#simply put we are not in this alone ⋆˙⊹ queue

[strangewonderful]

dorian major is a singer with the stage name siren, who andie meets through the band scene while following heart attack around. they hit it off and while heart attack will always be her band, we all know andie and how easily she makes friends.... which here soon blossoms into more than friends. andie and dorian date during part of the summer and into andie's first year at esu!! it's not quite whirlwind, but it's not not. love blossoms quickly with both of them and while they're together the world is very much like a romcom: so many sweet romantic moments, picture-perfect dates and summer evenings spent together, dorian dedicating songs to andie in front of adoring crowds. everything is brighter, more vibrant, the birds sing sweetly.

except it's not the birds. it's dorian.

he's (although he doesn't realize it while dating andie) a mutant with the ability to manipulate reality. his powers begin to manifest for the first time via a world that he has concocted where his crush on andie is reciprocated and he... makes her fall in love with him. the very worst part about this being that he isn't even aware it's happening. he thinks that his romcom, movie musical fantasy is real, until romeo wakes him up to the truth.

there's no ill will between him and andie, of course there's not. she loved him, for a while, even if it wasn't real. she helps get him set up with xavier where he can learn to control his powers and they remain friends, so much so that when his powers develop more and he loses control of them again a few years down the line, andie is there to help him pick up the pieces again. | pin board!

ASK GAME : send me a 🚶 and i’ll introduce you to an npc in my muse’s life / from @oddsfavorcd for andie ♡˚₊

[strangewonderful]

"i know,"   her reply comes bright, easy and breezy in the way that only a kid who knows she's been loved her whole life can mean it. still, it lights her up inside to hear it. more than anything she's proud to have made him proud—there's no one on this earth who's opinion she trusts or wants more. it could go on her headstone  i made my uncle proud  the greatest achievement she could ever accomplish."thank you,"    the hand not in his braces on his wide shoulder so she can tip forward to press a kiss muddied by her smile to his cheek.   "i'm really proud of you, too."   the words themselves are hardly enough, with the way it seems to always feel like a physical part of her being, how proud she is of him always living in her chest next to her heart. certainly she doesn't tell him enough. she should tell him more.   "you're the very best person i know."  

Andie's words hang in the air. Nothing specific could mean just about anything, he thinks, as he recalls that particular emergency. Tommy does not, however, fill in those blanks himself.

One more time, he decides. Just this once more, Tommy will the gentle truth into something less than what it was. Well, this time he's ignoring the truth outright. He sees no need to expand on whatever little details were trotted out for Andie in some misguided show of awe and wonder.

Andie places the band aid and Tommy smiles, worry about how old and too aware of the world she's gotten momentarily forgotten. As much as he misses her toothy smile, and every version in between, Tommy loves the one Andie flashes now too. His chest aches in a way that has nothing to do with the tiny, insignificant cut marring flesh.

He catches her hand and gives it a healthy squeeze, still smiling. "You're a good kid, Andie." He hangs onto the nostalgia, though Andie is no longer anything close to a kid. Frankly, Tommy doesn't care - he is allowed this bit of sappiness. "I'm proud of you, you know that?"

[strangewonderful]

I HAVE LED A TOOTHLESS LIFE, HE THOUGHT. A TOOTHLESS LIFE. I HAVE NEVER BITTEN INTO ANYTHING : ladus klaark & breaking free of the life that was destined for him ♡˚₊

[tsuma-senju]

Forgotten in the supermarket - Toji Fushiguro

Pairing Toji x Reader.fem - no relationship establishment

Summary Megumi is forgotten at the supermarket by Toji and you try to help the poor boy

The supermarket was relatively busy that night, the ambient sound played a soft melody, mixing with the noise of the carts sliding on the shiny floor and the hubbub of people

You walked through the hallways, pushing your cart almost full. His mind was partially turned off, focused only on finishing the shopping and returning home as soon as possible. After an exhausting day at work, all I wanted was a hot bath and a good glass of wine

As you turned to the drinks aisle, you looked at the huge variety. Why do they always change the organization of this place? With a slight expression of frustration, he walked through the shelves with his eyes peeled until finally finding the label was looking for, sighing lightly as he picked up a bottle and put it in the cart. Mission almost accomplished. Now only face the queue of the cashier

Or at least that’s what you thought

Heading for the cashier, his eyes caught something unusual further ahead. In the middle of the corridor, standing almost motionless, there was a little boy of seven or eight years old at most.

He was with his hands tucked in the pockets of the sweatshirt and his head slightly lowered, eyes fixed on the ground. Unlike the other children who usually ran or called for their parents when they got lost, that boy seemed to simply wait

That made you stop for a moment

Was he lost? If it were any other child, I would be crying or asking for help, but he seemed calm. Too quiet

Even without knowing if you should meddle, you felt that you could not simply ignore it. He approached slowly and bent down slightly to talk to him in a more gentle way.

"Hey, is everything all right with you, boy?" the boy looked up slowly, looking directly at you.

His face was expressionless, without any sign of anxiety or fear. In fact, he seemed indifferent, as if his presence was nothing but a small nuisance

You felt a slight discomfort with the coldness of that look. The silence between you lasted for a few seconds, until the boy finally responded, his voice low and without emotion

"Yes. But I’m sure my father forgot me here."

"What?! How?!"

The boy sighed as if he was explaining something obvious. He tilted his head slightly to the side before responding with a monotonous tone

"I also wanted to know."

You widened your eyes, surprised by the naturalness with which he spoke about it.

"But… how does a father forget his own child in the supermarket?!"

"I asked the same question" commented the boy, shrugging

The calmness with which he spoke made you even more perplexed. He did not seem frightened or upset. Just indifferent

Trying to organize your thoughts, you took a deep breath

"Right… do you know your dad’s name? or do you have a phone number so we can call him?"

The boy sighed again, this time seeming bored

"I know the home address. But I can’t cross the street alone, so I’m waiting for that idiot to realize he left something behind."

"That idiot?" You repeated, surprised with the choice of words of the boy

The little one just shrugged again, keeping his expression unchanged. You could not avoid a small nasalized laugh. His way was absurdly mature for a child of your age

"And what is your name?"

"Megumi."

"Okay, Megumi. If you want, I can take you home. So you don’t have to wait alone."

Before Megumi could answer, a low and authoritative voice sounded behind her

"You won’t need it. Now, get away from my son." The deep and threatening voice made you get ready quickly

Before you was a tall man with broad shoulders and an intimidating presence. His dark hair was a little shaggy, and a discreet scar on the side of his mouth accentuated even more his dangerous air.

He pulled Megumi behind him, protecting him as if you were a real threat. The sharp eyes of the man went through you from top to bottom, judging you with suspicion

Megumi, on the other hand, did not seem at all satisfied with his father’s approach. He snorted and tried to release himself from the firm grip

"What?! I was just trying to help!" You explained, indignant

The man kept his piercing look. "You wanted to kidnap him, didn’t you? No shame?"

Her eyes widened, shocked at the absurd accusation

"What?!" she exclaimed, indignant. "You should be ashamed to forget your son in the market!"

"Dad, let’s go, please." Megumi looked at her and added with the same calm as before, "She offered to take me home since you left me here."

The man looked back between you and his son, releasing a heavy sigh before taking one of his hands out of his pocket. Finally, extending it to a formal grip

"Toji."

You were still processing the whole situation, but ended up shaking your hand

"y/n"

Toji scratched his neck, looking a little embarrassed

"I had a lot to sort out and ended up forgetting it in the middle of the mess. But don’t worry, that doesn’t happen often."

"It does happen," said Megumi, calmly

Toji tilted his head to one side, casting a reprehensive look at the son, who only shrugged

"It’s that I am a single father," said the man with a embarrassed smile

"That’s no excuse to forget your child in the market."

"Oh, so you’re an expert on parenting now?"

"No, but I know forgetting a child is not something that should happen."

Toji burst out laughing. "Are you always so pushy?"

"Only when I find irresponsible parents who forget their children in the market and then accuse me of kidnapping."

His smile widened a little

"Fair. But, to be honest, you really look like someone who would kidnap children."

His mouth opened in indignation with the sincerity of man

"You can only be kidding me!"

Toji laughed, putting his hand in his pocket again

"If I need a babysitter, I already know who to call. Come on, stink."

Before leaving, the man looked at you once more and said with a smug smile

"See you next time, kidnapper."

His only reaction was to watch father and son move away. But for some reason, a small smile escaped from his lips. Maybe that wasn’t the last time you would cross the path of Toji and Megumi.

[strangewonderful]

don sacrifices his own peace of mind by being a hero. his own beliefs and his trying to do the right thing often cause him a lot of grief over if he's doing enough or if he's doing any of it right.

having powers as a teenager is an additional burden for any sixteen year old, but don's lack of confidence in himself and in his beliefs only makes it all the more burdensome. every action he makes and every decision is second guessed. this is the nature of working in a team alongside someone who could not agree with him at all—hank makes fun of everything don believes and doesn't let him live down anything that he does wrong. so don himself is never able to get over or forgive himself for these mistakes. this carries over into his heroing for years.

there are, in addition to perceived mistakes, the legitimate mistakes that he makes along the way that he'll carry for the rest of his life. namely the times that he abandons his own beliefs or his beliefs unintentionally get someone hurt/killed. the instance with the cat getting shot is particularly something that weighs on him a lot.

it's only in death that don experiences true peace—to the point where even a black lantern ring that rises/controls the dead isn't able to revive him because he is "at peace". something he hadn't been before.

HEADCANON QUESTION : what is something don sacrifices as part of being a hero? / from @entriprises ♡˚₊

[strangewonderful]

"uhm,"   her eyes flicker down to the dent and then just a quickly flash back up again. looking at it doesn't help. drawing attention to the  massive fucking dent  that she left in his car doesn't help. if she weren't... who she is... this could have been so bad. he probably thinks this is so, so bad. she really, really needs him to stop thinking that. his face says he's not stopping. regretfully.

"YES."   she says a little too loud and a little too fast. agreeing seems smart, though. agreeing seems like maybe this will wrap up faster than trying to get out of anything.   "i was heading..."   home, but she can't say that because she doesn't want to take him home.   "to get... food."   that seems normal. normaler than spilling the beans about how there's a  massive fucking dent  in his car because she's actually lovebug and could, quite easily, really, lift his car over her head if the situation called for it, and how she probably dented it by just being a little more immovable object than his car is unstoppable force.   "what if we... go get some food and then..."   if a truck wants to also hit her right now, or possibly a meteor fall from the sky and just take her out so she doesn't have to keep entangling herself in this mess, that would be super appreciated. thanks.   "if i seem injured to you, then i will go to the hospital."   why is she suggesting this? this is the last thing she should be suggesting, but the words don't stop coming.   "but really, i won't because i actually am really just fine. i promise."

"i'm good-- i'm," he's all nerves, more than when he ejected, more than after any flight or maneuver he's pulled off. driving for bradley is clarity, it's control. this makes him feel helplessly sixteen in the passengers seat of his friend's totaled car. "i'm okay." the blood pumping in his ears is loud so he just settles on breathing and turning away from the sight of the dent. it's bad, not nearly as bad as the rest of the situation, but not good enough for him to keep looking at either. it only reminds him of the fact the girl could be far more injured than she might feel -- something he chalks up to adrenaline.

"okay." lips pressed flat, face scrunched a little miserably, "can i drive you somewhere?" that feels like the worst offer in the world. he's proved to her only how horrific of a driver he must be. "maybe help you get somewhere? where... where are you headed?"

[greenplumbboblover]

Simblr.cc

I made a website!

Now you've probably seen the attempt before, people getting mad at tumblr and then making a 'Simblr' (Tumblr clone). Though, despite tumblr being sometimes a bit frustrating because of their changes, that's not why this site came to be...

I wanted a place where Storytellers, Creators, and just generic sim players can all be together and get the exposure and fun that they deserve.

Not only that, but also for a place where the TSM community and TS1 can belong somewhere too without the use of a forum.

And eventually, I hope we can make it the home for Life by you and Paralives when that comes out :)

Plus, it's also NSFW friendly! While the site is initially PG-13, we've got tags and profile settings that allow you to browse NSFW items as well.

Simblr.cc:

Discord:

What can I find on Simblr.cc exactly?

Anything for all sims games, really! TS1, TS2, TS3, TS4 and TSM

Practically anything you technically can find on Tumblr and really other sim websites. We've got...

Mods

I've specifically made filters for different games, and their needs in mind. For example, for TS2 there are so many awesome game fixes out there and clean templates, that you'll be able to navigate and find this easily.

Not only that, items can also be put in multiple categories! Especially great if you've uploaded a set!

You can also find Testers wanted only mods here if you feel like helping out fellow simmers with testing!

NOTE:

Mods do go through a "queue", but not in the same way as you may have experienced on MTS or TSR. I merely check if it's flagged as NSFW correctly, and then it's good to go! :) So the waiting time will be much less!

See TOU: Click me!

Eventually, I may see if I can get a bypass system in place, but that really depends on if NSFW isn't too confusing.

Work In Progress

To show off your work to others! Even if it's project #94882 that may never get released, any WIPS are fine!

Stories

It's really difficult to find new Sim stories or Legacies on Tumblr, let alone for these writers to get people to read their awesome stories! Hopefully this should make the process much easier now!

Also! You got any comic or "movie/cinematic" like stories? No problem! Just check the "carousel only" option, so no description needed!

Feed

... and for the Simblrs here, a feed to see all the people you follow, their content (stories, WIPs, mods and general posts)! Or, simply check out sitewide, or even game-related, what people have been posting!

Customizable profile pages

Just like tumblr, you can make your own profile page! With it's own colours and a pre-made theme. (if you need a different profile page, though, Let us know on the discord)

Want a peek? Here you go:

What about moderation?

While there's a report system in place, and the items in the queue are checked for NSFW, but users could still turn their non-NSFW to a NSFW, items may be stolen. So do report these as that will never be condoned!

Additionally, all comments you get on your mods, story, etc. Those are primarily moderated by you. You can delete them, you can turn comments off even if you'd like. If things really go wrong, you can always ask an admin.

Got any ideas? Feel free to share!

Since I really wanted it to be a website we all create together in some degree, if you have any features you're missing or would like to see, feel free to share on the discord!

Where are the Advertisements?

If you're currently not seeing them as of reading the post, that's because that's still being set up. This is merely to cover the cost of the website! Though, I promise you I won't bombard the site with ads, as that's just annoying.

[phoenix-eclipses]

Our Scratched Record - Our Flaws Are Who We Really Are

The first time you were welcomed into the Oikawa household was with concerned glances and questions of where you lived. Both adults understandably confused of a child their son's age standing out in the rain with no umbrella.

The next time, there was only a sigh from Mr. Oikawa as he opened the door wide for you. The rain missing, but the look on your face both had seen before present once again.

Everytime, they asked for details, for what happened. Most of your answers were short, barely descriptive, and they let you go to Oikawa's room once they realized their questioning wouldn't get them anywhere.

It wasn't until you were in your final year of junior high the questions stopped happening, you were never sure if it was due to them growing exhausted of their questions going unanswered or if they had figured it out themselves. The Iwaizumi's asked even less questions, simply directing you to their son's room and walking away.

Your appearances so frequent both had started keeping your favorite snacks, keeping track of meals you enjoyed or ones you hated, and even clothes in your size.

That was why after stopping at your place, Hajime sitting outside as directed, you both returned to his place with no questions from his parents. They both congratulated you on your grades, embracing you while his mom rushes off, promising a sweet treat. And perhaps, it made sense to the parents who cared for you what was going on when your response was to cry in their home from their excitement of your achievements.

When you had first become friends with Iwaizumi and Oikawa, every hangout involved the two of them, even when you'd abruptly show up at one's household, the other would soon arrive to treat it like a sleepover. It wasn't until you all were in your first year of high school that Iwaizumi happened to find out more information than the rest were privy to, and started hanging out with you alone. In response, Oikawa would spitefully invite you out alone.

You knew it was out of spite, it had only started due to those hangouts, and it still happened every single time, just like now as you walk down the sidewalk to the meeting point. In his defense, he was making you both hangout alone with Iwaizumi more frequently even without the originaly requirement, but without fail it would happen.

It didn't take long to arrive at the meeting place, the two of them only living a few minute walk from each other. He's leaning against a light pole when your eyes land on him, his focus directed towards his phone. You take a deep breath before walking over, shouting out his name. Immediately, he looks up and those brown eyes find you without any hesistation, a bright grin coming across his face. His phone is shoved into his pocket as he races over to you happily.

"There you are! You ready to get going? The bakery opens in 5 minutes so if we get going now, we can get the first pick!" without even asking, he's already handing you one of the earbuds, the other already placed in his own ear. The moment yours is in, you both begin walking. "You can add some songs."

His phone is placed in your hands, letting you select some of your favorite songs to the queue. Once you're satisfied with the amount, you put it in your pocket as you both had arrived to the bakery. As anticipated, the place was just opening. A few people happened to have the same plans and they stepped in before the two of you.

It didn't take long for you to be at the counter, ordering your preferred while Oikawa unsurprisingly ordered milk bread and a drink. Once ordered, he takes the bag in one hand, letting you carry the drinks in the carrier in one of your free hands. The moment you guys left the building, Oikawa held his free hand out to you. The world seemed to freeze around you as you looked at it in confusion before reaching and holding it with your own hand.

The man didn't say anything, smiling and you both started walking to the park. To everyone you passed, you likely looked like a sweet couple out on a date, and that was an idea you favored. You give his hand a light, joking squeeze which he returns with his own. You both arrive at the park, the very one you both had met at. There were a few kids playing so you favored for going to sit in the grass, placing your treats down as you let go of one another's hands to sit down.

"It's crazy to think we're basically done, huh? I mean, after so much work we are done..." he lets out a sigh, looking at the sky. You let out a small hum, staring at his face.

"Do you know what you're going to do? I know you said you weren't sure."

"... I have an idea but I'm still not sure. It's an important choice to make after all," his eyes return to yours with a soft smile.

"Yeah, it is," you let out a sigh, leaning back slightly. "I know you've talked about joining me at Tokyo University, what's your other options?"

"Not sure. I have one in mind but... honestly sounds kind of crazy..." he frowns, looking off to the side. "I honestly don't want to tell anyone about it until I'm sure whether or not it'll work. I mean, I don't want to share it in a hopeful way just to find out there's absolutely no way to make it work, y'know?"

He bumps his shoulder jokingly with you, trying to cover up his more serious tone. You simply let out a small hum, leaning on his shoulder.

"Oh, before I forget, I had wanted my phone," he speaks up. You raise your head up, looking at him in confusion. "When I held my hand out, I had wanted my phone back."

He lets out a laugh despite you feeling like you wanted the world to eat you whole. But you ignored the feeling, pulling out his phone from your pocket and handing it to him. Your own thoughts racing due to the fault you had made, but Oikawa paid no mind, adding new songs to the queue. Once satisfied, he leans onto your shoulder, mumbling a light, "I didn't mind."

Previous -- Masterlist -- Next

Notes

this section of the smau (this song chapter segment i guess is the best way to word it?) if you haven't noticed already is basically them graduating and explaining like a few things to keep in mind in the future <3

i totally should be asleep or studying instead of doing this however i started making a moodboard for this smau and then got hit with inspo so i started this like an hour ago and just finished it

do not overthink what time it is for me rn... its totally a normal time

sorry for how irregular updates are <3 these classes murdering me tbh

Also! I thought I'd add a lil fun fact that the whole hand holding thing is something that happened to me and forever haunts me but I don't think they even remember it

Taglist

@staygoldsquatchling02 @katnot-cat @x3nafix @torkorpse

Fill out this form to be added!

Dividers: @cafekitsune

[strangewonderful]

there are very few people in this world who andie would ask to use a weapon on anyone. and to be honest, as she looks around the shattered metal pieces around them, this wasn't quite the result she was expecting from harry's goblin bomb.

even after years and years of lovebug-ing, she's never seen anything quite like this. he had been so realistic—not only had andie believed he'd been real, but she'd been scared. that fear remains, in a different way now, with the uncertainty of what this all is. how do you fight against something that you can't see? when you can't even tell what's real or not? her only comfort is harry by her side and his hand on her shoulder. andie may be capable as lovebug, but he is smart and cunning and always knows what to do.

"mysterio, that's—"   it's an unfamiliar name to her, just like everything else here,   "fishbowl head?"   she waves a hand in front of her face in a vague circle shape to imitate the glass bowl she'd seen the man wearing. he's the one who had disappeared into thin air.

for a while there she had been able to keep track of him. her spider senses are vast and she'd been able to hear him, even invisible, from 50 feet away. she knows the signs now, thanks to harry, of what's real and what's fake, but she can't find th real him anymore.   "how are we going to find him if he keeps hiding behind these things?"

It should worry him, perhaps, how comfortable he is with explosions these days. How much he trusts the bombs he carries -he made them, after all- and the suit he wears, and how little he flinches at the sharp sound of machines breaking beyond repair. How little he focuses on anything but any potential creature approaching, and on keeping Andie safe from anything the explosion might throw at them.

It should be -it would be, to any onlooker- almost like a fever dream, to see him unhesitatingly protect and her let herself be protected, for this. To see no battle banter, no signs of the distrust that should naturally exist between them. And truly, Harry suspects that was what Mysterio was hoping for, because it would make his work much easier if they weakened each other.

Alas, the Green Goblin serves no-one, and despite how he has fought Lovebug in the past... there is much more than battles between them, now. They're no longer just their masks.

Just like the setting around them is no longer just perfect, shifting and moving even as Harry lets go of Andie, only a hand remaining on her shoulder for a shade longer, and watches around them, witness to little flashes of errors and tiny links that are no longer there, as much as the illusion has reformed.

"I've met Systevich in the past." Is his answer, without pointing out that she has met him as well, most likely, in favor of looking around them, some attention on her but most on looking for someone else.

"This is Mysterio's doing. We're trapped in an illusion, all of it technology... or at least most of it." He explains.. "We reach him, we leave, I suppose, with more or less violence involved."

And given the way a giant cloaked figure is starting to appear in the distance, too large to be anything but the theatrics of a villain, he's certainly watching them.

[sk8termikey]

Chapter 18 of 21 Questions

better interface on wattpad + updated till chap 27

FLORIDA VERSUS TOUR SHOW (meeting)(plot is plotting)

Matt🍂

[2 attachments]

Hey, here are the tickets

I hope you'll have a great time tomorrow :)

Thank you so much<3

I'll never forget this fr

I'll repay you one day

And thank your cousin also

You can repay me by not hating me when you discover the truth…

Unsent

No worries

And yeah, I'll tell her it did end up useful for someone else

I'll try to take good pics for her!

That's very nice of you, can't wait to see them if they're as good as those you take of the world

“Damn you're so adorable Lily”, Alex said as she was reading the texts above her friend's shoulder.

“Well, it's thanks to a fellow fan that we can see the triplets again, so anything for her now!”

“No but for real, that was so sweet of Matt's cousin to give them out”. Alex side hugged Lily to show appreciation. “I really can't wait to meet them again”.

“Yeah same”, Lily agreed.

Thinking back to how everything happened so quickly, Lily was glad to have been able to trust her online friend. She knew she had every right to be weary of this, but she also wanted it to be true – which she believed to be. She didn't know how she could ever repay the favour to Matt, but she was set on finding something for him one day. Maybe this is a good situation to write that letter for him, he deserved it already but now even more… Lily thought as she smiled at her idea. Although they had never talked about it, Lily suddenly wished to meet Matt. She felt like their friendship was getting to a point where they could actually enjoy each other's presence in real life – they had called a few more times since they played Fortnite together a couple months ago but had never facetimed. None of them knew what the other looked like, but them being friends was solely based on their personalities and common ground so it didn't matter much. However, Lily's wish for an eventual meeting would happen sooner than she'd ever expect thanks to someone who wasn't as impatient – and it could even be said it had already happened though none of them was aware of it.

A day later and the two best friends found themselves in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Completely off plan – they had indeed wanted to go back to Spring Hill today but fate had it otherwise, Alex and Lily were now on the Southeast Coast. The weather was lovely as the girls parked near the venue. They hadn’t gone to their hotel yet but Matt – Alex had learnt from Lily – had apparently been kind enough to book a room for them not far from where the venue was, “an apology for this last minute plan” Lily had said. Obviously, Lily had refused to let him pay so Matt had only put his card for a refundable deposit and Lily would pay for the room when she and Alex would leave the city. As it was Sunday, the girls had decided that they would stay until Tuesday at most – they had been gone for a week and although Lucas and Jade didn’t mind being alone at the café, Lily and Alex felt bad that they were leaving them for so long. They were also missing their cat a lot, but would never tell their friend that their fake child counted more.

This was now it, the final show of the Versus Tour where Alex and Lily would be once again part of the wonderful atmosphere that were the Sturniolo Triplets’ shows. They had arrived later than they did for the other shows as they didn’t have the small talk nor the group pictures included in their tickets. This didn’t bother the girls though as they were simply ecstatic at the idea of seeing Nick, Matt and Chris for the fourth time. They saw that not many people were left outside as most of them were already inside the venue for the extras that were happening before the show. When they approached the queue, Lily unlocked her phone to get the tickets ready to be scanned. This was the moment of truth: had Matt scammed her or not? Damn, I hope not because I like the kid… Lily thought as it was their turn to enter the venue. When the security guard scanned the tickets, he let out a confused face – though unnoticed by the girls with how quick he composed himself – until he confirmed the names on his list and knew that what he was seeing was not a mistake. 

      Indeed, the tickets that Matt – Laura actually – had custom made for Lily were not meant to exist because they had never sold any GA tickets with only the backstage pass as an extra. The security guard eventually let the girls enter and as he signalled to someone else to take his place to scan the next people, he quickly went inside through another door where he knew that he could find who he was looking for. Fortunately, he was able to find her rapidly enough. He called Laura who was overseeing that the group pictures were going well and told her about the two girls he had checked in a couple of minutes ago. Thanking the man before he went back outside, Laura waited until everyone had gotten their pictures taken – luckily it was almost the end – and as she walked the triplets to the stage where they would soon be on for their show, she notified them about the girls who had arrived. Hearing this, Matt let out a sigh of relief he never knew he was holding and his two brothers patted him on the back to comfort him. She’s here, Matt thought. I’m actually gonna meet her, damn… The stress started getting to him and he knew he wouldn’t be able to relax until he saw that she was here with his own eyes. When they arrived on the side of the stage, the triplets found a small space behind the curtains where they could look at the crowd without being noticed.

“Do we even know who we’re looking for?” Chris asked as he had no idea which team colour the girls were supporting today.

“Well, she’s Matt’s girl so probably blue.” Nick replied as he tried to recognize the girl with whom he had gotten along a few days prior.

“Not my girlfriend…” Matt mumbled. “And she doesn’t even know that she’s here for me so I actually can’t say who she’s rooting for today.”

“I mean– I think I had told her to come in orange last time we saw her but I guess we can each look for our team colours when we’re on stage”, Chris suggested. “We might see better with the lights above us.”

“Good idea, let’s not be too obvious though.” Nick warned. It was now time for them to go on stage and start the show so he gave the final instructions. “We’re mainly searching in the last rows because she had General Admission; a brunette with possibly animals painted on her face accompanied with a blonde girl who’s most certainly in orange as she supported Chris in my memories. And remember, BE. DIS–CREET.”

Matt and Chris nodded as they understood their task. They would never jeopardise their last show but it wouldn’t hurt to confirm that their guests were here as they were literally in front of the crowd where said guests were. Hugging each other, the triplets were now ready to go on stage for the last time of their tour. It had been such a wonderful experience for them and they had found a way to make this last show even more special thanks to the partners they had chosen. Indeed, as their family and friends were present, the triplets had invited three of them to share the stage with them and it was now time to get them on as they were being introduced after the popular vote had happened – Matt won again, what a surprise!

The three teammates were therefore the triplets’ brother Justin, their best friend Nathan – or Nate – and their friend Tril who had travelled with them for a couple of shows to sing at the end. Nick then announced that the three would each pull from a box a friendship bracelet based on one of the teams in order to decide who they were going to partner with. After they all took out a bracelet, Nick made them reveal at the same time and the result was Nathan on team blue with Matt, Tril on team orange with Chris and finally Justin on team purple with Nick.

As usual, the first game was the painting competition which Nate had won, thus granting a second point to Matt’s team blue sharks. The next game was called Saved by the Bell where the teams would answer trivia questions. From the age required to enter the Hunger Games – twelve years old – to the number of moons Mars had – two, the three teams had to answer several chaotic other questions such as the temperature at which water freezes – 0°C or 32°F for y’all weird Americans – or the number of elements in the Periodic Table – a hundred and eighteen. They were now playing the third game which was called We’re Playing Basketball and thanks to Tril, Chris’s team orange deers was now in the lead before the fourth and last game that was Jenga Showdown started. Matt and Nate were closely behind and the Jenga game that Matt had lost a handful would be decisive. Indeed, the loser would have five points removed from his score, which is why it was essential for Matt to not lose again.

Back to our two girls in the crowd, they had been enjoying every minute of this last show. Per Chris’s request, Lily had showed up with an orange tank top and deers drawn on her face by Alex, who was also wearing orange. Although Alex would be over the moon if Chris won this show and therefore the whole tour, Lily was actually awaiting his defeat as she was really curious regarding the tiebreaker that would decide the winner between Chris and Matt as Nick announced that he had a great one planned already. Only time would tell and it wouldn’t be too much waiting as the game finally began. The tension was slowly building in the venue along the Jenga tower. After what was unusually long compared to other shows, the tower eventually collapsed when it was Nate’s turn, thus making Matt’s team lose five out of his nine points. Matt’s loss thus meant Chris’s victory of not only the show but of the entire tour, which sent the crowd in a frenzy as everyone was screaming – one part was actually cheering on the youngest brother while the other was just screaming for fun as one does during a concert whenever the artist on stage does something as simple as breathing.

Now that the show was ending, each team received their medals and as the lights were on, Matt took that as an opportunity to check the crowd for a certain face. He tried to make his brain work its hardest ever and searched for a smiling brunette of whom he had a faint memory. As he stilled for a second, Matt thought he had seen her and when he tried to keep looking at the back of the venue for this particular person, he was nudged by his friend Nate who made him notice that he would end up seeming weird on stage. Nate and the two other teammates did know why Matt had spent a couple of times during the show simply watching the crowd – they had been notified along with the triplets’ parents about Matt’s chaotic plan – and so their role had been to prevent each of the triplets to creepingly stare at the fans too much. Finally, the coronation ceremony happened and Chris received the Versus Tour trophy before everyone left the stage for Tril’s last mini concert.

Unbeknownst to them, Alex and Lily were being observed by three similar-looking people who were watching the fans until they recognised those they were searching for. The show had been over for a little while and so the two girls were currently waiting in the queue leading to backstage as the tickets they had been given by Matt allowed them to meet the triplets after the show. Although they had been trusting Matt, they were still relieved to get the confirmation that they indeed had access backstage when they had first entered the venue a few hours earlier – though it was Laura who had notified the staff beforehand that those two specific girls had a “special treatment” due the ticket combo that wasn't supposed to exist.

As the girls were simply talking about the fact that Chris had won the show and therefore the tour – which Alex was over the moon about, her being a Chris girl, they didn't notice someone from security coming towards them. Exchanging a glance of uncertainty, Lily and Alex were surprised that the bodyguard was asking them to follow him somewhere else in the venue. Questions raised in the girls’ minds but they complied and went with the man. They didn’t understand at first and were just confused that they were being dragged out from the queue.

“What the fuck is happening?” Alex whispered to Lily as they were still walking in the corridors of the venue.

“I DON'T KNOW!” Lily whisper-yelled to Alex. “It's scaring me, like have we been scammed?”

“I hope not bro, they’ll probably give us an explanation.”

Lily agreed and a couple of minutes later, the two girls found themselves in a huge room with several couches and drinks on a table. They got told to stay here until someone would come back for them later. They both were so stressed and although they had snacks as well as beverages to pass the time, Lily and Alex were shitting themselves.

~~~

Half an hour later and the girls were still alone in the room. While they had been wondering about what was going to happen to them – their assumptions were being killed or abducted, the actual backstage was close to being over. Due to confusion still being present, Alex had suggested the first good idea of the evening and told Lily to text Matt.

“Damn, we should've thought about that earlier. I hope bro has a good explanation!”

Matt🍂

Hey Matt, please can you tell me what's going on bc Alex and I have been waiting for so long. We don't know what's happening and it's kinda scary so if you could text me back and explain wtf your cousin was supposed to do at the show, that would be nice

Lily was hoping that although Matt wasn't the one initially going to the show, he could still give her an explanation as to what was going to happen to them. However, as soon as Lily hit ‘send’ on her text, she and Alex heard a notification sound in the same room. This clearly raised more confusion in the girls’ minds. They thought it was a coincidence but were still suspicious of the fact that someone's phone received a message right as Lily had sent hers. As if it couldn’t get worse, the door suddenly opened and three people casually walked in.

“Honestly, it's such a Matt thing to forget his phone on the other side of the venue.” The voice of a man could be heard. “Don't think we needed to immediately bring it to him though.”

“You have to understand him sweetie,” a woman replied to him. “He's really nervous about today even though we spent a while reassuring him before the show. And he might need it to text his friend. I don't know, it might be useful.”

A second man agreed with the woman while Alex and Lily were watching the scene with widened eyes. They couldn't believe what they were seeing: the triplets’ parents, Mary Lou and Jimmy, as well as their brother Justin were currently standing in front of them. As the woman noticed the girls, she stopped talking and nudged her husband then her oldest son to make them notice.

“Hi there!” Mary Lou said with the nicest tone. “You must be my son's friends, right?”

“Wha–” Lily was the first to reply as she had no idea what was going on.

Seeing their confusion, Justin quickly understood that the timing had been completely off.

“Mum, I think we might be early…”

“Oh god!” Mary Lou exclaimed in surprise. “He told us he would notify you before we arrived.”

“I'm sorry, but…” Alex took Lily's place in wanting to know the truth as the brunette was now lost. “Who was supposed to notify us of what?”

“OH MY GOD! WHAT ARE YOU GUYS DOING?” The voice of a young man yelled as he ran into the room and started rambling. “Dad came to get me. Damn, I leave you guys for an hour and you can't wait ten more minutes. Fuck, sorry I shouldn't curse at you and I know I said that thing about my phone but I was about to come get it and now–”

Matt stopped talking as he turned to face the two confused girls still sitting on the couch. His dad, Jimmy, had left his wife and first son to try finding Matt before the situation would get more chaotic than it already was. He had stumbled upon Matt, Nick and Chris who were coming back from backstage as the show was definitely over, which led to the middle triplet running to the room his dad was coming from as he started panicking as soon as Jimmy had explained what was happening a few corridors away.

“Hey,” Matt said to the girls with a soft voice to not frighten them. His gaze was mostly on Lily before he spotted his phone and unlocked it. “Oh, you texted. Sorry for the confusion, I swear I can explain everything.”

What the actual– the fuck he means? Lily wondered. I texted? Like– I'm so fucking lost… She tore her eyes away from Matt as she saw Chris, Nick and Jimmy entering the room then going to stand next to Matt who was trying to calm down.

“Ok so… I know you must both be very sceptical about everything but please listen to me.” Matt almost pleaded as he was scared of how Alex and Lily would react. “Hmm, well… Hi, I'm Matt.”

As he said his last sentence with a small wave, the girls were still not understanding.

“Yeah, we know that”. Lily replied with a nervous laugh. “That's why we came to see y'all I guess.”

“No yeah, sorry. I mean like– Matt, your Matt?” He sounded almost unsure as he saw that Lily was still not completely getting it. He then had an idea and went to his conversation with Lily to show her what he meant. “Wait a second…”

Matt quickly typed a message and sent it to Lily, which made her phone's screen light up.

Matt🍂

Hey, please don't hate me

Both Lily and Alex looked down to read the message, the latter almost having a light bulb appearing above her head.

“Oh fuck I should've known! I knew it!” Alex semi-shouted.

It's true that the blonde had had suspicions a couple of times when Lily had told her that she was texting a guy named Matt who liked Pokemon, Fortnite and had several brothers. They were probably a thousand guys on Earth like that but at that time, it had been the only Matt she could think about.

“Oh…” Lily finally knew what he meant. “Oh… I was absolutely not expecting that.”

“Yeah…” Matt was still afraid of what would happen next. “If that's ok, I just want to properly do introductions?”

Lily nodded as she and Matt were still holding eye contact for the past several minutes. When the girls both stood up and approached the Sturniolo family, Matt got even more nervous and Nick took that as his cue to take charge of the situation.

“Hey, Nicolas here but call me Nick! So we have Matt obviously and Chris who you both know, I mean we all met but let's reset everything. Then it should've been later but improv I guess so I want you guys to meet our mum Mary Lou, our dad Jimmy and our brother Justin.”

“Hi, I'm Alex.” The blonde said as she could feel her best friend was in a sort of shocked state. “This is Lily, my best friend and Matt's friend then?”

Everyone nodded and as an awkward silence was almost forming, Mary Lou let her bubbly personality shine to brighten the mood.

“Okay boys, why don't we just relax and enjoy the snack while getting to know those lovely ladies? Matt darling, go talk with your brothers as I take your nice friend with me. You guys will have all the time in the world later on.”

Mary Lou walked towards Lily and gently grabbed her arm to then go sit on another couch in the room, further away from everyone else. The rest of them scattered in the room as Chris decided to join Alex – they had gotten along well the few times they had seen each other – while the other brothers stood with their dad and chose to pour themselves some drinks.

While Alex was talking with Chris and reminiscing about their victory together, Lily found herself in a conversation with Mary Lou whom she thought was the sweetest woman ever. After Matt, well Nick in all honesty, had introduced her to his mum – a bold move from him to have her meet him AND his whole family at the same time, Mary Lou immediately shooed her son away as she wanted to properly get to know his new friend. This is why Matt was currently with his brothers Justin and Nick. The two oldest were discussing what they could do the next day around the city, which Matt was half listening to as he was stressed regarding what his mum and friend – friend? Acquaintance? More than that? Less? Yeah, friend is good – were talking about. However, as he dared to glance in their direction, Matt found Lily's eyes already on him. She quickly diverted her gaze back to Mary Lou but as she still felt observed, Lily looked back to Matt. They then shared a soft smile across the room and as if it was magic, both were suddenly feeling at ease and fell back to their respective conversation. They'd only had a two second interaction as the Matt and Lily they both knew, but it was like they were turning back into their usual selves when they would text each other.

“You do know you guys are kinda obvious, right?” Justin asked his younger brother.

“Wha– what do you mean?” Matt was confused, although he somehow already knew what this was about.

“Matt come on”, Nick sighed as he dragged out his brother's name's vowel. “I'm pretty sure you didn't listen to what we've been saying because you're only thinking about her.”

“And looking at her like a lost puppy”, Justin added. “She should be the one panicking, yet here you are.”

“I don't look at Lily like a lost puppy…” Matt mumbled. “Just making sure Mum isn't overwhelming her. Can't believe she gets to talk to her before me, she's my friend!”

“A friend who probably made her live the most stressful experience ever,” Nick retorted. “I think today was confusing for everyone so let her breathe for a minute and you can go talk to her after.”

Matt and Justin agreed with the blonde, then tried to trust their mum to make Lily feel better.

Speaking of the devil, the girl was actually enjoying her conversation with Mary Lou, who was telling her about Boston life.

“It sounds great, I hope to go there one day.”

“Maybe if my son keeps you in his life – which I would be glad about, you'll have the opportunity to travel there”. Mary Lou said as she put on her kindest smile.

“Yeah, I hope he does too.” Lily replied with some awkwardness in her voice. “It's still weird to me that he was the one I was texting this whole time, but I really want us to become friends in person now. Not that I want to take advantage of him simply because I know who he actually is of course, please don't think bad of me! But, I–”

“No worries my dear, if Matt trusted you enough to reveal himself to you, then I trust you as well”. The woman reassured the girl sitting next to her. “He's a good boy, so please take care of him.”

“I– yeah I will, I'll do my best to make this friendship work”.

The two exchanged a smile and kept talking about their respective lives: Mary Lou telling Lily about her and Jimmy while Lily told Mary Lou about the café she was working at with Alex.

They had been talking for a good dozen of minutes until Matt – who had been motivated by his brothers – finally decided to join them.

“Hi”, he waved again at Lily – seems like it was his current go-to move when feeling nervous. “Mum, I'm gonna steal her from you – if that's ok with you Lily obviously – because we need to talk now.”

Mary Lou kindly agreed and nudged Lily to stand up. As the girl was expecting the conversation to start now, she was actually surprised when Matt asked her to follow him outside. They both left the room under everyone’s curious stare and Matt took her elsewhere in the venue in order to be far enough for anyone who could walk by. When he found what seemed like a good spot, Matt looked back at Lily to silently ask her if it was ok. As she nodded, he opened the door and they were now on a balcony that was overlooking the parking lot behind the venue.

“Sorry, it looks kinda sketchy but I'll feel better with some fresh air.”

“No yeah, I get it.” Lily agreed with Matt. “I think I needed it too.”

“So…” Matt started as he was fidgeting while leaning on the railing.

“Yep…” Lily whispered as she was doing the same awkward movements.

None of them felt like holding eye contact as they were both extremely nervous. Knowing that he was responsible for all of this, Matt eventually started talking:

“Ok first, I have to apologise for everything. I put you in a very uncomfortable situation and it was a shit move.”

“It's okay… Well it was not completely ok but I understand where you come from so I can forgive you.” Lily smiled at Matt as she was feeling less awkward now that they were actually talking about it. “Never forgive you for not liking sushi though.”

“Damn,” Matt let out a laugh at that. “Can't believe you still hold that against me.”

“Yep, always I guess…” Lily chuckled too and let a now semi-comfortable silence start until she interrupted it with the most important question. “How long have you known?”

“Hmm?”

“Since when have you known it was me like– I was me?”

“Oh, well… when you posted those pictures,” Matt explained. “I was ninety-nine percent sure of you coming to our shows and the last percent was when I texted you.”

“Ok ok,” Lily nodded. “And your first reflex was to make me come to another one?”

“It seems weird but yeah actually,” Matt confirmed as he was actually surprised of himself being so honest. “I was a bit in denial at first because it felt crazy that the person I'm texting is literally a fan – although you are my friend first and foremost – but when I talked about it to Nick and Chris, the first thing that popped into my brain when we agreed that you were Lily was that I needed to meet you again, but properly this time.”

“I'm glad you thought that because I wanted us to eventually meet and I'm happy it's you.”

“Yeah?” Matt asked as he felt relieved that Lily wasn't hating him.

“Yeah, it's just sooner than expected but in a good way. I'm grateful for our friendship Matt.”

“I'm grateful for that too Lily.” Matt had a soft smile on his face. “You wanna meet my other friends/come see everyone else now?”

“Hmm,” Lily hesitated. “Can we stay here a bit longer? Just the two of us…?”

“Yeah, okay.” He agreed. “We can do that, fine by me.”

Basking in the silence, the two newly acquainted friends were enjoying this moment of peace. It would be the first one of many, but for now, it felt like a necessity to take their time as they were now slowly starting to navigate their friendship.

Thank you for reading. Votes and comments are always appreciated if you like this story :) The story is co-written w @/little_grapejuice on wattpad

[strangewonderful]

"what was his name?   her voice is a soft whisper. but, she has to ask. she has to know.   "did he live here?"   there's a million and one questions—a whole life, snuffed out, and she'll never be able to know the answers to all those questions now.  a man she had never known, and never will.

andie is fortunate enough to say that she is rarely faced with failure as lovebug. there are so many wins in the world, and even the ones as small as helping an old lady with her groceries feel like the whole world. this, too, feels like the whole world. the death of this man sits so heavy on her shoulders that she's sure it's going to crush her. if only she had been a little bit faster, had figured out a little sooner what those voices had meant, had been around to intervene. maybe a man would have still been alive right now.

her head rests against the side of harry's arm as she sways into him. he is her anchor, her buoy, and her guiding light, keeping her from drowning and from getting lost out at sea in equal measure.

She heard them, and he doesn't wish that on anyone. Not with the way he smells the blood, not with the way he can very well imagine what happened.

There were cameras, in one of the places. Not enough to catch a face, but enough to see. And he doesn't shudder, he won't let himself break the facade that is holding him together now... but it's close.

And even through the mask, he knows Lovebug. He knows Andie. And she still has that ability to drag out kindness from him even when he's terrified to his bones.

"There's no-one else here, for now." He tells her, gently. "And I will hear them approach."

Because it would bring questions, if they were noticed comforting each other, or just talking like old friends. But if no-one notices them...

And all in all, the situation is grisly enough that he can offer that, before he brings out the bad news.

"I know who this man is." He sighs. "I don't know him, but..."

But only that fact is keeping him steady, and cold, and focusing on doing instead of feeling because he thinks he'll lose his mind if his suspicions are right, with so much blood in the air.

[strangewonderful]

IF YOU CRUSH A COCKROACH YOU'RE A HERO. IF YOU CRUSH A BEAUTIFUL BUTTERFLY, YOU'RE A VILLAIN. MORALS HAVE AESTHETIC CRITERIA : nimrod roy ♡˚₊ the rogue. the swordbearer. some say that she is a protector, and some whisper that she is a monster. she doesn't know who she is.

[high-functioning-fang1rl]

Well today has been…less than stellar. So dissociating into fandom is definitely called for!!! These come from my script so I might be biased, but here we go!

How Nica Pierce would cheer you up if you had a bad day:

💙 For starters, she can tell right away. One look at your face and she’s immediately on red alert.

💙 At the beginning she’d ask what was wrong/how she can help. But once she knows you well enough she doesn’t say a word, she simply clears her calendar to stick around.

💙 If you’re crying she LAUNCHES into attack mode: “Who.” You may want to answer wisely, because if you give details there would absolutely be consequences for whoever upset you.

💙 Nica gets extra clingy when you’re upset; she pretends she doesn’t know you’re the one who needs the comfort but she gives ALL. THE. HUGS.

💙 immediately she makes plans to either order/make your favorite dinner. There’s no way you’re not getting your favorite treats when you feel crappy.

💙 She doesn’t leave Mama Bear mode the whole night; even if you don’t want to talk about it, she’ll be checking on you frequently and when she finally gets you alone/comfortable she will ask “Do you wanna talk about it?”

💙 Whatever your preferred method of self care is will be supplied by her: Are you a bath person? It’s drawn and ready. Wanna watch your favorite show/movie? It’s in the queue. Need to be active/get out? I’ve got the keys whose car are we taking? She pays attention and knows what you need- wordlessly she’ll provide it so you can just decompress/breathe.

💙 Any obligations/duties you had are taken care of. Put everything out of your head except what you need to feel better: she’s got it.

💙 She will make you laugh- whether it’s dark humor, sarcasm, or just reminiscing to better times, she’ll make sure to add some humor to the situation.

💙 She’s the QUEEN of pep talks. It must be the mothering instinct, but she knows exactly what to say and knows when to say it. She’ll wait until you’re ready for advice and just listen until you’re ready.

💙She’ll never let you feel alone.

[doiesfav]

✧. ┊ Starlight - Xiaojun ||

Pairing: Xiaojun x fem!Reader

Plot: (fwb) You and your friends went to the amusement park to celebrate finishing your first year in college.

Genre: Short story, love at first sight, non idol AU, strangers to lovers, fluff.

Contains: cursing, childhood memories, kissing, ferris wheel, fireworks..

1k+ word count

MASTERLIST

✯¸.•´*¨`*•✿ ✿•*`¨*`•.¸✯

(y/n pov)

Finishing your first year at college is surprisingly very rewarding, studying for almost 16 years just to study another 4 years to get a job. And of course like every other person, I would like to celebrate it.

My group of friends (5 including me) were discussing about how we should celebrate it. ''Why don't we go drinking?'' but none of us agreed since it was to ordinary. ''Sky diving?'' firstly, where the fuck do you sign to go sky diving, also, probably some of us would shit ourselves while doing it.

''Let's just simply go to an amusement park'' and we all agreed. Going there is an affortable, simple and enjoyable activity. We were so excited to that day to come, it has been a very long time since I went to one.

I remember when I was 6 years old telling my mom that I would take my future boyfriend here. It was like an untalked tradition in our family. Someone in our family would go to an amusement park and meet their soulmate, that's how my parents, grandparents and more meet.

I made sure to be prepared very well, so I was already trying on new clothes i bought yesterday. It was a denim mini skirt with a cute cropped black top covered by a racing jacket.

We were meeting by 8pm at the entrance, I came the first so obviously I had to wait for them. Watching all these people around me made my heart warm, it was as if I became a kid again.

As soon as they arrived we went to different rides and games, it felt so nostalgic so I knew I had to go to my all time favourite ride. The ferris wheel, I loved being at the top of it while holding my smalls hands with my parents.

Now that I grew up, I had to go, not with my parents but with my friends who I admire a lot. We helped eachother's struggles, sadness and shared happiness since highschool.

When we arrived there, the long queue felt like it was never gonna end. Even buying the tickets was taking too long, so to save up time 4 people were at the queue while I went to buy tickets.

Suddenly a boy behind me tapped my shoulder nervously, ''excuse me, your skirt still has the tag on'' I looked at his face (not gonna lie, I felt like I stared at him for 10 minutes) then analyzed his blonde almost golden hair when I snapped out of it and reacted.

''Oh my god, thank you, I haven't noticed'' I laughed nervously and turning my head down covering up my red blushed face trying to cut the tag, ''don't worry, can you cut it off?'' he put his hand on the hair offering his help.

''No thanks it's okay, I can do it by myself'' I gave him a smile to cover up the embarrasment, when I finally broke the tag I said thanks and just then it was finally my turn to buy the ticket. ''5 tickets please'' I quickly payed and waved to say goodbye to the blonde guy.

Searching for me friends was difficult but then I captured them almost at the front of the line. ''Girl why is your face all red'' they all started asking questions but I just answered ''no just nothing'' trying to not blush harder.

''Hey we meet again'' I slowly turned around praying it was the guy from before, and it was ''oh hey, guess I should have expected this'' I laughed it off with an akward smile. ''Oh so you are that guy'' my friends also giggled.

Just in time it was our turn to enter the cabins, not knowing they had changed it to two person maximum to make more cabins but less people in there, of course the size of it was smaller like this. Then I realised someone had to be alone with a stranger, our heads turned at the same time facing each other.

''I don't care if I go alone'' but that was the same thing we all said. But before I volunteered to do it the recognisable voice that made me blush spoke up. ''I can go with you'' I turned around and found him with his arm wrapping my shoulder.

Of course I had to agree, I mean he was like a dream. So my friends started to get in pairs and when it was our turn to enter he winked at me ''ladies first''.

I sat down and saw 6 more man cheering him when the staff closed the door I heard ''YOU GOT IT RIZZER'' from one of those guys. ''sorry If they are making you feel uncomfortable, I'll later kick their ass or something'' we both laughed ''no don't worry is okay'' I said nervously.

We were both facing eachothers face and I could see him getting nervous aswell. ''Sooo, what's your name?'' I broke the akward silence, ''Dejun, or Xiaojun as you want haha'' 'beautiful name really, mine is y/n by the way, basic right?'' I laughed akwardly.

''Could I get your number?'' I shaked my head inmediatly and gave him my phone, when he returned it I saw the name ''Junnie🦖'' saved. I laughed ''you really give vibes of a t-rex''.

The air between us wasn't an akward anymore but rather a loveful (a/n: wtf) one. We both knew the conextion was special and the silence was melodically great.

Minutes passed and we kept getting to know each other until he asked me:

''Can I kiss you?'' At that moment butterflies were in my stomach and my heart beated like crazy. I slowly approached him putting my arms onto his shoulders trying not to give him a lot of weight.

My head slowly got closer when one of his hands was pulling a strand of hair behind my ear which was covering part of my face. Then Xiaojun carefully placed his hand on my jawline, and our lips touched.

It was my very first kiss and I think he could hear my heart beating like crazy. Then we had to break that kiss because of the fireworks, we laughed it off to not seem akward and stared at the fireworks.

Those were lovely and I could fell in love with it. ''Did you know it was my first kiss?'' XIaojun's eye wide opened and giggled while saying ''oh my bad hahaha, as long as you liked it'' Then I pulled in closer for a second one, this kiss he was leading it making it more passionately.

I didn't have any experiences before so I just followed his doings, we kept going until we were both out of breath and just in time our ride ended. We both separated our bodies quickly but wishing for more, ''text me anytime'' he said before separating our path. I winked at him this time.

✯¸.•´*¨`*•✿ ✿•*`¨*`•.¸✯

This is my first ever story so I hope y'all like it <3 (sorry if there's any mistake!)

[vermilliondevth]

I have been reflecting on myself and the past few years and how heartbreak has changed me. For the past week, I have been in constant communication with Immigration and my employer because my employer does not believe that I have the right to work and stay in this country due to going through a divorce recently. I have showcased proof, and immigration itself confirmed to me a couple of times that my Visa has not been affected, but until my employer has it all in writing, I won't be able to go back to work. So I am again in a queue waiting for someone to provide a solution to this issue so I can end this misunderstanding once and for all. There was a moment in time when issues of this calibre would affect me - I would cry endlessly and would have to spend several days in complete solitude to process my emotions and to gain the strength to "fight" back. When my employer sat down with me and broke the news, I didn't flinch. She asked me several times if I was okay since it was odd that I had a calm demeanour. I still haven't cried about this issue - it is as if my heart was set that if this is what is meant for me, it will be, and if it isn't, it simply isn't. Life has shown me in so many different ways how two things can be true at once - how pain can lead to the betterment of your existence if you let it help you expand through it. How you can love a person unconditionally and devote yourself entirely to them, but the incompatibilities can be much more palpable than the desire to put in the hard work to make love last. The only way to appreciate joy is to know pain and vice versa. I have become so acquainted with reality that now, it is much harder for me to express how I truly feel to others freely - although this reassures me that I can handle things on my own now. It does not take away the fact that deep down inside, I wish I could be cradled in someone's arms to feel like I am not completely alone, but I am well aware that the depths of my internal experience could never be fully healed by just an embrace alone, or understood by someone who has never truly embraced another. The truth is - for me to become a flower in full bloom and display my true nature to others, I need to make sure that the other can handle my intensity and is willing to have open communication with me, in a way where we can establish trust and transparency and manage to solve problems head-on. If I do not feel that there is a sense of nurturance and acceptance in the room and that the other accepts the fact that I can be simultaneously assertive and gentle while showcasing my truest emotions, there is just no way I can open my heart and share myself. I will keep everything hidden and independently move along, regardless of how much it hurts my inner, soft nature.

It has been years since I've been able to feel this level of safety, which forces me to remain stoic and only present my impenetrating shell to the outer world. But this is what I must do to conserve the sanity I have trained myself to maintain. Life is a game where you must prove how well you can survive, and at this very moment, I am giving whatever it takes to fight for my life.

[alltflyter]

I've been thinking about the pandemic today.

I think this was maybe November or December 2020. I was working two jobs at the time: in the preschools and in an elderly home. Every surface needed to be sanitized, all the time. I reeked of alcohol, all the time. The skin on my hands was dry and cracking, all the time.

The preschools had a zero tolerance policy for symptoms in the kids and enforcing it was a sisyphean task.

This particular time I was alone for most of the day at the preschool-unit. Two of my co-workers had symptoms and there simply weren't enough of us stand-ins to fill their spots, so I was in charge of about ten kids by myself. Wash, sanitize. Once again, one of them was clearly ill: the little fellow was coughing miserably. I had to call his dad and ask him to pick him up. Did you know that phones are one of the most unsanitary surfaces you will come into contact with on any given day? Wash, sanitize.

He arrived angry, arguing. He couldn't afford this, he had a job to take care of. I wasn't patient enough. I couldn't extend my sympathy to him, I had ten kids to take care of. I said something passive aggressive. He yelled at me, really startled me, his kid, and a couple of the other children. Then he started crying and apologized. He comforted his kid, I comforted mine, and we sat there for a while on a bench in the cloakroom. I apologized, he left. I washed my hands again.

After my day at the preschool was over I had just about enough time to buy and eat dinner. Wash, sanitize. I stood in the queue, mask on of course, two metres apart. It was hot inside, I was still covered in my winter outerwear, sweating. The cashier scanned my dinner. Don't know if I remember exactly what it was, probably a sallad of some kind. As I walked out of the store, my phone rang. Trying to pick it up from my bag I stopped abruptly. Somebody walked into me, apologized, and walked past. I thought: what if I just disabled her for life? What if I just murdered her mom? I let my grandmother's call ring out and go to voicemail. Sanitize, wash my hands, sanitize. Then I ate my sallad.

I came to the elderly home for the night shift. Wash, sanitize, new mask, screen, gloves, wash, sanitize. I can't remember who died but I remember my colleague telling me. What if I forgot a wash at some point? What if I killed them? Please, please oh God, wash my hands. There was a terror in that house, all the residents were scared to catch it. They were lonely, too, even if most were impressively stoic about it. Told me all about how they hadn't seen their children or grandchildren since March, how the only human touch they had received for nearly a year was that of plastic gloves, how they couldn't even remember all the friends they had lost in that time. They were right to be afraid. According to a nurse who had been working there for a year, about a third of the residents had died since she started. I finished my shift, a thousand hand washes later.

I was on the bus, scrolling on the news app on my phone. The prime minister had said something strange again, can't recall what. Publicly, he had abandoned herd immunity, but practically this was still government policy at the time. A controlled spread. I put my headphones on to listen to the pundits and expert commentators. Lockdowns were a foreign exoticism, you see. An authoritarian state overreach, one of them explained; a counterproductive overreaction, another added. The only sensible thing, of course, was to sacrifice at the altar of capital as many vulnerable people as it took to appease that greedy god. That's nothing but common sense, all agreed, anything else would be alarmism or hysteria. I tucked my phone away. Sanitize, press stop, sanitize, hop off, sanitize.

I came home and went straight for the shower. I didn't dare look down, I was afraid that something red might be circling the drain. My husband woke an hour later and found me sitting naked on the edge of the tub. I couldn't tell him about work. I just asked him to please, oh God please wash me.