#would probably be on my spotify wrapped IF HE PUT IT ON SPOTIFY!!!!!!!

[insomnya777]

so when is joel gonna stop messing around and get his songs on spotify........

[allofuswantgwinam]

i told y’all this would be my top song 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 i have never predicted it correctly til this time lmao

[iam-anordinary-human-orami]

I know spotify wasn't a thing probably for the aftg universe but like imagine it was and the trojans are holding a spotify wrapped unwrapped party or some dumb name like that, where they gather the team and what they do essentially is they write down what their top 5 songs were on a piece of paper, give it to this year's presenter and that person plays songs from each top 5 and the trojans have to figure out whose list it is.

So everyone thinks oh jean probably listens to french music, whether classical or otherwise, cause he seems to be so out of touch with pop culture. But, they forget that Jean started living with two lesbians and a gay golden retriever(I don't mean bark bark) and so his music horizons have widened.

So it's Jean's top 5, no one knows of course. Presenter is one of the trojans "and here goes our next mystery contestant starting off strong with... a band named, I assume it's a band, um plastic titties?" People are snickering, "we get it you're gay" "they're lesbians Harold!", and Jean tenses but hides it very well that it's his top 5. Song starts. It's a screamo punk indie rock combo. Ppl start making guesses, "your honour I think it's Cat, only she knows fringe bands with monthly listeners less than this team's defence line" cat yelling back "not my fault you're a slave to the trends you swiftie!" , "Look me in the eye and tell me you dont know the words to 'love story' " , "Settle down, we ain't finished yet. Any other guesses?" , "Are we sure it's not one of the coaches?" , "Which coach do YOU think would listen to, and I repeat, 'plastic titties'? And if anyone else responds with 'your mom' I'm banning u from this round" , "Play the next one so we cop a feel" , "Why u gotta make it weird bro"

"Okay next one!" And the next one is like an intense rap song "someone's covering their tracks people", "we need to figure out whether this is working out music or what they genuinely listen to", "go on to the next one cause this is a bop but it could be anyone", "couldn't be Jeremy though" Jeremy standing up for himself "hey, I listen to rap" , "says the person who's top song was probably by Natasha Bedingfield", "beat the Sugababes fan allegations and then refer to our captain"

"Riight, next one is" and the next one is a funky hip hop anti-establishment song "sounds like Laila people" laila making it clear "I do listen to them but I can guarantee you that's not in my top favourites, not because it's not a banger, but because I don't listen to this album very much" , "she's lying to the defence your honour!" , "No one's in trial Cody sit down" Jean turning to look at Jeremy "and this is supposed to be a bonding exercise?" Jeremy thoroghouly invested in the game and scribbling down "bet you it's Ananya, she's been awfully quiet" Jean rolls his eyes, his hands crossed while he looks upon the second best collegiate exy team and wondering how his life came to this

"Aight? Is there anyone that has an educated guess?" Shawn puts his hand up, presenter says "I said educated" Shawn puts his hand down.

The last two songs are like an indie creepy heartfelt song and a ballad. This throws everyone off. At the end of the round everyone is accusing everyone and their mother, Jean with a sigh and rubbing his temples "we could be doing drills" , someone yells "I bet my firstborn it's Nabil!" , "You are an embarrassment to this team, sit down!" "Nabil is an anime nerd, I didn't hear a single Naruto in that playlist!", "That's not amv music your honour" , "bring the strikers forward let them justify their crimes upon the eyes of God!" , "If it's a crime to have good taste lock👏 me 👏up👏"

The presenter gets tired after a while "alright, kindly shut your traps so we can have a winning day! The mystery contestant is.. drumroll people! The mystery contestant isss....Jean" Silence. And then "I didn't know the french listen to screamo?", "But your honour, this is not coloniser music?", "Amelie is not even on there though", someone quietly "not a single song about baguettes?", "What's next? Jeremy Knox being a secret death metal fan?"

Meanwhile, Dan got the foxes to post screenshots of their top 5 songs on social media. The Internet is breaking cause why is Andrew Minyard's top song by the veronicas???

[essjujutsu]

CHAPTER SEVEN : VEGETABLE PASTA

prev , next , masterlist wc ⭑ 1k

you put your phone on your bed, checking your alarm clock.

shit, megumi would be here any minute now and you were nowhere near ready. you weren't even sure what the two of you were going to do. you really didn't want to be awkward.

you thought about what nobara said and took a deep breath, rushing downstairs to make sure everything was neat enough. normally, you wouldnt care about how presentable your house looked, but after seeing megumi's over the top perfect house—you didn't want to embrass yourself.

a few moments later, you heard a knock on your door. you quickly fixed up your hair and rushed over to the front door. you opened it, and saw megumi standing there, hands in his sweatshirt pockets. he looked effortlessly relaxed, a subtle sense of calmness about him that made you feel both at ease and a bit nervous at the same time.

"hey."

he entered with a polite greeting, his eyes drifting curiously around the house. you smiled calmly as you responded.

"hi, sorry i know the kitchens a mess...yuji asked if i could cook dinner tonight."

you replied, stepping into the kitchen and trying to move the ingredients yuji left out before he left. a wave of stress washed over you at the thought of cooking dinner; culinary skills weren’t your strong suit. your brother had always taken charge in the kitchen, and with him out late and sukuna working the night shift—the responsibility had fallen to you.

megumi approached quietly behind you, his presence calming as he spoke in a gentle tone.

"its fine, do you need some help?"

"you know how to cook?"

you asked, a bit taken aback. he seemed like the type to have private chefs or something. it surprised you even more that he was offering to help you out.

"yeah, my older sister taught me. what were you planning on making?"

“I’m not really sure.” you admitted. "yuji just set out a bunch of ingerdits we had so i woulnd't have to go to the store, but honestly it just made me more confused."

"well, you've got pasta—and vegetables. so we could make that."

he replied, grabbing the pasta and holding it up to you.

"good idea, that sounds easy enough."

"i'll do the pasta, can you chop vegetables?" he replied, tilting his head to you.

"of course i can, i'm not that bad in the kitchen."

he snorted as you opended up spotify on your phone.

"any song recommendations, chef?"

you asked, teasingly—a tone that rarely graced your lips.

"have you ever listened to weezer?"

he replied, his gaze fixed on the pot as the water boiled, steam swirling like a cool breeze in the air.

"wow, didn't take you as the type of guy to listen to weezer. you seem like the type who says they 'don't listen to music'"

"i'm actually full of suprises, y/n."

he spoke, the playfull banter lighting up the room as island in the sun played low in background.

you chopped tomatos and zucchini, words were absent, but the silence wrapped around you like a warm hug, more comforting than awkward.

"so, you exicted for this party next week?"

just as you tipped the vegetables into the pot of pasta, megumi’s voice rose above the gentle bubbling of the bowl.

"not really—you know im not a fan of partys. being around a bunch of drunk teenagers yelling at each other isn't really my idea of an amazing weekend."

he nodded, a sign of his agreement with you.

after the food was ready, the two of you sat at the small circle dining table that was tucked in the corner of the living room. megumi shared a couple funny storys of his dad satoru and his family. you told him about the time when you convinced yuji that megan thee stallion had died for a tiktok.

however, a sudden noise from outside interrupted your conversation.

as you heard the lock twist through the front door, you silently panicked. was sukuna home from work early? he wouldn't mind that megumi was over—but it would defiantly be awkward.

but the probably worse option was it being yuji, you had accidentally lied to him the night prior about who was coming over, and if he came in to see you and megumi hanging out together—

"y/n, you in here?"

the sound of your brother's voice sent a jolt of panic through you. You had to think fast, make up any excuse.

"y-yeah! just—"

"hey—wait, why's megumi here?"

"he, he came over today and we made dinner."

"i thought nobara was coming over?"

yuji looked confused, and you couldn't fully read his expression. was he mad, upset, or did he not care?

"uh, y/n?"

megumi spoke up, his brow furrowed in confusion, though he didn’t seem angry.

"i think maybe you should go home megumi, i kinda need to talk to yuji— i'm sorry."

he nodded and made his way to the door as yuji still stood in the archway to the living room looking confused.

after the front door shut, your brothers voice spoke once agian.

"why didn't you say megumi was coming over? i’m not mad, i just didn’t realize you two were hanging out like this"

"yuji! it's not like that!"

"well, sorry but it kind of looks that way."

you rolled your eyes at him, the scene reminiscent of your many childhood fights. you two were always close, but that didn’t mean you didn’t argue from time to time—this was just the first argument in a while.

you decided not to say anything more to him and headed upstairs. what didn't he understand? you hoped megumi wasn't upset, you made a mental reminder to explain to him at some point.

the night went on, and even in the small house, you succesuly didn't run into yuji for the rest of the night. each creak of the floorboards you heard in the home served as a reminder of his presence, yet you found solace in your bedroom.

as you went to sleep, you promised yourself that you would talk to him in the morning, once the both of you had a chance to cool off.

A/N : aigtphs is finally back!! sorry that it's been so long guys </3 and just a quick apology if this chap isnt very good, i wasn't really sure how i wanted to write yuji & y/ns fight but i think i got the point across! anyways thank u for reading and i hope u enjoyed :3 (not proofread)

TAGLIST : ( ask/comment to be added ) @1ndee @4ngelfries @jammofsammichflip @notveevee @qtnfer @love-me-satoru @satoryaa @loriisheart @starrnai @madison777x @madison777x @mdmraz @saltypuffin1040 @ichorstainedskin @1l-ynn @linalinabobina @yunho-leeknow @zoaqttz @1l-ynn @k4ss11333 @gumims @milolovesmilly @sad-darksoul @sftsohee @exclusiverinaa @beepbopzlorp @iluv-ace @anngelllla @stillnotherapy @reezerdotcom @ghost-buddies @mikko-mikko @tyigerz @aegsland @starsryi @m1ndfulsorrows if it doesn't work, fix ur settings pls!

[chvoswxtch]

hi court i would like to order an espresso over ice (from barista reid) with the lyrics from espresso lol thank youu

“Oh, he looks so cute wrapped around my finger

My twisted humor, make him laugh so often…

…Walked in and dream came trued it for ya

Soft skin and I perfumed it for ya

I know I Mountain Dew it for ya

That morning coffee, brewed it for ya

One touch and I brand newed it for ya

Now he's thinkin' 'bout me every night, oh

Is it that sweet? I guess so

Say you can't sleep, baby, I know

That's that me, espresso”

this song has been stuck in my head since I first heard it & at this point it's probably gonna be on my spotify wrapped but anyway thank you for your genius idea of pairing it with spencer

as usual I got carried away & could've gone on with it forever but pls enjoy :)

as a reminder, over ice means it's spicy! (minors dni)

drabble below the cut

order for spencer with an extra shot of espresso (over ice)

oh he looks so cute / wrapped around my finger

Spencer’s insomnia had been more rampant than usual the last few weeks, and the only cure he seemed to be able to find was you. When the two of you went on dates, he begged you to come home with him, or let him come stay with you. The second the jet landed after a long case, no matter what time it was, his first call was always to you, pleading for refuge in your bed.

Only your touch could drown out all that white noise in his brain that never seemed to stop working.

He didn’t even bother hiding how desperate he was for you, or just how badly he needed this. Spencer’s large hands slid up the soft skin of your thighs, gripping at your hips greedily while you rode him, moving your hips at a languid pace that had him whimpering beneath you.

“You needed this so badly, didn’t you?”

There’s no cruelty in your sensual voice, but Spencer’s half-hooded eyes don’t miss the wicked smirk that graces your soft lips. He wants you to go faster, to ride him harder, to free fall into that realm of pure gratification. But it also feels so fucking good the way you tease him, rolling your hips slowly, feeling his cock stroke along the warmth of your tight cunt in a delectable way. When you drag it out like this, forcing Spencer to let his orgasm build gradually until he’s on the brink of insanity, it always makes him come hard to the point of knocking the breath out of his lungs and promptly puts him to sleep.

“P-Please-”

“Shh…I know baby, I know. Just be a good boy for me a little bit longer…”

Your fingertips tracing his kiss bitten lips immediately causes them to part, and he’s staring up at you as though he’s finally found a deity he believes in. That genius IQ of his gets watered down to basic primal desire when you fuck him slowly like this, rendering him a whimpering and moaning mess. But he doesn’t care how needy he comes off as, and you certainly don’t mind.

Not when he looks this good at your mercy.

[hwaslayer]

project: make you love me (jyh) | eleven.

♣︎ spotify playlist | series masterlist

—summary: yunho can’t stand how you’re so wrapped up in the notorious campus fuckboy, park seonghwa. he would gladly love you the way you deserve, despite being shy, awkward and the complete opposite of seonghwa. thus, when he finds himself spending more time with you over literature reviews and random study sessions, he decides to take on the challenge to win you over.

—pairing: jeong yunho x f. reader x park seonghwa

—genre: (18+ - minors dni) strangers/friends to lovers, college au | fluff, angst, smut

—word count: 3.2k

—chapter content/warnings: sawrrry this is a bit of a filler chapter 🤠 more development between these two, cussing/mature language, another seonghwa flashback, small kisses hehe, these two are still shy (but so in luv 😙), making out, naps with yuyu <33

"Yunho." You whisper as you tap his chest.

"That's me." He says deeply, huskily; it makes you giggle to yourself a bit. 

"Wake up." You pout as his eyes slowly flutter open.

"Time is it?"

"Around 5AM."

"Goooood lord." He shuts his eyes again and pulls you closer. "Absolutely not."

"Yunho." You whine. "Let's go watch the sunrise."

"Y/N, you are very cute and I would do anything to make you happy." He says groggily. "But, it's only been about 3 hours since we fell asleep. Don't you wanna get more sleep?"

"I've tried sleeping more but I can't."

"You really wanna watch the sunrise?" 

"Yes." He opens and eye to peek down at you— indeed, you are very, very awake. He can't help but chuckle a bit because you're giving him that cute smile while tucked underneath his arm.

"Okay then."

"Really?"

"Yeah." He stretches a bit and yawns before fully waking himself up. "Just need to get dressed. You don't have any clothes to change into? It's probably freezing outside."

"Gonna need to stop by my apartment before we go."

"Okay then, let's get going." But before you can get up, Yunho gently puts his arm in front of you to prevent you from moving any further and squints his eyes at you, as if he was observing you very closely.

"What?" You ask him, eyes wide and alert.

"Damn, you really are serious about this." You snort and playfully hit him on the arm.

"Please, I've never been able to catch the sunrise." You pout.

"And you wanna do this with me?" He chuckles a bit.

"Of course I do." You give him a small smile and he nods.

"Okay then." You watch as he gets up first to stretch again, walking over to his closet to find you a jacket to throw on for this spontaneous journey you crazily have him agreeing to.

The tiny trek back to your apartment wasn't too bad, being that Yunho's jacket had added a protective layer and shielded you from getting too cold. You could see your breath in the morning, crisp hair; the sky still dark and patiently waiting for the sun to rise. You quietly step into your apartment, dashing into your room to grab a change of clothes and to wash up a bit better before heading out. Yunho sits on your couch and waits, scrolling through his phone to find random screenshots Mingi had sent him from the party last night.

mingi: dude last night was wild

mingi: did you end up leaving with y/n? i cant remember.. is she okay?

yunho: yeah, she's good.

mingi: did you guys hook up? how was it? 😏

Yunho furrows his brows and chuckles a bit, responding to Mingi quickly to get his nose out of his business— because he knows this is going to be relayed to Seonghwa. Not that he cares, but he'd like to keep Seonghwa guessing a bit more. 

yunho: we just chilled, relax. lol

mingi: i have to tell you about last night

mingi: but are you fr? you guys didn't hook up?

Yunho's eyes shift to the hallway when he hears a door creak open, a wild Soobin popping out of the frame.

"Oh." Soobin sleepily walks out with rough bedhead, eyes barely open when he heads to the kitchen to grab water. "Yunho, hey." He says sleepily with a wave. 

"Hey." Yunho says as he watches him pop open a water bottle and take a few swigs. 

"Feel like shit." He mumbles before pointing towards the bathroom. "Y/N in there?" Yunho nods. At that moment, you quietly slip out, surprised to see Soobin up and walking.

"The heck?" You giggle seeing his current state and playfully ruffle his hair.

"Shut up. Where are you going?"

"To watch the sunrise."

"That's crazy. You let her talk you into this?" Soobin looks at Yunho, and Yunho gives him a simple, pursed smile in return. "Goodluck. I'm going back to bed." He mumbles before lazily waving at you and Yunho, slipping himself back his shared room with Seungmin. You shift your attention back to Yunho, slowly walking towards him in your newly changed outfit. He thinks you're the cutest— dressed in your leggings, those legwarmers, uggs.

That oversized, olive-colored jacket.

The thick scarf wrapped around your neck.

Your cream beanie.

"Speak now or forever hold your peace." You mutter and Yunho laughs, standing on his two feet.

"Come on. We gotta get there to catch the sunrise in time."

"Get where?" You lock up the front door before following Yunho to his car. 

"I think I know the perfect place to catch the sunrise." He stands near the opened passenger door, patiently waiting for you to get inside. You giggle to yourself before hopping in; settling into the seat just as Yunho sits in the driver's seat and immediately turns on the heat. 

"Sorry."

"For?" Yunho raises his brow.

"Dragging you out of bed." He chuckles.

"I mean, truthfully, I can feel myself dying by the minute." You playfully smack him on the bicep, making him laugh a bit louder this time.

"Yunho, don't play. I feel bad. Let's just—"

"I'm kidding, Y/N. I meant it when I said I'd do anything to make you happy." 

"But, I want you to be happy, too."

"I am." He gives you a small smile before caressing your chin. "Promise."

"Okay, Jeong Yunho. I'm taking that to heart." He chuckles.

It isn't too long before Yunho's pulling into a lot of a nearby hiking trail. He reassures you that there's a shorter path that'll take you up the hill, where there is a bench you can sit to enjoy the view and catch the sunrise. You let him take the lead to guide you on the right path, but he stops when he finds the coffee cart nearby. The coffee cart sits near the small welcome center, lights on the overhead illuminating the cart brightly during this dark morning.

"Want hot chocolate? Coffee?"

"Ou, hot chocolate sounds bomb."

"It does. I'll grab us some." He jogs over to the cart, smiling at the middle-aged man who is patiently waiting for time to pass, for more customers to arrive. He's quick to fix the two cups of hot chocolate, Yunho walking back over within the next 5 minutes. "Here. Drink up while it's warm."

"Thank you, Yunho." He smiles, walking alongside you— keeping a bit of a lead to guide you and show you the way. "I don't think I even knew about this place."

"Hm. It's a hidden gem, really. Everyone usually goes to the busier hiking trail nearby."

"Do you come here often?"

"Nope." Yunho chuckles. "But, my aunt took me and my mom here when they visited awhile ago."

"Sweet. I love how you're close to them. I hope I get to meet them one day." You say without really thinking about how it sounds, or how it comes off. When you do realize, you shoot Yunho a look and apologize for having assumed where you two stood. "Oh, I mean, you know. If they happen to be on campus again and what not—" Yunho laughs.

"You'll get to meet them outside of campus. Don't worry." You shyly blush and break eye contact, looking out at the path ahead. It's actually not that far of a walk, seeing that the bench Yunho had mentioned was only a few feet up ahead. It's perched on the side of the hill that overlooks the other side of town, with the trail continuing on past it. Both you and Yunho take your seats, sitting close enough to feed off of each other's body heat.

It's comforting.

You're perfectly content sitting next to Yunho, watching the sun slowly begin to rise.

"There's the sun." Yunho lets out a breath before sipping on his coffee. "We made it in time."

"Yay!" You look up at him again. "Can't believe we're catching the sunrise. You really are the best."

"Just want you to be happy because you deserve it, all of it." Yunho says, firmly believing in his own statement. He's not that great with affection and words, but you absolutely deserved way better than Park Seonghwa.

He couldn't even reach the bare minimum.

"You're too good to me."

"I'm being honest." You sip on your hot chocolate in peace, occasionally tracing the lid with your finger. It's quiet as the rest of the sun begins to slowly show itself more and more past the horizon. Eventually, Yunho is the first to break that silence and ask: "Can I ask you something? You don't have to respond either if you don't want to."

"Of course."

"Has Seonghwa tried reaching out to you?" You shake your head.

"Absolutely not. And he shouldn't."

"Hm." He hums. "So, you don't see yourself going back to him?"

"No, Yunho. Why would I put myself through that again, right?"

♣︎ FLASHBACK

"Hwa, wait." Seonghwa pauses in his steps just as he's about to make his way to the car. He cocks a brow up, watching as you take a picture of the sunset.

"What're you doing?"

"Isn't it pretty?"

"I guess? It's like any other sunset." He shrugs. You continue to snap a few pictures, making the impatience grow in Seonghwa a bit. He huffs, shifting his weight from one foot to another before continuing off to the car. "Y/N, come on? I just wanna get home." 

"I'm just taking one more picture."

"The food you asked for is gonna get cold." You roll your eyes and waddle over to the passenger side, sliding into the seat before strapping your seatbelt on. It's a quiet drive for the most part, Seonghwa already annoyed with the fact that you asked him to stop by for some food post-practice. You don't really care much, though. Overall, you had a good day with your friends and you weren't gonna let him ruin it entirely.

"Seonghwa."

"Hm?" He hums, eyes still glued to the road ahead.

"We should catch the sunrise one day." He snorts.

"For what? What's up with you and the sun?"

"I just like it. It's pretty."

"Baby, I can barely get my ass up for class. You're up earlier than me. You should do it."

"I want to do it with you, though." He laughs and it kinda hits you right in the feels, hits you right in the pit of your stomach. 

You try, and you try, and it goes nowhere.

You don't understand why you do this to yourself.

"You don't have to do everything with me, Y/N. Don't wait for me. You should do it if you wanna."

"Yeah." Is all you respond with, nibbling on your bottom lip hearing yet another rejection from Seonghwa.

♣︎ END

"I mean, you had your good days and bad days with him, too."

"I know. He's just in the past now, though. Something I definitely want to move on from and keep him where he belongs in the past. I think he just did more harm than good, and I hated feeling so small and replaceable to him. Like nothing."

"I get you." He says.

"I have no intentions of going back." You give him a tiny, toothless smile in response to his reaction. "Promise."

"Okay. I'll hold onto every word of yours." It's quiet again while the two of you continue to watch. This time, after an or so, it's your turn to break the silence; pondering about the sudden question Yunho asked.

He must be worried, right?

Worried that you'd crawl back to Seonghwa, fall into his games, traps.

You get it. You get Yunho.

Seonghwa is only a mere passing thought at this point.

"Yunho."

"Hm?" He sips on his coffee

"I know I was kinda drunk, but I meant what I said on the phone while I was away."

"What did you say?" He smirks, subtly biting onto the lid of his cup while his eyes are glued onto yours. You giggle and shake your head, taking a sip of your hot chocolate before looking back out at the view.

"Nothing." You tease back.

"Aw, really? Like that?" He gently nudges you with a small chuckle. "I guess you didn't really mean it, then." He shrugs.

"Hey." You whine. "I did mean it." You look at him with a pout and he continues to smirk that smirk of his until you give in. God, he was becoming your weakness. "I meant it when I said I like you, Yunho." His smile grows.

"I meant it when I said I like you, too."

"I'm glad we're on the same page, then." He nods.

"I feel a bit silly explaining this, but last night.." He lets out a breath. "I hope you don't feel like you did anything wrong because you didn't. I just really wanna do things right with you. I meant that, too."

"I know." You look down at his free hand dug into his pocket. You hesitate a bit, but you eventually slip your hand into his pocket and lace your finger with his— a gesture that makes his heart melt and adore you even more. 

The both of you sit there while quietly sipping on your drinks and watching the rest of the sun rise from its slumber. It's still cold, and you can still see your breath in the air. But Yunho is warm next to you; his hand is warm, his company is warm.

"So, am I off the hook with reading your lit reviews?" He teases again, making you laugh.

"No, please. I still need your help for the rest of the semester if it doesn't bother you."

"I'm kidding. It doesn't. I wanna help." You lean into his arm a bit more, trying to recover with his warmth. "Are you cold?"

"A bit."

"Do you wanna head back then? Sun is up." You nod.

"Yeah, I think I'm good. Thank you again for watching the sunrise with me." You look up at him, planting a kiss on his cheek. However, before you could pull back completely, you feel Yunho gently tug on your hand— signaling for you to stay close. 

So, you do.

And Yunho dips forward to give you a sweet, chaste kiss on the lips. You giggle and bite your lip when you catch how red the tip of his ears have become.

"That's better." He chimes in before standing, keeping your hand laced with his in his pocket. "What are you gonna do when we get back, though? Are you gonna hang out with your roommates?" The both of you toss your empty cups into the nearby trash can.

"Maybe, yeah. Take a nap." You chuckle. "What about you?"

"Same since I feel myself crying for sleep now." You laugh. "Do you wanna nap at my place?" He looks at you before clearing his throat. "I mean, totally up to you. I don't mean to be forward but just wanted to put the option out there. B-but, don't feel—"

"I'd love to nap with you." You blush.

"I swear I won't take any more time away from Chaery." 

"She'll be okay." You giggle. But, just as you reach the bottom of the hill, your phone starts to beep from incoming texts.

"You sure about that?" Yunho smirks when he sees you flash your screen his way; Chaery's name popping up a few times.

chaery: shit it is so early but i swear i heard you come in earlier. did you??

chaery: i'm also kinda bleh from the alchy last night. so my bad if not, hehe. i guess you're still with yunho?!

chaery: i'm gna go back to sleep but come back soon. imy. but i hope you're having the time of your life with your man <33 get it girl!!

"She's okay. Promise. She's just wondering where I'm at and if it was me that walked in earlier." You try to text back using your free hand, letting your bestfriend know you'd be at Yunho's for a bit longer.

you: it was me, sorry for waking you, love. i am with yunho! i'll prob head back in a few hours. hehe get some more sleep! 

"Y/N." You tuck your phone back into your pocket and look up at Yunho.

"Yes?"

"Are you sure? About the nap?"

"Yes. Unless you take your invite back." 

"Of course not." Yunho briefly lets go of your hand to open the passenger door. You slide in, watching him jog over and start the car to get the heat going as soon as possible. He takes a moment to get settled before he's driving off, his hand open and resting on the middle console— waiting for you to lock your hand with his again. 

"Hope you don't mind me borrowing your clothes all the time. I still have to wash the stuff I wore to bed." He chuckles.

"It's okay, I don't mind."

"Is Yeosang up already?" Yunho looks at the time on his dash.

"Probably not. There are rare days when he gets up early to gym or go for a run. But I doubt it after last night." 

"Is he dating anyone?" Your curiosity gets the best of you.

"Not that I know of. He hasn't had someone over in awhile."

"But.. he has?"

"You're cute." Yunho laughs. "He has. And to be honest, there are some moments I don't really wanna remember." You snort.

"Wow, was not expecting to hear that. Good for him."

"Yeah, he's a good guy. He deserves to have some fun sometimes. Plus, it's nice that he's away from the computer."

"That's true, too." You yawn, leaning your head near the window. "Okay, now I can't wait for that nap."

"You see?" Yunho laughs, giving your hand a gentle squeeze.

The drive is a quick 20 minutes, with the rest of the ride falling silent besides Yunho humming along to the songs. You completely feel the exhaustion hit you as soon as Yunho pulls into the familiar lot. The both of you drag yourselves back upstairs and into the quiet apartment, padding into Yunho's room to change into another set of his comfy clothes. You opt for one of his longsleeves and joggers, slipping yourself back into the sheets with Yunho following shortly behind. He tucks you under the covers well before pulling you into his arms and letting you tuck your head near the crook of his neck.

"You're so warm." Yunho lets out a small, breathy laugh when he feels you shiver against him, adjusting his position and keeping you close.

"Feel better?" You look up at him and nod.

"Thank you."

"You don't have to thank me." He says softly, pausing in between his responses. "Y/N?"

"Mhm?"

"Can I kiss you again?"

"I'd like that." You giggle, watching as Yunho dips his head down to kiss you. You smile into the kiss when you realize he doesn't want to pull away— instead, chasing after your lips for another, and another;

And another.

Until the kiss deepens, the both of you indulging in each other through every bit, every second. His hand gives your side a gentle squeeze when he feels you bite onto his bottom lip and let out a breath in between kisses. But, even if the kiss feels like it continues to intensify, even if the fireworks grow with every move, every touch; there is no need, no push, to take things further. 

Just taking him in, as he is with you. 

At some point, Yunho slows down and is the first to pull back. His eyes remain on you though, his hand coming up to brush the hair away from your face. He gives you a tiny, toothless smile before pressing a sweet peck to your forehead, down to the tip of your nose;

To the corner of your lips.

"You're so pretty." He sleepily says, making you giggle and snuggle against him. "Let's sleep."

"Okay." You shut your eyes, slowly falling asleep to the sound of Yunho's soft breathing.

♣︎ taglist: @s-nsanshine @soupbinlily @tyongff-ff @jiminiscricket @g1g1l @staytinyinmybpack @woomyteez @gfksz @bitchwhytho @savluvsmingi @thisisntmyrightera @hyukssunflower @miriamxsworld @tmtxtf @kuromibabe04 @lmnhead @carrietwrites @tournesol155 @persphonesorchid @txt-yaomi @marsattacks @mxnsxngie @h-nji @mundayoonimnida @jalapeno-princess @nakiiko @asjkdk @kunikku @idkwgoh @kyeos4ng @agust-d2 @araknoid @bintificreads @primoppang @betray-the-light @aurorasjoongie @wineyoungie @yunholuvrsblog @mingigiggles @jaerisdiction @ignoretheskies @luminouskalopsia @naeviscall

[keeheauxtales]

S.I.S. (Self-Indulgent Series) | VOL. 1

“I’ll take a ‘me espresso,’ please?”🔞

☕️

MDNI

"I'm working late, 'cause I'm a singer Oh, he looks so cute wrapped 'round my finger." – "Espresso" | Sabrina Carpenter

pairing: barista!Keeho (soft dom switch vibes as per the usual) x musician!reader (fem-bodied switch vibes as per the usual!)

synopsis: after your routine weekly performance — and after Stephen’s regular shift — ends, feelings arise between the both of you that can’t be fixed with coffee… but can create similar lingering effects.

word count: ~3.5k

warnings + themes: [semi-]public sex, unprotected sex (y'all already know: wrap it irl), fingering, oral (f+m receiving), squirting, pussy slapping, multitasking (it'll make sense later), multiple orgasms (fem receiving), cum play, dirty talkin' for days, voice kink?

author's notes: Sabrina's smash hit is probably gonna be in the top ten of my Spotify Wrapped this year, and then FNC sends these boys to work a café? this is gonna be fun (and long)! lol I'm writing Keeho as a non-idol here (that might become kinda obvious), and will be using 'Stephen.' also this actually has a bit of a plot with a backstory? a rarity! there might just be a "Secret Sauce" reference if you squint.

�� Listen to FLO's entire Access All Areas: Unlocked album (even while reading this hehe)

"thank you all so much for listening and vibing with me!" you excitedly address your small, yet seemingly attentive crowd of customers as they either converse with others at their table, or type away on their laptops, among other things. the gig is a two hour acoustic set with a break in the middle, and you do an incredible job of adding a subtle soundtrack to the ambience of the café. "and don't forget to tip your baristas and cashiers; they work twice as hard as me, and deserve your support!"

you peer at the handsome barista with short black hair and a face that could end the entire modeling industry if he so chose, sporting a pair of specs that you could almost tell were merely for accessory. Stephen looks up from the shop's ordering screen over at you, as if to give a silent 'thank you' for the acknowledgment. like it was the first time you ever did it (you give a similar speech every week).

you had been going to this particular spot as solely a customer for over a year before the owner took heed to the covers you posted on your socials. she figured your soft, jazzy renditions of popular tunes such as Sabrina Carpenter's "Espresso" and Tyla's "Water" would be a nice change of pace from the constant Spotify mixes that normally go through their speakers — and she was right! there could be statistics that documented the uprising of foot-tapping and head-bopping that took place whenever you performed, if ever that was possible.

the person who seemed to enjoy you the most was that aforementioned fine ass barista. one thing about Stephen is that the guy can sing his damn self, and he'd inadvertently let anyone around him know it too! only hired a month after you technically, you grew to like him and his aura – and love his voice. if he unintentionally belted a few little ad-libs during an instrumental break, you'd intentionally loop that break a little longer until he'd stop himself.

unofficial collaborations were a frequent occurrence between you two, and today wasn't any different. you decided to try something you don't do often, and played a song completely instrumental. you follow each other on Instagram, and he mentioned how much he loves the British girl group FLO in his story. he even put "Walk Like This" as his Song Of The Day note before his shift. so after you mentioned to whoever was listening that you're still learning the lyrics to the song as it had just come out, you opted to do a fingerstyle version of "Bending My Rules."

you know who already knew all the lyrics – and the ad-libs – though? Stephen, and as incognito as he could possibly be, he was sangin'! you couldn't help smiling from ear to ear, feeling heat course your face (and maybe somewhere else much further south) as you hear a faint voice coasting through the song like he wrote it. he never leaves from behind the counter, yet each note that leaves his lips and seems to reach your ear only is smoother than the butter that compliments the shop's bestselling croissants.

in a rare occasion of him being a part of the later shift, Stephen clocks out for the night when you're done playing, and is able to actually talk to you for much longer than he normally would. a routine all on its own, he approaches you to talk about the set you just completed, every other sentence accompanied with a compliment on just how talented you are. and every single one of those compliments is reciprocated back from you to him, and today, he's blushing while receiving them!

"you learn songs so fast!" Stephen exclaims with a chuckle as he helps you pack your equipment. "that FLO song literally just dropped."

"I could say the exact same thing to you, Mr. 🎶 Are you coming over~ 🎶," you retaliate flirtatiously, copying the run from the record.

"ooh, okay!" Stephen playfully commends your vocal ability on a song you're 'still learning.' several minutes later, your equipment is packed and being wheeled by Stephen to your car that's parked in an alley on the side of the building. even when the conversation takes a turn after he manages to throw in a couple compliments in regard to your outfit (a classic fall ensemble that includes a leather mini skirt), the song is still clearly in his head as he periodically vamps on the line "🎶 I don't want nobody, nobody like I want you 🎶" from the chorus and bridge. you couldn't help but wonder if this was subliminal messaging, and by the time your hands brush against his while guiding your microphone stand into the back of your vehicle, you found your answer in his hooded eyes.

you were already internally grateful that was the last item you needed to load, and now even more so as you lock eyes with the man next to you. both of you took the hint as you secured your car to ensure safety. entering back inside the café, Stephen takes you by the hand to one of the gender-neutral restrooms that's for the staff. after locking the door behind him, he places you atop the counter.

licking his lips while looking down at you a bit shyly, he caresses your thighs before beginning to push them open, eyes asking for permission. you confirm by helping to lower your bottoms and undergarments to your ankles. "god, you're so wet," is the first and last thing out of Stephen's mouth before his lips meet yours.

instantly melting into his firm kisses, you wrap your arms around Stephen's broad shoulders as one of his large hands land on your neck, fingers softly gliding over the skin in contrast to the way his tongue invites itself into your mouth. with absolutely no protest, you open your mouth, a moan slipping out before even more moans are muffled by the evident hunger of your colleague.

you both are in such a heated rush that you barely have it in one another to briefly explain to each other how you two really got here in the first place. even if neither of your nether regions bothered to care at this particular moment, Stephen helps you discard his apron before he speaks. “I’ve been wanting a morsel of this since I first saw you in this damn café,” he confesses in between longing kisses between your lips and around your neck.

"fuck, me too…" you exhale in response, eyes fluttering and struggling to remain open against his advances. you then registered how this was the closest his handsome self and gorgeous voice has ever been to you, and almost would take this over your weekly check, you were so entranced by it all.

"yeah?" Stephen quizzes as he plants kisses further and further down your body. "have you been wanting to taste me as bad as I've been wanting to taste you?"

by the time he's finished asking this, his glasses are off on the other side of the counter, and his face is eye level with your dripping cunt. your charisma that you display with an instrument in front of you practically never ceases to remain — even when it's someone as attractive (and attracted) as Stephen beneath you. "you're the top flavor I've been dying to try, but it's never on the menu," you reply with a smirk, before shooting him a playful gaze.

Stephen smiles right back at you with his eyebrows raised, biting his lip as he attempts to come up with a witty enough comeback. however, with the clear opportunity sitting right in front of him, he opts to stick his tongue out, giving a teasing lick that sends goosebumps all over your body as a moan forces itself from the back of your throat.

your head bumps against the mirror behind you when Stephen's tongue is willingly trapped between your walls, going every direction but back out. his lips join in, kissing and sucking on your folds, and soon after, his hands grip roughly on your inner thighs to keep your legs open so that he doesn't need to stop… because there's only one thing that will stop him, and he'll go for hours if that's how long it takes for him to receive it.

you're whimpering now, in part because your remaining brain cell reminds you that your impatient, horny asses are still very much in each other's workplace. but also because you can't believe a guy this sweet could be so fucking filthy in anyone's heat, let alone yours. the moans and groans he manages in between licks of varying speeds and intensive slurps send you into some sort of astral projection.

no matter how hard he was trying, your legs shook to a point where they were forcing themselves to close. while Stephen wasn't wanting that, he was too preoccupied to grip his hands on them any tighter. in fact, the hold was loosening to a soft touch that served as a contrast to the way he was devouring you like he hadn't eaten all day.

"you're gonna make me cum, Steph, holy shit!" you exclaim at almost a whisper, fingers wedged in black strands of hair below you. you were slightly startled when he finally let up with a resounding pop, his mouth coated with your juices. that sight alone would've finished you right then and there, but you were secretly determined to hang on a little while longer.

"good," Stephen growls, staring up at you with such salacious eyes that bore into your glassy-eyed gaze. before anything else could be said, you're blankly staring at him as he takes two of his fingers and places them on his lips. acting as a type of lip balm of sorts, he traces those two fingers around his lips before they enter his mouth. you can't help but moan as he moans around them, sucking on them for a brief moment. before you knew it, they were gradually entering your cavern, and by the time the tips brushed against the cervix, that cavern was clenching around the entire length of his fingers.

"oh fuck, right there!" you spit out, hands still in Stephen's hair as you push his head forward. with your eyes squeezed shut, you feel his tongue lick your pussy again, this time collaborating with the ever-increasing pace of his fingers thrusting in and out. he sneaks in a couple more sucks on your folds before you feel heat pooling between your legs. "oh god, I'm cumming… fuck!" you announce mere seconds before sporadically thrusting upward.

while gasping in the midst of oncoming dizziness, you hear gushing along with loud, muffled moaning while still feeling Stephen in several ways. you soon realize that you had squirted all over him, and just like that you felt another orgasm rounding the corner. you feel a hand on the small of your arched back, vibrating as you become deprived of Stephen's mouth and fingers.

you both let some obscene exclamations slip from your lips at one another as Stephen raises himself up from the ground. you get one button undone from his shirt before you taste yourself. he's able to shove his tongue even deeper in your mouth than before while both of your hands meet to undo the belt of his slacks. it's messy, it's nasty, but it's somehow cathartic – even as saliva begins to escape from your mouth.

for a moment, heavy breathing is the only other sound heard in the restroom as pants fall to the floor. "I could pay rent in that pussy if you wanted me to, I fucking swear!" Stephen affirms, making you both chuckle as he pulls his drawers down to join his pants. you remain seated on the counter, frozen and wide-eyed as his hard cock pops out.

there's a short second where you wanna slap the smirk off his face at your initial reaction to his long dick greeting you. yet you wanted it inside you so bad that your hands gravitate to it, and Stephen lets you, his moans low while feeling you get acquainted.

one of his hands are placed on the mirror next to you, and the other joins both of yours around his cock to guide it to your entrance. he bends down to give a couple of kitty licks and wet kisses to your neck, all while the tip of his dick is slapped against your now soaked pussy repeatedly. he continues this until you're calling out his name.

"Steph…"

yet nothing changes, except he inches a bit more of his length atop your cunny, watching juices splash from it.

"Stephen."

he still doesn't proceed any further, smirking at you quite wickedly.

"Stephen! please! fuck me!" you beg, volume be damned.

"louder…" Stephen commands before his lips land on your earlobe, "I want you to be heard on the other side of this door."

"fuck me, Steph, please!!" there's precum dripping from him by this point, and you may or may not have started creaming by the time he bottoms out inside your cunt.

"yes, baby…" Stephen moans out as you clench around him, "let me know how much you've been wanting this dick inside you."

"s-so fucking much," you groan as you feel him finally move, your pussy barely able to handle the thickness.

"so tight," Stephen confirms as he works to increase his speed bit by bit.

"you're so big," you're finally able to tell him in between kisses along his neck.

"yet you're taking me so damn well," Stephen encourages as he continues to drive and pound into you, causing your moans to get louder. "good girl, let everyone know how good you're taking this dick."

"yeah, S-steph, don't fucking stop!" it drove you crazy how much hearing him talk like this was turning you on, and he seemed to grasp that (or he was just on one at this point).

you had no idea how, but not only had the volume of the music increased, but an even more recent version of "Bending My Rules" had begun playing that featured an artist you liked (DIXSON), and guess who even knew that verse well? the guy whose cock was repeatedly hitting your clit.

completely unprovoked, Stephen ran with the synchronic situation as he choked out some of the lyrics in your ear. "🎶 I'm thinkin' 'bout you…… Fiendin' for you…… Yeah, I'm talkin' 'bout you. 🎶"

this song already had significant meaning for the both of you by now, but the both of you could hardly take your moans becoming accidental ad-libs to Stephen's solo performance. you know all too well about letting a singer have their moment, but that bundle of nerves was back in the pit of your stomach just ready to burst.

"f-fuck… h-have I ever… t-told you… just h-how p-perfect you sound, S-steph?" you ask him, staggering over half of those words.

as if on cue, DIXSON's verse started, and Stephen became the feature artist yet again.

"🎵 Girl, you're fucking perfect / Now make me nervous / You give me new purpose / It's more than lip service with you / Mm, we can do this shit too… I'm speakin' a new language with you / Can it just be us two? / If that's okay with you. 🎵"

in between each line being delivered, Stephen drilled incredibly ponderous thrusts into you (as singing while operating any instrument does take practice), and by the end of the bridge, your walls were clenching again at the same time that his dick began throbbing.

"I'm getting close, babygirl," Stephen whines, his forehead perspiring against yours.

"me… too… harder…" you whimper beneath him in time with each jab his cock gives, repeating your last word for emphasis. "harder… harder… fuck me harder, baby!"

before you began begging, Stephen had already begun picking up his pace. however, hearing you call him 'baby' for the first time set him completely the fuck off. his dick fucked into you harder, faster, and even a little deeper. before you could even try and warn him like before, he kisses you just as deeply, not easing up on that pussy for a moment.

his lips were to be a perfect muting device for the clamorous sounds you were preparing to let out. you could only think to yourself, oh god, here we fucking go again, before squirting around Stephen's cock, your cream covering it.

"mmm… oh my god, (y/n), I'm gonna cum…" Stephen proclaims, pulling out and getting the chance to actually see you squirt some more onto the floor before him. "shit… I wanna cum in your mouth."

"and… I want you to cum in my mouth, but I don't think I can move?" you reveal to Stephen, reminding him of just how fucked out (and fucked up) he had gotten you. he reaches underneath you to lift you off of the vanity, but you tell him to wait. he – as patiently as possible – awaits your next move, which was to put his glasses back on for him.

you both smile as he resumes adjusting your position to over by the toilet. you were feeling like the world's biggest whore as Stephen sat down on the bowl, mouth gaping as you wait for his permission to proceed… which he gives you by plopping the tip on your tongue.

you stick your tongue out a bit further, gulping before taking as much of him in your mouth as possible. you strain to keep your eyes open so you can peep his reactions to your hard work, and Stephen does not disappoint. "fuck, fuck, fuck…" he spits out as you moan around his length, receiving evidence of your release all over him, and he clocks that fact as well. "you get to taste yourself too… it's good, isn't it, babe?"

"mmhmm!" you reply before taking in even more of Stephen, feeling the tip brush against the back of your throat. fighting the battle (and losing), you gag around him in an effort to adjust to his girth. seeing the struggle get kinda real down there for you spurred him on, and you eyeballing how he's intently observing you through those circular frames made your legs weaker than they already had been.

if you wanted me to bust again, you could've just said so, you think as Stephen unbuttons the rest of his shirt and discards it by the sink. you moan at the sight of the sweat glistening his skin before dragging one of your hands along it. the other hand begins to stroke his dick with more momentum than either one of you thought you had at this point.

Stephen groans your name before he starts teasing you with something you said earlier. "you said… I had the 'top flavor,' right, doll?"

you both giggle before you answer, "I did," nodding up at him with a grin while your wrapped hand continues moving.

"are you ready to taste it?" he asks, voice beginning to tremble as he threads a hand in your hair.

"I've been ready, babe…" you claim with a seductive wink, placing your tongue right underneath the tip before he could think to maneuver your head himself.

"fuck! here it is…" Stephen pants, his eyes shut before the majority of his load of cum lands directly in your mouth, with a few drops landing along your face. you swallowed a portion before gesturing with your fingers for him to lean closer to you. still panting and recovering, he leans forward.

with the little strength you had recovered, you get on your knees, placing one of your hands on his thighs for support before kissing him. hushed moans of varying degrees leave the both of you as you deliver a helping of his seed in his mouth.

it's still messy, it's definitely nasty, but it's damn stimulating – more than any coffee bean could be.

epilogue

after helping Stephen clean up the restroom, and him leaving to check on the shop before closing it up for the night, you're both back in your car… well, kinda. you're almost completely in the driver's seat, with a leg resting outside.

Stephen? he's completely outside next to that leg, on his knees, planting some final kisses for the night. he started on the inner skin of your thighs, journeying up your stomach, and even giving your breasts some love. you let a couple moans slip from your lips as he bites some hickeys into your neck, and those kisses of each other's lips have not lost their intensity in the slightest, the both of you taking turns biting each other’s bottom lips.

"fuck, Stephen," you breathe out, "go home before we end up doing this at my place."

"that sounds like a good idea for the near future," he notes, standing up with your help before leaning down toward you in your seated position. "speaking of, so I'll see you next week?" he asks, planting one more kiss on a knuckle on your hand, firmly dragging said hand along your clothed pussy lips before letting go completely.

"ahh shit…" you start and trail off before turning on your car's ignition, "you'll see me tomorrow if you're working."

"yeah, I'm working tomorrow," Stephen verifies with a smirk and a kiss on your cheek before whispering in your ear, "and I'll have that double shot of espresso ready for you as soon as I see you."

[whalyrae]

DANCE WITH ME - CHAPTER 6

“If you want to keep a secret, you must also hide it from yourself.”

Summary : All your life, you thought you were a beta, a simple and boring beta. Until everything change. But now that you've presented yourself as an omega, how will you manage to live and hide it from your six friends and best friend, all alphas and all in the same pack? (a/n : I'm a shit for summary I'm so sorry-)

Genre : soulmate au (of course I'm a bitch for this), omegaverse, bangtan alphas au!, omega reader, fluff, angst, eventual smut, polyamory relationships

Status : In process

Word Count : 3k

Warnings : the usual one I guess, like smut, angst, fluff (yeah its a warning for some people ) mention of depression, abusive parents (physically and morally), violence and blood, PTSD, scars, self harm,…

Tag list : @ghostlyworld @kawaiikpoplover268 @scuzmunkie @iamkookiesforyou @00ihatesnaku @stellauniverse @akemiixx01 @aceofcards05 @strxwbloody @seoul9711 @amara-mars @alex-walker-86 @yoongicatcat @xicanacorpse

A/N : Remember me ? Ah, I'm so soooo sorry for the wait, really. I'll not vent again, I already did it last weeks. I'm sorry about the quality of the chapter too… it's not really corrected, there are probably lots of spelling, conjugation, syntax mistakes… I think I've lost the little writing talent I had, really, it's so frustrating :') With this writer block it hasn't really helped either… I can't put the ideas I have in my head into words, and it's getting on my nerves too much…!! Hope you'll like it though even a little, I'll do my best for the next one ! ♥ Thank you so much for all the love and attention you give to this story, you can't imagine how much it means for me !! ♥

Also I made a playlist for the story ! If you have any songs who made you think about the story, you can share it to me and I'll add it on the playlist !

Masterlist | ao3 | wattpad | Spotify playlist

Chapter 5 // Chapter 7

☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾

The room was silent after Jungkook's explanation. He and Yoongi had not waited to go to the oldest of the two's apartments where their partners were. Fortunately, since it was so late in the day, they were all there, and reunited in the same place. 

Jungkook shared what he heard during your conversation with Wooyoung and Yeosang. When you said you were an omega. 

Jimin was the first to react. Of course, he did. 

“I can’t believe it…!” he exclaimed after a few seconds, “She’s my best friend… we’ve known each other since high school! If she were an omega, she would've told me! She can't have lied to me…”

Sitting between Hoseok and Taehyung, he brought his knees up to his chest, wrapping his arms around his legs with a pout. He accepted Hoseok's embrace, who placed a kiss on his head. 

The other boys stayed silent. Some of them were quite surprised to learn this, but Namjoon, Yoongi and Taehyung weren't so surprised to hear it, something inside them knew it, they just couldn't explain it.  

"But that'd explain a lot..." Jimin added with a sigh, " she's quite... different recently..."

He obviously noticed the change in your behavior towards him recently. You were more distant and less tactile, and you tended to isolate yourself more in your room, whereas before, you spent all your free time with them, in one of their apartments. 

At first, he thought that the classes and the dancing were exhausting you physically and mentally, like him. And knowing you, you tended to isolate yourself when you weren't feeling well. But it had never lasted as long as it did. He would never have thought that the reason behind it was... that you were an omega.

"We've all noticed it, I think," Jin replied, crossing his arms and looking thoughtful.

"But if she really is an omega," continued Jungkook, "why did she hide it from us? Would she be... afraid of us or something?"

The younger’s question left the room in silence. Everyone had heard about your misadventures with alphas, the behavior of your parents, and your brothers and sisters who were themselves alphas. And even though Jimin had always been the exception to the rule in your life, and now the other boys, you still had a certain reserve towards alphas. And that was as a beta. So, if you were an omega...

“It's not as if it matters anyway,” Namjoon affirmed, “whether she's a beta, an omega, or even an alpha, she's with us, she's part of the pack. But it's true that I'm wondering why she's hiding it from us.”

"Everyone has their wounds, scars, we all do, and we know that our little Y/N has some deep ones that haven't fully healed yet..." Hoseok spoke in a soft, understanding voice, stroking Jimin's hair in a protective, reassuring way.

"It takes time to gain someone's trust, even more so when someone has suffered mistreatment, abandonment, or physical and psychological violence." added Namjoon, crossing his arms. 

Namjoon was right, and everyone agreed with him. For them, naturally, it didn't matter whether you were an alpha, a beta, or an omega. You were who you were, whatever your nature. 

Everyone also knew what you'd been through with your parents, how they treated you, how they had treated you in the past.

None of them had ever said or done anything inappropriate to you, as they would to any of them.

This was the first time in your life since Jimin that you'd been treated like a real human being with respect and consideration, with no alpha, omega or beta stuffs behind it. You were simply Y/N. That was why you'd been able to open to them, to relax and feel at ease in their presence, but there was still a way to go, they were aware about that.

“It’s easy, we can just go and ask her." Yoongi stood up, ready to leave the apartment, "there's no point in speculating and making yourself feel bad," he continued, giving Jimin a gentle look, "I'm sure she'll be able to help us clear up this issue. She's the best person to tell us about it. "

Yoongi was the most impatient of all. But inside of him, he didn't want to admit that you had hidden something from them. Something that in one way didn't matter, but in another way did, more than they or even you realized. 

“Wait hyung!” Jimin grabbed his arms to stop him. “Maybe it’s… something deeper than just a little secret she hides from us… If we go and find her now, she might panic, and things could go badly.”

Yoongi rolled his eyes but didn’t argue with him. 

“I don't want to risk losing her... I couldn't bear that.”

Jimin ran a hand through his hair as he thought about how he'd felt when he'd seen you with San earlier in the day. Even though the interaction between you had been completely innocent, he had imagined you leaving him and his companions to go with him, Wooyoung, and their pack. This simple thought had given him a painful sensation in his lower abdomen that made him wince. 

He knew you weren't interested in San, or Wooyoung, or anyone else for either (or so he thought). But despite everything, he still had this fear deep inside of him, of losing the people he loved. 

"If you'd told her how you felt about her from the start you wouldn't be in this situation." 

Jimin turned his head towards Taehyung, surprised and shocked by his words.

"Taehyung!" 

"I'm totally right, Jin hyung! He already knows! We've already talked about it several times." 

Jimin felt six pairs of eyes on him and shrugged. Yes, it was true that Jimin had confided in Taehyung several times about you. About his feelings for you that he'd kept deep inside him since high school, about his desire for you that only grew stronger with each passing day. More than once, Taehyung had tried to get Jimin to tell you how he felt, but without succeeding in convincing him.

To be honest, it wasn't really a secret that Jimin loved you and that you loved Jimin in return.

At least, it was obvious to everyone except both of you. 

“Namjoon, Yoongi, and I were best friends too…” Jin giggled, “And here we are now.”

Namjoon chuckled and nodded. They had already talked about how they had become more than friends. A drunken evening together had been enough to loosen their tongues and open their hearts. 

“We need to find a good way to figure out all of this,” concluded Hoseok, “and we should tell her, too. Everything.”

They all glanced at Hoseok. Some of them were tense, especially Jin, Jimin, and Jungkook. But Taehyung, Yoongi, and Namjoon agreed with him. 

“I don't know how you've done it, and I don't know how you've kept going all this time, Jimin,” Yoongi let out, stretching.

“Yeah, she's.... fuck I can't even describe it,” Namjoon muttered as he remembered what had happened between you and Yoongi a few weeks ago. In fact, it was that episode that had a triggering effect on him, on how he really felt about you. He also remembered noticing your change at that time, and that he would eventually get the answers to his questions. 

Now he had them.

As for Yoongi, he didn't need all that to know that he felt an irrepressible attraction to you, the same as he felt for each of his companions. 

They were all attracted to you. It wasn't the first time they'd talked about it, discussed a potential way to confess everything to you.

But how could they tell their roommate and beta friend that her seven alphas’ friends, one of whom had been her best friend since high school, all felt an attraction to her?

And what if her feelings weren’t mutuals to all of them?

“Listen…” Jimin began after few seconds, coming to his senses and straightening up, "I'll talk to her, let me talk to her first... but I need time to think about how to broach the subject, and with evaluations coming up..."

"Certainly Jimin, naturally." Namjoon replied in a gentle voice, moving closer to him and placing a kiss on his forehead, "whatever happens, you won't lose her. No one will lose anyone, I promise."

“But what do we do until then?” Asked Jungkook with a small pout.

“Well, I guess we had to wait, act normally, as we always have. We've been able to hold back all those months. Ah yes… years for you, Jimin.” Jin teased with a playful wink, ignoring the death gaze his boyfriend gave him, “we can hold back a little longer," he then affirmed with a nod, even if he was as unconvinced as his partners.

Their attraction to you was growing by the day. And the little encounter with Namjoon and Yoongi clearly showed that they were finding it harder and harder to contain themselves.

None of them wanted to lose you. And they would never, ever do or say anything to hurt you. They were all convinced that if you really were an omega, you had a good reason for keeping it from them until now.  

°°°

You had no idea of the conversation going on upstairs, nor that Jungkook had heard a part of your call with Wooyoung and Yeosang. After hanging up with them, you left your room to go to the kitchen and get something to eat. Noticing that none of your Alpha friends were present in the apartment, you concluded that they had probably decided to spend the evening together. The idea pinched your heart somewhat. Of course, you couldn't blame them, they were together after all, you were just a friend to them (or so you thought). You didn't know why you felt this way. And you didn't like it. As if your life wasn't complicated enough as it was, with the sudden discovery that you were an omega that you didn't know how to handle or how to tell your best alpha friend without him thinking you'd been hiding it from him all these years. Losing him too... you didn't want to think about it. You didn't want to lose either of them.

One good news, however, was that there were currently no signs of potential heat. This gave you more time to think about how you would tell Jimin and the boys.

You didn't know when, or how they would show up, whether it would be like the first time, or not. But Wooyoung had reassured you that you'd feel the first symptoms coming on now that you were aware of your omega condition.  With a sigh, you headed into the kitchen to prepare yourself something to eat. Tomorrow would be a busy day, as you and Wooyoung had planned to train for longer than usual, as the fateful date of the demonstration and therefore of the evaluation was next week, and you needed to keep up your strength.

You didn't have the energy or the mood to cook yourself an elaborate meal. Simple instant noodles would do. You were just going to add some meat and eggs to the preparation, nothing more.

It wasn't long afterwards, when you were waiting for the water to boil, leaning against the kitchen counter with your cell phone in hand, that you heard the front door open.

"Oh, you're back already?" you asked, noticing Jimin, Hoseok and Jungkook. "I thought you'd had a lovers' date or something."

Your tone had been sharper and colder than you'd expected. You felt your heart and stomach twist slightly. Your three friends who'd just returned didn't seem to notice though, and so much for the better.

"Not at all, with the evaluations coming up, we don't really have time for this sort of thing anymore!" replied Hoseok with a laugh, approaching her with his hands in his pockets, "what are you making? Instant noodles, really?"

Hoseok's tone seemed accusatory.

"Noona! You're a dancer! You need to eat better than that!" Jungkook exclaimed.

You rolled your eyes, chuckling and shaking your head.

"No time or energy to make me a real thing. Would you like some too? Or have you guys already eaten? Don't say no and then steal my food as you always do!"

You heard Jimin's laughter, quickly followed by Jungkook and Hoseok.

Then, suddenly, reality hit you. It hit you as if a boxer had just punched you in the face.

Your head turned towards them, there they were, simply doing the simplest thing in the world. Talking, laughing, joking. And yet, it was as if it were the most beautiful thing, the most melodious sound you'd ever heard.

Your eyes widened, you stopped breathing for a few seconds, and you just stayed still, staring at them. Your heart was racing fast, too fast.

Oh.

Oh.

Thinking back, what you were feeling, at that very moment, why your heart was beating so fast when you were with one of them, when you were with Jimin, since high school. This desire to always be with one of them, this feeling of security, of well-being, of safety you felt in their presence. There were no doubts.

Wooyoung and Yeosang had explained it to you. At first, you hadn't really understood what he meant at the time (or you didn't want to understand it, you weren’t ready for that truth), but now everything seemed clear.

As if the fog in your heart and mind had finally cleared.

The attraction of an omega to an alpha, of an alpha to an omega, only worked if the feelings were there too.

It was simple, and logical. You felt a bit foolish.

You couldn't help but let out a nervous laugh, drawing the attention of the three boys.

"Noona? Is everything all right?" Jimin asked, clearly worried.

You looked up at him and noticed with surprise that the water had probably been boiling for many minutes.

Jimin was standing not far from you, his beautiful brown eyes staring back at you. This simple eye contact between you had been enough to make your heart rate quicken again.

"Uh I... yeah, yeah everything's fine...!"

You turned to pick up the packets of instant noodles, noticing without much surprise that Jungkook had added two more.

Your intonation wasn't as confident as you'd hoped. You saw Jimin's gaze become more serious. He took a step towards you, making you take a step back.

You could feel his singular, distinctive scent invading you, as it had since the first day, you'd met in the high school dance club.

How could you not have noticed it before? How could you not have realized?

You were in love with your best friend.

You were in love with your best friend, and his companions, your friends.

Well, technically you'd realized it a few hours earlier when you called Wooyoung and Yeosang. But now, now that you were face to face with the people involved... now that you were confronted with the undeniable truth... things were different, totally different.

Your gestures were suddenly clumsier. You couldn't hide the fact that you were troubled for some reasons unknown to him.

To your relief, Hoseok and Jungkook were in the living room, seemingly focused on some program playing on the TV. But Jimin was still there, scanning you completely.

He was the one who'd known you best, for the longest time. He knew something was wrong, without really knowing exactly what.

How to tell him that in the space of a few weeks, you'd learned you were an omega, but on top of that, you'd just realized how you felt about him and your friends?

It was a lot to take in, to accept for someone who hadn't learned to express her feelings and emotions.

You had to calm down, not panic, not worry Jimin.

As for the last point, it was already a bit of a failure.

"Noona, please, talk to me..." he murmured, his hands resting delicately on your shoulders.

You took a deep breath, trying to calm yourself, resting your hands on his. They were so soft, you couldn't help but squeeze them, wanting to hold them longer.

You never wanted to let them go.

"I'm fine, just a little... stressed and tired, it'll get better after the evaluations, I promise."

Jimin didn't seem convinced, and you could read it on his face. You smiled at him and took him into your arms for a long hug, holding him tightly against you.

He seemed surprised at first, but eventually returned your embrace, his arms wrapping around your waist and his head resting against your shoulder.

You made a decision. In truth, you'd made up your mind after your call with Wooyoung and Yeosang, but now you were sure and certain you wanted to do it.

After your evaluations, in less than two weeks, you'd confess everything to the boys.

... well, maybe not about your feelings for them. Not just yet, and maybe you never will. Never could your feelings be returned.

But you owed them the truth that you were an omega. You had an unspeakable fear of reliving the rejection you experienced with your family, but lying to your best friend, to your friends was worse than anything.

As you felt his warmth, his scent takes possession of your being, your body had relaxed.

"I'll always be with you Y/n, no matter what," Jimin murmured, his embrace around you tightening, and you couldn't contain the shiver as his breath brushed up against your skin, "you and me against the whole world, remember?"

He lifted his head, and you stared at him a few seconds before letting out a laugh. You hadn't heard those words since high school.

"Hey lovebirds, you're cute and all huh, but we're starving!”

"We're not lovebirds!" Jimin and you exclaimed at the same time, causing Jungkook and Hoseok, the one who spoke, to burst into hilarity.

You stepped back from Jimin and turned your back to him while he bickered with his two partners, mostly to hide your face and your blushes from them. You took the packets of noodles, the pre-cut meat, and the eggs. You put everything in the boiling water pan, taking long, slow breaths, trying to calm the pounding of your heart.

Damn it. Those guys will really be the death of you.

[delicatebarness]

i think he knows | chapter seven: post-credit scene

Summary: After the difficult weekend, Reader's need for sleep finally catches up to her.

Warnings: Sleepy Reader. No real story progression.

Word Count: 545

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Series’ Spotify Playlist

A/N: I know I'm meant to be on a writing break but this scene has been playing on my mind all day and I just couldn't leave it alone.

Tags: @bigtreefest | @caplanbuckybarnes | @angelbabyyy99 | @mega-kittyglitter-1 | @cjand10 | @armystay89 |

As the night began to grow colder, Bucky checked the time. He sighed as he realized he should probably be getting you back home. Standing up, you thanked Bucky for giving you his hand for support. Bucky bent down to pick up his jacket from the grass, instantly putting it around your shoulders. Slipping your arms into it, you smiled gratefully at him. 

The ride back to your house was calm, you felt lighter now. The engine hum was a comfortable sound, you grew tired as the cool air wrapped around the two of you, and the bike vibrations rocked you. Your mind finally felt at peace. 

When you reached your house, Bucky cut the engine at the usual corner. He recognized the fatigue taking over your body. “Are you going to be okay to climb?” You nodded, a smile tugged at your lips at his concern.

Before you could make a move towards the tree that was used to climb up, Bucky reached out a hand to help you. You whispered a small thank you to him as you began to climb. Slowly, you both made your way up, Bucky right behind you every step of the way.

~

Your room was covered in darkness, the only light coming from the moonlight. You retreated under the covers, not even bothering to get ready for bed. Snuggling into your pillow, you already began to drift into sleep. Bucky’s jacket was still wrapped around your body. Bucky stayed stood by the window, watching as you found comfort. A content smile on his face, you were okay and you were safe. That’s all he needed to know. 

“I don’t leave,” you barely whispered to him as you sensed him preparing to leave. “Stay with me.” 

His movements froze, hands gripped to the edges of the window frame. He turned back to you and made his way to the side of your bed. Kneeling to your level, his fingers brushed through your hair.

“I know you’re sleepy, Sunshine,” he whispered back to you, his voice was low and soothing. “I’d love nothing more than to stay, but it’s risky.” 

Disappointment took over your face, eyebrows knitted together and your lip trembled slightly. “Please,” you pleaded, a desperate whisper as your eyes opened to look at him. 

His gaze softened, his heart aching at the sight of you at your most vulnerable. He knew the risk of staying, knowing that the more time you spent together the more risk of anyone finding out would be. Yet, as he looked into your eyes, he found himself unable to resist.

He nodded, crumbling to your wishes. He rose to his feet, taking his shoes off and closing the window. Gently, he closed the distance between you two, “Okay Sunshine,” he whispered as he lay on top of the bed covers.”I’ll stay.”

Sighing in relief, you gazed at him while bringing your hand out to intertwine your fingers with his. Bucky made himself comfortable beside you, bringing his arm around to pull you closer. 

You nestle your head into his chest, and the beat of his heart becomes the soundscape you didn’t know you needed, gently guiding you to sleep. Before long, Bucky’s eyelids grew heavy and he joined you to sleep.

- - -

Series Masterlist | Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

[6okuto]

heyy l love ur all your touchstarved hcs and I was wondering if you could write anything for ais? if you’ve done him already could you do leander? thank youu <3

GENERAL AIS HCS

gn!reader | OF COURSEE my babygirl & thank u omg IM GLAD U GUYS LIKE THEM !!🫶 i'll probably make a separate leander post + posts for the others too tbh

you see it in the demo but he's so so happy to see you get along with princess + any other pets 🙁 personally i need a scene where they go to you instead of him and he pretends to be offended.

"after all i've done for you?" he asks before squatting beside you. his eyes flicker over to you before he joins in petting them. "guess i can't blame you, though."

ais teaching them tricks and grinning and saying good job and laughing when they jump on him for a reward. him teaching princess a trick and secretly being very excited to show you because he wants to see your reaction🙁💔

ONE LAST PET NOTE but i need to know what other names he's thought of because he totally looks like he'd give a big scary pet the silliest name ever. peak entertainment for him

if you know any other languages he'd love to learn some phrases!! yes i mean insults for others and nicknames for you. ais loves using them on like,, leander,, who's like What? so he can go "Wouldn't you like to know."

would be very amused if you dyed your hair to match his. calls you a copycat but if you threatened to redye it he'd get more annoying (said lovingly)

does the thing where he leans in really close as if he's gonna kiss you then doesn't. he reaches to grab something behind you and moves away while grinning

he likes listening to you talk about your interests and makes sure to remember important details. casually osmosis's (???) your interests and opinions even if he's never touched it himself

pulling him closer by his clothes or necklaces gets him. Interested.

the pocky game. he takes huge bites and kisses you or gets so incredibly close everyone's just like oh shut up. takes the stick that's a centimeter long between his fingers and goes "i think we got an inch left"

the type of guy who if you wordlessly hugged him would be like "miss me that much?" but have a noticeably firm hold around you because he Is a little worried about why you're hugging him. if you sincerely say yes, his eyes and voice soften when he says "well, good thing i'm here now."

he's confident and totally trusts you but he also finds it incredibly amusing to walk up and kiss you or wrap an arm around your waist if he sees someone try hitting on you. asks "hey, babe, who's this?" while staring right at them. Won't be nice if the person's an ass though

not afraid of pda. you could literally be clinging on to him and he wouldn't mind.

one of the guys who'd carry your silly looking bag without hesitation

you could say "oh try this," about a silly little heart headband and he'd let you put it on as long as he can give You one. "now we match," he says with a grin. take a picture together and set it as his lock screen and he won't change it for ages

looks like a guy who will drape himself on top of you if you're in bed or on the couch. the type of guy who when you say you need to go pee says okay i'll come with you before you shove him

^ likes it when you hold him and just play with his hair or trace things along is back. he plays that game where he tries to guess what you're writing and is ? weirdly good at it ?

if you made a playlist for him he'd listen to it whenever he misses you

also if you have spotify he always checks your profile. you say "i need to know who's liking my playlists" and he's like yeah they must have a crush on you. it's literally him though

sends you shit like this and says you @ me / us / etc because he's annoying and also correct. ais at the peak of the "you want me so bad" jokes would be on top of the world

[greenlightbulbonawire]

Misfits (yeah like the Arcane song) LIII.

______________________________________________________________

Summary: From the dark musty cell of Stillwater all the way to the very base of Firelights, but where to from there? Guess you'll just have to let fate lead you.

Author's note: Soooooo, breaks over! And I've decided how I wanna put s2 into this and finally have a proper story line too, took me only what, 5 months to figure that out? ToT Anyway I'm gonna get an English certificate C1 level soon so I wont have any excuse for my bad spelling and typos no more (english isn't my first language but honestly I speak it better than my mother language so...) Well I hope the wait wasn't so bad and that all of you enjoyed s2 as much as I did (even if I'm traumatized for life now) and that you'll enjoy this chapter. Also I wanna thank you for all the incredible support I've recieved because honestly, when I started this fic, I never though it would gain this much traction and I'm really grateful!! (also what the hell was the spotify wrapped bs this year)

next chapter: Fifty fourth chapter

previous chapter: Fifty second chapter

Masterlist (doesn't work properly)

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He walked up to you and the makeshift gramophone and put the disc into the circular platform. This use of the machine definitely made more sense than what you previously thought it was. Ekko took the spiky spoon thing and placed it onto the black disk and spun it and after a moment of some weird noise, a song started to play from it. You did hear some music in your lifetime, but right now you felt like it had been ages since you last listened to something. For a moment you just stared at the device and let your brain process it all. The thing that finally brought you back to reality was the leader’s hand placed on your shoulder as he looked down on you with a smile on his face. “So, I was thinking, and since you spend a lot of your life in prison, you probably never got to experience a lot of stuff, buuut I was wondering if maybe, you wanted to learn how to dance?”

He took a few steps away from you and offered you a hand, his other one hidden behind his back and he bowed down a little. You stared at him in awe for a good few minutes and he just let you process it all, patiently waiting for your answer. Finally, you shook your head and took his hand with a grin painted onto your lips. “Don’t expect me to be good at it.” You warned him as he pulled you closer to him and put his free hand on your waist. Obviously, you didn’t expect this and your eyes widened as he did so, your mouth left slightly agape. “I taught you how to fight, I think I got this.” Ekko rolled his eyes and raised his eyebrows at you, even if you hadn't meant it that way, this was now a challenge in his eyes, and he wasn’t going to fail.

“You know, you have to put your hand on my shoulder right?” “How could I? I never danced with anyone.” The boy let go of your waist and grabbed your arm, helping you put it into the right position and when your hand rested on his shoulder, he returned his arm back to where it previously was placed. “Excuses is all I hear.” He poked at you back and shrugged, then he looked down at both of your feet, thinking about how to best explain to you how to dance. “So there’s like a lot of traditional dances, but I think you’ll be fine if we start with Waltz, not even you can mess that up.” You nodded in agreement and followed his gaze, looking down too as he lifted one of his feet up and tapped it against the front of yours. “Keep your expectations realistic Ekko, please.” Ekko chuckled a little at your comment and tapped your foot again, now realising it might indicate that you have to do something, you picked up your foot too.

“Look at that, you can read my mind too. Okay, okay, so, at first you’ll have to watch your feet, like a lot, but once you get the grip, you can look up. But for now, just follow what I’m doing okay?” “I can definitely try to do that, yeah.” He nodded and slowly started to drag the foot he had previously tapped yours with against the floor in your direction, and so you did the same, but instead of going in his direction, you went backwards. Ekko made sure to tell you when you did something right and when you did something wrong, and also to have a firm grip on you, since he knew that balance wasn’t your strongest forté and the possibility of you losing it was almost as high as when you were learning to hoverboard. Of course you stepped on his foot more times than you could count, but Ekko didn’t seem like he minded at all, in fact, it almost looked like he was enjoying himself.

When Ekko felt like you had gotten a pretty good grip on how to do the basic steps, he decided to mess with you a little and incorporate a simple spin into it. Which definitely threw you off your balance, just like he suspected it would, and if he wasn’t holding you, you would’ve fallen onto your ass. Not that you’d mind since you were pretty much used to it by this point. But Instead of falling back, you were pulled closer to him, your chest pressed against his. “Careful.” He warned you in a low tone, almost whispering it into your ear and in that moment, you didn’t even register what his words were, your mind busy with concentrating on something completely different at the moment. Ekko seemed to know that, it was like this was his full intention. Or maybe he was just saving you from your clumsiness.

The boy patiently waited for you to snap out of it yourself for a few moments longer, but when he felt like he gave you quite enough time to think, he stepped away and gave you a look that you could only describe as a winning smile. “Right, okay. Again?” You stared at the ground for a little longer and then you finally looked at his face, creating eye contact with him. “You haven’t had enough yet?” Ekko chuckled a little at your words and raised an eyebrow at you. Part of him was surprised that you wanted to continue as he had never painted you as someone who likes things like this, but the other part of him knew you were stubborn, determined and persistent, well in some cases at least. “You know me, I don’t give up easily.”

[onepieceisreeeeaaalll]

The Straw Hats As My Spotify Wrapped

Look, this post is very self-indulgent and chronically online. I understand it's probably just for me, and I'm okay with that. I've watched a lot of One Piece this year and have made it all the way from Fishman Island to where I'm snuggly in Act 2 of Wano. I'll provide my rationale, but I just wanted to share the random songs from my wrapped that remind me of the Straw Hats and a couple bonus people! I'll also throw in a specific lyric to show what I mean.

THIS BEING SAID: I think everyone should do this. All the people I follow and all mutuals. I would LOVE to see everyone's wrapped songs and pair it with their fave characters.

LUFFY Meet Me At Our Spot - THE ANXIETY, WILLOW

Okay, I labored over this one. There are a few songs that give me Luffy vibes for different reasons, but this one kind of just fits in the sense where I just...feel like it's the best vibe? It's about youth and forgetting about your worries by spending time with the person you care about. Luffy is that person for so many people and his crew means everything to him. It's like an escape, kind of like freedom. Idk. I also thought about Doombop by the Toxhards for him.

Meet me at our spot Got something I wanna show you Meet me at our spot They can't find us there

ZORO Heavy Is The Crown - Linkin Park

I know people have their opinions about this song's placement in LOL and the new Linkin Park singer, but I think this song is just kind of awesome for a war chant. I feel like you could make an AMV of any Zoro fight to this song and it would elevate it.

You can't win if your white flag's out when the war begins Aimin' so high but swingin' so low Tryin' to catch fire but feelin' so cold

NAMI not yours, never was - Cherub Tree 

Please, please listen to riot grrrl music. Nami is a badass and this just feels like the perfect woman empowerment song for her.

Let's smoke the parliaments and burn them all to ashes You think you're gonna stop me? Come on dude As if you own me? Seriously?

USOPP Talk Too Much - Renee Rapp 

This is for a few reasons, the obvious one being that Usopp is a talker. Through-and-through. But it's the anxiety that makes him talk so much, which Renee Rapp talks about in this song. It's definitely more of a love song, but still. I think it applies.

I'm takin' everything I see as a sign and I know it's crazy But what if it's right

SANJI Home - Cavetown

OKAY OKAY so I know people have their opinions on Cavetown but everyone is going to have to pry this song out of my cold dead hands. When I watched Whole Cake earlier this year, my love for Sanji just grew exponentially. He's been through so much but he's still just such a beacon of light. He's kind, he's caring, even after all of the pain he's been put through. I feel like this song just kind of encapsulates that part of him that still feels vulnerable from the trauma.

Get a load of this train wreck His hair's a mess and he doesn't know who he is yet But little do we know, the stars Welcome him with open arms

CHOPPER HOT TO GO - Chapelle Roan 

This is mostly just because I saw an animation somebody did of Chopper doing the dance and I LOVED it. I always think of him and his cute little arms.

H-O-T-T-O-G-O Snap and clap and touch your toes Raise your hands, now body roll Dance it out, you're hot to go

ROBIN Mic Check - Sophie Hunter 

Confession: this was my number one most played song this year, I've had a rough year lol. Why I chose it for Robin is kind of self-explanatory. She has been through so much and her 'I want to live' moment is very obviously iconic and impactful to the story and her character. What I like about this song is it's kind of like an acceptance of those negative, self-harming thoughts and behaviors that permeate all of us. It's kind of like a 'fuck it, we ball.'

Mic check Think I got a jacked up preset Been feeling myself start to regress All I want to be is decent Yeah I need a pick-me-up

FRANKY Na Na Na - My Chemical Romance

This man has built and rebuilt himself. His transformation from Cutty Flam to Franky is such an important shift for his character. I just feel like this song is kind of like an anthem to that, though it's more about when he became a punk in Water7. It's his own 'fuck it, we ball.' It's high-energy and I think really fits him.

(Na, na-na-na, na-na-na) Let's blow an artery (Na, na-na-na, na-na-na) Eat plastic surgery (Na, na-na-na, na-na-na) Keep your apology Give us more detonation

BROOK DEBT COLLECTOR - Jhariah

This is purely because of vibes. The song is kind of like a dark fantasy which I think suits Brook really well. Plus it's got a cool kind of jazzy funk to it that I think the Soul King would heavily fuck with.

Gravedigger Cordial killer Your payment is due, they're looking at you We've done what we can, it's out of our hands Sooner or later, it comes back again

JIMBEI Read My Mind - golda may cover (originally by The Killers)

Ah, the Fishman Island Arc. The things that came out of it about Jimbei's time in the Sun Pirates just made me love him even more. They fought so hard to save people from slavery and the injustices of the World Government, and I feel like the softer vibes of this cover feel like it would suit a flashback or reflection of that time.

The good old days, the honest man The restless heart, the Promised Land A subtle kiss that no one sees A broken wrist and a big trapeze

BONUS: 

ACE Sirens - Bear Ghost

This one took a minute and I debated a few other options. Bear Ghost controversies aside, this song kind of reminded me of a meta-analysis I read about Ace a while back relating to how he perceives himself and his general self-worth. It was a very good read and maybe if I can find it I'll link it here. Anyway, this song is basically like an ongoing panic attack.

Brother, sister, please don't shame me Silence so loud But I promise I'm fine here I'm just getting my fill And if you had just what I need I wouldn't want it now

LAW vampire - Olivia Rodrigo

I slaved over which song from my list would work for Law, and there are so many. This is the least self-indulgent, the rest that remind me of him are purely based off of a stupid oc roleplay that I do not care to elaborate on lol. This song for Law, though - WOW, I just think of the struggle he went through finally taking down Doflamingo. It wasn't planned, it wasn't what his goal was, but it was so important for him to heal those old wounds.

I see the parties and the diamonds sometimes when I close my eyes Six months of torture you sold as some forbidden paradise I loved you truly Gotta laugh at the stupidity

DOFLAMINGO Good To Be King - Journey to Bethlehem

I'm sorry to report that I am a theatre kid. This musical has some bops, and while I'm not particularly religious, I absolutely loved this song. Every time I hear it, I think of Doflamingo and his time in Dressrosa.

Look how the peasants work down to the bone As I sit up high on my velvety throne Pulling the strings on the people below It’s so stinking good to be king

OKAY THAT'S IT! THANKS FOR READING IF YOU DID!

[tunastime]

hehe hi myke, thanks for sending this in my dms <3 here's your song! it's quelle suprise, which I originally read the lyrics wrong in because I don't speak french, but I think now after reading it. rarrrg. anyway! this is just such a bop, so not a lot of replays! I found it late in the year (and I know I sent it to you already lol)

(536 words)

There is something very wrong with Etho.

Or maybe there isn’t. Who’s Bdubs to know every thought inside his head, apparently? Who’s Bdubs to think he understands him? Bdubs is a red life now. The sludge of trigger fingers and loose cannons and live-wires all mingles with blood, hot and red, in his veins. It was always red, always hot, heightened now, to a dizzying sting. He can hear it thump around his head when he listens closely, hear it chanting for more. 

He’s starting to piece things together that he thinks maybe he shouldn’t. It’s hard. Bdubs sits on his hands, screwing up his face as he squeezes himself into a small space of his upside-down base. It’s hard trying to figure this out. What Etho's thinking. His heart feels like a creature begging to flee from his chest, slamming against the front half of his ribcage like it might break apart and let it out into the world. At the same time, that thumping hurts, because there’s an awful squeeze in his chest. He’s not been able to breathe right for a while. Probably since the moment Etho laughed at him before he went to kill that dragon.

That’s funny though, isn’t it? Etho promises things so easily, but when it comes time to deliver he’s always finding shortcuts. Like how he didn’t agree when Bdubs asked how much he would give for him? There was no equal half, was there?

Bdubs was making a mistake, wasn’t he? Wasn’t that the worst part?

Well maybe he wasn’t! Maybe Etho was more afraid of Cleo than he was Bdubs—of course he would side with someone who could help him the most. Certainly not dead weight. Which Bdubs assumed he was again. Though Joel and Martyn, and Mumbo when he was there, and Pearl even, were more than willing to help out with whatever needed to be done. And that was easy for them. So why couldn’t Etho say anything? Why couldn’t he just lie to him? What kind of game was Bdubs playing at, that Etho felt so confident that he would never have a task that asked him to twist the knife already in Bdubs’ chest? He’s sorry. He’s sorry. Etho didn’t ask him to put the knife there. He took it from Etho’s hands and put it in his chest and he thought maybe that would make things better, rather than worse.

It isn’t Etho’s fault. Etho’s playing his game. Bdubs knows that. So he’s not mad at him—well, he won’t be mad at him when he leaves the game and Etho crawls his way into his lap and presses his face to the juncture of his neck and says he’s sorry. Because he’s always sorry. Bdubs wonders if—no. No. Bdubs swallows down the taste in the back of his throat. He’s done wondering. And he’s done letting Etho’s excuses sit heavy in his chest like they might be armor instead of eating him alive.

He stands up, fishing the pocket watch from his pocket.

It’s still early. The cracked surface reflects back only a portion of his face.

For now, the clock stays intact. But Bdubs can imagine the satisfying crunch it might make when his heel grinds against it.

(spotify wrapped ask meme)

[annacory-blog]

Dance or die

I fell in love with another fic by @ulysses000 and then Spotify provided me with a perfect song. I had to draw them to exorcise that image from my head.

As per tradition - below is my attempt in translation. I want to make complete translation so badly (this is probably one third)! I believe this story deserves more attention. But can some kind English speaker confirm it is readable???

Love this fic specially from WoD perspective, it cultivates such delicious feeling of emptiness. And while technically, it has a happy end, you can not get rid of bitter taste of loss. Their requiem is not life, and there no way back. All is gone!

—————————————————-

Music stops abruptly. The dancefloor is silent, mob looks around in bewilderment. All eyes are focused on a flimsy, dirty stage. There, litten by sophites, stands brunette, cladded in a black robe. Calmly she re-adjusts many necklaces and bracelets, adorning her bosom and wrists. She checks microphone, softly tapping it with elegant finger, nonplussed by screeching sound it makes or the yells thrown her way from down the stage. For a while she silently stares in the drunk faces below, until eventually rowdy voices are reduced to quiet, unhappy mumble in the back rows.

-"What would you like to say, before the end of the world?"

-"Go fuck yourself!" - someone yells back from the crowd. Brunette’s smiles softly. Her blue eyes sparkle. This sight will be their last before headless body collapses to the floor.

View from the stage is absolutely terrific. It reminds of a late spring evening in the mansion by the sea. Bodies sway in panic, almost as grass would in a lush fields. Writings on the wall glitter with red as if they were remnants of the sunset caught in clouds. Screams - voices of seagulls. Sweet aroma that spreads across the room reminds of freshly brewed Irish coffee. Eyes locked on the bright fountains. Droplets shimmer in the air with a multitude of colour. Content. Do not argue with Mother. It is a simple rule every kid should know. Because, no matter how kind, gentle and understanding Mother is, she is not all sweets and praises. She also has an iron glove to treat the unruly child. Anyone who dares to confront her will surely drown in their own blood.

-"Now, dance or die."

Music never heard in this walls engulfs space. Stirring voice of the violin is echoed by screams, cello is perfectly complimented by heart-rending howls. Robin is not at all surprised by this harmony of cries and choir chanting. Clocks have just reached zero and this means, time for celebration has finally come. Perfect night to forge a timeless bond between the beloved child and the dear friend. Trafalgar stands on the stage, as if he always was there. Pity no one minds what is happening in the spotlight. He looks tidier than usual, ceremonial. Shirt, tie, three piece suit, shoes - all in various shades of black, all fitted perfectly. His gaze briefly stops on the couple of cadavers lying by the stage, then moves to the brunette.

-"Playing with food, aren’t we?"

-"Tarao, symbolism never was one of your strengths." - She smiles softly and shakes her head, - "Don’t try to grasp, what is beyond you. Just think of it as a cog in the well oiled machine."

Flowers on wreath along the walls move, as if troubled by the gust of wind, candle lights flicker, and blond man appears by Robin’s side. Sanji fiddles with the hem of his suit anxiously, fixes invisible wrinkles on the bouquet wrap. Trafalgar thought he put more than enough efforts to look decent tonight, however he wouldn’t stand a chance if this was a competition. Sanji's clan has been know for this aura of perfection, but even among his kin - he is special. Where the rest emmit light of the full moon, Sanji’s light would blind you as hot summer sun in zenith. He holds ten white roses - stark contract against his black suit. Pale of petals resonates with pale of the skin, highlights the gold of his hair. Trafalgar cannot possibly look away and no disciplines are to blame for this magic. Little smile slips from under his control “this is beautiful” he thinks.

-"Sorry for being late" - blond tuck one long golden lock behind the ear. Eyes drift towards the dance floor, but do not linger there. Woman chuckles softly - so innocent.

-"I was worried you made your escape."

-"Please, don’t ruin the moment" - gaze of his blue eyes seems to be glued to the wooden planks of the stage, then he looks up, eyes meet with Robin’s.

They nod, almost simultaneously, and only after Sanji musters enough of courage to look to the other man. His gaze shamelessly devours all the minute details he can grasp, it is hard to tell, if he desperately tries to avert attention from the bloodbath on the dance floor, or genuinely admires the sight. Trafalgar thinks he would be happy with both reasonings. Laws lips move soundlessly forming few words. Sanji chuckles and replies in the same manner: “you too, idiot”.

-"Ladies and Gentlemen." - maybe a dozen of eyes flicker back in response to sweet, calm voice of the woman. Short break taken from tormenting the flesh, generously soaked with blood and tears. Bodies contort with the fear for their life. - "Tonight, before the Dark Mother’s eyes, souls of two cursed sons of hers will be united. Every kindred present here shall witness the making of endless, mutual death." - her eyes run across the dance floor, reading the mood of the guests. - "the Vinculum should not be broken. Anyone who dares an attempt to weaken the bond will be hunted by The Circle of the Crone," - she looks for a moment into particularly dark corner - "as well as by our brothers and sisters from Ordo Dracul."

Her gaze shifts to the dark haired man, waiting for him to return the attention.

-"Now you can speak your vows."

Trafalgar makes a step forward, reaches to touch cold pale fingers, swallows heavily before he starts to speak.

-"I, Trafalgar D Water Law, hereby take Vinsmoke Sanji into my Requiem forever." - envelops his hand gently and carefully - "I swear before all that is holy and all that is unholy that we, tonight, seal our fates by bonds of dedication and honor. When my partner is hungry, I will bring food." - Sanji chuckles quite and bright - "When my partner sleeps, I will watch and bear witness upon waking." - He squints, eyes slit, as if targeted by bright lamp. - "When my partner is afraid, I will give comfort, and when my partner is wronged, I will have vengeance." - Cool fingers caress back side of the hand. - "This I swear on the blood, and the flame and the spirit."

In his blue eyes flashing light reflects, candles burning twice as bright with the last spoken words. Law squises cold hand, trying to reassure, give comfort, prevent flashes from setting kindred's mind aflame.

-"I, Vinsmoke Sanji, hereby take Trafalgar D Water Law into my Requiem forever." - his voice sweetest thing that ever touched ears, in both life and un-life, - "I swear before all that is holy and all that is unholy that we, tonight, seal our fates by bonds of dedication and honor." - His fleeting touch playfully skims through tan fingers, icy sensation brings sober clarity and bliss of inebriation at the same time. - "When my partner is hungry, I will bring food." - Law’s smile is barely there. - "When my partner sleeps, I will watch and bear witness upon waking. When my partner is afraid, I will give comfort," - he is the most gentle and kindhearted, so much is obvious in every syllable of every word. - "And when my partner is wronged, I will have vengeance. This I swear on the blood, and the flame and the spirit."

Sanji’s hold on the hand gets firmer as he expects another rise of firy glow to radiate the room. Little girl steps forward from behind the stage, she is silent and obedient. So small, seven years at most, her deep chocolate eyes glazed with indifference, strawberry blond hair braided in two pig tales, white gown hugs fragile figure. She stares ahead absently, woman’s hands leading her by shoulders.

-"Time to make the sacrifice." - hand outstretched to pass the ritual knife. Fingers gently support ragged blade.

Trafalgar feels how kindred’s claws pierce his skin. He might have broken few bones, if older wouldn’t strengthen his grip in response. It is heard for Sanji. This is easily seen, his eyes shift frantically, his lips stripped of smile and crooked. Even his touch feels colder than before. He never have taken the life of a sentient being. Even in death Sanji remained pure, his hands and soul unmarred by murder of mortals. Law knows other is hurting, in his eyes this child is seen as a spit image of the older sister. Trafalgar himself lost in the shattered memories for a moment. Girl reminds his late sister, who died too young too long ago. Despite that he knows he will have enough resolve to put this innocent child to rest, as she obediently waits for her own demise.

This is essential part for the completion of the ritual. Sanji knows it. This is not news, but he can’t keep his long dead heart from burning and spasming disgusted by creeping acceptance. He was the one who proposed marriage. He organized most of the celebration. He thought about it many times, about this particular moment he has to take someone’s life, scenario played in his head on repeat. But it is not something you can be prepared for. This is wedding. They are about to enter mutual un-life, their souls are to be bound for the eternal death, forfeiting innocence, killing personification of their past. Together.

His hand is shaking, but Sanji hides it, only grip on the hilt gets stronger. Her face is gentle and soft, with neat childish features, but her eyes are dead already, trapped under Mother’s hypnotic influence. Embroidery on the gown matches hair colour. She looks like a little princess. Sanji forgets to imitate the leaving, his thorax freezes mid inhale, mechanical movement abandoned. He thought he would be able to do it, to confront the past, to kill for the sake of something new, for the sake of future. But this first step is terrifying. All his being is trapped, Staring in the eyes of the Beast, unable to move. Sanji doesn’t want to lose his humanity, he is afraid to slip, to get comfortable with the idea of supremacy over humans, his own strength, his right to take life. Few months in his death, as soon as fog of newly obtained supernatural powers thinned, allowing him to think clearly again, he made a decision to give his all to keep whatever “human” have left in this damned shell of the body. Once he got accustomed with business run by The Circle of the Crone, he found plenty of friends in each and every city morgues and knew without failure when fresh carcasses were delivered to local butcheries. When ritual required freshly drawn blood he used his own vite with no second thought. And now all workarounds are closed, blocked by unmovable boulders. Only one way ahead.

-"We are both dead. It’s not going to get any worse." His whisper is scolding hot against the skin, it reminds to expand lungs, air forced in with fake inhale. Warm palm touches softly, fingers carefully wrap around the hand that holds the hilt, the touch reassures, hand redirected slightly - outward and up.

-"Beheading is better."

For once Sanji is genuinely grateful that Trafalgar never listens and reads his thoughts at any given moment. -"One." He angles cutting edge . -"Two." Skin is burning hot -"Three." Thud. Mortal dread frozen in the eyes of the dead girl.

_________________________

And song that was a catalyst for all the efforts

[anticidic]

89 + fyozai for the spotify wrapped fic ask game?

#89: Nothing Ever Dies — Kamelot

Here we are Under the same old sun All alone yet somehow bound and unified Dust to dust Ashes to ashes won't take long We search for a harbour, somewhere to belong

“Us meeting by chance like this yet again in the same alley—” Fyodor stopped short and blinked with a show of concern, his eyes shifting to the blade of a knife pointed at him.

They were an arm’s length apart. One swipe from Dazai and Fyodor wouldn’t be able to react before it was too late.

Then Fyodor’s features softened, and his frown gave way to a splitting smile. "Not even five seconds after greeting you, you're already so hostile." He held his hands up, but Dazai did not buy the act. Another one of Fyodor's ways of pretending to be concerned about his life being put at risk. A reaction any other person would have.

A reaction that made sense to anyone who wasn't Fyodor. Dazai bared his teeth in a sneer and narrowed his eyes with a burning intent to kill.

"Death is too good for you. Even the deepest pits of hell wouldn't want something like you, Dostoevsky. You have nowhere to go, nowhere to be. That's why you've been here the last several years wandering Yokohama like a ghost. How miserable and boring."

Snow drifted through the air and fell down around them. Fyodor reached out with a hand to catch some of the flakes in his palm, watching the dust build up and spill over. "You make it sound like that's a bad thing," he said, dumping the snow and looking back up. "As if...you don't know what that feels like yourself. I can think of worse fates, Dazai-kun, like a homeless beggar passing away on the cold ground as the snow piles up."

"You forget people change," Dazai started as he approached, the grip he had on the knife white-knuckled and pointed at Fyodor's chest—right where the heart was, "people get older, people die, we lose a few along the way and meet others. Maybe once I could've agreed with that line of logic of yours that hasn't changed since the day we met." A light smile played on his lips while Fyodor stared back unfazed, maybe plotting a way out of the conversation by way of another sniper gunning down Dazai. But no. No one would be out in this godforsaken weather if they didn't have to be. Only people like him, like Fyodor, were out all hours of the night and through all weathers during the day. "But I don't agree with it now, because I've changed my way of thinking over the years, but you still haven't changed. You're the same Dostoevsky, whether for better...or for worse."

Striking Fyodor down where he stood was too good for him. Even if Dazai's blows carried anger, despair, chaos and Fyodor left the world for good and left him finally, it was not enough. Death was not enough. Nothing would ever be enough. They were alike in many ways, but the mean little light in Fyodor's dead eyes told him this: where Dazai went through the motions waiting to die because he couldn't find anything worth sticking around for, Fyodor wanted death because it would give him the last laugh.

If Dazai killed him, Fyodor won. He was best left alive. Suffering. He wanted to be taken out by someone, and Dazai would not give that to him. He had never seen someone so silently miserable that they made it their life mission to spread it to others like the plague.

Once, maybe when he was fifteen or sixteen and probably not eighteen, Dazai felt the same way. But not now. What looked back at him resembled Fyodor, but Dazai also saw an old piece of himself somewhere in there. And it made his skin crawl.

"Go on," Fyodor said, steps light and airy against the frosted ground. Closer, closer yet. Until the tip of the blade touched his chest and he had a look of dare. Please go on, you know you want to do it. You'd probably feel better getting rid of someone as bad as you. The words went unsaid. But Dazai could hear that taunting voice in the back of his mind. “Your hesitation to kill me when you have the chance strikes me as odd. As if you’re conflicted. Is this also supposed to be one of your changes you went on about? You think yourself a better man now though you know blood as much as I do?”

Something cold brushed against Dazai's fingers and for a moment he thought it was Fyodor grabbing him, but even the subzero temperatures and wind blowing through his hair were warmer than how Fyodor felt. His breaths came out in tiny, white puffs and nothing came from Fyodor. As if he was holding his breath. Or...or could not process the cold because he was even colder than it.

“You’ll die. But you won’t die when you want to, it’ll be when I want you to,, because otherwise what's the fun in it, huh? I'd be disappointed if you let me kill you right here and right now so easily.”

Instead, he put the knife away and walked off. His footsteps faded the more they grew apart until Dazai paused by the alleyway entrance and breathed out quietly. He was no ghost, but he felt equally restless letting Fyodor go this one time. Was it a terrible mistake? Maybe this would’ve been his one shot to end things for good and put another great and terrible part of his past behind him. Perhaps, even death yearned for comfort in the meaningless rituals of the living.

“We’ll both die someday. Your body will be marked by scars and sins people couldn’t forgive you for and you couldn’t forgive yourself for, just like everyone else in this world.”

The words, Fyodor’s confession, his mocking declaration, pierced Dazai’s mind. He flinched. Not from their thousand cuts, but from the bite of the cold lashing against his cheeks.

“What do you suppose will kill you, Dostoevsky?”

A pause.

“God.”

Spotify Ask Game!

[kylobith]

Little Town Tails

Chapter 7: A Frog in his Throat

Summary: Halsin investigates Gortash's interest in Heawick but finds himself confronted with a rather disappointing thought instead.

Ship/Pairing: Halsin x Fem!Tav

Trope: Modern AU, Meet-cute, Little countryside town, Cosy

Word count: 4,418

Read it on Ao3 here

Listen to the dedicated playlist on Spotify here

‘This is bad news, I’m telling you!’

Melly stands by the bakery’s door, wrapped up in a colourful cardigan whose hems she tucks under her arms. Disgruntled by the mention of Gortash, she readjusts her pink glasses on her wrinkled nose.

‘I’ve read about him and his kind,’ she continues without waiting for Halsin to respond, ‘all they want is to deface our villages to bring hordes of tourists that will thrash the place! No more little shops and old markets! It’ll be the same thing a hundred times over in case one milks the cash cow less than the next!’

‘Do you know if anything has been sold to him?’ he asks with a tremor in his voice, settling himself by petting Scratch’s head behind the ears. In an instant, the white dog leans against his leg, as though to bring him some much needed comfort.

The elderly lady merely gives him a shrug.

‘That, I do not know. He came here the other day too, probably when you told him off. My son, that people pleaser, didn't dare kick the man out. I had to do it for him! Good thing that I’m still overlooking things, otherwise he would have sold the bakery there and then!’

A nervous grin crosses his face, but his mind is not at rest. How could it be, when his practice, his cherished project he has put so much passion into, might potentially be threatened? Ever since Karlach showed him articles about Gortash, he has been struggling to sleep at night. He tosses and turns, wondering what he could do to protect Emerald Grove from being sold. More than once, as soon as his eyes grow weary and his lids heavy, the first thing he sees is his keys being wrestled out of his hands and the animals thrown out onto the street. That wakes him up instantly in a cold sweat.

Apparently, this same anguish must be haunting his traits again, because Melly gently squeezes his arm — at least what she can grab of it.

‘Now, do not worry yourself so much, Halsin. Nothing’s settled. That cockroach was merely lurking around but maybe he hasn’t found anything worth chewing on.’

‘I just…’ The veterinarian lets out a heavy sigh and rubs his large palm over his face.

‘I do not want to lose my practice, I have only just opened! I saved every coin I could for years to fulfil this dream. I have no intention to let the big corporation seize it away for their own gain when I know that I am helping the community.’

‘Oh love, they will not. The community will not let them, I am sure!’

Before Halsin can protest or voice his concern further, Melly raises a finger and disappears inside the bakery for a moment, leaving the veterinarian and his dog standing by the queue of hungry locals taking a break from the market. Noticing that he is tapping his foot and clenching his jaw hard enough that the hint of a cramp seizes him, he forces himself to relax and crouches to hug Scratch. Absolutely elated, the dog wags his tail enthusiastically and sniffs the man’s cheek, giving it some playful licks which bring a genuine smile back to his lips.

Perhaps Melly is right. There is no need for him to get himself in such a state as long as no shop or space has been sold to Gortash or anyone of his kind. Heawick is still what it is, authentic and tranquil, unbothered by the bustling crowds. Those who come usually know the place already or know a bunch of souls that have claimed it as their home. Names are easily remembered and recognised, shouted with excitement at one’s sight, accompanied by warm greetings and small talk. Surely, nobody would allow this haven to turn decrepit under the malicious fingers of a business mogul.

As Scratch licks Halsin’s chin, triggering a gentle chuckle from the man, Melly emerges from inside the bakery with a small paper bag she hands over to him. With a quizzical glance, he peers inside and sees four of his favourite pastries carefully nestled at the bottom. He instantly pats his pocket in search of his wallet.

‘How kind of you! Let me see… How much do I owe you?’

‘Oh, love, nothing!’

Melly pats his hand cradling the bag and grants him a reassuring grin, typical of a coddling grandmother.

‘You’re pale and tense, darling,’ she continues, ‘you must eat something, at least for comfort. Perhaps you should clear your mind by taking a walk with Scratch?’

Halsin sighs and ends up mirroring her smile. She is right, there is no use dwelling over this. There is no certainty that Gortash and his plans are a threat to Heawick just yet. Unless one of the shops is sold, the thought of which he is sure the owners would not entertain, there is no worry to be had. Besides, as Melly and Arfer often remind him, there had been a dire need for a veterinarian’s office in the area before Emerald Grove opened. Until then, even for emergencies, owners had to drive their pets at least half an hour to the city to receive care for them. Emerald Grove is a valued place in the neighbouring villages, perhaps this alone could put his mind at rest.

‘Good idea,’ he sighs, eyeing the pastries a second time. ‘Nothing like a long walk in nature to clear your mind.’

‘Good boy!’

Her validation tugs at his lips and lights up his gloomy eyes. They exchange a few pleasantries, then Scratch nudges his owner, having understood that a walk was in order. Munching on one of the little fruit pastries, he returns home to fetch the dog’s leash, treats, and a roll of small bags to clean up after Scratch should he relieve himself before they reach the forest. He tucks the rest of the pastries away in a cool corner of his kitchen to keep them fresh until his return and sits down on the edge of his sofa to slip into more comfortable shoes to walk in the woods.

As he ties up his shoelaces, his mind inevitably wanders to the one memory that brings him any solace in the storm of anxiety.

Tav.

He could not explain why his mind is filled with images of her, of her smile and the slight blush peppering the bridge of her nose whenever she looks at him. He thinks nothing of it, of course. Why should he? She is merely a patient’s owner, and he is certain that once Beaky’s paw is healed, she will no longer seek his help. Yet, despite his best effort, he cannot help but let her invade and haunt his mind. The phantom of her presence, albeit not as satisfying as seeing her in the flesh can be, remains quite soothing to his soul. It is harmless, after all, isn’t it? He is not acting upon anything. No need to question his ethics, there is no ill intent behind any of this daydreaming, and his reflections are nothing but respectful to her.

When he and Scratch reach the edge of the forest, they come across Minsc and stay for a minute or two to talk. Seeing how committed the ranger is to the forest — and to Jaheira’s flower shop — Halsin guesses that the gentle giant is blissfully unaware of Gortash and decides against telling him about it. No need to trouble him. He would probably ignore the situation anyway or misunderstand his worries. Should anything happen, the ranger would eventually be informed of it.

Once Minsc walks away to his office, waving vigorously at the veterinarian and Scratch, the dog pulls his owner towards the forest, eager to continue their stroll.

Secluded from the bustling marketplace, the forest seems more appealing than ever to him. The sun’s rays sparkle upon the lofty branches of the oak trees and filter through the green leaves. Dancing haloes illuminate the roots protruding from the cool earth, revealing the hundreds of tiny insects fluttering about. Beds of foxgloves and poppies surround and dot the woodland, adding bright colours to compliment the green of the leaves and the browns of the barks. Beyond the opposite fringe, the fields constituting the typical landscape of the region roll towards the horizon, with their crops finally reaching out towards the sky, readying themselves for blooming and reaping.

Scratch dashes between the trees, his tongue lolling out happily as he hops over the roots and taps his paws on the dead leaves and plants coating the ground as he waits for his owner to catch up with him. Halsin, with his hands resting against the small of his back, ambles behind with the leash rolled loosely around his wrist and whistling an old tune. As soon as he finds himself beside the dog, he grants him a small tasty treat.

When they near a clearing, some loose tresses of his brown mane flutter in the light breeze reaching him. Closing his eyes and smiling to himself, he hums and tilts his chin up, welcoming the fresh air embracing his face. The past few days have been rather warm for spring, a little gust always makes a difference, even for a fleeting second.

A nudge against his calf alerts him that Scratch is eager to move on. Halsin eyes the grass and hums with satisfaction when he finds a sturdy piece of a broken branch between the blades. He picks it up, throws it ahead, and laughs when the pup sprints to fetch it.

As Halsin watches him gnaw at the wood, he realises how ideal his life has come to be. Back in other villages and towns, life was not nearly as sweet. Too many circumstances and hostile environments smothered him and prevented him from living his life as he wished to. But now that the practice is open and that he has moved into a beautiful quaint house in a friendly community, he feels that he can be himself more than ever. Not that he let outsiders influence his personality much, but he did feel hindered by the norms and expectations of the people who surrounded him back then.

Now, he has built a little world within the confines of his house and practice, and he finally gets to set his own rules and conventions. They are not meant to impede on the well-being of his friends and visitors, but rather to let everyone be who they are without being confined to a precise etiquette. To him, it is rather simple: if you intend to do well by others and nature, then you are most welcome into his world and you can be whoever you are without being shamed for it. If not, then he will do his best to help you, but he will put his foot down and exclude you should your actions cause any harm to anyone.

In a way, that might be why his weariness of Astarion lingers. While his new recruit has not openly done anything to wrong him or any of his neighbours, his professional ‘accomplishments’ and the reason that pushed him into community service certainly do not help Halsin’s perception of him. Neither does his tendency to gossip. However, due to Karlach’s undying loyalty and constant praise of Astarion’s qualities, he keeps his heart open to the vampire. Whether the latter decides to seize the chance is up to him and him alone. Should he refuse and merely complete the hours of community service required to lift his suspension is also fine by him.

Overall, Halsin remains satisfied with his choice to move to Heawick. The open spaces and community have been nothing but warm to him and his beloved Scratch. How else could he repay them than by offering his help to the people in return, at the very least?

Long minutes of solemn contemplation later, Halsin takes the stick from the dog and raises his arm. Just as he readies himself to throw it, the laughter of a child interrupts him. He instantly whistles for Scratch to come at his feet so he can attach the leash to the dog’s collar. Clutching the colourful rope, he straightens up and sweeps the forest to look for the child he heard earlier and make sure to keep his distance if Scratch’s presence triggers any fear within them.

A moment later, a githyanki child emerges from between the trees, flushed from running through the woods. A large smile digs little dimples into his green cheeks dotted with black spots. His curious yellow eyes admire the height of the treetops and a gasp escapes the little boy as he spins around, as if to capture it from different angles.

The boy’s elation comes to a sharp halt as he realises that he is not alone. Sheepishness instantly seizes him and causes him to take a few steps back. His heel catches into a small rock and the child topples over, landing heavily on his buttocks in a loud thump and crunch of the leaves. Wasting no time to intervene, Halsin attaches Scratch’s leash around a low-hanging branch and rushes by the child’s side.

Tears flood the gith’s almond-shaped eyes and start to pour down his face as he lets out a howl of pain and shock. Halsin inspects his legs for any wound, but sees nothing.

‘Did your elbows hit the rock, child?’

Sniffling heavily, the child shakes his head and responds with heavy sobs. Since he sees no scrape or injury, Halsin helps the child up, gently lifting him off the ground and making sure that there is no discomfort as he moves.

‘Everything seems alright. More fear than harm,’ he attempts to reassure the child, patting his back to rid his jacket from dry leaves and dirt.

Right as he does so, hurried footsteps resound and a heavy breath fills the air, accompanied by the panicked shrill of a woman.

‘Trith!’

Halsin’s heart stops. He recognises the voice. A lump forms in his throat as he waves his hand in the air, trying to force a shout back.

‘Over here!’

Just as he suspected, Tav appears in turn and gasps at the sight of the crying child. Halsin steps back and lets her kneel by him, frantically investigating for wounds.

‘Trith, how many times must I tell you not to run off like that?!’ she scolds the boy, clutching him by the arms but demonstrating no hostility or aggression towards him. Before the child can answer, she pulls him into her arms and cradles the back of his head with a heavy sigh. ‘You scared me, darling.’

His sniffles and cries muffled by the fabric of her shirt soon die down as her presence soothes his anguish. Tav looks up and smiles at Halsin. The blush he pictured in his mind earlier expands to her whole face.

‘My apologies, Doctor Silverbough, I didn’t mean to put you in this position.’

‘No harm done, Miss Ashguard. He is safe, that is what matters.’

Tav nods slowly and pulls out a tissue to dry the boy’s tears.

‘Now, what happened, love?’

‘I fell. Tripped on the rock,’ Trith hiccups.

‘I must have surprised him,’ Halsin adds with a sorry expression, ‘I made sure to put Scratch on his leash as soon as I heard the child, but it seems that he was still taken aback that I stood here.’

Letting out a brief chuckle, she pulls out a crumpled bucket hat from her back pocket and screws it on Trith’s head, despite his weak protesting. Tav then faces Halsin again, picking up the boy and letting him rest his head on her shoulder as she tilts her hip to prop him up against her chest.

The sight unsettles Halsin. He could not explain why nor how. There is an alien sensation snaking into his veins and spreading throughout his body, numbing his fingertips with a dull pain. It is as though his heart is darkening at once, yet without resentment. The lump in his throat grows heavier, nearly choking him.

Children. Something he has considered for a long time, but never truly envisioned for himself. His career has always occupied a primary position in his life, one that he could not easily change. His projects for Emerald Grove constantly flooded his mind, which flourished with new ideas with almost every conversation he held. Little did he think about his own meals, let alone a family.

Besides, his plan to drastically change his life and environment would not have been ideal for a child. Uprooting a child, right when they are in their formative years, always resembled cruelty to him. Not if their parents could not help it, of course, every situation is different and he does not blame anybody for it. But as a conscious choice, which could only benefit the parents without any regard to whether the child would blossom into this new setting, Halsin could not fully support it. Perhaps he is old-fashioned in this way. After all, he catches himself reflecting, he knows next to nothing about raising children.

Could it be that the sight of Tav with her child suddenly makes him wish that he had settled down at some point and founded a family of his own? He loves the idea of a family, but as it happens with many others, he probably told himself that he had time for much too long. There he is, in his mid-forties, wondering about having children now that his situation is stable and his goals are met.

No. That is not it. In a way, it is, but it is not.

Is it regret? The venom of the idea that he might have missed out on life? Is it… envy? Then, as he is about to speak to break the awkward silence setting in, he sees her cupping her stomach with her free hand. The pain now rages in his chest and his fingertips.

All tender notions he had created for her vanish in an instant. Of all things he has considered, such as the moral dilemma of texting her out of the blue or even the mere idea of thinking about her, the fact that she might be taken was a criterion he overlooked. Not only taken, it seems. She is a mother, and this simple, gentle gesture towards her midriff hints at the fact that she might be pregnant again, only not showing just yet.

Good for her, he tells himself. She has got what he seems to have neglected in his life.

Halsin forces himself to smile at her and unties Scratch’s leash from the branch, bringing the dog over with him.

‘So, how is Beaky healing?’ he simply asks.

‘Rather well! Actually, I should hear about the conclusion of the lawsuit around our appointment.’

‘Should I set aside a bottle of bubbly wine to celebrate?’ Halsin teases in good humour.

‘Or to drown our sorrow,’ Tav jests in return, completely oblivious to the veterinarian’s inner turmoil. ‘I might bring one to the appointment.’

‘I will hold you to it, then!’

Her laughter resonates under the canopy of the leaves sheltering them from the rest of the world. For a moment, if not for Trith falling asleep on her shoulder for seemingly running around too long, he is happy here. But he cannot afford to feed himself illusions. He must maintain some professionalism between the two of them.

Tav places a kiss on the child’s forehead and pats his back.

‘I believe it’s time for us to head home,’ she whispers with a grin. ‘He needs a nap.’

‘You have yourselves a wonderful day, Miss Ashguard and Trith. I apologise for scaring the boy earlier.’

‘Oh, don’t apologise, doctor! He will be alright. Have a nice day yourself, and I will see you next week for the appointment.’

‘See you then, Miss Ashguard!’

Halsin nods at Tav and her son and turns around with Scratch at his feet, tossing a treat at the dog. Lost in thought, he hardly notices that he has reached Heawick until he stands in the middle of the pavement and nearly shoulders somebody. He shakes his head and takes a deep breath. It is time for him to let go of whatever is clouding his perception.

Instead of moping around, he shrugs the issue off and walks towards the market, reminding himself that he would like some fresh vegetables to make a delicious soup for himself in the evening. As he peruses the stalls and greets the sellers he already knows, a familiar silhouette appears in the corner of his eye.

Dressed down compared to his usual tweed suits and academic demeanour, Gale sings a tune under his breath while filling a net bag with nectarines and peaches. His plum-coloured polo shirt, left unbuttoned at the top, lets his chest hair peek out from underneath the fabric, and Halsin purses his lips, curious whether such a style would suit him as well outside of work.

Gale catches a glimpse of the veterinarian from above his sunglasses and he instantly lights up.

‘Halsin! What a pleasure to see you here! Enjoying the market as well, I see?’

The professor instantly holds out his hand and Halsin shakes it with equal enthusiasm.

‘I am, indeed! It seems that you are, too.’

Gale nods with a laugh and crouches to pet Scratch. A few groans escape him as he hears his knees cracking from the sole movement and from standing up again. He stretches his back with his hands on the back of his hips.

‘Oof, yet another reminder that my youth is fleeting away!’ he jokes. ‘So, how’s the practice doing? Do you manage to keep busy despite having just moved here?’

‘So far every day has been satisfying one way or another,’ Halsin reflects. ‘I could hope to see more patients coming in, but I suppose that fewer of them rushing to my office is a good sign.’

‘Hah, I suppose! Have you been able to use any of the shirts that Astarion’s been sewing?’

‘Plenty, in fact! Families find it soothing to be able to pick certain patterns. It alleviates their concerns, it seems. I can only salute Astarion’s idea to implement various fabrics into his work.’

A gleam of pride shines in the younger man’s eyes.

‘Astarion does have a good eye for such things. He’s quite talented!’

‘That he is.’

Gale readjusts his bag over his shoulder and crosses his arms, leaning in as if to speak in confidence.

‘But, tell me, is everything going well with him? Work-wise? You’re probably aware that he’s refused to do community service in many other places and that some of them rejected him altogether. I can’t help but worry that he might be reluctant to do his hours again. He has a tendency to self-sabotage sometimes.’

Halsin tilts his head, not having expected Gale’s sudden change in the conversation. But how could he blame him? Astarion’s file was not brilliant, and his temper seemed to linger on the short side.

‘Everything is going well. Astarion is a great asset in our team. He even took over Karlach’s desk once!’

‘He did?’ the professor gasps. ‘Well, I would not have expected it from him!’

‘I am very satisfied with his work, do not trouble yourself. Of course, I wish that I could connect with him a little bit more, but it is obviously something he is not interested in. Fine by me.’

Sighing in relief, Gale places a hand over his chest, letting his wedding ring reflect the sunlight.

‘I can sleep at night again, hah! I could trust Astarion’s word, but I know that he would either snap or embellish things to shut me up.’

The two men amble around the market together, making small talk and inspecting the vegetables from old Almorn, who busies himself weighing vegetables while his wife Breeza shares ideas with a customer to use the vegetables in their hands. Halsin buys what he needs for dinner, overhearing a drool-inducing recipe, and feels Gale gently nudging him as they greet the gnomish couple and walk away.

‘By the way, I heard from Astarion that someone was looking to buy your practice?’

Ah. This subject again.

‘Yes, a man visited and asked if I had the intention to sell the place. I will decline any offer coming my way, if it should happen.’

‘Good, good. He told me that the man owned several coffee shop chains and such. Well, I certainly hope that it’s nothing but a false alarm. I’ve seen how gentrification defaced Waterdeep, and it hurts my heart whenever I visit my mother. Everything that made the city what it was, all that constituted its identity, it’s all trampled by the crowds. I mean, back in the days, I would have loved to see Waterdeep be appreciated by others, not only by locals, but this… This is no longer my Waterdeep. That’s why Astarion and I moved here instead.’

Halsin adjusts his grip on his bag and pets Scratch’s head.

‘I was not aware that you were Waterdhavian, although the accent should have given me a clue.’

‘Ah, it does resurface every so often, doesn’t it?’

‘Indeed, it does.’

As they eye a cheese stand, the veterinarian’s brow furrows. He cannot prevent his mind from wandering back to Tav and the githyanki boy.

‘You and Astarion live in Combury, do you not?’

‘Mh? Oh, yes, we do. Why?’

Reddish hues tint Halsin’s complexion as he realises that he spoke without thinking. He finds himself speechless for a moment. He does not even know what he meant to ask Gale.

‘Well, um… I was wondering, are there any githyanki in Combury?’

‘Oh, yes. Two. A mother and her son.’

The professor’s answer piques his interest in an instant.

‘The child’s mother is a githyanki?’

‘Well, the child has two mothers. A githyanki and an elf. Astarion knows them well, especially the elf, but I forgot their names. Why are you asking?’

‘Oh,’ Halsin responds, the ache returning to his heart. ‘Scratch and I have just come across the boy with his mother in the forest. It… It occurred to me that it is rare to see githyanki in the region.’

‘Ah, yes. But they are lovely people.’

‘They are.’

He sighs.

‘They are, indeed.’

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