#In all my past paper practices I’m getting As so I’m not worried abt my mark per se I’m just so so worried about. The whole. Environment

[tedlebred]

chat I’m sitting my first ever exam this Wednesday. How am I supposed to come out alive

[luffyvace]

I need.....I NEED MORE SAIKI K X READER SHEWAS SCSKSB

I have been feed well by your small serie of saiki kusos x write reader 🤤

But may I request as saiki kusos w f!s/o who suddenly have makoto as a stalker?

(sorry if you don't understand this my first time requesting 😭😭)

AHHH IM GLAD YOU ENJOYED THE SERIES!!

that’s actually a great idea!! I’m super pumped to do this request! :)

Don’t worry I know just what ya mean!

⚠️stalking warning,⚠️ before I start, if I may 😵‍💫

💛

Saiki will know right away when he starts stalking you-

And ngl this is the perfect chance to get rid of him 😈🙏

just kidding! But seriously, he let go of all the times makoto’s annoyed him in the past, but now that’s he’s an issue with you? His girlfriend? The one girl he can actually tolerate, scratch that, loves??

yeah no buddy this one’s not gonna slide

unfortunately he cant punch him bc 1) Saiki’s too strong and 2) that’d draw a lot of attention to himself since Makoto is a celebrity

but what he can do?? Well, Plan A) pinch his cheeks till they hurt and threaten him, Upgraded Plan A) disguise himself then pinch his cheeks, Plan B) keep scaring the crap out of him every time he tries to follow you, Plan C) calmly talk it out with him that you two are an item, Plan D) tell Teruhashi and use her love for Saiki to his advantage, getting her to tell her parents and stop her brother, Plan E) Publicly expose that freak or Plan F) tell you you have a stalker if you haven’t noticed, and if you have, go to the police

wow! what well thought out plans! :) most of them won’t work

heres why!

upgraded plan A is better than just plan A but it will ultimately still draw attention

plan c is unlikely to work seeing as though how creepy that guy is, plus he doesn’t like Saiki

As of plan d Teruhashi can hardly stop him from being a creep to HER (😭⁉️) and i don’t know how well the parents will care, especially if he’s making them money..😟

plan e….seems like it would be successful..buuut i feel he would just use his celebrity status to will the evidence away, like speaking out about how he would “never” do that and doing charity 🙄 plus the fan girls probably won’t believe some rando who uploads that on the internet over they’re fav 😒

ngl plan F is really reasonable and has one of the highest chance of working, but yet again, the celebrity card will strike and he could pay off the police so they don’t do crap abt it 🤦‍♀️😑

therefore! Plan B it is! Seems the most likely to work + Saiki can get his revenge in a practically harmless way! :3

Thanks to his powers (for once 😭) no one is likely to believe even the Makoto when he says a flying guy dropped a pile of dog crap on him 😏🤷‍♀️

and even if they did when he tries to explain the full story he’ll have to keep lying to keep the lie of him not stalking you alive 👎

but he still will tell you if your unaware tho!

he’s likely gonna be hesitant if he knows you’ll freak about abt it but you deserve to know. And ofc he can always keep you safe (thanks magic powers, for being useful for once!) but he also would want your parents to know so if Makoto tries something they can have a lead.

so yes ultimately he tells you, likely at his house, in his room, and he tries to break it to you as gently as possible but…there’s no easy way to take that kind of info 😬😟

if you get scared or cry he’ll tell you his plan to make him leave you alone, and he tells you to tell your parents too. Essentially trying to console you

if you choose to trust him and react a bit calmer, maybe still worried, he’d ask if you still wanna go out in public knowing this, and if yes he’ll accompany whenever and wherever he can, especially since Makoto won’t wanna come up to you while he’s there, thinking Saiki’s your boyfriend

he is

Also If Makoto does anything perverted as far as taking sus pictures of you or imagining weird things with those photos he’ll rip them up and make the paper and random things fly around in his room, every time

He probably breaks his phones/cameras too, even if he buys knew ones, as punishment

onto the final battle!

let’s say your walking home from school and Makoto is following you, your boyfriend is close behind you both, monitoring the situation for a good chance to strike. First, you cross the railroad to get home, but Makoto has to fall back so you don’t see him, but when it’s his turn to go? Oh no! The trains coming! Where’d that even come from? there was no train?! CRAP!- huh? Wait..the trains gone..thank goodness?! 😭

oh wait! He needs to catch up to you! Well at least he knows where you live and what route you take through research! He needs to catch up! HOLY CRAP! What’s a mob doing here?! Did a fan see him?? How’d they find him..no way, don’t tell me they’re gonna find out what he’s doing..NO DONT COME ANY CLOSer…? They’re running past him? Well I guess he is in disguise..wait, they were running to this arch nemesis and top competition?! 😠 seriously?! That guy over him??

he proceeds to head over there to show the ladies who they should really be drooling over 😏 WAIT- HE CANT REVEAL HIMSELF RIGHT NOW?!- what?…where’d his wig go? THE WIND BLEW IT OFF?! HOLY- HE’S ABOUT TO GET FOUND OUT🫨 RUN 😭 🏃

aw man he’s outta breath, what are the odds the wind would blow his wig off near a mob of fans?! Now he’s gotta be extra careful following you! And it’s already late! Actually..it’s pretty darn dark….dang it! You’re probably in your house by now! Oh well…maybe you still have your window open and he can get some pictures that way! 👍

uh..is he starting to hear a second pair of footsteps..? But..no one’s around..why’s it getting louder..?! UH, it’s getting more aggressive now 😥….okay that’s it! he’s running..!

dang it! It’s chasing him! No way he can lead this creep to your house! (Ironic huh) he’s gotta take a wrong turn!

man! What time is it?! Midnight?! Has he really been running that long??? Why’s this freak still chasing him? And who is it?!?

alright! He’ll take a turn into that alley and lose ‘em! Then he’ll make a ‘U’ back to your house! Although there’s no way to be sure if your still up or not :/

hey! The footsteps are gone! Maybe think he lost him! Alright! He’ll take another turn and go back to your place!

🏃🏃

right as he turns the corner?

Saiki:👹

Jump scare!

he immediately calls his manager while running away, thinking he’s either a mass muderer, a demon or a stalker! 😱

and the best part is? Nobody will believe him 😊

ngl Saiki probably won’t let this slide even a couple days after he finds out Makoto’s stalking you, he’s quick to act and stop him bc no.

Super Saiki to your rescue! 🦸🤩😎

Ngl you’re beautiful so I see what Makoto sees in you but…..dude. Don’t stalk your crush.

🌸💐🌺

hope you enjoyed your hcs! -Brook

[bloodycassian]

HARSH - Anon request reader x azriel

“ hey there , ngl i’ve had a pretty rough week and now in desperate need for angst to fluff, az x reader where reader had struggles talking through her life bc of a rough childhood and az helped her talk freely and helped her gain confidence when talking. Reader is talking abt something she loves and az is stressed and tells her to shut up and hurts reader alotttt but….. we can’t have a sad ending, fluff and cuddles after :)) “

"Keep going." He encouraged with a smile, his shadows tickling your cheek. It made you shy away, but you continued your story anyway. The book's pages didnt tremble when you held them anymore. You could see the pride shining from him with every new paragraph you read aloud.

  Reading was always step one of your consulting with him. It opened the connection you shared with him and his past. The poems or stories were never too long, but always held some significance to either of you. Usually the ones he read when you took turns were about darkness, or fire. Never about the hostility of others and the cruelty of nature. Nature was a relief to him in his past. In yours it was a punishment. 

Your families last words to you were as brutal as they had been your entire life. "Leave and dont come back." with nothing more than a satchel of silvers and coppers, you had no other choice than to fight to survive against the cold of winter court. Then you started travelling, far and wide. Until you met Az. 

The rest didn't matter after you met him. He was yours, and yours his. And that was the only thing you needed from then on. His chosen family welcomed you in with a loving embrace. and you learned a new kind of love. One full of understanding and patience. 

you finished your poems together and talked as long as you could before he got called away to a meeting with the high lord. You assumed it was about the forces to the east as he had mentioned earlier that week. But you left him to it, not wanting to have him more stressed than he'd already been about the threat that week. 

+ You rejoined him again in his room. You'd made both of you a cup of tea for winding down. He didn't take it when you offered, so you set it down on one of the few empty spaces on the enormous table in his room. He seemed flustered, poring over the map on his table beside a half polished sword. The dark marks under his eyes indicated another rough night. "You should rest." You said softly. He didn't move. Didn't even tear his eyes away from the map.

You stared at it with him, noting the natural limitations of troop movements. "You could get Illyrians to fly over..." You suggested, but to no response. Nerves twisted your gut. Whatever had him in such a locked state was something you likely should be worried about as well. 

His cold stare was like the one he wore on the battlefield. Some internal blocking to cope with the horror. You noted the worn book under his clenched fist. One of the ones he'd read from before. Many of its verses were about a quality of males, the infamous duality of man. How precious life was in the balance of good and evil.

You saw the doubt there in his eyes then. The anger, the guilt of everything he'd ever done in his centuries of life. The blood spilled, the words that left people broken that could never be taken back.

You desperately wanted to snap him out of his dismal state. You pulled at his arm, trying to get him to break the lock he had on the corner of the map. He didn't budge. Frustration began building deep inside you. You knew he wouldn't let you sit in silence like this. What would he do for you? 

You picked up an indicator from the map, and spun it. "Az, staring will not help it. You need rest." He was locked in though, in a trance almost. The concern pushed harder into you. Were you to get Rhys? You'd never seen Az so... cold before. With you he was always a welcoming open lover. Never this... closed off. 

His shadows slowed, but he didn't move. his eyes scanned the paper from up to down, over and over again. You rubbed your eyes. "When I was small, I would stay up late reading. Very late. My family would-"

"Just shut up for two seconds, I'm trying-" He sighed, his face going red. The fist on the book curled around it's spine. Whit knuckles bulging out. 

You blanched and stepped back. Stunned at the aggressiveness of his words. He finally looked away, his mouth pinching into a thin line at the sight of your wide eyes. He abandoned the table finally, and reached for you. His scarred hands trembled slightly. The tiredness left his features. Only regret was left there. 

You didnt know what to do. Your mind raced with the rejection. The aggression of his words. You turned and strode out of the room, shaken.

+ He found you deep in the library after giving you a few to cool down. Giving himself the verbal lashing of a lifetime. That accompanied with Clotho's harsh glare.... he didn't know if he'd ever live the words down.

He approached you slowly. As if he were approaching a spooked animal. "I'm fine." You announced. And truly, you were. You had gone to the library because it was a safe spot for you, where you could practice your breathing alone. 

You knew he didn't mean to hurt you. You knew he'd had a rough week. It wasn't an attack against you. You told yourself those affirmations over and over but they still didn't fully settle you. His presence was unmistakable. You knew he'd been beating himself up over the harsh words too. 

That didn't make you feel better though. You gave him a slight nod and he took the seat across from where you were curled up. You hoped he didn't notice the red spottiness of your cheeks, or the way your eyes were red rimmed.  By the tension in his body though, you knew he saw through your act. 

He sat at the edge of the lounge chair across from you. His looked absolutely ragged. His hair was a mess, the dark circles were back under his eyes that held all the regret in the world. "I am so sorry." He started, those dark brown eyes boring into yours. "I will never do anything like that again. I promise. I am so sorry." He continued, wringing his hands. "I dont know why I -"

"Stop..." You said, voice shaking. He obeyed, and tried to hide his own emotion. "Just.." You sighed, walked around the small table separating you and took his hands, wrapped them around your middle and sat in his lap. He held you, rocked with you while you took in his scent. The mix of it with the smell of the books was like a heavy blanket over you.

You didn't remember him taking you back to your room. But when you woke, there was a cool glass of water on the bedside table with a fresh vase of flowers. Az quietly snored beside you, blanket pulled up to his chin. 

You took a sip of the water and returned to him, wrapping yourself around his wings and sharing your body heat together in the cool room. He muttered once you settled. One small movement of his lips. "Love you..." 

[bxthharmon]

Never Go Home Again, Pt. VIII || JJ Maybank x Reader

Words: 4102 (jeez, making up for a short last episode??)

Series Warnings: violence / talking about abuse / toxic relationships / talking about nudes sex tapes and sex tapes / drugs / underage drinking

Pt. Warnings: Breaking and entering? / underage drinking

Series Summary: A new girl, a shoebox of old memories, a past she’s trying to forget coincide with a hotheaded, but selfless, boy.  teenagers getting in way over their heads

Pt. Summary: Midsummers takes place as the pogues make headway in the hunt, Y/N struggles with her two friends’ enmity.

A/N: okay so longgg chapter. hope it’s not too bad, and i only hv one chapter left in my drafts so im gonna have to start writing instead of just editing... hopefully updates will stay just as frequent tho. lemme know abt tags and feedback, and pleaseeeeeee send requests!!! lockdowns giving way too much time.

Chapters linked in my masterlist.

“masterlist”

You borrowed your dad’s car, and dressed in the simplistic, elegant dress intended for your prom back in LA, you arrived at the party. 

You found yourself surrounded in summery cocktail dresses and flower crowns, tuxedos that ranged from elegant dark blue to pastel pinks, a couple of floral patterns spicing up the mix. Soft lights hung loosely over the patio, lights hardly noticeable in the soft, bright hue of the evening, the sun yet to fall into the glittering sea stretched out from the view in the hotel. You worked your way through the silks, chiffons and satins. Drinks were pushed into your hand, tapas offered and awkward smiles shared. By the time you found Kie, you were armed with a glass of champagne and the feeling of not belonging. She laughed at your already exhausted smile, and had dragged you to find Pope. Once you were with Kie, it took twice as long to get anywhere, because everyone seemed to stop her and ask about her parents, the restaurant, or to offer criticism on her choice of friends, giving you side-eye. You were the one who spotted Pope, pointing him out and letting her drag you over to him.

“Excuse me, sir,” Kie mocked a British accent, “do we have to shuck these ourselves? ‘Cause it might mess up my costume.” 

You all laughed, hugging him in greeting. “We wouldn’t want that now, would we?” Pope returned the joke, doing your pogue handshake.

“That accent was bad.” You shook your head.

“Yeah, it was. I was gonna let it go.” She laughed, “Y/N’s is way better.”

“Oh stop it!” you joked, in your British accent, pretending to blush, “You’re making me blush.”

“You ever seen this many kooks in one place?” Kie asked.

“Yeah, last year.” Pope grinned.

“We’re in the lion’s den.” You sighed. “Hey, have either of you heard from JJ?”

They looked at you sympathetically, shaking their heads.

“He’ll be alright.” Kie soothed. “He’s got the survival instincts of a cockroach.” 

“In the month I’ve known him, this is the longest I’ve gone without hearing from him.” You sighed, and Pope looked down guiltily.

“This is my fault.” 

“You didn’t do this, Pope.” you assured him, “Topper almost killed you, remember? JJ chose to, you know him, always putting others first. You can’t carry the blame, that’s not fair on you.”

You turned to the noise of an applaud, seeing Sarah and her family entering. You held back a snigger at the sight of Rose’s crown, but smiled at Sarah, who smiled back.

“Here come Lord Capital and the exploiters.” Kie sighed.

“She’s definitely gonna poke someone’s eye out with that.” Pope commented, and you looked back at Rose’s headdress, this time unable to contain the giggle.

You chatted for a while longer, finishing the lavish champagne and wanting to have some fun. You had practically dragged Kie to the dance floor, making her dance with you as a steady flow of drinks passed both your systems. Eventually, she was summoned to talk with her parents, leaving you alone on the dance floor. Before long, you found yourself dancing with Sarah, spinning her round, and exaggerating the both of your moves, mocking the way the adults were dancing. You went to get a drink after a few songs, and walked straight into JJ.

He was just as surprised as you, but you reacted quickly, pulling him down into a soft kiss by his collar. You looked over your shoulder, blushing at the sight of Pope and Kie clapping and giving you thumbs up. You turned your attention to him, tracing your thumb over his split lip and the bruises on the left side of his face. The dark cut contrasted the pink of his lips, and the bruises looked a painful, mottled purple that spread over his jaw and up to his cheek bone.

“JJ,” you murmured, “Did your dad do this?” 

“My dad, got a nice right jab, ya know?” he tried to joke, seeing the worry in your eyes. The light he hoped would return to your eyes stayed gone, as anger took over your features.

“JJ, I’m gonna fucking kill him.” you seethed, “He had no fucking-”

“Y/N,” he said, cupping your face, “leave it, okay? It’s nothing that hasn’t happened before.”

“JJ that’s not making me feel any bet-”

He kissed you again, taking you off guard, and you smiled softly when he pulled away. “I gotta go,” he mumbled, “I’ll see you in a bit, I promise, babygirl.”

You nodded dumbly as he walked away, turning back to Sarah, and seeing her wiggling her eyebrows suggestively at you. You rolled your eyes at her, making an excuse to leave, and walked over to Kie, who started pestering you for details, which you supplied. Your discussion with Kie was cut short by the sight of JJ being hauled out of the house and into the garden.

“Hey, Mr Dunleavy, I see you got your drink. Good, that’s really nice of you. I’m actually gonna down that.” he took the drink, and, well, downed it. “It’s okay everybody!” he yelled, “Do not panic. Leave it to the men and women in uniform! Let’s hear it for them!” he shouted, making you and Kie smirk, trying to hide your giggles. “Rose! You look like lady liberty. Good to see you again. Hey, buddy, can I have one of those?”

“Let go of him!” You called, working your way towards him.

“You can’t just boot him!” Kie backed you, ignoring the warning looks you were both getting from her parents. He looked up at you, a tiny smile on his face. “I invited him here! I’m a member of this club.” she continued through her parent’s protests. JJ turned and pushed the guard into the crowd, stumbling in the opposite direction.

“Sorry about that! Hey,” he pointed at you and Kie, “mandatory power hour at Rixon’s, Kie, Y/N. Pope, you as well, alright? Rixon’s cove, let’s roll! A’ight Y/N, come on!” You grinned, he turned to Kie, “Workers of the world unite, throw off your chains!”

Kie and Pope ran ahead, both hugging John B, and you ran straight into JJ’s arms, letting him swing you around and kiss you, for once, not caring that everyone was staring.

--

“Hey, guys, so like, my dad’s already gonna kill me.” Pope said as you all settled around the campfire. “So what’s this mandatory meeting about?”

John B shot finger guns to JJ, who looked up, “Might as well tell him, man, before we’re all gaffed.”

“You ready for this? John B replied.

You and Kie looked at each other, “Yeah.” you said, in unison.

“So, the gold never went down with the Royal Merchant.” John B started.

“Here we go again.” You muttered, settling into JJ’s side.

“No, alright? Wait. Hear him out, alright?” JJ backed John B, and you frowned, shrugging and gesturing for him to continue.

“It’s been here the whole time. It’s on the island.”

“Are you serious?” Kie asked. “Oh my God.”

“I’d like to voice my skepticism.” Pope spoke.

“I’m sure you would, Pope, but can I please present you with my evidence, Sir?”

“Proceed.” Pope mocked.

“Alright, so, in my backpack, I have a letter from Denmark Tanny.” 

“Who the fuck’s that?” You questioned.

“Denmark Tanny was a slave who survived the Royal merchant wreck. Check this out.” he handed Kie some paper, “So slaves weren’t mentioned as crew members on the ship, but my dad, he found the complete manifest. That was his big discovery. So Tanny used the gold from the Merchant to buy his freedom.” Kie passed you the paper. “After that, he bought his farm. Drumroll please,” you drumrolled on your thighs, “because that farm is… Tannyhill Plantation.”

“Tannyhill?” Kie affirmed. You passed Pope the paper.

“Yeah.” John B continued, “so after that, he used his money to free even more slaves. And then he sold a shit ton of rice, which pisses off all the white planters, and then they decide to lynch him. So on the day they were coming to get him, he writes a letter to his son as a farewell, and in the last line of that letter, he leaves a coded message about where to find the gold.”

“Where?” You whisper excitedly.

“Harvest the wheat, in parcel nine, near the water. Except, there’s no wheat. You see, wheat is code for gold. Check this out.” he shows you another piece of paper, and a map. “The gold is in parcel nine, near the water.” you and Kie squeal, laughing excitedly, “All we need is an original survey map of the property, and we’ve found the gold!”

“Okay, so, this might have a small chance of actually being true.” Pope said, and JJ got up from beside you.

“Dude,” you laughed, “this is like, King Tut!” 

JJ pulled John B into a hug, lifting him up. “Hello, fire! You’re near the fire. You’re gonna burn.” John B warned, and JJ put him down. “I’m so proud of you right now.”

“Thank you.”

“That’s really sweet of you.” JJ looked at you, “And jeez, Y/N, what is it with you and Tutankhamun?”

“4th Grade history?” You guessed.

“Okay, so, guys,” Pope brought the attention back. “What’s the plan?”

“Good question.” John B agreed.

“How long does this go on for?” you moaned, “Wrap it up, JB.”

“Sarah Cameron’s coming tonight.” he simplified. “And she’ll bring the original survey.”

“Hold on.” Kie stopped him, “Sarah? Wh-why Sarah?”

“This is gonna be good.” JJ muttered, and you raised your eyebrows at him.

“Sarah, um, she - she helped me into the archives at Chapel Hill yesterday, and that’s where I got the letter.”

“You were in Chapel Hill with Sarah Cameron?” Kie frowned, anger contorting her features.

“Are you guys macking?” you asked, a disbelieving smirk on your lips.

“He was mackin’ on her.” JJ confirmed, interrupting John B’s pitiful attempts at an explanation, and earning him a giggle from you.

“For real?” you asked John B.

“I wasn’t macking.” John B defended.

“You were totally macking Sarah Cameron.” JJ repeated.

“I wasn’t macking on her, okay? I was using her for access.”

“There was access, alright.” JJ mumbled, earning another giggle.

“Okay,” you piped up, “JB you should have consulted first, Kie, she obviously did something shitty, but JB, using her is pure shitty, so you better just be covering for yourself right now.”

He looked at you defeated, and you groaned. “Did you tell her about the treasure?” Kie asked.

“I was just trying to get into the archives!”

“Is that a yes?”

“I left out key details!”

“Yo, what? You let a kook in on our secret? What about Pogue Lyfe? What about the t-shirt company, bro?”

“I was just using her for information.”

“Why don’t I believe you?”

“I’m tryna make us filthy rich here! Okay, so that we can pay off a boat, or - or, uh, send you to autopsy school to study dead bodies! Look, you guys know me! Do I look like the kind of person who would fall for Sarah Cameron?”

You and JJ made eye contact, “well..” you started.

“Um.” he chuckled.

“Do you want us to answer that, or-”

“Just - just stop.” John B looked at the pair of you, defeated.

“Look, you don’t know her yet, I do! You can’t trust her!”

“Her brother did hit me in the back with a golf club.” Pope pointed out.

“Rafe and Sarah are different human beings.” John B countered.

“What did she do to you, exactly?” you asked Kie, wandering how she could hate your friend so much.

“She’s like a - a spitting cobra. First she - first she blinds you and then she-”

“This is a bad analogy.” you mumbled.

“Listen to me!” Kie demanded, “Whatever we get, she’s gonna try to take.”

--

You and JJ were lying on your bed, not having bothered to get changed before getting under the covers. You interlocked your fingers with his, snuggling closer, your eyes barely open. “What do you think Sarah did?”

JJ turned his head to look at you, he could tell it was tearing you up. “I… don’t know.” JJ sighed, defeated. “I’ve known Kie for years, and she’s never talked about it.”

“Sarah was super kind to me, I don’t understand why Kie is so against her. It’s so shitty, ‘cause they’re both my friends, and I want them to get on, but they obviously won’t.”

“They might?” JJ muttered, thinking.

“C’mon, Jay, you know it’s impossible. And I don’t even know what happened between them, so I can’t fix it.” 

“You know it’s not up to you to fix it, right?”

“So why do I feel like I have to?”

“Because you’re an empathetic, kind, brilliant person?”

“Jay,” you groaned, as he kissed you, “Be serious!”

“I am.” he mumbled, kissing you again.

“You’re infuriating,” you giggled, “you know that?”

“It’s all part of my brand.”

“Your brand?”

“Oh yeah, super-hot surfer pogue, insanely funny, get’s the best weed on the island, you know, the usual.”

“You’re full of shit.”

“Hey! At least I have a brand!”

“Is that a comment aimed at me?” you mocked offence.

“I mean, your brand is ‘mysterious new girl’.”

“You think I’m mysterious?”

“I mean, yeah, none of us know, like, why you moved or anything about you.”

Your heart twinged, but you covered for yourself, mocking him, “It’s all part of my brand.”

--

“I’m sorry, you’re staying where?” Kie passed John B to get to the bar, the group having gathered in the Wreck.

“Tannyhill.” John B repeated, and you shook your head, disbelieving.

“So you’re living with Sarah Cameron?”

“Okay, look, the only reason I’m living there is because her dad bailed me out, right?”

“I still can’t believe you got pushed off that wooden frame thing.” You muttered, and he smirked, fighting down a laugh as you and Kie went to the group’s table.

“And it’s way better than foster care,” he continued, “which, by the way, where I was about to go if Ward didn’t-”

“Hey, so do you have membership to the clubs now?” Pope asked.

“I don’t know, Pope.”

“What about those little golf carts that they drive around?” JJ added, “You get one of them?”

“Does it come with a sweater-vest, or do you have to buy one of those on your own?” You add.

“Look, you promised.” Kie brought the focus back, like always. “You said you weren’t with her.”

“Bro, just own it.” JJ backed, “She got you.”

“Look if you wanna hang out with her, that’s fine.” Kie sighed, “I mean, Y/N sometimes hangs out with her. But I’m letting you know right now that I’m not doing anything with Sarah.”

“Do you guys see her here?” John B pointed out, “No, right. Okay. A little focus would be fantastic. We’ve got the map, right?”

“It’s all out of whack ‘cause the guy was ganja’d when he drew it.” JJ commented.

“No,” you corrected, “the coastline changed, dummy.”

“So we just have to look for landmarks that haven’t changed.” Pope clarified.

“What about the old forts?” John B suggested.

“You know, the more you guys talk, the more I realise that I know nothing about this island.” You observed, treasuring the feeling of JJ running a hand through your hair.

“Battery Jasper.” Kie pointed.

“Let’s go.” you  stood up, leading the group out to the VW.

John B drove, none of you really paying attention until you reached the landmark.

The five of you looked out over the island, expansive green leading to expansive blue, you were at a high point. “We’re in battery, right here.” Pope points on the map. “So if this is parcel nine, then it’s somewhere northeast of here.”

“Somewhere over there.” Kie points, and you take JJ’s juul off him, taking a puff, then handing it back.

“Over there?” JJ followed the point. “Guys, that’s not Tannyhill, that’s a subdivision.”

“Tannyhill Plantation used to be the entire island.” reminded John B. “It got sold into smaller pieces over time.”

Pope inspected the map again, “So we’re just looking for an old stone wall.”

You ventured back to the Twinkie, following Pope’d instructions, again. John B took a sharp left, pulling up next to an overgrown stone wall.

“That looks like a stone wall to me.” JJ said, almost proud.

“This is it.” Pope confirmed. Your car doors clattered open as you hopped out of the car.

“Not the Crain House.” John B sighed.

“Are you kidding me?” Kie repeated the sentiment.

“Worst case scenario.” JJ confirmed.

“Why’d it have to be here of all places?” Pope asked.

“Hang on a second.” You turned to your friends, your lack of apprehension standing out in the group. “It’s just a house. What’s the big deal?”

“I heard Mrs Crain buried her husband’s head on the property.” JJ told you. You all looked at him, the other’s in fear, you in skepticism.

“Well that’s bullshit.” you shrugged, taking a hold of the top of the wall and pulling yourself up, throwing your legs over and landing in the overgrown thicket. You pricked yourself in the brambles, and swore. The pogues on the other side of the wall immediately started asking if you were okay, making you giggle. “Just be careful of the brambles.”

Once they were all on the inside, you began to venture inwards. “Look, Y/N, you know whose house this is, right?”

“Some old lady’s?” you guessed, and were greeted with four unimpressed stares.

“Honestly, I don’t really believe the stories of this place.” John B joined your skepticism, but was shushed by Pope.

“Which stories did you hear?” JJ asked Kie.

“The one where she killed her husband with an axe and that she’s been holed up ever since.” said Kie, making you snort. “On certain nights, when the moon is full…”

You saw where it was going, and joined in with Kie’s mockingly spooky hand movements as she finished, “... you can see her in the window!” the pair of you giggled.

“No, girls, it’s not funny, ‘cause it’s all true.” JJ shook his head, as you and Kie made ‘Waah’ noises. “I swear to God guys, this is all real. I knew Hollis. Jeez!”

You smirked, “Yeah, jeez. Who knew you were superstitious? And who’s Hollis?”

“Wait, you knew Hollis Crain?” asked Pope.

“Who’s Hollis?” you repeated, ignored again.

“Yeah, dude.” JJ confirmed.

“Dude, how do you know Hollis Crain?”

“Dude, who is Hollis Crain?” you mocked Pope’s anxious movements.

“She was my babysitter, man. She told me all about it.” He looked around the group, “She told me the truth… about her mother and what happened in this house.”

“And what would that be?” You asked, still skeptical as you looked up to the unkempt house.

“So as a kid, she heard all the stories that her mother killed her father, and she was a murderer and all. Hollis didn’t believe it. Until that night.”

“What night?”

“It all came back to her.” JJ turned to look at the house, “When Hollis was six years old, she heard her parents arguing downstairs. So she goes downstairs to see her mom washing her hands in the sink full of blood. Her mother just says that she cut her finger. The next morning, she says her father and her split up. But then, Hollis noticed something. Her mother going into the parlour constantly, in and out and in and out with plastic bags. Weeks pass, and Hollis decides to use the outhouse. And as she’s using it, she looks down, and there, in the outhouse, is her father’s head, looking straight back at her.”

“God, you are so full of shit.” you and John B outburst in unison.

“Dude, I swear to God, man.” JJ shook his head.

“Did she call the police?” Pope asked.

“She didn’t have time.” you and John B started to walk on, only to be grabbed and pulled back by JJ.

“What?” you asked, confused. He turned to John B.

“You sure you wanna do this? She’s an axe murderer. You got a cast on.”

“I don’t give a shit if she’s an axe murderer, okay? I got nothing to lose, right? You comin’, or what?”

You follow John B through the garden, and he gathers you in a semicircle. “So here’s the plan. We need to look for the wheat near the water like it said in Denmark’s letter.”

“Okay, like, what kind of water?” asked Pope, “Like, pond water?”

JJ chuckled, “Bong water?” you slapped his arm lightly.

“It just said look for water, okay?”

“That’s the shittiest secret message ever.” Kie moved past John B.

“You wanna complain a little more, Kie? Nobody said it was gonna be easy.”

“I’ll search the northeast quadrant,” Pope started, addressing you and JJ, “you two search the northwest.”

“The decapitation quadrant?” JJ objected, and you took his arm, pulling him with you.

You scanned your area, coming up empty, then followed John B into the basement. You went in before JJ, who started singing a song about how Mrs Crain was going to kill you all.

You and Pope turned, shining your torches in his face.

“Can you stop?” You hissed, and he shut up.

You swung the torch light over the room, the broken and discarded furniture giving the room a horror-movie vibe. You’d never admit it, but you were beginning to feel creeped.

“This is the part of the movie where we get attacked by the old, half-dead blind lady.” You muttered, and JJ nodded, gesturing to you as if you had predicted the future, the others rolling their eyes.

“See any water?” Kie asked, five torches sweeping around the place. You felt a tickle on your arm and slapped, your palm coming away with the brown stain of squished insect. “Another dead end?”

JJ ran his hand on the pipes, “There’s not even water on the pipes.”

“There’s no water here.” Pope confirmed as you slapped another bug, noticing that it was a mosquito.

“Not a dropamino.” JJ continued.

“Know why we didn’t find it?” Kie piped up, “Bad karma.”

“Oh, God, here we go.” John B muttered.

“You know, we had a good thing going. And then you decide to rope in Barbie, and now the trail’s gone dry.”

“Literally,” smirked, “there’s no water.”

“Coincidence?” Kie continued as Pope and JJ sniggered, “Probably not.”

“This is exactly why I didn’t wanna tell you about Sarah.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“What the hell’s the deal? What’s going on with you two?”

“Nothing.”

“Nothing? Is it because I kissed you? Is that the problem?”

Your eyes widened, your mouth forming a little ‘o’ as Kiara slapped him, JJ and Pope both calling out in surprise.

“Stop treating me like I’m some girl that’s obsessed with you instead of your best friend who’s actually trying to look out for you.”

The pair of them started bickering, slapping each other, using skeeters as excuses. You slapped your leg, seeing the brown stain of a mosquito, again.

“Why the fuck are there so many mosquitoes?” you fumed, slapping yourself again.

“Dude, I know, seriously. Tiny little vampire bats, just leave me alone.” JJ added, the pair of you slapping again, and again, and again. “Oh my gosh, can we leave? ‘Cause I’m already itchin’ to leave. Haha, punny.”

You looked at Pope, who was staring at the floor, his torch shining over it. You both stomped on the ground hearing the hollow sound as JJ tried to show you ‘Mrs Crain’s voodoo doll’. You picked up a stone, dropping it through the crack in the floorboards, and hearing the ‘plop’ as it landed in water. You and Pope scrambled, pushing the loose bits of wood out of the way to lift the board, opening up the well. Pope shone his torch down.

“Well, well, well.” he joked.

“Water great discovery.” You added.

“Great dad jokes, guys.” John B sighed.

“They built this part of the house right over it.”said Kie.

“This is where she hid the bodies.” JJ nodded.

“JJ, just stop.” You shook your head.

“No, I’m dead serious.”

“Yeah, you will be, because I’m seriously considering pushing you down that well.”

“It was never an outhouse.” JJ continued.

“She probably doesn’t even know it’s here.” Kie shrugged.

“So, we found water.” Pope looked to John B.

“We’re gonna need a really big rope.”

Tags: @tangledinsparkles @jellyfishbeansontoast @lolitstiana @ilikealotofpeople-younotsomuch @teamnick @thoughtsofthestars @obxmxybxnk @jjmaybankswife @kaelyn-lobrutto24 @sxcretinhuman @alexa-playafricabytoto @angvelics @badwolf00593 @coloradogirl07 @mendesmaybank​ @jiaraendgame

[sufferingsoup]

Listen I’ve been fucking ~obsessed~ with @thenerdyalchemist ‘s pirate AU (I’m sure nobody could tell bc I definitely don’t reblog eVrY dAmN pOsT of it nope not me never😂😂) and I just needed to write this scene. I’ve had it in my head since I read all the HCs for this AU and I needed to put it on paper lol. I’m not great at writing whatsoever, I’m v out of practice and def didn’t edit this, but I wrote it and it exists so I might as well post it right? Lmao. Anyway here it is hope u enjoy 😩 (Also sorry in advance abt the wack ass formatting lmao. I never make posts on tumblr and I highkey wrote this in a note on my phone and then pasted it in here lol)

Runaan grinned as he practically hung over the side of his ship, watching the familiar dock inch closer and closer. It felt like years since he had been back to this town, /his/ town. He was finally in the home stretch, and his crew couldn’t dock the ship fast enough for him. Before, he could stay out at sea forever. If it weren’t for the need to restock supplies every once in a while, he probably would. The open ocean was his home town, his crew was his family, his ship was his home, he didn’t need anything else before. But now? Now he had a reason to /want/ to go back to land.

/Him./

It had been an absolutely agonizing few months. When he had first set sail, he figured it would be like every other quest. Of course he would miss Ethari dearly, but they would both be busy with their respective work, and they could write to each other in the mean time. But this time was different. The moment he left his heart had sunk, leaving a gaping hole in his chest that widened further as he watched Ethari sit on the dock and wave until he could no longer see him. The first thing he did was write a letter to him. Even though he had only just left, he felt like a huge piece of him was missing without him there by his side. He found that he could not enjoy himself as much as he normally would.

The salty smell of the sea and the rhythmic pounding of the waves that used to calm him no matter how upset he was now served only to fill his thoughts with memories of midnight walks along the beach. The sand between his toes and rough, yet gentle fingers interlacing with his own, shoulders knocking against each other every so often. Looking into those bright amber eyes reflecting the moonlight back at him, putting all of his emotions clearly on display for Runaan to see.

The beating heat of the sun that would warm him through to his bones after a stormy night now reminded him of the forge, his mind replaying all the soft, intimate conversations they had while Ethari tinkered away on whatever his current project was. That thick accent of his, and his deep voice that could command the attention of an entire town if he wanted to, clashing oh-so-beautifully with his gentle laugh and sweet words.

The sea shanties the crew would sing in celebration of a successful mission, the dancing that accompanied them, the merriment he once found endearing and joyous and hilarious now dragged Ethari’s ethereal voice through his mind, reminding him of the many dances they shared during the festivals Ethari would drag him to when he visited. The brightest, purest of grins gracing that magnificent face as they held each other close, moving together to the beat and singing along with the familiar lyrics.

Everywhere he looked he only saw Ethari. All the sounds he heard, the scents he smelled, the touches he felt, the flavors he tasted, everything came back to him. /Oh, Ethari would love these jewels, he would make the prettiest necklace out of them!/ ... /The fire smells just like his workshop tonight, I wonder what he’s working on right now/ ... /Ethari so adores the sound of the seagulls calling out over the beach, I’ll have to tell him how many have followed us!/ All of his thoughts were consumed by /him/. It was driving him mad not being able to see him, hear him, touch him for himself.

But today was the day. /Finally/ he would be able to hold him again, and this time he would not let him go.

Ethari hummed softly as he carefully shined thin wires around the glittering stone. He wanted to make a unique little ring as a returning gift for Runaan. The shiny silver wires braided together and held a small, elegant opal in the center. Runaan’s last letter had informed him that he was almost back again, he was expecting him any day now. He had made sure to clear his schedule for a few days so he could welcome him back properly. He had so many things to tell him and show him, and Runaan always brought him lots of sparkly things when he returned from his quests.

He has been terribly lonely while Runaan was away. He was always a bit uneasy when he left, always worrying for his safety and missing his presence. Working on his projects was much more fun when his heart was safe and sound right next him to tell him stories and laugh at his awful jokes. But this time was much harder.

He was gone for a long time, and even though they wrote each other frequently, nothing could quite fill the hole in his heart. He decided he hated sleeping alone ever since Runaan had begun to stay with him when he would return. Every morning he would awaken to find himself disappointed at the empty silence that met him. Runaan would always be up bright and early, practicing his sword-fighting in the living room or getting chores done for him before the sun even had the chance to peak over the horizon. He would have tea and breakfast ready for him every morning, and Ethari was convinced that there was no better sight than a messy, early-morning Runaan bustling away in the kitchen with his hair down.

No, he didn’t like having breakfast without Runaan at all. Just like he hated walking the market without their arms linked together, Runaan haggling over everything Ethari tried to buy. Just like he hated wandering the beaches alone, without his hard-ass, pirate-king lover to playfully kick sand at and push into the water. Just like he hated coming across a new merchant with fun new foods and goods he had never seen before without Runaan to explain what they were and eagerly buy the lot for him. Life was utterly dull without Runaan by his side.

But soon he would be back. Soon he would be back in his arms.

Runaan pulled his hair out of its messy bun as they approached the dock, allowing it to flow in the breeze as freely and lightly as he felt. The moment the ship was close enough to the dock, he leaped over the side and climbed down.

“Make sure she’s tied down good, lads! I’ll be back in a bit to help with the unloading!” He called to his crew as he ran towards the street.

His heart fluttered as he felt the little ring hidden in his coin purse bounce against his leg. Today was the day. He sped through the market on the familiar route he had taken hundreds of times before. People jumped out of his way as they saw the tattoos on his face, gazing after him questioningly. It wasn’t very usual to see the dreaded pirate king running through town like a giddy schoolgirl. He didn’t care, though. He was on a mission of utmost importance. His body was leading him to his heart as fast as it could carry him. Before he knew it, he could see the familiar old door with the splintering old sign dangling above it, swaying in the light breeze. His grin widened as he picked up his pace for the final few strides. He skidded to a halt in front of the workshop door and kicked it in.

“Ethari!” He shouted, ready to combust from the pure excitement and the slight nerves zipping around throughout his body. The tinker gasped in surprise from his position at his worktable, whipping around to see the most beautiful man he had ever laid eyes on grinning in the wide-open doorway. He gasped again and slapped a hand over his mouth as hot tears began to sting at the corners of his eyes.

“Runaan!” He replied, getting up from his stool and running toward his lover, “I didn’t know you’d be back so-“

He stopped hard in his tracks a few paces away from him when Runaan suddenly dropped to one knee, staring up into his eyes with the softest look he had ever seen on his hard features. Ethari watched silently with wide eyes as Runaan dug in his coin purse and retrieved a shiny golden band adorned with tiny, glittering aventurine crystals around the middle, holding it up to him.

“Marry me, Ethari.” He breathed. The tears were flowing freely down Ethari’s cheeks now.

“Are you sure?” He asked, voice small and quivering. Runaan nodded hastily, grabbing Ethari’s hands tightly.

“I don’t want to be without you for another second, my darling heart. I want to travel the world with you by my side. I want to show you all the amazing things I get to see. I want you to sing to me while we lay together in our hammock and let the waves rock us to sleep. I want to make you tea every morning for the rest of my life, just so I can see that beautiful, sleepy, lopsided grin of yours first thing every day. You are all I need in this life. Please, my love, my /heart/, be my forever.”

Ethari fell to his knees in front of him, sobbing into his hands. Runaan pulled him into a tight embrace, tangling a hand into his messy hair as Ethari buried his face in the crook of his neck. They stayed that way for a moment, Ethari crying onto his shoulder as Runaan comforted him gently. When Ethari had calmed down enough to think, Runaan chuckled softly.

“Is that a yes?” He teased.

Ethari pulled back, cupping Runaan’s face in his hands and staring deeply into his eyes.

“What else could it possibly be, my shade?” He sniffed before crashing their lips together desperately.

After a moment of passionate kissing, Runaan pulled back and took Ethari’s hand gently in his own, sliding the sparkling ring onto his finger. Ethari lifted his hand to admire it. The gems were the color of Runaan’s eyes, and they sparkled beautifully no matter which way the light hit them. Suddenly, he remember the little ring he had dropped on his table when his door had been busted in. He gasped and ran over to grab it. Runaan followed him curiously, trying to peek over his shoulder before Ethari turned and held it up to him.

“It was just supposed to be a ‘welcome back’ gift, but it seems it might be a bit more than that now.” He giggled as Runaan stared at it in awe.

“It’s beautiful...” he said as Ethari took his hand and gently placed it on his finger. He turned his hand over and over again, taking in every bit of the artistry and craftsmanship that went into the tiny piece of jewelry before grinning up at his newly betrothed. He fell into Ethari’s strong arms and kissed him again - more gently this time - before resting their foreheads together.

“So,” Ethari started with a mischievous grin, “does this mean I finally get to watch you swab the poop-deck now? I was never on the ship long enough to see it.” He teased. Runaan groaned, but he couldn’t mask the laugh that bubbled up from his belly.

“No,” he sassed back, “it means /I/ get to watch /you/ do it. The /king/ never does hard manual labor.” He grinned, pinching Ethari’s sides. Ethari snorted and grabbed his hands, wrapping his arms around him again and pinning them behind his back firmly. He smirked at him and brushed his nose lightly against Runaan’s.

“We’ll see about that later tonight now won’t we, my /king/.”

[love-dreams]

together thick and thin

jimin/reader | college!au | genre: angst, fluff

synopsis: Jimin doesn’t know how his idiot friend could have dated you when he can’t even get you to notice him.

contents: friends to lovers, mentions of alcohol, break ups, mild swearing

note: THANKS FOR 100 NOTES!!!! here’s my first fic in celebration, jesus i respect all fic writers so much more now, it’s so hard to finish a fic...

wc: 2.5k

song rec: hellevator by stray kids, shoot me by day6

⇁⇁⇁⇁⇁⇁⇁

You sighed when another one of your roommates handed you her pile of laundry to fold, an apologetic smile on her face. You didn’t mean to get drunk, all you had wanted was to relax and get to know some people...

But obviously your dumb butt couldn’t stay away from the drinks, you cursed at yourself. 

Huffing angrily, you dump all the laundry out from the basket onto the floor of your room.

“Hey, you good?” a voice called from the doorway.

Looking up, you see Jimin leaning on the doorframe, a sucker in his mouth, a worried expression on his face. You force a smile at him and pull your hair up into a ponytail. 

“Here, I’ll help.”

Before you can make out a reply, Jimin’s already walking closer to where you were sitting on the floor of your room. 

“You look pretty miserable, [Y/N],” he said while squatting down next to you. “You know, if you don’t want to go to the parties you don’t have to.”

“I want to go!” you swatted him aside with a pout on your face and started to fold the first piece of laundry. “I’m doing fine, I promise. Don’t worry about me. Although I may not want to drink another sip of beer after this.”

Jimin chuckled and grabbed the first shirt he could see to neatly fold it on his lap.

“I’m kinda worried about you,” he whispered underneath his breath. “I don’t like to see you drunk, and heck, I know it hasn’t been easy for you, but hang in there, okay?”

You ignore his words for a while before sighing and continuing to fold the laundry. 

“I know, Jimin. I’m trying to move on. It’s just...I just feel like I’m never gonna find someone right for me, Chim.”

In response to your comment, Jimin could only smile sadly. 

⇁⇁⇁⇁⇁⇁⇁

“Hey, aren’t you Jungkook’s ex?” 

You froze in fear before scrambling to pick up your things even faster, throwing your notebooks into your backpack, scrambling to rise to your feet.

“Whoa, chill.”

You looked down at your feet before replying meekly, “I think you’ve got the wrong person,” and then trying to squeeze past him out of the classroom. Suddenly, you felt something pull you back to that mysterious person. 

Looking back at him, you tugged at your arm frantically, trying to make him loosen his grip. Seeing your panic, Jimin released your arm immediately, apologizing profusely.

“I’m so sorry about that. I didn’t mean to startle you or anything. I was just curious since…”

Before he could continue, you were already out the door.

⇁⇁⇁⇁⇁⇁⇁

It was after another party that Jimin decided that it was enough. He couldn’t stand the sight of you drinking your sorrows away and becoming a mess afterward. 

“Jimin…” you moaned out as he tried to get you to sit in the cab. You threw his hands off of you and defiantly stared into his eyes before breaking out into a drunken smile. “Why you...so serious…? I wanna go back and paaaarty!”

Jimin sighed, “C’mon [Y/N],” before opening the door and motioning you to get in. You pouted at him but still got into the car by yourself. He let you lay on his lap to sleep for awhile before taking out his phone to text the others. 

As he was texting, he heard some murmurs come out of your mouth and gently leaned closer to listen.

“Kookie….why you leave me?” 

Hearing you talk about your ex made Jimin’s blood boil, but as your best friend all Jimin could do in response is sigh and shush you.

“I’m not Jungkook, [Y/N]. Remember? I’m Jimin-”

Jimin froze in shock when you threw your arms around him, drunkenly whispering into his body, “I miss you sooooo much, Kookie…Why...”

And that was when Jimin’s heart dropped. It wasn’t the fact that you still missed your ex that made him heartbroken. It was the fact that Jimin was never going to be enough.

It was during that car drive, that Jimin experienced the pain of unrequited love. 

You woke up with one hell of a hangover just as Jimin had predicted. Your head was pounding, and you stank of sweat and alcohol. Groaning, you stumbled into the bathroom to get yourself cleaned up, taking a shower to wash off the smell of sweat. When you came downstairs, there was a bowl of ramen and a note saying, “Eat this to feel better. -Jimin”. You smiled at Jimin’s cute handwritten note and sat down to enjoy your breakfast. Pulling out your phone, you quickly texted Jimin a message.

> thx for taking care of me! 💜💜 

Within a few seconds, a ding was heard from your phone, and you quickly picked it up to read Jimin’s response.

< no prob.

Frowning at Jimin’s cold reply, you felt just a little guilty for getting drunk at a party again, but you shrugged it off. Jimin should be used to you being hungover anyway. 

It was just your way of grieving. 

⇁⇁⇁⇁⇁⇁⇁

“You know...Jungkook isn’t that great.”

You ignored Jimin’s comment and continued typing on your computer.

“Hey!”

Jimin shut your laptop to reveal his grinning face. 

“[Y/N]...give me attention,” he pouted.

You rolled your eyes at Jimin, before opening your laptop again and trying to focus on writing your essay. “Go to someone else, Jimin. I’m trying to work here.”

Jimin pouts one more time at you before giving up and turning back to face the front of the auditorium. Suddenly, you heard a pencil being slammed down on the desk, causing you to look up in surprise. 

Jimin grinned at you and placed down the folded piece of paper daintily before skipping out of the auditorium to meet his friend. 

Shaking your head in annoyance, you pick up the note anyway and read it.

“Jungkook isn’t that great if he couldn’t see how cute you are 💜 -Jimin”.

After finishing, you couldn’t help but notice your mood change. Smiling, you slipped the note into your coat pocket, and continued back to your work.

⇁⇁⇁⇁⇁⇁⇁

It’s been two weeks since that party and Jimin has decided that it’s best if he keeps his distance.

For the sake of your friendship with him. 

But it’s so hard not to text you every so often to make sure you’re okay, or to meet up after classes, and he’s sure that you’ve noticed that he’s been avoiding you. Jimin admits that he’s a coward. He knows he doesn’t have the courage to confess his feelings because he’s scared. But Jimin also knows that your breakup has negatively impacted you and he doesn’t want to push things too fast. At the end of the day, Jimin acknowledges his duty as a friend first. 

All he ever wanted was for you to be happy.

Ruffling his hair, Jimin shakes out thoughts of you and tries to concentrate on his homework, but his concentration doesn’t last long when he hears his phone ringing.

Jimin already knows the caller ID is you, but still hesitates to pick up.

“Hey, Jimin!” 

Jimin cringed when he heard your chirpy voice out of the phone. Calming his racing heart, he replied monotonically, “What’s up?”

“Um...Well we haven’t met up for awhile and there’s a new movie out! Wanna see it together?”

Jimin’s heart pounded uncontrollably as blood rushed through his head. “I-I...I don’t think I can go, sorry [Y/N].”

What you said after that was blurry to him, but when you hung up, all Jimin could do is sigh in relief. He slumped down in his chair and ruffled his hair in frustration again as he picked up his pen and started doing his homework.

Jimin just couldn’t get you out of his head.

Over the next few days, Jimin flooded himself with to-do lists, busying himself to the point of exhaustion. Anything to get his mind off of you. He spent hours in the school practice room by himself to perfect choreography and missed meals lots of times. It got to the point that even you had noticed even when Jimin was ignoring you. 

You reached out to Jimin multiple times only to be turned down over and over again. You were almost at your breaking point with Jimin before you received a text. 

< Can we meet up?

< i need to talk to you abt smthing

Confused and worried, you quickly texted back:

> chim, you okay?

> sure when and where?

You waited for a while for his response, pacing back and forth in your small apartment. 

< yeah i’m fine.

< on the rooftop your place. tomorrow 9

Sighing in relief, you agreed.

> okay!

⇁⇁⇁⇁⇁⇁⇁

Jimin doesn’t know what he was thinking when he sent you that text. What did he even want to talk about? Maybe he just wanted to see you.

“Urgh, Tae, what do I do?”

“Just tell her you liker her, man. Ain’t that hard,” Taehyung replied from his seat on the couch, not even looking up from his phone. 

Kicking the couch in frustration, Jimin bursted out, “Hey, pay attention! I’m actually being serious!”

Looking up, Taehyung looked surprised at his friend’s sudden outburst. Suddenly, Jimin felt bad for taking out his anger on Taehyung, and quickly apologized.

“I’m sorry Tae. It’s just... things have been a mess recently.”

Lately it felt like all of Jimin’s emotions have been on edge and now, they were finally bubbling over. 

Taehyung nodded understandingly, putting down his phone for good measure. “I get it. But I still think that you should talk to her. You’re not being fair by keeping her in the dark, y’know?” 

Jimin sighed, knowing that Taehyung was right. “Yeah, I know. We’re gonna meet up tomorrow.” 

Taehyung smiled, showing his boxy smile and clapped his friend on the back, “You got this, man!” 

That night, Jimin lied awake in bed, pondering about all the possibilities that could go wrong. Worst case scenario? You hate him forever and stop being his friend. Best case scenario? You like him back. 

Jimin already ruled out that best case scenario. You had long shown him that you weren’t interested in any romantic love with Jimin. That best case scenario was more imaginary than a scenario.

Although it’s already been half a year since Jungkook broke up with you, Jimin knew that you were still devastated and he just couldn’t put his own interests above yours. It just wasn’t fair to you.

By morning, Jimin had made up his mind. 

⇁⇁⇁⇁⇁⇁⇁

“Oh my gosh, guys, what am I going to do?” you sobbed on the living room couch.

You were currently freaking out in the living room with all of your roommates surrounding you. Why? Because you were scared that Jimin hates you now. 

“Just hear him out, [Y/N]. You’ve been friends for like half a year now, what’s the worst that could happen?” said Rosé, from her spot on the carpet.

I pushed him away.

“I think Jimin’s proved himself trustworthy, don’t you think?” continued Nayeon. 

I forced all my grief onto him.

“If he turns out to be an asshole, I’ll kick his ass, don’t worry about it,” assured one of your roommates. 

I’m responsible. 

After all your roommates had their turn talking to you and left for the night, you sat on the carpet of your bedroom, feeling still a little stressed. 

Hearing the door creak open, you lifted your head to show red eyes and tissues surrounding you. Irene was standing at the doorway this time, with a worried expression on her face.

It reminded you of how Jimin had looked a few weeks ago.

“[Y/N], are you feeling alright?” asked Irene kindly, not wanting to disturb you.

You shook your head, took a tissue, and blew into it hard.

Sighing, Irene walked over to where you were sitting, threw all the tissues into the trash bag she was carrying, and plopped down right by you. 

“I think...that you’re thinking about it too much. I know that you’re worried, but think about it like this. You guys have been together thick and thin. Don’t let something as trivial as this get in between the two of you.”

You looked up at the ceiling, trying to blink away your tears. “I just...feel like I pushed another person away. Just like Jungkook.”

Irene nodded understandingly, “I get what you’re feeling, but Jimin’s shown you unconditional support ever since Jungkook broke up with you. The two of you are practically best friends! Do you really think that Jimin would leave you like Jungkook?”

Slowly, you started to agree with Irene. Jimin wasn’t like Jungkook. Jimin had been there when you had needed it most. 

Confidently, you turned around and told Irene, “Yeah, you’re right! Jimin’s still my friend and tomorrow, I’m gonna give him a piece of my mind for ignoring me!”

Your roommates cheered outside. 

⇁⇁⇁⇁⇁⇁⇁

Sunday came and the two of you were both stressed out to meet. 

Irene’s right, you thought. I shouldn’t be afraid. 

While Jimin was pacing back and forth in his dorm, you and your roommates were dressing up, making sure to look as good as possible. Finally, when the clock struck 9:00, you started heading out of your apartment, to the highest floor possible.

Shivering while pushing open the door, a gust of chilly wind blew in, causing you to pull your cardigan tighter around you. 

Looking around, you saw Jimin standing at the edge of the rooftop, gazing out to see the city skyline with the beautiful setting sun. Jimin turned around, the sight of his face made you want to run over and hug him with relief. It’s been two long weeks without your best friend and you wanted him back. You missed him.

Walking over to him, you stood by him and remarked, “It’s cold tonight.”

Jimin smiled sheepishly, ruffling his hair in embarrassment, “Sorry about that. I didn’t check the weather.”

The two of you leaned against the railing, admiring the landscape.

Breaking the silence, Jimin turned to you, “I-I want to apologize.”

You looked at him in surprise and quickly responded, “What are you apologizing for? You wanted the best for me and I was stubborn. You’re right. I need to move on.”

Jimin sighed and refused to look at you, “I...shouldn’t have forced my thinking onto you. I was being selfish and self-centered….I’m really sorry [Y/N].” 

Irene really was right. Jungkook would never have apologized. Maybe...it’s time to move on. 

Cupping Jimin’s face softly, you brought his gaze up to look at you. You saw his red, puffy eyes and tear tracks on his cheeks. His nose was red and his cheeks were too. 

Jimin had supported you and loved you all this time. Now it was time for you to return the love.

Bringing your face close, you kissed him.

[lovelylapins]

okay so i saw this au made by @bevvydraws and had to write something abt it (although i’m pretty sure i went a bit off the rails with this one oops)

ko-fi, ao3

No one had really known what to do with the kids when the abilities first appeared. Suddenly, as if overnight, kids appeared with the sudden ability to do things. A kid in Peru lifting cars over their head with glee on their face and a schoolbag at their feet. An American toddler rushing down a hallway with a quickness the camera could barely pick up, stumbling in their onesie and laughing up at their parent. A kid from Russia with superhuman strength, crushing a block of concrete to smithereens with one punch.

A teen from Italy grinning up at a camera moments before she short-circuited the system and made off with almost $1.3 million in jewels. Another kid in a viral video, becoming transparent in a store and reappearing moments later with dozens of high-end clothing in their arms. A bullied teen shoving several of her bullies into a dark hole conjured up by her, not appearing again until weeks later when she was forced to release them.

Suddenly, astonishment turned into fear, and the joy a parent felt when their child appeared to have the ability turned to terror.

The international governments hadn’t the closest idea of how to deal with the chaos. Kids, several too young to even be controlled by their parents -much less a higher authority- were now armed with unfathomable powers. Should they be raised wrong or influenced by the wrong people, who knew what could truly result from them?

Several meetings were held to discuss the issue, but even as more and more kids became discovered, it seemed less and less likely they’d find an ample solution, and soon before utter chaos unfolded.

And then, Gabriel Agreste had entered the scene.

A multi-millionaire fashion designer, who had recently come out and spoke on his own child, Adrien, an admired and respected young model in the making. Adrien, just thirteen years old, who had discovered he had an ability as well, and while Gabriel didn’t go into details with the press, rumors surged it was destructive and dangerous, one that could very well lead to trouble in Paris.

Gabriel stepped into the picture and proposed a fix of sorts. An academy, one where he would accept any kid who held an ability of sorts, and out of his own money provide food, clothing, and housing as they grew up and learned to handle their powers. A place where the young ones wouldn’t be persecuted or feared but accepted and taught their abilities were gifts, not curses. A place, he continued, where voluntary studies would be done out of the children’s choice only, and where they could see the extent to what most abilities could do.

His son was the first student enrolled, and which little persuasion several world leaders gave money to help fund the school as the months went on. The plan had merely been to build a school in Paris, but as the years went on and interest grew worldwide, too many students to enroll in just one academy, Gabriel proposed an even greater idea. He suggested expanding and having academies in several countries, allowing for kids to both go to school and be closer to families, and to create a sense of normality with the gifted ones and normal kids.

And, seeing the growth of those enrolled, his plan became a reality. Gabriel spent many weeks and months going to each academy, seeing new students and checking in with those enrolled at the academy for longer periods. Toddlers were now beginning to read and write, teens were on the verge of graduating and beginning a career in the real world, and several students themselves saw a future where maybe their ability could be used for the benefit of the world.

It was a miracle, a way to deal with the worries the world first faced. Sure, there had been a few ones unwilling to go to the school, and several others who turned to more dangerous and chaos causing antics, but with the research they had made in the academy, it became easier and easier to apprehend the gifted who acted out, and to keep them jailed without fear of retaliation. It also became easier for many to live normal lives and do normal things, without the stares and pointing that had resulted in the first few years of the emergence of abilities.

The first school founded, just three years earlier in Paris, was the most known academy out of the others. Gabriel had originally accepted any student to that one, but over time suggested it would be best if the more talented ones were enrolled there, where they could be separated from the abilities not needing as much attention and gentle guiding. Those abilities, which went far from simple house tricks and into the realm of manipulating the rules of time, space, and matter, were rare and much more challenging to control.

As such, Gabriel spent the most time there as opposed to the other academies. There, he spent time observing classes and most importantly observing students, seeing how they progressed throughout the class days and used their abilities in everyday life. He watched the unique skills and made notes on certain students, wondering what else would come from them.

Unbeknownst to them, however, he didn’t observe merely for signs of development. No, Gabriel Agreste was more interested in something else, a darker need. He wanted to see the true extent of their power and see if it could be applied to something else for his own benefit.

He wondered if, through his academy, he’d find a way to bring life back.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng was an especially important student to him. She had been sought out by the academy two years prior, and finally, after much convincing finally joined. Unwilling to join the academy when she was younger, Marinette was now the same age as his son Adrien, sixteen and on the cusp of adulthood. It was better now than never that she was enrolled, and he hoped that by careful observation he’d be able to thoroughly find out what she was capable of before she was cast out into the real world.

Creation had been written in her files, he noticed. Manipulating matter into objects called forth by her own imagination, and making various real objects come to life in the blink of an eye. It was an ability he hadn’t discovered before, and he wondered if just perhaps, could she create life with time and practice.

It was also to another benefit. Creation worked in tandem with destruction, and after years spent trying to contain his son’s behavior and outbursts he finally had a way to contain it, Adrien having spent the past few years destroying everything he could with the tap of his fingers whenever he pleased to, causing vast damage to several parts of the building and causing Gabriel to shield him from the others, far away in an abandoned section of the academy.

Marinette smoothed out her shirt as she went down the long hallway. She had been assigned a room in the vacant section of the building, untouched by other students and closed off from virtually the world. She’d been assured, however, that she would be allowed to participate in the same classes and activities as the other students and was only put there per Gabriel’s orders.

Frowning, she looked at the walls as she walked. Cracked, some bits of paint peeling off and many doors damaged as she went by. Stopping before a wall, she placed her hands on it and closed her eyes, picturing a new and fresh wall instead. A warmth came from her hands to the object before her, and when she opened her eyes, she saw that it all had been repaired.

She continued fixing as she went through the hallways, clutching the room number slip in her other hand. Marinette didn’t mind the fix as she would be living in these halls, but the slight tingle in her hands as she did so reminded her to be cautious with the amount of force she used. There was still much she had to learn, she told herself, and this place would help with that.

Stopping before the door her slip of paper had written down, she noticed that it was the most damaged of all the others. She placed a hand on the doorknob, and as she repaired it she swung the door open, letting herself in.

It was spacious, she noticed. One bed on one side of the room, with her box of things from home, sat on top of it. Her side, she assumed. Looking to the other, she spotted another bed, of whom she expected would be her roommate. However, she didn’t see her anywhere, twisting her neck around in the hopes they were hiding in the shadows, or sitting down somewhere she didn’t notice, or-

“Who are you?” a voice lets out, and Marinette’s head snaps over across the room, where a room she can only think of being the bathroom is. A guy’s stepping out, with a towel wrapped around his waist and eyes narrowed at her from across the room.

Marinette blushes, shielding her eyes from his frame and wishing something came between them and throwing her arms out in front of her. She felt the warmth in her body start up again, and when she looks in front of herself again, she sees a wall, tall and strong, dividing the two and effectively keeping her thoughts pure and innocent.

“Oh, no, I’m sorry!” she exclaims, hands threw over her mouth in shock.

“Did… did you just make that wall?” he calls out, voice muffled.

“Uh… yeah. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to, I just kinda… thought it up.”

“No, it’s okay. I guess. It… It gives me a way to change in privacy, that’s for sure.”

Marinette blushes as she hears him rummaging around, drawers slamming open and shut. She looks down at her feet, wondering if she’s being pranked.

“You know, this is pretty cool,” he says, and he sounds much closer, as if he’s just on the other side of the wall across from her and what she can only hope is changed.

“Thanks,” she lets out softly.

“So… you create things, right?”

“Yeah, I guess that’s my ability. But I can only create. I can’t uncreate something, so I’m not sure how to exactly get this wall down... if we can even get it down. I’m really sorry. Maybe we can call someone who can get someone to get this down, and then they can figure out where I belong.”

“You know,” he starts, “I think you’re right where you belong.”

Another second, and Marinette hear a large thud on the wall before she starts seeing tiny cracks emerge. The longer she watches, the more cracks appear, sprouting from the same place until the wall begins to crumble. In less than a few minutes, it’s all gone, with dust in the air and destroyed pieces of the wall on the floor. Standing behind it all is that guy, staring at her.

“I’m Adrien,” he introduces, clapping his hands to free them of the dust and holding one out. “Adrien Agreste.”

Hand still out, Marinette slowly goes to shake it. A part of her is worried about what just happened to the wall will happen to her, but better logic tells her that abilities just don’t work like that. One needs to have the intent to do something, after all. Shaking it, she relaxes a bit at his touch, before thinking through his name. Along with that, his face, which looks oddly familiar.

“Agreste… Like the school?” she asks, before looking down at her room assignment again. Was she really in the right room?

He chuckles, moving a hand back to rub at his neck.

“Yeah, that Agreste. Not that my dad will ever admit it, though.” Adrien looks down at her, at this girl with bright blue eyes and her mouth agape, holding just a small piece of paper in her hands. He squints, spotting the number written on it.

“You’re in the right place, after all,” he says, seeing the numbers written on it the same that was framed on his door. “I guess my dad thought you’d balance things out around here and finally assigned me a roommate. Although, I didn’t think I’d get paired with a girl. Usually, they’re pretty strict around here with those sorts of things.”

“You’ve never had a roommate before?”

“Nope,” he says, smiling. “Not that I’m complaining though. It’ll be nice having someone to talk to.”

“Are you not allowed in classes or the dining hall?”

He spreads his hands out, motioning to the room. While decorated with plenty of lavish things, there were cracks in the wall and debris littering some parts of the room. It looked like repairs had been done plenty of times, but nothing strong enough to hold him back.

“I’m not really someone they want to just run around the academy, especially since this is the one my dad likes to show off the most. I’m pretty destructive, you know.”

“I’m pretty sure I can help fix some things,” she says, smiling up at him. For what it was worth, he seemed nice enough. A bit sheltered and a bit hot tempered she supposed, but nothing she couldn’t deal with.

After all, she didn’t really have enough people to call a friend anyways.

Walking over to one of the walls, she places her hand down on it, Adrien watching as she fixed it with ease. Already moving to another part of the room, she repaired the room a bit more, fixing marks and damage done that hadn’t been fixed in years or bothered to be attended to. Adrien kept his eye on her as she did so, admiring the gentle way she brushed her hand on the surfaces. The more he watched, he saw a slight light emerge from her hands as if the energy within her came out and help create new matter into the world.

“You’re pretty powerful,” he comments, noticing that once she was done, she didn’t appear to show much weariness. Looking at him, she grins.

“My mom and dad really supported me growing up,” she explained, smiling at his compliment. “While I wasn’t at the academy learning how to really master things, I spent a lot of time drawing and creating clothes, bringing them to life. And then, after dodging invitations from the academy for the past few years and not really going anywhere with public school, we just decided we might as well see what they could offer me here.”

“So, you’re a designer?” Adrien quirks his brow. He’d assumed someone like her would’ve flocked to the school first thing, and especially someone with her power. His dad, before devoting most of his life to running the academy had been a well-known designer himself, and she could’ve learned firsthand from him.

“Aspiring, at least. No one’s really wanted to be around me long enough to try on the clothes I made so I guess I can’t tell how good they really are.” Making her way over to her box, Marinette rummaged a bit before pulling out a sketchbook. She flipped through it, seeing various dresses and clothes she designed in the past few years. Many of them had been brought up to life by her, but she spent long days spent just seeing them hung up, no one to model them for her.

It had been hard making friends and as sweet and nice she was to everyone, it seemed there was still a sense of apprehension around her. While her ability wasn’t that dangerous, it was more powerful than the other kids who decided to stay in public school, prompting concern from several parents and classmates about what could result if she snapped one day.

“I mean, I’ll model them for you if you want,” he suggested. Adrien had been a childhood star with modeling, and while his power and temper kept the masses away, he still drew plenty of attention with the promotional shoots his father forced him to do, promoting the school and encouraging gifted kids to apply. It had been some while since he was actually made to try on clothes though, and he wouldn’t mind trying them on for his new roommate and the first person he’s made contact with that wasn’t a teacher in a few years.

“That’s really sweet,” she said, looking over her shoulder to beam at him. He smiled back, feeling his cheeks burn as she looked at him.

“It’s no big deal,” he says, waving his hand in the air and feeling his cheeks turn warmer. “Just consider it something friends do.”

“My first friend here.” She sets her sketchbook down and sits down at her bed, looking at Adrien on the other side of the room.

Mine too, he thinks to himself.

“I just hope it won’t be my last,” she comments, looking out a window to where the courtyard was. Dozens of students walked, all in uniforms and laughing amongst themselves. As she looked longer at the mirror, she spotted cracks in it, most likely victim to Adrien’s destruction. She made a note to fix it later.

They both stare out, watching the vast number of students crossing into different buildings or sitting on benches, enjoying the outside. Adrien wondered how it must feel, to be free and able to do whatever, even while carrying abilities and able to do wondrous things.

“Well, we should probably settle this whole roommate situation,” Marinette says after a moment, breaking the calm. “I don’t think I’m being rude when I say I want a little privacy.”

“No, not in the slightest,” he agrees. “I’m sure you were onto something when you created that wall, but personally I want something that won’t completely cut us off from each other or leave one of us trapped in the room until it’s been destroyed again.”

“You’re right. We need something better, something that won’t need constant use of our energy.” Marinette frowned, thinking.

“We could have a divider?” Adrien suggests. “Like, an easy access one where we could slide it open if we needed to get to the other side of the room, but we had locks on both sides in case we needed privacy?”

Marinette nods. Imagining one in her brain, she thought up how it’d look in the room. Not wanting to put any intent in it however, she quickly stilled her thoughts in case she created one without a moment’s notice.

“It’d work,” she finally says. “It wouldn’t completely close us off but let us kinda have our own room of sorts.”

Motioning for him to step onto his “side”, Marinette finally began to picture it. A divider, one smack dab in the middle of the room and giving the two space, an area for each to actually have privacy. She held her hands out in front of her and feeling the warmth spread through her body again, let the energy come out and create before her.

When she finally opened her eyes again, she smiled.

“It worked!” she said, clapping her hands together. Running to the divider, she clasped her hands onto the sliding panel and pushed it open, revealing Adrien on the other side. “Can you believe it?”

Adrien grinned, unable to say anything. She was incredible, he thought. In mere seconds she conjured up something and made it so nice and there and real he couldn’t process anything other than inner praise for Marinette.

Creation, he thought to himself. How miraculous.

[xuteline-blog]

I want you to love me now

read on ao3!

Word Count: 3,489

Pairing: Seonghwa/Hongjoong

Tags: Alternate Universe - College/University, Feelings Realization, Past Relationship(s), Getting Back Together, Angst, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Chatting & Messaging, seonghwa jus wants to be held..., and thats exactly what hongjoong will do!!, Kissing, Angst with a Happy Ending, Happy Ending, Not Beta Read

Description:

Seonghwa didn't know who he had expected to be there at Yunho's movie night marathon. All he was told by Yeosang was that he had invited a couple friends over. He had never thought he'd find himself reunited with the very person that taught him what love really was, and to have a chance at it again.

Seonghwa knew what love was. He knew about it before he was even in preschool.

His mother and father, holding hands as they stared into each other's eyes, whispering confessions before giving a peck on the lips to eachother, waving goodbye as one of them left.

His mother and fathers thumbs caressing eachothers hands, sitting on the couch as his fathers arms enveloped his mothers frame, both content, both warm.

His mother and father, in love.

He saw it every day. He knew what love was.

He was told in class once that being in love would be when hes most happiest. He was told in class once that being in love was what everyone wanted. He was told in class once that being in love felt like you were a firework, about to be ignited, and when you saw the person you loved, you would light up, and felt like as if your body was on fire.

He was told about it every day. He knew what love was.

It wasn't until Seonghwa reached his senior years in high school that he contemplated love. Looking back, he had never really felt what people told him love felt like. He had had his fair shares of relationships, and by the way he felt absolutely downtrodden after his breakup with a guy in his class two years ago, he really had thought he had been in love. But maybe... it was just infatuation? Maybe an oblivious case of puppy love.

He remembered the day clearly.

It was stormy, the rain pouring down as Seonghwa looked out the window of the library. He had came here to study, as his last exam was coming up and he couldnt afford to fail. His scholarship depended on it.

He sat alone at a table, the librarian allowing him to keep his hot chocolate as his books and papers laid in front of him, his small makeshift study desk unorganised and messy.

He watched as the rain droplets danced around each other, how they stepped close before stepping back before colliding together, catching eachother and finishing their dance at the bottom of the window pane.

What a weird metaphor, he thought. Rain droplets, two lovers dancing around each other and away, too scared to cross paths before giving their all to their other.

He had never felt such a way.

A hand slammed on his desk, tearing him away from his thoughts. He looked up at the culprit, his wide eyes furrowing as he took in who had scared him.

"Hongjoong," He stopped twirling his pen between his fingers, holding it steady as its tip nearly touched paper. "What do you need?"

"I just wanted to check on you!" Hongjoong smiled, and Seonghwa felt warmth blossom in his chest at the confession. Hongjoong grabbed a chair from the table infront of Seonghwa, turning it to sit at Seonghwas desk. "You've been hauling yourself up here a lot lately, I was worried if you were doing good," Seonghwa fought a smile as the shorter boy sat down, leaning onto Seonghwas table.

"I have been doing fine, just studying," Hongjoong furrowed his eyebrows at the statement.

"But exams have finished?"

"Not this last one, its an exam to confirm whether or not I will be going to my desired University,"

"Oh? But i thought the scholarship covered that?"

"No, it was like a golden ticket. All expenses paid and a course set for me as long as I ace this exam,"

"What happens if you dont pass?"

"They take my scholarship and give it to someone else. They also refer me to other universities and colleges that would suit me if I so ask them too," Hongjoong looked down at the desk, eyes examining the strewn papers as he pouted. Seonghwa could fight the smile that ordained his face.

"Whens the exam?" Seonghwa grabbed one of his textbooks and his writing book, copying a few things down.

"On Friday," Hongjoongs eyes widened, his mouth agape.

"Thats only two days away! You better be studying!"

"You said you came up here because of how ive been," Seonghwa put down his pen, raising his hands to make air quotes. "'Hauling myself up here'"

Hongjoong banged the table, causing a semi loud bang to exho through the library. The librarian looked aorund the corner, pinpointing Hongjoong with her glare and shushing him. Hongjoongs cherks turned red as embarrassment took over him.

"I-I know i said that! I just— didn't you just have your last school exam yesterday, then? Have you been studying for this exam while stuudying for the schools ones, or just started now?" Seonghwa wtched as Hongjoong leaned back in his chair, a pout making its way back onto his face.

"I had been studying for this since Saturday, ap you do not need to worry. In fact, i think this may be my last long study session for a while. I'm pretty confident of where i stand right now," Hongjoong looked up at Seonghwa, a small smile forming.

"Thats nice to hear. Does that mean you could probably hang out with us tomorrow? We all miss you..." Hongjoong trailed off, having grabbed Seonghwas pen and spinning it on the table. Seonghwa felt more warmth course through his body at the statement. He missed them too.

"I will, do not fret. I've just been—"

"—We know you've been busy! You don't need to say it, we all have been busy!," Seonghwa stared at Hongjoong, the sudden outburst unexpected. "But... That was a yes?" Hongjoong sat up straighter, his eyes wide and sparkling. How cute.

...Cute?

"Yes, I will be there Joongie, don't worry," Hongjoong jumped up, startling Seonghwa. He grabbed Seonghwas hands and held the tight, smiling brightly.

"After school, meet up at the front gates, do not be a single minute late!" And as quickly as Hongjoong had showed up, he ran off, barreling through the library doors with a bang, the librarian looking at Seonghwa with a frown while the boy stared at his hands, caught off guard by what Hongjoong had done.

He traced his left hand with his right, and his right with his left, eyes wide as he felt the tingles in his hands slowly dissipate. He felt somewhat... giddy. A rush from when Hongjoong had touched him. Seonghwa felt heat rise on his cheeks.

And while his body was still riding the high of the moment, from when Hongjoong held his hands, to his bright smiles directed at him, he couldn't help but think 'Oh no'.

***************************

It was a stormy day, and Seonghwa was stuck in his dorm. His roommate had left earlier, telling Seonghwa that he was visiting his parents for the week. So here Seonghwa was, alone in his dorm, a storm playing out right in front of him, and his hands curled around a cup full of hot chocolate as he lived carelessly for the week off. What more could he ask for?

He sipped his hot beverage, humming in content as he swirled the hot chocolate in his mouth, savouring the taste.

As he reminisced in the moment, his phone chimed. Seonghwa turned his head towards his phone, glancing at the notification on the lock screen. He leant over, grabbing the phone and unlocking it. He clicked on the notification, which was a message, and read it.

hehet

would u be free rn?

Seonghwa stared at the message eyebrows furrowed before sighing and putting his hot chocolate down.

pluto

yes I would, why?

also, why pluto

hehet

cuz u aint real 😍😍😌

pluto

what

pluto is real sangie

its just not a planet

sangie.

hehet

omfg stop bullying me

hehet changed pluto's name to bully!

bully

youre insufferable

hehet

u love it

ok anyway what i actually came here for

so ur actually free to do anythin today??

bully

yes sangie, im free today

why, did something happen? do you need me to come over and hang out?

hehet

no no, dw

just needed to make sure so everything goes according to plan

ok so anyway

come meet us at yunhos dorm, were havin a mini movie party n meeting some of his friends!!

bully

oh?

what kind of movies? and what kind of friends?

hehet

idk but not horror thats all i know!! i remember yunho sayin he wanted to watch some disney or nostalgic films so theres that

also !! do not worry abt the friends!!

they r super kind n funny, youll love em :]

bully

youve already met them? thats kind rude :/

hehet

it was by accident :[[

i went over to yunhos to give him back a hoodie he left at our last study sess @ my dorm n i met em!!

it was only for a minute, i was rushin since i was late to class

bully

hmm... ok, ill accept it

what time will it be then?

hehet

at 4 and if yunhos roomate does end up coming home early from his mini trip, itll end at 10, but if not, we can stay the night

bully

not to be rude, but i really hope his roommate does not come back to the dorms until later tomorrow

hehet

same

knowing us, we'd just pass out on the couch anywaybully

ok u guys will, im responsible

hehet

sounds pretty fake ngl :///

bully

ok then, i shall go back to what i was doing before you messaged me

hehet

wait seonghwa i wanna keep talkin im bored :[[

seonghwa??

seongie??

ddeonghwa????

: [

***************************

It was an hour before Seonghwa had to leave. He had just gotten out of the shower, mostly wiped down, but his hair was still dripping.

He shook his head, feeling his hair stick to his face and water droplets fly everywhere. He brought up the towel to his head and vigorously dried his hair.

After drying himself down, he got dressed. Nothing extravagant or formal, but something comfortabe and simple. It was practically a sleep over he was invited to, after all.

It was now 15 minutes till Seonghwa would have to be at Yunho's. He know walking to Yunho's dorm would take at least 10 minutes, since it was not on the other side of campus, but a far bit away.

Seonghwa went through his mental checklist. Phone, check. Charger, check. Earphones, check. Small over the shoulder bag full of snacks, a pair of spare clothes, and an apparent rose flavoured lip balm, check.

At the thought of the lip balm, he licked his lips. His lips had been dry during the week from the cold weather, so he took up Yeosangs advice on picking up one or two lip balms. Of course, he bought the only ones that were supposedly to be what a flower would taste like. He picked up the lip balm, applying it to his lips and smacking them together before putting it back.

He checked the time.

12 minutes left.

He grabbed all his things, his keys jingling in his hands and a dmall umbrella in his pockets. He opened his dorm door, exiting and locking the door before finally leaving the dorm building. He grabbed his umbrella, opening it up once he stepped foot outside, wlaking along the footpath, frowning when he noticed the mud making its way across the path.

He sighed as the rain started to pour harder, his grip tightening on his umbrella.

He did not want to walk back to his dorm through this weather.

***************************

He made it to Yunho's dorm a bit later than he had expected. His shoes were caked in mud, and no, he did not slip in mud, he just wanted to be like Peppa Pig for a fleeting moment.

He knocked on Yunho's door, wiping his shoes off at the mat and taking them off. He shook his umbrella, the water flying everywhere. Maybe he should ahve done that outside, but it was too late now.

The door opened, revealing Yeosang who just pouted.

"You're late," Seonghwa pushed past Yeosang, dropping his umbrella near the door and placing his shoes near the rest. There's definitely a few new pairs there, either Yunho got more shoes, or his friends are already here.

"You try walking here in this weather," A few laughs were heard in the distance. Yep, definitely here.

Yeosang shook his head, closing and locking the door. He turned to Seonghwa, grabbing his hand and dragging him towards lounge.

"So, what's happened so far?"

"Nothing much! Just been playing some switch waiting for you," Yeosang stopped as they made it to the lounge. "Look who's here!" Seonghwa looked at the three men that were on the couch, all three watching the TV as they battled in MarioKart.

"Is it Seonghwa?" Yunho asked before he crossed the finish line, jumping up and laughing.

"I win!" The man sat on the right of Yunho crossed the line next, pointing to the man that sat on the left of Yunho, laughing.

"And you're last!" The man on the left sighed, corssing the line.

"Wow, that was so fun," Yunho laughed, the man that came second now standing up and turning around. Huh, almost as tall as Yunho.

"Let me introduce them to you, Hwa?" The man on the left, stood up, but still didnt turn around. Quite short, thats cute.

"This," Yunho gestured towards the taller man out of the two newcomers. "Is Mingi," The man now identified as Mingi waved his hand, a smile plastered on his face.

"And this," Yunho reached over to the smaller man, grabbibg his shoulder and forcefully turning him around. "Is—"

For a moment, the world stopped.

For a moment, their eyes met.

For a moment, they were seeing eachother again.

"—Hongjoong?" Seonghwa blurted out, cutting off Yunho. The shorter man, now known as Hongjoong, shared a similar expression to Seonghwa, yes wide and mouth agape.

Holding hands, watching as the sun set over the horizon, the light painting his face, his eyes sparkling.

"Seonghwa?" Yunho looked between the two, confusion plastered all over his face.

Bright smiles, warm laughs. Soft lips, peppered kisses.

"You two knew eachother?" Seonghwa nodded, at a loss for words as he stared at the boy infront of him.

"Thats so cool! It's like it's fate for you two to meet again," Yunho exclaimed. "But come on, we gotta get ready for our movie marathon, its half hour past the time we were supise to start!"

***************************

It was around midnight that Seonghwa finally couldnt take the awkwardness around him and Hongjoong. He got up from his spot on the floor, making his way to the kitchen and flicked on the light, going to grab a drink and a snack from his bag.

As he trifled through his bag, finding the pack of chips he craved for, he turned around and almost felt his soul leave his body.

There was Hongjoong, standing right in front of him.

He had to hold back a scream.

"Woah! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," Hongjoong threw his hands up, taking a step back.

Seonghwa gained back his thoughts, the adrenaline dissipating.

"Do you need something?" He asked. He watched as Hongjoong suddenly became nervous, looking down at his feet. He has red hair... it looks... fluffy.

"I-I just... I kinda wanted to talk to you?" Seonghwa felt heat rise to his cheeks as he ran through the possibilities of just what Hongjoong would possibly say.

"About what?"

Silence overtook the two for a moment. Then Hongjoong spoke up.

"About... why you left," Seonghwa shifted his body, suddenly feeling so small. "Why you never contacted us," He felt shame slowly seep through his body. "Why you... never contacted... me," He looked down at his feet.

No one spoke for a minute, both thinking, both waiting.

"I never did get my scholarship..." Hongjoong looked up at Seonghwa, eyes wide.

"Wha—"

"I passed the exam for it, but by the time the people giving out the scholarship had marked it, all the scholarships had been given away,"

Seonghwa felt tears begin to pool in his eyes.

"I was so disappointed in myself, I didnt want you all to see me," He inhaled shaky breath, emotions coming back as he relived the moment in his mind. "So I just told you all that I got in and... left,"

He felt Hongjoong take his hands, caressing them softly. Like he used too.

"Why did you never talk to me after? You didnt even tell me you wanted to break up," Hongjoongs voice broke near the end. "You just went... radio silent," Seonghwa couldn't help the tear that ran down his face.

"I never wanted to break up," Seonghwa squeezed Hongjoongs hands. "I just— I wanted time, time to fix things, so i could say I was attending college, that I wasn't a fuck up..." He felt Hongjoong squeeze his hands back, he heard how the other boy sniffled. He must be crying too.

"Seonghwa, listen to me," Suddenly, Hongjoong was cupping his face, his hands so soft, and his eyes looking straight into Seonghwas soul. "You are not a fuck up, you hear me?"

"I'm sorry," His voice broke, tears now streaming down his face, one after the other. Hongjoong had tears slipping down his face himself. He lifted his thumb, wiping some tears off Seonghwas face.

"It's okay, I forgive you, HwaHwa," Seonghwa couldn't help but let a whine escape him at the nickname.

"HwaHwa! You're so cute!"

Hongjoong laughed wetly at the reaction.

"You'd think i forget what that nickname did to you," He stroked Seonghwas cheek lovingly, smiling fondly at Seonghwa, and Seonghwa couldnt help but feel his previous worries disappear just looking at him.

Seonghwa buried his face into Hongjoongs neck and threw his arms around Hongjoongs shoulders, letting another embarrassed whine escape him.

Hongjoong laughed at the action, snaking his arms around Seonghwas waist. They both stayed in that position for a few minutes, iust enjoying the company, the warmth. Enjoying eachother.

Hongjoong threw his arms over Seonghwas neck, pulling him down to give him a strong hug.

"Your hugs are the best, Joongie,"

Seonghwa felt Hongjoong shift, his hold on Seonghwa loosening. He felt a hand coursing through his hair, the action sending shivers down his spine, and a blush on his cheeks.

"I've missed this," Hongjoong whispered. Seonghwa picked his head back up, looking at Hongjoong.

"I did too," Hongjoong smiled.

Hongjoong raised his hand, putting it under Seonghwas chin and slowly pulling him down back towards him. Soon enough, their noses were touching, and they could feel eachothers breaths fan eachothers faces.

It took just a moment for Seonghwa to understand what Hongjoong wanted to do.

He looked to Hongjoongs eyes, noticing how they flickered back up to his then fown to his lips. Seonghwa did the same, his gaze lowering down to Hongjoongs own plush lips.

Seonghwa unconsciously licked his own.

"Can I..." Hongjoong trailed off, but Seonghwa knew what he was asking. He nodded his head, feeling Hongjoong pull him closer.

Then he felt Hongjoongs lips on his.

And suddenly, he felt like he was back in high school. When Hongjoong would sneak up on him in the bathrooms to give him a few wuick pecks on the lips before running away. When Hongjoonga arms would wrap around his his waist, pulling him into his lap, and even if Seonghwa was the taller one out of them, Hongjoong would always find a way to make Seonghwa feel small and safe in his arms.

He felt light again, like all his problems had been thrown away. He felt like the weight he carried had been lifted.

Seonghwa broke the kiss first, gasping for air, breathless. His lips a shade of bright pink

Hongjoong just stared at the boy, breath taken at the sight before him.

Hongjoong pulled Seonghwa back down again, both diving in for a kiss, each one more heated than the last.

Soon enough, both broke away, catching their breathe as they were pushed against eachother.

"I've wanted to do that for so long since then. I've missed it sso much," Hongjoong panted out.

"Me too," Seonghwa took a hold of Hongjoongs hands, looping his fingers between his own.

"This means that, you know," Hongjoong was anxious again, eyes flicking from Seonghwa to the floor. "That we'll do this again... right? That—"

"That we'll be back together?" Seonghwa cut in, heart beating fast at what Hongjoong was asking.

"Yes," Hongjoong looked up at Seonghwa, still nervous on what the answer would be.

And Seonghwa couldn't have answered more perfectly.

"Of course," Seonghwa dived back in for another kiss, this one not heated, but filled with something more deeper. He broke the kiss, burying his face in Hongjoongs neck. "Of course,"

"I love you," Seonghwa felt his heart stutter.

"I love you too," Hongjoong smiled, pulling Seonghwa towards him.

"Forever," Hongjoong whispered.

"Always," Seonghwa whispered back.

[incorrect-pokespe-quotes]

aight here’s the mute!red fic some things before: -i was like 13 when i wrote this thus i was a moron -i knew absolutely nothing abt the mute/deaf community before writing this coz i was 13 and stupid, id change quite some stuff now -uh the way i wrote it is not how hospitals work but lmao yolo -god i hate my writing from back then gUYS i promise i’ve improved pinky promise :((( -its like 2.2k oops i lied -tread with caution i guess????

Red sighed audibly.

He liked sound.

He could still remember the pidgeys chirping tranquilly when he was walking through the nature, at age eleven, he would ‘shoo’ them and laugh at one of the babies, trying to keep up with the flying speed of the older ones.

He could still remember the cheers of the audience, inciting him to do even more his best, but it were Green’s pants for breath that he heard while battling that made adrenaline rush though his body, hoping that the opponent had become tired, but he could hear that his own pants, which were clearly audible, did the same to his rival.

He could still remember they all, including himself, had laughed because of Gold’s stupid and lame joke at the battle frontier.

But that is what they are, mere memories.

His final check-ups for today had been over and he glanced at the nurse, hoping she would reply.

The nurse noticed and walked towards the boy, her footsteps echoing in the silent room.

Red merely bit his lip, not knowing what he should do.

The nurse smiled genuinely and turned to another page on her clipboard.

“This is day three of your stay here, correct?” the boy merely nodded while refusing to meet the nurse’s gaze.

“You have declined to let your family know about your situation, am I right?” the red orbed boy nodded again, he noticed that this wasn’t his usual nurse, not because of how she looked, Red had stopped giving attention to that a long time ago, but because of how she didn’t know anything.

The nurse mumbled some things to herself and looked at Red: “Do you have any questions?”

The raven-haired male hesitated for a while before he turned towards his small nightstand; he smoothly grabbed a sheet of paper along with a pen.

He scribbled something down onto it and the nurse lowered her sight to look at the paper: “Can my friends please come visit me? I have addressed them as my family.”  

The nurse turned to Red again, now he looked deeply in her eyes, hoping to find even the smallest of hint of benevolence.

The woman stared for a moment but immediately regained her composure: “Yes you can, do you want us tell them about…this?”

Red thought about it for a moment, he shook his head determinedly and stared at the plain white floor.

“Alright I’ll go get them,’ Red raised a brow at this and the young nurse couldn’t help but smile even more when she saw his confusion.

“Your friends have been staying here for the last three days,’ she replied, the raven merely nodded in response and turned away from her.

The woman sighed and looked at the boy, his gaze was averted at the window staring into the garden of the hospital.

This wasn’t any of her business; his mental state didn’t concern her in any way as a physical nurse.

Red kept staring outside where he could see some pidgeys fly into the sky while one of the smaller ones had a hard time trying to keep up.

Shoo.

Ooooooooo

“Red!” three voices yelled in unison.

The so-said boy quickly closed his eyes tightly, almost gasping at the sudden sound, the last days the only things he had heard were the silent words of the doctors and the occasional beeping of a machine.

He still didn’t turn to them, his gaze was still fixated on the window in front of him.

He could feel arms clutching around his back, long brown hair tickling his back and a head on his shoulder, sobbing.

He could also see a tall man standing next to him, grasping his shoulder tightly and coming closer than his own rules of personal space usually permitted the brunet.

He could also see a petite blonde girl wrapping her arms around his chest, her head in the middle of it while he could just see her puffy and yellow eyes.

“You’re okay,’ he could hear the girl on his back snivel.

“We were so worried about you,’ the blonde muttered, her sobs almost overshadowing her voice.

The only thing the brunet did was squeeze his shoulder a little bit, and Red knew that that one squeeze meant more than he could express at the moment.

Red didn’t reply, he didn’t lean into one if their touches, he merely stared out of the window, avoiding every one of their eyes, and not reacting to any of their comforting words.

Green was the first one to notice.

“Red, are you okay?” he asked, trying to hide his now also puffy eyes.

The raven solely sighed, and averted his gaze to the floor.

The tall male’s eyes widened a little bit and he let go of Red’s shoulder.

The other two girls didn’t release their grasps, as Red could only feel them tightening.

“Blue,’ the brunet uttered, getting her out of her trance.

The female stopped sobbing for a moment and turned her gaze to Green, releasing Red in the process.

“What?” she asked while rubbing some tears out of her eyes.

Green simply gestured towards Red, letting the girl be aware of his defeated state.

Confusion replaced her expression and she slowly tapped Yellow on her shoulder, the blonde’s sobbing didn’t decrease but she looked up at the older girl, her eyes big of wonder.

Blue made a gesture, which meant to release him, the girl scowled at her as reply but when Blue’s expression darkened Yellow immediately released the champion.

“Red what’s the matter?” the male asked, his eyes trying to find Red’s.

Maybe there was silence for ten seconds, maybe for one minute, maybe for five minutes but every moment of it was as earsplitting as the last.

“Red, talk to us,’ the blue eyed female pleaded, the raven looked up and glared at them, a dark aura casting over him.

When they met his red orbs they all were afraid, dull black ashes had replaced the usual recognizable fire.

“Red…” Yellow sniveled.

Red turned towards the nightstand again and grabbed the sheet of paper with the pen; the only sound which now filled the room was the sound of the pen gliding over the paper, making all three visitors shiver.

Red threw the pen absent-mindedly on the nightstand when he was done and grabbed the paper, holding it in front of them.

In big letters there was written: “I’m mute.”

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

The boy listened uninterested to some sort of explanation, he stopped paying attention three months ago, he had the feeling that this was all unnecessary crap.

“Red,’ he looked up and met the teacher’s gaze.

“Make a sentence with the past tense,’ she ordered, Red nodded absent-mindedly and tried to remember the new verbs he had learned.

In reply he put a couple of fingers in the air and stared intensely at the teacher.

“Correct,’ she mumbled, walking back to the board.

How much he hated sign lesson.

Most people were there to help others or to brag about something, he needed to practice everyday.

No, that’s incorrect.

His life is practice.  

Blue nudged him and the raven averted his gaze, looking at her: “Red, is this,’ she wiggled a little with a couple of fingers and changed them a couple of times ‘past tense?”

The boy merely glanced at her hand for a second and nodded.

“Yay I’m finally understanding it!” she cheered, even though the girl only needed to read it she decided to use it too.

All Kanto dexholders sat in the small classroom, trying to learn a whole new language for him.

Maybe you would think he was happy about this.

He certainly wasn’t; he used the way of communication barely and was planning on keeping it that way.

He hated it that he needed to grab everybody’s attention to let them stare intensely at his hands, sometimes asking Green what he had just signed, he hated it how everybody stopped their conversation just for Red who was merely asking to go to the bathroom.

He had heard that the Johto and Hoenn dexholders did the same in their region.

How stupid.

Red glanced across the classroom and met Green’s gaze for a split second, the crimson-eyed boy immediately looked away and Green sighed.

Red knew how much Green studied every day, Green was amazing at signing, he could read Red’s signing when he was at top speed and could easily sign himself.

Blue was horrible at it, Red needed to fingerspell almost everything for her and she couldn’t sign at all, not that the girl put that much effort in learning, she just thought that she would grow accustomed to it as Red will sign a lot and it will become necessary for her to learn it.

Yellow was overall average, she could read but she wasn’t even close to reading the speed that Green could.

But the worst thing about the class was that it gave him time.

Time to think about himself, and about his situation.

Sometimes he would also just get it, the urge to slam his fist on the table, to walk right out the classroom and storm through the hallways, leaving nothing behind.

But he did have something: he had liabilities in Kanto.

The bell rang through the classroom and the teacher signed them all goodbye, most of the students signed politely back.

Red merely threw a glare at the woman and packed his stuff in a matter of seconds.

Without looking at his fellow dexholders he walked past them, and he didn’t even slow his pace in the silent white hallways of the dull building.

Always been so dull.

Abruptly he got stopped in his leave and he could feel a cold hand on his shoulders.

“Red,’ a calm voice told him, not a tone of concern noticeable.

The raven didn’t even feel like turning around, but nonetheless he turned, a threatening shadow covering his eyes.

“Why are you leaving?” the brunet asked, the boy merely shrugged in response.

“Sign,’ the gym leader ordered, his voice now sounding threatening, in response the red-orbed boy threw a look at his shoulder, a nasty expression on his face.

Green retreated his hand but didn’t even lose eye contact.

Red took a deep breath and turned around, walking away from Green.

“Oh no you don’t!” the 19 year old stopped him, almost pouncing on the champion.

If Red could yelp he would, but he couldn’t so there was only a mouth, which was wide open and eyes big in surprise.

The raven could feel himself being pushed against the wall with a hand on his collar, threatening close to his throat.

“Listen Red,’ green eyes were boring into him, mere centimeters from his sight, ‘if you don’t explain why you are acting like you do I will not release you in a thousand years! You got it?”  

Red breathed heavily in and out, feeling pressure on his lungs by the taller man.

After maybe thirty seconds looking at each other without a pause, Red his hand got up.

Green sighed in relief and a blissful look came in his eyes, the guy loosened his grip and looked in apprehension at his hand.

Without even hesitating his middle finger got up together with a smug look on the delinquent’s face, Green’s eyes widened in rage and before he knew it Red had sneaked out off his grasp and was running through the hallways.

“Oh no! You don’t!” Green furiously yelled after him.

Oooooooooo

Red let out a breath of relief and let himself fall against a tree; Green is fast.

The tired boy scanned the area; he was positive that he still was the only one who knew about this place.

A flash of light appeared and Red flinched for a moment: “P-Ika?” a startled voice muttered.

The raven looked relieved when he saw that it was just Pika and not Green’s charizard who was planning on chasing him.

Hey buddy.

Oh yeah, he can’t talk.

The yellow mouse creature looked confused at his mouth for a moment when he heard no sound out of it, but he quickly realized what he had been doing and his eyes widened in surprise and shame.

Red gave him an apologetic expression and motioned for the small little creature to snuggle into him.

The boy missed the times when he would pour his heart out to Pika, the rodent would listen to him endlessly and nod every now and then, but that was impossible.

Pika looked with pity filled eyes at his trainer, he shook it off and snuggled into his trainer attire.

Red sighed and closed his eyes.

[oddeyecadia]

what if it’s us? (ch. 4)

a/n: no one prolly cares abt this fic anymore but lol still gonna continue

also posted on ao3 | ch. 1 ch. 2 ch. 3

"I think Allura's my soulmate."

Just like that, everything stopped. Time, the beating of her heart, the universe itself. All the little scars and bruises on her body tingled in a strange, unpleasant way. He was the only one smiling now. The clear excitement on his face made her feel harder to breathe.

Of course.

Pidge gritted her teeth.

Of fucking course.

"I saw her left foot earlier. It was bandaged the same way as my left foot. Do you know when she got that?"

"Yeah, uh..." She had it even before you had yours, dumbass. "Just this morning, I think." Pidge internally slapped herself. She didn't want to lie, she really didn't. But she also didn't want to erase the pure joy he was clearly feeling.

Though, her decision was going to make a lot of mess was it? She took a deep breath and as she was about to change her mind, Lance's gaze fell to the floor with a look that took every breath of her away and spoke softly. "I finally found her."

Out of all of his smiles, the one he wore right then was probably the most beautiful. She could see the relief and love he was ready to give attached to it.

Something about the fact that someone else was the reason for this smile bothered her a lot. It could be just the guilt for lying, making him smile for the wrong person, that creeped up her back.

Yeah. She hoped it was just that.

"Your turn." Said Lance, interrupting her thoughts.

"Huh?"

"What were you gonna say earlier?"

"Oh. Just that I- I noticed how you and Allura have the same injury too."

There was no turning back.

___

"Stop glaring, Hunk." Pidge said quietly, feeling the intense look he was giving her.

Brown eyes kept staring at her as she continued to type on her laptop. She felt uneasy but not to the point where she couldn't focus on the email that she was writing to her professor. A letter to inform her about the extremely unfair division of tasks in her group and how her two group mates barely did anything for their project.

Somewhere in the library, she could hear Lance being absentmindedly loud again. That and Hunk's glare growing more intense was enough to make her take a deep breath and finally look at the guy across her.

"Look what you've done." He said.

"I didn't do anything."

"Exactly. You didn't do anything to stop him from thinking Allura was his soulmate! Look at him!" He whisper shouted, pointing at the main desk. There, was Allura, staring blankly at Lance who was leaning an elbow on the desk and smirking at her like an idiot.

Pidge rolled her eyes, trying her hardest to keep her blood boiling at the sight. "He looks happy."

"He looks stupid, Pidge. You know what he said to me that night? 'Would it be more romantic if I make her realize rather than just telling her?'" She fought a grin at Hunk's accurate impression of Lance's slightly high pitched voice. "And just a few weeks ago you were like 'Never. Let him find out on his own.' You two just love miscommunication and complicating things more huh?"

"It'd be more complicated if I told him while he was so stoked about the idea of another person being his soulmate. It would ruin his mood, make things awkward, and possibly ruin our friendship too." Besides, she didn't want to mess things up after they just had their deep conversation and learned to really open up to each other for the first time.

It had been a couple of days since that whole thing happened. Finals was next week, everyone had been pretty busy with their own thing. Allura had to take care of some important stuff these past couple of days that Pidge had to work at the library on her own again. Meaning, Lance didn't immediately got the chance to start his wooing.

"She's not here?" He asked the night after their "hangout friday"- as Hunk would call it.

"She has a checkup. Sorry,  loverboy ."

"Aww man." The boy looked down at his feet. "I must've hurt her real bad."

Pidge's frown deepened as she only hummed in response. It was too early for her to casually talk about soulmates after what just happened .

"Well, guess I'll just study then. Hey, Pidge."

She looked at him, he raised a brow. "You're taking care of yourself, right?"

Snorting, she couldn't fight a grin. Why was he like this? Could he stop being so nice for a second? "Yeah, don't worry. I remember your advice by heart."

Pidge cringed internally, remembering what she said.

"Fix this, Pidge."

"I will, Hunk. Just– let him have his fun for a little while." Ignoring the slight pain in her chest and Hunk's disappointed look, she finally finished the email and pressed send.

___

Shoe squeaks and loud pop music filled the gym.

The highest bleacher was cold against the palm of her hands. Pidge could see everything from up here. It was nice. Plus, she was far from everyone, far from the volleyball team playing and from the dance team which she found out was just like a bunch of Lance put in one group. Everyone was just as loud and boisterous.

"Why am I here again?"

Lance looked up at her from where he stood, one bleacher below, and flashed a smile. "Because Hunk isn't available and I'm used to having a friend watch me practice. You don't have a choice."

She let out a deep breath. At least Hunk wasn't available for real this time. Unlike the last time he left the two where he tried to play wingman.

"Ugh. Don't you have like a hobby that's a little more... quiet?"

"Oh come on, Pidge. Don't you think a bunch of college kids dancing and doing dangerous stunts is cool?"

Her attention was caught by a flyer being thrown in the air. The guy landed too quickly and it was obvious by the shocked look on their faces that his spotters weren't ready, they caught him immediately anyways.

"Fun." Her hands started sweating, seeing the team practice that same stunt again. "Is this a requirement? I mean does this boost up your grades in any way?"

"Not really. Clubs and stuff like this doesn't really add that much to my GPA." He said as he took out his water bottle.

"Why didn't you just take performing arts then?"

He took a sip. "I was going to. I wanted to study and make money out of dancing but... let's be honest, the money part would be kinda hard to achieve. So I went with my second favorite thing to do, taking care of people. I took nursing."

Pidge was about to ask another question when one of his teammates suddenly shouted. "Lance! You ready?"

"Yup! Just a sec!" Lance put down his bottle before giving her another proud smile. "Just enjoy the show, Katarina. We have like fifteen minutes left of practice. It'll be quick."

She watched as he carefully walked down the bleachers and towards his team. She bit her lip when her injured foot throbbed slightly as she saw Lance unintentionally take a hard step.

A member then approached him and said something she couldn't obviously hear.

Nodding his head, he smiled at said member before getting into position.

There was something off about that smile, though. How he went from being all jumpy to stiff right after said teammate talked to him was not a good sign too.

Pidge pushed her glasses up her nose.

The same pop music that was on repeat for minutes played again as the dance team started their routine. They did some incredible stunts and moves that could make anyone jump from their seat yet she couldn't take her eyes away from a single dancer.

Ocean waves.

That was the only thing she could think of as she watched him sway, turn, pop and glide. Lance danced so swiftly yet every move had a hint of snap. His hips didn't lie, his whole body moved so in sync with the beat.

He didn't look like he was having as much fun, though, and one time he looked as if he wasn't sure if he was in the right position which was concerning.

But still.

That was hot.

___

"I have eight papers due tomorrow and I haven't started any of them." Said Keith after taking a big gulp of milk straight from the carton as he sat by the kitchen counter.

He was lactose intolerant.

"And why's that?"

"I don't know, Shiro. Everytime I begin typing I just burst into tears."

Even through the phone, his brother's disappointed sigh was still upsetting to hear. "College's tough huh?"

Keith chuckled. "That's an understatement."

"I know but you have to be more responsible. Be more like Katie but without the overworking part." Keith frowned at the second statement, remembering all those nights he had to drag an exhausted Pidge to bed and how he hated seeing her all stressed up. He took another sip. "Speaking of, how is she? Her finals is coming up right? I hope she's not over studying again."

"Strangely but fortunately, no. She hasn't overworked herself in days."

"That's good. Matt's visiting you guys today so–"

Keith chocked on his milk before Shiro could even finish his sentence.

He totally forgot about that.

"You okay there?" Shiro asked. Keith could already see his brother's teasing smirk and it caused his ears to burn up.

"Yeah, just– Just remembered I'm lactose intolerant." He cleared his throat. "Anyway, yeah. Pidge mentioned that."

Meanwhile, Shiro couldn't help but chuckle at his little brother's clear nervousness. "Don't worry, you have my permission to say yes when he asks you out on a date. Again."

Keith went silent for a moment.

That was when Shiro spoke again, his voice softer and Keith could almost see him wearing his comforting smile. "It's okay, Keith."

Something in his chest loosened and he took a deep breath. Keith already knew what it meant for he had heard it from him a million times. It was the first time he heard Shiro say it like that, though. It felt and sounded like real reassurance this time, like not only the situation was okay, but also himself.

As if on cue, a couple of loud knocks were heard from Keith and Pidge's apartment door and he tensed up.

"Thanks, Shiro. I'll call you again later?"

"After you finish your papers first. Now go, entertain your guest."

Keith ignored Shiro's teasing tone, said goodbye and hanged up before walking towards the door.

He already had a guess of who the person on the other side was. And if he was right, said guest was a little bit early for his sister wasn't even home yet.

Here goes nothing. Keith finally opened the door and lo and behold, he was right. He hated that he was right.

Matthew Holt stood in front of him with a warm smile, the familiar scar still clear and present across the bridge of his nose. "Hey, Keith."

[dreammutual-remade]

mua!you and lucas

request: hi may you please do a bullet point scenario about lucas and his girlfriend who is a make up artist for nct. thank youu- anon

word count: 3.4k

a/n: anon !!! thank u for requesting I lowkey struggled with this concept bc I was like uhhh how r they gonna u know,,, do the affection but once I figured it out this was so fun to write !!! I love Lucas hehehehehe. also I realized when I was picKINg this gif that I forgot to include the filming of the yearbook shiygeidfhvf pretend it didn't happeN okay

ps I have 8 requests as of now and I promise I will get to all of them pls have patience w/ me ily all <33333

good evening, Thots

let us dive in, shall we

alright so you had been doing makeup since you were a wee lass !!

of course it was , pretty terrible but like practice makes perfect and now you’re an absolute LEGEND

one of your friends convinced you to start posting tutorials and have an instagram acc dedicated to your Iconic Looks and the rest was history !!!!

you started getting hella attention everyone loved you bitch !!!

so you started advertising you were like ayy if y’all need your makeup done , hmu i am Skilled

at first you started out doing other gals makeup for formal dances and whatnot

then you climbed your way up the celebrity ladder and now you’re a god damn nct makeup artist ?????

things you did: THAT

alright so you got hired just in time for cherry bomb promotions

you took a look at some of their past looks and ,,,,, you were horrified honestly who did that to them

SM CAN GET FUCKED

anyways you Turned Their Shit Around and had them lookin bout fine as hell

all the boys had been super awkward around you at first and it was soooo funny

because you were pretty used to being v close to people you don’t know well

from all the years of doing other people’s makeup now you just go right in

you got real close to mark and he squeaked and like pressed himself back into the chair

like ? shouldn’t he be used to this by now ???

johnny was the only one who was cool with you the first time even if he was an absolute SLEAZEBAG

“sorry if i get all up in your face i’m just trying to keep your eyebrows FLEEKY U KNO WHAT IM SAYIN”

“nah i don’t mind having a face like yours that close ;)))))”

“oops didn’t mean to bump into your knee like that”

“that’s okay my lap is always open for u :}”

he’s the worst god i love him

you’re on the younger side too so he’s all,

c̢̖̲̹̞̰̪ͅa̫͠l̶̜̞l̠̝͇͠ ̪̙͕̲̫̯m̙̪͖e̱͙̦̳̦̝͢ ͕̼̳̰̞o̹p҉͖̘͙͍̞̲p͍̙͙͙̹̖͞a҉̠͓̠̜͕

and you’re all

NO

taeyong asks how old you are and as soon as he finds out you’re younger than him he becomes your mom

you’ll be doing his makeup and he’s like okay but have u eaten today ??? you look too thin please eat

“one: stop moviNG IM TRYING TO CONTOUR YOU and two: please are u my damn grandmother i’m FINE i’ve eaten plenty :&&;&,$,”

you and haechan just roast each other the whole time

“yet another pimple i see, hyuckie, have you been keeping up with the skincare regimen i sent you home with?”

“first of all, fuck you, second of all, you sent me home with a piece of paper that said ‘you can wash your face to get rid of the acne but there’s nothing you can do about the ugly’ you evil WITCH”

but it’s all in good fun and you and hyuck are besties at heart and can tell when it’s not a good day for teasing

whenever you can tell he’s down you make sure to be extra playful when you’re putting on his makeup, tapping him on the nose or tickling his ear with your makeup brush til he giggles

i’m soft gOD

THIS ISNT A DONGHYUCK FIC I GOTTA CHILL

the rest are pretty cool with you too!! yuta is a worse flirt than johnny though it’s like unnecessary but it’s funny and you know he’s , mostly kidding, so you let it slide

anyways !!! cherry bomb is coming to a close and you did That the entire time you had them absolutely GLOWING

but then you get some emails from your boss talking about a new NCT U song/concept that will be filmed toward the end of the year

((i think that’s when it was filmed ?? i’m so sorry if there’s inaccuracies in here i’m very bad with dates :’-)))))))

they tell you you’re traveling to the UKRAINE

THATS FAR

and VERY COLD

they also tell you that they’re gonna be debuting two new members in this unit and you’re a little Nervous since you’ve only been doing 127’s and Dream’s makeup for the past like , half a year

(u were responsible for the we young era,,,,, god bless u)

but you’re also excited because they described the concept to you and you’ve already got ideas to make everyone look Hot and Badass

your boss sent some predebut pics and said the new ones were Yukhei and Jungwoo and, wOW THEYRE PRETTY

jungwoo looks absolutely soft and squishy so you’re a bit worried about making him look ,,,,, BOSS but yukhei.

is a whOLE MAN

he’s got big eyes and lips that give him softer features but , the look in his eyes and like his cheekbones and ????? wow you’re gonna turn him into Daddy Material

anywhom

the time has come and we are on our way to the ukraine !!! yeehaw it’s cold as balls out here

you arrive and get to stay in the hotel for a night before you gotta Get To Work

you arrive bright and early with all your beauty products

you , as the resident makeup artist, look cute as hell even if you are rather cold

your nose is tinted a bit red even tho you have foundation on rip

you set up your little station in the main tent because they’re gonna film all the outdoor parts first

jaehyun walks in first with winwin and they he looks scruffy af

“jaehyun you DOLT did you not shave ??? you know that tickles my hand when i’m trying to make you hot”

“i’m already hot”

“uh huh go shave your face i guarantee you don’t want me to try”

“ugh, yes ma’am”

“hey winwinie~”

“good morning !!!”

winwin is Precious and Easy To Work With as usual

mark comes in next and he’s flustered and cute AS USUAL

of course he’s comfy with you now but you enjoy making him flustered

“mark, baby, you’re GLOWING today!!! go off king”

“y/N PLEASE ENOUGH”

doyoung comes next and his Flawless Skin makes the process so much easier for you ugh

reLEASE THE SKINCARE ROUTINE

COWARDS

anywhom you get to meet jungwoo next !!!

FUCKIN UWU

his blue hair ,,,,,,,, amazing

he’s so sweet and releases little breathy giggles every once in a while when the brushes tickle him

you’re finishing up with jungwoo when, the Man Himself literally stumbles into the tent

“hyUNG are you almost done we’re bout to film man”

and he is absolutely Large and you are , very appreciative god damn

even barefaced this man baby looks GOOD that is not fair :-(

“lucas!~ you still have to get your makeup done but i think y/n was almost finished. are you?”

jungwoo turns to look up at you while he asked and you, have to exercise GREAT restraint not to talk to him in a baby voice

so you just nod and then give him a once over and tell him he can go ahead to wardrobe

you wave yukhei over and you’re like hey uh ,,, yukhei? or should i call u lucas ?!/!:&:&

he cackles and asks you to call him lucas and asks your name and how old you are and what your star sign is and your favorite color and your nct bias

(when you tell him you love them all equally he’s all like Not For Long 

>:-))) soon i shall PREVAIL)

basically he’s questioning you and you’re like oKAY PLEASE IM TRYING TO MAKE YOUR FACE BEAUTIFUL

“my face is already beautiful thank u very MUCH”

“you boys are all the same jaehyun  already pulled that shit today, LAME”

he pouts and you tap him on the lip with the handle of your makeup brush and then Get To Work

you truly have him lookin RIGHT wooo shit he looks good

and as you’re doing it your brain is like that clip from sponge bob where squidward is like oh NO he’s hot !!!! :(

you’re doing his eye makeup and you’re standing, in between his legs like they’re so long and in the way it’s the only way to get close enough to to do it well and you’re highkey, Blushing

he’s literally just staring up at you while you do his makeup and your hands are starting to shake what business does he have with such big brown puppy dog eyes :((((

“hey quit staRINg at me dude”

“ am i making u,,,, nervous ;)”

“, YES pls stop :((“

“aw i’m srry :((((“

pouts AGAIN and you shove his shoulder a little for making fun of you

when you finish you just kind of nod and he takes that as a go ahead and like SPRINGS up

and you’re standing very close so he almost knocks you the hell over

you tip backwards and he grabs you by the waist to steady you while you basically grab handfuls of his clothes to keep you upright

there’s a pause where you guys are just.. pressed together before you fly apart and lucas awkwardly rubs the back of his neck like nervous boys do in movies AW

“i really gotta stop knocking people over i almost took oUT jungwoo earlier srry abt that :’-))))))”

you’re like haha it’s fine :’-))))))))))))))

it’s really awkward so he yeets out of there just as taeyong strolls in looking entirely too smug

“so, you’ve taken a liking to our newest member hmmmm ??”

“aw no jungwoo is just so cute !!”

“quit playing dumb you knew what i meant”

“okaY but literally nothing happened please don’t make this a big deal”

“it’s a big deal bbg it’s tOO LATE NOW”

you sigh and then do his makeup pretty quickly since even barefaced he looks unreal

fckin anime character

okay everyone is now made up and dressed (jaehyun came last freshly shaven , looking like a bar of soap as usual) and you’re on standby outside to fix any little blemishes they may get while filming

everything is pretty good because most of the boys are used to wearing makeup but lucas is Dumb and just like ?? rubs at his eye and wipes half of it off ????

you sCREECH as he’s doing it and he jumps and is like ??? what is it what’s wrong with you

“what’s wrong with me ??? wHATS WRONG WITH YOU I WORKED HARD TO MAKE YOU LOOK THAT ETHEREAL DAMNIT”

you have to fix it on the spot so y’all can stay on schedule so he does that thing where he stands with his legs super far apart so his face is level with yours

his legs are so far apart in order for him to be short enough rip (.... literally. pray for his pants u guys)

you fix up his eye and warm him that you’ll give him a black eye with your fist instead of makeup if he messes up your Artwork again

the shoot goes really well and you get to know lucas and jungwoo better throughout the rest of the filming

things are…. tense between you and lucas but not in like a bad way more like a we are both sort of attracted to each other and unsure what to do from here way

lucas gets braver as time passes and has become wayyyyy more flirty

the tension just sort of transforms to hardcore flirting and little fleeting touches jskdkfk

you havent stopped blushing for like 4 days straight

as you do his makeup he’ll stare up at you with fckn awestruck eyes and one of his hands will drift up to circle around your wrist as you tilt his head this way and that

its a GIANT hand too I just wanna mention that they're very nice hands thank you for your time

as you do his makeup you’ll purposefully let your hand linger on his neck and use your thumb to caress turn his jaw

when you stand between his legs to do his makeup he’ll scoot to the edge of the chair to get as Close As Possible until your hips are almost touching the inside of his thighs ???:$&:&:@:@

SPICY

but eventually the shoot is over :(((( rip

buT no worries ;))))) black on black is being filmed in like a month and you’ll see his goofy ass soon heheh

highkey black on black makes u , Hot And Bothered like the part where lucas is on the floor and doing thaT THING

YALL KNOW WHAT IM TALKIN ABOUT

he highkey gets up and is like

did u like that babygirl ~~~ 😤😘💕🤪😩

and you just stick your tongue out at him and he sticks his tongue out at you and it’s Juvenile

“JUST MAKE OUT ALREADY!!!!”- johnny, from across the room

you: Red

lucas: wheezing

you guys pull all the same touchy flirty bullshit for this MV filming too and all the boys are like o.o

“hyung are u dating our makeup artist(¬‿¬) ” -chenle

“god i wish”

“what”

“i mean , no”

and now BOSS has been released and you’ve gotta do his makeup for all these stages and you two just , keep dancing around each other

when the boys get their first win for BOSS tho lucas is sO HYPE

because it’s his first time really performing live and they WON AND ???? THIS IS CRAZY

and he’s so happy he’s like shaking and he bursts into the dressing room after they all come off stage

he makes it there before everyone else because he RAN like a dork

you’re packing up all your stuff and hear the door open and you turn around to congratulate the boys but it’s just lucas and he runs in and pICKS YOU UP

he spins you around and sets you down and is like

JSDKSJDK Y/N WE WON ????

and you’re like

OMG YEAH I KNOW IM SO PROUD OF U ??!:&:@.

and then he just kisses you right on the lips in excitement

it’s just a press of lips and it was barely a kiss since he was still smiling so hard

his smile fades after and he looks , terrified

you also are terrified because ?

he’s Done It Now

the imaginary LINE has been CROSSED

but like, the barrier is broken now right ????

yolo

so you just shake your head and flick him on the nose

“damn you could have taken me to dinner first”

he laughs nervously because you haven’t made it clear whether or not you’re going to murder him and, That’s Scary

but you giggle and press up on your toes to kiss him more gently and tell him it’s okay and you like him and if he likes you back that would be GREAT

and he just smooshes you against him really hard and presses at least 26 kisses to your cheeks and it tickles and you’re like heY STOP THE LIPSTICK I PUT ON YOU WILL STAIN ME

“i like u too,, HEHEHHE”

“god you had to ruin it by cackling like the wicked witch of the west didn’t you???”

“absolutely, sweetheart :)”

okay the rest of nct u is on the way so you quickly agree that this should be a Semi Secret relationship because he’s so new to the scene and he’s probably not even allowed to date rn lol

but he INSISTS that he can treat you well no matter what and who are you to stop him honestly

he’s so blatant with the touching while you do his makeup now though that although you haven’t explicitly told anyone ,,, all the members of NCT know

he just loops his arms around your hips and pulls you close and blatantly admires you while you’re concentrated on his makeup

squeezes your ass every once in a while which makes you squeak and slap his shoulder

that little SHIT

one time taeil caught you sneaking in some food for lucas during dance practice and was like

“honestly just come in we all know you’re in a relationship gOD it’s so obvious”

so now you come to dance practice all the time with food for him and extra for the other boys

he’s always jealous

literally all the time

you’ll be doing marks makeup and hyping him up as usual

(baby bOY DESERVES IT)

and lucas will be :(((((( y don’t u say that stuff to me

“i literally say that and more to you and about you”

“okay but why not only me :(((((“

“oh my god”

or when you bring food he’ll be like NO she brought this for me go away you commoners !!!!!

honestly you feel like you’re taking care of a toddler sometimes except he’s HUGE

you have to be like

“now lucas, sharing is caring and i brought enough for everyone stop being gREEDY”

any free time he has he comes to your apartment

mainly because you guys want to be mushy and coupley and not have to listen to all the members whining and fake gagging

he’ll knock on your door at midnight with a blanket in hand and fresh out of the shower and looking CUTE

“can i sleep over :(((( i cant sleep without you:((((((“

BITCH

your heart melts oh my shosjdjdjckf

and this boy basically can’t sleep without you now because he sleeps over so much im emo

at first he insists on being the big spoon every time but after awhile Sleepy Baby Boy Lucas reveals himself

when he’s super tired he’ll just let himself in and climb in your bed and plant his head on your chest and his arms around your waist and just sigh contentedly

if he can’t sleep he’ll steal your hand and place it on top of his head and nudge you til you start running your fingers through his hair and scratching his scalp

uwu this is so cute

loves to hold your hands whenever possible

you guys can’t really go on dates since the relationship is Super Secret and he wants so bad to show you off but he CANT :/

so he just pretends y’all are out on the town and holds your hand at home when you’re just chillin

has taken to putting things you need in very high places so he can come up behind you and reach over your head to hand it to you

okay but like once in a while you both do your best to have a Normal Date where you go out doors you just have to be

Incognito Mode

so summer dates dont really work out since it’s hard to hide your identity when you’re not covered head to toe because it’s HOT

they’re mainly winter dates like ice skating and hot chocolate and fall festival stuff !!!!

he insists that you go to any festival in town like INSISTS

festival for a random and obscure flower?? you best believe you’re attending and going home covered flowers

he tried to make you a flower crown but it kept falling apart so he just stuck flowers all up in your hair AWE

forced you to pose so he could take pictures of you

(he made it his lock screen !!!! uwu)

this boy just, loves you so much and the day he tells you is when you’re both sick and dying because he got a cold and then gave it to you so you’re both laying in bed feeling Terrible

you’re laying there and feeling lightheaded and too hot but you’re both Clingy so you still hold hands at least lmao

and lucas tugs on your hand and you flop on your side to look at him expectantly

“yes, lucas?”

“hey”

“hey”

“guess what”

“hmmmmm what”

“i love you”

“oh, me too”

“like you love me too or you love you too”

“U2 is alright i guess”

“no i mean do you love me or yourself”

“both”

“sweet, self love is important too”

and theN YOU TERRIBLE PEOPLE PASS OUT HEHSHS

WHO CONFESSES THEIR LOVE LIKE THAT ????

when you wake up you feel slightly better and look over and see Your Man sprawled out over the bed with one arm haphazardly thrown over you

he rlly can’t sleep without a hand on you that is so so cute fuckdjkdjd

you remember confessing your love to each other in a delirious and feverish haze and snicker because it was RIDICULOUS

you gently turn to face him so you don’t wake him up and trail your fingertips up his arms to trace his features

his eyes flutter open and he’s literally unreal like he looks like an angel

and he smiles all sleepy like and brings his hand up to capture your wrist and kiss your palm

“good morning i’m no longer fucked up on theraflu and i love you”

“good morning i’m also no longer fucked up and i love you MORE”

he scoffs dramatically

“not possible !!!!!”

“is too !!!”

“is nOT”

“IS TOO”

“IS NOT”

and so on :-)

[petepepsi]

you wanted spiderman asks so uhh: hey you know what one post that’s like “what if peter quill is a well-known missing child on earth a la jonbenet ramsey” ok i raise you THIS: peter parker being kind of a conspiracy theory nerd and knowing a lot abt the peter quill case and the first time he finds out star lords real name he just yells PETER QUILL???? and nearly loses it

i really like this so i whipped up a quick little post-avengers 4 fic,,,idk it might suck but here

It’s weird, the ride home fromTitan.

Although, Peter assumes, anysituation involving two and a half aliens, a wizard, and a kid with spiderpowers is kinda weird.

The Milano is a nice ship (comparedto all one of the spaceships Peter’sbeen on); it’s spacious with two convenient extra rooms for Peter and Strangeto sleep in, if they’d like. Peter’s is covered in twigs and leaves. He’s told thatit’s Groot’s room, but he’s never told who Groot is. Judging by the strangelyfuturistic handheld gaming systems scattered around, Peter thinks that Groot mightbe cool. To try them out is tempting, but Peter doesn’t dare. He wants to makea good first impression on Groot if he gets to meet him. Invasions of privacyaren’t very good conversation starters.

There’s another room with the doorkept shut. Star-Lord looks softly at it, and Peter assumes it is, or was, the room of Gamora. Peter doesn’task. It’s a silent agreement they’ve made, to not to mention any dead. AllPeter knows about Gamora is that she was green and beautiful. He pictures an Idina-Menzel-in-Wickedkind of look, but he doubts that it’s accurate.

Peter spends most of his time inthe main area of the ship talking to the Guardians, as they call themselves. Mostly,he asks questions. They’re basic ones, mostly about other aliens, how manyaliens are there, how their ship works, et cetera, et cetera. He worries thathe’s being annoying, but he can’t really stop himself because – holy shit!Aliens are real! And they’ve been toEarth multiple times! It gets his conspiracy brain running into overdrive.

But, despite all of his questions,one never really came up.

“Hey, uh, what’s yourname?”

Peter hesitates, Star-Lord’s questioncatching him off guard. His name?He’d told them his name, certainly.

“What do you mean?” heasks.

“I mean,” Star-Lord clarifies.“I’ve been calling you variations on Spider-Kid for the past hour and it’sstarting to get awkward.”

Right.He’d introduced himself as Spider-Man. Would it be too weird to just let it continue?Drax would probably keep calling him Arachnid for the rest of the trip, anyway.

But, no, yeah, he should probablyjust say his actual name. Being called Spider-Man out of costume was really off-putting,anyway.

“It’s Peter,” he saysafter a pause. “Parker. Peter Parker.”

Star-Lord looks at Peter, and agrin lights up his face that startles Peter a bit too much.

“No way!” he exclaims.“I’m Peter, too!”

“What?” Peter responds,not smiling and genuinely confused. “You said your name wasStar-Lord?”

From the back of the ship, Peterhears a resounding “HA!” from Drax.

“I just assumed! You neversaid anything otherwise!” Peter argues defensively, his face turning aflustered shade of pink.

Peter, the other Peter, chuckles.“No, it’s Peter. I don’t have the alliteration, though. My last name’sQuill.”

There’s a pause, the rednessdraining from Peter’s face as his expression goes blank.

“Peter Quill?” he repeats. “Like—like Peter Quill?”

Star-Lord looks at him for a moment,nodding, an awkward chuckle escaping his lips as he can see the gears turningin Peter’s head.

“Holy shit!” Peter exclaims, practically leaping to his feet out ofthe chair. “I—I mean you said you were from Earth and I kind of thoughtthat there was—Oh my god this is the coolest thing ever Ned’s gonna freak outwhen I tell him—Peter Quill!”

Peter continues like that for aminute, pacing back and forth excitedly. Quill watches, waiting for a lull inhis thoughts to ask him, “What are you talking about?”

Peter stops pacing, looking Quillin the eye with unbridled enthusiasm. “You’re Peter Quill! You’re, like, alegend.”

“Well, I didn’t that Earth’sheard of me, so that’s neat,” Quill says, a slight smirk gracing his lips.

“You’re one of the biggest conspiracy theories ever!”

“What?”

“You're—I don’t know how toexplain it’s like—You went missing as a kid, right, of course you don’t know, uh…”Peter’s voice trails off, and he looks down contemplatively. “This might getcomplicated, you got any paper? Or a corkboard and some red string?”

“I’ll get some paper,” Quillresponds.

—

Two hours laterand the Guardians are all sitting in Groot’s room listening as Peter finallywraps up his in-depth explanation of The Mysterious Disappearance of PeterQuill. He’d gone through the story, how it became popular, and several theoriesthat the people of Earth had come up with. He pays special attention to thetheory that Quill had been abducted by aliens, since that one was true and (asPeter very adamantly points out) it was also the one that Peter believed the most.

(“And MJand Ned thought it was stupid! Well, who’sstupid now, eh?”

“It at leastmakes more sense than the ‘stolen by Bigfoot’ theory.”

“EXACTLY!”)

Strange pokeshis head in exactly once, wondering why they’re making such a racket. Rightwhen he hears the words “conspiracy theory,” he leaves.

[arctic-urpo]

Hiya hiya, it’s time for me to properly talk abt LRTN - because I’ve talked about it here and there but nothing clear and concise abt my situation and my plans to continue etc, and in general it’s been on my mind. This will be 99% just explanation of my past, uh, over half a year though because this has also affected my friendships with people outside of this too and just, idk, I don’t like saying I feel like I owe an explanation bc I rly don’t, people have been kind and understanding and I appreciate it.

But I want to explain so if you wanna know why I haven’t been writing or answering messages, you should probs find the answer under the cut!!! Warnings though that I’m gonna be talking abt rly personal stuff and some kinda heavy things too, so no need to feel pressured to read! This is meant for those who want answers and not as a plea for attention or anything ^^;

Anyways....

I feel like I should start with the fact that most people following me and LRTN probs know already, but I have struggled with mental illness for.... a long time, half my life in fact. It isn’t something I came here to talk about, but it is related to tons of abuse from multiple sources etc. So please keep an open mind reading!

Anyways so over half a year ago, in November 2017, first of all NaNo happened. I could balance that out with LRTN, at first, but then in the mid of the month I started this uh, work practice experience thing. My vocabulary in English fails me here but, basically, it was this government funded project to help young people get into working life/back to “”””normal life”””” so basically rehab work. It was in a flower shop, owned by my grandma’s friend.

The work experience itself was incredibly pleasant, I loved the job and I loved my boss and she was rly nice to me all the time. But it was time and energy-consuming. And another problem with the work was that - as most of u probs know, I’m a trans guy. But I’m not out to my grandma yet bc she’s very religious and my mom has been so worried for my safety so... Anyways, so I couldn’t obviously be out in the workplace either. And my grandma would visit daily and it was mentally really rough for me.

To also explain, I have bad agoraphobia to begin with. I’m deathly scared of public spaces, wide places, strange people, talking to people and 99% of the time I can’t even go outside alone. Which was what this work was trying to give me rehab for. And it helped, it really did! But my grandma.... made it so much more difficult to manage my mental health bc it was an extra stress factor constantly. She has a way of words to make me feel useless too so, I kept feeling inadequate constantly when she was there and like I was doing things wrong.

Anyways!! That’s for the work part! But also, in the beginning of me starting work there, my friend’s dog who I had taken care of a lot and who was a huge part of my life, passed away sadly. I started seeing nightmares every night and losing sleep rapidly. I used to sleep 8-10 hours each night, but back then I started sleeping 4-6 and that’s continued up to this day and it’s been.... completely exhausting me. I’ll probs talk abt that more in detail but. To continue to this situation:

So, all in all, there was way too many things going on at once that November-December. Add onto that the holiday season which had a lot of relatives - a lot of my grandma too - and it has always been a bad time of the year for me. I managed to hang on by spending time with friends - a friend came to visit me for almost two weeks and that helped me keep myself together.

But also, I was supposed to look for another place to work at through this whole time, because my grandma’s friend had promised to take me only for the Christmas season bc after that she just wouldn’t have work for me due to a quiet season. I did apply for a few places but.... I couldn’t bring myself to put myself completely to it bc of all the phone calls which scare me just as much as going outside.

Anyways, Christmas comes and goes, I’m still somehow hanging on, and then we go on a trip with my friends. It was an amazing trip, I had fun with them, most of them live in other cities so I don’t see them often so I loved seeing them....!!

And then I went back home. Back home into my messy apartment, where I realized I’m almost always alone. And I had a huge breakdown. I stopped eating properly for a while - I can’t exactly give proper dates after this bc it’s been kind of ongoing with various intensity after that..... I go through periods of not eating, I haven’t been able to start sleeping bc I find it so hard to go to sleep, I keep waking up from nightmares - nightmares of various subjects, not rly abt by friend’s dog even but just... all sorts of bad things. 

And I haven’t had the energy to talk to anyone, keep up any relationships. There’s only one group chat where I talk daily, the group of friends I went on a trip with who I’ve known for years now. And even to them, I don’t talk privately! It’s only the group chat! Other group chat I talk semi-actively in is the group of friends in my city, who I go to shop with etc but... Again it’s only semi-actively that I manage to talk there either.

As you may guess, I couldn’t find a new place to work in the beginning of the year. After the trip, I went through weeks without answering any phone calls - my therapist helped me call off the rehab work bc clearly it wasn’t the best option anymore. But that sparked all sorts of money problems that have plagued me since then, and let’s just say things haven’t been great on that front. 

Middle of all of this, I did figure out I had a huge fear of silence, so I need to constantly have videos, games, music, something running so that there is noise. I also need to have something to do to distract my thoughts even further or I’ll start to spiral into negativity.......

I do go through periods of creativity, but it only sparks on the drawing front. So to get on the topic of LRTN! I haven’t written anything proper since November. I’ve started a few background stories for DnD OCs and I can’t even finish those! I write maybe a page and I have to drop it bc I can’t stand the silence, having only me and music and no video or game or anything. (As for why I don’t watch vids while writing, I can’t concentrate on writing if I hear like, speech or smth similar. I can’t listen to rap either when writing bc it’s too distracting.)

But kind of with writing and esp with LRTN has been the problem that, the longer time goes on, the more daunting it feels to return to it!!! I’m already in the spot that I would need to reread LRTN to continue writing it (to remember all the plot things planned and the characterization etc) and!!! I do plan on doing that!!! But I can’t, I just can’t take the silence while I’m reading so I’ve kind of been putting it off and off. For way too long. I’m trying to figure out a way around this, but I DO MEAN TO RETURN TO LRTN!!! That is certain!! I do intend to finish it, I need to get the story out after planning it for so long!!!

But that’s kind of the status quo on the LRTN’s part, I want to continue and with each kind comment my heart just keeps breaking bc  I just want to write it so bad!!!! I want to continue!!!! But I’m just so stressed out from the loneliness and silence that I can’t bring myself to write!!! 

But yeah I’m not saying this seeking answers, this is my personal problem and no one needs to feel bad abt any of this or feeling like you’re pressuring me. All the comments are rather just so kind and inspiring that I feel like the luckiest guy from time to time. So thank you to everyone, the commenters and ALSO ESPECIALLY FRIENDS who have been so understanding and nice and been by my side even when I’ve locked myself up from everyone just to cry and weep over how much I suck....

Anyways to kind of give a status update on what this breakdown has even been abt and why it’s been making me distance myself, it’s bc I’ve been dealing with feelings of worthlessness, fearing abandonment and also just not having plain energy to answer and then feeling like it’s scary to answer after so long has passed without me saying anything. I feel like I’m constantly late.

Also, to current situation, my mental health has been on the rise, which is why I’m talking about this in the first place bc I have the energy to explain properly! On the... life front though, my life has been kind of a void of me waking up, playing mobile games, not eating much, not sleeping much, and kind of being just a messy waste of space. My apartment is a mess, my financial situation is even more of a mess still bc the depression is making me waste any extra money on stupid stuff and then me sacrificing food and such to save money for rent etc. I was also declared “unfit to work” by the government on another paper but “fit to work” on another so now I’m kind of in the space where I’m not actually capable of working fulltime by my health but also being forced to work bc I don’t have the ~right diagnosis’~ to not work.....

SO!! It’s been kind of a whirlpool of stress!!! Anyways idk how to end this huge rant, thank you if you read all of this and I hope this shed some light on the situation????

If u ever wanna reach out to me, I still don’t answer private messages well but you’re free to try and I’ll try to answer to my best abilities, but I feel like asks are the easiest way to reach out to me right now bc those I do get to eventually bc they don’t feel as personal and so scary for my socially anxious mind, idk!!! But thank u for reading, for understanding and for caring abt dumb old me!!!!

[switchdnp]

you should write something abt one of their first times but whoevers bottoming gets uncomfortable but wants to keep fucking so they switch halfway through fucking

here u are ryn u nerd

word count: 1752

warnings: gratuitous amounts of fingering, like light spanking for a second, not much else its v fluffy

Dan wants this.He assures himself with every inch of his lovestruck, fluttering heart that he wants this.He wants it as Phil’s lips suck hickeys into his sensitive neck, pretty colors blooming on the peachy tan skin.He wants it as Phil’s mouth travels lower, lifting up his sweater and kissing the soft skin of his tummy.He wants it as Phil takes his cock into his mouth and bobs nice and slow, pretty blue eyes watering when the tip hits the back of his throat.And he still wants it—he really, really does, when Phil fingers him open, promises of how nice it was gonna feel when he filled him up slipping past sore lips and making Dan whimper.But even thought he wants it, something sick settles in his stomach when the head of Phil’s dick is at his rim.There’s a burn as it presses inside and suddenly Dan’s shaking for different reasons, thighs taut and lower lip quivering between biting teeth, trying his best to not look pained.

He opened his eyes—when had he closed them?—to find Phil staring nervously at him, worry overtaking the lust in his gaze.He muttered out the softest “Are you okay?” Dan had ever heard in his life, and that was enough for him to call this off.

“I-I’m sorry, I just think I can’t—I don’t know I just—I don’t think I feel comfortable being… penetrated?”Dan cringed at the word, it felt like something a forty-year-old sex ed teacher or badly made erotica would use, and it didn’t describe what he wanted oh so badly at all.He wanted Phil to be inside him, he wanted to feel the slow drive in and out, have his hips make sharp, noisy contact with his ass as the thrusts got faster and faster.But something inside him just wouldn’t let Phil be inside him, not tonight at least.

“Oh, well, you don’t need to do anything you don’t want to do love, I’ll always respect your limits, no matter what.”Phil reassured, positioning himsef so his dick wasn’t quite literally threatening to push past Dan’s rim at any time.

“Do you want to stop or…?”

“No, I think–I just–could I top?”The question comes out stuttered and nervous, but Phil’s eyes get wide with something that definitely wasn’t apprehension, and all of Dan’s nerves get settled in an instant.

“Of course, just let me stretch myself.”Phil explained, grabbing the lube and spreading some over his fingers, pressing two inside of himself at once.He gasped, scissoring himself open as quick as he could, flinching a few times when he went just a bit too fast.Phil had never been one for patience, and it was evident in the way he fingered himself, thrusting in and out quick and frantic without any build up, and hips riding down onto his own fingers when he still couldn’t hit his spot.Dan almost wanted to chuckle at his pitiful expression, eyes clenched shut and lip in an almost pout, desperation evident on his face.

“You were so gentle stretching me, what happened to that Mr. All-Experienced?”He giggled, laugh growing stronger when Phil peeked open an eye to glare at him.

“Don’t care if I hurt myself, jus’ wanna be ready for you.”Phil insisted, practically jamming his fingers in and out now, needy for any touch to his prostate.

“You sure look like you’re trying to do something more than just ‘get ready’.”Dan continued to tease, hoping the impish pestering would get Phil to be at least a little softer on himself.

“I’m not! I just-I just can’t hit my prostate, it’s always been hard for me, and I just wanna seem like I know what I’m doing.”Phil whined, breaking off into laughter at the end of his sentence.They both knew Phil wasn’t quite as experienced as he put off; he’d been a late bloomer, and although he knew more than Dan with a few things, he honestly was still experimenting and figuring things out himself.

“Can I help?”Dan asked, fingers trailing over the back of Phil’s hand like a question, eager to wrap around and completely envelop the thin, delicate wrist of his boyfriend.Phil’s breathe hitched, and he nodded a yes, letting Dan hold his wrist now and guide his fingers in and out in a soft, slow place.

“Keep your fingers straight for me, okay?”Dan directed, moving his hand a bit faster now, savoring the little wet noises that accompanied every movement—sometimes using too much lube could have nice side effects.He pushed Phil’s fingers deeper, keeping note of the steady, admittedly faster than usual pulse he could feel against his thumb.

“Alright, now crook them.”

“Dan, I’m not sure—ah,”Phil jolted as he jabbed right into his own prostate, squirming at the intense stimulation.Dan was smirking like the absolute fucker he was, fringe damp and plastered to his forehead, and cheeks flushed bright with a cocky pride.

“Feels nice, huh?”He teased, giggling at Phil’s short-lived glare, expression cut off with a moan.Dan slid out Phil’s fingers and replaced them with his own, groaning at the soft, tight heat surrounding him.He couldn’t wait to get to feel that on his cock, feel Phil stretched around him and clenching like he could barely handle it.

He pressed into Phil’s spot, rubbing in circles and relishing the little “ah!”s he let out with every touch.Phil was much more sensitive than Dan could have imagined, practically melting at everything he did, head now tucked into the crook of Dan’s neck, moans muffled against the warm skin.He was rolling his hips in time with Dan’s thrusts, whining and needy for more, and Dan didn’t think he’d ever seen something so hot and precious at the same time.

Finally Dan pulled out his fingers, hushing Phil’s irritated whimper with a small smack to his ass.It was unintended and admittedly weak, but Phil gasped anyway, pushing back into the contact.

“Again,”He mumbled, wiggling his bum in a way that made Dan laugh again, loud and unfiltered and absolutely lovely to Phil, if a bit teasing in the context.Still, Dan did as he asked, squeezing one cheek in his hand before slapping down once more, feeling the soft skin grow hot under his fingers.

“You like that, yeah?”Dan asked, rubbing over the agitated flesh.Phil nodded, pushing Dan’s hand away and sitting up, positioning the head of his cock at his hole and watching his eyes widen as he sank down.He squirmed as he adjusted, resting his hands on Dan’s chest and smiling down at the boy he had so much love for, affection burning in his chest.

“You’re pretty.”He muttered, starting to slowly grind his hips.Dan groaned, back arching off the bed, accidentally pressing deeper into Phil.Phil shuddered, bouncing harder then, thighs straining with the effort.He was panting between moans, as it turned out, riding a dick took a lot more energy than he expected, and it was starting to take a toll on his stamina.Dan noticed, reaching up to cup Phil’s cheek, the touch sweet and reassuring.

“Want me to take over? You don’t have to ride me if it’s too much.”He said, grinning when Phil nodded a shy, blushy yes.Dan flipped them over, adjusting Phil’s legs around his waist, and fucking in and out almost as slow as he had fingered him.

“Daan, faster, please!”Phil whined, the lazy pace driving him absolutely insane.Dan complied, but not without another smack to his ass, playfully reprimanding his boyfriend.His hips drove in and out, hard and fast and just the way Phil wanted, the way he needed.Phil sobbed as he hit his prostate, it felt so much stronger this way, so much more intense.He was choking out pleas with every thrust, begging like music to Dan’s ears.

“Dan, fuck, feels so good, so deep, shit.”

“Fuck me so good, so nice inside me.”

“Harder, please go fucking harder.”

Dan couldn’t believe he was getting to pleasure his idol like this, that he was in his bed, fucking him into his mattress, and Phil couldn’t get enough of it.His thighs were trembling around Dan’s sides, and he knew he was close.Dan doubled his efforts then, grabbing Phil’s hips in his hands and pulling him down farther, moving him up and down with each pivot in and out.Phil started babbling, incoherent keens of “close!” spilling past his lips like he couldn’t control it, and Dan almost wanted to coo at his desperation—he was adorable even while getting fucked.

“You gonna come for me? Gonna come without even being touched?”Dan teased, pushing Phil closer and closer to his release with every word.

“You’ll look so pretty when you come, always so beautiful, aren’t you?”Dan praised, smiling when Phil giggled and hid his face, flushed all the way down to his chest.

“Just a little bit more, I know you’re close baby, just let go.”Dan purred, and Phil tumbled over the edge, coming with a sob of Dan’s name.He shivered and convulsed through his orgasm, writhing like he couldn’t bear the overwhelming pleasure.Dan fucked him through it, coming himself as Phil spasmed and clenched around him.

They panted together as they both came down from their highs, Dan’s head resting against Phil’s chest, kissing at the bright red skin.Dan pulled out, and Phil whined when he felt his cum leak out of him.

“Gross,”He giggled, heart beating just a little bit faster when Dan’s fingers entwined sleepily with his.They fell asleep like that, exhausted and sated, and probably going to need to clean the sheets later, but not really caring.Tomorrow morning they’d deal with the lube still open on the bedside drawer, or the cum stains Dan had barely cleaned up with a paper towel, but for now, they could relax, basking in each other’s affection and company.

[feckyeswriting]

Simplify - an Eris Fic

For @nimadge

Thank you for being amazing and even more so thanks for giving me a bright spot during all the hectic busy-ness of moving <3

I loved getting to cover this prompt. I hope you enjoy how it all came together. I know you just had all your exams, so I wanted to make sure it wasn’t just 100% studying anxiety all over again ^^  

How about Eric and Tris, relationship OR good working relationship with the possibility of more at least; she sees HIM studying something for once (for qualification exam or smth) and can help?  How would that go?

Made me think abt how Eric would take help/how harsh he is on himself, that sort of thing.  We never see him learning anything, after all

Simplify

“Do you need anything?”

Such a simple question. I looked up from my piles of notes and the guide book I was currently attempting to force into perfect recall. Seeing Tris there, a small smile tucked behind her lips, tempered the irritation that had been building all afternoon. There was a lot there bubbling under the surface.

“I know you work best alone, but if you need anything - a drink, something from the caf - just let me know,” she said.

I did my best to wrangle my expression into a smile. Her offer made it easy. It was well past the end of her shift. Tris didn’t need to be hanging around Leadership on her off hours. It meant all the more to me that she had.

“Thanks,” I replied simply.

Tris kissed her fingertips, pressing the two of them to my nameplate on the door. “I’m down the hall with Kyle,” she said before departing.

I felt my face fall as she turned and walked away. There was nothing I’d like more than to have gotten up and followed her. Instead, I sighed and flipped to the next blank page to take more notes. Committing to memory the new SOPs for calls had been easier than this drivel.

Qualifications - or quals - were the bane of my existence. And as Leader I was expected to stay ahead of as many of them as I could. At least we got to spread them out between Leaders. Between us, we had to understand what the Faction was capable of.

Sharp shooting and marksmanship quals were a favorite of mine and many of my fellows. They were straightforward; a combination of muscle memory and specific math formulas let you pass with flying colors usually. I’d been happy with the other quals I’d passed over the past two years.

Then the dust-up in Leadership had changed things. Not to speak ill of the very necessary changes that took place, it was a total pain in the ass to have to cover for the things that Max and the others had learned over the years. I’d fought tooth and nail to remain in place, accepting as earnestly as possible my culpability for letting… everything happen without question. That meant not complaining about covering two quals at once.

So, here I was in my office trying to convince my tired brain that learning every in and out of neurochemistry was a reasonable use of my time and efforts. I’d avoided the quals for fear testing initially because dammit I’d left Erudite to get away from reading academic texts.

Fate has a funny way of ignoring what we want in life.

I ran my hands through my hair and flipped to the next chapter. There were still a few more hours until I had time to sleep.

Every time that I blinked now I could swear I saw the diagrams from my notes on the insides of my eyelids. Fuck, that would have made things a lot easier if they were there. Instead I stared at the practice test question in front of me and fumed.

Describe the basic concepts behind the signals used to target the amygdala.

My pen tapped a staccato rhythm on my knee. I wanted to snap it in half. This was the first long form answer I was expected to answer. I had known it was going to come up.

The amygdala was only part of the brain triggered by the fear serum. There was also the thalamus and… and… Well, there were more. More that didn’t matter for this question. But all I could think about now was the damn sensory thalamus. Emotional stimulus - that was the first part of the series of triggers in the process - leading to further systemic triggers.

“That’s what it’s fucking asking, you idiot,” I growled to myself. “What are those triggers in the fuckin’ amygdala.” Still, no matter how long I stared at my measly four word reply, the less I could recall about the process. It didn’t matter how the synaptic sequence depended on a particular balance of ion channels, either, but that was what my mind decided to offer up next.

The process begins with

The process begins with

The process begins with- with what?

I flipped back to the earlier questions. I had more ‘return to answer’ arrows on each page than I’d remembered making. On the question asking to order the sequence of signals used by the serum I’d only marked off the first and last steps. Blank spaces stared at me unhelpfully, offering no insight into whether or not it was a neurotransmitter dump or an artificial channel blocker that could have been used in the amygdala.

My pen went across the room. This was absolutely ridiculous.

Next to me, Tris finally stirred. She screwed up her eyes against the light from my side lamp, but she sat up. “You’re still taking that thing?” she murmured. “What time is it?”

“Late,” I said. I ignored her first question; I’d blown way past my initial expectation of how long this stupid practice test was going to take.

She rubbed at her eyes and leaned heavily on the headboard. “You need to take a break,” Tris said simply.

I looked down at all the little black arrows on the pages and those stupid, stupid four words with nothing after them. “I can’t. I’m not done yet,” I replied.

“It’s- that can’t be right. It’s four am?” she said. She’d caught a glimpse of the alarm clock down by the foot of the bed. It was there so we couldn’t just slam the snooze button without moving. I’d been selectively ignoring it all evening. Well, morning now.

I sighed. Tris shifted again next to me, returning to rest her head on the pillow. She still faced me now. One hand emerged from the blanket again so she could run the side of her finger down my arm. She could only reach so far before starting back down again.

“You’re going to be exhausted,” Tris murmured. “Can you ask Lauren for her answers from this one? To study from?”

“Mm. Maybe.” Lauren had passed this qual the winter after her Initiation. She’d only had a few weeks to study for it. Had only needed a few weeks to. I’d been working on this every god damn night and weekend for the past three months.

And I still couldn’t answer a fucking obvious, critical question.

“Hey, hey,” Tris said. I looked down at my hands. I’d crumpled the pages in front of me between white knuckled fists. Tris’ hand wrapped around my wrist. It was the best she could manage from her angle. “It’s going to be alright,” she insisted.

“It will be when this is over,” I hissed. “If I pass.” Good fucking god, there were only three days left. Two nights of studying, really. I’d only have a few hours on the morning of to try and force any more info into recall.

I laughed bitterly. “I might not pass,” I repeated. “Wouldn’t that be rich? Paid so much attention to the fear sims, and I can’t explain them worth a damn for these stupid quals. Fear is what gets you kicked out of Dauntless. Never thought that’d be me, but here we are.”

Tris threw the blanket off. It took most of my papers with it, crumpled pages spilling everywhere at the foot of the bed. She sat up fully. Forced me to look at her instead.

“Eric,” she said, “what would you tell me if I was doing this?”

It wouldn’t work. I crossed my arms over my chest and scoffed. “Usually your problem is that you’re overreacting. And I’m not,” I insisted.

“Bullshit,” Tris retorted. I scoffed again. She wasn’t the one unable to answer a goddamn multiple choice question on what should have been a mid-level biology question.

She mirrored my crossed arms. “Bull. Shit. You’re overreacting and stressing about not knowing shit. So you’re just getting more and more stressed as you get more and more stuff not quite right,” she said.

“Not quite right is wrong. And wrong means failing quals,” I spat.

I don’t know if she heard the nerves in my voice then or if she just had to think another minute for a new plan of attack, but after a moment she said, “You have two more full days.”

Two days. My stomach flipped and I snapped my eyes shut. “Don’t remind me.”

She didn’t quit. “You have two more full days,” Tris insisted. “That’s plenty of time. You’ve got the core information down; you have to by now after all this cramming and all these weekends buried in that book. It’s just perfecting recall.”

I made a noise. I felt her prodding at my knees until I relented and stretched my legs back out on the mattress. Tris dropped onto my lap with all the grace of a newborn foal - all legs and flailing hooves, sorry, palms. I opened one eye as she wrapped her arms loosely around my neck.

“I’m not moving these,” I muttered, wiggling one arm.

“Sure you’re not,” she replied. Resting her forehead on mine, she forced me to look at her.

Her voice got soft. “I know you’re stressed. And you’ve every right to be worried about the test. They’re fucking hard,” she said. I almost laughed. Almost.

Tris continued on. One of her thumbs stroked along the skin of my neck. “But I’m here to tell you: you’re going to be okay. It’s all going to be fine. Two days is plenty of time. I know it will be,” she said quietly.

I closed my eyes again. Nodding my head, I hummed in acknowledgement. “Mkay,” I said. I pressed a kiss to her lips. Saying thank you seemed like not enough. I did it anyways.

“You don’t need to thank me. Like I said, if you need anything you just have to ask me,” she murmured. We shifted together and she moved to lay on top of me. I had to kick to get the blanket back up to us. That sleepy smile returned to her face when I pulled it over her shoulders again.

I looked one last time at the pages still down by my feet. Tris poked my side, reading my mind. “Turn off the light,” she grunted. “Sleep now. Study later.”

Kissing the top of her head, I clicked the lamp off. She snuggled tighter to my chest.

It’s the simple things.

[laystudio]

hi! im that anon that asked for a tutorial and you said something specific and i really liked your harvey dent edit? the one that said, god is dead. and it was all red and stuff and super cool looking? no pressure! i just think your stuff is really cool and was wondering what the process behind some of it was!

ofc! it’s no problem at all :)

so i’ll just give a brief rundown and a v rough tutorial on how i made those particular graphics. thank u so much for the support, i’m especially proud of them too and it’s nice to hear u like them as well!

what you’ll need:

photoshop cc 2015.5 but any ps would do really

basic knowledge of photoshop

patience

fonts: dk shaken not stirred, liquido, couture, helvetica, helvetica neue, votu

so the first graphic is a really stupid move and i just realized it like hours after i posted it: it’s one of two graphics that feature a fanart instead of a faceclaim. looking at it as a whole, cohesive set it looks really stupid and surreal? bc it doesn’t match and just throws u off? so my advice is don’t do that. if ur gonna edit from an actual comic then the rest should be like that too (2D) but if ur gonna edit with real life elements i suggest to just stick to that path (3D) so that everything looks coordinated and neat :)

the second one actually took me a while to get right but basically the red circle is in [linear light] and the black circle is in [hard light] mode while the top most white is in [normal]. the paper texture is above all three layers and is on [multiply] mode so it only looks visible on the white circle. the “angels” text is just some basic layer mask so it looks like it’s inside the white circle. as for the style of the graphic itself it’s just based on the previous harvey graphic i did here, the last one on the left. the thing with that is i look for inspiration from other graphics i find and there’s a lot on behance, flickr and even pinterest. just search for ‘graphic designs’ and you’ll find a lot of good ones. u don’t have to copy them exactly but u can adopt and transform it into something urs! but if imitating some designs and tricks is what helps, then it’s fine too. nobody is born an innate artist/designer/whatever so just explore and experiment with what u know and what u want to see. eventually, u’ll be able to develop ur own style.

the third one is basically the same as the second and fairly straightforward. the big, red 2 is set to [darken] mode. i guess with this graphic it’s mostly abt negative space??? and also maybe laziness but negative space is good so that overall, ur graphic set wouldn’t look too cluttered. it helps the eyes breathe i think.  also the main focus is the faceclaim, and since the graphics above and below it is already optically centered, it’s at the rightmost side for asymmetry. just a thought.

ok i’ll be real this is one of my faves bc it just looks so harvey i couldn’t believe my eyes when i saw that hand. i just cut it and applied a gradient map of white and light red i believe so it looks like it’s sketched out or smthng. it looks just like harvey’s burned hand but bc i’m an idiot i forgot to flip the canvas so that it would look like his left instead of his right hand. to this day i regret this mistake. if u look close enough the coin has harvey’s face on it too. damn i love him. but moving on, the lines are made with the pen tool. the pen tool can be a hit or miss thing to use and i just recently learned how to use it properly but it’s v convenient once u got around it! it’s like a sophisticated brush tool if u want to incorporate more lines in ur stuff. u can also use it to cut stuff out (like with the quick selection and magic wand tool) but i don’t do that method often so probs don’t listen to me. i only have a v basic knowledge on it but there’s a yt video tutorial on how to properly use the pen tool if ur interested.

this fifth one is very….. meh. theoretically, it could’ve been better but since i’m the Worst in practice it ended up like that. the design is p much those adidas ads with the many dots? sorry for the plagiarism, adidas, but i don’t make money off of this. so when in doubt just slap some geometry on ur edit and ur good to go. i go for circles bc they’re more aesthetically flexible, if that makes sense? i find rectangles cool but they tend to look out of place in something so vertical; it leaves little space for words and other elements. but polygons look better on horizontal canvases so u can try that too!

the last and definitely least is the most ‘meh’ out of the bunch bc i literally stopped caring abt 2/3 into this thing. the thought that comes to mind is: time magazine cover nov2017 so what does that say abt it really. the text is naturally like that thanks to the font: liquido with a wave-like option if ur into that kind of stuff. some layer masks too to get the effect of the text being inside the harvey art. it looks so dumb now wtf i’m an idiot. but hey, 2 harveys. i’m a visual genius in that respect. again, some gradient maps and a red rectangle border. tip: u should most definitely add a contrasting color or accent in ur graphics, which i once again failed to do here. in this case it’s black since the color palette is red, white and black. it adds a depth to ur work. if ur skilled enough, u can use a wider range of color palettes instead of the usual black, white, [random color]. i, myself, haven’t mastered that yet so that’s what i usually use but one extremely prolific graphic maker who has a good eye for these colors is user mattelektras. u can check out her stuff and see how she uses complementary colors in her edits.

some other things to note:

if u need a paragraph-like text for filler, u can go to type > paste lorem ipsum then adjust the font size to ur liking (somewhere around 0.8pt for maximum unreadability)

it’s good to pay attention to colors and spaces in ur works! the color wheel is ur friend in this trying time

smart sharpen always and forever (at abt 65-130 depending on ur image size)

this got lengthy but i hope i was able to help! i know it’s not that detailed but if u have anymore questions don’t hesitate to ask :) i’m not bothered at all so don’t worry abt it. happy designing!