#but then. I WANNA THROW IN A CURVEBALL

[truethes]

think one of the cutest unspoken things in serv.amp is the fact that while ash went through so many hundreds of years of depression he met a lot of people who grew to care for him, like ... it's a really clear reminder that no matter how low you feel, or how you may look after yourself, there is always parts of you that remain beautiful and people will still consider themselves your friends / fall in love with you / care for you / idolise you and that is so important.

[eepybogboy]

ive been putting off the final quest(s) in bg3 for far too long for a man who knows he's gonna play it again at least another two times

[sketchmouse-art]

i've been trying to make my first fursuit head

[tom-whore-dleston]

I’m frustrated because I really really want to write but I just feel like life just keeps picking something to throw in my face and it prevents me from doing the one thing I love doing 😥

Like I wanna write so I can cope with my shit but I’m just so fuckin sad and overwhelmed I wanna disappear and cry ugh

[xiaojaan]

University experience so bad you start missing your abusive household 👍🏼

[drvscarlett]

Let Him Cook pt5

Charles Leclerc x MasterChef! reader

A/N: I'm really so happy with all the love that you have given to this fic. I enjoy writing about it, let me know if you have any blurbs or scenarios that you wanna see. This series will continue on and on

Let Him Cook Series: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

taglist: @bookstore-of-dreams @barcelonaloverf1life @ririyulife @minseok-smaus @mehrmonga @sltwins @charlesgirl16 @six-call @spideybv28 @casperlikej @weekendlusting @janeholt3 @evie-119 @leilanixx @randomgirlnumber-13 @itsjustkhaos

lec lerc challenge

"As you all know by now, Charles is planning to launch his own ice cream store"you started talking to the camera "And you know what funny story, he didn't even tell me"

Charles, who was by your side, was laughing like a hyena. He actually wanted it to be discovered on the the first day of April so everyone might think its a prank but then he will announce that he is very serious about it. It was an elaborate prank on top of prank. However, the news sites got a hold of it earlier.

"That's another story time. We have to get down to business" Charles reeled the topic back to the video that you two are making.

"Okay so in order to test Charlie's knowledge about ice cream, I have here ice creams that I made myself" you explained.

In front of the two of you were 10 paper cups. They have been covered on top so that Charles won't get a hint about the color.

"So my main task is to identify what's the flavor of the ice cream"Charles confirms "Easy"

"I made some unconventional flavors to throw you off" you informed him.

You can't help but giggle as you remember how you made some weird flavors for the ice cream. But hey, this was supposed to be a challenge to see if Charles' taste buds are working so it doesn't necessarily have to be a delicious ice cream.

"Okay, I am ready to scream for ice cream"

The first five cups were easy peasy. It's common flavors such as chocolate, vanilla, cookies and cream, caramel, and pistachio.

"I'm good at this mon amour"

Charles is pretty confident now. Time to throw the curveballs.

"I'm excited for you to try this"you excitedly give him the cup.

Since Charles is blindfolded as he does this challenge, the first thing he does is smell it. He is usually confident upon spelling but the frown lines forming on his face suggest that he might be confused about the flavor profile.

"This feels strange. I smelled this before but I can't put my name on it"Charles notes.

He takes a scoop from the cup and tasted it. It was evident to his face that he didn't enjoy this ice cream a lot.

"That's so sour, mon amour there are definitely strawberries in that"Charles complained.

"Strawberries and?"

There was a string of italian and french word from Charles as he tries his best to identify it. Finally, he had a lightbulb moment where he remembered the taste of it.

"BALSAMICO" Charles screamed "That is not a flavor I will put in my store, definitely"

Y/NCooks posted a photo.

Y/NCooks turns out Charles is pretty good with his taste buds. Watch me test Charles with his ice cream skills [link]

User1 Atleast we know that Charles is committed to being an ice cream man

User2 Charles_Leclerc you should definitely try the bourbon and corn flakes in the menu

User 3 Highly agree, I would love to try that User4 were all acting like were so close to milan. Babes we live across the world.

LandoNorris do you have some plain ice cream left for me

Y/NCooks i have some but its good to try other flavors every now and then Lan LandoNorris mmm, i'll try that black sesame one. that seems like a good flavor Y/NCooks brilliant. message me when i can see you Charles_Leclerc im amazed how Y/N managed to convince you of different food choices

MasterChefAU is this Charles' entry to master chef blind taste test challenge?

Charles_Leclerc MasterChef Monaco soon??? User4 I'm laughing at the number of sidequest Charles has. SIR you are an f1 driver!!!

Charles the baker

Charles_Leclerc posted a photo.

Charles_Leclerc okay i did all the measurements right. WHY DID THEY EXPAND

User1 I can hear Charles screaming with the caption

User2 Charles is such a mood when I try to bake things

User3 But is it edible tho?

Charles_Leclerc it is but its not as pretty User4 this is an internet highlight wherein Charles is sulking and asking the internet where he went wrong

maxverstappen1 recipe reveal?

Charles_Leclerc no ✨✨ maxverstappen1 don't want it anyways. i just wanted to know what you did so i won't end up like that User5 MAX!!!!! User6 your honor we love the lestappen crumbs

Y/NCooks honey maybe you should consider giving it some space, bread do expand when they get baked.

Charles_Leclerc they do?? Y/NCooks Yes they do. But in all honesty they look so cute, its alright honey Charles_Leclerc love you mon amour!

SebastianVettel maybe we should have a baking session one of these days, I can teach you a lot about baking breads

Charles_Leclerc sounds good, miss you already Seb User7 oh to be Charles Leclerc having the Sebastian Vettel teaching him bread and MasterChef Y/N encouraging him

tiktok pasta challenge

It was a fairly simple tiktok viral recipe and in your mind its something that Charles will be able to follow instructions with. So you set up your camera and told Charles about a cooking challenge that he has to do.

"Today's challenge, Charles will be using his listening skills. Lets see how well he listens to me"you greeted the camera "Are you ready mon amour?"

"More than ever, I look good in an apron"

You stayed behind the camera as Charles stayed in front of the kitchen counter. He was tying up his apron and grabbing your chef hat from one of the drawers.

"First of all, I need you to quarter an onion"you instructed.

Charles was immediately grabbing the onion and you immediately face palmed yourself when Charles started quartering the onion without even peeling it.

"Honey, you are supposed to peel it" you sigh

"Honey, you didn't say anything about peeling it. We have three cameras set up and editors should replay that you said quarter it and not peel it" Charles argued

You raised your hand in defeat, you should have been more clearer.

"Okay, I'm not gonna be vague. I'll make it clear"

The whole cooking went along smoothly until its time for Charles to cook the pasta. He has been heavily stressing to get the texture right this time or else it will further the allegations that he can't cook pasta.

"Calm down Charlie"

"I am very very very calm, I'm just checking" he lifted the lid for the fifth time "They have to be perfect"

"Charles is very honored to be taught by Gordon on a 1 on 1 session"you informed the camera.

The two have exchanged numbers and Charles will often ask his culinary questions to Gordon when you were not available to answer them right away. Gordon seems to enjoy the new friendship with the driver since he often send Charles link for cooking recipe to try.

"I don't wanna be an idiot sandwhich" Charles muttered, stirring the pot of pasta.

Charles got a perfect al dente to his pasta. He pulls out the baked feta and tomatoes out of the oven then mixed it with the pasta. It seems as if the dish looks pretty especially with the garnishes that Charles insisted.

"Plating is also everything"he says to the camera as he grates some lemon zest to the plate "Whatever this taste like, just remember that Y/N was instructing me so if there is anyone to blame then its Y/N"

"Way to throw me under the bus Charles"

Y/NCooks just posted a photo

Y/NCooks The dish vs the chef. I think they are equally yummy [link]

User1 CHARLES CAN COOK!!!!

User2 alternative title charles stressing 10 minutes straight if the pasta is al dente or not

User3 The girlfriend effect on Charles is that he is now able to cook pasta

User4 I really want to try that pasta

Arthur_Leclerc i hope you never get tired of the pasta, its the only thing he will cook from now on

Charles_Leclerc i mean she loves it!!!! Y/NCooks its pretty good arthur, you should try it!! Arthur_Leclerc next family dinner? Charles_Leclerc im on it! User24 oh to be a fly at the Leclerc family dinner

User5 I think everyone ignored the caption, miss maam thirsting over her boyfriend

User6 if i was Y/N i would too Y/NCooks facts only!!! User6 Mother replied to us!!!

scuderiaferrari so charles is approved for a cooking challenge in the channel soon?

Y/NCooks he is born ready User8 kind of missed the c2 cooking challenges

everything i cooked

Charles_Leclerc posted a reel

here is everything that I did to celebrate Y/N's birthday. This isn't a common day, its really special so I have to run at 5 to get the flowers I ordered for her. Then next I cooked up breakfast which is some pancakes, thank you Carlos for the recipe. And then I surprised her with a little bit of breakfast in bed

and then I started making our lunch after clearing the table. Y/N had been craving butter chicken and I purposely did not take her so I could make some at home. Its a fairly easy recipe, I just had to mix some spices, cook the onions then you have the tomato paste and then cream. thanks Gordon I owe you one. She loved it so much.

and then I started early on the dessert for dinner. I didn't do the ladyfingers from scratch, I don't have a lot of time so yes here we are. The tiramisu is in the fridge. And then since Y/N loved the Lady and the Tramp spaghetti meatballs scene. I did my own take on it. Needless to say she loved it. So yes happy birthday once more mon amour, I love you so so much.

User10 I know we have been making fun of Charles but the man can actually cook.

User11 My boyfriend be forgetting my birthday but Charles here is slaving in the kitchen for Y/N's birthday

User12 CHARLES IS THE STANDARD!!! User14 Imagine cooking a whole breakfast, lunch, dinner, with a birthday dessert???!!! GOD I SEE WHAT YOU HAVE DONE FOR OTHERS

MasterChefAU Im glad to hear you are treating our girl well, happy birthday Y/NCooks

User13 OUR GIRL??!!!! Y/NCooks he is treating me well, thank you for all the greetings

Gordongram That's a beautiful dish and effort Charles!

Charles_Leclerc Thank you !!! Y/NCooks he is screaming btw Gordongram

PierreGasly when will you cook for me

CarlosSainz55 and me?? i think there is some former teammate privileges out here LewisHamilton the current teammate is also wondering SebastianVettel you boys are not Y/N. Y/N is special. Charles_Leclerc what seb said!!!

Y/NCooks one of the sweetest gesture anyone did for me. Thank you honey for making this day extra special. I don't need any five star restaurants when I have you in the kitchen.

Charles_Leclerc I love you. You deserve the world User21 Them your honor. User22 Happy Birthday Y/N, you two are excellent for each other

[roosterforme]

Batting Practice Part 15 | Rooster x Reader

Summary: A perfect day isn't enough to solve all your problems, but a Bradley who shows you how much he wants you and Everett might just do the trick. 

Warnings: Fluff and swearing

Length: 3200 words

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Female single!mom Reader

Check my masterlist for more Top Gun fun! Batting Practice masterlist.

As Bradley pulled into the lot at Petco Park, he flashed a VIP parking pass at the guard. You still weren't sure why you needed to get to the game so early, but honestly, you didn't mind spending some extra time around Bradley today. He made Everett happy, and you were really considering giving him a second chance. Because he made you happy, too. 

Bradley and Everett were singing a song about the Phillie Phanatic, and now you were singing along too. He held your hand tight while he parked the Bronco next to the ballpark, and when he grinned and pulled you out through his door with him, you couldn't help but smile. 

"I'm so happy you came," he whispered, looking down at you with a crooked smile that had your heart melting. "I planned a lot of stuff to surprise Ev, but if you and he aren't having fun, then we can always just get some food or leave early."

You shook your head at him, amazed that he didn't get it yet. "There's nothing that kid wants more than to spend the day with you, watching the Phillies."

"That's what I want, too," he replied, opening the back door and lifting Everett down. "Ready, kiddo? I have something cool to show you."

You walked a few steps behind them as they made their way to the turnstile hand in hand. "What's faster, a slider or a changeup? And how does the catcher know when to get the pitcher to throw a curveball?" Everett rambled. They looked adorable in their matching backwards caps.

"They practice together a lot. Just the two of them. And they get really good at knowing how to communicate."

"That's cool. I wanna be a pitcher and a power hitter."

"Kid, if you can manage to combine those two, you'll hit the majors for sure," Bradley told him, glancing over his shoulder to make sure you were there. With a smile, he handed three tickets to the guy in the booth, and next thing you knew, you were all being ushered through an underground tunnel. 

"Where are we going exactly?" you asked Bradley, losing the battle to slip your hand into his free one. The three of you were being led down a long ramp by a tour guide named John who had given each of you VIP badges to wear. 

"On a locker room tour," he replied, and then Everett really got excited. 

"I get to go in the locker room?" he asked, skipping ahead and making John chuckle. 

"I told them you wanted to see the visitors' locker room," Bradley told Everett. "Maybe some of the Phillies uniforms will be hanging up."

And they were. You stood in the middle of the visitor's suite that looked more like a luxury hotel than a men's locker room while Everett ran around with your phone taking pictures. "Mom! Take a picture of us in front of the bats!" 

You snapped a few photos of Bradley and Everett standing near the equipment, and then you tucked your phone away. "This is so cool," you whispered to Bradley while the tour guide showed Everett the snack bar that was reserved for the players. "Thank you."

Bradley sighed. "Jake hooked it up. He begged the groundskeeper. I think he felt bad for what he said to you at the bar."

You nodded and met his eyes. "He told me he likes moms." You watched his eyes narrow just a fraction as he licked his lips. 

"Yeah, well I love moms, actually. I was just overcompensating for my insecurities before. You and Ev are intimidating."

You scoffed. "Intimidating?"

Bradley nodded, his brown eyes sincere. "I told you, Kitten, you two are perfect. And I got in my own head."

"I'm eating the snacks that the players eat!" Everett announced, holding up a bag of peanuts. The tour guide let him take a few as he led all three of you into one of the press boxes. 

Your hand ended up in Bradley's and he kept pulling you closer, but once he saw who was in the press box, his grip on your hand tightened until it was almost painful. 

"Ev, you asked who the starting pitchers were?" Bradley said in awe. "Well, here they are."

"Hey, are you Everett?" asked the Phillies starting pitcher, and you were afraid your son and Bradley were both going to faint. 

"Yeah?" your son asked, and John led him closer to the table where two men were sitting. 

"Wait, are you really a Phillies fan? I heard you're from San Diego!" said the Padres pitcher with a laugh. 

"I like you, too!" Everett said hurriedly. "The Padres are my second favorite team, I swear!" You laughed and both pitchers smiled at you. 

"How about we both sign a shirt for you?" asked the Phillies pitcher. "I don't think anyone else has a shirt signed by rival pitchers."

"Holy shit," Bradley muttered as he watched them each sign an MLB all-stars shirt and hand it to Everett. 

"Why don't you get in there with him for a photo, Coach?" you asked. Bradley let go of your hand so fast to scramble behind the table with Everett, and you snapped a few pictures of the four of them. Then the pitchers stood and shook hands with Bradley, and it amazed you to see that he was built exactly like the professionals were. Tall, broad and strong. 

"Have fun with your parents, Everett," the Padres pitcher told him, knocking his Phillies cap crooked and smiling. "Enjoy the game."

"We will!" Everett and Bradley said in unison, and you stood frozen in place. Maybe they had been too excited to process the word parents, but you'd heard it loud and clear. 

They both looked dazed as John led them back through the tunnel. "Are you both okay?" you asked with a laugh as Bradley's hand found yours again. 

"That was awesome," Bradley said, tossing Ev's new shirt over his shoulder as they emptied out of the tunnel and onto the ballfield. It was a perfect, clear day, and you heard John tell Everett he could run around anywhere except on the outfield. You watched your son take off like a rocket and run around the bases while you cheered for him. He looked so small out on a real infield. 

"Oh, fuck it," Bradley said, and he took off running the bases too while you laughed and cheerer for both of them. Bradley caught up to Everett near home plate where you were standing, and after they both crossed the bag, he scooped Everett up into his arms. 

They were both out of breath as Bradley said, "You'll have to get used to running that far if you're a power hitter."

"I can do it," Everett told him, and they had gigantic, matching smiles on their faces. 

You snapped a few more photos, and then John asked, "Want to throw some pitches?" He handed Bradley a few pristine baseballs, and he and Everett took off toward the pitcher's mound. You stood off to the side as Bradley got Everett set up and in position with one of the balls. Then your son threw a pitch that didn't quite have enough force behind it to make it all the way to home plate, but it was thrown so accurately, you watched it roll to where the batters normally stood. 

"Wow! Great job, Ev! Very accurate!" you shouted, thoroughly impressed. He threw a second pitch, and it was just as good as the first one. Then you watched Bradley trade places with him and wind up to throw what you thought was a slider. It sailed beautifully past home plate and bounced off the advertisement signs. He threw a second one that looked like a fastball. 

"Hey! You're good!" said John as Bradley and Everett ran from the mound to home plate. "Did you play?"

"Just in college," Bradley replied, collecting the balls so John didn't have to. "A long time ago."

"He's a tee ball coach!" Everett announced. "He coaches my team!"

You didn't know if you could remember a time Everett looked this happy, and you felt like you were going to cry. This wasn't a one off. You needed this kind of day to happen again. Maybe not on the grand scale of gallivanting around Petco Park like VIPs, but you needed more days in the park getting ice cream. You needed more pizza nights. You need to have Bradley touching you at the batting cages and making love in his Bronco. 

"Come here, Kitten," he called, waving you over. "I want a picture of the three of us on home plate."

You closed the distance to them, and Bradley tucked you against his side with Everett in front of both of you. John took some pictures with Bradley's phone, and you let your head rest on his shoulder. "Thank you for doing this," you whispered, leaning up to kiss his cheek. "He's in heaven."

"So am I," Bradley replied softly before kissing your lips. "I didn't do anything though. All I did was mess up, Kitten." He was being sincere, and you knew it. You thought you'd have to be an idiot to not forgive him. When John handed his phone back to him, you wrapped your arms around Bradley's waist. 

"Cute family photos," John remarked, and Everett turned to see you in Bradley's arms. 

"Thanks," Bradley replied as he rubbed your back. "Hey, Ev, why don't you run the bases one last time, kiddo?"

"I'll time you," John told him, setting the stopwatch on his phone and telling Ev when to start.

You looked up at Bradley and whispered, "I forgive you." He squeezed you tighter and let out a deep sigh of relief that made you smile. "And not just because today is perfect, but also because Everett and I are both attached to you, so you better not mess this up."

His lips were on yours in the sweetest kiss that had you reaching for more as he pulled away. He kissed you a little harder and whispered, "I'll be so good to you. Both of you," against your lips. You knew he was telling the truth.

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

Bradley was trying to stay calm, but it was nearly impossible. You were sitting two seats away from him, eating some nachos and smiling at Everett. Whenever your eyes met his, Bradley sighed in relief. He would ask you to be his girlfriend later tonight after the game. He was completely ready for that. Ready to be around for you and Everett. 

"Thanks, Bradley," Ev told him, and Bradley managed to get a napkin under Everett's hot dog before it could drip ketchup on his jersey. "This is probably the best day I've ever had."

It was only the bottom of the first inning, but the Phillies were already leading by one run. The day had been perfect up to this point, but Bradley desperately wanted them to win for Everett. "Probably the best day I've ever had, too, kiddo."

The smile that touched your lips before you bit into a chip had Bradley grinning too. And as the innings wore on and the sun started to set, the stadium lights glowed to life. Everett was sitting on the edge of the seat when the Padres had the bases loaded, and it was all up to the pitcher that had autographed his shirt to save it for the Phillies. Without a word, Everett scrambled onto Bradley's lap to get a better view, and they both held their breath as the pitch count reached three balls and two strikes. 

"Come on," Bradley muttered, wrapping his arm around Everett's middle. When the pitcher struck out the batter, Bradley jumped to his feet with Everett, and they cheered with the few other Phillies fans sitting in the section. "Still have the lead!"

You were sitting in Everett's vacant seat when Bradley settled down with Ev on his lap again, and he wrapped his arm around your shoulders. "You boys having fun?" you asked.

"Yep!" Everett said, clapping as the Phillies shortstop walked up to bat. 

Bradley leaned in and kissed your cheek, his mustache tickling your ear. "We should do this all the time. At least until he gets to see every team play the Padres."

"And what if he decides he likes a different team better than the Phillies after he sees them all?" you asked, and Bradley scoffed.

"Do we look like fair weather fans?" he asked, gesturing to himself and Everett. "No. That's not going to happen, Kitten."

You laughed and leaned in to kiss him. "You're right. What was I thinking?"

"If the Phillies make it to the playoffs, we'll go to Philadelphia and watch them play and eat cheesesteaks and meet the Phanatic in person," he told you with conviction. 

"Yeah, mom," Everett agreed, never taking his eyes off the game. "Because the Phanatic only goes to home games."

"Yeah, Kitten," Bradley echoed. "The Phanatic only goes to home games."

"You're both ridiculous," you said, but your smile was wide as you let your head rest on his shoulder. 

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

You felt a tinge of disappointment as the Padres managed to tie the game in the eight inning. Everett was squirming a bit on Bradley's lap in anticipation, and Bradley had his fingers laced with yours. 

"Do you want to switch laps, Ev?" you asked, and both Bradley and Everett replied with a firm No.

But Everett hopped off of Bradley's lap when the inning ended, and it didn't escape your attention that his gaze settled on your joined hands on the armrest. "I'll only be a little bit sad if the Phillies lose, okay? Because I'm having a lot of fun." Then he climbed back on Bradley's lap as you chuckled. 

"Me too, kiddo, but wouldn't it be great if the Phillies hit a homerun to win the game?" he asked, straightening out Everett's cap.

"That would be so cool," Everett agreed as a new batter came up to the plate for the Phillies. 

You pulled Bradley closer, and he gave you his undivided attention. You kissed his lips softly and said, "I think you're right. I want to do this all the time, too." Bradley's lips curled into a smile as he nodded, so you continued with a smile of your own. "The Padres play the Pirates here on Ev's birthday next month. So maybe we can do this again? I know it would be a late game, since it's during the week, but we could see if Molly and Bob want to come too. It could be really fun. What do you think?"

Bradley let go of your hand and wrapped his warm fingers around your neck, pulling you closer until your hand found his cheek while he kissed you. You moaned softly against his lips, you'd missed him this way so much. Then his nose bumped yours as he released your lips but kept you close to him. "Kitten, I think I love you."

"Look!" Everett shouted, and both you and Bradley turned to see what was going on. The echo of the solidly hit ball was still in the air as Bradley dumped Everett onto your lap and stood. You managed to stumble to your feet with Everett as Bradley jumped and caught the Phillies home run ball with his bare hand while the player rounded the bases to the sound of everyone in your section cheering. Then you watched as Bradley toppled over the armrest and into the aisle with a look of elation mixed with terror on his face.

"He caught it!" Everett cheered, launching himself onto Bradley who was trying to sit up awkwardly on the stairs. But he smiled and hugged Everett, handing him the ball while he clenched and unclenched his hand. 

"Are you okay?" you asked, laughing as Bradley stood with Everett hanging onto him.

"Yeah, Kitten," he grunted, kissing your lips while everyone cheered. "Just gonna be a little sore. Damn, my hand hurts," he said, shaking it out again. The three of you were being featured on the big screen as they showed a replay of Bradley jumping up over and over again. 

"Dad of the year!" the guy across the aisle shouted to Bradley, and you couldn't stop smiling.

"Thanks, man," Bradley replied with a laugh as he sat down. Everett had Bradley in a headlock as he examined his souvenir baseball with wide eyes. 

"Wow," Everett said over and over again. "You're good at catching too, Coach."

"I'll teach you everything I know, kiddo." 

"That was insane," you whispered, and Bradley laughed. 

"I had to catch it. That was a once in a lifetime ball."

Everett was distracted by the end of the game as you leaned in close and pressed your lips to Bradley's. "I think I love you too, Coach."

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

Bradley hadn't stopped touching you for a single moment. He was a little sore from landing on his ass in the aisle, but he honestly couldn't remember a better day in recent memory. When the game ended in a victory for the Phillies, Everett hugged him tight, but Bradley kept his hand wrapped around yours. 

When Everett scrambled onto your lap for a hug, you asked him, "Do you want to come back for your birthday? We haven't seen the Pirates play yet."

"Yeah!" Everett cheered, clearly running on a Phillies high. But by the time the three of you were exiting the ballpark, Bradley scopped Everett up and carried him. All of the excitement of the day seemed to have the kid running on empty all of a sudden. When the three of you finally empied out into the parking lot with the rest of the crowd, Everett was mostly asleep in his arms. 

"He's wiped out," Bradley told you with a laugh. You had your hand wrapped around his waist, your fingers rubbing his side, and Bradley couldn't stop grinning. 

"All the excitement caught up to him." You took the keys from Bradley's pocket and went ahead to unlock the Bronco and open the back door. Bradley carefully deposited Everett into the booster seat and buckled him in as his eyes opened briefly. 

"I'm tired," Everett mumbled, and Bradley laughed as he kissed his forehead. "I know, kiddo. Love you." Then he closed the door and you were reaching for him in the shadows of the parking lot, pressing your body to his and kissing him just like he had become accustomed to. He had missed you so much.

He pushed you up against the back door of the Bronco, and you gasped as he sucked on your neck. Your body felt warm against the chill of the night air, and Bradley's hands found their way up inside your shirt. "Kitten," he moaned below your ear. You had one hand wrapped around his neck, and the other was pressing against the fly of his jeans. You could make him go insane. "Kitten, baby, I can't get enough of you."

"Take us home," you demanded. "And stay with me."

"God, yes," he agreed, and then you were climbing in the driver's door and crawling across the seat.

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

Best day ever! Good job, Coach! Thanks to @beyondthesefourwalls and @mak-32!

PART 16

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[fictionalwh0ree]

can u post headcanons of each greaser finding out ur pregnant? (what they would act like during your pregnancy, their feelings, etc)

the gang finding out you're pregnant hcs

warnings: pregnancy, mentions of sex, mentions of alcohol

a/n: i didn't write for steve bc i had no ideas, sry guys

johnny cade

when you found out you were pregnant, you didn’t know what to do, but you didn’t wait to tell johnny

when you broke the news to him he went quiet

but he broke out into a smile right after

he was definitely nervous about everything

telling your parents, the financials, if he would even tell his parents, etc.

during your pregnancy johnny was the type to do anything

especially as you got further into it

you dropped your hair tie? say less, he’s picking it up

you’re thirsty? all you have to do is ask

he is definitely they type to talk to your belly

as you get further in, he gets more nervous

his relationship with his parents is rough, he doesn’t want his kid to ever feel the way he does

you assure him that he’ll be a great dad because he doesn’t wanna be like his dad

i peg him as a girl dad

you know once that baby is born he’ll do absolutely anything for them

dallas winston

finding out you were pregnant with dallas winston’s baby was surely the worst news of your life

dallas was not shy about expressing his disdain for children

you actually waited a while after finding out to tell him

mostly because you were either hoping it was a mistake or because you were considering just skipping town or something and never telling him

dallas caught on that something was wrong with you about a week after you found out

for the first week he just assumed that your weird silence towards him was your period making you moody

but he noticed how it wasn’t going away

you were barely talking to him and couldn’t hold eye contact with him

he let it slide for a little while

but he couldn’t deal with it after a while

so one night when he was walking you home from bucks, he decided to say something

“what’s wrong with you?”

“what do you mean?”

“don’t act dumb. do you think i haven’t noticed you being all fidgety and quiet around me? are you cheating on me?”

the question made your heart hurt so you knew you had to tell him then and there

“no”

“don’t lie to me”

“i swear”

“then what is it”

“if i tell you, can you promise not to get mad?”

“alright, if it stops you acting all weird.”

“i’m pregnant.”

he didn’t believe you at first

until you pulled out the pregnancy test from your bag

you’d been carrying it around just waiting for the moment you’d tell him

he finished walking you home, but expect him to go awol for a couple days after that

after much consideration, you two decided to keep it

you were nervous at first

but as the weeks went by and your belly got bigger, you could see him coming around to the idea of having a mini dallas

he will protect you with his life

so much as one wrong look and he’ll throw a punch

he also steals everything he can for the baby

seeing you pregnant with his baby turns him on sooooo much

he has the same problem as johnny, where he’s worried about turning out like his own father

but you assure him he knows better, and you know the gang will keep him in check

he talks to your belly when you’re asleep (or when he thinks you’re asleep)

he had a weird intuition from the start about the baby’s gender

and he was right

i also see him as a girl dad

but regardless of gender expect him to be extremely protective over his child

ponyboy curtis

finding out you were pregnant with pony’s baby was nerve wracking

darry had definitely given you guys the talk

and he had high expectations for ponyboy

so this pregnancy was really a curveball

you rehearsed what you’d tell ponyboy for days

you decided you’d tell him one day when you were alone with him at his house

you didn’t let him get a word in as you told him

the words just flew out of your mouth as you tried to find ways you could work through it without destroying his future

he stopped you halfway with a hug

he told you it’d be okay but you could tell he was very unsure

you and ponyboy actually devised a whole plan for his brothers (mostly darry)

he typed it out on a typewriter to make it neat and it featured many parts that covered basically anything they’d need to know

from work schedules, to savings, to school, it was all in there

so one day pony said he needed to talk to his brothers with you

you can imagine darry already had an idea of what it was from that

so you sat down and ponyboy broke the news, quickly throwing in how you two had worked out all the logistics

darry definitely gave you a lecture while soda sat there trying to process what you had said

“darry please, we have a plan”

pony begged and eventually handed him your typewrited document

he finally sat down and read it over, head in his hand and his stress evident to everyone

as you got bigger and time passed, darry had to adjust to the idea

but eventually everyone had come around to it

you and pony spent so much time talking about your future

discussed baby names from day one

he wasn’t the only one protective of you, the whole gang was

during your pregnancy, ponyboy was the sweetest person ever

he was so understanding with your hormones all over the place

he also read books on parenting and pregnancy so he could understand what was going on with you and just to be prepared in general

he definitely writes letters to your baby so they can read it when they’re older

he wants his kid to have lots to remember him by in case of anything

checks up on you throughout the school day

defo cried when he first held his baby

tbh i could see him being a boy or girl dad

sodapop curtis

you weren’t too worried when you found out you were pregnant with soda’s baby

in fact, you took the test with him when you realized you were late

when the two lines came up, he hugged you so hard

he told everyoneeeeee

he was so happy

throughout your pregnancy you both worked to save up and you encouraged soda to put his dx experience to use and search for a higher position somewhere

he looked so proud walking around with you when you were noticeably pregnant

he will not let anyone or anything harm you

loose floorboard? he fixed it already

also tried to read some books about pregnancy/parenting

he loves shopping for baby clothes

he also shamelessly talks to your belly

he does it every day without fail

he will literally give up anything for your comfort

he would sleep on the cold hard floor if it meant you slept well

when you went into labour he was panicking

but he was with you every step of the way

i see him as a girl dad 100%

he shows off his baby to everyone

tbh your baby is probably absolutely adorable, like magazine material baby

darry curtis

finding out you were pregnant with darry’s baby gave you very mixed feelings

on one hand, you were both adults and you wanted to settle down eventually

on the other hand, you were worried because of the finances

you told him over a dinner you cooked for him when the house was empty

at first he was kind of speechless

but he got really excited

you guys immediately started saving, and when you told his brothers, they were ecstatic to be uncles

ponyboy got a job soon enough so the financial burden wasn’t on darry as much as before

he single-handedly built all your baby furniture and put together the nursery

is the type to rub your feet and give you massages

does whatever you need him to

its difficult sometimes though, darry’s patience runs thin quickly and your hormones make you a little all over the place

he does work on his temper a lot tho

you both work as much as possible to prepare for the birth of your baby

darry would take candid photos of you during your pregnancy all the time

as you get further into your pregnancy, he really pushes for you to stop working so much

but you tell him you’ll stop working so much when he does

eventually, you’re back to working your normal amount

he prioritizes you over anyone else

if the gang is being loud and its late

he’ll kick them out in a split second

he’s not the type to talk to your belly too much besides a “bye/i love you” type thing

but he kisses it after he kisses u

he has some preparental panic when you go into labour

but you assure him everything’s gonna be okay

he also cried when he first held the baby

i could see him being either a boy or girl dad but maybe like fraternal twins

he loves his baby/ies a lotttttt

he teaches them everything he knows and protects them with his life

it was very fitting that you had kids bc you two were seen as the parents of the group

meaning the entire gang had your kids back all the time

two-bit matthews

when you found out you were pregnant with two’s baby you were really nervous

he was very easy going and he loved to be free and have fun

a kid would take away from that

two’s a big drinker and you tended to have a drink or two when you were around him

so you couldn’t hide this at all

when you turned down a beer at first, he didn’t question it

but when the day became night, and he knew you had nothing the day after, he questioned why you kept turning it down

so you just told him

he thought it was a joke

or that one of his friends had put you up to this

but when he realized you were serious

he hugged you so tight

you were worried because he had no job and no intentions of getting one

thankfully his mom was super supportive of your relationship so you could stay with him

you really pushed him to get some kind of job

he spends the entire pregnancy talking about how excited he is to have a mini me

like he is prepared to match outfits and hang out with that baby all day

he doesn’t like bend down to talk to your bump but he talks to it as if the baby was already out and grown

(he definitely thinks having sex with you means he’s poking the baby with his penis)

but does that stop him? no

his reasoning, the baby won’t remember it

you guys get into your fair share of arguments but he is great at lightening the mood and making you laugh

he’s actually a great communicator

he can be a little oblivious to your needs sometimes so you do have to keep him in check

when you went into labour he really didn’t know what to expect

(he sneaked a look at ur vag when you were in labour and was actually traumatized after)

BOY DAD

your baby is 100000000% his mini me

like they WILL act the same

especially as they grow older

he loves making your baby laugh

[banapsha]

The Art of Plot Twists: A God-Tier Guide

Hey there, sunshine(s) and moonlight(s)! Do you want to rock your readers' worlds with mind-boggling plot twists? Well, lucky for you, I recently met a mind reader in my basement and they told me you want to know this. Buckle up, because we're about to begin a journey into the abyss. Kidding! We are going to the Kingdom of Twistano-Turnano; narratives that'll leave jaws on the floor and minds on some walls. Strap in, grab your favorite snacks and let's get this party started. (I believe that one was too much, right? Coz’ who’s got time for any parties? Or am I the only one missing out?) 

What Makes a Good Plot Twist?

Let's kick things off with the basics. A plot twist isn't just about throwing in a random curveball– oh no, it's about shaking up the very fabric of your story. A meaningful plot twist should be a seismic shift in the audience's perception, whether it's through an unexpected event, a shocking revelation, or a philosophical awakening. We're talking external, internal, and philosophical shifts that make the audiences question everything they thought they knew. It's about changing your audience's reality.

The Three Types of Shifts: External, Internal, and Philosophical

The external shift– think unexpected deaths, hidden treasures, and jaw-dropping identity reveals. These twists are all about rearranging plot elements in ways that leave readers gasping for air.

The internal shift– this one's all about messing with your audience's emotions. One minute they're feeling all warm and fuzzy, and the next, BAM! You hit 'em with an event that leaves them shaken to the core. Just make sure to keep things clear, or you'll have a bunch of confused readers scratching their heads.

The philosophical shift– the granddaddy of all plot twists. This one's all about making your audience question their beliefs and perceptions. You take 'em from thinking they've got it all figured out to realize that maybe, just maybe, they've been wrong all along.

To really knock your readers' socks off, you gotta apply all three shifts. That's right, no half-measures here. Using just one or missing one entirely is just going to confuse the shit out of your audiences. Trust me, you don't wanna do that.

What makes a plot twist good?

Shock Value: First things first, a good plot twist needs to pack a punch. We're talking about leaving your readers reeling, jaws on the floor, and minds blown. If it doesn't make 'em gasp, it ain't worth it. The key is to not settle for the first twist that comes to mind. Dig deep, get creative, and find a way to really knock your readers' socks off.

Believability: Sure, we love a good surprise, but it's gotta make sense, ya know? You can't just say that the human we have been following around is a dog disguised as a pizza! Nope, we ain't gone believe that boy. Keep it real. Actually, the real(er) the better. Foreshadowing is your best friend. Drop hints, plant seeds, and lay the groundwork for your twist early on. That way, when it finally hits, it'll feel like a natural progression of the story. (Maybe show me a barking human to make me go along with the pizza dog twist.)

Impact on Characters AND Plot: A truly great plot twist doesn't just shake things up for the sake of it. It needs to have real consequences, affecting not only the characters but the entire storyline. Don't just focus on the shock factor – think about how your twist will affect your characters and your plot. Will it send them spiraling into chaos? Will it force them to confront their deepest fears? Make it count.

Variety in Tropes: Cliched tropes are good but if you can manage to twist it up, that's even better. Try to give us something we've never seen before. Surprise us, delight us, and keep us guessing 'til the very end. But don't be afraid to break the mold. Sure, some tropes are tried and true, but the best twists are the ones that defy expectations. Surprise your readers, challenge their assumptions, and leave 'em begging for more.

Timing: Timing is literally everything. You need to build up to the right moment for that twist like a mastermind supervillain. Keep your readers on their toes. Drop breadcrumbs along the way, build up the tension, ratchet up the suspense, and then hit 'em with that (do-do do-do) twist right when they least expect it. You gotta know exactly when to drop that grenade. Trust me, it'll be worth the wait.

Plot Twist Techniques:

Breadcrumbs: The classic "how did I not see this coming" twist. Make 'em scratch their heads and wonder, "How did I miss that?" Lay the groundwork for your twist by dropping subtle hints and clues throughout your story. It's all about planting those breadcrumbs and watching your readers play Sherlock Holmes.

Misdirection: The good ol' red herring. Lead your readers down one path, only to yank the rug out from under them at the last minute. Get 'em emotionally invested in a particular outcome, then flip the script and watch 'em squirm. Mix this with the breadcrumbs and you have a beautiful pie.

The False Win: Picture this – your characters are riding high, victory is in sight, and then BAM! You hit 'em with the ultimate plot twist: it's not over yet. Give 'em a false sense of comfort, then snatch it away like a cruel twist of fate. 

The Unprovoked: Ever seen a plot twist  that leaves you scratching your head and wondering, "Where did that come from?" That's the unprovoked twist. It happens out of nowhere, catching everyone off guard and leaving 'em reeling. It's unexpected, it's unpredictable, and it's oh-so deliciously twisty.

Types of Twists: The classics

Identity Reveal: Remember the "I am your father" moment? Yes. There's nothing quite like the shock of discovering that a character's true identity isn't what it seems. Whether it's a long-lost twin or a secret agent in disguise, identity reveals never fail to leave readers gasping for air. Mix it up to make it newer and you have an even tastier sandwich.

Motive Reveal: Ever wondered why that one seemingly innocent character was acting so shady? Well, it's time for a motive reveal – the moment when all becomes clear and the true intentions behind a character's actions are laid bare. It's like peeling back layers of an onion, only way more dramatic. (Plot twist: This entire post has been written so you will buy my book, The Sinner and The Scarred from Amazon! It is available in both Paperback and Ebook formats but if you have Kindle Unlimited you can read it for FREE!)

Background Reveal: Behind every great character is a great backstory. Well, these backstories can also be great plot twists. (What? The hero's love interest is the villain's child. WHAT? The hero's love interest is the villain! WHAT? THE HERO IS DATING BOTH THE VILLAIN AND THEIR CHILD!!) From dark secrets to hidden traumas, background reveals add depth and complexity to your story.

Character Deaths: Sometimes, the only way to shake things up is by "killing your darlings." Actually, whether it's a beloved hero sacrificing themselves for the greater good or a villain meeting their untimely demise, character deaths are guaranteed to leave readers in shock and awe. Especially when done right. (Set the mood for a fun wedding. Then kill someone at the wedding. Kill the bride. Or the groom. Kill 'em both. Have them kill each other!)

Destruction of Setting or Important Elements: Say goodbye to the status quo, because we're about to shake things up with a little destruction. Whether it's a beloved setting crumbling to the ground or a crucial element of the story being obliterated, destruction twists add a sense of urgency and chaos to your narrative. (Burn your hero's house down. Extra points if their family was still inside. Minus points if their dog was in there, though.)

Timeline Shift: A timeline shift can turn your story on its head, sending characters hurtling through time and space or revealing shocking truths about the past, present, and future. (It will be a weird way to find out you’re adopted, you know?)

Surprising Events in General: Sometimes, you just gotta throw caution to the wind and hit your readers with something completely unexpected. From random acts of kindness to bizarre coincidences, surprising events add an element of unpredictability to your story that'll keep readers guessing until the very end. 

Special Ability Reveal: The moment when a character discovers they've got powers beyond their wildest dreams, things start getting out of hand. Whether it's flying, telekinesis, or the ability to talk to animals, special ability reveals add a touch of magic and wonder to your story.

Do remember when it comes to plot twists, the sky's the limit. But placement is key. Whether it's smack dab in the middle of your story or right at the climax, the timing of your twist can make or break its impact. 

Now, let's touch on what NOT to do. Forced twists? No, thank you. Unbelievable plot developments? Hard pass. And let's not even get started on the dreaded plot armor– nothing kills the vibe faster than a last-minute rescue by bad writing. (Leave a comment if you’d like to learn more about what NOT to do!)

In conclusion, mastering the art of plot twists is no easy feat. It takes careful planning (AKA outlining of the story), strategic execution, and a whole lot of creativity. So go forth, soldiers, and twist those plots until they're unrecognizable. But remember, with great power comes great responsibility – don't abuse those twists, and always respect your readers' intelligence.

Now, go forth and twist to your heart's content. Happy writing! 🌀✨

[jimilter]

on the borderline — 01 | pjm. (m)

Park Jimin has been your buoy, your anchor and the ship of sanity that guides you to shore amid storms of self-doubt, nearly all your life; as have you been his. That is not to say nothing has ever brewed beneath the surface of platonic friendship, or that the two of you have never been victims to mistiming. Regardless, you would never risk the friendship you have with him now for anything. Even if you have to hurt him – or even yourself – in the process.

pairing: jimin x reader

rating: m (18+)

genre: humor | fluff | smut | friends to lovers!au

word count: 9.7 k

— warnings: swearing + alcohol consumption + unresolved sexual tension + mentions of therapy + really lame humor + some dark humor (a mention of n*crophilia) + sexual situations (mentioned m. receiving oral, explicit f. receiving oral) + a ton of secondhand embarrassment

— note: it is finally done, omfg. writer's block got me good with this one - literally made me crawl and mocked me for overestimating my abilities. but at least we are finally kicking this off, right? i hope you enjoy this messy ride, drop me a word, guys~ 💜

ps. the rating, genre and warnings mentioned above pertain to this chapter, only.

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𝐈 ⇢ 𝐔𝐍𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐃𝐈𝐓𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐘 𝐔𝐍𝐅𝐈𝐋𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐃 ♪ could it be i don’t know what’s good for me?

“Who even celebrates turning twenty-seven, dude?”

“Wha—”

“In this economy? Isn’t it better to just, I don’t know, wait till your thirtieth and then throw some grand party of the decade?”

“Hey, it’s—”

“I mean, sure, it’s a wonder Park Jimin survived another year without ending up in jail because he killed a co-worker, but—”

“Hey! They were not that bad!” he cuts you off with a protest. And then immediately sighs in resignation. "Okay, yeah, they were. That last month in that office was hell. Half the reason why I accepted this transfer was because I didn't want blood on my hands."

"Hold on," you raise your own protest. "I thought I was half the reason?"

"Uh… you're the other half?"

"Right, and the promotion had no influence on it, whatsoever.”

“Okay, this is a trap,” Jimin groans, finally giving up, and you break into laughter at his plight. “This is so unfair,” comes his disgruntled complaint. “Refuse to join my birthday celebrations and then find ways to laugh at me. You’ve got a way with ruining people’s day, babe, anyone ever tell you that?”

Rolling your eyes, you scan the cover page of the powerpoint presentation before you. “You do. Every other day.”

“And I’m right. Just come to the damn party, you big baby! I promise you’ll have a good time!”

“You don’t know that and you can’t promise that.”

Jimin releases a deep sigh on the other end of the phone and you purse your lips. 

You’re kinda mean for testing his patience on his birthday. But, in your defense, it was him that threw you a curveball first by insisting that you – the most unsociable person in his life – come to this celebration he’s having at his place with his work friends. Which just translates to his entire office, because Park Jimin is a massive social butterfly. You sometimes wonder how you two even stay friends with such differently designed social batteries.

Case in point, you don’t wanna spend your Thursday evening trying to mingle with his coworkers and faking smiles. Not when you know you two could be having so much more fun with a chill night in, watching movies and sipping wine. Or, like, maybe sipping coffee because you have an important presentation to give tomorrow morning. 

And that’s another reason why you don’t wanna freaking party – you have a Friday morning brainstorming session with your department about this workshop you’re in charge of organizing next week. You don’t have a keynote speaker yet and Rachel from Legal has refused to sit in as guest of honor so you kinda need a new guest, too.

“If you didn’t wanna party,” Jimin suddenly grumbles through the phone, breaking you out of your work-related thoughts, “why send me a birthday wish text full of balloons at midnight? You seemed more excited than me with your all caps party party and fifteen exclamation marks.”

Wincing, you close your eyes. You’d known you were overdoing it even as you typed that second text message. And now you’re gonna have to bullshit your way out of this.

You begin with a light scoff. “Well, I was obviously talking about the two of us having a party.” You weren’t. “Didn’t know you were so obsessed with the idea of turning twenty-seven you would invite your entire company.” You did.

Jimin’s groan spills with frustration. “Babe, for the last time, I’m doing this under pressure. My colleagues all self-invited themselves, okay? Like, I swear to you, if I could get out of hosting this thing, I would.” 

He sounds kind of distressed now which indicates he’s being truthful. Not that Jimin is a compulsive liar, but he does have this tendency to withhold facts to benefit his cause, at times. 

“My entire office has been on my ass ever since they found out my birthdate. And I have to have a big heart about it because the Director has to set a good example and all that dumb shit that nobody but the CEO cares about because the rest of us weren’t born with a silver spoon in our mouths and actually need to work to earn our paychecks.” He exhales loudly at the end of his outburst. “Do you understand, babe?”

A pout pulls on your lips because you do actually understand. You don't like that you understand because then you can't annoy him anymore which is always so much fun, but his reasoning is actually reasonable. 

Jimin has been working as the Regional Director of his company for less than a year. Eight months, to be exact, ever since he moved here following his promotion. Here, as in the place you’ve been located in for the past three years. This is the first time the two of you have been in the same city for such a long period of time ever since high school, a matter of fact. 

Sighing at your train of thoughts, you start the spell-checker program for your presentation and then push your laptop away to lay back on the carpeted floor, staring up at the ceiling. 

"I do understand, I guess," you finally concede.

"Thank you!"

"Doesn't mean I support it, though."

"I know."

Chuckling, you lift your phone off the table to peek at the screen. 

Ongoing call with Min 🌟73m 51s

“Jimin?”

“Hm?”

“Have you finalized a shirt yet? We've been on the call for over an hour. It’s past eight." You shut your eyes and exhale. "You'll be late to your own party…"

“What do you care?” he petulantly huffs in response. “I’ll be late if I want to. It’s not as if you will be kept waiting…”

Oh, God, this petty bitch.

“Jimin,” you groan in frustration, “don’t be catty, just tell me if you need my help!”

“I’m not being catty, you’re being a bad friend.” He pauses, and when you give another groan at his words, he clicks his tongue. “Fine, yeah, I need help…”

Rolling your eyes, you lift your phone up again. “How many are you confused among? Switch to video, show me.”

Within seconds, your best friend appears on the screen, raking his fingers through his hair like he is constantly doing, twenty-five hours a day. He has his reading glasses on beneath furrowed brows and squinted eyes – which he is yet to focus on the camera or at you – and his lips are pouted in either frustration or anger, or both. 

Nonetheless, he looks as good as he always has. A bit mature with his slightly longer black hair which he has been growing out ever since he got here. This promotion has relieved him of some of the workplace rules he was made to adhere to previously – one of them being how he styled his hair. Given Jimin’s obsession with dyes during his college days, you can only imagine how badly he must be itching for some highlights. You’ve told him time and again that natural black suits him best, but the guy always has other ideas.

A smile pulls at your lips.

“Your hair looks nice.”

That grabs his attention, making his eyes snap up to focus a little below the camera. “Huh?”

“Your hair. It looks nice,” you repeat, this time clearing your throat because, well, rehashing the wayward compliment makes you cringe a bit. "Without, y'know, any crazy highlights or dyeing? It looks, uh, good."

The grimace on your face is mirrored by Jimin and you immediately regret opening your mouth. You and Jimin suck at giving or accepting compliments. Insistent teasing and insults are more your forte.

This is weird.

Jimin clears his throat and pats his head, looking unsure. “Does it?” His squinted eyes and pursed lips express discomfort as he adjusts the dark strands around his forehead again. “Uh, thanks…? I am gonna get a trim after Christmas.”

Jumping the opportunity to swerve the conversation, you frantically nod your head. “That's a good idea! But like, Christmas is more than two months away, dude… You’ll be halfway into your Rapunzel era by that time…”

Proud of yourself, you burst into giggles while Jimin scowls at you and stares you down wordlessly until you finally stop. "You're so fucking lame."

You solemnly nod your head. "Astute observation. Now. The shirts, please?”

He makes an exaggerated show of rolling his eyes but then finally moves the camera away, probably placing his phone on some shelf, and steps back to allow you a glimpse of the two hangers in his hands. You squint, bringing your own phone closer to take in the two apparels on the tiny screen. And you do see two shirts, but they just look… black to you. Like, legitimately just black. 

Fuck, is this how guys feel when girls ask them to pick apart nail paint shades?

“You should’ve called me on Zoom,” you finally mumble, sitting up and frowning at the screen. “I can barely tell them apart on this small ass screen…”

“What?” Jimin looks kinda clueless and you realize he doesn’t have his earpods on him.

So you can’t see shit and he can’t hear shit. A wonderful pair.

“Nothing, just…” You trail off with a sigh when he raises his eyebrows, and try again, louder, “Can you describe them to me?”

“Describe? Wha…oh. You can’t see them on the small screen, can you?” At your pout, he breaks into a loud laugh, shaking his head. “A blind bitch, my God…”

In the middle of rolling your eyes, the serotonin emitting from the guy tugs your own lips up into a smile. He laughs with whole belly and smiles with his whole face, making everybody around him catch it too. Your best friend really deserves a life full of such happiness, you decide. He has a heart of gold, always so accepting and loving to all even if he ends up hurt at the end. Just endless happiness and smiles should be sent his way, and—

“Dude? You there? Your smile’s really creepy, please stop.”

Jimin’s words bring your attention back to your phone, instantly turning your – admittedly yeah, slightly creepy – smile into an irritated frown. Honestly, the contrast between you wanting him to always be happy and him literally asking you to stop smiling, though?

But also wow, what the fuck? Why’re you being an emotional sap out of nowhere? He is a good person but also a very annoying human being at times, did you forget? He can take a couple of falls. His life doesn’t have to be all smiles and giggles. What is wrong with you?

Shaking your head, you look at him. “Sorry, yeah. Kinda zoned out.”

“Will you focus now?” 

At your morose nod, Jimin shoves one of the shirts closer to the camera. Oh, this one looks redder. Wait, it is red! How the fuck could you not see it before? A blind bitch, indeed.

“So this is dark red,” he informs you before swapping the shirt with the other one in which you can clearly detect a blue undertone. “And this one’s really, really dark navy. Both are silk because that’s what I wanna do for my birthday. Now. Pick one!”

You hum in thought, honestly caught in confusion. Jimin’s skin looks really good when he wears shades of red. But both yours and his favorite color forever has been blue.

“Maybe we should go for something different this time,” you begin, nodding to yourself, “and not pick blue, Min.”

He exhales at your words and then huffs out a laugh. “Hey, we don’t always pick blue…”

“We kinda do, dude. Always.”

“O–kay, then. Let’s begin the twenty-seventh year of my life with a lifestyle change, then? Picking red over blue, it is.”

You nod with a snort, peeking at your laptop to see if the spell-checker has finished its job yet. It hasn't, dumb slow fucker.

“Hey, uh,” Jimin continues to talk even as you have placed your phone flat on the table, with the camera now capturing half of your double chin and the ceiling, “this isn’t about Yoongi, is it?”

What?

Wide-eyed and panicked, you immediately pick the device back up to stare at your best friend in horror. Only to find him attempting to stifle his laughter. Your eyes narrow at him sharply.

“It wasn’t, but now it just might be…”

“Um—”

“Jimin, why is he invited?”

“My entire office is the reason why the party is even happening. Can’t skip Yoongi for you, dude, that’ll look bad.”

With his eyes sparkling and lips trembling with barely contained mirth, Jimin looks so giddy about this conversation, you wanna throw a brick at his head. 

Ever since you met Min Yoongi at the godawful welcome dinner Jimin’s company threw for him, the guy has floated around you with hearts in eyes every occasion he gets. And Jimin, naturally, loves to drive you insane about it whenever he can. Which is basically all the time.

“Are you planning my murder in your head?” he teases, waggling his eyebrows as he walks around the store to get to the cash counter. “He’s not even that bad, you’re just stubborn…”

“Not bad?” You groan out loud, shaking your head in misery. “Jimin, that guy is scary.”

“He just likes you a lot, babe! And wants you to like him back!”

“Which is scary!”

He frowns at you. “That is a discussion for your therapist. All I want is for you to be there at the party. If you bump into Yoongi and he tries to ask you out again, just tell him you’re dating me.”

“No.” You roll your eyes. “That sort of a lie feels immoral, and outside of my social anxiety and commitment phobia, I’m actually a good person.”

“Please,” Jimin scoffs. “Half my office thinks you and I are a thing, anyways.”

In the middle of scoffing back at him, you stop and do a double take. “Hold the fuck up. Half your office thinks”—you pause to lean in closer to the screen and squint at him—“what?”

“That I’m dating you. And it usually works out in my favor. I can get out of a lot of awkward situations because people assume that I’m not single.”

He is smirking at you, while your head is about to explode. 

“Park Jimin. Why have you not corrected the rumors?”

“I just told you! They don’t push me into unnecessary social stuff because they assume I’m not single.”

“Not single because of whom, though?” Your voice has turned pitchy and squeaky. “Me? Are you insane?” You vehemently shake your head. “I’m your best fucking friend, Park Jimin! How dare you?”

“Well, my best fucking friend,” he says around snorts, “it isn’t that serious! Sorry I triggered your existential crisis, jeez.”

“It’s not an existential crisis!”

“No? Well, I’m still sorry.”

Not with the grin on his face, he is not. “You’re clearly holding back laughter…”

A wheeze escapes him at your words, leading to loud, hurried giggles that he fruitlessly attempts to muffle with a hand before quickly clearing his throat. To annoy you more with his stuttered lies. “N–no. These are – these are just my tears of guilt.”

“Park Jimin, I—”

“Hey, stop with the government name!” he finally declares, looking slightly more attentive as he finally stops laughing. “Alright, sorry. I’ll tell my assistant to send out a memo about it tomorrow, okay?”

“Not funny…”

“Come on, it’s a little funny. I don’t get why you’re so bothered. It’s not like you're dating someone, right? Or will, in the near future.”

“Or the far future,” you add with a grumble. “But it’s still not cool to let people make the wrong assumptions, Min.”

“Hey, if I can’t set you up with guys, at least let me have this?”

“How is that the same thing?”

“It’s not.” He giggles. “But it’s equally as fun.”

“Not for me, it’s not. Make it stop.”

“Or,” he grins at you with his entire teeth, “you could make it stop by accepting Yoongi’s advances!”

Sometimes it’s pitiable how badly your best friend wants you to date someone. No, it’s actually always pitiable. He’s been on this agenda ever since you broke up with your last ex, and despite all the in-depth conversations you’ve had with Jimin about why you’re not ready for love yet, he always somehow reverts back to pushing you towards some or the other dude. Every other week.

You sometimes wonder if it’s because he wants to break out of the kinda dumb but very important pact you blackmailed him into, some three years back. 

It was a simple set of rules you’d both agreed to, a few weeks after Jimin’s twenty-fourth birthday and a year after your break-up with your ex whom you never should have dated in the first place. You’d sworn off dating for the rest of your life, and because Jimin was hyper-focussed on his career at the time, he wasn’t too eager to find a girlfriend, either. So you both agreed to a mutual agreement of no dating – because it requires a shit ton of time and effort, only to cause a shit ton of emotional trauma in return – and made a promise to, instead, keep the other company, emotionally and intellectually. Completely platonically, of course, because both of you prefer hooking up with strangers instead of risking your friendship to scratch the itch.

Okay, so your words were kinda unhinged, something along the lines of, ‘If I’m not gonna date, you don’t need a girlfriend, either, dude. You’ve got me, and I’m easier to please.’  

Ugh…

But it still somehow worked out in the end. Neither of you have dated in the past three years, leaning on each other for support. 

So now, if Jimin wants to get back into the dating game, why not simply tell you that instead of trying to link you up with guys? Doesn’t make sense. Which probably means that this is not why he does it. Not to mention, that reasoning also doesn’t justify his supposedly harmless but also very meaningless flirting with you that never seems to cease. In his words, it’s because he needs to “cherish” the fact that you’re both single at the same time. Whatever the fuck that means.

Your best friend is a weirdo.

Right now, you just roll your eyes at his sly grin the way you usually do. “Fuck off with that, Jimin. My mind isn’t changing, when are you gonna stop?”

“Until it does change.” He gives a shrug. “Obviously.”

“Well, so then whatever it is that your co-workers see in us, why can Yoongi not see it too and leave me alone?”

Jimin laughs. “Oh, they think we act couple-y. And Yoongi’s blinded by his love for you, forgive him.”

You blink at his words. Couple-y? You and Jimin? When? Where?

What even are couple-y things, you wonder. You can bet you have barely kissed your best friend on the cheek, like, five times at most in your entire friendship of fifteen-something years. You and him aren’t too big on expressing emotions through…gestures. Sometimes, you even skip on hugs, instead fist-bumping as a greeting when you meet.

What about that sounds… couple-y? Nothing at all!

“Dude?” Jimin calls out to you, waving a hand in the front of the screen. “What is up with you today?”

You release an irritated huff. You both do not act like a couple. It’s a narrow-minded, backwards concept that people settle upon whenever a guy and a girl’s friendship doesn't meet the norms that the society has set up for them. Jimin’s co-workers are backwards.

“We don’t act couple-y, Min.” You look at him with determination. 

“O—kay?” He raises his eyebrows and you nod.

“Of course we don’t! Clarify this with your co-workers, okay?” you remind him with a frown, a finger raised and pointed at the screen. “And if they still doubt you, just tell them we don’t have sex. Nobody dates without getting naked, these days.”

Jimin bursts into loud laughter. “I don’t think anyone’s gonna believe me if I just say it, babe. Also, I don’t think that’s true? People still save themselves for marriage.”

You just roll your eyes. “Well, they’re stupid if they do. If I were to ever date again, sex is what would probably be the most integral part of my relationship. No sex? No label, bro.” You make a disgusted face. “So much effort put into tolerating a man in my life and not even a decent orgasm received in return? No thanks, I’ll pass.”

Beginning with small chuckles, Jimin slowly dissolves into loud giggles as you speak further, his phone shaking every which way as he sways with loud laughter again. You’re slowly caught by his infectious cackles, joining in with your own wheezes while he wipes his eyes.

As he finally straightens, though, he’s got this tilted smirk on his face that makes you vary. Because you almost know what he’s gonna say before he even articulates the words. “Well, if sex is what will make you okay about being called my girlfriend at my office, I can amend that anytime you want, you know? Just gotta say the words, ma’am…” 

“Yeah I'll say the words, alright,” you murmur with another, disinterested sounding exhale. “That you're a pervert, dear sir. And my ex, as of now.”

“Ooh, so you wanna show up at the party as my hot ex?” He waggles his eyebrows. “Fashionably late, dressed to kill and all that?” Then he quickly waves his fingers. “On the cash counter now, switching to audio.”

As his face disappears from the screen, you sigh. “No, bubs, I really can’t make it. I’ve gotta give this presentation tomorrow morning, real early.”

“Wow, your excuses just keep changing…”

“They’re all reasons and they all hold true, collectively, Min. It’s a goddamn list.” Placing your phone on the table, you tiredly rub your eyes. “It’s not even nine pm and I wanna go to bed already. How about I just see you tomorrow?"

There's silence on the line. A longer than normal silence, one where you can't even hear his breathing anymore, let alone the subtle rustle of his moving feet.

Ah, shit, you've upset him.

"I – I mean we see each other every weekend or so, anyway, so—"

"So you don’t wanna see me on my birthday?"

He sounds so gutted, your heart actually aches. But you still try, "We could have breakfast tomorrow, just you and I, and gossip about what all went down at the party?"

Jimin says your name in a small voice. "You can't not meet me on my birthday when we’re in the same city, dude… Do you remember the last time we celebrated any of our birthdays together? It’s been so long."

You do remember. It was his nineteenth birthday when you and two of your common, close friends had surprised Jimin with a visit to his college. He'd cried so much. You'd recorded it all on camera and uploaded it everywhere on social media, ruining his reputation – Park Jimin crying because he's not gonna be a teenager in a year. Wow, you guys were so lame. And also kinda cruel.

But damn, his last teenage year was… eight years ago, right? Holy shit, has it really been eight years?

Although it kinda makes sense because you and Jimin went to two different colleges in two different states. And yeah, you called and kept in touch but the visits were few and far between.

Wow. And you were gonna let go of the opportunity to meet up with him on his birthday because of – what? A dumb presentation? A dumb colleague of his that’s in love with you? Laziness?

Not anymore.

“No, you know what? You’re right.” You nod to yourself, smiling. “I’ll be there, Min.”

“Really?” Jimin sounds excited and hopeful, emphasizing how much he wanted you to be there. “Despite the Yoongi thing and your presentation?”

“Yep! I’ll steer clear of Yoongi or whatever, it’s cool. And I’ll bring an overnight bag to leave for work from your place, tomorrow.”

“Yes, that’s grea—wait…an overnight bag? You’ll stay the night? D–don’t you start work at, like, ten?”

Your eyes narrow at his stutter and the sudden awkwardness in his voice. “I actually have to give my presentation at eight, but… why do you sound like you don’t want me to stay? Look, if you’re planning on hooking up with someone tonight, let me remind you that your house is gigantic, Min. No one will bother no one.”

Jimin groans and you know you’ve hit the nail on the head. “Dude, you really need to work on your cockblocking tendencies. Remember that one time you stayed over and I had to cancel a threesome I’d planned? And now you’re interrupting my birthday sex? Not fair!” 

You gasp loudly, thoroughly offended. “Hey! You’re literally the one that emotionally blackmailed me into coming!”

“Yeah, for the evening!”

“Hey, I—no. You know what? You’re a menace to humanity and I hate you, Park.”

Jimin just giggles in response to your claim. “I absolutely know that. But really, thank you for agreeing to come despite everything, babe. It means a lot to me.”

“Yeah, well, your birthday kinda means a lot to me too.”

Woah, that is way too much sappiness from you in one conversation. Jimin’s pleasant hum of acceptance doesn’t help the sudden mush you feel in your chest either, which is why you clear your throat and rush to set the balance right.

“Just make sure I don’t see your naked ass by the end of the night, and we’re good.”

“Hey! That was one time!”

“Yeah, one time too many!”

“Please,” he gives an affronted scoff, though you can hear a smile in his voice. “Don’t act like you didn’t actually enjoy the view…”

“I didn’t! Shut up! Asshole.” You scrunch your nose and squeeze your eyes shut to ward off the image of Jimin’s bubble butt from your mind. “I’ll see you in, like, an hour then?”

“You mean you’ll see my asshole in an—”

“Park Jimin, I will murder you—”

Foregoing a dress, you choose to wear a scallop trimmed, navy blue jumpsuit which is the perfect amount of dressy and practical – if a hassle to pee in, but you’re resolved to limit your liquid intake; you have an early morning meeting tomorrow! – and your feet are confidently nestled in a pair of sneakers to make things ultra comfy for yourself. A gift-wrapped wristwatch in your hand to add to your best friend's never-ending collection, you have barely stepped through the doors to his humongous townhouse when the bass booming from inside nearly shoves you back.

The place is buzzing like a nightclub with all the lights, crazy music and the horde of people. A well-ventilated, clean and fresh smelling nightclub. You’d honestly go clubbing a hell lot more if actual nightclubs were like this.

Just as you’ve handed your coat to the guy manning the coat closet – like they do at charity balls; good God, Park Jimin throws crazy parties – and taken a step into the foyer, the man of the night materializes before you out of thin air.

“Bestie~! Welcome!”

Wow, how many drinks in is he? Given the way he can’t stop smiling, it has to be at least five. Or maybe he's just running on an adrenaline and serotonin induced high. Won't be the first time.

Cheeks rosy and eyes glazed over, Jimin’s long hair falls into his eyebrows and diamond studs glint in his ears. The red shirt looks nearly black in the dim lights and fits him like a dream. Guy’s dressed to kill – literal sex on legs, and this is coming from someone that doesn’t even wanna have sex with him. 

While you make a show of checking him out from bottom to top, wolf-whistling slowly, Jimin bashfully rolls his eyes and places an arm around your shoulders. He drags you into the house, nearly snatching the gift from you with his other hand to deposit it on the giant table full of presents, next to the coat closet.

“Looking good, Park,” you tell him loudly over the music, stumbling despite your shoes because he is literally not letting you use your legs with the way he is hauling you inside.

“I know!” The guy winks at you over his shoulder, which just makes you snort. “Thank you for coming, babe!” he then yells near you in a loud voice, pausing suddenly to turn to face you. “You’re my bestest friend in the world. I love you!”

Barely able to contain your laughter at the glee on his face, you return his hug with the same amount of zeal as him when he squeezes you to himself. In a completely out of character move, Jimin then plants a wet and sloppy mess of kiss to the apple of your cheek, making you flinch. And then cringe in irritation. Because at least five people around you witness it with a hand to their chest. 

They're speculating and misunderstanding your relationship, aren't they? God, you need a drink.

Jimin, meanwhile, is grinning so wide, his happiness melts your ire away a little. His smiles have a way of always making your heart feel full.

"Happy birthday, bestie," you tell him while he loops an arm around your waist to drag you to the drinks table.

“Thank you, bestie! Now, because you don’t wanna be hammered, I’d recommend sticking to the champagne and pina colada fountain.”

“Wait, what fount—ohh.”

There’s definitely a fountain placed next to the champagne pyramid, and apparently it isn’t just an ornament.

“Jimin, this party looks insane,” you tell him when you’ve reached the makeshift bar in the corner of his huge living room, and settled onto a stool. “I thought you were forced into throwing this?”

Once he's gotten you a flute of champagne from the guy working the bar, Jimin finally leans against the counter and grins at you. You eye the bartending guy with raised eyebrows. That makes two hired helpers. How much has your best friend spent on this whole thing?

“Of course I was,” Jimin tells you with a shrug, still grinning. “But I won’t bludgeon my reputation just because of some reluctance. I want them to remember this night for the rest of their lives.”

Taking a sip from the glass – and wow, that drink is hella smooth – you squint at him. “Okay. Okay, that's on-brand for you. But what’s gonna be your escape plan when they end up liking it too much and bug you to throw more of these?”

That makes his smile vanish. “Hey, I’m not gonna let myself be convinced every time.”

“You’re a people pleaser, buddy.”

“I’m working on changing that!”

"Which isn’t really working out, Min.”

Jimin scowls at you and you throw your head back in laughter. When you look at him again, he’s eyeing your outfit with raised eyebrows.

“You look good.”

And you look down at yourself as if you didn’t know what you were wearing, which is kinda stupid. Why do you always do this when people compliment your looks?

“Yeah? Thanks, dude.”

Looking up, you try to smile. Try, because Jimin is smirking at you. And not a friendly, teasing smirk either. 

No, he's giving you the smirk. The rare and deadlier one. Gaze full of mischief, head tilted as if in contemplation, eyebrows lowered to turn on the smolder. Yeah. That smirk. 

This is the exact same smirk he gave you at age twenty-five, when he tried to convince you that if the two of you were still single and lonely when you turned forty, you could get into a lifelong friends-with-benefits relationship. 

This is the exact same smirk he gave you at age twenty-one, when he told you about the crush he had on you when you guys were sixteen.

This is the exact same smirk he gave you at age nineteen, when you told him about the crush you had on him when you guys were thirteen.

Yeah, those are some bits from yours and his cherishable but embarrassing and kinda funky past. Also, you still can’t figure out why he waited two years before confessing his side of the said embarrassing past.

Anyways, reverting back to his smirk – this is the kind of smirk Jimin flashes at people when he wants to flirt with them. You’ve been on the receiving end of it for more times than should be normal between two friends. But in his own terms, “flirting is good for health,” so it is what it is.

You’re used to this behavior, too. But – like. Park Jimin is an attractive man. A really attractive man. It’s a basic, known fact to you. He is also a massive flirt, capable of charming the pants off of anybody without trying hard. And though the fact that you two have been friends for a decade and half does make you a lot immune to his looks and his wiles – at the end of the day, you’re only human. 

Proven by the uncharacteristic and completely unnecessary flush that overtakes your cheeks when his gaze makes a sweep of your outfit from bottom to top. 

Which is why you are biting your tongue and ducking your head to take a sip of the champagne again. It's something you've practiced over the years – if you pretend he's not doing it, he can't force a reaction out of you.

When you meet his challenging gaze again, you’re ready with your smile and wink. "I know."

Jimin's eyebrows raise at that, and the sultry weight lifts off his eyelids. His posture shifts and the seductive veil draped over him leaves. Phew. Attack averted.

"What? I've been practicing self love lately."

“Yeah.” He nods, chuckling. “That’s the reason for your lack of gratitude. And not the fact that I said ‘I know’ when you complimented me earlier, right?”

You put a hand to your chest and widen your eyes. “Why, of course not. I’m not the petty one, Min, it’s you.”

Rolling his eyes, Jimin steals your glass for a sip. You’re about to protest, but a presence on his other side distracts you. He follows your gaze to – a gorgeous, olive skinned woman. Damn, she is stunning.

“Hey, guys. Happy birthday, Jimin,” she wishes Jimin in her melodious voice, but only after flashing you a full smile.

It’s rare for you to receive genuine smiles from women around Jimin. You wanna befriend this woman.

“Avni, hey! Thanks for coming!” Jimin accepts her hug and moves to her other side, offering her a seat between you and him. “Tara said she’d bring her sister.”

The woman nods with a smile, before turning to you with her hand forwarded. “You're the girlfriend, right…?”

Didn't Jimin say she's someone's sister? His colleagues' family members gossip about you two too, then. How wonderful. Your deadpan stare cuts to the guy – causing him to clear his throat with a grimace and step in. 

“Avni, meet my best friend.” He tells her your name, and recognition lights her eyes up.

“Oh! Of course! It’s nice to finally meet you! Wait, are you – are you two just friends and not…?”

Okay, now you’re pissed. And wanna hit Jimin. But you can’t do that on his birthday, so you pull on a fake smile and bat your lashes as you shake Avni’s hand. “Oh, no, we’re just friends. But, uh, I’d suggest not going after him regardless.” You lean closer to her, eyeing Jimin’s confused face with a smirk, and lower your voice, “He doesn’t date women, only fucks and chucks them.”

Avni’s jaw drops and Jimin slowly slides off his seat with the widest eyes you’ve ever seen him wear. Your smirk widens to match.

“So if you’re looking for a night full of wild, explosive sex and nothing more? He’s just your guy.”

“O~kay, that’s my cue to go say hi to Tara!” Jimin jumps a foot away from you two, shuffling away before Avni has had a chance to respond. 

Barely stifling your laugh, you wave at his hastily retreating back. 

Avni still looks a little lost. “What was that about?”

A snort escapes you at her confusion. “Ah, just a joke, sorry about that. It’s just that everyone at his office apparently thinks we’re together when we’re not. Just wanted to fluster him.”

“Oh, I see. You’re not a couple.”

You blink. What was with that emphasis? “I’m sorry… What do you see, exactly?”

She waves a hand. “I mean, I get it. It’s no one’s business whether you’re just fooling around, or whatever. Your labels are your private matter. I apologize for prying.”

Exhaling, you down the remainder of the drink and close your eyes. “I don't know how else to say this, Avni, but we’re not fooling around. Jimin and I are just friends. Platonic ones. We don’t like each other romantically. Or sexually.”

“Really?” Avni gives you a look of disbelief, which feels kinda offensive, to be honest. 

You squint at her. “Yes.” 

“Sure. I don’t get it, but sure.” She shrugs her shoulders and goes back to sipping at her pina colada.

But you’re left gaping at the woman because what is up with her reactions of disbelief? “What does that mean?”

Rolling her eyes, she gives you a little smirk with a raised eyebrow. “I mean, what's the point of having a best friend as sexy as him if you don't even get off to his face? Not sexually attracted to that piece of ass? Yeah, right.”

Woah, what?

Woah… woah. And now there’s a slideshow of HD pictures of Jimin’s lips in your head. Attached to your body. The thought of him kissing your bare shoulder is sending tingles down your back, what the hell?

Are you sexually attracted to him?

Sure, his flirting flusters you sometimes but that's just objective, right? Right? It has to be. You’d never actually want Jimin, even physically, for Jimin. That’s right. You could appreciate particulars because he’s a good looking guy, but he is your best friend and you would never ever want him for that reason.

No matter how many shivers the mental slideshow continues to send down your spine, and oh—he wears rings doesn't he? And his hands must have veins because he gyms like a freak, right? Interesting.

“You’re thinking about him naked, aren't you?"

“No!” you yelp your way out of your thoughts, deeply disturbed by how quickly they escalated. And also kinda spooked by Avni’s spot-on deduction. “I’m – I’m thinking that I don’t like him sexually, Avni.” 

"It's okay, hun. It's perfectly normal to fantasize. Whether you act upon it or not is completely up to you, but all that you think about? No one has to know." Avni looks at you with a very knowing smile, pats your shoulder, and steps away from the bar. 

Even as she has disappeared from your sight, lost in the crowd of partying people, her words stick with you. It's definitely not okay or perfectly normal to fantasize about a person you call a friend. It's deception and a breach of their trust in you. It's dishonesty.

Isn't it?

Damn, and now you're second guessing yourself? Just who the hell is this Avni woman for her words to affect you so much? A motivational speaker? A witch? 

You can’t let her get to your head.

No. This isn't you and this isn't the kind of friendship you have with Jimin. He's not just a friend of yours, he's your best friend. The bond you share isn't dispensable. The friendship you share isn't something you want to experiment upon. 

But then again, Avni did say no one has to know what you think about—

Okay, enough! You shake your head to physically knock the inappropriate pictures out of it, and scowl to yourself in disappointment. 

You know what you're thinking about even if no one else does, and you know why it is wrong. Jimin trusts you. He is honest, open and vulnerable with you because he knows you’re his well-wisher, first and foremost. And you will always honor that. 

Nevermind the fact this reminds you a bit too much of the beginning of middle school when you barely knew Jimin and had this huge crush on him. That was when you thought up scenarios of kissing him and got butterflies in your stomach about it. No sane twenty-seven year old wants to feel like their thirteen year old self. You need to get a fucking grip on this.

Exhaling, you’re contemplating asking for a refill, when you make a scan of the people near you, and – shit, Min Yoongi is headed this way.

All other thoughts are wiped right off your head as the need to disappear mounts up. This is the only guy in the entire world that terrifies you. More than your dad does, more than your ex ever could. And though he looks like he hasn’t seen you yet, he is heading straight towards the bar which means he’s gonna see you, any minute now.

Quickly vacating your stool, you hurriedly walk away, shooting off into a random direction to mix up in the crowd of people and allow their drunken, dancing bodies to guide you to another end of the room. 

When you finally exit the sea of human bodies with a sigh of relief, you look around to find yourself at the mouth of a prettily decorated hallway. Is this the one that leads to your favorite bathroom in Jimin’s entire house, the one with the clawfoot tub? Yeah, it is! It looks so different with all the fairy lights. Really majestic, too. You're gonna ask Jimin to keep it this way.

Walking down the few steps to the bathroom's door, you shrug off the last remaining inappropriate thoughts about Jimin from your head and, deciding upon washing your face, push open the door—

"Fuck, baby, just like that…"

—only to walk in on a naked, male ass bent over the gorgeous ceramic of your beloved clawfoot. While some girl, seated in the bathtub for some ungodly reason, is sucking his soul out of his dick. Who the heck is getting head in your precious bathtub?

Wait…

The shirt on the guy’s back is so dark red, it looks almost black. It’s gorgeous, it compliments the guy’s skin, it fits him like a dream. It’s perfect. It’s also the shirt you helped your best friend buy today.

“What the fuck? Jimin!” you shriek, slapping a hand over your eyes and turning on your heels. 

A loud yelp and a feminine gasp echo around the space, after which Jimin yells out your name. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“No – no, what the hell are you doing here?” you complain to him in a louder yell. 

Some shuffling and whispers later, a girl scrambles past you. Then a hand grips onto your forearm to spin you around. Jimin’s angry face is looming over yours, cheeks tomato red and hair a mess. If you could be objective about his looks without wanting to pummel him to death, right now, you would say he looks really good. But you’re not.

Because how dare he flash his naked ass to you when you were going through your very bizarre crisis with all these indecent thoughts about his hands and lips? What if you start to think about his ass, too? 

“Why didn’t you just leave?” he hisses at you, eyes narrowed and body so close to yours, his citrusy fragrance saturates your lungs.

“Because you thrive on being an exhibitionist, you whore.” You scowl at him, leaning away and crossing your arms against your chest to avoid inhaling more of the citrus that is making your head spin. “This huge of a house and you had to get it on in the one bathroom that I love?”

“Hey, this is my house and it’s my birthday. And this area was off-limits for the party people.”

Was it? You have no idea because you’re not party people; ‘co-host’ describes you better. “You’re still a whore.”

“What?”

“Yes! I specifically asked you to ensure I don’t stumble upon your naked ass, didn’t I? Seriously, the disrespect, Min?”

Jimin rolls his eyes and rakes a hand through his hair, which – woah, he wears a ring in each finger, then. Okay, no, your mind needs to chill the fuck down, because this is getting crazily out of hand.

“I didn't know someone would come running in here! I left you peacefully drinking at the bar, how was I to know…hey, speaking of – what the fuck was that with Avni?”

Grimacing, you hold both your hands up in a placating gesture. “One mess at a time, Min.”

“You know what?” He grunts and pushes you against the wall with a hand on your shoulder. “Sometimes you annoy me so much, I wanna physically shut you up…”

What – the holy hell?

His lips are in front of your face, parted and wet, and his gaze is so fucking dark, you cannot tell his pupils apart from his irises. And he has a hand resting next to your face, forearm and ringed fingers lewdly on display. All of that accompanied with the cologne you are inhaling with every ragged breath? A throb begins to build up between your legs.

And yet you manage to whisper, “Fantasize about fucking my throat often, Park?”

He freezes, eyes slightly widened and brows slightly lifted, but his gaze falls straight to your lips. Wait… is he fantasizing about it now?

With that, all the images you'd worked hard to burn off your brain are back with vengeance. Fuck, and now you also know how he moans during a blowjob?

Fuck fuck fuck, you’re about to ruin your friendship with him forever if you don’t reel this in.

Why couldn’t he have just taken the damn girl up to his bedroom?!

“Or slitting it…?” you add in a conspiratorial whisper, doing your best to wiggle your eyebrows and pull up the cheekiest grin you can muster, even if you secretly struggle with regulating your breathing.

Jimin’s rounded eyes snap up to meet yours, and then fill up with humor. He pulls his lips together in a line, eyebrows furrowed in faux anger. “How about the former… followed by the latter?”

And just like that, everything is back to normal and you’re slapping him away from you. “I won’t even put necrophilia past you, you demented horny mess…”

“What? I take offense to that!” He is laughing, though, facing the mirror to adjust his hair. “While we’re on it, let’s not forget about the hidden voyeur in you.”

“Yeah, because voyeurism is the same as necrophilia.” When he raises an alarmed eyebrow at you in the mirror, you roll your eyes. “Not that I intended to watch you! It was an honest mistake. I didn’t know you’d be in here. Or that you’d be naked with the door unlocked.” You give an incredulous laugh. “What in the name of exhibitionism was that about, Min?” 

“I was in a hurry, she was unbuttoning me in the hallway!” He scrunches his nose for a moment before narrowing his eyes at you. “But you could have silently left?”

“I saw your butt, my corneas were incinerated. I couldn’t let you orgasm in peace after that, could I?”

A snort escapes him, and you join him in the laughter.

This is good. This is normal. This is what the two of you are about – no matter how tense or uncomfortable things get for you, you both always revert back to being two idiots that care about each other. Because you are friends. The best of friends who have no romantic or sexual attraction between them, but would still die for one another. You’re homies. Bros. For life.

When Jimin is done adjusting his hair and you have actually washed your face and touched up some of your makeup, he drapes a hand over your shoulders and walks out. Classic homie behavior, right?

You look up at his grinning face and sigh. “Sorry about the girl, by the way. You think she’ll come back if you call her?”

“Improbable,” Jimin gives a snort, but then he shrugs. “But someone else will. I’m a catch, babe. Don’t worry about me.”

He gives your shoulder a squeeze – and as you feel the metal of his rings press innocently into your skin, you realize it’s not him you’re worried about.

A pair of lips is traveling up your thighs, hot against your cold skin, lighting a fire up that burns in the depths of your stomach. 

You've never felt these lips before, but you know them – they are Jimin’s. 

The cloud-like softness and plush plumpness could belong to no one but your best friend's God given cupid's bow. You've spent fifteen years looking at them, sometimes to concentrate on his words, sometimes because they had a milkshake mustache above them, sometimes because they looked suspiciously kiss-swollen, and sometimes just…because you wanted to. 

Which is why even though you've never felt them before, you know them. You know how they would feel. 

This is exactly how you imagined they would feel.

Your best friend is kissing his way up your thighs, and it's the best feeling in the world.

Your eyelids slowly part to peer down at the guy, a hand reaching out towards his head to grip onto his tuft of golden, overgrown hair.

“Jimin?” you whisper.

“Hm?” comes a murmur back, making you shiver.

“Please…”

He wordlessly moves his mouth to the center of your thighs. Parting your legs, with his warm fingers adorned with cold rings, he runs his tongue up and down your opening twice, before latching onto your bundle of nerves. Your hands tug at his hair, back arching off the bed, and a broken whine escapes you.

“You like that?” he speaks into your pussy, dirty promises in his voice.

“Yes,” you whimper, widening your legs and pushing his face further into you. “More…”

“Mm hm,” he murmurs, now pushing two of his fingers into you and fuck, that feels so fucking good, you’re gonna explode. “Are you close, sweetums?”

The pet name stuns you for a moment, but you recover quickly and moan out a yes, unwilling to let the momentum of your build-up drop.

“I’ll let you come if you promise me one teeny, tiny thing…”

Why is he talking like that? You never pegged Jimin for someone that would struggle with dirty talk. 

Your peak has been disturbed again, but you indulge him with a, “Anything, baby…”

“Anything?”

“Yeah…”

And then he lifts his head up to flash a wide, toothy grin at you from between your legs. His mouth is coated in your juices, eyes are dark, cheeks are rosy, but that smile? Is kinda creeping you out. You hesitantly swallow. 

“Uh, Jimin, what—”

“Go out with Yoongi!”

What? “No!”

“Yes! I literally only agreed to do this with you to convince you to go out with him!” He’s pouting now, sitting between your legs shirtless, with his hands crossed. 

What the fuck is going on…?

“What am I gonna tell him now?”

“He knows you’re here?”

“He’s right outside!” Jimin’s eyes sparkle as he looks towards the door to the bedroom, and before you can stop him, he yells out, “Come in here, Yoongs!”

You shake your head vigorously, but can’t formulate any words. Something is lodged in your throat, and you keep mouthing the word no, but it just doesn’t fucking come out, no matter how much you repeat it –

No! No!

NO!

“Nooo~!”

You sit up in bed, ready to cover yourself up with a pillow, but – find yourself to be alone. 

Where is Jimin? Are you… clothed? You’re still dripping wet, thought, but—

Hey, you remember going to bed alone. You’d gathered your bag from your car, grabbed some dinner, and slipped into this guest room that you have claimed as yours in Jimin’s house ever since he moved in. The last you saw of the guy was in the living room, sandwiched between two girls and somehow humping them both.

He never visited your room.

Does that mean you were having… a dream?

That was a fucking dream? 

Jimin went down on you and then tried to convince you to date Yoongi in the middle of it? He called you sweetums? And used words like ‘teeny-tiny’?

What the fuck is wrong with your brain?

You collapse back onto the soft mattress of Jimin’s spare bedroom – that has basically been turned into your second address over the months – and cover your face with both your hands. You’ve got a presentation to give tomorrow morning and this is what your subconscious mind is thinking about?

The next meeting with your therapist is gonna be wild.

After the kind of evening and night you have had, the morning feels anticlimactic when your alarm shrills in your ear at six am. You barely got four hours of sleep and that too was riddled with dreams that you’d rather not try to recall.

You enter the kitchen, still in your pajamas, to find Jimin dressed in a formal shirt and pants, reading something on his tablet with a cup of coffee in his other hand. This feels so shockingly normal. Mundane, even. 

“Good morning, sunshine,” Jimin laughs at your state, holding a fist out for you. “You look minutes away from death. Sleepless night?"

To say the least. “Morning,” you mumble in response, rubbing at an eye, and lazily drag your feet up to the guy to bump your fist against his.

"I left some coffee in the pot for you," he tells you with a smile.

He’s literally the best best friend in the world. You flash a dopey smile back at him, nodding in gratitude as you begin to move your feet again – but then your gaze really catches your best friend’s appearance. And decides to stay there for a while.

The white shirt Jimin has on is folded up to his elbows, and damn, his forearms have veins too? You never noticed before. His hair is styled away from his forehead, giving him a clean look that you can’t stop staring at. Has he always looked this good with his forehead on display? Has he always worn these hoops in his ears? You’re pretty sure he has. To both of those.

And yet you cannot stop looking at him in maniacal fascination, because scenes from that dumb fucking dream you had last night keep popping up in your head, uninvited. Ugh.

Jimin eventually notices your unhinged staring, glancing down at himself and then back up at you with a wary gaze. “Um, what?”

“What?”

“What’s with that look?” He puts his tablet aside. “You okay? Did I do something?”

You rest your chin on a palm and frown at him. “Kinda. I had a wet dream about you last night.”

Jimin spits coffee out his mouth and nostrils, sending the liquid spraying across the table. “What the—what?"

"I dreamt about you. It was sexual and—"

"You ever think – you ever think we need some filters between us?" His voice comes out high pitched. "What the hell, dude?"

“Unconditional friendships come with unfiltered confessions, shut the fuck up,” you murmur and finally move to pour yourself some coffee.

When you return to your seat across the breakfast table from him, Jimin is still staring at you, almost unblinkingly. You look at your mug and take a sip of the delicious brew, humming in satisfaction when the liquid immediately starts to supply the tired veins of your brain with some much needed energy. Which also makes you recall that Jimin’s hair was blonde in your dream. Damn. You haven’t seen him with that hair in so long.

This is when the said guy clears his throat. You look up to find him squinting at you, and narrow your eyes back at him. “What?”

“Did we have sex?”

Your face scrunches up in a scowl. “Why do you wanna know?”

“It’s my body, I wanna know what you imagined!” he states with his eyes widened and brows curved.

You groan at his words, shutting your eyes to shake your head. “Firstly, I didn’t imagine you naked, it was a dream. And secondly, I don’t even have to imagine because I already know what you look like, dude. You’ve given me a full-frontal numerous times in the past.”

Jimin gapes at your words. “Hey, the last time that happened was at least five years ago, when we all went skinny dipping. And everyone was high as a kite, I’m sure you remember nothing about my body!” 

Drawing another sip from the warm drink, you blink at him. “What is your point?”

“Well, I–I’ve built way better thigh muscles and more pronounced abs, recently.” He frowns at his leg, knocking at the muscle near his knee. Then he looks up and grins at you. “Oh, and I also have an Adonis belt now!” 

He looks so proud of himself for that, it’s as endearing as it is funny. You nod with a hum. “You’ve always had the Adonis belt, though.”

“Yeah, well, it’s more defined now.” 

Your mug pauses near your mouth. Why the hell is he trying to endorse his muscles to you? As tempting as the mental imagery is, you put a firm lock on it and instead tilt your head at your best friend. “Jimin. Do you want me to see you naked?”

Removing his hands from his abdomen, he stares at you, wide-eyed, looking horrified. “What? No! What—”

“Then what the hell is this conversation? Why’re you bragging about your body to me when I just told you I had a wet dream about you?” 

“I…” He trails off with a frown, looking into space. Then he nods at you with a grimace, one hand raised up in surrender. “I see your point.” 

You shake your head with a snort, draining the rest of the mug. The clock on Jimin’s fridge tells you it’s twelve past seven. You step off the chair with a sigh. “Hey, I gotta get ready soon. You’ll drop me off?” 

Jimin breaks out of his thoughts and looks at the clock above his shoulder. “If we leave in the next eighteen minutes.”

Nodding, you rush out of the kitchen. “I only need fifteen!”

© jimilter | 2022

links to be updated at a later date!

[vagabond-umlaut]

plotting circles

what can a little drink or two ever do?

nothing. absolutely nothing — given you promise to be fine with the alcohol catalysing an eleventh-hour alteration to a decision you never imagined deviating from - until you do...

well, a chalked-out life, sans any curveball, is boring, anyways.

‣ gojo satoru x fem! reader; established relationship; clubs; drinking; wedding; eloping; fluff and angst

‣ belongs to series we're the summer to our winter rain but you can read this as a stand-alone if you wanna!

‣ based on this ask. gif, divider and characters aren't mine. please don't plagiarize, translate or repost this. enjoy reading! ❤️

the speakers are blaring. the lights are glaring. and you're stranded in the midst of everything - akin a fish out of water.

eyes squinting, you try to find a familiar in the sea of club-goers from your position a little away from the dance floor, before a known blond head, neatly parted, swims into your area of vision. you find a gram of relief, the first time since you received the call.

"hey, sorry for waking you up," nanami apologizes on reaching you. a strong scent of alcohol wafts off the man - fighting back a grimace, you send him a reassuring look. "it's okay, kento. it's not even eleven now. i was awake when you called; speaking of which..." trailing off, your gaze travels over the throng then back to him, exasperation melting away every other emotion as you ask, "where is he?"

a guilty look settles over your friend's features. "where the drinks are being served. yu and suguru are there too."

a tired sigh escapes you. of fucking course, drinks are involved in this mess. nodding a thanks, you begin to move towards your destination - then stop when nanami speaks up again. "please don't be too harsh on him... he has got his reasons."

slightly dumbfounded at nanami's newfound support for a person he claims to vehemently dislike, you simply send him a small smile and walk over to the counter where - sure enough, you find the reason of your woes sitting, throwing back what looks like a shot of a sparkling liquid.

bloody hell!?!?

"gojo," the name rolls off your tongue like a caustic alkali - bitter and burning. said man swivels his head to the left and right, then spins his entire body behind - eyes widening at your sight. another swear falls past your lips as you take note of his appearance - flushed cheeks, glassy gaze, shades nowhere to be seen...

suguru returns a grin to your inquiring look, before exiting the scene hastily, an arm around haibara as he drags your snoring friend away - presumably to where you left nanami standing.

a large warm hand grasping yours snaps your focus on them two, and you look back to find a pair of blue eyes peering at you, welling over with unshed moisture. you look back, eyes widened in concern and confusion, whilst your former vexation chips away in bits and pieces.

"'toru-" you begin, volume dropping to a mere whisper - only to be cut off by a mirthless chuckle from the person opposite. a finger placed on your lips, he asks in a choked voice, "you know i don't quite agree with alcohol, don't you? but do you know why, despite that, i insisted on drinking tonight?"

this man has always been dramatic as hell but tonight... tonight, something seems to be different in his airs. the despair, the dejection peeking from the depths of those two blue eyes - always so bright, so cheery, so bubbly - leave you in a disconcertment of sorts.

cradling his cheek in your free hand, you offer him a listless nod, gaze raking over his features in search of a trace of any bodily discomfort.

sure, the world's strongest sorcerer, currently teetering on the brink of crying before you, does annoy you to the very ends of this world at times, yet... you can never bring yourself to be that mad or upset at him to wish him any form of unease.

pressing a tiny kiss to the hollow of your palm kept against his cheek, gojo lets go of your other hand to pull you flush, chest to chest. face flooded with warmth and colour, you gape at him.

leaning forwards, the man rests his forehead on yours, and whispers, tiny puffs of his breath (fruit-smelling, you realize, fond and grateful) grazing your cupid's bow, "it reminded me of you. your hatred to the stench of alcohol. to the taste of alcohol. to the very stuff of alcohol. sounds like a good revenge for you turning me down, yeah?"

a beat passes - or two - wherein your brain processes the confession and registers it - before a disbelieving chuckle spills forth your lips.

yeah, you can never - not even in your wildest dreams - stay mad or upset for long at this dumb-as-fuck man-child currently tracing the curve of your spine from over your pyjamas. you're way too much in love with him for that.

"it sure does," you hum, carding your fingers through his soft white locks. gojo gives a pretty audible purr under your ministrations. the bartender and a couple of patrons cast you two a strange look - you pay them no mind as you continue, "but don't you think tonight's the wrong time for your revenge? a night when i won't be near you for long to truly suffer from your masterplan? a night when i'm, in fact, not even allowed to see you, let alone be in your arms this way?"

the man's brows furrow in contemplation while he mulls over your brows. stifling a coo at how utterly cute he looks deep in thought, you continue running your fingers through his hair. quite a long second passes in this manner - before he looks up again, a wide grin splitting his face into two. you raise an eyebrow in silent question.

"we're getting married tomorrow, yeah?" he asks. you give a slow nod in affirmation, wondering where this conversation is going. "yeah, we are. the ceremony's starting at eleven in the morning."

"so, tonight's the night before the big day. the night when we aren't allowed to meet and stuff... yeah?"

"yeah..." you give an even slower nod this time. dragging you into his lap, gojo inquires with a grin like a cheshire cat, "your family owns this luxury resort, don't they? do you think this little rendezvous of ours will go unreported to your clan elders?"

the second hand on your watch ticks once - and a long groan leaves you as the realization - no wait, two realizations crash upon your weary self.

one, this wasn't some cliché revenge plan where the main character drowned his mountains of sorrows in a bottle of vodka. this was a top-notch conspiracy hatched by people you thought you could trust.

two, your fiancé is better at persuading people (he roped in nanami of all people!!) than he gets credit for.

yet... despite recognizing these two facts... as said before, you find you can't really be upset or mad at the love of your life for long.

biting back the smile threatening to bloom across your face, you ask, or rather, state, "you weren't that drunk as you seemed to be, were you?"

"wrong, i was," gojo corrects, waggling a finger in front of your face; you resist the urge to bite it, "or else you would've seen through the ruse - my mochi is the smartest, after all - but yeah, i wasn't for long. i nullified it all by my reverse cursed technique the second i got you in my arms."

ohh... this is why...

and here you were thinking why he isn't waxing yet another one of his terribly slurred yet terribly endearing ballads of his love for you... the way he does, minimum once, each and every time he has drunk till date.

a thumb gently rubbing the corner of your lips breaks you free from your mind and you look up at gojo. "so, to save you from the lectures waiting for you tomorrow - those stupid traditions too - why don't we just elope, hm? me and you?" the latter suggests with a smug smirk.

the plan sounds tempting, extremely so - still, you open your mouth, ready with a counter-argument - only for your fiancé to beat you to it. smirk simmering down to a tender curve of pink lips, he says, "plus, you've always wanted to elope, haven't you?"

you open your mouth a second time, this time to brush it away, citing the higher-ups' demands, when the man adds, "don't worry about your clan or my clan elders, i'll protect you."

you grow unmoving under his heavy words and light touch.

tucking a wayward strand of hair behind your ear, he continues, "just be honest to me, sweet cheeks – an extravagant destination wedding isn't really what you want. it's running away and getting hitched, isn't it? something to do with the adventure or thrill or freedom... isn't that what you always used to tell me when we were younger?"

a moment passes before you nod weakly - throat too clogged with emotions (he remembers even this? fuck, how did you ever get so lucky to get a partner like him?) to utter a word as you attempt to keep your tears at bay.

you fail miserably.

vision growing blurry rapidly, a watery chuckle leaves you. "okay, fine. let's elope," you mumble, placing your head on his chest, right at the spot where his heart beats, "but only if you agree to one condition."

"what condition, princess?" gojo hums.

"you won't be the only one protecting me from those old bastards; i wanna protect you too. let's just protect each other, 'kay?"

the thumb wiping your tears away stills over the apple of your cheek - and you look up to find your fiancé stare at you, an indecipherable emotion swimming in his eyes. you beam up at him. "deal?"

gojo's reply arrives in the form of a long, deep, loving kiss pressed to your lips, followed by a flurry of kisses all over your face, leaving you a giddily giggling, madly blushing mess of a bride-to-be — though, one must note, a much freer, much happier one than before — and in not twelve long hours but in much less (yet too long, your lover whines) a time than that.

[the next morning, one of your personal maids nearly kicks open the doors to the large breakfast hall as she dashes to where your parents, in-laws and friends are and places on the table—

it's a photo - of you in your sleepwear being bridal-carried by gojo in a pretty decent outfit, a short veil cascading down till your shoulders as the two of you grin at the camera, eyes crinkled and cheeks dimpled.

shoko is the first to recover from the shock.

or, maybe, she wasn't shocked at all.

placing an outstretched palm before suguru, whose staggered eyes are still fixed on the piece of film, she says, "told you she'll say yes ultimately, didn't i? now pay up, loser."]

▸ masterlist

[imawkwardlysoc]

it's not all about you

Song- It's Not About You by Lawrence

Pairing- Nick Bradshaw x gn!reader

Warning(s)- It's all platonic and Goose lives.

Summary- Goose saves the reader from a horrible date.

Wordcount- 797

“Yeah, it’s crazy that I managed to do that,” my date’s voice became muffled as I lost interest in his workout routine.

“Wow, that’s so crazy. How is that possible? My voice showed no interest in him and in the conversation.

“I know right,” he chuckled.

I played around with the paper wrapper that the plastic straw came in. Looking around the restaurant, I saw people enjoying their dates as I wasn’t enjoying mine. All he did was talk about himself and what he did for a living. Everytime I try to talk about myself, he just interrupts me and continues to talk about himself. I’ve already listened to his workout routine, the d-list celebrities that he’s met, the bars he’s been to, and other things that I don’t care about.

Please, let this night end.

I saw him open his mouth again but I heard a familiar voice coming up to our table.

“C/S,” I looked over to see Nick in a dress shirt and slacks walking up to our table in a frantic mood. “There you are.”

“Goose, what’s up?” I asked him with a concerned look.

“We need to go back to base,” he told me.

“Wait, why?” I started to grab my stuff.

“Last minute mission details you need to look at,” he explained. “You need to look at them now so we don’t screw this up.”

“Yeah, I understand,” I got up from my seat.

Putting on my jacket, Goose and I headed out of the restaurant. We walked down the sidewalk to see Ice and Mav all dressed up leaning against Goose’s Bronco.

“You two also need to go to base?” I asked them.

“Nope, the four of us don’t need to,” Mav said with a smirk.

“What’s with the smirk?” I looked at the pilot.

“We just watched the most horrible date ever and we saved you from it,” Ice explained as he wrapped his arm around my shoulders.

“Thank you,” I thanked all of them. “So, what’s on the agenda?”

“Well, the night is still young. Wanna go bowling or something?” Mav suggested.

“I’m fine with bowling,” I agreed and looked at Ice and Goose for their input.

“Sure,” they both agreed.

With all of us agreeing which bowling alley to go to, all of us got into the Bronco and Goose drove us to the bowling alley. Parking his car, we got out and into the bowling alley where the clattering of bowling pins being knocked down echoed throughout the building. Paying for the games and shoe rentals, we put them on and grabbed our balls.

“So, are we playing just for fun or are we betting on anything?” I asked them.

“Whoever loses buys everyone a round the next time we’re at the O-Bar?” Ice suggested.

“Sounds good,” the three of us agreed.

Putting our names in the system, Ice started off with rolling a strike. Mav was second with hitting six pins the first time and two the second time. I went after Mav knocking down seven pins and a spare the next time. Goose went and was in last by knocking down five pins after rolling a gutter ball the first time. After a couple of rounds, Goose and I laughed at our friends who were bickering like an old married couple.

“Oh my god just throw the ball,” I laughed at them.

“Come on, don’t you think a curveball is better than just throwing it straight down?” Mav asked.

“It doesn’t matter which way you throw the ball, Mav. It’s still going straight into the gutter,” the RIO quipped which caused me to snort.

“He does have a point,” Ice laughed.

Mav shook his head and he threw his ball down the lane hitting a split leaving four pins behind. We finished off the round with Ice beating all of us and returned our shoes before heading back to the Bronco. Seeing that it’s close to midnight, Goose dropped Ice and Mav first since it’s on the way to our houses.

“Well, this was a good night,” I said to Goose. “Better than the date I was on.” “Glad you did,” he smiled as he pulled up to my house.

“Well, I’ll see you three on Monday,” I unbuckled my seat. “Drive safe.”

“See you on Monday,” he replied back.

I placed a kiss on Goose’s cheek and headed out of the Bronco. I walked up the stairs of my small house and opened the front door. Looking over my shoulder, I saw Goose giving me a wave and I waved back before shutting my door. Looking through the window, I saw him start his car and drive away. Closing the blind, I headed into my room to get a full night's rest.

[manako-no-yami]

throw me a curve, i'll catch it

Fandom: Suits Ship: Marvey (platonic, can be read as pre-slash) Wordcount: ~500 words Summary: Mike and Harvey meet as kids. Harvey is the pitcher on his high school baseball team, and sometimes, Trevor can't always be there to save Mike from bullies.

····●·○·●·○·●·○·●·○·●····

The kid's eyes are wide and impossibly blue. Like it's heaven that's watching. Maybe that should make Harvey nervous. He looks at Harvey with begrudging admiration, but also like he's hungry for what Harvey has. Harvey isn't unfamiliar with such looks, but usually they stem from jealousy.

Mike doesn't seem jealous. He seems curious. Like he's absorbing every detail so he can practice it later in front of a mirror.

If it's supposed to intimidate him, it doesn't work. If anything, it makes Harvey's chest puff with pride. Yes, people admire him. Yes, people want to be him. But Harvey has never been a role model before, and certainly not for somebody with such a keen eye for detail. If Harvey slips, Mike will notice. And he won't be afraid to call him out.

(Maybe a part of him is nervous. But that would be stupid. Mike's just a kid, and Harvey doesn't do nervous.)

Harvey has long since learned to bear the pressure of being watched gracefully. But this is different. Mike doesn't watch him because he hopes Harvey will fuck up. Mike watches him because he expects Harvey to be better. (Worthy.) It's a challenge, and Harvey loves a challenge. It makes winning all the more sweet. And above all, it makes him want to give the kid something to chase.

"Hey, kid," he says. "Wanna learn how to throw a punch?"

"You know my name," says Mike.

"Sure I do. Kid."

Mike rolls his eyes. "Even if I learned how to punch, it won't do much when it's three against one."

"Maybe." Harvey shrugs. "But it'll earn you more respect."

"I don't need their respect." Mike's face darkens, eyes stormy. "Their respect isn't worth anything to me."

He looks like a sulky, wet puppy when he's angry, but Harvey finds himself amused by his venom. "Not theirs. Your own. You'll never be worth anything if you don't have any self-respect. And even if you can't win, you'll feel better about it if you know you got in a lick or two."

"That sounds like a good way to get myself in deep shit for no reward."

Harvey grins. "Maybe," he says again. "But you can't think your way out of this one." He taps his finger to his temple in emphasis. "The next best thing is to punch your way out."

Mike looks skeptical. For good reason—the kid probably learned the hard way that fighting back makes it worse.

But, "Tell you what," Harvey says. "The next time those losers try something, if you manage to hold your ground and stay on your feet before I come swooping in to your rescue, I'll teach you how to pitch a curveball."

"I don't need you to rescue me," is Mike's automatic response. But Harvey can see the gleam of interest in his eyes underneath the scowl, and that's how he knows he's won, again.

Ah, kids. So easy.

"Sure you don't." Harvey ruffles Mike's hair, then twists to catch him in a noogie when he tries to duck away.

"Harvey," Mike whines, trying to wriggle his way out.

"Learn how to throw a punch, and maybe you'll be able to stop me next time," Harvey says, smug.

"You suck."

"Ha. Get good, chump."

[inu-jiru]

"Oops" Episode Rambles

I rewatched the episode for the sake of my rewrite post (plus I just wanted to see the final animation, credit where it's due, the show is fun to look at sometimes), and decided to share my thoughts since I haven't done that for an episode in a while:

Ngl, I'm honestly really indifferent towards Fizzmodeus, like I get that it's most people's positive for this episode but I honestly just don't care about it. I think it's because I'm so jaded to the 99% of dialogue that's sex-related to enjoy the sentimental stuff but also because it's just Bee and Vortex again, and it begs the question of why the shit Stolas' situation is so special (aside from him being Vivzie's baby) when the Sins just do whatever and either hide it poorly or don't hide it at all. Who came up with this hierarchy in the first place? Because the more we go on the more it seems like a thing that only Goetians focus on (which Ozzie should be apart of so what the fuck).

Speaking of Ozzie, I don't get why he's so nice, same with Bee. I'm not asking for everyone to be a shithead 24/7 but the concept of Hell's leaders, the ones who've created and are enabling the world of kill-or-be-killed that we've seen, being 100% friendly is just odd to me. Then again, Viv's idea of Hell is a nonstop party where they're all good unlike the EVIL BAD TOTALLY NOT GOOD angels and Adam so it doesn't surprise me. Also his whole thing about "Lust shouldn't be forced". Um? I'd get it if he were talking about LOVE, but Lust is not something I'd ever consider to be consensual in nature, especially not in Hell. That's all I'll say on the matter because it's a very serious topic, but then again, maybe I should consider myself lucky a topic that dark isn't being butchered by Vivzie. All of that said, I do like Ozzie's voice actor, he's really nice-sounding.

I don't understand what the hell happened with Fizz and Blitzo. Who the fuck was going around saying that Blitzo didn't wanna see Fizz and didn't tell Fizz that Blitzo showed up? I have to assume it was maybe Barbie or Cash (assuming Cash didn't also die in the fire). If it was Barbie I'm not entirely sure why. As far as we're aware (unless they retcon it in later) Barbie shouldn't have seen Blitzo knocking into the cake or leaving Fizz, so if she did it because their mom died, I can't see how she would know that. Maybe someone saw Blitzo and passed that on to Barbie, but the fact of the matter is I shouldn't have to Tetris-style guess and insert explanations for the episode. If any episode was going to be a full on backstory, it should've been this one, not The Circus, especially with Unhappy Campers being before this one.

On a positive note, I think those little fly-dog things are so cute in a kinda ugly way. I do think it's kind of a nice small look into Fizz's mind that he'd have one that's wheelchair-bound because he'd relate to it. Ozzie patching up Fizz was nice too, as much as I don't care for the couple, I'm glad that Fizzmodeus at leasts SHOWS the shit that Stolitz doesn't. And speaking of Stolitz, yeah Blitzo keep telling me all these things Stolas TOTALLY does for you yeah I'm sooooooo sure

And, like other people have said, Stolas was totally pointless and useless like always, and what a nice cool guy who totally isn't bad like the other Goetia when he let that lawyer guy get brutally murdered, like yeah I guess it wasn't really his place to help or anything but I don't think having him smirk and say "Get fucked, little one" is doing him any favors. I do have to wonder if they're actually gonna go through with this Crystal shit. I'm not gonna bother guessing anymore because like I said before, the show will throw a biggest, goofiest curveball at you to try and seem less predictable.

And speaking of curveballs, Crimson and Striker. That's it. That's all I gotta say on that subject. I miss Harvest Moon Festival, man. Like I'm no Striker fangirl who buys all the Striker merch and shit but damn he's so pathetic now. Why did Blitzo have to recreate the shit that happened and shoot the barrel when he could've shot Striker in the face while he was talking? Please, I need someone else on the writing team PLEASE

Anyway I think that's it for now.

[cherryrainn]

Can you write about onceler (before all the money) x fem!reader girlfriend with family issues? She hates her family and is aways alone. Well i was listening Matilda from Harry Styles if this help you :)

https://open.spotify.com/track/6uvh0In7u1Xn4HgxOfAn8O?si=HatJCc_WSRK9J2uoKct0fQ&utm_source=copy-link

hi!! i love it when people send me songs to listen to while writing <3 it actually helps a lot, so thank you! when i get requested and theres a song mentioned, i usually just make it the title because im lazy i hope thats okay hehe

☽ ༚  ༵ ۰ ✧ ۰  ༵ ༚ ༵ ۰ ✧ ۰ 

— matilda

onceler x female! reader with family issues

note; song here if you wanna listen to it

the sky was adorned with streaks of pink and orange as you found yourself trapped within the suffocating walls of your family's home, the tension hanging thick in the air. the echoes of arguments and bitter words reverberated through the hallways, leaving you feeling isolated and alone.

amidst the chaos, you yearned for an escape, a moment of respite from the turmoil that plagued your every interaction. seeking solace, you stepped outside onto the porch, the cool evening air brushing against your skin. sitting on the weathered wooden steps, you gazed out into the world, hoping to find a semblance of peace in the surrounding nature.

the silence of the evening was interrupted only by the distant sound of crickets and the rustling leaves. the weight of your family's expectations, their unyielding disapproval, settled heavily upon your shoulders, threatening to break your spirit.

feeling overwhelmed, you uttered a quiet sigh, your voice carrying a mix of frustration and sadness.

why am I always alone in this house, even when they're physically here?

as the words hung in the air, a soft breeze swept by, as if nature itself were attempting to offer solace. but it was onceler, your loving boyfriend, who would become your refuge from the storm.

in that moment of vulnerability, you realized that you couldn't bear the weight of it all alone. seeking comfort, you stood up and made your way to onceler's house. thankfully, his family happened to be away, leaving the house enveloped in a serene stillness.

as you arrived at his doorstep, uncertainty and hope mingled within you. you knocked softly, and the door creaked open, revealing a glimpse of onceler's whimsical haven.

onceler's eyes widened with concern as he took in your tear-stained face and trembling form.

"y/n? you... sure do look like you've been through.. a lot. come inside, we can talk about it."

you followed him into the house, finding solace in the familiar warmth that greeted you. the aroma of freshly brewed tea and the soft glow of candlelight filled the air, creating an atmosphere of tranquility.

you sank into the comfort of the couch, onceler sitting beside you, his gaze filled with empathy.

"tell me what happened. i'm here to listen. you don't have to go through this on your own."

and so, in the safety of onceler's presence, you poured out your heart, sharing the intricacies of your family's discord, the unfulfilled longing for acceptance and understanding. he listened intently, his touch offering reassurance and his words enveloping you.

onceler sighs, " i can't change your family, but i can be here for you, y/n. you don't have to pretend or fit into their mold. you're amazing just the way you are. we'll figure this out together, alright?"

you spent the evening talking and sharing with onceler, finding comfort in his presence and his genuine understanding. he made you laugh with his silly antics and playful jokes, providing a much-needed respite from the heaviness of your family burdens.

as the night grew darker, onceler wrapped his arm around your shoulder, pulling you closer.

"you know, sometimes life throws us these curveballs, and it can feel like we're all alone in the chaos. but i want you to remember that you're not alone, sweetheart. i'm here for you, and we'll face whatever comes our way together."

you leaned into his embrace, feeling a glimmer of hope and strength rekindling within your heart.

"thanks...i don't know what i'd be without you." you say, digging your face into his chest.

onceler pressed a gentle kiss to your forehead, his touch filled with tenderness.

"no need to thank me, y/n. we're a team, and i'll always be by your side.

[blouisparadise]

Here are some amazing bottom Louis fics that were posted or completed during the month of March. We really hope you enjoy this list. Happy reading!

1) We Were Starving | Explicit | 1835 words

Louis has a run-in with another Alpha. Harry reminds him who he belongs to.

2) Lucky Once, Could Be Lucky Again | Explicit | 2676 words

Louis has been letting the rich and famous knot him for cash since he found himself walking out on the lavish lifestyle of his rockstar future mate. Life throws him a curveball when his booking service calls him with a request for the most exclusive, high end omega escort in the city for a very important client. That client is one of the most famous alphas in the world. Harry Styles. The rockstar he walked away from.

3) Fireflies | Not Rated | 4183 words

Anyone who has ever worked or interacted with Louis always deemed him to be a stereotypical, powerful and intimidating Alpha - with his over dominating presence, confidence, and the way he speaks with so much conviction.

It does not help that Louis is an extremely private person, never talking about his friends and family, his weekends or vacations. Everyone just assumed that Louis, an unbelievably unbearable and bossy Alpha, hadn’t been able to bond with an omega yet. Of course, rumors flew around the office.

That is, until, Louis attended his company’s annual dinner with his Alpha, Harry.

4) Wanna Feel the Edges Start to Burn | Explicit | 6111 words

Harry gives him a gentle smile. “Feeling a little bit better?”

Louis nods tentatively. “I think so yeah. Thank you so much for being so kind, but you really didn’t need to do this.” He lifts his unfortunately still shaky hand and runs it haphazardly through his hair. “It was just a spilled tea, I totally overreacted. I’m a bit embarrassed to be honest.”

Harry scoffs. “Are you kidding me? Don’t be. I saw the whole thing, that guy was way out of line. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

Louis gives him what he’s sure is a watery smile. “Erm thank you. I wouldn’t normally admit this to a stranger, but you’ve already seen me cry today so what the hell?” He forces himself to let out a weak laugh. “The thing is, my period is due any day now and sometimes the birth control pills make my emotions go a little haywire. I think that’s what happened.

5) Choices | Explicit | 6671 words

Louis chooses everything Harry does to him.

6) In This World, It's Just Us | Explicit | 12839 words

Harry is Louis' older brother's best friend. Harry and Louis are in a secret relationship.

7) Where I End and You Begin | Explicit | 42730 words

“You know you’re kind of a brat,” Harry muses, eyes firmly on Louis as he leans back crossing his arms over his chest.

Louis smirks, “You’re not the first one to say that big boy, but I’ve learned to take it as a compliment.”

Don’t get hard. Don’t get hard. Don’t get hard.

Harry’s brain repeats to himself while Louis glides a hand across his face.

He’s so screwed.

Check out our other fic rec lists by category here and by title here.

You can find other monthly roundup fic rec lists here.