#who's already a bit intimidating for that and who ALSO totally wrecked him TWICE in the tower

[beatcroc]

there's no way the bathroom at peppino's pizza is actually that big but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ . hey ummm anyway.... i care them...... anyway there's a lil ramble on my take on fake pep's like psyche or whatever in tags on the og post if ur into that kinda thing :y

hey! it's a series! fake peppino world tour: [noise] [noisette] [peppino]<- u are here [gustavo] [gerome] [noisette again]

[channiebbang]

courting

synopsis: y/n has a massive crush on renjun and renjun has too much going on to care, or alternately, y/n courts renjun and gets him to like her, with a small misunderstanding in the middle.

characters: Huang Renjun, Na Jaemin, Main Character and a lil bit of Lee Jeno and Lee Haechan.

pairing: collegestudent!renjun x collegestudent!maincharacter

genre: fluff and a lil bit of angst

word count: 6.7k

warnings: noneeee

author’s note: it took me whole damn minute to write this lol initially i wanted the story to go differently but i kinda forgot along the way lmaooo this was supposed to be a han jisung one shot at first but then renjun inspired me more 🤠 i hope you enjoy reading this! let me know what you think about it! 🥺💛

she still remembered the first day she saw him. the first day she knew what love at first sight was.

renjun had always been a very reserved person. he liked to keep to himself and only hangout with his few friends. that ofcourse didn't mean he had no popularity around campus because holy shit did everyone know the boy.

he was known for being donghyuk's bestfriend, for being a clever student, for being a witty genius, a straight A student, a bookworm. but most of all he was knows for being the handsome dude that like silence, and being by himself when he wasn't with his friend.

y/n, like everyone else, knew of a huang renjun, but she had never had the honour to see him. see, y/n too was always immersed in her studies, and when she wasn't she liked to chill with her friends or be home with her family. she was a simple girl.

so imagine her surprise when one day, as she waited for her friend, she saw the most beautiful, handsome boy walk by. she was surprised because how could she, in her last two years of being in the same campus, not have seen this beautiful man. he must have been new, he had to. spoiler alert: he wasn't, she just never paid attention to her surroundings.

it was a few days after that she had seen him again and thanks to her friend she got to know that he was the huang renjun.

so, being the smart person she was, she decided she would court him. yes, court. like they did centuries ago. she would court him. despite not knowing anything about him, other than what people told her, she wanted yo get to know him and hopefully date him. simple as that.

huang renjun on the other hand, couldn't careless when word got around that a certain y/n had a crush on him. it never bothered him when other people came up to him so he didn't see how she would be any different. he just wanted to be chill.

he already had a lot on his plate with trying to balance his studies, art assignments, work, social life and family back at home to care about some fleeting crush someone had on him.

with having to live alone for so long he had already too much stuff going on and really couldn't be bothered to add more to it.

-

with the start of the new semester came the news that it was recommended to take another course for some extra credits and as much as renjun didn't want to he resigned himself and took a photography course. now, don't get him wrong, he loved photography. but he had already so much on his plate he didn't know how he was going to balance it all. thankfully, his friend jaemin was taking the course with him. and jaemin, being the sweetest, most caring, friend he was agreed to renjun's request to always group together if there was need. payment fee: be his model for the fashion course he was taking. renjun begrudgingly agreed. it was only just trying on clothes after all.

so on the first day of the new photography lesson the two boys walked in and sat somewhere in the middle, waiting for their professor to arrive.

"don't go back on your words," jaemin sent renjun a pointed look, his hands working on taking out his stuff.

"yeah, yeah," renjun muttered not looking up from his bag.

the sound of laughter made him look up towards the door, his eyes shifting back down to his bag when he saw a few girls walk in.

"oh, that's y/n," he heard jaemin mutter. renjun only hummed while finally putting his bag down by his feet.

"what?" jaemin asked as he turned towards his friend, brows furrowed in confusion. renjun shared the same look.

"what what?" he asked, kinda lost.

"that," jaemin subtly nodded towards the group of girls that sat a few seats in the front, on the side, before continuing, "is y/n," renjun followed his gaze only to look back at his friend.

"so?" he asked, not knowing where this was going. jaemin scoffed rolling his eyes.

"just showing you who your admirer is," he explained, renjun smiled before shaking his eyes.

"thank you for you kind service, sir," sarcasm dropped from every word, jaemin turned to him with a smirk.

"hmm kinky. call me that more," he slightly nudged him with his shoulder, leaning his elbow on the desk and resting his head on his palm. renjun's smile disappeared and he faked a punch to him, jaemin flinching away.

"get lost."

-

it took her a few more days for y/n to build up the courage to approach the boy.

she was nervous but she also told herself that if she got rejected then, well, it was a new experience. i mean, she had a 90% chance he would reject her. how she knew? well for starters, he was known for rejecting people, he made it very clear he wasn't interested in a relationship at all. people also said he was basically unapproachable, intimidating and cold.

she had mixed feelings about the last few; she had seen him multiple times with his friends, and he always seemed to have a soft smile on his lips and a glowing aura. so how could he be cold and intimidating?

but. now that she was standing a few feet away from him she could totally understand why they said he was unapproachable.

the boy wasn't with any of his friends. his expression was set to stone, to say the least.

y/n gave herself a little cheer before she started walking towards where he was going.

it's alright, just be yourself. people like bright people, right? it's gonna be okay. she told herself.

renjun's head snapped to the side when someone fell in step with him. he turned his gaze forward again thinking they might be walking by.

"hi!" y/n smiled brightly at the boy. renjun turned towards her again, his eyes looking around him in case she was talking to someone else but they were the only two walking. he slowly came to a stop.

"are you talking to me?" he asked, finger pointing at his chest. y/n giggled before nodding. she raise a hand, waving.

"hi, I'm y/n," she introduced herself. renjun sent her a skeptical look before nodding.

"renjun," he spoke uncertainly wondering why she was approaching him.

y/n felt at a loss of words after that. honestly speaking, she had never flirted with anyone or even tried to win anyone over really.

now, it's not like she had never dated, that she has, but she never made the first more.

her exes had told her that she tended to be a bit oblivious when people flirted with her, what with her being always friendly.

so being on the other end felt a bit nerve wrecking. she had a lot of respect for people that made the first move all of a sudden.

"i don't know if you heard about it, people really seem to like gossiping around here but i kinda like you," she said with a smile on her face.

renjun blinked. once. twice. a third time, before coughing awkwardly.

"what?" he spluttered caught off guard. y/n snorted.

"i like you," she repeated, the smile never wavering. she hiked up the strap of her bag on her shoulder.

suddenly her name clicked in renjun's head and he remembered seeing her in his photography class. he cursed under his breath before turning forward again.

"not interested," he muttered under his breath before stepping around her and walking towards where he was going before. y/n cursed under her breath before stumbling after him. the both unaware of the stealing glances people were giving them.

"i know you aren't," she fell into step beside him again. renjun took a deep breath before speeding up. y/n watched him before clumsily shuffling and taking two steps every one stride he took. renjun noticed and a smirk pulled up the corner of his mouth, before falling just as quickly.

"i will court you, if that's okay with you," she started again, "i know you're not interested in me. i will put in the effort to get you to like me," she giggled facing him as she followed.

renjun threw her a confused look before shaking his head. y/n checked the time on her phone before her eyes widened.

"shoot! my class starts in a bit, i gotta run! i'll hear from you again, bye renjun!" she waved before turning and running away, without waiting for the boy to say bye back. renjun scoffed at her childishness before getting in the hall where his class was going to be.

-

so that's how occasionally renjun would find chocolates or flowers on his desk in photography. jaemin had made it his job to tease him every time the two came into the class to find the little gifts. the blue haired guy even telling their other friends about it.

renjun had made it a routine to hand over all the chocolates he got to jaemin everytime, even though his favourite was among the little bunch. upon jaemin's question as to why he wouldn't eat at least the ones he liked, renjun's answer was, "i don't want to give her false hope and think i appreciate it."

and as much as he liked the flowers he gave those to jaemin as well, only to take them back saying they would be nice as props for art inspiration.

just like every other photography class, y/n had walked into the class with a few girls before they all walked to their spot. she looked over where renjun and jaemin usually sat, smiling when she saw the both sitting there. she fished out the little sketchbook and small flower ensemble from her bag before putting the latter on the desk and getting up.

"why do you do this all the time? it's clear he doesn't like you," one of the girls inquired, a smile on her lips. y/n shrugged, her eyes trained on one person only.

"i know he doesn't, but he also doesn't like anyone else," she winked down at the girl before stepping out of the desk, "which means, i still have a chance," she giggled as she turned around before walking towards the two boys.

"hi!"

the two bickering boys looked up at the sound of the chirpy voice before renjun rolled his eyes and jaemin smiled big at the girl.

"hi, y/n, what a surprise," jaemin teased as he winked at the girl. y/n giggled, a slow blush creeping up her neck.

"hello, jaemin," she politely waved before turning her eyes towards renjun, "hi, renjun."

renjun looked up towards her before averting his eyes again, "hi," he politely said.

his eyes shifted to his desk when y/n put down her small gift on his desk, his brows furrowing.

"why are you giving me this?" he asked, a slight tone in his voice. jaemin nudged him with his knee.

"thought you'd like a small sketchpad to have on you wherever you went. just in case you got a sudden burst of inspiration," she explained, the smile never leaving her lips. renjun looked up at her, a stoic expression on his face. y/n's smile faltered a small fraction but she hoped she masked it before her could notice.

renjun's eyes remained on the girl as he picked up the sketchpad and slowly pushed it aside on the desk, on jaemin's side.

"i don't need it," he deadpanned. y/n cleared her throat before brining up her smile again.

"then throw it away," she shrugged her shoulders before turning away and going back to her seat as renjun started after her, jaemin snickering beside him.

"well," he chuckled, "didn't see that coming."

-

it was at the end of the day, when renjun was walking around campus on his way to the library, that someone fell into step with him. he already knew who it was as a slow breeze wafted a floral scent his way.

he threw her a fleeting glance before making a double take. he felt his breath hitch in his throat before he masked it away.

the girl beside him looked ethereal in her baby blue shirt and high waisted loose fitting gray pants. her hair flew softly around her shoulders and face as the wind blew. the golden hue the sunset casted on her making her skin glow in contrast to her top. the cherry lip stain she had on brought accent to her lips in the most beautiful ways. renjun looked away as her eyes met his. she giggled. and renjun would never admit that to jaemin or his other friends but the sound was slowly growing on him.

"the weather is very nice today," she spoke taking a big breath, "want to get some ice cream?" she asked hopefully. renjun turned towards her only to be faced with big, bright eyes, shining in a way he could not put into words.

clearing his throat he turned away again as they made their way down the sidewalk.

"what are you doing?" he asked, his voice low and calculated, genuinely curious. y/n threw him a look before stepping behind him as a woman with a stroller passed by them. she peeked from behind him as she stepped beside him again.

"courting," she spoke with an obvious tone as they stopped in front of a streetlight.

"why?" he asked as they crossed the road. he came to a stop on the side of the street when he realized she had been following him.

"well," she started, "of course because i like you," she nodded, adjusting her bag strap.

"you don't even know me," he deadpanned. y/n rolled her eyes, an exasperated sigh leaving her lips and renjun's brows furrowed.

"well, of course not, that's the whole point of me courting you, dummy," her voice dripped incredulity as if he had asked the most obvious question.

he rolled his eyes as he started walking again, ignoring her words. she scurried after him as she tried keeping up with his steps. five seconds passed before she nudged him with her shoulder, grinning. a groan left his lips in response.

"so," she stretched out the word, "can i? court you i mean," her eyes went big as she waited for his answer. he let out a big sigh.

"it's not like you haven't been already doing it," he murmured. y/n's brows furrowed.

"you're right, i'm sorry about that," she apologized, and renjun could hear the pout before he even turned to look at her, "i'll stop if you want to. i really want your permission though. i wouldn't want to do anything you wouldn't like," she grumbled, upset she had unintentionally invaded his space.

renjun stared at her clear upset pout before he sighed again. he had been doing that a lot lately.

why am i agreeing to this, he thought as he closed his eyes for a second before he opened them again and turned a corner, y/n turning a second late.

"you can," he muttered as he stopped walking. y/n's eyes grew big as she gasped. her eyes lit up and a smile stretched over her lips as she looked up at him with big eyes.

"i can?" she asked in wonder.

"sure, be my guest," he shrugged his shoulders.

"really?" she asked again and renjun only nodded, his expression blank.

"but," he brought his index finger up and she looked at it before nodding, "i won't put aside my studies, job or anything just for your delusional attempt at flirting."

"courting! COURTING!" she corrected him after a loud groan and an eye roll. renjun doing the latter as well.

"yeah yeah whatever, that," he waved at her dismissively. she smiled at him.

"that's okay, but don't shut me out. you have to give me opportunities to court you, you have to be fair," she pointed at him as she pouted. renjun looked from her face to her pointed finger before he pushed it down. y/n's eyes shifting to the finger before muttering a sorry.

he glanced at her sideways a snort leaving him, "yeah, okay."

she smiled before a confused look took over as she looked at their surroundings.

"uhh, where are we?" she asked unsure, renjun looked back at the store they stopped in front.

"didn't you want to get ice cream?" he asked and y/n's eyes lit up a cheer leaving lips as she bounced on her heels.

"yes yes! let's go! it's my treat," she laughed as she pushed him aside and walked inside.

"sure," renjun muttered following her inside.

and that's how her courting began. sometimes it was ice creams, other times it was afternoons at the library, evenings in the art lab. and it went on for a few months. renjun's friends would sometimes tease him about y/n and he would begrudgingly tell them he wasn't dating her. he had explained times and times again what y/n said she were doing and they had told him the same thing every time.

yeah yeah dating, we get it.

word was getting around campus that the renjun was dating y/n and it was safe to say it was the hottest news. renjun, who had never cared about what they ever said about him, this time too, didn't bother to correct anyone.

-

y/n checked her phone as she speed walked. she was late to meet renjun and she knew how much he hated tardiness. she cursed under her breath as she skipped around the corner. her eyes searched around in hopes to catch a glimpse of the ash brown color haired guy. a smiled adorned her lips as she saw him. she was about to call out his name when she noticed him talking to someone. she jogged up to him and smiled as his eyes shifted to her.

"you're-," he started before she interrupted him.

"late. i know, i know. i'm sorry, i had to talk a bit to the TA," she giggled in apology and he rolled his eyes as he bid goodbye to the girl he was talking to.

"i'll get back at you about it. try to find as much as you can about the topic," he stretched his lips in a make shift smile for a second in greeting and the girl nodded, a teasing smile on her lips.

"don't get too lost in your date. i won't do the whole project on my own because you're out dating," she smiled jokingly. y/n pressed her lips together as her big eyes watched between the two.

the stranger's smile slowly fell as she noticed renjun wasn't smiling in the least, his face stone serious.

"don't worry about my date, worry about doing your part, bye."

and he turned and started walking away. y/n watched between his retreating back and her baffled face, an embarrassed blush adorning her cheeks.

"he's like that with everyone, don't take it too at heart," y/n sent an encouraging smile.

"y/n!" her head whipped to see renjun waving at her to be quick. she smiled for a last time to the girl before she ran up to him.

they walked in silence for a few minutes as she pouted. renjun took a deep breath before he looked at her out of the corner of his eyes.

"what?" he asked already knowing why she was pouting. she sent him a narrowed stare.

"you didn't have to be that rude," she sighed as she grasped the bag strap across her chest.

"yeah, well she was being nosy," he shrugged his shoulders.

"she was trying to be friendly."

"yeah, well she was trying to be friendly by being nosy and i don't like it."

y/n snorted at his pouted reply.

"ah!" y/n suddenly remembered as she rummaged into her bag, renjun watched her with curious eyes.

"here, this is for you," a small bag was pushed towards her and renjun carefully took it before opening it.

"what is this?" he asked, his brows furrowed in confusion.

"what do you mean? it's food, silly!" y/n giggled.

"yeah, why?" he asked, slowly fishing out one of the corndogs in the bag. y/n rolled her eyes jokingly.

"because you like them," she said after a sigh left her lips, wondering how he could be so oblivious. he nodded not feeling like arguing with her. no matter how many times he had told her not to spend money on his she never listened.

when he realized she just was a giving person he figured he would just buy her ice creams on the times they would go together.

"this is my stop, i'll see you around," renjun nodded at y/n as they stopped in front of the bus stop. y/n smiled as she nodded and waved. the bus stopped in front of the two and y/n watched as he walked up to the doors and into the bus, not once looking back.

as the doors closed and went away, so did her smile. she took a deep breath wondering if she had been too forceful on renjun.

was I too pushy? should I have backed away when he said he didn't like me?

and somehow she figured that really, renjun didn't need to like her. he had never said he liked her. it was all her.

she had been the one to push herself into his life, she had been the one wanting to court him, she had been the one to always wait for him after his classes, she had been the one dragging him to the ice cream parlor every other day.

renjun had always been clear on his feelings. he had said it in the beginning he didn't like her. he had only agreed to it all because he was nice, only going to get ice cream because she dragged him.

"hey! why the long face?"

y/n turned towards the sudden voice, her smile back on her lips as she crossed eyes with jaemin. she shook her head.

"got lost in my thoughts," she smiled, "it's getting late, i'll see you tomorrow!" and she was gone jogging to her bus stop.

jaemin let out a deep breath, wondering if she knew she was very bad at concealing her feelings from showing on her face.

-

golden rays seeped through the curtains in the silent home. a sweet melancholy atmosphere buzzed in the atmosphere. the silence creeped up the walls and enveloped the whole apartment.

the beeping of the main door unlocking sounded like a shrill sound in the otherwise mute surrounding. feet shuffled in before closing the door. soft steps sounded loud, the switch being turned on illuminated the whole flat in a bright light.

a sigh left her lips as she let her bag fall on the couch, walking to the bathroom.

twenty minutes later she was sat on the couch, a towel in her hand as she dried her hair. the silence made her ears ring, she hated it. hated this feeling.

she hated not being able to trust anyone, hated that she had nobody she could call friend at college, hated how she knew the people she hung out with during those few hours talked behind her back, called her naive, stupid, loser. she knew it all but she hung out with them either way.

y/n thought about calling her boss and going to work, being busy sounded like a thrilling idea instead of sitting in this silence, but she knew they were full.

she took a deep breath willing her mind not to fall in the deep hole she knew it was going to if she didn't busy herself fast.

so she got up and discarded her damp towel on the rack in the balcony before walking to the kitchen, wondering if cooking something would take her mind away from memories she wanted to keep locked away.

-

"renjun ah!"

jaemin walked into the room in search of his friend, his mind set on getting his words across the thick headed idiot.

he closed the door behind himself, his narrowed eyes set on the boy playing a game on his couch. renjun's eyes fled to jaemin before focusing back on the game.

"jeno and haechan said it will take half an hour and then they'll be here," he informed the blue haired male as he angrily pressed the buttons on his controller. jaemin nodded before taking four strides in front of the tv and turning it off.

"bro! what the fuck!" renjun shrilled, mouth hanging open in surprise.

"you're losing anyway," jaemin deadpanned before looking him straight in the eyes, "we need to talk."

"about?" renjun threw the controller aside, wondering what was this serious.

"y/n."

"what about her?" renjun sighed as he leaned back against the couch, curious where this conversation was going.

"don't you think you're being a bit unfair to her?" jaemin asked, his tone calm.

"how? i didn't do anything," his brows furrowed as he stared at his friend. a slight sliver of irritation hit him as he wondered if she had gone to whine to his friend about him.

"exactly, you don't do anything while she does everything!" jaemin exclaimed, his arms spreading before falling by his sides again.

"i don't know what you're reaching at, jaem," renjun sighed as his fingers pinched the bridge of his nose.

"what i'm trying to say, jun, is that the poor girl has been trying to woo your ass so hard for so long and you won't do anything about it!"

"what do you want me to do!" renjun exclaimed, suddenly feeling attacked, "she was the one that wanted to do all this courting bullshit! i never asked to do it! i told her i didn't like her!" he defended himself and jaemin rolled his eyes at his friend's stupidity. and he was supposed to be the top student huh?

"at least tell her again before she falls more for you while you don't care then! the poor girl has tried everything to make you like her! she knows your habits, your order at the café, pays attention to what you say, what you do. hell! she even knows when you crave your stupid milkshake because you had a bad day at college!" jaemin tried to reason with him.

"did she complain at you about all this? i swear!" renjun groaned as he stood on his feet, beyond angry that she had the audacity to complain when she was the one to start all this. jaemin looked at renjun as if he grew a second head.

"what? no! why would she say anything to me? it doesn't take a genius to figure all this out when the moment she's not with you she has sadness written all over her face."

"oh so now i'm the bad guy, great!" renjun laughed mockingly.

"nobody said you're the bad guy, jun," jaemin's voice softened up as he stared at his friend, clear anger on his features, "all i'm saying is to take into consideration her feelings too, and if your feelings still haven't changed for her then to tell her so she can move on."

renjun snatched his jacked from the armrest of the couch before storming towards the door.

"where are you going?" jaemin asked, his tone alarmed at the anger renjun was displaying.

"tell her to fuck off and not complain to my friends," hw muttered as he pulled away the door.

"oh! hey guys," jeno's eyes widened as renjun pushed away from him and haechan on his way out of the door. the two standing on the door stared as he walked away before turning towards jaemin.

"what's going on?" haechan asked as they stepped inside their den. jaemin waved his fingers in his hair as he let out a frustrated sigh.

"i think talking to him was a bad idea."

-

it was almost 11pm when y/n's phone rang. she was almost falling asleep on her couch when it started ringing, waking her up right away. she smiled softly as she read the name of the caller, clearing her voice as she picked up the call.

"hello? renjun?" she softly asked, wondering why he called her at this hour.

"send me your address, we need to talk," his cold tone made a shiver run down her spine as she muttered an okay before he hung up.

thirty minutes later he texted her to come out front. in the chilly breeze he stood in front of her apartment complex. she was wearing a hoodie and sweats as she walked out. she smiled at him as she stopped to stand in front of him.

"hey, it's cold, you can come inside-,"

"what do you want from me?" he interrupted her. a look of confusion fleeting across her face as she stared up at him.

"what?" her voice was small as she spoke. renjun rolled his eyes.

"why would you go and rant to my friends about shit that you could've told me?" he accused, and her confused expression just angered him more as he scoffed.

"ah yes! now comes the 'i don't know what you're talking about'. you wanted to do this courting crap, i told you before that i didn't like you! i don't understand why you would antagonize me to my own friends when i never even wanted this in the first place!"

"what? renjun that's not-"

"i don't care! just stay out of my life, will you? stop whatever you're doing, i don't care about any of it. this was stupid anyway," he mutter the last few words before turning away.

he had taken just a step before y/n grasped his arm.

"renjun," she called him, "i don't know what happened but this is not what-"

"are you saying my friends lied to me?" his head whipped back and y/n let go of his arm right away at the nasty look he threw at her. she softly shook her head.

"that's not what i said," she muttered adn renjun scoffed before turning away again.

"then stay the fuck away," he spat as he walked away and y/n stared after him as she felt a sharp pain on her chest, the familiar pain of heart break happening all over again.

-

she had stayed away from his as he asked. she didn't reach out anymore and she didn't approach him either. figured out if she was forcing herself on him, the least she could've done is listen to him and stay away.

jaemin regretted talking to his stubborn friend when he had pushed his shoulder against the girl's and greeted her just to receive a tight lipped smile and a soft hi before she had speed walked away. seconds later renjun had stood by his side, his eyes on the girl as he scoffed.

"what did she want?" he sneered and jaemin's furrowed his brows as he turned to face his friend.

"renjun," he called his attention and the latter turned around to face him.

"she never said anything to me," jaemin went straight to the point and when renjun made to say anything he held up his hand.

"i'm not covering for her. she never said anything to me or anyone. hell, she never even talked about you to me. all i know about what you teo had going on was from what you told me," jaemin took a deep breath at renjun's furrowed brows.

"that day you wouldn't listen to me. I don't know why you were that angry but she really didn't ever say anything. whatever i talked to you about was all because i wanted to say it. so if you have feelings for her tell her and if you don't then at least apologize to her," jaemin tried to reason with him

"we're best friends, i'm gonna tell you when you're wrong and being an idiot. and now, you're both," jaemin smiled at renjun before clapping his arm and walking to their photography class. renjun didn't say anything, too immersed in his thoughts.

they walked into the room and renjun's eyes were right away on y/n. she sat in her usual seat, surrounded by her friends as they laughed about something. y'n smiled but it didn't reach her eyes, she laughed but it didn't sound genuine and renjun wondered how he was able to tell. he shook his head and walked behind jaemin to their seat.

"hey, aren't you going to say hi to renjun?" one of y/n's friends. y/n's smile dimmed a little before she masked again and shook her head.

"i'm not doing that anymore," she shrugged her shoulders as to not seem too sad. the girls around her snickered and y/n felt a chill run down her spine.

"why? did he reject you?" one asked and y/n sent a tight lipped smile as she hummed.

"y/n! come here for a moment, please!" the professor called her and she thanked the heavens she got saved like that.

she got off her seat and walked down the steps carefully. what she didn't miss is the girls next words. they intended for her to hear it and they also wanted renjun to hear.

"of course he would reject her, she was so pushy with it."

renjun's brows furrowed as he heard those words, wondering how did friends talk about their friend like that, but what angered him more was that it was obvious y/n had heard them but she had just kept walking to the professor.

renjun shook his head telling himself he shouldn't care. he knew he had to apologize at some point but he also knew he didn't care for her, he had no feelings for her... right?

but as he watched the girl talk to the professor with her smile painted on, his heart tightened.

-

it was late at night when renjun lied in his bed, facing the ceiling, his body aching from slaving away at work, his shoulders in pain from the hunched evenings he spent in the library and the heavy feeling in his chest from having to balance so many things at once, that he longed for someone to rely on. finally he was coming to terms with the truth.

the truth was that y/n had been that one person that made it all go away; the aching, the pain, the heaviness and the emptiness. she had taken all of it away without even trying to. renjun thought back at that evening when he had went to a shop with his friends and as his eyes caught sight of the little fluffy keyring he had grasped it and with a small smile he had thought 'y/n will like this' only to remember y/n wasn't there anymore. he had pushed her away.

renjun's brows furrowed as he suddenly sat up, a determined look on his face. he had to make it right. he had to apologize.

so with a new found adrenaline pumping through his veins he got up from his bed and quickly threw on a hoodie and his shoes before running out of his home.

-

y/n secured the lock on the convenience store she worked at, shaking the door to check if she had locked it correctly, before taking the short walk to her building.

the chilly breeze felt refreshing against her cheeks as she walked the uphill street.

she stepped under the streetlight in front of her building when she noticed a crouched figure in front of her main door. she slowed down as she got creeped out, wondering where the security guard was.

the sound of footsteps made renjun snap his head up only for his eyes to cross y/n carefully stepping up to him, her eyes unsure before realization dawned on her.

"renjun?" she asked confused and surprised. renjun stood up before dusting off his jeans.

"hey," he whispered before realizing y/n was probably waiting for an explanation, "uhh, i rang up but nobody answered s-so i just thought about waiting here for you," he stuttered before clearing his throat and looking away, his eyes shifting to look around himself in emberassment. y/n smiled comfortingly and nodded.

"did you need anything?" she asked softly, and renjun stared at her for a moment before his brows furrowed.

"don't smile," he murmured and y/n's eyes widened before she blinked away.

"uhh sorry?" her tone unsure before renjun shook his head at the misunderstanding and waved his hand in front of him.

"no no, that's not what i meant. i meant like- if you don't mean it then don't. you don't have to fake it," he explained and y/n nodded her smile returning.

"i'm not faking it, i couldn't with you," she giggled before nodding with big eyes, encouraging renjun to continue.

"i- uhh, i wanted to apologize," he took a big breath, "for the way i snapped at you that day, without knowing anything. i shouldn't have been so rash on you. jaemin cleared things with me and i have to say, it was a total dick move of me to just assume you did something," he rambled on and y/n nodded.

"it was," she interrupted him and he nodded, looking down.

"but you don't have to worry about anything, i won't bother you anymore. i'm sorry too for pushing myself on you like that."

renjun's head snapped up at her words, his brows furrowed as she shifted on her feet, her fingers tight around her bag strap.

"no," he muttered and y/n's brows raised in question, "let's- let's try again, this time i'll meet you in the middle," he nodded and y/n stared at him, her lips parted so renjun took it upon himself to elabprate.

"i realized," he licked his lips as his eyes looked around before settling on her, his eyes screaming determination, "that i didn't realize how much you helped me until i pushed you away. i didn't realize how much i relied on you for comfort. until you were gone. you were there for me in so many ways, a-and i realized how much i liked having you around, how much i thought about you, until you weren't there anymore. i realized how much just the thought of you brought me calmness until i couldn't turn to you anymore. and calmness is what i needed, is all i needed to balance my crazy everyday life, and i want you in it again, but this time for good, and the right away," renjun took a deep breath after being done, feeling like if he didn't say all that at once he wouldn't be able to make her realize how much he needed her.

y/n's eyes shone as she looked at him.

"jun," she whispered and her tone panicked renjun. it was so quiet, so frail and it sounded like she had just given up, "you don't have to force yourself to make me feel better, i can handle rejection. it will hurt for a bit but i'll be okay," she reassured him and renjun shook his head.

"no, no, i'm not doing this because i feel bad for you," his brows furrowed and his tone laced with offence. he took a step towards her and wrapped his arms around her all of a sudden. y/n's eyes widened as her hands rested on his sides, taken by surprise at his sudden hug. renjun wasn't really known to be affectionate, "i really wanna give this a try. this time the right away, please, let's try," he murmured against the side of her face.

y/n slowly pulled away and looked at his eyes, shining like the stars above, he was absolutely breath taking. and she smiled, her usual soft smile as she reached up a hand to shift away a loose hair strand falling in front of his eyes.

"okay," she nodded and renjun smiled as he nodded. his cheeks suddenly went up in flames when he noticed his arms still around her frame and she giggled, slowly pulling away.

"have you eaten?" she asked as she turned away to put in the password to the building doors, and renjun smiled as the heaviness that once settled on his shoulders felt lighter and his chest hurt less.

"are you inviting me up?" he asked hopeful and she turned her head around to throw a funny look his way, "i'm telling you, i'm so exhausted i will eat everything in your fridge, sure you wanna risk that?" he teased as she opened the door and stepped aside to let him in.

"i'll take my chances," she smiled as he took a hold of her hand and pulled her towards the elevator, a smile adorning both of their faces.

[youreacowgirllikeme]

White Lie

note: this plot entered my head and refused to leave, so here we go. Enjoy

words: 2.7 k

warning: swearing, smut (unprotected sex)

“Bliss!” you thought, taking in the unique smell of the bookstore. The last few weeks had been crazy, work keeping you on your toes even on the weekends. This was your first free day in over a month, and what was better than spending it at your favorite place in town.

You loved aimlessly browsing the dozens of shelves for something new to read, your favorite pastime since childhood. You were still contemplating about the kind of lecture you were looking for when a bright red book spine caught your attention. You had always been a person who could be easily attracted by a pretty, colorful cover, so your hand instinctively surged forward to grab the book out of the shelf. But before you could get a hold on it, another hand got in your way, blocking yours and snatching the volume right under your nose.

You were about to complain to whoever had the audacity to get between you and a book, when you looked up at the stranger.

“He’s so tall.” Was the first thing that came to your mind, followed almost instantly by “And hot.” You could feel yourself starting to get slightly flustered, your initial anger forgotten.

“Oh, I’m so sorry, I didn’t think anyone else besides me could be that interested in the medias influence on the US’s political relationship with China.” The stranger said. He had a smooth, deep voice, the kind of voice you could easily imagine yourself listing to for hours. You stared at him, your usually quick brain a bit overwhelmed with your body’s visceral reaction to the mans presence .

“Political relationship with China?” you repeated, confused and sounding like the biggest idiot ever to your own ears.

“Yes, because that’s what this is about.” The man turned the book around so you could look at the cover. “You’re aware that you’re in the politics section?” He added, slower, like he was talking to a child.

You tried to collect yourself, you usually prided yourself on your quick-wittedness and you didn’t like how nervous this stranger was making you at all. You didn’t know what it was about him, maybe his imposing figure or his intense gaze, but he was intimidating.

“Oh, yes, I was searching for a similar looking book.” You lied quickly. “My mistake.”

Turning around to another shelf with some new arrivals, you grabbed the first red-spined book that caught your eyes.

“Here. That’s the one I actually want.” You replied, showing the random book to the man. He mustered the cover and a small smirk settled over his face.

“The Hellfire Club, huh? You’re a fan of political thrillers?” he asked, a hint of amusement in his voice.

“Of course, huge fan. I’ve read all of the authors works, been really looking forward to this one. I heard it’s set in New York.” In reality, you didn’t have the slightest clue what this book was about, and even less why you were lying to this random guy about it. Did you just want him off your back, or did you want to impress him, engage him in conversation? He was fascinating and for some reason you felt like this conversation was spinning a bit out of your control.

The man raised his eyebrows at you, looking like he could sense your nervousness.

“It’s a decent book, I guess. But I heard the author is a real prick.” He gave you an almost conspiratorial wink. “I have to go now, but enjoy it. New York is definitely a fascinating city.” He turned around and left in the direction of the checkout.

You opened the book, looking inside to find out who this guy was having such a low opinion about. There was a small picture of the author in there, and as you studied it you felt like you might get sick.

It was the stranger from moments before. Jake Tapper. You had lied to Jake Tapper. You groaned internally, why the hell hadn’t you recognize him?

Yes, you didn’t watch his shows, too little time. But he was something like a celebrity, and you blatantly told him absolute bullshit about his own book in an attempt to appear cleverer than you were. How had this guy been able to unsettle you that way?

“The damn Capitol is literally on the cover, you idiot.” You whispered to yourself, absolutely mortified. You had to go after him and clear this up or you would never rest again.

But as your eyes scanned the bookstore, he was already making his way out, disappearing onto the crowded street.

+++

Two weeks later, you still couldn’t think about the encounter without being totally embarrassed. You had bought the book, and of course it wasn’t set in New York. But it was a fascinating read, you weren’t able to put it away for the whole weekend, finishing it only three days after you purchased it.

At the same time, you weren’t able to stop thinking about Jake Tapper either. Even in the brief moment you shared with him, he had managed to leave a lasting expression, and your thoughts were circling around his dark eyes and deep voice more often than you’d care to admit.

The sound of an incoming email disturbed your thoughts, and as you checked, it your heart did a little jump in your chest. It was the newsletter from your favorite bookstore, announcing an event with no one else than Jake Tapper himself, signing copies of his latest political thriller The Hellfire Club.

Without even thinking about it twice, you signed yourself up for the event. You had to see him again, try to explain yourself and get some closure about the situation, or those thoughts of him would probably haunt you forever.

+++

You’ve been anxiously waiting in line for thirty minutes now, and finally it was your turn. As soon as the man’s eyes landed on you, he raised his eyebrows and a smug smile settled over his face

“And so, we meet again. I sincerely hope the lack of New York content wasn’t too much of a disappointment.”

So he remembered you. Great.

“Ok, I deserve that.” You murmured, embarrassed by the whole situation. You started to regret even coming here, but now you had to get it over with.

“I just came to, well, apologize, I guess. And prove that I’m not an idiot.” Why were you blabbering like that? This man’s scrutiny made you so nervous, his attentive gaze was fixed on you while you were struggling to explain the situation.

“I loved the book, by the way, great style and the storyline was very captivating. Even without New York.” You added, a weak attempt at a joke. To your total surprise, he chuckled, a sound that made you even more agitated. By now, you were sure that your face was the color of a fire truck.

“I’m glad you enjoyed it.” Jake replied. “And no hard feelings about what happened. Maybe I should let my next novel play in New York in reference to our encounter. Also, I am at a bit of a disadvantage here, you know my name but haven’t told me yours.”

You quickly introduced yourself, and he reached over the desk to take the book you held in your hand. When you didn’t let go immediately, his hand stopped, and he looked at you with a puzzled expression. His fingers were brushing against yours, a fact that obviously overwhelmed your brain as you weren’t able to move a muscle to hand over the book.

Touching him made a spark went through you, and from the way Jakes eyes slightly darkened, you could tell that he had felt it as well. You stared into each other’s eyes for seconds until someone in line behind you coughed, and you snapped out of your frenzy.

“I assumed you want me to sign your copy.” Jake mumbled, still holding onto your book.

“Yes, of course. I’m sorry.” You replied hastily, handing him the volume and internally cursing your body for the nervous, awkward way it behaved in front of this man.

Jake grabbed a pen, signing the front page and scribbling a note into the bottom right corner. He handed it back to you, and you opened to read what he had written. It was a row of numbers, and before you could make sense of it, he spoke again.

“That’s my number. I would love to hear some more of your potential book ideas, if you’d be interested. Maybe over dinner, or some drinks?” His voice was smooth, but there was a hint of insecurity, like the smallest crack in his façade.

Was he asking you out? Quick, you told yourself, say something.

“Uhm, yeah, sounds good.” Wow, great response. Pulling yourself together, you added “I’d love to.”

“Great. I’m looking forward to hearing from you, Y/N. Now, I’m sorry, but I think there are some more readers who demand my attention.” Jake said, pointing to the waiting people behind you. “I’ll see you around?”

“Absolutely!” you burst out, your own voice sounding terribly loud to your own ears, and without saying goodbye, you turned around and fled the bookstore.

+++

Back at home, you tried to make sense of everything that had happened. First of all, you had, one more time, acted like a train wreck in front of Jake Tapper. And secondly, it obviously hadn’t bothered him too much, because he had really asked you out.

What brought the next problem, what was an appropriate time to call him? Your head went through every possible option, from phoning him right now to never contacting him again to save yourself from further embarrassment. After some back and forth, you decided to wait another day, that gave you enough time to think about what to say to him.

+++

“Hello, Jake Tapper speaking.”

Hearing his voice was enough to make your own go slightly shrill with nervousness.

“Uhm, hi, this is Y/N, from the bookstore yesterday, you remember?”

“Of course I remember.” Jake replied, “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“I was wondering, if the offer still stands, I’d love to have dinner with you somewhere.” You were proud that you managed to keep your voice steady despite your fluttering nerves.

“Absolutely, whenever your free. How does Saturday sound?”

+++

It was Saturday, and the restaurant you had agreed on was packed with people. The food was great, and the company even more so. After a glass of wine, your initial anxiety had eased down a bit, allowing you to engage in some actual conversation with Jake. He was as fascinating as you had expected, and you found yourself dreamily staring at his eyes and the way they lit up when he was talking about something he was especially passionate about.

You discovered your shared love for books, and the bookstore you had met in in particular, it was Jake’s favorite as well.

“How is it that I have never seen you there before?” you asked.

Jake shrugged, leaning back into his chair.

“Unfortunately, I don’t have much time to go there, and when I do its usually first thing in the morning when they open up. But I buy a book every time. And I’m glad we finally ran into each other.” He leaned towards you again, focusing his eyes on you in a way that made your body heat up.

“I’m glad you even wanted to see me again after that awful first impression.” You mumbled, it was still uncomfortable to talk about that. But Jake just chuckled softly, reaching out to grab your hand, intertwining his fingers with yours. For a moment, the soft stroking of his thumb against your skin was everything you could focus on.

“It definitely wasn’t awful, far from it actually. And please don’t assume I wasn’t nervous as well, you are gorgeous and were browsing the politics section of the bookstore. I just had to talk to you.”his voice was dropping a bit as he pressed his thumb down against a sensitive spot on your palm, making you gasp slightly.

Somehow, the knowledge that you had made the Jake Tapper nervous gave your ego a slight boost.

"Well, you didn’t show it, but I’m glad I’m not the only one who felt that way.” You said, squeezing Jakes hand and, in a moment of bravery, began to slide your bare foot slowly against his leg. His sharp intake of breath told you that it had the intended effect on him.

“So you buy a book every time you’re in the store.” You continued, trying to appear unfazed while still keeping contact under the table. “Your bookshelf must be impressive.”

“I have quite the collection.” Jake replied, his voice a low growl now. His pupils were blown, making his eyes appear dark and almost hungry.

With a quick move, he reached under the table to where your foot had almost reached the inside of his tight and grabed your ankle in a strong grip. A tingling sensation went from where was was touching you all the way up to your core and you clenched your legs together.

„Careful, Y/N. Don’t tease me.“ Jake pressed out in a slightly stained voice.

The tension between the two of you was almost palpable by now.

“I’d just love to see your bookshelf, Jake.” you whispered, biting your lip. You wanted this man, and from the way he was watching you, you could tell that the desire was definitely mutual.

+++

One hurried bill and speedy car ride later, you found yourself pressed against Jake Tappers bookshelf by the man himself. Your hands were tangled in his hair as he was kissing you, his own fingers nestling with the buttons of your jeans. Your shirt already lay discarded on the floor along with his own, and the bare skin of his chest felt amazing where it was pressed against yours.

You groaned when Jake moved his lips to your jaw, kissing down your neck and softly biting into the junction of your shoulder. He slid your jeans down your hips, and you hastily stepped out of them before doing the same to his trousers, leaving the both of you in only your underwear.

When you grinded your core against his boxer-clad erection, he roughly grabbed your ass and pulled you over to the sofa.

"Enough with the damn teasing.“ he growled into your ear, pushing you down onto the soft cushions.

“Jake, please.” You whimpered as he unclasped our bra with one hand and pinched one of your bared nipples with the other.

You could barely think straight anymore, aching for his touch, your panties already slick with need. He pulled them down your legs, his fingers leaving a burning trail where they were brushing over your skin.

“Fuck, you’re soaked.” He whispered when his fingers finally found their way between your tights. He circled your clit, but the soft pressure he applied wasn’t enough for you.

“Please.” You repeated, your voice only a breathy moan by now. “I need more.”

Jake softly swore under his breath, retreating his fingers before standing up and getting rid of his underwear. He took a moment to look down at you, taking in your naked body, splayed out on his couch, your legs spread.

The intensity of his gaze made you squirm and bite your lip in anticipation, he looked like he wanted to devour you.

“Look at you, all needy and ready for me. You are gorgeous, Y/N.” Jake said in a stained voice, before moving to lie on top of you, claiming your lips in a bruising kiss. His erecrion teased your entrance, his hands grabbing your thighs with a hard grip as he slowly entered you. You groaned into his mouth as he filled you until he bottomed out.

With a nudge of your pelvis, you encouraged him to start moving. His pace was slow at first, but he increased his speed as you raked your nails across his back and spurred him on with whispers of his name and pleads to go faster, harder.

“You feel so good, fucking amazing.” Jake growled, one of his hands grabbing a fist of your hair while the other one squeezed your ass, his nails digging into your skin, creating just the right amount of pain to drive you crazy.

You wrapped your legs around his hips and he groaned against your skin as he deepened his thrusts, driving you closer and closer to your climax.

His hard, relentless gaze never left yours as he was fucking you and being the focus of his unwavering attention gave you a heady feeling.

When he told you to come, it almost sounded like a command, and you clenched around him as you reached your peak. He followed you after a few more thrusts, holding you tightly as he came inside you.

“Wow.” You whispered, pressing your forehead against Jakes. He stroked your hair, eyes still settled on you, and it felt as if he could see your every thought.

“That was incredible.” you continued, and Jake hummed in agreement before pulling out and rolling off you. He still watched you with the same unreadable expression for a moment, before he spoke out.

“I want to be honest, Y/N. I hope tonight wasn’t a one-time thing for you.”

Your heartrate that had just slowed down a bit sped up again, a broad, happy smile settling over your face.

“That depends.” You replied.

Jake arched an eyebrow at you. “And on what exactly?”

“How impressive the content of your bookshelf really is.”

[the-goddessfighter]

[ Alien vs Predator Batarou AU - Part 1 ]

by: Little1993lamb

for: Temperans-sama / @the-goddessfighter Word count: 7252 Warning: Background characters' death. Some violence and gore mentions, but not too explicit.

Not exactly a fanfic but more of a long scenario AU headcanon. Caution for bad English and very limited vocabulary as I'm not native English speaker and still not fluent enough, OOC characterizations, and lots of inaccurate concepts compared from the movie plotline as this headcanon is just loosely inspired by it, so please forgive me if this not so good I'm so sorry 🙇💦

----------------------------

This AU headcanon was based on my weird "Alien vs Predator" movie-like dream I had weeks ago. But for this AU, the story has slightly modificated to fit Batarou situation:

• Badd as a Spaceman, working for the extraterrestrial research scientists organization, unexpectedly met Garou in one of his mission.

• Garou as one of the Yautja/Predator warriors, aiding Badd on fighting against the Xenomorphs Aliens.

The other headcanon concepts, like Garou's concept designs for the AU, are written on the notes at the end of story below.

As I promised before, this is my present for you to begin the year 2021, Temperans-sama (and of course also everyone in the fandom). I hope you enjoyed this AU headcanon!

Let's get started! 😊😉👌💖

-----------------------------

Badd was working for Space and Extraterrestrial Research Organization as their Spaceman. Not as the researcher because he hates to work in a lab, he rather to do some actions in the field or outdoor works. There were several divisions for Spacemen jobs in the Organization, but what Badd specialized was the ones who could do fighting or combat. Basically like security guard to ensure the safety of Research Organization members. Sometimes he also being included in a rescue team when there was something life-threatening emergency situation happens.

One day, he got a mission along with his other coworkers in rescue team to save their crewmates, who previously were sent to investigate an unknown spaceship that was approaching Earth's orbit but then they were trapped in there.

Just after arriving on the ship and navigating their crewmates' location, they found a bunch of terrifying monstrous Xenomorph aliens attacking them. Battle was ensued, many of them died because they weren't expected these creatures' presence in the spaceship. None of the hostages crewmates informed them because turned out either they were already dead or incapable to send complete information to the base.

In the middle of fighting inside an alien spaceship, Badd finally met one of the hostage crewmates who is also one of his bestfriend and he joined to fight along with his friend against the creatures.

At the end of exhausting battle, Badd and that one friend survived on escaping from the ship along with some few other crewmates. When Badd asked him on a private room, "Why didn't you send help request more sooner?", the friend just answered, "Because I was waiting for this moment".

Badd saw his friend's appearance changing into an unknown stranger figure: a spiky white haired humanoid alien with heavily intricate armored body. Surprisingly, he is not so hideous like the other alien creatures but still has an otherworldly figure.

Badd was stunned when the stranger alien explained his intention using some language translator device on his helmet armor,

"Initially, my warrior troops were gonna invade your precious Earth but unexpectedly our spaceship was infested by those creatures you've seen before. I'm the Leader and the only survivor during the ambush and that's when your naive crewmates coming to our already wrecked ship. They sent SOS signal to your base when they were under attack. Because I want a chance for long-term survival, I borrowed your dead friend's appearance by shapeshifted as him".

He continued, "Luckily, you found me and think of me as your friend! I must gained your trust by playing along as your crewmate the whole time so I could hop into your ship together with you, thus fulfilling my intention to invade the Earth. Thanks for bringing me along, tiny human..".

The alien warrior ended his speech with a growling voice into the still stunned Badd's ear. Then he reached on his armor helmet mask and slowly took them off, revealing the true face of him:

A humanoid monster-like face with wide ridged forehead, intimidating-looked narrow hollowed eyes in which have round big golden-coloured irises, no nose, has these huge mandibles complete with two sets of long pointed tusks on them, and when they opened a bit Badd could see rows of sharp teeth inside. This alien warrior also has swept-back long spiky white hair, it was the most eye-catching feature on him.

Realizing Badd was observing his unmasked face, the white-haired alien suddenly snarled by opened his mandibles up in front of Badd's face to scare him. He wanted to test if this human would weirded out or cowering in fear from seeing his real appearance or not. But Badd only jolted back in reflex from getting surprised, without any hints of fear detected in his eyes. "You.. aren't scared by me?"

Badd was taken aback by the question, "Huh? Nah. I've seen much worse and it wasn't you, obviously".

"Not for a little bit? Nothing at all?", the alien didn't convinced by Badd's statement at all.

"Yep. 'Sides, I rather looked at your face than have to witness those Lovecraftian abominable creatures in that spaceship before. Hey what are you trying to do, by the way, huhh??", Badd could swears this white-haired alien just wanted to make fun of him. 

The white-haired alien just humming and nodding to himself, "Hmm.. You're indeed an interesting one.", as he placed his hand under his chin and rubbing it, it seems like he found some amusement in Badd.

Although he was indeed caught off-guard by the surprise snarl, Badd didn't afraid of him on a slightest, instead he actually was mesmerized by the alien's charm. Badd blurted out, "Are you gonna eat me?".

The white-haired alien just giving a funny look for a second and then grinning widely after hearing that silly question, showing all of his sharp teeth and fangs inside his mandibles, "No, not yet. Not until I know you better..", a chuckling sounds like a cat's purr was heard from him as he caressed the human's soft cheek with his long claws.

Badd frowned on what the alien had said, 'So in the end he will devours me if I'm not useful anymore?'. He didn't wanna think what he should explain to Zenko when the time has come.

When Badd said he didn't afraid to die, it doesn't mean he wanted to leave his beloved little sister alone, not when she hasn't finished her education in college and reaching her dream! Also, sure as hell not by being eaten by this strange alien!

Seeing Badd was slightly affected by the threatening words, he retreated his hand back. "Well I'm just joking, I never and wont eat humans, don't worry. They make a good prey but totally not good for consumption at all". Then he laughed loudly at Badd's dumb-strucked face. Badd started to feel pissed off: they both had just met and this alien already have the guts for teasing him twice??

The laughing finally ceased, "I think we should cooperating from now on. What is your name, little human?", the alien curiously asked, those bright yellow irises staring deep into Badd's rich dark chocolate eyes, searching for any hints of fear emotions but instead found some fire ablaze in them.

"Badd. My name's Badd, just remember whose human who had saved your sorry ass", he answered while removing the clawed hand that caressed his cheek, boldly swatting it away from him.

The charming white-haired alien quickly caught Badd's hand and clasped it with his palm, "Ooh a feisty one! Seems like I was right for choosing to fight along with you minutes ago, you're quite strong for a mere human. I like that. And you can call me 'Garou'. Nice to meet you, Badd..".

From the corner of his eye, Badd saw 'Garou' took something from his pocket. It was a small piece of the Xenomorph's sliced finger. He squished it a bit until the green-ish blood residue leaked out from the cut, then slowly moved it closer towards Badd's face.

"Stay still, Badd", the warrior instructed him.

"WHOAA NONO NO NO, GET IT AWAY FROM MY FACE!!", the young spaceman tried to swat that finger thing from Garou's hand and moved away as far as possible, refusing Garou's request.

"I said stay still! Calm down it's just a quick little brush", Garou insisted as he keeps holding Badd's hand to prevent Badd from swatting and moving too much.

The moment Badd's forehead being brushed by the blood as Garou carved a symbol on him, his skin sizzled from the contact of corrosive acid fluid and those left red scratched marks as the result.

"OUCH OW THAT HURTS! IT BURNED MY SKIN, JACKASS!!", Badd shouted then grimaced at the burned sensation on his forehead, he let out pained moaning. "Uuh.. What's that for?"

"I'm 'marking' you. You fight along with me, you even managed to kill those creatures despite being a human. Therefore, you earned my respect to bear an honourable mark from me," Garou smiled proudly at Badd, genuinely happy to find such a strong fierce human at the first meeting.

Badd didn't know how he should reacted at the explanation, but after seeing Garou's genuine proud expression he thought maybe it was actually a very rare honourable thing to be given outside his clan. From the spaceship window glass reflection, Badd could see the fresh carved scratched-like mark. He was admiring how neat the mark Garou has carved onto his forehead. An honour mark.

"Umm.. Honestly I didn't expected it, but.. Thank you, I guess?", Badd muttered while caressing his freshly marked skin.

"You're welcome, tiny human. So, right now we are heading towards your precious Earth, right? Do you have any spare room in your house for me, hmm?", Garou grinning confidenty, expecting for more interesting things from Badd after they live together.

Badd felt an impending huge migrane forming in his head, as well as the sudden urge to facepalm so hard, "... Goddamnit."

This would changed his normal daily life.

----------------------------

As the consequence of accidentally helping Garou, Badd must hide his existence from the Research Organization. So, after arrived back to the Earth, Badd must gives false-report for the base that their rescue mission was failed and only a few of team members were survived.

During that time, Garou made himself invisible but also could shapeshift into anyone for more advanced stealth tactics. Badd allowed Garou to live temporarily in his house, as long as Garou wont harming his beloved little sister Zenko and his cute cats.

At first, Garou forgot to shift into his human form in front of Zenko when Badd sneakily brought him into his house at late night. He didn't know Zenko was still awake at that hour because she was waiting for his comeback.

Badd wanted to smack himself after noticed Garou's big mistake, but after staring intensely at Garou for a full minute, Zenko just nonchalantly said,

"So you've got back from the space and you're bringing an alien boyfriend home? Hmm.. Not bad. Nice choice by the way, I always know your type, big bro", and she gives Badd thumbs up of approval.

Garou takes a liking on Zenko's bravery, maybe he could get along with her more easier later. On the other hand, despite his attempt at correcting Zenko that Garou isn't his alien boyfriend (yet), it makes Badd feels relieved that his little sister doesn't really mind of him bringing an extraterrestrial being as a new roommate in their house.

Garou spending most of his time at Badd's home by trying to learn human's behaviour and any other knickknack Earth-y things out of curiousity, that he slowly forgetting his original intentions and getting more interested on building a newfound relationship with Badd.

Badd also slowly growing fond of this charming alien, especially when Garou becomes more protective to him and his family, not to mention Garou actually learning humanity better than actual human. He was actually surprised that Garou had decided to develop a new "adaptive" form, in which a mix between his real form and human form, to help him communicate better with Badd while still maintaining most of his real appearance. Especially when it requires him speaking by human language more fluently.

Sometimes when Badd wasn't working or taking a day-off, they would spending time together at home and exchanged stories of their life. After Badd promised Garou that he wont tell any information to the higher up in the Organization, Garou explaining his life as a Warrior from his own planet, the secret history behind the invasion mission toward Earth and the super advanced technologies they owned compared with what human have currently.

It's kinda fun to have someone from another world to talk casually with, since Garou himself didn't have many close friends in his own troops. Not even to the old Elder warrior, Bang, who Garou regards as his adoptive father and his former trainer.

In return, Badd telling Garou about his favorite things, his childhood stories, his family including his late parents, everything about Zenko as he adores her so much, also about the reason why he took such adventurous yet dangerous job as Spaceman for the Research Organization. If Garou ever curious for some Earth-y stuff that he still didn't understand (as he called those things "outdated ancient stuff"), Badd will also explaining about them to him.

On special occasion, Badd would brings Garou and Zenko out to go shopping together or having fun on amusement park. He thinks it's good idea to take Garou with him and introducing many fun things humans usually do in daily life. It feels good to have a sense of having a full family again after he lost his own parents years ago. Besides, seeing how adorable Garou trying to enjoy human's entertaintments or bonding with Zenko was amusing.

To blending himself in public when they're going outside together, Garou usually shifted onto his "human-persona" so he wont attracts unwanted attention from people. But when he's around Badd's house, Garou just shifted back to his original form or his adaptive form since Badd loves it so much and wants Garou to be comfortable as himself at home.

Fortunately, it seems Badd's neighbourhood was inhabited by chill people. They never questioned further or suspicious about who Garou really is, especially after Zenko purposely introduced him as "her big brother's new boyfriend who just moved in from another city". Badd immediately blushed or flustered everytime they mentioned his "handsome boyfriend", as they also greet Garou warmly and saying that Badd was so lucky to have this gorgeous man as his lover.

Garou persistently asking Badd what is this "boyfriend" supposed to meant and why did Badd always deflecting his genuine questions while being all bright red faced with higher heart rate. Despite never got the answer, Garou likes to tease the cute little spaceman that he adores so much.

-----------------------------

After staying on Earth for months in Badd's home, Garou started to questioning himself.

Garou wondered if his original mission is really worthy or not, because in truth what he had said to Badd about the reason why he comes to Earth is not entirely true.

The real story was, Garou was just wanna visit the Earth for sportmanship and training himself to become the best hunter warrior. He was going to prove the Elites that he is worthy enough to get more superior rank that the one he currently is. That's why he also brought the Young Blood packs along with him to train them once they arrived on the Earth.

Until that accident happened because of a miscalculation: the Xenomorph alien larvaes that supposed to be used on humans, the supposed hosts, for initiation and hunting ritual were infesting his packs when they were still in the middle of their journey towards the Earth. Garou's plan was destroyed spectacularly, he lost all his pack members before he reached their destination. At least on the better side, because of that accident he could meet Badd along the way, so it feels not too bad.

On the other hand for personal fulfillment, he wanted to seek different challenges in another planets to polish his hunting skills and adding new experiences. So, the invasion plan was actually just his secondary mission, in fact it was actually just a bluffing. But it sounds like a more cooler way to threatened Badd back then. 

Not that he ever cares about human civilization and the entire human population in Earth, as he remains indifferent for them and regards them as mere weak prey for hunting sport. But he found out this one particular human is very fascinating to him: Badd. The more he interacted with Badd, the more he gets attached.

Not to mention lately Garou sensed something wrong with himself that only occured everytime they spend time or hanging out together, like there's warm feeling in his chest or sudden protective instinct whenever he is near Badd.

And while Garou considers humans are ugly, for some unknown reason he thinks Badd, in human's expressive language, is "beautiful". Inside his fierce hot-headed appearance, Badd has the kindness and all the sweet personality package in his heart. Which is total opposite with Garou, who is ruthless and cunning. Those contrasts has really melted Garou's own cold heart, surprised that he could managed to find such special human being.

Badd was supposed to be his prey, not a companion. If only Badd were born as the same kind like him, without doubt Garou was 100% sure Badd would be a perfect Warrior partner to fight along with, as he had already seen Badd's remarkable strength as a human. Such the best dream-like scenario ever that will never happens to them, but still very good 'what-if' situation.

The moment Garou saw Badd could kill the Xenomorph aliens alongside him in a combat and capable to defend himself, he respects Badd so much. It made Garou wanted to initiate Badd as one of his kind, a honourable strong Warrior. Or taking Badd with him to train as his personal human Apprentice.

For his bravery and incredible fighting abilities, Garou presented Badd a gift as a sign of respect for him. It was one of his exotic Yautja warrior's weapon collections that he managed to bring along in last expedition: an unbreakable metal bat.

Garou thinks it suited Badd's brawler fighting style, and because the bat made from special metal from his planet it can't be destroyed with anything on Earth. Except if it was smeared with corrosive acidic Xenomorph alien's blood, it would slightly melt. Whoopsie. But anyways, still an honourable thoughtful gift! Garou hopes he can witness the day Badd will using the metal bat in a combat.

Maybe it's not really bad he prolonged his stay on Earth for the sake of Badd and Zenko, although just for a bit. Garou wanted to have more "connection" with Badd before he continued the original plan. He wanted to know more about this special human, always being near him and protected him.

At least before the old man Bang realizing Garou has been missing for awhile after last Xenomorph attack and doing some search party for him by sending reinforcement army towards the Earth. 

------------------------------

At the same time on his workplace at the Research Organization, Badd was contemplating his life decision.

Badd was thinking why should he still insisted to hide Garou's existence? He could just secretly reported the truth to the Organization behind his back, handed him to them as new research subject and thus ended the Earth's next possible threat.

But that's so wrong!

Just thinking about Garou being treated as a test subject like some lab guinea pig made Badd's blood boil. Not that they can ever catch Garou and managed to survive from him, though, as he knows how strong Garou is. Surely Garou is an extra-terresterial being, but in reality he's not so different from human. There's also alot things that separated him from another Alien species he had encountered before.

Garou has a good heart and moral despite being an asshole sometimes. He's super intelligent and quick to learning something new, willing to cooperate once they're bonded over mutually trust.

Speaking of morality, Garou has better grasp of humanity than most people. Although he is a ruthless warrior, he wont bringing harm to those who are already weak or sickly people, unarmed opponents, childrens, or females especially the pregnant ones. Those are basically the Yautja Clans' Warrior Rules, as they only do fair fights. Badd thinks Garou's own kind are very cultured people, that's cool.

One thing Badd didn't expect before was the fact Garou is kind of "nerdy guy". He thought Garou was a ruthless jock-type warrior who only likes hunting or chaotic things, but in reality he is just the biggest nerd Badd ever known. Garou has always been curious about anything he deemed interesting enough, like human's lifestyle, social classes, education, or even the cuisine. Currently Garou is obsessed with martial arts and his homemade food, also when they're going out together he always asked for buying some fast food preferably with Cola for the drink. Truly an example of alien with unique taste.

The more Garou learned from Badd and observing people around them, the more he understand what human and their "humanity" is, both good side and bad side. Garou said he considered himself on grey area. But he would try to be on the good side, just for Badd.

About Garou's appearance, Badd never got scared of Garou's real form. In fact, he finds Garou in his full warrior armory looks charming and kinda handsome. He had seen Garou in the middle of daily training to sharpen his instincts during his stay at home, surely Garou got a lots of cool fighting techniques and movements, both bare-handed or with weaponry. Truly showing a professional experienced Warrior skills. Or when Garou shifted into the adaptive form so he can spar with Badd more comfortably without really hurting him.

Not to mention his unusually bright golden irises when Garou stares intensely at him, the way Garou tilted his chin up with those long slender clawed hand, that teasing smug grin with those sharp teeth show-off, and those surprisingly soft slicked back spiky white hair..

Yeaah okay, Zenko was totally right about him being into monsters. Fortunately to Badd, she wont and never judges his taste on men.

And Garou is actually a very good friend.. Or maybe more, if only his feeling ever reciprocated. Badd wondered if he could asks Garou to just stay forever on Earth together with him.. 

------------------------------

Badd was just coming home early in the afternoon from the work, as he only finishing yesterday's home paperworks and delivering it to the office. Time to get some rest after working the whole night filling the mountain pile of papers, Zenko still in school at this hour anyways so he would take a brief nap before picking her up.

Strangely, the house was too quiet. He usually hear some noises from across the room, whether it was Garou watching some tv programs or news or movies, or sneaking around the kitchen as he attempted to raid Badd's fridge contents (nowadays he often found out all the meat stocks or even any of homecooking leftovers in his fridge vanished thanks to Garou's huge appetite).

Badd tried to calling for Garou and checking on his room upstairs but there still no sign of him. He guessed maybe Garou went to their sparring place in the woods, training by himself to polish his hunting skill. Or maybe Garou was lurking on city downtown again?

Badd wished it was the former, he doesn't want Garou to make some trouble with humans when Badd was not with him. Even if Garou indeed goes to town he hoped he just do sightseeing or observing people from afar. Whatever, Badd will take a nap while waiting for Garou.

Just as Badd started to sleep, he heard the bedroom window clicked open suddenly. He immediately jumped out of the bed and grabbing his metal bat, ready to whack anyone who dared to sneak into his house like this. Nothing on sight, though, until some invicible force putting down Badd's metal bat and revealing it was Garou in his "adaptive" form, who just deactivated his invisibility cloak after entering his room from the window.

"Yo Badd!", he grinned widely, happy for successfully surprising Badd again. 

"Oh for fuck's sake Garou, please just use the front door! I already gave you my spare key, right? What if someone sees you and thinks you're a robber- Forget that, you were in invisible mode nobody could ever see you anyways, Mr. Ninja Warrior". Badd flomped down on the bed again, feeling ridiculously tired by Garou's antic yet relieved that his favorite alien is back. "Where did you go?"

Garou sets his knapsack down while explaining his disappearance, "I was so bored doing nothing in your house and my instincts will slowly dulled if I don't practice my routines, so I sneak out to nearby forest hoping to get some good prey for hunting practice. But it seems like Earth's creatures are not challenging enough to become my prey. It's either too small, too tame, too weak, or too pitiful it can't satisfy my hunting urge".

Garou sat beside Badd on the bed and stared at him, "Why can't I fight your people? It would makes alot things more interesting..", he whispered the last sentence with a naughty shit-eating grin on his face.

Badd propped himself up from the bed to grab Garou's arm and pointing his index finger in front of Garou's face, "No, I wont allowed you to do that! No hunting on humans, not on my watch. If you want some fight you can spar with me like what we always do. I'll take you on in a fair fight. Was that still not enough?". Was I'm not enough for you, Badd left it unsaid. He frowned at the though of Garou not satisfied with his effort.

"Ugh, what a let down, I would love to add human skulls on my trophy room when I get back to my planet soon. But your wish is my command, Badd. I promise not doing that for your sake", Garou huffed and rolled his eyes, but his tone softened. "About our sparring, while yes we can still spar with eachother, it doesn't fullfil my hunger for hunt. That's different", he shifted closer to Badd and gazing deeply into his rich dark chocolate eyes.

He continued, "You're not a prey anymore and I hate to see you getting hurt everytime I went overboard in our fights. You're my human companion, I only wish to protect you. But thank you for letting me spar with you every week, it was really fun", Garou touched Badd's forehead, where an initiation mark as fellow Warrior was given by him after their first encounter. Then slowly he put his clawed hand on Badd's cheek, caressing the soft skin gently while looking at Badd with much tenderness.

Badd just averted his eyes from Garou's uncharacteristically tender gaze, face heating from blushing too much as his heart-rate spiked. Of course Garou would know he was flustered by his touching words, he could see it by his vision, by the way. Not that Badd hated to be treated like this, in fact he felt so happy that Garou considered him as a human companion, a "someone special" for Garou.

"Umm yeah you're welcome, then.. Don't worry I know you will never really hurt me. Besides, I'm a tough guy, y'know? I can totally revive through fighting spirit and have another go with you", Badd placed his own hand on top of Garou's, letting the charming alien caress his face more. It's very comforting he loves it when Garou showing some rare affection to him.

They enjoyed the heartwarming moment until suddenly Garou moved away from Badd, "Oh I just remember something! Wait here", he let go his touch on Badd as he rushed to get his knapsack on the floor, picking its content and shoved it in front of Badd's face. "Here I got this for you, accept it!".

It was a flower bouquet. A simple makeshift one, but what made Badd astounished was Garou's choice of flowers: all of them were rare exotic flowers, which only grows on mountain or on the deepest part in forest. All of the flowers were wrapped by a wide green leaf as replacement for plastic wrap ('is that a banana leaf??'), and tied together by a thin rope.

"Wow.. Thanks, Garou, these are very pretty ones", Badd carefully took the beautiful bouquet from Garou's hand, still mesmerized by the exotic colourful flowers. He cradled it close on his chest. "Where and how the hell you get these flowers? I didn't even know that they grow or ever existed around our sparring place??"

Garou scratched his head, "After I got bored by pitiful failed attempt of hunting and start heading back to your house, I saw one kind of wild flower plant growing at hidden small valley near our sparring place. I though you would like it so I took some then continued searching for more wild flowers in the middle of forest until on the top of hills. Worth it for a passing time aside from going hunting", he shrugged like it was no big deal.

"But why?? What's the real reason?", Badd was honestly baffled by Garou's whole effort to flatter him.

"I saw from TV or on the street when we were going outside that you humans like to giving and receiving flower present as, what is that, "courting attempt"? Also you always go 'Aww that was so sweet~" or swooning like a fool everytime you and Zenko watched that scenes in some sappy drama movies. I don't understand why humans feel an enjoyment from getting a reproductive part of plant. Is that something meaningful behind that?", Garou raised his non-existed eyebrows in honest wonderment.

Badd tried to answer him, "Well.. It was--".

Garou continued his rants, effectively cutting Badd's explanation, "On my planet everyone courting their companion with a head or remnants of deadly dangerous prey, showing how great their hunting skills are. The more kill count the better. While your people giving a flower bouquet, a plant, really? You humans are just weird", he was shaking his head.

"So.. You didn't deny that you were courting me, right? You realized what I like and tried to do it for me even though you didn't understand the meaning of it, so that you can make me happy. Was that true, Garou..?", Badd slowly connecting the dots and stated the conclusion to Garou. He clutched the flower bouquet tighter, as once again he feels warmth in his heart. Not expecting the ruthless alien warrior has a soft spot.

So this meant his feeling is reciprocated? Garou feels the same as him? 

"What-- I'm-- Okay, you're right I was! There you have it now. Happy? Damn, this still weird to say..", Garou awkwardly confessed to Badd, not sure what should he says next. If he were in human form at that time, Badd was sure he was flustered heavily.

"Mmhm..", Badd hummed in agreement, as he placed the pretty flower bouquet on the nightstand carefully. Then Badd clung his arms around Garou's neck and pulling him down together with him on the bed, so now Garou was on top of Badd.

"Whoaa what are you doing?!", Garou propped on his elbows not to crush Badd directly with his weight. He wanted to protest but stopped himself when he saw Badd smiling softly full of fondness at him.

From very close distance, Garou could see how Badd's eyes are twinkling and the pinkish blush on his cheeks made Badd looked more prettier than usual. Those are something that made Garou was at lost of words when he tried to describe how beautiful this human is. His own companion.

Without saying anything, Badd released his hold around Garou's neck. He was caressing Garou's jaws and then cupping his face gently, before pulling Garou down towards him to peck his forehead. Looking briefly at Garou's softened eyes, Badd smiling again then finally kissing his lips. It was a light kiss but also a lingering one.

After a minute that feels like eternity, Garou released himself from the kiss and asking Badd in a soft whisper, "What was that for?". Not with the tone of rejection but instead searching for confirmation.

Beside the "human's courting", Garou also had seen this kind of acts on TV dramas or in real life, where a couple of "lovers" touching their lips onto eachother's for the purpose of showing their affection. So, he wanted to know if Badd was also meant it.

"Do y'know, when someone accepting the other's courting attempt, they would hug or kiss them. To show how much they loved and appreciated the other. I was doing the same to you, Garou.. You don't understand how long I was waiting for this moment", the raven-haired human answered while caressing Garou's face, the adoring smile still haven't leaving his face.

"Huh, I guess this proved what Zenko told me weeks ago was right, you have the hots for monster guy", Garou was smirking in victory, glad he was the one who captured Badd's heart.

"Don't be such a bighead, you silly alien warrior", chuckled Badd while he ruffled Garou's spiky hair. "You were the one who fell so hard on me, as far as making me your companion, swore to protect me in the name of warrior honour and do the whole 'weird human courting' for me. While noone ever dared to do the same as you. Admit it, you're a dork".

"What did you say?! A dork?? How dare you--", Garou offended complaint was halted as he processed Badd's entire words. "Wait, you said noone ever trying to court you before? Why? You seems more than average people in appearance or attitude", he showed pure confused look to Badd.

Badd gladly took Garou's appreciation remark before answering, "Have you seen my temper? Or listening on my way of speech? Or knowing my habit on ditching someone for Zenko if I'm not very interested in them? Nobody could handle that, Garou. Maybe except you, you're the only one who ever wanted me..", he pulled Garou down again for more soft kisses.

Garou hummed in their kiss, "Hmm, then it was their loss. For not considering you an amazing person". He swept the wild strands of Badd's hair away from his forehead, peppering kisses on it gently. Garou has learned it from Badd and now he tried to do the same for him.

"Aww thank you, Garou. Besides, I like my man being tall, strong, dangerous, loyal, and have lots of adorable soft spots behind the whole cocky bravado", Badd purred in bliss from Garou's affection.

"Says the one who said he hates skyscraper-like tall man. Which was the truth, hmm, Short-stack?", Garou lifted one of his non-existed eyebrow in amusement. He likes to tease Badd with that endearment term.

"Sssh it was for the public, lemme have my preference in secret. And don't call me a Short-stack, say that once more I'll bash your head using your metal bat gift!", he pushed Garou aside then hit his sternum hard enough before closing his eyes and snuggling his head on Garou's chest.

Garou just let himself being pushed aside while chuckling, "Whoa okay Short-stack, I wont call you with that name again-- Badd?", he found his companion looked sleepy.

"Mmmh lemme take a nap for awhile, there's still 2 more hours before I have to pick Zenko up at her school. Please staaayyy with meee..", Badd slurred the last line from sleepiness, he curled his body against Garou's own big body, snuggled even more closer to him.

Garou just taking Badd into his embrace, made sure his human companion feels comfortable in his sleep. He caressed Badd's soft silky raven hair, "So, are we 'boyfriends' now?".

"Whut are you talkin' 'bout? I already introduced ya as mah 'boyfriend' to our neighbours, right? Always has been..", Badd tried to answer despite getting more sleepier.

"Oh right", Garou nodded at the memory. So Badd was really meant it that way? Glad to know.

Badd purring at Garou's caresses on his head, "Mmhm.. Love ya, Garou". After the unconsciously big declaration of love, he finally went to sleep, peaceful smile still plastered on his beautiful face.

Garou was at lost on words again. He heard the Love word and his mind just exploded. Badd loves him. The human loves him, an extraterrestrial being.

Thinking about it again, is that even allowed? To love someone from different world and different species? He wasn't sure if the Warrior code would let him taking a human as anything else outside as a prey, an apprentice, or a companion.

Honestly this is the first time Garou received a romantic love, not a friendly love or familial love. Because as a warrior who dedicated himself to be the best hunter, romance is not even listed on his priority list. He can't say for other fellow Elites who seek love interests by charmed them with their hunting abilities, but for himself Garou doesn't even interested on that thing back then.

But with Badd? How can he rejects his love, not when this special kind of human is compassionate, wonderful and not to mention worthy of his full respect. Badd is also the only human who doesn't cower in fear in front of him at their first meeting. Even as far telling him that he adores his soft side.

Him, a ruthless hunter, a "monster", was loved by a kindhearted human.

"... I love you, too, Badd."

Garou whispered it softly into Badd's ear, he embraced the sleeping boyfriend's body tighter before following him into the dreamland.

Both were smiling in their sleep.

-----------------------------

-Few months later-

There was another new exploration mission from the Research Organization to obtain alien egg or larvae samples from the same wrecked spaceship on the previous expedition, so they could studying and observing the newfound alien species.

The newest mission was successful as the researchers team bringing the samples with them and be able to come back with minimal casualty. Thus Badd didn't need to join because he is working in rescue team.

At first week, everything was okay according to the plan. It seems the autopsy of larvae samples was successful as the Organization researchers have gotten some new informations from it.

Until an unexpected accidents occured during the second week of research.

The alien eggs samples in the special laboratory room were suddenly hatched and bursting out the new "facehugger" larvaes. Some of the lab staff were infested by it, while the other larvae strays were killed on the spot to prevent any infestation happening on more victims. Therefore the research was cancelled and the lab staff who became its alive hosts were quarantined until further notice.

The higher-ups were tried to keep it down so nobody outside The Organization know about this accidents. All the scientists and other staff members also tirelessly forced themself to solve this emergency situations. They tried to save the victims who currently become the alien's host, as far as preparing extraction operation for them hopefully it will have successful result.

But just a few days after that incident happened, all of the matured embrios inside the alive hosts bursted out from their body when they were still in the middle of intensive body examinations. The victims were died immediately, leaving a bunch of terrifying creatures that emerged from the wounds and crawling out attacking people in the laboratory.

Everyone was shocked by those horrible gorey sight, some of them were panickly calling for help while the others trying to escape from the room but stopped by the juvenile aliens' quick attack. When the security team came to rescue, most people in the room were either already dead from fatal wounds or barely alive still struggling to avoid getting attacked by the creatures.

The team quickly eliminate the rest of juvenile aliens by shooting it all, ensuring it wont leave past the entrance door. After ensuring no more alive aliens detected, they immediately sent the survivors to the hospital while the dead ones were sent to the Organization's morgue.

By this horrifying incident, the Organization executives hold the emergency meeting on that day They discussing how to solve this unexpected catastrophe during the research, how they should tell to the victims' family about the incident, or if this research are really worth it with these casualties. The higher-ups commanded them to call or reaching everyone who were involved on the newest expeditition mission, to make sure if there is nobody else got infested among the crew members.

Someone reported that most of expedition members along with other spaceship passengers on that mission have gone missing for days, and a few of them were found dead at their home with the same wide gaping hole wound on their chest. Two recordings from CCTVs on one dead victim's home clearly showed 3-4 Xenomorph alien younglings that just born or bursted from the victim's body, crawling outside the house towards neighbourhood area.

From those reports and evidences, it was confirmed that the crew members who participated on the newest exploration mission actually contained alive Xenomorph larvaes before they landed back on Earth, and somehow the infestation itself couldn't be detected because it was still on very early stage at that time. By the calculation of every "chestburster" larvaes that would be born into juvenile Xenomorph aliens from the total 30 suspected victims, it could be up to 120 individuals. And one of the juvenile aliens could be the next Queen that will reproducing new batch of eggs on somewhere else right now.

The plan has failed. This accident has shaken the Research Organization to the core as they prepared for worst scenario: the Xenomorph alien has already reproduced and multiplied itself inside or outside the Organization building complex. Not to mention they haven't managed to supervise the suspected victims current whereabouts prior the incident. Thus, as for the first step action to prevent bigger fatalities happens, they alerted all of the Research Organization members.

At home, Badd got the emergency messages from his higher-ups as he also explaining Garou about what was happened at the moment, that there was infestation of Xenomorph aliens among the researchers in the Research Organization. The higher-ups already deployed all of their hunter squads towards several different locations based on victims' last sighting or their home address. The higher-ups also instructed him to join the hunter squad for outside building complex area or near the suburban area to search the rogue Xenomorph aliens or at least for any survived suspected victims.

Garou suggested that he will also doing the hunt with Badd as it's the Warrior's duty to banish those alien species' existence, as it was their main prey. He asked Badd to always stay near him during the hunt so he wont get hurt by those beasts. Garou promised Badd that he will protect him, no matter what. But he wont promised to do the same for the others, no guaranteed he will helped them. Mostly they will be on their own. 

Both had agreed to eachother, they set their own combat gears. Garou wore his warrior armor and brought all his hunting weapons. Badd also did his part, not forgetting to bring Garou's metal bat gift, he couldn't wait to finally trying it out to smash those aliens' head off. He strapped it on his backpack, shoving all of other combat equipments on his car trunk, then driving his car out along with Garou towards their destination.

Before they go to the mission location, Badd dropping Zenko first to their neighbour family house to make sure someone watching over her and keeping her safe during dangerous situation. Garou shifted into invisible stealthy mode on their way to the squad assembly point, secretly blending with the rest of Badd's hunter squad members.

They started to investigate the forest near the suburban area which was previously has been reported for most recent Xenomorph alien sighting.

----- ⭐To Be Continued⭐ -----

--------------------------------

Notes:

So I made this headcanon because I had a dream which was strangely similar like the movie's plot, although not exactly same. Still don't know why and how I got that kind of dream since I haven't watch the movie again for so long 😅

The dream was about where I was accidentally saving the Queen of Xenomorph who infested my friend and took control of her mind, then turned out I must ensured the Queen's next survival 😱😰

But the difference between my dream and this Batarou AU is that I met a Queen of Xenomorph alien, while in the AU story Badd met one of Yautja warriors as I've decided to make Garou as The Predator instead. I thought it would be cooler than him being a Xenomorph alien, lmao! ✌😁

Coincidentally, besides getting an inspiration from my own dream, this AU especially for Garou as Predator also inspired by the fact we getting his Awakened Monster form from Murata 😳✨

Combining both the ideas, his Murata-styled Monster form and the amazing Predator figure appearance, WHAM, we got badass concept of Predator Warrior Garou! 👏👏😤

By the way, because I've made Predator Garou and his entire clans can do some shapeshifting as the more advanced hunting skill, he has 3 forms in this story:

1. Original form:

Exactly like the Predator in the movie, but the differences are the hairstyle, body build, and the ability to speak human language. Instead of dreadlocks, his hair is swept-back long spiky white hair. His body is more on slender-built than buff as Garou is an agile-type warrior, but he is so much taller than his canon-self, approximally 200 cm, unless he was shapeshifting into another form. He can speak human language in original form, but a little bit difficult to do it because of his mouth's structure so whatever he spouted when he talks would sounds like either growling or hissing. 

It's Garou's default form when he was among his own kind. Showed this form the first time he met Badd in rescue ship to threatened him (but failed as Badd didn't afraid of him at all), or when he was facing off some Xenomorph aliens in combat during the research organization's incident catastrophe.

When Garou revealed himself in front of the Organization executives at the next part (spoiler!), he refused to show his true face as they aren't worthy enough to see it, unlike Badd and Zenko. Hence he only shifted into adaptive form at that moment before Badd comes to defend him.

2. Adaptive form:

After living together with Badd for months, he has adapted into a new hybrid form, a mix between his own original Yautja form and human form. The result is like Monster Garou in Murata's style! No more arthropod-like mandibles with tusks, but instead human-like jaws with rows of sharp teeth and fangs (just imagine it like Murata's Awakened Garou). His hair is just like his canon-self with the iconic long horns-like spiky white hair, but at some point Badd cuts his hair shorter for more easier maintenance, so it now looks like Awakened Garou with short hair-style.

Mostly Garou showed this adaptive form when he was around Badd and Zenko at home. He knows Badd likes it so much thus alot of teasing, so he decided to make this adaptive form as a new default appearance during his stay on Earth. More practical to use as he doesn't do much hunting at that time, also the new set of jaws makes him easier to communicate by human language with Badd without his tech-armor helmet mask.

In this form, Garou still in his super tall self even though the height can vary around 185-190 cm, depends on the situation, ex: sleeping as he's a big boy Badd's bed or couch wont fit, so he'd shrink a bit. Sometimes Garou and Badd would spar at their secret place in the middle of woods using this form.

Despite the adaptive form is not quite suitable for hunting strong prey like Xenomorph aliens, Garou prefers to use it whenever he was training with Badd. Also, he can kiss Badd while in this form. Actually even more easier when he was in human form, it's just Badd loves this form more. Don't kinkshame Badd, he is one of monsterfucker, lmao. 

3. Human form:

Because he has shapeshifting ability, Garou can create his "human persona" everytime he blends into human crowds, especially when Badd asked Garou to go outside with him, occasionally also along with Zenko. Exactly like Garou in canon, but now with short-hairstyle as Badd said it suits him more. Garou interpreted it as a way to say "You look more handsome" but denied profusely by Badd.

He still maintained his lean-muscled physique like his other forms, but Garou shrink his height down into 177 cm because not only being too tall would catch many attention from people (Garou: "It's not my fault you all humans are just so goddamned short!"), Badd hated it when he was being towered by his own "boyfriend" when they're walking together in public. Although Badd accepted his tall monstrous height when they're only with eachother.

Badd's neighbours were successfully charmed by this "camouflage" appearance, Garou in a very cocky way tried it on Badd but it seems Badd only tolerates Garou's human form. Honestly, Badd loves his adaptive form as it shows Garou's own will to connect more with Badd while still maintained personal aspects of himself. Badd also totally didn't mind his original form as it was Garou's true face, and to be shown the real Warrior's face behind the mask is a great honour for Badd.

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I just remember that I've been in Batarou fandom for a whole year since January 2020, so you can think this headcanon AU as a new year gift and a thankful gift for the fandom 😆😚🎂🎁🎉🎊

Special thanks for:

🌸 @kaincuro​ and @the-goddessfighter​

Thank you so much for being huge inspirations! You guys introduced me about the beautiful side of Batarou ship via your awesome blogs and encourage me to also participating by sharing ideas to the fandom. Because of you, I managed to stay in this fandom for 1 year full despite 2020 being a hard year.

Thank you Cain, for being a wonderful person and providing us the Good Quality™ Batarou contents, both headcanons and arts! Whenever I'm on bad days and want to read Batarou stuff, I always go to your blog, it never fails to makes me feels alot better! Seeing your fluffy Batarou drawings and your amazing explanation on headcanon about them are absolute mood booster, it really helped me going through my hard days, seriously. So I wanna thank you from the deepest pit of my heart, because of you I could passed a difficult year more easier.

Please keep running your amazing blog, you're great and we love you! 😉👍❤🌸

Thank you Temperans-sama, for being one of greatest Batarou artists I've ever known in the OPM fandom and for your dedication on always working hard making many beautiful Batarou drawings to deliver to the fandom! Everything you've made are PERFECTION, really a God-tier artstyle. Not to mention your Batarou art always the Softest and Fluffiest! 😚👌💖💖

Thank you for kindheartedly willing to listening my super random headcanons or AUs, even as far liking it and drawing the illustrations for it, all of the arts are magnificent I'm so grateful for that AAAAA thank youuuu- *sobbing happily* 😭🙏💕💖 I feel so happy for being able to talk and sharing ideas with an incredible artist like you waaah THANK YOUUU!! Please accept my promised thankful gift for this year, I hope you like it 😚💕🎁♥

Biggest respect, support, and neverending love for you~ 😘❤💜💙💖💝💐👏

🌸 @lovelybutnot-ablankcanvas​ and @guby1620​

You guys are such very good friends during my stay in the Batarou fandom throughout the year, thaaaank youuu! Both of you deserved the best! *hugs tightly and never let go*

Thank you Eir, for being one of the most talented Batarou fanfic writers and most supportive understanding friend! I feel blessed to ever know you through your first Batarou fic a year ago, I still remember being one of your first reviewer and we shared alot of new ideas or random stuff. Now you already become a multitalented artist on both as fic writer and art drawing I'm so proud of you! 👏👏😤✨

Also, thank you for writing so many Batarou fic gifts last year, all of them are my favorite stories until now I really appreciate them! Keep being awesome, Eir, and yes you have my endless supports~ 😉💖✨

Thank you Ruby, for being a very talented Batarou artist with the most loveliest artsyle and I really admired you for that! You always have fluffiest ideas for arts and I love your handsome Garou + adorably sweet Badd drawings. I always enjoyed our interactions whenever we talk about our HCs, you're very easygoing and fun person to talk with, also you always successfully cheer me up with your cutest Batarou art 😉👍💯✨

I should thank you for liking my AU stories, even making one of them into a Doujin THANK YOU SO MUCH I didn't expected you would included the Reincarnated Demon/Angel AU into your long project I feel both grateful and honoured AAAA THANKS A LOT! *died from happiness* 😭💞💖💝

Undying supports and greatest appreciation for youuu, Ruby! I will always waiting for your new creations 👏💝🌸🌻💐

🌸 @garous-nipple​

I wanna say thank you for being one of the most talented Garou-centric fanartists in the fandom, you're amazing and I always love seeing your progress on evolving your artstyle throughout the time. You have great drawing skill and trust me you have already on the path to become next Murata! May this year will becomes Garou year as his inevitable comeback in the manga is near, so you will get loads of new art inspirations 😤👍💯🌟

Thanks alot for always accepting my requests or art idea suggestions! You absolutely deserved all of the best appreciation for your hardworks, we the OPM fandom are loving you 😉👌💖

I hope you enjoyed Garou's "the Predator" concept design headcanon as a humble new year gift from me 😆💝🎁🎉

And lastly for special mention:

🌸 @himbo-in-limbo​

I know we haven't interacted yet, but knowing that you love both Garou and AvP after stumbling into your lovely blog, I've decided to include you, too! As someone who only saw AvP once and not too familiar with the story, I honestly kinda embarassed of myself and afraid if my headcanon wont makes any sense so I apologized if there's alot mistakes and inaccuracy in here or if it's too OOC, please forgive me 🙇💦

I realized it's not perfect but I hope you like my concept design of Garou being a Yautja! Also sorry for the Batarou hints I hope you wouldn't really mind about it 😅😉💕💝🎁

(btw, all of your OCs are fantastic and very thoughtful-made! ❤)

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Once again I'm so sorry if my writing sucks, I wanted to share the idea but I don't have good writing skill at all please forgive me.. 😭🙇

I hope I can continue for the second part which is also the last part, it's currently on 1/4 way of completion. I'm currently stuck on the action scene why does it so hard to write battle scenes heeeelpp! 😫💦

So please wait for me, yeah? Wish me luck I could finished the story 😅🙏

Thank you so much, we will see again on the final part! 💖

-Little1993lamb-

-------------------------------

Temperans:

Anon! Thank you very much for sharing another fantastic fic for this fandom! Sorry for taking time to post it here. You know? My vacation will be over soon and I'm getting ready for TuT school

I would like to have dreams as interesting as yours, I hardly dream anymore, and it is nice that you can capture an idea from that. Honestly I've been a bit off these days, I miss our guys a lot and the way the webcomic is unfolding really distresses me (I'm so scared for Badd X'C). But your fic lifts my spirits every time I read it! So I wanted to reward your hard work with a drawing. I really like H. R. Giger's art and I tried to give that vibe to my art (I tried X'D). Thank you anon for always being there to support the fandom unconditionally! I hope you have a better year and health! 😘❤💜💙💖💝

[straynstay]

Minho - Hybrid AU!

part II

“one, two, three, four!” Minho was clapping his hands to mark the rhythm as the cheerleaders practice their moves

“again! and pay attention to the twist this time, Chaewon!” you rolled your eyes just hearing her name

Chaewon was a light brown Mini Lop bunny hybrid and a pain in the neck ever since she was transferred to your school last semester

she got extremely attached to Minho because he’s also a Mini Lop hybrid, but a black one

and she was always around, always trying to get his attention, always doing him favors, always looking for an excuse to be touchy with him, always annoying the life out of you

and you hated her

she was pretty, she had gorgeous hair, big bunny eyes and a cute smile, she was so nice and so docile, the perfect bunny hybrid

and you really hated her because you, a lynx hybrid, were none of those things

your facial features were more intimidating, your feline eyes always keen on everything surrounding you, your ears twitching to sounds far away, your reflexes faster than average, your tongue ready to snap at anyone who crosses you the wrong way…

you would never reach Chaewon’s level of perfect

and it wrecks you inside because you know that eventually Minho will choose her and leave you behind

it’s only the natural option since you’re a predator and they’re both preys

predators never end up with preys, everyone knows it

why would a Mini Lop bunny be with a freaking lynx? Lynx eat rabbits for breakfast, lunch and dinner

it was bad enough that Minho was your best friend, it shocked the entire school when you both started hanging out

it took them almost a year to get over the fact that you both were indeed friends with each other

but there’s still some people who think it’s weird

Chaewon is one of them

she never said anything in front of you because you know she’s scared to death of you, maybe because you’re always angry around her and your angry face is not really friendly

but you don’t care because you’re constantly hearing her say hurtful things about you to her friends

saying that you’re probably coercing Minho to be your friend, that you have eerie eyes and a chilling presence, that the only time she saw you laughing was horrifying and she had nightmares because of it, that she doesn’t understand why you don’t let Minho alone, that she’s a better choice for him since they have so much in common, etc etc etc

she’s not completely wrong, though, but it still hurts hearing her say that Minho will probably “wake up and run away from your predator trap”

you shouldn’t have a crush on him, it’s wrong

but your heart is stupid and does stupid things, like falling in love with Minho

“five, six, seven, eight!” he chanted, meticulously watching the execution of his choreography by the cheerleading team

and you were longingly observing him and his every move

your heart was pounding like crazy, your feelings for him almost suffocating you

you want to scream at the top of your lungs that you like Minho, but you know you can’t

and bottling up your emotions is not doing you any good

you have to decide soon on what to do, otherwise you’ll probably lose control and let your instincts take over you

and you know that losing control is not an option since your animal side will be in charge

being a lynx you know who you’ll chase after to hunt, and it can’t happen

you sighed in misery

you’d deal with your feelings later, now you need to practice lacrosse

placing your bag with your equipments over your shoulder, you entered the field with confidence

“are you done?” you ask coming closer to the cheerleaders and dropping your huge bag on the floor

the loud noise and your terrifying presence made them step back, except for Minho, who smiled at you

“yeah, we’re done for today” he answered

“but I still need to practice the twist” Chaewon whispered grabbing Minho’s arm

“you can do that tomorrow, don’t worry” he gave her a reassuring smile and it tugged at your heartstrings

Minho cared so much for Chaewon, but your jealous self wish he didn’t

“can’t we stay a little bit longer?” Chaewon wasn’t even looking at you, but you got closer to her anyways

“the field belongs to the lacrosse team, cheerleaders can practice somewhere else” you hissed

“a-alright, we’re already leaving” a roe deer hybrid began collecting the pompons across the floor

“tomorrow we’ll practice more, everyone” Minho said aloud and thanked them for their efforts

they were terrible at cheerleading, but Minho had faith in them, never letting them give up

they were all ungainly, except for Minho, who moves with more grace than you ever will 

that’s why he’s also enrolled with the ballet and hip hop classes the school offers

you love seeing him dance, whenever he performs you’re there to watch and sometimes you like to see him practice too, that’s why you come earlier to your own practices, because you know he’ll be with the cheerleading team

“do you need a ride?” you heard Chaewon asking

doesn’t she know he has ballet today?

“no, I have ballet now, but thanks” Minho answered and you snorted looking at them

“okay, see you tonight, then” Chaewon smiled and kissed his cheek

she actually kissed him in front of you

she kissed him!

you never ever properly hugged Minho, being too afraid of somehow hurting him

but she kissed him

she placed her lips on his cheeks

she did it because she can, she’s not a threat to him in any way

she’s his perfect natural match

and you hated her even more

besides, what the hell does she mean with ‘see you tonight’?!

are they going out on a date?

what plans do they have? why didn’t Minho tell you anything about it?

is he already leaving you behind? has he chosen her over you?

you suddenly lost your breath and your vision blurred

ripping your heart out would hurt less

you quickly shake your head, trying to get rid of the image imprinted in your brain, and to avoid the tears from falling

you crouched near your bag, your legs wobbling from the adrenaline rushing in your blood, and you started putting on your safety equipment for today’s practice

with your peripheral vision you saw that Minho wanted to come to you, but he decided not to when your teammates showed up

the cheerleaders vanished in the blink of an eye, and you were able to breathe better without them around

preys shouldn’t mess up with you like that, but your heart is really stupid

“ready?” one of your teammates asked putting on the helmet, and you stand up doing the same

your blood was boiling with pent-up anger and adrenaline, and you were more than ready to let it all out

“I was born ready” you answered with a sly grin

this practice will be fun

-

“we’re totally killing those assholes this weekend” you heard your team celebrating after the practice was over

the school games were coming up and the lacrosse team of the rival school won last year, so this year will be your team’s revenge

“see you tomorrow” you said goodbye to your team and left the field

Minho was there on the same place you were while watching him earlier

“what got you so angry? you’re never this aggressive on the field” Minho asked smiling a bit

that’s your first proper interaction without Chaewon around and that’s what he says?

how dare he?

and why does he care? it’s not like you share things like before

if he can’t be honest with you, why should you be honest with him?

“it’s nothing” you said walking past him towards the locker room, completely ignoring his other questions

you dropped your bag on the bench and sighed

what are you doing with your life falling in love with a bunny?

that’s ridiculous and wrong, preys shouldn’t mess with your feelings like this

you placed your equipment on your locker and washed your face, neck and arms several times before sighing again at your own reflection and leaving the locker room

Minho was there waiting for you again

you want to snap at him, tell him to get lost and leave you alone, but his eyes dissolve the aggressive words on your tongue, and you feel small when he starts walking quietly by your side

you didn’t know what to do

how to bring up his possible date with Chaewon tonight? 

and what did that kiss mean? are they together?

is Chaewon his partner? is he leaving you?

has he finally woken up from your “predator trap”?

you were dying to have answers, to know what that was all about, to know where his heart lies on

but your mouth was shut tight in fear because his words might hurt you a lot once he lets them out

for the first time you were feeling uneasy around Minho, his presence by your side almost crushing your entire heart and soul

is this how preys feel around you? it’s an awful feeling

you took a deep breath to calm you down, but the air left your lungs as soon as you stepped outside the school, as if someone punched you in the stomach

Chaewon was there on the parking lot, and she smiled brightly seeing Minho

he strided to her without thinking twice, leaving you a couple of steps behind them both

“I figured you would be really tired after practicing all day, so I decided to wait for you” you hear her saying

“that’s really nice, Wonnie, thank you” Minho was happy, you could notice on his voice, and he just called her by her pet name

years of friendship and he never gave you a nickname or called you anything as cute and intimate as Wonnie

you felt a lump forming on your throat, and your eyes were soon flooded with tears

you knew Minho was gonna offer you a ride as well, even though it wasn’t his car, but you just wanted to go home and not see or think of the perfect couple together

you walked fast, almost running, and soon you were far away from the school’s block

you continued moving, reaching home in record time

when you tossed yourself on your bed and buried your face on your pillow, you let out a long and sad mew, finally letting the tears flow freely from your closed eyes 

you hated feeling like this, you hated feeling at all

why couldn’t you have a normal relationship with Minho? why couldn’t he be afraid of you and run away like every prey hybrid? why did you have to be friends?

Minho was suffocating you, he was driving you insane, he was making you go against your own nature

but you couldn’t help loving him

he’s an unique person, different from everyone else you’ve met

he has a weird sense of humour, he always laughs on serious times, he’s silly, but also responsible, especially when it comes to dancing, and he always cares for his team

he doesn’t mind spending the entire day if it’s gonna help someone with a difficult dance step, and even though you aren’t on his team, he always cared for you

he’s the only one of the prey hybrids that isn’t scared of you, and he was the only one who approached you when no one else wanted to pair up with you in Chemistry lab class a couple of years ago

you still remember when he sat next to you and said “don’t worry, I won’t bite” when he saw your scared face

and the next day he greeted you like it was a natural thing, and you soon warmed up to his weird but kind personality

predator hybrids are too competitive, but Minho’s quirkiness always made your days lighter, so it was easy to become friends with him

and it was also easy to fall for him

but how could you not when he calls you everyday to make sure you’ve eaten enough?

when you know he doesn’t like studying, but helps you with your homework when you need?

when he waits for you every single day after school just to walk you home?

well, except today he didn’t because Chaewon accompanied him home instead

you could have stayed because Minho lives just two blocks away, but you were sure you would cry in front of them, and that would be humiliating thing for a predator hybrid to do, especially in public

your heart ached inside your chest, and you let out another painful and sad mew

you hated feeling like this

this has to end

it has to end

[xoruffitup]

Adam in Burn This (6/12)

I saw Burn This again on June 12th and HOO BOY, for this show I’ve got nothing but flail! I think I’ve already worked through most of my critical analyst urges already, so this is gonna be just pure, chaotic Adam fangirling. :’)

The man was robbed of his Tony. Pale is this character who I would absolutely hate on the page or in abstract. But then Adam, the utter jerk, barges and flails his way on stage and makes Pale so human and compelling and just absolutely riveting to watch that hating him becomes physically impossible. I mentioned before how the play functions to make the audience Anna’s proxy (down towards the end of the second section here), and never has that been truer than last night. I literally was Anna, okay. I was repelled and intimidated and scandalized by Pale’s uncontrollable, massive presence; his encroaching, searing physicality; his unpretentious, guileless anger and passions and frenetic creative energy.

One second, you’re watching this massive brickhouse tumble into crying, sniffling pieces so vulnerable and wrecked it could tear your heart out. The next he’s cracking a joke, flirting, cussing, and every single swing is so bracingly authentic that you’re literally pulled to the edge of your seat, unsure if in attraction or revulsion. Either way, you’re along for the wild ride with him every step of the way, feeling the same conflicted and unwilling compulsion towards him Anna is. Pale doesn’t just unwittingly seduce Anna; Adam absorbs every single audience member’s attention like a black hole and before you know it the audience is caring for him even before they have any hope of deciding whether they even like him. (Evidenced by the collective gasp of fear that rises from the audience when Pale, drunk, climbs outside onto a fire escape.) To call him magnetic, electric, a revelation to watch – They’re all woefully inadequate descriptions. He’s a literal inferno, blazing even when he’s silent.

So even though I have yet to reach a personal resolution on whether I accept Pale from an ethical perspective, I am nevertheless complete trash for him because Adam really leaves me no choice in the matter. Damn him. <3

Last night I sat in the upper balcony for the first time, but my friend brought binoculars we passed back and forth (lol, yes really) and I actually saw so many new, detailed nuances to Adam’s acting. I’ll go through the moments that really stood out – though it’s honestly hard to pick because he really is that Extra during the entire damn play.

Act 1

When he puts his leg up on the couch to show Anna how “fucked up” his pants are, then kind of realizes he’s standing there with his leg all weird up on the couch, asking her to look at his pants… Then just smoothly lifts his leg over the table before he lowers it, then makes the coyest face ever at her while he does this slow, deliberate twirl with the most shit-eating look on his face. The audience dies, then he cracks “I coulda been the dancer,” and the audience falls apart again.

The way you can feel his momentum and buzzing energy begin to darken, right before he breaks down completely. When he stops pacing around for the first time and his voice changes, going soft as the guilt and sorrow creeps up on him in the form of physical pain he feels driving straight through his heart. And it’s alarming, when he goes still for the first time.

I swear I’ve never seen him cry so much as last night. Once he broke down, the sniffling was constant, with these utterly, completely broken sounds mixed in whenever he tried to talk.

“Nah, this ain’t me…” “I’m trying to picture him here.”

And he keeps aggressively pushing his hair back while he’s crying, as if he can force the tears away with brute force.

OKAY so watching their first kissing scene through a pair of binoculars was like being personally undressed and ravished, holy god. A bomb could have gone off in the theater and he wouldn’t have looked away from her, he had such consuming focus. When he slides close to her, the first thing he does is slowly lift a hand to touch her hair, his eyes darting between where his fingers brush the strands and her face, gauging her reaction. And then when he leans in so slowly for the kiss, watching her first before his attention shifts to her mouth, and the kiss is slow and deep and….

Yeah I felt things.

From up in the balcony.

Adam’s kissing sex appeal is literally so flaming strong, I felt that heat from the damn balcony. I dare you to show me another man with such raw, intense sex appeal. Go on, I’ll wait. He asks her, “You okay?” when he pulls back, and she says in a sort of daze, “I’m fine.”

….Girl, I feel it too.

AHEM ANYWAY MOVING ON.

And then in the next scene, as if totally oblivious that he’s a literal tornado of sex, he just sweeps out the door with an over-the-shoulder “Alright I’m outta here” and it’s so blasé and masterfully hilarious.

Act 2 When he’s laying on the couch alone, half-asleep, and starts vaguely waving his arm in an attempt to remove invisible blankets. Then, without a single word, he reduces the entire audience to hysterics when he spends a solid two minutes pulling at the collar of his coat in a completely futile effort to take it off. That’s the level acting we’re dealing with here. He’s one-hand fighting his own coat and trying so damn hard and it’s the most entertaining thing of your entire year like WHAT EVEN.

God alsdfjsdlakjf okay when he comes out in the kimono robe and it’s open at first, for like 30 blissful seconds that massive, toned chest is out there to see above those tight black briefs and it is SO MUCH I blacked out and couldn’t even process the sight the first time I saw the play. …. Then he closes the robe, carefully ties it, fights with the sleeves because they clearly aren’t built for massive fuckin arms like his, and in an instant he’s the softest being I’ve ever seen and I’m confused as hell as to how I’m aroused and ‘omg bb’ adoring at the same time??? I think I need therapy? Or Adam needs to stop being massive and sexy but also awkward and soft at the same time, for the sake of my sanity?

I fail to imagine an image that will make my life more than giant Adam in this tiny bright purple silk kimono that barely reaches his thighs, bare foot, tying a dish towel around a pot of tea he just made like a tea cozy, then oh so carefully carrying the tea pot over to the table with his one arm still out of the sleeve and this look of intense focus on his face. I was overwhelmed and could not even begin to name the feels.

Let’s make it even WORSE shall we? When he hands Anna a cup of tea, kisses her forehead twice, says “That tea’s no good for a bad stomach. You want some milk?” then strokes her hair back, then asks “You want some eggs?”

GOD PALE GET OUT WHO GAVE YOU THE RIGHT

(^ We are all Anna)

The part where he sneakily picks up the phone to eavesdrop on Anna and Burton’s phone conversation, and stays completely silent for a long minute before hilariously bursting out, “YA GOT SOMETHIN’ TO SAY, BRUCE?!” And then AND THEN Anna angrily storms out of the bedroom and the bastard hides his face behind the empty robe sleeve and bats his eyelashes at her and bends at the knees in this cutesy little sorority girl squat and IM….?! “Real cute,” Anna says, trying real hard to be unimpressed, while the audience is in an uproar and everyone’s desperately trying to process all these newfound perplexing Adam Driver feels (WELCOME TO HELL, BITCHES. IT DOESN’T GET BETTER)

Okay okay there are SO many juicy bits during the exchange when Anna’s explaining she wants things to end between them. I was watching through the binoculars and when Anna says, “We’re apples and oranges.” He immediately gets this hella adorable smirk when he goes, “Oh yeah? Who’s the apple and who’s the orange?” Then the smirk grows when he’s all “Ever had an apple tart glazed with marmalade?” And then he’s just grinning because he’s so damn proud of how clever he is and he’s still in the FUCKIN purple kimono and he is ridiculous, I’d hate it if he didn’t own me body and soul.

Then it gets BETTER when he says, “You told me you ain’t been with no one else since you was with me a month ago. Me either. I figure one more time and we’ll have ourselves a hat trick.” And oh my GOD the shit eating grin! He looks at Larry, just grinning like a 5 year old and Larry gives him this hysterical disapproving, unamused shake of his head, but Pale just looks back at Anna full-on sunshine smiling and I’m like WHY ARE U MY PERSONAL BABY

(PS: JJ – That is what we need to see on Ben Solo’s face in TROS. You better deliver!)

He says some of my favorite dialogue here – The bit about “people walking down the street don’t mean a thing they’re doing.” He grows somber here, and this is a portion of the play’s call to its characters to strive for both emotional and artistic authenticity no matter what the price.

And then the scene gets heavy…. He stands up, disappears to get partially dressed, comes out, they start arguing, he’s still determined to make her see what’s clearly between them… And then she drops the definitive bomb over everything: “I don’t like you and I’m frightened of you.”

I watched his face through the binoculars while she delivered the blows, and it was literally like seeing a candle snuffed out. His expression melted like ice – Resolute and hard and determined one moment, and the next moment her words rush over and visibly crush him as the certainty melts from his face and leaves him empty and shell-shocked. Three seconds of silence when nothing moves but the set of his mouth and the light and strength in his face, but you’ve seen a grown man utterly crushed.

Ah, the last scene. In the first performance it was devastatingly, beautifully heartbreaking. In later performances it was humorous even while tragically inevitable. Either way, it’s brilliantly written and exquisitely acted. (Though as I’ve expressed before, I do prefer the more serious, helplessly sad versions.) I’ve never seen the two of them clutch each other as desperately and heart-rendering tenderly as they did in this performance. She fell into him on the couch, and he cradled her entire body to himself – Reaching a hand down to her thigh to pull her across his lap so his arms could engulf her entirely. They rocked together, and she clutched his arms still tighter to herself, and he kissed all over her hair while they made sounds near tears. And then Pale does break open a bit with something approaching a sob, before he curses and objects “I’m gonna cry all over your hair.”

But he only holds her tighter, as if they’ve both lost all conscious control over their bodies at this point, in the face of the all-powerful compulsion drawing them into each other’s orbits. The ending of this performance was absolutely stunning, leaving you with a myriad of unraveled emotions that are at once painfully incomplete and ill-defined, and yet just as bitingly complex and untamable as the most compelling moments of reality.

Over all, it’s nothing short of incredible to see how Adam continuously succeeds in upping his game throughout the course of the play’s run. He already brought the house down at the very first preview, and yet he manages to find new twists and interpretations to embody each and every time. What struck me this time is how boldly natural he’s become in the role – The way he leans into the accent like he’s really spent his entire damn life using the hard edges of the pronunciation like verbal brass knuckles. Adam has gotten to the point where just a single emphasized vowel sound brings the audience to hysterics:

“I heard that mollaaases you were pourin’ over maaam. Needed a shot o’ insulin.”

“Good niiiight, sleep tiiiiight.”

“Drinkin’ and thinkin’, man. Worse than drinkin’ and drivin’.”

“Fuckin’ hate Christmas. Look out… ribbons.”

“Get outta here; You’re useless!”

“Lemon will kill yaaa!”

“That was me and youuu up there.”

He has mastered how to pitch his voice for perfect, killer comedic effect. What’s more is how effortless he makes it seem; How utterly guileless. How he can swing from ugly crying to casual insensitive quip in the span of a minute, and make it just seem like the routine (if highly irregular) over-active synapses of a guy on coke. Even just his body language, the way he paces around the apartment in Act 1, completely out of sorts and out of his depth, like he’s never seen a coat rack or a stove before; A physical embodiment of his discomfiture with the emotions that don’t feel like they belong within him. His presence is imposing and even threatening, and yet his body language is alert and defensive, sometimes even self-flagellate. He embodies so many idiosyncrasies and tensions, it’s easy to see why his emotions burst from him in such tidal, chaotic floods.

I’m so thankful to have tickets to the final performance next month! I shudder to think of the feels I will drown in over how absolutely legend-level powerful Adam’s performance will be at that point. What a talent. What a man. 

I’d be overjoyed to receive any and all questions/thoughts about the play! :) Thanks for reading!

[kyulkyungs]

92 Questions

Tagged by the ever so lovely wife of Hoshi aka Betty Spaghetti aka @hamzzikwon!! Let’s go!!!!!

Rules: Answer these 92 statements and tag 20 people.

“I’ll just tag 10 since the majority of people I follow had done it and I don’t want to randomly tag the blogs I follow but they don’t know me so sdkjlfhn” - I said before realizing I only tagged 7 people.

I tag: @diaryofadorkykid, @myeungho, @jejublr, @rappershua, @naui-cheonsa, @ilyjs, @vernonielover Don’t feel like you have to do this, only if you want!!!

THE LAST:

1. Drink: Lemonade!! 2. Phone call: My mom! 3. Text message: I don’t text a lot of people since the people here are so close knit and all live near each other (except for me), but I’d say to my mom?? 4. Song you listened to: Can’t See the End - SEVENTEEN (Hip Hop Unit + DK) 5. Time you cried: Oh gosh a couple of minutes ago. Not full on sobbing, but like there were some tears........ I read my own angst and broke my own heart lOL, I can see the imagery I included in my work which makes it all the more heartbreaking for me. That and I’m watching dramas/soap operas ajklgdkbhdh

HAVE YOU: 6. Dated someone twice: Nope! 7. Kissed someone and regretted it: I kissed the cheek of my grandpa only to find out that one of his dogs with the smelliest breath also kissed my grandpa’s cheek so yes. 8. Been cheated on: Someone cheated in Monopoly against me and I’ve never felt so betrayed my entire life. It was my mom 9. Lost someone special: Yes :( 10. Been depressed: yeah 11. Gotten drunk and thrown up: I’m underage and do not plan on drinking in the future!!

LIST 3 FAVORITE COLORS: 12-14: pink!!! white!! also black!!!

IN THE LAST YEAR HAVE YOU: 15. Made new friends: Yep!!! 16. Fallen out of love: No, I don’t think I’ve been in love. 17. Laughed until you cried: Yeah! 18. Found out someone was talking about you: Badly? No. Not in a way that’d hurt me though, but my sisters and I gossip among each other lol 19. Met someone who changed you: Yeah yeah! 20. Found out who your friends are: I’m.... not sure how to answer this? I’ve moved a lot as a kid, so any friendships I’ve had were completely destroyed within 1-3 years due to my move... currently, my longest lasting relationship is with two of my good online friends, and we’ve been friends for nearly 4-5 years. 21. Kissed someone on your Facebook list: Don’t have one!

GENERAL: 22. How many of your Facebook friends do you know in real life: As said before, I do not have a Facebook! 23. Do you have any pets: Orion is officially my dog! But the entire household includes four dogs (German Shepherd :DDD and three fish)! 24. Do you want to change your name: Nope! I get great nicknames and my internet aliases are also p cool 25. What did you do for your last Birthday: .......What did I do? lOL I don’t have a clue. Oh!! We went out to eat sushi, but I don’t eat sushi. I ate teriyaki chicken and one of the waitresses noticed that I was learning Korean!! She’s Korean and told me that her kids refuse to learn it adfngh 26. What time did you wake up: Around 9AM? I had to be woken up because we were going out for the day! 27. What were you doing at midnight last night: Finishing up my latest work (totally not advertising myself lmao), finishing up my summer homework, and watching episode 14 of Fight for My Way! I’m on ep 16 right as I’m typing this 28. Name something you can’t wait for: Finding out what I want to do. 29. When was the last time you saw your mom: Two hours ago! We ate dinner and then while the family watched some video my dad found on youtube, I went downstairs to mess around on the internet and finish homework. 30. What is one thing you wish you could change in your life: Open up more. I have the habit of holding things in, and typically they go away for a little bit. Often times, my family don’t realize, :U 31. What are you listening right now: For You - EXO (Chen, Baekhyun, Xiumin). It’s for a request! I’d like to get familiar with the feel of the song before trying to write about it :D 32. Have you ever talked to a person named Tom: I think I have, but I’ve never been too close with someone named Tom. I know for sure there were a couple of Tom’s/ Thomas’ in my life. 33. Something that is getting on your nerves: When my parents start talking to me about college. I understand I need to find something I want to do, but it’s really pressuring me :( Also, when Kinjo (my sister’s dog) likes to bully Orion >:( 34. Most visited Website: Tumblr!! The only social media account I have other than an account for youtube, but I think that’s an automatic if you have an email :U

LOST QUESTIONS. I JUST PUT IN RANDOM INFO ABOUT ME

35. Mole/s: On on my left cheek, near my mouth!! It appeared recently. Some more recent ones are one that’s on my left thumb (right on the second knuckle) and two on my right bicep! They look like vampire bites. Some super old ones that have been there for as long as I can remember are one on my right hand, near the second knuckle on the index finger but to the side where it slopes down into the thumb and one BIG one on my right leg. It’s in between the calf and the shin on the outside. 36. Mark/s: I’ve had eczema on my right shin ever since I was a kid, and I don’t take care of it like I should. Get it together, Elli!! 37. Childhood dream: I never knew what I wanted to do... it’s always changing. I wanted to follow my mom into the line of medicine, be a teacher, be a lawyer, be an artist... currently I’d just say something that has to do with biology. 38. Haircolor: Black! ... Or a really, really, really dark brown. The lady at the DMV told me it was brown :U 39. Long or short hair: Long! Up to my ribs since I had a haircut last year. 40. Do you have a crush on someone: Nope! My heart is filled with Orion. :) 41. What do you like about yourself: I can’t really name anything. I’m p generic and when people ask me what I like about myself I always dunno what to say :U My multiple personalities? I have a different attitude with certain people, I guess since I don’t want to upset them so I act differently, yet it’s still me and doesn’t feel awkward. 42. Piercings: None! I was always too scared to get one. 43. Bloodtype: ....... I forgot. I only remember a story where I had the blood type of my dad, but he didn’t think that was his blood type since his mom was mistaken when telling him. So when my mom said she didn’t have -- OH!!! IT WAS BLOOD TYPE B! -- blood type B (lol story time helps me out), my dad was like... but I’m also blood type A? But my brother has blood type B! The doctor walked out lmao 44. Nickname: Elli! I deemed myself Elli Vermicelli as well but no one else knew that until now lol. 45. Relationship status: Single! 46. Zodiac: Gemini ! ! ! ! ! 47. Pronouns: She/Her 48. Favorite TV Show: I don’t watch TV ever since the cable was cancelled years ago lol. We had youtube and Netflix anyways, which we also rarely use. But I LOVE Adventure Time, Steven Universe, and Legend of Korra!! 49. Tattoos: None!! Don’t plan on getting one because I can’t stand pain very well unless I’m sparring with someone 50. Right or left hand: Sadly, the only one out of my friend group at school and in my family to be left handed..... Orion shakes with his left paw though!!!!!!!! 51. Surgery: None! I have to get a wisdom tooth surgery near Christmas though since they couldn’t remove it locally :U 52. Hair dyed in a different color: Nope, nope. My mom would kill me lol 53. Sport: Martial Arts! I Did TaeKwonDo for 3 years, but have completely lost all of that since it’s been 3 years since I touched it. But recently, I’ve done Judo and Jiu Jitsu with my family. We quit though due to money and time issues, my dad is the only one who’s active in that field now. 55. Vacation: Summer vacation, which is about to end super soon. I go back on Monday :U 56. Pair of trainers: ..... sneakers??? I’m not used to the lingo anywhere. They’re sketchers though. Slip-ons! I’ve been wearing them for.... 4 years LOL

MORE GENERAL: 57. Eating: I last ate some steak and rice!! 58. Drinking: Lemonade! The same cup from way above near the beginning. 59. I’m about to: Continue writing some Seungkwan angst ;))) and finish up homework

61. Waiting for: .... Something??? I’m not sure!

62. Want: To learn new languages! To find out what I want to do! To have a better fashion sense since I basically wear the same outfit at least one a week or two D: 63. Get married: I’d like to! 64. Career: I still don’t know. But if I don’t find anything I’d like to do soon, then I’ll just go into medicine and follow after my mom. Three careers from there I’ve chosen are a radiologist, anesthesiologist, or a nurse.

WHICH IS BETTER 65. Hugs or kisses: When kissing, I like to hug. Giving a smooch to my pooch on the head, you know my hands are giving him scratchies and rubs too. 66. Lips or eyes: Lips! They look very pretty and watching people apply lipstick or chapstick is really mesmerizing to me. Also, keeping eyecontact is intimidating for me and it’s hard for me to keep it. 67. Shorter or taller: Taller. It’s not hard for most people I know, and often times the other part of the people I know are around my height. Shorter people I’m afraid of knocking into because I typically walk weirdly and I’ve already knocked over three kids. 68. Older or younger: Older! I can interact with younger people, but it gets awkward if they’re more than 3 years younger and I’m not babysitting them 70. Nice arms or nice stomach: Not sure? For me?? Arms, they’re quite bony and I need to gain more weight since I’m super skinny :( 71. Sensitive or loud: Sensitive, many people teaset me that Orion is truly my son because I act a lot like a dog. My ears (and paranoia) are quite strong, I like to think. 72. Hook up or relationship: Relationship please ^u^ let’s not wreck my little heart 73. Troublemaker or hesitant: Both? 

HAVE YOU EVER: 74. Kissed a stranger: I’ve never kissed anyone in that way. 75. Drank hard liquor: Nope! 76. Lost glasses/contact lenses: I wear my glasses full time, and my eyes are too sensitive for contacts. 77. Turned someone down: Yes, but I did it kind of awkwardly like “Ah, I didn’t know that’s how you saw me. It’s okay though, I’m not weirded out” 78. Sex on the first date: No no no, I’m not mentally nor physically ready now and at that point! 79. Broken someone’s heart: I don’t.... think so? 80. Had your heart broken: When the life of a faithful family member, Hunter (my mom’s shih tzu), was lost. I know it’s bad, but sometimes I make myself cry when I think about Shelby and Tori (the two older girls who are 8 this year) passing away. 81. Been arrested: Nope 82. Cried when someone died: I’ve yet to experience the death of someone super close to me, and my grandparents on both sides are still alive! But when my mom’s dog died, this was before we got Orion and Kinjo, I sobbed that night and was depressed the entire school day the next morning. 83. Fallen for a friend: Nope

DO YOU BELIEVE IN: 84. Yourself: Maybe! I am so bad making decisions, so I’m typically neutral on a lot of things, including myself. 85. Miracles: Neutral 86. Love at first sight: I don’t think so? Being in love, for me, is a strong connection and something where I think you’d fight for that person no matter what. I guess it’s just me, but I haven’t built a strong enough connection outside of the family for that. 87. Santa Claus: Not anymore :(( 88. Kiss in the first date: Errr... I’d probably go on a date with someone I got to know over time. It depends on how well I know them though. If I do happen to go on a date with a complete stranger, no. 89. Angels: I think they’re absolutely lovely! But again, neutral!

OTHER: 90. Current best friends name: My internet friends go by Shiny and Tricks! In real life, I’d say I don’t have that strong of a connection with them... 91. Eye color: Brown!! 92. Favorite movie: I haven’t seen any movies recently...... but I really liked Wreck-It Ralph, Big Hero 6, The Road to El Dorado, 

[pretty-eyes-jaeger]

104th kids and how they deal with crushes! (Sorry if that has been done before!)

OOooooooo! I honestlydon’t know if I’ve done this before, but I’m gonna do it again if I have causethis is a fun prompt. Thank you! (This also got long, so I’m going to add a keep reading!) 

Eren does not realize he has a crush until it is too late. Hedoesn’t feel himself falling for someone until oh no, he reallylikes them. Appreciation turns to adoration in .2 seconds, and suddenly, Erenbreaks down. He gets super nervous around his crush, stuttering and trying tobe funny. He thinks about everything they’ve ever done together, and chastiseshimself for all the times he’s done something stupid in front of them. He triesreally hard to come as someone worthy of their love, (when they often neverneeded him to ‘prove himself’ in the first place. That’s just Eren’s brainsabotaging itself.) In summary, Eren panics. 

Mikasa is a piner. Once she recognizes she likes someone, she finds it very hard to actually talk to them. So she spends a lot of her time studying them; listening to them, remembering their likes and dislikes and other key information, spending as much time with them as she can. She really tries her best to become their friend, and hopes that from there, something more will happen. She’ll make up scenarios in her head a lot, but those rarely pan out. She is also a very caring person, though, so her natural instincts to care for others will often kick in a lot when her crush needs a helping hand or a smile. 

Armin has two sides when it comes to crushes: the super smooth charmer or the adorably awkward child. Depending on the day, he can either be a master at witty banter and generally chivalrous, romantic behavior, or he’ll be a stammering mess that gets flustered by even a smile from his crush. It depends on how mentally prepared he is. If it’s a hang out that was planned, he’ll be fine, his charming, witty self. But if it’s unplanned happenstance, he’ll be a wreck and will probably yell at himself later as he’s trying to sleep but can’t cause all he can think about are the stupid things he said to them that day. (Good thing the crush thinks he’s pretty cute when he’s helpless!)

Jean is similar to Armin in that he has multiple means of reacting to crushes, but his aren’t as drastic as Armin’s. Jean will either be very quiet and awkward with crushes, or he’ll be very smooth and endearing. For him it depends on the severity of the crush. While Jean is the type of insecure person who naturally puts most people above his league and unconsciously categorizes all romantic possibilities in this way, if he ascertains that his crush is way out of his league, he’ll be the awkward, quiet, stuttering flirt, and that usually doesn’t get him anywhere. But, if he acknowledges that his crush is either in his league or just slightly above or below it, it’s easier for him to be himself. He’ll joke around with them a lot, but knows the right moments to get serious and let them open up to him. He’ll open up in response, and before you know it, Jean doesn’t seem so intimidating anymore (not that he ever did, though.)

Marco handles his crushes with the most maturity of the group. Whilethe person he likes does tend to make his heart race and mind spin, he’s stillable to act normal around them. He’s the kind of flirt that’s just a littleextra charming with the person he likes, so you almost can’t even tell thathe’s got a crush. But the signs are definitely there. He looks at his crush alot, gauging their reactions to things, observing the cute littler mannerismsthey have. He listens to everything they have to say and responds accordingly.He makes a point to text them/see them at least twice a week, and will go outof his way to brighten their day or help them out if they need it. Marco dealswith crushes like he deals with life: just smile and be yourself, and if it’smeant to happen, it will. 

Annie is very shy about her crushes. She often tells no one about them, and gets very flustered if other people figure her out. She likes to go about these romance things her own way. As she’s already pretty reserved, Annie will go out of her way to talk to her crush a little more than others. She’ll try to joke around with them a bit, have average conversations that don’t seem like much, but mean the world to her. Annie also tends to observe the people she likes a lot. Just checking up on them, learning all their mannerisms and imagining what it would be like if they ended up together. She’s more of a hopeless romantic than she let’s people realize. 

Reiner seconds Marco in crush maturity. He doesn’t let his feelingsoverwhelm him, and doesn’t act differently around those he has feelings for.But he is much more attentive to his crush than the average person. He goes outof his way to spend time with them or help them should they need him. He’stheir number one fan, and supports them in whatever they do. He tries tomemorize the little things: likes and dislikes, key memories, inside jokes,etc. Reiner also isn’t afraid to take that step and suggest a date, and he’salso very cool and understanding about rejection. 

Bertholdt, a piner like Mikasa, is not good at having a crush on someone. Acknowledging romantic feelings for someone puts up a wall between him and them in his brain, a wall he can’t get over. He’ll overanalyze everything, scared of sounding stupid or lame in front of them. But he does all he can to be there for his crush, to listen to every word they say and give them the love and support they need. He quickly becomes a source of joy and support for those he likes because even though he has trouble talking to them, he’s always there for them. And once they’ve reached a comfortable friendship level, maybe then he’ll try to be a little more flirtatious. And, for all his nerves and anxieties, Bertholdt is probably one of the best of the bunch when it comes to having feelings rejected. He’s built such a solid friendship with them, it’s not awkward if they say no. 

Sasha is a go-getter type of person in most respects of her life. Love is no different. She will go after her crush, starting off simple and subtle, and going in harder if the person is giving off good signals. As a very friendly, extroverted person, Sasha has little trouble talking to people, even those she has a crush on. She’ll joke with them, have heart to hearts with them, discuss world events with them… anything. She’ll be at their door in a heart beat if they need cheering up, and is always ready to be a plus one for any activity (dinner, going to the gym, going on an adventure, etc.) And if they start to show signs of liking her back, Sasha isn’t afraid to make the first move towards something more. (Hint: A key sign that she’s into you is that she voluntarily shares food with you. Not like you ask and she says yes. She will offer, or will just hand you a piece of something or offer for you to try what she’s having. That’s one of her biggest tells.)

Connie would be terrible with crushes if he didn’t have a killer support system. He’s the kind of guy that would worry himself down to nothing if he couldn’t bounce ideas off of Jean, Marco, and Sasha (if you ship him with one of these three, just imagine him going to the other two then.) He gets a lot of elaborate ideas of ways to see his crush, and these three often help him tone it down to simpler things. And once he’s had enough prep talk with them, Connie can usually navigate crushes pretty well. He can be very chivalrous and charming when he wants to, timing his jokes perfectly and always listening when his crush talks. He’s very into casual hang outs, so it’s an easy transition to dates if it works out. 

Ymir is very cool with crushes. A little voice in her head always says it’ll never work out, and while she tries to ignore it, Ymir often approached crushes with that mentality, which eliminates the pressure. She just has fun with it, using all the witty banter she can to get closer to the person. She’s also wickedly observant and is able to pick up on the other person’s needs and mannerisms rather quickly. So she becomes a pretty solid source of support for her crush, whether it works out or not. And even though one voice always tells her it’s hopeless, another continually says that this could be the one, so don’t throw it away. And she never does. 

Historia is very calm and collected with the people she likes, but is a total mess whenever they aren’t around. She has at least three people who she keeps in the loop about her crushes, venting about it almost everyday. She needs to talk through her feelings to keep them under control, to make sure she isn’t overthinking or self-sabotaging. But when she’s with her crush, she’s perfectly bubbly and sweet, trying to give them just a little more attention than the rest but not enough to be noticeable. She’ll text them a lot throughout the week, sharing funny pictures or videos she thinks they’ll enjoy. She really does her best to be charming and hopes that the other person likes her back.