#the only one i can think of is SORRY FOR MENTIONING IT FOR THE BILLIONTH TIME the btac jaybin when he gets his own

[robingivesmemagic]

my evidence for that one robin being jason todd /silly (its been 4ever since i watched it)

[speedierthanasubmarine]

Finished heaven official’s blessing and I really enjoyed writing an analysis on helluva boss I want to make this a regular thing because it’s fun so here’s my thoughts on

Heaven Official’s Blessing

Spoilers (duh)

I think it’s incredibly impressive when someone can make an overarching narrative in which different seemingly disjointed events are significant without A) putting a giant exclamation mark on top saying “REMEMBER THIS IT WILL BE IMPORTANT LATER” and B) Significantly over or under emphasizing the importance of the scene in the moment. Each event stood on its own and I liked that.

There were several janky sentences and word choices but that’s a translation issue, this writer clearly knows what she’s doing.

Characters were a lot of fun and distinct, my favorites were Feng Xin, Pei Ming, Qi Ying, and Ling Wen whenever they were on the page I was like Ah yes, these pages are gonna be enjoyable and I was right, they’re all delightful (cept the brocade immortal stuff, but like I don’t care, Google assistant is fun) Xie Lian and San Lang are delightful, love them, and San Lang is so effed in the head it’s enjoyable to try and imagine what unhinged thing he’ll do next

Tbh there isn’t much plot breakdown I want to do with this series because it knows what it is, it’s a fanfic ass book with good times, trauma, gay fluff, and fights. Need I say more? That’s not a detractor, it’s a strength. Be what you are and own it because a house with a house’s foundation is a great house but slap a building on that house’s foundation and it fails in both regards.

The only aspect I’m going to analyze is the narrative voice the books are written in because holy crap is it super impressive. Xie Lian is a super mature (or ditzy, depending on your point of view) character, he doesn’t dwell on things, doesn’t hold grudges, doesn’t really care that much about people’s histories or even their present, doesn’t focus much on externals and it comes through in the way the book is written. I noticed this when throughout the books San Lang would do fucked up stuff like make it rain blood and kill a pit’s worth of people and Xie Lian kinda didn’t really seem to care and at first it pissed me off, why isn’t the author letting consequences occur because of these peoples’ actions, but then as it held consistently throughout the book and other people kept being super concerned about stuff, like Pei Constantly asking after Shi Qingxuan (I don’t know how to spell their name, it’s so hard to keep track I’m so sorry) or people bringing up Banue, I realized this is just Xie Lian, other people in the book are regular people like me, this one guy is just experiencing things, going “Well, ain’t that something” and then just moving on. Honestly iconic, but also I was halfway through book six when I realized. Especially since whenever they do flashbacks Xie Lian does all normal stuff. He describes settings he’s in, he mentions events that happened a few pages ago, he tells the reader how he feels, it’s after he experiences all his shit he goes through that this all kinda slips away. In “present” scenes he’ll reference things as they come up but like in the flashback after Mu Qing leaves they talk about it a few times and I find that aspect of acknowledgment to be noticeably absent in the “present” scenes. After the black water arc there is a complete lack of discussion about the frankly trauma inducing event that just transpired but sure Cie Lian, you and San Lang have to not hold hands for the billionth time. At first I thought is this author high but then I realized what shes doing is characterizing through prose which is IMPRESSIVE AS HELL. This may be a point I noticed and am now misremembering the entire series just to bolster my take and if that’s the case then I shall sheepishly shrug and say I’m sorry. I’m not rereading 8 books to write a tumblr review. Maybe if I ever start a YouTube channel

I don’t know, I just find it to be an incredible feat of actually good writing when a story is being told through the lens of the main character and you can characterize that character by simply reading the story and seeing how it’s written, not even through dialogue and action. It’s kinda like the Great Gatsby or a Separate Peace, and it’s super cool that a book like this can accomplish the same thing that makes those classics great. There isn’t as much symbolism or analytical potential but those books wouldn’t be nearly as impactful as they were without great execution, which this book pulled off in spades.

[pastelwitchling]

Rewatching the RWRB movie for the billionth time, and I want to mention this to see if anyone else felt it, but... did it bother anyone else that they completely removed Alex's jealousy?

They were only a few moments in the book, but they always meant something, and they showed Alex's attachment to Henry before the kiss at New Year's. Speaking of which, I hate the New Year's Eve party scene. Don't get me wrong, I hated it in the book too (as an introvert, I hate all parties, including party scenes in stories, and I think the movie made the karaoke scene a lot better because it was quieter and a lot smaller than the original scene in the book at a club with another roomful of people), but here were the big differences that really ruined it for me:

The book version: Alex says he's not going to babysit Henry if he has no one to talk to, but the second he finds out Henry is bringing a plus one, he asks who it is because he's jealous, and ends up sticking to his side the entire night without even realizing he's doing it because he loves watching Henry's reaction to everything he does. Also? Henry is never left alone. He's either with Alex, or June, or a group of interns are giggling and blushing at meeting him because he's, you know, Prince Henry, the youngest and most beautiful prince. Everyone already knows who he is, and Alex is not really needed at his side, but just enjoys being there. This is super important: Alex doesn't want to be anywhere but at Henry's side, watching Henry.

The movie version: Alex does indeed spend the night talking to Henry (from what we see), but then a girl falls into his lap and has no idea who Henry is, which is already weird. They act like Henry is some college friend of Alex's that he happened to invite to his New Year's party, and not, you know, THE YOUNGEST AND MOST BEAUTIFUL PRINCE THAT EVERYONE ALREADY KNOWS. That's not my own wording either, by the way, Alex is the one that calls Henry that in the book during a jealous fit. Not only that, but Henry is left alone at a bar (no one's coming up to the handsome European prince during a party? Really?) , and Alex looks over from where he's dancing with someone else and gets a look of almost pity before he comes up to Henry and tries to get him to dance, making it feel like Alex is talking to Henry because he feels sorry for him and he has to instead of being there because he just wants to be.

Like? Can you see my issue? Listen, I love this movie, I'm rewatching it right now as I write this post, and I've memorized the entire script at this point. But I truly hate that party scene. It turns Alex's unwitting attachment to Henry to, ironically, a babysitting scene. Why not have Alex look over instead to find Henry talking to someone else, get jealous without realizing he's getting jealous, and cut in with the "You don't dance?" line, interrupting whatever conversation Henry was having. It becomes clear to us that the person Henry was talking to is already at the party with someone, but Alex, in his jealousy, only noticed that Henry had been enjoying his time at his party with someone else, and it would've been a single moment, but like all of Alex's jealous scenes in the book, it would've held so much weight.

I'm not going to pretend like the movie doesn't do a fantastic job of thoroughly showing Alex's feelings for Henry later on, but I also won't act like the movie doesn't have its flaws. It has plenty, but I can overlook and dismiss all the other mistakes. This stupid New Year's party is the only one that truly bothers me. (Also that scene during Alex and Nora's conversation after Henry kisses Alex, and we get that super pointless few seconds of the girl walking in? Like, thanks, glad we didn't get other vital scenes in the movie - because all the deleted scenes so far HAVE been super vital - to get some of those riveting few seconds scattered throughout the film instead.)

I know that the more you love a book, the more you'll find flaws with the movie/show adaptation. The movie does many things much better than the book, but there are some aspects of the book that were too important to cut out in the movie. Still, I still recognize that as someone who loves this story so much, I was bound to find a few things that could've been done better.

[to-hypnos-we-dream]

Hello! Don't worry about answering this anytime soon, I saw that you're busy with stress and whatnot! In fact, you don't have to respond to this at all if it makes you uncomfortable!

May I ask a really dumb question? Do you think Lord Hypnos could be more than just the God of the Subconscious as well? I think I remember you mentioning that. Well, I'm schizophrenic, I have been for several years now even though I was only diagnosed very recently. Do you think Lord Hypnos could help me with that as well? Bring me comfort after I've hallucinated for the billionth time that day? That He could make me feel as though I'm not going absolutely insane with my mental illness? I'm a worshipper of His brother, the great Lord Thanatos, and I have been considering worshipping Lord Hypnos for a while now as well. I have the okay of Lord Thanatos to do so as well, so it's really my own fear, that's stopping me at this point... I'm just scared of being more than Lord Hypnos can handle and Him cursing me...

I'm sorry for this being a bit rambley, but you seem to know a lot about all of this. Again, you don't have to answer this. Anyway! I'm wishing you all the best! May August treat you kindly and may the Gods look after you!

Hello! I'm so sorry with how rude Scald was with answering your asks, I hope we can make up for this. I didn't think the other one you sent was rude at all, you just really need this and I understand!

Anyways, While I am not schizophrenic myself, I do have psychosis and very scary hallucinations. Ever since I was a child, I would summon Hypnos to aid me to sleep whenever I was afraid of these hallucinations. Or I would summon Him to release my fear.

Hypnos would not curse you at all for asking for help, He loves helping His devotees! and He is a god! To Him, using His power to help one person is basically like breathing, it comes naturally to Him. You are not enough to tire a deity, but you are worthy enough for help because you are His devotee and He loves you.

We have created these, hopefully they will be aid to you!

Prayer to Hypnos to soothe stress and anxiety

Prayer to Hypnos to be strong during hallucinations

You are not a burden, while I talk about Hypnos too, I mean to everyone. You exist because the Gods wanted you in this world, mental illness may make you feel otherwise, or how you are treated may make you feel otherwise, but you exist because the Gods wanted another person to love.

It may be easy to forget to pray when you're afraid, so I'm working on a post on enchanting objects that will be put up within the hour!

[stilldancewithyou]

I really think they’re not gonna do J cheating in s3 which on one hand I’m fine with since they made him bi and as a bi person myself I don’t want to see that awful stereotype on screen for the billionth time (granted I also feel like it was so tokenized because it was such a blip and I don’t think they’ll ever mention his attraction to men ever again or explore that in a meaningful way but hey maybe they’ll surprise me since I have low expectations when it comes to TV and bi representation; personally I think Gavin has great chemistry with Sean but I’m not sure they’d ever explore j/s since people may find it weird he’d bounce between the Conklin siblings and as of now Steven is straight in the show iirc) but also I read that s2 follows the book very closely according to some extras on set and it would make me mad if they show Conrad’s very human mistakes and then sugar coat j’s so he still looks like the “nice” guy…

I can’t say j is my favorite but I also liked that the books kinda went beyond his nice guy persona and showed how this behavior can be a red flag (bc there’s too many shows that romanticize the guy who definitely sees the girl as the prize and let them end up together and like sorry to Jere who I know loved belly in his own way but his romantic intentions with her started off wrong since deep down it was about getting back and stealing something from Conrad and that just turned me off to them romantically (I do like their friendship)) but then also show him overcome it (I.e. letting belly go at their wedding day and presumably finding happiness since he was mentioned to have a plus one at the b/c wedding) I think this would be nice to see on tv but idk

granted I feel like they have shown in s1 the darker sides of J already and people ignore it (ex. The firework scene like no jeremiah physical violence is not the answer to your problems😒 and him yelling and projecting at Conrad saying he only sees belly as a competition and then scheming to separate them) but idk I don’t know what other problem aside from the cheating that they could throw between b/j to have them on the brink of a breakup that leads to their sham engagement happen for s3 (my worst fear is they’ll make belly the cheater to take the heat off of J since many of his Stans always say belly was projecting when she claimed him to cheat bc “technically” they were broken up and she was still in love with C and this would will further villanize her relationship with Conrad and thus prop up j… and that would remind me of how dirty the second to all the boys movie did LJ by not showing the very real mistakes Peter made in their relationship and making it look like she just freely bounced between John and Peter for no reason)… anyways this is a ramble but I’ve just been thinking about it since s2 is nearing (and in my heart I need it to be s3 already lol)

okay I have thought long and hard about this specific topic and I hear what you're saying. but I still firmly believe the cheating thing is going to happen in the show. I just...idk. there's just no way around it tbh. It's kind of like having Susannah miraculously live...the story wouldn't be the same. I think the cheating went a lot deeper than the surface level people are stuck at, at least in my interpretation of the book. The whole thing about it is that Jeremiah found out that Belly saw Conrad in Cousins in December and she never told him, and Jere spent months secretly brooding about that and being angry (somewhat rightfully) and the way he says things in the books I feel like Jeremiah thought/assumed that something happened between Conrad and Belly (cause they were alone at the beach house!) and he thinks that's why she never told him she saw Conrad. So I feel like after the whole fight about Cabo and Belly not wanting to go (bc she wanted to be in Cousins instead!) Jere went to Cabo pissed and jealous and slept with what's her face out of spite, to get back at Belly. at least that's my interpretation. But he obviously ended up realizing it was messed up and tried to make it better with the engagement. And then as a double whammy to Jeremiah, because of the engagement, Belly ends up spending the summer alone in Cousins with Conrad planning the wedding which probably made Jere even more angry (it's just so ironic lol).

I'm also with you on the point about Jeremiah being portrayed as the nice, perfect guy up until the 3rd book, and I really hope the show captures what the book did. Because they have worked overtime showing how perfect Jeremiah is and how he's the better option and trying to sell him as the best person. I think the way you get to see his flaws and mistakes (which are very human but also he was a jerk for a lot of the 3rd book outside of the cheating thing and ppl are blind to that I feel, like everyone is stuck on just the cheating). I also think it was super important for Belly to see Jere's flaws. She never truly appreciated what she had with Conrad and the person he is because she couldn't see past his very human mistakes (which all happened when his mother was dying and immediately after her death!!!) and she got so stuck on what Conrad did wrong she looked over and felt like Jeremiah was perfect and seemed so much better, funnier, happier, etc, etc, it was very much a "the grass is always greener on the other side" type of situation. The show definitely did show a lot more darker, more flawed sides of Jeremiah pretty early, but I still think they also worked really hard making him look perfect like in the books (up until book 3). I also think that's partly intentional, part of the point is that Belly had very idealized and romanticized ideas of both boys and what dating them and being around them all the time would be like and her bubble needed to be burst by reality.

anyway, all of that is to say that I still firmly believe the cheating thing is going to happen in the show. So prepare yourself while you have time. There's just nothing else that could compare to that to create not just the sham engagement but the angst, the jealousy, the anger and everything and then the way Conrad finds out about the cheating and immediately runs to Belly, all pissed off at Jere...I don't think anything else could get us there.

also as a side note: Jere and Steven did have good chemistry, but also I LOVE THEIR FRIENDSHIP TOO MUCH TO GO THERE. The friendship between Steven, Jere, and Conrad is so important and special and I feel like in the books they're presented as being like brothers. I don't think I could handle another lifelong friendship being ruined tbh (cause Belly and Jeremiah also had a great friendship and I loved it in the books but the show kinda fastforwarded over it). And I don't think it's something that could ever be explored because it gets too close the whole premise/storyline of Belly dating the Fisher brothers. But there's no harm in shipping! I personally thought Jeremiah and Taylor had really great chemistry as well (Taylor and Steven were also good together and I do love them) and I wanted to see more moments with Jere and Taylor. I am also still salty that the show basically erased Jere and Taylor's whole brief dating thing and some of the best flashbacks from the first book. But they're clearly going in the Steven/Taylor direction for now so I'm not getting my hopes up.

[g4rchomp]

sorry for being the billionth person making a post abt barbie. also sorry this post is sooo long I have a lot to say. disclaimer: I am saying words recreationally, don't take any of this too seriously pls!!

a strongly anticapitalist feminist friend invited me to see the movie in a theatre. I was intrigued as to why she would suggest that so I accepted. she said she invited me bc she wanted to see how I would react and what I would think, which I find funny lol

good movie to discuss with friends and people you know in real life around a drink etc. but NOT on the internet. (this is perhaps the most important point I really want to stress that)

any criticism of mattel by mattel (who pockets revenues from the movie) has no value to me

great movie to practice your hater skills. the balance of good stuff and bad stuff is amazing to keep your haterism skills sharp lol

my biggest gripes with the movie

I don't like how Sasha's character (pre-teen who hates barbie and seems to dislike her mom but gets closer to her during the movie) was handled.

First, her very factual and true concerns over capitalism and self-image related to barbie are never explored or taken into actual consideration. throughout the movie she's urged to understand her mother more but her efforts are not reciprocated.

Second, I am sooo deeply tired of teens being depicted as angry for no reasons. like wooow you're growing up and now you hate me, your super cool and understanding mother :((( it's always deeper than this if your kid dislikes you. this stuff always get an eye roll from me sorry

overall the feminism sucked so just quickly: patriarchy is presented as an individual force rather than a systemic one, no mention of race/age/class/sexual orientation etc. etc. etc. only misogyny but the world doesn't work like that

on that topic btw I didn't like how weird barbie (virtually the only gnc barbie) is only here to repair other barbies and make them whole again and doesn't exist outside of that. how fitting lollll

also seeing sasha go from 'I hate barbie and societal expectations' to 'barbie is my friend I'm wearing pink now' was kinda sad. gnc girls and girls who aren't girls I love you. in itself this trajectory isn't necessarily bad but on a personal level it just felt wrong.

it is an ok point of entry/conversation starters for feminist concerns if you're really on ground 0

forever my biggest gripe with the movie is how marketed it was and how it's made to sell me products. any feminism that attempts to grab my wallet isn't feminism I'm interested in

three really distasteful moments that stood out to me:

indigenous catching smallpox joke -> just shut the fuck up incredibly inappropriate and violent.

'to show how our character becomes human, we show she's going to the obgyn hihi' not funny didn't laugh it felt bioessentialist and to have it be the closing scene of the movie was just a bad move (to me at least but more on that later lol)

'margot robbie might not be the best person to deliver a message about how women shouldn't feel pressure to feel beautiful hihi' yeah she's not. congrats on making money by centering a beautiful skinny white woman and telling the audience you did it on purpose

lighthearted stuff

the music was fun I like how they used it throughout the movie

the costumes looked good, the film was pretty and I liked the acting it looked like they had fun filming

it was a real 'oh I get it now' moment when I saw 2ft margot robbie on the screen. she is attractive I can see it now

not related but it was kinda like straight people camp lol

the final scene (aka my other biggest gripe with the movie but it gets a section to itself)

women go to the obgyn hihihihi. ok first of all cool welcome to one of the most central sphere to violence against women. second going to the obgyn isn't a universal experience for women for many, many reasons. third ig it was a joke that fits the humorous tone of the movie but it didn't land for me.

ALSO. they already had the perfect ending (imo) with the pink birkenstocks!! early in the movie she has to make a choice between pretty pink heels and ugly brown sandals. we see her at the end wearing pink sandals. having her picking her new shoes would show she journey she's been on much better than the obgyn joke imo!!!

Anyways here are my thoughts. I'd be interested to know what you think abt these points or if you felt this way when watching the movie too, although honestly I feel like online settings are less than ideals to talk abt that. I wouldn't say I hated the movie (despite what the post might suggest lol) I don't regret seeing it. at least the movie made me want to talk about it and clarify some feelings I have after watching it, which is always something even if I disliked many things abt it!

[songue85]

This panel is funny, but, honestly, it is actually worthy of discussion, because despite appearances, this is not a clear win for the speedster!

First, identification: there have been multiple heroes under the names Green Lantern and Flash in DC Comics, so, it is important to point out these are their Silver Age incarnations, that is, Hal Jordan and Barry Allen.

From GL and Flash's power sets, we can note that Hal has the abillity to open subspace pathways to travel, basically portals that can allow him to cross the Universe in short ammounts of 'jumps', though veterans like Jordan can use the power ring to fly through the space on their own propulsion:

"How fast a Green Lantern can travel depends on their willpower, their skill, their capacity for creativity and the stored charge of their ring. In most cases, they can be as fast as they have the imagination and willpower to be. Since it is presumed their patrols may include intergalactic regions, the ability to make those jumps should be well within the capacity of the average skilled Green Lantern in order to offer support to their compatriots across the vast gulfs of space separating sectors. Is faster than light possible? Yes. But the ring will usually insist on creating wormholes or hyperspace travel because it is faster. Mobility is one of the primary capabilities of the ring since the Guardians expect their operatives to arrive in a timely fashion and to provide each other with support. Their most powerful and capable agents can travel from one end of the galaxy to the other in mere days." (SOURCE)

But there is a limitation, Green Lanterns need to think and focus before they can activate their rings, something other characters already commented on.

Even if we take Hal's reaction time as a jet pilot - look, a little google search gave this:

"The fastest possible conscious human reactions are around 0.15 s, but most are around 0.2 s. Unconscious, or reflex, actions are much faster, around 0.08 s because the signal doesn't have to go via the brain"

Not unreasonable to give Hal Jordan the reaction speed of around 0.15 s, right?

Barry Allen's conscious reaction speed, though, is one femtosecond.

A femtosecond is a unit of time equal to one quadrillionth (or one millionth of one billionth) of a second (0.000000000000001 s).

In the moment GL started reacting to the start of the race, Flash would not only have ran, he would already be far away.

But!

We do not know the length of the race, and that is IMPORTANT!

Here, I'll be making some conjectures.

(I'm sorry about it, but, hey, Comic Books, so prepare yourselves.)

First, the Guardians of Oa, creators and bosses of the Green Lantern Corp, divided the known universe into 3600 sectors, with mainly two Lanters for each sector, usually.

Now, when I say known Universe, I mean the parts that they bothered mapping until they stopped and just said it was far enough.

How far is enough? Heck if I know.

For reference, IRL the Universe is about 98 billion light years wide in diameter. In the DC Comics, though? Pfft!

One comic casually mentions Superman being brought to 100 Trillion light years from Earth to a location still in the Known Universe.

Which would mean that, since Earth is neither at the center nor the edge of their Universe, we can infer that this kind of distance is shorter than their universe's actual diameter...

... therefore, I'll be using this 100 trillion light years distance as the diameter for calculation because screw it, this whole post is ludicrous as it is.

So!

With 100 trillion LY as a diameter, the average sector would reach about half of it, then, 'just' 50 trillion LY away from Oa.

Why all this? Well.... Green Lanterns Hal Jordan and Guy Gardner once crossed from Oa to the limits of the mapped Sector 3600 in 10 hours...

... making the Green Lanterns' top speed, while safe in hibernation mode, to be: 50 trillion light years per 10 hours = 5 trillion times 6 trillion miles per hour = 500 sixtillion miles per second" (SOURCE)

Now we have a conundrum.

I'm cheating a little by making Barry Allen's top speed match Wally West's because it is more fun to see the chaos it is going to make, since I already dialed it up to 11 with Hal Jordan on a technicality.

So, Barry's top speed will be 13 trillion time the speed of light (around 1,750,000,000,000,000,000 miles per second, I think).

Hal's speed, if pushing it to its absolute limit, is over 285 thousand times faster than what Barry can achieve!

So, the question is not about the speed they can achieve, but the distance they would have to run.

My analysis:

Since Barry has a faster reaction time, he can reach the distance of 262,500,000,000,000,000, or over 262 quatrillion miles by the time Hal can react and, if we give Hal the same time of reaction as his time of creation for a top speed bubble (because I have no idea how to quantify the freaking speed of THOUGHT), then we double that distance for the Flash, who will have gone over half a quintillion miles by the time Hal actually joins the race.

By this moment, Hal Jordan will have not only catch up to Barry Allen, the emerald motherhugger cop would have passed by the scarlet speedster in what could only be conceived as a green streak several galaxies wide reaching a distance that is, conservatively speaking, a thousand times further than the fastest man alive would have reached by that moment.

So... yeah.

TL;DR?

Any race shorter than 520,000,000,000,000,000 miles (which is just short of the whole diameter of the freaking Milky Way) and Barry Allen would win.

Longer than that, then the win goes to Hal Jordan.

Green Lantern #4 - "Fast Friends" (2023)

written by Jeremy Adams art by Xermanico & Romulo Fajardo, Jr.

[heyhoeudoin]

Can I request a senku x reader where he overhears the reader, his crush that he thinks wouldn't be interested in him, talking about her feelings for him (her fluffy cute feelings and also her thirst)

ILLOGICAL FEELINGS

"I was so scared of these feelings."

pairing: senku ishigami x reader

words: 1.3k

genre/s: fluff, slight mature, a bit angsty?

warning/s: she/her (sorry!), modern world!au, mention of nsfw themes

synopsis: senku decided to take a little break, and visit you, but ended up hearing something private

masterlist

a/n: i had this ready a week ago, but then i got bombarded with assignments and completely forgotten about it. this is the only completed work i've done so far and i might not have any for next week since project week will be starting soon, so don't expect anything, i'm sorry. hopefully you'll enjoy this one though!

you are part of the drama club, a popular member at that; being talented at acting, and is pretty damn gorgeous also.

senku is the president of the science club, a popular person also; for being a hot nerd.

many thought that you two would never become friends because you two are so different, but you, and senku grew up together making the two of you pretty close. then they started speculating that either you two are dating, one has feelings for the other, or the two of you are hiding said feelings

but both of you denied such rumors.

senku decided to take a break by visiting you at the auditorium. the school is having a play soon, and you're working hard. you told him that the club would be having a dress rehearsal meaning yuzuriha will be there also; she is the president of the crafts club. a little visit wouldn't hurt, right?

as he walked inside the auditorium, he looked around, but didn't see you. "ah! ishigami-san," someone called for him, "if you're looking for y/n-sama, she's at backstage with ogawa-san." he nodded towards the person, and walked off.

just as he was about to call for you, he overheard something.

"come on y/n-chan, just admit your feelings for senku-chan."

'what?' senku peeked through the curtain to see gen, and kohaku standing in front of you with yuzuriha checking your costume.

you groaned, "i swear you've been asking me everyday, and for the ten billionth time; i do not hold feelings for senku."

senku grimaced at the straightforward answer.

gen looked at you with a "really now?" look to which you looked away from. even kohaku, and yuzuriha made eye contact with each other, and shook their heads.

"i think you should just confess." yuzuriha says making you violently shake your head which caused her to almost poke you with a needle. "wait! don't move!"

you stopped moving, "oh sorry," you muttered. "there is nothing to confess!" then you exclaimed.

"nuh-uh, spill the tea sis." kohaku suddenly says with a straight face as both her hands flopped down.

you, gen, and yuzuriha turned to her with a cringed face. "when the hell did you learn that?" you asked with exasperation.

she shrugs, "i overheard the three sisters saying it."

"please don't ever say that again, kohaku."

"i regret saying it."

gen shook his hands, "anyways, just admit the feelings you have, y/n."

"i don't want to. i'll never admit them."

he rose a brow at that, "and why is that?"

"because these feelings are illogical," you let out in a pained voice, "the amount of times he ranted to me about the multiple love confessions he get per week: 'romance is illogical', 'relationships are a waste of time', and then more i can't think of! i also get those love confessions, but i haven't told senku about any of them. i feel bad for those people to confess their feelings only to end up heartbroken. it makes me think that what if that happens to me? i'm afraid of what will happen to us if he finds out how..." you smiled as you placed a hand over your chest, "my heart have always belonged to him."

senku had to process what he just heard from you. is this the rehearsal? he thought the play is an action one which is why kohaku is there; to teach fighting techniques.

"what do you even see in senku?" kohaku asks with a deadpanned look.

you put your hands on top of your cheeks with a lovesick expression, "he's such a tsundere!~"

'oh no...'

"he acts like he doesn't care about you, but he deeply does. he makes you feel appreciated, and wanted. that stupid hair of his is the only thing he can pull off, and those cocky smirks of his! ah~ he's so smart too, and every time he nerds out on anything science, it's just so cute! then if there's something i don't know, he doesn't belittle me about it, but teaches me instead. don't even get me started on the experiments! his hands, and arms make me so distracted that i don't even know what to do anymore. oh my gosh! that one time when he rolled up his lab coat sleeves—i can't ahsbdshjdfsm." then you started type spamming in real life.

gen held in a laugh, "wow, you're down bad." then he smirks, "and kinky. bet you do it thinking of him, huh?"

you gasped, "offended!" you exclaimed as you placed a hand on your chest. "doing that while thinking of someone feels like i'm violating them, so no thanks."

a bead of sweat rolled down senku's forehead, 'alright, let's stop this before things get out of hand, and i hear something far too much.' but before he could do something...

"okay!" yuzuriha exclaimed, a bit red in the face. "please don't talk about those things, just what else do you like about senku, y/n?" she says stirring back the conversation to about senku.

"oh sorry," you sheepishly muttered, "he works so damn hard on his dream. ever since he was little, he already knew what he wanted to do. to become a scientist, and get on the moon. it's just so motivational to see how hard he works on anything science, to learn each thing properly. i swear if the world turns to stone, he'd be the savior of it." you let out a slight chuckle from your joke, "but seriously though, seeing him work so hard makes me want to work hard too. he really does bring the best out of me."

"y/n!"

the three of you turned to senku who is casually walking into the backstage.

"senku!"

you shouted in panic which almost caused you to slip.

"speak of the devil." kohaku says with a sly smile.

"how coincidental~" gen smiles deviously, almost like he knew that the scientist have been eavesdropping.

yuzuriha stood up, "alright, your dress is okay!" then she looped her arms around gen's and kohaku's arm, "we'll get going now! gen needs to prepare, kohaku needs to teach the action team, and i still need to check on the others. bye!" then dashed off.

you, and senku waved off to the retreating trio. he turned to you expecting you to be at least a bit red, but your face held nothing but a neutral expression. as expected, you aren't the ace of the drama club for nothing, but he's pretty sure that you're internally panicking right now.

'DID HE HEAR EVERYTHING? I'M SO EMBARRASSED! I WANNA DIE!'

you cleared your throat, "i didn't expect to see you senku, what's up?"

"am i not allowed to visit you?" he asked with a smirk making you swallow. then he trailed down your dress, "are you a princess for this one? thought it was action."

you smoothen down your dress as you looked at it, "oh yes, and it is. i'm not the lead this time, just a princess." then something unexpected happened.

senku bowed his head, and took you hand while doing so. then he softly place his lip on top of your hand.

your ear turned red, "w-what?"

then he raised his head a bit to make eye contact with you, "i have to greet you properly, right princess?" he says with a sly smirk on his face.

your entire face then turned red.

"what's gotten in you?" you asked as you tried to calm your beating heart. "why are you being so... flirty?"

senku straightened up, but is still holding you hand. "i'm afraid to say this, but my heart too belongs to you."

. . .

he noticed you said nothing, and just continued to stare at him. "y/n?" but before he could ask, you brought your face to him practically smashing your lips onto his. you wrapped your arms around his neck as he held your waist in his.

you pulled away shortly after, "i love you, but don't ever do stuff like that again."

senku lets out sigh with slightly red ears, "i- yeah, thank you."

masterlist

[rayslittlekitten]

Husband Duties

A/N: For some reason this idea came to me last night while I had trouble falling asleep myself which is really out of the left field because I’ve never been pregnant nor am I trying. In fact, I don’t even know if I ever plan on having children. I think reading domestic!Will fics may have influenced this. I still haven’t come up with a title for this yet. I’m shit at it.

RATING: E (18+ONLY)

Pairing: Will “Ironhead” Miller x Wife F!reader

Plot: Not being able to fall asleep, you wake your husband up to help with your situation.

Contains: pregnancy love making, mentions of pregnancy/breeding kink, To-Be-Daddy!Will (this is the literal kind of daddy!Will, not daddy dom!Will)

You’ve been tossing and turning and in and out of sleep since you’ve gotten into bed. You glance over at the clock. It reads 2:34am. You huff and roll over again for the billionth time tonight to face your husband who is snoring peacefully on his back. You feel guilty doing this because you know he sometimes doesn’t get quality sleep as he still gets nightmares from time to time although he also might want to get that snoring checked out, but you’re desperate.

“Hey, babe,” you say quietly while gently nudging him. All you did was make him snort. You try again.

“Will!” You nudge him a little harder.

He finally wakes up startled and turns over to you.

“Huh? Hey, honey. Is everything okay? Are you okay? Is the baby okay? You need something?” Will lifts his head off the pillow and spits out questions like fireballs while scanning your body. He’s been extra cautious and vigilant since you both found out about your pregnancy five months ago.

“I’m fine.” You chuckle.

“Is it my snoring again? I’m so sorry.” Will drops his head back onto his pillow and groans and rubs his face with his hands.

“No, Will. I can’t sleep,” you tell him while running your fingers through his short messy blonde hair.

“What’s the matter, sweetheart?” Will covers his mouth and yawns.

“I’m… horny. Again.”

Ever since entering your second trimester, you’ve noticed a huge spike in your sex drive. The both of you have not had this much sex since the beginning of your marriage. It’s gotten to a point where, believe it or not, you think you’re wearing Will out, sometimes having sex multiple times a day, but Will is always up for it though.

“Of course you are,” Will flashes a lazy smile.

Will cups your face and his half open eyes soften as he looks at your face, the sliver of the moonlight highlighting your pregnancy glow. He leans in to kiss you. His hand reaches down between your legs under your short silky night gown and finds you already super wet. You moan into his mouth feeling his fingers brush against your sensitivity.

“Damn baby, you are all ready for this,” Will says with a sleepy, scratchy voice.

He instructs you to turn the other way and you roll over so your back is to him. With your growing belly, you’ve both had limited positions and have had fun exploring new ones and finding out which ones worked best.

You feel Will’s hard chest pressed against your back and his already semi-hard cock presses between your cheeks. You can sense him stroking himself to get to full mast as his mouth ravages your neck and shoulder: kissing, licking, sucking, biting. Each sensation revving up your already super charged up libido.

Will reaches under your night gown again and pulls your panties off of you, tossing it aside. Will then grips the back of your thigh and lifts it up slightly and then you feel him effortlessly slide into your swollen, dripping pussy. You sigh from relief. He starts slowly thrusting up into you.

His hand starts exploring your new ever changing body. Ever since your body started adjusting to accommodate the new life in your womb, your curves have gotten curvier and he absolutely loves it. Your hips are wider, your ass rounder, thighs thicker and your breasts are fuller. You’ve been a bit self-conscious about your growing body but Will has shown nothing but adoration for it and he always makes you feel so beautiful. Not just that, but you are no longer just his wife and best friend. You are also going to be the mother of his first child and he finds that incredibly sexy. He’s never had a pregnancy kink, but you may have awakened something.

He slowly runs the palm of his hand over your child-bearing hip, feeling the coolness of his wedding band on your hot skin, then behind you to caress your ass, giving it a gentle squeeze, and then pushing himself into you to the hilt and stays that way buried inside you. You moan and push back, wanting Will to move, but he stills your hip with his hand.

“Shh, baby. I promise I’ll take care of you.” Will continues planting little kisses on your shoulder and neck. His hand travels up to your ample bosom, slipping into the top of your low cut night gown and cupping your tender breast spilling out of his hand as his calloused thumb grazes over your nipple, causing your back to arch against him. You usually love when he pinches them but he knows you’re far too sensitive for that right now. He pulls his cock back out of you and swiftly thrusts himself back in, pumping in and out at a medium pace, careful not to hurt you.

“Will…” your breath hitches.

“Yes, baby, I know,” Will whispers into your ear.

“I need more,” you pant, pushing back to meet his rhythmic hips.

“Don’t you worry, baby. I’m gonna give you more.” Will coos, his slim nose buried in your hair. His hips start snapping up, deeper, harder and faster. His hand is now on the curve of your round belly. You put your hand over his and entangle your fingers with his, the both of you touching the precious protective nest housing the life you both created and is currently growing in.

“I love you so much, Y/N,” Will moans into your ear.

You throw your leg over his, spreading yourself so he has deeper access to your aching core. Will is now giving you long deep strokes while his fingers are rubbing your slick swollen clit. You feel yourself getting close as the familiar tingle in your groin starts forming. You can tell Will close too from his shallow breathing.

“I love you too, Will,” you reply as you concentrate on your orgasm.

You reach your hand back to touch his face and turn your head towards him. Will presses his forehead on your temple and whispers encouraging words into your ear.

“Come on, baby. I know you’re so close.”

Will continues a steady rhythm until you cry out and feel your legs shaking.

“There you go, baby.”

“Oh, fuck!” You scream out, feeling your most intense orgasm yet.

Will keeps pounding into you until you’re done but you feel another one hitting you.

“Oh my god,” you gasp, feeling tears spill from the corner of your eyes.

“Just let it all go, sweetheart.” Will kisses the apple of your cheek and brushes your tears away with his soft lips.

“I… I can’t,” you breathe out as another rolls right out of you.

“Yes you can, baby. I got you.” Will has not stopped or slowed down at all. He is holding back his own release to make sure he’s pulled every orgasm out of you.

“It’s too much, Will!” You push his hand away from between your legs.

Will gently grabs your chin and kisses you as he pumps into you a few more times and grunts as he finally spills his seed inside of you, oddly wishing you weren’t pregnant so he can impregnate you all over again.

He slowly pulls out of you and kisses your temple.

“You alright, honey?” Will asks you.

You nod with a beaming smile on your face as you catch your breath.

“I’ll be back.” Will plants another kiss on your forehead and then gets out of bed and disappears out of the bedroom.

After a few minutes he comes back and gently rolls you onto your back and pushes your night gown up to your waist, then spreading your legs a bit to swipe the warm damp towel between your legs to clean you up. He then goes to your lingerie drawer and grabs a fresh clean pair of panties for you and helps you put it on. He climbs back into bed and lays on his back with his arms wide open. You get comfortable by resting your hand and head on his chest and shoulder and casually throwing your leg across his thighs.

“Better now?” Will asks, glancing down at you and grazing his fingers up and down your spine.

“Yes. Thank you, babe.” You nod.

“Good night, honey.” Will gives you one last kiss on the top of your head before settling in.

“Good night, Will.” You smile, snuggling into your husband’s warm cozy chest before finally drifting off to sleep.

[officeobject]

(This turned into info-dumping, LOL).

What I love about this, is that instead of getting queerphobia from Christians, or religion-disgust from queer people, or even "you're over-interpreting", I got likes, and it was by aroace people, like they were saying "this might be weird, but yeah, sure, and I'm glad it makes you happy, and it's valid", so, yay!

Also, I'm actually a confused Christian specifically - like, I have no idea what the rules are, what the Bible means, nor how to interpret it (and autism makes that harder), and I have no idea which parts of the Bible to believe (I only believe the realistic parts), or really ANYTHING - and I'm nervous around my religion all the time, even around God, and I guess it's because it's about good stuff but is very serious, and I can almost never be serious about my religion, or focus too long on something that has nothing to do with me, so I just exist and then randomly, suddenly, out of nowhere, I will pull out my religion like "by the way, I think Jesus was asexual", or "God, make the cramps go away ... like, I seriously don't deserve it, like, can you?", or like "thank you God", or something.

I can't NOT believe in a god, and I have no idea why specifically Christianity, but life do be like that.

Also, I think God trolls me on a monthly basis, and I only mentioned that here, because it's funny and goofy.

Like, seriously, I chose a random window to glance at to divert my attention, and I was like "I'm gonna get attached because 30 year old office worker, LOL", and somehow, that specific 30 year old office worker ended up being exactly like a character I had, AND they like me platonically back! The only problem is that we'll most likely never meet, and no one believes they can see me, and sometimes I have to go long periods of time without seeing them, or doors keep gettg closed - hey, they say that when a bunch of doors close, then another one opens! Like, THE one, and I actually saw a crow today, fly past their window when I tried to look for the billionth time, and then later I saw a white feather on the ground (outside, but still), and then later I misread "crow" as "office worker" (well, I do think about them a lot), and then later, out of the corner in my eye in the window reflection - as in, even later, I saw a crow fly up to a tree or something, so yeah.

You know, it's hard to have hope ... and also that thing on my face is a weird tear stain, NOT snot -

But my life has been ... very weird this year, and I achieved 0 of my goals from when I was 10, but being my failure of a self, and just enjoying life when I could and wanted to, and even stuff I didn't think was possible or couldn't expect or seemed normal or mundane or whatever, lead to me finding, like, my oddly specific character IRL, so maybe there IS hope ...

Also, my - sorry, it happened AGAIN - while I wrote the paragraph above, I got, like, 4 notifications, so maybe that's a sign that I'm not doomed ...

Because I kid you not, God has to hit me in the fecking head with messages sometimes - like, I had a literal sign in a dream after praying + my apothiaroace flag design by LaynFire window.

Anyways, yeah.

I woke up at some point, and God validated my apothiaroaceness. My phone's camera is SHIT at picking up colors, but I took a photo anyway:

Here's another photo:

And of course, it's in reference to the only a-spec flag that makes me actually feel like myself (unlike the aro and ace flags respectively, for example, or the aroace one): the apothiaroace flag by LaynFire on Reddit!

Also, not sure why the feck I needed validating at, like, 7 in the morning according to my epic aroace religion nepo baby, but yay regardless - oh, right, because I was sobbing last night about it ...

Anyways, God said I'm apothiaroace, that one a-spec apothiace who doubted and invalidated me behind my back, can go and fail his career, just like he failed his life and the people around him, and though I could wish for something great, let's be honest, I don't, and he'll never amount to something great, but like, I mean this in a polite and nice and typical Christian way.

[harrysweasleys]

know-it-all // g.w

summary: Could you please write a fluffy fic about George and a Ravenclaw reader arguing about an answer on an exam or an assignment. And in the end it turns out George was right. And I would love it if you could include the exchange, "Don't say it!" "I told you so." "I said don't say it."

warnings: mentions of food

word count: 1.7k

a/n: i am back with my twin fics! woah! it’s been a while, sorry about that. life has been wild and i didn’t have much motivation but here we go! i hope you all enjoy!! x

[i do not give permission for my work to be reposted on any other platform!]

For what felt like the billionth time of that afternoon, you dropped your head onto the table and let your forehead smack against the solid wooden surface. You could feel different sets of eyes peering in your direction from other tables in the library, all silently questioning what was wrong with you. 

The answer was simple: Potions.

Snape had set out a stupid assignment that, to be completely fair, was way out of your league. For every time you thought he was an awful professor, he sunk remarkably lower. 

The topic of said assignment was one that you guys hadn’t even covered yet, and given by Snape’s tone of voice when a student had brought that very point up in class, he really couldn’t care less. It didn’t help that you were already ridiculously occupied with other end-of-year assignments — you didn’t want to get stuck teaching yourself a whole new branch of potion-making as well. You were barely sleeping nights and only showed up to dinner every second day, the library study hours becoming your very best friend. 

It was just a lot. 

It also didn’t help that you could see the golden rays of the sunlight pouring in through the dusty library window, signalling that it was once again the end of the day, and tomorrow, bright and early, you’d be handing in the assignment that you were nearly certain you’d botched. 

Dinner was likely being prepared in the Great Hall right about now, the wonderful smell of roast potatoes and pumpkin juice running through your mind, but you honestly weren’t up to eating. You were feeling rather down in the dumps, forehead still pressed against the wooden table, and your mind reeling around the assignment.

“You look like you could use some assistance.”

You lifted your gaze, sure that there was now a bright red spot on your forehead, and glared over at George, who had just taken the seat across from you at the table. His grin was wide but his eyes were tired — you knew he was busy working on assignments of his own, as well his summer plans for opening the shop. Yet somehow he always found time to help you. 

He tilted his head to the side when you gave him an exhausted stare, blinking rapidly before you processed his question. 

“Do you remember doing this last year?” you asked, sliding over the assignment paper, giving a small cough to clear your dry throat. George, being in the year ahead of you, had quite the knack for Potions. He liked to say it was because it was just utterly fascinating and he was a purely, genuinely, naturally gifted student, but you knew he only did so well because he’s been brewing his own disastrous concoctions since he was a young boy. With practice comes skill, you always said. 

And you prayed to Merlin that said skill would come in handy right about now. 

His eyes scanned the paper and he gave a small shake of his head, “No, but I think you’ve got this wrong. You wrote Leech Juice here, but I’m pretty sure the answer is actually Acromantula Venom.”

You frowned, snatching the paper back from him — making him flinch and take a quick look at his fingers for any paper cuts — and stared down at your answer, “What? No. The obvious answer is Leech Juice. This was the only question I understood. I know the answer to this one, it’s the others that I can’t seem to figure out.”

He raised an eyebrow, “It’s Acromantula Venom, darling. That I know for sure.”

Though you were grateful for his presence and the fact that he was willing to help, you knew he was wrong about that one. Any first year could tell the answer was Leech Juice. But you didn’t feel like arguing with him any more than necessary with time running low, so you just gave your paper back and frowned.

“Can you help me with any of these? Professor Snape hasn’t said a single thing about any of these topics, and I’m sick of flipping through book after book, not even sure what I’m looking for,” you let out a sigh, “It feels like he’s purposefully setting us up for failure,” you muttered the last part under your breath, not wanting anyone other than George to hear your complaints.

His hand reached across the table and linked with yours, his soft fingers calming down the rapid, stressed-out beating of your heart, and gave you a small smile, “If he hasn’t taught you this, I’m sure that you’re not the only one having a hard time.”

You groaned, trying to pull your hand out of his, unfortunately failing as his grip was stronger than yours. 

“That doesn’t make me feel better,” you said, voice low, “I don’t want to fail, even if everyone else does. That’ll always show up on my reports.”

He pursed his lips, giving you a small nod, “Alright, I get that. Why don’t you take a break? We’ll go eat, and then finish this up later, yeah? You can head over to the Common Room with me after dinner, I doubt anyone will say anything.”

A sigh left your lips as you began to place your parchment and books into a pile, George grabbing your ink bottle and quill — which had kindly left little indents in your hand due to aggressive use — and the two of you began to make your way to the Great Hall. 

After leaving the library, you could feel a weight lifted off of your shoulders. As if the tense study environment that you had felt stuck in had now been leeched away from you. As if you could now think clearly. You gave George a small smile, thankful that he arrived when he did. 

Merlin, why was sixth year so difficult? If it wasn’t for George’s calmness and sanity, you’d probably be a melted mess of failed papers and shining blue robes on the floor. 

As you made your way into the Hall, heading towards the Ravenclaw table, George pressed a kiss to your forehead and muttered, “Acromantula Venom,” against your skin, shooting you a wink before he made off to his own house table. 

You gave a small scowl, mouthing “Leech Juice” right back at him. 

— —

“Oh, well, now would you look at that,” George grinned, looking down at the assignment you were shoving in his face. A bright smile donned your lips as you flashed the score, a bright red E. 

Exceeds Expectations. 

It wasn’t the O — Outstanding — that you were hoping for, but Merlin, did the E feel good. That meant you had done better than Snape was expecting — and better than a majority of the class, by the looks of it. They had all walked out with solemn faces and shoved their papers in their bags as quickly as possible. Even the Slytherin girl who sat behind you, the one who always bragged about perfect grades and how much Snape favoured her, had left without saying a word. That fact alone really boosted your pride. 

“No thanks to your brilliant boyfriend,” George gave himself a pat on the back, giving you your now-crumpled paper. 

“Oh, sod off,” you gave him a nudge in the shoulder as you sat down on the couch next to him, the Gryffindor common room rather silent for this early in the evening. Despite being a Ravenclaw, passing students didn’t mind your presence in their house. After three years of dating George and always being in the space, they barely even noticed the blue of your tie amongst the red ones anymore. 

“Wait, what’s this?” George rapidly snatched the paper out of your hands — revenge for when you did it to him, most likely — and his eyes lingered on question number four, “Oh, well, would you look at that?”

You scowled, crossing your arms over your chest in preparation for his comment, “Don’t say it.”

His grin was so wide, you swore his cheeks would split, “You got Leech Juice wrong! And right here, scribbled in Snape’s hardly-legible writing, what does that say? It looks like A-Acro-,” 

“Don’t,” you didn’t meet his eyes, a sour expression on your face as George rubbed it in. 

“I told you so,” he leaned forwards, pressing a light kiss against your temple, arm slinging around you to bring you against his body. His warmth radiated through his sweater and it wasn’t helping the pettiness you were feeling in your chest. 

“I said don’t say it,” you grumbled, snapping your head away from him and staring at the blank brick wall next to the fireplace. His laugh vibrated through your body, and it took everything in you not to turn around and laugh with him. 

He placed one of his hands under your chin and turned your gaze to meet his, “Come on, I’m only playing. I’m proud of you, and I knew you’d do well. You were worried for nothing.”

“It wasn’t for nothing!” you flailed your arms, letting them fall on your lap, “He sprung this out of the blue. Of course I was worried.”

“And you did brilliantly,” he pressed another kiss to your temple, sparks fluttering across your skin as his loving touch, “You always do, my brilliant little witch.”

You cracked.

A small smile made its way onto your lips as you leaned into his touch, loving the feeling of being close to him. And it felt even sweeter knowing that you hadn’t failed — that this was a victory hug. 

“Love you,” he mumbled against your hand, bringing your knuckles up to his lips and pressing a kiss on each one. You leaned your head on his shoulder, bringing your lips to his neck to mumble the same words against his skin. 

A victory. 

taglist

@grierpilots @hxfflxpxffs @mikumana @msmimimerton @pit-and-the-pen @diary-of-an-onliner @thoseofgreatambition @theweasleysredhair @haphazardhufflepuff @awritingtree @thisismysketchbook @valwritesx @vogueweasley @hufflrpuffforfred @phuvioqhile @marvelettesassemble @shadowsinger11 @breadqueen95 @hahee154hq @inglourious-imagines @amourtentiaa @barneswidow @spacexcowgirl @lumos-barnes @gcdricreads @bolaurel​ @almostweepingbanana​ @ickle-ronniekins​ @iprobablyshipit91​ @wand3ringr0s3​ @susceptible-but-siriusexual​ @amhyeah​ @a-castle-of--glass @freddie1978 @lumosandnoxwriting​ @rosaliepostsstuff​ @darthwheezely​ @parseltongueswriting @pandaxnienke​ @esmeralda-a @freds-slut​ @slytherinlovesgryffindor

[softboywriting]

Meet The Parents | Billy Russo

Summary: You introduce Billy to your parents and it doesn’t go as well as you hope. [Billy Russo x F!Reader] [Assistant!Reader Trope] [Alternate Timeline - Castle family not mentioned/never happened] [Fluff] [Problematic Parents/Divorced] [Parents Fighting] [Language] [Flirting] [Flashback/Nightmare]

 Word Count: 3.8k 

 A/N: This is a follow up to my first fic Little Moments but can be read separately as a stand alone story. I may be doing several in a series with these two.

---

The office is quiet, and has been for the whole day. Billy has been out at a client meeting since you got in. Anvil is becoming quite popular in the private military market, having taken on three new contracts in the last two weeks. You're proud of Billy, he works hard to win over his clients and offer top of the line service. As the primary contact for all contracts and placements, you've gotten busy too. More business means more expenses, and more employees to keep track of. You don't mind, it keeps you active and engaged. There is nothing more you hate than just sitting around staring at the wall or watching cat videos for the billionth time.

"Hey sweetheart."

You glance up from your work and see Billy closing the office door behind him. He's dressed up, black and grey patterned silk shirt, expensive black suit, the tailored jacket over his arm. He looks positively delicious if you do say so. Those shirts are the best thing you ever convinced him to wear.

"Hey yourself. How'd the meeting go?"

"Shitty." He sneers and tosses his jacket on his office chair. He begins unbuttoning the sleeves of his shirt to roll them up to his elbows. "The guy brought his daughter."

"Okay? What does she have to do with anything?"

Billy raises his eyebrows in an 'are you shitting me' expression. "His daughter is a model. Not naturally talented mind you, paid for by her daddy. Clearly he thought havin' her there would sway me into acceptin' the number he offered for the contract you wrote up. Like he's doing me a favor."

You stand and walk around the desk, eyes going up and down his chest. "You didn't do anything did you?"

"What kinda man do you think I am?" Billy walks you back against your desk, pinning you in with his hands on the top behind you. He drops his head to yours and stares at you with those dark endless eyes. "You think I'd fuck around?"

"I know you won't, you're too gone for me." You run your hands up his back and he arches against you. "Did she try?"

"She tried. Even sat on my lap."

"In front of her dad?"

"Mmmhmm." Billy drops his face to your neck and mouths at your skin. "I don't mind a little show and tell but even I got boundaries. Parental peepshows are off limits."

You laugh softly and he brings one hand against your lower back up to pull you against him. "Take it easy. You know the rules. No relationship stuff while I'm on the clock."

He groans, pulling his head back to look at you. "I need to touch you though. I don't want her lingering on me."

"I know." You step out of his hold and he lets his hand drag across your back as you escape his grasp. "Just another hour okay? I've gotta wrap a few things up."

Billy pulls his tie loose and unbuttons the top of his shirt. "Why did I ever make these rules?" He sinks down in his chair and spreads his legs, lolling his head against the back. He really is such a tempting little tease. How could you resist a man like that? Truth be told it's hard.

You take a seat behind your desk and focus your eyes on the invoices on screen. "You made them because you want Anvil to remain professional and not a playground."

"Bullshit."

"Your bullshit."

Billy bites his lip and gives you that look. The one that says he isn't to be messed with, that he's gonna get what he wants no matter what. And oh it's so tempting to get up and go sit on his lap in that chair. It's always been a fantasy of yours. One you haven't gotten to full fill due to his rules. He's really only cockblocking himself.

"C'mere."

"No, Billy."

"C'mon, be bad. Break my rules."

"No! You're such a jerk!" You laugh and he chuckles playfully. "We have dinner with my parents after this anyway. I'm not breaking your rules and getting all messy before we go see my parents. You hear? Parents."

"Always such a good girl."

"You like it."

"Damn right I do." He pushes up out of his chair and crosses the office to cradle your head and press a chaste kiss to your temple. "I'm gonna go home and get ready. Anything you want me to lay out for you? I think you've got a few things at the apartment."  

"The blue dress. I picked it up from the cleaners last week with a few suits. It should be in your closet."

"The one I bought you a while back for the client dinner?"

"Yeah."

"Isn't that a little revealing for a parents dinner?"

You raise your eyebrows and he narrows his eyes.

"You're a monster." He presses his lips to your ear. "If you keep teasing me I'll have to put you in your place."

"I guess I'm a glutton for punishment."

"Oh sweetheart, you have no idea what you're askin' for." Billy kisses your cheek and steps away. "Playin' with fire will get you burned."

You smile innocently. "See you later."

"You're terrible." He goes to the door and stops, looking back once more. "But I love you."

"Love you too Billy."

"Ugh," he groans, slapping a hand over his chest. "Say it again."

"Love you?" You giggle and he acts even more dramatic, pretending to swoon against the door. "What are you doing?"

"Being you."

"Wh- you son of a bitch! Get out!" You throw your squishy stress ball at him and he cackles as he runs from the office. What a child.

_____________________

"Oh, this is your boyfriend?" Your mother asks in actual surprise. As if you weren't meant to have a man that looks like Billy Russo. Truth be told you had never dated anyone half as attractive, not to you anyways. "He's so...well dressed."

Billy takes your mom's hand and kisses it politely. "We're all well dressed here ma'am. You look lovely too."

"Thank you." She flushes and giggles.

Billy gives a warm smile and tugs you closer. His hand on your back is radiating heat, its comforting. He knows you're tense. This dinner will be a strain on your nerves and he had been warned how difficult your parents can be.

"Your father should be here soon. I told him not to be late." Mom says huffily, eyeing the doors to the restaurant. You've met up with her outside and you're currently waiting for your dad to arrive. Your parents have been split for ten years and it's been hard, but not as hard as it would have been if they had divorced when you were still a young child. Well, you like to think that anyways. They waited, held on to their shit until you were graduated and old enough to understand that some people don't remain in love.

Billy leans in and presses his lips to your ear. "Are your parents going to fight? This place is very nice, I don't want to cause a scene."

"It'll be fine. They can hold it together for a few hours. I hope. Just don't mention their personal lives. It's a sore spot for mom. Dad isn't single anymore."

"Gotcha."

"Sorry I'm late." You turn and see your dad walking towards you. "Some asshole parked his Rolls Royce just on the line and I hardly squeezed into the only spot open beside it."

Mom scoffs and rolls her eyes. She bites her tongue but you know what she would say. Some comments about his truck being too damn big and a gas guzzler.

Dad puts his hand out for Billy. "You must be the lucky guy!"

Billy takes it and smiles a beautiful, toothy, shit eating grin. "Billy Russo, the asshole who parked his Rolls Royce a bit close to the line."

The way Dad's face turns pale and then red with embarrassment makes the whole evening worthwhile up until then. "That's yours?"

"One hundred percent. Bought and paid for."

"That's a beautiful piece of machinery. Expensive."

Billy leans his head on yours. "I only go for the best."

"Well you know I-"

"Oh shut up already, let's go inside." Mom says and grabs your dad's arm. "Always babbling on about shit when we've got things to do."

"Y'know what-" the conversation fades as your parents head into the restaurant. You're glad. It is bound to be petty anyways. Always was with them. Bickering children they should be called.

"Relax." Billy says in your ear, hand traveling up and down your side. "I can win over your parents for one night."

"You could charm anyone into anything and I've seen as much. You're a silver tongued sn-"

Billy catches your jaw in a light hold and presses a kiss to your lips. Your hand slides up into his hair and he grins into the kiss. "Easy now. We've not even gotten seated yet."

"Your fault."

"Usually is."

____________________

You stare at yourself in the reflection of the bathroom mirror. Dinner wasn't going so great and you had barely made it through an appetizer and drinks.

Your parents couldn't stop arguing, Billy was trying his best to charm them but apparently they're uncharmable, and you were left to play referee for your parents against each other or them against you and Billy.

It is a whole mess and you want to just leave, just walk out say fuck everything and go to Billy's apartment and go to bed. You haven't even had a chance to tease Billy like you were planning, hell, you've barely gotten a word in that wasn't defending him or fielding your parents insults they continuously hurdled over the table at one another.

The door rattles on your left and you clear your throat. "Occupied!" You shout and it stops.

It's a single use bathroom, not a multi-stall type set up. So the person outside would just have to wait until you were done having your crisis. Maybe not so fair to them but you'll be damned if you won't let yourself have a moment.

The handle turns and you back into the sink as the door opens. To your surprise it is Billy, not some worker with a key. "What the-"

"Your parents are insufferable. How the hell did you grow up with them? I mean I was in a group home and a few of the adults weren't great but holy shit they weren't my parents."

"I'm sorry."

Billy closes the door and shakes his head, taking your hands in his. "Don't be sorry for their actions. Never apologize for anyone but yourself."

"I knew this would happen. I just thought that maybe...I don't know...maybe they'd be different. Maybe they'd be proud of me, of you, so they would get along for two fucking hours."

"Sweetheart, you're nearly thirty, you're still seeking your parents approval?"

You laugh joylessly and bite the inside of your cheek. "You don't understand. You can't understand."

Billy brings your forehead to his lips and he rubs your back. He's always so affectionate with you, careful to hold and to love you like a man who never received it himself so he wants to make sure those he loves receives it tenfold.

"I understand seeking approval, but there is nothing you need approval for. You're an adult with a good job, a place to stay, an outstanding boyfriend with his own company. I'd say you're doin' alright honey."

You let out an actual little laugh, and he does too, bumping his nose against yours. "You're so full of yourself."

"You like that?" He bumps again, eyes on yours. "I said it to get you to giggle."

"You know it's a little true."

His lips meet yours in a warm tender kiss. "Confidence is sexy."

"It is."

"I could tell your parents there's a work emergency." He slides his hands over your ass and pulls you flush against him. "A real pain in the ass employee is causin' trouble."

You smile into his lips and he smiles back. "Oh yeah?"

"Mmhmm."

He chuckles softly and cradles your head to his chest. "You can't choose how your family acts. Remember that. It's up to you to decide how you act, and if you want to deal with them."

"I know."

"Do you?" He runs a hand over your hair, tangling his fingers in the strands briefly.. "I know it's different for you, I can distance myself easier since I didn't grow up with proper parents. Maybe I'm cold, or indifferent but-"

"Stop." You dig your fingers into his side and he falls quiet. "Don't compare your childhood to mine. It's not fair. I don't want you to begin resenting me because-"

Billy gives you a look that is all warning and it silences you instantly. "I would never resent you for having parents and growing up like a normal kid should. I ended up in a shit situation and that is no one's fault but my own mother's. She is the only person I will ever resent." He softens, leaning in and kissing your nose. "Do you wanna ditch or go try to make something of this dinner?"

You swallow harshly and look at the door. Ditching would be easy, but the repercussions would be insufferable. Your mom would never stop calling about it, your dad would hold it over your head forever. It would be more of a disaster to leave than it would be to stay. No matter how valid the reason.

"We'll stay. I can try and redirect the conversation."

"That's my girl." He pats your cheek. "Proud of you."

"T-thanks."

Billy takes your hand and interlocks your fingers with his. "I'll take care of it. I can get them to shut up."

"If you can get a word in."

"I have my ways. Don't worry."

You cut him a look as you exit the bathroom and head for the table. "What are you-"

"Don't worry." He presses against your ear and guides you down to sit at the table.

Your parents are still bickering.

"Hey!" Billy says firmly with his hands on the table, not a yell, but enough to get his point across and the attention of your parents but not many others.

"Yes?" Mom asks surprisingly quietly.

Billy smiles and it's all venom, beautiful venom. You know this look, these eyes, that deadly grin. He isn't fucking around and the way he can express that so physically subtly astounds you. "The arguing is going to stop. The petty comments are going to stop. We're going to sit here and have conversations like adults, or you can leave and your daughter and I will have a nice dinner."

"Wh-" Dad starts but doesn't get any further.

"I am not goin' to repeat myself." Billy stands up straight and raises his eyebrows, daring your parents to say another word. The tension is thick, you can hardly breathe. Never did you think you'd have to witness Billy being like this with your parents of all people.

You grab a roll from the basket at the center of the table and pick at it. "How's work been, Dad?"

Dad clears his throat. "Good, busy. People always need an electrician for something. I did a school the other day, new classroom."

Billy sits beside you and lays his hand on your leg, thumb stroking your skin gently. He leans in and whispers "I told you don't worry." He turns his attention back to your parents. "So you're an electrician? Contractor?"

"Yeah, I work for Mundun Electric. Union job, pays well."

"And you?" Billy looks to your mom.

"I'm a medical receptionist. Clarke Center Hospital."

Billy smiles. "That's incredible. You're both hardworking people it seems, I see where she gets her work ethic. She's incredible, the best I've hired for Anvil."

You chew your lip and look down, flushed. "You're just being nice."

"I'm serious." He holds your hand up and kisses your knuckles. "I admire your dedication and the hard work you've put into making Anvil a success. Without you, I don't know where I'd be. Probably buried in paperwork."

"So you work for Billy? That's how you met?" Mom asks and you nod.

Dad raises his eyebrows.

"Dad, don't start."

Billy cuts a glare at your dad. "Don't start what?"

"Nothing." Dad says nonchalantly, eyes going to somewhere else in the room. "I just think inter-workplace relationships are never a good idea."

You squeeze Billy's hand and he just smiles oh so sweetly. "Dad, it's fine. Billy and I are both professionals. If things don't work out we'll make it work for the sake of the company."

"He'll fire you and you'll be looking for a job yet again." Mom pipes up, rolling her eyes. "See, things like this are why you can't hold a career."

"Mom!"

"Alright." Billy says firmly. "We're done here. Ma'am, sir, with all due respect you can both go fuck yourselves."

"Excuse me!?" Dad bellows and your mom looks flustered at the use of language. "You have no right-!"

"Actually I do." Billy stands and guides you to stand with him. "I'm going to love and care about your daughter the way she should be. You two are self absorbed monsters who should have never had a child, let alone forced the one you had to live through a loveless marriage. The fact that you cannot manage to sit here and have dinner with her and myself, which mind you has left quite a first impression, is sad and disappointing."

You grab his hand and you're shaking. You don't even know what to say. It's like Billy is telling them everything you've wanted to for your whole life.

"C'mon sweetheart." He puts his arm around you and guides you out of the restaurant. You know there are people staring but it's fine. It's over now.

"I'm s-"

"Uh uh." Billy puts his finger to your lips. "No apologies. Here." He shrugs his suit jacket off and puts it around your shoulders.

"Thanks."

"You wanna get out of here before your parents come out. Go get some burgers or something?"

You can't help the little smile that tugs at the corner of your mouth. "Pete's Diner?"

"Anywhere you like." He takes your hand and walks you toward the parking area. "Fuck this fancy bullshit anyway. I never understood the food they serve."

"Me neither. A hamburger and fries with a big ole pickle is good enough for me."

Billy opens the passenger door for you. "You're a girl after my heart y'know that?"

"I think I already have it."

He leans in and kisses your forehead. "That's for damn sure."

_____________________

Midnight you wake up crying. A nightmare, a reoccurring one as it would be. Though it is more of a twisted memory than a nightmare in actuality.

You are always around seven or eight years old, it's nighttime, you've been in bed for an hour and still not asleep. Downstairs your parents are awake, their disembodied voices float through the old floors. Their voices grow louder, shouting, screaming at each other. A glass shatters and you crawl under the bed. Footsteps come closer in the hall, heavy and slow.

The dream shifts. You're not a child but an adult. Under the bed is smaller now, the footsteps grow louder. The door opens and you scream when your foot is grabbed and you wake up crying.

"What's wrong?" Billy asks, sitting up in bed abruptly and turning on the light, hand instinctively going for the nightstand where you know a weapon is stored.

You had stayed the night, both of you decided it was best to stay together while you decompress from your tragic meet the parents dinner. Didn't matter in the end though. The nightmare still came.

"Just a bad dream. I'm going to get some water." You push back the blankets and plant your feet on the cold floor. It's a nice shock to the system, reminding you this is reality.

Billy's arm snakes around your waist. "Care to share with the class?"

"It's nothing. Just a nonsense dream about old crap."

"Your parents?"

"Yeah. Um, just a dream." You yawn and pat his hand on top of your stomach. "I need water."

"Grab me a bottle?"

"Sure."

You end up in the kitchen, looking out at the New York skyline. His place is so beautiful. It's luxurious, and you can't get used to it. You lean on the island and sip a bottle of cold water from the fridge. You don't think you belong here.

Then the dream comes creeping back in. Rationally you know that dream is never going to become a reality. Not with Billy around.

"Hey."

You look back to see Billy walking in with his sleep pants low on his hips. He scrubs a hand over his face before meeting you at the island.

"Sorry, I just got caught up in the view."

"It s'okay." His arms wrap around you and he presses his face to your neck. "I love you." He whispers softly into your skin.

"Are you alright?"

"Mmm."

You thread a hand into his hair and scratch at his scalp. It elicits a hum that's nearly a purr against your back. "Do you ever feel like you don't deserve this? Like everyday you can't comprehend that you're loved."

"I didn't think I could fall in love before I met you, yeah. I'm familiar."

"Oh."

"Wasn't expecting that?" He chuckles, flexing his fingers against your tummy.

You shake your head and he kisses along your jaw. "Billy, stop," you giggle as his short beard tickles your skin.

"No way." He starts walking you back away from the island counter and toward the bedroom. "I've got a disease and if I don't kiss you all the time I'll definitely succumb to it."

The two of you tumble onto the bed and he straddles your hips, mouthing at your neck and chest relentlessly.

"It's three in the morning. We need to go back to sleep."

Billy hums and settles on top of you, nose in your hair. "Sleep is for the weak."

"Then I'm weak." You trail a hand up his back, fingers flitting over his shoulder blade. His skin is so soft, so warm. "Thank you by the way."

"For what?"

"Being here when I had a nightmare."

"Of course." Billy pets your hair, stroking it down against the pillow. "I've suffered my share of them alone. I'm glad you were here so you weren't."

"Me too."

"Go to sleep." He kisses your cheek and rolls off to the side. His arm curls around you and pulls you close. "Love you."

"Love you too."

_____________________

*****Note: none of my works should be posted anywhere outside of my linked accounts. I do not give permission to repost with or without credit to my accounts. Please notify me of any reposted works.*****

Header image by delicate-venus

Thank you so much for reading, please reblog to support content creators. -A

[fleetwood-mac-andcheese]

My thoughts while watching Holes for the billionth time

It’s fucked up that the movie starts with all the supporting characters watching their friend attempt suicide

How long was Stanley’s trial and how short was Zero’s trial? Because we know that Zero got arrested the day after Stanley did, but he arrived at Camp Greenlake significantly earlier. Like, he knew Barfbag, he already had a nickname, people knew he liked to dig. How long was he there before Stanley showed up?

In the book when they sing the song, they howl on the word moon (it’s written “moo-oo-oon”) and I wish they did that in the movie

The Yelnatses screwed Stanley over by not getting him a lawyer. The little bits we see of his case prove they had no clue what they were doing. And when they eventually do get a lawyer, he’s let out almost immediately.

I love how Dr. Pendanski is written. He’s such a terrible person who has convinced himself and is trying to convince those around him that he is the nicest guy around. He fucking sucks and I love how he’s written and how Tim Blake Nelson plays him.

“Today’s menu: Chili, string beans, re-fried beans, garbanzo beans, green beans, and banana jello” — aren’t green beans and string beans the same thing?

The cinematic choices made in this movie are just *chef’s kiss*. The way they jump from timeline to timeline without ever losing pace is masterful

Eartha Kitt is flawless.

While Eartha Kitt is flawless, I want it noted that in the book, Madame Zeroni is described as a one legged Romani person (Sachar actually used the G slur) and Eartha Kitt is neither one-legged nor Romani.

Zero is the fastest digger in the camp, but they never really explain how big the camp is. Like, is he the fastest out of 25 people? 60 people, 140 people?

Just to revisit point 8, I fucking love Eartha Kitt

The yellow spotted lizards are such an excellent plot device

All the inmates are either A) mentally ill B) people of color or C) severely traumatized. But most of them are D) all of the above

When Squid throws out Stanley’s letter, catch Zero in the background with a pool cue ready to beat the shit out of that motherfucker

It’s weird that they show Sam as some kind of snake oil salesman when we know that his product actually works. The yellow spotted lizards won’t bite you if you’ve eaten his onions. Why claim they cure baldness or that Mary Lou is over 100 years old?

Zero back at it again ready to throw hands for Stanley, this time with a billiards ball

The fact that magnet got locked up for stealing a thousand dollar puppy

“You are here on account of one person. You know who that person is?” “Yeah, my no good, dirty rotten, pig-stealing, great great grandfather. That’s who it is”

Henry Winker provides such comedic levity

When Zero asks Stanley to teach him how to read and it’s such a nice moment of vulnerability, only to be shot down by Stanley. I just want to cry

What happens if someone actually dies at Camp Greenlake? Like, Zero and Stanley ran away and Barfbag got sent to the hospital, but they all survived. What would the protocol be if someone just dies while digging? Clearly there’s not a lot of oversight because Stanley can get away with Zero digging his hole, so what happens when one of those kids get overheated working all day in the Texas sun and just collapses in their hole one day and nobody thinks to check on them until the next day when the buzzards are all gathered around their corpse?

I’ve waited long enough to say this. Sigourney Weaver in this movie is one of the best performances I’ve ever seen. I fucking love her

Sam and Katherine. nuff said

“Well then I guess you’d be in a lot of trouble if your boat leaked.” *sobs*

Just casually reciting Edgar Allen Poe from memory as a way of professing my love to a woman I legally cannot be with due to racist laws forbidding interracial relationships.

I can’t help but remember that Scott Plank died during the post production of this movie. Respect to him and his ability to play such a good villain as Trout Walker

“No one ever says no to Trout Walker.” “I believe I just did.” SAY IT LOUDER, KATE!

Sam

I love that Kate’s MO came from a racist sheriff sexually harassing her

The sunflower seed thing reminds me of something that happened to me at RTC and it’s just a really nice moment for me

Stanley acting so casual by not doing the one thing he’s supposed to be doing

The look on Magnet’s face right before Stanley covers for him

I really want to know more about the Warden and Mr. Sir’s relationship

I also really want a bottle of that rattlesnake nail polish, but maybe that’s just me

I also really like that Sachar didn’t shy away from the racial implications of a white guy having a black guy do his labor for him. Then again, the whole story is an indictment of racism and the American prison system, so it makes sense he wouldn’t ignore that

The way Stanley gets so excited when Zero mentions that park. Like ‘oh, we have something in common. We used to go to the same park!’ and Zero just shuts it down with “I used to sleep in the tunnel next to the swing and bridge” Stanley may have been cursed, but he still had a home

Zero finally gets to throw hands on Stanley’s behalf. He’s been waiting to do that since point 14

Pendanski really is the shittiest

“No one cares about Hector Zeroni” “I do”

I love that Twitch was just instantly ready to help Stanley steal Mr. Sir’s car

What are the chances of Kate, Zero, and Stanley all finding Sam’s boat in the middle of the desert? And I know Kate probably spent years looking for it after the lake dried up and for Zero and Stanley it was destiny, but still

Zero, you gotta ration that sploosh

One more time for emphasis: I love Eartha Kitt

Kate dying and she hallucinates Sam, only to be snapped out of it by Trout Walker. Just Trout stopping them from being together one last time

“It hasn’t rained here since the day they killed Sam” and you think whatever deity made that happen is gonna let anyone in the Walker family end up with Kate Barlow’s fortune?

“I can’t leave without Hector.”

“Call my mom. Tell her I said I was sorry. Tell her Theodore said he was sorry” cue Small Steps

Justice reigns over the Walker family and rain falls over the Walker estate

I would love for someone to find out just how much that treasure chest was really worth. Can one of those theorist channels get on that, please?

Hector finding his mom is nothing short of heart-melting. I’m not crying, you’re crying

“Camp Greenlake was closed and the boys were released on time served and sent to real counselors” Wait, are you implying that forced labor is an unjust prison sentence? Someone better tell the prison industrial complex!

So what happened with Sweet Feet? Did they sit him down and explain the misunderstanding before or after signing him as the spokesperson for their product? He was the prosecution’s lead witness at Stanley’s trial, but nope! All is forgiven!

The soundtrack slaps

Point 53, however you have Shia Labeouf and Eartha Kitt in the same movie and you put which one of them on the soundtrack? Just wondering who made that call. Like, you layer ‘I Want To Be Evil’ or ‘Burned As A Witch’ over any of Kissing Kate Barlow’s scenes, it’d be perfect. But no, instead we get the dude from Even Stevens trying to rap.

[whatifyoulivelikethat]

bao | myg | 1

pairing(s): yoongi x reader

summary: Min Yoongi is always late to start work. He’s late in starting a lot of things. Like telling you he loves you.

warnings: rated M (18+) for language; mentions of parental injury/surgery; it’s actually SO MUCH fluff; non-idol!AU; (slightly) jealous deliveryboy!Yoongi x hardworking chef!reader ft. bao fiend, next-door neighbor, model!Taehyung; Yoongi gets injured T_T

it’s Weverse magazine Yoongi; can’t be helped he looked too good and yes it’s another fic revolving around food like mango | jjk (less dark this time lmao), guess that’s my schtick now

-

Men in leather jackets?

Yes.

Men who liked to wear silver rings?

Double yes.

Men whose name was Min Yoongi?

Fuck, no.

But, unfortunately, Min Yoongi was both of the first two things, when annoyed you to no end. You could hate Min Yoongi, easy, if he wasn’t attractive, but the truth was that he was very attractive, with his dark hair, cat-like eyes that were the color of black coffee, large pale hands, silver earrings, silver bracelets, and raspy deep voice.

The infuriating thing was, he was always late.

“Sorry,” he apologized for the billionth time. “I had to do something.”

You always have to do something, you thought, pursing your lips as you pushed the paper bags towards him. Each one was stapled with a small piece of paper, indicating the address and complete order of the patron.

“I’m going to fire you if you’re late again,” you warned.

Yoongi grinned as he gathered the bags. He had pretty white teeth too. Fuck. You even liked seeing his stupid teeth. The fuck was wrong with you?

“Nah, you won’t fire me. I’m your favorite delivery boy.”

“You’re my only delivery boy,” you shot back as he retreated.

“Thus, being your favorite,” he chuckled, out the back door once again.

You sighed deeply as you watched the black leather depart. He was wearing black jeans today that showed off his long legs, with a tear in the right knee. Why did he have to look so good? And why was he always late? It was very annoying. You checked your phone, texting your father, asking how he was today.

-

You spent all day taking orders and prepping them for Yoongi to deliver. In between, you continued making buns of all kinds, from savory pork buns to sweet red bean buns. You father owned a small Chinese-style bao shop, but since his back surgery, he hadn’t been able to work for a while. Your mother was taking care of him and complaining quite a bit about having another baby, except this one was bigger and more demanding and sounded way too much like your father.

You just laughed through the phone as your dad asked for more water and a foot massage.

Being their only daughter, you naturally had some experience making bao, but actually running the business was much harder. You weren’t sure how your dad did it all these years to be honest. There used to be a counter where people could drop by and pick up a bun for their lunch break, but the person who worked at that counter used to be your mother or you, and that wasn’t happening if you were making them all day. You weren’t as fast making them as your father either.

Therefore, the small shop ended up being converted to delivery only, and your only delivery boy was late to arrive all the damn time.

Okay, he wasn’t a delivery boy per se, because he was definitely an adult man, but he might as well have been a boy with how often you scolded him about being late. At least he was good at delivering the actual orders on time.

You heard a knock at the back door and scooped up two steaming roast pork buns, brushing the excess flour off your hands before opening the door.

A bright, jovial, boxy smile greeted you.

“Hey!”

Your only exception to delivery only. Kim Taehyung, your next-door neighbor.

You handed him the pork buns and he handed you some bills.

“Keep the change,” he grinned, biting into the bun and gasping a little at the heat. “Mmm, delicious as always.”

You chuckled. “You need to learn how to cook for yourself.”

He pouted, chewing noisily. “Ugh, it’s so hard. Teach me.”

You rolled your eyes. “I tried. You burned it somehow. I don’t even know how that’s possible.”

He shrugged. “I’m better at watching anyway.”

You looked over his attire. A brown suit with a cream t-shirt, green silk scarf around his neck. His hair was dark brown again. “What are you advertising today?” Taehyung was a model. Sometimes you saw him on billboards or ads in the supermarket.

Taehyung shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m going to the agency right now.” He held up the buns. “But I gotta eat first because it’s gonna be long day.”

You chuckled. “Better go before your manager calls.”

As if on cue, a colorful tune erupted from Taehyung’s pants, chirping loudly. Taehyung shoved one of the buns entirely into his mouth and spoke around it, words muffled.

“Ugh, thanks again. Let’s hang out when I can!” he called as he ran off, snatching his phone from his pocket, mumbling into it as he chewed.

You smiled ruefully, watching him hurry away. “Yeah, like that will ever happen.”

Taehyung was far too busy to hang out with you. You were surprised he still lived in the same apartment complex you did, because he made decent money now, but he said it was because his dog Yeontan didn’t like change and his parents lived nearby so he could drop him off there when he was working.

“Your boyfriend or something?”

You suddenly noticed Yoongi standing next to the door. You jumped back, staring at him. He raised an eyebrow.

“How long have you been there?”

Yoongi shrugged. “As long as you’ve been making googly eyes at him.”

You frowned. “I’m not making googly eyes at Taehyung.”

Yoongi smirked, wiggling his eyebrows. “Ah, he has a name. And no honorifics. Very suspicious, if you ask me.”

Nobody asked you! You wondered if he needed both arms to deliver food, because you were pretty close to breaking at least one of them. Surely, he could drive one-handed? You were a bit disturbed on how imagining that seemed somewhat attractive to you.

“He’s my next-door neighbor,” you huffed, turning on your heel and going back into the shop to pack more orders for Yoongi.

“Next door to you puss–”

You spun around and shoved a pork bun into Yoongi’s mouth. He nearly choked, grabbing it as you let go, his fingertips brushing against yours for a moment. A strange tingle travelled through your palm, going up your arm. You ignored it, purposefully slipping buns into paper packages for an order for a local office nearby.

“It’s your lunchtime anyway,” you said impassively, not looking at him.

If you did, you would have noticed the pink tinge on Yoongi’s cheeks, the furrow in his brows as he chewed on the bun, watching you. You would have noticed the way his jaw seemed to be tense, thinking about what he just saw, holding tightly to the pork bun.

-

Yoongi knew you were the one who made it. It tasted great, almost as good as your father’s. He knew your father well, having been the on-and-off delivery boy through the years, from high school to university to now. Being an underground music producer didn’t make him a ton of money, but he didn’t care too much. If he was more popular, he would have to quit.

And he really didn’t want to quit, because he was staring at your back, hoping one day you’d notice he was watching you.

He knew who Kim Taehyung was. Taehyung came every day. Maybe even for the same reason as him. He never interrupted your interactions with Taehyung before, because it seemed rude. They were always short anyway. But, of course, Taehyung noticed you were alone now, and Taehyung had been dressing nicer, looking cuter, flirting more and more. Yoongi doubted you noticed, but it still bothered him all the same.

Yoongi sighed inwardly as he picked up another bun. You shot him a glare but he shrugged.

“Might make me taller,” was his response.

You raised your eyebrows. “You want to be a fucking skyscraper or something?”

He bit into it. Fucking delicious. “Maybe.”

Truth was, he just didn’t want to stop eating them because you made them.

Yoongi wanted to pretend you made them just for him.

-

"What's this?"

"Pork and leek bao. Tell me what you think."

Yoongi took a small bite, chewing thoughtfully. "Light flavor, but nice."

"Too greasy?" you pried.

"Mm, little bit."

You sighed. "Hm, okay, won't sell them then. I'll have to eat them myself."

Yoongi looked at the huge tray of freshly streamed buns.

"I can help."

"Wait for them to cool and then you can pack however much you want," you said absentmindedly, off to wash the pots. "You have a steamer at home?"

"Mhm."

He looked good today too, still in his black leather jacket and black jeans, different loose gray shirt. Almost cute with the way he was chomping on the steamed bun, his cheeks filling and becoming round. 

Too bad he couldn't be punctual to save his life, you thought, violently scrubbing the metal clean. 

-

Yoongi sat in his studio, holding one of the pork and leek bao you had given him. He stored them in his freezer and streamed them periodically when he was at his desk. Easy, quick meal that had very little mess. 

He chewed on it. 

He should have told you to sell them. 

But he also liked having his freezer full of bao that you had made. You probably would have given him some of he asked, but Yoongi felt bad asking because he knew how hard you worked. They should be for customers, not him. 

He sat back in his chair, taking bites slowly, savoring them. Salty pork with the mild flavor of fresh leek, a little black bean to add a hint of nuttiness, grounding the greasy nature of the meat. Made by your own two hands, your hard work, day in and day out, trying to make up for the absence of your father.

He really should stop being late.

Then again.

Yoongi was always late because he was always working on music and when he wasn't working on music, he was oversleeping his work alarms.

It wasn't until you had gone to university that he realized how much he missed you and your presence at the bao shop. You were smart. Had a Biochemistry degree and everything. Yoongi couldn't make heads or tails of science, so that alone was impressive to him. But you hadn't been able to get a job in your field because your father’s back pain got worse and worse, until he had to get surgery. Now it meant you did everything and, while it pained him to watch you working so hard, secretly he was a little glad that he could see you every day. 

He felt ashamed for thinking that way, because your father had surgery for a misaligned disc and Yoongi didn't wish that on anyone.

His eyes shifted to his computer. 

He hasn't dropped his mixtape for a lot of reasons. One, what if no one liked it? All of his hard work, ignored? Or, what if everyone liked it? What if he made it big? 

Could he handle that?

He didn't know. He wasn't very good with people.

Who was he? A nobody. Yoongi doubted your parents would be happy if the fucking delivery boy wanted to marry you. They were nice people, but of course they wanted better for you. That's why they worked so hard to put you through school to the point of your father's back literally breaking. 

Maybe it would be better if you dated Taehyung. It seemed like he made a reasonable amount of money considering his clothes. He was handsome too. Yoongi saw Taehyung's face at the local supermarket sometimes. His own face would never be in supermarkets. No one would pick up a coffee with his face on it over Taehyung's. 

Yoongi ate the last bite of bao bitterly and returned to his music. 

-

"You're even later than usual today!"

"I'm sorry. I'll grab the orders right away."

"And why are you wearing this stupid hat? It's unprofessional–"

You attempted to grab the black baseball cap off of Yoongi's head, but he dodged you. He seemed more aloof than usual today, but you barely noticed in your irritation as you clicked your tongue and grabbed his leather jacket, yanking him towards you and pulling the cap off.

Three things happened at once. 

Yoongi's body collided into yours. 

He painfully gasped into your neck, turning your skin burning hot with his breath. 

And third, your eyes widened as you realized Yoongi had a black eye.

You barely even noticed the first two things because you were staring at the fair skin around his right eye tinged with rings of purple-red. You released him and he backed up away from you, wincing. 

"What happened?" you asked in a stunned voice. 

Yoongi narrowed his eyes and tried to grab his hat, but you moved it behind your back, eyes glued to his bruise.

"Yoongi, tell me what happened."

You saw him pause. If you weren't so fixated on the actual black eye, you would have noticed his expression change from annoyance, to bitterness, to realization. Your tone was not angry. You were genuinely worried, to the point you felt strangely emotional, like you were going to cry. 

"It's nothing," Yoongi mumbled. "I'm fine. It only looks bad."

Your eyes locked with his. Those dark orbs did not want to say anything. They wanted you to treat it like no big deal, or yell at him some more for being late, anything but address his black eye. 

"Please tell me what happened," you said quietly. 

Yoongi sighed, rubbing the back of his head. Usually his black hair was styled, but it was messy and flat from being under the cap. 

"I did something stupid," he finally replied. "I trusted people. And I got scammed."

You waited. Yoongi shuffled his feet and continued. 

"I produce and make music. I mixed a guy's entire album and when I asked for payment, they told me I was getting paid with exposure," he spat, as if the word itself was disgusting. "I was already in a shitty mood. So I punched him."

"You did what?" 

"I punched him," Yoongi repeated coolly. He shrugged. "There were three other guys so I punched them too."

"Y... Yoongi!"

"What?" he snapped. "They fucking deserved it."

"You can't go around punching people!"

"Yeah." He pointed to his black eye. "Sometimes they punch back."

You stared at him before you held out his cap. He took it from you and crammed it back on his head. 

"Yoongi, go home."

He paused. Then he chuckled, straightening. "What are you taking about?" He changed his tone, making to more lighthearted and teasing. He gestured behind you, to the brown paper bags waiting. "I have deliveries to make."

"I'll do them."

You stood in front of the bags, blocking him. Yoongi frowned. 

"You have food to make."

"Yoongi," you said softly. "Go home and recover. You probably didn't get much sleep last night. I can see your dark circles."

He chuckled, the noise dying in his throat as he looked at your serious expression. 

"I always have dark circles."

"I don't want you to get in an accident because of sleep deprivation."

"I won't get into an accident," Yoongi said impatiently. He tried to move around you, but you and your flour-covered apron blocked him. 

"I don't want you to get hurt."

The way you said it stopped him. You thought of your father, laying in the hospital, doctors and nurses trying to make sure he was okay after the surgery. Yoongi could see it in your eyes. He sighed. 

"Look, it's just a couple bruises. I did this to myself," he mumbled. His eyes shifted from side to side before they came back to you. "I need to make money. I'm short on rent because of this."

"Then I'll pay you," you insisted. "You need to rest."

You suddenly realized Yoongi was very close to you now, looking down at you from under his black baseball cap. His chest was almost touching your chest. The scent of leather and pine cologne filled your nose, vastly different from your dusty flour-covered self. His cat-like eyes were on you, expression unreadable.

"This is my rest," Yoongi said quietly. "Helping you deliver orders is the least stressful part of my day."

For a long moment, you didn't move. You weren't sure if it was because you were still worried or because Yoongi was so close and it felt weird all of a sudden, as if you recalled the way his body hit yours earlier and the way his breath tickled your skin. 

You moved away and Yoongi collected the bags, careful not to drop them. You always ordered them so they were from first to last delivery, maximizing efficiency and order number. He made his way to the back door, using his back to open it. 

You spoke again, voice nearly cracking.

"Please don't get hurt."

Yoongi looked up from under his black cap, expressionless. You expected him to give you a snarky remark as usual. 

"I won't."

He headed out. 

-

2.

--

masterpost

[pretend-writer]

Down Below (Chapter 72)

Summary: After being sent down on Earth with the other prisoners from the Ark, Y/N Reyes faces series of events and learns about survival. With new things happening around her, she is now starting a new chapter in her life.

Pairing: Bellamy Blake x reader, John Murphy x reader, Raven Reyes x sister!reader

Word Count: 2k words

Warning: swearing, mention of death

✤  ·  ✤  ·  ✤  ·  ✤  ·  ✤

It was hard to grasp why majority of us were in on staying in Sanctum. Call me paranoid but it was hard to trust someone who we barely knew; I mean look what happened with the grounders, Mount Weather, Diyoza and McCreary.

But Clarke always knew what was best for us right? She was the person we had to listen to because she kept us together, kept us sane and had our back throughout everything. Obviously Clarke knew what she was doing.

She knew it was a great idea to leave Raven, Marcus and Octavia outside when the radiation was going to kill us. Clarke knew to shoot me in the head when I tried to save them. She knew to betray her family and side with the enemy that was trying to kill them for the valley.

So it was such a great idea to listen to her to stay here. Not that we had a say in it at all.

Some of us knew that this was a terrible idea. They interviewed Clarke, horrible candidate to represent us, to show us that we were reliable to the community. That we were no harm.

But that was a lie wasn't it? All we've been doing since we landed on Earth was fight war one day after another. We've made enemies, soon joined clans but continued to kill each other. Who were we to tell them that we deserve to live with them.

Somehow, someway Russell and his people accepted us into their community. Don't know what lie Clarke pulled out of her ass but they were more than excited for us to stay with them. Too excited.

So enthused about welcoming us that they've invited us to attend their Opening Ceremony for "Naming Day", whatever that meant.

John and I sat together, watching everyone mingling and introducing themselves to our new "people."

'You know it's bad for your skin to crinkle your brows like that.' John laughed softly, watching me stress over these new people that we had to live with.

Looking over at Murphy, I rubbed my forehead as I tried to hide my facial expression. 'I'm sorry. Force of habit to not trust people, that's all.'

'Enemies wouldn't save lives. Matter of fact, I wouldn't be alive if it weren't for them.'

'Please don't tell me you're defending them.'

'Ah, no. It's just that-' He bit his lip as he gazed at the people. 'I don't know, it doesn't hurt to have a little hope. For us.'

My jaw dropped, 'John Murphy talking about hope? Wow, you must be a different person.'

He nudged me, 'I died, didn't I?'

'Not funny.'

'What? Too soon?' He chuckled a little until he saw that I wasn't joking. 'Aw, baby I'm sorry.'

The flashback of that moment still terrified me, the way he lied silently, not moving a muscle. 'I was scared that I was going to lose you.'

John smiled, kissing me on my temple as he wrapped his arm around me. 'I'm not going anywhere. Your sister calls me cockroach remember?'

'Right, the infamous cockroach.' I kissed his cheek, leaning into his chest.

As I look up I see Raven approaching us with a huge grin on her face. 'It's been a long, long time since I've seen you two cozying up like this. You two lovebirds need a room?'

'I think you should get Jordan a room.' John pointed at him flirting with Delilah, the girl that everyone was celebrating Naming Day for. 'Man, I bet Monty is so proud.'

As I was laughing at the joke, I saw Bellamy and Clarke talking in a serious tone then eventually hugging. I didn't know what they were talking about but my guess was she was apologizing for the billionth time about all the "mistakes" she had made.

Raven stood in front of my view, looking over me with her arms crossed in front of her. She was probably confused, assuming that I was staring at Bellamy for a different reason.

As I looked up and met my eyes with Raven, she shook her head. I continued to stare at her with a straight face, showing her that I didn't care about what he did, more so annoyed about what Clarke was doing. I didn't want to say that aloud, of course.

Besides, I was angry with Bellamy. I didn't give a damn about what he was doing. If he wanted to make amends with Clarke that was going to betray us again, he can knock himself out.

Speaking of the devil, I heard their voice getting closer. Knowing Clarke's voice from miles away, I rolled my eyes as she started to speak to us.

'The ceremony is about to start soon. Don't really know what we're supposed to do but it'll be good for us to attend.'

'Count me out.' I laughed sarcastically, 'You guys can have your fun.'

Clarke rested her hands on her hips, 'We don't want them to think we're being disrespectful right?'

'I don't give a damn about what they think about us. I never agreed to stay here anyways.' I stood up and approached Clarke. 'They were digging into our history, did you ever think to ask them questions as well?'

Bellamy cut in, defending Clarke. 'She's doing the best she can for our people. They've agreed to take us in and because of that, we have a home now.'

'Okay, so where are the rest of our people? Some are still in cryo and stuck in the ship, correct?' I shook my head, 'It's always whatever that's convenient for you. Not us as a whole.'

'Soon enough, we will bring them here. Right now, we just bring whoever can represent us as a whole and look the best we can.'

'Mhm.' I hummed, staring at Clarke as my thoughts went elsewhere. She brought Madi back, having Gaia by her side as she was trained to control the flame in her neck.

She only brought people who were convenient for her, using us as bait to make ourselves look good when in all reality was that we had a ugly history behind us.

Why couldn't she bring Indra? She was smart in these situations, great at communicating and talking with people. Matter of fact, knew how to handle and escape tough situations. Yet she brought Gaia with us; without her mother. Only to use her to benefit her "daughter", Madi.

The fact was that nothing that was coming out of her mouth made sense; if we were safe and welcomed into the family, why couldn't we bring the rest of our people? Why couldn't we start settling into this "wonderful" place if this was our home now?

'Clarke again with the bullshit. How long will it take for you to betray us this time?' A chuckle escaped my mouth. 'I'll be in here, away from these people while I enjoying the booze I haven't had in years.'

'Same here. I'm going to the bar.' Raven didn't bat an eye before she walked away. I followed her to the back, where the bar counter was.

Sitting down as I took a deep breath, I pouring my first shot. 'I probably should just go back to cryo, pretend that none of this is happening.'

'I hear ya. I'll join you if you actually mean it.' John jumped in, sitting next to me as he poured a shot as well.

'Do we really believe this crap? I mean come on, it's so obvious Russell or someone has something on Clarke.' Raven shook her head, taking a sip from her beer that she had before.

'Clearly, he didn't want us near Sanctum and now he's so welcoming. I agree, something is definitely not right.' I knew I sounded paranoid, but given the fact that Russell almost wanted nothing to do with us, it did sound a bit odd.

Raven looked at me with a smirk on her face. 'You want to snoop around? I mean no offense to them but I just don't trust them.'

Murphy raised his brows, 'The perfect Raven Reyes suddenly wants to be bad? Wow.'

'How is this bad? I need to make sure we're not falling into some trap.'

'I'm down for that. Whatever we need to do to keep us safe.' I smiled.

'Do we have to ruin this?' John sighed, 'I mean come on. We're in paradise right now. Let's leave it be for a few days, enjoy ourselves.'

Raven shook her head as she grinned, 'Okay now you're crazy. You want to turn down being bad?'

John nudged Raven, 'Leave me alone. Recently died here.'

I instantly looked over at him, Murphy noticed too because he apologized. 'I-Sorry Y/N. I guess it's just my way of coping. I'm sorry.'

'Yeah, I know.' I sighed, understanding his part but also sensitive to the subject. It hurt to see him like that and the flashbacks just drove me crazy.'

'This is why we need to keep it be, for now. Let's just enjoy this moment. Y/N, when was the last time you were relaxed?' John smiled, 'Let's go on a date, you and me.'

'A date?' I didn't know why but my mind went blank, what is a date exactly?

My whole life I was trapped in a metal box that was floating out of space, the life after that all I knew was fight and survival. I've never in my life never dreamed or even thought of a date. A moment to spend quality time with a significant other.

'What did you sound like that.' John scratched his head. 'I mean if you don-'

'No, no. It's just that, I've never even thought about any of that stuff.' My cheeks got warmer, I could feel myself blushing. 'I'd love to go on a date with you.'

His eyes widened, John's cheeks getting pink as well. Raven giggled, 'You two act like you haven't seen each other naked. Why are you guys shy all of the sudden.'

The joke made everything worse, our cheeks getting redder. I took another shot and then hit my sister, 'Okay stop with that!'

'What? It's true.'

Murphy rolled his eyes as he laughed at Raven, then turned back to me. 'Meet me in front of the staircase tomorrow night. The one that goes up to that palace, okay?'

I nodded, butterflies in my stomach as I was excited. It had been a long time since I've looked forward to something, hell, it had been a long time since I've been genuinely happy.

Bellamy's POV;

She was smiling, so beautifully and so happily. I haven't seen Y/N smile so genuinely since I left her on Earth. Now she was smiling, except I wasn't the reason behind that joy.

Reyes was done with me now, I knew all the reasoning behind it. Everything she had said about me was true; I was a hypocrite, I was a cheater, I was everything she didn't deserve at all.

Of course she left me for Murphy, he was good. He'd done a lot better in the Ring than I ever did. Hell, anyone up there did better.

Now, I deserve what had come to me. The love of my life with another man, me being miserable once again. But I couldn't complain, I deserve this. After hurting Y/N, not pulling her out of the struggle that she had been facing under the bunker.

She had called for help so many times, the silence but loud cries of suffering that I ignored. Not to mention the fact that I've pushed my sister away also; I didn't know why I was behaving the way that I was.

This time, I was alone. Facing these new strangers that we started sharing their spaces with, facing them by myself. No one wanted to be near me but Clarke. I didn't know how I felt about it, considering Y/N had really strong feeling towards her but it was better than nothing.

The fact of the matter was I had to do better, I had to win Reyes back and make her love me again. Go how it used to be, how it was supposed to be when she flew up to the Ring with us.

But I couldn't tell her my secret; Y/N couldn't know about the six years that happened with me while I was up there. She should never know.

[joshuas]

watch and learn

♫ pairing: Seo Changbin x Reader

♫ genre: college/university student!au, slice-of-life, fluff

♫ word count: 2.5k

♫ warnings: Nil of note!

♫ summary: seo changbin is a massive flirt, and it’s new years eve...

♫ a/n: The fourth addition to my seasonal oneshots! This is a continuation from my Minho oneshot. We’ve officially moved from the christmas storyline, and well into new years, for your reference. Enjoy! Also, thank you Chloe (@writerofbts​) for the essay topic referenced in the story!

♫ skz seasonal oneshots: 1 |2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8

“You know, I’m so glad you’re finally dating the person you like,” Changbin said, approaching Minho, a slightly frazzled Hyunjin and an excited Jisung. “Yeah— although it was thanks to none of you.” Minho scoffed, rolling his eyes, his gaze softening as he observed his significant other from across the hall. The end of year formal was always a lively occasion, the planning committee going above and beyond what was expected of them. “We provided you with invaluable advice!” Changbin said incredulously, slightly hurt. “We? Hyung, you literally only hung out with us once the entire time Minho was trying to woo them—“ Hyunjin broke off, pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance as he stared past Changbin, “oh my god, what is he doing here? I thought Chan hyung was dj-ing, not this guy.” Hyunjin huffed, sprinting to stop a shabby-looking guy from setting up his equipment on the stage. “Besides, none of your advice was useful. It didn’t even work.” Minho rolled his eyes, adding to the conversation. “Excuse me, I know playing hard to get didn’t work but you didn’t even listen to my advice.” Changbin crossed his arms over his chest, staring down Minho. “What was your advice again? Oh yeah, being overly flirtatious. That just sounds borderline creepy.” Minho countered, whilst Jisung sipped at his drink, observing the two bicker, wide-eyed. “No! It’s just letting the other person know what you want. As soon as they know that you’re flirting with them, it’s the quickest route to a relationship. I should know, my mother won over my dad using this method.” Changbin defended. “I think there’s only one way to resolve this— Changbin hyung, you need to prove to us that your method works by romancing someone to the point that they fall for you.” Jisung proposed, standing between the two of them. “Isn’t that mean, though? What if I don’t like them the same way?” Changbin said, unsure.

More importantly, what if the person I like finds out... “It’s not like you’re declaring your love for them— you’re just asking them to go on a date with you. The rest can be figured out later.” Jisung dismissed the other boy’s worry. “I agree with Jisung. How about you choose... her.” Minho agreed, pointing randomly at a girl in deep conversation with her friend. Changbin scrutinised, uncertain, “...fine.” “Go get a girlfriend!”

Changbin paced outside, biting his lip as his thoughts overruled his mind. After all, Jisung and Minho had pointed towards the two of you, and, just by chance, they had chosen the best friend of the person he liked. Uncertainty clouded his thoughts, unsure of whether he should just give up and move on. The most important thing was not to hurt your feelings. He had just made a jerk move a couple of days back (although, it wasn’t entirely his fault) — he didn’t want to take your date for the dance as well and make you hate him. “Changbin hyung, you do know who you’re going to hit on, right?” Jisung ran up to him, stopping him in his tracks. “Of course I do.” “Well, Minho hyung’s smug, so make sure you win her over. He wouldn’t ever let you live this down if you don’t.” Jisung warned, giving an encouraging smile and lightly pushing Changbin towards the entrance You only need to ask her on a date. That’s it. And then you can clarify everything to Y/N. It’ll be fine... Steeling himself, he walked, purposeful.

“Ryujin, you don’t understand! He literally made them a playlist and expected them to figure out whether it was a declaration of love or not. Seriously, why can’t guys be upfront with what they want? If someone made me a playlist, I’d think that they were just recommending music to me.” You huffed, defensive. “I don’t think you understand. A playlist is just a modern-day version of a mixtape — generally, if a guy gives someone a mixtape, it is a clear declaration of their admiration for them. Besides, why are we talking about Chan’s love life?” “I don’t know, you wanted an interesting conversation topic? Don’t even get me started on what happened with Felix. Oh, and Minho’s whole art competition fiasco. Man, that friendship group is weird...” You observed, looking around at the conglomeration of people in the hall. “We could literally talk about anything else and you find their lives the most interesting—“ Ryujin stopped, staring at a man approaching the two of you - Seo Changbin. Also an English major, the two of you had become quite close, one would even say that you were good friends. Nothing more, obviously. I mean sure, whenever he was around your heart did beat a lot faster, and whenever you read his work you internally swooned at his eloquence and way with words, but has Changbin ever really showed any interest in you? No. So what was the point on dwelling on whatever emotions he made you feel? “Oh hi, Changbin.” You raised your hand in greeting, giving him a small smile. “Hey, Y/N. Can I just say, you look incredibly stunning tonight? Wait— that’s just every day, never mind.” Changbin smiled brightly, bringing you in for a hug in greeting. He turned towards Ryujin, “And who’s this... equally as stunning human being?” “Oh, that’s Ryujin - my roommate and best friend. Ryujin, meet Changbin. Changbin, meet Ryujin.” You gestured between the two of them. “Best friend? Oh, I’m hurt, Y/N. I thought I was your best friend.” Changbin placed a hand against his heart, dramatically mocking offence. “It’s also lovely to meet you, Ryujin.” He took her hand, softly kissing it, as he did a weird bow thing. You stared at him, (slight disgust) and confusion etched upon your features as your gaze met Ryujin’s equally confused and slightly panicked eyes. “It’s lovely to meet you too, Changbin. Y/N’s told me a lot about you.” Ryujin gave him a small smile. “They have?” Surprise captured Changbin’s expression, before a charming smile replaced it less than a second later, “I mean. That’s so odd because they haven’t mentioned you at all. How about we go to the buffet table and I get you a drink and you can tell me more about yourself.” Changbin held out his arm, guiding Ryujin across the hall. ...okay that kind of stung. It’s fine, though! Totally fine. I’ll just chill at this dance... by myself. Haha, it’s fine. It’s not like my best friend and my other best friend (cough cough crush) are going to fall in love with each other, marry, have kids and live happily ever after because of this stupid dance! Ugh, this is all my fault... Maybe, I scared him off earlier this week with my question...

[4 days earlier] “Hey, Y/N! What are you working on?” Changbin waved at you friendlily as he entered the university cafe, placing his books down and sitting opposite you, “Oh hey, I’m just working on a draft of my essay on... the role of English fever in English education in South Korea.” “Ooh, interesting. Do you want me to look over it?” Changbin questioned, propping his hand underneath his chin. “Please.” You passed the laptop to him. Brow furrowed, he read through the essay, typing quickly to add comments, “I think it’s pretty good— you have a lot of superfluous words, but other than that it should be good to hand in as a draft.” He flashed you a kind smile — one of those smiles that makes your heart flutter and just... burst with happiness. “Thank you... hey, Changbin?” You sighed, nervously wringing your hands. “Yeah?” He quirked up his eyebrow, gaze travelling to meet yours. “Do you have any plans this Thursday night?” You asked. “Thursday... isn’t that the New Years’ formal?” Changbin asked, raising his eyebrows. “Um. Yes. And regarding the dance, I was wondering if you’d like to... go with me?” You said tentatively. Surprise flashed across Changbin’s face, “Oh! Um... thank you for asking—“ “Changbin hyung, I need your help! The formal planning is falling apart and I am this close to having my hair actually turn grey from stress.” A younger boy entered the cafe, binders overflowing, approaching your table. “I’m really sorry, Y/N, I’m probably going to have to help Hyunjin out.” Changbin apologised profusely, packing up his things. “Oh. Um, yeah it’s fine. I’ll see you soon!” You said, awkwardly waving at the two of them.

“Wait, so you didn’t even get an answer??” Ryujin asked, incredulous, as the two of you decided on coordinated formal outfits, agreeing to be each other’s dates after the tumultuous day you had had. “No answer means he doesn’t want to go with me. If he wanted to go, he would’ve slipped it in before he left or texted me or something. But look. Nothing.” You held up your phone. “That jerk. I’m going to go teach him a lesson!” Ryujin started, grabbing her keys as you held her back. “How about... we leave him be, and let this entire thing go?” You smiled forcedly at her, urging her to sit back down on the chair in your room. “My best friend just got rejected by the guy they like and you expect me to be fine with it? I mean, if you don’t want me to confront him, at least let me help you dress up so much that he regrets not taking you. Let’s show him what he’s missing out on!” Ryujin proposed, organising the outfit on the bed. “That sounds a lot better than going and attacking him, so I guess I’ll let you do that.” You sighed. “Yes! We’re going to look like the most amazing power couple ever.” She clapped her hands excitedly. You sighed, looking at your phone for the billionth time, “Yay...”

[Present] As you observed Changbin and Ryujin conversing from across the hall, a hollowness settled over you as a lump formed in your throat. So he really wanted to go with someone else... Ryujin excused herself from Changbin, running over to you, “You need to help me. He’s definitely hitting on me. I don’t think he knows that I have a boyfriend. That, or he doesn’t care. Either way, you need to help me!” She hissed, panicked, quickly turning to give a pained smile to an approaching Changbin. The music swiftly changed to a slower song as Changbin held out his hand to Ryujin, “May I interest you in a dance?” He asked, charming smile fixed upon his face. Okay, Y/N, it’s time to step up and beat him at his own game. You have to be clear about your own feelings towards him. At least it’ll confuse him and temporarily stop him from flirting with Ryujin. I mean... that doesn’t sound too bad when you consider that factor. Steeling yourself, you flashed an equally as charming smile at Changbin, stepping between the two of them and holding out your own hand, “Actually, can I interest you in a dance?” “Oh— Y/N! Um..” You cut him off, dragging him over to the dance floor. You hesitated slightly before intertwining your arms around his neck as he hovered his hands around your waist, maintaining a slightly large distance between the two you. “You know... you can come closer if you want. You don’t have to be so far apart, we wouldn’t want to take up unnecessary dance floor space.” You suggested, quietly, as he tentatively came closer, placing his hands delicately at your waist. Silence pursued for a couple of seconds as the two of you swayed to the music. Changbin cleared his throat, “Did you know... that the most common letter in the English language is the letter ‘e’?” What? “Oh... really?” You stared at him, slightly confused at his conversation topic. “Yeah. It comes up in almost 11% of all English words.” “Oh, that’s interesting...” You gave him a small smile. “Did you know that there are 7,655,957,369 people living on Earth and somehow I fell for you?” You braced yourself, confessing the last part as fast as possible. “I— no. I didn’t know that...” He blinked, confused and dazed. “Which part?” You questioned, the slow song had come to an end, couples departing the dance floor, migrating outside for the fireworks. “Alright everyone, there’s one minute left till the new year—“ Chan’s voice echoed through the microphone. “Both, actually. Like how you knew that number off by heart? But I guess the more important question to ask is since when did you have feelings for me?” Changbin questioned inquiringly. 47, 46, 45... “Really? You’re asking me that? If I had to say when it would have to be when we had our first debate in tutorial. You were so eloquent, respectful, and like seriously passionate about the topic. Honestly, it amazes me how no one else fell for you that day. I mean— I don’t know if they haven’t but if they haven’t then—“ You broke off as Changbin stared at you, wide-eyed before cutting you off, “I like you too.” Now it was your turn to be stuck in shocked silence. 35, 34, 33... “You... what? When? Why? How? I thought you liked Ryujin.” You spluttered out, seriously confused. “No— it’s a long story but basically I was trying to prove that being upfront with your feelings is the best way to someone’s heart, though I guess it kind of backfired but in a good way since I really like you. As for how and when surprisingly it was at the same debate. You were always so quiet so you had initially piqued my interest. And then you were a literal spitfire when it came to debating. Not only were you fiercely passionate, but your mannerism, the way you carried yourself and how classy you were before, during and after the debate were also enrapturing. And so, I fostered these feelings for a while, but I was so scared to tell you. Before all of this relationship discussion, you were my friend, and I didn’t want to ruin that.” ...10, 9, 8... “I tried! When I asked you to the dance, I wanted you to come with me as a date but then Hyunjin came and you never contacted me, so I assumed you weren’t interested.” You explained, slightly exhausted by how oblivious the two of you were. 

7, 6, 5... “Of course I wanted to go with you! I had this whole thing planned out to ask you but then you asked me and then I was held up for the rest of the week, trying to help out Hyunjin and stop him from heightening his blood pressure any more.” Changbin explained, equal exasperation in his tone. 4... “Oh... oh! Wait so what does this mean for us?” You asked, realisation hitting you. 3... “It means...” 2... “Can I kiss you?” Changbin stepped closer to you, tilting your chin up. 1... “Yes!” You exclaimed as he leaned towards you, pressing his soft lips to yours. Fireworks resounded in your ears, the sentiment both literally and figuratively speaking. You pulled back, breathless. “Happy new year, Changbin.” “Happy new year, Y/N.”

➳ part five?  |  masterlist!