#and you should've seen my face during 80% of it

[cassmouse]

Me, walking out of the cinema after watching Frozen Empire: Well that was terrible and forgettable and disappointing and I didn't like it at all.

Me, over a month later: I have LITERALLY not thought of anything but Phoebe and Melody and the other silly little characters in this film for like five weeks straight it's becoming a slight problem- What? Oh yeah, I didn't like the film at all. anyway here's my Checkmatch playlist and all the fanfic I've read-

[jackienautism]

One thing about this game that really irks me is how Laura keeps saying how the werewolves “aren’t people” but is never really challenged on it. The game doesn’t want to talk about it either since Laura rudely asks Ryan if he “really wants to talk about ethics now” on the way to the mansion if you’re rude to her and enforces the idea that “we’re not killing Chris Hackett, we’re killing a werewolf.” I know the game’s supposed to be campy 80s horror but I just wish it explored this topic in full

this is actually a very great thing to bring up, ive never really considered it as anything more than a comfort thing. as something to make laura feel better about what she feels she has to do

i can absolutely see where shes coming from and why she says what she says, but you're right, that sort of thinking is definitely flawed. especially in the grand scheme of things. because yeah sure you're killing a werewolf but literally SECONDS later they transform back to human form.... and THEN you'll be forced to face reality. maybe there's no irl "equivalent" to this kind of situation, but going into it deeper wouldn't have hurt anyone. in fact, it would have been quite interesting, now that you mention it!

the idea that theres a chance where the creature nd antagonist of the game is actually someone you know nd love? only for a short amount of time too? meaning its not even permanent??? like. which is more important, yr own safety or that of yr loved ones (despite it being a gamble every time a werewolf enters view)? it's a fantastic concept. and yet they didn't really deliver, as you said

and like.... the one time they COULDVE done more with that topic (albeit w/ different characters) was with emma... when she gets bit in ch 4 and transforms in the van in ch 8? kaitlyn's able to shoot and kill her and yet. the game. doesn't have it so she and dylan find emma's body afterwards? they don't make them have that moment of. oh... i literally just killed my friend. like yes she did essentially kill only a werewolf but there's still someone BEHIND that werewolf, yk? and that someone is someone who she's spent the last 2 months living with and befriending

they do have kaitlyn be like "what if it's nick?" to which dylan responds with "what if it's not." which is a valid view, sure, but even if it were someone they didn't know, that's still a human person????

if Only the game presented and applied that specific dilemma to the characters more... bc even kaitlyn during her fight with caleb... i find it interesting that NO one ever had a moment of. ....i just shot and killed a person. like YEAH the person in question was under a different form and ATTACKING but, there's no way that still isn't in the back of their minds eating away at them yk?

the same thing can apply to silas too! and it's interesting to me because if you choose to not lift yr gun, laura DOES have a moment of "this is a boy im about to kill" but that's kind of IT........ so we KNOW that she understands theres a person behind the werewolf. but because there's no huge spotlight put on it in general, or shown to have been a problem for laura before, it doesn't really like. matter? it appears so. little. in comparison to everything else, i mean

the difference between chris and silas for laura was obv. max. but it is irritating how laura holds a certain view for chris' situation and a different one for silas'. especially when it's only seen in ONE potential choice during that scene. maybe it was to show laura's complexity nd duality, but i mainly think it was. poor writing. they should've made that predicament, that battle of morality, a bigger thing, for laura, for kaitlyn, for everyone

so, yeah, in the end it's never "just" a werewolf. in relation to chris, to someone like laura MAYBE, but to someone else, like ryan, it's just. not

[stayarmytinyzenmoa-l]

Prominence [WCh. 2.60]

Social Media AU ; Idol AU ; Added Unit AU CW/TW: Language, Obsessive Fans, Text Messages from Questionable Sources Genre: Comedy, Romance Pairing: NCT x Idol!Reader, Seonghwa x Reader Y/N Pronouns: Female (She/Her) Word Count: 3.5K

(60/80) [First] | [Previous] | [Next] [NCT Masterlist] | [Other Groups Masterlist] | [Prominence S1 Masterlist] | [Prominence S2 Masterlist]

Notes: Finally, a proper chapter! Thanks for being so patient with me during my semi hiatus! I can't wait to get back writing proper! Disclaimer: Please remember that this is an AU and a work of fiction, obviously the idols mentioned/written about in this story would never partake in these actions. The idols mentioned in this work are meant to be seen more as face claims rather than the actual idols themselves.

Feedback is greatly appreciated!! Thank you for reading!

24 February 2022

[Staring at the message on your phone, you could only let out a sigh]. Truthfully, this was the fifth message you'd received today from some anonymous sender, all telling you the same things. You knew better than to listen to them, of course, you did, you'd been dealing with messages like this since debut on Twitter. But there was something about having it sent to your personal number that really hit differently. You second-guessed sending the screenshot to the guys, you knew they of all people probably had it worse, but part of you appreciated the way they'd try to laugh it off, and usually it worked on you too.

Today wasn't one of those days though, it would seem.

You blocked the number, as usual, taking note of it and adding it to the shared note between you and Seojoon, ANiMA's manager, of the ever-growing list of reported phone numbers. Your list wasn't as long as Saeron's or Jihyun's, at least, and you didn't know if that was a good or bad thing yet.

The soft whimper in front of you pulled you from these thoughts and, immediately, Mars' eyes seemed to sadden as soon as he saw your expression.

"Hey, buddy," you patted the bed next to you and Mars hopped to sit next to you, resting his head on your lap and sighing. You pet the area between his ears. "How are you doing, hmm?" He whined as if to say that he'd had better days. "Yeah, me too, bud," you nodded your head and slowly laid down on your bed.

"Mars, should I do the collaboration?" You asked aloud. Mars shifted in your lap. "I don't know, every time I have any interaction with another idol people throw a fit, I don't think I can handle that right now, you know? Even getting back with Seonghwa... I don't know," you shook your head. Mars' ears perked at the mention of Seonghwa's name and he scrambled off of you to lie next to you instead, looking at you as if to say 'what's wrong with that?' "Well, you see, we already broke up, everyone got worked up when we got together, they rejoiced when we broke up, who knows how they'll react if we get back together?" You looked at Mars, whose expression was flat, as if to say 'So what?'

"So what? What do you mean by that?" You frowned. "I'm just tired, tired of going through all of this... when I debuted, I thought I'd just have fun all the time, maybe relax a little, I thought I'd just be glad that I debuted," you sighed. "I guess I should've been more realistic." Mars whined again and you rolled your eyes, looking at the time on the clock stationed on your nightstand. It was late now, nearly midnight. You'd have to get up early tomorrow to film more variety content with NCThree, nothing too bad, just the normal interviews.

Did you even want to open Twitter to read the comeback tags? Nah, not right now. The last thing you wanted to do was look at your phone.

Then, the slight vibration against wood. You had received a message. You didn't want to look at it, chances are it's from another one of those anonymous senders, and you just didn't have the energy for that. Mars pattered over you and towards the glowing light of your phone, his tail wagging and hitting your face lightly.

"Mars, seriously?" You groaned, eventually prying yourself off of bed and looking over at your phone, a message from Yangyang being on top of the many notifications. "Oh..." you picked up your phone and laid back down, turning on your side to read it.

"Geez..." you didn't fight the tired smile on your face. This guy, he always found a way to make you feel better, didn't he? You really won the best friend lottery with him. Mars scratched the door and you sat up. "When did you get over there? Want to go stretch your legs?" You got up and opened the door for him. Mars wandered out of your room and you closed it slightly, leaving it open for when he eventually returns to your room to go to bed.

And back under your covers you went, closing your eyes to finally get some sleep in.

~

Mars, meanwhile, trotted along the darkened rooms of the ANiMA side, moving only on muscle memory to locate the front door and, bingo. His nose grazed the doggy door and he slowly walked past it, taking care not to make too much noise. Somehow, the center room seemed much more daunting at night. The furniture seemed taller and the sound of water rushing through the pipes echoed. Mars' ears moved downwards while he crept around. Then, a ray of light. One of the kitchen lights flipped on, and it was evident that someone was walking around. Mars approached slowly, taking his time to identify the unknown man in the kitchen. Mars tilted his head to the side as if to ask who was in front of him.

Jisung, on the other hand, stared at Mars.

"What are you doing up so late?" He asks, looking at the bowl of ramen in his hand. "Oh... I guess we're both up a little late, huh?" Jisung smiles, slowly reaching out to Mars to pet him. Mars sniffs Jisung's hand first before licking it. "Ah... you're so cute..." Jisung coos. Mars eyes shone, and a plan formulated in his little head. Mars scampered off, leaving a pouting Jisung, only to return with the leash in his mouth. "Did you need to use the restroom?" Jisung looked around the center room, seeing no one else around. "I guess we could go outside really quick," Jisung took the leash from Mars' mouth and attached it correctly. "Okay! Let's go!" Jisung placed his midnight meal down and he and Mars walked over to the elevators, waiting patiently to descend. It seemed to take a long time, or at least for Mars, it felt like a long time. Not soon enough, they were outside and the cool February air was chilling them.

"We should've brought sweaters with us," Jisung chatters. Mars sits down on the concrete and Jisung sighs. "Just needed fresh air? I understand, sometimes I just sit on the roof to get fresh air too... it's really nice," Jisung sighs. Mars stands up and looks at Jisung. "Ready to do your thing?" Jisung asks. Mars ears perk up and Jisung stares at him, trying to read the dog's expression. Suddenly, Mars bolts, and the leash escapes Jisung's grip.

"What... what... what?!" Realization fills Jisung's features and he runs after Mars. "Hey! Uh... oh no... name... what was (Y/N)'s dog's name?!" Jisung panics, his hands flying to both sides of his head. He opts to whistle and click his tongue instead, but Mars was long gone into the night. "Oh no..." Jisung gulps harshly and runs back to the dorms. If the ride down was slow, then the ascension back was worse. As soon as he re-entered the center room, every hair on his neck stood up and he whipped his head around, being sure to look around for you. You were out of sight, so far, but that did nothing to solve his problem. He went to the first person he could think of.

"Hyung, hyung, wake up," Jisung shook Jeno awake. Jeno only groaned, absently waving him off. "Hyung, please wake up, I made a mistake."

"Jisung, if you didn't put enough water the first time, just add some and mix it into the ramen," Jeno mumbles against his pillow.

"No, it's not that, I think I lost (Y/N)'s dog."

"You put too much water? Uh... I can't really help with that. Just open another one and use the flavor packet from there."

"Hyung, I lost (Y/N)'s dog." Jeno sat up now, staring at Jisung with tired eyes.

"Mars. (Y/N)'s dog's name is Mars. Why do you ask?"

"I lost him."

"Mars?"

"Yes."

"I'm sure he's in here somewhere, sometimes him and Bella hang out under the couches."

"No, hyung, I lost him outside," Jisung insists. Jeno blinks once, then twice, then his eyes widen.

"What do you mean you lost Mars?!"

"I thought he had to potty because he brought me his leash so I went downstairs with him and he ran off!"

"You lost Mars?! Oh, god, (Y/N) is not going to handle this well," Jeno jumps out of bed and starts pacing the room. "Let's just buy another dog."

"We can't just buy another dog, are you insane?! She'll know!"

"Will she though?"

"Yes! Of course, she will! That's her dog!"

"Okay, but if we distract (Y/N) long enough she won't notice-"

"Can you two keep it down?" Jaemin grumbles.

"Jaemin, Jisung lost Mars," Jeno half whispers. Jaemin sits up now, his expression changing between shock, questioning, and surprise before finally relaxing back into sleepiness.

"He'll be fine," Jaemin finally answers.

"How do you know?!"

"Manifest it," Jaemin lies back down and pulls the covers over his head.

"Oh my god, we're screwed," Jisung falls on Jeno's bed.

"We? Who's we?!" Jeno gasps. "Just tell her the truth!" Jeno continues.

"What if she hates me forever?!"

"She won't hate you forever."

"Can you say that with 100% confidence?" Jisung grimaces. Jeno hesitates.

"... Yes?"

"Oh no..." Jisung buries his face in his hands.

~

Running along the mostly empty streets, Mars was still running off of muscle memory. He recognized a few landmarks, certain plants and certain smells, and he had to avoid a few crossing pedestrians, and maybe run away from a few as well, but he could tell he was getting close. Or, maybe the streets were blending together? It'd been so long since he walked down this path that his memory was getting hazy.

But, soon enough, hope.

"You know, hyung, I was thinking," Wooyoung stretches his arms over his head, the other seven boys piling out of the car behind him after a long day of rehersals. "Maybe we could throw a huge welcome party for (Y/N), it sounds fun!"

"A party? What for?" Yunho asks.

"Well, just to celebrate the return of our ninth member!" Wooyoung grins. "That and... uh... her searches haven't been too hot lately..." he clears his throat.

"She always got too caught up in those," Seonghwa sighs. "She's been having a rough time at work too, I think, a party sounds nice," he says. "Who are we inviting?"

"Uh... we can't fit too many people in the dorm, so maybe just ANiMA and those other two," Wooyoung hums.

"Those other two! They have names, you know," Hongjoong laughs.

"Yeah, yeah, traitor one and traitor two," Wooyoung scoffs. Mars barks. "Yeah, Mars gets it! See? Always on my side, as he should be, this is why I'm the favorite uncle," Wooyoung points to the dog who was patiently waiting by the door for them to open it. The group is silent, staring at the shiba in front of them. "Wait a second," Wooyoung whips his head to look down at him, Mars' leash had been dragging behind him and had picked up a few stray twigs and leaves on his way over, his light paws had been darkened after pattering across asphalt for a while, and, most noticeably, a mischievous glint was in his eyes.

"Mars! What are you doing here?!" Yeosang gasps, picking Mars up in his arms. "You're so cold, oh goodness," he shakes his head.

"Mars? Did you escape the NCT Dorms?" Seonghwa asks. Mars nods his head. "You mischievous little... does your mom know you're here?" Mars shakes his head. "Ah, I'll text her and let her know you made your way over here," Seonghwa sighs, opening the door to the dorms and letting everyone in first before following. Mars had latched himself onto Yeosang, and he seemed to be looking at Seonghwa with joy.

"This dog is too smart for his own good," Hongjoong chuckles.

"That's what happens when you leave him to be raised by ANiMA, I have no idea how those girls did it, but sometimes I think Mars is smarter than me," Seonghwa says nervously. Mars barks, as if to confirm Seonghwa's statement.

"Aww, you cutie, missed your dad's side too much?" Yeosang coos. "Aww, we missed you too! Yes, we did! We missed you so much!"

"And he's gone," San laughs. "I hope they're not making too much of a fuss with Mars missing," he shakes his head.

~

"Why are shiba inus so expensive?!" Jisung silently screams while Jaemin rubs his tired eyes. He strained to read the bright computer screen in the darkness.

"Shh, I'm focusing," Jaemin shushes, analyzing each picture of a shiba. "Jeno, what about this one?"

"No, that dog looks nothing like Mars, what the hell?" Jeno shakes his head, almost sounding offended.

"Well, how the hell am I supposed to know? You're the only one out of us who actually spends time with Mars."

"Okay, don't get mad at me! Jisung's the one who lost him!"

"You don't have to remind me!" Jisung groans.

"Why don't you look for a replacement then, huh? Mind you he has to be fully trained and he has to have a weird habit of chewing our shoes," Jaemin rolls back on his chair and points to the computer, inviting Jeno to take his place.

~

"I'm sure they're fine," Jongho nods. "Mars always escapes our dorms, I wouldn't be surprised if he escapes theirs from time to time."

"Yeah, you're right," San nods. Regardless, Seonghwa sent you a quick message that Mars had shown up at their dorms and for you not to worry about it. "I'm impressed he knows the way, though, you're so clever!" San pets Mars head and Mars seems to smile.

"San, if he knows the way from our dorm to the NCT one, I'm pretty sure he knows the way from NCT's dorm to here," Hongjoong deadpans.

"Shit, I don't," San laughs.

"Of course, you don't," Hongjoong mumbles under his breath. Mars barks, as if to ridicule San. "Like mother, like son," Hongjoong chuckles. "So, it's official then? You and (Y/N) are back together?"

"Basically," Seonghwa's shoulders slump. "We're not putting anything in name yet, though, just in case. We're waiting for our schedules to die down," he adds.

"What's the just in case for, though?" Mingi asks. "You like her, I'm assuming she likes you, just get together already," he mumbles.

"It's more of a case of wanting to have time for each other, even if we tried to make time now, we'd just be too exhausted to even do anything," Seonghwa shakes his head and Mars whimpers. "Hey, it's alright, bud, look, you're here, that means everything's good," Seonghwa pets Mars while Mars slumps over Yeosang's shoulder.

"You know... call it intuition... but I feel like something bad's about to happen," Jongho crosses his arms.

"Oh, come on, don't say that!" Wooyoung laughs a little too loud. "Why would you even say that? That's a funny joke, Jongho! Now take it back! Take it back, please," Wooyoung whispers that last part and Jongho stares at him.

"Okay, then," Jongho slides away from Wooyoung. The other six members kept looking at Wooyoung for a few moments longer before returning to their own devices. Wooyoung laughs lightly again before taking his phone out of his pocket.

He knows Yeonjun well enough, they'd been friends this long. If he reached out to you there should only be one reason, he respects you as an artist.

Wooyoung stared at the last few messages. Easier? What did he mean by easier? He knows Yeonjun, he was lucky that he was right that Yeonjun wanted to collaborate.

It can't be anything more than that, right?

Wooyoung looked over to Seonghwa, whose shoulders had noticeably relaxed over the past few days, his jaw wasn't clenched all the time anymore, and, for the first time in months, he seemed genuinely content.

Wooyoung shook his head, how could he have doubted his best friend so much? He's overthinking things, of course, he doesn't want to see his two friends hurting again, of course, he'd be a little worried. He trusts you enough to know how to handle things too, there's nothing to be scared of. Wooyoung looked up from his phone and froze, Mars' eyes trained on him and him only, as if he knew what he was hiding. Wooyoung held his breath and Mars held his stare, until they approached their dorms and Yeosang placed Mars on the floor, Mars looking back at Wooyoung for a bit longer before trotting off to Seonghwa's room.

~

With a harsh slam of his door, he suddenly gasped when he saw the bookshelf shake, and his heart dropped when he saw something fall.

"No! No, no!" He dropped to the ground, taking deep breaths to steady himself, he made blind sweeps in the dark to find what fell and he was even more devastated when he found it. He picked up the photocard from the floor and examined it for any damage. He lets out a sigh of relief, the penny sleeve and protector it was inside of did their job properly. He props the card against the shelf, placing it in front of the many other photocards similar to it.

Anyone would understand his frustration, your photocards are precious. And the one he knocked over cost him a good $80 plus shipping, anyone would be royally pissed. But, he had to count his blessings, he's lucky he didn't damage any of his (Y/N) Ver. albums, then he really would've lost his temper.

He hasn't seen you much at work, lately, he's been assigned to the other members, it really dampened his mood, too, he could care less about those other losers in your group. He signed up to work at SM for one reason and one reason only.

All he cared about was you.

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[ravenadottir]

Who in season 2 do you think the producers made look worse and better? My bet is Hope was made to look evil and Noah was made to look better, even though they both made mistakes, on and off his route.

-💫

oh oh oh!! hold on now, that's a really cool question! i'll say this, some of them were kept for the possibility of drama, and those were gary, bobby, marisol and hannah. i'll go into detail on each section, so let's dive in!

((quick warning, it got long. but what else is new?))

the ones that looked good:

mc is definitely someone with a squeaky clean image despite everything. it doesn't matter what she does (except for cheating with returning!lurik) she always wins! she could go through every guy in the villa and still have a perfect trajectory and win. there's so many opportunities for her to go behind people's backs and that never shows at the finale!

bobby. charming and playful, enough to make people forget the bad things he did in there. operation nope for one! i bet you anything noah spoke to him after the confession but it was never shown, only glossed over by bobby himself. he doesn't go into detail and it the case rests about his participation. producers focused on priya and hope fighting instead of revealing noah's and hope's reactions to bobby's participation. PLUS, if it's not for mc, he doesn't find love! producers kept him because he did some shady stuff and there was a possibility of having more later on.

noah. "the quiet and chill guy". instead of 'player' the title he gets is "struggling", and everything wrong that happens around him is the girls' fault. plus, noah does the kissing too, during casa amor challenges, but when it comes to 'stick or switch' he had to be convinced. GIVE ME A BREAK! he says himself his future was uncertain and that's why he switched, but the focus stays on blake convincing him. PLEASE.

gary. even though he admittedly flirts a lot he's still seen as charming, and all is forgiven too fast. for him to kiss lottie, especially liking mc, and surviving? if anything, he should've been gone along with rocco. "he was just comforting her and it happened." is the theme of the kiss, BUT IT WAS A KISS NONETHELESS! lottie faces the consequences alone. gary gave marisol shit for roccogate but knew he cheated first. it stinks 'selective footage' because i just KNOW marisol confronted him later.

hannah. they focus so much on her tenderness and innocence that you think "what an angel! so unfair! let's bring her back!", only to realize that was the plan all along, to cause drama with mc or lottie. you see, marisol was also kind of a jerk to hannah but she never says a single word about it! isn't it weird? i don't think it's scripted but i do think they said "focus on lottie, the whole marisol thing is played out".

chelsea. they really went for it with the best friend trope and showed her being more supportive than any other islander, even though the other girls can be close to mc, it's never shown properly. she spilled the tea about jo and rahim, gary and lottie, the card with noah's ex's name on it, she celebrates being picked by gary but doesn't blink when sees elijah, she's into her bff's boy when back to the villa, and SOMEHOW manages to survive until the finale. she's the root of like 80% of the conflicts that went down since she got there! producers glossing over the fact that she spilled everything, and cutting to the actual fights was how she was able to stay.

marisol. roccogate aside, the focus of her journey was "poor girl, can't seem to find a genuine connection and that's why she made the mistakes she made" but like... why wasn't she gone? aren't you supposed to clear out if you don't find anyone? her continuous search and the poor girl image were key for her to stay. she even gets first pick on a boy's recoupling! we know it's because of mc, on her route, but if not on her route, there's no point for marisol to stay for so long. unless they were hoping for more drama, and i think their disappointment was tremendous.

the ones that looked bad

i agree with you about hope! when she said "they don't see everything" it's so meta because us, the players, as main characters also don't see everything! hope is perceived as possessive and controlling but... she didn't do anything wrong! she just reacted to what happened! other people got away with being shady but she gets the heat for reacting as ahuman being. PLEASE!

priya. we don't know whose idea was, but it's implied operation nope was a mutual effort between her and bobby, then yet all the blame falls on her. mc could participate and knew, bobby planned, ibrahim and marisol knew about it but didn't say anything. priya took the L and despite mentioning she had amazing talks with mc, nothing was ever shown. the producers decided to leave them out because they needed a scapegoat. priya's move was played out and that's why she got eliminated.

villa!lurik. for one, all the boys performed those dares, and both villas had the same challenges so we had more than one kiss happening there, but for some reason only villa!lurik is villainized about it. we never get the scoop of what made them choose blake and all we're left with is a cookie cutter apology. i really think the boys might've said something to mc, or to each other about what happened but it never made the cut because drama.

blake. yes she was unbearable, but if you treat her nicely, she's also nice. the thing is how she comes across despite those things. everyone does shady stuff but because she was a casa amor girl everyone bashes on her. shannon doesn't get the same heat, even when you're on rahim's route, so why would blake? again, selective footage.

all casa amor boys. arjun is 'insistent'. elijah is just playing along to get with chelsea. felix is annoying. kassam is aloof, maybe even boastful. graham is the mastermind behind the plan of convincing the girls to switch. carl is a robot with no feelings. those are not true but they certaintly come across that way! the producers decided to focus on the bad habits/impressions. i think they realized there wasn't much potential for drama there. they weren't as aggressive as they hoped casa guys to be.

elisa. she's confident and slightly clueless at first. we don't know what her intentions were when she told chelsea about jahim's kiss but... she did. i think partly was the producers showing how *influencer* she could be, and that really defined the public's opinion on her. they portrayed elisa as a stereotype and only showed her cartunesque moments instead of the real ones. 'cause i don't believe she was like that all the time!

neither

jo. i know, i know. at the time everyone hated her, me included. i still do, kind of. it takes more than just a few chapters to make you like her but the way she conducted herself right off the bat was... well, we all saw it. she was saved by the fact that priya and shannon weren't a good fit for rahim, and being the half of the first official couple helped. the thing is... they weren't as interesting. the producers got what they wanted from her and less than a week later they were both gone. i think the recaps on the weekends were more than enough to help the public make their minds and the producers could keep possible drama queens in there, in the hopes of having one last hurrah.

rocco. i think he had help. not to look good, but to stay longer. the producers wanted to stretch that drama by delaying a boy departure to day 8. they created the drama themselves! they inserted a kissing challenge, after noticing he was getting close to marisol, then mr. love island contest, then a tweet challenge to get things going. by the time he leaves, the villa had been hit with the longest feud they had in season 2. it was 3 days worth of mayhem and screaming matches that involved every single person in the villa. roccogate was EFFECTIVE and they knew exactly what they were doing by keeping rocco a little longer.

lottie. i just think she was being herself and whatever came because of it was on her.

[vdlest]

Nice to meet you

Characters:

TFATWS Bucky Barnes x Reader

Summary:

The restaurant where Bucky always take Yori to eat with him is where you actually work. You've been watching and staring at him for quite some time now, but didn't have the courage to introduce yourself to him. But what happens when Yori asked Bucky to take you out?

Warning:

None

There they are again. You see two familiar faces entering the restaurant you are working at. You've been seeing this guy who is in his late 30s accompanied by an elderly for quite some time now. You don't know if they are father & son, or anything, but one thing's for sure, you like the guy. You like him even if you don't know what his name is, even if you have no idea who he is. His treatment to the elder guy is enough reason to like him.

No one is taking their table so you took the chance to finally have a closer look of the guy you've been liking for quite some time. Whenever they come, you are either busy with another table or assigned in the cashier. But this time, the opportunity is in front of you.

So you took it.

"Hi, ready to order?" you asked them casually, even if your stomach is getting butteflies inside it. Is this his effect to you? You don't know.

The older man stared at you and smiled, "Just call me Yori. I can guess you're calling me "old man" in your thoughts," he joked.

Yori's joke made you chuckle, "Okay, Yori, nice to meet you. I'm Y/N and I'll be your server for today," you said as you get the paper and pen on your pocket to get their orders, but still no luck from the man you've been eyeing, you still don't know what his name is, "What can I get you for your lunch?" you asked them, glancing at the man who's still busy looking at the menu.

"I'll have Fish and Chips, old man's been craving it since last night," Yori said looking at you. Good thing you were able to switch your eyes to Yori, but when he smiled at you, he must've seen you looking at the man beside him. Yori's smile made you somehow nervous.

You tried to act normal and turned to the man beside Yori, hoping that you would finally know his name by the end of this day.

"How 'bout you, Sir? What can..." you weren't able to finish your question for him when his eyes finally met yours. It was only a matter of time before you realized that this man has a gorgeous pair of blue eyes. You cleared your throat, "What can I get you?" you asked him, dismissing the thought of fantasizing about him.

"I'll just have Clam Chowder," he answers you as he handed you the menu, "Thank you."

"Would you care for anything to drink, then?" you grabbed the menu from his hand, "You should..."

"You should ask her out," Yori said to the guy beside him, making your eyes widened in surprise.

His reaction was same as yours, he's almost embarassed to what Yori just said. Your cheeks are burning red in your guess, but you tried to be as professional as possible. One more thing, you don't want the guy to think that you're into him, that'll make things more awkward as it is now.

"Yori," the man glared at Yori before he moved his eyes back to you, "I'm sorry, he's just really like this from time to time."

You are already getting tired of calling him "guy" or "man." You've been wanting to know his name but God knows how?

"It's fine," you replied then you prepare yourself to leave, "If there's anything you need from me, just let me know. Thank you."

"His name is James," Yori said as you turn your back on them, but you pretended that you did not hear it since you're already inches away from them.

Now, you finally know what his name is.

•••

When their order is finally ready, you took a deep breath before heading your way to their table. Things are more awkward now. You wished that you weren't their server so you'll just get to watch and like him from afar. Not like this.

"Here's your order," you tried your best to smile from ear to ear, even though you're feeling embarassed and a bit awkward already. You put down their orders and once you're done you told them to enjoy their meal.

"So what's a pretty lady like you doing here?" Yori asked you.

Oh, great, small talk, you thought.

You badly want to go back inside the kitchen and start serving other customers but you remembered what your manager told you when the customers make a small talk with you — answer them and interact with them, that way they'll have the will to come back.

"I'm just saving up money to start my own business," you answered Yori.

You could see in your peripheral that James is looking at you. As much as you want to know what kind of look he's giving you, you fight that idea.

"I like business-minded people. They are the best in organization and handling things," he complimented. "You got a boyfriend?" he asked you another question.

You shook your head and smile, "No, I don't. I guess that's the downside of being a business-minded, no one dares to date you," you joked.

"I think I'll take that dare."

Your eyes traveled to James who suddenly spoke.

"I'm sorry, you're what?" you asked him.

"You think no one dares to date business-minded woman? I'll tell you, what," he smiles at you, "I like accepting dares."

Is he asking you out?

"Just in case you're puzzled with his words," Yori joined the conversation again, making you look his way again, "He's asking you out."

"Really?" you asked Yori.

Your eyes moved back to James and the way he stares at you makes your heart skip a beat, countless times. Your fingers gripped on the tray you're holding, trying to contain your happiness.

"What time's the end of your shift?" he asked.

You gulped, "I'm out by 6."

"Great, I'll come back at 6 to pick you up, then," he extended his hand towards you, "I'm James Barnes, but call me Bucky."

You reached for his hand, "Nice to meet you, Bucky. I'm Y/N." The touch of his soft hand on yours answers all your untold questions about him.

Ever since you saw him, you kept on asking yourself what it feels like to be his girl, what it feels like to be hugged by him, what if feels like to hold hands with him, and what if feels like to be kissed by his lips. But now, the touch of his hand on yours and the fact that you two have a date later is more than enough.

•••

When he said he's gonna be at your workplace at 6, he meant he's gonna be 30 minutes early. You asked him to sit down on one of the vacant tables, when he did, he handed you the bouquet of flowers he's holding. You didn't want to conclude that it was meant for you, but when he handed it to you, your heart melted like an ice cream under the sun.

As you finished your shift, you and Bucky went on your way. He said he already had everything planned out, so he did not bother to ask you where you want to go. Well, that's how you like it anyway. You want to be surprised.

The two of you ended up in the nearby beach, before you settled down in the sand, you passed by some food stalls and that's where you and Bucky bought food and drinks for your date.

"I hope you like sunsets," he said as both of you sat down on the sand and started munching over the food you guys bought, "I should've asked you abour where you want to go, but..." he seemed a little nervous so you cut him off.

"I like it."

His eyes went to yours and now he's puzzled, "You like what in particular?" he asked.

You smiled, "I like all of these. I like sunsets. I like how you planned this night for us. I like it. I appreciate it." You handed him his drink, "I'm not expert in date ideas as well, so no worries."

He chuckled and that's the only time you noticed how cute he is when he laugh and smile, especially his cheeks reaching for his eyes.

"I haven't dated anyone in decades so that explains my old fashioned ways and ideas," you don't know what he means when he said he haven't dated in decades.

"What are you? A 80 year old man?" you joked.

"Actually a hundred and six."

You burst into laughter but his face remained serious, "You are so funny, Bucky." You sighed as you stare on the sunset in front of you, "You know, some of my classmates bullied me when I was in elementary 'cause they think I'm an old soul or something, so don't worry if someone thinks of you as an old-fashioned or something. It's not really bad."

He frowned, "Why did they bullied you?"

"Because they found out that I'm listening to The Beatles, Paul Anka, Frankie Valli, and not into Britney Spears or something trendy during our time," you explained. You took a deep breath once more, "I guess I just really prefer old and classic songs. I find them amusing and the words that they used in making them feels like they are really talking to you and your soul."

You could still remember back in the day, you asked your dad to bought you a vinyl because you were fascinated by it.

"So what's your favorite song?" Bucky asked you.

"Can't take my eyes off of you, it's really classic," you said before taking a sip from your drink. "That was also my parents' theme song when they got married," sadness took over you when you remembered your late parents, "That was also the song I sang for them during their funeral."

You felt Bucky's eyes on you.

You turn to him and nodded to his unsaid question, "I'm an orphan now. They died because of a car accident. And when they died I used to live with my grandma but she died ad well three years ago, that makes me independent from then on. That makes me alone and living my own life." You tried giving him a smile, "How about you? What are your favorites?" you changed the topic.

But even though you already changed the topic he did not let go of the fact that something changed in your mood when you talked about your parents.

"I know how hard it is to lose both of your parents. I felt them too," he reached for your hand, making you shiver, "But if they'd see you now, I'll bet they're proud of the woman you are now."

You looked down and smile, "Why do you even talk like you already know me?" you asked him. "You and I just met," you reminded him as you look back at him.

"We just met but I've seen you and how hard you work in that restaurant every single time I was there and every time I pass by it," he revealed.

All along you thought he doesn't know you exist, but he does. He's totally aware of your existence and he knows how hard worker you are.

"Don't feel bad for being alone and independent, 'cause you should be proud of yourself. You know how to take care of yourself without depending or relying your happiness to other people. Sometimes living alone isn't that bad, it will let you experience things that will taught you a lot of lessons in life," you felt he squeezed your hand, making your eyes travel to your and his hands holding together.

You learned from him that he's not related to Yori, they are just neighbors and he's just trying to help Yori as the latter is living on his own.

Once darkness consumed the sky, the two of you head back to your apartment, which is only a few blocks away from the place where you work. You asked him if he wants to have a cup of coffee, he said yes but before you guys could enter your apartment, he received a phone call. After he talked someone over the phone, he said he needed to go.

"Is everything alright?" you asked him concernly. You noticed the sudden change of his mood after he took the call.

He nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm sorry I need to go but I promise, I'll call you and text you." Both of you already exchanged numbers so you just got to wait when he will call and text you. But you said to yourself you're not gonna expect anything, "I had a wonderful time with you tonight and God knows I didn't want to end our date like this but I just got to go. It's call of duty."

You don't understand what he mean by call of duty but you have no other choice but to let him go.

"Take care, Bucky," that's all you could tell him.

You could tell in his reaction that he isn't happy with the answer he got from you.

Somehow, you are telling yourself to not expect anything from him. In that way, you won't get your hopes up and you won't end up getting hurt and disappointed. It's better that way.

You were about to close your door when his hand stopped you from doing so.

"Wha--"

Before you could say a word, he walked towards you and closed the space between the two of you as he leaned in to claim your lips.

The sweet taste of his lips makes your knees weak, but his arms rescued you and gently pinned you against the door. It's not long before you kissed him back and enjoy the taste of his lips.

Last night you dreamed of meeting him, of knowing him, and tonight, you'll be sleeping peacefully as you get satisfaction of meeting him, having a date with him, and getting the chance to kiss him. What a progress in a day.

When you heard your neighbor coming out the other door, you pulled away from your kiss.

You and Bucky stared at each other while waiting for your neighbor to evaporate.

Once your neighbor is gone, he kissed your lips one more time. When he pulled away, he smiled at you, "That's the first time I kissed a woman in decades, so if it's that bad, give me the consideration," he joked.

"No," you shook your head, "No one ever kissed me that good before."

His smile grew wider as he gave your cheeks a caress, "I'll see you when I get back."

"Don't promise anything to me, Bucky. Just do it," you said before entering your apartment and closing your door.

Like what you said, you will not expect anything for the coming days or even weeks. You won't do anything about it. You won't get your hopes up and wait for his move, it's up to him whether he'll call you or not. But a little part of you hope that he will.

A little hope wouldn't hurt anyway.

-v.dl