#HE NEVER MENTIONED WHEN THE DUE DATE IS... HE ALSO SAID WE'LL HAVE TO DO A PRESENTATION FIRST SO WE WERE WORKING ON THE SLIDES

[evilkaeya]

GROUP REPORT SUBMISSION IS DUE TOMORROW MORNING? WE HAVEN'T EVEN STARTED WRITING YET? I HATE THIS UNI

[writingwithciara]

the stand in -luke hughes-

summary: y/n needed a date, and quick. with nobody else available, she turned to the only guy she knew was available. her best friends little brother. so what if they never got along? what could possibly go wrong?

word count: 5k

pairing: luke hughes x reader, jack hughes x bestfriend!platonic reader

notes: recently inspired by a book i just finished reading.

you're coming to the wedding, right? i don't think i could handle things without you also can't wait to meet your fiance love you so much <3

y/n stared at her phone as the texts from her cousin kept coming in. she was getting married to the guy she had been in a relationship with since basically kindergarten. marc, short for marcella, & jacob were barely ever apart growing up & it only escalated from there when they gave in to their feelings and started dating in 6th grade.

the longer y/n stared at the screen, the more she regretted ever mentioning she had a fiance. but she knew her family would get suspicious and try to set her up with someone if she showed up single again.

when she informed them she really was getting married, she was not banking on her fiance leaving her.

she whipped out her phone and sent a desperate text to her best friend.

jack i need your help. call me asap

within seconds, her phone was ringing with the signature song jack had assigned himself. when she picked up the phone, she didn't hesitate to start explaining. it was coming out so fast, he had to stop her.

"slow down, y/n. take a breath and then tell me what's got you so worried."

and she listened. she took a deep breath and sighed. "my cousin is getting married in a few weeks and i made the mistake of telling her about my fiance."

"but you don't have one because jerry is a jackass."

"mildly put, but yeah." she ran a hand through her hair. "i want to tell her that we're not together anymore but that would mean some excruciating mental pain at the wedding."

"right. when your entire family tries to set you up with a single guy there."

"see? you understand me, jack." she smiled. "so, i was wondering if-"

"you know i would love to. but unfortunately, i will be busy planning something super spectacular."

"i hate you." but she didn't. not even a little.

"no you don't." y/n could hear the smirk through the phone.

"jack, what am i supposed to do?"

"you could tell marc the truth and hopefully she won't tell the rest of your family."

"be realistic."

"you're right. i knew it as soon as the words left my mouth." jack looked around his apartment. "oh, i got it. hear me out, okay?"

"what's your idea?" she knew she was going to regret asking, due to the tone in his voice.

"luke's free."

"are you kidding? i said be realistic, jack. that is the worst possible idea ever."

"no. the worst possible idea would be telling them the truth, remember?"

"but i don't want to go with luke. he's the exact opposite of jerry."

"hey, i heard that!" she could hear luke's voice somewhere in the background.

"jack hughes, do you have me on speaker?!"

"only for a second. i had to set it on my dresser to grab something. but you're off now." he chuckled. "and luke may be the exact opposite of jerry, but that's a good thing."

"enlighten me."

"well for starters, he's nicer to me than jerry ever was. and two, he would never ever break off your engagement for stupid reasons."

"well we would never be engaged, so there's that."

"look, do you want a solution or not?"

"a helpful one would be great."

"luke is a good guy, whether you choose to believe it or not. and i'm not just saying that because he's my brother." it was jack's turn to sigh. "just please give him a chance. it's only going to be for one night, isn't it?"

"5 actually. gotta fly up a few days before & we'll be staying at my parent's old place." y/n rubbed her head. "i hate that i'm desperate enough to actually consider using luke of all people."

"hey, i heard that too!"

"take me off of speaker, jack."

"okay okay. you're off. for real this time." jack was laughing but y/n didn't find it funny. although she and luke were never shy when it came to their dislike for one another, she didn't like him hearing how she felt. "so, desperation is making you delirious, huh?"

"i suppose so." y/n looked at her tv. "tell luke to meet me here at noon tomorrow. there's some things we need to go over if this is going to work."

"got it."

when they hung up, y/n threw herself down on the couch and groaned. she couldn't believe she was doing this. and with luke of all people.

the next day, y/n sat at her kitchen counter and stared at the clock.

11:43

she was dreading the fact that luke had somehow agreed to do this. it wasn't like him to offer her any kind of help.

11:44

time was ticking by so slowly and part of her hoped that luke decided he wanted to back out. but that hope was shattered when not even a minute later, there was a knock on her door. she opened it to find luke standing there with a forced smile on his face.

"you're early."

"yeah. figured the earlier i got here, the faster we could go over everything and i could leave."

"and here i thought it was because you actually cared." y/n playfully put her hand over her heart, acting as if she was touched by his actions. she was not.

"don't get your hopes up." luke pushed past her and entered her apartment. she turned and followed him as he set his stuff down on the counter she had just vacated. "jack said he would pay me for this."

"i hope you like having one brother because after today, he's dead."

"relax. i was joking. he's not paying me. but he does owe me huuuuge for this."

"okay you don't have to act like putting up with me is that big of a deal."

"oh, but it is." luke avoided eye contact and looked at his phone. for some reason, his words stung her a little. but she had no idea why. "okay so what do we need to go over?"

"well, you already knew jerry-"

"unfortunately."

"so i just need to go over some things i told my cousin about him and we'll need to spend some time perfecting your acting skills."

"did you happen to tell your cousin his name?"

"no. you can still be luke."

"good. because jerry is the one person i hate" luke smiled and finally looked at y/n. "besides you of course."

"lovely. let's get started, shall we."

over the next 4 days, y/n and luke met in public places to test everything she had taught him. it was not easy most of the time so on day 5, she requested that jack come along with them.

that didn't work because he laughed at everything luke did. he knew his brother was way better than jerry was and seeing him try to act like that guy made jack laugh uncontrollably.

when luke was in the bathroom, jack looked at y/n.

"what?"

"i'm realizing now that you are a saint."

"what do you mean?"

"for starters, you put up with jerry for so long and now you're putting up with luke acting like him. and you're spending time with luke without complaining or yelling at him or wanting to rip his head off."

"well, it's not like i had a choice." y/n rolled her eyes and placed her gaze on her best friend. "what's this super spectacular thing you're planning?"

"it's a surprise, sweetheart." jack chuckled. "and you can't give me that look because i'm not caving to it this time."

"you suck, hughes."

"don't doubt it." he smiled. "but you love me anyway."

"always." y/n shook her head and looked toward the bathroom. "does he always take forever or is this new?"

"maybe he ran into a girl on his way and now he's getting her number."

"oh boy. do i feel sorry for the girl who ends up with that kid."

"careful. that's your fiance you're talking about." luke appeared at the table, causing y/n to jump a little. he took his seat next to jack. "what's next on the schedule?"

"nothing. we're actually done for today. you are relieved of your duties, oh kind sir."

"okay cool." he quickly stood back up. "same time tomorrow?"

"yeah. don't be late again."

"you got it, boss." luke said goodbye to jack and y/n before walking out of the building. when he was gone, jack looked at her.

"i just witnessed over an hour of civilized conversation." he chuckled.

"there's a first time for everything. doesn't mean it's going to be an every day thing after this is all said and done."

"fair point." he smiled. "but at least you're getting along for now."

"i suppose that's one way of looking at it."

---------

on the day they had to fly up for the wedding, y/n and luke woke up early. she wanted to have the earliest flight possible so she could spend more time with her family, even though she knew they were going to pester her endlessly about her upcoming 'wedding'.

"got everything, right?" luke asked as he hauled their bags to jack's car. y/n looked through her list and nodded.

"yup. we're good to go." she yawned and climbed into the passenger seat and waited for jack to start the drive to the airport.

after 10 minutes in silence, luke spoke up. "i'm not so sure about this. what if i do something wrong and mess this up for you?"

"we've been practicing for weeks. you're going to do great, luke. i just know it." she turned to look at him with a smile. it calmed him down for a minute but once she started a conversation with jack, his worry kept coming back. he really didn't want to let her down.

jack parked where he needed to and luke grabbed the bags.

"i'm going to miss you, jack."

"it's only a week. that'll fly by."

"but a week with luke? that's gonna be tough."

"hey. i heard that." luke chuckled while closing the car door. he waited patiently for their talk to end.

"it's going to be fine. you've been working with him for weeks so i figure there's not too much hatred flowing through your veins right now. plus, you'll be surrounded by your own family so that will take some of the pressure off at least."

"yeah. you're right." y/n smiled. "still going to miss you though."

"obviously." he squeezed her hand and smiled. "i'll be here to pick you up in a week."

"okay. i'll see you then." y/n got out of the car and went to grab her bag. luke gently pushed her hand away and headed inside. "luke i'm capable of carrying my own bag, you know."

"i know. but i want to do something nice for once. i know you're stressed about something happening."

"does it look like i'm stressed?"

"no. but you're great at acting. you hide it well. and i know you well enough to know when you're stressing about something."

"okay." she walked beside him and smiled. "thanks."

"you don't have to thank me for simply carrying your bag, you know."

"i know i don't have to but it's what i do when someone does something nice and unexpected. like this just seems so out of character for you."

"i'm trying to get into my role as your loving fiance." he chuckled.

once they went through all the necessary checkpoints and made it to their gate, y/n was finally able to breath.

"i just realized that we spent the last few weeks making sure you were the perfect 'jerry' & i didn't get to know a whole lot about you."

"i'm sure jack has told you plenty. plus you know me. i'm not much of a sharer."

"fair enough, i suppose." she looked out the window at the planes. "are you one of those people who sleeps on a plane or one that can never fully rest?"

"when travelling with the team, i can sleep perfectly fine. but other than that, i'm a wide-awake traveler."

"yeah me too. at least i won't be alone this time."

"we can use that time to talk to each other and not focus on your family. don't need you freaking out on the plane."

"yeah. okay. yeah. thank you."

"no problem."

they boarded the flight 10 minutes later and spent the entire time just talking and bonding as if they were actually good friends. it was unreal for both of them.

the minute they pulled up to y/n's old house, things felt off. the worry was back for both of them and before they walked in, luke reached down and held onto her hand. she gave him a look before he just shrugged.

"we're engaged, remember?"

"oh. right. i forgot for a second."

"it's going to be fine, y/n."

"i'm sure it will be." she looked at him and smiled a little. she followed luke slowly as he squeezed her hand for reassurance. they walked into the house and her parents came flying around the corner.

"oh it's so good to see you, y/n." her mom pulled her into a hug while her dad shook luke's hand. "oh and you must be the fiance."

"it's nice to meet you ma'am. i'm luke." he held his hand out but her mom pulled him into a hug.

"it's nice to finally meet you, luke." she pulled back and smiled. "oh marc is going to be so happy when she sees you guys tomorrow. she's been talking nonstop about the wedding so seeing her favorite cousin will be like a breath of fresh air."

"i can't wait to see her, mom." y/n smiled and before she could even try, luke was grabbing the bags and following y/n's dad up the stairs to their room. "i'm gonna go make sure dad doesn't scare luke too much."

she hurried up the stairs and went to the room. luke was standing at the window of her childhood bedroom and her dad was nowhere in sight.

"i like your parents. they're very kind."

"i like your parents too. they're a lot like mine in so many ways."

"i totally understand that." he smiled and turned around. "are we capable of sharing this bed?"

"we can try. i'm sorry in advance."

"no, no. it's alright. i should be the one saying sorry. we've known each other how long & i've never really been all that kind to you."

"i haven't been kind to you either, luke. just used to putting up with you for jack's sake."

"thanks." he chuckled. "but we can manage for 5 days, right?"

"well, you did tell me that i'm good at acting so i'm definitely capable of pulling this off." she smiled. "and you're really good too. we have nothing to be worried about."

"absolutely nothing." luke smiled and walked towards the door. "wait, what if nobody believes we're really a thing and they make us prove it with, like, a kiss or something?"

"i'm sure that won't happen. they're never weird like that."

"let's hope we can make it the entire trip without having to kiss. i couldn't imagine kissing you."

"hey, i'm a fantastic kisser. thank you very much."

"i'm sure you are but i just don't have the desire to find out." he smiled.

"okay, fair enough." y/n smiled at him and set her bag on the side of the bed before taking a seat and looking at luke. "marc is going to be obsessed with you."

"why do you say that?"

"she loves guys with curly hair. you should see the guy she's going to marry."

"speaking of them, how long have they been together?"

"they met in kindergarten. i witnessed the moment they met. it was adorable. they were inseparable for years but they didn't admit their feelings until 6th grade." y/n smiled while recalling the moment marcella and jacob knew they were going to be together forever. "they've been together ever since."

"really? that's honestly a sweet story." luke smiled. "so they've really never spent any significant time apart?"

"nope. the longest they were separated was the summer before our freshman year of high school when our family went on a cruise. my parents invited jacob to come along with us but his family went to visit his dying grandfather so he chose them."

"wow. 2 months." luke chuckled. "i can't even imagine being dependent on someone as much as they are on each other."

"me either, honestly. jerry was the first guy i ever had a solid connection like that with. and he'll likely be my last."

"unless you and jack follow through with your pact, right?"

"right? well, actually, even if we follow through with it, doesn't mean i'll have the same feelings for him that marc has for jacob."

"right. but at least you'll know jack would never leave you like jerry did."

"okay. that's true." y/n glanced at the picture on her desk. she stood up and walked over to it. "thank you for doing this, luke. i really appreciate it."

"of course." he stood behind her and smiled. "just remember this when i ask for a favor."

"noted." y/n set the picture down and turned to face him. she was about to comment on the close proximity but the doorbell rang. "are you ready to meet the happy couple?"

"yes." he walked to the door and waited. "lead the way."

it should've surprised y/n when, within 2 minutes, jacob and marcella were already calling luke one of their 'best friends'. but it didn't surprise her one bit.

despite her own resentment towards the youngest hughes brother, she couldn't deny that he was actually a likeable person to everyone else.

when they were alone again, y/n leaned against the wall and watched the smile on luke's face. he looked up at her and the smile fell, but only briefly.

"i love your family. hard to believe you're related to any of them."

"funny, luke. i say the same about you and your family. ellen, jim, jack and quinn are absolute saints. and then there's you."

"you sound insane." luke chuckled.

"get used to it. i'm going to be apart of your family in the future."

"you remember we're not actually engaged, don't you?"

"of course i remember it's fake. it's the only way i can tolerate you this long." y/n shook her head. "i was talking about my marriage to your brother."

"quinn?" luke raised his eyebrow. "wasn't aware you had a thing for him."

"wasn't it you who just brought up my pact with jack earlier? how did you forget about that?"

"relax. i was messing with you." luke smiled. "you and jack are rock solid. after this wedding, there will be nothing standing in your way of happily ever after."

something didn't feel right with the way the words came out of his mouth. they tasted funny and he didn't know why.

on the day of the wedding, y/n was in the room with marcella as she was finishing getting ready. marc turned to smile at y/n.

"thank you so much for being here. and for bringing luke. i love seeing you happy." marcella smiled widely. "and it's been a long time since you've been happy."

"yeah. luke's really, really great. i'm very lucky" y/n forced a smile. she hated lying to her family but it was better than telling them the truth. "i'm not as lucky as you, of course."

"jacob is perfect in every possible way. i love him so much."

"i know. i can't believe you guys have known each other your whole lives basically. it still doesn't feel real."

"the first day of kindergarten was the best day of my life." marcella looked at her reflection in the mirror and smiled. "you're going to make a really beautiful bride, y/n. and i can't wait to see you walk down the aisle in your wedding dress."

"you're gonna have to wait a while. we haven't even picked a date yet." y/n sighed. "plus there's so much that goes into planning a wedding." she gestured around them but smiled as she did so.

"i don't think luke would care about a huge ceremony. i think he would be happy doing it in front of just a priest. or even at the courthouse. he loves you and he can't wait to marry you."

"and how do you know this?"

"because he's my new bestie. i know all his secrets."

y/n froze. did luke tell marcella that he wasn't really her fiance? he couldn't have. right?

"plus, he told me."

"what?"

"he told me he loved you and couldn't wait to marry you."

"oh." y/n let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. "i love him too."

and she found that wasn't really a lie. over the course of their visit to her old home, y/n began to warm-up to luke. he no longer got on her nerves like he did before. she loved him, sure. but it was more like she loved him like a brother.

and for some reason, even that felt weird to say or think about.

"you ready to go out there and marry the love of your life?" y/n asked while holding out her hand to marcella.

"always." she took y/n's hand and walked to where her father was waiting.

"i'll see you in there." y/n kissed her cousin's cheek and walked in with one of the groomsmen.

the second y/n walked in, luke couldn't take his eyes off of her. he had seen her dressed up before, as she had come to many team events as jack or jesper's date, but he couldn't help the way he was staring. the dress fit her so perfectly and her hair was done up perfectly as well. she was the most gorgeous person in the room and as far as everyone knew, she was his.

but reality sank in and luke knew she wasn't really his. it was clear to him that her heart belonged to jack. there was no way he could stop it. they were just meant to be. plain and simple.

y/n stood in her place at the end of the aisle and as marcella walked towards jacob, y/n' looked around the room. all eyes were on marcella, except for luke's. he was staring right at her. y/n's cheeks felt like they were suddenly on fire as she looked away from him. this was just an act.

to y/n, it felt like the ceremony took forever. she kept glancing at luke to find him already looking her way. and she couldn't deny that he looked good in his suit and tie ensemble.

when the reception began, y/n's gaze immediately went to luke. it was starting to become a habit she didn't want.

he smirked from his seat between her parents and set his phone in his pocket. y/n went over to him and smiled.

"wanna dance?"

"with you? always." luke stood up and took her hand. she tried not to stay on the words he spoke, knowing it was only because her parents were right there. but as they danced, something felt completely right.

they were getting along silently and it was nice for a change.

their moment was interrupted when luke's phone vibrated in his pocket. he pulled it out and frowned.

"it's jack. he says he's been trying to call you for an hour but you haven't been answering."

"i have my phone on the 'do not disturb' function. i didn't want it to go of during the ceremony."

"you should call him back." luke took a step back from her and sighed. "i'm sure it's important."

"luke-"

"it's okay. i'll just go talk to marc and jacob." he nodded towards the married couple and headed in their direction. y/n sighed and picked her phone up off the table. she quickly dialed jack's number and waited for him to pick up.

"about time. i've been trying to reach you for an hour. i was beginning to think you and luke killed each other" he sighed. "speaking of which, how are things going?"

"that's why you've been trying to reach me?" y/n let out a frustrated sigh. "things between us were good. we even danced until we got interrupted."

"i'm sorry about that. i didn't know."

"it's alright, jack." she glanced over at luke. "is that the only reason you needed me?"

"yes. wait, no. i wanted to tell you that you look really pretty in your dress."

"my dress? wait, can you see me?"

"no. luke took a picture and sent it to me, along with a text that read 'you made a mistake not coming with her to this thing. by far the most beautiful person in the room'. i wanted to let you know."

"oh." was all y/n could manage to say. she looked back over to where luke was last seen and smiled when she caught him staring again. "i'm gonna let you go, jack. there's something i need to do."

"good luck." jack chuckled before hanging up.

when she was free from the conversation, she put her phone back on the table, told her parents to keep an eye on it, then headed over to luke.

"what did he want to talk to you about? did he finally tell you how in love he was?"

"no. that would be ridiculous." she looked at him and grabbed his hand. "i need to talk to him for a minute. you guys mind?" she asked marc and jacob, who seemed to be in their own world. she dragged luke to a quiet hallway.

"what's going on? what did he say to you?"

"you texted him earlier."

"i did."

"what did you say?"

"nothing bad, if that's what you're asking."

"show me." she looked into his eyes. "please?"

"why is it so important?"

"jack said i looked really pretty in my dress."

for the first time all week, luke's gaze was anywhere but y/n. "okay."

"how does he know?"

"i don't know. kid's got a thing for you and thinks you're always pretty so he probably just assumed."

"luke, please." y/n rolled her eyes. "jack told me you sent him a picture of me in the dress. he mentioned there was a text included."

"what about it?"

"you called me the most beautiful person in the room. which i can't believe."

"fine. here's my phone." he swiped the screen open and handed it to her. "you wanted proof? here it is."

y/n read the text exchange jack told her about. seeing luke compliment her made her melt. it was the nicest thing he had ever said about her. she handed the phone back to him and smiled.

"luke, this is incredibly sweet. but you're very wrong."

"what do you mean?"

"at a wedding, the bride is always the most beautiful person in the room. none of the guests can ever eclipse that."

"of course marc is beautiful. but i can't help it if i think you're more beautiful." he ran his hands through his hair.

"i appreciate the compliment, luke. i really do. but there are rules for a wedding."

"i'm aware now. thank you." luke looked at her with his signature crooked smirk. "i'm sorry for the past, by the way. maybe jack was onto something when he made a pact with you."

"can we stop talking about your brother, who most definitely doesn't have a thing for me?"

"oh, he most certainly does. how could you not see it?"

"i don't know. too focused on his brother, i suppose. think quinn and i have a shot?" she glanced up at luke and giggled when his smile dropped.

"i just complimented you for the very first time and you want to talk about being interested in quinn? unbelievable. when will it be my turn?"

y/n didn't answer with her words. instead, she pulled him close and kissed him. it started as a way to shut him up but when she went to pull away, luke's hands found her waist and he tugged her closer, deepening the kiss in the process.

"it's always going to be your turn, luke." y/n grinned when they finally pulled apart.

"jack's going to hate me." he chuckled before resting his forehead against hers. his eyes were still closed but the goofy smile stayed on his face. "but it was definitely worth it."

"hmm, was it?" y/n leaned up to peck his lips.

"oh. for sure." luke held her tight against his chest. "i can't believe i was stupid and rude to you. when i could've been enjoying that kiss for years."

"the past doesn't matter anymore, luke. we've got a whole lifetime to makeup for that."

"damn right we do."

luke smirked and pulled her in for another kiss. he still couldn't believe it was happening. but as y/n kissed him back, he could get used to making up for the past.

[jisunghannie]

Save Me Now

PAIRING: Hyunjin x fem!reader

WARNINGS: Hyunjin being “toxic”, sweet apologies, pet names, unprotected sex, mentions of cheating Hyunjin, Felix is your cousin!, confessions

SUMMARY: Your boyfriend of 1 and a half years has been acting differently lately and you aren't sure why. But you know it's definitely due to a weird reason. When you found what it was, you were heartbroken only for him to pick back up the pieces. Or does he?

WORD COUNT: 3,087

A/N:

Gahh, sorry this took so long!! I was on the heaviest writer's block along with getting sick back to back. Hopefully, this will make up for it!

This is not proofread! You can get sneak peeks of that piece and other pieces of my works on @mr-hanjisung ! Also, apologies if there are grammar mistakes or anything, I hope you guys enjoy this piece!

“Did you ever get the girl who owed you debt?” You asked as he shook his head. “Funny story, Chan covered her expenses because that's his new fiancée.” He said as you laughed. “Imagine having your client as your boss's wife. That's actually so funny.” You laughed as Hyunjin nodded. “So funny indeed.” He said sarcastically as you kissed his cheek.

“I'm gonna go see if anyone else needs help, okay Jin?” You said as he just nodded. “Okay, love you.” You told him, giggling. “Me too.” He said, waving his hand to you as you left.

You felt, awkward. You and Hyunjin had been dating for 1 and a half years already. Yet he still couldn't bring himself to say, ‘I love you’ back. You didn't feel hurt by it, just wishing that he would return the words.

As you left for your work which was more “civilized”. He continued doing his own thing. You were working as your best friend walked in and gave you a big squeeze. She knew about Hyunjin, well, she knew about your boyfriend, but you never told her his name or what he did. That’s why she is skeptical but she trusts you.

“So when can I meet your mystery man?” She asked as you laughed. “We’ve been dating for a year and a half already, you know?” You reminded her as she pouted, “Exactly, a year and half and I’ve never even met the guy. I hardly know anything about him.” She said as she then gave you a serious look. “Have you guys even said the, you know, the L word?” She asked as you shook your head. “I have but him, not yet, but then again I’m his first girlfriend.” You told her as your best friend frowned. “He’s your first boyfriend too, don't forget.” She reminded you as you nodded. “I know don’t worry.” You told her as a couple came in and you served them.

You were a server and or waitress at a famous restaurant. Unfortunately, you then saw that, that couple was none other than your boyfriend and another woman.

You frowned but shook your head then immediately smiled. “Hi, welcome in. My name is y/n and I’ll be your server today.” You told them, giving your boyfriend a dirty look as he blew you a kiss. The woman he was with smacked his arm as he jerked lightly. “Yes, we'll take a table for two.” She said, her voice delicate and sweet. You nodded and led them to a table as you handed them menus. “Let me know what I can get you and call me over when you are ready.” You said as he chuckled.

You walked back as you didn't understand what was going on. You were so gonna-

“-kill him! I'm gonna kill him when we get home!” You shouted in the worker's lounge with your best friend as you sat on the couch, huffing and puffing. You were angry, which was normal. Your friend, Lily, walked over and patted you on the back. “There, there, it's okay.” She told you, “He's nothing but a lying cheat. I knew he was no good.” She said, sounding like your mother. “What's his name?” She asked as you shook your head, “It doesn't matter.” You told her as she insisted. “Are you gonna break up with him?” She asked, but before you could answer, she bombarded you with questions.

“Where are you gonna live?”

“I-”

“Are you still going to be able to work here?”

“Lily-”

“What does he do for a living?”

“Lily I-”

“How are you going to break up with him? Maybe-”

“Yang Dahee!” You shouted.

That shut her up. She knows you only use her Korean name when you are really upset. “Yes, I'm listening eomma.” She teased. “I'll deal with it.” You replied as she nodded. “If you guys end up breaking up and need somewhere to stay, call me.” She said as you nodded, walking back out to serve Hyunjin and the mysterious lady.

“Are you ready to order?” You asked as the lady giggled and looked at Hyunjin as he looked up to meet your eyes. “I'll take my usual.” He said as you gave him a fake smile as you looked at his mistress. “And for the lady?” You asked as she looked up at you, “I'll have what he's having.” She replied as you nodded and walked off, your smile faltering.

Something she didn't know was that you made his usual so if she made it to perfection and handed it to them she would've lost. But she knew better to deny service to an innocent woman when it was Hyunjin at fault. As you went into the break room, you were on your phone as you got a text from Hyunjin.

Jinnie <3: Are you jealous?

y/nnie: Of course I am!

Jinnie <3: Sorry, I had no choice. I'm marrying her due to business contracts.

y/nnie: What about me?

Jinnie <3: You are and always will be my girlfriend. My lover. My number 1.

y/nnie: Then why are you marrying her?

Jinnie <3: I'll explain when we both are home okay?

y/nnie: Why not now Hyunjin?

You were crying now for sure. Tears ran down your face as you waited for his response.

Once you finished his meal, you opened your phone.

Jinnie <3: Because it's better to talk in person about this.

You left him on seen as you wiped your face and walked out to face him. “Here are your meals.” You said as he ate and fed the woman. She got all the treatment you wanted. It wasn't fair.

“I'm sorry, I need some fresh air.” The woman said as she walked outside as he motioned for you to sit but you turned your heel to walk away as he grabbed your wrist. “Why are you running away? Aren't you gonna fight for your spot?” He asked as you flicked his arm away. “Go be happy with your fiancée. I'll get my things tonight.” You told him as he gripped your wrist tighter. “I have an event I need you to attend. Once you're there you'll understand why I have to marry her. Understood?” He said, his voice laced with danger as you nodded silently. He then kissed your cheek. “Good girl.” He said as he released you.

You walked away from him, rubbing your wrist. You sighed and wondered how you even ended up liking him. But you couldn't help the fact that you would meet him one way or another. You were Felix's cousin after all. Once Felix owed debt, Han kidnapped you all for his induction. Once he succeeded you were taken to convince Felix to join. Now it made sense why he was able to buy you such an expensive gift for your birthday.

In exchange for your life being spared, Felix had to work for them. He regretted what he did but he told you that he’d be lying if he told you that he didn't enjoy doing what he does.

After your shift, Hyunjin texted you to go home and wear the dress, bag, and heels he had bought you. You frowned, still mad at him of course. You then took a deep breath in and out as you got dressed. As you did your hair and makeup. The minute you finished, Hyunjin knocked against the door frame. You glared at him as he walked over to you.

“I knew that dress would look good on you.” He said as you sighed. “Hurry up, let's go.” You said as you walked right past him, to the car. You sat next to your cousin as he chuckled. “Let me guess. Hyunjin pissed you off.” Felix assumed as you laughed, smacking his shoulder lightly. “Is it that obvious?” You asked as Felix nodded. You then laughed as you wiped the tears from your eyes. “Good. Let him know.” You said as Felix leaned in to your ear. “To be honest, I don't think you're gonna like the event we are going to.” He whispered as he continued, “It's literally Hyunjin's engagement party.” Felix finished as he pulled away.

You looked horrified as Hyunjin saw your face across from the limo. He immediately texted you.

Jinnie <3: You okay?

y/nnie: I'm fine

Jinnie <3: Are you sure? You look like Felix just told you that someone died

y/nnie: I said I'm fine Jin.

Jinnie <3: If you say you are then I believe you

y/nnie: Thank you

But it was still eating you up inside. You didn't understand why it was but when you guys walked in, Hyunjin walked over to the mysterious woman who was at the cafe with him. He then linked arms with her as they walked in. You took a deep breath and exhaled trying to calm yourself.

Felix knew what was wrong as he massaged your shoulder lightly. “I know it hurts but you should've known. He's rich behind his loan sharks business. He's only doing this so we have more connections through his family though. Once he inherits everything he'll divorce her.” Felix whispered as you wiped your teary eyes. “What if she gets pregnant by then…” You said, really thinking the worst as Felix sighed. “If you really do love him and trust him, you would believe in him.” He said as you nodded.

As you guys went through the night, you saw him feeding her and holding her dress from dragging, he was holding her close and whispering sweet nothings in her ears. Then, he kissed her. You couldn't believe your eyes. You couldn't take it anymore so you left. You just walked out of the estate and went back to your shared home with Hyunjin. You then cried on the couch.

After an hour, Hyunjin came home, his lips smeared in lipstick. You scoffed as you packed your things. He ran over to you and grabbed your wrist. “What the hell are you doing!?” He said, his voice raised. “I can't handle this Hyunjin! I can't see you with another woman even if it's not real love!” You shouted as you tried to resist, his face furrowed. “Just stop and listen to me!” He said as you stopped resisting. “You have 3 minutes.” You said blatantly as you both sat. “Listen, I know it hurts to see but I assure you that I only have space for you in my heart and nobody else.” He said as you scoffed. “Don't give me that bullshit.” You said as he stuttered, trying to find the right words. “Exactly.” You said.

You then took off your heels and grabbed your bag that he had bought for you and threw them at him. “Keep your stupid heels and bag for your fiancée. I don't need your stupid gifts.” You told him as he smirked, “That dress is a gift of mine as well.” He said, stepping closer to you. You didn't know how to respond, but before you could turn around he snaked his arms around your waist. “So take it off.” He said bluntly as your face was now flushed. “Go ahead…” He whispered in your ear. “Strip it off…” He whispered as you bit your lip.

You knew that you shouldn't give in. But with Hyunjin saying that, you felt weak to your knees. You didn't know what to think. “Jin… I-” He stopped you and hushed you as he tugged on the string of your dress lightly. “Take it off or I will for you.” He huskily said. You don't know what happened or how it even got to this point but he was on top of you, his collar shirt unbuttoned and his tie on the floor now. Your dress was completely off. Let's just say, at least now you knew his goal wasn't to get back the dress.

“You must seduce all your women with your words…” You whispered quietly as his lips barely grazed yours. His lips now smeared in your lipstick. “Don't give me that. You know you love me.” He whispered as he pulled you in for another kiss. You waited for this moment for a while. Sure, you guys had showered together before but nothing to this extent. “Hwang Hyunjin.” You spat at him as he sighed. “I'm sorry for hurting you… really… but I promise nothing will change my feelings for you… I love you and only you. That I can promise you.” He said.

Wait, were you hearing things… “What did you say Jin?” You asked. “That I can promise you?” He answered.

“No, before that…”

“Nothing can change my feelings for you?”

“No after that.”

“That I can promise you?”

“No!”

He then chuckled lightly as he kissed you again. “I love you and only you.” He repeated as you gave him a happy gentle smile, tears rolling down your cheeks. “Hey, are you okay?” He asked, wiping your tears. “I'm just really happy… I've waited so long to hear you say those words…” You said as he kissed your cheek chuckling. “I'll say it as many times as you want as long as you stay with me.” He said as you nodded, pulling him closer to you, your bodies touching, skin to skin. His breath hitched as he composed himself. “Where were we?” He asked, running his hands through his hair. You bashfully smiled as you covered yourself lightly with your hands.

He then smirked as he ran his fingers against your inner thighs. “So you've been waiting for this or I assume?” He asked as you nodded. “How cute…” He said as he kissed your inner thighs. “I'll leave my mark on you good.” He said as you stayed silent. He then moved your hand, covering your breasts. “I've seen your whole body baby… no need to hide it anymore.” He whispered against your inner thigh. “I know you get off to me seeing you naked.” He said as he chuckled.

“No I don't…” You replied, squeezing his shoulders as he kissed your clit gently. “It’s okay baby… you are so cute when you squeeze me like that…” He said as he hovered over you. “You seem wet enough.” He said rubbing his fingertips against your wet folds. You then looked away, feeling embarrassed. He then kissed and bit at your earlobe gently. “Can I put it in… please..?” He pleaded in your ear. His voice husky and low but whiny as you gave in and nodded gently. You could feel him smile against your ear.

You then felt his cock smack against your stomach. You then looked down and blushed, realizing just how big he really was. “Will it even fit?” You asked as Hyunjin shrugged. “I guess we’ll find out.” He said as he aligned himself against you. Your breath hitched as you felt the tip hit your entrance. “Make sure to loosen up.” He told you, he then placed your hands on his shoulders as he looked at you reassuringly. “You ready?” He asked as you nodded. He then pushed himself inside as you just gasped, not knowing what to really say.

“You're so tight…” Hyunjin said as you dug your nails into his shoulders. “Jin…” You squirmed out as he gave a gasp. “Don't clamp…” He said, massaging small circles on your stomach. “You're doing so good…” He whispered as his long hair covered half of his face. You pushed the hair out of his face as you nodded. “I'm ready…” You whispered back as he kissed your forehead, beginning to move slowly.

“Jinnie…” You moaned out as he held onto your hips. “Shh… I know… you're doing so good…” He hushed as you kept moaning. He then began to speed up as you looked down to see how it looked. God, you didn't realize that you had been holding back on such a good feeling. “Hey, my eyes are up here.” He said squeezing your hips, causing you to look up. “There are your pretty eyes, enjoying the… hah… view..?” He groaned out as you nodded. “You're lucky that I gave you that dress… but I knew you looked better without it…” He said as you nodded.

After a while he then shifted and did deep and slow thrusts. “Jinnie…” You moaned out. With how slow he went, you felt every little part of his cock inside you. You felt how big he was and how he reached in every-

“Right there..!” You moaned out grabbing the sheets as he smirked. “What's right there hmm?” He teased. “Jinnie… stop being mean…” You whined as he chuckled. “Honest, honest, what do you need there..?” He asked, still obviously teasing. “It feels good…” You told him as he smirked. “What feels good?” He teased, still hitting your g-spot. “The way you hit that spot…” You whined as he traced his fingers on your stomach still slowly moving inside. “What spot?” He asked, feigning innocence. You whined as he just laughed at you. “Fine, how do you want it baby?” He asked as you pulled him close. “I don't care, just hurry up…” You said as he smirked, ramming into you at such speed.

“My abilities as a dancer help a lot, you know…” He groaned out. He then felt you tighten up around him as you moaned out in ecstasy that he had to kiss you to quiet you down. “Shh…” He hushed as you giggled. “God, you're cock drunk.” He said as you nodded, tracing your fingers on his chest. He chuckled as he pulled out and came on your stomach. “I swear. You are crazy for that being your first time.” He said as you nodded. “It's not that impressive.” You replied as he ruffled your hair and you pushed him. He got back up and took you to the bathroom. “Let's wash up and go to sleep.” He said as you nodded.

After a long bath together, you guys got ready for bed. “Oh please, you almost fell asleep because I was massaging the shampoo in your hair so good.” You said as he continued to deny it. “No, you were so embarrassed because I had to clean you up because you were too tired.” He said as you gasped, faking hurt feelings as he laughed and shoved you lightly. “I love you.” He said as you smiled, “I love you too.”

Taglist:

@annybah @softkisshyunjin @queenmea604 @hyunmikim @stayceebs97 @boi-bi-ahaha @lilinaskzz @cookiesandcreammy

[tatasoom]

"I'm still turning the pages"

Promised proper analysis of what happened in ep 12 and what creators wanted to tell us. Many quotes and pics and very real stories included. Enjoy!

The more I was thinking about the ending and how much disappointment and even hatred it brought, the more I was doubting the decision to make this analysis. However I believe there're people who open enough to look deeper, so you may like what the writers gave us.

It's three years after breaking up. Mhok and Day are hard-working people (as they used to be actually). Mhok is exploring his potential in cooking. Day is diving into his obsession with books.

There's a little hint for understanding how little these years mean for the brightest picture you'll never forget. It's Aon asking Day about writing his own book:

Should we get someone back here to assist you write?

Day's face has changed signaling that feelings are still there. Even after three years.

And then the meeting. And feelings from the perspective of Mhok.

And when it's almost the saddest scene in the whole world we're back to romantic comedy with P'Aof's one second cameo and pranks from Mhok. It feels like Mhok is silent in this scene only to laugh at Day, but it's a scene where Day is given a moment to think about his own feelings. And to get a little verbal slap at the end.

Then Mhok has a meeting with Phojai and Night. And if you look at their faces, you'll notice that nobody believes MhokDay story has ended. Some viewers have a question for Mhok acting like there hasn't been three years without the love of his life... Don't you think that all three years he has being told about Day by Phojai? I'm sure she did her best to be in contact!

And for Day blocking Mhok's number I have a personal experience reference. I unblocked my ex only when I was sure I feel nothing for him. I needed to be sure that whatever we'll say to each other my heart wouldn't feel the same way as when we were dating. It took around two or three years to learn this. Now do you understand Day better? After three years Mhok's number is still blocked.

So Mhok came to the Day's bookshop. They're playing this game second time. First it was Mhok's voice, and now it's Mhok's scent.

Day almost did it. He almost saved his face neutral. The book he chose as an editor betrayed him.

"Many books encourage us to put the past behind us and move forward. But this book raises the question: if the past was so beautiful, can we simply hold onto that beauty?"

Was their story beautiful enough to begin again with the same person?

Then they're again in the house they used to spent so much time together. And if it seems like Mhok again acts like caretaker, he's not. He is a guest now, he can make jokes, he can freely sit with others and he doesn't say another sorry to Mrs. Mhon. He's enjoying cooking for friends and teasing Day.

Later in another scene (that for sure is a homage to their fitting room scene from the third episode) Mhok said:

You don't have to put up such high walls with me. You know how happy I am when I get to take care of you.

For Day these words raise a question: what taking care of Day means for Mhok now?

And what we need to mention is Day's response to all this flirting:

You're going back in a few days.

That's also a question. For himself. For Mhok. What if going back won't happen? What then?

They continued this walk down memory line with another dining scene. When cake is served Day says something worth quotation.

"Everybody is created for development"

That's when Mhok is saying thank you for breaking up with him. And says something that truly correlates with them having adult's conversation:

I thought you couldn't live without me.

THIS is what tells us that Mhok has grown up due to their separation. When you're young you think that love is about someone you can't live without, but the truth is you can. You have yourself no matter what. And the mature love is about choosing to live this life with someone you can live without, but just don't want to. "Pity" is just a word, but Mhok is apologizing for more complicated thing, for treating Day as someone who can't understand mature things.

Btw, do you have any ideas about this close up of glass? For me it's the representation of something cold starting to warm up. Day?..

Then the wedding is happening and that's where I started crying for this big family becoming happy again. I think this whole ceremony deserves an award for melting hearts. The way Mrs.Mhon welcomed Phojai. The way Night gave a chance to speak up to his father. The way Day assured Night once again that the accident and the blindness have no effect on a strong bonding between them.

"... everyone should get a second chance. Especially a second chance to make themselves happy"

And then they're dancing. Even without flashbacks we can remember that day when they were dancing for the first time.

You were tense. Your palms were all sweaty.

And another try from Mhok:

If you could see, you would know that from then to now, my feelings for you remain.

And another question-not-question from Day:

... no matter what, you will need to fly back to work anyway.

I didn't see anyone mention this, but for me Day's repeating answers almost scream "tell me you have no reason to go back". Day is trying his best to be mature and he doesn't feel he has any rights to tell Mhok to stay. But he wants it, he wants it so damn much and he's afraid of it.

What you felt then should just stay in that moment.

Are these words for Mhok or Day is actually talking to himself?..

It's not like I wasn't happy with him. But how do I know if I give him a second chance, he won't repeat what he did? I can't live with this feeling for the rest of my life.

Some of you may say: "Won't repeat what? Won't go to Hawaii because of you?". Well, three years later things are different. Back then Mhok wanted to take that chance to start a career, we saw his face when rejecting an offer. Now he's experienced enough to find job anywhere. What Mhok shouldn't repeat is to stay just because he's afraid to leave Day alone. And all that words about repeating Day is also addressing to himself: is he now independent and confident enough to be with Mhok without feeling guilty?

This is love that normal people have. We don't know if it's head or tale but we choose to take a risk in order to step forward.

Some of us find love from the first try. Some of us have to try many times. For some of us it's always different people and sometimes it's the same person. As you growing older you realize that your heart is bigger than you could ever imagine and stronger than you could ever feel.

All of this leads to the one of the most hilarious scene in BL history. That whole airport scene also deserves an award for bringing back that 2000s romantic comedy vibes! Pure art, bravo!

Even though this airport scene didn't result in finding Mhok, they meet each other anyway. And dance. And Day says words that must tell us that he wants to see this world again! And he ask Mhok to be his boyfriend again. Not Mhok is apologizing and pleading as some viewers keep mentioning, but Day is asking for a second chance.

Then we have a glance at Day three years later. He can see again and he's helping a person who can't see.

At first I didn't get what the writers want to tell us with such a short scene. But later I remembered my cousin's story and now everything makes sense.

A couple years ago my cousin was diagnosed with a cancer. She was living in a small town where there's no doctor even to take all needed tests. She moved to the capital city, she found a doctor. Her family helped with money, and I know that the price for that medical treatment was extremely high for them. She had a surgery... at it didn't work. A cancer was still there, after months of suffering, after all money spent.

She didn't give up. She tried another treatment. She made a doctor to do more check ups. Finally she had another surgery. And it worked. Months later she's in remission, she's clear. She's struggling with having to take pills for the rest of her life. She also gained 20 kg and also started dieting and lost most of that weight.

My uncle, her father, told me all of this and mentioned the most impressive detail. Now she keeps in touch with different people who have cancer via chats to provide psychological support and to give practical recommendations. This story wasn't written by some novelist and wasn't directed by anybody, but could you believe it if I didn't tell you it's about my cousin?

"I have read Last Twilight countless times. I always wondered how Me would live if she had a normal life. I couldn't think of the answer then. Life amidst the dilemma caused me to forget what it was like to live a normal life or how happy I could be. When I finished Last Twilight for the first time, it was like my heart was shattered to pieces. I had always imagined myself as Me. If she disappeared, I must also disappear. But eventually, I realized that everyone had their unique tale to tell. We were made to discover our own preferred version of the novel's final. I consider myself lucky to have gone past the worst page in my novel. But I don't believe that this is the end. I'm still turning the pages"

As you could realize through these quotations, the story of Last Twilight is mostly about Day. And at the same time it belongs to every person around him, like in his favorite The little prince there're many characters that surround the main one.

In the end we see Mhok visiting his parents and Rung with Day. We see close up of Rung's car and there's no band aid on it, but the little scar is still there. What does it mean? I think it means that Mhok also is not covering his scars anymore. Somewhere behind the story we were shown he can finally talk about everything.

- You completely changed my life,Day.

- You completely changed my life too.

- I love you, Day.

- I love you, Phi Mhok.

As for the main question for the last episode, the mood of it... P'Aof and the writers wanted to show what the storm feels like. If you experienced the hardest part of your life and managed to survive the thought of losing any hope, you will not be the same. You will be funny, you will be ridiculous, you will be spontaneous, you will live your life like it's a damn hard to believe movie.

Btw, we were told a story of a boy who likes sunflowers - the flowers that refuse to stay in the dark🌻

And that's it. That's all, dear readers. If you're here, you should know that it means a lot to me. As much as Mhok and Day I guess. As much as Last Twilight. The story of hope. While writing this analysis I had to omit some details, so I think I will make small posts with different favorite moments. It was a nice journey and I already miss all metas and gifs and memes about Last Twilight every Friday and not only Friday. Let's stay here for other beautiful stories and of course for new stories from Jimmy and Sea and P'Aof!

[nyxxxx-onepieces-dragun]

can i PLZ rq mikey with a (gender neutral please) reader who's like...a sunshine type but they're actually pretty depressed and just trying to make him happy? FRIENDS TO LOVERS PERHAPS?? WHERE HE TAKES THEM OUT ON A DATE TO MAKE THEM ACTUALLY HAPPY AND HE CONFESSES AND SHIT PLZZ

sorry if this is too much, have a nice day and don't forget to drink water!

Omg I actually love this Bc this is a reader I can relate with! ty for being my first request and you too drinks lot of wata!

A/N: this is quite long because I could not stop writing hehe also I was listening to "heaven and back" By chase atlantic and MWAH that song is what helped write this fic but enjoy all my lovelies! ;3

Characters: Mikey x gender neuteral! reader, mentions of other characters (maybe) angst with comfort (I'm rlly bad at giving warnings lol bc I like surprising yall heh)

Hold my hand~

you were sat in your small apartment seated by the window that was littered with falling raindrops, soft thunder ran throughout the skies as you silently drank the warm cup of tea infront of you, the weather matched your mood, you've always felt like this since before you could remember, you don't remember what triggered it but you started falling into this deep abyss of foreign emotions, lost in the darkness you found comfort in until you finally hit rock bottom. That is, until you saw him, walking through the halls of your school with a tall intimidating guy that had a black dragon tattooed on the side of his head, you initially thought he was bad news and no good due to people whispering about how the bleach blonde boy was "the invincible Mikey" and how he ran "..The most dangerous gang in Tokyo" you kept your distance for as long as you could until he one day approached you with a confused look on his puppy face. "Excuse me do you know where Takemitch Hanagaki is?" he asked his head tilted to the side "oh- uhm I don't think anyone by that name goes here- but I can help you look if you'd like" you offered with a smile, something about this boy made you feel something, his aura was inviting and welcoming, and it made you feel something you haven't felt in a long time but you couldn't pin-point what it was "Oh really? that would be nice thank you lady!" he said with a small laugh that made you smile even more, it was child-like and rang through your ears like a soothing melody. Eventually you found this Takemitchi hanagaki with a sweet looking pink haired girl, you were about to take your leave when Mikey grabbed your shoulder to stop you. "Hey don't leave yet! your my friend now and we have to hang out!" he said with a boyish smile and you turned to him with a confused expression, "you want to be my friend?" you asked with a doubtful tone, "Of course! you helped me so now I wanna be friends!" your heart fluttered at his words and you quickly smiled and nodded "Alright then we'll be friends then!" you say and before you knew it he was hugging you in a tight embrace that sent waves of emotion through you. From that point on you've been the best of friends with Mikey, you did everything together from going on rides with him on his motorcycle or going to the convenience store to get him more dorayaki. He was the light in your darkness and you wanted to make him the happiest he could be since he was practically saving you from yourself, you both laughed and smiled whenever you were with each other, but when those days were over and you were left alone in your cold bed staring up at the dark ceiling those wretched thoughts and horrible sadness filled your veins again and you began to overthink 'What if he's just trying to make a fool out of me?' 'If he knows about my real emotions he'll for sure not want to be friends with me anymore' and you swore to yourself to never let Mikey see that dark ugly side of you, even when he was sad or talked about him brother, you always were right there to comfort him, to make him smile as long as he was happy you were happy...right? "Y/N why are you sad?" Mikey asked one day as you both were walking alongside each other the sun was setting painting a beautiful array of pastel colors, you turn to Mikey with a confused expression "..huh?" "you just seem so..sad today" he says looking up at the sky, your heart rate increased you felt your mind racing with thoughts of how this could all go wrong, you started hyperventilating your smile faltering and before you could even say one word he turned to you with a deadpan expression. "Let's go on a date."

OKAY OKAY LISTEN, I have Part 2 coming up and I'll post it bc I MADE THIS TOO DAMN LONG KJSDSKDJNFJSJDK but reposts/reblogs are welcome js credit me!^^ Tags: @nakukuu @z3r0aqxa

[m3r1m4r5u333]

I'm spotting parallels to earlier 911 scenes after seeing the promo stuff of Buck, bothered and bewildered, it's making me ramble, bear with it!

This theme of "flying" in Buck, bothered and bewildered? Reminds me so much of that emergency in episode (4x08) in which that guy cornered himself on a roof and then just paces, and moans, like a baby, on and on, for hours, and finally wails:

"When is it my turn to fly?!"

That line is such a funny parallel to Buck missing a flight in Buck, bothered and bewildered.

I've said this before but I think this whole roof scene is basically a parody of buddie, and their lack of progress. It's making fun of Buck's and Eddie's lack of emotional awareness, it's making fun of their stubborn persistence to keep scuba diving in Denial.

Refusal to self-reflect and grow has created this ridiculous state of stagnancy. They've cornered themself on a low roof, and refuse to get down. It would not take much, but hey, they're idiots.

This roof scene makes fun of it. It's pretty dumb to wail "When is it my turn to fly?" and get upset about missing out.... When the reason you miss the opportunity is due to your own idiocy and in-action. It feels like Buck, bothered and bewildered will maybe bring to the surface the subject of sexual identity, and obviously, failure to see oneself as they are would also lead to missing out. Can't fly, if you don't have the braincells to buy a ticket!

Another parallel to that roof scene in Buck in Buck, bothered and bewildered:

Both show Buck, trying (and failing) to understand his jealousy!!

In the roof scene, Buck rambles about his LOVE TRIANGLE with Albert and Veronica.

The ranting oozes bisexual vibes - Buck mentions seeing Albert in a towel(!) and is really bizarrely bothered about Albert dating Veronica.

The complaining about Albert "breaking the bro code" by dating a woman whom Buck dated??

It's so dumb and transparent - why should Buck care who goes on a date with Veronica - their date was a clear failure, he did not want to see her again. Seriously, their date only lasted for like 90 minutes.

It rather sounds like Buck has a crush on Albert and does not realise it.

Maybe we'll see something like that again, with Eddie and Tommy. Dumb jealousy floating to the surface, and lack of awareness making Buck miss out, and do something to get what he really wants.

So that guy who is stuck on that stupidly low roof, after he cornered himself? Who is basically driving everyone nuts with his never-ending wailing and refusal to get down... Feels like that's BUCK.

(It's Eddie too, really. He's talked about a feeling of missing out. Buying some brain cells would help with that, just saying. Really, the roof scene even has Eddie wondering "How much Christopher knows" and Bobby telling Eddie it might be better to tell him before he figures it out own his own. Eddie dithers, like always - and the camera cuts to the roof guy sobbing, dramatically. Like a baby.)

Really, it's bad enough that after hours of being forced to watch this dumb dithering... the team is finally exasperated enough to start silently chanting "jump!" at the guy on the roof. (Fellow buddie truthers, feels familiar, does it not? These himbos, when will they get down from that dumb roof! Jump!)

Anyway, "The roof' basically symbolizes being closeted/in denial/unable to confront one's own feelings.

"The roof" is fear and refusal to move forward, and then complaining about missing out, not really living a full life.

Buck, Eddie, do something. Buy a freaking ticket. Jump! Before we all lose our minds, please.

[letmeoutofthebasementt]

Feedback: Please feel free to publish this publically if you want.

Thank you so so much for my reading 🙏. It was beautiful 💙. I was so touched by the msg. I've actually been asking the same question from a lot of readers but I've never received any msg from my FS as my reply, I always get something else delivered, usually what I should be doing to improve my chances of meeting my FS :) I do understand that's because that's what the cards show them. That's why I was really losing hope and had been wondering to myself that my person has no msg for me? Really? Nothing at all? Thing is I suffer from severe social anxiety due to which I rarely go out and my house has sort of become my prison.

Anyways, moving on. The very first paragraph that you gave me hit a cord with me - "I know you're going through a lot right now, and you feel like maybe you're meant to be alone. But just know that rather than being meant to be alone, you're meant to be with me. It's selfish of me, I suppose, but there's a part of me that's slightly happy that if I ever meet you, I know that i'll be able to have you instead of us being kept apart." This is literally, literally what I think to myself as well. I mean it - literally, I think the exact same thing to myself to justify my eternal singlehood. Right at this first paragraph I was like whoa!

I also liked the part where you mentioned that he said our relationship will be build up with caution and that's what will provide us stability. Coz this is very, very apt for my age.

This line really made me very emotional, it's all I ever wanted to hear 😢 "I'm coming into your life as quickly as I can, though once i'm there, just know that I don't plan on letting you go." And then came this part and I was balling my eyes out 😭 "We'll find one another in the place where we feel most comfortable and when we do...Well, we will become the place where the other feels most comfortable."

I was awed when you mentioned that he said that he'll give me a stable home even though I might feel selfish asking for it. I've never ever gotten this from any reader, and it's so SO true! I come from a very chaotic family, unfortunately I still am in it. It's again one of the reasons I'm not able to find anyone coz I don't want to date locally, I want to go far away from here. And I want nothing else except for a small home cozy home with my husband, just the two of us, and spending the rest of our days in love, peace and happiness. But I do feel selfish expecting this from him. Coz in my mind I go like that's putting too much expectations on him and maybe i shouldn't be doing that. But then again, it's all I want, nothing more, nothing less. So my brain and my heart are in constant state of tussle over this. I was also shocked when you said that it doesn't matter that I don't have much experience, he'll always be by my side. Coz i actually don't have much experience in such matters coz of my severe anxiety, that is one of the reasons I have been wondering if maybe I'm not meant to experience that part of life, like at all. It was amazing that you said this 💙.

Just like your first paragraph, your last lines sealed the msg for me - "Sorry to keep you waiting, but just hold on a little bit longer. I'll make sure it's worth it." 💞 So so beautiful 💞. You have no idea just how much I wanted to hear these words from him 🥹.

Thank you so, so much for making my day 🙏. I'm so immensely grateful to you from the bottom of my heart 🙏. Wishing you the best in your tarot journey 🕊️

I’m glad you liked it! I’m also really glad it struck home and resonated with you. And just from the reading I can tell you and your FS are both amazing people who’ll be perfect together. I’m wishing you the best as well! 🫶🏽

[braekfirst]

241104

hi, oppa! it feels like it's been forever since i was last here. properly, that is. i hope that you're doing well and is taking care of yourself.

i want to tell you something. i've found the love of my life! i thought that i'd never meet this person. over the years, i've given my heart to other people multiple times and i'd get it back tattered and bruised. ah! you'd probably be delighted to know that my person is in your group. it's chanyeol oppa! i think i got to know him shortly after you left. we clicked pretty much right away but we were only friends since he was in a long term relationship then. i'm sure i had a crush on him from the beginning, though i didn't really pay that close attention to my feelings until a few years ago where i confessed to him after wondering why i kept missing him and couldn't stop thinking about him. he asked me out early last year (i didn't even know he was single until the month before) and we've been together since. i feel like i'm falling in love with him more and more every day, despite having known him for over ten years now.

he treats me well, so well. i've never felt this kind of happiness before. i'd even propose to him right now if i could, honestly. but he mentioned that he wants to do it someday so i'm waiting on him. what can i say about him? he's so dreamy, so handsome, so kind, so sweet, so loving, so respectful — i could go on and on. we match in almost if not all aspects. our music taste, our food and drinks preferences, our humor down to our clothing style. he's everything i ever wanted and more. when we were friends, i thought of how nice it'd be if i could date him than these other guys since i knew that he was a good person, but i didn't mind it. i was content with what we had: we thought of the other as our soulmate, that we were each other's friend, family and lover all in one. it was (and still is) a special connection that i can't find within anyone else. i remember how his laughter over text would make me happy, how it never mattered if my mood was bad because he'd make me feel better instantly. he felt like home then and that hasn't changed.

i was exhausted of getting heartbroken. if he wasn't him, i'd probably hesitate a thousand times to say yes. each time i was let down by ex crushes or boyfriends back then, i'd always think of you. you brought comfort to me and kept me sane. i naturally ended up doing the same thing not too long ago due to my lack of confidence in his feelings for me, which upset him because he knows how much you mean to me. but we patched things up and i try not to do it any more. these days, i've come to notice his love for me in every little thing that he does and says that sometimes it almost brings me to tears since i'm not used to feeling this adored. recently, we were reminiscing over something i said in the past and he told me that he never understood why i liked him considering i'd always spoke of you with so much love. he said that he doesn't mind if i still love you or if i love you more than i love him since he knows that i love him too and he just wants to show his love for me. i confessed that i love him more than i love you and he was surprised to hear it. i hope that he believed in it. i recall the time that i thought i'd lost him and how my world felt like it was ending. he's everything to me. i can't say that it's not scary to love him this much, yet at the same time, just like him, i also want to shower him with all this love i'm feeling because he's worth it. he deserves everything good in this universe, perhaps even more than what i can give him.

right, i told him that i want to see you again to thank you for everything you've done for me. he hopes we'll get to meet. i think that because of your last letter for me especially, even after going through hell with love, i was able to hold on to that innocence of giving someone my all. i knew that it wasn't my fault that these people were doing me wrong. i did think that i was too much, however, but of course that changed since i got with yeol oppa. he loves whatever amount of affection i have to give him and would even ask for more. he'd also randomly shower me in affection himself and that made me realize that i never had anyone who'd just kiss my face and hands every day simply because he wants to. he never seems to get sick of me, which still surprises me to this day. we could've met yesterday and he'd be like 'we haven't seen each other today!'. thanks to him, life definitely feels more bearable and easier. i really lucked out. i want to say that i used up all my luck for this but i already know he'd say that that's not true.

i kind of want to laugh about how i'm calling him oppa in this letter — it's because otherwise he might squint at how i'm only calling you oppa and not him. eh, i don't even know if he'd ever read this. anyway, this became longer than i thought, not that i planned on any specific length. let's talk soon once you remember to login. i wish all your days to be lovely and full of happiness.

[terraxcloud]

Hello Again~

Lot's of people are theorizing FF7 Rebirth to the ground...it's kinda funny. I wanted to get away for a while to do taxes, draw a ton, and well, I actually decided to watch Anime (haven't done that since Cowboy Bebop/Trigun were on Adult Swim). I was watching "The Devil is a Part-Timer" if you're curious...I never actually watch TV.

One reason why I took a break sudden is to prevent spoilers of course, but really I just didn't want to say anything stupid immediately. Point is, there is no preventing the "Cluffie" when it comes to "Clerra", but now I'm a bit more sure of it.

A long time ago, I posted about this tree:

I said that this Corel Mountain tree (which comes right before the destroyed reactor) is representing the following tree from Chrono Trigger:

This is where Crono is resurrected (they go back in time to swap a dummy with Crono).

I also said that another tree in Before Crisis had the message about what this tree "means". I noticed this because the tree in Chrono Trigger lights up as well.

Aerith says something very similar to it when collecting seashells in the earlier quest involving the three girls who want Cloud and Aerith to be on a date but Cloud and Aerith can't see eye-to-eye:

The other symbol of "undying love" is the tree. Now, what about THAT tree in FF7 Rebirth? Well...

The sun has been replaced with the main quest marker, and it's over Yuffie. This whole section IS about Yuffie. "Recon Unit Captain Kisaragi"?

This reminds me of the WoFF intervention with Terra. WHY? Did you notice it? Here's three other examples:

In the WoFF intervention, instead of going after Sephiroth, Cloud goes after Terra. This is represented in Rebirth by the quest marker being on Yuffie multiple times for Cloud to follow (even though she just joined the party).

I think you can see what I'm trying to show you. Thing is, the biggest detail I've found was actually in Kingdom Hearts 2.

In KH1 and Chain of Memories, Squall (not calling him Leon) has a saying:

"We may never meet again, but we'll never forget each other."

It makes no sense that Squall says this line as this is not a "FF6 Opera" type of quote (which FF8 is based off of), it's a Loveless-type of quote (FF7). An FF6 Opera quote would be "we'll meet again" NOT "we may never meet again".

The first two images were from KH1 and the second two were from Chain of Memories. Yuffie and Aerith were there in both times. The next time however...

Right when Sora meets Yuffie for the first time in KH2, he just randomly says this line. Yuffie is alone here and she has her Advent Children costume, the one where I pointed out how Cloud stares straight at Yuffie before noticing Aerith and Zack at the ending.

The significance is due to the "moogle girl". The "moogle girl" wasn't given a name because they only wanted you to know "moogle girl". Yuffie is the "moogle girl" in FF7R just because SHE. JUST. IS. Literally two of her costumes have moogles and the other one has flowers. Also, she has a thing with chocobos, so this fact is irrefutable.

As said, the Loveless play is likely the ending to FF7R Part 3. Cloud will say goodbye to one of the girls and they'll not "understand it". It will then switch to Terra, whatever that will mean.

The "other" reasons why this will be Yuffie are: 1. The first Yuffie date is the only one that mentions Jessie's "pizza", which if you take note of what Barret says about the ingredients outside of Cissnei's house, he says they're used in "love potions".

2. Yuffie is the only one that has said she's a "princess" at any point of the two games. This was a big symbol in Remake as they associated it with Jessie (which is why she had "heroine-like" importance until she died ("undying love" she definitely didn't have, but she also wasn't really the "princess")). The "princess" symbol ended in the Children's Hideout in the Sector 5 slums where the only moogle symbols were found outside of summons. Both Yuffie and Terra are associated with moogles. Cloud is associated with chocobos frequently and the other two are associated with moogles, it's that simple!

3. No one expects Yuffie. Also, Wutai is so played-up this time around that the only reason they'll do that is...Yuffie.

4. In the quest I mentioned last time, there is a big and easy to notice hint...

The only character who treats Red XIII as a dog is Yuffie. Do you need evidence? I don't remember every moment, but there are two whole Protorelic quests that are just Cloud-Yuffie-Red XIII.

Red XIII's personality change is supposed to represent Cloud's change in part 3. This will be done by Yuffie as her thing is getting Cloud to smile...the Advent Children ending bit, y'know?

Barret's personality changes also represent Cloud, but they're more sporadic.

5. Tifa may die. She may have more importance outside of that, but so much of Tifa's "hints" are about...that and just making the Lifestream scene and the past-remembering stuff happen earlier and making the whole future scene kinda pointless now. My immediate concern is during Jenova Death.

The purpose of her dying may reside in how Cloud was not able to save her despite making a promise to her...if it actually happens of course. I'll give you one thing, she does appear somewhat close to the Corel reactor "tree of undying", but not as close as Yuffie and not with a quest marker on top of her. The scenes with Tifa are also a bit fishy as they make it seem like they want us to get more attached to the character while Yuffie is the one that has the "symbols" from Remake, CC, WoFF, KH, and Dissidia that I've seen over and over again.

6. Yuffie will not die. She was already saved from death before Jenova Emergent and she's being symbolized by the "undying love" tree. We haven't even gotten to Wutai yet where she actually gets saved again...and maybe again in the ending as the play shows? (Cloud does an Omnislash onto Barret in the play and it fails to defeat him.)

7. The most important one. Yuffie and Cloud were ALWAYS similar. Many sidequests point this out. Cloud gets closer to Yuffie after he finds his real self because they were designed to be similar (I'm talking about the OG). After finding his real self, Cloud gets motion sickness again.

This whole "siblings" thing people describe with the Yuffie date? Didn't you know!? They said the same thing about Terra in Dissidia!! Too bad no one really plays OG Dissidia. I bet you almost NO ONE knows about this that is currently playing Rebirth. Sure, people in the internet know, but that's a minority...Dissidia wasn't popular here.

The new "thing" is getting Cloud away from Sephiroth, or the "Aerith way instead of the Tifa way" so to say. Funny to say since this whole post has been only about Yuffie. My gut says that Terra's stuff will be shown through Yuffie in her own way. Aerith's part is about Terra herself as a person, but Yuffie actually has the storyline that leads to Terra's.

BTW, I noticed that Cloud & Zack's synergy ability "Soldier's Honor" is similar to Cloud & Yuffie's "Maelstrom Strike". They both have a "two circles coming apart" and either an ascent (Zack) or a descent (Yuffie).

The reason I mention this is the slowdown that happens when they separate. The only thing that comes into my head with this move are the "worlds merging" thing and:

Another noteworhy comparison is FF9's Terra & Gaia. Terra is red and Gaia is blue. Not to mention one is literally named "Terra" which was not a name Square themselves came up with in FF6 and the other is the name of FF7's planet.

Note that Sephiroth wants to go to another planet and I don't think a "timeline" is what that means. Opera Omnia kept hinting about "things from different worlds appearing in one place" for the entirety of the game.

Cloud is shown literally getting the White Materia from alternate timeline Aerith to give to his Aerith, so all that needs to happen is make Terra appear (this may involve Tifa in some way), it doesn't matter what timeline (there are three at least). The SOLDIER's Honor synergy is referencing the "dream" part of Zack's CC statement as well, and the only character who has any part of it in Cloud's side with both the "Dreams & Honor" is Yuffie, which may be why the attack is similar. If we separate it by the other two when relating to Cloud, Tifa is "honor" and Aerith is "dreams". Yuffie is shown separate from them or leading the two around, implying she has both (the Gold Saucer intro is a BIG hint).

Yuffie also has Cissnei, but that may be next part? They have similar weapons (this is why that one sidequest has a guy want Yuffie to be his master just because of her weapon).

Cissnei is funny to me because everyone was all "they'll put every character from every compilation game into Rebirth", but it was only "Wutai obsessed 'possibly Cloud's dad' who's actually just Sephiroth" Glenn and Cissnei. Yeez, take Yuffie more seriously then if that's the case, we have the bucks.

There is a quest in Cosmo Canyon with Aerith involving shooting stars where Aerith makes a wish and Cloud takes a lot of photos. I'll look into that one next. It's important since it's actually a "wishing star", a subject that doesn't exist in FF7 but is hinted at in Dissidia. The shooting star from the Remake "Promise Scene" was removed. I wonder if Yuffie does these things? She'll likely have the "dancing dream", so it's not that strange to believe.

If you don't know, the "dancing dream" was from Miss Folia in Remake but it was hinted by the painting in Aerith's house (1st floor). This may be what causes Cloud to "detach" from Sephiroth. It's the FF7R's version of the one he has with Terra Branford ("Fill the World with Flowers") which will be in FF6R whenever that happens. It's not that it appeared in Dissidia...Aerith's entire character is based on that cut moment in FF6 and Midgar "has no flowers" because of that reason.

[ravendruidreads]

House of Earth and Blood - Review

Author: Sarah J. Maas Saga: Crescent City (#1) Date Read: December 11, 2023 - January 12, 2024 Format: Digital Pages: 803 Rating: 4,4/10 (2 stars) Spice Level: 1/5

Characters: 6/10 - I didn't feel a strong connection to most of the characters, but I did tear up a few times. I do think some of the characters in this book are very similar in personality with characters from other SJM's books

Atmosphere: 3/10 - I was not expecting to fall into a modern society after reading TOG and ACOTAR. It took me a while to get used to cell phones, computers and surveillance cameras, and even by the end of the book, I was not totally convinced. This rating is also tied with the worldbuilding.

Writing: 5/10 - I'm not a huge fan of SJM's writing, but I have to hand it to her, that this wasn't as bad as I thought... mostly because I didn't have to read the word "mate" every other sentence. I still have beef with "male" though.

Plot: 4/10 - This book could have easily been cut to 500 pages and nothing important would have been lost. There were a lot of moments where the story was unnecessarily dragged on.

Intrigue: 5/10 - It took me a while to get into the story, so much that I didn't pick up the book for almost two weeks.

Logic: 3/10 - Like I said before, this rating is tied with Atmosphere. I will get more into this in the review proper.

Enjoyment: 5/10 - My enjoyment of this book was very much like a roller-coaster. It had a lot of dull moments, but it also had fun and exciting moments.

The review is hidden below due to spoilers.

There is a lot to say about House of Earth and Blood, so let's start from the beginning: the characters.

Shockingly, Bryce Quinlan is not a fair-skinned, blue-eyed, blonde woman, like the two previous FMCs from the same author. It was a very welcoming change, however, I still have a bone to pick with her. Why does SJM feel the need to write all her female (and male, but we'll get to that) main characters as being extremely hot and fuckable? Not to mention that Bryce, Aelin and Feyre have a little bit too much in common, personality-wise. I feel like we're due for some change, here. Something good about Bryce is that it was nice to have some variety and representation of a different body type. We need more curvy, wide-hipped FMCs, please.

Hunt Athalar is your copy-paste morally grey, hot as the sun, super fuckable MMC. And it wouldn't be a SJM book without wings (I'm not kink-shaming). Throughout the book, Hunt is described as being a super-powerful, cold assassin, of being the best in centuries, etc., but we never actually get to see his power in action. Sandriel's death was very underwhelming, to be honest. I hope we get to see more of Hunt's powers in CC2 and 3. One good thing about Hunt? He's not as much as an "alphahole" as I thought he would be. The only time he actually seemed to step in for a "tell me who did this" moment, was with Amelie, and that was pretty soft when comparing him to Rhys and Rowan. But there's still time.

Honorable mentions go to Danika, who died before we could love her, and Lehabah, whose death legit made me sob into my pillow (seriously, My friends are behind me and I will defend them????? How can you not cry with this????).

Now, as for the story...

I felt like the story picked up in the middle of something, like I walked into a circle of people who were already discussing a subject, which was very confusing and unpleasant. To add more logs to the fire, the so-called worldbuilding was exhaustive and confusing. It felt a lot like infodumping. Because of this, it took me a while to go through the first ten chapters (I almost gave up after three pages, but I persisted).

The murder investigation itself was fun to read, but not entirely what I was expecting from this book. Also because I had such a hard time keeping up with the lore, I had to look up a bunch of stuff, and during one of those rabbit hole searches, I spoiled myself to who Danika's killer was, so my entire experience reading the investigation was me just anxiously waiting for them to find out it was Micah, and being super confused as to why there wasn't any foreshadowing that it was him (at least I didn't pick up on it).

Speaking of foreshadowing, can we talk about the plot twist of Hunt wanting to get synth???? Was I blind and did not see it coming, or did SJM suddenly pull that out of her butt? I didn't feel like it added much to the plot other than a rift between Hunt and Bryce (which she overcame a little bit too quickly, if you ask me).

Since we're talking about POVs, I'm not sure if all formats are the same, but for me there was no demarcation between POVs, which was extremely confusing. One second we were Bryce, the next we were Hunt, and by the time I realized that, we were already back to Bryce.

Lastly, and because this review is already extensive, I would just like to express my disappointment with the lack of spice in this book. Yes, I do love me a slow burn, and yes, this is the slowest of the burns, but like... there was so much hype for this book (I should have known better after ACOTAR) for being SJM's first Adult fiction, that I thought it would have actual adult content... but no. All we got was a measly masturbation scene that was very underwhelming (hello, A Court of Silver Flames, my old friend).

Stupid honorable mentions: For over half of the book, every time I read 'CBD' I thought they were talking about weed and not the district.

[eveenstar]

Dating Masky would be like.... (Headcanons)

Dating Toby headcanons , Dating Hoodie headcanons

In this AU Masky and Hoodie are part of the proxies/Slenderman gang because I said so

I don't know you got yourself in this situation, but you did. Congrats? You're probably not leaving alive but hey, it's a one time experience! Literally.

There's two paths this can take; you either date Tim or you date Masky. You can't have both. I mean, you can but you can't. It's complicated.

If you dated Tim during Marble Hornets, you'll catch Masky slipping through the cracks here and there. However, if you date Masky post-MH, you'll rarely see Tim. And I mean it, very very very rarely. It's like there's no Tim there anymore, it's only the Masked Man now.

We'll focus on Masky post-MH. Like I said, I have no idea how you managed to get into a relationship with this mountain man but you did. I hope you're not a touch starved or cuddly person because this man avoids that like the plague.

He doesn't talk, at least not much. He's not full mute but he's also not the sarcastic full-of-shit you'd imagine him to be. He'll talk when he feels like it.

A little tip; his eyes. The ol' cliche of "the eyes are the gates to the soul" bs falls here. What Masky doesn't say out loud, his eyes will show. He's very expressive in that matter.

Grudges. Holy shit, please never do anything to anger this man (despite his short temper). His grudges can last a lifetime. Expect some sort of revenge for whatever you did to anger him in the first place.

But let's see the bright side of things here; you'll never get hurt. Unless he's the cause, but that's surprisingly rare. Followed close behind by Toby, Masky is on the top 3 most possessive proxies. I mean, you're not allowed to see or talk to other proxies, "creepypasta's" or strangers - but it's for your safety. He might be a huge dumbass but he won't put your safety at risk.

Speaking of safety, he'll absolutely train you. Self defense, basic fight moves, anything. He wants you to know how to defend yourself or improve on what you already know + downside, he won't go easy on you which always leads to bruises. He'll help you take care of them though.

And it's in those little moments that you might, just might, see a glimpse of Tim in his eyes or the way his actions become softer. He's still there, buried beneath all those layers of trauma and the walls Masky built. He'll avoid your gaze in those moments, no matter how much you stare at him, or call for him - in the end it'll always be Masky looking back at you.

Wholesome thing is, you end up wearing his jacket A LOT. It's just - he has a thing with you wearing his clothes. Don't ask.

Masky is the Michael Myers of the proxies. He's more like, Strode Trilogy Myers while Hoodie is OG Myers. You can't tell whether he's breathing or not because of how still he can get, but one thing he differs from Hoodie is that you can always tell if he's there or not. He can't cloak himself as good as his partner does.

There are times you won't see Masky a lot. He's the "executioner" of the group. He might not be the leader anymore, but he still carries himself around like one. Due to this, he's always the one sent to eliminate those who have come a threat.

He'll always return in a "bad" mood. He won't take it out on you but please don't try your chances by getting yourself in his way. Let him take couch for a few nights and he'll be yours again.

You'll rarely meet the other proxies, there's more than Hoodie and Toby, but you'll see them even less. Whenever they drop by, you hide yourself in the bedroom or anywhere in the house away from them. Those are the only times you'll hear Masky speak like a normal person (or whatever normal means for them).

The others, those who are not Slender's to control, you'll never see unless they so happen to walk by. But don't worry, you're not missing out on anything.

I believe it's worth to mention that you probably have the Sickness as well. It's not as bad as Masky's but it's still there.

Speaking of which, whenever Masky gets a really bad day on his coughing, only approach him if he so asks. Unless you wanna be pushed off of him in a rather aggressive way. But if you have his permit, draw circles on his back or just be there for him. Eventually his hand will find yours for comfort - but he'll never bring that up.

However, not everything is a fairytale and there shall come the day where the Big Man will decide that your time has ran out and have Masky kill you. He knows this, he knows SlenderMan would have him kill you just for fun and giggles. Because of this, he gave you a map and instructions of what to do in case that day ever comes. He only hopes the training he gave you will be enough to defend you from himself.

Until then, you live out this morbid fairytale with him, in his little hideout. :)

REQUESTS ARE OPEN

[danhowellz]

ok heres my two cents on tour and the cancelled dates. imo its been a real mixture of everything as to why dates haven't sold out/been cancelled. I think they (dan and his promoter team) booked venues that were just too big. majority of the venues have been 1-2k capacity and dan just doesn't have that kind of audience anymore, not on his own anyway. this goes hand in hand with dan perhaps not promoting the tour as much as he could have. now i love him so much but u can't expect people to go and see u if you ain't doing anything online ??? i know he's said countless times that he's a perfectionist when it comes to what he uploads. whether that be a tweet or an instagram post and he's said he struggles knowing what he wants to upload, especially with his videos. unfortunately this doesn't go hand in hand with wanting to go on a world tour and have actual real life people come and watch you. like if he's not giving us anything online what incentive is there to see him irl?

i also think back to what he said about the pre show q&a only being in the uk/america/canada bc the other venues didn't know how well it would work and didn't wanna risk adding it (which makes no sense tbh bc people have already bought tickets so they'll wanna see a q&a??) i think some of these setbacks have been due to the fact he's still seen as "just a youtuber" and like dnp have mentioned before when talking about tatinof/ii, venues were so reluctant to host their show bc they aren't mainstream celebrities/comedians. it makes me wonder if dan has ever thought about dipping his toes into traditional stand up comedy and building up an audience via actual gigs and shows as well as creating content online.

i really like what @yonpote said here that he should have done the tour in stages rather than announce a full world tour at the start. he could have seen how well it did in the uk and then planned better for venues in the usa/aus/nz/europe. but hey i guess thats the beauty of hindsight and maybe if he did another tour he'd do it differently (or just not work with these promoters tbh they've been a mess from the start. remember the oxford/cambridge chaos?)

all of this to say we'll never know any of the answers bc dan certainly isn't gonna tell us (most likely bc contractually he can't lol) i do hope he talks about the iceland show though and communicates with us as an audience (something i dont think either of them are great at but thats another post lol) and i just hope all of these cancellations havent like stressed him out too much

[nancydrewwouldnever]

I am the anon who mentioned this isn't PR, wouldn't be good PR , Backgrid, how the fandom wondered why Chris doesn't have the same career as his peers, and wasted potential. I'm going to get into observations I've made since coming to the fandom in 2020 after watching Snowpiercer.

I feel further validated by the latest events.

What we're seeing is the Chris before Marvel PR cleaned him up. He was always a fuckboi pre Marvel. He hasn't changed or evolved. He surrounds himself with yes people who never challenge him or encourage him to level up because they know if he did they would get left behind and lose the freebies he gives them. The saying "You're the average of the 5 people you surround yourself with" applies here. His friend group appears to be immature, thirsty, and too overly involved in his life. Just because they knew him before fame doesn't mean anything. I think there have been quality women he dated who were turned off by his clique of friends always in their business and face. Not to mention the same vacations, the same restaurants, the same everything. Groundhog Day. Who wants to date someone like that?

I didn't realize Jim Toth use to be his agent. Look at what he did for his wife Reese Witherspoon. Reese gave an interview explaining that she had aged out and was unhappy with her career. She said Jim pushed her to create her production company which she did. She also used Jim's connections to launch Draper James, her book club, podcast, and other ventures. Jim also helped rebrand Matthew McConaughey. He had the Golden Year for Dallas Buyer's Club and True Detective. He turned down the Wolf of Wall Street that got Jonah Hill an Academy Award nomination because of money. I'm sure Jim tried to get him to the next level.

Chris directed one movie. It didn't get the response he wanted yet he didn't seek directing gigs on television to hone his skills. Denzel Washington directed episodes of Grey's Anatomy. Other actors and actresses have done the same. Defending Jacob didn't get awards recognition so he returns to comfort zone of romantic comedies and action films instead of trying again with the drama genre. Look at his ex Jessica. She created her production company when she didn't get the roles she wanted. The Sinner and Candy changed her career for the better. Chris is capable of so much more with his career. He gives up after one try.

The latest mess is just his immaturity and wanting to be a rebel. He'll retreat when he becomes a punchline while being compared to Dane Cook and John Mayer. That's where this train is headed if this goes public. He has coasted off his reputation for being kind to fans, crew members, and staff. That gets celebrities a lot of leeway with fans when we have other celebrities who make staff and fans miserable.

His messiness is more on display due to social media and not having Marvel backing him. Studios heavily invested in certain actors and actresses always keep their PR image intact.

He will either become a cliched joke or find his own version of Amal Clooney.

Yes, yes, a thousand times yes, Anon. (BTW, would you like to pick an emoji for future use as an ask tag?)

I do think people don't understand how much benefit he got from having two PR teams, Disney and Megan, cleaning up behind him from 2011-2019. We've already seen the "oopsies" that have started happening once Disney/Marvel dipped out. And now that he's full-blown in the messiness of a mid-life crisis, who knows what else we'll see.

But, I'm not seeing anything over the last couple of days that changed my mind from "situationship" that has PR angles unfortunately attached. I don't think it makes it somehow more special that he coasted up in NYC for some Broadway shows when he's got some filming downtime. If nothing else, to me it just makes it look even more like an arranged meet-up.

[helloalycia]

teenage dirtbag [one] // wanda maximoff

summary: when you're paired with the most popular girl in your grade for Chemistry class, you definitely don't expect to start liking her like that...

warning/s: none i don't think??

author's note: okay so i have a ton of requests to work through but i got sidetracked and before i knew it, five parts of this imagine were written.

It's based off the song 'Teenage Dirtbag' and idk, i thought it was cute to write! Who doesn't love the popular girl!wanda and loner!reader concept?

Here’s a cover of the song to listen to because i really liked it and a girl sings it so it immediately made the song 10x more gay, just how i like it 🥰

masterlist | wattpad | part two | part three | part four | part five

"Are you all comfortable?"

The class stayed silent, watching our Chemistry teacher, Mr. Hale, as he looked to everyone with a raised brow.

"You all like who you're sat with?" he asked again, as if expecting an actual response from someone.

I exchanged questioning glances with my best friend, Y/BF/N, who was sat beside me. It was the first day back in Chemistry class of our final year of high school and we were just waiting to begin.

"Anyone?" he asked, looking around.

"Yeah," a few students mumbled in response so we could move on.

He clapped his hands together. "Great! Well, don't get too comfortable because I made a seating chart."

A chorus of groans erupted from the class, including from me and Y/BF/N. Every other class had successfully managed to not give us a seating chart. I'd heard that Mr. Hale was an awkward teacher who hated students (ironically), but I didn't think he'd stoop so low as to pair us with students who weren't our friends. These new seats were also our partners for the rest of the year and were non-negotiable, so any projects or work we did would have to be with our seat buddy. Fun.

Students began to shuffle to their newly-assigned seats reluctantly as Mr. Hale read out the chart. When Y/BF/N left my side, I frowned dramatically, waving goodbye to him.

"Wanda Maximoff, you're now partners with Y/N Y/L/N," said Mr. Hale, making me look up at the mention of my name.

I didn't get chance to register what he'd said as the aforementioned girl soon approached me, settling her bag on the table beside me. I looked up and saw Wanda Maximoff smiling my way before taking a seat on the stool.

Huh. Wanda Maximoff. She was one of the most popular girls in our grade. Everybody loved her, either wanting to be friends with her, be with her or be her. I'd personally never crossed paths with her apart from the few classes we shared. She seemed nice enough, but I guess I had preconceived notions of what she was like since she'd made the very poor decision to date the most obnoxious guy ever. Anyone making decisions that terrible definitely had a flaw.

She had a twin brother, Pietro, who was also in our grade and played on the football team alongside her boyfriend. Her parents were good friends with mine, through mutual friends, I think, as I recalled my mum mentioning 'Mrs. Maximoff's boy' or 'Mrs. Maximoff's girl'. And I remembered when her family moved into our town back in second grade.

Admittedly, Wanda was the star of the show back then, too. We were only kids, but child Y/N wasn't blind. She was the first girl I'd crushed on, an innocent child crush – the crush that made me realise I liked girls. Apart from that, and the fact that she had a locker behind me in the hallway, I never really thought about her.

I glanced behind me, catching Y/BF/N's gaze across the room as he sat beside some other kid. He frowned, implying he wished we were partners, and I knew just how he felt.

Once Mr. Hale finished assigning seats, he gave us five minutes to get to know our new partners as he struggled to find the powerpoint for today's class. If there was anything worse than getting assigned seats, it was ice breakers.

"Er, well, hi," Wanda greeted, turning to face me. Green eyes sparkled brightly behind a friendly smile. "I'm Wanda. But, I mean, we already know each other."

"That we do," I said with a nod, returning her smile. "How're you doing? Your summer go well?"

She ran a hand through her hair, adjusting herself so she was comfortable on her stool. And as she did, a waft of her perfume washed over me and I blinked, trying to ignore how nice it smelled. Floral. Subtle. It suited her.

"Good, yeah," she answered with a nod. "Could have gone on longer for all I care."

I chuckled. "I feel that. I'm definitely not ready to be back."

"Right?" she said with raised brows. "It's gonna take a while to get back into routine, that's for sure. But I guess I did miss seeing my friends everyday."

I hummed in agreement, eyes flickering to Mr. Hale as he attempted to tackle the oncoming stream of animations on his powerpoint. I tried not to laugh as I looked back to Wanda, who clearly noticed the same thing as me and stifled a smile.

"Have you had Mr. Hale before?" I asked, nodding his way.

She shook her head. "Nope. You?"

"Never."

"Sucks that he makes seating charts," she said with a sigh, before realising what she said and looking to me with panicked eyes. "Not that I don't like you or anything–!"

"It's fine, I get it," I cut her off with an amused smile. "I wanted to sit with my friend, too."

She breathed out quietly, a hint of relief in her eyes, and scrunched her nose with an apologetic smile. Okay, yeah, maybe that was kind of cute. Older Y/N wasn't blind either. Wanda Maximoff was beautiful, with long brunette locks and matching hazel eyes that seemed to change from blue to green to brown in a kaleidoscope of colour. A winning smile and soothing voice was enough for anyone to fall for her unintentional charm, but it was purely admiration. Everyone pretty much had a mild crush on her, you'd be stupid not to.

"If we're gonna be working together, d'you wanna get the whole awkward number exchange out the way now?" she asked, half joking, half not.

"I– er– sure," I stumbled out rather carelessly, before cringing internally. Where did that come from?

Thankfully, she didn't seem to pick up on it (or just saved me the embarrassment of acknowledging it) and was already writing her number on a slip of paper. Sliding it my way, she capped her pen and gave me her signature smile.

"Thanks," I said with a nod, accepting the paper and pocketing it. "Can't wait to start those lovely science projects we've got coming up!"

She let out a quiet laugh at my sarcasm. "It'll be fine. You're not dumb, right? So, we'll be fine."

"Can't promise you that," I joked, making her roll her eyes playfully.

"Maybe if we–"

But she was cut off when Mr. Hale spoke up loudly, interrupting everyone's conversations.

"Five minutes are up, let's begin!"

I wondered if everyone was thinking the same thing as me – that was not five minutes.

"So it begins...," I mumbled to myself, facing forward.

Wanda breathed out, a stifled laugh, probably having heard my comment, and I couldn't help but crack a smile. Maybe I judged her too harshly. She wasn't actually that bad.

—

Since being paired with Wanda, I was surprised by how much she'd made an effort to befriend me outside of class. We'd always been back to back with our lockers though not quite speaking, but since becoming Chemistry partners, she'd wish me a good morning if she caught me, or greet me briefly as we collected our books.

She didn't have to, but I could see why everybody liked her now. She was just genuinely nice. Due to circumstance, we'd become partners, but rather than leaving it at that, she made a genuine effort to befriend me. And not even just me, but also Y/BF/N, who was at the locker next to mine. He was as surprised as I was, expecting Wanda to mind her own business as we weren't exactly in the same social circles.

This was, I guess you could say, the start of our friendship. And it was a good one at that. I grew to learn how funny she was, how much she loved her brother, the passion she had for art and painting... she was a wonderful person. Which is why I didn't understand why she was with her boyfriend, Nate. He was a grade-A dick and everything Wanda wasn't. How were they a thing?

It sounds like I'm being a bitch and judgemental, but he really is the worst. The few unfortunate times I shared a class with him or caught sight of him around school, he was causing some sort of trouble with the teachers or picking on students in a way that made it seem like a joke but everybody knew it wasn't.

For example, there was a time when Wanda and I were studying for an upcoming Chemistry test we had. We decided to just help each other study since we already worked together in class, so knew we could motivate each other to actually put in the work. It was, maybe, the fourth studying session we had, and I was going over some notes when I felt her eyes watching me.

"You need a hand?" I asked, unable to take the staring any longer. I looked up at her, quirking a brow.

She seemed to fall out of her daydream and straightened up, eyes flickering to mine. "Huh?"

I gave her an awkward smile, unable to maintain her gaze. "You're staring."

She didn't seem fazed as I called her out, instead leaning back in her seat and continuing to study me curiously.

"Did you do something different with your hair?"

Subconsciously reaching for my hair, I straightened up my ponytail and shook my head. "No...?"

She chewed on her lip, saying after a pause, "You tied it up. You usually leave it out."

Did I? I wasn't sure. I just knew that her noticing something like that made me feel self conscious all of a sudden.

"It looks good," she decided, before offering up a small smile. "You should do it like that more often."

Quickly, I felt warm. Was it stuffy in here or was it just me? God, compliments already made me feel stupid. And compliments from pretty girls made me feel ten times that. It didn't help that she was watching me with an endearing expression, making me focus on my book before me.

"Thanks," I got out quickly. "I– yeah."

Her smile widened before she looked back down to her own book. Suddenly, I became acutely aware of the way her leg brushed up against mine under the table.

Thankfully, the strange fuzzy feeling following her compliment faded and we were able to get back to work without her tuning out again. As we were going over each other's practice questions, an annoying voice shouted from across the library.

"Wanda, head's up!"

"Hey, no talking in the library!" a librarian hissed at the voice.

Wanda and I looked up just in time for a football to smack me in the side of the head. I didn't even see it coming until I felt the thing slap my head, giving me an instant urge to strangle whoever threw it.

"Fuck," I cursed, holding my head and closing my eyes to breathe through the pain.

"Oh my God, are you okay?" Wanda's voice made me open my eyes and I saw her leaning forward, hand resting on my shoulder and the other on top of mine that was clutching my head.

"Been better," I admitted, trying to make light of the situation because as angry as I was at the idiot who threw it, I was also embarrassed because it hit me.

Wanda seemed concerned as she gently pulled me hand away, not letting go as she got a better look at the side of my face which I was sure was burning red. At least that's what it felt like.

"Shit, I'm so sorry."

I looked up and saw none other than Nate Green, Wanda's boyfriend, hovering and stifling a laugh as he looked at me. He had his stupid varsity jacket on and I was tempted to strangle him with it.

"I thought Wanda would catch it," he explained stupidly, before moving around the desk to collect his football.

Breathing out through gritted teeth, I pulled away from Wanda and nodded reassuringly. "I'll be fine. Just need an ice pack."

"You're such an idiot, Nate!" Wanda snapped, looking to him with a glare. "You need to watch what you're doing!"

He smiled sheepishly, making me roll my eyes and clench my jaw at the heat on the right side of my face. Fuck, that really hurt.

"What did you want?" Wanda asked him with a quirked brow. She definitely wasn't impressed. I'd hate to ever be on the wrong side of that condescending glare.

"I thought we could go out," he said like it was that simple.

"I'm studying," she quipped with crossed arms.

"I'm happy to wait," he said, toying with the ball in his hands.

Knowing I definitely didn't want that, I closed my books and said, "It's cool. You guys go. I think we're done here anyway."

Nate grinned. "See? S'all good."

Wanda ignored him and looked to me with worried eyes. "Y/N, are you sure?"

"You know your stuff," I said, referring to the work. "You'll be fine in the test. I'm sure."

I offered her a small, forced smile, before standing up to pack my bag. She did the same, beginning to pack her own things, but her eyes kept flittering towards me.

"D'you want me to go to the nurse's office with you?" she asked, shame laced in her voice.

"It's fine, I'll be fine," I said, hurrying up with my actions so I could just get out of here whilst I still had (some of) my dignity left. "See you in class tomorrow."

She nodded, sending a guilty smile my way. "See you tomorrow, Y/N."

Without giving either of them a look, I shouldered my backpack and left the library. Just another reminder of why Nate Green was literally the worst person ever.

—

Liking Wanda as more than a friend wasn't something that happened for a while if I'm being honest. I guess I started to enjoy her presence more and more the longer we spent time together.

I'd come to appreciate it whenever she'd say something completely out of the blue that made no sense whatsoever, or whenever she'd laugh at something I'd said that was arguably not funny but she didn't want to make me feel bad, or even whenever I teased her about something stupid she did, resulting in her doing that cute little nose scrunch she did. But I didn't think of it as liking her, more just a randomly-formed friendship that I was glad to have.

Maybe it was this misinterpretation that didn't make me see how I was acting around her, such as the time I was in the dinner queue at lunch when I realised she was stood behind me.

"Oh, hey, Y/N," she said when she noticed it was me in front of her. Her usual bright, friendly smile was on her lips as she looked to me. "You good?"

I nodded, returning her smile. "Yeah. Just getting some doughnuts for Y/BF/N and I. You?"

"Same," she said, before nudging the guy next to her, who I recognised as her brother. "Pietro and I thought we'd treat ourselves."

At the mention of his name, Pietro looked down to his sister before his gaze fell on me. A mischievous smile appeared on his lips as he put out his hand.

"Pietro Maximoff," he introduced. "You must be the Chemistry partner, Y/N, right?"

I raised my eyebrows with surprise as I shook his hand. "You, er, know who I am?"

He glanced at his sister with a cheeky smile. Wanda was avoiding both of our gazes, her cheeks dusting pink.

Clearly saving face for Wanda, he said, "We've been in the same grade since kids, right? 'Course I do."

Despite the truth to his words, something told me that wasn't how he knew who I was. Especially since I was sure I'd never spoken to him in my life. But, to save Wanda the embarrassment of clearly having spoken of me at home, I nodded to Pietro.

"Right," I agreed with an amused smile. "Duh."

I moved down the queue and grabbed two doughnuts from the display, putting them in two separate paper bags.

"Dibs the last one!" Pietro exclaimed as soon as I returned the clippers to the display. He reached around his sister immaturely and bagged the last doughnut.

Wanda rolled her eyes. "You know I can ask for more, right?"

Pietro grinned, eyes sparkling with mischief. "Go on then."

The two were twins, but they couldn't have been more different. I simply revelled in their interaction, finding it adorable.

Wanda did as she said, asking the dinner lady if there were any more doughnuts in the back. Unfortunately for her, those were the last for the day, making Pietro laugh as Wanda pouted.

"Sucks to be you," he teased her, as I paid for mine and Y/BF/N's doughnuts.

"I hate you," she mumbled playfully, but I saw the disappointment in her eyes as he lovingly but annoyingly waved his bag before her eyes.

Without even thinking much of it, I held out one of the bags in my hand. "Here. You can have mine."

Wanda looked to me with surprise. "Are you sure? I can live without a doughnut, if that's what you're thinking."

I chuckled, grabbing her hand and making her take it. "It's okay. I wasn't in the mood anyway."

Plus, you look better when you're smiling and not pouting, I added in my head.

She accepted the bag reluctantly. "I– thanks. At least let me pay for it–"

"It's just a doughnut, Wanda," I teased, before nodding her way. "See you later."

Leaving her and Pietro to it, I headed back to the table Y/BF/N was sat at and took a seat opposite him before giving him his doughnut.

"Sweet," he said, quickly opening the bag before realising I didn't have one. "Where's yours?"

Over his shoulder, I saw Wanda and Pietro taking a seat at their lunch table, doughnuts in hand and a heartwarming smile on Wanda's lips.

"They ran out," I answered Y/BF/N. "Wasn't in the mood anyway. Enjoy."

He shrugged before digging in. I'd like to say I didn't spare glances in Wanda's direction every now and then for the rest of the lunch hour, but I'd be lying if I did.

—

I'm in the art department. You okay to bring it here?

I read over the text Wanda sent me before shooting her an 'okay' and heading to the Art department. I'd grabbed her notebook in class earlier on, only realising as I was studying with Y/BF/N in the library and pulled out an extra one, so I was going to give it her back.

I guess, when you realise you like someone, it comes randomly, suddenly, without warning. Liking someone isn't instant, it's constant and gradual and subconscious. I guess I'd been falling for Wanda for a while, without even realising, but today was the day I acknowledged that fact.

The Art department wasn't somewhere I frequented regularly – give me a paint and brushes and I'd probably present you with a finger painting – but it was definitely worth the visit. Art pieces from current and past students were hung on the walls, a mural of the school was spray painted on another, and sculptures stood around. The whole department brought a smile to anyone's face with its bright colours and open space – I could see why Art students always hung out here, Wanda included.

Speaking of Wanda, I found her in one of the classrooms sat at a stool in front of a series of canvasses. The room had a few other Art students littered around, working on their own pieces during their lunch period, otherwise it was empty.

"Hey," I called, getting her attention as I approached her.

She followed my voice and straightened up with a cheery smile. "Y/N, hey. Thanks for coming. I'm working on my Art project, so I couldn't pull myself away."

I waved my hand dismissively, joining her side. "It's all good, don't worry." My eyes wandered to the series of canvases on easels she was working on and widened. "Holy shit, these are so good."

Three unfinished hyperrealistic portraits of people were before us, one whom I recognised as Pietro. The paintings were so detailed, despite their medium-size, and I couldn't imagine how long they must have taken.

"You think?" she asked, glancing between them. "I think I messed up the nose here." She pointed with the back end of her paintbrush to the nose of Pietro. "It's a bit bent."

I almost laughed as I looked to her with disbelief. "Are you kidding? Wanda, these are amazing. How did you even do this?"

She looked down bashfully, a nervous smile on her lips. "I don't know. It's for a project. I chose to do family portraits." She pointed to each one as she said, "My mum, my dad and my brother."

I was in awe of her talent, jaw dropped with amazement still. I always knew she was an artist, but I'd never actually seen her work. I was starting to wish I'd come here a lot sooner.

"So, you got my notebook?" she asked, pulling me back into reality.

I looked away from the paintings reluctantly before getting her notebook from my bag and holding it out for her. As she accepted it, she must have forgotten she was holding her paintbrush as the tip brushed my wrist, leaving a swipe of red there.

"Oh, my bad," she said with a laugh, before setting her notebook and brush down and grabbing a paper towel from beside her.

Wetting it with water from her bottle, she pressed it to my wrist and swiped the paint away. It was such a mundane action, but the way her fingers gently held my wrist and emanated a warmth only she seemed to carry sent shivers down my spine.

I glanced up at her, letting her do it, and noticed the swipe of paint she had across her cheek, as if she'd touched her face without realising.

Now that I paid attention, I noticed how cute she looked in her Art getup. An old, oversized shirt covered in paint was being worn to cover her clothes, sleeves loosely rolled up to her elbows. Her long hair was tied back into a ponytail, but her baby hairs framed her forehead adorably.

When her hair wasn't in her face, her eyes only seemed more intense, glistening with excitement and happiness. I almost forgot to breathe when they met mine briefly, a hint of embarrassment there from when cleaning me up. She was in her element here and it made sense to me now.

I knew I'd fallen for her.

—

"You don't get it," I was saying to Y/BF/N as we hung about the school gym, waiting for the teacher to start the lesson. "It's bad. I like her. Like, like like her."

Y/BF/N laughed, clapping me on the back with pity. "You're screwed."

I frowned. "I know."

As he stretched for class, he continued, "I mean, I get it, I do. She's super nice. Pretty. And you guys seem to get on."

I chewed on my lower lip worriedly.

He gave me a knowing look. "There's one problem though."

I groaned, running a hand down my face. "I know, I know. She's got that dick of a boyfriend."

He chuckled. "That's one way to put it."

I sighed, crossing my arms with annoyance. Since realising I liked Wanda as a little more than a friend, things weren't going well for me. Whenever we worked together, I'd forget what I was thinking because I was too busy admiring her side profile or getting lost in her eyes. If she spoke about the work, told a joke or was simply speaking her thoughts aloud, I'd focus on every little thing she was saying, knowing I could listen to her speak all day. It was bad, but thankfully I hadn't stumbled over my words or made a total fool of myself in front of her. I was determined to not let it get that far.

My eyes wandered around the gym as Y/BF/N tried to give me advice, but admittedly, his words flew in one ear and out the other when I caught sight of Wanda.

She was standing with her friends, smiling and laughing to whatever they were saying. Like everyone else in here, she was wearing her gym kit – black athletic shorts and a blue and white tee shirt, the colour of our school. It wasn't anything special, yet she made it seem that way, outdoing anyone in here. Her brown hair was tied back, the ponytail falling down her back, showing her stunning profile and making my mouth go dry.

Another clap on the back from Y/BF/N pulled me from my reverie and I looked to see he was laughing at me.

"Majorly screwed," he corrected his previous comment.

He was definitely right.

[spideyspeaches]

Roller-coaster ↬ p.p

gif’s not mine

A/N: My take on What if Peter was in Wandavision? But with a twist ;) Beta read by my wifey @stars-aligning​ 🥰🥰

Warnings: canon typical voilence? mentions of death. Also the timeline doesn’t really make sense, just pretend everyone is of the same age. OH and Wandavision spoilers :)

WC: 9k (longest one shot I’ve ever written 😭)

Pairing: Peter Parker x ex!Reader 

Masterlist || Taglist

"Ben? What's wrong? Why are you looking at her like that?" 

"I- I don't. I don't know. She seems familiar." 

"Familiar? Familiar how?" 

"Like her and I don't belong here. Like we're from another world." 

Working with Tony Stark as his intern, then head of the R&D and now working in the labs as the head of the department felt surreal, a fresh breath of air every time he looked at his desk, with his name written on it. It had been Peter’s dream to meet Tony Stark, maybe work with him too.

And then he got bit by a radioactive spider, giving him super strength, super eyesight and apparently super luck too, because though he liked to think that he was working in SI due to his intelligence, the spider bite did play a role in becoming his mentor’s favourite intern, without which he might have not had a chance to meet him hands on.  

Tony kept reminding him that even if Peter had not been bit by the spider, he would have still secured a high position in Stark Industries, with his disarming intelligence that rivaled Tony’s own and charmingly trippy personality. 

Peter begged to differ. But then again, he wasn’t one to look a gift horse in it’s mouth. Ever since he was a bushy haired, rosy cheeked jittery teenager, he had always worshiped the ground Tony walked on. 

Peter remembers the day he got an anonymous letter, which turned out to be SHIELD's handiwork, asking him to join them in their base in New York, even if he insisted that he wasn't interested in being a superspy wannabe. He was skeptical at first, why would the most paranoid of paranoid agents send him a letter in mail? Him, twenty three years old Peter Parker, who lives in a shitty one bedroom apartment in Brooklyn with termite issues and smokes weed like the government is going to ban tobacco and is barely able to take care of himself with the overload of work. 

Maybe it was just his Parker luck, or the fact that he was a freelance vigilante who looked after New York in a skintight spandex suit, because the safety of the people was apparently second in priority to the government. They'd rather have people die than have an illegal protector. 

Yeah so Peter was salty, and what about It?

Slinging his satchel higher, he saw the sleek black car in confusion, trying to get a look at the number plate before the lift binged on arrival, walking into the open door. He swore he was either hallucinating or in midst of an intense flashback of the events that lead to what people dubbed as the 'Civil War', back to when he had been shaken out of his mind watching Tony Stark eat his aunt’s homemade walnut date loaf that had more salt than sugar.

His thoughts were put to a halt when he entered his and his aunt's old apartment in Queen’s after a long week of Spidey on mission and nearly getting (illegally) fired, footsteps coming to a pit stop. It's not like it's everyday you come face to face with Agent Coulson, Nick Fury and your ex not- really- girlfriend, somehow all in one day all together. 

"So… um. What are you- What are you guys doing here again?" he asked, folding his hands on his chest defensively, leaning into his aunt's side as he whispered, "how long have they been sitting here?" from the corner of his mouth.

Fury raised a non-existent eyebrow, looking at him with a dagger for eye, making Peter shift nervously. Agent Coulson looked uncomfortable and You, You looked strangely in your element, sitting on the couch with one leg over the other, a neutral expression on your face. 

Back when he was still in high school, when he'd first met you, he used to be in awe of how outgoing you were, seemingly adjusting in whichever situation you were thrown in. You had always accommodated to your surroundings, but with a start he realised that he had never seen you so… You in a while. 

Not during your visit to the Avengers tower, not during the first time you came into his bedroom, all alone. Not when he had seen you take down a mugger on your way home from your first date without even as much as batting an eye.

"They were here ten minutes or so before you came home. It's creepy, as if they knew you were visiting," May answered with a whisper, wearily eyeballing them before moving towards the kitchen, leaving Peter unattended to Your and Fury's piercing gazes. 

"I'm sure they know my monthly schedule before I do," Peter said, turning to look at the aforementioned agents. "So... you like, work for SHIELD, too?" He asked, wringing his hands to abate the tension in them. 

"Yes, she does, but that's not what we're here for, Mister Parker," Fury said in his gruff voice, sitting back with a sauve expression. Peter gulped as Agent Coulson looked him in the eye, finally noticing the thin file he held in his hands. 

"Well what are you here for?" Peter asked, mustering up some confidence as he tried not to look at You or the eye that Fury had that wasn’t covered by the patch.

"We need you to come to Westview, New Jersey with us," You said, a final no nonsense undertone in your voice. He shuddered when he heard you, remembering how soft and sweet you used to be. But that was before you disappeared out of nowhere, and apparently that nowhere was with SHIELD. 

"Me as in Peter Parker or Spider-Man?" he asked, looking behind his shoulder to make sure May wasn't listening. It's not like she didn't know about his… nightly whereabouts, he just wasn't comfortable with making her worry. She already had too much to deal with, with the nephew by day and vigilante by night thing he had going on.

It was also a little concerning that the three in front of him knew that he was visiting her today. He wondered if his apartment was bugged (well, more than the daily roaches and ants) or if SHIELD had been keeping an eye on him after he had denied their offer, instead opting to stay in SI.

It was probably the second one, although the first one was entirely a possibility. He was going to need to talk with Mister Stark about debugging his shitty one bedroom apartment in Brooklyn. 

"We need Peter Parker and his tech skills for this one," Fury said, before shoving the file in Peter's hands and crossing his own, “and my offer still stands.”

"For the last time, I'm not joining your little murderous boy band," Peter grumbled, scrunching his eyebrows as he looked at your twitching lips, as if holding in laughter. "I'm perfectly content with working with Dr. Connors in his little laboratory in SI." 

Fury didn’t look convinced and opened his mouth to probably threaten Peter, when Aunt May came in with a tray of cookies. They smelled amazing, too good to be made by her, she probably brought them from Delmer’s.

“Oh- Were you…? I just thought you guys might want to eat something,” She said awkwardly, looking at Peter with pleading eyes.

“That’s very thoughtful of you, May! I would love to eat some of those, I’m famished,” You butt in, taking the tray from her with a smile.

“Um, May, you can um- you know?” Peter gestured, shifting on his legs, hoping that May would get the message before she stood for a minute too long. He didn’t like the way Nick Fury’s eye was looking at him, his tranquilizer gun suddenly visible from his leather jacket.

“Don’t be rude Pete, here May, I’ll help you get that.” You smiled, winking at him and dragging May by her arm, who was mouthing “she’s such a sweetheart” behind her shoulders. 

"What if I told you that his man accidently got evicted due to some legal issues? And that now you're legally unemployed with severe financial issues that need to be looked after because the government suspects something illegal brewing?" Fury continued, looking him dead in the eye.

"Are you seriously blackmailing me? Threatening to unemploy me after all that shit you put me through with Mysterio?" Peter defended, raising a disbelieving eyebrow, watching you strutt back into the room, distracted by the sway of your hips in your mom jeans. He tried to shake the image, rolling his head to crack some tension that had built at the base of his skull.

"Mysterio was a mistake, Parker. This one is not; and we really need you for this one. Besides, remember that you're still a vigilante that hasn't signed the Accords of Sokovia." 

Peter stiffened that the mention of the Accords. He thought the government was over it after the second amendment after the arrest of Thaddeus Ross, but apparently not.

"You said that last time and I almost died! My ex-girlfriend almost died, my best friend nearly died, heck half of Europe almost died because you Director Fury, apparently trust some superhero wannabe in a green and purple costume and overlook facts that could potentially harm someone. So the answer is clearly no!" he retorted, flopping the file on the table as he resisted the urge to sit on the floor flat on his back. 

The three agents were looking at him with an unreadable expression, making him uncomfortable in his skin. 

"Well, it's all up to you then." His voice had a finality to it, one that irked him to no end.

"Do I have a choice?" He sighed after a beat, looking at the three of you with a forlorn expression. 

"Get your equipment ready, Mr. Parker. We'll be leaving for the camp tonight. You can read the details in this file." He heard Agent Coulson say (he was pretty sure his name was Phil), trying to make sense of how fast everything was going past the chronic tinnitus in his ears.

"It's Dr. Peter Parker," he muttered fruitlessly, blushing under your raised eyebrow. 

***

"So, I didn't know you got a PhD. I knew you were smart, still are, considering that you're a PhD at twenty two," You said, sipping on your virgin mojito, and placing the mug in front of you. 

Peter had taken you to a cafe after the confrontation, wanting to know more about your whereabouts and how he had not noticed that you were a superspy all of his high school years. You had retorted with a simple "I'm a spy, that's why,” which he found pretty badass.

"Well, yeah, I did my undergraduate and PhD together." He shrugged casually, looking out of the window to avoid looking at you. 

You had always been beautiful, but somehow, you had become even more beautiful than the last time Peter saw you. 

"That sounds brutal. Only you can manage that," You joked. You weren't going to admit it, but you had missed being with Peter, joking with him and watching his beautiful side profile as he blushed under your scrutinizing gaze.

"So, um. This thing, what is it about?" Peter asked, snapping you out of your daze. 

"Huh? Oh it's a long story. Like really long, if this was a TV show it would take five episodes for me to explain." You gestured, dismissing his scowl. "Okay, so you remember that time when that super high security facility was broken in back in december 2019?" 

"Which super high facility? There are a lot of break ins happening in high security facilities in America, and it's more than concerning, considering they're supposed to be super high security." He said, fiddling with his own drink. 

"Okay, Yeah that's true. It was a S.W.O.R.D facility, and long story short, Wanda Maximoff kidnapped her corpse husband to reenact the dad-knows-best suburban lifestyle with an entire town held as her hostage." You said, looking over your shoulders to make sure no one was listening. 

"Wanda stole Vision's corpse? Wait, is this about Westview? 'The Town that ceased to exist'? Is that what happened? Is this some sort of mind control thing? Cause I know she can make people believe what she wants them to..." Peter whispered, leaning in to show that he was interested. You took a moment to admire his front profile, his broken nose and dimpled chin, rosy lips and sharp cheekbones, accidently zoning out on his theories.

Leaning forward, you brought a hand up his face, pushing a stray curl behind his ears, cutting him short of his rambling. 

"W-what?" He stuttered, his breath hitching, making the table shake with a wince. 

"You have nice hair." You commented with a smirk, caressing his hair one more time. 

"You said that in the senior's party too, and well, there's no sex happening anytime soon." He said, rolling his eyes, sitting back in his hair with his hands folded on his chest.

"I like being optimistic." You rolled your own eyes, heart beating a mile a minute at the reminder of your relationship- ex relationship with Peter, "so what were you saying about Westview? I kind of zoned out." 

You watched him roll his eyes again, trying not to let your eyes wander around his biceps and the little bit of his collarbones peeking from his shirt, unbuttoned from the top, also exposing the thin chain that he always seems to be wearing. With a start you realised that it was the one you had gifted him on his eighteenth birthday.

"So this town, Westview, it just disappeared right? Behind a barrier of sorts? Is it like, coming from an energy source? Was it created by Wanda?  " he asked, ever his inquisitive self.

"Yeah, apparently she's created an alternate reality, sitcom style, with the people of Westview trapped in it." 

"So she's basically starring in a fanfiction alternate reality of sorts but a sitcom format? Wouldn't blame her, poor woman's been through a lot." He nodded, shifting in his seat. He could feel your eyes burning a hole in his skull, shifting uncomfortably in his chair. "Are you staying in a hotel? Or a shield facility?" 

"Nope," You answered, leaning back on your chair. "Am I still allowed to stay in your room? With the doors open?"

He watched you with narrowed eyes, tilting his head with a smirk, replying to you with a nod, "alright." 

*** 

"Did you pack your mittens? The extra warm ones with a built in heater? You know you're susceptible to frost bites-" 

"May! I packed my mittens." Peter murmured, ducking his head in embarrassment as he raised an eyebrow at your amused smile. 

"Okay, okay, that's great. Socks? Painkillers? Extra pair of glasses?" she asked, fumbling around the room like she did whenever he went on field trips. 

"Yes, May!" 

"Great. Stay safe, okay?" Her eyes softened, holding his cheeks in his hand like he was a seven year old, living with them with a knowledge of death no seven year old should have. Sighing, he leant into her palm, holding his own hand encompassing her small one. Giving her a smile, he kissed her cheek. “Ti amo, May. I’ll call you once I get there, okay?” 

She nodded, pulling him into her embrace, though she knew full well that he’s going to forget to call her, too excited to be in the vicinity of multiple certified geniuses and other figures of authority. 

***

"Is there anything I should know about? Like anything unexpected?" Peter asked, looking at the camp in awe as the jeep pulled over makeshift gates, a bunch of soldiers surrounding them. 

Peter was used to seeing the hustle and bustle of camps, considering all the missions he had gone through with the Avengers, back when Steve wasn’t retired and the newer generation of avengers hadn’t entered. 

“Your blood’s radioactive, right?” You asked, turning to face him with a smile. 

“Yeah. Why? Is that relevant?” he replied, raising an eyebrow as he saw someone carrying his bags before he could protest. 

“Well, Dr. Lewis found out about this hexagonal anomaly, no one really knows what it is, but the source seems to be emitting huge amounts of radiations,” You said, getting off the jeep, pulling Peter out with you. Walking towards the crowded camp, you came face to face with the tent where everything was set up.

“Doctor Darcy Lewis?” Peter said, looking at the place in awe. It wasn’t extravagant, but the technology surrounding the tent, the vans and what seemed to be a broadcasting antenna were all way beyond the regular one used in tech companies, which is funny, considering he’s been working with Mr. Stark his whole teenage life. 

“Yup, that’s her, nerd.”

“So, what exactly is this Hexagon? Is it, like, a barrier of sorts? Can everyone go in?” He asked, looking around with glinting eyes, lips twitching in a smirk as he saw the barrier in question. His super hearing caught the static sound it emitted, wincing at the sharp noises. His boots crunched under the snow as he felt the thing pull him towards it, your voice muffled by the noises of the hex. 

It was something he had never seen before, like the static of a TV with a lost signal, glowing red in places as if reaching out to him. His senses seemed dull, the world greying around the way it had before he was bit by the radioactive spider. The spider bite had enhanced his vision in a way that he saw colours not visible to the human eye, a technicolour wonder that even Bruce couldn’t solve. 

He felt a tug, looking down at his shoes, wondering if he had just imagined it. 

“Mom and dad have been, not fighting, just like different.”

He swore he felt a white light flash in front of him, his spidey sense buzzing at the base of his skull, tingling all the way to his spine as he straightened up to dissipate the feeling, shifting awkwardly.

“Only Captain Rambeau has gone in and come back intact so far. It’s emitting a colossal amount of cosmic microwave background radiation, also known as CMBR, and once you get into it, your mind doesn’t really stay your own, so no one has volunteered other than her. Everyone knows the risk,” You said, startling him, a sharp contrast to the voices that seemed to have suddenly accumulated in his brain. 

“If you’re going to break the sound barrier, please just take your brother with you!”  

‘Sound barrier?’ he thought, looking back at the hex as it flashed red, the tug strong enough to make him stumble in his place. You looked at him weirdly, asking if he was okay, but he wasn’t listening, turning to ask you what the red flash meant, distortion evident in the barrier.

“Captain Rambeau? The daughter of the director of SWORD?” he asked instead. 

“Yeah, that’s her.”

“Damn.” He sighed, running a gloved hand through his hair, and dragging it down his face. 

Walking inside the tent, Peter was hit with a face full of cold air, and the hundreds of monitors nearly gave him a sensory overload. The people running around didn’t help, either. “Where do I keep this?” He asked, pointing to his bag full of equipment that Fury had asked for. 

“You can set up over here, newbie,” A new voice said chirpily. Turning around, he came face to face with the Darcy Lewis, eyes widening as he took in her smiley presence, another human who he didn't recognise standing behind her. “Sorry, I didn’t introduce myself! I’m Doctor D-”

“Darcy Lewis, I know- I’m a fan!” 

“Aw look at you, you have a fanboy at your hand,” Captain Monica Rambeau said, strutting in and keeping a hand on her shoulder, confidence radiating off of her every pore. 

"And… You are?" he asked awkwardly, looking pointedly at the FBI agent. He saw Darcy hide a snicker behind her hand, patting his shoulder and shoving him forward. 

The man fell forward, steadying himself on the table before he flicked a card seemingly out of nowhere. "Agent Jimmy Woo, FBI,” he said proudly, a smile on his cute little baby face. Peter was left staring in awe, wondering how he had done that.

"Wait, can you do that again? How did you do that?!" 

"It's cool, isn't it? I could teach you if you want." 

"Yes, of course, but how did you do it? It appeared out of nowhere and if you take in consideration the law of conservation of mass, it can neither be created nor be destroyed and it just seemed to have accumulated-" 

"It's a trick of illusion. You see, when I opened my palms, I-" 

"Peter, let's set things up shall we?" You interrupted their session, a smirk on yours and the other women's faces, shaking your head.

Ditching the bag on the counter, he nodded, willing his heart to stop beating out of his chest. This was the coolest thing that had ever happened to him next to Tony Stark sitting on his aunt’s old futon. And the magic trick.

“This is the coolest day of my life,” he whispered, shrugging when you chuckled at his excitement. “Ned’s going to freak out.” 

“Wait until you see the schematics and control panels.” You smirked, making him raise an eyebrow as he blushed, the flush apparent from his neck to his ear. The others scattered just as he finished setting his station up, fidgeting with the radio, when the voice of Hayward boomed across the cubicle. 

“Ah, Mister Parker!” he says, a faux smile on his face as he looks at the station, making Peter shift uncomfortably. The weird tingling of his spidey-sense came up again, his hand automatically reaching there to scratch at the itch.

“Here we go again,” Darcy muttered, patting Peter’s back, her eye roll loud enough for him to glance at her. 

“It- It’s doctor,” he muttered, hearing a “he gets me” from Darcy.

“Very well, Doctor Parker it is, then. I’m Hayward, welcome to SWORD.”

“SWORD? I thought this was a SHIELD thing?” 

“...Fury didn’t brief you?”

“He did! He was just very vague, hence why I’m asking. What exactly have I been called here for?”

The silence that took over was palpable, with you shifting awkwardly as Hayward eyeballed them all, looking at the five of them morosely before saying, “Brief him Monica,” and leaving.

“God, is every higher official such a dick here?” Peter grumbled, watching him retreat, shaking his head as he threw the ball of paper he hadn’t noticed he had been fidgeting with.

“See? He agrees, I like him.” Darcy nodded, pulling him with her towards the briefing table. 

“This all started when the town of Westview disappeared after the second blip,” Monica said, pulling up holographs that showed the image of people reappearing from the snap, his breathing increasing in pace as he remembered vaguely of his own reappearance. 

The whole situation was fucked up. After stealing Vision’s corpse, Wanda had basically resurrected him, holding and controlling thousands of people, an entire fucking town. Looking at the list of all the missing people, his eyes zeroed on to one particular face. He racked his memory to remember who exactly it was, mouth hanging open when he realised who exactly she was.

“Is that… is that Agatha Harkness?” Peter said, pointing at the woman who had no name written under her photograph.

“You know her real name?” Darcy asked, looking at him with raised eyebrows as he nodded, wringing his hands around.

“Yeah, Wanda told me about her, she’s the witch from the Salem trials!”

“How is she significant to the plot, though?”

“She... she mentored Wanda, before she went to the dark side." 

In the time he knew Wanda, she had been the sweetest person ever. She was like an older sister he didn’t know he needed, empathising with him on a cosmic level. They had come close before the events of Thanos happened. She was his person, and they shared a lot of secrets, this one being one of them.

“That’s one connection to her. What about the others? She keeps telling Vision that she doesn’t know what’s happening, but when the drone strike happened, she looked straight at the camera, like she knew,” Monica intervened.

“He tried to deploy a drone strike? In front of her children, after knowing very well that she saw her parents die in the Sokovian attack when she was ten? Is he fucking insane?!” Peter seethed, nearly crashing his fist on the table hard enough for cracks to appear on it. 

“Peter, hey, calm down! You breaking things is not going to make the situation any better, okay? He already tried to chuck us out of this, you don’t go around breaking things now!” You said, holding him still as his body shook. You had never seen him this angry, and frankly, you would never want to see it again. 

Peter was a sweet person, respecting people’s boundaries and always so understanding. He was the embodiment of good, even after living a fucked up life, he never projected his trauma on the other. He wore his emotions on his sleeves, and your heart clenched every single time, seeing him in pain. 

"Listen, that's my sister in there, and she has no idea what she's doing. She needs our help and I'll do anything to help that woman and if you guys even think of hurting her I will make sure each of you regret it," Peter hissed, staring daggers at the silent team members of the room. 

“Is there any way to reach there?” he asked, more softly than before. Darcy exchanged a look with Agent Woo and Monica, opening her mouth before knowing better and shutting it. “What?! Is there a way to communicate with her?”

“Follow us,” the brown woman said, breathing deeply as she looked at the other two silently. 

"Where are we going?" Peter asked, fidgeting with your fingers. He hadn't noticed himself holding your hands, your lips twitching when you realised he had done that unconsciously.

“Trust me, I don’t know half the things these ladies do,” Woo whispered, and Peter nodded along seriously. 

“Whoa, I feel like there’s a secret underground base here! Is there a secret underground base?” 

“Well, it’s not underground, and not really a secret anymore,” Captain Rambeau said, unravelling a curtain, revealing a small space with a million monitors and a wooden desk littered with laptops and too many empty coffee cups. 

“This is so cool,” You whispered, watching in awe as Dracy lit up the screens, revealing various codes and stuff you didn’t really understand. Peter was already invested, babbling about codes and addresses and hidden files within hidden files, things that flew over your head at the speed of Darcy’s fingers on the keypad.

Leaning on the table with one hand, Your eye caught a flat round metal looking thing on the ground, picking it up and tracing it with your fingers. “Is this… a bullet?!” 

“Yeah, it was hit on that suit, which turns out to be 87% kevlar. That happened when Captain shot at it,” Jimmy answered, giving you a smile as you dropped your jaw. 

“She went in wearing a bulletproof vest right? Wanda just… manifested a dress made of kevlar?” You wondered, your words interrupted by Peter’s yelp.

“So, remember how Director Douchebag ordered a drone strike on Wanda?” she said, contemplating her words next as everyone turned towards her. “Turns out he’s been planning something else.” 

“What’s that?” Jimmy asked, pointing at the screen, which displayed two boxes full of what seemed like cells.

“That’s Monica’s blood work, he’s been tracking it the whole time. The first time you travelled to the hex? It changed your cellular structure on a molecular level, twice.” She said. 

A sombre expression took over the older woman’s face, pursing her lips. “He thinks I’m gaining powers.” Monica nodded.

“I may not be a genetic engineer, but from what I’m seeing here, he’s most likely right,” Peter interrupted, a silence taking over everyone. “He’s keeping track of the enhanced, if I’m not wrong.” 

Shaking his head, he clenched his eyes when he heard another voice. You watched him weirdly, reaching to ask him if he was okay, before retracting your hand.

“Chill out sis, it’s not like you can kill your dead husband twice.” 

“You’re right. He’s been tracking everyone who’s enhanced, including Vision.” Dracy said, typing something on the screen to show you the map of Westview, pulsing red and blue dots appearing in your sight.

“Do you know what his endgame is?”

“Yeah. Rebooting Vision.” 

Peter inhaled sharply, trying not to let his face show the anger inside him as he looked at Monica with wide eyes, both of them looking at each other dangerously, both of them realising same thing.

“Then, I’m going in. Someone needs to tell her,” he said, looking at the others for affirmation.

You took a step back, gulping in anticipation of his words. Reaching out with a hand, you stared at him, hoping he wouldn't lash out. "Peter, you have to know, the hex is a dangerous place. You won't even remember who you are so there’s no point in you going in. You won’t be able to convince her to magically leave her hostages, she’ll just see you as an outsider and throw you out-" 

"Captain Rambeau went in and she was able to get out!" he argued.

"Peter, I was tossed out because she saw me as a threat. She might not do that to you but going in that thing is dangerous, especially with your mutations-" 

"I don't give a fuck about my mutation! You of all people should know how it feels like to lose family, Monica," Peter said, looking at her. The fire in his eyes spoke volumes. No one dared to intervene. 

"Peter, your mutation could potentially kill you. You know the risks of going past the barrier due to your enhancements. The radiations are altering DNA to a molecular level, your cells-”

"-are already metastasizing! My spider DNA is going to get me killed some day because my body won’t be able to handle it anymore, so I don't care, I'm going and that's final." He nodded, puffing his chest to show that he wasn't going to step down. 

"Fine, I'll come with you then," You said, looking at him as you said that. A lump formed in your throat as you realised that he was so willing to sacrifice himself, and blood pumped in your veins as determination set in along with a rush of adrenaline. 

"Do as you please." He shrugged, pursing his lips, but his eyes were a different story. You felt sick, insides tearing themselves up as you took a good look at him and his pallor, the artificial lights illuminating the scar tissues on his face. Ones that you knew were inflicted by his years of being the friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man. 

***

“Maximoff is never gonna negotiate with us,” Hayward said, circling the table as Monica looked at him with disbelief in her expression. “We’ll need all the guns we have here to stop her.”

“We can’t outgun her, but what we can do is try and talk her out of this. Antagonising her is only making things worse. If Wanda is the problem, she has to be our solution!” Monica argued, looking forward.  

“She’s already killed thousands during the Sokovian attack. How do you guarantee that she won’t kill another person she finds threatening?!”

“She was guilty about it. It wasn’t her fault, do not bring that into this.” 

“Yeah? Well, the guilt isn’t going to bring back the dead children is it?” 

"The dead children aren't coming back, but those people trapped in Westview? They can, if you fucking let us!" 

"Fine. But someone will be monitoring you."

Negotiations with your boss and commanding team of SWORD concerning the ship was a tough feat. you had finally convinced them to let you and Peter go across the border, but Darcy and Monica were to be on the radio in case everything went amiss.

Sitting in the (illegally acquired) van, you watched Jimmy, who was trying to teach Peter the card trick, invested in the trick yourself. Leaning forward to get a better view, you tried not to let the rush of blood in your cheeks get to you at the close proximity with Peter, heart pounding with every step you took closer to the hex. 

“I did it! I finally did it, Y/N, look!” Peter said, showing you the trick, smiling at his childlike enthusiasm. 

“That’s great! You should show it to Morgan, she’ll like it.” 

“How do you know about Morgan?”

“I know everything.”

You may have been bluffing, but he seemed to have caught on your cue, the awkward tension reappearing as he shifted in his seat, twisting and turning and going back to the magic trick. You tried not to smile, but your mouth never did coordinate with your brain. 

“We’re here,” the driver said, parking the van. 

“Okay let’s go through this again: Captain Rambeau and Dr. Lewis will be on the radio while you try and get in, stay near a radio as much as you can so we can try and communicate, and do not try to meddle with Wanda,” Jimmy said, going over your checklist. 

You were skeptical of the plan, thinking about how successful your mission was going to be, considering how powerful she had become in her own little sitcom. You had heard of her expanding the borders just after you had started driving near it. 

“You ready?” Peter asked, taking your hand as you nodded, and wrapped your fingers around his knuckles, before taking a deep breath.

“I’m ready.” You nodded, looking over your shoulders to see the FBI agent giving you a thumbs up, muttering something into the comms. Looking back at Peter, you felt dizzy with the buzzing anxiety, the pull of the barrier strong. 

Stepping close to it, you felt electricity buzz in your veins, shuddering at the chilling sensation and sudden exposure to stimuli, your gut twisting the more your hand went in the hexagonal anomaly. You swore you felt your physical being tear apart, your life flashing in front of you in a white hot light, your brain was practically mush with how much force you needed just to get in. 

"I thought we would be able to get in easily!" Peter shouts, his screams echoing in your eardrums, mixed with your own screams. 

"She's becoming more powerful the longer she stays inside, and so is the hex," You replied, gasping for a breath as you tried to move forward.

With a final scream, you closed your eyes at the static sound bombarded your ears, you couldn't fathom how loud it must be for Peter, sending a look towards him. His eyes were scrunched, hands curled around his head and ears to stop the sound. Before you could comment on his state, your own vision doubled, bright green and magenta lights appearing out of nowhere, the coiling of your gut intensifying, and before you knew it, the strong force pulled you inside, throwing you off on the hard concrete of the road, and everything went dark.

***

“I’m okay. I’m okay. Everything is alright,”  Wanda said, repeating the phrase like a mantra as she sat on the couch. 

She repeated the phrase like clockwork, just like being a mom to two half synthezoid pre-teens and the gatekeeper of Westview. Snapping out of her daze, she felt something in her brain stir, realising with a start that something had been messing with the barrier-- or, rather, someone.

Closing her eyes, she willed her powers, similar to the ones Tommy had, to look past the barrier, opening her eyes with a flash when she saw a familiar face.

“Peter,” she muttered, the brown eyed boy who she had come to think of as a brother materialising in front of her, dropping on the carpet with a thud as his unconscious form fell on top of Yours. Wanda remembered you from all the stories Peter had told her about. 

Crouching down, she reached out to touch you both. Her eyes glowing red as she held a finger to your and his forehead, scrunching her eyelids as she navigated both of your heads.

A lonely young girl was seen sitting on a rock, the wind blowing wisps of her dark hair along with her dress. Suddenly, the noise of clucking of horseshoes could be heard, a woman coming into view as she got off her horse. 

“Feeling lonely and afraid at the middle of the night when you’re a young and beautiful teenage girl?” the woman in the cowgirl shoes said, holding her hip as the girl nodded. “Well, don’t worry, every young girl must have a sword at her disposal!” 

“A sword?” the young girl asked, tilting her head as she took the object in her hand.

“Yes, a s.w.o.r.d, my dear. Fear not, for the sword will protect you from all the hexes around you.”

The girl smiled, looking at the camera with the cowgirl’s hands on her shoulder. “A sword to protect the young!” 

Buy now at your nearest convenience store, terms and conditions apply.

“What are you two doing here and not at school?” Wanda chortled, startling the two who were now very much conscious. The boy moved, fisting his eyes, and he curled his hands to stretch the kinks that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, the varsity jacket scrunching underneath his fists. 

“Babe?” the boy groaned, messing up his hair, looking at the general direction of the girl. 

Putting on a smile, Wanda folded her arms, biting her lips at how adorable the two of you were.

“Ben? Is that you?” the girl asked, looking at her disheveled frock with a confused expression, finally noticed the woman standing in front of her. “Oh my god, babe, I swear we were at the bleachers not long ago. Did you manifest teleportation powers now?” 

“Miss Maximoff! You’re Billy and Tommy’s mom! Babe, we’re in Billy and Tommy’s house!” The guy, Ben said, his voice rising up an octave as he looked at his surroundings. 

He couldn't remember much about the Maximoffs, except that his neighbours talk about the weird mom and dad almost everyday in the gossip sessions. Whatever, he wasn't interested in them.

"She turned them into teenagers." 

"Well there goes our plan. Do we still have back up ready?" 

“That’s right, kids. Now, what were you two naughty children doing out of school?” Wanda asked, helping the two kids get up as the boy blushed, stuttering an apology.

“We- we weren’t ditching, I swear, Miss Maximoff! We were just-”

"-Doing homework! Because… because Ben's a nerd and he doesn't like that he gets behind because of the baseball team!" the girl said, stuttering as Ben nodded along with her.

“Yeah! We weren't making out or anything! Even if we're totally dating." 

Their relationship wasn't exactly your normal relationship. It was more of a… mutually beneficial relationship. 

Well, so far they had the entire town fooled, having them all think that a guy such as Benjamin Fitzpatrick would ever date a girl like her, who liked her books more than her siblings. 

"Hmm, well, thankfully, I'm a cool mom and I will not tell your parents about this… thing. Whatever it was. Anyone want cheesecake?" Wanda smiled, clapping her hands once as she looked at the two teenagers. 

Ben's stomach growled at the thought of food. "You don't have to do it, Miss Maximoff, but I would love some," he said, sheepishly looking at the ground, and wincing at another growl. 

Wanda chuckled, patting the boys back kindly. "Oh honey, it's alright. Come on, don't be shy, the both of you!" she said, looking over her shoulder and saying, "and it's just Wanda! Miss Maximoff makes me feel old, you know." 

They followed her to the kitchen, taking in the interior of the house. Ben's eyes caught something from the corner, it was almost as if it was… flickering? Shaking his head, he dug his fingers in his eyes, wondering if he was still feeling the effects of the time he had hit his head during the baseball practice. 

"You okay?" the girl asked, keeping a hand on his shoulder to steady him. 

"Yeah, probably the aftereffects of a concussion." He nodded, burrowing his brows in confusion. 

"Hmm, should probably get that thick little noggin of yours checked by the nurse." She snickered, hitting his shoulders playfully. Her heart was beating fast, he noted, wondering how he could hear it so clearly. The thought that he would have to leave her after she gets a date for prom made him sad. 

They may be faking their relationship, but he had caught on very fast and realised that he wanted it to be real. As real as the town of Westview.

Wait, what?

"You know we don't have to pretend anymore, right?" Ben said, looking at the girl as she came to a halt. Miss Maximoff was nowhere in sight, the house eerily silent with her heartbeat echoing in his ears. 

"This is the best ship SWORD could ever make." 

The awkward silence was interrupted by the opening of the front door, a loud jingle as Agnes came strutting in, a big smile on her face. It made Ben's neck sting weirdly, slapping his hand at the base to nullify the feeling. 

"Hello, children! What are you doing, skipping school like the little troublemakers you are?" She grinned, pinching each of their cheeks as her voice took a baby-like tone to it. Ben took a step back, grimacing as she continued pinching his cheeks. 

"Um, we weren't- we have no idea actually-" 

"Agnes! Oh, what great timing! Were you here for Billy and Tommy?" Wanda came in, a plate full of cheesecake and crackers in her hand. 

"Oh, Wanda, Wanda, Wanda! Your little troublemakers are already in my house, or did you forget?" She chuckled, the sound of her laughter taking a higher pitch. 

Wanda furrowed her brows, opening her mouth to say something, before closing it, a grin taking over. "Right. Yeah, of course! They really love it there with you, huh?" 

"That's right, everybody loves Auntie Agnes!" 

Ben looked at his girlfriend again, feeling strangely out of place between the two women. 

"Um, Miss Ma- Wanda? C-Can we go now? I feel like-" 

"Oh, Ben, don't be ridiculous! Why don't you sit down and take a breather? You look pale, hon." Wanda smiled, setting down the plate and ushering the two kids on the table, both of whom looked at the table with hunger in their eyes. Well, it had been long since lunch break. 

"Thank you for the cheesecake Mi- uh, Wanda, we appreciate it," the girl said, promptly digging in after the affirmation. 

***

Vision knew something was wrong the moment Agnes showed signs of knowing what was going on. The first time it happened, he was sure his paranoid wife would do something, but she had continued to act as if nothing was wrong with Agnes' behaviour. 

Walking down the road in his ridiculous costume, he nearly sighed in resignation, before he realised that he wasn't capable of such human actions. 

One more thing that perplexed him to no end was his strangely human behaviour. It was as if someone was forcing him to act more human, some weird force that was so unlike Wanda's warm presence, something more foreign and way out of his realm (like the gum incident. He sure did remember Wanda chastising him for doing this atrocity, surely she couldn't have been the one controlling him? Right?).

His mechanical heart ached for his wife. She had gone through a lot, from what he had read from her thoughts; losing a brother (twice, if the absence of Pietro was anything but a confirmation), and then him (it didn't bother him much. He was a synthezoid, there was entirely a possibility that he could be revived). 

He just really missed her, he realised. Their relationship had been strained ever since the boys were born. He didn't blame the drift on his boys, of course. He loved them to no end, would sacrifice himself for them, but he couldn't help but notice the change it brought in Wanda. 

The arrival of Pietro 2.0 didn't help either. 

His thoughts were interrupted as his feet halted their movements, and with a snap he realised that he had somehow made it to Ellis avenue, the border's static buzzing through his entire being. 

"You look lost, buddy," a strange man said. 

Looking at the man, Vision tilted his head, looking through the database of Westview to see that the man seemed to be nowhere in the records. How had he made it here? 

"I- I'm sorry, who are you?" He asked, leaning against the car door to peer inside, the man sitting rigid. It was only then did he realise that the man's eyes seemed… glazed, almost like he wasn't aware. Looking back at the barrier, Vision gaped at the view in front of him. 

The man's car was half inside and half outside the barrier, the slow moving particles seemed to be disintegrating the vehicle, watching in awe as sparks flew the closer the barrier came to the man. 

"Listen, you have to get out of here before that thing destroys you." Vision tried shaking the man, but to no avail. His attempts were in vain as the man simply grunted. "Listen! Can you hear me? What's happening? Why is the barrier moving?" 

He tried opening the door, but it was shut firmly. Groaning, he punched the door, nearly falling to catch the falling man, who was mumbling some incoherent mumbo jumbo. 

"Wanda, what are you up to...?" Vision muttered to himself, realising with a start that the barrier was expanding and the man had come from outside the barrier. 

Looking at the muttering man, he quickly moved them both away from the barrier, propping him up against the grass.

"I'm sorry," Vision said, his hands gliding yellow as he touched the man's forehead, his own circuits being bombarded with incoherent noises. 

"Oh god! I'm sorry, please save me! Please, this hurts, this- you- you're the Vision!" the man screamed. 

"Yes, I'm the Vision! Now, can you stay still? I'm trying to help you!" 

"-Please! She's in my head!" 

His hands lit up again, the yellow light smothering the man's forehead as he went still again, as Vision retracted his hands regretfully. Opting to leave the man there, he stood up again, startling once again that day when he heard a shrill cry, the body of… Geraldine? Appearing out of the barrier. Shaking his head, he was convinced that he was hallucinating, if that was even possible for a droid, and turned around to walk back home. 

(Agatha gave a satisfied chuckle, purple sparks erupting from her fingers as she turned back to Wanda, pretending that that didn't just happen.) 

***

"Do you think our school is a little… solitary?" Ben asked, inhaling a puff of smoke from the blunt in his hands. His girlfriend and him were sitting on the rooftop of Westview high, their feet swinging against the edge as she clutched at Pe- Ben for dear life. 

Peter? Who was that?

"Did you see that?? Peter was right, that was Agatha Harkness and she's been the one manipulating the people, it never was Wanda! It was meant to be a plot twist, but I totally predicted it."

"Um…"

"What? I'm invested." 

Peter? 

Y/n? Can you hear me? Please say yes if you can hear me.

She noticed the static sound of the radio speaking to someone. The static noise increased, and Ben didn't seem to have noticed the small portable radio malfunctioning. Shrugging it off, she went back to passing the blunt from her boyfriend. 

Boyfriend. The word ignited a flame in her chest. Ben, who she faked her dates with once upon a time, now was her actual, real boyfriend, who she was ditching homework to smoke a blunt with, uncaring of her nearing curfew. Her parents would have her head if she found out.

"Do you hear that?" She asked, exhaling the stale air from her lungs. She knew it was more of the deep breathing than the weed, but it made her feel serene. 

"I've been hearing a lot of things lately." He croaked, clearing his throat, sniffing the air as he leaned back, his Adam's apple bobbing with every gulp. His glasses were sliding off his face. She reached to push them back up, smiling at the flush of his face.

"What do you mean by that?" she asked, slipping her fingers through his, rubbing a hand on his back. His life had been difficult, she knew about him being an orphan, but she didn't know he was having a hard time with life at the very moment, her heart aching for the poor boy.

"I don't know, I keep hearing these voices in my head. Children screaming, people crying, and this… this buzz at my neck, I can't ignore it anymore! I feel like I'm going insane and I can't keep them quiet! I've tried, but it's like they're trying to communicate with me." 

Her eyes softened, hands running through his thick, straight hair as he leaned his head on her shoulder. Suddenly, the height at which they were sitting on didn't matter, she had him in her arms. 

"He broke the fourth wall. He's been hearing things, just like Billy." 

Wiping away his tears, she kissed his forehead, rubbing her hands gently on his back. 

"It's gonna be okay. You're okay, they'll go away soon." She reassured, folding her legs to get up, and pulling him up with her. "It's getting late, and mom will have my head if I'm later than curfew." 

"You've broken curfew before." He chuckled, stepping closer to Her, his hands on her hips.

Moving forward, she enclosed her hands around his shoulders, intertwining her fingers at the nape of his neck. Standing on her highest tip toes, she crashed her lips into his, their bodies swaying with the cold wind. 

"Awww, they're so cute! Exes to lovers, I like it."

"I agree. Didn't see the fake dating coming though." 

"Right?! Wanda should start a production company." 

"If Agnes lets these people go." 

***

Meanwhile, Monica had managed to find an abandoned shack in the backyard of Wanda's neighbour's house, her body buzzing with a familiar tension. 

Opening the shack, she saw the trails of purple, vein like thing running their tracks until they reached somewhere she couldn't see. She didn't notice another person creeping up on her, too busy looking at the trails. 

"Snoopers gonna snoop," the voice said, making her jump out of her skin, and keeping a hand on her heaving chest to stop her from hyperventilating. 

"Pietro?!" She startled, looking around to see if anyone had heard her. The neighbourhood was eerily silent, leaning against the wall, before deciding against it and squared her shoulders, looking at the man in front of her. 

"Yeah, that's me. But who are you? And what are you doing in Margie's backyard?" he asked defensively. She would have found the expression comical if it wasn't for her racing heart and adrenaline filled brain. 

"I could ask you the same thing," she said, folding her arms to show a defensive stance. 

"I'm here because… I live here?" he muttered, borrowing his brows as his eyes glazed over again, "Yeah, wait, no... I live with my sister! Who lives two houses from here! What am I doing here?"

"I don't know, you tell me." 

"God, this is so weird. First Wanda was being weird, now I am." 

"What do you mean?" 

"Nothing." 

***

Billy was afraid. He knew that he should be stronger and braver, if not for himself, then for Tommy. His momma always told him that the only thing to fear was fear itself, and he didn't know what that meant, but he knew that he had to be braver to get back to his mom and dad. 

"Billy, I'm scared," Tommy whimpered. "I'm hearing voices again." 

"It's gonna be okay, Mom and Dad will be here soon," he reassured, just as scared as his brother. They were only twelve minutes apart, but he still felt a responsibility for him.

Mom said that they both reminded of her own brother- Uncle Pietro. 

Hearing the door open, he felt a chill crawl up his spine. 

"She's here! Billy, she's here!" 

"I know! I know! Shh!" 

Her footsteps came closer, the cackling of her laughter making his heart pound. His brother buried himself in his shoulders, both of them huddled next to each other, as if the inevitable could be avoided. 

"How are my best boys doing?" Agnes' shrill voice rang, making Billy breathe faster.

"We want Mommy," Tommy whimpered, sounding as small as Billy felt. 

"Oh, I'm sorry honey, that's not happening anytime soon." She tsked, sounding as apologetic as the villains in the action movies his mom forbade him from watching.

"Why's that?" Billy asked, squaring his shoulders as much as he could. 

"You didn't hear? Mommy's dead." 

And his world crashed, his brain crowding with darkness.

A/N: Lemme know what you think! 😁😁

[csial]

CSIAL: a single muse, mutuals only rp blog featuring Osial, Overlord of the Vortex from Mhy's G.enshin Impact. Run by Charlie, 32, they/them, GMT.

If I'm not here, I can be found at the following: @resolutepath

A STUDY IN: the burning embers of an ancient grudge, the ties that bind, the consequences of actions, that which lurks beneath the surface, living in the lion's den, coming to terms with a world you no longer belong to, jealousy and loyalty, biding one's time & the divine who did not rise.

BEISHT: daybreakrising (exclusive)

VERSES. || DOSSIER. || CONNECTIONS. || MEMES. || INTEREST CHECKER.

Rules beneath cut:

FOLLOWING; I follow people I want to write with / enjoy the style of writing of.  Takes me a while to follow back sometimes due to busyness, so please don’t be disheartened immediately if I don’t follow back on the same day especially as this is a low activity blog. No rules, no follow generally. I will not follow minors. I also will not follow blogs that don’t use a tagging system as it prevents me being able to filter content for my dash should I need to. I will unfollow as needed to curate my own dash experience.

REBLOGGING; Please don't reblog my hcs, I put a lot of work into them. Exceptions are if your muse is included / I wrote it for you as part of a meme. Reblogging to save things I have written for you if you enjoyed them is always okay (e.g. drabbles / hcs).

INTERACTION; Mutuals only for rp, but anyone is welcome to ask a question about Osial. Inbox calls / memes / yelling at me on ims / discord about muse bonds are the easiest way to interact. Things take me time and I write half my interactions out in notebooks on lunchbreak / while travelling so bear with me. This isn't my only blog.

DUPLICATES; I appreciate your taste in muse, but in this instance, duplicates are not welcome. I spent a long time developing my Osial. You are, however, more than welcome to follow me on my multi where I have Bosacius and a whole host of g.enshin muses for you to interact with.

REPLIES/THREADS; Hobby not job. We go at our own pace here, replies happen when they  happen. I use queue/scheduling liberally. In terms of continuing asks, I  don’t mind continuing asks, but also will drop if I can’t see where  something is going or if my blog is getting too busy. Please do the same!

SHIPPING; I’m invested in building relationships of all kinds, so please, if you'd like to ship (enemies, friends, allies, romantic etc.) reach out and let me know. I am open to exclusives for romantic ships only if the dynamic we build is strong and it makes my writing partner more comfortable and am unlikely to ship with more than 2/3 of any muse anyway. Osial is polyam and bisexual, and considers himself demiromantic. Beisht is always a part of his dynamics. See this hc for a full explanation. My Beisht is written by the incredible daybreakrising and we are exclusive.

SHIPPING PT II. While I have been hesitant in the past to discuss not s.fw content, I am open to currently providing we have an establised dynamic either ic and/or ooc (e.g. we're friends but you're not interacting with osial yet). Please bear in mind that it is something i will only discuss with people I am comfortable with. Suggestive content is still fine. We'll see where we get with threads etc., it'll likely depend person to person.

SPOILERS; Osial is in prison so he is never up to date in terms of content. That being said I will occasionally mention newer nations or characters and if these are recent releases I will tag anything spoiler-y.