#but yeah i didn't cause a scene or anything but i WAS more argumentative than i ever usually am! and i'm surprised because i've

[katya-goncharov]

today i acted kind of karen like in public for about the first time in my life, and i'm honestly still astonished at myself

[hannieehaee]

Can I request this? A wonwoo oneshot where they had a fight at the company which leads to the oc to storm out and later wonwoo finds out that on the way home she got really sick but at the moment the oc is in the library. So wonwoo mission is to get the oc out of there but she’s giving him the silent treatment somehow😁

content: established relationship, idol!wonwoo, afab reader, public argument, angst, fluff, etc.

wc: 987

a/n: i did my best to include all the main details of the prompt into a short drabble i hope u enjoy<3

masterlist

you knew you were being quite immature.

yeah, it was just a small altercation with wonwoo over some small thing, but that had just been what it snowballed into.

it had only been a few days since wonwoo got back from tour, having been gone for a few weeks with limited contact with you due to timezones and his packed schedule. you understood. you were no newbie at this. by now it had been a while since you had began dating wonwoo, so you were already an expert on the ins and outs of dating an idol. however, you still demanded some type of attention.

when wonwoo finally arrived, you had expected that maybe he'd try a little harder to spend time with you. while you understood that he was likely very tired from touring, seeing the way in which he isolated himself rather than dedicate at least a bit of his free time to you did hurt your feelings.

had he not missed you as much as you did him?

this led to a one-sided silent treatment. he, of course, didn't really notice as the two of you weren't spending much time together anyways. though you were still on speaking terms with him, you were very curt and short in your interactions. something which he, yet again, had no reaction to.

which is what led to an embarrassing argument just a few hours ago. at the company. in front of his members.

it wasn't anything too big. it was mostly complaints about his terrible time management when it cane to sustaining your relationship. already hurt and having made the mistake of not communicating your issues to your boyfriend, you snapped when you stopped by the company to get lunch with him, only to be told he already had plans with his members.

after an embarrassing rant in front of half of seventeen, you stormed out, leaving a very confused wonwoo behind and finally allowing him to realize that he had unknowingly iced you out.

it felt like shit, to be quite honest. you felt invisible to him. was picking a fight the only way to get him to react?

things weren't always like this. wonwoo had always been the most comforting person you'd known. maybe he was a little reserved and shy at times, but he was always showing you his unconditional love. whether it was through his words or through silent acts of affection, he had never made you feel unwanted or ignored.

even when he'd return from a tiring tour, he'd isolate himself with you. you'd lock yourselves away from the world and simply exist with one another, encompassing each other in the love you shared. this time around, wonwoo had somehow forgotten about you, simply sharing a living space with you rather than being your home.

the worst thing was that he was entirely unaware. the moment you confronted him, you could see the shock in his eyes. wonwoo hadn't even realized he had been withholding himself from you emotionally. the more frustrated your voice grew as you ranted, the more his confusion transformed into hurt. he was hurt at the realization that you'd been hurting because of him – all while he thought everything was fine.

this made you feel miserable as soon as you made your way out of the company. fully aware that you should've communicated your distress to him earlier, you still left, embarrassed at the scene you caused and hurt that he hadn't considered your feelings until you shoved them in his face.

was it so wrong of you to have wanted him to realize on his own? you thought he knew you better than anyone, so it shouldn't have been too difficult a task to realize. right?

and now you were alone.

upon leaving the scene, teary eyed and embarrassed that you had shown such a vulnerable part of yourself in such a public setting, – in front of some of his friends, at that – you went to the place that brought you most comfort. you needed silence, so you went to a secluded library in town.

you and wonwoo would sometimes frequent this place. as both a bookworm and the girlfriend of a popular idol, this was one of the only places you could really go with wonwoo. it was secluded and quiet, meaning that you could simply exist around each other while not being perceived by anyone else. the memory of your times together there made you feel unable to concentrate, so you simply sat in silence for a while.

it wasn't too difficult for wonwoo to find you there. he had assumed you wouldn't just go back home, so he searched from you in places he knew you loved. this had been his second guess, right after the han river, where you would sometimes walk together at night.

sitting in your usual spot, wonwoo quietly approached you, sitting next to you. neither of you said anything. the first contact between you two came in the form of wonwoo's pinky seeking your own, twisting it with yours in a sweet manner. there was no way for you to deny him, so you humored him, eventually holding his hand as his fingers graced your own.

"im sorry," he whispered, looking down at his lap.

"yeah?", you whispered back.

"i take you for granted sometimes. you wait for me here and you put up with my hectic life and i ... i forget that i should reassure you of my love. im so sure of how i feel about you that i forget to let you know every single day. it wont happen again," he finished, eyes now boring into yours.

"can you say it?"

"i love you. you'll never have to ask me again. okay? i love you."

"i love you too."

"let me take you home?" he asked, leaning into you as you sat side by side.

"yeah."

[hwaslayer]

love you in slow motion (psh) | four.

♡ spotify playlist | series masterlist ♡

—summary: seonghwa will go through hell and back for you, as long as he can continue to see that smile on your face. because to him, that smile feels like a rainbow after the rain, thewarmth of the sun on a winter day. because to him, you’re more than just his bestfriend—you’re love. even though everyone seems to see that except you.

—pairing: park seonghwa x f!reader

—genre: (18+ - minors dni) bestfriends to lovers | fluff, angst, eventual smut

—word count: 10k

—chapter warning: cussing/mature language, alcohol consumption, intoxication, club scene!, twerkin buns at the clurrrb 🤪, kissing/making out, quick rundown of oc's history with mingi, physical altercation, mention of small injuries/wounds (lip cut), arguments, crying, the silent treatment 💀, hints of a hookup, oc x seonghwa just being a mess per usual sorry 😫 lol

"Are you still riding with me and Joong to the club?" Seonghwa puts your call on speaker while he sits in the passenger's seat of Hongjoong's car.

"Yeah, if I can."

"Can we head over then?"

"Sure. I'm still getting ready."

"We figured." Hongjoong chuckles in the driver's seat, turning into a lot. "What do you want from Egg House?" Seonghwa inches the phone away from his face when you squeal loudly and clap.

"Double egg toast, please!"

"Okay. We'll be there in about 30 minutes or so."

"Thank you!" You hang up the call first and Seonghwa lets out a breath, slouching further in the seat.

"It's so easy to please Y/N." Hongjoong laughs, finding a spot in the opposite end the lot closest to the shop.

"Sometimes."

"San ever tell you about their dinner?"

"Not really. Y/N did. A bit. She was being kinda weird about it, actually."

"Hm." He hums, figuring if it was gonna come from someone, it would be him. "That's probably because they talked about you."

"Me?" Seonghwa furrows his brows in confusion. "What about me?" No wonder you were being so weird about the topic at the aquarium. You couldn't tell him the full story, even though Seonghwa wished you would've. It'd make things way easier.

"What do you mean 'what about you?'" Hongjoong laughs as he heads to the self-checkout area to order. "These unspoken feelings, that's what."

"What did San say?"

"He asked if you two had anything going on with each other."

"Why is that a question when there clearly isn't?"

"Mm, well.." Hongjoong's response has a drip of sarcasm that has Seonghwa

"He didn't have to do that."

"He just didn't wanna get in between anything, of course he had to." Seonghwa is silent and he's biting his tongue because even though he has a rebuttal ready to slip— he's not entirely sure why he'd be defensive and fight back about it.

Hongjoong and San were right. It's not like everyone wasn't aware. The only person who seemed to be was you.

"I don't know what Y/N said. But whatever it was.. was enough for San to just back off." 

"He shouldn't give up on her."

"Him or you?" Joong laughs. "I mean they're still going to be the same. Good friends. I don't think anything was lost. They're probably both comfortable this way, too. Maybe that's just how it's supposed to play out." Joong shrugs. Which, it isn't much of a surprise to Seonghwa when he hears this, especially when you started talking about the potential of ruining things—

♡ FLASHBACK

"As friends. Like we always were." You tug on his wrist. "Hypothetically speaking, if we were to date, would that ruin things between us?" Seonghwa swallows the lump in his throat before shaking his head.

"Why would it ruin things between us?"

"I don't know, because we've always known each other like this. As bestfriends. It could be a dangerous thing, right? Cause we'd know too much about each other or whatever." You look up at him, and he locks his eyes with yours. He wishes he could say everything and nothing at once— but he sticks with the latter, his own example of keeping everything at bay. 

"I truthfully don't think it'd ruin anything."

"B-because I feel like it would and that's why I'm just letting things be with San."

"You sure that's it? Cause I feel like you're asking for a different reason, and not for San in particular."

♡ END

"Hate when you do that." 

"Hate when I'm right and you're wrong.. again?" Seongwa finishes plugging in his order and yours before checking out.

"I got it since you're driving today." Is all he responds before snatching the receipt.

"More gas money for me." Hongjoong snickers, plopping onto a high stool off to the side of the restaurant to wait for the food. 

"Did San say anything else to you?" Joong shrugs and shakes his head.

"Nah. But, he seems to be the same."

"Gotta talk to him." Seonghwa mainly mutters to himself. He just wants San to be okay because he didn't want this idea of you and him getting in the way [despite his feelings]. That was never his intention. But before he can fall into a rabbit hole with his thoughts, his name is being called and a bag full of food is being pushed his way. Joong is already on his way to the car, unlocking the doors to hop in and drive off to your place with a quickness— especially because he was hungry.

When they arrive at your place, they pass through the house to say their hello's to Yaya with Seonghwa handing off the extra sandwich he remembered to buy for her. She happily thanks them before waving them off, telling them that you're probably still getting ready in your suite.

"Hey!" Seonghwa knocks and yells. "Are you decent or whatever?"

"Yeah! Come in!" He hears from the other side just as he tugs on the doorknob. Walking in, he notices a few pieces of clothing scattered along your bed and couch, with you head deep into your closet.

"The hell are you doing?"

"Finding an outfit, what does it look like?" Your response is mumbled as you dig deep into the depths of your closet to find that black cotton mini skirt and a few tops. "Got it!" You hold up a bodysuit and a regular tank in the same color. "Body suit or tank?"

"How the hell are you gonna pee?" Hongjoong asks mid-chew. "Unbuttoning that coochie holder while drunk is crazy."

"You're sick, Kim Hongjoong."

"Nah, tell me. How is that gonna work?" Seonghwa silently takes out your sandwich and plops next to him on the couch.

"He's got a point. I'm not going into that bathroom to save you."

"Ugh." You groan, tossing the bodysuit aside and settling for the tank. "I'll figure out the rest later." You plop next to Hongjoong's free side. "Thank you for the food." You smile over at them.

"Hwa bought it." Hongjoong's eyes are glued to the TV. 

"Thank you, pichu."

"Mhm." Seonghwa responds from his end. 

"Why are San and Woo going separately?"

"San has to help his uncle with something and it might run a bit long. Woo offered to go with him so he wouldn't be alone."

"Mm." You hum. "Hope it doesn't go long."

"Aw. You miss Sannie?" Hongjoong playfully pouts and you hit him on the bicep.

"You're so fucking mean to me." Joong laughs loudly when you continue to whine, Seonghwa contently eating away while watching the show.

"You guys good or what?"

"Yeah, I just want all of us together."

"We will be, don't worry." Seonghwa chimes in and passes you your food. "Eat. I know you'll need like 500 hours to get your makeup and hair done." You glare at him before picking up the sandwich and digging in. You, Joong and Hwa continue to talk amongst each other while watching the TV before you gather the strength to finally get ready for the night. You turn on your bluetooth speaker, blasting your playlist while you get dressed and get your makeup going. Seonghwa has taken a few pregame shots with you in between, now sipping on a canned cocktail to keep him going while you finish up your makeup and hair. You take one more look at yourself in the mirror, satisfied with the oversized black denim jacket, mini skirt, tank and knee high heeled boots you threw on. Your makeup was simple, but enough to pop.

"Damn." Hongjoong teases, playfully checking you out and flattening his brows with two fingers while Seonghwa rolls his eyes. But, he has to say— he's fucking dying inside because of how fine you look tonight.

So fucking beautiful, and Seonghwa wishes he could have you all to himself.

"Go away." You laugh, walking through a cloud of perfume. "I'm ready!"

"About time." Seonghwa teases. "You look good." He breaks contact as he shuts off your bluetooth speaker and is the first to head out the door.

"Thanks, pichu." You shut off the lights and lock your door. "Do you have the bottle?"

"Make sure to hide that shit in the car, I'm not getting pulled over." Hongjoong says, unlocking his car. You hop into the backseat and tuck the unopened soju bottle aside— keeping it safe until you get to the club.

It's a 20 minute drive before Joong is circling the streets to find a good spot. When he finally gets lucky and finds one just a block down, he reverses into the spot flawlessly before shutting off the car and giving off a deep sigh.

"Have at it." He says, texting San to find out his whereabouts while you and Seonghwa continue to pregame some more and finish the bottle. The alcohol is hitting you quickly tonight, the soju being the cherry on top. Joong tells you San and Wooyoung have parked nearby, giving you all the greenlight to meet them halfway and walk together to the club.

You [drunkly] scream loudly when you see the two; running into their arms and letting them swing you around. You feel happier when you're all together, excited for what the night has to bring. You cling onto Seonghwa without realizing, the group behind you two as you walk side by side while engaging in conversation.

"Seonghwa! Why would you say that!" You and Seonghwa laugh loudly while walking down the street to the club. San can't help but divert his attention to you two ahead; watching as you naturally joke around, laugh and playfully bicker. You cling onto Seonghwa and continue to attach yourself to his hip, and the reality settles for San even more.

He is sad, but it's clear this is where you're supposed to be.

Seonghwa continues to tell you his story, leaning in to tell you delicate details even as you fall in line for the club. San realizes things surely haven't changed, because for you and Hwa, all you see is each other. You both don't ever purposefully make anyone feel left out, but at the end of the day, Hwa was always going to prioritize you and vice versa.

This is your own world and San only plays a little part in it. And that's okay. That's completely okay. You deserved to be happy and that's all he wants for you. All he wants for Hwa.

When security finally checks your IDs and lets your group in, the club is packed from wall to wall and you're having to hold Seonghwa's hand while navigating through the crowd. Hongjoong is behind you, gripping at the belt loop of your skirt to help lead the other two trailing him.

"Aye, over there!" Hongjoong tugs on your belt loop and points at the free bartender towards the other end of the club nodding with his lips while nodding. You take the hint and get Seonghwa to navigate to the free area. Once you're there, you feel like you're able to breathe, being able to spread your arms and move around freely.

"Let's go get some drinks from the bartender over there, it isn't busy." Seonghwa points to the small bar area towards the back end. Your group follows, instantly asking the bartender for a few shots of tequila, whiskey, whatever each chose as their own poison. 

The shots are taken to the neck, and before you know it, you're dancing away on the dance floor with your friends. Wooyoung manages to grab a few dances from cuties nearby, dragging San along to cheer him up and find someone he could possibly have fun with. But, amidst all that and all the numbers he manages to grab, he still finds himself looking for you so he can at least have a dance. 

"Y/N?" San comes to you, cheeks tinted red as his hand  caresses at his jaw. 

"What's wrong, Sannie? Are you okay?" You look up at him with those eyes, your hand on his bicep. You're both clearly drunk out of your minds but jesus, is he having trouble containing himself. 

"Y-yeah." He hiccups. "I just wanted to ask if you'd dance with me?" You giggle and nod.

"Let's go!" You grab his hand and take the initiative. At some point the crowd builds and you're separated from your group— Wooyoung floating somewhere out in the chaos, while Hongjoong and Seonghwa are pulling further and further away. You continue to dance with San though, enjoying every moment and having fun while with him. He keeps up with your rhythm, holding you close but making sure you still have enough freedom to move however you want, have space however you want. But, you continue to work on him and dance along to the music, forgetting any worries for the night.

You dance with San for a good chunk of time before you start searching for Seonghwa, who is no longer nearby. You catch wind of him, but your body decides this is the perfect time to break the seal.

"I need to go to the bathroom." You turn to San and tippy-toe to his ear.

"You okay? Want me to come and wait?"

"No, I'm okay. I'll be back." You give him a small reassuring smile before rushing off to the bathroom and waiting in the tiny line that had formed outside the door. You're in and out within 5 minutes, washing your hands and patting your face down with how stuffy the club had gotten. After handling your business in peace, you realize that Seonghwa and Hongjoong are even more separated than you thought when you exit the bathroom— no longer being able to spot them on the main dance floor, especially due to being inebriated. You finally find Wooyoung and San together, tugging on Wooyoung's sleeve to grab his attention.

"Where's Hwa?"

"Iono!" Wooyoung shrugs. "Last time I checked he was somewhere over there with Joongie." He nods in the far back corner behind you. You give Wooyoung's arm a squeeze to thank him before pushing your way through the crowd towards the potential Hongjoong and Seonghwa spot. When you get there, Hongjoong is definitely nowhere to be found, but Seonghwa is talking to some girl. He's leaning in towards her ear in order for her to hear him, and she laughs at whatever the fuck he's saying. It lowkey kinda irks you, even though you have no reason to be feeling that way. You should be happy Seonghwa is putting himself out there and flirting away at the club. 

Not feeling jealous or envious in the least bit that she is occupying his time and space.

"Hey." You come up to him just as she giggles and playfully flips her hair, turning on her heels to walk away. She gives him one last look before she sways her hips and continues walking towards her friends, all of them squealing over the encounter in the middle of the club. "I see you've been busy." He shrugs.

"That's the girl I met. Makayla." You subtly roll your eyes and tap his chest.

"Okay, well I've been looking for you." You kinda pout.

"What's wrong?" He tilts his head.

"Nothing, I just wanted to hang out with you and I couldn't find you for the longest time." He laughs.

"You were dancing with Sannie, weren't you?" He taps your nose. He says it like it's a light, teasing joke, but deep down, Seonghwa had to step away and get outta that spot. He's not gonna lie, he is relieved you're finally looking for him and finding him. 

"So?" He laughs.

"Well, you found me? Stop pouting. We came here to have fun and you're gonna be with me all night." He gently runs a finger down your bottom lip that is still poking out in a pout. 

"Where'd Joong go?"

"Bathroom." 

"Let me grab San and Woo—" Seonghwa tugs at your hand just as you're about to turn, a small frown on his face. As you look at him, not only do you realize how drunk you still are, but you can also pick up on how drunk Seonghwa is, too. His eyes are red and glazed over, cheeks also tinted with a rosey hue. 

Which, with the way he's looking at you, can't be a good thing. 

This won't end well.

And you truly do not care right now.

"Uh-uh, I thought you wanted to hang out for a bit. Dance with me." He says, pulling you flush against him while his teeth subtly nibble on his bottom lip.

"Hwa." You get all shy and unlike yourself, most definitely from the alcohol and the way he's looking at you up and down. You let him keep you close, beginning to dance against him and go with the beat of the current song blasting through the club. 

To set the record straight first and foremost— it's not like you haven't danced with him before. You have, and those times have been careless, free and fun. You didn't have a care in the world, Seonghwa didn't. It wouldn't last because it was harmless fun before you were onto the next and brushing it off like it was any ordinary thing between you two.

Because it was.

Tonight, it isn't. The air is different, and the energy between you two is supercharged; strong, an incredible pull to each other. The air is extra thick and like no other you've experienced with him. You can't really explain it right now, but with recent events, you just know you want Seonghwa.

Just like he wants you.

So you dance, and you dance. The two of you have pushed to the farthest corner of the club that Hongjoong never seems to return to Seonghwa [or maybe he did and didn't wanna bother] and the two of you are left in your own little world. He's still keeping you close, a tight grip on your hips as he feels every inch, every move against him, doing his best to keep up with the rhythm, you.

And god, is it turning you on.

You turn to face him when the song transitions into the next, finding that Seonghwa can't take his eyes off of you. He stares through his hooded lids while he rests against the metal railing, hands still at your hips while your face is only inches away. You watch as his eyes shoot down to your lips, back up to your eyes as if he's begging, pleading, you to make the first move. Because that will be the confirmation he needs— that will open up a whole new box that Seonghwa had been waiting to open, break the lock to a door he had been waiting to walk through. But also, he's too scared to make the first move. Too scared he'd be overthinking, that you're just drunk and you wouldn't mean it—

Suddenly, the impact of your lips crashing into his quickly pulls him out of his thoughts. Instead of breaking away at that moment, the kiss instantly becomes heated, deep. And Seonghwa has to forcibly pull himself off of you because even though he wants this so, so badly, it'll ruin everything if you truly didn't mean anything by it.

"What're you doing, Y/N?" He breaks away and leans towards your ear. His voice is husky and deep, loud enough to barely be heard over the music.

"I can't kiss you?"

"Not if you don't mean it." He bites onto his bottom lip when he pulls back to look at you, hands still resting on your waist.

"Who said I didn't mean it, Hwa?" You say in his ear, shivers running down his spine when he feels your lips graze your jaw. He probably should think about this, really think about this, but he can't. He's just as fucked up as you are, and he's feeling a bit selfish, a tad bit horny. You're positioned in between his legs looking beautiful as ever even under the dim club lights.

He can't help himself.

He cups your cheek as he pulls you back in, kissing you with so much more fervor. He hears you let out a content sigh in between kisses, pressing your body up against him as you grip the sides of his shirt.

"Driving me crazy." He says, pulling back and letting his nose lightly glide over yours. The both of you are slightly panting, lips swollen from all the intense kisses just shared. You'd do it over and over again, though. And if it were up to you, you'd take this home to explore a little further.

You want Seonghwa.

"Am I?" You continue to tease.

"Y/N." He gives you a look. "You have no idea what you do to me." His voice is still husky, deep; vibrating through your ears and sending tingles down your spine. He leans in for another deep, last kiss; biting onto your bottom lip and tugging back before letting it go. He dips to your jaw, to your neck— painting the surface with feathery kisses and tiny, subtle bites.

"Hwa, we're still out." You giggle and gently tap his chest. 

"Right." He sheepishly smiles and continues to hold you.

"I'm gonna grab some water real quick. We should try and find everyone when I come back."

"Let me just come with you." He grabs at your hand.

"I'll be fine, pichu." You smile toothlessly at him. "I'll be back before you know it. Try to text one of the boys! Save our space!"

"Fine." Seonghwa slightly whines as he lets go of your hand and watches you walk off. At this point, San, Wooyoung and Hongjoong find him without Seonghwa having to lift a finger— both San and Wooyoung carrying two glasses in their hands.

"Aye! Finally fucking found your ass. Where's baby girl? Got more shots." Wooyoung looks around for your familiar figure.

"She went to get water."

"I got it right here. Tequila water." Wooyoung snorts at his failed attempt of a joke.

"You're an idiot." Seonghwa shakes his head and takes the glass, holding onto it while looking around the room. It hasn't been long, but he's hoping you haven't been swallowed by the crowd and are at least at the bar requesting for water.

"Let's wait for Y/N." San adds.

"Sounds good with me." Wooyoung shrugs.

5 minutes quickly turns into 10 and you're still not back from your water run. Seonghwa can't help but be worried, eyes now frantically scanning every inch of the room to catch any glimpse of you.

"Damn, that's a long water break. Should we just go to the bar and find her?" Whatever Wooyoung's saying is completely drowned out by Seonghwa because he finally spots you, and he's fuming. Everything in the club seems to drown out, and it almost feels like white noise. Hwa finds you at the opposite corner of the bar, and of course, Song Mingi would be the person you're occupied with. That's why you haven't returned, of fucking course. He continues to watch from his spot, feeling unsettled from the entire situation. It starts off pretty normal, until Mingi starts whispering near your ear; doing his best to pull you close, keep you close. He sees you gently rejecting Mingi's touches, shoving off his hand and pushing his arm away— clearly making you uncomfortable. Seonghwa finds his free hand balled into a fist, already boiling with anger at how Mingi doesn't read any of your signs.

Instead, continues to put you through it because he's your ex. He thinks he can get away with it. He knows he can.

"I'll be back." Seonghwa says taking the shot in one swift motion, setting his empty glass aside on the high table nearby. San furrows his brows as he watches him leave, following his trail over to the opposite end of the club.

"Oh shit." San says under his breath, and Hongjoong is confused.

"What?"

"Mingi." He points over to the other side of the club and Joong lets out a sigh, followed by a heavy—

"Fuck."

As Seonghwa comes from behind, Mingi is the first to spot him and smirks. You don't really notice until Mingi has stopped trying to get close to you, turning over your shoulder to see your own bestfriend shooting daggers his way.

"What's up, Seonghwa?" The way Mingi says his name is so fucking annoying, Hwa can't help but roll his eyes. Mingi leaves out his hand in hopes of Hwa taking it in a friendly dap. All Seonghwa does is look at it before returning his attention back up to him, then back to you.

"Come on. Let's go." Hwa mutters as tries to gently drag you away by the wrist, but Mingi stops him.

"Woah. We were just having a conversation."

"Back up." Seonghwa steps in front of you and tries to get Mingi to back up, creating some distance between you two.

"Kinda rude for someone to intervene when they have no business to."

"Didn't know that required you to put your hands on her."

"Seonghwa." You warn, but he doesn't listen.

"Of course." Mingi laughs and licks his lips before closing in on the distance, clearly drunk and trying to be belligerent by provoking Seonghwa. His face is only a couple of inches away from Seonghwa's, but he isn't doing anything to back down from whatever the fuck Mingi is trying to start. Because yeah, he's drunk too, and this is you they were talking about. "Wanna be all high and mighty now? Be the knight in shining armor you always tried to be?" Mingi snickers.

"Back away from me, Mingi." Seonghwa warns lowly. "Step the fuck away."

"Or what? The fuck are you gonna do about it, Seonghwa?" Mingi mutters. "Think she'll finally give into you?" He chuckles pathetically. "Finally give you what you've been wanting for years? I know you've always been mad because you couldn't bag her when I did. Couldn't touch her, fuck her like—" Seonghwa pushes him with so much power that Mingi stumbles and fall back on a high table nearby, knocking over a glass as his arm hits the table. Mingi recovers quickly though, glaring at him as he pushes Seonghwa back and tries to land a punch on him. Mingi successfully lands it when Hwa fails to dodge, cutting the corner of his lip after the impact. They continue to go at it, causing people to step back and watch the chaos ensue from around.

"Hwa! Get off! Stop!" You scream, trying to pry him off. San, Hongjoong and Wooyoung rush over, both San and Joong having to separate the two until the bouncers come and kick your group and Mingi's group out of the club.

"Jesus fucking christ." Wooyoung glares at the bouncer and throws his hands up. "Okay, okay, we're going!"

"Let me catch you, fucking punk!" You hear Mingi yell as him and his group walk down the opposite block, the bouncers still keeping an eye on your groups to make sure nothing occurs outside of the club and requires police activity. You walk a few steps before you push Seonghwa by the shoulder, forcing him to look at you as he tends to his lip.

"What the fuck did you do that for?!" You look at him and Seonghwa's almost taken aback by your reaction. 

What do you even mean?

He did this to protect you and keep you away from that asshole, but you don't even seem the least bit concerned about him.

At all.

"W-what?" Seonghwa looks at you, his chest rising as he tries to calm himself from all the adrenaline and anger. 

"You didn't have to do that!" You yell, on the verge of tears. You're angry at Seonghwa, but you're angry because you hate seeing him hurt. You hate that he intervened, you hate that he's hurt because of the fight. You're angry, you're hurt, and everything is coming out all wrong. "I was fine, you didn't have to get in between, Seonghwa!"

"The hell you mean I didn't?!"

"Hwa." Hongjoong calls for him, eyeing the bouncers nearby.

"He wasn't doing anything!"

"Here you go again! Be serious for once, Y/N. He's a fucking asshole! When are you going to realize that?!"

♡ FLASHBACK

"Yeah, whatever. Fuck you, Song Mingi." You walk out of his room, aggressively wiping the tears streaming down your cheeks.

"Fucking crazy. Get the hell outta here!" He yells from his room, causing you to flip him off as you walk down the hallway and out of his front door. 

Song Mingi was a certified asshole.

Time and time again, your ex-boyfriend of 2 years proves to you that you just aren't shit to him. Two years, then an on-and-off again situation where Mingi just couldn't commit to you again — but he needed you to feel wanted, to feel like he had a safety blanket to fall on, to feel like he could string you along until that very last moment he couldn't. He'd whisper sweet nothings whenever he saw you late nights; no longer leaving his home to go on dates, but to stay wrapped up in his sheets. Telling you things he knows will make you weak, thing he knows will make you stay a little longer. All these years of this back and forth game you played with your ex, you had no idea why you couldn't just learn and do better for yourself instead of letting him reel you in, making you think he genuinely wanted and needed you.

There was no one like you.

You, so perfect.

You, made just for him. 

You should've known better.

This was no one else's fault but your own. You let him in, you let him in, you let him in. And you fall for it every single time, knowing you were never going to be his one and only again, knowing you weren't the only one he was keeping around. But for whatever sick reason, you wanted to believe you could get him to change again. You wanted to believe you meant more to him, that your history meant more to him. But that's all it was— wishful thinking.

Empty words built on shaky foundation.

So here you are, after he had called you saying he had missed you and wished you were near him. Here you are, crying everything you have left in you after giving him what he wanted. Here you are, after hearing that this wasn't anything to Mingi, that you weren't anything to Mingi. Here you are, broken to pieces, empty, soulless.

Again and again.

"Fucking asshole." You groan to yourself, tears streaming steadily as you head down the street from his building to a random corner. You sit on the sidewalk, kicking aggressively at the rocks beneath your feet. You give one last good grunt out of frustration before you rest your arms on your knees, head hanging low to let all your tears fall freely.

You had been crying so hard that you hadn't realized a car had pulled up in the empty spot near the curb you sat on, car being turned off before someone steps out and shut their door. You suddenly feel a hand on your back and you instantly ease up, knowing exactly who that touch belongs to.

"Hwa." You look at him, watery eyes blood shot red. He can't help but feel sorry for you, you're aware. You can tell by the way his brows soften when he sees how torn up you are, you can tell by the way his lips poke out because he isn't really sure what else he can say at this point. He shouldn't have to say anything anymore. He shouldn't be here—

You shouldn't be here.

"I told you to stay put." He teasingly scolds you, but you continue to look at him with that sad, pathetic look. "Let's get home, hm?" He follows up, free hand coming to wipe your tears away. You nod, allowing Seonghwa to help you up and into the car. He doesn't really say anything when he gets in and buckles his seatbelt, but he glances over at you, watches as you sink in the passenger's seat and look out the window.

He hates it, and he wishes he could do more to take this away from you. To keep you away from Mingi, to take away your pain completely.

It's not the first time Seonghwa's had to come get you. He's almost losing track of how many times you've called him crying because you wanted to leave a party after seeing Mingi flirting around [even though he'd deny it time and time again]. The times you've called because he left you at parties to hang out with other people, other girls. The times Mingi has disrespectfully called you out your name mid-argument, gaslighting you into thinking you were in the wrong.

Seonghwa's only hope is that one day, you'll finally get tired of your ex and move on. Leaving Mingi where he belongs, especially when he couldn't even give you the proper respect. Mingi's only reasoning for breaking up with you was that he couldn't do this anymore, he couldn't do the relationship anymore. He just couldn't, and you knew what he truly meant— it just wasn't you anymore. 

And for months and months, you sat there wondering what you could've done differently, or if there was a sign that you had missed. Every time he called, it had you thinking he must've realized he couldn't do this without you, that he was wrong and that he did want this after all.

Nope.

He made you believe it for a night, yes. Then, he'd go back to reminding you what you actually meant to you— that you were delusional, that you kept forcing things between him. That you knew what this was.

You should've known what this was.

♡ END

"He wasn't even doing anything! Not shit you needed to step in between for! He was literally—"

"Oh my fucking god." Seonghwa groans. "And you're still defending him!" He yells, his brows furrowed when he turns to look at you. He feels like he can barely breathe due to the anger surging through his veins, plus the betrayal he's feeling with the way you're delivering your responses. The way you look at him. The way you're keeping your distance.

After everything, it still seems like you're taking Mingi's side. You always find a way to defend him one way or another, even if you don't realize it.

Seonghwa does, and it hurts.

"I'm not!" Your tone is louder. "I could've taken care of it myself, he wasn't doing anything!" You repeat.

"He was making you uncomfortable, Y/N! All up in your space, trying to force you to do shit when you didn't want it. Yet, you wanna tell me he wasn't doing anything?"

"I'm just saying it wasn't that big of a deal, Hwa! I could've handled it!"

"Really? I doubt that." 

"Wow, are you serious?" You say, hurt. But, he scoffs and continues because you need to hear this. 

"I am. You always let him push you around and walk all over you. I thought by now you'd be smart enough to realize that you're worth much more than that." His tone rises again. "Why do you always let him do this to you? You're so used to the way Mingi treats you and you do nothing to change that. You always let him in. You're so brainwashed and you literally have no respect for yourself, it's fucking sad."

"You know nothing about our relationship." You're crying and angrily wiping away at your tears, unsure of how else to act, what else to say. Sure, you and Seonghwa have gotten into petty fights and arguments. Mostly over dumb shit, but nothing ever this serious. You know he cares, and he means well. But this anger, this seemingly pent up frustration— you aren't entirely sure where it was stemming from. You have never seen him act this way and quite frankly, this part of Seonghwa is very difficult to navigate. 

You've never had to.

"Yeah, because I wasn't the one rescuing you in the middle of the night every time he decided to throw your ass out, right? Because I wasn't the one having to calm you down when you were crying? Because I wasn't the one whose had to pick up the pieces every time he broke your heart to try and chase after somebody else? When he says all those shitty things about you that get to your head? When he'd fucking leave you stranded?" He shakes his head. "I'm sure I know nothing about your relationship." The two of you are staring at each other, both at a loss for words after everything has been laid out on the table. Seonghwa is the first to break, having enough of this bullshit and not wanting to say anything else. Mostly because he still cares about you and your feelings, and it's breaking his heart to see you crying over him this time. "I'm done here. I'm sure San will take you home."

"Whatever, fuck you." You respond before turning on your heel to walk away. As soon as you've created enough distance between you and Seonghwa, you find yourself stopping in your path to sob into your hands. It isn't until a few minutes later that you feel hands on your arms, a familiar touch that belongs to somebody else dear to you—

"Hey, let's get you home." San says, with Wooyoung behind him. You can't see much due to the tears in your eyes, but you can tell it's Hongjoong walking alongside of Seonghwa, making sure he's okay and pushing him along towards the car.

"He'll be okay. Just needs some time to breathe." Wooyoung adds, holding out his arm so that you can slip yourself right underneath while walking to San's car. "You alright?" Wooyoung pouts, wiping some of the straggling tears escaping your bottom lids.

"Mhm." You lie, just to keep the walk quiet and peaceful. And it is for a bit, even as you sit in the backseat of San's car. The only thing filling the space is the music playing through bluetooth— Wooyoung's playlist, actually. San peeks over at you through the rearview mirror, feeling bad for how everything went down. But, he gets it. He gets Seonghwa. You do deserve better. Mingi should never get an ounce of your attention after how he's treated you— esp with Seonghwa being here all along.

"You know he just really cares about you, right?" San breaks the silence. 

"I know." You mumble, head leaning back against the seat while you look out the window. "I've just never seen him act that way."

"It's Mingi." Wooyoung adds. "Can I be honest?" He turns to look at you with doe eyes. "I'm not trying to attack you, I promise. We see both sides." You nod quietly. "It's hard when you have history with someone, and it's hard to undo bad habits you've learned in the relationship. We know Mingi was someone special to you, but he hasn't been good for you for a long time. And there's no changing that man at this point. If it's anybody, Seonghwa knows all of that very well, especially when he's been by your side throughout everything." Wooyoung lets out a small sigh. "I'm certain he's hurt because even after everything he's done to be there, Mingi's actions seem to be dismissible. And his actions get overlooked."

"Woo, I'm not even dismissing Mingi's actions."

"Okay, baby girl. You're not. But, I think Seonghwa would have appreciated if you were there for him tonight instead of getting upset. He just wants to keep you safe."

"His goal has always been to keep you safe." San adds softly, driving towards your place.

"I didn't want Hwa to get hurt, h-he didn't have to do that." You sniffle, leaning your head against the window.

"You know he's not gonna sit back and let that shit happen." Woo adds, also leaning his head back against the headrest— a small headache forming after tonight's events. When you finally get home, San and Wooyoung offer to stay the night to keep you company, but you politely decline. They walk you to the door and give you big hugs, asking you a million times if you're sure about being alone tonight.

And you quietly nod.

Because there's nothing else you'd rather be than alone tonight. You want to be alone in your own space, crying alone in your bed; head against the pillow, tucked underneath your sheets.

You want to be alone.

Meanwhile, Seonghwa is struggling. He isn't sure what to do, hates not having you by his side. He doesn't know what's gonna happen from here on out, what will be left of you two after all this.

From the kiss, to Mingi, to the argument.

It's so fucked up.

Seonghwa hadn't even realized how much of his life was dedicated to you— how much of his life was just you. Even when he tried so hard for it to not be you.

"Fuck!" Seonghwa groans and slams his hand against a brick wall in passing. 

"Aye, come on now." Hongjoong clicks his teeth and pushes him away from the wall, urging him to continue down the car. "Don't hurt yourself."

"I swear to God if I ever see Mingi—"

"You won't. He should know better, and hopefully Y/N does, too." Hwa lets out a hefty sigh as he swings Joong's door open and plops into the passenger's seat. Not much is said between the two, even as Hongjoong drives off to his place. Seonghwa rests his head back and shuts his eyes, equally angry, yet dizzy from the alcohol still running through him. 

"I don't know what to do, Joong. I can't keep doing this just for it to get me nowhere."

"You two really need to fucking talk." Hongjoong does a slight head tilt as he continues to drive to Seonghwa's place. "I don't mean to make this worse, but I saw you two." Seonghwa looks at him before resting his head back against the headrest again. "I didn't come so I could give you guys some space."

"Fuck." Hwa repeats again with a heavy sigh. "Yeah, I don't know where this leaves us."

"Give it a few days or whatever, but you need to figure this out with her." Seonghwa doesn't speak anymore, mainly because he's starting to feel nauseous after the adrenaline, the alcohol. He's doing his best to keep it together. But, on top of that, he has a ton of thoughts swirling in his mind— he doesn't really know how to tackle them or where to even start. In the end, he's afraid of what this will do to your relationship.

You and him.

In the end, he just doesn't know anymore.

This is the longest Seonghwa hasn't talked to you. It's been a little over two weeks— usually, the two of you would break in a few hours, not wanting to be without the other for long.

But this, this was different.

Of course, everything felt awful. You both felt awkward about having to be the first person to break the silence, both remembering that night and how heated it had gotten.

The kiss.

The argument.

Everything about the situation felt like doom, chaos. A whole whirlwind of emotions and feelings overpowering each other, threatening to burst at the seams.

Seonghwa had thought long and hard about this, though. For him, he decided he just needed to step back and give himself a breather. Let him do things for himself, carry on with the mentality that he'd finally put himself first. So, that's what he's been trying to do. It doesn't mean it doesn't suck, though. It does. It's terrible. He's gotten so used to having you by his side, so used to running to you first about anything and everything.

He's had to bite his tongue when he finally nailed that fucking uni pasta recipe he had been experimenting for years. Because he wanted to tell you he did so, wanted to invite you over so you could be the first to taste it;

Oh well.

His heart sinks when the realization hits him again, and he's having to give himself a 'lil pep talk to push through. He can't be the person to say sorry first, he can't be the first to break— not when he didn't do anything wrong. He needs to stop apologizing when he's not in the wrong or when he feels bad. He's given you way too much of that, and this time around, he wasn't going to.

He needs you to be the first to break. Needs you to be the one to say sorry. Needs you to show him you understand and that you would never intentionally hurt him, especially over Song Mingi.

He's still counting the days. Maybe he'll have to keep doing so. Gives him time to himself, some peace. Let's him know how much you'd truly work to salvage your relationship with him.

Your own bestfriend before anything.

Because he knows he'd do anything to keep you by his side. He would. It just sucks that he doesn't know if you would do the same. He can't confidently say the same.

But, you absolutely would.  Days and nights have passed and you could barely sleep, always questioning what Seonghwa was doing and if he was even thinking about you. This was on you, though. You knew it. You just didn't know how to say it to him and it's definitely a learning lesson for you— all in all, you wanna be better and you wanna be better for him. You miss Seonghwa a lot. You truly didn't know what it meant to be missing your other half until now;

Empty, alone.

Cold.

You sigh as you toss the pillow aside and sit up in bed, checking the time on the clock. 

3am.

You couldn't sleep, and you freeze. You freeze because you have no one to call anymore. So you turn, and turn. No longer able to find sleep for the rest of the night.

When the sun finally rises, you force yourself to get up to go for a run and grab a good cup of coffee and breakfast. It was your day off, but you thought you could at least take advantage of being up early; take advantage of soaking in the morning sun.

You were tired of sulking and being in bed. Being cooped up at home when you weren't at work.

You throw on your leggings and matching sports bra, grabbing an oversized zip-up to shield you from the morning cold. Yaya is already working in the kitchen, so you quickly let her know you'll be out for a run— rushing over to your car to avoid any questioning this early in the day. You drive over to a lake near town that has a 4.5 mile trail around its perimeter. Since it's still early, the trail isn't crowded with people; perfect enough for you to get a good 3 mile run in. You hadn't ran in a minute, but 3 miles seemed to be a breeze when there was a lot of pent up frustration and anger you needed to release. Of course, you were beyond tired at the end, but it wasn't anything coffee and a good pastry couldn't fix.

At the cafe, you grab a seat right outside of the entrance to enjoy your breakfast, scrolling through social media per usual. You click into your messages for god knows why, knowing Seonghwa hadn't messaged you.

He hasn't.

Why would he?

You sigh, the sadness now returning. You quickly clean up and toss your trash into the bin inside the restaurant before grabbing your cup of iced coffee and heading home. Once you get home, you throw your clothes into the laundry and take a hot, steamy shower, letting your worries go momentarily.

And then, you nap. Exhaustion finally hitting you from the lack of sleep.

Post-nap, you take time to clean around your suite and hang out with Yaya, watching a few episodes of her current favorite show. You help Yaya with a few things around the house, taking the time to bring her to the grocery store just right before the sun sets. Even though Yaya can tell something is wrong, she doesn't bother you or question you like you'd expect— probably leaving it for Soyeon to do the heavy lifting. You do appreciate that you don't have to dwell on it while spending time with her, though. 

Soyeon, Charli and Junseo had visited the past days, and although Charli was able to make you smile and laugh, Soyeon could also easily tell something was wrong without you having to say anything at all. Your demeanor had changed, you seemed to be snapping quicker than usual. Attitude wasn't so bright and happy. Seonghwa hadn't been around, but the other boys had quickly stopped by just to hang out.

You dimmed it down to a 'little fight between you and Hwa,' but Soyeon knew better than that, and she was hoping she'd be able to get it out of you soon. This wasn't like you, and it wasn't like Seonghwa to not come around for days on end.

This wasn't just a little fight.

"Hey." She calls you when you're settled back in your humble abode, and although you don't mind hearing from your boss-slash-cousin, you could do without any work-related conversations right now.

"What's up? Everything okay?"

"Yeah, I'm leaving the restaurant soon. Yoongi and Junseo are going to close up. It's gotten quiet. Can I stop by? I have some food for you."

"Sure. Where's Chacha?"

"With Junseo's parents."

"Mm." You hum. "Okay."

"Okay, I'll be there in about 30 minutes or so. I'm just gonna wrap a few things up here."

"Sounds good." You hang up the call, a bit relieved that your cousin [not your cousin on boss-mode] is coming over. 

When she arrives, it's about 7:45pm. She quietly knocks before announcing her presence— stepping out of her shoes before joining you on your living room floor in front of the coffee table and TV. For a good part of the conversation, you indulge in some of the chicken she brought over, listening to her update you about the restaurant and some drama on his side of the family. She asks if there's anything new going on with you or the boys, and you simply shrug.

This is definitely her way of poking at you, and you're very close to cracking because who else can you open up to about this?

No one, and at this point, you need to. You need the reassurance.

"Are you sure nothing's up? To be honest, I know something's bothering you, and I know this wasn't just a 'little fight' between you and Hwa." She forms air quotes. That's the moment you do crack, tears welling in your eyes when you revisit that night. You tell Soyeon everything and confide in her, giving her more details about your dinner with San, to dancing with Seonghwa and kissing him, to Mingi and their fight. You tell her it's been about two weeks since you've spoken and you know Seonghwa is waiting for you to make the first move. 

You tell her how you've started to realize your feelings for Seonghwa after everything and how incredibly terrified you are of them.

"I don't know what to do, Soyeon. He probably hates me."

"Just go over there and talk to him, Y/N. What are you waiting for? You know he's waiting for you to take initiative, and you should this time. This is all you." You sigh, bottom lip trembling as you begin to cry. 

"I know."

"You know Seonghwa the best. It's so obvious how much he likes you and adores you after all this time. Why are you so afraid?"

"I know, I know." You sniffle. "I just am, Soyeon. I'm afraid of getting hurt, I'm afraid of Seonghwa realizing this isn't what he expected. I'm afraid of Seonghwa." You cry a bit harder and Soyeon is holding you close, rubbing your back as you lean against her shoulder. "I'm scared of this ruining us completely. What if we do get together and things don't pan out the way we expected? I'm so scared of losing him completely that I just don't know where I lie in all of this despite my feelings for him."

"You can't be afraid about every little thing, Y/N. I know it's scary, and life hasn't been entirely nice to you. But, this is your bestfriend. You can't just sit around and brush it under the rug when you know this is something you two need to discuss. Regardless of what happens, Seonghwa will never let you go. You two have been through so much together, he would never wanna do life without you by his side. Never." She continues to reassure you, giving you the push you need to get yourself together and just face it.

You loved Seonghwa, and it was time you looked beneath the surface.

Soyeon didn't stay too long after the two of you finish eating last night— turning the conversation into something more lighthearted after you cried and thanked her for being there for her. Her reassurance worked so much that you're ready to tackle the morning bright and early, throwing on some clothes to head over to Seonghwa's place. After Soyeon left, you called Wooyoung and asked what time Seonghwa's shift was for tomorrow. He snorted and told you it was 10am and asked what you were up to. You let Wooyoung know about your talk with Soyeon and that you missed him, finally throwing the stupid shit aside to just try and talk to him about that night.

To apologize, to make things right.

To tell him that you love him.

You keep it casual and comfy, throwing on some black and white wide-leg track pants, a crop tank and a baggy grey zip-up hoodie. You throw on your shoes, swiftly grab your keys and crossbody bag, jogging out to your car with a quick 'good morning' yell to Yaya from the side of the house. As you drive over to Seonghwa's apartment, you are equally filled with anxiety, nervousness and adrenaline. You're ready to put this behind you, but you're especially ready to talk to Seonghwa again. See him. Hug him. 

Keep him close, never let him stray far again.

You pull into a guest lot, shutting off your car and wondering if you should've brought over some coffee, breakfast, anything, to make this a bit less awkward.

"Fuck." You mutter to yourself as you shake the thoughts from your head; no time for overthinking while you're running on limited time. You jog up the steps and up to Seonghwa's apartment, hesitating when you get to the front door before you finally bring your knuckles to the surface to give a couple of loud knocks. It takes a second before you hear rustling behind the door, Seonghwa clearing his throat before he swings the door open in a white tank and sweats. Your eyes immediately meet his, but he looks surprised, caught off guard even.

But, caught off guard in a sense that he's been caught doing something he shouldn't be doing.

You don't understand it until you see someone in the back try to slip by unnoticed, but she's wearing Seonghwa's shirt. Your heart immediately sinks to your gut and it makes you feel queasy. It shouldn't, but you hate to say it does.

It's probably Makayla.

It's too fucking late.

"Oh." Is all you say, and Seonghwa feels his heart break to a million pieces when he sees the look on your face. You're trying your hardest not to show how much it hurts you, but he knows you. He knows you well, that's for damn sure.

"Y/N—"

"It's good, I didn't meant to interrupt, I'm sorry— I'll catch you later." You ramble and rush down the steps, hurrying away from the apartment to prevent Seonghwa from seeing the tears streaming down your cheeks. 

This was your fault anyway, who else was there to blame?

"Y/N!" Seonghwa calls out one last time, but you're already running to your car. Very obvious that you're wiping away at your face as you sink into the driver's seat and pull out of the spot without turning back. "Fuck." Seonghwa groans to himself, and Makayla kinda just watches everything unfold right in front of her eyes. He runs a hand through his long, black locks, shutting the door quietly behind him as he turns to her and gives her a sympathetic smile. 

"I'm sorry."

"That was Y/N?"

"Uh, yeah. My bestfriend." He looks at her, and she can already tell. She can already tell that it's you, and there is more to it than that. He loves you, and it's very, very obvious.

"You love her, don't you?" He lets out a breath and shrugs. He doesn't say anything for a bit, rather looks at her with those big doe-eyes before she catches him subtly nodding and diverting his attention to the floor.

"I'm so, so sorry, Makayla. I really am." What the fuck else can he say? He must look so fucked up right now; having taken her out the night before and let her spend the night after fumbling in the sheets. He was curious to see if Makayla would be the door to a new path, something that'll help him move forward. He had hope. After this morning's events, that clearly wasn't going to be the case and he wasn't going to lie about it.

"Don't be." She gives him a small, toothless smile. Because although it does suck, she's been there before and she'd hate for Seonghwa to miss out on the person he truly wants to be with. "You should really talk to her before it's too late."

♡ FLASHBACK | EARLY COLLEGE

You're on Seonghwa's back as he trails behind the group, walking up the path to the view of the city behind campus. Hongjoong, San, Wooyoung and a few other heads had wanted to go on a late night walk— the goal being the view at the end for everyone to just sit and admire. At first, you didn't feel like going with a bunch of obnoxious boys. But, you had been cooped up in your room doing nothing but studying all day. It sounded better knowing Seonghwa would be around and being in the crisp, night air. 

Seonghwa continues to walk up the slightly steep hill before spotting the view just down the street, you jumping off his back as soon as it becomes clear in sight.

"Hwa! Look at it!" You squeal, running to one of the free areas near the fence to get a good picture of the view. "It's so pretty! Look!" 

"Yeah, it is." He catches his breath as he walks over next to you. Trekking that hill is not for the weak.

"Oh my god, look at all those lights. It's so beautiful. I didn't realize how flat the town is." You're mainly thinking out loud, saying it to yourself, but Seonghwa chuckles next to you and quietly nods. "I think I can see our favorite convenient store from here, and our favorite spot to get jajangmyeon."

"How would you know, they're little blobs right now."

"How would you not know, Seonghwa? Are you a fraud? Do you even like those places like you say you do?" He snorts.

"Relax, Nancy Drew. It was just a question."

"I just know." You say so matter-of-fact-ly that Seonghwa smiles to himself while you continue to look out at the view. "The stars are so pretty tonight, weather is so perfect. Ugh. We should do this more often." You continue to go on and Seonghwa just likes listening to you talk. He always has, always will.

Everything about you was his favorite.

"I— what?" You look up and see Seonghwa still staring at you before he lets out a deep chuckle.

"Nothing."

"Pichu, what is it?" He looks at you again, and it's obvious he wants to tell you something but is preventing himself from spilling it out onto the table for whatever reason. You turn towards him and cross your arms, tapping your foot to wait for his response.

"Nothing! I'm just— nothing."

"Park Seonghwa."

"I-I—" He sighs. "I just wanted to tell you that I'm glad you ended up going on the walk with us. I wanted you here."

"Aw, you little sap." You pinch his bicep and he yelps. "Are you sure that's all?" He nods.

"Thank you, Y/N. For everything." He ruffles your hair and you can't help but pout at. "You know? For being a pain in the ass bestfriend."

"I beg to differ, but you're welcome." You chuckle. "Always us, right pichu?" You playfully punch him on the bicep before returning your attention back to the view.

And he'll forever remember this as the first time he tried to confess his feelings for you.

♡ END

♡ taglist: @hwasbabygirl @fairyofhueningkai @chngbnwf @tinyteezer @everyonewooeverywhere @pearbunny @mxnsxngie @starhwahwa @woosmaid @yeosangsbbg @jycas @lyracarvahall @huachengsbestie01 @asjkdk @bintificreads @interweab @svintsandghosts @cheolliehugs

[pencileraser1]

things i noticed/thoughts about most recent rewatches of dps (plus laserdisk deleted scenes):

whenever theres a group scene i've started watching the characters that the story isn't focusing on to see what they do and i've been having a fun time with that. pitts and cameron specifically seem to almost always be doing something interesting in the background.

hopkins!!!! my favorite minor character who somehow got character development despite having like 2 lines!!!! the last guy to stand on the desk but he did it!!!

sometimes i do like to think about what the rest of the students thought about the dead poets society, esp in alternate timeline neil lives dps keeps meeting universe. like yeah theres this guy in their class whose one of the most credited students in the school and we think he maybe started a cult. idk though. but that group runs out into the woods every few days to do god knows what and one of them keeps talking about "dead poets honor" whatever that means and holy shit welton star student neil perry started a cult.

i watched the movie with headphones. and maybe it's because ive seen this movie Far too many times and mabe i'm listening too hard but it was Really obvious sometimes when audio was added in post production. llke in the sweaty toothed madman scene when you can hear laughing and to be fair the camera is behind their heads. but it does Not look like anyone's laughing. my favorite is at the end of the phone call to chris scene where knox is like i'm gonna seize the day!! and runs up the stairs and the poets are cheering him on and neil is sort of yelling "carpe!!!!" and i could be wrong but i'm like 75% certain that the person singing is Also rsl so now neil is just speaking two times at once somehow. anyways it didn't ruin the experience for me or anything it was maybe just a little bit funny to notice but very sorry if this did ruin anyone's viewing.

people talk a lot about how rsl and ethan hawke really made their characters what they are but i have to add dylan kussman to that list. I get the impression that older versions of the movie didn't really give as much depth to cameron and watching dylan kussmans performance is like. he Knew who his character was so fucking well and it shows!! like the deleted scene of them getting clubs assigned. like i could tell So Much about cameron from that scene

for how little she actually appeared, there is an emphasis put on the fact that neil's mom smokes pretty frequently. and i think that's interesting considering neil is one of two poets shown actively smoking. neil's mom doesn't appear for very long in the movie but during that time it definitely seems like the movie is intentionally making parallels between the two, particularly in the last argument with neil's father. neil and his mother are both sitting for almost the whole time, which contrasts with his father who is standing. they are both almost powerless in this scene. they stand up at almost the same time. anyways there's a couple different possibilities for what this could mean? that i've though of? 1. to show that neil's mother is in a similar situation to the one neil is in in regards to neil's father and 2. maybe a stretch here but the theory that neil inherited his mental illness at least partially from his mother. i'm pretty sure 1 was fully intentional on the directors part, not entirely sure about 2 though

unmanned flying desket scene: it's probably cause he and ethan wrote the scene themselves but the way rsl talks in this scene feels more like the way he talks in general than the rest of the script. like briefly neil perry is talking in rsl's voice. one of my absolute favorite scenes though the sarcastic dialogue is so good.

the light of knowledge at the first shot of the film vs. todd standing on his desk at the last shot of the film paralel

[cottondo]

BUTTERCUP | master shake x reader

— 6. | an ego thing

a/n : I haven’t proof read it enough times yet so I’m sorry I’m advance if there’s errors lmao

  "What you did was irresponsible, rude, and quite frankly, a little immoral!"

 

"Well, what did you expect me to do! You should've known better than to put me in charge. It's anything, it's your fault for not being home!"

"I didn't! I put y/n in charge of the house, and you messed everything up and pissed off meatwad." Frylock crossed his arms, an eye narrowing on Shake.

Yeesh, you really didn't wanna listen to their arguing at your job.

You cringe inwardly, glancing around the small diner to see the few people's gazes starting to focus on your roommate's argument.

"Kay- can we like, not do this here?" You speak up, a little look of annoyance starting to flood your features. "You're gonna get me fired."

"So what? What's a job good for, anyway! You're workin' for the man, and not yourself." Shake looks back to your pleading face.

"Yeah, well, thats how I get to buy things, and live with a roof over my head." You respond, going back to filling up meatwad's glass of orange juice.

Shake looks away. "Pft. Who needs that?"

"Your sorry ass, when he kicks you out!" You gesture towards frylock, who was glaring at shake.

Shake huffs, crossing his arms. He clearly forgot about the situation at hand. "He can't survive without me there. I'm the one that holds that house together, if you hadn't noticed."

Frylock scoffs, and you place the cup of juice back down on the countertop with a little eye roll.

"Right— the minute you leave, is the day I finally get some peace and quiet." Frylock sighs, dulling his eyes.

"You love havin me around!" Shake argues.

Frylock carefully picks up the steaming mug of coffee, and sips it. "Keep it up, Shake. One more slip up, and I'm not gonna feel sorry when your ass ends up on Carl's lawn."

Frylock's tone sounded so done with shake. And rightfully so.

Meatwad side eyed Shake with a little knowing smirk hidden on his face. He took another bite of the chicken tender from his plate.

The look clearly didn't go unnoticed, and shake glares the boy's way. "The hell are you lookin' at?" He asks, leaning over into Frylock's personal space in order to scare Meatwad with a death glare.

Okay, this was going on for too long now.

From under the counter, you dip your fingers in the melted corner of the ice case, and flick it at Shake's face with a little smirk.

He flinches, shooting upward and looking towards you with a look of, 'what the hell was that'.

"Hey!" Shake starts to retort, but you grab his plate and slide it towards you. Oh, he did not like that.

"Leave him alone, and shut up. Eat your food, before I have to take it away." You push it back, leaving him with wide eyes of amusement at your behavior.

Just as he was about to retort, frylock came to the rescue.

He sighs, wiping his face with a napkin, and gives you a thoughtful expression. After all, they were causing a scene at your job. "Everyone, just- - try to behave. It's rude."

"Whatever." Shake shuts up, and meatwad goes back to eating the rest of his meal in a guilty silence.

  "Y/N, what time do you get off your shift?" Frylock asks through an audibly tired voice. He tries to change the conversation, and honestly, you were kinda grateful for it. There was just only so much you could tolerate in one sitting.

"I just gotta finish up those two tables over there, but it won't take me long at all." You respond, a gentle smile on your face.

"I was thinking maybe we should go shopping for some groceries later. It has been a while.." you saw the embarrassment creasing into Frylock's face, so you nod along with a soft smile of reassurance.

Things happen, and life gets in the way. You totally understand how that goes, and choose to empathize with him.

"Sure, yeah. We can do that." You turn your attention to shake and lean your elbows on the counter. "What do you guys want us to pick up from the store?"

Shake smirks a bit, stealing a slight glance down the front of your uniform shirt. It was within seconds that you noticed. "I know what I want, baby—"

"I bet you do." You play along with a light curl of your lip, now earning frylock and meatwad's attention in shock.

"But right now, we need to know what you guys wanna eat for meals and stuff."

You think the last thing that shake was expecting, was for you to enable that situation. He prolly figured you'd just get pissed off, and swat him away. But, his attention was starting to grow on you now, so that wasn't necessarily the case anymore. Why not just let this roll?

Frylock clears his throat, awkwardly, seeing the shocked expression on Shake's face.

He was totally noticing what was up now.

A thought came to Shake as you notice the way his smiles stretches. "Lasagna~! Quattro formaggio," shake makes Italian gestures with his hands. Meatwad grins with amusement, looking up at the male beside him.

"Italian food!"

"I've gotta admit, shake can make a really good lasagna dish." Frylock smiles weakly, holding his cheek in his hand with a tired expression.

"Hell yeah, I do." Shake smiles proudly, eyes drifting up to meet yours. With his arms crossed over his chest, you notice the smug little look of pride he had.

"Carl likes it too. Which is half the reason I make it."

Amused, you crack up a little grin. "You make it for Carl?"

That didn't sound like the Shake you knew. He never did anything for anybody.

Frylock shakes his head. "Don't get the wrong idea. Shake likes to mess with Carl's head. He doesn't actually let him eat any of it."

Confused, you turn to shake for answers.

Shake grins, "I just put that shit on a leash, and let him run. Sometimes he breaks his neck, sometimes he lets me swim in his pool." He shrugs innocently, "It's a win win either way!"

Damn, he was really fucked up for that. But how could you not love that about him—?

"That's messed up," you snicker, taking all three of their empty plates and walking them to the dirty buss pan. "But I'm so here for it."

Shake smiles widely at your response; clearly you piqued his interest. Not just anybody would laugh at the cruel pranks he liked to pull. But you did.

_____________________

 

You peer over Shake's shoulder, an intensifying grin creeping up on your face, as you noticed the little annoyances you've been causing him.

Shake was making up that lasagna dish; something you could only believe if you saw it with your own eyes.

"Do you mind? I'm trying to put together my masterpiece, here!"

You only smirk in a retort. "Shut up, you love it."

"I am pretty hard to stay away from. That's why they call me the chick magnet." He shrugs you off with a nervous smile, and focuses his eyes back down on the sauce he was using. "Now listen- I know that only I can make this taste good, but I'm gonna let you put the cheese on it." He takes a step back, eyeing you. "Since you wanna be apart of this plan."

Wow, he was letting you help him? How thoughtful.

"Don't mess it up! It's a delicacy," His shouting made your ears ring.

"Okay, I got it, Fuck." You snap back. Of course, this only made him glare harder, but whatever. 

Shake was so dramatic, fuck.

Rolling your eyes was the only other proper bodily response you could give, before bumping him aside to place yourself in front of the half prepared lasagna dish. It did look pretty good..

Reaching your hand into the bag of cheese, you begin to sprinkle it around the pasta.

Then, he hands you the other cheeses to put into the pan. "Okay, good. Not as good as what I'd do, but it'll probably be fine." He mumbles, standing over your shoulder.

Dangerously close, you noted.

You turn your head over your shoulder to deadpan him with a look of annoyance, but you couldn't help that butterfly feeling that kept trying to crawl up your throat. Shit.

You caught the feels.

You inhale a soft breath, and look back down to the pasta dish. Just try to ignore him! That was super easy- - right—?

Even though now his hand was reaching in front of you to grab the other cheese— oh shit, his shoulder is totally bumping into yours because he doesn't know personal space even if it whacked him in the face.

"Kay, now what?" You break the silent tension you felt, looking to him. Shake grabs the dish, and throws some seasoning throughout it. "We bake it, then the fun can happen." The smirk was bright and cheery on his face.

"Cool," you chortle.

Shake tosses the pan in the oven, and sets a timer for it. His eyes then set on you, narrowing a little.

You frown, looking up at him. What was he looking at?

"What," Your tone came out a little sour, and you didn't mean for it to. He didn't seem to mind, though.

His gloved hand reaches out, and soon enough, you feel his thumb brushing at your cheek. "You've got sauce on your face, dumbass."

Welp, that's embarrassing.

You can feel the heat in your face rise as he wipes off your cheek, not so gently, and sticks his tongue out with disgust.

"Gee, thanks." You turn away, brushing your cheek off with the back of your arm.

Then, a thought floods it's way back into your head suddenly.

Weren't you supposed to be doing something..? 

"Oh!" You rub your cheek, hoping there wasn't any stain still left on your skin. "I was supposed to post you making that," you pout a bit, gesturing to the fact that he was still supposed to be your fake boyfriend. How could you forget?

He looks at you with a questioning expression. "Huh?"

"Y'know- - My boyfriend made me lasagna," you tease, pulling out the phone from your pocket.

Now it came back to him.

He nods slowly, "Riiight. Right!" Shake smirks proudly, opening up the oven door to crack it. "It's not too late." Heat blows out, and you look inside the crack to see the pan sitting there, trying to bake.

You angle your phone camera on it, but you feel your other hand being grabbed.

What was he doing—?

"C'mere," Looking down, shake forces your hand on the oven door handle, and guides you to grab it. He then puts his hand on top of yours, and holds it. "Come on, take the picture already!"

Your cheeks did that weird thing again where they got all hot and clammy. Shit shit shit.

Oh, and now your heart is speeding up a little? What the fuuuuuck.

You take the picture of your hands on the handle, and smile up at him, though it felt pressured now. "Got it,"

He shuts the door, and suddenly his face was flared up, too. Damn, was he sweating?

"Cool, great, good!" He laughs out, but it sounded awkward. "I bet that asshole thinks I'm sexier than him. Like— what were you even thinking? Going for a guy like that," shake laughs at you. Of course, it was just him turning the situation around onto you again, because why wouldn't he be a narcissist?

You let yourself frown slightly.

"You're too good for him, obviously." Shake then adds onto the statement, though his voice grew a bit more honest. There's another smile lingering in his features when he says that.

Your frown turns upward at him slightly. "Yeah . . I know." Your voice is light; not even defensive, because you knew how shitty you let that guy treat you.

"I know you know!" He says, "If there's one thing I know- it's women. And women want me."

Welp, that ruined the moment.

The smirk on his face was enough to make you laugh at him. In all the time that you've known each other, you didn't see a single girl trying to talk to him. Ever.

If anything, you were the first. And that . . Well, that's saying something.

"Yeah?" You ask through a chortle, "Where are they, then."

Shake quickly frowns with annoyance, and crosses his arms. "Well, obviously they can't come around, if they see you next to me." He defends himself poorly. You shrug in response and laugh a little again.

"Riiight. That makes sense," sarcastically, you nod along to tease him. Does he know you're just teasing him? You weren't sure.

"It does! How else can a hot babe come up to me if I already have one next to me? They'd get jealous, obviously!" Shake rolls his eyes. "And, I don't need any more girl drama. Which is why I keep telling them not to come around anymore,"

His voice was so casual when lying, that it was almost kinda insane.

The other thing insane about that story though, was Shake just called you hot.

Score.

Not that you didn't know that already.

"I knew I was hot," you tease, looking over at him with a little smirk. "Girl drama is literally ridiculous though. You're better off with just me."

His eyes widen a little at your comment. Obviously he took it in the way you meant it.

"Yeah, I probably would be. But y'know, there's still plenty of me to go around." He points his thumbs towards himself, and gives off a cocky smirk.

"Shut up, cup." You laugh him off with a light shove on the shoulder, letting his nickname slip from your mouth. It was something you've picked up from Carl over the years of hangin' around the boys. It never seemed to bother him too much, but you knew he'd prefer a less demeaning name.

"You gotta make me," Shake's smile is innocently bright, and all you can do is stare back with a challenging grin.

Ooh, that was it- -

To your right on the counter, you notice the bowl of pudding Meatwad had left out. When you and Frylock went shopping earlier, you should've expected the two ding bats to go on a binge fest of junk food, because they totally did. They left food out all over the place.

The evil grin on your face was enough to show Shake that you had tricks up your own sleeve.

Not even bothering to care how sticky and slimy it was on your fingers, you dipped your hand into the bowl and quickly smacked the pudding to his face.

The challenge was so on.

His eyes widen, shock taking over his body as the chocolate pudding smears across his cheek and mouth. That was not at all what he expected from you when he meant for you to shut him up.

"Y/N! What the hell!"

You laugh loudly, crouching down in a defense stance as he wipes the chocolate from his face.

"I'll kill you," Without a second thought, Shake lunges towards your laughing figure, hands grabbing yours playfully, and soon you find yourself backed into and trapped against the counter.

With your backside to the cabinets, you look up at him with a pleading smile, still finding it absolutely hilarious that you caught him off his game like that.

"I'm sorry! Shake— I'm sorry, I swear," you wheeze out through laughter, hands up and still being tightly held by Shake's.

"Shoulda thought about that sooner!" His one hand let go of yours, and with one swift movement, snatched the glass of water from the countertop, and splashed it at you with a wild grin.

"Hey!" You squeal out and tense up as the water quickly runs down your cheek and neck.

Game on, bitch.

You push him back as he chuckles under his breath.

"Asshole," There wasn't much time to think it through anymore, so you grab the closest food item to you, and smash it at him. Shake dodged, but it ended up still managing to hit his body anyway.

The two of you now wrestled a bit with each other; hands locked, and push and shoving each other playfully.

Actually, it was probably the most fun you and Shake had together in a long time.

"I swear- - Y/N, if I wasn't letting you win, I'd beat your ass," shake glares up at you from the hold you had on him. You now currently had him pinned down to the floor of the kitchen, food everywhere, sitting on his back. The smirk you had on your face was beaming with amusement as your tilt your head down at him.

"Oh, I'm sorry, letting me win? I own your ass right now."

He grunts, dulling his irritated eyes up at you. "I'm only going easy on you because you're a broad!"

"Pfft— yeah, right. You couldn't beat me if you tr—" the wind almost gets knocked out of you when you suddenly find yourself being flipped over with your back to the floor. Shake smirks, and now holds you down by sitting on you.

"Ugh, oh my god, fatass, get off me!" You wheeze out, glaring up at him. His prideful smile was enough to let you know that, okay, maybe he was sorta letting you win earlier.

"It's muscle weight! And don't smack me with pudding, then maybe I would!" He declares, eyes narrowing now as the pressure of his gloved hands holds your arms down to the floor at shoulder height.

"I'm sorry," You pout playfully up at him, wiggling your wrists out of his grasp, but not to much use.

"Not good enough!" He says. "I think it's time you learned not to mess with the master~!" Shake was totally not bluffing anymore, and you knew he was unhinged enough to actually hit you, or throw more food at your face- which you didn't want.

So, you flinch, wincing up at him.

"Truce!"

Managing to speak with half of his body weight sitting on top of you was actually so hard to do.

"Wait— Is this the part where I kiss you?" He asks, in the dumbest, most casual way only shake could manage.

"Oh my god," you groan. With some thought behind it, you manage to flip yourself to your side, and kick him off you. Shake lands beside you on the floor, and you remember not to take breathing for granted.

You slowly rise up to a sitting position, and glare look at him. "Lose some weight."

Shake glares up at you, and switches to a sitting position as well. "I can't help that my muscles are too big! You're just too weak to handle the weight." The narcissism rolls off his tongue so smoothly. Shake was always good at turning situations or facts around on other people. It was sort of like a really fucked up gift.

You stand to your feet, brushing off any leftover food that clung to you.

"Want me to pin you to the floor again?" Your threat only made his smile grow, and you could imagine why.

"No, because I'm always on top!" His smile stretched, and you roll your eyes at him. "Haha! Boom! Someone should be writing these down,"

The timer on the oven dings, alerting the both of you.

Whoops, you totally forgot all about the lasagna in the oven during all this play fighting.

"Come on, honey, let's go offer our neighbor some food~" you stand to your feet, and hold out a hand for him. Shake stares at it before locking eyes with you, and smirking.

His hand grabs yours, and stands to his feet.

Pulling you into him, shake wraps an arm around your shoulder and smiles. "A little taste of Italy, right to his door. He should be paying us!"

You lean into his hold and find yourself smiling up at him. "Once we get to use his pool, it'll all be worth it!"

Shake laughs and let you go. "As long as I get to see you in a hot bikini, babe."

[theerurishipper]

This is in response to some arguments in defense of the finale I've seen recently, and if you do believe these, then more power to you! But I disagree, and I'm gonna talk about why.

Rant under the cut. Fair warning, this gets pretty salty.

So I've seen a lot of arguments about how it just wouldn't be possible to have Adrien in the final battle, whether it be because it would be too traumatic for him and we can't explore that in the middle of a fight, or because it would take away focus from Marinette and she would be irrelevant ultimately. And I actually agree!

But what could possibly be done to resolve this? Oh, I know! Fucking write better.

If you were going to put Adrien in the position of being central to the story and write him out with the excuse that he can't live up to that role for various reasons, then why did you write him in that role? It's obvious to anyone that if Gabriel is Adrien's father, then the emotional weight of the conflict would be centered on him and not Marinette. Then why did you still write that into the show? If you wanted to focus on Marinette over Adrien anyway, then why did you make Gabriel be Hawkmoth? Let some other rando be Hawkmoth! And now there's no value to Gabriel being the villain beyond giving Marinette some material for her grand speech (which didn't do shit cause she still lost).

And if you were going to say that Adrien was too traumatized to be in the battle or that he wouldn't be able to deal with it well or that we couldn't see that... write around it? Have him deal with it before, or something, I don't know! Maybe give him that sweet sweet character development? Maybe let the friends who are supposed to support him actually do that? Idk man, this is all coming across as a bunch of excuses to me.

The thing is, this is a kids show. It's not real. The writers control everything that happens. It's not about "realism," it's about narrative payoff. It's about the most satisfying outcome. It's about character arcs. If Adrien was never supposed to face his father in a fight, then why make him a superhero? Could have just let him be Adrien the teen model love interest while Marinette is the superhero. Why give him powers which thematically represent him breaking free from his oppressive life and an enmity with his own father if it never mattered? If "it's us against the world, my lady," and "we'll get all the Miraculous back together," never mattered, then why include it? If two partners chosen to fight evil together and the yin-yang symbolism never mattered, why set it up?

If you set something up, you have a responsibility to deliver on it, and Miraculous failed. And yeah. I get that it's hard. I'm not saying writing is easy. But anything is better than this! Writing is your job, and I don't expect literal perfection, but I expect it to fulfill the basic expectations of writing. I expect it to at least be good. This is not good. They literally ignored their own story and themes and character arcs and narrative payoff because they wanted Marinette to get a swanky new outfit and a cool fight scene. It wasn't even for her character. It's just so that they can put give her a cool power-up and sell Bug Noire dolls. It's disrespectful to Adrien's character, and it's disrespectful to Marinette's character too.

The writers failed to make Marinette interesting in terms of the conflict with Gabriel. They gave all the set-up to Adrien and didn't want to write the payoff. There are no emotional stakes in the final battle. They literally only talk about Adrien, and he's not there for that. It's bad writing. And if they didn't let Adrien be a part of the arc with his father as the villain, what hope does he have in the arcs with Lila as the antagonist, since she is a Marinette-centric villain? TA has already said that Marinette is Barbie and Adrien is just Ken. The writers have said that Gabriel is considered a hero by the end of Season 5. The show bible says that Adrien will never find out that his father is Hawkmoth.

Let's face it, they aren't coming back to this. Gabriel's era is over. Miraculous is well known for setting up conflicts and dropping them like a hot potato. If we ever deal with this, it's gonna be half an episode of Adrien forgiving Marinette because "she did it out of love." None of this will matter come Season 6. The supposed conflict being set up now will matter to Season 6 as much as the Ladynoir set up in Strikeback with the "we'll take back all the Miraculous together, you and me," mattered to Season 5, which is to say not at all.

[avesmonster]

let's talk about KEPLER i have a theory that he got the eccentric half of his personality from jacobi. because he acts totally different depending on who he's talking to. first of all:

the way cutter says this implies that kepler never jokes around with them. he's like "YOU'VE got to be kidding cause that's nothing like kepler at all" even though we've all heard kepler tell that fuckign pig joke and also just about everything else he says in s3

and we know he's scared of cutter (this is when the sol manifests out of nothign)

and that he's ALWAYS been scared of cutter. throwback to kansas

so it makes sense he wouldn't be all silly goofy around Scary Man Number One (he also doesn't seem to be very unafraid of pryce. not even rachel is unafraid of pryce but that's a different topic). so he's only silly when he's COMFORTABLE...... and that said i'll circle back around to this later

first thing with jacobi i wanna point out is that he was the one who taught kepler questions only. which seems to be the best thing that has ever happened to kepler why is he so enthused about this game

and then at the end of no complaints

this really makes it sound like jacobi pranks kepler all the time but it's totally unthinkable that Kepler would ever prank him back. Jacobi is so astonished by this (and idk what the Duck Thing was but. whatever it is it apparently wasn't a prank)

anyway it would make sense that jacobi plays around at work a lot because. his profile literally says he does

and kepler seems to highly value this trait of jacobi's. first by enjoying his sarcasm and then when he tells eiffel that jacobi is a smart man for telling eiffel to lighten up

and all the way up to dirty work, kepler is his usual silly and irritating self. even when he's taken captive and down a hand, he keeps joking around. and playing twenty questions with people. and overall being a smug little jackass

until... dirty work happens. and something shifts in kepler. something MAJOR because once jacobi turns on him, his whole demeanor and brain chemistry changes in under 24 hours

he's completely serious after this. he has a few bantery lines but otherwise, he's all business, and he's SCARED, and he's not interested in joking around with anyone anymore. he's stuck pretending to be on cutter's side and that means he has to act NORMAL--apparently his "normal" doesn't include being a silly little man

and like,, he honest to god didn't think jacobi was upset with him. which is a whole other thing i could talk about but for the purposes of this argument, it really is the Exact Moment that he realizes he lost jacobi's support that his personality makes the shift. when he still THOUGHT jacobi was on his side, even after getting his ass kicked by everyone on the station and bob, after being completely humiliated he STILL acts smug and unserious. like i cannot overstate the shift that happens in this man during dirty work i really can't

so going back to kansas. which is the only scene we have of him before he met jacobi. he was very rigid, nervous, and angry. and that's ALL he was. also

he's just a man who wants to be taken seriously. apparently

which,, the life he built came at a pretty ridiculously steep cost. so yeah, i guess he WOULD want to be taken seriously. it's not like he has anything else

he's an empty shell. he's a manipulator, too--he knows how imitate people around him to make them comfortable. He emulates Cutter to the point of making his job his whole personality. It's not out of the question that he would pick up some personality traits from jacobi, the man who's been glued to his side for six years. especially when he's around jacobi and he's having fun. jacobi likes having fun!! so kepler can do that too!! he can imitate people and be just like a real boy!!

going back to no complaints once more, kepler is all business that whole time. other than when he gets really excited about questions only. and of course when it was revealed it was all a prank--even then he didn't do any kind of big reveal, he just?? "Yes I Pranked You" RIGID. happy though :) and that was only one year into knowing each other. he likes the games jacobi taught him and he liked playing that prank and he liked planning a,, frankly EXCESSIVE first anniversary party with his subordinate but i digress, he's still kinda flat in no complaints but it seems like he's having a bit of a shift?? he's having fun with jacobi. he doesn't have fun with anyone else--not really, not when jacobi isn't somewhere in the same building and on his side

and since jacobi has a whole philosophy about "work shouldn't be separate from play," it's implied that he plays pranks on kepler, and implied that he's always getting into trouble--idk, to me it really feels like kepler absorbed some of jacobi's personality over the years. for funsies <3

thanks for coming to my kepler talk he's all i ever think about

[evilwickedme]

Top 10 worst Bruce dad moments?

So here's the thing. I'm not actually like. That well versed in the comics yet? Again like. Only been here for about six months. But I'll do my best anyway

10. Firing Dick

HE FIRED DICK FROM BEING ROBIN. THE NICKNAME HIS MOTHER GAVE HIM. THEN GAVE SAID NICKNAME TO ANOTHER CHILD. WHAT THE FUCK.

9. Steph as Robin

Honestly everything about this is a mess. I've only read a few pages from this arc but Tim quitting being Robin was a really difficult decision and Bruce's response was to give the job to Tim's sort-of-ex girlfriend and then treat her like crap. I believe it's canonically cause she reminded him too much of Jason, but that might just be the fandom's reading of the subtext; either way, if the shoe fits...

8. Telling Damian if he was there, Alfred wouldn't have died

What the FUCK, Bruce, that is your SON. COMFORT HIM FOR THE LOSS OF HIS GRANDFATHER

7. Robin!Tim in general

Listen intentional or not Tim is written as a character that has very much internalized needing to be useful being more important than anything else. His parents simply prioritize work over him point blank - his dad doesn't even remember his birthday, for God's sake - and Bruce simply like. Does not help with this. If anything he takes advantage of it. Tim needs to be loved unconditionally, like, STAT, like, that would fix 70% of his identity issues kinda STAT, and I'm not sure he's ever felt that with Bruce

6. Free space: any time he's hit one of his children that I don't know about

I once reblogged a post that detailed every time he hit Dick but that's long gone into the ether now, I can't find it. Anyway there's no excuse to hit your child. Don't fucking do it. They shouldn't hit you, either, doesn't make it ok for you to do if they've done it fyi. Batman can do non violent solutions, we know this, so fucking use those on your children.

5. Reviving the joker

I believe Dick isn't necessarily mad about not having murdered a man basically in cold blood, but I am. What the fuck, Bruce. You tried to kill him twice, you really wanna tell me you don't understand the urge and NEED to kill him??? And then you BRING HIM BACK TO LIFE??? Again. As I've said. What the FUCK

4. Killing Dick and sending him off to Spyral

Actually Dick shouldn't ever forgive Bruce for anything he's ever done to him ever. Have you seen the panels where they have this argument? His family GRIEVES him and for what!!!! For WHAT

(I understand Grayson itself is actually great I wouldn't know I haven't read it. Doesn't make what Bruce did okay tho. I'm also not sure I trust the positive reviews it's written by Tim Seeley and Tom King like......)

3. RHatO Rebirth #25

Penguin didn't fucking die. He didn't get shot in the face with a real bullet. You don't beat your son half to death to the point where he needs to be RESCUED from you - actually no need to qualify that sentence with the intended "over something that didn't actually happen", you simply don't beat your son half to death, should be a no brainer and YET

2. UTRH end scene

Heartbreaking. We all know at this point. Batarang to the throat. Chooses the Joker over Jason. It's enough to make a fully grown (25 next month) man (eh) cry (I mean. Yeah)

1. INTENTIONALLY TRIGGERING JASON

See here for the ask where I talked about this (and which is presumably the ask that led to this anon). Taking Jason to Ethiopia with no warning when he's cooperating anyway just to intentionally trigger him in order to try to get Damian back to life when you never did anything like that for Jason? Holy fucking shit, you know? Just betrayal after betrayal after betrayal

Anyway I'm sure this list is missing some major moments and I'd love to know what I forgot about or, more likely, simply don't know about! I love a well written good dad!Bruce fic but lbr that's just not what he's like in canon. Calling him a mixed bag as a father figure is an understatement

[singingcicadas]

This scene where Rewind shoots Megatron in the time-traveling arc. I don't understand his logic.

The shooting Megatron part I can get behind. If the price for avoiding 4 million years of war and everything that came with it is wiping the current timeline out of existence, then so be it; it's a defensible argument on both sides, and Rewind picked the one he's on. But his reasoning's ridiculous? "Killing Megatron's dooming the Cybertronians but saving the universe." He thinks that having Megatron start the war is better for Cybertronians than letting the Functionist council take over. wtf why, he's lived through both universes! He's seen what the war did and what they got out of the end of it. In what way could he possibly think that 4 million years of this,

quoting his own history lesson, is more preferable to the functionalists for Cybertron? The planet's trashed, their race is nearly extinct, Starscream's in charge and everyone's still miserable.

From what we got in the functionalist timeline flashbacks yeah the functionalists were awful. They were genociding people based on alts and forcibly recycling people into new bodies. But Megatron also did pretty much the same thing? Except instead of genociding based on alts he just went and killed half the population. The functionalists had cameras installed in people's optics for spying but Megatron had Soundwave do omnipresent surveillence with his mindreading. The functionalists were legitimizing everything they do as the Will of God and anyone who disputed that should die, but Megatron did one better and skipped straight to the Will of Megatron. he didn't even need the god part. There's no freedom, no choice, no equality in Functionalist Cybertron. well guess what there's none of that under Megatron either. The functionalists killed lots of people. Well Megatron killed more! In terms of absolute control, the Functionalists' version of Cybertron was nearly the same as Megatron's vision of the ideal future, the only difference being that he was stopped before he was able to get to that point.

When it comes down to the lesser of two evils shouldn't it be obvious that the Functionalists are better for Cybertron's future, at least comparatively? The planet and infrastructure are all intact. The population's still full. Yes the people are living in constant fear and misery but at least they'll still have a life, which is more than what most can say once the war starts. No matter how many people died under the Functionalists it's never going to compare to the amount of people who died in the war.

And Rewind's well aware of all this; he's well aware that Megatron's a mass murderer but somehow only cares when he's murdering other species? I can't remember anything before this issue that indicates he cares that much about other species. What do you mean Rodimus you can't argue with that, weren't you the one who made your opposition against staying on earth to protect humans so vociferously clear to the point that it caused your faction to fall to pieces? The value implications behind the whole thing is so strange. Unless Rewind is an admant believer of the "better to die standing up than live kneeling down" mindset and wants it forcibly imposed on everyone on the grounds of "anyone who doesn't want that doesn't deserve to live", then I really don't see how he would think that Megatron, and by extension the war, would be a better outcome for Cybertron than the functionalists.

[hamsamwich23]

Shattered Glass (Unreality Au)

Content warnings: blood, implied physically harming another person, semi-graphic death scene, verbal and emotional abuse and manipulation, subtly implied self harm.

Word count: 1,188

[This one shot was based off of a Goretober/Angstober prompt: Shattered Glass]

Scout's Brother never liked her....

He was very avoidant and dismissive around her. He would get annoyed easily and snap at her for anything he found to be annoying or bothersome. He was angry, all the time, worse than Riley's anger when she had a bad day. he would call her names and belittle her whenever he saw her. Whenever she did anything.

It was clear to Scout that her brother did not like her and wanted nothing to do with her. So she would simply avoid him. Deciding that if he wanted to talk to her, he would come to her himself.

And one day it happened.

her brother came up to her one day while she was watching the old TV that Riley had allowed her to keep after she found it. He had a calm smile on his face. He never smiled around her. It was almost...unnerving to witness.

He told Scout that he wanted to surprise Riley. Today was her birthday, and he wanted to make it special. Which confused Scout. Her brother hated Riley. He couldn't care less about anyone's birthday either. Her ninth birthday was just last month and he didn't want anything to do with her. So why did he change all of a sudden?

Regardless of how odd it was, she decided to help. Even if she was hesitant, he never asked for help, so she wasn't going to just turn him away.

Her brother told her that he was planning a small party for her, and she needed to be completely distracted so she wouldn't find out.

"that's why I need you" He said. "She cares about you way more than she really should"

That was always his argument

"She cares about both of us, she's just overprotective of me.."

"Whatever you say, number one"

"Why do you keep calling me that?"

"Don't worry about it, this isn't about you anyways."

"...okay...what do you want me to do? How do I distract her?"

"Don't worry, I know what will cause a big enough disturbance that will take up all of her attention. I'm going to help you by setting the bait"

He smiled, holding his hand out"

"just give me your hand..."

........

"Are you SURE that's what happened?"

Riley hadn't been doing anything too important. She was sitting at her private desk reading some sort of newspaper, catching up on the outside worlds scientific discoveries, when her daughter came in. She was sniffling, holding onto her arm. Blood was dripping down onto her shirt and onto the floor. there was a long and decent sized cut going over her elbow.

Riley immediately rushed her to the medical section of her lab and sat her down. She then began to clean, stich and bandage the wound.

"Y....yes... yeah. I was running, but I wasn't paying attention... and then I tripped and fell on some glass and it got stuck in my arm, I pulled it out but it left a scar.."

"Uh huh, Okay."

She finished bandaging the injury, but she didn't move from her spot.

"I know you're lying to me"

Of course she did. But Scout wasn't supposed to let her find that out. "I'm not..it was just an accident-"

"Scout, there's no way this was an accident. The cut is a perfect straight line, there was no stuffing removed or anything, it looks like someone cut you"

Scout went silent. Riley sighed and gently held her daughters hands.

"What happened?"

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

As it turned out, Scouts brother lied about everything.

Riley's birthday was back in October, she and her siblings all had the same birthday. October thirty first, and it was currently the sixth of January.

Riley was absolutely LIVID. And rightfully so. Her son just slashed her daughters arm, just to use her as a distraction. And she needed to find him, now.

She took Scout with her as she began searching for her son. Why did he dare to hurt Scout to distract her? Why was he trying to distract her in the first place?

A loud crack caught her attention. She rushed towards what sounded like the source of the noise...and there he was. Slamming a chair into the window.

"Axe"

"Mom" Axe hissed, taking another swing at the already cracking window. Scout flinched and covered her ears upon hearing the awful sound of glass breaking. The warehouse windows were rather strong, but they weren't invincible... if broke, they would lead to outside...

Was he trying to escape?

Riley had a rule in place when it came to outside. Neither of the two were allowed to go out. Not until they were thirteen, then she would go with them. her brother was four months away from being able to go outside. Why was he trying to escape like this? Was there another reason? Was it Riley? Was it the warehouse conditions? Was it...her?

Scout didn't attempt to question him and his reasoning. Riley and her brother were now fighting. yelling. shouting over one another. Riley yelling at her son for hurting his sister and Axe yelling at both Riley and Scout.

They kept shouting, as Riley tried to take the folded metal chair away from him...but when she got close Axe raised the chair above his own head...and slammed it down on hers.

Riley fell to the ground and stopped moving. Trembling, Scout knelt down beside her, leaning her head against her chest. Her heart was still beating, and she was still breathing...but she was unconscious and her head was bleeding. But she was still alive.

She glared up at her brother. "You almost KILLED HER!" she snarled, her ears standing up on end.

Her brother raised the chair again, ready to swing once more. He returned the glare. His eyes were cold and full of hate.

"You should have stayed dead"

He swung the chair, and the window finally broke. Shattered glass was thrown everywhere. Scout covered her face with her hands as glass hit, scratching into her palms.

When it was safe, she ran over to the window and looked out of the damaged remains. Watching as her brother ran through the snow. Watching as he ran...and ran...

She watched as he ran right into death itself. And she watched in horror, as death tore her brother to shreds

she watched it devour him while he was still alive.

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

"So...that's what happened to your brother, then?"

"Yeah..its a messy story, I know. But that's how I remember it..I watched something horrifying tear him apart...it came out of nowhere and fucking ate him. I told Riley everything that happened after she recovered. She says its not my fault, but I just....I don't know."

"I'm sorry to hear that. He was not a good brother to you, but you still seemed to care a lot about him"

"yeah..I used to. But he was an asshole..He's dead anyways."

Scout sighed, running her hands over her bandaged arms.

"it's not like anything he said stuck to me that badly anyways."

[thank you for reading!! My work is also on SquidgeWorld (Crying_God_tm) and Wattpad (judgment23)]

[sharpth1ng]

Okay so, I got this personal billy hc that (even tho it extremely self indulgent to a concerning degree) feels like it would fit a bit into canon(?

Also sorry if it doesn't make much sense idk how to speak in English properly as well my adhd makes it difficult to express myself properly so I'll try my best

Here it goes:

Billy would have and incredibly complicated power dynamic with their surroundings. What do I mean by this? I feel like due to his dad being extremely overbearing with his presence Billy wouldn't feel like safe, more now that his mother isn't in the picture. He would hate feeling this powerless however he cannot do anything about it, he's not in a safe place, his comfort people cannot help him (his mother is aways and stu is still a teen) and his life is falling appart since the divorce so his mental state isn't the best. However, when he gets power or at least a sort of backup plan he'll immediately would drown in it because feeling powerful feels good. Being repressed this way makes him an absolute Maniac for power and (I feel like) this would be a sort of catalyst of his murders in the movie. When he ends sid's mom life he feels drowned in power, nobody knows it was him and stu, nobody can harm him, he blamed another person and now Billy is safe in his own home. This would scalable with stu fueling this feeling with his adoration of him to the point that he feels like stu is the only one who would ever be his safe place because he makes Billy feel that he has the upper hand in most situations. His hunt for power makes him argumentative and calculating because he was always in the shadow of his father and couldn't wxpress himself correctly, this lead to him always losing battles with his dad (my adhd self indulgence) but now? Now he is the king of the world and will do anything to always hace the upper hand no matter what.

That and also that he likes to be pampered by stu, specially if stu calls him good boy (makes him feel especial)

Yeah, a lot of this is exactly how I see Billy too. He absolutely has control issues and he copes with the anxiety that comes from that by taking power wherever he can get it. It's less anxiety provoking to him to tell himself that he manipulated Stu into helping him than it is to think that Stu did it out of free will, because if Billy didn't manipulate him then he doesn't see himself as being in control. If Stu has the will to choose to help him then he has the will to leave him.

I absolutely agree that killing Maureen made him feel like he had some level of control, and the framing of Cotton also feeds his self-concept as this puppet master, making everything happen from behind the scenes. In my writing of him as an autistic person, this is also part of the comfort and obsession with movies. They contain predictable social interactions and often follow storytelling rules, they aren't random like life is and you can watch them over and over but the lines all stay the same.

I do also agree that he likes the special treatment Stu gives him but at least the way I write him I think that's something he sees as a personal weakness. If he admits that Stu gives him something no one else does then Stu has a bargaining chip, something he can take away, which gives him power over Billy. It doesn't even matter that Stu wouldn't use something like that to take power from Billy, the idea is enough to cause him anxiety, so he tries to hide the fact that he really does love so much of what Stu says and does for him.

[luvly-writer]

"But oh..cara mia"

Ch. 13 F*ck Around and find out

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Dick Grayson x Latina! Reader

Warnings: Fighting

Status: Ongoing

Author's note: I don't know how to write fight scenes TuT so I apologize. I saw a few videos of Batman, Wonder Woman, and Black Canary fighting (Ref. DC Animated AU) and just described what I saw. Hope it wasn't shitty. Anywaysss, you can tell I have a lot of free time and am using it as best as I can and updating. Idk how much it will last cause April will be one tough ass month so yeah, HOPE YOU ENJOY!!!

Taglist: @lorosette @nanas-teatime @prettyacademia00 @mxtokko @sarahkaliii @w31rdg1rl @Eurydicegrimes @writing-for-the-hell-of-it

Series Masterlist:

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Dick Grayson was damned the day he intellectualized his feelings for Yn. It had made his life nearly impossible and it was driving him insane. Seeing as he had been benched, his time spent around Yn increased even if she had asked for the opposite. Kory would go down to the cave but would stay quiet for the most part. Alfred would keep an eye on her making sure she wouldn't intervene with anything. For the most part, she would be found staring daggers at Yn, who in return would ignore her childishness. Dick had been in quite the predicament and the rest knew. They would see how his eyes followed Yn's figure everywhere and how Kory would storm off fuming. Everyone wondered why they hadn't broken up yet. They could hear the arguments coming from Dick's room every other night. Kory would always bring Yn to the topic but Dick would deny it. In his mind, he found it difficult to grasp how much he loved the girl. He feared that if he spoke word of it, all he had stood for ever since he was a child would crumble. In a world full of instability, his relationship with Yn was strangely comforting because it never changed. The cycle of joking to fighting to space then all over again was something he was used to. Now, that he sort of acknowledged his feelings internally (boy would rather be dead than say them out loud), memories resurfaced and his behavior in them was clearer. He didn't scare that boy that had asked for help for confessing to Yn away just to prove he had more admirers than her, he had done it cause he didn't want someone stealing her attention from him. The time he overly criticized one of Yn's first boyfriends wasn't because she had a horrible taste in men, it was because he wanted to be the one with her. Little by little, collections of his past came to bite him in the ass. All this time, I have been trying to search for you in other people and it took you finally telling me to leave for me to notice...it took you being in the same room as Kory and seeing the comparison of the woman he fell in love and the woman he wanted to fall for. Dick was a mess and a fucking idiot.

Your scent when you walked past him made him dizzy, your laugh whenever you talked with Babs was intoxicating, your slight touch whenever you changed his bandages left him almost begging for more, the soft sway of your hips, your eyes, your lips, God those lips he wanted to kiss and get lost in for all eternity, you just you, all of you. You were his weakness and he didn't want to accept it. Finally, he was off rest, the wound already healed. Yn had advised that he'd train on one of the simulations so that she could conduct one last check and he followed accordingly. The problem is that Kory followed as well, never wanting to leave Dick alone with Yn. The simulation began and all went swimmingly. Yn hummed and was about to leave before Kory spoke up, "Would I be able to partake in some training exercises as well? Maybe sparring?" Yn looked at her and shrugged, "Sure, knock yourself out. Although I have to change the simulation so that you get the best of the best." She looked down at her iPad ready to tap the new code when Kory interrupted her, "How about sparring?" She said and sent a wink his way. He noticed those didn't have an effect on him anymore but smiled anyways. "Well, Richard is in optimal condition so I guess" Yn answered and was about to leave when Kory called out to her. "Actually, I was thinking of you. Seeing as you do have your own powers, the match can be more equal" Dick let out a little "hey!" but looked between them, unsure of what could happen. Yn had been fed up by her constant shit and done being polite, "Alright, then. Suit up" you said coldly and walked away to get your suit.

Kory and Dick walked towards the cave, both in suits. There they found the rest gearing up for patrol. "I thought Starfire wasn't allowed in," said Damian as he placed his hands on his waist. "She isn't. She just wants to spar a little" said Yn walking towards them all suited up. Jason, who had half a protein bar in his mouth as he was loading his guns, choked and Duke patted his back. You walked towards the ring and turned to Kory, "I don't have all day." She flew towards you and you both stood in position. "3...2...1...GO!" and o it began

Kory and you circled each other, waiting for the other to begin. Kory got tired of waiting and threw a punch with her left, one that you swiftly avoided. She began attacking constantly and you stayed in defense. Left hook. missed. Right kick. miss. Jump left quick, not a chance. She began to taunt you whilst hitting, "Scared?" and you smirked at her just as she threw another left hook, you caught it, pulled it, and elbowed her stomach, leaving her out of breath for a second. She regained her composure rather quickly and began to fight harder. You were taunting her by not letting her hit you. "Stop avoiding and fight like an actual warrior DAMN IT," She said through clenched teeth. "Ok" you answer and quickly start to use the fact that she had used her initial strength against her. She goes to kick you but you slide under her raised leg, stand up and kick her in the back, successfully knocking her balance off. When she turns around, she is met by a mean right hook to the jaw. She stumbles back a little and looks positively enraged. She turns to hit you with her right but you catch it and hit her with your right knee. Star was livid. She had managed to hit your shoulder, making you stumble a little, and once she threw another punch, you used her momentum to grab her arm, jump up, place your thighs on her shoulders, and flip her, successfully throwing her on her back whilst you stood over her. You let out a soft whistle and smirk back at her as she gets up "One". Finally, Star had had it, she began to use her entire force and you did the same. Fed up with the fact she was losing, Star begins to throw more punches and kicks. Block the majority of them. She sends a kick your way and you grab her leg, kicking her other one, making her fall again. "Two," you say again and Star gets up, enraged. She started to punch again but you avoided it by doing two backflips in order to get away. Blinded by anger, Starfire raised her hands and shot one of her green light beams at you. Thankfully, quick as ever, you cross your forearms, using your Amazonian bracelets as a shield and you deflect them back to her, successfully throwing her back again. "Three" you finish and smile. Dick runs over to her, whilst Jason and Steph whoop at you in cheers. Damian has a smug smirk as he crosses his arms and nods, walking away to look for his swords.

Barbara comes up to you and claps your back, "You not doing yourself any favors if you ever wanted that girl to be cordial with you" and you laugh, "I don't care for pleasantries, I demand respect and she better remember that." Barbara laughs and follows you to the changing rooms. You come out, having changed out of your suit, and don't see Kory anywhere. That will teach her that if you fuck around, you most definitely find out.

After Yn and Babs left, Kory left for her room, embarrassed by what had happened. Dick was about follow her when Bruce arrived and told them that it was time for patrol. Once patrol was done, he had come back and wanted to talk with Kory, and see how she was but found her fast asleep. Tomorrow was going to be one long ass day and Dick just KNEW it was definitely going to bite him in the ass. Why you ask? Because tomorrow was the day of the gala. Dick took a shower and slid into his bed. He sighed deeply and closed his eyes, "I'm fucked" he said before slipping into a dreamless slumber.

[zalrb]

Were you on anybody’s side in the Brucas “I wanted to you fight for me” scene?

Both and neither. The thing about it is, that whole fight is a common argument or dilemma even if it's in different iterations, which was partly why when I did the rewatch I also paralleled it with Jackie and Hyde, like the whole "you should just know"

but even the whole, I wanted you to fight for me is a common fight

it's a sentiment that's even in, like, The Parent Trap

and I have spoken to guy friends where they tell me about an argument and they're confused about their girlfriend's or ex's reactions and I've just looked at them and been like yeah, she wanted you to work a little harder, try a little harder, go after her etc. and they've always been like WhY DiDn'T ShE sAy AnYtHinG? and i've been like

so even though I have the same reaction to Lucas in the situation, the fact that he was like well I'm just doing what you asked doesn't condemn him for me as a specifically Lucas-doesn't-know-Brooke problem, I think it's very teenage boy and he also learns from it.  In The Wind That Blew My Heart Away, he follows her into a storm.

He doesn't let her just walk away, he does exactly what Brooke wanted him to do in 3x05, he tells her how much he wants to be with her

and he means it.

Which is  ... I remember looking up Leyton scenes and I came across a comment on the whole prom dress clip where Lucas goes back to Peyton to apologize for seeing Brooke before her and a commenter was like this is how you know he loves Peyton because he never cared if Brooke was upset, he just let her go and didn't follow up and I rolled my eyes.

Not to mention, he's only doing the whole Rachel thing because he is actually doing to Brooke what Brooke is doing to him, i.e. he's trying to get her to see that she doesn't actually want him to date other girls

it just goes disastrously because Rachel is Rachel

and like always, Lucas is out of his depth

and all he had to say was I'm only with her to make you jealous and again the fact that he didn't know that just makes me go

With Brooke, I understand why she tested him, I understand her reaction to him not getting what she wanted, he cheated on her with her best friend and more than that when they were together, he made her feel special, he made her feel wanted, her made her feel like a person who was worthy to get to know and then he betrayed her with Peyton, that will hurt deeply. As a teenager, while I wasn't in the exact same position obviously, I do remember doing things like testing loyalties so I get it, at the same time she didn't communicate with him and lack of communication is going to cause friction. Plus, Lucas didn't ask Rachel to be in his car, he had proven that he doesn't just want to be with Brooke for sex

she pushed him to Rachel, which she admits

he had been fighting for her, he had been saying you want me with other people but I just want you

which is why she says "I wanted the Lucas Scott from the beach that night" so while I completely understand where she's coming from and while I think her needing to know if Lucas is serious about her is reasonable, her reaction to the situation was unfair but I also don't fault her for it.

So, like I said, neither and both.

[imhereformr]

Winx S2 E14 Battle on Planet Eraklyon

Ah yes... This episode... As you can surely tell, I'm very excited for it

I just noticed in the recap that one of the weird dudes from the last episode had chains in his hands when he cornered the fairies... Dude

What the fuck... I do not remember this scene of Musa walking through an argument and calming them. Seems a little odd for the most hotheaded and argumentative of the winx girls to be the one forcing peace

Holy shit Yoshinoya... Yikes

"What if Sky comes to her rescue?" What about Eraklyons soldiers or police force? 🤨

Diaspro screaming over a dog... Good thing she didn't marry Sky with his (disappeared) beloved dog #justiceforLady

"Because of droughts" Flora you nerd. I love you. More of nerdy Flora please.

No, you know what's rude Tune? Talking over someone! Like you're doing right now! "pixie of manners" 🙄🙄

MUSA'S STANDING LIKE RIVEN AGAIN 😍😍😍

There's an emergency. SERIOUSLY DOES ERAKLYON NOT HAVE AN ARMY OR COPS

To organize a concert? ORGANISE? Faragonda dropped a whole ass concert on her? Does she not know how much work goes into that?

"how primitive" Tune is a fucking hypocrite. Now I don't know anything about etiquette, but as a Canadian politeness is built into me and insulting people like that IS FUCKING RUDE TUNE YOU FAKE ASS BITCH. Tune is now on my list alongside Faragonda. I've got beef with Tune.

"I've got a bad feeling about this. Someone down there needs our help" Uh yeah Sky, you were just talking about some emergency remember?

If Diaspro's father is so influential why can't he pay the ransom? Why does the kingdom need to pay for one man's daughter being a fucking brat?

Sky's angry pose 💀💀💀

Wait where did Musa get that paper from? Did I miss something?

HOLDTHEFUCKUP Brandon and Sky traded places because of threats from Yoshinoya but they decide to go fight his goons JUST THE TWO OF THEM and Sky's parents are totally fine with it because it means he might fall in love with Diaspro???? Even though it also means they might end up with their sons head in an unmarked package that says youre next? Who the fuck let these people be parents let alone in charge of an entire kingdom?

"I ain't got time to hurt" Zing is the best of the pixies.

Brandon is two seconds from never having babies

Is it ever explained why Stormy is at Alfea? Or did they just need a reason for her to want revenge in the next episode?

"Hey I'm not afraid of your justice, I'm rich" Diaspro is an icon.

Once again, Bloom could defeat three crazed witches on the magical equivalent of speed, but she can't take these losers in bad costumes? FFS 🤦🏻‍♀️

The people being swapped need to be about the same height and weight. Well isn't that an awfully convenient moment for Bloom to prove what a good person she is.

"but you don't even like her" 😂 😂 😂

"Youre kind of mean for a hero" "Yeah troubled childhood" STOP I'M FUCKING DYING 😭💀💀😭💀💀

How did Bloom break those restraints? Either she's super strong or Diaspro is weak af

"I'm supposed to marry a prince" No Diaspro, you're gay. You want a princess. I don't make the rules.

Shessofuckingcute. I love her so much.

But seriously tho why was Stormy there?

We all know Bloom wouldn't lose 🤦🏻‍♀️

They're not gonna get very far on Earth 😂

Okay I've never watched this episode more than twice cause it was very Bloom and Sky heavy, but honestly it was fucking hilarious 😂 😂

[queercomesthesun]

the prophecised buddie sperm donor argument but instead of buck and Eddie, it's Buck and Christopher

Someone mentioning the sperm donor thing around Chris, and he asks Buck about it, and Buck explains.

"its kinda cool, see, like, I've always wanted kids. and it doesn't really make me a dad cause obviously Connor is the dad but it kinda makes me... something."

"You already are something, Buck."

"Thanks Chris but I mean."

"You already are a Dad, Buck. You're my dad. You, me and Dad. We're a family. i thought so at least!"

Chris storms out and Buck looks up at Eddie.

Eddie who has been watching this whole scene, with a sad expression.

"is this why you were so cagey about the whole donor thing?" Buck asks

Eddie nods.

"You know, I... I love that kid like he were my own."

"I know. And he knows. And he loves you back like he was yours. Because he is."

"Eddie, I'm sorry. I just... I've been such an idiot."

"Yeah, you have. I didn't want to overstep, it's nothing to do with me, but Buck, you could never walk away from that kid. You are a Dad. You're far too loving and attentive to do that, not without it tearing you apart. You can't be a good dad and a good sperm donor, those things don't overlap. and you're a dad, Buck. You're Chris's dad."

Buck is crying, and Eddie pulls him into him, to hold him upright.

"You need to go talk to him."

Buck sobs.

"Eddie I can't believe I made him think I didnt- I just didn't know I was- I didn't know I was allowed to have this."

Eddie pulls away, and shoves Buck towards Chris's room.

"Hey buddy."

Chris doesn't look up from where he's curled over a book.

"I'm an idiot. Sometimes it's hard for me to... to see when people love me. and I'm working on it. I didn't hint I was allowed to think of you as my kid, Chris, I didn't know you wanted that. But if you think of me as a parent, that makes me the happiest man in the world. I love you, more than anything kiddo. You're my family."

Chris looks up then.

"Dad too?" Buck frowned, but guessed it was just Chris trying to make it clear Buck wouldn't replace Eddie as his dad.

"Yeah, your dad too."

"What about the baby?" Christopher asks.

Buck thinks for a minute.

" I think... I was thinking about it wrong. Being biologically related to this kid doesn't make me their dad. If I can be your dad, and I'm not related to you, then this baby can be mine biologically, but not actually be mine. And I can be the cool uncle or whatever if they want me to be, but I have all the family I need right here.And it's really cool that I've helped them to have their family. "

[aspiringwarriorlibrarian]

Something that I've been thinking of is the Monty styled fights created by YouTubers in response to RWBY, or inspired by RWBY, and what gets to me is that despite arguably being flashier and potentially better than Monty in many aspects, a lot of them are also frankly much less memorable.

And I think it's that a lot of them just have a bad tendency to fall into a major problem of:

"What's the point of all this?"

Yeah, they've gotten down Monty's fighting style, but even at his weaker points, Monty's animations for his fights weren't always purely about the fighting, but also how that fighting and those scenes helped to convey what the characters were like, their role in the conflict, and the overall story of the fight itself.

Quite a few of the RWBY styled fight creations I see around on YouTube have a bad tendency to fall into the weaker end of Monty styled fights, where much of the focus is on copying the spectacle and animation of his fights, and less on conveying the above mentioned, which isn't entirely helped if they're using entirely original characters.

Case in point being Mark's SLVR animations, where while technically proficient in selling a RWBY styled fight, for the longest time didn't do much for me in terms of showing me what was going on from a narrative or character perspective until the final episode. His Warcraft themed animation was better in this regard, but it still had a tendency to fixate more on the spectacular fight scenes over really focusing on the intended theme of Redemption, that part sorta just existing in between fights more than anything.

Even when RWBY's Red Trailer was considered more of a weapon's resume, I'd argue that there was still enough contextual elements to show that some story elements were present, such as Ruby clearly mourning and contemplating over a grave, and her stoic irritation at dealing with monsters interrupting on her private mourning. All subsequent trailers improved and followed up with their own narratives and character establishment in ways that I just never quite get from a lot of fan RWBY styled animations, although some do manage to do so and improve on those initial RWBY trailers.

Honestly? Yeah. I do see that quite a lot. People get so hung up over flash and style they forget to tell the story that comes along with it or tie it into a character's personality and situation.

It's part of why I've never liked the idea of "the fight scenes aren't good anymore cause now they're character-driven" like...they always were character driven, you're just mistaking a difference in style for a downgrade in quality and misremembering your own experiences for a strawman argument.