#so i've literally been planning her death since i knew she existed

[bradshawsbaby]

Love in the Air

Pairing: Rooster x Female Reader

Summary: You weren't expecting anything interesting or exciting to happen on your flight from Virginia to San Diego. But what happens when you decide to shoot your shot with the handsome stranger sitting in front of you on the plane?

Word Count: 12.5k

Author’s Note: Thank you so much to my dear friend, @ryebecca for giving me the idea for this one! I've been mulling it over in my brain for a while now, and the super adorable Netflix movie Love at First Sight gave me some much-needed inspiration to finally see it through to completion. This story exists outside of the Mr. & Mrs. Bradshaw Universe, which is sort of a first for me, so I hope you all enjoy!

Warnings: Travel anxiety, some very mild angst, discussions of parental death, brief language, lots of fluff.

If you had to rank your preferred modes of transportation, flying would probably be at the bottom of the list, beat only perhaps by public bus or bicycle. It seemed that no matter how hard you tried to make it as smooth and easy a journey as possible, your experiences at the airport always turned into one catastrophe after another.

Your flight this morning was supposed to take off at 9:30am, which meant that you had scheduled the start of your day to ensure that you would be at the airport no later than 7:15, accounting for traffic and long lines at check-in and security. That, of course, meant that you had to leave your best friend, Katie’s house in Fredericksburg at 5:45 on the dot in order to make the sixty-one mile trip to Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport, and that was being generous. If the two of you stopped for coffee—which Katie insisted was a must—that alone had the potential to derail your plans, which had you nervously fiddling with the bracelet you never took off, the one your dad had given you as a gift for your high school graduation.

“Relax,” Katie laughed, taking her eyes off the road for only a moment to reach out and squeeze your hands reassuringly, halting your anxious movements. “You’re going to get there with plenty of time to spare. There’s literally no one on earth who’s a more responsible flier than you. Have you ever even come close to missing a flight?”

“No,” you admitted sheepishly, taking a small sip of your hazelnut iced coffee. It did little to calm your nerves, but it was one of the best iced coffees you’d ever tasted.

“Of course you haven’t,” Katie smiled, her eyes back in front of her as she signaled to merge into another lane. “So just take a deep breath and enjoy all this gorgeous fall foliage. I’m going to get you there without incident, I promise.”

Katie knew better than pretty much anyone how much flying tended to stress you out. The two of you had been attached at the hip since the first day of kindergarten. Your friendship had survived all the ups and down of adolescence, boy drama, the separation of going to colleges hundreds of miles apart, heartache, loss, and so much more. She was truly the sister you never had, and you couldn’t be more grateful to have her in your life. Even now that you were living in San Diego, and Katie and her husband had moved to Fredericksburg, Virginia for Josh’s job, nothing could keep the two of you apart.

Using a little bit of the vacation time you’d accumulated at work, you’d taken a long weekend to fly out and surprise Katie for her and Josh’s housewarming party. It had been months since you had seen your best friend in person, and the two of you had spent the past few days acting like a couple of high schoolers, staying up all night eating junk food and keeping poor Josh awake with your loud and hysterical fits of laughter.

You hadn’t realized just how lonely you’d been, all by yourself in San Diego, until you’d witnessed up close how cozy and happy Katie’s life in Virginia was.

It wasn’t that you were jealous of Katie, not by any means. She and Josh had met in college, and you were thrilled that your best friend in the whole world had found her person, the one who was going to be there to hold her hand through life and love her through every up and every down. You had even shed a few happy tears when Katie had confided in you this past weekend that she and Josh were finally trying for a baby.

You weren’t jealous, but you desperately longed for what she had. While Katie and Josh had been happily in love since sophomore year, your love life had been decidedly marked by one failed relationship after another. The most painful of which had been your last boyfriend, Andrew. That breakup had been what had propelled you to accept the job offer that had taken you to San Diego almost a year ago.

“Screw Andrew!” Katie had told you as she’d helped you pack up your entire life into a few suitcases and boxes. “You’re headed to the Hottie Capital of America!”

“I must have missed that moniker on the travel brochures,” you responded dryly, although it was the first time you’d felt the urge to laugh in weeks.

“Um, hello, missy. It’s literally called ‘Fightertown USA,’” Katie said, stopping what she was doing to turn and face you, hands on her hips. “You’re going to end up with some sexy fighter pilot, and I am literally going to wither away with envy,” she giggled, winking at you.

“Yeah, right,” you smiled despite yourself, nudging her playfully.

“It’s true,” Katie sighed, feigning dramatics as she draped a hand across her forehead and swooned onto your bed. “I can see it now. You’re going to make the cutest little Marine or Navy wife.”

And yet, for all of Katie’s confidence, there you were, a whole year later, just as single as you had been when you’d first arrived in Fightertown.

It wasn’t to say you were completely on your own. You’d made some really good friends at work, and you got along with all of your neighbors. You’d even gone on a few dates with some guys from North Island. But none that ever went anywhere.

Spending the weekend with Katie and Josh, being reminded of just how in love the two of them were, made you wonder if it was ever going to be your turn.

“You okay?” Katie asked, breaking your silent reverie as she took the exit leading towards the airport in Charlottesville. It wasn’t necessarily the closest airport, but it was the only one for today that offered the flight you needed to get back home. “You seem so quiet.”

“Hm? Oh, yeah,” you nodded distractedly, smiling as you took another sip of your iced coffee. “Just a little tired, I guess.”

How could you possibly tell your best friend that seeing her happiness caused an ache inside your chest that hurt like nothing else you’d ever known? You couldn’t. It made you feel guilty enough just to admit it to yourself.

“Feeling a little nervous about your flight?” she pressed, reaching for her own iced coffee as the car came to a halt at a red light. “I know it’s long, and you hate connecting flights, but I stuck some Benadryl packets in your bag, if that helps at all. It sucks that you have such a hard time sleeping on planes.”

Smiling, you leaned over and pressed an affectionate kiss to her cheek. What had you ever done to deserve such a good friend? And there you were, lamenting about all the things she had that you didn’t.

“You’re the best,” you told her sincerely, giving her shoulder a small squeeze. “I’m so glad I was able to get down here this weekend.”

Katie beamed brightly, reaching up to squeeze your hand before placing hers back on the steering wheel. “You’re telling me. It was the best surprise ever. I’m just sad I can’t keep you here longer.”

“I’ll be back soon,” you promised, trying to mentally calculate when you might be able to get time off from work again.

“Maybe you can come down for Christmas this year?” Katie suggested hopefully, glancing over at you with her big green eyes.

“Maybe,” you nodded, twisting your bracelet once more as you saw the signs for the airport approaching. “Or maybe I can fly you and Josh out to San Diego.”

“Oh, yes! Christmas on the beach? Sounds perfect,” Katie grinned, looking out for the sign for departing flights.

All too soon, Katie was pulling up in front of the Delta terminal where your flight would be taking off in just a few hours.

“See? Only 7:11! I got you here ahead of your insane schedule, even with the stop for coffee,” your best friend teased, a twinkle in her eye as she indicated the time on the dashboard.

“Yeah, yeah,” you waved her off, laughing out loud as she swatted your hand jokingly.

The two of you climbed out of the car to grab your luggage from the trunk. You’d done your best to pack lightly, which was never an easy task for you, even just for a weekend trip. But somehow, you’d managed to squeeze everything you needed into a carry-on bag. Well, that and a giant duffel that you were claiming was a purse.

“Ugh, goodbyes make me crazy,” Katie shook her head, clearly trying to hide the tears that were brimming in her eyes, which caused tears to spring to your eyes as the two of you reached for each other.

“I love you so much,” you told her, squeezing her tightly as she rocked you back and forth in her arms. “I’ll call you when I land.”

“Text me when you get to your gate,” she said, pulling back and taking your hands in hers. “And let me know if there are any cuties on your flight,” she added with a grin, waggling her eyebrows suggestively.

“I doubt I’m going to bag any cuties looking like this,” you countered sarcastically, indicating the yoga pants and oversized sweatshirt you’d donned that morning, as well as the messy bun you’d thrown your hair into.

“Shut up, you’re gorgeous no matter what,” Katie scolded you, swatting you on the butt. “Now get going. We wouldn’t want you being late or anything like that,” she joked.

You laughed as well, though your heart ached a bit as you grabbed the handle of your suitcase and began turning towards the doors of the terminal.

“Love you! Talk to you soon!” Katie called out, waving and blowing kisses.

You threw one more wave your best friend’s way, then disappeared inside the terminal, which was already fairly crowded despite the early hour.

As expected, despite the fact that you’d taken pains to get there early and make sure you were on top of everything, the unlucky cloud that seemed to follow you whenever you flew made its appearance once again.

You of course ended up on the slowest moving line at security, only to be heavily questioned by the TSA agent who seemed to be under the impression that you looked nothing like the photo on your driver’s license. Then, when you finally got to the security scanners, you set off the metal detector and had to be publicly groped by another sour-faced TSA agent. As if that wasn’t bad enough, your suitcase was “randomly selected” for extra testing and security checks.

Katie may have loved to tease you about it, but this was precisely the reason why you always left as early as you did to get to the airport.

By the time you were finally rolling your suitcase towards your gate, you were feeling more frazzled than ever. Naturally, the gate had changed since your boarding pass had been printed, and now you had to trek halfway across the airport to find the new one.

You wondered what it felt like to be one of those lucky travelers whose gate was right at the center of the terminal, right near all the restaurants and shops. It had never been you. Without fail, no matter where or when you were flying, your gate always ended up being at the farthest corner of the terminal.

When you finally arrived, triple checking that the gate number matched your flight information, you let out a heavy sigh as you grabbed an open seat at the end of the row. To your surprise, you found that you were seated right next to an open outlet. You never got that lucky.

Turns out, you really did never get that lucky. When you plugged your phone in, you found that it wasn’t charging. Evidently, the outlet was open because it didn’t actually work.

Muttering under your breath, you unplugged your charger and threw it back into your duffel bag. At least your phone was still on 74%. You’d much prefer to have it fully charged, but this would do until you could charge it on the plane.

Glancing down, you realized that you had missed a text from Katie.

At the gate yet???

Rolling your shoulders back and getting more comfortable in your seat, you opened up the message so that you could send a quick response.

Just got here. You’d think I was on the No Fly List with how long it took me to get here.

Katie must have made good time getting home, because it wasn’t long before your phone was buzzing with another text.

😂😂😂 Get yourself a drink!

Katie, it’s not even 9am…

So? A mimosa then!

You laughed, shaking your head. A mimosa didn’t actually sound like such a bad idea right now. Neither did a large iced coffee. But now that you’d finally made it to your gate, you didn’t feel like dragging all your stuff with you across the terminal once again. And you didn’t feel comfortable leaving your things behind, unattended or even in the care of a stranger. Maybe you’d just order one on the plane.

When your phone buzzed again in your lap, you looked down and saw that it was another text from Katie.

Any cuties to share that mimosa with???

You were about to text her back that right now, the only cuties you could see were an adorable four-year-old and an elderly couple who must have been in their eighties when suddenly, the most gorgeous man you had ever seen in your life appeared, as if out of thin air. You were suddenly glad you didn’t have a mimosa or an iced coffee in hand, for you were certain that you would have spit it out in shock upon seeing this guy.

Jaw hanging open and eyes widening, your brain was too fuzzy from lack of sleep to remind you that it was wholly inappropriate and rude to stare.

He truly had to be the hottest man you had ever seen up close in real life. Tall, with broad, thick shoulders and a muscular build. His hair was a golden brown that looked like it was touched frequently by the sun—as did his skin, which was an amusing combination of both tan and pink, as though he should have applied just a pinch more sunscreen than he had. Most surprising of all was the mustache that made your stomach do a strange little flip. You usually weren’t all that attracted to facial hair of any sort, and most guys couldn’t pull off the mustaches they tried to sport, but this particular mustache was the sexiest thing you had ever seen. And somehow, despite not knowing this man from a hole in the wall, you couldn’t imagine him without it. It was like it was a part of his DNA.

Thankfully, he was still staring down at his boarding pass, so he hadn’t noticed your intense scrutiny. Coming to your senses, you closed your mouth and quickly averted your gaze, your cheeks growing hot with embarrassment. How mortifying. Imagine if he had looked over and caught you staring at him, gaping like a fish out of water?

Still, despite your self-consciousness at the thought of getting caught, you couldn’t help but steal another glance in his direction, this time out of the corner of your eye. He looked even taller this time around. It probably had something to do with the way he carried himself, an easy confidence pouring off him. This man knew he was hot stuff, of that you were sure. But there was also something unassuming about him, something quiet and almost humble. He was dressed in a pair of dark sweatpants and an old UVA T-shirt, nothing fancy or flashy. Somehow, however, he managed to pull it off even better than a three-piece suit.

You were startled out of your observations when your phone buzzed again. It was Katie, emphasizing her last message impatiently.

Do you have some kind of magic powers that I was unaware of to make hotties appear out of nowhere? Right when you texted me, the hottest guy I’ve ever seen walked up to my gate.

‼️‼️ GO TALK TO HIM!!! ‼️‼️

At the mere suggestion of going to talk to that guy, your stomach erupted into butterflies. Looking up once again, you saw that he had evidently confirmed he was at the right gate, and had settled down in a seat a couple rows over, facing away from you. God, even the back of his head was handsome.

Are you crazy? This guy is seriously the most gorgeous man I’ve ever seen. I look like a homeless lady that wandered in off the street. I am NOT talking to him!

Your phone buzzed angrily a moment later.

Will you shut up before I drive back there to hit you upside the head?! YOU are gorgeous!!! Who cares if you have no make-up on and your hair’s in a messy bun? It’s called airplane chic! You’re still completely stunning. He would be LUCKY to have a girl as hot as you want to talk to him!

Chewing your bottom lip, you looked up again, trying not to be obvious as your eyes slowly wandered over the people at your gate, until they landed on him once more. He was on the phone this time, having an animated conversation with whoever was on the other end of the line. Occasionally, he would turn slightly in your direction and you could catch a glimpse of his side profile.

Damn, this man was seriously perfect from every angle.

“Alright, Mav, I’ll see you when I land,” you heard him say—not that you were trying to eavesdrop—before he hung up the phone and dropped it back onto his lap.

It was then that you noticed his phone was plugged into the outlet next to his seat.

Maybe this could be your opportunity? You could casually walk over and see if there were any other open outlets near his. Perhaps you could even make a joke about how it was just your luck that the outlet near your seat wasn’t working. Maybe he’d laugh and tell you some horror story from his travel experiences and the two of you would end up talking until you exchanged numbers. Maybe there was some tiny, infinitesimal chance that this stunning man would actually be charmed by you and possibly even the teensiest bit interested.

Or maybe you would just remain rooted to your seat, terrified to move as you stared at the back of his head.

You were already anticipating the text from Katie when your phone buzzed once again.

The reason you’re not answering me better be because you’re in the middle of a conversation with Mr. Hottie from your gate!!!

Biting down on your lip, you turned your phone over, not knowing how to tell your best friend that you were too much of a chicken to get out of your seat and approach this guy.

At that moment, however, you were suddenly saved, at least somewhat, when a member of the flight crew announced that they were about to begin boarding. Forgetting about Katie’s texts and the hot guy sitting several feet away from you for a moment, you began gathering together all your belongings, making sure you hadn’t forgotten anything.

When your boarding group was called, you did one final sweep around your seat, securing the strap of your duffel bag up on your shoulder and wrapping one hand around the handle of your carry-on before making your way to the line extending from the counter.

As you stepped up behind the elderly couple you’d noticed earlier, your boarding pass slipped out of your hand, floating through the air despite your best attempt to reach for it, and landing somewhere behind you.

Turning to find it, you nearly collided with the tall wall of man behind you, who was bending at the same time to grab it off the floor.

“Oh!” you gasped, startled to find that Mr. Hottie, as Katie had dubbed him, was not only standing behind you in line, but was also holding your boarding pass in his hand, glancing down at it.

“San Diego with a layover in Atlanta, huh?” he grinned, glancing from the boarding pass up to your face. Unsurprisingly, he had a beautiful set of whiskey-colored eyes that made your stomach do the same strange little flip that his mustache had induced. Oh, and up close, the mustache was even sexier.

“Oh, um, yeah,” you nodded dumbly, your tongue suddenly feeling like it weighed a thousand pounds as your brain short-circuited and couldn’t come up with a single worthwhile thing to say.

“Glad to know I’m not the only one,” Mr. Hottie went on, holding your boarding pass out to you. “Looks like we’ve got a long day of flying ahead of us.”

Mouth hanging open, you slowly reached out and took the boarding pass from him, trying frantically to think of something—anything—to say. He was flying to San Diego, too? You were on the same exact flight? Including the same layover?

“I—I—”

“Hey, the line's moving!” someone from the back called out, sounding annoyed.

Turning back over your shoulder, you were mortified to see that the elderly couple in front of you had disappeared and you were, in fact, holding up the line.

“Oh, um, I’m sorry,” you mumbled, ducking your head as you clutched your boarding pass and reached out for your carry-on. “Thanks again for grabbing this for me,” you told Mr. Hottie, waving your boarding pass slightly before turning and practically running towards the counter.

With his long stride, he caught up to you in no time, his smile friendly and warm as the two of you joined the line of people waiting to board the airplane.

“You weren’t holding anyone up,” he whispered down to you, as if it was some special secret the two of you were sharing. “I don’t know what that guy was in such a rush for. To move from that line to this one? We’re all getting out of here at the same time.”

You smiled at his words, feeling comforted by his reassurance. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. Some people are just always in a hurry.”

The two of you were quiet after that, and you wondered if that would be the end of the conversation. You were casting around for anything else you could talk about when he suddenly asked you, “So are you leaving home or heading home?”

Your heart fluttered at his question. If he didn’t want to keep talking, he wouldn’t have asked that, right?

“Heading home,” you told him, fiddling shyly with your bracelet. You laughed softly. “It’s still kind of weird saying that. I’ve only been in San Diego for about eleven months.”

He raised his eyebrow, one corner of his mouth turning up in a smile. “Yeah? Well, I know I’m a little late, but welcome to Fightertown. I hope it’s been treating you well.”

“Oh, it has been,” you nodded, making sure to pay attention to when the people in front of you began moving forward. “I take it you’re heading home then, too?”

“I am,” he grinned, shouldering the backpack he was carrying with him. “Well, actually, I’m kind of leaving home and heading home,” he amended. At your curious look, he explained, “I’m from Virginia originally, but I live in San Diego now. I guess you could say I’m a transplant, just like you,” he added with a chuckle. “Are you from Virginia, too?”

“New York, actually,” you told him, as the two of you followed the flow of people towards the plane. “But my best friend and her husband moved to Fredericksburg recently, so I was spending the weekend with them.”

“Ah, that’s a nice area,” he nodded, rubbing the back of his neck as he glanced down at you with a smile. At your unspoken question, he said, “I was actually down for a reunion weekend at my school. I went to UVA.”

“I gathered,” you replied teasingly, indicating his T-shirt.

Glancing downward, he shook his head and laughed. “Almost forgot I threw this on when I woke up. Trying to get to the airport on time is a real pain, isn’t it?”

“Absolutely,” you agreed with a laugh, adjusting your hold on your duffel bag. “Flying is definitely one of my least favorite modes of transportation.”

“Hmm, I don’t know if I’d say that,” he said in reply, an amused look on his face.

Before you could ask him what was so funny, however, you were being welcomed aboard the plane by the stewardesses, who were all smiling and indicating that they expected you to keep moving down the aisle.

Your heart dropped slightly at the abrupt end to your conversation. Now the two of you were going to go to your separate seats, and he’d probably forget all about you. It was one thing to make idle conversation with a stranger while on line, but you doubted he had any real interest in continuing the conversation beyond that.

Sighing softly, you rolled your suitcase down the aisle, pausing every now and then as the people in front of you put their bags in the overhead bins and got themselves sorted. When you finally reached Row 22, you stopped and looked back at Mr. Hottie with an apologetic smile.

“Sorry, this is me. I’ll just be a minute,” you told him, pushing down the handle of your carry-on.

“No worries, this is me,” he grinned, indicating Row 21. “I even snagged the window seat,” he added with a wink.

Your mouth went dry. He had the window seat of Row 21. You had the window seat of Row 22. He was sitting directly in front of you.

“Here, let me help you with that,” he said, reaching for your carry-on bag and easily hefting it above his head, sliding it into the overhead bin for you. “Do you need me to put this one up there, too?” he asked, pointing towards your duffel bag.

“Oh, no, it’s okay,” you shook your head, holding onto the strap of your bag. “I’m going to keep this one with me. Thanks a lot,” you smiled, not even noticing the line of disgruntled people that was beginning to form behind the two of you.

“No problem,” he smiled, starting to slide into his row with his backpack still on his back. “Have a great flight.”

“You, too,” you replied, a little sadly, as you crawled into your row, doing your best to ignore the annoyed looks some people were throwing your way.

Needless to say, it was just your luck that the impatient man from the boarding line ended up sitting right beside you. You tried to smile at him, but he just grunted and put his headphones on, completely ignoring you.

Fine by you. Pulling your phone out, you found that you had a whole new series of texts from Katie, demanding to know exactly what was happening.

On the plane now. We should be taking off soon. I talked a little bit to Mr. Hottie. Are you happy?

It didn’t take long at all for her to respond. You could imagine that she had been sitting by her phone, waiting eagerly for your message.

Eeeee, yes, very! What did you guys talk about? Are you sitting near each other on the plane? Did you exchange numbers??? Send me a picture!!!

You laughed softly to yourself as you tried your best to answer all the questions your excited friend had asked you.

Just small talk. He’s actually flying home to San Diego, too. He went to UVA and was there for a reunion weekend. We did not exchange numbers and I’m not going to be a creepy stalker and take a picture of him, but he actually is sitting in the seat right in front of me.

OMG, IT’S FATE!!! So he has the same layover and everything??? And he’s FROM San Diego?! Babe, this is the guy for you!!! You’ve got to keep talking to him!

How would you suggest I do that? Just tap him on the shoulder and whisper into his ear the whole time?

It’s only a couple hours to Atlanta, and then you’ll have the layover, and then another four and half hours to San Diego. You could practically be engaged by the time you land! Just slip him a little note or something. Give him your number!

Your stomach was doing somersaults at the mere thought. Between the two of you, Katie had always been the more outgoing one. She would have no problem slipping a note with her phone number on it to a complete stranger, putting herself out there for the possibility of rejection and utter humiliation. You, on the other hand, preferred to play it safe. It was much more comfortable that way. And sure, maybe you’d never met your Josh the way Katie had, but at least you’d never been hurt too badly, right?

Unbidden, you thought of Andrew and felt bile rise in your throat.

Luckily, you were saved from having to answer Katie right away when the cabin crew made the announcement that it was time to shut down all electronics. Switching your phone onto airplane mode, you slipped it into the front pocket of your duffel bag and took a deep breath, buckling your seatbelt and closing your eyes.

Takeoff was your least favorite part of any flight. When you were a little girl, your parents used to make funny faces and sing silly songs to distract you from your terror. Even now as an adult who was flying all on her own, you still tried to remember the sound of their voices as the plane began its ascent.

It didn’t take too long before you were finally cruising at 18,000 feet and the captain turned off the seatbelt sign. Since you were a Delta SkyMiles member, you got free Wi-Fi on all your flights, so you immediately reached to turn your phone back on to let Katie know you had taken off safely.

As soon as your phone connected with the Wi-Fi, it was instantly flooded with a slew of text messages. A couple were from some of your friends back in San Diego, wishing you a safe and easy flight, but most were from your crazy best friend.

Don’t think you can use being on a plane as an excuse not to answer my texts!

I know you’re a SkyMiles member and you can see these messages!

You better answer me!!!

Shaking your head, you quickly tapped out a quick message in response.

Took off safely. Thinking of watching a movie before we land in Atlanta. You’re crazy and I am not slipping him a note.

Your phone was blessedly quiet for the next several minutes, and part of you hoped that Katie had given up this ridiculous notion. Knowing her as long as you had, however, you should have figured that wouldn’t be the case.

What’s the worst that could happen? He doesn’t answer you? The two of you never talk again? You’ve never seen this guy before in your life, and the chances are good that you’ll never see him again after this. So if you put yourself out there and it doesn’t work out, who cares? At least you tried. And sure, it might be a little embarrassing at first, but like I said, you’ll never have to see him again. But what if you thought about it the other way around? What if it DOES work out? What if this could be the start of something great? Would you really just want to walk away, wondering what could have been and regretting that you didn’t take a chance? You deserve to be loved so, so, SO much! And I know that you have so much love to give! This guy would be lucky if you chose him. Just give it a try, will you? For me? Please! You can’t see it, but I’m giving my best puppy dog face right now. And sending you all the best vibes! You can do this! I love you! ♥️

You groaned at your best friend’s heartfelt message. How could you possibly say no to that? You knew Katie just wanted the best for you, and she wanted you to be happy. You wanted to be happy, too. What if she was right? What if this was your chance? Would you be a fool to just walk away from it without even trying? Like Katie said, at least if you tried, you could say you’d done all you could. And if it didn’t work, then Mr. Hottie just wasn’t the one for you. No harm, no foul.

You were starting to feel like you might need to make use of the vomit bag tucked securely in the seat pocket in front of you when the stewardess stopped at your row to offer you all snacks and beverages. You gratefully accepted a can of ginger ale and a packet of pretzels, nibbling on them slowly in an attempt to settle your roiling stomach.

You were being an idiot. There was no reason to be so dramatic about all this. You could write a quick note and pass it up to him, then pretend it had never happened. Seriously, what was the worst that was going to happen? He was going to get up and make an announcement over the loudspeaker that the girl sitting in 22A was a pathetic, lonely loser? You doubted that very much.

Before you could lose your nerve, you reached into the front pocket of your duffel bag and pulled out the pen you always kept there. Turns out, it really did come in handy. Mercifully, the grumpy man beside you was already snoring, so you could write your note in peace without being worried about him seeing what you were doing.

Hand shaking slightly, you penned a quick letter to the handsome, charming man in 21A.

Hi there. I realized in all our talking that I never caught your name. But it might be good to know, seeing how we’re layover buddies and all. Hope you’re enjoying the flight so far.

You signed your name at the bottom, and then took a deep breath, reading over what you had written on the back of your Delta napkin. It sounded impossibly stupid, but you’d come this far and you weren’t going to turn back now. What was it that people on the internet were always saying? Something about shooting your shot?

Breathing through your nose to avoid getting sick, you reached out a trembling finger and lightly tapped the broad shoulder that you saw peeking out from the seat in front of you. You suddenly realized that he may have been asleep and panicked at the thought of waking him up, but he shifted immediately at your touch and you could tell that he was turning towards you.

Not wanting to meet his eye, you immediately thrust your napkin into the small open space between your seats and the windows, silently praying that he would take it from you instead of laughing in your face.

A second later, you felt his large fingers brush against yours as he took your little note, shifting in his seat once more so that he was facing front again.

What had you just done? Oh, God, there was still another hour left to go on this flight, then a layover, and another four and half hours to San Diego. True, you would never have to see him again after you landed in California, but that was still a lot of time left to have to be in proximity to him if all of this blew up in your face.

You were just about ready to launch yourself out of one of the emergency exits when you suddenly looked up and realized that there was a small white napkin hovering above your head.

Mr. Hottie in 21A was reaching back with your note in hand. Your stomach plummeted and your face and neck grew warm with shame at the thought of him returning the letter you’d written him, until you noticed the red ink on the back of it. 

You’d written your note in black ink.

Slowly reaching out, you took the napkin from his hand, your fingers brushing against each other once more. His were large and warm and calloused and made goosebumps rise on your arm.

Pulse beating rapidly, you turned over the napkin to see the response he had written on the back. His handwriting was a bit messy, more of a scrawl than anything, but it made you smile to look at it.

What was I thinking, not properly introducing myself to my layover buddy? Hope you can forgive me. My name is Bradley. I don’t suppose there’s any chance you’ve got some Wi-Fi on this flight, do you? If you do, feel free to text me. We seem to be dangerously low on napkins.

At the bottom, he’d written his cell phone number.

Pressing a hand over your mouth, it took everything in you to swallow back the squeal of delight that rose up your throat. It worked! Katie’s silly plan had actually worked! Oh, she was going to gloat about this forever when you told her.

Beaming brightly, you pulled out your cell phone. As much as you loved her, Katie could wait right now. You had an extremely gorgeous layover buddy to get in touch with.

Typing his number into your cell phone, you opened up a new message and contemplated what to say for a moment.

Layover buddies who both just so happen to have some inflight Wi-Fi? Clearly it’s meant to be.

You hoped the message came across as cute and flirty instead of desperate and weird as you hit send, anxiously waiting to see if he would reply.

It took only a moment before your phone buzzed, Bradley’s name lighting up your screen.

Layover buddies who both just so happen have some inflight Wi-Fi AND spring for the window seats? Obviously it’s meant to be!

You smiled and were about to think up a reply when another message suddenly came though.

Oh, and to answer your note—I’m enjoying the flight a lot more now.

The butterflies went crazy in your stomach as you wrote back to him.

Me, too. And that’s saying a lot, considering the four-year-old behind me hasn’t stopped kicking my seat since we boarded.

Bradley only took seconds to reply.

Oof, that’s rough. If I could switch seats with you, I would. But I have to admit that I’m very happy that you’re not kicking my seat.

Wouldn’t be too sure about that, you sent back teasingly before lightly nudging his seat with your foot.

Hey! I thought we were friends!

We’ll see 😉

You and Bradley went back and forth like that for the entire remainder of your flight to Atlanta, the banter light and easy as you teased and joked with each other. You even ended up playing a game of 20 Questions, in which you learned, among other things, that Bradley’s favorite color was red, he once broke his arm when he was seven years old, and he absolutely despised peas.

As the captain announced that you would soon begin preparing for your final descent, you shot off a quick message to Katie, who you had woefully neglected during your conversation with Bradley.

I owe you one. The pep talk and the plan actually worked—I’m texting Mr. Hottie as we speak! Update you soon. We’re about to land in Atlanta.

Just as you sent the message off to your friend, another text from Bradley arrived.

Looks like we’re going to have to turn off our phones, layover buddy. I’ll see you when we land. Food? I’m starving.

Grinning, you had to pinch yourself to check that this wasn’t some sort of elaborate dream.

Same. I’ll race you for some french fries.

You’re on.

When the plane finally landed and the captain turned off the seatbelt sign, everyone practically jumped out of their seats in a mad dash to see who could be the first to get their belongings out of the overhead bins. Since you and Bradley were in the window seats, you took your time, knowing you weren’t getting off the plane anytime soon.

You were surprised, however, when he suddenly popped his head over the back of his seat, grinning down at you. “Good thing our next flight doesn’t leave for a couple hours yet,” he said, indicating the crowd with a good-natured grin that made your heart melt.

You had almost been starting to think you’d exaggerated just how good-looking he was, but nope. He really was that hot.

“Plenty of time to grab those fries,” you laughed, smiling up at him.

When you and Bradley were finally able to step out into the aisle, he opened the bin above your head and reached for your suitcase.

“Let me take care of this for you,” he said, lowering it to the ground and lifting the handle so that he could wheel it up the aisle.

“Oh, you don’t have to,” you insisted, not wanting him to think that you expected him to carry your things for you.

“Hey, what are layover buddies for?” he winked, leading the way off the plane.

Once the two of you were standing face to face in the middle of the airport terminal, you began to feel a little shy and self-conscious again. It had been easy to talk to Bradley via text, but now that you were gazing up at his handsome face again, you suddenly found yourself getting just as tongue-tied as before.

Bradley seemed to sense your nerves because he smiled warmly at you, his demeanor just as open and friendly as it had been the entire time you’d known him.

“How about we hunt down those fries?” he suggested, waiting until you smiled and nodded before turning and guiding you towards the main concourse.

The two of you ended up finding a quick and easy little fast food counter, where you ordered a couple burgers, a large order of fries, and some vanilla milkshakes with whipped cream and cherries. As soon as it became clear that Bradley was going to pay for both your meals, you tried to argue and insist on paying your share, but he wouldn’t hear it.

“My mom raised a gentleman, and she would kill me if she thought I was even thinking of letting my layover buddy pay for her lunch,” he told you, winking playfully as he handed his credit card to the employee behind the counter.

You took your suitcase from Bradley as he balanced the tray with your food in his hands, leading you to an empty table towards the end of the concourse.

“Your mom must be very proud of you, I’m sure,” you grinned, reaching eagerly for a fry and popping it into your mouth. “Did you get to see her while you were in Virginia?”

Bradley smiled, though his eyes suddenly looked a little sad. “Yeah. Yeah, you could say that.”

Deciding not to press the matter, you instead turned the attention to his college reunion. That led to the two of you happily swapping stories about your time in college, which landed you on the subject of what you do now.

“A naval aviator? Really? And a TOPGUN graduate? That’s very impressive,” you gushed, mentally picturing him in a flight suit. You’d gone on a couple dates with some naval aviators from North Island, but none as handsome or as charming as Bradley. You suddenly groaned and covered your face with your hand when you remembered what you’d said to him right before boarding the plane. “So that’s what you meant when I was saying that flying isn’t my favorite mode of transportation,” you murmured, feeling a little embarrassed.

Bradley threw his head back and laughed at that, looking genuinely amused. “Hey, I get it. Flying isn’t for everybody. Trust me, some days I wish I had just opted for a desk job,” he grinned, his muscles flexing as he stretched in his seat. “But there’s nothing quite like it, when you’re the one doing the flying. Maybe one day I can take you up in the air and change your mind.”

He looked across the table at you and held your gaze, and you felt sure in that moment that you would have promised him anything he asked.

“So what’s your call sign then?” you asked with a smile, resting your cheek in your hand as you looked into his eyes.

“Oh, you know about that, huh?” he chuckled, the tips of his ears turning pink. “Well, uh, they call me Rooster.”

You had a feeling he expected you to laugh—maybe other girls in the past had—but you just grinned brightly in response. “I like it,” you said simply. “It suits you.”

He let out a small breath and smiled in return. “Thank you. My dad’s call sign was Goose. So I guess it runs in the family.”

“Your dad is in the Navy, too?” you asked curiously, lifting your milkshake and taking a sip.

Bradley cleared his throat slightly, looking down at his lap. “He was. He died in a training accident at TOPGUN when I was two.”

You sucked in a breath at your own carelessness and looked across at Bradley with empathy glowing in your eyes. “Oh, Bradley,” you murmured softly, reaching out and resting a hand over his. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay,” he replied gently, a small smile on his face as he placed his other hand over yours. “But thank you.” He was quiet for a moment before he went on. “It was just me and my mom for a while, back home in Virginia. But she got sick when I was in high school, and she passed away my senior year.”

“Bradley,” you breathed out sadly, your heart breaking for him. You winced when you thought of what he’d said before, about seeing his mom while he was in Virginia.

“She and my dad are buried in my hometown, where I grew up. I go to see them at the cemetery whenever I’m back in town,” he explained, as if reading your thoughts.

“I’m sure that means a lot to them, and that they’re smiling down on you always,” you told him sincerely, squeezing his hand lightly.

He smiled up at you, the sadness in his expression lifting slightly. “I like to think so. I think they’d like you a lot,” he added, then looked away. He suddenly seemed embarrassed.

The two of you sat back, disentangling your hands as you sat in mildly awkward silence for a moment or two.

“What about your parents?” Bradley asked, clearly looking for a way to change the subject. “Do they still live in New York?”

It was your turn to look sad now. “Well, we actually have a lot in common, Bradley. Only I guess my story is sort of in reverse. My mom passed away when I was six years old. She got in a car accident on her way home from work. And my dad passed when I was a freshman in college. Lung cancer.”

“Shit,” Bradley muttered, shaking his head and running a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have—”

“It’s okay,” you cut him off, placing a reassuring hand on his arm. “You couldn’t have known. And it feels kind of nice talking about it with someone who I know understands. You know what I mean?”

“Yeah,” Bradley nodded, his expression serious as his dark eyes rested on your face. “Yeah, I do.”

You and Bradley sat in companionable silence as you finished your meals, then checked to see how much time you had before your connecting flight.

“I guess we should start making our way over to the gate,” you suggested, glancing at the time on your phone. You had about ten text messages from Katie, but you were too embarrassed to open them anywhere near Bradley.

Bradley nodded in agreement, wordlessly taking the handle of your suitcase and leading you back across the concourse.

“Hey, we got so distracted talking about my job that I never even asked what you do,” he suddenly realized once the two of you were seated at your gate, both your phones charging in a nearby outlet.

“Oh, yeah,” you smiled, brushing a loose strand of hair that had escaped your bun behind your ear. “Funny enough, I actually work for the Midway Museum,” you told him, glancing up at him, only to find that he was already gazing down at you.

“No way! Guess we’re both stuck aboard aircraft carriers for work then,” he chuckled. “What do you do?”

“Well, my official title is digital content specialist,” you said, biting down on your lower lip. You felt like it always sounded a bit pretentious. “Basically, I help run the museum’s digital accounts—social media, their website, email blasts, things like that. My degree is in marketing and communications, so that’s basically what I do.”

“That’s amazing,” Bradley said, and you could tell that he genuinely meant it. Some guys just pretended to be interested in your job as a pretense for trying to get into your pants, but you could tell that Bradley actually cared about what you had to say. He was actually listening. “Is that what brought you out to San Diego?”

“It is, actually. I had been applying to a few different places, and when I got word from the Midway that they were interested in hiring me, I thought that maybe it was the fresh start I needed,” you confessed.

“Has it been?” Bradley asked quietly.

“I think so,” you nodded slowly, absent-mindedly twisting your bracelet around your wrist. “It’s hard sometimes, being so far away from my best friend, Katie—the one I was visiting. She’s pretty much the only family I’ve got left. But I like the life that I’m building in San Diego.”

“That’s good. I’m glad to hear it,” Bradley smiled, his hand lightly brushing against yours as he shifted in his seat. He looked like he was about to say more when the flight crew called your boarding group.

“Looks like we’re going to be sitting near each other again, 21A,” you teased, glancing down at his boarding pass as the two of you rose and grabbed your phones.

“Glad to hear it, 22A,” he joked in return, holding up his phone and waving it back and forth. “And now my phone is fully charged for our trip back to San Diego, so let the texting commence.”

Giggling, you nodded as the two of you walked down the rampway side by side and made your way onto the plane and to your seats without incident. When you got there, however, you saw that there had been some confusion with a young family that looked to have four children under the age of eight. It seemed as though their tickets had gotten split up so that they weren’t all sitting next to each other, and the mother was frantic.

“Excuse me, ma’am?” Bradley asked, quickly taking stock of the situation. When the woman looked up at him, clearly stressed out and worried he was going to yell at her, he smiled comfortingly. “I was just going to say that, if you’d like, you can have my seat. I’d be happy to take yours since it looks like it’s next to my friend here anyway. That way, we can all be comfortable and sit with the people we want to sit with.”

“Oh, thank you!” the young mother exclaimed, looking ready to hug Bradley. “Thank you!”

She and her husband quickly got their children settled, thanking Bradley a few more times for good measure, while he took your carry-on and set it in the overhead bin.

Once you had settled in your window seat, Bradley took the seat beside you, grinning impishly.

“Look at that. Now we don’t even need to waste the Wi-Fi,” he murmured, nudging you playfully.

“Things just have a way of working out for us today, don’t they?” you laughed, settling your duffel bag at your feet. “I’m just going to send a quick message to Katie, to let her know I made it onto my connecting flight,” you told him, reaching for your phone and quickly opening Katie’s messages so that Bradley wouldn’t see them.

“Good idea, I should text Mav,” Bradley said, grabbing his phone out of his pocket. At your confused look, he explained, “My godfather. He’s also in the Navy, and he also just so happens to be stationed out in San Diego. He’s going to pick me up at the airport.”

Nodding, you sent a brief text to your best friend, promising you would call her as soon as you got home, then settled in for the flight and tried to get as comfortable as possible.

As soon as you felt the plane jolt to life and begin taxing towards the runway, your chest grew tight and your grip on yours and Bradley’s shared armrest started to turn your knuckles white.

“Hey,” Bradley said softly, genuine concern in his voice as he glanced over and noticed how on edge you suddenly appeared. “You alright?”

“I’m fine,” you lied, keeping your gaze fixed straight ahead on the screen in front of you, which was currently playing some Delta commercial that your brain could scarcely register.

“I think your death grip on our armrest would suggest otherwise,” he pressed gently, his tone remaining light and good-humored. “You trying to take that thing with you?”

Startled, your nervous trance was broken and you glanced down to see what Bradley was talking about. Sure enough, your nails were digging into the armrest so intensely that you wouldn’t have been surprised if they left little crescent-shaped marks in their wake.

Letting out a shaky laugh, you looked up at the man beside you ruefully. “Okay, truth be told, I get a little anxious during takeoff,” you confessed, biting your lip in embarrassment. He would probably think that was silly. He was a fighter pilot, after all. His day job involved flying multi-million dollar aircrafts for the military. And here you were, acting like a scaredy cat over a commercial Delta flight.

Bradley’s eyes crinkled in a way that you found devastatingly charming as he smiled over at you. The look on his face was kind, without a single trace of mocking humor.

“Want to know a secret?” he whispered, leaning in closer to you so that his nose was nearly pressed against your cheek and you could feel his breath on your skin. “So do I.”

“You’re kidding,” you scoffed, shooting him a skeptical look. He was probably just trying to be nice. “But you’re a naval aviator!”

“Yeah, but I’m not the one flying this plane, am I?” he retorted with a lopsided grin. “It’s hard to put the reins in someone else’s hands. So I understand being nervous. Hell, I still get a little nervous sometimes when I’m flying an F-18. Just don’t tell anyone I said that,” he added, lowering his voice conspiratorially.

“Oh, of course not,” you giggled, smiling over at him. Glancing out the window, you realized that his conversation had distracted you so much, you hadn’t even noticed that the plane had finished its approach towards the runway and was officially waiting for takeoff.

Some of your nerves returned, and you gripped the armrest once more, but this time, you felt Bradley’s large, yet gentle fingers close over yours. Surprised, you turned your head sharply and instantly met his gaze. It was direct and disconcertingly open as he looked deeply into your eyes.

“It’s okay,” he assured you in a low voice, squeezing your fingers comfortingly. “We’re going to be okay.”

“My parents used to sing to me during takeoff,” you found yourself blurting out suddenly, your cheeks growing warm at the admission. “I can remember my mom doing it when I was a little girl, and my dad used to do it for me even when I was in high school,” you explained shyly, lowering your eyes to your lap.

At that moment, your stomach dropped as the plane suddenly began hurtling forward, seeking enough momentum to become airborne.

You squeezed your eyes shut, trying to recall the sound of your parents’ voices in order to calm your racing heart. But a new voice suddenly entered the mix as you felt your newfound flying buddy lean across the armrest, his warm body pressing against your side as he sang quietly in your ear.

“You shake my nerves and you rattle my brain…”

Wait a second. You knew that song. Where did you know that song from?

“Too much love drives a man insane. You broke my will, but what a thrill…”

Yes, you definitely knew that song. It was on one of the records your parents used to play when you were a little girl. Was it Jerry Lee Lewis?

Gasping in recognition, you whisper-sang the next lyric in harmony with Bradley—“Goodness gracious, great balls of fire!”

He laughed in delight when you began singing along, squeezing your hand with an affectionate grin. “And would you look at that,” he said, nodding towards the window. “We’re airborne. Wasn’t so bad, was it?”

Shocked, you followed his line of vision and were taken aback to see that you were already ascending into the clouds, leaving the city of Atlanta far behind. That had been one of the smoothest takeoff experiences you’d had in—well, you couldn’t even remember how long.

“I barely even noticed!” you exclaimed, focusing your attention back on Bradley. You smiled gratefully, your heart melting at the adorable puppy dog look on his face. “Thank you, Bradley.”

You noticed at that moment that he still hadn’t let go of your hand, and your pulse began to quicken, but this time for entirely different reasons.

“You’re welcome,” he murmured in response, his voice low and suddenly husky. It did something to you, that deep, raspy voice of his. “Happy to do it.” He squeezed your hand gently once more, then slowly—almost hesitantly—let it go.

“I haven’t heard that song in the longest time,” you told him, resting back against your seat. “My parents used to listen to it.”

Bradley smiled slightly. “It’s the one song I can actually remember my dad singing. He loved to sing and play the piano. My mom had tons of home videos of him doing it. But that song—that song I can actually remember hearing him sing, you know? I was so young when he—well—I can remember that one. And that’s why it’s my favorite to sing and play.”

“You play the piano, too?” you asked, impressed. “Wow, a man of many talents.” You nudged him playfully, a big smile on your face.

“I’ll have to show you what I can do,” Bradley replied, winking.

Your stomach fluttered at the implication that he might actually want to see you again after today.

“I’d like that,” you admitted, ducking your head shyly. You suddenly felt much more aware of everything around you, particularly every inch of your muscular seatmate. Goodness, he really was huge, wasn’t he? Chewing nervously on your bottom lip, you began fidgeting with your bracelet, tugging at it absent-mindedly.

“That’s a pretty bracelet,” Bradley commented, pointing at it as he watched you twist it back and forth around your wrist. “A gift?” he asked lightly, his tone almost a little too casual.

“Mhm,” you nodded, smiling fondly as you gazed down at it. You could still remember the day you opened it. “My dad bought it for me as a present when I graduated high school. I never take it off.”

“Ah,” Bradley nodded, appearing surprisingly relieved. He was quiet for a moment or two, looking like he was mulling over something. Then he turned towards you and asked, “So, um, is there anybody waiting for you in San Diego? Anyone, uh, special, I mean?” he asked, his cheeks and his ears turning red as he rubbed the back of his neck.

You felt your own skin grow warm in response. Was Bradley asking if you had a boyfriend? And was he embarrassed about it? Just when you thought this man couldn’t possibly charm you any more than he already had.

“Not unless you count my neighbor, Mrs. Flores. She really appreciates it when I walk her dog on the weekends,” you told him, your lips twitching as you tried to maintain a straight face.

Caught off guard by your response, Bradley let out a loud laugh, covering his mouth with one hand as he glanced down at you, eyes twinkling.

“I’m sure Mrs. Flores will be very happy to see you back again,” he nodded, tapping his fingers on his tray table.

The two of you sat in silence for a couple minutes until you finally glanced up and said, “I had actually just gotten out of a long-term relationship right before I moved to San Diego. It was kind of the catalyst for why I decided to take the job at the Midway Museum.”

“Oh, really?” Bradley asked, eyebrows shooting up. Then he cleared his throat, shaking his head. “I mean, I’m sorry to hear that. If it’s too personal, we don’t have to talk about it.”

“No, it’s okay,” you sighed, twirling your bracelet a few times as you thought back on your last failed relationship. Surprisingly, it didn’t hurt as much as it normally did. Maybe time really did heal all wounds. You took a deep breath before you elaborated. “Andrew and I were together for four years. For a long time, I really thought he was the one. Katie was convinced that he was going to propose on our trip to Greece. It was a dream vacation for me. I had the whole thing planned out for months and months. And I really started to let myself believe that it was going to happen.”

Bradley sat quietly, watching you carefully as he attentively took in every word you uttered.

“We were in Athens, and I had the whole day planned—all these tours and museums. But Andrew insisted that he was too tired since we had just traveled from Rhodes, and he begged me to let him stay behind at the hotel. Being the idiot that I am, I thought that maybe he wanted to put the finishing touches on his big proposal. So I went on the tours by myself. But the last tour ended early, so I came back to our hotel room a little sooner than expected.”

Your throat began to tighten as the story continued, the pain of what had happened next eclipsed only by your embarrassment that Bradley would soon know how pitifully your last relationship had ended. Why had you brought all this up?

“I’ll spare you all the details, but suffice it to say, I found Andrew in bed with one of the cocktail waitresses from the hotel bar. And to no one’s surprise, there was no ring and he never had any intention of proposing. So I flew home from Greece minus a boyfriend and with very little remaining of my dignity. Leaving everything behind and starting fresh in San Diego seemed like a really good idea, so when the Midway contacted me, I jumped at the offer. And here I am,” you finished with a self-conscious laugh, shrugging your shoulders awkwardly.

Bradley didn’t say anything at first, just continued to stare at you in a way that had you feeling distinctly exposed. Your fingers immediately went to your bracelet once again, nervously fidgeting and waiting for him to say something.

Reaching out, he placed his hand over yours and stilled your movements gently. “First of all,” he began slowly, looking directly into your eyes. It seemed as though he was peering directly into your soul. “Andrew is a complete and total loser. If he didn’t know what he had in you, then he never deserved you to begin with. It’s his loss, and trust me, he’ll be regretting it for the rest of his life if he has even an ounce of sense.” His thumb brushed lightly against your knuckles, making your legs suddenly feel like Jell-O. “Second of all, I’m so sorry. You didn’t deserve that, and I hope you know that the way that idiot treated you in no way says anything about you. I’ve only known you for a few hours, but I can see that that guy never deserved you to begin with.”

Feeling bashful, you lowered your head, trying to escape the intensity of Bradley’s dark eyes. It didn’t matter though—you could still feel his gaze.

“You don’t have to say that,” you murmured, not wanting him to think you had just unloaded all of this on him for sympathy points.

“I’m not just saying it,” he insisted, his voice serious. “You’re a special girl, and you deserve to be with someone who treats you that way.”

Someone like you?

The thought sprang unbidden to your mind, causing you to grow flustered. “Th–thank you,” you stammered, worried for half a second that Bradley could actually read your mind.

You were saved from having to make any further comment in that moment when the stewardess suddenly appeared with the food cart, asking you if you wanted any snacks or beverages.

You opted for a Diet Coke and popcorn, while Bradley took a Sprite and a bag of potato chips.

“What do you say? A little toast to my new flight buddy?” Bradley suggested teasingly, holding his can of soda out towards you.

You couldn’t help but smile, lightly tapping your can against his. “Cheers to us,” you laughed, taking a small sip.

“To us,” Bradley grinned. “You know,” he went on, after taking a gulp of his Sprite, “if you ever want to think about getting your pilot’s license, I’d be happy to have you as my wingman—er, woman.”

You laughed aloud at the notion, shaking your head. “Um, did you already forget about how well I handled takeoff? I’m not so sure anyone would trust me behind the controls of a plane.”

“I could teach you,” he shot back, waggling his eyebrows until you laughed again. “Or at the very least, take you up for a little joyride. I’d make sure to keep you safe.”

Your heart warmed at his words, and you found yourself wondering what it would be like to walk through life with this man, to have him be the one you came home to every day.

To have him be the one to make you feel like the most special girl in the world.

“I would like that,” you confessed, pushing your self-consciousness to the side as you looked into his eyes. “I would like that a lot.”

“So would I,” Bradley replied, his expression earnest.

For the next hour or two, you and Bradley shared some of the snacks you’d packed in your duffel bag and talked about everything and nothing at the same time. You had never felt so instantly at ease with someone who had been a complete and total stranger just a few hours earlier. The fact that he had been in San Diego all this time, right under your nose, and that it had taken a flight home all the way from Virginia for you two to actually meet felt like more than just a coincidence. It felt like this was exactly where you were supposed to be.

At some point, you must have finally succumbed to your exhaustion and fallen asleep because when the captain announced that you were making your final descent into San Diego International Airport, you were lifting your head off Bradley’s shoulder and blinking in confusion.

“Hello there, sleepyhead,” Bradley grinned, wiping a hand down his face and rubbing the sleep out of his own eyes.

“How long was I asleep?” you asked, stretching your arms over your head. “I never sleep on planes.”

“Well you definitely slept on this one. I’d say you were probably out for at least an hour and a half,” he told you, running a hand through his hair, which made his sunkissed curls stand on end. “I nodded out, too. Guess we both needed it, huh?”

“Yeah, guess so,” you nodded, smiling at him.

By the time you finally deplaned—after Bradley, of course, had insisted on taking down your carry-on suitcase from the overhead bin and rolling it through the airport for you—you were growing both eager and anxious with anticipation of what the end of your journey would look like.

You and Bradley technically already had each other’s phone numbers, so should you say something about getting together? Would that seem too brazen? Should you just text him tomorrow and hope that whatever spark had been ignited during your travels today wouldn’t be extinguished by the time you both got home?

All of those thoughts and more were running through your head as you and Bradley took the escalator down to baggage claim and the terminal exit.

“Do you, um, do you have somebody picking you up?” Bradley asked as the two of you stepped off the escalator. He stepped to the side to avoid the flow of the crowd, and you stepped with him. “Mrs. Flores perhaps?” he added with a teasing spark in his eye.

“No,” you giggled, shaking your head. “I was just planning to call an Uber.”

“No need,” he said, his chest puffing out ever so slightly. “Mav and I will give you a ride home. He should actually be here already,” he mumbled, almost to himself, as he pulled his phone out of his pocket and scrolled through his messages.

“Oh, you guys don’t have to do that. I wouldn’t want you going out of your way,” you hurried to tell him, noticing that Bradley still had his hand on the handle of your suitcase.

“Who says it would be going out of our way?” Bradley retorted with that impossibly charming smile of his. “Unless, of course, you’re more comfortable taking an Uber. I don’t want to make you feel like—”

“No, no, you’re not,” you interrupted, wanting to make it clear to him that you appreciated the offer.

Seemingly at an impasse, the two of you just looked at each other and started laughing.

“I would love a ride, thank you. If it’s not too much trouble,” you told him.

“Never,” Bradley insisted. “Besides, you put up with me all day. I owe you.”

“I could say the same thing,” you grinned, reaching into the front pocket of your duffel bag and pulling out your cell phone. “In the meantime, I should text Katie and let her know I landed safely and that you haven’t abducted me or anything,” you teased jokingly.

Too late, you realized your mistake.

“Ah, so you told Katie about me, huh?” Bradley smirked, looking just a tad too pleased with himself. “What did you say?”

“Oh, um, nothing, just that I made a friend while traveling,” you stammered in humiliation, your cheeks feeling like they were on fire. “I’m just, um, I’m going to step over there while you get your bag.”

“Sure, sure,” he laughed, winking at you as he hurried over to the baggage carousel to search for his suitcase.

“Oh my God, how stupid are you?” you muttered to yourself, mentally kicking yourself for your careless words as you sent off a quick message to your best friend to let her know you were alive.

A moment later, she texted you back.

YOU BETTER CALL ME THE MINUTE YOU GET HOME!!! I WANT EVERY. SINGLE. DETAIL!!!

Smiling, you dropped your phone back into your bag and looked up to see Bradley walking towards you, his suitcase in hand.

“Ready to head out?” he asked with a smile, watching as you grabbed the handle of your carry-on and did one quick scan to make sure you hadn’t dropped anything.

“Ready,” you nodded, following him outside to where a slew of Ubers and other cars were waiting to pick up their passengers.

“There’s Mav,” Bradley told you, pointing with his free hand towards the end of the pick-up line, where a handsome older man with dark hair and an easy smile was waving at you.

“Your godfather drives a Porsche?” you asked, your eyes nearly bugging out of your head at the sight of the vintage car. It was in pristine condition and you were certain it must have cost a small fortune.

“Technically, it’s his fiancée, Penny’s car, but she lets him drive it when he’s been good,” Bradley joked, resting a gentle hand on your back as he guided you through the crowd.

Bradley was quick to embrace his godfather when the two of you finally reached the Porsche, slapping him on the back before stepping back and holding out a hand to you. “Mav, I’d like you to meet my new travel buddy,” he grinned, introducing you by name.

Mav, as Bradley kept calling him, offered you one of those easy smiles as he held out his hand, which you took with a smile of your own.

“Ah, so this is the girl from the plane I’ve been hearing so much about,” Mav smirked, shooting a pointed look in his godson’s direction.

“Mav!” Bradley hissed through gritted teeth, his complexion instantly turning pink, even in the shade.

“Ah,” you smirked, feeling vindicated from your earlier blunder. “So you told Mav about me, huh?” you asked, nudging his side. “What did you say?” you teased, tossing back his question from before.

“Oh, he said plenty,” Mav jumped in, clearly enjoying watching Bradley squirm as he opened the passenger side door for you.

“Don’t listen to him. He’s crazy. All those Gs he’s always pulling have finally gone to his head,” Bradley protested, although he was smiling as he said it.

“Oh, I think I’m going to enjoy this car ride very much,” you giggled, winking at Bradley as you slid into your seat.

“Promise you’ll still like me by the time we get home?” Bradley whispered, leaning in close as he climbed in beside you.

You grinned up at him, thinking about how, for the first time in a long time, you didn’t feel so alone. San Diego suddenly felt much more like home than it ever had.

“Promise.”

[hyeahgaku]

I sympathise with Slur's gang's backstory but that don't mean I condone their acts. And they're far from being "good" people but they have a tiny bit of good in them too.

Slur's cause has always been targeted at anythin related to the JAA. Early on in the series we were shown that Slur & Gaku k1lled either JAA members, those workin for the JAA or those w deep ties to the JAA -and yep this, unfortunately, includes the JCC. But then Slur had two innocent kids (Mafuyu & Nao) abducted & forcefully recruited them to serve in his cause & even implanted b0mbs in their bodies without their knowledge. He planned to use them as sacrificial pawns & that's fckin insane so fck you for that, Slur. Prior to this, we actually never saw Slur & Gaku k1ll innocent bystanders, at least i dont recall. Until Kumanomi's battle happened. But that's also because she was exploitin her opponents' weaknesses by involvin innocents into their fight. That was dirty play & so fck you for that, Kumanomi. Movin on, when Haruma was sent to find Erio, he did not attack the waiter whom he asked for mineral water & by the end of the chap we saw the hostesses are all alive too. He did destroy the helicopter which they arrived in at the museum but i'm certain that Carolina flew it so there was nobody left inside when Haruma blew it up. So on Haruma's part, Ig zero civilians casualties count.

And then there's also the issue w Kanaguri; who was w the JAA/Order at the same time workin w Slur..? He claimed he's on neither's side & he obviously only cares abt making his movie so he pretty much falls into the grey area, kinda, but he did k1ll a number of people, Satoda-sensei being one of them.

So all in all, the only time we know innocent civilians lives are really at stake is during the current museum exhibition -cuz Slur intends to blow up the place. (If there are any other instances Slur or his gang have k1lled innocent civilians in the midst of their fightin, it must be that I've forgotten, so sorry abt that.)

Now, the Al-Kamar backstory.

Didn't the statement Kumanomi made abt how they never asked for their powers, lives, etc., when they were taken into Al-Kamar, strike yall as important? Slur & his Al-Kamar family were innocent children to begin with -literal ORPHANS- who I belive were born ordinary & has no innate superpowers. Most likely, they were lied to & forced into goin to that wretched facility which was disguised as an orphanage, only to later be abused & experimented on, indoctrined to become elite Order super-soldiers. Natsuki's dad wanted to send Mafuyu there -a perfect example of a kid with no superpowers- proving that any ordinary child could be admitted to that facility. The JAA operated Al-Kamar, cleverly using "orphanage" as its facade -for what? So they could transfer innocent orphans from other orphanages & bring them in to Al-Kamar. Since they got no parents, no kins nor relatives to check on their well-being, right? And even if these kids die, they give zero fcks about it. As Natsuki's mom said, they didnt even report the deaths. The lives of these orphans mean nothin to the JAA so it seemed.

The only thing we're still unsure of is *WHO* was behind this Al-Kamar project. Asaki was still a mere JAA Exec when it was shown that Gaku was still in Al-Kamar but based on Slur's dialogue in chap 153 it sounded like it was Asaki who created Al-Kamar. Does this mean no one else, especially Soichi (ex-JAA Chairman) & Yotsumura-san, knew of its existence? Cuz I find it unthinkable if they let Asaki go on w it.

Now as stated I DO NOT condone Slur & his crew's acts but I also wanna look at things from their pov. Growin up in such a horrific & harsh place, instead of a nice & cosy one which could be called "home"; where you only have kids your age to depend on to protect each other from insane adults tryin to do shit to ya every day of the week or every week... must be pure madness in there. And I sympathise. Because Slur & his little family here, as well as those other kids in Al-Kamar, were literal innocent & helpless children. Given their upbringing back then, does it not make sense that their moral compass will be askew? Plus the mentality Kumanomi has -only friends & enemies exist in her world view- I like to think that it may be attributed to regular brainwashing/conditioning in Al-Kamar or somethin. After all, these orphans were trained from young to k1ll. It aint a stretch to say that the Al-Kamar staff have brainwashed them into thinkin that whoever they have in the orphanage are their "friends" & anyone else who try to hurt them are to be considered "enemies". But over time myb this brainwashin wore off & these kids eventually learned that the real "friends" are the other kids just like themselves, and the staff that performed experiments on them are just not it.

Which still left me wonderin if the arson was done by Slur himself, or was it someone else ordered by Asaki? I like to belive Asaki ordered it in order to remove traces & evidence of the heinous activities performed on those orphans. But how could Slur get there on time to save Gaku and the rest? So it's most likely Slur's doing, right? I rly need answers, Suzuki-sensei.

Just so yall know this post is not to force or influence anyone into thinkin that Slur & his little family are not "bad people" cuz they ARE -judge it by the scope of their crimes & ruthlessness. Its also not to make anyone sympathise w them & be in full support of their cause. I merely wanted to share that they do have 1% good in them too since they look out for one another as this is what's left of their family & what they're set out to do rn is to make Asaki pay for robbin their lives & otherwise good futures. And myb also, indirectly, to pay for what he did to the ex-JAA Chairman & Yotsumura-san. It's just that Slur's chosen method is way too extreme.

As a reader, I want the truth & just like me, Slur & his little family, Akira, Nagumo, Sakamoto & even Shishiba deserve to know or reveal the truth. Which, I belive, lies with Asaki.

I'd also like to add that I can understand if people dislike villain-sad-backstory trope but imo it's common theme in most fictional stories. And if that trope isn't to your liking, that doesn't mean that it's lame or bad writing on the authors' part.

[subdee]

B and E for the ask game?

Pretending I answered this two days ago... Aha.

B:  What was the first fandom you read fic in?  Which was the first you wrote fic for?

First fandom: It was Ranma 1/2! In second grade we got a PC for the first time, a few years later we got a dial-up internet connection. The only people on the internet at that time - as far as I knew anyway - were adult nerds and college students. The college students had the fast college internet, so their pages were unusable because they all had huge fancy anime JPEG headers that took 10 minutes to load.

I starting reading fanfiction because plaintext loaded quicker, and my favorite page on the entire internet was someone's boring HTML page that was literally nothing but a manually-updated list of links to every Ranma/Akane fanfiction that existed on the internet in English.

I was probably in 6th or 7th grade. I'd never read the comics, which were expensive as they were still being sold in the western comics format, where you charged a lot of $$$ for a small number of (flipped) pages. The tankobans came out a year or two later. I'm probably mixing all this up. I saw some of the anime, eventually, renting tapes from a going out of business video rental store near my high school boyfriend's house.

Uhh where was I. Yeah, to this day I've never seen or read all of Ranma 1/2, but I read literally every English language Ranma/Akane fanfic that existed on the internet circa 1995. I liked the ones where Akane was in love with girl Ranma, and Ranma didn't care that they were dating a lesbian, the best.

First fandom I wrote in: Naruto! I was still in high school, or maybe just starting college? I started some ambitious WIP, specofically to make friends with a group of livejournalers whose blogs I'd been lurking for several years (I succeeded in this btw, just not with the Naruto fic - with Death Note mainly). Since I didn't have any real plan for the fic, I didn't make it very far before I gave up.

There's another one I wrote, close to around that time, that I wish I could orphan or at least delete from my ff.net account, but alas I can't as the email I used to sign up for ff.net no longer exists. It was a fic about Sasuke and Hinata in an arranged marriage, there's a rape in it, I wrote it as a proof of concept for how horrible that pairing would be, but it got positive feedback from Sasuke fans invested in how I was going to redeem him. Yeah, lesson learned, never write an anti-fic.

E: What character do you identify with most?  Is there a certain fic of yours that captures these qualities particularly well?

Hmmmmmm. Usually I'd say, Yukino Arizawa from His and Her circumstances? She is insanely competitive and ambitious but hides it so she can get more adulation from her high school fanbase. I'm not exactly like this but I admire it, and it's closer to my mental image of myself than the majority of female characters. "They think I'm sweet, but I want to beat them all into the ground with the best test scores, best grades, AND be the best athlete! Haha!"

In general I'm not really trying to write characters who are like me when I write, though. It's like, write my essay about the canon, pretend it's fiction and not an essay; or join a fandom event to make friends and write an AU I can put some of my personal experiences in to make it more interesting. Fanfic as a social thing, more than a way to explore myself.

I'll plug the way I wrote Ging (HxH) in "Pariging Coffee Shop AU" though (though you just said you don't read AUs and especially not coffee shop AUs). I like the way he's a mystery in that and then... Revealed to be SOMEWHAT interesting but in a way that only appeals to like, the niche of the niche. (Academic genius only popular among sociology grad students, etc.) Hah.

Here's the fic:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/32737069

Thanks for the ask <333

[mdhwrites]

The Problem With the Harem Childhood Love

"I met this girl a decade ago and she changed how I viewed everything. We only knew each other for a single day but I know she's the one."

"Oh, so you two are easily going to have the most chemistry of anyone in your own story if you were to ever meet, right?"

"Why would we need that? I've already made my mind up a decade ago that I love her. So long as I say that, I can get with her at any time."

And then I start staring at the writer across from me until they finally leave because of the cardinal sin they have committed: Writing while assuming the ending.

Let me elaborate: It's actually a good thing for most stories to know what their ending is. It allows for better narrative planning and build up so that each block of your story can build on one another. Foreshadowing is only possible by knowing what plot points are coming up. Some writers can go by the seat of their pants and plan on the fly like the late Akira Toriyama and still have something coherent but it is usually considered better for a narratives pacing to know what it is.

This isn't about that though. It is when a writer knows what is coming and assumes it as self evident. This is almost always a bad thing to do because if you assume something is self evident, you'll put less narrative work into justifying it. You get this a lot when a character seems to only know something because the author says they do or they run off to a specific place without any real reason because the writer either thinks that's already been justified or because they just need that to happen for the sake of the plot.

Romance is the genre where this problem is at its worst with a pretty clear lead over most other genres. This is mostly due to two elements: Genre and the 'nature of love'.

Let's tackle the second one first since genre is going to come up more importantly with this specific trope. Love is seen oftentimes as mysterious and essentially impossible to explain. We fall in love. We slip into love. We find our soulmate. Many forms of romantic literature doesn't frame love as a choice but as an inevitability which isn't actually a bad thing. It's part of the appeal. Part of why Hallmark movies are as popular as they are is because the idea of one day having someone crash into your life, fill you with what most consider to be the best feeling in existence and change your life for the better is pretty damn attractive.

If you have watched a Hallmark movie though, you will often look at one half of that pairing and go "Why the hell are you interested in this person?" I've literally been told off in the past for analyzing why a character loves another character (positively even btw which made the reaction incredibly confusing for me) because it's like... Love man. You don't gotta explain it. If they say they're in love, they're in love!

Yes, that is undeniably how reality works but this isn't talking about reality. It's talking about fiction. In fiction, characters are theoretically supposed to have motivations and personalities and if you never sell your audience on why your two romantic leads would theoretically want to grow closer with the other one, besides lust, then it's not going to be a truly engaging romance. You don't even have to interrogate it that hard. We have tried and true ship dynamics for a reason to help with this because how those dynamics play off of each other commonly showcases why they would like each other. That doesn't mean you can just present the ship dynamic either but it can help give you a proper baseline to work from.

Second: Genre. You're reading a romance story so of course the main two characters are going to get together. If the story is not about that then you're not writing a romance. That mindset of it being a genre necessity and a foregone conclusion is already a death sentence for a lot of romance works. After all, they're together, they're your leads, you had them blush a couple times around each other, jobs done, right?

WRONG! It is still your job as a writer to sell us that they got there naturally and believably. There's a reason this is a GENRE. Part of why romantic subplots suck in so many things is because romance is seen as this thing you can just throw in a story easily and then walk away from because you said it happened so it did. Love is such a complex topic, and the process of falling in it so compelling and powerful (or if you're even braver, the process of dealing with those feeling after the confession) that it can carry a story entirely on its own. This is also because love is such a powerful emotion, terrifying in that strength and its mystery, and a relationship such a big commitment that someone actually deciding to go through with either is a genuinely big deal. There's lots of people out there, and not just those who are aromantic, who don't understand why we fall in love because it's absolutely fucking terrifying and you lose a lot just to gain a romantic partner, at least if you look at it derivatively.

BUT! What if you could write yourself an out of all of this complexity? Better yet, what if this out could allow you to expand your cast to a frankly ludicrous degree for a romance story while still making who wins make narrative sense? How glorious would it be if you could make the final question not "Who does the main character like most," but instead "Who is the one he was destined to be with?"

Enter the trope at the top of this blog. Harem stories are frankly a touch terrifying to write. As someone who has done three different erotic takes on the genre, I have fucked up one of three SPECTACULARLY and my other two are taking cheats of their own to get around some of the ensemble problems of a harem. Because this blog is already going long, I won't get into hard why harem writing is difficult or why its protagonists are the way they are here but uh... Yeah, there's a lot to unpack there and it's not all for wish fulfillment. I mean, it's a genre with a lot of wish fulfillment too but there's still other reasons behind it.

The core thing that makes them a struggle though is that time is your explicit enemy. An ensemble cast always consumes time in a way that few are always ready to deal with. You may want five main characters but you may quickly realize that only three are any good or that to make all five good, you're going to need add another season to your show, volume to your manga, etc. like that because expanding on each character, especially equally, is a big ask. Again, romance as a genre normally deals with only two main characters for a reason. The question of falling in love is bad enough when you have to sell a relationship with one character, let alone three or more. Even worse if they're all supposed to be seen as equally valid options.

So how do you pick one over the rest? Well, if you're not a coward, you make them into a polycule but as that's not all that socially acceptable and not a lot of big harem works have gone that route, you aren't going to see that option too often. Instead, you need a final plot beat/arc that will make it crystal clear who the choice is and why.

And what better way to do that than with some predestination!? Yeah, this trope actually has a crap ton of problems. The fact that people change from when they were kids, the fact that promises made when young should not define your entire life, etc. like that. That all can be said to be like saying that implying a high school romance will be forever is stupid though. That you're already clearly against the genre or the romanticization of love and so your opinion is skewed.

That's why my complaint is the one it is. See, this sort of excuse makes it so you can say that one of the girls in a harem was always the one and it's in character and fuck EVERYTHING up in the process. After all, with such a... profound eye roll explanation as this, why do you need to build their relationship? You have two to four other girls, potentially even more, to explore, tease and string along until finally getting with the one left out. They don't need chemistry even more than a normal romantic couple because of this singular moment in the past.

And if you, as a writer, actually believe that, you deserve to be smacked. All you're going to do is piss off essentially your ENTIRE audience who got invested in these other characters, who you told them through narrative to care about and get invested in, because the one they were told didn't matter was actually the one they should have been watching out for. Even if it's explicitly clear from go who it is, if your entire audience hates them then they're still going to throw away your story because of the bad taste the last bite leaves because you somehow chose the worst member in your roster to be the one that deserves the happy ending while the rest can eat shit.

And the reasonable argument against this complaint is that if you're that invested in the rest, the author still succeeded. It's the journey that matters, not the destination, right? Well... Actually, romance is the genre where that is the least true. It's why romance stories end with implying a happily ever after because treating these two that you've come to know and care about as just a school yard fling makes all those sweet moments, all that care and growth, seem meaningless and cheap. Like it was all for naught, especially because of how desirable love is for most people and how devastating heart break can be.

So if you can't even go "At least one of the ones that deserved it got their happy ending" then it can make all those moments of harem fun just feel all the more painful. Like the hand of the author is holding a knife to your back, waiting to betray you at any second. That is a feeling that will leave very few in an audience happy, at least if they genuinely care about the characters and romances you've written.

And all because the writer assumed their brilliant excuse was all it would take to make you agree that their ending made sense.

======+++++======

This blog is brought to you today by Quintessential Quintuplets, an anime I couldn't finish because while I don't watch much harem stuff, I could still clearly see that every girl who deserved a happy ending in that show wasn't going to get it, even before being told who got with the MC in the end. It's also somewhat brought to you by me working on the concept of a harem story and my musings on some of its specific tropes. Again, I could do several blogs on it frankly. Shocking, I know, that the romance writer has thoughts on romance genres.

(Also, if you're more immune to this problem than I am, Quintessential Quintuplets is worth your time. It's not perfect but I did find the cast compelling and charming enough to get worked up about them and there are some really smart narrative choices made along the way.)

I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead. If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

A Twitter you can follow too

And a Kofi if you like what I do and want to help out with the fact that disability doesn’t pay much.

[otterpedia]

Yesterday was the worst. Vent under the cut.

Cw: transphobia, dysphoria, past ideations

I have known my friend Jake since I was 20 and his wife Amanda a few years shy of that. They're really important to me and until yesterday I considered them a strong pillar of my support system.

I don't think I need to explain how important that is for a trans person, since I think most of the people who will see this are also part of the LGBT+ community, but just to reiterate- it's absolutely elating to receive validation from the people you love, and dopamine is super hard to come by in the economy these days.

On the opposite hand, the betrayal I experienced yesterday made me crash and burn worse than I could ever expect.

I'm a bit religious, and while most of my friends are atheist or agnostic, Jake and Amanda are Christians. I'm Jewish by the way. We've always been able to talk about faith with no issue, but in this case it's relevant for once.

Yesterday while hanging out, I said I could go put on my binder or a sports bra since I don't wear either when I'm home and have no plans to go out. I made a joke about how clothes don't really have gender despite God having a shortage of male bodies when I was born.

Amanda said, "I disagree. I don't believe God makes mistakes."

I don't know why the people who are more liberal but still against "changing sex" get so hung up on science. I think they think that LGBT folks like it when they have science to back up their misinformation.

Ah yes, a line I dread hearing from the Christian community finally reached my ears.

Instead of changing the subject, my stupid ass proceeded to spin a web of lies. Lying to stay safe is an unfortunate side-effect of my gender dysphoria. I'm a Fawner when it comes to Fight/Flight/Freeze/Fawn and that almost always puts me in danger. I've been SA'd in my own home because I reacted that way to someone I thought was my friend.

"The surgery is dangerous," she said. She's worried about my recovery. She thinks I "made a fine woman" and that it's sad that I was unhappy that way.

She said she liked my old nickname more than my chosen name because it was more unique and that the backstory of how I got it was cute.

God doesn't make mistakes, after all.

My wife was talking with Jake during this whole thing and I don't really know if he overheard any of this. Mostly I just feel guilt.

Why couldn't I just tell Amanda the truth?

I've known her for ages, I love her to death, and she's always been so respectful about this until now. When she shed actual tears yesterday because she was so relieved that I didn't get angry at her I crumbled.

I'd never be angry. I'm heartbroken, but not angry.

When Amanda and Jake went home, I immediately crawled into bed for a depression nap. I slept for most of the day because I knew if I didn't, I would end up spiraling into something difficult to get out of.

So this morning around 6am I woke up with a bitter taste in my mouth- literally, because I forgot to turn on the humidifier last night and I have sleep apnea- and a feeling of numbness and confusion.

I tried to get a few more hours of sleep in but to no avail.

There's a big hole in my heart now because I denied a part of who I am, just so I could cling to a false love I receive from someone dear to me.

I hate myself so much right now. It's even worse than dysphoria. Rather than the usual desire to be invisible, I just wish I didn't exist.

[koohiss]

also since i’m apparently posting things now ??? there are only 3-4 quail chicks this year, the stray cat ate WELL this spring

[plan-d-to-i]

Hey plan!!

i found this twitter thread

https://twitter.com/1ov31ac3/status/1492792973536411649?t=ymgKvN5DFn_uCqQ6Ckh2Wg&s=19

and i have to say op has reading comprehension for voicing out that the golden core issue shouldn't be about medical consent etc but how it was the result of jc & wwx's TOXIC relationship. because obviously how can anyone not point out how toxic jc is like he STRANGLED wwx and BLAMED wwx for the death of his parents. jfm and madam ew should know better that the wens could attack lotus pier anytime and that they're literally just waiting for an excuse to attack. jfm and madam ew had time to prepare, they should've known better when the NEUTRAL gusulan was burnt down by the wens 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

jfm & yzy seeing gusulan attacked unprovoked: ignorance is bliss, let's not prepare for an attack, the wens will surely spare us 😊

the wens coming to lotus pier: 🔪🔪

Lotus pier after wen invasion: 🏳

underestimating your enemy will not give you great outcomes guys 😊

Hi! (⁀ᗢ⁀)

lol YZY prepared by screaming at WWX and punishing him for saving her son and her BFF's son 😌 bc she's a super politically savvy strategist. /s

The "medical consent" thing has to be one of the dumbest arguments I've seen in this fandom and that's saying something... I absolutely agree that jc was a terrible person to have in one's life and should be avoided at all costs. I think it's important to remember though that the driving force behind WWX going through with the core transfer is that he'd promised JFM and YZY to take care of jc and jc had decided to unalive himself without his core. Likewise WWX doesn't tell him, not because he thinks jiang cheng would reject the core, but because he knows jc's competitive nature would make it hard for him to know where it came from.

"He wasn’t scared of death. He was only scared that after he died, he wouldn’t be able to save Jiang Cheng and betray the trust that Jiang FengMian and Madam Yu left him." (Chapter 60)

He remembered every single thing he promised Jiang FengMian and Madam Yu—to help and take care of Jiang Cheng. If someone as unhealthily competitive as him found out about this, he’d be dispirited his whole life, too tortured to face himself. There’d always be something he could never overcome, reminding him that he could only reach where he was because of another’s sacrifice. It wasn’t at all his cultivation and his achievement. No matter if he won or lost, he’d long since lost the right to compete. (Chapter 102)

It's not that WWX is insecure, or that he lurrrves jc so so much. In my opinion that diminishes how great his action was. He's driven by his morality, by his sense of duty, and the debt he felt towards JFM for taking him in to do this incredibly heroic, self sacrificing thing. Which is also how he tries to comfort himself whenever he starts to feel his loss too keenly:

The seventeen-to-eighteen-year-old Wei WuXian hadn’t been any less proud or competitive than Jiang Cheng. After all, he had been a prodigy once, gifted with exceptional talent. He could fool around all day, break curfew all night, and still perform way ahead of everyone else, including those who’d practiced and studied in earnest all day long. But whenever these thoughts plagued him during sleepless nights—that he would never again rise to the top using righteous, conventional practices, and that he would never again stun the world with his swordsmanship—he would instead imagine what would happen if Jiang FengMian had never brought him back to the Lotus Pier. Then, he might never have brushed shoulders with cultivation at all. He might never even know of the existence of this mystical, surreal world, and remained a street rat who only knew to run from dogs. Or he might have become a cattle herder who played flutes all day, stealing vegetables to scrape by. Either way, he wouldn’t have been trained in cultivation, and wouldn’t ever have formed a core to start with. Whenever he thought about it this way, he would feel much better.

Just pretend this to be a repayment, or an atonement. Pretend as if he never had the golden core to start with.

Once he’d said these things to himself enough times, he’d actually start to almost feel as unaffected about it as he was pretending to be. He could then even secretly praise himself a little for his at-least-half-genuine magnanimity.

But that was all a lifetime ago.

The point is that the core transfer is not about consent. It's certainly not about consent to jc. jc wants a core and gets a core. It's about WWX sticking to his morals and principles, no matter how little the reward and how hight the cost is to him. It's a very heroic sacrifice, and it looks very foolish when people try to twist it into something wrong or make jc a victim because it completely ignores the intention of the story.

[nitw]

Can you explain what you mean with misinterpreting Chara? I've always been confused about that character and you seem to have a pretty solid read you alluded to in that post about Snowgrave.

of course!!! as your local chara defender since the ripe age of 13 i hope you don't mind me doing a small essay on this. please bear with me tho because i sometimes can't articulate my thoughts well on stories that deal with philosophical themes ;;

UHHH SPOILERS FOR UNDERTALE AND DELTARUNE CHAPTER 2 BELOW

first let me make a few things clear so i don't have to repeat myself a bunch:

only tobias radiation fox himself has The Word of God privilege when it comes to things that haven't been explicitly confirmed in the games yet, EVEN if they're strongly hinted at. don't take anything i say about the plot as more than firm personal interpretation based on the info we have right now!

i cannot stress this one enough: undertale is a game that was never meant to be experienced from a singular perspective/mindset. the genocide route doesn't JUST exist for the sake of "enjoy your personalized edgy fuck-you run for being a serial killer in a video game", every one of the total 93 endings (look it up) in this game exists to reflect the player who achieved it in one way or another. the genocide route is really no different from any of the others, because in the end, no matter what, the player who decided to go through with the things they did will ALWAYS be rewarded for it. the question the player will have to ask THEMSELF afterwards is "is this what i wanted?"

OK MOVING ON-

let's think back to the little but vital amount of info we have on who chara actually was, like, as a person. we know pretty much all of this due to 1) the tapes in the royal lab 2) asriel's additional dialogue at the end of true pacifist.

while we'll never really know why frisk fell into the underground, asriel tells us explicitly about chara's hatred for humanity, and how they jumped from mt. ebott for "not a very happy reason"; supposedly a suicide attempt. chara "never talked about why", it's left intentionally vague because their reasoning isn't really what matters. what DOES matter is how this is relevant to the genocide run, ESPECIALLY with the new obvious parallels in deltarune's snowgrave route. i'll get to that.

when you finish the genocide route, chara will talk directly to the player in person. they talk about your (you AND chara's) success, despite "their plan (having) failed". this "plan" is one they secretly made with asriel when they were both still alive, as revealed from the tapes. chara got terminally poisoned from eating buttercups (whether this was fully intentional or not is still kiiinda up for debate), and while on their deathbed, asriel says that he doesn't like the plan anymore. yet despite his fear, he still fused his soul to chara's when they died.

the actual plan here was to become a monster powerful enough to slaughter humanity, specifically chara's home village by their own dying request - this all ties into their mysterious spite and hatred mentioned before. but due to asriel's resistance against chara, their fused body was killed by the humans - which eventually led to the creation of flowey, and asriel's inner demons after death.

but back to the genocide route. during chara's monologue to the player, they give us a LOT of important exposition. basically:

at the very start of the game, frisk's own determination is literally what brought chara's soul 'back to life'. we know how human and monster souls are different and how "determination" in this universe is something only humans possess, so it makes sense why it awakened them. i won't get into the whole narrator theory because i feel like it's not that relevant to my point (it's fun tho), but chara is always present from the moment frisk falls down, and stays regardless of the player's actions.

if you managed to finish undertale at all you'll already kinda know this (thanks sans), but the EXP and LV you (can) gain throughout your journey aren't just numbers on your screen - they're genuine in-universe manifestations of power that increase when you kill someone. and in genocide, chara explains how they were directly affected every time your stats rose. they could FEEL their spirit growing stronger for every life you decided to take (REMINDER THAT THE GENOCIDE ROUTE CAN BE PERMANENTLY STOPPED AT ANY POINT BEFORE SANS. YOU DID THIS.), so is it really that strange that they felt the desire to grow even stronger?

and once you do reach this point, there's no return. all that excessive time and effort you put into killing off a civilization OBVIOUSLY has some consequences. the consequences HERE being - if you paid attention to chara's life story - you took advantage of a traumatized child who was already at the breaking point and making irrational choices on their own, and you led them to believe that this was what they needed!

this is VERY MUCH SUPPORTED by the snowgrave/weird/pipis/whatever route of deltarune chapter 2 that was discovered about 2 days ago as i'm writing this. i'm gonna go ahead and assume you know what happens in it and i don't care to go into details if you don't, since this post is about chara, but surprise: THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED TO NOELLE, TOO! even in a completely normal run, noelle makes it clear multiple times that she wouldn't mind staying in the dark world; that in spite of how scary and dangerous it seems at times (something something horror movies), she started to feel at home. POSSIBLY even more so than her ACTUAL HOME, with her dying dad and negligent mom. like chara, noelle is a young person with low self esteem and her fair share of trauma, even if it's not as apparent. and like in the genocide run, the player's desire to ruthlessly kill in order to grow stronger affected her already-poor mental state.

someone else already pointed this out specifically, so don't credit me for it, but the main difference between chara and noelle is that noelle managed to break free in the end.

if you're like Most People Who Played The Genocide Route Back In Like 2016 and you played the genocide route with no further knowledge about it than "i have to follow these specific steps to get a harder fucked up version of the game", i don't blame you. you didn't actually know what you were doing in the end, did you? but did the outcome disappoint you, make sense to you, or did it just leave you with an empty/confused feeling? i love undertale because it WILL force you to think about things like that. i mean, if the result wasn't gonna affect you in SOME way, why would you go through all of that trouble in the first place? you had your reasons, as the player of any video game where you know your choices matter. would you have carried out the entire thing if you knew what was coming? the answer to that is only relevant to yourself.

[xiaoguiheyu]

174. Fuck! all the few women guest that were there outside the room saw hexie doing it! But He Yu closed the door before anyone could stare at xqc for more than a second. And the people outside could hear He Yu calm Xie Qingcheng. Okay my OTP finally have a moment together but I can’t enjoy it properly because of the chaos outside.

Wei Er ge is relieved that it's got nothing to do with his family and the family promises Lu zhishu that they'll try to make sure that He family's name doesn't get dragged through the mud and get the rumours under control since not many people saw. But no like seriously they way they keep getting exposed. By the time when Bab ends and hexie gets married people won't even blink because they saw it coming years ago.

But seeing Lu Zhishu's devastation is making me so freaking happy!

I'm melting He Yu kissing xie qingcheng forehead and eyes is literally my favourite thing ever.

Xie qingcheng knows that people saw them and obviously figured out that it was trap set by someone to ruin xx's wedding. So his reputation is not important to him right now, he wants to find out who set up this trap to ruin his family.

Awwww He Yu couldn’t just help looking at xie qingcheng from far and stalking him all this time. I mean how could he after a long time he gets to be in xqc's orbit and not be told to get lost. So ofc he followed him around just to look at him. And my heart just hurts for him. But that's how He Yu found xqc not coming out of the bamboo house weird and went to check on him because he was worried after all the life and death situations they've been through (he honestly has every right to worry this was kinda involving the org in some way so, keep it up He bao!! You are doing great son) and the rest is history.

I'm sorry I'm only crying because I've deprived of hexie content for too long!! Gosh!! He Yu thinks xqc's not gonna take them being exposed well because of how he strongly claimed to be straight and was seen by so many people, he's so afraid that his fingers with which he's caressing xqc is trembling. Poor He bao! But here's what I think, Xie Qingcheng won't and doesn't care, being exposed to Chen Man was different because he kinda considers him his younger brother.

Hexie parting again on a painful note of xqc pushing He Yu away again.

Oh please bitch zhishu, take your two cent acting and just stop existing already!

Yeah, tell the bitch that xie qingcheng is your only family and they are waste of space garbage that didn't care about you, your entire life. I'm so glad He Yu finally said that out loud. I already knew that He Yu would end anyone who tried to get between him and xqc and if He Yu finds out it's Lu Zhishu he's gonna hate her more but loved the way he handled this. And told her off and told her how important xqc is to him and there's absolutely no way she can do anything to change that. So she can say bye bye to all of her stupid plans.

Also loved the way He Yu admitted and insisted that he was the one who started their relationship and how firmly he let her know he's loved xqc for a long time, basically acknowledging that he's been in love with xqc since day 1.

He Yu never asked for anything from his parents his entire life and he's begging the bitch to let it go and let him love xqc but obviously she doesn't care about him at all. All that matters is the mission and getting him on her side. Maybe if she tried to be supportive instead of being against their relationship she actually might have a chance to convince He Yu better.

*I've killed Lu zhishu so many times in my head she's already a ghost* why is she so annoying!! Yes, Lu Zhishu xie qingcheng is more important to He Yu than anything and everything else.

No He Yu apologise to that bitch about the pregnancy thing!! Chances are she isn't your real mother !

Yeah bitch like slapping heyu is gonna bring him over to your side.

Ahhhh!! Xie Ge coming through to protect his man!! I'm in tears!

I can hear He Yu heart shattering from outside the book from xqc's words about not caring about him 😭😭😭

WHAT!! IMMA MURDER THIS BITCH SHE SLAPPED XQC!! I HATE HER SO MUCH!!

But xie ge over here isn't even letting He Yu tend to him.

Xqc didn't wanna waste his words on filth but lu Zhishu's big words on motherhood pissed him off and he put her in her place with his words!! She's never been a mother to He Yu and the only reason Xqc stayed with He yu was because of her negligence towards him. Hah. Take that Lu zhishu!

Xqc not looking at He Yu the entire time!

He's hurting himself and he yu again.

No chapter update tomorrow. Meatbun is finally take that well deserved day off. I hope she rest well!

So it wasn't a big mess! That's great! Ngl I kinda had feeling it wouldn't all go to hell. And hahahaha Lu Zhishu's plan failing just made me so happy!! Though we had another painful hexie encounter but hey got many OTP moments though they were knives and I kinda like moments like that.

[tartagilicious]

Hi, I've got a bit of a weird request for MLQC. What would be different with an MC who was a player of the game before somehow getting pulled into the first chapter of it? They don't have to have played through everything, but definitely at least up to ch 13, after Lucien's reveal. Which of the guys would notice MC acting weird? Would MC ever tell them? How would they react? How does this mess with the plotline?

😳 wait when I tell you I used to think about this on a daily basis- I’ve never gone into much depth with it though, so I guess now is a better time than ever! let’s say that for drama’s sake, this person has played up to chapter 29, since I think that’s the last chapter she reunites with them after being gone for 6 months.

Lucien:

- In my eyes, this always starts with the MC waking up confused in her apartment. She recognises the area around her based now what she’s seen in the game and is familiar with though she obviously thinks it’s a dream. Until, that it is, there are texts from in game characters that come from the phone on the bedside table. She’s more unsure then.

- She explores the apartment briefly and is freaked out when she recognises the kitchen, but decides that she should try visiting some other places she remembers from the game to try and confirm what’s going on. On the way out, she runs into Lucien, who’s leaving his apartment at the same time. 

- By chapter 29, the last we’ve seen of Lucien is when you’re reunited and he confesses those things to you while he thinks you’re asleep. Because of this, and also because of outside sources, this person understands his situation and his personality much more. There’s a lot less hesitancy, but she isn’t sure what Lucien knows at this point. At the very least, it’s comforting to her that she has the upper hand when he’s not quite smitten for her yet.

- I always end up confiding in Lucien because I’m biased, though normally, that’s obviously not a good idea T-T

- Though of course, early Lucien is very far from a threat, so he notices how bewildered she is to see him and is more concerned than anything. It’s hard to know what to say without completely revealing everything, but I can imagine she’d be struggling either way. She would probably slip up once, maybe referring to something personal between them that hasn’t happened yet out of nerves

- He’d be polite about it, not even a bit wary because I don’t even think the MC knew she had an evol yet, and he’d know that. It’d be better just to assume that she’s spewing nonsense than actually looking very deep into it.

- I have a feeling that this would end up messing with the plot pretty badly, actually. She knows a version of him that doesn’t exist yet, and this would be a singular issue imo. His personality is night and day when comparing to the beginning to how he is currently. It would get her into a lot of trouble either way, but could possibly also force Lucien go undergo development much much earlier

- I can imagine her trying to curve his betrayal. he tells her to meet him at the place he tells her his real motives (the news station?? that skinny and tall building idk ;-;) and she just flat out says no. you can’t leave me if I don’t let you >:)

Victor:

- this!!!!! I have such a soft spot for victor and it shows in how this plays out in my head. Without a doubt, the only person that I would trust with the information that I was pulled into the game is Victor. Throughout most of the game, mostly later chapters, Victor is kind of like her partner — she learns to trust him with almost everything, and they work through the situations they can together. They save each other’s lives countless times. This is a lot for one person to carry while the other is clueless of any of that ever happening.

- Next, I feel like it’s reasonable that she would try to seek out everyone else, and where better to find Victor at this point than LFG? Conveniently, once she gets in the office, Goldman hunts her down to tell her that Victor’s waiting for her in his office to discuss the final terms of investment. talk about nostalgia lol

- personally. I’d feel panicked going up to his office. Victor is a very intimidating guy when you aren’t close to him, and acting as you normally would around him will not only be possibly humiliating but also just not effective at all.

- she would devise a plan in her head and as they talk, would slip in small details that kind of further the plot without revealing too much. so for example, mention how the investment is so important to her because she was an orphan and wants to make a name and prove that anyone can do what they dream to. he’d probably try asking more about that, but if not, she could always go into further detail like how she was injured pretty badly trying to save someone else around that time, but doesn’t really remember why and wants to find this person to see if they’re doing okay. This would advance their relationship like 10 chapters, but it would be pretty hasty. This would just be to let him know who she is and what kind of things the future will contain

- Once he figures out what she’s doing, he’d ask what her purpose is — why did she seek him out? to this, she’d most likely reveal her dilemma, and how she was pulled into this world from hers, and knows what will happen for months in the future because of the circumstances

- whether or not he’d retain this affection that he has for the MC when knowing that she isn’t technically who he’s looking for is up for debate, but regardless, something like that is definitely too good to pass up. he’s always been connected to black swan, and knowing her and enlisting her help would most likely come in handy.

Gavin:

- I think I’ve implied that these events take place somewhere in the first few chapters rather than the first so :( I’ll just continue with that. that might even work better, because it gives them at least a bit of a connection to this person. I don’t really remember what happens in the first few chapters, ngl, but I think it’s pretty calm. 

- Gavin!!!! whether he’s your favourite or not, you can’t deny that this man is a literal pilar of support. he’s the knight in their dynamic, whereas she’s the queen. she knows he’s not as intimidating as he seems, and her immediate friendliness might throw him off a bit, but I think it’d be a good thing. 

- part of the reason he backs off so much in the earlier chapters is so he doesn’t overwhelm her with all of these sudden developments (like coming back to be her personal guard, about black swan, etc) In the original plot, Gavin knows much more than he lets on, always more than the mc does at the very least. 

- this would probably change their relationship a lot. I mean, obviously, whoever this is that’s been pulled into the game is bound to have a different personality to the normal mc. she’s more joking and doesn’t hesitate so much, and obviously is a lot smarter and confident due to knowing the future. she doesn’t have to rely on Gavin for information like the original mc does. instead, she acts with him. 

- this literally takes 27 chapters in the game. when she meets Gavin in that evol institution in ch27, that’s the first time they fight comfortably side by side. 

- Gavin would definitely notice such a drastic change in personality from the shy and kind girl he knew in high school. he might comment on it a few times, but I feel like a personality change is a bit easier to justify, especially since it’d been a few years. she technically has the mc’s memories, so it’s not suspicious or anything. he’d probably eventually let it go.

- though, I think it’s pretty plausible that he’d find out you’re not actually the mc he knows later, maybe by mistake or by you telling him. but by then, he’s also grown attached to this new version of her and doesn’t mind as much.

Kiro:

- you wouldn’t have to tell him you were pulled into the game. he’d know.

-  with his connections as Helios and also just his general memory of the mc, it wouldn’t take very long for him to figure out that she’s not the person he’s been chasing for years. and the mf would probably point it out too, scaring her half to death.

- of course, he doesn’t know how she appeared, just that she did, replacing the actual mc. but, despite how he’s very honest about knowing she isn’t who she says she are, he’s empathetic. it’s hard not to be when she has the mc’s face.

- she’d tell him what happened and how she appeared, partly because she wants to trust him and partly because he seems a bit threatening, but either way, I see him as an eventual ally. she knows the inner workings of everything and would be a great help to him in messing with black swan. they’d pretty much be an unstoppable duo with their combined knowledge.

- as they get closer, she feels it’s necessary to tell him that he doesn’t have to leave to protect her. she can handle herself, and him ever leaving would only cause more grief and make things complicated. he would probably tell her not to worry, that he wouldn’t just leave unprompted. 

- when he ends up leaving anyway, it stings more than it did watching it on a screen. 

- though, that also makes the reunion more memorable, and it would probably go differently as well. maybe kiro is this mc’s LI?? that would be cool asf

[errmeeipotato]

Why Rika and V deserve nothing. Rant/analysis

Spoilers for Saeran AE, Saeyoung secret endings and every route.

There is a lot to unpack here and I don't know if all of this is how Cheritz handle these two or it was for the story sake, but they did a terrible job and let me tell you why.

We are forced to forgive these two at least in three routes, and have literally no redeemable qualities whatsoever. We just have to look past all the crap they did and brush it off by saying it's ok, it's bad situations not bad people (I'm looking at you Zen). And the worst thing is that we are villanized for not wanting to forgive them (V's after ending, Seven AE, Saeran AE) but let's get more in depth.

Rika

We know she was abused when she was a child I get that, but that doesn't justify anything she has ever done.

She abused V

We see it pretty much in Saeran route and AE, Seven Secret Endings, V's route and AE. Since the beginning she was manipulative towards him and even assaulted him physically.

Blinded V

She hit V and cause corneal damage so he can prove how much he loves her. And we see she takes as a joke (Saeran AE) and has little to no remorse (Seven AE).

Killed Saeyong and Saeran's mother.

It was an accident, sure, but she did everything to hide what she did and make it look like the mother killed herself.

Lied to Saeyoung

She told him Saeran was safe and happy, when in fact she was abusing him in Mint Eye.

Abused Saeran

She verbally abused Saeran into believing he was worthless and he couldn't exist without her, split his personality in two, brainwash him into believe Saeyoung didn't love him, drugged him with the elixir, tortured him into fear and submission, chained and hit him (Saeran AE)

Kidnapped MC

She tricked MC and got her in Mint Eye, torture and brainwash her to the point she can't even talk (Ray bad relationship ending), locking her up in the basement dungeon (Seven after ending), getting MC into her apartment with a bomb (every other route), separate Saeran/Saeyoung from her.

Making a deal with Saeran/Saeyoung father and agency

Rika is gonna "save them" by having them prisoner in V's house, and if one of them calls the deal off the other is going to report everything to the media/law, however by the end of Saeran AE the agency is down and Saejoong turns him in and she gets away with everything she did. EVERYTHING.

Cult leader

She made a whole ass cult and abused/tortured hundreds of people not only that she had the audacity of trying to drug an entire concert hall of people with the elixir mixed in the wine.

Almost got Saeran killed

Either Saejoong beats him to death or he dies in the Mint Eye's explotion.

Stabbed V

She got SO mad because V wanted to rescue MC from Mint Eye so she just stab him, luckly Seven and Vanderwood took him to the hospital.

Lied to Yoosung and the rest of the RFA

We know how heartbroken was Yoosung, and probably in their routes they'll never know she's alive and doing all of this crap.

And yet with all of this we have to forgive and forget everything she has done, god forbid you have a little sense of justice and want her to pay for everything because you are pushed to believe you're the bad guy for wanting justice for everyone she damage. Even her parents knew her suicide has a hoax. But V has a lot to do with all of this.

V

Oh boii I've been reading how many people think Cheritz did him dirty in Saeyoung/Saeran and his own AE. But no, hear me out, he has no personality other than Rika, he's bland, and his route had no character development or any hint of romance with MC I don't think he needed a route. Also he is a big part of the problem.

Enables Rika's behavior

He knew about Mint Eye, Saeran and he didn't do anything until everything got out of his hands. He even agreed and planned the deal with Saejoong and not just that in the bad ending 1 (saeran ae) he uses the twins for his new collection, he lets Rika Chain Saeran (day 3) and guess what, he does nothing.

Got Saeyoung in danger

He was the one who took Saeyoung to the agency in hopes to "save him" however Saeyoung was in constant danger, and he never got a peaceful life, yet V would constantly exploit him. And almost gets killed by the agency

Worsen Rika's mental health

He just tried to solve everything with love, no just, no. Rika didn't need love like the sun she needed fucking therapy. He abuse her by neglecting her needs.

Hiding everything

He hide everything about Mint Eye and Saeran, he told everyone Rika comited suicide so no one ask about her, he knew why MC got in the RFA and he just brush it out and called a divine sign, he knew what happend with the twins mother and just swiped under the rug

Lied to the RFA

Not just with Rika's death, Saeran and Saeyoung situation, his wereabouts and his eye condition

Betrayed the RFA

He made Jumin and Mr. Han resign from the company, he put to sleep the rest of the RFA in the conference room so he can kidnap Saeran and made a deal with Saejoong and the agency.

-

Overall I don't think these two deserve a redemption arc and/or forgiveness yet Cheritz shove that into out throats. Thinking that forgiving the person that hurt you helps you heal, in some cases it does but not this one. They handle this whole story poorly by label the cruelty and lack of responsability with mental illness

Let me know what you think and do 't let this flop

[caranfindel]

Recap/review 15.18: “Despair”

THEN: The key to Billie's library. Billie wants to become God. Cas made a deal with The Empty. Chuck absorbed Amara. Jack absorbed Adam's rib. Dean pointed a gun at Sam (DEAN POINTED A GUN AT SAM.) Chuck is pissed. Jack is going to explode.

NOW: We begin right where we left off last week, with Jack about to explode with God-killing power. Sam half-carries him into the map table room, Cas tells him to take deep breaths and focus, and Dean gets all panicky and is no help at all. Jack wants the guys to just leave him outside in order to minimize the damage when he goes kaboom. {Sidebar... how far away would he have to be, considering that his explosive power could kill God? Discuss.} Dean yells at Sam to find one of Rowena's spells (and oh, Sam as Rowena's apprentice; there's a plot that was sadly wasted, wasn't it?) but he's interrupted by Billie and her scythe, which she's carrying in a very obvious way. She's furious, and tells them the plan to destroy Chuck was doomed "because of you." Billie can't stop Jack's earth-shattering kaboom, "but there is something I can do." She sends him to the Empty. Empty!Meg cheerfully points out that he doesn't look so hot, but then he looks explosively hot. Ah, there's our earth-shattering kaboom!

Bunker. Billie explains that The Empty was the only option to absorb the impact of Jack the Bomb. And that he's not necessarily dead, because taking out Chuck and Amara was the part that was fatal, not actually being the bomb. Hmm. So Jack's point of no return wasn't actually a point of no return after all. It's kinda retconny, but not really? I've decided it's logical and I approve.

However, if the Empty survives, "it's gonna be pissed." Particularly at Billie. And it's very strong. Billie and Sam remind us that the Empty can only come to Earth if it's summoned. They do not get into the details of what constitutes a summoning, but I'm sure that isn't important. And Billie might be willing to bring Jack back, assuming he survived, but not until Sam returns what he took from her. Chuck's death book.

Sam immediately goes on the attack. He points out that she was planning to betray them from the start, leading to the deaths of all the AU refugees and everyone who was brought back from death, including him and Dean. "Even if I give you the book," he says, "what's to stop you from stabbing us in the back? Killing us all?"

"Nothing," Billie says. She gets up in Sam's face and tells him Jack won't last long. Either give her the book now, or lose him forever. (Can I just point out that Sam is still a little bloody from Dean punching him in the face? After he pointed a gun at him?)

Meanwhile, in the Empty, we discover that Jack is still alive (yay) and that this episode was directed by Richard Speight (yay). He is surrounded by particles that gradually form back into Empty!Meg. And, as predicted, she's pissed.

In the bunker, Sam brings the book to Billie, but ignores her outstretched hand and slams it onto the table instead. It's a pointless little burst of defiance and I love it.

Billie flips to the end to read the new ending of God's book, "since you ruined the last one." She seems to like what she reads. Sam says "Wait, the ends of your books change? So me killing Rowena was presented as unavoidable fate but it really wasn't necessary at all?" No, he actually doesn't. But I do, on his behalf. It's a pointless little burst of defiance. Over in the Empty, Empty!Meg grabs Jack's head and says "you made it loud!" and this is a conversation I've had with my dogs in the wee dark hours of the morning more times than I can count because we just want to SLEEP, GUYS but before she can actually crush his head, Billie zaps him back to the bunker.

Billie tells the guys that Jack is hers because he's still useful. Dean responds by grabbing her scythe and swinging at her. She flings him away, but she's wounded and bleeding light. Oh, and she dropped the book. Sam and Cas ignore Dean crumpled over against the wall - Cas runs to comfort Jack, and Sam runs to pick up the book. Unfortunately, he can't open it. Dean says "hey, thanks for not helping me, guys" and Sam says "oh, I'm sorry, I guess I'm still a little rattled from you punching me in the face after you pointed a gun at me." No, he doesn't. But I do, on his behalf.

Several people have pointed out how skinny Jared looks in these last few episodes, but this is the first time I've noticed it. It will be interesting to see how he looks in the two that were filmed after their Covid shutdown.

Time jump. Dean is sitting in the library, drinking whiskey. And I've said it a million times but I'll say it again - I could watch an entire episode that was just Dean drinking. And then it gets even better when Sam walks in wearing only a v-neck t-shirt. Single layer Sam alert, guys! How long has it been? Dean slides the bottle over to him and we get a little bonus hand porn and then this happens:

Sam, I'm sorry about... everything.

Dean, you don't have to -

I pulled a gun on you. It's like I just couldn't stop. You know, we were so close to beating him. Like, I could smell Chuck's blood in the water, and I - nothing else mattered. It was everything. And I just couldn't snap out of it.

Well, you did. You've snapped me out of worse.

Hmmm. Am I missing a time when Dean snapped Sam out of something? I mean, I know in Stull, Sam was able to overcome Lucifer because of Dean. But that was Sam snapping himself out of it. And Dean convinced Sam to give up the trials, but that wasn't Sam under anything that he needed to be "snapped out of." I think if you're going to give Dean credit for snapping himself out of it when confronted by his teary eyed, bloodied little brother, you have to give Sam credit for snapping himself out of his own situations.

It doesn't matter. All that matters is these two sitting quietly in the dark, drinking whiskey together.

Dean's feeling some despair (nice) because Billie wants them dead, Jack is powerless (oh, wait, when did that happen?), and Michael isn't answering his prayers. No one is on their side. "Well, we regroup, somehow," says Sam. They drink a sad little toast to "somehow," and I die a thousand deaths.

Billie's library. Billie stalks angrily through the stacks. A reaper informs her he put up warding to keep the Empty out, and asks if the plan has changed. Yes, it has.

Elsewhere, a woman we don't know is cooking some seriously dry scrambled eggs. She thinks she knows what she's doing, because she's explaining to someone else in the room how to cook eggs so they're "not too runny, not too dry" but seriously. Gordon Ramsay would be appalled. {Sidebar: Gordon's eggs actually look a bit too runny for my taste, and my family would refuse to eat them, but this lady's dry crumbly eggs are still an abomination.} She turns around and we see AU Charlie sitting at the kitchen table. Oh, Charlie has a girlfriend! Sweet. And she must be in love, because she tells this girlfriend that they're the best eggs she's ever had. And also, she's still hunting. Guess she didn't retire to a mountaintop after all. Probably because she couldn't get wifi. Anyway. Her girlfriend's plate crashes to the floor because her girlfriend abruptly disappeared. (Aw, her name was Stevie. Stevie and Charlie. How cute is that?)

Time jump. Charlie's apartment building is called Kim Manor. Nice.

As Sam runs the EMF meter (and there's a nice wordless conversation where Sam lets Dean know he didn't find anything), Charlie talks about how they met (thanks to AU Bobby) and how she experienced nothing when Stevie disappeared. No sulphur smell, no cold, nothing. Dean and Sam have another wordless conversation about what they think happened.

Dean and Sam explain that Billie wants to send all the AU people back to their now non-existent worlds. So Stevie was from AU World too? I guess that explains how AU Bobby knew her. Coincidentally, Sam's phone rings, and it's AU Bobby. They have an extremely short conversation in which Sam learns that another AU hunter simply vanished. And there's no explanation on Sam's end, just "yeah, I understand." So have they already talked to AU Bobby about the Billie situation? Or was Sam and Bobby's conversation literally "hey, a hunter vanished into thin air, how weird is that" and "yeah, I understand" with no further discussion? Anyway. Dean says it's open season on anyone from another world (aw, sorry, Winchesters in Brazil), anyone who came back from the dead, and Sam gets a horrified look on his face and says "Eileen." Oh shit!

Meanwhile, out by the Impala, in broad daylight, Jack tells Cas that he feels strange because the plan failed and his destiny was averted. "I was ready to die, and I wanted to - for Sam, for Dean, for the world - I wanted to make things right. And now I don't know why I'm even here." OF COURSE HE LISTED SAM FIRST. Cas tells him he didn't need absolution from anyone, and that they care about him not because of his usefulness, but just because he's him. Somewhere Dean says "um, wait." Jack is scared because he's powerless and can't protect anyone. Cas is too. So, did Jack lose his powers after the earth shattering kaboom? Or earlier, and I just wasn't paying attention?

Nighttime. Dean speeds down the road as Sam texts Eileen. I don't know where Eileen is, but she must be pretty far away from Kim Manor. Sam told her to get out of her house, go somewhere public, and wait by her car. Now, I cover the guest star credits, so I don't know if Shoshanna is in this episode. But even unspoiled, I'm pretty sure she's not going to be there when they arrive. She starts to type a response, as evidenced by the bubbles, but then stops responding. Yep, just as I thought, no one is standing by her car. Sam finds her phone on the ground, cracked as if it were dropped (like, say, by someone who disappeared while holding it) and LOOK AT HER LOCKSCREEN. LOOK AT IT.

Some will say this is just the photo that pops up when Sam texts her but they are WRONG. This is her FREAKING LOCK SCREEN, PEOPLE.

Anyway. He sees the unfinished message she was writing, which says she's by her car. Aw, Sam. Dean tries to talk to him and he says "I can't - if I let myself go there, I'll lose my mind, I can't right now."

Aw, SAM!

Sam compartmentalizes his grief and jumps into take-care-of-everyone mode. He says they need to gather everyone together, and they need to find a location central to everyone. Well, I mean, there is one place I know of that is literally the central most point in the United States, maybe you could go there? It's supposed to be secure from all things supernatural, too. Dean says that while Sam is going that, he is going to go end what he started. OH, GOOD. I WAS HOPING THEY WOULD SPLIT UP. "We couldn't make Chuck pay, but Billie? She left her blade. Her I can kill." Hey, wouldn't be the first time. Sam agrees, Cas says he'll go with Dean, and we get a brother hug. Once again, Dean does the two things I love when he hugs Sam: 1. he puts his arms on top, as if he were still the taller brother, and b. he looks away and packs up his emotions before he lets Sam see his face after the hug. "Let's go, Cas," he says. "Let's go reap a reaper." Cas turns and follows without saying anything at all to Sam or Jack, but I'm sure that won't be an issue.

Time jump - it's daytime. Sam's on the phone with Donna, who is standing outside her truck (but didn't she used to have a big black SUV?) at that bridge we've seen so many times. She's sending him to "the old Harmon property," which should be just what he's looking for because it has an abandoned silo. I mean, I wouldn't jump immediately to abandoned silo, but maybe there weren't any abandoned warehouses around. She says it's in Hastings, just south of her, and if you think I didn't confirm that the town of Hastings is in fact about 30 minutes south of Stillwater, Minnesota then you just don't know me at all.

Sam is at a gas station and oh, he's driving Eileen's car! That's not heartbreaking at all. I guess she didn't have her keys in her pocket when she disappeared. (Hah, like Sam Winchester needs keys.) Donna and AU Bobby are rounding up everyone they can think of. She asks what the plan is, and Sam bends down creepily to look at Jack in the passenger seat and says "I'm still working on that." I mean, I know they keep telling us Jack lost his powers, but the way Sam looks at him right here certainly suggests Jack is part of the plan, and maybe not in a good way. (Spoiler alert: seriously, why do I even bother.)

Sam comes around to Jack's window and tells him he needs him to drive, because Sam needs to work on archives and spells and stuff. And is that true, or is this just "I don't expect you to live through this part so I want to let you have some time behind the wheel of Eileen's 1970 Plymouth Valiant?" (At least that's what The Husband thinks it is.)

Bunker. Enter Dean and Cas. Dean declares that if Billie isn't in her library, they'll just trash the place to "smoke her out." It's an interesting choice of words.

Foreshadowing Dean as the new Death? (Remember, I'm completely unspoiled. I know nothing.)

Silo. Let's stick to this location for now. Sam and Jack pull up and are greeted by Donna. Jack goes inside to set up the warding, and Donna gives Sam a nice hug.

I want to be there.

She tells him she's sorry about Eileen and gets one of his sad little nods that I love so much. Bobby is already here, and she name-drops Garth and Jody and the girls, saying they're on "high alert." Sam tells her they're not on Billie's list, so they should be safe. And so should Donna. Well, that's good to know. Sam's surprised to see Charlie pull up. She tells him "I just don't want this to happen to anyone else." I don't know what you think you're going to be able to do, Charlie, but okay.

Turns out the silo is actually a Tardis, so I guess maybe it was a good choice. It's huge on the inside, and is also more finished than any silo I've ever been in (which is, okay, one silo, but still.) The interior is already heavily warded. Several people are milling about. {Sidebar: How many hunters were away from the bunker when Michael attacked, and why have none of them returned?} Bobby tells Sam that as soon as the hunters heard he wanted them there, they came running. "Whether you like it or not, you're the big man here." Hey, I wonder if the guy who called him Chief is here. Bobby, being a man after my own heart, is mostly concerned about the bathroom situation. Sam hopes they won't be there long enough for it to be an issue. He has a spell from Rowena (!) that should boost the strength of the wards, but that's all he has. Bobby doesn't look very reassured, and glances in a foreshadowy way at a family with kids. Sam looks around at all of these people he feels responsible for and takes a deep breath and oh, my heart.

Donna and Jack are painting more wards. Jack bends down to look at a plant, and Donna comes up to him and says "I'm no expert on this hoodoo stuff, but best we patch that up, yeah?" and I don't know what the hell she's talking about. What is this plant disturbing? Jack reaches out to touch the plant and it withers away as his hand gets close. Friends, I'm pretty sure this is a bad sign. Jack is too. He stares at his hand, and if he'd been watching a few seasons ago, he would have noticed that plants did the same thing when Amara touched them. Coincidence???

Later we see everyone watch as Sam recites the spell. (Yes, it's hot. Do you even have to ask?) The sigils glow red briefly and then fade, and the music turns ominous and I think this means his boost failed. But I guess not, because Sam says now they wait. But they don't have to wait long, because suddenly one of the children dissolves into smoke. One by one, all of the AU people dissolve like they've been snapped by Thanos. Charlie runs up to Sam and says "Sam, what do we do" just like Maggie did, and just like Maggie she's taken out immediately. Sam watches in horror as AU Bobby smokes out. He turns to Donna, who says "Mr. Stark, I don't feel so good," and then Donna is gone! Crap! Jack and Sam are left staring at the empty-except-for-them silo.

One more serving of despair, coming right up.

On to the other side.

Dean enters Billie's library, brandishing the scythe. Cas follows, bearing only a hangdog expression. Dean motions for him to go one direction and Dean goes the other, soon finding Billie. He thinks he's sneaking up behind her, but she says "So, I guess this is the part where I say hello boys. Hello, boys." Oh, I was wrong; Cas has his angel blade. Billie snarks about Dean's bad aim, and he says he wasn't trying to kill her then (which seems like a lie), but he is now, because of what she's doing to his people. Billie slams him against the wall again. She chokes Cas Darth Vader-style from a distance, and then the old fashioned way. "Remember when you stabbed me in the back?" she says. "Because I do." Oh, that's funny, because earlier Sam said she was going to stab them in the back. She should have said "like you stabbed me?"

Dean comes to the rescue by poking her with the blunt end of the scythe rather than the pointy end, so maybe she was right about his bad aim. Then he gets the blade against her throat (but still not the sharp end, just the back) and demands that she stop killing his friends. She says she didn't - it was Chuck. And Dean's wasting time.

I'm considering it time well spent, because it looks so nice.

Billie tells Dean the injury he gave her earlier is something she can't recover from - she's going to die. She pulls away her coat to show him a nasty festering wound, and I wonder why something so physical would kill her, but. Eh. She tells him she doesn't care about his friends or family. "But seeing you here has reminded me of something. There is one thing I'd like. One wish before I go. I'd like to see you dead." She grabs her scythe back, flings the boys around, and slowly stalks toward them. Dean and Cas rush through the door back into the bunker.

Dean is panicky again, trying to figure out what to do next. He's suddenly struck down by chest pain, and I expect to see someone sticking a knife (or a scythe) in his back, but it's actually Billie doing it Darth Vader-style again. Cas drags him away as Billie monologues. "It's you, Dean; it's always been you. Death-defying. Rule-breaking. You are everything I lived to set right. To put down. To tame. You are human disorder incarnate." Yeah, we know, Dean's awesome. We get this speech every season.

Cas and Dean end up in the dungeon storeroom. Cas gets Dean's knife out of his pocket and cuts his own hand to paint a sigil on the door. It looks like an angel banishing sigil, but apparently it block's Billie's power. Not permanently, though, because it fades as she pounds on the door. Cas says that since the wound is killing her, they just have to wait her out.

Yeah, and if we can't?

Then we fight.

We'll lose. I just led us into another trap. All because I couldn't hurt Chuck. Because I was angry, and because I just needed something to kill, and because that's all I know how to do.

Dean.

It was Chuck all along. We never should have left Sam and Jack. We should be there with them now.

Yes you should, Dean, you really really should. Dean is practically drowning in despair, which, you know. Is a good thing. 10/10 would recommend. "She's gonna get through that door," he tells Cas. "And she's gonna kill you, and then she's gonna kill me. I'm sorry."

"Wait, there is one thing she's afraid of," Cas says. "There's one thing strong enough to stop her." He tells Dean about the deal he made to save Jack in the Empty.

Friends, I'm going to do you a favor. If you haven't seen the episode, and aren't planning to watch the episode, I want you to read this paragraph and then skip down until you see the pretty picture of Dean. And start reading after that picture. Trust me. So, Cas summons the Empty just as Billie breaks down the door. The Empty kills Billie, but she also takes Cas. Dean is saved but Cas is gone.

{Sigh. Can I skip this part? No, I owe it to you.}

Cas explains that the Empty was going to come snatch him away as soon as he experienced a moment of true happiness. But happiness isn't having, happiness is knowing. And Dean is wonderful and "Everything you have ever done, the good and the bad, you have done for love." You just threatened to shoot your little brother for love, for example. Cas is teary eyed and Dean looks confused as hell and I pause the TV and turn to The Husband and we have this conversation:

I don't think I can watch this.

Why, because it's so sappy?

No, because I think they're going to kiss.

What? Why would they kiss? Is there something I'm missing?

Because part of the fandom WANTS them to kiss, and there's this group of fans that are super obnoxious about it, and they harass the actors and the writers and I think now the show thinks EVERYBODY wants them to kiss. Even though the guy who plays Dean* says it would never happen. Because I know he wasn't happy about the way the show ended, and I'm afraid this is why he wasn't happy.

...

I don't think they're gonna kiss.

If they do, I'm done.

*The Husband is not on a first name basis with Jensen.

So, let me point out that The Husband, who watches this show the way a normal human being watches a show (i.e., doesn't interact with the fandom at all), had absolutely NO expectation that they would kiss. Anyway, with some trepidation, I push play again. And Cas is still going. Dean is the most caring, selfless, loving human being on earth (OH GOD MAKE IT STOP) and knowing him has changed Cas.

Why does this sound like a goodbye?

Because it is. I love you.

Don't do this, Cas.

We see a black blob materialize behind Dean, because even though the Empty can only come to Earth if it's summoned, there it is. And I could argue about whether Cas being happy actually summoned the damn thing but I've already lost the will to live, so instead I'm going to describe to you how I watched in horror, with my finger hovering over the pause button, as Cas reached out to Dean and put his hand on his shoulder. But he just pushed him out of the way. Thank you baby Jesus. Billie breaks the door down as the Empty slurps into the dungeon. It surrounds Cas and Billie and sucks them into its depths. Dean is left alone. Oh, and he has a bloody palm print on his jacket from Cas grabbing his shoulder. I guess someone did watch a little bit of older seasons after all. Hard to tell sometimes.

I mean, at least he looked good, right?

Back at the silo. I've decided it must be mostly underground and isn't a grain silo like I thought. So what kind of silo do Yankees have that's mostly underground? Anyway. Jack and Sam emerge, having failed catastrophically at their mission. Sam is trying to call Dean, who isn't answering. He looks mildly panicky. "Sam?" Jack says, a little shaky. "Was it just them?"

OH CRAP. I didn't even think of that possibility.

"I don't know," Sam says, also shaky. And as we see an empty gas station and playground, it really looks like it wasn't just them at all. Sam and Jack look at each other, alone and terrified. And back in the bunker's dungeon, Dean's phone rings. It's Sam. He doesn't answer.

Despair!

So. You know how sometimes something really good will happen in an episode? And I'll say, no matter how bad this episode is, this 90 seconds makes it worth it? Well, sometimes the opposite happens. Sometimes you get a two or three minute scene - a horribly written, badly acted scene - and it's so awful that it ruins an episode. A season. A show. I'm angry that the showrunners pandered to a small, noisy minority of fans to throw something into the show that most fans didn't want and didn't help the story at all. I'm annoyed that, once again, Dean is put up on an embarrassingly overwrought pedestal. I'm kind of amused that they did this in the worst way possible. Cas's love was unrequited (unless they screw that up in the next episode), Misha's acting caused so much secondhand embarrassment that I had a hard time watching again, and from what I see on Tumblr, half of the Destihellers are furious because "Dean is a homophobe." Which is bullshit. Not returning someone's romantic affection isn't homophobia. It's consent. (I know... on this show? Ha ha.)

{Sidebar: If "Destiel" means the characters have mutual feelings for each other, doesn't this mean Destiel is not, in fact, canon? I mean, it was already so badly written that one could argue Cas wasn't proclaiming romantic love, but just a life-changing experience thanks to one human. Discuss.}

But I need to stop thinking about it. I can't - if I let myself go there, I'll lose my mind, I can't right now.

And this wasn't even the Buckleming episode, friends. There is probably a Buckleming episode left.

I got so distracted by this nonsense that I almost forgot to talk about the Jack situation. So here's how I feel about that. I love Jack as a character. I love him as someone the Winchesters could lose (Basically, someone to stuff in the fridge? Why not.) But I don't want him to be one of them. I don't want Jack's story to be treated as if it were as important as the Winchester's story. Just like I didn't want Cas to have his own plots. I want it always, always to come down to Sam and Dean.

Anyway, I'm sure I'll have more to say. But for right now, all I'm saying is this: I pledge to stick with this show, to stick with fanworks, no matter how badly they fuck up the landing. But guys, you don't have to try so hard to fuck it up.

Two to go. As always, help me stay unspoiled, including casting info and episode titles.

[coinofstone]

3x12 The Coming of Arthur pt 1

The title is such low hanging fruit I feel bad cracking a joke about it.

It's a quest episode! I love a quest episode. Srsly feel free to send me any and all Merthur quest fics. I can't get enough 😂

This is the episode responsible for the lovely Leon fanon headcanon that he's immortal. Always handy in an Arthur Returns fic.

Uther: you must go on this mission alone

Arthur: *brings Merlin*

I do love Merlin being being a smart alec and nagging Arthur while packing. Excellent banter.

Arthur said

Arthur threatening a young boy like this is such an ugly and uncharacteristic action it makes me angry.

Merlin tending to Arthur while he's sick and injured 🥺

Also I'm sorry but Merlin shows fuckin Gilli his magic but he's hiding it from fuckin Gwaine while Arthur is suffering? Silly.

Cenred's massive army makes me wonder if it's a result of his tolerance of magic or lower standards than the knights of Camelot, or some combination of both.

Poor Leon, though. He's just got back from near death in that forest and Uther sends him right fuckin back in 😂

Looks like they snuck in to Camelot via the dragon's cave. I doubt that was the intention but I still approve 😂

Knowing he's on a suicide mission, Arthur gives Merlin an out, knowing he'll never take it, knowing he doesn't even want him to: he still presents him with the choice.

How come literally everyone else gets a crown that fits them but Arthur walks around looking like he's wearing hand-me-downs?

Morgana might be evil but she looks damn good on a throne.

3x13 The Coming of Arthur pt 2

There's a post going around Twitter about ppl who nitpick at TV shows... this comment falls into exactly that category 100% but I'm sorry, I cannot just ignore the fact that Morgana's got these massive banners and an entire army's worth of uniforms, I mean look:

Every guard with the sigil on his uniform and half a dozen banners in the council chambers alone. That's to say nothing of the ones outside. I mean look at the sheer fuckin size of these things:

Look how tiny the ppl are next to em! They've gotta be at least 15 feet long, at least. Where did they come from? Were they all magicked into existence? Who designed that sigil? What does it represent? Is it Gorlois' banner? I HAVE QUESTIONS.

Leon isn't someone I've ever been particularly attracted to, personally, but his defiant shout of "Long Live the King" in the face of Morgana's threats, is sexy as hell.

Depressed Arthur is such a mood.

So. Gwen. Originally in 3x12 when Morgana essentially invited Gwen into the fold (insofar as a Queen's servant can be), it seems to be a set up, because Morgana has been treating Gwen like shit for ages, why would she suddenly want her friend back? Especially since Morgana knows something is going on between Gwen and Arthur - there's no way she believes that they were actually under the spell of some random sorcerer, that just doesn't make any sense. So you kind of assume - or at least I did - that Morgana is keeping Gwen close knowing that she'll be useful as bait or a hostage, just essentially as a person of value to Arthur. She's known Gwen for too long to actually believe she'd cross Arthur, there's just no way someone as machiavellian as Morgana doesn't see Gwen's 'loyalty' as a simple survival tactic. All of this is to say, when Morgana and Morgause eavesdrop on Gwen's conversation with Sir Leon, Morgana is just like, 'welp, she's betrayed me. Guess I'll kill her in the morning.' as though she was actually expecting Gwen to do anything else?!?! Like, why? It would've made so much more sense to just cut that line entirely and go straight to something like

Morgana: it's as we suspected, she's betrayed me

Morgause: yes, now she can lead us straight to Arthur

And it would've made so much more sense than the weird sort of purgatory they've implied where Morgana changed her mind about Gwen very suddenly the night before she took the throne. It's not a super important detail in the overarching story but it's another example of how carelessly their story has been handled.

Me rn:

I do love that they made Freya the Lady of the Lake, and that she kept her promise by telling Merlin how to defeat the army of the dead.

How Merlin really sees Kilgharrah:

Gwen really is the smartest of all of them.

I do love that Merlin's first undead kill with excalibur is entirely an accident lol

The subtext between Morgana and Morgause is really gross. I haven't said anything before because I generally don't approve of ship shaming but the not so subtle subtext gives me the heebies.

This is such a great shot

Everything about it, his woman at his left and his man at his right, his romantic rival opposite him on his wife's side, as directly opposite her as possible at a round table with an uneven number of placements. It's a really beautiful shot, fitting for an equally beautiful scene. It's a very moving scene, the music really adds the exact emotion you'd expect for this moment we all recognize... and I feel like the knights' oaths are very well matched. The snarky part of me wanted to make a 'call me maybe' joke about Percival, but he's so sincere I just can't do it. The moment of levity added by Merlin's banter with Arthur is really, really well paced. Honestly I think it's probably the next perfect, iconic scene since Gwen and Arthur's first kiss. Hats off to this crew.

(Don't worry dear reader, I'm sure I'll get back to complaining shortly)

Santiago is so dreamy. I'd share his bedroll any day.

I like that despite all the talk of equality and doing the thing Uther wouldn't approve of, Gwen still worries about the company seeing her and Arthur kiss. Like, he's planning an insurrection with a bunch of commoners and two dudes who've been officially banished from Camelot, but she's internalized the classism and the rules of royalty so deeply that even amongst friends she instinctively keeps their relationship hidden. I'm not sure how intentional that was but it's brilliant.

The fight big fight scene with Merlin just barely missing the cup while the knights are cornered, and Gaius showing up like the brilliant deus ex machina that he is, honestly makes the previous budget-slashed episodes more bearable. Because this really is great, even knowing it's great at the expense of those others.

Morgana's screeching is eerily similar to Aithusa's.

I wonder if they knew they were getting renewed for a fourth season when they wrote this. Because you know, it really could've worked as a series finale as well. An open-ended series finale, but a series finale all the same.

As a Queens kid, I cannot explain to you the joy it gives me to watch Arthur and Merlin just chillin on the steps to the castle as tho it were a stoop, which I suppose, in a sense... it kind of is. Ahhh youthful days.

Commentary is Jeremy Webb and Julian Murphy.

And this kids, is why we're watching with commentary! They've just explained that Morgana's sigil is supposed to symbolize the Rowan tree that's supposed to be at the heart of the Isle of the Blessed. That suggests she designed it herself, so there's at least one of my earlier questions answered.

They talk a lot about how Emila Fox was very pregnant when they were filming her in this season, and they shot entirely around it - and I can't help but feel anger toward Joss Whedon and his 'handling' of Charisma Carpenter's pregnancy during S4 of Angel.

One of them called the round table scene 'curiously moving' and I think that is really fitting. They'd had this in mind for about two years, which is probably why it's so extraordinary. That's a great gestation period for a scene as iconic as this.

One final tidbit: the sword in the stone was filmed in France, and made it back to Wales intact. I guess nobody wanted to take it out. That's kind of an interesting thought, like a little set superstition or something. It's kind of cute.

The DVD extras/special features will get a separate post if I feel I have comments worth sharing.

[aubrey-plaza]

I've seen a lot of fic rec lists lately given everything happening. Do you have any recommendations to get us through the lock down? p.s. I love everything you write.

omg thanks anon!!

I know these are scary times so have here a quick and dirty list of my fave fics starting with Staubrey and then just... veering offcourse. They’re all femslash except the one I marked with an asterisk but yeah. 

as always, I’m not gonna rec my own fics on my this list bc that’s cheating but if you wanna read them pls click this link and that ends the self promo for today lmao

 recs under the cut!

Stacie x Aubrey

Snowbound  

by ACamp_toner / @stepintotherevolve​ (22.171, complete, rated E)

summary: The Bellas go on a ski trip and Staubrey happens

notes: this has amazing smut and features just enough jealousy to spark these two idiots into a meaningful talk. there’s also side bechloe and a healthy dose of humour.  

The Howl

by @tiny-maus-boots​ (30.739, wip/currently being written, AU)

summary: Stacie's pack is forcing her into a corner but Fate has other plans for her - if she doesn't die first.

notes: werewolf!Stacie and vampire!Aubrey who meet on a full moon and fuck. there’s more to it and a great backstory that’s being wonderfully developed (trust me, I’ve been told of the plans and I’m ri-ve-ted). also has some amazing soft moments and a fab spark of heat.  

Prelude in Lydian Mode

by knappster / @ss-staubrey​ (5972, complete)

summary: Remember tonight... for it is the beginning of always.

notes: I will rec this fic til the day I die. It’s such a lovely brand of staubrey and a perfect example of the idiots to lovers trope.  

and the songbirds are singing (like they know the score)

by angelranger (2326, complete)

summary: It came as a slight surprise to Stacie that Aubrey, the same Aubrey who had grown up in a strict and dysfunctional household, was just so good with her daughter.

Bella seemed to unearth a side of Aubrey that was just so unbelievably soft, a side Stacie is almost positive even Aubrey didn’t know existed. But there she is, sat on the carpeted floor in front of the coffee table, sat right next to Bella, drawing outlines for the four year old to colour in.

notes: oh god i love a good, soft bella fic and this one hits all the right notes. it’s sweet and lovely and features singing Bella to sleep which is like. my weakness. go leave some more love on this deserved fic!

Sansa x Margaery

The Crackpots and These Women

by Netgirl_y2k (8089, complete, WEST WING AU)

summary: "You're in charge of press relations," Yara told Margaery, gesturing to Sansa. "Relate.”

summary: yeah you read that fuckin right that’s a West Wing AU. My love for this mashup has no bounds. It’s so perfectly coy, the way I imagine adult Sansa and Margaery would be, combined with the hopeful tinge of WW, and the pining of a somewhat open ended yet hopeful finish. If you like either of these universes, read this.  

Kind Regards

by MsCFH / @hell-much (9835, complete, explicit, part of a series!)

summary: Margaery Tyrell is determined on setting foot in the Northern market of Westeros by establishing a collaboration between the Tyrell Corporation and Stark Incorporated.

The only problem? The likewise gorgeous and stubborn Deputy Managing Director Sansa Stark.

summary: holy hell this fic is amazing. they hate each other SO MUCH. the author has a vibe setting skill that makes me want to weep. the smut is off the charts hot like there are literally no words. go read it and then read the series bc it’s *that good*. please go get your church lady fan before reading because you WILL need it.  

EXTRA NOTE: same author is writing a post-s6 canon compliant fic where Marg is actually still alive and if you’re looking for a full weekend activity, go ahead and binge this one (it’s a wip but is still being updated)

lay all your love on me

by 1once (9498, complete, show-compliant)

summary: It has been eight years since her demise.

But for the world of her, she cannot figure out why. For what? Why was she alive?

notes: i will say just one thing: flower. magic. okay, i’ll say more things. this fic is the redemption show!marg deserved combined with the fun supernatural magicky aspect of flower magic that’s just so in character. reading this fic feels the way a warm cup of tea in your hands on a cold winter’s day does.  

til you come back home

by heart_nouveau (7978, complete, AU - modern setting)

summary: “Using one-night stands to distract myself from my crush on my roommate counts, right?”

-

Margaery Tyrell is an ambitious law student who needs a perfect grade point average if she wants to stay at the top of her class - and she is not going to throw that away by falling for her very attractive, very sweet roommate, one Sansa Stark.

notes: margaery is a moron with feelings aka my favourite type of character.  

Birds of Prey’s Dinah x Helena

Siren Call

by ThanksForListening (3300, complete, part 2 of a series) 

summary: "It always happened in the quiet moments. The early hours of the morning, when the leftover energy from a mission hadn’t quite disappeared yet. The sleepless nights, when memories clawed their way into her mind and wouldn’t let go until her screams released them. The lazy afternoons, when the radio played softly and melodies she’d almost forgotten danced around her lips. It was only when the world went still that Dinah felt her watching.

She didn’t remember the first time she noticed it. The staring. Maybe it was because Helena was always watching everything and everyone around them that Dinah didn’t realize how frequently that attention fell on her. How it felt different. Helena looked at the world with suspicion and anger and indifference, but not her. She looked at her with something much softer, something she hadn’t found a name for just yet. No word in her arsenal was deep enough or strong enough to describe it.

Whatever it was, she could feel it now.”

notes: gahhhhh this fic. “What do you see,” she finally asked, “when you look at me?” is a line that I’m gonna think about until the day I die. this is the second fic in a series and you can read it as a standalone but the first fic is also fuckin amazing

after the afterparty

by novoaa1 (1181, complete, set right after the movie ends)

summary: The Canary had let loose a delighted snort at that, as if she found the whole thing somehow laughable.

(Which it wasn’t, to be clear—laughable, that is.)

“Are y'all seeing this shit?” she’d turned to ask the rest of them, earning a giddy squeal from Harley and a bemused scoff from Montoya even whilst Helena remained stock still in place, dutifully blinding herself with one hand. “Absolutely adorable.”

“Shut up,” Helena had hissed back more out of instinct than anything else, though her tone was markedly devoid of any real anger.

(And if Helena had felt her cheeks flush ever so slightly beneath her palm at the Canary’s glib assertion, she certainly didn’t let on.)

Or: Sionis falls. The rest of them remain.

notes: just. read it.  

knew your love (before i kissed you)

by z0ejake / @zxyjxy (58.263, wip / currently being written, rated E for the last chapter)

summary: Surviving the massacre of your entire family at the age of eight is a pretty impressive feat. Training for fifteen years in Sicily until you can kill a man with one hand and a hairpin is also a pretty impressive feat. Returning to the city where your family was cut down and killing every single person involved in their deaths is maybe the most impressive feat. Somehow, it's never been enough for Helena.

notes: bro this fic is a masterpiece and zoe is a genius. features absolute moron feral dumb jock helena and my favourite version of dinah: patient and endeared and a little teasing.  

the war is over (and we are beginning)

by ace_verity (12.573, 5/5, complete)

summary: The thing is, Helena has no idea what comes after.

The past fifteen years, she’s had a singular goal. She's never given any thought to what she’d do once she killed the men who murdered her family in front of her.

Maybe, Helena realizes, she never actually thought she’d make it this far.

—

In which Helena Bertinelli joins a team, buys a cactus, beats up criminals, goes to church, bakes bread, and falls in love.

(Not necessarily in that order.)

notes: this fic is beautiful and perfectly explores a lost Helena. I also love the way Renee is written in this and the whole vibe of the story is just *chefs kiss*

cheap shampoo

by OfElvesAndAliens (1609, complete)

summary: The thing is, Helena is a rigidly focused kind of gal, iron rage forged into skilled precision. Dinah has also noticed it in the little things, like the way she frowns a bit when she's doing something as trivial as writing, her penmanship always neat and firm. That same tiny furrow of her brow is showing up again while she's methodically whisking some eggs in a bowl.

Dinah finds it cute. Fucking sue her.

notes: oh god but i love a bedsharing fic and this one? feeding and post-mission and just winding down together??? ohhhh my god

two extra random goodies just for fun:

Lamplighter

by the_years_between_us (116.915, wip, rated E)

show/ship: The Fall, Stella Gibson/Reed Smith

summary: Stella gets a call from Reed directly following the final episode of The Fall S3.

notes: this is one of only a handful of wips that I’m keeping up with and reading constantly. It’s written like goddamn poetry and I love an older ship with more baggage, because the emotions here run so much higher with their shared history and the tentative steps they’re trying to take. Also, given the source material, this is almost cathartic to read.  

Nothing to Lose*

by tielan (8013, complete, rated E)

fandom/ship: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Maria Hill/Steve Rogers

summary: “It’s one of the traditional rituals of manhood,” Natasha observes as they’re sparring. “Kill a man, fuck a woman.”

notes: listen. i know. okay? i know this seems like a crackship. but I love it SO MUCH and this author writes so well that I’ve been fully converted. ~something some of you have told me I do for you~ so go read this fic, and then read the others, and then fall in love and join me in this lonely ship. You won’t regret it.  

I’ll be writing while in isolation so if you have any Dinah/Helena or Stacie/Aubrey prompts, shoot ‘em my way!

and also hit me up for anything, as always. 

peace and love, and stay safe everybody!

[voidlitmoon]

I Would Have Waited Forever if You Needed, But I Would Always Be There for You - part one!

OOOOOOOOOOOOH MY GOSH I'm so sorry this took so long! I've been working hard on it but inspiration seems to hate me.

But @sugarglider9603, its here! And once again the longest oneshot/chapter I've ever written at OVER FREAKING 4.3K WORDS

Alright alright I'm calm.. just happy

Now go enjoy that fluff

 

W-wait theres angst to? WAIT-

IMPORTANT NOTE:

Due to the size of this fic, I have to spit it into two post. As soon as the second part is posted (which will be not long after this goes up) i will put links. Dont panic, Tumblr is just being mean with post length :)

Ao3 link

Ao3 series link

Part 3 Part 4.5

Master post

Words: 4,334

Summery: 'Logan understood why everyone was so quiet as dark grey eyes met violet.'

' Patton's eyes widen with joy, smiling as silver eyes met purple.'

'Roman, who was facing that direction, perked up, his chocolate brown tail swishing with joy as a familiar dark brown Eevee poked his head fully out'

'"Roman, what's going on- buddy.."

Thomas has successfully befriended the Eevee, but what about catching him?

Logan

MJ and Thomas watched most of their pokemon play smiling, Logan and Elliott sticking by the trainers sides. Patton leapt around Iris and Issac, playing a small game of tag with the Vulpix and Prinplup as Roman faced Linda in a mock battle, Eevee slipping between the Scyther’s sharp claws.

Logan pawed at the page as he sat in MJ’s lap, staring in awe at the stars. It had become a tradition MJ would show Logan a book on space and assist him on learning how to read when the two groups collided, the trainer borrowing most of them from libraries or his mother. All but the first one he had shown the dark silver Eevee, “A Magnus Quantity of Space” which was currently open as Logan drank up the knowledge for the infinite time. He was happy.

“Logan! Looooooogan! Logan Logan Logan Logay-” “what” Logan snapped, lifting his head as the smug faced Roman grinned back.

“Come on, join us!” Logan rolled his eyes and just wanted to ignore him, but Patton looked over, hope and joy sparkling in his shiny grey eyes. Logan sighed but stood, sending an annoyed stare at Elliott as the shy Absol snickered.

The dark silver pokemon let out a huff, joining the other five as they set up game rules for tag. Logan half listened, half stared at a nearby wind-rustled Pecha bush. The berries were much too sweet for his taste, having always been ‘up Patton’s alley’ as Thomas and Roman would say. Though the berries did hold a memory in his heart from long ago, because-

“Boop, your it!” Logan jolted as Patton tapped his nose before dashing off. The game had begun.

Logan was surprisingly fast for an Eevee, tagging Linda before she even knew he was next to her. They continued their game, the speedy pokemon darting away without getting tagged again.

Logan carefully pawed forward, looking around as to make sure no one was there. He calmed his spiked fur from his last dodge, glancing ahead. There was that Pecha bush once again, shaking as if “tag!”

Roman crashed into him having lept from the bushes, sending both suddenly tumbling forwards. Logan fell right into the Pecha bush, hitting something inside before continuing his roll until both beings were out before Thomas, MJ, and Elliott.

“Ow..” Logan groaned, Roman’s ‘Mysterious One AM Disappearance’ plan already half done as he stood up, looking around to see what had rolled with him-

Logan understood why everyone was so quiet as dark grey eyes met violet.

Virgil scrambled up, fur on end as his eyes darted around. He squeaked when his vision caught MJ, turning to run off when Issac and Roman came out of the Pecha bush, confused by the lack of noise.

The dark furred Eevee looked for a non existent escape as Linda and Iris emerged, Patton squealing with joy as he spotted the wild pokemon. Virgil pressed up against Logan’s chest, fear most likely figuratively ripping his mind apart.

Logan tucked a paw around the smaller Eevee, sitting as he flicked his tail around him protectively. They were thankfully not near the center, though far enough the bushes looked miles away.

Thomas, who had watched the entire scenario, slowly stood up and made his to Logan and Virgil, before settling down about two feet away.

“Hey Virgil” The trainer couldn't help but smile, happy he was seeing the anxious Eevee once again. After leaving the field of flowers, he was scared that fate would not be kind and their paths wouldn't cross again. MJ, recognizing Thomas’ caution from when he himself first approached Elliott, joined a few inches behind the other.

Roman and Patton bounded up “Virgil!” Roman cried happily as Patton nuzzled their cheeks in greeting. He flinched, startled, but calmed with Patton's very soft fur.

"So.." MJ turned away from the chattering pile of Eevees to Thomas, who stared back confused

"You have attracted another Eevee" Thomas ducked his face into his hands, blushing.

Patton

Patton watched the sun set, Logan not that farther down the hill watching the rapidly darkening sky with excitement, a few bright stars already shining. The gang was taking a night in rolling open hills, soft grass and flowers lay blowing in a warm wind, one of the few trees around them shadowing Thomas as the trainer set up the tent, Roman some feet away scratching out a wide circle for a fire.

Patton tilted his head as the wind ruffled his fur, purring in the setting sun's warmth. These last few days had been so calm and nice. He approved of taking a break, they had been training hard for so long, a few days off wouldn't set them back.

He flicked his tail in content, listening to the flying types chirp their last goodbyes to the day, a few nocturnal pokemon already waking the night with quiet music of hoots and song-like whistles.

Somewhere near him, soft brushing of grass on fur caused him to open his eyes, glancing around. Logan was back with Roman and Thomas, the trainer  poking at the now lit fire. If it wasn't them, then who..

The light silver furred Eevee turned his head the other direction, his eyes catching another of special fur slightly crouching in the grass some distance away. Patton's eyes widen with joy, smiling as silver eyes met purple.

"Hey kiddo!" he cheered, Virgil hesitantly looked up at the rest of the group before making his way to Patton, flopping down next to, but not touching, the other Eevee.

It had been some time since they found that the dark furred Eevee ended up following them, a few more interactions strung between then and the current moment. Virgil had gotten a bit closer with the others, but was always gone before next sunrise, watching once again from the shadows.

Patton, knowing Vigil's shyness with engaging contact, flipped his over tail over the smaller and pulled him close, nuzzling the other's cheek. The Eevee shuffled in slight embarrassment but in the end cuddled back.

The two laid under the rapidly appearing stars, Patton feeling Virgil shift a bit away at one point but said nothing, just kept their tails intertwined. Logan had joined them at one point, cuddling up to Patton's side as stars reflected off his eyes, making no comment as the sky stole once more his star transfixed gaze.

A shuffle of feet made Patton tiredly blink, slowly turning his head as Roman and a pajama wearing Thomas approached the trio.

The trainer softly chuckled "c'mon guys, time for bed" Logan sent a death glare his was but Thomas just shook his head with more chuckling.

Patton turned his head to the darker Eevee "want to *yawn* join us kiddo?" the shiny Eevee stood, only to realize the other had been asleep as Virgil jolted awake, blinking tiredly at Patton.

Patton barely held in a squeal. Virgil was asleep! Next to him! He trusted Patton! The light silver Eevee frowned as the kiddo started to droop once more, before light grey ears perked up as he whipped around to Thomas, chirping a few times.

It took the trainer only a moment to understand before giggling. He kneeled slightly and picked up the limp Eevee, Virgil only whining a bit and pawing toward the ground. Thomas looked concerned before looking were Virgil was pointing, smiling.

"Hey Patt, I think Virgil was trying to make you a gift" Patton looked and sure enough, a half built blue, pink, and white flower crown lay in the grass, one of the end flowers squished as Virgil fell asleep on top.

Patton grinned with joy and carefully picked the strand up, walking back up to the campsite.

The fire was now extinguished, water and burnt wood mush stood in its place. Patton laid the half finished flower crown near the stick Thomas used to poke at it before following the trainer in the tent.

Thomas held Virgil close as he scooted into his sleeping bag, Eevees flopping on top almost immediately.

Roman curled up next to his left ear, shoulder now his pillow. Logan settled down on Thomas' waist, Patton curling up with him as his tail tip brushed Virgil's, the dark Eevee laying right in the center of Thomas' chest.

Thomas smiled as purrs erupted in his ear from his Eevees (thanks Roman, that's quite LOUD) hugging Virgil a little closer before sleep fell upon the human.

Thomas blinked awake, finding some weight off his chest.. literally.

He sat up, Eevees already fallen to the ground in vibrating puddles that night, and stood, carefully making his way out of the tent.

He emerged in the early dawn light, blinking away the tiredness as the sun rose above the horizon. Early bird pokemon unknowingly chirped a morning greeting, bushes rusted in the not to far off forest as pokemon skittered for food. Though that wasn't what grabbed the trainer's attention.

Virgil lay bathed in morning sunlight, tying the final blue flower into last night's flower crown. The Eevee glanced up startled but hesitant, purple eyes worried as he stood, a paw stepping back. Thomas understood, not yet.

He smiled at the Eevee "I'll make sure Patton gets it" Virgil stood frozen before relaxing, hesitantly letting out a "thank you" and "goodbye" chirp, before dashing off, fur at ease.

Thomas smiled and delicately picked up the small crown, inspecting the colors. Patton would absolutely adore it.

Though as Thomas went back to the tent, he could of sworn somewhere he read Eevee had an evolution with these colors..

Roman

 

Thomas flopped onto the soft grass, staring at the small fire as flicks of flame disappeared off into the night. Roman laid dramatically over the trainers outstretched legs, mumbling tiredly in Eevee. Thomas couldn't blame him though, same going for the two shinies who joined Roman, sprawling across his kneecaps.

 

They had been training hard all day, exhaustion had been inevitable. From wild pokemon battles, to targets and even between each other, the three Eevees had pushed far into training mode for their next challenge, their next adventure.

 

The next town was about half a day away, so camping out was the best option. With the low energy though, Thomas could probably lay down right here in the grass and pass out with ease.

 

A rustle in the bushes made him look up, confused. A smile overtook his face though, as familiar violet eyes poked through. Roman, who was facing that direction, perked up, his chocolate brown tail swishing with joy as a familiar dark brown Eevee poked his head fully out carefully, inspecting the clearing they picked.

 

"Hey kiddo" Thomas murmured sleepily, failing to stiffen a yawn. "Wanna join the cuddle pile?" he offered.

 

Virgil looked curiously at their pile as though considering, before ducking back into the bush. Thomas slightly frowned sadly, Roman's tail slowly drooping in disappointment as Patton let out a chirp.

 

Thomas sighed, about to turn back to the burning wood when the bush shook once more, catching all their attention. 

 

Virgil's tail came into view first as the Eevee back tracked, pulling something by his teeth. Thomas stared, eyes wide.

 

The Eevee pulled the huge leaf a couple of feet away from the gang, turning his back to enormous pile of Oran berries.

 

"Did.. did you pick these for us?" Thomas asked, amazed.

 

Virgil ducked his head in embarrassment as he nodded, chirping something to the other Eevees. Roman suddenly sprang up and chipped something back, walking up to the darker furred pokemon, placing a small lick on Virgil's head before moving to drag the Oran berry pile closer.

 

Patton and Logan chirped gratefully as they grabbed two, Thomas smiling as he poked one on a stick to toast over the fire.

 

 

Roman watched Virgil shuffle his paws awkwardly, glancing curiously with those wonderful eyes.

 

"Hey Virgil, you can have one if you want" Roman offered, only for the Eevee's ears to droop.

 

"I've already eaten" he murmured, only to be betrayed by a quiet gurgle from his stomach. Roman hesitated, not wanting to discomfort the other.

 

".. I ate a bit earlier myself, we could possibly split and share one?" Roman shyly offered, causing the violet eyes to widen.

 

"I couldn't, it's your.." he hesitantly looked down for a moment, before lifting his head up a bit, looking right into Roman rich brown eyes "are you sure?"

 

Roman grinned, picking up the largest Oran berry before carefully draping his tail over the others back, leading him a bit closer to the fire. As they settled Roman used his claws, slicing their berry in half (and perhaps giving Virgil the larger piece).

 

And if anyone noticed Virgil cuddling Roman as the night wore on, only waking and leaving when the lighter of the pair stirred at sunrise, no one said a thing.

 

FamILY

 

Water droplets sparkled as they dripped off the leaves above, soaking up into the group's hair and fur. The early morning sky drifted blue with scattered clouds, hints of the rain showers from last night only shown by the damp plants around and slightly muddy earth.

Thomas laughed as Roman froze, water once again dripping onto his chocolate fur. The Eevee whined, only for Logan to lean on his back feet, standing up from where he lay on Thomas' messenger bag and slap Roman in the face, effectively shutting the other up with a splutter.

They stayed the night in a cave, setting up the tent inside as it started to show signs of a heavy storm approaching by sunset, the light sprinkle from earlier growing heavier as the clouds darkened.

The cave wasn't the biggest, more of a deep hole as it only fit the tent with two feet of coverage before rain splattered in your face, but it's entrance raised a few inches off the ground, giving them safety from a wet tent. They didn't need to stay that long anyways,only staying the night to escape being wet, the next town merely an hour or two journey.

Thomas smiled, but a dark hint shown through as something bothered him. He had called out several times before bed, informing Virgil he could join the warm cuddles inside, but the Eevee never showed. Worry traced his mind, only hoping he found a sheltered enough spot.

He brushed Patton's fur, the Eevee chirping with a nuzzle to the cheek. The trainer giggled, Logan shifting back to laying down, content. Virgil would be alright, he was wild. The Eevee must have gone through this kind of experience befo-

Roman sat up on Thomas' shoulder, startling him. The Eevee's ears were pricked, nose twitching as he caught something.

"Roman, what- hey!" Thomas spluttered as a tail smacked his face, Roman ignoring the wet grass and mud as he leapt off Thomas without warning, bolting off back in the directions they just came from.

Thomas secured a hand on both remaining Eevee's backs to enforce they didn't fall with the sudden change, before turning and rushing after his starter.

They didn't have to go far before spotting the Eevee anxiously pacing circles, perking up at the sight of Thomas before diving into the bushes, chirping from the other side.

"Roman, what's going on- buddy.." he fought through the bushes, Patton and Logan calling out in distress as Thomas sucked in a harsh breath, kneeling down next to the grounded Eevee's.

Roman licked Virgil's forehead, the smaller barely opening his eyes in pain and exhaustion before closing, letting out a relieved huff and relaxing as if only now feeling safe.

The dark furred Eevee's fur was dirty, his limbs weak and thoroughly soaked to the bone. Scratches were in several places as though he recently fought in a battle, the latest being from yesterday.

Thomas' didn't hesitate to check and sure enough his forehead was warm, to warm. Glazed eyes stared up as raspy breaths labored from his mouth, trust within exhaustion.

"I-I'm sorry Virge, I need to get you straight to a Pokemon Center" he lifted the Eevee, Roman leaping forwards to get scooped up as well, cuddling up to the sick pokemon.

He felt Logan move up to where Roman sat before, nodding in the corner of Thomas' vision. They were ready to set off.

And with that, Thomas ran.

Thomas speed walked through the streets, nearly bumping into others as he kept glancing down at Virgil. The Eevee had curled up against Thomas chest, Roman curling around the other giving occasional comforting licks.

"Hey!" Thomas stumbled as he nearly crashed into someone turning a corner, the other jumping to the side before collision.

"Sorry!" He called back half turning around to the girl, the Fraxure in her arms wide eyed. He only saw her and the pokemon give a started look at the Eevees in his arms before Thomas turned back around and dashed off, Pokecenter now in sight.

The automatic doors nearly caught his arm as he entered, rushing through the mostly empty entrance up to the Nurse Joy.

"Please help" he gasped having not stopped once, carefully setting Virgil down. Joy's eyes widened before calling out a stroller, two Chansey pushing it out.

"Don't worry, we'll take good care of Eevee" the Joy comforted, joining her pokemon by the ER door. "Virgil" Thomas managed, voice a somewhat raspy whisper "his name is Virgil." The Nurse nodded.

"Virgil will be fine" she smiled, turning away and closing the door, a bright neon red "Do Not Enter" lighting up above the doorway. Thomas took in a shuddering breath, the Eevees each nuzzling Thomas' face from their spot.

Thomas gave out a small, strangled laugh "thanks guys."

______________________________

Part two link here!

[bangtansdoc]

It started with a kiss.

Pairings: Kim taehyung x reader.

Warnings: slight mentions of abandonment and blood, other than that, pure tooth rotting fluff!.

Genre: fluff, slight angst, fluff fluff fluff!!!

Word count: four thousand something something 😁😁😁. Ost: yayaya by urban zakapa ( Ost of hi! School love on)

Synopsis: you are a hopeless romantic who believed in the stuff of kdramas and as such had planned your first kiss to be something right out of a fairytale,but when those dreams are brutally crushed by a careless dare, chaos ensues. But will your chaotic feelings eventually turn into something else?

The handsome stranger walked towards you. He had strawberry pink hair, broad shoulders and the face of a literal Greek god. He was devastatingly handsome. You had glanced at him a few times as you stood by the pool with your canned coke at the freshman orientation party for Jaeguk University. You snuck glances at him as he stood with his friends and DANG, he was drop dead gorgeous, even in his flannel shirt and ankle length trousers.

And now he was walking up to you. You braced yourself for impact, rehearsing several scenarios in your head so as not to sound like a drunken mule when he finally arrived in front of you. You cleared your throat and opened your mouth to speak when he suddenly grabbed your waist and planted a soft kiss on your lips. People often said that when you were about to die , your whole life would flash before your eyes. Well, you might've as well been in a life or death situation with what this stranger had just done to you. Your whole life did flash, as you saw all your plans and dreams for your first kiss shattered right then and there. You had grown up in a conservative Christian home,where you had been taught a lot about love and with the help of several dramas and novels, had planned the perfect scenario for your first kiss. Your boyfriend or fiance who you were madly in love with, would kiss you beside a fountain as it erupted behind you and fireworks lit up a beautiful night sky. Cheesy yes, but it was your fantasy. The same fantasy that this handsome stranger had just stolen from you in a matter of seconds. Like you said earlier, he might've just killed you right then and there.

Anger welled up in you as you shoved him away violently. "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!!!!" You yelled, getting the attention of most of the people around you, but you couldn't care less. The stranger looked taken aback. "Cool off girl. It was just a dare. And I had to kiss you."

OH. MY. GOD.

It was a dare?!!!!

This guy had just shattered your dreams and claimed the lips you had been saving for the nineteen years of your existence on Earth for a DARE?!!! You didn't know when your hand moved up and Gave him a hot slap across the cheek. He looked like a deer caught in headlights. "What the actual hell?! Did you just slap me?!" "You have no idea what you just did!" Tears welled up in your eyes. "If I had a gun I would murder you right now!" You yelled again before storming off to shed the tears that were already spilling over, leaving the stranger dazed and confused in shock.

"You slapped him?!!" Mina , your best friend said to you in shock. Well more like yelled at you in shock. Mina was two years older then you and was in her second year at Jaeguk University. "Omo, omo" she said sheepishly as she giggled. "I can't believe you actually did that!" "Serves him right though." You growled, stuffing your face with rock candies. Upon getting to the apartment you and Mina shared, you had bawled your eyes out, unimaginable hatred filling you for that stranger, and as soon as Mina had arrived home, you had poured your heart out to her. Mina had been your best friend since grade school, and though she considered it childish, she knew how much and how important your first kiss was to you and she had shared your pain when she learnt that all your plans had been thwarted. "I don't even know what to do with myself anymore" you muttered miserably as you fell back on the bed. "I feel so used, so corrupted so..... Impure". Mina rolled her eyes. "Don't be so dramatic. I know how much this meant to you, but maybe..." You glared at her and she put her hands up in defense. "Just maybe ....you should take this as a sign."You groaned. "A sign of what?" "That there are just somethings you can't plan".

You walked groggily through the school lawn. One reason you had picked Jaeguk University was the stunning scenery. You were smack in the middle of summer now, and the dandelions, peaches and tulips burst out in a magnificent array of colours that painted the walkway the color of nature. You inhaled the sweet smell of the flowers, it bringing an earthly peace to your insides. You felt you could just lie there and paint the flowers all day. A deep, masculine voice brought you out of your bliss.

"Hey! Hey Y/N!"

You didn't know anyone fully yet, so you wondered how the owner of this voice knew your name. You spun around and saw the stranger that had kissed you bounding up to you. Your eyes saw red, and you quickly made the wise decision to ignore him as you were not sure you could control your emotions were you to engage him....but he persisted. "Y/N?! Y/N?! Hey I know it's you Y/N/L/N! Stop ignoring me! Hey!" You finally stopped and spun around sharply, bringing the stranger to an abrupt halt. He panted a little as you took in his features. He wore a bandana over his now light brown hair, he had hazel brown eyes that were deep and calculating, and though you "hated" him, his attractiveness sent shivers down your spine. "What do you want?" You asked through gritted teeth. "About the other day,... I'm sorry". Well you hadn't expected that. You felt yourself relenting but then you remembered that his apology wouldn't repair the damage done and your heart hardened. "I don't want your apology". You began to walk away. "Wha....hey wait up!" The stranger fell into pace with your hurried steps. "What do you mean you don't want my apology?" He asked, bewildered. "You seem to forget that you did hit me, but I'm willing to ignore that since I figured that I probably took you by surprise with that kiss". You scoffed inwardly and wanted to retort back at him but you kept your jaw wired shut. "And why are you so mad anyway? It was just a kiss, and not even a deep one at that. Or was it your first kiss or something?" You stopped dead in your tracks, trying to will your legs to move but they were rooted to the ground. The stranger's eyes widened. "It WAS your first kiss wasn't it? Wow". He laughed. "No wonder you got your insides all twisted up. Well at least now you've been kissed, and by me, the one and only Kim taehyung. Now you can boast to all your little friends that you are finally a woman".

The entire time the stranger- taehyung had been talking, your hands had balled into fists. Hot tears rolled down your cheeks until you could take no more of his mindless rantings. You burst.

"It was more than just a first kiss!! It was something special! Something meant to be shared with someone special! During a very special moment!!!! Notice how much I've said special?! Cos it's special to me!! It's something I've been planning my whole life!! It wasn't meant to be taken- stolen from me by an egotistical college celebrity wannabe who thinks he's all that when he's really nothing at all!!!" Taehyung had stared at you open mouthed the whole time you ranted, and now he scoffed. "Wow you really are dumber than you look aren't you? Wake up kid. This is the real world and not a kdrama. Who the heck plans a first kiss? Gosh, you're dorkier than I imagined". You went livid with anger. "WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY TO ME?!!!". He smirked as he inched closer to you. "I called you a dork, dork". You raised your hand to hit him again but he reacted quickly and grabbed your hand before it made contact with his face. "Don't you even dare. I had to use multiple ice packs to ease the pain of your last outburst". He scowled before pushing your hand back with force, causing you to stumble. He then began to walk away. "Yaaaaa!!!!! KIM TAEHYUNG!!! This is not over!!! You won't ever get away with this! I will hate you for the rest of my life!" With his back still turned to you, he rose up his hand and gave you the middle finger. You had a list of people that you wished would die in a freak accident or get eaten by a shark, like the men that had molested your younger sister when she was twelve and the woman that had hit you with a car and run off, and now KIM TAEHYUNG HAD JUST MADE THE LIST.

"I really don't wanna go Mina". It had been a month since your incident with taehyung and you had rarely seen him around campus. The oh - so brief moments you two had crossed paths were filled with dirty looks and rude gestures. Mina had fallen head over heels with a third year criminal law student, Kim Namjoon. He had by wooing her for a while now and she was biding her time with him to see how things would go. Eventually she had reciprocated his feelings and they were to go on their first date the coming Saturday. However, Mina was extremely nervous and as she didn't want to mess up her date, had convinced Namjoon to make it a double date, thus setting you up on a blind date with one of Namjoon's friends. You really wished she had asked your opinion first as you weren't really into blind dates and you really needed to study. You tried to weasel your way out of it. "Pleeeeeease Y/N. I need you. Just do this one thing for me Hun? If I'm alone with Namjoon I might say something stupid and he'll think I'm crazy. You have to help me" . You rolled your eyes. You knew you were eventually gonna say yes. She was your best friend after all, and she really liked this guy so you decided to just tough it out. "Fine. I'll help you". Mina smothered you in a hug. "Thank you so much!" She said and planted a kiss on your cheeks. "I love you!" She said and you chuckled to yourself.

Saturday came quickly and you soon found yourself preparing for your double date. Even though you were doing it for Mina, it still was a date after all, one of the rarest occurrences in your nineteen year life, so you tried to look pretty, touching up your make up, and styling your hair. You stared at your reflection in the mirror and smiled. Maybe this night wouldn't be so bad after all. The sound of the doorbell interrupted your thoughts. "They're here!" Mina screeched as you both ran to the door, she took a deep breath and opened it . A tall, blonde haired man smiled at her. "Hi Namjoon oppa" she greeted and Namjoon greeted back. You initially focused all your attention on the man in front of you so you didn't notice the person behind him. When you finally did, your purse clattered to the ground and your eyes widened in shock. "Oh hell no". You sputtered as the person's eyes met yours and contorted in surprise. "He's my date? Oh hell-to- the - no". You said as you rushed back into the room with Mina hurrying in after you. "Y/N! What's the matter?" You sat on the bed and began to take off your shoes. "That guy, Namjoon's friend, my blind date,..." You almost puked at the thought. "...is KIM TAEHYUNG". Mina sat beside you. "Oh God. Oh God. I didn't know. I'm so sorry. I'll tell Namjoon that the date is off and...." "You'll do no such thing". You said finally. "You're right. You didn't know. And I'm not going to let my feelings ruin your date." Mina smiled sympathetically as she hugged you. "Thank you so much". " Now stop feeling guilty. You just enjoy your date and don't worry about me." You said again as you both walked out the room door and back to taehyung and Namjoon who looked like they had both had the same conversation you and Mina had had in the bedroom. Taehyung glanced at you for a second, but his expression was unreadable. Namjoon led Mina to his car leaving you to walk in step with taehyung."Now we're both doing this for our friends so let's try to be civil." You started. "I believe we can both put aside our differences and..." Taehyung interrupted you by putting earphones into his ears and walking off into the backseat of the car. You sighed. It was going to be a long night.

Overall the night had gone pretty well, if one ignored the popcorn fight you and taehyung had at the movies. And now you were both squeezed in the backseat of Namjoon's car , staring at anything but each other as you headed home. You stared outside at the raindrops that pelted the ash roads. "The winds picking up" Namjoon said as he turned the corner to your apartment block. You had noticed also that it was raining rather heavily for a night in August. Namjoon pulled up at your apartment, just as lightning flashed and the pouring rains threatened to penetrate the covering of the car. "So, here we are". Namjoon said coyly. "Yes here we are." Mina repeated after him and you rolled your eyes. They both obviously wanted some privacy. From the look on taehyung's face, it looked like he had picked up on that too. "We'll both go inside and get a drink or something." He finally looked at you. "You have a key right?" You felt like replying sarcastically but held your tongue. You smiled forcefully at him instead. "Yes I have a key". You both got out of the car and you glanced back for a brief second in time to see Namjoon smile at Mina warmly as she shyly tucked a strand of hair behind her ears. You couldn't help the pang of jealousy that bit at your insides. Namjoon was a great guy, you were sure, from your brief interactions with him. At Least he could've brought any other friend, but instead he stuck you with Kim - hell - of - a - jerk - taehyung. You sighed and wondered if constant sighing was bad for your health.

Taehyung plopped down on your couch while you tried to lock the door. You scoffed inwardly at how quick he was in getting comfortable in another person's home. "You guys got anything good to watch?" He asked. "We literally just came back from watching a movie". "Well you were bugging me the whole time so I could barely concentrate, hogging all the popcorn." He said matter of factly. You made your way to the stash of DVDS by your TV.( Mina's parents were lawyers and had furnished your apartment with all the essentials) "I've got some good horror classics. You a fan of the exorcist?" Taehyung raised an eyebrow. "You like horror?" You raised an eyebrow. "Yeah" "Hmm". Now you raised both eyebrows. "What do you mean by....." Your words were cut short by a sudden clasp of thunder, a loud crash followed by an equally loud scream. Your mind immediately went to Mina and Namjoon who were sitll in the car. As if on cue, both of them yanked the front door open and tumbled into the apartment. "What happened?!" You and taehyung yelled. Namjoon took a deep breath to calm himself. "An electric pole fell on the car." "Oh my God are you both okay?" You said , as you began to worriedly inspect Mina's arms and legs. "We're fine. But there's no way we can get home now even if we wanted to. It'd be crazy to go out in this rain" . "Rain? More of a storm". Taehyung said, looking out the window. "Hyung, so we're stuck here?" He asked, incredulous. "For now. We just have to wait it out". Taehyung groaned loudly and you quickly tried to liven up everyone's moods. "Why don't we all just make ourselves comfy? I'll go whip us up a cup of hot chocolate. I was about to watch a movie with taehyung. We can use it to pass the time." Your plan looked like it had had the desired effect. Namjoon took off his coat, Mina her heels, as they both plopped down on the settee beside taehyung while you smiling, made your way to the kitchenette. You noticed taehyung staring at you as you did.

"Oh God I've got to use the bathroom". Taehyung said as you glared at him, obviously annoyed. You were all squeezed in on the settee as the movie rolled the ending credits. Taehyung had constantly whimpered and squealed during the entire movie that you were unable to enjoy it. You tried to conceal your irritation. "So?". He turned his head to face you. "So, sassy, I can't go alone". "Why?" "Cos your stupid movie freaked me out!". "If you knew you were easily scared why did you watch it?". He furrowed his brows together, confused and you noticed how cute he looked that way. "Well what kinda man gets scared of a horror movie?". Ugh. You face palmed yourself. "A you kinda man. Obviously". You stated, frustrated. "Well the point is you have to follow me" "I AM not following you into the bathroom....". "Geez girl you don't have to follow me all the way....". He said and smirked and you almost lost your hot chocolate. "You can just Stand outside the door while I do my business". "The answer remains NO". Taehyung frowned , staring at you intensely, and you honestly thought he was going to kiss you again. He suddenly burst out, whining like a child and grabbing your arm. "Ah c'mon Y/N! Please please please please please!!" "Okay fine just please stop that racket!!!" "Ha ha". Taehyung laughed and gave you the most heavenly boxy smile you had ever seen. You led him to your bathroom and stood outside the the door. You had a good mind to lock him in and switch off the lights but decided against it. Your mind wandered back to when he had been pestering you. He had been so close to you. You found yourself not getting repulsed at the thought of him kissing you again. You felt your cheeks grow hot. "Wait what am I thinking? I barely even know this guy, and I hate him. Right?" Taehyung opened the door and smiled at you. Whomp. There went your resolve. He stared at you for a while. "What?" You choked out. "You Know Y/N, you're pretty cute when you're not being sassy". Your whole body trembled but you hid it by Rolling your eyes. "And you're pretty cute when you're not going off kissing random people". Taehyung gave a genuine and hearty laugh. "You're not so bad after all Y/N ".

You made your way through the canopies and the throngs of people at the orphanage. You were on semester break and you were volunteering at the seungri orphanage for their fundraiser. You hadn't seen taehyung since that night of the storm and you couldn't say you hadn't missed him. Something had changed in you since that night and you found yourself thinking about him one too many times. "Y /N! Is that you?" Great. Now you were imagining his voice as well. "Hey Y/N!" Taehyung appeared in front of you looking excited. "Didn't you hear me calling you?" You stared at him, stunned. "What are you doing here?" His face fell. "Well hello to you too." He paused. "I work here". "At the orphanage?". "No, at the carnival. Of course the orphanage dummy". He say and poked your head. You rubbed the spot. "I'm a volunteer here. I stopped for a while because of school, but when I heard they were having a fundraiser I decided to help out". "Wow that's amazing. I volunteer here too. I love kids...." His eyes widened in the most beautiful way. "Really? Me too! I mean who doesn't? But i love them so much. I plan on having at least three when I get married." You chuckled as you began to walk in step with him. "Wow." You said, genuinely amazed. "I never pictured you...." "As a kid person? Yeah I thought so." You laughed again. Taehyung suddenly reached out to grab your wrists. "look Y/N, about the kiss from before..." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm really sorry. And for all the things I said to you. I should've respected you more." He looked at you keenly. You gulped. You had to get away from him before you lost all your senses. You quickly tried to say something so he wouldn't think his apology wasn't accepted. "It's fine really taehyung I...." You were interrupted by a scream that rang through the air. There was a commotion as people ran towards the source of the scream, you and taehyung as well. You arrived at a clearing where a woman and two nurses were crouched down in the soil. You angled your neck and tried to look over people's heads and bodies, and suddenly you froze. There, half buried in the soil was a baby. The baby was covered in red spots and bloody bruises, possibly ant bites. The baby probably wouldn't have been more than three months old and was crying it's lungs out. The women struggled to get the baby out and you found yourself joining them, tears already dripping from your eyes.

It was dark . You sat on a bench in the park. The baby had been rescued safely. He was alive, but barely. He had been rushed to the ICU at the nearest hospital. You wondered how a person could do something so despicable. The tears started pooling again as you imagined the amount of pain he must've gone through and the more to probably follow. You began to wish God had just taken him instead. "No". You said. Wiping your tears. "He deserves to live, he should live happily and survive no matter what you show that wretched person who threw him away". "Hey, you okay?" Taehyung said as he sat beside you. He offered you a grape soda which you accepted gratefully . Earlier, you had bawled your eyes out in front of him and he had hugged you tightly, whispering words of comfort. "Mina called. I told her you were okay and that I'd bring you home later." He chuckled lightly. "She was surprised that you were with me". You sniffed and smiled. "I'm sorry you had to see me that way. And thank you for staying with me. I just- I lost my cool when I saw him...." You began to choked and taehyung moved closer and cupped your face in his hands. "Hey, hey no more tears. You are just very caring about others and that's a great virtue not many people have." His face was inches away From yours now. You looked up and locked eyes with him. "Thanks". You said quietly. Taehyung's expression was unreadable. His eyes darted to your lips and then he leaned in. You shot up quickly. "Wh- what do you think you're doing?" He stood up after you. "I like you Y/N." He said and your heart nearly burst out of your ribcage. "I don't know when, how or even the hell why, but I do". You began to gasp for breath before you turned round and took to your heels.

School had resumed and winter was fast approaching. You had avoided taehyung like the plague. He had gotten your number from Mina and called you but you avoided him and his calls. So far your strategy had worked but now he was approaching you. You searched for somewhere to duck and hide but he was faster. He grabbed your arm before you could make a run for it. "Why have you been avoiding me?" He asked. "Why wouldn't I?" "Who the heck runs away from a confession?!" "Well I wasn't expecting it!". Taehyung sighed. "You're going for lunch right? Have lunch with me." "No way..." " I'm buying". You began to nod slowly and taehyung snorted. "Cheapskate. Follow me". He led you to the school's water fountain and you sat on the white bench erected by it. He handed you a soda which he conveniently had in his bag and took one for himself. Something was fishy. Taehyung noticed your countenance. "Before you ask, Mina gave me your class schedule." "That crazy wench...." " But only because we really needed to finally talk this out". He paused. "Do you like me?" You choked. "What- what kind of question..." "It's either one of two things, either you're avoiding me because you still hate me and don't want things to get awkward or you're avoiding me because you do like me as well." You stared at your knees. "You can't force an answer out of me." "I just want you to admit it" . You looked up and met his gaze. You saw the sincerity in his eyes and you relented. "Yes I do like you Kim taehyung". Taehyung sighed and smirked. "See? Now that wasn't so hard was it?" You chuckled and he stared at you intensely. You knew in that moment he was going to try and kiss you again. And this time you weren't going to stop him. Seeing this taehyung smiled and captured your lips in his. He cupped your face in his hands and carresssed your cheeks softly. You didn't really know what to do so you ran your fingers through his hair and he sighed into the kiss. All of a sudden, the fountain behind you erupted, sprinkling water on you both. Taehyung broke the kiss and laughed. "Well you wanted a magical first kiss and you got one." You smiled and sipped your soda. "It wasn't the scenery or event that made the kiss special, but the person." Taehyung's face broke into a wide smile as he raised his soda bottle in cheers. "Well, I will most definitely drink to that."

Wow! This took a long time to complete. Thank God it's done. I'll be back with another fic titled into the light. I'll also make a request box/ ask me once I can figure out how. Hope you all enjoyed the story. I didn't know it would be this long 😁😁😁. BTW, I usually have osts( original sound tracks) for all my pics. They're kinda like songs that play in my head while writing a fic If you get what I mean. anywayyyy write them at the top of each fic and you can check them out if you'd like. I would add a link if I knew how to. Bye!