#← my guy for tonight's effect tutorial

[phoenixiancrystallist]

Month 5, day 30

Refined the wind animation a little bit! The trees still don't move as much as I want them to (there IS some movement in there, I swear!) but the grass and flowers are looking real nice :)

So! I've moved on! To trying to figure out Cinta's magic! Which means crashing multiple other tutorial into each other and hoping something works out lol

[tomssexdoll]

omgg write a fluff w tom/ bill where him and the reader are high outta their minds that would lowk be hilarious it could also be a little smutty in the end 👀

HAHAHA YESSS

Stoned

PAIRINGS: Tom 2007 x Female reader CONTENT: FLUFF + SMUT (just a bit) SYPNOSIS: Y/N and Tom are high as FUCK, they are friends and she comes over to his house to try this "new" thing he has. She assumes it's some sort of drug or weird guitar solo, they watch movies, cuddle and at the end get a lil bit freaky... A/N: haven't been high in over a year so don't bash me if i get the feeling wrong, it's from what i remember lmao WARNINGS: teasing, kissing, drug use (weed)

Me and Tom have been best friends for over 10 years, he has been my rock, supporting me through everything. He never changed, always hanging out with me, showing me off to new friends. He was amazing.

One day he called me and said he had something to show me, something "new" he wanted to try out with me. I immediately knew it was a drug or a weird guitar solo, he is full of surprises I guess.

I got into my car and started to drive to his house, wondering what stupid thing was going to consume my day.

I arrived eventually and greeted Tom, hugging him tightly and walking inside, sitting in his room. He came in with a little baggie of what looked like weed, he handed it to me and I sighed "Tom this is a lot of weed, do you plan to smoke it all tonight?" he chuckled "no of course not, if we like it we can try it again at the party next week" he rummaged through his draws, pulling out a small black bong, decorated with skulls.

"Wowww real edgy" I rolled my eyes playfully, he laughed and slapped my arm playfully "shut up it was on sale, i'm not spending 50 fucking dollars for a small bong."

I stood up and grabbed the grinder that went with is, putting the bud in there and grinding it down, once it was finished I grabbed the bong, packing some of the weed in there.

"Wow you really know how to do this huh?" he smirked, admiring what I did. "Well my brother smokes and it's not like I haven't done it before so.." I shrugged and grabbed the lighter, sparking it and hovering the flame over the bud, sucking in the smoke. (did i just give you guys a tutorial..)

I inhaled it, feeling it burn the back of my throat but in a nice way, a familiar feeling to when I smoked cigarettes. "Fuck..that's some good shit..where did you get it from" I blew the smoke out, starting to get the effects already.

My head a bit woozy, eyes drooping ever so slightly and everything becoming a bit more brighter. I looked back at Tom, finishing the rest of the cone, the way he threw his head back when inhaling was so sexy..the way his lips slightly parted and his eyes slowly shut.

"I got it from Greg, you know, Janes older brother" he looked back at me, blowing out the smoke as well. "Oh.." I said slowly "well it's not dodgy weed I'll tell you that" I giggled.

Everything was a bit slower, my talking, movements. It felt wonderful, like I was as light as a feather.

"Let's have some more, cmon" he scooted closer to me and we had 3 more cones each, it was hitting hard now, things were much more slower, I looked down at my hands and they were slightly out of focus, like I had 4 hands.

I got up from his bed and grabbed his hand, going towards the kitchen and raiding his pantry, grabbing all the snacks I could find and a few cans of soda. I sat down and dropped everything onto the coffee table, laying down next to him, resting my head on his lap, "should we order pizza.." he mumbled, I nodded slowly and grabbed my phone, dialing the store and ordering 2 large pizzas, one cheese and one meat lovers.

"Fuck..we are gonna feast" he chuckled, his eyes super red and droopy, I smiled and picked a movie to watch.

After 45 minutes our pizza FINALLY ARRIVED. I ran to the door and quickly gave the pizza guy the cash, slamming the door and almost tripping trying to get back to the couch, "fuck!" I yelped, Tom just laughed and grabbed one of the boxes, stuffing his face with pizza.

"Mmm...so good" he groaned, I grabbed a slice and ate it, savouring the taste "has pizza ever tasted this good?" I said, it was like they put magic into it, usually pizza was mid but this time it was amazing. Our movie was ending soon, we picked a horror, which was kinda dumb because we were so high.

I sat up and held him tightly at the suspense, screaming and hiding my face into his arm when the jumpscare popped up "jesus" he chuckled "it wasn't that bad" I rolled my eyes and softly shoved him "shut up..wasn't even scary.." I mumbled

By the time we had finished 3 movies everything was DEVOURED. We decided to chill for a bit, have a talk and enjoy each others company. I layed down on the couch and he spooned me from behind, holding me close.

Usually we'd always cuddle, it was never weird to us but this time, the tension was super high. Not even in a bad way, it's like the air was thicker...the way his arms were wrapped around me and his face pressed softly on the top of my head made me feel some kind of way.

I turned around and looked up at him, it's like in that moment, we were the only people alive. His eyes washed over with desire and love, surprising me. "You know, you are so beautiful y/n, you're the most beautiful girl i've ever seen" he smiled softly, brushing a hair away from my face.

"Yeah whatever, I'm sure you tell every girl you hook up with that.." I rolled my eyes, secretly enjoying the praise. "No, y/n..I mean it, you are so beautiful" he leaned closer, our lips basically inches away.

"Tom..." my breathing hitched slightly, searching his eyes for deciet but all I saw was sincerity, love and compassion, I smiled softly, blush creeping onto my cheeks.

"I want to kiss you.." he whispered, his breath hot on my lips.

"ok pizza breath.." I giggled and leaned in, kissing him gently. He kissed back, wrapping his hand around to the back of my head and pulling me closer, locking our lips into a passionate embrace. His kisses got more urgent, his erection becoming prominent in his pants, pressing up against my leg.

"See how you make me feel? You drive me crazy" he moaned against my lips, slipping his tongue in my mouth. I reached my hand down and softly palmed his clothed cock, making him groan softly.

His hands snaked down to my waist, then to my ass, squeezing it softly. Then, his hand came back up, slipping under my shirt and grabbing my breasts, rubbing his thumb over my nipple, sending shivers down my spine.

I had grabbed one of his shirts earlier, removing my bra since you weren't able to see much anyway, it was getting a bit hot so I changed my outfit.

"My shirt looks so good on you..might have to fuck you in it" he mumbled, grinning widely.

I chuckled "we'll see about that", I rolled us over, flipping me on top of him, deepening the kiss.

[helenaheissner]

Love During Robot Fighting Time: Chapter 15

Hello, lovelies! Hope y'all are doing well :)

Don't forget you can read three chapters ahead on this story, twenty chapters ahead on "A Dream of Summer Rain", and two chapters ahead on "Magical Girl Exorcist Squad", by becoming a paid subscriber on my Substack or my Patreon!

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And now, back to our regularly scheduled nerdy romcom shenanigans!

***

Faith

Dark Shadows droned on my television screen while the effects of my weed gummy began to manifest. Everything was light and airy, and I laid on my back and watched the ceiling fan rotate while gothic soap opera nonsense served as the soundtrack to my stoned thought-ramblings. 

I wanted to focus on what was in front of me, I really did. But all I could think about was my rival going on a date with my best friend, and the green thornbush of envy strangling my heart. I’d resolved myself to be a graceful loser, going out of my way to support Zeke and Kate’s budding relationship. I’d done Kate’s makeup for her, and given her an extended tutorial on how to walk in heels, given her my old falsies. She’d looked, to be blunt, smoking hot when I was through with her. Zeke was a lucky guy, and hopefully he realized that. 

Kate, for her part, seemed to already know that she was a lucky girl. 

I still couldn’t believe she’d offered to stop pursuing Zeke for my benefit. The first guy you like, once you realize you swing that way, tends to have a downright intoxicating effect on you in my experience. That she’d have been willing to give that up just to make me happy… 

I was wrong about her. Or maybe I was right, but now she’d changed, and if I tried to keep acting like she was still a jerk, then I’d be the real jerk. She was a ray of freaking sunshine now. It was… Hard not to see the appeal. 

An image sparked in my mind, of Kate’s head resting on my lap, me stroking her hair, running my hands over her shoulders, tracing the outline of her lips with my fingers… 

I shook my head. That kind of thought wouldn’t help me at all in the days going forward. And honestly, it had been… Difficult to let myself feel attracted to another girl ever since Olivia left me. 

Another image burst across my mind’s eye, of Zeke stroking my hair while I rested my head in his lap, of him running his hands over the edges of my body… 

I shook my head again. I needed to stop this, otherwise I’d be veering dangerously close to fem-cel territory, and that was the last thing I wanted. Those two… Had each other now. If it didn’t work out, maybe I could pursue Zeke after he’d had an appropriate amount of time to grieve his former relationship. 

Assuming it went that far. Maybe tonight would go badly and then I could… 

No. Just no, Faith. Get over yourself. 

My hand was unconsciously drawn to my phone, resting on the coffee table, and I scrolled through my contacts and pulled up Olivia. My red-lacquered fingernail hovered over the call icon, and my hands began trembling. The phone slipped out and fell onto the floor, and as I reached for it, a furious knocking exploded from my front door. 

I groaned, then felt the sting of dysphoria as I realized I’d slipped into a low voice. I sat up, breathed a deep breath through my nose and held it in my chest while the knocking grew in rapidity and intensity. 

I exhaled, then walked over to the door. 

On the other side, I found a pale, dark-haired woman in her early fifties, her makeup a smudgy mess streaked across her blotchy face. She reeked of brandy and cigarettes, with ash-stains smeared across her white cardigan and blue skirt.

I sighed. “Hi, Mrs. Underhill.”

“Who are you?” she slurred, the traces of her Newcastle accent making themselves apparent. 

You’ve got to be kidding me- you’ve met me over a dozen times and you still don’t… Wait, she’s never seen me as a girl! Holy crap! Do I pass that well? Am I such a convincing girl that this idiot just straight-up doesn’t recognize me? I’ve gotta work with this. 

“Did my son finally get a girlfriend, then?” Mrs. Underhill spat. 

“No, I’m just his roommate,” I said, each word carefully plucked from the marijuana haze choking my mind. 

“Bah, his roommate- unbelievable, cohabitating with a young immigrant girl who doesn’t know better-”

My eyes narrowed. I see you’re the same as ever, bitch. “I was born here, ma’am. And both my parents are American citizens.”

“Are they, though?”

“Pretty sure I’d know that better than you.”

“Well, regardless, my scoundrel of a son should know better than to-”

“Don’t you talk about Zeke like that!” I snapped. “He’s a wonderful and upstanding young man!”

“Oh really? Well I’ve known him since the day he was born and I say he’s… Wait a moment.”

Oh, no. Paranoia stabbed through my chest, dread grasping my brain tightly. “Y-yes?”

“I completely forgot what I was here to talk about… Oh, right!” Mrs. Underhill said. 

“Y… Yeah?” I asked, the paranoia spreading to my stomach. 

“I’m getting a divorce!” 

My eyes shot way, way open. “That’s… Not actually surprising, honestly,” I said. Then my eyes went even wider at the realization that my dumb stoned brain said that out loud. Dammit, I was gonna give myself away!

“Wot d’you mean?” she said, her Britishness intensifying. 

“I, uh… Well, Zeke has, um, told me a lot about you and his dad.”

“Of course he did, that boy is completely incapable of keeping things- hic- in the family- hic,” she said. 

“Oh, wow, you are really plastered aren’t you, Mrs. Underhill?” I said, trying very hard not to giggle at this grown-ass woman drunk and hiccuping like a freaking sorority girl. 

“It’s- hic- Ms. Framing-h-h-ham to you, you little tart! Or it will be again soon. Ah never should have taken that miserable wretch’s last name. ‘Underhill.’ Wot a ridiculous name.” 

“Excuse you?!” I bit. 

“Oi, you heard me! You’re living with a young man in sin!” 

“It’s not like that!” I said, “I’m not Zeke’s girlfriend. We’ve never been… He and I are just friends!”

“Good, good- you don’t want anything to do with anything that came from my wretch of a soon to- hic- soon to- hic- soon to be ex-hic-husband!”

“Stop talking about my friend like that!” I said, stomping my foot. My voice dropped low again- DAMMIT!

Mrs. Underhill… Ms. Framingham’s eyes narrowed and she tilted her head to the side and leaned forward. “Frank? Is that you under all that nonsense, lad?”

“... You can’t prove that,” I said, my back stiffening. 

“Oi, you’ve got to be taking the piss- my good for nothing son is shacking up with a bloody tr-”

I slammed the door before she could finish. 

“You open this door right now, you little fairy! I will not tolerate you being around my son, you disgusting little-”

“I’m not just gonna stand there so you can lecture me, you drunk old bitch!” I hollered. “Now get out of here before I call the cops!”

“You wouldn’t dare!”

“Don’t call my bluff, lady! I’m from an Army family- you do NOT intimidate me!” God, I was way too high to deal with this. My chest was heaving up and down as I lumbered over to the couch and laid flat, clutching my phone tightly. I opened it, and Olivia’s contact was the first thing I saw. 

Dammit. I forgot what I’d just been doing. Stupid, stupid, stupid-

“Let! Me! In!”

“Nancy?” a rough voice accented with the neutral tones of southern California spoke from the other side. Oh, you’ve gotta be kidding me.

“Sid? Wot are you doing here, you louse?!”

“I came to speak with our son about our divorce.”

“No, you didn’t! I did- you don’t get to beat me to the punch.”

“He’s not home!” I yelled, doing my best to maintain a feminine tone. 

“Who was that?” Mr. Underhill asked. 

“Frank- little pervert thinks he’s a girl now.”

“Oh, lovely. Our son’s taste certainly hasn’t improved, then.”

“Both of you need to leave, or I WILL CALL THE POLICE!” I screamed. 

“No you won’t, you don’t have the balls!” Mr. Underhill shouted through the door. I could practically hear the self-satisfied smirk on the old bastard’s face as he said it. 

“Mom? Dad? What are you doing here?” Zeke’s voice reached me like a light of hope shining from the sky above. 

“Ezekiel, I need to talk to you,” his father said. 

“Wot are you doin’, shacking up with that freak in there?” his mom said. “And now you’ve got another one on your arm there- wot on earth is wrong with you?”

My jaw clenched, and I stood up and marched outside. “Don’t insult him!” I shouted. “Your son is one of the best people I’ve ever met, and I will not listen to you insult him in his own home.”

“Zeke, are you really going to let this freak talk to us like that?” his father asked. He was taller than Zeke, noticeably so at over six foot six. Zeke got his mother’s shorter, leaner frame, but he shared his father’s curly black hair and tan skin and green eyes. Mr. Underhill smelled like cheap beer to go along with Ms. Framingham’s hard liquor aroma, his baggy Megadeth t-shirt tucked into his ill-fitting jeans. He was in remarkably good shape still, I had to give him that; they both were. Zeke had always described them as people who excelled at making others think nothing at all was wrong with them. 

Evidently, tonight the masks were off.  

Zeke gulped.

And behind him, Katie, oh poor, sweet, innocent Katie, trembled with a rage I recognized all too well. Her hands were balled into fists at her sides, but her eyes flickered with apprehension. Poor thing. She was worried about taking another step backwards. 

She shouldn’t have to do that. Not after her first date with the boy she liked. 

I marched past Zeke’s parents and grabbed both Zeke and Katie by the wrists, and pulled them into the apartment and slammed the door. 

“Unbelievable!” Mr. Underhill said. “You stupid little tr-”

“Don’t you dare finish that sentence!” Zeke snapped. “You will not insult my friends. Now get out, or I’ll call the cops!”

“You wouldn’t dare!” Ms. Framingham said. 

“Ezekiel, c’mon, don’t be like that,” Mr. Underhill said. “We need to tell you something important!”

“Then stop burying the lede and say it!” Zeke said. 

“Not until you come out here, young man!”

“Your parents are getting divorced,” I said. 

Katie put a hand over her mouth in shock, her eyes wide as she backed further into my apartment.

Zeke blinked. “What?”

“Oh for God’s sake- he wasn’t meant to tell you!” Ms. Framingham said. 

“So it’s true?” Zeke said through the door. 

“... Yes.”

“Alright. Can’t say I’m surprised,” Zeke said. “Now I know. So you can leave.”

“Is that seriously all you have to say?” 

“I’m calling the police now,” Zeke said. 

“I already did,” I said, holding up my phone and hitting the speaker button. 

“9-1-1 what’s your emergency?” said the operator on the other end of the line. 

“Bloody hell!” Ms. Framingham said as she stomped off. 

“Jesus Christ,” Mr. Underhill mumbled as he did the same. 

“Oh, just a couple of pests who wouldn’t leave,” I said to the dispatcher. “It’s taken care of, though. Have a great night!”

I hung up, and then the three of us all looked at each other. 

Well, that’s not quite true: Katie and I looked at each other, and then at Zeke, who’d slipped into a thousand-yard stare. Katie clung to his arm and said, “Are you okay?”

“I don’t… I don’t know,” he replied. 

“Want something to drink?” I asked. 

“After that shameless display? I might never drink again,” Zeke said.

I nodded, then looked at Katie and mouthed, ‘take care of him for a sec?’

She nodded. 

I scampered off, opening the windows, turning on all the fans, and retrieving a few joints. I led the new couple over to the couch and sat them down, Zeke in the middle and Katie to his left. I sat on his right, then lit the joint and passed it to him. 

Zeke inhaled deeply, breathed out, and coughed slightly. 

Katie, meanwhile, coughed up a storm. 

“First time?” I asked. 

Her jaw dropped. 

“Not like that,” I said in monotone. 

She nodded rapidly. 

“Figured. Zeke, talk to me. What’s going through your head, big guy?”

“Just… Wish I could say I was surprised by any of this,” Zeke said. “I don’t even know why I care- I barely talk to them anymore. I haven’t lived with them since I was eighteen. They drive me insane. They drive each other insane. I just… I dunno.”

“They shouldn’t talk to you like that,” Kate said, leaning forward, brow furrowed, hands gripping her knees tightly. “I just… It’s not okay. How can… How can any parent think that’s an okay way to talk to your kid!?”

“Katie, you’re shaking,” Zeke said. 

“I- I am? Huh? I just… Everything feels really… Intense right now… And I just…”

“You don’t have to get angry, you know,” I said. “I saw you back there, about to lose your temper. And I get it, but you don’t have to. You can be supportive in other ways.”

“How so?” she asked. 

“Zeke, put your arm around her,” I said. 

“Huh?” he said. 

“Zeke, put your arm around the pretty girl!” I said. “Trust me, it’ll be good for both of you right now.”

Zeke looked at me with immense confusion, then did as he was bid and put his arm around Katie. 

“Good. Feel better?” I asked. 

“Yeah, actually,” Kate said.

“A bit,” Zeke said. “I’m sorry you both had to see all that.”

“It’s okay,” I said. 

“I’m fine, really,” Kate said. “And this isn’t about me, it’s about you. How are you feeling?”

He took another hit, long and drawn out, then pawed at the puff of smoke he exhaled. “Well, the date went really well.”

“It did?” I said, forcing a smile onto my face. Be supportive, be supportive, be supportive. 

“I think so,” Kate said as she coughed out another puff. “We did run into some people from work though.”

“Oh?”

They relayed the encounter with Olivia and the others to me, at which point I buried my face in my hands. 

I felt Zeke’s hand on my back, and another hand, presumably Katie’s, patting my head. I opened my eyes and saw them both smiling at me, and a warm flush went through my body. “Olivia’s gonna keep being weird about this stuff, isn’t she?” I said. 

“You know her better than me,” Kate said. 

“Or me,” Zeke pointed out. 

“Blarg.”

At that point, Kate leaned over Zeke’s frame and grabbed my hands. I blushed- seriously, what was with this girl and unprompted physical contact?- but I didn’t protest. “Let’s all do something to get our minds off of things. Ruminating won’t help us, now will it?”

Zeke cracked a smile. “What did you have in mind?”

“We could play ‘never have I ever.’ Or ‘two truths and a lie.’”

“Going for the throwback, I see,” Zeke chuckled. “I haven’t played one of those since freshman year of college. I’m game, though.”

I hesitated. This could go badly. One of us- namely, myself- could say something we regret. Unfortunately, I’m really, really, really dumb, and when I’m stoned, that becomes amplified twenty-fold, so I simply nodded and said, “How about two truths and a lie?”

“Works for me!” Kate said, with that winning smile. 

“Cool,” Zeke said, clearly glad to have changed the mood of the night. 

“I’ll go first,” Kate said. “I’ve been wearing women’s underwear since I was twelve. I drink skim milk every day. I don’t like bananas.”

“Hmmmm?” Zeke said. 

“I mean, I sure hope you like bananas, if you’re gonna be dating a guy,” I laughed.

Kate blushed. 

Zeke looked at me reproachfully and said, “Faith…”

Then Kate started giggling. 

“Oh, you totally like bananas- that was the lie!” I said, pointing at her. 

“Well, I didn’t used to like them, but I’ve acquired the taste of late,” Kate smirked. 

Zeke’s face scrunched up as he tried to keep his laughter in a bottle. The attempt, while valiant, failed wholesale within the first ten seconds. “That’s good to know.”

“I mean if we’re gonna keep seeing each other, yeah,” Kate said, her eyebrows shooting up and down several times. She took a hit, owing to having lost the round.

“Dear God,” I muttered. 

“What?” they both said at once. 

I just laughed, and laughed. “Nothing. I’ll go next. My favorite anime is Legend of the Galactic Heroes. I have a half-brother from my dad’s first marriage who’s fifteen years older than me. I prefer waxing my legs to shaving them.”

“It’s the second one,” Zeke said. “I’ve known you since I was eighteen- there is literally no way you’ve had a half-brother this whole time and never mentioned him once.”

“Kate, what’s your guess?” I asked. 

“The second one as well,” Kate said. “You give off major ‘only child energy.’”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I said, my jaw dropping and my fists planting on hips in mock outrage. 

“You know what it means,” Kate said, waving her hand at me. 

“No, I don’t, because I really do have an older half-brother from my dad’s first marriage!” I laughed. 

“No freaking way,” Zeke said. 

“Yes freaking way!” I said, pulling out my phone and scrolling to a family photo. “His name is Darren Watanabe Junior, DJ for short. My dad knocked up a local gal when he was stationed in Nairobi. They were married for like, five years before they split up. He met my mom when he got transferred back to the states, and took a while for them to get together and have another kid.”

“How am I just now learning this?” Zeke said, taking the obligatory hit. “Your parents were at our graduation last year- where was DJ then?

“Torii Station, Okinawa,” I said. “He’s a Major in the Army. And like I said, he and I aren’t that close- he started attending West Point when I was three and shipped out to Afghanistan when I was seven. Think the last time I saw him was… Like, right before I started college.”

“Huh,” Zeke said. “The more you know.”

Kate coughed as she took another hit. “Indeed. What’s the lie then?”

“My favorite anime is actually Eureka Seven,” I said. “Your turn, Zeke.”

“Okay, okay, lemme think,” he said. “Uh… I was on the cross country team in high school. I speak fluent Romani. I’ve never been outside of California.”

“There’s no way you’ve never left California, even I’ve been outside California,” Kate said. 

“You do not speak fluent Romani,” I said.

He looked me dead in the eyes and said a few words in a language I didn’t recognize. 

I blinked. “Huh. Was that-”

“Romani. Vlax Romani specifically,” he said. “One of the only cool things my old man ever taught me.” He offered me the joint, then turned to Kate and poked her on the nose. “You, however, were correct. My dad also once took me on a business trip to Vegas.”

“Your dad is a mechanic,” I pointed out. 

“A business trip to Vegas?” Kate said, tilting her head.

“His business is being a cheating man-whore,” Zeke laughed bitterly. “Either way, Kate wins this one.”

“Guess she really is a good fit for you,” I winced. 

A pregnant pause sat atop us all for a few seconds. I shook my head. Stupid, stupid, stupid- why would you say that?! Oh, right, I’m stoned. That’s why. 

“My turn again,” Kate said, leaning against the side of the sofa and putting her bare feet on Zeke’s lap. Damn, Kate, that’s bold. “I’ve never been outside of America. I don’t have any family outside of my parents. I’m a virgin.”

I started coughing, and so did Zeke. Kate just giggled at the both of us, holding her hand over her mouth. God, she had a cute laugh. It was insane how cute she was… No wonder Zeke was into her, she was adorable. And with how hot her mom was, the hormones were liable to be VERY good to her. “There’s no way a cutie like you is a virgin,” I said. 

Zeke and Kate both stared at me for a moment.  

“W-w-w-well, Zeke, w-w-w-what’s your guess?” I finally managed to squeak out.

“I find it slightly hard to believe your parents are your only relatives, even if it would explain how close y’all are,” Zeke said. 

“Nope on both your guesses,” she chirped. “I went on a family vacation to Mexico once when I was very small. My parents are both only children and my grandparents are all dearly departed. And, uh, I’ve never gotten around to that last thing.”

“Well, we can work on that,” Zeke said suggestively. 

Kate gulped, wide-eyed and blushing. I smiled at them both. Good. If this happened, if they happened, I could move on. Good. This was good. Good good good. 

“Your turn, Faith,” Kate said. 

I took a hit, and did my best approximation of Kate’s cute girl giggle. Thoughts drifted out of the smoke around my brain, of Zeke, of Kate, of myself, of various permutations of the three of us. Sometimes all three of us. “My favorite drink is a Cosmopolitan. I’ve always wanted to go white-water rafting. I’m bisexual.”

A sense of relief, like Atlas’ burden was suddenly taken away from me, came all at once. I’d never actually said it out loud before, never let myself say the word in reference to myself. I’d never… Admitted it. Never actually admitted that I liked guys. Zeke, yes, but not guys in general. It was scary, as if I were afraid that people would look at me differently, as if I would be different, as if things between Zeke and I would change if he knew… 

But I’d wanted things to change. I’d just been too scared and too stupid to try to make it happen. 

“You don’t really seem like a white-water rafting girl,” Kate said. 

“She’s not,” Zeke said. “That one is the lie.”

I smiled. They hadn’t even blinked. Neither of them had. Thank God. “Guilty as charged,” I said as I took another hit. 

***

“Oh, yeah, I should probably give these back,” Kate said, reaching down her dress and pulling out the falsies. 

“Keep ‘em,” I said, shaking my head. 

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I’m sure,” I said. 

Zeke had passed out, and was lying across the couch while Kate and I sat on the floor painting each other’s toenails. The hours had worn on, and on, and on, and both of us were so damned stoned it was clear that Kate wasn’t gonna be driving any time soon. She texted her parents that she would be home in time for her shift tomorrow. The clock was getting close to striking twelve, but the princess wasn’t leaving anytime soon. I was painting her nails pink, because she seemed like that kinda girl, while she was doing mine red, because I was that kind of girl. 

“I just,” Kate said, “I feel like it’s gonna create expectations I can’t live up to, once my boobs actually start growing in.”

“Pffffttttt.”

“What?”

“I think you’ll be fine.”

“How do you mean?”

“I mean your mom has got big bountiful bimbo bazongas, so you’ll probably have them as well.”

“What?!”

“Milf’s got them tig ol’ bitties-”

“Yeah, I heard you, I was just flabbergasted. Also, did you just refer to my mother as ‘milf.’”

“I calls it like I sees it. Just like I sees them honkin’ hooters-”

“You’re really determined to milk this joke, aren’t you?” Kate monotoned.

I cackled. “Was that on purpose?”

She smirked. “Might have been.”

“This conversation is udderly ridiculous,” Zeke said, his eyes still closed. 

“You’re awake?!” Kate and I both shouted. 

“Hard to sleep when you two are being so loud,” he laughed. 

I felt myself blush; I SAW Kate blush. Honestly, it was a relief, knowing it wasn’t just me. 

***

Morning came, and I woke up on the floor, snuggling something warm and soft, and smelling something greasy and delicious. I opened my eyes to find myself resting my head on Kate’s shoulder while we both leaned against the front of the couch, Lacus shoved between us as a shared neck-pillow. I slowly pulled myself away, making sure the plush seal was safely nestled in Kate’s arms, letting my eyes drift over to the kitchen. 

Zeke was hard at work, cooking bacon and hash browns together on the cast iron skillet, while a plate of fresh strawberries sat in the center of the breakfast table next to a bowl of vanilla yogurt mixed with granola. The coffee maker fizzled with percolation, and our entire supply of orange juice had been placed into a glass pitcher I didn’t even know we owned. 

“Dang, Underhill, pulling out all the stops,” I said as I wandered over to the kitchen and wafted the delicious smell of the breakfast food. 

“It’s not too much, is it?” he said. 

“Nah, I think you’ll be fine,” I said, leaning against the side of our stainless steel fridge. 

“I just… Really wanted last night to be perfect, you know?”

“I get it. It seemed pretty great from where I was sitting though.”

“Yeah, but between Olivia and my parents and everything… It didn’t go quite as hoped. Thank you for helping out though- really came in clutch.”

“No problem,” I said, looking at the floor. 

He looked at me, as if he were considering saying something. He opened his mouth. 

I put a hand on his chest and said, “I was wrong about Kate. She’s fantastic. And she’s fantastic for you. Just don’t hurt her, okay? Everything is still new to her.”

He closed his mouth, and he nodded solemnly. 

Part of me wished I’d let him say whatever it was he was about to say. I didn’t even know what it was, but it looked as if… No. No, I didn’t want to know. I’d had my window, let it hang open for a full year while I’d been too stubborn and too scared to go through it. Kate had seen the opening and jumped right on through because she was just braver than I was. She deserved him. I didn’t. And looking at her there, in that moment, the idea of doing anything to hurt her just seemed cruel beyond measure. 

These two would work out. I’d move on. That was how it had to be. 

“Breakfast is almost ready,” Zeke said. 

“I’ll wake up sleeping beauty, then,” I said. 

As I nudged Katie awake and led her groggy ass to the breakfast table, I took in the sight before me. I was happy if he was happy, and what was more… I was happy if she was happy too. If this was how it had to be… Then I could learn to live with it. 

[raveninnight]

Making Sigils

So as y’all know, the place I live is pretty fucked. Ive been researching protective magic for awhile and ive connected most with sigils. I thought you guys might want to try them out too, especially if your luck is as shitty as mine (its literally not).

Sigils are symbols charged with magikal power- basically a spell in a symbol. I like them because they dont take expensive materials (im a poor bitch), are pretty easy to make, and are mega aesthetic. Most importantly tho, they’re effective. While tons of premade sigils are available online, work that you create is always going to be more powerful in anything youre trying to do. Heres a guide to making your own, original sigil.

Start by writing your intention. This needs to be written positively, without using words like “not” or “won’t”. For example, i want to be protected from the thing in the woods. Instead of writing “I will not be hurt by the great evil”, i wrote “I will be protected from the great evil”.

(srry my hand writing is absolute garbage)

Once youve written your intention, cross out all vowels. This will help us simplify our intention to its simplest form.

Next, cross out all duplicate letters, leaving only one of each.

Now, write down the letters you have left.

We will now break these letters down even further until we are left with only their base symbols. Separate all complex shapes down to lines, curves, and circles.

This looks pretty complicated, but organizing the symbols makes it a lot easier to keep track of all of them.

Now we can begin forming the sigil. Start arranging the symbols in whatever way your mind is calling you. If i stay focused on my intention, my hands just work and seem to know where the shapes fit. If youre having trouble just take a breath. Dont stress. It will work because YOURE making it. The power doesn’t come form the symbol- it comes from YOU. Thats another reason why this is only a baseline. You may feel called to add extra symbols- do it. Trust yourself, the goal is to make something that you feel connected with.

This was my finished sigil. To charge it, it is usually best to make it transform. This symbolizes the transformation between where you are and where you want your intention to lead you. This transformation can be done in a few ways, but is most commonly done by burning or soaking the sigil. Because we’re having a rainstorm tonight, Im leaving mine outside to be soaked. Once it dries in the sunlight I’ll carry what remains of the paper with me. This is just a personal preference because I like having something physical to remind me that the magic is working even if i cant see it. Other options for transformation include:

Burning and scattering the ashes

Writing in soil or sand before a rainstorm and letting it wash the sigil away

Writing it on your hand and letting it naturally fade away

Best of luck ✌️ Stay witchy and hmu if you have questions or have requests for a certain tutorial. Subscribe for more rants, lesbian whining, and occasional helpful tips.

[raunchyom]

Vices, Not Virtues: Charity

[ Chapter 2 ]

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A/N: Man, this took a helluva lot longer than I thought it would. It also ended up being a helluva lot longer than I thought it would, despite what I said on the last chapter. Oops. Hope y’all like long fics ^^’ Tagging: @devintrinidad

word count: 3k || warnings: n/a​

Since arriving in the Devildom, you’d been perpetually busy. 

Whether baking with Luke or shopping with Asmo, reading with Satan or snacking with Beel, practicing magic with Solomon or playing body pillow for Belphie, going to class or doing mountains of homework-- it was always something, and it always added up to a very full schedule.

Today was no different. Lucifer had insisted on keeping you until you were practically asleep in his study last night, only relenting because you had class the next day. And it wasn’t as if you could fall asleep when you got back to your room-- you had things due tomorrow, and a full schedule to try and get back on track of.

You’d mostly succeeded on the homework front, even finishing with enough time for a solid 4 hours of sleep that night. The pre-class D.D.D. tutorial you’d promised to Simeon happened right on schedule, and you successfully stayed awake for your entire first and second periods. You snuck out of third period to help Asmo with his latest fashion emergency, then managed the rest of third and fourth period without a hitch. You spent lunch listening to the newest anime-oriented drama from Levi, then attended the last of your classes. A text popped up from Beel just thirty minutes before school was over that he made a mistake, and needed your advice. You went ahead and offered to help clean the kitchen, already guessing what had happened. Overall, it was a pretty standard day.

Well, standard or not, once you’d gotten back to your room-- and finished cleaning up the wreckage that Beel had severely understated in his messages-- it was late, with a lot left to do. You opened your door, mentally blocking out how much time it should take to complete everything. Your math left you confident that you could get 4 hours of sleep again tonight, maybe even 5 if you really focused. You set your backpack down, feeling better, and flopped into your desk chair. The second your butt hit the cushion, you felt your D.D.D. buzz from your pocket.

You groaned, head hitting the desk with a soft ‘thunk’. Didn’t your phone know that you were busy?

As if it could hear your thoughts, the device vibrated again, eliciting a sigh. Pity party successfully waylaid, you dug your D.D.D. out of your pocket and checked the notifications.

It was a string of texts, all from Mammon. First he asked what you were doing, then where you were. The next one said to forget both of those; he needed you to come help him with homework in his room. When you hadn’t answered fast enough, he began to spam you with angry emojis.

He was acting like a brat, but that was his version of begging. He was always struggling in his classes, and your tutoring usually helped; you couldn’t fault him for wanting to improve his grades. And so, ignoring everything you had to do, you decided to help him. After all, isn’t that what being a good friend is all about?

You stood up, tossing your backpack on again. If you factored your study session into your schedule, that would put you at 4 hours of sleep tops. No, the likelihood it would only take an hour was slim; probably 3.5 hours of sleep. Another text-- make that two-- made your D.D.D. buzz again; both demanding you reply, the second saying you didn’t have a choice in whether to help. ...Maybe 2.5 hours.

Your first knock on his door was met with silence, and you briefly considered leaving to do your own homework. But no-- you came to help, you should help.

“Mammon?” You tried again, knocking louder.

“Finally! Get in here already!” He yelled through the door.

Mammon was on his couch, backpack tossed a good ways away from him. Though he had a textbook on his coffee table, and plenty of papers scattered across the surface, he didn’t seem to be working on anything specific. It didn’t help that he was upside-down on his couch; his legs thrown over the back cushion and head hanging off the front. It wasn’t the typical doing-homework pose, but far be it from you to tell what Mammon was thinking.

“You sure took your time!” He tossed his D.D.D. to the side, pointing an accusing finger in your direction.

“I walked straight here when I got your texts.”

“Yeah, well, you should already know when I want ya here.” He huffed, then practically fell off the couch amidst his panicked backpedaling. “Not-- Not that I want ya here, I mean! The Great Mammon doesn’t want some human around, crampin’ his style! I just--!” He rolled into a normal sitting position, the redness in his face no longer the result of being upside-down. 

“You wanted my help with homework, right?” You tried to throw him a life raft, but it went right over his head.

“What? Homework? We had homework!?” He asked, now looking frazzled for a different reason. You took a deep breath, briefly wondering how this scatterbrain remembered to put pants on every morning.

“Mammon, why did you ask me to come over?” You finally asked, trying to get him back on track.

“I asked… oh! Yeah! I uh…” He glanced at his table, a mess of papers that he hadn’t looked at since dumping them out of his folder. He looked back up at you expectantly. “Mc, do you have any money?”

...Oh, so that’s what this was about. It was hard not to feel disappointed that he had lied to get you here, but at least he got right to the point. “Yeah, sure, what happ-- ah, whatever. How much do you need?” 

You reached for your wallet, hoping to just fork over the grimm and go back to what you were doing. He hadn’t asked in a while, so this was probably legit. Probably. He would promise to pay it back, with every intention of doing so, and then forget to, or run into more debt. It was a vicious cycle; you were happy to not be a part of it. Well, at least it was nice while it lasted.

“What? No, that’s not-- ya shouldn’t be handin’ out money like that!” Mammon nagged, effectively freezing your hand in midair. If he didn’t want money, why was he asking? “You don’t needta give your stuff away to people just ‘cause they ask, that’s how people take advantage of ya!”

At first, his behavior didn’t make sense, but the gears started turning on what was going on. You shoved your wallet back into place, trying not to sound as exhausted as you felt. “Is this because of Lucifer?”

“Lucifer?” He echoed, confused.

“You know, his whole idea of giving you guys a week to…” You gestured vaguely, not wanting to say ‘teach me to sin’ for multiple reasons; “uh, talk to me?”

“Whaddya mean Lucifer?” He sounded affronted at the thought. “It was MY idea!” He huffed, crossing his arms.

“You thought of this?” It was surprising, but you felt inclined to believe him. He didn’t like to admit that he cared; he wouldn’t suddenly lie about being worried enough to bring it up to his brothers. Either way, as sweet as it was, good intentions wouldn’t save your grades. But maybe if he had gotten you into this mess, he could get you out of it. At the very least, he might be able to get you out of today’s lecture. “Mammon, I really appreciate it, but I don’t have time to--”

“Exactly! Ya never have time!” He launched up off the couch, flinging his arms out dramatically as he spoke. “You’re always givin’ it away to everybody else! Just like your stuff, and your grimm! Do ya ever even spend anythin’ on yourself?” 

“Of course I do.” You replied easily. He made it seem as if you were emptying your pockets for anyone who asked. You weren’t some human piggy bank, you bought yourself stuff all the time.

“Oh yeah? When’s the last time ya bought somethin’ for yourself, then? And food doesn’t count! Neither does stuff ya need for school, or takin’ care of yourself. When’s the last time ya bought something just ‘cause ya wanted it?” He asked, hands on his hips.

“I, uh…” That was a lot of rules. You tried to flip back in your mind. You weren’t exactly a big spender; certainly not since you’d arrived in the Devildom with so little time to work for extra cash. To Mammon’s point, you could only think of things you bought out of necessity. A snack when you didn’t have time for lunch. A new pair of shoes when yours were falling apart. Some toiletries when you needed them. A new uniform when your jacket was torn beyond repair, and you didn’t want to bother anyone about it.

“But you’re always buyin’ stuff for others!” Mammon let your thoughts wander enough to make his point, but he had to cut in eventually. “Remember how I usedta ask for money all the time?” 

“I mean-- it’s been a while.” It was a meager attempt at defense, but it was true. You couldn’t remember the last time he came to your door, brown-nosing his way into your pockets.

“Yeah, well, when ya first got here, you gave your grimm away freely, always buyin’ stuff for people-- so I thought ya had a buncha money. Then I heard Lucifer sayin’ ya don’t have much, and you were sayin’ ya wanted to save some, so I stopped askin’! But nobody else knows, so they keep askin’, and you keep givin’ it to ‘em! I know you don’t have stuff to be givin’ away either, I’ve been through--” He caught himself before he admitted it out loud, but you were well aware of the fact that Mammon had rooted through your stuff at the beginning. He had stopped at this point… you hoped. “No one here wants to take advantage of ya, but they don’t know they’re doin’ it. Ya gotta tell people not to ask for so much-- I mean, I’m the avatar of greed, and I feel bad takin’ your stuff! I bet the others would feel the same!” 

It was hard to tell whether he cared more about your financial situation or about making his brothers feel guilty. “I think--”

“Don’t even get me started about your time!” Mammon didn’t let you get a word in edgewise, advancing towards you as he ranted. He didn’t realize he was doing it; the action a subconscious result of his rising emotions. You took a few steps back, but soon bumped into furniture and had to stop. “You’re always busy, and ya got tons’a homework, but ya never say no when people ask for help! Do ya even have time to be here right now? Or do ya have somethin’ you could be doin’ instead?” 

It was a fair point, but hard to take from the one who’d brought you here. “It’s fine, I like to help out.”

“Help yourself out!” This was the second time within 24 hours that you’d gotten chewed out for not taking proper care of yourself. There was a familiar churning in your gut-- a leaden mixture of guilt and anxiety. Not to mention a dash of adrenaline from being within range of an angry demon. That last one happened a lot around here, though. “Try sayin’ no to people once in awhile! You stretch yourself too thin and eventually there’s gonna be nothin’ left!”

Mammon finally took a breath, letting his shoulders slump as he exhaled. He averted his eyes, his voice much softer when he next spoke. “Besides… I miss ya, Mc. You keep givin’ away your time, and overworkin’ yourself, and all of a sudden… I never see ya anymore.” 

His gaze flitted back to your face, and it finally dawned on him just how close he’d gotten. He was nearly pinning you against his pool table at this point. His face turned bright red, and he leapt backwards, crossing his arms to maintain his pride. “A-Anyway! You don’t owe anyone anything. So stop acting like it.”

“I don’t act like--”

“Oi, and don’t interrupt the Great Mammon!”

You rolled your eyes, but conceded. He had been difficult from his very first text tonight, it was probably easier to just humor him at this point.

“Ya play therapist for the house all the time. Ya mediate fights, listen to people’s problems, give out advice when you’re asked-- even when ya don’t know what to say. Maybe it’s about time ya let us know when ya aren’t up to it. I mean, no one's gonna fault ya for takin’ a vacation day.” It wasn’t a perfect metaphor, but it conveyed his point well enough. “The house has been a lot calmer since ya got here. Everybody knows it-- you do too, dontcha?” 

It was true that you’d been complimented on your demon-wrangling skills by many people before. ...Including the brothers, oftentimes. “Well, yeah, but you guys should always be able to come to me. I want to be there for you.”

“Well I wanna be there for you, too!” Mammon blurted, looking desperate. Well, until he realized what he said, his expression then switching to panic as he frantically backpedaled. “I mean-- we do! T-They do! Or-- everyone else does, but I-I’ve got better stuff to… Ah, what am I sayin’? We all wanna be there for ya, Mc. But that means when ya have a hard day, and we ask if ya have time... ya gotta say no. How would you feel, if ya learned that we all forced ourselves to be around ya?”

A pang of guilt shot through your chest. “It isn’t like that; you guys aren’t a burden. I want to help--”

“Yeah, and I wanna sell Levi’s expensive shut-in stuff for extra cash, but sometimes ya gotta think about what ya wanna do versus what ya can do. I’m not very… I mean, I dunno about uh, emotions and... all that, but…” Suddenly Mammon’s tsundere thing made a lot of sense; he was a lot better at denial than candor. “Well, ya can’t help us if ya can’t help yourself!”

Again, he had a point. This time he wasn’t being a hypocrite, so it made it harder to come up with a rebuttal. “Everyone has bad days, I don’t have to shut people out whenever I’m not at one hundred percent.”

“Man, you sure are lucky Lucifer has a soft spot for ya. All this back talk would get me in hot water.” Mammon sighed. “Just listen to me for once, wouldja?”

You crossed your arms, unimpressed. He chose to interpret it as a yes.

“I know ya wanna have some free time. And I know ya wanna keep some of your money saved up, whatever it’s for. Well… If sayin’ no is hard for ya, maybe we can start ya off with a test drive.”

“A… test drive...?” Nope, he lost you.

“Y’see, I’ll take the fall tonight. I’m gonna say we’re studyin’. Or that I’m still givin’ ya my peace. But… go back to your room, do whatcha want. Don’t matter what-- homework, sleepin’, whatever. Just don’t let anyone take it from ya. Matter’a fact, if someone asks for ya: practice sayin’ no. If ya gotta give ‘em a reason, tell ‘em it’s my fault.” 

“You sure?” He was essentially offering to be your guard dog for the night, which was quite a monumental task-- especially since people already assumed Mammon was at fault for things in general, and wouldn’t hesitate to take their anger out on him.

“Yeah, yeah; just don’t go and think I’m gonna keep doin’ this forever! Ya gotta learn to say no on your own, without me havin’ to do it for you all the time! I got goldie to worry about, I don’t need another credit card overspendin’ itself and-- w-well, I just don’t wanna haveta deal with it if ya run outta money and come cryin’ to-- oi!” You wrapped him in a hug, able to feel the shock run up his spine at your sign of gratitude. 

“I-I toldja, I ain’t doin’ it for you!” Mammon protested, but near instantly caved; stealing the chance to hug you back. He puffed out a defeated breath, adding, “I’m gonna watch out for ya human, I mean it. I wanna make sure you can keep gettin’ better, so… If ya ever gotta turn someone down in the future, or tell ‘em no for any reason, and ya can’t bring yourself to do it… You can always tell ‘em it’s on me. I’m your first man, you can always depend on me to help ya out.”

“Thank you, really.” He held you for just a beat longer before he relented, switching back to his brusque demeanor the moment he let go. 

“Yeah, yeah, keep thankin’ me and you’re gonna waste all your free time before it even starts. Get outta here already! I got stuff to do too, y’know.” He waved you off, but he was refusing eye contact for a reason.

Leaving Mammon’s room, your steps felt light, and a rush of warmth flooded your chest as you recalled his praise. Sure, it was followed by nagging, or saying it wasn’t always good for you-- but it was definitely nice to hear that the brothers really did think of you as their confidant. 

You stood a little taller; almost as if you felt a sense of pride.

[bramblepeltao3]

HBD Ardyn

A tiny ficlet that came to me this morning for the trash man’s birthday

Del smirked, very much pleased with her hiding place. She wondered quietly what she would do the day she was no longer small enough to fit anywhere and everywhere. Perhaps by then she could simply make people do whatever she wanted, no sneaking required. Wouldn’t that be cool?

She worked on controlling her breathing to make sure she was as quiet as possible. There weren’t as many workstations in this office, just the one, so not enough fans were buzzing to mask the inconvenient sounds her body made to exist.

Man, having no body at all would be the most cool.

Finally she could hear the door open and two sets of footsteps walking towards her. ‘Yes,’ she thought to herself, ‘he brought the student in this time.’ That was perfect, it meant the lead scientist would be saying all the important stuff out loud to them. The pair of nice, polished shoes sat in the desk chair while the clean but cheap shoes stood next to it.

“There are a number of clearance steps you have to pass to get into this information,” the lead scientist man began, “first is a username that’s different from your standard one. It’s your first initial, last name, and year of birth.”

Del grinned. She could easily figure out that information for the majority of the employees here.

“And the default password is capital M Magitek1234. Make sure you change it when you get started.”

Jackpot! There was no way every single employee took the time to change their password. She was as good as in now.

“Next you need to enter the security clearance code. Write this down but eventually you should probably memorize it…”

Del closed her eyes and listened intently, knowing the pen and paper that was her own memory would capture it with ease. 

“And finally you have to click the dialogue box asking if you accept responsibility for what you do on the terminal.”

Oh, yes she would happily accept responsibility on someone else’s behalf.

“And you’re in. Now,”

The six year old listened to the tutorial on how to use the charting system. She would probably be able to figure it out herself, given enough time, but she wanted to spend as much of it as possible reading everything she could.

Halfway through the navigation button explanation, the lead scientist adjusted his legs and kicked the bottom of the desk she was hiding under. She flinched instinctively, but successfully stayed quiet.

Until some dust broke loose into the air and made its way to her. She tried to hold back, even keeping her hands held over her nose and mouth. But the reflexes of the human body could not be stopped, and in spite of herself she sneezed. It was small, barely a squeak, but as soon as she made it the man in charge stopped talking. He pushed his chair back from the desk and whispered something she couldn’t make out.

He knew. 

The student bent over, eyes going wide when he saw her. 

“Uh, yes Doctor, there is a-”

“I know, her name is Delphia and she’s a rotten little brat. Her room is in the north hallway, number 375. Take her back there and lock the door.”

Del had a single moment to make a decision: she could easily escape from this situation if she so chose to. She could squirm back up the way she came between the wall and the back of the desk (the gap existed so the computer could be plugged into the wall outlet, she only needed to push it a tiny bit to get through). From there she could jump back to the ventilation opening and escape. But then everyone would know her secret passageways and there would certainly be repercussions. So the other option was to simply make this idiot teenager think she was an innocent little girl and ditch his grasp the moment the door opened.

Del put on her best innocent little kid face and crawled out from under the desk. Luckily the dust was already making her eyes water, and she used that to make herself look even more pathetic.

“I’m sorry doctor! I was scared and needed to hide!” She said, laying it on even thicker when she looked towards the younger man.

“You’re a liar and a waste of everyone’s time. This isn’t a daycare, go back to your room!” The old man who had no power over her commanded.

Del temporarily stifled her pride and sniffled. “Yes Sir.” She took the boy’s hand and let him walk her to the door. She had everything she needed now anyway.

“So, Delphia right? How old are you?” The boy asked as they walked through the doorway.

“I’m six years old…” she answered quietly.

“You’re kind of young to be in a place like this. What were you hiding from?”

Del forced her lip to tremble. “The monsters,” she whispered, “they’re all over and they said they’re gonna get me.”

“Awe, I’m sure nothing here would want to hurt a cute little kid like you!”

She tired of this exchange. Pretending to be a big baby made her skin crawl but it certainly had its benefits.

“You can just leave me here, I can get back by myself,” she said while rubbing her eyes with her free hand.

“Oh it’s no trouble Delly.”

WHAT did this guy just call her?

“I’m sorry for being a bother, I know all of you guys are super busy.” She could feel herself willing him to let go of her hand.

The boy looked at her, then back towards the office, and spent a long amount of time trying to think. Del swore she could see smoke coming out of his ears.

“I’d better do what he said. It’s okay though, do you want to sing a song while we walk to make it less scary?”

Fuck. Time for Operation Shock Value.

“No, I don’t want to fucking sing, are you stupid?” Del asked in her normal voice.

The words had their intended effect as the boy let go of her hand and stepped back in disbelief at what he heard.

Del took a moment to stick her tongue out, expose her middle finger, and took off running.

“W-wait, hey, Delphia!” His loud footsteps were quick behind her. The older scientists were much easier to run from.

She turned a corner slightly too fast and slid, barely recovering before falling and continuing on. It gave him enough time to close the gap she’d pushed so hard to create. Just as she thought her fun today was over with, she turned another corner and-

“Uncle Ardyn!” She squealed, slowing to a stop and reaching her arms up to the only adult in the whole star who was worth a damn.

“Well well, what sort of trouble have you gotten yourself into today, Delphia?” The Chancellor asked as the boy’s footsteps stopped behind her.

“Ch-chancellor Izunia?” He asked.

“One and the same,” Ardyn answered with a grin, scooping Del up into his arms. She turned and spit out her tongue once again in a show of victory. “Has my little niece been giving you trouble?”

“N-nie-? Uh, Chancellor, Sir, I was asked to-”

“He was chasing me! I was just trying to play a game and he was so mean.” Del turned to give her puppy dog eyes to Uncle Ardyn. It was simply for the fun of it, as she knew the man could always see right through her.

“Tsk tsk,” Ardyn wagged his finger at her before poking her on the nose, “now what have we said about lying, little finch?”

“That it’s a normal coping mechanism for children from abusive households,” she repeated from memory.

“Indeed it is. And?”

Del huffed. “And it’s still a bad behavior and I should do better to stop relying on it…”

“Very good. You can return to your business now, young man,” Ardyn said politely. He turned around and began to walk down the long hallway, still carrying Del gently. 

“Uncle Ardyn I didn’t know you’d be here today!” Del chirped.

He chuckled. “Your father asked me to come by for a special presentation. And one you shouldn’t even think about listening in on.”

“Aaawe,” Del whined. He was the one person she didn’t want to disappoint. So if he said she shouldn’t do something, she would usually behave.

Usually. 

“Now now, you wouldn’t mope about on your Uncle Ardyn’s birthday would you?” 

“Birthday?” Del asked. She knew in theory that birthdays were an important thing. Her birthdays until now were an excuse for her mother to throw another big party to show her off like a prop. Her sixth birthday came and went with nothing but a simple gift from Uncle Ardyn: a small orange cake. It was the best thing she’d ever eaten in her whole life.

She began to feel a distressing disappointment. “I...I didn’t get you anything!” 

Uncle Ardyn laughed before kneeling and putting her down in front of her personal computer terminal. “I have no need of material possessions, but if you would like to do something nice for me on this day, perhaps you could mind your manners at tonight’s dinner?”

She rolled her eyes and stifled a whine. If that’s what he wanted then that was what she would do.

“Okay…” She forgot tonight was her weekly Dinner with Dad night. She much preferred eating in the cafeteria with the interns who found her wit and sass charming. Also they had better food in the cafeteria. “What should I study today?” She asked before climbing into her chair and turning on her terminal.

“Hmm, why don’t you learn how an engine works? And give me a full report at the end of the day.”

She nodded enthusiastically. She loved updating the Chancellor with everything she learned between his visits.

“Yes! I can do that!”

“Very good, now that’s why you’re my favorite niece.” He gave her another gentle tap on the nose, eliciting a snorting giggle.

“Do you have any other nieces?” She asked.

“Oh, now and then.” He gave her a quick pat on the head, and made his way to her father’s workroom.

Uncle Ardyn was so weird. That’s why she loved him.

[tvwriteups]

ESC 2021 GF

Opening was okay. Think that's the largest the stage has looked.

Watching on PeacockTV. No commentary. This time I'm watching through my speakers and not through headphones. Not gonna do a rundown since a lot of the songs are familiar.

I did not watch any of the big 5 or the Dutch rehearsal/jury videos so I'll be watching those whole for the first time. (I probably should have watched them. Oops. Too late now!)

I really have no idea who will win. Kind of makes it exciting!

What's a little weird with my setup is how much "sharper" the music sounds on my speakers.

Let the Grand Final of the ESC begin!

1. Cyprus

2. Albania

3. Israel

4. Belgium

What's funny for me here is that the Belgian song is growing on me on this third listen. I like it more each time. (This might actually make my Eurovision AND Hooverphonic playlist!) With the other songs I was... like I didn't feel the level of "excitement" I felt when I watched them earlier this week.

5. Russia

Oh yeah! This is another one I'm liking more on a second viewing. I like her expressiveness. This is never not interesting. And an enthusiastic response there.

6. Malta

Maltese Lizzo. I know this is very popular with the ESC crowd and I get it but it doesn't personally register with me. I think it's the speed. It's like the same fast speed and mostly same level of "noise." Crowd really loooooves it though. Might just be my own autistic sound processing issues.

7. Portugal

I still am impressed with how well-structured this is. I'll probably forget the song next week but when it was being performed I never lost interest.

8. Serbia

They seem so wholesome in their postcard. Hmm, singing doesn't sound as good on my speakers. This is like the first 3 songs for me.

And now a break.

Kind of sucks performing early because it hurts you with the vote but at least you get to sit back easy and watch the rest of the show.

I still feel very conflicted about how to feel about Junior ESC. Lots of pressure to put on children.

Jamala, Emmelie de Forest, Duncan Laurence on where they keep their awards... nope, Nikkie, I'm not gonna check out the live blog. I like the ESC but even I have to draw a line somewhere.

9. United Kingdom

First time watching. I don't understand these British songwriters who perform their own songs and yet... like, it doesn't sound ideally suited to their own voices. It was okay but it's another one I'll forget in a week.

10. Greece

Well, I didn't get to watch this properly the first time so here goes: I don't like the huge reliance on effects but it's BEHIND her so it's completely acceptable to me. I think this would've worked better for me if the dancing was "more [active?]" since it's a fast song about dancing.

The hosts briefly have to tell us something for some reason.

Hmm, apparently a lot of my sound issue is that the rear speakers are coming through louder.

11. Switzerland

This is playing much better for me today than it did the other day. The overall performance is better. I don't like the epilepsy-inducing light though. That's my only complaint. Well done!

12. Iceland

Well, literally the same exact performance we watched the other day but it was fun so... and my viewing experience is slightly different so... Hmm.. what I'm really feeling right now is a song placement thing. We went from intense to chill and that energy change is a bit much for me.

13. Spain

This song does not have a strong hook. I ... can't remember the song and it only just finished.

14. Moldova

I honestly don't think this song would've made it through the first SF. I just don't care for it. I think I spent most of the performance looking at the dancers when that was an option.

15. Germany

This feels like a cross between a Moldovan and a San Marino entry. I dunno, I enjoyed it. I wouldn't watch it again though.

I do also understand that part of watching this as an American is that I don't ever have to feel embarrassment that I'm being represented through any of these performances.

16. Finland

Now that I know that this is like this I'm totally not interested. I'd probably feel very differently if I was in the same space as these guys because it's a SHOW!

And another break. Oh, the broadcaster boxes. I always assume that they're going to harass Graham Norton but they're actually visiting the Danes right now. And the Russians.

Hosts talking about orchestras now.

17. Bulgaria

I remember this postcard from the other day because of the menagerie this girl has. This song is also growing on me. I was confused about the lyrics the other day but now am experiencing them as playful. Feeling the "production" of this one.

18. Lithuania

It's hard for me because I really liked "On Fire." I'm really enjoying this the second time and a really great, entertaining performance. And maybe it's in a better place during the night.

Hosts talking about the app. They're really hammering this whole "clap along" thing (which I haven't found on the app because I'm probably too old to care).

19. Ukraine

This song is a trip. Bangy-est banger of the night. You just never know.

20. France

You know, this comes off as something the juries would love to award. Damn, girl! You know, I wasn't impressed when they showed the short clip at the end of the SF. You really have to watch the whole thing.

21. Azerbaijan

Seems more appropriate to sing about Mata Hari than Cleopatra in the Netherlands when you think about it. It could be because I've already seen this before but I'm still processing France. There's also something about this staging that makes them look small on the stage to me.

22. Norway

I don't know why I find him adorable but I do. This song feels like a hug. (Or it's the "feathers." LOL)

Mini-break about what's upcoming.

23. The Netherlands

I was into it until the last 30 when it got really repetitive but that's still an overall like.

24. Italy

I really can't predict anything. I dig this but we've sort of filled a quota for intensity for the night.

25. Sweden

I'm just kind of like....of course Sweden has the Rijksmuseum postcard. It's like the most recognizable place in all of these postcards. And be near the end of the show. I'll be honest: I'm just predisposed to be against Sweden. Ugh, epilepsy light. I can't even look at the screen. Also, I liked Russia's "A Million Voices" in 2015. I'm guessing this song did not look like this at Melodifestivalen because it's really looking terrible on my tv. This is the worst visual presentation of the night.

26. San Marino

Honestly wondering how well San Marino is gonna finish this year. This felt more awesome the first time. Well, also Flo Rida delightfully surprised me the first time.

And how our hosts telling us about the importance of voting. I have no idea how these are going to pan out. I just know that if I was voting I think I'd throw my votes at Ukraine and France...while feeling bad that I'm not throwing some at Bulgaria, Iceland, Lithuania or Switzerland. (I also liked Russia but I wouldn't vote for them.) I mean, I liked Italy but... I don't know. I think I ran out of energy by then.

Really think it's that Ukraine and France just zapped my energy for energetic songs. The only one I felt after those was the hug of Norway. Or maybe Norway lulled me. LOL.

Would be interested in the televotes for some of these countries.

Recap. Ooof. France doesn't work in short recap clip.

"Music Binds Us"....because we've heard of Afrojack here. I swear every other major city has one of those bridges. I'd otherwise dig this but we've had so much intense music tonight.

I'm guessing we're listening to "Titanium" because Afrojack wrote and produced it.

I'm sitting here wondering if ANYONE is going to vote for the UK at all. Or, really, how many of the Big 5 are going to be in the Bottom 5.

Another recap.

Another Nikkie ESC Tutorial segment. This is actually kind of annoying.

And now a behind-the-scenes montage while the voting numbers are displayed at the bottom.

Catching up with past winners now.

ESC honoring itself again. Enjoying how much they're not overemphasizing the whole "in front of a live audience" stuff like they were doing the other nights.

Another recap.

Oddly, I think Moldova annoys me the most. It feels like the emptiest song in the final.

How quickly are they going to burn through the votes. It's already feeling like this show is long.

65th anniversary stuff. Rock the Roof. Måns again. I don't like this song. I think 2015 was a great overall year (even if I was able to predict the top 10 (except for Latvia) but I still listen to a lot of songs from that year... just not "Heroes." I resent that I have to hear it every year now.

Teach-In....because Dutch and because we need a song with 'Ding" and "Dong" in it.

SANDRA KIM!!!!!!!! Forever the youngest winner of this contest.

Lenny Kuhr.

Helena Paparizou. LOL, totally sticking to the choreo.

Lordi. Probably had to choose their roof first to get the permission to shoot the pyro off it.

So are they saving Duncan Laurence for when they calculate the votes? It feels like the voting window has been open forever now. I keep looking for a countdown clock.

This sounds like a way of saying Duncan Laurence has tested positive for COVID without saying that he tested positive for COVID.

Are they emphasizing that the Netherlands is below sea level?

New song... I'll take anything as long as it's not "Nana Banana."

The voting still isn't closed!

Oh, they have a special countdown dance is why. How very Paparizou of them.

Oh, that weird part where they banter with the delegations.

Malta. Just Malta?

Martin Österdahl. Because Swedes. Jury time. I forgot that revealing votes this way eliminates the performances during the vote calculation. They calculate the televote during the jury stuff.

Jury Votes

Israel, the least popular child in the room right now gives their 12 points to Switzerland.

Poland goes to San Marino.

San Marino goes to France.

Albania to Switzerland.

Malta to Albania.

These are going all over the place. But then it's juries.

Estonia's 12 to Switzerland.

Switzerland and France popular with juries so far.

North Macedonia to Serbia.

Recap. Switzerland, France and Italy in the Top 3.

Els and Nikki or however you spell their names. Azerbaijan throws their points at Russia of course.

Norway to....Malta.

Spain to France.

Austria to Iceland.

Ooof, UK, Spain and Norway totally blanked right now.

The UK....with Amanda Holden...and 12 points for France.

Italy gives its 12 points to Lithuania. No points for Switzerland from them!

Now it's just the UK blank.

Slovenia to Italy.

Juries don't like Ukraine. :-(

Greece...making us try not to boo by having a child tell us that the points are going to Cyprus.

Latvia with Aminata of course. 12 points go to Switzerland.

Ireland to France.

Moldova epic saxing us. Epic saxing Bulgaria too.

Serbia to France.

Bulgaria to Moldova. Ugh.

Cyprus ...should've used a child. Even the crowd is all "Greece, duh."

Belgium to Switzerland. It's almost like they have something against France, LOL.

Banter with Switzerland. Banter with France. No cringe. Practically no cringe in these interviews. They're adorable.

On a side note, my HVAC is dying on a 90 degree day.

Germany to France.

UK still sitting on a jury egg.

Australia to Malta.

Finland to Switzerland.

Portugal to Bulgaria.

Ukraine to Italy. Love the 0 points to Russia there.

Iceland. LOL. LOL. LOL. Of course a "Jaja Ding Dong" reference. Switzerland for them.

Romania to Malta.

Without televotes this stuff is almost meaningless. I can't imagine France getting the televotes.

Croatia to Italy.

Czech Republic to...like who would they.. oh Portugal. Of course. LOL.

Georgia to Italy.

Lithuania to Ukraine.

Denmark to Switzerland.

Top 5: Switzerland, France, Malta, Italy and Iceland.

"A Million Voices" Polina telling us Russia is giving their points to Moldova. Lots of side-eye from me.

France can't give points to themself so.... Greece. I... I... don't know.

Sweden with Carola. OMG Carola....why so much talking? Did she take something? Or drink something? She's on something. Gives their points to Malta.

Switzerland gives point to France. Most anticlimatic points reveal.

The Netherlands gives its points to France.

UK with ZERO points from juries.

Switzerland, France, Malta, Italy, Iceland.

We don't see the jury performances so...like... I dunno.

Gonna waste time in the Green Room again before the televote reveal. Talking with Switzerland... meaning that Gjon gets to replace John Lundvik as the face of losing if they don't get enough votes.

TELEVOTE TIME!

I hope this goes fast. And they're revealing these in the order of jury votes, least to most. So maybe a different face of losing.

UK with 0 points. OUCH! And they didn't genocide anyone this year! James Newman being a sport.

Germany with 0 points.

Spain with 0 points.

Netherlands with 0 points.

LMAO. I don't think I've ever seen this.

Norway with 60 points.

Serbia with 82 points.

Albania with 35 points.

Azerbaijan with 33 points.

San Marino with 13 points...even with Flo Rida!!!

Sweden with 63 points?

Cyprus with 44 points.

Moldova with 62 points.

Lithuania with 165 points!!!

Belgium with 3 points. Hooverphonic with only 3 points. Better than zero. But totally a jury thing their SF result was.

20 points to Israel.

Finland with 218. Shocker that. For me. Not the public, of course. Now in first.

Greece with 79 points.

Ukraine with 267. Into the lead.

Russia with 100 points.

Portugal with 27.

Bulgaria with 30 points.

Iceland with 180 points...and in 1st.

Italy with 318 points.

Malta with 47 points.

France with 251 points. Into 2nd.

Switzerland with 160 points.

Winner is Italy. So Switzerland is the new face of losing.

Televote alone it's Italy, Ukraine, France, Finland, Iceland, Lithuania, Switzerland, and Russia with 100 or more points. Serbia and Greece rounding out the top 10 in televote.

Surprised and delighted that the public gave all those votes to France. I was not expecting that at all.

In the breakdowns I really would like to see if their are any public correlations between folks who votes Italy/Finland or France/Switzerland.

[captain-mcdavid]

word count: 3.2k

smut: yes | no

warnings: swearing, angst, seth jones relations (note: the previous chapters can be found on my masterlist linked in my bio) 

Seth opens the door, his brows furrowing the moment he sees you. “Uh, hi?”

“Hey,” Is all you can manage to get out, and he gives you a confused look before a smile tugs at the corners of his mouth. “Everything okay?”

You nod dumbly, and Seth just continues to look confused, rightfully so.

“Actually no,” You blurt, and he raises his eyebrows. You really don’t what you were attempting to do coming here, well, yeah actually, you do, but you’re not sure how to get there.

“No?” He repeats, “What happened, what’s going on?”

“Josh and I got in a fight,” You admit, and he oh’s quietly before nodding. “I don’t know, I figured since you’re kinda going through the same thing maybe I could get some advice? Like how to help him?” You’re making up the words as you go, and you hate how good you’ve become at lying.

“Yeah, yeah,” Seth nods, and then jerks away from the door, “Sorry, come in.” You let out a breathy laugh at how polite he is, stepping into his apartment timidly, setting your purse down on the expensive looking table by the door.

The first thing you notice is how clean and modern everything is, and the second is how good it smells.

“Oh my gosh,” You start, “What are you making? That smells amazing,”

Seth smiles and you follow him into the kitchen, ogling at how gorgeous everything is. “Spaghetti.” He responds with a sheepish laugh, stirring the sauce while the pasta boils. “It’s kind of a comfort food for me,”

He looks down at the food and you notice the distress on his face. “Needed it tonight.”

“I’m sorry.” You say quietly, and he shrugs.

“We should have played better,” He goes into more detail, spouting cliches the same way Josh does, but everything is going in one ear and out the other. You can see it on his face, he’d rather not relive what just happened.

“Seth we don’t need to talk about this,” You interject, and he looks up from the food. “I can tell you don’t want to.”

He chuckles, “That obvious hey?”

You just smile, settling yourself against the counter. “No hockey talk, I want the food network. Show me the tutorial!” You clap your hands together with a grin and Seth smirks right back.

“I can’t give you the tutorial.” He shrugs, “This is a secret recipe.”

“Oh please,” You groan, and he laughs trying to look surprised.

“What I’m serious!” He dips the spoon in and pulls up some of the sauce, holding it out for you. “You’ll never taste anything like it.”

You look at him warily, and open your mouth for him to feed it to you. It’s a little weird, and a lot flirty, but you’re not gonna say no, locking eyes with him while you wrap your lips around the spoon. His eyes hold yours, and then they’re flickering down to your mouth. You can see him swallow, and you raise your brows and take in the taste, laughing when you’re pleasantly surprised. For dramatic effect you let out a small moan, “Not bad,” You say, “I’m impressed. What’s in it?” You ask innocently and he laughs, shaking his head.

“I told you, it’s a secret.” His grin is adorable, and you can’t help but smile too, giving his shoulder a playful shove. He grabs your hand, and has full intentions to let it go, but just as you feel it slipping from your grasp, you slip your fingers in between his. He freezes for a second, but you move closer and avoid his eyes so that it seems more casual than it actually is.

He laughs awkwardly and looks down at your hands, he pulls them up and starts to speak but you cut him off, pushing your linked fingers against his chest. “Tell me that you didn’t get that recipe off of Pinterest,” You challenge and his smile comes back.

“It’s not off Pinterest,” He insists, squeezing your fingers before pulling his hand away from yours. He takes the pot to drain the water, murmuring as he passes, “I got it off of all recipes dot com.”

His confession has you laughing again, boosting yourself onto the barstool at his counter. A few minutes later, Seth is serving you a beautiful looking plate of spaghetti, even garnished with a parsley leaf. “Wow,” You say, blinking down at the meal.

“Dig in,” Seth says, moving beside you. He wastes no time, barely even sitting fully before he’s shovelling a bite into his mouth. He groans, a big smirk settling on his face when he swallows. “Man I needed this.”

You watch with a smile while Seth hands you a napkin, putting one for himself over his lap. You eat with light conversation, easy small talk that you find hard with literally anyone else. He’s got to be one of the most easy going people you’ve ever met.

After you’re finished eating Seth invites you over to the couch where you bond over your mutual favourite show. You’re just finished the sixth episode of the office when he finally speaks up, “So what’s the situation with Josh?” His voice shrinks when he asks, like he’s afraid of what you might answer.

“I don’t think it’s working out,” You say, and suddenly you feel like you could burst into tears.

“Why not? You guys seemed pretty solid to me. What happened tonight?”

You raise your eyebrows at Seth, voice cracking when you ask, “Solid?”

“Yeah,” He says, with small shrug, “He was pretty head over heals for you. At least that’s how it’s seemed to me.” He pauses for a second before continuing, “And most of the guys.”

“Solid,” You say again, and then you let out a little chuckle at the irony. Obviously you two were anything but solid if he was sleeping with Lindsay the whole time. “He’s seeing other people.”

Seth furrows his eyebrows, “Uh, really?”

“Yeah,”’ You admit.

Seth just frowns slightly, you see the doubt on his face, he doesn’t believe you.

“What?” You ask, and he just raises his brows. “What’s that face?”

He laughs and shakes his head, “Nothing, I just- I don’t know. What makes you think that he’s seeing other people?”

It’s not Seth’s fault, but it kind of feels like he’s taking Josh’s side, and that makes you angry, so you can’t help the way your words come out, snappier than usual. “Well for starters I found a girls jacket in his apartment.”

“When?” Seth asks simply, and you shrug, annoyed at how nonchalant he’s being.

“I don’t know, like a month ago? Why does it matter?”

Seth just laughs again, leaning back into the couch. He puts one hand on his knee and the other goes to the back rest, and you take notice quickly of the close proximity. “Trust me, it matters.”

“Why?” You question, and he shrugs.

“Cause, Josh might have been seeing other girls that month that you ghosted him,” He says the words with a smirk, and you open your mouth to defend yourself but nothing comes out, so you close it again, shaking your head with a smile.

“He told you about that?”

“Yeah,” He grins, “He had a few hookups but that was only cause you weren’t around. Once you started going out again he was all in.”

You shake your head and Seth leans closer yet again, “Think about it, Y/N. We were in the playoffs, we barely left the rink. Josh had no time for you let alone another girl.”

It’s convincing, it is, but you can’t help but think maybe there was no time for you because of the other girl. Because of Lindsay.

“I don’t really wanna talk about it anymore.” You whisper, and this time it’s you who moves closer, leaning back against the couch and Seth’s arm. He nods and you look up at him through your lashes, his mouth parts slightly and then he’s opening his arms. “You look like you need a hug.” He says, and you lean over without hesitation, latching onto him. He holds you tight against him, and you can’t help but relax into his arms. You look up at him, and when he looks back warmth floods your entire body. His eyebrows furrows like he’s debating something, and then he’s leaning down, eyes fluttering shut. You lean up to meet him, your lips so close, when there’s a loud knock at the door. Seth lets go, eyes flickering between you and the noise.

There’s an immediate feeling of dread that sets in, and you have a feeling you know exactly who’s here.

When he looks back to you there’s panic clear in his eyes, so you say it so that he won’t have to, “He can’t know I’m here. I need to hide,”

Seth ushers you to the broom closet a few feet away, opening the door only to close it immediately behind you. There’s tilted panels covering the door so you can see out, but just slightly. You know Seth is moving towards the door, and you nearly flinch when he opens it. You’re not sure what you’re expecting, maybe for Josh to blow in yelling and throwing shit like before, but it’s actually the exact opposite.

He walks in calmly, hands in the pockets of his grey sweats. He’s wearing a shirt now, shoulders slumped under the black fabric. He looks sad, and if you weren’t so mad at him you might feel a little bad.

“Hey man,” He says quietly, reaching up to rub the back of his neck.

“Hey buddy.” Seth responds stiffly, looking almost as uncomfortable as Josh and you cringe from your spot in the closet.

“Uh, hows it going?” He asks, and Seth shrugs.

“It’s okay, why what’s up?” The conversation is rushed and Seth seems like he’s uninterested.

“I um-,” Josh starts, pacing the room like he’s nervous, and you can see his expression change, he looks unsure, eyebrows furrowing in that way that you love, before his entire body goes rigid. “I just, kinda, I don’t know.” He starts, was he about to tell Seth? “Nevermind man, sorry.” He says the words and you can hear the change in tone. It’s light but you’re able to pick up on it, something is wrong.

“Josh, you good?” Seth asks, and this time he actually sounds concerned, putting a hand on Josh’s big shoulder.

Your vision is very impaired but you’d be able to see Josh’s body lurch at that touch from miles away. His body goes scarily still, shoulders tense while the both of them stand in silence. About thirty seconds go past before Josh’s body relaxes, and he turns around clapping Seth on the arm with a smile. “Yeah dude, sorry. I’m good.”

And then he walks out.

You open your door as soon as it slams behind Josh, nearly tumbling out of the closet with a staggered breath. You hadn’t even realized you’d been holding it.

“Fuck, I’m sorry.” Seth says, and you both just look at each other, plagued with the exact same feelings.

You’re able to ignore that weird encounter quite easily, your feelings occupied mostly by guilt. You’re both ridden with it, standing feet apart like it’ll take back what just happened.

You came here for revenge, but you don’t want it at that cost. That would mean you’d be stooping to their level and while you may have bad thoughts sometimes, you know you’re actually not a bad person. “I’m sorry, Seth.” You mumble, “I shouldn’t have come here. I put you in an uncomfortable position and that was really unfair of me. I’m really sorry,”

Seth just nods, and gives you a tight lipped half smile, staring at the ground with his hands in his pockets. “I’m gonna go,” You say, nodding awkward towards the door. You don’t wait for his response before you stagger over to the door, feeling like you’re about to cry for the untempth time tonight. You’re frustrated with yourself for being so weak. You leave without another word, swiping harshly at the tears threatening to spill over while you rush out of the apartment building.

The whole drive home you’re trying to contain your emotions, push everything away, you can not be weak when you confront Lindsay.

She can probably sense fear.

You walk in the door, standing at the entrance to the kitchen silently, building up your confidence, but you can’t bring yourself to even look at her.

“You didn’t go to see Josh did you? Y/N, it looks desperate. It’s only gonna make him pull away.” Her voice is like nails on a chalk board and you nearly spit out your response, so unbelievably livid with her.

“Get the fuck out.”

“Uh what?” She laughs and drops a butter knife in the sink, turning around with a humorous smile until she looks at you. Her eyes land on the jacket in your hand and the smile vanishes from her face immediately.

“I said, get the fuck out of my apartment.”

You’re expecting her to argue, to grovel, to say she can explain, but she just sighs, leaning back against the counter comfortably. “So you figured it out I’m guessing?”

You look at her, bewildered, “Yeah. I figured it out. Now leave.”

“I honestly thought it’d take you longer,” She chuckles, and takes a bite of the toast she just prepared. She makes no move towards the door and you feel your throat tighten with words threatening to come out. It’s taking everything in you not to knock her out. “Don’t you wanna know what happened?” She asks, holding up a questioning hand.

You shut your eyes for a minute, taking the time to convince yourself that physical violence is not necessary to get her out of your home, even though you really want to slap that smug smile right off her face.

No response from you makes her resume dialogue, and you feel a headache setting in already. “Wait, I’m actually curious as to what you think happened-“ She starts, cutting herself off with a laugh, “Or is happening,”

“I think that you stabbed me in the back.” You say feebly, hating how she’s roaming around the kitchen like she has the upper hand.

“Well I kinda did,” She admits, taking another bite of her toast like this is the most casual situation in the world.

“Lindsay-“ You start with a venomous voice but she holds a hand up to stop you, only making you angrier.

“Chill! Let me tell you what happened. You won’t be as pissed after you hear the whole story.”

“I seriously doubt that.” You interject, and she laughs.

“I’m gonna start off by saying that Josh was mine way before he was yours. So you have no right to be mad.” She says the words completely unsympathetic to your broken heart, and you’re wondering what the fuck you missed. “Basically before you and Josh got together, Josh did the exact same thing that he did to you, to me,” She’s telling you this like it’s office gossip and you’re dumbfounded at how calm she is.

“I didn’t exact him to he so charming, I really fell for him.” She explains, and your chest heats up with anger. “So when you started going out with him, I was pretty pissed off,” She finishes with a laugh and you stare at her with wild eyes.

“And then he ghosted you too, and that’s kinda what brought on the whole fucking with his head, call her daddy thing and that’s why I pushed you to talk to him that one night we were out. I knew that if you were shady enough, he’d go running to the first person who gave him the attention that you weren’t. And I was that girl!” She finishes with a wide smile and you’re so shocked that all you can do is stare, even though you want to deck her so badly. “I honestly thought convincing him would be tough after he saw us together, but he practically jumped on me the second I walked through his door.” She laughs like you’re supposed to be laughing with her, and it makes your blood boil.

She looks you over, and then sighs with an eye roll. It’s clear she feels no remorse, she has no idea what she did wrong. “I’m sorry that you had to be collateral damage, but I did what I needed to do to get him back. You screwed yourself when you caught feelings.” She explains with a shrug.

As much as you want her out of your house, there are things you need clarification on before you never speak to her again.

“So you never went out with Boone?”

“Nah,” She chuckles. “Not my type.”

“And you’ve been sleeping with Josh behind my back this whole time?”

“Yup.” She smiles. You’ve never seen this toxic person before, but you’re glad you’re figuring out who she really is. You shake your head, a breathy chuckle coming out while you step forward.

“You’re psychotic.” You say simply, taking her plate. You dump her toast in the garbage and she watches with wide eyes.

“I was eating that,” She states dumbly, and you raise your shoulders, letting the plate fall into the sink with a loud clatter.

“Lindsay,” You take a deep breath before starting and she raises her eyebrows expectingly, “You are a narcissistic, unremorseful, back stabbing bitch.”

“Oh come on, you’re not seriously mad-“ She starts, but you hold up a hand.

“I’m not done.” Her mouth snaps shut. “I can’t even imagine being insecure enough to stoop to your level. You can talk yourself up all you want, but this situation is the same from all angles. He will never love you the way you love him. You literally devised this whole plan to get back this guy who couldn’t give less of a shit about you! Do you realize how pathetic that is? I feel so bad for you.”

Finally you’ve taken the upper hand, and you can see her guard going up, tears lining her eyes. It makes you feel bad for a second, but not bad enough to stop. “I hope that one day you get the karma you deserve, but until then, if I never see your face again, it’ll be too soon. Now for gods sake, get the fuck out of my apartment before I throw all your shit off the balcony.”

She leaves timidly, grabbing her bag off the counter while she watches you warily.

“You can pick up your stuff tomorrow, I work from nine to five. I want every trace of you gone and when I get home.”

Her response is to just walk out the door, and as soon as she’s gone you feel like there’s a weight off your shoulders.

However that’s gone for only seconds, and immediately comes back as soon as you pull your phone from your purse.

You have about ten missed calls from Josh, and seven text messages.

We need to talk about this. You don’t know the whole story.

Y/N please. I’m sorry I yelled and got mad can we please just talk?

I’m going home in two days, I need to see you before then.

Where are you? I’m worried, can you just answer me so I know you’re okay?

You’re freaking me out.

Y/N I’m sorry please just answer me.

I’m coming over.

[simkaswriting]

Bubbles-(Steve Rogers)

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Reader

Warnings: swearing, Steve being a teasing little shit? 

Word Count: 1.2k

Summary: Steve and (Y/N) share a flat, and all things considered, it’s a good arrangement. However, Steve often forgets to lock his door when he’s busy. 

A/N: Just a little thing I thought of after seeing that gif, and wow I really have no control because I just had to write something?? Please leave feedback, it’s greatly appreciated and I hope you guys enjoy xx

All things considered, Steve Rogers is a good flat-mate. He cleans the dishes after dinner, doesn’t bring strangers over too often, and most importantly, puts the toilet seat down every time. He’s never complained about storage space in the bathroom or the burn marks that keep appearing on the kitchen table from failed baking attempts. Steve doesn’t even care if one of his hoodies goes ‘missing’ every other week. However the man has one big fault. He often forgets to lock his door.

---

Steve’s groans and soft ‘damn-it’s’ are the background noises currently disturbing the YouTube tutorial on pumpkin pie I’m so desperately trying to make. The dough droops over the side of the tin and the filling’s colour doesn’t resemble the one of the screen in the slightest. Fly-aways stick to my sweaty forehead. My apron is covered in flour and egg, and soon will be complimented by Steve’s blood.

I look over my shoulder at Steve, who’s furiously tapping the buttons on his PS4 controller, which is comically small in his large hands. He’s been at the game for the last two hours with a steady stream of innocent swearing and shouting accompanying him to my annoyance, hindering the progress of tonight's experiment. If only I could actually hear what the chef was saying, then the pie would no doubt at least resemble his. 

“Jump, Bucky! To the right, the right!” Steve exclaims as his fingers work the buttons faster. The headset is also loud, which further irritates me. 

Don’t get me wrong. I have nothing against Steve playing his games, and I don’t tend to particularly care about the noise level either. But when I actually need to hear what’s being said, it’s more than annoying, and (just barely)more distracting than when he walks around with just a towel wrapped around his waist.

I contemplate telling him off, asking him to maybe keep it down so I can finally finish making this disaster of a fucking pie, or just straight up clubbing him with the rolling pin. But the pie is done now, and I don’t see the point in starting this argument that we’ve had countless times before. Living with your best friend isn’t all that it’s made out to be sometimes.

So, with gritted teeth, I place the tin in the pre-heated oven and throw my apron on the breakfast bar. 

“-no, I’m telling you it’s the top floor. Not the basement. That’s just silly.” Steve’s voice is tinged with irritation as he bites his lower lip to stop himself from exploding. That’s a habit of his when he’s nervous or dangerously close to loosing his cool. A habit that makes me very, very happy.

Ignoring him and his loud teammates that consist of his best friends Bucky and Sam, I go to my bedroom and crash on the bed to entertain myself until the pie is ready, and hopefully edible. I scroll through all forms of social media until I feel like time has ceased to exist and my eyes will begin to bleed any second, though in reality it’s probably been around 20 minutes. The pie should be ready, but my bladder comes first.

I walk across the hallway to the bathroom and tentatively knock on the door. Steve is the type of person who wouldn’t lock the door even if he lived with 20 other people, so I can never be too safe. There have been an abundance of incidents where I walked in on Steve peeing, or getting changed. It’s as if he’s physically incapable of sliding the lock into place. But, my eyes are very thankful for this trait he has. 

The apartment is strangely quiet, and I take that as an answer. Steve’s probably in his room, or maybe he went out with Bucky.

I open the door and walk in. My eyes immediately widen at the sight in front of me. 

Hiding underneath a mountain of pink bubbles is a very naked Steve, with closed eyes and earphones in his ears. He’s humming to himself and gently tapping the side of the tub to the beat of whatever song he’s listening to. 

Fuck. It’s as if my legs have frozen in place, they refuse to move out of the room. Over the last two years of living with him, I’ve seen Steve shirtless plenty, sure. I’ve seen him in the kitchen at 3am making pizza in his underwear. I’ve even seen his ass one Halloween when the firefighter costume Tony bought him wasn’t particularly fitting for his form. But this is a whole new level of intimacy even for us. He’s a sight for sore eyes, that’s for sure.

Steve’s eyes open and he lazily turns to look at me. His brows knit together in confusion as he takes one of the earphones out. 

“I’m capable of washing myself, you know.” He teases with a small grin.

That bastard. I try to come up with a witty comment, something to throw him off his high horse, but my mind draws blanks. Over and over, until I’m just standing in the doorway, wide eyed with an embarrassed blush adorning my cheeks.

Sure, Steve is Captain America, the righteous hero of this country. A noble gentleman who is the dictionary definition of good values and manners. But living with him opened my eyes to a new side of him that the public isn’t aware exists. The carefree, lighthearted and not-so-modest Steven Grant Rogers.

Taking a deep breath, I close my eyes for a brief second, and place my hand over my eyes so I can’t see him. Both in the hopes of clearing my head of his astoundingly good abs and so that he doesn’t think I’m creeping on him.

“S-sorry. I knocked b-but there there wasn’t an answer.” I choke out, mentally slapping myself. Is that really the best I can come up with? I’ve seen him in more compromising positions than this. So why on Earth is this effecting me so much?

Steve’s booming laugh snaps me out of my thoughts. It echoes around the steamed-up bathroom, and it takes every ounce of willpower I’ve got not to glare at him. 

“(Y/N) you don’t have to cover your eyes. I’m smothered by bubbles. ” His tone is teasing, dripping in affection with a hint of flirtation. Or maybe pity at my current blushing state.

If I didn’t know Steve Rogers the way I do, I’d assume he is indeed flirting. But that’s not Steve. He would never, especially not with his roommate.

I bite my lip and shake my head no. Almost too quickly. 

“Nope. I’m good, Cap.”

Once again he laughs, and it sounds like music to my ears.

“Well, are you just going to stand there and look all pretty? You might as well wash my back for me.”

Wait, did Steve just call me-the ear piercing screeching of the fire alarm echoes around the apartment. Fuck, my pie!

I sprint out of the bathroom with a crimson face as Steve yells after me. 

“The offer still stands, doll!”

[every1studio]

SERIES: “stages of love: words left unsaid” [ateez: wooyoung]

genre: a dash of angst + small fluff + some smut + kind of long 

ficstyle: bulletpoints + series  [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [END]

prompt: inspired by “1,2″ by Lee Hi [listen to Hanbin demo version for max. effects] + “We Don’t Talk Together” by Heize ft Giriboy  + “Hold Me Tight” by BTS 

note: [this fic as some smut, so if you are uncomfortable with smut; DO NOT READ //  also has mentions of alcohol and self-harm ): ]

your heart was caught in your throat when you got that text from Mingi

the one saying that he was still touring in Japan and wasn’t going to meet up with Yunho at the airport

so why did Yunho text you that

why would he lie to you?

all of your trust for him slowly started to crumble 

right then and there, you get a call from Yunho 

your shaking hands fumbled as you swiped to answer the call 

“h-hey?” you didn’t want to suspect him of anything without any evidence

“hey are you free? I... I wanna see you..” you could see his puppy-like smile through the tone of his voice

but this could all be a facade; maybe you didn’t know everything about him like you thought you did

“yeah! sure! did...” you prayed that this conversation wouldn’t be the break of your relationship 

“did you pick up Mingi from the airport?”

you hear him nervously chuckle, “his flight got cancelled so I just went to dance studio to get ready for this week’s classes..”

you wish he was telling the truth

what was so bad that he had to lie to you?

you just recently reunited with your best friend from your childhood 

not only was he your best friend.. but he was your crush 

you couldn’t talk to him in person about this

with the safety of being in your own bed, you HAD to know the truth 

you had dealt through too many problems with your love life

you had enough 

“I texted Mingi”

there was no reply on the other side of the line 

“Y/N...can I please talk to you in person..”

you felt your tightening the grip on your phone

“whatever you need to say, you can say it right now.. if you feel like there’s nothing you NEED to say... then I don’t want to talk to you.. at all”

the line was still on but the only thing you heard was his devastation 

“that’s it then...goodbye Yunho” 

you hung up the phone and blocked him right away

you didn’t want to feel so pathetic but you did

you clenched your fists so tight you could feel your fingernails digging pain into your hands 

but nothing hurt more than having the concept of love failing you 

over and over and over again 

you got a text from San

-hey! there’s a party tonight at a friend’s place, wanna come with?

that was all you needed to get all of this off of your mind

even though you were more of the reserved type and would consider yourself to be more of an introvert than an extrovert, you wanted to go to that party 

and have fun without worrying about anything or anyone 

you wanted to feel like expensive version of yourself 

you always covered your body but tonight was the night you were going to show off your curves

you wanted to stand out so you found the brightest and tightest dress you owned; which was a bright, true red bodycon dress with piped linings that extenuated your boobs and your chest 

it was shorter than what you usually wore but having it be held up by two non functional strings that were meant to be straps that constantly fell off of your shoulders

you matched this dress with some nude, red-bottom heels that your mom got you for Christmas 

you let your hair out of your usual messy ponytail and lightly curled it

watching makeup tutorials for fun made you inspired to get more into this new character of yours; your followed an easy smokey eyeshadow look that wouldn’t be overwhelming for some mascara 

paired it with a transferproof darker red lip and packed on some highlighter so you could glow to the gods

and pray that with a look like this, you can finally find a guy who appreciates you 

San sends you a text saying that he’s at the door as you were spraying on some luxurious perfume 

he could hear you trotting to the door in what sounded like high heels 

his brows were raised as his eyes were about to pop out of his sockets

you were absolutely stunning and breathtaking and all of the words in the dictionary could not describe how beautiful you looked 

San almost forgot the promise he made to himself when you loop your arm around his

“ready?”

he smiles and nods as he walks you to his car 

San was trying hard to keep his eyes on the road when you were right there next to him 

“so... is Mingi in town?”

you clenched your teeth so that you try and control your tears from welling up

“no... I.. don’t wanna talk about Mingi... or Yunho..”

it broke his heart to see you so sad but he nods and changes the subject 

you were so surprised to see that there was a parking lot for house near a college campus 

you didn’t know that it was a GRAND party

“how do you know someone like this?” you were in awe as the cool air hit you as you got out of the car

“you could say he is just a classmate who has become a pretty good friend of mine..”

you started to feel self-conscious of yourself; maybe you wouldn’t fit in

right when the door open was when you saw the closest thing you’ve seen of a Greek God 

“oh.. San.. is this your plus one?” the boy’s voice was just as charming as his face  

San put his arm around your shoulder, “this is Y/N, my friend.. Y/N, this is Wooyoung.. who’s also my friend..”

Wooyoung reached out for a hug, “a friend of San is a friend of mine”

you could get intoxicated by his scent

how could a guy be so infuriatingly handsome in every way?

a group of girls were passing by when Wooyoung politely stops them, “excuse me ladies, could you help my friend here get settled in with some drinks?” 

they giggled and nodded as they took your hand and led you into the house 

you look back at San and Wooyoung as they nodded at you indicating that is was okay 

San turns back to Wooyoung

“so what’s up?” 

Wooyoung massaged the back of his neck in a shy manner

“Y/N.. you said she was just a friend right?”

San’s stomach began to churn, “yup.. just a friend..”

San could see the glimmer of hope in Wooyoung’s eye

“it’s okay if I... get to know her?” he moves his head in the direction you walked in 

“maybe you should just... yeah... just get to know her I guess...” 

you were surrounded by the bunch of girls that escorted you to the table with the drinks 

“how do you know such a handsome guy?”

“are you close with Wooyoung?”

“what’s the other guy’s name?”

“you’re so pretty! no wonder the guys are into you! who are you interested in?”

you were so confused by the choices of questions that were asked, you had no idea how to answer them 

but before you could say anything, you felt a gentle hand on your back 

“sorry ladies, I’m gonna have to steal Y/N from you for a moment..”

they nodded as they giggled about finding San 

you looked up and saw Wooyoung

he was such a gentleman; you found yourself blushing 

he refills your drink then leads you out to the area where the music was blaring 

small talk led to a heart to heart talk 

“so... are you seeing anyone?” you were surprised that someone like Wooyoung would be interested in someone like you 

“well... it’s kind of complicating but-”

“Y/N?”

that familiar voice made chills rush down your spine 

you turned as saw Yunho

with Aurora clinging onto his arm 

as if this girl couldn’t stop ruining your life, she had to take your best friend, your childhood friend, your first love

you wanted to hide and runaway; you subconsciously gripped the shirt 

Wooyoung reading your body language, he slithered his arm around your waist and pulled you closer

“what business do you have with Y/N?”

Yunho sobered up right when he saw you 

he wanted to push Aurora off of his arm but she was clinging in a little too tightly for comfort 

“I wanted to check up on her-”

“are you her boyfriend?” Wooyoung cuts him off

but you answer instead of Yunho, “no, he isn’t.. I wouldn’t want a boyfriend who would lie to me...”

you pulled Wooyoung into the dance circle

Aurora wanted to follow suit and tried to drag Yunho

Yunho doesn’t budge, “what are you doing?”

“who does she think she is? now she’s with some rich guy? come on we have to show her that we’re better than her..”

Yunho still doesn’t budge when Aurora tries to tug a little harder

“what is it to you anyways? just leave her alone..”

“because all the guys that I want to be with always talk about her, okay? I’m sick of it!” Aurora screams only for a couple of people around her to hear her through the blasting music 

when Aurora went for Hongjoong, all he kept talking about was how amazing you were at composing and singing and playing the guitar

when she went back to Seonghwa to sabotage you, he ended up not going back with her because he was the one missing you and not her 

when she dated Jongho, he would say that he would be better being single than ever dating someone as toxic as her, then saw him smiling at your little gestures a couple days after 

she was sick of hearing about you and seeing you 

she wanted to be the one with the attention; you were in her way 

so when Yunho confronted her about ruining your love life, she blackmailed him saying that if he didn’t date her, she would continue to destroy your life in ways that couldn’t even be explained

Yunho only wanted your happiness and was scared for you, so he agreed 

he hated every moment of it; she made sure that he would lie to you via texting or calling

taking up all of his free time so that you couldn’t even meet up with him 

she even told him that if he told her, she would injure herself because of him

although he didn’t like her, he didn’t want her to inflict self-harm 

he knew she needed some sort of mental help so he decided to be her “boyfriend” to help her out 

in exchange, he didn’t have the chance of telling how he felt about you and how much he cared for you 

seeing you with another guy shattered his heart in pieces but he knew that he probably shattered yours into fine dust 

and all of this was his fault

Yunho let Aurora drag him like a ragdoll 

when you saw Yunho and Aurora in your sight, you turned yourself to them as you started to dance on Wooyoung

Wooyoung gently sweeps your hair off of your shoulders as he leans in to ask, “are you okay? is there anything I can do? do you want me to kick them out?”

you could feel the tears accumulating as you interlocked your hands around his neck

“please make me forget about him..”

without another word, Wooyoung pulls you in closer to his body and cups his other hand on your face as he leans in to kiss you 

it was a needy yet gentle kiss; you couldn’t get enough of it 

you felt a little pride swell up inside of you knowing that Yunho and Aurora were watching the two of you 

Aurora wanted to copy you and Wooyoung but Yunho just couldn’t take his eyes off of you

he was so angry at himself; he could’ve been the one kissing you and holding you tight 

“shall we take this elsewhere?” Wooyoung lets you catch your breath

when your eyes meet his, it’s like the world stopped for a minute

you could tell that he was genuinely worried about you and that you were okay with everything that he asked of 

you nodded and he led you to another part of the house where no one was allowed

how classy was it to be escorted to his room while getting frisky in the elevator 

his thick thigh kept some friction for you inbetween your legs 

your hands were tugging his hair to his shirt 

his hands were all over your body yet you were comfortable with it 

if anything you wanted more

it was like..

“it’s like my hands are made for your body”

he said exactly what you were thinking

right when you heard the ding of the elevator, Wooyoung swept you up like a princess as he was huffing through his smile 

“I’m gonna make sure that you’ll only be thinking about me tonight, princess”

maybe it was the alcohol but you felt a certain type of warm tingling sensation fill you up to the brim 

despite of the lust in his eyes, he was really gentle with you 

he placed you comfortably on the bed as he peppered you in kisses from your forehead down to your pooling heat as he hikes your dress up to get access to where you needed attention 

before he continues he looks to meet eyes with you, “I want to know that you’re okay with this..”

you nod but he wasn’t satisfied with just that; he cowers over you so that you could look at him, face to face

“I want to hear you say if you are.. I want you to be comfortable with-”

you cut him off with a passionate kiss

you had sex before but it was only a one-night stand kind of deal

but this time, you felt like it was going to be different 

“I’m okay.. I’ll let you know if it isn’t...”

you could feel him smile through the kiss

“you’re absolutely beautiful... I want you to feel like the most beautiful girl in the world because you are”

he goes back down to take off your panties with his teeth

if you didn’t feel yourself growing wet since you were dancing with him

you definitely did now

Wooyoung leaned in to take in all of your essence; you whined at the lack of pleasure 

“Wooyoung.. please..”

“so eager for me..”

with that he dove himself right into your heat; his nose continuously hitting your clit 

you didn’t know that he was going to go that hard but you loved every moment of it 

he was working you up so good that you didn’t know what to do between pushing his head away or pushing closer to you

you felt yourself quickly spiraling into an abyss of pleasure 

“Woo-Wooyoung.. I-I..”

he quickens the pace of his tongue as he adds in his finger

for every time that you clench around his tongue and finger, he adds another finger

by the time he got to three fingers, you were seeing the Milky Way 

your body convulsively shook under Wooyoung

he was just in awe watching you come down from your high

you were sprawled out for him; your straps hanging off of your shoulders, hair placed as if you were an art piece from the Renaissance and just panting as you squeezed tears of pleasure from your eyes

Wooyoung leans down to kiss them with the scent of you still covering his mouth, “how’s my baby doing?”

you didn’t know why; you just met this guy and yet you have completely fallen head over heels for him 

the way he called you baby made you feel like he was just about everything you wanted and more  

“I want more”

that was all Wooyoung needed to unravel

he unbuttoned his black satin shirt showcasing his toned-body 

although he left his shirt on, he completely took off everything from the lower part of his body

you drooled at the sight of his proudly standing member; you couldn’t keep your eyes off of it

Wooyoung chuckles as he lifts your chin up to look at him, “eyes up here, princess..”

you too wanted to take off your clothes but Wooyoung stops you

“leave them on.. you look so good I want to remember me fucking you in this dress so that every time I see this dress I can remember how we met..”

Wooyoung reaches over to grab a condom but you gently grab his wrist

“it’s okay, I’m on birth control... I want to feel all of you...”

he lines himself up to your entrance as he leans into your neck, “you really know how to drive a man crazy...”

there was a mix feeling of pain and pleasure as you could feel him stretching you out

your hands ran through his hair as he continued to work on his deep, purple love bites on your neck 

you didn’t notice how spacious his room was until you heard the echos of the lewd sounds of Wooyoung slamming himself into you 

you couldn’t stop saying his name 

it was as if it was the only word you knew 

“nngh..Y/N.. baby please... don’t clench like that or I’ll cum in seconds...” Wooyoung grunted 

surprised by how much strength he had while still being able to fuck you, he picked you up to flip you around

you were propped up on your elbow as he placed his hands on your raised hips 

he never stopped pumping his dick in and out of you

as soon as you were adjusted into your new position, you started to clench around him again; you couldn’t help it

Wooyoung exhales through his smiles as he could feel himself reaching his peak

“baby, please tell me that you’re getting close because I am-” 

but you reached it before you could even reply to him

your body shook even harder than the first time he made you orgasm; making you squeeze around him harder than you have before 

he came a couple seconds after

you could feel how his thick cum fill you up inside to the point that you could feel it overflowing out of you 

Wooyoung lightly swept the hair away from your neck to kiss it before slowly taking himself out of you

you were and looked completely spent 

he gets up to get you something to clean you up

you took this time to look around his room 

although it was a spacious room, it wasn’t heavily decorated; if anything it was kind of empty, kind of lonely 

he returns with his pants back on, holding a wet towel and some water

“you’re really something you know that?” he’s always smiling but you feel like there’s something more to his smile 

you chuckle trying to hide your blush, “are you like this with all of the girls?”

he gets up from cleaning you up and fixes your dress and hair

“I actually don’t do this as often as you think..” Wooyoung brushes his sweat-covered hair back so that it’s not sticking to his forehead

“even though you host all of these glamorous parties?” you were feeling pretty exhausted but you wanted to talk to him and get to know him

you didn’t want this to be another one-night stand for the books

Wooyoung wraps his arm around you and has your head in the crook of his neck and shoulder 

“hey now, I’m not your typical college fuckboy, you know..” 

you both laughed softly over the muffled sound of the party downstairs 

“so I’m guessing the guy with Aurora was the guy you were seeing but it was complicated?”

you nodded, “everyone knows Aurora huh...”

Wooyoung sees you sulking, so he pulls you back onto the bed so that your head falls onto his chest, “she’s just a homewrecker... she’s not worth your time, sweetie.. trust me”

“I don’t know.. he was my best friend, childhood friend and first love all in one.. and she’s ruin my life more than just one time a year...”

you wanted to change the topic, “what about you? what’s going on in your life?”

it was like you knew that Wooyoung’s smile was just a mask under his worries, “well.. my dad wants me to take over his plane company.. but I don’t want to. I want to pursue being a pilot. I can’t be a pilot and run a company at the same time. he wants me to run the company, even though my brother is the one who wants to run it...so you can say me and you have it pretty tough huh”

“are you kidding? you’re dealing with grown up stuff and I’m still caught up on the idea of love!”

you didn’t notice that Wooyoung was just looking at you the whole time as you raised your voice

“I think that love is some pretty hardcore group stuff too...” 

you nodded and you both just sat there in the dimmed room with the music still playing in the background 

“you wanna go back down to the party? to show off your battle scars?” Wooyoung broke the silence, “or do you want to runaway, to start over?”

your eyes widened as you looked up at him, “runaway?”

“we could start over? I know we just met.. but I’m willing to take that chance and give you everything to be happy”

you were feeling kind of skeptical, “you wish happiness upon a stranger at first sight?”

“I wish happiness for a girl who deserves more than what the world has to offer”

you got up from his bed to get a better look at him, “I need a couple days...”

Wooyoung follows your action and grabs your hands, “take all the time you need.. it was just an option... maybe we could just get to know each other before we take a big step..”

Wooyoung escorts you back downstairs with his black denim jacket thrown over your shoulders 

you were wobbly from how hard he went on you; he couldn’t help chuckle at his handiwork

you’d jokingly give him a side glare every time he did

you met San on the other side of the elevator 

the first thing he saw was how you clung onto Wooyoung 

how the hickies he gave you popped under Wooyoung’s denim jacket 

to be frankly speaking, San was already heartbroken when he knew he didn’t have a chance with you 

but he was even more broken to see that you would never see him the way you saw a potential lover 

but nevertheless, he smiles, “looks like the two of you were busy. ready to go home?”

you kissed Wooyoung on the cheek before looping your arm through San’s, “I’ll text you when I get home?” 

“I’d rather you call,” Wooyoung said with a seductive smile 

San gives Wooyoung a handshake before taking you back to the car

you and San walked passed all the guys that have affected your love life since you started college

Hongjoong, Seonghwa, Yeosang, Yunho, Jongho

every time you saw one of them, you clung closer and tighter to San

San stares at all of them; knowing who they were and how they broke your heart 

and what he could’ve done to be the one by your side making you happy 

earlier when Wooyoung took you upstairs, San pulled Yunho over to talk to him when Aurora went to the bathroom

“are you trying to break Y/N’s heart? you already broke it once and you’re gonna do it again?”

Yunho shoves San, “don’t talk about Y/N like you know her-”

“I know that she loved you.. I know that she was head over heels for you.. I know that Aurora was the bitch that made you lose hope in love.. so seeing her with you? you’re basically ripping her heart out of her chest..” 

San shoves Yunho back and walks away 

Yunho couldn’t take it anymore 

he had to find you

he had to tell you the truth 

so when he finally found you exiting the elevator, clearly having moved on with Wooyoung, he lost hope

maybe he should just keep the truth to himself

you already seem like you’re happier in the last hour with Wooyoung than you have with Yunho for all your life 

but Hongjoong had words he wanted to say to you too

so did Seonghwa

and Yeosang

and San

and Mingi 

and Jongho 

but they would’ve all kept it to themselves.. because you were glowing now

you had shelled out of your cocoon and had transformed into a beautiful, unattainable butterfly 

these were the boys that left their words unsaid; for the happiness of the girl that they love 

PLEASE LEMME KNOW IF YOU WANT A SEPARATE ENDING FOR EACH MEMBER OR ONE FINAL ENDING WITH ONE SPECIAL MEMBER???

[ masterlist + guidelines ]

[darkjanet2]

Drusilla's Soul Chapter 10

Back in San Francisco, Ca

Drusilla’s house-

Drusilla was training in her home. She was doing kickboxing, punching a bag, she was doing bench press and weightlifting. And of course she was doing Meditation to calm her mind, it treated anxiety, depression, pain, and gained her sanity. After she finished training, she took a hot shower washing her hair with Herbal Essences with the fragrance of rose hips. She moaned with bliss as she massaged her scalp and then rinsed the suds from her head. She then picked out Olay Total effects 7 Body Wash and poured into the loofah and washing her ivory, naked body to make her skin smooth and soft. Now she turned off the shower and blindly picked out a white towel around her body and got out of the shower.

Drusilla put on a silk lilac camisole and short, and she blow-dried her brunette hair. She sprayed deodorant in her armpits. She went to the living room and watched TV. In a few seconds later, she turned on her iPhone X to logged in her social media. She wondered what Brittney and David were talking about, this app was called Tinder, right? Yes, she remembered that night talking about the app to start on a date. She wasn’t quiet sure how to use it, but she would give it a try. She already created an account a night ago, she logged in, to her curiosity, she clicked the tutorial to learn how to do setting, locations, maximum distance, gender, and age. Now she finally understood. She began to create her profile to picture herself, her name, her age, her age, and her location. She was a woman who seeking men.

She read “About you” profile description.

‘About me? Hmm…’ Drusilla thought.

She wrote it about herself that she liked reading books, playing video game, cooking, playing with her cat. She then wrote her current job that she was a private investigator. And when she was done, she began to seek handsome men. Of course, she had sexual experience with Angelus and Spike, but they were long dead in Boxer Rebellion in China. They no longer terrorized them. Now that Drusilla was a heroine, and she saved people from horrendous vampires.

Now she began to seek handsome men in profiles, she tapped likes, crosses, and super likes.

A screen suddenly popped up a notification on her phone, she tapped it. It revealed a redhead drew cut hairstyle, fair skin, green eyes, muscular, wearing a gray sweatshirt and red jeans. He was handsome, and his name was Nicholas. He was 26, and he was from Trenton, NJ.

Nicholas: Hi, how are you?

Drusilla replied.

Drusilla: Hi. I’m fine. And you?

Nicholas: I’m doing fine.

Drusilla: That’s good to hear. :)

Nicholas: What are you doing?

Drusilla: Nothing, just watching TV.

Nicholas: Are you bored?

Drusilla: Not really. I think it’s my first time to use Tinder. A friend of mine told me that night she wanted me to chat any people. You know, like dating.

Nicholas: Ah, I see. You’re here for a date.

Drusilla: Hahaha, I don’t know. I’m quite kinda nervous.

Nicholas: Oh, don’t be. Maybe I can help you to overcome your nervousness and socially awkward.

Drusilla: Really? You’ll help me?

Nicholas: Of course. Here, let me send you a link.

Nicholas sent her a link and Drusilla click the link. She watched the video of how to overcome your socially awkward and make those conversations smoothly. And when she finished, she thanked Nicholas for the advice.

20 Minutes Later

Drusilla had chatted so many guys, thanks to Nicholas’ help. Everything went smoothly. It was really fun to chat many people on the internet. She went to the kitchen to get pig blood. She poured into the mug and warmed it up in the microwave. She took out the mug from the microwave and sat on a couch to relax. She heard ding notification from her phone. She looked at notification from Tinder app that said you got matched. Curiously, she opened her Tinder app to reveal a handsome man in his mid-20s. He had midnight black hair, grey eyes, muscular, white T-shirt with black leather. His name was Leon. He was from San Francisco that Drusilla lived in the same city.

Leon: Hi, how are you doing?

Drusilla: I’m fine. How about yourself?

Leon: I’m okay. What are you doing?

Drusilla: I’m drinking my tea. And what about you?

Leon: I’m working on my music production. I’m a DJ producer.

Drusilla: Oh, that sounds neat.

Leon: Yeah, do you like music?

Drusilla: Of course, I’m a music lover.

Leon: Lol, well, you’ve got a lot of fun, huh?

Leon: What’s your favorite genre?

Drusilla: I like techno, dance, pop, country, and rock.

Leon: Cool. I like hip-hop, dance, trance, techno, and electronic.

Drusilla: That’s awesome.

Leon: Lol, well, I’ve never seen a girl who has such beauty.

Drusilla: Lol, you’re making me blush, Leon.

Leon: Oh, am I? I’ve never seen you around here before. Can you show me a photo of you?

Drusilla: My photo?

Leon: Yeah. I wanna see what you look like.

Drusilla: Show me first.

Leon sent himself a photo to her, revealing a handsome guy putting hands in his pockets wearing a black leather jacket, white shirt, blue jeans, and white sneakers.

Drusilla: You’re so handsome.

Leon: Thanks. And yours?

Drusilla: Okay.

Drusilla sent herself a photo to him wearing a silk lilac camisole and shorts in a sexy pose, revealing her cleavage a bit from her camisole.

Leon: You’re so gorgeous.

Drusilla: Thank you.

Leon: Hey, I was wondering if you want to go out with me.

Drusilla: Yeah, sure. Wanna start a tomorrow night?

Leon: Yeah, tomorrow will be perfect. How about we go to dining place?

Drusilla: I think I know the place. It’s one of my favorite dining restaurant called The Big 4. How about this?

Leon: Perfect. I will see you tomorrow night. Meet me 6 PM, okay? ;)

Drusilla: Sure. I’ll see you tomorrow, Leon.

End of conversation.

‘Yes! Yes! He asked me out!’ Drusilla thought, jumping excitedly. ‘Better mark my calendar.’ She marked the calendar it was her first date tomorrow at six o’clock in the night. She couldn’t wait.

The Next Night

Drusilla caught an Uber to ride down to the dining restaurant. She glanced at her watch it was 5:45 PM. It was 15 minutes before her arrival at 6:00 PM. She had to be there for her first date. The Uber driver had arrived to his destination, she thanked the driver and got out of his car. She scanned around the area looking for Leon. With a sound of car honking caught her attention. It was a black Mercedes-Benz. A man got out of his car and walked toward Drusilla.

“Hi, are you Drusilla?” he asked.

“Yes, I am. And you are Leon?” She asked.

“That’s me. How are you tonight?” Leon asked.

“I’m doing great. I got here early.” said Drusilla.

“That’s great. So, shall we have a bite to eat?” asked Leon.

Drusilla nodded, “Yeah. Let’s go.”

They entered the dining restaurant, the host welcomed them and guided them to the dining table and gave them a menu. The waiter asked them what they want to order. Leon ordered Cioppino and Drusilla ordered salmon. He offered them a red wine. Their orders would be here in 30 minutes.

“I love how this restaurant is so huge. You can hear the piano playing. It’s marvelous.” said Leon.

“I know, I’m just glad I chose the right place. And I’m glad I meet you for the first time.” said Drusilla, smiling.

Leon laughed, “I know, right? This place is gorgeous that I’ve never been in there before.”

“So I say this is your first time to being in here in the restaurant, indeed.” said Drusilla.

“Hm, you’re very sharp-witted.” said Leon.

“So, uh, how’s your family doing?” She asked.

“Oh, they’re alright. My family and I are very close,” Leon said. “ We talked through things. My parents are so amazing, they’re brilliant.”

“That’s nice. I had a family, well… I lost my family when I was very young. They died in a sort of accident.” said Drusilla, sadly.

Of course, she had to lie. Her family was killed by Angelus in right front of her. He mentally tortured her mind that melt away her sanity before she sired by Angelus. She shed a tear a bit, and when Leon felt sympathetic toward her and held her hand. Drusilla looked at Leon in the eyes.

“I’m so sorry, Dru. I didn’t realize.” said Leon.

“Uh, no. It’s fine. I’m just get over with.” said Drusilla, wiped her tears.

The waiter finally had their order, and they started to eat.

After they finished eating their food and desserts and paid the food bill. They bid farewell to the host and walked to Leon’s car. Leon drove Drusilla home. They had so much fun tonight. Leon had arrived to Drusilla’s house. Drusilla gave him a kiss.

“Thanks for riding me home.” smiled Drusilla.

“Oh, it’s no problem. Here, take my card. Call me when you need me.” said Leon, gave Drusilla a business card.

“I will. Good night.” said Drusilla.

“Good night.” said Leon, began to depart at Drusilla’s house.

Drusilla entered her housed and closed the door behind her. She sighed. She was so exhausted tonight. She took off her heeled sandals and walked to the bathroom upstairs. She unzipped her red dress and put on a robe. She turned on hot water for a bath. She turned on a water jet, she had a jacuzzi tub. She poured bubble bath and Epsom salt into the tub. She tore the rose petal and sprinkled into the tub. She turned off the water. She went downstairs to the kitchen to get a bucket of ice with champagne, and picked out the wine glass from the cabinet, and she went back upstairs to the bathroom. Next, she found some white candles from the closet. She poured herself a champagne, lighted those candles, and turned off the light with the beautiful alight candles. She took off her robe and turned on a radio with jazz music. She picked a glass of champagne and got into the tub and relax.

After she bathed, she dried herself and put on a lilac nightgown, and she brushed her teeth. And now she blew all the candles and went to sleep.

[trashynoona]

Clothes.

Imagine opening your wardrobe, for that spring cleaning you ought to have done ages ago. As you sort through your hundredth cute outfit into the ‘keep’, ‘donate’ and ‘throw’ pile, you notice a box of clothes that you haven’t seen in awhile.

The old high school tshirt you had borrowed the first time you slept over at his place. The dress shirt you picked out for a formal event. The jumper you casually claimed ownership of. The flannel that you gladly accepted when he was clearing his wardrobe. These are his clothes. No, these WERE his clothes. You sigh. These clothes were no longer just clothes, they’re memory agents; each item carrying a very vivid memory you shared with him. They used to be special, but not anymore. In fact, they have been packed away such a long time ago that you had absolutely forgotten about their existence.

Hold on, why do you still have them if you had broken up ages ago? Ah right, Kim, your best friend, had forced me to do a wardrobe clean up after you hung around your room moving around for an unhealthy extended amount of time. You could not bear to part with all his belongings, so you ended up making a deal with Kim; to throw everything, except his clothes. You smile at that memory. It was a sight to remember, ‘no no I need this, please!’ You begged Kim while snot carelessly dripped onto the tip of your lip. Kim carelessly threw every thing that he had left at your place into a black trash bag. She would never understand, she did not have access to the memory bubbles these item/ held.

You picked up the old tshirt from the box. It smelled staled, as it should be.

‘Would you... perhaps... like to stay over tonight?’ Taehyung avoided your eyes as he shyly traced squiggly lines on your palm.

It was the first week since you guys have started dating. You became acquainted with Taehyung after you guys bonded over your love for melted ice cream when you offered to share your table with him in your university’s cafeteria. It was the first time Taehyung had invited you over to his place since you became official.

‘I’d love to. But... I have nothing to wear...’ you timidly replied.

‘Oh oh don’t worry! You can wear my high school tshirt! It’s super worn in and super comfy! I promise you’d like it!!!’ Taehyung was rambling as he jumped out of the sofa and into his bedroom.

‘Here!’ He showed you his washed out tshirt with a triumphant glee.

You guys took turns to wash up in the bathroom. You fumbled around with Taehyung’s tshirt. The fabric was made out of white cotton and the fact that it has been so worn it makes it very translucent. You were not used to wearing a bra to sleep, but you did not wanted to appear to brazen. But what’s the point of putting on a bra if it’s going to come off anyway? You made your decision and headed out of the bathroom.

Tae was fidgeting at the edge of his bed when your eyes met. Placing his hand on the bed for support, Tae struggled to place his eyes.

‘Is this... too much?’ You asked.

‘NO. No. Not at all.’ Tae responded as he shot out of bed.

‘You look beautifuller than I ever will in this tshirt.’ He muttered as he closed the gap between you.

That was the first night you had spent with your new boyfriend, Tae. Subsequently, it became a no brained for you to pick up the washed out high school tshirt whenever you stay over at his place. It always had an effect on Tae, it turns him into a very horny, very helpless puppy.

It was your faculty’s mid year formal and you’ve decided to attend as a couple. The only problem was that Tae was more of a ‘street fashion kinda guy’ as he described himself. His only white dress shirt has turned yellow and no way were you going to allow him to wear that garbage out.

You loved Tae, except when it came to shopping. Your boyfriend was the fussiest shopper ever. Too narrow, too pale, too baggy. In your eyes, it seemed like Tae was nitpicking every outfit he had tried on. By the 15th outfit, you lost it.

‘Kim Taehyung. Are you even taking this seriously?! Just tell me if you’d rather wear your yellow wash cloth. I’ve had enough!’ You half yelled as Tae came out of the dressing room in a pale lilac shirt, coupled with a deep purple suit.

‘Babe, I just want to look good for you.’ Tae pouted. Your boyfriend had that effect on you. For some reason, he looked like a five-year-old child who have just broken his favourite toy whenever he was down. How could you stay mad at him?

‘Sweetie, you look good in everything. In fact, I don’t even think I’d mind that much if you went in that washcloth of yours as long as you’re with me!’ You comforted the doe-eyed man.

‘Aw babe. I know you’d love me a little less if I had turned up in that washcloth. I actually really like this set, shall we?’ The boxy grin was back, as you marvel at your blessing for having Tae as your boyfriend.

In the end, you decided to pay for the lilac dress shirt to commemorate what you decided was your first formal event together. Your cheeky boyfriend on the other hand, announced to the world that it was a cover up to commemorate the first time you got mad at him.

In time to come, you’d realise Tae was setting you off more than you expected. You loved him, but you could not understand how could a grown man be so silly and happy-go-lucky all the time.

This leads you to the jumper. It was your first winter together and it was about 6 months into your relationship. You had just stormed off from your boyfriend’s place for a reason you can no longer recall.

Just as Tae thought you might be gone for good, he heard a little knock on the door, to the rhythm you have both came up with.

‘Babe?’ Tae muttered as he rushed to the door.

‘There’s a snow storm, I can’t leave. But I’m still mad at you!’ You push Tae aside as you invite yourself into the warm room.

Some how, Tae managed to appease you and you guys had the best make up sex that night. You had Tae’s jumper on as he licked your pussy just the way you liked it.

‘Do the Super Sonic babe’ you moaned as you grabbed a bunch of your boyfriend’s hair.

‘At your command mam.’ Tae muttered as he worked his way skilfully around your clit.

‘Super Sonic’ was a silly name Tae had invented for the technique that he knew would drive you crazy. As the name suggests, he had a mad way of moving his tongue at a high speed you could not imagine yourself. Perhaps it was the fact that he was highly skilled with the saxophone that trained his mouth muscle; but this boy can go on forever. The finale to ‘Super Sonic’ is a mind blowing orgasm that ends with you squirting all over.

‘I love you, so much , babe.’ Tae confessed for the first time as your wetness coated his face.

‘I love you too Tae.’ You said as you wiped the mixture of bodily fluid off your boyfriend‘s face.

You sigh as you picked up the last item in the box. The flannel shirt. It was the shirt that contained the most memories. It was Tae’s favourite shirt, so, it was naturally yours too.

Taehyung had worn the flannel on the day you first met and chatted over an hour. You had a tutorial to attend but you did not have the heart to interrupt the handsome stranger who was going on and on passionately about his love for melted vanilla ice cream.

The truth was, you were so busy chatting with Kim that you had forgotten to eat your ice cream. You never had a particular liking for melted ice cream but you went with it anyway, just because.

Tae wore the same flannel on your first date. The boy had planned to bring you to the carnival. Except, in typical taehyung fashion, he had forgotten to check for the weather forecast. You were actually glad that it rained, for you have acrophobia. You literally have to pop medically prescribed sleeping pills whenever you had to fly. But you went with it anyway, just because.

Tae turned up in the same flannel shirt the first time he met your family. You brought him around your childhood home for a tour when he came across a photo of you and a familiar stranger as children.

‘Babe you’ve never told me you have a brother?’ Tae asked.

‘Oh.. erm, he lives faraway and doesn’t come back often anymore.’ You answered as you hurriedly pushed Tae onwards. The truth is, your big brother had killed himself several years ago. It had taken away a part of your family, but you decided it was not time to tell your boyfriend the truth, just because.

Coincidentally, Tae was also wearing the same flannel shirt the day you guys decided to split for good. It was true that you could not stand how childish and flighty Tae could be. But Tae was the one who insisted on the break up.

‘It’s like I can never truly get to you. Do you even trust me?’ Was one of the last things you could remember Tae saying to you.

It was true, to an extent. It’s not that you could not trust Tae, but rather, you simply could not trust yourself. After the death of your dear brother, you have feared opening up to new people. You were terrified that they too, would leave.

You wish you had fought for Tae to stay. But you could not. The only thing you did was muster the courage to ask for that flannel shirt. The flannel that started it all and ended it all.

You decided to place all of taehyung’s clothes into the ‘throw’ pile, for it was just too painful to imagine somebody else wearing his clothes; unaware of the stories that came with it.

It has been over a year since Taehyung and you had broken up. You did not keep in contact since and decided perhaps it was time to casually check out his profile. Tae was looking very handsome and cheeky as usual. He was wearing a new flannel shirt with the Gucci shoulder bag that you have bought for him for your first and only one year anniversary. You smile to yourself and wondered if Tae still think of you whenever he used the bag, or perhaps, it is simply a bag to him now, a meaningless, overpriced bag. You will never know.

Just then, a notification came in and blocked your view of your ex boyfriend.

‘Heyyyy, just wanted to confirmed if we’re still on for drinks tonight?’ - Jin.

Yes, you have moved on. Memories of taehyung no longer leave you in tears and despair. You were regretful that you never found the courage to open up to taehyung but you figured, these things are not meant to be forced. Perhaps you had never found that courage because Tae was never the one to be. At one point, both Tae and you were probably convinced that you were meant to be. Unfortunately, time has proven otherwise. You are open to going on dates now. You are not sure if you will ever find the strength to break down all your walls, however, in the meantime, no harm trying you suppose.

Ps. It took forever to find Tae in a flannel, it’s almost like flannel is his fashion crux or something. Rip.

[jamiebluewind]

Tumblr Boycott

Remember guys! At 11:59 pm EST tonight (12/16/2018), log off Tumble for 24 hours to protest the unfair and sexist ban, shadowbanning, the innocent tags that have become unusable due to the ban (like chronic pain and top surgery), the features that have become broken, and tumblr's refusal to listen to its users. Remember to not lurk offline either to keep them from getting traffic. They need to see how many of us don't approve of this!

If you wish to not log off (due to things like password issues or concerns that tumblr executives will see it as a mass exodus) but still wish to protest, do not interact with tumblr in any way during the boycott. No liking, reblogging, commenting, lurking, messaging, checking notifications, or clicking the pop up messages notifying you that you have a message or note on tumblr (you can go in your settings on your phone, go into notifications, and turn them off for tumblr if you wish to avoid this issue during the boycott). This will still cause tumblr traffic and general activity to go down.

If you don't have an account, stay off the site during the boycott. Your traffic counts too!

If you wish to log off earlier or stay off later due to your timezone, that's just fine. I'll personally be logging off at 6 pm EST to stand with my users as many hit midnight at that time. I wont be back on until at least 3 am EST on 12/18/2018 (unless I'm asleep).

If you wish to leave tumblr for good, delete your account on the way out. I'll miss those that feel like they need to go, but if you feel that it is your best course of action, deleting your account will impact Tumblr's numbers when presenting to investors. Just leaving makes no real difference, but if 100,000 users or more suddenly deleted their accounts... well... it would be a HUGE red flag to Tumblr and investors. If you are a creator leaving for good, you can back up your posts by following one of the many tutorials online.

If you are an artist or create other visual things, create art, gifs, or other creations promoting the boycott or protesting the ban and its effects! It will help raise awareness and make the topic harder to ignore. Get literal or abstract. Be logical or let yourself be fueled by your emotional. Make it simple or complex. Go serious or make a shitpost. Whatever your skill level. Whatever time you have to create it. Use your creative talents for the good of yourself, your fans, and the entire platform in general!

[serpent-squad]

Serpent Drop | Sweet Pea x Reader

Sweet Pea has always hated the holiday season, and New Year’s is no exception. Will you and the rest of the serpents be able to make this New Year’s one to remember? 

Written for Day Eight (Blitzen) of @riverdale-events Reindeer Games! 

December 31st 8 a.m. BEEP BEEP BEEP

“What the hell?” Sweet Pea groans as he leans over to pull the alarm clock’s cord from the wall.

“We need to wake up sleepyhead! It’s New Year’s eve.” Sweet Pea shoved his head back under the blankets. “I thought we could get a group together and head to the city to see the ball drop?” Y/n said pulling the blanket from his face and flashing your best puppy dog eyes. You knew this was a long shot, but waking up early gave you more opportunity to beg.

“You know how I feel about this time of year..” He said obviously uncomfortable, “Why don’t you just tag along with Toni and Cheryl or something? That sounds like more their kind of scene.” He got out of bed and retreated to the bathroom.

Making your way to the kitchen you decide to make Pea’s favorite breakfast—French toast. As he shut off the shower, you set the small kitchen table with two plates, a plate piled high of French toast, and started a pot of coffee. Sweet Pea gives you a sly look as he emerges from the door way.

“Smells good babe.” He says as you both slide into your normal seats across from each other. We both devoured the food and drank cups of coffee, while entertaining small talk and both clearly avoiding the question at hand, until I finally started cleaning the table to do the dishes.

“So what time did you want to leave for the city? It’s only 9:30 a.m. so we have plenty of time if you wa—”

“I’m not going y/n.”, he interrupted as he started for the door.

“What?! You were serious?”

“Yes, I don’t get the big deal. It’s just like every other Monday night.” He scoffed.

“Because I want to spend New Year’s with you!”, y/n pleaded, “Sweets what is your problem? Ever since Christmas you’ve been even more grumpy than normal?”

He sighed. “I’ve just n- never really seen the point in celebrating. When I had a family, we didn’t celebrate and then when I was six on Christmas morning I woke up and they were gone. I was all alone.” His voice cracked as he struggled to get the words out. I crossed the kitchen towards him and pulled him to sit on the couch.

“So this time of year has always been associated with pain and loneliness... I’m not usually with anyone and my relationships haven’t made it past hooks up in years. I knew it would be hard being around you because you love Christmas and holidays and I-I just didn’t want to ruin them for you with my problems.”

“Oh, Pea.” I placed my fingers on his chest and looked into those big brown eyes, “You could never bother me, and I want your problems to be my problems. The day I said yes to dating I signed up for that. I’m so sorry, I didn’t know they did that to you on Christmas..”

Sweet Pea didn’t say anything, but I felt his grip tighten on my hand, and his thumb tracing circles. I laid my head on his chest and we sat like that for a while. Until I realized what needed to be done today. Pea’s phone rang from the bedroom and as he went to answer it I shot a quick text to a group chat, that included everyone expect Sweet Pea.

   Serpent Meeting, Noon, @ pop’s (Don’t tell him Fangs)

“Hey babe. Some older serpents called and they really needed my help with a job today.” He explained as he threw on his serpent jacket.

“Be safe please. And call me when you’re on the way home.”, even though you were a serpent you couldn’t help but feel anxious when Sweet Pea went on jobs.

As you made your way into the pop’s, you knew it would be empty because most people were preparing for tonight’s festivities. Jughead and Betty were sitting next to each other in a booth, no doubt working on Riverdale’s latest mystery and Toni and Cheryl were sitting across the bar from one another.

“Alright Y/N, what was so important that I had be here this early?” Cheryl retorted.

Y/N rolled their eyes, “Once Fangs and Kevin get here, I’ll tell everyone. Calm down Cheryl.”

“Early? It’s noon.” Jughead pointed out laughing.

“You and cousin Betty may stay up all hours of the night sleuthing, but some of us actually like to sleep. Plus TT kept me up last night.” Cheryl said shooting a smirk across the counter.

The group erupted with TMI’s, gags, and laughs coming from Cheryl and Toni, as Fangs and Kevin finally showed up.

“Thank god you two finally showed up!” Betty remarked, escaping the previous conversation.  

“So Y/N now that we’re all here, what was the reason for this urgent serpent & co meeting?” Kevin asked.

“I’m sure you all realized how much more grumpy Sweet pea was around Christmas. And today I was begging him to come to the city with me to celebrate New Years and I finally found out why he hates the holiday season so much.”

“What does this have to do with us?” Cheryl asked, “so the giant is a little more grumpier than normal, what’s new?”, she said shrugging.

Fangs sighed. “He told you why, Y/N?” I nodded in response, averting my eyes towards the ground.

Fangs crossed the room towards me, putting his arm around and squeezing my shoulder. “Hey, I’ve never known him to tell any of his exes about that, he must really love you, ya know that right?”, he whispered in my ear.

“I do. Thank you Fangs. And that’s why I need all of your help. I want to show Sweet Pea just how loved he really is by the family, that he has right here in Riverdale.”, I said.

“What did you have in mind?”, Betty asked.

“I thought we could throw our own New Year’s party.. at possibly Thistle house?”

“Of course.” Toni replied. “At least I get to throw a party I guess.” Cheryl added in.

“Great. So, we’ll need some decorations, and of course drinks. It is New Year’s after all.” Kevin stated, “Fangs and I can take care of getting that stuff.”

“I had an idea for a makeshift ball drop.. I know we could just watch it on tv but I feel like actually having one in person would give a better effect. I saw some tutorials online that said something about wrapping paper and a foam ball.” I confessed.

“Jug and I can help with that. I have some left over Christmas wrapping that we could use. ”, Betty suggested.

We all left Pop’s with plans, supplies to gather, and agreed to meet at Thistle house two hours later. Betty, Jughead, and I head to her house to work on the makeshift ball drop.

“The tutorial said we should glue strips of the foil wrapping paper onto the ball. It recommended covering it in glitter for an even better effect.”, I said, “which I was almost positive you would already have some laying around, Betty.”

“I’m sure I have some around here.” She said as she started digging through her desk drawers.

“Then Jughead once we get to Thistle house, I’ll need your help to suspend the ball from the ceiling using an eye screw and a pulley to control it.”

“Can do.” Jughead smirked, as betty and I got busy covering the foam ball.

We were the last group to show up to Thistle house. Toni and Cheryl had invited some other serpents and Kevin and Fangs had brought decorations and alcohol for the party. Everyone was decorating the huge living room and parts of the backyard.

“Wow guys! This looks amazing.. Thank you, really. This means a lot to me.” , I said looking around at all the work they had put in.

“We bought some snacks, plenty of alcohol, and even some fireworks for tonight.” Kevin bragged.

Jughead and Kevin got to work to hang the ball from the patio overhang in the backyard. Cheryl even brought out a spotlight to illuminate the ball during the drop. Everything for tonight was falling into place.

“So how are you planning to get him here?”, Betty asked.

I paused and glanced towards Toni. “I was thinking you could call him and come up with something to get him over here?”

“Say no more.”, Toni smirked as she pulled out her phone.

Serpents had starting showing up around nine p.m. And just like clockwork, I got a text from Pea right after Toni called him.

                       Otw to Toni’s babe. Be home soon

We made sure everyone’s vehicles were parked out back and the music wasn’t too loud while we waited for him. As the roar of his engine came down the road and pulled in the drive way, I got everyone situated in the living room out of sight of the front door.

BANG BANG BANG

“Alright Topaz. Where is this emergency? I have to be home soon.”, Pea explained.

“Why?”

“I don’t really care about New Year’s but it means a lot to y/n so I want to be there.”, he said.

“Aw—”

“Don’t start with me. You want my help or not?” He retorted cutting her off.

“C’mon, it’s in the living room.”

As soon as I heard his voice I started questioning everything. Did I make the right choice? Is he going to hate this? Will this make him feel even more lonely? It didn’t really matter now, his footsteps were fast approaching the living room and there was no time for second thoughts.

“What the hell is this?”Sweet Pea asked gesturing to the silver and gold streamers hanging in between him and the living room.  

Jughead flicked the lights on and the crowd erupts with cheers. As Fangs runs towards his best friend bursting through the curtain of streamers and jumping on him. “Happy New Year’s!”

The room filled with laughter as the two serpents fell to the floor, some joining in and jumping on the boys, and the party was in full force. Sweet Pea managed to get up and escaped Fangs’ grip, and we made eye contact from across the room. His long legs took no time to make the strides in my direction.

“You.. this is what you’ve been doing all day while I was gone?” He smirked as he put his arms around my waist.

“Maybe, but I can’t take all the credit.”

“Who else would do this for me?”, he asked.

“Oh I don’t know. The bonkers serpent who attacked you when you came in the living room, or the girl who got you here, or even Cheryl who volunteered her house, or Betty and Jughead that helped me with a big project today.” He laughed as I listed off the other people who helped, “Your family, Sweets, that’s who.”  

He wrapped his arms around me and kissed my forehead as he whispered in my ear. “I love you y/n. I can’t promise I’ll ever love the holidays but with you by my side, they will be a lot more bearable.”

We found the rest of our friends, and spent the night dancing and drinking. Playing party games with other serpents, sitting around the fire, shooting off fireworks, and all the while him not letting you out of arms reach. At about 11:50 the alarm on my phone went off to remind me about the ball drop.

“What was that?”, Pea asked.

Toni heard the alarm and went to find Cheryl.

CLINK CLINK CLINK

Cheryl tapped a fork against her glass and yelled over the music. “Everyone go to the backyard for Sweet Pea’s surprise from Y/N.”

“What’s going on?” Pea asked. I grabbed his hand and pulled him out the door into the backyard. Kevin turned on the spotlight to illuminate the makeshift ball. Sweet Pea’s face lit up when he noticed the double headed serpent emblem drawn onto the sparkling ball.  

“I know it doesn’t quite compare to the real deal, but we tried to make it special? I thought if I couldn’t bring you to the city, I’d bring the ball drop to Riverdale.”

Sweet pea sighed. “It’s perfect y/n. This is so much better than anything the city could offer.” He said as he pulled you into his chest.

Fangs came up from behind and squeezed between us. “Three minutes until the ball drop lovebirds!”

“What’re you doing over here? Where’s Kevin?” Sweet Pea asked and Fangs was gone again.

Pea laughed as Fangs ran frantically looking for Kevin. We went back to holding onto each other, and I couldn’t shake the feeling of this morning. How broken and sad he felt, thinking back on how holidays made him feel.

“I hope you’ve had fun tonight, Sweets.” I said.

“Are you kidding? This is the best New Year’s I’ve had… well, ever y/n.” Pea gulped. “And you’ve done the most of anyone to ensure that. So I do owe you a thank you. No matter how grumpy I got, you didn’t give up. You showed me who really cares, and you’ve showed me who my real family is.”

I was in awe. Sweet Pea had finally realized he did have a family. Maybe not blood, but he had a group of people who would go to the ends of the Earth for him. Before I could say anything, everyone started counting down as Jughead lowered the Serpent ball down from the top.

Five…Four…Three…Two… One…

Sweets grab you by your waist as you wrapped your arms around his neck. The smile that spread across his lips was enough to melt you into a puddle on the floor. Everyone around you erupted into cheers and hollers to ring in the new year. Your lips met as you felt the caress of his warm lips press against yours. Softly at first and then with a swift gradation of intensity as you parted your lips, biting his lip you pulled away with a smirk. Sweet Pea knew how quickly he could get you going.

“Happy New Year babe.” He said planting a kiss on your forehead.

“Happy New Year, Sweets.” I said without being able to contain the grin from my face. “I have a feeling 2019 is going to be our year.”

A loud boom brought them from their trance. Fangs, Kevin, and Jughead were on the other side of the back lawn shooting off fireworks.

“C’mon man, you gotta do the finale!” Fangs yelled.

Any feedback is appreciated! :) Hope everyone had a great holiday season and has a happy 2019 ♡

[quarterfromcanon]

Habits

Heather & Valencia - Femslash February - Day 25 - Pet Name [3,599 words]

“Wanna get high and help me name my starfish?”

Valencia lifted her eyebrows. The sight of Heather on the doorstep toting an aquarium and a backpack full of recreational materials was not what she’d expected to find outside her apartment that night. However, after the recent decrease in communication between them, the surprise was far from unwelcome. “Hello to you, too.” She stepped aside to allow her friend to pass.

Heather carefully set her new sea creature atop the kitchen counter, under the cabinets. She gauged the distance from there to the living room and nodded to herself. “She’ll be safe here,” Heather elucidated upon noticing Valencia’s quizzical response.

“I should preface by saying I don’t smoke pot. Or anything else, for that matter.” Valencia returned to the couch. She turned off the TV and tossed aside several throw pillows to make room for a second occupant.

Her unexpected guest took the vacant spot and put her book bag on the floor. “I can teach you,” Heather volunteered as she withdrew the supplies from their hiding places.

Valencia glanced at her stack of rented DVDs beside an empty takeout box. Meanwhile, Heather rummaged through unseen contents and grumbled about the stash slipping all the way to the bottom. Valencia watched her for a moment - hair falling over her cheek, biceps still bearing indents from the heavy fish tank, a faint trace of spilled water across her shirt - and reached a conclusion. She rearranged the clutter on her coffee table. “All right. I wasn’t really doing anything tonight anyway.”

“That’s the spirit,” Heather remarked dryly. She produced a purple lighter, papers, cardboard, glue, and the sought-after Ziploc bag. “Before we get started, do you have cucumbers?”

Valencia blanched. “One, I think. Why?”

“It’s good for the dry mouth effect,” Heather explained. “That and water. But we need to prep ahead of time because you do not wanna be wielding a sharp knife when you’re on this stuff.”

“Got it. I’ll take care of those and you can finish setting up here.” Valencia departed for the kitchen, feeling strangely observed by the starfish in the corner. She sliced enough cucumber to cover a plate and put the rest of the produce back in her fridge. Once a water bottle was tucked under each arm, she shuffled to the living room with the dish balanced on her palm. Valencia positioned one drink on each end of the table. She set the plate in the center.

Heather held a finished product and the lighter in her hands. She sparked a small flame, touched the fire to the end of the paper, and twiddled the joint in circles between her thumb and forefinger. Heather talked Valencia through the breathing counts by likening it to yoga. Then she detailed the best inhalation technique for drawing the hit into her lungs. 

Valencia worked to commit the advice to memory despite mounting uncertainty. She gave Heather’s demonstration full attention and tried to duplicate it once the second toke was offered to her. The sputtering aftermath seemed unavoidable, but it could’ve been worse without the tutorial.

“Why do you have a starfish?” Valencia asked once the cough subsided. 

“Marine Biology. She’s basically the biggest part of my grade for the next three months.”

“Important starfish.” Valencia flexed her fingers. Her brow furrowed at the subtle numbness in her extremities.

“Yeah. We get to refer to them by name in our reports, so I’m trying to figure out something that’s, like, academically serious but still reflects her personality.” Heather contemplated the tank from a distance. “Oh, right, I almost forgot.” She fumbled with a different compartment of her bag and tossed Valencia a hefty paperback. 

Valencia missed the catch. The purchase whacked the corner of the couch, causing it to ricochet into her lap. “What’s this?”

“I thought it might give us a place to start.” Heather twisted the cap off her water and chugged.

Valencia held the book away from her face. Her eyes went slightly crossed at the number emblazoned across the front. “One million... No, wait, damn it. Not that many zeroes. One hundred thousand baby names? Holy crap! Heather, I don’t think people consider this many options for their human children.”

“They do according to the store where I bought our mid-high munchies.”

Valencia tried to whistle but couldn’t accomplish the sound. She gave up the effort and shook her head instead. “We’re going to be here a while.”

Heather plucked up two slices of cucumber. She pressed one against Valencia’s palm. “We’ve got time.”

Valencia followed the unspoken command and sampled the serving. She grabbed Heather’s wrist. “This tastes like rain.”

Heather snorted. “What?”

“Try it.” 

Heather complied and her eyes widened. “It does.”

They consumed a few more before Valencia’s elbow bumped the book and she remembered their intended task. “Oh shoot. We were supposed to be finding a name for your little buddy.” Her forehead creased as she attempted to concentrate. “What kind of name?”

“Maybe we could start with real stars?”

“The celebrity kind or wish-upon-a?”

Heather cackled but held up two fingers. “That one.” She leaned against the pile of throw pillows. “Polaris. Vega. Mira.”

“The Sun,” Valencia added tentatively.

“Also true.”

“How about the word for star in other languages?”

“What would that be in Spanish?”

“Estrella.”

Heather leaned forward until she could see her starfish in the water. “Estrella,” she repeated, dragging out the final vowel. “I kinda dig that.” 

“We have a keeper?”

“I think so.”

Valencia pouted at the tome under her hand, still unopened. “Well, that was easy.” She chucked it away. The thunk of impact when the book slid to the bathroom door made them giggle.

They readjusted on the couch until they were angled toward one another, legs overlapped at the ankle. 

“You know, before you showed up tonight, I kind of wondered if maybe you were mad at me,” Valencia admitted.

Heather reached for the joint where it rested at the edge of their shared plate. “Why would I be upset with you?”

Valencia frowned. “I don’t know. We haven’t been hanging out lately, and I guess I got worried. I haven’t seen you since Rebecca and I came back from investigating Anna.”

“Things got kinda busy after that.” Heather exhaled slowly. “Speaking of getting busy, how was that barfly rando you left with? Rebecca was all pouty you turned her down for Friday Night Lights to get laid. Because, y’know, priorities.”

“We didn’t really do anything.”

“He passed out before things got to that point? The guy was pretty far gone already.”

“No, he was conscious when I saw him last.” Valencia sighed and lolled her head to the side. “I panicked and ditched him in the parking lot.”

Heather traced the design on the nearest pillow. Her head bobbed almost imperceptibly with every rise and fall of the stitching, as if she were experiencing each crest and valley like a winding road. “Why’s that?”

“I didn’t know how to go through it.” Heather gave her a dubious look and they both laughed. Valencia rolled her eyes. “Well, okay, I knew how, but I’ve never had a one-night stand in my life. He was all over me under the lamppost and it was like I was out of my body thinking, ‘What am I going to do? Invite this not-so-sexy stranger back to my place and pray he’s not a murderer?’ I don’t even remember what excuse I made. I just bolted and shouted something over my shoulder. Locked my car doors and sped off.”

Heather stifled a snicker with a fist against her mouth. “Wow. That was a next level hard pass.”

Valencia hid behind her fingers, wincing. “I know. I feel bad but, at the same time, I don’t regret it.” She lowered her arms and twitched her shoulders. “So Josh has some hot new girlfriend and I’m still single. Who gives a shit? Let her put up with the sports clutter all over the house and his annoying nostalgia for his mom’s Bagel Bites.” Valencia paused with a wistful expression. “Oh, but those do sound good right now.”

Heather plunged a hand into her backpack and produced a recognizable red box with a yellow label.

Valencia’s jaw dropped. “You’re a genius.”

They went to the stove and arranged the treats on a pan. Valencia set the oven to preheat then hopped onto the counter with her legs dangling over the ledge. Heather visited her pet. “Hey, Estrella, how’re you doing over here? V, check it out. I think she kinda moved a little. She answered when I called her.” 

Valencia beamed and tapped her shoes against the lower level cabinets. “I’m glad she likes it.”

“Since you picked the name, it feels like that makes you an honorary part of this.” Heather slid her fingertips across the cool glass. “Like a godmother or something.”

“Except we didn’t have to immerse her in water for the christening. She’s already there.” 

“Maybe, for ocean life, you’re supposed to lift them to the sky? Sorta like Simba.”

“I’m not reaching in there.” Valencia shook her head emphatically until dizziness made her stop. “Let’s just pretend we did.”

“It’s the thought that counts.” Heather bent low to drape her arms along the counter in front of the tank. She folded both hands beneath her face and stared at the grains of sand. 

Valencia studied Heather with heightened sensory detail. The soft, even sound of her breath reached Valencia’s ears as if there were only centimeters between them. She became convinced it might be possible to count Heather’s eyelashes from afar. Everything was so bold and focused when she looked closely -- the small mole visible beyond the opening in Heather’s deep-cut tank top and another on her neck, the subtle indentation in her chin, the slope of her nose, the piercing through her perfectly sculpted eyebrow, and the way the light bounced off the water to dance across her skin.

“God, you’re beautiful,” Valencia mumbled.

Heather turned to her with a smile. “And you’re high as fuck.”

Valencia considered the current perch she occupied and gulped. Her muddled thoughts latched onto a more literal interpretation of the word ‘high.’ She became suddenly anxious. “I don’t know if I can get down from here.”

Heather moved to stand before Valencia. She braced her knees and extended her arms. “On three?”

Valencia jumped off without warning. Heather yelped when Valencia’s feet landed on hers, but she steadied her companion with a firm grip regardless. “I didn’t count,” she croaked.

“Sorry.” Valencia pulled away slightly to look into Heather’s eyes, but not far enough to break the hold.

Beep.

Heather dropped both hands to her sides. “Oven’s ready.”

Valencia blinked and nodded. She slid the pan onto the metal rack and closed the door. Then she settled cross-legged on the laminate to stare through the foggy glass at their food.

Heather laughed. “Dude, you’ve gotta set the timer first.” She punched in the appropriate number of minutes and offered to help Valencia rise from the floor. “C’mon, let’s wait in the living room.”

Valencia accepted Heather’s assistance but felt a strange pang when her friend’s fingers released hers once more.

They flopped on the couch. Heather flailed as the stacked throw pillows came tumbling down over her head. “Your furniture is attacking me.”

Valencia guffawed but angled forward to rescue Heather from the onslaught. They batted half the square cushions in various directions until only the ones supporting Heather’s spine remained. Valencia took in the mess and her lower lip protruded. “Wait, I didn’t leave any for me to lean on.” 

Heather shifted to the left and patted the empty space beside her. “Just share mine. This thing is like a gigantic bench. We can both fit next to each other.”

Valencia snuggled into place. “Okay.” She rested on her side and hummed contentedly. Her arm wound across Heather’s middle. “You’re so warm. The last person who was on this couch with me was Josh.” Valencia stuck out her tongue. “I’m so much happier with my girl. You and Rebecca are way better company.”

Heather tensed. The bridge of her nose scrunched and her eyelids clamped shut. “V, I have something I’ve got to tell you. But I think you should take another hit first.”

Valencia made a grabby gesture in the air. Heather responded to the silent request and fetched the joint for her. Valencia took a drag with remarkably improved technique and only minor throat clearing. She passed it back to Heather, who indulged in another toke before freeing her hands again. “So, what did you want to say?” Valencia prompted.

Heather grimaced. “Okay, so, you know Anna?”

Valencia’s mouth turned down at one corner. “Unfortunately. What about her?”

“She’s gone.”

“She died?”

“No, no.” Heather waved the misunderstanding aside. “She broke up with him.”

“Oh.” Valencia’s eyebrows rose. “So Josh will finally have to figure out how to be on his own. It’s about damn time.”

Heather took a deep breath. “Not quite.”

“He’s already with someone new? That is so typical.” Valencia scoffed and folded her arms.

Heather met her gaze. Her features were etched with sympathy. “Valencia, it isn’t someone new.”

Valencia struggled to comprehend what that meant. She had to speak the thought process aloud just to make sense of it. “Somebody old? An ex. But Josh only has two of those and he’s not with me so...” The realization washed over her with painful understanding. “Rebecca?”

Heather inclined her head in confirmation.

“But we connected,” Valencia protested feebly. “We refreshed. We healed.”

“I know.”

Valencia pushed her fingertips against her temples. The truth kept slipping in and out of her grasp, a devastating déjà vu she instinctively fought to reject. “When?”

“I don’t know exactly.” Heather sank deeper into the couch. “Rebecca was staying with Paula right after she kicked Scott out, and I got this text about Josh going over there to find her.”

“He ran right from one woman to another. Again.” Valencia’s lip curled.

“That’s what I tried to tell her when I texted back.” Heather tugged off her beanie and clenched it in her fist. “But you know how that goes. You try to stop Rebecca doing a thing and she doubles down. They’ve started going out in public and I didn’t want you to see without knowing ahead of time...” Heather draped her palm over Valencia’s left wrist. “I’m so sorry, V.”

It took additional effort due to her dulled sense of touch, but Valencia found Heather’s hand with her right and clasped. “You don’t need to apologize for anything. No one else showed up at my door to be honest, but you’re here.”

Heather studied the place where their skin met in silence, but there was still intense guilt and regret behind her eyes.

Valencia let her forehead fall against Heather’s arm. She felt Heather’s chin rest near her scalp. “I’m really lucky to have you,” Valencia murmured.

“Same here.”

Beep.

Heather’s laugh escaped on a tremulous exhale. “Oh, shit. The bagels.”

Valencia returned to the kitchen. Heather moved from the couch to the chair where she could monitor snack-related proceedings. Valencia opened the oven and squinted as heat spilled from the interior.

“Don’t forget you need those glove thingies,” Heather cautioned.

“Good call.” Valencia pulled the handle of a nearby drawer and found her floral pair of oven mitts. She moved the tray over the burners then leaned her hip against the counter while she waited for everything to cool. “Heather, what am I going to do?”

“... Eat the Bagel Bites?”

“No. I mean, yes, I am, because they look and smell like a dream. But the Rebecca and Josh thing.” Valencia wrapped her arms around her stomach. “I’ve only got enough room in my head for one thought at a time -- like how I’m pretty sure I can hear the cheese sliding down that far left bagel right now -- but tomorrow’s going to be different. I can’t stay high indefinitely to avoid this.”

Heather nodded. “I think you’ve gotta let yourself feel your feelings. If you wake up sad, have a good cry. If you wake up pissed, go kickboxing or something and let all that aggression out. They’re gonna want your forgiveness, but you don’t have to give that to them until you’re ready. They need to respect your emotional right to cope in whatever way works best. Both of them hurt you, and they don’t get to dictate the self-care required to recover from that.” She looked down at where she was sitting and smiled. “I’m like textbook armchair psychologist right now, literally and figuratively.”

Valencia’s lips twitched. She dissolved into a fit of giggles.

Heather tilted her head to the side and her eyebrows quirked. “Okay. That is a feeling. Not any of the ones I was expecting, but like, do your thing.”

“It’s not that,” Valencia clarified as she gasped for oxygen. “I just realized something.”

“What?”

“Heather Davis. HD. Your initials are the same as High Definition.” The amusement overtook her again. Valencia whimpered at the resultant sting behind her rib cage. She ran her wrist under both eyelids while Heather chuckled appreciatively. “I’m sorry; the weed is just making that weirdly funny to me for some reason. But I think I have your new contact name for my phone.”

“It’s perfect. Go for it.”

Valencia tried to access her back pocket and ended up patting her jeans in confusion. “Wait, I can’t find it.”

“That’s because you’ve still got your Minnie Mouse hands on.”

“My...?” Valencia held out her arms and realized she still wore her patterned oven mitts. “Oh! Crap. Hang on, how do I take this one off when my fingers are stuck in the other one?”

Heather wheezed. “Don’t worry. I’ll come help you, you confused cartoon character.”

She walked over to catch hold of the troublesome material. “Pull.”

Valencia wrenched her hands free and gave an excited shout. “Yay, they’re back!”

Heather patted Valencia’s shoulder. “I think they were there the whole time.”

“Probably.” Valencia gasped, making Heather jump. “Hey, do you know where we should eat these bagels? Under the dining room table.”

Heather’s eyebrows drew closer together. “Don’t people usually put their food on top of the table?”

“Doesn’t matter. This will be better. Trust me.” Valencia wandered off with the pan in both hands. 

Heather stood still for a minute while she tried to trace the logic behind the suggestion. Ultimately, she shrugged and followed Valencia’s lead. She passed through the living room, grabbed the two water bottles along the way, and sidestepped the Venetian screen. Valencia was already there, dragging two living room pillows and a thin blanket alongside her as she crawled out of sight. 

“It’ll be like a fort,” Valencia reasoned. “Just us against the rest of the world. Only you, me, and modified food starch allowed.”

Heather shook her head affectionately. “Stoned you is basically a junk food craving third grader. I love it.”

Valencia’s face poked into view. “If you’re cootie-free and you know the password, you can join me.”

“Is the password ‘pizza,’ by any chance?”

“Duh. Get down here before I polish them all off myself.”

Heather ducked past the surrounding chairs, back bent to keep her head from bashing against the table. “You’re right; this is so much more comfortable.”

Valencia put a Bagel Bite against Heather’s lips. “Why be full of sarcasm when you can be full of mozzarella?”

“You have a point.” Heather caught the bagel between her teeth and groaned. 

“Good, huh?”

Heather popped the remainder into her mouth and held two thumbs up. “Best three dollars and ninety-seven cents I’ve ever spent.” She tossed Valencia a water bottle and they drank.

Conversation fell by the wayside as they ate across the rows of mini pizzas. By the time they got down to the last few, they were both stretched out on their sides with one elbow propped against their respective pillows. Valencia finished her final bagel and shifted to a reclined position. “This table fort might have to double as a cave. I think I could hibernate from now to spring.”

Heather stowed the empty pan atop a chair, clearing the path for them to get more comfortable. “Sign me the fuck up. Home Base and Miss Douche can figure out how to get by without me until, like, at least mid-March.” She hugged the throw pillow and settled on her stomach. Valencia fanned the blanket over their legs. “So it’s cool if I crash here?” Heather checked, eyelids fluttering closed despite her best efforts to prevent them from doing so.

“Of course.” Valencia got situated with one hand flung above her head. Her natural sleeping position accidentally brought their arms into contact again. She debated moving a few inches to allow more room between them for sleep. However, since Heather didn’t seem to mind their proximity and Valencia found the nearness comforting, she let it go.

A few minutes ticked by without a single noise, save for their relaxed breathing. Valencia was on the brink of dozing, but she licked her lips and tried to express one last sentiment. It traveled through the stillness in a whisper. “Heather?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you for trying to protect me.”

Heather drowsily rolled to the side, bumping against Valencia in a slow motion body-check before returning to her spot. “No problem. Everyone needs someone in their corner, right? You can count on me.”

[randomkposts]

Im probably going to finish watch SMT imagine tonight. A seven hour movie.

For Law. Snakeman raising probably reincarnated Azura to be a better devil buster then protag is kind of cute. Snakeman just wants to be dad, let him be dad.

Im probably missing a lot of the fine details of this game, but given searching the internet has not given me the details of a neutral ending, I can live with watching this as my main interaction with it.

If you feel I need more info though, feel free to info dump to me about it in notes or reblogs.

Chaos so far seems to be a bunch of NPCs not Gaian aligned telling you that you fucked the future and brought strife and despair? Regardless of dead or alive status. As protag stares off into the bleading sky?

Is protag Lucifiers other half of the soul, or is something else going on? Reincarnation is def mentioned. No wait, egyptain gids. So set?

"It will not be long before we meet again" guess protag is going to die soon?

Time for side A land of the begining, which kicks off with Snakeman giving some useful advice, that he probably should have done sooner.

So far its a missing persons case with no solid name.

I have to wonder, what is the vending machine incident this DB owes snakeman for? Translation or misinfromation? I thpought the missing DB used male pronouns?

Sorcerers can bind demons without comps.

Is that a diffrent direction for magic, or does Raidou count as one?

Oh contained them in the human body. Like a pact? Like Rei Reiho and Hitomi/ Nemissa?

Nope, I should read the whole thing before speculating. Apparantly the sorcerer manipulated the demons with the bodies.

Like puppets?

Is this lore that will come into effect, or just rumor bait?

Anyway, so three COMPS are collected in varried state of useable, and the DB is assumed Dead. Now to get into home ii, protag talks to, and then teams up with white haired feline (?) ears suit guy

Who is being tormented by a old, possibly reincarnated family friend? Whatever, hes not responsible for protags possible drowning. He'll just play with the goat. Yah you do that budda

Ok. Was not sure what to expect, but it was not zombie tutorial devil buster lady. Er, DB. Kuroe.

"Have to protect. Don't forget"

The mind numbing terror of losing your mind to becoming an abomination.

To hold her hand? Or ease her suffering?

Well this is a zombie scenario, but she is lucid . . .

Oh. Human exparaments. Joy. Looks like the sorcerer is relevent, reincarnating, and nammed Douman. Since Heian times apparantly.

Who teamed up with Ogami

He wants timo reseruct seth. Oh yah, the law ending was kill the demon baby? I think?

Ok, suit ears is called Hiruki. Who has a family legacy of prison breaking methods. Surely he can destory Doumons barriers.

Wards. Whatevs.

But first he needs the catalyst. Gems. Sounding like the OG. Mitsudama?

No situation is too urgent for a fetch quest I guess.

But by the time its done the cosmic egg is broken. Whateves lets go

"After a thousand years the evil battle will be settled"

"The future of my descendents are in your hands." Odd proposal, but sure whynot, ill ship it. Its 1am.

"The great power will eat my soul, and be reborn and I will be reborn as the messiah" you sure you did your research there Doumon?

Yah, dragon Set destroyed the fool.

Hey combat! I've missed combat in this movie, its usually pretty short in this one, but combat music is always great and now I get to listen. And wipe the stove off.

Its nice to move around and take a break from the movie eith the sound of combat music.

So hetrochromic lady I forgot to mention comes in and grabs Sets orband says hes just a copy of the blade of god. Oh ok. Its Louise Cypher, dressed like a secratary. I thought you looked familar. Guess it was you doing the battle comentary as well as giving the code.

The power of satans other half? I thought. Oh whatever. Lucifer is always looking to hire. Funny how I finished Nocturne before 2.

Any other pre SMT 2 games I should know about?

And so Louise Cypher exits stage down, through the pentagram

Time to report, and wonder what possible good Seth would be as a military resource? Guess equivalent to a nuke.

Time to talk to Dilagent Judah, who has apparantly been stalking Protag.

And is talking about soul quality.

And here the idea of creating a savior is born. Doumon was the original intended messiah???

What?

And now Judah wants protag to repent and convert. Buffie is chaos this urn, so nope.

And it seems it will end with reporting to snakeman. Fitting. Kuroe has been avenged.

Snakeman takes a diffrent vibe from earlier. And says his (maybe) catchphrase .

"Show me your guts"

Thats a wrap, unless more is translated and posted, I guess.

It is 1:55 am. I should crash