#yeah i posted this at ass o'clock

[humanityinahandbag]

Steddie Halloween

Halloween after 'Spring Break' must be such a hard time for Steve. This is the guy that regularly hosted costume parties at his house during his King Steve era. And at some point probably hosted more laid back ones for the kids and Robin.

But since the Russian bunker he just... can't.

He has regular and more frequent night terrors of torture that had him and Robin shivering and holding onto one another like buoys. He's been dragged down into the depths of lakes by unseen monsters that left all kinds of scars. He gets migraines from moving too quickly or seeing strobing lights.

He carried Eddie's body out of the upside down, hands slippery in blood. He did CPR and felt Eddie's ribs crack under his hands. He looked at Eddie handcuffed to a hospital bed while doctors said we just don't know yet. Had to watch his Uncle, his father, sit by Eddie every day, rarely leaving his side, staring at his chest like he was grateful for each breath his boy took.

So. He's not really able to do Halloween anymore. And that's hard for him.

But whatever. He'll survive. He's fine to sit on the sidelines if it means the others will have a good time.

At this point, Steve was already coming to terms with his bisexuality. He'd already done a speed run through the Coming Out stages and walked out the other side with the eerie confidence only Steve Harrington could muster. This is a dude who has decided that he's going to flirt with Eddie until the other realizes and gets with the program. He knows Eddie likes him. He's a pro at dating and relationships and crushes. He just needs Eddie to figure out that the not so subtle hints mean something.

And then came Halloween.

He'd already told Eddie during a movie night about how much he missed the spooky season.

(And yes, he did discuss it while openly combing Eddie's hair back from his face and absolutely relishing in the way the other boy was turning all kinds of pink under the glow of the TV. Yes, Eddie was taking his time to catch up but no one said Steve couldn't have fun while he waited).

"Aw man. That sucks." Eddie barely managed to boot up his brain again to answer.

"It's fine," Steve would say, even though it wasn't.

And then, on October 31st, Steve wakes up to a maze in his backyard.

It's not a very good maze. It's mostly just tipped over pallets taken from behind Melvalds as the walls and tarps as the ceiling to block out some of the light. But it's so clearly meant to be some kind of a haunted hallway.

Steve is in boxers and a ratty Hawkins Swim Team t-shirt. He didn't take time to put on shoes, so he's walking across the cold concrete and the dewy grass in tube socks.

There's a sign posted on a piece of cardboard at the entrance.

ENTER IF YOU DARE

He stands there, shifting from foot to foot in his rapidly dampening socks, not quite sure what to do but intrigued nonetheless.

There's whispering and hushed voices from inside. And then Dustin is stomping out from around one of the pallet corners dressed in a suit that's clearly too small for him.

"Come on, dude. Can't you read? You're supposed to enter."

"It says enter if I dare."

"Yeah. So enter."

"What if I don't dare?"

Dustin rolls his eyes hard enough to make them stick, and honestly this kid and his tone.

"Can you just-" He groans. "Look. Eddie set this thing up and he and Robin dragged us all out of our beds at ass o'clock in the morning to put on these stupid haunted house costumes and wait around for you to wake up. So can you please just dare?"

Steve blinks. He looks at Dustin's suit. The tie is a little crooked and he's wearing bright yellow socks with his dress shoes. "I thought haunted house costumes were supposed to be... yunno... scary?"

"Yeah," said Dustin, gesturing to himself. "I'm the corporate grind."

And Steve can't do anything but laugh.

He goes through the little haunted maze. El was apparently having the time of her life and waves at him from a dead end, decked out a dress she made out of bits of stapled paper. "I am very frightening," she assured Steve. "I am overdue bills."

"That is very frightening," Steve agreed and ruffled her hair before going down another short hallway.

No one jumps out. There are no bright lights. Will had drawn decorations that they'd taped to the inside of the recycled plywood warning him of imposter syndrome and sleeping past your alarm and girls. Lucas at least put in a little more effort as a basketball player, though he had his knee wrapped in a bandage they must have picked up at the pharmacy and explained to Steve that the true horrors were being benched all season.

Max had refused to put on a costume and declared that she was scary all on her own.

Even Robin was there, waving at him. There was a cooler besides her. "This is the checkpoint," she said. "All the best haunted houses have checkpoints."

Apparently, the checkpoint included his migraine medication that he'd coincidentally forgotten to take that morning and a takeaway cup of lukewarm coffee.

"I tried to keep it warm!" She flapped her hands, waving them at the cardboard cup. "I literally held it between my knees and everything. But I had to help Eddie out last night to start building and-" she paused. "Shit. I wasn't supposed to tell you that. Forget I said that! Just- drink your coffee! Or don't! Is it warm enough? It's probably not. Fuck."

Steve is always shocked at how much more he loves Robin every day.

"It's good," Steve assured her, taking a sip. "Much scarier this way. Nothing scarier than a cold cup of coffee."

When he finally does make it to the end of the maze, Eddie is right there waiting. He's dressed as a vampire, with the stupid fake teeth and blood drawn down his chin with lipstick.

"You escaped the haunted maze!" Eddie put on a show of acting shocked, horrified, angry. His speech comes out garbled from behind the plastic teeth so it sounded more like you ethcaped the ha'ted mathe! It was endearing. Charming. Perfect. "My evil plan is foiled!"

Steve smiled. He looked back at the tarp and plywood and cardboard and duct tape. "You put this all together?" He turned back. "You built me a haunted house?"

Eddie's posturing paused. Despite how much he tried, there was little Eddie could do to hide the way he turned almost shy. He took out the teeth. "Uh. Yeah. But it's no big deal."

"It's kind of a big deal."

"It's really not," said Eddie. "Just- yunno. Figured you should be included." He brightened. "And this isn't everything! We've got a party planned at Joyce's tonight. Low music, we'll keep the lights on. Kids even picked out a movie, but I can't attest to the quality."

"You built me a haunted house."

"I... did." Eddie cleared his throat. He shoved the teeth back in. "But just so you know, it was all part of my evil plan. Which you foiled, My Liege!"

Steve stepped forward. "What was it?"

Eddie paused.

"The evil plan. What was it?"

"Oh. Uh." Eddie swallowed. "Keep you in my evil clutches forever?"

Steve beamed.

Robin had to usher a group of jeering kids away from the Harrington house. It was apparently too much for them to see Steve grab Eddie by the edges of his stupid vampire cape and tug him into a kiss.

"Dracula doesn't swoon," Dustin shouted back at them, covering his eyes.

"This one does," said Steve happily, before going back to work on a very shocked Eddie.

In the end, it did take Eddie a minute to catch up. Once his brain rebooted and he was able to comprehend that he was kissing Steve Harrington, the boy he'd loved since long, long ago.

He spends that night at the party sitting on the couch with his face buried against Steve's chest while the movie played. "You'd been flirting with me?"

"Mmmhm," said Steve, popping a candy corn into his mouth.

"This whole time?"

"Yup," said Steve.

"I wasn't imagining it?"

"Nope," said Steve.

"This is real?"

"Yup," said Steve, and dropped a kiss onto the top of Eddie's head.

"Okay," rasped Eddie. "Just checking."

"Learning how dumb you were being was the scariest thing this entire halloween," Dustin mumbled from the floor.

[purpdrawsthings]

Ok what in the actual hell, did I just finish an animation in one fucking day

Hello hello as you know I make animations

And ungodly amount of fan art that I for some reason have no explanation for

So I decided to make this whole as gift in one day and I managed to finish it... At 11:20 at midnight 💀

Idk how I managed to do this but uh yeah

Got a lil lazy on the last part because GOD MY HANDS ARE SHIVERING ME TIMBERS RN

Uhhhh yeah enjoy.

And that statement up there ladies and gentlemen was me yesterday.

Ngl, I felt so burnt out and so sleepy that I couldn't for in what I wanted to say and wished I could've added this in 😭😭😭

I did this whole thing from I think 3 o'clock in the evening after I came back from school and had the crazy ass idea of doing this.

All the way from 3 to 11, I worked on this thang

So I've been working on this for approximately 8 hours max 💀💀💀

No breaks [ except for some breaks ] and absolutely almost speed running through the whole ass thing

Got way too lazy on the last part since it was literally 10 o'clock and I had to help my sister help a portion of the dishes because she just came back from a moon cake festival and didn't even shower yet like wth 💀💀💀

I absolutely wished I could've added more talented, amazing SMG4 artists in here because there's such a wide variety of them that it actually makes me go coo-coo crazy

Honourable mentions I would've added were prob Trap Sanchez, Opposol, Elis CZ and a couple of other [ which I will not tag since I felt that was way too much tbh ]

Those 3 artists were the ones who actually got me in the damn SMG4 community

And ngl, this fandom is great and is filled to the brim of artists whom I really adore.

It felt quite the missed opportunity for me to not feature them =[

But maybe I will do another huge ass gift, in the future because I have 3 animations to work on I won't be adding another one to my goddamn list like wth 💀💀💀💀

Anyways uhhh yeah! That's about the stuff I didn't get to feature before I posted this whole thing and maybe regretted it a little.

Uhhhhh yeetus =3

All people mentioned in order :

@tiredsmashbros @strange0-0storm @its-a-me-mango @libbytwq @theartistisme43 @cookiepopcat @vrynnvryxivia @lemonjuicesblog @supern0vashii @goofy-mcgee69420 @rr3d2y @meg-girumi

[alyssawritcs]

WINDOW   WATCHING   (   a   trevante  rhodes   fanfic   )   . one  -  shot  .

love   interest   :   trevante  rhodes  (  specifically  2016  -  2019  tre  ) rating   :   m  as  shit  .  (  smut  ,  drinking  ,  smoking  ,  voyeurism  ,  masturbation  ,  public  sex  ,  plain  ol'  p in v sex  ) wc   :   6.7k author's   note   :   this  is  so  old  ngl  ,  i  wrote  this  like  five  years  ago  and  never  posted  it  so  my  apologies  if  anything  feels  off  time  -  wise  .  this  was  pre  -  pandemic  even  !  but  yeah  ,  harking  back  to  my  moonlight  /  tre  obsessed  phase  ugh  what  a  time  !

The hardest part about moving into the off campus housing for Ashley was the fact that she had to pay for laundry. 

Back in DuBois Hall, where she'd lived for the past two years, there was free laundry. It was one of the few perks she liked, other than her friends always being within arm’s reach. Now, she lived in a small studio apartment just ten minutes away from D-Hall and she had to be scrounging up quarters for her to be able to wash her damn clothes. 

Therefore, she was happy most of her friends had remained in the dorms and were more than happy to let her swipe their student IDs so she could get into the laundry room on her old floor and take care of business. Every Thursday, she'd roll her little wheel-y hamper over to the U-shaped building, enter on the left side, and ride the elevator to the ninth floor where she would spend three hours with her friends while she waited for her shit to wash and then dry. 

This Sunday was no different, other than that it was a little later in the evening than usual. It was only nine o'clock when she'd thrown her clothes into the dryer and was walking back toward her friends Imani & Serena’s room. Suddenly, a group of giggling girls ran in before her. When Ashley turned the corner, there were about ten girls in the room, all gathered around the large window on the other side of the room. 

“What are y'all doing?” Ashley pushed through the crowd, standing next to Imani who had a pair of binoculars, of all things. 

“You know Nikki?” Imani asked. 

“Ugh, of course I know Nikki.” Nikki was a cheerleader. Nikki had a slim little body with an ass that turned heads. Nikki had fucked almost half of all the frats on campus. Ashley usually wasn't in the business of slutshaming but when you made it a point to brag about sleeping with other girls’ men in their faces like it was a prize, she was more than okay laughing at the jokes made about you. 

“Well, her room this year is across the courtyard, a couple floors down. We think it’s a single and her bed is right next to the window.” Imani held out the binoculars to Ashley, who had to smack away some girl’s hand so she could take it. “And it looks like she's got Tre in there right now.”

“Tre? Trevante Tre?” Ashley hurriedly looked through the binoculars and couldn't help the gasp she let out. 

Tre was the captain of the school’s football team, the quarterback, in a prominent frat, and by far, the finest nigga at Laurent U -- and it looked like he was tearing Nikki apart. 

She was on her knees with him behind her, face mushed into the mattress as he went to town on her. His dark body was muscly and glistening, sweat dripping down his body. The way his hips were pistoning into her, the way his hands gripped her hips, one of them rising up to smack her ass once, twice - it was far too much. His pearly white teeth bit down on his bottom lip before he slowed himself down, drawing himself almost completely out of her and then ramming himself back in. The gold chain around his neck glimmered in the light. The other girls made various noises of approval and Ashley hadn't realized it but she did too. 

“He's way too fuckin’ good at this. He just had practice like, two hours ago! How does he have the damn strength?” Serena stood on the other side of Ashley, fully leaning on the window glass. 

“He's a goddamn superhero, sis. He ain't letting up either, she’s barely hanging on.” Imani replied. 

She wasn't wrong. From what Ashley could see, Nikki was gripping the sheets like she was holding on for dear life and if she'd had any arch in her back before, it was gone now. She went to place her hand on his lower stomach but he caught her wrist and lifted her upper body so his chest was pressed to her back. He said something to her as he rolled his hips up, holding her in that position for a minute as she nodded. Then he let her fall forward, pulling out of her but only long enough for him to flip her onto her back and reinsert himself. He placed both her feet onto his shoulders as he turned them on her daybed so he was standing beside it, now facing the window. 

“Oop, he switched positions. Gimme my shit back!” Imani snatched the binoculars back from Ashley, who just sucked her teeth. 

“Y'all are so nasty. This is such an invasion of privacy.” She shook her head, the black curly tendrils from her simple high ponytail bouncing around on top of her slick hair. She crossed her arms over her chest, still not taking her eyes off the window. 

“Stop watching it then.” Serena pursed her lips. 

There was a beat. 

“I ain’t say all that now.” The other girls chuckled at that. For a couple minutes, they all stood at the window, heads slightly tilted, mouths a bit ajar, as they watched Tre drive himself into Nikki over and over again. There was almost complete silence in the room. Ashley pressed her thighs together slightly, the denim from her jeans rubbing against her cotton thong. It was entrancing. 

Tre seemed to finally finish (“he was going for at least thirty minutes” said Serena) and he pulled out of her, taking off the full condom and throwing it into a trashcan. He grabbed a couple of wet wipes from Nikki’s dresser and helped wipe her down (“what a true southern gentleman” said Imani). Nikki was seemingly in a state of bliss, just smiling up at the ceiling. Just as he was finishing sliding his grey sweatpants up over his boxer briefs, he looked up and out the window, directly at theirs. 

All of the girls shrieked and ducked, including Ashley who hid right underneath the windowsill next to a cackling Imani. Some of the girls ran out of the room. 

“This ain't funny, Mani! We look like perverts!” Ashley scolded her. 

“We are! But that nigga was putting on a whole show. A performance, if you will. Matter of fact ...” She grabbed a nearby notebook and Sharpie, quickly writing down 10/10 on it. She pressed it against the window while still laughing her ass off. 

“You are too damn much. I'm leaving!” Ashley couldn't help but laugh too, along with Serena, as she duck-walked out of the room, still afraid of Tre seeing her. “Goodnight, ya nasties!”

Quickly, Ashley walked over to the laundry room, gathered all her now dry clothes into the hamper, grabbed her keys out of Imani & Serena’s room, and rolled her hamper into the elevator. Once she got onto the main floor, she headed out onto the courtyard and checked her phone. It was nearing 9:45. 

Damn, he had been going for a while. She thought to herself as she walked towards the parking lot. 

She hadn't even noticed the figure sitting on the bench to her right until he spoke. 

“Enjoy the show?”

She nearly jumped out her slides at the sound of his voice, turning her head only to come face to face with the man himself, Tre. 

“I - I - I -” She stuttered and looked up at him, seemingly losing the ability to speak. He stepped towards her, the smell of sweat mixed with deodorant and some bomb ass cologne invading her senses. 

“Front row seat, huh?” He had the nerve to have a little smirk on his face as he said it. He looked down at her, eyes raking over her tank top and blue jeans, an otherwise normal outfit for the middle of September in the Louisiana heat. Yet, a shiver ran through her spine, despite the humidity in the air. She cursed her decision to go without a bra as she could feel her nipples hardening. He hadn't so much as looked her over and here Ashley was, nearly standing in a puddle. “Imagine my surprise when I finish with ol’ girl, I look up and the cute shorty from my econ class is staring dead at me. Had a nigga gassed.”

He licked his lips and circled around her, stopping behind her, leaning down to whisper in her ear, “Next time, if you wanna be the star, come and find me. I got you, baby.”

His Louisiana accent shone through on that last part and it nearly had Ashley weak in the knees. He walked away, toward the parking lot, leaving a very turned on Ashley standing in that courtyard with her little hamper and a whole lot of dirty thoughts. 

Ashley’s tiny little studio apartment was starting to sound like a barbershop. 

It had been three days since The Perving™️ ( mani had named it that) and Ashley hadn't been able to stop thinking about Tre since. Between the memories of him naked and their little conversation afterwards, she had plenty of ideas that kept her little vibrator going. She'd already had to change out the batteries and it was during said change that she realized, maybe this shit was getting ridiculous. 

As the weekend came to an end and Ashley was forced to leave her dorm on Sunday night to return to the girls’ room, she recounted the story to both of her best friends. 

“Wait wait wait - he said this to you and you didn't IMMEDIATELY jump that nigga’s bones? Are you dumb?” Imani exclaimed, sitting up in her twin sized bed. Serena pushed Ashley’s head in disbelief. 

“Ow! No, I didn't! I was shocked, I just kinda stood there and didn't say nothing. I'm pretty sure I lost all ability to speak.” Ashley played with the fringes of her shorts to avoid looking at Imani, who was staring her down in complete disappointment. 

“You gotta fuck him. Do it for us, in our honor. We gotta know if Nikki was just over exaggerating or if that man truly is that talented.” Serena spoke up from her bed.

“Yeah, that'll happen. Keep dreaming y'all.” And that was the end of that, as far as Ashley was concerned. She had decided that she was just going to keep to herself, mind her business, and keep it pushing. Tre was a nonfactor in her life, just another part of her spank bank. He hadn't mattered before, he wasn't gonna matter now. 

Still, when Tuesday came around and the reminder that she had their shared econ class that afternoon at one dawned on her, Ashley may have decided to put a little extra effort into her appearance. She swore, to herself, that the Fenty body lava she was applying was so she could take cute pictures later. That the neon pink bodycon tank dress paired with the long white cardigan she fished out from the back of her closet were simply cute clothes and not because they accentuated her skin tone like nothing else. It also definitely wasn't because she'd spent the last six months in the gym doing squats so she knew she looked good as hell in the damn outfit. It wasn't none of that. The girl was simply going to econ, like she had already for weeks and like she would until the end of the semester. 

After properly doing her hair and applying minimal makeup, Ashley was slipping on her white slip on Vans and throwing her big ass snakeskin purse onto her shoulder. She drove the five minutes back to campus where she bought herself an iced tea from the cafe & quickly headed over to the class, taking her regular seat in the back left hand corner. 

She was fifteen minutes early but that was good. That meant she wouldn't have to run into him and could instead keep a watchful eye for the six foot two masterpiece as he walked in. She was sitting there, one AirPod in, sipping her tea when the sound of raucous laughter from the hallway seeped into the room and she knew he had arrived. He seemed to go everywhere with an entourage - a side effect of being that well known, Ash supposed. 

Turning to face forward so she wouldn't appear like she had been door watching, she quickly inserted the other AirPod and turned up the volume on her Megan the Stallion while flipping through her textbook. The act seemed to work for a minute or two before two thick ass arms caged her in from behind. She removed her headphones. 

“Excuse me, can I help you?” Ash turned her head to look up at him and immediately, the smell of his cologne invaded her senses. It was the same smell from the other night except now even stronger, though she couldn’t decide if it was better or worse when mixed with sweat. What a freak ass thought.

“I was wondering if you was gonna show up today - was tryna see if you got scared.” His voice was low in her ear and when she turned more, they were face to face, noses practically touching. 

“And what was I supposed to be scared of, exactly?” 

“I think I got an idea of what you might be scared of.” He answered with a smirk and then a lick of his lips. Jesus, be a fence. 

Still, Ashley played it cool, rolling her eyes. “I ain’t scared of you or what you got in ya pants, sir. Don't you have to find your seat?”

“Oh but I already got one?” At her raised eyebrow, his mouth broke out into a full on grin, white teeth and all. “If you wanna lift up, I can slide on under you and we can get this class crackin’.”

Ashley couldn’t help the laugh she let out and he chuckled with her. She turned back, waving her hand at him. “Boy, good-bye. Get to your seat Trevante.”

There was a beat then regrettably his arms lifted from around her and his smell already started to fade away. “Aight, I'll get to my seat.” With that, he slid from behind her chair and situated himself to the right of her. 

Ashley had picked this spot because while there were nearly fifty people in the class, it was a huge lecture hall and most everyone was seated in the middle or right sections. Up here in her corner, she was all alone, with no one behind her. The people in front of her were several rows down. It had been just her while Tre typically sat in the middle sections, front & center. They were far too alone up here. This was not good. 

Class had started and Tre hadn't moved and Ashley was sure she was gonna die. He had gotten very comfortable, leaning back in his chair, worksheets out and his textbook open in front of him as the professor droned on & on. It was boring as hell, as per usual, but Ashley was so hyper aware of Tre’s presence that she couldn't focus on anything else. She hadn't even looked at him since he sat down next to her. 

She could see him moving out the corner of her eye, leaning forward onto the desk with his left arm. He whispered low enough for only her to hear. 

“You look like somebody finna bust down them doors and hurt you, shawty. You needa calm down. Relax.” Slowly, Ash felt his big ass hand slide up her calf and over her knee, stopping right at the end of her thigh, millimeters away from where her dress ended. 

He was sitting up straighter now and she was holding her breath, unable to speak. To anyone else, they looked like two students patiently listening to their professor but one look at the way Ashley was gripping her pen and you could tell something was amiss. 

It was only when he slid his chair closer to hers and his fingers slipped under the material of her dress that she moved. Her hand clamped down his thick ass forearms, freezing his fingers where they were - right on her inner thigh. 

“What the fuck do you think you doing?” She gritted out, her teeth clenched together. 

He waited until she made direct eye contact with him and then whispered. “Making you relax.”

Her grip loosened out of shock and his fingers continued on their path, the heat coming from between her thighs seeming to call to him. She bit her lip in anticipation before jumping a little when his middle finger swiped gently over her pussy through the material covering it. 

“Is that lace? Hm, I bet that shit looks amazing on you. What color is it?” He whispered, letting his finger continue to stroke over her mound. “Hm? Can you even remember right now?”

“Green. It's green.” Ashley managed to breathe out. 

“I like green. Almost as much as I like pink on you.” Now, his index finger had joined his middle in the stroking and Ashley could feel the material of her panties getting wetter by the second, so she knew he could too. “You like this huh? You got these big innocent eyes and got everyone fooled into thinking you're some little angel but clearly, you a little freak like me. Look at you, wet already and I ain't even get to the good part.”

Ashley closed her eyes for a second, still lightly gripping his forearm before she reopened them to look him directly in his again. “So get to the good part.”

His jaw clenched and they continued their eye contact for a second before Ashley looked back at the professor. “Aight then, but you asked for this, remember that.”

First, his thumb rubbed her clit through the material, causing Ashley's thighs to clench together for a second before Tre pushed them apart again. She felt his two fingers from before push the lace to the side and make direct contact with her lips, running over the slick that now covered it. They were thick as hell so when he finally dipped his fingers in past the lips, it felt like she was already filled up to the max. 

Her mouth opened in a near perfect O and Tre kept his eyes on her lips as he slowly pumped in & out of her. She closed her mouth after a second but the grip on his arm tightened. That seemed to only encourage him forward, fingers picking up pace as his thumb now rubbed that little bundle of nerves that sat tight at the top. When he curled his fingers inside her, Ashley could feel her stomach coil. Her gaze was still on the professor, who was giving his closing remarks. 

“Oh, you finna cum huh? You gonna cum all over my fingers, right here in the middle of class?” Tre picked up the pace of his fingers, now driving into her at an almost brutally slow but deliberate pace, watching her bite down on her lip so hard he was sure she was going to draw blood. 

She nodded meekly and held back a whimper, nails digging into his arm while she clenched her thighs together as much as they could go with his hand between them. He watched her close her eyes and twitch once, twice, three times, her walls gripping his fingers in a vice. Now all he could imagine was her pussy doing that to his dick and he didn't think it was possible, but his shit got harder. 

Her nipples were hard, her legs were shaking slightly, her pupils dilated - if this was how she reacted to just his fingers, he couldn't wait to see her after a good three or four rounds with Junior. 

While she was still catching her breath and the class was starting to pack up their things, he slipped his finger out from in her, sliding her panties back into place. She quickly gathered her materials into her purse before they both stood up, chest to chest, hers still heaving slightly. He looked down at her with a smirk as he sucked his index finger into his mouth. 

“Just like a good cobbler.” He went to do the same to his middle finger but she grabbed his wrist before he could and sucked the finger herself, letting her tongue roll over the top of the finger before she let it go with a pop & a smirk. 

“See you Thursday.”

She wasn't going to see him on Thursday, Ashley remembered as she ate dinner while watching TV in her apartment. Tre was the quarterback and as the quarterback, he had to lead his team to a win against their rival, across the state that same week. The only way she was gonna see Tre that weekend was if she joined the rest of the school to watch the game live on Friday night. 

Which she did. 

Imani and Serena had dragged her down to the local bar where they were airing the game & had a five dollar deal for 15 wings. A two for one deal as far as Ashley was concerned. She opted to not tell the girls about what happened in class, instead wanting to keep it to herself for just a little bit longer. Not forever, just until she could figure out what the fuck she was even doing with this nigga. 

Come Saturday morning, all Ashley could think about was going out that night and getting drunk. Drunk her always managed to figure shit out for sober her anyway. 

There were three frats on campus but Rho Nu Tau always put on the best parties, even more so now that they had the three star players on the football team as official brothers. Ashley’s first real college party way back during her freshman year had been a Rho party and she remembers a tiny pledge named Tre running around being an errand boy as a part of his initiation. Clearly, he wasn't taking orders no more. 

Imani and Serena were standing beside Ashley in the backyard as they shared a blunt with two boys she recognized from the dorms, damn near freezing their asses off in their little FashionNova fits when there was a cheer from inside the house. Ash almost went to check out what was going on when the blunt was passed to her and she was heartily distracted. 

It took only a couple more minutes for her to get tired of shivering and walk back into the kitchen, eyes low & mink lashes fluttering. A vodka and pink lemonade was calling her name. After fixing herself the drink, she began to wade through the crowd before bumping shoulders with a familiar face.

“Ashley, you always bumping into me, damn!”

She looked up to see her bio lab partner, Alex, smiling down at her. He was cute, in a nerdy type of way, and totally not her type but he always made her laugh in class. She let her lips spread into a small grin before play shoving him back.

“I know you not talking, clown. What’re you even doing here, I thought you’d be locked in your room binge watching some new anime or something?”

“Oh, you got jokes? Nah, Rho’s game celebration parties always be the best ones, you know that.”

They stood talking to one another for a couple more seconds before You by Lola Brooke & Bryson Tiller started playing overhead. Ashley started bopping her head on beat and Alex raised his eyebrow at her, smiling all wide & shit. She rolled her eyes, finishing off her drink and pulling him further onto the makeshift dance floor where all the bodies were grinding against one another. She turned around, pressing her ass right up against his crotch and began moving her hips and her ass in accordance with the beat. Now, she wasn’t no expert but all those years of high school cheerleading and dancing in the mirror did have their payoffs.

Alex’s hands remained on her hips and as the song progressed, Ashley could feel eyes on her. She looked up at the top of the staircase where Tre was standing with two more of the team’s players, his eyes trained on her and Alex. His jaw was clenched tight from what she could see and the veins in his arms were bulging as he death gripped that railing. 

Now, Alex had always made it very clear that his type of woman was always more the Dua Lipa type than the Rihanna so Ashley knew he wasn’t interested in her like that but damn it if it didn’t amuse her a little to see Tre standing up there all jealous while she threw it back for another man. If anything, the sight of him reinvigorated her and suddenly, she was putting a lot more work into her dance with Alex. The song did come to an end, however, and JT Coming filtered through the speakers which meant that Imani would be in Ashley’s face within the second. 

Like clockwork, right on time for JT’s verse, Imani pushed through the crowd to get to Ashley as they screamed the lyrics in each other’s faces. Alex had disappeared at the beginning of the song but returned with a closed bottle of water for both himself and Ashley. Serena was not far behind and soon the four of them were dancing around one another with the music. It didn’t take long for Serena and Alex to start dancing together instead. As much fun as she was having, Ashley couldn’t help but let her thoughts drift off to Tre, who had vanished from his post at the top of the steps.

Role Model by Brent Faiyez was playing as Ashley looked around for a bathroom half an hour later, her high slowly wearing off and the two bottles of water plus her cups of alcohol finally getting to her. The bathroom downstairs had a line wrapped down the hallways but luckily for her, she knew that there were several upstairs. Unluckily, all the ones in the hallways were also sporting lines so that left her to seek out one of the en suites. Almost every one of the doors were locked except for the one at the far end of the hall. She’d never been this far into the house before but she need to pee so she said fuck it and pushed open the door. 

The bathroom was on the other side of the darkened room, lit up only by the moonlight filtering in through the windows. She rushed over, locked the door behind her, and took care of her business. As she was washing her hands, Ash looked over her hair and makeup, surprised to see both in pretty good condition considering she was sweating like a whore in church. She figured at the very least, she’d be dealing with excessive frizz or her eyelashes falling off but she was all set. Ain’t God good?

Stepping out of the bathroom and into the bedroom, she took in where she was. There was a little desk to her left and a bookshelf to her right. Looking at the shelves, she noticed trophies, ribbons, medals, certificates - all the clear signs of a winner. There was a picture of a beautiful woman holding a precious little black boy and then another of a family standing with a tall young man wearing a football helmet. Her eyes focused, however, on the number six on his jersey and then subsequently, the sign the woman was holding: “Congrats Trevante!” She gasped and stepped away from the shelf, accidentally falling backwards onto the queen sized bed just as the door opened and in came Trevante himself.

It was awkward for a moment, but he quickly let a smirk take over his features as he closed the door behind him and crossed his arms over his chest to look down at her. From this angle, staring up at him, she was almost face to face with his crotch. She had to refrain from biting her lip. 

“Now, how’d you manage to find my room of all the rooms in the house?” He licked his lips, unmoving from the position and ever so slightly thrusting his hips forward. 

“Completely by accident, don’t get too excited.” She answered, sitting up and twisting her body to face his. “I was looking for the bathroom.”

“There are three public bathrooms in the house.”

“With lines damn near going out the door. I figured one of the big guys would have an en suite and I was right.”

“Oh so I’m a big guy now?”

Yes sir, you definitely are. “You know what I meant.”

“Well, why didn’t you ask that nigga you were dancing with if he had a bathroom at his place? It seemed like y’all were having a good time.” His smirk dropped and he crossed over to the desk, sitting on the spinning chair. Ashley's head tilted and she let out a small laugh.

“Is Trevante jealous? Oh my my!” He rolled his eyes as she got up from the bed, dancing over to him while singing “Tre’s jealous! He’s jealous! Very jealous!”

He stood back up and they were suddenly chest to chest, abruptly putting an end to her singing. His large fingers gripped her wrist tightly, and she looked up at his beautiful face. She was physically closer to him at this moment than ever before, even in the courtyard and in the classroom. 

“Why would I be jealous? That nigga can’t make you cum like I did, in a public place, with two fingers. He ain't the one you think about when you in bed late at night, right? That’s me, all in your dreams, in your head - that’s Tre right?”

For a second, she lost her breath but she could see that smirk creeping back onto his lips and a part of her snapped.

“What about you Tre? You been thinking about me?” She trailed her hand down his pants to the waistband of his jeans, letting her fingers play with the button for a second. “When you in this bed at night, playing with this big dick of yours -” her fingers wrapped around his growing bulge through the denim and she heard his breath hitch. “- are you thinking about this pussy? How tight it was? How wet it was? Thinking about how many rounds you’d last with me?”

He didn’t answer, instead wrapping one large hand around her throat and letting it slide around to the back of her neck, pulling her face to his in a fierce kiss that took her breath away. She let out a sigh, one hand still on his dick and the other on his neck. Their tongues fought for dominance for a minute before Tre bent down to pick her up, wrapping her legs around his waist and easing them both onto the bed. His lips made their way from her lips to her throat, her legs tightening around him as he hit her sweet spot at the part where her ears met her neck.

His hands were moving at a pace so slow, Ash almost screamed. He was ghosting over her tits, fingers almost brushing against her nipples but not quite yet. It wasn’t until he pulled the neckline of the shirt down to reveal her pretty blue bra did he finally pinch her nipples through the material. Her hips bucked up at that and she could feel him smirk against her throat before he sat up a little to help her pull off the shirt. He pulled the cups down and immediately dove in, pulling one of the hard buds into his mouth as she let out a groan of pleasure. He knew exactly what he was doing, his finger expertly twisting the other one.

“You’re way too good at this.” She managed to get out and he chuckled, letting her go with a pop. 

“I’m good at a lot of things.” He bit his lips, kissing down her bare skin as he unbuttoned her jeans. “Wanna see what else I’m good at?”

If she wasn’t wet already, she was sure that the combo of how he was looking up at her along with those words would’ve flooded her panties anyways. He pulled her pants down and off, throwing them on to the floor before sliding a finger over the material covering her pussy. She held back a whimper, which proved to be even harder when he gently pushed it to the side and blew on her weeping slit. 

Her matching blue thong was the next thing to come off and he looked up at her with a smile, pushing her legs up so they were bent. “Hold onto the back of your knees for me, sweetheart, and don’t let go. If you let go, I’mma stop. We clear?”

She couldn’t formulate words at that moment so he would have to do with her following his instructions and nodding her head yes, letting out a little ‘mhm’ through bitten lips.

“That’s a good girl. You a good girl right?” She jumped as he lightly smacked her clit, almost letting go of her legs but not quite yet. “Answer me, Ashley.”

“Yes, I’m a good girl.” She managed to grit out.

“Good girls get rewarded, don’t they?” He didn’t wait for an answer, instead diving straight into to put his oh so talented mouth on her pussy. She was biting her lip again, holding back the moans trying to claw their way out. He paused for a moment, spreading her lips with his fingers as he did so. “Uh-uh. I wanna hear you. Let that shit out shawty.”

He went right back to it, thrusting his tongue in & out of her with a force. She could feel one of his thick fingers playing with her clit and she was sure she was letting out noises but honestly, the whole thing was starting to feel like an out of body experience. Her hands gripped the backs of her thighs even tighter as her back arched up. His tongue replaced his finger on her clit and then he inserted that finger into her pussy, followed by a second one. The two together were driving her insane and causing small sweat beads to formulate on her stomach and chest.

“Oh fuck, Tre, I’m gonna cum, oh fuck fuck fuck!” Her moans were breathy, her legs beginning to shake in her hands as she could feel the coil start in her stomach. He nodded his head as he sucked her clit into his mouth and picked up the pace of his fingers. When his fingers curled upwards into her, tapping the roof of her pussy, she dropped her legs on his shoulders and let out a small scream, cumming right into his mouth. He didn’t stop as she was cumming, lapping her up like some whipped cream. He finally pulled away a couple seconds after she finished, sliding back up her body to give a wet kiss on the lips, letting her taste herself on his tongue.

Ash ran her fingers over his defined abs, popping open the button on his jeans and pushing the pants down with her feet. He was practically bursting out of his briefs at that point but she made quick work of those too. 

“Condom, condom - get a condom Tre.” She managed to squeak out in between kisses and he pulled away, looking at her for a moment. “What?”

It took him a second but he shook his head. “Nothing. I got you.” He pulled open the bedside drawer, pulling out a Magnum from an already open box. “I’mma finish this box with you, trust me.”

“It’d be my pleasure.” She smirked, biting her bottom lip as he tore open the wrapper with his teeth. “Here, let me.”

Tre closed his eyes as she stroked his member, using the precum at the tip to lubricate the nine inches of him she could. Her hand tightened a bit at the base before sliding back up to slip the condom over him. She was still stroking him as she led him toward her opening, spreading her legs wider for him.

Now, Ash had had sex with a total of two people in her life but neither of them had ever been as big as Tre. Just the tip of him was enough for her to let her mouth open into a perfect ���O’. She wasn't even sure he could fit all of himself in there but Lord knows, he was gonna give it the good ol’ college try. She moaned as he pushed through, pleasure ripping through every part of her, and kept going until he was fully inside of her. 

“Please fuckin’ move, Tre.” She whimpered. 

“Gimme a fuckin’ minute, sweetheart. If I move right now, I ain't gonna give you that show you wanted.” His lips connected with hers and then his hips began to thrust into her, rolling. She sighed into the kiss and tried to meet him thrust for thrust. He pulled his head away to bury into her neck. “Fuck, you feel good girl. You been hidin’ this shit from me?”

She wanted to respond smartly but her brain wasn’t formulating cohesive thoughts at the moment. Instead, she dragged her nails down his glistening back and moaned out his name like a chant - “Tre, Tre, Tres, yesssss.”

“S’tight, oh my fucking -” His own thoughts were jumbled as he drove in to her, winding his hips, trying to prolong the moment. He knew that, with the way shit was going, he was gonna have to make her cum at least once more and fast or else he was gonna ruin his own reputation and leave her hanging.

“Right there, yes!” Ashley exclaimed as his thick finger came down to rub her clit again, which paired with the motions of his hips extremely well. Her hands had slid down to his side as he lifted himself up on his arms and she let her nails dig into his skin, creating little marks there he’d probably get whistles about in the locker room tomorrow. “You’re so good, Tre, yes, yes, yes!” 

Her last yes came out as a squeal as he picked up his pace, rubbing faster and thrusting without abandon. She could feel that coil in her stomach again, moaning over and over again. Tre felt her tighten around him and let her ride out her second orgasm of the night before his hips began to stutter. He groaned out his release, nearly collapsing on top of her.

“Gahdamn!” He exclaimed, which made her laugh. She whined a bit as he pulled out of her, taking the condom off and climbing out of the bed to walk into the bathroom. He returned moments later, prompting her to rush in after him to clean herself up. When she came back, he’d pulled back the covers and was laying beneath them. She looked at him for a minute with her head tilted. “What?”

“I don’t know, I was expecting for you to make a run for it like ...” Ashley trailed off but he caught her drift. 

“Like with Nikki? Well first of all, this is my room this time so not really any option.” He laughed when she scoffed and held up the blanket, patting the spot next to him. She hurried to get under the covers, still naked like he was. “I also kinda wanna keep you around ... to finish off the box, of course.”

“Of course.” She smirked, tucking into his side. 

“So?” He inquired. She raised her eyebrow. “Was it as good as it looked from across the courtyard?”

“Hmm ... I think I might need a couple more encores to truly decide.” She tapped her chin like she was deliberating and he rolled his eyes.

“Oh, I’ll show you an encore.” Ashley let out a small shriek that quickly turned into a moan as he rolled her on top of him and began to kiss down her neck, dragging his thick fingers down her body to get her ready all over again.

[sunnyie-eve]

54 | Today is the Day

Series: Unexpected

Paring: Matt Sturniolo x OFC Brock!

Word Count: 1.7k

Warnings: steamy kissing, slight dry humping

| MASTERLIST |

At the moment Dani dreaded getting out of bed. Last night her and Matt finally agreed to let Nick and Chris in on the secret of them. They were even going to film a video for her channel to post in the future to announce they were together. But that wasn't the main reason she wasn't jumping for joy. He also mentioned telling Colby after telling Nick and Chris later in the day.

Turning her head to the right, she looks at the spot Matt was sleeping in before sneaking back to his room before anyone woke up, "I hate that I fell for your stupid ass." She laughs at herself. 

Rolling out of bed she grabs clothes for the day to change into after her shower. She hoped a shower would relax her a bit. While showering she hears Matt enter the bathroom to use it, "Morning." He tells her still tired.

"What time did you leave?" 

"I believe it was six o'clock. I still don't understand while we've been sneaking back to our rooms for the past few weeks. They already know we have sleepovers." Matt looks at himself in the mirror.

"We didn't want them thinking too much." She laughs.

"Well to keep up the act... I'll leave now. They're in the kitchen so they know I came in here while you're showering." He tells her before opening the shower door to poke his head in, "Kiss." Dani shakes her head giving him a kiss before he leaves.

Nick and Chris still didn't fully understand how the two shared the bathroom when one was showering and the other had to pee. The shower door was semi-see though so they thought it was impossible but it wasn't. Way before the two even started dating then talked about how they could make it work. Plan and simple, don't look. Do what you need to do and go. Plus they respected each other no matter how bad they each wanted to take a peek at some point.

After the shower, Dani eats breakfast with the guys and then they all relax on the couch watching TV before going out later to film the car video for Dani's channel. As time got closer to leaving Matt could tell Dani didn't want it to come. 

"I need to get things ready." She goes to her room and the other two didn't think much of it.

Matt waits for a bit before going to check on her to see her pacing her room, "Honestly, I'm relieved we are finally doing this with them." He tells her.

"Until they joke even more about us." Dani adds, "And now keep an eye on us when alone."

"True, true, true but I can finally kiss you around the house without being careful." He wraps his arms around her, "That's the best part of this." He gives her a kiss and sees the look on her face, "You're mainly nervous because when we release it and telling Colby later."

"Duh, and we haven't talked since our fight. What when I see him say, hey remember that fight we had about me liking Matt or not? Yeah, we've been dating for months actually." She gives Matt a look walking away from him as he sits on her bed,

"Not exactly, but I'll be with you. If he acts up we leave. It's that simple." He tells her, "Come here." He puts his arms out then takes her hands pulling her closer, "You won't be alone, I promise."

"And this is why I fucking love you."

What started as a sweet and slow kiss quickly turned into Dani straddling his lap, making out intensely. The thought of Colby was completely forgotten, his hands resting firmly on her hips as he held her close. Matt's grip tightened on her hips as the kiss deepened, his body responding eagerly to her closeness. His hands slide up from her hips, trailing gently along her sides

Matt pauses briefly, "We should hurry and tell them." He leans in, his lips hovering just inches from hers, his breath mingling with hers, "Just so they know if we're alone to leave us alone." He murmurs, his voice low, before attacking her lips again.

"Matt." She giggles as she kisses him back. 

His thumb gently tilts her chin up so he can deepen the kiss. His hands slowly slide down to her waist, his touch gentle and reassuring.

Matt's body responds to Dani's closeness and the intensity of the kiss. A noticeable bulge begins to form in his pants, growing with each passing moment. His hands guide her hips in slow, gentle movements against his growing erection, and Dani knew exactly what he was doing. His kisses become more urgent, his breathing heavier as he fights the urge to grind harder against her. 

"You know we're about to leave right." She reminds him trying to hold back her moans as she kisses along his jaw.

"Sadly it doesn't take me long when it comes to you." His hips buckle a bit.

"Yeah, you c-," He cuts her off with his lips on her again. 

Matt's hands slide up her back, arching her closer to him as he continues the rhythm against her. His teeth gently scraping against her neck as he kisses but doesn't suck at her sensitive skin. His free hand reaches up to gently tug at her hair, pulling her head back further to give him better access to her neck.

"GUYS ARE YOU SET TO GO!" Chris yells ready to film since he was bored out of his mind. 

"See what I mean." Matt groans tossing his head back.

"Yeah, and you have extra jeans in here so you're lucky." Dani gets off him.

"Now lets go do this." He smiles once he was in new pants and calms himself down before leaving her room first then she follows.

"Can someone please tell me what we are doing if not a normal car video? For our channel or Dani's channel. I'm getting nervous." Nick asks sitting in the back with Dani as they film for a video.

"It's for the future." Dani lets him and Chris know.

"Guys, I just wanna say before we get into the reason for this future video..." Matt starts to rub his hands together getting nervous.

"So this is for your channel?" Chris looks back at Dani.

"Yes, it's for my channel but for months in advance." She tells him.

"So there's something the two of us know and a few others know too that you two and a few others don't know. It's a big thing and a huge deal that has been going on. Any guesses?" Matt asks his brothers.

"Yeah, it's a big thing that has been going on since late March." Dani adds.

"I seriously have no idea what it could be." Nick laughs, "It sounds like some big secret project."

"Is it a brand deal?" Chris asks looking at Matt then back at her.

"Not close at all." She points with her finger laughing.

"Hell, are you secretly pregnant?" Chris jokes to me funny shocking the others.

"What the fuck? To you, I'm single so how? Plus I would be huge by now." Dani laughs at him not believing him.

"It was a joke since I have no clue what it could be."

"It's a big deal?" Nick looks at Matt.

Matt nods his head, "'It's super huge." Matt turns to look at him.

"Is it bigger than us when we shared you turned me down?" Chris looks back at Dani again.

"I would say it's the same level but higher." Dani nods her head a bit, "Shock value. More hate" She adds.

"Which sucks." Matt says before breaking the news, "Regardless you're my girlfriend." He adds and the two gasp.

"That I am." Dani smiles as Matt looks back at her.

"What?!" Nick shouts, "Are you FUCKING SERIOUS!" He now yells throwing his arms up making Matt and Dani laugh.

"WE KNEW SOMETHING WAS UP!" Chris shouts turning back to point at Nick.

"You fucking assholes."

"Just friends my ass." Chris adds making Nick laugh.

"We did okay." Matt smiles looking back at Dani.

"I think we did well." She agrees with him.

"When we joked about something going on between you two. We didn't seriously think it." Nick explains to the two.

"We just hoped at one point our joking would become true." Chris adds then stops for a second, "Turns out we were right to joke around. And I'm super happy."

"We were lucky we were already super close before hand." Dani explains why she thinks the secret was easy to keep from the two.

"We got to play it off easier." Matt smiles at Dani causing her to smile too.

"Why wait to tell us about it?" Chris asks wanting to know.

"We wanted to enjoy it without you two driving us insane." Dani tells him.

"Technically, you two still drove us crazy wanting it to happen." Matt adds laughing.

"It was worse than if you knew." Dani makes Nick laugh pointing at Chris since he was the main one.

"I feel like you two should thank me." Chris decides to mess with the two.

"Thank... you?" Dani says confused.

"Like what?" Matt turns back to look at her confused as well.

"Yeah." Chris nods his head, "If like she didn't turn me down."

Matt starts to shake his head, "Dude. You're joking but still don't. It's weird. Don't please." M=He says a bit annoyed with the joke because it wasn't funny at all.

Chris looks at his phone for a few seconds as the car filled with silence, "Yeah, I know that was a bit much." Chris agrees it was out of line, "I'm sorry." He apologizes, "Dani, you know it was a joke as well, right?" He looks back at her.

"I do but remember there's still fans who wish I said yes to you..." Dani gives him a look then at the camera, "Too bad so sad to y'all out there that wanted that." She makes the guys crack up.

"Yeah, she's Matt's and only Matt's." Nick snaps his fingers pointing at the camera, "We are team Datt till death." He adds making Matt laugh while pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Also Madison, Tara, Justin, and your mom know about us." Dani adds letting them know who else knew before them.

"We know mom and Justin keep secrets." Nick shakes his head rolling his eyes a bit.

"Yep." Matt laughs.

"Now we gotta keep an eye on you two." Chris points his finger at the two shaking it a bit, "No more doors closed." He makes them laugh at him.

"Now I say lets go to lunch before we have to tell Colby." Matt tells the whole car.

"Oh yeah." Nick agrees.

"Man do I wish we were 21 so you two drink beforehand." Chris tells the two and they all laugh.

[bingwriterxo]

the shakespeare exhibit - part 6

pairing: tara carpenter x reader

summary: in which you invite tara over for dinner

warnings: smut, 18+ (minors DNI), fingering, cunnilingus

word count: 3600+

author's note: one of the longest pieces i've ever posted...

previous part | next part

Chad (4:10pm): wtm tn bois

Mindy (4:11pm): movie night @ t's place?

Anika (4:11pm): down

Ethan (4:12pm): sounds good! i'll bring snacks! :D

Tara (4:12pm): yea just invite urselves over why dont u

Tara looked up from her phone, glaring at Mindy from across the living room. "Who says I'm free tonight?"

Mindy scoffed. "Please. We all know Y/N has been visiting her parents this weekend because you won't stop whining about how much you miss her, and who else do you hang out with?"

"I do not whine!" Right? Tara thought. Right. "And I have other friends!"

"Oh yeah?" Mindy raised an eyebrow. "Who? Name them right now."

"Uh..." Tara furrowed her eyebrows. Does Sam count? "Oh! Quinn, obviously."

"She doesn't count! She's friends with all of us!" Mindy chuckled, shaking her head. "Face it, T--you've got us and you've got Y/N, and with Y/N gone, we all know you're not doing jack shit tonight."

Tara huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "I fucking hate you."

"Don't hate the player," Mindy said, holding her hands up in surrender. "Hate the game."

"Oh, I'll hate the player, because the player's a pain in my ass--" The rapid vibrating of her phone cut her off and she glanced down, eyes widening at your contact name showing on her screen. She scrambled to pick it up, nearly declining the call as she held it to her ear. "Hey, baby!"

Mindy pretended to gag herself with her finger at Tara's words, and the brunette flipped her off.

"Hi, Tar," you said, and Tara could hear your smile. "What're you up to?"

"Just hanging out with the biggest pain in my ass."

You giggled. Tara grinned at the sound. "Say 'hi' to Mindy for me, then."

"Definitely won't do that."

There was some shuffling before you asked, "What're you doing tonight?"

Tara hummed. "Tonight? Oh, nothing important." She stuck her tongue out at Mindy, who gave her middle fingers with both of her hands. "Why?"

"I'm back early from my parents' house. Nate and Eddie were way too much for me to handle this weekend." You chuckled. "Nate's got the lead role in the school play, and you'll never guess what they're doing."

"Some sort of Shakespeare?" she asked, knowing of your younger brother's own love for the playwright.

"Yup! They're making it PG-rated, obviously, but he's running around only talking in Early Modern English and I just couldn't take it anymore." God help me on the day that I meet this kid, Tara thought. "And then Eddie, well, he's going fucking insane from it, so he was off the walls, and--" You sighed. "That's not what I was calling for."

She laughed. "What's up, then?"

"Do you want to come over tonight? I can cook your favorite!" Tara was barely given the chance to respond when you added, "And I miss you."

This fucking girl. She blushed, turning her face so that Mindy couldn't see."I miss you, too, babe. And yeah, I'll come over tonight."

Mindy whipped her head toward her. "What about movie night?"

Tara waved her off, but you had overheard the other girl. "Oh, if you're busy tonight, then--"

"No!" Tara exclaimed. Stupid Mindy. Trying to ruin my plans. "No, it's fine. There will be other movie nights."

"We could just have dinner tomorrow night, baby," you said. "I don't want to pull you away from your friends."

She shook her head even though you couldn't see it. "They'll be okay without me for one night. When should I come?"

There was a pause. Tara guessed that you were looking at the time. "Is seven o'clock good? I just need to run and grab some things first, and shower, because I'm kind of greasy." There was a little shuffling. "I don't know what it is about those boys, but every time I come back from my parents' place, I'm always, like, gross."

Tara giggled. "Seven's perfect. I'll see you then."

"Okay, cool! Bye, Tar."

"Bye, babe." I love you, she thought, but she didn't dare say it. I can't. It's too soon.

Her phone clicked as you hung up, and she pulled it away from her ear, turning to Mindy. "I won't be here tonight."

Mindy stared at her like she was stupid. "Yeah. I got that. Can we still use your apartment for movie night, though? I don't even want to try fitting everyone on my bed again."

Tara rolled her eyes. "Sure. I think Sam's staying at Danny's tonight, so just don't wreck the place."

Mindy hummed. "Hey, have you guys said 'I love you' yet?"

Tara blushed, warmth rising from her collarbones to her ears. "No."

"Do you want to?"

So badly, Tara wanted to say. "What's with all the questions?" she asked instead.

Mindy shrugged. "I'm just wondering. I mean, you told her about what happened last year, right?" Tara nodded. "And she responded well, right?" Another nod. "Why haven't you said it yet?"

"Have you ever thought about the fact that I might not love her yet?" Lie. Lie. Lie!

Mindy scoffed. "Don't lie to me. Everyone sees how you act around her, and how you look at her, and we all hear how you talk about her, and--"

"Shut up."

"So, why haven't you said it?"

Tara sighed. "We've barely been dating a month, Minds." Though it's already felt like a lifetime.

"Okay, and...?" Mindy cocked her head. "Anika and I were dating for, like, two weeks when we said it." She stood from the armchair and moved onto the couch, laying Tara's feet over her lap. "Y/N already knows everything about you--or, at least, you know, the stuff that might scare someone away--and she's still here. Don't you think that means she probably loves you back?"

"You're not who I want to be having this conversation with," Tara grumbled.

"First of all, rude. Secondly, would you rather Chad? Or maybe Sam, or Quinn, or--"

Tara threw her arms out. "Okay! I get it. You're the most plausible one to talk to about this." She covered her face with her hands, groaning. "I just--I don't want to freak her out." She looked at Mindy. "I mean, she's dated people, but she's never really been in a serious relationship like this, and I don't want to rush her."

Mindy furrowed her eyebrows. "She got you for her first girlfriend? Poor sucker."

I hate her. I really do. "This is why I don't want to talk to you about this!"

"Sorry, sorry," Mindy rushed out, patting Tara's ankles. "I'll be nice. Do you think there's any other reason you might not be ready to tell her?"

"Like what?"

"Like...Amber?"

Tara clenched her jaw and shook her head. No, she thought. No, definitely not. "Mindy--"

"I'm just saying." Mindy shrugged. "Amber was your best friend, and she's the first girl you ever fell in love with. She may have been a psychopathic murderer, but that's not someone who's easy to get over. Could you...still love her?"

"No." Tara shut her eyes, hard. "No, I don't still love Amber." Her voice was shaking; she could feel the tears behind her eyelids just from talking about the girl. "I miss her, sometimes, and then I remember that she literally tried to kill me." Her eyes shot open and she gestured to Mindy. "She tried to kill you, too."

"I know, T, but--"

Tara shook her head. "There are no 'buts'. I don't love Amber anymore." I only love Y/N. Her heart fluttered at the mere thought of you.

Mindy narrowed her eyes. "So, it really is just the time?"

"Yeah," Tara said. "I'm gonna wait until I know she's ready."

"You're so whipped, dude." Mindy grinned.

"You're the worst."

* * *

"Hey, Carmine," Tara greeted as she walked up to your doorman. She had become friendly with the man over the past few weeks, since, more often than not, the two of you hung out at your place rather than hers.

"Miss Carpenter," he said, nodding. "Miss Y/L/N ran through here about an hour ago looking a bit...disheveled."

Tara chuckled. "Yeah, well, you know our girl."

He hummed and gestured toward the door. "After you."

"I'll see you on my way out," she said, lamely saluting him. Why the fuck did I just do that? she thought. However, he quelled her anxieties quickly as he saluted back to her before turning away, his attention focused on some random man walking up to the door. Okay, Carmine. You're officially cool.

Tara made her way into the building and up to your apartment, knocking on your front door when she finally arrived. She patted down her hair and straightened out her clothes, making sure she looked perfectly presentable, and beamed up at you when the door opened.

Her eyes widened and her mouth fell open as she looked at you. You were wearing a sheer, white button down, your black bralette visible beneath it, and your pants were...well, they hugged you nicely. Girlfriend looks hot. Might explode. "I didn't realize we were dressing nice," she said, gulping.

You glanced down at yourself with a blush before looking back at her with a shy smile. "Just thought it might be fun," you mumbled.

She nodded. "You look..." Pretty. Say pretty. "Hot." Damn it, Tara. You're too gay for this bullshit.

"Thanks." You opened the door wider. Tara stepped inside, giving you a quick kiss. "You're not too bad yourself," you said, grinning.

Tara, for as much as she wanted to say she knew you, had not been expecting what you had set up inside your apartment. The lights were dimmed, there were rose petals on the floor, and the table was set with a candelabra in the middle (which she knew you had never used before because it was centuries old).

She turned to look at you. "I--You--What?"

"I originally wanted to take you out to a nice restaurant tonight, but I couldn't get a reservation anywhere." You shrugged and gestured to the room. "So, I had to make do."

"It's not an important date, is it?" No, not our one month. It's November, so it's not Valentine's day.

You shook your head. "No. I just wanted to do something a little more special tonight." You bit your lip. "Is it okay? I mean, I could turn on the lights and vacuum up the petals, and we could just order pizza or something if you wan--"

"It's perfect." She's perfect, Tara thought. Absolutely perfect in every way, and I love her.

You sighed with relief. "Oh, good, because the rose petals were kind of expensive." You placed your hand on the small of her back and led her to the table, pulling out her seat for her. "Sit. I'll get the food."

Is this real life? Did she actually set up a romantic dinner and is now bringing me food? This is--I'm dreaming, aren't I? Tara blinked as though to wake herself up, but she was still in your kitchen when she opened her eyes. Nope, not a dream. How did I get someone so perfect?

You returned with two plates of food in one hand and a bottle of wine in the other. You placed a plate down in front of Tara and one in front of your own seat before waving the bottle at her.

"My parents sent me two bottles of that '61 Merlot I gave Sam, so I thought we could have it tonight," you said, pouring her a glass. You stopped suddenly, freezing. "Wait, do you like wine? I have, uh, water, too, if that's better?"

Tara chuckled. "Wine's fine. Thank you, baby."You nodded and continued to pour before giving yourself a glass as well. You set the wine down next to the candelabra and then sat, smiling at her.

"I hope you like it," you said, pointing at the food. "I'm not the best cook. We grew up with private chefs, so neither of my parents taught me to cook, either, but I tried my best, and--"

Tara ate a mouthful of the pasta you had set in front of her, and her taste buds exploded. Her eyes widened as she moaned at the taste, and you gulped, watching her. "This is amazing!" she said, her voice somewhat muffled from the food. "Holy shit, Y/N." She can cook! Thank god, 'cause I'm horrible at it.

"Really? Oh, perfect. I was nervous I'd actually have to end up just ordering us a pizza," you said, starting to eat.

Tara hummed and reached for her glass. "You need to teach me how you did this one day."

You nodded. "Sure! Any time. It was pretty easy, actually."

She took a sip of the wine, smiling at the taste of it. Jesus, I can tell this was expensive. "This is also amazing. Thank your parents for me, would you?"

"Sure, Tar." You grinned. "They asked about you, actually."

What. "Oh?" No fucking way.

"They wanted to know if you were also into literature like I am, to which I said no, of course, and I think my mom was actually a bit happy to hear it." You chuckled. "The literature comes from my dad's side, mainly. She's...not stoked about it."

"I think your mom and I are going to get along great, then," Tara giggled.

"They wanted to know when they could meet you, actually," you said, glancing up at her sheepishly. Her eyes widened. "I know we haven't been dating long, but they want to meet the woman that has their daughter 'so captivated', as my dad put it."

"Captivated, huh? I'm sure they meant they want to meet whoever turned their daughter into such a simp," she teased.

You glanced down, blushing. "We're not starting this tonight."

"If you would just admit you're a simp for me, then I'd never bring it up again." Her voice was soft as she stared at you. She looks so pretty in the candlelight.

"I'll never admit that, since it's just not true," you said, looking up. "But I will admit that...I'm in love with you."

A shiver ran through Tara at your words, butterflies stirring in her stomach. She loves me, she thought. She loves me back. "I--"

"You don't have to say it back," you started. "I know it's kind of soon, but I just...I wanted to say it." You inhaled deeply. "I love you, Tara."

Say it, you idiot. Say it. "Y/N," she breathed out. She stood and crossed the length of the table, pulling your seat out from beneath it so that she could stand in front of you. She grinned down at you. "I love you, too."

Tara leaned down and kissed you with as much passion as she could. She tried to pour every ounce of what she felt for you into the kiss, and she smiled against your lips when you stood up, never breaking contact once. You wrapped your arms around her waist, pulling her into you.

"You love me," you said when you pulled back just enough to speak, your breath brushing over her lips.

"I do." I really do. More than you know. Her hands found the back of your neck as she leaned up to kiss you again, her tongue swiping over your bottom lip. Your hold on her tightened. She never wanted you to let go.

You whispered, "Is this...I mean, should we--"

"Bedroom?" Tara asked. You nodded slowly. "Yes, please."

You giggled as you took Tara's hand, leading her to your bedroom. There was nothing fancy happening there--no rose petals or candles or dimmed lights--but she didn't care. She liked knowing that you hadn't planned to sleep with her, that you were doing all of this simply because you loved her.

She shut the door behind her as you sat on your bed, waiting patiently. Perfect. Painstakingly perfect. She climbed onto your lap, straddling your legs, and kissed you again. This time, it was less slow and calculated; it was filled with more want, with more lust.

You nipped at her bottom lip, and she whimpered, her hips rising a little and brushing against you. You grinned, hands slipping beneath her shirt and holding her by the waist, your thumbs rubbing over her bare skin.

She shivered, pulling away. "You're--This all okay, right?" she asked. You nodded, and she leaned in to kiss you again before pausing, her eyes catching on something across the room. You furrowed your eyebrows at her, turning around to see what she was looking at. "Sorry. I need to..."

Tara stood and crossed the room, turning the statue bust of Shakespeare around so that he was facing the corner. Much better, she thought. I don't need Mr. Shakespeare watching me have sex.

"Oh," you said, laughing. "I didn't realize he'd bother you."

She frowned as she walked back to you, settling in your lap again, your hands retaking the position they had. "I didn't want him watching."

"I'm sure Shakespeare has seen worse things."

"Oh, shush. You're making me feel silly now."

You leaned up and kissed her. "It's a little silly."

"Whatever." She pressed her lips against yours again, silencing your teasing. Her tongue ran over your bottom lip and you gasped, allowing her the entry she so desperately desired.

You kissed for a moment more before she was dipping down, her lips dancing across your jawline, up to the little spot below your ear, and then down your neck. Her mouth was hot and warm against your skin, leaving you whining beneath her. I can do better than whines, she thought as she nipped at your pulse point. You moaned, your hand flying to her scalp when she sucked against the skin, sure to leave a pretty mark.

Her hands busied themselves with the buttons of your shirt, fingers fumbling in her haste. Stupid buttons. I hate buttons. Why do buttons even exist-- Your shirt fell open and she pulled back, gulping at the sight of you.

You were breathing heavily, your hair was mussed, the hickey on your neck was a magnificent red, and you were staring at her with half-lidded eyes.

"Jesus, you're beautiful," Tara mumbled. You turned pink at her words, looking away shyly. She cupped your jaw and softly pushed your head back to look at her. "Really, Y/N. You are."

"Thank you, baby," you said.

How can she be so cute yet so hot at the same time? Tara took your shirt off, leaving you in just your bralette, and pushed at your chest lightly. You laid back, your head on your pillows as you looked up at her, watching, waiting.

She leaned down, pressing open-mouthed kisses to the skin of your chest, and giggled when she felt your hips buck up. "Impatient," she muttered.

"Leave me alone," you grumbled above her.

She climbed off you, fingers working at the button of your pants. "Next time we do this, can you just wear a t-shirt and sweats? It'll make things a lot easier for me," she joked.

You raised an eyebrow, smirking. "Next time?"

Tara huffed, the button finally coming undone, and she helped you out of your pants, pulling your underwear down with them. "Yes. Next time." She threw your pants somewhere behind her and hovered over you. "Unless you find me to be...unsatisfactory," she whispered, voice low.

You gulped. "M'sure that won't be the case."

She kissed you again before moving downward, planting kisses along your skin and creating marks on the plane of your stomach, until she settled between your legs. "You're dripping," she breathed out, and you whimpered at the air against you.

"Please, Tar," you whined, hips bucking ever so slightly. "Need you, baby."

She nodded, dipping down and licking a stripe through your folds, groaning at your taste. You moaned, the sound raw as it left your mouth, and Tara grinned. Beautiful, she thought as her tongue continued to explore you. Sounds so pretty.

She wrapped her lips around your clit, and she swore that the noise you made was the closest to heaven she'd ever get. She sucked lightly, then a little harder when your hand gripped her hair, pushing her against you.

"Fuck, Tar," you groaned. "Feels so good, baby."

She brought her hand up, slipped a finger into you, and hummed at the feel of your walls tight around her. Her tongue kept circling your clit, lips sucking at it, as she thrusted into you gently.

It didn't take long until you were writhing beneath her, the only sounds coming out of your mouth being broken moans and whines of her name.

"M'gonna cum," you whimpered.

Fuck yeah. She sucked harder, and you fell over the edge, crying out her name as your walls squeezed her. Your back arched, Tara following the curve with her eyes, before you lamely pushed at her shoulders. She pulled away and climbed up your body, grinning at the sight of your flushed face and closed eyes before kissing you softly.

"How was that?" she asked.

"Embarrassingly quick," you said, opening your eyes to look at her.

She giggled. "I'm good at what I do."

You hummed, hands finding her waist and flipping the two of you over. "Now let me show you that I'm good at what I do."

It was a whirlwind of color as you undressed her, and Tara barely got a word out before your lips were around her nipple, sucking at the hardened bud. She gasped, your mouth wet on her, and felt your fingers at her entrance.

"You thought I was dripping?" you teased.

"Shut up--" She moaned as you slipped a finger into her. Fuck, she thought. Long fingers.

You kissed her, lips pushed against her hard, before dipping down to her neck, sucking and kissing and licking while your finger worked at her, your thumb circling her clit.

Her mind was hazy and focused only on the way your finger curled against her just right. You slipped another one in, and she swore she saw stars.

Jesus, already? she thought briefly at the feeling of a pleasant knot tightening in her stomach. You mumbled something against her neck, but she wasn't paying any attention.

It only took one, two, three more thrusts before she was unraveling beneath you, a shuddering breath pushing past her lips as she came. You worked her through her orgasm, slipping out when she came down, and she pulled you into her, kissing you gently.

"I love you," you whispered.

She grinned. "I love you, too."

A moment passed before you asked, "Do you think I could turn my Shakespeare back around now?"

She's dead serious, isn't she? Tara rolled her eyes lightly and kissed you between your eyebrows. "Let me put my clothes back on."

[natashaslittlegirl]

The contract - Romanoff's Assistant

DO NOT COPY ANY OF MY WORKS. MINORS DNI +18 ONLY.

Summary: It's your first day working in Romanoff's Company

Boss ! Natasha Romanoff x Assistant ! Reader

Warnings: none

Natasha Romanoff's Masterlist RA Masterlist RA Account Chapter II aesthetic

This morning hits different, you got up earlier than usual. You start dressing yourself up with your choosen outfit from the night before, well, from friday when you got back from the interview actually. Dress pants and black shirt, leather boots and as always your beige coat, it's your lucky charm, but don't say anything because otherwise it won't work.

You leave your apartment but not before feeding and giving Lena lots of kisses, this cat is going to be the death of you because of so much cuteness. So little and cuddly. You love when she comes and sits on your lap purring for you to caress her, so delicate, you love her.

You're walking along the avenues, luckily you're not that far from the coffee shop or work now. You make a quick stop, look at your applewatch, 7:45am, you still have time. Kate smiles at you when she sees you arrive. "Morning, girl! The usual?"

"Yes, please, and a coffee with almond milk, extra hot without sugar and the cup 70% full, please."

"So you remembered Romanoff's request, huh?" she looks at you with mischief in her eyes, oh, you certainly forgot to mention, that she already knows you have a little, not so little, crush on Miss Romanoff, that's why the look. You remember your call from friday evening.

While you waited for your lasagna to heat up, you grabbed your phone and dial Kate. "I got the job!" she screamead and you had to move the device away, otherwise it would make you deaf.

"No way, you little lucky ass!"

"Yes, I don't even know how, what if it goes wrong?" you start to doubt, "Miss Romanoff said one mistake and I'm screwed, help."

"Don't be stupid, Y/N, you'll do fine, relax." Well yeah, you don't even started yet. "I imagine you've had your eye on her." 

"I mean, could you blame me? She's beautiful." Miss Romanoff is beautiful indeed.

"She's hot," so hot "you already have a crush on her, don't you?"

"I can't lie to you."

You two talked a little more until a line of customers formed and Kate can't make six coffees at the same time, you doubt it.

"Kate," you let out a sigh, "I'm her assistant, the first thing I have to do in the morning is get her coffee, also, so do you."

"Okay, okay, whatever you say." she says as she prepares the coffees. You hand her the money and look at you watch again before she pass them to you, 7:53 am, shit, you need to hurry.

"Thank you Kate!" she waves back and you walk out as fast as possible, god these boots are not for rushing. But you got into the building and reached the elevator on time, 7:58am.

Fuck, hurry up, please. You mentally said to yourself, cursing the machine. You got to the twenty-seventh floor at 8 o'clock, ugh on time. You leave the coffees on your desk and wait for Miss Romanoff to show up.

You turn on the computer and go through the agenda, it's already organized so you don't have to do much. Not even five minutes pass and Miss Romanoff makes her entrance, how can this woman look like this at eight in the morning?

"Good morning, Miss Romanoff," You get up from your chair and grab her coffee, "I brought you coffee." she looks at you up and down as she takes the cup, taking a sip of coffee with a smirk on her face.

"So, coffee the way I like, you're on time and you're presentable."

"Yes, Miss Romanoff."

She goes on her way to her office and you go yours to the desk. You continue making appointments in the agenda and suddenly it's already 10am, how fast. You see that Miss Romanoff has a charity event offered by the Stark family and needs confirmation, you write the event in the agenda, the computer and on a post it in front of her, to much, huh? Interrupting your thoughts, you get a call saying Miss Romanoff is needed on the 5th floor.

You head to her door office, you can't see inside but you know she can sees you. knock twice waiting for her to let you in. "Come in" you hear her say and you walk into her office closing the door behind you.

"Miss Romanoff?" she looks up from her and scans you.

"Yes, Y/N, what's up?"

"I wanted to inform you that this Friday you've a charity event offered by the Stark family, it requires confirmation and they need you now on the 5th floor" You say and wait for her response.

"Thank you, confirm my invitation and yours too and call the 5th floor, tell them I'm coming, look for me in fifteen minutes, I'm busy and I don't want to waste time." She stops and takes some papers with her, you step aside and open the door for her to leave, you see her go to the elevator and disappear once it closes the doors. You send the confirmations to the event, but you didn't know that you'll have to go. 

When trirteen minutes pass you call the elevator and play the 5th floor to get Miss Romanoff back, you arrived and started to looking for her in the hallways. She didn't said where you were suposed to look for her. Passing the cubicles separated by glass panels, a woman comes out and you take the opportunity to ask her about Miss Romanoff.

"Hi, I'm Y/N, Miss Romanoff's new assistant, can you tell me where she is? She needs to attend to an important call."

"Hi, I'm Debbie, nice to meet you. Yes, she's down the hall with Lou, the accountant."

"Thank you very much, it's a pleasure for me too" you walk to the end until you find the accountant's office, knock twice and wait for the order to enter. You hear gasps and don't want to imagine what they are doing inside. You hear a 'come in' and take a deep breath before going inside, for your surprise, Miss Romanoff is sitting in front of the accountant's desk and the other woman is standing serving two glasses of water.

"Y/N, what's up?" She turns her head around to look at you.

"Miss Romanoff, you have an important call, they said it can't wait." She rolls her eyes, is she kidding?

"Y/N, this is Lou, our accountant" She points the other woman and then you, "Lou, she's Y/N, my new assistant." 

"Nice to meet you, Miss" 

"The pleasure is mine, darling." She smiles at you, making you gulp, Miss Romanoff therefore, looks at the other woman and rolls her eyes again. She gets up from her chair and walks out with you. You both reach the elevator and go to your respectives offices.

You spent the rest of the day reviewing plans, events, and trips. Schedule and rearrange appointments for tomorrow and when you look at the clock it's already 5pm, you hear Miss Romanoff calling you into her office.

"You called me, Miss Romanoff?" You stand halfway at the door.

"Yes, come in and close the door." You do what she says and stay standing in front of her desk, you just hope you didn't do anything wrong. You feel nervous remembering that everyone must be leaving by now. Well you don't think you'd done anything wrong.

"I want to talk to you about something, Y/N," you gulp "sit down."

"Yes, Miss Romanoff." You do what she says and sit with your legs crossed.

"Don't be afraid, you didn't do anything wrong. I called you so we can talk about the contract, payment, schedules, and I need some confirmations from you." She grabs one of the two folders in front of her and hands it to you.

You open it and the first thing you see is my salary, you don't know if you're dreaming or if you're seeing things wrong but here it says 120k, you didn't even think that the assistants earned that much, you expected 60k at the most.

"Miss Romanoff?"

"Yes, Y/N." you look at her

"Is this amount serious?"

"Yes, do you prefer monthly or fortnightly?" oh god I can't believe it.

"Monthly? I thought it was yearly," you whispered under your breath, "Monthly is fine, Miss Romanoff." She noted something in her folder, which you guess must have the same documents as your.

"Okay then, go to page three," You turn to the page and read, your schedules Mon-Fri 8am-5pm, Sat 9am-1pm, lunch break one hour, any time you choose. "Are your schedules okay with you?"

"Yes, Miss Romanoff."

"Perfect, we already have the basics confirmed. I need you to tell me if you are willing to go on business trips, go to events, meetings and all this kind of thing. Everything is detailed on page 5 onwards, you don't have to answer me now, tomorrow you can bring me the signed folder with what you can do and what not. You will also have a card in your name for expenses that we make on trips and for the clothes that I ask you to wear, is that clear?"

"Yes, Miss Romanoff, all clear"

"You can go, Y/N." You got up from the chair, grab the folder and go to your office, find your handbag, put on your beige coat and walk to your apartment.

You arrived and left everything on the table in front of the couch, You went to your room to take off your clothes, take a shower and put on your pyjamas, the black short silk with lace edges, you love it, it is very confy.

There is nothing you like more than a relaxing shower, leaving there smelling like vanilla, how nice. You go back to the kitchen. It's 8:45 p.m. dinner time. You open the fridge but you find it empty, you must've forgot to do the groceries again, well, pizza will be. You order and while you wait for the delivery you go to pour yourself a glass of white wine. You receive the pizza, pay and go to the couch and find Lena in a super adorable position, picture worthy, she's very cute.

While you eat, you read the contract, it seems like a very good offer, obviously you're going to take it.

Passport. Yes

Travel in the country. Yes

Travel abroad. Yes

You keep reading and you find everything reasonable, you ended up marking everything 'yes' and you send Kate if you have a work trip if she can take care of Lena.

Kate ☕

Of course I'm going to take care of that adorable little kitten

Great, one less thing to worry about.

Previous Chapter / Next Chapter

[strawberries-and-summer-days]

NICE TO OFFICIALLY MEET YOU ‧₊˚ ☾. ⋅

| percy jackson x popstar au

| au masterlist ☽

warnings: swearing and i think thats just about it!

a/n: writers block hit so hard guys its not even funny apt. anyway hope you enjoy pt 3!! im also using show! clarisse as my description

"LIA!!!!" you screech when you storm into the apartment. when she doesn't reply you get even more pissed. who the hell wakes someone up at 2 am tell them they desperately need to come over to their house now because its an emergency and then proceed to lock them out in the cold for half a goddamn hour.

"lia i swear to god im going to kick your fucking ass back to london if you don't come out here right now," you yell not even caring at this point if you wake anyone up.

"heyyy bestie," lia says coming out of the kitchen with a smile. "so glad you could make it."

from the threatening look on your face, her smile quickly fades. "ok, ok so i know its early-"

"its two-fucking-am lia, you're so very lucky that i don't kill you for this because for some reason, i've grown attached to your need self."

"i'm irreplaceable," she says. "anyway thats not why i called you here, i met some people on the subway the other day who want to meet you."

"you called me here.... to meet fans?" you say in a deathly calm tone. "lia... ITS 2:30 IN THE MORNING COULDN'T THIS WAIT UNTIL I DUNNO LIKE TEN?" you yell launching after her.

"no it couldn't wait! because this is a secret meeting, huhhh? how cool is that?" lia says running away from you into the living room. you follow after her determined to actually kill the little shit but stop short when you see three people standing and watching the ordeal.

two girls and a boy - the boy is jumping up and down with barely restrained excitement, the blonde girl is smiling, and the final girl is just watching with barely restrained boredom.

"y/n, this is grover, clarisse and annabeth." lia motions to the three of them.

you smile as politely as one can at 2:30 am and say hi back. the boy - grover - is still practically buoyant when you look at him, and its generally concerning how much energy he has.

"soo, uh what's up?" clarisse says awkwardly.

"yeah y'know nothing much, just being dragged out of bed at 2 o'clock in the morning to meet some people- by the way does he ever stop jumping?" you point to a still jumping grover. "like dude its wayy to early to be this energetic."

"no. unfortunately he's like this all the time," the brunette - clarrise - says.

"i'm sorry," grover interrupts, "im just such a huge fan of you. and i would've gotten into trouble if i had told my friend we were meeting you so thats why its at such an awful hour."

"your friend doesn't like me?"

"... he's not your biggest fan thats for sure."

☾. ⋅

yn.official

liked by underovergrover, lia.mandel, rileywest maisiehpeters, gracieabrams and 1, 268, 941 others

yn.official life recently...

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lia.mandel girls night was fun!! @/rileywest sad ur leaving again

riley.west im afraid london calls babes i'll see you girls when i get back

yn.official can't wait 🤍

user1 OMGGG SHE'S IN THE STUDIO?? AHHH

user2 what is with the studio pic?!?!?!?

user3 grover (one of percy's friends) liked the post they're totally fucking

user4 ew can you not be so gross?? just leave percy and y/n alone

user5 im dyinggg until my show!! only 3 to go ahhh

user6 THE STUDIO PIC?? AND ON TOP OF THAT THE TOUR ENDING AND PERCYY/N RUMOURS?? my heart can't take this anymore.

☾. ⋅

percyjackson

liked by underovergrover, chris.rodriguez, lukecastellan, clarisse.la.rue, the.annabethchase, lia.mandel, rileywest and 863, 459 others

percyjackson life recently...

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user1 NO NO PLS NOT THE MATCHING CAPTIONS ONE MINUTE WITHIN EACH OTHER ITS SO OBVIOUS

user2 he's so hot it hurts guys

user3 THE POSTS?!?!? AT THE SAME TIME!!!!

underovergrover that was an awful party man just thought i should let you know

percyjackson thanks g man i had absolutely no idea maybe next time don't text me abt how awful it is in front of the hosts

user4 THE MATCHING CAPTIONS AND THEIR FRIEND LIKING THE OTHERS POSTS. MAKE IT MORE OBVIOUS WOULD YOU??

user5 i ship them so hard fr

user6 yeah but there is literally ANOTHER girl in the post

the.annabethchase i wonder what amazing girl is in the second photo...

☾. ⋅

"fucking y/n," percy grumbles. "i cannot do a single thing without her showing up," he scoffs throwing the phone down onto the car seat beside him. he's currently sat outside a prestigious event - for what? who knows - contemplating whether he should go in because he knows for a fact the-person-who-shall-not-be-named is in there.

sighing he picks his phone up again and gets out of the car heading towards the bustling entryway to the building. men and women in fancy dresses and suits line the hallways as and elevators as he makes his way to the rooftop.

grover and luke are already here so his first goal is to find them, avoid being sucked into any weird business deals and do not under any circumstances run into y/n.

the elevator opens and he moves out onto the rooftop, the cool breeze brushing his face, the smell of alcohol and perfume fills the air. its almost peaceful as he makes his way to the edge of building leaning on the railing to take in the view.

"quiet a view isn't it?" a voice comes from beside him.

aw fuck.

he spins around and comes face to face with the one person he was determined to avoid.

"nice to officially meet you percy jackson," you say holding out your hand.

he takes it to be polite, "right back at you y/n l/n."

☾. ⋅

☾. ⋅

TAGLIST‧₊˚ ☾. ⋅ [if you're name is white it mean i couldn't tag you]

@lauptimist, @itzmeme, @mariaaaaaahhhh, @paankhaleyaar, @maybxlle,

@lara20aral, @cxp1d, @user-3113s-blog, @pleasingregulus,

@avihashearts4lix, @inlovewithmorales, @brokecollegebitch, @user-3113s-blog, @officiallyalbino

@gloryhaddock [if you want to be added just let me know!]

[saddled-on-stars]

HI STAR IM YOUR BIGGEST FAN I LOVE YOU

May I pretty pretty pretty please request a bj and masc reader write? It can be anything from a short story to just hcs. (There's weirdly very few masc things?!) It can be super short, i appreciate anything! Thank you I love you 💗

STOPPP, I'M LITERALLY YOUR BIGGEST FAN-

AND OH MY GOD, THIS IS GONNA BE SO MUCH FUN WRITING THIS ONE(S). You said either a story or hcs, so... I'M GIVING YOU BOTH DARLING-

IT IS SUCH A SHAME THAT THERE'S SO FEW MASC xREADERS FOR THIS. I hope that this brings you the joy that you need, because frankly, we all need a little bit of the bug-boy ;)

SO, MY DARLING, I PRESENT TO YOU A MIXTURE OF BOTH HCS AND A STORY. AND, YEAH OF COURSE, I LOVE YOU TOOOOOOO-

Happy reading! - Star ★

-★-★-★-★-★-★-★- Trigger Warnings: Explicit Language [minor in hcs, average in story], Anxiety/Panic Attack [in story], Passing Out/Fainting [in story] -★-★-★-★-★-★-★- Key: ★ (Y/N) = Your Name ★ (L/N) = Last Name -★-★-★-★-★-★-★- Requested by: @juicy-beetle -- (GO FOLLOW THIS DUDE, HE IS LITERALLY SO AMAZING, AND KIND, AND JUST GO FOLLOW HIM- SHOW HIM SOME LOVE) -★-★-★-★-★-★-★-

- ★ - Bug-Boy Headcanons - ★ -

You both share his striped jacket. Like, if you're ever feeling down, he'll just simply ask you, "Do you want our jacket?", and 99% of the time, you won't even have to respond before he drapes it over your shoulders, and plants a kiss on your cheek.

As said in an earlier post on my blog, he LOVES doing pillow fights with you! He thinks of it as his way of de-stressing from a long day, and he feels even happier when you win, brushing it off that he "let you", but you both know full well that you just have more skill :)

He has these big ideas and expectations for a perfect date for you, but he also knows that you like things lowkey, so he'll just casually have a hoodie and two game controllers ready for you and him, just so he can beat you in a little kid's game again (even though you both find it fun)

Whenever you're cuddling with him, he'll fiddle with the drawstrings on your hoodie. You swear he's like a cat fiddling with a ball of yarn, and he acts like it's the most interesting thing in the world. And what you love about it, and find quite cute, is that he'll randomly nibble on them too like a snack.

You LOVE his little musty smell. It's gross to other people, but to you it's nice and earthy. He smells like the woods in a way to you. Very forest-y. When he hugs you in greeting, to join with that "woodland scent", you'll tell him that he gives "Bear Hugs", which he never ceases to make you smile with them.

Uh-oh... He knows you're ticklish on your sides. So he'll randomly be coming from out of nowhere, or make sure that he's not seen when you summon him, and he'll make sure that you're laughing your ass off before you can tell him to stop.

-★-★-★-★-★-★-★-★-★-★-★-★-★-★-★-★-★-★-★-★-★-★- - ★ - Nocturnal Nerves - ★ - Footsteps can be heard through your ears, soft and rhythmic on the hardwood floor of your living room. They're the footsteps of your own pacing, of course, but it's the last thing that you're wanting to focus on right now.

Sitting down on the couch, you rest your elbows on your knees, swiftly running a hand through your hair.

You look at the coffee table, the paperwork and documents scattered all over, including some magnetized to a whiteboard across the room.

It's been a long, LONG, day for you, as it's about 11 o'clock now. Your boss sent you home with what felt like ten pounds of paperwork.

Okay, maybe it wasn't ten pounds, but it was heavy to carry, the stack being about 8 inches thick. You have to organize everything and sign at least half of the stack, being contracts and documents.

Fuck, it's too much.

You've been at this for three hours, and you've barely made progress. The papers used to be organized into neat piles, and now you're lucky if they're even on the table and not on the floor.

Glancing over at the whiteboard, you see that the progress over there isn't much better. The magnets are scattered just as much as the papers are.

Fuck, it's too much.

You can't take it anymore. Even though you don't want to admit it, You're gonna need some help.

"Beetlejuice,-"

The usual large gusts of wind pick up in the room as you say his name, scattering all of your documents even more. It makes your skin crawl, and your knee bounce, and your hand run through your hair agai-

"Beetlejuice,"

The lights have dimmed to that familiar shade of bright green, as if he's already here in the room, just anticipating this moment that you say his name.

"Beetlejuice."

You release a breath that you didn't even realize you were holding, and you gaze around the room to see that the lights have completely gone out, making it pitch black, save for the streetlamp shadows through your window.

It's nice that the room was pitch black. You can't see the overwhelming papers, pens, documents, any of it. It's all gone into the sweet abyss of nothing.

"Its showtime!~"

The lights are back on, and back to their normal warm glow, and you glance over to see that familiar puff of green smoke enter the room.

He's standing there so damn perfect. His typical striped suit is worn over his body, and his hair is it's usual green, slightly tamed, but not entirely either. The faded green stubble covers his chin, and shows off his bright smile.

"Howdy there, Babe-", he says, but suddenly hesitating. His gaze cuts around the living room to see the mess of papers and pens and sticky notes.

"What fuckin' tornado happened in here?", he asks in a joking tone, with you being able to hear the smile in his voice.

You let out a breath, unable to respond, and Beej notices, turning his attention to you.

Your elbow is still on your knee, the hand running through your hair. Your knee is bouncing more than ever, and you can only stare at the mounds of papers on the coffee table.

You can't face him. You've tried, but you physically can't. You're stuck in your own spiral right now of how your going to get this all done before tomorrow.

Fuck it's too much...

I won't be able to finish this...

I'm going to get fired, dammit...

Beej settles in front of you, kneeling and sitting on his feet. He places his hands on your knees, trying to get your attention, to try and slowly draw you out of your current state.

You still can't focus on him though, your knee isn't the only thing that's changed; slightly less bouncy. The other change in yourself is your breathing.

No matter how much you look at Beej, no matter how much he's trying to talk to you, you can't focus on him.

Breathe in, breathe out. But you can't perform those actions calmly, as your breaths increase speed rapidly.

His lips are moving, as if he's trying to talk to you, but everything sounds muffled.

"Hotshot-...hear me?-... -keep breathing...", is partially what you hear, but you assume that you heard wrong.

Fuck, I'm going to get fired...

I can't afford to get fired right now, I-...

I-... I-...

Then, the room is black. ★ "(Y/N)-... Can you-... -me?... -awake?", is the first thing you hear. You don't know how long you've been out for, but your eyes begin to flutter open.

You're laying on the couch, it appears like, and your head is resting on a pillow against the armrest.

Something cold is on your forehead, a cloth, maybe? Beej is sitting on the couch sideways, next to your body, messing with whatever's on your forehead.

"Hey, Hotshot... You good?", Beej asks, concerned. His face is etched with worry, not something that you see very often. His hair is blue, mirroring the expression that covers his face.

"Yeah... I think so..", you reply, your voice a little deeper than usual, as your trying to sit up.

"Easy there, Ace, I'm right here, you don't need to rush.", he assures you, using the nickname that he only uses for you when things are serious. Only when things freak him out big-time, will he use your actual name.

You feel something over your arms. Oh. You're no longer in your business shirt and tie, but in your favorite hoodie. The one that has black and white stripes that Beej gave you.

Without thinking, you wrap your arms around his torso, gaining what you've been needing all night.

Beej seems startled at first, but he returns the embrace by wrapping his arms around you, and letting out a sigh of relief.

"Need a cuddle-buddy?", he asks you with a genuine amount of concern for you. You nod in agreement, signifying that cuddles sound appealing to you.

He lets you lay on top of him, and wrap your arms around his torso. He's surprisingly warm for a dead guy, but you don't mind.

Your eyes open slowly, bracing yourself for the mental impact of the scattered papers, but you open your eyes to find everything organized in neat piles on the coffee table, the amount of things on the whiteboard minimized.

You're shocked. When did you get all of this done? Oh, you didn't.

Now, there's all of the other papers organized and in a few separate piles, and then a small pile on the corner of the coffee table of stuff that needs to be signed.

Moving your head to face Beej's, he's looking down at you with a smile, as he runs his hand through your hair, knowing it helps you calm down. You lean into his touch, letting out a soft sigh.

"Did you do this, Beej?", you ask him with a slight tone of happiness to your voice, still it's natural deep tone. He nods in response.

"Yuppers, Hotshot! All you gotta do now is sign the stuff on the corner of the table, and you're all set to take it to ya' boss!", he says with a proud smile.

You lean up, and kiss his cheek in thankfulness, the stubble tickling your chin. "Thank you, Beej.", you say softly, pulling back to look at his face.

He doesn't respond, but pulls you into a kiss, letting his arms wrap around you.

Maybe this all isn't too much anymore...

- ★ - Written by Saddled_On_Stars - ★ -

[thearchercore]

I was admittedly disappointed that Charles was given and followed team orders yesterday, but in retrospect (and after some proper sleep after watching that race at ass o'clock), I am glad he listened.

I think a lot of people, myself included, are so aware of his potential and desperate to see him win the WDC with Ferrari that we all know he's capable of winning, combined with Ferrari's track record of fucking him over, that it's sometimes easy to forget that he's quite literally always scheming. He's always three steps ahead, like he always has been, while just about everyone else is focusing on the 'right here, right now.'

He is still the only driver on the grid capable of actually beating Max on track. And I think he will this season.

yeah! that's why i try to save some asks and posts after that "post race clarity" hits lol. after each race emotions are wild and no one can really think straight after all that post race adrenaline. (i personally recommend going for a run after a race, it always helps me because i dont know how else to regulate emotions lmao)

also agree 100% that the binotto era left this insane ptsd in all charles fans to the point we are questioning all team orders (we have to admit 2023 had some odd ones, too) so it will take time to regain confidence in them.

but you completely hit the mark! charles always thinks ahead, three steps, sometimes even like 20 steps. i'm sure he has a plan, and knows the new updates will help the car and himself personally.

plus! now that we know the brake issue from bahrain was most likely due to their supplier (because max had the same issue and rbr uses the same one), we can now prevent this from happening.

and finally, charles' post singapore '23 comeback was insane so we can only dream of what he will do right now when he has many, many races ahead.

[delopsia]

Not Rhett | Rhett x Bob x Reader

Word Count: 4,100 Cross Posted On AO3 Warnings & Notes: AFAB!Reader. Brief mentions of food and alcohol, a nifty case of mistaken identity, and just a general elaboration of how the reader met Rhett and Bob. It's also a warmup that got out of hand. This is written to function as a stand-alone fic and as a prologue to Rhett_16 is typing... In other words, you don't need to read one to read the other!  

The fliers weren't kidding. 

This is the biggest Autumn Festival you've ever seen. 

A circus of sales booths and food trucks stretches for as far as the eye can see, curling to wrap around the rodeo grounds and beyond. Reaching right up to the border of the pumpkin patch, visible from the hay rides that cart visitors in and out of the tightly packed parking lots. Pumpkins, gourds, hay bales, corn, scarecrows, everywhere you look, you find them. You think you've seen two dozen booths dedicated to mums, and you haven't even been through half of this place.

Just like you haven't seen your friends ever since you split up. They wanted to stand in that long, winding apple cider line, and you really, truly, cannot handle waiting in an hour-long line for something that will take five minutes to drink. 

The world tilts sideways. Ground rising to smack you in the ass. 

"Shit, I'm sorry!" 

You don't recall closing your eyes, but as you pry them open, you almost wish you hadn't. Dear Lord, why is there a cowboy crouched in front of you? 

It's not until you notice your things scattered about the ground that you realize what's happened. The contents of your shopping bags are strewn about the dirt path, wallet lying neglected by your feet. This strange man is scooping them up as quickly as he can, but some people have no issue stepping on them as they walk past. 

"I—uh..." his head drops to look at the ground, but just as quickly, snaps back up, allowing you a chance to catch sight of the deep blue eyes hidden away by that cowboy hat, "c'n I get you an apology drink?"

You've never heard of an apology drink before, but something about the slight twang to his words has you muttering a soft yes. Even accepting his big, calloused hand to help you get up, despite the voice in the back of your head that warns against it. 

Two o'clock on a Monday afternoon is way too early to be following some strange cowboy to a tent bar for a drink, but here you are. Sitting on the far end of a fold-out plastic table, sipping on your drink of choice while this new acquaintance of yours settles down across from you. His legs are a bit too long to comfortably fit, knocking his knee against the cheap, white plastic and wincing as the entire table trembles. 

"I don't think I ever caught your name," you find yourself saying once you're sure the table isn't on the verge of collapse. 

"'m Rhett."

To no surprise at all, Rhett's one of the many bull riders on the lineup for tonight's rodeo. The flier you were handed when you first got here even has his name on the long, winding list of tonight's riders. As he explains it, the rodeo is for charity. Aside from a nifty belt buckle, you get nothing out of entering, but it's an amazing opportunity if you want to get your name out there. 

"I guess I'll be cheering you on from the stands tonight," you'll leave out the part that you weren't originally planning to stay for it at all, but he's made this event sound like so much fun that now you have to give it a shot.

The last thing you expect is for him to smile like a little kid on Christmas morning, eyes sparkling brighter than the smile that emerges from his once stoic face, "yeah?"

"Yeah," Your fingers drum against the material of your wallet, tiny sounds drowned out by the mayhem that is this oversized festival, "so long as your girlfriend isn't upset by it."

"Well, I ain't had one of those in a long time," hard to believe, considering he walks around looking like that on a daily basis, "so I reckon you should be safe on that front."

And just as the conversation starts getting good, you're interrupted by a man who introduces himself as Rhett's older brother. You don't hear his name; all you know is that he's got the worst timing of all time. You'd been so, so invested in Rhett's whirlwind of a story about how he got a DUI because he absolutely had to prove that he could start his truck with a screwdriver. He was mere seconds away from his grand reveal of how he got caught in that abandoned parking lot in the first place. 

"Perry, give me like two more minutes, alright?" But Rhett's plea falls on deaf ears because that sad husk of a man isn't budging on his stance.

Perry's not much of a man. Looks like he hasn't slept in weeks, and his arms seem to be permanently folded in front of his chest. "If you don't get over there early, you won't make it in at all, and this whole trip will be for nothing." 

He must be a lot of fun to be around.

Regardless, you suppose you should be heading out, too; your friends should have made it out of that line by now. "I suppose I'll see you at the rodeo, cowboy."

The corners of Rhett's eyes crinkle as he smiles, "I'll be lookin' for ya."

Do you remain seated just long enough to admire those broad shoulders straining against the thin material of his flannel? 

Yes.

Yes, you do.

That line is still a quarter-mile long, but you don't need more than a second glance to know that your friends are no longer in it. Long gone from the entire area, too, because even as you twist and turn, you can't find hide or hair of them. They're not in any of the places you expected them to be, not the food trucks or the barn stocked full of old ladies and their craft booths. 

You're passing the corn maze when your ears catch the whisper of a meek "excuse me" as feet skitter across the dirt path. It may have been a fifteen-minute meeting at most, but you already recognize that voice. 

"Rhett?"

...without his cowboy hat. 

And his hair is a hell of a lot shorter than it was a little bit ago. But that face is the same, and yet...

It's not? 

"I'm—I'm sorry, I'm not Rhett," there isn't a damn way this man isn't Rhett. He looks and sounds the exact fucking same, only Rhett certainly didn't have a pair of wire frames perched on his nose. The guy looks down at his hands and holds one out to you, "You left this on the bench."

Your wallet. 

"Oh." God, were you really that distracted by Rhett's backside that you forgot to grab your wallet? As you take it from this, Not Rhett guy, it seems to be in perfect shape, only a little warm from how long he's been holding it. "Thank you?"

His hand rises to scratch the side of his neck, "you're welcome." But his eyes had might as well be on the ground because they don't lift to look at you.

"Are you sure you're not Rhett?" Your mouth is moving on its own; this absolutely has to be the same guy. "Because I swear I just...spoke to you a few minutes ago."

Not Rhett shifts his weight, those eyes finally darting up. Blue as ice, but nowhere near as bold and free as Rhett's were. "I've never met a Rhett in my life if I'm being real honest with ya."

A voice carries across the festival grounds, familiar, carrying with it the familiar ring of your name. As you look over your shoulder, you find your friends scurrying toward you with their shopping bags and towering cups of steaming apple cider. 

When you look back, Not Rhett is walking away, disappearing into a group of people that you don't recognize. 

"You look like you've just escaped death itself," one of your friends says once she's within earshot, "what happened?"

"I think I've just met some creep who's pretending to be two different guys."

Through the rest of the evening and early into the night, your eyes are peeled. Every corner you come around, every cowboy hat you catch a glimpse of, you expect to see him. Whoever he is. A man who's changed his appearance just to return your wallet to you and pretends not to know a Rhett at all. 

A part of you wants to go back to the hotel early, like you'd planned, but a wayward what-if has you climbing up into the stadium and settling down next to your friends. Because if Rhett was telling the truth about being a bull-rider, then he'll have to make an appearance here. 

At least, you hope he was telling the truth.

Bronc riders are up first; there's a dizzyingly small amount of riders, too, especially when compared to the long list of bull riders. If their names were written individually on a scroll, then it would have rolled all the way across the stadium by now. Out of all of those names, there are maybe twenty different Rhetts, and those are just the ones you managed to count.

There's an uproar from the crowd that has you lifting your head, training your attention back on the rider clinging to the back of a horse who never has more than two feet on the ground at a time. A familiar face bounces across the big screen. 

So Not Rhett does have a name. 

"Robert Floyd," the name feels strange on your tongue, but that is absolutely the same guy who found and returned your wallet. 

He places fifth out of twenty-six total riders. Not too shabby, all things considered. But your question from before still stands strong; is Rhett real, or is he just this Bob guy? 

The first two Rhetts aren't him. One's bald, the other has shoulder-length blond hair so thick that you can't even see his face.

You've got your nose back down in the handout flier, recounting all the Rhetts appearing on the list, when a sharp elbow finds your side. A buzzer goes off so loud that it washes over the booming voice of the announcer.

But you don't need to hear what he's saying. 

Because that's him. Curls resting at the nape of his neck, bouncing with every motion of the raging bull beneath him; you've only barely gotten a glimpse of him before his eight seconds are up, but you need nothing more. As he picks himself up off the ground, he turns to face the roaring stadium, head swiveling as he searches for something. 

If it weren't for the big-screen broadcasting it in high definition, you almost wouldn't believe that he smiled the moment he spotted you.

And now the only problem you have; is the regret of not being able to find them when the rodeo is over. In such an oversized swarm of people, it's hard to even stay close to your friends; never mind, find a man who doesn't know you're looking for him in the first place. 

"Maybe you'll see him at the bar," one of your friends suggests on your way out to the car park; you can hardly recall there ever being a plan to go to a bar after this, but you find yourself humming in agreement anyway. 

What's the worst thing that can happen? You meet a third man who looks the exact fucking same? 

The bar your friends are dead-set on visiting...isn't much. Easily mistakable for an abandoned building, it's nothing more than four walls, a tin roof, and a cheap roadside sign with sideways lettering. If it weren't for the swarm of vehicles in the parking lot, you would have thought this place was a trap. But it's real, with music so loud that you can hear it as you walk across the gravel parking lot. 

Inside, you find yourself bathed in a vivid red light, so vivid and overpowering that it and the golden lighting behind the counter are the only colors you can see. Your friends practically vanish the moment you look away from them, stopping short to take in your crowded surroundings. By the time you lay eyes on them again, they're already on the other side of the room, getting drinks.

Goodie, another crowd to work your way through. 

You've just about had it with dodging between people and squeezing into gaps when they can't be fucked to take the two steps to let you past. Or, worse, the good-for-nothings who think you're looking for a conversation and will absolutely stop to have a chat if they give you a compliment or two.

"Damn," you're praying that isn't directed at you, but as you pass this guy with the non-existent eyebrows, he turns to keep facing you; you're the sun, and he's a planet caught in orbit, "I mean, damn."

Just keep walking, just keep walking, just keep—

Your feet tread backward as he inserts himself between you and your path; a nauseating musk follows him like a scorned ex, makes your nose wrinkle the second you pick up on it. 

"Aww, c'mon, I'm paying you a compliment!" The collar of his shirt tightens around his neck as he's yanked backward so hard that his feet come out from under him. Falling into a not-so-sober heap on the polished concrete floor. 

Maybe you'd hear what else he has to say if it weren't for a familiar face catching your eye. All muscle and long, dark curls that rest against the nape of his neck; if it weren't for the lights, you're sure you'd be drowning in the deep blue of his eyes by now.

"You have impeccable timing, cowboy," at your words, Rhett's scowl lightens into a smile.

"Saw you walk in," his voice is just deep enough to be audible over the thumping music, and you're drawn to it like a bear to honey. "I'm surprised you showed up at this hole in the wall, of all places." 

"Someone recommended it to my friends," you say, stepping past the mess of a man on the floor. "It's hard talking them out of something once they've made up their minds."

You don't know if it's reputation or his size, but the crowd parts like the Red Sea for Rhett; those broad shoulders don't bump into a damn thing as you follow him like a shadow. "Whoever told them that was a fuckin' moron."

"This place can't be that bad," as you step out of the crowd and into the empty space next to the bar counter, the noise level drops. So significant that your own voice feels too loud now.

Rhett's got a seat on the very end of the counter, kept occupied by a lone cowboy hat and a jacket so heavy that it looks like it could make winter feel like summer. It's still warm out, but just seeing it makes you wonder how cold it will get once the moon is high in the sky.

"Take a look around," Rhett lifts his hand, gesturing toward the general area around you, "'s a reason why most people here look fresh out the sewer."

And take a look around, you will, because this place didn't look that bad when you first walked in. Sure, the guy on your left could use a bath, and the gaggle of girls squeezing out from the crowd reek of 2000s fashion trends. Now that you think about it, those bouncers at the door did look a little more menacing than usual... 

The guy passing on your left comes to a hard stop. So sudden that his shoes squeal against the floor. Eyes wide, frozen like a deer caught in the headlights. 

"What the fuck," Rhett's words are the only confirmation you have that what you're seeing is real. Not a lone delusion you're having. 

Robert Floyd's gaze flickers over to you, then back to Rhett. "I see why you asked if I was Rhett, now."

Behind you, Rhett orders a double shot of tequila. 

The bar is far too loud for you to hear each other talk; Robert—sorry, Bob speaks far too softly to be heard over the music, and Rhett's voice carries so well that the Myspace girls start eavesdropping. It's cooling off outside, but the back of Rhett's truck is the perfect spot to continue your conversation. 

Out here, it's easier to tell the difference between them. Bob's a few shades paler and doesn't share the same scars that mottle Rhett's skin. Though they're both brunettes, but Rhett's darker locks make Bob look closer to blonde. 

"D'you at least ride horses on a farm?" Rhett presses, sipping his beer. 

But Bob just shakes his head, "We mostly use heavy machinery nowadays." Which may explain how he wound up one of the top Weapons Systems Officers in the Navy; if you grow up using farming equipment all your life, a plane can't be that big of a jump once you learn the controls, right? 

They're so strikingly similar, only varying in the fine details. Both come from families with generational land; one was a home birth on an isolated cattle ranch, and the other was born in a hospital and brought home to a well-known family farm. Rhett's a bull rider, Bob had bronc-riding as his backup plan, just in case the Navy didn't work out. 

Both wanted to fly the coop the moment they turned eighteen; Bob was handed that opportunity to escape on a silver platter; Rhett was roped up and tied down before he could spread his wings. Bob has had vision problems all his life; Rhett's got perfect clarity. They're so easily mistakable for each other, and yet, so, so different. 

And when you talk about the places you call home and your backstory, their attention is downright glued to you. Bob finds all the tiny details that somehow align with their stories, and Rhett's so fixated that he's got a million and one questions. 

"I'm sorry, but who the fuck, goes to Mcdonald's and orders four sausage, egg, and cheese biscuits?" Rhett's attempt at coming off as annoyed dissolves into a fit of giggles as Bob tries to elbow him, barely able to squirm away from the attempted assault. 

"Big words coming from the guy who just admitted to driving forty-five minutes for a singular bacon egg and cheese biscuit," the only thing stopping Bob from going after him is the lack of a lid on his water bottle. "You didn't even get a hashbrown with it!"

"I forgot they had those, alright?"

Much to your dismay, your friends head out at the same time as Bob's do, and Perry has been blowing up Rhett's cell for over an hour now. If it weren't for Bob's suggestion to exchange numbers, you're sure that you would have lost all contact with them after that night. 

But now you've found yourself staying up long past your usual bedtime, giggling at rambunctious text messages and bickering over static-filled phone calls. Rhett can't type to save his life and hardly tries to correct himself, leaving you and Bob to try and decipher what the hell he meant to say. But Bob can't complain because he's got a horrible habit of pocket-dialing the two of you. 

'Bob, can you ducking learn to lock your home when you put it in your picket?'

'I will, as soon as you learn to spell.'

'Duck you'

In the first month of knowing each other, they take multiple DNA tests. Sending off each one with the expectation that they share a common ancestor, something to explain their uncanny similarities. Every single one comes back with the same answer; they're not related. 

With Rhett's long hours at the ranch and the demand of Bob's Navy career, it's difficult to meet in person. Plans always seem to be falling through, whether it be an emergency requiring Bob to be shipped halfway across the country or a small tornado uplifting the fences keeping the cattle in. Something is always in the way. 

There's a spontaneous Friday where you all up and decide to meet because your weekends have opened up, end up spending two nights in a city you don't know the name of. Your next two attempts to meet don't pan out so well, leaving you to rely on Bob's next greatest idea.

"There, you two are," Bob all but beams at the sight of you, cozied up in your bed with your laptop resting on the opposite pillow. Rhett's saying something, too; you can see his mouth moving, but not a sound carries over. You don't realize what the problem is until Bob audibly sighs, "Rhett, your microphone is muted again."

Rhett's mouth moves, and even though you can't hear it, you already know that he's quietly muttered a soft 'what the fuck,' as he reaches for the laptop touchpad. "Whoops." 

How long you stay up, all depends on scheduling and luck. 

Some nights, you're up until the birds begin to chirp; others, you're only there for fifteen minutes before Rhett's internet connection drops or Bob's interrupted by an important phone call. There are a lot of days where you have to be the first to leave because you've got things to do in the morning. 

But sometimes, just sometimes, you find yourself here. 

Curled up in bed, laptop propped up next to you, fighting the drowsiness that's long since settled in your eyes. Sleep sings your name in the sweetest melody, her arms open, welcoming you to step into sweet, sweet unconsciousness, but you can't take that final step. Too fixated on the blurry screen to hear her siren song. 

Bob rests on the upper half of your screen; those glasses have long since come off, his pale face smushed into the pillow. Every time you think he's finally fallen asleep, those soft blues flutter open as if he's waiting for you and Rhett to doze off first. They haven't said anything about it, but you're pretty sure he and Rhett have a bet on who's going to be the first to give in.

Your night owl of a cowboy isn't doing much better, staring up at you with that half-lidded gaze from the bottom portion of the screen. The only thing keeping him awake is the hand he's got propped beneath his head, but he's starting to slip too. Even now, you can tell, all from the way his free arm is slowly pulling that spare pillow closer and closer to his chest. 

"Your neck is gonna be sore again if you keep your head propped up like that."

The corner of Rhett's lip lifts, "shut it, Flyboy." But he's already pulling his hand out from beneath his head, properly settling down into his messy bed. 

"That wasn't me," Bob's words are stretched around a yawn, barely decipherable.

Much to your dismay, you're the first to drift off. 

Making video chats a regular event may have been a mistake because you start catching yourself staying up even later. Clinging to every second you get with them because they're such busy men that you don't get to have these calls as often as you'd like. 

Men who certainly don't make your heart skip a beat when they light your phone up with good morning text messages. Always up before you, always bickering with each other and sharing what they're up to, growing excited the moment your good morning text comes through. Two men who look at you like you're their entire world. 

But you can only have one.

And maybe that's how you found yourself here. Staring up at the ceiling as time seems to leave you behind completely. Memories flicker through your head like a picture book, comparing and contrasting, searching for something. Anything to find fault in one of them, to sway your decision. There's no point; you're split down the middle, can't force yourself to love one more than the other.

The world around you has long since fallen asleep, leaving you with no escape from your own thoughts. Trapped in an invisible prison, not a distraction around to help you avoid it. You hate these nights. 

Because it’s on quiet nights like these, when the world around you has gone eerily quiet, and your phone is devoid of any new notifications, that you truly feel the effects of your heart becoming tangled up in a never-ending game of tug of war. 

Optional continuation: Rhett_16 is typing...

[mama-qwerty]

Okay, so I'm gonna try very, very, very hard to get my ass back in gear and get to my writing again. I've been exceptionally lazy for *coughmonthscough* too long and it's time to stop messing around and get back to it. My kids are back in school and we have to get up at stupid o'clock to get them there, so I should have plenty of time to get some work done on my wips.

So, that said, I'm gonna try to do a few things to help encourage me to refocus on my writing. One is the WIP Wednesday I see around, wherein I'll post a bit from something I'm working on.

The other thing I'm thinking of is a Flashback Fanfic Friday, where I'll post a link to some bit of writing I've posted - here or on ao3 - to spread it around to those who may not have seen it before, or as a reminder of its existence. I'll try to add some behind the scenes or factoid about it, if there's anything interesting to tell.

So, yeah. I'm still around. I still write. Kinda. I've just been hit with the lazy stick and need to shake it off.

Feel free to send asks or questions or theories or whatnot. Anything that'll hopefully get my brain actually working again.

[gynii]

you do realise calling the relationship between two lesbian characters (one of whom is BUTCH?) heteronormative is lesbophobic right???? 😭 Also I really don't think you know what that word means. I truly don't give a fuck if you think jayvik were better written but they absolutely weren't "gayer" than the lesbian couple that kissed and had sex on screen and also I really encourage you to think before calling a butch-fem relationship heteronormative 🙃 Please use your brain

I called them heteronormative cause they way they're relationship was 'resolved' is by them having sex and then oh now vi lives with Caitlin and everything is cool and dandy!

Sure, I probably could've used a better word for it, I'll admit that. I wrote this post at like ass o'clock after a long day. But I couldn't really think of a good way to quickly say that I think their relationship was handled like a chemistry-less straight couple from a b-list action film :/ so yeah, maybe heteronormative isn't best word to use, but my sentiment stands firm.

[catboy-sinister]

14, 20, 26 for Miss Sinister

tysm for the ask!! 🫶 and I love Claudine I don't see enough (anything) about her

14. Best storyline they had

okay so guys please correct me if I'm wrong but... is there a... good storyline with her? It's been a while not gonna lie, but if I recall correctly (BIG IF) I remember thinking that the plot where Sinister is taking over her personality and she's losing herself had potential to be great, but was executed... not the best. again, the last time I read that was like 2020? so it's been a sec. but yeah the thing with Claudine is imo she had the potential to be a fantastic character whose loss of personhood could be comparable to Maddie Pryor, but because she's a woman and wasn't written by Chris Claremont it was never meant to be

20. A weird headcanon

not weird but SHE'S TRANS SHE IS A TRANSGENDER WOMAN I AM HITTING HER WITH THE TRANSGENDERIFICATION BEAM!!!!!!!!!! anyways.

I wanna think of her as a 'weird girl' growing up. Like first being trans of course (can relate) and I wanna say she knew early on in life (versus me, middle school crisis). I want to say that instead of trying to present super feminine growing up that she was more tomboy because does anyone else know someone who was a 'weird girl' who grew up to be like Katya Zemo or something. But I think she probably played with bugs, and threw them at her classmates.

It's hard to come up with headcanons of her because iirc we don't see her when she's not even a little bit Essex-ified. So that woman that 'seduced' Akihiro and worked with Shaw? That was a more Sinister thing to do, that's a man who got boobs and decided the first thing to do was fuck a hot tattoed bisexual man!

26. When do you think they were being themselves the most?

OOO TONIC YOUR MIND FOR SENDING THIS ONE FKEMDOWNZNWKA

WHO IS CLAUDINE RENKO?

Who was she before her mind was invaded by a pale freak??? Before she was slowly stripped of herself and replaced with his personality? You could say she was being herself when she was trying to get rid of him, but the way she went about it IS SUCH A NATHANIEL ESSEX THING TO DO! I mean, locking Laura to a medical chair and planning to swap bodies with her, IN A SPOOKY UNDERGROUND LAB NO LESS??? COME ONNNNN

Genuinely my answer is I don't know. I need to see Claudine before to know (because I'm dumb shh). This woman man. Can I point out that she only existed as the extension of a man, to carry out his actions? Am I making sense??? Idk I woke up at ass o'clock in the morning and I'm sleepy.

those are my ramblings i think

ETA: Link to the post

[waitingandwishing]

(Cross posted on Wattpad and AO3)

~And he is not the only one~

Prev - Next Chapter

Trixie ruffled her blue hair with her hands nervously. It was an impulse decision, something her brother surprisingly agreed with. About a week after the ‘accident’ she decided to cut her hair to her shoulders and dye it navy blue.

She took her medication before changing into a white tank top and sliding a fitted yellow top over it. Trixie wore high-waisted blue jeans with a pair of tan colored shoes. A knock on the door startled her.

“Hey, are you ready to go?” Patrick knocked and Trixie opened the door with a nod, following him out the door.

As she entered the car with Patrick driving, she bit her lip as her thoughts roamed around her head. She definitely wasn’t ready to go back to school, not after what happened with Miguel…

Of course, she went to therapy once a week like her doctor suggested she do, and she definitely felt a bit better about talking about her feelings. She pushed everything away for people she cared about so it felt nice to talk about things she hadn’t opened up about before.

 Even though she knew therapy helped a lot, she was more reserved than usual. She had been seen with a straight face more than smiling or laughing. Of course, they could break her shell for a moment. Hawk would make a comment and she’d laugh or something stupid would happen and she’d shake her head with a smile.

But it wasn’t the same.

Patrick dropped Trixie off with a wave as she entered the school. It was time for school, there was more security roaming around then usual. As she walked into the school, her bag was checked and she had to walk through a metal detector. 

Bert walked up to Mitch and Hawk. "Hey." He said. Hawk looked over at the smaller kid.

 "There's the man." He greeted him with a smile. "This is the year, day one round two. Let's get it boys." Hawk said, looking between the two. Trixie walked up to Hawk with a wave and Hawk’s expression changed to one of sympathy. “How’re you doing?” He asked and Trixie shrugged.

“Fine, the meds are helping.” She said before adding, “Thanks for asking.”

"Oohh." Mitch said with a smile as he watched a group of girls walk in. "Freshmen babes, nine o'clock." Mitch said and Trixie rolled her eyes.

Hawk smiled and looked at them as they walked. "Hey I know freshman year can be kinda scary so if anyone gives you any trouble, you can come to me. I'm the guy.." He had a small smirk on his face. 

"Who wets the bed and got kicked into a trophy case? Yeah we know." The girl in the front said sassily, before they turned and walked away. Trixie chuckled lightly and Hawk smiled softly at the sound. The girls were passing Demetri, Chris and Nate. "Hey, Demetri." She said with a smile as she passed by with her group. 

The three boys turned to watch them, shock clear on their faces. "Someone knows who I am… A human female." He said with a shocked awe.

 "A shame it's not me." Chris said in a joking manner, a smile on his face. The group turned around to come face to face with the three Cobra Kai boys and Trixie, who used to be their friends. Well, Trixie hadn’t really done anything, had she?

 "What? You got something to say?" Mitch asked. 

Chris nods. "Yeah, did you see my new Lite book? There's some hard hitting stuff in there, if you know what I mean." Mitch's face twitched some as he thought back to the fight where Chris hit him with that book. 

"There's not enough security to protect your scrawny ass." Hawk threatened Demetri and Trixie put her arm in front of Hawk.

"I don't need security." Demetri's voice was cold and his eyes dark.

“You guys are acting like fools. Suck it up and go to class before we get into more trouble.” Trixie said, her tone icy as she spotted a teacher staring at them from afar. “Let’s go, Hawk.” She said and Hawk followed as well as the other Cobra Kai students.

_____________________________________________________

“Hi, Miguel.” Trixie whispered softly as she traced her hand on his arm, “Your mom and your grandma let me come visit you.” She placed down a bouquet of flowers on the table beside the hospital bed. 

Trixie sat down as she held Miguel's hand, “I hope you like my hair, dyed it blue just like you wanted me to.” She said with a bittersweet smile. The silence was deafening, the only thing she could hear was the beep of the heart monitor and her own heart beat.

“I know I messed up and you messed up too… But we can just be idiots who mess up together…” Trixie’s voice cracked, “I’m sorry…” She said, apologizing like she always did after she visited.

Trixie stood up with a shaky sigh before walking away, she was supposed to get ready for karate now. She just needed a bit more motivation.

_____________________________________________________

Trixie knocked on the apartment door, it’d been a few days since she had visited Tory. The apartment door opened to reveal Tory, who smiled slightly. “Hey, Trixie.” She said.

“Hey, sorry I couldn’t make it yesterday.” Trixie said as she was let into the apartment complex, “How’s your mom?”

“As good as she’s going to get.” Tory smiled slightly before Trixie wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

“I could work some extra shifts with you, and earn some money for your mom.” Trixie offered in a kind voice and Tory shook her head.

“No, I couldn’t ask you to do that. Especially after what happened, I owe so much-”

“I don’t mind, really. I’ll work some extra shifts and give you the money.” Trixie reassured the girl, holding both of her hands with a smile. Tory breathed in a shaky sigh before smiling.

“Thank you… So much…” She whispered.

_____________________________________________________

Trixie stroked her cat as she lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling. Just a few weeks ago, she had been hanging out and lying down on Miguel’s bed. God, why couldn’t she just get him out of her head?!

‘I told you it was a bad idea to get involved with him.’

‘It’s not your fault. And you said that about the relationship, not about karate.’

‘It’s your fault that he’s basically dead. He fell off the balcony because you decided to get all emotional over him kissing Sam.’

Trixie sat up, her cat jumping from her lap and curling up next to her leg. She whipped out her phone, scrolling on Instagram before finding a post she had posted with Miguel. 

It was her and Miguel sitting down at Cascade with their fries that Tory had served them. She smiled bittersweetly as she looked at Miguel’s face. Trixie felt her heart clench at the sight as she searched through her voicemail to pick out one in particular she had been listening to.

‘Hey, it’s Miguel. Last night was crazy and hopefully you got away from the police. I really have to tell you something. I-... I hope you won’t be mad… A-anyways you haven’t been responding to my calls or texts so I’m just leaving you this voice mail. Uh, bye, I guess.’

Trixie breathed out shakily before tossing her phone somewhere between her blankets. Dory looked up with a ‘meow’ before curling into the blue haired girl's lap. “Hey, I haven’t been giving you that much attention, have I?” She smiled slightly, stroking the cat’s head lovingly. 

Dory meowed in response and Trixie chuckled before getting off the bed with her cat in her arms. “Alright, well, I’ve got to meet Tory at Cascade.” Trixie kissed the top of her cat's head before setting him down to the ground.

(this is still so short I hate it but oh well...)

[akookminsupporter]

Every other person here is complaining about the 2 minutes wlive Tae did at JK house and saying things like all their doubts about Tae were cemented due to this wlive and now they concluded him as ship feeder.

First off..there shouldn't be any debate like this after that wlive. Come on..that live was like a gift to us . That little bit of reunion and a chaotic one we got to witness made my day and I was left with nothing but satisfaction. That should be the case with every one of you But when I say this fandom don't deserve BTS... they don't. The only way members of BTS will not get any hate is by posting NOTHING on social media. But they do because they love armies so much and they know how much happy army get watching their posts and lives. But sigh.....

People saying Tae opened wlive without consent of jhope and jk. Why?? did you asked them directly? did they text messaged you complaining about how Tae opened wlive and didn't asked them? If you watch the live with subtitles...we don't know if it was'Tae's or Jhope's decision or both of them together decided to open the wlive. As far as we know.. JK said "THEY" opened wlive before leaving. So why are you attacking only Tae? We don't know who decided to open wlive... how and why they opened it.? "But because Tae opened live on his phone it must be solely his decision " oh please just stfu.

We know clearly it wasn't JK's decision to open wlive and yes he told us he didn't intended to do wlive. BUT NO WAY HE WAS ANNOYED AT TAE/HOBI FOR DOING WLIVE!!!He opened the live after they left because maybe he wanted to continue where tae and hobi left. But people came to the conclusion that JK knew it would trigger tkkrs and came to do some damage control. huh... and then these people say they don't make everything about shipping.Get your mind out of shipping and watch bts content for bts.

and also we don't have any information about whether hobi wanted to show us his hair or not. and bcoz it could have been hobi who's decision was to do live... so yeah we know NOTHING. These people are just beating Tae when things aren't very clear. Just reaching to worst possible conclusion.

And now for the second thing..Why did they opened wlive after their taxi was on the way??. Oh Please this is such a BTS thing they could do. "Let's open a live till the taxi arrives". As simple as that. They came to say us Hi and They knew we would be happy to see those 3 together. That's the only reason they came. Not to feed any shippers, not to show he was with JK at such time o'clock... But just because they wanted to make army happy. and sensible armies were in fact happy to see them , not like some of you people who's ass got burnt after seeing tae and jk together 😒

You guys are attacking Tae and giving reasons like he knows Jimin will get hate still he came to show he was with JK... he just wants more followers. .. he is selfish.. he doesn't love jimin bla bla bla bla...

You guys are saying "we just disappointed that he didn't post anything about jimin but have the audacity to come on live with JK".

Tae didn't posted anything about jimin album since DAYS... and you guys got triggered only after he came live with JK??? This shows you just were annoyed to see taekook together and now just collecting excuses and reasons for hating tae here and there.. Ya i know you guys will say Oh we are not hating on Tae.. we still love him.. but wait and watch.. these are some early stages of hatred you are showing.

This is how a particular group become toxic. The number of people attacking Tae openly is already very big. And it will only grow. and after watching this , sensible people who don't want to hate on members will separate themselves from this platform and will become less active. And soon the day will come when only Tae Haters will be active as Jikookers and good jikookers would have already disowned them. I can totally understand what had happened with Taekookers side now.

and please Tae don't need to depend on shippers to increase his followers. He is talented, smart and clever and he will win over the world with or without those damn shippers.

Jungkook is not annoyed with Tae....

Jimin and Tae loves each other!! They don't need to show their love on internet ... their love is not ONLY for internet.

Hobi was not annoyed with Tae..

No bts members are annoyed or jealous with any other members!!!!!

If Jimin gets hate from Tkkrs... ITS NOT THE FAULT OF TAE OR JUNGKOOK.... IT'S THE FAULT OF FANDOM. If Tae gets hate from Jkkrs... ITS NOT THE FAULT OF JIMIN OR JUNGKOOK.... we as a fandom has failed Vminkook.. but yet their love for us still remain the same. So please if you don't want to tarnish BTS and Army relationship DON'T HATE ON TAE... OR ANY OTHER MEMBER.

Please don't misunderstand Tae. He is a good person. He is loved dearly by BTS. His intentions are never wrong and his actions are not to hurt anyone. He does what he wants to and gives no fucks about what haters say. He's sassy and savage. and He is also kind and caring.His love for army is very underrated. If you guys arw having any doubt about Tae or you are starting to think ill about him please go watch content focused on Tae.. Try to understand him as a person. PLEASE.

Opinions.

[bouncybrain]

I just need to rant about some stuff here. I need to get some thoughts off my chest. It's ass o'clock in the morning and I haven't slept because I keep thinking. This isn't going to be as coherent as it could be, it's messy and rushed and stream-of-consciousness, but if I stop to think about making this something perfect and widely acceptable I'll never end up writing it.

My skin is white but my heritage is not, and I often worry that people will get upset at me for creating Chinese characters with any skin tone other than white.

But why?

I know I'm borderline white-passing, but my dad isn't. He never talks about stuff unless [backstory] so I can't be sure, but being both Chinese and brown isn't something we see regularly in media today, much less fifty years ago. Nobody acknowledges this. I feel like I have a creative duty to make characters my dad can relate to, because nobody else will. (Generic statement, don't get at me over the nuance of representation by online creators, I know.)

It's hard to be in Western fandoms for Chinese media, too. Generally anything East Asian because dear lord. The layers of racism are strong. I stopped interacting so much with Hoyoverse game fandoms primarily because they practically enjoy getting riled up over how it's okay for a Chinese company to just not have brown or black people in their games (it's not).

Just because I inherited a sliver of privilege thanks to the color of my skin doesn't mean I should just give up because I'm scared people are going to point at it and tell me I'm not allowed to do this. What if my genetics had flipped a coin and landed on the other side? What if it happened to my siblings? I hate to say it but we are, in some twisted capacity, lucky that we have skin no darker than a particularly zealous tan.

We are lucky, because there were light-skinned Asian characters (stereotypical though they were) on TV and in games. I could point at American Dragon Jake Long and say "look, that is me, he looks just like me." If I had taken after my dad by more than 80% I would not have been able to say that. I had to point at Jackie Chan Adventures and go "that's kind of my dad... but... not really?" because there was nobody who looked like him.

Yeah, sure, super popular white powder makeup for perfectly white skin and whatever. I don't care. Shut the fuck up. These are still real people who live and breathe today. You cannot dismiss their experiences or lack thereof by going "yeah, well, your culture always wanted you to be white, anyway" because that is still racist.

Maybe it's because I've gotten older and more jaded, but the world isn't getting better any faster. There is still so much hatred and racism out there specifically aimed at Asians that nobody bats an eye at. One of my siblings was called out to by a trusted adult as "Covid" just out in public in front of other people; if we were not in an area with as large a population (still relatively small) of East Asian heritage, it would have been laughed off.

I haven't ever really posted publicly about any of these Chinese characters I've made yet, because I am worried. I am not as immersed in part of my culture as I would have liked to be, but I can't help thinking that it may have been a mercy in the time I was growing up in, and that my dad has only ever been so distant because he was protecting himself. (That may be too optimistic, but I can hope.) I still want to make these characters, because if the genetic lottery had landed on a different slot, I would have been making them anyway.

Maybe I really am making them for my dad. Maybe I'm making them for myself in search of a culture I was denied. Maybe I'm making them for the life we could have lived. Maybe I'm making them for everyone else. My cousins, their children, their friends. People I'll never meet.

It's a good thing there's so much representation, but everyone always forgets the other half. And it's usually the other half with darker skin.