#zack the freshman

[storyofmychoices]

SpreadJoy #798: spreading positivity with quotes and @playchoices characters.

Quote in edit by thecaringcounselor (IG)

[choices-binglebonkus]

I wish Abbie and Tyler had broken up. They were kind of cute early on in the series but Tyler took a really nasty turn and ended up being forgiven without having to work for it. Easily one of the stalest side ships in Choices.

[shreyamistry]

"I fought so hard to get you and thank god I can finally rest." For Becca x MC

Pairing: Becca x MC

Prompt: “I fought so hard to get you and thank god I can finally rest.”

Word Count: 2400+

Summary: Becca and Jennifer throw a housewarming party in their new apartment, celebrating getting a new apartment and Becca’s five year anniversary of becoming a lawyer. The girls find themselves dancing, talking, and reminiscing on the good ol’ times.

A/N: Requests are open if you’re interested! Rules and Prompts here!

Thank you for reading! I hope you like it 🫶🏻🩷

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“Cheers!”

A group of young adults clink their glasses together, all of them sharing bright smiles before throwing back shots of tequila and whiskey, a few grimaces and a few excited whoops following the shots. All of the friends jittery with excitment, everyone being ecstatic to see one another after all this time separated from one another.

“I can’t believe Becca’s been officially licensed for five years.” Kaitlyn grins, her black hair in a signature braid as she wrangles it into her standard of perfection. She is adorned with a glittering green crop top and high waisted black jeans that look stunning on her.

Jennifer nods happily, “I’m so proud of her. She’s worked so hard, she truly deserves it.”

“Agreed,” Chris adds. He straightens the cuffs of his rolled up sleeves, the red button up making his eyes shimmer in the lowlights of Becca’s new penthouse that her and Jen shared. “This house warming party is amazing.”

“Actually, it's a lawyer housewarming party, don’t forget?” Zack teases, his signature yellow blazer dazzling in the lights that flash around them.

“Don’t start,” Abbie glares with a playful smile, “James how’s the New York Times best selling author AND Broadway’s Newest hit play writer doing?”

“Things are great,” He beams, “I’m grateful. Zig, how is the charity foundation you started?”

Zig grins, “Not to brag but we’re doing amazing. Thanks again for the donation, bro.” Zig smirks at Chris who shrugs nonchalantly, holding back a smile at the praise. If Jennifer didn’t know better, she’d say Chris was almost blushing and the look the two guys shared gave her pause to consider it. Noticing her gaze, Zig quickly looks away, almost looking like a deer caught in headlights. “It means a lot, man. Speaking of, where’s Tyler?”

Abbie shrugs, steering the conversation away from him - though the pair are doing well she hates being the topic of conversation with Tyler, she knows how annoying they were in college from time to time. The group talks for a while longer, everyone exchanging stories about their lives, smiles and congratulations on the steps to becoming their best possible lives this far down the line. Everything from their careers, new friends, dates they’ve been on, plans for the future, and the times they’ve visited each other and hijinks they got up to together. It reminds Jennifer perfectly of their college experiences.

Jennifer can’t help herself from beaming hearing how amazing all of her friends are doing and she’s so grateful for Becca for flying everyone to their brand new apartment to celebrate how far they’ve come as a couple, careerwise and personal. She hugs her arms to her chest feeling full and rejuvenated; lacking even an essence of a worry in the world.

Her fingers straighten out her dress, a plunging neckline with glittering shimmers of purple adorned all over the extravagant purple evening gown. She hopes Becca likes it, she bought it specifically to surprise her fiance and excite her. She feels on top of the world, a wonderful journalism career in which she couldn’t even name all the celebrities she met on one hand and a loving fiance who spent every high and every low with her over the years. She misses simpler times like college, watching The Crown and The Flame with Abbie and Kaitlyn, sneaking out with Becca at night, and hanging out with Chris and Zig enjoying each other’s company.

——————————————————————————

Becca finds herself on the second floor of her marvel of an apartment, the place decorated artfully with money she’s earned. It brings her the most pride knowing she did all of this and achieved so much since losing her family fortune and starting her own career and financial plan devoid of her parents. Financial freedom is freeing for her and being able to help her friends when they need it and finding herself financially stable enough to take pro-bono cases to support women in need makes her burst with pride. She did this. With the help of her friends and her loving fiance.

She beams as she stands next to Madison the pair talking over glasses of wine. Crystal glasses with gold tips she got as a promotional gift from her law firm, finally excited to be able to use them for the first time. It’s a step up from being in the sorority house throwing back fruity drinks in red solo cups with frat boys trying entirely too hard to get their attention and make them swoon. Becca never felt interested, she’d rather be alone than deal with any more masculine energy than Chris.

It almost makes her laugh, thinking of being in college fighting with Jennifer over Chris only to find out the two wanted each other and not some stupid boy she was obsessed with being with for the sake of her public image. She wonders how much more fun college would’ve been if she met Jennifer sooner, stopped caring as harshly for her public image, or even gave her a chance sooner. She was grateful for the time she has with Jennifer and wouldn’t trade it for the world and she loves their little fairytale romance as is, but she does like to let her mind wander to what ifs and what could’ve been with one another sooner.

“Wordsworth Puppington isn’t taking to the move well,” Madison explains with a smile, “he’s confused. Not as confused as me. My boyfriend starts talking and all I hear is blah blah blah. Like sure I majored in volcanology but that doesn’t mean anything.”

Becca laughs sweetly, “I’m sure Wordsworth will adjust. It’s new. Mr Whiskers is having a hard time adjusting to moving here as well, they just need time.”

“Maybe,” She sighs, “I’m just so happy to see you.”

Madison throws herself around Becca, pulling her into the tightest hug Becca’s ever gotten, it knocks the breath out of her for a second. Becca sighs, despite herself she’s smiling and holding Madison tightly back. She shakes her head trying to hide the smile that refuses to part from her lips. This would be their fourth? Fifth? Maybe the sixth hug they’ve had since they found each other five mere minutes ago.

“Alright alright, you’re wrinkling my outfit.” Becca grins. “Madison I can’t tell you how much I love living in New York. This two floor penthouse is amazing and there’s so much room. Fit for a queen, such as myself.”

Madison laughs sweetly, “I’m happy for you, Becs.”

“I should go find my other half, talk later?” Becca smiles, taking Madison’s hand in her own with a comforting squeeze.

“Of course, maybe you can explain parking tickets to me when you get back?”

Becca sighs, shaking her head. “You worry me.”

She pulls away, giving a confused Madison a sweet smile before descending the staircase down to the main floor of their penthouse. Her hands glide along the smooth gold plated railing, bracing her every step with her high heels slowing her down only slightly. She could do heels in mud, rain, snow, and sleet but put a staircase and she’s nearly tripping down the steps. She shakes her head to herself glancing out at the party looking for the only person that matters to her.

She notices Kaitlyn first, as Kaitlyn is headbanging to her own song over the sound system. Leave it to the #1 best selling lesbian rocker to jam out to her own music in public, Becca thinks to herself with only a tinge of judgment. Mostly she was proud of Kaitlyn for finding her own place in the world and enjoying her life. Though, because Becca is a woman of tact and sophistication she would never give Kaitlyn the satisfaction of a compliment nor would Kaitlyn know that she listens to her CDs in her car.

As her feet find solid ground, her eyes follow Kaitlyn to Chris, Zig, James, Zack, Abbie, and Tyler, before finally settling on the only woman she wanted to see now and forever, Jennifer. Her heart races in her chest seeing the way the purple dress hugs her curves, the way her legs look so shiny in the nylons she wore and the golden heart necklace around her neck that she bought for her. She takes a moment to admire the way Jennifer looks, blushing to herself about ogling her fiance so publicly.

Becca bounds forward, her hand falling onto the small of Jennifer’s back with a devious smile tugging at her lips.

“Hey gorgeous,” She whispers sweetly.

Jennifer laughs sweetly, “You like?”

“Love.” Becca answers seduction on the tip of her tongue, “You are divine tonight. As you are every night, otherwise we wouldn’t be together of course.”

“Oh as if,” Jennifer giggles pushing on Becca’s arm, “You say I look gorgeous with my messy hair and the ugliest sleep pajamas from college that I refuse to throw out because Kait bought them for me.”

“Only because you’re perfect all the time.” Becca grins, “I’m a woman of class. And you’re a woman of my stature.”

“They were great pajamas and on sale.” Kaitlyn smiles at them.

Jennifer only laughs.

“Care for a dance, my queen?” Becca offers her free hand to Jennifer. Jennifer eagerally clasps her own hands around Becca’s grinning sweetly. Becca smiles at her friends with a quick greeting, before whisking Jennifer away to the dance floor. Friends from colleges, friends from work, and friends they’ve met during their journey dance and mingle with one another.

Becca twirls Jennifer around, eyeing the way Jennifer looks tonight, noting the way her dress twirls around with her. Jennifer can’t help the giggle that leaves her lips, letting herself be twirled and admired before being pulled back into her grasp. The few ballads Kaitlyn has released with her bands somehow magically begins to play as they continue to dance around.

Becca catches Kaitlyn’s glance who thumbs up at her, her eyes rolling with a smile despite herself she appreciates the gesture immensely. Her hands fall into place on Jennifer’s hips, Jennifer’s own wrapping around Becca’s neck holding her closer to herself. She breathes out a breath of relief, swaying slowly to the music as couples do the same around them.

“Tonight’s perfect Becca.” Jennifer hums, her breath warm against Becca’s skin. Goosebumps traverse up her arms at the feeling of warmth on her skin. She can’t help the way her body reacts to Jennifer’s touch. Her fiance’s touch was perfect and sweet. Even after all these years she doesn't think she could ever tire of being held or touched by her one true love. “It’s so nice seeing everyone together. Chris invited us to his pro game this weekend.”

“Sure, sure, sure.” Becca agrees mindlessly, her mind lost in Jennifer’s eyes.

“You’re not listening are you?” Jennifer laughs.

She nods her head no. “I’m distracted tonight.”

“In a good way?” Jennifer asks, her voice sweet with worry.

Becca smiles, “Yes. I love you so much, you know that right?”

“Of course I do.”

“And you love me, right?”

“With my heart and soul. What’s this about Becca?” Jennifer’s eyes wrinkle with worry, looking over Becca’s face. Becca only beams, no worry, no thoughts astray, she’s only happy and secure in this moment. She glances away to look at their friends drinking and talking. Tyler and Abbie on the dance floor around them and her heart surges in her chest.

“Do you ever think about us?” She inquired, “I do. Like our college shelves. I remember being so stuck up and condescending, well still am sometimes but not as much.” She laughs to herself. “I just think about how much it took for us to get together.”

“I wouldn’t change it for the world, you know?” Jennifer hums. “I love everything about us. I love our awkward first dates, the way we used to flirt and sound and look so stupid.”

Becca laughs, “I was never stupid, thank you very much.”

“Agree to disagree.”

“If being a lawyer taught me anything, that never works.” Becca grins, “I just - I don’t know Jen.” She glances around the party, the music a little too loud but the energy is high spirited and fun. “I fought so, so hard to get you and honestly just thank god I can finally rest. Everything is so easy, I don’t feel like I have to try so hard to impress you. I don’t have to have the ice queen exterior I was so eloquently anointed with back in the day.”

“You didn’t even have to fight that hard,” Jennifer grins, “I was putty the second you even gave me the time of day.”

“I’ve been thinking,” Becca smiles, “What if we eloped tomorrow?”

“What?” Jennifer asks, “You can’t be serious.”

“Dead.” Becca offers, “I’m tired of waiting. Everyone’s here, it’s been YEARS since I finally proposed to you. I want this so bad. I want to be your wife. I don’t want to be your fiance anymore, I just want you to be Jennifer Emily Davenport more than anything in the entire world.”

There’s a silence between them, both staring at each other.

“Yes.” Jennifer laughs, “Yes, yes, yes, yes-”

Becca cuts Jennifer off with a kiss, her hands firmly holding Jennifer close to her body. Jennifer tastes sweet as Becca delights in the flavor of raspberry on her mouth, savoring the taste, the sounds, and smell of Jen against her. She groans as Becca’s nips at her lower lip before soothing over the skin with her tongue.

Jennifer draws Becca even closer. Her head tilting as Becca’s fingers trail up her neck, forcing her head to side. Becca breaks the kiss reluctantly, letting herself kiss down to Jennifer’s jaw before letting herself delve lower onto Jen’s neck. Hands now brush hair away as she kisses against Jen’s neck eagerly. Jen groans, breathing heavily as Becca dominates her letting Becca have her way with her.

Becca pulls away with a grin, watching Jennifer pout with disappointment. Becca’s hands cup Jennifer’s cheeks looking deeply into her eyes. She leans in, letting her forehead bump against Jennifer's, the girls breathlessly grinning at one another. She sighs with delight as their noses brush together.

“Are you sure you want to elope?” Jennifer coos.

Becca grins, “Yes. We can get to the courthouse early and wear white. Have Madison sign as my witness, Kaitlyn as yours, and we can officially get married. Then all of us can come back here and celebrate. Or go to dinner. I do not care at all. I want to be your wife immediately. I don’t want to wait anymore, we can have a public party with your family and mine later.”

“Yes.” Jennifer smiles. “Becca and Jennifer Davenport.”

“Has a beautiful ring to it, huh?” Becca smiles, Jennifer nods against her. Lips capturing lips, kissing her again in excitement knowing the rest of their lives will be as glamorous and beautiful as right now.

[beccas-gf]

instead of having the LI propose to MC right before her graduation which is honestly a bit weird and too soon. (I know you have the choice to reject them, but I would never do that 😭) They could have had the characters graduate and then show like a short scene that's set some time in the future, it shows us where our characters ended up and then the proposal happens. I feel like that would have been a better and more satisfying ending!!

[hotchocolatelovesyou]

My man James really had the audacity to mute her after MC called him out for not listening the first time AND giving him a very good idea for his work lmao

he's bold, that's for sure

I forgot how much shit MC has to take omg

[xiin-draws-sometimes]

my mom just told me that Zac Oyama looks like a love child between Jerry Trainor in ICarly and Zack King, and after a quick google search. Yeah, I see it.

[choicesoutofcontext]

the senior | ch 2

[canonqueercharacters]

The canon queer character of the day is:

Zackary "Zack" Zilberg from The Freshman, The Sophomore, The Junior, and The Senior series, who is gay.

[transform4u]

I have this huge crush on this straight guy on my campus and he just invited me to hang out!! I'm so excited to spend time with him, he said he wanted to "snap" me but I have no idea what that means! It doesn't matter, I have such a huge crush on him, I'd do anything he asks just to be closer with him!

As you step over the threshold of the frat house, a wave of pungent odors hits you—stale beer, damp gym socks, and an overpowering cloud of Axe body spray. Your nose flares in response, the smell so intense that it almost feels like it’s rewiring your brain. There's a sudden, sharp snaaaaaaaaapppp in your head, like a mental jolt, and your memories start to dissolve. The boy you had a crush on, the Channing Tatum poster on your wall—these memories blur and fade away, replaced by a torrent of new sensations.

Your mind is hazy as you inhale deeply, your senses overwhelmed by the distinct essence of frat life. The memories that take their place are a montage of keg stands, raucous parties, and the roar of college football games. A strange pressure begins to build in your chest, radiating outward. You can feel your body transforming, your pecs swelling into thick, pillow-like mounds. Your abs, once soft and undefined, solidify into a set of firm, sculpted muscles. Ballooning biceps and triceps inflate beneath your skin, while your quads and bubble butt expand, shaping your physique into that of a stereotypical frat bro.

A dull ache lingers in your head, a reminder of the cognitive changes happening within you. As your more nuanced, empathetic thoughts begin to dissolve, so do your skills in writing and math. The once-clear, intellectual part of your mind feels foggy and distant. A thick, dumb chuckle bubbles up from your throat, your laugh coming out as a guffaw that’s tinged with a thick southern drawl as thick stench radiates from your body, you let out an obnoxiously loud farrrrrrrpppphhhhttt.

You find yourself sinking onto a ratty couch, surrounded by the clutter and chaos of frat life. Your bro, with a grin as wide as his shoulders hands you a cold can of beer. You take it in your hands, feeling the chill through the metal, your grip now a part of your newly muscular frame. You stare blankly at him, your expression slack but content, and your mind is a whirlwind of simple pleasures and throbbing bass from the party tunes. Your chuckle deepens into a full-bore laugh, and you accept your new reality with a sense of easygoing acceptance. Your bro calls out cheerfully, "Yo Zack, come check what the boys and I got for you, bro" Curious, you follow his gaze to see your bros holding court with a shy-looking freshman girl. She's dressed skimpier than most of the party girls, with a barely-there crop top revealing her midriff and a scandalously short pleated skirt. Her clothes look expensive and well-tailored, hinting at money beyond the means of most frat rats.

Your bro chuckles and slaps your back. "See? She's just waitin' for a strapping jock like yourself to sweep her off her feet," he says, egging you on. You feel an undeniable twitch in your boxers, your cock stiffening as your bros taunts you. Those sick, perverted images in your head of dumb faggots making out start melting away, replaced by an overwhelming lust for red-blooded American women. Gals like this sorority chick, with no IQ, just tits and tight pussies. Suddenly, every dirty fantasy, every vile urge, feels justified. Every nasty gay thought you were having about your bro gets purged from your drunk brain. Homosexuality is the furthest thing from your horny mind these days. All you care about is getting your cock wet with the hottest college chicks you can find, preferably ones who are only too eager to please an upperclassman like you. You want to see that little skank bounced on your lap while frat brothers cheer you on as you pound her into submission.

But then he looks over at you knowingly and smirks, clearly enjoying the look on your face. You should be outraged at his scheming, but instead a rush of blood goes to your groin. The slutty little number in front of you looks even more delectable up close. Those big tits in that tiny top beg for attention. That tight little skirt hugs her hips just right.

Your frat bro grins devilishly. "I'll leave the two of you alone and let you get acquainted properly. Don't do anything I wouldn't do." He winks salaciously before sauntering off with his entourage. Your jaw clenches as you watch him walk away, feeling both irritated and aroused by his actions. But the anger doesn't last long before desire overtakes it.

She looks up at you innocently, blue eyes sparkling with mischief behind her thick glasses frames. "Hello Zack," she says demurely, standing awkwardly next to the armchair you're occupying. "I'm Amy."

"Amy" you repeat, reaching out to gently take her hand in yours. Her skin is soft and feverishly warm. "It's a pleasure to meet you…"

You take Amy by the hand and lead her over to the couch across from you. She plops down and crosses her legs primly, arms folded over her chest to emphasize her budding breasts. You can't help staring at them, imagining squeezing and kneading those ripe young mounds.

You can practically smell her arousal from here as she squirms in discomfort beneath your penetrating gaze and crude innuendo-laced comments. The look in her eyes says 'Please stop talking', but the tent in your jeans says 'Fuck yes I will keep talking'.

To make matters worse, the other frat boys seem to have taken your lead now too. A few stand up to make room near the bar while others hover around to listen in for any juicy details of Amy's sexual misadventures with you. Some even have the balls to openly leer at her chest and ass. You lick your lips as a cruel smirk spreads across your face. These losers have no idea what they're missing out on.

[thursdaygxrls]

Infrunami

summary — peter’s memory is really good (no it’s not)

pairing — tasm!frat!peter parker x fem!reader

disclaimer — i don’t own tasm or peter. i’ve also been listening to infrunami on repeat for 4 days and had to do something about it.

warnings — mentions of drinking/alcohol, possible ooc, and this is (let’s all say it!) unedited

The frat house was just about as clean as it could be. It was rare for a house full of boys to be spotless, especially with weekly parties like the one going on right now. Surprisingly enough, this particular party had been relatively chill--no broken glass, no body shots. Maybe it was the pungent haze of weed in the air that floated from the mouths of those with sloppily rolled blunts and dying pens. Instead of a blunt, Peter's fingers were wrapped around a red solo cup.

"...and honestly, it's sort of weird because, y'know..."

There was a girl attached to his arm. He wasn't drunk enough to forget her name—well, he wouldn't have forgotten it if he even knew it in the first place. She seemed nice enough: a giggly blonde majoring in poli-sci...or was is psych? Honestly, her introduction was all sort of fuzzy. One minute, he was alone, the next, he was hearing about a research project that was 'sort of weird.'

"Hey, you mind if I go grab another drink?" Peter interrupted her rant, his voice low.

"Oh, yeah, sure," she nods in response, glossy lips stretched into a smile.

He gives her a closed-lipped grin of his own before picking himself off the wall and heading to the kitchen. He weaves his way through the house in an eerily graceful fashion. Upon reaching the kitchen, he looks down at his full cup.

Peter wasn't a dick. At least, he liked to think he wasn't a dick. He wouldn't just tell a girl to piss off if he wasn't interested; he'd make excuses and slip out as fast as possible. Maybe in the long run it was sort of a dick move, but he rarely ever saw those girls again (and if he did, he'd look the other way). There was the fact that he was bound to forget a few faces as well.

“No lady-friend tonight, Parker?” Zack—one of his frat brothers—chimed in his ear. He slipped past Peter and to the keg they’d set on ice in a plastic kiddie pool. Never once did he think he’d see a Sonic the Hedgehog themed kiddie pool next to the oven.

“It’s like, ten, give it a rest,” Peter shot back, sipping at his beer.

“I saw you talking to that blonde.” Zack smiled and made a gesture of approval as he filled his cup.

“Eh,” Peter shrugged.

“‘Eh?’” Zack’s eyes widened, “I’d say she’s at least three tiers up from ‘eh’ category.”

"Eh," Peter repeats, leaning his head back. It wasn't as if he had a girl wrapped around his arm at every party, but it also wouldn't be surprising to see it. Between his freshman and junior year of college, his body count had increased significantly. He had regular hookups—at least one every week and rarely ever with the same person more than once or twice. It was easier to just love 'em and leave 'em. At least, that's what he told himself every time he was ordering an Uber for the girl in his bed.

"Well, if you're gonna 'eh' her, mind if I give it a try?" Zack asked, taking a gulp of the beer, swiping the foam off his lip with his thumb.

"Be my guest," Peter waved him off casually.

"I'm gonna go full Zack-Attack," he grinned widely, shooting Peter a thumbs up.

"Never say that again," Peter called out, though, Zack had already turned his back to approach the blonde. And so it was just him and his beer. His beer and him. A cup and a hand, a drink and a tongue, a—damn, he was bored. Normally, he really liked these parties. He could get a decent buzz or high and usually end the night with someone going down on him. Tonight, though, was so dull. He felt (ironically) like a fly on the wall, watching the world around him through a vignette filter. The boredom was almost comforting. Nothing was happening, but then again, nothing was happening. He could bask in the fact that he had nothing and no one to do—

Thump.

Karma was real, and it was a total bitch. Right when Peter had decided that his night was going to be one of peaceful indifference, he watched an obviously inebriated boy stumble past him. He saw it all happen in slow motion: the way the his feet dragged into one another, one shoe catching the lace of the other. Before the realization that he was falling could hit, Peter grabbed the boy's shoulder and righted him. Unfortunately, the drink in the boy's hand hadn't been so lucky. It slipped from his hands and splashed out beyond him like amber rainfall. If Peter hadn't had much to drink, he probably could've caught it. But his senses were somewhat dulled, and the liquid was already pouring from the lip of the cup.

"Oh, shit."

Karma actually wasn't that bad, Peter thought, as his eyes flashed ahead of him. Instead of splashing onto the floor, the beer had landed on an innocent bystander. An extremely attractive innocent bystander.

Her face was crinkled up like a disappointed mother who just came home to see her kid shoving stuffed animals down the toilet. Though her jeans were nearly beer-free, her shirt was entirely soaked, Splash Mountain soaked. Her gaze first landed on the boy, then on Peter. Okay, so karma was actually really cool.

"I am so sorry!" The boy slurred, his eyes drawn open in horror.

"Yeah, I figured," she sighed. She didn't sound condescending—she just sounded like she was already over it. The ends of Peter's lips twitched, but he suppressed the smirk.

"I can't believe I spilled my drink on you!" The boy was much less over it than she was, "I'm so sorry! I—oh, man—"

"Hey, bud, I heard they're doing Jägerbombs out on the porch," Peter whispered to the boy. The guilt was gone from his face almost instantaneously, replaced with an almost childlike sense of wonder.

"I fucking love Jägerbombs!" He exclaimed, his empty solo cup forgotten as stumbled off and out of the kitchen.

"I've never seen someone move on so fast," Wet Shirt Girl spoke up, watching the boy nearly fall again.

"The power of Jägerbombs," Peter suggested. He slipped his windbreaker from his arms and held it out to her, offering a smile along with it.

"Here," he said, "It doesn't exactly fix the wet shirt, but it works for now."

"Thanks," she nodded, grabbing the jacket. She slid it on with an almost exhausted sigh before speaking again: "I’ll only smell horrible now."

Peter laughed at that. He watched her zip it up, he watched the way it strained against—

"I'm Peter." His eyes connected with hers again. A brief look of shock took over her face before it melted back into the same neutral expression she held before. He almost wondered if it was a brief stroke of imagination that made him see her widened eyes.

"I bet you are." Was her reply. Oh?

"That's usually the cue to introduce yourself," he said, a hint of a smile still on his lips.

"Usually is," she nodded. There was a brief moment of silence, an awkward pause at which they stood at a stalemate. Peter took her in again. She was cute. Really cute. Even if she had been weird about introductions, he couldn't help but admire her. So, he spoke up, his voice splitting through the silence but not the tension.

"Do you want to borrow a shirt?" He asked, "My room's right upstairs." When she didn't immediately reply, he quickly added: "I swear I'm not trying to pull anything, I just figured it would probably be pretty uncomfortable wearing a beer shirt."

She watched him for a moment, her eyebrows crinkling in a way that made Peter fight off another smile. He knew he'd won when she let out another sigh, the tired, over-it kind that he was already becoming familiar with it.

"Alright," she nodded. Peter chose not to hide his grin as he mimicked her nod. He led her away from the kitchen and towards the staircase, peering over his shoulder every once in a while to make sure she was still in his tow. Sure enough, every time he looked, she would be there, pulling the windbreaker—his windbreaker—around her.

His room wasn't messy, exactly. There were scattered papers and rogue socks, and of course his flannel sheets were crinkled at the foot of his bed, but it wasn't disgusting. Their entrance was nothing less than unceremonious.

"This is my room," he stated the obvious, gesturing around.

"I would've never guessed." She shook her head. He gave her another small smile before he crossed the room to his dresser. He searched his drawers for something baggy and stupid, something he wouldn't miss. After a few seconds, he landed on a gray shirt with a smiling pterodactyl on the front. Faded words words under the creature read 'You're Dino-Soaring!' Good enough.

“Hopefully this shirt isn’t too provocative,” he grinned as he handed it over.

“Hm, I’ll have to make it work,” she said, inspecting the shirt in an overdramatized sort of way. While she looked at the shirt, Peter went right back to looking at her. She’d be a welcoming sight to wake up to next morning. He wouldn’t even mind paying for her Uber—hell, he might even walk her out of the house, make sure she gets in—

“You got a bathroom I can use? To change?” Her voice interrupts his thoughts, and he shakes the clouds from his eyes.

“Yeah, of course,” he nodded. A few doors down and they make it to the bathroom. Peter goes first, checking for drunk bathtub dwellers, before slapping the doorframe.

“All yours,” he announced, leaning against the wall next to the door. She gives him a salute before entering and closing the door behind her. It only takes a minute or two before she’s emerging again, extending the discarded windbreaker to him.

“It’s a little sticky,” she warns as she hands the jacket back to him. Peter’s eyes wandered down to her shirt.

“Oh, look, you’re ‘Dino-Soaring!’” He chuckled, the low, throaty kind that says he’s holding back an actual laugh.

“I’m always Dino-Soaring.” Her laugh accompanies his. His lips curl up in another smile.

“Do you wanna get something to drink? I can promise this one won’t end up on you,” he suggested, holding that same grin.

“Alright.” Her nod makes his lips quirk up higher. In a reverse of moments prior, he leads her down the stairs and to the kitchen when the sticky remnants of the spill have dried to the floor.

“What’s your poison?” He asked as he tucked the windbreaker under his arm.

“Just Coke—I think I’m gonna tap out for tonight.” Her eyes travel over the sticky floor and the stained shirt in her hands.

“Two Cokes, coming up,” Peter nodded. Two red cans are procured from the fridge in an instant.

“Thanks,” she hummed as she took the drink from his hands, “And thanks for the shirt, too. It really would’ve sucked to have to wait until I’m home to change.”

“Don’t mention it.” He waved her off, cracking open the tab of the Coke.

“Living in a frat must be…sticky.” She can’t seem to peel her eyes off the spilled patch of beer.

“Sometimes,” Peter chuckled, “But it’s not all bad. I get to give out dinosaur shirts.”

“Oh, don’t tell me that I’m not the first girl to ever Dino-Soar around these parts,” she gasped in mock surprise.

“No, no, trust me, I’ve never seen someone Dino-Soar quite like you,” he grinned in reply. He liked her. She was a little awkward, but so was he. He liked her smile, her laugh. He’d probably like her name, too, if she would ever give it to him.

“You never told me what your name is.” His head cocked to the side in a questioning manner. Her expression twisted in a way that told him she knew that was coming.

“That’s right,” she hummed, “Never told you it. Before I do, can I ask you something?”

“Shoot,” he nodded approvingly.

“Do you not recognize me?” Her lips curled in a small smile, “Peter, we’ve had classes together since freshman year—and not just the lecture hall ones, like, the ones where there’s only twelve people in the room. It’s sort of a statistical marvel. I’m honestly less offended and way more impressed that you don’t know me.”

The words hit him like a semi-truck. Really? She’d been in his classes? She had to be joking—no, she wasn’t joking, the look on her face told him that much. He immediately searched through his memory for her face, combing through classes. Peter never took himself as someone with a bad memory, but he was starting to change his mind. She had to be lying—she wasn’t lying.

“You’re—”

“Where have you been? What the hell are you wearing?” He’s interrupted by another voice. Sliding onto the scene (and effectively ruining Peter’s chances of salvaging the situation into a hookup) is a girl with puffy red hair. Freckles dot her olive skin and scrunch with her as she brings her nose up.

“Long story,” Dino-Soaring Girl responds with a smile, the one she’d been giving to Peter only a moment ago.

“Okay, okay, we’ll come on,” the redhead grasped her arm gently, “I’ve been looking everywhere for you. Liv threw up after doing a Jägerbomb and we’re gonna head out. I don’t wanna leave without you.”

“The power of Jägerbombs,” Dino-Soaring Girl shook her head. Before she was dragged off, she turned to Peter for one last look.

“See you in class?” She suggested with a smile. He didn’t get to respond before she was gone, the redhead threading through the masses of people. Peter watched her go, unsure whether he should be confused or smiling. He chose the latter.

Peter Parker wasn’t dumb, but he was stupid. And, he was out of a dinosaur t-shirt.

[shiratamahatsumiyo]

Daniel Park with Daki reader

I know that this seems annoying but thank you guys very much! 200 followers...Wow... I actually didn't think I'd reach this far... Also, thanks for putting up with my BS!

Warning: Swearing, Violence

• You met Big Daniel on his second week at school. You were absent on the first week because your Leader ordered you and your brother to attack certain gangs and collect information. You weren't informed that school already started a week ago. But then again, would you even care?

• When your classmates see that you're not present in class for days, half of the student body let out a huge wave of relieved sighs, thinking that you transferred schools while the other half kept it in, thinking that your absence is too good to be true. But when announcement you return was heard, Daniel was clueless on what was happening since everyone looked like they're preparing for a red-alert thunderstorm...

Zoe: "Hey Daniel! How was your weekend?"

Daniel: "It was great."

Zoe: "Really? I'm glad! You know, my weekend was so crazy! The--"

Random Student A, running: "EVERYONE UME SHABANA IS BACK!"

Random Student B: "W-WHAT?! THAT CAN'T BE..."

Random Student A: "I JUST SAW THEM STEPPING INTO THE BEAUTY DEPARTMENT!"

• Once the announcement of your return was shared, the students whispered to one another. Even Zack's goons are quivering. Mira and Zoe looked frightened at what they heard. Jay clenched his fist and a frown made its way to his face. Zack quickly repositioned his sitting posture and is sweating bullets. Meanwhile Daniel is just confused...

Random Student B: "Eh?! They still go here?! Dude, I thought they transferred 😱!"

Random Student C: "I knew this day would come...😔"

Random Student D: "We're totally fucked, man...😰"

Daniel: "U-um... I'm sorry if I don't know, but who's Ume Shabana?"

• Some of the girls stopped rushing and approach Daniel to explain but Zoe beat them to it.

Zoe: "Well you see, Daniel! U-uh...! Ume Shabana is a student in the Beauty Department--"

!!! C R A S H !!!

Zoe: "HOLY FUCK WHAT THE HELL WAS THA?-- I-i mean, eep! What was that?"

• The more the crashing from the across the hallways grew louder, the more the students shifted uncomfortably in their seats. A few students contemplated on grabbing their bags and just leave the classroom.

Random Student B: "Guys, who cares if we miss class?! They might remember that one mistake we did to them! I wanna live 😭!"

Random Student D: "W-what if it gets worse?! What if they bring their brother 😱?!"

Random Student B: "OH MY GOD IT'S HAPPENING! EVERYONE STAY CALM! STAY FUCKING CALM RIGHT NOW! DO NOT- DO! NOT! PANIC! E-EVERYTHING'S GOING TO BE FINE! I'M... I'M SURE THE TEACHERS ARE GONNA HANDLE IT!"

Random Student C: "You calm down first 😑."

! ! ! C R A S H ! ! ! ! ! ! C R A S H ! ! !......

????: "AAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!"

Everyone: "!!!"

• The crashing sounds stopped and a girl's scream can be heard from the hallways. Everyone, including Daniel, rushed outside to see a rather beautiful but aggressive figure pulling on a girl's ear and shouting at her. A crowd of students from different departments gathered to witness the situation. They know that they couldn't bring your anger down so they can only watch as the girl struggled in pain against your grip...

Ume: "SHUT UP! DO YOU HAVE ANY WHAT YOU'VE DONE?!"

Freshman Girl: "I-i'm... I-i'm sorry-- OW!"

Ume: "IF YOU'RE SO SORRY THEN WHY DON'T YOU GIVE ME A REASON NOT TO THROW YOU OUT THIS WINDOW RIGHT NOW!"

• ...What? Did he heard that right? Out the window? Daniel's breath shortened and his body froze. Countless memories of him being bullied by his superiors, if not, even other students, flooded his mind. He experienced all the horrible things they did to him... Being treated like a pig. But even HE never thought of a person THIS cruel would go that far by throwing their own classmate out of a window and dealing with it like it's nothing.

• His body moved without him thinking and pushed the crowding students to make way to you. He grabbed the wrist of your hand that was dragging the sobbing girl before you could open a nearby window. You looked up at him and scowled.

Daniel: "H-hey..."

Ume: "Hah?"

Daniel: "Let go of her... P-please."

• The words were stuck at Daniel's throat when he met your piercing glare. The glare that screamed who's superior in terms of dominance. The young man didn't mean to sound pathetic but he had to, so that you won't do the unforgivable.

Ume: "And who are you to order me around, huh?"

Daniel, flinches: "U-um... i-"

Ume: "You're either bold or pretty stupid, walking up to me like that."

• Daniel's somewhat lack of fear made the girls squealed among themselves about how daring and bold he is while the guys are placing bets on who's going to die and who's going to walk out alive. Mira hurriedly went to the faculty room so that the situation wouldn't escalate any further. Some students started pulling out cameras to record the fight.

Random Student E: "AAAHH~! DANIEL~ 😫!"

Random Student F: "Who would've thought that this guy 😳..."

Random Student G: "Is so brave and courageous? Yes, he is~ 😍"

Random Student C: "Ugh, girls 🙄..."

Random Student B: "So who are betting on?"

Random Student D: "That Daniel guy seems capable."

Random Student B: "Yeah, y'know that one time he not only dodged Zack Lee's punches, he blocked it!"

Random Student D: "Oh yeah! I still rem--"

Zack: "I bet on Ume to take down that fucker."

Random Student B: "Crap, he heard us 😨!"

Random Student D: "Stop making us part of everyone's grudge list, man. Ume's is already bad enough 😔..."

• The sounds of noisy, horny, ugly women made your ears ring... This is irritating. The nerve of this idiot to...

Ume: "DON'T TOUCH ME."

!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Daniel: "!"

• Daniel didn't see the fist coming..........

Random Student B: "W-w-what the fuck 😱?!"

Random Student D: "He... With just one punch 😨?!"

Random Student C: "Oh shit, he's as good as dead 😔."

Random Student A: "E-even the wall... 😰!"

Zack: "Told ya he's a wimp. I won this bet."

Jay: "!"

Zoe: "DANNY!...Dan... Wake up!...call......where are .... Mira!.....eachers?!"

• Daniel felt his head ring and something warm and wet dripping down from his nose. The last thing he sees is Zoe screaming at his face and Jay lifting him up. Everything became blurry before going pitch black as he fell unconscious. He then wakes up in a familiar old house.

Small Daniel: "Mhh... Wha....HUH?!"

• Daniel immediately recognized his surroundings and realized that his bigger body is without conscious and he switched to his smaller body. He tried his best to fall back asleep but after a few hours, he couldn't. He searched in his belongings in a panic for his phone and put on a relaxing ambience video. A couple of attempts after that, he finally fell asleep.

• He finally wakes up in his bigger body with a headache. He blinked his eyes and sees that he's in an infirmary. He looked to the side to see the school nurses standing and admiring his sleeping face.

School Nurse A: "A-ah! He's awake... Sorry to disturb you~ Do you want to rest more 🤭?"

School Nurse B: "How are you feeling, handsome ☺️?"

Daniel: "Uhm... I'm fine, I gue- OW!"

School Nurse A: "Oh my! It seems that Shabana delinquent knocked you out pretty hard 😯..."

School Nurse B: "You shouldn't move so much. You have a cut on your forehead and a nasty bruise on the side 😧."

Daniel: "Sorry, ma'am."

School Nurse B: "Ohh, please! Don't call me "ma'am"! Call me by my name-"

School Nurse A: "He was talking to me 😠!"

School Nurse B: "No, me 😡!"

Daniel: "I wanted to ask... do you happened to know what happened?"

School Nurse A: "Uh well... you see, we heard that you were involved in a fight with Ume Shabana. You were hit-"

School Nurse B: "With one punch 😮!"

School Nurse A: "Yes, you were struck down with one punch- but it doesn't matter, you were trying to protect that girl, right ☺️?"

Daniel: "I-i was..."

School Nurse B: "OMG, you are such a sweetheart. I'm like, so jealous of her 😩."

School Nurse A: "Stop rambling, you dumbass 🙄."

• The nurses insisted that Daniel should rest more and that he's excused from his absence in class. The wall clock hits 5:00 PM, Zoe and Jay came to the infirmary to check up on Daniel. Zoe was fussing over him, reassuring him that he did nothing wrong and the attempt on trying to save the freshman girl was heroic. Jay just smiled, relieved that Daniel is okay. The blonde didn't say much and left. Just then, the freshman girl entered the infirmary with the intention to thank Daniel by giving him treats from the cafeteria. Zoe got a bit territorial despite her positive remark about saving her. Daniel thanked the girl and she left the infirmary skipping happily.

• Daniel asked Zoe what to the violent delinquent and she showed him a video from her phone....

• He couldn't believe it... He didn't even see how you punched him... You were so fast... Too fast... With just one punch, he collided with the wall. The impact was so great, it formed cracks on it... The side of his head was bleeding... You shoved the girl away and complained about Daniel thinking too highly of himself... At least you didn't drop the girl out the window... The video ended with your figure leaving and students gathering around him.

• After that encounter, he made a mental note to himself that no matter how his second body would help him overcome his fears, there will always be a person much more stronger than him. He started attending class a couple of days later. Every girl praised him of his action and even some of the boys acknowledged his boldness of facing you. However, some of them were pissed at him because some people are praising your stupidity.

• He the learned that you are not a person to be messed with. You are beautiful but deadly... reminding him of the obnoxious girls back in his previous school. You are hella strong too! Seriously, how are you so strong? It doesn't make sense that you beat him with just your fist. You also despise being around people of what you deemed unattractive and bully them. Maybe that's why you preferred to go to the Beauty Department. In contrast to your demonic strength, your gracefulness caught him off guard... He really thought that delinquents like you would look brash and intimidating. But perhaps that's another technique of tricking your opponent to think that you're not a fighter.

• You sometimes like to tease a flustered Daniel and flirted with him with a few death threats here and there, but you never meet him again after your brother told you not to. Meh, it's not like you like him or anything, it's just that you're reminding every girl in this school that no matter how attractive they are, the most handsome guys always look at you.

• Speaking of your brother, his impression of your older brother, Gyutaro, was also not so great... The first thing the tall and scary man does when he sees Daniel is threatening him that if he lays a hand on you, he will not be getting it back. The boy, not only kept a distance from you, he avoided you because of that.

• Figured out that the reason why you and your brother were not expelled is because the faculty is also intimidated by you. Whenever they caught you bullying a poor student, you'd change face and act innocently that you are in a particularly bad mood.

• Timeskip to the timeline where Daniel is formed an alliance with Jay, Zack, and Vasco. He figured out that you and your brother were part of a gang called the Twelve Kizuki and were one of the higher ranking ones. You two are fighting for that corrupt politician named Micha- Muzan Kibutsuji by making connections here in South Korea and controlling the districts. You just used disguises and names so that enemy gang members won't recognize you. Muzan ordered you two to eliminate every single person that witnessed their crimes, including Daniel and co.. Your third encounter with him takes place in a ruined building.

• Daniel made the same mistake of charging at you first. You disabled him swiftly even without using half of your power. You were about to dispatch him when his friends arrived to shield Daniel away from you. When the speed and strength of their attacks grew increasingly aggressive, you tried to flee away from the scene and called for your brother. Zack and Jay, albeit bleeding and bruised, quickly caught up to and tackled you before you could run away...

Zack: "Hey! We ain't letting you run away like a coward after we beat you fair and square."

Daki: "I-i wasn't running away! And I'm not a coward!"

Zack: "Pssh! Yeah, right! Not buying it!"

Daki: "I am NOT a coward! I am strong! Far stronger than you!"

Zack: "We literally tackled you to the ground! Which means we beat you!"

Daniel: "Z-Zack- you shouldn't-"

Daki, tearing up: "No... no, it can't be...! I'm one of the Twelve Kizuki! I'm one of the strongest members! I'm supposed to be strong--"

Vasco: "IT DOESN'T MATTER!"

Daki: "!"

Jay: "😶!"

Vasco: "... It doesn't matter how strong you are... As long as you keep training and keep protecting the little guys... Then you're the strongest!!! All you did was bully those who are weaker than you... It's wrong!!!"

Zack: "Woah... Vasco, calm down a bit..."

Vasco, crying: "... I still haven't forgotten about you bullying that Pyeon guy..."

Jay: "😶..."

• The scene went from violent, to childish, to dramatic in minutes. Vasco became too passionate of his statement and began tearing up. Daniel gave him a gentle pat on the back. You suddenly let out a shriek and started punching the ground.

Daki, bawling: "....WAAAAAAHHHH!!!"

Vasco, Daniel, Jay, & Zack: "😨😧😦😮!"

Daki: "IT'S NOT FAAAAIIIRR! I AM REALLY STRONG! YOU WERE THE ONE'S THAT CHEATED!! YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO LOSE!!...*sob*.... WAAAAHHH!!! I'VE BEEN DEFEATED!! THIS SUCKS!! I LOOOSSST!! WAAAAHHH!!!"

Vasco: "...H-huh?"

Zack: "Are they...?"

Jay: "😶...?"

Daniel: "... throwing a tantrum?"

Daki: "BROTHER! HELP ME!"

!!!!!!!!!!!!

• Cue Gyutaro suddenly appearing behind them. They dodged his strike but he still made a beeline to you. He checked on your injuries and comforted you until your crying stopped. Meanwhile the guys at the back are just weirded out. This guy responded to your call and rushed to you so fast that their eyes couldn't keep up! Which means that he is far more deadlier and stronger than you. He sicced them like they were prey and he was the predator. Expressing envy, hatred, malice and rooted it to his rapid assault. He tortured them and cackled at their pained cries in a morbidly sadistic manner.

• It took them their entire knowledge of skills, the entire night and the entirety of the Burn Knuckles to take just the two of you down... The ruined building that all of you were fighting in has already collapsed its second floor... The pillars are barely holding up... All of them are fatigued and injured, but are still fighting... And on the crack of dawn, they finally defeat both of you.

Daki: "THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!"

Gyutaro: "MY FAULT?! DON'T BLAME ME FOR YOUR MISTAKES!"

Daki: "I THOUGHT YOU HAD MY BACK!!"

Gyutaro: "YOU SHOULD'VE GOTTEN THAT BLONDE GUY A HOLE THROUGH THE FACE AND THAT'S THAT!!"

Daki: "WHY DIDN'T YOU TAKE NO CHANCES AND JUST SLAUGHTERED THEM IMMEDIATELY ON THE SPOT?!"

Gyutaro: "I WAS PROTECTING YOU, DUMBASS!"

Daki: "WELL, LOOK AT US RIGHT NOW, JACKASS! BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY YOU FAILED!!"

Gyutaro: "YOU FAILED AT GETTING RID AT THE VERY LEAST TWO OF THEM!"

Daki: "I'VE BEATEN HUNDREDS OF THESE KNUCKLEHEADS! ALL YOU DID WAS PLAYING WITH YOUR PREY!! YOU LET BOTH OF US DOWN!!!"

Gyutaro: "SHUT UP!"

Daki: "YOU SHUT UP!"

• During your arguement, Daniel and Vasco ordered everyone to safety now that the building is starting to collapse its walls and third floor. Daniel looked at your direction and looked back at Vasco. Vasco was unsure of what Daniel intended to do with you but he knows that it's wrong to leave you here to die. So he joined Daniel and carried the two of you outside before the building finally break down. You and your brother argued and argued until...

Daki: "....I wish you were never my brother..."

Gyutaro: "....."

Daki: "Look at us... We don't even look the same...I bet we aren't even related... I bet you made up that story of mom abusing me... I'm better off without you... You're ugly... your only saving grace is your strength!... Now that you've been beaten, you're useless! ....I WISH WE WERE NEVER SIBLINGS."

Gyutaro: "...After all these years of cleaning up your messes... THIS IS HOW YOU THANK ME?! I PROTECTED YOU FROM THAT HAG BEFORE SHE COULD LAY A HAND ON YOU!! I WORKED HARD SO THAT BOTH OF US CAN SURVIVE ANOTHER DAY!!! I JOINED THE TWELVE KIZUKI TO GIVE YOU A BETTER LIFE!!!!"

• Everyone looked at you in disbelief that the two of you still have the stamina to argue. You just sit there with your dislocated limbs while your brother spat insults at your face. You've never seen your brother this angry before... he sounds like he's been holding all of these emotions in for a long time. Daniel's body once again moved on its own...

Gyutaro: "I AM FAR BETTER OFF WITHOUT YOUR IMMATURE ATTITUDE DRAGGING ME DOWN... I COULD HAVE HAD A BETTER FUTURE WITHOUT YOU.... I WISH YOU WERE NEVER BORN--"

• Gyutaro stopped his outpour of emotions with a sudden hand gesture of Daniel covering the ugly man's mouth.

Daniel: "... I may not know what it's like to have a sibling, but I know that what you are doing to each other is wrong... you don't mean all those things. You are siblings through and through, even if the world turns its back on you, you still got each other. Despite all the bad things you did, no one will be on your side except your family... You must stick together and protect each other."

Daki, bawling: "....WAAAAHHH!!!"

Daniel: "U-um! I'm sor--"

Daki: "SHUT UP! GO AWAY!! GET LOST!!! NONE OF THIS IS ANY OF YOUR BUSINESS!!! THIS SUUUUCKS!!! BROTHER!!!"

• The others watched awkwardly as you cried. Daniel is frantically trying to get you to calm down. Huh, who would've thought that THE Ume Shabana the most beautiful, the most graceful, the most deadliest, one of the strongest foe they faced in Jaewon High... Is actually a crybaby?

Daki: "BROTHEEEER!!! DO SOMETHING!!! WHAT IF LORD MUZAN WILL SCOLD ME?! WHAT IF HE'LL NEVER TALK TO ME AGAIN BECAUSE I'M UGLY NOW?!! I DON'T WANT THAT TO HAPPEEENN!!! BROTHEEEER!!!"

Gyutaro: "........Ume."

Daki: "WAAAAHHH!!! I'M SORRY THAT WE LOST!!!! I SHOULD'VE DONE BETTER!!! I I'M SO SORRY THAT I'VE BEEN DRAGGING YOU DOWN!!!! SO PLEASE FORGIVE ME!!!!"

Gyutaro: "UME."

Daki: "JUST PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME ALONE!!! IF YOU DO I WON'T FORGIVE YOU!!! I STILL WANT US TO BE SIBLINGS!!!! WAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!! "

Gyutaro: "UME!"

Daki: "!"

Gyutaro: "....I forgive you...and I'm...sorry too."

Daki: "WAAAAHHH!!! I FORGIVE YOU!!!!"

Zack: ".... Shouldn't we be...?"

Vasco, tearing up: "This moment is manly."

Zack: "What the hell is so manly about it?"

Jay: "☺️."

• So that's how your relationship with Daniel developed. It has rocky start but it's progress! You were shocked when Daniel, Vasco, Jay, Zack and the Burn Knuckles forgave both of you and your brother and even offered you to join them. Your thoughts went to the memories of your dear Leader. Oh, how you want to be by his side, but now that you've failed, he will throw you away regardless. But you still have your brother with you and your new... Friends? Acquaintances? Whatever. You left the Twelve Kizuki and allied with Daniel. It'll probably take decades to repent for your wrongdoings but at least you have your brother with you.

• A new dawn rises for you and your brother. You've always hated the daytime for how bright it is, but this time it's different. Your demons shall burn away in the light along with your hatred and wrath. Daki is in the past, defeated and burned in Hell.

• You are now Shiraume. No matter how many times you'll be reborn, you will walk with your brother for all eternity.

Daniel: "What are you going to do after all this?"

Gyutaro: "...Stay low for a while. Even if we hand ourselves to the police, Muzan will use his connections to find where we are and kill us."

Daniel: "I guess that's the safest option."

Vasco: "Ume."

Shiraume: "Ugh, it's Shiraume. What?"

Vasco: "Your apology to Pyeon-"

Shiraume: "Right. I'll do it, sheesh."

[choices-binglebonkus]

I am bored and cannot sleep, so I have decided just now to make a ranking list from worst to best of all the main characters of The Freshman’s new outfits in The Sophomore. This only includes the outfits they give themselves, not the makeovers we buy.

8. James Ashton.

James’s new outfit did not suit him in the slightest. Nothing about this looks good. Not the jacket, not the T-shirt. None of it. They did James so dirty.

7. Kaitlyn Liao.

The outfit is okay. The jewelry is kinda meh and the top looks like it doesn’t fit properly, but it’s fine. My biggest issue is with Kaitlyn’s hair. The way it’s drawn makes it look really greasy.

6. Tyler Alan.

The T-shirt is wrinkly and just doesn’t look very good. Not much to say about this one.

5. Zack Zilberg.

I love Zack to pieces. He’s one of my favorite characters in the entire app. But good fucking god, this shirt is not a good look. I was relieved when he went back to his regular outfit.

4. Becca Davenport.

Becca’s outfit suits her pretty well. It’s nothing to write home about, but it fits her personality and looks good. However, I’m personally not a fan of her bangs.

3. Zig Ortega.

Zig’s new outfit also suits him, and as a bonus, he kept his already flattering hairstyle. The only complaint I have is about his shirt. I get that they were doing a gradient, but the way it’s drawn and colored makes it look dirty.

2. Abbie Bishop.

Abbie’s dress (shirt???) looks cute as hell. It probably would have ranked #1 if we had gotten a larger view of it in game.

1. Chris Powell.

Chris’s outfit in The Sophomore, in my opinion, is a vast improvement to his original look. I could not STAND his shirt or his hair in The Freshman because I thought he looked like a huge dork. But his outfit in The Sophomore complements his character and personality while also flattering how he looks. The hair is a major improvement especially.

[beccas-gf]

I wish we got to see more of their friendship because I KNOWW they get together and talk shit about everyone.

To be fair, I wish we got to see more of Becca's friendship with everyone and actually everyone's friendship with each other. Like I needed more friendship scenes with everyone.

[jovenshires]

the official iwks lore dump post

okay this is long-overdue but basically both @spencersagnew and @hoohoobeanie asked me to do a little lore dump for if we keep score and here it is!! this is not everything by far (some of what's missing will be covered in future fics and some im simply forgetting) but this is the basics for all the stuff i felt like i couldn't include but i had in my brain - ages, mascots for different schools, etc

THE AGES OF THE MAIN CAST:

st charles:

SENIORS: spencer, damien, shayne, brennan

JUNIORS: alex t, jeremy, patrick, ify

SOPHOMORES: rock and tim

FRESHMAN: marcus

our lady of perpetual sorrow:

SENIORS: tommy, keith, garrett

JUNIORS: alex a, luke, duran

SOPHOMORES: andre and greg

FRESHMEN: chanse, josh, peter

THE AGES OF THE MINOR CAST:

holy trinity (based on the try guys and second try):

SENIORS: zach (captain), keith (vc), kwesi, nick

JUNIORS: johnny, hughie, alex, jared

SOPHOMORES: miles and jonathan

FRESHMEN: jack

aquinas academy (based on dropout tv):

SENIORS: sam (captain), brennan (vc), josh, murph

JUNIORS: zac, grant, trapp

SOPHOMORES: raph and tao

FRESHMEN: lou and jacob

st. george's (based on mythical):

SENIORS: josh (captain), david hill (vc), carney, jordan, lucas

JUNIORS: chase, davin, matt lieb, pasley, zack

SOPHOMORES: trevor

MASCOTS:

st charles: cheetahs (chosen because it alliteratively went with st charles)

our lady of perpetual sorrow: pirates (chosen because it alliteratively went with perpetual)

holy trinity: triceratops (i meannn. when they have a mascot already i simply must)

aquinas: spoonbills (lil inside joke for brennan lee mulligan's love of birds and that one game changer ep where sam tortured brennan with birds)

st. george's: roosters (once again i feel like i had to. i almost went with 'beasts' but i think roosters makes more sense)

MOTTOS:

st charles: Dirige Nos In Fide - Guide Us In Faith. (i knew this one from the very start because i had the speech ian gives him in my head. where spencer has faith in his team and that's why ian chose him to lead them. guide us in faith!!!)

our lady of perpetual sorrow: Est Gaudium in Dolore - There is Joy in Pain. (honestly this is tommy bowe's personal motto to me. no but i picked it bc tommy persevered despite all that he suffered

holy trinity: Conare Iterum Conare - Try Try Again. (this one is pretty on the nose BUT they're all about giving it their best shot even when they're the underdogs!! when they get knocked down they get up again! ain't nothing gonna bring us down!)

aquinas: Virtus in Culpa - Strength in Fault (their students are really, really intelligent and like. the best of the best. but that's because aquinas, though it's a school for academic excellence, is very relaxed with consequences for failure. like there's a lot of support for students who are struggling academically or behaviorally. we are only as strong as our faults!!)

st. george's: Esto Tuus Optimus - Be Your Best Self (once again they had it right there. be your mythical best!)

WHY I CHOSE THE SCHOOL NAMES:

(ive posted this before but im making this comprehensive!)

st. charles’ academy for boys: this is entirely based on spencer’s first name actually being charles LNDKNFLKNK like i knew i wanted to go with an all-boys school (as opposed to olops which is actually a co-ed school!) and i thought. “this is kinda funny.” and it was!

our lady of perpetual sorrow: this is actually - and i Did Not Know This - the catholic school from suite life of zack and cody SDFGHJK which means one of two things: 1. either i heard it there and it stuck in my brain and i didn’t realize OR 2. i just have the same brain cell as the suite life writers. i have no idea. but i chose that name bc, growing up in catholic school, i heard So Many ‘our lady of ___’ school names and i thought tommy, known Mental Illness actor, would enjoy 'perpetual sorrow’ as a nod to that knfkfnfk

holy trinity preparatory school: ah the easiest one tbh!! holy trinity because TRI. TRI bc there’s three of them and also it sounds like TRY. try guys! no more thought to it than that tbh.

aquinas academy: i went into it in more detail here, but basically st. thomas aquinas is the patron saint of college students - thus college humor, thus dropout!!

st. george: this one was a little more deep-cut!! i almost went with st. martha, the patron saint of the culinary arts, but i wanted their patron to encapsulate more of the crew rather than just the kitchen. even if it was josh’s world and we were all living in it. but basically, st. george is the patron saint of knights, cavalry, and armourers. he’s frequently depicted as slaying dragons and was often compared to many mythic heroes. therefore, you can consider st. george your official patron saint of mythicality!

SOME FUN FACTS THAT DIDN'T MAKE THE CUT:

damien is in the st. charles' choir which is why spencer plays guitar for them; he also does the school plays. he's a busy boy!

patrick is an altar boy and that's how he stole the communion wine

patrick and jeremy almost kissed when they got drunk off the communion wine and have NEVER talked about it

shayne is in the running to be valedictorian

chanse has a crush on tommy (and who can blame him.)

jackie does not do soccer and although she was at most of the games in iwks did NOT know what was going on

jackie also goes to public school bc i love her so she gets to win <3

i've mentioned this before but yes amanda and angela were on the same team in high school and were best friends (and..... you know. a little more than that maybe.)

tim is rock's calc tutor and it's not going well

if spencer had any input he would push for jeremy to be the next vc because he just has a soft spot for the guy and he thinks it would do him some good. but jeremy would rather die than be in charge of anything so <3

alex's hello kitty bandaids have nothing to do with like a ravenous love of hello kitty or anything - frankly they bought them because he thought they were cute and pink and sparkly. he didn't even realize they were hello kitty but that just makes them even better. they make All the players wear them when they can.

literally no one has told marcus who ian is so when he shows up at that one party he's just like. haha! who tf is this guy :) just smiling and nodding as if he knows what's going on but EXTREMELY confused by the stranger in jeremy's house

ify and patrick were buds before either of them met jeremy

brennan took four years of latin as we know, but what you don't know is that tommy took four years of french and damien took four years of german! (spencer took the minimum requirement of spanish and that's it LKDNKNFLFKN)

a lot of the team member's relationship with religion fluctuates but ian specifically is like. agnostic-christian. where he's like "idk what's out there but the Idea of christianity is comforting." he's not sure what he thinks about god but he's cool with praying does this make sense

tommy has spencer in his phone as "charles" forever and ever bc he said so. what is spencer gonna do. stop him?

despite the ban on interactions between the two teams damien and keith have been buds/texting each other for years. they are buds to ME.

chanse is like. en route to play professionally. he's being scouted like right now. he wanted to go to like a Specialized sports high school but his parents insisted on keeping him in catholic school

aaand trevor is putting in a transfer request as we speak LKSNDLK

okay i think that's it for now as far as lore goes. i hope you all enjoy!!

[kissami]

MOSQUITO ~ series’ masterlist

SUM. food and nutrition is your favorite class to attend, what happens when you're assigned partners with a dude you've known for years yet never had a decent conversation with and from two completely different groups of friends. To make things worse, he's cousins with the dude who played you the summer before.

fem! reader with she/her pronouns

warnings: language, short chapters, slow burn

CHAPTERS:

0: profiles

I: new partner who this?

II: Tifa let me be yours?

III: you don’t want some grapes?

more coming soon…

INSPO: literally an incident that happened to me freshman year... except this is more magical lol.

“This fucking sucks.” Looking at tifa, you frown as you both scanned the paper that was taped to the white board in front of class.

The two of you always were paired with one another. You two were the power duo when it came to cooking and exams during food and nutrition.

So why the heck were you guys changing partners in the middle of the semester?

The both of you were clearly upset, so used to being with another, going to each other’s houses for assignments, just overall having a great time.

Then Mr. Hewley just had to ruin it all. Maybe it was because you two would be the ones always answering questions, finishing quickly, etc. but why did you feel like being good students was becoming a punishment now.

“We all are comfortable with our partners, so why not mix it up to see how challenging this can be for everyone,” he waved his hand in the air slightly as he walked around slowly.

“We need to be uncomfortable in order to succeed. So, I have advised a new approach to this class. Being partnered up with a completely different person, different social groups, and different personalities.”

‘Who tf will I be paired with. I know everyone in this class, not by choice but still.’ You glanced around the room, frowning.

“The group to make the best Confit de Canard at the end of this semester ; one of the most difficult dishes to make, will not be needing to do finals.” Some of you ooh’d as Mr. Hewley’s finals were one of the most difficult to pass.

“Now then, all of you know your new partners so go and sit with one another.” Looking back at the sheet of paper, you were confused on who the heck is a cloud? Is this a real person? Was this a joke?

You felt tifa shift next to you, frowning as she waved you goodbye as she walked over to Yuffie.

You looked around again, seeing a tall figure huddled into themselves. The person had blonde spiked hair, piercings on the eyebrow and ears, along with dark clothes.

‘Is this him?’ You slowly walked over, tapping his shoulder. He hummed, looking up and you saw bright turquoise eyes you’ve seen before.

Wait a second…

“You’re Zack’s cousin aren’t you?”

“I have a name. But yes i am. Cloud strife.”

Oh fuck me.

[pantoneyoongi]

the sun & the stars | 01 | kth

title ; the sun & the stars pairing ; taehyung x you

word count ; 5.4k

masterlist | part one | part two | part three | part four | part five | epilogue

description ; 

taehyung’s known you almost his whole life - his sister’s best friend, the girl who invades his home and his life on the daily. you’re the one who gave his sister the nickname ‘sky’ to begin with - and also the one who relented when he whined about it at age five and said okay, you can be the stars, then. 

it’s funny, because to him, you’re just the petty, mischievous neighbor from across the street with a penchant for stealing his snacks. but over the years, you’ve somehow landed yourself a reputation that stretches beyond the 1.5 year age gap he has with you - for someone who generally likes to keep things low key, you sure have a way of drawing attention. 

sky’s friendly, teasing best friend is known for being cold, impassive, and immovable. which is weird, because when he’s around you, all he sees are unabashed grins and terrible jokes. until he realizes maybe he doesn’t know you like he thought he did. maybe they’re right - it just so happens that the walls you throw up around him look a little different from the walls you throw up around everyone else. 

tracklist ; willow - taylor swift, give me your forever - zack tabudlo ft. billkin, limbo - keshi

notes ; 

ok so i don’t have a masterlist for this yet but this is going to be part of a universe called the sun & the sky universe, about two besties and their love lives and friendship and originally it was supposed to be a one-shot for each character but i have spiraled wildly out of control and now this character (sun) has a mini-series, oops. 

anyway this is the first installation in the sun & the sky universe and eventually i will get around to making a masterpost. thank u for reading !! 

tags ; college!au, best friend’s little brother!au, childhood friends to lovers, you have a cold/ice princess reputation, angst, fluff, mentions of absent parents and financial instability, you’re referred to as ‘sun’, taehyung’s sister referred to as ‘sky’, mentions of some dude being kinda pushy at the beginning, some business major slander (sorry) (sort of), there will be pov switches later, there will also be seokjin slander (he’ll deserve it unfortunately i’m so sorry), slow burn?? i think??, brief mentions of infidelity at some point later too, honestly this whole fic is probably more about friendships than it is about romance but anyways, yes this is the fic that i wrote 10k for and then randomly decided to rewrite the entire thing bc i have no control over my life thank u very much, anyway here it is i hope u like it 

to be very clear: you don’t like freshmen. 

irritation crawls up your spine, and you spare just enough time to glance both ways before crossing the street to reach your friend, who looks increasingly uncomfortable. she’s already backed up enough that she’s only centimeters from the wall behind her, which, in case the relief on her face at the sight of you didn’t already spell it out, tells you plenty enough that this one’s persistent and unwelcome. 

“hey.” you don’t raise your voice when you reach them. you generally make it a point not to expend more energy than absolutely necessary, but particularly when it comes to men, and especially when they’re harassing your best friend. you hardly look his way, instead speaking to your friend with a tilt of your head towards the campus dining hall. “let’s go.” 

jinyoung calls you blunt and a little rude (affectionate), but you prefer the terms ‘concise’ and ‘clear’. as in, you are concisely and clearly indicating the freshman should leave. you know, something about a-b conversations and how he should c his way out. 

your shoulders raise ever so slightly when, predictably, the freshman opens his mouth to argue. that’s the thing about freshmen. and transfers. and men who don’t know what’s good for them: they don’t know you, and they don’t know your reputation, and that causes more problems than you care to deal with. 

lucky for him, he happens to know someone who’s been out of the womb for longer than the ten seconds this kid appears to have been. in your peripheral, you watch the freshman get yanked back by a junior you think might’ve been in one of your roman history lectures last semester. “what the fuck is wrong with you,” he hisses to his friend, eyes darting nervously between the boy and you. his voice raises to normal speaking levels. “i’m so sorry. he’s so sorry for bothering you,” and then he’s dragging the kid away with hushed, frantic whispers. you watch them cross the street and head down and away, before turning back to your friend. 

“you good, sky?” 

she gives you a half-smile. “i’d be better with food in me.” 

your lips twitch, and you sling an arm over her shoulders, tugging her through the dining hall doors. “good thing that’s what we’re here for.” 

.

.

.

your reputation is more tall tale than fact, but you let it carry you through the four years of high school and now clean through your four years of college, too. for a group of students who are so rarely capable of meeting your eyes, they speak fairly condescendingly about you. it probably has a lot to do with the ‘sun’ nickname, seeing as it just seems laughable to associate the most well-known star in the galaxy with you. 

you’re not warm. you don’t light up a room. none of the good cliches line up with you, and to most people, the nickname is more irony than anything else. but you didn’t get the nickname from them, you got it from sky, shortly after you gave her hers when you were seven. 

(seven year old you was a lot friendlier.)

your eyes slide closed, chin propped against your palm as you wait at the lunch table. sky is grabbing food while you save the table, waiting for her brother and his partner in crime to show up. 

the four of you grew up on the same street - sky and taehyung in the house across from you, and jimin a couple doors down. jimin and taehyung are technically the same age, the way you and sky are too, but taehyung’s birthday is so late in the year that he’s two grades below you instead of just one. they say you and sky have been inseparable since day one, but taehyung and jimin must be conjoined at the hip - you don’t find one without seeing the other. 

you feel someone brush past you, a hand hovering by your head, but before it can nudge you, you say with closed eyes, “watch it, kid.” 

your eyes flutter open, finding jimin pouting in front of you, hand returning to his side. “how’d you know it was me?” 

“who else would dare?” you arch an eyebrow, and he sucks his teeth, dropping into the seat diagonal from you. taehyung takes the seat to your left, nodding his head in greeting towards you. 

your lips quirk to the side. “do i not deserve the honor of your voice today, taetae?” you give him doe eyes, just to watch him scowl at you. 

growing up with taehyung and sky right across the street from you meant watching taehyung turn from an adorable toddler, to a mildly annoying child, into a definitely annoying teenager. this also included a two year stint in which taehyung refused to speak to you (or in general, really), only making vague grunting noises and giving you curt nods in an attempt to come off as stoic and brooding. 

(as a shock to no one: it was ineffective as far as ‘stoic’ and ‘brooding’ go.) 

ever since he decided to grace you with his voice again, you take any chance to remind him of it. you grin wickedly as he lolls his head back with a groan. “i was shy,” he protests, bordering on a whine. 

you scoff. “i’ve known you since you were three, fuck outta here,” you cuff him lightly upside the head, taehyung’s lower lip jutting out at the action. “you were just an angsty teenager.” 

sky makes her appearance at that moment, setting her tray down. “can confirm,” she agrees with zero proper context. “you were just an angsty teenager.” 

taehyung huffs. you poke your tongue against your cheek, amusement lighting your eyes. he tries to glare but taehyung’s always been a little soft on you, even if he won’t admit it. he marks defeat with a switch in subject. “you look tired.” 

you sputter out a laugh. “i’m a college student,” you smack his shoulder lightly. “i always look tired.” you redirect your attention back to jimin and sky, joining the conversation they’d started, but taehyung stays quiet, studying you. eventually he gets up to grab food, jimin following after him, but you opt to just lay your head against your forearm, letting sky pat your head sympathetically. 

you raise your head only when the boys return, eyes widening slightly in surprise when taehyung comes back with two trays, sliding one in front of you wordlessly. “you raised him well,” jimin sighs dramatically to sky. “treats his elders with respect.” 

“that makes one of you,” you quip, just as sky goes, “are you calling me an elder?” 

the two of you burst into laughter at the look on jimin’s face, halfway between being offended by you and defensive against sky, and while you’re busy teasing jimin, you don’t notice taehyung watching you, wondering how anyone can see you as cold and standoffish, not when he sees you like this, voice loud and eyes crinkled in the corners, always the brightest whenever you make the people you love and care about laugh. they say you’re cruel and unforgiving, but he’s known you for years and he doesn’t really feel like you’ve changed much - still wildly dramatic and bitingly sarcastic - and also apparently still endlessly prone to stealing food from him and sky, he thinks dryly, as he throws you a dirty look for snagging a french fry off his plate despite having your own. 

you smile pretty at him. “sharing is caring, taetae.” 

he can’t retort when you blink your eyes at him like that because there’s just no winning when it comes to you. all he can do is let out a deep sigh and fight the smile making its way onto his face when your laughter chimes in his ear. 

.

.

.

“what if,” you start, just for jinyoung to cut you off. 

“no.” 

you throw the towel down onto the table, affronted. “you didn’t let me finish.” 

he stares flatly at you, then makes a jerky, ‘go-ahead’ gesture with his hand. 

“what if,” you start again, pointing your finger at him. “i drop out of school-” 

“what if,” jinyoung smiles like he’s got knives for teeth. “i get you fired?” 

you scrunch your nose. “then i’d be young, dumb, and broke.” 

“just like all the cool kids,” jinyoung sighs, clearly not giving a fuck. “hurry up, we got company.” 

the bell above the restaurant door rings as probably an entire fraternity funnels in, forty-five minutes before your shift ends. “perfect,” you mutter, picking up your towel again, scrubbing the table clean while jinyoung puts on a (notably knifeless) smile for your customers. the closing shift can never end quietly, always some group coming in last minute to interrupt your peaceful night. you always know jinyoung happens to like you because he sidles up to the group with his full charm and a notepad, ready to take orders, letting you slink off to the back to finish cleaning up so the two of you can get out of here as quickly as possible as soon as the sign flips to ‘closed.’ 

jinyoung returns to the back to rattle off orders five minutes later, then leans with his back to the counter as you rinse dishes to put into the industrial dishwasher. “you should stop taking extra shifts. your eyebags have eyebags,” he informs you, as gently as he can. you glance at him, wondering if it’s worth it to flick him with water. but you know he’s just trying to be nice, so you opt against it. 

you suck in a breath, setting another dish down onto the rack. “i can’t,” you shrug. “i am, in fact, young, dumb, and broke.” 

he presses his lips together in a non-smile. like you, jinyoung is here on scholarship and part of the pity-party program your school has for kids who meet the criteria of “too poor to afford higher education.” you met him in said program over the summer, when you were all forced to come in for summer classes, just in case you came from a district without sufficient resources to teach you calculus. 

he runs a tired hand through his hair, offering you a small smile before heading out with an array of dishes balanced impressively on his arm. the frat has approximately twenty minutes to shovel it all down before the restaurant officially calls it lights out. you have no doubts they’ll make it with time to spare. 

you flip the settings for the dishwasher and let it run, tugging off your gloves and wandering towards the front. absently, you stare out the glass that makes up the storefront, eyes nearly glazing over until you spot them - your head lifting slowly as you lean forward a little to squint. 

she’s a little too far out, but the person heading down the street looks an awful lot like sky, flanked by someone who looks half a foot taller than her, which is saying something, considering sky is half a foot taller than you. your head tilts, curious, but by the time you’ve blinked enough times to get your vision back in focus, they’re out of sight. 

shaking it off, you check the clock to see that you’re ten minutes to closing, confirmed by the way you hear the frat boys noisily filing back out just the way they came in. jinyoung’s eyes meet yours and you give a tired nod, the two of you working in tandem to clear the remaining dishes to finish cleaning up and close up shop. 

jinyoung bids you goodbye outside the restaurant with a pat on the shoulder, parting ways. it’s late, little ways past ten at night, and you slump your shoulders as you trudge down the street back to your apartment. 

you take a half step back when taehyung’s face suddenly appears in front of yours, familiar dark eyes peering at you. he’s got his hands in his pockets and he’s bent over slightly to meet your height, and you frown at him. “what are you doing here?” 

“jimin dragged me out,” he explains, straightening back up. “but now they’re getting drunk, so.” 

of the four of you, jimin’s always been the only one with anything close to a social life. he parties, he drinks, he gets hungover, and then he gets straight a’s. go figure. 

you hum, the two of you falling into step together. the silence is comfortable, padded with the general ruckus of the downtown, cars speeding past and drunk students being rowdy. you make your way back to the main streets on campus, taehyung slowing his steps to match your snail pace. 

“sun,” he breaks the quiet between you. you look at him. 

he opens his mouth to speak, but there’s only empty air, the words dying on his tongue when he sees how dull your eyes look after a long shift. your eyes have always sparkled, glinting with trouble and quick wit, so it sort of stings to see the light fade out with how weary you are. 

“never mind,” he smiles, tilting his chin towards your building’s front door. “we’re here.” 

you look confused but don’t press the matter, patting him on the arm with a warm smile. “get back safe. thanks for walking me home, tae.” you tip-toe to ruffle his hair, like you always have, despite the near foot of height he now towers over you with, then disappear into your building without a second glance back. 

taehyung sighs, hand absently pressed to the spot where you’d touched his arm. he knows your smile better than anyone else’s, that dazzling grin of yours that you reserve only for your closest friends. even when taehyung went through his brooding phase, you always offered it out to him with a friendly wave. 

the campus might not understand the nickname ‘sun,’ but taehyung knows it suits you perfectly. 

.

.

.

“am i still allowed to live in your basement if i fail out of college?” 

you punctuate the end of your question by dropping the bag of take-out you brought with you onto the table, though the end of your sentence sort of peeters off a little when you realize there’s someone else departing the table, a low voice murmuring a goodbye to your friend. you don’t catch his face before his tall frame walks away, but your brows furrow, puzzled. you don’t recognize him. 

“i think you’d live in my basement regardless of what i say,” sky responds, seemingly unaware of your perplexion. “but unfortunately you’re not allowed to fail out of college.” 

your eyes are still on the man who’d just left, even as you pull out the take-out and hand it over to sky. you’re tempted to ask, but when you glance back at her, she has an unnervingly neutral expression on her face, and you falter, deciding to drop it. 

sky likes to keep her circle small. most of the time it’s just you, jimin, and taehyung, though both of you do still keep in touch with yoongi and hoseok from high school, and there is that one girl from her major, soojung. but for the most part, sky prefers keeping to herself, so much so that on occasion she’ll just drop off the grid without any warning. you suppose you’re like her in that way, though her version of dropping off the grid is usually more accidental (read: a new video game came out and she forgot she has to remind people she’s alive) whereas yours tends to be very intentional (read: you’re overwhelmed and so much as seeing or interacting with another person could equate to a new, special kind of torture, built explicitly for you). 

you slide on a smile for her, settling down into your seat. “eat,” you gesture. “need at least one of us to make it past graduation if i’m gonna live in your basement.” 

as sky tucks in, absently scrolling through her phone, your mind wanders. it’s not that you need to know every last detail of sky’s life, but she’s your best friend, and it just tends to happen, anyway. sky’s life is so heavily interwoven with yours, since you were five and moved into the house across the street from hers, and she let you into her home like you’d always belonged there. 

then again, that was a boy you’d seen walking away. your eyes shift back to sky, who isn’t paying you much mind, and you look away again. the truth is, the tightly bound friendship you hold with sky feels as fragile as it does indestructible, and you have no one to blame but yourself. 

.

.

.

food is your love language. giving it, receiving it, whatever the case is - it’s love. it might also be your sole motivator for doing just about anything, but that’s besides the point. 

you use food as a means of taking care of the people around you. it’s not exactly a flashy show of affection, but you don’t have a particularly heartwarming vocabulary, or the disposition to shower people in your affection, so this is what you do. most people seem to take the hint. you figure that’s why taehyung puts up with you on at minimum a weekly basis, grabbing a meal together whenever he’s free. 

today, he’s seated at your kitchen counter, glancing around your apartment like he hasn’t been here a million times before. you set your ever-gourmet pot of instant noodles down on top of a pot holder. “ta-da,” you beam at him, waving your hands dramatically. “my specialty.” 

“you treat me so well,” he says dryly, but his eyes are affectionate and he’s still picking up his chopsticks almost immediately, tongue poking out at the corner of his lips in anticipation. you press your lips together to hide a smile, watching him gather noodles, messily sucking them into his mouth, flicking soup everywhere. 

you click your tongue a little but don’t nag, though the look you give him makes him settle down a little, chewing slower and acting at least somewhat more like a civilized human being. he looks properly chastised, and the corner of your lips lift in a small smirk of amusement. 

the two of you eat quietly, taehyung because he’s always been quiet and you because you’re lost in thought, enough so that you forget to entertain taehyung the way you usually do (read: complain about almost every class you’re in and lament your age, as if you’re anything more than a year and a half older than taehyung, max). your eyes are distant, chopsticks absently picking up noodles to eat, on autopilot. 

you glance back to taehyung, who doesn’t seem to mind your quiet. he’s used to your noise, but you suppose at some point he also grew used to your quiet, too. maybe that’s just what decade-long friendships are like. you learn the usuals, the unusuals, and all of the in between. 

teeth gnawing at your lower lip, you wonder if he knows about the guy who’s been hovering around sky. this guy who sky doesn’t want to introduce to you, not yet, which means he’s important enough to her that she cares whether you meet him or not. whether because your opinion matters or because of something else, you haven’t figured out yet. 

taehyung’s eyes rise to meet yours, chopsticks halfway to his mouth when he sees the way you gaze at him thoughtfully, head tilted to the side. your brows are drawing in, and he wants to press his fingers to the crease in the middle, undo the tension, but instead he just asks, “something up?” 

you hesitate. for just a fraction of a second, but he catches it. because that’s what decade-long friendships are like. but you’re too quick for him to push it, too easily pull on a smile and reach over to tug on his ear like he’s still a child, nagging at him. “i’m fine,” you admonish. “don’t you worry about me, kid.” 

he grumbles something incoherent and swats at your hand, grumbles bordering on whines when you don’t let up, until he catches you grinning at him, mischievous as ever. you retract your hand, satisfied by the grumpy look on his face, though your smile falters a little when you see that it’s not enough to wipe the worry in his eyes. 

you focus on your food instead, just so you can avoid that look. but you can still feel him staring at you, like he’s waiting for you to give in to him, so you lift your head back up with a beam and start rattling off, extensively, until he loses that look in his eyes. until he’s back to just regular taehyung, sky’s little brother taehyung, neighbor from across the street taehyung, and not grown-up taehyung, walks you home taehyung, eats with you weekly because he doesn’t want you to be lonely taehyung. 

you’re not ready to admit it. taehyung’s only gotten more handsome and charming in his own right over the years. it makes it so that you can’t stand the way that he looks at you sometimes, like he can see right through you. 

he’s not supposed to. he’s taehyung. he’s part of your safe, little bubble; the one you built, where the sun can only shine. 

.

.

.

waking up is such a miserable experience, you muse. 

it’s ass o’clock in the morning. honestly, any time you need to wake up before noon is ass o’clock, but you have to study for your exams and you have a help desk shift later too, so unfortunately, 7am it is. 

you force yourself to roll out of bed, look vaguely human-shaped (aka: wear respectable enough clothes), and lug yourself to the library. you could study in your room but you’re a weak bitch and the bed being two feet away is too strong a temptation. therefore: library. 

you find a corner to hide away in, scribbling away in your notebook in hopes of retaining an ounce of the information you’ve written down. the hours pass like that, and by some miracle, you don’t develop a stress-induced headache by the time you need to leave for your shift. 

you toss your belongings into your backpack, tugging it onto your back, a quite physical reminder of the weight on your shoulders. 

you don’t necessarily think that life is unkind to you. you just think everyone gets dealt their deck of cards, and yours happens to be slightly shittier. but hey, if you’re broke enough, you get free housing at the nicest set of apartments on campus, so you win some, you lose some, right? 

the losing part right now is the multi-set of jobs running you into the ground. between the restaurant, your help desk job, and the work-study program, it’s a miracle you haven’t failed any of your courses. 

you heave a sigh, letting yourself feel bad about it for a minute. you deserve at least that, in the quiet of the library this early in the morning, while most of campus is happily sleeping in on a saturday. 

‘most’ is the key word here. you should’ve known your best friend has the integrity of a monk, seeing as she’s at the library at nearly 10am on a weekend. 

you slink your way over to her, sneaking up behind her and slinging an arm over her shoulder, mouth already open to whisper-shout her name - that is, up until you spot the man standing before her. 

the smile slides off your face immediately. for someone at his towering size, he’d been pretty well hidden behind the shelves. he looks suspiciously close in height to the person you’d seen that night at the restaurant, and the other day when you’d brought sky lunch. 

he smiles politely at you, dimples denting in his cheeks. your frown deepens. you’re certain now, that you don’t recognize him in your catalog of sky’s acquaintances, and she seems comfortable around him, much more than she is around any of her classmates. 

“hi, sun,” sky greets, gentle smile rising to her lips, though you’re too busy sizing up this guy she’s talking to. he’s sort of huge. he has kind eyes, though, hair swept off to the side, white tee tucked loosely into light colored jeans. but you still stand wary, too familiar with boys who have sweet dispositions and not enough good intentions. 

see, the first thing anyone notices about sky is that she’s nice. 

well, okay. the first thing most people notice about sky is that she’s pretty. elegant, like she was a princess in some past life, between her perpetual good posture (what college student do you know that isn’t hunched over like a gremlin at least 73% of the time?) and perfectly set hair, not a strand out of place. she’s pretty, in a way that carries into her personality, patient and open. she’s always listened to whatever blown-out-of-proportion story you have for her, letting you drag her into any and all of your bad ideas, no matter the consequences. 

the point is that sky holds the sort of kindness that knows no boundaries. she’s content to go with the flow, and despite all the times she’s been let down by passing acquaintances who you’ve ensured can no longer call her a friend, she’s still willing to help. she gives out second, third, fourth chances, doesn’t let the hurt get in the way of her ability to care. 

her walls don’t go up as high as yours do. so you make every effort to make sure that the people who take advantage of that never get a chance to hurt her. 

“who’s this?” 

sky blinks, looking between you and him. christ, he is massive. his biceps are probably the size of your head. 

you mostly keep your eyes on him, but turn to glance at sky when she takes a minute longer than usual to answer. she looks a bit startled, like she’s just now realizing you’re actually here; moreover, that you don’t know who her new friend is. 

“oh,” she says, lips turning downwards a little, conflicted. something inside you flinches. but then her expression clears and she smiles. “this is namjoon. we have class together.” 

namjoon lifts a hand to wave even while you’re narrowing your eyes at him. but still, your hands return to your pockets and you take a step back, forcing your stiff shoulders to lower. 

you’re intruding, you realize. sky is having a moment with this tall, handsome person who could probably twist you into a pretzel if he wanted to, and you’re intruding. 

a weight sits on your chest at the realization, but you force a smile to your face for sky. you and your reputation and your trust issues need to step out of this. 

“i.. i gotta get to work,” you say, anxious hands tugging at your backpack straps just for something to hold onto. “i just popped by ‘cause i saw you.” you glance towards namjoon, trying your best to maintain the smile you generally reserve only for close friends, but it turns too quickly into a grimace so you settle for a curt nod of acknowledgement, before lifting a hand to sky. “see you ‘round.”

you pretend not to notice how sky’s expression falters, heading out without turning around once. the discomfort rolls over in you, pulling at your heart, keeping your shoulders tense. 

the way sky looks at namjoon is different. you can tell. two minutes in the same space, and you know sky isn’t just being polite like she was raised to be. she’s content to be around him, their eyes darting to meet each other in quick glances, like it’s difficult to let their gazes stray for too long. 

namjoon doesn’t give you any immediate warning signs, and sky’s gotten a lot better at picking her friends. you don’t have to protect her, she’s perfectly capable of it herself. but you still feel wary, still worry that dimpled, unassuming namjoon will fuck her over like any number of people have in the past. 

including you, your brain reminds you. you’re the worst one. 

your heart tightens in your chest and you shoulder your way out the doors of the library, like barreling into something will shake off the memory any easier. 

high school is hard for anyone. emotions are at all time highs; everything feels like it’s high stakes. grades, friendships, romances. everything is always, constantly, on the line. 

sky always says it’s not your fault. kim seokjin was not your fault. you were teenagers - kids, really - but no matter how she spins it, you know you’re the one who messed up. even if sky doesn’t blame you, you still do. 

how are you supposed to trust your instincts, when the last time you let your guard down for a boy with a disarming smile, he hurt not only you, but your best friend? 

sky’s your most important person. her family was there when no one else was, and they didn’t ask questions, either. you don’t think you’ll forgive yourself for letting her down once, and you know you can’t afford to let it happen again. no matter how many times sky says you’ve never had anything to apologize for. 

you’re so lost in your own head that you almost bump into someone, so wound up that you nearly fire off immediately before realizing it’s taehyung standing in front of you, looking equal parts amused and concerned. “i think i know what they mean now when they say, ‘blaze a path,’” he muses, and you scoff at him, shoving him to the side without any real force. 

“walking with purpose is not what that metaphor means, tae,” you keep marching forward, not bothering to check if he’s matching pace. he’s got long legs, he’ll be fine. “‘blazing a path’ means-” 

“sun,” taehyung interrupts, voice low enough that you actually stop lecturing him. his voice softens a little. “you alright? you look like-” 

you don’t let him finish, nor give him the courtesy of even a glance his way. “i’m dandy, taetae. just going to my nine to five.” 

“you don’t have a nine to five. you’re a student.” 

“good job, einstein. wanna tell me how the sky is blue, too?” 

“sun.” 

you know you’re being curt. you’re lashing out at the wrong person and you stop in your steps to breathe in deeply, exhaling slowly. 

“i’m just tired,” you finally spare him a look. you sigh. “i’m sorry. but i really do have to go to work, and if i don’t haul ass, i’m gonna be late.” 

he looks at you like he doesn’t believe you, but you both know he’s going to drop it. “you should sleep more,” he settles on. you know he’s about to lecture you with a series of hard facts. “people need eight hours-” 

you smirk at him, “you know damn well there’s not a single college student out there getting eight hours of sleep.” 

he shrugs. “maybe the business majors?” 

you snort. “no. they’re out partying.” 

he snaps his fingers. “right. forgot about those.” 

“you can forget about parties when your best friend is jimin?” you ask in mock amazement. he scoffs out a laugh in return. 

“shut up, sun. i’m serious, you need more sleep. you look like death.” 

“oooh,” you tease. “you really know how to make a girl feel pretty.” 

taehyung turns his gaze skyward, and you know he’s asking some higher being for the patience to put up with you. you snicker, patting him on the arm. “you’ll get it when you’re older,” you blink forlorn eyes at him, smile overly sympathetic. he scowls back. you make a vague attempt at hiding your amusement, but otherwise continue towards the office, taehyung keeping you company. he doesn’t say anything else, just walks with you. you don’t ask where he was supposed to be headed before you bumped into him, and he doesn’t tell you, either. 

it’s when you’re almost at the door that you break your silence, that nagging feeling pulling and pulling at you until you crack. “hey,” you spin towards him, stopping in your tracks right in front of the building. “do you know a namjoon?” 

he tilts his head, surprised. “namjoon? yeah, he’s like uhh,” taehyung pauses to think. “i think he was sky’s project partner or something, and now they’re pretty good friends. they have class together. why?” 

you make a noncommittal noise. “nothing. just saw them together earlier. sky’s never brought him up before.” 

you try not to think too hard at the way taehyung’s eyebrows shoot up. it’s a sign that you’re not overthinking this, that it is weird that sky never mentioned him, because sky tells you everything. 

but she didn’t tell you about namjoon. 

masterlist | part one | part two | part three | part four | part five | epilogue