#these two have an awkward time talking to each other post com

[spyrkle4]

There are times when David wants to talk to his mom and Momakase wants to talk to her kid but it gets super awkward bc neither of them know how to talk to each other so they just stand in silence and pretend that they don’t want to talk to the other

makes for some awkward time before waiting for a bus... 

[dreamtydraw]

please... Darcy x Qiu crumbs... tell us more 👉👈

*Inhale* I already made a post about it once that resume the evolution of their relationship with some funfact here but let me dive further.

Rom com high school crush.

She’s his best friend’s sibling, they have seen each other afar for a long time, they have the familiarity you’d get off people who often see each other even if they don’t really talk.

There is this awkwardness of the jump between platonic care and affection to someone you grew close to the romantic attraction that both stop them from making any move or even thinking there is any move to.

They aren’t childhood friends they are childhood connaissance, there is a slow-burning connection that links them to each other and it’s scary because-

What if they said no ?

What if she just imagined feelings that weren’t there ?

What if

That is too scary to think about. The incertitude that if your selfishness for a romantic connection wasn’t reciprocated it would hurt more than just you two. It would hurt your close common friends, it would hurt your confort zone, it would be impossible to not be confronted to that refusal everyday when you get out of your house and see theirs and know that they are here too and you will bee seen but you don’t want to be seen.

The possibility of a failed relationship is scary, even more so when you deeply care for the other and want them to feel at ease after all they went through.

Darcie knew Qiu had a hard time when they were younger, Qiu noticed that Darcie changed when they entered high school, and they are proud of each other and want to cherish that growth.

They are content with what they have, despite yearning for more.

*inhale* in conclusion none of them would confess unless there is a 100% certitude that it would go well or when it’s already too late to regret it-

Step 4 is far away for now but if we can have an ending like with Cove where you reunite after college, they would probably confess at this period lol

Very long, long, long slow burn.

[the-obnoxious-sibling]

What would happen if buggy stayed with shanks? Who he would be? How their dynamic would work out? Would they be happy?

*sighs*

anon, you’ve successfully identified my roman empire. literally the second post i ever made about shuggy was ultimately about this question.

two possibilities i've considered (one i think adheres pretty close to canon, and one a "slightly better communication skills than canon" au) under the cut.

if shanks avoided the topic of going to laugh tale, or if buggy decided to hide his outrage and go with shanks post-roguetown, i think they’d be low-key miserable for a long time.

buggy's skulking around with a powerful ofmd s1 izzy hands energy, furious at any perceived disrespect, while shanks could not care less about people laughing at him. half the time buggy is yelling at enemies for disrespecting them, half the time he’s yelling at shanks for disrespecting himself. the crew does not understand why buggy is their first mate if he hates shanks so much.

but hell no, neither of them is going to acknowledge that this (that they) might not be working. shanks can laugh off any discomfort, ignore any awkwardness, if it keeps his best friend at his side. and buggy gave up his pride to stay with shanks! he can be quietly (or not-so-quietly) bitter about it but he’s not going to give up now.

so buggy joins luffy in his sulking disappointment after that first interaction with the mountain bandits. “yeah, it’s embarrassing,” he admits, “but that’s how shanks is. he doesn’t care what people think.”

luffy asks why buggy stays with shanks, if he’s so embarrassing. buggy’s cool and tough, he could be a pirate captain in his own right!

buggy doesn’t have an answer for him—until that second encounter with the mountain bandits. the teary-eyed look on luffy’s face when shanks declares that no one hurts a friend of his? …yeah, maybe that’s why he stays with shanks.

shanks losing his arm for luffy and giving luffy roger’s hat is a turning point, one way or the other. this is the straw that breaks the camel’s back, and either buggy snaps and goes his own way… or his personal truth comes out, and he and shanks have to actually address it before they can move forward.

(in the timeline where buggy leaves, luffy runs into him around the same time as their first canon interaction, and he is even more bitter about the hat. luffy takes buggy's behavior a little more personally, too, since he knows about buggy’s connection to shanks, and he knows buggy knows how much the hat means to him, and to shanks before him. it’s very messy.)

(in the timeline where buggy stays, buggy as first mate to emperor shanks is a lot more like the cackling little gremlin he was on roger’s ship. worse, he’s downright smug. try and disrespect us all you like—we’re one of the four biggest, toughest crews around, nyeh! …sure, some people call us the weakest of the four, but we’re also the youngest! it's only a matter of time before we overtake those guys! just you wait!!

and the crew has learned by now that if shanks is wearing one of his patient, fond smiles while buggy rants then there's nothing to worry about.

they may not be perfectly at ease—buggy doesn’t like this self-sacrificing streak of shanks’, shanks would like buggy to be a bit nicer to people, and buggy might still be in the dark about shanks’ ultimate motives—but i think they’re pretty happy.)

if they’re both honest with each other from the start—if buggy calls shanks a coward in roguetown and shanks responds with the truth, if buggy admits why he reacted so harshly to shanks turning his back on that promise, that dream—i think things are awkward for a while. this kind of honesty is new for them! shanks' lightheartedness, buggy's anger, they aren't hiding the secrets they used to… can things ever be the same, now that the truth is out? how do they even talk to each other anymore?

it's almost ironic, the way being honest puts this distance between them.

eventually there comes a day—probably the anniversary of roger's death—where they are desperately lonely, even though they're literally within arm's reach of each other, and some brave member of their crew forces the issue. they realize that they've been overthinking everything, apologize, reconcile, and it's like the last piece of a puzzle sliding into place. it's just that easy. if you're here for romance, they probably get together at this point.

from that point forward, the crew never know shanks and buggy to be anything other than perfectly in sync—though they do still have the occasional spat about something silly and pointless. (buggy still claims shanks cheated somehow when they took the temperature at the south pole.)

buggy isn’t happy about shanks giving luffy his hat, but he understands why he did it. (he heard what luffy said his dream was, same as shanks.) he gives shanks a knowing look, part amusement and part exasperation, as they head back to their ship and out of luffy’s life.

this buggy is also very smug about being an emperor-level crew, but he's a little more settled, doesn't rub it in your face so much. he feels safer pushing back against shanks on certain things—he insists they need to dock at wano and see the kozukis, if no one else—and where shanks ignores his other officers when he's set in his ways, shanks will listen to buggy. he might still say no, but he always hears him out.

and yeah, i think they're happy. they're together. they're successful. their dreams—well, those are still in progress, but it's a good life they're living. why wouldn't they be happy?

[anathemaloren]

Bewitched

Anthony Lockwood x f!reader - fluff

★ Summary: Lockwood is head over heels for his roomate. What will happen when they're alone for the night?

★ Word count: 1k (more or less)

★ Proofread: yes :)

★ Warnings: cheesy 2000's rom com stuff and also english is not my first language

★ Note: guess who's alive? me (barely)! but at least i'm writing. enjoy this teeth rotting fluff with a tint of pride and prejudice and a tad of lockwood being a simp (and yeah i changed AGAIN my posting style but because i forget how to post every time i stop for a while)

★ Anthony Lockwood was falling for a girl living in his house. And it wasn't Lucy, she was like a sister to him, plus she was already head over heels for Kipps. No - it was Y/n. She hadn't been living on Portland Row for too long, just for about a year or so, and she worked as a florist. Lockwood always pondered about how different they were. She was sweets, had no Talent and baked excellent desserts; he was a bit socially awkward around her, fighted ghosts for a living and burnt toasts if she was in the room. Still, the agent found himself liking her with every fiber of his being.

The girl had started living with Lockwood&Co. when George and Lucy convinced Lockwood that they needed someone with a stable income to keep the house afloat in low activity months. SO, after a few weeks interviewing candidates, Y/n was the chosen one. She had a stable income, knew how to cook and didn't mind cleaning, and she got along with all of them. And Anthony Lockwood started falling for her bright smile.

Now, almost a year later, Lockwood was most definitely in love with her. He was always trying to talk to her, he bought her favourite food and he starved for the small amounts of touch he could get from her. He didn't know if having his room in front of hers was a blessing or a curse. But then the boy remembered her smile when she got out of her room in the morning, the soft "good day"s and "goodnight"s, and the moments when they hanged out together in his room before going to sleep. But that wasn't nearly enough for him. However, there were two problems. First of all, he didn't even know if she liked him back and he didn't want to ruin their friendship if it turned out she didn't like him. And secondly, he had no clue how to tell her. Lucy had advised him to just say it, but he didn't think it was that easy. Or maybe it was. Anyway, he probably would never know, and he was absolutely fine with it.

But the uncertainty came to an end one of the nights were they didn't have a case, a miracle happened; Lucy went on a date with Kipps, and George was pulling an all-nighter at the archives. That meant that Y/n and Lockwood were alone for at least a few hours. Alone. Together. They had dinner together in the unusually quiet kitchen, with a calming atmosphere surrounding them, and then cleaned the dishes. Every time Y/n grazed Lockwood's arm, he shivered. Every time Lockwood placed his hand on Y/n's hip, she sighed a bit. And after that, they went to their favourite place. They both found the library a relaxing place, a place where to be reading books and basking in each other's presence. They arranged themselves in the position they were more comfortable in, one that Lucy and George found strange and were adamant to believe it was comfortable for anyone. The florist laid on the couch and the agent sat on the floor, resting his back on the couch near Y/n, at hand's reach, and usually she would rest her hand on his head and play with his hair, making him melt as like with everything she did.

That night he was engrossed in "The Brothers Karamazov", and she was finishing her lectures of the past weeks, "Pride and Prejudice". Lockwood had almost fainted when he saw her picking up the book from the shelves. He loved it and had read it at least 15 times, in part because it was his mother's favourite and was full of her notes and annotation here and there. Knowing Y/n was reading it now too made his stomach do funny figures. They read in silence as usual for around an hour, until she dramatically closed the book, dropped it on the coffee table near her, and dropped back down on the couch with a theatrical sigh. Lockwood closed his book and let it rest on the floor, turning to look at her, amused. 'What happened?' He gently asked, starting to play with her fingers. She sighed 'I finished it'. She had her eyes closed which gave Lockwood a free pass to look at her with heart eyes and smile fondly at her. 'Is that so bad?' He asked. 'Of course it's bad!' She answered, as if it was obvious 'Now my standards for love are ridiculously high! No one would say things like that to me!' she continued, gesticulating a lot with the hand that Lockwood was not holding. He smiled again 'I would' he blurted. And they both freezed. She opened her eyes and stood up, whereas he stooped smiling and let go of her hand.

'What?' she asked Lockwood, who knew there was no turning back now. So he decided to just go for it 'I said I would say those things to you'. The girl laughed nervously 'You say the weirdest things, Anthony'. Y/n was probably the only one who called him that, and he usually liked it, only now it sounded… strained. 'I'm not joking, Y/n' her name rolled down his tongue as it had always had, as if it was the most beautiful word in the world for him since the moment they met. Now he was nervous but also serious. The girl couldn't find it in her to move or breathe or react in any way. So Lockwood got on his knees, turning around to see her completely, held both of her hands and tried to remember "Pride and Prejudice" as best as he could. 'You have bewitched me, heart and soul' the girl's breath got caught in her throat as she recognized the words and Lockwood declared himself 'and I love you. I never wish to be parted from you from this day on'. The agent was shaking a bit, not really sure that had been the right choice to make. Maybe now she hated him or thought he was weird or- Lockwood's train of thoughts got stopped by Y/n's lips on his. She tasted like cinnamon, and the kiss was gentle and long-awaited. When they parted, they both had a smile on their faces. 'You have also bewitched me' she whispered before kissing him again.

Having to explain the new relationship to Lucy and George took some time, but they were both thrilled about the developments in their relationship. Portland Row now felt more like a family than ever, and Y/n and Lockwood were absolutely in love and open about it. Who would guess that Jane Austen would still get couples together after such a long time?

[hersterical]

Being the change I want to see in the world by posting Faith and Angel friendship/sibling headcanons (ignoring the comics cause I’ve never read them and some of the parts of ats that I don’t like):

Barring apocalyptic or other comparable season finale-esque events, Angel would call her in the prison every single week without fail

Faith is embarrassed by this in the same way a teenager is embarrassed when their friends find out that they have parents who love them

Every single one of these phone calls begins with a long, awkward silence as both of these losers struggle to find something to talk about. Eventually these long pauses become comforting to both of them

What they usually end up talking about (other than the progress of Faith’s redemption arc) is Angel venting about the annoying/mildly uncomfortable things he had to do during a job (the guy could literally be stranded in a hell dimension and what he spends the most time talking about is how itchy the clothes were) while Faith keeps him updated on the petty relationship/political drama happening around her like it’s a soap opera

After everything goes down and they have the occasional time to hang out, their time together is almost always spent watching their guilty pleasure chick flicks. Angel prefers the more serious, tragic, tear jerkers while Faith is more into rom-coms. They’ve sworn to never reveal this to anyone ever

A viewing of But I’m a Cheerleader leads to their first in depth discussion of both of their love lives.

Spike worked his way into a movie night once and they ended up watching Rocky Horror Picture Show. Angel refuses to admit that he loves it just as much as the other two did

Angel and Faith occasionally patrol for vamps and other demons at night clubs. On nights with less demonic activity they end up spending a lot of time people watching. Sometimes they’re petty and judgey and sometimes they try to get the other to break by telling the most ridiculous backstory possible while still maintaining a dry delivery

Whenever Faith is traveling she’ll send Angel a postcard. She’ll also occasionally call him. Faith claims to hate all of his worrying and mother-henning but secretly loves it. Angel doesn’t call her because she always forgets to give him her phone number

If Faith goes for more than a month or two with no contact then Angel will contact one of the scoobies so he can be not mad, just disappointed with her for worrying him. He’ll avoid contacting Buffy about Faith because the dynamics between all of them are still kind of weird even though she’s the one most likely to know where Faith is at any time

Angel is unaware that he’s dating both Cordy and Spike until Faith asks him about it

All of Faith’s singing abilities fly out the window whenever she’s hanging out with Angel and his gang

Lorne and Gunn make occasional cracks about how it makes sense that Faith and Angel get along, considering their names. The only ones who find these jokes funny are Lorne, Gunn, and Fred

Eventually Faith begins to show some small signs of aging. The only acknowledgment this receives is a silent, bittersweet smile shared between the two of them because who ever thought that they’d be alive long enough for Faith to show signs of aging? and Angel will never have the chance to grow old

They tend to forget to hold back with each other whenever they spar. This is both a source of concern and entertainment to the different members of the Fang Gang

Angel gets into the habit of fondly messing up Faith’s hair as a sign of affection. In return, Faith punches him in the arm or chest hard enough that no one else, not even a fellow slayer, would consider it to be playful. This is the most reliable way anyone has found to make him laugh

Angel has yet to approve of anyone Faith has dated and will occasionally try to convince her to at least try to ask out Buffy. Those conversations usually end in an impromptu sparring session

They both order huge meals when they go to their favorite 24-hour diner after patrolling or working a case together where Angel will then give Faith all of his food. There’s a demon friendly butcher not too far away that they usually hit up for blood anyway since the owner is still grateful that Angel helped them out one time

They. Are. Siblings.

[aziraphales-library]

Hello, Sir! Can I have some misunderstanding tropes? I want a fake/pretended relationship with other people to be specific, but that might be too specific, and if so, your favorite misunderstanding is more than fine. Crack or angst, romantic or platonic All is well!!😉

Hi. We have loads of fics on our #misunderstandings and #fake/pretend relationship tags, so make sure to check those! Here are some more to add to the collection...

The Great Theodolphus by entanglednow (T)

In which Crowley wakes to a new century, and finds he's not quite over his argument with Aziraphale. He also has unexpected competition for the angel's affection.

One Dance Whose Steps I Never Could Learn by hapax (T)

Or, Five Times Crowley Took Romantic Advice From Anathema (plus One Time He Took Romantic Advice From Newt)

“Shaddup,” Crowley said, a bit of fondness leaking into his voice. “We’re not friends, neither. You’re just this bint who I tempt into ditching her fiancé on a monthly basis.” “And you are just this camp old horror that comes to me to whine about his boyfriend-who-isn’t-really-his-boyfriend,” she retaliated, resting her chin on her folded hands.

Anathema Device has the perfect plan for tempting Aziraphale to realize that he ought to be with Crowley (not to mention distracting herself from own upcoming wedding): adapting scenarios from cheesy rom-coms. Crowley is doubtful, but hasn’t got one single better idea.

A Different Kind of Arrangement by mar_map (G)

Aziraphale really wishes that his family would stay out of his (non-existent) love life. To avoid being set up (again), Aziraphale has taken to the internet in the hopes of hiring someone to masquerade as his boyfriend for the next family holiday. Enter Crowley, the florist from down the street, ready to make some heads roll.

Talk About It by hope_in_the_dark (T)

Aziraphale and Crowley have been best friends for sixteen years. Crowley's been in love with Aziraphale for almost that long. When Aziraphale tells his family that he'll be bringing his boyfriend to his step-brother's wedding, things get a bit complicated.

A Fake Dating AU.

One Miraculous December by journeytogallifrey (T)

Candles. Mistletoe. An entire frozen lake. Festive memories from their past together keep appearing out of nowhere.

Crowley's sure he's manifesting them accidentally out of sheer romantic desperation. It's bad enough trying to hide his unrequited love as they grow closer post-Apocaloops - what if Aziraphale sees the objects for what they are, a window into his yearning soul? Unfortunately, the only way to banish the objects seems to be talking about each memory...

Meanwhile, Aziraphale is just trying to woo his demon boyfriend with big gestures, ready to prove his devotion. And if Crowley acts awkward about the miracles? Surely that's just his difficulty accepting affection. The solution: shower him with as much of it as possible...

Eventually these two will communicate, even if it takes 'til the end of the year. For now there will be cuddling, excuses for closeness, sappy words, flashbacks, nostalgia, bickering, and an obscene variety of holiday foods. Oh, and footnotes. That's right. We're doing those too.

- Mod D

[all-the-things-2020]

Deeds Not Less Valiant - Chapter Six

Pairing: Din Djarin x OFC (Tala Pavan)

Rating: PG

Summary: Din and Tala attend a soirée at Greef’s palace.

Word count: 3800+

Notes: Slowly but surely, these two are realizing they have feelings for each other. Din is awkward but he tries. Grogu gets to hang out with IG-11.

It was two weeks before Din and Grogu got back to Tala’s place. First came a call from Carson Teva asking for help tracking down a former Imperial officer who had “disappeared” from his post on Dantooine after completing rehabilitation. Din found him in the Hada Spaceport on Vina where he was helping former Imperials infiltrate a variety of New Republic locations by forging IDs and credentials. After delivering him to Teva, they were on their way back to Nevarro when a random encounter with a small pirate craft resulted in some minor damage to the Krayt that required a detour to Tatooine to visit Peli’s maintenance facility. This led to an invitation from Boba Fett to join him at a meeting to remind the Hutts that he was — and would remain — the daimyo of Mos Espa. By the time they returned to Nevarro, it was long past Benduday.

“It’s fine,” Tala had said when Din commed her from Tattooine. It was voice-only, not holographic, so he had only her tone to judge by, but she seemed to understand. “You have to work. I’ll see you next week.”

“Do you really think she’s okay?,” he asked Grogu when the comm link ended.

“Ya.” 

“Are you sure?”

“Ya,” Grogu said firmly, reaching over from the co-pilot’s seat to pat Din’s arm. 

It helped, but the idea that Tala might be upset still nagged at him like a sore tooth. Objectively, he knew he couldn’t do anything about it, at least until they got back to Nevarro, but that didn’t stop him from worrying. He didn’t want to lose this friendship, or whatever it was. Tala had become too important to him.

When he dropped Grogu off, he noticed that Tala was wearing a new shirt. It was a very flattering shade of blue and had embroidered details along the hem and neckline. She also had her hair done in a loose braid that flowed softly but neatly along the left side of her neck. 

She smiled at him and Din felt the knot of uneasiness inside of him loosen a little. Grogu squirmed out of his carry bag and bounced into Tala’s arms, babbling away. “Sorry we missed last week,” Din said. “I’m sure Grogu is already telling you all about it.”

“He is,” she said. “And you’d better get to your meeting. There will be plenty of time to chat afterward.”

Din nodded. “Yes. And … I like your new shirt.”

As he walked away from Tala’s door, he shook his head. I like your shirt? Maybe he was in over his head. Maybe he should talk to Greef.

************************************

“You seem distracted, Mando,” Greef said after he’d gone over the minor points of business that made up their weekly “briefing.” It really wasn’t necessary but it was an excuse for Greef to sit back and enjoy the company of a friend who wasn’t on the take. The moment he’d taken on the mantle of High Magistrate, folks had started coming out of the woodwork, asking for favors and offering their services (at a good price). Mando wasn’t like that. He was willing to help if Greef needed it but never asked for anything in return. Which was why Greef wanted to keep him around. It was good to have an ally who was simply that: an ally.

Mando sat back in his chair. “I am … having some personal difficulties,” he said slowly. 

“What’s her name?”

Mando’s helmet swiveled in surprise. “How …?”

Greef laughed. “It’s always a woman,” he said. “Or a man, as the case may be. Look, friend, I know you are a great warrior and an excellent tactician but the battlefield of the heart is something else entirely. You can’t rely on blasters or flamethrowers and fancy armor to protect you. So tell me … who is she and what’s the problem?”

“Her name is Tala,” Mando said. “She watches Grogu for me. She can talk to him telepathically, but I don’t know how to talk to her. We talk about Grogu, of course, that’s easy. But … for example, today she was wearing a new shirt. And her hair was different. So I said ‘I like your shirt.’” He shook his head. “I felt like an idiot. I’m not even sure I want to be more than friends with her, but I do know that ‘I like your shirt’ isn’t the right thing to say.”

Greef leaned back. “Women like to be appreciated,” he said. “So do men, of course, but women more so. Compliments will go a long way and they don’t have to be extravagant. Next time, say something about the shirt. Maybe how the color brings out her eyes. Notice the little details. And bring her a small gift. Nothing fancy. Just a little something: a food she’s mentioned she likes, an accessory in a color she wears often, anything that you can say ‘I saw this and thought of you’.”

He could tell the gears were working inside Mando’s helmet. This was an entirely new side of him and Greef was amused by it. He’d thought perhaps there was something between Mando and that Bo-Katan woman, but clearly he’d been wrong. Who would have thought Mando was the type to fall for the babysitter? 

“Look, I’m having a little gathering this week, to welcome the delegation from Drosi. They just might sign a trade agreement and I want to show them that Nevarro isn’t some backwater skug hole. Why don’t you bring your lady friend? I’ll see if IG-11 can watch the kid.”

“I’m not much for parties,” Mando said.

“It’s a work function,” Greef said. “We need to show these folks that we are a respectable community where they can do business without worrying about the more sordid element.”

Mando tipped his head to the side. “Like bounty hunters?”

Greef held up his hands. “You’re legit now, working for the New Republic and the government of Mandalore. We just won’t mention your ties to Boba Fett. Come on, Mando, you help me out by shmoozing with the Drosi delegation a little, and I’ll help you out with your lady. Deal?”

Mando sat very still for a moment. “Deal,” he said.

********************************************

“Did you have a good meeting with the High Magistrate?” Din seemed slightly off balance when he returned. Tala hoped nothing was wrong.

“Yes,” he replied. “We, um, discussed an upcoming event. A … cocktail party for the Drosi delegation.”

Grogu’s ears pricked up and Tala suppressed a smile. “That doesn’t sound like your kind of thing, if you don’t mind me saying so.”

“It’s not,” Din said. “I’m … not comfortable in social situations like that. Which is why … well, I thought, maybe … if you’re available …”

“Yes, I can watch Grogu,” she said. “You don’t need to be keeping track of him and worrying about making a good impression.”

“No, I meant … would you go with me? IG-11 can watch Grogu while we’re at the party and I’d … I’d be more comfortable if I had someone with me that I know and trust. Greef will be busy and …”

“I’d love to go,” she said. Din was adorably awkward but she felt she had to put him out of his misery quickly. “I don’t have much of a social life here on Nevarro, mostly just work and Neeli and you two. I don’t go out much. Which is fine, but …” Now who’s rambling awkwardly?

“Good,” Din said. “I mean, good that you’ll go, not good that you don’t have a social life … I don’t have one either.”

Grogu had been watching the conversation, his head swiveling back and forth like a spectator at a flimball match. :I like IG-11. Maybe we can ride a speeder bike!:

“Grogu likes the idea,” Tala said. “He likes IG-11 and wants to ride a speeder bike.”

Din tilted his head. “No speeder bikes,” he said firmly. “You’ll stay in Greef’s palace the whole time.” Grogu’s ears drooped. “But maybe we can take a bike out later in the week.” 

:Yes! I like to go fast.: The ears went back up.

“So, when is this party and what should I wear?”

Even with the helmet on, Tala could tell Din wore the same expression as a womp rat caught in the headlights of a speeder. “Um, I didn’t ask about a dress code,” he stammered. 

Tala ran her eyes up and down his armor. “Obviously it doesn’t apply to you,” she said. “I know what you’ll be wearing. But I need to know if I have to buy a new dress.”

Din’s hand clenched and unclenched. “I — I don’t know,” he said, miserably.

Tala laid her hand on his arm. “It’s okay,” she said. “I’ll wear my green dress. It’s nice enough to pass for formal wear but not too fancy, in case the vibe is more informal. Besides, no one will be looking at me if you’re next to me in that shiny armor.” She smiled at him and she felt him relax a bit, the tension in his muscles uncoiling beneath her hand. 

“Thank you,” he said quietly. “I’m not good at all this.”

“You’re doing fine,” she assured him. 

“Ya,” said Grogu. :Dad says he doesn’t like people but he does:

:I understand. People are tricky sometimes. Unless you know them and like them:

:Dad likes you. I’m not supposed to tell you.:

:I like him, too.: 

There was something about Din that appealed to her. She hadn’t felt this way about anyone since Rix, and she wasn’t sure if she was ready to go down that road again, but dank farrik, she liked him. Even if they were destined to just remain friends, she was going to see it through. 

******************************************************

The High Magistrate’s palace was the largest building in town. Tala had seen it many times but had never set foot inside. As she walked beside Din, Grogu informed her of everything they passed along the way, gesturing from his carry bag. :That’s the school. I had cookies there! Greef lives in the big place. He has a spinny chair. And snacks on the desk. Once, the little guys were trying to fix IG-11 and his head wasn’t working and they made it so I could drive him and I could say YES and NO in a big voice.:

“Grogu has a lot of good memories in this town,” she said. Din’s step slowed a bit. 

“I’m glad of that,” he said. “I hope they outweigh the bad ones.”

Grogu’s ears drooped. :I don’t like to think about the Bad Men. There was a fire. And Dad got hurt. But IG made him better. Before he blew up.:

“We’ll make some more good memories tonight,” Tala said. “You’ll have to tell us all about what you and IG-11 get up to, and we’ll tell you about all the people at the party.”

Grogu’s ears rose a bit. :And save me some snacks?:

“Definitely save you some snacks,” Tala laughed, patting her bag. It was a slim crossbody but surprisingly capacious. Perhaps not exactly appropriate for a cocktail party, but she had promised Grogu she would get him some samples of the food, once he’d realized he was not going to have access to all the snacks at the party.

They arrived at the doors and were greeted by a protocol droid. “Welcome, Master Djarin,” it said. “IG-11 is waiting in the guard room to take charge of Master Grogu. And then you and your guest can proceed upstairs to the ballroom.”

“Thank you,” Din said. He turned down a narrow hallway and tapped the lock pad of the first door on the right. It slid open to reveal Marshall IG-11, a repurposed assassin droid who Tala had seen patrolling the town many times, but had never met.

“Good evening,” IG said. Grogu scrambled out of his bag and jumped into IG’s hands. “You seem to have grown a bit, Grogu. I detect slightly more weight.”

“That’s because he eats like a bantha,” Din said. He handed IG a pouch. “Here are some snacks in case he decides he’s starving, but he’s had his dinner already, so he should be fine.” He tilted his head at Grogu. “Listen to IG and behave yourself. Tala and I will be back down in a couple of hours.”

“Ya,” Grogu nodded. 

“Enjoy your evening,” IG said. “Grogu is in good hands.”

“Bye!” Grogu said, waving his hand.

Tala and Din looked at each other. 

“Did he …?” 

“Yeah.”

*********************************************

The ballroom was brightly lit and Din adjusted the filter on his helmet. Poor Tala could only squint as her eyes adjusted to the glare. 

“Mando!” Greef came sweeping across the room, his red robes trailing majestically behind him, arms wide. “And this must be Tala.” He took Tala’s hand and bowed over it, kissing the back lightly. “I’ve heard so much about you. You look lovely, my dear.”

It was true. When she’d opened her door, Din had been at a loss for words. Her green dress was simple but elegant, and fitted her very, very well. He’d had some thoughts that were not exactly appropriate to have about a friend. And her hair … she usually kept it braided or tied back, but tonight it fell in loose waves around her face. 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, High Magistrate.”

“Please, call me Greef. Any friend of Mando’s is a friend of mine.”

Din knew he should say something, but his mouth wouldn’t work. Tala was so pretty, and Greef was so charming … what could he add to the conversation? Nothing. 

Tala smiled at Greef. “It’s good to have friends in high places.”

“Oh, Mando only moves in the highest circles,” Greef said. “New Republic officers, queen of Mandalore … me.”

“Lady Bo-Katan isn’t our queen,” Din blurted out. “She’s the leader of our people, but …” Greef gave a little shake of his head and a look that clearly said Shut Up, Mando.

“I’m sorry, we’re not here to talk about Mandalore. We’re here to support Greef and the future of Nevarro.”

“Well said, my friend,” Greef said, clapping him on the back. Din hated when people did that, but he’d learned to tolerate it from Greef, who was as demonstrative as Din was reserved. “And on that note, I should continue to mingle. Please, enjoy yourselves!”

“He seems nice,” Tala said after Greef had moved on. “A bit over the top, but I suppose you have to be if you’re in politics.” She tucked her arm in the crook of his elbow. “Well, shall we make the rounds?” 

All Din could do was nod.

**********************************************************

Tala could feel the smile plastered on her face starting to crack. The party was one of those smile-and-nod affairs, where she didn’t know anyone but needed to look happy to be there. She was the ornament dangling off the arm of the person who needed to be there, a position she was familiar with after all those faculty soirées she’d gone to with Rix. Only this time, she didn’t feel superfluous. Din needed her, to help him over the awkward moments when someone said it was rude of him not to remove his helmet; when a pompous Drosi man wondered aloud why the High Magistrate’s bodyguard was allowed to act like a guest; when a dubious comment about Mandalore made Din involuntarily reach for his blaster.

“I hate this,” he muttered when Tala steered him toward the edge of the ballroom. 

“I know,” she said. “But it’s for Greef, and Nevarro. Just keep telling yourself that.”

“They’re rude,” Din said. “Three different men have leered at you, that one woman said your dress was ‘quaint’ and every single one of them has been laughing at Greef behind his back.”

“I’m sure Greef knows it,” she said. “He’s played this game before.”

“So have you,” Din said. “I’m impressed.”

“I used to have to go to things like this a lot,” she said. “Remember I told you I knew a linguist? He was a student at the university on my planet. He wanted to work there after he completed his degrees, so he went to a lot of parties and mixers. Boring as hell, but he needed to do it, and I learned how to make small talk and look pretty and inoffensive so he could shine.”

“You deserved better than that,” Din said. 

Tala shrugged. “I didn’t mind. Rix knew it was all a load of bantha crap, and we made fun of everyone on our way home. It was a part we both had to play. He was the brilliant young scholar, I was the pretty young thing who was awed by the intellectuals around me … he knew I was just as smart as any of them.” She smiled a little. Rix had been a good guy. He hadn’t deserved what he’d gotten.

Din laid his hand on her arm. “You miss him,” he said softly.

“I miss a lot of people.” She shook her head to rid it of the past. “Like Grogu. Do you think we’ve been here long enough?”

“Definitely,” Din said. He scanned the room. “It looks like Greef is unoccupied at the moment. Let’s say our goodbyes.”

********************************************

I am never attending one of these again, Din thought as they left the ballroom. It had been nice at first, to have Tala on his arm, a comforting presence by his side. After the first few conversations, though, he wanted to scream. Mandalorians were so much more straightforward. If you disagreed with someone, you told them. You argued, you fought, and then it was over. Or not. But it wasn’t disguised behind fake smiles and backhanded compliments. There were no whispers and judgmental looks. Of course, there was always the risk of bloodshed, but physical wounds healed a lot faster than emotional ones, Din had learned.

“That was fun,” Tala said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

“No, it wasn’t,” Din. “I’m sorry I asked you to go. You could have had a much more pleasant evening at home with Neeli.”

“I’m not sorry. It was good to spend some time with you in another setting. I’m very fond of Grogu, but grown-up time is nice.” She leaned into him a little more than was necessary. 

“Yes, grown-up time is nice.” He wracked his brain for something clever to say, but her proximity was distracting. “We should do this more often. I mean, not this exactly but … grown-up time.”

“I’d like that,” Tala said. “I’d like to get to know you better, Din. Not just as Grogu’s dad.” He was starting to wonder how strong the punch had been. Tala had only had one cup but she was …

“You’re supposed to flirt back, you know,” she said with a little laugh. “Stars, I know I’m rusty at this, but you’re in need of a full oil bath.”

“I’m not good at droid jokes,” Din replied. “Or flirting. It’s … not in my programming.”

Tala laughed for real. “And you said you weren’t good at droid jokes.” She cocked her head to the side and smiled up at him. “I’ll bet you’re good at flirting, too, if you give yourself the chance.”

“I’ll need to practice. A lot.”

“Fortunately, I’m patient.”

They had reached the guard room and the conversation ended when Grogu tumbled out of the door. “Da! Ta!”

“Hey, kiddo, did you have fun?” Din scooped him up in his arms.

“Ya!” 

“He consumed all the snacks and we played X-Wing Fighter until he regurgitated the snacks,” IG-11 said. 

“Then it’s a good thing I swiped some goodies from the party,” Tala said, patting her bag. “You and your dad can share them when you get home. I felt guilty eating in front of him, but I had to taste test everything.” She winked at Grogu, who giggled. Din smiled. It felt good when people were kind to Grogu. And it felt even better when Grogu responded to their kindness. There had been a time when the child was reserved and hesitant; it made Din’s heart swell with pride to see how far Grogu had come in the time they’d been together.

“Sorry about the mess,” Din said to IG-11. “I should have warned you he can get motion sick if he’s eaten too much.”

“I will be better prepared next time,” the droid said. “At the very least, I will put down a tarp.” His head swiveled toward a damp patch of floor that had been recently mopped. 

Grogu hiccuped, then yawned.

“Let’s get you home to bed, kiddo,” Din said. 

****************************************

Grogu was dozing off by the time they reached Tala’s place. “I’d ask you in but …”

Din nodded. “It’s past his bedtime,” he said softly. “Thank you again for coming with me. Next time we’ll do something more enjoyable.”

Tala leaned against the wall. “Tonight was enjoyable,” she said. “Because I was with you.” She slipped the bag off her shoulder. “Here. You can bring the bag back later. Enjoy the food. Have a little party of your own with Grogu.”

As Din reached out for the bag with his free hand, she couldn’t resist letting her fingers linger on his. Even through the leather gloves, she could feel his warmth and strength. Slow down, Tala. He’s going to take a lot longer to get there than you are. Don’t push him.

“Th-thank you,” Din said. “For everything. And we’ll see you on Benduday.”

“Good night, Din. Good night, Grogu.” She touched the child lightly on the head and he snuggled a bit closer to Din. 

“Good night,” Din said. There was a hint of wistfulness in his voice. He’s lonely, she realized. He had Grogu but otherwise, he was alone, the only Mandlalorian on the planet, trapped behind the walls of his armor and his Creed. Whoa, that punch must have been strong. Or maybe her abilities were growing stronger from being around Grogu. Some folks in her home valley were empaths as well as telepaths, able to sense the emotions of others, even if they weren’t Force-sensitive. 

She laid her hand on Din’s arm before he turned away. “You don’t have to wait until Benduday to stop by,” she said. “You’re both welcome any time.”

Din covered her hand briefly with his. “I know,” he said. 

Tala watched him walk away, her bag swinging from his shoulder and Grogu nestled in the crook of his arm. Then she took a deep breath and went inside, where Neeli demanded a treat and some pets. “Am I making a mistake?” The tooka purred and flicked an ear in her direction. “I don’t want to get hurt again. But I sense something in him. He’s worth it, don’t you think?”

Neeli slowly blinked her golden eyes. “I’ll take that as a yes,” Tala said.

[animebw]

Re-Watching: Kimi ni Todoke Season 2

In which my opinion has flipped so completely on its head that I'm un-retiring for a single post to talk about it.

Return of the King

It's been almost two years since I've made a post like this.

For those of you who've only joined me after my semi-retirement on the tail end of 2021, The Anime Binge-Watcher used to be one of the most extensive anime analysis projects I've ever seen in Western fandom. I would consume anime at ridiculous rates and blog my thoughts in chunks of 3 or 4 episodes, piecing together all my observations and opinions in nice structured paragraphs like the ones you're reading now. In my glory days, I could get through two, three, even four posts a day. Heck, when I first watched Kimi ni Todoke five years ago, I tore through all twelve episodes of season 2 in a single day, writing no less than five separate analyses of my developing thoughts along the way. My long-term readers can attest to what a wild and wonderful journey it was, and even though I've since transitioned into a much looser and low-key blogging style, I still miss those days when I could spill countless words about the countless stories I consumed.

But of course, life moves on, and there was only so long I could dedicate that much of my free time to a hobby when real life was knocking at the door. I started this project as a college freshman with way too much free time on his hands; I'm an actual adult now, overseas job and everything. Not to mention all the other hobbies and creative pursuits taking up my attention. I just don't have enough time anymore to spend on truly in-depth analytical writing like I used to. And that's okay; the three-and-a-half years I dedicated to The Anime Binge-Watcher in its true form were more than enough to say everything I needed to about this medium and my relationship to it. This project is as complete as it could ever meaningfully be. So while I certainly miss those days, I'm more than happy to let this be my casual anime watching blog from now on.

But I'm making an exception today.

Because re-watching the second season of Kimi ni Todoke has so thoroughly upended my opinion on it that I have no choice but break my thoughts down just as extensively and in-depth as I used to do on a regular basis to explain why.

God, it's so fucking good to be back.

Sympathy for the Devil

So, since it's been... god, it really has been half a decade at this point, huh? Since it's been five years since I first watched and blogged about Kimi ni Todoke, here's a quick rundown of my thoughts for the countless among you who weren't around for it: I fucking love this show so much. Not only is it one of the most achingly sweet shoujo rom-coms out there, but the protagonist Sawako Kuronoma so perfectly captures my experience of teenage awkwardness and uncertainty that I swear the author was taking notes from my life. It's a story about growing up on the spectrum, whether it realizes it or not, about the difficulty of communication when you can't grasp the norms everyone else takes for granted. But it's also about how those seeming walls between you and everyone else barely exist at all, and as long as you have the courage to reach out, you'll forge connections wherever you go. It's a feel-good masterpiece the likes of which we so rarely see, and I recommend it to anyone with even a passing interest in anime.

And when I first watched the second season all those years ago, I absolutely hated it.

Okay, to be clear, what I hated was the first half of season 2. I hated the miscommunications, I hated the contrived misunderstandings, I hated how the very fabric of the show seemed to be conspiring to force Kazehaya and Sawako apart. By the time we reached the point where they both confess to each other and yet somehow think the other only means "I like you" as a friend, I wanted to rip my hair out of my skull. Mercifully, the second half won me back by finally letting them get together as a couple and indulge in adorable puppy love awkwardness so mind-numbingly sweet I needed an industrial warehouse full of epi pens to make it through unscathed. And I'm not exaggerating, god the final stretch here is some of the cutest shit I've ever seen. But it was really rough going to reach that point through what felt like the absolute nadir of forced misunderstanding plotlines. Nothing but contrivance after contrivance piled on top of each other to force the couple apart long past the point they should have gotten together for the sake of dragging out the will-they-won't-they as long as it could possibly be milked.

And yet, as I got to re-watching this show in preparation for its shockingly announced third season (my excitement is through the goddamn room), dreading the moment I reached season 2 and would have to suffer through this bullshit again, something truly remarkable happened when I finally reached this point: I didn't hate it.

And then something even more remarkable happened: I started to like it.

And then something truly impossible happened: by the time it was over, I couldn't imagine this show without this arc anymore.

Readers, I have never turned around on a show like this. I've had shows I disliked but softened on as time went by, sure, shows I liked but came to love more and more as they lingered in my mind. But this is the first time I've returned to a story arc I actually hated only to end up loving it by the end. And that's the reason I'm returning to my old in-depth analysis blogging to talk about it. Because there's no way to discuss the 180 I've done on Kimi ni Todoke season 2 without breaking it down in as much detail as humanly possible. I don't just want to write a couple paragraphs and be done with it: I want to memorialize this moment. I want to really, truly express why I came around on this arc and why I think it's so meaningful now. Because there's a real conversation to be had here about the the power of storytelling in general and the power of this story in particular. And for a show that's meant so much to me for so long, I can't think of any other way to do it justice.

So let's dive in. Because good god there's a lot to talk about.

Right on Time

So the first question I want to ask right off the bat is: was I wrong to hate this arc the first time around?

Well, I'm not gonna tell you it's free of contrivance. Kazehaya and Sawako's building misunderstanding requires so many different people to misinterpret so many different things in so many carefully staged situations. Not just the lovebirds themselves, but Kent's ill-informed meddling, Kurumi's intentional sabotage, and especially Chizuru's completely oblivious worsening of Kazehaya's insecurities at a critical moment. And that dual-misinterpreted confession scene is still some buuuuuuuuullshiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit. There's a reason this arc gets so much shit from me and others; you can practically taste the hand of the author as it shoves all the pieces around to keep this misunderstanding growing well past the point someone should have realized things were getting out of control and stepped in to clear the air. And when you're as anxious as me for these two dorks to just ask each other out already, it's hard to see this as anything but cheap, forced drama from an author desperately trying to stave off the inevitable.

But here's the thing: what if there's an actual point being made here?

See, this arc is such a frustrating experience your first time through that it kind of shuts down any attempts to analyze it on a deeper level. You're so pissed off at being denied the confession that's dangling right in front of your face that you write off the whole thing as nothing but empty delay tactics. And yet, Kazehaya and Sawako get together literally right after this. If this was just a case of dragging out the will-they-won't-they, this misunderstanding would have lasted much longer and done much more damage. But no! They confess properly, they clear everything up, and they're officially going out mere episodes after you're left fuming at their double misinterpretation of each other's "I like you." So while it feels like nothing more than cheap delay tactics in the moment, a full view of the story's trajectory rejects that theory pretty firmly.

And that's the big thing that changed in this re-watch: I already knew this wasn't going to last. This wasn't going to force them apart forever, it was going to get fixed, I didn't have to worry about this relationship I loved so much getting screwed over by coincidence. And without that worry of endless delays, I was able to do what I couldn't my first time through: actually think about what this arc was trying to say. What was the point being made by this part of the story? What was it trying to communicate about Sawako and Kazeyaha's relationship by putting them through the wringer? Was there, in fact, a reason things needed to play out this way?

And believe it or not, the answer turned out to be yes.

End of the Fairy Tale

Sawako and Kazehaya's relationship starts like something out of a fairy tale. Sawako, the lonely rejected girl who can't connect with people and scares off everyone she tries to get close to. Kazehaya, the ever-cheerful prince who sees her plight and reaches out a hand to pull her into the light. And with his endless support and supportive charm, she's able to find her place in the world with friends who love her and a handsome admirer who will always stand by her side. It's every lonely girl's romantic fantasy brought to life in dazzling colors, fully earned by how human the characters feel and how well-realized their growth is. Small wonder we all got so swept up in it we fully bought into the fantasy ourselves.

But people aren't princes and princesses. We're not perfect fairy tale archetypes. We're people; flawed, imperfect people who make mistakes and don't always see things clearly. And as impatient as I was for Kazehaya and Sawako to just get together already, what re-watching season 2 made me realize is that as of season 1, they were not yet in a place where getting together would be a good idea. Season 2 isn't delaying for the sake of delaying, it's holding up a spotlight to these lovebirds' biggest flaws and pointing out that if they don't find a way to overcome these weaknesses, any relationship they start is doomed to failure. It's pulling the curtain down on the fairy tale and forcing you to realize that this sparkly, shiny portrait of two young lovers actually has some deeply unhealthy undercurrents that would shatter their attempts at a happy life together if left untreated. And all the drama and misunderstandings that spring up as a result of those undercurrents are what force Kazehaya and Sawako to truly confront those issues head-on, move past them, and grow into stronger, more self-assured people who can actually be with each other without messing it all up.

Girl in the Gutter

To start with Sawako, because she's much simpler to understand, her problem is the same problem she's had from the start: a complete lack of confidence in herself. As much progress as she's made, she still sees herself as inferior to the people she loves, someone who has to earn their affection by proving she's worthy of it. A life lived isolated from her peers has left her incapable of seeing herself as part of them; they're all so much smarter and kinder and braver than her. How can she consider herself their equal when they're clearly not? And because of that inferiority complex, she's completely incapable of considering the fact that other people might care about her just as passionately as she cares about them. Not just Kazehaya, but Yano and Yoshida as well. She can't picture a world where the people she loves return that love with no caveats or expectations; how can she, when he doesn't consider herself on equal footing with them?

And in Yoshida's beautiful rant to Sawako in episode 6, we see just how painful it is to be on the opposite end of that self-loathing. Sawako isn't just hurting herself by putting herself down, she's hurting everyone who loves her by implying their love is, in some way, untrue. Imagine how it must feel to care so deeply for someone, to devote so much of yourself to them because they mean the world to you, only for them to assume you can't possibly care that much because they don't deserve it. It's legitimately gut-wrenching. And if Sawako had tried to start a relationship with Kazehaya still under that impression, it would've been a disaster. She would've spent the whole time thinking he was just doing her a favor, being nice and helpful like always, hating herself for forcing him to become someone he didn't want to be just for her sake. And Kazehaya would've spent the whole time hurt and frustrated that she would think so little of the feelings he's cultivated for so long. They would've lasted a couple months at most, and it's a genuine question whether they'd even be able to talk to each other anymore when it was over.

In short, Sawako could never be in a healthy relationship with Kazehaya, or anyone, really, until she finally got it through her thick skull that she is exactly as worthy of love as the people around her. Only after Yoshida's rant does she finally realize how much she's been putting everyone else on a pedestal, that the only one who considers her lesser is, well, herself. Kazehaya is no god, Yano and Yoshida are no angels; they're people exactly the same as her, flaws and fears and wants and all. And there is nothing Sawako can give them that she doesn't deserve back from them in return. Then, at last, she's able to truly accept that Kazehaya might love her just as she loves him- and more importantly, accept that it's okay for someone like her to be a part of his life. Because this glittering boy who seemed to stand so far above her was, in the end, just as normal as her. And if someone as wonderful as him was just an ordinary person like any other... than maybe she could be just as wonderful.

Boy on a Pedestal

And speaking of Kazehaya, something else this re-watch made clear was that I did not understand his character the first time around. I remember being so annoyed my first time through by how much he started waffling on his feelings in season 2 when he seemed to clear-eyed before. You're a sparkly shoujo pretty boy, what business do you have getting all angsty out of nowhere? But going through it again, no, Kazehaya was fully justified in his concerns. His seemingly effortless cheer is just as much a social mask as Kurumi's pretty popular girl shtick; he just does a much better job of turning it on naturally. But underneath that cheery exterior lies a boy who's riddled with sharp edges. He's impulsive, he's quick to anger, he gets jealous easily, and he's got a genuine possessive streak that flares up basically whenever he thinks there's even a chance Sawako might be in the sights of another guy. The boy is as sweet as they come, but there's a real darkness to him that I didn't really pick up on my first time through because that sweetness was so incredibly blinding.

So when they move into their second year classes and Sawako starts forging new connections well outside her comfort zone? Kazehaya feels that darkness gnawing at him stronger than ever, and it scares him. It scares him to think he might lash out and hurt Sawako with the force of his feelings for her. More than that, though, he's scared of the thought that her lack of feelings for him (by his own thoughts) will only make that possibility an eventuality in time. She's making so many friends and finding so many connections beyond him, and as much as he wants to be proud of her, he also feels like he's losing something precious, something that used to be just between him and her. Something that Kent touches on early in the season is that Kazehaya can't leave people alone when he thinks they're in trouble; he swoops in and lends a helping hand because it's the right thing to do. But there's a world of difference between helping someone in trouble and building a life with them. And the more Sawako finds connections outside of him, the more jealous and uncomfortable he becomes... which only makes him all the more concerned that his gestures of kindness were little more than an attempt to bind her to him like a baby chick to its mother.

The fact of the matter is, Kazehaya and Sawako's relationship as of the start of season 2 is incredibly unbalanced. He's essentially been something like a teacher throughout her first awkward high school year as she began to develop her sense of self, and he's been a wonderful guiding light. But because of that, she puts incredible amounts of trust in him... trust that would be painfully easy for a less well-intentioned person to abuse. Sawako thinks so little of herself, and so highly of Kazehaya, that he could probably ask her to do anything and she would do it, no matter what it would mean for her. And because Kazehaya is so aware of his own demons, he's also aware of how easy it would be for his jealousy to spike out of control and hurt her. He's torn between wanting to hold her fast and never let go and wanting her to leave him behind. Wouldn't it be better for her to stop being so dependent on him, to find happiness in a broader community of people? Wouldn't she be happier- safer- if she could carry her happiness as far away from him as possible?

Golden Goose

Of course, the problem with Kazehaya's perspective is that he's making exactly the same false assumption as Sawako; thinking there's no way they'll be able to see eye to eye because he puts her on too high a pedestal. He's so consumed with thoughts of how much he could hurt her that he's incapable of seeing how much good he brings to her life. There's a great moment where Pin calls him out for this kind of selfish thinking; for all his claims of wanting to do the best for her, his own feelings are the only things he's really taking into account. He's so obsessed with his own way of seeing things that he never stopped to consider what Sawako thought of their relationship, never considered that someone as honest and straightforward as her might also have feelings she was too scared to talk about. So while Sawako needed to realize she was just as worthy of love as everyone else, Kazehaya needed to come to terms with the fact that everyone else is just as flawed as him in their own ways. Everyone else has doubts, hidden desires, questions on how to move forward with no easy answers. But just because you can't be sure of everything is no excuse not to try.

On that subject, something else I really came to appreciate on this re-watch is how Kent serves as a foil for Kazehaya. He's essentially the person Kazehaya is afraid of becoming: someone who does good deeds and helps people not out of a genuine love for the people he cares about, but as an ego-boost to fuel his sense of self-importance. Yes, maybe Kent has good intentions, and he certainly did some good for Sawako helping her settle into her new class, but when push came to shove, his sense of self-righteousness won out over his desire to do the right thing, and thanks to his own misinterpretation of Kazehaya's feelings, he meddled in ways that almost drove Sawako and Kazehaya apart for good. He was so convinced his perspective on what was happening was correct that he never stopped to wonder if he was doing more harm than good until he'd almost ruined everything forever. And Kazehaya is so terrified of becoming that kind of person- or the thought that maybe he already is- that he pulls farther and farther away from her rather than try and fix things upright. It's only when he finds the courage to be as honest and straightforward as Sawako, doubts be damned, that he's able to meet her on equal footing, see her clearly for the first time, and embrace the love he was so scared of losing with all his heart.

Hearts Wide Open

And it's that incredible catharsis that officially turned me around on season 2. Seeing that incredible confession scene and all the sugar-bomb adorableness afterwards not as an apology for a season wasted on delay tactics, but the culmination of a genuinely beautiful coming-of-age for both of them, made me realize just how damn important this arc I thought I hated was. Kimi ni Todoke needed to let its characters face their flaws like this. It needed to confront their worst aspects to they could grow beyond them. It's only now that they're truly self-assured people, confident in themselves and each other, that their relationship is able to be so unspeakably, unfathomably delightful. And while there's definitely more than a little narrative railroading to force them into that situation, the payoff is so spectacular than I genuinely don't mind anymore.

So I guess, if you, like me, found yourself groaning throughout Kimi ni Todoke season 2 the first time you watched it, rolling your eyes at the contrivances, yelling at the screen as they kept misunderstanding each other and hating the writers for putting you through such bullshit... give it another look. See it for what it is. I can't promise it'll win you over as fully as it did me, but with the benefit of hindsight, you may just find yourself a new light in what you thought was the darkest corner of the sun.

And with all that said, I'm bumping my season 2 score up from 6.5/10 to:

9/10

God, I'm so fucking happy I decided to rewatch this show. To my old fans, I hope you enjoyed this nostalgic return to form. To my new fans, I hope this was a fun change of pace! If you want to see more writing I've done like this, I've got an enormous backlog of shows I've analyzed like this, so feel free to check them out! And now, let's all wait with fingers crossed that season 3 is just as wonderful as what's come before...

[elizmanderson]

"a kiss to anger a third party," perhaps from this post? elizmanderson. tumblr. com /711617943947067392

okay so fun fact, I am actually an idiot who read right over “another kissing prompt” on the post this kissing prompt came from and rb it just intending to like save the list of different kisses for later

but then I was too embarrassed to admit that in response to this ask WITHOUT writing something so long story short instead of researching lighthouses today like I was supposed to, I wrote a 1,700-word short story about fake girlfriends who kiss in the hallway outside grandma’s sewing room to piss off some shitty relatives

so. yeah. uh. enjoy I guess.

A KISS TO ANGER A THIRD PARTY STORY THAT I DIDN’T MEAN TO WRITE BUT HERE WE ARE

Fake dating has been going shockingly well, considering you’re terrible at real dating and also at lying, and somehow faking dating is both. Then again, family get-togethers are always awkward as fuck. Your cousin and his wife always share a chilly silence; your uncle has a casually off-color comment for every occasion; your mother judges everyone like doing so is an Olympic sport; and your grandparents desperately try and fail to keep the peace. So no one notices that you and Maeve stand across the room from each other instead of holding hands and melting into each other’s bodies the way two lovey-dovey newlydatings should allegedly do.

Rather, if anyone notices, they figure it’s normal. That’s how relationships are in your family, grandparents aside, and everyone has long since written them off as sweet old weirdos. The only reason you don’t think the lingering gazes you share with Maeve are more action than your relatives have ever had is the existence of multiple generations of biological children.

You share a gaze now. Not because you’re actually into Maeve, although you’re not not into Maeve; you picked an attractive fake girlfriend. Tall, with an undercut and dark eyes and a crooked nose and muscley arms that sometimes you think would be really great for picking you up and throwing you onto a bed, before you remember this is fake and please brain do not.

The corner of Maeve’s mouth turns up. You look away, biting back a smile.

You would like to stand here not-smiling at Maeve all night—or at least until the end of the torturous family cookout, which hasn’t even technically started yet because your uncle decided to “help” Grandpa with the grill and ended up setting all the food on fire instead, and the second attempt at dinner just went on the grill three minutes ago—but you seriously have to pee. In lieu of food, you’ve downed three cans of Coke from the drinks fridge in the garage. You cross the kitchen, accidentally-on-purpose brush against Maeve as you exit, and head down the hall to the half bath.

When you come out, you hear voices. Snatches of words. Your mother and cousin-in-law, sitting in your grandma’s sewing room. They’re supposed to be organizing it for her, but instead they’re sitting on bolts of fabric, gossiping.

“...tried to tell me they’d found someone, but they look absolutely miserable with that girl they brought,” your mother says. With a jolt, you realize she’s talking about you. “Maybe they’ll sit together at dinner, but with how far apart they’ve been standing since they arrived, I doubt it. And that girl has been scowling at everyone.”

“She’s worse than Luc,” your cousin-in-law says smugly. “And god knows he has the worst resting bitch face I ever saw. Sometimes I don’t know why I fell in love with him. No offense.”

“None taken. He’s not my kid.”

You don’t even like Luc, but your fingers curl into fists. As usual, you wonder what the fuck you did in a past life to be born into a family of people who spend all their time hating each other.

“Anyway” —your cousin-in-law examines her nails, fresh from a day at the salon, where she surely treats the staff hellishly— “I don’t think it’ll last. They’ve hardly spoken two words to each other all afternoon.”

Your fists tighten. She’s one to talk. She and Luc have hardly spoken to each other since the day of their wedding; on the rare occasion you do hear them speak, they’re picking fights. She gushes about her perfect marriage to anyone who will listen when her husband isn’t around, but their marriage—your uncle’s marriage, your parents’ marriage, every marriage around you except your grandparents’—is exactly the reason you’ve been so reluctant to date. The reason you asked Maeve to fake being your girlfriend, so your relatives would stop offering to set you up with someone. They all make each other fucking miserable.

And they think you and Maeve won’t last?

Okay yeah sure fine, you and Maeve aren’t a thing in the first place. Not really. You’re neighbors, and coworkers, and maybe friends now.

But since Maeve agreed to fake-date you, you’ve shared more with her about yourself than you have with...anyone, maybe. Definitely more than you’ve shared with anyone in your family. Definitely more than they share with their respective spouses, or each other.

Silly things, mostly. You like it when the front door of a house is painted bright, aqua or magenta or chartreuse. Your favorite flowers are all the yellow ones, like dandelions or forsythia, even though otherwise you’re not that fond of yellow. You always like the sad songs and love ballads more than the fun, fast-paced songs that steal the show. Things that don’t matter, except that they do, because now Maeve points out all the brightly colored doors when you walk back to your apartment building together after a shift.

Your mother and cousin-in-law are still talking. The conversation has moved on now—apparently your uncle has cheated on his wife, again—but you’re angry. Your skin prickles. Your nails bite your palms. You could nudge the door open and confront them, but confrontation has never been your forte.

Instead, you tiptoe to the kitchen and touch Maeve’s back.

She half turns, an eyebrow quirked. “You okay?”

“Yeah. I just. I need you to come with me.”

“Why?” Maeve asks, but she’s already following you back down the hall.

“Because my relatives suck and I need you to kiss me.”

You stop far enough from the sewing room that your mother and cousin-in-law probably won’t hear you. You turn toward Maeve, leaning against the wall with your arms crossed. It hasn’t occurred to you that the words I need you to kiss me actually just crossed your lips. Maeve’s dark eyes flicker over you, but she mirrors your posture and waits.

“They’re all in shitty marriages,” you say in a low voice, “except my mom, because she’s in a shitty divorce that was so shitty it was almost as bad as the marriage, except that it was over faster. But because we’re not attached at the hip or making googly eyes at each other, they think my relationship with my new girlfriend is a dead-end that’s going to end before it’s begun.”

Maeve snorts. “Fuck them. I may not make googly eyes at my fake girlfriend, but they’re nuts if they think I wouldn’t go to the ends of the earth and back for my fake girlfriend. Or, like, bring home takeout every night after work, or always do the laundry because they hate doing laundry, or whatever.”

That gets you for a second, because okay yeah sure fine it’s all fake, but Maeve still just kind of said she’d go to the ends of the earth for you. And bring you takeout. And always do laundry, which honestly might as well be a marriage proposal, because someone doing the laundry so you don’t have to is well and truly your love language.

“So.” Maeve’s eyes rove over your face. “Not that I object to kissing you, but how exactly is kissing going to help this situation?”

Right. You asked her to kiss you. Or more accurately stated slightly desperately and angrily that you need her to kiss you. You tense, trying to sound cool and nonchalant when you’re now thinking about kissing Maeve.

“When my mom and cousin-in-law come out of that room,” you say, nodding back toward the sewing room, “I want them to see us kissing. Like, really kissing. You know.”

The corner of Maeve’s mouth lifts again. “Really kissing. Gotcha.”

You flush. “Yeah. That. I just. I want...” You want some really great kissing. Focus. “I want them to see that we’re actually fucking into each other and super affectionate with each other even if we don’t feel like turning it into a performance so everyone else will believe we’re in love.”

Maeve tilts her head. “Even though it’ll literally be a performance so everyone will believe we’re in love?”

Your flush deepens. “Yeah.”

Maeve shifts closer, her eyes flickering over you. God, her eyes. Dark and intense and always just a little bit sad.

“I think I can sell being fucking into you,” she says quietly.

Shit, you think vaguely, poor choice of words on your part, because fucking and you are the only things you can think now that Maeve has repeated them back to you. But the thought slips away, because now Maeve is an inch away, her tall body curving over you, and her hands are cupping your face and oh my god she is actually really for real going to kiss you.

Her lips brush over yours, soft and sweet. Your breath hitches.

The door opens down the hall. As your relatives step out of the sewing room, Maeve crushes your lips under hers. Her hands slip into your hair, your arms wind around her neck, you pull her down, closer, closer, and now you’re kissing her back, your fingers playing in her hair just because they can, your eyes closed, your skin glorying in the warmth of her breath, the press of her body against yours.

Behind you, Luc’s shitty wife makes a sound of disgust and says, “Oh my god, get a room!” Your mother hisses, “Do you want to give your grandmother a heart attack? Right outside her sewing room!”

But (a) your grandma is safely outside by the grill, far away from the sudden make-out session, and (b) your grandma, if she saw you kissing a pretty girl, would almost certainly say something along the lines of “isn’t that sweet!” or “good for them!” And frankly you don’t remember why it was important to kiss Maeve where your mother and cousin-in-law would see it. Or whether there was a point to kissing Maeve at all, unless kissing Maeve was the point.

Your brain is preoccupied with Maeve’s lips on yours, her hands cradling your head, your body crushed beneath hers. But as your relatives slink past and disappear, as the sliding door in the kitchen opens and slams, as Maeve goes on kissing you like her life depends on it, as you fail to say something along the lines of okay we can stop now—as you fail to say, in fact, anything at all—you think, distantly: maybe this dating is less fake than I thought.

[dilawarmughal980]

Matt Rife Relationships:Surprising Journey to Jessica Lord

Have you ever wondered about the ups and downs of Matt Rife Relationships? Buckle up because we're diving deep into the comedian's relationship rollercoaster, from his early crushes to his current flame, Jessica Lord. Get ready for some juicy details, heartwarming moments, and maybe even a few surprises!

Matt Rife's Early Love Life: The Awkward Years

Let's kick things off with a trip down memory lane. Like many of us, Matt's first forays into romance were, well, let's say, interesting. Growing up in Ohio, young Matt was your typical class clown, using humor to mask his insecurities and catch the attention of his crushes. But did you know he once asked a girl out by leaving a note in her locker... only to realize he'd put it in the wrong one? Talk about a comedy of errors!

The Kate Beckinsale Chapter

We can only talk about Matt's love life by mentioning his high-profile relationship with Kate Beckinsale. In 2017, a then 21-year-old Matt made headlines when he started dating the stunning actress, who was 43 then. The age gap raised some eyebrows, but these two hit it off like a house on fire.

Their whirlwind romance lasted about a year, and while it ultimately didn't work out, it certainly put Matt on the map in terms of celebrity relationships. He's always spoken fondly of Kate, praising her intelligence and sense of humor. It shows that sometimes, age is just a number!

Post-Beckinsale: Finding Himself

After his split from Kate, Matt took some time to focus on himself and his career. He's joked in interviews that this period was less about dating and more about "collecting material for future shows." But jokes aside, this was a crucial time for Matt to figure out what he wanted in a partner.

During this period, Matt's career started to take off. He became a regular on MTV's "Wild 'N Out" and his stand-up specials were gaining traction. As his star rose, so did the attention from potential romantic interests. But our boy Matt wasn't about to jump into anything serious without careful consideration.

Enter Jessica Lord: A Match Made in Hollywood Heaven

Now, drum roll, please... let's talk about the current leading lady in Matt's life, Jessica Lord! This Canadian actress and dancer caught Matt's eye sometime in early 2023, and folks, it looks like Cupid's arrow hit its mark this time.

Jessica, known for her roles in "Find Me in Paris" and "Zoe Valentine," seems to be the perfect match for Matt. They both have a background in entertainment, share a wicked sense of humor, and aren't afraid to be goofy together on social media. Have you seen their TikTok duets? Absolute relationship goals!

The couple made their relationship Instagram official in August 2023, and since then, they've been serving up some serious #couplegoals content. From red-carpet appearances to cozy date nights, these two aren't shy about showing their affection for each other.

FAQs About Matt Rife's Relationships

How many serious relationships have Matt Rife had?

While Matt keeps some aspects of his personal life private, we know of at least two serious relationships: Kate Beckinsale and his current girlfriend, Jessica Lord.

What's the age difference between Matt Rife and Jessica Lord?

 Matt was born in 1995, while Jessica was born in 1998, making them only about 3 years apart.

How did Matt and Jessica meet?

 The exact details of their first meeting aren't public, but it's believed they met through mutual friends in the entertainment industry.

Does Matt Rife talk about his relationships in his comedy?

Yes, Matt often incorporates his dating experiences into his stand-up routines, but he's always respectful and doesn't name names.

Conclusion About Matt Rife Relationships

From small-town Ohio to the bright lights of Hollywood, Matt Rife's journey in love and life has been nothing short of extraordinary. His dating history reads like a rom-com script – complete with an age-gap romance, rumored flings, and now, a seemingly perfect match Read More

[santiagonex]

I can’t sleep. Let’s talk about the four sacred top fives of 2022 as in top 5 gay movies, top 5 gay tv ships (or shows as whole), top 5 short gay movies and for the next one, let’s change it up a little bit and I’ll provide you with top 5 upcoming gay movies (2023) I’m looking forward to and are currently in the process of pre-production, production or post-production.

Top 5 Gay Movies of 2022

5. La Santa Piccola - very different from your usual gay movies, but the scenery is gorgerous and the story made me feel things 4. Badhaai Do - amazing queer representation in Indian Cinema, "gay guy and a lesbian woman enter into holy matrimony to appease their families”... just pure comedy and romance and the friendship is beautiful 3. Fire Island - a classic rom-com, must-see 2. In from the Side - rugby gays, affair, romance... all of that 1. Sublime - since it’s finally available on VoD, I had a chance to watch it this weekend and the soundtrack and story got me... Mi mejor amigo vibes but actually gay

Top 5 Gay Ships/TV Shows of 2022

5. Heartstopper - a classic, it was honestly hard to rate the shows because they’re all equally brilliant in my eyes 4. Heartbreak High - australian Sex Education, obsessed 3. The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself - magic, witches, gays... c’mon 2. Prisma - very important show 1. Patrick/Iván in Élite - they’re literally everything to me, if you get it you get it, if you don’t you don’t, if you know you know and if you don’t know I honestly feel bad for you like I literally cannot explain it, I don’t have the vocabulary to sit here and explain like either you get the vibe or you don’t

Top 5 Gay Shorts of 2022

5. Catalina - a queer man and his two childhood best friends reunite for a weekend camping trip on Catalina Island... could there be sumn more? 4. Too Rough - Nick wakes up next to his boyfriend Charlie and must conceal him from his own homophobic and dysfunctional family... very sad 3. Jean est tombé amoureux - two football players of opposite teams falling in love... mm very good! 2. Swim - two swimmers develop a strong friendship during their weekly sessions, but their relationship is tested outside the pool, when true identities are revealed... this one fawked me up good 1. Hard - Mikey experiences awkwardness and struggles to navigate the uncertainties of his sexuality after his first time with a girl doesn't go as expected, forcing him to confront his feelings of desire for his best friend... this was so much fun to watch

Top 5 Upcoming Gay Movies in 2023

5. The History of Sound - Paul Mescal and Josh O’Connor in a gay romance period drama? We’re looking forward to that actually! Anyways, they were supposed to film it this year, but they had busy schedules. Current plan is next year. Also Paul was hanging out with the director last month, so maybe something’s cooking. 4. Glitter & Doom - described as a summer romance musical feature told with the iconic tunes of folk duo Indigo Girls. Film follows a musician who wears charisma as camouflage and a carefree guy about to run away with the circus as they fall in love at first sight. Sounds fun. 3. Nuovo Olimpo - any Ferzan Özpetek fans? Any Manuel from Un professore fans? Well, looks like we won. Period drama set in Italy, following two men who have a chance encounter and then fall deeply in love, and then are torn apart. The film then follows them both over the next decades as they attempt to find each other again. 2. Strangers - yes, another one with Paul Mescal... yes, I’m crazy. And hi Andrew Scott. Directed by Andrew Haigh (Weekend, HBO’s Looking). Word on the street is that their characters will be romantically involved since Mescal's character corresponds to a woman who has a romance with the protagonist (Scott) in the original novel. We will be tuning in. 1. Bonus Track - film set in 2006, follows a small-town boy with dreams of being a gifted musician. When the son of an iconic musical duo enrols at his school, a powerful bond between the boys begins to grow. Based on an original story by Josh O'Connor (yes, him) and Michael Gilbert.

Anyways, that is it. There are a lot of movies that weren’t released THIS year yet, and I’m looking forward to them (Punch, Aristotle and Dante, Spoiler Alert,...). But I would be just repeating myself, so I’m not gonna talk about that.

[taro-im]

Sakusa Kiyoomi accidentally pushes you

Angst

(I wrote this a longggg time ago and was tempted to delete this but guess what I’m posting it-)

you have been dating Sakusa Kiyoomi since highschool second year and now you both are in colllege, Sakusa and you started to live together He was still a germaphobe towards you, but, he truly does love you, he puts more love into his actions for example he always preps your outfits before school, makes the bed, makes you tea in the morning, and buys you your favorite books, what could you ask more from your loving boyfriend?

It is now summer vacation you went to a hot springs with your boyfriend, your best friend and his cousin Komori, the train ride to Kyoto was long, But it was a very nice ride your boyfriend holded your hand the whole time, he hasn’t holded your hand in a long time it felt so nice, but after the train ride he stopped holding onto it, sometimes you wonder how you guys are even dating,

The group and you rented out a big suite putting your things in the room , and went to go explore Kyoto, all of you guys went to a beach to play some volley ball, it was great the view was beautiful, and the cool summer breeze was so nice, Sakusa and Komori were just tossing volleyballs at each other, and you and your bestie were swimming in the water, now the sun was about to set and all of you got on a taxi back to the suite, you were a sweating mess, Sakusa looked at you in disgust you and Sakusa both went into the same taxi while Komori and your friend went to a separate on to the suite, you and him haven’t talked alone for a few days

You leaned on his shoulder “kiyo did you have fun today?” you said with a exhausted smile, he scooted away from you “it’s fine can you get off of me?” He said trying not to sound tense “Why do I smell?” You said hurt “no… I just don’t feel so good right now” he said lying “oh ok… sorry Kiyoomi” you said embarrassed knowing he lied, the distance between you two felt so awkward, and you knew your relationship between you and him would crumble either today or next week, everyday basically was a gamble

Both you and him almost close to the Hotsprings Inn then suddenly the car had a big speed bump that made you accidentally land on Sakusas lap it took a few seconds for you to notice when you were about to get off of him then bam he pushed you… he pushed you? You bumped into the little car window area that made your shoulder slightly red, you were embarrassed face red from embarrassment and hot tears that were about to trickle “Miss and Sir sorry for the little bump” the taxi driver said “it’s ok” you said with a fake smile with a little tear coming out “y/n I-“ he said getting cut off “I’m going to rent out another room…” you said closing the car door, now you can finally cry “y/n wait please we need to talk” he said trying to grab your hand “I’m tired of you Sakusa, can you just leave me alone for right now?” You said smiling bitterly “y/n baby please I didn’t mean to” he said worried, you ignored and left to book another room

“Here’s your key and card Miss” the women at the front desk said “thank you” you said “y/n where are you going?” Your best friend said confused and worried “I’m renting out another room” you said trying to sound normal “what do you mean renting out another room? Did you get into a fight with Sakusa… what happened to your shoulder????? And your eyes are puffy” she said worried “you can say it like that I’m just not comfortable being in the same room with him” you said “I’m going with you to” she said angry “what?” You asked confused “com on i’m going to get your stuff and my stuff you can stay here” she said going into the room leaving you standing there

“May what are you doing?” Sakusa asked your friend confused “I don’t need to talk to ass holes” she muttered leaving the room and slamming the door that Komori woke up from his little nap shocked at what just happened “dammit I fucked up” Sakusa muttered under his breath eyes wide open

[nyctophilin]

Fake Affection | III

Chapter I, Chapter II, Chapter III, Chapter IV, Epilogue

Description: Han Jisung has been rejected by the girl he likes one to many times. He decides that he has had enough and is set on making her want him back. What could possibly make her want him more than seeing him with her rival after she boldly assumed he can’t find anyone better. That way Jisung and Y/N are stuck in a fake relationship until Jisung’s crush falls for him. Or he falls for someone else.

All rights reserved © nyctophilin 2020. Re-posting, copying and translating any of my works is prohibited.

Pairing: Han x fem!Reader, Hyunjin x fem!Reader

Word count: 5.1k

Genre: College!AU, Fake dating!AU, Angst, Fluff, eventual Smut

Warnings: swearing, mild groping, mild violence

Pearl note -> This got long. Yeah, things got interesting in this part. :)) Also, I realized I forgot to add something so I had to come back last minute and edit it. Yeah, sorry for the delay. :/ I hope y’all enjoy it! Feedback is very much appreciated.

      The sun was shining brightly despite it being almost 6 PM. The temperature outside reached unusually high numbers for that time of the year, and Y/N decided to take advantage of that. Dressed in a forest green spring dress that reached her mid-thighs and offered a modest view of her cleavage, she was waiting for Jisung in front of her apartment complex. The dress she was wearing had short sleeves, but she decided not to take any jackets with her thanks to the weather forecast that predicted the temperatures to be high until later in the night.

      She was clutching the strap of her purse tightly and impatiently checking the time on her phone every few minutes. It has been such a long time since she went on a date. Just because she was going there to make Mina jealous didn’t mean she couldn’t have fun. What better way to convince the other girl that she missed on a lot of fun than have fun?

      Coming from the left side, she heard the sound of an engine approaching. Soon, a black Range Rover came to a gradual stop right in front of her, the front wheel almost climbing the sidewalk. From inside the car, Jisung gestured her to get in. She opened the door and climbed in, placing her purse over her knees before fastening her seatbelt.

      Without much of a word, Jisung turned the steering wheel and started driving to a destination unknown to Y/N.

      “I didn’t know you had a car.” She spoke, trying to get rid of the awkward atmosphere.

      Jisung threw her a look before concentrating on the road again.

      “It’s Chan’s. He let me borrow it for today.” A long sigh left his mouth. “After a long talk where he told me that if I hurt his baby, I’m dead.”

      Y/N let out a chuckle, and Jisung smiled as well, as the memory of the silly conversation he had with the older man flooded his mind. Another minute passed, and the silence in the car was being filled by the pop music coming from the radio.

      “You look pretty!” Jisung complimented, stealing another glance at her.

      A bright smile invaded her facial features at his words. 

      “Thank you! I didn’t know where we were going, but I figured a dress would be appropriate for many activities.” She chirped, the tiniest bit of excitement rolling off her tongue.

      “What if we are going hiking?” Jisung said, and a smirk appeared on his face when he noticed her rolling her eyes from the corner of his eye.

      “Then you can turn the car. I’m not coming!” Y/N crossed her hands under her chest and her mouth formed into a small pout.

      “I’m joking. We are going to an outdoor cinema.”

      She gave him a side look and raised an eyebrow.

      “No offence, but how do you know when outdoor cinemas are happening? They don’t seem…” She eyes him up and down on the driver’s seat. “...your style.”

      Jisung resisted the urge to roll his eyes at her comment. After a moment of silence, he sighed silently accepting her words.

      “Mina told me about it three weeks ago. She said it was a rom-com she really wanted to see. We planned to go together.” He explained taking a right turn.

      “Then how do you know if she’s going to come if you planned to go together. I don’t know if you realised, but you are supposed to be dating me, and she’s dating no one. Girls don’t usually go to this kind of thing without a boyfriend or a potential one.”

      “There’s this guy from Theatre and Film that she used to hook up with when I wasn’t around. I know from someone that they are coming together.” 

      Y/N let a pitiful smile involuntarily invade her features. It was kind of pathetic how he knew about her whereabouts and still didn’t say anything. She understood that they weren’t together, but they were heavily flirting and behaving like a couple, hence why she and a lot of other people thought they were actually in a relationship.

      She let her teeth sink in the flesh of her bottom lip holding back from telling him a piece of her mind. He was old enough. He knew what he was doing. Or at least she hoped he did.

      The rest of the way to the outdoor cinema was spent in silence. The only audible sounds being the radio and Jisung’s soft humming from time to time. When they reached, their destination Y/N got out of the car and let Jisung find a parking spot somewhere further away from the location of the cinema due to the parking there overflowing with vehicles.

      Checking her phone, she noticed the time indicating 7:17 PM, and only then she realised how much time they spent in the car. Walking lazily on the pathway to where space was designated for blankets and chairs she saw a sea of people. Maybe not really a sea but there were enough people to fill two of the auditorium in their university.

      For a second she thought she'd lay out the blanket, but then she remembered the only thing she had on her was her purse. On top of that, they needed to ‘accidentally’ bump into Mina and her date and hope they end up sitting next to each other.

      Just as she was thinking about that a squeal deafened her and a pair of delicate arms wrapped around her. When the girl let go of her, and she met Mina’s face, she grimaced, but she regained her composure fast. She smiled at her and her date, a guy she had seen occasionally in some of her classes.

      “What a coincidence you are here!” Mina’s fake excitement was pissing her off. Coincidence her ass. Y/N was sure she knew they were going to be there.

      “Yeah, what a small world.” She gave the two a visibly fake smile and prayed for Jisung to hurry.

      “Are you alone?” The girl asked, moving her head in different directions as if she was looking for the person she came with.

      “No. I actually came with Jisung.” As if on cue Jisung appeared from behind the two, a blanket in hand.

      “Are you looking for me, princess?” A jolt of surprise went through her at the new nickname he used, but she didn’t let it show.

      Observing the angry expression on Mina’s face at his words, she figured that was how he used to call her before they broke up whatever they had going on. She surpassed a smirk from painting her lips.

      “Mhhm.” She extended her hand, which he gladly held and went in for a short kiss. “Look who I found. Isn’t it lovely seeing your friends here?” She sarcastically said, smiling up at him.

      “You guys should come sit with us!” Mina’s date said, and a victorious smile spread across her face.

      “We’ll love to if that is okay with Mina, of course. We wouldn’t wanna disrupt you!” Y/N faked concern and gave Mina doe eyes.

      Mina’s jaw slightly clenched before immediately relaxing and letting out a forced giggle.

      “Of course you can. Why wouldn’t I be okay with that?”

      After that, the four of them went and found a place at the back of the crowd where they could sit. It wasn’t exactly the back of the crowd since there were some more people behind them, but they were reasonably behind. 

      Jisung spread the blanket on the fluffy grass, and Mina’s date, whose name she found out was Jay, did the same as Jisung. Their blankets were almost touching, the distance between them millimetric. 

      There were still 20 minutes before the movie was supposed to start. They sat down on the blankets, and Y/N stretched her legs, finally relaxing for not having to stand on the platform shoes she was wearing.

      “So, are you guys dating or…” Jay asked, fixing his body position so he could see them better.

      Y/N rolled her eyes at his question. The guy wasn’t the best at reading the room.

      “Of course we are. Why would we be here together if we weren’t?” Annoyance was dripping off her tongue. She only wanted to relax for a bit before having to spend two hours watching some boring rom-com.

      “Oh…” His voice sounded almost disappointed as his gaze lingered a second too long on her exposed legs. “Mina and I are not a couple. And since she and Jisung have had a thing before, I thought...” He bit his bottom lip while looking at her thighs that were pretty much bare thanks to her dress riding up when she sat down. “Never mind!” 

      Y/N shifted uncomfortably and placed her hands on her thighs in an attempt to cover them even a little. Mina wasn’t aware of her date’s actions as her eyes were concentrated on Jisung and on the way he looked under the golden rays of the sun that was preparing to set.

      Jisung, however, was burning holes with his eyes into the other man’s head. Upon seeing him biting his lip while looking at Y/N in a less than appropriate way, he felt an unexplainable feeling of rage penetrate his body. What he wanted to do at that moment was to get up and punch that pig into next week for daring to look at her like that. But he kept his composure and decided not to make a big deal out of it. 

      There was literally no reason for him to get that angry. Besides the apparent reason that it made her uncomfortable and he shouldn’t allow something like that, especially when he is playing her boyfriend. But the sudden feeling to rip his head off filled him with turmoil.

      Jisung decided to ignore it for now, and he took his jacket off and placed it over her legs. Her head shot in his direction, confusion and at the same time relief present in her eyes.

      “What is that?” She asked, trying to act unaffected by Jay’s actions.

      “I just thought you might sit more comfortably with this over your legs. It stops unwanted attention.” He subtly glared at Jay, but he didn’t seem to pay him any mind as his eyes were now fixed on Mina’s chest.

      “Thank you!” She said, bringing the jacket further up to cover her thighs better.

      Jisung inched just a little bit closer to her and cupped her face. Placing his lips on hers, he forcefully pushed his tongue in her mouth, taking her by surprise. He made sure their heads were positioned in such a way that the two on the blanket next to them will be able to see the exchange of their mouths. 

      Mina was watching Jisung drag his tongue inside Y/N’s mouth, his eyes closed in satisfaction. The exchange wasn’t rushed, and the way his thumb would caress her cheek so gently had her bursting with jealousy. Jisung had never kissed her like that. Their kisses were always rushed and sloppy, driven by sexual needs.

      When she first heard about their little relationship, she laughed. She thought it was some kind of stupid joke. But then she saw how they behaved. The kisses, the hugs, the hand holding, how he would always have a hand around her shoulders. In the three days, they dated he showed Y/N more love than he showed her in a year and a half.

      Her initial plan was to tease him a little bit, then finally accept to be his girlfriend. She didn’t think he'd go and find himself a girlfriend. And especially not her. From all the people he could choose it had to be her. Looking at them now, Mina regretted her decision.

      Jisung broke the kiss and looked into her fluttering eyes before placing a peck on her nose. Y/N was sitting there dizzy from everything that happened. His sudden boldness left her speechless and burning hot from the embarrassment of being seen doing something like that.

      She wanted to question him. Ask him why he suddenly did something like that. However, a loud sound erupted from the speakers surrounding them, signaling the start of the movie. So she focused her vision on the big cloth in front of her and decided to ignore it.

      She shivered discreetly as a wave of cold hit her body. The movie was only half done, and with the midnight approaching slowly, a chilly air adorned their surroundings. The weather forecast predicted high temperatures, but at that moment she was far away from her city, and so the weather was different.

      Y/N rubbed one of her arms with her hand, regretting not taking a jacket with her just in case something like that was to happen. From the corner of his eye, Jisung noticed her actions, and he leaned in close to her to whisper in her ear.

      “Hey, are you ok?” His hot breath on her ear made the hair at the back of her neck stand up.

      “Yeah, I’m just a little bit cold. I’ll be fine!” She whispered back giving him reassuring eyes.

      Jisung thought for a second of what he could do. He didn’t have another jacket, and he didn’t want her to uncover her legs. At least not when Jay was around. An idea finally struck him, and he softly called her name, catching her attention again.

      When she turned to look at him, he tapped the space between his spread legs. Y/N raised an eyebrow at his gesture.

      “What does that mean?” She sounded a little bit annoyed.

      “Come sit here. I’ll cuddle you so you won’t be cold anymore.” Y/N threw him a weirded out look. “We are ‘dating’. No one will find it weird. Or you could just stay there and freeze to death.” The man explained his voice a little bit louder than before.

      She pondered his offer for a bit before getting up and making her way between his legs. She let herself fall backwards until her back hit his chest softly. Jisung put his arms around her, and warmth started enveloping her almost instantly. Y/N let out a purr at the newfound comfort, and her eyes shot open at the realisation of what she just did.

      “Hey, don’t get too comfortable, you hear me? I’m doing this just because Mina might be watching.” She warned, her voice stern hoping he missed her last action.

      Jisung rolled his eyes but decided not to bring up the sound she just let out. For now, he just wanted to enjoy the newfound proximity. Only so they can make Mina jealous. Right?

      They sat like that, none of them daring to move. For some reason, Jisung found the position really comfortable. A few days prior at the start of their relationship he found skinship really awkward but now it wasn’t like that anymore. It felt almost natural. Like they have been doing it for a long time.

      Some more time passed, but Jisung wasn’t sure how much. The movie was approaching its climax, and the man felt bored out of his mind. Was it really worth going through that only to get his dick wet? But then he remembered who he was doing it for. He was doing it so he and Mina, the girl who he has been in love with for the longest time, could finally be together. And when it happens, he will be able to slide his hand through her silky hair, and feel her smooth skin and kiss her soft lips without having to call it a friendly gesture.

      His trail of thoughts was interrupted by a quiet mumbling coming from Y/N. Her voice was so small that Jisung couldn’t hear her.

      “What?” He leaned his head down in order to hear her when she talks.

      For a minute, there was silence. Thinking that she didn’t hear him, Jisung wanted to repeat the question when a puff of air left her mouth. Right after, she turned slightly to the side, pushing her head more against his chest, and that is when he realised that she fell asleep.

      An involuntary smile tugged at his lips, and his heart started beating faster. He couldn’t explain why he was so happy about it. It was going to be a pain in the ass. Having to wake her up and wait for her to recover from her dazed form. They were going to be the last ones to leave after the movie was over.

      A whistle-like noise left Y/N’s nose when she expired the cold air of the night, and his smile turned into a grin. Jisung moved a few strands of hair from her face before wrapping his hands better around her to keep her warm. He placed a kiss on top of her head and rested his chin on her head, swaying slightly while continuing to watch the movie.

      If you were to ask Mina what has happened so far in the movie, she couldn’t give you an answer. As much as she wanted to see the film, the girl’s eyes seemed to be more interested in whatever was happening on the blanket on her left. 

      She watched as they were cuddling and whispering to each other things she couldn’t hear. Then Y/N fell asleep, and Jisung seemed to be even more loving, hugging her even tighter and kissing her. She was wondering if he has ever done that to her on the many nights they shared a bed.

      Mina never thought she would be that affected by the fact that Jisung has found himself a girlfriend. After all, he was just one of the many boys she was hooking up with. She never thought she would have feelings for him, but here she was, being jealous of the last person she ever thought she would.

      She had to somehow get the boy back. She wanted to see it as a challenge, but she couldn’t. It had barely been two weeks since they ‘broke up’ and scarcely four days since he started dating that perfect little missy. Love doesn’t fade away that fast. She’ll have him back in no time.

      Y/N felt someone shaking her arm gently, and she mumbled some incoherent words, pushing the hand away. She was sleeping so well, she didn’t want to wake up. A hand pushed a hair strand that was ticking her nose out of the way before grabbing her shoulder and shaking it again. She groaned in annoyance.

      “Wake up, Y/N! You have to go home. Unless you want me to take you to my place.” Someone whispered close to her face, and her eyes fluttered open, trying to make up her surroundings.

      The first thing she saw when she finally managed to blink the sleep away was Jisung’s smirking face. God, he was so annoying. Ignoring him and looking around, she noticed she was in his parked car in front of her apartment complex. She vaguely remembered falling asleep, but she doesn’t remember waking up to get to the car.

      “How did I get here? Did you wake me up?” Y/N asked, straightening her body and inhaling the cold air of the night.

      Jisung held her hand and helped her out of the car before slamming the door closed. He let her lean against the front door and opened the back door to fish her purse from the back seat.

      “I didn’t. You were way too cute when you shut up. Like a little obedient kitty. I had to enjoy the moment a little bit longer.” He teased, putting a hand around her waist and making their way to the entrance in the complex.

      Y/N scoffed at his childish remark but decided to ignore it. She didn’t have the necessary energy to argue with him.

      “So you carried me to the car? What about the blanket and the other stuff you had there? Did you go back for them?”

      “No, I had Jay get them for me, so I don’t wake you up.” 

      Stopping in front of the elevator, Jisung pushed the button, and they waited a few seconds for the doors to open. Stepping inside, Y/N pushed the button for the third floor before leaning back against Jisung.

      “Talking about Jay. Thank you for today!” The man threw her a questioning look, acting as nonchalant as he could.

      “What do you mean?”

      “Don’t act dumb! I know you didn’t give me your jacket just because you are nice like that. You saw how he looked at me.” She wanted to sound more aggressive, but her voice came out soft and calm since she was still sleepy.

      Jisung found that adorable but surpassed a smile. Adopting a disinterested expression, he spoke.

      “He did? I didn’t notice. I just thought that, as your boyfriend, I shouldn’t let everyone see your underwear.” Y/N punched him in the stomach lightly, and Jisung dramatically bent down, letting out a fake grunt.

      “You are such an asshole!”

      A loud ding echoed in the restricted space, and the doors opened, revealing the dirty wall of the third floor. They stepped out of the elevator and slowly walked down the hallway to where Y/N’s apartment door was. Taking her purse from Jisung’s hand and finding her keys, she unlocked the door and opened it.

      She leaned against the door frame and looked up at Jisung, giving him a bright smile.

      “I'd like to say that I had fun, but I fell asleep halfway through the date.” She giggled, trying to mask her embarrassment. “But it was nice getting out of the house. Thank you for today!”

      The man put his hands in his jean’s pockets and scoffed.

      “You are lucky Mina got upset by you sleeping on me. Otherwise, I would have gotten angry. My shoulders are so stiff from having to support your weight. I might not recover for a few days.” A fake pained groan left his throat, and Y/N rolled her eyes.

      Lifting herself on her tiptoes, she placed one hand on his shoulder and brought his head lower. She connected her lips with his in a short kiss. Breaking the kiss, she stepped inside her apartment and kept the door open enough for her head to be visible.

      “See you on Monday!” With that, she closed the door all the way and made her way into her bedroom.

      She wasn’t sure what was the time, but it must have been well past 11 PM. Taking off the dress, she discarded it on the floor before grabbing the oversized t-shirt from the back of the desk chair. She put it on and threw herself on the bed, letting the sheets envelop her body before falling asleep.

      Y/N’s eyes shot open, and her mouth fell open as the realisation of what she did only moments prior sank in. Putting the back of her hand over her forehead and exhaling deeply, her eyes closed and her brows furrowed. Why did she kiss him? She’ll never interact with anyone while she’s still drunk on sleep.

      Meanwhile, Jisung that just exited the complex couldn’t contain his smile. He couldn’t understand why that was happening. They kissed before to make Mina jealous. But maybe that was precisely the reasons such an insignificant gesture brought him so much joy. Mina was nowhere near. A spark erupted in his stomach at the thought that the girl might have a crush on him.

      “Do it again! With more love this time. Come on. You want me! You desire me!” Y/N ordered to Jeongin.

      The man let out a frustrated groan, using the script to cover his eyes from the brightness of the sun.

      Both of them, Hyunjin and Jisung, were outside, in front of the university. They had a free period and decided to practice the script for the short movie they were playing in. Hyunjin, although not part of the film itself, was always with them thanks to Mrs. Bae’s affinity towards him. 

      Jisung, however, was new in the picture. Ever since they went on that date a week and a half ago, he seemed to be spending more time with her. She felt mildly suffocated by that but decided not to question it. As long as he wasn’t distracting her from her usual activities, she didn’t mind him tagging along.

      “You don’t make desiring you really easy. We’ve done it four times already. We will start filming in three months. I don't have to be perfect right now!” Jeongin exclaimed letting his body fall on the bench on which Jisung and Hyunjin were seated.

      “Hey! Be careful of what you say. My girlfriend is very, much desirable!” Jisung said in a jokingly offended tone earning disgusted groans from the other two men.

      “Really dude? I could have lived my life without knowing that information.” Jeongin started fanning himself with the script. It was a sweltering day.

      “I don’t understand why you are here. You are only four-wheeling us.” Hyunjin remarked, earning himself a dirty look from Jisung.

      “A car needs all four wheels to be functional.”

      “Yeah, babe, but we are a tricycle.”

      Hyunjin, Jeongin and Y/N erupted into laughter at Jisung’s dumbfounded expression. From behind Y/N, they heard even louder laughter and Hyunjin scoffed at the scene unfolding under his eyes. 

      “I swear to God! Mina has been so annoying lately. Much more than when she used to hang out with Jisung. It’s as if she’s following us around.” The man rolled his eyes as he remembered how many times Mina ‘coincidentally’ happened to be in the same place as them the past week.

      “Tell me about it. And how she is always with Jay from our major. If I wanted to watch live porn, I would have signed up on one of those porn sites.” Jeongin seemed as annoyed as the other man.

      “Don’t stress about that guys. I’m pretty sure these are just coincidences.” Y/N tried telling them, even though she knew everything they said was right.

      “No, I’m pretty sure they are not. There’s someone between us whose attention she’s trying to catch.” Hyunjin gave Jisung a side look.

      “You can’t be sure of that.” She played dumb, wanting more than anything to change the subject.

      “ Oh, please! She’s always watching him. In the cafeteria, when we are hanging around on our free periods, when she’s kissing that loser. It’s like he’s a good movie she can’t tear her eyes from.” Jeongin snapped, tired of the whole situation.

      “Then let’s give them something to look at!” Jisung smirked smugly.

      “What do..”

      In the next second, Y/N has been pulled on Jisungs lap, and he captured her lips in an urgent kiss. One hand was on the nape of her head forcefully holding her in the kiss, and the other one was on her ass cheek, squeezing it. 

      She heard someone awkwardly clearing their throat from her right, and all her senses heightened. Y/N placed her hands on Jisung’s shoulders and tried lightly pushing him away while uncomfortably shifting in his lap. As a response, the man groaned lowly and slid his hand from her neck to her chest, cupping it.

      Her eyes widened in shock at his action and mustering all the force she had in her, she pushed him away, finally breaking the kiss. A loud bang ringed around them as her hand made contact with his cheek. Jumping off his lap, she gathered her bag from the leg of the bench.

      “You are a fucking asshole!” She shouted in his face before storming off inside the university.

      The stomping of her boots was echoing in the empty halls, and the few students that were around decided to make her space to pass. Her thinking was clogged at the moment, and all she could feel was rage and shame. She was angrily making her way down the halls, but her destination was uncertain. She just wanted to be as far away from him as possible.

      Y/N heard quick steps from behind her, and a hand pulled at her shoulder. Without turning around, she shrugged it off and started walking faster. The person behind her also increased their walking speed, but this time around, they grabbed her wrist.

      Just as she was preparing to scream in their face, she was pulled into a hug, her face forced into a firm chest. Y/N felt herself calm down as the smell of a cologne she grew accustomed to in the last week invaded her lungs. His hand was gently rubbing her back, and she relaxed under her touch.

      “Are you okay?” Hyunjin whispered softly in her ear.

      She hid her face more in his chest, feeling shame overcome her.

      “I’m sorry you had to see that. I swear it’s not what you think! We’ve never…” Her voice was shaky, as if she was about to cry. Hyunjin cupped her face forcing her to look in his eyes. She could see concern and sadness hiding behind his brown orbs.

      “Why are you apologising to me? You are the one who’s been wronged here. I just wanna make sure you are okay.” His soft voice was acting as a calmative for her racing heartbeat.

      Y/N felt her insides flip at his caring words. His hands on her cheeks were hot, and she decided to blame them for the blush that acaparated her face.

      “Hey! Step away from my girlfriend, you motherfucker!” Jisung’s voice filled her ears, and she saw Hyunjin roll his eyes.

      The warmth of his body left her, and he crossed his arms as Jisung finally arrived in front of them. Hyunjin was looking down at the other man, and both their expressions were filled with anger.

      “I was just making sure she’s fine. It looks like you took your time deciding to do the same.” The taller man spat venom dripping off his tongue.

      “It’s none of your business how I handle my relationship!” Jisung adopted a louder tone bringing his face closer to Hyunjin’s.

      “But it is when you decide to act like a bitch in heat and make your girlfriend uncomfortable. This is why Mina never dated you and why you and Y/N won’t last long!”

      Jisung clenched his jaw upon hearing the other man’s words, and before anyone could register what was happening, he plunged his fist into Hyunjin’s face.

[bangtanpromptsfics]

rose quartz.

dialogue prompt #11: “Shooting star. Make a wish”

pairing: taehyung x reader

genre: fluff

word count: 1,227

warnings: none

summary: who said finding your soulmate is hard?

a/n: I liked this dialouge prompt sm ;-;. I hope my writing is improving as each oneshot goes on. hope y'all like this! also making a little change to my posting schedule. two fics a week seems like over doing it. so I'll be posting every friday. timing remains the same!!

masterlist

“Shooting star. Make a wish”

“It's an aeroplane Taehyung”, you smile at him, nudging his elbow lightly.

"Doesn't matter. Make a wish”.

Life seemed to be at content. You close your eyes anyways and think about finding your soulmate soon.

People say soulmates are old school and overrated romance culture for the present world. But you liked the contemporary rom-com love. Letters, random confessions, stealing kisses and all that. Your past relationship went by at a more practical course, not much dedication involved. And now this is just another one of your trials.

There isn't much background information to be provided. Taehyung is a sophomore in college just like you, and you happen to share European history with him thrice a week.

The first time you caught each other's attention was out of physical qualities. Pretty cliche. He was someone every human with pair of eyes would have a crush on, except he acted a little different. He always carried a mysterious aura, and it's not for everyone.

“Do you believe in this?”, he asks and that's when you shoot your eyes open at him.

“Well yeah…”

“Why?”, he muses, his full gaze on yours making you shiver.

“I don't really know. It's a beautiful concept. Sometimes you just need to… you just need to believe something is beautiful”.

You have no idea what you said. But it looked like Taehyung could makes a sense of it even though you just made the first couple of words on your tongue into a reasonable sentence and nothing more.

You continue your walk to the restaurant you planned on having dinner tonight. Not too expensive, but there's music for the ambience and decent food for what your broke millenial life can afford.

Taehyung is a gentleman. He is careful about you, careful not to take up unnecessary space as this is just the second date, pulling the chair out for you as you had moved to take a seat, and all in all, the take away of the day being- he bought you your favorite flowers; an information you are sure hasn't slipped from your mouth yet so that's a question for later.

When he sits across occupying his time looking through the main course in the menu, you take a glance at his built. Taehyung had always been a little intimidating to your eye. A bit too formal to his peers and teachers, as if a character from the 80’s. But you notice he is made of much softer features. His puffy cheeks and the blown out hair which maybe blocking his view. His long fingers which carry minimalist jewelery, and his subtle yet catching fashion sense.

“Did you decide your order?”, he switches glance from the paper to your face suddenly. You fiddle with the menu in front of you, noticing that you hadn't even opened it. You quickly flip around on a random page and blurt out a certain kind of lasagna.

There is a low chuckle from the other side and you can't help but flush. He has definitely realised you were staring at him all along. The awkwardness doesn't carry away much longer when the waiter joins by your side and takes your order.

“You're still blushing you know”, he teases, watching you trying to say something, but holding back on the silence because it probably sounds creepy.

“Stop teasing me Tae”. And you can't help but blush further when he giggles, his hearty smile spread across his lips and eyes disappearing into crescents.

You've never seen him talk this much. He was usually the silent type, but he seems to be comfortable with you, a certain kind of bliss that it brings to your chest, flowing to the rest of your body was different, something you never knew you were capable of.

When your lasagna and his risotto arrives, you burst into a fit if giggles when both of you dig in hurriedly to the plate, a brief second of restaurant manners lost in the air.

The following time is spent in discussing odd philosophical concepts, something unique of Taehyung. Not that you minded. The way he sounds, his tone; he could make anything sound fascinating enough. You learn that he wants to be a museum curator one day, and that he works on paintings in his leisure time. And he learns about your trip to Switzerland when you were five, a quick diversion when the dessert had arrived and you hooked on to it. He also learnt more about your concept about soulmates. For a brief second you pause to see if he sees you like a kid lost in her world of fantasy, but when he completely agrees with your idea of love and relationships, he nods vividly.

“How did you know pink roses are my favorite flowers?”

“I saw you buying some for yourself last week”, he says, lightly flushing himself.

“Kim Taehyung are you stalking me?”, you tease, hands going for the tissue to clean your hands.

“No!”, Taehyung practically jumps from his seat, as if that could prove his point any better, “I had been just noticing you whenever you were around, not in a creepy way though! I mean...I've liked you for some time now”.

“I understood Tae I was just kidding...and I like you too”, you confess. The words out now finally after crushing on each other for a few months. It flows so naturally like there's not a second thought involved.

If you thought the red on his cheeks earlier were just an illusion, now you know that they are not. His ears turn a faint pink as well when he processes your words fully.

He couldn't form words because he wanted to stride across to you and kiss those lips, but maybe it was too soon for that move. He can't risk ruining such a sweet moment. So instead he takes your hands resting on the table. You flush when the ring on his thumb is cool on your skin while he brushes them on the back of your hand.

And since waiters are capable of fixing awkward moments and ruining the sweet moments as well, his touch doesn't linger any longer when the bill is placed. You split the bill and leave the restaurant, eager to hold hands again.

Both of your hands reaches towards each other and they interlock, as if it had a mind of its own. Not much is spoken, both trying to fully process the feel of warm palms pressed against each other as if you were middle schoolers deemed in their first love.

The walk to the dorms is peacefully silent. The stars are still there and you smile, realising that maybe your wish is being granted, that your life and belief is piecing together.

“Taehyung?”

“Yeah?”

“Kiss me?”

He is still for a moment before leaning forward and engulfing your lips in his. You realise he was waiting for this as well, and you kiss back with just as much passion he gives you. The hands are still holding each other. There is no pressure to shift them into something more intimate. No zest to pull closer. This was peaceful. This was enough. When he pulls back you know that there's much more time to care and love him with all your heart.

♡taglist: @yeolkoo

Thank you so much for reading!!! ♡♡

Original Content of ©bangtanpromptsfics

[brightbeautifulthings]

Hello, lovelies! Tell Me Something Tuesday is a meme created by Rainy Day Ramblings and currently hosted by Because Reading Is Better Than Real Life, That's What I'm Talking About, For What It's Worth, Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell and Offbeat YA. It provides weekly discussion prompts on various book and blogging topics with optional participation.

This week's prompt is fitting for Valentine's Day: Share your favorite romance moments: movie, book, story, etc.

I’m a major lover of rom-coms, so I would never be able to narrow down my favorite film moments. It was hard enough with the topic I chose, as I sit here surrounded by no less then four piles of books for ✨research✨ for this post: my Top 7 Fictional Kisses of All Time. (Why seven, you ask? Because I couldn’t narrow it down to five, and this post is already too long without including ten. 😅) But, truly, the list could go on and on!

What are your favorite fictional kisses? Do any of these make the list?

7. City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare (Jace & Clary) 🔥

"'Is something wrong?' Hearing Jace sound uncertain--she thought maybe her heart was cracking, shattering into pieces. 'No,' she whispered, and pulled him down again. They both tasted salt. 'Kiss me,' she pleaded, and he did, hot languorous slow kisses that sped up as his heartbeat did, as the movement of their bodies quickened against each other. Each kiss was different, each rising higher and higher like a spark as a fire grew: quick soft kisses that told her he loved her, long slow worshipful kisses that said that he trusted her, playful light kisses that said that he still had hope, adoring kisses that said he had faith in her as he did in no one else. Clary abandoned herself to the kisses, the language of them, the wordless speech that passed between the two of them."

6. Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling (Ron & Hermione) 😂

"There was a clatter as the basilisk fangs cascaded out of Hermione's arms. Running at Ron, she flung them around his neck and kissed him full on the mouth. Ron threw away the fangs and broomstick he was holding and responded with such enthusiasm that he lifted Hermione off her feet. 'Is this the moment?' Harry asked weakly, and when nothing happened except that Ron and Hermione gripped each other still more firmly and swayed on the spot, he raised his voice. 'OI! There's a war going on here!' Ron and Hermione broke apart, their arms still around each other. 'I know, mate,' said Ron, who looked as though he had recently been hit on the back of the head with a Bludger, 'so it's now or never, isn't it?'"

5. Everything Leads to You by Nina LaCour (Emi & Ava) 🎬

"When we tip our faces to the side, we do it in the perfect movie way--no awkward repositionings, no pressed noses. I swear: I can hear the music swelling. But then. Our lips touch. The imaginary music goes quiet. The room is only a room and we are the miracles. Her mouth is warm and human and soft, and her hand presses hard and insistent against my back, her breasts press against mine. My hand grazes the delicate line of her jaw; there's the whisper of her hair against my fingers as we kiss harder."

4. Carry On by Rainbow Rowell (Simon & Baz) 🦇

"He shakes his head, and he's saying something, and I think I might kiss him. Because I've never kissed anyone before. (I was afraid I might bite.) And I've never wanted to kiss anyone but him. (I won't bite. I won't hurt him.) I just want to kiss him, then go. 'Simon...,' I say. And then he kisses me."

3. The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan (Annabeth & Percy) 💪

"Annabeth didn't mean to, but she surged forward. Percy rushed toward her at the same time. The crowd tensed. Some reached for swords that weren't there. Percy threw his arms around her. They kissed, and for a moment nothing else mattered. An asteroid could have hit the planet and wiped out all life, and Annabeth wouldn't have cared. Percy smelled of ocean air. His lips were salty. Seaweed Brain, she thought giddily. Percy pulled away and studied her face. 'Gods, I never thought--' Annabeth grabbed his wrist and flipped him over her shoulder. He slammed into the stone pavement. Romans cried out. Some surged forward, but Reyna shouted, 'Hold! Stand down!' Annabeth put her knee on Percy's chest. She pushed her forearm against his throat. She didn't care what the Romans thought. A white-hot lump of anger expanded in her chest--a tumor of worry and bitterness that she'd been carrying around since last autumn. 'If you ever leave me again,' she said, her eyes stinging, 'I swear to all the gods--' Percy had the nerve to laugh. Suddenly, the lump of heated emotions melted inside Annabeth. 'Consider me warned,' Percy said. 'I missed you, too.'"

2. The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater (Ronan & Adam) 🏎️

"Words kept rising up inside Ronan and bursting before they ever escaped. He felt he'd already asked the question; he couldn't also give the answer. Three deer appeared at the tree line, just at the edge of the porch light's reach. One of them was the beautiful pale buck, his antlers like branches or roots. He watched them, and they watched him, and then Ronan could not stand it. 'Adam?' When Adam kissed him, it was every mile per hour Ronan had ever gone over the speed limit. It was every window-down, goose-bumps-on-skin, teeth-chattering-cold night drive. It was Adam's ribs under Ronan's hands and Adam's mouth on his mouth, again and again and again. It was stubble on lips and Ronan having to stop, to get his breath, to restart his heart. They were both hungry animals, but Adam had been starving for longer."

1. Dangerous Angels by Francesca Lia Block (Weetzie & My Secret Agent Lover Man) 🍦

"He kissed her. A kiss about apple pie a la mode with the vanilla creaminess melting in the pie heat. A kiss about chocolate, when you haven't eaten chocolate in a year. A kiss about palm trees speeding by, trailing pink clouds when you drive down the Strip sizzling with champagne. A kiss about spotlights fanning the sky and the swollen sea spilling like tears all over your legs."

[jiminrings]

Can I request a drabble, hobi is kinda like a band singer and Y/N is like his old time friend and they like had a falling out bc he got super successful but years after they're like together again? IS IT TOO SPECIFIC UHM :")

parallel

pairing: hoseok x y/n

wordcount: 4k

glimpse: hobi’s kind of an asshole and is vERY much emotionally repressed, y/n’s serotonin is dependent on wearing bridesmaid gowns, the dwindling one-sided pining anD the everlasting question of where the fuck was hoseok when you needed him :D // gif is from pinterest!

notes: this drabble really hits close to home and tysm for the request babe!! even if i’m a month late yeesh :O

you can’t believe yourself either when you say it

but holy shit — weddings are definitely your thing!

there’s something about the union of marriage that gets your head into overdrive but in a gOOD way

there’s just something so pulling about last-minute changes and family drama and awkward trips to the restroom that make your mind mHMMMM THIS IS IT CHIEF

yea granted that not every wedding you go and participate in isn’t exactly straight out of a rom-com

lmao sometimes it’s so obvious that the bride doesn’T love the groom but hey!!! who’s keeping tabs :D

you love wedding environments so much that here you are, two years out of uni and a couple of gigs later — couples are LITERALLY fighting over you

heh not to brag but uh

you weren’t recognized as best wedding planner for two years in a row and have your face in multiple covers of bridal magazines and such

time magazine recognized you as one of the most influential people in the scene last year but hey !!!!! no big deal lads

“i am asking you for just one minute, y/n!! stop being a wedding planner and start being my maid of honor!!”

nayeon exasperates and tugs you by your sleeve, having already noticed your second nature of taking charge the moment you entered the hall

after all, this is just cake tasting! that’s why she’s brought her maid of honor to help her out, nOT immediately go fishing for a clipboard

“well if the planner you hired wasn’t so sloppy-...” it’s a fact! he relies too much on his tablet and doesn’t even have any paper with him, and even if he’s already using a tablet, he doesn’t even use different colors to mark out!

apparently nayeon can’t handle the truth because she’s stamping her hand to your mouth that’s already a frown, about to suffocate you if only you didn’t bite it

>:|

y/n - 1 | jisoo’s hand - 0

you’re just a lil bit cranky alright

the last wedding you’ve catered to was just three days ago, and well you’re thankful for your job!!! really!!! bc not everyone is as booked as you nor sought-for

but there’s something about her wedding that puts you off :((

she’s very kindly yet firmly told you that no, you would absolutely not be her wedding planner and coordinator

“b-but i-“

“i want you to relax! and it’s-...”

“we said-“

“we said when we were kids that we’d plan each other’s wedding, but we didn’t swear on it! and i want you to-...”

“y-you told-“

“i told you that we didn’t have a wedding planner yet so you’d intentionally clear your schedule for me! and here we are-...”

“i’ll cry-“

“aww you big baby, save it for the wedding! i told you, just relax, m’kay? let yoongi handle the planning, and you do the unwinding.”

goddamn yoongi

yoongi who’s a wedding planner in his sPARE time could fuck right off

you don’t care if he’s very persuasive and firm and happened to book nayeon’s wedding even it was peak season :((

you don’t wanna admit it, but being a wedding planner has basically been your personality trait for the past years and it’s hard to cope when your job is to not.... plan and worry

anyways besides that

you’re a little iffy because nayeon’s wedding is your wake-up call

you’ve been planning weddings.... but uh when the FUCK is yours

u are so tempted to put a sock over your head and just yell gIVE ME A RING!!! PUT IT IN THE BAG

unfortunately, you don’t even have someone in your life to readily propose to you

you would have had someone, actually —

if only hoseok didn’t wake up one day and decide to remove you from his life

if only your childhood friend didn’t suddenly decide that you’re not worthy of his attention and time!!!

god he thinks he’s a bigshot

and well yea ok he IS a bigshot

who doesn’t know jung hoseok at this point :((

you’ve always figured that he’d be successful at whatever path he chooses and for a moment, you feel sorry for him that he’s stuck in such a state of mundaneness

he’s stuck between home and school and since he has no choice — you

your each other’s day one!!! the moment your mom went home from the hospital, her first instinct was to knock on hoseok’s mom’s door and then iMMEDIATELY present you to her

the two of them are absolute best friends and why not make our babies the same way ya know????

the two of you were apparently so close as babies that when one was crying, the other would comfort

and you weren’t even a year old then????

you’ve shared cribs and milk bottles and clothes and everything in between with hobi

so why is it that when you’re just almost at the peak of your life with graduation, he just suddenly decides to drop you?

he’s suddenly too cool for you as if he hasn’t spent countless nights crying on your shoulder for any inconveniece that gets brought up

he can’t even meet your eyes :(((

that’s why graduation is the blandest and emptiest day you could recall

hoseok is over there with his bandmates looking the absolute hAPPIEST and you’re there by the corner.,.,. alone by yourself feeling like your cap has the words dropped by jung hoseok :D all over it

he’s at his peak and at the top of his life performing and touring, whenever and wherever

he’s happy

but without you in it :(

the irrational (and probably rational) part in your head is beyond infuriated at him because atleast offer an explanation!!! if you did wrong at one point, then he should tell you!!!

not suddenly pretend that you were nEVER in his life

even his mom feels guilty and ashamed over his son’s actions so she orders flowers from the shop signed underneath your company, then send it back to you

for awhile she tried to pretend that it was hoseok but no :((( that man will physically convulse if he doesn’t add (atleast) three hearts after his name

you hate him so much that you still religiously visit his instagram and wonder if he could see your likes despite a couple other million liking the same posts

you hate him so much that he’s number one on every single thing in your spotify wrapped 

you hate him sO much that you wonder who’s behind the songs his band plays and how you’d wish that you’d be the one he’s writing about

“is the cake that... perfect?”

nayeon gently places a hand on your shoulder to which you flinch and she backs off because christ i’m nOT taking the cake away from you!!!

oh my god why are you tearing up

“yeah, yeah! it’s so good. you should try it nayeon!” you’re scrambling to scrape up your plate, almost shoving the fork into her mouth as she squeals with the sudden attack

yoongi has ???? hovering around his head but this is nOT about you my man

he sneaks a look to the bride’s plate and uh-huh... yup..... she has the same moist chocolate fudge cake with coffee ganache on her alright

the topic of hoseok that you bring up to yourself, one that no one knows (not even nayeon!!!), is just something that never seems to vacate your mind fully

it’s been two years and you’re still so touchy and you dON’T KNOW WHY

he probably doesn’t even think about you when he’s drunk and bored

“this champagne must be so... nice?”

nayeon thinks out loud as you’re once again crying into doing your maid of honor duties

she’s a lil worried if she’s being honest but you always whisk her away when she’s about to ask

like right now :D

“are you-...”

“i just can’t believe you’re getting married!! wow, you’re so cool. with the love of your life. then the two of you could be cool together after the wedding. you aren’t gonna forget me once you’re married, are you? nayeon do you think that i would ever be married-...”

you should just accept it now :((

you’re a little bit of a mess and a half underneath your pantsuits and walkie-talkies and the special pride you’d carry whenever the couple mentions you in their wedding speeches

absolutely WHY in the hell do you think about hoseok when it comes to weddings???

it’s almost a pavlovian response when you instruct the people to open the doors and the bride to start walking and your mind would iNSTANTLY think about him

it’s sometimes awkward when the couple would ask ah !!!! ms. y/n u are such a world-renowned wedding planner !!!! your own wedding must’ve been magnificent :D

aha actually about dat.,.,

you get tons of gifts of gratitude from just a single client alone and you don’t have hoseok and his stupidly powerful arms to help carry boxes back to your car

you don’t have him to give untouched and left-over flowers to

you don’t have him to remind you when you’re getting a little ahead of yourself over just talking to sponsors and trying to squeeze in as much as you could for an initial budge

you don’t have hoseok, in all his glory, to put his hand on the small of your back when you’re talking to how you need the fireworks to start the moment the band starts playing ice ice baby and the vendor does nOT need to know why it’s the song chosen by the couple

it’s what he’d do when you’re trying to fit two semesters’ worth of notes into a pricey A3 notebook that you’ve bought 

and just how many weddings do you plan and coordinate, even within just a span of two week?

:)

a lot.

often.

you think about hoseok a lot. often. oftenly a lot.

but aha nOT TODAY!!!

today’s nayeon’s wedding and you’re not gonna ruin it for her by projecting your yearning into your best friend’s wedding that clearly isn’t yours

10/10 she’d probably stop reciting her vows to ask you why you’re sniffling

your only source of distraction is your gown!!!

your maid of honor is the absolute pRETTIEST and you’d be lying if you said you didn’t feel gorgeous in it

it’s floor-length silk!!! fLOOR-LENGTH !! SILK !! GOWN

it’s in a deep mauve with an off-shoulder situation and a little risqué bit of cleavage!!! cinches right at the top of your waist and poofs a little and oh my god mayhaps you aRE pretty

god hoseok may have not written you a song, but sean kingston dEFINITELY did

nayeon knew you’d be catching everyone’s attention as much as her wedding dress would and she’s absolutely happy and fine with it!! 

in fact she’s strategically practiced her throws for her bouquet so you’d catch it and your gown would nOt go to waste

having a wedding happen right where you are, but being in it as a guest instead of a planner, is just so much... calmer

you’re not fixing the chaos but you’re just watching it!!! if you feel a little more bubbly then you’re gonna partake in it hee-hee

yoongi’s actually not so bad

he could just be a little too lax which ends up with him being lost and distraught 

you could see so much of you in him when you were just starting out and it’s endearing actually

(( nayeon’s told you in passing that she once told yoongi that you were her best friend and he looked both intimidated and awed at the same time ))

the only thing you help yoongi with is sending him a thumbs-up every now and then and he perks uP because that’s the signal that he’s doing a good job and not fucking up

nayeon looks so beautiful and you’re already tearing up fixing her veil :((

you know how wedding photographers and videographers LOVE people crying???? they r probably eating your shit up so quick that you won’t be surprised if you take up atleast half of the same-day edit of their wedding film

there’s something so serene about the hecticness everyone’s indulged themselves in

you’re grinning when you walk down the aisle because you realize that omg you haven’t doNE this in a long time!!! 

the last time you did was testing out the aisle for a client that wanted it ala crazy rich asians and you had to walk back and forth cOLD-ASS water with damp rolled-up pant cuffs before they got the temperature and the levels right

nah you should definitely know how it’d be because after all :D you aRE the consultant for that scene in crazy rich asians :D no biggie :D

it’s such a serene blast to see everyone happy and in their element

you’re sitting the reception out bc yoongi very kindly pleaded to please give him notes and promising that he’d never tell it to anyone else

the whole planning process for nayeon and not oNCE did he bring a notebook..,., but he just hAPPENS to have one when you’re telling him how to say no to your client

“listen, you have to tell them in the sincerest way possible, that you tried everything. it gets them going when you tell them that you even pleaded with the vendors, but don’t go too low on your knees, alright? and then after that, you say a strict no. no, because their choice of flowers is absolutely sHIT for their tie-dye theme they’re so adamant about!”

yoongi has never listened so intently

not even when his roommate lists out their grocery checklist

“mhmm. and if they still push, should i give them an ultimatum? or tell them about a wedding that totally happened that did exactly what they were planning, and how much the guests hated it?”

okay nOW he’s talking

“what you do is...”

the buzz of the reception never really dies down because it’s barely even starting!! the couple’s still finishing up on their pictorial which gives everyone time to get to the venue and freshen up or get last-minute gifts lmao

you know that it’s starting when the band or the dj starts doing polished mic checks

mic check! one, two, three! sKRRRRRRRRRRRRRRA

no, no 

there’s something definitely wrong

the rolling and the lull of routine words just seem so familiar

mic check! J-A-Y! H-O-P-E! J-HOPE! jung-...

oh

my

fucking

gOD

that’s hoseok.

that is most dEFINITELY hoseok

you turn your back to see the stage set-up and god...... fuck

it’s someone you haven’t seen in the flesh for two years yet spent the years of your life with before that 

he looks sickening in his black mandarin-collared suit with thick white lining on it wITH his hair styled up and parted to the site

it’s even more sickening for you because you don’t actually know if you can mANAGE to be here

you’re standing up abruptly and yoongi squawks at that because he is the furthesT thing from being finished about asking how to make the guests arrive on time without holding a field trip assembly-like type of line with the megaphone

the fastest way out was dashing through the front part and you must have forgotten that hoseok has a knack for catching things with his perfectly good eyesight

“y/n?” 

ok what now

he mumbles your name to the mic, his eyebrows furrowing as his eyes trail the speed-walking speck of mauve from in front of him 

his little question to himself must have gotten people more than curious

they’re already mORE than curious because it’s his goddamn band that’s playing!!!! and the fees are not cheap and it’s practically impossible to book them!!!

but jungkook, their drummer, was a close friend of the groom’s and alright.,.,. okay maybe we CAN play at weddings now

ok hoseok’s mind is probably just playing tricks on him and he should finish setting up before the lights dim again for what they insist is the 𝓼𝓱𝓸𝓬𝓴 𝓯����𝓬𝓽𝓸𝓻

but then he can’t help but look oNE last time

then he sees the watch he’s gifted you on his wrist — one that he was supposed to give you at graduation but later made his mom give it to you instead and not say that it was from him

...

....

whew he might need his inhaler for this one and he doesn��t even hAVE asthma

oh my god what the hELL is hoseok doing here????

you haven’t seen him for two years, and the moment you do, it’s in your best friend’s wedding with no date present??

you’re clearly panicking and the only form of caffeine you’ve gotten is the pre-game of getting a few bites from the coffee ganache in nayeon’s wedding cake that she was munching on while getting her makeup done

you know what!! it’s fine

it’s totally fine :D

hoseok is just hoseok and you’re not gonna be intimated by the man you’ve been loving in the sidelines from practically your whole life :D

it’s not a big deal!

besides, people are looking for you bc you’re supposed to give the opening toast to welcome nayeon and her groom in

you’re walking, you’re talking, aaaaaaaand-

yeah this is not nOT a big deal

you’re crumbling from the inside out because seeing hoseok is just too painful after two years of wondering where you could’ve went wrong and what could’ve happened if the two of you didn’t fall out

you feel especially bitter when hoseok starts singing their famous song about love and everything in between

everyone’s sWOONING and on their feet and you’re literally just there vibrating with how furious you are

you keep downing the good champagne as iF it’s gonna get you drunk

yoongi has a clue that the server must be a little dizzy having to go and back forth to your table so he just offers his portion to you

you’re so goddamn busy and absorbed with loathing him that you don’t even turn your back to notice that his eyes keep flickering to you

even at the cheesiest lyric, hobi expects that you’d atleast LOOK at him for that one but nOOOO your champagne flute and the blondie beside you is just much more interesting

you’re buzzing with anger that you aren’t enjoying this reception At All

you fail to even recognize that nayeon’s intentionally had your favorite food to be served!!! and you have an extra portion delivered to your table!!!

you just want your suffering to eND wow absolutely how much longer could this go

you’re so busy with cussing the whole ordeal in your head that you didn’t even notice how the band isn’t playing anymore and instead everyone’s swooning over the cake

it’s lost in you that hoseok’s shooed yoongi from his chair, sitting right beside you and even scooting closer until his knees bump to your own

and that’s when it sinks in

hobi doesn’t even have time to tell you how beautiful you look because you’ve gone straight to seething him

“for the record, i want you to know that i hate you.”

...

:O

okay hoseok didn’t expect that

for all he knows, the two of you even vOWED to never say the h word even if it’s meant jokingly!!

it’s a lethal word and the two of you collectively agreed to never play with it in regards to saying to one another

but well here you are

you’re saying it as if you’ve never been more sure of anything in your whole life

you feel actually relieved to say it to him right to his face, a miniscule weight lifted from your shoulders while your arms are crossed just by looking at him

hoseok does you one better with a timid chuckle, looking down on his rings that he’s fiddling with nervously

“yeah. i hate me too.”

.... oh

you’re perplexed at his reply so much so that you’re speechless

you’ve been keeping to yourself what you should say to him the moment you see him for two years and now that he agrees to what you’ve just said.,.,.,

oh fuck that

“i hate you so much, hoseok! i don’t even know what i did wrong and i asked even your own mother what’s wrong with me! did you know that you are, without a doubt, so fucking selfish???”

you exclaim as quietly as you could but that doesn’t stop people from glancing because the two most-known people in the room, besides the bride and groom, are having what seems to be an... intimate conversation with how close the two of you are??

“did you even try once to consider how painful it was for me to wonder why i just am the way that i am? or is that even too big of an inconveniece for you to think about because you’re so busy?”

“did you suddenly get too big for me, huh?” you ask straightly without malice, not even thinking about the double meaning because clearly, you’re too PRESSED lightly jabbing your finger to his chest

right he deserves that

hoseok’s fucked up big-time, that much he knows

his eyes are actually stinging right now and he would ask you for your handkerchief that you used to always carry for him but uH he thinks he doesn’t deserve any of that

“why couldn’t you just tell me what was in your mind? you know that nothing would change whatever it was that-”

“i love you, okay?”

hoseok interrupts you with his mumble before he sets his eyes down once again on your watch

you’re speechless for long this time

“..... w-what?”

okay maybe he fucked up even more

“listen i-...”

“if you love me, a single text wouldn’t have hurt, hobi!!”

your chest doesn’t hurt anymore but it iS constricting with the amount of emotions and scenarios you’re trying to process

he’s kinda lost because oh my god you aren’t mAD anymore!!

and you don’t look fazed that he just declared his love for you

“i dropped you because i-i — i don’t want the people i love seeing me fuck up, y’know? i finished uni for the sake of it, and i didn’t even know if the band thing would work out!!”

“but baby it dID work out!!!!”

jesus christ hoseok may be a fucking iDIOT

you’re shaking him by the shoulders and he actually has to stand up so he wouldn’t fall by your ministrations

you feel so happy because your processing was just about to be finished, equal parts relieved and happy and maybe a tiny bit confused still

“it did work out because look at you now!! hobi, you could’ve just called me and i would’ve accepted the call before it even rings!!” you’re happily frustrated with him that you push him until the two of you are in the dance floor, his mouth curving up both in disbelief and giddiness

“i didn’t because i thought-...”

he’s interrupted by a swift and tight hug to his middle, his arms moving on their own to envelope you in his warmth

the top of your head still smells the same :D

his purpose is lost before he gathers his bearings once again, freezing in his stance before weakly attempting to push you off

“... you were married.”

the harsh sQUINT of your eyes you’re giving him prompt him to explain

why is he so nervous

“i-i go to your instagram? and well you uh, you posted this pic of you in the middle of the aisle???? you had your back turned and your silhouette’s seen then you were holding a bouquet!!! then after that, i-i never opened your account. jesus christ, is your husband here with you, y/n? what am i supposed to-...”

the realization’s starting to sink into hoseok because it’s something he’s shoved to the back of his head and now he’s seeing it straight-on

you’re throwing your head back laughing at him :D

great

now he’s both heartbroken AND a fool

there’s a gentle kiss on his cheek, one he didn’t expect and one he doesn’t hate

“i’m a wedding planner.”

god now this is just so fucking funny

the two of you fell out and remained distanced because of just a series of unprecedented miscommunications!!! 

the whole thing is so ridiculous that it actually feels light and relieving to talk about

“you’re.... a wedding planner,” he mumbles once again for confirmation, his loose arms around your waist now tightening

oh my god

hoseok starts chuckling to himself out of delight, turning to full-on cackles with you at how much the two of you have just been beside each other like parallel lines

“i need to make up the past two years to you.”

he declares seriously as a promise, pressing a tender wet kiss to your cheek that gets you giggling

“only if you write me a song,” you do him one better, kissing him on the corner of his mouth 

“don’t you know that most of them are about you? anyways, you should plan our wedding once it happens,” he’s forward with his words, having waited long enough that he nuzzles his nose to yours

:D

you’re gonna do him one even better

you’re gonna go right for the kill, the truth spilling out of you before you kiss him longingly, for the first time that it feels that it’s been something you’ve always yearned for

“don’t you know that you’re in my mind for every single one?”