#this year for christmas i’m making my friends mixtapes

[fawni333]

i love giving gifts sm <3

[sserpente]

A/N: This popped into my head earlier, I had to write it before Christmas is over for this year! Enjoy, everyone!

Words: 1348 Warnings: fluff

“Okay but what if the villain turned out to be the alleged ally? You know, that siren they met that showed them the way? If you want a plot twist, that’s gonna blow their minds.”

Making friends used to be so much easier back when you were still in kindergarten. You’d look at each other, share a toy and play pretend without even knowing each other’s names. Today, things were more complicated, especially when you moved to Hawkins, not knowing anyone.

A small town such as this was generally suspicious of new people, even at your new job which was the reason you had moved here in the first place. Everyone had been suspicious—everyone except for Eddie Munson who had practically welcomed you with open arms.

Now here you were, working on his new campaign with him on his bed, cuddling with one of his pillows and watching him frantically scribble down ideas for it. One of his mixtapes was playing in the background, introducing you to a bunch of bands you had never heard of before. Sure, you knew Metallica but you’d never exactly listened to them until you met that goofy metal head.

“You know what, sweetheart, that’s a brilliant idea.” Eddie grinned, tossing the dice he’d been fidgeting with to the side to write it down. It was then the both of you were interrupted by a knock on the door.

Wayne stuck his head through the gap in the door. He gave you a quick nod when he spotted you.

“Uncle Wayne, old man, aren’t you supposed to be at work?” Eddie asked, beaming at him.

“Change of plans. Have you got a moment, boy?”

“Oh, that sounds like my cue. I should get going anyways, it’s getting late. There’s still lots to prepare for Christmas dinner tomorrow.”

You pressed a kiss to Eddie’s cheek before you slid off his bed and patted Wayne on the shoulder on your way out.

“Okay, I’ll see you after Christmas then?”

“Of course! I wouldn’t miss that campaign for anything!”

“I’ll see you around, kid. I keep forgetting you live on your own. Take a leaf out of her book, Eddie.”

You grabbed your jacket, chuckling when Eddie rolled his eyes. When you leaned down to put your shoes on, Wayne’s voice got quieter.

“So what’s up?”

“I’m sorry, boy, I have bad news. It… looks like I won’t be able to afford Christmas dinner this year. We’ll have to manage without a turkey. Those stupid birds cost a fortune these days…”

You swallowed, pretending you didn’t hear them as you tightened your shoelaces.

“We’ll just… have a frozen pizza meal, Wayne, it’s alright.” It wasn’t alright, you could hear the sadness and disappointment in his voice. Eddie had told you his Christmasses as a child had never been the jolliest, it pained you all the more to hear him pretend like he wasn’t bothered by the tragic circumstances.

“You sure, boy?” Your eyes travelled to the small Christmas tree in the corner of the living room. It was barely as high as the dinner table and decorated with those cheap plastic baubles they sold at the local supermarket. Given that Eddie and Wayne lived in the trailer park, the fact they weren’t all too wealthy didn’t surprise you. But this? Christmas was only once a year, if Wayne couldn’t even afford that, things must have been incredibly tough for them right now.

“It’s a really cold winter. The heating costs are a lot higher than usual, that ate up the budget for Christmas. I’m really sorry, Eddie. We’ll still have a great night, I hope.”

“Sure we will, Wayne.”

With a silent sigh, you tore your gaze away from the sad Christmas tree and sneaked out of the house, deciding there and then you wouldn’t let Eddie and his uncle spend Christmas with frozen pizza and without presents.

-

The thing was, you were initially going to spend Christmas Eve alone anyway. You didn’t exactly know a lot of people yet except for Eddie anyway and travelling back home to your family was too pricy even for you but at least, you would treat yourself to a few new books and most importantly, Christmas dinner. So now, instead of preparing everything at home, you packed up all the ingredients and sides and wrapped yourself up to visit the Munsons.

You had even gone out to buy some last minute presents for the two of them. Needless to say, when you knocked on the door on the night of Christmas Eve, feeling like the main character in a Christmas movie, Wayne was more than surprised when he opened the door.

“Hey, Mr. Munson. Sorry to disturb you on Christmas Eve without any forewarning, um… may I come in?”

“Of course, kid. Come in before you freeze on the porch.”

He opened the door wider for you to step in, revealing Eddie sitting at the kitchen table with his copy of The Hobbit. His brown eyes lit up when he recognised you under the warm scarf and the hat, calling out your name.

“Hey, Eds.” You grinned, putting the bags you had brought on the kitchen table. “Merry Christmas to you both. I, um… okay, look, this is going to be weird but the other day I, uh… I overheard you saying that your budget was too tight for a proper Christmas dinner this year and… I truly didn’t mean to eavesdrop but I was going to spend the evening alone and… well, long story short, I brought my turkey here and I thought we could have Christmas dinner together?” You gasped for air, hoping Eddie’s uncle wouldn’t be too mad you had heard about his financial struggles. Instead, he blinked at you, unwilling to believe what had just come out of your mouth and Eddie… Eddie wrapped his arms around you and kept kissing your face until you turned into a giggling mess.

“You’re amazing!”

“That’s… I don’t know what to say, kid. Thank you.”

Eddie lifted you off your feet in the meantime, turning you both around until you started feeling dizzy. “Shit, I’m officially in love with you!” You paused, realising what he had just said. Eddie appeared equally surprised about his own words. He put you down again and for just a brief moment, you looked at each other. You cleared your throat. You’d speak about this after Christmas dinner, without Wayne in the room—even if your heartbeat sped up by two-hundred percent.

“I, um… I brought presents, too.”

Ever since the new Metallica album had come out, Eddie was raving about the special edition vinyl including instrumental versions and even a new version of an older song. The local record store had had exactly one left when you got there and for Wayne, you had bought a new toolbox because his old one was falling apart and you remembered him saying he loved building and fixing things around the house. You’d wrapped them neatly, with both their eyes widening when you pulled them out of your bag and placed them under the small Christmas tree.

“Wayne, would you take care of the turkey? Eddie and I will prepare the sides. I brought potatoes and some fresh vegetables, and I made some sauces at home to go with the meat.”

“Sounds great, kid, thank you.” Wayne got to work immediately, accepting the turkey you handed him to move to the kitchen. Eddie nudged you with his hips, pushing you forward a little. You chuckled, handing him the potatoes. He looked at them as if they’d bite him if he touched them too much.

“Let’s go, Eddie The Banished. We’re all hungry.”

“Have I mentioned you’re amazing?”

“Uh-huh. And you can tell me some more while we’re chopping up the vegetables.” The kiss he pressed to your cheek in response felt different—more affectionate and intimate than your usual hellos and goodbyes. You bit your lower lip, heating up from the inside out. Merry Christmas indeed. You should have brought some mistletoe as well.

-

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this story!

By the waaaay... I finally released my first novel! :o You can find all info about it in the Linktree in my bio! <3

Merry Christmas, everyone!

[urfavstargirl1]

I'll be Home for Christmas - an e.m. series

Part 1: Back to the Old House

Summary: Y/N dreads going back home to Hawkins for Christmas. She isn’t prepared to face her family or the ghost of her relationship with ex-bf!Eddie

Cw: angst, pining, yearning, second chance romance, mentions of smoking, cursing, mentions of alcohol, latina!fem!reader (minor cultural references), best friends to lovers, set in 1992, reader celebrates christmas, if st4 didn’t happen

Word count: 6.2k

AO3 | Spotify Playlist

a/n: taking a brief pause on chemistry series to do this mini holiday series. Inspired by the song back to the old house by the smiths (additional chapters inspired by other smiths songs to be mentioned later) here's to an angsty second chance romance christmas story with none other than eddie munson!

Part 2, Part 3

The year is 1992. It’s been years since I’ve been back. I tried ardently to avoid going back to that old house. There’s too many bad memories.

I’ve spent the last few christmases with friends or boyfriends in the city. But this is my first Christmas single and without an excuse to avoid going back home. 

Back to that old house where I’m reminded of all that went wrong. All the reasons why I wanted to leave.

There’s nothing for me in Hawkins. Not anymore. 

That’s why when I graduated high school I went off to a college on the east coast, moved on to an Ivy League law school, and set roots for my dream life as an attorney in the city. 

I would go back to Hawkins during the first few summers and during the holidays, but after a while, it all just became too unbearable.

Every time I’m back, I revert to the fragile insecure girl I used to be. I lose all sense of strength and confidence I’ve gained over the years.

But still, I make my pilgrimage. If not for me then for my family. I know they miss me and I feel a bit guilty for missing out these past few years. My parents are getting older and my younger siblings are growing up. I know I should spend time with them before it’s too late. Learned that one the hard way.

It’ll be our first Christmas since my grandfather passed away earlier this year. I know he would have wanted us to make the season bright. So I swallow my pride and go back to the old house.

I drive through those long winding roads with trees that have known my name for years. I attempt to drown out my thoughts by playing the various mixtapes I’ve been making since college, curating a taste in music much richer and vibrant than anything Hawkins me could have ever dreamed of. 

At the very least, I think younger me would like the person we’ve become. I think she would be excited to see what our life looks like now. From the things we’ve accomplished to the clothes we wear, she would love it all. 

Most of all, I think she would be proud of the courage we acquired over the years. She would love to know we’re no longer in the business of pleasing everyone but ourselves. 

But when I drive through Cornwallis or Cherry Street, it all sort of fades away and suddenly I’m seventeen again.

And when I pass all those red brick houses decorated in tinkling lights and the kids riding around on their bicycles, it gives me reprieve, if only for a moment, before I pull into the paved driveway, knowing once I open that front door, I will be back in the old house. 

Everything still looks the same, and oddly enough, it still smells the same. It’s just as loud as it always is. 

My parents, siblings, and extended family are all milling about. Some are sharing stories, others are watching the football game that the tv is perpetually tuned in to, and many are crowding the kitchen cooking or eating.

I think I can handle it all. For a moment, I convince myself that I can handle being back in this old house, if not for me then for my family. 

But then my mother passes me a slip of paper with a phone number and the name Eddie Munson written on it. She tells me he called for me earlier that afternoon.

I gulp and nod, telling her I’ll go and settle down in my room. I take my baggage up the stairs and enter the room that hasn’t changed since 1984. I place my bags and things by the foot of the bed and sit down on the edge of it. I unfurl the paper and look at the black ink letters.

Eddie Munson, now that is a name I haven’t heard in years. But truth be told, it’s one that’s lingered in the back of my mind the whole time. 

It’s a name that used to make me smile and my heart soar, but now it's a name that brings a tear to my eye or a heavy weight of grief placed directly above my heart.

Why did he even call? Should I call him back? What would I even tell him after all this time? Would it even be worth it? And why did he have to call here? 

It’s funny, some of the habits we accidentally keep from our youth. Even at age 26, I still feel the need to hide him.

There’s no reason to. The damage was already done years ago. What could my parents possibly do about it now? 

But I guess it’s true when they say old habits die hard. 

Eddie Munson is the only person in this world who has ever really truly stolen my heart. And after all this time, he never really quite gave it back. 

We met when we were fifteen. We instantly became best friends. By the time senior year rolled around, he became my first love. My first everything, well, almost.  

Dating Eddie was one of the best and hardest things I’ve ever had to do. 

He taught me about music and cars and D&D. He taught me how to have the courage to be myself. Not just the person I become to please my parents. He taught me that it was okay to embrace my dark side.

And I’d like to think I taught him a thing or two as well. I taught him how to make a proper meal for one. Something quick and easy but still nutritious enough for anyone to make. Lord knows he needed it. But I also taught him how to dream. And how to embrace his light side.

We were different in a lot of ways. But we both could be our weird unhinged selves around each other. We understood each other in a way no one else did. 

It’s been 8 years and I still don’t think I’ve ever met anybody like him.

That’s the funny thing about small towns. When you’re in them, you feel like everyone is the same. Like we were all born and raised with the same resources and experiences to become the same. 

But when you go to the city and you start to meet all these unique people with exciting lives from wildly different backgrounds, you sometimes find that no one there could ever make you feel the way the people you grew up with did. 

Sometimes, if I let myself think about it, I wonder: Would my life be better off if I’d never met a person like Eddie again?

I haven’t quite figured out the answer. Perhaps it’s futile to even think about it. To even think about him. But I can’t help myself.

Even after all the time that has passed, there’s moments where I still relive that night. The memory won’t go away no matter how hard I try.

I should have known my parents would have never approved of us. But for years, I thought I could try. 

I tried dating in secret. I tried begging and pleading. I tried it all. But in the end, it still broke me. 

After all was said and done, the possibility of remaining friends with Eddie, even in secret, lingered in our minds, but then I inevitably left for college while he went on to repeat senior year, not once but twice and things between us were never the same since. 

Perhaps we were doomed from the start, but ours felt like a star-crossed love. It’s one I never regretted and one I’ve never forgotten. 

And despite it all, now as a single 26 year old woman, with an adult job, complete and total financial independence, still feels the need to hide him from my parents. 

Oh, the things you’ll do under your parents roof. 

I look back down at the paper and let my thumb run along its worn edges.

I probably shouldn't… Reach out to him that is. I need to be here for my family. I just need to get through this and get out of here. 

I keep repeating this mantra to myself as I unpack my things and spend some more time in my room before I will go downstairs and be faced with a barrage of questions like how’s work going or how’s life in the big city or why don’t you ever come and visit more often?

Surprisingly enough, the annoying questions are a nice distraction from the thoughts that would otherwise lead me back to Eddie.

Questions like:

How is he? 

What has he been doing all these years? 

Does he still live in Hawkins?

What is he like now?

I run through all the scenarios in my head like a computer generating a report of every possible outcome of a singular action. 

It’s sort of a guilty pleasure. I shouldn’t enjoy it, but I do. I might not have the ability to find out for myself, but imagining is close enough. 

But there’s one thing I wish I was imagining: just how much I miss him. I’m ashamed to admit it, but if I let myself, I miss him so much it hurts. 

He was one of the few saving graces I had while living in this old house. And he was my first love. You can never forget someone like that. 

Away, in the city, it’s easy to keep those feelings at bay. Over there, I’ve dated for a while. I even had a serious boyfriend for a while, but it’s been almost a year since we broke up. 

Who knows? Maybe I’m not actually feeling lonely or missing Eddie. Maybe I’m just caught up in the holiday blues or something. 

I just need to get through this and get out of here. By the new year, I’ll be back in the city and back to normal. 

“Y/N, can you go to the store? We’re missing a few things,” my mom calls out from the kitchen. 

At first I reluctantly agree, hating being ordered around, but then I realize it’ll give me an excuse to get out of this old house with far too many people in it. 

I drive the quick 5 minutes to the grocery store and grab items from the list and put them into the cart. 

A part of me wonders if I might run into Eddie. 

I used to have this game with myself where I would run up points every time I ran into someone I went to high school with while I was visiting Hawkins. It was always at the grocery store or Starcourt Mall where I would rack up the most points. 

I almost expect to, but when the cashier rings me up and I pack my bags into the trunk of my car, I feel oddly defeated at having a score of zero. 

All throughout the day, I keep wondering to myself, does he still work at the record store? Does he still drive that same shitty old van? Does he still play with his band at The Hideout? Does he still live with Uncle Wayne?

I stopped being in contact with Eddie midway through undergrad. After freshman year, I had changed. Eddie knew it and I knew it too, but we tried not to let it get in the way. 

By the summer between sophomore and junior year of college, while Eddie had just graduated with zero plan for after, we knew the distance between us was growing wider. I didn’t think it would be enough to change things between us, but it inevitably proved to be so.

As time grew on, it became harder to see him. We started fighting, which we never used to do. We started resenting each other. And to top it all off, I would see in him the parts of myself that I didn’t like. And then one day, just like this old house, it became unbearable to see him.

But now, something in me is curious. I want to see him and I don’t know why, so it ends up feeling like a bad thing for wanting to see him. I don’t know how wise it would be to open up that can of worms. 

But maybe I’ll need to because the thought of him keeps me up way into the night. For a second, I almost expect to hear rocks being thrown against my window and see him outside after having climbed onto the roof, waiting for me to let him in. 

But he knew how much anxiety that gave me. I always worried he would hurt himself doing that or even worse, that my parents would catch us. And yet, I still have a strange inexplicable hope that he would do it now, despite everything. 

***

In the morning, I wake up early. I hardly slept the whole night and when I woke up, I was tired but physically unable to fall back asleep. 

I go downstairs and think about starting a pot of coffee, but no one else is up. The silence in the house is deafening, so I decide to change into some workout clothes and go for a walk to clear my head.

The snow on the ground makes me smile. Despite the remnants of precipitation, the sun is out, coating my face with warmth.

I admire the decorative snowmen, Santa Clauses, reindeer, and presents adorning everyone's lawns. 

It almost makes me happy to be back. To have a real Hawkins Christmas again.

To be surrounded by my big family with all the food and drinks of the season. Watching Christmas movies together. Singing loudly and badly to Christmas music.

Eddie always acted annoyed by Christmas music. He claimed to hate how repetitive it was. But secretly, I know he had a soft spot for a few songs. There were a few he said his mom used to like. And by nature, our relationship required him to also be obsessed with Wham!’s rendition of Last Christmas.  

Last time I was in Hawkins for Christmas was probably 1988. Once I started law school, I couldn’t afford to go back home. 

By then, it was already a few Christmases without Eddie, but now it’ll be Christmas without my grandfather too. We always spent Christmas day at my grandparent’s house. With all my aunts, uncles, and cousins. 

What will it be like now?

Being away in the city, it's sort of easy to not think about it. Out of sight out of mind right? But here, you can feel his absence. Christmas feels different without him. 

But my parents insist that the rest of our Christmas traditions carry on.

When I get back to the old house, everyone’s awake. My mom is making breakfast and my dad is setting the table while my siblings fight over the tv. 

“Did you ever call Eddie back?” My mom asks after I offer to help her set the table. 

“What?” I angrily whisper. Why is she saying it so loudly? My dad or siblings could hear!

“Your siblings are making plans to hang out with some of their friends while they’re in town. You should too.”

“Mom, I’m here to spend time with you all. No one else.”

“I know, but it doesn’t mean you can’t take any time for yourself. You deserve to have fun. ”

I have to take a deep breath otherwise I’ll turn into a boiling pot of water threatening to spill. 

What?! Where is this coming from? How did, “Boys are just a distraction, we raised you better than this!” turn into, “Please go hang out with the ex-boyfriend we persecuted you for being with as a teenager, but it’s okay because now you deserve to have fun with him”?

My inner teenager wants to scream. How is any of this fair? Why the change in heart?

I take another deep breath in and find the right words to say. I remind myself that I’m supposed to be here for my family and that now is not the time to be starting a fight.

But something about being in this old house brings it all out of me. The anger and resentment that goes away anytime I’m away from Hawkins wants to erupt out of me anytime I am here. It’s almost physically painful how much the anger courses through me.

“Don’t worry about it, mom. I’m here for family, that’s all.”

I quietly eat breakfast with my family as they recount some of the stories told by my aunts and uncles yesterday. After breakfast we all get ready and head over to my grandma’s house. We have some more family coming into town before Christmas Eve tomorrow and promised we would help her clean and decorate. 

As we pile into the ancient station wagon and drive to my grandmother’s house, I feel like I’m in a time machine, being transported to a world that hasn’t moved on since 1984. 

That’s another thing about going back to your hometown. In the city, things are constantly changing and evolving, moving toward the future. But in a place like Hawkins, you’re simply stuck in the past.

We pull up the driveway to my grandma’s house. I recognize the car belonging to my aunt and uncle parked in front. I can already hear my cousins yelling and dishes clanging.

We disperse out of the car and walk toward the front door. We’re greeted by family and enter the warm home. 

Someone’s already started cooking because it smells delicious. Have they already started making the tamales? Maybe the bunuelos too. My mouth waters at the thought.

There’s boxes of decorations scattered throughout the living room and kitchen. There’s small children running about and voices chatting all around.

We greet and hug every person under the roof before my parents start assigning duties to everyone. 

I’m assigned outdoor cleanup and decorations with my brother and my cousin Alex. 

Alex is only two years older than me and the closest cousin in age to me, but his parents lived a few towns away from Hawkins growing up, so we never really spent much time together. They moved back to Hawkins a few years ago though, but I’ve been gone for the same amount of time, so he feels more like a long lost cousin in a way.

Regardless, I’m relieved to be outside. Despite the cold. I don’t have to deal with my aunt, mom, and sister on kitchen duty. I might even be able to sneak a cigarette too. The question is could I get away with it?

My parents would be ashamed of my bad habit. They constantly chastise my uncle for doing it. But God, do I need a good shame cigarette to take the edge off right now. The smell would give me away instantly and I’m not ready for that barrage of questions and concerns. But I’ll find a way later.

My brother and I head outside first. As we wait for Alex to finish something up inside, he instantly bombards me with questions about Eddie. 

Why does mom have to be such a blabbermouth? I mean, if anything, I would rather my younger siblings know than my mom, but not all of them. 

Oh god, does my dad know too? Does he want me to look into the matter further like mom? Or is he mad at Eddie like he was back then?

Agh, this is so stupid. I’m too old to be worrying like this!

And yet, I can’t stop. Partially, because my brother continues his poking and prodding and asking if I called him back. 

The only reason I feel obligated to satisfy his curiosity is because he and my sister know a decent amount of our relationship. After all, they are the ones that helped me hide it for as long as I did.

And they even liked Eddie. Not at first, but he really grew on them by the end. I figured if Eddie could never meet my parents, he could at least meet my siblings. 

At a certain point, my brother and sister, who I guess also now knows, urge me to call Eddie and argue they won’t quit nagging till I do. 

“I can’t. And besides we’re supposed to be here for Grandma and for Mom and Dad.”

“You’ve been there for them enough. And besides, being all grumpy and forlorn about Eddie isn’t exactly making you the most fun person to be around.”

I cringe internally. Is it that obvious?

“Just give him a call. I think grandma has a phone in her room.”

I eye him curiously. If I can’t rely on anyone I can at least rely on my siblings. But still, is this even a good idea?

“No, I’m not going to call. I don’t even know why he called in the first place.”

“Y/N that’s exactly why you should call him back. See what he has to say.”

“What if I don’t want to know?”

“Well, you’ll never know if you don’t call him.”

Now I know my siblings are truly growing up because my annoying baby brother has never had anything insightful to say like that before.

Surprisingly enough, his words ring in my head for a while. 

If I did decide to call Eddie, I couldn’t do it here. I’d be way too anxious for someone to walk in on me or press an ear to the door eavesdropping. Our family is notorious for nosiness. Nothing is ever a secret.

The thought weighs on me for a while longer. If I called Eddie, what would I even say? What would he say? Maybe just hearing his voice would be enough?

I stare at the trees in my grandma’s front yard. Many are losing their leaves and those with any leaves on them have become a faded yellow brown. I take a step onto the lawn and hear the fallen brown leaves crunching under my feet.

“Sorry for the wait, our dad’s kept arguing about whether or not to put up Frosty,” Alex says as he walks from the opened garage door with the 7 ft tall snowman figurine.

“He’s an icon! You have to put up Frosty, how is that even an argument,” I say playfully.

“That’s what I’m saying,” Alex agrees.

“Alex, please convince my sister that she should call her ex-boyfriend back.”

Alex quirks an eyebrow at my brother as my eyes bug out of my head and I smack him on the arm.

“Shut the fuck up!” I hiss and he laughs.

“Don’t worry about it Alex, he’s just joking.”

“I don’t think he was,” Alex teases.

I sigh in exasperation and run a palm along my face. 

“Forget about it. Let’s just put up this stupid snowman,” I grumble and walk toward the figurine.

“Ah, ah, ah,” my brother shakes his head and steps in. “Let the men carry it.”

I roll my eyes at the comment. My brother knows I’m perfectly capable of helping, but I guess I’ll let misogyny work in my favor today and avoid having to lift a finger.

But mainly, I let it slide because I know he doesn’t say it in a demeaning way. Alex is one of our few male cousins and growing up in a house full of sisters, I know he’s started to see Alex like the brother he never had.

We move on to rake the leaves and set up some other decorations, but at a certain point when it’s just me and Alex, he presses me on the subject.

“So what’s this about calling your ex?” Alex says in amusement 

“It’s nothing,” I shrug. Not only do I not want my parents or siblings to worry about this, I don’t want anyone else to even know about this.

“It’s not just nothing, Y/N’s been all moody and depressed because of him,” my brother barges in from the garage.

“I am not moody and depressed.”

“Tell that to the Black Sabbath you were playing in your room last night. I could hear it all the way down the hall. You only ever play that stuff when you’re sad.”

I glare daggers at my brother as Alex laughs in front of us.

“So what’s got you all worked up Y/N,” Alex asks in a jovial tone.

“It’s honestly nothing. Everyone’s just overreacting.”

“Y/N, Eddie called the house phone. That’s major”

“Shh, someone could hear you.”

“Like Eddie,” my brother goofily teases.

“No, like mom and dad or grandma or anyone else in that house.”

“Y/N you already know it’s loud as hell in there. They’re not gonna hear shit outside,” Alex says jovially.

I reluctantly shrug.

“And besides, Eddie’s dying to hear from you. He won’t shut up about it,” Alex offhandedly comments

I drop what’s in my hand and glare at him. “What?”

Alex shrugs, “What?”

“What did you just say,” I ask, squinting my eyes at him.

“Eddie won’t shut–”

I shake my head. “No, I know. I meant, you know Eddie? How? I mean I know this town is small and all–”

“Y/N Hawkins is small but it's not that small. You know that. And yeah I know Eddie. We work together.”

“Eddie… You work… with Eddie?”

“Yeah at the garage. He started around the same time I did.”

I knew Alex started working at one of the mechanic shops in town when they moved to Hawkins but genuinely didn’t think much of it.

“No fucking way,” I whisper. 

I start blinking and zoning out, imagining Eddie working as a mechanic. 

Eddie’s a mechanic? How does he like it? Does he wear those blue coveralls? Does he ever get grease on his forehead? Does he–

“Y/N!” someone calls out my name and I look up.

“Earth to Y/N,” Alex amusedly says and waves a hand in front of my face.

“I can’t believe you work with my–”

Ex-boyfriend? Ex-best friend? Ex-love of my life? 

“Believe me, I was surprised to find out too. I love that kid. I almost thought I was hallucinating when I learned that you, the one who brought textbooks to Thanksgiving or always wanted to see the new Star Wars movie, could pull a guy like him. Or that a metal ass guy like him could pull a dorky chick like you. But anyways, I’m sorry to hear it didn’t work out between the two of you. He talks about you sometimes, and I can tell you meant a lot to him.”

I’m floored. I don’t even know what to say. Somehow I’ve just received an ego boost and depressing information all in one go.

“Um thanks. I just,” I turn over my shoulder and make sure it’s just us, “Please don’t bring it up in front of my parents.”

“Your parents? Why would they care?”

“Because when mom and dad found out they were dating, they practically ran Eddie out of town.” My brother answers for me.

I run a hand over my face. 

“Damn girl, sneaking off with the bad boy huh? I never would have guessed.”

I laugh at the ridiculousness of his statement. Before I can even respond, my mom jumps out of the front door with a piece of paper in her hands. “Kids, I need you to go to the store and pick up a few things. We’re already running out of ingredients. Alex, your dad said to take his car.”

My brother and Alex look at each other deviously. “No worries, we’ll be right back.”

Alex grabs the paper and keys my mom hands him and he smirks right past me. 

“What’s going on?” I ask as I follow him and my brother to the car. My brother’s making a beeline to the passenger seat but I beat him to the punch. 

“Oldest siblings sit in the front,” I declare. He flips me off but I ignore it.

Alex turns on the ignition and pulls out of the neighborhood.

“They have a payphone at the grocery store right?” Alex asks as we’re already in motion, only a few minutes away.

“Why yes Alex I think they do,” my brother theatrically responds.

“And lookie here, a whole sleeve of quarters in the center console, just for you Y/N,” Alex sarcastically says.

“Knock it off,” I swat at his arm. “And focus on the road.”

“No need to worry cousin. It’s not like we get any of that big city traffic in our tiny cow town of Hawkins.”

I roll my eyes. The few times I have seen Alex at family gatherings, he always teases me for looking down on Hawkins, but if he ever made it out of here, he would totally understand.

“I’m not doing it,” I say confidently as Alex finds a spot in the parking lot. 

“You so are,” Alex and my brother say in unison.

“And what if I don’t,” I cross my arms and huff as he puts the gear in park.

“Y/N we’re calling him.”

“I don’t even have his number,” I lie. It’s a different number than the one he had at Wayne’s though. I guess 552-6739 is just Wayne’s number now.

“Yes you do, mom gave it to you.”

“I lost it.”

“Doesn’t matter, I have it memorized,” Alex says as he unbuckles his seat belt and opens the car door.

My brother and I follow suit. We join him as he walks briskly toward the store entrance. I try to focus on the person jingling a bell in a Santa suit by the entrance. Or the smell of fresh balsam Christmas trees and cinnamon scented pine cones by the main doors to distract from the anxiety building up in my stomach.

“But we’re here to pick up the ingredients our moms need to–”

Alex stops in his tracks and turns toward me. “Y/N, stop making excuses. Obviously we’re gonna get the things they need. But we also have time to make a quick phone call. If you don’t do this now, when will you?”

I jerk my head back in shock. I’ve never seen this side of Alex. And I hate to admit it, but he’s right. 

If, for some reason, I actually did go forth with the idea of calling Eddie, I would probably try to do it in a private place away from my family. And wait till the dead of night when everyone’s asleep. But by that point, would I even have the gall to go through with it?

Right now is probably the only time I'll actually be able to call him the way I want to. TThe opportunity has presented itself, but will I be brave enough to take it?

“Alex, I-I don’t know if I can do this.”

Alex marches up to the payphone by the store’s entrance and looks at me. “Look, I only say this because I know you and I know Eddie. You’re both good people and you’re both obviously still stuck on this. I’m not saying a single phone call will solve all your problems but it’s not gonna kill you either.”

“What if it does?” I nervously and jokingly ask.

“Maybe you should’ve tried being an actor instead of a lawyer. Living in the city long enough has made you so dramatic.”

“Fuck off,” I sneer. I look at the phone booth before me and gulp.

“Just see what he has to say. Then you can decide whether or not it’s worth a second chance.”

I nod. A second chance at what exactly? I don’t know. But I guess I’m about to find out. I pull the small folded up piece of paper out of my pocket. I unravel it to see Eddie’s name and phone number. I can feel Alex and my brother smiling at each other.

“Shut up,” I grumble.

“Didn’t even say anything,” Alex replies. I can hear him stifling a laugh in his voice.

I take a deep breath and let my fingers hover over the keypad. It’s just a phone call. It’s not an end all be all anything. Just one simple–

“Just dial the damn number,” my brother and Alex yell in unison. 

I shudder and nervously laugh. I slowly press my fingers to the keypad and dial. I breathe in deeply.

The phone rings for a few seconds, making my heart race faster and faster till I hear a sleepy voice say, “Hello?”

I open my mouth to say something, but nothing comes out.

“Hello? Is anyone there?”

“E-Eddie.” I choke. “I-It’s me.”

And then he says my name. My heart melts instantly. It’s been years since I’ve heard a sound so sweet. Shamefully enough, I can feel a tear forming in my eye.

“Yeah.”

“Hey sweetheart, how are you?”

How am I? Edward Munson, why the hell did you call me after all these years?

“I-I’m good,” I nervously look to Alex before facing the payphone again. “I’m in town a-and, my mom told me you called?”

“Oh yeah. Even after all these years, I nearly shit my pants when I heard her voice.”

I laugh because I can only imagine. Eddie’s not afraid of anyone, but after what went down when my parents caught us, I guess I wasn’t the only one who got spooked for a lifetime.

“But uh, your cousin told me you were gonna be home for the holidays.”

“So I’ve heard. Alex here didn’t even have the heart to tell me he knew you. Only in Hawkins though, I guess. I’m sorry you have to work with your ex’s cousin.”

“Don’t be. Alex is a cool dude who’s like the big brother I never had. It just so happens he’s related to the girl who stole my heart way back when.”

I muster half a chuckle. He talks just like he used to, but there’s a newfound maturity in his words I’m surprised to find.

I also smile at the fact that my cousin has been that kind of person for Eddie. Initially, it weirded me out that they were friends, but I know Eddie always wished he’d had an older brother. He wanted it so bad he became that for the younger boys at Hawkins High. I’m glad he has Alex in his life.

“I know you don’t come to town that often and I wanted to see you.”

“What? See me?”

“Yeah, a couple of us are gonna go out tonight. There’s a big Christmas thing going on at the Hideout–”

“The Hideout?! God, I haven’t heard that name in years.”

Eddie chuckles. “Alright hot shot.”

“Are you still playing?”

He pauses for a moment, before he says with confidence dripping in his voice, “Come see for yourself.”

I find myself smiling at the ground, like an idiot. It’s like no time has passed between us at all. Like none of those bad things ever happened. But they did. Things are supposed to be weird between us. Why is it so easy to talk to him on the phone like this? Like it was just yesterday that he cycled by and began all my dreams.

“Um,” I bite my lip, “I don’t know. My family’s been really busy prepping for the holidays. Lots to decorate and cook and all that stuff. You know?”

“Oh,” He clears his throat, “Yeah, totally. But, um, if you change your mind, it’s tonight at 9:00. Alex said he was coming so maybe you could join him.”

I rapidly turn around to glare at Alex but he and my brother are nowhere to be seen. 

“What the fuck,” I mutter.

“What?” Eddie asks.

“Oh, nothing. Um, you were saying?”

“Oh, um, yeah just that we’ll be at the Hideout at 9:00 tonight. They have this whole ugly Christmas sweater contest thing going on and themed drinks. They really go the whole nine yards around the holidays.”

“Oh, that’s um, kinda cool. A bit surprising for the alleged shithole you used to call it.”

“It’s gotten better over the years,” Eddie replies nonchalantly, but I can hear the subtle nervousness in his voice.

“I see,” I respond. I don’t mean to sound so cold, but he’s really putting me on the spot here.

“Yeah, some of my friends’ll be there too. One is in town from New York, just like you.”

“Oh,” I say.

“It’ll be fun. I, uh, I really hope you can come.”

“I, um, I’ll see.” Is all I can manage to say.

“Sure thing. I, uh, I guess I’ll let you go now.”

“Oh,” I say, rather dejectedly. “Um, okay.”

“Goodbye Y/N,” he says.

“Bye,” I whisper as I slowly go to hang up the phone.

I’m stuck inside my head for a moment, replaying what just happened. But when realization hits me that Alex, my cousin, is the key to my way back in with Eddie, I eagerly zip through the store trying to find him.

[deadcactuswalking]

REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 13/01/2023 (Liam Gallagher/John Squire, Lewis Capaldi, Bring Me the Horizon)

Welp, Noah Kahan’s back at #1 with “Stick Season” for a second consecutive week - kinda surprised this is the hit song we start off the year with but alas, welcome back to REVIEWING THE CHARTS!

Rundown

Now this is the kind of balls-to-the-wall week I expect from early January, and we’ll get to that, but as always, we start with our notable dropouts, songs exiting the UK Top 75 after five weeks in the region or a peak in the top 40. This week, we say farewell to “ten” by Fred again.. and Jozzy, “Take on Me” by a-ha, “(It Goes Like) Nanana” by Peggy Gou, “Everywhere” by Fleetwood Mac, “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)” by Whitney Houston, “Giving Me” by Jazzy, “Miracle” by Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding, "Escapism." by RAYE featuring 070 Shake and "As it Was" by Harry Styles.

Now as for songs still showing up on the charts, we have our notable gains, and given January actually has a lot of stuff going on pop music wise, I’m not entirely sure how well these will maintain their momentum but regardless, we do see boosts for… “When We Were Young (The Logical Song)” by David Guetta and Kim Petras at #53, “Riptide” by Vance Joy at #49 - oh, this is dire. Noah Kahan’s good, sure, but it really does not mean we need to stomp and holler our way back to 2014. Sigh, elsewhere, at least we have “Never Lose Me” by Flo Milli at #41, but also “Toxic” by Songer at #39 - God, let’s not do this, please - “Perfect (Exceeder)” by Mason and Princess Superstar at #26, “Feather” by Sabrina Carpenter at #19, “Popular” by The Weeknd, Playboi Carti and Madonna getting a second wind at #11 and finally, Teddy Swims with his first top 10 as “Lose Control” rises to #6, not really complaining about that one.

In addition, we see another film-related return with Natasha Bedingfield’s “Unwritten” finding use in this romcom Anyone but You which no, I haven’t watched and unlike Saltburn, probably won’t. Regardless, the song debuted and peaked at #6 in 2004 the week that “Do They Know it’s Christmas?” by Band Aid 20 debuted at the top of the charts, and it’s now back at #24. I’m a lot less fond of this one, but it’s mostly fine, I’m more exhausted by how 2024 seems to be going even harder in just reviving catalogue songs instead of having new hits.

As for our top five, it seems pretty standard with “greedy” by Tate McRae at #5, “Prada” by casso, RAYE and D-Block Europe at #4 and “Lovin’ on Me” at #3, but then we have Sophie Ellis-Bextor reaching the same peak she reached back at release with “Murder on the Dancefloor” at #2. I don’t really get why the scene in the film, which whilst memorable, is hardly a worthwhile payoff to that shitfest, but I digress, is what propelled this but I almost think it was just sitting there, ready for any excuse to start skirting up the Spotify charts. Oh, and Noah Kahan’s at #1, of course, let’s check out what’s new, because there’s actually more here than last week… and it’s a bit more interesting… Hell, it’s actually pretty incomprehensible this week, so let’s just find some kind of through line, and we start with a certainty that is oddly comforting nowadays…

New Arrivals

#72 - “Skims” - D-Block Europe

Produced by THESCAM and Hash-K

Ah, my good old friends Young Adz and Dirtbike Lb. It’s even produced by… “THESCAM”, wow, I guess it says gullible on the ceiling of your mansion, guys. They released a mixtape or album or whatever and this is a single from it - yes, we’re getting back to back DBE weeks - and it’s just terrible as you’d expect. The tuned-out piano is almost plugg-esque, and surprisingly enough, Dirtbike Lb handles much of this, talking about women mostly as well as a lot of flexing, and whilst he can’t make a catchy hook to save his life, I like Dirtbike’s voice here, he sounds more… stable than usual, and the drums actually hit fairly hard through the whole song. On an objective level, if there is one, this is one of their most competent lead singles until Young Adz comes in with “Presidential, Emmanuel Macron”. That’s the French President. That’s just the French President, you can’t just say the French President. That’s not a bar. He’s mixed too loud and brags about paying with crypto and giving a girl so much money that she… can’t tax evade anymore. Sure. Good to have you back, guys.

#71 - “Nothing Matters” - The Last Dinner Party

Produced by James Ellis Ford

Alright, we have our first of many sleeper hits to debut this week, but this is actually one of the newer ones, being released just early last year. This is the debut single for all-female indie rock band The Last Dinner Party, hailing from London and getting James Ellis Ford, who’s produced for a who’s who of British alternative acts and Kylie Minogue, to work on their debut album coming out in February. We start with an organ, which is almost ironically religious for this kind of song, as lead singer Abigail Morris, through her very British delivery, pretty much condemns herself prematurely for what she’s about to say, “I have my sentence now”, it seems final and self-loathing for what is pretty much a newfound love song, where her partner is struggling to move on but it’s a complete rush for Morris, who seems to hold a lot of power. They can hold her like they held their last girlfriend, but what she’s going to do is fuck you so good that none of that matters, and yeah, this is brilliant. There’s such a bending character to Morris’ vocals, I love the flailing yacht rock guitars in the verses that end up picking up into an incredibly catchy bass groove peppered by the claps in the basic yet anthemic chorus that doesn’t change because, well, it doesn’t change like much will change at this point. To her, there’s not a third person that matters, or at least there’s not a third opinion she values more than getting off on their misunderstanding, and then that staccato bridge explodes into a great squealing guitar solo that ends up seamlessly mirroring the plastic horns that appear in the back of the - admittedly maybe a bit too compressed - mix for that final chorus, where we get a switch up in the rhythm and some impressive vocal runs from Morris.

#59 - “A Cure for Minds Overall” - Lewis Capaldi

Produced by TMS

…Can I use my free Get Out of Reviewing a Lewis Capaldi Song card? Oh, there are two Lewis Capaldi songs both from his deluxe edition? Sigh… well, I guess I’ll use these for another time. Well, for now, I can say that’s an ugly Britpop guitar tone that easily sounds like it could be a MIDI guitar just playing the same chord again and again, and like all of the songs from this album, Capaldi’s voice is mixed bizarrely, and really close, which could help the song’s intimacy, and mostly does, especially given it’s just as self-loathing and wordy as the others, and it goes for the same explosion of strings and belting as the others for the chorus… but God, it’s so tedious. I actually don’t mind the strings, the lyrics are pretty great, but this mix is such a blur of nothingness and the guitar just doesn’t stop. There are supposedly drums in this but they’re so unimpactful and shrouded by the terrible blending of the strings that it just sounds like a guy arguing with clouds and losing… which may actually be what he’s going for, in all honesty. I suppose it works?

#52 - “Ophelia” - The Lumineers

Produced by Simone Felice

…Why? Okay, so this is a sleeper hit from folk rock group The Lumineers and like I said, we’re stomp and hollering our way back to the days of “Ho Hey” as somehow, “Ophelia”, despite releasing in 2015 and being a minor hit Stateside, had never crossed over to the UK. This is really not my thing, even if I know that it’s really not a bad song. The reverb envelops the mix in a cinematic if slightly cheap, commercial-sounding way, and Wesley Schultz is far from a bad singer, his feature on my favourite song of last year kind of proved that I like his voice way more than I should. The jaunty hook is catchy if a tad unmemorable, carried by the gimmicky piano frolick that I’ve never liked, and you can hear he’s straining a bit in the third verse, out of a slight frustration but not a specific one. This song has always felt like vague-posting about a relationship to me and not in a very effective way because there’s little poetic about this song. I’m sorry, I don’t dislike these guys, I’m just not big on this one at all. I get why it’s going to probably be a hit now, I’m not really happy about it.

#37 - “Strangers” - Lewis Capaldi

Produced by The Monsters & Strangerz and Michael Pollack

Okay, our second effort from Mr. Capaldi here… he references “Wonderwall” within 10 seconds, and that’s not the last time we’ll be talking about Oasis, it’s one of those weeks. Anyway, this is just awkward: Lewis isn’t really fit for the fast-paced melody he uses given his frail, froggy voice, and there’s not much to cover that up given the minimal piano and strings backing. I genuinely think this could be a great song if just put against some real rock guitar and groove, it has an insanely catchy lead melody in the chorus that would rip in a pop rock context, but here we just have adult contemporary mush about a breakup… has this guy had 47 breakups or is he just talking about the same one each time? I mean, I guess it’s better than the last one because the mix sounds slightly more professional, but there’s not exactly much to latch onto here either.

#27 - “Practice” - Drake

Produced by 40 and Drake

This is a deep cut from 2011’s Take Care. What the Hell is going on?! To be fair, it’s still Drake, but it’s not even a song he’s pushing or got any kind of boost outside of a TikTok trend and, well, it fits the climate of pop music right now at least, since it samples the bounce classic “Back that Azz Up” by JUVENILE featuring Mannie Fresh, who also produced one of the most recognisable beats of all time, and a young Lil Wayne on the bridge. The Weeknd says he wrote the hook but it’s word for word from “Back that Azz Up” so not really sure what he’s going on about there. The explicit yet undeniable club jam actually never charted in the UK, but hey, now we have Drake singing it to yet another stripper he’s in love with. As for that version, I’ve never been a fan of this era of Drake, where he takes himself uber-seriously, can barely sing and is pathetic in a murkier way that just bothers me more than it allows me to laugh at him, especially when he just… recites the chorus to “Back that Azz Up” over a cloudy alternative R&B beat, and a lot of Juvie’s first for that matter. Outside of the drums, which sound straight from 2011, this isn’t exactly a beat too far from what Drake is putting out right now - he’d probably add a female vocal sample and 21 Savage guest verse if he were to make it today - so I suppose I guess why it’s here, but I can get this vibe done much more compellingly from early Weeknd, I see little value in this, or really the album as a whole in 2024, other than constructing the guy’s wounded armour in the public eye. I do hear people say they want the old Drake, so I guess the fans just put their streams where their mouths were.

#21 - “Kool-Aid” - Bring Me the Horizon

Produced by Zakk Cervini, Oli Sykes and Dan Lancaster

This cover art looks like an edgy AI prompt for “Kool-Aid Man digital art”. The Horizon boys have released many a single from this upcoming album, and I’m actually less excited with each one I hear, so I’m cautious here, especially given… well, it’s called “Kool-Aid”. Welp, is this an “Oh Yeah!” moment? No, not at all. This is an “Oh no” at best, and maybe that’s giving it too much credit. I do like the build-up with the shuttering synths and two-clap drop in the intro, but the rest of the song spends so much of its runtime in muddy breakdown mode that it just fails to function in any other way, despite going for screaming breakdowns afterwards as if the song had any momentum in the first place, with Oli Sykes going on about drinking the Kool-Aid and, man, I don’t think the social commentary is that interesting or up to date, and the violent relationship analogies aren’t nearly as transgressive as he thinks they are. The haunting backing vocals from Lucy Landry in the bridge are pretty sick, but they once again find themselves in a song that REALLY wants you to convince you on something, but never really tells you what that something is. They go all out with every Bring Me the Horizon trick in the book for the final chorus and it just seems desperate. I’ll pass on this, I hope there’s more to the deep cuts.

#16 - “Just Another Rainbow” - Liam Gallagher and John Squire

Produced by Greg Kurstin

This was headed for #1 on Sunday, really. Now at a much more reasonable spot but still higher than Liam Gallagher should be in 2024, this is the lead single from a collaborative album between Mr. Gallagher and John Squire, who used to be the guitarist for The Stone Roses, an influential and for what they were, incredibly popular rock band from the Madchester scene in the late 80s and early 90s. They actually released two top 40 comeback singles in 2016, to which Squire contributed, but have otherwise been largely inactive, with this being his first top 40 hit to his own name, with Squire making a guest appearance at Gallagher’s recent Knebworth performances in tribute to him guest starring at Oasis’ classic 1996 concert there, which I guess rekindled something in the duo. Is this slice of 90s alt-rock nostalgia going to be any good? You know what? Probably not, but on this week I’ll take it. Liam’s voice is still grating but that psychedelic guitar lick is pretty washed-out and cool, and I think the way the mirroring bass is mixed against it makes it sound pretty interesting instrumentally. It sounds lost and uncertain, finding itself only when the drums come in and it turns into a bit of a bluesy rocker that is just solid. There’s little to complain about other than Liam’s voice just being an acquired taste, as the song just slides itself to and fro, with some lyrics where he literally just lists the colours of the rainbow at some point, it’s kind of silly. I don’t see this lasting even a second week and it’s of course not the best of the rock songs of this week, even if it has the coolest solo of all of them: it feels really dynamic and kind of goes on forever in a soaring linger. If anything is proven by this song, I mean, John Squire still has it after all those years just painting away. That’s good to know.

Conclusion

Best of the Week should be pretty obvious, it’s going to The Last Dinner Party for “Nothing Matters”, which is actually fantastic and almost shocked me since I don’t expect much to stand out from the charting remains of indie landfill. Speaking of, I mean I guess it’s typical that another rock song gets the Honourable Mention, but no one was really competing with “Just Another Rainbow” by Liam Gallagher and John Squire, since the rest of this week really was kind of garbage. I actually think Bring Me the Horizon, who I do like around half of the time, snab Worst of the Week for “Kool-Aid”, which I feel second-hand embarrassment for. The Dishonourable Mention… give it to Lewis Capaldi. Moreso for the first one, but it’s not like “Strangers” is saving that sinking ship. As for what’s on the horizon, no pun intended, we’ll probably Ari and Lil Nas X playing an incredibly unbalanced game of tug-of-war for the #1. Thank you for reading and I’ll see you next week!

[stilessderek]

My Road To Becoming A Stay

According to my YT this date a year ago (7th of April 2022) marks the 1st anniversary of me first time watching anything Stray Kids. It all started with ODDINARY Main Trailer, however, it didn't make me a Stay just yet. Due to this day being a day that started my journey to finding Stray Kids and them changing my life, I decided to create a post showing my journey and lists of favorites. As you can probably see, I can’t decided on favorite songs as they have SO MANY GOOD ONES! First encounter: ODDINARY Main Trailer (thought it was BL (boys love) trailer with Felix and Hyunjin as main leads first. When I realized it was kpop I lost interested as I thought the music style wasn’t for me). Based on my YT log, I watched the trailer the 6th of April 2022. First song I heard: Maniac (kept showing up after I had seen ODDINARY trailer and eventually gave in and watched it). Song that made me a repeat listener: I watched Circus on the 12th of June 2022, along with Your Eyes that day but it wasn’t until 17th of June 2022 (according to my YT log) when I ended up listening to Neverending Story and Venom on the 28th of June 2022 (according to my YT log) that I became a Stay. First bias: Felix and Hyunjin. First ship: (I’m a shipper, I can’t help it) Hyunlix. Music videos that made me watch them over and over: (this is when I realized that I actually enjoyed listening to the music) Venom, Circus, Thunderous, God’s Menu, Back Door and Maniac. Before I knew it I was listening and watching (YouTube/TikTok) them all the time. Current bias: Felix, Hyunjin, Bang Chan, Lee Know, (that isn’t to say I don’t love Changbin, I.N, Han and Seungmin; each have something I like but those four above just makes my heart flutter a LITTLE bit more. Though I have to be honest that Han is taking up space in my mind more and more....).  Current ship: Hyunlix (the more I see of them, the more I love them; they’ve become my comfort (friend)ship), but I also really adore Chanlix. Stray Kids became my comfort place. I adore watching their chaotic videos and their music is amazing. It’s the first thing I do when I wake up. Stray Kids makes Stay stay. List of favorite songs: 1) Neverending Story (Tie) 1) Behind The Light (Tie) 2) Venom 3) Slump 4) Easy 5) Hellevator  5) Taste (Tie) 6) 24 to 25 (Tie) 6) Get Cool (Tie) 6) Lonely St. 7) Waiting For Us (Tie) 7) Red Lights (Tie) 7) The View (Tie) 8) Gone Days (Tie) 8) Circus (Tie) 8) Thunderous (Tie) 9) God's Menu 9) Back Door (Tie) 10) Maniac (Tie) 11) Charmer (Tie) 11) Domino (Tie) 11) Christmas EveL (Tie) 11) Wolfgang (Tie) 12) Scars (Tie) 12) Sorry, I Love You (Tie) 13) LoveStay  14) Secret Secret 15) Grow Up Honorable mentions: You Can Stay, Double Knot, Mixtape: Oh, My Universe, Placebo, Gone Away, Blueprint, Voices, I am YOU, Levanter, Victory Song, Here Always, HEYDAY, District 9, 3RACHA, Chill, Surfing, Ex, Wow, Airplane, Astronaut, SSick, Hello Stranger, B Me, There, Novel, Lost Me, DLMLU, Case 143 Favorite SKZ-REPLAY Songs: Deep End, Limbo, Love Untold, i hate to admit, Alien, Wish You Back, Up All Night, Drive, HaPpY, ice.cream, Piece of a Puzzle, Because, Zone, Streetlight (this is in order)

[hyunlore]

ur my fellow hyunjin lover, how can i not send u any hyunjin content i find 🥺 we get to scream over him together hehe

my day was okay ! it's really cold and windy today, but it snowed in the morning tho which was fun. i worked as well which thankfully kept me busy ! r u excited for xmas ? also i must ask... do u have any favourite skz songs 👀

ABSO-FUCKING-LUTELY !!! we must the be the ones who scream the Loudest over him 😌

i hope you can stay warm!! it’s getting into summer where i live so we have the aircon on some nights lol. ugh work truly passes the time fr. i’ve been working nonstop since the start of dec so christmas has snuck up on me tbh 😭 i’m SOSO excited for xmas mainly bc i’ve been working so i’ve had money to spend on presents for people this year. while i answer your question, i’ll ask another lol. who are your biases?

FAV SKZ SONGS WHERE DO I START MY FRIEND. the first one that comes to mind is tmt. it reminds me of the house i was living in when it came out lol. second is 19. man this song means so much to me. jisung’s writing just sits so heavy with me (i’m about to turn 19) and it’s what ignited my interest and appreciation for music production. i think it’s a beautiful song and one i listen to it all the time. third would be #LoveSTAY. i cried the first time i listened to it and there’s just something about it that makes my heart feel content and safe yk. (tbh all the tracks from their skz replay are just so beautiful i adore them all) okay now all the rest are firmly in fourth as i cannot live without any of them and can’t bare to rank any lower. in no order btw!! also there’s like a million more but these are just a few with special memories tied to them 💗

i am you, 0325, iam album intros, miroh, entrance, chronosaurus, INSOMNIA!, m.i.a, phobia, airplane, blueprint, any, chill, taste, the view, silent cry, star lost, i see(j.one), RUNNERS HIGH, muddy water, school life, glow, 3rd eye, circus, fairytale, call, scars, gods menu, back door, wow, wow(3racha), mixtape oh, for you, MIXTAPE ON TRACK!, double knot, gone days, my pace, awkward silence, hellevator, spread my wings, get cool ( first skz song i heard ), side effects, levanter, top. slump, n/s.

my special mention would be hero’s soup! it was a comfort song since it was released and i’m so sad they haven’t re-recorded it but i still love listening to it occasionally!

[monkberryfields]

omg a beatles advent calendar sounds like so much fun!!! now it’s got me thinking about what other bands there might be advent calendars for…….

It’s so hard to pick individual songs, so I’m going to go super vague: in general, I prefer their later work and especially songs that are more upbeat. although as one-off songs I tend to really like ones that remind me of my dad. when I listen to drive my car, do you wanna know a secret, birthday, & i am the walrus it makes me think of him singing those songs :) a couple months ago I made a bedtime playlist, which includes across the universe, and a morning playlist, which includes here comes the sun, good morning good morning, and good day sunshine, so I’ve been listening to all of those most often :D in terms of albums, I think a hard day’s night holds an extra special place for me bc one of my best friends was obsessed with the beatles as a kid and she gave me that album on cd for my birthday when we were in 4th grade and I used to listen to it over and over again. it’s still definitely the album I know the best

the other day, I heard an interview with Twiggy on the radio and I thought you’d enjoy this story she told! Paul was driving her and Linda to someone’s house in Liverpool for a New Year’s Eve party, but he had gotten totally lost (lmao) bc the one-way roads or something had all changed since he had last been there. so they pull up outside a pub as a drunk guy is walking out and Paul tries to ask the guy for directions, but the guy, very drunk, recognizes Paul, falls to his knees, and starts yelling “it’s Paul fucking McCartney!” over and over again, after which some others start to swarm out of the pub and Paul drives off. so they pull up to some lady walking and ask her for directions, and she says “actually I’m going that way too, could you give me a ride?” So she gets in the car and directs Paul where to go, totally chill, and Paul Linda and Twiggy all think she’s got no clue who they are the entire time until they drop her off where she’s going and she admits that she recognized all of them, and Paul gives her a kiss ♡ it was a nice little anecdote to listen to while I drove home, and I thought you’d get a kick out of it too lol

I hope your week is going well so far!! Much love!! -🦋

Hello! Yes, my week is going well so far!! I'm nearly done with my semester, although I have a 20-page research paper to do by next week so.....*screaming* I'll get it done it's FINE!!

I found out stuff about the Beatles advent calendar!! I finally found out where it was from but it's like $150 (cue me screaming "hell no!"). I've only done one advent calendar in my entire life and it was a Build-a-Bear one and you could dress up little bears. Was very fun, and given to me after Christmas so I opened it up in one day! Loved it.

Also, that's sweet you have connections to the songs through your family. When I really got into the Beatles, my mom showed me Do You Want to Know a Secret? as one of her favorite songs! And the way I really found the Beatles was through one of my dad's mixtapes. Plus, I love the idea of a bedtime/good morning playlist like that! That's so neat! I have playlists dedicated to specific moments of the year or stories I want to write. One I'm really proud of is a playlist dedicated to the weird in-between season of late fall and early winter. I love that playlist so much. I used to last year make monthly playlists where I would have a few songs I would be listening to for that month. Maybe I should do those again...

That story is very sweet!! I always love hearing stories about Paul/Linda from people who have met them or have known them for a long time. I like the nice insight it gives and I might have to go hunt down that Twiggy interview. I'm trying to think of any stories I might know off the top of my head in return, but I'm unfortunately coming up blank.

I have, however, gotten a few Beatles books for Christmas and I'm so excited to read them! I got the Mal book and a Linda McCartney biography so I am going to wait patiently for Christmas to come so I can read them. I'm trying to read as many books as I can to hit a reading goal before the end of the year. I've read 11/15 books so I only need a few more!! I listened to the Britney Spears memoir recently and I was blown away. I absolutely loved it! Do you have a reading goal, or are you someone who doesn't read very much? I don't read as much as I used to but having a reading goal allows me to try to get back into reading. Grad school gets in the way, too.

Okay! I hope you're having a good day/week so far and I'll leave you with a question: If you could travel back in time, where would you go to and why?

[sailoryooons]

you already know my answer for most of these because i’m insane BUT let me add to some of them:

3. F*ck Chrimast!Yoongi had me in a puddle of fluff, I mean he makes toys for the kids and furnitures for the elderly AND listens to my christmas king Michael Buble, MAAM IMMA NEED YOU TO TAKE 💳 MY 💳 MONEY 💳 !!!

6. As you know, my memory is shit but I will never EVER forget Taehyung feeding the fishes in the lake with Jimin’s gluten free bread (speaking of, it might be time for my bi annual reread, see #12 also 🤓)

11. I can’t wait to see you write other members next year, especially Namjoon because you know I’m a whore™️ (even tho I will miss my green flag yoongis)

13. « I’m sorry for being the annoying person that can’t shut up about my fav fics, but were you looking to read a brother’s best friend AU??? »

OK THE MELATONIN IS ABOUT TO KICK IN, LOVE YOU BYEBYE 🩷🩷🩷

DOIFHSOFUAEOISJGROIJ HI I ALREADY KNOW ALL THESE ARE GONNA BE MIXTAPE BUT ITS FINE I LOVE YOU ANYWAY

3. Wait its NOT MIXTAPE? HOLD THE PHONE ALERT THE MEDIA MEGGIE IS TALKING ABOUT NOT MIXTAPE YOONGI SOMEONE HAS TO TELL HIM! Okay but no I think F*ck Christmas Yoongi is actually my favorite ever. I really wrote my Ideal Boyfriend and have zero regrets about it.

6. LMFAO LITERALLY. "Why are you feeding the fish?" "Fish are friends." Ten minutes later. "TAEHYUNG THAT BETTER NOT BE THE ONLY GLUTEN-FREE BREAD IN THE HOUSE" slkjfoijgsoifjaeoifjoij I don't know what possessed me to write that, honestly.

11 I am about to give you so many Namjoon's you're going to be NAMDRUNK. I'm going to shove him down everyone's throat thank you for asking.

13 ifdsoigsoijgigjoigjeoieijij not the Mixtape promotion. Literally I should hire you as my publicst ngl. I love you okay okay okay okay bye ily bye

Come play the reverse ask game

[reinabeestudio]

That Obyn post got more love than I expected, so I’ve decided to share all information I got related to him. But that’d make it a short post, so I’m sharing my other favorite Heroes as well (Quincy, Benji and Captain Churchill)💌

I wrote down everything I could find, but I might have missed stuff or got something wrong. And don’t take these too seriously, this is something I did for myself. Nothing is set in stone!

Obyn

The spirits he uses to attack return to him.

“Nature’s spirits will never be diminished, only transformed.”

Ocean Obyn is called Ocyn apparently (idk bro)

Bigger than dart monkeys!

Much older than he looks (old as the forests)

Likes taking long walks along the beach during Summer.

Second most cuddly

Goes hiking a lot

Very fuzzy

His pet (the spirit wolf cub) is called Fluffy

Likes mint ice cream

Raised by wolves??? (a mess at the dinner table)

Likes philodendrons

Favorite color is green

Likes to make fresh salads that he brings to eat at his friends’ places

Tends to supervise Gwen's visits to the forests

MIGHT do knitting and macrame (not sure of this one tho)

Quincy

Tells a lot of puns.

Has a crush on Gwen! Think she’s very cool (Might be one-sided…)

Implied he already confessed (again, one-sided??)

Practises with his bow in his free time.

Or hang out with the other heroes!

Fourth most cuddly

Biggest crybaby

Needs a hug… (yes this is vital canon information)

Still hunting for that DDT (Cyber Quincy lore ig)

Has the biggest wardrobe

Loves a good photoshoot and likes to practice by striking poses lol

Gets real sad when somethings gets past his bow (F in the chat)

Tried to teach Pat how to use his bow but it was a too small.

Surprisingly buff! (Due to the draw force of his bow)

Does his own haircut

Sometimes like to use darts

All the dart monkeys like him!

Cries the most out of all the heroes

Eats banana porridge for breakfast

Favorite color is orange

Hosted a party on New Year’s Eve (everyone came!)

Apparently the best athlete (he’s very talented)

Thinks crossbows are lazy (lmao)

Benjamin

Shaves his eyebrow to look cool.

Big PC gamer, loves MOBAs

Wears formal clothes because likes to feel fancy

Likes to work out

Might not have went to school???

Has his own mixtape as a DJ

LOVES karaoke

Makes synthwave music, also listens to dubstep

Favorite type of sushi is California Roll

Favorite color is silver

Seems to like anime?? (apparently he watched Sword Art Online)

The Biggest Narcissit™

Hides in his room with the AC up in Summer

Might secretly listen to Mariah Carey (All I Want For Christmas is- )

Has many computers/mobile devices at his disposal

Sixth most cuddly

Yells BENJAMMIN IS IN THE HOUSE when he’s home (based)

Likes shawarma

Has a private yacht

Did helpdesk at some point!

Funnels his anger through memes (LMAO)

Captain Churchill

‘Passionate devotee of the surfboard, first monkey to ride the River Severn’s 5ft tidal bore. He even designed his own board!’

That is to say, he enjoys surfing

Bonds over old military movies with Striker Jones

Really likes driving his tank around lol

The best at chess

Uses all limbs + tail to operate his tank!

Likes black coffee with tons of sugar (sweet as him)

Third most cuddly

Wields the power of comradery (?)

Likes to play World of Tanks (lol)

Friends with Admiral Brickell! Trained together

Enjoys manga and anime (favorite anime: Fullmetal Alchemist)

Favorite color is green

Has a huge underground bunker full of tanks. Or so he says!

Tank has a secret banana stash (and who knows what else)

Third shortest, barely taller than Etienne (confirmed as a MANLET)

Sometimes plays cards with Striker Jones and Brickell

Great poker face!

Lives fairly close to Admiral Brickell and Striker Jones, tends to carpool to the army base with the latter

When he doesn’t feel like talking, he’ll slowly slide into his tank and shut the lid... funny to watch if you aren’t the one trying to talk to him.

His tank got many modifications!

Seat height adjustment, flexible antenna, a built in goggle finder (usually points to his head), and full transformation upgrades

He made the sand sculpture in Resort

[stevetonyweekly]

SteveTony Weekly - Dec 31

Happy New Year’s Eve!! Here’s what I’ve been reading this week. As always, leave your fic authors some love if you read and enjoy their stories! 

Tomorrow I’ll share my ten favorite fic of the year, so come back for that! 

**Indicates my recent favs 

~*~ 

***Steer Straight Through The Storm by KandiSheek

After everything they've been through there's no storm that Steve and Tony can't weather together. No one prepared them for what happens when they're the ones causing it.

***We Build What We Know by KandiSheek

Tony doesn't really know how he went from "I'll call you when we need you" to talking about high school life and girl problems, but here they are.

Or: The texting fic where Tony discovers his parental side.

Policy of Truth by Sineala

The Avengers have rescued Tony, captured and drugged by AIM. Since, for some strange reason, Iron Man isn't around, Steve offers to sit with Tony as he comes up out of sedation. Mostly Tony just wants to tell Steve he loves him; it's nothing Steve can't handle, and mostly Steve just wishes Tony meant it the same way he did. But then Tony wants to talk about several things he shouldn't know, and Steve learns that sometimes the truth really is that simple.

A Sister for Sarah by iam93percentstardust

Sarah knows she isn't like her siblings. She isn't the youngest like Morgan or brilliant like Peter and Harley. She's just Sarah, easy to forget and let fade into the background. Things have been different since Papa came to the castle, but when he and Father announce that they're having a baby, Sarah's fears that she'll be left behind again come roaring back to the surface.

the warning signs can feel like they're butterflies by imposterhuman

If there was one thing Tony hated about Manhattan, it was Captain America, their resident superhero. Frankly, Tony wasn’t sure why they even had a resident superhero, seeing as there wasn’t exactly a resident supervillain to fight off, but everyone else in the city seemed about ready to fall at the guy’s feet. Tony, well, he was a little more leery about the entire concept of some masked guy dispensing justice as he saw fit. 

It was no secret that Tony wasn’t Captain America’s biggest fan, which was why he was currently gaping in shock at his boss, who’d just handed him his new assignment.

“I’m sorry, can you repeat that?”

Fury looked unimpressed. “I said that your new assignment is an in-depth exposé on Captain America."

A Slow Marching Band by Cluegirl

Wherein science is fun, Jarvis is WAY cooler than Twiki, and Tony does not do funerals.

Hypotenuse by derryderrydown

Steve breaks up with Tony because he's in love with Iron Man. That's when things start to get complicated.

Ex-traordinary Christmas by FestiveFerret

Tony is still good friends with his ex, Steve, even after four years apart, even though he's with Ty now. Until Christmas comes around, and suddenly that feels completely backwards.

off with my overcoat, off with my glove by royal_chandler

Big snows set the scene for New York's winter, transforming the city into a beautiful wool-white. Unfortunately, Steve can't find it in himself to enjoy it.

(Better yet, the four times Steve was invited to play outdoors and said no, and the one time he said yes.)

It Will Probably Accelerate by northatlantic (breakthecitysky) So the working title of this was variously 'mixtape,' 'how steve rogers got his groove back' and 'oh my god quit thinking of things to add.' Steve's perspective of the assembly of the Avengers after the dust has settled and the rebuilding begins.

Title from Bob Mould's Circles, which is, was and ever shall be The Steve Song in my head.

Got the Cream by YourFavoriteRobot

Steve is coasting through life after leaving the army without making any real connections to anyone around him. Until a mischievous deity turns Steve's only friend, his cat Tony, into a human being.

Let Us Not Forget This by citsiurtlanu

Steve Rogers knew, knows, will know Tony Stark, the adventurer, the scientist, the futurist. And Tony Stark - well, he's not really fond of the idea of this Captain America fellow being assigned to tag along as he, Rhodey, Pepper, and Jarvis race to find a powerful relic before the Nazis do, but he just has to go with it. What he doesn't - and can't - realize is how deeply Cap is tied into his life in ways he can barely even understand.

The words you choose to say by masterlokisev159 After the SHRA, the events around Steve’s death and Tony discovering he deleted part of his brain, Tony finally decides he's done enough. With Osborn taken care of, Tony leaves the Avengers and decides to quit being Ironman effective immediately.

He tells himself it doesn't hurt when Steve agrees. Why should it? After everything he's done, the team's better off without him.

However before he can truly move on, there are things he needs to take care of, and it's not long before he realizes he's dangerously close to losing his company. He's desperate and willing to do anything to keep it together.

So when, after months of silence, Steve asks him to drop everything and come work for Shield, Tony finds he doesn't have a choice. He agrees, no matter how much he knows he shouldn't. His reputation isn't exactly the best after the SHRA and he's heard stories of what he'd done as Director. He's knows what he's done. He's knows he's responsible for what happened to Steve.

He just wishes someone had warned him first. He hadn't been prepared to deal with the consequences.

****A Higher Form of War by sabrecmc

Tony is a King with a surprising number of people out to kill him. Steve and the rest of the Avengers are fighting for Pierce's rebellion and end up with Tony as their prisoner. Oops.

Basically one of those bodice-ripping romance novels I don't read (ahem) but with far more gay.

Updated with gorgeous fanart by superfizz in Chapters 25 & 26. Amazing art by Stitchy in Chapter 27. And yet more simply breathtaking art by charlotvanh in Chapter 28.

[btsandvmin]

Vmin and songs... Come on!

I don’t know why not more people look at all the song connections we have between Vmin. Of course they could mean nothing romantic, but come on!

To start with we already have 4 songs with explicit connections between Vmin: The 95z Graduation song, 4 o’clock, Taehyung’s Christmas song and of course Friends. Then we also have smaller things like Jimin and Taehyung’s covers for Promise and Winter Bear being connected to each other.

Let's look at a rough timeline with things we know are facts.

2016: The dumpling incident happens (something Vmin both says brought them closer), and the reconciliation at dawn which is later used as inspiration for two songs. Jimin says he wants to be Taehyung’s strength. Taehyung starts writing on 4 o’clock. Lie and Stigma are released. Jimin says he wants to give a song to the person he loves for Christmas. Jimin and Taehyung each release a small video of them singing "Have yourself a marry little Christmas", Jimin's video is a reply to Taehyung's. Christmas is a holiday for couples in Korea.

2017: Jimin and Taehyung call each other soulmates for the first time. Taehyung starts writing the Christmas song sometime during 2017. Taehyung is denied to sing the Christmas song with Jimin because it's not fitting for two men to sing the romantic lyrics. Release of 4 o'clock, which has a reference to the gay movie "Moonlight" and is directly connected to Jimin and Taehyung, with the memories about fighting and Taehyung waiting for Jimin in a park and talking things out. Only Namjoon mentions the connection.

2018: In that year’s FESTA Taehyung says he will give Jimin a song. During tour Taehyung talks about the Christmas song on Vlive specifically mentioning wanting to originally sing it with Jimin and the lyrics being unfit for two men to sing according to the producer. He says he doesn’t think he will release the song. The same day Jimin was out taking photos in Brooklyn, one which was of the phone case Taehyung personally designed (matching his own phone case) and gave Jimin with the word “Fungus” written on it as a reference to Serendipity. The Promise cover is shot by Tae ("Special thanks to V, best photographer.") and the song is released only minutes after Taehyung’s birthday ended.

2019: Jimin accidentally reveals Scenery in a vlive and aplogizes by tweeting he loves Taehyung. A month after Promise is released Scenery comes out and has a reference to 4 o'clock, specifically the park scene we know has connections to Jimin. Jimin tweets a video with the song. Winter Bear comes out and is Jimin's favorite song in the world and he promotes it a lot. He calls it Baby Bear. The two bears on the cover are a gift from Jimin. Jimin says he is possesive over the song and his friend. He talks about the song in three vlives and hasn’t stopped singing it since. Taehyung calls Jimin his "One and only best friend" during FESTA. Taehyung plays his Christmas song again on vlive showing he still has the song but haven’t worked on it and mentions it is a male-female duet now.

2020: Jimin writes, composes and produces "Friends" where Vmin sing about being soulmates and to stay together for eternity after BTS is over. It is the first song Jimin has produced for an official BTS album. Taehyung keeps naming Jimin as his best friend (Festa 2019, Japan FC magazine and introduced Jimin as his best friend to the girl from the ON MV). Taehyung also mentioned the dumpling fight as a moment which he felt “released arrows with various emotions pent up” in his heart. Taehyung releases Sweet Night about feelings changing for your best friend and in an interview about it says he tends to write about things he has felt. During FESTA Taehyung himself for the first time talks about 4 o'clock and the story behind it being connected to Jimin. They also talk about wanting to work together more for many different things. Right after the release of that unit interview with Jimin he comes to Vlive, talks about his mixtape and mentions a song which is like a continuation to 4 o'clock. On ITS and in the BE planning vlive Vmin mentions wanting to work together again. Jimin even makes Taehyung promise him to write him a song.

Then we get yet another Vmin collaboration for BE and in general Vmin both seem to want to work together a lot as well as support each other in their solo projects. I think it is even possible Vmin are some of the members who have expressed wanting to work together in one way or another the most. Which says a lot in my opinion.

I'm wondering Are you my best friend Feel's like a river's rushing through my mind I wanna ask you If this is all just in my head My heart is pounding tonight I wonder If you Are too good to be true And would it be alright if I Pulled you closer How could I know One day I'd wake up feeling more

This alone should be enough to look closer at Vmin, and there is a whole lot more than that when you do look closer.

You might have read my song analysis? When I made my first analysis for possible Vmin song connections I literally only had Lie, Stigma, 4 o’clock and Serendipity (and DNA) to work with... A lot has happened since then.

Vmin - Scenery, Promise and song connections Big Hit, BTS, Vmin and LGBT The Vmin Christmas song Vmin - Winter Bear analysis Sweet Night - Song analysis More thoughts about Taehyung's song Sweet Night Vmin analysis - “Friends”

As you can see I have written several song analysis which includes a lot of other details if you are curious. But even just looking at the facts without trying to make connections or speculation I think there is enough to acknowledge Vminies at least have something to talk about without reaching when it comes to Vmin and their songs.

I hope you enjoyed reading. Please like and reblogg. 95z is love!

[sushireads]

yoongi fic recs

this is a list of yoongi fics i’ve read and loved very much! enjoy. <3

ps. all fics with 🍙 are the ones i loved a little bit more.

“Where’s my kiss?” by @mintseesaw​

fluff | drabble | 1.6K words

A Wish Out of Water by @jimlingss​

🍙, fluff, humor, fantasy | two shots

A genie could solve all your problems. Though you wouldn’t even know exactly what to ask for - money, a warmer house, a better job, a better life? But Min Yoongi is no ordinary genie. He’s here to make your life a living hell. Too bad it was hell to begin with.

GENIE au

All I Want for Christmas by @hayjeon​

🍙 | one shot | 13K words

CEO, CHRISTMAS, SECRETARY, SINGLE DAD au

an out of bounds umbrella by @yoonsgiggle​

fluff | one shot | 10.2K words

you’re apologetic about almost blinding your university’s star point guard with the broken tip of your umbrella until you share a class with him and find out he’s a three star recruit but a four star dick or min yoongi doesn’t find your high school musical puns amusing.  

BASKETBALL PLAYER, COLLEGE, ENEMIES TO LOVERS au

aquiver by @floralseokjin​

🍙, fluff, angst, smut | series

Yoongi can’t remember the last time he was able to successfully bring himself to the point of orgasm, then Namjoon gives him a business card advertising ‘Healing Hands’, and that’s where he meets you; pretty and innocent looking, who gets paid to provide hand jobs for a living…

IDOL au

bad boys bring it to you by @yuengi

smut | one shot | 7.1K words

TATTOO ARTIST au

Black & White by @akinnie75

🍙, fluff, angst | one shot | 24.7K words

You finally confessed to Yoongi after he asked if you like him. His response is to give you a contract to sign. However, you soon realize that Yoongi manufactured your emotions and manipulated you to like him all for the sake of his senior project.

SLOW BURN au

Blackthorn Manor by @kpopfanfictrash 

one shot | 7.5K words

After becoming the assistant of professional recluse Min Yoongi, you begin to notice strange things. Noises which shouldn’t take place, shadows which shouldn’t move like they do. You’re almost convinced that you’re crazy - until something happens, something unbelievable to make you realize you’re not.

GOTH au

Blow by @inkofyoongi

smut, fluff | one shot | 5.5K words

Yoongi loves you, even if he’s never said it… but gestures sometimes speak louder than words.

BOYFRIEND au

budapest by @junghelioseok

smut | one shot | 11.1K words

over many years and across several dozen cities, you fell in love.

SECRET AGENT au

Clair De Lune by @yoonia

smut | one shot | 23K words

You were ready to leave a part of your life to move on to the next, and he is willing to give you a chance to end it glamorously. But at what cost? And will he be a part of the life you are leaving behind or will he be there for the next part of it?

—part of @bangtansmutcentral‘s In The Mood Project

ESCORT, MUSICIAN au

Cut Me Open by @hayjeon

angst, smut, fluff | two shots

—a spin-off from Cardio Palpitations

MARRIED COUPLE, SURGEON au

dancing with the devil by @minnpd

smut | one shot | 6.8K words

Easy Rebound by @ditzymax

smut, angst | one shot | 6.5K words

Yoongi is one of the star players on the college basketball team. You are the head of the cheerleading squad. The pair of you would make the most beautiful (if most cliché) couple on campus, except neither of you have ever wanted anything more than the frequent, casual fuck. Yet somehow Yoongi finds his emotions straying towards dangerous territory.

BASKETBALL PLAYER, CHEERLEADER, COLLEGE au

ego: hoe chronicles by @suga-kookiemonster

smut | one shot | 7.2K words

he was messing with you again. he was messing with you, trying to get a reaction out of you simply for his own amusement. but you refused to give it to him—refused to give him the satisfaction of playing right into his hands.

—an alternate universe of ego

COLLEGE, FRAT BOY, FUCK BOY au

eight by @cupofteaguk

🍙, fluff | one shot | 5K words

or, Eight times Min Yoongi tells you he loves you

IDOL au

First-Date BAIT! by @jimlingss

fluff | two shots

First dates are embarrassing. First dates are awkward. I’ve been through countless ones, sitting across from people who bored the living daylights out of me. It was less exciting than watching paint dry. Some dates were so utterly rude - I think you and I both know what it’s like to be on the receiving end on that. But now we both don’t have to waste our time anymore!

With First Date Bait they went out for me! Afterwards, they informed me if it was recommended to go out on a second date. It’s amazing with a 99.99% accuracy rate! That’s how I ended up meeting my husband!

First Date Bait.

Why waste your time with awkward first dates?

—part of the Service Series

Hades by @littlemisskookie

horror, smut, angst, fantasy | one shot | 9.4K words

You meet a rather dreamy- albeit annoying, new kid who sweeps you off your feet. Too bad it’s in the middle of a series of murders around town.

GREEK GOD au

heavy sugar by @kinktae

smut | one shot | 8K words

The Roaring Twenties were a time of great economic wealth and social change. But beneath the jazz music and colorful speakeasies were mafia led organized crimes and bloodstained cash. You knew this well, but try as you might, you just couldn’t ignore the dark and enigmatic gangster whose eyes lingered on you from across the room.

—part of the rewind series

1920s, GANGSTER, FLAPPER, MAFIA au

i’m not your daddy by @scriptaed

🍙, fluff | one shot | 2.5K words

learning that his daughter no longer wishes to wed him but rather his now-arch-enemy jungkook marks the most soul-crushing day your husband has ever had to endure. no one, and he means no one, is more deserving of his angel than daddy min himself, and he’s willing to do anything to earn his daughter’s heart back.

DAD, PARENT au

Ink Nemesis by @scriptaed

🍙, angst, fluff | series

As an aspiring writer drowning under the public’s radar, a click of the pen is all you need to accept your supervisor’s offer to co-write an article for the SS - Secrets Spilled, a regular section of your company’s weekly tabloid; but fabricated stories and invasive details aren’t all that you write when you discover Min Yoongi’s dirty little secret. 

FAKE DATING, IDOL, PAPARAZZI au

La Douleur Exquise by @cinnaminsvga

ON-GOING | fluff, angst, smut, fantasy | series

in which you accidentally summon an incubus in the middle of your shitty apartment and he won’t leave until you agree to have sex with him. until then, min yoongi, incubus extraordinaire, is now your sexually promiscuous and grumpy roommate. aka, the incubus au no one fucking asked for.

INCUBUS au

Melody companion by @prisczero

fluff | one shot | 3.6K words

“A soulmate story where Yoongi can hear everything that you listen to, but only if it is music.’’

IDOL, SOULMATE au

Miss Dial by @versigny 

ON-GOING | 🍙, smut | series

[11:31] You: okay so i’m texting you now like I promised instead of drunktexting yoongi and telling him how badly i want his cock tonight. Arent you proud?

[11:32] unknown number: this is yoongi, hi

FRAT au

Mixtape by @jungblue

🍙, smut, fluff, humor | one shot | 15.6K words

Two mystery students from your college run the podcast dubbed ‘mixtape.’ It’s become a sort of phenomenon around campus, listened to by almost everyone. In their most recent episode they discussed various study methods… One of them being oh so tempting.

COLLEGE, PODCAST PERSONALITY au

Next Door by @personasintro

smut, fluff | one shot | 10.3K words

Your neighbor doesn’t respect your complaints about him being loud, but you don’t let it slide so easily.

ENEMIES TO LOVERS, NEIGHBOURS au

petals by @yoonia

🍙, fluff | series

IDOL, PARENT au

see you soon by @cupofteaguk

fluff, angst | one shot | 7K words

In which you live in a world where one stroke of a pen against your skin is a signage of forever, and Min Yoongi just has really good timing 

SOULMATE au

She’s Testosterone by @jimlingss

🍙, crack, smut | series

Drop dead gorgeous, cute and sassy - you adore your best friend. But is there more beneath the surface? Who exactly is Min Yoonji?

YOONJI au

so i heard you like bad boys by @scriptaed​

fluff | one shot | 4.7K words

while others see min yoongi as the resident heartthrob of the school - quiet, resilient, and mysterious - you can’t see him as anything other than your dorky best friend since childhood; but what you don’t know is his long desire to be anything but that, even if it means becoming the bad boy in town… or at least try to.

COLLEGE, FRIENDS TO LOVERS au

stay high by @personasintro​

smut, angst | one shot | 16.5K words

You’ve to stay high to keep your ex out off your mind when he comes back into your life.

EXES au

Studio cuddle by @mintseesaw​

fluff | drabble | 1.8K words

Tired from work, you went straight to Genius Lab in the hopes of being able to cuddle with Yoongi. You did not hesitate to press the passcode of his studio, knowing he might get pissed off for interrupting him from his work.

IDOL, PRODUCER au

Sweeter than Sweet by @gimmesumsuga​

fluff, smut, angst | series

“You never would have expected someone like Park Jimin to notice you. As handsome and beguiling as he is deadly, you’re enthralled from the very moment you meet. Addicted to his kiss and his bite, Jimin opens up your eyes to a whole new world of love, lust and seduction.”

VAMPIRE au

the blue coat and cerruti 1881 (a flash fire) by @yuhdongsaeng​

angst, fluff, smut | two shots

that’s the thing about flash fires. they’re intense outbursts of flames that reach their maximum heat quickly and don’t last a long time. hell, they don’t even get to fade before they cease to exist. however, flash fires may be intense and short, but the floor beneath them is ruined forever.

IDOL au

The Truth Between Us by @jimlingss & @gukyi

🍙🍙🍙, fluff, angst, fantasy | series

a book deal should be the most exciting time of your life, but there seems to be a constant and omnipresent damper on your mood in the form of a certain min yoongi, who you would just cut out from your life, if he weren’t your editor. but then, the world shifts beneath your feet, and you begin to wonder if maybe you’ve always been looking at life from the wrong angle.

ENEMIES TO LOVERS and loads more aus— just stop what you’re doing and read this masterpiece!

want a taste by @suga-kookiemonster​

smut, humor | one shot | 18.3K words

pretzel pro. most skillful tongue in the food court world. allegedly. that’s what yoongi keeps telling you, anyway. of course, you’re reasonably skeptical of his claims—but if there’s one thing that motivates the notoriously-lethargic man, it’s proving skeptics wrong.

—part of the you never shop alone collaboration

FRIENDS TO LOVERS, SHOPPING MALL au

what you did last summer by @winetae​

smut | one shot | 33.8K words

Yoongi was fine with a lot of things—you maxing out his credit cards to buy ridiculously expensive items of clothing that you never wore more than once, you taking out his newest ride for a spin without permission, you spending an extra thirty minutes on your hair and makeup when he was running late for a dinner function.

What he was not okay with, however, was you sharing your pussy with barely-out-of-college boys who were incapable of going five seconds without creaming their pants.

No, that was where he drew the line.

↳ alternatively titled; How to Get Dick - an autobiography written by (you)

TROPHY WIFE au

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[beautiful-songbird]

The Strings of My Heart [4] - No Best Friend Like This

← Chapter 3 | Chapter 5 →

Pairing: Zoro x Jupiter

Genre: fluff, angst, f2l

Word Count: 2.2k

Warnings: mention of attempted kidnapping

Summary: Zoro’s moved to sunny California for college to escape from the life of fame for a little while. But when he loses his violin case in the second week of school, he’s sure his college experience has just gone up in flames. What will he do when, despite all odds, his case is returned to him?

—————

The next couple weeks felt like absolute chaos. Jet lag took days to get over, and Zoro had tons of family to visit. Jupiter followed him most places he went simply because she wasn’t sure how much she’d like to be left alone with his family.

Jupiter couldn’t stop thinking about what Hyeon had said. Did Zoro really like her…like that? He never seemed blissfully happy when they were together. Maybe Hyeon was just imagining things.

Namu was quite insistent on driving them around to see the Christmas lights one night, so they all piled into the car. Jupiter ended up between Ara and Namu’s sister, Chaelin, in the back of the car.

Hyeon was seated in front of Jupiter in between Jiho and Jiyu, Namu’s brother. Namu was driving, of course, and Zoro was in the passenger seat. Jinsu had opted out of coming when he’d heard how crowded the car would be, and that had been good because they hadn’t had room for him.

“Are you Zoro’s girlfriend?” Chaelin asked.

Jupiter flushed. Thank goodness it was dark outside.

“No. We’re just friends.”

“Really? Zoro doesn’t have friends.”

“Isn’t Namu his friend?”

“Well, yeah. But Zoro Oppa doesn’t make new friends.”

Jupiter shrugged. “He might not. But I do.”

“Hmm.”

“Ok, but you could be his girlfriend,” Ara informed Jupiter.

“You have been talking to your sister too much, young lady.”

Ara squinted at her. “So Hyeon agrees with me?” She smirked. “That means I’m definitely right!”

“And why is that?”

“Cause Zoro and Hyeon are best friends. She knows everything about him.”

Hyeon twisted around in her seat. “Ara, you’re ridiculous. I certainly do not know everything about Zoro!”

“Did someone say my name?”

The back seat was silent.

“Well, what are we talking about?” Zoro asked.

“Nothing,” Hyeon smiled.

Zoro raised an eyebrow. Hyeon continued to smile innocently at him.

“All right, if you say so.”

The girls were quiet for the rest of the car ride. None of them wanted Zoro to hear any of this conversation, and they didn’t know what else to talk about, so they just enjoyed the Christmas lights.

◇◆◇◆◇

Jupiter entered the living room at four the next morning to find Zoro sitting on the couch reading a book. He looked up at her and smiled.

“Good morning!”

“Hi,” she murmured.

“How’s Hyeon treating you?”

“She’s fine. She gushes about you.”

Zoro laughed. “Does she?”

“Yep.” She sighed and sat on the couch.

“Do you regret coming?”

“No. I just…didn’t realize how much family you had. It’s a bit more awkward that I imagined it would be.”

Zoro nodded. “Sorry. I probably should’ve mentioned how big my family is.”

“Honestly, your family is a lot calmer than mine. My aunt thinks I should’ve gotten married two years ago.”

“What? You are eighteen, right?”

“Yeah. She’s crazy.”

Zoro hummed. “So, how do you like this place?”

“It’s…big. The roof is nice. And the tram is cool.”

“You saw the tram?”

“Yeah. Hyeon took me out to see the award cases for your dad’s band.”

“Ah. I see Hyeon is spilling all our secrets.”

“Hyeon is very talkative.”

“That she is. She does most of the talking in our family. Do you like my parents?”

Jupiter smiled. “They’re very nice. I must admit I haven’t seen much of either of them, though.”

Zoro nodded. “They’re working on an album together. My dad has been trying to talk my mom into doing one with him for years.”

“Oh. That’s cute. What does your dad do? Hyeon mentioned that after the band broke up, they all branched out.”

“Well, they haven’t actually officially broken up. He mentors a lot of new groups, though. He’s still making mixtapes as well.”

“And your mom?”

“She models parttime for my aunt’s clothing line. Other than that, she mostly just takes care of us. Noah’s still at home with her, and Jinsu and Ara need a lot of attention. And she makes dinner for our family almost every night.”

“So, she’s…a mom.”

“Yeah.”

“That’s nice. My mom was never really much of a mom to me.”

“Really?”

“Yep. She shipped me off to daycare as soon as I could walk.”

“Oh.” Zoro frowned. “That’s sad.”

Jupiter shrugged. “I guess I’ve gotten used to it. I was raised to be independent.” She paused, thinking of something to change the subject to. “What are we doing today?”

“Well, I have some last-minute shopping to do,” he admitted.

“Zoro. Christmas is in four days.”

“Yep.”

◇◆◇◆◇

Jupiter followed Zoro as he walked around a store. Both of them were wearing masks, and Zoro had put on a pair of wonky glasses.

“Hyeon’s been blabbing about this one computer she’s wanted, but I didn’t want to buy it until we got here and I was sure she hadn’t bought it herself or asked Appa to get it for her.”

Jupiter squinted. “You’re buying her…a computer? For Christmas?”

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

“She’s wanted it for a few years and hasn’t actually asked for it or anything, so I thought I’d get it for her.” He shrugged. “I didn’t know what else to get her, anyways.”

“You are something else, Zoro. Although, I suppose I should expect as much from a rich kid living in a gated…village.”

Zoro stopped walking, and Jupiter ran smack into his back. He turned around and bent down slightly to meet her eye.

“I’m not rich, Jupiter. Is that what I am to you now? A rich kid?”

“You’re not…but I thought…” Jupiter paused. She’d clearly just hit a nerve, and she didn’t want to offend Zoro.

“My parents are rich, sure, but I am not rich.”

Jupiter shrunk. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it that way…. I just thought, you have money, of course you’re going to spend it.”

He shook his head. “It’s ok. You don’t know anything about me. It’s natural that you’d just assume stuff. I don’t use my parents’ money. I’m trying to become my own person. Without the fame. Without the money. It’s why I moved to California.”

Jupiter stared up at him. “So…you’re trying to escape them?”

He sighed. “No. I love my parents. I love my siblings. I know they love our life. I just…I don’t like the fame. It’s terrifying.”

“I’m sorry. I just…don’t know how to handle all of this. You were just a normal guy to me. Zoro Kim was just a boy who played the violin and was scared of people. And now…he’s the son of a millionaire. Someone the whole world knows.”

“…you could tell I’m afraid of people?” Zoro asked timidly.

She smiled. It was so faint he couldn’t see it past her mask. “You ran away from me because I watched you play the violin.”

“That I did.”

Jupiter laughed. “Are you still afraid of me now?”

Zoro stared at her for a few moments. “Yes,” he whispered.

Her expression softened. “Why?”

He was silent. “We should go find that computer.”

Jupiter frowned. He was hiding from her now. She didn’t like that, but she understood why he was.

“Of course.”

◇◆◇◆◇

Zoro avoided her for the next two days. Jupiter followed Hyeon around for most of that, because clearly Zoro didn’t want to see her. Hyeon mostly hung out with her two friends, Chohui and Isabella, and Jupiter found herself bored often.

Hyeon sat Jupiter down the day before Christmas Eve.

“What’s going on with you and Zoro?”

Jupiter swallowed. “I don’t know.”

Hyeon crossed her arms. “You know what it is. Go talk to him.”

“He doesn’t want to talk.”

“How do you know? You haven’t talked since, what, Thursday?”

“…yeah.”

“Go talk to him.”

“I’ll talk to him if he wants to talk. I don’t want to pressure him.”

Hyeon sighed and shook her head. “Fine. I’ll go talk to him.”

◇◆◇◆◇

“Zoro!”

Zoro looked up, frightened, as Hyeon stomped into his room. She’d dropped his honorific, so clearly, something was up. He cleared his throat.

“Yes…?”

“Why are you avoiding Jupiter?”

“I’m not.” He was.

“Jupiter’s been following me around for two and a half days. I’m fairly certain you are avoiding her.”

“This isn’t your conflict, Hyeon.”

“Well, I know you’re not going to deal with it, so it’s now my conflict.”

He shook his head. “Hyeon-”

“If you want me to not get nosy, you need to go talk to Jupiter. Apologize to her. You’re the one who invited her here, and you’ve left her alone to follow me around. This isn’t even her country, Zoro. I doubt she really wants to be wandering around here by herself.”

Hyeon watched Zoro’s blank expression. She would’ve hated that he’d picked that habit from their dad if she couldn’t see straight through it.

“Look, I know the two of you aren’t super close, but she really likes being your friend, Zoro. She’d a good girl. She’s not like those kids from school or that lady in New York.”

Zoro winced.

“Sorry for bringing that up. But she’s really not, Zoro.”

“I know she isn’t.”

“Then what are you afraid of?”

Zoro stared at his wall.

“Zoro Oppa.”

“It hurts when I’m not with her.” He looked up at her. “I can’t handle it, Hyeon.”

“How do you feel about her?”

“I…I get this warm feeling when I’m around her. We’re friends but talking to her makes me nervous sometimes.” He sighed. “I know I shouldn’t be, but….”

“Do you like her?” It was a rhetorical question. Hyeon knew the answer to it. But she wanted to know if Zoro recognized it.

“I think so.” There wasn’t an ounce of hesitation in his voice, and Hyeon could tell that he knew the answer was actually yes.

“Go talk to her.”

◇◆◇◆◇

Jupiter was seated on Hyeon’s bed when Zoro entered the room. She was scrolling on her phone mindlessly. Zoro tapped on the door. Jupiter looked up at him, and he smiled.

“Hey. Um…I’m sorry about Thursday.”

Jupiter set her phone down and smiled. “It’s ok.”

“I didn’t…answer your question.”

“You don’t have to.”

He leaned against the doorframe. Then he was silent for a few moments. Jupiter noticed that he did that a lot whenever he was nervous.

“You don’t…hate me, do you?”

“What? No, of course not, Zoro.”

He sighed. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you what you were getting into before we got here. I’m sorry I’ve been hiding from you. We’re friends. I should’ve told you. I’m just…not used to having friends. I have cousins, and that’s it. I never got along with the trainees and idols at my school. I didn’t like to talk, and many of them were jealous of me.”

“Why do you hate the fame?”

He glanced up at her, a bit surprised. He sighed and furrowed his brow.

“When I was nine…a lady…tried to um.” He paused. “Kidnap me.”

Jupiter had known this, but hearing it come out of his mouth made it all the more real.

“That’s horrible. I’m so sorry.”

“That wasn’t the only reason. I’ve never liked attention. And the thought of so many people knowing I exist and who I am is terrifying. So, it’s not the money I’m running from. Or the fame, really. It’s the people. The ones who recognize me on the street and won’t let me leave until I give them something. The ones on the internet who treat me like I’m less than a person. The kids at school who stole my lunches and pencils just because my mother had packed the lunches and my father had bought the pencils. And I can’t blame my parents. They love me so much, and they tried their hardest to hide us from the public. It’s just hard.” He sighed.

“I wouldn’t trade them for the world, either. They’re the best parents I could’ve asked for. I just….” He smiled painfully as tears filled his eyes. “I wish we could’ve been a normal family. My parents wouldn’t have met if they hadn’t been famous, so I wouldn’t even exist if it weren’t for the fame, I just wish that people would leave us alone.”

The room was silent for a few moments.

“Sorry…you didn’t need to hear all that.”

“No, I did. Thank you for telling me. I just found out about this side of you, and it’s nice to know why I didn’t know about it for so long.”

“Are we ok then?”

“Zoro, we were always ok on my end.”

He smiled. “I’m glad.”

And in that moment, she realized that she wasn’t willing to sacrifice this friendship, no matter how strong her feelings were for him. She’d never had a friend like him. No one close that trusted her enough to be personal with her like this. And she couldn’t ruin that by admitting her feelings to him.

—————

Chapter 5 →

This is part of the Dad!BTS series that can be found here

Series M.list

A/N: ✨drama✨ also yes I’m posting this early cause I’m DNDBKANDKFNAKBDCKSNNSBF

It would be greatly appreciated if you reblogged the story if you liked it!

Taglist: @jiminie-and-his-pinky-finger @jinnie-forthe-winnie

Let me know if you’d like to be added to the taglist for this story!

[theoreticslut]

The Truth that you Deny // Part 5

pairing: fred weasley x reader x george weasley

part 1 / part 2 / part 3 / part 4

word count: 1.8k

warnings: none

A/N: i’m honestly so sad that this is the last part to this series guys :( I had so much fun writing it and have had such amazing feedback on it, i’m not sure i want to give it up. I have thought about doing a small drabble or two of the story further into the relationship, but i don’t want to drag it out too long. If you guys like it enough and would like a sort of epilogue, let me know and I’ll definitely think about doing one. thank you to everyone that’s been reading this as I post it and giving feedback and/or reblogging. I am eternally grateful for you guys <3 out of the previous 4 parts this story has a total of about 400 notes which is actually crazy. so just, thank you! i love you guys Xx

Taglist: @justmesadgirl @xuckduck @yikesyikesyikes95 @filipi-yes @aestheticwh0r3 @siredkai @matsuno-nadeshiko @msmarklee1213 @immajustreadwritereblog @msmimimerton

You woke up christmas morning excited to spend the day with the people you considered family. You felt that you had gotten them all some great gifts and couldn’t wait to give them to each of them.

Even thought it was only 7:30 in the morning you couldn’t help but be awake. You knew most everyone else was still sleeping save for Mr and Mrs Weasley.

You decided that you’d like to have a shower before everything got started today so you quietly got yourself out of bed and found yourself some clothes to wear.

Stepping into the hall was oddly uncomfortable since there was no distant chatter from downstairs or someone’s room, but nonetheless you made your way to the bathroom which was just down the hall from Fred and George’s room.

Neither of them would be up for at least another half hour which was plenty enough time to shower.

You started the water and waited for it to warm up as you stripped down naked.

Stepping into the shower you shivered at the sheer temperature difference, but you happily welcomed the warm water on your skin.

You washed your face and shampooed your hair, finishing it before adding some conditioner. You started shaving and as you did so you started humming, getting lost into one of your favourite songs.

Eventually you finished shaving and washing your body, able to rinse the suds from your skin. You sighed as you shut the water off and stepped out into the bath mat.

After drying off and getting dressed in a pair of jeans and an older sweater, you picked up your mess and put everything back the way it was, throwing your towel into the basket Mrs Weasley had left in there for them.

Opening the door you were surprised to find George sitting on the floor against the wall.

“George?”

“Hmm? Oh, are you done?” He asked, lazily looking up at you from the floor.

“Yeah,” you chuckle. “Uh, what were you doing out here?”

“I had to use the bathroom but you were in there so I figured I’d wait right here. But I’m still a bit tired and you sing really nice.” He smiled, taking your extended hand to get up.

“Oh, uh, thank you. I’m sorry I kept you waiting, but it’s all yours now.” You smile as he nods, smiling back at you.

As you walk away he can’t help but notice how great you smell, which is only more intense in the small bathroom.

~.~

As you appear downstairs, you’re greeted by Mrs Weasley as she makes a pot of coffee.

“Good morning.” You smile.

“Good morning, dear. Would you like a cup?” She asks as you stand next to the table.

“Yes, please.”

“Is anyone else up yet?” She asks.

“I ran into George on the way out of the bathroom, but I haven’t heard or seen anyone else. George doesn’t even look like he’s ready to be up yet.” You chuckle, taking the mug she hands out to you.

“Typical.” She smiles, sitting down at the table and motioning for you to do the same.

“Have you talked to Fred and George yet about everything?” She asks, taking a sip from her mug.

“Not yet. I didn’t want to make anything awkward right before the holidays, but I’ll tell them soon”

She nods and takes another drink from her mug.

~.~

After sharing a cup of coffee and a good half hour conversation about school and what you’re thinking about for next year, Mrs Weasley asked if you would wake everyone up.

First you went and woke Ginny as she was closest. She didn’t quite want to be up yet so you left her and made your way to the twins room.

You knocked on the door, not hearing anything from inside.

“Fred? George? Time to get up.” You knocked again, but still didn’t hear anything.

Carefully, you opened the door and peered around to see the two of them still fast asleep. You sigh, but smile nonetheless.

You make you’re way into their room to shake them awake. You start with Fred to which he just groans, turning around.

“Come on you two. It’s time to get up.” You huff, trying to pull the blanket off George as he fights you.

“You two are impossible.” You sigh, shrieking when Fred grabs you from behind and pulls you down onto the bed with him.

Both of them laugh as you huff, trying to wiggle your way out of his grasp.

“Your hair is cold.” He points out as his face rests on it.

“I showered this morning and it’s still damp.”

“I can’t imagine my hair taking that long to dry.” He says and you roll your eyes.

“Can you let me go, please? You know that your mum would kill us if she found us like this, right?”

He hummed, not really giving you an answer but acknowledging your statement.

“I really don’t feel like dying on Christmas.”

You can hear the both of them chuckle, but you still don’t get a response.

“Are you guys falling back asleep?! For Merlin’s sake” you groan slapping Fred’s arms and when that didn’t work you steal one of his pillows from under his head and hit him with it.

“Just ten more minutes, that’s all we’re asking.” George mumbles, already half asleep again.

“No! Get your ass up.” You huff, throwing Fred’s pillow at him.

After another few minutes of struggling you finally get them both out of bed and you sigh in exasperation.

With them finally awake you work on waking Ron and Harry, and then waking up Ginny for real.

~.~

“Merry Christmas, everyone!” Hermione greets as she makes her way in the house that afternoon.

“Merry Christmas, ‘mione.” You smile, taking her bag for her so she could take her jacket off.

“Have you guys done gifts yet?” She asks, hanging her coat on one of the hooks by the door.

“Not yet. We’ve been waiting for you. We can all sit in the living room and get started if you’re ready.” Mrs Weasley said, carrying a tray filled with mugs of cocoa for everyone.

Hermione nodded and followed you into the living room, taking a seat next to Harry, Ron, and Ginny. You take your place  between Fred and George, both of whom smile as they pass you a mug from the tray.

About an hour of opening gifts, you were nearing the last couple gifts. So far you had received the traditional Weasley sweater with your initial on the front, a pair of sparkly yet simple teardrop earrings from Ginny, a book about one of your favourite classes from hermione, a notebook from Fred, followed by some nice quills from George, a mixtape both of them had put together for you of some of all your guys favourite songs. You had also gotten a new maroon scarf from Ron and some candies from Harry.

You had given Fred and George their gifts from you; a notebook for each of them to keep track of all their crazy inventions, a few joke toys you were certain they’d never seen which made each of them laugh, and a promise to buy them each a butterbeer on your next trip to hogsmeade.

Everyone else seemed to enjoy their gifts from you as well which was nice to know. You loved getting people gifts and it was always so much nicer when they liked them.

“Okay, I think this is the last of them and it’s for y/n from Fred and George.” Mr Weasley read.

You looked at them, gingerly taking the small gift as it was handed to you. You looked between the two twins wondering what else they could have gotten you as you had already gotten enough from them.

“Stop looking at us and open it.” Fred chuckles.

“Why did you get me something else? You both already gave me enough.”

“Just open it, please.” He smiles, rubbing his neck.

“I’m a little scared, nothing is going to pop out at me is it?”

“Nothing will pop out at you. We promise.” George says, looking over to his brother as you finally get the wrapping paper off the small box.

You open it up and gasp. Inside lay a beautiful silver locket with intricate detailing on the face of it.

“It’s beautiful” you whisper, looking between them.

“Open it up.” George urges.

You do as he says and your mouth falls open, your hand coming up to cover it.

“Fred, George...” you whisper, tears forming in your eyes.

On the inside, there was a picture of the three of you from earlier this year on the side that would lay against your chest. In the opposite side there was an engraving of a heart and the words ‘we love you, f & g’

“Do you like it?” Fred asks, trying to catch your eye as you’re still looking down at it.

You nod, trying to keep from crying.

“I love it.” You say, clearing your throat as it had gotten groggy holding back tears.

“Good,” Fred smiles. “We really like you, like a lot, y/n.”

“We have for awhile.” George adds.

“We weren’t sure how to tell you, but then we saw this locket and knew.” He smiles as you watch him.

“Yeah, we knew you would like wearing it, even more so when we got the engraving and picture put in.” Fred says.

“Like we said, we really like you, y/n.” George starts.

“It’s actually more than just liking you. We’ve both loved you pretty much since we all became friends.” Fred adds, the two of them seeming to ramble at this point.

“We know you were worried about hurting one of us, but you don’t have to. We don’t care what anyone else might say, we love you and we’re going to be with you for merlin’s sake.” George smiles, watching your face for a reaction.

You chuckle as tears are starting to spill over your cheeks. You pull both of them into a hug, sighing as you feel their arms wrap around you.

“It’s about time!” Ginny cheers, causing all of you to chuckle. Well except for Mrs Weasley who shushes her.

“It seriously is though. I’m glad you all finally admitted it.” Hermione says, smiling.

“Yeah, congrats guys.” Harry says.

“I love you, guys.” You whisper, smiling as they both kiss your cheek.

“This does mean you’ll be our girlfriend, right? And maybe even someday, our wife?” George asks.

You pull away and chuckle as you try to wipe your eyes.

“Yes. Merlin are you two dumb.”

Fred and George both smile at you, admiring how gorgeous you look sitting there as theirs, even when you have tear stains across your cheeks. It took a while to get here, but now that they were, they wanted to keep it for as long as they possibly could.

[taeyohonic]

stolen dances | chap. V

summary: sometimes supporting the person you love is the hardest challenge you’ll ever face.

pairing: jeon jungkook x fem!reader

rating: m

warning: one/two swear words

additional tags: f2l, ceo!jungkook, bestfriend!jungkook, shrink!yoongi, my best friend’s wedding meets 27 dresses (if the boss/secretary couple had happened), angst-y

words: 1500

links: prev. | next

note: lower case letters intended

chapter summary: a muffin never tasted so bittersweet

can you believe it’s been three years? i miss you army

you can’t help the bittersweet memories flooding your mind at jungkook’s tweet. it’s been such a long time since bangtan stood in front of their fans – performing their music to the people who adored them with all their hearts.

you, yourself, were part of this crowd, more times than your bank account wishes to remember. their stage presence was so enticing, so alluring, you could not not fall in love with them.

jungkook shared some pictures in his tweet, old photos of jin and him demolishing a plate of deep-dish pizza in chicago, of jimin and taehyung posing in front of their pop up store in seoul, and one with all four of them bowing to the crowd in tokyo dome.

there is a smile on your face – not because you think about their shared journey, but because your best friend chose photos of events that you attended. sure, you hadn’t known them back then. but it can’t be a coincident that you have similar pictures – granted from another perspective – on your own camera roll. it makes you miss him.

“what’s going on?”, yoongi asks as he slides your coffee across the table. your starbucks is full of people, but namjoon, yoongi’s dear friend, works here. so, there is always a spot cleared for you. you don’t mind the special treatment as you sip your white mocca.

“just thinking”, you mumble, warmed by the caffeine.

“that can’t be good”, he says and sips his iced americano. he looks as tired as you feel. yoongi is recording his second mixtape right now. so, after he finishes his work talking to people about their problems, he starts rewriting, taping, recording, mixing and editing. no wonder he looks like death.

“i have you know that i’m actually thinking 67 percent of the day.”

“that can’t be good as well, ______. please use your brain more often – it might evolve with training.”

you gap at his audacity. “you do know i’m not paying you to talk me down, right?”

yoongi’s eyes smile while his lips are still half asleep. “you’re not paying me right now, _____. we are just friends meeting up for coffee before we have to… be a part of the working class.”

“i still can’t believe i get to see beautiful, brilliant, boisterous butterflies”, you say. your friend answers with an unattractive snort as his hands move into his thick, bleached hair.

“and i can’t believe you’re getting paid to watch bonkers, brackish, boring butterflies.”

you look away as you see his biceps flex. when did get this muscular? it takes a second for you to register his insult. maybe you need another coffee before leaving.

“i do have to care about my class as well, yoongi. it’s not all sunshine and butterflies. it’s also children’s snot and education.” still, you’re not making eye contact. if this was a therapy session, he’d ask for you to look at him, to ask why you’re feeling uncomfortable. but here, you are… just his friend.

“your work is important, _____, i know”, yoongi answers honestly. he knows how much you love these animals and children. and it is a big deal that seoul’s butterfly exhibition opens up just for your excursion. it makes him happy to see you this excited.

“and because i know that, i’ll remind you that you had to leave three minutes ago.” what? your eyes rush to your watch, only to widen in surprise.

“damn it, namjoon”, you mutter. your barista friend did take a long time with your order.

“don’t blame joon, _____. we were the ones who missed the train”, your friend reminds you as you put on your jacket in a rush.

“less correcting me, more helping me, yoongi”, you shush at him and make a motion to your heavy bag right next to his chair. “come on.”

yoongi doesn’t know why he agreed to help you carry all the lunch packs to school, he really doesn’t. nevertheless, he gets up and slings the heavy bag onto his shoulder and grabs his half-finished drink.

“let’s go – teacher of the year.”

**

the exhibition is amazing. you feel true bliss walking around the nature themed rooms, all home to one of the most rare, beautiful creatures. the kids hang on their tour guide’s lips as she tells them interesting facts about butterflies.

your phone is a constant companion – the camera roll now filled with funny pictures for the moms and dads to enjoy at the next parent-teacher conference. there are even a few photos of just you with a pink butterfly resting on your shoulder. jisoo, your coworker, is an amateur instagrammer, so the results of her taking your pictures are… really flattering.

now, the kids enjoy their break before you guys leave to drive back to school.

“really, you amaze me, ___”, your coworker says as she sits next to you on the bench – eyes trained on your students chasing around the butterflies.

“why?”, you ask, your attention monopolized by the two boys in a heated exchange over their shared butterfly net.

“getting the exhibition to open up just for our class? after hours? without additional fees?”

you flinch at her words as your heartbeat quickens. “wha- what? jisoo? i-“, you start to stutter, “i thought… you organized that.”

there is a fruit basket waiting on her desk with a thank you note for all her planning. now jisoo, too, looks uncomfortable.

“i didn’t”, she says.

**

it takes you a long time before you reach out. the whole train ride was spent with a pro and contra list on your ipad. then, while you were making yourself a two-person bowl of ramen, you crafted more than one email, only to delete every attempt. you haven’t talked to jungkook for more than five days. that’s the longest period the two of you ever went without seeing each other.

there is still a tightness in your chest when you think about his insult that night on the terrace. at first, you weren’t sure if jungkook realized that he hurt you – admittedly you aren’t the best with communicating your feelings. but your cold responses to his texts the next day must have been enough of a red flag for him to act.

then came the gifts: a triple chocolate muffin, still warm, delivered to your home before you had to leave on monday.

on tuesday, there was a singed copy of the unreleased album from one of your favorite kpop groups.

the next day, there was a poem collection where he scribbled in some commentary. you nearly teared up at that because this used to be your ritual when you first got to know each other: lending books with marked and commented pages for the other to enjoy.

on thursday he was strangely silent – only a single daisy decorated your briefcase.

but now, on friday, he went out of his way to get your class into this exhibition. you don’t even want to think about what that must have cost him.

there is an uneasiness in your fingertips as you dial his number. for one fleeting moment you want to call your therapist instead. but you can’t… because you may have left your whole “cold-shoulder-to-jungkook”-move out of the last session. and you really can’t take yoongi’s probing right now.

he answers after seven rings, breathlessly happy.

“______”

you smile and it’s not uncomfortable.

“jungkook… you didn’t have to”, you greet him and can’t help the endearment in your voice. he picks up on that and chuckles.

“of course, i didn’t… i wanted to.”

“thank you”, you answer, “it was really the highlight of my week.”

you can hear his cockiness at your words. “better than stray kids’ new album?”

“better than your thoughts on contemporary poems”, you counter teasingly. then, there is a beat of silence.

“______”, jungkook begins, “i… i really didn’t want you to think i’m not … or that i wouldn’t… do anything for you. you mean so much to me… it’s a shame i have to prove it to you… it should be… obvious.”

you suck in air as if your life depends on it. his words warm your heart and his awkwardness makes you smile.

“i get that i wasn’t the best of friends… but i’ll improve – trust me!”, jungkook vows with fire in his voice. “the winter collection has been kicking my ass… my family has been nagging about christmas… and the wedding…”

there is a beat of silence you do not dare to interrupt. this is his moment, not your responsibility.

jungkook collects himself fast and continues. “i know how much you’ve done for this wedding, for me… for us… and i want to be more involved… i’ll be by your side for all of next week’s appointments. ms yang already cleared my schedule.”

jungkook wants… to be by your side when you talk to the dj? the cake decorator? when you finalize the seating chart? dear lord.

“let’s spend some quality time together, ____. just you and me… and the wedding.”

you cannot find the right responds as you gap silently into your phone. after a moment, another voice is heard through the speaker.

“ask her if she liked the muffin i baked her.” his fiancée’s words punch you in the gut without ill-intent.

___

hi guys! I hope you are doing well! i had to take my first covid test this week – it was negative but that’s an experience for itself, right? i hope you are healthy and you enjoyed this chapter. i’d really love to hear your thoughts! next up: junkook and the reader tackling some of the wedding preparation… love, dana

taglist: @livewittykid​  @thequeen-kat​ @kagami-s-void​ @goldenclosethobi​ @youwannabelostandnotbefound​ @jinsalpaca​ @bishuthot​ @laabellaavitaa21​ @baekstans​  @jalexad​

[angelicamerlinbarnes]

A detailed list of shit the Marauders reveal when they down Veritaserum-spiked drinks (yes, it is all Sirius’ fault)

Sirius 1. The true horrors his family have inflicted on him

RESULT: James and Remus get so angry they turn slightly murderous, Mcgonogall and Dumbledore are informed, Mcgonogall adopts Sirius and Regulus for the time being while James arranges things with his parents (from then on, “Minnie” sounds more like “Mom”, so Mcgonogall lets him call her that. Even in class).

2. His love for Remus

RESULT: Nothing. He and Remus have been together since they were thirteen. There’s just a lot of blushing and giggling and things that James would rather have never seen.

3. How much he cares about Regulus

RESULT: Regulus starts to sit with the Marauders at lunch. Sirius will randomly grab his hand while they’re walking around. There’s a lot more affection and sweetness between the two of them now.

4. How much he fucking adores James (“I think you’re my soulmate, Jamie, you know that? Not like the lovey-dovey romancey kind, because yuck and also Remus Lupin exists, Jamie, and have you seen him, but Jamie, I - fuck, I just love you so much -” and James just blushes and beams super wide)

RESULT: James and Sirius start to refer to each other as “soulmate” as well as “best friend” and “brother”, including to casual strangers. To assure Remus of how much he loves him though, Sirius makes sure to call Remus “the love of my life” and “my only one” and “the moon to my stars” and “Moony, my love” and other mushy-gushy bullshit we don’t have time for right now.

5. How he thinks he’s a terrible person in every sense of the word

RESULT: Remus, James, and Peter start to make a list of everything they love about him in a notebook. Every time someone, anyone, says something they like about Sirius, the Marauders force them to write it down and sign their name. When the notebook is full, they wrap it up and give it to him for Christmas. He’s already on the verge of tears, and then they show him the new one they got a week ago that’s already half full, and he starts bawling so hard he can’t breathe.

Remus

1. All of his anger at the world

RESULT: Severus may or may not have started an impromptu class strike with every Hogwarts student who wasn’t a Death Eater in support of werewolf rights. James and Sirius may or may not have barricaded the school from the Ministry officials who came to shut it down. Peter, Lily, and Regulus may or may not have collected petitions from wizards and witches all over the world in support of werewolf rights. And the Ministry definitely changed the laws.

2. Just how much he loves Sirius even if he’s constantly afraid to show it

RESULT: Sirius and Remus eloped in sixth year without telling anyone. When James finds out he loses his shit at not being there to be their best man. Sirius starts responding to all of the people who ask him out with “Sorry, I’m a married man” and signs all of his school assignments Sirius Lupin. It drives Mcgonogall nuts. Remus sneaks out for months to arrange them a makeshift wedding on the grounds. This involves decorating trees and making them all flowercrowns and creating veils and dresses for both of them. Sirius cries when he sees it. They get married at midnight, with Severus officiating and James and Regulus standing as Sirius’ groomspeople and Lily and Peter as Remus’. Dumbledore and Mcgonogall are their witnesses. It’s gay and it’s beautiful.

3. How much he hates himself

RESULT: They all work on complimenting him more. Though they assure him they love his scars and his body exactly as they are, Sirius and Lily offer to teach Remus how to do makeup to cover them up. Peter learns how to keep his hands steady so he can paint Remus’ nails because he knows it makes him feel beautiful. Regulus learns the best Muggle clothing shops from Amir and James smuggles Remus out to shop there and buys him whatever he wants. Severus keeps creating spells and potions and researching old texts until he finds a way to cure lycanthropy.

4. How he’s sort of casually suicidal because he just keeps asking himself what there is to live for

RESULT: They clear their dorm of anything he can hurt himself with. They’re extra protective leading up to, during, and following the full moon. And  they remind him every day that they love him. Every day.

5. How ugly he thinks he is and how beautiful he thinks Sirius is

RESULT: This is really up to Sirius to fix. It’s a lot of kissing Remus’ scars and casually referring to him as beautiful (“How are you today, beautiful?”). And Sirius makes Remus mixtapes. Hundreds of songs reminding him how beautiful he is in Sirius’ eyes. It doesn’t work. Remus still doesn’t think he’s beautiful. But he knows Sirius thinks he is, and for now, that is going to have to be enough.

6. How he doesn’t think he deserves to be a Marauder or have Sirius’ love

RESULT: They try to include him more. They make sure to tell him how brilliant his plans and ideas are. They know that when it comes to his self-esteem, there’s not much they can do. But they try. They try so, so hard.

7. His gigantic inferiority complex

RESULT: You’d think it would be something sweet, but they just yell at him any time he makes a self-deprecating comment. Sometimes Sirius angry-kisses him. Somehow this works. (They also force him to have tea therapy with Mcgonogall.)

James

1. How guilty he feels for not having to go through all the shit his friends do

RESULT: Well, for awhile they try to stop telling him about their problems, but that only makes it worse. So they settle for buying him thank you presents, except they’re all things that only the giver likes. He asks what the fuck he’s supposed to do with that Queen record Sirius wanted, sixteen bars of Remus’ favorite chocolate, and that glittery hair bow Peter wanted. They smile and tell him that they know helping them makes him feel better and that his wealth makes him feel like shit, so they’ve resolved to drain his pockets by buying gifts for themselves. James laughs so hard he can’t breathe as they all tackle him onto his bed and cuddle him for hours. (They buy him real thank you presents too. Just, y’know, all with James’ own money.)

2. His hurt feelings at Lily’s constant rejections

RESULT: Lily blurts that she hates how he flirts with her but she doesn’t hate him, she actually quite loves him really, and James’ eyes go squinty with hurt and then widen with stars and they just kind of stare at each other and blush in stunned silence until Severus blurts, “Just kiss already, why don’t you?” And they both whip towards him and he turns crimson. (This is where Sirius starts laughing.)

3. How he actually thinks Lily and Severus are really good for each other

RESULT: In response to Severus’ remark, James confesses to having not made an actual move because he truly believes that Lily and Severus are better for each other than he could be for either of them. Lily smiles slightly and Severus’ mouth drops open as he gasps, “Either of us?” James’ face burns. (This is where Remus loses it.)

4. How he doesn’t actually hate Severus, he just hates how much he wants to kiss his stupid perfect mouth

RESULT: James then fucks up further by spilling out his guts about how much he wants to kiss Severus. Severus’ eyes get so wide they worry they might pop out of his head. He reaches out and tugs James by the tie into a filthy kiss. Lily squeaks. James faints. Severus panics. (This is where Peter collapses on the floor next to Sirius and Remus in uncontrollable laughter.)

5. How he misses pranking but feels like he’s more hated for it than he is revered

RESULT: Sirius, Remus, and Peter help him come up with pranks that are fun but don’t hurt or inconvenience people too much. Severus helps add safeguards, Regulus finds targets for them, and Lily encourages them and tells James over and over that she enjoys a good bit of fun.

Lily: It should involve glitter.

James: That doesn’t even make sense -

Sirius: Shut the fuck up James, we’re using glitter.

6. How much he wants to be a good person but feels like his friends are so much better than him

RESULT: They tell him what a good friend he is as often as they can. They try to remind him of all the things he does for them and how they’d be nothing without him. He doesn’t quite believe it, but it’s still nice.

7. How he feels like he’s not doing enough to help the people around him

RESULT: They make written lists of the things he’s done for them and tape them to the bathroom mirror. (Like any melodramatic teenager, James’ breakdowns take place while gripping the sink and staring in the mirror while questioning your every life decision.) They sometimes lock him in there until he reads the whole list out loud. (When they let him out Sirius hugs him so hard he struggles to move or breathe.)

8. How he’s pretty sure he’s gonna die before all of them and he’s way more okay with that than he should be

RESULT: Remus forces him to learn even more defense spells outside of class. Sirius and Regulus teach him hand-to-hand combat. Lily and Severus make it their priority to give James reasons to enjoy life. And Peter is the one tasked with noticing when James’ mood dips and swings.

9. His repression of his bisexuality

RESULT: Remus forces him to talk for ten minutes a day about being bisexual. Sirius makes them all I LOVE MY BISEXUAL BROTHER shirts that they wear every weekend (James’ says I’M THE BISEXUAL BROTHER. Severus and Lily’s say I LOVE MY BISEXUAL BOYFRIEND. James has a matching one that says I’M THE BISEXUAL BOYFRIEND. Those get made after James is way more comfortable with who he is.) Peter will nudge James’ side every time a boy he thinks is cute walks by, and James learns to do the same in return. They tease him and love him and Sirius kisses his cheek all the time, and life is good.

10. How the happiest day of his life was when all four of the Marauders wore skirts and he felt so comfortable in his own skin and so happy and so ashamed

RESULT: Sirius starts wearing skirts to class every day. Remus wears summer dresses. Peter wears tutus. James is still hesitant, but then Severus shows up at breakfast in a soft skirt and smiles as he kisses James’ cheek and James runs upstairs and changes before his first class. Regulus tells him, “You look beautiful, Jamie,” and James throws his arms around his neck and holds on tight even as Regulus huffs in fake annoyance.

Severus

1. How he internalizes every insult the Marauders throw at him

RESULT: They stop insulting him. And apologize for every single one they’ve ever thrown his way. (And Severus is treated to the first of many hugs from Sirius and Remus - they’re the best huggers in all of the Marauders.)

2. How he used to be proud of being a Slytherin but because of them now hates himself for it

RESULT: James, Regulus, and Sirius arrange a House Pride day. It encourages interHouse mingling and everyone is decked out in their House colors. A lot of friends are made, and plenty of long-lasting relationships too. Dumbledore thinks it’s such a great idea that he makes it an annual tradition.

3. How terrified he is of the impending war

RESULT: There’s not much that can be done. But they start having family movie nights to distract themselves. Cuddle piles are common and welcome.

4. How jealous he is of Sirius and Regulus for having somewhere to go when their home life is too unbearable

RESULT: Naturally, James adopts him immediately. And Sirius and Regulus do their damndest to be his brothers. The nightmares are still there, but the causes for them are not. (Also, Severus, Sirius, and Regulus get the help of Mcgonogall and Dumbledore to create a safe haven for the kids of abusive pureblood families. It takes awhile for the secrets to come out and the pride to fall, but eventually this place is home to Narcissa, Andromeda, Lucius, Bellatrix, and quite a few others. To all of their surprise, there are multiple kids from every House in the haven (dubbed “Love Haven” as a parody of the pureist institutions called “Blood Havens”). It doesn’t excuse their behavior, but it gives them reasons to change for the better.)

5. How much he hates James for stealing his only friend and how much he hates himself for losing her and how much he loves, loves, loves James Potter despite all his efforts not to

RESULT: A lot of long, drawn out, uncomfortable conversations between James, Lily, and Severus. Even after they’re together, their insecurities get in the way. Luckily, the good times make up for the bad ones.

6. How he’s known Remus’ secret since first year and never once thought to tell

RESULT: Sirius loves him. Like, really loves him. Severus is treated to so many Sirius hugs he starts to forget what it was like before they started hugging. And Remus and Severus build themselves an unlikely friendship, one that mostly involves them sitting next to each other while reading and occasionally leaning their heads on each other’s shoulders. And Severus becomes one of the people Remus Lupin reaches for when werewolves are brought up in class. He finds, surprisingly, that holding Remus Lupin’s hand is something he just never quite wants to stop doing.

7. How the Slytherins the Marauders think are his “cronies” are actually his bullies that follow him around everywhere

RESULT: When Severus goes to class the next day, the cronies don’t look at him. They don’t speak to him. They don’t touch him. Severus asks all of the Marauders in increasingly urgent tones what they did, but they won’t say. In the end, all Severus knows is that he will never be mistreated again. Not while they’re alive.

8. How much he cares about Regulus

RESULT: Regulus will slip his hand into Severus’ a lot. They refer to each other as brothers to total strangers. In a group of Gryffindors, it’s nice to have a fellow Slytherin around to talk to. As much as they love their friends, there are just some things those headstrong Gryffindors will never understand.

9. How he feels like a freak for his asexuality

RESULT: Dumbledore opens a sex ed class at Hogwarts. (As part of his punishment for, ya know, the genocide, Grindelwald is forced to teach it. He and Dumbledore make eyes at each other the whole time, which makes Sirius and James gag and Remus and Peter laugh.) The class explores sexuality, including asexuality, and there are open discussions. Dumbledore authorizes an annual Pride at Severus and Remus’ request. There’s a lot of cake and glitter and hugs. The world is all the better for it, and they are all the happier for it.

Lily

1. How guilty she feels for loving James when she promised Severus she would only ever love him

RESULT: More awkward conversations for the three of them. And a lot of kisses, hand holding, hugs, and other assorted variations of affection between Lily and Severus.

2. How wholly and purely she loves Severus, no matter what James or anyone else says or thinks

RESULT: They apologize to Lily as well as Severus for all their remarks against him. James touches Lily’s shoulder and tells her she couldn’t have picked a better person to love, not even him, and she smiles. And James creates an organization to combat anti-Slytherin bias, which includes a lot of talking to first years and helping them be proud of who they are. Lily is at every meeting, holding tightly to Severus’ hand as she breathes in deep and blinks back happy tears. And whenever James catches her eyes, she smiles. Wide and big.

3. How she feels when James flirts with her like she’s a prize to be won rather than a human

RESULT: James apologizes. A lot. Like, more than is honestly necessary. But he also tries to amend his ways. He treats her like a person from then on; he treats the people she loves like people. He’s careful not to touch her unless she asks for it or invites him to. And she learns to trust him, that he doesn’t always mean the shitty things he says. The day she first kisses him is the day she finds out he’s asked every single girl in their year how to respectfully flirt with someone, respect boundaries, and remain unthreatening in a conversation.

4. How much she struggles with being a witch because of what her family and classmates think of her

RESULT: The Marauders work to better their classmates and professors’ minds by speaking out against pureist slurs and encouraging her to stand up for herself. And her last summer before graduating, they all travel home with her to her family and give them a talking to. (It doesn’t quite work, but, well. She has a new family now. One she chose. One she likes much, much better than her old one.)

5. How she’s never really felt like much of a girl (FTM Lily)

RESULT: Regulus helps Lily, since he’s trans, with ways to battle dysphoria and feel better about his appearance. James, Sirius, and Remus help correct people when they use the wrong pronouns, and encourage Lily by calling him “dude” and “bro” and whatever other masculine nicknames they can come up with. Peter talks to Dumbledore and Mcgonogall about all of the needed steps that should be taken to ensure Lily’s safety and comfort, and Severus buys him too many clothes and tells him he’s beautiful and helps him search for names until Lily decides he wants to keep his original one. And they all tell him how proud they are of him every day. (They also buy him a trans flag, along with every other pride flag needed for their group, and a couple hundred mini ones for every other queer student. Lily leads the school’s GSA, though it was founded by Remus and Sirius. And James smuggles them all out to Muggle Pride.)

Peter

1. How left out he feels all the time

RESULT: James, Sirius, and Remus are sure to include him in their antics. They ask him his opinion on things and let him make the plans some days. And they hug him more. There are lots and lots of group hugs.

2. How he constantly wonders if they would notice or care if he disappeared

RESULT: The seven of them start to play Hide and Seek every week around the castle. And they don’t stop until they find everyone, including Peter. It’s stupid, but it proves to Peter that even in the context of a children’s game he’s important. (He feels even better when he’s found first.)

3. How he doesn’t think they would go to the same lengths for him as they would for each other

RESULT: They hope they never end up in a situation where they have to prove this to him, but. In the meantime, they tell him how much they love and appreciate him. They do what they can for him. And they try to make things more equal between the four of them, even if that just means splitting a chocolate bar into equal pieces.

4. How he thinks he might be bi but he also thinks it doesn’t matter because nobody will ever love him, right?

RESULT: Remus actually throws a fit at this. He shouts for nearly twenty minutes about how if a werewolf like him can be loved, and he is, he knows he is, then Peter can be loved. Sirius then starts shouting at Remus, because he hates when Remus refers to himself as less than human. Their fight eventually devolves into a very fierce makeout session, at which James rolls his eyes and envelopes Peter in a hug, telling him that they love him no matter what and one day someone else is going to too. Then he grins and takes Peter’s hand, pulling him out of the dorm (as Sirius and Remus collapse on a bed that is probably not either of theirs) and down the halls to the Great Hall, where their other three friends are waiting with grins. A Hufflepuff punk looks up at Peter and smiles, and Peter’s heart lights itself on fire.

5. How much he actually cares about that nonbinary Hufflepuff Maxwell

RESULT: A nonbinary Hufflepuff named Maxwell Needles, a transfer student from Beauxbatons, is the object of Peter’s affections. The other Marauders tease Peter endlessly for his crush on the Hufflepuff, but also encourage him, and Remus and Sirius do recon work to see if Max will make a worthy Marauder, should they like Peter back. After watching them undo an entire Potions lesson in plain sight and not get caught, they decide that yes, Max is good enough for Peter. Eventually Peter works up the courage to ask Max out, and they grin at him and pull him in for a quick kiss by the tie, whispering their assent against his lips before pulling back and fluttering away, though they leave a trail of magical butterflies in their wake that follow Peter around the whole rest of the day. (Peter and Max have conversations while Max carries Peter around piggyback style.)

6. How stupid he feels compared to all of them

RESULT: They help him study, but are sure to compliment him every time he does something well. And they assure him he’s not stupid - he’s just smart in other areas. Besides, Remus notes dryly, a person as intelligent as Maxwell Needles would never love him if he weren’t at least interesting.

7. How sometimes he’s thought about joining You-Know-Who because at least then maybe they would finally see him as something other than their tag-along laughing stock

RESULT: They assure him of his worth, and they make him promise to tell them every time he thinks about giving in to the Dark. They know there’s very little they can do if he chooses to become a Death Eater, so they do all they can before it’s too late. (And they all live to be grey and old, so it must have worked.)

Regulus

1. How much he looks up to Sirius

RESULT: Sirius bursts into tears and pulls Regulus into his arms. They hold each other and whisper in each other’s ears with their eyes closed as they sway until finally Sirius pulls away and cups Regulus’ face in his hands, smiling through the tears and kissing his forehead hard before whispering, “I love you.” Regulus smiles and returns the sentiment. The two are inseparable afterwards. They hold hands a lot, their fingers woven together during classes, and so it’s no surprise when less than a week after Sirius Black becomes Sirius Lupin, Regulus Black becomes Regulus Lupin.

2. How he thought he was going to die when Sirius left him at Grimmauld Place

RESULT: Sirius tears up and pulls him close, cradling his crying baby brother against his chest as he whispers, “Come home with me. I’m sorry. Come home with me. I’ll never let them hurt you again. I’ll never let anyone hurt you ever again.”

3. How much he genuinely adores Remus

RESULT: Remus gives Regulus his last name without hesitation. He takes on a motherly role towards Regulus, often holding his hand and kissing his forehead. Regulus takes to occasionally calling him “Mum”, which Remus doesn’t mind in the slightest. When Regulus becomes an Animagus, his cat will sit on Remus’ lap for hours, letting him brush his fingers through his fur without pause as he sleeps. Regulus introduces Remus to strangers not as his brother-in-law, but simply as his brother, and Remus loves him. (And Sirius adores how close his brother and husband are. He’s not sure what he’d do if they didn’t love each other.)

4. The existence of Amir and Regulus’ shame for loving him

RESULT: The Marauders visit Amir (a Muggle librarian) with Regulus to assess whether he’s a good person (he is). They create an organization at Hogwarts that helps Muggleborn and half-blood kids, as well as anyone else who wishes to join, with Muggle-magic relationships. They, but especially Lily and Regulus, work hard to better Muggle-magic relations long after graduating Hogwarts.

5. Being born a girl and being a boy but also just a person (he/they)

RESULT: They take care with his pronouns. Sirius screams at their parents (and willing takes the Cruciatus Curse) any time they call Regulus “Regina” or their “daughter” or “she” or “her”. Similarly, James is fiercely protective of him at school, helping him stand up for himself when people get it wrong. And Remus, sweet sweet Remus, helps him dress in whichever way makes him most comfortable and brushes his hair while humming lullabies.

6. Thinking Sirius looks beautiful in a skirt

RESULT: Sirius starts crying, but they’re happy tears. And he smiles for days afterwards. So any time Sirius wears a skirt, Regulus goes out of his way to tell him how beautiful he looks. (Both brothers know how much the other struggles with the whole concept of loving yourself, but Regulus knows that Sirius often struggles with it more than he does.)

7. Being happiest when he’s hanging out with the Marauders and James throws an arm around his shoulders

RESULT: Regulus grows to be incredibly close to James. While at first he worries about intruding on James and Sirius’ friendship or James’ hospitality when he comes to live with them, his worries are soon forgotten when James starts treating him like another brother. James has a casual affection with him that Regulus loves, like when he’ll throw an arm around his shoulders or take his hand or kiss his cheek. After growing up in such an abusive family, physical affection is everything to Regulus (and Sirius, though he never says it).

8. How much he likes Severus and holding his hand and just simply being his friend

RESULT: Severus holds his hand like all the time. They’re each other’s best friend, and they aren’t ashamed to admit it. They even go to some of the school dances together, sitting criss-cross on the floor in the corner and playing Muggle hand games that Lily and Remus taught them.

9. How much he admires Sirius just for being who he is without shame

RESULT: Sirius tries to help him out of his shell. They go out shopping together and Sirius encourages him to buy whatever he wants. James buys him skirts for Christmas, Remus does his hair up when he wants it, Peter paints his nails, Lily gives him her approving nod, and Severus smiles and tells him he looks beautiful. (And in private, Sirius lets Regulus in on the little secret that he’s never been unashamed. He’s just better at hiding it.)

10. How much he wants to be like Lily, a boy who nobody questions is a boy

RESULT: Lily is extra helpful in helping him assert himself. He teaches Regulus some techniques he knows to look more masculine, and they talk about their dysphoria together. And Lily tells Severus, Sirius, and Remus that Regulus struggling, so they’re sure to call him handsome every day. And James, of course, is as sweet as ever, kissing his cheek and referring to him as “your highness” and “your majesty”. (James calls Severus “my prince” as a joke because of the whole Half-Blood Prince thing, and it makes Severus blush and cover his face with his hands every time.)