#I'm studying music now anyway so who even cares

[sadquickchristmassnowman]

Please please please post your Jeff Winger analysis that you wrote for your college class

fine. here it is.

for those of you that don't know, this my final paper for my abnormal psychology class I took last spring (at a community college lmao, I have since graduated and am now in university studying something completely different.) the instructions were to play therapist and write a case study on one of your hypothetical clients. we were supposed to make up a person and diagnose them with something. naturally, instead of making someone up, I chose a sitcom character to dive into. I somehow got 100%. read if you so desire, it's about 1600 words.

A COUPLE (sad) QUICK (christmas) DISCLAIMERS

I wrote this in literally an hour! it's Very Rough! that's not me being humble! that is an objective fact! please just accept right now that the grammar and syntax are sloppy as hell that's just How It Is

I changed Jeff's name to something stupid, I don’t even know what it was, just so I’d have less chance of being caught lmao

I stretched some canonical truths and made some shit up that doesn't necessarily apply to Jeff. I did this because the paper was due at 11:59 and I needed to make a compelling argument quickly. so I somewhat warped Jeff to be what I needed for the paper. it's still mostly canon compliant but just beware and don't come after me for any inaccuracies okay I did it on purpose

[lcriedlastnight]

Hi :)

Is this the request? :

Friends to lovers with Lando and him being absolutely love sick, mesmerised with reader and one time it's just them two together and he says "For my sanity, we should start dating."

anon. i am literally in love with you. thank you soooooo much. mwah!!

tw: fem! reader, swears, lando’s first win, lmk if you want me to add anything.

w/c: 1.6k

the paddock was bustling, the heat was sweltering. after lando's horrible sprint race, everyone on his team was desperate to make today's race go well. they'd gotten the brit his favourite pre-race snack, given him extra blankets and pillows for his drivers room couch, they'd even gotten oscar to agree to not complain about how loud lando's pre- race playlist was! but the one thing (person) that could actually calm lando down and get him into the racing mindset was nowhere to be seen.

you'd been in the cafeteria, lando begging you to come to states for this race, he had told you that there was a feeling in his gut that this race was going to be great. so you braved the miami heat, just for him. just like each and every time you came to a race. you did actually believe that this race would be special, you shared that gut feeling with lando, so you'd begged your boss for time off and told your lecturer that it was a family members wedding in miami that you just found out you were invited to. you didn't really try hard on the excuse for your lecturer, knowing he didn't care less if you were there or not, just as long as you had submitted all the assignments that were due.

so that's why you were sitting at a table in the cafeteria, with your phone on do not disturb and you headphones in blasting your studying playlist in your ears, typing away on your computer. you didn't know that everyone was looking for you. it's not like you were that well hidden anyways, you were just sitting in the corner of the cafeteria and the motor home wasn't that big. it certainly wasn't big enough to lose someone when there was ten plus people searching for them.

you don't notice one of lando's engineers sitting at the opposite side of the table, as you try your best to finish your essay before the race starts. you do, however feel about seven light taps on the table that makes you pull your eyes from the laptop screen in front of you. you pull your left ear free from the music coming through your headphones.

"hi?" you say, looking at the man. you didn't know who he was, just that he was an engineer.

"everyone is looking for you." he tells you, a little frantic. this worries you.

"what? why? what's wrong?" you ask him, not sure if he knew what was wrong or if he was just the messenger.

"dunno." well that answers that. "lando's been asking for you for the past hour and a half. he's been saying it's urgent." your eyebrows raise in concern. you quickly close your laptop and slide your headphone around your neck. you slip out the chair, thanking the engineer, and heading to lando's driver room.

you knock a few times before just opening the door. the sight you see almost makes you burst out laughing. lando is in his fireproofs, you can see the peak of papaya from underneath the multiple blankets on top of him. there must be about seven on top of him, all of them varying in colour and patterns. lando was practically buried under the weight of them all, stuck to the couch. oscar stood at one end of the couch, you suppose he was the one to blame for this, although this could be the work of lando himself. either way you didn't really know what this was supposed achieve.

"what is going on?" you ask after assessing the situation they had both gotten lando into. "i'm really confused right now." you smile though, the scene still hilarious looking.

"we couldn't find you anywhere and lando needed you." oscar explains, although all it does is leave you more confused than when you first walked in. in what way were you the same as seven blankets?

"right. makes sense. seeing as i am seven blankets. i can see how this would help." you tease them, sarcasm dripping from your words as you lay your laptop, phone and headphones on the nearby table.

oscar rolls his eyes, while yours flit to lando who stays quiet to let oscar explain. you swear you could see a hint of red on his cheeks but you don't get enough time to see if it actually is, in fact blush because oscar is talking again and stealing your attention.

"well he told me that to get in the 'racing mindset' he gets you to lay on top of him and rest all of your weight on top of him so i thought putting blankets on top of him would simulate you laying on top of him!" oscar grins, like his idea is actually a good one. you feel like groaning at his dumbness. a part of you is taken aback that lando had told oscar about what he called his 'pre-race ritutal'.

"right well i'm here now, so why don't you go do your own race prep while i sort out whatever is going on here?" you suggest to oscar, he can tell it's not a suggestion though. so he does what he's told, wishing lando good luck on the track but before he closes the door behind him he whispers to you "and you think he doesn't like you like that? he quite literally needs you to lay on top of him to calm him down". you just sigh and walk over to the driver, once oscar is finally gone.

"what are you doing, stupid boy?" you ask, sitting by his feet on the couch. lando only staring back in response. you stare back until he responds.

"missed you?" he offers. this time you can't hold back your laugh. if your eyes were closed from the laughter you would see the way lando's light up at the sound of your laugh. the pride he felt to the one who made you laugh, it was better than any other feeling. once your laughter stops, you pull back the blankets. they actually didn't weigh much at all, which makes you wonder why lando was acting as if he was trapped under them.

"it's like oscar said, i needed you and literally no one could find you so i went to him for help. then he suggested that and i just went along with it." lando helps shrug off the blankets as he properly explains. the brunette ends up sitting next to you, eyes looking into yours.

it's your turn to explain. "i was trying to finish my essay before the race started, seeing as i won't have time tonight. we'll hopefully be going out afterwards." you explain your 'dissapearance’.

lando nod and hums then checks his phone, that was hidden in between blanket layers. it's almost time for him to go out to the garage and he's literally had no time with you at all. how was he supposed to race in these conditions?

"that's alright, love. guess we just need to make up for lost time right now." lando states, his hands grabbing yours and pulling you on top of him. lando's breaths instantly even out. you didn't know if he was panicking and getting in his head about the race or what it was, all you knew was that you laying on top of him, putting all of your weight on him was helping. and that's all you really wanted.

lando's breaths hit you neck at you run your fingers across the bridge of his nose. usually when you guys would do this before races, you would run your fingers through his hair, but his latest injury on the bridge of his nose made you want to run your fingers across his cut lightly. lando shudders but relaxes once your light movements continue. you both stay in that position until an alarm goes off on your phone, signalling at lando needs to be at the garage in five minutes (you always set two alarms because there's no way you're getting lando out of here on time). with the way lando jumps you think he must have been seconds away from falling asleep. he confirms it by muttering "stupid fucking alarm." as grumpily as ever.

"right lan, let's get you moving." you say reluctant as you move off of him. he whines like a child and his arms cling onto your hips to try and stop you. he uses no force so you stand up easily.

"for the sake of my sanity, we should start dating." lando mutters, if it was a decibel quieter, you don't think you would've hear him. but you did. you don't think it was meant for your ears, either judging by the drivers reaction to your "what?".

you can see the cogs turning in his mind, does he try and wrangle himself out of this or does he stand his ground and admit his feelings. he thinks for a second.

"i like you. you're driving me insane. please can i at least take you out on a date?" lando is not above begging, he will literally fall to his knees if it means you will accept his offer. before you can, the alarm goes off on your phone.

you smirk at him, an idea popping into your head. "win today and we'll go out on tuesday." you tell him. lando groans, his head falling onto your shoulder. "if i do you have to give me a winners kiss." lando bargains.

"deal".

safe to say, you never thought that yours and lando's first kiss would be on the parc ferme, after he's just won his first face. nor did you think you would have to be getting ready for a date with him two days later. safe to say that essay was not getting submitted on time.

[funkyplantguy]

for the prompt asks thing: how about scarian as musicians of some sort?

rubbing my hands together. excellent, excellent - featuring: drummer!scar and singer!grian (meet-cute! kinda)

- now, in all honesty, grian had assumed that the showers would be empty at this time of night. i mean, really, who showered at 3 in the morning on a tuesday night? (freaks, that was who, freaks, and a totally normal insomniac who had maybe been up a touch too late working on his latest music project). plus - he'd never run into anyone in the showers at this time before, at least not this semester. he'd been pretty quick to memorize the bathroom routines of the people on his floor - and then use that knowledge to avoid each and every one of them. he wasn't antisocial, per say, just very busy - and plus, if he was going to be wasting valuable time showering, anyway, he might as well make use of the frankly incredible acoustics in the bathroom. so that's how he found himself here, standing butt-naked in the showers, his rendition of some old pop ballad tapering off into loud applause from directly outside his shower stall.

"that was really good!" came the voice (one that grian did not recognize - for better or for worse). "wow! you're an incredible singer." the shock of it all left grian speechless - speechless, and frankly a little incredulous at the nerve of his mysterious audience. really - who stood outside of someone's shower stall just...listening to them sing? what kind of stalker behavior was that? was it a fan who had somehow figured out where he went to college? he did have a fanbase, after all - small, but weirdly dedicated. but no, that didn't make sense - they would have had to have a keycard to get into the building, especially at this time of night when there wasn't really anyone coming. then who...?

a few moments and a hasty pair of pajamas later, grian pulled the stall door open to reveal -

oh.

oh.

sitting in front of him was a man - a very handsome man at that, all wide, green eyes and genuine, toothy smile. a very handsome man in a wheelchair, parked patiently in front of the only wheelchair-accessible shower stall on the whole floor - namely, the stall that grian had been using. hot shame rose in his cheeks as he shuffled out of the way, clutching his shower bag tightly to his chest.

"sorry," he blurted, sheepishly. "i...i, um...there's usually nobody taking showers this late at night during the week, and, uh, i didn't know that you...um...that...that anyone ever used...or needed to use...uh...oh god, sorry. yeah. sorry. i'll leave you to it."

he turned to scamper back to his dorm room, already anticipating the scolding he'd get from his roommate when he recounted the experience the next morning, but the man's loud laughter had him stopping in his tracks (and not because it was the most gorgeous laugh he'd ever heard in his life, no, definitely not that).

"it's okay!" the other affirmed, light eyes twinkling even in the dull florescent lighting. "no worries - i'm scar, by the way. i just moved in this week. had a bit of a late start - the university messed up some of my accommodations and originally had me over in schaffer."

"the dorms at the top of the hill?" grian gawked, his own blunder momentarily forgotten. "how do they expect you to get up and down that every day?" "my question exactly!" scar responded. "apparently, they "didn't think about that", so...here i am. a bit behind the curve, but hey, what can you do." "complain to the dean, frankly." "tried that. he didn't seem to care." "jesus. this place sucks." "you're telling me!"

a silence fell over the two, then, and grian shifted his weight from foot to foot, suddenly feeling...exposed, under the piercing gaze from the other. he felt like scar was taking him apart with his eyes, studying every visible piece of him and stringing together opinions - conclusions - based on what he saw. fleetingly, grian wished that he'd bought that cute, matching pajama set he'd seen when he'd gone shopping with mumbo the week prior.

"anyway," scar started again, smooth voice cutting easily through the tension. "your voice is really good! i play the drums - we should hang sometime! maybe have a jammy session." "i - a...a what?" "a jammy session! y'know, where you get together and jammy out?" "scar, i think you mean jam out. a jam session?"

"oooooh," scar responded, raising a hand to scratch at his cheek. "yeah, that makes more sense. i thought there was something weird about that, but cub said 'no scar, you're right, it's a jammy session'. i should have known better than to trust that rapscallion." "oh! cub? i know cub! he's dating my roommate, mumbo!" "no way! that's so funny - small world! cub's so annoying about mumbo." "yeah, mumbo's annoying about him, too. it's kinda cute." "definitely cute." they fell into silence once more, one thankfully much less tense than the previous. grian found his eyes darting from scar's eyes to his faded t-shirt, to the small scar above his eyebrow, to the way his long, curly hair fell messily over his shoulder - taking in every aspect of his face, taking him apart in the same way that scar had done to him, mere moments earlier. maybe it was the late hour - maybe grian was more tired than he'd thought - but something about this felt like a dream...like he was going to blink and scar would be gone. he found that he didn't want that to happen. he found that he wanted to wake up tomorrow morning and get to hear that laugh again - that loud, joyful laugh - maybe every day for the rest of his life. "a jam session would be nice," he found himself saying. "maybe you can teach me how to play the drums. i'm really rubbish at most instruments, but maybe drums will be the exception?" "sounds great!" scar chirped back, a warm smile settling on his face. "we'll make a drummer out of you yet. hey - here's my number. text me in the morning, and we'll compare schedules. alright?" "yeah - okay, yeah, i'll do that. goodnight, scar." "goodnight, songbird." it was only an hour later, swaddled in blankets and the comfortable sound of mumbo's snoring, that grian realized he'd never given scar his name. ah well. that could be remedied...at a later date.

[the-midnight-blooms]

ᴊᴇᴀʟᴏᴜꜱʏ, ᴊᴇᴀʟᴏᴜꜱʏ

pairing: choi jongho x reader

AU: modern au

word count: 3k

ATEEZ as angst tropes series:

Hongjoong | Seonghwa | Yunho | Yeosang | San | Mingi | Wooyoung | Jongho

masterlist

Trope: Jealousy

"Who is he?"

Twisting the knob of the kitchen tap, she wiped her wet hands on the hem of her shirt, too tired or bothered to even look for the tea towel. Her twelve-hour shift had fatigued her massively, she wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed and sleep at least for the next day or two. After all it was a Friday night and whilst a majority of her friends were out at bars, cinemas and restaurants enjoying their youth here she was, stood in her small, but tidy, kitchen staring at a WhatsApp chat screen with...Seo-Jun from Economics class in college? Exhaling, she brushed past Jongho trudging tiredly towards the steps to their shared bedroom. "Excuse me, Madam, I asked a question. Who is he?" Jongho, hot on her heels as she walked up the staircase. Huffing she turned around on the step, leaning against the banister for support.

"Seo-Jun is Wendy's husband. We used to study together in college. He wanted to meet up so we could buy her a present for her birthday. Are you satisfied now?" Stomping up the stairs, she stalked into their bedroom slipping into the covers before aggressively jerking the blanket over her head. A minute later, she felt the bed beneath her dip- the figure radiating an alleviating warmth as he rested his hand on her waist gently pulling her closer to him. Reclining his face in the crook of her neck, he placed a chaste kiss-to which she immediately neglected her morals; turning around to ensnare her hands around his neck.

"I'm sorry, darling. I didn't know." he mumbled.

"You do this every time, Jongho." Frankly, his insecurity was exhausting her. Like a vampire sucking on her blood, draining her body until it was a cold and empty corpse. How many times did she have to reassure that her heart beats for him and him alone? She adored him, he was the reason she looked forward to coming home after a strenuous mundane job- but when he was wrought with insecurity, consistently pining allegations of infidelity against her it hurt. And she had been hurt so many times throughout her life, a victim of poor parenting left to fend for herself. Tie her own shoelaces, take herself to school, earn her own money to buy her own music albums, her own books, her own clothes. I'm not dead, you can ask me to help you, her mother had forever claimed. But where are you when I need you? Then came along Jongho.

"I know you can do it, but let me do it for you anyway." He proclaimed as he went to his knees to tie the laces to her shoes, shrouding her shoulders with her coat, handing her bag and keys as she left for work every morning. Jongho loved as if he were breathing, as if he didn't he would be deprived of oxygen; she loved him the same way too. Yet a feeling of dread fulfilled her when he acted in this manner. He acted as if she had betrayed his trust a million times before; his sanity was hanging by a thread pleading her to stay and choose him over any other man. How outlandish of him.

"I'm sorry." he repeated, snuggling further into her neck. She ran her fingers through his hair. They had to talk about this. Not tomorrow and certainly not the day after that.

"Get up dear, we have to talk." Fearfully, Jongho perked his head up heart dropping in his chest. Synchronously the couple sat up, encasing his hands within hers. "My love, I have never once accused you of cheating on me the same way that you have throughout our relationship. You can rummage through my phone, fine, I have nothing to hide from you. But you can't claim every man that I talk to, to be someone I'm cheating on you with." Whilst Jongho had been her first love, she was not his. He had been lied to, taunted and betrayed in every relationship he had that every time he found someone as caring and loving as the woman in front of him, he became sceptical of their actions. There had to be a catch, but she had been the first woman to prove him wrong.

"I know. I just- you know that my exes have hurt me before, it’s second nature to think there's someone out to get me." He might as well have just shot her stone-cold dead in that moment, she ignored the pang of hurt that resolved within her-gulping the lump in her throat. Was it really worth continuing to reason with him the way that she always did?

"We've been together for three years. Am I still not enough for you?"

"And I was with Jin Ae for five years-" she flipped over in the bed, facing her back towards him tugging the blanket back over her head again. His eyebrows furrowed in annoyance as his words were cut short, with an exasperated huff he rolled his eyes at her childishness.

"Forget it. I'm too tired for this shit." Biting down on her lips to stop it from quivering, her face sunk deeper into the pillow as if it would swallow her whole and free her from the traumalympics that Jongho oh so loved to establish every time she had sat him down to have a serious talk about their relationship. She did this, she did that. When would it stop? When would he stop comparing him to his past lovers, belittling her the point that she thought she couldn’t possibly be enough for Jongho? It was almost as if she was just target practise, someone for him to purge his emotions out on due to her pent up sobriety. Jongho sighed, a few minutes later setting his alarms for the next working day, before settling down to sleep.

"Why's he so fucking insecure for?" she flinched at her best friend's bluntness. Noticing her stunned expression, she grimaced apologising later. "No offence, but...he could cut it out. You're not like that and he should have figured that out by now." Handing her cup of tea, before seating herself down on the sofa. Wendy rested her palm on her baby bump.

"You should watch your words around baby Wendy, otherwise she's going to come out of the womb swearing left, right and centre." Giving her a pointed look, Wendy giggled raising her cup to her lips.

"That's what I keep saying to her!" Seo-Jun shouted from the kitchen. Sending a quick sheepish smile from the doorway, she turned around, her body spun with terror.

"I don't know what to do anymore. Nothing I will say will convince him." Wendy nodded slowly, knowing that if she was in her friend's position she would have left Jongho by now. Did it not feel suffocating being around a man who could not stand it if you were friends with anyone of the opposite sex? Was she just expected to be tied down to him for the rest of her life?

"I think he's worrying about the wrong person. He should be worried about me and you, not you and Seo-Jun." Wendy joked, a melodious laugh escaped from her friend’s lips, easing the anxiety that she was feeling for their relationship. For the first time, she had fallen in love with a man who cared for her in all the ways a woman desired to be cared for. Jongho was everything everyone wanted in a man, but like all men he too had flaws. Had he been picture perfect he would have known to address them rather than project them onto his girlfriend. Wendy reached out to place her palm upon her friend's, "You know what I'm about to say, right? He pulls a stunt like that again, zero tolerance just leave." But I don't want to be lonely. What if I don't find anyone else?

"It's easier said than done." Exhaling a deep sigh, both women leaned back on the sofa head on each other's shoulders dazing into the fireplace. How ironic it was that whilst Wendy's relationship was blossoming hers was sinking as if her feet was trenched in quick sand, dragging her so far under that escape seemed unattainable.

In the subsequent months, the tension in their relationship had reached what seemed to be constant velocity, or at equilibrium. Neither party held a grudge but they weren't exactly talking to each other as much as they usually did. Dates had been minimised but they always ate dinner together, whether it be in silence, and Jongho always dried the dishes while she washed them. Wendy had given birth to a beautiful baby girl, to which she purposefully had dragged Jongho over with her to go congratulate her friend, almost with a bit of spite so he could see how infatuated Seo-Jun was for his wife and new born child. So much so every other woman on earth was blind to him. If only Jongho could see that, and if only he was the same. For when one of Jongho's own close friends threw a dinner party, he had too dragged her along despite the fact she was lethargic from a long week at work. She wondered what would have happened if she did not agree, held her ground stayed at home crumpled into a ball on her bed. As soon as they walked through the door, a breath hitched in Jongho's throat as he sought a familiar figure laughing with a few of his friends.

Jin Ae. His old lover.

She had never seen Jin Ae herself, or met her although Jongho and herself shared the same mutual friends. Though in that moment where she stood next to him, following his line of sight, she understood why it had taken so long for him to detach his soul from hers. Jin Ae was multiple more times more beautiful than herself with an alluring demeanour that captivated everyone's attention in the room. Rubbing her arms nervously, she fixed herself to the corner as soon as the party fell into full swing- watching as her lover draw closer and closer to his ex as if they were the North and South poles of magnet that attracted each other. Did that make her and Jongho the same poles that repelled each other? She could not even recall the last time he had moved so hastily in her direction when she walked through the door. After all, she was tying her own shoe laces again no man, no more, to hand her the keys as she left through the door. No man, no more, to invite her back with open arms, kiss her forehead and ask her how work was as he did before. The bridge to him was collapsing, and she did not know how to fix it; Jongho meeting Jin Ae at this party only seemed to make the bricks crumble faster.

A poke at her shoulder snapped her out of her thoughts, she craned her neck to meet the eyes of San, his dimpled smile glorifying his plump cheeks holding his arms out wide to embrace an old friend he missed ever so dearly.

“San! How are you?” She chirped, accepting his hug nestling into his warm fluffy jumper, almost forgetting about how snug it felt to hug him.

“I’m great, how are you? Where’s Jongho?” He questioned, scouring around the room only to rest his gaze upon Jongho talking to Jin Ae in the corner of the room- laughing contentedly at something she said.

“I’m great. How’s work been?” And just like that the pair engaged into a boring conversation about their lives, cooing at photos of Wendy’s baby, before finally settling on the topic of their relationships. She swiftly moved the topic from Jongho to San’s relationship status. "So, no lucky girl at home?" He shook his head no, a small wave of sadness washing over him as he did so.

"Sadly, not."

"I wouldn't worry about it too much. A relationship is a big commitment, you 'ought to think about it twice before going into one. Especially if your other half is a big baby." she teased, the pair erupting into a small fit of laughter. Unbeknownst to her, Jongho had been burning holes into San's skull eyeing the way he was standing a little too close to his girlfriend. Truth be told, she hadn't even noticed. She was in a room full of unfamiliar people that having San plastered to her hip provided her with a sense of solace that her lover was unable to give. The way that she laughed at San's jokes, the way that they looked together-as if they were pieces of a puzzle that fit perfectly. Her and Jongho were pieces that fit to give a convoluted image, you had to separate the puzzle out in order to replicate the desired picture. And her words too. Was he becoming too much for her? Did she not want him anymore?

Clearing his throat, she turned to look at him. A grin forming on her lips, gravitating towards him- feeling a sense of complacency now that he had given her the intentness she was seeking the whole night. Yet the look on his face had dissolved that in second, with a gritted jaw he snatched her hand; jerking her away from her old friend and out of the door before anyone could stop to question his rough actions. Before she could open her mouth to argue, he shot her a harsh stare that silenced her. A sense of panic overwhelmed her, his behaviour terrifying her. Parrying her hand away from his harsh grip, she froze to the ground refusing to follow him further.

"We're not doing this now. Let's talk about this at home like adults." His tone patronising, striking a nerve. The journey home was tense, her shoulders hunched together body pressed tightly against the door as if she was trying to distance herself from him as far as possible. As soon as he parked, she leapt from the car dashing straight to the front door. Entering the home, at last she felt its suffocating atmosphere that had been trapping the airways of her lungs for as long as she had been with Jongho. Tears had threatened to break from its banks, as she realised that she should have listened to her friends long ago, when they told her that Jongho was not the man for her. So blinded by his love, she followed him like his devoted servant bowing to his every command as if, if she departed from him it would not liberate her but rather repress her.

"What on earth were you doing with him?" His cold voice caused her to flinch, as he infiltrated her space.

"We were just talking as friends do."

"You sure? From where I was stood, it looked he was eye-fucking you." Stunned, she looked at him with a gaped mouth.

“For fuck sake Jongho, you really do take things out of proportion. You spent the whole evening talking to your ex and I'm not petty so I left you alone because I trust you. I know you won’t hurt me!” Jongho crossed him arms, shaking her head at her nonchalance. His lover refusing to see things the same way he did.

"You don't get it, do you? San has always liked you. He wanted you, so did I. He's fucking jealous that I got there first." Her heart dropped again, her hands trembling as she wiped the sweat surfacing above her upper lip.

"You only wanted me so you could seem like the bigger man in front of San? 'I'm the better man because I pulled the bitch that you wanted' Is that it?" He opened his mouth, but no sounds escaped his words severed by her candour. Her bottom lip quivered as realisation hit her. Their entire relationship was cultivated on the grounds of Jongho's egotism. Was any of his love bold and true as he always claimed it?

“If you love me, you’ll delete his number.” He announced with nothing else left to say, he was practically scrambling to clean up the mess that he had made.

“What? No!”

“So you don’t love me then.” She could have sworn she felt her heart crack, the pulse slowing as her devotion to him slipped from her hands and shattered to the sinking ground beneath them.

“I can’t do this anymore, I won’t be continuing this relationship.” she blurted, feeling the tightening sensation of his hold dwindle as she pronounced the words carefully.

“Excuse me?"

“I’m breaking up with you.” A heavy silence entered the air, the sounds of their breathing minute. For the first time, in a long time Jongho did not speak, her declaration reaching to the deepest pits of his soul. It wasn’t just a threat either, he could see it in her eyes, in her face. The way she turned to walk up the steps. Shoulders slumping in defeat he fell to the floor, face dug into his palms. Tear glistened in his big brown eyes, letting fatigue overcome him, he transgressed into loud sobs that ached the household. Gradually, she descended the staircase, a small bag slung over her shoulders. He crawled towards her, wrapping his arms around her legs to anchor her in place. To keep her as his forever.

"Please don't leave me. I'm so sorry, my love. I'll change, I'll stop being the way I am. I just didn't want to risk losing you." He begged, tears slipped down her own cheeks; her body wracking in agony.

"You don't understand, Jongho. In trying to keep me, you only lost me." She sunk to her knees, fingers running through his thick, dark locks. God, she would miss playing with his hair on days where he rested his head on her laps. Cupping his cheeks with her palms, his gaze uplifted timidly peering into her own eyes. "I love you, Choi Jongho, but you are not the type of man that knows how to trust. Once you find yourself able to trust another, only then will you be able fall in love again.” For the last time, she pulled herself away from hold, exiting from his home. The slam of door, echoed in the abandoned foyer, his pre-existing soul emptying out into the void beneath his feet.

•••

All Right Reserved © the-midnight-blooms

DO NOT REPOST, TRANSLATE, REPURPOSE, OR PLAGISRISE ANY OF THE WORK HERE

A/N: i was not creative with the title 💀 a bit iffy about this one, this might get rebooted or edited later!

let me know if you’d like to be added to the tag list for any future fics I post!

[prythianpages]

ACOSM | The Night she made Azriel lose control

azriel x rhysand's sister (oc)

warnings: angst, smut or at least my attempt at it lol

summary: Valeria is sparring with Cassian and Azriel when Rhysand invites her to the gathering of the High Lords of Prythian. The night is tortorous for Azriel, who can no longer hold himself back and finally gives in to his desire.

A/N: this is an imagine among my collection that follow Rhysand's sister, Valeria. while I'm still working on them, you can find the masterlist for it here. This is my first time writing smut, which is why this took me forever to write. I even readchapter 55 of ACOMAF a couple of times again for "research purposes" lol Anyway, besides the smut, lots of stuff happen in this imagine and more ACOTAR characters make an appearance!

**

Valeria sat atop one of the training rings at the House of Wind as Noctis soared gracefully above her. In the brilliant sunlight, his dark wings glistened–a testament to his swift and powerful recovery. A radiant smile grazed her face, finding joy to see him whole and soaring once more.  

She hummed a familiar melody and Noctis was quick to catch the tune. His hauntingly beautiful song intertwined with hers. Setting aside the book Cassian had gifted her on Illyrian fighting techniques, Valeria perked up at the sound of wings beating the air.

It had been nearly half a year since the blood rite and Rhysand’s grand ball and so much had changed in that time. The news of two bastards and a half breed ascending to the title of Carynthian had sent shockwaves throughout Illyria, and perhaps even throughout most of Prythian. The revelation that both Cassian and Azriel were gifted with seven siphons each only added to the astonishment. Rhysand, too, had been gifted with siphons, though they had shattered, unable to contain his immense power.

Shortly after the grand ball, Cassian had returned to the Illyrian camp he was born, eager to reunite with his mother. Their separation had weighed heavily on his heart over the years and he had been looking forward to seeing her and taking care of her. However, when he arrived at the camp, he was met with devastating news. His mother was dead. The news had hit him like a physical blow and even more so when he found out the true nature of her death and lack of respect in burial. It left him reeling with an overwhelming grief and sorrow that morphed into anger and a thirst of revenge. With the help of Rhysand and Azriel, they took revenge on his mother’s cruel death and destroyed the village, allowing only the truly innocent to live. 

The High Lord of the Night Court did not take lightly to the actions of the three powerful Illyrian males. Valeria suspected that the remarkable power the three males held posed a potential threat to her father. In the weeks that followed, the High Lord assigned Rhysand a growing number of responsibilities as his designated heir. He offered Azriel the role of spymaster–a proposition that didn’t leave him with much room for refusal. Cassian, on the other hand, had returned to Windhaven, and swiftly climbed the ranks, now commanding a small legion of his own.

With all the changes and increased duties, it came to a surprise to Valeria that Cassian remembered the promise he had made prior to the blood rite. She had diligently studied the book he had gifted her, mastering nearly every technique within its pages. She still did so behind her father’s back. It was not an easy task as he hovered over her for the first couple of weeks after her return to the Night Court. This made it challenging to discreetly train with the Valkyries as she enjoyed doing so. 

So Valeria dedicated herself to playing the role of a dutiful daughter with the hopes that it would divert her father’s attention from her training and secrets she held. It was a difficult one as he still held resentment toward her. She immersed herself in music, spending countless hours practicing her violin despite her preference for the piano. It paid off, as her father’s interest in her began to wane and as she resumed her violin lessons, she found it increasingly easier to slip away for her secret training sessions.

“Alright, little warrior.” Cassian grinned as he touched down in front of her, his wings tucked behind him. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”

Valeria smiled back at him, her eyes searching his face. She knew the past couple of months had been challenging for him yet he always managed a smile and optimistic attitude, masking the underlying sadness and grief he carried. He was one of the strongest people she knew–both physically and mentally.

“I didn’t get to train last week since I had an audition for a violin solo, so I’m a little rusty.” Valeria confessed as she patted the dust off her leathers.

“Did you get it?”

A spark of triumph gleamed in her eyes as she replied. “Of course I did.” 

Cassian’s grin grew wider. “Well then, I guess I’ll have to push you harder this morning.”

The training grounds were bathed in the soft glow of the morning sun as Cassian and Valeria stepped onto the training ring. She looked up to him with determination in her eyes and Cassian respected her spirit as he began to wrap his hands. “Let’s practice without weapons first and focus on hand to hand combat which is about…”

“Control, balance and swift strikes.” Valeria answered, reciting an excerpt from the book word for word and wrapping her own hands to prepare for sparring.

“Yes.” Cassian nodded at her, impressed as he stepped into a defensive stance. “Watch me closely and then we’ll practice together.”

He demonstrated a sequence of moves, fluidly shifting from one stand to another, showcasing the elegance and power of combat. Valeria followed his every move, memorizing the steps.

“I know you’ve already had some training with this but let’s start with the basics again. I’m going to make a move and you try to block or evade it.”

Cassian then made the first move, a precise jab toward her shoulder. Valeria reacted quickly, dodging the blow with ease and responding with a counterpunch. Cassian deftly blocked her attack, impressed with her reflexes.

“Good.” Cassian said with another nod of approval. “Keep that focus and speed.”

They continued the training session as Noctis watched, perched on one of the punching dummies nearby, his sharp eyes on his beloved keeper. As always, Cassian was patient in training Valeria. He showed her how to anticipate her opponent’s moves, find openings in their defenses and land precise strikes. Valeria was a quick learner and with each round of practice, her confidence grew.

As they exchanged blows, Valeria saw an opportunity. Her speed and precision was nearly overwhelming, catching the seasoned Illyrian warrior by surprise for a faltering moment. Just when it seemed like Valeria was gaining the upper hand, he intentionally left himself open. Valeria, driven by the thrill of the movement, lunged forward with a powerful punch. Her first met its target but Cassian, with a wly grin, grabbed her arm and twisted, sending her tumbling to the ground.

She landed on her back with a huff, her chest heaving from exertion.

“Never underestimate your opponent.”

Cassian’s eyes twinkled with amusement as he looked down at her. She was already drenched in sweat, her muscles aching and struggling to catch her breath. He held his hand out toward her which she begrudgingly took. He did not look nearly as winded as her.

 “Now, get up, my little warrior. We’re not done quite yet.”

“Not done?” Valeria echoed in dramatic horror.

Valeria’s senses were thrown into a whirlwind of surprise. Another voice, one she hadn’t heard in weeks, broke through the moment.

“It’s my turn now.”

Valeria’s head whipped around, feeling dizzy for a moment, but her eyes quickly found their way to the hazel ones she had missed so dearly. Azriel. 

He was also dressed in his Illyrian leathers, his cobalt blue siphons casting a soft, enchanting glow. His presence, as always, was a compelling blend of mystery and allure, making her heart flutter. The longing she felt for his company was undeniable.  She hadn’t seen him in weeks as he was preoccupied with the duties her father assigned to him and if it wasn’t the High Lord calling upon him, it was Rhysand, leaving little room for private moments together.

Cassian and Azriel exchanged nods in silent greeting. Azriel then turned to her, his lips curving into a teasing smirk. His eyes raked over her form as his shadows swirled around him in excitement and his large wings unfurled behind him. He looked at her with a mixture of pride, protectiveness and a hint of longing.

She felt like he was undressing her with his eyes.

“Cauldron boil me,” Valeria cursed under her breath.

Cassian chuckled. Azriel maintained his composed demeanor and gaze fixed on her, his smirk remaining unfaltering. He, too, had likely heard her choice of words and judging by the way his shadows whirled around him, he must’ve sensed the hidden meaning behind them.

He finally took his eyes off of her as he approached the weapons vault. “Where are you in your training with the Valkyries?”

Valeria considered the question for a moment before replying, "We've moved on to sparring with actual weapons."

Azriel's hazel eyes lit up with interest as he selected two swords from the vault, flinging one of them toward her. Valeria caught it with ease, though with a slight frown.

She much preferred daintier weapons such as a dagger or her whip. Zeila, her valkyrie trainer, had rewarded her with the elegant rope-like weapon for her remarkable progress. Crafted from pure silver and adorned with moonstone gems, it matched the necklace around her neck. At first glance, it appeared delicate, but when the moonstone gems were ignited by her power, it became a formidable tool capable of burning through those who dared to cross her. Valeria had glamored the whip to resemble a wrap-around bracelet when not in use and it currently shimmered brilliantly under the sunlight.

Azriel and Valeria stood facing each other, a palpable tension filling the air as Cassian sat on a bench nearby and watched. Much to his dismay, Noctis made himself comfortable atop of his head.

Valeria was the first to make a move, moving with a fluidity that was both elegant and powerful. As they sparred, Valeria demonstrated her newfound skills, seamlessly combining the precise strikes of the Valkyries with the fierce, aggressive style of the Illyrians. Azriel observed with growing admiration, impressed by her quick adaptation and her ability to execute the intricate maneuvers. Their swords clashed, the sound ringing through the rooftop, and with a deft flick of his wrist, he managed to disarm Valeria. His experience and training outmatched hers but Valeria was not one to give up easily. 

In a swift and practiced motion, she extended her arm, bringing the rope-like weapon to life. Azriel’s eyes widened for a flickering moment as he readied his sword but Valeria was too fast for him. Within seconds, her whip wrapped around Azriel’s wrist, forcing him to release his sword, the sharp piece of steel clattering to the ground. She grinned triumphantly as Cassian whistled in approval.

Azriel stumbled back, momentarily disarmed, until he saw an opportunity and seized it. He took advantage of the weapon wrapped around his wrist and pulled on it, throwing her off balance, sending Valeria stumbling forward. She was not able to catch her footing on time and both her and Azriel tumbled onto the ground. Azriel swiftly gained the  upper hand, pinning both her wrists by her head as he straddled her.

“I got you.” He smirked down at her.

With a mischievous glint in her violet eyes, Valeria shifted her hips up and wrapped her arms around his torso the best she could. She trapped his legs with her own and mustered up all the strength she could to roll over just as Cassian had taught her. In a sudden and skillful maneuver, she found herself hovering over Azriel, her dagger that had been attached to her thigh now pressed against his neck.

“Never underestimate your opponent.” Valeria said, her voice breathless but triumphant, echoing Cassian’s early words.

Azriel blinked back up at her, his pupils dilated. His gaze flickered down to her lips before locking with her gaze. Blood rushed up to her cheeks as she remembered the last time she had straddled him. It seemed so long ago and just as it had before they shared their first kiss, the world around them faded into the background, leaving just the two of them. She dared to lean down–

A boisterous laugh shattered their trance, snapping them back to reality.

Valeria removed herself from Azriel. He was the first to get up, offering his scarred hand to her. His shadows slithered down his arms and toward her, reaching out to caress her face in a way he yearned to himself as he pulled her up with him. They turned to an amused Cassian who offered a round of applause for Valeria.

“I’m so proud of you.” He told her. “Keep it up and you’ll be a Valkyrie in no time.”

Valeria’s heart swelled. “You really think they’d let me in?”

“Of course.” It was Azriel who replied.

She was smiling at the two formidable Illyrian warriors when she felt a gentle talon caress her mind. She allowed her brother in, who wanted to know where she was. Her smile fell and the two males looked at her in concern.

“Rhys is coming,” she said in warning at the same time she gave her brother her location.

With practiced ease, Valeria used her powers to glamor and remove the telltale signs of her recent training session–the sweat-soaked training gear and leathers were replaced with a simple black dress.  Noctis returned to his usual place on her shoulder. She had just enough time to glamor Cassian and Azriel as well to paint out the illusion of them sparring.

Rhysand was still unaware of her extensive training as she had sworn both males to secrecy. While her brother did keep his promise in teaching her how to use the dagger they all gifted her, it was nowhere near enough to explain the advanced skills she had just displayed. 

Azriel glanced down at his shirtless body and arched an eyebrow at her. A devious glint flickered in her eye as she smirked back at him with an appreciative gaze. The tattoos adorning his upper body, a mark of his emergence as a true warrior from the Blood Rite, were a sight to behold. She wondered for a brief moment what it would be like to kiss them as she dangerously trailed her way down…

Cassian seemed to be unfazed by his shirtless form, picking up the sword Valeria had been using, eager to get into character.

Rhysand emerged from a cloud of swirling darkness. He smiled fondly at Valeria in greeting before acknowledging his two closest friends. “I didn’t know you two were sparring today,” he commented, his tone lighthearted.

Cassian responded with a cheeky grin, "Just releasing some pent-up frustration, Rhys." He turned to Azriel, a cryptic look in his eyes, sensing something in the Shadowsinger he was strangely familiar with. "Right, Az?"

Azriel glared at him. "I'm sure Cass still has energy."

Rhysand chose to brush off their strange behavior, not wanting to delve into it further. "It's alright," he said, waving a hand dismissively. "I'm actually here for Val."

Valeria turned to him, her curiosity piqued.

"I need you to be ready by dinner. The High Lords are gathering at the Moonstone Palace for dinner, and Father requests our presence."

Valeria's eyes narrowed as she met her brother's gaze. She had her doubts that it was truly her father who had called for her presence, and judging by Rhysand's cheeky grin, she knew he had played a role in her being allowed to attend. Despite her skepticism, she nodded in agreement.

"I'll be ready."

**

The dinner among the High Lords of Pyrthian, their families and entourage was uneventful save for the mention of growing unrest between the mortals and fae. There were reports of some fae enslaving mortals–a matter that had drawn the attention of the High Lords.

Surprisingly, the High Lord of the Night Court appeared indifferent to Valeria’s presence at the dinner. A small victory.

Though she couldn't shake the feeling of being the odd one out as she was the only daughter to a High Lord present. She was grateful for Rhysand and Azriel, who sat on either side of her as Noctis–her usual companion–had to stay behind. Cerridwen and Nuala offered to take care of him for the night. The two males beside her watched over her, their protective presence enough to deter any unwarranted attention from the other attendees, especially the eldest sons of the Autumn and Spring court. Mor and her family were also present at the dinner, the first offering Valeria a sense of familiarity and warmth, but unfortunately, she sat far from her.

As the dinner came to a close, her mother, who sat across from her, sent Valeria a reassuring smile. With the main meal completed, the guests began to disperse into smaller groups, with alcohol and light desserts served for those who remained. Valeria took a moment to collect herself, her violin resting on a soft chair nearby. She picked it up and positioned it with care, knowing that her presence at the dinner came at a cost – the entertainment she could provide with her violin.

With a sigh, she began to play, the graceful notes of her violin filling the room and carrying a sense of melancholy and beauty. The Night Court’s orchestra arrived, a couple of songs later, providing a welcome respite. She smiled at them in greeting and they regarded her warmly, having grown fond of her over the past six months.

“That was excellent.” A voice praised.

Valeria looked up, eyes widening as they landed on the High Lord of the Dawn Court. Thesan. His aura radiated a warm golden glow, his brown skin and hair kissed with the permanent brilliance of sunrise. 

“You’ve grown into a wonderful young lady.” His gaze was warm as he regarded her. He remembered the last time he had seen her, when she was just six years old.

 Valeria recalled the memory clearly as it had been a slightly embarrassing incident when she had injured herself after chasing Rhysand around. He had snatched the last lemon cake and laughed in her face. Thesan had been the one to heal her injured elbow with a gentle touch while her father glared at her. She wondered if her father had also been embarrassed by her behavior that night as she hadn’t been allowed to attend a High Lord gathering until tonight.

“Thank you.” Valeria replied, her head bowed in appreciation.

“I’m sure your father is proud.” Thesan added, casting a meaningful glance toward her father, who had now joined them.

His gaze, though still somewhat distant, was not as cold as he regarded his daughter.

“She has an upcoming solo in a month.”

Valeria blinked at her father, surprise etched on her features. 

“What a shame,” Thesan lamented, his tone sincere. “I’m hosting a celebration for my Peregryns in a month. I would’ve loved for you to play for them.”

Valeria’s father hummed and she picked up on the hint. She excused herself politely. Though she knew her father’s demeanor was likely a result of Thesan’s presence, she couldn’t help but feel a glimmer of joy at his acknowledgement.

Valeria made her way to the desserts table, savoring the delightful taste of  a chocolate covered strawberry. Her gaze swept the room, searching for her brother amidst the sea of faces.

“Well, aren’t you a lovely little sweet.”

Startled by the sudden presence behind her, she jumped slightly before turning her head to find the source of the voice. Her gaze fell upon a red-haired male, whose amber eyes watched her intently. He held an air of arrogance and entitlement as he extended his hand toward her.

“Would you care to dance?” He inclined his head to his left, where couples where swaying to the music.

“I’m busy.” Valeria replied, referring to the dessert in her hand.

She glared as he plucked the strawberry from her hand and popped the remaining piece into his mouth, all while sporting a smirk that seemed to mock her. He took her hand, without asking again, and led her to the dance floor.

His hand rested dangerously low against her back and was hot as it met her bare skin. The dress she chose tonight was a blue mermaid gown with a plunging neckline and open back design to accommodate her wings but she had chosen to glamor them. There was a fire in his eyes as he looked over her.

Valeria’s lips curled into a smirk of her own. She had seldom experienced the sensation of being desired. The Illyrians in Windhaven had steered clear of her after her fling with Damien–if one could even call it that. The three Illyrian males in her life were fiercely protective, effectively warding off any potential suitors. But here, things were different.

 Though her heart longed for the desire of a specific male, she couldn’t deny the pleasure of feeling desired by others.

At that moment, recognition dawned on Valeria. The devilishly handsome male dancing with her was the eldest son of the High Lord of the Autumn Court and if the rumors in Prythian were true, he was in search of a bride.

“You must be Eris.” She said, her tone cool and composed.

The fire in his amber eyes was unyielding as he spun her around. His movements pressed her back against his chest, and he leaned down, his breath tickling her ear as he whispered: “I’m honored you know my name, sweets.”

With a twist, he spun her back around to face him, catching the crinkle of her nose in response to his nickname with a dark chuckle.

“It’s Valeria to you.” She corrected him with a firm tone.

Eris paused, his eyes set ablaze at the challenge, as he teased her further. “Valeria Vanserra has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?”

In response, Valeria couldn’t help but laugh in disbelief. When she opened her mouth to offer another sly retort, another voice beat her to it.

**

The entire night was torture for Azriel.

It all started when he spotted Valeria in a striking dark blue fitted gown that hugged her every curve and exposed so much of her pretty sun kissed skin– Gods, she was beautiful. He wanted nothing more than to trace her curves and exposed skin with his hands while he tasted her pretty lips once more. He almost had this morning after sparring with her.

A warmth surged through him, almost as if he were staking a delusional claim, as he noticed the necklace he gifted her was wrapped sweetly around her neck, the moonstone gem resting right at the curves of her chest.

It had been hard for him to part from her side after dinner. He wanted to be the one to walk with her, dance with her. The desire to take her away and have her to himself was overwhelming but he could not afford to give in to it. He was bound by the High Lord’s orders, hovering around with his shadows dispersed, keeping an eye out for any suspicious activity. He managed to spare a couple of shadows to accompany Valeria, instructing them to keep a low profile with her and reach out to him immediately if anyone that wasn’t Rhysand or her mother touched her.

 The torture had escalated with each passing moment as he noticed the increasing looks of interest sent her way. He had to summon every ounce of strength to keep his jealousy at bay, especially when he noticed that Valeria had attracted the attention of a red-haired male. Eris, heir to the Autumn court, his shadows happily filled in for him.

He watched with a tensed resolve, concealing the jealousy in his eyes behind the usual fierce and protective mask he wore. His gaze was unwavering as the Autumn Court male held her close, danced with her and when he made her laugh, he decided that was it. He was going to intervene. Perhaps, he would start by ripping the smirk off of Eris’s face. 

**

“Eris.”

Valeria found herself being pulled away and into the chest of another. A protective arm wrapped around her shoulders and she looked up to find her brother–his actions betraying the cool and measured demeanor on his face.

Eris’s smirk widened, picking up on Rhysand’s frustration. “I can see why you keep her hidden now.”

“Stay away from my sister.”

Rhysand’s glare was not enough to communicate his disapproval of Eris’s sudden and unwelcome interest in his sister. He didn’t bother with formalities and without saying another word, he pulled her away from Eris.

Leaning in closer to Valeria, Rhysand spoke in a hushed voice. “I have someone I want you to meet,” he whispered as he guided her through the crowded gathering.

Valeria followed her brother, oblivious to the Shadowsinger that had been moments away from tearing the heir to the Autumn court into pieces. She was curious and somewhat relieved to leave behind the tense encounter with Eris, wondering why the Cauldron had decided to bestow Prythian with its fair share of wicked sons.

But perhaps not all of Prythian’s sons were wicked, she found herself thinking as Rhysand introduced her to a quiet blond male. He appeared around her age. His green eyes were innocent and kind–a dark contrast to his older brothers, who had glared at her during dinner earlier.

His name was Tamlin and a light blush rose to his cheeks as Valeria smiled at him.

**

Finally, in the comforts of her room, Valeria let out a sigh of relief as she leaned back against her door. The night had been a hurricane of emotions from all the interactions she had, some were welcomed and others draining. She had ended her night with Mor, who was finally able to escape from the grasps of her family as Eris and his father approached Keir. Rhysand had to unfortunately leave early. Their father wanted him to check up on a growing conflict between Windhaven and a neighboring camp first thing in the morning so he thought it’d be best if he stayed the night at their house in Windhaven.

Valeria made her way to her vanity, seating herself upon the soft cushion of its bench. She slowly unraveled her bun, allowing her long dark hair to fall into a sea of ebony waves.

She unclasped her earrings next and as she went to unclasp her necklace, her eyes widened with alarm at the figure she caught behind her in the reflection from the vanity’s mirror. She abruptly stood from her seat, her initial shock giving way and gaze softening as she recognized the figure.

“By the cauldron, Azriel, you nearly gave me a heart attack!“

Azriel was behind her within seconds and she caught sight of his heated gaze through the mirror. “My sentiments exactly,” he told her, his fingers brushing the thin strap of her dress. He rejoiced in the way it easily fell from her shoulders. “When I saw you wearing this dress.”

“I wore it for you.” Valeria confessed as heat rose to her cheeks. The blue shade of her dress perfectly matched his siphons.

“Is that so?” He hummed, his gaze not leaving her bare back. 

He knew it was wrong to look at her the way he did. He knew that Rhysand would kill him if he saw the intent in his eyes but he had waited so long–six excruciating months– to finally have Valeria alone again and his shadows screamed at him to seize the opportunity. His hand then lightly grazed her back, tracing along the spot where her wings usually rested. Valeria shivered at his touch.

She turned around to face him and their eyes met, unspoken words between them as tension filled the air. Tension that had sparked between them since their first kiss. Tension that had lingered, waiting for the right kindling to ignite it once more. Tension that was set alight by their sparring this morning, further fueled by the exchanged glances during dinner. Tension that was no longer possible to ignore.

And then their lips were desperately crashing into each other in an ardent kiss.

They pulled each other close until their bodies were flush against one another, his shadows enveloping around the both of them. With Valeria’s arms wrapped around his neck, she slid her fingers through his soft dark hair and his slid to her hips, hoisting her up onto her vanity. Her legs instantly wrapped themselves around his waist and she pulled him even closer, feeling him harden against her and eliciting a groan from him that made a heat pool in her stomach.

He broke away from the kiss, resting his forehead against hers. His eyes were closed, his breathing fast and sharp. “Val,” he breathed her name so heavenly, despite the slight tremble in his body. “If we don’t stop now, I won’t be able to hold myself back.”

She knew she should stop him as they were both walking among a fine line but she couldn’t bring herself to. Not when Azriel was looking at her like she was the one who placed the stars in the sky.

“Good thing,” Valeria began, nudging her nose softly against his. “I don’t want you to stop.”

That was all the confirmation Azriel needed before he picked her up and placed her onto her bed. He was then claiming her lips again, darting his tongue along her bottom lip and she parted her lips for him, groaning into his mouth as his tongue caressed hers.

Azriel broke from the kiss and pulled on the dress that had left little to the imagination and an insatiable thirst for more. He was filled with a desperate desire to feel all of her against him. She arched into him, allowing him to undo the delicate laces and slide her dress off in one motion. He would’ve ripped it off her, if it hadn’t been one of her mother’s designs. 

His breath hitched as he hovered over her, appreciating her beauty–the sight of her almost bare before him. Her moonstone necklace shimmered and was nestled deliciously right above her exposed breasts. “Gods, you’re so beautiful,” he breathed, allowing his shadows to caress her breasts, rejoicing in the way she shivered with pleasure. 

She let out a moan as he lowered his mouth to one of her breasts and sucked on it, his tongue flicking against her nipple while his shadows continued to caress the other.

“Azriel.”

“Tell me,” he murmured against her soft skin. “Tell me what you want.”

“I want to be yours.” She breathed in reply. 

He nearly moaned at her words, rapidly losing his resolve as the scent of her arousal hit him then. She pulled on his leathers, a silent request to take them off. He complied, disposing of his clothing until he was bare before her, his siphons landing on the floor with a thud. His cock sprang free, no longer restrained by his leathers and he took delight in the way her eyes grew wide, taken aback by his considerable length before they trailed their way up to the intricate tattoos on his chest.

Valeria wanted to kiss along his tattoos as she had desired to earlier in the morning but when she moved to sit up, Azriel stopped her. He pinned her back to the bed with a low growl. Her bare skin was so warm against his.

“You’re all mine.” He told her, echoing her wish from just moments ago, and then was grinding his hips against her clothed core in a teasing manner.

His lips trailed down her stomach until he hovered over the place she desperately needed him. He looked up once more at her. Although he told her he wouldn’t be able to hold himself back, he still sought her permission. 

She gave a nod and he smirked at her, a devious glint in his hazel eyes.

“Words.” He teased her, brushing his nose against her core as her arousal flooded him, overwhelming all his senses. His eyes and the shadows around him darkened.  “I need your words.”

“I need you.” 

He tutted, not entirely satisfied. “Need me where?”

“By the cauldron Azriel, I need you to fuck me.” She cried out desperately, her words making his cock throb almost painfully and before he could tease her further, she added: “With your tongue, fingers, cock. Do as you wish, I’m all yours."

“Gods, you have such a dirty mouth on you.” He replied as he slid her underwear off, imagining all the things her dirty mouth was capable of. He hooked her legs to rest on either side of his wings. “Where did you learn such vulgar things?”

Books, she had meant to reply but she was set ablaze and at a loss for words at the first lick of his tongue. A soft whimper escaped from her and he unleashed himself, eagerly devouring her and drawing out more moans that were like music to his ears. Her fingers found themselves entangled in his hair again and she writhed beneath him. Azriel placed a firm grip on her hips, smirking against her as her thighs trembled against him. He could tell she was close. 

Wanting nothing more than to hear her lose herself completely to him, he slid his tongue into her and allowed his shadows to caress her everywhere, wanting to touch every inch of her skin and discover her most sensitive areas. Her breasts, her neck, her clit. 

“Azriel.”

Another low growl erupted from deep in his chest at the way she moaned his name. It was lovely and it felt so right.

“Come on, princess.” He purred, pressing a kiss to her clit before kissing his way up her thigh. He replaced his tongue with his finger, slowly easing his way with one until eventually, he was pumping three inside her. He left trails of her essence all over her body as he continued to make his way up. “Let go for me.”

Azriel’s lips were pressed against her neck when the heat pooled in her stomach tightened and then her core was pulsing around his fingers as she came, waves of pleasure flooding all of her senses. He pulled away from her neck, watching as her body arched into his and trembled with a soft glow. 

Azriel had never beheld anything more exquisite than this–than her coming apart under his touch. His gaze lingered on her for a moment, engraving the sweet image into his mind. An image that he would savor for centuries.

A finger traced over the sensitive curve of his wing, pulling him out of his trance and it was his turn to moan her name. He felt her other hand on his cheek and he leaned in to it, savoring her touch. He allowed her to take control for a moment as she guided his lips to hers. She could taste herself on his lips.

Another whimper escaped from him, his eyes fluttering close when he felt her finger brush the curve of his wing again. Her movements were agonizingly slow as she trailed her finger down and his breath hitched as they brushed against his hard length before wrapping themselves around it. He placed his hand over hers before she could continue. She had barely touch him but he could feel his release quickening already.

When he opened his eyes, his pupils were blown, their darkness honing in on her. A darkness she wanted to dive further into. “Please.” Valeria begged against his lips. 

His forehead rested against hers and his breath fanned her face. He knew what she was asking for but there would be no going back from this. He wanted to make sure that she still wanted this, still wanted him.

“Are you sure?” He pulled away from her lips to allow her to answer, leaning his cheek against her hand once more, his eyes looking straight into hers.

“Yes.” Her voice was so sure as she held his gaze. It caused something in his chest to rise and flutter madly. “I want you to be my first.”

Overwhelmed by the surge of emotions, he found himself unable to suppress his feelings. Yes, he desired her, but it went beyond physical attraction. He yearned for more than just her body. He desperately and selfishly wanted her heart too.

“I don’t just want to be your first.” He told her, pressing a soft kiss into the palm of her hand. “I want to be the only one.”

“Yes, yes.” She nodded her head at him and though her eyes were clouded with lust, she genuinely meant it. She yearned to be his and his only. Heart and soul. “You’re all I can think about.”

“Gods, you’ll be my ruin.” He uttered a sigh as he fisted his cock. He rubbed his length along her entrance, coating it with her arousal before sliding the tip in.

Valeria let out a gasp as he slowly pushed himself further. His hands found hers, intertwining their fingers together and resting them on either side of her head. He sweetly kissed the tears from her eyes and stilled inside her, allowing her to adjust to his size. Blood pounded through his body, his heart surging with fervor as she felt so heavenly wrapped around him tightly. 

He’d imagined this moment before, on nights where his thoughts were consumed with her. He’d imagine what noises she’d make, what she’d feel like, how she’d beg for him. To finally have her like this, it surpassed his wildest dreams. 

And when she was begging for him to move, he happily obliged. 

“You’re taking me so well.” He praised as he thrusted into her, slow and hard, all the way until his hips were flushed against hers. "Fuck, you're so perfect."

  His thrusts grew quicker and harder, his shadows frenzied around him as he continued to draw out her pleasure. She was a sobbing mess beneath him. When he felt her pulsing around him, he sent a shadow to rub against her clit while his lips claimed hers. She moaned lewdly into his mouth.

His pace picked up, pounding into her mercilessly as their scents merged as one. His grip on her hands tightened as his hips stuttered into her. She tilted her head back, their kiss now all tongue and barely lips as she tightened around him.

Release tore through their bodies and when their eyes met, they were a beautiful and panting mess.

Through the window, the moon's soft embrace casted a gentle glow, illuminating her face as his shadows lingered behind him, admiring her beauty. She was the radiant light, and he, the comforting darkness. They existed in an unspoken unity.

She held his heart, and he, unreservedly, belonged to her.

***

tag list:  @justrepostandlove , @kemillyfreitas, @thelov3lybookworm

a/n: I was inspired by a comment @kemillyfreitas made on one of the imagines and decided that if her father won't show her love, at least Thesan will. I have a soft spot for the high lord of dawn <3

I contemplated so much about this moment between Az and Val because it was definitely going to happen. It was just a matter of when. I wanted to save it for the actual storyline but ultimately, thought it was best for it to happen much sooner. They are aware that there's something special between them (Az more so than Val) but instead of letting words/reason guide them, they're being guided by their feelings and desire. also, if things are unclear or you would like clarification on some things, feel free to ask. I'll answer them happily!

songs I listened to while writing this on repeat: kingdom fall by claire wyndham, i wanna be yours by arctic monkeys if you couldn't tell by the dialogue lol, feels like by gracia abrahams. I did make a playlist for songs I listen to while I write. I want to incorporate some of the lyrics into the imagines.

[knight-of-the-graces]

I... am having EPIC Thoughts. I read a post that talked about how Odysseus really isn't doing any better with ruthlessness than mercy, and I just started thinking, so... here you so. Yes, I'm writing an essay now, you're welcome, I am 'That Guy' in every fandom I'm in ever, yes.

Ruthlessness and Mercy: Would It Matter? An EPIC: The Musical Study

In short... no. No, it really wouldn't.

From the beginning, the conflict was never about ruthlessness or mercy; it was always about the will of the gods. It never mattered whether Odysseus was merciful or ruthless or prideful or what-have-you, insert-chosen-character-trait-or-flaw-here-- the only thing that mattered was if he was obeying the gods, if he had angered them or not. Odysseus wasn't the problem in The Odyssey, at least at the start.

(This is not me saying the man doesn't have or cause problems, because he definitely does, but the overarching problem of The Odyssey isn't about Odysseus.)

Think about it. Several of the gods had decided --at least, in The Odyssey-- to make Odysseus' life a living nightmare. The reason for this seems to vary, but it's there. So right there, no matter what he did, what choices he made, the outcome was already decided for him. He was doomed from the start and didn't even know it.

See, here's the thing, about the Greek gods: Most of them really don't care about mortals any more than most humans care about insects. Interesting on occasion, but usually just something to ignore. And then you have the people who like to torment them, to pull off their wings and legs and watch them suffer and squirm-- those are the gods who involved themselves in the Trojan War. They weren't interested in the affairs of mortals in that they didn't care about the cause of the war, only that it was something interesting to do to break up the monotony of their daily lives up on Mount Olympus, a chance to show off and compete with one another and settle old scores. (I'm particularly upset about Aphrodite. Like, seriously, who just kidnaps some poor woman to marry off to a random guy she's never even met? I mean, c'mon, you're a literal goddess, you couldn't've just... y'know, made a person out of clay instead of kidnapping someone who already had a husband and family? Goodness.)

But anyway. Let's take a hypothetical, shall we? Let's say that Odysseus didn't show Polyphemus mercy, when Athena said to kill him. Do you really think Poseidon would've been any less angry about a dead descendant than a blinded one? I mean, even in this same tale the gods were known for taking vengeance on those who wronged their descendants, and being dead is definitely worse of a wrong than being blind, at least in my humble opinion.

Then, let's take into consideration who exactly killed him: that'd be Odysseus, King of Ithaca and all of that... and a champion of Athena. Now, this might or might not be common knowledge, but Poseidon and Athena competed extensively for the patronage of the city of Athens, and Poseidon lost, badly; that isn't the kind of slight he'd forget easily. (I mean, an olive tree is a food source, though, so... sorry, but it's definitely more useful than a salty spring from the salty man of the sea. Thanks, but no thanks.)

In EPIC, Odysseus had at least defied Athena, so she'd left him by the time Poseidon could discover what exactly he'd done, and thus wasn't responsible for defending her former champion; however, in a Ruthless hypothetical, he'd done exactly as she'd said, and now she had a predicament on her hands: Abandon the champion who had obeyed her to the letter, or face the wrath of Poseidon herself, too?

In The Odyssey, Athena abandons Odysseus to face the wrath of Poseidon by himself, so as not to incur her uncle's ire as well. So in our hypothetical, she would likely have abandoned Odysseus here too. The only thing that would change would be the guilt.

Why is that?

Well, to put it simply, there isn't a way for Odysseus to not incur Poseidon's wrath here. Polyphemus is Poseidon's son, and Odysseus --in order to save the lives of himself and as many of his men as he can-- will do him harm. Poseidon, as Polyphemus' father --whether a good one or not--, is responsible for avenging a slight against his bloodline. Athena, due to Odysseus' actions, will leave him.

Perhaps --straying from the question of ruthlessness and mercy-- if Odysseus hadn't said his name, if pride or anger or stress or whatever interpretation of it you take hadn't influenced his decision, Poseidon might not have learned who was responsible for the act. But then again, who else was sailing the sea --Poseidon's domain, about which he knew every detail-- in that exact area at that exact time, with a captain clever enough to give his name as Nobody so as to not reveal himself, with a sudden influx of stolen sheep on their ships where Polyphemus the shepherd had lost his?

Really, though, that isn't relevant. The question was if it would make a difference whether he was ruthless or merciful, and honestly... I don't think it would make much of a difference. One way or another, his crew was going to die. One way or another, he was going to wind up alone. Do you think that his crew wouldn't have mutinied after yet another monster their captain had chosen to spare came back with a vengeance? Do you think they would have listened when he warned them about Helios' cows then?

Do you think a merciful Odysseus would've chosen his traitorous crew, his former friends, over the chance to see his wife and son again?

[heart2beom]

colon and a parenthesis

pairing: bestfriend!beomgyu x f!reader

genre: fluff, light hearted angst/comfort, best friends to ...lovers? drabble (an attempt), best friends who live together!!

synopsis: getting played has got to be the worst feeling ever. for you, you go through that heartbreak every other month. and now you're wailing on your best friend's shoulder again, for the hundredth time, ruining his hoodie. again.

a/n: "he doesn't deserve you" i'm such a basic bitch because the way i squeal over this line...was watching this show that is totally devoid of any romance subplot but i was okay with it because its a good show!! then this cute guy playing the best friend role just says this and im folding. like im being serious, i would've asked what we were. anyways ahahahahahaha, enjoy this as i slave myself into finishing my other bf2l beomgyu fic.

"Why do you look like that?"

You blink, processing his words before turning around, cereal box in hand. "What? What do I look like?" You pat your free hand around your face in attempt to figure out what incited that reaction. If it's an unwanted pimple, you're going to go insane.

Beomgyu huffs out a laugh through his nose, still eating his cereal. "I don't know, it's like you didn't get sleep for the past three decades."

He doesn't catch the roll of your eyes since he's focused on his phone, eating his breakfast but you still make sure to do it anyway. You pour the lucky charms in the bowl, the mention of your tired state gets you fighting the large grin overtaking your face. Reason?

You haven't slept a wink last night, inevitably a bad choice since you have morning classes, but digressing, it had to be the most magical of all nights. You recently got Mingi's number, the cute boy in your Music Comp class, who you've been notably crushing on for weeks.

Beomgyu knows this, obviously since you practically tell him everything, but what he doesn't know is that you've done some progression with your pining.

Other than the fact that he's cute, you find out he's also quite funny and witty, all throughout yesterday's overnight chat. Mingi's absolutely perfect. Like a prince charming. You don't even care that you have to spend extra time covering up your under eyes, it's what comes with the package that is Song Mingi.

You set your cereal on the kitchen island, sitting on the stool next to Beomgyu. Checking your phone for umpteenth time today, reading through the texts from last night still makes you smile a little too hard at the realization that yesterday night was in fact real.

You catch Beomgyu turning his head to you, brows furrowed like he was thinking of what to say, still chewing his food. "So?"

You lay your phone face down, "So what?"

"What happened?"

You realize he's talking about your dark circles. "Nothing, nothing happened. Was just studying all night," your eyes look up from your bowl of cereal to Beomgyu's doubtful eyes. "You know, pointing these things out to a woman is very disrespectful."

He laughs, and turns away shaking his head. Beomgyu was equally as tired looking so it wasn't like he had the right to make a comment. His ginger hair had strands poking out everywhere, dark circles even more evident under his eyes. It made sense, he worked late night shifts, and when he didn't, he'd stay up all night anyway, playing video games.

Yesterday he didn't have work, so you were very graciously blessed with having to hear his usual shenanigans through the walls of your room. He had an issue with keeping his emotions on the low when it came to games, which proved to be a nightmare. But thankfully, you were able to filter out his yelling with every response from Mingi.

"I heard you."

You furrow your brows, glancing to Beomgyu. "Huh? Heard what?"

He gets up, done with his breakfast, heading to the sink. "You were giggling all night. It was really weird," he mentions and your eyes widen, slowly chewing your food. Were you really that loud? How embarrassing. "Even weirder now that I know you were studying."

You throw your head back, groaning—of course he didn't buy your lie. "Beomgyu," you drawl.

"No, no, if you wish to keep your life private, keep it private." He was faking his hurt, but you also know there's some truth to it. Sharing things with each other, with no filter, has always been a staple to your relationship. And it's not like you were the type to be private anyway, so it worked out in the end.

"We were texting all night," you start, the dreamy vision of his face clouds your mind as your eyes sparkle at the thought, "Me and Mingi."

Beomgyu halts, his back faced to you— you don't read too much into it before he finally turns around. "Mingi as in... Music Comp Mingi?"

You flutter your lashes, nodding, barely biting down your smile. "He's a total A-plus heartthrob." you swoon.

Beomgyu lays his forearm on the countertop, standing across of you, tilting his head and a scrunch of his face like he’s willing to debate on that. "Yeah, but didn't Yeonjun happen like, two months ago?"

Yeonjun. The upperclassman you dated for six entire months, probably your longest relationship ever. Which is a little sad, at least for a sophomore in college. The added duration of your relationship made the breakup sting a lot more, as well as the fact that you wholeheartedly believed you'd end up marrying him at some point in the future.

Your smile droops, gaze fallen to the sad looking soggy cereal. "Hey, no, I mean, Y/N I'm just worried, but if you're—if you're over him, Mingi is good for you!" You slowly look up at Beomgyu, and you manage a smile on one end of your lips.

"You think so? Mingi's pretty nice, right?"

He huffs out a laugh through his nose again, he's been doing it a lot more often. "You stayed up all night talking to him, you're in love with him."

You break into a smile, eyes back on your spoon. "Shut up."

He points an accusatory finger, "Your ears just got red, oh my god, you are in love with him!"

You roll your eyes, quickly adjusting your hair to cover your ears. He shakes his head in awe, "You're actually hopeless."

"I'm sorry that he's literally the reincarnation of a prince charming. I can't help it."

"You say that about everyone." That was half true. You never said it about Sunwoo. "Anyways, you guys made plans, right?"

You fall quiet, eyes widening before quickly breaking eye contact with Beomgyu, clearing your throat. A few beats of silence and before you know it, Beomgyu grabs your phone, and is typing in your passcode.

You jump off your seat, "Beomgyu! Don't text him! I swear to god—" You have always made a mental note to change your passcode, but your memory fails you each time. And now you're bearing the consequences.

It quickly turns into a game of cat and mouse the more you go after him—each time, he's directly across from you as he focuses on typing as quickly as he could. Even when you calculate to run the opposite direction, Beomgyu is faster, quickly having the kitchen's island in between you both again.

"Mingi, the love of my life, I proposition you with a date at Gorae's—" he announces aloud, reading off the screen.

You rush to his side in his moment of weakness, reaching to grab your phone but Beomgyu's quick to react, raising his arm high enough for you to struggle to get your phone. God darn his height.

"Give me my phone you ass!"

"—and I want to marry you and have nine babies with you in a cottage far away from the world, my love!"

If he sent that, you'd jump off the balcony of your flat. No doubt. So, you attack him with your most effective weapon.

"And—shit. Oh my god, oh my god Y/N—" He wheezes, he's calm drowsiness dissipating, and he's quick to retreat, hands shielding themselves from your evil fingers. But you don't stop, a mischievous smile breaching your lips, because god is it fun to be the one to tease for once.

You aim for his sides, unprotected and perfect for your fingers to start tickling. His giggles are boisterous as he weakly attempts to stop your hands, but you don't let, "Punishment for being a little bitch."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry— oh my god, have mercy!" he manages to muster between his fit of laughter.

His contagious laugh bubbles one up from you until you hear a ping, and you realize that he might've actually sent that in! In horror, you grab your phone from Beomgyu's loose hold, who was still attempting to calm his laugh down, wiping under his waterline.

You check your messages, and it's in fact one from Mingi. "Beomgyu! Did you actually send him something?" you yell anxiously, eyes wide.

You don't give him time to respond, deciding to rip the bandaid, clicking on your chat. Hesitantly you read the messages after the 'goodnight' you've sent yesterday.

Your brows crease flatten as you read the two messages Beomgyu sent.

"I had fun talking. Maybe we should hang sometime?" you look up from your phone, "Who says that?"

He shrugs, wiping his hand on his sweats, "Probably, I don't know, sane people. What'd he say?"

You smile, looking back at the text Mingi had sent in response. "I'd like that. He'd like that. With a smiley face."

A conflicting smile is on his face as he says, "He'd like that with a smiley face?"

You roll your eyes, it's a terrible attempt at a joke, "A smiley face. Colon and a closing parenthesis."

He lets out an oh of realization as if he truly did not know, nodding. "Good luck, thank me when the wedding happens." he comments, walking into the living room you think— you don't really care. Too far gone as you re-read three simple words. And a colon paired with a closing parenthesis.

You really wish it'd work out this time.

—------------------------------

You don't exactly remember when you started to consider Beomgyu to be one of, if not, your closest friend.

The time he had stayed on a call with you throughout the entire night, on a school night, falling asleep after the spell of drowsiness won against both of your wills to continue talking? It magically seemed like you could endlessly talk, about anything, everything and nothing at the same time, with Beomgyu.

The time your eyes miracally found each other, in heaps of awkward situations? Like when you both ended up being third wheels to your pining friends, or when a party seemed too much for comfort.

Or when Beomgyu confided to you that he spent days learning makeup through lengthy youtube tutorials to help you out with applying it for prom?

Maybe the time you celebrated your graduation by choosing to invite over Beomgyu's family? No, you think it's probably the time you realized the only person you thought of when meaning to ask someone to move in with you—possibly the biggest next life step— was none other than your goofy, sort of odd, friend.

Or maybe it's now.

When you open the door, a heavish Beomgyu with his chest rising and falling, like he just ran a marathon, iris darting quickly going over your state before crashing you straight into his embrace, a hand gently on the back of your head. "I'm here."

You were holding it before he showed up, really holding it. But the warmth of Beomgyu's body against yours is enough for you to break. Your shoulders shake as you silently sob onto Beomgyu's, and his hold on you loosens, the previous panic slowing as he pat your back soothingly.

You knew Beomgyu, he's always been hyper aware of feelings, his own and others. This time, he set aside his own to make it easier for you to let out yours—you always notice when he does this.

His breathing is unstable against your hair, still attempting to catch it. "Why are you here? Don't you have work?" your words come out as a muffle, especially with the way your head is buried against his hoodie.

"You called, idiot."

"I called to ask if you could get milk on your way." You were in the mood for hot chocolate, your comfort drink, but to your absolute dismay, there was no milk. And you strongly preferred your hot chocolate with milk.

Beomgyu only hums in acknowledgement as if to say, yes, you're correct. You did only ask him to get milk.

Your emotions are one of a rollercoaster, once again sobbing like a child, before you pull your head away slowly, sniffling as you look up at him, your hands still wrapped around his waist. "You called in sick?"

His silence makes you feel uneasy, he could just say yes. Or no. Your brows raise. "Did you just ...run out?" you yell, almost pulling away from him completely, but he has senses for things like this —quickly pulling your head into his chest again. You groan.

"Now's not the time to lecture me." he mumbles into your hair.

After a little thinking, you decide to not fight him, giving in to his embrace. You could talk to him about his rash decision skills later, now, you want to be a little more selfish.

You're not sure where it went wrong with Mingi, and you don't really want to think about it. Your lips tremble against the soft fabric, more tears spilling down your cheeks, snot running.

"Can I blow my nose?" you ask. Beomgyu's a tinge hesitant before he just sighs. "Be gross all you want."

It felt like eternity standing there, in front of your door, Beomgyu's hand wrapped around you, and yours around his. He doesn't ask questions, he only stays silent unless you said something first. Usually saying incoherent things about Mingi, how you thought it'd end well, how he was everything to you, your moon, the sun that shone brightly. All through the occasional hiccups and sniffles of your crying session.

"I swear, Mingi—"

Suddenly Beomgyu exhales, his hands falling from your back to pull your head away from his chest. You guess it isn't a pretty look, with your bloodshot eyes, and gross snot messy on your face. But he doesn't hesitate to rub a thumb over your cheek.

"You know he doesn't deserve a minute of your time, Y/N. He doesn't deserve you. Like at all."

You furrow your brows. You don't believe a word. "You've barely met him, how would you know that I don't deserve him? And he realized that, which is why—"

He cuts your self wallow of deprecation off with a violent shake of his head. "Stupid. I've met you. I know you. That's enough information for me to make judgement."

"That's..." tears well up in your waterline again before you bury your head in his hoodie again, "That's so cheesy Beomgyu. Thank you."

You can feel his smile, somehow, it's like you're both connected by a string. "I'm serious, you're the best person I know. Flaws? Everyone has them, you do too, but you're ...still somehow the best person I know. If Mingi can't see that— if, impossibly, no one else can see that, then they don't deserve you. You know that?"

You nod meekly, soaking up his words. Millions of things could be said in response, something that could tell him how much highly you think of him too, but the dry of your throat prevents you from so.

"Tell me a joke." you say instead.

He ponders a bit before landing on one. "Can I be the parenthesis to your colon?"

You look up at him, silent, before you weakly hit his chest, laughing. When Mingi asked you to be his girlfriend, he said those exact words, and you had came home, raving all about it to Beomgyu, even though deep down, you found it a little ...too cheesy for your taste.

Beomgyu held the same opinion, except he was vocal about it. Making fun of the line for an entire weeks worth.

"Too soon."

He scratches the back of his head, a sorry smile on his face, "Yeah?"

You don't know if this breakup would be worse than the one you had with Yeonjun—only time could tell. All you knew was that no matter what it'd feel like—hell, like you were walking on pins and needles, like drowning in hot soup; Beomgyu would be by your side. That alone is enough, something that reminded you that this feeling would go away eventually.

ending a/n: you're done!! this might have to be considered the longest proclaimed drabble ever lol (2.6k words this is not a drabble) but anyways, like always, thoughts are appreciated.

[chinomiko]

hi! i know it must be kinga boring for you recive questions about castiel bc ppl are obsessed ober him for years but like the other person who asked you a few days ago, i follow you (and ply mcl) for like 10 years and ever since day one my fav boy has been tiel. till this day at the age of 22 he's my favorite and my comfort boy so i joke that he's not a fictional character anymore for me and that i know him personally at this point lol

with that being said, i bet you can imagine that over the years i've been elaborating his personality beyond what the game gives us but he's your boy, you created him therefore you know him and your word is canon, so i'd like to ask a few stuff!! nothing too big, dont worry but here we go.

tiel is an amazing songwriter and since he's very emotional not very good at express it (he does it a lot better now that he's an adult 🥹) i bet his lyricism is very deep and poetic so i have this headcanon that he at first wouldn't like taylor swift because obviously lol but then he payed attention to her lyrics and ends up basically being a swiftie since he likes her writing a lot. what you think about that?

and what kind of music crowstorm sings? like there are any bands that you listen and think "hey this would be in a crowstorm album!" (i have a playlist with this name btw lol). im probably wrong on this one but since this is my fav band i like to think that catfish and the bottlemen are the irl crowstorm, musically speaking

and the last one: another thing that gives me so much comfort is the lystiel friendship. not having present parents, being so closed off i know that lysander is such an important presence on tiel's life because he was basically the only close person he had (specially after the debrah fiasco); if lys didnt had taken the farm and went to college and bla bla bla do you think he would still be part of the band with castiel? im not sure if im mixing the canon with a fanfic i read a while ago (lol) but the band was more of a fun thing to lys, right? he liked writing most (i always imagined him getting into a literature degree or something like this). i also like to think that he helps tiel with lyrics at times, even if he's out of the band (in my head the canon is that they are best friends and pretty close till this day, i pretend lys never left our lives just like armin)

anyways sorry for this big ask 😭 i dont even know if you will read it all but if you do, thank you! and dont feel like you have to answer, i know its too much its just that mcl is my hyperfixation till this day like for real, i have a fanfic that i write still and i even plan on making it into a book sometime. except from the main characters (who is my oc) all the characters will be based on the game's ones :)

ilysm take care and stay hydrated!!

Hellow !

Aww thank you so much and for all your love for Castiel ^^

What a long ask, I'll try to answer in order.

Castiel being a swiftie. No sorry, I don't think he would be. If candy likes her, I'm pretty sure he would try to listen. Also he is an open minded person for sure, so I'm sure he would be curious to listen and study what all the hype is about, it could also help as some sort of far away inspiration, but I don't see him being a fan.

What kind of songs Crowstorm sings This is hard to answer because my musical knowledge is pretty limited and I'm sure I would miss on lot of potential groups or singers that would fit well. And it would require too much research time to have a real detailed and clear answer, but I still did check a bit and here is a little list of songs/groups that I think would have a fitting vibe for Crowstorm

City of the dead - Hollywood Undead The worst in me - bad omens Paranoid - I prevail Trauma Just pretend - Bad omens Ice Nine Kills - A grave mistake Catfish and the bottlemen sounds nice but I think its a bit too soft for what I imagine for Crowstorm.

What is his voice like I think something similar to this (not necessarily the song itself, just the voice. )

bonus, I think this song is so so fitting for Castiel's breakup song, I love it. Dial Tone - Catch your breath

Castiel and Lys friendship. It was'nt mentionned much in UL/LL because I didnt wish to bring too much drama by mentioning Lys when he was not there for the players, but of course Lys and Cast always kept in touch. It is very clearly mentionned in Lys' AL that they keep in touch, that Lys helps Castiel write songs and Cast also like to come to his farm to have a break and spend time together. You should play it if you havent, you'll have a good chunk of Cast and Lys friendship :) However yeah I can confirm that Lys would not like to do it serisouly and professionally, but he'll be all the way around to support and help Cast.

[pepsiconcoction]

hi hi, i enjoy reading your content so much that I wanted to make a request! A Lee Know Fluff inspired by this song “Take A Chance With Me” by NIKI. It can literally be a drabble, one shot, series or whatever pleases you! thanks again <3

hi i'm so sorry i disappeared for like, so long? idk honestly, so i have no idea when you posted this, or if you even still want it lol. i finally have some free time AND i'm feeling creative again so that's fun! anyways hope you like this, i did it in like an hour and a half and its barely proofread, i hope u love it tho <3

Take A Chance With Me - Lee Know x Reader

pairing: Lee Know x gn!Reader

tags: non-idol AU, fluff, tiny amount of angst if you squint?, lee know is a goofy guy i guess

wc: 891

Being in love with Minho was hard. Unfortunately, it was a hardship you had been dealing with for a while now. He was everything to you, your best friend, your soulmate even, although he would always say that soulmates don’t actually call each other that.

The moment you finally realised you were in love with Lee Minho, the two of you were nursing hangovers, a bowl of sundaeguk steaming your face. You had both finally graduated from University, the same place you had met almost 4 years ago. He had finally introduced himself to you after sitting next to you every Tuesday at 9am, after the professor had introduced the fact that group work was required for a project. You hadn’t even heard him speak up until that point, you were kinda beginning to think that was a figment of your imagination until he spoke. 

A year later he told you that he decided to sit next to you because you were the first person who seemed ‘normal’ when he first entered and looked around the room. This confession, of course, had the two of you in fits of giggles at how neither of you turned out to be normal. You had realised you both shared a passion for dance despite your degree studying computer science and had even attended each other's dance showcases and competitions, watching him dance was like nothing else. The way he moved with such practiced precision was so captivating, that it was almost impossible to ever look away.

Beyond that, he was the kindest person you knew. He cared in ways that you had never expected of him. When your boyfriend cheated on you in the summer between years 2 and 3, he showed up to your apartment with kind words and snacks, and he did your dishes for you and even ironed your shirt for work the next day so that you could cry.

Back to the sundaeguk. It was still steaming.

The glint in his eye as he threw his head back giggling at some stupid joke you made you realise. It made you realise a lot of things actually. 

“What happens now?” you ask.

“I don’t know about you but I’m gonna eat this,” he says pointing at his bowl with the chopsticks in his hand.

“No, I mean, now that we’ve graduated.”

He stops mid sausage-to-mouth and blinks at you. 

“We get… jobs, I guess.” The sausage reaches his mouth. You laugh. You let the moment pass.

A month later you’re at a party, he asked you to be his plus one to the after-party of one of his dance shows and you’re talking to one of the other members of the choreography team. She tells you how Minho talks about you and has such admiration for you. When Minho waves at you from across the room, she asks you how you’re not dating. You manage to ramble off something about just being close friends but even you don’t fully believe it. You don’t want this night to end the way it always did. He walks you home, you hold his arm, you let go, and you both say good night. 

You watch him from across the room, the room blaring with music, the sound of voices almost competing. He’s beautiful, you know that, everyone who has ever met him knows that. He’s talking to a friend, one you vaguely recognise, and you feel a pang in your chest, a feeling of impending doom. There’s a fear in your heart that something will take him from you, a job, a person, you don’t know, but you need him to stay with you. You need him.

You finish the drink in your hand and put the empty glass back on the table. You excuse yourself from the group and walk over to him. He notices you and his smile grows wide. 

“Hey! I was just talking about you.” He’s grinning as he says it.

“Only good things I hope.” You raise your eyebrows.

“Of course.”

“Can I talk to you for a second?” you turn a little more serious for a moment. He excuses himself from his friend and the two of you walk outside into the quiet of the night, the cool summer air refreshing.

“Are you okay?” he asks, a hint of concern showing in his eyes.

“Yeah, I was just thinking about things.” you sigh.

“Oh, that’s never good.” 

“I was thinking about you, dumbass.” You roll your eyes.

“Okay, now I’m interested,” he smirks.

You pause as you look at him. You spare a moment thinking of what to say, and how he’ll react, will he accept or reject you? You don’t know. The only thing you do know is Lee Minho, you know him as if you are him, as if you’re connected somehow. You feel like this is already written for you.

“I love you,” you say. He blinks.

“I love you too.”

“No, like, I love you Minho. More than just besties.”

“But if we date, who will be my bestie?” Of course, he jokes. Of course, you laugh.

“You’d have to find a new one.” You giggle.

“Well, looks like I’ll have to get started then.” He leans into you. “I wasn’t kidding,” he says in a softer, quieter voice. “I do love you.”

Being in love with Minho was suddenly so easy, but it always was.

taglist: @lethallyprotected @lieslab @jeyelleohe @lilykatelyn-blog @mimiibear @jisungfanpage47 send me an ask if you want to be added!!

[sid-the-sandwich]

'Obey Me!' character hobby mechanic

This is my second time writing this because I lost the first draft even though I saved multiple times.

Anyways, this is (Maybe) part 2 of stealing features from other games and incorporating it into the mechanics of 'Obey Me!' While writing the shops for each character, my mind wandered and I had a thought, what if there were hobbies like in 'Blush Blush'. Leveling up these hobbies would give rewards such as intimacy multiplier, icons, bonuses, and cards.

I'm a yapper, so this is going to be long. Not proof-read

--------------

firstly, i'll talk about the hobbies mechanics and what it would do:

There should be 4 types of hobbies:

Common- hobbies that almost every character has.

Uncommon- Hobbies that 5 or more characters have

Rare- Hobbies that 2, 3 or 4 characters have

Character specific- A hobby distinct to each character

the rewards for these would be:

Common/Uncommon- Grimm, AP

Rare- Grimm, AP, DP, DV, Character lines

Character specific- Grimm, AP, DP, DV, Character lines, Card pieces

NOTE: all four will add an intimacy multiplier that will apply to only characters who have that hobby

the rewards for the level max for these would be:

Common/Uncommon- an icon of Sheep MC doing the hobby

Rare- icon, Memory card of the characters with that hobby

Character specific- Icon, UR card of that character

The Hobbies:

Common:

Reading

Running

Bowling

Music

Watching TV

Board games

Uncommon:

Art

Cooking

Swimming

Sports

Dancing

Nature

Sleeping

Animal lover

Card games

Rare:

Horse riding

Gaming

Modelling

Partying

Piano

Calligraphy

Knitting

Marine Biology

Demonus tasting

Shopping

Working out

Technology

Character Specific:

Cursed Record collector

Gambling

Cosplay

Cat Enthusiast

Self-care

Competitive Eating

Stargazing

Chess

Tea tasting

Baking

Writing

Magic tricks

Trap making

Sewing

Journalism

There are a lot of hobbies listed above, however considering how long the game is running, and the amount of characters, a wide variety of hobbies make sense.

----------------

Now onto the characters:

Lucifer:

Common:

Bowling

Music

Board Games

Uncommon:

Cooking

Reading

Card games

Rare:

Demonus Tasting:

"I'd love to share a glass with you. Meet me in my study in 20 minutes" "Careful, i wouldn't want to drink too much, who knows what I might do"

Horse Riding:

"Hold on tight to my waist, I'll keep you safe" "Let's take a trip together, far from my brothers"

Piano:

"There's a piano in the music room, you're the only one i trust to use it" "Lets play a duet, naturally I'll take the lead"

Character Specific:

Cursed Record Collector:

"Come to my room, i want to show you a new record I acquired" "I used to have more records but Mammon is holding some hostage for money"

UR Card: Lucifer looking at a record player with Sheep MC on top of the record spinning.

Mammon:

Common:

Running

Watching TV

Music

Uncommon:

Card Games

Sports

Dancing

Rare:

Partying:

"YOOO! THE GREAT Mammon wants to hang out with you! lets go paint the town" "WHA! I CANT HEAR YA OVER THE MUSIC FROM YESTERDAY"

Modelling:

"You can look but ya cant touch... well, i g-guess i wouldnt complain if ya did" "Did ya see the new edition of Devucci? Top cover baby"

Shopping:

"Hey my favourite human, my first, my number one... ya really wanna pay for me today, don't ya?" "YES! I just stole Goldie back from Lucifer! let's go before he finds us!"

Character Specific:

Gambling

"Hey MC... whats your favourite number? thats gonna be my lucky number today" "MC you have to come to the casino with me! you're my good luck charm"

UR Card: Mammon holding Sheep MC running out the Casino

Leviathan:

Common:

Art

Watching TV

Music

Uncommon:

Card Games

Sleeping

Swimming

Rare:

Gaming:

"Luke befriended me in Mononoke Land... who knew he was so good" "Can you come to my room later? i brought a new game"

Marine Biology:

"Henry 2.0 is my friend... sometimes i think i should get him some siblings" "Once Belphie drifted out to sea... we didn't see him for a week"

Knitting:

"Wanna make a Ruri-chan doll with me? It's n-not like i wanna hang out with you or anything" "I'm just a Yucky otaku who likes knitting"

Character Specific:

Cosplay

"H-Henry? y-your dressed as Henry? E-eh d-dont taunt me like that" "Can you be the Azuki-tan to my Ruri-chan? BEST FRIENDS FOREVER!!!"

UR Card: A picture of Levi in a Ruri-chan costume and Sheep MC dressed as Azuki-tan

Satan:

Common:

Art

Board games

Bowling

Uncommon:

Reading

Pottery

Animal Lover

Rare:

Calligraphy:

"Don't talk, im concentrating... okay, now continue." "I wrote your name on your book for you... i know you'll enjoy it"

Piano:

"whats your favourite song? ill play it for you" "My heart is fluttering... your notes are really doing something to me"

Knitting:

"I learnt how to knit from Raphael... he's a good teacher... maybe i can teach you some tricks" "Want to knit some scarfs for each other?"

Character Specific:

Cat Enthusiasm:

"MEOW" "Sorry about that- i accidentally cursed myself again"

UR Card: Satan and Sheep MC with a cat filter

Asmodeous:

Common:

Running

Art

Music

Uncommon:

Nature

Pottery

Dancing

Rare:

Partying:

"hi <3 lets go out tonight!" "I can dance all night long! join me?"

Modelling:

"Why does Mammon have to be attractive? he's an idiot" "I'm ready for my close-up <3"

Shopping:

"You should wear an outfit i choose for you" "Lets go to the new lovers' Cafe, my treat"

Character Specific:

Self-care:

"Hehe! i have the cutest face-mask for us to try" "You have soft hands, lets join them..."

UR Card:

Beelzebub:

Common:

Running

Watching TV

Bowling

Uncommon:

Nature

Sports

Cooking

Rare:

Working Out:

"Lets play Fangol together... you remember the rules, right?" "Here... hold the stick like this... good, thats good."

Horse Riding:

"We could both ride on one horse... I'll hold you tight, I promise." "I'm not letting you ride a horse until you wear a helmet"

Gaming:

"You, me, Levi and Belphie should all play a game together sometime; its more fun with more people" "Lets play an easy game this time..."

Character Specific:

Competitive Eating:

"Woah! There's a human world sport that involves eating?" "MC, lets eat a whole pile of hot dogs together! I'll let you have the first bite"

UR Card: Beel eating from a plateful of hotdogs and Sheep MC cheering him on

Belphegor:

Common:

Board Games

Watching TV

Music

Uncommon:

Reading

Sleeping

Animal Lover

Rare:

Gaming:

"The last time i played with Simeon, i slept through 'DevilKart' and still won when i woke up" "Sleep is like life's pause button"

Knitting:

"I only started knitting because i wanted a new blanket, but its actually fun" "I can knitt in my sleep y'know... maybe i can trap you in one of my knitted blankets... heh."

Piano:

"Can you play me a lullaby?" "You really have a lot of time- huh?"

Character Specific:

Stargazing:

"You remember THOSE stars? Those are the one's Beel and I gave you" "I wonder if you think about me when you look at the stars... just like how i think of you"

UR Card: Belphie stargazing with Sheep MC on his chest looking up at the stars

Diavolo:

Common:

Running

Art

Music

Uncommon:

Pottery

Nature

Animal lover

Rare:

Horse riding:

"Lucifer, Mephistopheles, and I like to take leisurely strolls on the Horse ranches... those two are like best friends" "I wonder if Barbatos will allow me to take the day off to entertain you with a ride on my horse?"

Piano:

"Lets have a contest! Who can play better?" "I'll play a tune for you at the next Devildom festival... as our guest of honour"

Demonus tasting:

"Lucifer says the funniest things when he's drunk" "'I love you, now clean your room' such fun! Do i sound like Lucifer?"

Character Specific:

Chess:

"I've never been beat before... you really want to play against me" "If you win, I'll be your 'pawn' for the night"

UR Card: Diavolo playing Chess against Sheep MC

Barbatos:

Common:

Art

Board Games

Music

Uncommon:

Reading

Pottery

Animal Lover

Rare:

Caligraphy:

"The Young Master is lazy when it comes to learning calligraphy" "Its refreshing to see someone so young taking an interest in calligraphy"

Knitting:

"Knitting was something i didn't pick up for thousands of years, who knew it was so... amusing." "I created a quilt, a patchwork of human history as a side project"

Marine Biology:

"It's only logical to learn about the human world sea-life," "In another timeline, we are all fish."

Character Specific:

Tea Enthusiast

"It's piping hot... be careful." "Does it taste familiar? it contains ingredients from your home country"

UR Card: Barbatos and Sheep MC having a tea party

Luke:

Common:

Bowling

Watching TV

Board games

Uncommon:

Swimming

Nature

Animal Lover

Rare:

Marine Biology:

"I LOVE ALL THE CUTE FISHIES" "Barbatos likes teaching me about fish when we cook together"

Knitting:

"Simeon made me a sweater! its so cute! i wear it when i go to the human world!" "MC, can you help me start the row for my knitting?"

Gaming:

"I just sent Levi a friend request on Mononoke Land! he accepted immediately" "Simeon said I'm no longer allowed any more time on my DDD today!"

Character Specific:

Baking:

"Someone get Solomon out the kitchen. PLEASE!" "Can you reach the mixer for me? Simeon put it on the top shelf to hide it from Solomon."

UR Card: Luke and Sheep MC with chef hats and aprons mixing a batch of dough.

Simeon:

Common:

Bowling

Board games

Art

Uncommon:

Pottery

Nature

Reading

Rare:

Working out:

"Being an angel means i have to be in top shape!" "Lets do some exercises together... i'll help you do some stretches."

Modelling:

"A company called 'Majolish' asked me to be their model." "Mammon and Asmodeous gave me tips on how to pose; i could show you later if you want."

Knitting:

"I made Luke a little sweater... Raphael helped me with the design" "Solomon took a picture of me knitting... I'm hunched over."

Character Specific:

Writing:

"Leviathan keeps begging me for a new TSL novel... he really is an avid fan, huh?" "Luke said i should use a computer... i kept pressing the wrong keys..."

UR Card: Simeon typing on a computer, squinting with glasses with a Sheep MC (Also with glasses) doing the same on his shoulder

Solomon:

Common:

Art

Board games

Music

Uncommon:

Card Games

Animal lover

Sleeping

Rare:

Calligraphy:

"This is how we used to write in 'ye olden days'" "Hmm... who else can i taunt with my writing?"

Piano:

"Let me dream a little dream of you ♩" "I wonder what the others would say if i played your faverouite song?"

Marine Biology:

"I still cant believe I'm exiled from the sea" "do you think if i put Leviathan and Barbatos in a tank, they'd fight?"

Character Specific:

Magic Tricks:

"Get ready for the elusive Solomon-dini" "And for this trick, I will take your heart."

UR Card: Solomon in a magician hat with a magician wand, he points the wand at Sheep MC

Thirteen:

Common:

Art

Running

Music

Uncommon:

Sports

Nature

Swimming

Rare:

Modelling:

"I only model so that Solomon has to see my face everywhere!" "Do you... want to do a photoshoot with me?"

Partying:

"Yoooo! Lets go party, i'll sneak you outta RAD" "Lets set fireworks! hahaha!"

Demonus Tasting:

"When i first came to the Devildom, i didnt understand Demonus, now i totally get it!" "I wonder how a drunk Barbatos acts like..."

Character Specific:

Trap Making:

"If you ever need help, just text me... I'll send one of my traps over" "This is 'Spider-squid v4', i made it for you..."

UR Card: Thirteen shooting a net-trap from her contraption with Sheep MC ontop of the trap

Raphael:

Common:

Art

Board games

Music

Uncommon:

Pottery

Animal lover

Sleeping

Rare:

Calligraphy:

"You want to see my writing, why?" "I could write you a poem, I guess..."

Piano:

"I remember playing this tune in the Celestial Realm" "Could you do me a favour? Could you gather Lucifer and his brothers... i wanted to play a song for them"

Knitting:

"I made you a sweater... i heard this design was 'hip' with the humans" "Knitting is easy and repetitive, its addictive that way"

Character Specific:

Sewing:

"I remember sewing the brother's clothes in the Celestial Realm" "You know some new sowing techniques? You humans are incredible"

UR Card: Raphael sowing some clothes with Sheep MC's help

Mephistopheles:

Common:

Art

Board games

Running

Uncommon:

Sports

Pottery

Nature

Rare:

Calligraphy:

"Calligraphy is a forgotten art" "I wish to write your name in as many fonts as i can"

Piano:

"I can play a multitude of human songs I heard from the past" "Lord Diavolo once told me a story of a young boy, but he expressed it through the medium of piano... that was a long hour."

Horse Riding:

"Lord Diavolo takes Lucifer and I to ride horses sometimes, its always so... awkward" "I like racing horses, I've known how to ride horses since i was a mere boy"

Character Specific:

Journalism

"i think you should be on the front page of the school newspaper" "You enjoy spending time with me?"

UR Card: Mephisto and Sheep MC with magnifying glasses

[shaylixie]

The Great Gatsby

Word Count: 2922

Genre: Fluff

Pairing: Bang Chan x gn!reader

Requested: No.

Summary: Chan throws a party a while after not seeing you.

Warnings / Contains: Alcohol consumption; language; dialogue heavy; lots of characters.

A/N: Omg, where do I start? Hi! I'm back and seemingly writing again, lol. Anyway. This is my first fic for Stray Kids. I wrote it just for fun...I wasn't really sure where I was going with it & I just ended up with this. So. Bon appétit. Not sure if you can tell, but I'm a multistan.🤣 Primarily a Stay. I wanted to write something fun and wholesome and fluffy. This is the start of something wonderful! I'm thinking of making this into a loose sort of series? Hm, we'll see. Let me know if you want a part 2, and I'll think about it! Thank you for reading, and enjoy! 💕 Feedback welcome.🤍

You knock on the door of Chan's place, loud enough that it's heard over the blaring music. It opens, and you're faced with an excited expression.

"Y/n! You made it!"

"Hey, Sungie!" you greet Jisung, followed by a warm hug. "I had to see my favourite guy."

"Me or Chan?" he asks with smirk.

Sigh. Okay. So here's the thing.

You and Chan have been friends for...well, enough time. But a small part of you wishes you were more. Okay, fine. A big part of you. See, you caught feelings. But this is your friend you're talking about...you can't ruin your friendship after so many years. Even if you did want to risk it everytime you were with him.

You rolled your eyes, anticipating the familiar endless teasing.

Everyone knew, it seemed. But if Chan was part of "everyone", you didn't know. He certainly didn't act like it.

You walked in and began greeting the rest of your friends. The usual ones were there - that is, the members of Stray Kids, along with a few personal mutual friends - and also a handful of people you didn't know. Other idols, including but not limited to those of JYPE, and friends of friends. It wasn't packed to the brim but it wasn't a small gathering either. A decent enough crowd for it to be considered a party, and for the house to be full.

Of course, knowing the Kids for as long as you did, you knew most of the idols here so you weren't as intimidated as you thought you'd be. Sure, you still got starstruck from time to time. But you were familiar with the JYP family; had befriended them even. You suppose that's the perks of being such a close friend of the Kids. So much so that you're playfully referred to as the 9th member...except you can't sing or dance. Or rap. Or do pretty much any of the extraordinary things they do on a daily. But you still somehow platonically seduced all of them. How? You didn't know, but you didn't care either. This was your family.

After hugging all your friends who you could find at arm's length, you started settling down and adjusting to the atmosphere. Minho handed you a cup and just winked when you asked what was in it. Oh, you were in for it tonight!

"Y/n!!"

You whipped your head around at the familiar voice. There was Chan, bounding towards you with his own cup and his loose fitted tank top. He placed the cup down and lifted you up, spinning you around and sloshing half of your own drink onto the floor.

"Oops! I'll clean that up later," he laughed.

"Channie! I've missed you. How have you been?"

"Great! Except I've really missed you too."

"I know, I'm sorry. Studying has been crazy. I'm here now, though! Catch me up, guys," you say turning to the others.

He threw his arm around you as you drained your cup and then flopped onto the couch, with half of the Kids surrounding you - specifically Minho, Han, Felix and Hyunjin - and also Ryujin, Yeji and Chaeryeong.

You all started talking non-stop about anything and everything, laughing at the most stupidest things. You know, standard feature.

"Oh my gosh, Somi!!!" you suddenly burst out excitedly, leaping off the couch.

You half-skipped-half-ran to your best friend as you giggled together and embraced, jumping up and down.

"Didn't you guys hang out last week?" Hyunjin asked with a weird look on his face, hiding his amusement.

"Yeah but this is my best friend in the whole woooorld!" Somi said as she rocked you side to side, still in an embrace.

"Also how would you know, Jinnie? Do you stalk us?" you asked.

"Ooooooh, he probably stalks all of us," Chaeryeong teased.

"Eww," Hyunjin said with his classic disgusted face. "I saw it on your story, Y/n. Yours is the only one I check all the time...since we're best friends and all you know. Or maybe not..." he ends dramatically.

"Oh shit," says Han.

You roll your eyes, laughing at the constant competition between Hyunjin and Somi.

"You're my guy best friend, Jinnie. Somi is my girl. You know this."

"Yeah, I'm her girl," Somi teases, wiggling her eyebrows. She makes playful kissy faces at your cheek and you turn around last minute, making her kiss you on the lips. Everyone bursts out laughing, and somewhere in the room you hear a cat whistle. It makes you and Somi double over laughing, not fazed at all by your friendly flirty dynamic.

Chan stands up again and pulls both you and Somi into a hug.

"I gotta go say hi to a few more people, I'll be right back," he says looking at you.

"Wait!" Felix shouts. He runs to pull you, Chan and Somi into his arms. "Group hug!"

You pull him into your arms at the sight of his happy face and everyone leaps up from their respective places on the floor and the couch until your face is buried in Chan's chest and you can't breathe, let alone lift your head up. All you hear is cheers going up as people start to randomly join, and you giggle wondering how drunk everyone is. When the hug eventually ends, everyone's moods lifted even higher than before, you and Somi part as the rest do the same, all going to mingle.

"So...I saw how he had his arm around you," Somi says, bumping your shoulder.

"Ugh, it doesn't mean anything...but I loved it so much, Som! Like...I just wanna stay like that. I'm lovesick. I need another drink if I'm gonna get through this night."

"Already on it," she laughs, pouring you a drink. "But we gotta take a shot first!"

As she pours the shot, Sana and Dahyun come over with Jackson Wang from China (as you lovingly call him) and more hugs ensue.

"Shots? Count us in!" says Jackson.

You all take a shot together...and then another one. Hey, you may not party much (like, at all), but when you do...you DO.

Next you know, Sana is grabbing your hand and Dahyun is leading you outside onto the makeshift dance floor (the lawn). Everyone is vibing and jumping up and down and busting out their best (and worst) moves all over the yard and you can't help but join in on the fun. You dance (is that what you call it?) with your friends surrounding you, all letting loose and having a fun time, their idol masks surrendered. You can't remember the last time you had this much fun. At some point, Changbin and Chan join in, and Changbin grabs your hand and dips you, making you squeal. You hold him tightly around his neck and drop a hand to his bicep, squeezing there.

"I've been working out!" he shouts over the music with a huge grin. He knows how much you love feeling his muscles up, and he loves how much you do. It's become something of an inside joke between you.

"I can tell! They're even bigger than last time!"

"You're drooling, Y/n!" shouts Chan. "What about me?"

Changbin lifts you up again and you bound up to Chan, squeezing his bicep too. You make a show of thinking hard.

"It needs more work!" you say, stifling a laugh.

Chan pouts, making you fail at holding your laugh back. He laughs too then, grabbing your hand. You relish at the feeling of his hand in yours, and next thing you know, you're running behind Chan, following him inside the house and up the stairs. He stops outside one of the closed bedrooms, the both of you breathing hard.

"I really did miss you," he says softly, but loud enough for you to hear over the music and laughter. He pulls you into a tight hug then, and you blink out of shock.

"Are you drunk?" you giggle.

"A little. But I missed you when I was sober. And I'll miss you when I'm wasted. And hungover too. And then sober again."

You laugh and boop his nose. "I missed you too, Channie." You dip your head to hide your face before saying the next part. "More than you'll ever know..."

"Yeah?" He looks at you like he genuinely wants to know.

"Yeah...yeah, of course."

The two of you are silent for a bit after that, just staring at each other. It's a comfortable silence. The type you always have with him.

He clears his throat. "I, uhm. I...how drunk are you?"

"Surprisingly not drunk at all," you say honestly. "Tipsy...but I'm fine. You?"

"Not drunk enough," he laughs. "I'm still okay."

"Good."

"I'm asking because...well...I wanted to tell you something."

"Good or bad?" you ask nervously.

He laughs just as nervously, rubbing the back of his head. "It depends..."

"Yeah?"

"I uhm..." he trails off, stepping closer to you.

Your heart is beating so far out your chest, you think he can see it.

"I don't know how to say it. But I-...we're friends, right? Good friends?"

You're about to answer when suddenly-

"CHAN HYUNG!"

You're interrupted by Minho's yelling, and you make a mental note to kick him in the shin later. Chan drops his head in exasperation, then laughs.

"Give me a second," he says apologetically.

"YEAH?!" he shouts back, halfway down the stairs.

"WE GOT THE BEER PONG ALL SET UP. YOU COMING?"

"YEAH, I'LL BE DOWN IN A SEC!"

He runs back up to you then, about to say something, but seemingly changing his mind.

"Minho set up the beer pong. It's your favourite game..." he winks at you. "Be on my team?"

You shove down the anxiety of the previous moment and agree, hoping the beer will help. You hate beer, but it is your favourite game after all. Chan takes your hand again, and you go over to the living room where the beer pong is set up.

"So, who are Chan and I winning against?" you ask to the room around you, feeling much more confident because of the alcohol. Oh - confident about talking to an entire room of people - not about winning. You're always confident about that.

Seungmin walks up with Chaeyoung from Twice.

"You sure you can beat us?" he quips.

"Yeah, sorry Y/n, but I'm pretty good at beer pong," Chaeyoung says.

"Oh, don't worry. You haven't met my Y/n here," Chan says.

Your heart skips 3 beats at that - "my Y/n" - and you have to ignore the urge to check your pulse to see if you're dead.

"Let's go, Old Man! Try to keep up," teases Seungmin.

Chan rolls his eyes at the familiar nickname.

The game starts, and everyone who isn't passed out or dancing gathers round. Minnie and Chaeyoung go first, and Chae gets it in first try. The crowd goes wild. You chug down the drink as Chan goes next...and misses. Seungmin laughs and says something about "losing with the old man." It's your turn now, and lo and behold, you get it in.

"Not bad...not bad..." Chae says, and downs the drink.

Seungmin goes next and misses, which causes Chan to start teasing him back. "What's all that about an old man, huh??"

"Girl power! Yes, Queens! Slay!" shouts a drunk Yuna, and everyone laughs.

The game continues with various hits and misses, and the 4 of you progressively get drunker off the beer. Finally, it's down to the last cup on both sides. After what seems like an eternity of back and forth throwing, you land the ball in the cup. Stunned, no one reacts at first. Then the whole room erupts and everyone starts surrounding you and Chan and you think you hear Seungmin scream "FUCK!" but you're not sure because Chan has picked you up and he's spinning you around and shouting "That's my girl!" and everyone is too drunk and excited to question it and the euphoria spreads through the room. Ah, yes, you think. Beer pong is your favourite game.

-

Seated around the bonfire, spread out equally on blankets on the floor and chairs, are all of your favourite people. Well, some are missing because they went home and others are passed out in Chan's guest room and on his couches and maybe one or two on the floor. But most of your favourite people surround you right now, and a peaceful atmosphere decends over the night. Softer music is now playing as everyone sings along, swaying and sitting half on top of each other. You walk out of the house filled with people spread around drinking water and eating bread and ice cream, trying to sober up before they go home. Chan is still beside you, and he walks up to the only remaining empty seat, vacated by Jackson whose Uber just arrived. He sits down before realising you have no place to sit, and then stands up just as fast, offering you his seat.

"Just let her sit on your lap," says Somi, drunk and drowsy, half lying on Yeji on the floor.

A chorus of "oooohs" go up, and Chan's ears go red.

"Everyone is sitting on everyone anyway," Jeongin points out.

"I mean, if you're comfortable..." Chan says softly only to you before sitting down and holding your waist lightly.

You drop gently into his lap and he pulls you against him, wrapping his strong arms around you. You hold his arms back, and cuddle into his warmth. It's a warm night with a cool breeze, but you savour his body heat anyways. You shiver, and not from the breeze. You feel him hold you even tighter after that, and you're glad he can't see your blushing face. Hyunjin winks at you, and Felix smiles at you knowingly from between Jinnie's legs. Your blush deepens. You soon get caught up in the conversation, laughing and throwing comments in here and there. The topic changes and you take to just listening. But you're interrupted by a soft voice in your ear.

"I'm really glad you came," Chan says softly.

"I'm glad too. I loved- I mean, it was nice seeing you."

Chan chuckles, not oblivious to your change of words.

"I loved seeing you too."

You dip your head in embarrassment.

"I mean it. It would have sucked if you weren't here," he continues.

"Sucked? Hey, you still would have had a good time with everyone else..." you point out.

"Yeah, yeah you're right. But it wouldn't be the same without you, you know? It wouldn't have been as good. I'm just really glad you came."

"Why wouldn't I?" you ask. "It's your party, after all."

You don't know if it's because you're still both a little drunk or because of the soft, romantic atmosphere or the intimacy of everyone around you, but he admits, "Yeah, that I threw for you."

You scrunch your eyebrows up in confusion. "For me?"

"Yeah. I wanted an excuse for you to come...it ended up becoming bigger than I planned though. Much bigger," he laughs shyly.

You laugh at that then, and then start laughing harder, earning you a few looks. Pleased ones, at that.

"What?" he asks, slightly embarrassed.

"No...nothing. You just...you sound like Gatsby."

He laughs then too, his body shaking against yours.

"Nerd."

"Shut up!" You swat him playfully. "Everyone knows Gatsby." A pause. "I had fun tonight, Channie. A lot of fun."

He grins, his eyes squinting at the action and his cheeks dimpling. "I love it when you call me that."

"Channie..." you tease.

He tickles you then, and you squirm in protest.

Once you quieten down, he asks for the second time that night, "How drunk are you?"

"Uhm, not that drunk. I can Uber back safely."

"Oh," he says. Is that disappointment you hear?

"Why?" you ask.

"Oh uhm, I was just asking. I wanted to know if you'd feel better staying over. You can have my room - I can sleep on the couch. If it's not already taken..." he laughs. "I mean, the guys are staying over. I thought we could nurse our hangovers together, you know? Besides, it's too late for you to go back alone. I don't feel right about it."

You smile, hoping for this outcome.

"I'll stay. But on one condition..."

"Mhm?"

"You have to sleep in your room. I don't feel right kicking you out. Besides, I'm on your lap right now anyway. What difference does sharing a bed make? Lord knows I've fallen asleep on you so many times before..." You giggle together at the various memories.

You can hear the smile in Chan's voice as he says, "Deal."

You snuggle into him further, your head in the crook of his neck and his scent all around you, and you know it's not possible, but he pulls you even closer. He joins in on the singing around the bonfire as the song changes, and you smile at his lovely voice. Looking around you, you can't help but feel your heart swell to three times its size. Here are most of your favourite people, your deepest loved ones, sitting in the same place with smiles on their faces and love all around. You wish you could capture this feeling forever and get drunk on it every night. But you can't, so you settle for relishing in it deeply right now. You're grateful and loved and everything is perfect, and you wouldn't ask for more.

[artist-issues]

I know you have kind of commented on this topic in one of your posts, but what do you think of the fact that Tolkien hated Disney and thought of Walt as a "con-artist" (if I remember correctly) because of how much would be changed? Even though I very much love Disney movies, considering how Tolkien studied mythology, folklore and history from other cultures in-depth, particularly those of European background, I do understand why he was not fond Walt's work at all if we view it from his perspective. Other people seem to share a similar sentiment. I ask you because you often analyze Disney movies and their themes quite in-depth. This whole thing is interesting.

Well, I'll preface by saying I'm not much of a Tolkien apologist. I don't connect with him or his mentality as well as I might flatter myself by saying I do C.S. Lewis' mentality. C. S. Lewis had this beautiful way of blending genuine good-faith enjoyment of something and careful, intentional critical thinking. He could be a reasonable analyzer of media, and a childlike consumer of media, at the same time. Don't know if I've mastered that myself, or if I ever will, but I really admire it.

Which is besides the point, sorry! 😂

But Tolkien was different. First off, Tolkien said some things about interpreting the meaning of his own stories that I don't agree with. He keeps insisting he wasn't trying to "say" anything with Lord of the Rings, or infuse it with any particular "meaning." Truth of the matter is, though, that is not true of any good storyteller. What they believe about the world bleeds into what they create, if they're creating genuinely. So Lord of the Rings is about how small decisions matter, doing what you can with what you're given instead of trying to control everything matters—whether Tolkien likes it or not, whether he was always conscious of it or not, that's what his story says.

He also criticized weird things to criticize about Lewis' works. For someone who was Lewis' friend, I don't know how he could've looked at what Lewis was writing and been surprised, or disgruntled, at the hodgepodge of mythology in works like Narnia. I don't know what made him think a "children's story" would feel like anything other than...made for children.

But anyway. All that to say, I don't always agree with Tolkien, or feel like I understand him. His response to Disney movies is just one of those things I don't get. I can speculate, but I don't know.

Like I said, I think he was so used to thinking of fairy tales and literature in a way that is much...higher, and more layered, than how the everyday layman thought of them, that when a Kansas cartoonist started retelling fairytales without any apparent grasp of that layering, it really rubbed him the wrong way.

I guess it would be like if someone came along twenty years from now, pointed at Disney's The Little Mermaid, and said, "look! A cartoon about fish! I'm going to make an TikTok dance about fish and call it 'The Little Mermaid,' and retell it that way!"

First of all we'd be like "IT'S ABOUT SO MUCH MORE THAN FISH, it's not just an CARTOON, are you BLIND?!" And then secondly we'd probably go, "and what? A TikTok dance?! Are you kidding me? You want to take this beautiful pillar of traditional animation and living color and musical mastery and drag it down to the level of middle school girls flapping their hands around cringily??"

That's probably how Tolkien felt Disney was treating Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Because back then, the medium (TikTok dances, animation) was just associated with sort of lowbrow humor and silliness. Walt was still inventing the whole "animated film to be taken seriously" thing. And back then, Tolkien would've seen the comedy characters of the Dwarfs and their character development as very shallow in comparison to the mythos of Dwarfs in literary and oral-tradition history. He had the most background knowledge. So what he was comparing Walt's movies to was, for him, like comparing grape Gatorade to aged Italian Wine.

As far as Disney being a "con artist..." yeah, I think that's a little bit of a stretch. He was definitely selling something, but if you can look at Walt Disney's life and see dollar bill signs, instead of a guy who genuinely made what he liked because he liked it, you don't know much about Walt Disney. He didn't adapt fairy tales because he thought they could make him money. He adapted fairy tales because he adored them, just like he had a train in his backyard because he adored them. Ask his brother Roy how much Walter "Let's Invent Smell-O-Vision and Drop Flowers on the Audience of Fantasia" Disney was thinking about exploiting the public for financial gain.

Like I said, Tolkien was responding to Walt Disney because he was Tolkien, and it would've been like asking a Bird to relate to a Krill. They were way too different to ever understand each other on the level that either of them preferred being understood at.

[cherubispunk]

UP IN YOUR ARMS (PROLOGUE) -Noir!Joel Miller x AFAB!Reader

summary: the begining of it all tasted like whiskey and ciggeretes. But smelled of the interrogation room.

a note from Lucy: Helllooooo my lovely Joel Miller enthusiasts! i'm here again, and so are you, with yet another joel au series. this time with a historical twist. wiil it be completely historically accurate? probably not? are we here anyway because its joel fucking miller? yes. yes we are. fair warning, some dark contant will be in later chapters, so if that isnt your cup of rosey lea, feel free to scroll away. if it is, then sit back, relax, enjoy a dry martini and some blues or jazz music on vinyl, and lets have a wild time. Also, a huge thank you is due to @ramblers-lets-get-ramblin for convicting me to post this. Love you cherub! xxx

playlist

wc: 912 Warnings: 18+ MDNI! DARK CONTENT! 1940s!au, no outbreak, no use of y/n, age gap (reader is in her early 20's and Joel is in his 40s), allusions to Smut, smoking, use of pet names such as doll, cursing, being arrested, interrogation scene, references to violence, ww2 references, probably an unhealthy relationship between reader and joel, mentions of blood, let me know if ive missed any warning out that should be tagged.

series m.list | m.list

“Okay,” Detective Granger sighs opposite you, “Let’s try this again.”

Your knee bounces rapidly under the chrome metal table. If it weren't screwed to the floor it would surely rattle with your antsy movement. Your eyes fall to your lap, the dress you wore tattered with a mix of blood, dust and the smell of Joel’s aftershave. A smell you wish you had with his physicality.

“Please state your name for the record.” He asks. Again. From the moment they put you in cuffs, shoved you in the back of a cop car, and brought you up to the station, you had not uttered a word. Maybe you were scared, or maybe it was the principle of the fact. But the idea that Joel was a few rooms over – not at arm's length – it made you yearn for his touch. To be under the rough pads of his fingertips once more. Weather it be in a grimy motel room, or even the fucking Canary Club back in the cesspool of Boston. 

But you sighed, knowing you aren't going home anytime soon without giving them something. Joel told you to spin it. Tell them the truth with the twist he promised would work. Leave you unscathed. 

So you tell them your name. And then your occupation once they ask for that too; “Singer.” 

The detective looks at his co-worker, raising his brow. He nods back at him, believing you. If only you could unleash the insults that curl and cinder at the tip of your tongue. 

“Okay,” Granger tips his head to the side in acknowledgement of the fact your answers are the truth. What leverage would you have to lie if the very thing you are about to spill is an ever so slight twisting of the truth?

You watch with unblinking eyes as he places a black and white picture upon the table, between you and his now folded hands, “Care to tell us who this is?” 

It’s Joel. You knew they knew that. They just need to confirm their suspicion for the record. For the jury. The court. Your impending trial. So you take a second to study it, hold back a smile at the very sight of his broad shoulders, his tarnishes, creased dress shirt that clings to him like a second skin you wish to ravish him off. Even in the stale air of an interrogation room, through the captured image of a blurred mugshot, he makes the fire in your loins kickstart. Memories of joyrides, money, sex, motel sheets and speakeasy rendezvous. 

You give them a nod, sitting back in your seat.

“Who is he?”

“It’s Joel Miller. ‘Says it right there.” You tap the mugshot with your index finger to prove a point, kissing your teeth with a smug smile. “Or can you pig’s not read?” Venom spills from your words like maroon wine from a shattered glass. 

Detective Granger bites his tongue, leaning forward over the table, hands grasping the lip of it as he stands up, knuckles bleached white under his own grip. 

“Don’t think I ain’t above sending you to a cell with a shiner to your pretty lil’ nose, Doll.” He glared. It didn't seep any deeper than skin though. Didn’t rattle your bones that way Joel’s voice would when he called you a pretty ditzy thing that one time. If he were here the detective's teeth would be splattered across the tile of the floor for saying that. Daring to call you what he did, turning it into something that made your lip curl in disgust. 

“Oh, I'm sorry, Mr, Detective.” You pouted, tilting your head at him, doe eyed, sarcastic innocence wrapped around your tongue’s words.

His fist descended down upon the table with a slam, making you flinch. Much to your own dismay. “Just answer the damn question!” 

“Was he your boyfriend?” 

“No.”

Joel was no mere boyfriend. 

He was your lover. Your life. Your glue that mended cracks seen by no other. The man that undressed you and wrapped you up in his warmth. His Texan drawl. Unravelled you between your thighs. Made you lust for anything he did. He was air in your lungs, the smell of cedarwood and musk. Metallic blood on your collarbone and gravel under a cars worn in tires. He was the leather of your car seat. The Egyptian cotton of your sheets. 

But this was where the lie began…

“He was my jailor.” 

Detective Granger’s eyes narrowed as he looked down at you, your eyes finding him behind the wisp of your lashes. The glassy shine of a tear slipping from your waterline. He furrowed his brow, his thin lips pressing into a thin line below his bushy moustache that curled at the ends. The nostrils of his bulbous nose flared and his jaw ticked under the clenching of his teeth. Once more, you looked into your lap at your folded hands.

He sighed once more, adjusting his grey suit trousers to sit down, holding his tie to his beer belly as he did so. “Can you tell us what happened? Leading up to the crime?” His voice was softer and he winced at the sound of your sniff. How you were so timid all of a sudden like a deer in headlights. 

You nodded, swallowing your own saliva, the walls of your oesophagus grating together like coarse sandpaper. And then you spoke. “I met him when I was living in Boston.”

[lostnova-blog]

hello hello *drops snippet of a fic i wrote 2 years ago and runs* (i'm posting more of these soon bc i'm having a writerblock or whatever and have been stuck for MONTHS on a chapter😂🔫)

Steve closed his eyes.

He didn't want to die.

He’d survived, what? Five years. Five years of those monsters and alternate dimensions. He could survive another year. He had to.

So he tried to remember.

He remembered, three years ago, sneaking into the Wheeler’s house. He was going to see Nance. Mike Wheeler saw him. He wasn't meant to be outside because there could be a killer or kidnapper on the loose, yet there he was, about to look for his best friend. Steve and Wheeler weren't close at the time; Steve was actually pretty sure Wheeler hated him, and Steve didn't have a liking for Wheeler. Yet, Wheeler ignored him and left. So Steve kept climbing. He knocked on Nance’s window. He remembered Nance not being exactly happy about seeing him there, but he wanted to help Nance study. He also wanted to have sex.

He focused on another memory for the best. He found it interesting he could remember the time he was drugged by Russian doctors with Robin. He remembered being dragged to the movies by Henderson. Back to the Future was on. He’d been wanting to watch that movie for a while, and so had Robin. They didn't have any tickets, so they had to pick some seats that just so happened to be empty, and those seats were the worst. Robin kept complaining about it and the guy behind them kept shushing her.

He remembered the day Henderson visited him at Scoops Ahoy after returning from camp. Steve thought it was quite ridiculous that his best friend was a kid he bonded with trying to save Hawkins. Regardless, he loved that kid. He remembered Henderson being happy that he got the job, and them doing their handshake. Robin did not look impressed by how many kids her coworker was friends with.

And he remembered Eddie. Eddie the Freak. Eddie who had been accused of murder and Steve found himself forced to help. They never really talked in school. Not upfront. And even though Eddie was just how Steve remembered him, except his hair was longer, Steve was the one who truly changed. In the Upside Down, there had been one particular moment; after he’d nearly been eaten by bats, Steve wanted to thank Eddie for saving him, but Eddie insisted Steve had saved his own ass. He said that what Steve had done was very metal, he even mentioned someone called Ozzy Osbourne. Steve had no idea who he was, but later he had bought one of his tapes. It wasn't really his type of music, but he listened to him anyway for some reason he couldn't really explain. Eddie also told him that Henderson talked about how Steve was a badass. Eddie confessed that he was jealous, that he didn't understand how a guy like Steve could actually be a “good dude” while he was a coward. He started talking about how he always ran. How he was no hero. Steve was grateful for that because running away had saved Eddie’s life. So Steve told Eddie not to be so hard on himself. Eddie brushed off whatever Steve had said and confessed the only reason he was there was because Nance and Robin had jumped after him with no hesitation, and he didn't want to be the one who stayed behind. Eddie started talking about how Nance had wasted no time jumping after Steve, and that, in his cynical point of view, that was an act of true love. But Steve didn't care about that. Yes, he cared about Nance, obviously, but he didn't think what she had done was about love. I mean, Robin had jumped in, too. Besides, Nance had Jonathan. What Steve was paying attention to was Eddie’s lips. Eddie’s dry, chipped lips. He suddenly had an urge to kiss him. To just kiss him and get him to shut up about Nance. But he pushed those thoughts away. He shouldn't be thinking those things. He couldn't.

But right now, Eddie was playing his shitty acoustic guitar to save him. Eddie was playing for him. So who cared about what Steve should and shouldn't be thinking.

Read the full thing:

[mimisempai]

A group of the two of us 

Summary

After what happened at the last shopkeepers' meeting, Mr. Brown asks Aziraphale to host another one, and this time a real one.    Aziraphale agrees, but wants to do so well that he forgets to take care of himself. Fortunately, Crowley is there to remind him and lend a hand.

However, this meeting may hold another surprise for the demon.

Notes

Juste them and neighborhood life

On Ao3

Rating G -  2794 words

Crowley was walking past the bookshop window when he saw that Aziraphale was talking to Mr. Brown. 

He couldn't help but feel the same kind of jealousy and protectiveness he'd felt that day in the pub when the man had sat down across from Aziraphale.

In fact, even today, Crowley felt he was invading the Angel's personal space a little too much for his liking, and no matter how harmless the demon told himself the man was, he felt what he felt.

That didn't mean he was going to do anything about it; he knew Aziraphale was capable of defending himself, and most importantly, Crowley trusted him absolutely. 

That's why he preferred to focus on the angel, watching him carefully. He seemed rather at ease and relaxed in the way he spoke to the other man, so Crowley walked quietly to the door of the bookshop. 

As he closed the door behind him, Mr. Brown was already on his way out.

When he saw Crowley, he nodded and said, "I came to... well, anyway, your... your partner will explain it better than I can. Goodbye."

He left a little hastily, as if afraid of Crowley, who raised an eyebrow at Aziraphale.

"Crowley! You're just in time, as Mr. Brown has come to ask me to hold the shopkeepers' meeting here, since the last one wasn't, I have to admit."

He sighed before continuing, "Which means I have no way of avoiding it this time."

Crowley narrowed his eyes and studied Aziraphale's expression before asking, "And how do you feel about that?"

Aziraphale replied, "It'll be almost like last time, except there won't be any dancing or music or pretty outfits."

Crowley chuckled and added, "And no demon army, no halo throwing."

They exchanged knowing glances and laughed lightly, glad to be able to joke about it.

Then Crowley asked, "When's the meeting?"

The angel lost some of his cheerfulness and replied with a slightly tense expression, "Friday night at 6:30."

Crowley replied, "Well, my dear angel, you're going to have to get to work fast, because there will be no magic this time. You're going to have to use all the human skills you've acquired. Not to mention the fact that you will no longer have a special edition to bargain with Mr. Arnold or Mutt..." 

The angel gave him a challenging look and said, "You'll see, this will be the best neighborhood shopkeepers' meeting there ever was. Now leave me alone, I have work to do."

Crowley chuckled and went to settle himself and his newspaper on the sofa, unaware at the time of the effect that organizing this meeting would have on the angel.

He realized this two days later, two days before the meeting, when he entered the shop in the evening and found Aziraphale pacing in circles, notebook in hand, talking to himself.

It wasn't the first time since the meeting had been announced, and it began to worry Crowley a bit, as he could see the angel's tension level rising.

When Aziraphale set out to do something, he wanted to do it well, so well that he forgot about himself, to the point of neglecting his own well-being. 

Before, the status of their relationship didn't really allow Crowley to intervene, but that was before.

"I must go to Mr. Arnold and try to convince him to come without having to negotiate. Then Justine, convince her too, maybe avoid speaking French and ask her if she can bring some finger food and other appetizers. Then it's on to Mrs. Sandwhich, Mutt, Nina and Maggie, and... oh yes! Mr. and Mrs. Cheng, and then-"

"Angel? Are you all right?"

Aziraphale waved his hand in the air and replied, "Yes, yes, my dear, everything's fine, I'm handling the situation perfectly. It's going to be tip-top, tickety boo."

Then he resumed his comings and goings, taking notes and speaking aloud under the demon's worried gaze.

Crowley looked at the time on the clock and decided it was time for him to act.

He walked over to the angel who had stopped taking notes, with his back to him, and gently placed his hands on Aziraphale's shoulders, saying softly, "Angel, I think it's time for you to call it a day."

Aziraphale shook his head, "No, Crowley, you don't know, there's so much to think about, I can't allow myself to take a break and be lazy. Nothing can be left to chance." 

Crowley replied as calmly as ever, "Angel, it's past 9:00 at night. What more can you do? You can't go door to door at this hour, and I don't see anything on your list that can't be put off until tomorrow."

Aziraphale shook his head again, "Crowley, after last time's fiasco, I can't afford any mistakes. It has to be perfect."

"Angel, Angel... calm down. I understand that you're worried, but I promise you that taking a break now won't make things worse, quite the opposite."

Still with his hands on the angel's shoulders, he slid them down his arms and, having taken hold of his hands, led him to the chair, where he made him sit down.

The angel struggled again, "Crowley, I don't have time for this."

Crowley positioned himself behind the angel, placed his hands on his shoulders again, and said, "Angel, for once in your life, do what I tell you without question."

"Hey, I always do."

Crowley chuckled slightly and replied, "Really, you want me to make you the list, Gabriel, the ball, the car..."

Aziraphale sighed, "It's okay..."

Crowley smiled and began gently massaging the angel's shoulders in small circles with his thumbs. He said softly, "Aziraphale, I know this meeting is important, or rather the fact that you're organizing it, because you didn't care much for such meetings before. I understand that when you're in charge, you want things to go well. And it will. But tonight you're going to stop thinking about all that. Not another word about this meeting until tomorrow morning."

"But I..."

"Not another word."

"Crowley..."

"Angel, this isn't going to change anything. Let me take care of you for tonight, you'll see things in a different light in the morning and everything will be fine."

He was relieved when Aziraphale finally sighed and murmured, "All right..."

Crowley leaned over, kissed his hair and said softly, "Good decision, angel, you won't regret it."

Aziraphale bowed his head and Crowley continued his little massage, lingering on the areas of the angel's shoulders and neck that he felt were tense. 

After a few minutes, he heard faint breathing and leaned forward to see that the angel had fallen asleep.

He called softly, "Angel..."

He couldn't help but laugh slightly as Aziraphale, who had never slept for centuries, had fallen asleep at the hands of the demon no sooner said than done.

However, Crowley couldn't let him sleep in that position. He walked in front of him and, kneeling down, gently ran his hand across the angel's cheek and said softly, "Angel, wake up. You can't sleep like this."

The angel murmured, "Crowley...m so tired."

Crowley laughed softly, "I know, my angel, but take it from someone who has slept in his car for several months, you are not going to like waking up like this tomorrow morning."

After a little encouragement and coaxing, as best he could, he managed to get the angel to stand up and took him, after a laborious climb up the stairs, to the bedroom. He sat him down on the bed and undressed him into a more comfortable outfit. Now that the angel had let go, he was so overcome with fatigue that he gave in like a puppet. Crowley helped him slip under the covers and after putting on a more comfortable outfit himself, he slipped behind the angel, wrapped his arms around his waist and held him close before whispering in his ear, "Go to sleep my angel, tomorrow you'll see everything will be fine."

It took Aziraphale only a few seconds to fall asleep again, and Crowley, once he was sure he was sound asleep, allowed himself to be carried off to sleep as well.

When he awoke a few hours later, knowing his angel's dedication, he expected to be alone, Aziraphale probably busy again. But he was surprised to hear a slight scratching noise and felt that he was not alone in bed. He looked up to see Aziraphale sitting against the headboard, scribbling in his notebook. 

The difference from yesterday was that he had a much calmer demeanor and, most importantly, was still in his pajamas.

Crowley said quietly, "Hi, Angel."

Aziraphale looked down at him and replied with a gentle smile, "Good morning, my dear."

"Feeling better this morning?" 

Azirphale put down his pencil and gently stroked Crowley's hair before replying, "Yes, very much, and thanks to you.

Crowley straightened up to sit next to the angel, kissed him on the cheek and said softly, "That's what we do, isn't it? Look out for each other. Speaking of which, how would you like me to help you?"

Aziraphale turned his head sharply and asked, "Help me? Why would you want to help me? You don't like that sort of thing!"

Crowley nudged him on the shoulder and replied, "No more than you do, but you do it anyway, don't you?" The demon looked down at the angel's notebook and said, "Let me take care of convincing people to come."

"You're not going to threaten them, are you?"

Crowley chuckled, "Angel, I can be charming, you know?"

Aziraphale nudged his shoulder back, "Believe me, I know."

"So let me handle this."

Aziraphale nodded and pressed his lips to Crowley's hair before saying quietly, "Thank you."

By mutual agreement, they decided to get up and get dressed in preparation for the day ahead.

After coffee for Crowley, tea for Aziraphale, and one last lingering kiss, they went their separate ways to prepare for the next evening's meeting.

Crowley decided to visit Justine's first.

The owner of the French restaurant was setting tables on her terrace when he arrived.

"Bonjour Justine."

She looked up and replied as she saw him, "Oh, Mr. Crowley, Mr. Fell's partner."

Crowley replied, "Crowley will do, and as for Mr. Fell, I'm sure he won't mind you using his first name."

"So, what can I do for you?"

"I have come on his behalf to invite you to the next meeting of the shopkeepers, a real one this time, which will be held tomorrow at 6:30, no dancing."

"Oh, that's too bad, the dance was fun."

"Aziraphale also asked if you're coming to bring some amuse-bouches."

Justine replied immediately, "Let him tell me the number of people tomorrow morning and I'll bring what he needs."

Crowley, surprised that it had gone so well, thanked her, unable to hide his astonished look.

Justine said softly, "You know, most of us don't remember what happened that night, but we do remember being in danger at some point, and we all came out of it unscathed. And we know you had something to do with it, so I don't think you'll find much resistance when you visit the other shopkeepers."

Crowley thought to himself that after thousands of years, humans could still surprise him, and in a good way. 

He nodded with a smile and thanked her again before heading to the music store.

When he entered, he greeted the shopkeeper, who replied, "Mr. Fell's companion. Does he have another rare edition to persuade me to come in?"

Crowley thought it might not be that easy, and was looking for a way in when Mr. Arnold suddenly smiled and added, "What Mr. Fell gave me that night makes me his debtor for many years to come, so I'll be there tomorrow night.

"Oh," Crowley said simply.

This was finally going to be easy.

Most of the owners accepted the invitation without a problem, as Justine had said.

Crowley only had to accept that Mrs. Sandwhich would continue to call him nice, test a new coffee for Nina, and find a rare Queen record for a buyer at Maggie's. 

The ease of the task didn't stop him from being glad to get back to the quiet of the bookshop.

Crowley said just before he collapsed on the sofa, "Angel, I swear I've done enough socializing for... I don't know how long, but a long time, I swear!"

Aziraphale, sitting at his desk, turned sharply to him and asked, "So? Who's not coming?"

Crowley, a proud little smile on his lips, replied, "Nobody, they'll all be there and with what you asked for. And by the way, I'm your friend, your companion, your partner, your lover. That's all the name they've given me."

"Oh, Crowley, I don't know how to thank you."

Crowley replied quietly, "I do."

Aziraphale looked at him in confusion and asked, "And how?"

The demon just opened his arms.

The angel shook his head and muttered affectionately, "Idiot," before joining him on the sofa and snuggling up to him, his arms around his waist as the demon's wrapped around his shoulders. After all, this way of thanking was just as enjoyable for him.

"Crowley?"

"Hm?"

Aziraphale looked up and asked, "Do you think I'll be up to it tomorrow night?"

Crowley grabbed his chin and seriously replied, "Angel, I've seen you stand up to a bunch of archangels and a bunch of demons with a bell and shut them up. So I don't just believe, I absolutely know you'll be up to the task."

He leaned his head forward and pressed a tender kiss to the angel's lips.

When he started to pull away, Aziraphale put a hand around his neck to stop him, and in turn, planted an equally tender kiss on his lips before saying, "Crowley, I couldn't have done it without you.

Crowley pulled him close before saying, "That's why we're a group of the two of us."

Aziraphale laughed slightly before replying, "You're right."

Then, snuggling a little closer to the demon, he said quietly, "You know what? I'm done for tonight, can we just stay like this and do nothing?"

Crowley kissed his hair and replied, "I have absolutely nothing against that program.

Aziraphale curled up even more against him and said quietly, "I...I never thought it would be this easy."

"What, Angel?"

"You and me like this."

Crowley sneered, "You call hundreds of years easy?"

"Idiot."

"But I see what you mean. I, too, sometimes find it hard to believe."

Aziraphale drew his face to his and kissed him again before asking, "And so? Is it easier to believe?"

Crowley pouted and replied, "Um, I don't know, I think I need more persuasion." 

The angel laughed softly, but wasted no time in trying to convince the demon.

The next evening, he sat at the end of the table next to Crowley, ready to begin the meeting.

He coughed, trying to put on a brave face as apprehension gripped him, when he suddenly felt a hand on his thigh.

Crowley.

He let out a discreet sigh of relief.

The anxiety was still there, but thanks to that reassuring hand, he was ready to overcome it.

A group of the two of us, right?

He knew exactly what to say.

"Good evening everyone, thank you for coming. Before I hand over to Mr. Brown for the order of the day, I have a little announcement to make."

Feeling Crowley's surprised look, he placed his hand over his and intertwined their fingers before continuing, "Some of you already know, but I'm taking advantage of us all being together tonight to officially tell you that Crowley and I are together. As... as a couple. We live here together."

As his announcement caused a jovial buzz around the table, he felt Crowley's hand squeeze a little tighter in his own and turned his gaze to him.

Seeing the demon's expression and smile, Aziraphalel knew he'd said exactly the right thing.

The demon leaned over and whispered in his ear, "You'll never cease to amaze me, angel."

Aziraphale whispered back, "That way you'll have even less trouble believing it now, won't you?"

The demon shook his head and laughed softly.

Aziraphale joined in the laughter.

The demon took advantage of the bustle around the table to plant a light kiss on the angel's temple.

And when the meeting turned serious some time later, their hands remained intertwined on Aziraphale's thigh the entire time.

Even though Aziraphale felt absolutely confident and all his fears had vanished, he didn't want to let go of that hand.

Never.

Because they were a group of the two of them.

_________

Still not beta'd

Still not my native language

Still hoping you'll enjoy this story  🥰

Still thanking you for bearing with me 😝

Ineffable Growing Love series : here (After season 2)

Ineffable Husbands masterlist : here (Before season 2)

[blessingmaxxer]

some things I love about my perfect CR (aka the reality I'm going to live soon):

• revised my entire life to my desires; revised my age to 16, and went back to September 2020 from March 2024 (well I guess it's 2020 right now so... I made it so that this year was 2020)

• my skin is never bumpy or pimply, or itchy (this was Hell for me in my past reality)

• my room is big, Baroque-style-fancy + whimsigoth, light blue, and looks a lot like the room in time princess; with lots of pretty furniture, a balcony, a reading nook, two altars for the deities I worship; and a huge gorgeous, gaudy four-poster bed (think princess-like), etc. (I used to have a small, white room that I had to share with other too many other people 🙄 I had to keep my altar in a miniscule cabinet, and only had space for one... my room is now the size of my OR apartment, so I no longer have that problem lol) + decorated with my fave fandom stuff/interests + full of amazingly beautiful furniture

• life like a fun teen movie or slice-of-life anime (in a good way, not the racist, fucked up way... Anyway, I used to barely go outside for fun, and didn't have much money to do stuff, and sure as hell didn't get invited anywhere... still salty about that)

• I never get headaches, stomach aches, cavities, most pains, etc. (I left period cramps cuz I wanna feel human... But yeah in my past CR I was sick and in pain a often, it was almost a personality trait at a certain point 😭 But not anymore!)

• I'm always hygienic and clean no matter what + I have the most perfect skincare and hair care products for me + I always smell like cotton candy and/or caramel (I used to be stinky and had weird shit going on w/ my body... Embarrassing)

• I have lots of Hot, Rich and Intelligent friends who absolutely adore me and listen to me and low-key worship me (let's just say this was very much not the case in my OR; most of my friends were NOT ride-or-dies for me... and most we're hot HRI...)

• homework is extremely easy for me because I just revise/wish it done + extremely high IQ, even though IQ is technically bs (I was only book smart in my OR, and even that started the die w/ age cuz of short attention span) + kid genius to adult genius pipeline

• family is super kind to me and are emotionally intelligent and perfect + spoil me and dote on me endlessly w/ money and affection (my OR family were nice 60% of the time, but were 40% toxic and stingy, which is still too much... 60% is barely a passing grade!)

• gigantic mansion.

• no but like, GIANT MANSION. It's literally something out of a fairytale, it's interesting and magical and full of secrets, lore and history (and, as I've stated before... My room. Is now. The size. Of my. OR apartment.)

• well-behaved younger siblings (they barely exist rn, but they will, and I'm excited to have younger siblings that don't make me want to kms when watching them)

• I was never parentified or had to raise anybody's kids

• immediate family won the lottery so we never run out of money + I have a magical, interdimensional job (it's fun but I won't share any details cuz it's top secret... Just know I make bank)

• really great and talented artist + great at the all the arts, whether sketching, painting, musical, performing, martial, etc. (in my OR I was barely so-so at drawing, and DEFINITELY behind my peers + I didn't know how to fight or play instruments)

• I have a HRI, kind, responsible and brooding bodyguard/personal assistant around my age (he's not in my life yet, but he will be... I shouldn't simp for him, but... 😩)

• now a triplet (I remember seeing a success story where anon manifested being a triplet, so I was like, yeah! I want that, too! I used to be a twin in my OR) + I have good relationship with all of my family

• me and my family are super intelligent + my parental guardians now have their dream jobs and are super educated (one's a lawyer with their own firm and the other is has their own restaurant and is now studying to be an engineer, plus we make a lot from stocks w/ 0 losses)

• me and my siblings have amazing singing voices (amazing range)

• I go to an extremely beautiful, fancy high school (my OR high school was super mid)

• manifested a fancy, wealthy and fun town into existence (used to live in a good but unwalkable town in my OR that is now next to my CR town)

• fancy walk-in closet and my own fancy bathroom (trust me when I say this; your jaw would drop at the beauty, just as pretty as my room)

• full health, whether mental or physical, for my immediate family

• perfect and ideal hair + skin

• I have everything from my desired scripts + everything I want that I haven't written down