#there are a lot of mixed stories about how they're run and how well they treat the animals

[waynes-multiverse]

Aww, glad you enjoyed the first part of this! I tried to capture him as best as I could. I definitely had too much fun with all the twists 😂🤍

(A hot tub in the back, huh? Wayne, stop giving me ideas for ESC one-shots. 🥵🫠)

Yesssss, girl! Please write that!!! 🥵🔥🫠

Ooh yep! You really picked up on aspects of Russell's personality that I felt inherently when I was watching (studying) him, but hadn't consciously put into words. 👌🏽

He's for sure a little enigma 😏 (and a little shit lol) I found it interesting when I read the books that he was described as reclusive, and even though he comes off as charming and quirky in the show, I still get the feeling he's hiding the biggest stuff underneath the surface... I really wanted to showcase that his behavior and words don't always match his feelings and thoughts 👀

It's also so interesting (and crazy) how little Russ and Colter know about each other now as men. There's got to be shades of who they were when they were younger, but it's bittersweet in a sense. And now they're both trying to suss each other out like lone wolves that are kinda sorta friends. 😂

Yesss!!! That's always something I wanted the show to address, so I had to weave it in there! 😂 And considering they grew up pretty isolated and only had each other, it made sense to me they would've had a pretty close relationship as children (kinda like Sam and Dean if they'd ever been ripped apart for 20+ years 🥲)

But naturally, they wouldn't trust one another fully after all this time. I had a lot of fun writing their suspicion mixed in with brotherly banter 🤓

Okay, this whole thing with the reader is fascinating. Because why does he have to go through all this trouble to find her if they've been a thing for 10...12...14...20-something years?! (Love how the number in Russell's "memory" just kept getting longer. 🤣🤣)

Russell giving vague estimates of numbers actually became a running gag lol I used it first in the prequel before sprinkling it in here too 😂😂

Not the "we were on a break" gif 🤣🤣 (But the topic of how broken up they really were comes up in the next part lmao)

I'm full of questions, but I know you have a brilliant master plan for all of this. I've noticed this about the most recent stories you've created, but you're so very good at writing these law enforcement/military men paired with heroines that share their world, almost the "same foxhole" type of deal. Except for that his heroine partners usually outrank him. 😏

Haha thanks!! I honestly think I get hung up too much on details and then it escalates into a monstrosity 😂

And you already now I love all things SVU, crime etc. A year ago, I then got super into spy/CIA novels and media (Homeland, The Americans etc.), so I've been dreaming to write something like this for ages and jumped on the chance with Russell's background 🤓

Lol yes they always outrank him, don't they? I might go with the "tough love" approach a little too much, but I always feel like the Beaus, Deans, Soldier Boys, and Russells of this world need that 😂🫶

Also something about a little submission in a strong guy is a turn-on... 🫠

I tend to go the opposite route, partly because I'm interested in the dynamic between these kinds of men and a "civilian," but also because I don't think I'd be able to do the "same foxhole" trope justice. So that's something I really admire about you as a writer. 💜

Oh, I know! It's actually why I love your stories so much because you go the opposite route of me and I get a different experience. I usually struggle more with the "civilian" characters 😂 For fluffier fics, I go more civilian as well, but I clearly had an agenda for this one lmao

The push and pull banter between Colter and Russ in this chapter was also so fun to read lol. I could literally quote every moment because it was all so well-written and priceless. And it just kept building up the mystery of the reader and why Russell is doing all of this, right up until that awesome cliffhanger!!

Aww, thanks! That means a lot 🥰 I had so much fun writing those two. At some points, they even gave me Sam & Dean vibes 🥲❤️

Thanks so much for that sweet comment, Alex!!! 🤍

Btw, I'm so excited to read the last parts of ATW and the ESC one shots!! I so wanted to read them before the new year, thinking a week-long stay with baby's grandparents would get me some Mommy time, but... family. My husband actually sent me this after we left and I still feel it deeply 😂👇

The Exit Strategy – Part 1

Summary: Russell is ready to hang it all up and retire, open up a brewery, and enjoy the rest of his civilian life. However, there's one important thing missing before he can take the big plunge. Luckily, he knows just the right person to help him find it.

Pairing: Russell Shaw x Female!Reader

Warnings: +18, language, mystery, a tinge of angst, humor & brotherly banter, one tiny surprise 🤓

Word Count: 5.8k

A/N: Happy holidays, guys! Enjoy 🎄❤️

Main Masterlist || Series Masterlist || Tag List

Part 1: This Is Not a Pipe

The heavy truck door slammed shut behind him as Russell slid into the passenger seat with an exhaustive sigh. Colter’s big pickup was parked right next to his beautiful Chevelle in that same old motel parking lot in Virginia.

Russell hadn’t moved – yet. Well, sort of. He’d been away on assignment in some frosty region for a couple of weeks. He wasn’t allowed to say where exactly he’d been, and he knew better than to put it into writing, so let’s just agree he was at the North Pole looking for Santa Claus.

He could’ve ended up anywhere he wanted once he touched ground in the States again, but a very appreciated phone call from a former colleague made the decision for him. Besides, Russell knew this particular motel well. The coffee was more than decent and got the job done, the owner and employees were nice, comforting, and, most of all, trustworthy, and there were always fresh towels.

“Extra fluffy for you, Mr. Russell,” Rosa, the maid, would say every morning with the brightest smile.

Oh, and they had a hot tub in the back…

“Thanks for coming, man,” Russell extended his greeting without glancing at his younger brother once. He could feel Colter’s scrutinizing eyes on him, though, drilling for answers. Granted, his request had been rather unusual, so Russell understood where his younger brother’s ever-frozen furrowed brow stemmed from.

Providing answers didn’t come easy for the older Shaw, however. In fact, it had always been sort of a problem for him – even in the past. Especially in the past. Russell never lied, but he did omit things. Important things. On purpose.

“Yeah, uh, sure,” Colter replied with a polite smile as he started the car and rolled out of the lot.

Ah, yes, politeness…

That was what they were at, although it was progressively improving. It was only the third time the brothers were seeing each other since they had reconnected. And while the last two encounters had given the Shaws some well-needed time to talk things out and build trust, Colter was still naturally wary of his estranged sibling. As was Russell.

“So, what’s this about? You were pretty vague on the phone. You in trouble?”

That finally caught Russell’s full attention. He quickly shook his head, causing his hair to fall into his face. “What? No! No… No trouble,” he swiftly assuaged his brother with a dismissive hand gesture and a lighthearted chuckle. “Just need your help tracking down an old friend of mine, is all.”

Colter quirked an eyebrow at that. “Another Army buddy of yours?”

“Uh, something like that, yeah,” Russell replied rather mysteriously and didn’t even try to conceal the fact that he was hiding something more behind his ambiguous answer. But Colter only intensified his stare at him and wouldn’t let go that easily. Russell knew that. After all, they were related.

Persistence was a Shaw family trait. Another survival skill, if you will.

But this time, Russell wasn’t hiding a big government secret (or maybe he was). No lives depended on this particular mission (or so he thought). He wasn’t protecting a client, a company, or even his dubious employer (but someone else). He wasn’t choked by an NDA or about to save someone in grave danger (as far as he knew).

No, if anything, it was the fact that Russell didn’t know how much he could or should share with his brother. They were related, yes. But, technically, they hadn’t seen each other in decades, so they weren’t just considered merely estranged but strangers. Russell had always been aware of that fact, and Colter was beginning to catch on.

Especially during this mission.

See, once upon a time, the two hadn’t been just brothers. After moving to the cabin, societal contacts became scarce for the siblings. All they had was them. They were friends. Best friends. Always competitive, but friends nonetheless.

How much did they really know about each other now, though? How much of the old was still there?

“So, who are we looking for? What’s the guy’s name?” Colter asked, suddenly eager as he jumped into gear. He had always been restless, even as a kid, which fondly reminded Russell of their childhood.

But how much was he still the Russell that Colter once knew?

Well, Russell, on the other hand, remained calm and ruffled a casual hand through his beard. “Well, she’s, uh–”

Eyebrow cocked, Colter snapped his head to the passenger seat where his brother started to squirm. “Oh… Oh, so it’s a she,” he emphasized with a small grin. “Now I think I get it.”

There it is. I knew it, Russell thought with an internal sigh. In order for this mission to work, he knew he had to reveal some things. Private things. Things about himself and his life. Going in, Russell knew he couldn’t ask Colter for help without giving him something.

Their father had loved tests (and so did you – but that’s another story…). Russell always thought it had been the professor in him. So, Russell saw this as a test as well.

Could he trust Colter? And more pressingly, considering some long held accusations of murder, did Colter trust him?

A clear of Russell’s throat cut right through Colter’s chuckle. And then, the eldest tried his best to give no reaction at all. “Yes, she’s a… woman, but hold your horses. It’s not what you think, okay?” Colter lifted his eyebrow once more, causing Russell to heave another exhaustive sigh. “Fine, alright? It’s exactly what you think.”

Well, close enough, Russell thought. He knew Colter couldn’t even possibly imagine the reality in his wildest dreams.

Usually, Russell was an expert in avoiding uncomfortable questions. He was a pro at ditching answers and keeping secrets, even under torture and duress. However, there was just something entirely unique about dodging questions posed by little brothers.

And Russell saw it as a perfect bonding opportunity. He wanted to fill the chasm between them that their father’s death had caused – once and for all. But he couldn’t lie and say he wasn’t walking around on eggshells most of the time – something that reminded him of you again.

Learning from past mistakes, Russell wanted Colter to experience the fun side of him. The one that brewed his own beer, cared too much about his car, and had weird tastes in food. He chose to leave out the rest – the dark stuff and the very best stuff, too.

After all, Russell was good at omitting things.

Colter chuckled triumphantly. “Does this mean you’re finally giving up on Reenie?”

Amused, Russell let out a snort. “Ha! You wish… First things first, alright? Let’s just see how this thing pans out. It’s kind of a long shot. You know that exit plan I told you about?”

“Yeah, you wanna open your own brewery, right?”

“Yeah, well, let’s just say in an ideal world this, uh, woman would be part of that exit,” Russell said and sounded purposely casual as if he didn’t care the mission was successful or not in the end, omitting yet another thing – he did care.

He cared a fucking lot.

“Really? Okay.” Colter scratched his jaw and gave his words some thought. Then he offered a small, yet kind, smile. Honestly, Russell didn’t know what he had expected. “But, you know, if you want me to find the future Mrs. Shaw, I’m gonna need more information to go on. A name, last address, or a-, uh, a picture, maybe?”

“Well, name’s not gonna help you much in this case.” Your first name might’ve been shareable intel, but your last name was of the highest classification. “Her last address that I know of was in Berlin. And while I do have one photo of her, it’s not meant for your eyes, brother,” Russell said with a firmly territorial look that still carried a mischievous twinkle, revealing the exact nature of the photograph to be indeed inappropriate.

Russell had one naughty photo, yes. But he had a whole giant box of others, too.

Colter’s eyebrows met above his nose as he licked his lips. Customarily, people gave him more details when they needed him to find someone. But then again, those people usually weren’t his brother. “Do you know anything about this woman? How long have you two dated?”

“Uhm… not that long,” Russell supplied with a clear of his throat before mumbling the rest of his answer, hoping his beard would swallow most of his words. “Ten years. Give or take…”

What is time anyway if nothing but a concept, right?

Colter blinked at him and almost steered the vehicle off-road before gripping the wheel a little tighter. “I’m sorry… Did you just say ten years?”

“Well, might be more like twelve,” he admitted finally. “Well, anyways, saw her last three years ago.”

“Wow, okay, uhm…” Colter became quiet for a moment, speechless probably, the tiny bits of information running on a loop through his mind. He figured his brother still had lived a life while they hadn’t been speaking. Of course he had. He just never thought about what that life might have entailed, aside from classified military operations. “So, you’ve dated a woman for twelve years…”

“Fourteen.”

“…haven’t seen her in three, and know basically nothing about her?”

Russell snorted a laugh. “Yeah, I know. Ridiculous… Not even sure the name she did give me was her real one,” he said. It was a joke. He did know the name. He knew everything there was to know about you. So, maybe he did lie – sometimes. “But it’s the job, you know? It’s-, uh, it’s complicated.”

That part was true. Truer than he could ever possibly describe in words.

“I guess so…” Colter sighed, and Russell could hear the growing frustration. “So, she does what you do?”

Russell nodded. “In a way, yeah…” And Colter knew what that answer meant – he couldn’t say more. Again. “But don’t worry. We won’t have to turn over every stone on the face of this planet. I have a general idea of where she lives these days,” Russell provided. “One of my, uh, associates was working a job with her not that long ago. That’s how I found out she’s back in the States.”

Colter nodded in acceptance, knowing it was no use to try and prod more answers out of his brother. “Alright. Guess that’s something. So, where are we headed to?”

Russell then flashed him a grin with newfound determination sparkling in his green eyes. “Falls Church.”

The short drive had remained quiet for the most part. Colter refrained from asking more questions, knowing he wouldn’t be able to get straight answers out of his older brother in one form or the other. To accentuate Colter’s assumption of receiving non-answers, Russell mostly stared out the window with an intensity that had Colter believe his brother was counting trees when, in fact, Russell was pondering what he would, could, or should tell Colter.

Of course, Colter could also always ask more questions about their elusive father, but he didn’t do that either. Sure, one could say he was curious. More than that even.

What did Russell really know about his death? Their mother? Their family? Their work?

Another time, he kept telling himself throughout whenever he stole glances at his long-lost sibling. It was too soon. What was the point when Russell was so clearly reluctant to share anything at all?

Thus, there was nothing left but silence among peaceful woods and dense foliage till Colter pulled his truck over curbside in the idyllic town center of Falls Church.

Patiently, he waited a moment for Russell to open the floor and tell them their next logical steps. He tapped his fingers against the steering wheel, blew raspberries, clicked his tongue, and waited and waited and waited…

Nothing.

If Colter didn’t know any better, he would’ve thought someone carved a lifeless wax statue out of his brother and planted it on his passenger seat. Russell’s entire body stood motionless, only a set of green eyes flickered alive every once in a while and swayed out the windshield in search of something – or someone.

“So, what’s the plan here?” Colter asked with a clear of his throat. “You just wanna stay here and wait till she accidentally runs across the street?” It was meant as a joke, but to Colter’s dismay, Russell remained dead serious.

“That’s exactly what we’re doing,” the older Shaw confirmed and squinted his eyes at the busy street. Again, he had omitted a few things. In his mind, Colter didn’t need to know why Russell knew to be in front of the post office at exactly 15:03 (UTC–4) on a Tuesday.

Colter snorted a laugh. “What? C’mon, that can’t be the plan… Do you know how many people live in Falls Church? Or in the general Washington metropolitan area? We could be here for days. Weeks even…” The younger Shaw then switched fully into work mode, grabbing his phone from the Bluetooth car mount. “We’re never gonna find her like this. You got a phone number, maybe?” But before Russell could answer, Colter replied himself, shaking his head at his own silliness. “What am I even asking? Of course you don’t.”

Russell only smirked at that. Restless, he thought again.

“What about an old one? Maybe even that would help. I could call Bobby, Reenie… You got anything? Nothing?” But the younger Shaw’s questions apparently stumbled upon deaf ears. “Russell? Russ? Are you even listening to me? I’m trying to help you here. You could at least–”

“Found her!”

Russell almost jumped out of the car as his voice rang with sheer excitement. His heart was beating a mile a minute when his emerald eyes landed on the target. It felt like the very first time all over again.

Granted, the first meeting didn’t go so smoothly – there had definitely been some bumps (all on his part). Then again, he expected this next meeting to go a little roughly too (again, all on him).

“Wait, what?!”

Russell downright beamed. “Told you this would work.”

Colter only scoffed under his breath, the familiar competitiveness crawling back to the surface. “Yeah, well, beginner’s luck, okay?”

One boot had nearly touched asphalt before Russell remembered this wasn’t a situation that required him to storm in guns a-blazing – not even covert. Gentle hands, he reminded himself and swiftly closed the car door again, falling back into his seat. His lungs deflated.

Colter, on the other hand, was more confused than ever. “What-, uh, what are you doing?” Half-amused, his brow furrowed a bit more. “If you’ve found her, go talk to her. Where is she? Who is it?”

Curiosity could only be contained for so long. Colter wanted to know who had been a part of his brother’s life for almost as long as he had. He felt this was a key piece of information that would cause the first domino to fall. And then, revelation after revelation about Russell’s past would unravel.

Basically, Colter was waiting for the big epiphany. No pressure.

Russell vehemently shook his head. “Can’t. At least not like this. I need more intel first. You need to find out her name, and then we need your guy Bobby to get onto this.”

And yet again, guess what? Yes, Russell was, indeed, omitting things.

“Me? Why me?” Colter blinked at him. Surprise, surprise…

“‘Cause, obviously, she’d recognize me,” Russell pointed out. Again, omission. Like he had explained earlier, it was a real problem…

Colter exhaled a deep sigh. “Okay, and I’m guessing you’re still not gonna tell me why we’re doing all of this, right?”

“Nope.”

“Yup, thought so.” Still not convinced, Colter narrowed his eyes at his clearly paranoid brother. Maybe paranoia ran in the family. Not to point fingers – he recognized it in himself, too. “Do we really need to go through all that trouble? I mean, you’ve known that woman for, what, fourteen years, you said? Isn’t that a little extreme… even for you?”

Fifteen, Russell corrected in his mind. Close to sixteen. Nineteen max.

“Just trust me, okay? It’s necessary,” Russell reassured, knowing those words bore some weight. Hurriedly (he was getting antsy – this was a time-sensitive issue), he pointed a finger out the window to the sidewalk across the street. “You see that woman walking into the post office? That’s her.”

“What, the brunette in the flowery dress with the golden cross necklace? That’s her?”

“Yup.”

“Wow, okay…” Surprised didn’t come close to explain how Colter felt. He had expected… different. His brow almost met his hairline, but he still tried his best to conceal his wonder – to no avail.

Suspiciously, Russell leaned back in his seat and assessed his brother’s demeanor with a small glare. “What?”

“Nothing.” Colter threw his hands up in surrender, swallowing. “Just… She doesn’t really seem like your type.”

Amused, Russell stifled a chuckle. “And what exactly do you think is my type, little brother?”

“I don’t know…”

“What, you think some nice Christian girl is too good for me?” Russell deadpanned. Admittedly, he enjoyed bantering with his little brother. It reminded him of what he had missed out on for years. This was what he had wanted and longed for since he had left the family at eighteen.

Well, “left” wasn’t really the right word for it now, was it? It implied a voluntary act, and his leaving wasn’t so voluntary.

“That is exactly what I’m saying,” Colter countered, laughing. “It’s just, you know… dental hygienist in a motel hot tub springs to mind.”

“Okay, alright… You done?” Russell huffed, shaking his head. He refrained from showing his honest amusement. “You’re gonna follow her in or not?”

“Alright, I’ll go,” Colter finally agreed somewhat enthusiastically and jumped out of the car, swiftly following the woman inside. After all, he was curiouser and curiouser…

Russell kept his eyes trained on his younger brother until Colter vanished inside the post office. Now, it was out of his hands, only hoping his little brother wouldn’t blow it. Chances were high he would. Not that Russell didn’t have some faith.

He just had more faith in you.

Colter spotted you picking up mail from a PO box and decided on a plan of action in a matter of seconds. After all, he was quick thinking on his feet and the best at what he did. That’s why he was here. That’s why Russell had picked him for the job, right?

As you made your way back to the door, Colter eloquently intercepted you without disturbing the crowd. Another thing he had learned from his father.

He bumped straight into your shoulder and almost tackled you to the ground by the sheer force of his sneak attack. The mail in your hands scattered to the tiled floor like autumn leaves, and as Colter bent down to help you pick it up, he took a peek at your name on a postcard.

“Oh my God, would you look at that… I’m so sorry, Miss–,” the younger Shaw apologized clumsily, “Nora Laurier.” He uttered your name with a suave smile as he handed you back your pile of letters. The flirt in his eyes, however, he only added for Russell as revenge for Reenie. “Beautiful name.”

Your hands lingered on the letters between you for a moment as you took in his features and tall stature. It left you with a strange haunting of familiarity.

“Thank you,” you finally said with a hint of a smile as he let go of the mail. “Be more careful next time.”

“I will. Sorry again.” Colter chuckled with blushed cheeks and watched you leave. He waited till you had passed the row of windows before exiting himself.

He was a good actor, too.

Antsy, Russell almost bit his lip bloody as he stared the post office down till a migraine began to form. God, what he wouldn’t pay for some X-ray vision and super-hearing. He could be downright Superman with that – and the hero always got the girl.

His heart dithered anew with longing as you walked out – it took his breath away. You always did that, and you did it well. But then, you stopped short for a mere second, which wouldn’t have caused a civilian to raise a single brow. But Russell did.

“Shit…” he mumbled in the silence of the truck and lowered himself down to the dashboard. He watched you reach for your phone in your purse and call someone as you headed down the street.

Eventually, you stopped three houses east and finished your call in the shade of a tree next to a busy (and noisy) bus station. Russell caught your eyes drifting back to the doors of the post office, though, just as his little brother walked out and jogged towards the car.

“Shit, shit, shit!” Russell ducked even further down, hitting his head in several places. “What did that knucklehead do?”

The driver’s door opened as Colter casually slipped inside. “Got a name,” he announced victoriously. Part of his happiness emanated from gathering yet another puzzle piece of his mysterious brother – meeting you. “She goes by Nora Laurier now… And she seems nice. Way too nice for you, actually…” As he drifted off, his eyes searched for the elder one before finding him almost kissing the floor mat. “Russ, uh… What-, uh, what are you doing down there?”

“What the hell did you do?” Russell’s tone was both snappy and frustrated.

“Whoa, what d’you mean what did I do?” Colter waved off defensively. “I did what you told me to do!”

“She made you!”

“She did not make me,” Colter brushed off with a laugh, quite confident of his own skill set. They’d had the same teacher. He would know if you had suspected anything.

“Then why did she wait and look after you, huh?” Russell pointed out in annoyance.

Colter’s lips itched to break a smile. He couldn’t help it. It was the perfect opportunity to teach his flirt of a brother a well-needed lesson. “Well, maybe I caught her eye… piqued her interest, you know?”

Russell cocked a brow from below, his stare lethal. “Did you flirt with her?”

Colter hesitated for a moment. Mostly for dramatic effect. “I-, uh… You told me to get her name. ‘Sides, I told you Reenie was off limits.”

“Oh, so this is about revenge? Very mature.” Russell frowned. “She still there?”

“Where?” Colter stretched himself a bit as he looked out the windshield.

“Tree. Bus station.”

An amused smile formed on Colter’s lips as he spotted you. “Oh, yeah. I see her. I don’t think she suspects anything. She’s not even loo-… No, uh, wait… Yup.”

“What?” Russell’s brows drew together as he rose a little from his crouched position.

“Yeah, she’s definitely looking over here.”

“Well, stop looking down,” Russell hissed through gritted teeth. After a deep breath, he spoke in a calmer, more advising tone, “Pretend I’m not here.”

“Trying to, trust me… Should I wave at her? Smile?”

“Are you nuts?! Just look ahead. Pretend you’re getting a phone call.”

Colter did as he was told and held his phone to his ear. “She’s still looking,” he informed with a pressed smile, barely moving his mouth when he spoke.

“Okay, what’s she doing now?”

“There’s a-, uh, there’s a car coming and pulling over by the bus station. Dark gray Audi A6. Virginia Plates. Yankee-Papa-Charlie-5824,” Colter said as Russell hauled a pen from his pocket and began to jot down the plate numbers on his left palm.

“Copy that.”

He’d memorize them anyway, but one could never be too safe. He could get a concussion in the next hour or so (most likely because of you), and then what?

“Okay, she’s getting in,” Colter narrated. “Driver’s in his late-thirties. Male. Glasses. Medium height. Medium build… I think you could take him,” he added with a teasing grin.

“Shut up,” Russell retorted. “Are they gone now?”

“Pulling away from the curb and… Yep, they’re gone. Headed south down the road,” Colter affirmed.

“Alright.” Russell popped back into his seat with a sigh and some sore muscles. He had been sure he’d heard a few bones crack while he’d been cowering down there. He might be finally getting too old for these missions. But that was part of the reason why he was here in the first place – retirement was calling. And Russell wanted to fill the chair next to him on the porch.

“You good?” Colter checked and choked the small laugh that wanted to escape upon the ruffled sight of his older brother.

“Yeah, go ahead and follow them. Just keep a low profile,” Russell instructed. “On our way, you might wanna call your op analyst, too. See what he can find out.”

“Alright,” Colter agreed somewhat reluctantly but still tailed the sedan. “You sure this is a good idea?”

“What d’you mean?” Russell said mindlessly, keeping his eyes focused on the target vehicle.

“Us… stalking your ex-girlfriend?” Colter noted with a cocked brow. “And her potentially new boyfriend?”

Russell only laughed at that. “We’re good. Trust me.”

Admittedly, though, a small part of him wondered (and worried) if this was all real. Maybe Nora Laurier wasn’t your real name, but it might be your actual new one – one you’d adopted as a safety precaution after you’d left it all behind. Maybe you had finally done it and retired, found a perfectly normal guy, and settled down – just without him.

Or:

Maybe you were still in the game, after all.

Russell was hoping it was the latter. Otherwise, he could probably expect a hefty restraining order in his future, but he wasn’t about to tell Colter that. Not until he knew for sure.

The Audi parked in front of an organic grocery store a few blocks down. Colter chose a spot across the parking lot, keeping a reasonable distance with the perfect view. Russell watched as you and Unnamed Man #1 sauntered into the store, an arm slung tightly around your waist and a smile on your face.

While on the phone with Bobby, Colter could tell that the sight of you in another man’s arms stung. “Okay, uh, thanks, Bobby.”

“What’d he say?” Russell fired as soon as Colter had removed the phone even just an inch from his ear.

“Uh, well, there’s some bad news,” Colter revealed hesitantly and licked his lips, not knowing how he was supposed to break his brother’s heart. “Bobby ran the plate number through the DMV. It’s registered to an Aiden Laurier.”

“Laurier?” Undeniably, Russell’s heart flinched at the connection. “Maybe a brother. Cousin…”

Or a colleague, Russell’s mind stubbornly added.

Colter bit his lower lip hard before he spoke, “They’ve been married for two years. I’m sorry, Russ.”

A hand comfortingly patted Russell’s shoulder. A part of him wanted to scream heavenward, but something else inside was gnawing on him.

He clicked his tongue. “No… No.” Sure, one could argue that denial was always the first step of grief. “No. No way she married sweater-vest John Mulaney over there.”

“I’m pretty sure she did. Bobby sent me the marriage certificate,” Colter countered and showed him the screenshot on his phone.

Russell glanced at it for a short second, not even bothering to waste more time on fake news. He shook his head. He knew better.

“Nah. I’m not buying it. You need to go in there and tell me what you see.” He sealed his words with an encouraging pat on the shoulder.

Colter exhaled deeply. “Russ, I-, uh, I think you need to let this go, man. You’re starting to… Never mind.”

“No. Go ahead. Say it,” Russell prompted with some thunder in his voice. “I’m reminding you of Dad, don’t I?”

Colter only twitched his shoulders. “I mean, yeah. A little.”

Russell’s head bobbed in thought before he met his little brother’s eyes. “You really don’t see it?”

“See what?”

“The post office, the road crew over there, the-, the fake documents?”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“C’mon… Just think about everything Dad taught us, huh?”

Was Colter really not getting it? Russell found that quite hard to believe. He had known his little brother to be as sharp as a whip. While Russell didn’t always have the nicest things to say about their father, he could admit the old man had prepared them well for life. Well, one life at least. This one.

The nomad life, the odd jobs that required them to have a particular set of skills like Liam Neeson.

Colter shook his head. “I have no clue what you’re talking about, Russell.”

Russell let out a sigh and leaned back in his seat. “Alright, if you don’t see it, you don’t see it.” A smirk twitched in the corners of his lips. “It’s your funeral, brother…”

With narrowed eyes, Colter pursed his lips. “Alright, just tell me one thing, okay?”

“You know I can’t tell you anything,” Russell reiterated and brushed his beard.

“I know. I know… It’s not that kinda question,” the younger Shaw reassured.

“Go ahead,” Russell relented and curiously looked at his brother.

Within a second, Russell could think of a million questions Colter might want to ask him, but this hadn’t been one of them:

“In the past three years, how many times have you thought about her? And I don’t just mean ‘crossed your mind’ every couple of months. I mean ‘seriously thought’ about her?”

“Hmm.” Russell pondered for a moment before replying, “Every damn day.”

It wasn’t a lie, no omission of anything, and Colter could tell. You were the first thought that popped into Russell’s still groggy mind when he woke up and the last one every night that fluttered across his weary eyelids. Obviously, he didn’t give Colter the soppy answer, though.

“Fine. I’ll go,” Colter softened his stance. “You owe me,” he added with a pointed finger before setting foot outside the car.

“I do owe you. Anything you want, brother,” Russell agreed with a broad grin. “How about we start with a full case of my homebrew, huh?”

Colter danced gracefully through the aisles, spying through canned goods and boxes of cereal. He watched you carefully select fruit with your husband, move through the dairy talking about “organic” and “locally sourced” till you landed on a few choices of toothpaste and finally strolled to the cash register.

Everything seemed boringly normal and ordinary. You chatted with the cashier. They handed you a coupon, which you slipped into your purse. Your husband paid with his credit card (which carried the same name matching the DMV records), and both of you left the store with two paper bags in your arms.

Once through the sliding glass doors, you stopped and turned to your husband. “Darn, honey, I think we forgot the milk.”

“You want me to grab it?”

“No, I’ll do it.”

“Okay, I’ll wait by the car and load the rest of the groceries.”

Now, Colter found that odd. He had watched you spent at least five minutes in the dairy aisle. How could you forget something as basic as milk?

As you hushed inside, your husband sauntered back to the car, and Colter followed you back in. You passed right by the dairy and, with a few looks that resembled a scan of your surroundings, you slipped past the door that led to the restrooms.

Waiting a beat, Colter went in after you. But you were long gone – just not to the restroom. An ‘Employee Only’ door that led to a dumpster alley outside was just falling shut.

Granted, Colter had a bad feeling about this. It was the same feeling he always got shortly before walking into a trap. In his defense, though, you were not a seven-foot-tall, 300-pound kind of guy. He wasn’t about to be ambushed by Shaquille O’Neal, which is probably why Colter didn’t find it necessary to pull his gun.

In hindsight, he should have.

The narrow alley was quiet and empty, except for some trash littering the ground around the dumpsters. It was closed-off, too, wedged between buildings with no view to the parking lot or nearby streets.

And then, something hit him. Or better yet: You hit him. With an elbow to the face and a stiff, flat palm to his throat, Colter stumbled forward before you gave him the final blow and knocked him off balance, tackling him to the ground.

Pressing his cheek into the rough and unforgiving surface of the asphalt, you jumped on him and restrained his arms tightly behind his back. While he squirmed to get out of your hold, he didn’t use as much brutal force as you expected he would.

“Shit,” he muttered below you, his voice muffled by the gravel. A light chuckle escaped him. “Okay, you got me.”

“Sounds about right,” you agreed with a smirk and tightened your grip on his arm.

Then, Colter heard a gun click above him. Hoping to see his brother, he looked up – only to find your husband with a weapon in hand as he stared down the barrel.

“Ah, I think you broke my nose,” the younger Shaw mumbled with a groan.

“Good. You’ve been following me. Why?” you prompted sternly. “Who are you? Who are you working for? Jafari? Mueller?”

“Listen, I-I think you’ve got the wrong idea. I’m not who you think I am,” Colter argued with a strained voice. What the hell had Russell gotten him into? “This is just a big misunderstanding.”

“Uh-huh.” You could only roll your eyes at that. How many times had you heard that line before?

“Let’s hood him. Get him to the Market,” your partner suggested. “We’ll see if he talks then.”

“No, really,” Colter insisted, growing a bit more uneasy. He had no idea what the Market was, but it didn’t sound pleasant. “You know my brother.”

“Who’s your brother?” With your elbow, you put more pressure on his back.

“Ow, alright…” Colter groaned once more as the pain intensified. “Looks kinda like me. Think two decades younger. He was in the Army, so probably didn’t have long hair and a beard. Uh, kind… green eyes? No? Doesn’t ring a bell?”

Colter watched your brow furrow in his periphery as he squinted upwards. He could see the gears starting to turn in your head. You just needed one final push to put all the puzzle pieces together.

“If it helps, my name is Colter. Colter Sh–”

“Shaw,” you shot like a missile. Your jaw plummeted to the ground, your heart springing right out with it. Your grip on the man caught between your thighs loosened, hearing Colter’s sigh of relief before you heard his voice.

“Hiya, sweetheart.”

Your head darted up, the man beneath you long forgotten. You swallowed as your eyes landed on an all too familiar face – even when it was covered by a bunch of hair that had never been there before. The heart-crushing smile was still the same as if it had been ripped straight from an old photograph you had of him.

“Russell?!”

Part 2: This Is a Russell Mission

Quite the entrance! Writing Russell reminded me somewhat of Plastic Hearts Dean (minus the addiction problems unless you count lying) because of all the wild overthinking 😂

If you enjoyed this story, then I'll gladly keep working on its prequel. Was a bit nervous to post this since I filled in some family history gaps myself 😅 I also dove into the books a little and added some things that kinda fit their "show" personalities.

Please let me know what you think and if you'd be interested in a young soldier!Russell series 😉🤍

TAGS:

Forevers: @alwaystiredandconfused @xlynnbbyx @lyarr24 @deans-spinster-witch @blackcherrywhiskey

@deansbbyx @foxyjwls007 @ladysparkles78 @roseblue373 @zepskies

@agalliasi @yvonneeeee @hobby27 @iamsapphine @globetrotter28

@mxltifxnd0m @lacilou @feyresqueen @suckitands33 @onlyangel-444

@syrma-sensei @perpetualabsurdity @deans-baby-momma @yoobusgoobus @jessjad

@hunter-or-the-hunted @k-slla @just-levyy @mrsjenniferwinchester @illicithallways

@muhahaha303 @ultimatecin73 @nancymcl @leigh70 @brightlilith

@nesnejwritings @samslvrgirl @xx-spooky-little-vampire-xx @fromcaintodean @barewithme02

@thebiggerbear @star-yawnznn

@deansimpalababy

[ash-of-ruins]

CW: Animal cruelty, testing, and neglect

Oh shit, Ōkunoshima is really fucked up, actually.

So I already knew about the pretty fucked up history of Japan doing chemical warfare crimes out there, which included experimenting on bunnies.

What I figured, but did not fully realize, is that the tourism combined with the unregulated rabbit population leads to some very sad and frankly dark consequences. TL;DR, unregulated, unmedicated bunnies alone on an island and not being very well cared for other than sparse feeding from tourists. More of my thoughts and what I gathered under the cut.

Obviously, an island's wildlife population being dominated by rapidly multiplying herbivores is bound to devastate any greenery, and then make it really hard for the rabbits to eat because they're multiplying faster than the flora can grow. It appears tourists became their main source of feeding, and though pellets and hay appear to be sold for feeding them, it's mostly things like carrots and garden greens, flayrah, which any rabbit owner could tell you are much better given to bunnies sparingly. Water is also an issue, and though apparently locals and tourist do leave water dishes for them, it's likely not enough to rehydrate such a large amount of rabbits.

Another problem is that the rabbits are descended from domestic rabbits, not wild ones. Though mostly feral, the rabbits aren't really built to survive without care. Apparently people who have gone there have seen them fight each other a ton, they are frequently malnourished and dehydrated, and become aggressive over food very quickly. Understandably, given their circumstances.

The rabbits do not appear to be medically taken care of, either. Though there are alleged attempts by some people to home some of the young rabbits, ultimately the island is not really doing much to take care of them. When COVID killed the tourism industry for a while, the estimated thousands of rabbits got culled in half, most likely due to starvation from lack of tourist feeding. This is not natural occurrence, rather a sad fact of environments like these.

Unfortunately, I can't find a lot on the consistent care of the rabbits, most sources saying the locals living on the island have a hand in it, but have little control since they population is feral and suspicious of humans. I also found a U.S. petition to pressure the industry of the island to take better care of the rabbits with volunteers and better conditions, but it's not really a priority at the moment.

I can't do much in terms of the real life situation, but it does inform the direction my fic will likely go. Tourism industry sucks a lot of the time, especially when it comes to animals, sadly.

[puppetmaster13u]

Prompt 266

Back on my Danny & Ras frienemies/rivals/maybe-lovers-nobody-can-tell-their-signals-are-very-mixed train. 

See, Danny has gone through time a lot. Often. It comes with being Clockwork’s charge-son-thing and honestly he finds it fun. And several times he’s used this time travelling to get some training in. Enter Ras, stage left, also a teen at the time and also learning swordsmanship from the same person. 

And they… utterly despise each other. They would kill the other for an apple slice, if the other one would die! But also, only they can kill the other, as it is obviously their right! 

And well, they keep running into each other. It has been a hundred years, surely the other would die by now? But of course their rival would live through utter spite. Probably to spite them specifically. 

The amount of times they have ended up sparring- trying to kill each other or not- the moment they see the other is actually ridiculous. But time is also passing. And… Danny understands, not having another to talk about things people are forgetting, or have already forgotten. 

How they ended up actually talking without a murder attempt was a long story that included a demon, a dragon, a pair of fae, some bandits, and a lot of alcohol, but it happened. And then it happens again. And again, and now it’s just kind of normal to share a drink after their spars, talking about things that no longer exist, and things they miss. 

Sure Danny can go back in time again, but he knows better than to do it willy nilly. He’s matured, he’s been an adult for a hundred years now, he knows there’s consequences for messing with time, even with Clockwork’s blessings. 

The first time they got married was technically for an undercover assassination. Well, Ras was there to assassinate someone, Danny was there to grab an artifact that should Not be in the realm of the living. And they got divorced after, it was fine. 

They just, also got married again when they met a few years later, for another job. And… okay, so maybe they have gotten married over a dozen times now and only divorced like half of those times. Half of those were for the bit or while drunk! 

And even if technically they’re married or shared a bed, it’s not like they're exclusive! As Ras’ daughters’ existences attest to (adopted in one case or not). They don’t exactly have a label for their relationship, despite others asking for one or trying to put a name to it themselves. 

Now Danny knows Ras isn’t exactly a good dude, or at least on the side of ‘good’ as he’s a literal assassin. But he also knows that good? Bad? Rather relative. He had gotten labeled as a villain when he was just trying to help all that time ago after all, and really who was he to tell someone else how to live their life? 

Which brings him to now, where he’s run into his old frienemy-rival and his youngest daughter. Who has a braindead teenager and a small toddler. Which is fine, really- but also, Talia dear, why are you using a brain dead teenager to guard your three year old son? 

…

Okay, Talia dear, Ras (Derogatory), why are you using your brain dead son and grandson to guard your younger son and grandson? Do you not have the Pits, which you were soo proud about Ras? Yes, he will spar with you, but for Realms’ sake, heal, what’s his name? Ah yes, go heal Jason and he’ll actually stick around for a few years, deal? Good. 

[sunderwight]

SV AU where, while Luo Binghe is supposed to be in the Abyss, Shen Qingqiu comes across a hellhound puppy.

Now, there is an arc in PIDW where Luo Binghe became a hellhound. But it happened like at least a century out from where they are in the timeline, after Binghe had come into his full demonic power, and involved him turning into a slavering beast that eventually become a slavering man-beast (werewolf, basically) who could only be cured by having a lot of very questionable sex with his wives. Shen Yuan wrote a rant about how yet another potentially interesting transformation arc was instead reduced to porn tropes, but it was one of several dozen such rants across many similar story arcs. Airplane barely even remembers writing it because he was having a pretty shit week and just wanted to get the chapters out.

So it doesn't really occur to either him or Shang Qinghua that finding a hellhound puppy might be suspicious. Unexpected, sure, but demons are turning up all over the place all the time, really. And it's years before Luo Binghe is even supposed to be out of the Abyss, like a century before his hellhound transformation story, and when Binghe did turn into a hellhound his two forms consisted of a fully-grown beast and a fully-grown man-beast. Not a puppy.

Of course: that hellhound puppy is definitely Luo Binghe.

He unwittingly triggered this subplot early, and because he's still a young adult, he gets stuck in a juvenile puppy form because hellhounds don't reach fully maturity until they're like fifty.

Anyway, this creates something of a pickle for Luo Binghe, because he's legitimately stuck in this form and can't figure out how to change back. This is not part of his plans. He's fleeing from Huan Hua Palace cultivators who are trying to kill him, which they might succeed at because his Heavenly Demon powers don't seem to be working.

He runs right into Shizun, who is on one of his "investigate stuff to forget the depression" field trips with Liu Qingge.

Luo Binghe is fully expecting his righteous Shizun to kill the demonic beast, and has a moment to think that at least that's better than being killed by Huan Hua, before Shizun rescues him instead.

Shen Qingqiu, meanwhile, is actually kind of excited. There was a lot of lore in PIDW about how hellhounds can actually make loyal companions if they're trained up from young enough of an age, but finding hellhound puppies would be difficult for anyone who wasn't a demonic nobleman, and most of the "trained" hellhounds just disappeared into the harem as gifts to various demon wives and were never seen or heard from again. No additional information, like the full extent of their abilities or what kind of companions they made beyond "loyal" or anything! A species of demon that could even potentially be domesticated by humans, and it was just left at that?!

Needless to say, Shen Qingqiu's not letting Huan Hua Palace kill this one. This is a rare chance for him to get a cool monster companion!

Although... such a creature might die when Luo Binghe comes to take his revenge.

Well, he'll deal with that when he has a chance. Maybe Shang Qinghua can take it to Mobei Jun or Shen Qingqiu can find another place for it before then. In the meanwhile, at least going back to Qing Jing Peak with him is better than being killed on the spot. He talks Liu Qingge into going along with it (Liu Qingge thinks he's insane but also folds like wet tissue paper), under stipulation that the hellhound's demonic energies are sealed and it gets muzzled before they bring it back with them.

Shen Qingqiu rides with it in a carriage, and feels so bad for the poor doggo looking miserable without his demon powers or even his mouth free that he secretly takes the muzzle back off while Liu Qingge isn't looking.

Luo Binghe is overwhelmed with the mixed sentiments of confusion (doesn't his shizun hate demons? is a Heavenly Demon really so especially repulsive to him?), happiness (he's going home! Shizun found him and is taking him home!), worry (Shizun please do not un-muzzle random demonic beasts just because they look sad!), and some rather embarrassing personal revelations about the appeal of being Shizun's pet. The latter situation worsens exponentially after the first time he gets good boy'd and petted for the first time.

Regardless, Shen Qingqiu does take him back to Qing Jing Peak and settles in to train and observe his new puppy. No one thinks this is precisely a good project but it is a project, and is not for instance "staring blankly into the distance while kneeling in front of a sword mound", so on balance everyone decides they'll just keep an eye on things and make sure the hellhound doesn't maul the peak lord. Lots of "just dropping in for a visits" by a rotating cast of peak lords (they have a schedule).

But the hellhound puppy is a fabulous pet! Actually, Shen Qingqiu thinks it's really remarkable how smart and readily tamed he is? Barely a few days in and he's obediently following Shizun's commands, except for "stay", which he seems to struggle with. He doesn't maul or threaten any of the disciples, only growls at Shang Qinghua sometimes and makes a few aggressive displays at Liu Qingge. The former case is just good taste, and as to the latter, well, clearly the hellhound is sensitive and intelligent, and has a more-than-rudamentary understanding of words spoken to him. He probably remembers that Liu Qingge wanted to kill him when they first met. Shen Qingqiu takes his time soothing his puppy and assuring him that he won't come to any harm, he's perfectly safe on Qing Jing Peak with Shen Qingqiu.

At least, for now.

Although actually, the more Shen Qingqiu thinks about it, the more convinced he becomes that Hellhound (sue him, he's not the best with names) would be a perfect companion for Luo Binghe once he gets out of the Abyss. The only difficulty would be in how to convince Binghe to accept him, and also how to keep his now-loyal hound from trying to defend his master when justice comes due. Shen Qingqiu figures he'll cross that bridge when he comes to it, and in the meanwhile takes some time to explain to Hellhound about his disciple, Luo Binghe, who is enduring a terrible trial in the Abyss, but who will return one day having become Emperor of the Demon Realms and could probably use a steadfast and intelligent companion who is interested in more than just his incredible amounts of power or irresistible good looks.

Luo Binghe Himself: ?!?!?!

[mononijikayu]

chapter (2) — the feels

GENRE: alternate universe - actors/celeb au!

WARNING/S: not safe for work (nsfw), r-18 and above, actors/singers au!, romance, fluff, minor angst, slow burn, humour, slice of life, will they won't they, light-hearted, flirting, playful, possessiveness, teasing, explicit content, possible, kissing, sexual content, innuendos, drama, feels, hurt/comfort, falling in love, love, happy ending, actor/singer! sukuna, actress/celeb! reader;

WORD COUNT: 4.4k words.

NOTE: everytime i look at the drafts for this, i get butterflies. this story is really fun for me to write no matter what. i genuinely enjoy exploring the dynamics. i hope you enjoy it as much as i do!!! anyway, sukuna is definitely a simp for reader. like genuinely, he's down bad. but tbh so is reader. they're matching each other in everything!!! but well.....are they dating? who knows?

TAGLIST: @kunasthiast, @midnight-138, @v3nd3ttal3on;

masterlist

hey lover! series

HE DIDN’T EXPECT TO COME ACROSS IT. But it was that one afternoon on his day off, while Ryomen Sukuna was out running errands, he found himself finding a piece of you. It was just a regular day for him, one where he indulges himself as he strolls through the supermarket, casually picking up snacks and drinks he wanted. 

He doesn;t get to do it often because of how busy he is. But when he has the time, he indulges it and enjoys it a lot. He thinks if you were with him, it would have been more enjoyable, though. You liked going and doing mundane things like this, as much as he does. He noticed that a lot since you both were always going out and eating together after shoots in Tokyo.

It’s been a few weeks since Jujutsu Kaisen Season 1 did the final reshoots. And he thinks he missed you. You both texted a lot last night, sure. But it’s a different thing when you both are together.

But right now you are enjoying the holiday you’re taking. And judging from the photos you sent him so far, you were happily enjoying it. From what you told him last night, you said you were waiting for your flight so you could visit family back home. You won't be back in New York until maybe next week.

Ryomen Sukuna could only sigh at himself. He has become so fond of your company that he can’t help but crave even more of it. He supposes that it’s just how good you were with him, how good for him. He hadn’t really had anyone be that good to him, he supposed. You’ve just brightened up his day to day, even if it was just to think of you. 

As he turns the corner into the magazine aisle, something catches his scarlet eye and he stops— it was one of those glossy magazines, one that were for high fashion brands. In the front of its bright poppy cover featuring the ever beautiful shining you with a stunning smile, the headline reading, “Y/N L/N: Rising Star of Jujutsu Kaisen!”

His first thought is a mix of pride and mischief. He couldn’t help it. You were everywhere. And he just can’t help but feel warm about it. “Well, well, what do we have here?” he mutters to himself. Grinning, he picks up the magazine, flipping through it.

I should probably promote this. Doll worked hard on this, hm? he thinks, already plotting a plan. He pulls out his phone and goes live on social media, knowing his fans would be eager to join him for this impromptu session.

“Hey, everyone! So, I’m at the supermarket, and guess what I just found?” he announces, holding up the magazine for the camera, your face shining brightly on the cover. “Really pretty picture the editor chose really. I really love this one. I think everyone can agree!”

The chat explodes with comments.

“OMG, Y/N!”

“IS THAT A MAGAZINE?!”

“CAN WE GET A CLOSE-UP?!”

"MY WIFEEEEE SHE LOOKS SO GOOD!"

"CAN YOU FIGHT SUKUNA???"

"OH MY GOD, ONE CHANCE PLEASE PLEASEEE Y/N"

Sukuna chuckles, basking in the chaos as he starts to read some of the article aloud, his voice teasing. “Let’s see what the article has to say about my favorite rising star. Let’s read it together.” he begins, pretending to be a serious news anchor.

“‘Y/N has taken the entertainment world by storm with her captivating performances and undeniable charm, both on screen and on stage.’ Wow, they really nailed it, huh?” He glances at the camera, a playful smirk on his face. “They must’ve been taking notes from me. I mean, she is spending time with the best.”

The comments continue to flood in, fans egging him on.

“THIS IS SO CUTE! SUKUNA, KEEP PRAISING YOUR WOMAN OMG!”

“Please stop, I’m dying! He’s this love struck?”

“Is he flirting with her through a magazine?”

"He's never beating the 'im obssessed with y/n' allegations omg???"

"If my partner isn't like this, i genuinely don't want him, you guys???"

"How is Sukuna real? Like, how is he the only man to ever exist?"

Sukuna can’t help but lean into the banter. “Oh, it gets better. ‘Her recent work in Jujutsu Kaisen has captured the hearts of many, including veteran actor and co-star Ryomen Sukuna.’” He pauses dramatically, pretending to think deeply. “How does that feel? Being able to capture me, Y/N?”

The comments explode again.

“OH NO HE DIDN’T! RYOMEN SUKUNA, YOU’RE INSANE FOR THIS?????”

“IS HE FLIRTING?! GUYS GUYS CHAT IS THIS REAL????”

“THEY ARE SO CUTE TOGETHER! EVEN WHEN THEY’RE APART OMG”

"GOD PLEASE GIVE ME SOMETHING LIKE THIS PLEASE!!!"

"HIS EYES ARE JUST SO FULL OF LOVE WHILE STARING AT HER PICTURE OH MY GOD IM GONNA THROW UP???"

"HE'S DEFINITELY BUYING THE MAGAZINE AND STARE AT IT FOR A WHILE CAUSE???"

He continues reading, “Known for her ability to bring depth to her characters, Y/N is also a self-proclaimed cat mom.” He raises an eyebrow, grinning at the camera. “Noodle better watch out; he’s not the only one who’s going to be in the spotlight!”

Sukuna reads a little more, then leans back, looking directly into the camera. “Honestly, if you’re not following her yet, what are you doing? My doll’s the star of the century! She’s talented, funny, and—” he pretends to whisper with a grin. “—way cuter than I am.”

The comments go wild, with fans practically screaming in excitement.

“HE SAID IT! HE CALLED HER MY DOLL???”

“HE’S SO SUPPORTIVE OF HER OMGGGGGG!!!!”

“CAN YOU GUYS JUST DATE ALREADY?!”

"THEY'RE DEFINITELY DATING GOD IM JUST???"

"GIVE US THE CONFIRMATION FOR THE WEDDING ALREADY???"

"I SHIP I AM THE CAPTAIN OF THIS SHIPPPPPP!!!!"

As he wraps up the live session, Sukuna flashes a charming smile. “So, go pick up this magazine, check out Y/N, and maybe throw in a little love for me too while you’re at it. And don’t forget to tune into the next episode of Jujutsu Kaisen! See you later, everyone!”

With that, he ends the live stream, still chuckling to himself as he walks through the store, clutching the magazine. Little did he know, this playful moment would send fans into a frenzy, cementing your duo’s chemistry even further in the eyes of the public—and leaving you with a smile when you catch wind of his little stunt.

Later that evening, you’re lounging at home, scrolling through your social media feed, when you notice your notifications blowing up. Curious, you tap on your profile to find a flood of comments and tags about Sukuna’s recent live stream.

“Did you see Sukuna’s live? He was reading that magazine about you!”

“I’m crying! He’s so supportive! #Y/NandSukunaForever”

“He basically said he’s in love with you. Can you two just get married already?”

"Y/N, please. give him a shot already. That man is too in love with you."

"This man is doing promos for you like he's trying to save the planet. He's a good man, Savanah!"

"He's literally crazy about you, like??? Stopping in a supermarket to do a live to promote your magazine??? He's in love with you???"

You can’t help but grin, your heart racing at the thought of Ryomen Sukuna casually promoting you to all his fans. You scroll through the clips of his live, laughing at his playful banter and over-the-top expressions. You couldn’t help but just feel happiness beyond comprehension, knowing someone takes care of you even from afar.

Suddenly, a direct message pops up from him. Did you catch the live, doll?

You quickly type back, I did! You’re ridiculous! I can’t believe you read that whole thing.

His reply is immediate. Had to promote my favorite, cutest rising star! Can’t let Noodle take all the love in this three soul family, don’t you think?

You chuckle, imagining Sukuna strutting through the supermarket, holding your magazine like it’s the Holy Grail. What’s next? Are you going to host my fan club?

A few moments later, he replies, Absolutely! First meeting will be at our next sushi date. Wear something nice, doll.

Your cheeks flush at the thought. Then you better look sharp too, bub.

You just know he was smirking when he sent you the reply. When you opened it, your face turned even redder. Oh, of course, doll. I like making sure I look pretty enough to get your praises and kisses. You’re my doll, after all.

You could feel butterflies for a moment, and for a good while, you were just trying to keep yourself together. You couldn’t look like this while you were having dinner with your parents.

As the conversation continues, you can’t help but feel a warm flutter of excitement. Not only is he supporting you, but he’s also finding creative ways to keep the teasing and flirting alive in front of everyone.

The next day, you decide to take advantage of the buzz. You ended up in a book store where they had your magazines. You post a cute selfie of yourself holding the magazine, your expression playful and bright.

Thanks to my bubs @RyomenSukuna for the promotion! If you haven’t checked out this issue yet, what are you waiting for?

Almost instantly, your comments explode.

“YOU LOOK AMAZING! WE STANNNNNN”

“GET IT, GIRL! WE LOVE TO SEE IT!!!!”

“HE’S NOT WRONG, Y/N IS A QUEEN!”

"Y/N DOMINATION FR FR!!!"

"SUKUNA CAN YOU FIGHT CAN YOU FIGHT SUKUNA???"

"NAH CAUSE IF Y/N AND YOU AREN'T TOGETHER, IM SHOOTING MY SHOT!!!"

A few hours later, you see another tweet trending: “Sukuna’s magazine live should win an award for Best Promotion. Guys, if you’re not doing this for your girls, we don’t want you!”

You can’t help but laugh, picturing him reading through those thirsty tweets like a comedic genius.

Later that evening, as you prepare for bed, your phone buzzes again. It’s a video from Sukuna, looking slightly mischievous.

“Hey, everyone! Just wanted to follow up on my earlier live stream. The magazine is flying off the shelves, and I’m not saying it’s all because of my charming face, but… Okay, it’s mostly because of Y/N. You know how it is. Now, don’t just stop there—go buy that issue! And let’s be real, you’re doing it for me, but mostly for her! So, keep giving my doll all your love, okay? Thanks everyone! I’ll see you in the next live tweet for Jujutsu Kaisen!”

He winks at the camera, and you can’t help but smile. He’s just so endearing when he gets into these promotional modes. The next few weeks, it’s all the media could talk about.

They just catch wind of the buzz surrounding your magazine feature and Sukuna’s live stream. They keep getting more and more curious about you and Sukuna. After all, both of you were a mystery to them. 

You’re both invited to a morning talk show to discuss the recent developments, and you can already sense the excitement and chaos that awaits.As you both sit on the couch, the host teases you both about the “flirting” and “couple energy” that everyone seems to be picking up  on.

“You two are definitely giving off some serious vibes!” the host says, leaning in. “Sukuna, what do you have to say about the ongoing speculation?”

Sukuna grins, leaning back. “I mean, can you blame them? Who wouldn’t want to be with someone as talented and cute as Y/N? Can you blame everyone for being as dazzled about her as me?”

The audience erupts into cheers, and you can’t help but blush.

“Okay, but I’m just grateful for him.” you chime in, trying to regain composure. You grinned at him. “Sukuna’s just really is such a great supportive soul for me.… And such a darling to me. You always are, aren’t you, bub? Dramatic too, but well. Love you all the same!”

“Dramatic? Me? Never.” he replies, feigning innocence while smirking. “I’m just here to make sure everyone knows who the real star is. And well, who the real star of my day to day is, don’t you think?”

The banter continues, and by the end of the show, your dynamic has captured the hearts of viewers everywhere. Social media is ablaze with clips of your interview, further fueling the speculation and excitement.

As you leave the studio, you can’t help but think about how much fun this whole experience has been. The teasing, the playful banter, and Sukuna’s unabashed support have created a whirlwind of excitement that you never expected.

Later, you check your phone one last time before bed. A new tweet catches your eye: “Sukuna and Y/N have officially made it onto my ‘favorite couples’ list. The world needs more of this!”

With a smile on your face, you finally drift off to sleep, dreaming of what other adventures await you and Sukuna in this unexpected and thrilling journey together. 

➽──────────❥

YOU WERE STILL SLEEPY. But well, what could you do? Life goes on, with how your schedule is today. The day of the big fashion show had finally arrived, and excitement buzzed in the air as you and Sukuna prepared to strut down the runway.

The energy backstage was palpable—models hurrying to and from makeup stations, designers giving last-minute instructions, and the rhythmic clack of high heels against the glossy floor echoing in the room.

Sukuna, leaning casually against the wall, shot you a knowing glance. He had that smirk on his face, the one that hinted at his unshakable confidence. He was effortlessly cool, and you couldn't help but feed off that energy.

The theme of the show was glamorous rebellion—a fusion of elegance and edge, where bold designs and striking details were the focus. You were dressed in a breathtaking ensemble that turned heads even before the show began.

A sleek, figure-hugging dress with shimmering embellishments, its dramatic cut-outs giving you just the right mix of sophistication and daring. The heels you wore? Absolutely lethal—sky-high stilettos that elongated your figure, giving you the sensation that you could conquer not just the runway, but the world.

Meanwhile, Sukuna, in a custom-tailored suit that hugged his broad shoulders and accentuated his muscular build, was the perfect counterpart. The deep crimson of his suit jacket contrasted sharply against his black shirt, and the subtle metallic details gleamed under the runway lights. He exuded power and charisma, each step deliberate and commanding.

As you both stepped onto the runway, the atmosphere changed. The lights flashed in rhythm with the music, casting you and Sukuna in a dazzling, almost surreal glow. The crowd erupted into cheers, their excitement infectious.

The music pulsed through your veins, and with Sukuna by your side, you felt invincible. His smirk widened as he caught a few admiring gazes from the audience, and with each stride, the energy between you both grew, palpable and electrifying.

Each step was flawless. The click of your heels against the runway, perfectly timed with Sukuna's strides, created a symphony of dominance.

You could feel eyes on you, admiration and awe blending with envy, but none of that mattered. In that moment, it was just you and Sukuna—a force to be reckoned with. He glanced at you from the corner of his eye, a mischievous glint playing in his gaze, as if daring you to outshine him.

But this wasn’t a competition. It was an effortless partnership, the two of you ruling the runway together. Every turn, every pose, was perfectly synchronized, as though you had rehearsed this a hundred times over.

The lights continued to flicker, cameras flashing from every direction, immortalizing this moment. And as you reached the end of the runway, Sukuna extended his hand to you in a gentlemanly yet teasing manner. You took it, lifting your chin slightly, knowing that together, you had owned the night.

But halfway down the runway, disaster struck. One of your heels snapped, sending you wobbling dangerously to one side. You gasped, struggling to maintain your balance as you tried to recover. Just as you thought you might tumble, Sukuna swiftly reached out, his grip firm around your waist.

“Got you, doll!” he exclaimed, pulling you closer to him as he steadied you. The crowd gasped, and in that split second, you realized you were more grateful than embarrassed.

With a quick wink and a playful flourish, Sukuna helped you regain your composure, but the damage was done—your heel was officially broken. You could feel the adrenaline rush as you both finished the walk, the crowd cheering wildly, clearly enamored by the unexpected moment.

After the show, backstage was a flurry of activity. You hopped on one foot, trying to assess the damage to your broken heel when Sukuna, still riding the high of the show, turned to you. “You know, you could always go for a more comfortable look, doll.” he joked, gesturing toward his own stylish shoes.

You rolled your eyes, laughing. “And give up my fashion moment? Never!”

But as you tried to walk towards the exit, it became clear that you weren’t going to make it far without some help. Sensing your struggle, Sukuna stepped in, effortlessly scooping you up into his arms.

“Let’s get you to the car, fashionista.” he said with a playful grin, carrying you like a princess, drawing surprised looks from the crew and other models.

As you both exited the venue, a photographer snapped a picture of the moment. You could hear the clicking of cameras as people captured the scene—Sukuna, the effortlessly cool actor, carrying you, the fabulous rising star.

That single picture ended up circulating online like wildfire. The caption read: “Is this the most romantic moment of the fashion show? Sukuna carrying Y/N after her heel broke!”

The fan reactions were immediate and overwhelming.

“OMG, I can’t handle this cuteness! He genuinely loves her so much!”

“HE CARRIED HER! SOMEONE CALL THE AMBULANCE, I CAN’T BREATHE!”

“Y/N is literally living my dream. Sukuna is such a gentleman!”

You couldn’t help but smile as you read through the tweets, watching the fan base collectively lose their minds over the moment. You glanced up at Sukuna, who was now scrolling through his phone, clearly amused by the frenzy.

“Look at them go, doll.” he chuckled, a mix of pride and mischief in his eyes. “They’re all acting like we just starred in a rom-com.”

“Maybe we should consider it, bub.” you teased back, leaning your head against his shoulder as he carried you toward the car. “I mean, we both get the same rom-com lead offers. We might as well try.”

“Hm, I’ll think about it.”

“You better!”

As you reached the vehicle, Sukuna gently set you down, but not before the paparazzi snapped more pictures, capturing the laughter and playful banter between you both. You felt like the luckiest person in the world, surrounded by glitz and glamor, but even more, you cherished these moments with him.

Later that night, as you sat together scrolling through the flood of posts about the fashion show, Sukuna turned to you, a smirk dancing on his lips. “So, you think I should carry you everywhere now?”

You laughed, nudging him playfully. “Only if you promise to be this charming every time.”

“Deal, doll.” he replied with a sly smirk on his face. “But only if I get a kiss each and every time.”

You returned his sly smile. “You drive a heavy bargain, you know?”

“Well, I like good compensation, doll.”

“Hm. I’ll think about it, darling.”

And just like that, another adventure in this whirlwind of a journey began, one where fans eagerly awaited every twist and turn of your ever-evolving story. 

The following days were a whirlwind of activity, with the aftermath of the fashion show still buzzing across social media. Every time you opened your phone, there were new memes, edits, and posts highlighting Sukuna’s chivalrous act of carrying you out. 

One particularly popular meme featured a split image: on one side, a picture of you in your stunning outfit with the broken heel, and on the other, a screenshot of Sukuna’s smirk as he effortlessly carried you away. The caption read, “When you break a heel, but your knight in shining armor has your back.”

You couldn’t help but laugh as you scrolled through the threads filled with comments like, “Where do I sign up for a carry from Sukuna?” and “No, but I need someone to love me like this. I need someone to lovingly help me in my fashion emergencies!”

“Looks like you’ve become a trendsetter, doll.” Sukuna teased, plopping down next to you on the couch. “Maybe we should make this a regular thing—fashion shows and heel emergencies.”

“Only if you promise to always be there to catch me, darling.” you shot back, smirking.

As you both continued to scroll through the chaos, an idea struck you. “We should do a follow-up interview about the fashion show! Imagine how much the fans would love to hear us talk about it, especially the heel incident.”

Sukuna raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “You think they’d want to hear about our dramatic moment on the runway? You falling apart and me swooping in to save the day?”

“Absolutely!” You nodded, enthusiasm bubbling up. “I mean, it’s practically a rom-com waiting to happen. Plus, we can spend time together and promote our upcoming work together!”

“Alright, I’m in. But only if you let me wear those ridiculous heels next time….so you know, you can catch me too, doll.” he grinned, nudging you. 

You laughed out loud. “Alright, darling. Let’s find you a pair when we go shopping today.”

“Oh, that’s going to be a challenge then.”

“Hm, why not? It’s fun when we’re together in challenges!”

The next day, you both headed to the studio for the interview. As you settled into your seats, the host couldn’t help but chuckle when he saw you both. “So, the world has been going crazy over your little ‘heel disaster’ at the recent fashion show. Sukuna, what was going through your mind when you scooped Y/N up?”

Sukuna leaned back with a playful grin. “Honestly? I just thought it was a great opportunity to show off my impressive muscles and save the day. Plus, someone needed to make sure she didn’t fall on her face in front of everyone. I’d do anything for my doll, right here, you know?”

You laughed, nudging him with your elbow. “He’s so humble, isn’t he?Like, darling — come and get your credit too! It was more like a dramatic rescue scene, complete with the swoon-worthy soundtrack.”

The interview continued, with the two of you sharing laughs and stories about your experiences. Fans in the comments couldn’t get enough of the chemistry, throwing out heart emojis and excited remarks.

“Do you think you two will collaborate on a fashion line next?” one viewer asked, prompting a wave of excitement among the audience.

“Maybe we’ll do a ‘Y/N & Sukuna’ collection, won’t we, darling?” you said, leaning in. “You know, something chic but also… practical for when you break your heels!”

Sukuna feigned offense, placing a hand over his heart. “Practical? I’m all about the drama! But I could see us doing something fun. Maybe some ‘Sukuna-approved’ footwear that won’t break under pressure? I think you’d love that, doll.”

As the interview was winding down, the host leaned in with a mischievous smile and asked the question that everyone had been waiting for: “So, any truth to the rumors that you two are dating?”

You barely had time to process it before you and Sukuna exchanged a look. Without missing a beat, both of you burst into uncontrollable laughter, the kind where you had to clutch your stomach and wipe away tears. Sukuna’s laugh? A deep, rumbling sound that somehow made the entire situation even funnier.

“I mean, who knows?” you said, still giggling as you tried to regain composure. “We care a lot for each other, though. But, you know, that’s our business!” You flashed a playful wink at the camera, trying to keep things light, but it was clear you were having too much fun with the moment. "Though, who wouldn’t want a guy who carries you when your heel breaks? My darling here is great with helping me out.”

Sukuna, not one to let you steal the spotlight, leaned in closer to the camera with a sly grin, his voice dropping an octave as he added, “I mean, who wouldn’t want to go and carry you and take care of you, doll?” He tilted his head in mock seriousness. “I love caring for you.”

The comment section immediately went into overdrive. The fans couldn’t handle it.

“THE FLIRTING?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!”

“STOPPP THIS IS TOO MUCH MY HEART CAN’T TAKE IT.”

“If they’re not dating, then what's the real point of my life in this world, you guys?”

“Someone pls send help I’ve forgotten how to breathe.”

“Sukuna saying ‘I love caring for you’ like it’s casual?!? They’re married and I know it.”

“Can they just admit it already? WE KNOW.”

After the interview wrapped up, you both waved to the camera, still giggling, as the host thanked you. As soon as the cameras cut, your phones exploded with notifications. It seemed like every social media platform was on fire, fans spiraling into a frenzy over the playful banter.

There were memes of Sukuna carrying you like a princess, edits of the two of you in wedding attire, and screenshots of the moment Sukuna leaned into the camera like he was making a declaration of eternal love.

“I told you this would happen, bub.” you said, showing Sukuna the screen full of memes.

He glanced over and chuckled. “What, people can’t handle a little chemistry?” He shrugged nonchalantly, but you could see the hint of amusement in his eyes. He was enjoying this just as much as you were.

“Well, I guess we’re just going to have to keep them guessing.” you replied, throwing him a teasing grin.

Sukuna leaned back, stretching his arms behind his head. “Or maybe we just keep giving them something to talk about.”

“Well, I love talking about you anyway.” You look at him with a smile. “Don’t you like doing the same?”

He pauses for a second, but grins. “But don’t you already know that?”

“Yeah, I do. I just like hearing it.”

“Cheeky one, aren’t you, doll?”

You grin even wider at him. “Well, my favorite act of love are words of affirmation.”

As you walked out of the studio together, Sukuna looked at you with a smirk. “But you know, I think I could get used to this whole ‘carrying you’ thing. It really keeps the fans on their toes.”

“Oh, for sure.” you replied, nudging him playfully. “Just wait until they start shipping us harder.”

“Let them do their thing.” he said, shrugging nonchalantly. “I’ll just keep carrying you around. I’m like a knight in shining armor, after all.”

You both laughed, knowing that the playful teasing and affectionate banter were only part of the adventure you were embarking on together. As the days went by, the trend only grew, with fans eagerly anticipating every new development in your story.

With each passing moment, the excitement around your dynamic seemed to intertwine your lives more and more, and you couldn’t shake the feeling that this was just the beginning of something truly special.

[andy-wm]

On a personal note...

This is a personal story, so feel free to scroll on past (if you're only here for the Jikookery I can respect that).

I'm posting this because it's connected to what Jimin and Jungkook (specifically Jimin) may or may not be doing with this album and their travel series "Are you sure", and by that I mean coming out publicly as queer and as lovers. If it sounds vague, it is, because I don't know what they're doing yet. I don't know how far Jimin is taking this or what direction he'll go. But if he is going to make his private life public, then my post is relevant even though my experience is a microscopic spec 0f what he will encounter.

I live in a conservative little town on the edge of a big city, we're almost the last stop on the metro train line. This place has 10 000 residents and a reputation for being a little on the rough side. It's not a bad place and the people are not bad people but they won't step aside if you pick a fight, lets put it that way.

There's one high school in our little town, and I am the school librarian. I also run the school's pride club and when I started it 5 years ago (that's when I joined this school) it kicked up a bit of a stink. The community had mixed feelings. I wasn't out as trans at that point, only as queer. The school principal supported the club but wanted me to keep it quiet (I didn't). She wanted me to be appeasing (I wasn't). And when we had challenges from homophobic students, she wanted me to 'let her handle it' ( I didn't).

I responded to bigotry with patience and kindness, modelling the behaviour I expected and having many many conversations about prejudice, the patriarchy, learned behaviour, fear of the unknown, and minding your own damn business....

When I came out as trans to the school community - changing my name and pronouns - I faced some real push back from both staff and students. Students were less openly hostile but sometimes the subtle attempts at bullying are worse. My line manager was really difficult about it. I was a hot topic of conversation. It wasn't a good time. But I stuck with it, partly because I couldn't go back and partly because the Pride Club students were so empowered by what I was doing. They thought I was really brave. I couldn't let them down.

It was a tough time for me personally. Every day was a struggle as I navigated my wavering sense of identity and tried to be true to myself. Most of my family and friends were okay with it but some were not. Some flipped back and forth, some thought I had lost my mind. I had to let a few people go from my life, including one of my closest friends. I've lost a few more since then. I've cried more in the past few years than I have in my whole life and I am pretty tough, so you gotta know - it was a lot.

Fast forward to now. The pride club is well established, homophobia still exists but it's less overt and it's no longer ignored, and we have staff who are active allies. It's definitely a success. Our students to have a safe place where they can be themselves, and slow change is coming to the culture of the school.

It has come at a personal cost though. Not a HUGE personal cost but enough for it to matter. I am recognised and known around town because, well, most people in small communities know each other. But more so because of my role in the school, and because I am the only out and vocal queer person on school staff (yes, there are other LGBTQIA+ staff but they keep it quiet, and I don't really blame them).

At school i still have to correct people on my pronouns on a daily basis, and occasionally a student will throw a comment my way but it's not often these days. I have to come out to all the new staff pretty much as soon as I first meet them otherwise it's awkward. It's just an everyday thing. It's not a big deal but it's tiring, and it's something cis/straight people don't ever have to think about.

What is tough, though, is sniping from the community at large every now and again. I have been targeted on community socials and I've had had some pretty brusque service from local shop owners and service personnel in local businesses. Sometimes I see kids from school at the shops and they point me out to their parents. I pretend it's because they're happy to see me (what the fuck else am I going to do - hide in the apple crate?) They may say a friendly hello... or they may following me through the aisles of the supermarket trying to menace me - yes, that has happened - I just have to wait and see.

I do have allies in the community too - like the gorgeous pharmacist who always gets my name and pronouns right and compliments me (on whatever he can think of) every time I collect my meds. There's a stern woman in the hardware store who makes a point of loudly correcting herself when she uses the wrong pronouns (often). I appreciate this, I really do, but honestly it would be great if she could be a little quieter.

I am not a celebrity by any means, just a small town school librarian. But wherever I go in my small town - to the doctor, the supermarket, the park, or the gym - there's a chance I'll encounter someone who knows my face. Sometimes that makes me nervous.

The point of this long and boring post is to give people who may not know what it's like, a bit of insight into the experience of a regular, everyday person who lives in a conservative place and who is both recognisable and queer. It can be exhausting, and from time to time I struggle with mental health issues. So I have no doubt that for people who are really well known, it would be much, much worse. They would be the subject of public debate on news sites and TV. They'd be tossed into arguments by politicians on both sides of the divide. They'd encounter hostility in person too, and that's really frightening.

So please remember that if the celebs you admire choose NOT to come out, it's because they've weighed up their choices and that's the safest option for them. Support them where they're at, so they can live their best life under the circumstances.

If they do come out, they'll probably need even more support. Please love them, defend them, celebrate them, and validate them. They need you more than you know.

And above all else, be a good human.

PS, no need to comment here, this is purely a PSA <3

[psychicreadsgirl]

Pick a Kpop Album Cover: How Others Will Perceive You and Your Next S/O

Pick the cover that draws you the most. If you can't choose between 2, then take a look at both of the readings. This is a general reading, so it might not resonate with everyone. Take what resonates and leave what doesn't behind.

#1

They will see you two as a power couple. You two seem to have it all and everything seems to be picture perfect, even though it might not always feel like that deep down.

You do have some people supporting you two as a couple.

There'll be a lot of jealousy from others. Many will try to lure your s/o away from you or they will try to lure you away from your s/o. These situations can perhaps cause tension between you and your s/o.

#2

People will feel like there's something sketchy or odd about your relationship. Some can't really pinpoint what's off, but somehow this pairing makes people wonder why you two are together. You two might perhaps be polar opposites or just don't seem like you'd be the type to be together (i.e. maybe you're the nerd and they're the jock etc.)

I don't feel like you have a lot of people rooting for you two to have long union. It seems like most people feel like you two are destined to break up and if you do break up, there'll be people coming to you going like oh I knew that would happen etc.

#3

People don't really feel much about your relationship. You two seem sort of like wall flowers in people's lives. They don't care about you two being together, which isn't a bad thing. People won't particularly judge you two. They will just see you two as a couple and that's it.

I don't see people particularly hating, loving, or caring about you two. You two will probably have quite a bit of privacy from others and probably will not have many friend groups. It's possible that you two both have very small families too or perhaps no family (i.e. parents have passed away and no siblings etc.)

#4

All eyes are somehow on you two. You two are the "gossip" that people are constantly talking about behind your backs. Somehow the way you two get together or perhaps the fact that you two are together just makes people chit chat. It's possible that one of you is either quite well known/rich/powerful within the community, area, city, town, province, state, country or perhaps one of you just knows a lot of people. For some reason you two will become "gossip" and your relationship may perhaps land in online forums, newspapers, articles, social media, etc. If not, you two will certainly be talked about behind both of your backs like people texting/calling each other to discuss you two.

You have a mixed set of people rooting for you two, hating you two, wanting you two to break up etc. You'll definitely have some haters and some supporters. It's really a mixed bag.

My advice to you is just to not let the "Gossip" get to you or your relationship. Your friends or colleagues or family may come to you with stories or news or articles or whatever that they heard or learned about your s/o, but you should take those things with a heavy grain of salt. Much of it, if not all are false; you should trust your gut. Your s/o's circle of people might also do the same to them.

The key is to trust your s/o and trust youself. Don't let others get to you.

#5

I feel like a lot of people are expecting you to run away from this relationship. They feel like your s/o is toxic or is not good for you. They want you to leave your s/o. In some cases, these people are right, but in other cases, they are wrong about your s/o. It will be up to you to make that call.

I do sense that people don't particularly like your s/o. They feel like your s/o doesn't match you and that you should break up with them. They feel like your s/o is like a leech? At least that's what I'm getting.

I just feel like people are generally concerned that you're dating this person. Perhaps this person has a bad reputation previously (like maybe they were a player and now people feel like you're just getting played or perhaps they have a criminal record and so people don't think you are safe wtih them etc). In these situations it's really up to you to decide whether you should continue your relationship with your s/o.

#6

I see that your family or their family (more so like parents/grandparents/elders) really support this relationship. They feel like this a match in heaven. They really like your s/o and hope you two will be together for the long run.

Generally people feel like you two are quite cute together and admire your relationship with your s/o. You two give off like those cute couples on IG that make a couple's IG account.

You may, however, have someone, perhaps a friend, who wants to break you two apart. It might come from your end or theirs, or maybe it's one of their siblings that really dislikes you.

[xomakara]

Our Love is Infinite

SUMMARY | You’re in a relationship with five guys that are utterly devoted to you. PAIRINGS | NCT '00 Line/Fem!Reader GENRE | just filthy smut, unprotected sex, fluff, mentions of threesomes, fingering, anal sex, oral sex (both male and female receiving), dirty talk, pet names RATING | Mature LENGTH | 14,672 words AUTHOR’S NOTE | And this is finally finished. Geezes, took me awhile. IDK if there’s really any plot in this. It’s more sex than anything. There’s mentions of threesomes but I haven’t wrote any of those scenes in here lol. Maybe I’ll write a part 2 or something for this. Hope you like it!

“So you and Jeno, huh?”

“Yeah, like he was really good last night.”

“I can’t believe I managed to kiss Jaemin.”

“Oh my god, you lucky bitch.”

You overheard the girls from a few tables down talk about who they've spent the night with after the NCT frat party. One girl was boasting about getting laid by Jeno. Another one claimed that she and Jaemin had kissed last night.

But you knew that wasn’t the case. Jeno and Jaemin were with you last night. You were sandwiched between the both of them, both taking turns fucking you senseless. The two gorgeous studs had given your pussy the best fucking it’s ever received.

You rolled your eyes, Yangyang sitting across from you as he laughed. “Seeing your reaction, seems like those girls are just telling made up stories.”

Haechan shook his head. “Don’t tell me…both of them were with you last night?”

Renjun let out a small laugh. “Of course they were with Y/N.”

Haechan patted you on the shoulder. “Mmm, baby. Jeno and Jaemin? At the same time? How are you feeling today?”

“I felt like I was almost torn in half.” You frowned at him, lightly squeezing his thigh.

“Awh, baby. Are you sore?” Haechan leaned over and kissed your forehead. He whispered into your ear, running his fingers along your jawline. You shivered under his touch. "Should we give you a break tonight?"

“Let's give Y/N a break tonight,” Renjun said, placing a kiss on your cheek.

Ever since you and Haechan started dating, your relationship and sex life has been very surprising. When Haechan was open to the idea of sharing you with his friends, it changed everything. No longer were you just his girlfriend, you were their girlfriends too. While you might not get to spend your whole time with Haechan anymore, you do get to enjoy each other’s company. For the most part, you guys are all exclusive to each other.

At first it started when you and Haechan caught Renjun sneaking looks at you while you weren't looking. When you asked why he kept staring, he told you that it was because he thought you were cute. As it turned out, Renjun had never dated anyone before and it took a lot for him to finally make a move. Haechan and you invited Renjun over to hang out, where you gave him your number so he could call you later.

When you got home that day, you looked at Haechan, questioning what to do next. Haechan chuckled and said he was fine with it if you wanted to date Renjun. Of course you agreed, wanting someone new to share your bed with every once in a while. Renjun seemed like a fun guy and being around the two of you makes him happy. It made you happy to know that there would be another man in your life that would treat you well.

Plus sex with the both of them is pretty awesome too. They're both quite skilled in the bedroom, leaving you satisfied more often than not. Not only did you start having threesomes with the two of them but you also have regular sex with them alone.

Yangyang was thrown into the mix when Renjun introduced him to you and Haechan. Like everyone else, he was attracted to you right away. He and Haechan hit it off right away and Yangyang saw an opportunity to pursue you. The two started spending a lot of time together, becoming best friends quickly. Haechan and you came to trust Yangyang and eventually you invited him to join in on their threesomes with you.

You were surprised when Jeno and Jaemin showed interest in you. It made sense though. After hearing all the sexcapades between you, Haechan, Renjun and Yangyang, you weren't surprised if Jeno and Jaemin wanted in on it as well. And hey, the sex was great so far. You would be lying if you say you didn't enjoy having Jaemin's dick deep inside you or letting Jeno slide in and out of your ass. So yes, you welcomed their advances with open arms. Plus, they weren't going to be some random people trying to enter your lives. They're already your friends.

This arrangement was a win-win situation for everyone involved. Everyone gets what they want. You got more dick. Haechan got some friends and you were happy to have a group that made you happy.

"Where is Jeno and Jaemin?" Renjun looked around before spotting Jeno's car in the parking lot. "They're always here early."

Jaemin entered the restaurant first, wearing an oversize t-shirt and sweatpants. He spotted Haechan standing behind you, greeting him with a hug. "Hey, sorry guys. Someone forgot to wake us up this morning."

Jeno pointed at you, smiling brightly. "Can't blame you, Y/N. The fuck she put us through last night."

You shrugged, turning to face the boys. "It was fun."

The rest of the guys filed into the restaurant, all talking amongst themselves. Jaemin turned towards you, giving you a small smile. "Did you sleep okay last night? We didn't hurt you or anything, did we?"

"Nah, I'm fine." You answered, sticking out your tongue. "Even though I felt like I was being torn apart half way through. But don't worry, I still enjoyed myself."

Jaemin smiled, nodding his head. "Good. 'Cause we plan to do it again soon."

Everyone exchanged glances before beginning to chuckle.

"Well, get in line since I plan on having her to myself." Haechan said with a wink, his hand on your thigh. "It's been awhile since I had some one on one with my sweetheart."

Your heart sped up. It's been awhile since you slept only with Haechan ever since you got multiple boyfriends. Haechan was your everything and even though he does get possessive sometimes, you love every bit of it. His kisses, his cuddles, the way he makes you feel so special. Although you had other boyfriends, Haechan was the one you loved the most. Having multiple lovers couldn't change that. Haechan wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.

Yangyang frowned. "I want some love too. Kind of jealous right now."

"Come on, don't be jealous." Renjun said, giving Yangyang a friendly pat on the back. "Remember that Haechan and Y/N have the most intimate relationship since they've been together since the start. It's just normal for her to spend most of her nights with Haechan."

Jeno leaned over, putting a hand on Yangyang's shoulder. "Come on, bro. You know how close they are. They've been through thick and thin. If anyone knows what they're doing, it'd be Haechan and Y/N."

"Ahww, my poor Yangyang." You pressed a small kiss on his cheek. "I still love you."

"Hmm, I love you too, dumpling." Yangyang nodded, returning your peck.

After finishing their meals, everyone gathered outside in front of their cars. It seemed like no one was leaving any time soon.

"I'm heading home." You announced, hugging Yangyang goodbye. "See you guys later."

"Wait, wait, wait!" Haechan called out, catching your attention. "Why don't you come back to my place instead?"

"Ahh..." You moaned, biting your lip. You hated to refuse Haechan, especially when he asked you something like this.

Haechan bent down, whispering into your ear. "Please, baby. I miss you."

"You're such a big baby," you muttered, your arms snaking around his waist. "Hmm, why don’t I spend some time with the others for the rest of the week and then you can have me all to yourself on the weekend. Deal?”

“Sure, whatever works for you. I love you.” Haechan chuckled, shaking his head. “I know in the end, I’m your favorite.”

“I love you too, Haechannie.” You kissed him. “You’re always my number one.”

Just as Haechan was pulling away from you, you turned around to face Renjun. Renjun was leaning against his car, grinning from ear to ear.

"What's so funny?" You asked, shooting a look at Renjun.

"Nothing, just looking at my two favorite people. Always have been, always will be." Renjun held your gaze with affection. Wrapping his arms around you, he gave Haechan a nod. “Y/N deserves the world. Sure this relationship with five guys and their one girlfriend is weird but it works.”

“That’s true, it really does work.” You murmured, resting your head on Renjun’s chest. You glanced at Haechan, seeing him smiling proudly. Before you knew it, Renjun wrapped his arms around both of you. You pulled away from Renjun, gazing into Haechan’s eyes. “Thanks for bringing these guys into our lives.”

“It’s nothing, baby. I’m just glad I could bring them closer to you.” Haechan leaned in, kissing you gently. Renjun, Yangyang, Jeno and Jaemin exchanged smiles.

Yangyang then let out a small cough to get everyone's attention. “We should really decide on a schedule to split Y/N’s time.”

Jeno leaned against his car. “I think Y/N should get more time with Haechan since they’re the main couple.”

“I second that idea.” Haechan chuckled.

Jaemin folded his arms over his chest and nodded. “Agreed.”

Renjun walked closer to Haechan, wrapping his arm around his shoulders. “What do you think, Y/N?”

You tilted your head slightly. “Well…if you guys think it’s necessary, then I don’t mind either. I trust you guys with my life and vice versa. Besides, if you guys all spend time with me during the weekdays, I can spend the weekends with Haechan. That sounds fair enough.”

“So how about…” Haechan started. “Y/N has Yangyang on Mondays, Jeno on Tuesdays, Jaemin on Wednesdays, Renjun on Thursdays?”

“And leaving you Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays?” Renjun suggested, earning chuckles from the rest of the group.

“Yep, sounds good to me.” You agreed. “But I also get the option to have threesomes, foursomes, or a gangbang on any given day.”

Everyone laughed while you flashed your pearly whites at Haechan. Haechan sighed, grabbing your chin, turning your face towards him. “Don’t tempt me, baby.”

“Yeah yeah, take me now!” You shouted, falling backwards onto the hood of Renjun’s car. “I’m ready whenever you are.”

“Oh, but it will take awhile to satisfy you. Let’s give you a little break.” Renjun groaned, tugging on your arm before dragging you closer to him. He grinned, pulling away from you and sending a loud smack onto your butt. “Later, kitten.”

You shook your head, wiping off your tears from laughter. “Whatever, you can’t resist me. I’m irresistible.”

Renjun growled at you playfully, nuzzling your neck with his nose. “Haven’t you heard, kitten? Nobody can resist you.”

Haechan let out a laugh. “Since we settled on a schedule and it’s Sunday, why don’t we give Y/N a break tonight and start tomorrow?”

“Hmm, that sounds reasonable.” You mumbled, leaning your head against Renjun’s shoulder.

Renjun chuckled. “Kitten, if you didn’t listen to Haechan when he first suggested this, then we wouldn’t be in this situation. Don’t worry about it. We already have an entire family of our own. Nothing compares to that. We’ll never leave you behind. Not ever. I promise.”

“Good. Then it’s settled. Everyone here will be responsible for taking care of you every single day. So, rest well today, baby.” Haechan gave you another kiss on the lips before placing his hand on your cheek. “I love you, sweetheart.”

You grinned at Haechan, brushing a strand of his black hair behind his ear. “I love you too, baby.”

The six of you stood there for a few moments, smiling at each other before you finally pulled away. After a quick goodbye, you headed back to your apartment building, walking in front of everyone else.

"See ya guys next week." You waved as the six of you parted ways.

When you got back inside your apartment, you took a deep breath before slowly closing the door. The air seemed different somehow. Maybe it was because you knew that the next few days would probably change everything again. But you were excited for this new development, even though it had its downsides. This was definitely going to be interesting.

You glanced at the photo on your wall once more. A couple of years ago, the six of you had gone out to dinner together and took pictures. It wasn’t the most professional-looking picture in the world but none of you cared about that.

For the first time, you smiled genuinely as you gazed at the photo, imagining what the future would hold for you and your five boyfriends.

Monday

It’s Monday and today is the day you get to spend with Yangyang. He promised you that he would give you all the time you wanted today.

"Thank you for waiting." You murmured, approaching the table. Yangyang was sitting at the opposite end, smiling brightly.

"Hey beautiful." Yangyang greeted, getting up and wrapping his arms around you. "How was your night?"

"It was alright." You admitted, resting your head against Yangyang's shoulder. "I ended up spending the night watching movies."

"Sounds boring." Yangyang teased. "Although I'm glad that you spent time alone with me."

"Mmm, thank you." You purred. "It was nice being by myself but I missed you."

Yangyang nodded. "Are you sure that you want to have me all to yourself today?"

You shrugged, lightly smacking Yangyang's lips with yours. "There's no reason not to. Why would you even ask that?"

"You're in a mood." Yangyang smirked.

"That's the understatement of the year." You sighed. "Have you decided where you wanna go today?"

"Well…" Yangyang scratched the back of his head, ruffling your long hair. "As a matter of fact, I did. Do you wanna go to the park?"

You nodded. "Of course I wanna go to the park with you!"

"Great, let's get going then." Yangyang pulled you up, holding onto your hand tightly. "Ready?"

You nodded before pulling away and heading towards the door. Once outside, you both paused for a moment. There was something magical about strolling around in the park during a beautiful summer afternoon. Yangyang, of course, noticed this immediately and couldn't help but pull you closer to him.

After walking around for a bit, you both eventually sat down on a nearby bench, enjoying the peaceful scenery around you. You rested your head on Yangyang's shoulder while he placed his head on top of yours, quietly staring at the flowers in the garden nearby. "This place is really pretty." You whispered.

"Yeah." Yangyang nodded. "Every time I come here, it reminds me of when we first met. How much things have changed since then."

You giggled, nodding in agreement. Things certainly have changed between the two of you since the two of you became lovers. It was almost like you had a whole new life ahead of you, filled with new opportunities, possibilities and people who mattered. Although your relationship with Yangyang had begun as an innocent one, you still made memories together that would last a lifetime.

"You know, I'll always be grateful to you." Yangyang stated softly. "From the very beginning, you showed me kindness. No matter what kind of person I am, I could never forget how you accepted me without hesitation. Because of you, I found the courage to believe in myself again. For a while, I forgot what it felt like to truly feel alive. Thanks for helping me find my happiness again."

"Yangyang…" You hummed, running your fingers through Yangyang's hair. "You've helped me too."

Yangyang snorted, pulling you close to him. "Yeah right, dumpling. I know Haechan has done more than everyone since he’s been there from the start. And trust me, I'm thankful to have such wonderful friends like him. What do I do that's special?"

You giggled, shaking your head. "Not everything has to be spectacular to count as special. Your actions are enough to convince me that I chose the right guy."

"Heh, good point." Yangyang grinned, hugging you tighter. "Anyway, do you have anything planned for tonight?"

"Not really." You answered truthfully.

"Why don’t we go back to your place then? We don’t need to have sex or anything. I just want to spend time together or whatever you want.” Yangyang squeezed you. “We can fall asleep in each other’s arms too, if you want.”

You couldn't help but blush at Yangyang's suggestion. Tonight was a perfect night to do some private snuggling.

"Yangyang, that sounds great." You exclaimed, jumping up. "But are you sure you want to stay over tonight?"

"Absolutely." Yangyang reassured you. "What do you say?”

You shrugged, turning towards the park entrance. "Let's go then. Let's head home. I'm kinda tired."

Yangyang followed closely behind you, continuing to whisper sweet nothings in your ear. Once inside your apartment, you both stopped in the middle of the hallway. Neither of you said a word as you walked towards your bedroom, leaving the rest of the apartment dark. Yangyang pulled off his shoes, removing his jacket before walking further into your room. "Shall we cuddle?" Yangyang asked as he pulled you towards the bed.

"Yes, please." You responded quickly, fluttering your eyelashes at him.

"Hmm, naughty girl. Come on, let's cuddle." Yangyang lifted you up, carrying you to the bed.

Once on the bed, you turned around and cuddled up next to Yangyang, facing him. Yangyang was caressing your back tenderly, smiling lovingly. "I love you so much, Y/N." Yangyang whispered in your ear. "Thank you for loving me."

"I love you too, Yangyang." You replied softly, tightening your grip around Yangyang's waist. "Now cuddle me some more."

You didn't have to tell Yangyang twice as he buried his face in your neck, whispering more sweet nothings in your ears. "Do you have any regrets about us being together?"

You shook your head. "No, not at all. In fact, I think I made the right choice."

Yangyang chuckled. "Good to hear. Now let's enjoy this little moment."

"Sounds good." You laughed, snuggling closer to Yangyang.

Soon, your lips began to touch each other. You kissed Yangyang softly, making soft sounds as you tasted him. You gently nibbled on Yangyang's lower lip, sucking lightly as you felt Yangyang lean in towards you, kissing you passionately. His hands traveled to your backside, cupping you tightly, rubbing your skin with excitement. You broke away from your embrace, gently pushing Yangyang onto his back. "Yangyang..." You breathed heavily. "Let's… do it.”

“Do what?” Yangyang questioned.

“Please… fuck me.” You whispered, slowly taking off your clothes. “If it’s okay with you.”

“Is that what you really want?” Yangyang teased, licking his lips as he stared at your body.

“Yes, please.” You whimpered, moving closer to Yangyang.

Yangyang let out a small laugh. "Alright, we'll do it." He kissed you once more before rolling you over onto your stomach. He lowered himself to your side, kissing your butt gently. "It feels so nice to be able to have you all to myself. Even if it's only on Mondays."

"I know that having to share me with four other guys sucks sometimes." You commented with a sigh. "But I'm happy that you can spend this time with me."

"You're right, baby. They mean a lot to me too. But I'm glad that we're able to be with each other now." Yangyang hugged you tight. "In fact, I'd like to make this time even better."

"Yangyang…" You moaned as Yangyang continued to rub your ass cheeks. "Please… fuck me."

Yangyang kissed your cheek, grabbing onto your thighs. "You really want me to fuck you, huh?"

"Y-yes, please… fuck me." You gasped, trying to contain your arousal.

“Sure thing, dumpling.” Yangyang responded. “Just lay back and relax.”

You moaned softly as you laid down on the bed, watching Yangyang remove his pants and underwear before climbing onto the bed. He looked so handsome, lying down naked and exposed, looking incredibly sexy. Yangyang looked up at you, a huge smile on his face. "Are you ready, my sweet dumpling?"

"Mmmm, yes." You moaned, blushing slightly as Yangyang started kissing your stomach. "I can't wait."

“Don’t worry, baby. I’m gonna make you cum so hard.” Yangyang whispered, slipping two fingers inside you. Yangyang started moving his fingers in and out of you, feeling every single inch of you. "Even though you have five boyfriends, you’re still so tight."

You could only moan at Yangyang's words, already having a strong orgasm building up. Yangyang continued his ministrations, teasing you mercilessly as he kissed your breasts, nipping your nipples playfully. He moved his mouth to your left breast, sucking on it as his fingers slid deeper inside of you. After a few minutes of pleasing you, Yangyang climbed on top of you, licking your entire body before moving down towards your core. He licked his way down to your thighs, dipping his tongue into your wet folds.

Yangyang kissed you gently, kissing your thigh and backside, causing you to moan loudly. "Oh god Yangyang, please…”

"Relax and open up for me, my sweet dumpling." Yangyang panted. "Trust me. It will be worth it."

With that, Yangyang leaned forward and placed a kiss on your clit, sending shockwaves throughout your body. You grabbed onto the sheets below you, feeling Yangyang run his tongue across your sensitive flesh. With his fingers still inside of you, Yangyang circled your clit rapidly, feeling you shake underneath him.

"Ahhh…" You gasped, gripping onto Yangyang tightly. "More, please… More."

Yangyang groaned, knowing exactly what you wanted. Moving his finger in and out of you, Yangyang continued circling your clit as he inserted another finger inside of you, massaging your g-spot and causing you to explode violently. You bucked wildly under him, squirting all over Yangyang’s face. Yangyang removed his fingers from you, licking up all of your juices. You tried to calm yourself down, breathing heavily as you laid there.

"That was incredible." Yangyang breathed. "You taste so good."

"Oh my god," you panted. "I can't believe I squirted like that."

Yangyang smirked, leaning down to kiss you gently. "As I said, it will be worth it."

Yangyang lifted himself up and looked at you, running his fingers through your messy hair. He leaned down to plant a passionate kiss on your lips, licking your tongue before returning to his normal position.

"You really came so hard." Yangyang stated, nuzzling his nose against yours.

"Ugh, don't remind me." You grumbled, covering your face with your hands. "I'm just so embarrassed that I got so wet and messy like that."

"I wouldn't call it embarrassing." Yangyang murmured, kissing your shoulder. "Your orgasms are absolutely beautiful."

"What does that even mean?" You groaned. "And why am I not surprised?"

"Come on, it's true." Yangyang laughed. "It takes quite an amazing woman to squirt all over someone’s face. So thank you for being my amazing woman, dumpling."

"Stop being silly, Yangyang." You sighed. "But thanks."

Yangyang snickered, licking his lips. "Well then, shall we continue where we left off?"

"Yes, Yangyang." You groaned. "Yes."

Yangyang reached for your hand, pulling you close to him. He grabbed onto your hips, grinding his dick into your body. You moaned, closing your eyes and relishing in the warmth of his dick pressed against your pussy.

Yangyang kissed you deeply, moaning softly as he felt your heat enveloping his dick. He could feel his penis throbbing as you moaned softly in his ear, his erection growing harder by the second. As Yangyang kissed you passionately, he gently thrust his dick inside of you, letting you take all of him in. You moaned again as Yangyang kissed you. The feeling of his dick stretching you out was almost indescribable. Every time he thrust into you, Yangyang grunted softly. Your lips met once more as Yangyang penetrated you, slamming you against the bed.

You could barely hold onto your sanity as Yangyang continued thrusting into you, feeling every single inch of him move within you. He began moaning as well, feeling every single inch of you wrapped around him. You could tell that he was enjoying every minute of this, moaning louder and louder as he continued thrusting into you. You couldn’t help but start screaming out as he increased his speed, grinding his dick against you. You clenched your fists, panting hard as he kept fucking you.

Finally, Yangyang grabbed onto your hips, thrusting faster and faster. You could feel your climax starting to build up as he fucked you relentlessly. Finally, you felt it come crashing down on you. Your entire body shook as you shuddered under him, Yangyang pounding into you as you screamed out. Your body quivered uncontrollably, crying out as waves of pleasure ran through you.

"Shit, Yangyang!" You cried out, throwing your head back as you felt your orgasm sweep over you.

He grabbed onto your arms, holding onto you as you continued coming. He thrust into you once more, gasping as he watched your face contort in ecstasy. After several moments, he withdrew his cock from you, allowing you to breathe. He placed kisses on your forehead, resting his chin against yours.

You finally calmed down, feeling him stroke your hair.

"Wow…" You sighed, staring at the ceiling. "That was… wow."

Yangyang laughed softly. "I told you it would be worth it."

"It was definitely worth it." You agreed, grinning up at Yangyang.

Yangyang pulled you close to him, nuzzling his nose against yours. "This is how we should be spending our Monday nights, dumpling."

"Yeah." You sighed. "You're right."

The two of you fell asleep in each other's arms, cuddling after such a wild session. Even though you'd taken part in sexual activities together countless times, this particular moment seemed particularly special to you.

Tuesday

It was easy to fall asleep after a full day of fun and laughter. You had gotten plenty of sleep after spending all night in Yangyang's arms. You opened your eyes slightly, hearing footsteps coming towards the room. Without opening your eyes completely, you spotted Yangyang walking in, stopping at the foot of the bed.

"Good morning, dumpling." Yangyang greeted, planting a gentle kiss on your forehead.

You sat up in bed, smiling. "Morning. What time is it?"

"Around 7:30 AM." Yangyang informed you. "When I woke up this morning Haechan let himself into your apartment so he could work on something this morning in the living room. Jeno also stopped by and is making breakfast. He’s in the kitchen making coffee and food right now. I already had my breakfast since I need to head out to my morning class.”

“Oh…” You nodded, rubbing your hands across your face. “Alright, see you later.”

"Okay." Yangyang leaned forward, kissing you on the lips gently. "I love you, dumpling."

"Love you too." You smiled.

"Give Jeno and Haechan my love." Yangyang kissed you again before moving back towards the door. "Take care, okay?"

"Okay." You echoed, leaning back in bed. "Bye bye, handsome."

Before he left, you heard the door open and close. For a second, you thought that someone else might have come in but after lying still for a while, you realized that you were the only one in the room. Rolling out of bed, you walked out of your bedroom and remembered that Jeno was cooking breakfast.

Padding into the kitchen, you wrapped your arms around Jeno, face pressed into his back.

"Ah, you're awake." Jeno remarked. "How are you feeling today?"

"Wide awake now that you made me food." You smiled, hugging Jeno tightly. “You’re a lifesaver.”

Jeno chuckled. "Don't worry, it’s my job to take care of you on Tuesdays. You owe me big time for all the times I had to come to your rescue."

You shrugged. "I love you too, so it's fine."

"Aw, you're too cute." Jeno winked, patting your head affectionately. "The food should be ready soon, so why don't you go wake up your number one? It won't be too long before we're eating."

"All right." You agreed, hugging Jeno again before letting go and walking towards the living room.

When you entered the living room, you noticed Haechan curled up on the couch, with his laptop open on his lap. From the way he was leaning back, it looked like he fell asleep while working. Taking a seat beside Haechan, you glanced at his screen and saw that he was doing some research for one of his papers. You chuckled, placed his laptop on the coffee table and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Wake up, love.”

Haechan slowly turned his head towards you, blinking rapidly before his eyes focused. “Ugh… sorry… sleepiness.”

“Don’t apologize. I bet you worked hard to finish your paper in time. I’m proud of you.” You smiled, leaning forward to give Haechan a kiss on the lips.

Haechan returned your kiss, his hand coming to caress your arms. He whispered, “I wish it was Friday and the weekend already. I want to hold you again, hug you tightly.”

“Me too.” You sighed. “But today is Jeno’s day.”

“Hey, you two!” Jeno popped his head into the living room, pulling you both out of your thoughts. “Breakfast is ready! Come and eat.”

“Okay, let’s eat.” Haechan stood up and went to the kitchen, joining Jeno in preparing your meal.

“Thanks again for cooking.” You whispered, placing a soft kiss on Jeno’s cheek.

Jeno chuckled, returning the gesture. “Anytime, princess. That’s what I’m here for.”

You walked to the kitchen, followed closely by Haechan. After washing your hands, you grabbed a bowl and spoon and went to sit down at the dining table. The three of you ate breakfast before cleaning the dishes and putting them away.

As you finished tidying up the kitchen, Jeno called out from the living room, asking you to join him. You followed Jeno back to the living room, sitting down on the sofa while Haechan took a seat on the floor in front of the couch.

"So, did you sleep well last night?" Jeno asked.

"Yep, very well. Had a lot of fun talking with Yangyang." You told Jeno. "We just talked and cuddled.”

“I know you had sex with him too, baby.” Haechan muttered, eyes twinkling with mischief. “You're always craving for a dick in you.”

“Maybe I’m just waiting for the weekend for you to fuck me.” You said to Haechan teasingly. “But yes, the sex was good.”

“As long as you were satisfied, babe.” Haechan burst out laughing. "But can you patiently wait for the weekend for me to fuck your brains out?"

"I'll try my hardest, love. Not a guarantee though. But until then, today is Jeno's day." You leaned forward to give him a kiss. "You know I always love you Haechan."

"And I always love you too, my love." Haechan said tenderly.

You returned Haechan's smile before looking at Jeno, who had been quietly observing the scene between you and Haechan with a smile on his face. "Speaking of which, I forgot to ask you. Do you have any plans today?"

Jeno paused, giving you an apologetic look before shaking his head. "Sorry princess, nothing interesting happening today."

"That's fine. Just hang around the house with me. Or maybe go shopping with me?" You suggested, giving Jeno a pleading look. "If you get bored, we could watch movies or play games."

Jeno bit his lip. "Y/N, you can't possibly be bored if you're with me."

"Of course not." You scoffed. "I would never be bored with you."

"Mmm, if you insist…" Jeno smirked, giving you a light kiss. "We can spend our day in bed if you want."

"Look at you two flirting in front of me." Haechan chuckled. "Just stay in bed with him for the whole day. Don't bother going out anywhere."

Jeno kissed you passionately, tugging on your shirt before running his fingers through your hair. "Should we?”

"Yes." You moaned, wrapping your arms around Jeno's shoulders. "Just stay in bed and don't stop kissing me. It's only Tuesday. Haechan, forget class and stay in bed with me too.”

“I wish I could, baby.” Haechan chuckled, getting up off the floor. “Today is Jeno's day. So I will take my leave first. I love you and I’ll see you this weekend.”

With that, Haechan left the living room, leaving you alone with Jeno. He stared deeply into your eyes before giving you another deep kiss. As he pulled away, he murmured, “Ready to spend the rest of the day in bed with me?”

"Mhm." You agreed, resting your head on his chest.

Jeno wrapped his arms around you, running his hands through your hair and caressing your scalp softly. After staying like that for a while, he whispered, “Do you remember when we first met, babe? When you accidentally walked into the lecture hall and tripped over me because I was laying down there?”

“Yes.” You mumbled, closing your eyes as you recalled the events of that fateful day. “You scared the shit out of me.”

“I didn’t mean to scare you.” Jeno continued. “I was trying to take a nap before my lecture. And you came walking in. My heart almost skipped a beat when I saw you walking towards me. All I could think about was wanting you, making you mine. I wanted to take you home at that moment but then I found out that you and Haechan were dating."

"You were jealous." You giggled. "That’s cute. I thought you hated me at first."

“At first I hated you. I was angry because I lost out on a chance to make you mine." Jeno admitted. "But after I found out how much Haechan loved you, I calmed down. I knew that you would choose him instead of me."

“But you're here now, Jeno." You smiled. "Haechan might still be my number one, but don't think that you're not special to me. You all are special to me. I'm lucky to have you all in my life."

“You’re right. We are all special to you." Jeno sighed, running his hand through your hair. "And we do care about you. I should be glad that Haechan is so open about sharing you with other men. At least he has good taste in choosing people to share you with. Even though you and I weren't together yet, you shared your body with me without hesitation. I was surprised at first, but later on, I got used to it. Whenever I see Haechan fuck you, I feel happy. To see him make you moan and scream. He's very passionate when he fucks you, especially when he's holding you in his arms afterwards. He hugs you tight and strokes your hair. It makes me melt every time. Seeing him like that reminds me of how much he loves you. I wanted to be like that for you."

You gazed at Jeno intently, marveling at how sweet he was being. There was such sincerity in his voice and eyes that you couldn't help but become emotional. "How could anyone not fall in love with you?"

Jeno closed his eyes, smiling as he ran his thumb along your jawline. "It’s hard to describe. But whenever I’m with you, everything seems brighter and more beautiful. Everything is perfect. No matter how bad my day is, you manage to make me forget everything else. I hope that we can stay this way forever. This perfect world where nothing ever goes wrong."

He tightened his embrace around you before whispering, "I love you."

You closed your eyes, knowing that this was a moment worth remembering. And that this was a moment worth repeating. This moment where everything seemed so right, so perfect. You opened your eyes, gazing at Jeno lovingly.

"I love you too." You whispered. "Now come make my Tuesdays as wonderful as possible."

Jeno smiled brightly, leading you out of the living room and heading straight to your bedroom. He tilted your head up and softly pressed his lips onto yours, brushing your teeth gently before deepening the kiss. His tongue teased yours playfully, swirling around and inside your mouth before finally entering.

You felt your stomach tense as Jeno continued to explore your mouth with his tongue. Moaning loudly, you pulled back, throwing your arms around Jeno's neck. You lifted your leg up, wrapping it around Jeno's waist as he stood up, pulling you along with him.

"Shit, you're so hot and sexy." Jeno groaned, lifting you up in his arms. "My legs are so tired."

“They need to rest anyway.” You laughed breathlessly, leaning against Jeno as he carried you to the bed. “Now, lay me down.”

Jeno laid you down gently, pressing a series of kisses on your skin as he started undressing you. You looked at him lustfully as he slowly peeled off each piece of clothing. Every single inch of your body was exposed, sending waves of excitement through your system. His face glowed with desire as he lowered himself, staring at your naked body with admiration. His eyes moved over your torso, tracing every curve and crevice of your skin before moving downwards to your breasts.

Your nipples hardened under his gaze as he stared at them, causing you to shiver. Unable to resist, you reached for Jeno's hair, stroking it seductively as he continued to look at your breasts. He licked his lips hungrily before reaching for your nipple, pinching it lightly. Your body arched upwards instinctively, trying to seek more stimulation. A satisfied growl escaped from Jeno's throat as he continued to pinch and twist your nipples. You whimpered with pleasure, arching your back even further.

Jeno glanced at you briefly before lowering his head, sucking your breast roughly. His teeth dug into your flesh, eliciting another shriek from you. With that, Jeno switched his focus to your other breast, nibbling on your erect nipple again as he increased the pace of his movements. Your entire body was throbbing with desire by now, your clit already wet and swollen.

Moaning louder, you spread your legs wider, giving Jeno more access to your pussy. “More…”

Jeno complied immediately, taking his time to lick your clit and tease your g-spot with his tongue. You felt yourself nearing orgasm already, letting out soft cries as you tried to suppress your moans.

His teasing made you cry out again as your body convulsed uncontrollably, shooting a river of juices all over the place. You fell limply onto the bed, panting heavily as you listened to Jeno moaning.

“Fuck. I can’t believe I squirted again.” You panted.

Jeno grinned, crawling on top of you. He pushed his cock against your entrance, stretching your muscles slightly as he thrust forward. You groaned, feeling the head of his cock pushing past your inner walls. His shaft slowly slid in and out of you, stretching you even further.

“God, you’re so tight and hot.” Jeno groaned, running his hands up and down your sides. “It feels so good having you wrapped around me like this.”

You nodded in agreement, gripping Jeno’s hips tightly. “Don’t stop fucking me.”

Jeno smirked, tightening his grip on your hips. “Oh no, I’m just getting started.” He grunted as he slammed his hips forwards, making you squeak with surprise. He began pounding your pussy vigorously, his eyes locked on yours as he gave you all of his attention. The sight of him looking at you intensely caused your heart to race faster than ever before.

Each stroke became harder and faster as he picked up speed. His rough breathing echoed in your ears, mixed with the sound of his cock sliding in and out of you. Every inch of your body was drenched with sweat by now, your entire body trembling violently.

A low groan escaped from Jeno's lips as he pumped you harder and faster. Each thrust sent a jolt of pleasure through your body, causing you to bite your lip and hold back any noise you may have made. You could feel his shaft twitch inside you every time he plunged into you, sending ripples of pure ecstasy throughout your entire body.

Jeno released a string of curses as he slammed his hips into yours repeatedly, his pace becoming erratic as he grew closer to climax.

“Fuck, princess.” Jeno gritted his teeth, pumping your pussy furiously. “Are you close?”

“Yeeeesssss.” You cried out, wrapping your arms around his neck and grinding your hips into him.

The sensation was intense as Jeno continued pounding your pussy relentlessly. Sweat dripped down his forehead, creating little rivers down his cheek as he continued to stare at you hungrily. You could tell that he was nearing his peak as well.

“I’m gonna cum.” Jeno groaned, shaking his head wildly as he continued to pump your pussy.

“Cum inside me!” You yelled, slamming your hips backwards. “Fill me up!”

Jeno's entire body trembled, as if his entire body was going through some sort of spasm. His face contorted into an expression of utter pleasure, which caused your heart to skip a beat. He bit his lower lip before suddenly slamming his hips forward once again, making you gasp as his balls exploded.

Hot white liquid splashed onto your skin, filling you up with every single drop of his seed. Your insides turned molten hot as Jeno kept pumping your pussy, spilling every last drop of his load inside you. You were left gasping for air, completely drained as Jeno collapsed next to you, collapsing in exhaustion.

After a few moments of catching your breath, you glanced down at Jeno's naked body. Every part of his body was flushed red with perspiration, glistening from the numerous streams of sweat that had accumulated on him. His breathing was heavy as he lay beside you, completely spent.

You leaned in towards Jeno, planting a gentle kiss on his lips before burying your face into his neck. He groaned softly, closing his eyes as you held him closely. His arms encircled your waist protectively, causing you to smile fondly.

“That was amazing.” You whispered, resting your chin on his chest.

Jeno didn't reply, only snuggling closer to you. Both of you remained silent, lost in thought. Eventually, you drifted off to sleep, feeling content as you cuddled against Jeno's side.

Wednesday

Wednesday rolled around and you laid in Jaemin’s arms on the bed, resting comfortably in his embrace. The two of you had spent most of the day watching TV shows and chatting. At one point during the day, Jaemin and you got carried away while playing Uno, making each other laugh hysterically when neither of you could see the cards you were drawing anymore due to your laughter.

The entire time you stayed in Jaemin’s arms with him softly stroking your back. There was something about the way he did that made you feel so loved and cherished, like nothing would ever change between you two.

Jaemin rubbed your shoulder as you talked about your days. “What happened with Yangyang on Monday and Jeno yesterday?”

“Yangyang and I just hung out, took a walk around the park and just cuddled in bed that night.” You answered, looking up at him. “And yesterday, Jeno made me breakfast and then we just stayed in bed all day.”

“Did your days end with sex?” Jaemin raised an eyebrow, a teasing smile on his lips.

"Why?" You asked, arms wrapping his neck. "Is my Jaemin jealous?"

Jaemin laughed, burying his face into your hair. “No, my little bunny. No jealousy here.”

He nuzzled against you affectionately before lifting his head again, gazing into your eyes. “We’ll always have some great days together. Right?”

You sighed happily, raising an eyebrow. “I suppose… But there will also be those bad days, won’t there?”

Jaemin placed his index finger on your chin, tilting it upwards until you looked at him. He smirked. “Well I hope those bad days don't include me."

"They probably won't…" You nodded, turning towards him, allowing your arms to wrap around his shoulders. "Who's to say that I won't have bad days with the other guys?"

"If you do, just come talk to me about it. I promise I'll make sure you're okay and things get better for you. You know how much I care about you, my sweet bunny."

You smiled at him, snuggling closer to him. “Thank you, baby.”

"Anything for you, honey." Jaemin grinned, holding you tighter against him.

For a moment you both were quiet, content with where you were at and what you were doing. Then suddenly you sat up straight, giggling. You leaned up, pecking his lips. “Oh, what do you say we go out tonight? There’s this new restaurant that I want to try.”

Jaemin glanced at the clock on the wall, grinning happily as he laid down. “I’ll get ready quickly. What should I wear?”

You giggled as you watched Jaemin scramble to get dressed. Once he was finished, he leaned over, kissing you passionately. “See you soon, bunny.”

As soon as he closed the door behind him, you turned to look at the mirror on the wall. Your reflection appeared distorted as you gazed at yourself intently. You couldn’t help but grin widely, remembering how good it felt when Jaemin had touched you earlier today. It was funny how things had changed between you and Jaemin since the first time you met him. Then, you were nothing more than a random student that walked in on him masturbating in the bathroom during a frat party you attended with Haechan.

Of course, back then, you hadn’t known anything about Jaemin, and you would have never guessed that he would turn out to be such a great friend. Now, you were practically inseparable with him. You were pretty sure that Haechan and your other boyfriends wouldn’t mind if you brought Jaemin into the relationship. He was a close friend of everyone, particularly Jeno, so it was just a matter of time before he became your boyfriend as well.

That thought made you giggle once more. In fact, you had already made the move on Jaemin a few times, surprising him when you broke the news to him that he had been ‘accepted’ into your harem. However, Jaemin didn’t take it too badly. To be honest, Jaemin seemed kind of excited about being accepted into your harem. Maybe it was because it meant you cared enough about him to let him join. Whatever the reason was, you were happy. Everything was perfect right now, and you knew you would only continue to improve. And even though there might be days when you didn’t feel very confident, there would always be someone who would help you feel strong.

Pulling on your clothes and checking to make sure you had everything, you met up with Jaemin in the living room. The two of you greeted each other cheerfully before heading downstairs together.

While waiting for dinner to arrive, you and Jaemin sat across from each other, talking about random stuff. You were about to bring up Jeno when the waiter arrived with their meals. You silently thanked the waiter as he placed the plates on the table before leaving. After collecting our utensils, the two of you started eating.

“So, about Jeno.” Jaemin said after a while, spearing a piece of meat on his fork. “Did he fuck you good last night? Was my baby satisfied?”

You let out a quiet moan as you chewed, pretending to ignore his question. “He did fuck me really well, though. Very much so.”

Jaemin smiled, leaning forward slightly. “Tell me everything. How many times did he penetrate you? Did you take his load in your mouth or your pussy? Or both?”

Taking a deep breath, you cleared your throat, knowing that you shouldn’t be getting excited by these questions. Still, you couldn’t stop thinking about what happened last night and how good Jeno made you feel. You tried your best not to show it, continuing to talk to Jaemin as if you didn’t hear him.

Jaemin glanced at you again, raising an eyebrow. “Y/N? Are you okay?”

Sighing softly, you shook your head, hiding your face behind your menu. “Yes, Jaemin. I’m fine. Just thinking about… something else.”

“Yeah, right.” Jaemin chuckled. “That ‘something else’ is obviously about what you and Jeno got up to last night. Why are you still blushing? It's okay to like it. I just want to know─”

“Jaemin, baby,” you looked at him. “How about I show you after dinner when we get home?”

Jaemin leaned back, chuckling. “You are so naughty. So insatiable, little bunny.”

The two of you finished dinner and headed back to the apartment, the sound of your footsteps echoing down the hallway. The lights were dimmed as you opened the front door and stepped inside. Jaemin followed you inside, locking the door behind him. As you shut the door, he began to undress, letting his shirt fall to the ground.

You blushed slightly, taking off your jacket and putting it aside. In a moment, your dress came off as well, revealing your lacy bra and thong underneath. While the silence hung in the air, you grabbed a throw pillow and laid it flat on the couch. You patted the seat next to you, Jaemin coming to sit. Smiling sweetly, you stroked his chin. “Are you okay with me having sex with Jeno?”

“Yeah, of course I’m okay with that.” Jaemin replied. “Besides, I’ve seen plenty of you and Haechan naked and fucking, remember?”

“Mmm…” You licked your lips slowly, biting your lower lip.

Jaemin smirked. “Oh my, this should be interesting.”

"It won't be long until we're all having sex together." You grinned mischievously. "Then everyone will be having lots of sex."

"Won't that be wonderful?" Jaemin chuckled.

“And my Jaemin can finally have some happy family days.” You giggled.

Jaemin rolled his eyes. “My own family?”

"Jaemin." You scolded, trying to pull away from him. "We’re all adults.”

“Well, in that case…” Jaemin smirked. “Let’s start a new family. With little bunnies running around.”

Laughing, you moved your hands to run down his sides, caressing his abs gently. You pushed his boxers down slightly, admiring the smooth skin on his torso. Gently nibbling on his earlobe, you lightly trailed kisses along his jawline.

"Behave, little bunny." Jaemin warned.

"Ooooh, I'm being bad." You giggled. "Tsk tsk."

Before you could move any further, Jaemin picked you up and set you down on top of him, locking his arms around your waist.

"Jaemin!" You exclaimed, struggling to get away.

"Now behave, little bunny." Jaemin chuckled, his lips capturing yours. His tongue teased yours playfully, causing both of you to moan softly. As he pulled away, you began kissing his neck.

"God damn it, you tease." Jaemin groaned, pulling you tighter against him.

As he began tracing his fingers down your spine, his hands rested above your ass, your breasts pressing into his chest. Leaning forward, he pressed his mouth against your collarbone, nipping and sucking on your skin. As you moaned loudly, a wicked smirk crossed his face.

Reaching behind you, he gently slid the straps of your bra down, exposing your breasts.

"Y/N." Jaemin groaned, licking his lips. "These are very beautiful."

A low growl escaped your throat as Jaemin ran his tongue along your breast. Grabbing them, he began to massage them gently. Using his thumbs, he circled your nipples before lightly flicking them with his tongue. They hardened instantly, eliciting a loud moan from you.

“Good girl.” Jaemin murmured, gazing down at you lovingly. “I like hearing you moan like that.”

As he began to suck on your nipple, his hand went to the small of your back, sliding down to your waist. Leaning down, he kissed you passionately, sending shivers through your body. For a moment, the only thing you heard was soft moans and grunts escaping your lips as Jaemin sucked on your breast.

Suddenly, he pulled away, his lips trailing down your stomach to your navel. He sucked on it gently, swirling his tongue around the edges. Another moan escaped your lips as you grabbed onto his shoulders tightly, desperate to hold on.

Suddenly, he stopped and stood up. Standing behind you, he wrapped his arms around your waist, placing his hands on your ass. He squeezed them firmly, pushing his hips forward slightly.

Your heart raced as you leaned back into him, feeling him push against your backdoor. Looking back, you could see him giving you a devilish smile. He gently pressed against you again, causing you to wince slightly as the head of his cock entered you.

"It's alright, my little bunny." Jaemin reassured you, stroking your cheek softly. "Just relax. It'll be fine."

"Jaemin, you're so big." You whimpered. "I don't know if─"

Jaemin placed a finger on your lips, silencing you. Taking a deep breath, he continued pushing forward, entering you completely. You moaned loudly, biting your lip as the pressure on your anus increased.

Jaemin bit his lip hard, panting heavily. "God, you feel amazing. Can you feel my dick filling you up?"

"Mmmm…" You nodded, smiling. "It feels so good."

His fingers left your cheek, trailing down your neck. Slowly moving upward, they cupped your breast, gently squeezing them as his other hand gently pinched your nipple. You moaned loudly, pressing your hips into his groin.

Panting loudly, Jaemin lifted his hips slightly. "Does my little bunny like that?"

"Ahh… yes." You groaned. "Please, keep going."

"Like that?" Jaemin whispered in your ear.

Shivering slightly, you nodded, leaning your head against his shoulder.

Gazing at you lovingly, he started thrusting harder, your moans filling the room. With every thrust, he would kiss you, gently holding onto your ass. At one point, he suddenly tightened his grip, bringing you to your knees as he kept thrusting in and out of you. A high-pitched moan escaped your throat as he continued pumping into you, you bucking your hips forward in response.

"Jaemin…" You whimpered. "I need you to cum inside me. Please."

“What do you want, little bunny?” Jaemin whispered seductively in your ear. “Do you want to feel me come inside you? Do you want to feel me fill you up with my seed?”

“Yes, Jaemin! Please! Cum inside me!” You screamed.

Jaemin let out a low moan, the veins in his neck standing out as he pumped his hips faster. Keeping one hand on your hip, he used the other to stroke your clit, bringing you to climax in no time. Feeling him tense, you knew he was about to release his sperm inside you.

"I'm going to cum inside you." Jaemin whispered. "All over your ass. Fill you up with my seed."

With that, he let go of your waist, placing his hands on your shoulders and driving himself deeper into you. One final thrust sent him shooting inside you, both of you screaming as he filled you. His moans filled the room as he let out several short bursts of cum inside you.

"Fuck." Jaemin gasped. "That was amazing."

"Me too." You moaned, burying your face into the pillow. "I love you, Jaemin."

"I love you too, Y/N." He mumbled quietly, his lips brushing against your hair. "Thank you for allowing me to be with you tonight. You've made my dream come true. I know that Wednesday nights with you is something that I'll always treasure."

The two of you stayed silent for a while, soaking in the blissful feelings that lingered between the two of you. In no time, you were lying there, cuddling with him as you both drifted off to sleep. You didn't notice the bright light shining through the window.

Thursday

Thursday arrived and you were at Renjun’s and Haechan’s place watching movies. Haechan told you that he was staying late at work but Renjun would be home.

You loved spending time with Renjun. Renjun was obviously great in bed but that wasn’t why he was your number two. If Haechan was ever busy, Renjun would always be there to comfort, keep you company and if your libido was acting up, he'd be more than willing to help relieve that pressure.

As you sat beside Renjun, he took your hand in his, gently stroking your palm. You looked at him lovingly, smiling softly.

"I missed you, Y/N." He smiled. "Today has been boring without you."

"Hmmm… Renjun." You purred, wrapping your arm around his shoulder. "If you want to keep me entertained, maybe you could fuck me later."

"Fuck." He mumbled, grinning sheepishly.

You giggled, moving closer to him. Kissing his cheek, you crawled across the couch to straddle him. Resting your head on his shoulder, you sighed contently. After watching a few movies, Renjun pulled you close to him, resting his chin on your head. The movie had ended and the rest of the night would consist of cuddling.

“You’re going to spend all night hugging me, aren’t you?” You asked.

“Yup.” He smiled, stroking your thigh. “After today, I wanted to make sure you knew how much I appreciate you.”

Smiling softly, you traced circles on his chest. “I appreciate you too.”

After a while, you shifted positions, rolling onto your side to face him. Nuzzling his neck, you softly kissed him on the lips.

"Renjun…" You said softly.

He looked at you with sleepy eyes. "Hmm?"

“Can I ask you something?”

His gaze softened. "Anything."

“How do you really feel about sharing me with Haechan and the others?”

"It makes me happy to share you with the guys." He replied simply.

"Why?" You asked.

"Because I like seeing you happy." He said, his voice sounding genuine. "Seeing you happy makes me happy. And it also feels good knowing that you have other guys who will care for you when I can't. Just like how in the beginning, I took care of you when Haechan couldn’t.”

A wide grin spread across your face. “You mean it? You actually like sharing me with them?”

"Of course." He replied confidently. "I never once thought otherwise. They treat you right and they are fun to hang out with. I trust them. I’m kind of happy that Haechan was so open sharing you with me, much less the others. I mean, most people might not like the idea of their significant other sleeping with someone else. But they never tried to force you into anything or become overly possessive. They are all respectful of each other’s relationship to you. I don’t know what we would do without our little harem. I love you too much to allow you to suffer alone. Sharing you with the guys allows us to continue having a relationship with each other while taking care of you at the same time. I like the idea of a bigger family, especially since the five of us are like brothers anyway."

Staring at him lovingly, you felt your heart melting at the sincerity in his voice. Suddenly, you felt his lips pressing against yours. Your heart skipped a beat as you returned his kiss. Lifting your hand, you grabbed the back of his head, pulling him even closer to you. You brought your other hand to cup his cheek, gently caressing his jawline. After a while, Renjun broke the kiss, resting his forehead against yours.

"I love you, Y/N." He whispered, cupping your cheek tenderly. "I love you so much. More than I ever thought possible."

"And I love you, Renjun." You said softly, nipping his lower lip.

Wrapping his arms around you, he slowly pulled you on top of him, letting his hands slide down your sides. Once he reached your hips, he gripped them tightly, urging you to grind yourself against him. Bringing your mouth back to his, he kissed you passionately, his tongue finding its way past your lips. For a moment, you felt overwhelmed by passion. Your entire body throbbed with desire, making you feel weak in the knees. Grinding yourself against him, you began moaning as his kisses grew rougher.

Pulling away from you, he smirked before sitting up. You followed suit, sitting on his lap, facing him. Leaning forward, he kissed you on the neck, causing goosebumps to form all over your body. Continuing his onslaught on your neck, he trailed kisses along your collarbone, causing you to squirm. Tugging at your shirt, he lifted it over your head. Next, he tugged off your bra, causing your breasts to bounce free. He moaned as he lightly pinched your nipples. Gently biting your breast, he sucked one nipple into his mouth while rubbing the other one with his thumb.

You moved your hands down his chest, running them over his abs, tracing small circles over his belly button. Kneading his skin gently, you felt him moan loudly as you slid your hands under his pants. Moving down his legs, you ran your fingers along his inner thighs. Moving down further, you wrapped your fingers around his length, teasing the tip of his cock. As you circled the base of his shaft, you could feel him shudder. Glancing up, you saw a look of lust on his face. Returning his stare, you licked your lips, drawing his attention to them.

"Oh god, Y/N." He groaned. "Are you really gonna do this? Right now?"

Looking up at him, you gave him a shy smile.

"Yeah.” You replied, slowly sliding your fingers around his cock, causing him to jump. “Do you really want me to stop?"

“No.” He grunted, grabbing your wrist. “I want you to suck me off. Right here. Right now.”

You gave him an innocent smile, kneeling down in front of him. Placing his cock in between your lips, you gently took the head of his cock into your mouth.

Letting out a sigh, he closed his eyes. Slowly sucking on his shaft, you took his length deep into your mouth, feeling it hit the back of your throat. Taking your time, you ran your tongue along the underside of his cock. Using your hands to hold his ass, you forced his cock deeper into your mouth, using your hand to squeeze his balls, causing him to cry out in pleasure.

Moaning loudly, you tightened your grip on his shaft as you went faster, circling the base of his cock with your tongue. Pressing your teeth harder on his shaft, you slowly increased the speed of your sucking. Soon enough, he started moaning louder, thrusting his hips upwards, encouraging you to go faster. You could feel his cum building up, pulsating at the tip of his cock. Taking him deeper into your mouth, you closed your lips around his shaft, allowing the first drop of cum to drip into your mouth. Sucking gently, you slowly took more of his cock into your mouth until you swallowed his whole load.

Dropping your head, you let his cum roll down your chin, dripping off your chin onto your breasts. Closing your eyes, you felt a sense of satisfaction wash over you as you heard Renjun let out a satisfied moan. His hand came to rest on the back of your head, massaging your scalp as you continued sucking his cock. Eventually, you pulled away, resting your head on his thighs.

He looked down at you with adoring eyes. Looking up at him, you made eye contact, locking your gaze with his. Gazing into his eyes, you noticed the gleam in his eyes, causing your stomach to flutter with excitement. His eyes seemed filled with longing, mixed with desire.

"Y/N..." He breathed. "What are you doing to me?"

Smiling, you rose to your feet. Running your fingers through his hair, you tilted his head upwards.

"I'm just doing what I love." You murmured, leaning in to kiss him.

"Well, if you keep doing things like that, I won't be able to stop myself from fucking you." He said, giving you another peck on the lips. Pulling away from him, you quickly took off your shirt and skirt, leaving you completely naked in front of him. Inching closer to him, you felt his breath on your skin. Feeling him moving behind you, you waited anxiously for him to finally touch you. With one quick motion, he flipped you onto your stomach, positioning himself behind you.

Slowly lowering his body onto you, he kissed the back of your neck, gently caressing your shoulders. Once he was positioned properly, he leaned forward, kissing your shoulders and back, causing goosebumps to appear all over your body. Leaning forwards, he began licking your shoulder, working his way towards your neck. As he kissed you, his left hand came to rest between your legs, rubbing you through your panties. While his hand played with your pussy, his tongue traced patterns on your back, sending shivers throughout your body.

Kissing you passionately, he let out a growl, placing his weight on top of you. Kissing your ear, he whispered in your ear.

"Y/N… I need you so bad."

You turned around, meeting his gaze. Sliding your arms around his neck, you ran your fingers through his hair. Wrapping your legs around his waist, you brought him close to you. Taking your face in his hands, he pressed his lips against yours, opening your mouth to his tongue. For a moment, you allowed him to explore your mouth with his tongue, feeling your arousal intensify as he teased you with his tongue. Biting your bottom lip, he broke the kiss.

"Hurry up and fuck me, Renjun." You whispered seductively.

Bending down, he buried his face between your legs, moaning at the taste of you. Leaving wet trails on your thigh, he ran his tongue up your slit, gliding up and down your lips, tasting every inch of you. Sticking out his tongue, he swirled it around your clit, eliciting a gasp from you.

Breathing heavily, you could feel your body heating up, sending tingles all over your body. Getting up onto your elbows, you watched him lick your pussy with such intensity. Panting, he brought his mouth closer to your clit, slipping a finger inside you, swirling his finger around your hole, making sure you were well lubricated. Once he was confident that your pussy was sufficiently wet, he stood up, positioning himself above you.

Pushing your hips upwards, you wanted to feel his cock penetrate you. Rolling his eyes, he grabbed your waist and moved you underneath him, aligning his cockhead with your entrance. A few short thrusts later, you could feel his cock enter you. Groaning loudly, he pushed forward, burying himself fully inside you. Letting out a loud moan, he pressed his hips into you, making you feel his cock swell even more. Tightening your muscles around him, he bit down on your shoulder, increasing the pressure of his thrusts. Feeling his cock swell again, you wrapped your arms around his neck, grinding yourself into him. Gasping, he thrust once more, making you cry out in pleasure. This time, instead of biting down on your shoulder, he placed his lips against your ear.

"Tell me how good it feels." He said in a ragged whisper.

Feeling his cock throbbing inside you, you opened your mouth, looking straight into his eyes.

"So fucking good…" You managed to say, biting down on your lip as you let out a moan.

"Oh god…" He groaned, slamming his hips into you again and again.

Each thrust caused you to cry out in pleasure. Sensing your orgasm approaching, he picked up his pace, driving his cock deeper into you with each thrust. Unable to contain yourself any longer, you cried out, coming hard around his cock.

As soon as you came, he threw his head back, releasing his seed inside you. Reaching down, he took one of your hands in his, bringing it to his mouth, kissing it softly. Wrapping your arms around his neck, you held him tight as he finished filling you with his cum. Keeping his cock buried inside you, he lowered his head and gave you soft kisses on your cheek and neck. Eventually, he got off of you, lying next to you. Gently stroking your hair, he looked into your eyes, letting out a sigh.

"Wow, Y/N." He said, smiling sheepishly. "That was incredible."

Wrapping your arm around his waist, you brought his head towards you, planting a kiss on his forehead.

"Yeah, it was." You said with a giggle. "But don't worry, we'll definitely do that again."

Friday

You woke up the next morning to find Renjun's spot empty. Sitting up, you rubbed your eyes, looked at the clock and noticed that it was about 8am. He probably had morning classes and didn't want to bother you. You got up out of bed and made your way to Haechan's room to see if he was there.

You found him lying in bed still, so you slipped in bed next to him. As soon as you lay down, he wrapped his arms around you and snuggled into you. Resting your head on his shoulder, you smiled at him.

"Good morning." You said.

"Good morning, sunshine." He replied, pulling you closer to him. "How was your night with Renjun?"

Leaning up, you kissed him on the cheek. "It was amazing. But now I just want to spend time with you."

Chuckling, he shook his head. "Silly girl. You've been spending all your time with the others. Don't you miss me anymore?"

You giggled, wrapping your arms around his neck. "As much as I love them all, I miss being with you the most."

Pulling you closer, he leaned down and planted a gentle kiss on your lips. After breaking apart, he brushed his lips across your nose, before pressing a kiss on your lips.

"You know you're always welcome in my room." He said, bringing his lips to your ear. "Especially when you look like that."

Shivering, you smiled, placing your head on his chest. "You always know how to make me blush."

A few minutes passed by in silence as you cuddled with Haechan. The last thing you heard before falling asleep was Haechan whispering 'I love you' in your ear. It was such an innocent, yet romantic gesture. A part of you wanted to hear more words of love from him but another part of you couldn't wait to fall asleep in his embrace.

After waking up from your nap, Haechan was still sleeping soundly. Feeling slightly hungry, you got up and headed to the kitchen for some breakfast. As you grabbed some orange juice from the fridge, you felt someone come up behind you. Turning around, you saw a sleepy Haechan leaning against the door frame, rubbing his eyes. He looked incredibly cute in his pajamas, making you smile.

Walking over to the counter, you poured yourself a glass of juice, taking a sip as you turned back around. Before you knew what happened, Haechan came up behind you and gave you a light kiss on the lips. Your body immediately tingled as you leaned back against him. You pulled away after a minute or two, grinning at him.

"Mm… Haechan, why don't we get dressed and go grab lunch together? There's a really nice little cafe near campus I think we'll both enjoy." You suggested.

Grinning, Haechan nodded. "Sounds good. Let me shower."

"Why don't I join you?" You asked.

He groaned, closing his eyes. "Baby, you're so damn tempting…"

You laughed and grabbed his hand, leading him towards the bathroom.

After showering, you and Haechan went to have lunch at a small, but adorable café. It wasn't very crowded today since it was early afternoon and not many people were out.

When they placed their order, Haechan decided to take charge and lead you outside. The weather was perfect, clear skies and only a slight breeze blowing. Grabbing each other's hands, you and Haechan started strolling through the university grounds, chatting away. He was telling you about one of his math classes, while you told him about one of your writing classes. Every once in awhile, you'd stop to smell flowers or examine trees. In fact, you even took the time to sit down on a bench and look up at the sky. Haechan watched you intently as you did this, watching you smile as you stared at the clouds.

As Haechan spoke, your mind began to wander to different memories of him. From your first date, to your anniversary, and every moment in between. In those memories, he would always be smiling. And as you thought of these moments, you felt yourself getting teary eyed. Wanting to avoid any embarrassment, you quickly wiped your eyes and turned to face Haechan. Taking your hand, he smiled at you gently, making you return his smile.

Pulling your arm close to you, he leaned down and softly kissed your forehead. "There's no need to hide your emotions, love. Cry if you need to."

Feeling overwhelmed by his kind words, you let out a soft cry and buried your face into his shoulder. Haechan rubbed your back gently, giving you comfort until you stopped crying. Pulling away, he held you in his arms for a moment before speaking.

"Are you okay?"

Nodding your head, you smiled at him. "Yeah. I'm sorry, I guess I just got caught up in memories of you."

Smiling widely, he pulled you close to him again. "Well that makes me feel good."

Feeling safe in his arms, you rested your head on his chest, looking up at the blue sky. Listening to the sounds of birds chirping and squirrels playing, you could feel Haechan's heart beating steadily. It was as though the feeling you got from listening to his heartbeat was stronger than the warmth coming from the sun. You tilted your head upwards, looking at him. His cheeks were slightly pink, likely due to his emotions. Lifting your hand, you gently touched his face.

"What are you thinking about?" You whispered.

Giving you a slight smirk, he answered, "You. Of course."

Laughing lightly, you replied, "Is that all?"

Haechan shook his head, holding your gaze. "I'm thinking of all the times we've spent together. All the good times, bad times and everything in between. I've been thinking about the way you brighten my day. The happiness I feel whenever I look at you. That rush of adrenaline that comes from seeing you in my arms. The love that grows deeper every day."

Pausing for a second, he added, "And you make me want to do crazy things."

Closing your eyes, you swallowed hard, knowing what he meant. When you opened your eyes again, you saw Haechan staring deeply into yours. Your breath hitched as you became completely mesmerized by his dark brown eyes. Slowly raising your hand, you slowly traced your fingers along his jawline, moving up to trace his chin and then moving down to touch his lips. Taking a deep breath, you closed the distance between you, meeting his lips in a tender kiss. Looking at each other lovingly, you pressed your bodies together, molding yourselves to each other. With your lips parted, your tongue gently caressed his lips, eliciting a moan from Haechan.

"We should wait until we get home, baby." He whispered against your mouth.

Taking a step back, you sighed sadly. "Yes, but it's going to be hard."

Haechan chuckled and squeezed your hand. "Don't worry. We can hold each other all night long."

Snapping out of your daze, you pulled away and grinned at him. "Promise?"

Hearing your tone, Haechan's expression changed slightly. The affectionate look on his face was replaced with a soft, caring smile. "Of course, Love."

Smiling, you placed your hands on either side of his face, bringing his lips to yours once again. "You're my number one Haechan. Yes, I love the other guys too but I'm always going to love you the most."

Bringing your arms around his neck, you pulled him in close. The rest of the day passed by quickly as you talked about how the rest of your week went, laughed about your stories from college, and shared countless kisses and hugs.

Later that night, you and Haechan laid in his bed talking. He was cuddling with you as you wrapped your legs around his waist. Glancing over at him, you could tell he was struggling with something. So you waited patiently for him to bring it up.

Finally, Haechan spoke up. "Sigh...baby, I've been meaning to ask you something. About us. Us, you know..."

Nervously twirling your fingers, you looked up at him. "Yes?"

Staring into your eyes, he smiled. "How do you feel about all of us living together? You, me, Renjun, Yangyang, Jeno and Jaemin?"

Taken aback, you remained silent for a moment before answering. "Do you really mean that? Like all six of us? For real?"

He nodded, smiling happily. "Absolutely. I want to share my life with all of you."

Laughing, you wrapped your arms around his neck and pulled him closer to you. "Okay! Well, we'll talk to the other guys tomorrow and figure out a solution."

Smiling, Haechan hugged you tightly. "I love you, Haechan. More than anything."

Smiling back, you kissed him softly on the lips. "I love you too, baby."

Running your hands through his hair, you tugged on it slightly. Leaning down, you brought your lips to his, planting a passionate kiss on his. He returned the kiss eagerly, pulling you close to him. In response, you rolled onto your back, bringing Haechan on top of you. Wrapping your arms around his neck, you smiled as you gazed up at him. He grinned back, running his fingers through your hair.

Reaching down, he undid the buttons on your shirt, peeling them off of you. Laying you down on the bed, he removed his own shirt, tossing it aside. Moving his attention to your pants, he unbuttoned them, sliding them off of you. Next, he slid your panties down, revealing your smooth pussy. He took a deep breath as he reached out to you, touching your wet folds. Moving his hand in small circles, he began fingering you roughly. You moaned loudly, bucking your hips upwards. Unable to control himself, Haechan thrust two fingers inside of you.

"I find it so hot that the others have access to your body." He breathed. "Just imagining them all enjoying you, makes me want to fuck you harder."

"What do you want to do to me when we all move in together? Do you want to fuck me in front of everyone?" You whispered, looking up at him with desire in your eyes.

A wicked grin formed on his face. "If you allow it, I definitely will."

"What if I want everyone to fuck me while you watch? Would you like that, Haechan?" You smirked, wiggling under him.

Smirking, he said, "I would. As long as I could see you being taken by another man, the more I would want to fuck you myself."

Wrapping your legs around his waist, you ran your nails down his back. "Wouldn't you want to fuck me while they fucked me too?"

Kissing you passionately, he responded, "Oh yes. All night long. Over and over again."

Rolling over onto his back, Haechan reached out to you, grabbing your hand. Pulling you next to him, he pulled you into his arms, kissing you deeply. Gazing into your eyes, he whispered, "Do you know how badly I want to fill you up with our cum? To taste all of us mixed together? To make love to you until neither of us can move anymore? I want to experience it all with you, baby."

Leaning in, you placed your lips to his ear, nibbling on it gently. "I want that too, baby."

In response, Haechan gently stroked your hair, his eyes filled with adoration. Kissing your cheek, he whispered, "But until then, let's enjoy us. Right now, I want to explore your body. Slowly taking you to heights you've never imagined possible."

Chuckling, you lifted your hips, positioning his cock near your entrance. Leaning forward, you captured his lips in a passionate kiss, slowly licking his bottom lip. Releasing his lips, you glanced up at him seductively. Gazing back at you, Haechan wrapped his arms around your waist, lifting you onto his throbbing erection. Taking you in his arms, he lowered you down onto him. Feeling the warm, tightness of your pussy surrounding his dick, he let out a moan of pleasure. Slowly moving his hips, you felt him push deeper inside of you. Both of you gasped loudly as he penetrated you fully. Raising his head, he gazed deeply into your eyes, letting out an appreciative sigh.

"God, I missed this." He murmured, kissing you gently.

Looking into his eyes, you moved your lips towards his ear, softly nibbling on it. "I missed you too, Haechan."

Wanting to hear him say it again, you ran your nails down his back. "Baby, I love you so much."

Moving his hips faster, Haechan lifted you higher and pushed you down harder. "Love you too, Baby." He moaned.

Shaking his head, he murmured, "You drive me crazy."

With his hips still moving rapidly, he pulled your hips into his, intensifying your penetration. Your juices glistened across his shaft as he pulled out slightly and plunged back inside of you. You rode him feverishly, moaning softly. Bringing his hands up to your ass, he firmly grabbed it, spreading you wider apart. Holding you there, he drove himself even further inside of you.

Holding you tighter, Haechan growled low in his throat, grinding into you even harder. Your juices dripped down your thighs, leaving behind a trail of your sweet nectar. Groaning, Haechan rocked his hips forwards, causing your hips to bounce violently. Your clit rubbed against his pubic bone, sending a surge of pleasure throughout your body.

"Fuck, baby. I'm gonna cum soon." He groaned. As you continued riding him, his breathing grew ragged.

"Fuck, Haechan. Cum inside of me." You whispered hoarsely, pushing yourself down harder on him. Feeling his balls tightening, Haechan thrust forward, giving you all of his warm, sticky cum. Moaning loudly, you tightened your grip around his shoulders as you came, bathing Haechan's shaft in your fluids. Shuddering with pleasure, you collapse on top of him, feeling him pulse inside of you. Finally catching your breath, you kiss him deeply, savoring the taste of him in your mouth. After laying in his arms for several minutes, he pulls you close to him. Smiling at you, he pulls you into a hug, burying his face in your hair.

"I'm so happy right now." He whispered. "So incredibly, unbelievably happy."

Leaning in, you lightly kissed his forehead. "Me too, Baby. Me too."

Continuing to lie in each other's arms, you stared at the ceiling, both lost in thought. Before long, you fell asleep, cuddled closely to Haechan.

Saturday

The next morning, you and Haechan met the others at a coffee shop nearby campus. While Haechan bought everyone drinks, you sat down at a table to talk.

Once everyone arrived, you cleared your throat, getting everyone's attention. "So Haechan and I discussed it last night and decided that, well, that this is probably the best option. To live together."

All of them looked surprised and confused, except for Haechan. He smirked and crossed his arms, clearly enjoying himself. Smirking right back, you continued, "Now, we obviously need to find a place that will fit all six of us."

Everyone looked around, discussing possible options. It didn't take long before someone suggested moving to one of the group houses. This sparked a debate between everyone. Some liked the idea, others weren't so sure. Finally, after hours of arguing, everyone settled on renting a house together.

While they worked on the details, you ordered more coffee for everyone. Staring off into space, you couldn't help but imagine the future; living with the boys in your own place. You could see yourself cooking dinner for them every night, sitting on the couch watching TV, walking to class together. You pictured how easy it would be to fall asleep next to Haechan every night, waking up in the morning to cuddle.

It made you excited just thinking about it. As much as you loved the closeness you felt with Haechan, having all of them under one roof would be an amazing experience. Plus, having them around you at all times would ensure you never lacked for male companionship. If you wanted to try some sex toys out, you could easily show it to Jeno and Jaemin. Or you could come to Yangyang when you wanted some advice on writing. You could go shopping with Renjun and Haechan or have fun making puns with Jeno. It seemed like the possibilities were endless.

You glanced over at Haechan who was sitting across from you. Smiling at him, you gently stroked his cheek with your thumb.

"Haechan?"

Glancing at you, he asked, "Can I say something?"

Chuckling, you motioned for him to continue. "Go ahead."

After taking another sip of his drink, he stood up and walked towards you. He leaned down, placing a gentle kiss on your lips. "Thank you for doing this. I love you more than anything."

Smiling, you leaned in to give him a small peck on the lips. After pulling away, you said, "I love you too, Baby. And don't forget about how much I love all of you."

Pulling you close, Haechan smiled as he looked at all of the guys. "Thank you all for coming today. This means a lot to both of us. Thank you."

Jaemin cleared his throat, giving you a smile. “If I may add…the past few weeks as your boyfriend has been amazing. I know we’ve all been friends for years. Thanks for allowing me to be one of your boyfriends, Y/N. I might have joined the relationship later compared to the others but I’ve never felt more loved than now. I will give you the world since you deserve it.”

Jeno let out a smile. “I second his feelings. Thank you Y/N for also letting me be your boyfriend. Jaemin and I are the newer ones involved in this relationship but seeing as how everyone seems to accept us easily, I’m glad I came across this opportunity. I promise to always treat you well.”

Yangyang nodded. “Y/N deserves the world. I hope she’ll live happily forever after. Also thanks for giving me the chance to be your boyfriend. I haven’t been feeling so well lately but I think you brighten up my days. You’re always there to cheer me up and comfort me when I need it.”

Renjun rubbed your shoulders gently. “I agree with the rest of them. Thank you Y/N for taking me in. I promise to always protect you, love you, and make you happy. As much as possible, I’ll try to fit you into my busy schedule because you mean the world to me.”

Haechan grabbed your hands, kissing each one of them individually. “Thanks for taking me in as your boyfriend. From the very beginning, you were nothing but nice and understanding towards me. Heck, you didn’t even have to agree to this idea that I put out there. But it meant a lot to me knowing that you would let me into your heart despite my faults. I promise to never disappoint you. I love you so much, Y/N.”

You were touched by their words. Hearing the love in their voices, you could feel yourself blushing. Turning to the others, you gave them all big hugs. After taking a deep breath, you said. "I love you all so much. Now let's get started with finding our new home!"

[emotionaldamages]

healing the heart- max verstappen

summary- reader is red bull’s admin, which is the beginning of a love story for reader and a certain driver

pairings- max verstappen x social media admin!reader

authors note- this one is kinda long🧍🏽‍♀️ and a lot of repeating words

Y/N sat at her desk, scrolling through the latest photos of the Red Bull Racing team. As the social media admin for the team, it was her job to keep fans engaged and excited. Little did she know, her life was about to take an unexpected turn.

Max Verstappen, the talented Formula One racer, walked into her office. His eyes sparkled with mischief as he leaned against the doorframe, a playful grin on his face. Y/N couldn't help but feel her heart skip a beat.

"Hey there," Max said, his voice smooth and inviting. "Just wanted to see how our fans are doing."

Y/N blushed, feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness as she looked up at him. "They're loving your recent win, Max. The support for you is insane."

He chuckled, running a hand through his tousled hair. "Well, it's all thanks to the amazing team we have, including you."

Y/N's heart fluttered at his words. She had always admired Max's talent and dedication, but she never imagined he would notice her. The idea of dating a Formula One racer seemed like a distant dream.

As the days passed, Max and Y/N spent more time together. They would grab lunch at the track, discussing everything from racing strategies to their favorite movies. Max's charm and down-to-earth nature made Y/N feel special, like she was the only person in his world.

One evening, after a grueling race, Max took Y/N out for a surprise dinner. He led her to a cozy restaurant with soft lighting and a breathtaking view of the city. Y/N couldn't help but smile, her heart pounding with anticipation.

Over a delicious meal, Max reached across the table, his warm hand finding hers. "Y/N, I never thought I'd find someone like you. You bring so much joy to my life."

Y/N's cheeks flushed as she looked into his deep, intense eyes. "Max, you've made me believe in love again. I've never met anyone who understands me like you do."

They leaned closer, their lips meeting in a gentle, passionate kiss. In that moment, all the doubts and fears Y/N carried in her heart melted away. Max was not only healing her heart but also filling it with a love she had always longed for.

As they broke apart, Max smiled, his eyes filled with affection. "Y/N, you're the missing puzzle piece in my life. I want to be with you, always."

Y/N felt her heart soar, tears of happiness glistening in her eyes. "Max, I feel the same way. Let's see where this journey takes us."

———

One sunny afternoon, Y/N sat at her desk, scrolling through Red Bull Racing's social media accounts. She admired the team's recent victory and smirked, knowing that she played a small role in their success. Just as she was about to close the tab, a message notification popped up.

Curious, Y/N clicked on it. Her heart skipped a beat when she read the name of the sender—it was Max.

"Hey, Y/N," the message read. "I have a surprise for you. Meet me at the race track tomorrow. Can't wait to see your reaction."

Y/N's excitement bubbled within her. She couldn't help but wonder what Max had in store. The next day, she arrived at the race track, her heart pounding with anticipation. Max stood by the pit lane, a mischievous smile on his face.

"Hey, Max," Y/N greeted, unable to hide her excitement. "What's the surprise?"

Max winked playfully before leading her towards the garage. Y/N's eyes widened as she saw a bright red race car, glistening under the track lights. She couldn't believe her eyes—Max had arranged for her to experience a ride in a real Formula 1 car.

"Is this for real?" Y/N gasped, her voice filled with awe.

Max chuckled, his eyes sparkling. "Absolutely, Y/N. I wanted to give you a taste of what it feels like to be on the track."

Y/N's heart raced with a mixture of nervousness and exhilaration. She slipped into a racing suit, her hands trembling with excitement. As she buckled up inside the car, Max looked at her with a reassuring smile.

"You ready?" he asked.

Y/N could barely contain her enthusiasm. "More than ever, Max."

The engine roared to life, and the car sped off down the track. Y/N felt an adrenaline rush like she had never experienced before. The wind whipped through her hair, and the G-forces pressed her against the seat. She held on tight, laughing and screaming in pure euphoria.

As the ride came to an end, Y/N stepped out of the car, her legs trembling but her heart soaring. Max approached her, his eyes filled with joy.

"See, Y/N," he said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Life is full of unexpected twists and turns. And sometimes, those twists lead to the most extraordinary moments."

Y/N nodded, her heart pounding with newfound courage. In that moment, she realized that she had not only found love but also a partner who would never stop surprising her.

Little did Y/N know, the surprises were just beginning, and their love story was far from over.

———

Y/N's heart swelled with excitement as she stepped into the Red Bull garage. The familiar scent of rubber and gasoline filled the air, and she couldn't help but feel a sense of belonging in this world that Max Verstappen inhabited.

Max stood there, leaning against the sleek Red Bull car, his eyes lighting up at the sight of Y/N. She couldn't help but notice a hint of nervousness in his gaze, his hands fidgeting with the hem of his race suit.

"Hey," Y/N greeted, her voice filled with anticipation. "What's up?"

Max smiled, but there was something off about it. His voice, normally confident and vibrant, seemed strained as he replied, "Hey, Y/N. Listen, we need to talk."

A flicker of worry danced across Y/N's face as she sensed the seriousness in his tone. "Sure, what's on your mind?"

Max took a deep breath, his eyes searching hers. "I... I heard something today. A rumor about you and Daniel."

Confusion washed over Y/N. Daniel? As in Daniel Ricciardo, Max's former teammate? She couldn't fathom what Max had heard, or how it could possibly involve her.

"What kind of rumor?" she asked, her heart sinking with each passing second.

Max hesitated, his voice barely above a whisper. "They said you and Daniel... you had something before we got together. Is it true?"

Y/N felt her whole world crumble at Max's words. How could he believe such a thing? Her mind raced as she tried to find the right words to explain, but the hurt in Max's eyes made her stumble.

"Max, I... I can't believe you would think that. Daniel and I are just friends, nothing more," she pleaded.

Max's expression softened, but doubt still flickered in his eyes. "I want to believe you, Y/N. But... it's hard. I've been hurt before."

Tears welled up in Y/N's eyes as she reached out to touch Max's arm gently. "I understand your fears, Max, but you have to trust me. There's nothing between Daniel and me. You're the only one in my heart."

Max's resolve seemed to waver for a moment before he sighed and nodded. "Okay. I want to believe you, Y/N. I really do."

Relief flooded Y/N's heart, but a small part of her remained wounded. She never expected such a misunderstanding to tarnish their connection, their deep bond.

As they stood there, their emotions still raw, Y/N knew that healing Max's heart would take time. But she was willing to fight for the love they had found and prove to him that their love story was far from over.

With determination in her eyes, Y/N whispered, "I'll do whatever it takes to show you that you're the only one for me, Max. Trust me."

Max's uncertainty slowly faded away as he gazed into Y/N's eyes, seeing the sincerity in her words. "I want to trust you, Y/N. Let's work through this together."

Hand in hand, they walked out of the garage, ready to face the challenges that lay ahead. Love wasn't always simple, but the connection they shared was worth fighting for.

As Y/N and Max stood outside the bustling Red Bull garage, a gentle breeze swept through the air, carrying with it a feeling of newfound hope and clarity. Y/N looked into Max's eyes, her own filled with sincerity.

"Max, I promise you, there's nothing going on between me and Daniel," Y/N said, her voice soft yet resolute. "He's just a friend. The only person who holds my heart is standing right in front of me."

A flicker of relief crossed Max's face, his eyes searching Y/N's for any sign of dishonesty. Finding none, he let out a deep sigh and a small smile slowly formed on his lips.

"I believe you, Y/N," he replied, his voice filled with a mix of vulnerability and determination. "But there's something I need to tell you too."

Curiosity danced in Y/N's eyes as she waited for Max to continue. She knew that love required honesty and trust, no matter how difficult the conversation might be.

"When I heard that rumor about you and Daniel, I have to admit, jealousy consumed me," Max confessed, his voice tinged with remorse. "I didn't want to lose you, Y/N. You mean everything to me."

Touched by Max's honesty, Y/N reached out and gently placed her hand on his, intertwining their fingers. "Max, I'm sorry that I unknowingly caused you pain. My heart has always belonged to you. I'd never do anything to jeopardize what we have."

A sparkle of understanding glimmered in Max's eyes as he squeezed Y/N's hand. "I know that now, Y/N. We all have insecurities, but love is about overcoming them together."

In that moment, the weight of doubt and misunderstanding seemed to dissipate, replaced by a renewed sense of love and acceptance. Y/N and Max had weathered their first major test as a couple, emerging stronger than ever.

As they strolled hand in hand through the Red Bull paddock, laughter spilled from their lips, filling the air with lightness. Y/N's heart soared as they talked about their dreams, their future, and the adventures they yearned to embark on together.

Days turned into weeks, and weeks into months, but the spark between Y/N and Max never waned. Their love continued to flourish, fueled by their shared passion for life and their unwavering support for each other.

Y/N's role as Red Bull Racing's social media admin became the backdrop to their love story, punctuated by exhilarating races, joyous celebrations, and heartfelt tributes. Their connection extended beyond the racetrack, as they found solace in the quiet moments spent cuddling on the couch, watching movies, and sharing their hopes and fears.

Together, Y/N and Max had crafted a love story that defied distance, challenges, and rumors. They had learned that true love doesn't mean the absence of difficulties, but rather the strength to face them together.

As they looked ahead, excitement surged through their veins. The future held unknown adventures, but armed with the love they shared, Y/N and Max were ready to face whatever lay ahead.

[oonajaeadira]

Okay, who wants to hear about today's moment of magic?

Long story under the cut.

So the SO and I are getting married next month. It's really not a big deal, we're literally going down to the courthouse with @feathersandfoxtails and another bestie on the anniversary of our first date, signing the papers and doing an at-the-counter ceremony. We've been together for 14 years and own a house and a dog together. When it comes to loving and pledging our lives to each other, it's something we've grown into and we choose each other every day. Our families know we're good for life, so there's really no reason to spend a bunch of money on a ceremony. We've got everything we need, we go on "honeymoons" all the time, and we're both theater people, so it's just another event to plan and stage manage and produce and honestly, we'd both just rather put on another show with that cash than have our moms get nuts about invite lists and catering choices.

ANYWAY. With 2025 looming and all the uncertainty it's bringing, I just want it to be official in the eyes of the state so that's never a question. This dude goes up to the cabinland by himself and builds cabins 7 feet off the ground and runs chainsaws and such. If he ends up in the hospital, I don't want to be turned away from holding his hand through an amputation, you know? He's the most honest, trustworthy, good-hearted man I've ever met (if not sometimes frustratingly stubborn about being right all the damn time), and we share the same taste in just about everything. He's an inch shorter than Pedro with shoulders just as broad and eyes just as brown and a good mix of Frankie and Pero and Din and he puts up with my weirdness and I'm not letting him go.

So at one point he asks me if I'd like a ring. And I said no, mostly because I have a million rings and I like to switch them out and I'm not going to be taking up a good finger with one ring forever. My ladybits may be monogamous, but I'm not forcing that on any of my fingers. (That came out wrong. Oh well.) Besides, he's in carpentry. He doesn't like jewelry, much less wear it.

"I would for you," he said.

Cue melting.

But. Also. Another unnecessary expense. (Also, in true mischief fashion, I want to keep the marriage a secret just to see the looks on people's faces when someone like my nosy aunt's like "when you getting married?" and I can say, "oh, we are. Anyway. Pass that turkey...")

And that was that. Until I saw the script they walk you through at the courthouse.

At first glance, it's pretty short, literally an exchange of "do you?/ I dos" and exchange of rings and signing of the certificate by all the parties. No changes allowed, no vows, no "you may kiss," just cut and dry, like 2 minutes tops.

*record scratch* Exchange of rings. No changes. Aw hell.

Cue my online auction addiction. Did I mention that I have an online auction addiction? Surprise! There's a lot of lakeside property in Minnesota and rich folks come and go, passing on or downsizing or whatnot, and there's always fun estate sales going on, which is where I get a lot of my instruments and fun witchy supplies.

Literally the day I read that marriage script and was wondering if I could just fish out some rings from my jewelry box to suffice, this auction came up:

What you are looking at are two antiquities, Viking-era brass rings circa 850 - 1050 CE, the gold plating is pitted and old, but they've been restored and preservation-sealed. I did a lot of research on them and the company that they came from (as well as digging up info on antiquities/museum relations and dealers that may come in handy for a Thief fic at one point), and they're the real deal.

The sizes weren't listed (they were packaged in conservation envelopes, the box is mine) and so I lowballed a bid and was surprised that nobody outbid me. That never happens.

I told the SO that I'd won them and he's like, cool, how do you know they'll fit? I said I didn't. They're not meant to be worn. We use them for the ceremony and then shadowbox and display them nicely. If they don't really fit properly, that's okay, they're only there to fulfill the script. I'm not really getting a fancy dress or anything like that, so we might as well have one little piece of magic on the day. I just thought ancient Viking rings would be cool because he loves history and I've got me some Scandinavian blood and Viking thighs.

But y'all. The magic continues. Because I picked them up today...

And they fit us. Exactly. I'm kinda freaking out about it.

Even my atheist SO looked at me and said, "Hot damn. It's like it's meant to be."

Damn straight, boyfriend. Damn straight.

[sophaee]

Okay so I have a little prediction about yuumori part 2, the events of pt.2 might possibly drive a bit of wedge between the moriarthree. They haven't seen each other in 2 years, all of them have matured in one way or another, and have moved on from the past. And while having a strong family bond is nice and all, it's more probable than not that now they WILL run into all sorts of disagreements much more often than before when a huge amount of their decisions felt like they were made with the trio in mind, barely any "selfish" choices were made.

However, now they are actual individuals, and have established their own lives, Louis is now the head of MI6, William has spent 2 years in the US on his own (well maybe except for Albert, that man just decided to put himself in prison and it was just him and his intrusive thoughts for 2 years, but solidarity changes people, too, he's come to a lot revelations, thought his life choices through, etc.)

Louis might secretly have some mixed reactions after their reunion. In my humble opinion he has every right to feel bitter about brothers' return, they both just left him on his own after all these years that he sacrificed his own interests for their well being. Heck, if I were this man, I probably wouldn't be even able to face those two. William and Albert coming back, is, of course, a blessing, but at the same time, deep down it might also feel like a curse. Louis has finally started living his own life, and it might just revert to the way things were before. But being in the shadow of his brothers isn't his thing anymore. Would he be able to give up his wants and needs for the sake of his brothers lime he used to?

Now onto Albert, he's always been there to provide financial support for the brothers, kind of like a parent. But what happens when both of the people you've grown used to providing things for, can now provide for themselves just fine, and don't need you anymore?

And most importantly, what about the main character of the story, William? Does this man really expect his brothers to stay the same, and leave an empty space for him to return to for so long, after he tried to unalive himself, survived and went to live with his new bestie instead? I know he wasn't allowed to contact them, but he could've at least contacted them in secret, he's not exactly the type that follows the rules, is he? But no, he kept the fact that he's alive a secret for 2 years, after most of his team finally started to move on. He used to be their leader, but now that things are running perfectly without him, will he, with his saviour complex, be satisfied with a role "less important"?

It would be very interesting to see the new moriathree struggle to get along in some situations where they used to think like one and the same before. I think a lot of people know firsthand just how much people can change, when they're apart, with completely different influences, in such a big amount of time.

Besides, now that the main plot point is allegedly resolved (the large amount of classism amd elitism in Victorian era Britain), since in the final scene Louis suggested that no more work needed to be done, what else would do for a good follow-up conflict? I like to believe there's a secret traitor in MI6 but probably the only ones capable of secretly plotting their own thing without getting caught are the brothers themselves, and something needs to happen for any of them to choose to follow a different path than the rest.

(also, I'm really sorry if the text might be just straight up incomprehensible in some parts, English isn't my first language... I just really needed to talk about my silly little predictions for part 2 somewhere since I'm really REALLY excited for the manga to return but don't really know anyone in the yuumori fandom irl)

[moodymisty]

Something i find very interesting about the Horus Heresy is the general absence of female influences. The core characters are all male, and conduct themselves in typically masculine ways. Excepting the general absence of libido, (most of) the Primarchs are pure manliness.

I find this dynamic very interesting. Men behave differently towards each other when women aren't around to observe them. Sometimes this is positive (e.g. brotherly affection), but sometimes it's negative (e.g. resorting to violence as a means of conflict resolution). The same is roughly true of women when men aren't around, except that women exhibit different behaviours (e.g. cattiness rather than violence).

If you have mixed group of men and women, the two sides tend to temper each other. Men break up female conflicts, and women break up male conflicts. Likewise, the presence of men motivates women in unique ways, and the presence of women motivates men in equally unique ways. This motivation isn't always positive (e.g. a woman could spread malicious gossip about her romantic rival), but it can certainly be positive in many cases.

This isn't a hard rule, as everyone is different, but it's a tendency i've witnessed. Men and women affect each other just by being around each other. It's just human nature.

On this basis, then, the Horus Heresy is interesting because it essentially represents how men react when there aren't women around to temper them. Lots of ego clashes, lots of petty one-upmanship, lots of violence, and very little consideration given for anything other than dominance. Even though there are certainly respectable female characters present in 30k, many of whom influence the Astartes and Primarchs around them, they don't play any tangible role within the politics of the Legions, and there is no female equal to the Primarchs whom they would have reason to listen to. They are all "mortals", and therefore not of any great concern to most of them, even in the best of cases.

(For the record, i'm not arguing that masculinity is inherently barbaric and ego-driven. I'm just saying that such is the "dark side" of manliness. An example of the "light side" of manliness is chivalry, which - you've guessed it - is partly motivated by the presence of women.)

In essence, the Horus Heresy is - to me - a story about what happens when masculinity is left to run rampant without a female voice present to call out all the shitty behaviour, and make the men feel bad about their childishness. It's basically like Lord of the Flies, but the fate of humanity is at stake. That's what makes 30k so tragic and engaging; it's all so avoidable.

The closest thing the Primarchs have to such an influence is The Emperor, who fulfils the role of a father figure. Although patriarchal (fatherly) figures are necessarily judgemental and punitive when necessary, it's not the same as being scolded by a mother figure or a spousal figure. Being scolded by Dad feels different to being scolded by Mum, or by your wife. With the exception of Guilliman, mother figures are not present in the lives of the Primarchs, and it reeeaaally shows. Also, the Emperor is a very absent parental figure to the Primarchs, meaning that they're mostly left to their own devices despite behaving like teenagers. This is another reason why 30k feels like Lord of the Flies.

Now this is purely speculation on my part, but if the Primarchs started getting married off to stable and well-adjusted women close to an equal footing with themselves (say, powerful perpetuals), the women would be a positive influence on them, and the Horus Heresy would be much more mild, if it happened at all. Sure, you might get different stories (such as Horus being deceived by a daemon disguised as his late wife), but that's not what Warhammer is about. Warhammer is about big men/robots/aliens hitting each other for assorted reasons, and the tempering influence of women would detract from this, in some areas. So... No wish fulfilment dreams for us :'(

I love the idea that the HH never happens because a few of the primarchs actually got pussy.

[shaylogic]

DBDA Season 2 Wishlist Part 2:

Seeing the inside of Charles' Bag of Tricks and learning more about the mechanics of it

Charles running into one/some of the bullies that killed him. They're much older now. Maybe he has realizations about them like Edwin did with Simon. Or maybe they're still scum attacking people, and Charles poltergeist-haunts their asses

Finding out more about how Edwin learned all these languages, magic tools, and supernatural creatures lore. Did he pick it up in Hell or after he got back from it?

On that note, what exactly went down with him in Hell? "--traded to a demon who traded me to another demon who traded me to something WORSE than a demon!"

Crystal family/ancestor tree realm and powers. I'd love to learn more about each woman at the table, like Avatar past reincarnation life flashbacks

Niko new character love interest?

Mission to help Tragic Mick. Maybe we get to see Sedna?! Crystal could potentially make that happen, since she addressed Lilith and the Forest Spirit.

The Dandelion Sprites/"gods"? become cursed to be mortals and now they have to figure out how to navigate the world as attention-seeking assholes. Maybe they work with Crystal's parents lol

Crystal and Charles really make a go at dating to see if those feelings can really go anywhere, but there ends up being quite a bit of conflict and difficulty. Still, we get lots of nice ship moments in the early half of the season.

Edwin has started accepting and leaning into modern gay culture and tries chatting up guys to distract himself from Charles and Crystal (trying to be a good friend to Charles, especially).

If they can get the copyright permission, please gods give us Edwin and Niko watching Heartstopper together. Charles happens to witness a bi Nick scene when he's walking through.

More Niko & Charles friendship development. They didn't get enough moments together in season 1.

More ghost possession! The Night Nurse is already well aware of them, so they're not alerting her. But of course she would not allow it.

Night Nurse refuses to be a secretary and forces the boys to do paperwork after every case. They've got homework now.

Also, in s1e1, there's a pregnant pause between Edwin and Charles talking about the dangers of possession. There's a story there, and I need to know it in season 2. What did Edwin do? Who'd he try to possess?

More clear explanation to the audience of how touch works between humans/ghosts and ghosts/ghosts on various planes (earth vs hell for example, so we can go back to scream and cry at s. 1)

Crystal and Niko girls' day sightseeing in England!

Now we're in London, we're back on the boys' turf. Where are their main hangouts, contacts, and magic shops? Do they have any place special to the two of them with nostalgic memories? It's been 30 years!!!

We've seen some Edwin culture clash (and I want more!) but also more Charles culture clash with modern times (charles: "😮‍💨 Can you believe they don't make mixed tapes anymore?" Niko: "🥰they do playlists online now. I'll make you one! " Crystal: "👀 You made mixed tapes, Charles?")

Cat King and Meowpheus interaction

Domestic friend fluff (core four all in a big bed together watching movies)

Feel free to add your own wishlist in the reblogs/comments! <3

[itsbenedict]

Games I Played In 2024 And Whether Or Not I Thought They Were Good (Part 3/4)

[1] - [2] - 3 - [4]

More of them! I've been doing these roughly in chronological order so I'm going to have more to say about these ones probably.

Another Crab's Treasure

Haaaaaah. Mixed feelings on this one!

The idea is that it's a Dark Souls game, only, like, vibrant and colorful and ocean-themed. You're a hermit crab who's trying to get his shell back! Cute!

First off: if you get this game, do not get it on the Switch. It is broken on Switch. Like, crashes regularly, freezes up on simple object interactions, drops frames all the time... it's rough. I've seen LPs of people playing the PC version, where it looks and plays much better, so that's probably what you want to do instead. I'm shocked Nintendo let them release it on their store in this state.

And... that kind of colors my perception of the gameplay, too, because it turns out soulslike difficulty gets way more frustrating if you're usually dying to the game freezing up during an enemy attack, or the camera getting stuck where you couldn't see the tell animation, or some other technical issue that completely wasn't your fault. I was fighting the game every step of the way.

That said, I can easily see the version of the game that works, and the gameplay's pretty fun! The various shell powers, the rolling mechanics, and the smart enemy design make it really smooth to play when it's actually running at full FPS. The environment design is also really good, and overall it's very well-executed.

Hated the story, though. What a mess. It's... totally thoughtless doomer nonsense, whose primary message is "capitalism bad!" while completely failing to depict any capitalism and instead having the government be bad. It's all half-formed ideas from people with no model of how the world actually works- just a vague sense of anger at powerlessness and disenfranchisement, directed at incoherent strawmen. The speech where the evil corrupt mayor tells you that laws exist to make it legal for him to kill anyone who defies him is especially eye-rolling- as is the strawman of techno-optimism who shows up as the surprise final boss. Just idiotic stuff.

None of its metaphors even work on its own terms- like the thing where pollution is a nebulous force of corruption caused by greed in the hearts of the crabs who hoard trash, except that the greedy trash hoarders live in the clean colorful heights and the poors with no trash live in the polluted undercity with too much trash. Wait, what? Yeah.

Fun though.

Loop Hero

This one was really cool! It feels like there's some potential it had that it didn't realize, but I enjoyed it as a smaller experience anyway.

The idea is... the world's been destroyed, and you can sort of bring it back by remembering. As you walk along this desolate looped path autobattling enemies in search of a boss, you can put down tiles that change it- biomes that spawn different types of monsters, buildings that give you buffs, and terrain with global effects. As you progress, you unlock more types of tiles, and learn synergies between different types of tiles that create new effects.

There's a lot of these, and they're really cool. Like, put down nine mountains or hills in a square, and bam, you get a tall peak that spawns harpies to fight. Or put forests next to a lightning tower, and get burning forests that, uh, I think lower everyone's HP or something? Place a light source next to a field, and it blooms with flowers, doubling its XP bonus or whatever it is those do.

My problem I think is just that there's not enough of them. Each type of tile has between two and four different kinds of interactions with other tiles, and you don't really get too many elaborate combos. Most types of tiles ignore each other. I kind of wish there'd been a little more depth to these systems, with more surprising interactions with older terrain types as you unlocked new ones. Let me run a river past a spider nest and get diving bell spiders, or put a storm tower next to a vampire castle to spawn frankensteins! The surprise tile synergies were the most exciting part, and there was definitely room to include more of them.

The story had some kind of cool things to say about, like, the weight of creation, passing judgment on the world, deciding what has the right to exist. I don't know that it really explores it fully, but there's something there!

Hades II

Yep, this thing's in early access! And no surprise: it's good as hell. I've wasted far too much time in it.

Gameplay-wise, it's going to be pretty familiar if you've played Hades, but there's a few major changes. The most impactful, I've found, is that you only get one dash. No upgrading it with the mirror or getting more from Hermes- you get one, and then can hold down the button to run slightly faster if you gotta move fast. This makes Melinoe play very differently from Zagreus, who favored getting in close and overwhelming foes with a flurry of blows before zipping back out with dashes when things get hairy. Melinoe needs to stay safe a lot more than Zag does, and relies on her ranged options to do so.

(There's also a few other tweaks- every attack comes with a charged version that costs mana from a mana bar, olympian calls are replaced with "moon blessings", and of course all the weapons are new and take some getting used to- but the dash is the biggest thing.)

The story, this time, is fascinatingly weird. It concerns a war between the gods and the titan Chronos, and... it's not entirely clear if you're on the right side of it. They play up how callous and evil the gods are with respect to mortal life, and have multiple supporting characters who put this concern front and center where Hades 1 kind of sidelined it. But Melinoe is this weird, uptight honor student type of character with a strong sense of propriety and familial loyalty, and kind of doesn't care about that compared to her quest to rescue her family.

It keeps, like... dropping hints that you're not really on the right side, here? Chronos is personally unpleasant and loathsome, but you keep getting little hints that what he's actually doing is an improvement over how the gods were running things. Various character arcs seem to be headed in a "the gods suck and you should stick up for your non-god friends" direction, but...

...I mean, they can't actually do that, can they? Just, structurally! It's a roguelike, meant to be infinitely replayable! Hades 1 had a pretty elegant resolution to that problem, reframing the gameplay as something that can fit without the central conflict, but I can't imagine how Hades 2 could possibly do that. An entire section of the world takes place on a fleet of ghost ships sailing to join the war effort! Even Melinoe failing to grow and just winning seems incompatible with the game continuing. A good chunk of the game doesn't exist without the conflict! I don't see how they can possibly put a bow on all this, and I'm excited to see how they try.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

My favorite game from my childhood has received an updated rerelease on Switch... and they did it right. You gotta check this out.

I've talked about why TTYD is great before- I think one of the first posts on this blog, waaaaaay back in the day when my posts were bad and you shouldn't go looking for them? But the upshot is: the battle system uses small numbers, and you can figure out exactly what kind of damage you can dish out and take in a given turn, and plan your risk-taking and resource management around it precisely- in a way you can't really do when you've got big damage numbers with RNG ranges of outcomes. All the risk is in the execution of your guards and special moves, which let you attempt harder inputs in exchange for more favorable outcomes, with a chance that you'll fail because you fucked up,

Going back to it after so long... honestly, with fresh eyes, the writing isn't quite as lively as I remember? Like, I remember a big reason I was disappointed by later PM games was that there were no partners, or that the partners didn't really talk or figure into the story. But... honestly, TTYD does have that same problem, outside of the chapters where those characters are introduced. Once someone's In Your Party, their relevance is kind of over, and they all deliver pretty similar filler lines while out. That's something they could maybe improve on in a proper sequel.

Still, the writing generally remains sharp and very funny, and the variety of scenarios it throws at you are great. And the remake adds a few things that really enhance the experience- like new remixes of the battle theme for every chapter, and extra animations for every character, even the random background nobodies. You can hit NPCs with your hammer and they'll play a little "hey, ow!" animation now! Different characters get different dialogue bleep sounds! And they added a warp hub for backtracking, so the General White quest isn't so tedious! And a warp pipe between Creepy Steeple and Twilight Town, to cut out like an hour of pointless backtracking! All the changes they made were really smart.

(Including: putting Vivian's trans stuff back in the script, after it was cut in the original localization. Good on you, Nintendo!)

Pokérogue

I was weak. I held out two months, and then gave in. And I regret everything.

This fucking thing ate multiple months of my life. It's... infuriatingly addictive. It boils the Pokémon experience down to this ultra-tuned flow state, with accelerated levelups and mechanics to streamline the game into a roguelike form factor, and it's so goddamn tight. Every moment of it is setting you up with a thing you can do next, so there's no stopping points- just new goal after new goal after new goal. It totally hijacked my brain until I beat the damn thing into submission, doing absolutely everything it's possible to do in it.

Except "ever voluntarily using Skwovet", because fuck that thing.

Don't play this. It's bad for you.

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree

Technically not a new game, but the DLC is basically an entire new game, with a map about the size of the base game and its own progression system and story.

I don't have too much to say about the DLC itself! It's More Elden Ring. Miquella's story is cool and tragic, the final boss was a terrifying surprise, and the new environments and enemy designs were sick as hell. If you liked Elden Ring for those things, there's more of it here! 'Nuff said.

What stuck out to me was... I started a new character and a whole fresh playthrough of the game, because I didn't know what the entry point to the DLC was. And while last time, I built a strength-focused warrior with tons of HP, this time I decided to try out a totally different build and play a squishy wizard with ranged attacks. And the game was so different like that! Still balanced, still fun, but completely a different game.

Instead of being about getting in close, staying in close, and sticking around for a long time while finding openings to attack, it became about staying at a safe distance, dodging projectiles, and retaliating with nuke spells to end fights before bosses could get much of a chance to hit me. Some areas that were a huge problem for me before were trivialized by my reusable ranged blasts, and some areas that were no trouble were suddenly a difficulty cliff because there was no way to be effective at range. I'm surprised at how much of a transformation it was! Impressive feat of design.

WEBFISHING

This is a cute little multiplayer fishing game based off Animal Crossing's fishing system. It's a relaxing little second-screen game without too much going on! Not too much to say about it- it does what it sets out to do. Kinda wish they'd tried a little harder for some of the fish "jokes", though- a lot of them are anti-humor about not having a joke for this one. I will retaliate by... not having much of a review for this one.

DEATHLOOP

This thing was fuckin' cool. You're an amnesiac trapped in a time loop- but not just any time loop. The people on this island came here specifically to trap themselves in a time loop, where they could kill each other and live out hedonistic fantasies with no consequences, but something fucked up and now only you and a crazy lady who's trying to kill you are actually experiencing the loop. For everyone else, it's their first day, and they don't take kindly to you trying to break the loop and ruin their fun.

In order to break the loop, you have to kill a bunch of important assholes (called "Visionaries") who've somehow anchored the loop to themselves. But you've got to do it in a single day, and they're scattered all over this huge island- so you've got to come up with a plan. Find ways to manipulate where they'll be at what times, when they'll be vulnerable, and line up that perfect killstreak.

It's fun stuff. Initially, it seems impossible- they're too spread out, too inaccessible, too heavily-defended. But as you work on figuring them out one at a time, you learn lots of little details about gaps in their defenses, ways to fuck with their routines, and traps you can set for them so they'll die without you needing to be present. It's like a mystery game, even though the minute-to-minute gameplay is a pretty standard stealth action shooter.

(Said gameplay's pretty fun on its own- though weirdly, the starting pistol pretty much kills everything in the game in one headshot and has perfect accuracy, so I'm not sure why they bother giving you other guns. I upgraded to Frank's SMG which is basically the same gun but it reloads instantly, and basically never needed to use anything else.)

The story's... a little weird. It tries to focus on the relationship between Colt and Julianna (your also-looping nemesis trying to stop you from breaking the loop), but like... she's not... there, except as an annoying random superboss encounter that sometimes spawns in the middle of you trying to do other shit. She's just a voice over the radio that snarks at you and doesn't have any relationships with any of the other characters.

So like, ultimately you learn a twist about who she was to you before you lost your memory, and she explicates her reasons for wanting to protect the loop, and there's like, some decent character work being done there?

Buuuuuut, in attempting to foreground this character dynamic and make it the main resolution to the game, they kind of forgot to give a satisfying resolution to anything else. Like, these seven people you spend the whole game obsessively stalking and learning everything about so you can efficiently murder them in one go... don't really get a resolution other than being anticlimactically murdered. And there's like no resolution to like, what is the loop and how does it work and why did it get fucked up and what are the stakes here. It's all so meticulously done that I get the impression some writer somewhere answered these questions while plotting it, but they just either didn't put any of it in the game, or I missed something huge.

One negative I will say is: this thing made my old computer overheat like instantly. I had to build a proper gaming PC before I could run this thing- and that was in fact my main motivation for building it, was because I wanted to play this game without my laptop melting. Not really playable on smaller machines, even on minimum settings.

-

One more coming down the line, for the games I played but didn't beat this year, and that should do it!

[1] - [2] - 3 - [4]

[unreesonable]

Radio 2 interview with Lynn Parsons, 21 October 2002, about Art and other things. Transcript under the cut.

LP: It's late night Radio 2. Now "Art" has been showing in the West End of London for 6 years now and it's renowned for its freshness because every few weeks there's a cast change. As of Monday the 14th of October, the 27th cast took to the stage at the Whitehall Theatre - namely Mark Gatiss, Steve Pemberton, and Reece Shearsmith. They are known collectively as The League of Gentlemen, and they join us in the studio tonight to talk about the very last cast change in this six-year run of Yasmina Reza's story of friendship that is put to the test, and all in the name of art. Welcome, Gentlemen.

MG: Good evening.

RS: Hello

SP: Hello!

LP: You've just come off stage. How was it tonight?

SP: Great!

RS: Good, very good.

SP: Very good response. You know, it's the play that really gets people going and we just feel like, you know, we're very lucky to have such a good script, really.

LP: Well, it's going to be completely different to the first time you actually hit the West End stage because you were performing in something you'd written. Now you're performing in something that somebody else has written. Is that as comfortable?

MG: It's very different, but I think what we've found so far is you can almost sense there are some people who've only come to see us. Obviously, there's a big mixed audience because the play has such a reputation, lots of tourists, but I think you can almost detect that people are won over by the material. They may be expecting one thing and they certainly get another, and by the end, they're really going with the actual impetus of the play rather than just the fact that we're, you know, we're novelty casting.

SP: There was a performance the other night where the curtain sort of goes up and I'm sitting on stage to begin, and I heard someone go 'Pauline!' and I was thinking 'Oh no!' And, you know, that's the fear - that people would expect to see what we do on television somehow infused into this play. And of course we haven't done that.

RS: Yeah.

SP: We've just acted in the play, haven't we?

RS: Absolutely. Yeah, it was a concern that somehow people might think, bizarrely, that we would do the play in our characters.

MG: Well, some quite reasonable people have actually asked that.

RS: Yeah!

MG: Which is extraordinary, as if we're going to sort of pervert this play just to our own advantage.

SP: But as Mark says, by the end you can tell by the time you're doing your final curtain call and everything that people have really enjoyed it.

RS: But it is a strange thing to do someone else's lines, finally, because, you know, we are so used to writing and performing our thing and it's our vision. Suddenly to have characters that are not ours - you know, that's where we've had a director for the first time in many years properly directing us as actors, and that's a really unusual thing for we three. We never get told what to do really.

LP: Now we're used to seeing the three of you - the three of you together. And I just wondered whether you chose the parts you played or did they absolutely know who was going to play what?

MG: No, it was up to us, but we sort of fell into. er... There was a kind of general sense - people guessed correctly and I was like 'Oh, all right. Why?' And we did talk for a while about sort of swapping around to confound people's expectations, but it just sort of happened naturally really.

LP: I thought perhaps Mark would be Marc, but you've complicated matters slightly.

MG: Yeah, that was the only concession to complication.

SP: It would help, wouldn't it, to change that. But no, I think they had the same ideas that we had. But to be honest, we could have done it any way. We did feel that the parts were best suited the way we've done them, but we could have changed them.

LP: Well, you're in it for three months-

MG: Oh!

LP: And we're only a week down the line. I was just thinking that maybe you might have a bit of fun and change around.

RS: Ugh! No...

LP: Would that be too much?

MG: It's enough of an effort to get through it every night!

LP: I think perhaps you should tell us the parts you play and what - why you picked those particular parts. That would be good.

MG: Well, I play Serge, who's bought the offending white painting. I'm a dermatologist, I've done very well for myself, and what the others can't bear - or certainly Marc can't bear - is I've splashed out this enormous amount of money, about £20,000, on a totally white painting. It offends his sensibilities somehow. And I'm sort of trying to keep the end up for art for art's sake really, in the face of his- what I see as his philistinism.

SP: But you are more interested in art than-

MG: Than the other two, yeah, yeah.

SP: Than we two. But as yourself, I mean…

MG: Oh, me? Yes.

SP: But you wouldn't like the white painting, would you?

MG: No, that's the thing.

SP: As yourself.

MG: I mean, I love painting, I do paint, but I'm actually more...

SP: He's a decorator.

LP: Right...

MG: I'm a painter and decorator. Like Hitler. I would not have that painting in my house.

LP: OK

RS: It's strange though because by the end I think it is a beautiful thing. That's what's brilliant about the play.

SP: So actually you should have been Serge?

MG: Yeah.

RS: Yes! Yeah, yeah.

SP: Mark should have been Marc and I should have been Yvan.

RS: Oh no. Mistake.

SP: We are discovering we've done it wrong!

MG: Oh no!

RS: Anyway, I - unfortunately - play Yvan. I'm the middle one who is, um, neither hates nor loves the painting but can just see both sides and is the friend of the pair of 'em. There's three friends and we are equally kind of successful in the worlds that we inhabit, but I kind of try to keep the peace and, wrongly, probably - in a kind of a boring way - say yes to both the pair of them. And that causes conflict because I shouldn't just be kind of middling. I shouldn't...

MG: You don't take sides.

RS: I don't, yeah… I don't, I kind of try and keep it all smooth and that causes its own problems. And I don't know whether I do that in real life - I probably don't do that in real life. I'm probably more extreme than Yvan and... angst-ridden. I mean, the character often is being described as kind of the scatty middle one, the obviously comedic one of the three, and I think that we haven't - well, I haven't really done it like that. Not that I'm trying to defend myself if it's not funny, but not obviously to playing it for kind of the bumbling middle one. It's just we… I think we're all quite equal in it and that's good. I think that's true to the play.

LP: OK.

RS: So, um, that's my character.

LP: And you play Marc?

SP: I play, Marc, yes. Marc is an engineer and he's very good friends with Serge and with Yvan, and he hates the painting. And it turns out that he's always thought of himself as being a sort of opinion former - someone who Serge would come to and say 'What do you think about this?' and Serge would get his opinions from Marc. So the idea that Serge has gone out and bought his own painting is really annoying. And the fact that it's just this completely white canvas - he just can't see it. He's very old-fashioned. And when I read it, I sort of didn't like the character. I thought, 'Oh God, he's a bit pompous and a bit sort of arrogant,' but the way we've been directed to do it is to see every character's point of view and play the truth of that because, you know, you do get exasperated about the most ridiculous things. And one of the nice things that we've been able to work on - because we are three friends and have been for 15 years as the friends in the play have been - is that even when they're falling out and at their most extreme, daggers drawn, they can still have a laugh. And so the play needn't become just one long protracted argument - that would be very boring. So what we've tried to do is pick out moments of humour even amid the hugest argument. Someone will say something and all three of us laugh, and that's been really nice to work on.

RS: Yeah, it's a very real thing I think in friendship - in a proper friendship, a long stable friendship - that you can do that. You can say the most horrible thing and a minute later you can be laughing again, and you know it just wasn't meant.

MG: You can certainly imagine it like at the end of a relationship - even if it's all over and that's it, and you're sort of even, like, sorting out who's getting what and things like that, you would have a shared remembrance of something which would still bring you back together. And that's the sort of thing we've been trying to find in it.

LP: When there's a cast change in 'Art,' there is always - I travel up and down on the escalators all the time. Just for the sheer hell of it, not because I'm going anywhere. But there are always those wonderful pictures, aren't there?

MG: Yes!

RS: Yeah.

LP: And yours has got, well, a lot of colour in it. And a cow!

RS: That's right, yes.

LP: One of these cows has been placed around.

MG: Modish.

LP: Was that anything to do with you?"

MG: Well, I had an idea that we should do a Damien Hirst thing and have us cut in half and preserved in tanks.

RS: Yeah.

MG: Which I thought was a bit ghoulish even for us... But then it went that way of having one of those cows. And the reason we've got chainsaws and everything - the implication is we're going to cut it in half and do a sort of Damien Hirst on it. I don't know what it is now-

RS: I think it just happened - the cows are around at the moment and it's an art-type thing-

MG: And it's the only white one. It's an artifact in itself.

RS: Yes. So it's just, um, a sacred cow, maybe...

MG: Hmm, yeah...

SP: But because it's a white cow on a white background in the poster, most people don't see it!

LP: I saw it!

SP: You saw it. OK! Oh, that's good!

LP: It's the blood splattered everywhere, all the red paint really.

SP: Yeah, well, it's certainly different, you know. We went to David Pugh's office - he's the producer - the other day, and he's got all the different posters on his wall. And we were saying to him you should put a book out. Because they are really-

LP: Actually they're very clever aren't they? Very clever.

RS: Yeah. It'd be really nice to have.

MG: We actually have two. We're the first cast to have two - it's double-sided, although no one puts the other one up. The other side is a Gilbert and George pastiche, which no one gets so probably not… it's not up, but it's quite nice, that one. Quite subtle.

RS: Yeah. Like stained glass.

MG: Mmm.

LP: Stay with us, we'll talk more after this. The League of Gentlemen - that's Mark Gatiss, Steve Pemberton, and Reece Shearsmith - are my guests on the show tonight, and they're currently performing 'Art' at the Whitehall Theatre in London, which we will come back to in a moment. But I think we need to mention Jeremy Dyson. I've never seen him - I'm not sure if he exists - and obviously there are only three parts, aren't there, in 'Art'?

MG: Yes.

LP: So it's understandable that he's not there. But we haven't seen him in The League of Gentlemen either, have we? Or have we?

MG: You've glimpsed him very briefly.

SP: He crops up, yeah. You'd have to know what he looked like in order to spot him - a bit like Where's Willy.

MG: Where's Willy this week?

SP: The children's books. But no, he does crop up. He was in the original lineup before we were called The League of Gentlemen. He did do some sketches, and in fact, he was the first person to play Bernice, the vicar who Reece now plays. But because he never trained as an actor, I think he just sort of didn't feel confident enough to do that.

LP: And he likes focusing on the writing.

RS: Absolutely, yeah.

LP: What does he think of you in this? Has he seen you yet?

RS: Yes, he has. Yes, yeah, he thought it was very good. He was very proud. He hadn't ever seen it, so it was great that he said he was holding out for us three to do it.

LP: Aww!

MG: Oh, that's what everyone's been saying! Lazy people!

RS: But no, he was very... He thought it was great.

LP: Good. I think I'm right in saying that you were commissioned for the BBC Radio 4 series after being spotted at the Edinburgh Fringe, and that the radio show won a Silver Sony Award, which is-

MG: That's right.

LP: That's fantastic, isn't it?

RS: It did, yeah, it was amazing.

MG: Yeah, seems like a long time ago.

SP: The Gold Award went to 'Jam,' the Chris Morris series on Radio 1, which we didn't mind losing to because we think he's a genius.

LP: It's pretty cool too, isn't it?

MG: I can also remember that the bronze went to 'Hold My Plums' Christmas Special.

SP: That's right.

MG: BBC Radio Bristol.

SP: It was regional. It was local humour for local people.

LP: And then we get the resulting television series, and I'll just have to take a deep breath here, which won the Golden Rose of Montreux, the RTS Award for Best Entertainment, a BAFTA for Best Comedy, and in terms of other awards as well, there was the little matter of the Perrier Award for the Edinburgh Fringe in '97. Now, there are four of you, so do you have these awards on your mantelpiece in a rota basis? How does it work?

RS: Yeah. No, we don't.

MG: Actually, should work out a version of the award story now 'cause… a shortened version of them all. The Golden Rose was stolen by the BBC. It's still there. We got -

SP: It wasn't stolen!

RS: They said, 'Can we have it and have it in a tank for a while and look at it?' and then we never got it back.

MG: We got one BAFTA each - we got one of those at home. The RTS is with our agent. The Perrier is too. I think that's it.

SP: I think the only awards we've got… the only awards I've got at home are… when you're asked to give an award and the person hasn't turned up, so we've got like Gwyneth Paltrow's Best Actress award

RS: Yeah, I've got that.

SP: And I've got Marilyn Manson's award for Best Video.

RS: She won at the Empire Awards

SP: So that's the only way we get awards - by giving them out and then people not collecting them. Otherwise, because there's four of us, yeah, we give them to our agent and they sort of look after them.

RS: They've got a, you know, a display cabinet with a lot of awards in. So it's-

SP: Just to stop the BBC stealing them.

MG: Stealing them back!

LP: Now, a moment ago you were saying in 'Art' the relationship is 15 years, you know, sort of off stage and on stage for these characters, and you were saying that it's okay to argue and it works throwing things sort of about between you. Is that how the writing for The League of Gentlemen works? Are there a few arguments? Do you kind of pitch in here and there?

RS: It's not as apocalyptic as in 'Art,' but we're a bit more…

MG: Not yet.

RS: Not yet, no.

LP: No chainsaws.

RS: Yeah, no, it's… we kind of split the writing into two teams. Steve and I write together, and Mark and Jeremy tend to write together, and then the hardest part really is coming together to knit it into one whole. And this third series we've just done, we tried more to have an eye on the entire thing this time around because our last two series have kind of been made up of sketches that we've all written individually.

LP: This is slightly different, isn't it?

RS: Yeah, so we just thought - and it's always felt slightly unsatisfying as writers to have not really ever had that bigger picture entirely. So we just thought let's try and think of… and this is why we ended up with the idea of all six having the same ending and arriving at the same point so that it all completely knitted together. And that's hopefully quite interesting for people to watch.

MG: Also after three series, you know, we move on. There are elements in the second series where if you watch it now, there are storylines developing over a couple of episodes or even one episode. There's a little story about four visits to… and so it's a natural progression then to do a 20-minute story around one or two characters and make it less sketchy, and it's more mature, I think.

LP: Right. The show's really funny and very dark too. Now, I've read that you claim British horror films are a big influence on your work. Are we talking Hammer Horror here?

SP: Yeah, I think in part, yeah.

RS: All kinds.

SP: All kinds of horror films from the '30s, '50s, '70s... I think in this third series what we've tried to do is - because we've done so many horror film pastiches up to this point, and there's a danger of being seen as going into parody and doing parodic humor, which isn't our thing really, and so we've pulled back a little bit from that and allowed the characters just to be in the real world with real problems. But yeah, certainly the idea of those sort of horror films which really shock you and take things in an unexpected direction - that's been a big influence, and we always try to stay one step ahead of the audience.

LP: At this stage in the proceedings, I think I should bring in Papa... Lazarou.

MG: Papa Lazarou.

SP: Why, is he outside?

RS: Yeah, here he comes...

SP: He's going to steal you!

LP: How scary is that man? We've had so many emails because we've said that you're coming on the show, and we had one from Hannah Chase in Dartmouth who said that is her favourite character. Are we likely to see more of him in the future?

MG: Ah, well, you must gaze into your crystal ball!

RS: Yes, yeah… Well, we were very… we had… we talked long and hard about how we could or couldn't bring him back, you know. We just… we just in the end thought that…

LP: You're gonna let him go?

RS: Yeah, one of the first-

SP: For now!

RS: For now. I mean, who knows?

SP: But not forever.

RS: Not forever.

SP: He's roaming the country, yeah.

RS: Yeah he's in the countryside wandering around looking for more wives.

SP: You never know when he's going to crop up.

LP: And bizarrely, we have one from Dave, who I understand is the real Dave. From Cardiff. Who wanted me to ask you what is the special stuff that Hillary Briss the butcher sells to the locals?

MG: We can't tell you that because otherwise it would all be blown!

RS: Ah yes.

LP: You'd have to kill me, wouldn't you?

RS: Yes. We could, but then...

SP: Read the book, read… there are clues in it.

RS: Yeah, there are!

SP: There are clues. If you read the - we've got a book called… I'm not plugging it here, well I am, but 'A Local Book for Local People.' If you read that, there are clues within it as to what the special stuff actually is, and no one's cracked it yet. But-

MG: It's like that thing where you could go and dig up the golden hare. You remember that?

RS: Ooh. 'Masquerade'

LP: I don't know that one. That's kind of fallen a bit flat on me.

RS: Didn't you have to find eggs around the country?

MG: No, it was… it was a bloke called Kit Williams. He made this beautiful jewelled hare out of solid gold and buried it somewhere. And he did this fantastic book of paintings with clues…

RS: Oh yes! I remember that!

MG: And everyone got to around page 16 and couldn't get any further.

LP: Did anybody find it?

MG: They did in the end, and I think someone found it by accident, which is terrible.

SP & RS: Ugh!

MG: We should do something like that.

RS: Mm!

SP: A development, or…

LP: A bit of an anticlimax really. And Alec Duffy from Glasgow says, 'Why was the town called Spent for the radio series and changed to Royston Vasey for television?'

MG: We came up with the… we had a big list of short… a shortlist of potential Northern town names, and Spent is quite authentic-sounding. There's a lot of places, you know, called Knacked and Dry, things like that, various places in the North… and then we just got a bit fed up with it, really. And Royston Vasey had been on the list - it's Chubby Brown's real name. It was like sort of joke within a joke.

RS: Yeah, I think we thought Spent was a bit too kind of on the nose, telling you what-

MG: Too 'Nurthurn'

RS: Um, the intention behind that kind of tired, horrible-

MG: It's also that simple thing, you know, transition to TV, you sort of want to make a fresh start. And we'd made a lot of mistakes on the radio, I like to think. Like today! And it was just sort of is a way of underlining that and saying, 'Well, this is slightly different.'

SP: Same material but a different...

RS: A different town name.

MG: The town next door.

LP: Let's take you back to the theatre now. You're in 'Art' until it closes in January. Is it very nice to be sort of, you know, 27th cast and with all those names? Is it really nice to be part of that?"

RS: Absolutely, yeah. It's such an honour. I mean, I've always… I remember seeing the second cast with Mark Williams, David Haig and Anton Lesser, and I thought, 'That's… I'd love that play. I'd love to do that one day.' And you know, that was 1997/8, was it something like that? I just thought we'd never be asked. But. It's great!

SP: Mm, but to begin with, it was quite daunting, wasn't it? Because we were sort of hearing all these other casts and 'Oh, they did that line brilliantly' and 'they did that scene beautifully,' and it puts the pressure on you before you've actually done the play. Now we've done it and we've got the first sort of week or so under our belts, we're a bit more confident that it's our interpretation of 'Art,' and, you know, hopefully it'll rank alongside the others.

RS: Yeah. And we're younger than a lot of the casts… I mean, they have in the last few casts had younger people, and that's a different spin on it, I think. MG: And also we are three friends - the first time this has happened. I mean, I think previous casts, a couple of people… well, the original-

LP: Might have known each other.

MG: - get on well, but it's a different sort of dynamic, if I dare use that word. We won't be friends by the time we've finished!

LP: And just finally, out of curiosity… he is the producer - have you met Sean Connery yet?

MG: We got some flowers from him opening night. And I was going, 'Who's this Sean?' ... Oh, it's Sean Commery. The very idea that he sent-

SP: We're hoping that, you know, that the run coincides with one of his tax breaks, you know, when he can come to the UK, and that's the only way we'll meet him!

MG: 'What the hell have you done to my play?'

SP: But interestingly, he is filming 'The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen' in Prague.

MG: Ah yes.

SP: At the moment. Is he? So-

MG: Mm. Floods permitting.

SP: So there is a link there.

LP: The other link is, of course, that he was born in Edinburgh, so that kind of has a connection for you as well, because that's when things began to take off for you at The Fringe. So I guess geographically it's a lucky charm. And long may your luck continue!

MG & SP & RS: Thank you very much!

LP: Mark Gatiss, Steve Pemberton, and Reece Shearsmith. Thanks so much for coming in for a chat, and they're in 'Art' at the Whitehall Theatre in London until January.

[jordosprout]

I Need To Know TBB Headcanons (S3 SPOILERS POSSIBLE PLEASE BE WARRY)

What do you think the batch spends their time doing on Pabu? What occupies their time now that they are retired? I have only pieces of ideas but I have been tryna find some other folks thoughts. But to get er' rollin' I'll share my ideas.

Wrecker

• He's definitely a community man from what we saw so

- Maybe he babysits

-Maybe he helps fish like we saw in the past

- Or perhaps he carries heavy equipment for repairs/building

Hunter

- Maybe he helps figure out the best fishing spot for every passing day

- Maybe he builds boats or surfboards? Definitely got old surfer vibes from him at the end of Bad Batch (I am so sorry but I could not get Barbie's dad(?) from that one surfer movie out of my head)

Crosshair

• Cross was the hardest to figure out for me due to how little of what he is skilled at outside of being a soldier. But once I thought about it I couldn't stop LMAO

- I think for a long time he struggles with figuring out what he wants to do now that he's free to be whoever he wants to be. He's used being told what to do, and now that he doesn't have someone controlling him he's having a difficult time adjusting. He probably asks Hunter to give him tasks frequently, and after a while he's given the task of taking care of himself. Learning what he wants.

- I definitely imagine him trying multiple things such as: fishing, farming, all the good stuff

- I see him landing on something creatively driven like tattoos and painting. But I do think it takes a lot of time and soul searching before he gets to that point.

- Probably really distant for awhile, he wants to be around the others but feels he doesn't deserve it

- Reluctant on getting a prosthetic, I can see him choosing not to have one

Omega

• Omega wasn't too difficult for me, seeing what she ends up going off to do at the end of the last episode.

- After using pieces of the Marauder to fix up her own ship with Phee (and Tech depending on your thoughts on it), I see her convincing Phee (again, and Tech depending on your opinion) to give her flight lessons.

- She practices the Tech Turn often, doing her best to perfect it. (If you think Tech should stay dead then let's say she does this late at night on her own and has gotten in trouble for it a plethora of times. She can never quite do it as he does. But if you're like me and he lives, then of course he'll help teach her.)

- Omega probably sneaks off a lot, wanting to explore her new home

- Then I think she eventually gets into contact with Herra, and that she's the one who convinces her to become a rebel pilot

Tech

• In my perfect Bad Batch, Tech is alive. He will always be here in my mind; even if I'll have to mourn him as a character in canon alive and well.

- Tech spends much of his time recording and noting down the things he learns about the new island he lives on. Likely going off with Omega.

- I think Tech and Phee try a relationship at one point or another, maybe they decide to break up, maybe they're together for the long run. His calm nature mixing with her unpredictable one perhaps. She helps him feel more comfortable with himself, and he reminds her she doesn't need to change her stories to make them enjoyable. I think he'd love hearing about the artifacts she brings to Pabu. But it's possible their personalities don't mix well. We didn't get to see as much of their relationship on screen as I would have liked. (Came to rewrite this a bit. Was worried with how I wrote it didn't come across as I wanted)

- Tech probably has his own repair shop, or maybe he creates his own inventions.

More Group Stuff

- Definitely live together at least for a long while

- I think Hunter would get into a relationship before anyone else, then Wrecker getting into one kinda on accident? He'd be super oblivious and go on dates without realizing that's what they are. I think Cross n Tech would be last if they were to get into relationships (personally I see them on the aromantic spectrum, specifically Tech being demi and Cross being recip-romantic or Grey-romantic)

- They do a lot of stuff together, swimming, getting tattoos from Cross, therapy, family dinner all the lovely stuff

And I Think That's All I Got

Thanks for letting me ramble in your feed :)