he could give him that. One last exhale before the gravitational pull inevitably led them to crash together. Only now Finn was going to win either way, on the tail end of a second that seemed to teeter on the edge of eternity.

In the end it was a tie, with both of them leaning in at the same time and slotting together seamlessly. Something inside of Finn clicked into place as he felt Leo's soft lips on his, pressing the first close-mouthed kiss into him with the weight of his whole body behind it. They swayed in their crouched position, Finn's arm shooting out to catch himself as Leo lost his balance and landed against his chest with an oomph, his knees bracketing Finn's thigh.

The skin-on-slippery-skin contact was delicious and Finn found himself wanting more, sneaking an arm around Leo's waist and pulling him even closer, causing the other boy to burst into giggles as he squirmed away from the fingers brushing over his side.

"Leo," Finn sighed as he lifted his eyes from the collarbone in his view which he was contemplating biting down onto later, "kiss me?"

A nod, another giggle and then those soft lips were back on his again. Finn tightened his arm around Leo's back in response and was rewarded by those lips parting with a moan as Leo practically straddled his thigh, his cock trapped between their bodies. Finn didn't waste the opportunity and licked into his mouth, matched with a push for every pull. Finn was dizzy with it, a low buzz getting progressively louder underneath his skin, demanding more.

"Please," he gasped out, not knowing what exactly he was asking for, only that he wanted. Each sensation was amplified by the newness of everything, a series of firsts and oh they had so many to cross off.

Leo shifted forward with purpose then, lifting up slightly and pressing his thigh into Finn's crotch and yes, Finn wanted that first too.

"Yeah?" Leo's low purr against his temple made Finn's skin break out in goosebumps, a cascade of shivers from the crown of his head all the way to his toes. Finn let his response be in kind, meeting each roll of Leo's hips with his own, bruised knees be damned.

Finn felt like melting in the overheated air, Leo's breath hitching in his ear with each insistent grind of their hips, the steam rising from the hot water swirling around them. Leo's hands were warm, slipping for purchase on the wet skin of his chest, traveling upwards and finally landing in his hair on the nape of his neck.

But nothing burned as much as the spark at his center, feeding off their closeness and eagerness, roaring into a blaze with a particularly delicious slide of their bodies. Gasps were chased by groans, half-formed words followed by unbidden pleas as they drove each other closer to the edge.

The fingers in Finn's hair tightened and pulled, tilting his head up and then Leo was watching him attentively, with so much emotion and desire in his eyes that it stole Finn's breath. It felt like when he would miss a step and just barely caught himself before falling, elation mixed with terror, only now he was unable to stop the inevitable fall. He hoped Leo would be there to catch him.

As if he could read his thoughts, Leo licked his lips and the word that he offered next was like gasoline to Finn's fire. "Come."

He felt the blaze at his core erupt at the command and consume him wholly in a blinding flash of bliss, dripping like melted lava between them. Leo held him through it, eyes never leaving his face, even when his own orgasm took him half by surprise, Finn's name leaving him on the end of a cry.

They clutched at each other and Finn lost all his bearings for the endless moment it took him to float back into himself. He found it almost poetic, something about a phoenix metaphor nudging his thoughts in the haze that enveloped them. Remade in the arms of the boy I've been carrying a flame for.

The thought left as soon as it came, replaced by the hesitant kiss to the bridge of his nose. Another two on his eyelids, soft like butterfly wings, left and then right and he realized his eyes were closed. Then the world filtered back in an unwelcome rush of splashing water as Leo pulled back from their embrace, ripping a sound of protest from Finn's lungs. No no no don't go. Not this. Not again. Not with Leo too, please oh god.

He knew the routine by heart and this felt awfully familiar all of a sudden. Kiss, come, never speak of it out loud. His mind, ever so helpful, conjured the beloved pair of green eyes and the half-smirk tinged with sadness, the soft dark curls under an ever-present snapback. Logan.

Finn felt frozen cold all of a sudden, doubt creeping like ice over his skin and making his empty hands shake. The horrifying possibility of this being another impossible situation was like a physical weight on his shoulders, pushing his aching knees into the tiles underneath, mind spinning.

He didn't dare to look at Leo and at the same time he needed to see him, needed to know. Even if the knowledge could shatter him like a sheet of ice. Damn his tender heart, and damn his own refusal to guard it better. Damn this fucking shower, too.

The sound of falling water got louder and then Leo was in front of him again, holding one of the showerheads in his hand. Finn's shoulders were drawn up and tensing more and more with each second, his gaze fixed on the water running down the drain and his hands now clenched on top of his thighs where they fell when Leo left the circle of his arms.

Finn's next breath sounded too much like a sob and he heard an answering rush of exhale from Leo. Squeezing his eyes tightly shut again, desperate to stop the hot well of tears behind his eyelids, he waited for the words he was sure were coming, too raw and open at the moment to brace himself against the storm of emotions that gripped him, old and new. Maybe the water would hide the tears if he was lucky. Maybe he'd compose himself enough to cover the sobs tearing at his chest with a laugh when he finally managed to leave the floor and clean himself up. They were in a shower after all. Wasn't he lucky.

He heard shuffling, and a thud of what was probably Leo setting the showerhead down on the floor as he crouched in front of him again. Finn's vision was blurry when he gathered the courage to lift his head and open his eyes again, but he could make out the worried expression on Leo's face, eyebrows drawn together and eyes wide, taking in Finn's state. He opened his mouth to speak and Finn gritted his teeth in a last effort to hold himself together, expecting to know the words already, words that would find every soft part of his bruised heart and hurt it anew.

"Sweetheart," Leo murmured instead, "what's wrong?"

“Wha--?" Finn couldn't comprehend the softly spoken words, Leo's concern a stark contrast to the expectation of rejection still tearing at his insides, making his head spin and Leo's voice sound far away against the hurricane of emotions roaring in his chest.

"Harz," Leo tried again, "you have to breathe. What can I--" His hands came up of their own accord, reaching for Finn but not daring to close the distance all the way. "Can I touch you?"

Finn swallowed, his throat clogged with the bitter taste of the desperate, familiar plea to please stay please talk to me that he was so used to forcing back down every time. Every time with Logan. This was not Logan. This was not Logan and it broke Finn's heart in a new way. He loved Logan. He was falling in love with Leo. He was dying here, naked and kneeling on the floor of this fucking shower and wasn't that poetic. What am I even doing?

"You're hyperventilating and making me really worried, please tell me what to do." Leo was still reaching for him, watching him intently and biting his lip, waiting for his response. Finn realized he must have said that last part out loud.

He forced his clenched hands to relax, feeling the sting of the indents his nails must have left in his palms. Lifting his arm felt like an impossible task, his body tense and aching, all his muscles protesting at being forced into the uncomfortable position and frozen in panic for too long, fine tremors running down his back and a dull ache spreading from his knees. His fingers wrapped around Leo's wrist, his grasp too weak for how much he needed the contact, and then Leo was there, gathering him in his arms and tucking his head under his chin, talking softly against his temple.

"You're okay. We're okay. I promise. I don't know what happened and you don't have to tell me, but I've got you. I'm here. I'm not going anywhere. We'll stay here as long as you need. When you're ready, I'll help you up and we'll shower, and then we'll go to my room and cuddle up under a mountain of blankets. You can have my hoodie, the one that keeps ending up in your room, I packed it as an extra, you're in luck today, huh? There is a tea in the kitchen I think you'll like, but we don't have to make it if you'd rather just go to bed right away. We have time for everything."

Leo was rambling, the cadence of his voice grounding Finn and bringing him back to here and now, his heart not trying to beat out of his chest as much anymore. Leo was holding him close, was staying, was talking to him and Finn's next exhale was an echo of a question.

"What was that, sweetheart?"

Finn wasn't sure what sound he made that caused Leo to prompt him to talk; he wasn't even sure what he was asking, but getting an answer was suddenly the most important thing in the world. However, trying to order his still racing thoughts felt like a Sisyphean task just then, so he focused on the sensations first.

The dampness of Leo's skin where his neck met his shoulder and where Finn's head currently rested, hiding his face from the glaring lights for a little bit longer. The unyielding strength of Leo's embrace, both arms wound around him like a safety net. The ache radiating from his joints and the answering pain stabbing just below his ribs with every breath, an adamant reminder of all that transpired just minutes prior - the astounding and the awful. The undeniable fact that Leo was still there and willing to listen which led Finn to hope he would also be willing to talk.

There was no changing what had already happened, but Finn could learn from his past regrets and write a different story this time. He felt the slowly returning clarity of his resolve like a solid ground beneath his feet, trusting himself to stand under his own power again. The lump in his throat gave way to a question that had been growing like a vine around his spine, straining towards the light. Towards the sun.

In a flash, Finn remembered Leo's blinding smile when they both finally gave voice to their desire. He needed that voice to banish the darkness now, and the only way to do that was to speak it.

"Leo, you--" the words came out as little more than a croak, and he cleared his throat in order to be heard. He needed to be heard. "You want me? Like, all of me? After this?"

Leo tightened his arms in answer and his voice was firm but gentle when he replied immediately, like he didn't have to think about it for even a second, because "I've wanted you for months, mon dieu, you have no idea, do you? I want it all with you. This, yes, and that from before, too, and also all that will come after. I like you Harzy, so much, merde, I'm half in love with you already."

Finn was tempted to pinch himself just to make sure he heard right. Leo laughed into his hair, breathless like he couldn't believe it himself, and then he took a breath to continue, now in a hushed tone, as if the next words out of his mouth would shatter at impact otherwise.

"I really really hope you want all of me too."

Finn almost dislodged their hold onto each other as he nodded vigorously, unable to form words but desperate to make sure Leo understood that yes, he wanted this too.

Lifting his head, he reached up blindly, his hand landing on the side of Leo's neck and then he was pulling him in for a sloppy kiss that was more laughing into each other's mouth than anything else, relief pouring off both of them in waves. Finn was dizzy with it and he never wanted it to end.

His body had a different idea though, the rollercoaster of emotions leaving him exhausted and shaky as he tried to support his own weight, Leo pulling him up and towards the still running shower, walking backwards and pressing quick kisses to his lips every two steps.

"Let's clean up and then we can lie down, hm? Sounds good?"

Finn went where he was led in a trance, his eyes following Leo's every move and cataloguing everything anew, like the delicate curve of the shell of his ear and the curl of the blond hair dark with water sticking to his temple. He felt so overjoyed he was almost numb with it. A part of him was still terrified that if he leaned into it too much, it would burst like those soap bubbles and he'll be by himself again, hollow chest and empty hands.

"Fish, hey," Leo's face filled his vision and there was a warm fluffy towel being wrapped around his shoulders, and another one around his waist, "do you want to eat something? I really think you should eat something. Come on, let's get dressed and then I'll make us something."

Leo started towards the bathroom door, one hand intertwined with his and a sudden impulse made Finn pull on that hand and reel Leo back in, their chests bumping and a surprised smile blooming on his face.

"What--?"

"Tell me again," Finn whispered into the space between them. The surprise was replaced with understanding and Leo freed his hand to cradle Finn's face in both his palms, large and warm and safe.

"I want you, Finn O'Hara. I'll want you after we eat, too. Come on."

Leo really did pack the hoodie that Finn would steal from the dryer and then deny the knowledge of when Leo couldn't find it. It was soft from wear and wash, the hem falling past his hips and the sleeves too long, going past his fingertips. Finn used to wish it smelled like Leo, too, but he had to contend himself with the clean scent of freshly washed laundry. The risk of getting caught stealing it from Leo's room was just too much.

Now he was handed that same hoodie and when he pulled it on, Leo was watching him with a soft smile.

"It suits you."

"I'm sorry for stealing it. I just-- I don't know. Wanted to have something of yours, I guess."

Leo shook his head, plucking at the frayed strings hanging from the collar and leaning closer, nudging their noses together.

"It's okay. You can steal it anytime, okay? Now, you stay here and I'll be back in a minute."

A kiss, a rustle of sheets and Leo was gone, replaced by the sound of his steps on the stairs and then the clatter of cabinet doors opening and closing in the kitchen.

Finn clamped down on the feeling of panic beginning to rise to the surface again, trying to unmoor him as soon as Leo wasn't near and anchoring him anymore with his sure hands and quiet confidence. Finn decided there and then to believe him, so tired of being thrown around at the mercy of the hurricane that was always raging in his hopeful heart, always ready to throw him for a spin and the most inopportune moments. (And it had a name, too, a cry against the howling winds, Logan, Logan.) Here was an offering of a safe harbor and he was accepting it.

He hadn't heard Leo come up the stairs again, and the creak of the door startled him from his reverie. Leo padded to the bed and set a tray with two steaming mugs and a plate of sandwiches onto the bedside table.

He then sat on the bed cross-legged, facing Finn and regarded him for a moment, his gaze contemplative, like he was debating something with himself. Seemingly coming to a conclusion, he nodded to himself and let a slow breath out through his nose.

"Finn, I'm gonna ask you something and I want you to know that whatever you reply, it won't change my answer, or my feelings toward you, okay?"

He waited for Finn to indicate that he understood, and when he got the hesitant nod, he continued. "What's the story with you and Logan? I heard you say his name just now. I've noticed you two, the looks you give each other. I also know you were at Harvard together. And after what happened in the shower after we... I'd just like to know what to expect."

Finn felt his empty stomach lurch and swallowed the faint nausea starting to creep up his throat. He never talked about Logan to anyone. Logan never wanted to talk, never wanted anyone to know. What was their story? It came down to the single, painful truth of it all.

"I love him."

Finn heard his own voice ring in the silence of the bedroom like a gunshot at an execution. He's been dying from the wound for eight years and his heart wasn't close to running out of blood anytime soon. He wasn't sure if he'd ever said it out loud before though and saying it now made him brave.

He saw Leo blink once, twice, and before he could say something, Finn rushed in with a confession in a steady voice that surprised even himself.

"I meant all of what I said, what I did earlier. I don't know how this can even happen, but I do want you. I think I've been falling in love with you since the day you stood on my doorstep introducing yourself and didn't know what to do with your hands. I want you, Leo. And-- I want him, too. Logan. But he doesn't--"

Finn had to pause, drawing in a shuddering breath, the enormity of the yet unspoken words compressing his ribs and making it difficult to fill his lungs. Leo was looking at him with sad eyes and nodding, wordlessly encouraging him to keep going. Still there. Still listening. Not leaving. You miracle, Finn thought. How are you real?

He plowed on with determination now, committed to get it all out and do it right. "We were both so scared of what it meant. Of people finding out. Never really talked about it. And when I tried to, he just-- I can't lose him and if that means loving him from a distance, I'm okay with that."

"You're obviously not okay with that," Leo jumped in, not able to stop himself from speaking and immediately recoiling when he realized what he said. "Merde, sorry, that wasn't-- that didn't come out right. Sorry."

He placed his hands on top of the blanket between them, palms upwards in a silent invitation and Finn complied eagerly, craving the contact. Eyes fixed on their joined hands, he nodded.

"You're right. I'm not okay but I don't have any other option. And this is not going away. Are you sure you're okay with that? Isn't that too weird?"

Leo hummed and ducked his head to meet his eyes, still cast downwards as he waited for the verdict. "What if I told you that I understand?"

That was not what he expected, and he looked up at Leo sharply, eyebrows furrowed.

"What if I told you I liked Logan, too? And that-- he almost kissed me not that long ago? Still too weird?"

Finn gaped at Leo's admission, seeing his own apprehension mirrored in the boy in front of him and not knowing what to do about it in the moment.

He took stock of his heart and his head then and found nothing but a golden joy slowly spreading and filling his veins, all the way to the tiniest capillaries that until then housed the tar-like fear of all his what-ifs.

He wasn't scared now. He wasn't jealous either and there was a thought he'd contemplate later. Right now he was holding hands with Leo and talking about Logan and for once, it didn't hurt. It felt like a new chapter. He wanted to write a different story, after all. Only this one wouldn't end with a kiss; it would start with one.

"How are you real?" he gasped out, incredulous, pulling Leo close by his shoulders and kissing him deeply, pouring all that golden joy into the kiss in hope that it would speak for him, that Leo could taste it on his lips.

They didn't talk anymore that night, except to hand out mugs of tea and share sandwiches and pick sides on the bed. Finn was bone tired by the time their kisses grew sleepy and the soft regular puffs of Leo's breath against the hollow of his throat lulled him to sleep too, their legs tangled together.

He breathed in the scent of Leo's freshly washed hair, hearing his voice in his mind, honey and milk and I want you, Finn O'Hara replaying in a loop as he was pulled under, the hurricane quieted for now into soft waves rocking him gently, ocean blue and deep sea green and full of promise.

FIN

#and there was only one shower #lumosinlove #inspired by Coast To Coast and Sweather Weather #LionFish #Finn O'Hara #Leo Knut #fanfic #Coast to Coast fanfic

94 notes · View notes

cali-holland · 4 years ago

Text

Priceless- Tom Holland One Shot

Pairing: Tom Holland X Reader

Prompt: You’ve never liked people spending money on you or being at large parties, but Tom seems to forget that as he goes a bit overboard when celebrating your birthday.

Word Count: 3100

Warnings: swearing, mentions of alcohol

Masterlist Tom Holland Masterlist

*Gif is not mine*

A/N: I wrote this weeks ago and forgot to post it, my bad if it’s shit- it’s unedited; also I have no clue how much student loans are in the uk or if they even exist so i made it based off the us average and i’ll just stop rambling now oops

~~~

“Tom, this place is really nice.” You breathed out in awe of the dimly lit, but extravagant restaurant. While you felt almost embarrassed by your simple little black dress and non-designer shoes, your hands began to shake a little, thinking about how expensive this dinner must be.

“Anything for my special birthday girl.” Tom beamed, pulling out your chair for you to sit down.

“I wish you would’ve told me we were coming here. I would’ve dressed better.” You said quietly as you sat down in the chair, eyeing the women in fancy dresses at the tables surrounding you two.

“What are you talking about? You’re the best dressed person here.” He sat down across from you, adjusting his tux as he did so, and a sharply dressed waiter came up to the table, offering you two champagne immediately. Before you could kindly decline the offer, Tom insisted on the drinks.

“We’re celebrating tonight.” Tom stated, holding up his champagne flute out to you once the waiter had left. “To the best day of the year: happy birthday, Y/N.”

“Thank you.” You smiled, clinking your own glass against his before drinking the expensive liquid.

Being with Tom for the past two years, you were used to the sweet date nights and the amazing birthday gifts; today was just different though. He’d never taken you to such an expensive restaurant before, not one that is so pricey that they don’t even bother to add prices on the menu (which upset you because you couldn’t even choose the cheapest option). You loved your boyfriend very much and you were appreciative of all the romantic dates he took you on and of the incredible gifts he’d give you, but sometimes it concerned you how he’d so willingly spend his money on you. He’d give you a million dollars if you asked for it, no matter what day it was. That is exactly why he didn’t know about your student loans or any of your past due bills- you were a staunch believer in making your way on your own, and that meant not using your boyfriend’s seemingly endless cash flow to help yourself out.

Tom knew you weren’t a fan of him spending money on you, and he also knew you weren’t one for big parties or celebrating your birthday. The diamond necklace that sat on your neck from your last birthday was proof enough of how Tom used your birthday especially as an excuse to give you more expensive things.

“You know I’m paying you back for this, right?” You said as you looked over the menu. Tom laughed, shaking his head.

“You’re not paying for your birthday dinner.” He replied, taking your free hand and holding it in his.

“I’d let you pay for the full meal if we were at McDonald’s, not at some 5-star restaurant.” You stated.

“I think it’s only 4-star.” He joked, but his smile dropped when he saw your frown. Tom lightly squeezed your hand in his. “Let me spoil you tonight, please? Just for tonight.”

“You’re unbelievable, Holland.” You rolled your eyes at him, but still cracked a smile, your thumb gently tracing against the back of his hand.

“I love you, Y/N, but I’m paying for tonight.”

“I love you, too.” You smiled, and he leaned over the table to kiss you.

After a rather delicious five-course meal, you and Tom got into the car, and he took off his suit jacket. While he removed his tie, you took the opportunity to look at the dinner receipt from his jacket pocket.

“Wait, stop!” He reached to take it out of your hands, but it was too late because you had already seen the receipt.

“£400? Are you crazy?” You exclaimed, blinking to make sure you’d read the receipt right- that wasn’t even including his very generous tip (which you weren’t going to complain about that bit).

“Was it not a good meal?” Tom questioned, taking the receipt back from you and putting in his pants pocket this time.

“It was the best food I’ve ever had. I just wish you wouldn’t spend so much on me.” As he pulled out of the parking lot, you took out your phone, pulling up Venmo.

“No, you’re not allowed to pay me back.”

“Well, I said you weren’t allowed to spend that much money on me.”

“It’s your birthday, please let me spoil you a little.” Stopped at a red light, he turned to you and pouted. You sighed, locking your phone.

“For your birthday, I’m taking you to a ridiculously expensive restaurant too.” You pressed a kiss to his cheek before the light turned green and he had to start driving again. It took you a minute before you realized he was going in the wrong direction of your flat. “Where are we going?”

“I thought we could go for some drinks before going home.” Tom suggested, but something about his smile made you think it wasn’t a spontaneous thought.

“Yeah, why not?” You replied, not seeing the harm in just going with him. It’s not like you had a choice since he was already driving there anyway. You really just wanted to go home and have a nice night with him, but he was excited about whatever surprise he had planned for you and you weren’t going to ruin that for him- you already felt guilty enough about the dinner (although you did actually really enjoy it, all expenses aside).

“What are you up to?” You asked as he parked the car in front of a strange building. It was too dark for you to even try to guess what it was.

“Come on, love, you’ll see.” He smiled, getting out of the car and hurrying to open your door before you had the chance to. He held your hand, walking you up some sketchy looking stairs. It wasn’t until you got to the roof of the two story building that you really got confused. It was far too dark for you to decipher what was going on.

“Happy birthday!” A large crowd of people shouted, the lights kicking on to illuminate the roof. You smiled, speechless, seeing all the people cheering for your arrival. You weren’t even sure that you recognized a good amount of them.

“Happy birthday, darling.” Tom grinned, wrapping his arms around you. He gently kissed the top of your head, proud of his work.

“Wow, thank you.” You told him, sounding effortlessly enthusiastic about the party. Music started playing from the large speakers, and people started dancing along to the beat, getting back to their own conversations.

“Follow me.” Your boyfriend tugged on your hand, dragging you through the crowd to the far corner of the room, where a birthday cake was sitting in the middle of a large table. The cake itself was the size of a small table; in fact, you were sure it wouldn’t be able to fit on your own kitchen table. It was the most beautiful birthday cake you had ever seen for yourself. Covered in white frosting, it had your favorite flowers and lace all around it with “Happy Birthday, Y/N” written in your favorite color across the middle.

“Do you like it? I got it from the nicest bakery in town. My mum helped me with designing it, and I know we already had dessert at the restaurant, but you can’t have a birthday party without-” You cut off Tom’s nervous rambling by kissing him softly.

“It’s beautiful. Thank you.” You reassured him, giving him another kiss to calm his nerves and to calm yours as well. You already knew how expensive dinner was, and something told you this party and that cake definitely wasn’t on the inexpensive side of things. His heart was in the right place, but it was just too much for you. Needing another distraction, you spoke up again, “Drinks?”

“Right this way.” He led you over to the rooftop bar, ordering you both a couple cocktails. As the bartender worked on the drinks, Tom got a call and stepped out to the stairs for some privacy.

“If you’re the birthday girl, why are you looking so down?” The bartender asked you, a kind smile on her face.

“Is it wrong of me to say I’m not into big parties like this?” You replied with a small laugh, “I’m grateful for it, but it’s not my scene.”

“So I’ll make this extra strong for you.” She joked, but still had a heavy hand as she poured tequila into the mixture, “You know, you’ve got a pretty remarkable boyfriend there. I’ve worked here a long time and no one’s ever rented this whole place out.”

“I’m sorry?” You questioned, not sure what she meant.

“This is a rooftop bar. We don’t do individual birthday parties, but,” She trailed off whistling, “When someone offers up that much and they’re a celebrity, can’t exactly say no.”

She laughed and slid your finished cocktail over to you. You knew she meant nothing bad by her words, and yet you still felt your gut twist as you looked around the party at everyone socializing. It was a sweet gesture, yes, but did Tom really have to dent his wallet for it? With how much he was spending for today, you knew it had to have some effect on his wallet.

Just before you could take a sip from the cocktail, your phone dinged. You looked at it in confusion as a notification came through from your bank account app: “new transfer pending”. Your heart started to race, thinking someone was somehow scamming your money, but when you looked, you saw a ridiculous amount of money being transferred into your account with the memo: “happy birthday, darling”.

You shot up from your seat at the bar and marched off to find Tom. He was still at the stairs, having just gotten off the phone with a small smile on his face. He must not have processed the angry look on your face as he started, “Your birthday gift still isn’t here. I’m sorry, I really wanted it to arrive by today.”

There was a lace of sadness in his voice, clearly disappointed, but you couldn’t focus on that. Instead, you held up your phone, displaying the new transfer on your bank account. “What the hell is this?”

“That’s for your student loans.” Tom said, the happy smile returning to his face. “I don’t know how much you owe because you won’t tell me, so I just kind of guessed.”

“Tom, you can’t just give me 15,000 pounds!” You exclaimed in frustration.

“Is that not enough? I can-” He started, reaching to take out his phone again.

“No.” Tom paused at your harsh tone, “Stop giving me money. It’s suffocating me. The world already thinks I’m a golddigger just because I’m dating you and they know I can’t afford diamond necklaces.” You pointed to the shiny piece on your neck. “I know your heart’s in the right place, but I can’t keep feeling like this, like I’m your charity case first and your girlfriend second. I want to be with Tom Holland, the dorky boy from Kingston that I fell in love with, not Tom Holland, the celebrity that just flaunts his wealth every chance he gets. If you want to make me happy and make me feel special on my birthday, make me a cake yourself or something; I’d much rather have something priceless with sentimental value than have something expensive that you bought just because you could.”

It was Tom’s turn to be speechless now, completely taken aback by your words. You sighed lightly, stepping forward to give him a quick kiss.

“Thank you for tonight, but I think I’m just going to go home.” You left down the stairs quickly, calling for a cab as you did so, leaving Tom abandoned at your own birthday party as he tried to process how his genuine actions backfired so much.

You didn’t sleep well that night, too caught up in knowing you’ll have to talk to Tom about all this eventually. It wasn’t something that you wanted to break up with him over, unless it got too out of hand, like if another 15,000 pounds suddenly appeared in your bank account. As much as you needed the money and appreciated the thought, you couldn’t accept it. You loved Tom because he was so considerate and thoughtful, and you knew he was only doing this because of that loving personality of his.

It wasn’t until later that night that you started to grow worried about your relationship. Normally, if you two ever fought (which only really happened once and for some reason neither of you remembered now), it would take only a couple hours before one of you apologized, and it had been hours since you left Tom, hours since you last heard from him. You had texted him last night to let him know you got home alright, to which he replied later that he was also home, but there was no “we need to talk” text or call.

Just as you were about to go lose yourself in a pint of self-pitying ice cream, you heard a knock at the door. You were expecting Tom on the other side when you opened the door, but you weren’t expecting him to be holding a covered platter and a gift bag.

“Is it too late to celebrate your birthday properly?” Tom asked, hopefully. You smiled, stepping out of your apartment to give him a kiss.

“Come on in.” You replied softly. You opened the door further for him to step inside beside you. He placed the gift bag and the platter down on the coffee table in front of your couch.

“I’m sorry for last night. I overdid it. I just wanted you to feel special.” He said, sitting down on the couch and you sat down beside him.

“I don’t need a fancy dinner or a big party to make me feel special. You make me feel special whenever I’m with you.” You reassured him, and he picked up the platter, shakily handing it to you.

“I can’t promise it’ll be any good, but I tried.” Tom admitted sheepishly as you unwrapped the aluminum foil around the platter. You smiled in awe, looking at the two layer round chocolate cake on the glass platter, which you now recognized as Nikki’s. It was the exact opposite of the cake from last night- a messy frosting job with no flowers, lace, or letters. You could even see the cake sticking out from under the frosting when it was spread too thin.

“You- you baked me a cake?” You asked, looking over at him. You felt tears prick at your eyes and Tom let out a nervous laugh.

“You’re not supposed to cry. Does it look that bad?” There was a sense of worry in his voice, but he felt relieved as you leaned over to kiss him.

“It’s perfect. Thank you.” You set the cake aside to come back to it later.

“I didn’t make the frosting though. I tried, but it was too runny.” He stated, making you giggle.

“That’s when you add more powdered sugar.” You explained and he handed you the gift bag next. “Is this what was supposed to be here by yesterday?”

“Yes. It arrived this afternoon. There’s actually two things in there.” He replied, a smile playing on his face while he wrapped an arm around your waist. You reached your hand into the bag and felt around. You didn’t need to fully unwrap the tissue paper to know it was a jewelry box, your eyes subconsciously widened at the feeling.

“It’s not what you think it is.” Tom laughed, knowing you’d think it was a ring.

“Not like we don’t know my answer to that.” You teased as you took out the gift. You opened the small black box to see a thin silver necklace of your birthstone resting against the velvet backdrop.

“Now, if you don’t want it because of last night, I- I can take it back.” He offered, scratching the back of his neck. “I know you don’t want me spending excessively, but I saw this weeks ago-”

“Tom, I love it.” You gently took it out of the box, handing it to him so that he could put it on you.

“Okay, so the last one,” He started nervously, before rambling, “I’ve been working on it for a couple weeks, I just needed the one last thing to actually finish it though, so I couldn’t really do it until today. I can always fix it if it doesn’t look right. And, yeah, just open it.”

“Well, now, I’m intrigued.” You laughed, slowly pulling the last gift from the bag. Tom tensed beside you, but you were far too overwhelmed, holding back tears, as you looked over the blue photo album. You turned through the pages, taking in each photograph he had put in it, reading each comment he’d written under it. It was like a story of your relationship over the years, and there was still plenty of room left in the back of the book for the future.

“See, the book was late, and that kind of set me back. I didn’t mean to ignore you today, but between the book and the cake, I was preoccupied.” He laughed lightly.

“You’re by far the best boyfriend ever. I love you so much.” You turned to him, letting a few tears escape. He wiped them away, cupping your cheek and kissing you.

“Happy belated birthday, darling.” He told you softly once he’d pulled away. You quickly got up to grab a couple forks from your kitchen before sitting on his lap on the couch. You balanced the photo album in your lap, so you could continue to go through it, while Tom held the cake platter.

“Let’s see how good this cake is.” You teased, clinking your forkful of chocolate cake against his. Tom watched as you ate your forkful first. The sweet chocolatey taste you were expecting wasn’t there; instead it tasted bitter and almost like bananas. You swallowed it and smiled, trying to play it off, but Tom could tell.

“It’s shit, isn’t it?” He asked, putting a forkful in his mouth before you could respond. He groaned at the horrible taste.

“Did you store it next to bananas?” You laughed.

“Only for like a hour!” He defended.

“I think you put too much baking powder in here. It shouldn’t be that bitter.”

Tom sighed, setting the platter down on the table. You smiled at him, still laughing a little at the cake, “You tried, and I love you for that.”

“I love you too.”

~~~

Tag List: @viagracex @theamazingtomholland @harrisonosterfieldhazmyheart @joyleenl @t-o-m-holland @lonikje @sleepybesson @sunkisseddreamer @hollandsamor

Tom Tag List:@quaksonhehe @tomkindholland

#tom holland #tom holland fanfic #tom holland one shot #tom holland imagine #tom holland x reader #tom holland x you #tom holland x y/n #tom holland fic

351 notes · View notes

veggietales-shitposts · 4 years ago

Text

documenting Larry and Archibald’s relationship in every episode (1990′s)

Episode 1: “Where’s God When I’m S-Scared” (1993) - in the first-ever Silly Songs with Larry, Archibald interrupts Larry’s water buffalo song because it’s “too silly” and gets very passionate and up in his face about it. imo I think Archibald just can’t handle his feelings for this silly little cucumber and that’s his way of dealing with it.

- Larry and Archibald star alongside each other in Daniel and the Lion’s Den, where Larry plays Daniel and Archibald plays King Darius. King Darius is very fond of Daniel and proudly promotes him to be his husband second in command. King Daniel also expresses deep concern for Daniel after he is thrown into the lion’s den. I know they are both playing roles here but I don’t think the acting was that hard imo I really think this was the beginning of their relationship.

Episode 2: “God Wants Me to Forgive Them” (1994) - this episode was kinda bad and really hard to watch but here we go - Bob and Larry recall that one summer (many years ago, clearly before the first episode took place) when they owned a boat and gave people tours. Archibald (who was apparently a millionaire) was on the tour along with his wife (we’ll talk about that later). Larry crashes the boat because he’s gay and can’t drive and Archibald’s wife complains that it ruined their vacation (possibly honeymoon??). Everyone eventually forgives Larry, and Archibald is the first to claim “we still like you Larry”. - I’m pretty sure Archibald and his wife are now divorced because we never really see her in any other episodes. I think that’s also why Archibald is no longer a millionaire.

Episode 3: “Are You My Neighbor?” (1995) - In The Story of Flibber-o-loo, Larry gets shoved into the sand by the scallions. The mayor (Archibald) walks by with the doctor (Archibald’s ex-wife) and instead of stopping to help Larry they SING AND DANCE WITH EACH OTHER!? the drama!!! - this whole episode just really drives home the point of “God made everyone special” and “love your neighbor, even if they are different” so uh. yeah there’s that

Episode 4: “Rack, Shack, & Benny” (1995) - Archibald is not in this one but Larry is very silly and gay and it’s a great episode just in general

Episode 5: “Dave and the Giant Pickle” (1996) - In Silly Songs with Larry, Archibald plays the role of Larry’s therapist while Larry sings about his lips

Episode 6: “The Toy that Saved Christmas” (1996) - cute Christmas episode but nothing gay happens, moving on

Episode 7: “Silly Sing-Along” (1997) - just a sing-along of all the songs that have happened in episodes up to this point. while we don’t really establish any new relationships here I have a feeling it might set the stage for episode 11 (we’ll talk about that later)

Episode 8: “Larryboy! & the Fib from Outer Space!” (1997) - this is the first time we see Archibald playing the role of Larry’s butler, Alfred, but it’s never really established why Larry even has a butler in the first place. I mean is Larry even rich? I think it makes sense for Larryboy to have a behind-the-scenes assistant when he’s being a superhero, but a full-time, live-in butler? Personally I think it’s just a cover up for the fact that they are literally just living together. There is even a scene where Larry and Alfred are sitting next to each other on the couch playing Candy Land. Who plays board games with their butler? While sitting next to them? On the couch? - Alfred and Larry share their first fight as a couple in this episode, when Larry is supposed to be out looking for space aliens and he can’t find any and wants to give up and come home. Alfred insists there are aliens and Larry must keep looking to protect Bumblyburg, but Larry doesn’t listen and comes home - Of course the aliens attack, so Larry goes out to fight the alien only to find that Alfred has tricked out his ride “in his spare time” (a labor of love) - Alfred accidentally pulls the plug out of his computer, cutting off communication between him and Larry right before Larry is about to be eaten by the alien. Alfred becomes very emotional, screaming at his computer to reboot, but the information loads just in time to save Larry

Episode 9: “Josh and the Big Wall!” (1997) - Archibald once again interrupts Silly Songs with Larry, this time to criticize Larry’s cebu song because apparently a good old fashioned projector slideshow is not enough of a “multimedia event”. Larry is used to Archibald’s antics at this point because they live together now, ignores his interrogations, and continues the show. - Larry plays the role of Josh, and Archibald plays a commander of the Lord’s army who appears to Josh in the middle of the night. Josh falls facedown in front of the angel. There are definitely some...expressions exchanged here I mean wow like I know they are supposed to be acting in this one but again I think some of those expressions were genuine - my headcannon for this episode is also that it was performed/filmed “live.” In the beginning of the episode, Junior Asparagus helps Bob introduce the show because Larry was “tired” from the last show and they were letting him sleep in. But instead of saying “roll film,” Bob tells Junior to close his eyes and use his imagination and I think this is when they bring in the set and perform it like a play. So the expressions exchanged between Larry and Archibald are seen in real time, and Larry’s reaction to Archibald is genuine because he is actually seeing him dressed in armor, literally shining from the stage lighting instead of a special effect being added later for video. I also like to imagine that they didn’t have a dress rehearsal so they were both seeing each other in full costume/lighting for the first time.

Episode 10: “Madame Blueberry” (1998) - oh shit y’all, this is where it happens! SILLY SONGS WITH LARRY IS CANCELLED!! I am so glad I watched every episode in order because the tension, the DRAMA, everything leading up to this moment!!! - Larry is literally all dressed up, set ready and everything when Archibald interrupts his segment, letting him know *in front of everyone* that it has been cancelled, in part due to what happened last time. Archibald even leaves poor Larry in a freaking bear trap for crying out loud, replacing his segment with Love Songs with Mr. Lunt which has some serious 80′s vibes

Episode 11: “Silly Sing-Along 2: The End of Silliness?” (1998) - alright here we go folks the climax of the season - the episode opens with Larry sitting at a diner during a storm, having nightmares recalling Archibald’s criticism of Larry’s cebu song and cancellation of Silly Songs with Larry. The server notices Larry crying and asks him what’s the matter. Larry replays the cebu song on the jukebox and then cries about it to the server. - Archibald enters wearing a trenchcoat that hides his face and carrying a briefcase. He is followed by his ex-wife. Archibald turns around, keeping his face hidden, and sees Larry crying but Larry does not notice him. - the server, unable to cheer Larry up, asks him again what’s wrong and Archibald finally reveals himself. Archibald and Larry share some very dramatic looks. Archibald plays the clip of him cancelling Silly Songs with Larry, followed by Love Songs with Mr. Lunt. - Archibald admits fault for Larry’s disposition while also trying to explain himself. He then reveals what’s in the briefcase: a petition from Larry’s fans to bring back Silly Songs with Larry. Archibald, overcome with feelings for Larry, hops up onto the counter to passionately declare his feelings reinstate Silly Songs with Larry. Once again the expressions exchanged between these two are just priceless.

Episode 12: “Larryboy and the Rumor Weed” (1999) - In the season finale of the millennium, Larry and Archibald are now back together, as Archibald once again plays Larryboy’s husband “live-in butler,” Alfred. But the drama is not over yet! - After Larryboy defeats a bandit, Larry invites Alfred out on a date for pizza to celebrate. Alfred says he would love to, but politely declines as he will be volunteering at the local elementary school the following morning. Larry smiles wistfully at the thought of his husband helping out at the school and they share a tender exchange of “goodnights”. - The evil rumor weed overhears this exchange and becomes jealous of their gay happiness and decides to start a rumor that Alfred is a dangerous homosexual robot - Larry and Alfred, blissfully unaware of this rumor, are seen gardening together the following morning. When they find out about the weeds (still unaware of the rumor), Alfred is very excited to help Larry because it involves gardening. You can also see some drawings of the background of their house and one of them is a rainbow. - Larryboy goes underground to fight the mother weed and loses contact with Alfred. They both freak out and Alfred goes to save his husband on his gay little European scooter. - Alfred is attacked by an angry mob because he’s a dangerous homosexual robot and seized by the rumor weed, who then turns into a flower after the townspeople decide he is not dangerous, but actually a nice man. Larryboy crawls out of the sewer and reunites with his love for all to see.

for the early 2000′s episodes click here

#gonna keep updating this as I watch all of the episodes in order #veggietales #larry the cucumber #archibald asparagus #larry x archie

40 notes · View notes

hotpinkhoshi · 5 years ago

Text

kiss it better | two

pairing: mark tuan x reader

genre: angst, smut, brother’s best friend au (sort of)

warnings: age gap (nine years), cursing, explicit sex, slow burn

summary: you were off limits for more reasons than mark could count. but everything changed for him the day you walked into his tattoo shop with those big innocent eyes and a laugh like his favorite song. he couldn’t. he wouldn’t. and yet…

a/n: hi babies, how are we all doing? life is weird right now. i hope you’re all staying healthy and sane. please take care of yourselves! regarding the chapter, thank you guys for reading the prologue and chapter one! i know it’s a more subtle and slow burn than the pact was, but TRUST ME it will allll be worth it in the end. oh, and i wanted to point out: if you were confused by chapter one, make sure you go read the prologue first! i had titled it “preview” before but honestly, it’s important that you read it before diving into the story.

✩ index here ✩

“No way! I loved that show. I was so sad when it ended,” you said, fingers ripping apart a second slice of pizza for yourself.

Mark grimaced, shaking his head. “Agh, no. The special effects were laughable.”

“Oh, so you’re one of those people?”

His deep brown eyes narrowed at you from across the restaurant booth. “What kind of people?”

You licked your lips and shrugged your shoulders. “You know… a snob.” You fought a smile.

Shaking his head at you, Mark chuckled, a low gravelly tone. “No, no. I just can’t do it. When I was in school, I wanted to work on special effects. I know it’s hard work, but I think that’s why I hate seeing people do such a half assed job.”

You raised a brow. “You wanted to do special effects?”

“Mm,” Mark replied, chewing his slice of supreme veggie pizza. “Played a lot of video games… still do, but you know, it was all I did back then. I wanted to be in the business so bad, so I thought about it. It turned me onto graphic design, which turned me onto art, which brought me here.”

You’d been at this pizza shop for nearly an hour and you hadn’t stopped talking since. It was so incredibly easy to talk to Mark, and you weren’t sure if it was because in some way, he reminded you of home. But in an unexpected way that didn’t make you sick to your stomach.

He was also far more interesting than you’d ever thought he was. You found it so impressive how he’d found his passion and fought for it, even if it meant he might fail. If there was something Mark had an excess of, it was passion. You could easily tell from just the first moment you asked him about how he’d gotten into tattooing.

“Wow,” you remarked, licking pizza sauce off of your thumb. “I never knew you were into all this stuff back then.”

“Well… when I graduated you were, what? Nine?”

You grimaced. You remembered the ungodly long graduation ceremony you’d had to sit through with your parents, all while wearing the most itchy velvet dress and tights. At the time, Taehyung had seemed like such a grown up. It was no surprise that you’d seen him as the shining Polaris to follow as you navigated through life.

“It doesn’t feel like it was that long ago,” you said, leaning your chin upon your hand. “Weird. I can’t believe you and Tae are so…”

“Old?” Mark finished for you, one brow lifted.

You bit back a smile, shaking your head. “I’d never say that…”

“It’s alright, you can say it. Every morning, I wake up and a new muscle is sore. They say your health starts declining when you’re 26, so you’re living on borrowed time.”

“Hey, I still have a few years then. Besides, you look pretty healthy to me. I mean…” Without realizing it, your eyes glanced down at his arms, the firm muscles and veins on clear display.

Maybe it was weird, ogling your brother’s best friend, when he probably saw you as his little sister. But you couldn’t help it… he’d really grown into adulthood. His face was a mixture of sharp features and round, doe eyes and full lips. It was only your body’s natural response.

“Thanks,” he replied and you noticed the tips of his ears flushing red. “Alright, are you ready to get out of here?”

You were grateful for the change in subject. You nodded, and with only a little shame didn’t even bother trying to pay for the meal. Funds were extra low now after that tattoo, and you knew there was no way Mark would even allow you to pay a dime.

Mark led you out of the pizza shop and into his car, where your natural flow of conversation continued. You learned that Mark and Dahyun had been at the tattoo shop for almost five years now, and Mark was essentially the head artist. He had worked hard to get where he was, starting as an apprentice and moving up the ladder.

It seemed as if he wasn’t the most social employee, though. He was friendly with Dahyun and the guys, but he didn’t talk about them much besides when referring to work.

As Mark pulled up to the address of the hostel you were staying in, you drew in a deep breath as you prepared yourself for another night of thumping bass and blasting machine guns.

“Thank you for tonight, Mark. I really appreciate it. And… the tattoo, obviously. I love it,” you told him, gathering up your purse as you reached for the door handle.

“This is where you’re staying?” He asked, eyebrows raised.

It wasn’t the prettiest building, no. It was sort of falling apart, but it was all cosmetic issues on the exterior. Inside, it was… acceptable. No air conditioning and the blankets sort of smelled, but it would do for now.

“Yeah,” you replied, hand hesitating on the handle. “It’s not so bad. The owner is kind of creepy, and my roommate sucks but it’s a bed. I don’t need much.”

Mark was looking at you as if he didn’t believe a word you said. You saw his jaw working as he stared at the building, then averted his eyes back to you. Slowly, he shook his head.

“You’re not staying there. Just… why don’t you come stay with me? I have a free second bedroom.”

You shook your head. “No, no. Mark, seriously. I’m fine. It’s really okay, it’s just a place to sleep,” you said, repeating the mantra you’d been repeating to yourself each day before entering the hostel. Honest to god, it sucked. But you weren’t about to mooch off of someone else - you were determined to be on your own and that meant you wouldn’t take any favors.

“Seriously, Y/N,” he started, his voice turning gravely serious. “It might be a place to sleep, but I can see the termites from here. Come stay with me.”

“Mark,” you said, voice equally serious. “It’s okay. Don’t worry about me. I’ll text you if I have any questions about the tattoo, okay?”

You reached for the door handle once more and this time, Mark just watched as you climbed out of the car, turning just before you shut the door.

“Thank you again. I mean it,” you told him, forcing a smile that you hoped looked natural.

Mark’s face was a mixture of emotions that you couldn’t quite place. He was still worried about you, but for now at least, he’d given up. He didn’t look pleased with you, either. His knuckles were white where they held the steering wheel.

He muttered a ‘you’re welcome’ before you shut the door.

Turning towards the hostel, you took a deep breath and steeled yourself for another night in hell.

-- -- -- -- --

You woke up, as usual, with sweat dripping down your neck and a kink in your lower back. You groaned, twisting your upper body in an effort to stretch as much as you could in the tiny bunk. It was a shit hole, you could at least accept that now.

The owner of the hostel had a no-closed-doors rule, which honestly, you felt was a little bit suspicious considering the fact that the bathrooms were also co-ed. But things were different in the city, you figured. Maybe privacy wasn’t such a big deal.

There were people talking loudly in the hallway, an American couple having an argument that apparently, couldn’t have been held outside or maybe a few hours later. You had to work tonight, and you’d been hoping to get eight hours of sleep for once.

Rubbing your eyes, you sat up, your head just shy of smacking into the wooden frame of the bed above you. You unplugged your phone, finding two texts from Taehyung, one from your boss, and six from Mark. You opened your brother’s first.

Taehyung [07:04am]: Y/N, it’s been a month already. Stop being a brat and go home. You’ve made your point. Taehyung [07:24am]: At least tell me where you are, please.

You sighed and ran your hand over your face, your eyes falling shut as you tried to push his words out of your mind. He didn’t get it - of course he didn’t. He’d spent his whole life as the star of the family, getting anything and everything he desired. Any dreams he had, he was encouraged to follow them, no matter how crazy they were. Why couldn’t that same kindness extend to you?

As you always did, you deleted his messages, but not without the usual tinge of guilt.

You opened your boss’ message next, which was just a photo of your next schedule. A ridiculous amount of hours, but at least you could make up for the money you’d blown on your tattoo.

Next, you opened Mark’s texts.

Mark [12:33am]: Y/N, I was serious. That place is a dump and you shouldn’t be staying there Mark [12:35am]: Just come stay with me Mark [12:40am]: Even just for a little while, a couple of weeks Mark [02:03am]: Seriously Mark [02:05am]: I can’t sleep because I’m imagining you being eaten alive by termites Mark [08:03am]: I’m outside. Call me when you wake up

You furrowed your brows, eyes flicking up to the current time. 8:07. He’d only texted you a few minutes ago, then. Hearing your roommate peacefully snoring above you, you slid out of the bed and rushed through the doorway, dodging the couple still going at it in the hallway.

Once you were in the common area, you called Mark. He picked up right away.

“Mark, why are you outside?” you asked before he even had a chance to say hello. You couldn’t quite hide the irritation in your voice.

You heard him sigh on the other end. “Are you really asking me that?”

“I told you, I’m fine.”

You felt a breeze and turned to the front desk, where the owner was standing, his eyes shamelessly roaming your frame. He had a fan pointing directly at you, causing goosebumps to form on your arms and legs. Usually, you slept in more than just a tank top and shorts, but you hadn’t been able to deal with the heat last night.

“I’m not leaving until you come with me,” Mark said.

Turning away from the owner, you walked over to the front window, one finger sliding the curtain to the side so that you could peek out. There he was, leaning against his car while he stared up at the building you were in. He looked pissed, which further annoyed you. Why did he care so much?

“I said no,” you told him, your voice as firm as you could make it. Mark rolled his eyes, a subtle smirk to the side of his lips.

“And I’m not accepting no as an answer. Just get your shit and let’s go.”

You huffed in annoyance, letting the curtain fall closed once more. “Go home, Mark. You’re not my brother.”

Mark laughed bitterly on the other end. “You’re right, I’m not. Do you want me to call him? ‘Cause I will.”

“No!” you replied quickly, squeezing your eyes shut. “Don’t call him. Please.”

You were met with silence on the other end for a long moment before Mark replied. “Either you come with me, or I call your brother and tell him you’re staying in an infested hole in the ground. It’s up to you.”

Taking in a shaky breath, you opened your eyes, running your fingers through your hair. You didn’t get why he cared so much, or why he couldn’t just leave you alone and go on with his life. “Fine. Give me twenty minutes.”

“Ten,” Mark said. “I’m hungry and I don’t feel like waiting that long.”

You rolled your eyes, not granting him a response before you disconnected the call.

Needless to say, you took your sweet time as you gathered all of your things, tossing them into your duffel bag without any sense of organization. You weren’t quiet, either, figuring it was only fair if your roommate lost a few winks of sleep after all she’d put you through.

By the time you were walking out the front door to the car, Mark’s lips were set into a deep frown, eyebrows creased as he watched you.

“Don’t look at me like that. You’re going to get wrinkles,” you told him, tossing your bag into the already opened trunk. “In fact, you probably already have some, old man.”

“The hell are you wearing?” Mark asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

You looked down at your clothes. You hadn’t taken the time to change out of your pajamas, simply because you were worried Mark would storm in if you took too long.

“It was hot last night,” you tried, tugging the hem of your tank top down. Mark scoffed and walked around to the driver’s side of the car, muttering something to himself that you couldn’t catch.

Once you slid into the passenger’s seat, Mark handed you an iced coffee. It was only slightly melted, and you had to admit, it was just what you needed.

“How did you know I’d come with you?” you asked, taking a sip while Mark turned the key in the ignition.

“What?” he asked, barely paying attention to you as he pulled out onto the street.

“You got two coffees. What if I said no?”

Mark glanced over at you, his lips pulled into a cocky smirk. “It wasn’t an option. If you said no, I was going to walk in there and make a scene until you came with me.”

It was your turn to cross your arms over your chest as you leaned back against the seat. You wanted to ask him why it mattered to him where you were staying, but at the end of the day you knew why he cared. Your mom had taken him under her wing when he was a kid, even if you were too young to remember it.

Your family had fed and clothed him when his parents were too drugged out to remember they had a child to take care of. In a way, you figured, Mark felt a duty to repay the favor somehow. Or maybe he was just a controlling asshole - you couldn’t be sure.

“I’m not a kid,” you said under your breath, leaning your head against the cold glass of the window.

Mark didn’t respond, and you had to admit you were grateful. You didn’t need one more person telling you you were too young to know what you wanted, too inexperienced to make your own decisions. That was how you’d gotten into this situation in the first place.

You finished your coffee by the time Mark pulled up to his apartment building. Compared to the hostel you’d just left, it was practically a five-star hotel. Nothing fancy, but from here you could tell all four exterior walls were in good shape and even that was an upgrade.

You got out of the car, grabbing your bag from the back seat. Just as you went to follow Mark into the building, he stopped in front of you and turned around.

“Look, I’m sorry if I was kind of an asshole. I just,” he paused to chew at his lip, scratching the back of his head. “I felt like I had a responsibility. To your family, your parents…”

Mark trailed off and you couldn’t help the guilt you felt in your stomach. You were still a child when Mark was going through the worst of it, but you’d heard enough from eavesdropping on your parents’ conversations to know they quite literally saved his life.

You swallowed, wanting to reach out, but you resisted. At the end of the day, you hardly knew him, despite the connection you felt.

“It’s okay. I appreciate that you care… I guess I was just determined to do this on my own. Without anybody’s help,” you admitted.

Mark lifted his eyes to yours. “Sometimes you need to let people help.”

Like I did. You heard it, unspoken, in his words. Maybe you could have done it on your own, but it would be a hell of a lot easier if you accepted a helping hand from Mark.

“Fine,” you breathed. “But only for a few weeks. And I’m gonna cook and clean for you to earn my keep.”

Mark laughed as you brushed past him, shaking his head at you. “You don’t have to ask me twice. How about you start with breakfast? I’m still hungry, you know.”

#mark tuan #got7 fanfic #mark tuan fanfic #mark tuan smut #mark tuan angst #mark tuan imagine #mark tuan scenario #got7 imagine #got7 scenario #got7 angst #got7 smut #got7

605 notes · View notes

youare-mysonshine · 5 years ago

Text

miss independent || oscar diaz

(gif is not mine. credit to owner💗)

Summary: Oscar has feelings for the reader meanwhile the reader has feelings for Mario. Oscar is struggling to accept that.

Requested: yes!

Pairing: Oscar Diaz x reader, Mario Martinez x reader

Warnings: a bit of angst, cursing as per usual.

Word Count: 2.3k

A/N: to whoever requested this, I hope this is what you wanted. I decided to use Mario because I just felt like he fit perfectly. Obviously this takes place during season 2 and amber isn’t a thing lmao I wrote this way before season 3 came out and I kinda just left it because I got stuck, but I’m back and I figured I’d finish it. It’s not the best but ENJOY! I’m open to doing a second part, I have been doing Oscar dirty and I am sorry lmao

__________

When Y/N and Mario had ended their relationship, there was absolutely no bad blood between them - they had been together for most of high school. They were each other’s first loves. They went through a great deal together. They essentially grew together. They had been together way too long to end on bad terms.

No, the reason that they had ended was because Mario had gone away to college and Y/N had stayed in Freeridge, having decided to take a break from school for about a year or so. It hadn’t been an easy decision, but they both ultimately agreed that they should break up - prior to him leaving for college, they had agreed that long distance would be just fine, that they’d be able to do it, but once he was gone, it was an entirely different story. They barely talked, Mario was busy with meeting knew people, going out with his new friends and focusing on school. It was something Y/N didn’t blame him for, she knew what the deal was when he went away, but still, life was getting in the way and neither of them wanted to make the other feel like they weren’t important.

Their break up had been hard but amicable. And it certainly wasn’t something that someone could just get over in a short amount of time. Neither of them knew if they’d get back together again, but the feelings were still there. Y/N was sure that they’d always be there. A connection with someone like that, it didn’t just go away. It’d stay with you, forever.

It had been a few weeks after their break up that Y/N had gone out to the liquor a few blocks away from her house to buy some snacks - call it comfort food - when a green car had slowed down across the street from her to match her pace. Inside the car, which was blasting music so loud she could almost feel the bass of it reverberate against the sidewalk, were about 4 guys. Prophets, she quickly realized, judging by amount of green they wore.

“Damn ma, what you doin’ out here alone? You lookin’ fine as fuck. Let me get that ass.” Was among one of the many things thrown her way. Being a young woman, it hadn’t been the first time that she had been cat called and it likely wouldn’t be the last, but that fact never stopped it from being creepy and making her uncomfortable, especially when it was coming from the Prophets, one of Freeridge’s known gangs. Especially given that they had been following her in their car, going as fast she was going to keep up with her.

Y/N had sped up her walking but that did nothing because they sped up too, still yelling things at her through the window. Her heart had begun racing and she could feel the cold sweat on her forehead - were they gonna follow her home? The young woman had contemplated just booking it and hoping that they’d lose interest and leave when she heard the rumble of another engine, this time heading in her direction. Up ahead she could see a familiar cherry red impala. She knew who it belonged too. Almost everybody knew who it belonged too.

Oscar had sped up just slightly when he had seen the green car, coming to a stop when he was beside Y/N, effectively blocking her from the view of the Prophet’s. Suddenly, she had gotten just that much more freaked out because she knew, everybody knew, of the tension between the two gangs, the Santos and the Prophets. She didn’t want to find herself in the middle of a shootout when all she had just wanted to do was go home and eat her damn fucking chips.

“The fuck you doin’ on this block? This is Santos territory. You punk asses know you shouldn’t be here.” She had heard Oscar say. “Get the fuck outta here. Now.” He left no room for discussion. That deathly calm, but frightening stare wasn’t something she wanted to be on the receiving end of. Across the street, she could see the Prophets in the car debating his words, contemplating on listening to the Santo and leaving or starting some shit. In the end, they decided on heeding his words and they drove off, not before throwing some comments his way, and her way.

“We’ll be seeing you, Spooky.” “Watch your back.” “We’ll be seeing you too, ma.” None of it phased Oscar, who watched as they disappeared through the side mirror of his car. Suddenly, his dark eyes were on her and she left out a tiny breath she wasn’t aware she had been holding.

“You good?” He asked, nodding his head at her. The y/h/c haired female gave a small nod, clutching at the plastic bag in her hand.

“Uh, yeah. Thanks for that. I didn’t think they were gonna leave me alone.” She admitted, sending a small smile his way. His dark eyes analyzed her for a second, and she began to grow hot under his gaze, feeling the heat creep up her neck, to her cheeks, all the way to the very tops of her ears.

“You’re Mario’s girlfriend, right?” And that sent a painful little jab to her heart, the remembrance that she and Mario were no longer a couple. Clearing her throat, Y/N shook her head.

“Uh, no. No, we broke up after he left for college. Long distance just wasn’t our thing.” She revealed. Oscar gave a slow nod at her words, letting out a little ‘hm’. She had figured the conversation was over at that point so she was about to turn away and carry on her journey home when his deep voice spoke up once more.

“You want a ride?”

Now, Y/N had been familiar with Oscar because of Mario, but they had never actually had a full blown conversation like the one they were just having. They had never been alone together, they had never spent copious amounts of time together. Oscar had gone to prison for a considerable amount of time as well. So, the fact that he had offered to give her a ride was a bit surprising to her, and she had almost declined his offer when the words of that one Prophet replayed in her mind.

“We’ll be seeing you too, ma.”

Were they lurking around a corner somewhere, waiting until she walked away from Oscar? Waiting to follow her again? Now, maybe she was being entirely paranoid but she certainly did not want to take that risk. So, giving Oscar a nod, she walked a few steps forward, pulled open the door and climbed into the passenger seat of his precious car.

That had been the start of an unlikely and very surprising friendship between Y/N and Oscar Diaz.

After that fateful day where he saved her from being harassed by Prophets, they had started hanging out more, they had become quite close. She’d spend more time at his house than her own. They’d drink cheap beer and smoke blunts and just talk about anything and everything. Dumb shit, funny shit, little shit. It was a friendship that Y/N had really grown to cherish. Hell, Oscar had even let her drive his car, and that wasn’t something he let anybody do, not even his brother.

(“You better not fucking crash my car, pendeja.” “Shut the fuck up, I’m not gonna crash shit. Relax, vato.”)

But somewhere along the line, it had changed for Oscar. Having a girl as a friend was something that he was never really used to - he hadn’t anticipated on an actual full blown friendship to form between him and Y/N but he couldn’t say that he regretted it. Y/N looked at him and saw something more than just a cholo, more than just a guy with two strikes working against him. He really did start to care about her, and he looked forward to the days where she’d go over to his house and they’d just hang out. Or the days where they’d get into his car, drive down to the beach and watch the sunset.

He had found himself wanting more than just a friendship - it was her smile, the way her smile seemed to light up the entire room. It was her eyes, the way they’d twinkle and shine so bright they could rival the stars. It was her nose, the way she’d crinkle it up every time she’d take a drink from some beer, which he’d always tease her about because she could never seem to get used to the bitter taste.

But the only issue was that she still had feelings for her ex. Oscar knew this, it wasn’t exactly as if it was a secret - Y/N openly talked about Mario with Oscar, she’d tell him how she missed him, how she often thought about them and their relationship. It was a tough pill to swallow, and it was why he had almost reconsidered inviting Mario to the Santos party, but nah, he wasn’t like that. He could be fucked up if he wanted, but Mario had always been good to him, he respected him too much to start acting like a dick.

———

Music played from the speakers that stood beside the DJ booth. People were dancing, drinking, smoking - it was a good time, everyone was having fun.

Everyone but Oscar that is.

His eyes kept drifting over toward Y/N and Mario as they sat on that worn, nasty old couch in their own little world, deep in conversation. He took notice of the way her eyes were shining bright, of that smile that never left her face. Or Mario’s face.

Y/N had arrived shortly after Mario and Ruby had and when she had caught sight of Mario, it was like she was that nervous girl going on her first date with him again. She thought that overtime her feelings for him would fade, that distance would make her move on. But it didn’t. And seeing Mario again.. she remembered just how much she truly loved him.

So, she and Mario had stuck by each other’s side throughout the entire party, talking, catching up, reminiscing about old times.

“So, you and Oscar? How’d that happen?” Mario asked her. He had been a little surprised when he found out that his ex-girlfriend had struck up a friendship with the gang leader. She had told him herself when they started talking again, and Ruby had told him that they had spent an awful amount of time together.

Y/N’s smile softened and she turned to glance over at Oscar who was having a conversation. But it was like he felt her eyes on him because he turned and looked over at her. Their eyes met and she sent him that sweet smile that had him falling for her all over again. Then she turned back to Mario.

“It was after you left, actually. I went to the store and some Prophets rolled up on me,” Mario looked concerned, his brows furrowing. “But, Oscar was riding by in his car, he saw and he helped me out. He gave me a ride home and after that, we just started seeing each other more. Hanging out. He’s cool, I like him.” She said, that smile never leaving her face.

“So, there’s nothing more going on between you two?”

“What? No! He’s my best friend!” Y/N said. “Honestly.. I.. I haven’t been with anyone since we broke up.” She admitted. “I miss you. It’s hard being without you. Oscar made it easier, but.. I still miss you. I’m glad you’re here, Mario.” She said. Her ex-boyfriend gave her a smile, that smile that had her weak in the knees.

“I missed you too, Y/N.”

Oscar knew he was probably being a cock blocker but he didn’t care. He walked over and you noticed him immediately, sending a smile his way. “Why you guys hidin’ over here? It’s a party. Little Ruby is making more friends than you two.” He nodded over to the young Martinez who was indeed having the time of his life. It was the happiest that Mario had seen his brother in a while and he was glad.

“We were just talking. Catching up. She told me how you helped her after some Prophets rolled up on her. Thank you for that.” Mario said as the two stood up off the couch. Oscar shrugged his shoulders as he looked down at the female, his eyes sparkling as he looked at her.

“It was nothing. I’d do anything for her. She knows that.”

“I do know that. And you know that I’d do anything for you too. You’re my best friend and I love you.” She said to Oscar and his heart actually sank down into his stomach.

Best friend.

That’s all he was to her. Her best friend and nothing more. She was his best friend but he wanted it to be more. But standing with her and Mario, seeing the way the two looked at each other.. he knew nothing more would ever come from it.

But at the same time… having Y/N in his life as his friend was better than not having her in his life at all. If she was with Mario, then all he could do was support her and be there for her because all he really wanted was for her to be happy. If it was Mario that made her happy then so be it. Mario was a good dude so he didn’t have to worry about him hurting her.

He had her in his life one way or another and he was just thankful for that.

#netflix on my block #on my block imagine #on my block #oscar diaz omb #oscar diaz angst #oscar diaz fluff #oscar diaz x reader #oscar diaz headcanon #oscar diaz #oscar diaz smut #oscar diaz imagine #oscar spooky diaz #spooky diaz #julio macias imagine #julio macias #mario martinez #mario martinez x reader

519 notes · View notes

everyhowlmarksthedead · 4 years ago

Text

❛ NO WITHOUT YOU ❜

First part: Don't cross the line.

with Hank ‘Tranq’ Loza.

Warnings: none.

Word count: about 1.8k

Aurora says: this writing hasn't been edited, you may find some grammar mistakes, I'm sorry about that!

Gif credits: @sonsofeorl

Masterlist.

You were happy playing that tug-of-war through the years, feeling loved, appreciated and wanted. Feeling as if you were at home whenever he managed to hug you secretly, separated from the rest, imagining that you were completely alone in the world; with no worries, no fears, no unhappiness. Just you two enjoying the closeness, your skins, your scents getting mixed, your breathings dancing with the other. Just you two, alone. But he had to make it real. To push you out from your bubble, from your comfort zone. And now you're fucked, more than ever. Maybe you're acting like a coward, after days without stepping on the clubhouse, hiding yourself from him. Avoiding and declining his calls, not texting him back. Not opening the door when he comes to your house, even if he sits to wait for you for hours. You could never have thought that loving someone could be this painful. It feels like you're drowning, like when a wave swallows you and makes you roll towards the bottom. And no matter how many efforts you use to swim to the surface, because the wave pushes you down again, when you think that you are reaching it.

Pouring some tequila inside the small shot, you drink it by one gulp, feeling the burning sensation hurting your throat. Cleaning your mouth with the back of your left hand, you have a smoke from the cigar, with your eyes fixed on the horizon. The night has fallen down, covering the desert with his darkness but slightly illuminating it by the moon shine and all the stars spread across the sky. That would be the perfect night to die for love, if it weren't for the door that gets opened and closed in almost three seconds. With your legs curled against your chest and your chin resting over them, you have another drag waiting for your tío to step out to the small garden. He has seen you acting weirdly lately, but he didn't ask. And he didn't ask anything either, when you told him that you were going to stay at his house for some days. But finding you like that changes everything. Taking off the jacket of his suit and rolling up the sleeves by his arms, the mexican sits by your side, serving himself a shot. You rest your cheek over your knees, you watch him drink it in silence.

“It's okay if you don't want to talk with your father, mija, but talk to me, sí?” Marcus pulls away a tuft of hair, behind your ear.

“I'm in love, tío”. You mumble with your lips trembling about to cry again.

“Oh, mi niña”. He says hugging you with a fleeting smile appearing on his lips, in the meantime that his arms surround your body. “And why are you sad, ah? Being in love it's something amazing”.

“Being in love is a fucking shit”. You spit full of rage, with some tears touring your cheeks.

“Why do you say that? Is it not reciprocated? That man has to be fucking crazy to not fall in love with you, mija”.

“He does, tío. He does with all his heart”. You shake your head, pulling yourself away from his arms to look at him. “But… my father would never accept it”.

“Why?”

“Because… he is a Mayan. A brother. Part of the family”.

“Tell me it's not Ang—”.

“Shit, no”. You chuckle cleaning your cry from your face.

“Don't misunderstand me, he's a good man, but… I can't imagine you together”. He replies then with a soft laugh between his teeth. “So, are you going to tell me who is the lucky one?”

You doubt. You know he's not going to judge you, but you're not sure how he is going to react. Having a long, long smoke, until it drags your throat, you let it go through your nose.

“Tranq”. You just answer in a whisper.

Marcus leans back his head some inches, assimilating what you have said. The name you have given him. He's trying to remember some moments of you two together. Ephemeral caresses, some dearly and furtive smiles, pet-names in random occasions. He is starting to spin the situations, in a silence that makes you feel uncomfortable.

“Tío, say something…”

“You just…” He tries to speak, rubbing his chin with one of his hands. “How I didn't notice it before? Since when it's happening?”

“Since we met, six years ago”.

“Damn, mija! Six years? You two have been carrying this shit for six years? Hiding it from your father?” Marcus is really surprised, but you are not because of his reaction. “But, what is the matter? Why aren't you two together?”

“Do you think that my fa—?”

“Your father only wants happiness for you, mija. If he loves you, he will understand it. We don't choose who we fall in love with, or of who not”. He tries to make you understand, gently caressing the back of your head and your hair. “You should go to the clubhouse. Talk with them. Take charge of your life, mija. And stop hiding what you feel for what people could think. Even if it's your father who you are worried for”.

“I… drank six shots, tío”.

“I can take you”. Shrugging his shoulders, he stands up over his feet offering you a hand. “Take a shower, change that… horrible pajama and get ready. I'll be waiting for you here”.

Pursing your lips, you nod getting up from the grass, shaking your clothes before coming inside the house right to your room. You try to be quick, and the cold water covering your body is very helpful. Wearing black jeans, a crop top and a pair of sneakers, grabbing your phone and the keys of the house. Drying your hair again with a towel, you go out of the dorm looking for Marcus. You're literally shaking when you put the seat belt around you, facing the fact that you are really to end with your pain. That you are going to tell your father that you are in love and that he has to accept it, as your tío said. And when the black SUV reaches the front yard, you feel that you're about to die, seeing the older men sitting there and sharing some beers. Taza, Riz, Tranq and your father are staring at the car, watching you step out of it accompanied by Marcus.

Bishop is about to get up to greet you, but your raised hand towards him stops his moves, sitting down again confused and intrigued. Rubbing your face with both hands until your skin burns a little, you try to organize the words inside your head. But as much as you think about it, it only gets worse. Licking your lips, you first focus on your father.

“Dad… I love you and I respect you more than anyone, but I have to do something that you may not like it”.

Turning some inches towards Tranq, you bow your head for a second trying to breathe before looking for his eyes.

“These days have been a fucking shit without you. I'm sorry for not calling or texting you back. For not opening my door when you came. For avoiding you at all cost. For acting like a… fucking coward. But the truth is that I can't live without you. I don't wanna live without you. Not anymore. I love you. I've been doing it since six years ago”. In your speechless you can see how your father hits Tranq's chest, tangling his fingers in the green rosary, spitting some beer on the floor. If there's a level over being ‘fucking surprised’, your father is there. Totally maddened in silence, turning his face from you to his brother, once and again.

“It was you, cabrón?” He asks with both eyes opened too much.

“Bishop, list—”. Hank is about to defend himself, when your father throws himself to the floor, kneeling and his hands tangled in a huge fist.

“¡Por el amor de Dios, gracias!” (For God's sake, thank you).

Maybe it's the effect of the six shots you drank, but you're as lost as the crew is.

“Shit… All these years thinking you were with Angel… Oh, fuck!” He yells to the air, getting up and hardly breathing with a hand on his chest. “Oh, shit, mi vida. For a second I thought you came to tell me that you're pregnant or something like that. Fuck! I was on the edge of a heart attack”.

“See? I told you”. Your tío whispers into your ear.

“Oh, man…” Your father is laughing, starting to scare you because of his excitement, until he turns around to face Tranq showing him a serious gesture. “Because you haven't gotten her pregnant, right?”

“Bishop, I haven't touch her in sex years”. He just replies, getting up from his chair and leaving away the beer.

“But, do you love her or what?”

“Yes. Of course, I do”.

“Why yo—”.

“Dad, it's okay. We just… I think we need to talk”. You mumble, keeping your hands inside the pockets of your jacket, making a gesture with your neck towards Hank to follow you.

Biting your lower lip by a side, you start to walk right to the clubhouse. The most difficult part is done, and you can't stop thinking how stupid you have been. Setting him apart just for a paranoia. Just because your father might have retaliated against him. Coming inside, you wait for Tranq to close the door.

“I'm so so—”.

You can't finish the sentence when he takes two big steps closer, holding your face into his arms to crash your lips with his. You're about to falter, feeling the tears of relief filling your closed eyes. His tongue tastes much better when it finds yours, walking backwards through the hallway to the dorms. You need it. So he does. You can't wait for much more, blinded looking for the doorknob to turn it and open the room. His hands on your ass urged you to jump onto him, surrounding his waist with both legs.

“Fuck, mi vida…” He whispers lying down on his bed. “I don't give a shit about the distance, if you have to leave again”.

His voice breaks between short kisses, going down to your neck and his hands pawing your body over the clothes.

“I'm not leaving”. You gasp softly, taking off the leather kutte to throw it somewhere on the floor.

“What?” All his moves stop dead, pulling himself away for a second to look at you.

“I came because… I have a job offer in the hospital of Santo Padre. A permanent one”.

“You're not… leaving to New York again?” Simply shaking your head, you smile gentle, intertwining a hand in his necklace to push him closer.

“I wanna stay with you”.

“Of course you're staying with me, mi amor”.

✨ Tag list:

@starrynite7114 @chibsytelford @dazzledamazon @mara-mpou @sammskellington @gemini0410 @1-800-imagines @briana-mishell24 @sassymox @aquamento @sadeyesgf @viviansafizada @samcrobae @jade770 @witchy-wish @rebel-without-cause-x @xx--day-dreamer--xx @spiced-reads @tita127 @ifoundmyhappythought @enamouravecleslivresetlechocolat @angelxshiba @destynelseclipsa @sheeshgivemeabreak @abbiesthings @knowles-morgan @lady-pswrld @minnicelli @marquelapage @bigcreatorwombatdreamer @jadesamhart @mycupoffanfiction @claytoncardenasbabymama @thesandbeneathmytoes @phoenixhalliwell @thewarriorprincessxo @sugary-x-sweet @multiyfandomgirl40 @imanerdychubbyqueen @iambabyharry @firebenderwolf @itsanofrommesir @noz4a2 @peaches007 @edonaspanca @irenne-stans @tranqs-main-mami @skyofficialxx

If you want to be tagged, send me a message!

#mayans mc x reader #mayans mc #mayans mc imagine #mayans x reader #hank tranq loza x reader #tranq loza #hank tranq loza #tranq loza x reader #tranq losa x reader

140 notes · View notes

voidcat · 4 years ago

Text

– The Old Jukebox

Characters: Bokuto Koutarou/Reader

Genre & Word Count: fluff & 1.4k

Synposis: As that time of the year rolls up, your friend makes a fuss of it again. All you want is to walk home through your favorite park as the old jukebox in the corner catches your attention and takes you to a dream of dances with a certain someone.

A/N: Happy birthday Linette!! and Happy (belated) birthday Bokuto!! I love u two<33

ps. i didnt proof read, lets hope i didnt forget any verbs<3

The day begins off rather quietly, without much of a fuss.

It’s expected, really, nothing special about it. Just like any other day, it goes on as you live it. It shouldn’t be any different just because some certain event took place on the exact same date ages ago.

Ages, you think, and try pushing back the thought. It doesn’t feel that long, neither has it been that long, certainly not filled with so much excitement, and yet using the phrase “ages” for any amount of time feels light in your head. It adds up to the dramatic effect.

So you get up, water the plants, wash your face and with a deep breath you begin your day.

As tasks move on and hours pass by, with breaks and little chit chat, tea here and there too keep you up, time rolls up to an end. Tiny greetings your way throughout the day, small smiles sent your way as well as good wishes, you cannot wait to get back home and drown in the save havens of your couch.

Before you can get the chance to pack up, your friend stands by the side and asks you out for a night. “It’ll be fun!” she says. Your vary looks tell it all and she guarantees “Not many will be there. Come on! Just a night out with friends.” A sigh of defeat leave your lips and upon your nod, she leaves.

Despite your worries the pub seems cozy and clean. One step in and you can spot the familiar faces. Although you don’t want many people, you hope you’re not the last and you decide seeing a certain someone will hurt no one.

As drinks start coming, two or three others arrive at last and the night begins, for them.

Uncontainable laughter fils the tiny space and rings in your ears, cheap snacks lunged at and finished in a second, the never dying sound of glasses hitting against each other, clink, clink, clink they go.

Staring at your glass after a while, you raise your head up to meet with the familiar tips of uncontrollable hair. Shoulders slumping when you see it’s tamed tonight, a little part of you hopes it’s for today and not for any other night-out.

“Come on, have another drink!” Yells your friend and few others. You’ve lost count of the times their voice got mixed up with strangers. Maybe that’s what they’ve always been, strangers.

With a shake of your head, you decline. As the classic “killjoy” comment comes, you reply. “I like to walk home and I’d rather do that with my head clear of any fog.” This seems to make them back off a little and they go back to another round of drinks short after.

At least there are no tacky songs or birthday music playing loud from the worn out speakers. The cast aside jukebox strikes your attention and you make sure to check it out next time you’re dragged here.

With your gazed focused on it, the chatter tones down and old tunes start playing in your mind. You can’t help but picture yourself dancing, imagine yourself swinging with someone by your side. Hands laced together, fingers intervening as well as hearts, a full laughter fills the air. It feels liberating to smile so freely, with no worries, finally doing whatever your soul aches for and asks for.

With the second laughter, not as filled with delight as the previous one, you’re snapped out of your dream and your eyes find his sadly. He seems to be talking with someone else, another beautiful smile decorating his face with the hint of something else, something you can’t name contrasting this portrait of happy.

And so the night rolls and streams flow, people scatter away one by one as the drinks increase in numbers. And with the ones in your booth looking mostly knocked up, you all get up.

Calling cabs for many of them, you hug your friend one last time and face the direction to the park.

A “Hold up!” Coming from behind, almost running to you, you wait. “Mind if I tag along and walk you home?” He offers with a trademark grin of his.

“Sure.” You say and begins the walk back.

“Doesn’t this make the walk longer?” He asks as you enter the part.

“It’s not the length but the quality of time that matters at hours like this.” You offer and walk ahead. With the long lamps lighting up the place, as the leaves shudder against one another, it’s only your and his breathing that reaches your ears.

With each step, your posture softens, your muscles no longer tense, face no longer in a forced mask; is that how taking your first breath like, as you enter this world, you wonder. As the lights illuminate the stars and blink once or twice, a melody pauses through your head and you hear it short after.

Barely a hum, a voice you are certain is not yours, you look to your side and see him swinging his head slowly to the song. Each rhythm and each note, the lyrics gaining a new life…

As he turns and his faces morphs into one of surprise, he gives you a shy smile and you realize you’ve been staring this whole time.

“You’ve been awfully quiet tonight.” You speak into the night sky a moment later.

“Really? Didn’t notice, not like I do it intentionally.” Somehow his words sound softer than usual, you’re at a loss of what to feel.

Another moment of silence, you’re not sure for how long; and he adds as an afterthought: “It’s not like- too bad, is it? Me being quiet, I mean.”

You turn to face him with a smile reserved for him, only for it to falter. He seems down, or rather afraid. Is it because of the answer? Or stepping out of his usual cycle of things once in a while?

“No!” You almost yell, he gives a confused look. “On the contrary, I like seeing this part of you. This- unseen side of you.” As if your words bring him comfort like a warm blanket draped over his shoulders, his posture relaxes.

As the walk continues, a poke to your ribs make itself apparent, and looking to the side, you see his arm offered to you. Hooking your arm, your smile gets brighter as does his.

Steps fall into the serene rhythm of the night as you pace. Soon after he begins humming another melody, coloring the sky above you as you go. Steps carry the songs as they carry his hand to yours. Fingers interlacing oh so naturally, as if you’ve done this million times before.

As the pacing blooms into a movement completely new, your figures move with the rhythm. It feels cliché, seems like a daydream and for a moment you suspect if it is one, only to lose focus and trip on your feet for a millisecond. The pain indicates this is very much a reality.

More like a moment in between passings, when you tilt your head to whatever it is that comes from your headphones, only for the move itself to be barely acknowledged by those around, those who are not you… Another moment of hushed whispers and chocked up flowers. Of tiny laughs and shy smiles, slight movements but big dances in your hearts as you hold onto the same tie that binds you to life.

As the tiles of the park reach an end in the distance, you pay no mind. Instead you let yourself get lost in the warm embrace around, swing around and skip, sway and beam. The lights glow just like fireflies as the bushes resemble dark deep waters.

And when you spin once, twice, thrice; you never stop, never stop smiling, breathing, feeling. Feeling everything around, the melody inside, the smell of the old jukebox nearby, the notes gently caressing your ears. When you turn to face Bokuto again, you’re convinced your smile cannot grow any wider. And his to match yours, you lean towards one another. As you kiss, the warmth shared between the two, it feels as natural as the dance and the walk, just like fish swimming and bees buzzing, dancing from one flower to another as they bloom together.

66 notes · View notes

introvertguide · 4 years ago

Text

Star Wars (1977); AFI #13

In honor of May 4th and the original movie that started it all, the group reviewed Star Wars (1977). Nominated for 10 Academy Awards and winning 6 with one extra special achievement award for Sound, this is perhaps the most highly decorated science fiction movie of all time. The special effects and the music were especially moving making the Star Wars experience something amazing to behold. I was lucky enough to see one of the re-releases in the theatre back in the mid 80s. In fact, I might well have seen the film 100 times over my life. The music might be the most well known soundtrack globally. With inflation, this is the 4th highest grossing film of all time. It is truly a fantastic work and I would like to now spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen it. Let me start with the usual:

SPOILER WARNING!!! I DON'T THINK THERE ARE MANY WHO HAVE NOT SEEN THE FILM, BUT FOR THOSE FEW THAT DON'T KNOW, I AM GOING TO RUIN THE PLOT!!! STOP NOW AND GO WATCH IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY!!!

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

Amid a galactic civil war, Rebel Alliance spies have stolen plans to the Galactic Empire's Death Star, a massive space station capable of destroying an entire planet. Imperial Senator Princess Leia of Alderaan (Carrie Fisher), secretly one of the Rebellion's leaders, has obtained its schematics (this entire effort was originally a throwaway concept but was completely fleshed out in Rogue One almost 40 years later) , but her starship is intercepted by an Imperial Star Destroyer under the command of the ruthless Darth Vader (acted by David Prowse and voiced by James Earl Jones). The movie is just starting and the odds against the rebels are shown by the scale of the two ships. Before she is captured, Leia hides the plans in the memory of an astromech droid called R2-D2 (Kenny Baker), who flees in an escape pod to the desert planet Tatooine accompanied by protocol droid C-3PO (Anthony Daniels).

The droids are captured by Jawa traders (little shiny eyed beings who are now meme legends), who sell them to moisture farmers Owen and Beru Lars and their nephew Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill). While Luke is cleaning R2-D2, part of a holographic recording of Leia starts playing a message for Obi-Wan Kenobi where she requests his help ("Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi, you're my only hope!"). Later, after Luke finds R2-D2 missing, he is attacked by scavenging Sand People while searching for him, but is rescued by elderly hermit "Old Ben" Kenobi (Sir Alec Guinness), an acquaintance of Luke's, who reveals that "Obi-Wan" is his true name. Obi-Wan tells Luke of his days as one of the Jedi Knights, the former peacekeepers of the Galactic Republic who drew mystical abilities from a metaphysical energy field known as "the Force", but were ultimately hunted to near-extinction by the Empire. Luke learns that his father fought alongside Obi-Wan as a Jedi Knight during the Clone Wars (another throwaway concept that was eventually fleshed out) until Vader, Obi-Wan's former pupil, turned to the dark side of the Force and murdered him. Obi-Wan presents Luke with his father's old lightsaber, the signature weapon of Jedi Knights. The connection between Darth Vader and Luke's father is explored in depth during the next eight films.

R2-D2 plays Leia's full message, in which she begs Obi-Wan to take the Death Star plans to her home planet of Alderaan and give them to her father, a fellow veteran, for analysis. Although Luke initially declines Obi-Wan's offer to accompany him to Alderaan and learn the ways of the Force, he is left with no choice after discovering that Imperial stormtroopers have killed his aunt and uncle and destroyed their farm in their search for the droids (cue the Academy and Grammy Award winning theme music composed by John Williams). Traveling to a cantina in Mos Eisley to search for transport, Luke and Obi-Wan hire Han Solo (Harrison Ford), a smuggler with a price on his head due to his debt to local mobster Jabba the Hutt. Pursued by stormtroopers, Obi-Wan, Luke, R2-D2 and C-3PO flee Tatooine with Han and his Wookiee co-pilot Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) on their ship the Millennium Falcon. As they reach the planet's orbit, two Star Destroyers try to intercept them, but Han is able to jump to hyperspace by reaching lightspeed.

Before the Falcon can reach Alderaan, Death Star commander Grand Moff Tarkin (Peter Cushing) interrogates Leia about the location of the Rebels's secret base, with the threat of destroying her home planet, and, when she answers that the base is on Dantooine, he orders Alderaan destroyed simply as a show of force. As the group arrives in the asteroid field that now stands in place of Alderaan, Han spots an Imperial TIE fighter and is taunted into chasing it and shooting it down, allowing the Falcon to be captured by the space station's tractor beam. Inside the Death Star, Obi-Wan attempts to disable the tractor beam, and Luke persuades Han and Chewbacca to help him rescue Leia after discovering that she is scheduled to be executed. After disabling the tractor beam, Obi-Wan sacrifices his life in an epic lightsaber duel with Vader, allowing the rest of the group to escape the Death Star with Leia. Using a tracking device, the Empire tracks the Falcon to the hidden Rebel base.

Leia's schematics reveal a hidden weakness in the Death Star's thermal exhaust port, which could allow the Rebels to trigger a chain reaction in its main reactor with a precise torpedo strike. While Han abandons the Rebels after collecting his reward for rescuing Leia, Luke joins their starfighter squadron in a desperate attack against the approaching Death Star. In the ensuing battle, the Rebels suffer heavy losses as Vader leads a squadron of TIE fighters against them, but Han unexpectedly returns to aid them in the Falcon, narrowly managing to save Luke before Vader can shoot him down. Guided by the disembodied voice of Obi-Wan's spirit, Luke turns off his targeting computer and uses the Force to aim his torpedoes into the exhaust port, destroying the Death Star moments before it fires on the Rebel base. In a triumphant ceremony at the base, Leia awards Luke and Han medals for their heroism.

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

I want to explain the connection between this movie and the Joseph Campbell version of the hero's journey that so many people have pointed out. This journey starts out with a call to adventure that is refused and then forced (Luke is given an opportunity to leave, he declines, the death of his family pushes him forward, he leaves with his team). Campbell then predicts an initiation that involves meeting a woman and gaining weapons, a meeting with an incredible power, and an achievement of the hero's power (goes to star destroyer, meets Vader and loses Obi-Wan, gains power over force). The story ends with a refusal, a magic flight, a rescue from without, and a hero's return (Luke goes to attack the Death Star, Han refuses and then eventually saves him, and the day is saved so the heroes are rewarded). It is a story that is called the Monomyth and has been recognized in Greek myths that are thousands of years old. It is a good story that has been proven to work and it makes for one of the most enjoyable movies of all time.

There was some negative opinions of the film because it is such a simple old story that became extremely popular and film goers would no longer be interested in intelligent thinking movies. It is kind of the truth because blockbuster summer films are full of explosions. The highest grossing films since then have tended to be highly explosive action films. Films like Star Wars, Jaws, and Indiana Jones are a lot of fun, but they are not super deep. They are easy to understand at surface level, but they can also be interpreted to mean much more significant things. The choice of the viewer about whether the story has deep inner meaning or is just the Odyssey in space is personal and likely colors opinions about how good it is. Some people think it is stupid fun while others have actually formed religions around the idea of the force.

One thing is for certain, the formula worked amazingly well for a large group of people and this made movie producers want to copy it. This is what is generally called a watershed moment because the look of movies changed significantly. There were so many more space operas and they all had that worn post-apocalyptic look to them. Star Wars and Mad Max combined to give a different look of what futuristic was. There was advanced tech in some cases, but there was a scorched Earth that had run out of resources and people suffered. Think about how many movies and television shows there are that have come out since the 80s and combine industrial tech for space and distressed almost Western appearances for the planets. The movie changed the way many people see the future.

One thing that is inarguably great was the score. I am not going to try and describe it with words, I am just going to put links to the different themes here so you can hear for yourself:

Star Wars Main Theme (Full) - YouTube

Star Wars- The Imperial March (Darth Vader's Theme) - YouTube

Princess Leia's Theme - YouTube

Star Wars Episode IV A New Hope (1977) Soundtrack 11 Cantina Band - YouTube

This is somewhat strange for the AFI so I went back and checked, but I believe that this is the only film with a ranked villain (Darth Vader), hero (Han Solo), and theme song (Main Theme). Even if it is somewhat simplistic from some perspectives, the story and the songs and the sounds and the characters speak to those who watch it. Seeing the movie is an incredible experience and I envy those who get to see it for the first time.

I am a big fan of the original Star Wars trilogy and I could completely nerd out going over all of the little things throughout the movie, but this is not a deep dive but instead an overall review. So does it belong on the AFI top 100? Maybe more than any other movie. It is an epic tale that changed the way movies were made across multiple genres. We could probably look at all science fiction films and put them as before or after this one. It is an important piece of American film and (no matter what anyone thinks of the other Star Wars films or George Lucas) it is a masterpiece. Would I recommend it? I cannot say yes enough. It is part of my culture as a California movie nerd and understanding this film is understanding some of the basic knowledge I grew up with. All sticks are swung around like light sabers. If I say "Princess Leia hair," everyone around here knows exactly what I mean. If something is impossible but still needs to be done, we tell people to use the force. I have lived in the Bay Area for 20 years and I can still reference a location by how close it is to Skywalker Ranch were George Lucas worked on movies. Please check out this film and you will know why I am such a fan of movies.

#star wars #a new hope #use the force #john williams #film score #introvert #introverts #movie review #award winning films #special effects

14 notes · View notes

bts-ficrecs · 5 years ago

Note

Any jungkook angst with no smut? Thank you!

yes hello. ‘tis me. Finally responding to you after 31498237 months.

i rarely read full on ANGST because my weak heart cannot take it, ok. So i don’t have a lot to share and most of the fics i read are pretty short. i don’t think any of what i read are series bc omg can u imagine a full on series with NO HAPPINESS!! I WOULD D WORD!!!!!!!1 sjadflakwe but i’ve included some angsty series in the 2nd half of this compilation!

as requested, no smut. i’m sorry if i missed something and it does have smut 🙏 also this ask made me realize how many angsty fics DO have smut involved, lololol we’re all a bunch of emo hornies and tbh,,, i’m not even gonna deny that 😂 ok ok i’ll stop rambling now.

* m/n: mai notes can also be read as “my notes”. ha ha ha wow i’m so punny.

HAVE READ:

⊱ ┄ A Fallen Bookmark on A Thursday Afternoon by @cutaepatootie

summary: He came to you like the air comes into the train station after the fast arriving of the machine. It comes fast and unexpected, making you hoist your head to look at the long vehicle and the people inside. It is so fast you can’t even distinguish the different wagons. As the train comes to a stop, the wind that it creates plays with your hair, leaving you breathless. That’s how Jeon Jungkook came into your life.

⊱ ┄ A Mark of Betrayal by @jimlingss

summary: Forgotten as the eighth deadly sin; each time one betrays, a mark will be signed on their skin…

⊱ ┄ A Piece of the Moonlight by @jimlingss

summary: For your loved ones, the people who are waiting at home, the people who have died - you will fight. And sometimes to fight means to sacrifice: who you really are and the person you really love.

⊱ ┄ Blue Orchids by @inktae

summary: You were eighteen years old when Jimin’s name showed up on your hand.

m/n: this is like… one of THE og bts fics and i will always promote it bc IT DESERVES TO BE READ BY EVERYONE

⊱ ┄ Delirium by @sseudanym

summary: What to feel, when it’s all gone.

⊱ ┄ Give Me Your Hands (I Will Pick the Stars for You) by mindheist (AO3)

summary: I miss you like the moon misses the sun, destined to chase you until the end of time.

m/n: this is the only mxm fic here. it’s jungkook x taehyung :) i hope it won’t deter you from reading it though! it’s an absolutely beautiful story.

⊱ ┄ In My Head by obiwrites (AO3)

summary: The one where you and your long time boyfriend aren’t on the same page

⊱ ┄ It’s Enough by @dark-muse-iris

summary: Preparing dinner reminds you of all the struggles you’ve experienced in your marriage. Your husband Jungkook, ever your anchor, tries to cheer you up with gentle words.

⊱ ┄ Mamihlapinatapai by @tayegi

summary: Mamihlapinatapai (noun): a look shared by two people, each wishing that the other would initiate something that they both desire but which neither wants to begin.

⊱ ┄ My Beauty, My Blood by @7cypher

summary: With Namjoon out of the picture, Jeongguk has to step up and be the sole successor to the organization laid out before him. However, guilt doesn’t escape him very easily, and neither does your persistence.

⊱ ┄ Resentment by obiwrites (AO3)

summary: It was an ugly kind of sad. The kind that kept you up at night, that weighed heavy in your chest and made you feel like you couldn’t breathe, it made you feel like molasses—made your limbs drag and your body ache. You’d heard of the physical effects of depression—but you weren’t expecting this.

⊱ ┄ The Train of Lost Souls by @inktae

summary: The moment you step inside the train, you are given two options. You can choose to live or you can choose to move on. You are dead, but it’s up to you to do something about it. The choice is solely yours.

m/n: ok so this is technically a Hoseok fic since the reader is interacting with Hoseok, but Jungkook is a part of this fic and IT HURTS ME SO MUCH SO I HAD TO INCLUDE THIS OK

⊱ ┄ The Swirling Ways of Stars by @inktae

summary: Jeon Jungkook doesn’t feel like home.

⊱ ┄ Untitled by @floralseokjin

summary: He noticed you almost instantly. Like the wind blowing autumn leaves past his heels, he felt you near him. His body an instant constant buzzing as he stood inside the kitchen, back against the counter where he watched you outside. The separation of the living area and the balcony window feeling miles away regardless of how close he was to you…how close you were to him…

⊱ ┄ We Were by @gukyi

summary: Not all once upon a time’s have happily ever after’s.

⊱ ┄ Water Ripples by @inktae

summary: It may be a mistake caused by unreachable forces, but it is not a curse, like some may think. Meeting each other, being able to touch each other but being forbidden to stay close beyond the limits of the sea could be considered torture — where is the pleasure in getting a taste of something you cannot have, an ephemeral spark in the night? in getting wings that can’t make you soar, no matter how many times they flutter?

m/n: i made the mistake of rereading this when i was compiling this list and yes i am crying again. hooo booyyy.

HAVE NOT READ YET:

⊱ ┄ Below Thunder Showers by @inktae

summary: Min Yoongi leads Earth with a stern hand and a pair of cold eyes. You lead a withered space station that’s been losing hope for years, mind tired and heart torn. Jeon Jungkook is no more than a broken soldier who’s slowly losing his humanity, but his longing for the rain keeps him tied to the ground. Three paths converge again when the two worlds clash, and as precarious as they were, it does not stop you from falling in love for a second time.

⊱ ┄ Blossom by @dimpled-gukkie

summary: “Blossom, blossom, blossom. As unexperienced as I may be in the field you really didn’t think I’d only bring one weapon did you? It’s no wonder your gang has gone to shit ever since your dad died, it’s clear that you’re incompetent as well as incapable of being a good leader.” He laughs, raising the gun to point at you. You raise your own and he just smiles again before setting his weapon down. “You know what, how about we do this the old fashion way? I heard guns weren’t your specialty anyways.” Shrugging off his coat you spot the long dagger tucked into his waistband. “Cmon sweetheart, show me just how dangerous you are.”

⊱ ┄ Contradict by @drowsymochi

summary: Jungkook is a name you hear often around the crowded city of Seoul, South Korea. Jungkook is the leader of Bangtan, a gang that has acquired a worldwide audience. The gang is stationed in Seoul, creating a feeling of uneasiness on the streets. Everyone in the city has been acquainted with one of the members at some time, being that they’re always around. For the most part, they don’t harm innocent civilians unless they commit a crime that the members find worthy of punishment. That penalty can range from bankruptcy, to torture and eventually death, which makes the city wary of their words and surroundings. If only you had been as terrified as everyone else.

⊱ ┄ Downfall by @donewithjeon

summary: Your hesitation cost you dearly, and you swore never to let it happen again.

⊱ ┄ Drown For You by @callistojjk

summary: There was something in that enormous tank, hidden in the murky water. All you knew was that you weren’t allowed inside the room and that it used to hold something dangerous.

⊱ ┄ Drag Me Down to Hell by @kimvtae

summary: There’s a darkness to your city, a murderous underbelly filled with crime and deceit that you’ve sworn to avoid at all costs. But the universe has funny ways of forcing your involvement in the form of a notorious mob boss and his young daughter.

⊱ ┄ Expensive Mistakes by @honeyedhoseok

summary: Your night spent swindling at the pool table goes left when your lackluster skills are found to be false, so it’s a good thing Jungkook has some supernatural abilities to keep D and his friends from recollecting their money–but his help comes at a price.

⊱ ┄ Fierce And Delicate by @mintseesaw

summary: Jungkook and y/n had been brought in two different worlds. Jungkook living an unfortunate life and y/n being controlled by her parents all her life. Despite the imperfect relationship, they completed each other like a puzzle there is. Jungkook has one promise he intends to keep: to always make you happy. In the process of fulfilling your wish he had once declined you of, he kept a secret from you. And unintentionally, he has done more damages than expected…Every action, and every decision… could be blamed by the flawed past.

⊱ ┄ Fallout Technical Report by @pantaemonium

summary: You knew you should not go into the darkness of night, even if your hope had run thin. The monsters were free to walk the earth, and some of them were still as human as you.

⊱ ┄ Fear in Your Eyes by @gukyi

summary: There’s a werewolf in that forest behind your house, they told you, and he’ll eat you before you can even beg for mercy.

⊱ ┄ First Light by @inktae

summary: “Have you ever felt like the world is too loud sometimes?” “No. For me it’s always quiet.”

⊱ ┄ Finding Beauty in Your Darkest Places by @jungtaeyoongles

summary: Everyone has their issues, and everyone deals with them differently. Jungkook thinks that avoiding his problems is the best option out there. AKA Jeon Jungkook is the newest patient at the Omelas Specialized Psychiatric Clinic, and he just wants to get in and out as quickly as possible so that he can go back to university and be with his friends again. Of course, that doesn’t work out according to his plan.

⊱ ┄ Gravity by @donewithjeon

summary: The universe works in mysterious ways. What you didn’t know was that the world would give you the best at such a young age.

⊱ ┄ I Got You On My Mind by @bangtanbombimagines

summary: In a world where soulmates can share thoughts, you never imagined that the sweet voice in your head would belong to a guy like Jungkook.

⊱ ┄ Lost Boy by @hoshikimatata

summary: You are the only girl Jungkook keeps coming back to, and you thought that made you the one to save him. But in the end, he’s the only one who can save himself.

⊱ ┄ Let Me Stay Close To You by @9uk

summary: You were finally free from the worst nightmare of your life in high school. The doors of college welcomed you with open arms, you were set on living your best life in here, away from the toxicity back at home. That shimmer of hope in restoring your life, was somehow effortlessly crushed by a tap on your shoulder. “Hey Y/N, why don’t you say we catch up for a moment?”

⊱ ┄ Left Behind by @bbfairy

summary: Every person is required to go through a series of tests to see if they’re smart enough to be a part of the upper, elite district. You and Jungkook are childhood friends. Jungkook’s dream is to live with you in the elite class, but deep down, you’ve always known that you’ll fail the exams. For ten years, you wrote letters to give him on the day of his expected departure.

⊱ ┄ Lie to Me by @hugseoks

summary: It had seemed so easy for you to move on, did you even care at all?

⊱ ┄ Pull Me Down by @starryeyedgukk

summary: “Do you regret it?” “What?” “Falling in love with me? It feels like I only weigh you down.” “I’ll let you pull me down to the depths of hell if that’s what it means to love you.”

⊱ ┄ Rooftop by @thelillzmonster

summary: An unrequited love burdens your fragile heart. And when an unfamiliar, isolated boy is thrown into the mix, you’re not sure whether it all turns for the better or worse.

⊱ ┄ The Burning Flame by @bangtanfanfiction

summary: You’re sent as a scout from the Academy into enemy territory, tasked with the mission to make sure their king doesn’t unleash another war on the four nations. During your quest, you get tangled up with a lone rider, as stubborn and hard as the scales of his dragon.

⊱ ┄ The Black Veil by @jungcock

summary: You never wanted to be a vampire, yet you had been 21 years old for the last 2 centuries. You never wanted a relationship either, yet you incidentally make a very human Jeon Jungkook fall in love with you, twice.

⊱ ┄ Waste It On Me by @byeoltoyuki

summary: Being a journalist, you were familiar with the concept of taking risks and pushing your limits to get the best story. But when a gangster by the name of Jungkook tries to involve himself in your quiet, safe personal life, you are forced to reconsider the limits of your comfort zone, your boundaries, your morals and even your feelings.

⊱ ┄ Why I Hate You by @floofyeol

summary: Jeon Jungkook’s only regret, is knowing her in the first place.

⊱ ┄ Watchdog by @kpopisthereasonihavenolife

summary: Being kidnapped, then ‘accidentally’ eavesdropping on a lot of Intel that was specifically not for outside ears, was definitely not your way of being ‘recruited’ into the mafia world. Much less end up with a companion who didn’t seem very fond of you, but stuck guarding and watching you. A Watchdog sort of man he was, and almost entirely too suffocating.

⊱ ┄ Written on the Sky by @inktae

summary: Time is, without a doubt, merciless.

⊱ ┄ What Happened by @bangtanfanfiction

summary: You and Jungkook’s relationship was on the tip of the edge. Is there any possibility to get it back up?

#so basically just read all of inktae's fics lol #bts fic recs #jungkook angst #bts scenarios #jungkook fanfic #yes i wrote 'smutties'#fite me #g recs #anon #f:jjk

284 notes · View notes

dweemeister · 4 years ago

Photo

The Stalking Moon (1968)

By the late 1960s, the American Western’s zenith had passed, and the genre was reinventing itself. Bonnie and Clyde (1967) unleashed a wave of films in all genres depicting violence more openly and graphically; meanwhile, the rise of the Revisionist Western (1962’s Ride the High Country, 1966’s The Professionals) led to the deglamorization of the genre’s protagonists and their sense of morality. Released by National General Pictures (NGC), The Stalking Moon reunites producer Alan J. Pakula, director Robert Mulligan, and Gregory Peck – no longer a dashing young man – a six years after To Kill a Mockingbird (1962). Though the team is a throwback, the mindset of The Stalking Moon fits squarely within a Revisionist Western. Mulligan’s dialogue-light film incorporates elements of atmospheric thrillers and, in its tensest moments, seems to resemble a proto-slasher. As a hybrid thriller-Western, The Stalking Moon – once the narrative pieces are in place – is a sharp-edged, gorgeously-shot affair.

On Sam Varner’s (Peck) last day before retiring from the U.S. Cavalry, his regiment surrounds and arrests dozens of Apache warriors. Among the group is a white woman, Sarah Carver (Eva Marie Saint), and her half-Indian son (Noland Clay; Clay’s ethnicity/race is unclear). That afternoon, Sarah pleads for an immediate escort from the Cavalry’s camp instead of waiting for five days for an official military escort. The boy’s father, Salvaje (Nathaniel Narcisco in redface; Narcisco’s ethnicity/race is unclear), is a ruthless assassin and, according to Sarah, almost certainly in pursuit of their son. The Cavalry commander rejects Sarah’s request, but Sam agrees to take them to a remote train station. At the station, disaster strikes, and Sam invites Sarah and her son to stay with him at his rugged, mountainous ranch in New Mexico. Sarah and her son find the personal adjustments to live on Sam’s ranch difficult, but they have help thanks to ranch hands Ned (Russell Thorson) and Nick Tana (Robert Foster, whose character is a half-Indian scout). But even in this ranch, protected on three sides by treacherous rock formations, Sarah and her son have not yet eluded the violence to come.

Mulligan also appears to make comments on how the United States treated the American Indians of the West, but ultimately never does so. The Stalking Moon never highlights indigenous perspectives, declining to even give Sarah’s son a name or expressive space. These perspectives only exist through implication – the wars of the American West are going poorly for the tribes, and white settlers are moving ceaselessly westward and are cementing themselves in these lands. Sarah and Salvaje’s child, being of mixed race and approximately eight or nine years old, would almost certainly be the target of sociopolitical discrimination and the suspicious gazes of many a stranger. Never discussed by any of the characters is the possibility of such behavior towards the child; if Mulligan and screenwriters Wendell Mayes (1959’s Anatomy of a Murder, 1972’s The Poseidon Adventure) and Alvin Sargent (1977’s Julia, 2004’s Spider-Man 2) attempted to insert subtext regarding the child’s treatment, they do so far too subtly.

Salvaje himself is a largely faceless antagonist who never exchanges any dialogue, let alone a grunt, a cry of pain, a primal exclamation. Like numerous American Western movies too numerous to name, this is a reinforcement of stereotypical depictions of American Indians in Hollywood – anonymous, without specific bearing to the lead characters. Is he pursuing his son to reclaim him or the murder him? The movie never says. To Salvaje’s credit, he is a physical menace that could easily overtake an aging Sam Varner. More often than not during the Western’s heyday, indigenous Americans – whether individually or as part of a collective – would be all too easily slaughtered in a hail of protagonists’ gunfire or explosives (in part because of their antagonistic anonymity). Such developments would serve The Stalking Moon, which is partly a thriller, poorly. Thus, Salvaje is an aversion of the too-easily-killed Indian trope, but his complete lack of non-violent interaction with any character and empty characterization beyond his capacity for violence and vengeance uphold the trope of the anonymous indigenous menace. His physicality and obvious threat to the protagonists serve thriller genre; his nature as a blank slate killer is a legacy from American Western narrative traditions (and now largely a relic to that tradition’s contemporary practitioners).

Now in his 50s when he made The Stalking Moon, Gregory Peck – if only because of Hollywood’s obsession over age – was reaching a point in his career where opportunities for lead roles inevitably begin to decline (but not his influence, as Peck was currently serving as the President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences). The Stalking Moon will, on paper, appear to be typical material for Peck. His Sam Varner, when no one else will tend to Sarah and her son’s safety, will take the initiative even though this decision, at best, is an inconvenience or, at worst, might cost him his life. As it is so often with Peck, his screen presence – assuredness of posture, the timbre of his voice, and calming persona – engineers a great performance. Even with a screenplay that avoids providing dialogue-driven details about his character’s life, Peck makes Sam Varner another entry in his long filmography of upstanding heroes.

The screenplay also consigns Eva Marie Saint to playing her character as a trauma survivor whose apprehension is pervasive. If one is seeking a role where Saint is able to display the fullest breadth of her acting range, The Stalking Moon is certainly not that movie. But for how the screenplay portrays her character, this is a capable performance from Saint alongside child star Noland Clay as the boy (this film remains Clay’s only screen credit).

Cinematographer Charles Lang (1947’s The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, 1959’s Some Like It Hot) and editor Aaron Stell (1958’s Touch of Evil, To Kill a Mockingbird) pay lip service to the Western genre with luxurious takes of the mountains and rock formations that mark their landscape photography. With on-location filming in Red Rock Canyon and Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada, the low-to-the-ground, slightly upward-angled camera shots suggest that Sarah and her son, while making Sam Varner’s ranch house their new home, have nowhere to escape to. Dry shrubs line this small, sloped canyon with somewhat steep angles that make even walking without ascending or descending hazardous. Yet Lang and Stell’s collaboration truly impresses during the action setpieces – most notably in a scene where Gregory Peck, in a darkened room, awaits the entrance of the man who has been hunting the people he has been protecting. Before the naming and identification of the slasher subgenre of horror film, The Stalking Moon – noting its selective cinematography and editing in its tensest moments – relies on numerous lighting and staging techniques that the likes of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) and Friday the 13th (1980) would later adopt. Though shot and edited like a thriller, much of the film has scenes of people-watching: adults observing children, children observing adults, people noticing small behavioral details otherwise glossed over in a less patient movie. These moments of observation substitute for the dialogue and are as important as the most critical pieces of dialogue in the film.

youtube

An unconventional score from composer Fred Karlin (1970’s The Baby Maker, 1973’s Westworld) is a restrained effort, making use of a full orchestra but rarely employing the aural grandiosity that an orchestra is capable of. Repeated often throughout The Stalking Moon is the opening motif whistled in the main titles, with the sparse melodies – usually performed by the whistler or a limited number of woodwinds and/or brass – suggesting the vastness and emptiness of the American West, even in the days of westward expansion. Karlin’s music has an unsettling quality that permeates into The Stalking Moon’s most joyous scenes. When Sarah and her son arrive and Sam’s residence for the first time, the cue “Sarah’s New Home” opens with solo triangle before the entrance of a lone flute. The occasional dissonance from the triangle conflicts with the flute – a subliminal, harmonic message (in addition to the various string harmonics used throughout) that Sarah’s dangers have not passed. So often in modern film composing, a director will relegate the music as background noise or the composer themselves will dispense almost entirely of melody. In the latter, numerous modern film score composers have reasoned that melody cannot serve action films or thrillers, so they will compose a wall of amelodic texture instead. But, as Karlin so ably demonstrates in his score to The Stalking Moon, the juxtaposition of memorable melodies and effective action scoring is more interesting dramatically and musically.

Today, The Stalking Moon’s influence has been limited in part due to NGC’s dissolution and sale to Warner Bros. in 1974. For anyone willing to dive into this relatively undiscovered piece of American Western, few of the film’s immediate contemporaries adapted its thriller-influenced cues for their own purposes. Its depiction of American Indians is not as egregious as other Westerns and it appears to make some sort of attempt at commentary, but many of the damaging preconceptions of indigenous Americans make their way into the film’s screenplay. Yet considering the undemonstrative approach that Robert Mulligan takes for his film, The Stalking Moon is a serviceable Western torn between the passing of eras for the genre.

My rating: 7/10

^ Based on my personal imdb rating. Half-points are always rounded down. My interpretation of that ratings system can be found in the “Ratings system” page on my blog (as of July 1, 2020, tumblr is not permitting certain posts with links to appear on tag pages, so I cannot provide the URL).

For more of my reviews tagged “My Movie Odyssey”, check out the tag of the same name on my blog.

#The Stalking Moon #Robert Mulligan #Gregory Peck #Eva Marie Saint #Robert Forster #Noland Clay #Russell Thorson #Nathaniel Narcisco #Wendell Mayes #Alvin Sargent #Charles Lang #Aaron Stell #Fred Karlin #TCM #My Movie Odyssey

7 notes · View notes