#Met a cute girl and spent 24 hours with her on our first date I guess we're married now

[muscatjello]

girls when see mirror

[justcourttee]

Hi I love your fics and maribat. Tall Girl (Netflix) reminds me a lot about Timari. So maybe to something with that. (With Mari thinking that Tim's confessions were all jokes and wanting Ardien who was roped into dating lila and it's the class making fun of mari.)

Oh goodness, this took ages and I both apologize and hope it's what you were looking for! 24 pages and over ten thousand words! For reference, that's 20% of my first multi-part Maribat piece!

Average

In a world where everyone is looking for extraordinary, how do you survive when you’re just average?

I’ve spent my whole life mulling over the thought, trying to find a way to be extraordinary, trying to find a way to be noticed, and constantly failing.

It wasn’t like it was from a lack of effort, I really did give my all to everything I tried, it was just, there was always someone better.

Specifically, one insufferable bitch named Lila Rossi.

Now I know what you’re thinking, ‘Marinette, it’s not fair to call Lila a bitch just because she was better than you,’ and if it were a normal rivalry, I could agree with you. But you simply don’t know Lila Rossi.

Lila has been a thorn in my side since we met on the soccer field at just ten years old. I accidentally bumped into her sending us both tumbling to the ground and she took that personally. Slapping my hand away, she bawled the worst fake tears I had seen in my ten short years until the coach benched me. Can you imagine the embarrassment of being benched in elementary school soccer?

Ever since that day, anytime we were placed together it always ended in disaster, especially for me.

Now, as much as I would love to on about how awful the sausage-haired brat is, I’m sure that’s not what you came here for. So let me break it down for you. If you are looking for your typical girl meets boy, they fall in love and live happily after, you should scroll now. It’s only fair to warn you. After all, I don’t want you to be disappointed when we reach the ending. I’ll give you a second.

Still here?

Well, hold on tight. Because the story I am about to tell you isn’t much to just anyone, but it’s everything to me and my average life.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

It all started on a Tuesday in August when he arrived.

Adrien Agreste.

“Class, I want you to welcome our exchange student, Adrien Agreste! He’s here all the way from Paris, France, and will be finishing the year with us. Adrien, why don’t you tell the class something about yourself?”

I couldn’t even focus on the words that escaped from his precious lips. His voice was so silky, like softened butter on one of Papa’s fresh muffins. Everything about him screamed perfect from his thoughtfully placed hair to his shining green eyes. He was simply-

“-Earth to Mari! You could at least try to hide your drool.”

My eyes snapped shut as I took a deep breath.

“Tim, I am not drooling. And you know I hate it when you whisper in my ear! It tickles!”

Tim rolled his eyes as he sat backward, his eyes narrowing to where Adrien stood in the front of the room, a pristine white smile earning giggles from every female in the class.

“I don’t like him. Something seems off about him. He’s too-too-”

“Perfect?” I chuckled to myself as the heat rose to Tim’s cheeks, his eyebrows settling into their usual aggravated pose. “I don’t know what has your panties in such a twist Wayne, but shouldn’t we try to get to know him first? I think he seems nice.”

Tim huffed under his breath, his cheeks filling with air. It was hard for me to contain my giggles as he mumbled to himself, his pout deepening.

Tim Drake-Wayne. He is my absolute, undeniable, unshakeable best friend. We met back when my parents decided to drag me halfway across the world for a change of pace. I was in the fifth grade when a young irritable boy with a coffee addiction wandered into the bakery alone, demanding a double shot of espresso to deal with the day.

After several visits, we became closer and closer until we were inseparable. Tim’s been through a lot. He was emotionally abused by his parents, forced to mature too quickly. We had just entered the eighth grade when those same parents died and he was adopted by the town’s billionaire, Bruce Wayne. I was sure I would never see him again, but after much convincing (bugging), Bruce decided public school was best for Tim so that he wouldn’t be isolated again.

I adore Tim with my whole heart, really, but there is one thing he does that I absolutely despise.

“After school today, let me take you to the new coffee shop that just opened! It’ll be just like a date.” His wink only strengthened my urge to knock him flat.

“First of all, quit joking about my lack of a love life. I don’t need a pity date from you. Second, how do you switch so easily from grueling to jokes? Don’t you get whiplash or something?”

It’s a daily occurrence. I mention someone I like or that someone is cute and immediately Tim jokes about how it would just be easier if I dated him instead. It’s the only thing he does that has ever truly gotten on my nerves.

My gaze returned to the front of the classroom where Adrien had settled into his new seat. Even the back of his head had every hair perfectly placed. How did he even begin to manage that? I wasn’t sure how long I had stared, but before I knew it the bell had sounded and I was whisked away by Tim before I could even say hi.

The same pattern repeated itself every day for weeks.

Every time I would work up the courage to say something to him, Tim drug me away as fast as he could manage. Although, I can’t place the entire blame on Tim. There was one other factor, one factor worse than Tim.

Lila Rossi.

As student body president, she vowed that it was her duty to show Adrien around the school and around town. I spent every night scrolling through dozens of snapchats and instagram stories filled with her hanging off of his arm.

Even if I could escape Tim’s grasps, there was no way she would let me get in a ten-foot radius of him.

At least, that was what I thought. There was one time during the day that Adrien had a moment to himself. Fifth period when the music room was abandoned and most took off for their internships or club activities.

I discovered him by accident, truly. My club had let out early for the day and while most people would take off to head home or to one of Gotham’s more popular afternoon hangouts, I wanted to wait for Tim.

It was never my plan to corner him, but as I flung open the music room’s door without a second thought, my eyes met startled green and my heart dropped to my stomach.

“I’m so sorry! Usually, the music room is empty right now and I thought I could find some peace, and I didn’t know you were in here and oh my god I’m such a dork.”

I slapped my hand over my mouth before I could spiral any further, his widening eyes sending my heart deeper. This was it. I finally had a chance to introduce myself and I wasted it. If there was any way I could just slink away, crawl into a six-foot hole, and simply wither away in misery, I would take it without hesitation.

“I’m so sorry, I’ll just head out no-” I could feel the heat rising to my face as the most precious sound I ever had the pleasure of experiencing erupted from him. His laugh could literally cure cancer, I was sure of it.

“No, no, you’re fine! Marinette, right?” He knew my name? Adrien Agreste, the most perfect man in the world, no, in the universe, knew who I was?

I could barely find the strength to nod, the heat in my cheeks becoming unbearable. He offered a sheepish smile, rubbing the back of his neck in such a gentle and shy manner. It was too effective. There was no way I wasn’t going to pass out before Tim got out of his AV club.

“I’m sorry, I also didn’t realize that anyone used this room besides me. I’ve spent the past few weeks in here while everyone was in their clubs.”

“You didn’t want to join anything?” Was my voice always this high? I couldn’t remember. To be honest, I was still in a daze from his precious laugh.

“It wasn’t that! It’s just, there’s nothing here that really interests me. I prefer classical things, like the piano and musicals and French theater. Nothing that interests normal kids our age.”

French theater? I knew some from the days I spent with my Grandfather in Paris. He was a sucker for classical things as well.

“I don’t think that those are weird interests. I mean, I prefer to design as my hobby, but I’ve spent quite a few hours watching French musicals with my papy. I am very knowledgable if I do say so myself.”

Adrien’s smile was blinding as he slid over on the piano bench, offering the spot beside him. My heart had finally returned to normal, but just one small motion had sent it into a flurry as it desperately tried to escape my chest.

“Let’s make a bet Marinette.” I found myself nodding before he even finished his sentence, his infectious smile starting to pull a smile of my own. “If you can guess the song and musical, you can ask for anything you want from me.”

“And if I get it wrong?” I was so sure the air was thinner beside him, the glint in his eyes drawing my breath away.

“Then I can ask you for anything I want, deal?” I hesitated for a moment, unable to comprehend that he would even want anything from me to begin with, but seconds later my head began to move, my breathing scarce.

I closed my eyes as his fingers hit the first notes, a beautiful melody following. The song was so familiar, so simple, but it was so hard to focus with him so close by. All too soon, the echoes of the final note rang through the room until a deafening silence settled atop of it.

“So, any guesses?”

I rolled my bottom lip between my teeth, a name settling in the forefront of my mind.

“It’s definitely Sur Deux Notes, but for some reason, I can’t remember the musical”

My eyes flickered open as I resisted the urge to jolt backward. His face was mere centimeters away, everything about him urging me to lean forward, to give in.

“A true tragedy Miss Marinette,” a finger popped up to bop my nose before he slid off the bench, offering his hand to help me stand. “You got it half right! It’s from the musical Les Chansons d'Amour. Which means-”

His pauce was dramatic as I stood, his grip on my hand loose.

“I win! Therefore, I get to ask you for anything correct? That was the deal?” His smirk was so playful, it almost felt dangerous. “So, Ma Dame, what are your plans this weekend?”

“Nothing!” That was definitely too quick, do I look desperate? Honestly, if it meant staring at that smile for a second more, I found myself caring less and less.

“Then, how about I help you refresh your musical knowledge? I believe I can get ahold of a copy of the original Les Chansons d’Amour by Saturday.”

This was a date, right? I wasn’t dreaming, the red throbbing spot on my arm pretty much guaranteed it. Somewhere along the line, I must have nodded, and as he gently released my hand turning to grab his bag, all the warmth left with him. Already, I found myself longing for his touch again.

“I hate to ask, but can you meet me at Wayne Manor? I’m sure Mounseir Bruce would allow me to borrow a car, but I am not quite comfortable asking him for something like that.”

“Sure-” I felt the gears turning in my head until the final one clicked into place. “I’m sorry, did you say Wayne Manor? As in Bruce Thomas Wayne? Gotham’s Favorite Billionaire?”

“Ah yes,” his hand moved to the back of his neck, a sheepish smile replacing his confident one from moments before. “It’s a bit embarrassing, but he was the only one my father would let me stay with. I couldn’t even apply for housing because he already had it set up. Does that make you feel awkward?”

“Oh no, of course not! I’m well acquainted with the Waynes! In fact, there is one that I forgot I was supposed to meet today. Can I give you my number really quick?”

As I handed him his phone and we bid goodbye, I couldn’t even begin to relish in the high I was feeling. No. The only thing I could focus on was how to murder one little Wayne boy.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

“Marinette, c’mon! It’s not that serious. So what if I didn’t tell you that Adrien was staying here?”

I tapped my pencil against my forehead, trying to ignore the pestering fly beside me.

The minute I had stepped out of the music room a couple of days before, I encountered two of the biggest thorns in my life. Tim paling at the sight of my rage and one insufferable bitch wearing the ugliest scowl. He ran from me then, he ignored my texts and calls, and I’m assuming once Adrien mentioned our date to Bruce, he decided there was no more avoiding it.

“Besides, he sounds pretty cheap if he’s making you meet him at Bruce’s house. Watching musicals? Like with your grandfather? Is he ancient or something?”

I gritted my teeth, trying to maintain the silence. There were so many things I wanted to say to him at the moment, but seeing him squirm was the best revenge. Tim loved silence unless it was purposely directed at him. His brothers taught me that years ago.

The bell sounded through the room and I quickly darted out before he could attempt another backhanded apology.

These were the days that I missed my Paris friends. Besides Tim, I was utterly alone. I mean, I technically could hang out with Tim’s siblings, but then I’d still have to see him. There was one person that lived outside the Wayne household, yet I wasn’t sure if I was ready to cross that line yet.

I walked home alone again.

Realistically speaking, I needed to at least work up the patience to face him before Saturday. It was almost a guarantee that he would be there. It wasn’t like he would go out on the weekends. But with only two days just seemed too soon.

I had barely walked into the bakery when my mother excitedly waved me down the landline in hand.

“Marinette! A boy from your school is on the line!”

I raised an eyebrow as I accepted the phone, waving her off. There was only one boy that knew the landline number and that was Tim, but if he were on the phone, she would’ve said so.

“Hello?”

The silence was deafening. For a moment, I was sure they had hung up and was about to follow suit when a soft voice sent chills down my spine.

“Marinette? It’s Adrien. I hope I’m not bothering you.”

My breath caught in my throat. Did he ask Tim for my number? But he has my cell? It didn’t matter how he got it or why he was using it, I just needed to respond.

“No-” I cleared my throat trying to find my real voice because it certainly wasn’t how I just spoke. “No, it’s not a bother at all.”

“Great, so, I heard from Lila that there was a homecoming dance coming up. I haven’t been to one before, but I was wondering if I could go with you?”

“Of course I would love-” My heart sank before I could finish my sentence. Laughter cut me off, two distinct laughs that I could pick out from anywhere. “Don’t you ever get tired Lila!”

“Oh my god, you were so excited huh? Pretty pathetic that you think he would fall for you after one conversation Mari dear.”

I didn’t even know how to respond. She wasn’t wrong. We shared one song and haven’t even gone on one date yet, why would I even believe this for one moment?

“Yo Mari, what’s good xinh đẹp?” I felt my hand rising to massage my temples before I could even find the strength to respond.

“Kim, were you trying to call her beautiful, or do you just suck that much at your grandmother’s native language?”

Muffled arguing continued for a few minutes, a few too many for me to question why I still hadn’t hung up. There was a concerning shriek before silence followed.

“I’m surprised you’re still here dumbinette, do you like being degraded by me?” Her laughter sounded like nails on a chalkboard and I could feel the tightness in my chest rising to my throat. “I just wanted to call to make one thing clear. Stay away from Adrien Agreste. I set my sights on him the minute he walked through those doors back in August and I don’t want you to think for even a second in that pitiful brain of yours that you even have a chance, okay?”

I wanted to argue, I wanted to rub it in her face that I had a date this Saturday, one I didn’t have to force upon him like she had the past few weeks. But the tightness had settled, crushing my windpipes. My hand inched down from my temple to my eyes where they were met with a warm wet tear.

“Mmkay, that was all babe! See you at school, hugs and kisses! Mwah!”

The phone stayed pressed to my ear for too long, the dial tone mocking my existence.

It was just two more days till my date, but I felt less confident as the days passed. A single thought passed through my mind, but I quickly dismissed it. No matter how I felt, I couldn’t cave in and call Tim. Yeah, that’s right, I was still mad at him. But was I really?

I was so sure that I was pissed beyond belief when I had to hear from Adrien that he was staying with him, but that wasn’t something that was completely out of my mind. Tim had done worse things than withhold information about someone I thought was cute.

Slowly, I lowered the phone, my fingers absentmindedly dialing his number, pausing as my finger lingered over call.

No, not tonight. I cleared out the screen before dropping it on the bakery counter, waving off my mother’s concerned look. Nobody could ruin the fact that I had a date on Saturday. Not even my own self-destructive tendencies. Adrien asked me out. He asked me out. That was a fact and no matter what Lila or Tim thought or did, it couldn’t shake that undeniable fact.

There were two days. Plenty of enough time to finish the dress I had been fiddling with the past two weeks. I will show up to this date with my head held high and my hopes higher

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

“Oh! Marinette what a fun surprise! You look beautiful!”

I inhaled sharply, ignoring the urge to smack the grin right off of Tim’s face.

“Timothy. Is Adrien home?” His smile faltered for a moment as he stepped out of the way, inviting me inside.

“Is this your new project? You were working on it for so long. It looks stunning!” He stumbled over his meaningless compliments as he led me to the entertainment room, my silence too much for him to bear.

“You don’t have to escort me, Timothy. I have been here a million and one times.”

I reached past Tim to open the doors, ignoring the fact that he refused to move. There was a strong temptation to just slam the door a little harder so that it would reach his nose, but a set of startling green eyes eased the feeling.

“Marinette! Oh mon Dieu, Tim was supposed to let me know when the doorbell rang so that I could greet you. I’m so sorry, I swear I really am a proper gentleman.”

“It’s okay Adrien! Really! I should’ve texted you that I arrived. I’m just so used to letting myself in.”

His smile was full of relief as it sent my heart into a flurry. Was it really possible to sit close to this man without combusting?

“Please, join me! I just figured out how to set everything up.”

Adrien motioned to the seat beside him and as I slid into the couch, I was fully aware of his arm resting behind my head. It felt nearly impossible to focus on the movie in this position. As he pressed play, my eyes glanced between him and the screen, unsure which was more deserving of my attention.

“So my friends, what are we watching?” Adrien’s arm flinched, his elbow knocking the back of my head as we both jumped from the couch.

“Tim, what are you doing here? I thought you weren’t a fan of French musicals?”

Adrien was putting it nicely, something I could admire him for since my thoughts were definitely straying to a much more violent response. Tim took a handful of popcorn, shoving it into his mouth as he slipped into the spot I had been sitting moments before.

“I usually don’t, but I figured I should get to know you both a little better and your culture of course. Don’t mind me, you won’t hear another peep.” He mockingly zipped his lips closed, his sickeningly sweet smile not quite reaching his devilish eyes.

Adrien glanced at me as if he were unsure to argue or not. I suppose he decided it wasn’t quite was worth it as he moved to sit back down, his smile shaky.

With as much might as I could muster, I shimmied in between the two guys, putting as much distance between Tim and me as I could. I felt his glare burning holes into the side of my head, but there was no way I was going to let him ruin my perfect first date with the perfect guy.

Adrien restarted the movie and for exactly five minutes, Tim kept his promise.

“Can we at least turn on the subtitles? My french is a little rusty.”

I gritted my teeth as Adrien nodded, the screen changing to fit in the white words.

“God that’s tiny, is there any way to make them larger?”

“Uhm, I’m not very sure? It took a while to figure out the controls.” A fist shot past my face, spreading in wait. Adrien looked wary as he placed the remote into Tim’s outstretched hand.

“This should do.” What was once manageable small words were now purple and taking up a third of the screen. I could feel Adrien tense up beside me, but he refused to argue.

We continued on like this for the duration of the movie. Tim would find something new to complain about making our date feel less and less romantic and more like amicable divorcees taking their child out.

“Wow, what a beautiful movie!” Tim dabbed at nonexistent tears, his smile irritating me half to death. “What’s next guys?”

“I, uhm, actually have to head back. After all, I told Maman I wouldn’t be out late.”

“Let me walk you home!” The silence was deafening as both boys traded glances with one another, daring the other to speak again.

“Enough Tim! This was my date tonight with Adrien, not you! Quit acting like some jealous boyfriend!” Both sets of eyes turned toward me, one set glowing, the other dull.

Tim closed his slack jaw before he gathered his trash, mumbling under his breath as he left.

I took a minute, watching the door to ensure he wouldn’t turn back with some dumb retort like he always did, but instead, it remained shut. I felt a gentle touch on my shoulder, urging me forward.

“I’ll walk you home Marinette.” I managed a nod as I let Adrien lead me out of the room and out of the manor.

We walked in silence for a while, his gentle touch both calming and warm in the cool October air.

“Marinette, I’m sorry. That wasn’t exactly how I planned for our first date to go. I’m not sure what was up with Tim.”

My laugh was curt as I slowed my pace, the bakery coming into view far too quickly.

“Tim is just lonely. I know that, yet I’ve been ignoring him some time for petty reasons. He just,” I paused, steps away from the windows to avoid any unwanted audiences, “he just can take the jokes too far sometimes and I can’t handle that.”

Adrien nodded as if he sort of understood what I meant, his eyes glancing to the building beside us.

“Is this your house? Do you live above the bakery?”

“Uh, yeah. There’s an apartment above with a side entrance. So I suppose, this would be my stop.” His chuckle echoed as he moved his hand from my back to brushing against my own hanging hand.

“Well, it certainly wasn’t how I imagined it would go, but can I at least end it how I planned?”

My heart was certainly ready to burst as he gently turned me until our noses were mere centimeters apart. He seemed to be waiting, his lips parted ever so slightly. This was my chance, and yet I was too mesmerized by how close he was. Could I at least nod?

Perhaps I did. The confirmation he waited for set him in motion as he closed to the slight distance between us. His lips were warm and soft and I felt as if I could melt into the sidewalk, as happy as could be.

It almost felt life ending when he finally pulled back, his smile sending my head spinning.

“I’ll see you Monday, Marinette. Goodnight.” He lifted my hand, placing a small peck against my knuckles before releasing it, turning to leave me dumbfounded in front of my own house. My eyes trailed after him, only allowing me to step toward my own home once he was just out of sight.

There was literally nothing that could ruin the high that I was on during that very moment. If only I had known what was waiting for me as I turned the knob.

“Welcome home hunny! Look who decided to stop by to see you!”

The color drained from my face as the snarky smile set off every alarm in my mind.

“Long time, no see Dupain-Cheng. I thought the first thing you would do when I got here was come and see me, but I guess that was too much to hope for now wasn’t it.”

“Chloe, you know you’ve been busy, so why are you acting like it’s all my fault?”

Her heavy, dramatic sigh reminded me exactly why I hadn’t reached out. Chloe is one my best friends besides Tim, but she can be a bit much sometimes. Imagine being so average that even when you stand next to a pillar, you make the pillar look more outstanding. Got that picture? Now imagine little old average me standing next to a three times Miss Junior World Wide pageant winner.

See? A bit much for my mental health to hang out in public with her.

“C’mon now, you know that’s not the only thing stopping you from calling. Your mother told me you had a date tonight. You finally give that Wayne boy a chance?”

I rolled my eyes as I slid into the chair across from her, the weight of the night finally hitting.

“You and I both know he’s just messing with me, mocking me if you will.” Chloe shared a look with my mother, both sighing. I knew what they were thinking, but they didn’t know Tim. He was always like that, always will be. “Besides, there was a transfer student. From Paris to be exact.”

I knew I had captured her attention as she leaned forward, her fingers intertwining before resting on the table.

“Maybe you know him. From what I gathered, he and his family are Paris elites. Adrien Agreste-”

“Mhmm, girl, drop him now.”

I paused as I waited to see if she would elaborate, but instead, she just sat back in her chair as if already bored with the conversation.

“Why should I? He’s so handsome and so sweet and we both share similarities. He’s so perfect Chloe.”

“Yeah, no.” She glanced over her pristine nails as if looking for a crack in the polish to punish. “He is a daddy’s boy and you are not his father’s type. His father will insist he marry someone that would be good for business and I’m sorry but you’re not that Marinette.”

“Marriage?” I could feel myself burning red at the implication. “We only went on one date, Chloe!”

“And it should stay that way. Trust me, he and his family are nothing but trouble for you. You should ask out Tim instead.”

“Are you done?” Chloe sighed before nodding, letting her hand fall to hit the table with an exaggerated smack. “I know that he is out of my league. Trust me, for someone so perfect like him, he needs perfect to match. In fact, I was planning on calling you soon anyway, but since you’re here..”

I trailed off, waiting for her to draw her own conclusion.

“Marinette, nobody is perfect. Stop putting him on a pedestal before you hurt yourself.”

If I weren’t mistaken, I would almost think she was concerned for me, but that just wasn’t Chloe’s style.

“So can you do it or not?”

Her sigh was long and drawn out, ending in a slight nod.

“Let’s get to it. We have a lot of work to do before Monday rolls around.”

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

You know, I had always wondered how Lila felt walking into school every day knowing that every set of eyes was pinned to her.

Now I knew.

It was revolting. How could she walk so confidently knowing that everyone was gaping at her, certainly waiting for her to mess up? At least, that’s how it felt as people didn’t even bother to hide their broken necks as I whisked past them.

It would be a lie if I didn’t disclose that I practically dove into the safety of my homeroom before I fell into a full-blown panic attack.

“Marinette?” I stiffened as I peaked up at the boy standing in front of my desk. It had been two whole days and Tim hadn’t even messaged me, yet here he was, his mouth hanging as low as everyone else’s. “Are you wearing make-up?”

I nodded as he slipped into his usual seat, his expression shifting from surprise to one of suspicion.

“This has Chloe’s handiwork all over it. Did she stop your house or something this morning?”

“She’s staying for the next couple of weeks to avoid that shady hotel on fifth that her mom booked for her.”

Tim nodded with understanding, but not another word was spoken. It almost felt like a dagger to my heart. Where was the Tim I knew with the backhanded compliments and joke dates? Surely if a makeover couldn’t get a reaction from him, what was I expecting from Adrien?

I let out a sigh as I fell forward, my forehead resting on the cool desk. Where was Adrien anyways? He was always ten minutes early for every class. This was so unlike him.

“Oh my god! There you are Mariboo!” A shiver traveled down my spine jolting me up in my seat. There was only one person with an annoying shrill in their voice that could outmatch Chloe’s.

“Lila? You’re not even in this class. What do you want?”

Her laugh felt like listening to a cat using the blackboard as its new scratching post. I couldn’t help but flinch as she placed a perfectly manicured hand on my shoulder.

“You’re so mean Mariboo! I was coming to make sure that we were still on for lunch today! Adrikins had a photoshoot this morning but he wanted to invite all of us to eat with him on his break!”

Her enthusiasm was sickening.

“But Lila, you don’t like me-”

“Don’t like you? Babe! What is with you today? If my boyfriend asks me to bring you to lunch then that’s all I need to confirm our sisterhood.” Boyfriend. Boyfriend. I couldn’t be bothered to hide my shock as Lila’s fake smile shifted to show her more sinister and true smirk. “Yeah, Boyfriend. We went to dinner last night and he asked me there! So romantic huh? Anyways, I trust I’ll see you later then huh? Okay then! Hugs and Kisses, byee!!”

My eyes narrowed as they shifted to where Tim sat beside me, feigning ignorant to the interaction. Was this his retaliation for what I had blurted out on Saturday? I only called it how I saw it and it was Tim’s fault for pushing me that far! He was being childish at this point.

“Do you think she’s lying about Adrien asking her out?” The silence was deafening as Tim slowly lowered his forehead to the desk, his eyes shut tightly as if trying to imagine he was anywhere else than right beside me. Regardless, I tried to continue. “It has to be a lie, right? I mean Adrien said he liked me, not her! We even kissed.”

Tim’s body stiffened beside me. Of course, that would get a rise out of him, he was always overprotective about those kinds of things. Alas, my excitement was dulled as he returned to his relaxed state once more, his silence continued.

Whatever. I don’t need Tim. I can figure this out for myself. All I had to do was wait till lunch.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

“Oh my! You actually came! How exciting.” Lila’s smile was dripping with false elation, a hint of thrill dancing in her eyes as if she couldn’t wait for the drama to unfold in front of her. “Aidrikins, look who it is!”

Adrien wouldn’t even meet my eyes, his arm dangling lifelessly from Lila’s shoulders. If I had to guess, he wanted to be anywhere else at that moment. The thought leaked its way into a small smile.

“Why don’t you take a seat Mariboo? I have someone who wanted to talk to you. Someone who loved your little-” she paused, her nose scrunching up as she searched for the right word,”-transformation?”

I didn’t even have time to question her before I was thrown off balance, an arm forcing me into the chair at the table.

“‘Sup girl? You’re looking fine today.” Instant dread flooded my soul as I was squeezed into a damp t-shirt that I could only assume was sweat-drenched. “You don’t mind if I slide in beside you eh?”

“Kim-Get. Your. Arm. Off. Me. Now.”

“Woah, woah, c’mon little lady. Don’t be like that! You know I’ve always had a soft spot for you Marinette.”

Lila’s smile was infuriating as she watched as Kim pushed me into the open seat, his arm heavy on my shoulders.

“What is the meaning of this Lila?” Her eyes feigned innocence as she cocked her head to the side, her fingers tapping the table.

“Whatever do you mean Marinette? I’m just trying to help you get over your heart break now that Adrikins has chosen me to be his girlfriend. You know the old saying; ‘the best way to get over one is to get under another’.”

I could barely stand to let her finish before I pushed Kim away, taking off ducking so that he couldn’t reach out again. Why did I think for even a second that this would turn out okay? Did I expect Adrien to wrap me up in his warm arms and tell me she was just a joke? How stupid of me.

“Marinette?” I slowed down long enough to catch Tim’s worried gaze, the strength in my legs finally giving out as I slumped to the ground. “Marinette! What happened?”

I tried to speak, but I couldn’t seem to find my voice. I reached up absentmindely to where the warmth in my cheeks sat, recoiling at the dampness I found. Had I started crying? When did that happen?

“Here, take this.” I didn’t even bother to look up as the weight of Tim’s jacket slipped over my shoulders. He gently helped me to my feet, pulling me toward the door that led to the courtyard, a bench in view. “Can you make it to our spot?”

My voice still seemed to fail me, a nod was all I could manage. It was enough for Tim who seemed to understand. The moment the back of my knees hit the cool wood, I buckled. Tim crouched in front of me, reaching out hesitantly to brush some of the leftover tears lingering on my cheek.

“Is this because of Adrien?” The air left my lungs, my body going rigid. “This is what I was worried about Mari. He seems perfect, but the jerk was torn between you or popularity. Anyone who can’t see the right choice there isn’t deserving of you.”

“Torn between me and popularity?” My voice was hoarse, it sounded unfamiliar.

“Yeah. He had the audacity to ask for my advice as to whether or not it was worth it to date you or have friends. Can you believe that? As if Lila’s little group will still want him after his newness has worn off.”

“And what did you tell him?” Tim stiffened as he shifted his eyes away from mine. “Tim, what was your advice to him?”

“He told me to drop you because you only saw your old life in me and that you weren’t as invested in this as I was.” My body felt as stiff as Tim’s looked as we both glanced to where he stood, breathless and red, his own eyes tinging pink as if he were holding back tears himself.

“Stop.” Tim’s voice was a whisper, his hand retracting from where it had been resting on my cheek. Adrien took a step forward, holding his head higher as he looked down on the two of us.

“He told me that you always had short-lived crushes and that you longed for your old life often. So much so that when I showed up, you were more fascinated by what I could offer over who I was.”

“That’s not what I said-”

“It’s exactly what you told me! So imagine my surprise when she showed up at lunch today looking like I had pulled the rug out from under her feet. Marinette, this isn’t what I meant to happen. I like you, alot. And if you like me too, I’d want to give this a shot, truly.”

My brain felt as if it were short-circuiting. Tim had done many things in the past to thwart my crushes but he’d never put me in a situation that would hurt me. Never. Yet, when my eyes met Adrien’s, something sincere stirred, pulling at my heart.

“Tim?” His eyes shifted to mine, tears brimming at the edge threatening to spill at any moment. Was this really the face of a selfish man sabotaging me? “I want to hear it from you, Tim. What was your advice to Adrien?”

“Marinette, I already told you-” Adrien fell silent at the sight of my palm, urging him to stop. It wasn’t a lack of trust in him, it was the fact that I felt too much trust for Tim. I just knew he couldn’t, he wouldn’t, he-

“That’s more or less what I told him,” he was barely audible but I heard every word clearly as they pierced my chest. “But Marinette, I couldn’t watch him string you along anymore. You don’t know the conversations he has at night with Lila, you don’t know-”

I couldn’t imagine the face I was making right now. I couldn’t even begin to fathom a face to make in the first place. Nothing out of Tim’s mouth was making sense. Adrien was telling the truth? Tim really said that about me?

“Marinette, please listen-” my hand moved before I could think, smacking Tim’s as it attempted to rest itself back on my cheek.

“Tim.” He seemed to understand as he stood, taking a step back from where I sat. “Tim, just,-I-”

I didn’t even know what to say. Why did it hurt so bad? What was this gut-wrenching feeling? It wasn’t like this was the first time Tim had sabotaged a crush. But wasn’t it the first that he had gone this far? The first he had said such awful things to me? Right?

“I think you should leave Wayne.” There was a tense moment where the air stood still and the two boys in front of me stared each other down, daring the other to speak again. It was Tim who would inevitably give in, stepping back toward the school building without a glance back. And for some reason, that hurt most of all.

His face, what face was he making right now as he walked away? It’s the only thing I can think about, it’s monopolizing my thoughts. Tim, Tim, Tim-

“Hey, hey, don’t cry. It’s okay.” Adrien pulled me forward until I was pressed into his chest, the dampness of my cheeks finally hitting. When did the tears start? Why did they start? “Marinette, I don’t know what Tim has said about me, but I really do have feelings for you. I never once faltered when it came to that. Is there any way you could give me a second chance?”

His heart was pounding. Was he nervous? I could hear the words coming out of his mouth, but I couldn’t process the meaning behind them. Was he asking me out?

“A second chance? Aren’t you dating Lila?”

“I am, but I’m not. I-I don’t care for her as I do you. It was just that Tim told me you weren’t interested and she has been asking me for weeks now. I’m sorry. I know this doesn’t look good on my part, but I swear Marinette. If you tell me right now that you will accept my request, then I’ll leave her. It’s you that I want Marinette. So what do you say?”

“I-I don’t know what to say. I mean, Adrien it was one date. Are you sure you want to throw away your relationship on one date?”

Adrien pulled back, his eyes shining as elegantly as the first time I saw them.

“I’m sure Marinette. I would be willing to bet anything on you.” Hesitantly, he reached forward, wiping the tear stains from my face, his hand remaining on my cheek. “May I?”

I couldn’t process just what he was asking, my mind still boggled with thoughts of Tim retreating. I could feel my face being pulled forward ever so slowly, his nose nearly tickling my own. Was this okay? Was it okay to allow him to steal yet another kiss? Was Tim right? Did I truly care about Adrien or was he just another crush? He paused, his lips mere centimeters from mine.

“Is this okay Marinette?”

No, Tim was wrong. Adrien was wonderful and caring and I actually liked him. This was something I decided for myself regardless of Tim’s opinions. It was my turn to close the distance between us. His lips were soft and delicate, almost hesitant as he returned the kiss. As he pulled away, my head felt dazed. It was different from the melting sensation I had felt before. This one was gentle, like a promise sealed between the two of us. It was comforting.

"Come with me Saturday,” my voice felt foreign as it slipped out of my mouth, unsure of where this surge of courage came from. “My friend has a fashion show and while it’s not the most exciting thing in the world, I’m sure it would be much better with you there.”

“If it’s with you, I’m sure it will be a blast. I’d love to come, Marinette.”

There was a pause as I registered his words in my head.

“So, like a date..right?”

Adrien’s laugh bellowed through the courtyard as he stood, offering his hand to help me stand as well.

“Exactly like a date.” He pulled my hand forward until his lips brushed over my knuckles, his warmth lingering even after he released his grip. “Now, if you’ll excuse me. I need to take care of a certain someone before I can officially call you mine.”

Adrien offered a small wave before turning to jog back inside.

I remained standing, my eyes following his retreating figure. He left through the same door that Tim had, reminding me once again, that I also had someone I should take care of. But was that the case? Tim never explained himself, just upped and left after Adrien suggested he should.

It wasn’t that I couldn’t trust Adrien and what he said, it just felt wrong to watch Tim leave me, to leave my side without a word.

Maybe we both just needed some space. After all, I had no idea what I would do, what I would say if I saw him right now. I would just wait until after Saturday, after my date, after a perfect night out.

Yeah, that would be the best time.

I reached into my pocket, my fingers already dialing before my phone was even in view.

“What do you want Dupain-Cheng? Aren’t you still in class?”

“Well, hello to you too Chloe. I’m doing fine thanks for asking.” There was a deep sigh that resonated through my phone as if she was deciding if I were worth her time. Supposing I was, she clicked her tongue waiting for me to continue. “Adrien agreed to come with me to that show you’re walking in on Saturday.”

“And why would he do that?”

“I would like to assume it’s because he likes me and wants to spend time with me, but that’s just a guess. Who knows for sure?”

Chloe tsked and the line went dead before I could even say another word. I couldn’t help the smile that tugged at my lips. At least the one thing I could count on was for Chloe to remain constant.

Never mind anything else that occurred, the only thing I had to concentrate on was my date. Forget Tim, forget Lila. I had a perfect date on Saturday and that was the only thing that mattered.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

“So, enjoying your backstage luxury? Honestly, you’re drooling as if you haven’t eaten in days looking at all these up-and-coming designers.”

I unconsciously wiped the drool that had seeped at the corner of my mouth as I turned in circles taking in the landscape. It wasn’t much. A bunch of thrown-together counter space and curtain dividers, but the hope and exhaustion on everyone’s face as their hard work finally came to light was what made it so fascinating for me..

“I can’t help it, Chloe. I know I told Adrien that it wouldn’t be that exciting, but to be honest, it’s so gratifying watching them. Maybe I’ll take my hobby seriously and find myself here one day. You’ll wear my designs, right Chloe?”

“Mm, you’ll have to prove to me that your designs are worth my time.” She stuck out her tongue, her eyes taunting me to retaliate. “Besides, I know this is all just a deflection Dupain-Cheng. You’re avoiding the original question I asked when you first got here.”

My body stiffened slightly as I shifted my gaze to a nearby model having their make-up fixed. Anywhere but Chloe was a good place to look seeing as the burning sensation in my skull indicated that she was most likely throwing her killer glare in my direction.

“I told you, Chloe, he said he would meet me here and he just hasn’t texted me yet.”

“That sounds like a load of bullshit to me, but whateves.” It was odd that he hadn’t called me or even shot a single text. We were supposed to meet up an hour ago but after thirty minutes of waiting and three missed calls from Chloe, I decided I would wait inside for him to contact me. “The show will be starting soon so you should try and find a decent seat. Maybe lover boy can find the guts to show up before I walk.”

I nodded before edging my way to the curtain separating the audience from the models. Peeking through, my eyes scanned for a certain blonde but alas, he still wasn’t here. I excused myself to the nearest row with two seats left, placing my purse and jacket into the empty one in hopes Adrien would fill it soon.

Out of the corner of my eye, I watched as the announcer jumped on stage, his enthusiastic voice failing to capture my full attention. When Chloe would ask me later if I liked the show, I couldn’t even begin to tell her what she modeled. My thoughts were elsewhere, wondering just why he never even read a single text.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

I got my answer just hours after returning from Chloe’s show. In reality, I hadn’t moved from my bed, not particularly sad, just mentally exhausted. It was only after I had finally decided to brush it off as a dead battery or some freak accident, I received a text from someone I never imagined.

“Hey xinh đẹp, I know I’m probably the last person you want to hear from, but I just couldn’t let this slide.”

Kim had attached a video, nearly a minute long. My heart jumped as I saw the screen frozen on Adrien’s face surrounded by dozens of people, Lila hanging right off of his arm. Was this why he was late? Did he go to break up with Lila? It would explain why he couldn’t answer me.

With a shaky breath, I pressed play, my heart threatening to drop at any moment.

“The fuck is this?”

“Tim?” His name almost sounded foreign in my mouth. What was Tim doing at Lila’s party?

“Leave it be Wayne.”

“Yeah Timmyboo, just leave it be.” Lila giggled as she brought Adrien’s face to hers, leaving small sloppy kisses all over his face. It almost made me sick to my stomach. That looked nothing close to breaking up.

“You told her that you were leaving this bitch! You lied to Marinette.”

“Oh c’mon Tim. Marinette’s nice and all, but her crush on me was overbearing and what was it going to give me in return? Huh?”

“She would’ve given you the world if you asked! How can you not realize that? When Marinette loves someone, she does it with her whole heart. If I had your chance, you bet your life I would never waste it like this!”

Tim… was serious. All those times, he was serious. I can’t believe I thought it was a joke when Tim was constantly pouring his heart out to me.

“Like she would ever give you a chance Wayne. Not after you made it so easy for me to get her to hate you. I’ll let her know eventually, but in reality, she has nothing. Especially compared to Lila. It’s like father always said, relationships are only good for what they can offer yo-”

Adrien never got to finish his sentence as Tim’s fist connected with his face. I could hear Kim let out a string of cusses as the video cut out. There was nothing I could do as I stared at my phone, still processing what I had seen, what I had heard. I stared until the screen blackened and all that was left was my own shocked expression.

For some reason, it didn’t hurt that bad hearing Adrien’s words. Somewhere deep inside of me must have realized that fascination with someone from where I grew up way outshined the actual connection I had made up.

“Tim,” He tried to protect me. It wasn’t just some jealous ulterior motive; Tim just didn’t want to see me hurt. And speaking of Tim, “my God, I have to find Tim!”

I pushed off my bed, racing down the stairs and out the front of the bakery. Maman glanced sideways at me as I zipped past, but she did nothing to stop me, a seemingly knowing smile plastered on her face. I’m sure I’ll deal with her teasing later, but that wasn’t the important thing at the moment.

No, the only thing that mattered was finding-

“Marinette?” My feet planted themselves, my arms involuntarily shooting out to balance myself. Before I had even turned, my heart was already jumping in my throat. “Marinette, where are you going?”

I couldn’t stop myself as I stumbled forward, my steps clumsy as I made my way to where he stood.

“Marinette? I-oof” I threw myself into Tim, my arms tightening around him in fear that if I let go, he would somehow slip away from me. He hesitated for a moment before I felt his own arms wrap themselves around me.

We stood there as seconds passed, neither speaking, just simply holding on for dear life.

“I love you.” His heart raced, reacting to my words much the same as my own. “I’m sorry for everything Tim. I’m sorry it took me this long to realize you never once were joking about your feelings for me. I’m sorry that I let a stupid boy come between me and my best friend. But most of all, I’m sorry that I never had the courage to say it sooner. I love you, Tim.”

All too quickly he pulled back, his hand rushing to his face in an attempt to cover the spreading red.

“You-ou-you-you can’t just spring that on me! I didn’t have any time to prepare. And you took away my big moment! You have no idea the demons that I literally fought to finally work up the courage to come confess! Marinette!”

I felt the giggle bubbling up as Tim attempted to compose himself, the blush ever-burning as it moved to brush against his neck.

“I guess I should add that to my apology speech too huh?”

“Yes! You should! I want a formal apology later for ruining something that I have been planning for since we were kids.”

“And what about now?” Tim cocked his head as I took a small step forward in an attempt to close the space between us. “If that’s what you want for later, what do you want for now?”

I could practically see the wheels turning in Tim’s head as he tentatively reached out, grasping my face as lightly as he could with both hands. Time seemed to stop as he pulled me forward, his breath quick and uneven, much like my racing heart.

“I want to kiss the woman I love, but only if she wants me to.”

“What a coincidence, I also was thinking that I would love to kiss the man in front of me.”

We both moved forward, our lips and teeth colliding at the same time.

“Ow!” Tim released one hand as he covered his mouth. There was a moment of silence before we both erupted, our laughter mingling as it filled the night air. “Somehow, that felt exactly like us.”

I could only nod as my laughter faded out, an ear-splitting smile taking its place.

“It’s okay though because now we can try again any time.”

Tim smiled as he leaned forward once more. “Good, because I would love to try again right now.”

His lips were soft and his kiss was gentle and described in a single word; perfect. When he pulled back, his forehead rested against my own, his heart practically jumping through his shirt.

“Is this real?”

“It is.”

I shared his sentiment. It didn’t feel real that after all this time, after everything that had happened, we had finally found our way back to each other.

I’m sorry if this wasn’t the happy ending you were waiting for. After all, I did warn you that it wasn’t your typical girl meets boy.

In the end, I never quite figured out my question; how do you survive in an extraordinary world when you’re only average? After everything, I still don’t have anything definite, but I suspect that it becomes infinitely easier when you fall in love with your best friend.

As I met Tim’s eyes in our last moments alone that night, the only thought occupying my mind was that never again would I ever let him go.

I found the person that makes my average life extraordinary and he’s always been right by my side.

“Never leave Tim, okay?” I could feel the warmth from his smile before it even appeared.

“You’re only stuck with me for the rest of your life and any time after that.”

I reached forward, intertwining our fingers, relishing in the perfect fit. This was everything I had been searching for and now it was quite literally in my grasps.

This, well this was only the beginning of our story, but that’s a tale for another time, right?

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[itsallyscorner]

Being Dog Parents with Chris (in pictures)

🐾 Who wouldn’t wanna be dog parents with Chris? Like that man is a DEDICATED dog dad.

🐾 You two take the role of being dog parents VERY seriously. Dodger is literally your and Chris’ son.

🐾 Obviously, Chris was the first parent, since he’s the one who adopted Dodger.

🐾 You met Chris when he already had Dodger. When you first met Dodger it was after your third date with Chris, he suggested that you guys head back to his place for a movie night and some drinks.

🐾 As soon as Chris opened the door you guys were greeted by a fluffy blur of brown and white. Dodger sniffed your hand once and immediately pounced onto you. Chris was about to scold Dodger, but stopped when he saw you giggle as Dodger gave your face kisses.

🐾 After that the rest was history! Dodger loved you as much as he loved Chris. Maybe a bit more, because you would sneak him some food under the table from your plate. Even though Chris scolded you for doing it (he’s a hypocrite bc he does it as well when you aren’t looking).

🐾 When Chris first referred to you as “Momma” to Dodger, you cried.

🐾 “Look bubba, it’s momma!” He once said after he and Dodger came back from a walk.

🐾 “Did you just refer to me as his momma?” You asked in shock as Dodger pawed at your legs and nudged your fingers.

🐾 Yes, it was a bit dramatic, but Dodger meant so much to Chris. Dodger was practically his son. The fact that he was referring to you as momma made you emotional because well— you guys are a family now.

🐾 Dodger was spoiled rotten when it came to you two. From countless amounts of squeaky toys to endless belly rubs, the dog was treated like a king in the Evans household.

🐾 You absolutely adore Dodger. He’s the most sweetest and cutest dog you’ve ever seen.

🐾 You and Chris have wayyyy too many pictures of Dodger in your camera roll. You had some polaroids of Dodger as well.

🐾 The pup was used to you and Chris pointing cameras at him that he just learned how to pose properly in front of a camera.

🐾 You guys go on LOTS of family trips.

🐾 Most of these were road trips because both you and Chris didn’t want to cage up Dodger in an airplane for long hours.

🐾 Both of you wanted your son to be comfortable while traveling. Which is why road trips were better because you guys would be able to give him pee breaks and let him stretch his limbs out while you or Chris were buying things at 7/11 or a Wawa’s, etc.

🐾 Chris definitely doggy proofed his entire car. There were seat covers on the seat to avoid fur sticking onto them, the backseats were all down so Dodger could have the entire back + trunk of the car to himself, and he even had a little lunch bag that included kibble, bottles of water, and some treats (which you packed).

🐾 Chris had a list of dog friendly hotels and attractions that you guys could go to. Most of these family trips were outdoors, maybe included some camping and hiking.

🐾 It didn’t matter who it was, but Dodger was an absolute cuddle bug. He loved cuddles.

🐾 You could be chilling out on the bed, too lazy to get up, and Dodger would just peak his head behind the door with those doe puppy eyes. You would hear his nails tapping against the wooden floor and then all of a sudden he would hop onto the bed. He would probably lick your cheek or something before settling against you.

🐾 Chris would later find you two cuddled up in each other’s arms sleeping. He adored the bond you and his dog had because it was the two people (Dodger counts as a human😤) he loved the most in the world.

🐾 Chris would take a few pictures of you and Dodge before joining your cuddle fest in bed.

🐾 Though Chris and Dodger had some type of competition. The two were always competing for your attention.

🐾 If you and Dodger were cuddled up the whole day or spent the day together, Chris would be jealous because while he was busy at work you two were just bonding together.

🐾 Chris would try to tug you into his arms but Dodger would settle himself onto your lap and just huff at his dad’s attempts to get you.

🐾 “You’re such a hog, Dodger. I swear.” He would mutter under his breath as he slumped beside you on the couch with his arms crossed.

🐾 Sometimes you and Chris would be in bed making out and Dodger’s cute self would think you guys were playing so he joined in on the fun and licked both of your faces.

🐾 Causing Chris, the grown man, to whine like a child.

🐾 “Cockblock.”

🐾 “This is my girlfriend, get your own.”

🐾 “Bet your lion doesn’t give you hugs and kisses like (y/n) does.”

🐾 When either you or Chris would have a bad day, Dodger was immediately there to cheer his parents up.

🐾 These moments usually occurred when Chris was away for filming and left you and Dodge at home.

🐾 Dodger was always by your side 24/7, except for peeing, poopy times, or eating. He didn’t have to physically be beside you but you had to be in his line of sight.

🐾 Besides Chris made him promise that he’ll protect their girl.

🐾 “Alright Bubba. You’re the man of the house while I’m gone. Take real good care of our girl and behave.” He’d order the dog, while Dodger just stared at him with his tongue out.

🐾 He would pepper Dodger’s head with kisses before whispering, “I can’t risk losing her because she’s the best momma we got and I wanna make that permanent.”

🐾 When Chris gets back from a shoot, best believe y’all are havin the BEST sex after not seeing each other for months.

🐾 But before things can get hot and dirty, there was one rule in the household that must be followed: No sex in front of the dog to avoid doggy trauma.

🐾 Ugh DOG DAD! CHRIS IS SO WHOLESOME AND I NEED MORE OF IT NOWWWWW

[nehawriter16]

2020 / 24

There are only 2 things I can do on an airplane – dose up on sleeping meds and pass out, or order one too many cappuccinos, keep my exhausted brain awake, and will it to talk to paper. The flight from JFK was in the afternoon and in the chaos of leaving for the airport early in the morning, I forgot to pack my pills.

Two cappuccinos in, my hands were shaking and begging to be typing out the Mrs. Maisel speed monologue that constantly runs in my head. Even though there is a month left in this year, I decided to do my annual New Years Eve post. Over the last 3 days, I’ve been drilling it down to go from gibberish to slightly readable.

Here it is.

Like the rest of the world, in January, I was blissfully unaware of the shitstorm that would follow. I got into several colleges on the East Coast for a Master’s in Finance degree. Every day, I would race down the stairs with my laptop and show my parents: another admit, another scholarship! On the surface, I was making pro and con lists for each one. Deep down, my heart had already picked Fordham in New York. It was New York. Nothing else would cut it.

The day after I turned 24 in January, I also met my (now ex) boyfriend on the internet. Completely by accident, he saw my profile because a mutual friend followed my writing. Two days later, she texted me and said he would like to talk to me. Did I want to talk to some boy studying in Paris? I was single and bored and already had my year laid out for me, so why wouldn’t I?

It moved quickly. Three months later, we had been speaking every day and were exclusive. We had not hung out in person. It was stupid, but I had never come across anybody who liked me as much as he did. In every relationship I had been in before this, I always knew I was more emotionally involved. I fell in love with his devotion to me – he would stay home (who stays home in Paris!) and choose to spend virtual time with me over going to clubs with his friends. I watched myself become the epicenter of his life and thought – this is how much I’ve always wanted to mean to somebody.

In March when the pandemic hit and India shut down, my father sent a car to pick me up from my internship in Bombay, where I had moved two weeks ago. I didn’t pack so much as my toothbrush – the driver brought me home and I had no idea that it would be months before I’d get to leave again.

Morales stayed high in the beginning – we thought it would end in 21 days, then 2 months, then 5. It has taken over the whole year now, and despite us gridlocking it into “2020,” we all know the first half of 2021 will also be filled with masks and sanitizers and not hugging your friends. I wonder if I will ever settle into somebody’s arms without cringing again.

March melted into April, that melted into one long drawl until suddenly it was August and college was beginning the following week. I found myself refreshing the US consulate’s website absent mindedly one afternoon, and all appointments that had been suspended suddenly showed you a tiny little bar that read “reschedule.” I screamed and clicked.

I had thought I would be spending the year stuck at home, awake and attending classes at odd hours. While my classmates went to happy hours in dive bars in Manhattan, I would be in my bedroom, still chained to my parents’ curfews and ultimatums. But then suddenly, I was standing before a US immigration officer in Bombay, and he was telling me I had been granted my student visa.

All that was left to do was book a flight to New York, and break the news to my boyfriend, who was on his way to my abandoned apartment at this very moment for our first date, 7 months after we first began speaking. He had come home in March when France went into lockdown, and it was starting to feel like a throuple with long distance, the third and very present member in our relationship.

I packed up the belongings I had left there, and we sat across from each other on the double bed. I kissed him first. There were roadblocks, and our personalities and views clashed on so many important things, but I loved him. Two days later, I said: I have to leave for New York in 3 weeks. He didn’t take it well.

In September, I landed at JFK. When the wheels of the plane made contact with the runway, I was smiling behind a mask I’d had on for 16 hours. On the Air Train to Manhattan, I felt a sense of happiness wash over me and toyed with the possibility that maybe I wouldn’t mind if it was just me in this city. I would be okay alone.

I found an apartment, a roommate, signed a lease in a beautiful building in Hell’s Kitchen, walking distance from college. I met lots of people from my class and instantly picked out the ones I wanted to become good friends with. I dove straight into academics and extra curriculars at college – after 5 months of nothing happening, life was suddenly exciting again.

When New York lit up every night, it felt like anything was possible. I started eating better and walking a lot. My hair grew out from the bad haircut I’d gotten the year before. Coffee was no longer just coffee, it was finding a new café and walking through Central Park. Drinks were not just drinks, they were about accidentally stumbling onto a secret bar in the East Village, finding favorite spots in the neighborhood, letting a cute waiter recommend a cocktail to me even though I was perfectly capable of picking one myself.

The boyfriend and I were fighting more than usual. I was getting tired of it. We had discussed a life together, but it was slowly and surely becoming clear to me that I would resent myself for making big compromises for a person who still had a lot of growing up left to do. As New York got cold, I did too – without trying. When one particular argument got really bad, I asked for a break from the relationship. He didn’t like it.

A week later, I woke up to a girl sending me screenshots on Instagram of her conversation with him (pre me asking for a break) on a dating app, and without getting into details, I will tell you it was not a conversation anybody with a girlfriend should have been having. I should have been broken in half on the inside, but now I could finally say, without feeling guilty – this relationship was not working, nobody was happy, and you were so unhappy you thought talking to other women was okay. I spent all of one day drinking with a friend in Central Park and sobbing myself to sleep.

But mostly, what hit me after the initial shock had died down was a tsunami of relief. I felt lighter, freer. I try not to think too hard about the trauma that comes from finding out that the person you think is so devoted to you, and definitely loves you more than you love them (or so you think) is being unfaithful, because it hurts a part of me that is already very bruised from all the things that have happened to me before. So I don’t.

But it was New York. I was young and smart and there was a wine shop down the block that sold $14 bottles of Moscato. I didn’t need much else to know I would be okay. At 20, I would have jumped right back into going on dates every other night to distract myself from what had happened, then never called any of those men back. At 24, this emotional speed bump resulted in a lot of quiet introspection in my bedroom. I spent a lot of time alone, on the phone with friends, and walking around the city. I had learnt to like my own company enough to not fill a suddenly empty void with anybody else’s, even though there have been several tempting offers in this past month, and sometimes, I have succumbed to them, but mostly I am very strict with who deserves my company.

It was nice to spend that second month in New York by myself. I owed absolutely nobody a single minute of my time. No one asked me questions, or called me and expected me to share my day unless I wanted to, and once I had worked hard and cleared out the things from my to do list for the day, time stretched out before me and I had the autonomy to decide the smallest thing down to who to meet, what to eat, how much to sleep.

I didn’t let my academics and ambition suffer – no matter what happens, I never do and I never will. The grades stay up – it’s built into my system. I am back home now and just 2 days in, I find myself wishing I hadn’t left New York. I was starting to build a life I liked there, and the only price I had to pay for it was a 4 pm sunset. It would have been slightly lonely, but I like the time I spend by myself. I worked hard to become like that.

This month, I will see my friends here at home. I’ve missed them. I can’t believe I grew up in this city and I already feel so alienated from it just from 60 days of living away. Is that how badly I wanted to leave?

I might be dramatic and fly back on my 25th birthday, so that I can say, “I was on a flight,” and ignore the slowly expanding bubble of dread that comes with turning that old. I like the ambiguity of airports and I’m the sort of inherently sad person who would love to be alone and unreachable on my birthday.

I acknowledge that my problems this year have been so small in the face of those of us who have lost family members, contracted the virus, had to give up internships or had jobs taken from us, been torn away from family, or had to make it through this alone.  

I feel almost guilty that good things have happened to me in a year that has predominantly been bad for almost everyone else. I feel apologetic, even though from 2017 to 2019, I was treated like life’s sick joke so I should deserve these good things that I worked hard for.

I definitely feel myself growing up, though. Emotionally I find I have a clearer idea of what I want from relationships and friendships, and I don’t second guess cutting off anybody who doesn’t serve that purpose or messes with my mental peace. I still have days when self-doubt comes over for a cup of tea, leaves me weak in the knees, but most days are free of it. I am also moving out of that chameleon phase where I mirrored what I thought a room full of new people would want from me, and I am unapologetically myself, irrespective of who’s watching.

Last year I remember wishing for something stupid, like “I wish there was somebody to kiss on New Years Eve,” because I’ve never had anybody to smack lips with when it’s midnight. This year, I don’t care. I’ll kiss myself in the mirror, for all I care. I love her. She’s my homie.

It’s been a weird year. I know who I was in 2019, and I remember wondering if I was proud of her. Things were still in purgatory then. But I steered my life and brought it back on track. This year, I am proud of myself without doubting it.

There’s no measuring scale for personal growth, but if there was, I feel at least a couple of inches taller in 2020.

[jeonggukkiepabo]

LONELY CHRISTMAS [MIN YOONGI] | FAMILY GATHERINGS

SUMMARY: Christmas has always been your second favorite holiday of the year, especially since you and your boyfriend Yoongi were literally inseperatable. Well, usually you were. But BTS gets more and more famous - world tours, award shows and other idol priorities making it almost impossible to spend this year’s Christmas with your second family. 

WARNINGS: so much fluff, but also the dirty kind of smut. fingering, oral (male and female receiving), choking, spitting, raw sex (i dont need to say anything, do i?), switch!yoongi, switch!reader, fighting for dominance, Yoongi being meow meow but also rawr.

QUOTES USED: 2. “That’s the eggnog talking. I’m cutting you off.” 4.  “Don’t be such a Scrooge.” 6. “It’s snowing.” 7. “Open it.” 9. “I’m just happy you’re here.” 24.  “Is this the part where we kiss?” 31.  “Help me decorate.” 

Now; Merry (early) Christmas, celebrate well & enjoy this filthy ride to hell.

Also, a big thanks to @holyfluffly​, who spent her precious time reading through this & checking for any mistakes. ♥

Since December started to come around – and you finally decided that it was time to stop binging on your favorite Halloween movies -, your house changed from spoopy graveyard to Rudolph’s shed. Fairy lights and beautiful garlands were hung up everywhere and once you plugged all your Christmas lights in, your house was lighter than “Son Goku in his final form”. At least that’s what Jungkook used to describe it when he first stepped into your winter wonderland. It was a tradition your boys always teased you with, but it was a tradition you brought with you from your home country that you wouldn’t want to miss. Your mother used to hang up lights everywhere, different Christmas shapes (you once had this weird reindeer light that looked more like a stabbed donkey, but… well) on every window and your balcony while she said “No matter how far apart we are, your light shines on me” – and 2 years after her death, was your most favorite thing to do once the calendar hit December. That, and ordering a shit ton of products from the LUSH and Bath and Body Works Christmas range. Jimin really loved the welcoming smell of cotton candy and gingerbread men, but Jin would sneeze when you sprayed all their pillows with the Snow Fairy body spray.

Usually, it was Taehyung’s favorite task to pick out a Christmas tree with you, decorating it with the entire family (that obviously consisted of all his band mates, their dogs and you), but this time it was just you, Tannie and Holly  walking around the tree field and picking a random one, much smaller than what  you’d usually get. There won’t be any presents underneath it anyway. Decorating wasn’t any fun, your Christmas playlist wasn’t helping, the smell of cotton candy wasn’t sweet enough. You made way too many Christmas cookies that wouldn’t be eaten. Your favorite pair of fuzzy socks had a huge hole in them and, oh well, your boyfriend wouldn’t be there for this year’s Christmas.

“Don’t be such a Scrooge, Y/N! It’s festive season!”, Jungkook yelled from somewhere behind Yoongi, energetic as always. “I wouldn’t be a Scrooge if my boyfriend and my friends would be here, celebrating the fest of love with me.” You mumbled quietly, a heavy sigh leaving your chest. It was currently the 17th of December, the first snow has fallen over Seoul, your fireplace crackling softly in the background. Yet, you were freezing. “Jagi, come on. It’s just another day of the year, we’ll be fine. We have New Year’s together, what’s the deal?” Your boyfriend didn’t care that much about festive traditions, hating the thought of Valentine’s Day or Halloween, not even speaking about the stress he always has around the Christmas season. For them, worldwide superstars, it was just another workday.

“You’re just happy you don’t need to wear one of our Christmas sweaters, huh?”, you scolded him, knowing his hate for the scratchy sweaters with the ugly patterns that you always made him and the boys wear for photos and your Christmas dinner at home. “Yeah, I won’t even start talking about those Rudolph ears you bought for our photo last year…”, Yoongi smirked. “I loved those!”, you vaguely heard the voice of Jimin in the background, Taehyung agreeing him on that. “I still wear those whenever I wash my face, thank you Y/N!” Sighing, you wished you were right there, with your loud and energetic boys, instead you were suffering on your own, the pout never leaving your lips.

“Boys, you’ve got 10 Minutes left!”, their tour manager interrupted your sulking, Yoongi nodding at him. “We’ll be right there.” He smiles at your pout, sticking out his bottom lip as well. “I’ll call you after the show, okay? Will you be still awake?” BTS was currently on world tour, playing somewhere in Europe and the time differences made it rougher than ever to talk to your boyfriend every day. You shrug, shivering under the thought of another sleepless night without your love, without the sounds of Taehyung and Jungkook fighting over some videogame and without the thought of Jin’s delicious breakfast to wake up to. “I guess I will, see you later, Yoongs. Bye Tae, bye Jungkook, bye Jiminie!”, you wave to the boys you considered family before smiling sadly at Yoongi. “Good luck, I’m sure you guys will rock that country! I love you.” “I love you too, Jagi. I’ll text you before I’m going to call you, okay? Try and rest.” “Bye, Noona!” Then the screen went black, all you could see was your own sad appearance in one of Yoongi’s oversized Hoodies.

Days went by, you didn’t have the chance to talk very much to Yoongi because of yours and their working schedule, they were currently in the States to record another hit song with some famous American singer that would explode on the Charts the second it comes out. Sure, you loved your boy’s music, you could listen to them sing and rap for hours, they worked hard and deserved all their success – but you didn’t wonder that all of them weren’t in a relationship. Tour life was hard, not only for their girlfriends but for them, too. A simple picture from across the world with a random girl could ruin relationships, just because of a misunderstanding. When you and Yoongi started dating a couple of years ago, Jin had a long-distance relationship – which already sucks for ‘normal’ human beings, but for worldwide superstars? A catastrophe because you couldn’t just come home to your significant other. It was over for them after a few months because she met a nice guy from her apartment complex, because he was there while Jin wasn’t. It was sad, especially for the Maknaes, because they needed affection, they needed their experience, they needed love. Instead, they had to have One Night Stands, making sure that those girls wouldn’t talk about their “night with BTS”. Truth be told it was too much work to find a girl to get laid, so they’d simply refuse, giving into their frustration and suffer from loneliness.

With Yoongi, things were easy. He didn’t get jealous whenever you hung out with other guys, but he also didn’t give you any reason to be jealous as well. People always describe him as “cold”, “depressed” or “weird guy that’s always quiet”, but once he warmed up to you, he was even funnier than Jin, his dry humor and loving gestures winning over your heart immediately. He was a family person, loving to be in a cozy home surrounded by his bandmates and you, even if he’d never say that out loud, all of them knew it. Yoongi was a loving person, whether he was showing it or not.

The 20th December rolled around quicker than you thought, last minute presents were bought, the house completely decorated and one Christmas movie after the other was playing on TV – but you were still sulking. “You didn’t even help me decorate! I had to do all of that by myself!”, you switched your phone camera so you could show Jimin how beautiful the living room looked, smiling at his little pout. “Noona!”, he whined, “Don’t be angry, okay? I promise you I’ll decorate for New Year’s all by myself.” “Don’t worry, Jiminie, it’s not your fault you can’t be here. Where’s Hobi? I’m watching his favorite Christmas movie, but I can’t get in the mood without my sunshine.” Jimin looks around, his lips twitching, but he remained quiet. “Jimin?” “He’s… uhhhh… He’s doing stuff with Yoongi and Tae?” You raise an eyebrow at him, taking another sip of the creamy eggnog you ordered online because it was nowhere to be found in Seoul. “Are you lying, Jiminie?” “No, but… Oh, Jungkook calls for me, bye Noona!” Sighing, you dropped your phone aside, head tilting towards the window while a soft smile appeared on your lips. It’s snowing.

On the 24th December, the boys had their last official concert of the year – in Australia. A 13-hour flight away, plus the two-hour time difference that made your heart sink, because whenever you were ready to call Yoongi, he was already too tired because of the concert and travel exhaustion. As one of the idol’s girlfriend, it was basically your job to watch their performances, you streamed all of them, no matter what time it was in your time zone, but it wasn’t as good as it would be when you were there. You loved going to their concerts, not standing backstage to watch the show, no. You preferred going into the crowd, singing and dancing along with ARMYs from around the world and watching your family from down there, enjoying their glow and sensual performances from a fan’s perspective. But today, it was just you and your laptop, watching the stream in your bed, a cup of your favorite tea beside you, Tannie on your lap and Holly somewhere besides you under the blanket, asleep like always. A smile was plastered on your face as you saw that all of them were wearing those “stupid Rudolph ears” – even if Yoongi looked grumpier than ever. You were fascinated as always – how could those cute little boys turn into Korean gods within two seconds? Of course, the Maknaes were the center of attention, fans chanting for them, dancing and screaming – you couldn’t deny the fact that they looked great, but exhaustion was plastered on all of their faces. Your eyes were plastered on the smol bean that caught your heart and as if he knew, he smiled into the camera, giving it a finger heart.

The 25th December was rough, you didn’t even want to get out of bed, staying under the covers for several hours after waking up. There was no reason so get up if there wasn’t anyone to give presents to. You didn’t use your phone, watching The Nightmare before Christmas again because if you acted like it was still Halloween, you wouldn’t be as sad that you were alone on your second favorite holiday of the year. It was around 12pm when the two dogs came into your room, whimpering because you didn’t take them out yet. “Ugh, fine, fine. Let me grab my shoes and we’ll go out”, you mumbled groggily while heaving your tired body out of bed. Pulling your slippers over your cold toes as you tied your hair out of your face. You didn’t plan to go out for too long, so you didn’t even try to make yourself look good. Humming the movie’s soundtrack, you made your way downstairs, surprised by the warm scent of cinnamon and vanilla that filled the house. “Huh, did I leave my candles on?” With furrowed eyebrows you  check the living room, not wanting to burn the entire house down on Christmas, but you stood still in shock when you realized why it smelled just the way it did.

Jimin and Jin were busy in the kitchen, baking cookies and cooking up your Christmas dinner. Jungkook and Taehyung were building a giant gingerbread house while Namjoon sat besides them, frustrated over his own ruined house laying in broken pieces. Hobi placing all of the presents underneath the Christmas tree while Yoongi sat on the couch, Holly on his lap and a loving smile on his face as he saw you in your sleepy state with a frown on your face. “Merry Christmas, babe.”

Suddenly, seven pairs of eyes were on you, smiles beaming across the entire room and seconds later you were caught in a warm, cozy group hug. “Surprise, Noona!”, Jungkook beamed as he pressed a kiss on your cheek, receiving a flip against his forehead from Yoongi. “Lips away, you can kiss Taehyung, not my girl.” Taehyung’s cheeks burned a bright red, Jungkook looked away while biting his lips and Jimin just smirked but pressed you tight against his body. “We’re glad to be back.” Jin groaned, pulling you out of the hug. “Let that poor girl alone, she needs to collect her thoughts first. Look at her”, he pointed towards your face, shock still written across it as you looked into each of your boys’ faces. “You… I mean, how… You were… Australia?” Your boyfriend laughed, now pulling you into a tight hug while burying his nose in your hair, inhaling the familiar scent that always calmed him down. “We’re here, that’s all that matters.” “We took the first plane back home, but we’ve been waiting for you to get up since 9AM, what did you do? It’s Christmas, usually you’d set an alarm at 6AM to run and check your presents”, Hobi pouted, pointing towards the tree.

“I didn’t have a reason to be up, so I watched The Nightmare before Christmas. But now, I’m just happy you’re here”, you smiled fondly at all of them, “Open your presents. Especially you, Babe. Open it!” You clap your hands excitedly, jumping up and down as you hand them their presents: a big, soft blanket for Jimin, so he can roll himself up in it and be cozy the entire holidays. A new Japanese knife for Jin, because Namjoon broke his favorite knife when he tried to cut through a book – don’t ask, nobody knows why he did that. Namjoon got a new KAWs figure he didn’t have the chance to buy yet while Hoseok got a new Palm Angels hoodie. Taehyung and Jungkook got some games for their PlayStation and a set of new controllers, because… well, Jungkook tends to destroy them when he’s in a rage. Yoongi’s present was hard to find because he basically has everything he wants and you weren’t too familiar with all those high end music technologies that you could give him, so you decided on a spa weekend over the holidays, just the two of you in a fancy wellness resort. Exactly what he needed after that tour. “Y/N, you must be poor by now! I should have gotten you a gift card or something”, Taehyung pouted, “You spent way too much on our presents!” You smiled, shaking your head and pressed a soft kiss on his cheeks. “Everything for my family. You’re all that I have left.”

The day went by way too fast; a fabulous Christmas buffet was set up by Jin, eggnog and wine handpicked by the youngest Maknae and Christmas movies of Jimin’s choice made up for all the days you spent sulking in your room. “I love you guys so much. I can’t believe you surprised me like that! Ugh, I really thought I had to spend Christmas with just the dogs.” You placed your head on Yoongi’s shoulder, cuddling deeper into the soft material of his hoodie while he rubbed your shoulder. “That’s the eggnog talking, love. You’re the anchor of our little family, we couldn’t be apart from you over the holidays, Jungkook would’ve driven us crazy and Namjoon would set the hotel on fire while trying to light a Christmas candle”, Yoongi mumbled. “A Christmas wonder! Yoongi confessed his feelings! Tweet that, Namjoon!”, Hoseok yelled while earning a slap on the back of his head from Jimin. “Don’t scare him, he’s like a deer right now, if we just ignore it, maybe he’ll say something nice about us too!” Yoongi just rolled his eyes, pulling you closer toward his small frame while mumbling “Idiots”.

It was past  midnight, your tummies filled with delicious snacks and desserts, brain fogged because of the amount of alcohol all of you drank that day – and you were just happy to finally be in bed with your boyfriend again. “You know how lonely the nights were without you? Not just you, but also the boys. I even missed Jungkook’s animal imitations”, you sighed, “I missed breakfast, without Jin all I ate was toast and cucumbers. I’m lucky to be part of your family.” Yoongi smiled, a precious, rare smile that showed all his love for you.

“I had time to think on tour, you know. It’s rough, you not being there with me, I saw all those places, cities and famous buildings, but didn’t have you to share those moments with. I had dinner with Taehyung right in front of the Eiffel Tower, I shared a Pizza in Venice with Jungkook, had beer with Hoseok in Berlin, but I wish I had all those moments with you, love. So, I’m bad at this stuff, you know that. The entire world knows that, but you also know that I love you. And I wish you could be the person by my side on tour, on every tour. I wish you could be my +1 at events, dinner parties or during award shows. I even talked to our management, because an ‘official girlfriend’ is dangerous for all of us. But I didn’t want the world to meet you as my girlfriend, Y/N. I want them to finally meet you as my wife, the woman that won’t ever leave my side. This is probably trashy and I could use better opportunities for that, but… Y/N, my love, my flower, my angel, would you marry me?” Yoongi, the smooth guy he was, pulled out a simple yet beautiful rosé gold ring – without a box – from the pocket of his sweats, sitting in front of you on your bed, crossed legs and a nervous smile on his face. You couldn’t hide the pout on your face, lips quivering and tears dwelling in your eyes while you looked at the beautiful man in front of you, the beautiful ring in his hands and outside, snowflakes fall from the sky. Everything was perfect. “Yoongi… Yes! Fuck, of course!”, you jumped into his lap, not caring about the pling your engagement ring made when it fell to the floor, because right now, your fiancé was more important. You showered his face in kisses, not caring the slightest about the grumpy noises he made – even if they were fake, because he was just as happy as you were. His smile was beautiful, something you didn’t see that much because he seldom smiled so brightly even his bottom teeth were showing. “Is that the part where we kiss?”

You didn’t hesitate to press your lips onto his, soft and loving, sweet and tender. “Min Yoongi, is that the part where you turn into the sweet little kitten your fandom thinks you are?” Smirking, Yoongi growls at you, showing you his teeth once more. “Oh baby, I’m going to show you that nothing on my body is little.” His lips were back on yours, his hands buried in your hair as he made his way between your legs, almost crushing you with the comfortable weight of his body on yours. Whatever loving, sweet innocent kiss you shared before, this one was completely different. It gave way to heated passion as you both continue the lustful, erotic exchange. Yoongi’s shaking but skilled hands started to peel off your ugly Christmas sweater and the rest of your clothes, falling to the floor forgotten, before he gently bites along your jaw and the nape of your neck, leaving a trail of love bites on the way down there. Your moans fill the room that still smells like cinnamon and cotton candy, combined with Yoongi’s musky scent and the sweet scent of a heated make-out session. With his lips still attached to your soft skin, you take the opportunity to catch him off guard and flip both your bodies into a new position; you now straddling his slim waist. Yoongi’s lips widened in shock, then turned into a bright smirk. “Someone’s feisty.” You just smile at him sweetly, cutting off his words as you wrap your hands around his beautiful throat, leaning your face towards his ear. “I wouldn’t speak  like that in such a position, Babe.”

Yoongi’s voice hitched, “Y/N”, he whined. The same hand that restricted his airways comes up to slightly slap his scruffed cheek, but it had still enough force to leave a sting that reminded him not to speak up anymore. “Aren’t you going to be a good boy? Or should I call you a good little kitten? Would you like that?” He shakes his head quickly, baring his teeth once more. “Shut that, love. You won’t be able to tame a lion. I’m not a small kitten.” He knows he could switch positions any time, hell, you knew that too. But you also knew that he enjoyed that position  too much to change anything now. Shaking your head in displeasure, you crawl down the bed to be at eye level with his beautiful cock. The cock  that had you limping almost every night, that never fails to give you pleasure, that already sends tingles to your core. Your hands were cold against the prominent vine that ran from his shaft to his leaking tip, red and sensitive as you licked your finger to circle around it. Tiny moans – mewls – left his mouth, causing you to giggle. You knew it. His balls were tight, full and hurting. He was away for so long, having almost no time to pleasure himself. You cooed, the other hand coming up to gently play with them, rolling them around as you kept applying pressure to his tip. Yoongi’s groans got louder and louder once your mouth was finally working its magic on him, his hands buried inside the loose strands of your hair, trying to shove you down deeper. Much to your displeasure.

You hissed, letting go of his length as you crawled up to sit on his toned chest. Smiling, you slid your fingers through your soaked folds, holding them in front of his sweaty face. “Suck.” Oh, and how he sucks. His tongue working circles around your digit, collecting your sweet juices as he hums happily. “You’re my toy. A fucking toy, do you understand that? You don’t get to make rules here, Yoongi. If I want to suck your cock, I’ll do it how I want, not how you want it. Or did I miss something?” You made sure his eyes never left yours, fingers still inside his  mouth – and you just decided to shove them down a bit deeper, making him gag around them just like he wants you to gag around his cock. “I asked you something, pretty babe. Mind answering?” Yoongi hums again, not able to speak with your fingers down his throat, but it was good enough of a try for you. It wasn’t every day you got the chance to dominate Min Yoongi, you were sure to getting everything out of it. You pulled your now wet digits out of his mouth, wiping away his spit somewhere in his mint colored hair, as you turned around to sit on his face, just like he loves you to do. By now, his only problem was holding back his load, eating your pussy wouldn’t help with that though. “Now, are you going to cum for me, precious? While devouring my pussy? I bet you’d like that, huh?” Yoongi hums again, his hands already on your ass to spread your cheeks, allowing him to dive deep into your pussy, drinking your juices, slurping them down like a fine, ripe wine. Teasingly, you continued to jerk him off, enjoying the tension in his body, his concentration on your pussy rather than his own orgasm. “Mh, wait. I changed my mind. Hold it, you don’t have my permission just yet”, you laughed as you squeezed his balls – but he wasn’t able to control it or hold it back. His cock twitched uncontrollably, one small rope of cum leaving the tip. “Ugh, look at that”, you sighed while shaking your head, sitting down deeper on his face – your ass now flat against his forehead as his tongue, the oh so famous rapper tongue, worked its wonders.

If Yoongi was frustrated, he didn’t show it. He knew better. Even though it was his first real orgasm in weeks, his first ruined orgasm in weeks, he stood up the man he was and continued what he was here for. Pleasuring his fiancé. Just before your orgasm arrived, you crawled down again, collecting the small puddle of cum with your tongue and fed it to your soon to be husband. You let him taste himself, he swallowed greedily. “Such a good boy”, you purr while wiping the sweat from his forehead. “Now, I hope you know who you belong to.” Yoongi just nods, licking his lips to still taste you. “Tell me who you belong to, Yoongi”, you command.

“You, babe. Only you. I belong to you”, Yoongi moans out as you started to grind against his smooth thigh, picking up your desired pace as you used him to satisfy your own desire. His hands were on your hips, guiding you and helping you to speed up, but just before your orgasm reached his peak, just one little rock of your hips missing, he turned you around, leaving you with a ruined orgasm as well. “Fucking son of a bi-“, your frustration interrupted by Yoongi’s teeth biting into your nipple, his hand smacking your other tit. “Oh, that’s not a nice word, baby”, he pouts while pinching both of your erect buds with a bit too much force. A sharp stinging sensation radiating through your body. “Fuck, Yoongi”, you moaned, desperate for release. “Now, now”, he tzed as he looked down at your trembling body. “Sucks to be played with, huh?” Elegant fingers started to rub circles into your swollen nub, your body rising from the mattress just to be pushed back by your fiancé. “Still”, he orders, plunging two of his long, delicate fingers into your dripping hole. Yet, you needed more. “Yoongi”, you whined. “Are you going to be a good girl now? Instead of a fucking brat?” “Yes!”, you cried out, tears running down your cheeks, hoping he’d just do something. “Good, because bad girls disgust me”, he spoke through clenched teeth as he pulled out his fingers and shoved his cock inside you within seconds. “Fuck fuck fuck, yes!”

“Shut up! Or do you want the boys to come in and join you, huh? You want our little Maknae see how stuffed you are?” Yoongi always knew about your affection for Jungkook, the way his doe eyes always make your heart jump, leaving it impossible to deny whatever he wanted from you while addressing you as his ‘favorite Noona’. You were weak for him, but you wouldn’t want him to see you in such a situation. Shaking your head in shame, you pout as you dig your heels into his ass to get him to move faster. “Make me cum, please. I love you”, you whine, word for word leaving your lips as he thrusts deep and powerful into your clenching hole. Just before another beg could leave your lips, Yoongi’s index finger slipped past them, your chin securely trapped between his thumb and middle finger. His other hand slowly found its place on your neck. “Look at you”, he smiles. “Such a good girl, knowing how to beg like a big girl.” You whimper again, squeezing around him as he slowed his pace with a devilish smirk. Your lips played with the tip of his finger while the thumb of his other hand came down to circle your clit painfully slow, spitting onto it and watching his finger mixing it with your arousal. Your eyes rolled into the back of your head, both of your hands gripping the wrist that was choking you. “Tighter, please”, you gasped out, enjoying the feeling of almost no air coming to your lungs. Oh, how Yoongi loved to see you struggle for air, just as much as you loved to be on the receiving end. “You gonna come for me, angel?”, he growled as he tightened his grip, already feeling his own orgasm approaching. “Going to cum around my thick cock, huh?” You nod, already seeing spots in your vision, your orgasm shooting through your body just like a firework as soon as Yoongi released you, allowing the blood to shoot back into your head. You couldn’t control your body anymore, gushing against him as you rode out your high with closed eyes. That alone triggered Yoongi’s orgasm, a loud scream leaving his lips as he finally released inside you. “Fuck, you squirted all over me”, he groaned while looking at the mess you made, his stomach glistering in your juices. “I don’t care, I want to snuggle my Grinch now”, you pouted with grabby hands, smiling happily as Yoongi obeyed.

“I think we lost the ring somewhere between our clothes”, Yoongi mumbles with his sleepy voice, “I hope Taehyung won’t find it, he was the one that chose it – ‘If Y/N says no, I’ll wear that one happily’.” Suddenly you’re wide awake, knees on the floor and digging through your clothes to find the symbol of your love. “Got it!”, you yelled as you threw it to Yoongi, holding your left hand in front of his face. “You’ve got the honor, babe.” Smiling, he slid the ring over your finger. The black diamonds sparkling in the dim light of your room, the rosé gold complimenting your skin tone perfectly, just like the man in front of you does. Your fiancé, soon to be husband, the love of your life. “Merry Christmas, love.”

[kirishwima]

I know its late, but I hope you're feeling better If not, here's a mysme HCs sk - Elizabeth 3rd gets out and comes back pregnant :3

awe i love this! we had this happen with our dog back in cyprus, only he left the neighbours dog pregnant lmao (ngl the puppies were adorable tho)

* MC really, really didn’t mean for it to happen

* They came back home to the penthouse one day, and the moment they opened the door, a white fluff came dashing out the door at the speed of light

* MC couldn’t believe Elizabeth just ran out-she’d seen the door open a million times before but she’d never felt the need to even move from wherever she’d been laying at, neverless dash out the way she did

* They immediatly called Jumin, who was still at work, as they also dashed out the house and down the stairs, hoping to catch Elizabeth before she had a chance to leave the building; how fast could a cat even run?!

((the answer is Very. V e r y fast my gosh they’re little sonic the hedghehog hybrids when they want to be))

* Jumin of course didn’t blame MC; he was however insanely worried over Elizabeth, and left his office the moment he got the call, alerting all his security personel to drop what they were doing and scour the streets for Elly

* Lo and behold, Elizabeth was no where to be found; for hours MC and Jumin searched, looked through the whole city with no Elizabeth the 3d in sight.

* When they let the RFA know what was going on, they received an answer as to why Elizabeth had left the way she did; Yoosung told them it was currently mating season, and if unneutered cats caught a whiff of another cat they’d chase them to the end of the earths to uhm. bOink

* Jumin you multimillionaire cat-obsessed nerd, why haven’t you neutered Elizabeth?! Didn’t you know cats over 6 months old should be neutered for the sake of their health??

* Apparently, Jumin hated the thought of having to have Elly undergo such a ‘life changing procedure’-ergo, this was the result.

* They both spent the night on the couch wide-awake, wondering what they could do, how they could find her...

* ...Only they didn’t have to.

* A few minutes after midnight, a call came to Jumin’s phone from his chief of security-apparently Elizabeth the 3d was patiently waiting at the main gates of the building, waiting to be let in and back to the comfort of her beloved penthouse.

* They both wondered how come she came back so fast on her own, but the relief overwhelmed the curiosity, and they were contnet to just snuggle Elly, showering her with love (and an actual shower my god Elizabeth did you roll in mud?! Her fur turned from pearly white to an ashen gray with dust and mud!!)

* Neither of them realised anything was wrong for quite some time-not until Elizabeth’s belly started to get bigger and bigger a few months after that incident.

* Jumin insisted it must’ve been because of her food; he refused to believe it could be because his precious pure Elizabeth the 3d could’ve possibly boinked another cat, especially one Jumin hadn’t met and approved of, nope, no way she did-

* -only that’s exactly what it was ((sorry Juju)), or so the vet confirmed. 

* MC was ecstatic about the news-Elizabeth would have babies! Tiny little kittens! Even the RFA group chat exploded in congratulations, even Zen begrudgingly admitted that a litter of tiny little kittens could be a cute sight from far, far away 

* Jumin...had a harder time coming to terms with it. He looked to Elizabeth with a frown, like a disapproving father who refused to accept that his little girl wasn’t quite so little anymore.

* Yet the moment MC told him to imagine a tiny little version of Elizabeth, a kitty with big baby blues and silky white fur, well, he couldn’t say he hated the imagery of that.

* He was even more posessive over Elizabeth the 3d all the way through her pregnancy; he was so obsessed with making sure she received the best care she could, that he basically had a team of the worlds best vets on call 24/7.

* And when her due date came along, he refused to even go to work until he saw that both Elly and the kittens were all safe and sound.

* It took a few hours, hours during which Jumin paced back and forth, nearly making a hole in the ground from his anxious tapping as he waited outside the vet’s surgery room (he refused to let her give birth at home; what if something went wrong?! He needed her to receive the best care possible, to diminish any and all risks to her health). 

* And then, there they were; Elizabeth the 3d, tired and sleepy, but with 4 little hairless kittens hiding their little heads onto their mothers’ fur.

* MC doubted they’d ever seen Jumin this happy. He petted Elizabeth, took the little kittens into his arms as he looked at them with an almost religious awe; this little things came from his Elizabeth the 3d? She’d brought these beautiful creatures into the world?

* “Of course”, he concluded, “Only a creature as beautiful as her could give life to equally majestic beings.”

* MC...couldn’t say anything to that. The kittens really were darn cute, and they loved to watch them grow day by day, seeing their fur grow, their eyes open, them taking their first steps-even they had to agree it was the most beautiful thing they’d ever seen.

* Jumin was surpried to see that there was in fact, no little kitty identical to his Elizabeth. One was a mix of black and white, the entirety of its tail a silky black along with its ears, whilst two of them were white with black spots, and the last one, the smaller of the bunch, was entirely black except for a tiny white spot at its neck.

* Even so, Jumin loved each and every one of them equally. He wouldn’t even entretain the thought of giving any of those kittens away, not even to V (and definitely not to Seven who begged and pleaded with him day after day). 

* He did allow the rest of the RFA to drop by and meet the little fluffs; he even allowed each of the rest of the members to name each kitty, much to MC’s dismay;

* And that’s how the kitties ended up with the names Spot (by Zen, who genially couldn’t think of a better name), Zen Jr (by Jaehee-even though Jumin vehemently refused to call it so), Robocop the Fourth (by no one else than Seven, of course), Jinx (by Yoosung-she’s his favorite LOLOL character!), and lastly, the little black kitty V instantly bonded with, which he named Luna-a kitty as dark and majestic as the contrast of the night’s bright moon. 

* Jumin eventually agreed to give Luna to V-he saw how much the two instantly bonded, and both he and MC agreed having a little soul to take care of would do V good after all the things he’d been through.

* And they were right-he loved Luna and gave her the best care possible, making her the centre of a lot of his paintings and photographs, which Seven immediatly shared online for millions of people to coo over.

* They weren’t just Elizabeth the 3d’s babies; they were now part of the big, big RFA family.

-Send me a headcanon/scenario for the Mystic Messenger characters to react to!-

[floralelu]

Le Fleuriste Episode III:

WARNING: MENTIONS/USE OF ALCOHOL AND SMOKING

Word Count: 4,402

Summary: Lucas is confronted with the man of his dreams, as of one day of course. How will it go? Will Lucas fall deeper into love, or convince himself that Eliott isn’t the boy for him.

———————————————————————

Lucas spent the first few minutes after Eliott had sent the message standing on the sidewalk and staring at his screen. He exited the app and reopened it to make sure the message wasn’t a figment of his imagination and his mind wasn’t playing, what would be, a very mean trick on him. It wasn’t until his brain kicked into gear that he started to freak out.

“Oh my god, he really just-” Lucas didn’t know what to do. Here was the boy that he liked if he could even call it that seeing as it had only been one day since they met, saying that Lucas was beautiful and now all of a sudden Lucas didn’t know how to act. Maybe Yann would know? Lucas opened his messages and tapped on the conversation with Yann.

13:23 pm Lucas: YANN

13:25 pm Lucas: YANN JSNDJE

13:26 pm Lucas: LOIK AT RHIS

13:26 pm Lucas: [1 image attatchment]

13:27 pm Lucas: WHAT DO I DO?

13:31 pm Lucas: STOP FLIRTING WITH EMMA AND HELP ME

13:37 pm Lucas: you suck, i’m coming to the store

The walk back to King’s Grove felt like it took forever. Now that it was later in the day more people were outside. Some were running errands, some were just out walking, but all of them were in Lucas’ way. He lost count of how many shoulders he bumped into. It wasn’t until Lucas was pulling open the door to Frizzies that he let out the breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. Emma looked up from her place at the register as the bell above the door rang.

She smiled at him, “Lucas! You’re back.”

“Hi Em, do you know where Yann is?”

“We were just talking a minute ago,” Lucas mentally rolled his eyes, “he might be in the back? You’re welcome to go look.”

Lucas thanked Emma and headed towards the back room. He found Yann sitting at a table, eating a sandwich from the cafe. Lucas walked up behind him and lightly slapped his shoulder.

Yann whipped his head around, “Ow! What the hell?”

Lucas glared at him, “That’s for not answering my messages. I’m in the middle of a crisis, Yann!” Lucas sat down into a chair across from his friend. Yann rolled his eyes and shook his head.

“What are you talking about?”

Lucas opened up his phone to his messages with Eliott and slid it across the table, “This!”

Yann read the messages and looked back up at Lucas after a minute. The two stared at each other, but Lucas was the first to speak.

“What?”

Yann sighed, “Lucas… you know he can see that you read this right? And it’s been what? Almost two hours since he sent it?”

Lucas twisted his head around to find the clock attached to the wall, his eyes growing wide while reading 14:35, “Oh shit, oh my god. He probably thinks he creeped me out or something. I just didn’t know how to respond. Yann, I have to fix this.”

“Woah, breathe Luc. It’s gonna be okay. Just message him back and say thank you.” Yann reached over the table and laid a comforting hand onto Lucas’s shoulder.

“I know it seems like I’m overreacting, and maybe I am, but no one like Eliott has ever made me feel like this, Yann. It’s been less than 24 hours since I met the guy but I can’t get him out of my head. There’s something here that I don’t want to lose, I just don’t know what that thing is yet.”

Yann looked across the table at Lucas, a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth. Lucas may not know what it is, but Yann sure had a guess. Lucas had never talked about someone like this. After Lucas came out, the gang had promised to always have Lucas’s back, and they’d be his wingmen when needed. While most of the time, the boys failed to find someone up to his “standards” (though Yann would disagree with that statement, simply calling Lucas picky), Lucas was glad to have friends like them. Seeing Lucas so upset at the current situation, Yann knew that he truly didn’t want this to ruin his chances with Eliott.

“Well, we know he finds you attractive, so that’s a good sign, right?” Yann asked.

“I mean, yeah I guess,” Lucas shrugged, “but that won’t mean anything if he decides he doesn’t want to talk to me because I left him on seen.” Lucas put his head in his hands, “I’m usually able to talk to guys, why is this so hard?”

Yann chuckled, “Luc, I think you actually like this guy, that’s the difference.”

“That’s the thing though, I don’t even know anything about him. I know his name, his Instagram and where he works, but that’s it.”

“So? Find something to talk about, learn more about him. What do you think dates are for?” Yann raised an eyebrow, “I bet if you asked him to go out right now he’d say yes.”

Lucas raised his head, “Haha, very funny. Not happening. I don’t need to embarrass myself anymore just because you think he’d say yes.”

Yann raised his hands in mock surrender, “Hey, I’m just saying. When have I ever been wrong?”

“Well,” Lucas tilted his head to the side, “how about the time we went to that party and I said maybe we shouldn’t get completely wasted because we had a test the next day and you said, “Luc, we’ll be fine!” but we ended up missing that test because we were nursing our hangovers? Or there was the time you told Baz that the girl at the pretzel stand was hitting on him, so he went up there only to get a smoothie thrown in his face? And let’s not forget the time when the only milk left in the fridge was expired but you said it would be okay to drink and all four of us-”

“Okay!” Yann cut Lucas off, “There have been times where I was wrong, I get it. But I know I’m right about this.”

Lucas hummed in response, looking back at the open messages on his phone when Yann spoke up again, “What if you went to see him?”

Lucas’s head shot up at the suggestion, “You mean like right now?”

“Well, yeah. His store is just across the street, it’s not like you have to go far.” Yann was looking at Lucas, waiting for his reply.

“I don’t know, Yann.” Lucas sighed, “Wouldn’t be weird for me to show up to his store after not replying to his message. By accident.”

“Right. Well, as I said earlier, maybe just respond with a thank you and see where it goes? At least let him know you didn’t mind the compliment. With leaving him on seen he might think you aren’t interested.”

“I hate this. I’m gonna head over the cafe to get some lunch. Thanks, Yann.”

Yann smiled at him, “No problem, dude. We’ll figure this out.”

Lucas made his way out of the backroom and towards the front of the store. Emma was still at the register. Lucas said goodbye as he left the music store and headed across the street to the cafe. Lucas pulled the door open and stepped inside. All at once, he was hit with the smell of fresh-baked bread and lemon. He glanced around the cafe, spotting Manon behind the counter ringing a customer up and Alexia plating some pastries behind the glass display case. Lucas was here to eat lunch, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to update the girls on the Eliott situation. He made his way over to the line behind the register and looked up at the menu. He settled on a sandwich and, of course, one of their danishes.

“Hey!” Manon was looking at him with a smile on her face, “you’re back again! What can I get you?”

Lucas told her his order and Manon rang him out. It wasn’t until she was handing him his change that he added, “When you and Alex get a second, could I talk to you guys?”

Manon looked at him questioningly, “Is everything alright?”

“Yes! I think. I just have to tell you guys about the Eliott thing.”

A smile broke out on Manon’s face, “Oh! The Eliott thing, is that what we’re calling this? Once Alexia and I can catch a break we’ll come to find you.”

“Thanks, Manon.”

She nodded her head and Lucas went to go sit down. He picked a booth in the back corner, away from the late lunchtime rush. Lucas peered out the window and watched the people outside. There was an older man laughing at something the woman next to him said. There was also a little boy holding on to his mother’s hand as they walked down the cobblestone street. They reminded Lucas of himself and his mother when he was younger and everything was a little less complicated. Lucas didn’t hear the incoming footsteps, but the voice startled him out of his daze.

“Hi there.” It was Eliott.

“Uh, h-hi.” Lucas gulped, was Eliott angry with him? For not replying to his message?

“Is everything alright?” Eliott asked. “You look like you might faint.”

Oh god, Lucas would never be able to face Eliott again if he fainted. He needed to chill the fuck out. He could be suave right? He had been with the ladies once upon a time.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine, dude. Nothing to worry about here,” Lucas chuckled. “Just haven’t eaten in a while, you know?”

Eliott slid into the booth across from him. His knees brushed Lucas’ and Lucas couldn’t help but blush at the slightest bit of contact.

“Yeah, I haven’t eaten since breakfast this morning, business is always busy at Barney’s, especially during this time of year.” Eliott smiled at him.

God, that smile. All Lucas wanted was to be able to make Eliott smile, and kiss the apples of his cheeks when he did.

“I’ll be right back, I’ve been craving one of their danishes lately,” Eliott stood up and then turned back at Lucas. “By the way, you’re cute when you blush.”

Once Eliott had reached the counter and began ordering, Lucas finally felt his lungs give out from the breath he had been holding. This boy was so flirtatious, and Lucas had no experience in flirting, at least with men anyway.

Eliott returned to his seat across from Lucas, only to be greeted with Alexia carrying plates of food in her arms.

“Ham and cheese sandwich accompanied by a sweet cheese danish for Lucas,” Alexia retrieved Lucas’ plate and set it across from him. “And a cherry jam danish for the dashing gentleman.” Alexia smiled at Eliott and offered her hand. “I’m Alexia, you must be Eliott, the boy Lucas won’t stop talking about.”

Eliott glanced at Alexia’s hand before shaking it. “So he’s been talking about me?” Eliott grinned at Alexia before he cocked an eyebrow at Lucas, which only made Lucas blush harder.

“He sprinted in here this morning bright and early just for us to tell him all about you. However, he only ran into a dead end since we didn’t know much about you. The love in his eyes would make any woman melt or man in this case.”

Lucas slapped Alexia’s arm.

“Ow! What was that for?”

Lucas widened his eyes and nodded towards Eliott.

“Right! I’ll leave you guys alone. Have fun you two!” Alexia smiled and waved back at them as she was heading towards the counter to return to her duties.

“So, you’ve been talking about me?”

“Yeah,” Lucas felt cornered. Was he really going to confess his one-day-old crush to Eliott already? No, no way. “She’s just joking, you know how best friends are.” Lucas poked and prodded at his danish, embarrassed.

“Yeah, Idriss wouldn’t stop talking about how clumsy I was to Mrs. Lawerence one day when I broke two vases. The first time wasn’t even my fault! Ginger was the one who knocked the vase over!” Eliott shook his head and took a bite of his danish.

“Okay, wait, who’s Mrs. Lawerence and Ginger?” Lucas asked.

“Mrs. Lawerence was a good friend of my grandfather’s and Ginger is the cat that always hangs out in the garden behind the shop and sometimes hangs out inside during the summers, she gets herself into trouble.”

“I see,” Lucas chuckled, both at the story and the fact that he was starting to relax. “Hey, I’m sorry for not replying to your message earlier.”

“Oh! It’s okay, I figured you got busy or something,” Eliott took another bite of his sandwich. “I hope I didn’t freak you out or anything by what I said. I have a tendency-”

Lucas cut him off.

“You didn’t freak me out.”

“Good,” Eliott sighed in relief. “Would you like to hang out after this? If you’re not busy of course, we could go to the garden behind the shop. Maybe you can meet Ginger?”

Was Eliott asking him out on...a date? No, he couldn’t be. They’re just going to “hang out”, as friends do, not as boyfriends do.

“Yeah, sure,” Lucas took a bite of his sandwich. “I’d love to.”

———————————————————————

It was dusk now, the birds were singing peaceful lullabies and most of the shops were closing for the day, including Barney’s. Lucas followed Eliott into the alleyway.

“This looks like a great place for me to get murdered, great choice, Eliott,” Lucas chuckled at his own joke unless...was Eliott a serial killer?

“And then, Lucas was never to be seen again,” Eliott said and then laughed wickedly. “Seriously, I’m not a serial killer though.” Eliott finally unlocked the wooden gate leading to the oasis among the shops. “Welcome to my evil lair!” Eliott laughed maniacally again.

“You’re starting to creep me out,” Lucas chuckled and followed Eliott through the gate.

Lucas gaped at the garden before him. A gravel path trailed down the center of the garden. It was divided by another, less intimidating wooden fence than before, guarded by another gate. Behind the gate was a greenhouse that held fruit trees of many kinds as well as tropical flowers. A variety of trees and shrubbery surrounded the greenhouse. To the right of the greenhouse were wooden boxes, displaying newly sprouted plants from the soil, each marked by a popsicle stick that labeled the names of each row of sprouts. On the other side of the divided garden was what looked like to be a place for hosting and maybe being a place to get away from the busy shop life. Lucas knew he could spend hours here, especially with Eliott.

“Beautiful isn’t it?” Eliott asked, looking down and meeting Lucas’ eyes. “I used to come out here all the time when I was a kid, to paint and to read, I still do.”

Lucas jumped at the sudden contract at his feet with an orange cat, brushing between his ankles and it’s tail wrapping around his leg.

“This is Ginger, I’m assuming?”

“The very one,” Eliott squatted down to pet her and Lucas matched his stance. “She likes to be petted on her neck.”

“Here?” Lucas asked and touched Ginger’s neck to which she hissed and pawed at Lucas, catching him off guard. Lucas leaned back, missing Ginger’s claws.

“No,” Eliott laughed and reached for Lucas’ hand. He placed it on the side of Ginger’s neck. “See? Feel her purring?”

Lucas could feel it, but it wasn’t the only thing purring. Lucas’ heart raced and butterflies fluttered in his stomach. Eliott didn’t remove his hand. It was warm and comforting. He kept it there and felt Ginger’s purring with him. Lucas prayed it was too dark to tell that Lucas was blushing even though Eliott already called it cute.

Lucas felt the need to change the subject in order to keep his cool.

“So, you paint?” Lucas asked, glancing between Eliott and the cat.

“Yeah! I actually used to host art shows in this garden, but I mostly paint for myself now,” Ginger became fed up with Lucas’ atrocious petting technique and moved into Eliott’s lap, Eliott petted her tenderly. “It’s funny,” Eliott giggled. “I have this obsession with sunflowers.”

Lucas remembered the sunflower being held up in front of Eliott’s face on his Instagram profile.

“I assume that’s your favorite flower then?” Lucas asked, picking at the grass beneath him.

“It’s only the best choice as far as favorite flowers go,” Eliott explained, rolling the sleeves up of his grey sweater, revealing a tattoo of a flower with an eye in the middle along with another tattoo in a cursive script that Lucas couldn’t read in the dim light. “I mean, who wouldn’t choose that as their favorite flower? It’s bright and beautiful, it reminds me of summer no matter what time of year I look at it.”

Lucas smiled at the easy conversation. That’s how everything has felt so far with Eliott. Easy. He couldn’t even think as to why he was so nervous this morning, all he had to do was talk to him.

“Lucas, you look like you’re thinking hard about something,” Eliott stared at him and tilted his head like a confused puppy. “What is it?”

“I’m thinking…” Lucas trailed off. He couldn’t reveal how much this conversation meant to him. He couldn’t tell Eliott that his eyes had a certain sparkle no star could ever match when he talked about something that he was passionate about. Shit, for all Lucas knows, Eliott is straight. “about how much I want to see these paintings of yours.”

“Well, what are you waiting for? Let’s go!” Eliott jumped up and offered his hand to Lucas.

“Wait, now? Where are we going?”

“To my apartment!” Eliott exclaimed. Lucas saw Eliott’s frown in reaction to Lucas’ panicked look. “Lucas, you don’t have to go,” Eliott started giggling. “I promise I’m not a murderer.”

Lucas couldn’t let this get to him. This boy is straight, Lucas told himself. Nothing to worry about.

It wasn’t that Lucas was afraid of Eliott being a serial killer or anything of the sort, he was afraid that he would have his first kiss tonight, or his first time. A series of new experiences could happen tonight, one after another, but was Lucas ready for it?

“Says you! I bet your last victim is buried beneath me right now!” Lucas joked. Eliott’s expression remained unchanged. “I’m kidding.” Lucas took Eliott’s hand and stood up. He blushed at contact that sent shivers through his spine and butterflies soaring in his stomach.

“So, you’ll come with me?” Eliott smiled, still holding Lucas’ hand. Lucas nodded and felt Eliott’s thumb stroke his knuckles.

———————————————————————

At the end of King’s Grove were some apartment complexes, mostly for the shop keepers, but some hipsters and retired folks lived among them too. The buildings matched the rest of Annecy with a bright color palette. The apartment complex was only a short walk from the flower shop.

The two trailed up the stairs and were greeted by a white door with a wreath made up of delicate flowers including some Baby’s Breath from what Lucas could recognize.

“Cute wreath.” Lucas chuckled.

“I know, I know, it was a housewarming gift from Mrs. Lawrence,” Eliott unlocked the door. “Anyways, welcome to casa de Eliott.”

Lucas was greeted with a massive amount of greenery scattered about the apartment. There were flowers tucked in various vases and bottles, and pots of ferns and vines rested upon shelves. All of the plants were kept neatly trimmed and didn’t appear to be unruly. Along the walls were paintings of sunflowers in many styles, some realistic and others more cartoonish. The kitchen and the living room were joined together and felt spacious despite how small the apartment actually was. Lucas walked around in the living room as Eliott was looking for something to drink in the fridge. Lucas could spot what seemed to be a garden on the balcony.

“Don’t trip on Francine!” Eliott warned Lucas. Lucas looked down at the small pot of succulents at his feet. “She’s very fragile,” Eliott walked over, handing Lucas one of the beers he found in the fridge and moved “Francine” to the coffee table behind Lucas. “My apologies for all the plants, whatever we don’t have room for in the shop, I take home.”

“But you name your plants?” Lucas asked, twisting off the metal lid off the bottle.

“Of course! What do you think I am? Crazy?” Eliott grabbed his beer and twisted off the cap as well. “Cheers.” The two clinked bottles and took a drink.

“Well, I don’t own any plants to name, plus I’d kill them anyway,” Lucas approached the wall, studying one of the sunflower paintings. It was just a sunflower on a white canvas, but it was painted thick globs of paint that appeared still wet as if Lucas could mess it up with a single touch. “I like this one,” Lucas said as Eliott stood beside him.

“Me too,” Eliott smiled, admiring the painting before them, taking another drink from the bottle in his hand. “I feel like a sunflower is somehow the representation of me.”

“What do you mean?” Lucas asked, giving Eliott a puzzled look.

“Sometimes, I appear happy and people don’t see the darkness that goes on within me, you know?” Eliott’s bright smile left his face.

“Wow, that was pretty deep,” Lucas chuckled at his comment, trying to lighten the mood. “What flower do you think represents me?”

Eliott turned to face Lucas now, they were so close to each other. Lucas could feel Eliott’s breath on his face.

“I don’t know, I’ll have to think about it.”

It felt like Eliott was staring into his soul. Lucas could kiss him, right here, right now. He could push every fear aside and just kiss him. He could make their forever start today, he could-.

“Do you smoke?” Eliott asked, pulling a joint from his pocket.

“Oh, I used to,” Lucas stared at the joint. Getting drunk and high with Eliott? What could go wrong! “I still do sometimes, with my friends.”

Eliott nodded and lit the join between his lips, once he lit it he took a long drag and removed it from his lips. Lucas stared at the puff of smoke that escaped from Eliott’s lips. Fuck, he’s so hot.

Eliott offered Lucas the joint and he took it, taking a long drag from it and exhaling. He was starting to relax more and more as the alcohol and weed took effect. He felt himself beginning to unwind.

“God, I can’t believe someone like you names their plants,” Lucas said as he leaned back on the couch. “You’re, like, ridiculously handsome too, I bet women find it sweet as hell that a hot guy like you names his plants.” Lucas laughed and shook his head. Fuck, what was he even saying right now?

“They do,” Eliott laughed along with him. “My ex-girlfriend found it hilarious.”

So that was it, Eliott was straight. Lucas was just starting to think that he got lucky, being in the apartment and sitting across from the most beautiful man he had ever seen. That was it, the end of their forever, all over in the span of one day. Lucas felt a sob in the back of his throat, he could never change how Eliott saw him. He could never kiss those lips or play with his gorgeous golden hair. Back to the fucking drawing board.

Ping! Finally, something to pull Lucas out of his thoughts and get him out of here. He could breakdown at any moment.

22:17 p.m. Yann: Hey, Lu. I just got home. Where are you?

“Everything alright?” Eliott asked.

22:18 p.m. Lucas: yeah, sorry, i had a drink with eliott and lost track of time.

22:19 p.m. Yann: Oooooo. I hope I’m not interrupting! Are you still a virgin?

“Um, yeah, I should go. My friends are wondering where I am,” Lucas glanced up at Eliott, hardly able to look at him. Hard to think that Lucas possibly had a chance with a boy like Eliott.

22:19 p.m. Lucas: no you’re fine. i actually was just leaving. and yes, i am very much a virgin.

22:20 p.m. Yann: Lucas, I don’t want you to walk home by yourself. I‘m sending an uber for you. Send me your location.

22:20 p.m. Lucas: [Lucas shared his location with you]

Lucas stood up and placed his phone in his pocket. He headed for the door and Eliott followed.

“Lucas, are you sure you’re okay?” Eliott asked as Lucas stepped into the hall.

“Yeah, yeah fine. It’s just been a while since I was high,” Lucas lied. Well, not a total lie, but that wasn’t what was causing his sudden urge to bolt. “Been a while, you know?” Eliott nodded.

“I hope you feel better,” Eliott said, placing his hand on Lucas’ shoulder.

As much as Lucas didn’t want to feel the sparks and the butterflies, he did. Lucas smiled and waved before heading down the stairs.

Lucas reached the bottom of the stairs and waited for Uber to arrive. He hugged himself to keep himself warm from the cold breeze that was blowing. How could he be so stupid? Falling for a boy who is out of his league and is straight. He felt like a fool.

The Uber pulled up, rolling down her windows and greeting Lucas. Lucas was about to enter the car when he heard running footsteps and a voice.

“Wait!”

It was Eliott. What could he possibly want out of me? Lucas thought.

“Lucas, wait,” Lucas turned to meet Eliott jogging up to him. “Let me take you out tomorrow.”

“Out? Why?” Lucas asked, gazing up at Eliott. God, that face, he would never get tired of looking at it.

“I want to get to know you,” Eliott explained. Lucas was silent, thinking if he should really continue to break his heart more. “Please, for me, for us.”

Lucas couldn’t pass this up. He might not get his forever with Eliott as lovers, but he couldn’t pass up a forever with him as friends.

“I’d love to, Eliott.”

[spookyjiimfanfiction]

Epilogue

Tear In My Heart | Series Masterlist

Warnings: Fluff of the highest extremity

Word Count: 1625

Authors’ Note: I can’t believe that this is the last chapter for this series! It’s been such a great run and we love you all so much for showing your support! Hope you love it as much as we did! :) (picture credit)

Epilogue - June 2019 - End of the Bandito Tour

Jenna: Let's be cute today! Put on your cutest sundress and I'm going to be there in thirty to pick you up for a girl's day. We're getting our nails done!

That was the text that you had received less than ten minutes ago as you tore through your clothes in the closet that you shared with Josh. Finding the yellow sundress that you had instantly thought of, you quickly changed into it and slipped on some wedges that went perfectly with the color scheme you were going for. You did your makeup in record time, still making sure that it was perfect before moving to your hair, pulling it halfway up and into a cute messy bun. Spraying some perfume on to finalize your look, you heard the doorbell ring - instantly knowing that it was Jenna. Jim, who had been laying on the bed as you got ready, lifted his head up curiously as he heard it and instantly ran down the hall.

You made your way behind him and grabbed your cellphone and purse, hurrying over to the front door. Opening the door to reveal a smiley Jenna, you giggled a bit at her and then pulled her in for a big hug.

"Hey, you! I'm just going to leave Josh a note that I'll be leaving to go out with you. Just give me a second. I'll meet you out there."

"Okay, hurry up! We have stuff to do!"

Hurrying back over to your post-it notes, as Jenna reclosed the door to head back to her car, you grabbed a pen and quickly jotted down your location and that you'd be back later. Adding a little heart at the end, you said goodbye to Jim with a pat on his head and exited your home, locking it behind you. You got into her car and the both of you were off to the nail salon.

*     *     *

"You know that I never have my nails longer. They don't make things easy at work."

"I know, but it would be nice to see something different on you. Just to try! If you don't like it after 24 hours, then we can come back and get them fixed."

After thinking on it, you finally decided to give in and try for a bit of a longer nail. You may have budged on the subject, but you weren't going to completely move. After getting your nails done and feeling pampered, you both decided on having lunch at the nearest thai food restaurant. It had been forever since you had eaten it, so it was a never ending craving. You both got to talk about many things, including how life had been, how things were going in both relationships... everything under the sun. When she looked at her watch with a sigh, she looked up to you again and started gathering her trash.

"It's getting a bit late and I promised Ty that I would be back home to cook some dinner. You ready?"

"Yeah, let's go!"

*     *     *

The drive back home was filled with more discussion and light music playing in the background. No matter how much time the both of you spent together, there was never a shortage of things to talk about, and that's one of the many reasons why you loved Jenna. Finally pulling back into your driveway, you smiled to your best friend and leaned over to give her a hug.

"I'll talk to you soon, okay? Thank you so much for today. It was fun!" you exclaimed as you got out of the car to head inside.

With a smirk, she nodded and waved, "You're welcome!"

You watched as Jenna pulled out of the driveway and disappeared around the bend at the end of the street. Once she was out of sight, you grabbed your keys from the depths of the purse and made your way up the path that led to the house. Josh had been pretty quiet in terms of communication today, and you were silently hoping that he was home already so you two could spend the rest of the afternoon together.

Music was the first thing that you heard when you opened the door. You recognized it instantly; it was the song that you and Josh had first danced to at Tyler and Jenna’s wedding, also known as the night that you had fully realized how you felt about Josh. After you had confessed that to him shortly after you started dating, you two had deemed the song that played that night “your song”.

“Hello?” you called as you set your things by the door and kicked off your shoes. “Josh?”

“I’m in here!”

You were relieved to hear his voice. After taking a second to look over your appearance in the mirror and deeming it passable, you followed the sound of the music into the living room. Your heart stopped as soon as you rounded the corner.

Fairy lights were strung all around the room, blinking softly against the walls and furniture, with pictures of you and Josh from the moment you had met to only a few short weeks ago clipped along them. Rose petals were laid out on the ground, creating a path from where you were standing to the middle of the room. There were even a couple of your favorite candles around, adding to the romantic atmosphere. And in the middle of it all was your boys - Josh and Jim - wearing matching black bow ties.

“What’s going on?” you asked, never letting your eyes leave Josh as you grew closer to him. “I didn’t forget an anniversary, did I? Isn’t it in two months?”

“You didn’t forget anything,” Josh smiled. “But you are going to remember something.”

Before you had a chance to ask what he meant, Josh dropped to one knee and pulled out a little black box. Your eyes were brimmed with tears in an instant, hardly able to believe what they were seeing in front of them. Josh was absolutely beaming as he turned the box over in his hands a few times.

“I thought for a long time about how and when and where I wanted to do this, but the one thing I never had to question was why. Y/N, I knew from the moment I laid eyes on you that I was going to fall in love with you and from then on there was no going back. I have fallen in love with every last thing about you, even the parts that you think don’t deserve to be loved. There is nobody else in the world that I would rather spend the rest of my life with. So, Y/N Y/L/N,” he opened the little box and held it out towards you, “will you marry me?”

“Yes,” you barely managed to choke out through the tears. “Of course, Josh.”

Josh’s smile grew even wider, if that was even possible, as he pulled the ring out of the box. You held out your hand and he carefully slipped the ring onto your finger. It was shining in the dim light from the fairy lights. Jim, upon noticing the excitement, was eagerly thumping his tail against the floor.

“I didn’t want to get anything too big so that you could still wear it while you’re working,” Josh explained as he stood back up. “I hope you like it.”

“It’s perfect. Absolutely perfect.”

You finally managed to get your hands on Josh and pulled him into a kiss. His arms wound around your waist, pulling you into the embrace that had provided you with comfort for so many years. He was the first to pull away, but he kept his forehead pressed against yours.

“You look beautiful today, by the way,” he grinned as he wiped away some of your tears with his thumb.

“Thank you.” A familiar heat rose to your cheeks, despite the fact it was a compliment you had heard countless times before. “I love you so much, Josh. This was everything I ever could have dreamed of.”

“I just wanted to make this moment special. I love you to the stars and back and wanted to show you that.”

“You definitely did.”

You kissed him again, but it was interrupted by an all too familiar voice.

“So, it finally happened, huh?”

You spun around in Josh’s arms, still keeping your hands on his shoulders. Tyler was standing just inside the living room with his arms crossed, that same stupid smirk that you had seen so many times before plastered on his face.

“No, Tyler,” you held a finger out towards him, “you do not get to come ruin this moment. You’ve done plenty of that already.”

Josh and Tyler both began to laugh, making you turn back to look at Josh in surprise.

“Y/N, it’s ok. He helped me set all of this up, he’s supposed to be here.”

“You’re sure?”

He smiled, “I’m sure.”

“I’m not the only one who’s here, either.”

Tyler wandered around the corner towards the entryway. He returned shortly after with Jenna, who was trying - and failing - to hide her obvious excitement.

“What’s going on?” you asked.

“Well, I knew that this was going to be a big moment for us,” Josh explained. “And I figured what better way to celebrate it than with our family?”

That was enough to send a fresh wave of tears down your cheeks. You were still in disbelief that you had ended up surrounded by so many wonderful people who cared for you so deeply. People that you now knew would be by your side for the rest of your life.

It was better than you ever could have dreamed of.

*     *     *     *     *

The end?

Taglist

@topownsmyheart​ @faceofcontvsions​ @ohprettyweeper​ @tylersheavydirtysoul​ @svintsandghosts @wearebxnditos​ @breadbinishigh​ @patdsinner33​ @leam-2001

[book-buuny]

I have made myself sad today.

So... I am gay. This is fact. I am chaotic af. Also fact. I am a useless lesbian because I am oblivious af. Truest thing I've probably ever written ever.

My personal history with girls that I've liked as in a dating way and not platonicly has taught me two things.

1) NEVER make the first move. Every single time I've made the first move, I have been shot down. Told "I like girls but not girls like you." "You're not my type." "Gross. Even if I was into girls, why would I date you?" And so on. From about the age of 16 all the way to now and I'm 24. Every time I was rejected it would hurt and crush my self esteem even more than the last one. And with my anxiety, it's super hard to recover from these kinds of rejections. Especially when rejection is all that ever happens and you never get past the first date, if you even get to have a first date.

2) NEVER EVER EVER tell a girl you're friends with that you like her and want to go on a date-date with her. It ends in heartbreak and massive anxiety attacks. I have done this five times. Not once has it ended well. I always lose those friends and they usually take another friend or two with them. And I am always left alone and sad because that girl never wants to talk to me again. And I'm horrible about making and keeping friends (hooray for having Asperger's Syndrome on top of an anxiety disorder) so loosing them as a friend hurts 100× more than the rejection alone.

So now I never make them first move and when I end up having a crush or an attraction to someone that I'm friends with I say absolutely nothing about it, because my personal history of the last eight years has taught me that doing either one will be the biggest possible mistake I can make. And it sucks.

There is a girl a work with. She's 19 and my height. I love talking to her and we have similar interests and ship a lot of the same pairings. Not all of the same pairings. I personally ship T'challa/Tony aka IronPanther. She doesn't really ship them at all. But she ships Aang/Zuko aka AaZuko which I don't. But we don't bash on each other's ships when we disagree on them.

I think she's really cute and I really enjoy being around her. I like it when she just cuddles with me on the couch at work while we dick off on our phones or while we watch tv or fill out paperwork for the day (we work at a group home for people with developmental and intellectual disabilities. There's always paperwork to fill out at the end of the day). I know that she's not straight because she's told me that herself and we've spent multiple hours over the course of the like almost three months we've know each other sending one another tiktoks of women we think are hot.

I thought she was really cute the moment I met her. And if we didn't work together and I met her at like a coffee shop or a store or something, I might have pushed myself to make the first move even though that's never once worked out for me. But now she's my friend and I don't want to loose her as my friend because that's all I've ever known from telling my friends that I'm attracted to them. We're writing a very long, multi chapter fanfic that we're going to start posting on ao3 once we're like halfway through it so people don't have to wait super long times between updates. Hell, we're trying to find an apartment together as roommates for crying out loud. There's no freaking way I could bring myself to say anything about liking her at this point.

And besides, today she told me that there's a girl she likes but that this girl frustrates her to the point where she can't tell if she'd rather punch her lights out or shove her against a wall and just kiss her. If it were me, which I 100% doubt that it would ever be, I'd probably enjoy being shoved against a wall and kissed. But I've already proven to annoy the absolute shit out of her more than once so I'm sure that it's not me. And hearing from her that she likes someone was kind of upsetting. But I've already said that I wasn't going to act on the fact that I like her so I have absolutely no reason to be jealous at all. And knowing that is what made me sad.

This is one of the few times that I'm glad my page is so small and super unknown because the chances of her finding this are slim to none. And on the off chance that she did find it, it would probably be years from now and she'd more than likely be in a relationship. So it's not like anything would really come of it. I just don't have that kind of luck.

But if she found it sooner than I could ever imagine, well... Then I guess that the cat's out of the bag and she knows that I like her. Because there's only one girl I work with whose 19, who I'm writing a fanfic with, and who I'm trying to find an apartment with.

So if the person reading this is her, I'm sorry if I've made you uncomfortable. Please don't be mad at me. I'm sorry and I hope you still are ok with being my friend. But if you're not, I completely understand as this isn't the first time I've had that happen. Again, I'm sorry.

[harryfeatgaga]

Part 3 💖

do you guys want part 4 where he talks about the wedding? I hope it’s not boring you And the host is like, “5-6 months? you were dating for half a year and no one knew? no wonder you kept your marriage a secret so well.” And Harry’s all giggly and cute, “Well, yeah… sort of. My family knew after a month, her parents did too but after tour was over I told her I want to take a month away from everyone and go somewhere in the world where no one can find me and I want her to come with me but she had to go back to LA because of work and personal things so she went back to LA and I went to London and we decided we’d be alone for 2 weeks before I go back to LA to see her but I get to London and I was there barely a day before booking a flight to LA. We went from being 24/7 together to not seeing each other at all and I couldn’t be away from her so she didn’t even know I’m there and I show up at her hotel room in LA because she was just coming back there and barely had the time to find a place to live and she was so confused but 2 days later we rent this not so small studio apartment in Hollywood and we furnish it in one day and her dog is with us, same dog that got me to blurt out that she’s my wife. And for an entire month we just stay inside, she works on her laptop and go out every 2 days for a few hours but I’m just staying inside the whole month without anyone knowing where I am in the world. I turned off my phone and told people to not look for me, the only person I talked to was my mum but I pretty much disappeared from earth. The first week we went out late to get food and someone asked for a picture but after that I just didn’t want people to see me so I used to hang out in our apartment all the time and watch movies and tv shows, and eat and sometimes we found a nice workout on YouTube because I didn’t want to leave so I had to work out inside but we took our dog for walks together without anyone seeing us and the only human interaction I had with someone that month was with her so we were practically living together and I loved it, I knew I wanted it to be like this all the time for the rest of my life. It was just me and her, and I wrote so many songs on my own, I truly felt happy and didn’t want any of this to end. I knew she’s the love of my life and I couldn’t get enough of her, in a way it was like we were addicted to each other and I finally knew how it feels to be in love. She is the first woman I fell in love with and the last and nothing makes me happier.” You’re sitting in your chair and you listen to his words and you tear up and he’s winking at you and say to the mic, “She’s gonna start crying now.” And the host is kinda laughing but then he ask Harry when he finally told people about you; “After a month I finally called my friends and Jeff, my manager heard I’m in LA so we met for lunch and he starts talking about how I should start dating again and I’m telling him I’m fine and I’m not looking for anyone but he told me I should come to this small party and I couldn’t say no so I go to this thing and Jeffery is standing there with this girl and he calls me to get closer and he starts to introduce her to me and I’m like ‘what are you doing? I told you I’m not looking for anyone’ and I apologize to the girl and I’m freaking out there because he’s really pushing!” And like imagine Jeff meanwhile laughing there and Harry’s like pointing at him and shake his head because he knows he’s a demon for what he’s done; “And he’s being annoying and tells me I should just get together with someone because it’s been months then I just take him aside and tell him I’m dating someone and he’s pushing again with the questions about who she is and where did I meet her and how long we’ve been together and I just couldn’t take it anymore so I tell him who it is and he’s getting all happy and I feel bad because my wife who was my girlfriend back then and me promised we’d keep it a secret so I go downstairs and I find her because she came with me and I take her aside and tell her ‘Um listen sweetheart, Jeff knows about us’ and she with her nonchalant face say ‘I know’ and I’m like what? how do you know? and then she tells me that he talked with her a few weeks ago and he just knew about it from all the time we spent together on tour and they both just waited for the right moment to prank me and try to introduce me to a girl because they knew it would freak me out and annoy me and then I just knew I want her to be my wife.”

-

CUUUUUUUUTE OMFG PLS

[antiquecompass]

Another Wen Ning/Aidan fic, this one set a few years after this others, for Untamed Winter Fest Day 19: Snow

“SNOW DAY!”

Wen Ning shot up in bed, woken not by his alarm but by Finn Delaney’s best example of his outdoor voice.

“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph,” Aidan muttered into his pillow. 

Wen Ning patted his boyfriend’s back with one hand and reached over to check his phone with the other. The text he found there showed that it was, in fact, a rare Lan Academy snow day. He wasn’t entirely surprised. It was six in the morning, Aidan had only been home for two hours. He’d just finished a 48-hour shift, having spent the night responding to emergency calls, helping out all the other First Responders in their own and the surrounding counties. Even hard born and bred Massholes had to bow down to Mother Nature on the rare occasion. Even Lan Academy had to as well. 

“Go back to sleep,” he said as he slipped out of bed. 

“I’m awake now,” Aidan said.

Wen Ning forcibly pushed Aidan back into bed. “You spent the night responding to accidents and helping dig cars out of snowbanks. You’re exhausted. Go back to sleep.”

“But--”

“Sleep,” he said. He pulled the blankets up and tucked them tight around Aidan. “You know you have to sleep while you can. You should’ve stayed at the station.”

“I wanted to see you,” Aidan said.

So sweet and so sincere. Wen Ning kissed his forehead. “I love you and I appreciate it, but now I’m going to have to dig your truck out so you can get back on the road.”

“Did you just politely call me a dumbass?” Aidan asked.

Wen Ning kissed his forehead again and started towards the hallway.

“Ning!”

He laughed as he closed the door behind him and stopped Finn’s latest attempt to announce to the entirely of Western Massachusetts that it was a snow day.

“Since you’re up, you can help me dig out your brother’s car.”

“Coach!” Finn whined. “It’s a snow day!”

“I’ll make you pancakes after,” he said.

Finn eyed him with that typical Delaney ‘I Smell Bullshit’ face, but Wen Ning knew his pancakes were a worthy bribe. 

“With chocolate chips?” Finn asked.

Wen Ning pretended to think about it. “I’ll consider it. Depends on how well you work. Good work gets chocolate chips. Half-assing gets you frozen waffles.”

“Deal,” Finn said. 

Una opened her bedroom door, hair still wet from her shower, voice still stuffy from her current cold. “How can I get pancakes?”

“Start gathering all the supplies to make chilli for the station,” he said.

He knocked on Aisling’s door. She opened it, already in her winter gear, minus her boots.

“I’m preparing for the snow battle that will commence at Noon,” she said. “Though I am willing to help dig the cars out if it gets me pancakes.”

“Go forth, Conquering Hero,” he said. 

Una shook her head. “Poor Jasmine Lan is about to get her ass handed to her.”

Wen Ning laughed. “You’ve heard of the Lan Arm Strength, yes?”

Una scoffed. “You’ve heard of the Delaney Sheer Stubbornness, yes?”

She had a point there. It was partly responsible for how he'd ended up here, in this house, far ahead of what he’d considered his own personal move-in schedule.

It was going to be an interesting day.

<center>*********</center>

The crews at the station usually took care of their own food, stopping by the grocery store to buy what they needed for the shared meals. On days like today, they didn’t always have the time and while normally one of the local places would provide sandwiches, even they were closed down. They usually had leftovers to tide them over, but Wen Ning had gotten used to making batches of chilli large enough to feed a small army. 

He also knew Aidan wasn’t supposed to go in today, since he just had his shift day, but blizzards didn’t care about scheduled days off and as long as Aidan had twelve hours away from the station, he’d be back. 

So as Noon came, and the chilli was in the pot, and Chris Delaney emerged from his part of the house, mumbled something about deadlines, grabbed an entire bowl of coffee and disappeared back into his room, and the battle between Lan Jasmine and Aisling Delaney commenced, Wen Ning sat on their back porch and recorded it all, letting Aidan sleep on. 

“My money’s on Aisling,” Una said. “She’s got that accuracy going.”

“Jasmine all the way,” Finn said. “I’ve seen her throw knives.”

Wen Ning’s money was on a draw. Either way, it was cute to see the girls trying to out-impress each other in feats of strength and physical accuracy as a method of flirting. It reminded him of a more than a few of his friends.

He quietly sipped his hot chocolate as Una whistled to signal the start of the next match.

<center>*********</center>

The living room was full of passed out teenagers, exhausted from acting like little kids in the snow and gorging themselves on food and hot drinks. Wen Ning was in the middle of finishing the dishes when he heard Aidan stumble down the stairs, punchdrunk from hours of uninterrupted sleep.

He had maybe, possibly, definitely stolen Aidan’s phone in order to achieve this rare feat of much-needed rest.

Aidan emerged with some adorable bedhead and Mr. Tumnus in his arms.

He placed their cat down and pulled Wen Ning into his arms, resting against him.

“What time is it?” he asked, voice raspy.

“Nearly three,” Wen Ning said.

“Fuck me, that’s late,” Aidan muttered into Wen Ning’s shoulder. 

“You needed the rest,” Wen Ning insisted as he drew Aidan over to their breakfast nook. “And the dispatchers knew it because no one has tried to call before now.”

“Hmm,” Aidan agreed. 

He wrapped his arms around Wen Ning, resting his head on his chest. Wen Ning ran his fingers through Aidan’s curls. It was a cherished quiet, peaceful moment. Chris still busy with work, the sound of his music muffled as he worked on the lineart for his current comic. The Trio and their friends napping off their snow battle. The snow still falling outside. Mr. Tumnus quietly purring as he ate his food. And Aidan in his arms, still lax and loopy from sleep.

“I can’t wait for our vacation,” Aidan said. “You. Me. A nice, private hotel room. No snow. No interruptions.”

Wen Ning tilted his chin up and met his lips in a soft kiss.

“We’ll get there,” he promised. “We just have to get through the New Year first.”

Headmaster Lan had been very understanding about why Wen Ning needed an additional week of vacation. He’d somehow convinced both Song Lan and Xiao Xingchen to be substitute teachers for a week. Wen Ning was sure he’d come back to entire classes converted into fencing or dance students. 

They just needed to get through the New Year. He was counting down the days. They even had a back-up plan if their flight got canceled or delayed. Either they’d be in the Caribbean or they’d be staying at home. Either way, they’d be together.

Aidan’s phone started going off and their little bubble broke. Aidan’s shoulders dropped even as he reached for his phone.

Wen Ning stepped out of his arms and went to start another pot of coffee and to get the chilli ready for transport. 

There were a lot of unique stressors to dating a firefighter. And Aidan had been upfront about it from the start, warned him, made him understand that while it wasn’t as busy as Boston, he’d had less crewmembers here to help cover shifts. The hours were horrible, Wen Ning had never realized how bad until after they’d been dating long enough and he had to witness Aidan trying to act like a normal, functioning human being after a 24-hour shift and three hours of uninterrupted rest. There was the fact that work came home with them, how could it not, some of the things they saw. And plans, life, everything had to be flexible, because days off suddenly disappeared and everyone else’s holidays were not your own.

But Wen Ning couldn’t imagine loving anyone else as he loved the man currently giving the dispatcher an earful as he tried to head towards the door, still barely awake.

“Aidan,” he called after him.

“Yeah, babe?” Aidan asked.

“As much as I’m sure our neighbors will delight in you going out in nothing but your boxers and boots, you might want to get dressed first.”

“Shit,” Aidan said. He pulled his phone away from his ear where the loud laughter could be heard. “I’m never going to live this one down.”

Wen Ning poured a mug of coffee, shoved it in Aidan’s hands and took the phone.

“Orlando?” he asked.

“Ning! My man! How’s my favorite archer?”

“Asking you to please not give Aidan any more shit. He just woke-up. You know how he is when his brain is still offline.”

“Only for you Coach Ning. Only for you. Hey, any chance you can send any--”

“He’ll be bringing a pot of chilli with him,” Wen Ning said.

“I will?” Aidan asked.

“You will,” Wen Ning said as he pushed him towards the stairs. “Go get dressed before I text Orlando a picture to put up on the bulletin board.”

“Please do!” Orlando said.

“Fuck no,” Aidan said as he grabbed his phone back. He kissed Wen Ning. “Love you,” he said, low.

Orlando still heard him.

“When are you going to marry him?” Orlando asked. “Come on, betting pool’s getting large and I need a new phone. Give me a hint. Just one.”

“How about fuck off,” Aidan said as he climbed the stairs.

Wen Ning shook his head as he watched him go, then went back to the kitchen, just in time to hear the Trio wake-up. 

His life was overcome with Delaneys these days, but he loved it. 

[22goingon40-blog]

Tuesday, February 19th.

5:13pm. 

I’m currently at work hiding in my office - something i’m heavily guilty of. Between all the teenagers on staff and all the whining that goes on, it can get overwhelming. 

My decorator has spent the last hour telling me all about her wedding. She’s getting married in May, and it’s her favorite thing to talk about (obviously).She just bought a house, and they moved in this past weekend. They danced in the kitchen and cooked breakfast together and all the cute romantic things you should do when you buy a house. 

It makes me feel down. When I was little, I used to always tell my family that I would never get married. I didn’t need anybody & wanted to be alone with no kids. That mindset drastically changed in high school. I got my first actual boyfriend (apart from the silly 2 and 3 day relationships in middle school) and fell in love. We were together for 2 years. He treated me terribly. Everything felt forced in this way where we had to be together 24/7, I always had to tell him everything I was doing, and he even got physical at some points. I was convinced that this was normal because it was the only relationship I had. He later joined the navy, and I found out that he had been cheating on me. I had access to his email, and he had gotten multiple emails from all of the dating apps he was on. I did myself dirty by investigating and logging onto his account, where my heart slowly broke. Due to the fact that he was deployed, our 2 year relationship ended over the phone, never giving me real closure. 

After that, I really confided in my friends. I had a large friend group who did everything together. There were 5 guys, and about 7 girls who were in the mix. Two weeks after my breakup, we all had a bonfire. I started drinking and talking with one of the guys, who I had never really gotten close with, and he claims he fell in love with me instantly. After two months of him begging and proclaiming his love for me, I accepted. The next year of my life I found myself unexpectedly falling head over heels for this guy. He showered me with love every moment of every day. I was his whole world, and he slowly became mine. It was that immature & vulnerable type of love. He took care of me, never hurt me, and promised me the world. Two years later, at 19 years old, we had our own house in a different state with a dog. We did all of the stupid romantic shit in movies. Danced in the rain, traveled all over the place, couldn’t last 10 seconds without a kiss or a touch. I thought I was in heaven. Then one day, he came home, looked me in the eyes, and left me. He didn’t cheat, didn’t lie, did nothing wrong. He told me our relationship was holding him back, and he needed to grow. The next 6 months were a roller coaster. I had to arrange to move back home with my parents. I moved into the guest room for awhile, and most nights he didn't come home. I became suicidal. He removed all of the guns from the house, and paid for me to go to therapy; still taking care of me. I would go days without eating, and would take anything I could. Pills, drugs, alcohol, anything. It’s like, you think you’re a stable person until you realize that your entire world fell into one person. Everything revolved around them, they were all you cared about/thought about. Then one day they just leave. 

After moving back home, I was lonely. I had major depression, lost about 30 pounds from not eating, and could barely function. I took two whole months off of work, just to lay in bed and cry myself to sleep every night. Then, I met love. He was completely different than anyone I had dated. Shorter than me, not athletic, and so incredibly smart. We went hiking one day, where we talked for two hours about life and everything involved. Then again, within two weeks, he told me he was in love with me. 

I think it took me longer to love him. He doesn’t know that. I wasn’t ready. I was still shattered. I was lonely. Slowly, after multiple dates and getting to know him, I did begin to love him. Love...he was different though. He was a challenge. He would tell me he was in love with me, but he wouldn’t open up to me. He wouldn’t tell me anything too personal or upsetting. He had plenty to ask about me, and I would tell him everything, but he would remain quiet and just listen. He still does this from time to time. I spend every day trying to figure him out, learning new things. its almost been 2 years. We’re in our routine, and we don’t argue very much. He’s figured me out, and for the most part, I have him. I suppose it’s just different than the love I was used to. The overwhelming, need to be with you, you are my world kind of love. I guess as you get older, love just isn’t that way anymore. 

Sometimes I miss that feeling. 

[dreamingawaydolan]

Motorcycle Man {E.D} pt.2

Summary: What happens when Y/N gets caught up in a nasty protest and her options are run or go to jail and her only option to get away is a mysterious man and his motorcycle.

Authors Note: Here’s a part 2! So i’m not going to be as active as I have been these past few days because I’m going on a trip so sorry i’m going to try to post a lot before I live but yeah 

Request: Open

Y/N Pov:

I huff under breath realizing I have no ride home. I decide to head over to the local diner and hang out there since it is 2 in the morning I’m so lucky it’s 24 hours or else I would die. My studio is on the other side of town and I am not going to be walking that far, not with all the running I did today.

The diner isn’t that far either just a couple blocks away. I usually go there after my jail bust well not jail bust but ya know what I mean. It’s surprisingly cold out witch is very rare for New jersey at least during the summer. I sigh as I realize my clothing, a crop top with shorts. Sounded like a good idea earlier today but so did protesting.

As I was walking I couldn’t get my mind off of that motorcycle man I mental slap myself for not getting his name, heck we barely even had a conversation. He was a total douche though like yeah he had a right to be a little mean since I did get him put in jail but no need to bash on me for protesting like damn who put a stick up his ass?

I turn the corner and the “Allys” sign is right there all big and gold. I smile in relief that I didn’t get kidnapped on the way here. I open the door and the small bell rings making a couple of the truck drivers look up from their newspaper and one of the waitresses. The warmth hits me and I have never been happier. It probably isn’t even that cold outside i’m just a big wuss when it comes to the cold.

I take my usual seat by the bar and lay my head on the counter. “ Same as usual honey bun” Summer says while skating over to me. Summer has worked here longer than I have been coming here. “ Of course and a coffee the slammer got me tired” I lightly laugh. “ Honey you act like you went to prison you just sit on the bench handcuffed” She laughed while filling a mug with coffee. “ Ehh same thing”

I sit my head up and telling her and the cook bob about what protest I went to today and how I ran and got on a strangers motorcycle and how he wasn’t the nicest person I left out the part about him being really hot. When I finished I was out of breath and they were both wide eyes. “ sorry did I talk to fast” I shyly say while taking a sip of my coffee.

“ You are so much like your grandmother you know that’s how she met your grandfather by jumping in his mail truck but she was running from a group of girls” She laughed while going to help another table. I put some salt on my watermelon and take a bite it’s not as weird as you would thin.

I hear the bell ring and I couldn’t believe what I was seeing was It motorcycle man? What the crap who knew. I hurry and turn around before he could see me. That didn’t work since seconds after I hear the seat next to me squeak.

“ I’ll just have a coffee it’s been a long night” He says while looking at me shaking his head. “ So what’s so special about this park that you got me arrested for” He asked turning his seat to face me. I huff and shake my head. Like he cares he’s probably going to bash on it even more shouldn’t he be out with his hot model date anyway. “ Shouldn’t you be on a date with a hot model” I remark taking a sip of my coffee.

“ Well you see if I hadn’t gotten arrested than maybe me and her would be in bed right now butt I got arrested so she is probably sucking some others dude lips” He says while giving me a little wink. Eww gross I did not want to know that. Why was there some part of me that was happy he was here with me instead of that model

“ Oh man must suck not having sex with some model” I sarcastically say while biting my watermelon I notice him looking at my lips. Eww double gross. He just lets out a laugh I like his laugh it’s like the perfect volume. I hurry and snap out of my daydream

“ It does, so now I’m stuck with you and your gross salty watermelon” He gags. “ It is very good i’ll have you know don’t knock it till you try it isn’t that what all the girls say to you before becoming lesbo” I laugh while taking another bite. He just sits there in shock. 1 point for Y/N 0 points for motorcycle man.

“ I don’t know why they would I mean if there are other girl’s like you I would stick to dick” He fires back “ Hey that rhymed “stick with dick” it has a nice ring to it isn’t that your moto?” I laugh man this feels good going back in forth at one another.  

We go at it for a good half an hour before Summer brings out his food. He puts salt on his oranges and I cringe up “ Eww that is so gross how can you eat that” I fake gag “ hey don’t attack me ms.salt on watermelon” “ Imma call you that since I don’t know your actual name” He takes a bite out of his orange and hums “ Y/N” I simply say taking a bite out of my watermelon

“ Y/N I like it it has a fiesty tone just like you” He says trying to flirt but failing terribly. “ So the park” He goes back to what we were first talking about “ Right well I grew up in that park I met so many people there I made so many memories. My nana used to take me there everyday after she got off work and we would meet up there once a week before she” I stop myself from finishing the sentence it’s still hard for me to believe that she is really gone. Even though it almost been 5 months. My nana was such a strong and hardworking woman I would do anything to become the half the woman she was.

“ And I want my kids to make memories there but that can’t happen if the city is going to tear it down, so I did what I thought was best and held a protest” I wait for the man sitting next to me to respond but it takes him a minute

“ Oh man Y/N i’m sorry I guess it is more than a park huh? Man Im such a shithead for yelling at you before Im really sorry” He says putting a hand on my shoulder “ You were a real shithead but I forgive you I guess” I laugh. His hand was warm and I felt nice as weird as that sounds.

“ Wait you said you and your nana would meet up there before but then you stopped before what” He asked “ You can learn that information when I learn your name” “Ethan” He says the same way I did

Ethan. I liked it.

Me and Ethan spent the rest of the night well day talking about everything from our dreams to how many times we have came here. Turns out he comes here a lot crazy that I’ve never ran into him before. He said this was his and his brothers place to go to after winning a game.

I thought it was cute how he showed me his sweet and soft side. From just looking at him he just looks like a mean motorcycle dude who only cares about hooking up with girls and making sure his hair looks alright. But in reality he’s so much more.

I learned that he has a twin brother named Grayson and they are both studying Photography at NYU which I think is really awesome. He showed me some of the photos he’s taken and he’s pretty good.

Before we knew it the time was 8 and the morning rush was coming in so we decided to head back home. I was about to walk off before I heard him call out my name. I turn around and see him holding his helmet over to me.

“ If this is your way of asking me to come home with you then I can only imagine how you got that model to go on that date with you” I laugh he just shakes his head. “ No i’m offering you a ride you ass” He laughs “ Oh well I’ve never been on a motorcycle before” He gives me a dumb look before leaning his head back and laughing “ Um remember earlier today I was basically your get away driver” He puts the helmet on my head before I can even say no.

He hops on his bike and gets it started. Man he looked really sexy it’s crazy how hot someone can look on a motorcycle he puts on his leather jacket with ease and gives me a smirk knowing damn well I was string.

“ Whos the one that want to go home with me now”  He winks while patting the seat behind him.I jump on and hold on to his wait tight. “ Please you wish Dolan” I debate on if I should get on with him. Like he could kill me you never know.

I laugh to myself realizing how out of charter this all is for me. Getting on a random strangers bike, running from the cops, not coming home Stef is going to be so mad at me crap. Now here I am flirting with a boy I just met a little over 15 hours ago.

I join him on the motorcycle holding on tight to his waist partially being I was scared of falling off but I also just wanted to hold on to him. Wow I am an official creep.

“ Where to Y/N” Ethan says while pulling out of “Allys” parking lot.

I’m glad I finally learned motorcycles man name.   

[momentskrp-archive]

introducing…

shim jitae, the employee at remembrances who moved into the sweetheart sharehouse 11 months ago. we hear he’s staying in 3D, and that he wants to create a happy and secure future for his daughter. good luck with that.

PAST.

Photograph #1: (A sun-faded picture backed on to coloured craft paper. There are staple marks in the corners where it was once displayed on a school wall. The picture shows a woman and a boy, too similar in looks to be anything other than mother and son. The woman has her hands on the boy’s shoulders and both are smiling. Behind them, a mountain. They are dressed for the weather in puffy jackets and ski boots. The woman’s left hand bears the faint indentation of a ring, her eyes a hint of grief. In a child’s handwriting, the caption below reads:) “Me and Umma went to Bukhansan. It was weird without Appa but this was his favourite place. I left a pretty rock for him at the top - Jitae, age 7” Photographs #2-4: (A series of photographs, from a graduation. Jitae, now a young man, stands alone wearing robes, the fabric so new that the creases from hours of dutiful sitting are die-straight and numerous. In the next picture, he crouches in the same creased robes, lighting a candle on a memorial. The final picture of the set is the first time she appears, her beautiful face rosy with pride as Jitae wraps a tight arm around her, his grin so bright it dazzles. Her eyes are fixed somewhere out of sight. The captions read:) “Graduation from Hongik U. After the ceremony. A candle for Appa. Me and Hayoon.” Photograph #5: (A selfie. Jitae, slightly older, his arm extended to hold up the camera towards himself and the girl from graduation, her eyes turned bashfully away. The photograph is mounted carefully inside a card, in which the message reads:) “Two whole years - wow! It feels like I met you just yesterday. Amazing how in 24 hours we’ve accomplished so much, right? I’m kidding!! Of course I want to cherish every single second we’ve spent building this life we have together. I love our house, I love our friends, I love our terrible cooking and the even worse singing while we do it, I love our in-jokes, our tears both happy and sad, our dumb cleaning rotas that we always ignore, and the way we get competitive over video games (sorry I out-ranked you at Ragnarok Online but we both knew it was going to happen). But most of all, I love you, Hayoon. Thank you for choosing me. I’d pluck the stars right out of the sky for you. Happy one whole day… um, two years! And here’s to many more.” Photograph #6: (An ultrasound scan, black and white. It’s lodged inside the cover of a pastel-coloured journal. The opening page reads:) “The first picture of you ever taken, and one I could never beat - no matter the light, the subject, or the fanciness of the camera. If you ever ask me why I love to take photos, this is what I will show you - because this is the perfect moment, and it’s preserved here forever. Magic made real in paper and chemicals. I can’t wait to meet you.” Photograph #7: (Turning the pages of the journal, another picture sits beside an early entry. A crib in the corner, the rest of the pink room in soft focus. Light streams out of the large window and onto the crib’s frilled bedding. The entry reads:) “Your room is finished! The light in here is so lovely, every minute is like golden hour. Not long until you’re here to see it. I hope you’re not disappointed. I hope you’re not disappointed in me either. You come into this world with as much choice about what colour your room is painted as you do over which parents you get. What if you hate pink? What if you hate me? Umma says I shouldn’t write such negative things in here for you to read when you’re older. But I want you to know that I struggled too. So that when you’re about to be a parent, you know that even your happiest moments can be your hardest, and that’s okay. I’m going to try my best, Minsuh. I’ll make sure that every moment for you and Umma is your perfect moment.” Photograph #8-75: (The first is a carefully framed picture of Hayoon holding Minsuh in a hospital bed. Hayoon looks down at her, so entranced by the child she doesn’t even realise the picture is being taken. Scribbled in the journal underneath, is the simple caption: “You’re here!”. Every picture afterwards, carefully stuck into the journal, is the growth of Minsuh - her first smile, the first time she took a step, the look on her face the first time she tried Pepero. Every picture is carefully dated underneath, with small loving comments in two different sets of handwriting: “Minsuh’s first time at the park”. “Minsuh meets Grandma”. “We’re so proud of you, Minsuh!”. Sometimes her parents feature in the pictures too: Jitae hovering above each unsteady step; Hayoon holding her up to show off a cute new outfit, both of them sat cross-legged on the floor with her, building blocks or reading books. As Minsuh grows, the backdrop of the house begins to swell with toys and games, the clothes she wears start to hitch up at the ankles and are then replaced. The exhaustion of the newborn days fades from her parents faces, replaced by a new kind of tiredness.) Photograph #76: (A picture snapped unassumingly at a party. Hayoon and a man, close friends, sat at a linen-covered table decorated with jewels. The hasty smiles on their faces applied mid-conversation. Only when the photograph is looked at months later will it be noticeable that the man’s hand hovers near hers. For once, Hayoon is looking at the camera, knowing Jitae is behind it. Her eyes hold a secret, and shame.) Photograph #77: (Jitae and Minsuh together in a restaurant. Both of them are balancing spoons on their faces. Minsuh is winning with the advantage of the upturned nose she inherited from her mother, and Jitae is reaching up to catch his falling spoon. He’s laughing, but his eyes are puffy from the crying he was doing less than an hour before the picture was taken. The table only seats two.) Photograph #78: (An empty street in the still, fresh light of very early morning. Cars lining the streets have foggy windshields from where they have sat untouched overnight. The Sweetheart Sharehouse is surreptitiously tucked away between other buildings on the right of the frame. A pen scrawl on the back reads:) “A new start. Alone. I always thought I’d capture the perfect moment back home, but it looks like I’ll be looking for it here instead. I’ll search for it so you can experience it too. Hope I’ll see you soon. Appa x”

PRESENT.

The Sweetheart Sharehouse is the only place close enough to his daughter that is affordable on a single income hemorrhaging child support payments, so Jitae moved in without much hesitation. Even then, when he travels to see Minsuh it’s still a forty-five minute journey by bus. It’s not ideal, but it’s all he has. That’s not to say he hasn’t built himself something of a life here - he enjoys documenting life with his camera wherever he can, playing the pinball machines down in the local diners, and has started volunteering at the kids’ reading group at the library whenever he takes Minsuh there, now 2 years old. He sees her on alternate weekends, and once during the week when he travels to the house in which they were all once a family.

[kirakiraninja666-blog]

my sad, sad love life

Everything mentioned here is true and all names will be left out. In kindergarten, there was this girl that I fancied. She was very cute and kind to me. I recall that one day she read a book to my about blue whales, she spoke about her wanting to be a marine biologist when she was older. Later in the year, I brought cupcakes for my birthday. I sat in between her and another girl. This other girl was extremely happy that I brought cupcakes and kissed me on the cheek. The girl I liked was shocked that she did such a thing during class. We giggled and quickly forgot about it.

Fast forward to 3rd grade and shit got intense, like real intense, my nigga. I had gotten close to this one girl, we messaged each other a lot on the app called “Kik Messenger”. We pretty much had a relationship over text. We would say, “I love you” and, “I miss you” and shit like that to each other. I recall this one moment where she went to go to something and I was texting her friend and she said that “[we were] cute”. One day at recess, one of our friends got us together to talk about our feelings for each other. This shit was awkward as fuck, my nigga. Like I mentioned earlier, this was a text-relationship. We never spoke about our feelings to each other in person. It was pretty awkward and we never admitted our feelings to each other. I don’t remember how it ended but it ended somehow.

Now, onto 4th grade. I had gotten feelings for the girl I liked in kindergarten again. To be honest, I kinda liked her throughout most of elementary school but she was kind of an on and off crush. Anyways, we were on a Skype call on my birthday and she had a friend over. They had known about my feelings for her and they said shit like, “The ship sailed a long time ago” which made me fucking depressed. I cried that night, on my BIRTHDAY. I slept that night with my iPad next to me hoping to receive a Skype message that she had changed her mind or something. But, alas, it never happened. I slit my wrists, the pain helped me to stop thinking of her. I attempted to hang myself with toilet paper, hoping to leave this miserable world. Unfortunately, it failed. Oh well.

5th grade was pretty fucking cringy. There was this new girl at school. She was smart, funny, cute. We talked and we became close. We developed feelings for each other. I talked about this to my friend, the same one that made me and my “ex” confront each other at recess in 3rd grade. She told me to stop liking her, that she was “weird” or something like that. So basically what I did was I wrote an e-mail to her, with my friend’s help, ending our nonexistent relationship.

In 6th grade, there was cute Asian girl I met in math class. We talked a bit and I ended up liking her. Unfortunately, nothing happened because she had a boyfriend.

In 7th grade, I had gotten close to a girl, an Asian girl. She developed feelings for me and asked me out and I said, “LOL, no thanks b, we’re better off as friends. Try again next year OMEGALUL.” And that was that.

Later that year, around December, I had gotten feelings for another Asian girl. I liked her quite a bit and I told too many friends and she quickly found out that I liked her. She stopped talking to me completely and it was really awkward between us. Looking back at it, it’s pretty funny. I stopped liking her because I figured that there was no hope. I started to like someone else and the Asian found out and we started talking again.

Spring time of 8th grade, I was pretty good friends with this white girl. She also started to develop feelings for me and asked me out. I told her that I didn’t want to date anyone at the moment and would’ve preferred to wait until high school to start dating someone. She walked away very sad which made me feel bad but, ya know, it sucks to suck.

So probably around May of 8th grade I wanted to ask out this one girl to the 8th grade dance, known as “Formal”. We were quite close and talked a lot. She was pretty good looking and boy, oh boy, she’s thicc as fuck, my nigga. Anyways, she wasn’t really into me and this other kid asked her to the dance before me. I was devastated, I opened up to one of my close female friends. I told her that I was suicidal, that I had the urge to just swallow my phone and hope that it would suffocate me. She was there for me, she saved me, she was my hero. I quickly fell in love with her. I decided that I would ask her to the dance. I had two of my friends make a poster for me that I would use to ask her out. It was a huge success. People in the hall were cheering, they yelled, “OH YEAH!”, there were fireworks inside the school, shit was amazing. We hugged, walked outside together, and took a picture. We waited for her bus and she gave me a hug goodbye. I was practically smashing that girl. The next day I asked her to be my girlfriend and she said yes. The following day, it was awkward as fuuuuuck. We worked together on this project for health and I’d talk to her, start a conversation, but they just wouldn’t last that long. She didn’t really want to to talk to me. Later that day after school was over, she broke up with me and told me that we’d be better off as friends. I was sad. I had gotten into my first REAL relationship, albeit probably lasted less than 24 hours. I had to get over her though, there wasn’t really any way that relationship was going to work. She probably ended it because she though I had moved on too quickly, that I didn’t really have feelings for her, or perhaps she just wasn’t really interested in me.

Although the summer started off a bit rough, it would later turn out to be pretty fucking amazing, kind of. Around the end of July (I’m thinking it might’ve been July 22nd or some date close to that), I boot up my computer to play with my friend that I played with pretty much the whole summer. We’d get on in the morning and play until nighttime. This day was different, for I had gotten on around noon. Not surprisingly, he was already playing. I saw that he was playing in a group and asked for an invite. He was playing with this GIRL, a fucking gamer-girl, can you believe it? Those girls are pretty fucking rare. Anyways, I joined their group and we had a blast together. The 3 of us became close, we were a group, the modern day Three Musketeers. One day, my friend left for a couple days, I believe he traveled somewhere. She was also gone. I thought, “Damn, so is this where it ends? Is this where she stops talking to us?” but then I thought “She probably just doesn’t want to talk to me by ourselves, she likes my friend more than me.” My friend returned on the weekend, I think, and that’s when she got back online. She said the reason she wasn’t on was because her parents didn’t like her playing on the weekdays and that she was at this camp (this is actually all true, she wasn’t lying). When school started, we still found the time to talk to each other. My friend and her would get into some really stupid fights, fights that were just a big fucking waste of time and shouldn’t of happened. But, it’s okay, for I had had benefited from them. You see, my friend was closer to her than I was with her. But thanks to these fights, this quickly changed. She would talk to me and vent about my friend. I would agree with her and say that my friend was in the wrong (which he actually was most of the time). We’d play together, just the two of us. We’d go invisible on Discord and on Overwatch. We became each other’s best friends. We all lived pretty far from each other, my friend lives in Vermont and she lives in New York City. We’d talk about meeting each other over the summer (which is the summer that is currently being written in, by the way). One day, her and her friend told me that I should go to their school. I thought it was a great idea and we discussed it. Looking back at it, I don’t know what the fuck I was thinking, I actually thought that it would happen. Newsflash, my nigga, that shit ain’t ever going to happen. I thought about moving alone to NYC and going to their expensive ass school, $50k YEARLY TUITION for grade school. Hell no, that definitely wasn’t going to happen. My parents laughed and said no. I was actually kind of bummed, like I dead ass thought that it might’ve happened. Over time, we developed feelings for each other. Her friend asked me if I thought that she liked me and I told her no. She asked her and turns out that she did like me, I was insanely happy. Moving on, later that month she told me that there was a possibility of her coming to Maryland for winter break. I was fucking hyped but she told me not to get too excited because it all deepened on her aunt’s roommate leaving so they could have a place to sleep. Sometime in December she confirms that she’s going. A couple of days before she comes to Maryland, we were talking to each other. We played this game that we had made where if one of us were to curse then the other would ask them 3 questions. These questions were to be answered honestly. I asked her questions about who she liked. She had knew that I knew that she liked me. I wanted her to admit it to me. She also asked me questions about who I liked. I, of course, described her. Now, I believe that she suspected that I liked her but she didn’t want to believe it. Later, she tells me that she has to leave. I decide to confess my feelings for her. I tell her that the girl I like would be coming to Maryland the next week, that we were going to see each other. She freaked out and I started laughing. She hung up the call and I just sat there in my chair, very happy. She arrives at night on Christmas. She’s in Maryland for 3 days pretty much (the 26th, the 27th, and the 28th), we hung out together on all 3 days. The first day was pretty awkward, not gonna lie. It makes sense though because this was out first time meeting each other. We met up at the National Gallery of Art and spent the majority of the day there. We didn’t really talk much at first but we later got more comfortable with each other and talked. After spending a day at the N.G.A., we ate dinner at this Chinese restaurant. It was fun, she tried teaching me how to use chopsticks but I wasn’t able to use them. Second day, I went over to her aunt’s house. It was a bit awkward for the first like 10 minutes but then everything was fine. We went ice skating but, here’s the thing, I don’t know how to ice skate. Her sister and her would hold my hand to try and help me keep my balance. After that, we returned to her aunt’s house where we played poker. Neither of us knew how to play so we had to learn. We played in teams. It was me and her, her sister and her mom, and her aunt and her aunt’s boyfriend. We turned out to be a pretty good team, we won a couple of times. On the third day, we went to ICE! at National Harbor. After spending a couple hours there, I suggested that we go eat at Rio. We arrived at Rio and for some reason her mom and wanted to go to Barnes and Noble. She didn’t want to go so I suggested that her and I walk for a bit. She happily and agreed and that’s what we did. I saw this as my chance, my chance to ask her out. I waited a bit and then I did it. She stopped walking and looked at me and said, “Are you serious?” to which I replied “Yes” and she said yes as well. It was fantastic except for the fact that my girlfriend would have to leave in about an hour to return to New York. We talked a lot over the next couple months, became closer to each other. One day in February, I got extremely lucky. I heard her dad tell her that they would be going to California for spring break. I told her that I’d be visiting New York for spring break. She told her dad this and her stepmom suggested that I go with them to Cali. We couldn’t believe this and we thought that she was joking. Nope, it was not a joke. I asked my parents and they allowed me to go. I arrived at New York on the 24th of March and left a week earlier. The first two days we were in New York. It was fun, we spent time together. On Monday, we left early in the morning to go to Cali. Now, to be honest, I don’t remember everything as it exactly happened, I tried forgetting these memories because it was just too painful to look back at. But here are the highlights of that week:

>lots of cuddling

>we kissed

>we went to some pretty cool places

So after the trip, we talked a lot for a couple of days. She slowly started to talk to me less, she said that she was busy with school work. It got to the point where if I was lucky we’d talk on the weekend (lemme elaborate here real quick, if I recall correctly, she was never busy on those weekends, we’d talk if she wanted to talk, not if she was busy or not). One day I accidentally pissed her off and that’s when it pretty much ended. I asked her if we were still together and she told me to give her a week to think about it. I acted super desperately, like super desperately. I thought that my acts of desperation would help me but it did the opposite. Honestly, if I was in her position I would not have given myself a second chance. I was too flawed and I had to learn from my mistakes. Now though, almost 4 months later, I feel like I am worthy of another chance. I feel that it is my time to try once again. I have reflected on my previous self and I have improved. I. Am. Ready.

to be continued...

[icariahq]

Thanks for applying Lex! We look forward to seeing Cole around the island. Make sure to send your blog in within the next 24 hours or reach out to us if you need an extension. Nico Tortorella is now taken!

* This character is just a revamp of Malik Robbins. Michael B. Jordan is now reopened.

(Nico Tortorella,Male, He/Him) ⌇ have you seen Cole Elijah Daniels around icaria? they are the 32 year old child of Persephone. He reminds me of a cold glass of iced tea on a hot summer day, a well worn baseball cap flipped backwards, the smell of carnival food, and line dancing after shots of whiskey. They’ve been on the island for 3 months.

Expand OOC INFO: We want to get to know a little about you! Pleasse keep in mind for the AGE we need an actual age not just 21+ this is for the safety of all members.

NAME / PRONOUNS | AGE | TIMEZONE

Lex/She/Her/30/EST

ROLEPLAYING EXPERIENCE

I’m convinced I put a different age or time in each one of these things because I do not remember. Awhile guys, okay? Awhile. Lol

TRIGGERS

Anything that heavily mentions cancer or the process of treatment just tag please! Depending on the day, I may not be in the mindset to read it.

IC INFO:

Please know that all of this is to help you get to know your own character better – and to allow for easier plotting with other members!

WHO ARE YOU BRINGING TO THE ISLE?

FACECLAIM: Nico Tortorella NAME: Cole Elijah Daniels AGE: 32 BIRTHDAY: 11/19/1988 OCCUPATION: Director of the children’s wing and children program at Icaria’s Recreational Center. HOMETOWN: Darien, GA PETS: A German Shepard named Shadow. POWERS:

The power of fertility. He can make people or plants fertile or infertile.

BIOGRAPHY:

If someone were to ask Cole about his childhood, a smile would appear on his face as he thought back to it. It was unusual for sure, but happy nonetheless. Technically, he was adopted, but he didn’t like to think of it that way since he was taken in by family. The truth of it all had been rather crazy to wrap his head around when he was thirteen. Seriously, who hears that their dad was a drunk who knocked up a Greek Goddess? If it wasn’t for Persephone appearing before him, he wouldn’t have believed it. Hell, even after it he thought he’d gotten a few screws loose from playing football. Eventually though, he took it as he did most things. With an easy smile and a shrug. It didn’t change much after all. He still loved his ma and his pops. Life was easy going growing up. They lived on a large peach and apple farm in Georgia. Cole and his two brothers loved working the grounds with their dad. They would all spend all day out in the sun until their ma hollered for them to go into the house for dinner. Like rambunctious country boys, they’d run through the large porch into the living room covered in dirt and sweat. All Greta Daniels could do was shake her head. Raising three young men was enough to drive her to drink most days, but at the very least her life was never boring. High school was a great time in Cole’s life. He was the star quarterback, didn’t suck at school, and had loads of friends. His easy going demeanor, willingness to have fun, and smile made it easy for him to get along with most. Still, the boy didn’t know what he wanted out of life when graduation came. So, instead of leaving the farm to go to some fancy college, Cole stayed nearby. He enlisted in community college and volunteered at different spots. He pursued anything he thought he’d find interesting to see if something stuck. His weekends were spent working at his family’s business. They had a farmer’s market of sorts open to the public and would allow people to pick from their fields when the fruits were in season. Cole was doing just that with his brothers when he met her. Harper Barrow. From the moment she’d walked into their farm he couldn’t take his eyes off her. His brothers teased him mercilessly until he finally got the courage to approach her. A compliment, easy smile, and tour later he’d secured a date. The first of many it turned out. They did everything together from festivals, to carnivals, to simple picnics in open fields. For the first time, Cole thought he understood what love could be about. Every second he could spare to make the drive to Savannah, he’d pack up his pick up truck and head north. Everything was going great, until he met her parents. From the moment they saw him he knew he wouldn’t be enough. If their disapproving gazes weren’t enough, the comments they made were. They thought they’d go over the simple farmer boy’s head, but Cole regularly said he was pretty, but not dumb. He understood even though he wished he could be ignorant. Cole should have known then that things would eventually end, but he was hopeful. Harper was his first love, so he kept trying in spite of his girlfriend’s parents wishes. In his mind, they didn’t matter. It would be them against the world if it had to be. All he cared about was making her happy and becoming a good man. His efforts to find his passion were stronger than ever, and one day he did. Taking a summer job at the local Frank Callen Boys and Girls club showed him that he wanted to work with kids. Becoming a teacher didn’t inspire anything in him, but creating a place where kids could go after school to stay out of trouble and get help with school did. With his life seeming to come together, Cole decided he was ready for the next step. He bought a ring. It wasn’t a lot, but he knew the meaning behind it meant more than a size of a stone ever could. He’d planned it perfectly. A nice dinner before a trip to their favorite lake where he got down on one knee. She’d said yes, and he felt like he was higher than even the moon. Yet, barely twenty four hours later, and he was crashing back down to Earth. The joy that lit Harper’s eyes were replaced with tears as she ended their engagement and relationship. Cole didn’t understand. He tried to get her to stay, to just figure it out with him, but nothing worked. In the end she left him standing on his family’s porch with the ring he’d given her in his palm. It took time, but eventually Cole moved past getting his heart broken. Wanting a change of scenery, he transferred to a college in Houston and majored in business. After graduating, Cole and a friend moved back to his hometown in Georgia to start a summer camp. They had a blast working with counselors and kids of all ages. His parents were proud of him, and things seemed to be settling down pretty well. The idea of settling down and finding a nice girl even crossed his mind before he heard of Icaria. The idea that he had brothers or sisters he hadn’t even met bothered him, so he booked a flight. Fortunately a new recreational center was being built that needed a director for their children’s department, and he was accepted. He promised his ma that her youngest boy would settle down afterwards. He just had to learn more about the other world he was supposed to be a part of.

ANYTHING ELSE:

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