#we could find each other in every universe trope

[oobbbear]

A comic about the fallens

Please read deadendia I need people to suffer w me

[dazaih]

wingman - luke skywalker x reader

you can find the previous chapters here

chapter seven -> the show

your university roommate han solo finds a rival (and love interest) in student council president leia skywalker, but both of them are too stubborn to admit that they have feelings for each other. luckily, you and her twin brother, luke, devise a plan to get the two of them to spend more time together. challenges arise, however, when you start to develop a crush on him.

chapter warnings: making out in public, drinking, sexual humor, slightly stereotypical college tropes, luke is a freak

a/n: sorry this one took so long! not super happy with it but i hope you guys enjoy anyway :p

You had returned to class a few days ago, readjusting a bit difficult after your brief absence. The ache in your ribs and inability to use your hand served as painful reminders of what had transpired that night. Han’s first day back was today, and although you thought it was far too soon, he at least would be seeing Leia in class later. Since she knew what happened, you hoped that she might be a source of comfort for him. As you left your lecture, you were pulled from your thoughts by your phone buzzing in your pocket.

Luke: heyyy! i just passed han! is he back?

You hadn’t talked to Luke since you’d essentially fondled him in your bedroom several days ago, so the text surprised you. You stared at it for a second before deciding to reply.

You: yeah it’s his first day back. hope he and leia can get along today lol

Luke: ohhhh same but i’m sure she’ll be happy to have him in class again! i think she’s missed him >:)

Luke: sooooo does that mean ur back too?

You: yes i got back a few days ago actually

There was a beat of silence, and you could see him switching between typing and not typing a few times, the three dots disappearing and reappearing in a brief cycle of apparent deliberation.

Luke: u were supposed to lmk </3 heart is broken. don’t think i’ll recover tbh

Luke either just consistently texted like a teenage girl, or he was flirting with you. Deciding to test the waters, you sent him a message back.

You: my bad my bad i’ll make it up to u babe

His response was immediate.

Luke: YOOOO

Luke: what if we get lunch like. right now. i’m on campus

You laughed, but you had to admit that having someone be so excited to see you was a good feeling. Even if your relationship was largely fabricated, Luke did seem to genuinely enjoy your company.

You: ok i’m leaving class rn. food court or dining hall?

Luke: food court ok with u? i want sushi

With that, you told him you’d meet him there, and then made your way to the agreed upon destination. You were pretty nervous about being seen with him in the food court, as it was usually pretty crowded. Still, that wasn’t a good enough reason to avoid him, so you anxiously let your feet carry you there.

Despite the density of the room, Luke was easy to spot. He stood out in any crowd, something about his demeanor incredibly radiant and eye-catching, his mere presence enough to make people turn their heads. To your surprise, he spotted you pretty quickly too, and excitedly waved you over. When he did, a few people around him glanced in your direction, their curiosity getting the better of them as they wondered whom Luke Skywalker could be so excited to see. Your face flushed.

“Hey!” he greeted you enthusiastically, standing as close to you as he possibly could without actually touching you.

“Hi,” you replied somewhat shyly, hoping the rosiness of your cheeks went unnoticed by him.

“How’s your day going?” he asked, not bothering to be subtle as he looked you over, seemingly studying every detail of your appearance.

“It’s okay. Been really tired recently, but I guess that’s to be expected,” you replied, looking down at your shoes.

You almost jumped out of your skin when he gently wedged a finger underneath your chin, nudging your face upwards so you were forced to meet his eyes. You could feel countless stares on you, and you were wondering how far Luke was willing to commit to this if he was likely driving away other potential suitors by being intimate with you in public.

“You have dark circles under your eyes,” he observed, cocking his head at you. You were puzzled.

“Uh, sorry,” you said, not really sure how you were supposed to respond, “I guess I usually wear concealer.”

“I wasn’t suggesting that you should wear concealer,” he replied, giggling, “Just that you should get some rest tonight.”

“Right,” you mumbled awkwardly, the eyes of your peers burning holes into your skull, your skin searing from the red hot embarrassment of it all. You had never received so much attention in your life, and all you were doing was standing in front of the sushi counter at your school’s food court.

He ushered you towards the counter, making you order first so he could pay for it without having to put up with your protests. He also insisted on carrying it to the table for you, saying that you shouldn’t have to since your wrist was broken. You all found a seat against the wall, tucked out of the way but not fully shielded from the prying eyes of your classmates. When you were about to take a seat, Luke stopped you, putting a hand on your shoulder to get your attention.

“You face the wall,” he told you knowingly, “It’ll keep your back turned towards them. I can pretend not to notice, so I’ll face this way.”

You were speechless for a moment, but you supposed you shouldn’t have been surprised that he picked up on your apprehension. Luke was observant. Sitting down, you sighed, putting your head in your hands for a moment before looking back up at him.

“I’m sorry,” you said sincerely, taking a deep breath to steady yourself, “I fly under the radar most of the time. It’s just new to me.”

“You shouldn’t be the one apologizing. It’s my fault for not asking if you would be okay with people ogling you while you’re trying to eat,” he replied, seemingly embarrassed.

“It’s not your fault,” you assured him, offering him a smile, “I mean, I guess I’m friends with Han, and he attracts all sorts of attention. I’ll adapt.”

Luke laughed, accepting your affirmations as some relief set into his shoulders. He relaxed a little, opening the lid on his sushi container and cracking his chopsticks apart. He sighed happily when he took the first bite, a blush creeping up on your cheeks when you recalled how him eating chocolate in your room escalated to your hands grasping his chest. That look of mischief you had become so familiar with shone in his eyes, and you immediately knew that his mind had drifted there too.

“Behave,” you warned, narrowing your eyes at him.

“You know that doesn’t deter me, right? I could listen to you say that over and over again. It’s hot.”

“Luke, we’re at school!” you exclaimed, his confession turning your already red face a deeper shade of crimson. You weren’t sure how much of what he was saying was true, but you couldn’t deny that you were flustered by his words.

He laughed then, bright and cheery as always, looking at you like you were the most fun he’d ever experienced. His gaze sank deeper into your skin and reached your bones, making them ache with the yearning you were starting to feel towards him.

“I’m sorry,” he said, still giggling a bit, “You make it too easy.”

“Why can’t you just eat normally? Why do you have to make everyone around you wonder if you’re trying to be erotic?” you asked, rubbing your temple with your good hand before taking a bite of your own roll.

“I love food,” he replied, shrugging, “Always ate the same shit growing up, so I like having so many options now. And it’s also possible that I’m exaggerating a little bit to mess with you.”

“I figured,” you huffed, though your brain had grabbed onto something else he said, “You didn’t grow up rich?”

He paused, his chopsticks unmoving and even his chewing coming to a halt, his eyes scanning the room for a moment before falling back on you.

“No,” he muttered, voice quiet, “Damn. Didn’t even realize that I gave myself away. You’re good. Don’t tell anyone that, please.”

You had a million questions for him, your curiosity about his life increasing by the minute, but he clearly hadn’t meant to reveal that to you.

“I don’t really care,” you reassured him, pushing your questions to the back of your mind for the sake of his comfort, “You won’t believe this, but I didn’t grow up rich either.”

He laughed, relaxing again as he looked at you fondly, a bit more somber now but definitely calmer than he had been just a moment ago. He gave you a smile that told you he appreciated your willingness to move on, and you decided then that if he smiled at you like that, you were content with being patient.

“So,” he said, mischief returning to his expression, “I’ve been scheming, as you might say.”

“Oh boy,” you replied, grinning, “About our favorite couple, I’m assuming.”

“Of course,” he confirmed, leaning so that his face was closer to yours, “So, two weeks from now, there’s a concert. Local bar. Two bands are playing. That’s the type of thing you and your friends enjoy, yeah?”

“Right,” you told him, nodding, “But we couldn’t mosh or anything since my wrist is broken and Han is all sorts of fucked up, so we might not be very fun company.”

“No, that’s alright. That’s not what’s important,” he continued, “There’s a band making their debut there on that night. You can stand by the bar if you want, no pressure to go out into the crowd at all. I think you guys will enjoy it regardless.”

“I feel like you’re omitting some information,” you pointed out, narrowing your eyes at him.

“Well, yeah, but it’s nothing bad. And Leia will be there.”

You briefly recalled the conversation you’d had with Luke when you’d first met his friends, the mention that Leia was really into punk and alternative music surprising enough for you to note.

“I’ll do my best to get us there,” you told him.

He beamed at you, resting his chin on his hand as he mused over his plan, the details of which you weren’t privy to.

“I think it’ll put things into motion,” he said ominously, seemingly to himself.

He changed the topic after that, asking you about which movies you’d watched recently and if there was anything you thought he might like. In return, you asked him about how his recovery was going, and he told you that he would be cleared to participate in practice again soon, as his concussion had waned. You talked for the next hour, pausing every now and then to actually eat like you had intended to.

Overall, it had been a pretty good time. You were never able to shake the stares of your peers fully, but once they realized that nothing much would come of gawking at the two of you, they largely minded their own business. You bid him farewell and thanked him for the food, promising to see him again soon.

When you got back to your apartment, Chewie had started making dinner. Meatloaf, it looked like. You helped out where you could, though your injury made it more challenging than you would’ve liked. You were anticipating Han’s arrival any second now, but you were left in waiting. As the minutes ticked by and eventually reached an hour, you grew anxious. Finally, you decided to call.

“What?” he answered after the third ring, voice a whisper.

“Where are you?” you replied, ignoring his abrasive tone. That was just Han.

“Library with Leia. I got really pissed off in class today because I didn’t know what was goin’ on, so now we’re here.”

“Oh,” you said, a bit dumbfounded by this information, “Well, Chewie made meatloaf. You should ask her if she wants to stop by for dinner.”

You heard him mumbling, likely inviting Leia over, and then you could vaguely hear her voice too.

“She has to go to practice after this,” he told you, sounding bored.

“Practice? For what?”

“Geez, I don’t know, kid. I’m not gonna sit here and interrogate her. I’ll be home later, alright? We can watch somethin’ on TV.”

“Okay,” you murmured, not really sure what else to say to that.

He muttered a quick goodbye to you and hung up. Without thinking twice about it, you immediately texted Luke.

You: they’re at the library together right now…

You explained the situation to Chewie as fixed some asparagus to go with your meal, telling him about the show in two weeks and asking if he’d be interested. He nodded, an amused expression on his face as he continued to cook. A few minutes later, you got a text back from Luke.

Luke: no wayyyyy they’re evolving

Luke: ask him about the show when he gets back!

You weren’t sure what was up with Luke’s insistence, especially considering how the last show went for you all, but you shrugged it off.

You supposed you’d find out soon enough.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

You hadn’t seen Luke any since lunch that day, but you’d texted him a few times over the past two weeks. You all didn’t say anything of much importance to each other, nor did you talk very frequently, but it was nice to know that he hadn’t completely forgotten about you as his practice schedule picked up again and he resumed his normal life.

Han hadn’t needed much convincing to go to the show, as he hadn’t been out on the town since the incident. You had told him Leia would be there, so when he came out of his room dressed in his nice brown coat instead of the Carhartt again, you mentally cheered. Maybe he cared about looking nice for her after all.

“You look good,” you told him. The bruises on his face had healed some in the past several days, and he was starting to look a little more like himself again. It was refreshing.

“I know,” he replied smugly, seemingly excited to feel a bit more normal—well, as excited as Han could seem to be.

Chewie stood by the doorway, scrolling on his phone. He was wearing a beanie this time with his long hair down, glasses perched on his nose and a blue flannel tucked into his black jeans.

“And so do you!” you cheered, walking over to Chewie and smoothing out his eyebrows with your thumb. Unlike Han, he didn’t make much of a fuss when you tried to detail his appearance, allowing you to exercise your cosmetic expertise to your heart’s content. He rolled his eyes and smiled at you, gesturing to your outfit and giving you a thumbs up.

“Thanks,” you said, understanding his meaning immediately. He thought you looked nice too.

“Yeah, not horrible,” Han added, glancing over your outfit. It was one of your favorites, teetering the line between your casual attire and something a bit nicer. You wore Han’s black coat, as it was slightly baggier than your own, concealing your cast pretty well. You didn’t want people walking on eggshells around you all night because you were hurt.

With that, the three of you departed, your walk downtown leisurely as Han and Chewie split a cigarette. You were in a good mood, glad that the three of you were going out again. It’s also possible that you were a little bit excited to see Luke too.

When you all walked into the bar, you felt at ease. These types of venues were what you were used to, classic college bars with live music. Before bothering to find Luke and Leia, sure that they were likely in the company of others and wouldn’t be bothered by your absence, you went on a quest for drinks. You would probably have to hang out near the back anyway due to your injuries, so being leaned up against the bar didn’t seem like that bad of a call. You ordered something strong and sipped your drink peacefully, taking in the atmosphere and anticipating the band’s performance.

“We oughta take a shot,” Han mumbled to you, “Whiskey.”

You laughed and agreed, knowing that being a little tipsier would help you relax. After the shot and downing your first drink, you moved onto a second, you and Han talking and in your own little world. It was then that you looked across the room and saw a tighter crowd of people, and you instantly knew that Luke had to be the center. Han noticed too, and the two of you watched as you caught glimpses of him every now and then. Unusually, he wore all dark colors today, his sweater a dark gray and his pants black, beat up converse on his feet. He was drunk of course, hand clutched around a drink you couldn’t quite identify. You watched as a girl placed her hand on his chin, appearing to look at the fresh scar under his lip. He was relatively nonreactive, politely smiling at her and probably answering questions about his injuries. To your surprise, though, he never put his hands on her, nor did he lean into her touch.

“Gonna handle that?” Han asked you, taking another sip of his drink and watching the scene before him unfold.

“He’s not my boyfriend,” you said simply, though you did take some joy in the fact that Luke didn’t seem to be reciprocating her advances.

“You’re staring daggers into that girl’s head.”

“I am not,” you insisted, downing the rest of your drink and ordering another.

“Sure, kid,” he said dismissively, “Didn’t take you for the jealous type.”

Before you could defend yourself, Luke met your eyes. His smile widened, he appeared to apologize to the girl he was talking to, and he immediately departed from the group that had crowded around him. They watched him go curiously, slowly trailing as to not give themselves away as being dependent on his presence, but you tried to pay them little attention.

“Hey!” he greeted you excitedly, putting his drink down next to you and pulling you into a hug. You squawked in surprise, but eventually wrapped your arms around him as well, returning his affection.

He didn’t let go of you for what felt like an awkwardly long time, and you made eye contact with Han in a silent plea for advice. He rolled his eyes at you and shook his head, the smallest of grins playing at his lips.

“Missed you,” Luke drunkenly confessed as he pulled away, though his hands had dropped to your waist, “I’ve been waiting for you to get here all night.”

You were stunned into silence for a moment before finally swallowing hard, mustering the courage to speak.

“It’s good to see you,” you told him awkwardly, his hands on you making your heart rate accelerate more than you liked to admit, “You look really good in black.”

He beamed at you, his cheeks flushing a little under the vibrant lighting of the venue, and brushed a piece of your hair behind your ear.

“You think so?” he asked teasingly, leaning into you as he spoke.

“Don’t go fishing for compliments,” you told him lightheartedly, “How much have you had to drink?”

“Not enough. Wanna take a shot with me? Or a shooter? I’ll pay, of course.”

“You really have to stop buying me things.”

“Nah. I like buying you things,” he countered, grinning as he ordered you a drink.

He had ordered you green tea shooters, which you’d never had before but sounded so much like something he would enjoy that you were eager to partake. Before you knew what was happening, he gripped your chin and tilted your head back a bit, the glass of the shooter pressing against your lips.

“Open,” he told you, his confidence that you’d do whatever he asked almost making your knees buckle. You did, the alcohol slipping past your lips and going straight to your head—or maybe the way Luke was looking at you was the cause for your drunkenness, you weren’t sure. Both were likely explanations.

Luke didn’t give you the chance to pull the same maneuver on him, quickly downing his shooter and smiling innocently at you. In the meantime, Chewie had appeared at the bar, presumably to distract Han from Luke’s hands on you. When he gave you a brief look, you knew your assumption had been correct, and he smiled and rolled his eyes at you when you mouthed a quick thank you to him.

“Wanna stand in the back? Close to the bar but still in the crowd. No one should shove us there,” he proposed, seemingly also at least somewhat aware of Han’s guard being up around him.

You nodded, following him into the back of the crowd and finding a good window between some of the taller individuals to get a pretty solid view of the stage, especially considering where you were standing. You had taken your regular drinks along with you, and you sipped yours as casually as you could, knowing that a lot of eyes were on you despite your position at the back of the crowd.

“Will Han kill me if I make out with you in front of everyone tonight?” he asked you, cheeks flushed and pupils blown wide from the alcohol. You nearly choked on your drink, and you had to take a deep breath to stabilize yourself before you could manage a reply.

“That’s—Are you sure you want to do that?”

“What?” he said, laughing at your question, “Why wouldn’t I? Are you sick or something?”

Thoughts swirled around your mind, bouncing off every corner of your skull and almost making your head hurt in the process. Everyone in this venue wants to make out with you. You could have any one of them. If it’s me, you’ll sabotage your chances of finding someone you really like to take home tonight. You didn’t say any of it, because you didn’t want to make him feel even less like a person than he probably already did.

“Just wanted to make sure,” you murmured quietly, looking down. He gently hooked his finger under your chin and pushed upwards, forcing you to meet his eyes. No matter how many times he did this, you always blushed.

“Hey, if you’re more private about that sort of stuff, it’s totally fine. I’m not here to push you into situations that make you uncomfortable. We don’t have to kiss at all.”

Reassessing your comfort was the bare minimum, but it made you feel warm nonetheless. You weren’t sure what came over you, but you leaned forward and let your head drop to rest on his shoulder, sighing. You heard him chuckle lightly at that, and he immediately wrapped his arms around you, your face still buried into the crook of his neck.

“Or you can just do that, I guess,” he remarked, sounding amused.

“Sorry, I’m just not used to so many people looking at me. But you’re so nice, and I wanna be close to you still. Just hiding for a second. You smell really good, by the way.”

He laughed again, hugging you a little tighter, cautious to not spill his drink or injure your wrist.

“You’re drunk,” he told you, and you felt him sigh when you smiled into the side of his neck.

“So are you.”

“Well, yeah,” he replied, giggling again, "But I’ve just never seen you be like, expressive when you’re drinking. I like it. Tell me more about what you like about me.”

It was your turn to laugh, Luke’s lack of subtly entertaining to you.

“Do you have any shame?” you teased.

“About some stuff, sure. But not about this.”

“Well, you know I like your abs.”

“And my chest, apparently.”

“Hey. You enjoyed that.”

“Never said I didn’t. Wanna do it again right now?”

“Luke!” you exclaimed in a fit of drunken giggles, pulling away to lightly smack his arm. He smiled at you and took another sip of his drink.

“So, what else do you like about me?” he pried, and you rolled your eyes at him before stepping closer once more.

“You’ll find out. Be patient,” you told him, your own touch of mischief seeping into your voice. He smiled at you, right hand dropping to your waist and pulling you closer, left hand tossing his drink back and finishing the rest of it in a single go. You mimicked his actions, finishing your own beverage and meeting his eyes. Just then, the first band emerged, and you turned towards the stage while Luke placed his hand on your lower back.

“We can get another drink in the middle of the set, if you want,” he said, pulling you flush against his side as the band started to play, “But I’m kind of drunk right now, so I need a second.”

You laughed and nodded at him, and pretty soon your attention shifted towards the talented musicians on stage. Since you couldn’t be in the front, you had to settle on gently swaying and nodding your head rather than something more exciting. This band had more of an indie rock vibe, so there wasn’t a ton of moshing to be done anyway. You hoped Han wasn’t feeling left out, but you were confident that Chewie would stay by his side while you were gone.

You were so inebriated that you barely noticed Luke’s friends circling around you, with the addition of a few strangers as well. You only realized how many eyes were on you when Biggs clasped a hand around Luke’s shoulder, making him jump a little. Without thinking, you gently smoothed his sweater down over his bicep, hoping the gesture provided him with a small bit of comfort. He looked over at you and smiled before quickly turning his attention back to Biggs.

“Why’re you all the way back here?” Biggs asked him, seemingly pretty drunk himself.

“He’s injured, Biggs,” a girl you didn’t recognize interjected, stepping closer.

“Can’t believe you even came out tonight, Luke. I mean, I’m glad you’re here and all, but what if you get hurt again?” her friend added, joining her in crowding close to Luke.

“I’ve got a personal investment in the next band,” he said simply, offering the group standing in front of him a perfect smile.

“What, you fuckin’ the drummer or something?” Elias replied, and you had to restrain yourself from rolling your eyes.

“I think their drummer is a dude,” one of his other friends pointed out.

“So? You think that’s gonna stop Luke? He’ll fuck anything that moves—“

“Cut it out, Eli,” the girl from before said, placing a hand on Luke’s shoulder, “That’s not true. Don’t be mean to him.”

Luke laughed, but you watched him tense as the stranger’s hand stayed put on his body.

“Oh, fuck off. You guys were literally calling him—“

“Shut up!”

“Calling me what?” Luke interrupted curiously, tilting his head and looking at the girls in front of him with an expression that you couldn’t quite decipher.

“Luke,” she said, hand still on his on his shoulder, “You know our friend Marie. We were just talking about when you guys got together, and—“

“Marie’s been telling all of her friends that you’re easy, dude,” his friend interjected, cutting her off.

“It’s not like that,” she protested, bringing her hand up to the side of his neck and moving to cup his cheek, “We don’t think you’re easy, Luke.”

“I don’t really get what you’re trying to say,” he murmured, brows furrowed, “Sorry. I’m a little drunk.”

She cooed at him and you wanted to throw up in your mouth. Or on her. Either would do.

“It’s okay. We can just drop it and get another drink,” she told him, tucking a piece of his hair behind his ear and giving him a sickeningly sweet smile. She was a beautiful woman, so it was really a shame that she was acting so creepy.

“They were calling you a slut earlier, man,” Biggs finally said, frowning, “Sorry. Just thought you should know. Marie and a bunch of her friends were over there talking about you.”

“That is not what happened,” she said, placing her other hand on Luke’s face, effectively forcing him to look only at her, “Luke, I promise that I would never—“

When you saw Luke tense further and his eyes widen, you’d had enough. You could put up with other people flirting with him—he wasn’t your boyfriend, after all—but making him uncomfortable was a separate ordeal entirely. You rolled your eyes, reached over, and grabbed her wrists, making use of the weight of your cast to push her arms down and away from his face. You stepped in between them then, giving Luke some space away from her.

“I’m tired of listening to this,” you announced, speaking for the first time since the whole situation had started transpiring, “This entire conversation is stupid.”

You didn’t feel the need to further elaborate, nor did you have any interest in personally shaming the girls, instead taking Luke’s hand in your own and tangling your fingers together, walking off towards the bar. He went happily, giving the group a small wave and a smile as you pulled him away. You didn’t bother looking back at any of them, your focus just on getting Luke out of that situation. When you reached the bar, Han gave you a quizzical look, but you just shook your head and mouthed not now.

“My knight in shining armor,” Luke said, leaning against the bar with you and keeping your hands entwined.

“They sound like they’re in high school. I don’t know how you manage to be nice to people like that.”

“What I do reflects on my parents,” he replied with a shrug, “Seriously though, thank you. That wasn’t a very fun interaction for me.”

“Sorry for just pulling you out of there without even asking,” you murmured sheepishly, cheeks a bit red, “I was just annoyed, and you looked uncomfortable.”

“What? Don’t apologize. You can take me wherever you want, but that’s especially true in cases where someone is grabbing my face and trying to convince me that they weren’t calling me slutty thirty minutes ago.”

Thinking about it made you irritated all over again, and it must’ve shown on your face, because Luke spoke again.

“Just so you know, I really don’t sleep around as much as people say, and since we’ve started this whole thing between us I haven’t been seeing anyone, and I never even slept with Marie—most I’ve done is kiss her at a club, and when I do sleep with people I’m super safe, I get tested regularly, and—“

“Woah, hey,” you interrupted him, gently grabbing his shoulders, “What are you saying?”

“Well, you looked upset when they were talking about that stuff, and I just didn’t want you to think that I was like, I don’t know, a womanizer, or someone who only cares about sex, or some kind of pervert—“

“Luke, that’s not—I was upset because they were objectifying you and making you uncomfortable. You know I’m not judging you, right? You seriously don’t have to explain yourself to me. I trust you and what you choose to tell me is your business. I don’t care about rumors or whatever, alright?”

He stared at you with wide eyes, mouth slightly agape. You couldn’t read his face, and you were about to ask him if he was okay before he started talking again.

“Thank you,” he told you, voice soft as his hands came to rest on your waist once again, “That means a lot to me. I want to say more, but I don’t think I can articulate it very well right now. Just—thank you.”

“It’s just basic respect, dude,” you replied dismissively, blushing a little, “No big deal.”

“Well, I’m not used to that, I guess. And don’t call me dude when I’m touching your hips.”

You laughed, your arms having wrapped around the back of his neck as he pulled you closer.

“I thought this was just you being friendly,” you teased, grinning at him.

“Seems like I’ve given you the wrong idea, ‘cause I’m really not trying to be friendly with you. Like, at all.”

You weren’t sure if it was the alcohol in your system, how protective you felt over him at the moment, or how he was looking at you, but you were curious to see if things would escalate between the two of you tonight. So, without second guessing yourself, you leaned forward and whispered in his ear.

“Maybe you should give me the right idea, then.”

Something changed in his expression, and before you knew what was happening, he was leading you through the crowd, and you were embraced by the loud music once more.

“Hey, my wrist is still broken, so I really shouldn’t be dancing—“

His course deviated then, and you suddenly realized that he had taken you towards the wall. You were out of direct contact with the crowd, but they still danced around you, shielding you from prying eyes. This was still very much public, but certainly more private than before. His hands returned to your waist as he leaned forward, lips now next to your ear.

“Can I show you?” he asked, voice lower and breathier than you’d ever heard it, “Just tell me what you’re comfortable with, and I’ll show you that I’m not trying to be friends. Fuck, please let me show you.”

Your breath caught in your throat, but you brought your good hand to rest on the back of his head, trying to ground yourself.

“Yeah,” you told him, running your fingers through his hair, “I’ll stop you if you go too far.”

He had backed you all the way against the wall now, his hand coming up to caress your face as he leaned closer. His face was so close to yours that you could feel his breath fanning against your lips, his thumb gently tracing your jaw as he inched forward. You almost passed out when you met his stare, his eyes filled with what you could only describe as desire. He looked at you for confirmation one more time, and when you offered him a small nod, his lips were on yours in an instant.

You had suspected all along that he would be a good kisser, but thinking that and experiencing it were very different. He started out relatively slowly, but you wanted to prove to him that you could match his pace, so you lightly tugged his hair to deepen the kiss. You were surprised when he faltered a bit, having to brace himself against the wall and pull away for a second.

“God, fuck,” he groaned, voice strained, “If you do that again, I might embarrass myself.”

You were too curious to find out what that could mean to stop yourself from pulling him forward and capturing his lips in your own once more, savoring the taste of him on your tongue for a second before tugging his hair again, this time a bit harder.

His reaction was immediate. He moaned into your mouth, left hand still holding your jaw and right hand now falling to firmly grab your ass, pulling you even closer. The kiss deepened further, and your grip on his hair tightened the second you felt his tongue.

You hadn’t made out with someone so passionately in a long time, and you certainly hadn’t ever imagined yourself doing it so publicly. And yet, here you were, letting Luke Skywalker shove you against the wall and fuck his tongue into your mouth.

“I’m sorry, fuck—“ he gasped against your lips. You weren’t sure what he meant until you felt him rock forward, something solid pressing into you. You suddenly realized that this part at least had to be real, and the knowledge that you had made Luke hard had you floating. With him against you like this, you decided to experimentally pull his hair again. He moaned, this time loudly enough for you to catch the wandering eyes of a few people standing nearby, but he paid them no mind, instead squeezing your ass harder and trying to bring you even closer.

“Luke,” you warned, breath hot against his ear as he moved to bury his face into the side of your neck, “Luke, we’re in public. People are staring.”

“People always stare. Doesn’t matter,” he protested, starting to kiss your jaw, “I’d go down on you right here, I don’t care—“

“Luke!” you gasped, placing a hand on his chest and pushing him back a bit, putting some space between you, “You’re drunk. I don’t want you to be embarrassed tomorrow or something, okay?”

“Embarrassed,” he repeated, like it was his first time ever hearing that word, “No way. I’d let you do anything to me. Anywhere.”

“You can’t be serious,” you replied, laughing at how ridiculous he was, heart hammering in your chest, “You’ve had a lot to drink—“

“You think I only want you like this because I’m drunk?” he asked, tucking your hair behind your ear as his eyes bore into yours, reading you so intensely that you felt dizzy.

“I mean…maybe? I don’t know. I’m just confused, I guess. Like, we aren’t—you and I aren’t really together, you know?”

You didn’t understand why, but you were certain that hurt flashed across his face for a second before he recovered, biting his lip and looking down at his feet, nodding.

“Yeah, I know that,” he murmured, his tone unreadable to you as he looked back up, “Doesn’t mean I’m only making out with you because I’m drunk, though. I wanted to do this in your bedroom, remember? Just because we aren’t together doesn’t mean I don’t want you. I do. A lot. Like, all the time. I thought that was obvious.”

“Are you being serious?” you asked, emphasizing your bewilderment with a drunken hiccup.

“Are you? You can feel my dick right now, can’t you? If you can’t, that’s a bit of a blow to my ego—“

“Don’t be a smart ass,” you scoffed, giving him a lighthearted shove, earning a chuckle from him, “I meant that you’re beautiful. Like, ethereally beautiful. I’m just a little surprised to learn that you’re attracted to me. I wasn’t trying to insult the size of your dick.”

You had meant the last part as a joke, but when his eyes widened as a deep crimson bloomed across his cheeks, you started to panic.

“Hey, I’m not actually trying to imply anything about your dick. It seems big, from what I can tell, and—“

He was giggling now, still blushing as he shook his head at you in disbelief.

“I was just joking about that,” he insisted.

“Well, you looked offended,” you mumbled, crossing your arms.

“I’m not offended. I’m just—you can’t just call someone ethereal and expect them to instantly recover. It caught me off guard.”

“Oh, fuck off. You know you’re breathtaking in every sense of the word. I’m not the first person to tell you that.”

He awkwardly looked to the side, nervously chewing his lip, and shrugged a little. You were shocked by the realization that he was embarrassed—not by grinding on you and moaning like a porn star in public, no, but because you had called him beautiful.

“Oh my god,” you whispered, eyes wide, “You’re embarrassed. No way. I thought Luke Skywalker didn’t get embarrassed?”

“Shut up,” he murmured, leaning forward and hiding his face in your neck, “You’re such an asshole.”

“You’re ridiculous. I can’t believe that this is where you draw the line. People are practically throwing themselves at you all the time. How could you not be used to hearing you’re attractive?”

“That’s not what you said,” he argued, and you were so thoroughly entertained by the slight pout in his voice, “You called me other stuff. Like, poetic shit. People don’t just say that to each other.”

“Yeah?” you asked teasingly, relishing in the fact that you had him stumbling over his words for a change, “Can’t handle me telling you how beautiful you are?”

“If you’re trying to get me to stop begging to fuck you in public, you’re going about it the wrong way,” he murmured against your neck.

“If it weren’t for the fact that your sister would kill you, then I’d consider it.”

He suddenly stood up then, as if he had just had some stellar epiphany. Alert with wide eyes, he glanced back at the band, their set seemingly coming to a close, and his lips curled up into a wide grin.

“I’m gonna buy us a round before the next band,” he announced, abruptly pulling away from you and offering you his hand.

You were confused, but tangled your fingers together anyway, allowing him to lead you back to the bar. Ignoring the prying eyes of others was much easier when you were inebriated, but conversely, people were a lot less subtle with their staring when they were drunk. You continued to try to pay them no mind, but now you had to wonder how many people had seen Luke shove you up against the wall and make out with you like it was his sworn duty.

When you reached the bar this time, Luke immediately made conversation with Han and greeted Chewie, asking all sorts of small talk questions that you didn’t really see the point of. Han indulged him, though it could’ve been for your sake, you weren’t sure, and gave a few answers that were at least mildly interesting. That suggested to you that Han didn’t see your public display of affection just a moment ago, and you relaxed a little. Luke then ordered drinks for the four of you, and it seemed that everyone was a bit far gone. You briefly wondered where Leia was, but figured she probably did have her own friends to hang out with.

“Where’s your royal pain in the ass sister?” Han asked right on cue, trying to sound disinterested.

“She’ll be around in a few minutes,” Luke replied, and you knew the look in his eye well by now.

You were dying to know what his plan was, but you stayed silent, not wanting to give your scheming up to Han.

Luckily, you wouldn’t have to wait long, catching sight of her at a distance, a long, flowing skirt coming down to her boots and a leather jacket resting on her shoulders. Her shirt was cropped, which seemed slightly unusual for her given what you knew about her style, and her hair was in two long Dutch braids. She looked beautiful, which was no surprise, of course.

What was shocking, however, was that she was on stage.

[goldfades]

paige comforting her gf after she’s had a bad week or smth would be cute

GOD I LOVE HURT/COMFORT THIS HAS TO BE MY FAVORITE TROPE EVER

─ warnings | just cutesy paige, so so so fluffy, hurt to comfort! nothing else

paige's arms embraced you tightly as your eyes shut, feeling the whole week's pressures slowly dissipate. it had been the shittiest week in a while and all you wanted to do was go home and hug your girlfriend, she was the only person in the world who could make you feel better when the universe felt like it was against you.

"it's okay, i'm here now." paige's voice was muffled as she planted a warm kiss on your temple, her arms still wrapped tightly around you. you sighed deeply, finally allowing yourself to relax in her comforting embrace.

with your eyes still closed, you let yourself sink into the warmth of her hug, feeling the weight of the world gradually lift off your shoulders. paige's gentle reassurance was exactly what you needed in that moment, a reminder that no matter how tough things got, you weren't alone.

slowly, you opened your eyes, meeting Paige's gaze with a grateful expression. "thank you," you whispered, your voice hoarse with emotion. "i don't know what i'd do without you."

paige's smile softened, her eyes filled with warmth and understanding. "you don't have to do anything alone," she said softly, brushing a stray strand of hair away from your face. "we're in this together, remember?"

"yeah." your voice was soft as her hands slid down your body to grip your hand, guiding you to your room wordlessly. she climbed into bed and almost subconsciously you did the same, falling on top of her tall frame.

her hands found your hair and began running her hands through it, you felt your whole body easing into it. you loved it when did that and she knew that it was what you needed right now.

you closed your eyes, letting yourself get lost in the sensation of her fingers threading through your hair. each stroke seemed to melt away the stress and tension that had been plaguing you, leaving nothing but a warm quietness in its wake. you nestled closer to her, your head resting against her chest as you listened to the steady beat of her heart.

"you wanna talk about it?" her voice was quiet as she continued running her fingers through your hair.

"later, i just wanna be with you right now." you responded as she pulled you in closer as her hands gripped your hips in response.

"okay," she murmured softly, her lips brushing against the top of your head. "we can just be here, together."

you sighed in content, feeling a sense of relief wash over you at her understanding. in that moment, you didn't want to dwell on the stresses of the week or the challenges that lay ahead. all you wanted was to bask in the warmth of her love and the comfort of her embrace. with her arms wrapped securely around you, you felt safe and protected, as if nothing in the world could touch you.

and so, you let yourselves sink into the moment, reveling in the simple pleasure of each other's company. no words were needed as you lay intertwined, finding solace in silent understanding.

"i love you. and i'm proud of you, baby." paige's words came out soft as you sniffled.

"i love you, too."

god, how could she know exactly what to say in every moment? paige words wrapped around you like a warm embrace, filling you with a sense of love that washed away any lingering doubts or fears.

with a tender smile, you pressed a kiss to her chest, feeling the steady thump of her heartbeat beneath your lips. "thank you," you murmured, your voice filled with emotion. "for everything."

paige's arms tightened around you in response, holding you close as if she never wanted to let you go. "i love you," she repeated as you sighed, relaxed.

↳ make sure to check out my navigation or masterlist if you enjoyed! any interaction is greatly appreciated !

↳ thank you for reading all the way through, as always ♡

[gnomewithalaptop]

I'm still too distracted to write so here have a list of YJ-cast centric fics that make me froth at the mouth

Kon-centric recs:

I Want It That Way (1990s Tim/Kon) by WynterSky / @wynterstars -- A revamped, 90s-style Superboy origin story with added Lex Luthor AND a lil bit of 90s Robin for spice and flavor. Honestly, this whole series is so elite -- goes hard with the Superboy mythos + angst PLUS the third fic leans hard into the secret identity shenanigans in a way that'd make Miraculous Ladybug jealous. The first fic splits its attention between Tim and Kon, but the latter two are solidly Kon-centric

one plus one (easy math) by connerdrakewayne / @comphetkoncass -- Cassandra Cain and Kon go to a gala together. I'm always a sucker for a good Cass + Kon friendship. This one's very short and sweet, and it gets the job done -- 10/10 would read again

a timeline can be a haunted house by connerdrakewayne -- post-universal reset Kon angst + terrible coping mechanisms! This one goes so hard I read it three times. Tbh this author has an excellent handle on Kon as a character in general, so I honestly recommend just checking out their whole fic stash

Tim-centric recs:

Top 10 Secret Identity Fails by @havendance -- Tim's new English teacher is his on-again-off-again superhero teamup Helena Bertinelli (aka the Huntress). This one's just fun, okay -- the whole thing reads like it could be straight out of Tim's 1993 solo run, plus I love the dynamic between him and Helena. Overall just a very cool vibe

only the dead stay 17 forever by Sky_Dust (couldn't find their tumblr sorry) -- Listen, I've really been restraining myself here, because I realize my love for time-travel bullshit is not universal, but I genuinely couldn't not include this one. This bad boy is a Tim-centric time-loop featuring a seriously unhinged Tim -- definitely a darker tone, but I can't stop rereading it

Bart-centric recs:

reflections on respawning: a gamer's uncertainty by merils / @mamawasatesttube -- Bart has a hard conversation about his death and subsequent resurrection (feat. Kon) man, I just vibe with this one so hard. It's such a thoughtful take on Bart's more contemplative side, while still managing to keep his personality intact

the backlash to the backlash to the thing that's just begun by @kermit-coded -- trans/gnc impulse my beloved <3 also we get some funky Max & Bart bonding, made much rawer and more real by the fact that it's the 90s and nobody knows what they're doing. Again, feels like it's straight out of Bart's solo series

Cassie-centric recs:

you and I, we are more than just this armor by @suzukiblu -- KonCassie bonding + gender feels. They're both so trans in this, and the author does a great job of really digging deep into their complicated feelings (both about gender and about each other)

(also PLEASE somebody give me more Cassie-centric fic recs I'm literally begging you)

Team recs

I'm all yours but you're all mine by suzukiblu -- Poly Core 4 Soulmates AU! Essentially, everybody gets their 'soulmark'/soulmate-identifier (not really, but the best word) right when Kon wakes up in his pod, and because Superboy hasn't really made his big splash yet, they misidentify their soulmate as Superman; this is an issue mainly because 1) they're all 14-15 and Superman is roughly 30-ish, and 2) by the time this fic takes place, Superman is pretty verifiably dead. Currently in-progress, but this is such an interesting and fun take on the usual soulmates trope. I pinky promise you won't regret reading it

Love, Not Loved series by @popsunner -- hoooomygod this series makes me cry literally every time I read it, it's genuinely one of the most realistic representations of grief I've seen on AO3. Basically explores the general fucked-up-edness of pretty much the whole YJ Core 4 Squad dying one by one, with each fic focusing on a different funeral (complete with survivor's guilt, regular guilt, and just plain old complicated feelings). We get Cassie feels, we get Tim feels, we get Bart + Kon feels -- it's the whole shebang. Don't worry -- there's a happy ending eventually, but you def gotta work for it. This series beat me up and stole my lunch money and I'd happily do it all over again

Lost the Last Piece of Me by InsaneTrollLogic / @last01standing -- YJ Core 4 Animorphs AU! I'm sad to say I've never read the original Animorphs series, but every single Animorphs AU I've ever read has been such high quality. Unsurprisingly (I love this author, okay), this fic is no exception to that rule. Solid alien-invasion plot, character driven, and the world-building is explained well enough that even a newbie like me can understand (feat. some TimKon, but it's not the main focus)

Ikonoclast by anantipodean (couldn't find a tumblr) -- Tim and Kon get sent to an alternate reality that's almost (but not quite) like their own. This one's just fun for me -- I love the TimBart buildup and the worldbuilding on the other Earth is a funky time. Also, the other universe's Tim is goth and absolutely cannot stand mainstream-reality Tim, and I find that extremely funny for some reason

[darlingmaakun]

candle lit nights

pairing — rei sakuma x fem ! reader

synopsis — spending the ideal night with your boyfriend is perfect, no? until the power goes out, though rei is still going to make the best of it.

warnings — nsfw ! fluffy relationship stuff , rough if you squint , thigh riding , praise , cute aftercare

author notes — hiiii this is my first ever post and my first ever time writing something like this !! i hope u all enjoy !!!!

word count — 2k (sorry i talk alot)

Whilst it is rare for Rei to have days off, they still come around eventually. So once they do, you both cherish them dearly, this night being one of those many circumstances. 

Some people on their day off like to go out, but with having a sleepy vampire as your boyfriend, it was pretty hard to do that, so you both mutually agreed it’d be better to stay in for your date nights. Plus it was raining pretty hard out tonight, making it even more comforting. Tonights date specifically consisted of ordering take out and watching Hallmark Christmas movies on the couch cuddled up together. 

“Every ending to these movies are so predictable, nonetheless it’s interesting to see which trope they use every time.” Rei sighs out, nestling his face into your hair more.

“Yeah, I guess so, but I enjoy the comforting feeling that comes with them.” You turn your head around to kiss him on the lips, giggling slightly when he kisses you back. As you each pull away and smile back at each other, you move your hand to brush it through Rei’s hair, combing out the small knots that he acquired throughout the day. He let out a sigh in satisfaction. Just as you lock eyes with his, you hear a small click before everything goes dark. Taken by surprise, you let out a small gasp, whilst Rei just lets out a hum. 

“It seems the power went out.. I’m not surprised, it’s raining pretty hard out there.” Rei says. The whole room is pitch black, the only form of light being the moonlight slightly peeking through the window decorated with raindrops. Rei stands up. 

“I’ll go and fetch us some candles so that we can see, stay right here, my dear.” He says while grabbing his phone and clicking on the flashlight as a form of guidance. you let out a nod as he looks back at you and he walks off into the other room to find the candles. 

As if the universe knew that you were finally caught alone and wanted to play some sick prank on you, you heard a loud bang of thunder coming from outside. The sound made you slightly jump, catching you by surprise. You look up and around frantically to see if Rei had came back with the candles yet, but to your dismay the ravenette was nowhere to be seen. The anxiety of the loud noises and the lack of sight started to get to you and slowly but surely started eating away. But before you could call out for your boyfriend to come back, you saw the bright iridescent light coming from his smartphone peeking through the hallway. Sure enough, the self proclaimed old man came right behind it. You can make out the three candles he had stacked up leaning against his chest in his left hand, whilst the right was holding his make-shift light. 

“Miss me?” He says in a smug tone while sitting down next to you in the couch and placing the candles onto the table in front of it. Before you can reply he takes your face into his hands. 

“You never have to be frightened by anything when I am around my love. I will always protect you.” He proclaims whilst kissing you passionately on the lips. You smile dearly at him.

“Who said I was frightened? Anyways, do you even have a lighter for these?” You say motioning towards the table. 

Rei reaches into his pajama pants and pulls out a lighter he grabbed while acquiring said candles, and lights them all. You can both clearly see each other now. You use this moment to take in your boyfriend entirely. His black hair is as messy as ever, though you kind of situated it before when coming it through with your fingers. He had an old normal black T-shirt that he had cut the collar off of to “make more comfortable” in his words, and black plaid pajama pants that Kaoru had gotten him for his birthday that year. 

“You know usually staring is seen as impolite, but I’ll let it slide just this once.” He says smirking. Without breaking eye contact, you blush hard, realizing you’ve been caught. 

“Can’t I just admire what’s mine? It’s not every day I get to have you like this.” You say while slightly looking away, embarrassed. 

You look back to realize that Rei’s slightly blushing too with a soft smile on his lips. You grab both of his cheeks with your hands and lean forward to kiss him. At first it was sweet and romantic, then the kisses started to last longer and the hunger for each other started to build up. Whilst still kissing, you prop yourself up and swing your left leg over his lap so now you’re straddling him. Your hands move from his cheeks to his hair and you tug slightly, making him groan slightly. He moves his lips from yours down your neck and starts to leave marks. Rei moves his hands down to your hips and moves you over a bit so now your crotch is directly on his thigh. As you start to rub yourself up and down his thigh, you take your shirt off, granting him more room to mark up. 

“My, my, what a needy girl you are? So eager to get off to my thigh fufufu.. Well whatever my princess wants she shall get. Lay down for me.” Rei says, slipping his shirt off in the process. 

Before laying down Rei swiftly glides his hands up your waist to your back and unclips your bra, earning a small gasp out of you. He quickly tosses the undergarment across the room and pushes you down before you can lay down yourself. He hovers over you as he kisses your lips and slowly trails down your neck to your chest. He locks eyes with you as he takes a nipple into his mouth and starts swirling his tongue around it as if it’s a lollipop. His left hand is still rested on your hip whilst the right one immediately takes the other breast into his hand and starts fondling it, specifically running his fingers over the nipple, teasing you. 

“Ah!” You moan loudly, hips bucking up into his to try and get any friction. He takes his lips off of your boob, but before you could complain, he immediately kissed you on the lips, shoving his tongue into your mouth. You both moan into each other’s mouth as he maneuvers his hands inside your pants and stats to rub your clit through your underwear. 

“Soaked already? Who knew you could be so dirty..” Rei whispers into your ear after pulling away from your lips. Whilst you were still catching your breath, he easily discards your pants so now the only thing covering you were your panties. His hands are inside them prodding at your hole and rubbing against your clit. He effortlessly slips a finger in and starts slowly thrusting it in and out. 

“Fuck R-Rei! Stop teasing, just fuck me already!” You whimper out as he easily adds another finger in and starts aggressively thrusting them. He licks a stripe up your neck and lets out a chuckle in a musky voice. You let out a high pitched moan as you cum on his fingers.

“It looks like you’re ready enough, take your panties off baby.” He says as he sits up to take his own pants off. You quickly oblige to what he says and strip them off as he stares at you. He also shoves his pants and boxers down and tosses them on the floor right next to the couch. His dick is rock hard and almost springs out. You take in the scenery. Even with the limited light that you have, you can still see he’s as gorgeous as ever. His hair is messier than it was to begin with, his cheeks are slightly flushed, his lips are red and swollen from being sucked and bitten, and his eyes are a deep red and full of lust, seducing you into wanting more. 

Rei moves his position so that now he’s hovering over you. By instinct, you loop your arms around his neck and pull him closer. He looks down as he lines his dick up with your pussy and slowly pushes himself in. You both moan at the feeling. 

“You feel so amazing my dear, let’s stay like this forever” He groans out as he starts slowly thrusting. He moves his arms so that he’s putting his weight on one elbow and is holding your face with his other hand. He looks into your eyes lovingly as he starts slowly speeding up. You start to moan louder for him. Your hands move from around his neck to his back,  clawing at it enough to definitely leave marks for all of UNDEAD to look at in the changing room of tomorrows live they have planned. 

This isn’t the first time you and Rei have had sex, it’s actually far from it, but each and every time he seems to make it more magical than the last. His hands work miracles, calloused from years of playing guitar and various different instruments. His dick may not be the biggest or thickest, but it definitely does not disappoint. Being around 7 inches and pretty thin, it definitely took some prepping your guy’s first time. 

“Oh my god Rei! Harder! Please!” You whimper into his ear. His hand moved down from your face to your clit and started to rub it in circles as he started thrusting harder and faster. 

“You’re so beautiful like this, I would share this beauty with the world if I could. I could write a whole song about this if I wanted to.” He says in between groans and huffs. This specific comment made you tighten up around him and moan louder. He lets out a hiss at the feeling. He starts to thrust even faster at an inhumane pace. The room is filled with slapping noises and moans by this point. 

“Fucckkk Rei I’m gonna c-cum!” You stutter out in your drunken state of mind. He groans and continues to thrust into your pussy. 

“Me too baby.. Let’s cum together..” He whimpers into your ear. Your hands move from his back to his hair again and you push his head closer so that your lips can meet one more time. Rei kisses you with such passion you feel lightheaded afterwards. You’re practically shooting blanks as you cum for the second time that night. Your legs start shaking violently and Rei’s rhythm gets lost in the moment as he speeds up and finishes inside of you with a loud groan of your name. 

You both sit there for a couple minutes catching your breath as Rei’s tired figure collapses onto you. You giggle a little at the scene and start to comb your hands through his hair again. As if on cue, the lights and the tv go back on again. You squint at the light as Rei loudly— and quite frankly dramatically— groans and buries his head into your chest more to cover his eyes. 

“Oh please, you’re so dramatic, the light won’t kill you. Now get up, I’m tired and want to go to bed.” You say while rolling your eyes. You try to push him off of you but he wouldn’t budge. 

“Why don’t we sleep here? This is our place, we make the rules don’t we?” Rei says, his red eyes peeking out and locking into yours. 

“Hmm I guess you’re right.” 

You blow out the candles and grab the remote off the table, turning the television off. You look down to see Rei already sleeping soundly. You take a mental picture of the scene as you take a blanket and cover both your bodies with it. You turn around and click the lamp off, quickly joining your boyfriend in a sound sleep.

[mapofyourstars]

a regularly updated list of all my erik/charles fics posted on ao3!

also broke them down by chaptered, one-shot, a/b/o, ficlet, and prompt here :)

chaptered (19k+): I think I’ve seen this love before.

Mourning the loss of his wife and daughter while holding himself together for his three other children, Erik finds happiness in an unexpected friendship with another mutant father. This is how Erik Lehnsherr chases his newfound joy and falls in love all over again. one-shot spin-off (4k+): take me so breathless. (the one where Erik proposes)

one-shot (20k+): we recognize each other and call this love.

The nine times that Erik and Charles' souls met each other; and the final time their souls vowed to never be apart. A Reincarnation AU with a happy ending.

chaptered (30k+): you got all my love.

Erik helps Charles through his heat. One month and a wave of nausea later, Charles' heat is late.

one-shot (1k+): a voyeur’s subject

Erik's body flushed, but he kept his eyes shut, not daring to make accidental eye-contact with Charles standing outside the door. He felt hot all over �� Charles could likely hear him, maybe even see him or be watching him right now; and that reality pushed Erik further into desperation. Based off of dick-helmet-magneto's work "Voyeur" but from Erik's point of view.

chaptered (3k+): yes, of course I will, my darling.

Charles wants babies. Erik is more than happy to provide them.

chaptered (wip): soulmates in every universe. (list)

Destined to be together in every universe, Charles and Erik find their paths always intertwined by fate. Detailing all the ways they could meet, this collection of one-shots explores various soulmate tropes as they relate to Charles and Erik. In either canon or alternative universes, each chapter will be a new trope, some familiar with a different take on them and others not so frequently seen.

one-shot (10k+): is this a fever I’m feeling?

The year is 1961 in Atlantic City, and in between hunting down leads to find Shaw, Erik attends a genetics conference to hear a talk from the renowned geneticist and mutant Dr. Charles Xavier. Before his talk even starts, however, Erik learns very quickly that he isn’t just attending to listen to Charles’ talk, as he can't hide his attraction to the omega before him.

chaptered (120k+): in the end, it all comes down to you. (you want it all; you’re all I want.) (gifset)

Steve reaches out to Charles, asking for a partnership between the Avengers and mutants. Given the recent decade of peace between mutants and non-mutants thanks to Erik and the Brotherhood, Charles isn’t quick to accept Steve’s offer. Charles takes Steve’s concerns to Erik, and after involving others pivotal to mutants' safety, Charles and Erik agree to help the Avengers. Throughout this journey, however, Charles and Erik will be forced to make rash decisions that will change their lives' course; acknowledge their past and present, coming to terms with the pain suffered at the hands of the other; and lead others into a galactic battle to save their loved ones and each other. (or the one where the avengers team up with charles, erik, and others to stop thanos ft. de-aging of my own creation, lovesick cherik who just really need to talk, witty banter between new-found friends, pushed-back timelines so the avengers exist around the year 2000, dadneto interactions that should have happened, and a reality where dark phoenix never happened. canon to the movies with a few exceptions with inspiration from the comics sprinkled throughout.)

chaptered (wip): your body is a weapon, love.

It’s the 1970s in New York, and Charles is a demonic succubus, set on securing his survival with other succubae and incubi, by seducing men and feeding on their desire for him. While out looking for his next lover, Charles meets a curious man named Erik, who seemingly satiates Charles without him having to seduce Erik. Having never been with a man twice, Charles finds himself returning to Erik again – and again – and again; and while he’s breaking all the rules of the underworld, Charles doesn’t seem to mind because there’s just something about Erik that Charles can’t get enough of.

one-shot (2k+): a greek tragedy.

Erik is Achilles. Charles is Patroclus. Inspired by The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller.

chaptered (3k+): life imitates simulation.

Erik doesn't know Peter is his son yet. He stumbles upon Peter playing The Sims.

one-shot (3k+): o' death.

Charles dies suddenly, and Erik is his reaper to guide him to the afterlife. When Charles reaches the end of his journey, his discoveries along the way lead him to his new life after death.

one-shot (1k+): a mother's love.

A snowstorm leaves Charles more alone than he already felt, but the brush of a new mind is all it takes for him to hope again.

ficlet: rest now.

Set in Days of Future Past. Charles dies because he overdosed. Erik finds out years later after he breaks out of prison.

ficlet: nude sign-up.

Emma signs Erik up for nude modeling in an art class. Charles gets roped into attending said art class by his roommate.

one-shot (1k+): maybe it's the moonlight.

"He shut his eyes at the memory, trying to recall it in vivid detail... All he could remember was Erik’s steel blue eyes, softening as he looked at Charles as if he hung the stars."

[cheonstapes]

We need a soulmate au with Miguel! There are barely any in this fandom with reader x miguel and it’s such a cute trope!

Especially with someone who isn’t a complete sunshine, just a reader who is as equally as cold and uninterested in the idea of “soulmates” as Miguel would be, yet they both finds themselves naturally drawn to one another.

miguel o’hara stars in… ‘YOU AND ME, ALWAYS TOGETHER’ (=ﾟωﾟ)ﾉヽ(^o^)

a/n ~ NO SMUT?? OH EM GEE! this was so cute i loved it sm! and yes, im sorry but i hate the sunshine reader fics😭 GIMMIE EMO READER AND GRUMPY MIGGY!!

summary; your futures were sealed from the moment you both met, you two just had to accept it.

pairing; miguel o’hara x reader

wc; 1.5k

cw; FLUFF! minor angst, soulmate au!, i think reader is mostly gn! pls tell me if not🩷, blood, injuries, mutual pining, kissing, reader has a little panic attack, love love love, spanish not translated, NAWT PROOFREAD - we all caps now

As much as he hated to admit it, Miguel always knew you were different.

Miguel was cautious of those around him, guarding his heart against anyone he deemed was getting a bit too close. And you — you were no exception, well, at the start. You were no ray of sunshine, that’s for sure. The way you carried yourself, so nonchalantly — almost rivalling Miguel in his own game.

He thinks about the day he first met you often, the curt nod you gave when he reluctantly invited you into the society. The moment he locked eyes with you, something changed. Maybe it was the adrenaline from the fight, or maybe it was the way your bored eyes brightened ever so slightly as you looked at him. Whatever it was, he didn’t like the way his heart momentarily skipped a beat.

He knew you felt it too, that small spark in your belly. It was impossible to ignore him, not just because he’s your boss — but because you didn’t want to. Every time you were around him the world seemed to look a little brighter, blending colours of you two’s shared connection to create an opening for you both to find each other — to explore the depths of that tumultuous abyss.

It was too good to be true, anyway. The idea of being connected to someone like that, having a ‘soulmate’, was downright stupid. You both were too busy protecting the multiverse to worry about something as trivial as love — Miguel scoured the timelines, and no matter how hard he tried, a love of his own was not part of it.

Yet you couldn’t seem to leave each other alone. The bond between the both of you constantly drawing you back to him, and him back to you. It was small things at first, asking you to go over some

mission reports, double checking data that he had already triple checked with you — then it was asking if you wanted an empanada from the canteen, bringing you coffee when he noticed your tired state, sitting you on his desk as he patched up your injuries.

It infuriated you to no end. Harbouring these feelings deep inside of you, you knew deep down you may be overreacting— but this had to stop. It would never work. It’s all you could tell yourself as you sat in silence, your mask covering your distressed face as he rambled on about the details of the next mission. “You’re with me, let’s go.”

“Huh?” You were so cute. It was a look that he’s never seen on you before, your eyes widened slightly, mouth open in a small pout. “The mission. You’re coming with me, so get moving.” That was the last thing you really wanted, being in direct contact with Miguel. A small part of you felt…excited? It was a strange feeling, one you didn’t welcome with open arms — pushing it down with a roll of your eyes and a small huff as you followed Miguel through the portal.

The universe you were in was practically a wasteland. It was unlike any you’ve seen before and it didn’t sit right with you at all. The air was filled with a noxious green smog, buildings seemingly crumbling with every swing the two of you took. “This is gonna be quick, capture the anomaly and we go. Do not engage unless it attacks first.” His stern voice cut through the heavy silence, your head flitting over to where he was perched on a rooftop.

“Yeah, ok, no problem.” It took everything for you not to respond with some sarcastic remark, the vibe here was too unsettling for you to take a jab at Miguel. He could sense something was off, not with this world — but with you. It was like he had a sixth sense, always knowing when you were upset, angry, happy, hungry. He didn’t think much of it, but something about today made the sense so much more intense.

He was next to you in an instant, towering over you as he blocked your vision of the world in front of you. “Hey, cariño, look at me.” Miguel’s voice had never been softer, even though there was still that gravelly undertone — it was calming, enough to get you to lift your head. The pure distress on your face made his gut twist in anguish, feeling his own anxiety picking up — he hadn’t felt like that in years. Those rough hands of his held your cheeks, so gently, as his thumb caressed the warm skin.

“You know I don’t like seeing you like this — all worried. I wouldn’t have brought you here if I didn’t think you were capable of handling yourself, nena.”

“I know…but I-“

“Ah — no buts. What you aren’t gonna do right now is doubt yourself. I’ve known you for 8 years now, and the last thing I think when I see you is ‘quitter’. So get your ass together so we can finish this and go home.” Another curt nod, but this time there was the small hint of a smile on your face — the fire in your eyes reigniting at his words.

“Bueña chica. C’mon the anomaly should be just —“

It was barely touching you. The end of a sharp spike close to penetrating the tender skin of your stomach — but for some reason the pain was unbearable. It felt like blood was pooling in your organs, only there was none. The quietness interrupted as soft patter of crimson droplets hit the jagged concrete of the roof.

Your eyes trailed up, Miguel’s face uncharacteristically contorted into one of something akin to fear — the gaping hole in his stomach revealing itself when the thick shard slides out of it, the anomaly making unintelligible clicks and groans behind him. “No…no, Miguel!” The pain you felt directly mirrored his, your screams of anguish piercing the sensitive ears of the creature — its scaly body slithering off before you could stop it.

“Miguel? Miguel, stay with me ok — we’re going home, I-I’m gonna open the portal now and we’re gonna get you some help.” He could hear how fast your heart was beating, rings of red invading your eyes as tears pooled along with it. Even with the doughnut-sized hole in his torso, he couldn’t help but smile at how cute you were when you’re worried — the pain subsiding momentarily. “Ey, ¡carajo!, cálmate cariño. I…I’ll be ok, nothing I can’t handle.”

“Miguel, respectfully, that’s bullshit — there’s quite literally a whole carved out of you and you wanna sit here and tell me you’ll be ok? We’re going back right now, you’re not fucking dying on me.” Turning, you tapped around on your watch — opening a portal back to the HQ. Miguel’s presence behind you didn’t go unnoticed, despite his fatal, in your eyes, injury — he still found the time to tease you when he should be on the ground fighting for his life.

“How many times am I gonna have to tell you to look at me?” Was his voice always that deep, that sultry. His hands trail up your arm, grasping your wrist gently to stop your movements. The world turns as your spun round, eye-to-chest with Miguel before he lifts your head by your chin. He guides your hand towards his stomach, your hand meeting his firm muscles. “Where — Where did it…?” He chuckles deeply, shaking his head.

“Told you it’s nothing I can’t handle.” He was smiling, genuinely smiling as he looked at you — his eyes softening as he looked down at your expression. You were spluttering, hands waving around as you tried to process what you’re looking at — the hole now completely sealed as if nothing happened. Miguel’s rough hands cupped your cheeks, eyes flickering down to your lips — his own face heating up slightly.

You pause, hands shaking coming to grasp onto his shoulders — your bodies coming to press against each other. It was straight out of a movie, a dysfunctional one at that, but a movie nonetheless — faces meeting in the middle as your lips collide, tongues gently dancing. One of his hands move to grip your hips through the fabric of your suit, blunt nails digging into the fat as he grunts out curses against your spit soaked lips.

A few heated minutes pass and he breaks the kiss, panting down at you. “Let’s go capture that fucker.” You nod, your face lighting up from that bright smile you put on — once dull eyes sparkling up at him. “And after, I’m taking you out to that buffet place you keep talking about.”

Your hearts were beating in sync, everything perfectly aligned as you both finally found each other. You’re future together slotting into the timeline, the shared acknowledgement of your connection coming to fruition.

Whether you believed it or not, you two were soulmates, and nothing would change that.

-if you put a buck in my cup

[perfectlyoongi]

BTS AS... ANGST ROMANCE TROPES

YOONGI ⠀ᯓᡣ𐭩 STAR-CROSSED LOVERS. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀you were doomed to fail since the beginning of time. when the universe was created, among so many explosions and births, yours and Yoongi’s love was formed. in a small particle, in a reduced fragment of what could be beautiful. in that humble crumb, Yoongi loved you. for entire eternities, Yoongi loved you with every fragment of his particle; like two pieces of a puzzle, Yoongi’s love fit perfectly with your essence, creating a veil around you of pure hope and desires. for years, you were lovers. but when the gods woke up and saw you, envying your devotion and wanting something as strong, as genuine as your love, they wove your destiny. cursing you with two bodies, where neither of you could love with all your emotion, the gods cast a spell from the darkest nebula, where it would be impossible for you to love each other as long as you were two human bodies. a curse that lasted decades. a curse that haunted you in as many lives as you lived. but you didn’t know. just the memory of the particle’s heat warmed your heart. just the knowledge that in another life you were happy. just you and Yoongi. two souls created to love, two souls destined to fail.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀“i don’t feel like there’s any hope for us,” almost in a whisper, Yoongi’s words travelled gently through the air, spreading the hurt that squeezed his heart throughout the world. all the warmth Yoongi possessed had dissipated when he gained a body and now only emptiness existed in Yoongi — he simply couldn’t love. “we already know each other from past lives, i feel that. inside me there is something that calls to you, as if my soul is just complete in your presence. there’s something in me that screams to come home and it only finds that comfort when i’m with you. i know there is something in us that pulls us together and makes us feel so good in each other’s company. but i can’t love you, just like you can’t love me. we were created for each other but they shaped us so that we can live without the other. until we discover who we really are, there is no hope for our love.”

[calliesmemes]

POPULAR TROPES AND CLICHÉ QUOTES

Assorted ASKBOX PROMPTS reminiscent of beloved TROPES seen in literature, on screen, and on stage.

CHANGE gendered words and in-universe phrases as needed

SPECIFY muse for multimuses

❛ So you’re the girl that I’ve heard so much about. ❜

❛ I’ve heard so much about you. ❜

❛ I could corrupt you. It would be easy. ❜

❛ Not every puzzle is yours to solve. ❜

❛ The truth is stranger than my worst dreams. ❜

❛ You will become everything you hate. ❜

❛ Wait. Did you hear something? ❜

❛ I have a feeling this has something to do with you. ❜

❛ This isn’t a dream, then. ❜

❛ All will be well. I am sure of it. ❜

❛ We’re in this together. ❜

❛ You were born to make history. ❜

❛ We make a really good team. ❜

❛ What I did, I did for us. ❜

❛ You’re not safe here. ❜

❛ I’m the happiest I’ve ever been because of you. ❜

❛ You’re my fate. Always my fate. ❜

❛ There’s a storm coming. ❜

❛ We’re not so different, you and I. ❜

❛ Hello? Is anybody here? ❜

❛ You don’t even know my real name. ❜

❛ To the ends of the earth, would you follow me? ❜

❛ Who are you, little girl? ❜

❛ I like you more than I planned. ❜

❛ I wish I could protect you from everything. ❜

❛ I shouldn’t be jealous; you aren’t even mine. ❜

❛ You won’t leave me, will you? ❜

❛ You know you should not have survived that, right? ❜

❛ Whatever you do, you’ll always be my brother. ❜

❛ The light … it’s calling to you. Just let it in. ❜

❛ If it means something to you, fight for it. ❜

❛ Can you remember who you were before? ❜

❛ The reports of my death were greatly exaggerated. ❜

❛ Never again will I let someone in. ❜

❛ I see something in you that I can’t explain. ❜

❛ There are traditions and expectations that you must uphold. ❜

❛ I won’t risk our enemies getting their hands on you. ❜

❛ A knife? Are you flirting with me? ❜

❛ Let me be your protector. ❜

❛ I am more than just a copy of you. ❜

❛ Everything’s about to change. ❜

❛ I don’t want to hurt you. ❜

❛ You have no idea who I am, do you? ❜

❛ You’ll never get away with this! ❜

❛ I’m not who I was before. ❜

❛ We’re gonna be legends someday. ❜

❛ Straighten up, little soldier. ❜

❛ You and I are going to change the world. ❜

❛ I did this all for you. ❜

❛ If you wish to see strange things, then I have the power to show them to you. ❜

❛ What’s it like to be a prophet? ❜

❛ You are not your father. ❜

❛ Are you flirting, or starting a fight? ❜

❛ I’m not the person that my parents wanted me to be. ❜

❛ I need to be touched. ❜

❛ This is where you belong. ❜

❛ I want a life full of incredible adventures. ❜

❛ Let’s cause a little trouble. ❜

❛ Relax; it’s just magic. ❜

❛ I want to go home. ❜

❛ My heart belongs to you. ❜

❛ We are connected in a way that I can’t explain. ❜

❛ I am just as strange as you. ❜

❛ Feel like making a deal with the devil? ❜

❛ You were dead. Yet here you are. ❜

❛ I have loved you since we were children. ❜

❛ I will always find you. I promise. ❜

❛ I know what it’s like to be afraid of your own mind. ❜

❛ It’s you. It’s always been you. ❜

❛ You should be terrified of me. ❜

❛ I always get what I want. ❜

❛ Why are you the way you are? ❜

❛ You and I are so alike. ❜

❛ I could tear you apart if I wanted. ❜

❛ We make a really good team. ❜

❛ I will always be proud of you, my love. ❜

❛ Aren’t you a deadly little thing? ❜

❛ You were born to lead. ❜

❛ I have existed a long, long time. ❜

❛ Give me one good reason why I should wear this dress. ❜

❛ None of your scars can make me love you less. ❜

❛ Your friendship means the world to me. ❜

❛ Without you, I don’t exist. ❜

❛ For you, I’d leave it all behind. ❜

❛ You say witch like it’s a bad thing. ❜

❛ Maybe we can fix each other. ❜

❛ I’m afraid of what I’ve become. ❜

❛ Get the hell out of my head. ❜

❛ Do not tell me what I can and cannot do. ❜

❛ I do not need to be saved. ❜

❛ I want answers, goddamnit! ❜

❛ I don’t need a name. ❜

❛ Your existence gives me a headache. ❜

❛ Is there anything I can do for you? ❜

❛ This isn’t going to be like last time. ❜

❛ You took everything from me. ❜

❛ I just want to live my own life. ❜

❛ I have nowhere else to go. ❜

❛ You’re my best friend. I can’t lose you. ❜

❛ The most dangerous thing is to love. ❜

❛ I’m doing this for my family. ❜

❛ You have information that we need. Valuable information. ❜

❛ I lost everyone; I can’t lose you too! ❜

❛ You cannot destroy me. ❜

❛ It is my duty to protect you. ❜

❛ It’s only illegal if we get caught. ❜

❛ I have a weakness for you. ❜

❛ I will follow you into the dark. ❜

❛ Maybe I’m not the person everyone thinks I am. ❜

❛ Pretty armour doesn’t make a warrior. ❜

❛ We could get arrested for this. ❜

❛ You’re too good for this world. ❜

❛ I’ve been waiting a long time for you. ❜

❛ You must be mad, coming here like this. ❜

❛ We’re two halves of a whole idiot. ❜

❛ We were never welcome here. ❜

❛ Where you go, I go. ❜

❛ My brother never came back. ❜

❛ Be on your guard. ❜

❛ The light will always win over darkness. ❜

❛ Blaming is often easier than understanding. ❜

❛ I think that you will change the world some day. ❜

❛ Look at what you’ve done. ❜

❛ Your mind is playing tricks on you. ❜

❛ How can someone so evil be so kind? ❜

❛ You were nothing before you met me. ❜

[yuri-is-online]

Hi Yuri! Have you ever considered the idea of there being an alternate version of the twst boys in Yuu’s world? Since we have no clue if it’s just another planet or an entirely separate universe, it’s theoretically possible. Poor Yuu would think they are going crazy seeing a familiar face or hearing a familiar voice in another world. Perhaps it is even painful to the point Yuu tries to avoid interacting with the boy in question. - 🦐

(Also, I am well aware of how often I’ve been sharing these thoughts. If they’re annoying you or you don’t feel up to it, I don’t want you to feel pressured to respond or anything. I’m just spitballing and posting before I forget. 👉👈)

OH BOY DO I HAVE SOME THOUGHTS ON THIS!!!!! (first and foremost being that you are very much not annoying <3)

An alt version of a twst boy in Yuu's world is just so yummy. There's so much angst potential depending on what the relationship is/was. Did their boy die in some horrible accident? Is he waiting for them, anxious and terrified about where Yuu went? Does this imply that twst also has a version of Yuu somewhere out there in the world? Questions questions. I did sort of write about this idea in the tags of this yan version of the soulbound au, wherein a cursed Yuu driven insane by their curse kills their soulmate before being isekaid to Twisted Wonderland and finding a different version of him, horrified with the realization that they could kill him again... but I want to cook up some dynamics for what the dorm leaders/overblot boys could be up to in Yuu's world first sooo...

I had a hard time thinking about Riddle until I remembered he's a horse girl and cast Yuu in the role of bad boy ranch hand whose dad's got a job at the barn so they're forced to help take care of the horses and warn all the would be YA protags about the "special horse" who doesn't take orders from just anyone. Not that Riddle is the protagonist... he's more the well established rich petty bitch who looks down on the new girls and especially on you because you're never taking care of his horse in accordance with all his stupid rules. And in stereotypical horse movie fashion Riddle has a massive not so secret crush on bad boy ranch hand Yuu who just doesn't get why he keeps trying to talk to them.

There isn't much royalty left in the world, but imagine Leona as the son of some rich business magnate whose older brother got the company and left him with "nothing." Maybe Yuu works at a liquor store part time and Leona comes in to pick stuff up every once in a while. You wouldn't call him a friend, but you guys shoot the shit enough that you have a general feel for each other to the point he joins you on your breaks to keep up the talk and play chess.

I love the idea of student president council Azul. He's made for that trope. Born for it, he'd be such a terror with Jade as his VP and Floyd as well. Floyd. I can't see him really being a part of the student council but I had this idea the other day based off this instagram post I saw about this mom who sews right? Her daughter was running for class president and she made these bracelets with little shrimp on them and attached them to cards that said "Keep it shrimple! Vote for (kid's name)!" And I was struck with this vision of Yuu doing that so like. Yuu running against Azul with that campaign slogan and he's tearing his hair out over it being so popular because people like memes (the original idea had Floyd running as Yuu's vp but they both dropped out at the last minute because neither him or Yuu wanted to do the actual work lol.) I also like student council president Azul and delinquent Yuu... but that's because of Tsuredure Children ha

Kalim and Jamil are hard... but I think the same set up of rich businessman's kid and his bodyguard in training still fits. How Yuu meets them is beyond me, but if you were friends with either of them could you imagine how painful seeing the same tragedy play out in this new world would be? Jamil doomed to always be a servant and Kalim doomed to be betrayed by his best friend... that would be so painful for someone who cared deeply about either of them I could see it motivating Yuu to try and resolve things for twst Jamil and Kalim that much harder.

Ok so hear me out... Vil still wants to be an actor in your world but he doesn't have the connections to his dad and is working as a pharm tech with Yuu at your local drugstore while going to school and hunting for gigs. He mentions being interested in cosmetics and magical pharmacology in game... and he also mentions knowing nothing about his mom so like. Your world Vil ended up with his mom instead of his dad and you get to see him on the cusp of his big break as one of his number one supporters from the very start, only to get isekaid to a world where you get to see what things could have looked like. It's strange how similar and yet not both versions of Vil are...

Idia is the guy who comes in to buy snacks at your convenience store during the night shift who you start talking to when you notice him buying a game time card for something you also play. You're stupid awkward around each other at first, but it's nice to finally have someone to talk about your niche interest with once you've passed each other's sniff tests. You don't actually know him know him though... so getting sent to another world where there's another version of him makes you worried the more you learn about his backstory that maybe you should have been there for your Idia more. Is he doing ok back home? Did he think of you as a friend? You hope he isn't blaming himself for any of this...

Malleus is an old money trust fund baby whose family was absolutely royalty at some point and is still overly attached to it. He likes old buildings, cemeteries, long walks in the fog, you know all those good goth things. He's tall and socially awkward and so grateful for you, his first and best friend who he met one moonlight night he swore was a dream in his favorite abandoned building who spoke at length with him about all sorts of things he liked. So you know. More or less the same. Just without the world ending powers... I think this is another one that would be quite sad. Which version of Malleus needs Yuu more? Which one is the real one? I'd hate the idea of him being destined to always be lonely and lose the ones he loves.

As for Yuu avoiding them... I could see that. It would feel weird seeing someone you love so much only for it not to be them at all. I know that the Lovebrush Chronicles kiiiiind of deals with this??? I wish I had the patience to play through it has an appealing glasses wearing ro but it's a mobile otome :/ but still. It's a concept I promise I am totally normal about.

[elliebyrrdwrites]

Marriage Law Trope #7

I'm not entirely pleased with how these came. Good news is, when I finally edit them all and put them up onto Ao3, I can work on them a bit more, flesh out the parts I don't find entirely...done. But, like they say, out of sight, out of mind.

Granger tells me that it doesn’t mean anything.

That this joining of our bodies, the consummation of our marriage, doesn’t mean a thing. I tell her that she’s wrong. This? The feel of my hand on her stomach, the feel of my tongue lapping in between her thighs? The way my tongue takes, long, deliberate strokes so that I can taste every bit of her heated arousal? The way she’s cries and whimpers against me, lifting there hips until her mound is pressed into my nose?

The way she grips at my shoulders, my hair, as she looks down at me? The way my eyes captures hers while I taste her?

It’s everything.

I could live for this.

The way she shudders and jerks when I keep going, long after she’s come. I want to see how many times I can make her break in a day. I want to keep having her look up at me all doe eyed and dazed. Like the lust and her pleasure run so deep that she forgets who it is she’s fucking. I want to watch the way she lazily reaches out for me after I make her come and gathers me against her body. I want to feel her cling to me, begging me to slide my cock into her swollen cunt.

It’s soft and swollen and slick. The things is impervious to overuse. Nothing like a useless dick. It can keep going.

And it does.

I just keep fucking her with my tongue, and my fingers, and my dick. I keep making her come, and I keep her all to myself. She never makes it to brunch.

She never makes it out of The house.

All weekend, I keep her. I keep her close, with my fingers bruising her hips and my mouth leaving marks all over her boy, claiming her for mine and mine alone.

She is still insisting that this doesn’t mean anything. She says that it can’t.

And I think she’s trying to tell me that whatever was between her and Weasley never ended before we got married.

Which is fine. That is something I can deal with at a separate time.

Because, I spend the entire weekend buried between Grangers legs like it’s a job. No. I spend my time nestled between her thighs like it’s the only thing I need to survive. Because money, drugs and food are not enough. They mean nothing.

This.

Grangers sweet, tangy sex is where it’s all at.

So. When she rolls out of bed on Monday morning, telling me to let her go, to get my hands out of her hair and out of her knickers, I might have sulked like a petulant child.

I might have hissed when she kicked my shin and I might have scowled at her as she got ready for work.

I’m listening to the sound of the shower and I am watching her get dressed and I’m panicking.

Because she’s leaving and I’m going to be left alone to do nothing. I mean, that’s fine. Because I can paint, but I need breaks from that. I need to take breaks to breathe and drink and eat but the only thing I want to do is breathe and drink and eat her.

It’s angering. Because this isn’t right.

The point is, we don’t belong here. We’re stuck in a marriage that was never borne from love and we’re stuck in a home that neither of us chose but it’s what we got and we’re stuck with it. And we’re stuck with each other.

And the point is, I would have chosen her. In some life or another, I would choose her. Because I am hers. My magic is tethered to hers. There’s an algorithm that the brightest witches and wizards who work for the minister put together and it says the same thing.

I belong to her. Because when I peered in between her thighs and I kissed my way up the inside of her leg, I found that heart shaped freckle, there on the inside of her thigh. And it doesn’t make any sense, but somehow, I know its because I am right. This is the universes way of telling us to give in and to be.

When she’s gone and the house is cold and empty and the light cannot penetrate the curtains or my mind, I leave the house.

The point is, I can’t figure out why Granger wanted me in the first place. How could a witch who was already dating another wizard want me? She’s hardly around and she’s always hated me.

But she gave in to me too easily, too eagerly.

It doesn’t matter that she kept saying it was a mistake. Because, she kept doing it. She spent the entire weekend letting me taste her and have her and she just kept taking. She takes and takes and in return, I end up feeling like I need clarification.

The point is, I can’t sit around this house one more day without settling something.

So, I leave the house.

One by one, each set of eyeballs roll toward me as I step into the Atrium Café inside of the Ministry of Magic. One by one, the chatter dies down and in their place, whispers are born.

One by one, the whispers about Malfoy fill the café as my eyes scan and find Granger. She’s huddled around a little round table with Ronald Weasley. His arm is thrown around her shoulders, his hand is tangled in her hair and he’s hunched over, speaking for only her ears.

She’s staring down at the table, her eyes distant. Her little eyebrows are scrunched up and her little mouth is pursed into a little flower and i know, I know, she is remembering the feeling of my mouth on her body. She’s is remembering her confession of wanting me more than she wants him.

But she doesn’t move away when he lifts his other hand to her cheek and forces her to look up at him.

There’s six million little legs crawling up my body. They’ve taken control, these ants. Because, they’re making me itch and they’re making me stalk through the café as the eyeballs roll around the room and watch as I approach the table where Granger is letting Weasley touch her and all I can do is listen to their commands.

When I reach them and slap a hand over my neck, she looks up at me.

Her eyes widen as they take me in. I’m dressed in a white undershirt, speckled in paint and my slacks hang loosely around my hips. I’m full of terrible flaws, but when she looks at me like that, I forget them all. Because she looks at me like I’m something unique and as terrible as I am, she finds me attractive.

I shake my hair away from my face as Weasley’s eyes sharpen on me. He leans back in his chair, his hand still on her. His fingers are still latched onto her hair and he takes his stupid eyes and he scrutinizes me. He thinks Granger is too good for me. And, she is.

But she has me and I won’t give that up.

“That’s my wife, Weasel.” The entire café falls silent. Everyone has died and this place is now a cemetery as my quiet words seem to echo off of the walls. This graveyard holds the ghosts of our pasts and the memory of our bodies betraying everything we were ever taught.

I can see the rage flare in his stupid face. Because, he goes red and his eyes grow hard as his hand palms the back of her neck.

He’s doubling down and he says, “Only on paper, ferret.”

“Ron,” Granger sighs and makes to move, but Weasley isn’t going to let this end smoothly.

He tightens his hold on her neck and his thumb swipes over the curve of it. The same curve that my mouth sucked and nibbled at.

My head tilts as I run my eyes over her. She’s remembering my mouth on her. She’s remembering the way it felt to give into our wants and needs and how it threw her entire world off balance

My eyes narrow in on her mouth. “I think it’s a little more than that,” I smirk and look her in the eye. “Isn’t that right, love?”

Weasley catches my implication and pushes to his feet. “Piss off, Malfoy.” He leans his hands onto the table and sneers at me. “She doesn’t want you. She was forced into marrying you. Are you actually pathetic enough to believe that it means anything? That, somehow, there is more between the two of you?”

He isn’t finished He’s going to get it all out, now. The opportunity has presented itself to him and in front of the world, he’s decided to vomit all of his words and all of his hate onto me.

“Because, it’s been me, Malfoy.” He spits. “It’s been my bed she crawls into for the past three years. It’s been me who has had her heart in my hands. Her body isn’t meant for you. It never was. Because it’s mine. It doesn’t matter what the legal documents say, because I still get to have her in all the ways you never could.”

It only takes a moment for my body to react.

My leg lifts and my foot kicks into the edge of the table. The table slams into Weasley’s gut, knocking him to the floor and the air from his lungs.

Granger screams and leaps out of the way before I jump on Weasley. He’s gasping for air and fighting to breathe and I make it worse.

Because, I like to use my hands.

There’s the feeling of flesh and bone against my knuckles. I can hear the bridge of his nose break and I can feel the blood pouring out of his nose and into my skin, in between my fingers. It bleeds into the miniscule lines of the top layer of my skin and I can feel it splattering against my face as I continue to beat the man.

I’m hitting him and I’m making him take back all of those hateful words. Because the idea of Granger being with anyone else hurts.

“Draco,” Granger’s calm voice breaks my concentration and my hands falter, they slip with all of the blood and land on either side of Weasley’s head as my eyes flick up to meet hers.

Granger is looking down at me, a mix of anger and resolve on her pretty little face. She holds out her hand and with her eyes, she asks me to take it. She uses her eyes and tells me to come with her.

For just a moment, I hang my head and close my eyes. I have to force the little legs running all over my body to calm down. They’re overly excited by the rush of blood my body takes. The adrenaline is still pounding through my system and it’s taking all of my energy not to do anymore harm. Weasley is coughing and spitting out the blood, his hands covering his face, protecting himself from further harm.

And for a second, I actually feel a shred of remorse.

So, I lift my head and nod my head before I take her hand and let her help me to my feet.

“Oh, Draco.” She sighs and shakes her head. She sounds so sweet, I want to eat her up. She shakes her head and looks up at me with the big sunset eyes and her walls are all the way down as they gobble me up.

I take her little face in my bloody hands and cradle it. I should be angry with her for continuing whatever it is between the two of them, but I can’t. I look at her face and her big eyes and I can’t be angry with her. I see her eyes and I know she’s mine. Somehow, she has always been mine.

“It’s over.” I tell her. “Whatever you had with him, it’s over.” And she just nods up at me, her eyes centering in on my mouth before I kiss her.

In the middle of the Ministry, I declare the inevitable. Because, I can feel her melting into me, all of her resistance is fading away as she slowly gives in.

I forget all about Weasley and when we break apart, I nod once before wrapping my hand around hers. I’m taking her home with me and she wont be able to fight me. She wont want to.

I forget all about Weasley until Granger shouts his name. I forget all about Weasley before his fist reaches out and hits me against the jaw.

I forget all about everything as my body falls and my face slams against the tiled floor.

And as the world goes black and the skin on my brow splits open, my blood spilling onto the floor, I remember one thing.

….

“It’s always going to be him, isn’t it?” Ron is near tears as he watches me tend to my unconscious husband.

Draco’s long body is draped over the couch, his head lolled to the side, his long leg hanging over the arm of it. We’re in Harry’s office, where I levitated his body, so that I can heal him in private.

Harry’s face is pursed in disapproval as he looks between Draco and Ron as he tends to the broken nose that is still gushing blood.

I sigh and sweep a lock of hair off of Draco’s forehead. “He’s my husband, Ron.” I argue but really, he is so much more. He always has been. He always will be.

“He’s a fucking psychopath!”

Harry sighs when Ron’s face jerks out of his hand as he leaps off of Harry’s desk and glares at me. He can see the way my fingers are gentle against Draco’s face. He can see it in the way I take great care to heal his wounds, that he has lost me. He lost me over three years ago when I went back to Hogwarts. He lost me the minute Draco stumbled upon me in the middle of a panic attack. He lost me the second Draco decided to put all of his attention on me.

Even after I lost Draco, I was always going to be lost to anyone else.

“He is not!” Whatever Draco is, it isn’t psychotic. Whatever he is, it’s never stopped me from gravitating toward him. And And I know he wont ever be stable, but it doesn't make him less appealing, less loveable.

“He is and you still want him! He hurt you and you still want him. It’s sick.”

I don’t respond as I seal the gash on Draco’s brow with the tip of my wand. Look, I didn’t plan on being forced to marry the boy who broke my heart. I didn’t plan on having to face the nightmare that is his family for the foreseeable future. I tried to fight it. I did. Because I was so angry at him, I didn’t want to be his again.

I didn’t want to give him the opportunity to see me as anything else but unattainable. Because that is what he was for me.

Because to him, I was nothing. I didn’t exist.

I expected him to shun me the way he had been for the past three years. Instead, he took to me like a moth to a flame. He followed me around with that same wild-eyed look and stalked me like his prey.

It was impossible not to give in this weekend. He was there, in all of his manic glory and the realization that I never stopped loving him was painful. Because he was there, right in front of me, touching me and wanting me and how could I say no?

How could I lie to him?

“He’s just going to hurt you again.” Ron’s voice breaks through my reveries. They shatter the glass bubble I climb into whenever I stare at Draco. His features were hard and harsh, though the beauty of him was undeniable. His eyes expressed everything he couldn’t say.

His eyes always undo me.

“We don’t know that, Ron.” Harry argues. “He’s living with Hermione. His father’s hold on him is loosening more and more each day.” His eyes slide over to Draco, who is still out cold on the couch and I can see the wheels in his mind working. “I think he feels trapped.”

“Are you actually defending him?” Ron shouts in disbelief and Harry winces. “Harry, he just attacked me for having a relationship with Hermione before this stupid law passed.”

Harry shrugged and I can’t help but close my eyes and massage my temples with the tips of my fingers.

“Draco doesn’t just look at me like his property.”

“Bullshit.” Ron hisses, cutting me off.

“I think he loved me.”

Ron throws his head back and laughs, derisively. “You’re mental.”

“Ron, don’t.” Harry scolds him. With a sigh, he opens the door to his office and gestures outside. “Let’s go get you healed and give them some time alone.”

Ron glares over at me for a moment before he heads for the door. But he pauses before he can leave and he looks over at me. “This,” He points to me and to Draco. “This wont last. Don’t expect me to be there for you when it all blows up in your face.”

All I can do is roll my eyes as he and Harry leave, quietly shutting the door behind them.

I stare down at Draco and feel my bones melting into something useless, as I admire him. Because even with all of the bruises and all of the blood, all of the torment that you can see in his eyes, even when he’s asleep, I cant stop myself from wanting to keep him. I can’t help but feel like even in a room full of art, he would be the most beautiful and intriguing thing in the room to me.

My fingers graze his jaw, just barely, admiring the hard bone and muscle under his bruised skin when he gasps.

Draco gasps and his eyes pop open.

His wild eyed gaze falls on me and stun me into place.

For a second, we stare back at each other, wide eyed and frozen.

And then his hand jerks out and thread painfully into my hair.

He pulls me down and his lip curves into a sneer as my face hovers over his before he growls up at me,

“You.”

….

My body falls hard onto the floor, pain cracks into my face. But, my mind drifts up into the edges of the universe. It floats for lightyears. It drifts forever and ever until it lands on a moment.

It lands on a moment that’s been taken from me and given into the heavens like a fading, dying star.

There’s Granger and me. In this moment, this memory, there is Granger and me and we’re alone in the school library. This isn’t he same nugget of gold I’ve been sitting on. This isn’t the secret looks of admiration from afar that I used to spend my time seeking out as a youth.

this is a moment from a different time.

This is a moment that somebody tole from me.

And it is me and it is her and it is our mouths greedily tasting the other. It is our hands roaming the expanse of our bodies, memorizing the lines and curves an divots.

And it isn’t just a dream. I have been dreaming about Granger for years and this isn’t a dream.

Trust me, I know.

Because there is her and there is me and all of the things in between that keep pulling and pushing at us.

I used to kiss her and hold her and she used to let me.

I don’t know if it was for one night or a lifetime but it’s there. That memory of familiarity is still there when I thread my hands through her hair and when she slaps at me with all of her pent up anger.

Her eyes are wide and full of fear as she stares down at me, as I hold her close enough to smell her skin. I’m taking all of her data, all of her smells and textures and I’m stuffing them into my mouth so that I can taste the memory of her again and again. I’m forcing the flavors onto my tongue, iliciting the truth.

“How long?” I ask her, my eyes are stabbing hers and I’m demanding all of the answers she refused to give me before. I’m her fucking husband for gods sake and she still refused to tell me that she belonged to me once before.

Possibly forever.

“What?” She asks, her little voice trembles as I force her head to tilt to one side. I’m exposing the neck that belongs to me and I’m forcing my eyes to trace the lines so that they can rememberrememberremember.

“Eighth year,” I force the words out of my lips as my mind struggles to stay on task. “How long?”

I watch her throat bob as she swallows. I watch as her lips mouth silent words before she finally spits them out. “Not long.” She shakes her head but winces when my hold on her hair tightens, forcing her to stay still.

“We only dated for a short period of time but you wanted me.” She rasps. “You wanted me and you had me for only a little while, and I—” She stops her rambling and presses her lips together and forces her eyes to close.

Granger’s eyes are shut but tears are pushing past her eyelids, clinging to her lashes before they fall onto my face. Like little drops of rain, they land on my face and I loosen my grip on her hair and lift my other hand to her chin, gently pinching it between my fingers as I study her face.

Yes, I can see it now.

There, between her lips and her eyelids, it’s there. She tried to occlude it all away but she failed. Because it’s all here for plain sight.

“You loved me.” My words tickle her lips and she nods, fervently. And she’s been in pain. Her heart was broken by the same boy who she was forced to marry.

And, she was right all along. This thing between us, this marriage? It is not going, at all, like I thought it would.

It’s so much worse.

[srjlvr]

ENHYPEN — As Love Tropes !

enhypen members’ as love tropes ! | ot7!enhypen X gn!reader | genre fluff ! | wc 1.3k+ | warnings none ! | ✎ ᝰ (‘a note from jo’) . i did one with sad love tropes and here’s one with happy happy one!

희승 ✶ (heeseung) | childhood friends to lovers (0.191k)

meeting heeseung for the first time wasn’t awkward at all! you both were eight and hella energetic, you befriended each other as fast as the light. both of your mothers being supportive and happy with your friendship, they forced you two to meet up at least three times a week.

as you grew up, so did your feelings for each other. every day you’d spend your time together, walk to school and then walk home together, even working in the same part time jobs and taking the same shifts to be together.

you were so desperate to confess your feelings to him, and he did too, but it always felt so forbidden to confess, as if it’s going to ruin your friendship entirely.

until one day, heeseung accidentally exposed himself.

“you look so cute in here” he giggled as he looked at the pictures he took of you, “no wonder i like you” he chuckled. you shot your glance at him as he froze, “you…” you whispered.

he coughed, changing his gesture and stepping closer to you, “i like you…” he smiled, finally confessing and not minding about his concerns anymore.

제이 ✶ (jay) | soulmates (0.190k)

you’ve been searching for your soulmate for quite few years already, and you’re almost about to give up.

you got tired of hearing your parents’ love story again and again, how their “eye color changed and the whole world stopped for a few seconds” when they first met each other.

it was a soulmates thing, and “when the right time will come, you’ll know it” — at least that’s what your parents have always told you.

you tried to be more social, going out to parties and meeting new people, just to find your soulmate, but every effort of yours got wasted—not entirely though because now you have loads of friends!

but then you met him, when you didn’t even try or expected to meet him, you did. you accidentally bumped into him while walking with your friend, and as soon as you shared an eye contact, you suddenly felt everything your parents told you about.

“i’m jay” he smiles, “y/n” you shortly replied. your friend who was patiently waiting for you was long forgotten and all you could focus on was him, “i guess i finally found you, soulmate”

제이크 ✶ (jake) | highschool sweethearts (0.204k)

it’s been a few years since jake got his eyes on you, it was love at first sight. you’ve been classmates ever since seventh grade, and both of you slowly became popular and social amongst other students at school.

everyday, he would leave a snack on your desk with a cute note and his name on it, you’d do the same, leaving chocolate bars on his desk with a cute note that has your name in it.

it was no secret that the both of you had been crushing over each other for so many years, yet you’ve never dated. your ‘friendship’ was too sweet and innocent.

until you decided to officially confess to him, and it was no surprise that he returned the feelings. everyone in the school cheered for you two, they’ve been waiting for this moment more than the both of you.

even after highschool your relationship kept strong, he loved you more than anything else, and you made sure to shower him with love as much as you can.

your shared friends always looking at you with such jealousy in their eyes, but “what can we do? we’re the best highschool sweethearts” you teased your friends and pecked jake’s lips.

성훈 ✶ (sunghoon) | enemies to lovers (0.187k)

(i think we can all agree that e2l is so sunghoon coded)

elementary school gave you headaches, especially when the boy you hate the most is always up you ass. but now you’re in highschool, expecting something to be different— oh i bet the universe is laughing it’s ass.

park sunghoon, your worst enemy, the biggest rival you’ve ever had (your first and last rival-) he made sure to make your highschool life a living hell.

always teasing and making jokes about you, he knows very damn well how to piss you off. you tried to avoid him as much as you can, but it’s hard when he’s the one following you.

“stop following me,” you rolled your eyes, “i might think you like me or something”. he stepped closer to you, you stepped back until you bumped into the lockers. he looked deeply into your eyes and smiled, “there’s nothing wrong with liking you”

he then left, leaving you confused and dumbfounded. your cheeks however, turned as red as a tomato— what is wrong with you?!

the poor boy was a blushing mess as well, smiling widely while thinking about how cute you looked so close to him.

선우 ✶ (sunoo) | fake relationship (0.194k)

your best friend sunoo, was willing to help you with whatever you need, whenever you need. so when you asked him to fake date you to make the person you’re crushing over jealous he immediately said yes, even when he was the one crushing over you.

you and sunoo had boundaries, but even with them, you couldn’t help but notice how good he was treating you, acting as if he was your real lover.

as a week passed by, your crush was long forgotten, all you could focus on was sunoo. he was treating you right, from picking you up to school till making you breakfasts and lunches because he knows you’re always accidentally skipping them.

you fell for sunoo, and fell hard.

you didn’t know how to put it in the right words and tell him that you actually fell for him, so he decided to do the first step.

“it was supposed to be fake, but i can’t really fake it anymore y/n,” he sighed, “i like you, i really really do like you” he held your hands while you never felt more relieved, you grabbed his shirt and kissed him.

정원 ✶ (jungwon) | work colleagues (0.169k)

part time jobs are very popular amongst high school students. you want to became independent and have your own money! that’s why you found yourself working in a convenient store close to your house.

at first, you hated it. you were alone most of your shifts and it was starting to become pretty boring. that was then until your boss introduced you to a new worker, his name is yang jungwon.

as soon as you saw him you knew your boring days are over. you immediately befriended him and explained to him everything he needs to know about the work, he listened carefully and took notes.

he’s definitely a cute one.

as time passed, you and jungwon became closer, taking a liking to each other and working in shifts together to be with each other.

“hey” jungwon waved his hand in front of your zoomed out face, “let’s go on a date after this shift ends” he added. you looked at him and nodded, “yeah, yeah let’s do that”

니키 ✶ (niki) | love triangle (0.185k)

niki did his best at expressing his feelings towards you by actions, you were just too dumb to notice how much he likes you.

you and niki have been friends for a while, and as time passed, your feelings for each other grew mutual—you both were clearly in love.

but then you started to hang out with someone else, niki felt like he was falling behind and drifting apart from you when he watched the both of you enjoying each other’s company without him.

the other person fell in love with you too, and now you were stuck between two.

niki was scared to lose you, and you too was scared to lose him. you were so scared to confess your feelings to niki-so it came out naturally and accidentally of course.

“i like you” the other person suddenly confessed, “i’m sorry,” you whispered, “i can’t return the feeling—i like someone else” you looked down, “who is-“ “niki, i like niki” you cut the person. little did you know niki was eavesdropping you two, and was a blushing mess when he heard the sudden confession.

[my-rose-tinted-glasses]

Weekend Ramblings

Thame·Po Episode 10

Yeah, I'm late but my brain was not working properly on friday, so, now works. Congrats on the sex! I love this friend group so much. This episode was a lot. First of all Baifern needs to go touch grass. I did appreciate that the show went there, all things considering, but she made me mad. And not that I needed more proof, but Po is a better person than me. Also I hate Pemika and this whole thing around idols and dating. It's insane, but obviously eventually the company will come around, cause glass houses and all that. The PepperGam noble idiocy thing was a bit whatever, although still heartbreaking, but I'm hoping this means that our mains won't follow in their footsteps. This show is as close to perfection as I have seen from gmmtv in a while, so let's not ruin it. The best part was definitely seeing the group supporting each other. The hand holding at the press conference had me all emotional. I'm giving up on screaming at Thame. I guess since they were technically already caught, he's not bothered. Not that he acted like he ever was. Thame and Po continue to be them. I just love how even through all this, they keep checking in on each other.

GelBoys Episode 2

Never has a show made me feel so ancient. Also this show is a massive reminder of how much I absolutely hated all that love drama in high school. I had zero patience for it. Obsessively rereading messages, overanalysing every word to find some hidden meaning, wondering, Does he actually like me? Honestly, I’m exhausted just thinking about it. And on top of that, I’m beyond grateful that I didn’t have to deal with any of it in the era of smartphones, social media, selfies, apps, and so on. So much angst. I guess playlists are the new mixtapes. It's certainly easier. I continue to really like the atmosphere, it feels very grounded. And although I like Fou4Mod, I adore Baabin, so I'm not a huge fan of the way Fou4Mod is using him to make Chian jealous. Like since he's his bestie, he could've at least been honest. I'm sure he'd be on board. And I know he's gotta learn this for himself but, Fou4Mod, sweetie, this is a terrible idea. You are going to be crying a lot on that train in the future. But, I mean, who hasn't done that before?

Perfect 10 Liners Episode 17

I got YothaGun and PondSand. What a joy! I really could watch Perth do anything but seeing him being the biggest love sick puppy is a special treat. Faifa seems to have a bit of a savior complex, which we kinda knew but it's pretty obvious now. I love characters that hide their pain behind a smile, and he's so kind on top of that, so of course I love him. I also liked that he noticed Wine's overall mood and checked in with him about boundaries. I'm hoping Wine can break some of his walls and perhaps teach him the word 'NO.' I'm thinking maybe we won't get a side couple this time because we have enough couples to check in with, in between FaifaWine stuff, but we'll see.

The Boy Next World Episode 7

First of all, it was great to see Thorn/Tong again, I keep forgetting this is part of the TharnType Universe. As I said last week, BossNouel can bring it in those scenes, but I still feel like I'm watching RainPhayu. Now Cir, you had to see this coming, no? I mean you only had like a million chances to come clean. I feel bad for Phu, but I gotta say, last week I thought he might have an inkling about this, but maybe not?Now…for that ending and the preview. So not multiple universes, but something else is going on. He's dissociating. I'm intrigued and worried if they will land this part of the story. It seems we'll be getting our beloved amnesia trope and I'm so excited about it. Honestly I was thinking maybe he doesn't really have amnesia and he's faking, but wouldn't that be a bit much, all things considered? I mean, they’re going to end up together, so I’d really love to not completely despise Cir by then. The second half of the episode was strange though, pace wise. It felt a bit disconnected, and rushed. Part of it might be intentional, given Phu's state of mind, but it still felt weird to me. The sides are kinda cute, although I must admit, Wim gets on my nerves a bit. That dude must end each day with a tension headache. Like seriously, he's so tense it makes me stressed. And also, why is he so annoyed by Jin?, cause like he listed a bunch of stuff but honestly I don't see it. Wim needs to forget about Cir for 5 seconds and focus on something else. This animosity feels a bit forced.

Sangmin Dinneaw Episode 8 [Finale]

I honestly don’t even know where to start. I’ve come to expect a certain level of whiplash from this show, but this was on an entirely different level. We went from child abuse and murder plot straight into that cucumber scene. I can’t even begin to imagine the thought process behind it. This was a roller-coaster, and not in a good way. That said, at least we finally got a storyline where a guy gets revenge on his abusive parents, so that wasn’t terrible. But the fact that the hotel dude didn't get run over is unfortunate. Now that it’s over, I genuinely don’t know what to say. The main couple was cute enough, and the sides were decent, but overall, this whole thing was a mess. Honestly, the ending was the only part that felt even remotely normal. And still I'm not sure about the amnesia. But who cares? Most of this makes no sense and I'm not gonna waste any more time trying to figure it out.

[nebulousbrainsoup]

comfortable | l.sm

🌸 SUMMARY: it's been a year since you and your best friend have seen each other. while the day may look the exact same, he can tell you are not. as always, you find comfort in his open arms and wise words. 🌸 PAIRING: best friend!dk x reader 🌸 GENRE: angst, fluff, hurt/comfort 🌸 AU/TROPE INFO: non-idol au, unrequited love 🌸 WORD COUNT: 1.8k 🌸 WARNINGS: just some language and pining, nothing much else! 🌸 RATING: PG 🌸 A/N: hahaha i'm self soothing with fanfiction again! huge shout out to @hwaightme for sending me the song that inspired this fic (Comfortable - Lauv) and 10 cherry blossom photos with nothing but the prompt "bittersweet realizations." beautiful dividers by @saradika-graphics! 🌸 masterlist | join my taglist | buy me a coffee? suffer tag: @pyeonghongrie-main

It was an inevitable fact of life, it seemed, that despite any earnestness put behind them at their inception, childhood promises could not help but be broken. It had been a year since Seokmin had seen you, the best friend he promised to spend every day with countless times through your youth. You had both protested against the gentle warnings from your families that adult life was difficult, busy, and often drove people apart at least physically, if not emotionally. Daily after school adventures had morphed quickly into weekly video chats and promises of monthly visits home as you both went off to university. By the time your first rounds of midterms hit, you had decided texting as much as possible and calling to catch up monthly had to be enough to sustain your friendship.

There had been a looming emptiness in both of your lives with the adjustment, one Seokmin was blatantly aware was in the shape of you. 

You had filled the void with coursework and a bit of dating here and there, oblivious and confused when no one and nothing filled the hole entirely.

To the best of your abilities, you still texted daily and called when you could, but with budding careers and the time zone differences you found yourselves in, no matter how small, it was difficult. Circumstances and responsibilities piled atop each other and before either of you knew it, it had been a year—almost to the day—since either of you had seen each other or spoken for more than thirty minutes at a time. But promises made in adulthood were ones with knowledge and logic behind them, leaps and bounds easier to keep than the rose-colored naivety of adolescence, so you made certain to keep the one you had made the last time you were here.

“We’re coming next year. Barring any life threatening emergencies, of course. If we request work off now and plan everything else around this, we can make sure we see each other at least once a year.”

Last year had been a nearly identical day to this one, the sky a similar pale blue and the cherry blossoms a soft pink as though they were making up for the lack of clouds above them. The late March air was still chilly, leaving each of you curling further into your sweaters and clutching a warm drink to your chest as you wandered through the park in search of the other. Seokmin was fighting the swarm of butterflies you always seemed to awaken within his stomach, resisting the urge to quicken his pace in hopes of finding you sooner. A soft smile tugged at his lips as last year’s chastising came back to him, “You passed me like three times, then! Slow down and look, Minnie, aish.”

The crowds seemed to part on cue as he blinked back to the present, his soft smile spreading into a grin for a brief moment before it fell again. Even from a distance and amongst the meandering crowds, he knew today would be different than the year previous, and his heart ached as he made his way toward you.

Last time, you had been looking for him with just as much urgency and excitement as he had you, spinning aimlessly and ignoring the confused and disgusted looks anyone else threw your way. You had spotted him at the same time as he had you, as though zeroing in on each others’ presence, and skipped into his open arms, joyous shouts and giggles echoing from you both. Your eyes had shone as your smile crinkled them when you finally broke apart, and Seokmin had wanted nothing more than to sweep you back into his arms and kiss you breathless. He had stopped himself, instead pulling you in for another quick hug and asking after the partner you’d texted him about a month prior. You were full of life before and brightened even further as you gushed about them and your loyal best friend swallowed down the pieces of his shattering heart.

Today, you looked like a small storm cloud had taken residence above you, shoulders slumped forward as you slowly turned and scanned the crowd. Seokmin’s heart broke all over again. He tugged the corners of his lips up into his signature grin as your tired eyes found his, a weak smile gracing your pretty face for a fleeting moment. He softened a bit as he swallowed bile, still holding his arms open and raising his brows in question and invitation. 

It looked like the weight of the world lifted from your shoulders as you closed the distance between you in a few short strides and threw your arms around his waist. He let his forced smile drop as he pressed his nose into your hair and bundled you tightly to him. He clung to you nearly as hard as you did to him, hands roaming soothingly over your back. The pair of you stood there in the middle of the path, swaying lightly, until the pointed nudging and shoving of passersby became too much for your balance to bear. 

When you separated, he couldn’t help himself. His smile did not return, concern etched into his furrowed brow as he asked, “What’s the matter, Y/N-ie?” 

Seokmin watched in real-time, throat tightening, as the weight of the world fell back across your shoulders. Your bottom lip quivered, leaving him grasping his cup tightly to keep himself from smoothing out the twitch with his thumb. 

“Can we find somewhere quieter first?” You murmured, shifting awkwardly on your feet. 

He nodded, freeing one of his hands from its death grip to tug your own into its hold. “Bench time, then.” 

The further away from the crowds he guided you, the more your weariness seemed to set in. You were uncharacteristically silent and, in his worry, so was your usually-bubbly companion. By the time you were settled on opposite sides of your favorite bench in the park, he could tell the dam in front of your emotions was close to shattering.

Sure enough, everything came out within minutes. The little spats and arguments you’d attributed to “growing pains” as you settled in with your new partner had not gone away in the slightest, evolving into nearly weekly fights over the same three topics, each of you trying to shoulder the blame alone. One miscommunication piles on after another, and by the time you’ve finished, Seokmin feels some of your weariness like its his own, his heart aching to see you hurt.

“I just feel like I’ve hit a wall,” you sighed, head lolling back onto the bench. “I’ve tried everything. I’ve asked them time and time again to just tell me when they don’t know what’s the matter and to tell me what’s wrong when they do because not knowing fucks me up more than knowing, you know? But they won’t, so I always go into any ‘discussion’ a little pissed because it’s another case of them keeping shit from me and me pushing too hard to get them to just respect my boundaries and—”

“It sounds like you’re both walking on eggshells to keep the other happy,” he cut in, watching as your mouth snapped shut.

“That’s… yeah, maybe,” you sighed, silence falling between you again. “Have you ever been so in love with someone that you would do anything to make them happy?”

“Yes.” 

The speed of his answer startled you, and you snapped back to look at him with a suspicious frown. “We’re talking about that later. I’m offended that I don't know about this person.” Seokmin huffed a sigh, rolling his eyes and hiding his sad smile behind a sip of his drink. “It’s like… I want to do everything I can to make them happy, but nothing is enough.”

“I’m no therapist, and I know I’m not exactly a relationship expert,” he hummed, “but you need to ask yourself why you’re still putting yourself through this. Do you really want things to work out? Do they? Are you both willing to put in the work to actually make it happen?” Your eyes fell to the ground, lips pursing in thought, and the sight tugged at his heartstrings. “If the answer to any of those is no, then you’re probably just staying with them because they’re comfortable and familiar, and that’s not healthy.”

You swallowed thickly and your bottom lip shook again, and Seokmin wanted nothing more than to take his words back if he was going to be the one to make you cry. His jaw dropped open to offer an apology, but before the words could leave his mouth, you were meeting his gaze with renewed softness and energy. He released a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding.

“When did you get so wise, Dokyeom?” you teased, a pretty, bittersweet little smile pulling at your lips. “I’ll think about it tomorrow. Today is meant for you and me.”

With a deep breath and a final swig of his now-cold drink, he hopped up to his feet in front of you, extending a hand. “Then let the distractions commence! I heard there’s a new convenience store around the corner. We can go grab snacks and have a little picnic!”

You laughed, full and bright, for the first time today, and Seokmin felt his heart mend, just a stitch. “Ah, what did I do to deserve you? That sounds perfect.”

Clicking his tongue in disapproval, your best friend reached down and snatched your hand, pulling you to stand beside him. “You don’t have to do anything to deserve me; you’re stuck with me. It’s part of the DK package, remember? You deal with all of this,” he dropped your hand to spin in a circle, arms thrown wide, “and in return, I am at your beck and call.” He finished with a flourish, bowing deeply before straightening up and grinning brightly.

Once more you were laughing at his antics, and he felt the tightness in his chest lighten, only to return as a flash of something, unfamiliar and curious, flashed in your eyes as they flickered over his body. “I guess that was the deal, huh? Still, I stand by my statement. You really are the best, Lee Seokmin.”

He huffed a sigh, eyes flickering to the ground as he was rendered speechless at your words. “Well, thank you. Now, can we quit the sappy stuff and move onto the food?”

You grinned, nodding eagerly as you started down the path ahead of him. “If we eat as much as we did last time, though, you may have to pick me up and carry me back home.”

Seokmin let his earnestness show in his expression as he smiled softly at the back of your head. “Always.”

TAGLIST: @justhere4kpop @tastymintchocolate @bahng-chrizz @elllisaaa @jjeongddol @buzzkillem @atinyinateezverse @hooniewnderland @yessa-vie @unlikelysublimekryptonite @kangnina

© March 2024 nebulousbrainsoup | all rights reserved. reposting and translating of author’s work is prohibited.

[steddieunderdogfics]

This week’s writer spotlight feature is: @just-my-latest-hyperfixation! They've written 120 fics in the Stranger Things fandom, with all of them being in the Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson tag!

@steddieas-shegoes recommends the following works by @just-my-latest-hyperfixation:

Hic sunt dracones

Someone who cares

Updraft

(You got me) in the palm of your hand

Just add water

Hype. My love. The girl with the dragon AU. I could not be more obsessed with Hype’s writing. I wasn’t much of a fantasy girlie growing up, or even reading fic in other fandoms, but something about the way she writes dragon fucking really sold me. Even when she isn’t writing some type of magical fantasy world, she’s writing intricate details about these characters we all love so much, and giving them stories that make them seem so interesting. She’s my number one hype girl when I run events, always participates even when she’s busy writing novels for the bang or after the bang. I’m so lucky to have been able to meet her and have her as a friend. We’re all lucky to have her in this fandom. Love youuuuuu ♥️ -- @steddieas-shegoes

Below the cut, @just-my-latest-hyperfixation answered some questions about their writing process and some of their recommended work!

Why do you write Steddie?

Because those two dumbheads came crashing into my brain and flipped a switch that I had never expected to get flipped again. Before S4, I hadn’t written fiction in over fifteen years and I had never posted any of my works, anywhere. I saw my first Steddie fanart on Instagram and I thought to myself, “Huh, that is neat. Let’s check out AO3.” And I did. And I fell down a rabbit hole of epic proportions. There were plot bunnies living in that hole. And I had been there, before, over the years, and every time I had found excuses to not write my ideas down. Except, this time, the fuckers were relentless. And so, one day, I sat down on my lunch break, and I bashed out the first 1.5k words of what would become “Someone who cares”. The next day, I sat down and wrote 1k more. And more the day after that. That was almost exactly two years ago, and there hasn’t been a day since where I haven’t written at least a few sentences. I’ve recently cracked 500k words published on AO3, all Steddie, and it sure as hell doesn’t like I’ll be stopping any time soon. I never want it to stop, tbh.

What’s your favorite trope to READ?

I love when they are completely feral and unwell over each other. Give me those acts of undying devotion, give me that possessive sex, give me the jealousy and the drama. (But also give me that happy ending, most of the time. I will read a good dark fic, every now and then, but most of the time, I’m a happy ending sorta gal.) Bonus points if they snark and bicker like an old married couple while being also completely and irrevocably gone for each other.

What’s your favorite trope to WRITE?

First and foremost, I think it’s safe to say that I love writing AUs (mermaids and dragons and demons, oh my …). There’s just something to sticking these boys in the wildest of scenarios and trying to figure out how they’d behave, and what it would take to make them fall in love (because they always fall in love, in every universe).  Another thing I frequently find myself drifting towards is the Found Family trope. Both of our boys are canonically depicted as having strained relationships with their biological parents, and I love exploring that and making them find safety and trust and a sense of home outside of that “traditional” idea of family - with each other, with the kids, with Wayne. There’s so many ways of exploring this trope, and I think that is beautiful. 

What’s your favorite Steddie fic?

See, that is impossible to answer because there’s just thousands of them out there, and so many amazing ones that deserve all the love! No way I can narrow it down to just one. Here’s a few that I constantly find myself thinking of and that I keep recommending to friends: - Money, power, glory by @strangerthings1975 - one of the first ones I read and that got me hooked on the pairing - @wynnyfryd ’s Yogi!Steve series - delightfully filthy, delightfully funny, and one of the best ADHD!Eddie voices I’ve read out there - Sugar, we’re going down by @thefreakandthehair - everything lex writes sucks me right in tbh. She just has a great way with language, and how she portrays the boys is so lovely.  - @eyeofshinigami’s a/b/o series- lovely, in-character exploration of omega!Eddie and alpha!Steve and their relationship through its various stages. This is what inspired me to write my own a/b/o fic! 

Is there a trope you’re excited to explore in a future work but haven���t yet?

I can never reliably say what tropes or topics I’m going to explore beyond the projects I’m currently working on, because the plot bunnies do what they want. No way of knowing where they’ll take me next, so I’ll just sit back and enjoy the ride.

What is your writing process like?

I’m probably one of the most notorious plotters I know. Before I start writing, I need to have an idea of what’s supposed to happen in the story and where it’s going, or I’ll give myself massive anxiety. Almost all of my multi-chapter fics have an outline doc. (The only exceptions so far have been “Just add water” and “Whatever you want it to be”, and those were originally planned as one-shots and spiraled out of control.) The outline doc is my red thread that contains the story’s basic premise, an overview of the key characters and their roles, and outlines of the different chapters broken down into bullet points. Those are not set in stone. I frequently tweak details as I go (change the location of a scene, insert an extra Steddie or Stobin-centric scene if I feel they need more screen time, switch important revelations or plot points to a different chapter), but the outline document is my blueprint that ensures I know what I’m doing and how to get from point A to point B. I write chronologically, in the order laid down in the outline doc, and my first draft is actually pretty close to the version that ends up getting posted. I usually check for SPAG, tweak a sentence here and there, and that is it. 

Do you have any writing quirks?

I think the most noticeable one would be that I have a major case of wordy bitch syndrome. When doing chaptered fics, my finished word count always ends up higher than my initial estimate. When writing things with a word count cap, such as drabbles or microfics, I always, always, ALWAYS need to manically trim my first draft. One of the main things I do when editing is deleting superficial descriptors. (You don’t need three adjectives to describe the same action, Hype, you really do not!!!)

Do you prefer posting when you’ve finished writing or on a schedule?

Most of the time, I prefer posting my chapters as I finish them, because I thrive on that immediate feedback. Seeing my readers’ reactions and getting to experience the story with them as I write is a lovely feeling.

Which fic are you most proud of?

I think it's a tie between “Someone who cares” and “Hic sunt dracones”, which are both very special to me for very different reasons.  “Someone who cares” was the fic that started it all. The first thing I wrote after my 15-year hiatus. The first fic I finished. The first fic I shared. This fandom has made my life a lot brighter and brought me close to so many amazing people, and it all began here. “Hic sunt dracones” is the one that has exceeded all of my wildest expectations. Everything I dreamed of but never thought possible when I first started sharing my stories, this one has achieved. It has sparked incredible fandom friendships for me. It has made rec lists. It has fanart. (The info may or may not be out already when this posts, but I've been reliably informed that someone is currently BOOKBINDING it. 😱) I just continue to be floored and humbled by the reactions to this fic!

How did you get the idea for Just add water?

I crowd-sourced it! I had just hit 250 followers on tumblr, and to celebrate, I did a round of polls to let my followers pick a concept for my next fic. AU or canon-adjacent? What kind of AU? Who was supposed to be the mer-dude? Where should the fic be set? In the end, I had a mermaid AU with mer!Steve and human!Eddie, set at Lovers’ Lake and one scene as well as two dialog prompts to include. It was heaps of fun and a bit surprising watching the poll results roll in, and I love the fic that came out of it (even though it spiraled from the originally intended one-shot and ended up being five chapters and over 20k long 🤣). 

When writing Updraft, what was something you didn’t expect?

I definitely didn’t expect for Steve to come forward and admit he was very aware of Eddie’s history and that he’d basically had a crush on him for the past four years. I did not plan that part at all, it just sort of snuck up on me, and suddenly he’d said it and I was like “damn, that’s good, we’re keeping that in.” That’s what I mean when I say that, no matter how much planning you do, they just have a mind of their own sometimes. I love surprising myself like that!

What inspired Updraft?

When I was brainstorming ideas for the Steddie Big Bang 2023, I jotted down a little bullet point that said “Something steampunk bc steampunk is cool” and that was basically it! 😂 I just love the entire steampunk aesthetic, and I always wanna give artists something image-heavy that they can really go to town on for a collab. (And let’s be honest, somebody needed to put Steve in a tophat. It had to be done.)  The idea didn’t make the final cut for the 2023 Big Bang, but I sort of kept rotating it in my brain for the next twelve months, and then decided to go with it for the 2024 round, and was lucky enough to be claimed by @cuips-not-cute, who really nailed the aesthetic I was going for with their artwork! ⚙️🎩❤️

What was your favorite part to write from (You got me) in the palm of your hand?

The sex scene in the van. Definitely one of the sweetest, softest smut scenes I’ve written to date. Closely followed by the finale in front of Eddie’s tent, with Steve in full costume, trying to struggle his way through that over-the-top script that Dustin wrote for him. 😂

How do/did you feel writing Someone who cares?

I mainly felt very confused with myself, because I hadn’t written ANY fiction in forever, and here I was, with that novel-length beast just pouring out of me one word at a time. I also second-guessed myself a lot. Was my English good enough? Wasn’t I writing everyone horribly OOC? What if nobody liked it? I think I’ve rarely felt as nervous as I did on the day I hit that Post button on chapter 1. I couldn’t believe I actually did that, but today I’m so proud of myself and very happy I took that leap. 

What was the most difficult part of writing Hic sunt dracones?

The damn middle part! 😅 This is actually something I struggle with a lot. Many of my stories come to me with pretty solidly formed beginnings and ends, but connecting the two is what regularly gives me headaches.  “Hic sunt dracones” was no exception here. The first few chapters just sort of barged into my head, nearly fully formed, and demanded to be written with an insistence I couldn’t ignore. By the time I posted chapter one, I had almost everything up to the castle escape figured out, and I had a pretty solid idea of the ending I wanted, but the in-between was very blurry to me. For the longest time, the only thing my outline said was “They hang out at Eddie’s lair and fuck a lot”, but I had no idea on how to actually move the story forward beyond the monsterfucking. 🤣 What really did the trick was adding the sacrifice scene in chapter three to my plan, because that sort of is what propels the rest into motion and allowed me to tie things together at the end. That, and adding Wayne and his merry band of misfits to the cast, because Steve needed someone to actually fuel his character growth.

Do you have a favorite scene and/or line from any of your fics?

I mean “Yes, beloved?” gets screamed back at me so often I’ve made it my ask button, but there’s many.  I loved writing their first kiss in “Someone who cares”, because I had been edging both myself and the readers for seven chapters and by the point I finally got around to it, even I was like “damnit, come ON already!!”  I was grinning so hard while writing the big reveal in “Just add water”, where Steve physically dunks screaming, wet rat Eddie to shut him up.  Those are just two examples, but I have many of these scenes, and when people pick up on them and tell me how much they loved them, that always makes my day a little. 💖

Do you have any upcoming projects or fics you’d like to share/promote?

Anyone who follows me is probably sick of me talking about it by now, but @houseofthemovingimage and I are working on an absolute monster of a fic and art collab. It’s called “The King’s Gift”, and it features time traveler Steve, medieval king Eddie, a fae curse and lots of fun and drama and romance. ✨ I will not try to give any more estimates on when it’ll start posting bc we’ve both had a bit of a year and good things take time, but just know that I’m munching on the drywall over here, I’m so feral over it.  Other than that, I’m planning on participating in the @steddieholidaydrabbles again this year, and I may have been bouncing ideas with some other artists and fellow writers about more collabs, so there’s definitely more to come!

Outside of these questions, Is there anything YOU would like to add?

Thank you to @steddieas-shegoes for nominating me, and thank you to the amazing mods here at @steddieunderdogfics for all the hard work you’re putting into this blog! I love reading your fic recs and interviews, and it was so much fun getting to do one of my own. 🥰 This little online space we have here is so beautiful and creative and full of so many incredibly talented, kind and supportive people, some of whom have not only become moots but friends over the past two years. The Steddie fandom brings a smile to my face every single day, and I am simply unbelievably happy to be a part of it!

Thank you to our author, @just-my-latest-hyperfixation, and our nominator, @steddieas-shegoes! See more of @just-my-latest-hyperfixation works featured on our page throughout the day!

Writer’s Spotlight is every Wednesday! Want to nominate an author? You can nominate them here!

[littleadaline]

The Original Version of Us [P.G6]

[Childhood best friends to lovers trope]

Warnings: light swearing methinks, slight sexual content

Word Count: 2.1k

A/N: I got this idea after watching a TikTok slideshow about Barça boys’ romance book tropes. So I had the idea to turn them into prompts. Hope it lives up to y’all’s expectations lol.

—————————————————————————————

It all started at the age of 5. Your mom had taken you to the playground of your hometown. You hadn’t been there for long, your family having moved a year prior. You were a shy child, often found hiding behind your mom’s back. You remember it as if it was yesterday. The blistering Spanish heat, the suffocating air, yet, you felt at ease. Your mom sat on the bench as you ventured deeper into the playground. It wasn’t uncommon for the children of the neighborhood to spend their entire days there. As you walked into the sea of children, you lost sight of of your mom. Confused by the swarm of people, you started panicking. On the other side of the swings, a young Pablo Páez Gavira was staring down at you. He had never seen you there, nor had he seen your face in the neighborhood.

“Are you lost?” He asked you, his voice trembling from shyness. He was dressed up in a football jersey, his hair ruffled up from the sweat on his forehead.

“Yeah. I can’t find my mom.” Gavi took your hand.

“I’ll help you look. C’mon. My name is Pablo by the way. What’s yours?”

Together you walked the lengths of the playground, ultimately passing by the bench where you had last seen your mom. Unbeknownst to you, your mom was engaged in a deep conversation with Gavi’s mom, panic spread on her face. When her eyes caught the sight of you and Gavi, her eyes lit up with a mixture of relief and joy. She ran to you, dropping to her knees as she engulfed you in a sudden hug. You remember her quiet sobs as she looked up to the sky, thanking the universe you were unharmed.

“Pablo, where have you been?”

“Perdón mamá, but Y/N couldn’t find her mom, so I stayed with her. She’s very nice. Can we invite her to play?”

“Um, Gavi that’s very nice of you, but it’s ultimately up to Y/N’s mom.” His mom calmly explained, looking back at yours.

“I’m sure we can arrange something.” Your mom said cheekily. While the adults exchange their phone numbers, you and Gavi sat down on the bench, feet hanging in the air.

“Are you new here?” Gavi broke the silence.

“Yeah, we moved here last year. You?” You pushed a strand of hair out of your face.

“Born here. Do you like football?” You saw him shift in his seat.

Before you could answer, you had to say your goodbyes, sadly waiving to your newly made friend.

“I’ll see you again, right?” You yelled from the car, window down.

“Yeah!” Gavi answered back.

A few days had passed, your encounter with Gavi still etched in your mind. For some reason, you refused to let the memory of him go, clinging onto the hope of seeing him again. It was a Saturday morning, you were barely awake when the doorbell rang. You heard your mom rush to the door, before greeting whoever was at the front door. A woman’s voice and a boy’s voice could be heard… as well as a girl’s voice. Curious, you peaked your head towards the front door, catching sight of a small brunette head. Looking up, you recognized Gavi’s mom. Before your mom could call you, you emerged from your hiding spot.

“Pablo! You’re here!” You embraced your newly made friend.

“Yeah! Your mom invited us for breakfast. Oh, and that’s my sister, Aurora.” He pointed at the girl hidden behind his mom.

“Hi! Do you like dolls?” Aurora nodded before you grabbed her by the hand and led her to the living room where your toys were sprawled out.

After that day, the three of you became inseparable. Every weekend, you spent it at each others’ house. You had grown to be used to Pablo and Aurora’s presence. With the passing years, your personal schedules grew to become more and more busy, but you always made the efforts to see each other. Until Pablo left for Barcelona, and soon, the weekly visits stopped. You stayed in touch through your parents, or Aurora’s daily updates, but even those became less frequent. For a few years, you would only catch up with the Páez Gavira’s at Christmas and Easter time. That was, until you each fell into the rabbit hole that was technology and social media. You and Aurora’s bond strengthened. When came the time to go to university, you decided to move to Barcelona, with the plan to bunk with Aurora until you find your own space.

TODAY:

“That was the last box.” You huffed, sitting down on your newly built couch.

“I can’t believe we pulled it off. 14 years of friendship later, and we’ve moved into an apartment together.” Aurora handed you a glass of sparkling water. You thanked her, leaning back into the couch.

“You sure you don’t mind me drilling a few holes into the wall for the picture frames?” You asked her.

“Yeah, it’s entirely fine. By the way, Pablo is staying the night. His neighbours have apparently turned into sex beasts and he doesn’t want to stay at Pedri’s because his family is visiting.”

“Pablo… Pablo’s visiting?” You shot straight up, gently choking on your drink. “Um, when, I mean, what time? I look horrendous, my lord.” You hand brushed through your hair.

“Yeah, why do you look like you just saw a ghost-” You ran to your bathroom. Locking the door behind you, you took a quick glance at your reflection. Your cheeks were flushed at the mention of Pablo. Aurora’s knocks on the door brought you back to reality.

“Y/N! Why did your cheeks turn red when I mentioned-” Aurora’s voice fell silent on the other side of the door. “Omg… You have a crush on Pablo. I knew it! I knew it!” She cheered on the other side of the door.

Aurora left you to collect your thoughts. Giggling to yourself, you took care of yourself, wiping away any sign of stress and sweat from loading boxes on and off the truck all day long. You were finally done when the doorbell rang, Aurora having left the premises long ago. You smoothed down your sweater and glanced in the mirror one last time before opening the door. Gavi was dressed in a simple white t-shirt, some light wash baggy jeans and a pair of Air Forces, his bag slung over his shoulder.

“Hey.” You softly greeted him. Gavi looked you up and down before going in for a hug. Surprised, you almost pulled back, but melted right into his embrace. It had been some time since you last saw each other face to face, yet he looked as good as ever.

“Hey. Congratulations on the move.” He said, taking off his shoes and putting them on the shoe rack.

“Thank you!” You chuckled. “I finally got the last box delivered today. Bunch of picture frames and shelf decor.” You pointed to the box. The air was heavy, almost too thick to breathe.

“Do you need help with the picture frames?”

“Um… Yeah, why not. Let’s get it over with,” You bent down to open the box, feeling Gavi’s eyes trail from your back to your ass. “Um… Do you know your way around a drill? Or at least a hammer?”

Gavi’s eyes diverted from your ass back to your face. You could swear something had changed in the way he looked at you. It was softer, kinder, more sincere.

“You know what, um, I will go grab the drill, you just take the pictures out of the bubble wrap.” You blurted out, running to the utility closet you and Aurora kept. Closing the door behind you, your let out a sigh of excitement…giggling like a schoolgirl. Allowing yourself to let these emotions out, you swiftly grabbed the drill before joining Gavi back in the living room. Sitting on the couch, he was admiring the pictures displayed in front of him.

“I didn’t know you kept that one.” He said, a picture of his 13th birthday in his hand. You were both asleep on their old couch, your head slumped on his shoulder as he embraced you. You sat down next to him, reaching out for another picture.

“There’s also that one.” You handed him the picture your mom took on Christmas Eve, 4 years prior. It was a group picture, but Gavi had his hand on your waist while your hand was around his shoulders. Everyone was looking at the camera, except you two, too busy looking at each other. Soon enough, you abandoned the idea of hanging the pictures, prioritizing a trip down memory lane instead.

“I remember last year’s annual summer cookout. Your mom accidentally switched out the smoked paprika for cayenne pepper. Safe to say the meat was…” you laughed uncontrollably. Gavi stifled a yawn, his eyes drawing tears. “Oh gosh, it’s getting late.” You said, looking at your phone.

“I think Aurora told you I’d be spending the night.” Gavi yawned once again, this time dragging you into a yawning contest. You saw a glimmer of malice shine in his eyes. “I have an idea. The next person to yawn, has to tell a secret to the other person.”

��Deal.” You stifled a yawn. “Starting now. Let me show you the guest bedroom.” You got up, leading Gavi to the guest bedroom Aurora had previously set up. “I’m gonna go wash my face and brush my teeth, let me know if you need anything.” You told him. After you finished your routine, you went back to the living room only to be surprised to find Gavi laying down on the couch.

“Pablito, everything okay?” He perked up at the childhood nickname. He had changed into a sweater and some grey sweatpants. He sat back up, patting down the spot next to him. You sat down, allowing your body to be swallowed by the couch.

“Do you wonder what our friendship would look like now had I not moved to Barcelona?” He blurted out. You were taken by surprise. The two of you had a handful of deep conversations, all of which happened before the age of 15.

“Of course I do. I mean, I used to. Why do you ask?”

“Something about seeing our old pictures. It got me wondering what our friendship would have looked like had we stayed close-” He interrupted himself with a yawn. “Shit. I lost our deal.”

You chuckled at his reaction. Leaning further into the couch, your eyes glazed over the details of his face. The light stubble; his plush, pink lips; his furrowed eyebrows… His face hadn’t changed much, you could always recognize the little kid you had befriend all these years ago.

“You have to spill one secret, Pablitooo.” You teased him.

Gavi hid his face in shame into the throw pillow. You could make up a slight shade of pink tinting his cheeks.

“Fine, fine. Come closer,” You scooched closer. “A bit more.” He guided you by the shoulder. You were so close that you could feel his breath on your face. Your eyes subtly shifted to his lips before establishing eye contact again.

“Um.. Okay. I hope I don’t fuck things up.” The familiar pink tint spreading again on his cheeks. “Close your eyes.”

You closed your eyes, and it was a second later that Gavi shyly placed a kiss to your lips. You leaned in, your hand finding a way to his neck, bringing him closer. Gavi let out a breathless moan as his hands pulled you onto his lap, his hands now resting on your waist. Gavi broke the kiss, his lips moving to your neck, leaving a trail of kisses, eliciting a string of broken moans from you. Your hands found the nape of his hair, slightly tugging, pleasure taking over. Had you known that moving into Aurora’s apartment would have you making out with your best friend, you would have done it sooner. Pablo pulled away, his eyes blown with lust, his lips glossy from your heated make out session.

“I… I really like you. I wanted to tell you sooner, I don’t know why I didn’t.” He confessed to you.

“I really like you as well. Have so since we fell asleep on your couch on your 13th birthday.” You leaned back to steal a kiss. His hand rested on your lower back as you worked on leaving a few love bites on his neck.

“Be my girlfriend. Let me shower you with the love you deserve. Let’s give ourselves a chance.” Gavi begged you.

“I wouldn’t want it any other way.” You leaned back in for a kiss, Gavi’s arms carrying you to your bedroom as you shed your clothes.

The next morning, Aurora woke up to find the guest room empty. Gavi’s things were still in the apartment but he was nowhere to be found. That was until she followed the trail of clothes and opened the door to your bedroom, only to find you guys entangled and naked from last night’s activities. Letting out a shriek, Aurora woke you up. Panicked, you covered yourselves in a hurry, dressing up before apologizing to Aurora for walking in on this sight. Glancing at one another, you knew you’d do it again if it meant being pinned under Gavi while he made you scream his name.