#put a read more because it broke 1K somehow

[magioftheseas]

Jazz Jin Shuakes #3

🎶People come and they go

“The truth is I...”

Some people may stay with you though🎶

“I want to understand you better.”

Akechi sneezed, blowing his nose in the napkin before setting it aside.

“Forgive me,” he said airily without a hint of sincerity. “Bullshit makes me sick.”

He brushes his hair back before taking a sip of his gaudy drink. It’s just another chill night at the Jazz Jin. Akira could almost fool himself into treating this as a perfectly normal outing between two...not friends. Associates. At this point.

At least the singing was nice. Akechi even seemed at ease, as unfair as that was. The guy really couldn’t be bothered to get flustered as if Akira had an easy time admitting what he did. It’s like dealing with a judgmental parent, or just any other judgmental adult.

Akira’s dealt with enough of those.

(But Akechi isn’t an adult.)

“I mean it,” Akira pressed. “I’m...”

...interested in you.

...serious about you.

“...curious. I guess.”

Akechi took the napkin back to snort in it. There was a spark of contempt and amusement in his garnet gaze, and then it flickered out. Akechi straightens up, lips in a set line.

The singer’s low croon continues when it felt as though the world should’ve paused.

“I suppose it’s natural to be concerned with what one might consider a wild card on the team.”

The ironic choice of phrase didn’t escape his notice, but Akira elected not to remark on it.

“There’s not much one can say to perfectly put someone’s worries to ease,” Akechi went on. Like this was a situation he could only observe from a distance. “It’s unfortunate, but cannot be helped.”

“Didn’t think you were the type to give up easily.”

What else can Akira do but challenge him? Especially when there’s that familiar spark in Akechi’s eyes and a familiar upwards twitch at the corner of his mouth.

One that’s gone as soon as it appeared.

“My word might not be worth much, but it’s all I have,” Akechi resumed quietly. Way too solemnly. “We made a deal, and I plan to uphold my end of the bargain.”

Akechi spoke like a man with nothing to lose, which Akira supposed wasn’t an inaccurate assessment.

Except it still bothered him.

“It’s not about distrusting you,” he said. “You were a traitor, yes, but that was then. This is now.”

“It’s anything but a clean slate,” Akechi pointed out. “You’re hardly the only one with complicated feelings about me.”

Akechi had said as much before.

“This may not apply to you, but... I'm sure there are others among the Phantom Thieves who hate me.”

Although now he says complicated feelings. How pretentious.

“If we kept dwelling on that, we wouldn’t get anywhere.”

“True,” Akechi concedes on this point but it doesn’t feel like much of a victory. Especially when the smile that touches his lips is anything but happy. “Funny, how people can perpetuate their own cycles of misery of uncertainty.”

Uncertainty, huh?

“Would you say you’re guilty of that?”

“I won’t say anything.” That was definitely a lie. It could only be a lie. Especially when Akechi kept talking. “But I’m not the one who constantly wants to come here and chat.”

“What’s wrong with chatting?” Akira shot back. “Let’s just chat. We used to chat all the time even while enemies. What was it you said? That we had a strange connection? That there was something about me that drew you in?”

“So, what?” Akechi drawled. “Don’t tell me that another motivation of yours is nostalgia.”

So what if it is?

Is that a problem?

“As I said,” he muttered. “Curious.”

He tilted his head back for a drink. A little dribbles down his chin. He hears Akechi inhale in frustration, and a clean napkin is handed over, between two gloved fingers and backed up by a glare.

Akira wordlessly wipes his face off.

“I didn’t come here to bicker. I want to understand you. I mean it.”

Akechi rolled his eyes.

“If anything, you’re the incomprehensible one. I’m not sure why I—why this matters so much to you.”

His voice had dropped into a low mumble, but Akira still heard it.

“What was that?”

“Nothing,” Akechi snapped at an impressive speed. “Nothing at all.”

Akira just stares. It’s then that Akechi finally gets flustered, turning away with a huff to focus on his drink and on the singing. His ears are dyed red at the tip, and that revelation sits like a rock in his gut.

He’s adorable.

Oh no.

He’s always known that he liked Akechi. He admired him for sure, and he had enjoyed their time together despite everything. Akechi had made a promise to him, and it was one that Akira wanted to see through no matter what.

Despite what Akechi had done, nothing changed.

He understood that much. What they had was a bond that no one else could understand. Akechi would show Akira his worst self, and Akira wouldn’t flinch. Akechi would show his vulnerability, and Akira wouldn’t waver. Wouldn’t hesitate.

What they had wasn’t friendship, but it ran just as deep.

He understood that Akechi had done horrible things that had deeply hurt people he loved. He wouldn’t be like Maruki and try to undo those mistakes, try to scrub out Akechi’s blood-soaked ledger.

The flustered boy who got too embarrassed to look him in the eye was the same boy who shot him in the head. And he knew that Akechi hadn’t hesitated.

He knew that. He knew what Akechi was like.

“If you know, then why?”

Haru wouldn’t understand it.

“Why?”

Futaba wouldn’t understand.

“Why?”

Ryuji wouldn’t.

“Why?”

Makoto wouldn’t.

“Why?”

Ann wouldn’t.

“Will you ever tell us?”

Yusuke wouldn’t.

None of them would.

Akechi noticed his continued staring and scowled right back.

Ba-dump. Ba-dump.

He’s precious.

[g0kotta]

ONE MORE LOVE SONG

INSPIRED BY MARC DEMARCO ONE MORE LOVE SONG PLEASE LISTEN TO IT WHILE READING I BEG

My first song fic I hope this isn’t bad. Sorry I disappeared for a while I had covid and felt like complete and utter shit

Sano Manjiro (Mikey) x gn!reader (around 1k words)

SFW! Comfort, fluff and then angst. Suicidal thoughts, a gun mentioned at the end, character death so SPOILERS

Another turn, another shift

Mikey thinks that life can’t get better than this. Driving around with his brother’s bike around Japan in night time. The city lights were shining bright and it all looked ethereal. It reminded him of a scene from a movie, that he watched with Draken not too long ago. Though no matter how beautiful everything looked, it couldn’t match with the way he was feeling right now. Your arms around his waist, as you hold on tightly, head put on his back.

One last kiss from her lips

As he finally reaches his destination, you hop off of the motorcycle and look at him with a bright smile and shiny eyes. And Mikey feels as if he finally unlocked the world’s biggest secret. He finally understood why everything exists and he was so glad it does. It all led up to this fairytale moment. It wouldn’t be the same if it weren’t for you. And as he build up the needed courage, Mikey gently puts his hand on your cheek and slowly leans forward. It was now or never in his eyes. So he did what his heart longed for. He kissed you.

Another dream you're putting down

You looked at Mikey as if he was your whole world. Everyone noticed it. And it was almost as if he was. It felt like he was. So you dropped everything whenever he needed help. Every night you went to bed later than usual, waiting for him to show up all bloody so you could patch him up. You skipped classes whenever he’d randomly show up at your school. Sometimes with Draken, sometimes alone. You were throwing away your dreams, because at that moment it all felt right. You didn’t want a future if Sano Manjiro wasn’t a part of it. So you didn’t care about grades, studies, or anything else. All that mattered was him.

After all this time, it turns out all you found

It was all perfect. Way too perfect. Fights between you rarely happened and when they did Mikey was fast to apologise. He stood at your door with flowers (that he actually bought and didn’t steal. He said they held more meaning that way) and waited for you. He always waited for you.

Is one more love out to break your heart

The news of Emma’s death broke you. But it broke Mikey and Draken even more. You tried to be there for him, tried to explain to the both of them that it was neither of their fault. No one expected for this to happen. But it didn’t matter. You didn’t matter to Mikey anymore. Nothing mattered to him anymore. You tried and tried. Whenever he pushed you away mentally, you always stood up and ran right back to him. Even if it was slowly killing you.

Set it up just to watch it fall apart

You knew this day would come. Your heart and mind were trying to warn you about the big upcoming heartbreak that was fated to get you. And they were right. You spent days, months, years trying to help him. Be there for him. You were so sure that you would somehow manage to help him fight his inner demons. He called you the light of his life. But all good things come to an end. So you could try and explain and lie to everyone that you weren’t expecting for this to happen. But you did. So did Draken. And as Mikey turned his back to you and everyone else, you were left just standing there. Feeling your heart break and emptiness filling the place where love once was.

Another try, another go

Never thought you'd feel this low

Mikey stood in his expensive penthouse. Looking through the glass windows. Japan looked beautiful at night time. It always did. But it didn’t bring the feeling of peace to him anymore. Now he just felt empty. He’d been feeling this way for the last twelve years. Manjiro wanted to turn back around and search for Draken, Mitsuya, Pah. He wished Baji was still here, Emma, Shinichiro. He hoped Kazutora was doing better now. And you.. Oh the things he’d do to see you again. He’d tear down the whole world to find you and kiss you again. But it was better this way for everyone. This was how he was supposed to keep everyone safe. From himself..

Another dream put to bed

After all this time, it turns all you had

As he lays in bed in the middle of the night, dead silence around him. He thinks about his life and everything he had to go through. Tears threatened to leave his eyes, but he tried to hold them in. He tried to hold everything in. A monster like him shouldn’t feel. After all, whatever he touched or loved - died. He was born just to ruin everything. His thoughts suddenly shifted to you and he felt his heart start to beat faster. He reminisces all of the moments with you. His hand slowly creeps towards his neck and he reaches the cold silver chain. His eyes travel down and he grabs a ring, which was hanging on the chain. He looks at the promise ring you gave him thirteen years ago. Turns out even a monster like him can’t actually hold his emotions back. Tears start to run down his face and he grabs a gun which was put on the bedside table. He slowly puts it to his head and closes his eyes.

And at that moment he realises something he should’ve realised sooner..

..It all leads up to you. It always does.

So he puts down the gun and starts to cry even more. He gets lost in his emotions for the first time in a while. He can’t leave you. He wants to see you bloom and reach your goals in life. Maybe after seeing that, he’d feel satisfied enough to gain the courage and pull that damned trigger.

Is one more love out to break your heart

Set it up just to watch it fall apart

One more love out to break your heart

Set it up just to watch it fall apart

[marycecilyy]

Hey could you do headcanons for the mcl guys (or if not all of them castiel, armin, and kentin) when their S/O is a famous singer? Thank you❤

Oh god this turned out so longer than I expected huahahushaushu

First of all, these are too long to be headcanons, all three of them have more than 1k words each. Also, I changed a bit the prompt. It's more like "Candy has the dream of becoming a famous singer". The rest you'll see... I'll only say that I'm very proud of this one ;)

Castiel, Armin and Kentin with a Candy that wishes to be a famous singer

Castiel

Castiel wasn’t one to be friendly to new students, but he knew you weren’t like any other when you came to him and asked if Winged Skull was one of his favorite bands too. He was shocked to know that there was another person at Sweet Amoris who enjoyed the same bands as him. Yes, bands (in plural). After he answered that, yes, Winged Skull was his favorite band of all times, you started talking about your common interests and discovered that there were many.

He was a very closed off guy, but somehow you managed to break into his skull in a short time and, in a few months, you turned into best friends.

When Debrah came back and that whole situation happened, your fight with Castiel had a lot of impact over you. In your head, you had just lost your best friend forever. Fortunately. Lysander not only helped you recover from the blow and gave you energy to gather your friends and expose Debrah, but also helped you admit to yourself that, you did have feelings for Castiel.

Once she was unmasked and ran away like a coward, things quickly came back to normal. In less than one week, you had restored your reputation, your friends apologized for misjudging you, Castiel and you were once again friends. The only difference was that you knew that you were in love with him.

You didn’t tell him about your feelings right away, you decided to keep your friendship and focus a bit on your lifelong goal: become a music star. You started learning how to sing properly and doubled the days of your guitar lessons. Castiel even helped you get into the music club (they were full when you got into Sweet Amoris, but he found a way to enroll you).

You knew that your chances of actually becoming famous were pretty low, the market was difficult and depended a lot on having the right contacts. That was why, while you tried putting your name out there, your plan was to get a degree in music as soon as you finished high school. Antheros Academy offered a good education and was close, it was your best option.

As you channeled your energies towards your goal, Castiel started to acknowledge his own sentiment towards you. He liked to watch your focused face as you tuned your guitar and your singing voice earned a sweet accent all of the sudden. He always considered you a special girl, but, to his surprise, feelings were starting to develop inside his closed off chest.

That was why, as soon as he won those concert tickets on a raffle, he knew he’d take you there as your first date. Luckily for him, you accepted right away. Castiel had a feeling that night would be something else.

And it really was, as he kissed you, without even thinking it through, when the vocalist sung what he knew was your favorite tune. When you kissed him back, he wrapped his hands over your waist and lifted you up, feeling your warm lips open up for him.

The months that followed were full of bliss. With you and Castiel officially dating, the school had a lot to talk about. Amber pestered you quite a bunch of times, but that didn’t mess with your relationship at all. Everything was perfect, as it was supposed to be.

But that didn’t last long. Right after you finished high school, your dad had to move to another town because of his job and you had no choice but to go too. You were sure that your relationship would survive the distance, after all, you were in love. This situation would be worked out.

Castiel came to your new house a couple of times and you two called frequently, but in the end distance started to grow between the both of you… and it hurt. Knowing that Castiel was sad made you miserable and you decided to break up before it became unbearable.

You lost your count of how many nights you cried thinking about him.

4 years later.

You were zipping your jeans up when you heard a knock on your dressing room’s door. Who could it be? Your parents had already congratulated you over the phone, there was no one supposed to come that night. Did your manager schedule a press interview for after the show?

You put on your shirt and told whoever was on the other side to wait. When you finally opened the door, your jaw almost fell. You couldn’t believe he was there.

He looked exactly like in the magazines, (a bit less photoshopped, but that was to expect. You went through that as well and it sucked). His hair was shoulder-length and he wore a black shirt that showed off the tattoos up to the middle of his arm. He wore some light makeup, most on his skin, which you deduced his manager made him put on. Castiel looked like you expected him to after all those years, but one thing about him surprised you.

His eyes, although more mature and serious, had the same brightness as before.

"Are ya going to keep staring like that?” He asked and you noticed you had just been looking at him for a solid minute.

“Sorry. Come in.” You said and made space for him to enter the room. For your luck, there was nothing private to be seen, you had the habit of leaving your clothes and personal belongings messy and only cleaning up the second you had to go.

Castiel cleared his throat. An awkward silence hung between you. You hadn’t been alone with each other ever since the breakup. You two were two of the biggest stars of nowadays rock music, but you barely had any opportunity to talk. Not that you haven’t tried, it was the opposite. You avoided contact. Your fans knew you had dated in high school (you used to have pictures on your personal instagrams and fans were quick to dig over old accounts to find information about their idols), so they never expected a feat or any kind of collab. Everyone knew that you weren’t on best terms.

You remembered just a couple of days ago, when you were interviewed for one of those talk shows. The host made a lot of personal questions about Castiel and even asked if you would get back with him if you had the chance. You tried to avoid answering, but the public instantly read your unconscious signs: yes, you would.

That was why, you assumed, he was there. To make things clear. After all, because of you yours and his fans started shipping you two and got you on twitter’s trending topics. He probably was pissed. There was also a possibility of him wanting to take advantage of the situation, maybe propose a fake relationship? No, that wasn’t like him. Or was it? You barely knew him anymore.

“So… you probably guessed why I’m here. I saw your interview” You were right, then. “And I want to make things clear.” Ouch. You should prepare for the blow. “Look, we both know time has passed and we’re not the same as before. You broke up to avoid more suffering, and I get that. I really do.”

Castiel crossed his arms and glared at you. You looked back at him with fear, fear of knowing what his next words would be. “But...?” You asked.

“Tsk.” He huffed. This would be more difficult than he thought. “Look, little girl…” You felt a shiver run through your spine at the sound of the old nickname he gave you. You had always loved it, even though you didn’t say it out loud. After what felt like hours, he continued. “I don’t want to be cheesy, that’s not like me. So I’ll just say that if what all of the fans are theorizing is true.... If you do want to try again....”

Castiel took your hand and you jumped in surprise. He turned your palm to him and grabbed a pen from his back pocket. He wrote down a phone number on your hand and let go of it, capped the pen and turned around to go.

"That's my personal number. It’s pretty useful if you wanna call me without having to schedule an appointment with my manager.” You managed to laugh. You knew exactly how these things were annoying.

Inside, you were bursting with excitement. However, you answered playfully “Hm…. I’ll think about it, mr. Rockstar” Castiel chuckled and excused himself, saying that his manager would get pissed at him if he took too long. You smiled.

Maybe it was not over, after all.

Armin

When you told Armin, very early on your friendship, that your dream was to become a famous singer, he got so excited for you. He already knew that you played the guitar and was good at singing, but he had no idea that you wanted to make this your career path.

You couldn’t have chosen a better partner. Being the tech nerd that Armin was, he helped you a lot in recording your covers with the best quality possible considering the amateur camera and microphone you had.

However, the times that his presence most comforted you was when you showed him your new songs. He was always eager to see your composing progress and gave you pure honesty in his feedback, keeping in mind that he was no expert but still wanted to help you.

You always asked him for a way to return his favors, but he always said that it was his duty as your best friend to support you and that it was more than enough having you to talk about all his geek interests.

As time passed, you started to notice that you liked him way more as a friend. Without an idea of what to do, you asked Rosa and Alexy for advice. They were your closest friends apart from your crush (and you couldn’t run to him in that situation, duh)

After a dozen pro tips and date ideas from them, you decided to take Armin to the movies (basic, you knew, but couldn’t go wrong).

When you asked him if he was available Saturday night, you didn’t say properly “Hey, we’re going on a date”. Actually, you didn’t mention the word “date” at all, hoping that he would read between the lines.

And he did, because as soon as you sat and the film started, Armin grabbed your hand that was resting in the armrest and entwined your fingers. You couldn’t pay attention to what was going on screen at all and your attention was completely drawn from the movie when the boy grabbed your chin and brought your lips to his.

You only stopped kissing when the lights went on and the credits started scrolling.

“Hey…” You asked as soon as you two left the place, holding hands with him. “What was the movie about again?”

Armin laughed out loud. He teased you about it a lot before you made him confess that he didn’t know either.

A few days later, it was him who asked you out. You kept going on dates for the next week, all of them simple but interesting at the same time. However, you two weren’t dating. The whole school knew there was something going on between you two by the chuckles and timid kisses when you thought nobody saw them, but you didn’t make things official… yet. But that was about to change.

It was friday and you invited Armin over to “study” (he was sure that the afternoon would be spent between videogames and kisses, but if you wanted to call it a study session, it was okay for him).

As he comfortably sat on your bed as if it were his own, you told him to wait as you brought him some juice. When you came back, he was already grabbing his nintendo switch from his bag.

“What makes you think that we’re here to game?” You teased, handing him the glass.

“Come on, Candy, we both know that none of us are interested in learning orbital hybridization…”

“Maybe I am. I really need a good grade on those tests.” You approached him and held his jaw up so your foreheads touched. With a trailed voice, you continued. “Unless you have something more interesting to do in mind...”

Armin opened up that playful smile of his. “Oh, I do, actually.” In a quick movement that caught you off guard, he threw you in bed and started pampering you with kisses all over your face. You couldn’t stop laughing from how his hands tickled your belly, but you managed to stop him. “W-Wait, Armin!”

He looked at you, confused. “What?”

As you caught your breath, you explained that there was something you wanted to show him first. You got off the bed and went to grab your guitar that was hung up on the free wall of your bedroom.

“Did you compose a new song?” Armin deducted as you sat in front of him again, this time with your guitar in hands.

“You’ll see.” You tuned your instrument under his curious gaze. When you felt satisfied with the sound, you looked back at him. Armin didn’t miss the blush that coloured your cheeks. “I know you’d never do it, but I have to ask even so: promise you won’t laugh.”

You started playing the first chords of the song you had finished composing just a few days before. Usually, you composed simple songs that anyone could identify with, songs about friendship, inspiration, changing the world. You never wrote about your personal feelings. The notes never made you cry.

This song was special, though, because it was about him.

The day it hit you that you had feelings for him, you had the idea of writing random verses that could one day fit into a new song. After your first date, you felt so overwhelmed that, looking at the words, you decided to turn them into a song. You didn’t think it would turn into something so personal and emotional. Every note, every word, everything was clearly about him, that dorky geek you had fallen in love with.

Falling deeper every time

I can’t help but think, oh my

I’m through, but I don’t mind

Would you trade you 2D girls

For this hopeless lover

That just wants your heart?

I’ll just say that he got the message very clearly and, as soon as you finished playing, he practically jumped on you, kissing your lips with such tenderness that you almost teared up.

Of course, he asked you to be his girlfriend XD

Kentin

The first time he heard about your dream, he was still little Ken. It was one of your first days at Sweet Amoris and you two were eating cookies in the staircase. You were ranting about how sad you were that the music club was already full and you couldn’t join. Ken asked you the reason why you were so upset.

“Well… There weren’t those kind of classes in our old school. Learning how to play an instrument and sing, even during extra classes would be so cool! If I went well, maybe I’d be able to convince my dad to pay me for some private classes and then I’d be one step closer to my dream!”

“Your dream?” Ken muttered.

“Yeah! I want to become a famous singer in the future! I know that it’s impossible and even kinda silly, but-”

“No, Candy! It’s not silly at all!” Ken said. Learning more about you made him happy and he didn’t want you to think for even a second that your dream was worthless. “You shouldn't be ashamed of dreaming big. You’ll have a long, difficult path to walk through, but when you get there - and you have my word on that - I’ll be cheering for you!”

“Ken... “ You flashed your best smile at him. It meant a lot to you to have his support, he was a kind person and a very good friend (he did cross a few limits with his adoration for you, but you weren’t bothered by it). You liked being around him a lot.

-x-

“Kentin!” You threw yourself in his arms and gave him a tender kiss. “Good morning.”

Your boyfriend chuckled and held your hand, walking with you through the hallway. You talked about how your weekend had been and, between light smiles and sweet kisses, you thought of how quickly things changed between you two.

When he came back from military school, a lot of things had changed in him, including his nickname. You were facing a new person and it had been a challenge discovering Kentin and building a new relationship with him.

Even though he was a different person from before, one thing didn’t change at all and you noticed it clearly: he still liked you. Obviously he was no longer that guy who professed his feelings to everyone and followed you everywhere, he had found new ways to show you his love. You enjoyed that more mature version of him, but wished he had the opportunity to grow into a man without all the trauma he went through. You knew that most of his growth had been through suffering, and that upset you.

You didn’t know when, but somewhere into your friendship you started to grow feelings for him too. After some coaxing from Rosa and Alexy, you managed to ask him out on an official date.

The whole school already knew that Kentin was head over heels for you, but everyone was shocked to know that you loved him back as your relationship became official.

“Hey, love.”

“What?” You asked your boyfriend back as soon as you got in front of your lockers. You started looking for your books, checking that day’s classes.

“I really liked that video you posted on youtube yesterday. I never heard that song before, did you compose it yourself?”

The book you held in your hand fell to the ground. “What video?” You whispered, eyes wide.

“What do you mean, babe? That video of you singing and playing the guitar. You uploaded it yesterday night. I saw right away, you know I have my notifications turned on to all your videos. I got surprised that you decided to finally show your face and sing something of your own and- Candy? Is everything okay?”

Kentin noticed your face and got worried for you. You looked absolutely terrified.

“That video… How did you see it? I posted it as private”

“No, you didn't. It was public.” Kentin was starting to understand why you were so surprised. He put one hand on your back as you blushed and hid your face on his chest in embarrassment.

“Oh god, I can’t believe I did that! I’m so stupid! The first time I record something like that, I accidentally post it for everyone to see! Dumb, dumb Candy! Dang, now everyone’s gonna know I’m bad!”

“First of all.” Your boyfriend frowned, bringing you close to him. “You’re not dumb, you just made a mistake. And it’s okay, probably just a few people saw it. Last time I checked was before I went to sleep and it only had 20 views. But why are you so upset, Candy? Didn’t you tell me a few days ago that you were finally ready to show your face along with the covers. Did something happen to change your mind?”

“Well, I was not ready to show right away, especially not in a video that I looked terrible in. And it’s not just that. It was my first original song. I never showed it to anyone, what if it sucks?”

Kentin held your chin up and looked you in the eyes. “Candy, it doesn’t suck and you look great in the video!” You closed your eyes and snuggled close to him. “But I understand your concerns. Luckily, that can be solved if you delete the video. You’ll have other opportunities to get famous, and with better videos.”

“Yeah, I can do that.” You reached for your phone and went to your youtube page. “Fu... No way…!”

Your hands trembled. Kentin was right, the video had few views (which was good). Only 50 people had seen it, but the problem wasn’t that. For your bad luck, one of those people had been Amber. You knew that because she had left three comments on your video.

AmberOfficial: lmaooooo

AmberOfficial: Thank you for the laughs. That’s hilarious

AmberOfficial: Just give up already, looser

“That girl....” Kentin grunted, looking at your phone screen. “I swear to you, Candy, I’ll make her regret this. I’ll-”

“You don’t need to, I’m fine.”

You untangled your arms from his torso and started walking away, trying your best to hide how upset you really were. Amber was right, your music sucked. You should give up on your dream of becoming a famous singer, not only because you were bad, but also because you could barely show your face to a few people without feeling like shit. You wouldn’t be able to deal with fame.

Kentin tried to call you, but you didn’t answer. He figured you needed some time alone. He could use that time to think of something to support you and get back at Amber.

-x-

You walked out of the bathroom, your eyes red and swollen from crying. You had already deleted the video, but you couldn’t stop feeling stupid for getting so upset by a few bad comments. And feeling stupid made you even more upset.

When you got to the hallway, it was empty due to classes having already started. You probably spent half an hour locked up, but at least no one would mess with you.

You went to the garden to get some fresh air and wait until the next class started. You sat at the bench, breathed in and finally calmed down a bit.

“Candy.”

You turned around, surprised to see your boyfriend. “Kentin! What are you doing here? Classes have already started.”

He just waved his hand in a “don’t worry about that” way and sat beside you. He kissed your cheek and took your hand, checking how you were. Seeing that you seemed to be more calm, he smiled lightly at you. “So… I talked to Armin. He already found out Amber’s password and he’ll hack into Amber’s youtube account. He’ll just mess with it for a bit, delete some videos and upload some random stuff. Nothing too bad, I promise, just some memes and rickrolls.”

“Hmm…” You muttered, thinking about what he said. It wasn’t right, for sure, but you didn’t feel like stopping them. You were still hurt. “Okay. Just promise you two won’t do something serious, okay?”

He agreed. You felt a bit better, but that wasn’t enough to lift your mood and Kentin knew that. That was why he also had something else prepared. "That 's not all. I did some quick search for places where you could record that music of yours with its deserved quality. You are a good composer, Candy, believe it. Your talent doesn’t have to stay hidden in a dark room with only you, a guitar and your cellphone recording it.”

“Kentin…”

“If you want to, I’ll help you rent a studio and record your song. That would be very useful for your portfolio. I know that’s expensive, but we can find ways to-” You cut him off with a kiss. He cared about you so much, to the point of skipping classes to think of ways to make you feel better. You loved your boyfriend so much…

Lucky. You felt lucky to have him.

“I love you. Thank you for taking care of me... “ You kissed his cheek, happy to have his support. That was more than enough at that moment, Amber’s words were far behind you. All that mattered was that you could go through this.

You had Kentin, and when you had him, you had your whole world holding you so you wouldn’t fall.

[calebdumes]

for @eleni-syndulla because she's an enabler

fandom: star wars rebels

relationship: kanan jarrus/hera syndulla

rating: m (nothing graphic but suggestive)

word count: 1k

~

Hera drummed her fingers against the arm rest while she waited for the results of her diagnostic to load onto her datapad. Late afternoon sun drenched the rows of green crops outside the Ghost’s view-port, in golden rays of light, while feather-like clouds drifted across the deep blue sky at a leisurely pace. The farming moon of Karthi was a peaceful place to make an honest living, far away from the major hyperspace lanes and only a small Imperial outpost in the capital city. It was a place you could go to disappear, a place where Hera could close her eyes and believe for just a moment that there was no such thing as the Empire.

Her datapad pinged, pulling her away from her wistful dreaming and back to reality. She scrolled through the data with a satisfied smile on her face. With that done, she only had one more chore she needed to complete before they could take off. There were a whole host of things that needed to be done to her ship that she hadn’t been able to find the time to do in between jobs and missions.The few extra days dirt-side they had earned from finishing their last job early, had been the perfect excuse to give the Ghost a long overdue scrub down. Even if Kanan would have preferred to spend that time doing...other things.

As if summoned by her thoughts, Hera heard the thump of Kanan’s boots on the ladder and was greeted by his grease stained face a moment later. He smiled when he saw her, causing her stomach to swoop pleasantly.

“Fixed that rattle in the sublights.” he said, pulling himself into the cockpit and brushing some loose strands of hair away from his face. “Gonna go take a shower, if you want to join me.” he added with a wink.

“As tempting as that sounds,” Hera replied, turning in her chair to face him. “I want to finish up here before I call it quits.”

“If you say so.” Kanan said, taking a few short steps to kiss the top of her flight cap.

Hera scrunched her nose as a wall of human sweat filled the air around her. “Ugh, you smell.” she replied, pushing him away.

“You say the sweetest things.” Kanan chuckled and started walking away.

“Hey!” she called to his retreating back, a thought springing to the forefront of her mind. He paused, turning around with a hopeful look on his face. “There’s a load in the washer, can you put it in the dryer before your shower?”

The hopeful look dimmed a little but he offered her a soft smile and a jaunty salute. “Aye, Captain.”

Hera spun back around in her chair and began typing on her datapad, pulling up the needed information to run her last test. A ball of warmth sat heavy in her chest, her lips turned upwards as she worked. It couldn’t have been more than twenty minutes later when she heard Kanan call out.

“Hera,” he bellowed. “I think we have a problem!”

With a groan, she pushed herself to her feet while her mind worked through all of the potential problems Kanan could have discovered in the fresher. “Please don’t tell me it’s the shower.” she began. “Or the water filtration system, I just ran the-” Hera stopped short as she came to the fresher, her mouth going dry.

Kanan stood in the center of the small room, his hair still dripping from his shower and a towel wrapped around his waist, wearing a shirt that had somehow shrunk quite considerably. The dark fabric of the sleeves hardly came down to his elbows and the hem ended right below his chest, exposing his tone midsection. Hera watched as a stray droplet of water ran down the amber skin of his stomach and felt heat blossom on her cheeks.

“I think the dryer unit is broken.” he said.

Hera glanced over to the small dryer unit nestled in the wall, before falling back on Kanan and the defined muscles of his stomach. A bubble of hysterical laughter tore from her lips, her eyes watering at the lost look on his face. “Kanan,” she gasped. “What did you do?”

Kanan frowned. “I put the clothes in the dryer like you said and it kriffed up my shirt.”

Still laughing, Hera walked into the tiny fresher and reached for the bottom of the shirt. She pulled at the hem, looking for a thin strip of fabric that had the washing instructions stitched on it.

“It says to let this air dry.” she giggled.

“How was I supposed to know that?”

Hera let the hem drop and placed her hands on her hips. “You’re supposed to read the tag you moof milker.” she snickered.

“Well that’s stupid.” he grumbled pulling dejectedly at his shrunken shirt. “Now it’s ruined.”

“I don’t know.” she said with a sly smile, closing the space between them and running a finger down his exposed skin. “I kind of like it.”

She felt him shiver, his pupils dilating at her touch. “Yeah?” he asked. “You don’t think it’s too much?”

Hera bit her lip, grabbing at the hem once more. “Actually, I don’t think it’s enough.” she purred. Standing on her tiptoes, she pulled the ruined shirt off of him and reached for the knot holding the towel in place around his hips.

“Better?” he smirked.

“Getting there.” Hera replied as she reached for the hem of her own shirt and pulled it off in one swift motion. She made quick work of the rest of her clothes and stepped into the shower stall, turning the water on and letting the warm water wash over their bodies. Kanan’s thumbs stroked the tops of her hip bones while he left a trail of kisses down her neck, his thigh sliding between her legs.

“What happened to all those other things you wanted to finish?” he asked against her skin.

Hera pushed against his shoulders. “I can leave if that’s what you want.”

“No, no, no.” he said, nipping at her lips. “I’m kidding, I’m kidding.”

“There’s plenty left to do around the Ghost before we leave if you’d rather do that.” She took a step towards the stall door.

One of Kanan’s hands grabbed her by the waist and pulled her back against his body, the heat from his skin making her toes curl. He captured her lips with his own, dragging her into a passionate kiss.

“We can do it later,” he said breathlessly when they broke apart. “Just as long as you finish the laundry.”

Hera laughed, kissing him again. “Love, I’m never letting you do the laundry again.”

[songandashadow]

august fic rec

so this list is a whole mess because I haven’t made one in so long and in the time since I last did, I discovered a whole bunch of new fics and authors that I can’t even begin to put in one rec. Instead here’s a small part of the massive amount of fics I read recently. Please give these authors kudos, comment and enjoy. :)

❀ This Could Be Something by 28sunflowers |  6k words

After a hookup gone wrong, Harry keeps getting sick at random times without reason. That is, until Louis shows up at his door with a wild explanation.

Sometimes, "happily ever after"s come in the strangest forms.

❀ (Take Me Home) Country Roads by Awriterwrites | 86k words

a Northern Exposure AU featuring Louis as the big city doctor, Harry as a natural healer, Niall as a secretive barkeep, Liam and Zayn head over heels for each other but they don't know it and a lot of hurt, comfort and moonshine in between.

❀ Love You a Latte by 1Diamondinthesun | 15k words

Louis Tomlinson doesn’t drink coffee and definitely doesn’t go to Starbucks. Enter barista Harry Styles. Add a double shot of espresso, stir in 90s references to taste, and top with whipped cream and love.

Or, the coffee shop AU featuring girl direction, creative espresso, and a professor and a barista falling in love in one beautiful autumn.

❀ Please Be Naked by Only_angel_28 | 17k words

Louis starts squirming, desperately needing something to do with his hands. Needing to do anything, really, to distract him from the perfect male specimen standing naked in front of him. In the end, the only thing he can do is strip out of his own jeans and briefs, which he does with trembling, clumsy fingers, his heart beating out a violent, chaotic rhythm in his chest the entire time.

He hears Harry’s sharp intake of breath, and slowly raises his eyes from where he was staring at his own bare feet to meet his gaze.

“So,” Harry says bashfully, his voice gone even deeper somehow. “We’re naked.”

“Yup,” Louis squeaks.

“You okay?”

No!

“Yup,” Louis repeats, sounding just as unstable as he did the first time.

This is the last favor Louis Tomlinson is ever doing for Zayn Malik. (Because, after today, he’ll be dead, but that’s neither here nor there.)

❀ The Sleeping Giant by LadyLondonderry | 3k words

In the centre of the pond, there is a sleeping giant.

He rises out of the water, eyes closed and face at peace, sitting as if in a trance. Moss grows up his back, tangles in his hair. He is at peace here, or perhaps he is peace. Perhaps he is what keeps the pond and the clearing so quiet and serene, blessing the forest with his presence.

❀ I Heard You Talking by lululawrence | 10k words

It had been an hour of their noise that Louis had been dealing with, and for some reason the fact that these grown men were being this rowdy in the quiet carriage over a game of Uno was the breaking point for him. He stood up and turned around, making his way down to where the group of five were somehow gathered around a table.

Louis stopped at the table and cleared his throat, mouth open and ready to politely request they keep it down when the man who was sitting with his back to Louis turned.

He was stunningly gorgeous.

Blinking a ridiculous number of times in an attempt to pull himself together, Louis coughed and spit out, “This is the quiet carriage.”

God, he was nearly forty and that was the best he could do in front of a set of pretty, green eyes?

Or the one where Harry is famous and Louis doesn't have a clue. Good thing his son is able to help him out.

❀ The Lonely Planet Guide to Second Chances by 1Diamondinthesun | 102k words

When Harry and Louis broke up, the last thing on Harry's mind was the non-refundable surprise trip he had booked for them across Europe. Harry was supposed to be moving on, not sightseeing with his ex. In hindsight, touring the continent with Louis was probably a bad idea. So naturally, that's exactly what Harry did.

Or, the breakup travel fic featuring romantic sunsets, awkward bed sharing, and second chances against a backdrop of some of Europe's most iconic cities.

❀ got the sunshine on my shoulders by hattalove | 124k words

five years ago, harry styles left his tiny home town to make it big as a recording artist. he didn't have much regard for what he left behind - a life, a family, and a husband, who woke up one morning to find him gone.

now, harry has everything he could possibly want: he's rich, famous, and adored by everyone he meets, including his boyfriend. but when said boyfriend proposes to him, he's forced to face the uncomfortable facts of his past - and louis, who's spent the last five years returning every set of divorce papers harry sent him.

(or, an au based on the movie sweet home alabama.)

❀ bright eyes, blue denim by 4ureyesonly28 | 2k words

Louis' favourite jeans have suddenly disappeared from where he always got them. Harry is a store manager with an affinity for customer care, particularly when the customer has bright blue eyes and happens to be very flirty.

❀ Take Your Time by Layne Faire (HisDarlin) | 11k words

When Harry finds himself in the middle of a messy break-up with no place to live, Louis offers a spare room in his flat. Unbeknownst to Harry, Louis has been infatuated for years. Over the objections of their friends, who know the truth, Harry accepts. Can Louis survive Harry moving into his home…and closer to his heart? Will Harry see what's right in front of him?

❀ I'm Tripping Over Your Every Single Move by lookingfortherainbow | 5k words

“I could pretend to drown,” Harry gasped, looking like he was in awe of his own genius. “Oh my god, what a story to tell our kids. He’d be my reason for almost dying, my reason for staying alive. By the way, have you been working out more lately?”

Liam stared in utter disbelief at his friend’s wild imagination, vaguely noting that Harry was now petting at his bicep in a daze, no longer holding it in a death grip. Sometimes, he wondered why Harry wasn’t at least minoring in theatre.

“Harry, babe. You’re here on a scholarship. For swimming. You’ve literally won multiple events in this very pool. Because you’re so good at swimming. You come here almost everyday to train, which I don’t think has escaped any of the lifeguards who work here. I don’t think that’s as good a plan as you think it is,” Liam said, eyebrows turned up with concern.

Or, Harry is the local swimming star athlete and Louis is the lifeguard that turns Harry into a fish out of water.

❀ the pinker, the bluer by docklands | 1k words

Harry comes out as a trans guy during the pandemic. Working from home and away from everyone, he finds liberty to explore his self-identity. One night, however, he decides to go out.

❀ Lovin' It Up by letsjustsee | 6k words

What did Niall know? This had nothing to do with the few times (okay, countless times) Louis had pined over the idea of Hot Neighbor while drinking. Nothing at all. So what if he had perfect lips and long legs and the cutest little curls around his ears? Certainly not Louis.

He continued to scribble away, most of his words indiscernible except for one written in large letters at the very top of the napkin: REVENGE

Or, a neighbors AU in which Louis vows to get revenge on the guy who didn't hold the elevator for him - no matter how ridiculously attractive he may be.

❀ My Strange Addiction by phdmama | I'm Hot for Teacher verse

The guy at the other end of the bar has been checking Harry out all night.

❀ take the time for you by pixies | 1k words

Dating hasn’t really been very easy for him, lately, not ever since he moved to London earlier in the year for his job. He’d had terrible luck with online dating and was too dedicated to his current projects at work to make time to go out to the bars or to try to socialize more than once every few weeks.

aka, Harry ends up at speed-dating to get his friend off his back and has a better night than expected.

[falsegoodnight]

part one of my december fic rec! this list encompasses the fics i’ve read from the 1st to the 15th so half of this month! (mostly just the first week and a half though because FINALS!) 

there’s still twenty fics/ficlets on here though which is insane so that’s why i’m splitting my monthly recs into two lists again!

you can find part two here

—

✰ (have yourself a) Merry little Christmas by @defencelesst | G | 1k (so so so soft and sweet and perfect!! lottie’s stories always warm my heart!)

There's a saying in Korean culture about how watching the first snow of the year with someone means you're destined to stay together for a long time.

✰ Still by @allwaswell16 | NR | 2k (a timestamp for this series) (so sweet and heartwarming! the PERFECT end to the series!)

Louis has settled into his life in Colorado with Harry, their horses, and of course, Lacey the goat. And now the day has arrived to finally marry the man who makes this place feel like home.

✰ sugary sweet by @soldouthaz | E | 4k (drabble from this series) (hot, hot, hot! did i mention, hot?)

From the corner of his eye he can see every movement. The fire makes Louis’ skin even more golden than usual, the peaks of his nipples dark pink in pale contrast. His chest is already beginning to rise and fall quicker where a blush has bloomed up near his throat from his excitement. His arm is raised, shaking lightly as he holds up the icing can, his mouth parted as he pants softly.

Louis looks ethereal, and Harry’s having a more difficult time than he thought not being able to touch him.

✰ Thank you, five by @nouies | E | 6k (technically a reread) (so so cute and lovely and hot!!!)

“Harry?” He says as soon as he recognises the other man.

“Louis? Wh-what are you doing here?” Harry asks with a frown.

“Well, I’m here for rehearsal,” Louis announces with a proud smile.

There’s a flash of confusion on Harry’s face. “What do you mean rehearsal? I got the part, you didn’t.”

✰ can you keep me close, can you love me most? by @soldouthaz | G | 6k (a drabble from this series) (made me CRY!! love this world and these characters so so much!!!)

��I’m so sorry, Harry. This was supposed to be our night and we were going to eat and then walk around the city and-”

“Lou, it’s alright,” Harry says, “seriously. We can always make another reservation. Don’t worry about it, love.”

“I know, just -” Louis cuts himself off with a sigh.

He knows they can reschedule. It’s not so much that he cares about the reservation, really, or any of the food. His students are so important to him and he’d always drop anything to help them, except that he sort of - well, Louis sort of thought Harry would propose tonight.

✰ singing your praises by @loubellies | E | 6k (really hot and sexy but also cute!)

Prompt 86: Louis rides Harry while wearing his packer’s jersey/sweater and gets his ass ate.

✰ You’ll wait for me only by @tired-eyes-lou | T | 9k (love accidental bonding fics! cute!)

Harry nips at the bondmark on Louis’ neck, Louis’ hands go to his hips, grounding him. He allows himself this, knowing that his Omega needs it too. Harry pulls back, “Go on a date with me.” He rushes out, looking at Louis’ eyes.

Louis laughs and shakes his head. “No, Louis, I’m serious. We’ve bonded for life anyway, might as well try.” Louis looks at him, “You’ve been thinking about this a lot.” Louis points out, Harry nods. “Okay.” Louis says and walks out leaving Harry. “Okay what?!”

✰ Pretty and Pink by @larryinpantiess | E | 13k (cute and lovely! love trucker harry!)

Harry never lets anyone come on the road with him.

Then, a cute hitchhiker, Louis comes around.

✰ show you the stars in the daylight by @yvesaintlourent | E | 13k (AMAZING INCREDIBLE PERFECT! i love childhood best friends and also !! miscommunication !! idiots in love !!) 

Louis has a type and at sixteen and scrawny, it's definitely not his best friend's little brother Harry...ten years later, he changes his mind.

✰ silver linings by @millsxwriting | T | 14k (so cute and sweet :’) as a big fan of emails, this made my heart happy)

As Louis starts his freshman year of college out of state, Harry finishes his last year of high school back home. The distance between California and Arizona has both of them gripping onto everything they can to make their relationship work.

✰ Won’t Keep You My (Dirty Little) Secret by @lovelykits | M | 16k (wow wow wow i adored this!!! louis and harry were both so lovely!)

Louis and Harry have been together since the end of last year and somehow no one knows about it.

✰ The Boy with the Tin Chest and the Glass Heart by @louloubabys1992 | M | 18k (amazing concept and so cute!! love the inclusion of fairy tales in this one too!)

Alpha Harry Styles, world-renowned author of fairy-tales, is being persuaded by the Beta, Liam Payne, to hire a new illustrator. Since Harry’s own illustrations are too graphic for what is supposed to be children’s stories, Liam feels the need is dire. Omega Louis does not agree with Liam since he believes that Harry’s stories are fine just the way they are. Of course this has nothing to do with Louis being totally biased or totally head over heels for Harry. It certainly has nothing to do with being jealous of the mysterious omega illustrator Liam has in mind to team Harry up with.

Seriously, it has nothing to do with that at all. Nothing, absolutely nothing, zilch, nada.

Yeah...

✰ Across the Grey, Salty Sea by @the-cheshire-pussy-cat | E | 20k (incredible!!! the ending made me so emotional ahh)

Prompt 212: Alex from Dunkirk and French escort/prostitute Louis who ends up in Alex’s quarters more nights than not. Alex gives him his dog tag to wear maybe just a lot of smut and dirty talk with Louis being a pretty princess.

✰ blue songs are like tattoos by @loubellies | E | 31k (berkeley chant!! but so so cute and amazing! loved the playlist that went with it too!)

“Good morning, University of California, you’re listening to KALX 90.7 FM Berkeley, this is DJ Harry Styles. If the owner of the tapes I’ve been finding around the studio doesn’t come forward and introduce himself, I’m going to continue tossing them straight in the trash!”

✰ Freeway of Love (In a Pink Cadillac) by @mizzhydes | E | 33k (the plot twist took me off guard but wow!)

Louis was on his way to Miami to visit an old friend. Harry was going there for a little R&R and take in the sights and sounds. A sudden upgrade in seating brought these polar opposites together. The universe works in mysterious ways and they are unknowingly about to embark on an adventure they will surely remember for a lifetime.

✰ Cold As Ice And Everything Nice by @harriblou | M | 41k (this was so sweet and amazing and tender <333 loved it!)

Louis is a professional ice-skater and he meets Harry, who offers to clean the ice for him.

✰ When Our Worlds They Fall Apart by @holdingthornsandroses | E | 42k (louis as leia??? harry as han solo??? amazing perfect incredible! made my heart happy!)

Harry put his hand over his heart as if Louis had wounded him. “You’re so harsh, my liege! Perhaps you need to relieve some tension…” He let his voice trail off suggestively.

“The day I ask YOU to relieve tension is the day I lose all my wits and join the Imperials,” Louis said. “It will never happen.”

✰ A Place With Skeletons by @crazyupsetter | E | 51k (yet another masterpiece from this author. continues to blow me away <3 that one line (you know if you know) still sticks with me today)

“I would choose anyone other than you,” Louis says, picking up his train of thought again. He feels a lot more cornered and defensive when they’re in Harry’s house, for some reason. It doesn’t really make sense, considering that this time, Louis was the one who couldn’t hack it any longer. He broke first. There’s something about being in Harry’s space, though, the green and earthy feeling of it. It should feel like open space with all the plants, but Louis has never felt more claustrophobic than he does when he’s here.

Harry’s chest moves against his back, a sharp intake of air. Before he can open his mouth to defend himself, Louis keeps going, “If I had a choice in any of this, I would have been saved by that elderly security guard over you. I wouldn’t mind having to have the occasional cuddle with her.”

✰ through the wheatfields and the coastlines by @thepolourryexpress | E | 53k (ni was right. i definitely fell in love with cowboy harry but i’m not complaining! this fic had it all and i’ll definitely be rereading this in the future - so so amazing!)

Louis needs inspiration, and a certain cowboy and his lamb are the perfect distraction.

✰ Know I Think You’re Awesome, Right? by @princesshalo​ | E | 60k (amazing amazing amazing! loved the conflict between louis and harry and their dynamic!)

A college AU where Louis is a hippie, very good vibes activist and Harry is a punk, anarchist that always gets involved in violent protests.

If you read any of these lovely fics, remember to leave kudos and comment to show your appreciation!

*if i made any errors, please let me know :)

enjoy!

[discodemons]

Well, hello there.

This is...interesting. I had a Tumblr account from the time I was in probably 7th or 8th grade which would have made me about 12 or 13. I had my account until about junior year of college and until then I thought often, "God, will I ever get tired of this?" Expressing myself and being able to dive deeper whenever I found a new interest and finding a community of like-minded people at the same time was a lifesaver during high school especially. At one point my One Direction fan account had over 1k followers which at that time was incredible to me. Having a Tumblr also allowed me to anonymously explore darker parts of myself.

Eventually, life got more interesting and demanding and so the Tumblr was abandoned. Hours of blogging, making genuine connections, HTML customizing my theme, live-blogging livestreams with friends I've never met in person, I loved it. The thing is real life just gets in the way. Especially when you're me. Don't get me wrong, the years since stepping away from my blog haven't been a montage of epic parties and slaying absolute 10s. It's been almost 2 years since I broke up with my boyfriend of almost 7 years and he tried to sexually assault me the day after his sister's funeral. Oh. Trigger warning. See, this is my personal blog. Per my therapist's request I need to journal but I can't do anything if it's not at least a bit performative so I think if I convince myself this will somehow blow up and I'll become the real-life Carrie Bradshaw, then I'll continue doing it. "It" is expressing myself through journaling via this blog.

Shortly after breaking up with that piece of shit I started dating a very sweet and deeply fucked up individual. We are no longer together for reasons not obvious to you as the reader but as a loved one...it was clear the relationship would not last. He's moving across the country after the next month and until then he's living with me. Which presents some issues. The biggest being that I am a hellion who would have been burned at the stake not too long ago.

I do still love him although sometimes it seems like he's actively trying to repulse me. I won't get too much into detail about the inner workings of our relationship but for anyone out there reading, I'd like it to be known that I am, in fact, capable of love and I do love this person. But lord do I want to fuck other people.

The week after I broke up with him I went out with some girlfriends and reminisced about a brief time with a man 10 years older than me I had been with over a year prior. I hadn't heard from him since and I honestly thought I had his number blocked. That is until he texted me the next morning. I almost fell to the floor. After over a year and I haven't even given this person a thought until the night before, and now he's texting me. It's almost like he was listening.

See, when I first met this guy I instantly referred to him as American Psycho. It was mostly the looks and the vibe. Which got stronger when I went over (of course I did, don't look at me like that. You will learn quickly that curiosity often gets the better of me) and when I knocked on the door he told me from the other side to come in...ok, already a little weird. When I came in he wasn't even too busy to get the door or anything, he was just sitting on the couch. I said hello and shut and locked the door behind me to which he said, "Locking the door? Shouldn't you be afraid of me?" UM SIR, SHOULD I BE? Anyway, we had sex. I felt so detached the whole time because of how off-putting his behavior was. And also a little because of how factory-made he looks. Either way, that was the only time we had sex and every other time has been him texting me 24/7 especially during the weekday to sext and have facetime sex. It was far too much for me. I'll be honest, I work when I want, so I can be free, but that doesn't mean I don't work. It was when he started to request secret videos of me hooking up with other people that I drew a line. I do have some morals.

Anyway, I'm a bit older and wiser now and we occasionally text. Although, the other day after a couple weeks of dirty texting he dropped the bomb that he had just started seeing someone for long enough where it's at the point where if we were to do anything it would have to be a secret. His words, not mine. Ick. It's already hard enough sending nudes when my ex is in my one-bedroom apartment, you will not catch me fucking a man with a girlfriend.

This is a good transition to questionable people I would fuck. Everyone has them. I honestly have a thing for every legendary male comedian. Adam Sandler? Someone get me a fucking towel. A friend of mine would fuck the shit out of Jack Black. My favorite kind of questionable person to fuck is someone you technically shouldn't fuck.

For instance, my family has recently reconnected with another family we all used to be much closer with. Their son is 21 now and has grown into quite a handsome young man and recently caught my interest a couple weeks ago at a family party. The first night I thought I was being conceited and there was no way he was flirting with me. The next day the sexual tension was so dense you could cut it with a knife. The kind where all you need to do is lock eyes and you can hear your heartbeat in your ears and feel it in your pussy. We partied all day at the house and all I could do was stare at was him in his grey sweatpants. Side note: Why do they do that to us?

By the end, I found myself alone with him grabbing a beer and it took every ounce of my spirit not to turn around and bend over for him right there. As soon as my mind went there, I just as quickly envisioned either of our parents walking in and finding us and I immediately went home. The next day we went to a bar for 3 beers before I blurted out "I just really want to fuck the shit out of you". And before I knew it we were in the back of his truck fucking like animals for what felt like hours. It was amazing. It was all I could think about the next week and I was spiraling. My friend called it a "dick daze". I've never felt anything like that. I spent the next few days getting tipsy and texting him, making a fool of myself and by the end of the week convinced myself I was being thirsty and needed to move on. After all, what am I doing chasing after any man, first of all? Then he texted me. He came over last night. On the one hand, it's fucking amazing having sex with someone who can go rounds and obviously worships your body. On the other, it is a little weird having sex with someone who has no chest hair. Ok, it's really weird.

I desperately need someone new in the mix that isn't an ex, much younger than me, or a total sociopath. Preferably with great abs and stamina.

If I do find them, you'll be the first to know.

Muah.

[jeonstellate]

farewell letter: journey to the past

fate brings you and jihoon together for a last journey before you become strangers once more.

๑彡 lee jihoon x gender neutral!reader

๑彡 post-break up!au — angst

๑彡 paragraph format — 1K words

masterlist

[gif’s full credit belongs solely to its owner]

๑彡 this is written based on a dream i had, which explains the usage of first person perspective. hopefully it sounds okay :]

There was a compass only my feet could intuit. It compelled my body to saunter on a mythical path not even my eyes could follow. Albeit inexplicable, the compass’ silent promises mesmerized my rationality into numbness. It put me into a trance that fogged my senses and merely left me to trust blindly.

Once the destination had been reached, the spell faded like a distant memory. Reality emerged, as did anxiety. Upon being locked in a trance, with only my own feet to trust, I had neglected to contemplate the taken route.

Nothing seemed familiar — not even the building that resembled the church I used to know nor the bricked ground that resembled that of an overpriced amusement park. Except, I supposed, for the lingering feeling that, somehow, I was meant to be there.

And perhaps, I was — because, between the confusion and the vulnerability, at the edge of courtyard, was you.

You donned a plain white shirt and a pair of black ripped skinny jeans, no doubt a homage to the lost naivety. You were leaning on a pillar as though you had been waiting for a while, but still insisted to stay. You were engrossed in the guitar on your hands, lost in the world of your own — as you always were.

You were not waiting for me, but I wanted to believe that you were.

I should not have underestimated the temptation of your eyes — because even months after the supposed expiration, your eyes could still pull me toward you effortlessly. I could still see a whole universe in them, but I could no longer read the constellations.

"Will you walk with me?" It seemed too ambitious to yearn for what was not owned, but audacity kept everything possible — even with the lack of rationale.

Rejection seemed inevitable, especially when distanced yourself from me. I did not follow you because, no matter how much my body ached to comfort you, I really have to start teaching myself how to resist any urges that pertained to you. After all, you were no longer my concern — even if your happiness would always be my priority.

I no longer knew what you were thinking, thus utter confusion came when your hand found mine as I tried to leave. Yet, you let go as soon as I tried to feel whether sparks still remained. "Shall we?"

Perhaps, you merely agreed because you thought you were giving me my happiness.

You and I walked like parallel lines — next to each other, but almost as though the other did not exist. Neither talked, partly because there were no longer words left to say. As silence engulfed the medium between, I pondered how a supposed infinity ended in a blink.

The sunlight accented your features perfectly. It gave you a warm glow, as if you were free from any constraints that might had been weighting you down. There was a faint smile at the corner of your lips and at the slight crinkle of your eyes. You were not looking at me, though, but rather at the instrument between your fingers.

As the wind carried the tunes you strummed, I did not mind that you never paid attention to me — at least, I no longer did.

The moonlight of that night accented your features just as perfectly. However, the glow it gave you was blue. Tears were streaming down your cheeks as your eyes looked like they had a thousand words left to express, but did not know how to. You were looking at me intently as you whispered your last appeal, "I love you."

I knew the hesitance had already shattered whatever hope you had left before my response even could, "I loved you."

That night, under the moonlight, with our tears-stained faces and our hoarse whispers, was the first and the last time you truly paid attention to me.

I had come to accept that endings are inevitable, but the end of our journey still came unwanted. As reality settled within, I fought my hardest to hide my weakness.

I looked at you like how you looked at me that night — like you were trying to memorize as much detail of me as possible because you were afraid. Frightened, even, that it would be the last time you would ever see me.

"Can I hug you?" The inquiry slipped past my lips before I could ponder about the consequences. Yet, before I could withdraw, the betrayal of my own consciousness already led me back into your welcoming arms.

There was no electricity that coursed through my veins the instant we touched, but the lack of flare did not subside the overwhelming feeling of you. Your scent filled my senses just as thoughts of you crowded my mind. Just like you had, I welcomed the theory of you warmly — one last time.

I whispered a confession to the universe, meant only for the macrocosmos to hear, but, with a tick of weakness, I had forgotten that you were once a universe, too. "I love you."

The tense might had change, but they stayed separately true for the precise moment they vibrated in my larynx. I loved you was verifiable with the you that stood before me under the moonlight. The you that broke too many promises. The you that loved too much, but simultaneously loved too little. The you that lost me amidst your strong passion and your jumbled priorities.

I love you was reserved for the you that stayed beside me when nothing in the world made sense. The you that had constellations bright with passion and determination. The you that rivaled the true epitomes of nature’s balance. The you that always knew what your heart desired.

With the sunlight reflecting the serenity in your being, I knew that the person that I love had found themselves once more. But, alas, I no longer deserved you. "I know."

For such a theoretical concept, time seemed too fleeting. For such a concluded concept, we seemed too unwilling. For such a quondam concept, we seemed too loving.

You stole my heart first, but I was the one who stole from you last.

"Goodbye, my love."

Then I let you go.

[stvlti]

2020 Creator Wrap

I was tagged by @irolltwenties to do the 2020 Creator Wrap: Favorite Works tag! Thank you, lovely (*˘ ε ˘*)

Rules: it’s time to love yourselves! choose your 5 (or so) favorite works you created in the past year (fics, art, edits, etc.) and link them below to reflect on the amazing things you brought to the world in 2020. tag as many writers/artists/etc. as you want (fan or original) so we can spread the love and link each other to awesome works!

Before I begin, let me just tag some friends:

@reaperlight @3dnygma @drowthelynes @transdankovsky @fantomn @lawliyeeeet @dressed-to-keehl @setfa @0akdown @reidsnor @clubolive @mermaides

No pressure, but it would be fun if you guys share some of your works this year ( ˘︶˘ ) let’s see those fics and edits and artworks!! Get the clicks and views y’all deserve 💕 💕

And now, onwards to my 2020 Favorite Works List!

I didn’t write nearly as much as some of you guys did. And though I did exceed my goal of putting out 1 fic per month, I don’t have 5 solid ones I’m proud of. So I’ll just list 4 fics here:

01 // Growing Pains

I’ve always been very nervous about reccing this one, because it broaches a topic that I don’t really have a right to claim? I’m not transgender myself, but I simply adore the trans Dick Grayson headcanon so much it singlehandedly brought me back to the DC fandom and restarted my fanfic-writing habit for 2020 😂😂 plus the writing quality isn’t half bad, and I still really like the idea/metaphor this little story started with and grew from. 

Fave moment (besides the obvious):

"Ka-Pow!!" The boy ventriloquised. Lego Robin sailed through the air in his fingers. One stubby, outstretched leg made contact with a Lego henchman, knocking all the surrounding baddies over like bowling pins. "Sorry Mr. Bad Guys, guess it's way past your bedtime too!"

"Good job, Robin." The boy lowered his prepubescent voice and tried to affect Batman's gravelly timbre as much as possible. In his other hand, he walked Lego Batman across the floor of the crime scene. "How about we round them up and leave it for the Commish? It's getting quite late."

"Oh oh! Can I have cookies on the ride back?"

The boy swivelled Lego Batman's grinning face around. "I don't see why not."

Another night out in Lego Gotham City, another day saved by the Dynamic Duo. This called for a celebration indeed. The boy set the pair of heroes down by the Lego Batmobile and reached over to his own plate of Alfred's after-school chocolate chip cookies. He took his sweet time with the last piece, savouring each bite, sighing at the way it melted on his tongue.

02 // Transference 

This is my best-performing fic in terms of the kudos to hits ratio, so I feel validated in being proud of this one :’) It’s a pretty good marker of the distances I’ve covered since getting serious about reading the comic source material end of 2019, as you can see from the much broader and varied cast of characters I focused on for this story. It also definitely cemented - to me, at least - the fact that I can write action scenes. When I went into “Second Chances” (a fem Jay fic) earlier this year, I was so nervous about writing the action sequence there, because I’ve never written a serious action scene up until that point! To me, this fic definitely showcases the growth I’ve experienced as a writer this year ^_^

Fave moment: (CONTAINS SPOILERS, PLEASE READ THE FIC FIRST IF YOU HAVEN’T!)

When the trio return, Ivy takes her place at the meeting table with a severe expression on her face. She chooses her words carefully, when she speaks. "The odds aren't pretty. We just accepted 100 refugees over the weekend, and the Green is still repairing itself after last week's attack."

Rose exchanges a glance with Jason. He gives her hand a reassuring squeeze, though he's not looking any better than she feels.

"But, each and everyone of us stayed behind to defend the Garden, because we all believed in giving a sanctuary for the civilian survivors out there.

"So bring them here. I'll take them in."

No sooner has Ivy finished the sentence, than Zatanna and Constantine have fired up their teleportation portal, and Harley's cheerful "Good luck!" is lost to the mad dash off to the rescue mission. The rest of the Shadowpact scramble after Rose as she launches herself through the portal—

—and slams into Arsenal, pushing him out of the way seconds before a meteoric explosion of green fire incinerates the very spot he'd been standing in.

03 // Paying It Forward

This one is important to me if only for the reason that it’s the first time I’ve written character dialogues that flowed. And I didn’t even need to plan them out meticulously beforehand! Do you know how rare that is for me as an ESL writer? Dialogues have been the bane of my existence since I started writing as a wee teen. Luckily, the Titans TV show has some solid character dynamics for me to fall back on. And from there I started reading NTT era Dick & Donna, and I just fell in love with their friendship. And now, I can turn to this fic as proof I still got it whenever I doubt my abilities as a writer c:

Fave moment:

Dick glanced at her, eyebrows raised. "She ran out on you?"

"No, no, we never really... I don't think it counts as running away if it never led to anything more."

"But you wanted it to be more." Dick paused, taking in Donna's silence, which would've fooled anyone else but him. "You still want it."

"I-- yeah." Donna sighed and held her hands up as if to say you caught me. "I'm... Sorry? For stealing your girl?"

Dick laughed, bemused. "She was never mine. She knew what she wanted, what she needed - and I wasn't in the right place to give her that."

"And you? You think I'm what she needs?"

"Better you than me. You're Donna Troy. Older, smarter, prettier..."

Donna gave him a deadpan stare.

"... And you know who you want to be. She likes that in a partner. I'm still figuring that one out for myself." Dick stretched his arms up and then leaned back into his seat, lacing his fingers behind his head as he stared up into the ceiling.

04 // When I'm down on my knees, you're how I pray

I’m including this one just to showcase I got the range, babey. And honestly, the fact that I was able to write this fic and actually receive positive reviews for it was a surprise to me too!! This was the first time I ever attempted to write a real darkfic with dead dove subject matters, and I managed to nail the emotional manipulation, somehow ;__; It was a real learning experience too, learnt so much about Catholicism just to write about Dick’s guilt issues in an AU setting nobody asked for 🤡

Fave moment: (dead dove warnings apply)

"Not at all, Richard," Roman said. The boy would come to him, eventually. "Now, it's getting late. If that's all, I'll have Jason fetch your room keys. Seven Hail Mary's before bed, and think about everything we've just discussed. Tomorrow we'll do a proper debriefing."

"I... Okay." For a moment, Dick sounded like he had more to say. Instead, Roman heard a muffled sniffle, one that Dick likely tried to disguise with a hand over his mouth. Silly boy.

"Thank you again, Father," Dick said, after a beat.

"All in a day's work, my child." Roman unlatched the door and stepped out of the booth. He nodded at Dick as the younger man ambled out of the booth after him. "Goodnight now, Richard."

As he set off for the living quarters, Dick called out. "Wait!"

Roman turned around, inclining his head.

"Will you stay?" The candlelight chased shadows away from Dick's face, and for one glorious moment, Roman could see the depth of the desperation shining in Dick's blue eyes.

"Guide me through my prayers. Please."

Roman smiled.

-

Oh did you think I was done? 😂 It did say Favourite Works and not just Favourite Fics, so I gotta include this one on the list too:

05 // 2020 Jason Todd Birthday edit

I said Robin Jason deserves better and I meant it! 👏👏 This edit took me 12 hours and 67 layers ‘cause I made a mistake on like my 8th hour into the editing process o__o but it ended up being my most popular serious graphic edit, so it was worth it. I guess! 

I mean the likes to reblog ratio is still fucked but hey, I broke 1k, which is more than I can say for any of my other edits

[cafedanslanuit]

― ✉♡ love letter from: oikawa tooru to @moonetica​

I know-- a letter. It surprised me too. But you'll understand why I chose it in a second. For now, keep reading~

Yesterday practice was cancelled so I had a lot of spare time in my hands. I decided to research some matches at home and so I took out my glasses. My new ones, of course, since the last pair broke after the accident. Even if I had set my mind to rewatch the games I couldn't stop thinking about my knee injury and how things developed from there.

It's not hurting!!! So don't worry, it actually feels really good. But what I meant is I started remembering how it all happened. I remember how you were already waiting at the hospital when I got to the Emergency Room (I never got to ask, did you take a taxi to get there faster?). And when they had finally stabilized it and took me to my room to rest, it didn’t take long for you to waltz inside, holding some flowers in your hands. You put them on the table and stayed with me talking.

Now that I’m trying to be a bit more honest, I was in pain. The meds were wearing off, but somehow, the sound of your voice helped me keep it together. You were so concerned about me, I didn’t have a clue you had been watching the game. To this day, I don’t think I’ve ever listened to you talk as much as you did that day-- you are kind of quiet. But listening to you ask about how I was doing and watching your eyes open with curiosity when I answered your questions made me feel better. You made me feel seen, honey bunny.

No, let me rephrase that. I’ve always felt seen. I’ve been interviewed a thousand times and people always wait for my serves. But you… you make me feel seen because I always feel you see more of me than volleyball, more than my serves, more than my achievements.

It’s weird, but I somehow love that you don’t even know much about volleyball. You go to the games and cheer quietly, and someone your soft smile when I look back at the audience says a million more words than the loud chants of the other girls do.

Yesterday I was sitting down on the floor, my TV still off and thinking about that day. How nice and caring you were to me and how, even after you left my hospital room, I could still feel your warmth, even if you hadn’t even touched me. And just the memories of that day made me feel warm inside again. 

So, this letter is me wanting to feel that again? Maybe this Saturday? Let me know.

© cafedanslanuit’s 1k event

[only-here-for-jatp]

Build-a Band pt 3- Alex’s POV

So Alex’s POV is going to get two chapters because reacting to Alexander the Bear took up more time than I expected. Because it was cute. I love writing in Alex’s head and the dynamic between the three boys.

Features: Soft Alex, Cuddle piles. Alexander the great. Excited Reggie. Teasing. And the boys loving Reggie with everything they’ve got.

You can read it on Ao3 here

or below ~1k words

Alex and Luke had been lounging around the studio. They knew exactly where Reggie was and both knew him well enough to know that his excitement would be both chaotic and overwhelming. Alex chuckled a little at the thought, sure there would be some screaming and words he couldn’t catch. They both knew however, that if either of them wasn’t there to explode happiness on that he would make that face. That slightly disappointed one. The one where they knew he was trying to douse everything he was feeling in order to not be a bother.

They never wanted Reggie to feel like he was a bother. It was their life mission actually. Afterlife? Whatever.

So Alex sat, fiddling with his drums and waiting for a whirlwind. He kept reminding himself that it really was worth the wait, even if he could be spending time with Willie. It would be easier to remember that once he saw the joy on Reggie’s face. He sighed; it’d been close to a whole hour since he poofed off to meet Julie. How long was this supposed to take? Should they be starting to get worried?

No sooner had he finished the thought when Reggie burst into the studio. Vibrating as if he was about to burst. Alex felt the smile tugging on his lips, oh he was about to Reggie all over the place. Alex glanced at Luke and the playfully exasperated smile was already playing on his lips too as he sat up to look at Reggie.

Reggie let out a little squeak as if he was struggling to hold everything in and Alex had to let out a full-on laugh at that one. “Well are you going to tell us about it or what?” Alex teased.

Reggie immediately started poofing around the room, talking a mile a minute. Alex was sure he heard the words Star Wars, Julie Magic, The best, Everyone should go, and fanny pack? He filled with warmth at the sight of Reggie being so unapologetically happy, even as he tried to play it off like he might be exasperated with the younger boy.

To sell it, he gave a little shy and shake of his head, which of course was when he noticed that Reggie was hiding something behind his back. “So what’s behind your back?” At this, Reggie turned slightly red and stopped talking. Appearing almost a little shy, but the excitement hadn’t left his eyes. Alex was curious and slightly concerned as Reggie slowly made his way toward him. He stopped for a minute before quickly whipping out a stuffed bear?

Reggie was talking again, but he was having a hard time focusing as he grasped the bear from Reggie’s hands. It was soft, way softer than any teddy he’d ever had. But it was more than that. His fingers traced softly over the outfit, a pink shirt and a fanny pack and a backwards ball cap. It was the flag though, that he thought he might never let go of.

It was him. Reggie had made him. His heart swelled as he traced the eyes and snouts. Luke’s cough finally broke him out of his reverie and he smiled sheepishly at Reggie having not heard anything he’d said.

“His name’s Alexander” Of course it was “I saw the bear and it looked just like you and Julie and I just had to. I thought maybe you could hold him. Or something. When your anxiety starts getting bad.” Alex his eyes widen at the care and consideration, not that he should be surprised, but still. He wrapped Reggie up in a fierce hug, never letting go of Alexander. He whispered a soft “Thanks” into Reggie’s ear who just grinned.

Just then a whine carried across the room. “How come you made Alex a bear and not me?” Luke was putting on his best grumpy puppy face, not that everyone in the room knew it was fake, yet it broke the tension. Alex coughed stepping away.

“The truth comes out after all these years of competing Luke, Reggie likes me better” he sassed back.

Reggie stuttered “Wait- guys- wait- I don’t- wait” Alex and Luke burst out into laughter. Luke still carried on though “Years of wooing! WASTED!” Somehow, as per usual, they’d all found their way to being in a pile on the couch. Luke moving to lay dramatically across Alex and Reggie’s lap. Reggie was turning bright red and Alex pondered out loud why he’d ever made friends with either of them. Reggie and Luke let out mock shrieks with Luke being the loudest.

“That’s it! I demand satisfaction! We’re all just going to have to go back and get a bear. We have to make the whole band! No exceptions or excuses.” Reggie immediately jumped on board and soon both the boys were pleading with him.

He hesitated. There was a reason why Julie banned them from coming in the first place, but I mean. It wouldn’t hurt to ask right? Maybe they could work something out. Besides, he really kind of wanted to make a Willie bear….

“Okay okay fine. We can ask. But if Julie says no, we respect her decision. Got it?”

The other two agreed rapidly, grinning as if they’d won something difficult. He hugged Alexander a little closer, hearing a small voice that sounded like Reggie when he did so.

You will be Alexander. You are the greatest drummer and one of the greatest friends a guy could have. You will be there for every heartache, panic attack, and moment of joy. You are sarcastic, but there for us anyway. Just wait until you meet the real Alex.

Luke popped up from the couch. “Well since we’re all here boys, might as well practice a little! You might have to put the bear down though Alex.”

Alex most certainly did not put Alexander down. It stayed firmly in his arms somehow, someway, for the rest of the day.

[moonchild-prod]

noir.

ch.1: kkaebsong! pt. 3

prompt: SM Entertainment just debuted a new girl group, Noir, but with EXO’s busy schedule, Baekhyun didn’t even know they existed. One day, he runs into them at SM and immediately recognizes one of the members - Hong Eunbin, his high school crush! But Baekhyun was a bit of a pest back then, and she didn’t like him because of it. Now, Baekhyun wants to make a good impression.

main characters: hong eunbin, byun baekhyun

word count: 1k

warnings: none! unless you consider a$$ to be a bad word bc it’s in there one (1) time

a/n: if you listen to baekhyun’s solo stuff while reading it will enhance your experience by 100%. trust me, i listened to candy while editing and wanted to scream

“Would it be weird if I got Soo-man a Christmas present?” Chunhei asked, taking a strawberry from her fruit bowl.

Eunbin looked confusedly at the member who was sitting across the table from her. “Yes?” 

Chunhei spoke as she chewed. “That’s too bad.” 

Eunbin looked around the dorm for her other members who she hoped would save her from this conversation, but she saw no one.

“Where are Bomi and Chanmi?”

Chunhei tilted her head to the side. “Bomi is practicing her choreography for a cover and I believe Chanmi is in our room playing video games.” 

Eunbin excused herself and walked right into Chanmi & Chunhei’s shared bedroom. 

“Dang it Haechan, you were supposed to cover me!” Chanmi stared angrily at her monitor. 

Eunbin laughed quietly. “Am I interrupting?”

Chanmi’s head darted in her direction. “Ah, no. Haechan just got me KILLED!” She yelled directly into her mic, and Eunbin could faintly hear Haechan’s protests through Chanmi’s headset as she took it off.

“What’s up?”

“Chunhei inspired me to get out of here… I might go shopping, do you want to come?”

“Hmm… I already did my Christmas shopping.” Chanmi pouted. “Can you go by yourself?”

Eunbin sighed dramatically. “I’ll go by myself.”

Chanmi smiled widely as Eunbin closed the door and made her way to the front door. 

“Chunhei, I’m going out,” she said, grabbing her purse. Chunhei waved as Eunbin headed out the door. 

Eunbin walked down the sidewalk, pushing her hands tightly into her coat pockets. Although it was the afternoon and the sun was at its brightest, it was cold outside, and Eunbin’s exposed cheeks and nose reddened after seconds of exposure to the elements. She wasn’t too fond of the freezing temperature, but she had to admit that Seoul was beautiful with the neon city lights glistening on the scattered piles of snow. After about five minutes of wishing she had taken the bus, Eunbin decided to go inside a random store to warm up. The store she chose happened to be a high-end men’s clothing store.

“Oops,” Eunbin whispered, trying to hide herself so she could warm up before she left the place. The store itself looked expensive. There were some shirts and sweaters hung on evenly spaced racks, and a variety of belts and other accessories were displayed in a glass case at the front of the store. The back wall was lined with mannequins in particularly well put together outfits. Eunbin deduced that the farther back you went in the store, the more expensive the items were.

Eunbin was looking out the window admiring the snowy Seoul streets when a familiar voice called her name. 

“Baekhyun! Hi…” Eunbin’s already red cheeks somehow got redder when she confronted the brown eyes that were peeking at her under a hood.

“I didn’t know you shopped here!” Baekhyun joked. 

“I just came in to warm up,” Eunbin explained. “I didn’t realize it was a men’s store…”

“You should probably watch where you’re going more,” Baekhyun suggested.

Eunbin made a face. “It was cold outside! What was I supposed to do, get frostbite?”

Baekhyun smirked. “You’re kinda cute when you’re angry.”

Eunbin’s eyes widened. “What did you just say?”

“Ah, nothing,” Baekhyun smiled and turned to walk away. “I’ll see you around.”

Eunbin stood with a blank expression on her face as she watched Baekhyun walk toward the back of the store. “Did Baekhyun just call me cute?” Eunbin placed her hands on her cheeks to cool them down. Figuring that Baekhyun was teasing her just like he did in the past, Eunbin decided to ignore it. “This is my chance to be the bigger person and apologize for being rude,” she thought. 

Eunbin took a deep breath and walked over to Baekhyun, who was browsing through a rack of hoodies. She was standing directly behind him when she got cold feet. “What am I doing? He should be apologizing to ME,” Eunbin thought while staring at Baekhyun’s back. Before she could decide what she wanted to do, Baekhyun turned around, not realizing that Eunbin was there, let alone standing so close to him. 

“Ah, kkaebsong…” Baekhyun muttered, bringing his hand to his heart. “Someone might think you’re stalking me if you keep following me around like that.”

Eunbin frowned. “I didn’t mean to - whatever. I just wanted to apologize for what I said at the MAMAs.”

“In the middle of a store?” Baekhyun raised an eyebrow.

“Please don’t, I’m trying to be the bigger person here,” Eunbin said exasperatedly. “I shouldn’t have said what I said, and I hope you can forgive me.”

Baekhyun’s expression shifted from playful to sincere. “Only if you forgive me first.”

Eunbin’s jaw just about dropped to the floor. “What do you mean?” 

Baekhyun brought his hand up to his neck. “I was an ass to you when I was in high school. I’m the one who should be apologizing to you.”

Eunbin was speechless. Never in a million years did she think that Baekhyun would be mature enough to genuinely apologize. “I, uh…”

“Can you forgive me? Please?” Baekhyun asked nervously due to Eunbin’s hesitation. 

“Yes, I forgive you.”

Baekhyun smiled softly. “Good. I forgive you too.” 

Eunbin smiled back. “Now that that’s settled, I think I’m gonna go…”

Baekhyun pouted. “We just got to be friends and you’re leaving already? Can’t you at least help me pick out which sweatshirt is better?” Baekhyun grabbed two sweatshirts that he had been eyeing from the rack and looked at Eunbin with puppy dog eyes.

Eunbin playfully rolled her eyes. “I guess I have some time to spare.”

Baekhyun smiled. “Yay! So, which one do you like?” He held each one out individually and gave them a twirl.

“Hmm…” Eunbin squinted and pretended to think hard. “I like the one on the right better.”

Baekhyun looked unimpressed. “That one’s more expensive! Are you trying to make me go broke?”

“What can I say,” stated Eunbin. “I have expensive taste.”

Baekhyun looked at the two hoodies and put the one in his left hand back on the rack. “Me too.”

[nevermoremagic]

aren’t you forgetting something? - jj maybank x reader

A/N: I’ve been wanting to write fics for JJ ever since I finished watching Outer Banks, but my writing is rusty as hell :) Nonetheless, I really wanted to post something, so here’s a fluffy little drabble!

It’s based on a prompt I found on @otpprompts ! Referenced in the notes at the end.

Pairing: jj maybank x reader

Prompt: You are about to leave for work. JJ asks you if you’ve forgotten anything, and you give him a kiss. JJ turns red and opens his hand to reveal your keys, saying “I meant this, but thanks.”

Warning(s): a bit of swearing, a lot of fluff and cheese

Word Count: 1k

--

“JJ… let go of me, please.” Only a piercing groan in response. Still, the muscular arms remain wrapped around your frame and the tufts of golden hair shoved into your face don’t move the slightest bit.

“JJ,” you whine, squirming in his hold. God, if you were late for another shift at Heyward’s, surely Pope’s father would have your head.

The culprit of your tardiness, the one whose arms have your body pressed tightly against his chest like an octopus, buries his head into the crook of your neck, moaning a mocking “(Y/N)” in response to your whine of protest.

“I’m gonna be late for work.”

“Yeah. That’s the point. So you stay here longer.” JJ’s chin hooks onto your shoulder, and when you turn to give him a pointed glare, he beams at you. The classic JJ smile. The one where your heart skips a beat at the sight. Your glare immediately melts, and instead you sigh and roll your eyes at the whining child you’ve unbelievably called your boyfriend.

Oh, you’d love to stay. In your experience, there’s nothing more blissful than laying in a hammock watching the sunset and feeling the sea breeze brush past you two. And JJ’s built like a furnace, always keeping you warm in his embrace during the windiest of days. It’s days like these where it’s hard to pry yourself away from him.

“Heyward’s going to fire me and I’ll be jobless and broke,” you warn JJ, but also make no move to escape his clutch.

He sucks air between his teeth and furrows his eyebrows, thinking of what you assume to be a solution to this dilemma of yours. Then, his eyes widen as a thought you were expecting to be ridiculous comes to him.

“I’ll be your sugar daddy.”

You scoff. “Oh, please. Your broke ass?”

He lets out an indignant squawk. “Broke? Who are you calling broke? Was the treasure hunt last summer for 400 mil a fever dream to you?”

“Oh?” Your eyebrow quirks. “You mean, the 400 million dollars that’s currently in the Bahamas? That’s the money you’re going to use to pamper me?” You smirk, fondly watching his soft blue eyes narrow at your triumphant teasing.

JJ quiets, shaking his head at the sight of your cocky smirk. Finally, he clicks his tongue, barking a “fine!” before unwinding his arms and springing out of the hammock in an instant, nearly sending you toppling onto the ground.

You gasp in shock, fingers frantically trying to find purchase in the netting beneath you as you cling for dear life. The snickers behind you serve as a reminder of the idiot that nearly sent you to your death. “Asshole,” you mutter, although it doesn’t sound nearly as resentful as you’d like it to be. You’re too whipped for JJ to truly be mad, and you knew it.

It takes a few seconds, but you find your balance and roll off the hammock with ease. You refuse to look at your boyfriend while you begin stomping towards your car, pettiness apparent. Your angry facade can only continue for so long though, as JJ’s happy laughs trail behind you.

“Hey,” he calls, and before you can guess what’s happening, his hands curl around your waist, holding you close. When you look up, you’re convinced you’re staring straight through heaven’s gates.

The last rays of sun peek through the tree leaves and cast a halo of light around JJ’s head, setting his golden tresses aglow. He looks angelic, and the sight sends bursts of love through you; so strong, they make your heart hurt.

“Aren’t you forgetting something?” he chuckles, still amused from earlier. His eyes crinkle when he speaks, exuding a boyish charm that you can never get enough of. But what were you forgetting?

“Huh? Oh, right.” Before you can stop yourself, you lean in.

You give him a soft and sweet peck on the lips, smiling as you pull away and watch his cheeks turn into a pale pink. It’s not often that you see JJ so flustered from affection, so you indulge in the sight of his blushing cheeks with satisfaction.

“Uh,” he says, buffering. “I meant these, but thanks.”

Your blood turns over in your veins when he holds out the car keys you left at the hammock in his palms, embarrassment flooding through you.

“Oh,” You say breathlessly, fumbling for the keys. “Oh, right, that.” You laugh awkwardly, still cringing a little from your sudden burst of affection. Too focused on berating yourself, you fail to see the soft smile adorning JJ’s face; eyes soft, heart soft. Too damn soft for the girl in front of him; whom he loves so easily, and who loves him just as much in return.

If you thought your heart could handle any more surprises today, you were definitely wrong. JJ pulls you impossibly closer to him, and he leans in and gives you another kiss on the lips; the kind only a playful, teasing-but-equally-loving-JJ could give. The kind you loved.

When he pulls away, you think you forget how to breathe. You and JJ have kissed too many times to count, and somehow, he still manages to sweep you off your feet every time.

“I’ll see you later,” he murmurs, face inches away from yours. You can only nod in response while your breath is - quite literally - stolen. “Love you.”

“Love you too,” you say, but it sounds too airy, as if your head was stuck in the clouds.

JJ grins at the sight of you - wide-eyed and a little spaced out. With a final peck on the forehead, he unwraps his arms from your waist and saunters back into John B’s shack, turning to shoot you a final wink before he disappears through the front door.

If anyone asks, you won’t admit it, but it did take you a few seconds to process where you were and where you were supposed to be. And like the typical lovesick fool, a dazed, euphoric grin adorned your face once you were reminded of the work shift you still had to cover. It was a happy grin that danced on your lips when you arrived at Heyward’s, a grin that Pope was quick to make fun of once you walked into the shop, because he knew there was only one person who was able to put such a lovestruck, happy smile on your face.

-

Notes:

lol the ending was shite

sorry if it’s garbage! again, I haven’t written in a while, so it might sound a little clunky.

thanks for reading anyways!!

Original prompt: Person A is about to leave for work [or insert any other suitable event/place]. Person B asks them if they’ve forgotten anything, and Person A gives them a kiss. Person B turns red and opens their hand to reveal Person A’s keys/wallet/etc., saying “I meant this, but thanks.”

[bucks-little-hop]

i see my future in your eyes (1k)

Day 1 of Maddie Week - “I want to marry you.” + love

read on ao3 here

Pregnancy cravings were a bitch. That was Maddie’s definitive opinion on them. Sometimes they were foods she loved, sometimes it was foods that sounded awful together, and sometimes it was just desperately wanting food at 2am for no good reason. It was even worse when it was something she couldn’t have. Pregnancy diets seemed to be designed to take all of the best foods out of her life. She would kill a man for a single sip of a latte. 

She was eternally grateful for Chimney. Not only had he offered to go on the pregnancy diet with her, which she declined because she knew it would be hard on him with work and only one of them should have to suffer, but because he put up with all of her cravings. He didn’t judge her for eating peanut butter on pizza or when she broke down crying because she couldn’t figure out what she wanted. 

They were having a quiet lazy morning, both of them somehow having the day off. It wasn’t unusual  for their off days to overlap, but they usually had plans either with each other or one of their friends. They didn’t have any plans until later in the evening. It was nice to sometimes just sit and enjoy each other’s company in silence, occasionally sending each other cute photos they saw. Their work days were hectic enough, some peace that they knew wouldn’t be interrupted was always appreciated. 

Maddie had been staring a little too longingly at Chim’s coffee apparently. Her own cup of hot chocolate just wasn’t the same. Chim shot her a look before searching something up on his phone. It was clear he was up to something, but Maddie wasn’t sure what. He got up, grabbed his wallet and keys, and dropped a kiss on Maddie’s forehead.

“I’ll be right back. I’ve got an idea.”  Chim headed quickly out of the door, leaving no time for arguments. Maddie wouldn’t have tried to stop him anyways. She knew that whatever he was doing was likely to benefit her. She couldn’t lie and say it wasn’t relieving to see Chim get so involved in her pregnancy. It should have been a red flag to her how worried she was with Doug about what could happen if she became pregnant. With Chim, she was never worried. She was surprised when she found out, a little shocked, but happy to tell Chim. It wasn’t something either of them were expecting to happen so quickly, but it was something both of them wanted. 

It wasn’t long before Chim walked back in, a bag in his hand. “So I found a coffee ice cream that doesn’t have any caffeine in it. It’s not the same as regular coffee but people said it helped with cravings.” He set the bag on the table, heading to the kitchen to grab two spoons. He didn’t expect to turn around to find Maddie crying. “Did I do something wrong?”

“No no, I’m just so excited to actually taste coffee again. These are happy tears.” Maddie really was so thrilled, but her emotions felt like they bubbled over too fast these days. Crying just seemed to happen no matter the emotion. She would power through it though. She could take the random crying for 5 more months if it meant she got to see the twins at the end. “We should probably eat this before it melts.” 

They wasted no time digging into the ice cream. Maddie was thrilled after the first bite. There had been so many of her favourite foods that she could no longer eat. The fact that there was a way for her to still enjoy coffee, and have ice cream was perfect. She didn’t bother to stop the words from coming out of her mouth. “After this idea I want to marry you.”

Chim froze. A drop of ice cream fell on the table. Maddie kept eating like she hadn’t just dropped a bomb that shook his entire world. It wasn’t like Chimney had never thought about marriage before. Hell, he had considered proposing when she came out of the bathroom with the positive pregnancy test. But it was something he figured they should at least discuss before it happened. They had conversations about wanting kids before, they knew they were on the same page about that. But marriage, that was a completely separate thing. It wasn’t ever discussed. With everything that happened with Doug, Chim didn’t know if she would even want to get married. However, this seemed like somewhat of a confirmation that it was at least on the table. “You want to marry me?”

Maddie couldn’t help but feel a little soft. She reached across the table and gave Chim’s free hand a gentle squeeze. “Yes I want to marry you. I know we haven’t talked about it much, but it’s something that I want. Maybe not right now, we have enough stress with two kids on the way, but after. When things calm down a little bit we can make that final step official.” Maddie felt new tears running down her cheeks. She loved Chimney. Marriage wasn’t the end all be all of things, but having a wedding where her family could actually come and enjoy was something she wanted. Or even just a party afterwards to celebrate. She wanted their family with them. She wiped her tears away, smiling over at Chim. “We aren’t considering this an official proposal thought, you deserve better than me crying over some ice cream.” 

Chim couldn’t help but let out a small laugh. “I’d take any proposal from you, but we can redo this at a different time. Just no public proposals still, and definitely no almost ones at revolving restaurants.” The two ended up fully laughing, reminiscing over that date. It was an important step in their relationship. All of their important moments somehow revolved around food, but that was okay. They knew where they stood in their relationship. It was full of love, they were on the same page about their future, and their small family was going to grow soon. 

[thejilyship]

sorry if you’ve answered this but I just finished reading your hunger games AU (which was bloody incredible). I’m just wondering what everyone back in district 12 thought about James + Lily’s relationship? Do the boys think it’s for real? I wonder what petunia thinks of him 😂

So I don’t know what this is exactly, but as soon as I saw this ask I knew I was going to write it. I’m sure Petunia is grateful that James took care of her sister, and I don’t think she’d think about much past that. I think the boys were always going to be more complicated. Because Sirius had thought that he’d volunteer to go into the games for her. 

Here’s a small glimpse.

WARNING: THIS CONTAINS A LOT OF SPOILERS FOR MY FIC FIGHTING THE ODDS

WC: 1K

They couldn’t go to the Potter’s for the longest time.

Not because Mr. and Mrs. Potter had told them to stay away,but because Remus felt guilty and Sirius was angry with them for allowing thisto happen and so no one knew what to say and they kept their distance.

But they all shouldered these feelings on the first day ofthe games. They all burrowed into the couch and watched as the numbers tickeddown from thirty.

They all about pissed themselves when they watched Jamessneak into the career camp to grab that damned bow. Sirius had never foundhimself the prayerful type, but he was asking anyone and everyone to keep Jamessafe in that moment.

He found her of course, gave her the bow and convinced herto team up.

And then the two idiots decided to destroy the careers food supply.And James was the bait and Sirius wanted to throttle Lily for putting him inthat situation. But then she got blown up and chased through the woods whileher head was bleeding and he couldn’t breath as he watched her do what she’dsaid that she would never do, she shot one of the careers with her arrows thatJames had gotten her and was able to crawl away.

He didn’t know when he noticed that Lily was acting as muchas he had thought she was originally, but he didn’t think that her discoveringthat she might have feeling for James in the middle of the death arena was a goodenough reason for her to keep James around. Because he knew that James wasn’tgoing to do anything to hurt Lily, he knew that he was going to do whatever hecould to make sure that she would come home, and that meant that he wasn’tgoing to come home.

They didn’t talk about it. But Remus jaw was always clenched,and Peter barely spoke so Sirius knew that they had things that they didn’tthink they were allowed to say out loud. Things like, Lily needed to stayhidden in those rocks so that James could come home. Things like James shouldstop looking for her and focus on winning.

But then they made the rule change and Peter voiced his excitement.

“They’re going to make it,” He said quietly after James hadfound Lily and she’d kissed him, and Sirius didn’t say anything.

“She’s not going to make it.” Remus surprised him byspeaking up. It was the first time he’d said anything while they had beenwatching the games.

“Sure she will.”

“No, look at her. It’s too late.”

And he was the expert, so they didn’t argue with himanymore.

They just watched James frantically trying to keep heralive, they watched Lily accept that she was going to die. They watched himdrug her with a sleeping aid so that he could go and get himself killed at theFeast.

Remus’s hands were bleeding by the time James was headingback with two packs. He’d dug his nails into his palms and Mrs. Potter made himsit at the dining table and let her clean them up.

And then Lily got better and Sirius felt himself gethopeful. They could come home. Remus seemed to be determined to not gethopeful, but Peter was vocally hopeful. He started going out to the publicshowing and cheering them on in a less stoic and grim fashion.

Sirius knew that the entire game could change with the flipof a switch, so he couldn’t go out and watch in public, he had to stay withJames’ parents because he knew that’s what James would have wanted him to do.

The finale was the worst.

Sirius knew somehow that Rabastan wasn’t going to kill Jamesor Lily. He had a feeling that it was going to come down to the two of them.

And when Ludo made the announcement that the rule change wasnow void, when he said that they weren’t going to let them both come home, Siriusfelt his heart drop to his stomach, but he wasn’t surprised.

James’ mum had started crying, his dad was holding her, becausethey knew that James wasn’t going to hurt Lily. They knew that he was going tolet her go home.

Remus broke a vase. Apparently, he had started hoping, becausehe was angry in a way that only a hopeful person could have been.

Sirius had to tell them all to be quiet when Lily startedgoing on about the berries.

He watched her little show, watched her cry, but he figuredshe had to do that, to make her feel better about herself when she got home,and James was dead. He hadn’t been expecting the berries.

“What is she doing?” Mr. Potter asked, letting go of hiswife so he could get closer to the screen. “What does she have there?”  

James reached out and covered her hand with his own. “Lily,I’m not letting you-”

“James, just trust me.” She said, stepping closer to himas she pulled her hand back, looking up at him through her lashes. “Trustme.”

James nodded slowly and then looked down at their hands again.“Together?” He asked.

“Together,” Lily agreed, “One,”

James ground his teeth together. “Two,”

“Three,” Lily lifted her hand up to her mouth and Jamesmirrored her actions. The berries touched his lips.

“Wait!” Ludo’s voice filled the arena once more. It wasfrantic and loud. “Stop! Ladies and gentlemen, the victors of the seventyfourth hunger games!”

No one breathed. No one wanted to let themselves believe.

But they were coming home.

Both of them.

They wouldn’t be the people that they had been when theyleft, but they were coming home together.

Sirius took a deep slow breath and fell back against thecouch.

“I’m going to kick his arse.” Remus said quietly from besidehim.

“Yeah,” Sirius nodded, his breath coming quicker now. Hehadn’t been able to take a full breath since James had left. “Yeah, me too.”

[sunsetcurve]

and it’s right before your eyes

summary: she zooms in, snaps a picture, and then it’s done. it’s over, she has exactly what she needs, exactly what she’s been looking for for months now. henry hart is kid danger, and she’s the first person with real, tangible proof. / or, in which charlotte and henry have been rivals from the start, and charlotte knows she’s right about this.

fandoms: henry danger

relationships: henry hart & charlotte page-bolton

word count: 1,293

a/n: so i know i’ve been posting a lot about a random character who wants to expose henry as kd and it was a joke at first, but then i had this idea. and it kind of started off as like, a mini post of headcanons but then it turned into actual writing and surpassed 1k words so i thought what the hell, i haven’t written an official fic (that isn’t in chat format) in a while. so here’s this, all rambled out at once and barely edited and un-beta’d. i hope you enjoy.

dedications: please don’t feel any pressure to read this! but i’m just gonna tag @ciara-knightly @bizackmartin @mychenrymadness @just-a-j-reallly @charlottepage @cactus-con @up-the-tube @bijerbear and @taylorswiftrulestheworld 

* * *

here’s the thing: henry and charlotte aren’t best friends.

far from it, actually. maybe hate is a strong word, in charlotte’s mind (although henry is all-too-quick to use it), but they’ve been at odds since they were kids. really, it’s hard for either of them to pinpoint when it started. maybe it was in the first grade, when henry broke charlotte’s magenta crayon and insisted he wasn’t the culprit. maybe second, when they had to share a cubby together, which led to constant bickering. maybe fourth, when charlotte ratted him out for playing on his nintendo ds in class. but at some point, they started hating each other. and they’re not really sure why they still do now—that’s just the way it’s always been.

they compete over everything—student council positions, academics, sports, even stupid, trivial things like instagram followers. and to be honest, charlotte doesn’t like being that egotistical person she becomes whenever she’s trying to one-up him, but she can’t help it. he’s so prideful and careless and arrogant and it’s infuriating. 

and when kid danger shows up, she’s the only person who isn’t fooled. somehow, she knows its him; maybe it’s the height, or the haircut, but she knows. and she confronts him, and he denies it vehemently, but charlotte knows better than to fall for it. there’s clues everywhere, and she prides herself on being smart—so of course she picks up on the little things that no one else seems to notice.

like how henry’s always late to class. how he’ll always miss school right around the time that kid danger shows up. how he’s always so eager to get to work, how he has to step away from his friends before taking calls, how his watch always beeps and he acts like the world is ending. 

“i know that it’s you,” she says, and the smirk on his face is so smug that charlotte half wishes she believed in solving issues with violence just so she could wipe it off of his face. 

“prove it,” he replies.

and she tries. she hangs around the stupid junk store he works at more often than any normal person. she watches his every move like a goddamn hawk. she listens to his phone conversations more closely than she’d like to admit. she talks to loose-lipped jasper, who’s henry’s best friend and someone she’s been close to ever since they started sharing fashion advice and physics notes, but either he’s really good at playing dumb or henry really hasn’t told him yet—and is better at keeping secrets than she would’ve expected.

but she knows. it has to be him—and she isn’t going to stop until she gets her proof. she’s not even sure why it means so much to her; maybe it’s a mixture of pride and stubbornness but she knows she’s not wrong and she needs the evidence. 

and then—of all places—she’s at burger castle.

three masked men bust through the door, and there’s shouting and screaming and gunshots fired at the ceiling, and everyone’s ducking under the tables. and captain man’s out of town for the weekend; the news had spread like wildfire through swellview, so maybe that’s why the robbers choose now to do it (but a fucking burger castle? seriously?)

and then kid danger saunters through the door. he’s all witty comebacks and an overall air of carelessness, but there’s a note of relief mixed in with the annoyance in charlotte’s chest. he takes them down fast, but it’s a messy fight—he somehow ends up with ketchup covering his hands, so he strips off his gloves.

and that’s when charlotte sees it. there’s a birthmark on the side of kid danger’s wrist, and maybe she doesn’t like henry hart but she knows him, maybe too well and at least well enough to know that he has the same one in the same place. she zooms in, snaps a picture, and then it’s done. it’s over, she has exactly what she needs, exactly what she’s been looking for for months now. henry hart is kid danger, and she’s the first person with real, tangible proof.

then, she looks over at him. he’s kneeling in front of a crying girl who can’t be more than six, with his hands on her shoulders and a gentle smile on his masked face. he says something that charlotte can’t hear, and the girl giggles, and for a moment, she doesn’t see the pride and arrogance that always seems to surround henry. she just sees a hero.

then he turns, and his eyes lock on hers, and maybe he knows her as well as she knows him because he takes one look at the phone in her hands and the look on her face and the expression drops from his. charlotte half runs out the door, and then she makes a decision.

“charlotte!” he catches up to her, and tugs her behind the building and away from the news vans that have just pulled up. his eyes are so wide with panic that she thinks she can hear his heart racing. 

“henry,” she says, and he looks, for the first time that day despite staring down the barrel of a gun only a few minutes ago, afraid.

“you have proof, don’t you?” it’s not really a question. he tugs a hand through his hair and swallows as she nods mutely .

“please,” he says, and of all the ways she’d pictured this moment going this was never one of them. “i know we’re not...friends, i know we’ve never been friends but i can’t—this could put everyone i care about in danger.” he sounds so desperate. “and i’m sorry i’ve been a jerk to you for so long, it was so stupid, i don’t even know why i ever did any of that stuff to you but now i’m asking you, charlotte, please don’t tell anyone. i can’t let this get out, that would mean that it’s all over and i—”

“henry,” she cuts in, and when he glances up at her his eyes are rimmed in red. “i deleted the video.”

“you what?”

charlotte bites her lip, shifting on her feet—and she’s not usually one to get nervous or awkward but henry looks like he’s about to cry and she’s just doing her best to explain herself. “you’re right; we’ve never been friends. but you—you saved a lot of people today. you’ve been saving a lot of people since you started doing this, and i’m not gonna take that away because of some petty grudge that,” and she laughs a little despite herself, “i can’t even remember the reason for. so, you don’t have to worry about it anymore. i won’t say anything.”

the look on his face is so intensely relieved that it’s almost endearing. “thank you,” he says, voice a little breathless, and she nods at him, smiling softly.

“it’s the least i could do, kid danger,” she replies, and as a smile slowly eases on his face she adds, “besides, maybe now i can help you. some of your tech needs a major upgrade.”

he laughs, a clear, warm sounds that lights up his whole face, and she thinks fleetingly about how much time they could’ve spent sharing those smiles instead of arguing. “let’s not get ahead of ourselves, yeah?” he jokes, and she punches his shoulder and thinks that this is something that she could definitely get used to.