#deeper meaning. now i’m suddenly made to feel like either a shit person or socially incapable

[cupiare]

i like. refuse to entertain any thoughts that maybe i just didnt come out right or theres something fundamentally wrong w me cause i don’t want to get caught in a self pitying mindset but i do wonder . what exactly makes me always end up in Predicaments with people why do i feel like the more honest i am and the clearer my intentions the worse they get across

[sadclearance]

right hand

pairing: katsuki bakugo x male!reader

summary: 5 things bakugo uses his right hand for + 1 thing bakugo uses his left hand for *wrote with “left hand” being in mind as a prequel, but can also be read as a standalone 

category: fluff

warning(s): none

word count: 1500

key:

s/t - skin tone

i.

when they were in high school, midoriya izuku noticed that bakugo katsuki--his childhood friend and bully--always started fights with a right hook.

which was incredibly powerful, albeit predictable.

midoriya still remembers a specific sunny morning in their third year when this expected yet efficient move was used for something that wasn't exactly a fight. a second year had made the unbelievably stupid mistake of--

"watch it, dumbass!"

and immediately after bakugo caught y/n before he could fall on his ass, bakugo's right fist met with the second year's nose, successfully breaking it and scorching off the hairs of the kid's eyebrows.

at the time, nobody really thought anything of it. bakugo was protective of the few people that he considered--but would never outright admit--to be his friends, and y/n was one of them.

ii.

but it was at the christmas social event that was held for the third years to get a chance to make connections as well as have fun before the end of their student years that it became clear that it was much much more than just friends looking out for each other.

"what're you doing all alone?" kaminari asked as he leaned against the wall next to y/n.

"everyone's either flirting with pro heroes or kissing their asses, and i'm not really in the mood to do either."

"yeah, i can see that," kaminari snickered as mineta got slapped in the face by mount lady after both a series of terrible flirting and a horrendous attempt to literally kiss her ass.

"surprised you're not doing the same."

"well..." kaminari said as he pointed up. he was wearing a hat with a hanging mistletoe.

"how not unexpected," y/n laughed.

"you know the tradition," kaminari winked pointing at his lips.

"okay, okay. for the holiday spirit--"

and as y/n leaned in to give kaminari a peck, a strong right hand grabbed his chin, and his lips met with a pair that belonged to someone else.

kaminari was too shocked to be disappointed after being pushed away by none other than bakugo.

"fuck off, dunce face," bakugo said before crashing his lips against y/n's.

that was one hell of a way to find out that two of his best friends were dating.

iii.

bakugo's jealousy only got worse after graduation.

but to be fair, that was his own fault.

he may have chilled out since their time together as first years, but he was still a headstrong ambitious hero.

they didn't go public with their relationship because bakugo figured it would be distracting to his goal.

which was a decision that he immediately regretted when he remembered just how attractive y/n was--something that other people clearly appreciated as well.

y/n got gifts, compliments, and very suggestive comments wherever he went, which did nothing but fuel bakugo's anger and displeasure.

there was a solution to this problem, and it was to let it be known to the world that y/n was his and his only.

instead of doing what normal couples do and going to an interviewer or announcing their relationship on his social media accounts, bakugo decided to--

"so... y/n," the barista looked at the name she just wrote on the cup and then back to y/n. "are you seeing anybody?"

"what's taking so fucking long?" bakugo asked as he came up behind y/n, right hand harshly meeting y/n's left ass cheek.

"ow! what the hell? there's paparazzi right outside of the window," y/n scolded, gesturing toward the crowd of people with cameras on the other side of the glass wall.

bakugo's only response was to press a kiss against y/n's lips, smirking into it as he saw a flash of light in the corner of his eye, fully aware of the fact that his hand was still on y/n's ass.

iv.

when he saw a building crumbling on top of y/n, he knew what he had to do.

he had faced a similar obstacle to this in his first year of high school, when he was up against round face--ochako. she had collected rubble that he had unknowingly provided and gathered it all up to the sky, later using it as a weapon by making it rain down on bakugo.

a building, however, had much more stone than a collection of collateral concrete that an individual collected over only a few minutes.

"y/n!" he shouted.

recreating the move from his first year, he raised his right hand and released a massive explosion--one much larger than the original maneuver.

he had succeeded for the most part. small bits of rubble rained down on them, but it was more like getting hit by hail than being buried by a boulder.

"bakugo!"

the mentioned man gritted his teeth and pressed the rough fingers of his left hand into his terribly cramped and pained right hand.

"you overdid it, you idiot!"

y/n rushed to get medical attention, and bakugo reluctantly let himself be pulled around.

he would've crudely yelled back that he didn't need help, but the worried look on y/n's face stopped him.

"i'm not gonna die, dumbass," bakugo rolled his eyes. the words were intended to come off harsher, and more like bakugo insulting a subordinate for not being able to see the obvious, but they came out closer to a soft reassurance instead.

"do that again, and i'll kill you myself," y/n glared. he looked more like an angry puppy.

"as if you could even land a hit on m--"

y/n's lips shut him up.

"even though that was the stupidest thing i've ever seen, thank you for saving me," y/n smiled, rubbing soft circles into bakugo's right hand.

"'stupidest thing you've ever seen'..." bakugo grumbled.

v.

"what the fuck are you doing?"

it's been a habit to hold hands while doing almost anything since their time together at u.a.

hell, they used to hold hands throughout basically all of high school except during hero training.

subjects like math, language, history--they didn't require both hands. they only needed to write on a piece of paper, and they only needed their dominant hands for that.

so it comes as no surprise that that habit followed them to their pro hero years, pale left hand entwined with s/t right hand as they finish their paperwork.

bakugo's confusion was prompted by y/n's sudden fascination with his right hand.

"i rarely ever give this one attention," y/n shrugged.

"it's not its own being. like a pet or a person."

the look bakugo gave y/n told him that he was the biggest dumbass in history, but y/n ignored it in favor of responding, "still a part of you i rarely get a piece of."

"i hate the way you worded that, creep..."

"you're still blushing."

"in your fucking dreams!"

+i.

going to a nice place was somewhat out of the ordinary for the two of them.

bakugo was focused on being the top hero, and being the top hero meant sacrificing a lot of time.

y/n doesn't know what changed bakugo's mind so suddenly, but he wasn't about to reject a once in a lifetime opportunity.

"the breeze is so nice," y/n breathed in the fresh air of the beach.

he had ran up to the gorgeous ocean, cold water hitting his bare legs while he tried to convince bakugo to join him.

"not up to the challenge? that's rare," y/n teased, turning his back to him and going deeper into the sea.

"oh, shut your trap! i have a damn good reason."

"yeah, i'm sure you do. you sure you aren't just cold?"

"i said shut the fuck up!"

"okay, okay," y/n complied and entertained himself with the vibrant blue waves.

"i love you," came bakugo's voice abruptly.

"that's weird, you never say it first, especially not without any form or profan--" y/n turned around to give bakugo a ridiculous look, laughing as he did, only to stop almost immediately.

"fuck y--" bakugo had to stop his habitual reflex. "marry me... dumbass?"

bakugo with a nervous tone, one knee in the sand, struggling to not get up because of the annoying shifting and imbalance, and a ring in his hands was a priceless sight to see.

"yes! yes! yes!" y/n ran back to the dry sand.

bakugo grinned and accepted the kiss but broke it off sooner than he would've liked for the fear of dropping the ring and losing it to the waves.

he slid the ring on y/n's hand with a proud smile before y/n demanded to have the other ring.

"shit, calm down," bakugo laughed, but he couldn't help but feel happy that y/n was just as ecstatic.

although he was the one to say that, bakugo's left hand struggled to stay still as y/n put the ring on bakugo's ring finger.

"i love you," y/n pressed his lips against the trembling left hand once he was done.

with the rings safely on their hands, bakugo could freely go back to enjoying the treasure that was y/n's lips.

❥���━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━๑❥

a/n;

a sequel exactly a month after

i like this format because i'm shit at transitions

i mean just look at the shift from iii to iv...

i had an idea for the right hand theme for a while now since the battle trials when izuku mentioned the right hook thing but i was like woah i could do it with this while writing left hand

[samwrights]

Team Karasuno as dads [hc]

For a married woman that doesn’t want kids, I sure do fantasize about my boys being dads a lot.

Asahi;

He definitely cried when he found out you were pregnant.

When your daughter was born, he couldn’t even be in the room because he was so overwhelmed with you being in pain and the fact he was about to bE A DAD

He doesn’t even remember how you started dating because he was so blown away by your beauty or so he claims but the fact that y’all were married?? And having a kid?? When did he get so bold??

Eventually he got over it cause he felt bad that he wasn’t in the room holding your hand while you literally pushed a whole ass human out ya cooch.

He fainted

The first time he held his daughter was the first time he had felt complete, more complete than when he rejoined the volleyball team in his third year. It felt amazingly right. He tries to deny the fact and say your wedding was just as wholesome but you can tell. Fatherhood is something entirely different for him

“She takes after momma’s beauty.” A simp through and through.

Asahi is a parental HOG. Which is kinda nice cause he loves doting on your child but also HI I AM MOM AND WOULD LIKE TO HOLD MY BABY???

He tells YOU how to hold her and feed her and little ticks about her personality like you aren’t on maternity leave and are with the baby ALL DAY (although he is REALLY pushing for you to just be a stay-at-home mom)

Because he is soooo doting, it’s very rare that you wake in the middle of the night to feed or change her—Asahi is ALL over it. But he is human and there are days he’s too tired to wake up from dead sleep. It’s ok, he’s your human. Daddy deserves rest too.

Asahi would totally be a co-sleeper, or at least nap with the baby as much as he possibly could.

Definitely bought her multiple onesies that say “daddy’s little princess”.

She gonna be a spoiled brat when she’s older 🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️

Daichi Dadchi;

I mean he’s a literal running joke in the fandom

After being elected as the unofficial dad of the VBC in his high school days, it was no wonder that he was such a natural with your three munchkins.

Having three slightly older boys of varying ages, you relied heavily on Daichi to get through to them when you couldn’t.

He’s definitely the strict parent; your sons all try to take advantage of you 💀 demons

Your boys saw you as a pushover most of the time because you were just so tired.

“Just keep trying for a girl, they said. There’s a 50/50 chance, they said.” Was something Daichi would find you chanting to yourself often while you cooked dinner and the boys were playing soccer in the house and breaking something.

Even though Daichi is strict, he really tries to emphasize to the boys to treat you with kindness to make it a bit easier on you.

“Guys, please don’t make your mother rip her hair out.”

“We’re just playin’!” They would sing in flawed harmony

“One day, you guys are going to be all grown up with your own special person with your own kids, and you’re gonna love them so much that you’ll understand why I’m telling you to calm down and listen to your mom.” Asjdfkhlek.

“Ewwww, daddy loves mommy.”

“I sure do.”

Sugawara;

On god, Suga would be the most patient parent. He treats your toddlers like mini adults and not your insane nine year old girl or six year old boy.

He listens thoroughly when they are upset about something, cautiously listening to the deeper truths about why they’re upset and takes great care in making sure his children feel validated.

Super dad 🥰

But it’s not a random event; after being married to you for the last decade, he had so much practice with conflict resolution and genuinely listening to you that it was a natural tendency at this point.

For the most part, your children are incredibly well behaved. Sure, there’s an occasional incident because, well they’re kids. Your daughter, being the older of the two and nearly finished with primary school, was entering her phase of discovering boys and constantly writing in her diary.

Suga may be super dad, but he is not perfect, and for some reason I totally see him reading her diary.

“Koushi, put it back. Now.” He was just going to pretend that you using your mom voice on him didn’t turn him on and prepare him to fill you with another baby.

While he may be an expert on conflict resolution, you enforced respecting their privacy; quite a dynamic between the two of you in terms of validating your children as individuals.

“But honey, our daughter is starting to like boys.”

“At least one of the females in this house does.” 💀💀💀 with angels for children, someone had to be the clown of the Sugawara family and it was certainly you.

Tanaka;

You and Tanaka had your first baby in your guys’ third year of high school, which you would be lying if you said it wasn’t hell.

Tanaka fought tooth and nail to try to do everything from makin dinner, working, making sure you were getting rest, and of course still playing volleyball. Everything except actually trying to graduate.

“I don’t have time to study babe, I have practice and then we gotta put this squirt to bed.”

There was a constant argument about Tanaka continuing with volleyball that nearly forced you two to split. While you knew how important it was to him, there was no way he was going to graduate from Karasuno while he was trying to care for you, a child, work, and play volleyball.

“Ryuu, please. I know you don’t wanna quit but if you can’t pass your classes, you won’t be able to participate anyway.” He did not take well to that.

It took him time to come to his senses and in that time, you had kept you and your son away from him to allow him his space.

Apparently that was also a wrong move on your part.

He was so angry and frustrated being away from his mini me that he had easily conceded to retiring from volleyball if it meant being able to watch his little nugget learn how to sit up and crawl.

Yes, he goes HAM on the nicknames. Squirt, nugget, mini me, beanie baby, tyke, and all of the above. He pretty much calls your son everything but his actual name.

“I’m sorry for being stubborn.” He says one night while you help him study for his finals, your sleeping son swaddled in your arms.

“I’m sorry for making you give up something you love.”

“Nah, I got you and the munchkin. That’s all I need.”

Noya;

I love Noya 🥺 but at first, he is a chaotic parent. Granted y’all had your first child when you were still in college and he hadn’t the faintest clue on how to be a dad.

To be perfectly honest, you weren’t quite sure how to parent either.

Neither of you knew how to change diapers

Noya definitely got peed on more times than he wishes to admit

When your son was still a newborn, just around finals time, neither of you could figure out for the life of you why your baby was crying in the middle of the night. Which inherently made you cry because you had an 8am final and you had finished studying 5 hours prior 🙃

“Try to get some sleep, babe. I’ll take care of him.” Nishinoya’s voice was thick with exhaustion, but he knew how little you’d been sleeping since giving birth.

When you went to leave for your final, Noya was asleep in your living room rocking chair, baby safely in his arms with the both of them just snoozing away.

It was a struggle but the two of you faced the challenge together, one step at a time with your energetic four-year-old son as you graduated university. By the time you had all settled into a larger apartment together as a family, Noya had yet to pop the question. He was too busy having fun with his little man.

Sometimes it scared you how in sync he was with his child probably because he was still a child himself but it was sweet and endearing.

“Hey babe?” He asks softly after the two of you tucked away your boy for the evening. You raised in eyebrow at him, silently goading for him to continue. “Do you want to have another?” Needless to say, he sure as shit impregnated you that night asjckglpwm

Hinata;

With Hinata being an older brother, I actually see him being a wonderful dad. However, homie’s got a one-track mind and with him playing professionally, you’re usually left to do the parenting.

Your kids definitely like you more than Shoyo, not that anyone blamed anyone; they just never see daddy :(

BUT when he is in dad mode and home, you suddenly remember why you were eager as shit to have more kids with him 🥴 which explains ya you’ve got your third on the way

When he does come home, he automatically greets his older, 8 year old son with noogies and a brief wrestling session. For some reason, Hinata felt the need to compete with his own child 💀

Headass.

But when he sees his daughter, his world stops because he has favorites and EVERYONE in the Hinata house knows it

Always asking your 6 year old girl how her day was, asking how she was doing ruling over her imaginary kingdom and if she found her Prince Charming yet.

“Pffft I don’t need Prince Charming, daddy, he’s icky!!! Mommy says I don’t need a man!”

Where is the lie

“Your mom is absolutely right and you should totally listen to her, she’s the best queen in the whole world.”

Because of his one-track mind, he is engaged fully with your kids when he is actually home. Your son had naturally gotten into volleyball which, even after a long day’s practice, Shoyo spends hours training him.

“Do you think this one’s finally gonna like me more than you?” He asks one night while he’s doing the dishes after dinner, while you’re right beside him drying them off.

“Sho, our kids love you. But mom is home with them allllll day and has been since birth.”

“Can we keep trying until one of them finally likes me more?” 💀💀💀 “or until we have enough to make our own volleyball team?”

Kageyama;

How this socially inept clown got ANYONE pregnant was unthinkable. Of course, to anyone but you. After being with him all throughout high school, it was more of a wonder how you didn’t get pregnant sooner

This dude dirty. His one track mind, if not on volleyball, was entirely on you. Nearly every night was date night which ALWAYS ended with bow chicka wow wow 😏 you horny mfers yalll moved in together as soon as you graduated from Karasuno.

Clothing at home was nonexistent.

With the two of you in your second year of college, living in your apartment, and being 8 months pregnant, the air had dramatically shifted.

Kageyama’s once still high sex drive had been channeled into school work, working, and of course, volleyball. You were planning on at least completing your semester before taking time off to care for the baby. It seemed one of you would have to really step up, and from what it seems, it wasn’t going to be Tobio.

When he was home, which was very few and far between with how much he had going on, he had tried to dote on you as much as he could physically muster. Kisses here and there, bathing together, and lots of snuggles.

Kageyama is in charge of the nursery and there’s no room for argument on this. With him not being as present at home, he sets up the nursery as a way to communicate with his child that he’s never going to see because of volleyball

I love Kags, but he is nowhere near ready to even think about parenting 💀 which you tried to be patient with, but with the due date approaching very rapidly, you kinda needed him to step it up.

“I’ve helped.” He tries using the nursery as an argument and he had gone to every doctors appointment but homeboy still doesn’t know how to make a bottle or change a diaper

Was he prepared to have to clean up baby shit and vomit? Absolutely not. Was he going to anyway? Lmao, absolutely not. This boy only wants to be daddy, not dad.

Tsukishima;

It shook everyone and their mother when people found out that Kei not only had a girlfriend that he met in college, but that his girlfriend was a milf according to Kuroo and Bokuto

When you and Kei had first started dating, your daughter was already five. And while you obviously didn’t bring her to classes with you, she was always with the two of you for date nights. Oddly enough, he really didn’t mind.

His patience for kids, now that’s he’s older and kids are actually kids and NOT his peers, rivals that of Sugawara’s.

“Hey Tsukki,” your spawn asks at dinner one day. “When are you and mommy gonna get married? People keep making fun of me cause I call my parents mommy and Tsukki.”

“Making fun of people isn’t cool, it’s so lame. They’re just jealous cause they don’t get to call their parents mommy and Tsukki.”

👁—

That same night, Kei offers to read your daughter to sleep as if to reinforce the notion that mommy and Tsukki was cooler than mommy and daddy. Of course, he was pushing for this to hide that he was upset that children were making fun of her.

After that Tsukishima really gets into his dad role—walking your daughter to school with you or without you everyday, picking her up and giving her grandiose hugs. He made sure to lock eyes with every spectator, his height towering over many at the kindergarten. Silently telling them all “do not fuck with her, or you answer to me.”

He’s sosososo protective, I can’t. He ain’t scared to fight a toddler.

Even well after you and Tsukishima introduce a child of your own, your daughter still insists on calling him Tsukki and adamantly tries to teach her sister to say Tsukki instead of dada.

“You’re okay with the kids not calling you ‘Daddy’, Kei?”

“The only one I want calling me daddy is you.”

Yamaguchi;

This poor bean 💀 not only was he not prepared for fatherhood in the slightest, but twins?!

You both swore up and down they were evil. If one was hungry, the other one would refuse to eat until the other finished their meal. This applied to using their diapers as well.

Imagine the energy of Hinata and Nishinoya as baby twin boys, and lo and behold, yours and Tadashi’s kids.

While you had slightly more patience with them, knowing they were going to grow up eventually and become their own independent humans. Tadashi was not handling this well at all.

Low key, he felt like he was doing a horrible job as a parent and, after the boys had finally gone to sleep for the night, you’d spent a lot of time consoling Tadashi.

“Why can’t I be like—“

“Baby, you’ve got to stop comparing yourself to all of your friends. None of them have twin boys that are less than a year old.”

“Yeah but Hinata has three of them, so does Daichi—“

“Honey, you aren’t them. You’re you, so please, just be you.”

He’s ambitious when it comes to parenting—he wants to be the best dad ever, and he only gets better with practice.

That doesn’t make him wanna tear out his hair any less, but as the boys get older, it does get easier. We pretend their toddler years didn’t exist, it was a nightmare that Tadashi does NOT want to relive

[misc-headcanons]

(Commission) NS.FW Spinner/F!OC: Closer

Word Count: 3114

Contains: Smut, oral sex, dirty talk, some alcohol consumption

Shuichi Iguchi wasn't a "people person". It wasn't for lack of trying, but years of schoolyard rejection and social isolation had left him with no desire to reach out to the world around him. Still, even if he was an isolated otaku as Shuichi Iguchi, he was proud to say that he'd become a slightly less isolated Villain after taking on the name Spinner. Hey, baby steps, right?

Normally he'd have been holed up in his room at his parents' place in the sticks, playing video games; now he was at a bar, his fellow Villains' hideout, enjoying a drink he wasn't even having to pay for. Hell, there was even a woman sitting next to him! A pretty-looking one at that, too. And...wait, was she looking at him? It was hard to tell with the shadows that made up her body obscuring her line of sight. How long has he been looking at her? 

"Something on your mind?" She spoke up and jolted Spinner out of his own thoughts, making him almost spill the drink in his hands. She laughed, and Spinner immediately felt a burn in his cheeks that wasn't caused by the whiskey in his throat. "Guess there was," she teased.

Spinner turned around slightly to face the bar and set his drink down. He was used to being teased, but it was still too easy for girls to fluster him and catch him off guard. "Not what you probably think," he insisted, scowling a bit. "I was just...thinking, that's all."

The female Villain tucked a stray shadowy tendril behind her ear and scooted her chair at the bar closer to him. "Aw, I didn't mean to make you feel that embarrassed," she replied gently. Her glowing eyes drifted to the side for a moment as she glanced at him. "To be fair though, you DO look pretty cute when you're getting teased."

Spinner's cold blood suddenly felt red hot.

"Wh-what?"

The shadowy woman grinned, her golden eyes and mouth lighting up in contrast to the dark purple shadows that made up the rest of her body. "I said you look cute," she replied, leaning over and taking a gulp of her drink. "You're acting like you've never had someone call you good-looking before!"

"I haven't," Spinner said, admitting that a little too quickly. He rubbed the back of his neck. "I mean...Mandalay, one of the Pussycats did, but that was just to distract me while I was fighting her." He puffed his chest a bit. "Didn't work though. I don't fall for that kinda fake flattery n' shit." He took another gulp of his drink. "Catgirls're overrated anyway…"

____ cocked her head and angled her chest subtly towards Spinner. "Yeah? How about shadow girls?"

Spinner's eyes widened and he finished his drink as he stared at the woman in front of him, noticing how she was not-so-subtly bending forward to show off her cleavage. Wait...if she had a shadowy body like Kurogiri, did she even have cleavage? His eyes quickly flitted to her black tube top and leather vest--yep, she definitely did…

Suddenly, Spinner jolted in his seat as he felt a pair of fingers pinch his shoulder. He looked over at his arm and saw a disembodied purple-ish hand attached to the shadow of a section of the bar that cascaded over part of his body. It sank back into the shadow and disappeared, and the Villainess next to him gave him a wave and a smirk. "If you wanted a closer look, all you had to do was ask," she said smoothly. "I'll even let you touch me, if you ask nicely enough."

Spinner's mouth felt dry, and it was only slightly because of the whiskey. Holy shit. It was happening. A girl was flirting with him. Fuck, he might actually get some action, too! He set his drink down as casually as he could and gave her a smile that he hoped looked more charming than nervous. "Can I at least get your name first? Just so I know who I'm...uh...looking at." 

The shadowy woman leaned forward with a stray napkin on the bar to wipe a bit of alcohol off his chin. "Overcast," she replied. "That's my Villain name, at least." She felt his lips tremble a bit as she ran her thumb over his mouth, and she smiled. "Believe me, I already know yours." A strange shade of lilac seemed to flush across her cheeks for just a moment. "I've had my eye on you ever since I first joined the League."

"Really!?" Spinner cleared his throat, trying to keep his voice from sounding so high-pitched and excited. "Uh. Really."

Overcast snorted and nodded. "Yeah, really." She leaned in close and moved her hand from his chin to gently run her fingers through his hair. "You wanna know what I was thinking about whenever I had my eyes on you?"

Spinner felt a shiver run up his spine as he felt her fingers brush through his purple hair. She was so close to him. He hadn't been this close to a girl since his mom would kiss him goodbye on the cheek before sending him off to school...wait, what the fuck, stop thinking about your mom Shuichi, you're about to get laid! 

When Overcast moved to whisper one of her filthy fantasies from whenever she'd look at him during meetings, he didn't have to worry about any more awkward thoughts; with how his eyes bulged and his jaw slowly dropped as she went on in raunchy detail about what she wanted to do to him, his brain had basically short-circuited from a torrent of never-before-seen attention and desire.

Overcast moved her head back and giggled at the dumbfounded look on Spinner's face. "Oh c'mon, that's one of the tamer things I've thought about doing with you!" She tucked a stray strand of purple hair behind one of his ears. "So...would you be interested in something like that?"

Spinner's mouth felt dry and his boxers felt incredibly tight as she played with his hair, looking down at him with a sultry smile on her face. "I...uh…" Yes! Yes, yes, holy shit yes. I'd be glad to just make out with a girl like you that's into me, much less all sorts of kinky sex. Oh my god, yes. He blinked and willed himself to speak. "Uh…" He laughed nervously. "Could I at least get your real name first?" 

Overcast smirked and tilted Spinner's chin up as she leaned forward to kiss him. "Occa," she replied, her lips mere millimeters from his. "Promise to moan it for me when I make you cum?" 

Spinner's lower lip trembled and he nodded eagerly, taking some initiative and putting an arm around her waist as she pressed her lips against his to deepen their kiss. Occa smiled against him as his hand trembled slightly behind her back; his inexperience and shyness was so cute, and such a turn-on for her. She gently bit his lip and moaned when Spinner boldly took the opportunity to explore her mouth with his tongue. It had a slightly strange texture to it, with a bit of extra weight and musculature to it as he snaked it around her. Despite the sudden outburst of confidence when he first kissed her (or...anyone) with tongue, his movements were unsure and tentative now that it was finally a French kiss. Occa did her best to guide him with her own tongue, and after a moment or so they worked out a steady natural rhythm before finally breaking the kiss. 

Spinner panted, not even having to look down to confirm just how hard his cocks were as they strained against his costume's zipper. He could still taste her along with the lingering whiskey from his drink earlier. Holy shit. He'd just gotten his first kiss, and with tongue! Tongue that he initiated! And she liked it! She liked him...He looked up at her in awe, wanting to continue hearing and feeling and tasting her but having no idea what to do next. "I...Can w-we…"

Occa put a finger to his lips and smiled. "Do you want to go to the couch? Everyone else is out, and I don't think Kurogiri would mind giving us the room for a little bit," she said sweetly. She turned her head towards the other shadowy figure behind the bar, who'd said nothing as this entire scene unfolded. 

"I have no problem giving you two some privacy," Kurogiri replied smoothly. "I'll create a portal for Master Tomura and the other members when he calls, but I don't need to be at the bar to bring them back." He gave the two of them a stiff nod and left to go into the small wine cellar located underneath the bar area, leaving them alone. As he closed the wooden panel that led down to the cellar, Occa gave him a casual wave before turning her attention back to Spinner.

"Shall we?" She held one of her hands out to escort him to one of the plush leather couch in the middle of the room. Spinner bit his lip and eagerly nodded, taking her hand. Occa chuckled and led him a few steps to the couch, kissed him again once they were in front of it, and gently pushed him down onto the seat without letting their lips part. Now that the initial shock of his first kiss had (almost) worn off, he was much more active when their lips met again; when he accidentally bit down on her tongue, she moaned and he immediately pulled her closer as he pushed his long tongue deeper into her mouth.

Spinner shivered in anticipation as one of Occa’s hands wandered to his pants’ zipper and dragged it down. His legs wobbled and he was thankful that he was already sitting when she’d started to undress him; he definitely would’ve fallen flat on his ass if he’d still been standing. He broke the kiss and helped get his pants down to his ankles, and he noticed Occa eyeing his two bulges pitched against his dark red boxer shorts. “I uh, have two,” Spinner said sheepishly. “Two dicks, I mean. That’s...okay, right?”

Occa looked up at him while on her knees, her golden eyes shining even more than before. She smiled and bit the corner of her lip as she hungrily stared at his cocks. “Definitely okay,” she replied in a low voice. She placed her hands on either of his thighs and slowly made her way to his waistband. “I never would’ve guessed you had two of these.” As she pulled down his boxers, she couldn’t help but giggle at how he was subtly rocking his hips a bit in his seat. “Eager, aren’t ya?” When she caught her first glimpse of his two members, each of them deliciously thick and a fleshy shade of pink. The place where she expected his balls to be only had a small opened sheath of scales where his cocks seemed to reside--well, when they weren’t about to be played with by a lovely lady like her, that is. “Oh my God,” she sighed, “You’re so fucking hot.”

The moment Spinner felt her fingers gently wrap around his lower cock, his eyelids fluttered and he let out a small gasp. Occa kept up her pace with her right hand while quickly unzipping her pants, shoving them down and pulling her panties down a bit to play with her clit. Not wanting to leave his other dick unattended, she tilted her head slightly and licked a long stripe from the base all the way to the glistening pink tip. Spinner let out a shivery moan; her hand already felt so good, but now all he wanted was to feel her velvety tongue against his cock again. Occa smirked and looked up at him playfully, still pumping his other member as she spoke to him. “Could you guide it into my mouth for me? I’d do it myself, buuuut--” She moved her hand faster, making him buck his hips as she increased her pace and sighing pleasurably as she toyed with her cunt with her other hand--”I’ve kinda got my hands full…”

Spinner nodded, panting as he grabbed his other cock with a shaky hand and supported the back of her head with the other hand. He had planned to be slow and gentle but the moment he felt her lips envelop his tip, he hissed with pleasure and shoved his hips forward while gripping her hair tightly between his fingers. Occa eagerly bobbed back and forth as she stroked his other cock, and the two Villains moaned and sighed as the pressure and heat inside of them continued to grow and grow with every minute they spent intertwined with each other.

Occa gleefully moved her lips off of Spinner's length with a small wet pop. "Fuck," she whined, biting her lower lip, "I can't decide if I wanna have one of your cocks in my ass or if I want both of them inside my pussy." She felt his other member twitch in her hand at her lewd words, and she rode her other hand more vigorously as she grinned up at him. "What do you think, baby?"

Spinner let out a strangled whine and bucked his hips as she gently squeezed his shaft. A strand of drool fell from his lips as he panted, and his eyes fluttered when she leaned forward again to envelop his other cock in her mouth after saying something so lewd. God, this couldn't be real, it had to be a dream. This felt so good, she felt so good. No amount of hentai, erotic video games, and fantasizing with his own hands could have prepared him for the feeling of a real woman sucking him off and happily stroking him.

"Fuh--f-fuck," he hissed through gritted teeth. "Haah...Whatever you want." He felt a strange twinge of guilt as he stared down at Occa with half-lidded eyes; here she was with her hands and mouth full as she worshipped his cocks, and he was just lying on the sofa. That was probably rude. Women like it when you touch them and stuff while they blow you, right? He shakily reached out and cradled the back of her head with his hands, with his thumbs resting by her cheekbones as he brushed them against her smooth skin. Occa let him guide her head as she went back to giving his other cock more attention with her tongue, licking one long stripe up the shaft before suddenly taking him into her mouth completely.

Spinner involuntarily shoved his hips forward and Occa giggled, letting the vibrations of her voice run up the head of his dick and down his spine. She goaded him into going faster, stroking his lower length at a quicker pace while she eagerly moved her head back and forth. His fingernails dug into her scalp as he bucked into her warm mouth and hand at a feverish pace, panting heavier as the flickering warmth and pressure in his core came to a head. 

Occa felt his hips jerk forward and took his cock in her throat as far as it could possibly reach, and as she watched him come undone she felt her own climax about to peak as she used her free hand to furiously circle around her clit. 

Spinner groaned her name as he came, filling her mouth and sprayed her chest with his seed. He heard her let out a muffled moan and looked down to see her eyes rolling back slightly as she squeezed her thighs together; the wet sound of her digits pumping her drooling cunt left him salivating. He wanted to see it for himself, he wanted to taste what was on those slender fingers. He needed it.

Occa moved her head back and swallowed the cum in her mouth, panting heavily through parted as she slowly rolled her hips in the lingering afterglow of her orgasm. She saw Spinner reach for her arm and let him take her hand. The ache of her now-empty cunt was annoying but when Spinner eagerly sucked on her glistening fingers, it was quickly replaced with a feeling of pleasurable heat; for a virgin, he was so damn good at turning her on. 

She kicked off the pants and underwear around her ankles and rose up to join him on the couch while he continued to suckle and lick every drop of arousal from her fingers. "Mind if I get my hand back for a sec?" She smirked and tugged on her black leather vest and tank top. "Unless...you know, you don't wanna see my tits bounce while I ride you and play with 'em."

Spinner shook his head and parted his lips, and Occa giggled at how he'd immediately let her fingers go at the prospect of seeing some bare breasts. He watched her with wide eyes as she tossed her jacket and shirt aside, leaving her in a black bra that just barely stood out from her smoky purple skin. She quickly undid the clasp and teasingly rocked her hips a bit against his hardening cock as she got rid of her last piece of clothing. Spinner stared in awe at her chest, eyeing the lighter shade of dark purple that made up her nipples. They'd only been exposed to the cold air for seconds and they were already hard as she reached up to play with them with her saliva-covered fingers.

Spinner gasped softly when Occa reached down to set her hand on top of her left breast, kneading the soft warm flesh between his scaly fingers. His mouth felt incredibly dry as he tried to think of what to say. Your tits feel as great as they look? I've never been this hard in my life? 

"...My name is Sh-Shuichi," he blurted out, thumbing her nipple as she continued to grind against him. "My real name, I mean."

Occa cocked her head slightly and smiled. He really was a sweetheart, wasn't he? She leaned down to kiss his neck and jaw. "Shuichi," she murmured. It felt so strange to not call him Spinner for once, but she didn't mind it at all. "Shuichi" felt more personal, more intimate. "Mmm, I wanna feel your cocks inside me so bad." She smiled against his scales as she felt a trickle of his precum run down one of her thighs. "Shuichi...I can't wait for you to fuck me."

[littlemissyina]

Priorities

Hello I’m back from the dead

Finally have gotten out of my angsty rut and have fallen (back) into another fandom! When I first started playing this game, there wasn’t many people I socialized with at the time that were into it, so I lost interest. Recently, and also a part of helping out of my current situation, my precious waifu @otome-cauldron pushed me in and now I can’t get out.

And now I’m here thirsting over a hot office worker/gamer. What is my life.

Real talk - A3! is an amazing game and the story is a fucking rollercoaster, please play and laugh and cry and yell and scream with us XD

Also introducing a new OC specifically for this fandom, hope to write more for her soon :) Enjoy! Priorities A3! - Itaru Chigasaki, OC (Megumi) Warnings - angry gamer smut; biting; long nails; makeup is everywhere; the eyeliner doesn’t want to dry

It was a quiet night, Itaru returning to his room early, walking straight to his computer and turning it on, waiting for his team to sign on for their nightly raid. 

Two soft knocks faintly registered to him before he saw movement in his peripherals, Megumi sitting on his bed and dumping all her makeup samples in front of her. No words were said between them, but knowing they both were near each other was enough for them. 

“What the fuck was that Banri?” Itaru said into his mic, chuckling as Banri began yelling into his ear. 

Megumi snorted softly, wondering if he got distracted by someone. She tapped her chin as she picked out one of her samples, an eyeshadow palette, slicing the seal open with her nails and looking at the colors with excited eyes. 

“These might go well for Summer’s play,” she mumbled, beginning to swatch the palette over her forearm. 

An hour had passed and Megumi was almost done going through her samples, her forearms now multi-colored and several spots of concealer and foundation were scattered across her cheeks and neck. The eyeliner and mascara were left for last. Itaru has yet to move from his chair, his and Banri’s teammate, Hikaru, now yelling into the chat for some noob to get their shit together, and why did they have to look for one extra person when they could have been fine on their own. 

She took the cap off of the liquid eyeliner, setting her mirror in front of her and bending over slightly. She didn’t realize how close her hand was to her face, and ended up poking the side of her eye with the tip of the eye liner.

“Fucking shit!” she yelled, dropping the eyeliner and rubbing her eye, the still wet liquid now smearing all over her eyelid and hand. 

She was loud enough for Itaru to hear through his headphones, making him jump slightly and losing focus. In a matter of seconds, he watched his character die, and Banri and Hikaru began to ask him what happened. 

He quickly flicked his microphone to mute before glaring over at Megumi. “What the fuck was that for?”

She shot an equal glare back, her one black eye seeming to get darker. “I just poked my eye, give me a break.” 

“I just died because you screamed so loud! And we were just at the raid boss! Now we have to do it all over again!” 

“Sorry I almost gouged my eye out!” she said, standing up from his bed and stomping over to his chair, looking down at him. “Maybe you should get better headphones, or maybe I shouldn’t come over anymore!” she said, poking him in the chest. 

He smacked her hand away, scoffing. “My headphones are fine, you need to be more quiet! You just cost me an extra two hours!”

She poked him in the chest again, harder this time. “Then you better start over, so you don’t eat up more of your precious time,” she said through gritted teeth, leaning in closer with every word. 

He smacked her hand away again, letting out a low growl. “Are you challenging me? I’m not Banri, you know.”

Megumi scoffed, turning around to pick up the lipstick that had fell to the floor when she got up. “Not a challenge, just showing you where your priorities are at.”

Itaru furrowed his brow, knowing she only made these jabs when she was legitimately hurt by something. “What the fuck was that supposed to mean?!”

“Exactly what it means, Itaru!” she whipped back, running her hands down her face, some of the eyeliner smearing down her cheek now.

Itaru finally got up from his chair, walking over to her. “You take that back,” he said, looking at her, his gaze lingering on her blackened eye. 

“No,” she said, tilting her chin up defiantly. 

He growled again. “Priorities, huh?” He reached behind her and swept his arm over his bed, all her makeup samples tumbling to the floor.

“Itaru!” she yelped, watching as they all fell to the ground.

“I’ll show you where my priorities are right now,” he said in a low voice, pushing her back onto the bed. 

Before she could even get another word out, he crawled on top of her, caging her in as he kissed her hard, her hands grabbing at his shirt and pulling him closer. He used his knee to nudge her legs apart, settling himself in between them as he cupped her breasts through her tank top, swallowing her moans. 

“Itaru,” she breathed his name when their lips finally parted, her eyes seemingly glowing with lust.

“Priorities, I wonder what my priority is right now?” he teased, grinding his clothed length against her shorts, smirking as he watched her bite her lip.

“I-I’m surprised you’re not back at your chair,” she said, trying to hide the trembling in her voice. 

“But I’m not, I’m right here,” he responded, sliding the straps of her tank top off to reveal her breasts, bending over and planting kisses over them, his teeth grazing her skin, leaving small red marks in his wake.

“Itaru!” she moaned suddenly, her hands flying into his hair, her nails scraping against his scalp. 

He almost sounded feral at that moment, the feeling of her nails making him bite a little harder, licking over the bite mark and placing a kiss over it. 

She hissed at the feeling, arching into him as she tried to roll her hips. “I’m going to waste concealer because of you!”

“I’m going to have pissed teammates because of you,” he shot back, sucking on one of her nipples sharply, eliciting a whimper from her lips.

“Ah, fuck! Just-“ she groaned, clawing at his shirt. 

He chuckled, sitting up briefly to take it off and tossing it off the bed. He dove back in for another kiss, grinding against her again as she dragged her nails along his back, knowing there would be red lines on his skin the next morning. 

“Megumi,” he said, biting down on her bottom lip and tugging on it, making her whimper again. “Where are my priorities now?”

She puffed her cheeks out at him, refusing to answer. 

‘Checkmate,’ he thought, bringing a hand up to cup her face, his thumb gently brushing over the black eye.

“Still need convincing I see.” He shuffled back to shimmy her shorts off, then taking off his own. “Maybe this will show you where they’re at.”

He held onto her shins and bent her legs, folding them over her torso before teasing the tip of his length with her wet folds, smirking as he saw her hands fist into the blanket. 

“Itaru,” she whined.

“Hold on, I have a priority I need to take care of,” he said with a smug grin, pushing his hips forward as he began to fill her slowly. 

“Fuck! Itaru!” Megumi groaned, exhaling through her nose. She looked up at him as her thighs became flush with her torso, her hips angled up slightly as he started a relentless pace, her head thrown back as her hands seeked purchase on his back again. 

He hissed as he felt her nails dig into his skin, thrusting even harder. “You.. you are my priority,” he growled, pressing their foreheads together.

“I-Itaru!” she moaned, her walls tightening around him, her heart skipping a beat at his words. 

“Don’t ever think I would push you aside,” he said, each word punctuated with a hard and full thrust into her. 

Words were beginning to fail her, and all she could do was nod.

He smirked again, kissing her lips softly, a stark contrast to the snap of his hips. “Good girl.” 

Her toes began to curl as he draped her legs over his shoulders, angling her hips even more, hitting even deeper than before. She finally let go of his back, threading her fingers through his hair and bringing him down for a passionate kiss, muffling the scream that would have escaped her throat. 

“Itaru, please…” she managed to squeak, her face flush with need.

“Please what?” he asked, his voice seeming to deepen. 

“Please, more,” she begged, tugging on his hair. 

“More?” He chuckled, the sound of their hips meeting growing even louder in the room. He groaned as he tried to hold off his own release, the look on her face almost sending him over the edge. “Go on, I know you won’t last much longer,” he teased, almost at himself as well. 

“Itaru!” she said, lifting her head slightly to press her lips against his, moaning into their kiss as the coil inside of her finally snapped, her legs trembling as waves of pleasure slammed into her, squeezing him tightly as he kept his pace. 

His eyes shot open as he felt her tighten around him, a guttural moan escaping him as he seemed to lose control. His hips sputtered before slamming into her one last time, pressing his hips against her as he felt his release course through him. He rocked against her as he felt his length throb inside of her, filling her fully as he fisted the sheets, trying to gain his composure. Her name left his lips like a prayer, his saving grace and the only thing on his mind as he opened his eyes, looking at her lovingly. 

A few minutes of heavy breathing passed before either of them moved, Itaru being the first, lifting himself up to look at her. “Is your eye feeling better now?” 

Megumi scoffed and smacked his chest. “Obviously,” she said rolling her eyes. 

“Are you sure about that?” he asked, chuckling as he slowly pulled out, groaning. 

She pouted at how empty she felt, but sat up and looked at him with a raised brow. “I can still see, what do you mean?” 

“What I mean is…” He bent over to pick up her mirror, then held it up so she could see.

“For fucks sake… I looked like this the whole time?!” she said, her eyes growing wide.

He laughed, handing her the mirror as he picked up his clothes. “It was kind of cute, seeing you all angry with all that makeup on you.”

She pouted, placing the mirror on the bed. “You should look at yourself then,” she said, pointing to his mirror. 

He walked over, his own eyes growing wide. “You didn’t tell me I had this all over?!” Eye shadow had rubbed onto his arms and shoulders, his hair had streaks of black (did the eyeliner ever dry?!), his lips a shade of purple that reminded him of grapes. 

She snorted as she walked over to him. “It was kind of cute, seeing you all angry with makeup on you,” she teased right back, using his own words against him. 

He bit his lip to keep his words at bay, opting to ruffle her hair before slipping on his clothes. She quickly cleaned both of them up, giggling as he pouted his lips when she wiped the lipstick off of him. 

It became a quiet night again, Megumi sitting on his lap as she played around with her samples more while he got back into his raid with Banri and Hikaru.

“Where did you go?! Did you DC or somethin’?” Banri asked, sending Itaru the invite into their group. 

“I have priorities,” he said, silently placing a kiss on Megumi’s shoulder. 

[velmalav]

call my bluff: part one {r.t.}

warnings: smut, swearing.

synopsis: reader and roger hate each other, but get drunk one night and wake up in bed together.

word count: 3k+

***

 You never liked parties much. They were always too overwhelming, too many people crammed into one space. Not to mention that despite all of the unfamiliar faces and drunken stumbling (usually into you), you could know almost everyone at a party and still feel alone and uncomfortable. By the end of the night, you always found yourself backed into a corner and sipping your drink with an arm draped across your stomach. An introvert by nature, but an insecure one at that.

 And that’s why it was so unlike you to be at one now. Your usual place at Freddie’s house was a sofa under the stairs – something he’d thrown together specifically for you and your anxieties. Most people never bothered to even notice the small heap of cushions, and really, no one but you, Fred, and the other members of Queen really even knew of its existence. All in all, it made Freddie’s ragers bearable, and that’s all you could really ask for.

 The only reason you were there now was because it was his birthday, and quite frankly, he’d murder you if you even thought of skipping out. So for weeks, you’d picked at your fingernails at just the mere thought of the event. Ironically, that’s exactly what you were doing now as you followed Brian and John through swarms of people.

 “Didn’t it just start?” you muttered, tightening your grip on the back of John’s t-shirt. He sent you a fleeting smile over his shoulder as you three continued your invisible conga line through Freddie’s house. You nearly stumbled into John as he abruptly paused in his tracks, hands flying to his back to steady yourself. “Could’ve warned me,” you grumbled.

 “Sorry, Chris just whisked Brian away,” John replied before pulling you beside him. You both wandered to the one place you wanted to be, but right before you turned the corner to the staircase, he backed off. “I’m gonna get some drinks. Save me a seat, will you?” you could hear the sarcasm in his voice.

 Nobody ever sat on your bloody couch—

 Your eyebrows furrowed at the sight in front of you as your beloved safe space came into view. Roger fucking Taylor – the absolute last person you wanted to see, was perched in your spot, an ankle slung around a knee and both arms hugging the back of your lime green sofa. He jangled a glass around in one of his hands as he chatted up the girl beside him. She leaned into him – in your spot – and whispered something in his ear.

 “Excuse me,” you interrupted, eyes flaming as you stared Roger down. He seemed pleased at the expression on your face as you made your way over, a hand falling to your hip. “What the hell do you think you’re doing, Taylor?”

 “Having a chat with lovely…Denise,” Roger hesitated at her name, but his smug tone never faltered. The girl raised an eyebrow before peeling herself off of him.

 “Deanna,” she snapped, snatching the drink from Roger’s hands and standing. “My name is Deanna, you dick.”

 “I knew that,” he coolly smiled, but didn’t seem to be concerned with the woman’s sudden change of heart. She glared at him for a moment longer before storming off, tugging her tight dress down as she went. You couldn’t help but crack a satisfied smile, causing Roger to shift on the sofa. “Go find yourself somewhere else to squat because you won’t find me moving, Y/L/N.”

 Your smile fell immediately, eyes blazing once more. “Couldn’t help yourself, could you? Had to make sure you’ve shagged on every piece of furniture in Fred’s house, huh?”

 Roger scoffed, head turning to the side. “Would be a fun challenge, but I’d much rather watch you squirm in the corner, lovely. Seems to be what reels in all of the men you’ve shagged, now doesn’t it?” he pointed at you with his a nimble finger, a smirk tugging at his mouth.

 “I—“ you began, searching for a good comeback, but failed to fish one out and huffed. “You know what? Have the fucking couch for all I care.”

 Roger hummed in agreement and lit up a cigarette. “I’ll make sure to take good care of it for you.”

 You and Roger had always butted heads. The first time you ever met him, you sensed his aura of…irresponsibility. A playboy, a sarcastic little shit, a man who never took the time to grow up. In some ways, you liked those qualities – they suited Freddie just fine – but on Roger? They were deceitful. You decided right then that you wanted nothing to do with him.

 And just like Roger had guessed, you soon stood at the archway of the hall, the drink that John fetched you in your hand. Bodies mushed against you, some muttering apologies and others blatantly disregarding you. You stared down into your cup and tried to ignore the rough thumping in your chest. John would occasionally reach over and make a snide comment about someone’s ridiculous costume to lighten the mood, but you couldn’t get out of the funk you were in.

 Freddie came and went, greeting you with wide open arms and a bubbly shout. He waved his cape around like he was a superhero, insisting you do a shot with him, and then was coasted away by the tens of people trying to get his attention. You took your rightful place beside the bar, now entirely alone as John had left you to chat with some friends.

 “Exactly where I thought you’d be,” a voice spoke into your ear, causing you to whirl around. Roger stood there, a smirk already on his cigarette-occupied lips.

 “Was kicking me out of my spot not enough for you? Did you have to come and make sure I was still miserable?” you spat. You were socially drained already, and all you wanted to do was run home and crawl into bed.

 His eyes faltered at that, but only for a second, before he was stepping closer to you. “Wouldn’t be fun if I didn’t, love.”

 The two of you were so close that you felt like you were staring into his soul. Roger flickered his eyes from you to order a round of shots. You scrunched up your nose and finally went to turn your back to him, but he held out his arm so you’d stay put. “Seriously, Roger, what do you want from me? Go find some other girl to pick on why don’t you,” you sighed, folding your arms across your chest.

 “Here,” he mumbled, sliding a newly placed shot glass towards you. Your gaze followed his, confused. “You need to get out of your head.”

 “What do you mean?” you questioned.

 “I’m not a dumbass, Y/N. I know what happens when Freddie forces you to these,” Roger started, holding up his own glass before putting out his cigarette on the surface of the bar. “Just need to let loose for once. It’s sad, and I can’t watch it anymore.”

 “As if you’d care either way,” you blow out a breath, tilting your head away from the shot. “I don’t need help from you.”

 “I cared the second you scared off my catch for the night,” Roger quipped sarcastically. “Wasn’t gonna steal your precious couch ‘til you so rudely interrupted us. And yes, I’d say you do need the help. So take the damn shot before I call Freddie over and have him force you to give a toast for his birthday.”

 “You wouldn’t dare,” you growled with narrowed eyes, but there was a sudden hint of playfulness between the two of you. 

  Roger glanced between the shot and you, eyebrows raised, as if saying, ‘Call my bluff.’ Without another word, you grabbed the shot and let it slide down your throat. As if he expected it, Roger held out a glass of purple liquid to you. Not wanting to give him the satisfaction, but desperately needing the chaser, you glared at him the whole time you downed the cup. 

  Roger laughed, but is quickly taken aback as you order another round. You held a shot out to him. “Show me what you’ve got, Taylor.”

.

 The night became a blur of Freddie’s long hallway and dimmed lights. You were aware enough to hold yourself up, but your mind was in shambles, and walking was a motion that needed intense thought. You could feel two hands molding into your hips, fingers playing with the lace material of your dress. It was hot and soothing all at the same time and you could feel your cheeks beginning to flush red, half from the liquor and half from the man touching you.

 You could tell he was also just as far gone as you by the way his lips stuttered against the skin of your collarbone. You tipped your head back to rest against the wall, eyes falling to the man kissing up your neck. It was Roger, you recognized him instantly, and a sober you would never be in this position, but a drunk you wanted him like he was the last man on earth. You coasted your hands up to clutch his face, fingers digging into his cheeks a bit as you gravitated his mouth onto yours.

 The kiss began slow and needy, teeth nipping at your cupid’s bow, but turned desperate and passionate as you pushed your tongue into Roger’s mouth. He moaned and dug his fingers deeper into your hips, one hand sliding up to feel your chest. He suddenly broke the kiss, both of you panting as if you’d run a marathon. “Guest room down here,” he said in between breaths before gripping onto both of your elbows and guiding you further into the hallway.

 “Locked the door,” you confirmed as you both stumbled over to the bed, shedding clothing as you went. Flats, dress, pants. Roger was struggling to unbutton his shirt when you reached him and pulled the material apart impatiently, buttons tumbling to the ground at your actions.

 “Fuckin’ hell, Y/N,” he drunkenly snickered, leaning forward until his chest touched yours. Both tipsy, laughing messes, you toppled onto the bed. Legs tangled together, hands weaving around body parts.

 Roger hovered over you with a glazed over expression, just staring down at you. You were still giggling from ruining his shirt – payback from tonight’s events, you supposed. You swiped a finger at his nose, causing him to lean down and connect your lips again. You grabbed the collar of his torn clothing and held him to you, hand snaking around the back of his neck to trap him. His hands explored your chest, plucking the clasp of your bra apart and tossing it aside. The cool air hit your nipples, and Roger took one in his mouth.

 You were always so impatient and horny when you were drunk, so you couldn’t help but squirm in frustration. Even wasted he knew how to anger you. “Get on with it,” you groaned. You even went as far as to pull your panties down your legs and around your feet. You wanted him now.

 “Eager, are we?” Roger’s hot breath tickled your tummy as he descended down your body achingly slow. You jostled around, hoping for relief, as two fingers pressed to where you wanted him most. “Waited a long time for this. Gonna take my time,” he murmured, so quietly you almost didn’t hear him.

 “Please, just,” you drew in a sharp breath as he moved his fingers in circles against you. Your eyes fluttered shut, moans falling from your lips like a waterfall. His finger slid in easily. Both of you moaned at the feeling, your hands clutching the bed sheets as Roger left sloppy marks across your tummy. His eyes never left you, though, wanting to watch you coil underneath him.

 You began to unravel quickly. Sweat beaded at your forehead as your head thrashed to the side, extending your neck out. Roger quickened his pace, but could feel you beginning to clench further around him and stopped. Your eyes flew open to see him above you, eyelids hooded. He was so blissed out that his movements were even slower than before. Your head spun as you rested your forehead against Roger’s cheek and discarded his boxers. He flittered his fingers through your hair once and then proceeded to run a thumb across your lips.

 “Roger,” you said. He liked hearing you say his name and hummed in response, then seemed to snap out of his drunken thoughts. “Condom. Now.”

 “On it, lovely,” he slurred and hunted through the pants he’d thrown to the ground minutes before. Finding what he needed, he rolled the condom on, and then focused on you. You both shared a look, an intense, lustful one – and then he thrust into you.  

 Your back lifted from the bed as Roger lazily slid in and out of you, teeth attached to your neck. Sometimes he’d leave sloppy kisses along your throat and collarbones, but mainly desired for your mouth. He went deeper and deeper until he had you just about yelling, happy to cover your mouth as moans continued to pour from it. You yanked at his hair, curling the softness around your fingers as if were the only thing you keeping you in reality.

 “Rog,” you cursed like a mantra, over and over and over again, almost in time with his thrusts. He couldn’t handle you saying his name, couldn’t last much longer if you kept letting it spill out like that. Both of you knew that the alcohol was only a catalyst, and before either of you could register it, your orgasms rolled in and blinded you at the same time.

 Your moving lips suddenly stopped as you fought to keep yourself together, but seeing Roger fall apart sent you over the edge. Your whole body let loose as you fell back against the soft bed, all of the energy you had suddenly diminished. You could feel Roger plop onto your stomach, arms wrapping around your torso as he caught his breath.

 “Fuck,” he whispered, eyelashes fluttering against your belly button. “Should’ve taken this to that hideous green couch.”

.

 You awoke to a surprisingly calm hangover. Your head was light and your mouth wasn’t dry like it typically was after a night of drinking. The only symptom was the intense aching in your limbs that you assumed was from dehydration. But as you tossed a bit in the bed, you realized you weren’t in your flat, and…naked.

 Last night flooded back in fragments, the small details nothing but a blur, but the big picture remained. Roger. Touching you. Kissing you. Fucking you. Your cheeks were already flaming, your usual tense demeanor multiplying by a thousand, “Holy shit,” you whispered into the sheets that you had tucked to your nose.

 “Holy shit’s right,” Roger’s voice told you everything you needed to know before even looking at him. Smug. So fucking smug. Your hardheadedness kicked in, and you refused to meet his eyes, merely staring straight ahead. You felt a leg brush against yours, to which you instantly ripped yourself away. “Oh, c’mon, love, loosen up.”

 “Funny, that’s what you said last night before you got me drunk and…” you started the sentence so defiantly, even perked yourself, but faltered as you realized that there was absolutely no way to come out of this situation the winner. He’d gotten to you. He’d done it. You had become another one of Roger’s conquests, and he was lapping up every second of it.

 “What? What did I do, love?” Roger asked. You both stared, your eyes defeated and his lolled, as if he was turned on by the anger boiling in the pit of your stomach.

 “You are so gross,” you whined, slapping your hands to your eyes as he laughed.

 “Wasn’t last night when I—“

 “Stop, stop talking!” you cried, flailing to cover his mouth with both of your hands. He held your elbows to steady you, almost like he did last night in the dim lit hallway.

 He peeled your grip off of his lips so he could speak again, still glowing with arrogance. “Been wantin’ to have you for a while, love, don’t worry. It’s inevitable. None of the boys will even care—“

 “Because they’ll never know, Roger,” you interrupted again, stare no longer playful. “This was not supposed to happen and it’s never gonna happen again. In fact, it never did. From this moment on, the last ten hours never existed and I will continue to hate you from afar.”

 “Oh, sweetheart, you’ll never be able to hate me again. Not after last—“

 “Last what?” you cradled your hand against your ear. “Last night? Doesn’t ring a bell—“

 Roger snickered, “Mhm, alright,” he concentrated on your lips as he said it.

 Fingers gently cradled your hands away from your face. His movements were so light, so delicate that you didn’t rip yourself away as you normally would. His face was centimeters from yours, eyes sheepish and sparkling as he observed your beet red complexion. You let your guard down for one blissful second, already stupidly leaning into him, when a snarky grin appeared on his face.

 “Knew I had you,” Roger declared arrogantly, sweet facade dropping in the matter of a second. He tore the sheets from himself and padded to the door of the bedroom. You fell back into your icy stare as he turned back around to flash you a wink. “But don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me.”

***

part 2 // final part

masterlist

[ilovereadingandilovebreathing]

Lights Will Guide You Home (Ch. 1)

Story: AU in which Peter Parker, 16, is a homeless vigilante just trying to do his thing in Queens. Tony Stark is a rich superhero who flies onto the scene. Eventual IronDad will ensue.

A/N: Title from Coldplay’s “Fix You.” Sorry if this AU has been done like 10,000 times and if that song has been used like 15,000. Here’s another.

WARNINGS: Guns, gun violence, robbery, cussing, verbally abusive language

- - - - - - - - - - 

It’s only midnight, but Peter’s already feeling the weight of exhaustion creeping into his bones. He stands on the Queens rooftop looking out over the city; the fading yellow streetlights give him a strange kind of warmth in his stomach, a stark contrast to the burn of hunger that usually lingers there. He sighs and leans his head against the post next to him; he pulls up his red ski mask above his nose and inhales deeply, allowing his eyes to slide closed, allowing his ears to absorb the familiar sounds of the city, unhindered as he just exists for a moment.

For a moment he feels like a normal person. Not a vigilante. Not a homeless teenager. Not a crime fighter. Not even a superhero, if he were to be so bold with such a title. For a moment he is just a human being, and that is all he could ask for after four straight nights packed full of activity. Nobody needs saving. Nobody’s chasing him down. Nobody’s crying, “Spider-Man! Help me!” For once Peter Parker can just exist, and for once that’s enough. It doesn’t feel like he has to earn his existence, like he owes the universe anything for allowing him to live when everything he loves has been stolen away from him.

But the moment doesn’t last. It never does.

Peter opens his eyes, blinking once before pulling his mask over his face. He crouches, carefully moving toward the edge of the building, and quiets his breathing as much as is possible, listening intently for what would follow the sound that he thinks is the tell-tale clicking of a lock-pick's handiwork. 

There it is. The rattle of a doorknob, the shuffle of feet. 

A break-in in his typical territory. These guys are getting bold.

Peter positions himself at the edge of the building, peering over but staying as inconspicuous as possible; they’re just a few buildings over in a store Peter has frequented. Had frequented with his Uncle Ben. Their last visit was a little over a year ago...before-

Peter snaps to attention when he hears the cash register shaking, the intruders trying to break it open with brute force. He can’t see them anymore from this building, so he tiptoes over the back edge and scales the back wall as quickly and quietly as he can. He comes around the left corner and listens, hearing nothing, and he comes out to the side, keeping to the shadows just in case. His tinted swim goggles, red ski mask and fingerless gloves, and blue sweatshirt and sweatpants aren’t exactly stealth material.

He can see the robbers more clearly now; one is carefully extracting something from what must be his back pocket, not paying attention to the other who has pulled a gun and is aiming at the cash register. A boom sounds through the open doorway, muted by the windows, and blinding emergency lights snap on. A screeching alarm blares throughout the shop and leaks out into the street.  

“Are you shitting me?!” A rough voice cuts through the din. “We pick the lock and creep around with no detection, and you just had to-”

“I’m...I’m sorry, Man-...uh, maaan.” The second voice is deeper than the first but timid, and Peter can hear two pairs of lungs breathing: one deep and heavy, the other shallow and short. “I just-You were struggling with the drawer, so I thought-”

“To shoot the fucking thing? With your piece of shit gun? Are you serious? You don’t have a silencer!” The owner of the first voice opens what Peter now sees is a tan bag and begins to shovel in money from the register. 

“Wh-what are you doing?! Shouldn’t we go?”

“We might as well get what we can and scram. The cops’ll take a few minutes anyway.”

“I was-Are you sure you could’ve gotten it open?”

“If can pick a fucking door lock, I sure as hell can pick a damn cash register lock!” 

“I just-I didn’t think-”

“You’re right, you didn’t think!”

“Well, I mean it didn’t seem like his security was that good.”

“This is at least a semi-successful sandwich shop, idiot. Of course he has decent security, especially when you go around shooting shit. Why the hell do you think I’ve been staking the place out for months?”

“I’m-”

“Don’t say you’re sorry. Don’t you fucking dare.” The leader has finished stuffing his burlap sack, and he throws it at the obvious younger of the pair. “I swear to god, if we get caught-”

“What? You’ll pee your pants?” Peter winced. Come on, Parker, are you five? 

“S-Spider-”

“Ah, yes, the Spider-Man.” The leader steps toward Peter with carefully measured steps, eyes gleaming beneath his own black ski mask. “The local superhero, here to save the-” He suddenly tries to bolt out the door, but Peter’s enhanced reflexes are too quick, and he easily stops him with a firm arm to the stomach. 

“You’re not goin’ anywhere. You didn’t even finish your-”

“Stop!” The younger voice is quivering, and Peter turns toward it, absorbing the gun barrel pointed in his direction. “Just-uh, just stand down, Spider-Man. Let us go, and you get to live!”

“My god, you idiot; you don’t announce you’re gonna shoot a guy! You just do it!”

“But that’s unsporting-”

“This isn’t a sport, asscrack! This is life or death, here! Shoot him!”

Peter’s hands are spread, palms facing each of the individuals in turn as he breathes, trying to sort out the best scenario for this situation. The one who has to be a teenager is too far for him to disarm without risking getting shot, and he can’t let the man on the floor get away either- 

“Hands where I can see them.”

Peter glances down, and his blood runs cold. The leader has taken advantage of Peter’s predicament and drawn his own weapon, aiming at Peter’s head with a wicked gleam in his eye.

“You’re surrounded, Spider-Man. No hope of escape.” The man on the floor lets out a rough chuckle just the first pitches of police sirens peel through the air outside.

“Shit. You really kept us going this long, didn’t you? What a sneaky trick, but now-”

“Freeze!-” A plainclosthesman is in the doorway, his gun drawn. “Drop your weapons-”

“NO, YOU DROP YOUR WEAPON, OR SPIDER-MAN GETS IT!” The leader screams from his spot on the floor, shaking his gun in Peter’s direction. “WHERE WILL YOU PIGS BE WITHOUT YOUR SUPER-POWERED DOG TO DO YOUR WORK FOR YOU?”

“PUT IT DOWN, YOU PIECE OF SHIT-”

The cop and the robber go back and forth, spewing insults and threats as the sirens grow louder, but Peter tunes them out, facing the one chance he has left.

“Hey, dude. You don’t want to do this.” Peter inches forward, but freezes when the kid tightens his hold on the gun. “Please. I....I know what it’s like to struggle, okay? I’ve been there.”

“You have no idea what my life is like. Don’t try to relate to me.” The kid grinds out, his jaw quaking to match his shimmering eyes. 

“Okay, you’re right. I don’t know your life. But I know mine.” Peter takes a steadying breath. “I know what it’s like to to be homeless. To pack up with whoever you can to up your chances of survival.” Peter nods his head toward the ground. “I use tape to hold my shoes together.” Peter gestures down to his bare feet. “Well, when I’m wearing shoes. Glad you found something thick that you could sew into it. That’s impressive. Did you know how to sew, or did they teach you?”

“Quit chatting!” The leader interrupts from the floor, eyeing the cop with the gun trained on him. “This isn’t a social gathering! Fly, stupid butterfly!”

The kid suddenly spins on his heel and takes off toward the other side of the store, vaulting over the counter and disappearing into the rooms behind. Peter shakes his head and sighs, turning back to the man sprawled on the floor. 

“What are you laughing at, shithead? We got what we came for.”

“He’s gonna have a hard time navigating back there; Delmar keeps this place fully stocked, so much that it’s like a maze to get through to the back alley.”

“I know that, you idiot; I drew him a map of the place and made him memorize it.”

“A map? But how-”

Another boom sounds, and the masked man drops his gun, screaming in agony as blood pools around and out of the bullet now lodged in his upper arm. 

Peter finally registers that a police vehicle has arrived. The driver enters first, shoving past the plainclothes cop toward the attempted thief. The cop yanks the ski mask off of the man’s head, and Peter holds back a gasp.

He, too, had been watching Delmar’s for a while now, and he really shouldn’t have been surprised to see that it was a recent hire under the mask. Likely in his 40s, the red-headed man is familiar to Peter; Delmar rarely took in people outside of his family, but the man has a soft spot for people who are down on their luck. He must have spun some kind of sob story to get Delmar to take him in.

“Huh, well I’ll be damned.” The plainclothesman speaks up first. “Manny the deli guy.”

The cop pulls the man to his feet and pushes him against the counter to book him, shaking his head as Manny continues to yell and the plainclothesman shakes his head. “Makes a damn good sandwich, too, Sucks ass for Delmar to lose this guy.”

The cops each take an arm and escort Manny to the cop car, somehow chatting casually amidst the animalistic howls emitting from their charge. 

“What about the kid? Did Lenox find him?”

“Nah. Back door’s open, so the kid’s probably long gone with the money.”

“Shit. Hate to have to break it to Delmar.”

“We got it from here, Spider-Man.” An officer Peter hadn’t noticed before, a woman with blonde hair and soft brown eyes was taping off the outside of the shop. “Thanks for your help, as always.”

“Oh, no-” Peter clears his throat. “No problem, ma’am. Happy to do my duty.” 

She nods and sets about her work.

It takes everything Peter has not to jerk toward the shuffling his ears pick up from the back of the store. “Uh-Delmar has a, uh, a cat, so I better make sure he’s okay.”

“Oh, sure.” The lady cop gestures over her shoulder. “Make it quick, though. The other guys have to come in here soon to check the place over.”

“Right, yeah, of course, thanks!” 

Peter hurdles himself over the counter and slips into the back rooms, ears peeled for the scuffle of plastic soles on linoleum. What he hears, instead, is heavy breathing, and he follows the sound to the walk-in refrigerator. Clenching his jaw, Peter carefully opens the door-

“Shit.” The kid is huddled on the ground, arms clinging to the bag desperately with his eyes closed, as if he’s bracing to be shot, too.

Peter puts his hands up in a show of peace. “Don’t shoot and neither will I.”

“You don’t have a gun.”

“It looks like you don’t either.”

The kid scoffs. “Dropped it when I was trying to get through this damn labyrinth of a backroom.” 

Peter looks around quickly, and then slips through the opening and into the freezer, pulling it shut behind him and leaving them in darkness. “Look, the cops are still here scoping out the place. They saw the back door, so they think you’re long gone. They’re about to actually search the place, so you might want to get outta here like yesterday.”

“What the fuck? Why’re you helping me? Aren’t you like the police’s dog or something?”

It’s Peter’s turn to scoff. “No. I work by myself and for myself; they just kind of come with the territory.”

“Still. Why help me?”

“....I know you can hear my voice as much as I can hear yours.” Peter’s tone is soft, imploring. “I was in a spot like you for a little while, but it wasn’t worth it. I got out, and so can you.”

“...How’d you leave?”

“A raid I was thankfully absent for. No one turned me over, amazingly.”

“Pack loyalty.”

“Probably. Probably hoped I’d revive the group, too.”

“Yeah. Anyway, this is a nice pow-wow and all,” Peter can hear the other boy shifting. “But I gotta bounce.” The kid stands and carefully opens the freezer door. 

“They’re all out front.” Peter quickly reassures him. He stares for a second then smiles when he takes in the face of his hiding place buddy. “Hiding in plain sight?”

“Exactly. Ski mask makes you stick out. Especially if you’re a black kid when there’s cops around.” 

Peter nods. “Sorry I can’t return the favor.”

“It’s cool. Vigilante status and all that.” The kid pauses. “Here.” He reaches into the bag and hands Peter a handful of bills, 20s from what Peter can see. 

Peter stares for a moment, and the kid shakes it toward him. 

“Street kids gotta look out for each other, you feel? This was a small bust, anyway. A practice.”

Peter’s heart sinks at the implication but eyes the money, the empty pits of his stomach crying out from weeks of going with tiny portions compared to what he needs to eat.

“I can’t. It wouldn’t be right.”

“Spend it all here, and it evens out, right?” The kid quirks a smile. “Don’t over think it.” He shoves the stack into Peter’s lap before looking around one last time and stepping outside of the chilly room. “Take care of yourself, Spider-Man. I’ll see you around.” And he’s gone.

Peter sits for a moment with the money in his lap, his mind spinning as he wrestles with the ethical implications of his actions. He needs to eat. He’s running himself ragged being Spider-Man with so little food to squelch his metabolism.  He used to shelter hop, staying at one place for a bit before switching to another for a decent flow of food, but after a while, he became a familiar, lonely face. They asked too many questions about him, his parents, and why his parents couldn’t ever come with him to stay. This would be his first real meal in weeks. The kid gave him the money, and if he doesn’t eat he can’t be Spider-Man...

Peter sighs, swallowing the guilt knotted in his throat before quickly organizing the bills and sliding them into his sweater for safe keeping.

He goes back through the front of the shop, waving to the cops out front before disappearing as is his M-O.

Peter decides to turn in early that night, thoroughly wiped now, so he carefully creeps up the side of a too familiar brick building. He finally makes it to the uppermost fire escape and pulls down the dufflebag he has stuffed there, removing the chemically produced webs he uses to hide his belongings where no one else can go. 

He really needs to sneak back into the school again soon; his supply is running low. He lives in anticipation of summer when he might be able to get away with making and taking more of the webs to use for fighting and not just storage and survival purposes. He has often daydreamed of what it would be like to use the webs to swing around town, hang upside down, or even make a giant web like real spiders. They would definitely up his superhero status.

Sighing at such fantasies, Peter throws the duffel over his shoulder and hauls himself up to the top of the apartment complex.

“Home sweet home.” Peter mutters under his breath as he crosses the roof for the final jump onto the top of what once was a garden shed. The tenants gave up on a roof garden years ago, so the shed usually sits empty save for cobwebs and gardening equipment long forgotten, a perfect storage place for the items Peter doesn’t want to expose to the rain. The roof of the shed is set at such a small angle that it is nearly flat and therefore not conducive to ridding itself of rainwater, but Peter loves to sleep under the stars, the honks and hums of the city akin to a lullaby, and he has managed to patch critical spots with some moldy tarps, some nails, and a hammer left in the shed. 

Now Peter sets his bag on the wearing shingles and stretches his back, his arms, his shoulders before pulling a warn fleece blanket out of his bag. He spreads the blanket and lays down, pulling off his mask and goggles which he stashes away before conceding to sleep in his Spider-Man costume just once. He’s too tired to change tonight, he decides as he allows himself to drift.

His heart stalls when he hears a low rumbling above his head, and his eyes snap open, searching the sky intently for something he knows he’ll never see. Every once in a while he’ll hear it. It’s never a stormy night, no clouds in the sky, no distant roar of thunder, no smell in the air, but he’ll hear a sound, a low rumbling akin to thunder but not quite the right timbre. Peter has never figured out what it is, but once he swore he saw a dark square floating in the sky on its own, like a ghostly apparition in the shape of a metal panel. 

No such sight appears tonight, but as Peter stares at the sky, his own words drift back to him: hiding in plain sight. Definitely a government conspiracy Ned would believe.

Peter sighs and rolls his eyes before turning onto his side and curling into himself, now fully allowing himself to fall into a well-earned sleep.

- - - - - - - - - - 

Tony Stark sits perched in the cockpit of his plane, gazing down at the city below him with little attachment or interest. 

“You really didn’t have to come with us, Tony.” Happy Hogan speaks up from his seat beside Tony. “I could’ve handled the shipment on my own.”

“Yeah, no thanks.” Tony quips with a scowl, absently fiddling with the Iron Man gauntlet engaged over his right hand. “I spent way too long customizing these arc reactors to have the recipients bitching and calling me as soon as they don’t know how to use them. Might as well go and write everything off as a business expense.”  

“Right, of course.” Happy rolls his eyes and turns his attention back in front of them. “I gotta say, though. I don’t think this plane needs any security from Iron Man himself.”

Tony throws him a look.

“The reflective plates are genius in their simplicity, Tony; no one even knows we’re up here.”

“Of course not, but I know about the plate incident from last year, Hogan.”

“Okay, we flew a little bit too low and bumped one of the panels on the new World Trade Center.”

“Hence why all of my planes are self-flying now.”

It’s Happy’s turn to dish out looks. “No one saw us or reported it. No harm; no foul.”

“Yeah because you left 5 hours late and no one was out to see you flying at 2am.”

“Hey, that delay was your-”

“Is that a kid?” 

“What? Come on, Tony, I know you hate to have your past blunders brought up, but-”

“No, look, down there.” Tony points through the window and down toward a building Happy cannot distinguish.

“Tony, how can you even tell?”

Tony taps on his glasses frames. “Elementary zoom function, My Dear Happy. But, yeah, there’s definitely a kid sleeping on a roof down there.”

“Probably just had a fight with his parents or something.”

“He has a bag next to him.”

Happy scoffed. “Obviously threatened to run away from home and only made it to the roof. I remember someone else pulled shit like that when he was a kid.”

“You have no proof.”

“Rhodey told me.”

“Rhodey wasn’t there. We didn’t meet until college.”

Happy just rolls his eyes again and settles back into his seat. “See anything else with those glasses.”

“Just a bunch of cop sirens.”

“I’m gonna take a nap. Wake me if something interesting happens.”  

“Gee, thanks, Forehead of Security. I feel so safe with you around.”

Happy just snorts, crosses his arms, and closes his eyes.

Tony rests an elbow on the window sill and puts his chin on his palm, languidly watching New York pass below, the lonely little figure soon left behind and forgotten for the moment.

[gaiyofanfiction]

SD: War Zone - Chapter 1

Stray Kids vs NCT Gang!AU (Sequel to The Stray District)

Gang Leader!Lee Know x Gang Leader!Reader

Angst/Drama/Action

A/N: Thank you to everyone who supported my first book, The Stray District! I’m so happy everyone liked it. In response to the overwhelming support, I decided to write a Sequel! I would highly recommend reading the first book before this one, things would make a lot more sense.

Warnings: PG13. Violence, Torture and Seductive Themes (Nothing sexual that crosses a line for underage idols.)

Disclaimer: This is pure fiction. All artists named in this fic are given a fake personality by me. This does not in any means reflect on the individual idol or groups. To my knowledge, they are all sweet, amazing people that wouldn’t hurt a fly.

~~~

Please read the first book The Stray District before reading this one. For the Masterlist, please msg me!

~~~

It’s been 6 months since the incident in the old city warehouse. After the 10 of you had left the scene, the Dreamies and Lucas had helped an unconscious Taeyong out of the building and back to their hideout. For awhile, Chan and I.N were able to keep track of the whereabouts of NCT. But after about a month, the gang completely fell of the face of the earth.

Since then, you, Lee Know and the rest of District 9 and Stray Kids have been living together and getting along. Well, for the most part. While you and Lee Know changed the gang's name to Stray District, the boys themselves are still having a little trouble getting along. As long as you or Lee Know are in the vicinity, though, they behave themselves.

You turn your computer off as you stretch your arms. Lee Know has had you stuck inside for most of the last few months, as he was afraid of NCT finding you and taking you from him. If you did need to go out, he'd always make sure you had at least Woojin, Hyunjin, Changbin or himself with you, despite you claiming you can handle yourself. Just recently you've been able to go out without having to cause much of a fight with him.

You were getting antsy, so you decided you needed to leave the hideout for some fresh air. Grabbing your leather jacket, you make your way out of your room and into the kitchen. Pausing, you look around and notice no one is around.

“Weird. Where the fuck is everyone?” You mumble to yourself. Lately, you've noticed the convenient absence of your members. “Oh well.” You sigh, grabbing your dual pistols. You strap them to your garter holsters and make your way out the door. Lee Know wouldn't be happy if he finds out you left the house without bodyguards but you weren't going to wait for anyone to actually show up. Besides, you were the fearsome leader of District 9. You can handle yourself.

You make your way down the streets of District 9, passerbys bowing their heads when you pass. You smirk at this, knowing this shows how much power you have over the District and the residing citizens. Finally, you make it to your destination, KQ Music. You push your way through the door and into the shop.

KQ Music was a nice little album shop near your hideout. The owner was a client of yours, you could even call him a friend, if you will. You walk through the stacks of the shop, your eyes passing over the hundreds of albums that lined the shelves. You hear a rustling coming from the next isle over and follow the sound to see one of the employees.

“Ah, well if it isn't Kang Yeosang.”

The boy looks up after hearing his name and immediately drops the product he was shelving, eyes wide. He quickly stands up and bows his head, fiddling with his hair to make it look less of a mess.

“M-Miss Y/N! H-Hi!”

You giggle at his nervousness. “How are you, Yeosangie? Doing well?”

He nods his head, face flushed. “Y-Yes I am, it's an honor for you to ask. H-How are you, Y/N?”

You train your eyes on the stacks of albums. “I've been worse.” You walk closer to the boy, making him stiffen. You place a finger under his chin, tilting it to look into your eyes. “Will you be a dear and fetch Hongjoongie for me?”

He gulps, gaze drifting from your eyes, to the closeness of your lips and back. “Y-Yes of course.” He squeaks out and scurries away, tripping over his feet in the process.

You follow him to the front of the store. About a minute later, Hongjoong stumbles out of that back followed by two of his employees, Wooyoung and San. The three of them bow their heads.

“M-Miss Y/N. How are you? I hope you received the money I owed you. I know it was late and all and I'm so sorry about that and-”

You cut Hongjoong off with a raise of you hand, making him swallow the lump in his throat. “You're fine, Hongjoong. I did receive your payment and I thank you.” You raise a brow. “You're lucky I like you, otherwise I wouldn't be so lenient on late payments.” The boy nods his head quickly, a relieved sigh leaving his lips. “Besides, this is more of a social call. I got bored and wanted to visit.”

“I-it's an honor. Sorry about the mess, we just had a shipment come in this morning.” Hongjoong fiddles with his hands.

“Understandable. That doesn't bother me.” You wave your hand dismissively.

“Oh!” Hongjoong states suddenly, which took you by surprise. He sees that and apologizes. “Oh, I'm sorry I didn't mean to startle you. I just remembered something. If you'll excuse me, Y/N?” He pleads.

You nod your head and dismiss him, giving your permission to leave. He bows his head in thanks and scurries to the back room. Your gaze lands on San and Wooyoung, who have been staring at you non stop. You smirk, “see something you like?” Sending them a wink.

Both boy's blush heavily, stuttering out a response. You giggle, “awe, you're all so cute when you're flustered.”

Hongjoong comes back out and with trembling hands, places an item on the desk in front of you. “S-So we know your birthday is coming up and we got you a small something.” He pushes the item towards you. “I-It's our band's newest album. We thought you'd like it. We all signed it.”

You hum in response, picking up the album and looking it over. The 4 boys watch you nervously, hoping you'll like the gift. You snap your gaze back up to Hongjoong who looks startled. Your eyes roam over Yeosang to San to Wooyoung and back to Hongjoong. “You know how cute it is to see you so afraid of me?” You lean closer to Hongjoong, your finger running down his cheek, making him shiver. Giggling, you pull back. “I love it. Thank you.”

The 4 boys sigh in relief, a smile spreading over them. You stuff the album in your small bag. “Well, I'm off to Gwacheon to pick up a few things.”

“Wait, you're going by yourself? That's out of your territory. What happened to Felix and Woojin? Aren't they supposed to be protecting you?” San speaks up, sounding worried.

“I have no idea where they are. I can't be waiting on them constantly. I have shit to do.” You turn your back to them to leave.

“Y/N, wait. You shouldn't go by yourself. It's too dangerous.” Hongjoong comes up with an idea. “At least have two of us accompany you just in case.”

You raise an amused brow. “You? Protect me?” You tap your chin in thought. “Alright, fine. Which one of you can handle this type of work?”

“I have just the two people.” Hongjoong excitedly calls into the back room. “Jongho. Mingi. Get your asses out here!”

Mingi and Jongho make their way out of the back room. “What is it, Hongjoong. I'm trying to-” Mingi immediately shuts his mouth when he sees you staring at him expectantly. He swallows his previous words. “Y-Y/N. Y-You're here!”

You clear your throat. “That I am. Now, can we please make this quick? I'm on a time crunch.” You eye each of the boys, lastly landing on Yeosang. “Yeosang, come here.”

Yeosang jolts at the sound of his name, taking slow, shakey steps towards you. You roll your eyes and grab by the collar, pulling him close. He squeaks, eyes wide when he's nose to nose with you. Smirking, you lick up the side of his face and rub away the makeup to reveal the birthmark that rests upon his eye.

“You shouldn't feel the need to cover that up. I think it's cute.” You wink and let go of a heavily blushing Yeosang, patting his head. You turn to the door and wave your hand. “I'll be outside. Don't make me wait long.”

Hongjoong turns to Mingi and Jongho with a serious expression. “You two are to accompany Y/N to Gwacheon and protect her.”

“What? Why us? Where's her bodyguards?”

“They are currently preoccupied. I have volunteered the two of you.” He glares at his employees. “Now, don't screw this up. She's been very good to us and I particularly like her running this District.” The two boys nod and follow you outside.

Wooyoung turns to Yeosang and pouts. “Man, why did she give you all the attention? That's not fair.” He mumbles.

Yeosang's blushing face turns an even deeper red as he sends his friend a glare.

~~~

“So, what exactly did you need from here?”

You, Jongho and Mingi had made it to Gwacheon. Currently, you were searching in the underground blackmarket for supplies.

“I need to pick up some things that are not particularly any of your business.” You side eye Jongho, who quickly shuts up. Smirking, you turn your attention back to the layout of weapons before you. You pick up a set of throwing knives that you knew Hyunjin would very much be interested in.

“Well well well, I never thought I'd see the leader if District 9 here. Let alone without her famous bodyguards.”

You chuckle at the voice coming from behind you. Slowly, you turn to see the gang that runs the city of Gwacheon.

“Sangyeon and Eric. How nice to see you.” You smile to the two individuals in front of you.

Sangyeon and Eric are members of the gang The Boyz that had taken over Gwacheon, with Sangyeon being the leader. They weren't particularly enemies but they also weren't friends either. Well, not to District 9. They were allies with Stray Kids before your two gangs joined together.

“You do know you're not exactly in your District's boundaries, right? This is my city you're in.” Sangyeon gives you the once over with a suggestive smirk. “And you very much weren't invited here, sweetcheeks.”

Mingi and Jongho step in front of you, both with hard looks on their faces. Eric raises an amused brow. “Who are these two? What ever happened to Woojin and Felix?”

“They were… unavailable.” You tilt your head, batting your lashes. “I'm only here to do some innocent shopping, nothing more.”

Sangyeon chuckles. “You're lucky you're Lee Know's girl or else we wouldn't be so nice.” He taps his chin thoughtfully. “I wonder how Lee Know would feel if he knew you were wandering outside your territory without his knowledge and with two guys who aren't your own.”

You roll your eyes. “Well, he isn't around, is he. So he can feel however he wants.” You wave a dismissive hand. “Tell him whatever you wish. I just need to pick up a few things and we'll be on our way.” You lean your head onto Mingi's arm, blinking at Sangyeon. “Or is that not okay with you?”

Sangyeon shakes his head. “Make it quick, dear. I'd rather not piss off Lee Know more than I have to, knowing his chick is in my domain.”

You watch Sangyeon and Eric walk away from you, Mingi and Jongho only moving aside when they were out of sight.

“Damnit, I won't hear the end of this when I get back,” you mumble and turn back to the table you were previously occupying. After pointing to a few things you wanted and paying the sketchy vender, you snap your fingers, signaling to Mingi and Jongho you were leaving.

The three of you make it back to KQ Music without anymore problems. You hand the two boys some money, thanking them for their services. While they didn't need to do much, you were impressed how they stepped in front of you without hesitation when The Boyz showed up. Needless to say, Hongjoong was more than pleased with the outcome of the trip. You, however, have not experienced the worst of it just yet.

~~~

Once you made it back into your hideout, you were bombarded with 8 worried boys and 1 extremely upset boyfriend.

“What the hell were you thinking?!”

You roll your eyes at your boyfriend, pushing past him to place your goods on the living room table. “I was thinking I needed to run some errands today.”

Lee Know growls, “wrong. You weren't thinking at all. How do you think I felt when I got a phone call from the leader of The Boyz, telling me you were in their city with two random guys?!”

“For one, they weren't random! They were Hongjoong's men and the only reason they were with me was because he was worried I was going without protection!”

“Oh, so that's supposed to make me feel better? You putting your life in the hands of untrained individuals in a territory you are unfamiliar with?!” Lee Know throws his hands up in frustration. “Why the hell didn't you take some of our men?”

You scoff, angrily removing your jacket. “Oh I don't know, let me see. You had taken Woojin and Hyunjin with you to god knows where, Felix can't still can't do anything with his gunshot wound still healing, Seungmin can't show his face in public, Han is unstable, I.N and Chan aren't field trained and Changbin still doesn't trust me enough for me to trust him! So tell me, Minho. What the hell was I supposed to do?!”

Woojin and Felix's face both drop into a guilty expression. Woojin attempts to speak up but Lee Know was on a roll.

“Then you don't go out anywhere until I get back!”

You whirl around to face him, fury plastered on your face and voice dangerously low. “You do not tell me what I can and cannot do. You've had me cooped up in here for far too long. I have been the leader of this District long before you have even been on my radar. I am respected by the citizens here. I am very much allowed to leave this house and do what I want, where I want and with whomever I want. You do not own me, Lee Minho.”

Lee Know gapes, mouth hanging open at your outburst. Satisfied with his reaction you turn to walk down the hall. “Oh and I got you each something from the blackmarket. Hope you all fucking like it,” you call into the living room before walking into your room and slamming the door shut.

Out of frustration, you growl loudly and punch the wall of your room, creating a hole. Trying to control your breath, you strip off your shirt so you were only in your bra. The reflection of your shoulder in the mirror catches your attention. You glide your fingers over the large, white scar that resides there. ‘Dream’.

The door to your room opens silently, Lee Know closing it gently behind him. He sighs when he sees you glaring at the scar on your back.

“It'll go away eventually, sweetheart.”

You scoff and shake your head, trying to get rid of your thoughts. “It's a scar, Minho. It'll never go away.” You throw a black V-neck shirt over your body, hiding the painful memories once again. “What do you want?”

Minho sighs and runs a hand through his hair. “I, uh, wanted to apologize for how I reacted.”

You raise a brow. “Oh, the great Lee Know of Stray Kids is apologizing to the lesser leader of the small gang of District 9? Has the world come to an end?!” You respond sarcastically, eyes rolling.

Lee Know catches your wrist in his hand, pulling you to him. He gazes at you, his eyes reading your face. “I'm scared. I don't want them taking you from me.” He tucks a stray hair behind your ear, his fingers caressing the side of your face and his voice soft. “I know they're still out there and won't stop until they find you. I'm sorry I've been a pain lately but it's out of fear of losing you.”

You sigh and bury your head in his chest. He hugs you tight, not wanting to let go. “I'm sorry for snapping at you. I just felt cooped up in here. I know your scared and honestly, a part of me is too.” You raise your head to look up at him. “But I also know how to take care of myself. Please have some faith in me.”

Lee Know nods, giving a gentle kiss to your forehead. “I do. Just my protective nature tends to come into play.”

“More like possessive,” you mumble under your breath.

He raises a brow at your words. Hands moving from your shoulders to your waist. “I'm sorry, what was that?” He wiggles his fingers at your sides causing you to laugh.

“Hey! Stop it!” You giggle, slaping his hands away.

Lee Know reaches for you again, his tickling more aggressive. “Take that back.” You try to run away but he backs you up onto the bed, his fingers not letting up. The two of you laughing while you're at the mercy of his tickles.

After a few minutes of his torture, the two of you lay back on the bed, his arm draped across your waist, your head resting on his chest. You stay like that for awhile, enjoying eachothers company before a knock interrupts your blissful cuddles.

“What do you want?” You yell at the door, annoyed that someone decided to break you out of your heaven. It opens to reveal Woojin. He bows his head.

“Apologies for intruding but Lee Know, you're needed by Chan in the security room.”

Lee Know waves a dismissive hand. “Okay I'll be there in a moment.” Once Woojin leaves, Lee Know sighs and gives you a long but gentle kiss on the lips. “Work summons me, I guess. I'll be back, my love.” With a wink, he leaves the room.

You sigh and slide yourself of the bed, changing from your skirt into your shorts. Grabbing your laptop, you get comfortable again on the bed. You type in your security info but it doesn't work. Instead the screen glitches. You raise a brow and try again. This time, your login information worked.

“Weird,” you mumble to yourself. With a shake of your head, you click on the icon that contains the files to everything about District 9. But when you attempt to pull them up, they were gone.

“No no no no NO! Where are they!” You start to freak out. Those files contained every piece of information relating to District 9 and your gang.

You try to click around some more, desperate to find them, your desperation causing your anxiety to spike. Suddenly, the screen of your computer turns black and a cartoon fox pops up on screen, eyes crossed and sticking its tongue out. Anger overtakes you, knowing whos hacking signature this was. Grabbing your laptop, you storm out of your room, slamming the door closed behind you. You walk into the living room to see Hyunjin, Felix, Changbin, Han and I.N sitting on the couch watching a movie.

“Hey, boss. Wanna watch Deadpool with us?” Felix pats the seat in between him and Han.

You grip your laptop hard, your knuckles turning white. A low growl emanates in your throat, causing the 5 boys to turn their attention on to you.

“Um. Are you okay?” Hyunjin raises a brow.

“The files containing all the information to District 9. They're gone.” You look up, anger evident in your face. “Someone hacked my computer.”

The boys are suddenly alert based on the news you just gave them. I.N stands up. “What?! How did they get into your computer?! The security I set up is unhackable! Did they leave a signature?”

“Yeah, they did.” You slam your laptop on the table causing the boys to flinch. “And it looks awfully familiar.”

Upon seeing the cartoon dancing across the screen, I.N paled. “T-That's my signature.”

“Yeah, it is.” You take an intimidating step towards your brother, causing him to shrink back. “Where the fuck are my files, I.N?”

“I-I don't know! I didn't hack into your computer, I swear!”

You narrow your eyes. “Is that right? You said so yourself, you placed the security onto my computer. Only you could have gotten into it.” Your voice rises. “Now let me ask you again! Where the fuck are my files, Yang Jeongin?!”

I.N stands there stuttering, not knowing what to say. He's terrified of the state you're currently in. You suddenly feel your phone vibrate, signaling you have a message. You take out your phone to open it, feeling it might be important. But what you saw on thay screen was the last thing you ever thought would happen.

“What the hell is going on?!”

Lee Know and Woojin enter the room, concerned at what was happening. Everyone turns to you when you suddenly gasp and drop your phone out of shock.

“Y/N, what's going on?”

You look up at your boyfriend, taking a step back. You point to your phone that had been dropped. “What the hell are you doing with them?”

“What?” Lee Know grabs your phone with a confused look. As soon as he sees what's on the screen, his fale pales, eyes wide. “Y/N, it's not what it looks like.”

“What the hell are you doing with Jaehyun and Johnny?!” You had received a video from an unknown number. It was a video of Hyunjin, Woojin and Lee Know meeting up with Jaehyun and Johnny of NCT. “What the hell is going on?!”

Realization sets in and you take a step back. “That's why you've been sneaking off lately. You're working with NCT.” Your voice is practically a whisper. Lee Know shakes his head, taking a step towards you but his heart breaks when you back away from him.

“Y/N, I promise it's not what it looks like.”

You shake your head, hands trembling and breath quickening. “d-don't come any closer!” You were on the verge of a panic attack.

Woojin also takes a step towards you. “We aren't working with NCT. Someone faked this video.”

Out of fear, you grab your pistols from their place and hold them up, pointing them at Woojin and Lee Know. This action had every boy stand up, ready to spring into action.

“Woah, Y/N, let's calm down.” Hyunjin instinctively reaches for his knives but seized his actions when he hears the cock of your gun.

“D-Don't move!”

Hyunjin takes his hand off his knife, raising both in the air. Felix looks at you in concern.

“Y/N, please believe them. None of us are working with NCT. Someone is trying to set us up.” He tries to reach for you but you take another step back.

“N-No! Stay back! You aren't taking me back to them! I won't let you!”

Lee Know's heart breaks when he hears those words come out of your mouth. He saw pure fear flash across your face, suddenly realizing the effect NCT had on you 6 months ago was a lot worse than he thought. His eyes soften. “No, baby, I would never give you to them. Please believe me.” He glances behind you for a moment. “Grab her!”

Before you could react, you feel two sets of hands each grab an arm. You turn your head to see Chan and Seungmin had apprehended you, forcing you to drop your weapons.

“What in god's name is happening right now? Why is Y/N pointing guns at you?!”

“She thinks we double crossed her and that we're working with NCT.” Lee Know kicks the weapons out of your reach gently.

You struggle against the two boys but they kept a firm grip. “Because that's exactly what is happening! Let me go!”

There's a sudden pounding on the front door. Everyone is distracted for a split second, giving you your opportunity. You stomp down on Seungmin's foot causing him to let you go, giving you the chance to grab Chan's arm, twisting it hard til he let's go. You rush to the door and try to leave. But once you throw the door open, you run into three police officers. You try to back away but one of them grabs your wrist.

“What is the meaning of this?” Lee Know demands.

The one that grabbed you twists your arms behind your back, causing you to whimper in pain. He grabs his handcuffs and cuffs you.

“Y/N L/N, you're under arrest for the murder of Lee Taeyong.”

[rocket-remmy]

Panic! At The Gay Club||Remmy and Taylor

Takes place a few nights ago.

It’d officially been a month since Remmy moved to White Crest, and they’d decided it was about time to go out. They’d seen a poster at one of their jobs for a place called Flaming Mo’s, that was supposedly a gay bar, and Sundays were Non-binary nights, so Remmy thought, well, why not give it a shot? They hadn’t been with anyone since....Moose licked Remmy’s hand and they glanced down. They had put protective ear muffs on him so that the loud noise of the club wouldn’t bother him too much, but he was a large dog, and fitting him into this club maybe hadn’t been the best idea. Still...Remmy couldn’t afford to wander around without him yet. They didn’t have their familiar spots set up yet. Only home, which was...way far away. So they were stuffed in the corner, at a small table, with Moose sitting behind them, his neon jacket on so people would know (hopefully) to not bother him. He seemed calm enough, though a bit nervous. That could’ve been because of Remmy’s own nerves, though. They’d tried dating a little when they’d first started healing, but things always felt weird. Different. Remmy had never officially come out, either. They sipped the beer in their hand and glanced around again. Maybe this had been a bad idea. Maybe they should just go. Remmy slid from their chair and tugged on Moose’s lead, turning to head for the door-- 

And running smack into someone, dropping their beer and sending the other persons drink sloshing around as well. “Oh, shit-- I’m so-- I’m so sorry!” Remmy scrambled to help stand them up right, pausing mid sentence when their eyes met. The person was taller than them, but only by a little. Long blonde hair with a side undercut, and rather piercing eyes. “I’m….” Remmy trailed off, their voice suddenly caught in their throat. “Drink? I can get you another drink!”

Taylor, contrary to what most might think given the lifestyle she led, wasn’t much of a club person. Bars? Sure! She’d pound back shots with the best of them. But clubs were too crowded. Too many sweaty people bumping up against each other, listening to music that might get your blood pumping, but had no real meaning behind it. Plus, it got her anxiety spiking big time. So why she found herself at Flaming Mo’s that Sunday night was anyone’s guess, really. She supposed she was just looking for a good time in the form of someone else. To feel a little less lonely for a few hours. Or maybe that was just her drunk mind talking. Besides, she’d been striking out big time so far. She decided she needed some air, and maybe a cigarette, so she started to squeeze through the crowd toward the doors, bringing her drink up to finish it before heading outside. 

A bump to her elbow, however, sent the half a drink spilling all down her face and front, and she stumbled backwards at the shock, losing her footing and landing right on her ass. “Fuck!” she exclaimed. Not at whoever bumped her, but at the pain shooting through her tailbone. Hands reached out to help her and she took them, meeting the gaze of some haunted eyes held in angular features. The worry on their face was almost endearing. “I’m okay, don’t worry. Shit happens,” she said as she stood, grabbing some napkins from a nearby table and wiping the tequila from her jacket. She chuckled and waved a hand dismissively. “Nah, I’m okay, really. I was gonna go out and grab a smoke actually.” She gave them a once over, biting her lip ever so slightly. “You smoke? Wanna join me?”

Remmy’s mouth opened a closed a few times without any sound coming out. They were sure in that instance they’d become mute, too. A ringing in their ear told them that at least they could still hear, but no words were coming out. This wasn’t a bad dream, though, because the cold liquid on their arm sent a chill through them. Or maybe it was the way this person was looking at them. Remmy cleared their throat. Speak. It’d been way too long of a pause. You look weird! Say something, idiot! “It’s yes-- okay. Smoke. I’m-- do. Yes, I mean--” paused, tried to catch the knot that had apparently tied itself into their tongue, “I smoke, yes. I can-- sure. I’ll join you.”

Taylor raised her eyebrows as person in front of her struggled to get their words out. It was honestly kind of cute, and she was patient with them...or her mind was just too hazy from drinking to do much else but wait. “Great!” Taylor finally said as they agreed to join her, and she made her way toward the door, hoping they’d follow. Once the two of them were outside, Taylor instantly lit up, inhaling deeply and letting herself relax as she was finally away from the crowd. “So, what’s your name? I’m Taylor,” she offered, also offering her hand casually for them to shake as she ashed her cigarette with the other. She glanced down at the dog that had followed them out too, her tipsy brain noticing him for the first time.

Remmy just nodded and followed after, tripping over themself a little as they straightened out, clutching Moose’s lead tightly. He seemed almost bored, and as soon as they were outside, Remmy reached down and took his muffs off, hooking them on the lead. As they stepped out, they tapped on their hearing aid, and full sound came rushing back in. “I’m Remmy. Remmington. But most people just call me Remmy, cause it’s shorter than saying my full name. Not that you can’t call me that if you want to!” Paused again, trying to swallow, sidling along the wall until they were out of the door way and standing across from Taylor. “Taylor! Great name. I like it-- I mean, not that that matters, it’s just um--” cleared their throat again. “This is Moose. Sorry, is he okay? Actually, I have to keep him here. He’s my service dog. I’m not just bringing my giant dog everywhere, I promise. But he’s a good boy. He knows over 100 commands, and I--” when their eyes met Taylor’s again, Remmy’s voice immediately dropped off. Out in the light of the alley way, they could see them clearer now. Slender, but nicely built. Stiff brows, but a sense of kindness on her face, in her eyes. Remmy was never good at social cue or reading faces, but there was just something about Taylor that told them they’d found someone different among the crowd. “Sorry…” Remmy finally breathed out. “I’m just kinda...new to all this…”

Taylor simply let Remmy babble on as long as they needed to, a kind smile on her lips as she listened to them. They certainly were cute, both physically and the way their nerves seemed to be getting the best of them. Taylor remembered when she was like that. Hell, she still could be sometimes. A pretty girl could get her all out of sorts in no time. But there was something else with Remmy. Something deeper, and Taylor knew it wasn’t her place to pry. “Don’t be sorry,” Taylor said, reaching out slowly to hook a knuckle under Remmy’s chin to make them look at her. “We’re all new to it at one point or another. That’s just how it is.” Taylor shrugged, running her thumb across their chin with a smirk before letting hand drop to her side again, taking another drag before speaking again. “I for one think you’re doing great. You’re much more interesting than some girl trying to grind on me before I even know her name.” That’d been most of her experience so far that night, and Remmy was like a breath of fresh air. Ironic, as they both filled their lungs with smoke. “Can I pet Moose? I know you’re not supposed to pet service dogs while they’re working, but…”

Remmy’s body felt both light and super heavy all at the same time. Like they were floating, but their arms were made of lead. Taylor’s hand on their chin, those eyes staring Remmy down like they were going to absorb them and take them to a place where nothing could hurt them. Remmy could hear a loud ringing in their ears, but there was no thump in their chest. “It’s...you don’t...okay…” And then Taylor stepped away and Remmy was left standing there, arms tingling, face warm, cigarette in their hand. They hadn’t even noticed Moose stiffen as Taylor had come closer, ears pressed back. Remmy cleared their throat again. “I, uh-- thanks-- wait, you d-- you think I’m doing, uuh--” Remmy’s lips felt suddenly chapped, throat dry. The last time they remembered feeling like this was back in high school, after their first kiss with a girl. “Interesting.” Remmy finished the incomplete thought. Their skin felt like it was vibrating. “What? Oh! Yeah, you can, um-- just for a second. He’s uh-- he should be working. I’m trying to get him used to um...night shift hours.” A nod. “But you can. It’s fine.” Stepped to the side, motioning to him. 

Taylor smiled as she was given permission to pet Moose. She crouched down, holding the cigarette away from his face as not to bother his sensitive nose too much. But as she reached out, Moose tensed up, ears back, letting out a low growl as he took a step back. She immediately retracted her hand, shooting Remmy a sheepish grin as she stood again. “I...don’t think he likes me,” she said, a little broken hearted. She loved dogs and cats, but most never seemed to like her. She couldn’t understand why. “So, you want him used to night shift hours? What do you do?” She wanted to know so much more about Remmy. She found them fascinating. A story was written on their skin more plainly than most, and Taylor wanted to read it. “You said you’re new to all this...what’s ‘all this’? What are you looking for?”

Remmy was a bit baffled by Moose’s reaction. He’d never done that before. They made a clicking noise with their tongue and Moose looked up at them, before giving a soft huff and sitting. “Sorry…” they mumbled, “he’s never...done that before. Maybe it’s just the noise. From the-- uh, club.” Remmy saw the fleeting moment of disappointment and felt their heart leap into their chest. “He’s...it’s not you. Probably. I mean--” they stopped. They were rambling again. It was happening so much right now. They couldn’t help it though, they always got tongue tied around a pretty girl. “Uh...oh! I’m a part time security guard. I work night shifts right now, cause the last guy no call no showed.” Remmy felt their chin dipping again, unable to hold Taylor’s gaze too long without feeling like their chest was going to explode, or that they would vibrate out of their skin. “Uh, mostly um-- dating. H-hooking up. I mean-- I’ve known I liked girls for a long time but...it’s just different. The way I was raised. Where I….the people I was around. It didn’t really allow for me to be...out.” A shrug. “But I’m here now, and I decided I wanted to be done hiding, you know? It’s not...it wasn’t good. Uh, healthy. But I think I jumped the gun a little. This place is…” Remmy shifted, took a long drag from the cigarette, “loud.” 

Taylor shook her head, waving a hand in understanding. “No, it’s me. It’s okay. I’ve never had a lot of luck with the fluffy ones,” she chuckled. “That’s why I have a bird. His name is Ditto.” She listened as Remmy spoke about their job, watching their eyes as they flicked away from Taylor’s. Gosh, they really were cute with all these nerves. “Security guard? That sounds dangerous. I’m glad you’ve got this big guy to protect you.” Taylor winked, a smirk on her lips as she took her last drag of her cigarette and flicked it to the ground, grinding it out with her boot. Her heart felt heavy as she listened to Remmy talk about being closeted. “That’s a shame. Being out, it’s freeing. Scary, but freeing.” She nodded at Remmy’s assessment of the club. “Oh yeah, way too loud for me too, and I’m in a band. I know a thing or two about loud.” Taylor took a step forward, closing a lot of the space between her and Remmy. “I’m glad you jumped the gun, Remmy. You’re cute.” She usually wasn’t this forward. But she was also still slightly drunk. A hand trailed up Remmy’s arm and to their shoulder, resting their with a firm grip. “I like listening to you.”

“Oh, that’s so cute,” Remmy blurted before they had a chance to filter the thought through their head. Their eyes widened a little. “I mean...a bird named Ditto. I love that. I’m not good at names, hence...Moose. Cause he looks like a moose. He’s definitely the better guard, between the two of us.” They tried to smirk back, but it just came out as a crooked grin. Remmy’s eyes darted back down, biting their lip as they tried to swallow their nerves once again. This wasn’t exactly how they’d thought the night would go, though to be fair, they had gone to a gay bar. Something like this was probably likely to happen, right? When Remmy looked up next, Taylor was right in front of them. Like...inches away. Like enough that Remmy could the ridges of her jaw line and hear the beating of her heart. That was new. Remmy looked up at Taylor, bumps rising on their arm as she ran a hand up it. “I, uh--” the stuttered, “Um...y-you’re in a band? That’s cool. Like...wicked cool. What’s uh, your name? The-the band’s name. I remember your name. It’s Taylor, you just…you just told me.” 

The way Remmy seemed to squirm under Taylor’s gaze made her heart pound in her chest. She wouldn’t crowd them if they looked truly uncomfortable, but this was that delicious sort of uncomfortable. The tension that sat in your stomach and twisted and turned. Taylor relished in it. “Knot Known. Knot with a K,” she clarified, her hand snaking up slowly toward the side of their neck. “Maybe I can sing for you sometime.” But at the moment, she wanted her mouth to be doing something else. Taylor’s hand on was the back of Remmy’s neck now, and her breath was hot on their face. “Remmy, can I kiss you?”

Remmy had no words left, their throat dried up and unusable. They felt shivers rise wherever Taylor’s hand went, trailing up their shoulder, to their neck, to the back of their head. Fingers lightly touching skin, so warm on Remmy’s. Their face flushed bright red-- or it would have-- and that burning sensation in their chest erupted. Remmy just nodded. The notion of being asked before an advance had never been something Remmy had experienced before. It made Remmy’s head swirl and their fingers tingle. It felt warm. It felt nice. They suddenly longer for a life that had eluded them until now. To be free. To be out. To be okay. Remmy nodded again, more eagerly this time, their free hand coming up to dig into the back of Taylor’s shirt.

Their eager little nods were so cute, and Taylor smiled a genuine smile at their reaction. Not a cocky grin or a smug smirk. A real smile. Their skin was so cold on the back of their neck, but Taylor just chalked it up to being cold outside. With one more burning look into their eyes, she closed her own and pressed their lips together. Her other hand found Remmy’s hip and pulled them closer, continuing to kiss them soundly. The excitement Remmy felt was almost tangible in the kiss, and it made the swell in Taylor’s chest that much better. Finally, she pulled back, still holding Remmy in her arms. “How was that?” she asked, the hand in the back of their hair sneaking onto their cold cheek, caressing it with her thumb.

Remmy was absolutely sure their heart was going to explode. It must have, because they couldn’t feel it beating in their chest, despite how tight and tingly everything else felt. Like something at the fringes of their skin pressing to be let out. Remmy’s grip tightened, lips pressed against Taylor. Their whole body felt like it was aflame.They couldn’t remember the last time they’d felt like this. A sentence that kept repeating in their head. It hadn’t even been close to this feeling with Dario. He was a sweet boy, but it was in this definite moment that Remmy came to realize the difference. Came to know. And then Taylor was pulling away, and there was a soft hand on Remmy’s cheek-- they could barely feel it, though, head swirling, a goofy grin plastered to their face. “Amazing…” they exhaled without another thought.

For a moment, Taylor felt bad as she pulled away. She was drunk and trying to score, and while Remmy seemed into it, she knew it wasn’t fair to them. This wasn’t the bitter introduction they needed to this scene. They needed somewhere safe to land, not a broken heart and confused emotions. So Taylor smiled down at them and gave them one more kiss, this one much more chaste, before taking a small step back to put some space between them. She kept a hand on their cheek though, relishing in that goofy grin of theirs. “You looked like you needed it.” 

Remmy was not at all prone to reading emotions or the mood or situations, but something told them that the present situation was winding to a different turn. They tucked their chin again, looking down at their feet. “I mean...it, uh-- it was good. It was-- thanks.” They swallowed the knot in their throat and looked over at Moose, who was still sitting perfectly still, like they’d told him to do, but his ears were still pressed back, his eyes sharp on Taylor. “I mean, thanks for-- I guess I kinda did. Not that I’ve never kissed a girl before, I have, I just never...got to...you know, enjoy it.” They shook their head. “I’m sorry, you don’t need all this dumped on you. You’re probably tired of hearing all the shitty closet stories from other people. This isn’t even my scene-- um, clubs, not the-the gay part-- I just thought I’d try it and clearly things didn’t-- well I mean they worked out, in the end, I don’t mean to imply they didn’t! I just...I don’t know what I mean. I’m sorry. I can--” they scooted away a little, “I can go. If you wanna get back to--” nodded towards the door. “I’ll go.”

As Remmy spoke, Taylor brought the hand on their cheek down to their shoulder, gripping it in a less intimate and more supportive way. This had definitely been the right call. “I’m not tired of it. It happens to all of us, dude,” she said, shaking Remmy playfully by the shoulder with an encouraging little smile on her lips. “I got lucky. My story is thankfully pretty boring.” She shrugged, finally taking her hand away from Remmy altogether and taking a full step back, noticing Moose relaxing a bit at the gesture. “That’s the problem with this scene,” Taylor began, pursing her lips slightly with a sigh. “We’re relegated to clubs and sexual spaces in order to meet people in person. It can be tiring as fuck. Don’t beat yourself up about it.” When they offered to leave though, Taylor shook her head. “Oh? Oh, no, I’m not going back in. I’ve had enough of all that for one night.” She smiled at them, gesturing down the street. “Wanna protect me with all those security guard skills on my sobering up walk before I drive home?”

Remmy paused their steps, looking up at Taylor again. They didn’t want them to leave, that’s not what that signal was. Wow, Remmy really was bad at reading the mood. That was a different problem to worry about, though. For later. They forced their eyes to meet Taylor’s again. “Oh, um-- yeah, sure, I-I can do that,” they said, standing up a little straighter. Maybe getting away from this place would help them relax a little, too, and now that they’d been around Taylor longer, they weren’t tripping over every word. Her charm still made Remmy’s stomach do somersaults, but they could deal with that. They smiled again, picking up Moose’s lead and tugging, prompting him to stand. “Sorry about him...again. He’s usually a big sweetheart. And the best bodyguard.” Smiled, crouching for a second to pet him proper and give him a kiss on the head. He seemed to relax a little more. “Where uh-- where do you wanna walk? I’m not um...familiar with too many places here yet.”

The little straightening of Remmy’s spine made Taylor smile again. She couldn’t help but think she had a little something to do with their confidence boost. “It’s okay, really. I’m sure he’s just being protective of you is all,” Taylor reasoned, even though this had happened to her before. It definitely wasn’t just Moose. “I was thinking just around the block a couple times,” Taylor offered, starting off down the sidewalk. “So, Remmy, tell me more about yourself.”

“Yeah,” Remmy sighed, “probably.” They stood back up, taking his lead again, and smiling back over at Taylor, letting them lead the way before falling in line next to them, keeping Moose on their far side. “Works for me.” As they rounded the corner, Remmy found they didn’t know what to do with their other hand, so they ended up sticking it deep into their pocket. “Oh, um-- there’s not much to tell. I grew up in a small town in Wyoming, joined the military at 17, and now I’m here.” A shrug. “I just lived a pretty...normal life, I guess.” Turned to look over at Taylor. “What about you? How’d you um-- start your band? Or join it? Or...however that works?”

As they walked, Taylor plucked another cigarette from her pack and lit it up. Smoking always sobered her up quick. And this bracing night air was helping too. “The military? Shit…” Taylor figured it was best not to pry. Definitely not her place. “I wouldn’t last in the military,” was all she added before taking a long drag, considering her own life and what was worth talking about. “Grew up in a tiny little Rhode Island fishing town. More of a village, honestly. Smaller than White Crest, for sure.” She gestured vaguely around her as she spoke. “We started the band in high school, senior year, and we’ve been hustling our asses off trying to get our name out there ever since. Seven years. It’s finally paying off though.”

“It wasn’t so bad,” Remmy shrugged. “Being born female, I wasn’t allowed on like, front lines and in combat and shit, but-- I was transferred to the EOD squad pretty early on, which I really liked.” They glanced over at Taylor. “Wow, seven years? That’s dedication. Are you guys like, hitting it off big now? Does that like-- make a lot of money? Playing in a band?” They paused. “Sorry, that’s um-- that was a lot of questions. You don’t have to answer them all. I’m just like-- super impressed. I’ve always wondered how people do it. How people have that...drive.” 

“EOD?” Taylor asked. Military terms were completely lost on her. Something else about this conversation wasn’t though. “You were enlisted during ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’, huh? Shit, that must have been hard.” When Remmy asked their questions and then started to apologize for them, Taylor waved a hand and moved to hook her arm with Remmy’s, using the other to continue to drag on her cigarette. “I wouldn’t call it hitting it big, but we’re getting tour dates outside of our state finally, a small time record deal. Things are looking up.” She shrugged. She knew they were talented as a unit, but she always reminded herself to stay humble. “As for money, it pays the bills for now, with a little left over. That’s all you can really ask for, right?” She looked over at Remmy’s profile as the two of them walked, cocking her head a bit to the side in curiosity. “I guess it’s all about following dreams. The dreams fuel the drive. You’ve gotta have a dream, yeah?”

“Oh, sorry-- Explosive Ordinance Disposal. Uh-- bomb disposal, in non military terms. We were basically called out when there were lives bombs in the field that needed disarming, or for disposal of old retroactive warheads-- erm, duds,” Remmy explained nonchalantly. When Taylor hooked their arms, Remmy felt their cheeks burn again. “Uh...yeah. It um…” they trailed off, “I was never really public about my love life, anyway.” Their eyes fell quickly back to their feet, watching theirs and Taylor’s walk in a sort of half-sync. “Still, that’s impressive. Touring the country! I can’t even imagine being that cool. You guys popular?” Remmy could feel Taylor’s eyes on their face and it made their throat tighten up a little again. Biting their lip to help calm the butterflies. The question took Remmy a bit by surprise. Did they have a dream? Had they ever. “I, uh-- I don’t know. Guess I never really put too much thought into it. I didn’t have a lot of ambition as a kid, and then the recruiter showed up and it was just-- a way to escape my hometown. To make something of myself. And I never really...looked back, I guess.”

“That’s...so fucking scary. Goddamn,” Taylor gasped genuinely. She wouldn’t have ever guessed that’s what it stood for. “You must be brave as fuck.” She gripped Remmy’s forearm affectionately. She winced a bit at the compliment. “Only the east side of the country for now. We’re gaining momentum though. Slowly but surely.” Remmy’s answer on their dreams made Taylor frown though. She couldn’t imagine a life without direction. “But you’re out now, right? What do you wanna do with the rest of your life?”

Remmy looked up. “Someone else said that to me recently, too. I didn’t think of it that way in the moment, but I guess...I guess, yeah.” Their eyes dropped to Taylor’s hand on their arm. They were sure their cheeks must have been flushed a bright red with how warm their skin felt. “I’m you’ll blow up in no time, and then you’ll be playing things like Madison Square and LA.” Their heart sank at the little frown, because Remmy didn’t have an answer for that. They’d never thought about it. They never really thought they’d even make it this far. “I am, yeah. Honorably discharged and what not…” They paused for a bit. They didn’t know what to say next. “I um... I never thought this far ahead.”

Taylor smiled at the vote of confidence. “Thanks. That’s the dream. Playing a statium would blow my fucking mind, honestly.” Taylor didn’t think anything of the placement of her hands. She was always an affectionate person, even with strangers. And there was something about Remmy that made Taylor want to cradle them and keep them safe with little gestures of care. “I mean, you’ve got time now, right? You’ll figure it out.” They’d rounded the block and Taylor’s truck was only yards away. “And if you need help with that, or anything else, I’m only a text away,” she added, pulling her wallet out and a pen, writing her personal number on the back of a business card, and holding it out for Remmy as she stopped at her truck. She tucked it into the front pocket of Remmy’s shirt. “This is me. Don’t worry, I’m cool to drive.” She gave Remmy a little wink and stepped closer, giving them one more quick kiss before rounding the truck and jumping in with one more quick wave.

Remmy smiled. “Yeah, I’ve got time.” When they stopped, Remmy stepped back a little, looking at the car they’d stopped in front of. Not the car they would have pegged a rockstar for, but definitely the car of a fisherman’s daughter. They looked back up at Taylor, then, tilting their head a little, watching them write something down on a little card. “Oh, um--” they started, but were cut off by Taylor slipping the card into their front pocket, giving them that look, with those eyes. That look that rendered Remmy completely useless. The kiss lingered on their lips even after Taylor had hopped into the car and pulled away. They weren’t sure how long they’d been standing there, only pulling back to reality when Moose stuck his cold, wet nose into their open palm. Remmy blinked, glanced down at him. “What, are you hungry?” they asked, then shook their head. “C’mon...let’s go home.”

[flying-elliska]

S3 Rewatch - Episode 2 - Vendredi 19h34 “Surprenant” 

I really was looking forward to see if I could write anything new about this scene and like ...of course I can, I could write a whole ass essay about it. So here goes. (it’s a long one sorry lmao)

The first few seconds set the scene perfectly. The scratchy white noise of the vinyl after it’s done ; the low golden lighting, the smoke Eliott blows in the air, the sated expressions on their faces - that feeling of perfect contentment you get when you are perfectly at ease being with someone, even in silence. Lazy afternoons where time just seems to disappear, the feeling of being high, skipping your obligations, taking time for yourself - makes the clip feel somehow nostalgic, timeless and expectant all at once. Something has happened in the time between last clip and now, because they’re suddenly much more comfortable with each other. The tension is of a different kind now. The short moment where they turn their heads towards each other feels almost too intimate to witness - we’ve never seen Lucas like that before, so comfortable, letting go of outside pressure. Then he gets up to change the music and vinyl is a great prop to use because it’s so tactile, as is the piano - the fact that Lucas is touching Eliott’s instruments is both a shorthand for their newfound closeness and umm...a bold move lmao not to mention the obvious connotation. (He doesn’t even put the vinyl back in its jacket that heathen...can’t see Eliott too bothered lmao). 

I laughed out loud at Eliott’s “I don’t want to impress you” because that is both a big fat lie and sort of true in the sense that he doesn’t want to intimidate Lucas but still wants him to think Eliott’s cool (and the two previous sentences were sort of a boast, still.) Beethoven and Star Wars feels like a very Eliott type of mix. Fur Elise is a sad but beautiful piece, that the compositor apparently dedicated to a female friend he proposed to but turned him down (?) That fits with Eliott’s tendency for pessimism and melancholy. On the other hand the Star Wars theme is playful and hopeful and geeky ; I looked up how it sounds on the piano and it’s absolutely adorable, like it was made to be a Porg lullaby. The way Eliott talks about it, slightly ironic (plus the Star Wars theme is pretty simple and Fur Elise is often played by dabblers) makes it sound like he probably taught himself a few pieces on a piano that was already in the house, as a party trick. I see Eliott appreciating this type of music, but maybe not having the persistence and discipline that getting actually good at classical demands. (And I don’t see his parents being around to push him either.) Maybe he tried and gave up or figured it wasn’t for him, which would give his admiration for Lucas’ playing a new dimension, like he knows how hard it is and brings him something he doesn’t have (but alright, I’m reaching a bit here). 

Lucas plays a few notes and Eliott teases him again about also having a triangle if he wants. Is he trying to find his bearings again after not having played for a while ? Is he also teasing ? Is he nervous, careful ? We can see him nod ever so slightly once he gets it and starts to play faster, like he’s happy to come back to this piece. The actual piece of piano by RIOPY starts fast right from the beginning but I like that they start slower here ; the whole piece is a beautiful metaphor for their relationship - starts hesitant and slow, withholding, and then the notes become deeper and the passion moves in all at once and it’s like he almost can’t contain it ? But you can also hear the effort it takes ?  The emotion is just perfect for the story and I am so impressed at Axel learning it from scratch. I wonder in what context Lucas learned it. With the title and the emotion behind it, was he dreaming of having someone to adress it to ? 

Then we have, for a brief moment, Eliott’s perspective as he sits up with a look of disbelief, amazement and then enthusiasm. And how fitting is it, really, that the first time we ever get his worldview is the exact moment he falls in love. Plus the perspective crossing adds to the impression of connection of the moment. And the way Lucas is framed from Eliott’s perspective - the light behind him gives him a halo. We go on this whole emotional journey in a few seconds with Eliott, falling in love with Lucas too. First it’s pure surprise as his eyes zoom in, like he’s just automatically drawn to get closer, to pay attention, cutting through the haze (of weed, but also his life). Then it’s awe as he just lets himself realize how amazing this boy he’s developped a crush on really is, and for a few seconds he looks almost fragile, almost like it’s too much. Then finally he smiles and it’s just the joy of the music and Lucas sharing it with him. Maxence just absolutely nails this crucial moment (and also this is the prettiest he is all season tbh fight me ; how fitting. Eliott is a ‘lover of life’ - love would make him the most beautiful, too.)

Why does this moment feel so special apart from how well it’s acted and filmed ? Well, from what we’ve seen so far from Lucas, it’s unexpected. We know that he’s clever, that he can be very manipulative, that he’s repressing his sexuality, and that he’s got trouble at home, that he’s closed off and trying very hard to pretend to be “normal”. Apart from that, there isn’t much to set him apart from the average teenage boy who likes to go out and drink beer with his mates and say slightly insulting stuff about girls and try a little too hard to be cool. So far, we can all empathize with him, but we don’t know that much positive stuff about him, to be honest. The piano scene is the first clue of how much there truly is under the surface. It’s a step away from the macho player image he’s careful to cultivate ; it’s a sign that he does have somewhat of an artistic, sensitive temperament. It’s the first revelation about him that feels wholly positive, unburdened by shame, and yet highlights how fake his closed off daily demeanour is. It’s a clue that he’s not only repressing the fact that he’s gay but a whole world of emotions, how caring and sensitive he can be - because of how rough life has been for him the past few years - social clichés, the pressure, the stuff with his family disintegrating, the homophobic jokes around him for not being masculine enough or liking ‘gay music’, how lonely and confused he must be. This season, in short, is not only about Lucas accepting he’s gay, but about himself opening up and growing into his own person, someone both strong and compassionate, bold and sensitive, defining himself beyond clichés or the heritage of his asshole father, stepping beyond his insecurities, to become his own man. That’s what the piano scene represents and why it will always be god tier.  Oh and also : it’s an offering for Eliott. He’s taking a chance here, too, and the joke he makes when he’s done...it’s almost he’s expecting to be mocked so he does it himself. I would bet that his piece of shit father probably said something about piano being too effeminate at least once. That’s kind of heartbreaking. It’s also a clue to how safe he must feel with Eliott, or at least how strongly he wants to, well, impress him to take that risk. He’s seen Eliott’s drawings and he wants to say hey me too I can be artsy !!! And his intuition is so spot on. We know Eliott’s been making drawings about them already, that he’s a romantic daydreaming about finding love stronger than fear. He’s a pessimist because of his condition and yet he really wants to believe that his emotions can be valid (that’s a key part of his arc in the season) and he can find love. So then he met Lucas ; it must have felt like love at first sight but he must also have told himself, what if this is fake, what if it’s just a random obsession, what if what if, he doesn’t even know him, what if he’s a crappy person, etc. So to discover that Lucas is actually so brilliant, and that they can connect over art, that they share this sensitivity about beauty and meaning, about wanting life to be more, and that Lucas is brave enough to reach out, and just the amount of feeling in that short piece...it must have felt so validating, and like destiny, too (we know it’s a word he will use for Lucas later). I think this is probably when Eliott really started to believe that Lucas could be his Polaris story. It’s already a ‘you’re not alone’ moment, too. 

So that scene is absolutely key in both their story arcs and their relationship. But it’s not over !  There is an awkward moment moment after Lucas is done because it feels like he’s given too much, too soon - but Eliott catches him like in a trust fall, he says yes, this meant something, it was amazing, it was surprising and I like surprising people - like I said, Eliott wanting to surprise people to test them and loving to be surprised in turn says so much about him as a character. And then the touch at the door, how did Lucas and we with him not collectively die on the spot. Because that was absolutely unambiguously a mark of interest. Love the idea that Eliott is trying not to kiss him but I also feel like he felt kind of bad for kicking Lucas out and he wanted him to know he was really interested and it was not just a buddy hang because like...in that particular context that’s just not something you do with a buddy aahhahaha. Love how the shot is framed with Eliott standing in the dark, Lucas in the light, and Lucas’ little shocked smile when the door closes. 

And then drama. Chloé is such an overdramatic teen, god - a guy she’s talked to twice stands her up and she’s like “men are trash” hgdfhgd...But it is an apt parallel with Eliott kissing Lucille. It is such a slap in the face after the earlier intensity but also like. Eliott is such a dumbass in that moment, how did he not see Lucas standing there ? To me, it means that in his head, Lucas and Lucille really are separated - Lucille is his safety net and he kisses her a little bit without thinking, automatically. The whole Lucas thing is in another world, scary and thrilling and uncertain and so he doesn’t want to give up his safety net yet. It’s ...not super healthy tbh. It’s kind of a pattern with him, of not being honest out of fear and i don’t like it, but at the same time, coming from his perspective, it is somewhat understandable. He just lives with a different set of stakes. I’m not excusing it, but yeah. Poor Lucas though. 

 Previous clip 

[yourdreamscenarios]

When he says something hurtful

∙ Request ♡ ∙ Word count: 3,574

You couldn’t believe he had done this to you. To be honest you couldn’t even wrap your mind around the fact that he would even think about saying something like that during a life interview. It was nothing like him and it surely wasn’t a habit of his to talk about his relationship with you about others, especially not on international television. You wanted to know what had gotten into his mind and what had caused him to think that this would be okay. The entire room had gone silent as everyone’s eyes were glued onto the screen, it was almost as if they were all afraid to say anything. Next to you, Elena even seemed to be holding her breath, as if the sound was enough to make things explode. “Jesus.” Amanda whispered from the furthest spot inside of the room and her make up artist had stopped patted the foundation onto her cheeks and was now staring up at the TV which was hanging in the corner of the room. It seemed as if the interview had gained the attention from everyone who was present, and you couldn’t blame them for being shocked. You were shocked yourself. You didn’t know how you should be feeling right now. 

One part of you was just very disappointed, while a deeper part inside of you was starting to get really angry. How dare he say something like that about you. ‘I mean, of course she supports me. She doesn’t agree with every single thing I do and sometimes we fight about stuff. She doesn’t like it that I’m never home, but I guess that’s normal.’ That was exactly what he had said. To say that it was a complete lie would be bullshit, of course you’d rather want him to be home than on the other side of the world or a different continent. But you had never once told him that you didn’t support him. As an idol you knew how important it was if the person you loved stood behind you and had your back, how much it meant if they cheered for your dreams. You had never once made him feel as if you were holding him back. yes, you often told him that you missed him and that you wished he was with you instead of in some hotel far away from you. But you had never begged him to come home, had never accused him of being a bad boyfriend simply because he wasn’t able to celebrate your birthday with you. 

And of course you’d been mad at him before because he seemed to forget about your dates somehow, or when he never texted you back even though you’d have something important to tell him. But that was the thing about relationships, they all contained drama in their own special ways, the only difference was the two of you fought about things people with normal jobs might not fight about. you didn’t argue about money or laundry or the one who never cleaned up their shit behind themselves. You didn’t fight about the other standing too close to another man or woman or about who’s turn it was to empty the dishwasher. Those things simply didn’t fit into your lives. No, you two fought about the who was the busiest one and why there was always one of you who had to work on the they the other one was off. The two of you argued about not having sex often enough and not being able to see each other. But through out all those years you had never once told him that you didn’t agree with what he did or what he loved. You’d always been his number one fan and the only reasons why you spoke up to him sometimes was because you were worried about him. He pushed himself too often, ignored the condition of his body and just crashed over the line. 

But when you told him to slow down he wouldn’t listen. Yes, the two of you argued, but what he saying right now was not fair. At the start of all of this the two of you had promised each other that you would not let other people in on your relationship and you wouldn’t reveal questions too personal which were asked during interviews. It was one thing that he broke that rule, but the fact that he was talking about you as if you were the not so supportive girlfriend who whined at him during her free time made all of this even worse. “I’m not holding him back! I’m trying to encourage him, but I want just don’t want him to cross his own limits. Is that such a weird thing?” You said, and you noticed that your voice was way too loud to fit inside of this small dressing room. Next to you Amber shot you a worried glance, but the girls all nodded never the less. The staff quickly darted their eyes away from you, knowing it was impolite to stare at you they way they had been doing for the past few minutes. A hand settled itself on your shoulder and gave it a soft squeeze. When looking up you spotted Jessica standing behind you, giving you a motherly smile. That was what they always did when you were upset, because they were the older ones and you were the youngest one, you were the one who had to be taken care of. 

“Of course we know that. We’ve seen the two of you together for so long, we know you’ve got his back. I have no idea why he would say something like this.” Jessica convinced you and you realized as she said that that you didn’t know either. Why would he go around telling people that you didn’t support him. Your fans probably all knew that the two of you fought behind the scenes, fights were present in every healthy relationship. But to have their favorite idol say it in real life, that wasn’t what they wanted to hear. Some of them wanted to keep living in the fantasy that everything was always perfect between the two of you. And then of course there were the ones who had never liked you in the first place, and who now had another reason they could add to their list to hate you even more. As if on cue your phone started buzzing on the make up table in front of you and you looked down upon it, but somehow you weren’t sure if you wanted to see hat it had to show you. It wasn’t promising to be much good. When you’d walked in here earlier today you had actually believed that today was going to be a good day, but it seemed like you had been terribly wrong. 

“There’s probably a good explanation for all of this. You just need to talk to Jungkook, I’m sure he didn’t mean it the way he makes it sound.” Samantha tried, and everyone knew that she had alway been the most positive one out of all of you. But at this moment you weren’t even sure if you wanted to talk to Jungkook in the first place. Your phone buzzed again, and you were no longer able to contain your curiosity. For one reason or another you found yourself hoping that it was Jungkook, apologizing for what he had said after he’d seen the interview being replayed himself. That he had replied that he’d been an idiot and that he’d never meant anything of it, that he would take back his words if he could. But to your disappointment it was not your boyfriend. Instead it were notifications of your social media, and you could see that the number of comments had already increased to one hundred and two. The interview had only been out in the open for two minutes and people were already crashing into you. The rational part of your brain told you to ignore it, that it was an extremely bad idea to read those comments. You probably didn’t want to know what was in them because you could predict they wouldn’t have anything good to say. 

At the beginning of your career you had been terrible at ignoring these comments and you’d actually had to see a professional to help you get over it. You’d never been the kind of person who’d liked to be in the centre of attention, you had always been the kind of girl who’d just wanted for people to like you and go on with their lives. But after you’d become an idol, everyone suddenly had some kind of opinion about you, and ever since there were a lot of people who didn’t like you. They would always have something to say, about everything you did or said, every single outfit you wore or every single guy you dated. People could be very mean towards those they couldn’t stand, you’d learned that the hard way. Some of them just posted mean things on your social media accounts, but others pushed even further and it wouldn’t be the first time nor the last time you’d gotten dead threats. It had been something you were supposed to get used to, but you hadn’t been able to accept it. And so you’d decided you should talk to someone about it, someone who didn’t judge you for who you were and what you did. It had been the only way you’d been able to put yourself past it. For the past few years you’d actually been able to handle it. 

You had simply tried to ignore the things others had to say, knowing that you shouldn’t be believing anything they said. They didn’t know you after all, and they couldn’t judge someone they didn’t know, not truly. But somehow you couldn’t manage to ignore the notifications on your phone this time around. You just had to look. And so you pressed your finger against the button in the middle of the device, watching the way it unlocked itself and the page of your Instagram account opened itself automatically. The words you saw caused your stomach to turn upside down. You couldn’t actually feel bile gathering in the back of your throat as the color drained from your face. It seemed like Elena immediately noticed something was wrong, because she quickly appeared by your side. “______________, what’s wrong?” She asked, but you weren’t even able to answer her as you pushed your phone inside of your head before dashing out of your seat. You couldn’t remember the last time you’d run so fast as you speeded out of the room, rushing towards the bathroom. Somehow you managed to reach the toilet just in time before the content of your stomach made its way back up. You felt disgusted as you felt the muscles of your stomach contract until the last bit of your breakfast had come out. 

It took only a few seconds before you could hear several sets of footsteps behind you. And shortly after someone started gathering your hair away from your face, holding it behind your head in some sort of ponytail. Another hand patted your back reassuringly, while you could hear concerned whispered coming from somewhere behind you. “We’ll fix this ______________, we’re not going to let those people get away with this. You’re going to be alright.” Amanda said convincingly, trying to do her job as a leader as well as she could. During other times that might have helped, but somehow you couldn’t get rid of that image you had seen on your screen and you were afraid you would never be able to forget again. This was what happened when you kicked your hates against the chins. They would fight back, and they wouldn’t even care about the actual story. You knew that it wouldn’t end here, there was much more to come and they wouldn’t leave you alone. They thought that you were trying to ruin Jungkook’s career, they were convinced you were trying to steal them from him and that you were being a terrible girlfriend to him. 

The only thing they’d heard about Jungkook’s word in that interview was that you never had his back, that you tried to stop him from chasing his dreams, and now they were planning to make you pay for it. You couldn’t even find the tears you needed to cry. All of a sudden your stage outfit felt much too tight, the fabric suffocating you and sticking against your skin. You didn’t have the room to breath, there was no oxygen left inside of this small bathroom. “It’s okay ______________, calm down sweetie.” Amanda muttered, patting your hair softly, but her voice was almost unrecognizable. The only thing you managed to hear were Jungkook’s words, replaying over and over again inside of your head, as if your mind had recorder them and put them on tape. You could see the image burned onto your eyelids, you could still read the comments underneath them. The last thing you heard were the astonished gasps and squeals when everything turned blank around you and you fainted on the cold bathroom tiles.

You couldn’t remember the last time you’d had such a terrible headache. And the taste inside of your mouth, something metallic, like copper, was absolutely horrible. It was as if you were covered by a heavy and woolen blanket, pressing you down. No matter how hard you tried to move, you just couldn’t seem to do it. “I never meant for this to happen. I don’t even know why I said that, it slipped out before I even realized it.” The voice sounded apologetic and guilty, and somehow your subconsciousness thought he deserved it. The headache transformed into a thumping sensation, and it was starting to irritate you as the conversation continued. “Well, it doesn’t matter now. You shouldn’t apologize to us, you should apologize to her. And in the mean time we should figure out a way to fix all of this. We need to fill in a report against the people who posted this on her page, it’s sickening. Who would do something like that, it’s insane.” The first voice didn’t really seem to have an answer to that and it remained silent around you. Yet, the longer you stayed down the worse you felt, until at a certain point you felt as if you couldn’t handle it anymore. 

You fought off the blanket causing a soft groan to escape from your lips as your eyes fluttered open. The lights inside of the room were dimmed and you were grateful for that. Somehow you got the feeling as if it would have been true torture if they’d been shining down into your eyes. “Hey, take it easy.” Someone sat down on the edge of the couch next to you as you tried to push yourself up to check your surroundings. It didn’t take very long for you to figure out that it was Jungkook who had settled himself beside you, putting a comforting hand on top of your arm. You couldn’t help yourself when you brushed him off and he couldn’t seem to help the upset look that traveled onto his face. “What are you doing here?” You spat, sounding much ruder than you had thought you would but you noticed you didn’t mind, he deserved it. Even though it felt as if someone was playing a bowling game inside of your mind, you perfectly remembered what had happened. Your boyfriend opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again as no sound seemed to come out. In the back of the room you could see the way Amanda was forcing everyone outside so the two of you could continue this conversation in privet. 

As soon as the door closed behind the last person a heavy and icy silence fell over the two of you. And while Jungkook was searching for the right words to apologize, you had already found the words you wanted to yell at him. “How could you say that! What the hell is wrong with you?!” You wheezed, forcing your way past him as you placed your feet onto the floor. You couldn’t stand laying here now that there was so much adrenaline rushing through your veins. You were furious and embarrassed, you couldn’t believe you had lost the grip you held over yourself like this. Pushing yourself up from the sofa you felt yourself swinging on top of your legs, and Jungkook was fast to react as he shot upright beside you, steadying you by placing a hand underneath your elbow. You quickly tugged your arm away from him. “I didn’t mean in like that, you know I didn’t.” He started, saying the same thing he had told Amanda earlier, but you weren’t as naive to actually believe him. Glaring at him you wondered if it was capable for someone to faint twice in a day. “We promised each other we wouldn’t answer those kind of questions! Did you even see what they did?” The tone inside of your voice got higher, and it seemed as if someone was pinching your throat as you thought back about that picture of yourself, beheaded and your head on a stake. It wasn’t him who had been threatened in such way. 

People had found it funny, and they’d all agreed that was the kind of fate you deserved. “I’m not going to let them get away with this ______________. They can’t…” Jungkook continued, but you didn’t even let him finish. You couldn’t remember the last time you’d been this angry with him. you couldn’t remember the last time you’d been this scared. What if someone actually decided to do that to you? “None of this would have happened if you hadn’t said anything in the first place!” You roared, feeling the way tears overflowed your eyes and dripped down your cheeks. The sound of your sob filled the room and it came from somewhere so deep inside of you it barely fit through your throat. Jungkook’s face fell as he watched you cry and once again he tried his best to make his way over to you. Shaking your head furiously you extended your hand, wordlessly telling him to back off, but that idiot didn’t listen. Instead he walked up to you, so fast that you didn’t even have the time to back away as he suddenly showed up right in front of you. You pressed your hand against his chest as he snaked his arm around your waist, trying to push him off. 

But you had always known he was much stronger than you, though that didn’t mean that you never tried to beat him. Somehow you ended up smashing your fists against his chest, softly at first, as a sign for him to get his hands off of you, but in the end force added to your blows until you were convinced they had to hurt him, even though his face didn’t show it. “I hate you! I hate you!” You sobbed, as your hands continued to collide with his collarbones. He allowed you to hit him one more time before all of a sudden his hands enclosed around your wrists and he prevented you from punching him. Your fight didn’t stop there as you gathered your last bit of strength to tug your arms away from him, but they wouldn’t even budge. Before you knew it he’d drawn you against his chest, his strong arms wrapping around your back and shoulders in a strong cage, your head hiding against his sweater. “I’m so sorry, I’m sorry. Don’t cry. It’s going to be okay. Please, don’t cry.” He muttered inside of your hair, his voice hoarse as he tightened his hold around you. Yet, no matter how many times he asked you not to cry, you simply couldn’t help yourself. The gates had opened and you couldn’t stop the flow of tears that seemed to appear from behind it. 

You cried until your throat felt raw and your limbs were weak. Until every bit of energy drained from you and you no longer had the power to cry. And even though that seemed to take a very long time, he didn’t once loosen his hold on you, and he never stopped whispering those soft words into your ear. You hadn’t noticed how much you needed him until he was here. You hit your arms around him, cherishing his embrace. Even though he had fucked up, he was still the only one who was able to make you feel better, and who was able to make you believe that this terrible world wasn’t going to swallow you. When your sobs finally died down and you were barely able to stand on your feet he guided you back towards the couch, settling you down as he crouched down in front of you, your hands strongly in his. “I’m going to fix this, I promise.” He said, his thumbs brushing circles on top of your knuckles. And somehow you believed him. You sighed deeply as you nodded your head and this time you didn’t try to pull your hands away from him. “I love you, alright?” He muttered, causing a small smile to appear onto your face. 

∙ BTS Masterlist ♡ ∙ Masterlist ♡

[space-princess-genesis]

Comfort (Kabal x Genesis (OC))

(Hello wonderful people! Yes! I wrote my first smut piece for Kabal and Genesis. Its filled with angst, smut, and fluff all in one piece! Since it very sinful, its under the cut. Also, I actually have no hard feelings toward Kano in any way, but I know most of y’all aren’t too keen with him so he’s a warning. Also, I’m sorry if it’s mediocre, I haven’t wrote anything in a long while, so pardon my rust. Big shoutout to @generalasshattery for some tips and tricks! Love you! Enjoy!)

Pairing: Kabal x Genesis (OC) 

Words: 4,200

Warnings: 18+, slight mentions of rape, angst, fluff. Kano.

Kabal and Genesis had just gotten back to their apartment. The ride back was stone cold silent, so silent a hooksword could cut the tension. The two were frustrated - well, Kabal was more frustrated than her. Kabal thought it would be a good idea to take his Space Princess girlfriend as he likes to call her sometimes to the headquarters of the Black Dragon for a short visit. Kabal wanted Genesis to make some friends because she had started to feel a little lonely because of his crazy work schedule - with him being a mercenary and all. He couldn’t be there for her the majority of the week, minus the late evenings and weekends. Genesis had a small number of friends but they were either too far away, or too busy. Whenever she would make plans with a friend who was close by, they would always cancel plans last minute, leaving Genesis alone with nothing to do, waiting for Kabal to come home wondering why Genesis is still home? Shouldn’t she be with a friend of hers right now? Kabal didn’t understand why someone would cancel on her. C’mon, she’s a SPACE PRINCESS for pete’s sake! Who wouldn’t want to ravel in that friendship? He loved her dearly, and does his best to help her.

~

_“Are you sure you want me to come?” Genesis was worried because many of Kabal’s “friends” in the past had felt the need to try and put her hands on her (with Kabal gladly sticking a hooksword up the ass). “Hey, promise you’ll be right next to me at all times, unless I have small important shit to do… I’ll make sure no one, and I mean NO ONE, will lay their hands upon you.” Kabal insisted this. Genesis smiled at her loving boyfriend she floats up to him and pecked him on the lips.“Okay, I promise..” _

~

_The day had went by wonderfully. Genesis had already gotten a couple of numbers from some Black Dragon ladies (and a few Black Dragon men) which in return, made Kabal happy. He’s so ecstatic Genesis is going to get out and about and not be alone.“See! I told you should come! Look at you! You lil’ social butterfly.” Kabal says as he grabs her shoulders and smiles at her. “You were right. I feel good, I feel really good!” Kabal had started to feel a warmth in his heart. This is the first time in a short while that Genesis has talked with new people, let alone be it Kabal’s cohorts. Genesis is really giddy inside and is excited to hang out with some new friends. Kabal checks the time and realizes he has to do a quick meeting with some rookies about a small mission coming up. “Shit. I need to go to a meeting. Come on.” Hand in hand, the two walk over to the meeting room; luckily there’s a bench next to the door. “Hey babe, this will be a quick one. Wait here for me okay?” Kabal gestures to the bench and is halfway through the door. “Okay. I’ll be here.” Genesis goes to sit down and waves to Kabal, in which he waves back and closes the door. _

~

Half an hour had passed and Genesis is playing on her phone. Mostly scrolling through the Twitter beef page and scrolling what photo of Kabal and her should she should post, just minding her own business. However, that peace is short-lived, as the last person she expects is walking down the hallway, and towards her as well. He stands right in front of her, and that thick Australian mouth blabbers:“Ello’ love, long time no see?” Kano. Out of all the people in the world. KANO. “Oh hi Kano…it has been a long time has is?” she says uncomfortably. It really hasn’t been a long time. The last time Genesis has seen Kano was the previous month in which Kabal had taken Genesis to a party which Kano was at and had gotten his drunken ass in the pool. And nobody knew how. “Where’s ya knight in shining armor love?” Kano had always thought Genesis was a treasure to have and own; however, when he would see her, he would always want to approach her. Much to his dismay, Kano would always be met with a soul-staring, cock-blocking, Kabal, but here, in this very moment, Kabal was nowhere to be seen. He had gotten his chance.“In a meeting in that room…” She gestures over to the door where Kabal is having his meeting. Kano looks back a the door. Kabal wasn’t going to walk out anytime soon. “Well then, this will be our time to…chat up yea?” With Kano being this suggestive, Genesis had gotten totally uncomfortable. This is Kano, one of the most vile people in all of Earthrealm. She didn’t want to be around him at all, unless Kabal was with her. Unfortunately, Kabal was still in his meeting.  So, Genesis had come up with an excuse so she could get out of this situation.“Uh yeah. Hey, so, I need to go so I’ll catch up with you later. ‘kay? Bye!” As Genesis got up as fast as she could, Kano grabs her wrist and pulls her into his embrace. Her worst fear had finally come to life. Kano had put his hands around her, and Kabal was nowhere to been seen. He reeked of alcohol, specifically beer, and it was bothering Genesis. Not knowing what to do in this moment, Genesis fears for her life, what was he going to do to her? She didn’t want to think the worst possible outcome, but she wished Kabal would be here right this instance. “But we were just getting started love! So, would you like a taste of Australia’s best saus -“ Kano is interrupted with a hand grabbing his ear. It was Kabal. What a relief. “Excuse me.” Kabal drags Kano by the ear into an empty room. Let’s say that there was a lot of punches heard, some metal breaking and a possible hooksword up the ass. Kabal walks out and grabs her hand. “We are going home, NOW.” The last glimpse Genesis got of Kano was his metal eye busted, bruises all over the body, and a bloodied ass. What would happen now?. All she could do was wait. Wait for a talk. A calm chat? Maybe not. A heated talk? Most defiantly…

~

Kabal’s back is toward Genesis. She couldn’t tell if he was angry at her, or himself. He puts his hands on his hips and sighs. Meanwhile, Genesis is stifling up tears, eventually turning into full-on tears. “How long was he near you?” Kabal says in a low tone. Genesis could tell he was pissed, VERY pissed. “A few minutes. ” Tears were in-between her words. “What did he say to you?” sounding slightly annoyed, he continues to ask questions. “He…was about to say something about his…sausage…” Just saying the word disgusted Genesis. Who in the world calls their dick a sausage? “Shit…how could he…How could I have been so fucking stupid to leave you alone! Especially with Kano running around! I knew he would get the chance to puts his arms around you when I wasn’t around! Arghhh… I’m just so…so…fuck…” Kabal had raised his tone. He sighs and puts a hand to his forehead. He was angry. Angry and frustrated. He promised her that no one would lay their hands on her. He realizes that he broke his promise and now, he’s pissed. Kabal turns around to see Genesis on the ground crying. He cools his temper as he sees her so distressed. Why was she crying? He wasn’t pissed off with her, his was pissed off of himself. She didn’t do anything that would make him angry at her. It was the thought of Kano around her. What if Kabal hadn’t walked into the situation in time? What if Kano had gone further? What if he had raped her? Kabal didn’t want to think about these issues, but he couldn’t push them away. These thoughts are then suddenly pushed away as he immediately fall to the ground and embraces her. “I’m so sorry Gen… I should have let you in the room with me…I didn’t know what I was thinking… I’m sorry…I’m fucking sorry.” He keeps apologizing hoping for her to accept it. She reaches her arms around Kabal’s waist and rests her hands on his back. He pets her purple gradient hair and rubs her back. The embrace goes on for a few minutes. He wanted to stay like this forever, with Genesis in his loving arms. But, he suddenly feels an urge within him. Something is crawling deep within his body - an animal, and an angry one. And it’s wanting to release. With his head in the crook of her neck, he starts to kiss her up her neck, to her cheek, and finally on her lips. The kiss starts out sweet but eventually turns deep, and then deeper. Kabal eventually breaks off and carries Genesis off into their bedroom.

~

Kabal lays Genesis down on the bed and climbs on top of her and starts to make-out again, but this time, more aggressively. His hands are running up and down her body. Touching and feeling every crevice of her supple body. Surprisingly, Genesis is enjoying this more rough and rowdy Kabal. Usually when the two have sex, it can go two different ways. One way could be cute, soft, and intimate, while the other way could be passionate and downright dirty. But this time, it’s different; Kabal has a wild animal inside of him - an angry, pissed off animal wanting to unleash. But, he just can’t release this animal out on Genesis, he can’t stand to see her clawed out by this animal. However, he really regrets leaving her alone; out in the open air for Kano to sniff her out. He has to make it up to her. He proceeds to quickly remove her shirt and her shorts, leaving her exposed and in a matching lingerie set that Kabal bought for her. He looks at her face, oh that face, makes him so wild. He runs his eyes up and down her body, and bites his lips. Just the look of her so vulnerable makes Kabal’s sex-filled imagination run wild. He dips his head into the valley of her breasts and starts to kiss her chest, with little pecks all around eventually turning rougher. He then reaches around her to unclasp her bra and remove it, which exposes her breasts to him. He massages them before diving in and encasing her left nipple in his mouth while massaging and kneading the neglected one. “Ngh… Kabal…ahh…” She moans softly as Kabal continues to work at her nipple, even biting it a couple of times. He then switches over to the other breast and continues to do what he did to the other one. Her continuous moans and whimpers stir his already throbbing cock. He starts to bite harder and Genesis begins feeling a discomfort at her nipple. “Ahh… Kabal, just… a little too much…ouch…” Genesis whispers out. Kabal began getting a little too rough on her. With the whole situation that happened earlier with Kano and his built up anger, he couldn’t fully control himself. “Sorry Gen, got a little carried away.…” He manages to blurt that out. She smiles at him though, because no matter what he  always listens to her. Even all the other times they have had sex, Genesis would always let Kabal know if he was going too hard. If she told him that he was being too rough, he would start to get a better hold on himself. But right now with this notion to ravage on her, there will probably be no sense of control for Kabal. He leaves her chest area and makes his way up to her neck leaving short, sweet kisses and bites on the way. He begins kissing and biting on her soft, tender, midnight skin. All while also rubbing her other little sweet spot down under. He sucks on that little sweet spot under her ear. Genesis gasps out in pleasure as Kabal continues to suck the skin. “Ah!” She yelps out in pleasure. Kabal grins underneath her and continues sucking and kissing every square inch of her neck, going rough every few suckles and rubbing her clit at the same time. He stops to take a look at what he did to her neck. Gosh his cock is throbbing even more just looking at her. The animal in him it clawing even more. No, he can’t, he needs to control it. Kabal kisses down her body again, but goes down further. Landing a kiss on her stomach, Genesis lets out a short giggle. He needed something to hear that wasn’t so sinful. He takes his hands and spreads Genesis’s legs apart and caresses her inner thighs. The sound of her giggles calms down Kabal’s raging animal a little bit. Hopefully it will say down for just a bit longer. He then kisses her inner thighs leading down to her already soaking wet panty. However, he suddenly is halted by her foot. “You seem a little overdressed for this occasion right?” Genesis says sarcastically. Kabal rolls his eyes and proceeds to remove the upper part of his gear to reveal more of his muscled body which is already beaded with sweat. Which is unusual for him as he doesn’t sweat this much. This damn animal… As he’s about to dip down into her wetness, again, a foot halts him, but this time, at his chest. Genesis, feeling a little cheeky at the moment, glides her foot down slowly to Kabal’s clothed painfully throbbing cock and rubs it. Oh, this riles him up; he lets out a slow grunt and quickly proceeds to take his pants off. He quickly takes off the rest of his clothing, along with his underwear. Then he removes her underwear within lighting speed and throws it God-knows where in the room. His held-back animal is already starting to show. And Genesis has no clue that it’s there, wanting to eat her up.

~

Trying to compose himself again, he takes a deep breath and tries not to rush into eating out Genesis. Instead, he kisses her inner thigh slowly again, but steadily. This time there’s no giggles, just moans. Finally reaching her sensitive spot, Kabal begins to lick up and down her slick opening. With pleasure filling her up, Genesis grips tightly at the sheets. Moans, pants, and growls fill the room as Kabal eats out Genesis. Kabal then inserts his tongue into Genesis’s slick opening. With a sharp gasp, Genesis screams out in pleasure. “Oh gods! Aah..Kabal!”. With his princess moaning his name out so lovely, Kabal grips onto her hips tighter and goes deeper. The feel of Kabal’s tongue feels so good for Genesis. It’s actually one of his favorite things for him to do for her. He loves giving, especially to his princess. Her pants start to quicken as she feels a knot quickly forming in her stomach. Kabal senses this and stops. He kisses up her body quickly and lands on her lips again. God, he couldn’t get enough of those lips. He couldn’t get enough of her… gosh, he couldn’t think of other words to describe her. Perfect, maybe? He positions himself in front of her entrance and slowly sheaths himself in her. It took a lot of holding back not to ram into her. But the animal; oh the animal that’s inside him is still trying to claw its way out. He’s just furious with himself for leaving Genesis alone. Fucking Kano, of course he would. Of fucking course he would. From the point in which he walked out of his meeting and saw Kano’s arms on her, his rage meter had risen to maximum level. Even going savage on Kano’s ass didn’t even cool down his anger. He tries to suppress that recent memory in the back of his head as he starts moving in her. Genesis coos out in pleasure. Just seeing that face of pleasure on her makes further stimulates him. He continues to pump into her, the memories of what had happened earlier crawl faster and faster back into Kabal’s mind, and his thrusts start to become rougher and he goes faster as he loses himself in his thoughts. The sound of skin against skin becomes more prominent. Right now, he needed to release his anger. His thoughts consume him even more as he starts pounding into her. Kano hands around Genesis. Fuck. He wished he’d sliced him in half. Let alone stick it up his ass. If he had seen him do anything else to her. Oh boy. He would’ve gone beast mode on Kano. All the these thoughts fully consume him as he’s continuing to pump into her. He is soon consumed in all these thoughts and doesn’t realize how hard he’s thrusting into her. Now he’s completely lost in his thoughts. The animal that is inside him; the one he tried his hardest to suppress, has been released. Soon enough, he grabs onto her hips and pounds harder and faster. Kabal’s movements become so sloppy and rough, that his rhythm is thrown off-balance. With his mind is so focused on what happened earlier, he could not care less on how he was performing. The worst thing is, he doesn’t realize the sounds of pain coming from Genesis. “Kabal…stop…” Genesis weeps out. He doesn’t stop; he can’t stop. The thoughts of Kano on Genesis continues to enrage him. Situations start to unfurl in his mind. One in which he hadn’t walked out in time, and one where he walks into well… he REALLY didn’t want to think about that one. But the sounds of crying and whimpers seem deaf to him. “Kabal!…Stop!…Please! It hurts!” Genesis cries out. Kabal is snapped back into reality and looks to see Genesis in tears. He immediately stops and removes himself out of her. “Shit…” Kabal mutters under his breath. He’s horrified. He had just hurt his sweetheart in the worst way possible.

~

“Fuck…Gen…I’m sorry…I…I…fuck…” Kabal didn’t know the rights words to say. Sorry wasn’t going cut it. Before he could say anything else, a soft hand reaches up toward his face, and lands on his cheek. “Kabal…calm down…” She whispers softly and looks deep into those chocolate eyes that she loves so much. He looks back into her teary-eyed white pupils which always seemed to always sparkle for him. He nuzzles into the palm of her hand, and grabs it only to remove it from his face. He feels like he doesn’t deserve this empathy. Ashamed of himself, he moves to the edge of the bed. He leans forward with his forehead in the palms of his hands. “I couldn’t control myself Gen… It’s just…seeing you with fucking Kano arms wrapped around you…just fucking made me so…mad…this thing, this animal inside me just was fucking clawing me on the inside…I just lost myself… I’m fucking sorry Gen…”  Kabal didn’t know what else to say. Again, he could only apologize. He screwed up big time. The next thing surprises Kabal, with all her strength that she has left, she hugs him from behind. “It’s okay…” She give Kabal a small peck on his cheek, but that doesn’t seem forgiving for him. “No, it’s not… I hurt you Gen…I can’t forgive myself for that…” Genesis could tell he’s in total distress. He rarely showed vulnerability like this, even in front of her.“I can forgive you… I will always forgive you. No matter what… I love you Kabal.” Kabal turns his head over to look at Genesis. He puts his hand on her cheek and kisses her. The kiss is intimate. More intimate than what had happened a few moments ago. Suddenly, Kabal lifts Genesis bridal style and walks over to the bathroom.

~

He sets her down on the toilet and starts to run a bath for her. He goes over to their small bath bomb basket and picks out her favorite one from Lush: Goddess. The bathtub becomes full and the submerged bath bomb is fizzing. He lifts Genesis from the toilet and sets her down into the warm water. “You sure you don’t wanna come in?” She asks because Kabal is just sitting on the stool next to the bathtub. The stool made for when Kabal didn’t feel like joining Genesis in the bathtub, but still wants to have their usual chats. Kabal takes a moment to think about joining in, because he originally made the bath for her, but with what happened moments ago, he feels the need to join her. Plus, he can’t deny his princess. “Move a little forward ‘kay?” Genesis nudges a little forward so that Kabal can be behind her and hold her from behind.  Kabal steps afoot into the lavender colored water, and sits behind Genesis, with her in between his legs. He snakes his arms around her so that she could lay atop of his chest. He holds her like a porcelain doll. Delicately, as she was about to break.

~

Silence. With the exception of the water droplets leaking from the bath faucet everything is silent. Kabal in the meantime nuzzles his head into the crook of Genesis’s neck. She felt the warm breath from his nose against her skin.  “Genesis…” It was the first time in the night he had used her full name. “Hm?” Probably another apology, but she still listened. “I love you…” He kissed the top of her forehead. “I love you too.” Suddenly, stars appeared on her body - with the occasional shooting star on her. This meant Genesis was in total love. “Hehe, their back…” Kabal said with a slight chuckle. The stars would appear either when the two had finished sex or if Genesis was deep in love. Kabal loved whenever the stars would appear because they could move to his touch. He would always make-up constellations and little shapes, but his favorite thing to do was move them to Genesis’s chest area and make a heart that would sit above her own. Which is what he did in this instance. It was a little awkward because he wasn’t facing her, but he tried his best. When he’s done, Genesis looks down and sees something that resembled a heart. She giggles and says, “Wow! Well done Picasso!”. Kabal almost takes offense to this because he worked hard on that heart. He quickly puts his lips to her neck and makes a fart sound against it. Genesis then lets out this big ole’ giggle which puts a smile on Kabal’s face. “You butt! Oh my gosh!” She continues to laugh and decides to turn around and lay on Kabal chest to chest and do the same thing to him as well, but on his chest. “WHAT THE FUCK THAT FEELS WERID”. Genesis giggles even more as Kabal is shook. They both calm done quickly and look in each eyes again and smile. Genesis lays down on his chest with an ear to his chest so she could hear his heartbeat. It’s beating, steadily - and she smiles. Oh how she loved to hear his heartbeat. Kabal lays his hand on her head and pets her hair. The two remain like this for at least twenty more minutes before Kabal’s fingers started to prune up.

~

After their bath, Kabal suggested to order in some food, with Genesis choosing of course. But Genesis wanted to try something different, so she asked Kabal to surprise her. He ordered some light Italian food from this new place that just opened a bit ago. She’s never had Italian food so se was excited. The two eat, and watch a movie afterwords. It’s another princess movie, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves - what a classic. Genesis really enjoyed it, maybe just a little too much. Now she’s going to be humming “Someday My Prince Will Come” for a week and Kabal will regret ever showing it to her. The two then stumble off to bed, while Kabal carrying her of course. She lays her in bed and turns off the light. The light from the moon is shining through the blinds, leaving a light glow on whatever surface it touches. Genesis quickly falls asleep, but Kabal is still up. He looked down at her. He moved some strands from her face to get a good look at her. Gosh, she’s beautiful. He smiles as he watches her peacefully sleep. He kisses the top of her forehead before going to sleep himself. The last thought before he goes to sleep is how the boss man is probably going to give him a work suspension or something. Like that mattered, more time to spend with Genesis right?

[shadowofadalekmightdeactivate]

Still Human Chapter 10

(A/N: IT’S FINALLY DONE!!! HOLY SHIT I’M SO tired it’s 11 PM someone help me Also-I really, really, really need a beta reader, you guys. I’m looking over old chapters and they have small mistakes that I’m just now fixing. If anyone is interested, PM me) THIS CHAPER HAS TRIGGERS! It has a meltdown description and a death threat. Please don’t read it if either of those disturb you! Tag list: @tinkslittlebelle, @bunny222, @wewuzraw, @narali2003 (Want to be added to the tag list? Send me an ask, I’d be glad to add you!)

If Virgil made a list of things he didn’t like, Christmas would probably top it. It was during a bloody cold and miserable month, was too cutesy for his taste and promoted lies for kids 1 to 13. Mall Santas that smelled of old beer faked jolliness for screaming, snot nosed, entitled little brats who were spoiled beyond belief, sprouting their ridiculously long lists to utter strangers. People sent into debt due to having to buy presents for “friends” and other people they won’t have to talk to again until the next boozefest they call New Year’s Day. It did bring a small break from classes, however. Most likely the best plus Virgil could think of. Spending hours on end lost in the world of music and graphite was the best therapy he could hope to have. Unfortunately for him, Lily loved the Christmas season. And-being so determined to make sure her friend had a social life-made it her mission to get Virgil invited to every up-coming Christmas party she could think of.

“VIRGIIIIIIIIIL~!” Lily yelled out, slamming the door of Virgil’s dorm open. The younger male flinched hard enough to fall of the bed as the blond woman came in. She leaned over him and chuckled at his predicament. “Did I scare ya?” “No, I always expect you to come screaming through my door,” Virgil snarled. Lily laughed again. Virgil swatted her hand away when she offered to help him up. “Tell me, Virgie,” Lily said in a fake innocent voice. “Do you have anything to wear to a party?” “Bitch my closet only has stuff in black,” Virgil shot back. “And anyway, why would you even ask that? You know I don’t like going out.” “But Viiiirgiiiie…” Lily whined. “If you keep this up, you won’t have any friends after you graduate! Don’t you want people to remember you?” “The less people remember me, the better.” Lily fell silent, no doubt hearing the undercurrent of hurt in Virgil’s voice. She dropped the topic and went to his closet, yanking it open. “Uh-you lied, bitch. There’s more than just black here.” Virgil raised his head slightly when she turned around, holding out the sleeve of a purple long-sleeved shirt. His argument died in his throat before he even opened his mouth. The blonde female turned back to her friend’s closet, pulling out every bit of coloured fabric she could find. Some of them were hoodies, some of them were shirts, she found some skirts, a pair of leggings and three scarves. “Only stuff in black”, indeed. “Virgil, come here,” she ordered, sprawling the stuff onto the dorm’s unused bed. “I need your help for this.” “I just said, Lily��” Virgil started to argue, but Lily cut him off by grabbing his wrist and dragging him over. “There’s more than just black here,” she knowingly countered the incoming remark. “And it won’t kill you to go to a few parties!” “What if I get roofied?” Virgil asked in a small voice. Lily’s hand struck the back of his head, making him yelp. “Jesus, Virgil,” she said, exasperated. “No one’s going to roofie your drink!” “Really.” Virgil crossed his arms as the friends faced each other. “So you can tell me for CERTAIN that I’m not going to get drugged out of my mind and kidnapped?” There was a tense silence. Lily sighed and threw one of Virgil’s skirts at him. “Put this on.” “Over my dead body.” “Put it on, Virgil!” Lily dug her head back into the closet. Virgil rolled his eyes and moved behind the spare bed to obey.

An hour later, Virgil stood hugging himself against the cold in front of a mansion, the wind blowing the snow around and stinging his stockinged legs. Lily once again didn’t mind the weather—but then she was in a heavy coat and well defended against the cold as Hell onslaught. Virgil only had a flimsy windbreaker over his sweater to help him. “Come on, Virgil!” Lily interrupted him from mentally writing his will, waving him to come to the door. “It’s not that cold!” “B-B-Bitch, you’re w-wearing a th-th-thick c-coat,” Virgil snarled, his teeth chattering. “I d-d-don’t want t-t-to he-hear it.” “Well then wear a coat next time, silly!” Lily walked over and pulled Virgil against her side, sharing her warmth. Virgil relaxed his hug on himself slightly and mumbled a “thanks”. Lily lead Virgil and one of her friends—Virgil never got her name and couldn’t be bothered to at that point—inside the house, nodding to the person who held the door open for them. The music inside throbbed at his head, already triggering a headache. You’d think they played Christmas music at a Christmas party. Not in this college, apparently. “Come on, Virge!” Lily dragged him to a group of people barely illuminated by deep red lights. Virgil forced a smile as Lily introduced him to them. “Caroline, Susan, Jasmine, this is Virgil!” Lily said. “Virgil, my best friends Carrie, Suzy and Jazzie.” “Um…Hello…” Virgil awkwardly held his hand out for them to shake. Caroline’s lip curled in a disgusted way. “Why is he wearing a skirt?” “Why are you wearing a tux?” Lily shot back. “This is different! If a woman wears a tux, she’s breaking a mold. If a guy does…” Caroline trailed off, wilting under Lily and Jasmine’s glares. “No, continue,” Lily said, her voice dripping with fake sweetness. “I want to hear you finish that sentence.” “Nevermind…” Caroline took a drink from her red cup. Lily winked at Virgil, who gave her a grateful smile. Virgil listened half-heartedly as Jasmine launched into an explanation of how “feminine” she felt. Odd thing to say. Caroline oddly didn’t make any snide remarks about it, but she rolled her eyes every time Virgil tried contributing to the conversation. Eventually the girl moved to stand beside Lily and wound up pushing him out of the group. Virgil bit his lip. He knew he should stand up for himself, but he also really didn’t want to hang out with a group of girls all night like a loser. Hell, he didn’t want to be here in the first friggn’ place. He slowly moved away, heading to a table with a bunch of red cups on it. If he acted like he belonged here, maybe nobody would bug him and he’d be able to think of a game plan.

“Okay, cool it, Roman. You’re being ridiculous. Nobody’s staring at you.” Roman took a deep breath, trying to shove any nervousness away. He can do this! He stuck his hands in his hoodie pocket and stepped further into the house. The music blaring in his ears and muffled human speech didn’t really help his internal chill factor. He resisted the urge to play with his hoodie’s sleeves (he knew what that would lead to) and instead elected to walk around the house. His mind went back to the argument he’d had with his mother the night before. She’d been really upset about something he’d been doing—his “stupid stimming”, she’d said—and was upset that he couldn’t act normal for 5 seconds. “Just don’t act like yourself for ONE MINUTE! Just ONE! MINUTE!! IS THAT SO MUCH TO ASK?! You’re an adult, not a child, now ACT LIKE ONE!” Nope. Nopenopenope. Bad memories. Bad memories won’t help any if they cause him to lose his cool. Roman buried his hands deeper into his hoodie, biting his lower lip. The sounds were really closing in now. ‘I can do this. I have to do this. I can be an adult, prove it to her!’ His feet refused to move. He was rooted to the spot, like a tree. People around him seemed unaware, just brushing past him like he was just a decoration. Someone accidentally touched him at one point and he flinched, moving away and backing into someone. He jolted away from them and bumped into another person. “Hey?!” They protested. “You spilled my drink! Watch where you’re going!” “I-I’m sorry—” Roman moved away from them, flinching when someone grabbed his shoulders. “Calm down, dude,” a voice said. “What drugs are you on?” “Don’t touch me!” Roman jerked away. The man that had grabbed him held his hands up in a calming gesture. “Easy, dude. It’s scary when you’re tripping balls. Come with me, I’ll take you home.” ‘I don’t need to go home!!’ Roman yelled at him mentally. ‘I need to prove something to mom!! I need to last for a little bit longer!!!’ He backed away from the well-meaning hands and suddenly found himself on the floor. The guy tried to reach out to help him up but Roman couldn’t hear his voice over the ringing in his ears. He gripped at his hair to stop himself from flapping his hands, to no avail. Everything was too much, he couldn’t see straight, and even humming loudly didn’t do anything to help. It felt like his chest was crushing his lungs and making it hard to breathe. Was he yelling? He couldn’t tell. Someone suddenly knelt in front of him. Roman focused long enough for him to make out the face of his friend Virgil. He couldn’t hear what he was saying, it’s too much! Virgil took Roman’s hands off his head gently, holding them. He instantly let go when Roman started to flap them. The presence of a friend and finally allowing himself to stim made the ringing in his ears subside enough for him to hear Virgil. “Take it easy, redhead,” he was saying. “Listen to me, not the voices in your head. Breathe with me. Inhale for seven seconds, hold for eight, exhale for four. There we go, that’s much better.” Roman didn’t feel much better. The ringing was starting again and he was getting a headache. Virgil coaxed him to stand and took his hand. Roman gripped it tightly as his purple-haired friend led him away from the noise and the people, away from the music and the heavy feeling. He found himself sitting on the couch, Virgil staying beside him and now playing on his phone. The ringing in his ears and overwhelmed feeling subsided and left him feeling like an utter fool. Mom was right—he can’t handle this kind of scene. He’s not a collage kid. He’s too needy. Virgil looked up from his phone when Roman sighed. “You feel okay?” He asked. Roman nodded. Virgil gave him a disbelieving look and sat up straighter, putting his phone away. “You don’t look like it,” he said. “You looked like you were about to lose it back there.” Roman blushed, rubbing the back of his neck and flapping his other hand slightly. “It’s nothing…” A silence fell between them. “You can’t stand crowds either, hm.” Roman looked up at Virgil again. “You…?” “High anxiety.” Virgil sat back, leaning his head back against the couch and closed his eyes. “I got dragged here against my will.” Roman giggled, trying to hide it in his hand. “Like a damsel in distress?” He asked. Virgil opened one eye to give him a death glare. “Any comment about girls and skirts and I’ll slit your throat.” Roman giggled again. Virgil shut his eye, smiling vaguely. They sat for a bit in comfortable silence, Virgil pretending to sleep and Roman looking around the room. Eventually Virgil opened his eyes again and turned his head to Roman. “Why’re you here?” Roman’s shoulders slumped. “I’m proving something to mom.” “What, that you have anxiety?” “No!” Roman crossed his arms. “That people with Autism can still be adults.” Virgil raised one eyebrow. “I don’t follow.” “My mom and I got into a fight the night before. She wants me to act more normal.” That seemed to get Virgil’s attention, seeing as how he sat up and watched him with wide eyes. Roman continued undeterred. “She complained that I don’t think like an adult and that I can’t even be normal for five seconds.” “I’m sorry—back up.” Virgil waved one of his hands to stop Roman. “She wants you to be what?” “Normal. Without Autism.” Roman shrugged. “I try to tell her that this is my normal, but I guess it’s not enough. She does love me though!” He finished quickly when a dark look crossed Virgil’s face. Virgil started to say something when his phone buzzed. He looked at it for a few moments before throwing it to the floor and burying his face in his hands. “Fuuuck, I don’t want to go back…” Roman tilted his head to the side. He suddenly had an idea. He nudged Virgil’s shoulder and couldn’t help but smile when his friend only moved a finger to look at him. “What if we treat this as an escape?” Roman suggested. “We can run up here if we need to get away again.” Virgil paused to think. Eventually he leaned down to grab his phone and stood up to face Roman again. “Deal. Do you want to stay together?” Roman’s eyes lit up. He grinned and nodded rapidly. Virgil rolled his eyes and grabbed his hand, almost yanking him off his feet as he headed back down to the noise of the party.

Roman and Virgil wound up hiding in the room three more times. Roman had more fun one-on-one with him than he thought he ever would with a house full of random people. Virgil also found himself enjoying the bombastic redhead’s company…Not that he was going to say it out loud. Their fun was soon spoiled by the fact that Roman’s mom had come to pick him up. They were now standing on the sidewalk waiting for her to find a parking spot, Virgil hugging himself and shivering with Roman watching him in worry and trying to work up some courage. He eventually found his voice on the woman’s third lap around the block. “Virgil? I wanted to ask you something…” Virgil looked up at him. Roman struggled to keep his cool (in a better way this time). Why must this man insist on wearing eyeliner, it made his eyes look so big it was so CUTE- “What?” Virgil asked. Roman shook himself out of his enraptured state. “I was wondering…If…” “If you ask me for a kiss I’ll slap you.” Roman couldn’t help laughing at his friend’s bluntness. “No! No! That’s not it at all!” “Then what is it?” “Do you want to hang out this weekend?” There! He said it! Virgil was quiet in thought. He then shrugged. “Sure. I don’t think I have any plans on for that day.” “Really?!” Roman bounced up and down slightly. “That’s great! Thank you so—” His mom cut him off by blaring her car horn. Apparently she’d finally found a parking space…Right across the road. Who’d have thought. “I’d better go inside before I freeze to death,” Virgil said. “O-Okay. Bye Virgil!” Roman waved at his friend as he left. “Text me if you need someone to talk to!” “Who was that?” Roman’s mom asked when he got into the car and started brushing snow off himself. He looked out the window and saw Virgil watching him for a moment before his blonde friend came out and dragged him inside. He smiled to himself. “So I won the bet. That’s my new friend…”

[caden]

i feel we should examine the whole idea of “do spoilers matter” or not at a deeper level then ‘people who complain about spoilers are annoying so spoiler warnings are stupid’. like the idea that a lot of you guys seem to have of “if having the plot spoiled ruins the movie for you then the plot wasnt any good anyways” seems sort of... not fully wrong but also underdeveloped to me. like, there are tons and tons and tons of stories that are widely considered to be amazing and have clear artistic merit that you absolutely wouldn’t want spoiled. Like, you wouldnt want to know darth vader was lukes father. you wouldnt want to know bruce willis was a ghost the whole time. For drama to be effective you need tension, and a very very efficient way of keeping the audience engaged is by putting them in a mindset where they’re unsure of what will happen next, or by revealing a game-changing plot twist, or by suddenly putting a character into an unexpected position. It seems totally disingenuous to me to be like ‘well it shouldnt matter to the audience whether or not they get to be surprised by what happens in the film they’re watching’. You can’t honestly believe that to be true. Being able to be surprised by a story is like one of the fundamental draws of good storytelling and probably has been for all of human history. Imagine how much worse US or Get Out or any Shakespeare play would be if you knew exactly where the plot would go before you saw it. I know there’s some research that suggests people actually enjoy stuff more if they already know what will happen but you can cast a lot of doubt on that data-- i think that it indicates more that people are more likely to appreciate a good plot once they understand it more thoroughly, hence why you might like a great movie more the second time you watch it. That doesnt mean there isnt value in the first time, it’s just a different way of viewing it.

All that said, the stuff with people not wanting spoilers for endgame has different wrinkles to it. (dont worry im not about to spoil anything). It can’t all be chalked up to ‘people care super deeply about the characters and plot and the writing is always so unpredictable and engaging that they dont want to know a single thing before going in’. Ive spent a lot of time recently thinking about the way infinity war and endgame are constructed, and they’re made in such a way that REALLY facilitates them being ‘spoiled’. because they’re written around moments. The plot isn’t so much a naturally moving thing with motivations and momentum of its own as much as a connective tissue between various cool things happening. Like, whoa, spider-man just met the guardians of the galaxy. oh sick, theyre in wakanda. holy shit, half of them died. Endgame goes REAAAAAALLY hard on this style of writing. And as a method of milking emotion from the audience, it really really works. Assuming the moments themselves are all effective, you’re guaranteeing constant engagement because every three minutes another epic thing is gonna happen. And I think when people fault marvel fans for being obsessed with spoiler warnings, this style of filmmaking is really what they’re trying to critique. because there’s a suggestion that if your movie is just jumping from crazy twist to shocking death to funny reference to epic fight, you’re losing the thing that should actually be the connective tissue of a film-- its themes, character arcs, ideas, setting... etc. And while I personally don’t think those things are mutually exclusive, (bc i do believe that infinity war and endgame genuinely have themes they try to discuss), i would also agree with the argument that reliance on shocking moments over actual ideas is bad writing. But as I mentioned earlier, a filmmaker like Jordan Peele whose works are generally agreed to be very good also uses this writing style-- his plots escalate via twists and turns and are expertly constructed to keep the audience wondering what’ll happen next, and he does a really great job with it. 

Now, i DEFINITELY think there’s an argument for ‘disney intentionally plays up the spoiler warning angle in a way that’s ultimately toxic to the filmmaking process’. Like I don’t believe that the “tom holland doesnt get to read the script” stuff is true, I 100% think it’s all a publicity stunt-- but they shouldnt be setting a precedent that makes people think doing something like that to a lead actor is acceptable. It’s not how films should be made, and the only reason I’m sure its all fake is because I have enough filmmaking experience to know itd literally be impossible to efficiently shoot a big-budget film under those conditions. Of course all the buzz about endgame spoilers is HUGELY beneficial to their marketing teams, so obviously they’re gonna go hard as hell on enforcing that narrative. Like they 100% WANT everyone to both be spoiling the movie and getting anxious about having the movie spoiled, because its all free advertising for them. But in terms of ‘big movie studios having greedy practices that harmfully affect the artistic process and make their films worse’, its incredibly low on the list of bad stuff that studios do imo. 

So, like, if you’re gonna critique all the various aspects of that, I think you should A) put your efforts towards exposing all the spoiler panic through the lens of how it affects the way that films are produced and consumed, or B) put your efforts towards analyzing the media itself, watch the film and ask ‘is this film more engaging and well-made because of its reliance on moments that can be spoiled? If no, why is that not working? If yes, is that engagement coming at a cost or is it justified? Essentially, I’d like to feel that the criticism was either coming from a social angle or an artistic one. And if that were the case I think i’d have less of an issue with it. Just saying “people are dumb for caring about spoilers” is silly. Maybe it’s dumb, but that’s not the point. People will consume media however they want to and if they want to care about spoilers then they have a right to care. You guys aren’t wrong if you think marvel shit is stupid and badly made, because art is subjective and no opinion on it is wrong. But other people also aren’t wrong for liking and caring about it, and being like ‘we should spoil it for them to teach them a lesson” is gross and totally unproductive. I know 99% of it is jokes but you gotta remember that some people have spent a very long time being very excited to see this movie and doing something that wrecks that for them is just mean and inconsiderate. It’s not about whether them feeling that way is stupid or not, because yeah, it’s stupid to be that invested in superhero movies. It’s about it not being cool to intentionally hurt someone just because you can. And the reason i don’t have a lot of tolerance for it is because I feel like saying “caring about spoilers is stupid” is a kneejerk, surface level attempt at media criticism and we can do better. I obviously care pretty deeply about the way we consume and criticize pop culture and i think it’s in everyone’s benefit to have more productive discourse about this stuff. No ill will towards my friends who are saying the things that i’m ragging on, i obviously don’t think it’s coming from a malicious place or anything-- this is just my read on the situation. Was gonna post this like two days ago but then decided someone would prob message me a spoiler because of it lol