#and our dating lives scrutinized

[ctl-yuejie]

ramblings on Li Ming (and Heart) and homosexuality

moonlight chicken has so many things to offer in terms of technical beauty and interesting themes but what i cannot stop thinking about is the different ways they approach homosexuality in the story.

we have Wen who has a rainbow flag on his desk and pictures of him and Alan on the wall. Wen, who openly flirts with Jim and has no qualms talking openly about his one night stand. Wen, whose step father knows about his sexuality and is close enough with him to discuss his love life.

Kaipa we don’t know too much about. But his mom knows and is supportive and some of the vendors and the chicken family seem to know. But if anyone was questioning in what reality this show is set with all the class discussion and corona featuring, his part of the story shows that homophobia exists and he is worried about how he fits in with his own family, the expectations of his mother and possible the awareness that he makes the family he has “different”.

Jim is arguably even more visibly gay than Wen in terms of what we see throughout the show. He opened the shop with his ex, they prayed at the temple together and even though he objected due to proprities sake eventually they loudly declared their love to each other and the whole neighbourhood knows. Wen somehow feels like he is living in the remnants of a bubble: his circle of friends seems very queer, his closest friend and the whole gym seem to be all part of that as well. This only might change now with him questioning his work and breaking up with Alan: some gatherings he won’t attend anymore apparently.

And finally, we have Li Ming. At school he doesn’t seem to open up to his classmates on most things and additionally is in the closet. While there wasn’t anything alluding to homophobic rethoric being spread at school we can see how the heteronormativity gets to him and feel that there must be good reason as to why no one knows. And it could just be how Li Ming is judging the situation based on vibes, we don’t know. His mother is or at least was homophobic but at the same time he is raised by his gay uncle who is surrounded by other gay people. And I love how it feels like this might have given him enough security to be comfortable with his own sexuality but how it also isn’t enough to shield him from the world at large.

With so many great shows coming out of Thailand and most of them getting more and more political it just feels so real and 2023 to me that Li Ming is part of a generation that knows who they are but still have to battle with the shadow that homophobia has cast way before they were born.

[addelaidesupreme]

I'm watching a video essay about a game ive been interested in playing. The creator of the video, who has crossdressed multiple times, makes a "women arent funny" joke, and i suddenly realize ive never witnessed him acknowledge a woman in an uplifting way before.

I'm on a dating app for lgbt+ people. I've stated multiple times on my profile that i would rather lose an arm than recieve nudes without consent. I will be sent five dick pics for every 2 people i talk to that night.

I'm talking with my dad, who informs me he's been trying his best to learn about trans issues. He says the same things steven crowder brings up when trying to ridicule trans people. I gently but firmly correct my father and get told that ive been fed propaganda.

I'm on instagram, under the comments of a post ridiculing someone for being a misogynyst. Someone's left a comment saying "it must be hard being a woman on the internet" and i respond "it is." I will have every aspect of my appearance scrutinized as a reminder that no matter how well i pass, it will never be enough for someone with bad intentions.

I'm back on that dating app for lgbt+ people. I'm messaged by an attractive looking person, but i can see their partner prominently displayed in all but their main photo, oftentimes striking what im sure they thought was a very intimidating pose. Their bio says "looking for a third for our anniversary." I know that even if I did feel up to it, the gruff partner wouldnt approve of me because i don't pass.

I'm at a job interview for a clothing store. I tell the gracefully-dressed woman interviewing me that ever since i began my transition, i've discovered an interest in fashion, and that this job would allow me to dip my toes into the industry in a safe way. I'm told that i've reduced womanhood to a stereotype, and i can tell by her tone that i lost any chance at the job the minute she realized i was trans.

I'm at the same hospital i got facial feminization surgery in, trying to figure out what's wrong with my bowels. When the person behind the desk gives me a wristband with my patient info on it, i notice a single, lonely, letter M. I ask a nurse in private why it would say that despite me having changed it nearly a year prior. They say they have no clue, and bring in paperwork for me to fill out and have it re-changed again.

I'm living with my mom at the time. I'm new to transitioning, and decide to try my hand at voice training. It feels a bit off, but otherwise im feeling neutral toward the whole thing. I try speaking in this new voice to my mom and she laughs. Now, when people ask if i intend to voice train, i find speaking at all difficult for minutes after.

I didnt have some sort of grand message to convey by this. I just had a thought and then that thought spiralled into whatever the hell this became. Some, okay most, might call it complaining; they are right to do so.

[moog-rt]

GO TO HELL [ch. 2]

[Lucifer Morningstar x Fem!Reader]

Previous: Chapter One

➨ Chapter Two

Next: Chapter Three

Premise:

You love your friends. You really do. But sometimes it needs reminding when one of them accidentally sends you to Hell.

Despite falling into the hands of Hell’s loveliest princess, finding a way back to the world of the living proves difficult as you tiptoe around its king.

Warning(s): daddy issues, invasion of personal space

If you'd prefer to read on Ao3, here is the link:

Otherwise, enjoy!

♡ ♡ ♡

CHAPTER TWO

Once again, you found yourself having no clue what you signed up for. At this point, it was on you. You should have learned your lesson the last time you put your trust in someone.

This time, instead of being booted through a portal into hell, you were being dressed up like a doll. The outfit you arrived in wasn’t ‘hellspawn’ enough so Charlie was throwing a plethora of outfits at you and seeing what stuck. You had to admit, you liked how the new clothes looked on you, but Charlie would scrutinize them before changing them again.

Personally, you thought you were being a pretty good sport about it. 

Just when you thought it was over, she dragged you in front of her vanity before darting out of the room. This worried you. It was safe enough to assume she was going to do something with your hair or makeup, but what did she need that wasn’t already here?

You began looking around her bedroom, taking in the details of the rich maroon wallpaper and the way the wood paneling complemented it in both shape and color. Her bed was truly something to be envious of, though. It seemed to be even bigger than a king, and the canopy frame allowed her to have translucent and opaque purple curtains draped in layers above it. 

It was possible the entirety of the hotel could look like this once it was thoroughly scrubbed down and decorated. A diamond in the rough, if you will.

You could probably afford to stick around for a day to help deep clean. They were doing so much for you despite being a stranger who had (politely) broken in. Had you been in their shoes, you would have done them in with an iron skillet first and asked questions later (in the courtroom).

You jumped as Charlie came scrambling back in with what seemed to be tubes of paint. You couldn’t help but feel concerned for what was to come.

The paint was squeezed into a bowl with a squelching sound similar to a ketchup bottle towards the end of its life. She reached across you to grab a makeup brush and began mixing it together.

Where did she think she was gonna put that?

You barely had time to react before she dragged the cold wet brush across your cheek. It only took her a minute to completely lather your face. You dared to look at yourself in the vanity mirror as she moved on to cover the rest of your exposed skin. Her gentleness tickled as the brush swept across your arms. She kept it rather neat to your surprise.

“Don’t worry. We just need to get the base down, and then we can spruce it up!” she chirped.

When you asked what there was to get ready for, this was not what you imagined. You could understand not wanting to look like a bum when meeting new people, but to go this far… Meeting a parent shouldn’t even matter if you’re not dating their kid. There was nothing you had to prove to Charlie’s father. Especially since you wouldn’t see him again so long as everything went according to plan.

The actual reason Vaggie suggested this was far more reasonable.

No, they weren’t just doing this to make you look pretty. They wanted to hide you completely. The idea was to make you look like a demon to the best of their ability in hopes of avoiding any unwanted attention. You understood why. Your first hour or so in Hell was pretty traumatic to say the least.

Vaggie went on to list all the things that could happen to you if you were found as a human, which did not help your nerves one bit. You could end up on someone’s dinner plate, or your teeth could be sold on the not-so-black market for a pretty hefty price. Your bucket list may be lengthy, but having your parts being used as someone else’s decor was sure as shit not on it.

Charlie tried to reassure you that her childhood home wouldn’t be so dangerous. However, she couldn’t promise her dad would have a positive reaction to a human wandering around, so it would still be safer to go in disguise. It would also draw far less attention from the staff, meaning you wouldn’t be stuck there so long.

You really got the vibe that she had daddy issues from how much she emphasized it being a quick trip. Not to mention her reluctance to go in the first place…

Charlie finished up the base coat of paint and moved on to add details to make it more realistic. She then adjusted your hairstyle to cover your hairline where the edges of paint were most noticeable.

“Okay, okay, now the final touch…” she said as she bounced over to her closet behind you.

You couldn’t see what she was grabbing. You only felt something being placed on your head. Before you could look in the mirror, Charlie invaded your view and shoved a pair of glasses onto your face.

You were dragged over to her golden cheval mirror.

“Grand reveal!” 

You certainly didn’t look human anymore. Your natural complexion was completely hidden, and the thing Charlie placed upon your head was a pair of fake horns, which she was bobby-pinning in place to ensure they’d stay put. The outfit itself you really liked, but the glasses she had chosen were in the shape of large hearts with bold red tint.

You felt so goofy.

You’d rather be offered up to one of the demonic cannibals than be caught looking like this in the living world. Your only solace was that the majority of people in Hell looked even stranger than you. That, and the amount of coverage you had made you feel like you were wearing a mask that you could hide behind..

“You look…amazing!” Charlie sang, hopping up and down a little. You may have felt a little embarrassed by your get-up, but the joy on her face nearly made it worth it. “Come on, we have to show Vaggie!”

You trailed behind her down the stairs where Vaggie was waiting to send the two of you off. She couldn’t tag along due to prior arrangements. If you remembered correctly, she was going to be interviewing potential guests for the hotel. Real guests rather than a human who had washed up on their doorstep. 

“Vaggie, Vaggie, look!” Charlie called. “You would never guess she was human, right?”

Vaggie looked you up and down analytically before locking onto your face.

“It turned out pretty good, but, uh…” She gestured at her own eyes rather than pointing at you. “What’s with the shades?”

“Well…Her eyes were the only thing I couldn’t really disguise, so the sunglasses will keep them from being visible!” Charlie said with a big grin, clasping her hands together in front of her chest. “They’re also so cute.”

She and you must have very different tastes, but who knows, this could be what was trendy here in Hell. Even if it wasn’t, she made a good point. Of the few demons you’d seen, none of their eyes looked like a typical human’s.

Two beeps from outside the hotel were your cue it was time to head out.

“It’ll go great,” Vaggie said to Charlie, rubbing her back.

“Right…we’ll be back soon!” Charlie said as she led you outside where a white and pink limo was waiting. 

Oh. So she was rich then.

You figured the hotel itself wasn’t too cheap, but the condition it was in didn’t make it seem like it would break the bank. This was a clue into Charlie’s status that had yet to be revealed to you.

The drive through town allowed you to take in the sights rather than watching it all blur by whilst running for your life. There was a good range of shops between ‘normal enough’ to ‘I’d expect no less from Hell.’ Some sold electronics and furniture while others advertised hitman services.

You were pretty sure you passed a vending machine that sold hard drugs.

Watching the denizens made you thankful that you were in the safety of the car. A woman in a business suit doing lines off a public bench before waltzing into the city library. A sketchy dude hanging around the outside of a rundown playground… He seemed to be mocking one of the kids before it launched itself at him, going straight for the jugular.

You looked away before you witnessed something you’d regret.

Charlie caught your eye, shooting you a wide grin. You did your best to smile back.

You wondered where her father would fall on the spectrum of people here. Would he be out for blood like the majority of folks you’d seen? If so, you’d be with Charlie trying to get out of there as quickly as you could.

“Park down here, please!” you heard Charlie say to the driver after a while.

Your surroundings hadn’t changed much from where you started out. The city did seem to be a bit more residential in this area, but the level of chaos remained the same.

You followed Charlie out of the vehicle, expecting to walk into one of the many townhouses lining the uneven street. Instead, she took you down a few blocks and around a corner. It was as if she didn’t want your arrival to be known. To be fair, you didn’t either. The thought of any interactions with Hell-dwellers beyond Charlie and Vaggie made you nervous.

You found yourself standing in front of tall golden gates attached to a stone wall that encircled a grand manor. It was massive, at least twice the size of the hotel, with elegant gold detailing around the windows and pillars. Even though it was gorgeous, you were a little thrown off by its odd shapes and red stripes that reminded you of a circus tent.

It was quite the niche aesthetic…

The front door opened as soon as the two of you reached the top of the stairs, greeted by a small red demon. He had black and white striped horns and wore a cute little suit that reminded you of a butler.

“Welcome back, miss,” he said, dipping his head a bit as he stepped aside to let us in. “I was unaware you would be visiting. Is your father expecting you?”

“Oh, no…” Charlie began fiddling with her hair. “We were just passing by when I remembered I wanted to…pick something up! It’s good to see you. I wish we could catch up, but my friend and I are on a tight schedule.”

Her laugh was forced as she grabbed your shoulders and began pushing you down the hall, ignoring the way you stumbled along. She told you that there would be a room where her dad kept an array of magical tools and artifacts. Most were gifts to earn his favor, she explained.

It made you wonder what sort of industry he was a part of where people were trying to suck up to such a degree.

Pictures lined the hallways with the majority having Charlie as the subject. Their golden frames contrasted nicely against the striped red wallpaper.

You couldn’t help but stop to look at one from when she was in an awkward preteen phase of her life. She was quick to notice and pull you away with a red face. You couldn’t help but chuckle.

Your relationship with Charlie was nothing deep. The two of you had only met the day before, afterall. But seeing bits of her past like this felt intimate in a way one would share memories with a friend. You hoped it didn’t embarrass her too much.

Maybe you would show her some of your baby pictures to make up for it later.

“Oh, this was my old bedroom! One second, there’s something I do want to grab,” she said as she pulled you to a stop before darting inside.

You peeked in through the doorway. It was similar to her current bedroom in some ways, another canopy bed with a plethora of drapery around it and a beautiful vanity with a soft glow emanating from behind it. Yet it was clear that it once belonged to a child from the stuffed animal collection and softer color palette.

Charlie had wandered over to a floor-to-ceiling bookshelf, rummaging through it as she searched for whatever it was she remembered.

You waited outside the doorway. It felt inappropriate to enter a place so sentimental to someone who was largely still a stranger to you. Seeing so many portraits from her past already seemed like a breach of her privacy even though you couldn’t help it. It’s not like you could wander around the halls with your eyes closed.

As you turned away from her room, a small man came strutting around the corner, donned in all white save for a red waistcoat and black knee-high boots. He was about to proceed down the hall perpendicular to yours before skidding to a halt.

His head whipped around to face you, and you froze.

Shit.

His pale blonde hair, ghostly white skin, and rosy spots on his cheeks made him nearly identical to Charlie. He had to be either the father or a brother that she had yet to mention.

He stared into your damn soul, unmoving. You wondered if he could see right through your disguise. Through the paint on your skin to the blood that pulsed underneath. Past your skull to the thoughts racing through your mind.

You stood stalk still in your spot, as well, staring right back at him. You felt it was the only thing you could do. It was either that or book it, but you weren’t paying attention to the turns you took to get to this point. You’d be lost in a heartbeat. Imagine how stupid you’d look then.

So you opted to harness your inner statue. You didn’t dare move a muscle in case–by some miracle–he could only detect movement. If you were lucky, he would shrug and continue strutting away.

Manifest…manifest…manifest–

“Who are you?” He demanded in a deadpan voice as he jabbed his cane in your direction.

Shittt.

“I’m–uh…” Your eyes darted to the side before landing back on him. “Who are you?”

Meeting the parents was never your forte.

“I beg your pardon?”

“Dad!”

Thank fucking god.

His eyes lit up and a massive sharp-toothed smile spread across his face, completely forgetting about you the instant Charlie entered the hallway. 

“Charlie!” he practically screamed, arms spreading wide into the air. You had to duck out of the way as he threw himself onto his daughter. One would think he was attempting to squeeze the life out of her with how tightly he was holding on.

She looked miserable.

You did your best to hide your smile at the exchange. You could remember all the times you were embarrassed by overly affectionate loved ones shamelessly kissing and cooing at you in front of your peers. You were sure that at least half the time it was done so with malicious intent.

On the flip side, it was always quite enjoyable to witness it happening to others.

“I know, Dad. It’s good to see you, too…” She was patting his back, an attempt to signal she was ready to be let go.

“Why didn’t you tell me you would be visiting? We could have planned something fun to do ahead of time–”

“It was a spur-of-the-moment thing! We weren’t originally planning on dropping by, but I remembered there was something I wanted to grab, so…” she lied.

You were unaware she hadn’t given her dad any sort of heads up at all. You felt bad that you were sneaking in without his knowing. Especially since he seemed so overjoyed just to get to see her.

“Speaking of,” she redirected, stepping aside and turning to you. “This is one of my friends–”

“Ah, it is so nice to meet you!” he eagerly cut in.

You were only going to exchange a small wave, but he practically jumped on you, grabbing your hand and shaking it with exuberance.

“My goodness, Charlie never brings her friends over. This–this is so exciting!”

He was so close that it gave you goosebumps. He looked less human than Charlie, but not quite animalistic like the other demons you’d seen. His red pupils were much smaller than hers, bordering on snake-like slits, and all of his teeth were akin to daggers. She must have gotten her more human qualities from her mother.

You did your very best to smile as genuinely as you could.

“It’s nice to meet you, too–uh–Sir.”

He drew back, finally giving you space. Then his eyes lowered to your mouth.

You quickly sealed your lips.

Was he looking at your teeth? They wouldn’t give you away, would they? Charlie and Vaggie had mostly dull teeth aside from their abnormally sharp canines. If he asked, you could tell him you wanted to see how far you could file them down…

Worrying about your appearance made you uncomfortably aware of the paint coating your skin. It felt so thick all of a sudden. So sticky but also dry. And the fake horns were so heavy. God, you wanted nothing more than to rip it all off.

Your heartbeat was picking up speed.

Did his eyebrow just twitch?

His eyes narrowed slightly but that grin held fast. He briefly looked down to his hands before returning to your face, rubbing his gloved fingers together. It was as if touching you left an uncomfortable feeling behind that he was trying to get off.

“I’m glad we got to run into you, but we’re on a bit of a time crunch, so we should get going,” Charlie said, laughing nervously as she tugged on your sleeve.

“It was nice meeting you,” you repeated with a dip of your head before following her down the hall.

You could feel his eyes on you while you walked away. As you turned the corner, you glanced back to confirm you were just paranoid. 

His red eyes were locked onto you. He hadn’t moved from his spot, and his smile was gone.

Relief washed over once you were out of his line of sight. There’s no way he knew you were human. He couldn’t have been able to tell from just your teeth.

But then why did he look at you so strangely?

Your anxiety began to let up more and more as you got further away. Glancing over at Charlie, you could tell she, too, was bothered. Her eyebrows were furrowed and her lips pursed. She kept silent until you finally arrived at the room you came here for in the first place.

It was filled with shelves that held a wide variety of objects. From books, to statues, to strange glowing orbs on pedestals…

If you could find what you needed quickly, none of this would matter. You wouldn’t have to worry about Charlie’s dad figuring you out. You would be back home, safe and sound.

Where it was a good thing you were human.

Where the only things you had to worry about were bills and boy troubles.

“Alrighty,” Charlie said, closing the door after you. “I’m not really sure where to start, but some of these should have labels or descriptions or something.”

That was reassuring.

You each got to work, filing through piece by piece. She wasn’t wrong about some being labeled, though their names often told you little to nothing about what they actually were or what they could do.

As you went to flip through an old book similar in appearance to Devon’s, it was engulfed in purple flames. You gasped, backing away and colliding with something behind you.

Spinning around in hopes of preventing whatever you bumped into from falling, you came face to face with Charlie’s father.

Your heart stopped.

“Might I help you find something?” The smirk adorning his lips as he leaned closer was not comforting whatsoever. You were beginning to understand Charlie’s distress. This man had no concern for personal space.

Wide-eyed, you glanced over at Charlie who looked nearly as alarmed as you to see him there. You side-stepped away so that you were no longer sandwiched between him and the shelves.

“Dad…” Charlie drawled. “Don’t you have something more important to be doing right now?”

“What could possibly be more important than my favorite daughter? It’s been so long since I’ve last seen you!” he said, facing her.

“I’m your only daughter,” Charlie groaned.

“Uh-huh, which is why I want to spend as much time with you as I can~” he sang as threw an arm around her shoulder. “Say, have I gotten to show you my newest ducks yet?”

“No…look we’re really busy right now.”

“Right, right. Looking for something that you need,” he said, waving his hand in the air as he recalled her previous words. “In this room of all places?”

That made Charlie stiffen. 

“Ah, well–uh…”

“She was just showing me around while we were passing,” you spoke up. You were so thankful that your smile didn’t falter when his half-lidded eyes turned to you once more. “It would have been a shame to have missed out on so many amazing relics.”

“I’m sure,” he hummed. “If you’re curious about any in particular, I can tell you all about them.”

He relinquished Charlie to step up to you again.

“Were you a historian when you were alive?” He asked, tilting his head.

“Ah…No…” you said, looking off to the side. There was a moment of silence before you realized he was probably expecting you to specify your occupation. “I was a clinical technician. Items such as these would be interesting to anyone though, I’d imagine.”

“And what did you do to wind up here in Hell?”

What?

“Um, I didn’t…”

“Many would assume working in the medical field would earn you a one-way ticket straight to Heaven, so what could you have possibly done to land yourself here?” His tone turned serious, eyes narrowing.

You needed to calm yourself down. He was probably just interrogating you to ensure his daughter was keeping good company. You’d likely do the same if your child was surrounded by a bunch of sinners with some of the worst track records known to man.

What answer could you give him that was justified enough but didn’t make you sound like a psycho?

You stole a bunch of human blood and used it in a satanic seance.

He didn’t need to know that.

Premarital sex?

No, he had no business knowing about your sex life either.

“I cheated on a test once,” you answered with a guilty smile.

He gave you the most deadpan stare you’d ever seen.

“Premarital sex, too.”

“That’ll do it!” Charlie chimed in.

“That’s the whole reason Charlie and I met actually,” you said, trying to redirect the conversation. 

Both gave you odd looks. That probably wasn’t the best way to follow up that statement, but oh well. 

“She told me all about how I can redeem myself at the hotel she’s running! I hope to one day reclaim my virginity until I find that special someone.”

You smiled sweetly in hopes that it would earn you a few more brownie points. Weren’t you just the most precious little sinner?

“That’s right! She only recently got here, and she’s already seeking redemption! Isn’t that fantastic?” Charlie placed herself at your side, presenting you as if you were a class project. “She hasn’t even heard about the extermination yet!”

“The what?” You turned to face her.

“Don’t worry about it,” she waved you off.

Her father had both hands propped upon his apple cane as he squinted at the two of you. You were clearly hiding something but he had yet to figure out what.

Trumpets began to blare from right beside you, causing even more strain on your frantic heart.

“Hehe, sorry, one second,” Charlie said, pulling her phone out of her pocket to check whatever notification caused that horrid noise. There was a moment of silence as she read the message before her eyes widened, and she went slack jawed. “Shit.”

Well. That didn’t sound good.

Her father looked concerned about her reaction, as well, placing himself at her side with a hand on her arm as he looked up at her.

“Is everything alright, sweetie?” he asked in a soft tone.

“It’s nothing,” she shook her head, pulling away from him. “It was nice seeing you, Dad, but we really have to go now.”

She grabbed your wrist and dragged you out of the room with her, leaving her father behind without a second glance.

Next Chapter

♡ ♡ ♡

tag list: @spookysisters @for-hearthand-home @crescent-z

[mostmagical]

for @zodoods, I hope this lives up to expectations 🙏

Words: 4k Summary:

Marinette knew she tended to get tunnel vision when she was focused, but luckily her boyfriend Chat Noir was always there to watch her back as they fought Monarch. With their enemy having disappeared, however, they decided together that it was finally time to reveal themselves. In public. Face to face. It's a little silly to have to introduce yourself to your own boyfriend, but after all, it wasn’t Marinette’s fault that she never knew her boyfriend’s name. (Adrien has never been to school, and Marinette doesn't know him.)

Marinette hadn’t known her smile could be so wide. Staring at herself in the reflection, she couldn’t be bothered to worry about the awful dark circles under her eyes, or the frizzy mess of her hair. Everything could be covered or smoothed over, after all. None of that really mattered. Not when her whole world was about to change.

Today was the day.

“Today,” she breathed the word to herself. “Tikki, can you believe it’s today?” she asked, turning around to look towards her kwami.

Tikki giggled from where she sat atop the dresser. “You and Chat Noir have only been planning it forever,” she replied.

The smile was beginning to make Marinette’s cheeks ache. “We have.”

For months following the disappearance of Monarch, Ladybug and Chat Noir had been planning and mentally preparing to finally reveal their identities to one another, eventually coming to the conclusion that they were both ready for it just a week prior. She could still see Chat’s goofy smile in her mind’s eye, clear as day.

“So, we’re really doing this?” he had asked as they sat atop a rooftop together. “For real?”

“For real,” she had replied, excitedly nodding her head. Taking his hand in hers, she had pressed three rapid kisses to the back of it, trying to impress all of her enthusiasm and all of her love into his skin through the suit. “I can’t wait to meet you, mon Chaton,” she had promised him.

His face was rosy, with that big, beautiful smile of his stretching out his cheeks. “Neither can I, my Lady.”

Marinette let out a low squeal at the not-so-distant memory, pressing her hands against her hot cheeks.

She was going to meet her boyfriend. For the first time.

Well, not exactly the first time, but first enough.

They had plans to meet at a little café just a few blocks from the Grand Palais. He had surprisingly been a bit apprehensive at first, but she assured him everything would be okay. Marinette promised to wear the rose he had given her in her hair, and she was going to look for the boy wearing the scarf she had made him on his pretend birthday (and then he could tell her his real birthday!).

She couldn’t wait.

This day was a long time coming, and Marinette had plenty of fantasies to prove it. She wanted to hold her boyfriend’s hand in public, kiss him and go to the movies, all without a crowd of people taking photos of them. She wanted to goof off and be silly with him, all without worrying about being a hero, or acting like a good role model. She wanted to take him over to her house, and have him meet her parents, and stay for dinner without the threat of a supervillain interrupting the desert.

And after today, all that could finally be reality.

She got to work applying her makeup and wrangling her hair, not wanting to waste another second. Although she was notoriously late for most events, this was something she hoped to actually arrive early to. The ruby red dress she had laid out the previous night while she should have been sleeping was the last to slip over her head, perfectly matching the scarlet of Chat’s rose tucked behind her ear. The knee-length skirt fluttered to and fro as she took one last scrutinizing look in the mirror. Everything had to be perfect for her not-so-first impression.

Once she was finally satisfied, Marinette tossed her purse over her head. As soon as Tikki was settled and comfortable, she at last headed out.

There was a skip in her step the entirety of the walk, completely out of her control.

Although excitement was certainly at the forefront of her emotions, she would be lying if she didn’t acknowledge that little seed of nervousness. What if he didn’t like her? (He would.) What if he wasn’t as kind as she thought, and his personality was nothing more than a front? (Impossible.) What if his nerves got the best of him, and he didn’t show?

With her heart thundering in her chest, she turned the last corner to bring the café into view.

Her eyes zoned in on a mop of blond hair instantly. It was neat and combed back— completely at odds with the wild wind-blown look she was used to seeing on her boyfriend, but something in the way her stomach twisted and swooped inside of her told her that she may have spotted him. Taking slow steps closer, she traced the curve of his posture with her eyes as he sat hunched over the tiny café table, gasping slightly as she located the familiar shade of blue peeking from his collar.

It had to be him. It had to.

A chorus of giggles broke her concentration, drawing her eyes to a gaggle of girls a couple tables over. They were whispering excitedly and pointing in the direction of the same mop of blond hair, all with cell phones raised. A sudden wave of heat ran up Marinette’s spine as she realized they were ogling him.

She wasn’t surprised that girls were looking at him. Chat Noir was the cutest, most handsomest boy in the world, so of course they would. But that was her cutest and most handsomest boy in the world.

Her slow steps quickly evolved into a fast walk until she was right beside him, at which she practically threw herself onto the table, bodyblocking the girls’ view. The boy visibly jumped at her entrance. She glanced at his face for his reaction, but his eyes were covered by large sunglasses, effectively hiding any expression of recognition. Face feeling suddenly warm, Marinette stood back up straight and cleared her throat, casually drumming her fingers against the laminate surface.

“H-hi. I’m looking for my kitten,” she said, uttering the code phrase they had planned to use to confirm each other’s identities.

The boy smiled, instantly easing her worries. “I saw a little bug on the flyer.”

A grin spread across her cheeks before she could stop it, giddiness overflowing to the tips of her fingers. “I found you,” she murmured, just quiet enough to be just for him.

He stood from his seat, still smiling, and Marinette thought he was going in for a hug until he stepped around her. She was only confused for a second before he pulled out the chair on the other side of the table.

“Oh.” So the gentlemanly thing wasn’t an act after all. Accepting the gesture, Marinette turned to sit, feeling him push the chair in behind her as she did so. “Thank you.”

He simply hummed, before returning to his own seat across from her.

“So, um–” Not really sure where to start, (how does one introduce themselves to the boy they’ve been dating for two years?) Marinette figured the basics should go first. She almost wanted to laugh as she realized she was essentially on a blind date with her long-term boyfriend. “I’m Marinette,” she said, tugging at her bangs before pushing them behind her ear.

“Marinette,” he breathed. Breathed, as in he actually sighed her name when he said it. Marinette thought she might melt. “That’s a beautiful name.”

She wondered how dopey her smile must look to him. “Thank you,” she replied. “And you are?”

Thin blond eyebrows raised over the rims of the glasses, before dropping back down out of sight almost as quickly as they appeared. He laughed. “Okay,” he said between chuckles. “I’m Adrien.”

Marinette wasn’t quite sure what was so funny, but his laughter was just as contagious as always. With a giggle, she stuck out her hand. “Nice to meet you, Adrien.”

His returning smile was soft. “Nice to meet you, Marinette.” He took her hand, and turned it to rest atop his on the table, running smooth circles over the back of her palm with his thumb. The feeling of his warm skin on hers was foreign and exciting, setting off yet another flurry of butterflies in her stomach.

“You still wear your pigtails,” he stated.

Naturally, her free hand trailed to her hair. She smiled as her fingers brushed the velvet petals of the rose. “They’re kind of my armor,” she replied with a shrug. “All the better for you to recognize me.”

The corner of his lip twitched, but the soft smile remained unchanged. Part of her wondered if he was still nervous about meeting. Hoping to ease his worries, she grinned.

“And I’m glad to see you don’t wear whiskers,” she joked.

He laughed again, and that seemed to be enough to lower the tension in his shoulders, to Marinette’s relief. “You’re right, I don’t,” he said. “I have a clean public image to maintain, you know.”

Marinette furrowed her brows, trying and most likely failing to hide the confusion on her face. It was surprising; Chat Noir was definitely the type of person who would grow “whiskers” just to commit to the bit. To each their own she supposed. Mustaches did seem to be more supervillain-y than superhero-y, after all.

“I do have to ask, though, what’s with the glasses?” she asked, moving the conversation along. “They’re so big, they’re covering half your face. Any plans to take those off?”

“Well, I–” Adrien’s head turned minutely towards the girls at the table behind her, barely perceptible to anyone who wasn’t looking for it. “I don’t know.” His hand pulled at the scarf where it crossed over his black t-shirt.

“Please,” she insisted, putting on her best baby-doll eyes. “How unfair you get to see all of my face and I can’t see all of yours.” She held his hand tighter, imploring but hopefully he knew it was still light-hearted.

“Marinette, it’s just–”

She pulled out her secret weapon: the pout. His mouth instantly stopped moving.

“I’ve never really seen your eyes before,” she added. At his answering sigh, she felt a bout of pride swell in her chest. Victory.

Hesitantly, he removed the sunglasses and folded them on the table, all the while looking shyly up at her through golden lashes.

Marinette’s pulse quickened as she finally— really— met his eyes. Such strange feelings of déjà vu ran through her when she caught sight of how green they were. It was the first time she had seen his whole face, and yet it already felt so nostalgic and familiar. It was almost as if she had seen him before, and she supposed she had, in her dreams at the least.

“Gorgeous,” she sighed, unable to stop her tongue from embarrassing the rest of her.

All the regret she might have held drained out of her, however, when she saw how pink his cheeks went in response. His dropped jaw slowly curved into a small smile, and those pretty green eyes closed in half moons as he replied, “Thanks for the compliment.”

Was this really the same boy?

Marinette snorted. “What? No cheesy remark about how you knew I wouldn’t be able to resist you?”

“I’m just far too stunned by the beauty in front of me to think straight,” he said, mouth pulled sideways. “I daresay you could outshine me anyday.”

There he is.

She rolled her eyes in response, but she couldn’t deny the coils of warmth that spread across her skin. With a fond shake of her head, she brought one elbow to the top of the table to cradle her chin in her hand.

“You know, you’re taking this really well,” Adrien said, the smirk fading back to a humble smile. It was odd seeing him so reserved. “Better than I thought you would.”

“Taking what well?” she asked. Her heart squeezed in her chest as she recalled his apprehension from the night before. She attempted to keep things light, sliding into a teasing tone as she conspiratorially whispered, “Did you think I wouldn’t like you without the cat ears, mon Chaton?”

“Well, no, that’s not exactly—”

She cut him off, making sure to speak with all the sincerity she could muster, “Because there is no universe where I wouldn’t like you.” With a coy wink, she added, “Believe me. I checked.” She grinned with pride as her fingers squeezed his on the table, feeling as though she had one-upped him in cheesiness.

Again, his mouth hung open slightly as he processed her words, but soon morphed back into the soft smile. His head tilted to the side. “You always know what to say to make me happy, my–” The corners of his lips twitched, his intended endearment clear to both of them— “my Marinette,” he said instead, pulling their joined hands up to brush his lips against the back of her palm.

Dimly, Marinette registered the sound of a squeal from somewhere behind her.

“But, um, no.” His countenance took on a much more nervous expression, his free hand drifting back to play with the nape of his neck. “I meant more–” He paused, waving his hand awkwardly towards himself.

“What?”

His brows furrowed, mouth open and clearly poised to explain himself, but he was interrupted by a waiter arriving to take their orders, and the moment was surreptitiously forgotten.

As the date went on, conversation flowed freely between them. Marinette learned so many of his favorite things, what he was studying in school, that he was an only child just like her, and of course, his birthday, time and year. So many things that she would normally have naturally learned over time, which was something that she took for granted in her other relationships with family and friends. It was odd, but wonderful that this absurd blind date was just another unique experience that they could share together.

She would have been more than happy to talk to him forever if she could, but a trill from Adrien’s phone stopped their conversation short.

His eyebrows turned down as he read the screen. “How did it get so late?” he pouted, just as cute as before when he wore cat ears on his head. “I’m sorry, Marinette, but I have to go.”

Her smile was sympathetic, barely holding herself back from mirroring his pout. “That’s okay,” she replied. “We’ll just have to have our next date sooner.”

The answering smile on his face made it all worth it.

Adrien’s fingers flew across his keyboard for a second, before another trill responded. “My bodyguard says he can take you home, though!” he announced happily. “So we can spend a little more time together.”

Marinette couldn’t stop the confused noise from escaping her mouth. “Your…bodyguard?” she repeated slowly.

“Yeah!” He looked up from his phone, lips softly quirked upwards. “And don’t worry; he may look mean but he’s the kindest man I’ve ever met.”

That certainly wasn’t something Marinette was worried about, but now she felt like she needed to be.

She tried to cross the appropriate wires in her head. Okay, so Chat Noir, famed superhero of Paris and wielder of the power of destruction, had a bodyguard in his everyday life. And that bodyguard apparently drove him places?

Perhaps she needed to collect more evidence.

Too busy thinking to come up with anything to say, Marinette mutely nodded her agreement.

Having already paid the bill— well, Adrien paid, despite her protests—, the two stood from their seats and headed down the sidewalk. Marinette followed Adrien closely, too busy sweeping her eyes across the busy street to spot this ‘mean-looking’ man to notice Adrien’s knuckles bumping into hers. She finally looked up at him when he laced their fingers together and squeezed. His green eyes almost seemed to shimmer as they looked into hers, and Marinette could feel all that wound-up tension melt away in response.

The spell between them was broken by a sudden honk.

Adrien was the first to break eye contact, turning back towards the street. “Oh! There he is.”

Marinette followed his gaze. Her eyes widened as they landed on the sleek sedan that had pulled up to the curb in front of them. She didn’t know much about cars, but she knew enough to identify the logo of a luxury brand. The car was well-washed and shiny, unlike most of the vehicles that parked along the dirty city streets.

A burly man emerged from the driver’s side door, and walked around the car. To Adrien’s credit, he did seem a bit scary, based on sheer size alone, but Marinette supposed her Papa was probably about the same size. She figured if the man smiled a bit more, he would come off much friendlier. He greeted the two of them with little more than a low grunt and a nod, before briskly opening the rear passenger side door.

Marinette froze in place as she waited for one of the others to move. She couldn’t for the life of her understand what was going on. Was Adrien going to drive and this man was graciously letting her have the front seat?

“Marinette?” Adrien cleared his throat. “Are you ready to go?”

She blinked a few times, looking back and forth between the open door and her boyfriend’s face. “Um, yes,” she replied nervously. “I’m ready.”

He bowed his head, gesturing with his free hand towards the open door. “Then, after you, my lady.”

The familiar name quelled the voices in her head long enough for her to step forward. “Thank you, my prince,” she teased in response.

Though she did step in first, she held fast to his hand, pulling him along with her. The inside of the sedan was just as clean as the outside. Small tablets nestled into the back of both front headrests, and a far fancier screen than Marinette had in any of her devices at home was centerstage on the dashboard. She could feel her eyes widening as she took it all in.

Chat Noir was rich.

Chloé Bourgeois rich, maybe.

That was… unexpected. Admittedly, she never imagined Chat to have a high-class upbringing (if she could even call Chloé’s that). She had always envisioned him as a rough and tumble sort of kid. He would take soda over wine any day. Canned tuna over caviar. He had never turned up his nose to fast food, or cheap nosebleed seats at a concert, or acted like he was any better than anyone else.

No, Chat– Adrien— was amiable, gracious, and an appreciator of the little things–

“Marinette?”

She whipped her head around to meet her boyfriend’s gaze, having been yanked from her thoughts. “Yes?”

Adrien seemed to be holding back a laugh, clearly having recognized her thinking face. “Your address?”

“Oh!” She leaned forward in her seat, directing her attention to the driver. “12 Rue Gotlib, if you’re sure you don’t mind.”

Adrien’s face lit up in the rearview mirror. “That’s just around the corner from us!”

“Really?” She was reminded of that flash of déjà vu she had felt upon seeing his face for the first time. Maybe they had met before. Most people who lived in the 21st arrondissement got their baked goods from her parents’ bakery, and Marinette often worked the front counter. They must have had at least one encounter before as their civilian selves.

It was almost a shame.

She would have loved to know that her favorite person was just around the corner.

He tightened his grip on her hand as she turned back to face him. “Almost too good to be true,” he said, echoing her thoughts.

All lamentations of lost time were forgotten at that, and she chose instead to be happy in the moment they had now. She smiled, squeezing his hand back.

They were content to spend the short ride in comfortable silence after having spent the majority of their time together with endless conversations. Adrien’s bodyguard didn’t ask any questions after Marinette gave her address, so she saw no reason to try chatting with him when she could cuddle into Adrien’s arm instead. The world was pink and fuzzy, and the only leather pressed against her skin was that of the car seats. Feeling the rise and fall of Chat Noir’s breaths through warm cotton was a wholly different, welcome experience.

The ride was too short, however, and before she knew it, they had pulled up in front of her family’s bakery.

Adrien’s short intake of breath pulled her eyes upwards, and she noticed him staring at the sign with eyes full of wonder. “Whoa, you live so close to the boulangerie,” he noted.

Marinette grinned. “Well, yeah, I live above it,” she said, delighted when his head whipped back to face her. “My parents own it.”

His eyes looked about ready to bulge out of their sockets. “You do?”

She pointed to the sign. “And I designed the logo. Tom and Sabine Boulangerie,” —she turned the finger towards herself— “Tom and Sabine daughter.”

Adrien’s face was painted with the most excitement she had seen from him all day. “That’s so cool! They have the best macarons— I’ve had some at events when we get catering— and I’ve asked Nathalie a few times, but, well–” His face was a bit pink as he paused. “You’re amazing, Marinette.”

“I’ll have to bring you some macarons next time I see you,” she giggled.

His eyebrows danced over his eyes. “Now I know why you’re so sweet.”

“Oh, hush.” She lightly shoved his shoulder. “Takes one to know one.”

Following some pointed clearings of the throat from the driver’s seat, they eventually got out of the car and Adrien walked her to her door. She left him with a quick kiss and a promise to text him later.

The remainder of the day went by in a blissful blur. Dinner, homework, and television with her parents faded into the background as she slipped lovingly into her daydreams. Adrien was too busy to talk, but he had sent her a few hearts and memes throughout the evening, and she looked over all of them with her chest fit to burst. Before she knew it, it was time for bed and they were texting each other good night.

It wasn’t until the next morning that Marinette realized the true shift the world had undergone.

The incessant buzzing of her phone was an unwanted wakeup call. Marinette blindly slapped her hand against the mattress until her fingers met the smooth plastic of her phone case. She slowly cracked her eyes open as the screen lit up again with notifications.

New Message - 🦊Alya🔥(32), Missed Call - 🦊Alya🔥 (2), New Message - Adrien ♥️🐈

Wondering what was so desperate for Alya to be blowing up her phone so early, Marinette quickly responded to Adrien’s “Good morning <3” in kind before opening the floodgates. She was immediately treated to a number of news articles, all caps messages, and photos. Photos of her and Adrien.

Her fingers flew through the slideshow of photographs: Adrien waiting alone with those ridiculous sunglasses, herself haphazardly draped over the table, Adrien kissing her hand, the both of them stepping into his car. She paused on one of the last photos. It was of the two of them, hand-in-hand as they waited for their ride. Adrien’s soft eyes that had mesmerized her up close were just as soft from a careful distance.

She blinked rapidly as she processed it all.

How did Alya get these?

Scrolling back up in her conversation history with Alya, she looked at the articles again, scanning over the headlines: “Adrien Agreste - Dating?” “Adrien Hits the Town with Mystery Girl!” “Who Caught the Eye of Adrien Agreste?” “Agreste Son is Growing Up!”

…Agreste?

The conversation shot down to the bottom as another text from Alya came in: CANT BELIEVE YOU DIDNT TELL ME????

Faster than she could process, Marinette swiped away from her messages to plug “Adrien Agreste'' into her search engine. A shocking thousands of images popped up, all of her boyfriend in various poses and campaigns— including one with the bowler hat she had designed for a competition run by Gabriel Agreste.

A banner notification popped up at the top of her screen, Marinette’s finger tapping it automatically.

Adrien ♥️🐈: I have a photoshoot until around noon, but do you want to get ice cream after?

Marinette dropped the phone as everything suddenly became clear.

Perhaps maybe their civilian relationship wasn’t about to be quite as low-key as she thought.

[multifandommilfs]

Our Last Hundred Years

Pairing: Andy x reader

Wc: 2377

Angst, fluff ps sorry Nile

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It had been long since Andy took off to the pharmacy, way too long. It caused worry to brew in your chest. It was usually after a battle that Andy would stay as close as possible to the team to check in on everyone time and time again. Damn it, you buried your face in your palms, paranoia gnawing at the pit of your stomach. What if another wave of army storms in right now? You grit your teeth in frustration, forcing your mind to listen to Nile and Booker's faint conversation. 

 

The door to the old mine creaked open, natural light pouring in. You leapt up instantaneously, giving your teammates an open palm telling them to wait. One step, two steps, you made sure your gait was light as you unsheathed a knife. Yeah, it could very well be Andy, but at this point, you weren't ready to take any risks. 

 

The door to the open space was a narrow flight of stairs and a blind spot just off to the sight where you hid. Thump, thump, thump came in quick succession. In the darkness, your heart sped, the grip on your blade tightened. 

 

The brown coat was what you saw first which was enough to make you launch at her, encasing her in an embrace with relief. She yelped at the blitz attack, body tensing when your arms wrapped around her neck. "Ow shit." She swore softly when your elbows hit her shoulder and you pulled back quickly. Ow? You hadn't heard that since forever. 

 

"Hey, I'm taking Andy out! Just outside!" You hollered while scrutinizing the woman before you. 

 

"Sounds like a bad date!" A round of snickers came from them, and you rolled your eyes. "Says the person who doesn't have a date." 

 

"Ooh! Burnt!" Nile said, but you were dragging Andy upstairs by her arm, hearing her sharp inhalation was more concerning than her absence. Though it might be undetected when it came to others, you had been with her since the birth of everything, you knew her, you could have her tell you what she held back with a look. That's why your glance at her wasn't returned.

 

You chose a shrouded spot where greenery thrived. 

 

"You have something to tell me." You said with arms akimbo, but let your features remain lax, so she wouldn't feel so asphyxiated by your demand. Nevertheless, she chewed on her lower lip, eyes meeting yours momentarily before they darted back to the grassy ground. She couldn't tell you about it. 

 

You let out a breath, dropping your hands from your waist. "Andy..." Your fingers tipped her chin up softly, her gaze remained everywhere but you. "Look at me please?" You manoeuvred into her line of sight, luring her eyes to you. It was then that you noticed a sheen of tears gleaming in her irises, the downcast of her lips. "I'm worried, I have been worried, will you please tell me what's wrong?" 

 

She let out a bitter laugh, brows furrowing as the tears thickened, threatening to fall. You had always been her weakness and her strength, but most importantly, you were the one she trusted to ravage her mind after Qunyh. 

 

She had to tell you but her lower lip wobbled in fear even when she was mentally preparing herself. A glance to the entrance of the old mine and around it proved that there were no traces of eavesdroppers, so her gaze trailed back to you. 

 

"I went to get medicine for my wounds." She winced at how indirect she was being but you were listening intently. 

 

"What are you saying?" 

 

"My wounds, i- they-" She squeezed her eyes shut. How could something she had desired for so long become something so dreadful? "They won't heal." Her voice turned into a whisper because even she couldn't believe the fact. Six thousand years she lived, and suddenly her immortality was stripped away by the stab of a knife. 

 

When she peeled open her eyelids, she was met with a deep furrow cutting in between your brows. "T- that's ridiculous, no, no, that's not supposed to happen, Andy, are you sure you're not misreading it?" 

 

"I'm sure." She saw how tears prickled your eyes, with red rims already forming around your eyes.

 

"Let me see it." You said firmly and scuffed your foot as if you were losing balance. Before she could even reply, you tore the coat off her shoulder, immediately sensing the faint scent of metallic. Your eyes were next to see the damage, red seeping out of the fresh bandage. 

 

"Okay?" She asked, shrugging the coat back up as you staggered back in disbelief. 

 

"No." Your exhale was shaky, and your knees dropped you onto the ground. Six thousand years together and you were left with less than a hundred with her. It was laughable but your mind could only connect to the newest member of the team. Shit has been falling ever since her arrival. 

 

"Is it the girl? Is it Nile? It was yesterday- yesterday when she really accepted herself and today- " Tears gathered in your eyes as you dared a look at her.

 

"I don't know, darling." Her arms wrapped tightly around her midriff. She paused before her eyes drew to you. "We'll figure it out." 

 

"It's her and you know it! Ever since she came, shit's been going down the fucking hill!" Your voice rose, and Andy glanced at the basement door in nervousness. "Stop it!" She hissed.

 

"She's leaving." Your demand made Andy's gaze flit to you in shock. "No, that's- she has nowhere to turn to, y/n!" Her voice turned into a yell because you were slamming the door open to the mine, heading straight for Nile with Andy on your tail, shouting something. But you were mad, heart pounding, seeing red, mad. 

 

In a quick motion, you dragged the girl up by her shoulders, slamming her against the wall and yelling something you couldn't hear yourself say. All you could remember was Andy telling you, "It won't heal," and the look in her eyes: fright. It was enough to kick up your defence. 

 

"You did this! You did this!" The words mustn't be yours, your voice was never that raw.

 

Then you were flying back too fast for your legs to catch up. There was pressure around your shoulders. A sharp pain jabbed the crook of your knee and you kneeled. Andy held you in a vice grip on the ground as you thrashed until you ran out of strength. With wetness on your face, you sobbed as Andy hoisted you into her lap. 

 

"I can't live without you, I don't know how to live without you." You pushed your face into the crook of her neck, breathing raggedly. 

 

"You'll live-" she started softly but you cut her off. "I'll exist! I- I don't live without y- you. I won't have a fucking life, I won't have anything, I can't d-do anything!" Your hands gripped her coat. It was an old coat you got for her, it was one of the first coats that were made, but it was still too new to preserve the memory of Andy when you had thousands of years left to live. 

 

Booker could only comfort Nile and stare at the both of you. He was never really a witness to your emotions, having avoided them after he left his family. But here Andy was whispering something in your ear as you held on as if your life were vanishing before your eyes. 

 

The following weeks were never the same, even after the 'experiment for the greater good fiasco', and Booker's hundred year excommunication. You were pulling Andy out of Nile's proximity in hopes that she'd regain her immortality. Joe and Nicky were well-informed of your feud with Nile. They were all adamant it would blow over, but there came a day when enough was enough. 

 

Today was that day. 

 

"You've got to stop this." Nicky leant against the kitchen counter, a small smile on his lips as you busied yourself with dinner. 

 

You made no sound, moving from the stew to put dirty dishes into the sink. "Am I getting the silent treatment too?" Nicky spun you over by your waist when you passed him so that you couldn't avoid him anymore. 

 

You huffed. "You want me to stop cooking? Fine, you take over." You shoved a ladle in his hands, but he crushed you into a hug. "You shouldn't hurt others because you're hurting." 

 

Your fingers balled up his shirt as your chin adjusted to a more comfortable position. He swayed a little, arms tied around your waist. "It isn't Nile's fault that Andy is now a mortal." 

 

"It is, I think it is. You would do the same if it were Joe." 

 

"For a while, yes, I would presume. But you cannot create an answer to an unanswerable question. Nile is not the answer y/n. There is no answer to why we lose our immortality." 

 

He heard you sniffle. "The stew is boiling." You pulled away slowly, putting out the flame and moving to wash the dirty dishes.

 

"Okay?" He asked when he joined you, pulling you in to kiss your cheek before taking his fair share of dishes. You looked at him, teary-eyed, letting yourself work automatically. "What happens if I don't know? Andy, she's out there right now, with Nile and Joe, and-" you grabbed the kitchen knife, slathering it with dish soap.

 

 "And- I can't function. It's not like I will die but how do you function with the knowledge that you'll lose everything in the next few decades? Not even a century, just five or six decades and she'll-" The blade slipped, cutting your finger as you hissed in pain, garnering Nicky's attention to your wound. Blood seeped out of it, a sight you've seen a thousand times.

 

Just then, the house bustled with energy as they barged in. Andy and Nile laughing at Joe's joke as they dumped groceries onto the table. Your attention was diverted, and the pain subsided when you had to catch rolling apples and oranges before they hit the ground from the toppled paper bags. 

 

"Watch your head." Andy said softly, resting her hand on the edge of the table when you ducked out from beneath the table. 

 

And you had to savour her affections when there was not enough time to accept them absentmindedly. She saw the exhaustion on your features, the worry that was wordlessly telling her to stop caring about you so that you wouldn't have to miss her that much. 

 

Frustration built up in her, she wanted to care with the time she had left. "Come here for a second?" She requested. 

 

You wasted no time in avoiding her, heading in Nile's direction. God knows you owed her some clarity even if you didn't forgive her. 

 

It was a split second touch, Andy's fingers slipped to yours and you winced in pain. "Fuck!"Your hand was now cradled in another, close to your chest. 

 

The chit-chatter dropped in an instant, everyone's heads creaked in your direction like a nightmare, their widened eyes hovering. "Fuck." You whispered under your breath when you understood the situation. 

 

Then, unexpected to yourself, a sliver of happiness curled up your lips just when everyone started panicking and crowding around you. 

 

Andy was gripping your hand as blood slipped from your finger to touch the back of her palm, leaving a trail of red. Nile, in shock, was left behind when Nicky and Joe, with worry present in their expressions, mumbled something, then closed their eyes, praying and begging for your wound to heal. But it wasn't healing, not in the least when Andy's grip tightened and more blood seeped from the cut. 

 

You were smiling, lipless, as your eyes drifted to Andy's frustrated ones, and you wondered if that was the expression you were wearing when she became mortal. 

 

"I'm sorry." Nile said aloud but it only caught your attention. You turned to her, remembering her pariah because of your doing. "I mean, it's me, isn't it? I'm doing this, I'm causing all your... immortality, I'm..." Tears surfaced in her eyes. "I'm killing you guys." 

 

"No- no. No, Nile, you're not killing us, and you shouldn't be sorry." You paused, glancing at Nicky for affirmation he granted. "I am the one who should be sorry for making you the answer to an unanswerable question. So I'm, I'm so sorry, Nile, for casting you out of our family." You breathed, ignoring the tickle of pain on your finger, and continued. "Being a grownup, I expected more of myself than to outcast a fellow soldier, and I know you do too. I was emotional and irrational during the unexpected. So I owe everyone an apology." You let your gaze linger on each member of your family, your troop, "I'm sorry, Nile, for not treating you the way I should've. Nicky, Joe, I'm sorry for having both of you in the middle of my problems. I'm sorry, sweetheart, for not being more accepting of your change." 

 

Tears dripped down Nile's cheeks. "Thank you. Thank you for that apology." She gritted out through her emotions, wiping away her tears on her sleeve. Nicky and Joe gave you a watery laugh of relief while Andy's nails dug lightly into your wrist, reminding you of your wound. "So, um, I'm mortal." You shook your head in disbelief. "What do I do?" 

 

"Well, first of all, don't outcast me again." Nile said, and you broke into watery laughs. 

 

"No, I won't." You assured her, then turned to Andy, her sad eyes desperately searched yours, tears filling up. "What do we do?" 

 

"We die." You gave her a soft smile. "We get our dream, and we die, together. And when we do," you swivelled over to the rest of your team momentarily. "You make sure to bury us together in the same grave, six feet deep, or I swear I'll haunt your asses until you die. And god knows how long that'll take." 

 

Wet laughter filled the room. Andy took her bottom lip in, nodding in acceptance. "That's the best plan I've heard in six thousand years." 

[alast4r]

𝙇ᡣ𐭩𝙫𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙘𝙠

Chapter 3: Confession

A/N: Okay I made a final decision to cut this chapter and just rewrite the other stuff as the next chapter but deepest apologies for disappearing. I now have a ton of time especially around May to July. Anyways I don't really like this chapter but hopefully you guys do.

@myrunawaysweets @roxxie-wolf I FORGOT TO PING YOU GUYS SORRY BUT HERE

╭─────── ۪۫ ❁ཻུ۪۪⸙͎.` ───────╮

"God I'm so lovesick."

╰─────── ۪۫ ❁ཻུ۪۪⸙͎.` ───────╯

As the morning's splendor unfolded, the mellifluous songs of birds greeted your ears, heralding the imminent ascent of the radiant sun into the boundless azure sky. With a languorous stretch, you rose from your slumber and made your way to the window, where a gentle zephyr caressed your skin, carrying with it the sweet anticipation that swelled within your heart for your rendezvous with Alastor, the man who monopolized your thoughts, rendering you a veritable dreamer.

Entering the lavatory, you indulged in a warm, effervescent bath, accompanied by opulent accoutrements that left your skin plump and aglow. Clad in a sumptuous robe, you proceeded to your vanity chamber, lavishing further care upon your complexion with an array of extravagant elixirs, leaving your countenance unadorned by makeup for the time being.

Venturing into your wardrobe, resplendent with garments of silk, chiffon, and lace, you meticulously selected from an array of heels, sandals, and boots, alongside a trove of accessories nestled within the drawers. Each ensemble was scrutinized with fastidious attention, until your gaze alighted upon a resplendent scarlet gown that captivated your discerning eye, evoking thoughts of Alastor and his signature crimson motif.

Donning the elegant yet understated attire, paired with crimson footwear and ruby-hued embellishments, you returned to the vanity, where you deftly coaxed every unruly strand of hair into submission, fashioning it into a winsome style. With a delicate brush dipped in rosy pigment, you imparted a flush of color to your cheeks and the bridge of your nose, before applying a coat of ravishing red lipstick that accentuated your features.

As you beheld your reflection with a mixture of satisfaction and awe, a discreet rap upon your door interrupted your reverie. With purse in hand, you hastened downstairs, and to your delight, found Alastor awaiting you.

As Alastor led you through the bustling city streets, the morning sun cast a warm glow over everything, illuminating the beauty of the architecture around you. The gentle breeze carried the scent of fresh pastries from nearby bakeries, mingling with the sound of distant chatter and the occasional honk of a car horn.

"Where are we going though, Alastor?" you inquired, curiosity piqued by the mystery of the day ahead. Alastor hummed a tune, his arm linked with yours as he guided you forward. "I plan to take you to many places, my dear, but first, I'd love to show you a spot that holds a special place in my heart."

Soon, you arrived at a two-story building, and Alastor led you inside to his radio station. The familiar sight of broadcasting equipment and the buzz of activity brought back memories of childhood visits with your father. "This is truly wonderful, Alastor. But are you here to broadcast something?" you asked, intrigued by the thought of witnessing a live broadcast.

Alastor chuckled, moving towards his desk and picking up a small gift box. "No, my dear, I simply needed to retrieve something I left here. Now, shall we continue our date?"

Throughout the rest of the day, Alastor took you to various sights around the city, each one more enchanting than the last. You explored quaint shops, admired stunning works of art, and even indulged in a bit of shopping, with Alastor insisting on treating you to a few lovely items.

As the day drew to a close, you found yourselves at a luxurious restaurant, the perfect setting for a romantic dinner. The ambiance was elegant, with soft lighting and the faint sound of classical music in the background. As you both settled in and ordered your meals, you took a moment to admire the setting, feeling a sense of contentment wash over you.

"So, this is quite a fine establishment, Alastor. What made you choose such a place?" you inquired, genuinely curious about his thought process. Alastor glanced at you, his eyes twinkling with mischief. "I simply wanted to treat my darling to the best," he replied, his voice filled with warmth and affection.

As the evening progressed, you found yourself lost in conversation with Alastor, each moment spent with him feeling more magical than the last. Despite the initial awkwardness, you couldn't deny the connection you felt with him, a connection that seemed to deepen with each passing moment.

As the culinary indulgence reached its conclusion, Alastor, with a dignified grace, presented the gift box procured earlier in the day. "I have something for you, my dear," he uttered, his voice a mellifluous symphony to your ears. Your heart danced a euphoric waltz as he drew near, a sense of anticipation tingling in the air. With a deft motion, he gently fastened the necklace around your neck, its exquisite craftsmanship radiating an ethereal allure. Overwhelmed with gratitude, you beheld the adornment with awe. "Oh, Alastor, this is..." Your words trailed off in wonderment as he bestowed a tender kiss upon your hand, a gesture laden with unspoken sentiment. With a flourish of gallantry, he attended to the bill, leaving you to bask in the warmth of his affection and the splendor of your new treasure.

As the night came to an end, Alastor walked you home, the glow of the streetlights casting a soft, romantic light over the scene. As you said your goodbyes, Alastor leaned in, his lips brushing against your cheek in a gentle, lingering kiss. "I’m afraid I can’t escort you back home tonight my dear so. Until next time, my dear," he whispered, his voice filled with promise and longing.

As you watched him walk away, a sudden outburst came through you. “Wait Alastor!” and just in luck he paused turned back and smiled at you “What is it my dear?” heavily breathing and shaking you found yourself to finally speak out what you’ve wanted to say. “I love you.”

Sudden silence came as he had then walked toward you, as he towered over you a hand suddenly cupped your cheek as his lips met yours. You felt light now, out of instinct you had held his face as well as your other hand placed onto his chest as he held you by the waist.

His lips were warm against yours, igniting a fire within you that you had never felt before. Every touch, every caress sent shivers down your spine, electrifying your senses in a way you had never experienced. It was as if the world around you had faded away, leaving only the two of you in a cocoon of intimacy.

As the kiss deepened, you felt yourself losing control, surrendering completely to the overwhelming emotions that coursed through your body. Time seemed to stand still as you melted into each other, lost in the passion and desire that consumed you both.

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - Multiple Thrupples are Forming

June 2023 Wk 2

Being a highly subjective assessment of one tiny corner of the interwebs. Organized by which ones (in each category) I’m enjoying most.

Ongoing Series - Thai

Step By Step (Tues WeTV & Gaga) ep 8 of 10 - Emotional blackmail from the ex notwithstanding, I guess it’s Pat’s turn to break hearts. I have to say Up was really well cast in this part - extremely believable. Well done all around. Jeng is so smitten, so awkward, so cautious, yet so sharp when it comes to a seme confrontations. I LOVE how sensitive Jeng is to the fact that he has a one-sided crush but also deluded by how much he wants the fantasy of the relationship. The agonizing roller coaster we watch him go through in this ep did a lot of work to elevate and expand his character. (Oh hi Green!) Poor Pat: thinks he’s teasing his straight boss, is actually slow dancing with future husband. Happens to the best of us. 

La Pluie (Sat iQIYI) ep 8 of 10 - Don’t kiss someone else. Just argh. Dumb plot divice. I expected better of you LP. Everyone is so overdramatic and overreacting. I wonder if (in addition to all of the other tropes this narrative is scrutinizing) it’s examining bisexual identity through Pat + his ex? Like, this episode is actually about trusting the bisexual to choose his gay lover when he has the so called “option of being normal.” That soulmate is an allegory for gayness & identity & choice (and whether we even have a choice in who we love and are attracted to) and the interplay all of this has with one's own perception of self and other's perception of you… Or am I giving it too much credit? Meanwhile... l flipping adore the love triangle twist, and really wonder if they’re gonna have the guts to take this aspect to its inevitable triangular conclusion. Such a good show. 

Be My Favorite (Fri YouTube) ep 4 of 10? - Screw all y’all, I’m eloping with Pair & Max. We forming a thrupple and pretending Jittirain doesn’t exist. Trash watch here. 

Luminous Solution (Sat Gaga) ep 4 of 6 - I love the high school boys so much it’s scary: flirting, biting, frankness, roughhousing + lap sitting! Also messy high school gay triangle. Gah. All of this for little-old me?! I was mad every time we jumped forward in time (to the adults) or whatever the hell is going on. Thank goodness this is only 6 eps. 

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

 Love Tractor (Korea Weds iQIYI) eps 3-4 of 8 - I LOVE IT SO MUCH. IT IS EVERYTHING. SHUT UP I AM FERRIL FOR THE BEAUTIFUL CITY BOY & HIS YOUNG FARMER. Come on. Korea. Have mercy? Plus some language play? Slayed. Right... the episode; This show reminds me so much of a Korean style Restart After Come Back Home. I’m not even slightly mad about it. It’s the BL I didn’t even know to ask for. Soap opera tumble and baby in hospital is SUCH a princess moment and I am living for it. Although the reversal is even cuter, princess turns out to be a caring tsundere Dom. And then obligatory water-hose frolicking! Oh, stop, you. (Allegory much? i being to think hose spraying is just another way of BL saying... well... hose spraying) AND “there is only one bed but they slept together on the floor together anyway”. These boys are hitting all my favorite tropes. BL please never lose your sense of childish wonder. And... the hose spraying is nice too.  

Tokyo in April AKA Shigatsu no Tokyo wa (Japan Thurs Gaga) ep 1 of 8 - Based on a NSFW yaoi, this is a reunion romance that takes place in an office. Look, this is a weird little 2nd chance at love that reminds me a bit of Our Dating Sim. But it’s more traditional yaoi office romance with evil boss and inter-departmental politics. The leads are cute childhood (almost) sweethearts and I adore it unreasonably already. 

Vian the series (Vietnam YouTube ) ep 6 of 12 - Vertical video prod is stupid. I’m sorry young people. Stop it. BUT the cuddling is cute. Christ BV can kiss. Is there anyone he doesn’t have amazing chemistry with? Oh the sunshade trope I haven’t seen that one in forever. Also clearly his character has a type, and that type = ultra-bitch. 

Stupid Genius (Vietnam Fri YouTube) ep 2 of 6 - It’s fine. 

Naked Dinner AKA Zenra Meshi (Japan Fri Gaga) ep 9 of 12 - Oh dear. Baby is hurt and rejected. Faen fatal knows her competition is a boy, she also knows what jealousy looks like. But this baby has his own boy. This is all feeling rather Thai BL. There’s even an ep 11 of DOOM coming up next.

It’s Airing But ...

House of Stars (Thai Mon iQIYI) 12 eps - I bounced at ep 3. Will binge if told it is worth it at end.

Stay (Pinoy YouTube) 7 eps - It’s mostly in English and set in LA so I’m not bothering but the first one did drop.

Ever After (Pinoy ????) - I got nothing.

Takumi-kun Series 6: Nagai Nagai Monogatari no Hajimari no Asa (Japan Sun ????) 10 eps - NO ONE ASKED FOR THIS and no, I have no idea where to get it, why would I? (Say it with me everyone: Oh Japan, must you?*)

Boys Love Omegaverse (Japan ????) - honestly tho? Who tf cares? You’ll still tell me if you find it, because inquiring minds... Irony of this airing at the same time as Takumi-kun. Full circle much, Japan?

Ended This Week

Tin Tem Jai special showed up on Gaga as ep 11 & 12 under the original show. (Indebted to spies reporting in.) Also on YouTube. What was that I just watched? Did I watch something? Was there anything? I suppose the bathtub scene was cute. Subs are bonkers. Seriously. Do. Not. Bother.

Our Dining Table AKA Bokura no Shokutaku (Japan) - pay attention TTJ THIS is how you do a special. But I’m gonna do a series review, here ya go: I was always gonna love the show if they stuck to the manga (which is very dear to my heart). And they did, paralleling it almost exactly. It’s a quiet & cozy little parable of found family alleviating loneliness. Possibly too slow for some but definitely high up there for me with the best of what Japan can do (like Restart After Come Back Home), it’s only flaw (if I dare say such a thing) is that it is not really “romantic.” Lovely & sweet but the romance beats are being used to build a family relationship, not just couple intimacy, it’s OK with me, but not totally BL. 9/10

Next Week Looks Like This:

Starting this Week

6/22 About Us but Not About Us (Pinoy movie from 2022 on Prime) - A professor grieving the loss of his partner meets an ambitious literature student.

6/24 Tie The Knot AKA Under the Same Sky (Pinoy movie on Prime) Trailer - I guess Prime is coming for our Pinoy BL? From OXIN Films (Rainbow Prince), announced for 2022 based on a true story, Briggs's family runs a bridal business but he has never had a chance to fall in love until he meets Shao, a groom to be.

6/24 Why You (Khmer BL ????) - Billed as a horror romance, not sure if this is a movie or a series or where it will air.

6/25 Dinosaur Love (Thai iQIYI) Trailer 5 eps - from Ultimate Troop about a uni student, Rak, whose partner cheats on him with Rak's best friend. This gives bad boy hazer Dino an opportunity to hit on Rak at last. From The Yearbook people so I will not watch this as it airs. After Remember Me? Never again with them.

2023 forthcoming BL master post (see comments, some are inaccurate, NOT KEPT UPDATED)

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

Step by Step knocked it outta the park this week. 

Stupid Genius (speaking for all BL) 

No baby. Pretty much every human on the planet would react that way. (Love Tractor) 

(last week)

Current Kpop earworm? IVE’s I Am 

[apomaro-mellow]

I wanted to write somethin where Eddie’s friends were basically supportive minions and it kinda turned into an urban fantasy too

Eddie ran his tongue over his fangs while looking over the letter in his hands. Then he pursed his lips.

“You don’t think it’s too much? It’s a lot of flowery language.”

“I thought we agreed flowery would keep him from finding out its you”, Jeff said.

Eddie paced around while holding out the love letter. It was addressed to Steve. His own name was nowhere to be seen. He’d be signing it as a secret admirer. 

“Eddie, are we sure Steve isn’t using his powers on you?”, Gareth asked.

The vamp in question rolled his eyes but didn’t blame them. As far as incubi went, Steve was a pretty powerful one. But his abilities didn’t work on vampires, who had their own powers of compulsion. It was how Eddie knew the tender feelings in his unbeating heart were real.

“I’m sure. Now are we sure about this?”, Eddie presented the poem again, practically shoving it in their faces. “It doesn’t really feel like me.”

“It has enough you in it”, Jeff reasoned. “If you put too much of yourself, he’ll realize its you.”

With that decided, Eddie put the letter in Steve’s locker and waited. He was leaning as casually against the wall as he could and hoped he wasn’t imagining the blush on Steve’s face as he read it that morning.

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

The first letter went over so well, Eddie sent in more. He thought he was doing pretty well on the whole ‘secret admirer’ thing until Steve walked right up to him and thanked him for the latest letter.

“How did you-?! I mean, I’ve got better things to do than write you sonnets.”

“Right, because there’s other vampires in this school who would compare me to an awesome riff that makes their fingers tingle.”

Well if he was caught, he might as well go all in. And the next step in the courtship handbook was to give him flowers. The question was what kind, which was how Jeff and Gareth found themselves in a flower shop bright and early on a Saturday.

“Duuude, it was a full moon last night, you gotta give me more warning”, Gareth complained as the floral scents assaulted his nose.

“You’ll live. Now what color should I get?”, Eddie asked.

Jeff looked around the shop. “Isn’t the type of flower more important?”

“Yeah”, Gareth agreed. “An incubus would know all about flower language.”

Despite the idea of getting a certain type of flower to communicate his feelings, it ended up being an argument between Jeff and Gareth over a blue flower vs a yellow one.

“He wears blue all the time. That’s gotta be his favorite color.”

“If you paid attention to the millions of times Eddie obsessed over him, you’d know yellow is his best color.”

It amused Eddie to no end to see his little minions help him decide on a bouquet for Steve. Eventually a decision was made. And he handed them off to Steve while picking him up for their first date.

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

“I’ve heard of elder vamps who have legions serving under them”, Steve mentioned one night as they smoked atop Eddie’s trailer.

“I just got the little lambs that follow me right now”, Eddie said.

Steve hummed in response. “But between you and me, with our powers, we could have an entire horde of minions.”

“You’re so sexy when you talk about talking over the world.”

Eddie swallowed the smoke Steve blew in his face, then pressed their lips together. He had to make this man his forever.

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

Gareth had procured the precious metals. Jeff had kept the fires burning. They both agreed that a blue gem was the way to go, with a dark band. Eddie had procured some of Steve’s blood.

Over the molten metal, he poured it, murmuring a spell under his breath like a prayer. Then he drew his own blood from his wrist and let it mingle with his love’s. After the forging, it was bathed under the moon’s glow for three nights. After, Eddie looked at it was a scrutinizing gaze.

“You don’t think a promise ring is too much?”

“At least 40% of people at our school would cream their pants if they got one”, Gareth said.

Jeff gave him a friendly elbow. “Steve’s gonna love it, man.”

Eddie smiled at the ring in his fingers. Such a little thing. And yet it held so much weight.

“And if he doesn’t Jeff can curse him”, Gareth supplied.

“I can”, the other nodded. “In a heartbeat if he breaks yours.”

“Don’t count Stevie out so soon boys. I’m thinkin’ this one is forever. You’re gonna have to start callin’ King Steve ‘my lord’ pretty soon.”

[ghosthunterbuck]

a fraction of everything

(buddie) (1.2k words) (6x14 spec) literally forgot that i wrote this like 3 weeks ago so uh enjoy some brief eddie dating spec that does not jive with the current bts

“What’s wrong?” the man sitting across from him asks, not unkindly. 

“Nothing,” Eddie replies automatically. Everything. 

The man smiles and shakes his head. “Not nothing,” he says gently. 

Eddie sighs. “It’s not you.” He flinches internally. 

His dinner companion laughs, throwing his head back and exposing the long column of his neck. In another life, Eddie might think he was beautiful. He might fall in love with him the same way–

“I know it’s not me,” the man says, and fuck, Eddie can’t even remember his name. “So who is it?”

The love of my life, I’m pretty sure. 

“My best friend,” Eddie blurts, surprising himself far more than the man in front of him. 

He hums an acknowledgement. “Been there,” he says knowingly. Cody! That’s his name, Cody. 

“No, I mean… my best friend he– he died about a month ago,” Eddie says quietly. 

Cody’s eyes widen in horror. 

“No, no!” Eddie scrambles to correct. “I mean yes, he died, but he got better.”

“He… got better?” Cody asks weakly. 

Eddie scrubs his hand across his face. “He’s in my will. Father to my son if I’m the one who kicks it.”

Cody blinks several times, digesting. “So you’re, what, looking for another parent?” he ventures. “Accounting’s a pretty safe career,” he jokes. 

“No,” Eddie says. “See that’s the thing. I should be, right? Because I nearly died too, and he risked everything to save me, and it turns out I’d do the same for him so I’ve got to have another plan, right?”

“I’m not sure dating is the most expedient way to get that done.”

“I know,” Eddie says with a wave of his hand. “That’s not– I don’t know why I’m telling you all of this, I’m sorry.”

Cody gives him a half smile that should probably set off butterflies in his stomach, but instead just makes him miss another smile, one that’s a little more familiar. “Listen, you buy dinner and we’ll call it even.”

Eddie appreciates the out. “Thanks,” he says genuinely. 

“So if you’re not looking for another parent,” Cody asks, “what are you looking for?”

“I just want to feel–”

“A fraction of what you feel for him?” Cody interrupts. 

Exactly. 

“No, no I– that’s different. He’s different,” Eddie protests, not even convincing himself. 

“I’ll say,” Cody says with a shrug, leaning back in his chair to scrutinize Eddie. “You’re not being fair,” he observes. 

“I know,” Eddie says, “I’m sorry.”

“Not to me,” Cody replies with a shake of his head. “To yourself. Or to that best friend of yours. Where is he right now?”

“Watching our– my kid,” Eddie says with a wince. 

Cody grimaces. “Let me ask you something, Eddie. When he died, how did that feel?”

“I don’t know how to answer that,” Eddie says. 

“No,” Cody muses, “I guess you wouldn’t. Let me ask you something else, then. If your best friend wanted to know how you felt, would he have to ask?”

Eddie is silent for a long moment. “No,” he says finally. “He already knows.”

“Listen Eddie, you’re great. So we’re going to skip dessert,” he says, putting his fork down. 

Eddie’s mouth falls open and he quickly snaps it shut. “I don’t think…”

“We’re going to skip dessert,” Cody repeats meaningfully, “and then you’re going to go home and tell your soulmate exactly how you feel about him.”

Eddie chokes on his own spit. “I never said–” he splutters. 

Cody waves him off. “You didn’t have to. It’s written all over your face. That thing you felt? I’ve felt it too. Only my best friend didn’t get better. So you’re going to go home and stop being too chickenshit to live a life that makes you happy, okay?”

“I think my therapist would like you,” Eddie says faintly. 

Cody laughs. “Good, you can tell him all about me in your next session.”

“I, uh, I probably will.”

“Now pay our tab and go,” Cody says. “And do me a favor.”

“Um, sure,” Eddie says. 

“Text me some time, let me know how it goes.” Cody smiles, wistful and a little sad. “I love a happy ending.”

…

When Eddie gets home, he finds Buck sitting at the kitchen table, brow creased in concentration as he stares at the crossword in front of him, too engrossed to have even noticed Eddie walk in. 

“Hey,” he says softly. 

Buck jumps and swears. “Warn a guy!” he exclaims. “You want me to have another heart attack?”

Eddie fixes him with an unimpressed look. 

Buck sticks his tongue out. 

Eddie snorts. “Real mature, Buck,” he says, sitting down at the table next to him and hooking their ankles together. 

“How was the date?” Buck asks, “You’re home kind of early.”

Eddie smiles. “It was good, really good,” he says, surprised to discover he really means it. 

“Ah,” Buck says, voice almost imperceptibly strained. “So I take it there’s going to be a second?”

“Nope,” Eddie says, popping the ‘p’. 

Confusion paints itself across Buck’s face. “Then what was so good about it?”

“He helped me realize a few things,” Eddie says softly. 

Buck’s gaze snaps to him. “He?” 

Eddie bites his lip, then nods. 

“And you… realized something?” Buck asks tentatively. 

Eddie hums. “I realized he isn’t what I’m looking for,” he says. 

“Oh,” Buck says quietly, looking away. 

“He’s not what I’m looking for because… I already found that,” Eddie says in a rush. 

“With… with one of the other dates?” Buck ventures. 

Eddie shakes his head and huffs out a soft laugh. “No you idiot,” he says. “With you.”

For a moment, the sound of a pin dropping would be as loud as a sonic boom. 

“Me?” Buck whispers, looking up at Eddie with shining eyes. 

“When I–” Eddie swallows harshly and takes a deep breath. “When I got shot, I thought I understood what you went through. Between the ladder truck and– Shannon, I thought… but I was wrong, Buck, I was so wrong. I’m sorry. But when you–” 

“When I died?” Buck prompts gently when Eddie doesn’t continue. 

“Yeah,” Eddie breathes. “It was different. It was so much worse. I was– I’ve never felt like that in my life, and I never want to feel that way again. And you know me,” Eddie says softly. 

“I do,” Buck confirms. 

“I pushed it down, and anything that reminded me of it. And as it turns out, everything I feel about you reminds me of it.”

“Eddie,” Buck begins, but cuts himself off when Eddie shakes his head. 

“The only thing that shatters a person like that,” Eddie says slowly, “is loving someone so completely that the idea of a world without them is impossible.”

“Yeah,” Buck says, closing his eyes. “Yeah it is.”

The room fills with silence, but it’s not the oppressive kind, merely contemplative. 

Eventually, with a soft, wet laugh, Buck says, “that was some date, huh?”

Eddie chuckles softly. “I think I owe the guy a beer,” he agrees. 

Buck bites his lip. “I think… I think maybe I do too,” he says quietly. 

“Yeah?” Eddie asks. 

Buck ducks his head and smiles. “Yeah.”

Eddie stares at Buck for a long moment. “I’m going to kiss you now,” he says finally. 

Buck meets his eye and nods. “Sounds good to me,” he says roughly. 

And so, Eddie does.

[jimraisedmeup]

TICK // 17.1 - dancing in the dark

Pairing: Eddie Munson x Fem!Reader

Rating: mature (angst, language, graphic sexual content)

Word Count: 2400

☾

I get up in the evenin' And I ain't got nothin' to say I come home in the mornin' I go to bed feelin' the same way

☾

May 16, 1984 - junior year

"Toilet paper?"

"Check."

"Eggs?"

"Check."

"Red lipstick?"

"Check," Robin answered, then lifted an eyebrow at her sister. "Wait, what do we need the lipstick for?"

Eddie butted in between the two Buckley girls from the back seat of your father's work truck. "Perhaps if I wear lipstick I'll be less recognizable?"

You snorted, both hands on the wheel. "I don't think a disguise is necessary. Honestly, if you get caught, what else do you have to lose at this point?"

The brown eyed boy sat back in his seat, shoulders slumping in a mild sense of defeat. You still hadn't really talked to him since showing up on his doorstep with Robin. You were quite clearly on a mission and having fun with your sister, but Eddie knew you well enough that you were still far from happy with his fireworks show.

At this point, he just felt lucky that you wanted to include him in whatever plan you cooked up.

And Eddie thought Robin was quirky. Like if you took all the seriousness and cynicism away from you, added a dash of band geek, BAM! Robin Buckley. Eddie found her perpetual lack of coordination and rambling sentences to be entertaining. 

On the same note, though, he was intimidated by her scrutinizing gaze on him - they hadn't really spent time together yet, just simple greetings in passing at school when he was with you. 

Eddie still had yet to properly meet your father, upon your request.

I think that's something that can wait a while, yeah?

Hawkins was empty this late at night and all three of you buzzed with anxiety. "Borrowing" your dad's work truck was a good idea, but also a risky one. The construction company's name on the side of it was a little more recognizable that Eddie was comfortable with.

But it was better than taking Eddie's van. He was always noticed wherever he went.

"How do you guys know where Higgins lives, anyways?" he questioned, poking through a toolbox that was in the back seat with him.

You peered at him through the rearview mirror, your shining eyes glowing under the street lights.

"Robin knows a girl, who knows a guy, who knew a girl that dated his son."

"Well that's a goddamn soap opera if I've ever heard one," Eddie mumbled, then leaned forward towards Robin. "Cheers, criminals?"

Eddie popped the top off a beer bottle, startling the two girls in the front seat. You slammed on the brakes. Snapping your head to glare at him, Eddie held a look of innocence in his eyes, a beer in one hand and a random tool he used to open it in the other.

"Did you seriously bring a whole six pack with you? How did I not notice that?"

"You were too busy stealing all of my toilet paper. Look, there's two for each of us," he held out the open beer for one of you to take, fiddling with the lid of another one.

Robin took it from his hand immediately. You stared at her in shock. 

"Hey now, don't look at me like that. He lit a car on fire yesterday. We just stole our dad's work truck… to go vandalize our principal's home," she took a swig of the beer, wincing at the taste. "Might as well continue breaking laws as long as we're having fun, right?"

Sighing, you nodded at your younger sister. "Touché. But save mine for later, would you? Drinking and driving isn't on my list of crimes this evening."

Eddie and Robin tapped their beers together with a sharp clink, then proceeded to race each other to the bottoms of their bottles. 

The truck pulled onto Higgins' street. You parked in a dark area underneath a large oak tree. You turned to your accomplices with a grin.

"Are you ready, bitches?"

☾

I ain't nothin' but tired Man, I'm just tired and bored with myself Hey there, baby, I could use just a little help

☾

The trio looked upon your handiwork, sweet revenge coursing through your veins.

Toilet paper covered Higgins' trees, lawn, and lampposts. Eggs were artistically scattered over the brick front of the house - Eddie specifically recommended not to egg any windows so that you wouldn't draw attention from anyone inside with noise.

Robin stifled a giggle with her palm. "Guys… that was fun as hell."

"I concur," Eddie said, hands on his hips.

You couldn't help but smile at your two favorite people. "Ditto."

When you were almost back to the truck, you stopped suddenly. "Wait! I almost forgot." Then you bolted away. "Wait here!" you whispered at them frantically.

Eddie side-eyed Robin as they watched you run up to Higgins' mailbox.

"Uh, so Robin, you think she’s gonna hate me forever? For what happened yesterday?"

Clicking her tongue for a moment, Robin stared at her feet as she replied. "I don't think she's capable of hating you." 

The Munson boy next to her felt a pang in his heart at her response, and was unable to find his own.

Then she chuckled. "But good luck with the dirty looks she'll give you every time you light a match around her. She can be really scary sometimes."

"It's her eyes, right?" Eddie said with a laugh. "Aggressive."

Robin patted him on the back. "Just don't try to blow yourself up again anytime soon, and I'm sure you'll be just fine in her books. She loves you, you know?"

"Does she?"

"Isn't it kinda obvious?" Robin pointed at you, who was now jogging back to the pair. "She’s never been a rule breaker like this before. Not until she met your dumb ass."

Before Eddie had a chance to process Robin's words, you ran up to them.

"Guys, let's roll! I saw a light come on in Higgins' house," and then you ran past them, out of breath and cackling wildly.

As you drove past the principal's defaced home, Eddie snuck a glance at the once bright, white mailbox. 

In red lipstick, you had written "ASS of '84" in swirling, fantastic letters.

☾

You can't start a fire You can't start a fire without a spark This gun's for hire Even if we're just dancin' in the dark

☾

As you neared the center of town, you felt chills up your spine when Eddie's quiet voice sounded from behind you.

"Come stay with me tonight?"

You fidgeted in your seat. You would pick Eddie's soft bed over your own any other day. But now you were conflicted. 

"I have to take Robin home. And the truck. She can't drive it home alone," you explained, mumbling towards the back seat. 

You glanced at Robin, who was enjoying her second beer and looking out of the window at the passing businesses of downtown Hawkins.

But Eddie wasn't going to back down. "So? I'll come with you, then. Sneak me into your bedroom, I'll be your little secret."

"Do you want to die at the hands of Richard Buckley?"

"Darling, I'd die any day just to spend another night with you."

You had never allowed him to stay the night at your house before. You tried your best to avoid Eddie and your father crossing paths at all costs, usually only having Eddie in your room on days when your father was working late.

A bit of anger flashed in your mind, wondering why Kate was allowed to stay the night. You couldn't hold the anger for long, though. Over the last few months of awkward dinners, both you and Robin had begun to realize that Kate wasn't all that bad, even if she had a horrible taste in men.

And now, as you could feel your boyfriend's heated eyes on you from the back seat, a gut feeling told you that you weren't ready to say goodnight to him just yet.

"Fine, just this once."

"You know I can hear everything, right? You idiots are loud and the radio isn't even on," Robin gestured wildly with her hands. "I'd say 'get a room', but it sounds like you're about to do that. Gross."

Uncontrollable laughter bubbled up in your chest, adrenaline still pumping through your veins from the mischief you unleashed on the principal of Hawkins High School.

It must have been contagious, because Robin smirked at her sister.

"I'll help you sneak him in. Maybe one day you'll help me sneak in someone, too."

With a quick wink and the signature interlocking of your pinky fingers, you nodded knowingly at Robin as you pulled the truck into the driveway of your home.

☾

Stay on the streets of this town And they'll be carvin' you up alright They say you gotta stay hungry Hey baby, I'm just about starvin' tonight

☾

"Do you need me to wash your clothes or anything? For school tomorrow?"

You searched through your dresser drawers, finally finding a clean pair of oversized shorts that you had previously stolen from his room. You threw them at Eddie, who caught them with an uncomfortable look on his face.

"Sunshine… hate to break it to you, but I'm kinda done for the year. They suspended me for the last two weeks of school."

"Oh."

He rubbed the back of his neck, avoiding the disappointment on your face. "I think I might just say 'fuck it', you know? Drop out, get a job with my uncle. Eulin is never going to pass me… or Ms. O'Donnell. Definitely not Higgins. What's the point in trying senior year again?"

Your eyes were sad. Though still sweet and deep as a pot of honey, your voice seemed smaller than usual.

"You should try again… for me. We could graduate together." You picked at your fingers, not meeting his eyes.

Eddie Munson didn't need any convincing. It was clear how much it meant to you. 

"Jesus, babe, no need to beg," he joked. "You already begged me enough just to stay here tonight."

The small smile that crept up on your lips made his entire night. Sure, he royally fucked up with the fireworks. But you were still here. You took him to get his childish revenge on Higgins. You wanted him to graduate with you. 

Maybe there was still hope for a fairytale ending, making it out of Hawkins with you by his side.

Never really ceasing to surprise him, you pulled off your jeans and sat on the edge of your neatly made bed, spreading your knees just a few inches.

"Enough talking, if that's okay?"

Eddie was already hard. But he purposely hesitated.

"Messing up a bed this pretty seems like quite the sin, you know."

Tilting your head back, you scoffed. "Says the boy with the stained mattress!"

"My uncle gave me that bed, I have no idea where those stains came from!"

"Sure." Then you bit your lip, looking behind him in the dim bedroom. "Lock the door already, will you?"

Again, he didn't need any convincing. He pushed the lock closed on your bedroom door, seeing it shine in the hazy light emanating from your closet. 

The brown eyed boy dropped to his knees in front of you, grasping your calves and pulling you to the edge of the bed.

He ran his hand over your belly, then hooked his fingers underneath the elastic of your underwear… he said a quick, sarcastic prayer for his devilish conscience, then pulled the underwear down. 

In the darkness, your hair hung around your sleepy face, making it difficult to read your expression. Eddie didn't mind it, though. He just wanted to feel you, love you, hear you… taste you.

Both of your hands ran across his neck, your nails slowly exploring his skin, then down to the collar of his shirt. He took the subtle hint and pulled it off, discarding it on the floor. The dark piece of fabric looked out of place in your immaculate pink bedroom.

Eddie could feel the warmth radiating off the skin of your stomach, your inner thighs. He grabbed your knee and then ran his hand upwards, stopping when he felt your hips.

He didn't even contemplate his actions for a single second - Eddie knew exactly what you wanted. Pressing one hand against your backside, he pulled your hips forcefully towards his mouth. Your flesh held remnants of what smelled like rose-scented soap and sweat.

His tongue traced the hot crevice between your thigh and the wetness already pooling between your legs. Immediately, your back arched, almost collapsing your body like a little fractured marionette.

He was the puppet master.

The tension in the air snapped. Like a buzzing telephone wire on a scorching summer day - Eddie felt a fire being lit in his groin, guiding him as if he was a man possessed.

Self-control being a thing in the past, Eddie grabbed hard onto your ass, and you leaned back as you held onto his head. He tasted you, fully, unabashedly, exploring you like you were an undiscovered wonder of the world. His tongue circled your most sensitive areas as you whimpered, knees trembling.

You squirmed further and further up the bed like a cat in heat. He yanked your hips back to the edge of the mattress. You grabbed one of your pillows and held it over your mouth.

His fingers traced an arc along the underside of your breasts, barely visible under the fabric that separated them. It took everything in him not to fully undress himself.

His cock was hard, straining against his jeans. But there wasn't anything that would stop him from making you come into his mouth.

Eddie didn't think he had ever tasted something so real, so human, in his entire life. The sweat, the salt, the unique taste of you. 

He controlled the speed at which you finished - dragging it out as long as he could. The more your body tensed up at his actions, the more satisfied he felt. Your legs curled around his head like a vice grip from heaven.

Afterwards, sitting back on the floor before you, his face was wet. His lips were swollen. 

He could see your figure splayed out on the bed. Shameless and spent.

☾

I'm dyin' for some action I'm sick of sittin' 'round here tryin' to write this book I need a love reaction Come on now, baby, gimme just one look

You can't start a fire Sittin' 'round cryin' over a broken heart This gun's for hire Even if we're just dancin' in the dark

☾

(song lyrics credit: "Dancing in the Dark" by Bruce Springsteen)

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[kochi999]

I always draw only Arcade porn, but today I really thought about "why I like Arcade" and drew it seriously.

Below is the monstrosity I drew on pixiv. I haven't scrutinized the document after the English translation, so it's probably weird.

　My shit-decker feelings (mainly inferiority complex) for Dr. Arcade have finally calmed down after about 10 months of falling for him, so here's one thing I'd like to summarize (give birth to) why I can't help but have such a fussy heart for this guy. I guess the screen turns red when I put my feelings into it. I know it's not popular to capture long sentences nowadays, but it's the last time I'm drawing, so forgive me, I don't have anywhere else to put it.

　I've tried to put all the elements of why I like this guy so much into this one picture, but the part that people who don't know me won't get from the picture and the part that made me fall for that point in the first place is that this guy is officially gay. The other deciding factor that drove me crazy was the fact that there is an ending where he commits suicide by circumcision for the sake of his own pride.

　This guy, who had been running away from the secret of his origins, who was worried and lost, who couldn't tell anyone about the secret of his life, who couldn't make up his mind in that ephemeral world, who had been moping and sulking until he was 35 years old, makes a decision based on the words of a random courier (the main character) and chooses to live while helping others with his special skills, He can either choose to live for his father's redemption, or he can choose neither and be enslaved until he commits suicide. How can you come up with such a setting? The game is so full of elements that mess with our emotions that I can't help but project myself onto the brain-destroyed (physical) courier and the brain-destroyed (metaphorical) me.

↓I can't help but project myself onto him. 　Why is Arcades set up as gay? It's just a setting that has nothing to do with the story. It is really a mystery. Why did they set him up that way? Is it because he doesn't know his father's face and is a fatherfucker? It's a wise decision. Thanks to you, a lot of nerdy women have been swamped. The fact that a man of such a serious character and nature was naturally homosex active drives me crazy again. There is also the mysterious statement that he had a few boyfriends in the past, but that doesn't play into the main story at all. Are you saying that I couldn't even confide my origins to my boyfriends? I wouldn't mind having a boyfriend who confided in a past man about his origins…and then they finally broke up because they couldn't share their life together, but he never revealed the secret of his origins to anyone…that would be fine. I'm a big fan.

　Please, give me an Arcadian ex-career selection setting. What kind of guy she was dating and at what age, and if possible, her favorite position, etc. No, that's too much to ask. I'll have dinner with that. I'm ready to eat. I'll cook a pot of rice for now. Give me that. Give me a piece of Arcadian life. I don't care if it's too late. Give it to me. Hey. If, at the height of the drama, there are now statements like, "Actually, Nate, the fourth master, was in that movie," then why not have a leak that says, "Actually, that was Arcade's ex-boyfriend," or "Actually, that man at Navarro base is Arcade's father. Give it to me. I'm sure you have some secret settings that you can't reveal to the public anyway. Give it to me. Give it to me in a fanzine. Please. I don't care if it's a fabrication by a fan, please give me a doujinshi of Arcades' ex-boyfriend…someone please draw me a doujinshi…I'll do anything…tumbler prohibits sexually explicit pictures, so if you can, please draw me a sexually explicit picture on pixiv. I don't care if it's a cartoon. I have two new friends on pixiv recently. Thank you I love you and I won't miss you.

[farity]

Obsession, part 15

"Daeron called. He wants to know if he needs to come home."

Aemond looked up. "The last thing I need to worry about is Daeron being here. He's safe with grandfather."

"After all this Baratheon mess is over," Aegon said, "we'll all get together. But I was thinking we should strike first."

When Aemond said nothing, Aegon sat across from his brother. "I don't particularly feel like spending my time worrying about when the Baratheons will strike. I suggest we make a plan. Get the daughters married to our allies so we know where they are, take over Storm's End, make sure Borros is never a problem."

"That will take a lot of planning. A lot of firepower. A lot of banners being called."

Aegon nodded. "I trust you. Put a plan together, I can start setting up potential destinations for the daughters, calling on our allies. They've just pledged loyalty, might as well put them to good use."

Aemond smirked. "What about you? When are you getting married?"

"Oh, don't fucking tell me you've become one of those married people who want everyone else to get married."

"No, but it's been a while since you dated anyone."

"I don't fucking date. What do you want me to do, go to a fucking bar and meet some girl?"

"Um-"

Both brothers turned to see Helaena standing at the doorway.

"I'm going out with Cregan, I might not be back until super late."

"I don't want to fucking know," Aegon said. "Seriously, just go. And remember, No Glove, No Love."

"Oh my gods, Aegon!" Helaena turned bright pink and left in a hurry, and Aegon started cackling.

Aemond studied his brother. "You are such a weirdo."

"Do you want a litter of little dragonwolves running around? Because I don't. And anyway," he added, turning serious, "let me know. I don't want this to be a dark cloud hanging over us. What's the fucking point of being the ruling House if we live our lives wondering when we're going to be attacked?"

* * * * *

"You know, Aegon was seeing someone for a while," Alicent said while out on the gazebo. She was halfway through one coffee cup and you looked up, wondering why she would tell you about her oldest child's love life.

"Um, okay?"

She smiled. "A therapist, I mean. She is very good and when Aegon was losing his way and we wouldn't seeing for weeks at a time, she helped him straighten out."

You buttered your toast, saying nothing. You hadn't kept up with the gossip on the Targaryens before you became one of them. You knew of them, of course, but you didn't scrutinize the press for news and rumors on them.

"It must be shocking to be part of this family when you've known only . . . " she waved a manicured hand around, "normal people life. If you need to talk to someone, I can have her come here. Every week if you wish." She drank more of her coffee. "It's not good to bottle things up."

"Thank you. It's been such a whirlwind, really. I will take you up on that," you said, and took a bite of your toast.

She smiled at you, nodding. "Very well, I will set it up."

"Mom!"

"Helaena, dearest, sit with us."

* * * * *

"Oh, that was just a silly thing. It doesn't bother me," Helaena said after Alicent left.

You had wanted to make sure, now that you knew one of the Baratheon daughters was going to marry the Snow boy that Helaena once liked.

"I don't know that I have any influence on this, but if you would rather he didn't marry her, I can-"

"You have influence," Helaena said, eyes wide, "believe me."

You made a scoffing sound, "please."

She took a long swig of her orange juice. "It's true. You know Aegon is not supposed to go with Aemond when he's doing," she lowered her voice and leaned in, "gun stuff."

"So?"

"He went because of you. He wanted to show respect to Aemond. Plus more than once he's said, 'oh, Aemond's wife said this, and she told me that,' which means he listens to you. So," she smiled at you, "you have influence. But no, there's no need. I am very happy with Cregan."

Leaning over, you raised an eyebrow at her. "oh yeah?"

She smiled happily. "He's told me he wants to marry me, that he knows I'm the one for him, that he will wait until I know he's the one for me."

"Oh my gosh, Hel! So romantic!"

"Who's romantic?"

You whirled around at the sound of Aemond's voice. "The guy from the movie," you replied easily.

"Hmm."

"Are you joining us for breakfast, brother?"

Aemond kissed the top of your head. "No, I need to talk to Aegon." He ran his fingertips across the back of your neck before continuing to the house.

* * * * *

"I locked the bank accounts in Essos, that's where Borros was keeping a lot of hidden accounts. He's been funneling money from his own allies and now he doesn't have access to it."

Aegon nodded. "Well done." He checked his phone, then looked back at his brother. "Tomorrow I will let him know we've found husbands for his daughters, and then it should get interesting."

Aemond nodded slowly. "I can't imagine he's going to take the news well. Even worse when we tell him his assets are frozen and all he has is the miserly budget he runs his household on." He smiled at the thought, "shouldn't have messed with us if he didn't want retaliation."

"I sent people to the borders, in case they try to run. We have people in Pentos, too, they will let us know if they hear anything. I'd prefer not to have to go myself."

"Would that be because you don't want to be away from your wife?"

Aemond glared at his brother. "Fuck off."

"Yep, I thought so. I have a zoom meeting with the Martells. They keep asking me to go to Dorne but I can't until this is all settled. Anyway, sounds like you have this all handled."

Aegon left and Aemond's thought went to his wife, remembering the answer she'd given him earlier.

She loved him. It both comforted and frightened him, and he hadn't wanted to delve too much into his own feelings for her. It was complicated.

Feelings had always been complicated.

He had been teased and bullied by his brother and cousins. Ignored by his father. His mother found him the easiest to love, compared to Aegon's recklessness and Helaena's unwillingness to open up. Then the incident with Luke. Then the other incident with Luke. He felt cursed and like if he didn't excel at everything he did, he would be ostracized again.

Aegon had matured and Helaena had decided she adored him, and his mother appreciated him. She loved him in her own way, he was sure.

He hadn't even thought about his father making the decision to kill him. He couldn't.

He thought of a child. His child. He would protect them with everything he had. He wouldn't make them prove themselves to him over and over. Then he saw her, clear as day in his mind. Her belly large with his child inside her. He felt his insides clench with want.

Would she even want a child with him? When he couldn't even tell her what she meant to him? He knew Helaena had procured birth control for her, the day they'd arrived at the safe house. It was what Helaena did. If Daeron lost his inhaler on a trip somewhere, Helaena had a replacement couriered to him within the hour.

The thought of his wife, pregnant, holding their child, teaching their baby to walk, Aemond realized he was smiling and that tears had gathered in his eye.

She loved him. And he was a fucking coward who had nearly lost her and couldn't even form the words.

* * * * *

You turned your face back and forth before the mirror in the bathroom. The scratch had faded to almost nothing, the bruises were gone. Your feet had healed up and Aemond had told you the self-defense instructor would start in a couple of weeks.

You heard the front door open and you went to find Aemond walking in. He headed straight for you and, cradling your face in his hands, kissed you so gently that you could only lean in against him, your hands on top of his.

"I'm a fool," he said, pulling back. "I'm the biggest fool there is."

"Aemond, what is it?"

He was still holding your head in his hands, and he looked flushed. "I've spent the last ten years holding people at arm's length. and fuck this, I don't want to any more."

"Aemond," you whispered, touching his cheek.

"I love you."

Your mouth dropped open, but you found that you couldn't speak.

"I adore you. I love being with you. I love having a future with you. I married you because I couldn't let you go."

You felt the heat of tears beginning to gather in your eyes.

"I love laughing with you, and knowing that you are mine, and sleeping next to you. I love that I belong to you and you belong to me. I hate that-"

You pressed a hand to his mouth. "Nope, we're not doing hate stuff right now," you said as you started crying, and he wrapped his arms around you.

"I've been a godsdamned fool."

"Stop."

He kissed you again, then pressed his forehead against yours. "I want a life with you," he whispered, "a life full of joy, and adventure, and all the dumb bullshit happy people do."

You laughed through your tears. "Oh, we have adventure all right, I don't think we'll be lacking in that." You kissed him, wiping off your tears. "I want it all, Aemond. I want everything with you."

He kissed you again, and you stayed like that, holding each other in the middle of the living room for a long time.

* * * * *

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[sixeyescurseuser]

Prince/Pirate

Thinking about Gojo who is a prince known for running away for weeks at a time. His current excursion was done purely out of spite because noble court advisor, Nanamin, claimed he wouldn’t be able to survive the pirate life. 

So here Gojo is, living it up on the Black Dragon’s ship. He was actually exchanged as a prisoner from the initial crew he tried joining, but they ended up trading him for more resources. 

Now, the Black Dragon’s captain scrutinizes him from head to toe with sharp, silent eyes. 

At first glance, Captain Geto knows this pretty boy comes from money. And there’s no way in hell he’s built for this lifestyle. 

“I’ll drop you off at the next seaport,” Geto says before Gojo can even get out a simple greeting. Gojo gasps, deeply offended. 

Gojo removes the sheer blindfold that previously covered his eyes, exposing the azure blue that is easily recognized of that of Prince Gojo. 

Captain Geto’s eyes widen a fraction before doubling down. 

“Oh, we are definitely dropping you off at the next port.”

There’s no way Geto is risking his and his crew’s livelihood for a runaway prince!

Gojo frowns, and has the audacity to cross his arms in disapproval, like he’s the one in charge. 

“Well, it’d certainly be shame if after you dropped me off, I went ahead to tell the royal guard that I had just escaped the evil clutches of the Black Dragon. Would be a damn shame if a bounty were to be placed on your head,” Gojo ponders out loud. 

The captain’s gaze hardens, and Gojo knows he’s on the way to bargaining his way onto this crew. “While you decide on your answer, I’m going to go look for food around here.”

Gojo squawks when a rough hand grabs him by the collar, preventing him from walking away.

“I’ve already made up my mind. You’re allowed to stay as long as you obey my direct orders,” Geto bluntly says. 

“Okay, but-“

Geto loudly clicks his tongue, cutting Gojo off.

“If that’s anything other than ‘Yes, Captain,’ I suggest you keep your mouth shut.”

After that, Gojo sulks. He’s also forced to help the other cooks prepare the food and serve the crew first before being allowed to eat himself. A younger boy with pink-ish hair sits down next to him, offering a friendly smile. 

“Don’t worry, sir, if he didn’t throw me overboard when I first joined, then he certainly won’t kick you off,” he says. Gojo hums, wishing he had honey he could add to sweeten up this godawful, bland porridge. 

“Good to know…?”

“Itadori Yuji,” the boy introduces himself. 

“Nice to meet you, Yuji-kun.”

***

Gojo on deck cleaning duty, but it’s very hot outside so he’s shirtless…all sweaty and pink where the sun kisses his skin. 

Geto happens to walk by. Gojo is so focused on his work, but also yapping to the other crew members who are really invested in his story, that he doesn't notice Captain Geto stop in his tracks. 

Shoko, Geto’s second-in-command, waves her hand in front of his face: “Hello? Captain? I have some updates on our future routes…Captain?”

Geto is too focused on the way powerful muscles flex back and forth. The prince is so freaking tall. And why is his waist so tiny?

Geto squints. 

***

If there’s one thing Gojo didn’t need to be trained on when it comes to being a pirate, it’s speaking whatever is on his goddamn mind. 

Gojo watching Geto retreat to the captain’s room to plan their next route, eyes trailing down to Geto’s ass.

Gojo: “I could take him.”

Crew member, Haibara: “In a fight? Hmm, questionable.”

Gojo: “Nah, not like that.”

Haibara: “Eh?”

On another occasion, Gojo mentions that he once ended a five-year relationship. 

Crew member, Choso: “Holy shit, that’s tough, mate. Didn’t realize princes were even allowed to date.”

Geto: [🤨]

Gojo: “It’s okay, it wasn’t my relationship. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time. Who knew the most common nights husbands cheat on their wives would be a Thursday?”

Geto: [relieved sigh]

The story is, one of the times Gojo ran away, he made a name for himself as the “Six Eyes” where he was paid to follow spouses to investigate if they were committing adultery. 

An example of Gojo’s note to a client: “Yes, he’s cheating. No, he couldn't make her cum. Their next meeting is Saturday at XXX bar. Do yourself a favor and dump him.”

The notes were also written in the most ELEGANT calligraphy. 

***

Gojo learns that despite being young for a captain, Geto is very respected and relatively feared among the ocean. He’s charming when he needs to be, and always extremely careful. 

Geto has made many friends around the world, but also a lot of enemies. The Black Dragon has been susceptible to many attacks, whether intercepted by the royal ships or other violent pirates. 

The crew admires their captain unconditionally. He’s provided them with a place to belong, after all. While Geto embraces their individual fighting styles, he has also taught martial arts to those who didn’t know how to fight before joining.

Gojo also learns that, boy oh boy, does Captain Geto despise the aristocrats. It was no question that royals were included as well.

Geto’s way of life is a direct resistance against the excessive luxury the wealthy live in, while ignoring the needs of common folk. Involving smaller, innocent towns in the battles between the political strifes was another huge issue too. 

Thus, Black Dragon is a pirate ship that picks targets based on status and wealth, and they also redistribute this wealth and communicate information between the smaller islands and ports. 

***

They visit Geto’s hometown, which had been depleted of resources by nearby military forces during past wartime. Their economy was shot, but they were in the process of slowly rebuilding and recovering. The scenery was beautiful too. 

While at one of the ports, some enemies catch sight of Geto and his crew. The enemies approach with calculated steps, definitely planning to cause trouble. 

Gojo is obviously very out of his element, but he still doesn’t appreciate being told to wait on the ship while Geto and the crew settle things off.

Gojo "agrees," then proceeds to walk off and hide inside a random shop for five minutes before leaving to hide among the crowd so he can watch Captain Geto in action, dueling this other no-name pirate.

There Gojo is, extremely proud for egging the pirates on and cheering for HIS captain. 

Geto’s crew spot Gojo and are like: “Aren’t you supposed to be on the ship?” 🤨🤨🤨

Gojo brings a finger up to his lips with a pleading expression. 

Shoko: “At least put a hat on. If the Captain spots that white hair, he’ll definitely get distracted.”

She lends him a cloth to wrap around his head. Now, Gojo looks like a proper pirate!

The enemy eventually yields, and backs off after a rather aggressive threat from Captain Geto. Gojo doesn't have much time to drool over how sexy Geto looks because Gojo must BOOK it to the ship to save his ass. 

A few minutes later, Geto returns, then points to the cloth wrapped around Gojo’s head: “Why are you wearing that?”

Gojo, yeeting the cloth off: “No reason!”

Gojo then notices the sheer amount of things Geto carries in his arms. When he asks whether Geto bought souvenirs, Geto tells Gojo to follow him.

They end up in the captain's room, where Geto shows Gojo his collection of trinkets which were gifts from the common people Geto visited during his travels. 

Unlike the royal gifts that are typically bestowed, like expensive perfumes, jewelers, or pounds of gold, these trinkets were like handmade bracelets, a shiny coin dating centuries back, paintings from children, etc. They were all thank you gifts for visiting their islands and helping out one way or another.

Gojo is entirely taken aback.

“Holy shit, you've touched so many people's lives!” Gojo exclaims, bright blue eyes shining with wonder. “You're fucking amazing, you know that? It's an honor to be on your ship, Captain.”

Geto doesn't respond, merely has a sincere yet shy smile on his face.

At that moment, hearing those words come from Prince Gojo himself, Geto felt seen in a way that feels new and exciting and makes something warm flutter in his chest.

Oh no, abandon ship! Abandon ship! The voice inside his mind shouts.

***

w/ @no-one-says-hi

[forever-rogue]

How about “i know you probably hate me right now, and i get it.” with Frankie or Din!

AN | Best Boyfriend Husband Frankie strikes again! He’s just everything to me 🥰

Pairing | Frankie Morales x Fem!Reader

Warnings | Language

Word Count | 1.5k

Masterlist | Frankie, Main

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Frankie’s face was contorted into a look somewhere between upset, fear, and worry. You raised an eyebrow in question as you nudged his foot under the table, causing his focus to shift back to you. A brilliant crimson colored his cheeks as he tried to get a read on your expression. 

“Are you going to tell me what’s going on or just act…like you’re acting?” you reached for your glass of the wine and took a long drink as his panic flared up. You get the glass down with a soft little sigh, “Francisco. What’s going on with you?”

“I-I’m sorry,” he stammered nervously. Now you were actually worried that something had happened, “I know you probably hate me right now and I get it. I don’t blame you.”

“Why on earth would I hate you?” you would have laughed out loud if he didn’t look so serious. Now you were curious - was there something you should be mad at him about? That was doubtful…the two of you rarely argued, other than a playful silly argument and he could almost never do wrong, “what happened?”

“What do you mean what happened? I thought you knew!”

“What am I supposed to know that I don’t know?”

“I forgot our anniversary!” there it was. Except that it wasn’t. This time you did laugh out loud, catching him off guard as he almost flinched in worry. He was clearly not amused, brows furrowed as he listened to you laugh until you were breathless, “why are you laughing? I’m being serious right now!”

“Frankie, baby, my love, my honey, my everything” you reached across the table for his hand, smiling when he hesitantly reached out to let you take it, “I love you more than I could ever possibly put into words. But sometimes I wonder how you’re so damn smart and still so clueless at the same time.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s not our anniversary,” you snorted as a look of surprise crossed his features, “that’s like three months away!”

“If…that’s - oh,” realization finally hit him as he let out a long sigh, “and there I was, ready to be yelled at and get in trouble.”

“First of all,” you gave his hand a squeeze followed by a playful smack, “do you really think I’d be that upset over a silly little thing like that? Sure, it’s an important day in our lives, but at the end of the day it’s just that - just another day. Besides, I’d much rather have everyday with you rather than just focus on the one. You’re much more special and important to be than that. Second of all - if you want me to get mean and yell at you, all you have to do is ask.”

His expression softened as he listened to you talk, his heart practically melting with softness. How could he have ever gotten lucky enough to have you? It was a question that was still on his mind almost every day, “I love you too. But I promise I will remember our actual anniversary and do something extra special for you.”

“I don’t need anything special, Francisco,” you promised, “just you. But the real question is - what date was so important today?”

“Hmm…I don’t know…” he trailed off, lost in thought for a few moments before he groaned loudly, “shit, it’s my mom’s birthday. I knew it was an important day!”

“You better go and call her,” you snickered as he all but jumped up from the table, “there’s still time to call her and remain in her good graces!”

“I’m going, I’m going!” he was already reaching for his cell phone on the counter, stopping for a moment to kiss the crown of your head before dialing her number, “thanks Bee! Love you!”

“I love you too, silly man.”

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Frankie looked around the kitchen, scrutinizing every little detail of what he had done. There was a huge display of your favorite flowers (with a few of his thrown in) sitting on the counter, breakfast was just about finished and he was ready to fill your mug with the freshly brewed coffee. He’d been up since the day first broke over the horizon and colored the sky with pastel hues of gold and orange. You’d been fast asleep, wrapped up in his arms, which made it hard for him to untangle himself without waking you up. Somehow he’d managed to do so, shoving a pillow in his place. 

Now all he had to do was take a quick shower and get dressed before you got up. He wanted to have everything completely ready to surprise you - he had a little adventure planned for after breakfast that he hoped you would love. He was just about to run upstairs to the bathroom when he almost knocked you down as you were bounding towards him. 

“Hello there,” you grinned when he wrapped an arm around you to keep you from falling down, “good morning, Francisco. It smells like you’ve been awake for a while.”

“And I was hoping you wouldn’t be,” he shook his head with a playful little sigh before kissing your cheek, “good morning, honey bee.”

“What’ve you been up to?” you tried to peek around his broad frame, the delicious smells making your stomach growl loudly. He tutted quietly before fully blocking your view, “Frankie!”

“Nuh uh,” he insisted, putting his hand over your eyes, “keep them closed and I’ll walk you to the kitchen. I won’t let you fall.”

“So secretive,” you giggled as he slowly helped you down each step as you kept your eyes squeezed tightly shut. He pulled you into the kitchen and stopped when you were in the middle of it, quietly letting you know when it was okay to look. The sight was enough to render you speechless as you looked around at everything that Frankie had done, “Frankie…baby. You didn’t have to do all of this. It’s…you’re wonderful.”

“I wanted to,” he whispered as he stood behind you and wrapped his arms around your waist, resting his chin on your shoulder, “nothing is too much for you, abejita. I love you.”

“I love you endlessly, Frankie,” you turned your head so you could kiss him, “but umm…what’s all of this for? What’s the occasion?”

Frankie’s breath caught in his throat as you felt his grip around you tighten. You turned around and found a look of amusement and confusion on his face. He raised an eyebrow, “are you…serious? Or are you joking?”

“What do you…mean?” 

“Bee, it’s our anniversary,” he laughed as your jaw dropped in shock, “it’s our third wedding anniversary today!”

“Oh my god,” you couldn’t help but laugh, your face flushing with warmth before offering him a shy little smile, “oopsy daisy. I love you, Francisco, mi amor. More than anythingggggg!”

“I cannot believe it,” he pretended to be upset as he threw his arms up in mock exasperation, “how could my wife, the love of my life, forget such an important day? It’s like I mean nothing to you! If you want a divorce, just say so and let me suffer alone!”

“Please, my love, forgive me!” you were both grinning like fools now, “I’ll make it up to you. Don’t leave me - whatever you want you can have it. Do you want me to beg for forgiveness?!”

“I don’t know,” he turned around so his back was to you but you could see his shoulders shaking with laughter, “I don’t know if my heart could ever recover from this. You’ve broken it…you’ve hurt me!”

“Francisco, please! Take me back!” you shook your head at him in amusement, “tell me what you want! Let me beg!”

“Oh, I’ll make you beg,” he promised, a cheeky little grin on his face, “but first, I think you should run.”

“Francisco-”

“Run, abejita,” he dragged his lips along your jaw before whispering in your ear, “I'll give you a three second head start.”

“Frankie-”

“Three-” before he could say anything else, you pulled out of his grasp before running towards the stairs to find someplace to hide. You were breathless but laughing like a fool as you heard him run after you. 

You didn’t get very far before he caught up to you, easily grabbing both of your arms to keep you from escaping, both of you breathless and laughing, “mercy!”

“Don’t worry,” his voice was low and warm, “you’ll be begging for mercy soon enough.”

“Fuck,” you were somewhere between lust and amusement, “I love you, Frankie.”

“I love you too, bee.”

[drvirgus]

My Enemy

Yuna X Fem! Reader

Description: Yuna your ex-Girlfriend hates you. Or does she? Why did you break up? What if she wants you back?

Chapter 10:

With a mask on my face, I stepped out of my bedroom. Fully dressed and with a backpack ready, I now stood in the hallway, attempting to put on my shoes. "Where do you think you're going?" Chaewon asked, her forehead wrinkling as she looked at me. Startled, I jumped slightly and glanced at the older woman.

I swallowed as I saw her standing right in front of me with crossed arms, tapping her foot on the floor. "We were really worried. Where were you last night?" she asked as she scrutinized me. "Why are you wearing a mask?" she continued, which made me sigh.

Quickly, I put on my shoes. "I came home late yesterday, and no, it wasn't anything important. Yuna got drunk and called me, so I got worried. I'm wearing the mask because I seem to have gotten sick, but with all our comebacks coming up, I really shouldn't infect anyone. I'm going to the JYPE Building to the gym; I haven't been there in a while," I answered as if I had rehearsed this for hours.

But, in a way, I had. I had thought about what exactly to say yesterday. Although everything would come out eventually, I didn't care for the moment. My members shouldn't worry about me. Chaewon, especially, becomes unbearable. She turns into a helicopter mom, and I definitely didn't want that.

"Why JYPE?" she asked, which made me hesitate. Nervously, I started to laugh a bit. "I... really don't want to run into Minji," I replied, which only confused Chaewon more. Her forehead furrowed in questioning. "But... you had your date with her just yesterday. You said it was beautiful," the older woman said, clearly puzzled.

I looked at her. Chaewon's eyes widened, and then she seemed to put two and two together. "Don't tell me... You're doing this because of Yuna?" she asked, visibly shocked by the idea. But it was only when I didn't answer that she became certain. Chaewon let out a soft sigh as she looked at me. "You shouldn't avoid Minji... She deserves to know the truth," the older woman said, making me tense up.

My eyes narrowed. "I'm trying!" I replied, now somewhat louder and visibly stressed. Chaewon's eyes widened because I had never raised my voice at her before. I also noticed it as my head hung slightly. "I'm sorry... I should... yeah. See you later," I said quietly as I opened the door.

"Y/n."

I turned my head to her. The older woman smiled a bit. "Take care of yourself," she said before disappearing into the living room. I swallowed as I looked after the short-haired woman. I slowly closed the door.

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

My eyes focused on the people outside as I continued to walk. I had removed the mask, and my AirPods were blasting music into my ears. In my head, though, the events of yesterday played on a loop. My manager hadn't called me yet... did that mean there was no article about me?

I sighed as I glanced down. The bustling crowds on the streets seemed never-ending. It was somewhat ironic. I had never really wanted to be in the spotlight, but now I was, even when I was just going shopping.

These people probably didn't have to look around a thousand times to check if someone was eavesdropping on their conversations or taking recordings...

These people could probably scream or cry whenever they wanted...

But not me, or any other idol. A camera followed us 24/7. It was impossible to escape it... The spontaneity... had escaped my life...

Suddenly, I noticed someone next to the treadmill, their mouth moving, but I couldn't hear anything. Immediately, I positioned my feet at the edge and came to a halt while the treadmill kept running. I removed one of my AirPods, causing the music to stop immediately.

"What are you doing here?" Yeji asked, visibly surprised by my presence. I chuckled as I looked at the older woman. "I'm working out," I replied, stating the obvious, which made Yeji roll her eyes. I laughed a bit, "Well, let's just say I was hoping to run into you here," I asked with a smile.

However, Yeji's eyes widened as she gasped for air. "What happened to your lip?" she asked, making me touch my face. My eyes briefly shifted to the mask in one of the containers, causing me to sigh. I chuckled, "You guys were pretty drunk yesterday. Do you remember anything?" I asked with a light laugh.

I stopped the treadmill and slowly got off. Yeji followed me to the weights shortly after. I settled into the machine and changed the weights, gripping the handles.

"No, not really. But I do know you came," Yeji replied, her hand now between my shoulder blades. This made it easier for me to focus on my form. I breathed in and out periodically as I continued to work out. "I was surrounded by reporters yesterday. I think it was your manager," I said as I continued to train.

However, Yeji looked at me in shock, her eyes wide and her mouth slightly open. "Are you... sure?" she asked, which made me release the machine slightly. I turned to Yeji, looking at her seriously. "Yes, pretty sure," I replied. Yeji swallowed, "What exactly happened?" she asked, visibly concerned as she kept glancing at the wound.

Of course, I told her. From the manager's gaze to the reporters' questions. Yeji couldn't believe her own manager would do such a thing. But when I mentioned the manager's name, Yeji's forehead furrowed. Apparently, this manager was new, as Yeji had only met her that evening.

Sighing, I eventually stood up and wiped the sweat from my face and neck with my towel. I hesitated slightly as I looked at Yeji. The taller woman thoughtfully bit her lip. She really couldn't believe it.

"Yuna... how is she?" I asked, causing Yeji to look at me again. She smiled a bit, "She's wondering how she got into bed and if you were in her room yesterday," she said, chuckling lightly. I hesitated. I looked at the older woman. "She... had a blackout?" I asked curiously. Yeji nodded, laughing lightly with her head. I joined in, but it somehow hurt me. 

Even though I already knew...

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

Title: Unexpected Paparazzi Frenzy: Y/n of Le SSerafim Surrounded by Controversy

Late-night encounter with reporters raises questions about Y/n's relationships

In an unexpected turn of events, Y/n of Le SSerafim found herself at the center of a paparazzi frenzy after a late-night incident outside an entertainment venue. The incident raised questions about Y/n's relationships and brought forth unexpected revelations.

On a late night when most celebrities would prefer to go unnoticed, Y/n was spotted outside a venue, attempting to leave quietly. However, an eager group of reporters descended upon the scene, armed with cameras, microphones, and questions that would soon send ripples through the entertainment world.

The reporters wasted no time, firing off a barrage of questions about Y/n's involvement with the popular K-pop girl group, Itzy. Speculation about a close friendship with Itzy member Yuna fueled the reporters' curiosity, leading to questions about Y/n's romantic inclinations.

Reporters probed Y/n about her relationship with Yuna, questioning whether the two were romantically involved. They cited sources that claimed a romantic outing between Y/n and another K-pop idol, Minji from Newjeans, had occurred earlier that day. The press inquired whether this was indeed a romantic date, implying that Y/n may be romantically involved with both individuals simultaneously.

As the questions continued, an altercation ensued when a reporter pushed a microphone too close to Y/n's face, accidentally striking her lip. The impact caused her lip to split, resulting in visible bleeding. Despite this, Y/n declined to press charges against the reporter, suggesting that no wrongdoing had occurred during the encounter.

While the exact nature of Y/n's relationships remains unclear, this encounter has ignited a media frenzy. Fans and the public alike are left speculating about her personal life, with many intrigued by the possibility of a romantic entanglement.

The late-night encounter between Y/n and reporters has left the public with more questions than answers. As speculation continues to swirl, it remains to be seen whether Y/n will address the controversy surrounding her relationships and set the record straight. In the fast-paced world of K-pop and celebrity gossip, this incident serves as a reminder that even the most private moments can become the center of attention. 

(Username: KpopLover92): Wow, can't believe Y/n had to go through this. She deserves her privacy like anyone else. Let's show her some love and support during this tough time! 💖

(Username: SSeraphimFanatic): Y/n's strength and grace in handling this situation is truly admirable. It's a shame that her personal life is being scrutinized this way. Our queen deserves all the love and respect in the world! 🌟

(Username: ForeverYnStan): The way Y/n handled this is proof of her maturity and professionalism. She's always been there for her fans, and we'll continue to stand by her side through thick and thin! 💪❤️

(Username: SSeraphimSupporter): Sending all my love to Y/n! She shouldn't have to deal with this invasion of privacy. Let's protect her at all costs and respect her personal life! ❤️✨

(Username: YunaYnShipper): I don't care about the rumors. Y/n and Yuna make a great pair, whether as friends or something more. Let's respect their choices and continue supporting them no matter what! 🌈💕

(Username: TrueSSerafimFan): Y/n's well-being should always come first. Let's remember that she's a human being with feelings, and privacy is a basic right. We're here to support her, no matter what! 🙌💖

(Username: YnMinjiShipper): Whatever Y/n's relationship status is, it's her business. Let's not jump to conclusions and give her the space she needs. We love you, Y/n! ❤️💫

(Username: PeacefulSSerafim): This incident is a reminder of how invasive paparazzi can be. Let's stand together as fans and demand better privacy protection for our beloved celebrities, including Y/n. She deserves peace and respect! 🌟❤️

(Username: YnProtectionSquad): It's heartbreaking to see Y/n go through this. We need to be vigilant in protecting her from unwarranted scrutiny and support her choices. Our love for her knows no bounds! 💪💖

(Username: YnForeverSupport): Y/n's strength in handling this situation is commendable. Let's remember to respect her personal life and continue being the supportive fanbase she deserves. Love you, Y/n! ❤️🌈

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

 Sighing, I returned to our apartment. There, I took off my shoes and slowly made my way into the living room. My eyes landed on Sakura and Eunchae, both of them looking at me. "Take off your mask," Sakura said sternly, causing my eyes to widen. Yes... I had read the article. Most likely, she had too.

I left my backpack on the armchair and knelt down in front of Sakura without a word, slowly removing the mask. Almost immediately, Sakura grasped my jaw and lifted my face. She examined the wound, her expression turning angry. "Which reporter did this?" she asked, her forehead furrowing. Eunchae remained silent the entire time.

The front door opened, and the rest of them walked in. They observed the situation, with Kazuha nodding to indicate she was going to get the newspapers. Sakura, however, raised her hand to stop the younger girl. She looked at me. "Answer," Sakura demanded. God, she was genuinely scaring me right now.

"I don't know. But I won't press charges. It was an accident," I replied, which made Sakura scoff. She stared at me seriously. Yunjin and Chaewon also watched us closely. Kazuha kept gesturing with her finger, as if she was going to spank me when I did something wrong.

"Record, Y/n. You're the only one of us who had to kneel three times in a row. Not even Eunchae managed that," Yunjin remarked, which made me grin slightly. However, the expression on Sakura's face made me stop immediately. Okay... it wasn't the right time for jokes.

Chaewon suddenly left, and all of us looked at her in surprise. She never... just walked away. She hadn't even said anything. That never happened!

I stood up from my kneeling position and looked at the closed bedroom door, my face creasing with concern. "Hey, sit do—" Eunchae began to say, but Sakura stopped her once again. Ignoring everyone, I entered the older girl's room. She was sitting on her bed.

I closed the door behind me and approached her. "Unnie," I said softly, but Chaewon just shook her head. She looked up at me. "Am I such a bad leader?" she suddenly asked, causing my eyes to widen. I quickly shook my head. "No, why would you think that?" I asked, somewhat breathless as I looked at the older girl.

Chaewon took a deep breath. "Then why don't you trust me? Why do I have to find out from Yunjin? And, especially... you probably wanted to keep hiding it, right?" she asked, making me freeze. My mouth slightly agape as I saw her sadly twisted expression. Nervously, I swallowed as my fingers started playing with the fabric of my shirt.

"I... didn't want to make you worry," I replied, pouting slightly. Chaewon sighed. She got up from her bed and took my hands in hers. "But I want to worry about you. All of us do. We're a family, so trust us a little more, okay?" Chaewon asked, looking at me.

I swallowed as I nodded my head. "Okay. I'm sorry," I said quietly, and Chaewon immediately pulled me into her arms. I embraced her just a bit tighter. "You're a good leader, Unnie," I said again, this time even softer, which made her laugh.

"I'm just hard to control, I'm sorry."

[spvilers]

LAVENDER HAZE — S. BROWN

ღ summary; i just wanna stay/i just wanna stay in that lavender haze

ღ paring; stephanie brown x fem!queen!reader

ღ warnings; social media (yes it deserves a warning)

ღ song; lavender haze by taylor swift

FOR AS LONG as you could remember, Stephanie had always been there. Right by your side, in every single situation you could think of, the good ones and the bad ones.

You met her in elementary school, back when you still lived in Gotham, before Oliver Queen had decided to adopt you and you moved to Star City.

You knew about her father and you know how hard it was for Stephanie to see her father in jail, if she even saw him at all because he was absent most of the time. She knew about your parents car crash and about how you lived in an orphanage before the millionaire decided to adopted you

Stephanie was there for you when you first stepped foot into the world in which famous people lived, since being the adopted child of a millionaire made you also famous.

She was there when the media's attention on you started being uncomfortable, when they started criticizing and scrutinizing every single little thing that you did, and later, when it all died down again and they found someone else to give all of their attention to.

Stephanie was also by your side right now, literally. She was lying right next to you in your king-sized bed. The movie you two had been previously watching had ended, you turned off the television in front of you and got comfortable next to her. Her head was still on your chest and her arm was thrown over your stomach, clinging to you tightly.

The longer you stared at her, the more you started asking yourself what in the world you had done to deserve her and you tried to recall the exact moment when the lines between friendship and relationship had crossed but you couldn’t. It just had always been like this. You and Stephanie against the rest.

You lay there for a while, with your eyes staring up at the ceiling and a million and one thoughts flying through your head until you started feeling melancholic.

In an attempt to distract yourself, you looked at your phone for a little while but that had only worsened the situation. Every single website was filled up with things about you, but not really about you.

They were rumoring about you having flings with men, you had no interest in, seeing as you were only just friends with them.

Because, yes, you and Stephanie were out to everyone you know but you never officially stated it in the media that you were dating.

The websites were also wondering about when you’ll be finally marrying a man and who it would be because the only kind of girl they see is either one that has numerous ‘flings’ with different men or a wife.

Tears were welling up in your eyes and your nose started to clog up until you sniffled. Everything was just starting to feel like a little too much.

Apparently you haven't sniffled quiet enough because the arm around you tightened and Stephanie pressed a kiss against your temple. “Shhh,” She whispered. “It’s okay, it’s okay. Just let it all out.”

And that had only made you cry even harder, but not because you were sad, but because you appreciated her so much for putting up with you and all the drama that seemed to follow our every step and slowly, you could feel the lavender haze creeping up on you.

You and Stephanie had recently discovered the term ‘lavender haze’ when you were watching Mad Men and you have been obsessed with it ever since. Ironic, because purple is Stephanie’s favorite color.

You turned your head and buried it into the crook of her neck until you calmed down. “I’m sorry,” You sniffled finally. “I didn’t mean to wake you up. I’m sorry.”

Stephanie pulled your head away to look you directly in the eyes. “Never apologize for crying, okay?” She wiped the tears away from your cheeks. “If you’re not feeling alright you can always come to me. As long as I’m here you never have to do anything alone.”

The frown on your face turned into a sincere smile as you whispered, “God, I love you so much.”

Your girlfriend gave you her best smile, the one that has made you fall in love with her in the first place and she wiggles her eyebrows as she asks, “So what you’re saying is, you’re in a lavender haze?”