#YEAH YOU SURE ARE DEVOTED TO HIM......HUH.......FORCIBLY >:)

[lululeighsworld]

some other fun affinity auto-battles match-ups >:3cc

[neo-culture-mafia]

VI.

mirror masa by dathan

Damn

The waves of love came crashing down on Jeno’s head. His wish to break free from the suffocating feelings topped his head in a weighted suspense. Was he drowning from love...or high from devotional ecstasy?

“Not this. Anything but this.” He begged with his reflection in his fogged bathroom mirror. The reflective surface was cloudy with the shower steam. Yet, he could see himself clearly in the water’s trails as it cascaded down the mirror. It was one of the few times where he wasn’t high, but, his brain told him that he was anything but sober . Jeno was watching his life through his eyes like a movie.

“This isn’t real.” He muttered as he shook his head in disbelief. “you,” his words were getting trapped in his throat, “this isn’t you. You’re not real.” His hands could only grip the white marble of the countertop in hopes to ground himself to actual reality.

This was scaring him. The way he didn’t even know if his life was actually his. He didn’t love you. He couldn’t. He was incapable of love. From the hours of that sentence being shoved into his brain-- he finally believed it. However, he looked at you and knew that he was alive...and he was human. A human capable of making mistakes and finding love.

“Let’s go, Jeno. Practice started 5 minutes ago.” Jaemin knocked softly on the door. Jeno whipped the door open with a stale look on his face, “huh?” his throat was dry and felt like it was closing up by the second. The want to cry suddenly made its home in his chest. “Practice. It’s already started. We’re late.” Jaemin could only stare in confusion. Jeno hadn’t been the same for a while now and all Jaemin could do was sit back and hope he could find peace within himself.

“Oh. Yeah. Coming.” Jeno dismissed the platinum blonde boy as he grabbed his stuff and threw it in the dirty laundry bin. He grabbed his gear and was off towards the training center.

It was like his body moved on its own. He wasn’t in control-- only a passenger as he watched his life develop through eyes that didn’t seem like his own. It was if he was looking through a lens of someone else's movie-- someone else's life. His name was the only thing reassuring him that he hadn’t been switched.

Damn

When Jeno saw you, it was as if he got the moment of sanity he had been craving and itching for. “Please don’t go.” Was the only thing his autopilot flashed onto the back of his eyes.

Your skin was as soft as velvet and your embrace was nothing short of a hug from an angel. You were his personal drug. Only he could have you and he wanted it to be like that forever.

“Why do you hurt me?” Is his intimate question whenever he sees you walking away from his presence. “Please don’t leave.” He cries inside his mind, the rest of the group still surrounding him in loud and boisterous outcries of happiness as he is dying inside.

He watched you be swept away quickly by your group of friends and towards a distant adventure he wouldn’t be apart of. “Yo. Snap out of it, creep.” Jeno felt a hit to his chest and reacted seconds after the blow was laid. Renjun had his eyes trained on his far-off friend. “Sorry.” Jeno mumbled, fixing his glasses accordingly to make sure he caught one last glimpse of you.

“What’s wrong?” Renjun’s question had no appropriate answer. “I...I don’t know.” Jeno shrugged as he kicked his feet out one at a time in front of him. “You never know.” Renjun sassed as Jeno gave a cheeky smile. “I’m always here to talk. Also, on the subject of talking?” Renjun leaned in closer to whisper the next back-handed remark.

“Just talk to her. People are catching on and finding it creepy.” Renjun muttered before walking off in a lonesome daze. Jeno became more awakened and tuned in to what was happening around him. Someone caught on. The students were bustling around him and the group of teachers. It was barely noon and he was already craving the sweet release of laying in his bed alone.

The textured ceiling above his bed made perfect the kaleidoscopes for his dry and weary eyes. He made a home in his head. Where he lived with you in peace and harmony. Both of you stayed harmonious and didn’t have to experience loss anymore; happiness was a drug both of you could afford; education and a stable career were monotonous things. This life...reality didn’t exist.

“Class is about to begin. I’ll see you all later for pizza.” Hyuck was always a smooth talker and never feared a group of people. He was confident with anyone he talked with and never had a dull moment...or at least that’s what his facade portrayed. ‘See ya’s.’ were heard among the group as Hyuck grabbed Jeno and started dragging them back to their spaces.

Rockwell Hall, East Wing, Back-most Corridor. Rooms 143 and 144.

‘The Lee’s’. - the combination of teachers who worked off of each other. No one had a dull moment in the classes. It was their place. Their lives where they could manifest what they wanted. Taeyong didn’t have a say in their classrooms where the only things taught were to be real...and to live because no one was promised tomorrow.

“You okay, Jeno?” Hyuck asked as his arm was tossed over his buddy’s shoulders. “Yeah. I’m fine-” “Like,” Donghyuck raised his thumb to wipe off the bottom of his nose a couple times. “Yeah. I’m not high.” Jeno couldn’t help but chuckle at the relieved face of Hyuck. “Thank goodness. Cause I was gonna put a movie on and let my kids do whatever today. I didn’t want to have to babysit.” He laughed and Jeno could only laugh lightly.

“I need help with something.” Jeno finally blurted and the laughing had ceased entirely. “Of course. What’s going on?” Donghyuck’s arm now drooped to his side as he shoved his hand in his jean’s pocket.

“I’m in lo-” Jeno forcibly bit his tongue as he could sense Hyuck’s side eyes. He didn’t need to know how bad it is yet.

“I think I like someone.” Jeno breathed and it felt like a weight was taken off his shoulders. “Oh yeah?” Jeno’s eyes bolted around as he saw Hyuck’s feet kick tiny pebbles in their path. “Mind if I know who?” Was all that was muttered. “I’m not ready to say who yet.” The light sigh of defeat had Donghyuck knowing that this wasn’t a new problem. “Just go for it.” Was all the advice the younger boy had to offer. “What?”

The door of Rockwell Hall was opened by Hyuck as both walked into the air conditioned lobby where all the students were congregating. “Lees!” Some of the shared students waved to both of the young teachers as they made their way through the clusters of kids.

“Just go for it.” Hyuck smiled and waved to most of his students as some ran up to hand in almost-late reports and worksheets. “What do you mean by that?” Jeno was struggling to keep up with his friends thought process. “We always tell our kids that- oh hello JinHae, how are you? - that they can’t be afraid to do things.- I need to talk to you after class.” Hyuck pointed to a troubled student as they both passed. “That they can’t be afraid to do things because who knows if we’ll be here tomorrow.” Hyuck finally finished as they both walked towards the back hall.

Donghyuck had a point and Jeno hated to admit it. He needed to do it soon...or never. “And I can help you as much as you want with this mystery person.” He offered and Jeno wanted to puke at the offer. “No thanks.” He backed out of the un-agreed upon deal. They got to their rooms and stood outside of their doors. “That’s fine. But, if you ever need help-- you know where to find me, lover boy.” Hyuck winked and waltzed into his classroom in a graceful manner.

Jeno could only hang his head as he slugged into his own classroom to greet the over-achiever students. It’s as if they never left in the first place. He zoned out as he started writing some standard chemical equations on the chalk board. Students started to trickle in as Jeno’s anxiety filled his body to the brim.

The bell rang and Jeno put on the best fake smile he could as he turned around to see his students seated and eager to learn. “Good afternoon class. It’s amazing to see all of your faces once again.” The class droned on their greetings as Jeno flipped open his lesson packet. “Today’s Lesson: Ecstasy.”

I think I’m Fallin’ For You

It had been 3 weeks. 3 weeks of Jeno puking his brains out over the thought of you rejecting him. He had already said hi to you but where was he supposed to go to from here? You both had talked about mundane things that any young adult would talk about in this day and age. Jeno could feel a connection and he prayed to any higher being that you did too.

He was going to do it. He was going to confess. He just didn’t know when. But he knew that he would lose his chance if he were to wait too much longer.

Hyuck was still the only one who knew about the mystery person and was the only who was going to know for a long time. Even if it were to work out, the attention of dating on duty was too extreme. Most of the elite soldiers agreed that nothing would be revealed till the 1 year mark. Out of respect for each other, the rule has never been broken.

“Please just tell me who.” Hyuck whined as soon as the last one of Jeno’s students exited the classroom. The desperation in the man’s voice made Jeno chuckle. “Nope.” He shook his head and went back to grading the quiz he had just administered.

“I promise I won’t tell.” Jeno didn’t even acknowledge Donghyuck’s existence as he wrote a 96% on the top of the paper.

“Fine.” Hyuck came over and laid on-top of the stack of papers. “Rules, Donghyuck.” “So you confessed? And you guys are dating?” Hyuck scrambled up to start hitting Jeno’s side. “I didn’t say that.” Jeno said as he packed up his laptop and put his bag on his back.

“This is so unfair-” “It’s really not.” Jeno muttered as he looked to his friend with the grown out brown hair. “I wasn’t even supposed to tell you that I liked someone in the first place. I’m not going to willingly break a rule, excuse me, a group agreement just to gossip. If anything happens...you’ll find out eventually.” Jeno stated at the boy who had his arms crossed.

“Fine. Be stubborn. See if I care.” Hyuck started to walk out of the room and into his own classroom. Jeno thought he was home free. “Are you coming to get beers with us or not?” Jeno called out and the younger boy swung his head into the door opening. “No. I have a couple more papers to grade then I’m going to the gym.” Hyuck ran a hand through his hair. Jeno brushed it off as he was just happy to stop the before conversation.

“Also. I better be the best man at your damn wedding in 2 years-” “Out.” Jeno raised his voice. He could hear Donghyuck giggle his way into the other classroom. Jeno grabbed his stuff and headed out of the door and down the hall.

He was going to go out with his friends tonight. He was going to forget his problems and just let loose and live free. He wasn’t promised tomorrow so he was going to make sure he forgot tonight if he was alive by the morning.

The beer shelf was wiped clean by the group of elites in the on-base bar. “We need to go clubbing.” Lele said and everyone turned to him boozed up and unaware. “Lele...you’re so young,” Mark laid his hand heavily on Chenle’s right shoulder, “but you’re so smart, I’ll get Johnny to drive!” Mark said as he grabbed his phone and had a hard time getting his passcode in.

A group of cheers were heard as Mark went outside to dial the chauffeur for the night’s activities. “It’s 10 o’clock? Where the hell is the son of a bitch?” Jaemin slurred as he laid over the shoulder of his best friend.

“At the gym. I’ll go fetch him and drag him along.” Jeno who was the most sober out of the group decided that the night was incomplete without Hyuck. “You tell him that I’ll kick his ass if he doesn’t show up.” Jaemin whispered groggily into Jeno’s ear. “Will do, Jae.” Jeno laughed as he got up and shoved Jaemin down into the stool with a deep groan.

Jeno cascaded out of the bar and into the courtyard. “No. You listen to me Johnny-hyung. You drive or I drive-Stop yelling I was joking.” Mark slurred on his words. Jeno could hear Johnny through the phone. He wouldn’t be happy to take them but he still would. The fear of guilt looming over the oldest’s head.

Jeno’s feet carried him towards the gym where Hyuck was, benching the night away. For the first time he hasn’t thought about you- awe wait...he just did. He cursed out loud and slapped a hand over his mouth with a giggle. He turned to make sure no one heard and laughed himself to the gym.

He walked in the door and no one was there. No students...no Donghyuck.

“He fell asleep doing papers again.” Jeno gasped and chuckled lightly as he walked back out the door and twirled over to Rockwell Hall. “Rockwell...Rocks...Drugs...” Jeno had fun tying words together as he opened the main door to the lobby. The marble floors were free from any students or teachers.

“I’m coming to get you.” Jeno whispered as he got down and ran down the main hall. He tripped halfway and ended up rolling a couple of halls down. Jeno sang his own special effects music as he tried to do cartwheels and more flips down the hall.

His back hit the wall right around the corner of the back hall. The lights shone from Hyuck’s classroom. “All clear, kkrrkrk.” Jeno copied the sound of a walkie-talkie as he continued to roll down the hall. He stopped right infront of the open door and stood up. He looked left and right. “Cover me, I’m going in. kkrkkrk.” Jeno swooped into the lit up classroom. Jeno was ready to run towards the desk and pick up his best friend to sweep him off to a night on the town.

There he caught you and Hyuck making out in the empty classroom. You were sitting on the desk with him pushed up to you. His hands gripped your face like Jeno imagined he would. Your own delicate hands grabbed bunches of his best friend’s black t-shirt. Jeno’s best friend.

You both were too in the heat of the moment to hear the sound of Jeno’s heart cracking into a million pieces.

“Uh.” Jeno could only drone a little. It was enough to break you both up. Donghyuck stood in front of you as you tried to shield your face. But it was too late. Jeno could’ve spotted your face from a mile away. He already knew too much.

“Hey, Jeno. What’s up?” Hyuck tried to de-puff his face in the moment. Jeno’s eyes started to gather tears as if they were going to run out. The long silence made all of you get an ache in the stomach.

“10 months.” Was all Hyuck said and Jeno tried sealing up his feelings as soon as they were escaping. Jeno nodded, still too intoxicated to feel anything but numb. Donghyuck didn't steal you from him...you were never his in the first place.

He was sent into auto-pilot again. Where he was just in attendance to the premiere of his heart break. He wasn’t real. None of this was.

“I’m happy for you.” Jeno nodded and an unimaginable weight was taken off of Donghyuck’s shoulders. His shoulder dropped and a smile came onto the longer-haired boy’s face.

“Thank you.” He nodded with a genuine smile. Jeno didn’t dare look at you even though you stood behind Jeno’s best friend. You were so close but he finally realized that he would never be able to get closer.

“We were going out to the club. Jaemin said he would beat your ass if you didn’t come.” The alcohol was talking again as Jeno numbed himself to all the pain that was crashing down on him like harsh waves.

“Oh. Well.” Donghyuck seemed flustered as he looked around and finally behind him to where you stood as stiff as a board. “I’m a little busy tonight. I promise next time I’ll buy a round.” Hyuck tried to compromise with the upmost form of sincerity.

“Alright, deal.” Jeno mused and came closer to dap up his best friend.

“I’ll catch you tomorrow then at practice.” Jeno hummed as he showed himself the door. “Jeno. Wait.” Jeno turned around to look at Hyuck.

He had never seen his most confident friend riddled with so much fear.

“Please.” Was all he said and Jeno already knew what he meant.

“Don’t worry. 2 more months.” He waved Hyuck off and the confidence washed over his friend’s face once more.

As soon as Jeno turned the corner, his tears fell in hot lines.

This wasn’t real. None of this was.

He met the rest of the group near the entrance once he got rid of his tears and hurt.

“Whats wrong?” Renjun asked and Jeno sighed. “I know what’s wrong.” Jeno nodded to himself. Jeno was finally confronting his feelings. “Are you going to tell me?” Renjun asked and Jeno only shook his head no. “No.” Now that he knew what was wrong, he wasn’t going to broadcast it to the world. “Fine. I’ll just bug you tomorrow- Wait. Where’s the sober one?” Renjun asked as he realized Jeno came back alone.

“Donghyuck is stuck making lesson plans. He promised to buy us all a round next time though.” Jeno relayed the message. “I won’t kick his ass then. This time.” Jaemin sang as he dolphin dived into the van.

They all climbed in the van. Jeno was the last one in as he rested his head against the window.

He watched the city light streak as his tears rolled down. Jeno wasn’t sad. He was happy. Jeno knew that you would be happy with Hyuck. Hyuck could give you things that Jeno wished he could have. But, he’s happy knowing your happy...

...even if it hurt like hell to realize he wasn’t going to be the one you fell for...

[mousehole5000]

 this is it... the final post.... 226 through THE END!!!!!

this shit with mu qing and the river of lava is SOOOO dramatic im loving it

oh my god theyre on a FUCKING bridge of course they are okay let’s go boys

“You’re right. We’re alike. You think me odd, I think you to be rather weird too.” - so what im getting from this is that xie lian and mu qing are the only characters in this book with working gaydar okay yup got it this checks out

god... the fact that xie lian is ready to be like “look mu qing we can just forget about the past it doesnt matter we dont have to be friends i know you dont like me but im not gonna let you die over it” and then mu qing is like “.... god i really do admire you huh”

“You...certainly...are rather amazing. You’re...also...a better person...than me. Long story short, I...very much wanted...to become your f-f-friend.”  - going to think about this for the rest of all time im about to become utterly unintelligible im overcome with emotions

“And, at the end of the white silk band, Feng Xin was gripping Ruoye with one hand while the other was holding on to a steel-faced Mu Qing, and he shouted towards him.” - the fucking IMAGE of this im gonna cry this is everything i could have asked for im so happy also mu qing dangling there like “ welp. guess ill live“

“Feng Xin was almost burnt by that pillar of fire, and he shouted in outrage. “WHAT’S WITH THIS BAND OF DOG SHITS, ATTACKING PEOPLE WHILE THEY’RE DOWN, SO VILE! FUCK YOUR ENTIRE FAMILY!” Xie Lian responded, “IF THEIR ENTIRE FAMILIES ALL LOOK LIKE THAT, YOU SURE YOU WANT TO FUCK THEM??” - theyre so funny!!! and theyre best friends!!! theyre joking together now in the middle of all this i could cry theyre back!!!

“Using sticks as arrows, he held the bow with one hand and used his teeth to bite back the bowstring.” - no clue how practical this is but okay archer boy. hot

i actually have so many little quips between the three of them highlighted but we’d be here all night if i included them all. im literally so delighted by this omg worth the wait

“Each sabre strike slashed to the bone. It wasn’t like Xie Lian had never seen Hua Cheng use the sabre before in the past, but his style had always been easy and leisurely, nonchalant and casual. Rather than say he was handling a weapon, it was more like he was toying with a small knife. Yet those blade marks were filled with killing intent. It was easy to imagine just how skilled the one exchanging blows with him was, and how perilous this battle.” you have no idea how mad i was when i read this and thought we missed witnessing the fight between hc and jw omg

“Behind him, Feng Xin muttered, “Dear fucking god, may all the gods and buddhas grant their blessings, that better absolutely be Crimson Rain Sought Flower, otherwise he’s gonna go mad!” “Stop your rubbish,” Mu Qing berated. “We’re all the gods and buddhas ourselves and we can’t grant shit, just keep up with him! Look at the stumbling way he’s running, he’s gonna trip and fall to his bloody death before he even sees the man!” - okay i know i said no more quips but this is literally too funny i just wanted to read it again

“ However, for whatever reason, that vicious ghost, in its muddled state, took that large group of live mortals under its wing and fled for many days. In the end, they were still surrounded by millions of ghosts, trapped in a dead end, and it was going to be eaten along with those humans.” [...] “That vicious ghost almost made a move against those humans, but for some reason, in the end, it didn’t. It instead used one of its own eyes as the price to forge a blood weapon. That vicious ghost was already forcibly hanging on with its last breath; after digging out its eye it should’ve broken apart completely. Yet somehow something had shocked it, and it instead woke to its senses completely. “ - THIS IS AMAZING ARE YOU KIDDING ME???? IS THIS ALL WE GET ABOUT HIS GHOSTLY LORE?????? HUA CHENGGGGGGGG

“What a terrible offence, his old habit had come out, and he quickly apologized. “I’m sorry! You don’t have to listen to me!” Hua Cheng, however, only smiled happily. “Everything gege tells me is the best advice, so why wouldn’t I listen?” - this isnt the fucking time afjdkfjsdkl they really never stop

“So you can hold the illusion of a perfect Crown Prince of Wuyong to face and dismiss the Jun Wu now. Isn’t that your objective? Did you think I don’t know what you’re thinking?” “THAT’S NOT IT!” Guoshi cried. “Stop getting tied up in right and wrong, victories and defeat, I’VE NEVER THOUGHT THAT WAY BEFORE!” - jun wu only being able to see xie lian as his successor and believing that thats all anyone else sees too... okay

honestly this whole final showdown was a blast i cant put everything in but it was so much fun to read. the DRAMA the LAVA the SHOUTING t

“Hua Cheng had poured too much spiritual power into him. There really was too much, so much that it was completely outside the amount the cursed shackle could withstand.” - okay.... okay... the love you give will set you free... okay....

“With Jun Wu in his grip, he carried both their bodies and forcefully slammed into the incomparably-solid rock wall! He used all of his power in this smash, and in the rumbling and crashing of rocks, he also heard the sound of something breaking.” [...] “A moment later, Jun Wu suddenly asked, “That move. What is it called?” “...” Xie Lian raised his sleeve and wiped away the blood on the side of his face. “Shattering boulders on the chest.” YES!!!!! YES!!!!! xie lian actually lived that life!!!!!! i loved this detail so much

“After a moment of silence, Xie Lian took off the bamboo hat carried on his back, took it in his hand, and covered it over Jun Wu’s face.” - xie lian... good... another detail i love. a hat that protects from the rain, given in a moment of need, even to someone who has caused you hardship... we do not forget the kindness granted to us

“There was gratefulness, there was shame, there was heartache, there was wild joy, but above all else, there was incurable love.” - :pleading: i wish it was just that easy tbh. “i have to tell you about the worst parts of myself” “ive already seen them and i dont care i still love you“ truly the dream

“ It’s been so long since anyone listened to me talk, won’t you stay? Don’t...actually do this. I won’t be able to take it. Twice, it’s been twice already! I really don’t want there to be a third time!!!” - the bit about just wanting someone to listen to him talk... xie lian... :(

emily corpse bride moment.... i knew it had to happen.... butterflies.... death and rebirth.... inevitable

xianle trio bickering about ruoye..... mu qing complaining but not letting anyone else fix it... im so happy

“The Rain Master sat down on the spot, looking like she was going to perform a passing service for her. After all, Xuan Ji was the only one left of the Kingdom of Yushi besides herself.”  - xuan ji you sure the hell were... a character. this little moment tho..... yushi huang... many thoughts

“ Who hasn’t made promises, or swore to the mountains and the seas when they were young? Talking of affection, of love, of forevers. But, the longer I hang around in the world, the more I understand, something like ‘forever’ is impossible. It’s never going to be possible. Having it once was already good enough. No one can truly achieve it. I don’t believe in it anymore.” - jian lan im happy for you bummer it didnt work out with feng xin but yeah that was looooong ago. also this quote me same mood kin but its chill. having it once was already good enough

although yeah tbh if theres anyone who can have a forever like that... it would be a ghost and a god

fasdfjadklfj GOD... pour one out for ling wen.. but is that not the truth of this world? the one can be pardoned for being good at paperwork that no one else wants to do? isnt that the plot of the shawshank redemption?

okay but the fact that all xie lian’s friends come to visit him while he waits for hua cheng is making me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.... fengqing coming together to try to get him out of the house but get scared off by his cooking... amazing

“Last time, they spent eight hundred years running towards each other. This time, it only took an instant to fall into each other’s embrace.” - im completely unaffected by this. im not lying i swear (i am lying im very emotionally affected)

okay i love this final wrap up chapter party its so fun. mu qing moving on from the broom thing!!! good for him!! the beggars get their reward!!! the fun ghost city chefs!! SQX!!!! and he xuan is?? here too??? he’s hungry??? fjadlkfjsdl

“The grounds that Feng Xin and Mu Qing had just swept were once again filthy from that giant crowd of muddy feet. Mu Qing gripped his broom, looking like he felt someone had infected him with fleas, and his eyes were wide.” - me when my dad comes into the kitchen when ive just finished washing dishes i get it king

the little folklore bit... fun!!! oh my god its over..... :(

that was really fun i had a blast reading it and on the whole really liked it i WISH soo badly that hua cheng had gotten more outside of being cunty and devoted even tho those are both important i just wish there was more about like how he got by during those 800 years and like did he ever have doubts? what shaped his worldview was it all xie lian or was it his experience as a mortal as well? why is he so mean to e’ming? theres bits and pieces here and there and i know it was already SO long but that really would have been great if there was more about hc cuz tbh by the end, at least for me, the hualian relationship didnt actually feel as fleshed out as the xianle trio relationship like i still liked hualian’s dynamic and it was really sweet how much they clearly really liked each other and  everything but i kind of wish some of the other subplots had been dropped or diminished in favor of more hc development i think that would have been cool

but anyway thats some of my thoughts and i really did enjoy the hell out of book 5 that was a riot and uhhh thanks to everyone who read these or commented *lends you spiritual energy through a high five*

[loveafterthefact]

Love After the Fact Chapter 58: Sex Education Part 2

Keith gets stressed and frustrated by Thace's recommendations. Lance gains a better understanding of what his responsibilities are, and just how lucky he is.

First  Previous  Next

Lance enters the private exam room to find his spouse in a chair, wrapped up in a blanket, pants on the floor. Talk about alarming. Behind him, Krolia doesn’t seem to react at all, which is somehow worse and not better.

“What, the fuck, is going on in here?” Lance frowns, eyes narrowing at Thace. They’re a little puffy, and he knows they look a little red. He’d meant to fix his face before leaving Allura, but being summoned by Krolia to the medical ward rapidly shifted his priorities.

Which is definitely justified, given the scene before him. The footrests on that chair are ominous to say the least.

“Routine exam. Everyone gets one.” Keith holds out a hand, and Lance hands him his pants, thinking that's what he wanted. However, Keith looks almost wounded, though he accepts the pants and redresses. Realizing that he misunderstood, Lance kisses the top of his head, rubbing the base of one of his ears. Settling in a bit better, Keith pulls the blanket back over his lap.

“Sorry to pull you away from your sister,” Keith mutters, nosing against his side.

“Later.” Lance keeps a hand in Keith's hair as he sits on the arm of the chair.

“Yes, because it’s time for Thace to embarrass us together.” The young Galra huffs, blows his bangs out of his face.

“It is indeed, your Majesties. Royal Advisor Krolia-”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m going, I’m going.” The warrior woman leaves, though not before giving Lance a baleful look.

Once Krolia is gone, Thace pulls up a chair. “So here’s where we’re at right now. Keith is rapidly nearing sexual maturity. This is a scan of a healthy uterus, ovaries, and fallopian tubes from a young Galra roughly halfway between seasons-” Thace holds up a datapad. “And this-” He pulls up a scan on the monitor. “-is yours, Keith.”

They’re almost exactly the same to Lance. And surprisingly similar to an Altean’s. He never would have guessed, given how different they are on the outside.

Thace indicates the walls of Keith’s uterus. “This is your uterine lining. It’s much thicker than that of the example. Looking at this, I’d estimate your season will begin in about two movements, but you’ll likely be sexually receptive in about half that.

Now, for the complication. Despite not having mated, he is already bonding with you, your Majesty-”

“Lance. You can just call me Lance.”

Thace nods, continues. He ignores Keith’s smile. Lance does not, reaching around to brush a thumb down Keith’s far cheek, kissing the top of his head again. Maybe it's that touch of red quintessence in his cells, but Lance just knows Keith needs his affection right now. “What this means is that you will have a window of only a few days in which you should mate-”

“Wait, shouldn’t we mate during my season? I thought-”

“Ordinarily, yes.” Thace scrolls through his datapad, looking at the results of Keith’s blood tests. “Mating during your first season produces the strongest bond possible in our species. However, looking at your hormone levels, I advise you to do it either before or after. If you mate during your season, you're looking at something approaching dependent, possibly even parasitic in nature, which, as a medical professional, I cannot recommend.

“That brings us to our next point: I strongly recommend that you have sex before his season. Since you’re already bonding, Keith, it would be highly distressing, emotionally, for you not to have Lance with you during your season. Given the newness and precariousness of an unconsummated bond, it could be detrimental for your relationship for the two of you to be separated while you’re so vulnerable. Premature bonds are extremely delicate, and we must proceed with caution.”

“So- So when exactly should we…” Keith tucks his knees up tight against his chest, still uncomfortable, both from the earlier invasion of his privacy and the conversation.

“Whenever you feel ready. This is an act that needs to be entirely voluntary, regardless of your feelings for one another. The ramifications otherwise are traumatic. The combination of devotion and fear can-”

Lance steps in. His hand slips to Keith’s back where he’s stiffened in the chair. “That’s not going to happen. I would never be careless enough to hurt Keith, and Keith is smart enough to know what he’s ready for.”

Not at all appeased, Keith scowls at his friend. “So what you’re telling me is that I have to mate with Lance within a specific movement, but we also can’t force it, because that would be bad. But if I’m not ready, we can’t mate during my season because that would be bad, and we can’t be apart during my season because that would also be bad.”

“That’s… Unfortunately, yes. That’s where we’re at right now.”

“Wonderful. I’m leaving now.”

“Okay.” Thace lets him go. “I’ll send you copies of your bloods and scans. You should take a look at my notes.”

Just like that, Keith stalks out of the exam room, taking the blanket with him.

Lance goes to follow, but Thace stops him. “I’d like to speak to you alone, Lance.”

A pair of garnet eyes stare into his, one part sad, one part cautious. Nodding, Lance kisses Keith’s cheek. “Can you wait for me outside for a few minutes?”

“Whatever.” Ouch. If Keith’s like that, he definitely needs a good, solid hug.

Once Keith is gone, Thace’s smile fades. “Before I begin, I want to say I know it’s not your fault.”

“Okay…” Lance sits in Keith’s chair.

“Keith is my friend. He’s like a kit to everyone here, and it's wonderful to see how he’s grown into himself in the last few decaphoebs, and especially since leaving Daibazaal, but the truth is… He was alone for eleven decaphoebs. Do you know what happens to kits when they’re alone that long?”

Lance shakes his head, not willing to speak. This is going to be even less pleasant than the last conversation.

“They go feral, and become like wild animals. Their quality of life is virtually nonexistent. Rehabilitation is rare, and never perfect. My mate has met kits like this over the course of his service and- The choices that sometimes have to be made are neither pleasant, nor easy.”

“Oh.” Lance gulps. It’s been a while since he’d thought about a life without Keith in it. The idea that it could so easily have been reality, and in such a horrible way, hurts.

“We are so extremely lucky that he is able to be here with us.” Thace waits for Lance’s nod before continuing. His voice is the only thing that cuts through the stillness inspired by the conversation. “But there are complications that come from his upbringing. Something traumatic and terrible happened to him when he was very young, and something undeniably cruel was perpetrated after, when he was forcibly turned over to you. These hardships mean-”

“He’ll never quite grow up. I know.”

“He’ll retain vestigial behaviors, yes.” There’s a deep sadness on Thace’s face. Lance imagines he’ll understand it better once he has children of his own. “He’ll need company, emotionally fulfilling companionship, all his life. He’s not like a normal Galra that can be without others and be content.”

“He can spend time by himself-”

“When was that? When he first arrived and was scared and alone? Any kit would huddle into corners in that situation.” Thace’s words have an edge to them, one that has Lance shrinking in his seat. The medic sighs, gently touches Lance's hand. There's an understanding in his dark red eyes, the compassion of someone whose purpose in life is to help and heal.

“I understand that it wasn’t your choice, but it is what it is. As his mate, you have a duty to care for him and love him all the days of his life. His needs are very different from yours, and it’s your responsibility to make sure those needs are met.”

“I understand. I'll make sure that he has friends and a purpose, and I'll learn how to be the best mate I can be... On that note, I should probably get back to him.”

“Yes. One last thing.” Thace stands. “You should talk to him about having kits this season. It’s an important milestone within our society, and for you, it will go a long way toward earning the people’s respect. And, honestly? He’s healthy enough to go for it. Talk it over and decide for certain, now that we know he’s well enough. Make a decision together, and we’ll proceed however you both see fit.”

Lance nods, leaves Thace to clean up. Out in the main room, Keith’s standing quietly, waiting for him. “Hey. I, uh. I'm sorry for throwing a fit in there.”

Lance wraps his spouse in his arms, lets Keith melt against his frame. Judging by the Galra’s tight grip and the purr thrumming in his throat, Lance’s presence was sorely missed, despite the grumpy attitude only minutes ago. “Nevermind. Cranky or not, I’m glad you’re with us, beloved.”

“Yeah. Me too.” Keith sighs, lashes fluttering against Lance’s neck. He’s gotten taller, Lance realizes. They’re about the same height now.

“It seems we’ve got some things to talk about,” he whispers, kissing Keith’s ear when it twitches by his cheek.

“Later. Please?”

“Are you alright?”

“Yeah. It was just invasive, that’s all. It was important to do.”

“As long as you’re okay. I have some stuff I’m not quite ready to talk about, too. For now, let’s just get some lunch and-”

“I want to go home,” Keith says, sudden and decided. “My childhood home.”

“Yes. Of course. I’d love to see your home.” Lance draws back, but keeps an arm around his spouse, leading them through halls, back out into free air. “Do you want to go right now or…?”

“No, no. Just… before we leave. For now I want to go back and find a sunny spot to nap in, then I think I'll go visit Shiro and my mother.”

“You really missed them, huh?”

“Yeah… I missed you, earlier. I woke up and didn’t know where you were.”

“Sorry. I did wake you before I left to tell you I was leaving, but I guess you forgot when you fell back asleep.”

“Seems I did. Is Allura okay?”

“...We’ll talk about it later. It’s… I need to make my peace with everything first. And I need to call Altea. It’s not- It’s not the worst thing that could happen, but it isn’t good, and it breaks my heart.”

“Is her kit okay?”

“Yes.” Lance finds a smile. “Her baby is fine. Allura is… mostly fine. Later, alright?” He bites his lip, thinking of his sister and the tragedy she’s enduring. The tragedy that Keith’s endured. “Let’s just go back to the den and cuddle up with BleepBloop. I really want to hold you right now.”

“Well, I’m not gonna complain, but you’re worrying me.” Keith keeps a tight grip on his hand, unwilling to let him go for even a moment. "Are we okay?"

“We are more than okay, beloved. I just don’t know how long I’ll have you, and I need to treasure you while you’re here.”

"Now I’m really worried.” Keith sighs. “But I need to treasure you while you’re here, too. I love you, Lance.”

“I love you too, Keith. Now and forever.”

“Now and forever.”

There's a bit of anxiety buzzing in Lance's veins. There are choices that need to be made, ones that might not be easy for either of them, ones that might even be painful. Still, he has Keith, and no matter what paths they have to follow, they'll walk them together, side-by-side.

[steve0discusses]

Yugioh S4 Ep6: Gozaburo Kaiba Just Casually Started WWIII And Only This One Guy Cares

Welcome to November, where we celebrate writing a 50,000 word book as if I don’t do that every single time I write about an episode of Yugioh. Hello, this is my season. It’s wordy season. I’m so freakin good at doing this. I can’t say most of what I’ve made is any good, but I CAN say at least I’m prolific. Do enough content to fill that bitter pit and walk right over it, that’s been my motto for the past 5 years.

Anyway, I had an awful flu this past week. (Everyone I live with had it so every bathroom was like ground zero) It was SO bad. I still can’t eat spicy food over a week later (Which is so hard for me because usually I can keep up with my Indian friends, that’s my spicy level--max spicy, please--but since this illness, my white taste genes went into overdrive and I tried putting pepperoncini slices in my sandwich and it set my mouth on fire. Pepperoncini. It’s v embarrassing.)

I did attempt to write this post. Unfortunately I never made it past this cap because I got VERY distracted by the emblem on Alister’s face, and how it isn’t proportionally adjusted to match the angle of his face, and it was like three paragraphs of just wanting to talk about it. And then at some point I got very distracted talking about how many empty glasses I was given at my place setting at this baby shower I went to during the flu epidemic, and it mattered a whole lot to me at the time, but I think, overall, was mostly just some sort of nonsense. The things I’ve spared you. 

(bro has just informed me that the 4 gold-lipped crystal goblets I was given at this baby shower was actually very distressing and a very big deal and that I should absolutely talk to at least someone about it, but maybe he’s just saying that to make me feel better, but I have no idea. I am too sick for sarcasm at this time but my god why was I given so many glasses????)

I straight up have no memory of if I’ve made this joke before. Maybe.

(read more under the cut)

Since it feels like 8 years since the last time I could just eat chicken without feeling like I consumed an entire Thanksgiving meal, a little recap:

-Alister pretended he was Pegasus to lure Kaiba and then, off screen, murdered everyone in Pegasus’ castle

-Pegasus got murdered by I’m pretty sure Mai (which is like...OK then...)

-Yugi and Co went on vacation by driving directly through San Francisco and peeking out the window and saying “yeah that’s enough for me”

-No adults, not even Roland, bothered to come with their kids this time, so the only adult of the entire crew--Pegasus--is dead

-Rex and Weevil are luggage

-The Eye of Sauron showed up and it was the end of the world but Yugi threw a dragon at it so I guess everything is OK now

-Monsters are real but they are hard to animate so we’ll just pretend like they’re causing havoc everywhere although most of the planet seems basically unaffected by this.

-The Grim Reaper is a friendly monster that hangs out in a Japanese park and that feels fairly on brand.

And I think that was all that was happening so far.

In a weird twist of fate, Mokuba is the only one in this room that isn’t trapped which sort of...if you’re the only one NOT kidnapped wouldn’t that also be a type of being kidnapped?

And we finally get to figure out why Alister wants to Murder Kaiba so bad and, spoiler, it reaches.

???

I’m gonna get more to the obvious problems with Alister’s devotion to murdering all the Kaibas in a bit but yes, Alister is in fact going to try and Kill Kaiba on this kid’s show because of Kaiba’s Dad, who is such a horrible and abusive person that Kaiba essentially drove the bastard out of Japan and straight to the bottom of the ocean.

Just kinda feels like Alister has been living under a rock...which, I guess he has been. He has been living in some weird Atlantis structure so I guess he never got the memo that Gozaburo Kaiba is hella dead.

So that’s what they’re up to. How’s Sausalito?

Um.

Huh.

So the North Bay is a really classic scenery. It’s rolling hills. It’s NAPA. It’s like...definitely not Arizona. California has a couple of mesas but they’re no where near here and the Monument Valley style Mesas really only exist in Monument Valley.

And I know it’s because the background artist for Yugioh is all horny for horny rock structures but like...this couldn’t be farther from the Bay Area in the way that it is drawn and it is such a shock after all the work they did last episode to research that Bay Area lore. Once they crossed the Golden Gate they were like “well no one will care about this part” which is true not only of Yugioh but also of real life Californian politics.

Anyway, I have been making a map, but unfortunately my original file will not suffice. time to fix it.

There we go. Now they’re in the right place. Just smack dab in Monument Valley, Arizona, smack dab in the middle of the Navajo Nation and so hypothetically, not even in the United States anymore.

While in the car, Yugi has just been anxious as hell the entire time, and just going “y’all I have a bad feeling I’m uncomfortable I have a bad feeling” while Joey and Tea just patiently stared at him flipping out in the corner. So...kinda like a normal trip with someone who has high anxiety/possessed by a ghost. I  kinda feel like this is every girls trip to Disneyland for me. There’s always one Yugi who’s like “no one said anything about CROWDS.” and you kinda just gotta let them do their thing. Just let them get it out of their system and hide in the bathroom when they need to hide in the bathroom and don’t fight it, they’ll be fine. Just hold their spot in line when they desperately look for a secret place to medicinally vape because there’s too many freakin children at Disneyland.

And it is HILARIOUS that Yugi is able to have this type of premonition but cannot figure out that they have somehow missed San Fransisco and have wandered into a DESERT.

Back in Pegasus’ California (an island that legitimately looks more like California than actual Yugioh California) Alister has decided to go completely off the rails and it happens so fast and without any warning.

the line is actually “This doll used to be my brother’s” which is a very different meaning but both are likely from weird ass Alister and this weird ass show, so I’ll leave the cap like this (although yes, this is what I thought Alister was saying for kind of a while until I recorded it for this blog and was like “oh shoot I heard the line wrong when I had the flu huh.”)

Man, RIP Noah, he would have been excellent this episode.

Honestly seems like just yesterday when Seto and Noah were pitted against eachother by a cyberdemon Dad-head floating in the sky, Mokuba was possessed for some reason and being used as a human shield, Tristan was a robot monkey, and Yugi was just shrugging at Kaiba from across the field like “Kaiba if you don’t play good you die--oh my gods, he died. Well that was bound to happen...again.” Man.

Alister should be their best friend, this is nonsense.

So lets do the math to 7 years before 2002.

I searched Wikipedia for wars during 1995 (they do have a list of 90′s wars) and looked for any that involved heavy use of tanks and their artillery fire (on big swatches of cities like this), inner city western architecture, temperate landscapes, and western clothing that match Alister and Mikey (AKA WWII vibes) and found out:

Nothing fits that description

UNLESS Alister and Mikey are time travelers from a WWII bombing in Europe. This is Yugioh. That could happen. Probably not, but youknow...it’s not too late for Yugioh to bring in time travel.

I mean if you don’t want to get super political in your cartoon just invent a world war I guess? We’ve already clarified that Gozaburo was Big Boss, so at this point I can easily see him inventing wars just to sell ships.

(I could probably add thousands of more deaths at this point but I have no idea where they are, if they’re on a tiny island or an entire country so I’ll just...leave the count alone but just now it’s implied that a hell ton of people died during this episode)

People going off about how Sesame Street is so amazing for talking about issues like you’re Dad going to prison while Yugioh was straight up talking about the intricacy of the War Economy. Yugioh being all “don’t forget kids, your good capitalist economy survives off of the undeserved bloodshed of civilians in other countries! Eat the poor!” and it’s like hot damn this heavy commentary came out of freakin no where.

Anyways, this is stuff most kid’s shows will delicately skip over but nah, Yugioh is going to go here, and they are going to steamroll directly through it with massive tanks.

So, lets kill this kid’s entire family and talk about the terrors of the World War of 1995 and all the war orphans who get recruited to become soldiers at the ripe old age of 9. Alister was 9 when he was recruited to be a child card soldier.

This kid’s show.

Alister is...basically Raiden, right? Like as long as we’re talking about Metal Gear, this kid is just one step away from cyborg implants and weird colored blood?

Better wear bright red when you visit the war crime scene, surprised Gozaburo didn’t invite like an entire photo -op crew to incriminate him even further.

Now we did look up “where the hell is Alister from Yugioh from?” (there is no answer) and we did find out a little factoid. In the Japanese version of the show, Gozaburo had bought the land and was just forcibly evicting Alister and his family from their home with tanks.

Which is wild.

He just straight up evicted an entire metropolitan city????

Like the dub did a way better job than the sub at this one, I’ll give them that.

It’s just so weird that Gozoboro just didn’t like...raise the rent like a normal bad landlord. Instead he was like “rather than gentrify my land and save me a ton of money, I’ll just destroy everything I just bought and murder everyone here” which is like...

...Seto did the world so many favors when he kicked out his Dad, right? Like Damn. I don't understand why Alister isn’t freakin worshiping Seto right now when his whole deal is “I must kill Gozaburo” and Seto’s like “yo I already did that. Twice. I didn’t even have to literally kill him either, I just embarrassed him so bad that he killed himself. His stupid tank company sells joke games now. I literally turned the man into a joke.”

Then again, Alister is on the green magic and like I think it alters your brain chemistry somewhat.

(How ripped did Alister get in this episode, by the way? The kid is like 16 years old or something so how did this happen? ...The perpetual horny line running straight through Yugioh, man. Look at it run. That 16 year old is drawn like he’s 28 and really into Crossfit and his crop top gets smaller and smaller like every scene.)

So like this is a very gray issue that I cannot believe they brought up in a kid’s show (like can you imagine if Scrooge McDuck had to face facts that his company murdered tons of people???), but also this is Seto Kaiba. Seto grew up in the system, so like he doesn’t need to be lectured to about dirty money because he was on the losing end of that not too long ago. Seto is himself basically a upscale war orphan since he was adopted by Gozaburo to continue the machine like a freakin maniac (a Solidus Snake, if you will) so of all the people on this show I don’t get why Seto would care about this. This is just how Seto views the entire world as either losing or winning and no reason to feel bad about it because he’s been both.

Also...Seto stopped the machine. Kind of. He was unaware that cards were the same thing as weapons, but at least he stopped the sale of huge child-stealing tanks.

So they play the game for a little while and Seto does kind of poorly as usual, and just when I thought this episode couldn’t get any weirder...

And just like that, Seto peaces out. Like he does almost every single time he has ever played a card game solo except for that one time he was playing Joey Wheeler. (Which was also one of the few times Seto ever won.)

Like I just want to remind you that this segment is in the same episode as WWIII and the tonal whiplash is pretty remarkable.

That’s right, we’re back in the Unnamed Monster World, which is not the Shadow Realm, and which I thought you could only access if you were dreaming and able to search through the puzzle maze.

Apparently this can just happen at any time and all that stuff with the guiding Kuriboh and Yugi and Pharaoh trying to find this place was just...them wasting time.

Again he ditches the legendary sword so freakin fast because who needs a sword when you have a dragon? Only this anime.

And that’s how Seto, who was absolutely going to lose this game, somehow just barely came to a draw.

So just to recap, Seto has yet to win a card game that he didn’t get prophetic help for via a hallucination or Yugi telling him what to do. Unless you count Joey and grandpa.

Then, the one last adult I forgot about, the driver of Yugi’s car, decides that it’s about time that he also died and left this show as adult free as possible.

THE HELL ARE THEY?

Also...maybe it’s the angle but the writing on that gas station looks a lot like kanji.

Yo, what if this is the backgrounds for a different show and they’re just sharing? I mean I doubt it because Yugioh had a good enough budget but...what if? What if that’s why they’re in Arizona?

Anyway, next time we’ll find out if this guy just drops dead or has been a Yugioh monster this whole time, and I think maybe both?

And if you just got here, this is a link to read all my Yugioh recaps in chrono order

[mysticsituations]

Hello, this is a bit high school romance cliche, hope you dont mind ^^ some girls (who kinda idolize/admire RFA&Saeran&V) call MC out to threaten her to stay away from them cos MC doesn't deserve them etc. MC refuses and these mean girls are about to bully/hit her. Luckily RFA&Saeran&V is nearby and heard everything. What will they do? Thank you.

(Anon) Hi, can you please write about when there is another girl that keep flirting with RFA+V+Saeran even when they are already a couple with MC so MC feels a bit jealous and sad. How will they react? Thanks a lot.

-

hohoho so like some of these will be like bully as in say mean shit, but not really like hit her. The scenarios I came up with never really ended that way- sorry!

Yoosung

-It was the internet cafe waitress DUN DUN DUN!

-Yoosung is so nice and tips so well, she was into it.

-  one day you come in to pick him up from the internet cafe and you stay for a few minutes to watch him play.

-Thats when the waitress comes up. She’s like, all over him? despite the fact that you are right there???

-You even start flirting with Yoosung on top of her, and she doesn’t back down. Yoosung doesn’t seem to notice either, and that kinda pisses you off.

-You go to the bathroom and the waitress intercepts you.

- “Hello, MC.”

-”O-Oh! Hey… You. You have been very… attentive…  today. Do you need something?”

-”Yes, I need you to leave Yoosung.”

- you are like ?!!??!?! Excuse me bitch

- “You see, Yoosung isn’t like a lot of the boys here. He never yells out horrible things or is violent with the equipment. His smile is bright and he tips well. He deserves a good girl to appreciate him.”

- You puff your chest out and plant your hands on your hips (God you’re cute) and try to be intimidating You are not.

-”I will not be leaving Yoosung just so you can have him.”

- “Then it looks like we will have a problem.” She says with a sadistic smile and honestly you are scared for a second?

-Suddenly Yoosung comes up behind you and wraps his arms around you.

- “I’m sorry, whatever-your-name-is, but I don’t appreciate the way you are talking to my girlfriend.” He says calmly, and the look in his eyes sends chills down your spine.

-Yandere!Yoosung is out.

- “O-Oh! Yoosung, I just-”

- “ I just think you were apologizing for being rude to my girlfriend as I reported you to your manager. I’m sure he wouldn’t appreciate you harrassing the customers.”

- The girl blushed deeply and mumbled an apology before pushing past you.

- Yoosung breathed out as he tightened his grip on you.

-”MC, I’m so sorry. I had no idea she felt that way. I would never have come here if I knew she was flirting with me like that.”

- You smile, knowing of course Yoosung didn’t realize what was happening.

- You give him punishment for making you jealous later ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Zen

-so it was his costar.

-You had seen the way she was all over him at rehearsals.

-You had visited a few times and saw her just fawning all over him, and Zen was politely accepting the compliments, but trying to shut it down. He wasn’t oblivious, but he really didn’t know how to make her stop.

- Today was the day of the last show, and you were going to see Zen in his dressing room after it was done!

-However little miss thang was already heading towards his door.

-Oh Hell No.

-”Oh, hi! You did great in the show tonight!” You said kindly, and she honestly did, “Do you have business with Zen?”

-”Oh yes. I wanted to see if he wanted to go out to dinner with me~” She said shamelessly.

- Insert eye twitch.

- “Actually, Zen and I are going to celebrate together. Sorry.”

- “Oh, that doesn’t scare me. I’m sure he’ll choose me~” She says sharply, and you blink.

- “Excuse me?”

-”You heard me. You’re not that pretty, and obviously you’re just some nobody. Zen can’t have any real attachment to you. I suggest you step aside and let me have him.”

-You scowl, trying to find the words to say to that, when the door opens.

- Out walks Zen, fire in his eyes.

- He swoops over to you, dipping you and kissing you passionately.

- He spins you up and turns to his costar and smiles brightly.

- “Oh, hi! My beautiful, wonderful, loving girlfriend and I are on our way out. I have tried to be nice to you, but hearing you be mean to my girlfriend has broke the straw. Please leave, and don’t approach me again.”

-”B-But Zenny-” She starts, and he quickly interupts.

-”Do NOT call me Zenny. Only my love can call me Zenny, and you will NEVER be my love.”

-Pissed, the girl stomps off.

- This time you kiss him passionately.

- “Zenny, that was hot.”

-”Careful, Babe, you might bring out the beast.”

-You look lustfully at him.

- “Bring him out, then.”

- You couldn’t walk the next day

Jaehee

this one is with a homophobic guy, so warning here.

-

-

-Fuckboi™ customer

-dumbass can’t even see she’s into girls

- Comes in and says “hey beautiful, mind if I get something sweet?”

- Jaehee is trying to be professional and is like “Of course, sir. Can I recommend you something from our bakery? Or we have drinks with a sugary after taste.”

-”I think I’d like to order something off menu if you know what I mean.”

- You had been listening and decided to step in.

- “Jaehee, Love, can you go clean up by table 10? I’ll handle this.”

- Jaehee eyed you cautiously, making sure he didn’t pull the same move on you. You gave her an encouraging smile.

- Fuckboi is eyeing her as she walks away.

- “How may I help you, sir?”

- “You can bring back the hot one- That’ll definitely help.”

- You bristle.

- “Well, the ‘hot one’ as you put it is my girlfriend, and I’d appreciate if you’d leave her alone.”

- “Oh… she’s into pussy huh? Bet I could change her with a good dick down.”

- You slam your hands on the counter.

- “I’m sorry sir, I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

- He snorts. “Yeah, like I’m gunna listen to the ugly one.”

- Insert Baehee in Full Anger Mode.

- “Sir, my beautiful girlfriend and I do not cater to people like you. Before I forcibly evict you from the premises, I suggest you take yourself out.”

- “See- this is why I hate lesbians. You’re all the same.” He says with disgust. Jaehee is fighting to not judo his ass into next week, taking a threatening step forward, but you hold her back.

- As he walks out the door, she pulls you into the backroom.

- You let out a breath, situations like that always tense and unnerving, and she brushes your hair out of your face.

- “People like that must not only be horrible but also blind to think You’re the ugly one…” She says with such desire in her eyes it makes you hot under the collar.

- You pull her in for a deep kiss that leaves you both breathless.

Jumin

-another Sarah-like character.

-Jumin is used to it tbh, but it still is so annoying

- You were at a dinner party, Jumin of course inviting his beautiful wife.

- And most girls at the party respected that Jumin wasn’t single anymore, if only because they weren’t so daring as to cross you, but this girl was not that smart

- She comes up to Jumin and is doing the whole Rich-Girl Flirting that Jumin is used to, and he is annoyed but handling it.

-You go to get a drink cuz its sickening to watch tbh.

- Then he excuses himself to talk to someone else, and she comes over to where you are at the bar.

- “Hello Mrs. Han. Nice to see you here.” She says in a fake nice voice.

- “Oh! I’m surprised you knew who I was.” you say in the same fake voice. “Are you a business partner with my husband?”

- “Not yet… I was just hoping he would be open to a… what did you call it- Partnership? with me after he was done with you.”

- Oh bitch hell no.

- “What makes you think he’ll be done with me?” You ask sharply, dropping the act.

- “Well, you’ve seen his father, haven’t you? The Han men aren’t known for being loyal.”

- “My Jumin is loyal. I can assure you of that.” You say coldly. “I trust him completely. He would not abandon me just because you walked in.”

- “Maybe not.” She says calmly. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t humiliate you~”

-Then the bitch throws wine all over you.

- You jump back and everyone in the party looks at you.

- “Oh dear, I’m so clumsy… To think I wasted such good wine on that hideous dress~”

- People start whispering, and you are frozen in place, trying to figure out what to do, when Jumin comes behind you.

- “My Love, let me assist you.” He says smoothly as he pulls you to the side. He shoots a cold and calculated glare at the horrible woman. “As for you miss, I would appreciate it if you stayed away from my lovely wife. I wouldn’t want your horrible personality rubbing off on her brilliance.”

- Cue woman scoffing and walking off.

- He pulls you into the hallway and dabs ur dress with a napkin he grabbed.

- “Dear I am so sorry. I have been trying to free myself from her all night, and it seems she went straight to you when I escaped. I should have had a closer eye on you.”

- You smile softly. “It’s okay, Juju. I’m just glad we are out of there.”

- He kisses your cheek softly as he plays with a strand of your hair.

- “Let’s take this as an excuse to go home and let me prove my devotion to you, my Love.”

Seven

-You two had started going to a cat cafe every Friday.

- It was mostly to get away, but it was also because you were trying to teach him to not be abusively kind to cats.

- There was this girl that worked there that always seemed to be interested in Saeyoung though.

- She would bring him a lot of cats and talk to him a lot.

- To be honest you didn’t even realize she was flirting with him at first- You thought she was just very attentive.

-That was until she followed you into the bakery part of the cafe one day.

- “Oh hey!” You said to her as she came and started sweeping near your table. “How is Saeyoung doing?”

-”Better now that you are gone.” She said softly.

- Oh but you heard it.

- “Um… Excuse me?” You said incredulously, furrowing your brow.

- “I said he’s doing better without you. He’s such a nice guy- He loves cats so much! You don’t appreciate it! I can tell!”

- You stood up.

- “I appreciate Saeyoung very much! I don’t know who you think you are-”

- “I’m someone better for him! He needs someone like me! You are just-”

- Suddenly the jukebox in the corner turned on the speakers.

- And you knew that song.

- That was you and Saeyoung’s song (These Broken Hands of Mine by Joe Brooks)

-Suddenly Saeyoung was behind you, leading you to a small place on the floor in front of the juke box. He started dancing with you right there in front of everyone.

- He was looking into your eyes, a fire in his own.

- “You know you are the only one for me, MC. You are like a gravitational force with me, my soul forever in orbit around you.”

- When the song ended, he kissed you deeply and everyone clapped.

- Bitchface got her ass fired. Saeyoung made sure of that.

V

- So it was a model.

- After you and Jihyun got together, you were often a subject of his paintings.

- And this girl was looking at your collection while he was presenting, making a lot of comments of the color choice and compostion and blah blah blah

- You didn’t think too much of it- people gushed over Jihyun all the time.

- But then she got you alone.

- “So you are the model, huh? You don’t look like the paintings.”

- You bristle.

- “I’m sorry?”

- “I mean I can tell you aren’t a professional model. Your body isn’t made for this kind of thing. Jihyun needs a beautiful woman to model for him- to be with him.”

- You feel sick to your stomach, but before you can say anything, Jihyun is behind you.

- “Oh, hello. I saw you looking at my paintings earlier.” He says smoothly, but you can see something harsh in his eyes, a rare sight for Jihyun.

- “Oh yes, I was just telling your model about-”

- “Yes, isn’t she a wonderful model? I try to capture the souls of the things I paint, and since her soul is so beautiful, she always creates beautiful art.”

-His eyes then turn cold, but a wide smile is on his face.

- “It’s for that reason that I can’t accept your request to model. I’m afraid your soul wouldn’t create a beautiful painting.”

- You’re speechless, the woman’s speechless, Jihyun just takes your hand and leads you out.

- God you love that man.

Saeran

-It was the ice cream girl!

- Saeran has his favorite ice cream joint, and you go there all the time.

- There’s this girl that works there all the time, and she’s sweet on Saeran.

- Saeran, the sweet bean, doesn’t notice, but you don’t want to take away his favorite ice cream place just because you are jealous.

- One day Saeran gets a phone call and steps outside to take it, and you are ordering alone.

- The girl gets bold.

- “So how long have you been together?”

- You mention that it hasn’t been that long, and she gets a smug look.

- “That’s good.”

- You frown.

- “Excuse me?”

- She realizes her mistake, but decides to own it.

- “I just really like him. I would hope you would acknowledge that.”

- You are taken aback by her forwardness.

- “S-Saeran is my boyfriend, MIss. I would hope you would acknowledge THAT.”

- “Yes well... that can be fixed quite easily.”

- Suddenly you are being dipped and Saeran’s tongue is in your mouth.

- You melt into it, sitting there heavily kissing for a good minute, little miss thang awkwardly looking at the ground, before he picks up and just leads you out of the place.

- You look up at him, eyes wide, before he looks into your eyes. 

- “I apologize if that was too forward, Angel, but I just had to make sure she knew how devoted I was to you.”

- SWOON

- The girl is fired when you go back and that night, you show him just how devoted you are to HIM too~

[goblincas]

Entry Level Angel | Ch 2

On AO3

No doubt, Cas had infiltrated a business casual wonderland.

The pearly, spit-shined walls were bearing down on him, their surface nearly as glossy as the lapel pin of the nearest corporate crony. Only a handful of attendees seemed to have spotted Cas; admittedly, it was hard to tell just how many that was, given the vacant overtone of their glares. They’d initially sneered down at him, but soon fell into muted giggle fits, erupting one-by-one.

Clearly, there were some conflicted-as-hell emotions at play— and Cas's arrival was the catalyst, it seemed.

One woman abruptly quieted, ran her palms down a perfectly pressed blouse, all before melding back into the swarm. Then, a separate, male flockmate tried his hand at the same move. Although, his joints were tragically under-oiled, missing the easy elegance of the gesture. In any case, they all lost interest pretty damn quickly. Then, they were off, sucked back into the many-suited mass.

Cas stayed oh-so still. Kept silent. He blinked slowly, hoping to cast the fog from his mind. He would certainly benefit from some old-fashioned deduction, right now.

So, where the hell was he?

Alright, two working theories: Either he was nabbed by a fundamentalist cult, or he’d been forcibly inducted into a secret society of smarmy, wannabee lawyers. Not that Cas would have been of much use to them, given his lone degree in middle grade education, plus his utter inability to feign indifference during an argument. Maybe there’d been a mix-up on the roster?

Anyhow, Cas could hardly feel his feet. He was actually pretty numb below the waist, altogether. Was he even wearing shoes?

Yet— as Cas tried, finally, to step forward, the scene was swallowed by a sharp blue light.

From white,

to blue,

to black. And, he was consumed.

⁂

The stream of sunlight hit Cas's closed eyelids, visible even before his other senses joined him in the waking realm. Morning rays flickered across his face— if anything, their caress felt strangely tangible. Cas could feel the heat carefully needling against his cheeks, never penetrating the skin. Instead, warmth clung to him like a strategically loose layer of Cling Wrap. Sticky, almost.

Seconds later, Cas jerked upright. He noted that he’d been lying horizontally across his mattress, blankets bunched up beneath his back, calves protruding over the side of the bed.

Huh.

Finally, with the force of a mental joyride gone wrong… it struck Cas. He was all but smacked to a screeching halt— and, somehow simultaneously, sent into overdrive. “Wait, wait, wait—”

At that, Cas practically flung himself in the direction of his mirror, wobbly legs be damned. Hardly hesitating, Cas lifted the fabric of his shirt, exposing his bare abdomen.

And it was exactly that— bare. Colorless.

Normal.

Truly, Cas couldn’t say he had ever been witness to a less interesting abdomen.

He squinted at his own reflection, as if challenging himself to unveil the truth… which, was surely being concealed in plain sight. Right? Still, there were no visible changes. There was no internal blue glow, his flesh as dim as ever.

As vivid as the previous night had been— and despite how much Cas wished it had been an exhaustion-induced haze— there were no lingering clues as to whether it had even happened. At least, nothing concrete enough to be considered a valid “clue.”

Still, just to be sure, Cas decided to go through with that Curses4U™ search; after all, he’d been rudely interrupted, the first time he’d tried. Despite the slew of relatively specific keywords (“bright blue glowing lit up abdomen torso passed out”), no results seemed to fit his case closely enough to warrant further research. Already, he’d hit a wall.

Unless, maybe this really is all because of The Moss?

Yeah, he’d have to ask Charlie about that, ASAP.

As it would turn out, a trip to the kitchen didn’t offer much insight, either. Groaning his frustration, Cas shuffled over to the sink, honing in on the windowsill-dwelling houseplants. There was a modest trio, all potted herbs.

All belonged to Dean, believe it or not.

Whenever Cas had met his now-best friend several years back, he’d never have pegged him as a plant-ternal, green thumb type; a conventionally rugged man, whose entire put-on persona practically radiated “unresolved daddy issues.” Nonetheless, Cas and Dean hadn’t lived together very long at all, before the countertops and windowsills of their apartment were just teeming with flora. As it turned out, Dean was a devoted plant dad.

Plus, Dean could always use the herbs when he cooked, which was yet another semi-surprising hobby of his. Really, bonding with Dean had given Cas a free crash-course in the dangers of preemptive stereotyping— seriously, who would have guessed that Mr. Beer-Over-Therapy was a Vonnegut fanboy? Certainly not Cas's past self.

Live and learn.

Ahead of Cas, sprouting proudly from a matte black pot, were basil leaves.

“Hello,” Cas grumbled, supposedly addressing the basil plant. “I swear to all that is holy, your father better not panic if I tell him what’s going on. He can be a very paranoid man, but I’m sure you know that already. You are under his care, after all.”

The response was silence, as expected.

Without a doubt, Cas was going to need a better, more sentient distraction.

⁂

“Hey, Charlie, can I ask you a question? It’s going to sound… borderline nonsensical, but I swear, there’s a good reason.”

Gently shutting the freezer door, Charlie swiveled around to face the breakfast bar. Cas was leaning back against the surface, a hard edge pressing into him from behind. Which, stung far less than Cas was sure it should have.

Charlie’d shot him a text thirty minutes prior, letting Cas know she’d be stopping by for a check-in, in between her array of moving-related errands. Cas would continue to babysit The Moss for another day or two; still, she’d felt that a wellness check would be smart. Cas had to agree with her, there. Because, hey, it wasn’t as if he had any experience caring for magically enhanced, possibly inadvertently cursed moss. Speaking of—

“Sure,” Charlie replied, leaning back against the fridge. She flashed a grin. “Maybe I’ll tease you about it, maybe I won’t. We’ll see.”

Cas huffed, rolling his eyes. Even then, he couldn’t help but smile, matching his friend. Her warmth was infectious; although, it was largely superficial on Cas. Really, he was too stressed to broach any comorbid emotions. Which, sadly, seemed to include the pleasant ones.

At risk of worrying Charlie and making himself appear even less capable of handling the situation, Cas made sure to keep his voice level. Steady and clearly unbothered. “Well, it’s… actually pretty complicated. But, I suppose it boils down to: Is it ever possible for enchanted plant materials, no matter how benevolent, to backfire and have negative side effects on their surroundings? Like, almost, giving someone a magical allergic reaction?”

To Cas's dismay, Charlie slid into a frown, furrowing her brow. “Yes, I guess? Maybe? Is something wrong?”

Cas deflated. “Not exactly,” he said, although he knew it sounded like a stone-cold lie the moment it slithered out of his lips. So, he amended. “At least, it isn’t anything truly debilitating. Just incredibly strange, I guess.”

Charlie nodded, sucking on her bottom lip. “Got it. So, what’s up?”

“Well…” Cas paused to cringe. Okay, so, what was the least alarming way he could go about explaining himself? He really should have prepared a script. Dammit. “Nothing too bad. Food hasn’t had much of a taste, I’ve had trouble sleeping, my skin is apparently impervious to boiling hot liquids—”

“Woah, woah, hold up. Really? Cas, seriously, what the hell happened?”

Cas sighed. “I spilled hot coffee on myself. And, essentially, it just slid off my skin, without leaving any kind of burn, or causing me any pain. Only, that happened— wait, shit. That part happened before you even dropped off the moss.”

Brows nearly embedded into her hairline, Charlie spoke slowly. Understandable, since Cas was beginning to act more like a spooked animal by the second. “Cas. You know good and well that that’s not normal, nor is it okay. At least, if you didn’t intend for it to happen,” she said. “And, yeah, I highly doubt my fucking moss would have such a dramatic effect. Christ. You do know that I use this stuff as a base for caffeine-substitute charms, right?”

“I know, I know.” Cas dug his palms deeper into the edge of the countertop.

Charlie nodded, but narrowed her gaze. “Is that everything that’s been going on? Or, is there totally more that you’re totally avoiding telling me about?”

At that point, Cas had only the flimsiest grasp on his resolve. Charlie could certainly come off as threatening, when she had a reason to. “Possibly,” he muttered.

“And?”

“And, last night, I’m pretty sure my entire abdomen was glowing blue. Like, as if there was a fluorescent light bulb shoved up into my ribs. Then, I may or may not have fallen unconscious, until this morning. Maybe,” Cas explained, seeing as there was no way he’d get out of that conversation without confessing, lest Charlie crucify him against the wall of his own kitchen.

Charlie was practically gaping, by then. She took a few overly cautious steps toward Cas, lowering her voice considerably. “Cas Novak. I’m sorry, but that is so not okay. Seriously, that sounds like some kinda curse, or something! You really should—”

“I’ve done some research already, if that’s what you’re suggesting. I couldn’t find anything. At least, nothing involving my exact combination of symptoms. Clearly, if it’s a curse, it’s not an especially common one.” Cas shrugged.

Charlie huffed in response. “Well,” she said, “Freakish stomach light aside, have any of the more minor symptoms been causing you enough of an issue? Like, didn’t you mention something about a low appetite?”

“Food not tasting of anything,” Cas corrected. “Although, I guess I don’t have much of an appetite, either. I haven’t eaten since… two days ago, maybe.”

“And you’re really not hungry? Like, at all?”

Cas shook his head. His shame was palpable. “No, I’m really not.”

“Cas, this sure as hell doesn’t sound healthy. You—”

With his most impeccable timing to date, a bathrobe-clad Dean decided then to stagger into the kitchen, clearly still sleep-dazed. He only allowed the new-found silence to hang in the air for a moment, before cutting through it, himself. “Hey,” he grumbled, then cleared his throat and headed toward the fridge. “You Cas's co-worker? The mossy one?”

“Oh, uh. Sure, that’s me. I’m Charlie. I was just stopping by, to… check on the moss. Yeah, that’s all,” she said, obviously struggling to reorient her thoughts after the abrupt change in topic. The air was still so heavy, yet Dean seemed entirely unaffected by the pressure. Praise be to the sleepy, oblivious bastard.

“M’Dean. Hey, Cas, you eaten breakfast yet?”

“Oh! Um, I ate a small snack after waking up. I could go for breakfast, now, though.”

If Cas didn’t know any better, he’d say that Charlie was attempting to slice into his squishy, heat-resistant flesh with her stare, alone. Frankly, if the razor-sharp shame that Cas was struck with said anything, Charlie wasn’t too far off from her goal. A cocktail of daggers, concern, and curiosity— it was practically pouring from Charlie’s eyes, dousing Cas over the head like several consecutive jugs of ice water.

How acceptable would it have been for a grown man to call “taksies backsies” on an entire conversation?

Well, in any case, that was certainly the last time he took initiative over his own well-being. Cas would, instead, steal a page from Dean’s playbook: Never ask for help, no matter how desperately you need it.

He would thank his friend later for setting such an enlightening example… whether or not Dean might appreciate Cas's latest self-help philosophy.

[agentjoannemills]

trimberly prompt! trini is failing biology and her parents somehow get queen bee kimberly hart to tutor her?? trinis ready to burn her house down with kimberly in it but she learns kim is actually really sweet? and really kind and patient and holy shit shes even prettier up close. the small ball of Teen Angst slowly develops a crush (not that she'd ever say that out loud) and gayness ensues.

Hey! Sorry for the delay. Here you go! (unsure whether i actually followed the prompt but this is where the story went i’m sorry i still hope you like it)

(also on AO3)

The last thing Trini wants to do when she gets home is to talk to her parents. She just really plans on sneaking in, avoiding as much a fuss as possible, and holing up in her room until it’s time for dinner.

Unfortunately, nothing goes according to this plan.

When she enters the house, she’s greeted by the sight of her parents sitting on the couch, obviously waiting for her, and she tenses up on instinct.

Her grip on her bag’s strap tightens when she sees an official-looking envelope on the coffee table, and oh fuck, she really should have just climbed in through her bedroom window instead.

Her mother’s gaze is hard and unforgiving, and her father’s is somewhat apologetically disappointed, as if it’s his fault she’s going to receive a good, long reprimand from his wife. It is for this reason that Trini clenches her jaw, putting on her big girl pants and rallying every ounce of her willpower to not flinch and to accept what’s going to happen.

She refuses to back down from what appears to be an inescapable punishment for her own carelessness.

“Sit down,” her mother orders, and Trini obeys without argument.

The silent judgment continues for several long seconds, but Trini doesn’t show any sign of discomfort. She’s not going to give them that satisfaction.

Finally, after what’s felt like forever, her mom huffs an annoyed breath and pushes a sheet of paper towards her. “So this came in the mail today.”

Trini picks it up. Yeah, just as she thought. The B– glares at her from the page, the red ink like a death sentence.

“Don’t you have anything to say for yourself?” Her mother’s tone is getting a dangerous edge now, riled up with Trini’s non-expression.

“What do you want me to say?” she asks, evenly. “It’s not a failing mark.”

“It’s not an A either!”

“Now, swee—” her father tries to defuse the tension, but her mother is having none of it.

“No! You keep letting her get away with whatever she’s doing, and it’s getting out of hand! She needs discipline!” Her mother glares at her. “You need to pick up your slack! You won’t be accepted in any good colleges if your grades are like this!”

“It’s a B, not the end of the world,” Trini says, and it is a very, very bad move.

“Don’t give me that attitude!” her mother nearly screeches, before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. When she looks at her again, she’s forcibly calmer. “You need grades higher than this, so you need to study harder. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

“Yeah, sure.”

“Good. Now, your teacher says you do well with lab activities but not with the written exams. So I arranged for you to have a tutor. Maybe having someone else checking over your work will help you improve.”

Trini blinks, hearing the words but not processing their meaning. “What now?”

Her mother carries on as if she didn’t speak. “You know the Harts, they have a daughter who’s apparently in the same class as you. Do you know Kimberly? I asked her mother if Kim could spare an hour or two a day to help you out, and she said yes. Kim’s also agreed, she’s such a sweet little thing. Very polite. Pretty, and smart to boot. You’re going to meet with her here starting tomorrow, after her cheer practice.” Her mother nods, satisfied with her pitch, and as usual not giving Trini any chance to object before standing up and ending their talk. “I expect you to be in your best behaviour.” Then she walks away, leaving her and her father staring at each other.

“What just happened?” Trini asks, bewildered.

Her father sighs, looking about as defeated as ever. “I think you just got a tutor.”

Well.

That’s not good.

That’s not good at all.

//

“You probably should head home now,” Zack says, brows furrowing as he stares at the setting sun. “You don’t want your mom to be even more pissed.”

Trini scoffs, raising an eyebrow at him. She’s lying on the hood of her car. “Since when do you care about that?”

He shrugs. “Hey, I’m just saying, if you hit a few more of her buttons, it’s not gonna be pretty.”

“I know that.”

“So go. Be a nerd and study.” He scrunches his nose, as if disgusted. “And whoa, I can’t believe I just said that non-ironically.”

She laughs. “Yeah, it’s probably a cold day in hell, huh? Zack Taylor, King of Detention, just told me to study. I feel so blessed.”

“Shut up. It’s just that if your mom gets on your case even more, it’s gonna be real hard for you to escape and make it to our bonfire nights.” He crosses his arms. “I don’t wanna lose my drinking buddy to academics.”

Trini sighs, because for once, she knows Zack is right. Her mother’s been watching her like a hawk since yesterday, and it’s going to get worse if she fails to show up on time to the damn tutoring session. “Fine, fine. I’m going.”

“It couldn’t be that bad, right?” Zack says. “It’s just Kim.”

“She’s the head cheerleader.”

“Yeah, and I’m Zack Taylor.” He rolls his eyes. “No duh.”

“Fuck off, you know what I mean.”

“She seems good.”

“That’s ’cause you’re thinking with a different head.”

“Okay, now you’re just being mean.”

“I’m always being mean.”

“Play nice.”

Trini smirks. “Never.”

//

For the most part, Trini actually finds Biology a pretty interesting subject. Perhaps not as fascinating as chemistry and physics, but she can appreciate the rote learning needed in many of its topics; memorisation might not be the best way to gauge intelligence, but it sure does pay to have some piece of information immediately at the tip of her tongue.

It’s intellectually stimulating, when she really pays attention. It’s challenging to learn all about neurotransmitters and every bump in a bone and cardiac rhythm. Every diagram she draws must be accurate; otherwise, what’s the point, right?

So yeah. It’s not that she hates the subject; she just doesn’t like it as much as the others.

But with this tutoring issue in her immediate future, she just might learn to hate it with all that she is.

Tutoring itself won’t be that much of a problem, if it’s in school. At least there, Trini’s got some form of control unhindered by the anxiety that her parents’ mere presence evokes. But that’s out of the question, obviously, and what’s more, her tutor’s going to be Kimberly freaking Hart.

Of course Trini knows she shares the same class with the head cheerleader. It’s kinda difficult to ignore that fact when every time Kim enters the classroom, everyone watches with rapt attention. She’s never alone, with their schoolmates always seeking her out and begging for her to notice them.

It’s ridiculous, is what it is—the way the entire student body seems to fall on their feet at Kimberly’s every whim—and Trini decides to hate her on principle.

(“You know that’s a lie,” Zack said when she told her about it. “Your little gay heart just can’t handle that much beauty without overheating.”

“Shut the fuck up, Taylor,” she said, because Zack’s an ass and he knew nothing.

In all likelihood, Kimberly Hart has no damn idea who the fuck Trini is, and Trini sure as hell doesn’t care either way.)

Anyway. Yeah. Trini’s not a fan of her tutor, which is why this whole tutoring thing is probably never gonna work.

//

Scratch that.

This whole tutoring thing is definitely never gonna work.

When Trini gets home, the first thing she sees is a pink Audi parked in the driveway, and her stomach flips on itself.

Shit.

//

Trini just about freezes on the spot when she sees Kimberly freaking Hart sitting like a goddamn Disney princess in her middle-class family’s living room, beside Trini’s mother, the both of them sipping tea from the good Chinaware reserved for holidays and for guests her mother wants to impress—which apparently includes Angel Grove High’s resident queen bee.

Trini is not blind. She knows one of the reasons Kim’s such a popular girl is because her beauty honestly transcends the mortal plane. Her hair’s luscious and falls in gentle waves, neat and classy, even after she cut it off to shoulder-length. She’s got the jawline of a goddess, and her tan skin is smooth and looks soft to the touch. Her clothes fail to hide just how defined her muscles are—Trini knows because she’s seen her running around in those squad uniforms that barely leaves anything to the imagination.

But Kimberly’s eyes are what captivates her the most.

Her eyes remind Trini of hot chocolate on a winter night, warm and comforting; she could almost smell woodsmoke from the fireplace, could almost hear the flame crackling and the sound of leaves crunching underfoot, could almost see wolf’s fur shining beneath the moonlight. Kim’s eyes are compelling, magnetic, not taking no for an answer.

She looks up at Trini with those damn eyes, and her smile?

Fuck.

Her smile is like a flickering shadow, like an illicit affair, like bourbon at 3:00 a.m.—thrilling, electrifying, demanding one’s utmost devotion.

Trini internally curses and bites her tongue.

This is shaping up to be a huge fucking problem.

//

Trini’s mother leaves the two of them after shooting Trini a glare that warns her of another lecture in her immediate future and profusely apologising to Kimberly for Trini’s lateness. Kimberly just smiles, saying it’s fine, and “It’s my fault anyway, cheer practice ended early and I probably should have waited a bit before coming over.”

(And Trini’s mother just about looks on the verge of singing Kimberly the Ave Maria, honestly.)

When they’re finally alone, Kimberly stands and offers Trini her hand. “Hi, I’m Kim.”

“I know,” Trini says. It’s rather rude, she realises, and she sighs. “Sorry. Yeah. I know who you are. I mean.” She clamps her lips together before digging herself further into mortification. “Trini.”

And when she shakes Kim’s hand, she just about spontaneously explodes, because she’s correct and Kim’s skin is indeed soft to the touch, holy shit, and it’s like holding a silk glove that’s got electric currents running through each thread.

“I know,” Kim says, her eyes laughing, but not taunting. At least Trini doesn’t think so. But it’s quite difficult to think at all when that smile is freaking directed at her, full blast. It’s like a nuclear weapon or something, all white teeth and charm, like it’s a goddamn toothpaste commercial. “We do share a class together.”

Right. “Yeah.”

“So?”

“Hmm?”

“Let’s begin?”

“Oh.” She huffs, staring at those endlessly dark eyes, but not without effort. It’s freaking hard to act all high and mighty when you’re literally just barely over five feet.

It gets even more of a challenge when you’re faced with the walking personification of grace and beauty and you start acting like a fucking gay mess.

But that’s not relevant as of now.

Right.

“Let’s,” she says, dropping her bag unceremoniously on the couch before plopping down. She rummages through her stuff to get her notes and textbooks.

“You know,” Kim says, settling down uncomfortably close to Trini, “I was sorta surprised when my mom told me I’m gonna be tutoring you.”

“That’s my mom’s fault, sorry.”

“No, I mean—” Kim shrugs. “I was surprised that you needed a tutor at all.”

Trini hums, noncommittal. “Why’s that?”

“You’re always on top of the experiments and lab reports, even though you’re unbelievably quiet during discussion.” Kim releases this breathy chuckle that sets Trini’s heart racing without permission. (It’s annoying.) “I’m pretty sure you even beat me by three points in last month’s project.”

That stops Trini in her on-going campaign to avoid Kim’s eyes as much as possible. Instead she meets her stare directly, proud of herself for keeping her voice level. “You remembered that?”

Kim appears a bit flustered, and she’s the one to look away this time, but Trini’s too busy looking at the flush in her cheeks to think about the reason behind it. “It’s pretty hard to forget when I really did my best for the project only to be beaten by the quiet girl always lurking in the back of the room.”

“I do not lurk.”

“Sure, Trini,” Kim says, and god if Trini doesn’t find that the sound of her own name coming from Kim’s lips is like some sort of music.

If this is just the beginning, Trini’s not sure how sane she’s gonna be by the end of this torture.

At this rate, probably not sane at all.

//

Trini is surprised to find that she’s actually enjoying herself, talking with this popular pretty girl whom she’s already judged without even really knowing her. Trini realises how much of a jerk thing that is, and she tells Kim so.

“I have to admit,” she begins, tapping her pen on a particularly tricky question, “I pegged you as a typical head bitch.”

Kim doesn’t look offended; instead her eyes seem to sparkle with amusement. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.” Trini shrugs. “You know, the head cheerleader stereotype perpetuated by the media and brought to life by the American youth almost without fail.”

“I was like that, not long ago,” she says, voice soft.

“What happened?”

Kim smiles. “Met some people who made me realise I could do so much better.”

//

“See you tomorrow, then?” Kim asks when it’s time for her to go, her voice low and like a secret promise, washing over Trini like the velvet of a morning storm.

Trini tilts her head, a smirk playing on her lips. “See you tomorrow,” she says, and Kim’s answering laugh will quench her thirst for days to come.

So. Maybe Zack’s got a point about her little gay heart, after all.

Dammit.

//

Kim’s a pretty patient instructor, launching into the sort of detailed explanations that Trini wouldn’t have been able to come up with on her own. Her work is organised, all clean lines and neat handwriting, and her arrows and diagrams make sense in a way at which their textbooks fail. She doesn’t rush Trini into understanding the numerous concepts, and has instead worked out that Trini works better when there are other things happening around her. So Kim talks about other things while Trini figures out molecular evolution and evolutionary synthesis.

//

“Fascism is an ideology relying on the argument of power and not on the power of argument,” Trini says, not looking up from a heart diagram. “Morality and logic are things not really taken into account when dealing with fascist agenda.”

She’s not really sure how she finds herself talking about things not at all related to biology—or even science in general—with Kim, but by the time she realised they strayed too far off topic, it’s already too late. They’ve already covered, amongst others, the politics of eugenics and even the socialist revolution—a discussion that comes so out of left field that Trini wasted a couple of seconds staring into Kim’s eyes before formulating a response regarding the development of revolutionary syndicalism.

//

“Here.” Kim throws a small box at Trini, who easily catches it.

Trini examines the box. “What’s it?”

“Just open it.”

Trini does, and she takes out a fidget spinner. “Wha—”

“You can use it whenever you want help focusing,” Kim says. “I can’t very well talk to you while we’re taking exams, but that’s a decent alternative. That way you have another outlet when concentrating.”

“I—” Trini swallows past the emotions balling up in her throat. “Thank you,” she says.

If Kim noticed the waver in her voice, she doesn’t mention it. “You’re welcome.”

//

Early the next morning, Trini leaves a box of glazed doughnuts on Kim’s windowsill, along with a cup of coffee—black, extra shot of espresso, no sugar.

//

Kim waves at her in the cafeteria later, a huge smile threatening to split her face in two, and a hush falls over the entire area.

//

“Why are people looking at you?” Trini asks Zack.

Zack laughs out loud. “They’re not looking at me, Crazy Girl,” he says, grinning like a maniac, “they’re looking at you.”

//

She sees Kim talking to Jason Scott, star quarterback, in the bleachers. They are leaning too closely to each other, their touches gentle and familiar. She sees Kim smile at something Jason says, and Jason grins when Kim throws her arms around his neck.

Zack comes up behind her, flinging an arm over her shoulder. “Come on. I got some booze from last week’s gig. Shitty and probably tastes like piss, but I think that’s appropriate, no?”

Trini pulls her beanie lower over head, allowing Zack to stir her away.

Shit and piss sound about right for what’s roiling in her chest.

//

She only talks to Kim during their tutoring sessions after that. She stops seeking her out, avoids running into her in the hallways.

If Kim notices, she doesn’t mention it. She’s good at not mentioning things, anyway.

They both are.

//

The fidget spinner never leaves Trini’s pocket, even though she’s tried to throw it away several times.

(She sleeps with it in her hand.)

//

A week later, Trini wakes up to someone tapping on her window. She sits up immediately, eyes widening when she sees it’s Kim, holding on to the sill, bobbing her head to signal that Trini should really move and open up now before she falls down.

So Trini lets her in, backing away immediately when she remembers that she’s only wearing pajama shorts with sun prints and an over-sized NASA shirt.

“Why’re you here, Kim?” she asks, mumbles really, eyes trained on her carpet, arms wrapped around herself.

“Are you ever gonna tell me what I did wrong?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Kim scoffs. “That’s bullshit.”

Trini snaps her head up, glares at Kim. She tries not to notice that Kim’s still in her sleepwear too—matching pajama set, with spaceship prints—though she fails splendidly. She also fails in not noticing that their clothes weirdly match. “You didn’t do anything wrong,” she asserts.

“Then why are you avoiding me?”

“I’m no—”

Kim doesn’t hesitate in cutting her off. “If I hear another lie from you, I swear to god I will throw you out your own damn window, Trini.”

“What do you want to hear?”

“Just the truth,” Kim tells her, eyes imploring, voice cracking, and it stabs right at Trini’s heart. “Just the truth, please.”

And Trini will never let herself be the reason Kim breaks down, will never be able to deny Kim anything, so she gives her what she wants, regardless of any possible fallout.

At this point, she’s got nothing to lose anyway, except perhaps an almost that can never be.

“Remember when we talked about how soulmates are probably those whose atoms were next to each other in the big bang?” she asks, and she almost smiles at Kim’s confused frown, probably wondering where the fuck Trini’s going with this.

“Yeah?”

“They’re drawn to each other because they came from the same burst of light, from the same corner of the universe. They have the same stardust in their bones.” Trini sighs, half a laugh, half a sob. Her fingers dig into her own skin. “That’s you for me, Kim.

“Oh,” Kim says.

“Please just go,” Trini pleads, because one more second and she’s going to fall apart.

But Kim won’t let her be. “No, no, I’m not leaving.”

“Kim, please—”

“You said your piece, and now you’re gonna listen to mine.” Kim walks towards Trini, and Trini’s vision is blurry with unshed tears. Kim’s hand is soft on her jaw, tilting her face up, and then Kim is pressing their lips together, and Trini’s entire world shifts on its axis.

“What—” Trini begins when Kim draws back.

“Your star made me,” Kim says, her voice now sure and steady, and Trini’s entire being is cradled in her hands, “and galaxies swirl in your eyes, and I’m on earth falling in love with you.”

//

Later, when their lips are sore from too much kissing, Trini explains why she’s been avoiding her.

“Trini,” Kim says, fond and exasperated at once, “I was asking him for advice on how best to tell you what I feel.”

“Oh.”

“Next time, whenever you have questions or doubts, talk to me first, okay?”

Trini buries her face into the crook of Kim’s neck, and Kim’s arms tighten around her. “Yeah, okay.”

//

“That must have been a pretty dumb star,” Zack remarks, after Trini told her what happened.

Trini socks him on the arm. “Shut up,” she says, but she doesn’t stop smiling, and she doesn’t let go of Kim’s hand.

Kim’s laughter sounds like golden sunlight, bathing Trini in the glow of home.

they’re big nerds, i love them so much