#during which if it wasn't for the speak now announcement that just so happened to also be this weekend

[linda-rose]

I say this during many moments that taylor decides to do things like announce or release an album or song or collab or play a weekend of shows or surprise attend a random award show in a killer outfit or whatever but it really is always at the absolute perfect time for me personally. She puts into the world whatever I need exactly when I need it most--something relatable, comforting, scary relevemt, healing, silly, or simply the only successful distraction from reality etc--and I will never stop being grateful for that.

I don't always realize it right away although sometimes I'm definitely like thank fucking god she's doing something in this moment or has this exact song to distract me or motivate me to get me out of bed or help heal me or whatever but I don't know something something we're so lucky to have her and her music always in our corner <3

[barcaatthemoon]

can't get you out of my head || leah williamson x reader ||

leah has a crush on you, the new signing for arsenal.

leah felt like she was losing her mind. every single time that she turned around, you were there. at work, that wasn't much of a surprise. leah knew your work ethic, and that you'd spend extra time in the training facility after everyone else had left. what had come as a surprise, however, was the fact you had gotten an apartment in her building complex.

that wasn't your fault, leah had overheard you talking to kim about the apartment they set you up in. you had been married when talks of moving to arsenal started, so they got you a bigger place. by the time that the contracts were signed and finished, you had begun your divorce proceedings. you had been absolutely devastated that your wife didn't want to come with you to england, but you didn't let it stop you.

unfortunately for leah, once she had heard about your split, her brain decided it could go all in with her crush on you. she had known you for years, the two of you having played in the same age groups for england since both of your first call ups. she could still remember the way she had felt almost heartbroken whenever you announced your engagement to one of the french players you had met during your first season at lyon with lucy.

"morning skip," you greeted leah in the elevator. your apartment was a floor or two above hers, so you were always one of the first people leah saw in the mornings. she didn't mind that, although she would have preferred it if you were waking up in her bed.

"morning (y/n)," leah mumbled, not completely awake yet. the two of you had been called in for a media video, some game that they wanted the two of you specifically to play. you understood why, both of your careers had similar trajectories, just in different countries. you were an english player, but you had become a staple of french club football before you made the jump back to your home country.

the two of you fell into a comfortable silence, which leah was grateful for. she wasn't sure whether or not she could keep her thoughts in order around you this early. it wasn't fair how put together you seemed at all times. leah felt like she was struggling to look and act like a person, and here you were, doing it all so effortlessly.

there were a few more players there for the video, which would showcase the various ways you did a few different drills and training games. you and leah were immediately put on a team together. on the pitch, leah was able to think a bit clearer, and the two of you flew through your games. a few of them were close, but you still managed to keep the lead.

"alright, a few words with our winners," katie said, absolutely loving her role as host. "couldn't have come back a few years ago with those skills, eh?"

"hey, i came when my country called," you joked. "everything happens in its own time."

"it's too early for wisdom. is she always like this leah?" katie asked. leah nodded, a small smile on her face.

"oh yeah, sometimes i think she and bronzey used to just speak to hear themselves," leah teased. you pushed her a bit, but was there to catch her when she nearly just toppled over. katie asked a few more questions, and leah found herself rambling a little whenever she got to talk about you.

"careful, you keep talking about me like that and i might just fall for you," you joked. leah, however, didn't take it as such. she just sort of stopped walking, and it wasn't until you turned around that leah started moving again. "you okay?"

"yeah, i'm fine," leah said clearly. her next words were mumbled barely above a whisper, but you caught them anyways, "fuck, i am so attracted to you right now."

…

leah had to get away from you. you were driving her absolutely up the wall. it wasn't like you were even doing any of it on purpose, and the worst part was that leah knew that. she knew that it was all in her head. leah was just down bad for you with no signs of getting over it.

you had made a few changes to your look since arriving and getting comfortable at arsenal. the training program had added a few pounds of muscle to your physique, and leah would have been a liar if she didn't wonder sometimes how it would have felt to be tossed around by you. on top of that, you had gone out with some of the girls for a holiday and come back with a couple of piercings. the icing on the cake however, was the tattoo.

leah had seen it purely on accident. she was making her way onto the dance floor to let you know some of them were heading home. your back was turned to her, but leah knew that it was sitll you. she couldn't tell you what the song playing was, but she'd never forget the bed of flowers that was so intricately drawn along the small of your back. there was something trailing up, but leah didn't have time to catch all of it before you turned around.

"hey, everything okay?" you asked as you stumbled off of the dance floor.

"y-yeah," leah stammered. it wasn't like her to do that, so you led her over towards a table to sit. "some of the girls are leaving, just wanted you to know so you didn't panic later. you can go back to dancing if you want, i'm good for another pitcher or two."

"like hell you are, not here. come on, we can keep drinking at my place. i want you somewhat sober for the stairs," you told her. leah thought it was funny how protective and stern you got with her. she'd do absolutely anything for you, even without that tone of voice. leah shook her head as her thoughts started to run rampant. it was always like that whenever she started thinking about you.

"alright then, off we go," leah said as she shot up from the chair. the bar wasn't too far from your apartment complex, but the walk still took it out of you. you had spent all night walking and dancing around in your heels, and all you wanted was to take them off. you thought you were being subtle with your grimaces, but when leah picked you up, you realized that you weren't.

"ah! what are you doing?" you couldn't help the undignified squeal that had left your lips. leah just laughed at it as she tried to reposition you in her arms.

"carrying you. i can set you down and you can ride on my back if you want. should have called a cab, didn't think about your shoes," leah mumbled. you let her set you down before hopping onto her back. it was nice to rest your head against leah's shoulder as she carried you the last two blocks back home. you had almost fallen asleep when leah dropped you in the elevator.

"aren't you gonna come up? i thought you were good for another couple pints," you teased. leah's finger hovered over her apartment floor before moving up to yours. you smiled as you leaned in and wrapped an arm around leah's shoulders. outside of the club, it was obvious that you were far more drunk than leah originally thought.

"i am, but no more for you missy. you're going straight to bed," leah told you. she was using her captain voice. normally, you would have reacted like you did in practice, but instead, leah could see the way it darkened your eyes a bit. she quickly tries to turn away, but your arm around her shoulders keeps her from getting too far.

you manage to get yourself dressed by yourself, and even bring leah out some comfortable clothes to wear as well. it feels like you're waiting forever to watch her walk out in a pair of your sweatpants and a tank top. all of it is a bit baggy on her, but the sight of her in your clothes makes your heart skip a beat.

"why are you looking at me like that?" leah asked as she leaned down in front of you. it's definitely the alcohol that pushes you to do it. you never would have just leaned up and kissed her otherwise, despite the fact that you had been thinking about it since you were at your first england camp with leah. "(y/n)…"

"is it someone else?" you asked, immediately feeling rejected. you want to crawl away and cry, but you know that it's nothing a few more shots won't fix.

"no, not at all. i want this too, i mean it's pathetic sometimes. i can't think straight around you. tonight isn't the right time, not when you're drunk. if you still want me in the morning, let me know. i'll be right here on your couch," leah promised. you smiled at the sweetness of her words. you made some room for her to sit with you, knowing that you wouldn't make it back to your bed. you wanted a good cuddle, and if leah was staying on your couch, you'd stay with her.

leah didn't move a muscle as you passed out barely ten minutes later. she finished her beer and pulled a blanket over the both of you. it wasn't comfortable by any means, but leah couldn't remember when she had slept so soundly before. a part of her was nervous about you waking up and kicking her out, but that was immediately quelled when you woke up with the sun that morning only to pull leah into your bedroom with you just so you could continue to hold her tight.

[dcxdpdabbles]

I’ve been rereading you Royal Consort au and haven’t stopped thinking about it. I just know social media during that entire au was fucking insane

Dash Baxter opened his phone one school morning in his senior year after oversleeping for an hour—he may have worked out a little too hard, or he really did have a cold, like his mother claims—and was overwhelmed with messages from his friends.

They all say the same thing.

Have you seen this!?

Is it true?!

I can't believe this is happening!

Will we go to jail? I can't go to jail!

He scrolls through them with heavy confusion until, eventually, he clicks on the link Kwan sent him since the mention of jail seemed like a higher level of importance than whatever new gossip was going about.

Someone was likely pregnant. That was always what Pauline gossip the most about.

His best friend tended to catastrophize, so he figured it was better to help him calm down first.

The link takes him to a news clip showing a crowd of people surrounding a very familiar house. It wasn't the first time the Fentons had been on the news, but they were usually covered by local stations, and it was generally due to the damage the inventors had caused.

Dash knew they were only talked about when things were slow and a fluff story needed to be thrown in. Oh, back in freshman year, when ghosts first appeared, the Fentons were much more important, but now ghosts are a part of everyday life, and sometimes Dash forgot other cities didn't have the same issue.

Nothing the Fentons did was noteworthy, especially to have the Lois Lane covering their story. Yet, here in the palm of his hands, on the morning of a regular school day, he watched as Lois Lane did just that.

"Reporting live from Amity Park outside the residence of the Royal Consort to the Infinite Realms, I'm Lois Lane. Only a few minutes ago, the Justice League members- Batman, Wonder Woman, and Superman- had entered the building hoping to speak to the Consort on a diplomatic mission. The tension between humans and the Realms has been at an all-time high since the Anti-Ecto Acts were passed. Although they were overturned in the last United Nations session, there has still been no comment from King Phantom and no guarantee that a war is not on the horizon." The woman says, holding her mic close to her face while the cameraman pans over the crowd of people outside of Fenton Works.

Dash feels like someone dumped iced water on him and then slapped him with a rubber fish. He is scared, confused, and a little offended. Still, the video continues as Ms. Lane explains the Realms, the political backlash the USA put the rest of the world in, and a brief overview of the humans' chances of winning if a war did break out (not high).

She then admits that their team had gotten a tip, claiming that the Consort has been married to King Phantom for the last three years, and despite not publicly announcing his title, he had all the power of his status.

He.

There were only two "he"s in the Fenton household and Dash knew for a fact Mr. Fenton would never cheat on his wife. Which left only one.

Oh gods.

As Ms.Lane speaks, the door to the house opens behind her, and the three high heroes of Earth outstep.

Along with Danny Fenton, who is squished between Wonder Woman and Superman with a flabbergasted expression, the crowd goes wild as Ms. Lane loudly shouts, "The Royal Consort, Daniel Fenton, husband to King Phantom, is being escorted by some of the most important members of the Justice League to a secondary location for peace negotiations. There is hope for humanity yet."

The clip ends with a close-up of Fenton's wide-eyed stare, which shows him looking terrified—the same expression he used whenever Dash cornered him to vent some of his frustrations.

Dash is left sitting in utter silence and rapidly growing horror. He had been mocking a royal, physically harming a royal, and, worst of all, he had been attacking Danny Phantom's husband, the same being who had been his personal hero for the last three years.

"I'm going to jail." He whispers "I'm so going to jail. Or I'm going to be executed. That happens to people who almost start wars right? Oh, gods."

The rest of the A-listers are panicking all over the city but not nearly as Dash Baxter, who was wondering how much time Fenton would give him for a head start.

It didn't help that Wes messaged Everyone on the basketball team with a gif of a dancing cat wearing sunglasses and the words "I TOLD YOU" in bright, bold colors.

He had repeatedly told them to leave Fenton alone. If they didn't, Phantom would retaliate, but no one had taken his word for it since the boy had originally claimed Phantom and Fenton were the same person.

Dash put his phone down and stared at the wall of his room. He liked that wall. It was covered in posters, pictures of his friends, memories of his best games, and now, with the floating shelves, his teddy bear collections.

He would likely never see it again.

"Oh gods"

[lightofraye]

Debunking Nonsense Against Jared

There's apparently some crap about Jared that is just absolute nonsense. Full of lies and bullshit.

It'd be one thing if people just didn't like him. It happens. Not everyone is likeable. You're not expected to like him. But don't pull up lies to explain why you don't like him. Especially when they've been debunked again and again and again.

1. The "racist" tattoo. Y'all, this is nonsense. It's been debunked over and over and over. It's not a racist tattoo. For one, it's lacking the logo of "Come and take it", which would make it a racist tattoo. But a lone star above a cannon does not a racist tattoo make.

Jared is a proud Texan. He also donates to many a charity and organization that help people, speaking out about them often. Not to mention, prior to pro-gun rights appropriating the symbol and logo, it stood for a proud history in Texas. Jared would've known.

So how about instead of focusing on a mere tattoo, come up with more proof that Jared is a racist? Hmm?

Besides, if you're mad at Jared's tattoo, are you then mad at Jensen's t-shirt, which did show the saying as well?

2. Fighting with fans online. Oh come on. Misha's done it. (Misha's done worse, in fact.) Danneel's done it. Jared doing it does not a bad person make. And I don't think he's done it in a long time.

And of course, people will go "Danneel was hitting back!" And? What's the difference? Jared was hitting back too. Danneel went a step farther most of the time, siccing her followers on them, threatening them with Clif, even ran crying to Clif because people were being "mean".

3. RE: Prequelgate. Give me a fucking break! Jared was right to be upset! He called and texted Jensen for hours before he gave up and responded to that tweet about The Winchesters announcement. Jensen also lied about not being allowed cellphones on The Boys set. When they weren't filming, they were allowed. (Of course they can't have their cellphones on their person during filming, unless it suited the scene!) Besides all that, Jared honestly didn't know about it! Kripke was even shocked when he learned Jared didn't know! Supernatural and its legacy is as much Jared's as it was Jensen's! The whole freakin' industry gave Jensen a massive side-eye for his unprofessional behavior. Kevin Smith, a man who has directed, written, and acted in the industry, thought it was uncool. Also, Jared wasn't drunk.

4. Supposed bully accusations. I'd need to see more of this to believe it, but outside of occasionally putting Misha in his bullshit place, I've never heard of Jared bullying anyone. Everyone he's worked with has sung his praises. The only one who hasn't is Misha and that's because Jared won't let Misha put him down. And in fact, has had to step in to stop Misha from torturing Jensen. So fuck off with your noise.

5. His fanbase. Is he now responsible for his fanbase? I never knew that. What about Misha's fanbase sending Jensen death threats for denouncing Destiel? Has Misha ever stopped that? What about AAs hoping for Jared to suicide after Walker was cancelled?

6. What about Genevieve? Oh come on! Do I like that Gen is featuring the kids a lot? Myself, no. But if Jared was truly bothered by it, I'm sure he would've spoken to Genevieve. And Gen isn't any different than many other mommy influencers. I'm not keen on exploiting the kids like that, but would you say the same about Danneel abruptly grabbing the kids at Wales Comic Con and dragging them out for a photo op? All because she had no one in line for her autographs and desperate for attention?

7. Jared's Hair. Apparently there are some claiming Jared had gotten hair plugs. My response to that is: So what? Misha's had plastic surgery (trust me, it's obvious--his eyes and clearly lip fillers). Danneel's had worse--her hair is fried, bad extensions, plastic surgery galore that has ruined her hair line because of facelifts, fillers, Botox, and breast implants (twice!). Jensen's likely had a bit of work too.

So. Fucking. What. About Jared's hair?

--

Come up with truthful reasons to hate Jared, hmm? Not bullshit.

[reysdriver]

Wife | S.B.

(part 1 to this fic) You and Sirius had been married in a wedding arranged by your pureblood parents, and he's the only one you think to go to after running away — sirius x fem!pureblood!reader hurt/comfort

warnings: abusive families (for both reader and Sirius), forced marriage, abuse, mentions of injury, angst

words: 2k

A frown sat still across your face while your mother tightly strung up the thin braids in your hair with bobby pins. You held back winces every time the metal poked into your already-pained scalp.

She fixed the last braid into the hairdo, then stood in front of you, judging coldly.

"Am I presentable, Mother?" You asked, snark laced in every word.

Normally, you would never dare speak to a relative like this, but today was your wedding day. Your bags were already packed for school in a week, so you wouldn't face her for a while. And, in two years, you were to graduate from Hogwarts and move in with the Blacks, so you really had nothing to lose when it came to your awful pureblood family.

"This attitude is exactly why your marriage prospects were so slim." She tells you. 

They were slim, and your family had warned you several times while arranging the marriage that you would have to be with him forever. They said a divorce would be twice as shameful for your family name since you wouldn't be able to find a new husband. There was a limited dating pool for sacred twenty eight Gryffindor teens who were openly opposed to their family values. 

You tried not to feel upset at the memory of all those times your family had called you a disgrace, claiming that's why you and Sirius Black were perfect for eachother. 

"Well, there's nothing else we can do before the wedding, we should be on our way to the ceremony as soon as possible." Your mother announced curtly. 

You stood up, your giant wedding dress feeling heavier than ever. You placed the veil over your face, the thin material clouding your vision slightly. 

There was no turning back now. There was never any turning back since you had little say in the whole matter, but now there was really no escape. 

Your mother surveyed your look one more time, lacking any visible emotion that should be present on one's daughter's wedding day.

"Don't slouch or speak without being spoken to. Don't embarrass our family name." She ordered.

Although you were young and had no intentions of really being married, you were counting down the days until you would be away from your family.

You said nothing in return as you started to walk towards the door. Your father was standing just outside, ready to walk you down the aisle.

He didn't say anything to you that wasn't already said by your mother, which made you want to roll your eyes harder than anything that day.

Once you started walking down the carpeted aisle, you felt as if all sound flushed from the room. It wasn't that the sounds had really stopped, it was just that you were so nervous, you couldn't process any noise.

Sirius looked handsome, to say the least. You felt slightly guilty for focusing on his looks, but you two were getting married. You were in the same classes at school and you had caught yourself gazing at him in the common room a few times, but never thought about marrying him before your parents set it up.

Your father let go of your arm, and you stepped up to the altar, parallel to Sirius. You looked into his captivating eyes and accepted your fate.

✦✧✦✧✦

Even though you were married, you barely spoke to Sirius. A few words during classes or in the common room, but that was it. You both thought it was best to push each other away and pretend everything was normal for as long as you could. A kiss at the wedding and a long conversation when you were together in his room after the wedding was all that had happened, and it was how you wanted to keep things for the time being. 

Sirius was nowhere near the husband your parents had always wanted for you, but you were at a loss. You tried one last time to think of solutions as you stood on the Potters' porch. You knocked on the door and waited for someone to answer. 

An older woman came to the door; you knew it was James' mother since you had seen her on Platform 9 ¾ several times before. She looked shocked at your appearance, and you couldn't blame her. Your eyes red and exhausted, multiple cuts on your face, and blotchy skin caused by a mix of snow and crying. 

"Is Sirius here?" You asked with a sob before she could say anything. 

"Oh dear, come inside, love. Quickly, you look like you've just been dragged here from across the country." The woman placed a hand on your shoulder, ushering you inside her house. 

You let out another sob and more tears started falling down your face the moment she closed the door and you felt the house's heat. "I'm sorry." You mumbled. 

"Don't be sorry, darling. Just come with me so I can make you a nice cup of hot tea." 

While she walked you to the kitchen, she had introduced herself formally. She also recognised you, knowing your name and likely more about your family. It was rare for a person of pureblood status to not recognise you, so you weren't fazed by it. 

You were sitting at her kitchen table, and she handed you a steaming teacup. You took a sip, ignoring how painfully hot it was against your tongue and your throat. 

"Thank you." You sniffled, taking another scalding sip. "I don't mean to burden you, I just need to see Sirius. Please tell me he's here."

"He is, yes. May I ask why you need to see him?" She asked, standing up and walking towards a set of stairs. 

You looked down shamefully, almost embarrassed to admit it. 

"I'm his wife."

Euphemia's eyes widened, and although she had been nothing but sweet to you, you were afraid she was judging. You hoped she would understand as a fellow pureblood, but you knew that your families were vastly different and she likely chose her husband for love. 

She opened her mouth, and you half-expected her to string insults at you and your family. Instead, she looked to the top of the stairs and called for Sirius. "There's a girl here who's asking for you." 

You heard a laugh from James and Sirius, followed by two sets of footsteps coming down the stairs. When they reached Euphemia, she directed Sirius to you, telling him 'your wife is in the kitchen'. 

Sirius walked into the room, and he looked heartbroken to see you. It took just barely a glance for him to understand what was happening. You were going through the same thing he was just a year ago. 

Your head dropped, once again feeling a needless feeling of shame overtake you. 

"I'm sorry." You mumbled as he walked towards you. You weren't quite expecting him to embrace you in a tight hug, but he did, and you weren't going to push him away. "I'm sorry, Sirius. I just had to get away from them. I didn't know where else to go." 

He placed a gentle kiss on your hairline as he rubbed your back. "Don't be sorry, love. I understand. You made the right decision to come here."

He unwrapped his arms from around your torso and looked at your shaking figure. You could see he pitied you, and that felt awful. You had been raised to never let anyone take pity on you. 

Euphemia stood at the other side of the room with a raised eyebrow. "Sirius Black, why didn't you say anything about being married?"

He turned to her, about to explain when you rushed to his defence. "It's not his fault, Mrs. Potter. We both just wanted to pretend it never happened for as long as possible. That was a decision we both made right away."

"We don't wear the rings at school, and we barely even talk to each other." He added. 

"Well, that's a problem." Euphemia told him. "If you had shown you cared about this poor girl, maybe she could have escaped her family before it escalated to this! You could have taken her with you when you first came here."

Neither you or Sirius were going to argue with the woman. She walked towards you with concern in her eyes, then stopped to examine you just as Sirius had done a few seconds previous. 

"We need to get you cleaned up, healed in any way we can, and into some warm clothes. You can stay for as long as you'd like."

You didn't want the family to go through any trouble for you. "No, I don't want to be a burden."

"Stop that, darling. You should stay here, we'll be more than happy to give you anything you need. And what you need first is to get healed, come with me. I can fix you up just fine."

You stood up, ready to go wherever she wanted to take you, but Sirius placed a gentle hand on your wrist that made you shift your attention to him. 

"I can take care of her, Effie." He told her. 

"Don't be ridiculous, Sirius. As much as you want to help, this is important and needs to be taken care of by someone with experience."

"I do have experience. I was in her place just a year ago. I know exactly what she's going through." 

His hand kept its place on your wrist, but he loosened his grip. His eyes were soft and gentle. Both you and Euphemia could tell her really did want to help. He was almost pleading silently, and who were you to decline your husband of that?

Before you could accept his offer, Euphemia spoke up for you, not willing to argue any more as long as it helped you. 

"Alright. I'll get James to make up a guest room for you, dear."

She walked ahead, instructing James to prepare a place for you to sleep while you and Sirius stayed back on the main floor. 

Breaking the tense silence between you, Sirius apologised. "I'm sorry, she's right, I knew what your family was like and I left you there. I should have cared for you." 

"Don't be sorry. You didn't need to do anything, I wasn't your responsibility."

"You're my wife." He said, soft desperation soaking that last word. "And I'm your husband."

"Sirius, we're strangers, classmates at best. We don't even speak at school, let alone invite each other to run away to safety together. Our laundry may have been mixed up before, but other than accidentally sharing ties, we're not close at all."

"I wish we could be. I always have." 

You were shocked by the confession. For practically being strangers, that was quite an admittance of feelings. You could already feel the tears coming back to your eyes and you didn't quite know why they were so insistent on falling now. 

He continued on. "I was too proud to admit it before. All because you were like me and our families chose us for each other. I've always watched you read in the common room and tried to muster up whatever I needed to ask you to be partners in class, but I was just so focused on going against my family to get close to you. I'm sorry." 

"Again, you don't need to be sorry." You said. You weren't sure that was true, but you had thought the exact same thing about him a few times throughout the years, so you couldn't blame him at all. "I just want to go upstairs, and we can talk more later."

"Okay, let's get you fixed up, then."

He gave you another sweet kiss on the forehead, then he wrapped his arm around you while you walked upstairs together. 

[summercreolefanfictioner]

the scent wafts in, her name making him beg on his knees chap 1.1

pairing: dabi / todoroki touya x fem!oc / reader (MODERN AU)

summary: He mentions her name after 6 months in therapy, absentmindedly narrating vivid memories of her. She was the only good thing during his darkest times.

(In which Touya returns home after rebelling against his family for 7 years. And no, it wasn't about forgiveness. He wanted to fix himself because of a certain someone.)

themes: nsfw, domestic abuse, violence, alcoholism, cigarette smoking, toxic relationships, mental health, co-dependency and other related themes (YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED)

notes: for this one, pls keep in mind that touya didn't have much scars on his face; mostly are on his body to accomodate the plot; charas might be ooc since this is modern au

Todoroki Touya has returned; it wasn't a drill.

The eldest of the Todoroki family has returned, and it was all over the news like wildfire. Pictures of him were around tabloids and newspapers, imprinted on TV screens along with family pictures of his 13-year-old self as news anchors and writers all over Japan broadcasted about the Endeavor Corp. finally having its original heir back to where he belonged. Two years ago, Todoroki Shouto announced he wouldn't be the one to replace his father, Todoroki Enji as the owner and CEO of their family business. However, Shouto focused on one part of the Endeavor Corp., particularly their sports and training business, as he wanted to become a personal trainer someday.

Touya was aware of what was happening on the business side of his family despite his rebellion seven years ago. After all, he saw them all over the news, watched his father on TV, and observed how everything was faring for them. So when he returned to the main house, he was a bit surprised at a few details he had missed. For one, his mother, Todoroki Rei, had already been discharged from the mental ward, faring well and welcoming him back with a big, warm hug and fat tears rolling down her cheeks. It also seemed that things were a lot better between his parents, but some of them still held reluctance to forgive their father.

Particularly him and Natsuo.

Enji was aware of their hatred towards him, hence he would talk to them politically, as Enji the CEO of the Endeavor Corp., not as their own father. Toya believed it was only fair. He would've resorted to violence if that wasn't the case. Speaking of which, that was another reason, he returned.

"I have to settle things between this family and me once and for all," he informed them on the first day of his return. "I need to talk to Father."

He knew what Enji would say to him. His father will apologize and be remorseful over what happened. He will also mention about him being his successor in the future, even though he was having none of it.

"I don't need that title anymore," Touya coldly argued, resisting the urge to punch him in the face as he knew he wouldn't defend himself after everything he had done to them since they were kids. "Not from you, specifically."

Enji understood. Touya meant, "I will have that title by my own hands, not because you passed it to me cheap because Shouto didn't want it anymore." Afterwards, his father explained everything he was required to do before his first day in the company. He also mentioned something along the lines of, "You need to undergo rehab and therapy for a while. I knew what you have been up to these past seven years with your cigarette addiction and alcoholism."

Before, Touya would violently react, would be against his decision and say, "You're just scared because I might surpass you." Now, he just nodded at his direction much to Enji's surprise.

"Why are you so shocked? You think I will half-ass my return to this family?" Toya questioned, slightly mocking him.

"I know you wouldn't," Enji commented.

And before Toya left his office, he added: "Just so you know, I am not doing this for the family."

Enji raised a questioning brow.

"I'm doing this because of a certain someone."

------

The first few months of Touya's rehab and therapy were tough as shit, gnawing at him like sharps and digging his soul like he was trapped in darkness. He felt overwhelmed by everything, talking about his feelings all day, breaking out of his shell, and slightly wanting to just break things and be alone. Touya craved darkness at some point, the urge to be violent creeping on his shoulder like the devil even though a rational part of him warned him that it would not be the best choice. He wanted to destroy himself at this point, missing the familiar pain his piercings left on his ears and nose. He was breathing hard to calm himself, persuading his brain to shut its damn trap.

It's getting annoying, fucking shit. Everything's been chaotic.

The first few days were blank, spending it staring at mindless paintings and counting how many times the water from the faucet dropped in the sink. It was eerie yet relaxing, the silence enveloping him like a plague until it bit back to tell him how much madness he needed to unleash but couldn't. He secretly had his mp3 player in his pocket, and he would watch the door and the shadow underneath, checking if someone would come in. To this day, he still couldn't take it out.

He missed that damn voice, but he needed to be patient. He shouldn't miss her. He shouldn't think about her. This is nothing, he convinced himself. This is nothing compared to all the abuse I've endured before. The angry stare. The hateful remarks. The violent beatings. The disapproval underlying Enji's tone. His rough hand smacking him in the face. The burning scars left on his skin from the heating iron. The pitiful stares. The blood he spat from his mouth.

Everything.

EVERYTHING.

I WANNA DIE.

Out of panic, he quickly reached for the mp3 player from his pocket, a secret he kept from the treatment center. He wasn't supposed to have any gadgets with him, but he knew he had to. He couldn't drink alcohol. He couldn't smoke a stick to curb this annoying feeling. He cannot destroy shit. But he had to hear that soothing voice. He had to endure.

He put in the earbuds and played the audio, his breathing coming down in sighs as he felt himself relaxing.

"Touya..."

"Yes, call me that," he said to no one, tears streaming down as he smiled in satisfaction.

"Touya..."

"Touya..."

"Are you awake?"

"I made you breakfast."

"Touya..."

"Do you want me to take an off day from work?"

"Yes," he answered, hugging the pillow beside him and imagining it was her. "Just stay. Stay with me."

"Touya..."

"I love you..."

"Touya..."

I love you too.

------

Touya has learned something, and that therapy was another form of circle from hell, or that was just him. He heard people preach about therapy all the time, that undergoing therapy healed them, made them see the light at the end of the tunnel, and had them humbled in a way they could never explain. Touya wished it was the same for him, but nah. It wasn't. Therapy was another circle from hell. It made him too vulnerable, too open he could feel the burnt scars on his skin itching too much the more the therapist asked him about himself.

He also thought his therapist couldn't care less about his minimal responses, the first few days boring him as the man asked about his name, how old he was, what he did for a living after he ran away, what helped him cope—you know, the basic questions every therapist could ask for.

"Todoroki Touya. 26. I did odd jobs. Alcohol. Cigarettes. Fighting."

The therapist looked displeased, he noted. He probably wanted more answers than that.

"Have you been in therapy before?"

"No."

"What do you expect from this session?"

"I don't know."

"Why are you seeking therapy?"

If he was being honest, Touya's answer would be: "I don't know? Just to get this shit done, I guess?" Not like he would be rude now. After all, he returned as Todoroki Touya after seven years of rebelling. He should keep his damn trap if he wanted them all back.

Even her.

"Do you want to become a better person?"

"Yes."

next chap

masterlist

[callsign-dexter]

Safe and Sound

Request: Helloo dear 🥰 hope I can send you an idea as Im having such a shitty day :( so you're Mavericks adopted daughter and also a pilot but he always wants you safe and without danger. But he cannot protect you from falling in love with Rooster and he can't protect you when you get hurt during a mission. Both men stay by your side and Mavs heart blooms when he sees how careful and lovable rooster treats you, so he just knows he is the right for you. Just some angsty fluffy love if that's okay with you 🩷

Pairings: Maverick x Daughter!Reader, Bradley Bradshaw x Pilot!Reader

Callsign: Fearless

Warnings: angst, fluff, swearing, inaccurate military talk, plane crash

Masterlist

Y/N POV

"It's been an honor flying with you. Each one of you represents the best of the best. This is a very specific mission. My choice is a reflection of that and nothing more." My dad said while looking around the room and every now and then pausing to look over at me. I very quickly looked over at Bradley and he saw him looking at me, we nodded to each other and looked back to my dad. Despite everything that has happened from dad pulling his papers to Rooster not talking to him, we never stopped talking to each other. It drove my dad insane and he tried to keep us away but we loved each other and we fooled around here and there but never officially got together. I was so lost in thought that I almost jumped when Cyclone started to speak.

"Choose your two Foxtrot teams." Cyclone said in a loud demanding voice. Dad looked around and nodded and looked at Payback and Fanboy. My heart was speeding up each time he looked around the room.

"Payback and Fanboy." He said and Payback sighed and lowered his head and while closing his eyes and nodded. "Phoenix and Bob." He added Bob slowly looked at Phoenix and she looked back at him. I was happy they were going but also scared.

"And your wingman." Cyclone stated. I continued to stare straight ahead hoping and not hoping Rooster would be chosen. I looked over to Rooster and he had his head down and then I looked over to Hangman and his jaw ticked hoping he would be chosen.

"Rooster." Dad said and I watched Cyclone look over to Rooster and watched his head slowly come up.

"Since this is a dangerous mission I want you to pick a 5th Dagger for safety." Cyclone said. That threw us all off. Dad nodded.

"Fearless." Dad said and my heart stopped and made me jerk my head to the front. That can't be right. Why would he pick me?

"The rest of you will stand by on the carrier for any reserve role that's required. Dismissed." Cyclone said but I was so in shock that I almost missed what he had said.

I needed air once I practically rushed out of the room and into the salty sea air and walked to my jet. I wasn't hearing anything and just lost in my head. Before we left they brought us back and explained what we needed to do and how to execute the mission.

"This is what you've all been training for. Come home safely." Cyclone said we were dismissed again and I was walking to my jet not thinking of anything but the mission and why dad chose me when all he wanted to do was keep me safe. My jet was on the other side of Bradley's they couldn't see me and I could hear them talking.

"Sir." Rooster said the first time and didn't get dad's attention so he tried again "Sir?" which got my dad's attention. He turned and looked at him "I-" he started "I just wanted to say-" but was cut off by the announcement saying we were almost ready to go and people started to run around.

"We'll talk when we get back." Dad said and turned around to get into his jet. Rooster turned around to do the same when he spotted me and was started to quickly walk over to me when dad called out.

"Hey Bradley! Bradley!" He shouted and Bradley stopped "Hey you got this!" He finished. Bradley nodded and walked over to me.

"You be safe and remember I love you." Rooster said and kissed me which I returned.

"You be safe too and I love you too." I replied. What we didn't know was dad caught the whole thing and even though he didn't want us together and he voiced this several times. We parted and got into our jets I looked over at dad as the canopy slowly closed.

"Dagger One up and ready on catapult one." Dad said

"Dagger Spare standing by." Hangman said.

"Dagger Four up and ready." Payback said.

"Dagger Three up and readey." Phoenix announced.

"Dagger Two up and ready." Rooster said and I knew it was my turn.

"Dagger Five up and ready." I said feeling the nerves slowly starting to come a light but I couldn't show it.

In control room

"Support assets airborne. Strike package ready. Standing by for launch decision." The control center announced. Warlock looked over to Cyclone.

"Send them." Cyclone said.

Back to the Daggers

The next thing I knew everyone was catapulting off into the air one by one. We were flying when I heard my dad start speaking.

"Comanche Dagger One. Standby check in." I heard dad say.

"Comanche 11 set. Picture clean. Recommended Dagger continue." They said

"Copy. Daggers descending below radar." Dad said and we all looked at each other except Rooster, I could hear his breathing and was worried but knew he had this. "Here we go. Enemy territory up ahead. Feet dry. 60 seconds Comanche Dagger One. Picture." Dad continues.

"Comanche. Picture clean. Decision is yours." Comanche said.

"Copy." Dad said and looked over to Rooster than me. "Dagger attack." He replied. I looked up and saw the tomahawks fly past us and into the enemy airbase. There was no turning back now. "Daggers assume attack formation." Dad said and we all fell into line. Phoenix and Bob are behind dad, Rooster behind them, Payback and Fanboy are behind Rooster, and I behind them. "Dagger set. Proceeding to target. Two minutes and 30 seconds in three two one mark." He said.

"Two mark." Rooster said

"Three mark." Phoenix said

"Four mark." Payback said

"Five mark." I said

We started to go into the canyon. The twists and turns were hard and took my breath sometimes but this is what we trained for. Everything was running smoothly.

"First SAM site overhead." Dad said

"Looks like we're clear on radar Mav." Phoenix tells him.

"Let's not take it for granted." He replied.

We continued when suddenly Fanboy comes through.

"More SAMs! Three o'clock high!" And then Bob comes in.

"We got two minutes to target." Then Fanboy comes in.

"Copy. We're a few minutes behind Rooster, we've got to move." He was starting to concern me.

"Come on Rooster. You got this." I said over the coms so he could only hear me.

"Daggers, Comanche. We're picking up two bandits. Single group two contacts." Comanche said.

"Comanche what's their heading?" Phoenix asked.

"Bullseye 090 50 tacked southwest." Comanche said and Rooster after a long silence answered.

"They're headed away from us. They don't know we're here." He said.

"The second those Tomahawks hit the air base those bandits are gonna move to defend the target. We have to get there before they do. Increase speed." Dad answered. He increased his speed and so did Phoenix and Bob. I was prepared to increase speed but Rooster was still going the same speed which made Payback, Fanboy, and I fall behind.

"We got you Mav. Don't wait for me." Phoenix said.

"Don't wait on me either Mav. I'll be here when things get rough." I also said.

Comanche came on and said "Bandits are switching course to defend the target."

"Rooster where are you?" Dad asked

"Come in Rooster! Bandits are inbound. We got to make up time now. Let's turn and burn." Fanboy said.

"Come on Rooster you got this! Speed up." I pleaded.

"Heads up Phoenix." Dad said over the comms.

"Guys we're falling behind! We really got to move!" Fanboy exclaimed.

"If we don't increase our speed right now those bandits are gonna be waiting for us when we reach the target!" Payback added.

"Rooster listen we really do need to increase our speed. You can do this! We trained for this!" I said hoping to get through to him.

"Talk to me dad." I faintly heard him say.

"Come on kid you can do it. Don't think just do." I heard dad say and then Rooster, Payback, and Fanboy all increased their speed which made me increase mine.

"Jesus Rooster not that fast!" Payback said and I really wanted to tell him to shut up but restrained myself.

"That's it kid that's it. All right let's go." I heard dad say.

"Damn Rooster take it easy!" Fanboy exclaimed and again I wanted to say shut up but again restrained myself.

We were catching up to them. I was so proud of him. I heard dad say he was close to the target and asked Bob for the laser and he confirmed it but I was more focused on not crashing into the rear-end of Payback and Fanboy.

"Watch your heads!" Rooster said through the comms.

"Holy shit!" Fanboy exclaimed

"Payback you with me?" He asked

"Right behind you. Fearless you with us?" He answered and asked I didn't respond right away. "Fearless?" He asked again.

"Right behind you! My comms went out for a minute!" I said. Something wasn't right with my jet and it had been throughly checked over.

I heard dad talk to Phoenix but again I was focused on being on time and not crashing. My jet was starting to make a rattling noise but I ignored it. I heard Bob say they got a direct hit and was so happy about it but had no time to celebrate.

"Dagger two and five status." Dad asked.

"We're almost there Mav!" Rooster answered

"Right behind them!" I quickly answered

"Fanboy where is my laser?" Rooster asked him.

"Rooster there is something wrong with this laser! Shit deadeye, deadly, deadeye!" Fanboy exclaimed.

"Come one guys we're running out of time! Get it online!" Rooster exclaimed.

"I'm trying." He exclaimed.

"Rooster I can get it!" I said but Fanboy quickly answered.

"Nearly there! Nearly there!"

"Come on Fanboy get it online!" Payback said to his WSO.

"There's no time! I'm dropping in blind!" Rooster said.

"Rooster I said I can get it!" I said

"No time Fearless! I'm dropping in blind!" I clenched my teeth but didn't answer.

"Rooster I got this!" Fanboy came back.

"No time! Pull up!" Rooster said.

"Wait!" Fanboy said.

"Bombs away! Bombs away!" Rooster exclaimed. He released his bombs and thankfully they hit and we started to make the climb.

"We're not out of this yet! Here it comes!" Dad exclaimed. SAMs started to deploy. I could hear them talking and giving what positions they were at.

"Rooster, Fearless status." None of us answered.

"Oh my god." Rooster exclaimed and I was thinking the same thing. "Smoke in the air! Smoke in the air!" He exclaimed.

"Break right Payback!" Fanboy exclaimed to his pilot.

"Breaking right!" Payback exclaimed.

I tuned them out and gave them answers whenever I could but my comms were still going out. I was watching them and defending myself and them.

"SAMs at five o'clock, Fearless!" Rooster said

"Deploying countermeasures!" I said and hit the flares. Everything was chaotic and everyone was talking at once. Then my heart dropped when Rooster said he was out of flares and said that he couldn't shake them. I watched in horror when dad put on his breaks and let Rooster fly under him and take a hit.

"Mav! No!" Rooster exclaimed and then I couldn't hear anything my dad just went down. I couldn't hear what Rooster or anyone was saying afterwards. My hearing came to when Bob came through.

"Rooster he's gone." Bob said. No he couldn't be gone! My dad couldn't be gone. I needed to go back to the carrier my jet was not fit to fly anymore. I watched as Rooster disobeyed the orders and fly back for him. I wanted to but couldn't.

I started to fly back when all of a sudden my right engine stopped working. This was definitely not good. I had to let the others know.

"Guys go on without me. My right engine is down. I'll just slow you all down." I said.

"No way are we leaving you." Bob said. I loved that man but they needed to go on.

"No go on I'll meet you all there." I said and they go ahead this time. Next thing I knew I was by myself. I was just trying to get back to the carrier when all of a sudden a bandit popped up on my radar, this was not good.

"Dagger Five. This is Comanche. You have a bandit coming up on your two o'clock." Comanche said though I already knew that.

"Thank you, Comanche. I see them." I told them. The bandit was getting closer to me and was not being friendly I knew this was going into a dogfight. As I got closer it was clear that they wanted to fight. If this is to end how I think it is then I'll have 3 confirmed kills.

The bandit started to close in and start to get behind me. I couldn't let that happen. I jerked my jet to the left and started to evade and that started the dogfight. My jet was groaning with the turns and the twists. Smoke was coming out of my right engine.

"Come on Fearless, you're a Mitchell. You got this." I told myself. I didn't get to think long because the bandit started to shoot and it hit my right engine and I barely missed it but my plane was riddled with bullet holes.

"Control center. Dagger Five. My right engine is on fire and in a dogfight with a bandit." I let them know.

"Copy Dagger Five. We-" The command center replied but my comms went out as the bandit shot more and hit the left side of the jet, the left engine was starting to make noise as I moved to try and evade the bullets.

"Damn it." I said and tried to get my comms back up and trying to evade. Then I remembered that I was still carrying missiles. I pulled my jet up and got behind the bandit and shot the missile but they turned and it flew passed them. "Damn it, Mitchell. Get it together!" I yelled at myself. I continued to follow the bandit even tho my jet was protesting. I tried my comms again. "Command center this is Dagger Five. Do you copy?" I asked but all I got was static. Damn.

Every now and then I would shoot my gun and it would miss them and hit them. I must have them at least once because their jet was smoking. I was quickly running out of bullets. One last chance to take them down. I got behind them again and shot the missile again and it hit them and blew their jet up. There it is my 3rd confirmed kill. I tried the comms again and thankfully they were working again.

"Command center this Dagger Five. I'm coming back to the carrier." I said and then the adrenaline was wearing off and pain was radiating off of my left side and quickly looked down and saw dark red growing my flight suit. "I would also like to add that I'm hit and wounded and will need medical support." I said my voice shaky and growing weaker.

"Copy that Dagger Five. Medical support is waiting." They replied. I sighed thankfully and saw the carrier coming up but I was also growing tired and light-headed. I was able to put my tail hook down and the wheels and slowly guided the jet down. The jerk of the tail hook jeering my plane made me groan and start to blackout it came to a stop and I was able to open the canopy and then everything went black.

Third POV

The canopy opened and in an instant, the medical team was at her side getting her out and onto a stretcher. The entire carrier was silent. They could see her bullet-riddled jet and her engines were still smoking and a crew instantly put the fire out. They pulled her jet off the side where it was normally at.

In the medical wing, they were quickly getting her stabilized and unzipping her flight suit to find the bullet wound and no exit wound. The medical team was quick to hook her up to an IV and start to get the bullet out. Everything outside was blocked out and everyone had a grim look on their face.

Maverick and Rooster crashed landed onto the carrier and opened the canopy to get out everyone circled them and congratulated them but not as perky as they would have thought. What they noticed was weird was that Cyclone was there as well. He walked to them with a look on his face.

"Fearless is in the medical wing. It's not looking good." He told them. That's why everyone looked sad. Maverick and Rooster looked for her jet and when they found it they paled, it was riddled with holes. They both quickly rushed to the medical wing where they were just finishing up.

"She's stable but she'll need to go to the hospital quickly." One of the medical team said. They both nodded. Rooster went to Y/N and held her hand. Maverick looked on and couldn't help but see Goose and Carole in them. Cyclone comes in.

"Medical helicopter is here. You're both welcome to fly with her to the mainland. You both can debrief back at base." Cyclone said and walked away. The medical team comes and starts getting her ready to move.

Maverick's POV

I can't believe my daughter got hurt. I didn't want to pick her for the mission but she excelled in everything. I was proud of her and I knew Ice was too. I could tell she and Rooster loved each other. I didn't want them together because he was unstable and I wanted to protect her from everything but seeing them together was starting to change my opinion.

We walked with her to the medical helicopter. We both go in next to her. They refined us from touching her until on solid ground.

"She'll be out of it for a while until mainland. It'll help with the pain and the jolting around." The medic said. I nodded.

30 minutes later we were landing on the roof of the Navy Hospital and the hospital staff instantly took her out and right into the hospital to the OR. A nurse stayed back with us to take us to her room.

1 hour later they were bringing her into the room and set her up. The doctor explained what happened and what they did.

"She'll be out of it for a few minutes. Call when she wakes up." The nurse said and walked out of the room. Rooster went to her right and held her hand and sat down I stayed back a little but walked over and sat in the chair on the other side. He was so sweet to her, they were destined to be together. I was so lost in my thoughts looking between him and her. What jolted me out of thought was her groaning and moving around.

"Hey, sweetheart. You're ok." Rooster spoke to her. She opened her eyes and looked up at Rooster and smiled and then looked at me.

"I'll go and get the nurse." I told them. I stepped out of the room and went to the nurse's station and got the nurse. We walked back to the room where I stayed outside of the room they looked so happy together. The nurse walked out and smiled at me and I smiled back. I walked back into the room and they looked at me.

"Dad, I know you don't like us being together but I love Bradley and he loves me. I want to spend the rest of my life with him. I just hope you can accept that one day." Y/N said to me.

"It's true Mav. I love your daughter so much. I want to marry her one day and have kids with her. I've hated you for a long time but after what we've been through, I've forgiven you and I hope you allow us to be together." Rooster said and I knew he meant it. They both looked at me.

"Listen guys I didn't like you being together at the start but seeing how sweet, loving, and caring to each other. I have come to the conclusion that I can't stop you from being together. I see so much of Goose and Carole in you that I'm willing to put my differences aside with both of you and be happy with you being together. I just hope you can accept me to being back into your lives. I love you both." I said pouring my heart out to them.

"Of course dad. You're my father. I was never truly mad just disappointed." Y/N said to me.

"Of course Mav. I know you only did it to protect me but I love you anyways." Rooster said and I smiled. Y/N cleared her throat.

"Now you want to tell me what happened to you both?" She asked. Rooster and I looked at each other.

"It's a long story." We both said at the same time. We all laughed.

"We will tell you after you tell us what happened to you miss 3 confirmed kills." Rooster said and she blushed almost embarrassed.

"We got time." She smiled the smile I loved seeing.

So we began telling our stories to each other. Happy we were all safe and sound.

[shwoyo]

hello, i saw your reqs open and i wanted to ask if you could do a seokmin x reader where reader is a shy person who always listens and when they meet seokmin and he listens to their rambling and yeah, thnks in advance! :)

hi anon! thank you for requesting <3 i'm sorry this is kinda rushed + i kinda wasn't able to show readers shy demeanor lol, but i hope you like it!

comfortable with you. — lee seokmin x reader

; fluff, little angst, comfort – warnings: like 1 cuss word – wc: 1,481

note: first req ever, kinda nervous 😅i kindaa rushed it in the end,,, im sorry. BUT ANYWAYS!! i enjoyed writing this! i had so many thoughts on how i wanted to go with this, but stuck with this (kind of) short one. I hope you guys will enjoy this teww! not my best work tho

you love listening to people talking. you've always let people do the talking while you do the listening; its been in your nature since ever. they would talk, and you would hum in agreement or dispute, sometimes speaking your own thoughts. but sometimes, you wish you could just spill your unsaid thoughts to someone. but you can't, for some reason.

–

your junior year has started, new school supplies, new acquaintances, and, of course, a new seatmate. every first day of school always makes you nervous; everything is new, and by that you'd always have to introduce yourself; you hated it.

standing outside your new classroom with your other classmates, the teacher announced that she had already assigned the seating plan. you were kind of grateful, as you quite literally don't know anybody here; you got separated from your friend.

Ms. Shin, your teacher was calling your classmates one by one, then called your name, "next, l/n y/n!" you went up to her. "you'll be sitting next to lee seokmin, he's over there by the window, third row" she stated. you went in the classroom and walked to your seat, which is beside seokmin, your new seatmate. he sat at the aisle part, which left you sitting next to the window, and you were grateful for it.

you sat down and settled your bag behind your chair. honestly, you were pretty nervous because, for the first time, your seatmate was a guy. you were always seated next to girls for some reason.

"hi! i'm lee seokmin. but you can call me seokmin, or any nickname you can think of," he spoke. you quickly turned your head in his direction and just nodded, turning your head to look at the board in front. 'he's so... pretty,' you thought to yourself. it took a second until he spoke again, "what about you? what's your name?" he asked, and you turned to look at him again, quickly realizing that you haven't introduced yourself. "oh, i'm sorry! i'm l/n y/n sorry, did i come off as rude?" you replied, your voice lowering as you spoke. "ah, no, no! it's okay!" he giggled as he responded, waving his hands as a sign that it really is okay. "i'm sorry again," you said, voice low almost like a whisper. "no, i assure you it's fine! everyone gets nervous at the first day of school, even me," he stated. you just nodded, turning your head to look at your table.

your face was red in embarrassment, so much for a first impression with someone who will be next to you your whole junior year. you wished the floor could just eat you whole.

–

months into 11th grade, everyday was a struggle. there were new activities every week, mostly by partners, and you were grateful that in each partner activity, seokmin was your partner. seokmin is the most perfect partner you could ask for; he was always ready and always listened to the instructions of the activity given. you were so grateful for him; you probably wouldn't have survived first term without him.

right now, on a thursday afternoon, you and seokmin were at the library doing the essay activity given by your english teacher, a 15k word essay covering the important events and creations that happened during the renaissance, the deadline being monday. you were trying so hard not to cry as you were stuck on your third paragraph, the whole essay only having 487 words. usually you were quick with this; you love english, you always scored high on the subject. but right now, you were just not motivated enough to write properly.

"Hey, you okay there?" seokmin spoke up, noticing your distraught expression. you only hummed to his question. he was already making it easy for you; he has suggested that we should write 7,500 words each on our part to sum up the 15,000 so it would be easy. you felt bad as you were writing your part so... poorly. "we can take a break if you're stuck," seokmin suggested, "uhm, maybe i'll try to continue mine and you take a break. i wanna at least try and finish this third paragraph," you stated. "hmm, i think no!" he said cheerfully. seokmin closed his laptop, then yours. you looked at him in shock, but he just grabbed your arm, forcing you to stand up, then pulling you towards the door of the library. "s-seokmin! hey! what about our things?" you whisper-shout, "don't worry, we'll be quick!" he replied.

you kinda got used to this; whenever seokmin sensed that you were struggling or stressed, he would always do something to distract you until you were feeling okay. this time, he was pulling you in the hallways of the school, towards the exit, and then walked towards the ice cream stand near the school gate. "hello! can i get one vanilla ice cream and one chocolate ice cream? both no toppings!" seokmin said, the vendor nodded and made his order, "seokmin, i didn't bring my wallet with me." you stated, "its okay! its on me," he replied "no, i'll just pay you when we go back to the library," you said, "nu-uh, this is on me. i won't accept your payment," seokmin responded.

he's always like this. he does something nice for you, but whenever you offer to do something in return, he denies it. this is what you like about him, like as in platonically... yeah, platonically.

–

few more months in junior year, and your feelings towards seokmin kept growing, not platonically. you tried to deny your feelings, but every time you do, he does something that just makes your heart flutter.

and surprisingly enough, you've gotten so comfortable with him that each time you talked, you openly said your thoughts, even you shocked yourself. but, you still weren't comfortable enough to spill your deepest thoughts and rambles, rants you wish you'd said to the person who stressed your thoughts.

still, you were more than happy to be able to finally openly speak your thoughts, even if it weren't your deepest thoughts that hurt you. you were okay with this, you think.

–

but one day during the last 2 weeks of junior year, you were fed up. the world just kept testing and testing you, and you were so tired and just needed to rant, specifically to seokmin.

"and it's just... so fucking tiring! i don't get why they won't do their part. it's almost the end of the school year, and they're acting like this?! i'm just so..." you couldn't finish your sentence as you started to sob. seokmin looked at you with sad eyes, it hurts him to see you like this. 'why couldn't your group mates just do their job properly?' he thought. you sobbed harder as you thought about your uncooperative group mates, then seokmin hugged you.

it was the first time he physically touched you like this; usually he would tap your shoulder, pat your head, or pull your arm when he wants to show something, but hugging you? this was definitely new. but you were too tired to be shocked.

"mhm, i understand y/n." seokmin stated, you sobbed harder than before. for years in your life, you just wanted to hear those words—that someone understood you. you were always the one to listen; you never had the chance to be the one to rant as you grew used to listening. seokmin patted your back, still hugging you. it was so comforting; you wished you could stay there forever.

–

from that day on, you knew that you were super comfortable with seokmin. he's the person you trust your thoughts with the most. not a day goes by where you had to keep your thoughts to yourself anymore; you had seokmin, and he had you, of course. he was there for you, and you were there for him.

the feeling of finally being able to speak up about your deepest, unsaid thoughts and rants was so refreshing. of course, the more comfortable you got with him, the more your feelings grew too.

–

it was on recognition day when you had the courage to finally spill your heart out to seokmin. you were very nervous, but the funny thing was he beat you to it. he confessed first, leaving you shocked. of course you informed him that the feeling is mutual.

you were happy; he was too. your heart was so happy you felt like it would explode. you never have thought that you would find love this early in your life, especially with your old behavior of being shy. but seokmin was there, he was there for you in so many ways. he saved your heart and mind by letting you pour your unsaid rambles to him, and you were so grateful for him, for seokmin, who was now your lover 'till end.

©shwoyo, all rights reserved.

[op81s]

sorry I’m so out of the loop when it comes to f1 but what exactly happened with logan sargeant?

it was announced today that carlos sainz signed with williams for 2025 which all but guarantees logan sargeant won't have a seat in f1 next year.

and to give some context here, logan didn't perform very well last year, but williams themselves admitted that part of that was due to them promoting him to f1 too early. he just clearly wasn't ready for f1.

but to most people's surprise they re-signed him for 2024, with james vowles saying 'logan has demonstrated immense skill whilst under the pressure of the world stage, making him a perfect fit for our team. we have great confidence in his abilities and believe that together we can achieve even greater success in the upcoming season.' so all in all it seemed like williams was willing to give logan another shot.

but then it all started to fall apart pretty early in the 2024 season, starting with giving logan's chassi to alex albon during the melbourne grand prix after alex crashed his car in fp1. which, whilst i personally still disagree with that decision, i can understand why vowles did it and he didn't really have any good choices there so i don't really lay any blame at his feet for that per se (aside from the fact they didn't have a spare chassi. still bonkers to me).

but then it only got worse from there, with logan racing alex's repaired chassi for the suzuka gp to logan racing with 2023 parts in the monaco gp to journalists openly discussing whether or not he would be dropped mid-season for everyone from kimi antonelli to esteban ocon. and throughout all of this james vowles has released some... questionable statements and whilst i don't personally believe vowles is a villain in this whole story i DO believe he just isn't cut out for the job of team principal, it just involves more team politics and people management than i think he's capapable of.

then they announced the signing of carlos sainz before they announced logan was leaving the team. they posted multiple socials media posts welcoming carlos to the team but it took williams a while to post a statement thanking logan for his time with the team, and even then, that statement was... bland to say the least.

at the end of the day i am a fan of logan so i will never be fully objective about all of this but i just feel like williams/vowles handled this all very poorly and logan did have more potential than he showed during his time with williams and now he will probably never race another f1 car and that just makes me sad.

(oh, and take this with a BIG pinch of salt 'cause logan has denied the truthness of this statement, but marcus ericsson said on his podcast that logan and vowles aren't on speaking terms. but again, HUGE pinch of salt.)

[matan4il]

To the anon who wrote me about the bodies...

If you have an issue with bodies being held hostage, you should hold accountable the party that introduced that element to the Israeli-Arab conflict. That would be Egypt, back in 1954. The Syrians have also followed suit since 1965.

Hamas and Hezbollah have taken this one step further, intentionally keeping Israel in the dark over whether those that these terrorists are holding hostage are alive or dead. Case in point, on Oct 7, 2000 Hezbollah murdered and kidnapped the bodies of 3 Israeli soldiers. The IDF was able to confirm by the next day that the soldiers were all at the very least wounded during the kidnapping. In June 2001, it turned out the UN had material about the kidnapping, that it did not share with Israel, despite its obligation to do so. On Oct 29, 2001 (a year after the kidnapping), Israel was able to announce the 3 soldiers had been murdered. Hezbollah continued to lie about it even after the confirmation. I don't remember at which point it was exactly, but I remember that Hezbollah released a pic that was supposed to be these soldiers alive. I remember that by this point, while the announcement that the soldiers are dead wasn't official yet, it was pretty clear they were, and I remember thinking how cruel Hezbollah was to intentionally torment the families with false hope. A similar thing happened again on Jul 12, 2006, when Hezbollah killed 5 Israeli soldiers, and then kidnapped the bodies of 2 of them. The terrorists lied about it. So imagine the shock and pain the families experienced, when a hostage deal was conducted in Jul 2008, and after two years of hoping and waiting, they got bodies instead of to be reunited with their living loved ones.

Currently, Hamas has been holding the bodies of Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul since 2014. For over 9 years. For over 9 years, their families can't hold a funeral, and they get no closure.

And this one's maybe the most important point regarding the part of my post you quoted. Hamas isn't just holding the bodies hostage. Israel and Hamas agreed on the release of women and kids, and Israel made it clear it will not make any hostage deals, before all the living women and children are back in Israel, safe and sound. Intel shows Hamas is still holding at least 19 living women that it could release. That's... taking into account that the Bibas family, with 4 years old Ariel, and baby Kfir, might have been killed. Even then, Hamas could easily stick to the deal, and release the women it's holding, who are alive. Hamas is intentionally trying to force Israel to take dead bodies instead, while having to release living convicted terrorists in exchange, based on the current deal, which was made to free living women and kids. We know that statistically speaking, roughly 60% of released Palestinian terrorists return to terrorist activity, and attempt to murder again. That means Hamas is trying to force Israel's hand, to put the lives of even more Israelis on the line, without even getting our living hostages in return.

Hadar Goldin:

Oron Shaul:

Hamas is now holding the bodies of at least 6 murdered Israeli civilians. Most are old men and women. Possibly the bodies of a child and a baby. They're not soldiers. They're def not terrorists, who chose to try and carry out the murder of civilians. Here are their faces:

And that's not counting the bodies of our soldiers. We know Hamas is holding the kidnapped bodies of at least 3 of them. I just wanna remind you, most Israeli soldiers do not choose the army as a career. Their service is mandatory, and is a result of the on going terrorist attacks on Israeli civilians, which started before there even was a State of Israel, when the terrorist attacks were simply on Jews. Our soldiers, are mostly young people, they're our 19 and 20 years old kids, called to defend our 3 and 10 and 12 years old kids.They're human beings, too. They deserve burial, and their families deserve closure as well.

So how would you suggest Israel deals with this kind of inhumane depravity? What is it that we're allowed to do, when we're trying to get back the bodies, restore the dignity of our dead, and stop the torment of our grieving families and friends?

[bananaofswifts]

Whether she's breaking records or breaking Ticketmaster, Taylor Swift has proven time and again that she's one of the most powerful figures in modern music — and the Eras Tour is a manifestation of that.

By TAYLOR WEATHERBY

But after witnessing it in person, it's clear that Swift is not just delivering the tour of the year — it's the tour of her generation.

Sure, Beyoncé fans can't wait for her tour this summer; Harry Styles is about to embark on the final leg of his highly successful Love On Tour trek; BLACKPINK sold out stadiums around the country too. Yet, it's hard to imagine that any other tour this year will have a cultural impact as big as the Eras Tour — something that's wildly apparent whether or not you were there.

Even before Swift hit the stage for her first night at Nashville's Nissan Stadium on May 5, her influence was felt. Practically every fan of the 70,000 in attendance (a record for the venue — more on that later) was wearing some sort of reference to their favorite Swift era: a beloved lyric, or an iconic performance or music video look. While that's not necessarily a new trend in the Swiftie world, seeing all 10 of her eras represented throughout a stadium-sized crowd was equal parts meaningful and remarkable.

As someone who has been to hundreds of tours and most of Swift's — including the Reputation Tour, which I naively referred to as "the peak of her career" — I didn't think this one would feel much different than a typical stadium show. But even when Swift was just a few songs in of her impressive three-and-a-half hour set, a feeling came over me like I wasn't just watching one of music's greats — I was part of music history.

Below, here are five reasons why the Eras Tour will go down as one of the most iconic of Swift's generation.

It's Treated Like A Holiday

In the week leading up to the shows and over the weekend, Nashville was abundant with special events in Swift's honor. From Taylor-themed trivia nights to pre- and post-show dance parties to wine lists transformed into "eras," practically every place you went was commemorating her return (she last performed in Nashville in 2018).

While it's unclear whether this kind of takeover is happening in every city — after all, she does consider Nashville a hometown, as she said on stage — it's rare to see an artist have such a ripple effect by simply just coming to town.

During her May 5 show, Swift added to the excitement by sharing the highly anticipated news that Speak Now (Taylor's Version) was coming on July 7. Upon the announcement, three of Nashville's monuments — the John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge, the Tennessee State Capitol and the Alliance Bernstein building downtown — were illuminated in purple, the album's color.

It's Breaking Records Left And Right

Though Swift is no stranger to breaking records, she continues to do so with the Eras Tour. After setting the all-time attendance record at Nissan Stadium on night one of her Nashville run, Swift topped herself (something has become accustomed to on the charts as well) with another attendance record on night two.

And despite the controversial ticketing frenzy the tour caused, Swift also broke a Ticketmaster record with more than 2.4 million tickets sold — the most by an artist in a single day — in the presale alone. If Swift announces an international leg of the tour, Pollstar projects that the Eras Tour could surpass $1 billion, which would add yet another first to her ever-growing list.

It's Spawned Parking Lot Parties

As if history-making attendance and record-breaking ticket sales aren't indication enough of Swift's power, the Eras Tour is so highly in-demand that fans are sitting outside of the venue to still be part of the show. Fans crowded barricades and camped out in the parking lot of Nissan Stadium, ready to watch (and sing along) Swift on the big screen — something that has seemingly been happening in every city.

It Can't Be Stopped By The Elements

Adding to the magnitude of the Eras Tour, Swift performs 45 songs across three and a half hours. And to make her last night in Nashville even more momentous, she did almost all of that in pouring rain.

Swift didn't get to take the stage until after 10 p.m. on May 7 because of storms in the area (she normally goes on around 7:50 local time), but that didn't mean she'd be shortening her set. Carrying on until after 1:30 a.m. — even through the "element of slippiness happening," as she joked — Swift made it clear that she's determined to give each show her all regardless of the weather.

It's Simply A Feel-Good Celebration

Perhaps it was the five-year gap between the last time she toured. Perhaps it was the four new albums of material. Perhaps it was the celebratory nature of the show. Whatever inspired the vibe of the Eras Tour, I've never seen Taylor Swift or her fans so alive. The passion was tangible, the energy was magnetic.

Though Swift has always been known as an artist with a very loyal following, it was still mind-blowing to hear 70,000 people belt out every word for three hours straight. There aren't many artists whose catalogs are as equally beloved as they are extensive, especially one who hasn't even seen her 34th birthday. No matter how many albums and tours are in Swift's future, the Eras Tour captures a special moment in time — and celebrates a legend in her prime.

[flowerandblood]

Flower and Blood (Oneshot)

[modern! • Aemond Targaryen x female]

[warnings: kissing, menstruation and bleeding, fluff]

[description: A small house party is organized in the Targaryen house, during which the siblings and their friends play board games. Helaena takes her friend who is having her first "women's days". At one point, she states with embarrassment, that she has bloodied her seat, and her in-game partner, Aemond, who has hardly spoken to her until now, tries to help her (Anon Request).]

* English is not my first language. Please, do not repost. Enjoy! *

_____

From the morning she felt that something bad was happening to her. She woke up all sore and without strength, she couldn't concentrate on anything during class, her stomach hurt.

It wasn't until she went to the toilet during a break and saw specks of blood on the panty liner that she realized she had gotten her period earlier than usual this month.

She sighed heavily when she saw this. Fortunately, she always carried a few sanitary napkins in her backpack, just in case, she or her friends often came in handy. Disheartened, she thought it was going to be a terrible day, and her friend Helaena invited her to her house. She said that her brother Aegon had the idea to do a game night, and since they both loved games like this she immediately agreed.

Now, without pills and with disaster looming, she didn't know what to do. When she told Helaena what was happening she looked at her understandingly, rummaged in her bag and took out a sheet of pills.

"Buy yourself a tea from the vending machine and swallow it. These are strong antispasmodics, you should feel better in a few minutes." She said gently. She wanted to kiss her hands for the help, her ovaries throbbing like crazy in pain.

Indeed, after an hour the pain in her lower abdomen had eased. She thought that aside from the constant, disgusting feeling of bleeding, she felt a little better. Their house was not far from her dormitory, so she decided that even if she felt worse during the party, she would just walk home.

When they entered their house, several people were already there. Aegon greeted them with a smile in the hallway, hugging her and his sister. The two had seen each other several times before.

She knew Aegon liked a good time, alcohol, and women. Sometimes too much. He seemed to know that neither of them were their type, and he didn't force himself on her. Instead, he brought three of his female friends, apparently from his year.

There were two other boys besides them - Criston, their longtime friend, and Aemond, the youngest of the siblings. She spoke to him the least, because he didn't speak much. She had seen how many times girls forced him to talk, and he looked away, desperate and bored.

She wasn't going to force herself on him. She liked him, because he was concrete and rather gentle in his manner, even though he communicated practically only in grunts.

She greeted everyone in turn. As she and Aemond embraced lightly, she smelled some nice male perfume that made her nose twitch. She looked at him with a smile at the thought. He released her, looking away, turning his attention to his sister.

After they determined that everyone was assembled, they entered the living room where boxes of games were spread on the floor and large, multi-colored, bright pillows on which they were apparently supposed to sit. She sat on one of them, right next to Helaena. Aegon's friend sat next to Aemond, Aegon, Criston and two other girls next to each other.

They started with Rummikub. The game was about arranging tiles with numbers, in a logical, mathematical sequence. They could be numbers in order, their multiples by multiplication, addition or subtraction as well as by colors.

She loved this game, it required a lot of cleverness and adapting to what others had already put together. She fought for the win with Criston, but finally fell.

Aegon announced that it's time for cartoon puns. He said that to make it easier to come up with something quickly they would pair up. He dropped two colored pawns for each team into the bag and shuffled them around, passing them to each of them.

She slid her hand inside, pausing there for a while, and pulled out a blue pawn. She looked around and saw that Aemond was spread out on his pillow, propped up on his elbow, staring at her intently, playing with a pawn of the same color between his fingers.

She smiled at him and got up from her seat, sitting cross-legged on the pillow next to him. After the draw, it turned out that two of Aegon's friends were in a group with each other, the third with Aegon himself, and Helaena and Criston were together. Aegon handed out all the small whiteboards and erasable markers as well as cards with slogans.

Aemond and she glanced at theirs and saw that "The Little Prince" was written on it. The password, of course, referred to the book of the same title. They looked at each other surprised.

"I know that book." She said quickly.

"Me too." He said low, rubbing his chin, she was surprised at how deep his voice was. "But I'm wondering how to present it so that they understand right away."

She twisted uneasily in place and jumped, pulling the cap off the marker. She began to draw a simple rose under a shade, with lots of smaller ones around it.

"Yeah, yeah, very good idea" He said suddenly, and she was amused to hear a note of excitement in his voice.

They had to wait their turn. First, Criston and Helaena showed their sign. A bouquet of flowers and a man with a palette were drawn on it.

"Vincent van Gogh?" She asked uncertainly aloud, and Helaena clapped her hands.

"Yes!" She said happily.

She smiled at Aemond and made a dash on the side of their slate to indicate that they had just scored one point. Then it was Aegon and his friend's turn. They turned the tablet over and for a moment everyone wondered what it represented.

"That thing next to this boy and girl is a dog?" Aemond asked uncertainly.

Aegon nodded. Seeing that no one came up with any idea, he drew something quickly for the boy in his drawing. Criston leaned closer, frowning.

"Why does he have such weird teeth? Isn't it about Twilight?" He asked, and Aegon jumped happily.

"Yes!!!" He said, erasing his drawing, he and his friend high fived each other.

It was her and Aemond's turn. She turned over their slate, and they all looked at her curiously.

"Beauty and the Beast?" Helaena asked, and she shook her head. She took the slate, quickly drawing a moon and a boy on it. She turned the board around to face them again.

"Dreamworks Studio?" Aegon asked. She and Aemond cursed under their breath, shaking their heads. They looked at each other, wondering what to do.

"Maybe draw Little Prince and a fox." Aemond suggested quietly.

She jumped in her seat, delighted with his idea, and nodded quickly, drawing a figure of Little Prince in his trademark cloak and fox. She turned the slate over and Helaena clapped her hands together, trying to remember something quickly.

"Wait, wait, what was the name of that book… The Little Prince!" She said finally.

"Yes, bravo!" She said cheerfully, proud of the fact that they managed to present such a non-obvious password and book. He and Aemond exchanged a satisfied look.

Now it was the turn of two of Aegon's friends. They showed their slate, but she couldn't concentrate, feeling something was wrong. She turned around, wondering what it was. She thought she felt an unpleasant wetness between her thighs, but that was normal during her period. She shifted slightly on her pillow and froze, looking down. She saw the blood.

She looked helplessly around the room and looked at Helaena, wanting to draw her gaze to herself. She was too busy guessing to see it. She felt her heart pounding, her cheeks flushed with shame. She felt like she was about to cry.

Helpless and unsure of what to do, she grabbed Aemond's sleeve. He looked at her surprised and seeing her expression raised his eyebrows.

"Everything's all right?" He asked softly and she shook her head. She pursed her lips.

"I think I just bled your pillow." She whispered in shame, her voice trembling slightly as she looked pleadingly at him. His pupils dilated and he looked down at her thighs.

"Fuck." He said quietly, glancing at everyone around, who was still trying to guess. He looked like he was thinking very hard right now.

"Get up as usual and go to the bathroom, I'll turn the pillow and then take care of it. Will you need something to change?" He asked quietly, and she nodded quickly, trying not to cry in front of him. Her expression caught Helaena's attention.

"Everything's all right?" She asked gently.

"Y-yes, thank you." She said, not wanting to draw more attention to herself than necessary.

She got up on shaky legs, wanting to move to the other room as quickly as possible, Aemond immediately grabbed a pillow. One of Aegon's friends, the one who had sat next to Aemond earlier, must have seen the bloodstain, because she said:

"Oh, someone here isn't pregnant. Let's drink to that!" She said cheerfully, holding up her beer.

She felt her face turn pale, humiliated, all eyes were suddenly turned her way. Criston and Aegon looked at her sympathetically, clearly understanding the complexity and unfortunateness of these women's affairs. Helaena stood up quickly, terrified.

"Poor thing! Come to the bathroom, quickly!" She said, grabbing her hand and leading her towards the toilet. Only when Helaena left to bring her a pair of clean underwear and pants did she cry quietly, hiding her face in her hands.

She thought everyone would be staring at her for the rest of the day, and she ruined their pillow. She thought it was disgusting and cursed herself for not going to change her sanitary napkin sooner. Helaena handed her clothes through the gap in the door and closed it behind her. She washed herself quickly with cold water, dried herself with paper, and put on clean underwear, a sanitary napkin, and pants.

She looked at herself in the reflection, all red and swollen with tears. She thought she looked terrible and wanted to go home. She flinched as she heard a soft knock on the door.

"I'll be right back, Helaena, thank you very much." She said in a slightly broken voice, wiping her runny nose.

"May I came in?" She heard the same low voice as before. A shudder of pain and embarrassment ran through her. She looked at the sink, sighing softly.

"Y-yes, of course." She said, trying to stay calm.

She smiled weakly at him as he stepped inside, his gaze soft and calm. He looked at her with a hint of what she might call concern and sympathy. She thought that was the last thing she needed. They stood in silence for a moment.

"Are you okay? This chick's comment was unnecessary." He added, looking away, frustration evident in his voice. She pursed her lips at his words, closing her eyes. Thinking about it made her want to cry again, so she decided not to say anything.

"I already put the pillowcase in the washing machine, the insert itself didn't get dirty, so it will be like new. Don't worry." He said softly, looking at her expectantly. She smiled gratefully at him, appreciating the way he was treating her.

"Thank you and I'm sorry for the trouble. I'm so ashamed." She said embarrassed, wrapping her arms around herself.

"No problem." He said, taking a step closer to her. She looked at him surprised. "I know I'm not a good conversationalist. Like a fox, I can't relate to anyone who doesn't tame me."

She stared at him in shock, wiping her nose again. She blinked, wondering what he meant. She smiled understandingly at him.

"To tame someone, you have to give them space." She said calmly. Aemond pursed his lips.

"Exactly." He said softly. She felt her heart beat faster at the way he said the word. "That's why you made it."

She swallowed hard, staring at him in surprise. She thought she had only exchanged a few full sentences with him in the course of her acquaintance with him. Never dragging him out, never forcing him, never getting any closer to him than he wanted. She flinched as he took a step closer. They stood in front of each other, their faces a few inches apart.

"So if I say don't worry, then do so." He said softly. She blinked, feeling her lips tremble, wanting to cry again, but this time for a different reason.

"I want you to tame me."

She saw him smile at her words. She had never seen such a warm expression on his face before. She didn't pull away as he touched her cheek, his large hand brushing over her warm, still wet skin. Her lips parted invitingly, and he inhaled softly.

"May I?" He asked quietly. She nodded, and in a moment his lips were pressed against hers, soft, moist and warm, caressing her sensitive skin. Their fleshy lips brushed and pressed together with the sticky, wet click of their saliva. They broke apart, staring at each other with hazy eyes.

"My Rose." He whispered.

_____

A story at the request of one of the Anons Request, who mentioned that such a situation happened to her, unfortunately in less pleasant circumstances. 😓

It happened to me once at school too, but I figured it out quickly, no one noticed and I was wearing black jeans, so all I had to do was spray it with water and I somehow survived until the end of the day. 😵

Don't worry if this happens to you, it's normal!!! 💖💖💖

Aemond Taglist:

(bold means I couldn’t tag you)

@its-actually-minicika @notnormalthings-blog @avgdusterfan @nikstrange @zenka69 @bellaisasleep @k-y-r-a-1 @random-ocity @g-cf2020 @melsunshine @opheliaas-stuff @chainsawsangel @iiamthehybrid @tinykryptonitewerewolf @namoreno @snh96 @malfoytargaryens @qyburnsghost @aemondsdelight @persephonerinyes

[teenytinyjimin]

je ne sais pas (j. hoseok)

dans mon esprit tout divague, (in my mind everything goes wild)

je me perds dans tes yeux (i lose myself in your eyes)

je me noie dans la vague de ton regard amoureux (i drown myself in the wave of your loving gaze)

je ne veux que ton âme divaguant sur ma peau (i only want your soul going wild on my skin)

summary: in which two strangers spend an unforgettable day together without actually getting to verbally understand each other.

pairing: hoseok x reader

word count: 2.8k

tags: fluff, language barrier, idol!hoseok, quebecois!reader, strangers to lovers, im bad at this tagging stuff

warnings: none, just enjoy some sweet hoseok fluff <3

author’s note: im really excited about this one yall 😭 i love the idea of language barrier romance because just think about it... u love someone so much that talking to them doesn't matter as much as the memories u create with them.. god ok ill stop speaking please please enjoy!

── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──

The province of Quebec is often quite peaceful for about 85% of the year, with the exceptions typically being one of two things. First, there's always the typical influx of tourists that happens during peak times of the year like summer, Christmas, things like that. However the second exception is typically related to whatever artist is in Montreal for the Canadian leg of their world tour. It wasn't uncommon for there to be a little bit of buzz around the famous singer in question, however no one seemed to go harder than kpop fans when their group or soloist of choice was coming for a show or two.

You weren't really a fan of kpop in the way that many of your friends were. Sure, you've listened to some songs before, but you never felt the desire to get invested in any of the artists or the lore that came with them. It would be nice to hear your friends babble on about a new song that was released or a new tour that was announced, however you were absolutely not expecting the absolute freakout that was to come when BTS announced that they'd be doing a show in Montreal.

"Can you believe it?" One friend asked you with excitement. Yes, you could. They were famous. Of course they were going to come to Canada for a world tour. It's not that you weren't excited for your friends, who called themselves 'Army', but you just weren't as invested so it didn't mean as much to you. It also didn't help that a lot of their discussions with fellow fans and the things they'd post relating to BTS on their social media profiles were in English.

The majority of Quebecois people were able to communicate in English as well as their native language of French, but for some reason your family lived under a rock and you didn't learn anything beyond basic greetings and conversations in English. You felt rather left out because it felt like you were behind your friends and everyone else around you, however as you grew older you tended to not let it bother you that much. Since French is a prominent language in Quebec, you weren't bothered about language barriers and knew you could get around and live life normally without worry.

Since your friends were much deeper down the Bangtan rabbit hole, they were able to secure floor tickets to their Montreal show and were extremely busy completely overthinking the event and what they wanted to wear. It was now the day before the show and they were last-minute panicking, roaming the stores of downtown Montreal to put together outfits that were both cute and appropriate for the vibe of the concert.

Given that they were rather busy with this, you decided that this would be a weekend to yourself where you could peacefully do whatever you wanted. The quaint cafe you work at full-time decided to close for the weekend given the occasion (apparently the owner was also an Army), so it was a perfect opportunity for you to go down to the local park and do some reading on a bench.

And that's exactly what you did. You found yourself parked on the lawn of Mount Royal Park, right next to the lake. You brought some light reading with you, a small romance novel that involved the typical coffee shop trope, prepared to do some reading but also some people watching in between. It was absolutely perfect, and you couldn't have asked for a better way to spend the weekend. As you peacefully read your cliche novel, cup of iced coffee from a local coffee shop in-hand, you thought the day couldn't get any better. Until it did.

"Hey, excuse me, can you help me?" You looked up from your book to see a boy standing a short distance away from you. He had the warmest smile on his face and his eyes were bright with cheer. You tilted your head slightly, not too sure what he was asking. After a minute of silence, his smile dropped slightly.

"Uh... E-English?" He asked. It was clear that he was struggling with his words as well, even though you didn't speak the language. You shook your head, a slight frown on your face. "Français?" You ask in response, to which he mirrors you and shakes his head in return. The boy looks down for a second, clearly stumped as to what to do at this point. Part of you thought that he was about to walk away, however his feet didn't move from where he was standing.

After a second, he looked back up, his sweet smile once again appearing on his face. With his phone in hand, he pointed at it, then pointed at himself, then pointed at you. Was he asking for your number? Raising an eyebrow, you started to shake your head, however you watched as his smile dropped again and he shook his head rapidly. "No! No!" He said frantically, before mimicking the act of taking a photo, making a little 'click click' noise. He wanted a photo!

Finally understanding what he was saying, you grin and nod, causing him to squeal in delight. He approached you briefly to hand you his phone before backing up toward the lake a little more. You start to turn his phone landscape before he shakes his head and lets out a little yelp, indicating that he wanted the photo to be in portrait mode. You giggle at his antics as he attempts to pose in the way he wants, admiring his efforts to not only have a good photo but also to communicate with you.

Once it seems like he's ready for you to take the photo, you begin clicking the photo button and watch as he begins to move a little bit to hit different styles of poses. And wow, this man was incredible at modeling. You watched in wonder as he effortlessly moved his body in all kinds of directions, going from casual to silly to cute and back to casual. He was absolutely gorgeous, there was no denying that. A ten in a world of fives.

After a couple minutes, he stops posing and giddily bounces back over to you. When he takes his phone back to look at all the photos, he makes a couple of 'woaaahhhh' noises, clearly impressed with your photography skills. You turn away as a blush creeps to your cheeks, flattered that he's happy with the photos. When you look back you watch him slightly bow to you in thanks before pointing to himself. "Hoseok," He says, making sure to enunciate each part of his name in the correct way so that you know how to say it.

You smile and nod, offering your name back to him, to which his smile grows into one of the most beautiful smiles you have ever seen. If it weren't for your impeccable self-control, you probably would have fainted the very first time he smiled at you, given how absolutely charming he was. However, this most recent smile made you a little weak on your feet. You were able to tough it out and stay strong, but God, he was just stunning.

You go to sit back down on your spot in the grass, but before you get the chance to you feel a gentle hand grasp your wrist. Face hot with shyness, you peer back over to him and notice his smile has dropped. You watch as he points toward the exit of the park and into the main city, and gives you a 'come on' motion, indicating that he wanted you to come with him. If this would have happened a few minutes ago when he first approached you, you might not have taken the offer. But now that you've gotten to somewhat know this breathtaking stranger, it was an offer you couldn't turn down. Grabbing your book and iced coffee from off the ground, you decide to follow him out of the park.

As you step back onto the streets of Montreal, walking with this random man, you watch as he turns to you and thinks for a second. You can tell he was trying to figure out how to communicate his next thought, so you remain silent and patient. After a second, he points at his eyes, and then gives this huge gesture with his arms, almost like he's expressing something blowing up. Letting out a soft giggle, you tilt your head slightly, resulting in a laugh coming from his own mouth. His laugh was so loud, sweet, and full of joy, and it was like pure honey dripping from his tongue. He retries his previous charades, now acting like he is looking at something with his hand above both of his eyes. He then goes 'woahh!!' and gives an amazed look, and you realize that he's asking to see some of the highlights of the city. With a soft nod, you take his hand, watching a soft blush creep to his cheeks as you pull him along the street and show him everything he needs to see in your beautiful city.

˗ˏˋ ♡ ˎˊ˗

After spending hours with Hoseok, showing him about everything in Montreal and taking a picture of him with it, you found yourselves once again back in the park where you first met. It was a rather chaotic day, pulling the boy around and watching his face light up at absolutely everything, but what seemed to be weirder was the fact that multiple times during your tour you guys received a few looks and even whispers. Every time that it happened, Hoseok would indicate to you that he wanted to move on and go to the next spot while also pulling up the light scarf that he had around his neck to cover his mouth and nose. You thought that it was rather bizarre but dismissed it as people being disrespectful since he was a rather loud and excited tourist.

Now, though, it was just you and him, sitting in the grass in front of the lake as you ate a late lunch/early dinner. He asked you to go with him to a local store where he went around and picked out a bunch of ready-made food as well as a bottle of champagne, paying for it all and implying that he wanted to eat it with you back at the park. Considering this stranger was doing more than anyone had ever done for you in the last twenty-something years of your life, you were beyond flattered and at this point you were hardcore swooning for him.

You half expected your meal to be quiet and consist of you guys looking at the lake, looking at each other, and silently eating your meal. But this was Hoseok, the man you had learned was anything but quiet. Even though he couldn't speak your language and you couldn't speak his, he was telling you all kinds of stories through the power of charades and sound effects. For most of the time, he had you in tears, laughing at his impeccable sense of humor and all-around silliness. But he also provided you with moments of peace so you could eat without choking, which was rather respectful of him, you thought.

After a while of fun storytelling, you two fell silent. You gazed over at the lake, watching as the sun made the water shimmer, and let out a sigh. When you looked back over to Hoseok, you caught him staring at you, causing a blush to creep to your cheeks. Raising an eyebrow, you nudged him as a way to ask 'what are you looking at?'. Shaking his head, he hesitantly stretched out his arm to wrap it around your waist. Just by looking at him you could tell he was internally freaking out, his eyes wide with nervousness. You smiled softly and inched your way closer to him, accepting his embrace as you rested your head on his shoulder.

There was something about this man that was so much different from anyone else that you had ever met. His charisma, his kindness, his energy – all of it was so attractive. It was the fact that he wasn't just a pretty face, he was a pretty human. You could tell he was raised right with a heart of gold and you felt beyond lucky to have ever met him in the first place. For him to have asked you of all the people in Montreal to take a picture of him made you feel extremely lucky, because had he not approached you, the two of you would have never met.

He pulled back a little bit to prompt you to remove your head and look at him. You watched as he pointed at himself, then cleared his throat before singing a little bit of a song. His singing voice was as sweet as can be, and you were about to just sit there and admire him, until you realized that the song he was singing was familiar. You didn't quite know what the name of the song was, and he wasn't singing it in quite the right tone, but you knew it was by BTS. The kpop group that was currently in Montreal and about to perform the following day.

Your mouth gaped open as you realized what was happening. You didn't even realize that you had been spending the entire day with a member of BTS. The people looking and whispering throughout were probably people who recognized him, not people who were judging him. And he was hiding his face because he didn't want to be recognized. He just wanted to spend the day with a beautiful girl and feel like a normal human being. You didn't blame him for not telling you sooner, though. It's not like you're a diehard fan of his group, but you probably wouldn't have looked at him the same way had he told you immediately.

After processing what was happening, you closed your mouth and smiled, giving him a vigorous nod. Once he gave you a smile in return, you went back to resting your head on his shoulder and grabbing your glass of champagne to hold. You wanted to show him that it was cool, everything was fine, and things weren't going to change. You liked him as Hoseok, the boy he introduced himself as when he eagerly asked you for a picture earlier. Not the kpop idol that stands in front of thousands on a stage and performs for them.

As time continued to pass and the sun got to a point where the day started to become sunset, you two sat in blissful silence while enjoying one another's presence. After a while Hoseok once again nudged you, causing you to look up at him. You watched as he once again admired your face, a blush creeping to your cheeks as you became shy from the eye contact. Just as you were about to look away he reached his hand over to brush a strand of hair behind your ear, and then rested that hand against your cheek.

At this point there was no need for charades because all you needed to do was look into his eyes and he told you absolutely everything you needed to know. He dipped his head down slightly as you both pulled each other in for a kiss, his sweet lips meeting yours in absolute harmony. Your stomach did about five thousand backflips as adrenaline coursed through your veins and your brain went fuzzy. Whether you wanted to admit it or not, this was a moment that you were waiting for practically all day. Little did you know, however, this was a moment that he had been anticipating even before he spoke to you for the first time. It all started when he saw you from a distance and his heart almost beat out of his chest because he was so enamored by your beauty.

As you both pulled away from the kiss, you watched as his mouth curled into the sweetest heart smile and he leaned in once again to peck the tip of your nose. You knew that today was going to be absolutely perfect, but your new romance made it about ten times better than perfect if that was even possible.

It's safe to say that the next day you were at barricade at the biggest concert of the year in Montreal, courtesy of BTS' resident rapper and dancer, J-Hope. Or, as you knew him, your smiley Hoseok.

[pretty-idol-hell]

The PriPara 10th Anniversary video and Tweet is up again! I believe this information wasn't supposed to be released until after the concert, but someone released it early. Oops.

I also noticed that the official Idol Land Twitter name and avatar has been changed. The name of the Twitter is now "Idol Land PriPara and PriPara 10th Anniversary", the new avatar features the 10th Anniversary logo, and the description explains that this account will be covering both Idol Land and the 10th Anniversary while it is ongoing.

(It's hard to imagine Idol Land ending during the 10th Anniversary, but having the official account being used for something else and the lack of a season 2 announcement today is a little concerning I have to admit.)

Okay, so about the actual announcement:

There will be a PriPara exhibition held this August 9th-25th 2024 in Tokyo, specifically Shibuya. They are also planning to bring the exhibition to Fukuoka and Osaka as well.

Having been to the Rainbow Live 10th Anniversary exhibition this past March, this honestly sounds very similar. They mention displaying PriPara's chronology (the Rainbow Live one had an episode-by-episode guide on the wall) and photo spots of Making Dramas and other scenes (same, we got a Prism Jump and Prism Stone shop as well as a bunch of mini ones), as well as stage costumes (well, we didn't get that at the RL one, instead we got merch and a guitar). The Rainbow Live one was cute, but very small. I was curious if this one might be bigger since they are taking it on tour but looking up the venue (地下1階, where it says "Event Space") this one looks equally small. So, perhaps not worth flying to Japan for, but be sure to check it out if you'll already be there!

Now, she's already made the rounds but the video also announced a brand new character. Not just for the 10th Anniversary, but the 1000th Anniversary!

Laalulu! She is a transfer student from the future, come to study about PriPara at the exhibition.

So... This is very funny for several reasons.

First of all, celebrating the 1000th Anniversary at the same time as the 10th is very on brand for PriPara considering it's long been canon that PriPara has existed for thousands of years, so why wouldn't it exist for thousands more?

And of course, although they don't acknowledge it directly, Laalulu is very clearly a fusion of Laala and Falulu.

Thus suggesting that Laala and Falulu's families become... intertwined at some point, somehow.

But at the same time, they are safeguarding themselves from suggesting she's a direct descendant since she's from so ridiculously far in the future. Yes, I know that vocal dolls, if she is one, can live for thousands of years. But, if she was already a thousand years old, why would she need to study PriPara in our age? So, I think she must be relatively young.

Or is she even a vocal doll at all? Because... not sure how that would be possible either.

My personal headcanon on this would be that perhaps Falulu or a Falulu clone becomes a real girl at some point, and meets up with a descendant of Laala.

Which, if true, would mean that they not only stole @moonlit-angel-serenity 's OC but mine as well, since that's what happens to Hinode in my canon LOL.

Haha, who knows. I'm pretty sure they will never explain it.

But, it seems to me this character is a character specifically made for the exhibition (especially since the logo features Laala and Falulu). Unless a voice actress is announced for her soon, I don't think they will be doing much of anything else with this character.

(In the video, Laala speaks to her and Laalulu replies back with text only, so it seems that she does not have one at this point.)

[elionwriter]

Sherlock Holmes the Awakened: a Review

(SPOILERS AHEAD)

Sorry, sorry, sorry, but I just NEED to talk about this game! I have been a Frogwares Holmes fan since the very beginning and 'The Awakened' was always among my favourite titles. Not to mention one of the games that had scared the wits out of me. So I have to speak about the Remake now.

First and foremost, I think it needs to be reiterated that this game was made DURING THE FU****G INVASION OF UKRAINE! During such dark times, the team kept working on this. I would have supported this game even just for this reason alone.

Now, let's be honest: Frogwares never had the most marvelous graphics nor the most polished of gameplays and this entry is not an exception. I still feel the map system is a bit difficult to navigate (I may be an idiot, but I had the same issue with Chapter 1) but I really appreciated the added help the game gives you when you're recreating a scene, letting you know which passage you got wrong. Last game I found myself changing everything trying to hit the right combination so I really liked this fix.

This needs to be said: the game doesn't feel under any shape or form a product for a new fan. Everything from dialogues to game mechanics sort of take for granted that you've at least played 'chapter one'. Honestly? I'm ok with this, I hate having to always go through nearly identical tutorial stages for games I know inside out (like Pokémon) and I believe that most of not all people who are going to get this game ARE old fans!

I wasn't originally a big fan of the new Holmes and Watson models when the last game came out but....I dunno, they have grown on me. I find myself liking them now for, I suppose, no other reason than 'they are very expressive' and 'I've gotten used to them'. I think it's gotten to the point that these might be my favourite models of the two to date. Please ignore how fickle I am! (In honesty, just to draw a similar parallel, when Roger Craig Smith was first announced as Sonic's voice I hated it and now he's my fav Sonic v. actor)

This game has something.....compared to its predecessor, that makes it less scary. I can't really put my finger on it, but I distinctly remember the feeling of claustrophobia building in me when I was in the Black Edelweiss. Or the sheer jumpscare I got when the sacrificed American detective on the altar had tentacles coming out of it and severing his head making it roll to the ground. I remember almost not wanting to paddle the rowboat under the tree of hanging men in the Bayou. I remember how viscerally sick I felt at the lighthouse by all the gore and blood depicted. This time round.....I just didn't. I'm honestly not sure why this didn't hit me nearly as hard as its 2006 predecessor did!

And talking about comparisons, one thing I'm a bit disappointed they didn't grab the chance to do in this remake was fix the loose ends that were left hanging in the 2006 version. I mean....they still abandoned completely the search for that one Maori servant, what happened to all the people they managed to rescue? Who hired the private American detective that was killed? Why give out the cheap pendants? I know I'm a bit dumb and need extra explaining than what is necessarily needed but...I can't be the only one right? Sometimes you want to be told just a bit more.

Now, getting into the really good bits, that make all of it worth it!

'Chapter One' acted as a 'de facto' reboot of the Frogwares Holmes series, and I honestly think that was for the best. I don't really see where they could have gone with things after 'Devil's Daughter' and their Holmes had changed too much to be the same guy from 'The Silver Earring'...let alone Watson. But like this? They have a fresh, clean slate to start off from and they can rebuild the two mains' relashionship and lore from the ground up in a more strictly consequential manner. And the way they are doing it? I think it's state of the art!

The fact that they poke fun at themselves on certain points like Watson stating: "What about when you used to roll up only one of your sleeves? Did you get bored halfway through?!" I think the Devs themselves realized this was a cringe design choice and I like that they said so out loud.

The meta-conversation they wrote in towards the end, 'because yes, this HAS Happened before and the story still has the same outcome', is brilliant. I don't think I've ever seen another remake that acknowledges that it is a remake, and in the general madness that is mounting in the narrative this makes perfect sense! It adds one more layer of horror and inexplicable to the tale. The villain's warning 'that the Final Problem is coming and Sherlock will fall in the abyss too' is such a powerful way to use Canon. The prophecy is only made more real and dreadful by the fact that this person is aware of what has already happen in a similar but different scenario!

Also, not them using that one quote from 'The Valley of Fear' novel which happens to be one of my all time favourites!

I say, Watson,’ he whispered, ‘would you be afraid to sleep in the same room as a lunatic, a man with softening of the brain, an idiot whose mind has lost its grip?’ ‘Not in the least,’ I answered in astonishment. 'Ah, that’s lucky,’ he said, and not another word would he utter.

I think the thing that has most benefited from the Remake is Watson's character. Compared to the 2006 version, this Watson is a truly compelling character in his own right and this time round he's not just along for the ride. In this version, you simply cannot imagine how Holmes would have done it on his own. Watson was in every way a key component to the solution of the problem and the reason why Holmes didn't drown in madness. That point is driven home by Rochester asking 'How did you defeat me?' and Holmes answering 'I made a friend!'

Much of the narrative in the game was focused on Holmes truly learning to accept Watson's friendship and him as a person when he was still clinging so much to his old imaginary friend. You can see how, at first, Holmes refuses to be honest with the Doctor about what he thinks and feels and it's only as they move forward in the adventure that they both open up to each other. You can see as the adventure progresses that Holmes shifts his desperate cries from 'Jon' to 'Watson' to 'John' and the Doctor goes more and more often from 'Holmes' to 'Sherlock'. Mycroft also points this out when he says that Sherlock 'went from one Jon to another'. But this one, John Watson, is real and there to stay. In the context of a story that happens mostly in the detective's mind, Watson's friendship is really what turns the situation around!

I could add of little tid bits which were so random and on the nose that somehow worked, like the possessed 'Heidi' doll or the fact that you had to actually 'Kill Holmes' with the booby traps instead of avoiding them.

Also, "The director Guygax was randomly killed.....by a doll?!????!?!?! Yeah, let's just walk out of here no questions asked. That's too deep a wormhole even for this f***d up Adventure to go down. I'm sure nobody is gonna ask us questions, suspect or stop us as we go out the main doors!" 😃 -Holmes, probably.

So, yeah, I loved this game despite it not being perfect and my love and support goes to Frogwares more that ever!

[folklcv4r]

Atychiphobia (Fear of Failure)

Tw: Anxiety, panic attacks, fair of failure and stage fright, english is not my first language.

Summary: After your last presentation was a failure, you are afraid it will happen again but your boyfriend is there to calm you down.

☆if you are reading this and you have a presentation close I send you all my good wishes and a hug from Remus, everything will be fine<3

I've got this anxious feeling…

Your leg is shaking when the professor announces that your group will be the first to pass in the next class, you feel Remus putting his hand in your leg trying to calm you down, and giving you a soft smile.

You try to focus on sometime else but your thoughts takes you back to that day, that fuckin day when your chest began to ache and your tears blocked your view and you simply ran away leaving the class confused, you didn't know why you felt this way, you always felt nervous during your presentation but it was never that bad until that one.

When the class is over your boyfriend is holding your hand so tight because he knows you so well, and because he always is there no matter what, Remus was the first person to run after you that day, you remember his worried voice when he found you in the bathrooms sobbing so bad and saying that you couldn't breathe.

“Are you okay” he asks

“Yes” No, “Why do you ask?” You say and give him a fake smile.

“Don’t lie to me, you know you can trust me” You know that, you really do, but there is a lump in your throat that prevents you from saying what you feel, you don't want to be a burden more than you already are.

“I’m okay, you know how I get whenever I have a presentation”

“Thtas why I’m asking, I want to know what's going on in that pretty little head” He says sweetly tapping your forehead and giving you that smile that gets you drunk.

You smile but don't say anything else and just squeeze his hand tighter, he looks at you worried but keeps walking not wanting to push you.

When you get to his room you are lucky that none of their friends are in there, you lie down on his bed and let out a groan.

“It wasn't even supposed to happen this week, the date was set for two weeks from now, but no, now I have to do it tomorrow and humiliate myself again” You know he was waiting for this moment, no matter how much you try to keep things to yourself, there is always something that makes you end up doing it anyway.

“Somehow all the professors found out what happened and tomorrow he will give me the typical speech that if you studied you shouldn't feel so nervous, but no matter if I study I will still fail as always, I’m a failure” Your eyes are closed but you feel the bed sinking in next to you.

“Don't talk about my girlfriend that way, she's the smartest person I've ever met”

“I’m not smart”

“Yes you are, do I have to remind you that after what happened you still came back and finishe your presentation?”

“I couldn't even speak well, I just wanted a good grade”

“But you did it, you stood up there and did your best as you always do, you have to stop focusing on everything wrong and start looking at what you do right, which is too many things. Look at me honey” You raise your eyes and lose yourself in his gaze and his words.

“You are so talented and it hurts me to know that you see yourself as a failure, you give everything you have to achieve what you want and sometimes you go too far, you will never be a failure because you try, no matter what happens you always wipe your tears and do it again and if you didn't try it would be ok too, there are things that are not for us but there will always be something waiting for us with the door open, but sometimes it's good enough to be good, you don't have to be great all the time” You look at him with tears in your eyes and hug him tightly.

“What did I do to deserve you?”

“Being you is enough”

But it goes away for a minute when I'm with you, breathing.