#edit: ok turns out it was more like two years ago. what is time

[koilarist]

Drawing something other than people to massage my aching brain

[meshlasolus]

Your Beauty Never Ever Scared Me

Dbf!Joel Miller x College!Reader

A/n: Listen… I don’t have any excuse for ditching my other three active series except for tiktok made me do it… That, and the CLM series by @macfrog has ascended me to a new level of crazy and I just needed an outlet for it somewhere. Another shoutout to @theatrelove3000 who keeps putting up with my dbf joel shenanigans, they are indeed insane.

Warnings: girl this whole concept should be a warning but anyways… age gap, some fluff, light smut, uncomfortable situations with readers father… probably some editing mistakes bc ya girl is tired ok its 2am

Please be kind to this chapter, I actually like it, despite the horrors.

Decided on the song ‘Mary On A Cross‘ by Ghost for this one bc it fits ig.

MASTERLIST

Age gap is approximately 15 years or so, reader is over 21 and joel is about 37

"I think I'd probably only slow'ya down," you chuckled, looking to Sarah who seemed to read the displeasure off your face from your dad's offer. "I'm studyin' to be an archeologist, dad. I don't know nothin' about framin' and all that house buildin'..."

Maybe it had been your dad's idea, but he wasn't the one who planted it into his own head. Joel subtly turned to you and cooly uttered a response.

"You could work on interior stuff with me."

It had been almost three days.

You looked out the window to the front of your house repeatedly to try and remember it clearly. The drive home, the kiss, and how abruptly it ended with a promise to see each other around. You thought about it so often you almost wondered if it happened the way you perceived it, if any details had been skewed in your mind simply because you wanted to keep it there, fresh, untouched. Maybe he thought of it differently... but maybe he didn't.

"Did you bring home the stuff I asked ya?" Your dad came into the kitchen with a smile, embracing you with a side hug and turning to help you unpack the groceries.

"Course' I did, Pa," you handed him the bag with the six-pack of bud and the other one full of snacks.

It was the first Rangers game night, and as per tradition, that meant the company of the next-door neighbors. It had been a while since you'd been around to enjoy it, but now that you were back, there were quite a few more reasons why you were on edge to now participate. It would look weird if you came up with an excuse not to be there, and you knew that. You also knrw that you'd gotten into a rather complicated entanglement with your father's closest friend, and weren't sure what the outcome really was.

Had that driveway light not spooked you both apart, and had that little black stray cat not made an appearance, how far would it have gone? Things were pretty heated, but even still. Would he have said something? Maybe along the lines of 'I've known you since you were sixteen, and this isn't appropriate at all.'

You didn't have time to think about it, you were set to work on helping your dad cook dinner for the soon-arriving neighbors. Dinner and a baseball game, once a relaxing and enjoyable time to bond with your dad, now turned into an anxiety fest where you were convinced you'd have to walk on pins and needles around every topic.

"So," your dad piped up from his silence at the stove, stirring the pot of chili he'd been prepping. "Joel told me he gave you a ride 'few nights back."

You knew it was harmless, and that he wasn't asking for any reason, other than that he was probably curious. You hadn't seen Joel in a while, not since two Christmases ago. Your dad had driven up to Dallas to spend both Thanksgiving and Christmas with you last year, and you didn't come home for summer break given an internship opportunity. You must have seemed different to the man in some way. All grown up.

"Yeah, gave me a ride n' saved me at the bar," you chuckled, trying to seem playful and unsuspicious about the encounter.

He seemed to be confused, his brows furrowed and a funny look on his face.

"Whad'ya mean he saved ya?" he of course was continuing to speak all the while dumping his favorite spices into the pot of chili, looking across here and now to keep engaged.

"Just scared off some weirdo who couldn't take no for an answer," you let a sweet and genuine smile fall across your features, but didn't let it get out of hand. Your relationship with your father was airtight, and he could read you pretty damn well. You weren't going to give anything away, not with what was potentially on the line.

"Glad he was there," he replied with a chuckle, sending you a soft glance. "Never thought you'd have grown up so fast, now I gotta carry a shotgun whenever we go places. Fend off the wild beasts."

His jokes were only so funny now, because in this situation, you knew he wouldn't hesitate to shoot Joel if he found out what had happened. All in the nature of protecting you, but it made you sad to think of the situation that way. Joel wasn't just another weirdo following you around at a bar.

"It's only because I'm so pretty," you did your best to respond lightheartedly, making a quip that would soothe the silence. "And I believe that's yours and Mama's fault, givin' me the genes and what not."

You'd finished chopping a nice garden salad by the time the doorbell rang. You ran upstairs to change your shirt to the Jersey your dad bought you for your birthday, claiming it was good luck for the team. Truth be told, you didn't wanna be downstairs when Joel and Sarah got here.

Sarah was here, too. Her, you could easily handle. You were almost hoping that she would be in a rather talkative mood, that way the attention could be swayed to her inconspicuously. You doubted Joel would even try to talk to you, anyway.

"Lovebug, come on down, Millers are here!" Your dad shouted up, even though he saw you run upstairs right when the doorbell rang to change your shirt.

"I'm comin', hold on," you replied sassily while heading for the staircase.

You got to the bottom and had to take a breath before turning the corner into the entryway. Joel stood there with a sweet smile to you, and you tried your best to hold back the one you wore. It was too bright, too happy to see him. All despite your nerves.

You were quickly embraced by Sarah, whom you paid immediate attention to.

"My lordy, girl," you held up your hand by your shoulder to show the height difference, "last time I saw you, you must've been this tall."

"Dad tells me I'm growing like a weed," she tossed a finger over her shoulder to where he was standing, and you gave him a small glance and a smile.

"Us daughters do have a tendency to grow up," you laughed, slinging an arm around Sarah and pulling her along to the kitchen as your dad and Joel did the same behind you.

Why had you been so anxious? Joel is happy to see you. He makes causal conversation with your dad, but he catches your eye every chance he gets. His expression doesn't change, except for the tug of his lips in a smile that's barely there. Joel doesn't smile too often, except apparently when you and Sarah are around.

It doesn't take long for everyone to get situated with their food at the table, playful banter between Joel and your father filling the air as you made less rambunctious chatter with Sarah.

She's doing pretty well since last you saw her. She was always a bright girl, but as she grew it became more apparent that she would probably excel further than anyone in her graduating class. You were sitting across from a future valedictorian, you were sure.

You'd tried to ask her about her out of school interests before your dad interrupted with a question.

"How about you, lovebug?" He watched your eyes flick over to him with a turn of your head. He added context, given you hadn't been listening to them earlier. "Are you gonna look for a summer job?"

You really should, if you're being honest. There's not much work in your aspiring profession located here, but you weren't as lucrative as you used to be, given your educational expenses.

"I've thought about it," you tilted your head back and forth, and your dad seemed to need more from your answer. "I need to earn some cash before I get back to Dallas, but I'm not really sure where to apply."

Sarah seemed to know where this was going before you did. She'd been around the last time your dad was begging Joel to find some help for the contracting team they worked with. But surely your dad doesn't expect you to build houses, does he? Your dream job is to dig holes in the ground, not fill them in and put homes on top.

"We got some spaces to fill, you should come work with us 'few months. The pay's good and you don't have to stay on long, probably just till the end of July."

You gave him a look, and he instantly knew you weren't interested, but you figured you'd try and justify your reasoning. It was an argument either way.

"I think I'd probably only slow'ya down," you chuckled, looking to Sarah who seemed to read the displeasure off your face from your dad's offer. "I'm studyin' to be an archeologist, dad. I don't know nothin' about framin' and all that house buildin'..."

Maybe it had been your dad's idea, but he wasn't the one who planted it into his own head. Joel subtly turned to you and cooly uttered a response.

"You could work on interior stuff with me."

Did he just-?

"S'not much more fun than what your dad's been doin,' but at least it's out of the sun, and easier to learn."

You were almost dumbfounded. Your dad offering you a job that potentially could give you heat stroke with your lack of experience seemed like the worst idea in the world... but working on interior projects? With Joel of all people? Well, that didn't sound so bad.

You didn't want your dad to catch on, of course. Being so protestant of his suggestion, but then falling right into it as soon as Joel was the one to offer would be a dead giveaway to some sort of favoritism to his best buddy. It simply wouldn't look right.

"What kinda interior stuff?"

He smirked. The motherfucker was smirking. He knew you'd changed your mind, but couldn't exactly just come out with it. He understood, but it was still slightly amusing to him.

"Flooring, cabinets, countertops... 's things like that," he explained, knowing you really didn't care what all it entailed. He was still happy to play along. "S'not as fun as archeology, but it pays alright."

You nodded, acting as though you were turning the thoughts over in your head.

"Well, if you're sure I won't mess it up, I'd be happy to try it out," was your final response. You figured it left some leeway in case your father became suspicious, but gave a good enough answer to end the conversation on.

"That's my girl," your dad clapped a hand on your shoulder in excitement. Truth be told he would very much enjoy your presence on a work site. "I'll go ahead and call Eddie in the morning, let 'im know I found someone to replace Charlie for interiors."

It was said more to Joel, you figured, because you didn't really know who either of those people were. He'd nodded to your dad, taking a sip of his beer and then looking back to you. You smiled sweetly, nobody catching it but the one it was meant for.

"Game's gonna start soon," Joel spoke aloud, drawing everyone's eye to the clock over the stove.

Sarah cleared her throat before jumping in on the conversation.

"About that," she looked to her dad with the same puppy dog eyes she used to use against you. He was just as poor at saying no to her when she pulled those bad boys out. "Sammy texted me to ask if it's okay to stay over at her place tonight?"

Joel sighed. He knew that no matter the attempts he made for her to like baseball, it wasn't her thing. It was summer vacation, and he had no reason to say no, so he didn't.

"Is she coming to pick you up?" He began, fishing his keys out of his pocket to drive her if need be. The girl lived five minutes away, he'd be back only a few minutes after the game started, but he didn't really want to leave.

"I can ask her," she pulled her phone back out of her jeans, opened her screen, and checked her messages.

"No need, I can take you," your voice rang out, standing from the table and taking your bowl to the sink. It was a genuine offer, but it was also to get out of the house and process what just happened with the job situation.

Joel was the first one to stand up with you.

"You don't have to-"

"It's fine," you cut him off, leaving no room for discussion. It was lucky he liked you, otherwise, Joel Miller might have put up quite the argument for such a small dilemma. As was his way, of course. He huffed, but accepted he had been overruled.

"Thanks, then." It was mumbled, but there was gratitude in it.

"We gotta hop over to ours real quick and grab my stuff," Sarah told you, waiting for you to return from the kitchen before beginning to head out through the front door. You'd grabbed your keys off where they hung on the wall before going behind her.

"I'll be back soon," you called over your shoulder into the house, and got a chirped 'alright' reply from your dad.

You walked out passed your driveway, seeing the light flicker on as you both went passed the censor on the ground.

"Y'know, I didn't think you'd have caved so fast on that job thing." She had piped up once you were almost to her porch. You found it only slightly funny that she chose the exact topic which had been swirling in your mind since it happened.

"Not sure I really wanna do it, but your dad made it sound better than every time my dad's talked about it, guess he just convinced me," you chuckled, playing it off in a way that she absolutely was about to use against you.

"That's another thing," she turned to you as she backed into the house through the door, only turning once she was inside. "Since when are you friends with my dad?"

She said it in a joking tone, but having known a few things she didn't about interactions that occurred between you and her father, you felt constricted to answer seriously. Probably with a lie if need be.

"I've always gotten along with your dad," you gave her a confused look, accompanied after by a playful smile.

She grabbed her backpack and opened it, checking to make sure she'd taken all the school stuff out before starting to shove things in, her charger, headphones, etc.

"Yeah but... you're just all young and cool and stuff," she shrugged, turning around to walk towards the staircase. "My dad is all old and boring and only talks about baseball."

"Thirty-seven isn't old, babe. My dad is two years from fifty, and I don't even think he's old, yet. Boring? Maybe..." you reasoned, hearing her laugh before she sprinted up the stairs, giving you time to think of some answers before she asked any more questions. Had she really caught onto you that fast? You didn't think you'd acted noticeably. If Sarah was able to see it, then maybe your dad did, too. You needed to be more careful, in that case.

Sarah returned a few minutes later, her backpack now stuffed and her pillow under her arm. You nodded out the door and headed back to your driveway to open the door for her, seeing as though her hands were full.

-

The drive after Sarah had been dropped off felt so much longer. Maybe it was just your thoughts, or maybe you consciously drove slower to avoid getting home too quickly. Your dad was waiting, but above that, Joel was there, too. Probably sitting back on the leather couch, relaxing with his feet kicked out on the floor. He usually leaned onto the armrest with his elbow, and held his face against the hand it supported. You'd noticed it years ago. He only ever spoke up when your dad did, usually in reply to him.

He was content simply watching the game in the presence of a friend. It was endearing.

When you pulled into the driveway, you had come up with an excuse to not remain downstairs for the duration of the game. It was too risky, and you weren't apparently as good with self-control as you'd thought you were.

You went inside and hung up your keys on the hook, immediately passing the living room on the way to the stairs.

"Hey, lovebug, you missed the top of the first," your dad called. He knew you liked baseball, so if you were to lie and say you didn't want to watch, he'd know something was up.

"Y'know, pa, I think I'm just gonna watch it upstairs, I forgot I still got some stuff to unpack," you peaked your head into the room to respond, and saw that Joel, just as you had pictured, was sitting in his most usual position on the couch, feet out on the floor, arm up with a hand holding the side of his face.

"Can't you do it later?" Your dad pleaded, but you knew, seeing as how your father occupied the recliner, you would have no where else to sit but on the floor or next to Joel. You didn't trust yourself with that.

"I could, but I might fall asleep if I wait too long."

He sighed, throwing an arm in your direction and shooing you away. He wasn't annoyed, but he'd admit he missed watching these games with you. It had been like a tradition, but if Sarah wasn't here either, he wasn't gonna make you stick around.

"Sure you don't wanna stick around? We could use your lucky jersey down here," Joel piped up, lifting his face from his hand and giving you a pair of soft eyes. That was exactly the reason you would not be staying. He didn't even realize how much he affected you, but you'd make sure he did at some point. Maybe you could just tease him a little.

"You're right, it would be a shame to take the lucky jersey with me."

You walked behind your dad's chair, out of his sight, and tauntingly stripped the jersey over your head, revealing the tight black tank top beneath it, just like that night at the bar. Joel's jaw clenched and his eyes turned darker, even under the bright light of the flatscreen in the living room. You never took your eyes away from his as you slung him the jersey.

"Hey pa, can I get you anything from the kitchen before I go upstairs?" You leaned over the back of his recliner, looking at him upside down. He chuckled and shook his head, trying to move your hair from obstructing his vision.

"We're all good, lovebug," he spoke in addition to his physical response, his laughter dying down as you stood back up. "Come on down if you change your mind."

"I'll probably be down later," you spewed a half-lie. You weren't sure if you would be or not, especially if Joel was still lurking in the living room.

You gave those brown eyes one last look before heading straight upstairs.

You grabbed your remote and flicked on the TV. It was already on the right channel, so you tossed the remote aside onto your bed and flopped back into it. You didn’t actually have anything left to unpack, but they would never have known.

Your phone buzzed beside you, and you lifted the screen to your face to see a text from an unsaved number:

Missin you down here…

You’d never put Joel in your contacts, because in highschool, your friends thought it was weird to even text or call him regularly, but you had his number for years, always just as a backup. You’d known it by heart, now, and nearly had it memorized back then, too, for the times you needed his help.

I’d come back if there was an open seat.

A bit sassy of a response, maybe, but you were hoping he’d understand the hidden meaning behind it… Although, Joel didn’t usually pick up on those things very easily.

Open seat right next to me

Yeah, that’s why I’m up here…

You huffed, realizing it wouldn’t be that easy. The three little dots indicating his next response was on the way slightly nerved you. Maybe he took the last text you sent the wrong way. You didn’t mean it to sound badly.

What’s that supposed to mean?

Means that I can’t keep my hands to myself.

You quickly rectified the situation, although you might have gone too far. He was taking far too long to answer, now. The little dots that before nerved you would now be your saving grace if it meant he would just fucking respond, already. You dropped the phone on your chest, raising up and down in a scattered rhythm while you wiped your hands over your face. Your phone vibrated over your shirt and you immediately opened it.

I can’t either. Stay up there.

You breathed out a sigh of relief. He was thinking the same things you were, and likely was under more stress for it, given he sat right across from your dad, responding to his comments about the game here and there. Your dad had no idea what was happening right under his nose.

Wasn’t thinking about leavin.

This little back and forth went on, the majority of the game, in fact. It was more-so about the plays then on, because you didn’t have anyone to talk to up here.

Joel thought it a bit funny, your dad would say something oddly specific about one of the players, and then you’d text him right after saying the exact same thing. You’d been a product of watching baseball with your old man for just about ever.

“I’m thinking about gettin’ some tickets over the summer for a game or two. They’re always cheaper in them group packages, you n’ Sarah should come along,” your dad was barely paying any attention to the words he spoke, but they came flowing out anyway, clear and cool. “Could be fun.”

Joel knew that there was only so much group interaction he could handle with you, and you with him. It stands to why you’re upstairs, an he’s down here, fist wrapped tightly around your lucky jersey. All out of your father’s sight, of course.

“It could be. Don’t think Sarah’s much for baseball anymore, though.”

He’d hoped that your dad would drop it. Halfway through his third beer, he hoped the man was a little more than tipsy, and maybe didn’t even mean the words he was saying.

“Doesn’t mean you can’t still tag along,” your dad was definitely still sober enough to keep it up, although the way he spoke became slower. Maybe he was getting sleepy.

“I’ll think about it.”

His response was followed by a hum, then a lull of silence that endured the rest of the game. He sat all the while and thought about his predicament a bit more.

He couldn’t stop thinking about you. It was insane… like you’d leeched yourself to the inner workings of his mind and he wouldn’t be able to pull you off without hurting himself, too. You were just upstairs, and had been texting him. You were within his vicinity, and yet… so unreachable.

He’d wished for you to be down here, or for him to be up there with you. Obviously, that wouldn’t go too well with the man sitting next to him, but he’d be asleep soon. If he could just touch you again, just kiss you one more time, maybe his cravings would be satisfied and he could go about his days… but what would happen if he kept feeling the addictive urge to do more? What if he was never satiated enough to quit you?

The game was called, and you’d texted him a small ‘victory’ at seeing the Rangers had won.

It was wrong, and the presence of his friend beside him was a constant reminder that you were his kid, and he would have a final say. Even though you were an adult, he understood this was completely taboo, and you should be off with guys your own age... but he’s made up his mind about the thoughts spinning in his head.

He didn’t respond, though. Your dad stood up out of his chair, his arms stretching outwards with a loud yawn as he took a few steps forwards, clapping his hand down on Joel’s shoulder.

“I hate to kick you out…” your father joked, a low and tired chuckle under his words.

“It’s alright, I got some stuff to sort out anyway.”

They started making their way towards the door when light but fast footsteps could be heard coming down the stairs.

Joel turned quickly, a smile on his lips and in his eyes when he saw you trying to catch your breath after sprinting down here.

“Leavin’ already?”

They both laughed heartily. As if Joel hadn’t been here almost three hours, most of which you spent upstairs. Your heart was beating far too fast for your liking, but there didn’t seem to be a way to stop it. Now that you were present again, in the room with him, you didn’t know what else to do.

“Your dad’s half asleep as it is, if I stay any longer I’ll send ‘im into hibernation,” Joel’s response made you giggle softly, although you withheld most of the laughter, because in all honestly, it wasn’t that funny, and you needed to learn to control yourself.

“He’ll be over next week, we’ll talk about gettin’ you into that job.”

You nodded, turning back to Joel as your dad opened the front door. What were you supposed to do? You couldn’t hug him, could you? That’s too much… maybe just wave, or maybe-

He held his hand out… for you to shake it. A hand-shake. Yeah, sure, fine.

You shook it, but he pulled you in half way, tapping your back once and then letting go.

He just bro hugged you. This man just-

He turned and did the same to your dad, giving you one last glimpse as he stepped out the door. Your dad closed it behind him and you were almost clean out of words to say. That had to have been the strangest interaction you’ve had.

“I’m beat, love-bug. I’m gonna head to bed,” he slung an arm around your neck and kissed the top of your head before turning and going down the hall to the stairs. “Don’t be up too late.”

“I won’t, just got a few things to do.”

You waited approximately ten more seconds before running to the garage door, going as quickly and as quietly as you could through to your front yard. Joel was still on his porch when you got out there, but was about to go inside.

You ran out to the sidewalk in font of his house and called out to him, all the while still barefoot.

“Hey Miller,” you crossed your arms, watching him turn around and lean in one direction. “Did you just bro-hug me? Or did I imagine that?”

He stepped closer to the edge of the porch, leaning against one of the wooden beams closest to him.

You slowly walked up to him, tilting your head to side as you observed his stance. he looked rather good. Hair tousled, body adorning a black t-shirt and some dark jeans. He was a sight, even in the dark light of the neighborhood.

“I reckon I oughta’ try again?”

"Seems like the fair thing to do."

“You’re takin’ your sweet time, baby,” he irked, grabbing gently under your elbow and pulling you up onto to porch once you were close enough.

You smiled to him, and wrapped your arms round his neck, over his broad shoulders. He pulled you close, tucking a head into your shoulder. The anxiousness you felt before fell apart, the rapid beating of your heart slowed, because you were comfortable. You felt immense peace in his arms like you’ve never felt before.

He backed away too soon, but still kept you relatively close to him.

“Was that better?”

“Yeah, I’d say so.”

There was a moment of silence, of contemplation, but it wasn’t stiff, and it wasn’t awkward. It was just there, a nice and pleasant quiet, and you standing still with Joel Miller on his porch.

“You wanna come inside a while?”

Sarah wasn’t home, and wouldn’t be till morning. Your dad was probably passed out in bed by now, leaving the opportunity completely open. You had nothing to lose, no risk to be had.

“Yeah, I think I will.”

He didn’t let you go, he just walked you both backwards until he was able to reach the door, reaching with one hand to open it before stepping slightly to the side to allow you entrance first.

“Ever the gentlemen,” you smiled, walking inside before he followed you in.

“Gotta make up for all that nonsense earlier,” he closed the door, taking your hand and walking to the kitchen. He pulled out a stool at his counter and let your hand fall to your side as he made his way to the fridge.

He pulled out two beers and uncapped them with the tool hanging on the side of his fridge. You think you remember your dad buying it for his birthday one year. You can remember sitting in this exact seat many times before, actually. Never alone, though. Never just you and Joel, and nobody else near.

He slid you one beer an you smiled at him in thanks, taking a sip.

“Last time you had one of these, I didn’t know if you liked it or not,” he gestured to his own bottle, drinking some and setting it down on the counter.

“I don’t know, I think it’s growing on me.”

He looked straight to you, leaning both hands on the edge of the counter. You leaned forward, mimicking his more stern face of features before he said anything else.

“I didn’t wanna say so with your dad around, but you look awful pretty tonight,” he spoke the compliment smoothly, but he had to drop his head after he said it. Seemed that giving you compliments alone in the night was something of a struggle for him, since he was blushing still even when he looked back to you.

“I seem to be feelin’ a lot prettier as of late whenever I’m around you. Think you’re just good for my self esteem,” you paused, leaning back onto the stool to take a drink of your beer. “That, or it's just nice to be complimented by a handsome guy like yourself.”

He didn’t seem to believe you. His scoff was loud and heard immediately after your compliment returned to him.

“You think I’m handsome?”

He’d always thought he was average. Maybe even slightly below. As he got older, that notion grew until he felt that maybe he was beyond trying for a woman on behalf of his looks. Perhaps there were women from time to time that would agree to a date, but there were none since Sarah’s mom who actually stuck around, not until you… but you were different as far as relationships go, because technically, you shouldn’t even be considering one with him.

“Absolutely, I do. Why wouldn’t I?” You were curious, because he was clearly attractive. Maybe you’d spent too much time around the more traditionally preferred young men in dallas, but something about Joel intrigued you that never did with anyone else. Maybe it was the forbidden aspect of what you two were doing, but before that, it was something else. He was rough and rugged, and good looking in a mature way that the boys your age couldn’t mimic if they tried. Those dark brown eyes with little crows feet at the edges every time he smiled were a dead give away to his age, but it was so appealing somehow.

“Don’t know. Guess I’m just old,” he spoke, trying to hide the insecurities that phrasing brought about. He was too old for you, he shouldn’t be sitting here with you you alone and calling you pretty, and yet…

“Maybe that’s a good thing. Too many boys my age are still very immature these days.” And it was very much true. Too young, too immature, and too stupid to see what’s in front of them and really appreciate it. Older men have a tendency to take care of the things they have, because they know that with time they can lose them.

“That so?”

“Mhm.”

“They don’t even realize what their missin’ out on, do they?”

You shook your head in reply. Nope. Not a single one of the younger guys you’ve dated has treated you with the care you know he could. He’s always treated you with care, before… why would that change now?

“They probably figure there’s a million girls linin’ up after me that they can take a shot at,” you raised your eyebrows and drank some more. Maybe it was just a thought of some past experiences, but this beer was tasting better and better to you.

“I pity them,” he said nonchalantly, without really thinking about it.

“Who, the girls? I mean, I kinda feel bad, but other times, I think we all know what we’re getting ourselves into n’ we just try to ignore the red flags.”

It was meant as a joke, but he was being genuinely serious.

“No, the guys. I pity ‘em.”

“Oh, do you?”

“I do,” he nodded, thinking of the right words to say. “They lost you, didn’t they? Biggest mistake of their lives and they didn’t even know. Pity ‘em just for that.”

You didn’t know what to say. You figured the wide smile you wore was doing a fine enough job, but he wasn’t looking like he had anything else to voice yet.

“You think I’m somethin’ special, Joel Miller?”

He set his bottle down on the counter and walked around it to stand right in front of your barstool. He took both your hands and pulled them to his chest, just holding them there and looking to you with the sweetest expression you’ve ever seen from him. He’s so different than what you remember in your earlier years. He used to be so stoic and serious. Sometimes even a little grumpy. Guess time changes things.

“I wouldn’t be gettin’ myself into sum’ this crazy if I thought anything else,” he mumbled it almost, but he definitely meant it. His words rang true in every aspect of the implications they made. This was crazy, it was very unlikely in the first place, but even still, it was happening. Neither of you backed down, neither of you said no.

“If it helps, I happen to think you’re pretty damn special, too.”

He didn’t respond, just leaned closer towards you, nudging his nose against yours, before letting your lips meet in a kiss. it washed rushed and hazy like the last time. It wasn’t forceful or fast or anything of that sort. It was gentle, and it was meaningful. All the years he’d known you, but never like this. You knew this attraction was new, but it was still real. You wondered how many women pined after him over the years, only for you to now gage his attention when clearly no one else did. The man’s been single since Sarah’s mom left, and otherwise, you didn’t know him to be much of a ‘dating around’ kinda guy. Standing here with him, now, you felt such excitement in knowing he’d pursue you, the off limits woman, over anyone else. It was a true victory, or at least you thought so, sitting on a stool in his kitchen while he kissed you softly, his thumbs going over the backs of your hands that still lingered in his.

When the kiss broke, you inhaled deeply, the scent of him so close to you, surrounding you. He was like a warm blanket you just pulled out of the dryer. He was comforting, and soft, and his skin was currently hot to the touch. You could only hope that you had something to do with that.

“Baby,” he breathed, hands letting go of yours and finding a new home at your waist. You left your hands on his chest, feeling his heart rate fluctuating. “Gotta know something before this goes any further…”

You hummed in response, still trying to even your breath intake. He backed away a few inches to be able to look you in the eyes correctly. He’d spent enough time with you in the past to know if you were telling the truth, and he was going to use it just this once to his advantage.

“What we’re doin’, you sure you’re okay with it?” He knew better than to jump into this without clarification. “Don’t want you feelin’ pressured if you’re not.”

“I want this,” you spoke softly, just loud enough that he could hear. “Promise.”

You had thought you’d been the instigator to this, if memory serves you correctly. Even still, you know now that whatever happens, he won’t take it somewhere you don’t want it to go. This show of good faith was something you could put trust in him over. He’s a good one, you always knew that.

And again his lips were on yours, differently this time. It was a bit more hasty and fervent like the first time, but there was still something different from then that you couldn’t quite decipher.

You absent-mindedly opened your legs and he instantly came between them, letting your bodies become flush with one another. His hands ran up and down your sides, every once and a while dipping to your hips and somewhere below on your thighs.

There was a heat between them that you didn’t realize was there until he came so close to touching it. He never actually did, though, and you were both endeared by and upset about it. He was the one making that heat spread, he can’t just leave it there… but he’s testing his limits, and you think it’s respectful that he is.

He doesn’t want to cross any lines… as if this entire entanglement has not already done that. This situation in every sense of the definition, has crossed the line. Him hugging you that tightly on his porch, him inviting you in after dark when it’s only you and him alone, having a beer with some very personal conversation, and now making out with you in his kitchen. They all crossed the line of what should happen between a man and his best friend’s daughter.

“Tell me to stop,” he mumbled against your mouth, almost as if reading your mind. His hand on your thigh drifted between your legs, just barely caressing the heated pool sitting there, waiting for him. It was still very reserved, and you had to buck against his hand for more friction, but at least it was something.

The taste of him somehow made it worse, the feeling growing inside you without an end in sight. The arousal was evident, but you weren’t sure he would be able to do anything about it, yet. You could tell it was weighing on his mind, what was okay for him to do, and what wasn’t. You would beg him if you had to, you just needed more.

He had an idea, one that could allow both of you to explore this dynamic easier, and one that could potentially keep him from overstepping like he was afraid to.

He removed his hands only for a minute, bringing yours up and over his shoulders before he settled his back down below your ass.

“Hold on,” he told you, lifting you from the seat and walking until he got to the living room. From there, he let the space guide him until the back of his knees hit the edge of the couch. He sat almost abruptly, and when you relaxed your weight onto him, you felt the stirring between his legs as well. You moaned into his mouth at the mere size and feeling of it, beginning to slowly grind down onto him. He encouraged your movements, and used his hands to guide your hips as you went, back and forth, getting into a rhythm.

“That’s it, baby,” he praised, tearing himself away for a moment to expel his breath from his lungs at the new feeling. Your head fell against his, and suddenly it was the movement of your lower half taking you over.

He let his hands move over your body a bit more freely, now, but still careful not to make any harsh movements, or grab in places he felt he shouldn’t linger too long. He knew you wanted this, but something inside him questioned how comfortable you really felt… that was until you started doing the same, roaming his body with your delicate touch, making him feel like the most important man in the world. You could have sworn you marked the exact moment he snapped, rolling his hips upwards into yours shamelessly. It was so deliciously addicting, the feeling of his body pleasing yours, and vice versa. His rough and sturdy hands, though still gentle, ravished any part of you available to him.

The air between you was hot and thick, and you could swear that by breathing it in, you were drawing even more arousal into your body.

The motions kept going until there was a quickening of pace brought on by you both simultaneously. You couldn’t mark a distinction of when it increased, you just knew that the speed you were going wasn’t where you started. All you could think of was that your spend was fast approaching, and you wondered if his was, too.

“Gettin’ close,” you murmured, barely able to get the words out for the moans that slipped passed your lips. “M’gonna…”

He heard you, and understood. Truth be told, he’d started getting hard since that moment on the porch, so this was just nothing but sweet relief to him. He kept on, trying to meet you at your finish.

“Let go , baby.”

You had no qualms about being told twice when it came to him. You gave it up easily, the muscles in your body contracting when you felt the wash of utter ease through every inch of you. He tensed beneath you, but relaxed with a groan of relief right after, and you could feel his length twitch in his jeans.

You just dry-humped Joel Miller on his couch. Like a horny teenager. What the fuck.

The dawn of realization was cut short by his hand softly coercing the back of your neck, bring your lips back for him to claim as he did earlier. Soft, and gentle, no rush, no heat. Just that feeling between you both that started this mess.… and it was indeed a mess.

“You wanna stay over?”

-

Tags (open):

@justanothersadperson93 @moonchild-warrior @hopplessilse @brittmd115 @michilandcof @untamedheart81 @just-someone-broken @joelalorian @xybil @yvonneeeee

If i tagged you wrong, or you want to be taken off at any time, just lmk!!

[catiuskaa]

Yeah, Flowers Follow.

You have always been committed to your duty at your mom's flower shop since she got hurt carrying bags of dirt over a month ago. It was mostly just you and the flowers, until he barged in one day, slapped 20 bucks on the countertop and with a passive-aggressive tone, asked: "How do I say fuck you in flower?"

because seo changbin + fluff will always have me in a chokehold. And a flower au? fuck yea, bring it on, babe.

inspired by this pin which I'll link here

edit: omg guys you loved this so much I just couldn't resist making a part two, still, this can be read as a stand-alone, although I hope you guy's like this one as much as its 'second part', which I'll link here

Word count: 5k. Binnie isn't mean, ok? He's just emo and tough-looking. And kinda introverted. fluff fluff fluff. swearing. kinda horny towards the end, but no spice added. Lol

You wiped your sweat from your forehead, rolling your sleeves up with a huff as you took back in your hands a big old water can. You watered the lilies and small ivies that remained outside of the flower shop, quickly waddling back inside for more water.

Your mother was usually the one who took care of Lilac, the flower shop. At first, it had been her and your aunties, but it all flew away after your grandma's passing. You had been young, so much that your memories of the time were mostly made of blurry faces that were not present in your life to this day. Your mom had been okay taking care of the small flowery world she built, but an accident with a heavy bag of dirt over a month ago made you complain. She reluctantly let you handle the store until her back got better, which was coming along slowly.

After watering the plants, sweeping the floor, pruning the bonsais, and preparing the several bouquet orders you had for the day, you ran out of things to do, settling to play some jazzy music while you reviewed your class’ notes as you waited for clients.

Your evening was quite calming. Clients came in like droplets, so the shop never felt too crowded. Most of them asked for flowers for their loved ones, some even speaking about their partners, how they had met, or the dates they were excited to have.

It was cute. You had always been fond of the small flower shop and shared the interest with your mom, reason why you didn't care about taking the lead for a while or doing your homework there. You loved the way the flowers brought people together, and the stories and meanings that they had behind them.

Just as you figured out the answer to that one question you had been stuck on, the bell rang, indicating someone's presence inside. Someone that approached you in a rather passive-aggressive manner.

"How can I say 'fuck you' in flower?"

Words that you had never imagined coming out of someone's mouth —which was something, considering the wide range that your imagination could reach sometimes—.

You carefully observed the man's gestures, who didn't stop scanning the place. Years spent helping out at the flower shop had given you a kind of sixth sense, one that allowed you to easily see through people's appearances.

"Do you have anything in mind, or do you not care as long as it is full of loathing?" You inquired with a sweet smile.

Changbin found himself suddenly falling into the harmony of your eyes without realizing it. You quickly left the books on the shelf under the counter, lowered the music and turned to him. Your eyes rested on his, brown and limpid, to which he adopted a belligerent posture in response, an action that —to his surprise— did not unsettle you. He quickly shook his head, focusing on the anger that remained inside of him.

"Make it striking. Something so colourful that can even hurt to look at." You giggled.

"Intense." He held back a smile, his lips twitching. "One second."

He stared at your figure as you went to the small workshop behind the counter. The feeling that Changbin had at first had nothing to do with what he was perceiving at that time. A pleasant floral smell, mixed with mint and lavender essence filled the building. It wasn't only the exquisite aroma that captivated the man, but the beautiful colourful landscape that that small establishment hid. The white wood decoration made any bouquet or flower pot stand out as if it were the icing on a cake. The large windows allowed a large amount of light to enter, and they gave amplitude to the small place.

It was a beautiful place, but strange. Peculiar, for sure, and it was due to the chromatic order of its flowers. Sorted by colour scale, regardless of the species. The red roses were with the poppies, the tulips with the clivias and the orange jasmines. The ferns, aloe vera and fittonias were also together, despite having nothing to do with each other. The coves, cherry blossoms and hydrangeas shared a common space that at first glance, they should not have. It was a beautiful chaos, but it was still a floral hustle and bustle.

"Do you like it?" You asked sweetly when you came back.

"It's not bad." He replied vaguely. "It's..." Ravishing "...small."

From his attitude and the way he studied the place, almost as if he expected some kind of danger to appear among the pots and leaves, some would say he was not to be messed with, but to you, he looked like someone rather shy and quite sceptical, nothing to do with what he might seem as, considering that tattooed bad-guy build and the killer stare that he carried around. A thought occurred that his somewhat murderous look did not allow him to say what he really thought.

Nevertheless, you could agree with him. Not only was it a small store, but it was a disarray of varieties. Nevertheless, to Changbin, above all, feeling watched all the time was something he was used to, yet your stare felt different, making him feel more goosebumps the longer he was under your eager gaze. He couldn't help it, but when you looked at him so kindly, he felt strange.

He wanted you to stop looking at him.

"Orders arrive on Wednesdays," you mentioned, already arranged behind the counter. "Shop opens at nine, so feel free to arrive whenever. I will need more flowers for your bouquet, so until then, I'm afraid I can't have it. Either that or..."

Changbin interrupted you. He couldn't stand to have those deep-coloured eyes immersing in his own.

"Wednesday is fine." He said in a huff.

You smiled, dimples on display. "Okay! Then as long as you stop by on Wednesday, we can arrange the bouquet. I'll be here, spraying water to the chrysanthemums, alliums and hydrangeas."

Changbin felt his chest tighten, his eyes wandering around your features, your dimples, your lips. He stopped himself, took back his cash almost in a hurry, and left almost as quickly as he had arrived.

"See you then, and thanks for shopping in Lilac!"

[☆ ☆ 💐 ☆ ☆]

Wednesday. The delivery truck was parked on the street facing the back of the store to unload the flowers you had ordered for the week.

To your surprise, Mystery —the nickname you had chosen for him, that sounded way better than 'fuck you flower boy'— came back precisely at nine am, and again, surprisingly enough, he wasn't alone.

He looked way more relaxed with his friend, the anger that almost shocked you looking long gone as his features didn't remain tense.

The bell rang as you were preparing the workshop for the arrival of the many flowers.

"Wow, this place is lit." His friend had good taste, judging by what you could hear.

"Thank you!" You mentioned with a cheeky smile, startling both men when you came out of nowhere. "Sorry, the truck’s outside, but I’ll be here in a minute."

You approached the delivery guy, who was opening the truck and setting the ramp so lowering the different flowers wouldn’t be too hard.

“Hey, Jerry!”

A comfortable chat took place between the two, who had met each other several times ever since your mom got hurt.

Inside, another conversation was happening. “Remind me, what are we waiting for, buddy?” Han asked as he wandered about in the colourful building.

Changbin sighed, frustrated at the reminder.

“The boss said something the other day I didn’t like. As a matter of fact, I despised it,” he grunted. “He looked at my desk and saw the bouquet I kept there, the one we got for that other show, you know?” Han hummed, paying attention. Weirdly enough, Seo’s eyes never left the backdoor you had gone through, not even when he continued. “So he mentioned how untidy my desk looked, how disgusting it would look when the flowers died, and hinted that flowers would look way better in his studio. It made me fucking angry. I don’t care if no one likes you that much to give you pretty flowers.” Han cleared his throat, allowing Changbin to return from his hating cloud. “Yeah. Uh. So we’re here to plan his bouquet.”

“Sheesh, I get that. The boss can be such an asshole sometimes.” Jisung mentioned vaguely. “But why nine am?”

Because I needed the excuse to see her. “I want to get this over with. If I’m lucky, he’ll even brag about the flowers.” He smirked, hiding his true intentions.

He suddenly heard some giggles through the door you had crossed. Han arched his brows.

“So you offered to pay for coffee and takeaway tonight for me just so I’d come with you here only to get flowers for the big man? Really?” He said, faking innocence as he settled his elbows on the counter, holding his cheeks in his hands, almost like a toddler.

He gave Han a side-eye. He shrugged. “Give me one more sign, and I might start thinking that…”

Bin covered his mouth. “Don’t. And that also goes to don’t lick it, or I’ll make sure Minho air fries you.”

Jisung lifted his hands, giving up. “I wonder what’s going on back there.” He smirked, teasing.

Changbin didn't want to flutter around you two, but he knew that putting the flowers in the store wasn’t that hard. He clenched his jaw unconsciously.

"If I had known that you were looking for an employee, I would have come running," said the boy, putting his cap back. “If you are looking for more staff, you know where I am.”

"It's very kind of you, but I never looked for anyone in the first place. Mom wouldn’t even dare to accept it,” you laughed. “Also, I wouldn't bother you knowing that you have your own trade. In addition, I get to put my skills to the test, but I can get quite moody sometimes. I bite, you know.”

He arched an eyebrow. "Don't worry about any of that. Working with you would be a thousand times better than distributing flowers throughout the city.”

Maybe it had been how you laughed or the snarky reply he had just heard, but Changbin needed that man to leave. Now.

Your eyes landed on that buff silhouette who entered the inside of the truck. Seo continued to unload the flowers. You tried to finish the conversation, but the guy wouldn’t stop talking while there was a client of yours doing your fucking job. You grew tired of Jerry, and you got up inside the trunk, willing for the man to take a hint and leave already.

Han couldn’t believe his eyes.

"Oh, please don't," Jerry went up too. "I'll take care of moving the plants.”

"Don't worry, it's the last one.” You tiredly smiled at him.

You took the remaining bouquet and got out of the truck behind Seo while the delivery guy wondered when the flowers had been unloaded. You quickly said your goodbyes before you returned to the counter.

"Thank you for lowering the flowers, it was not your job yet you did it anyways,” you smiled shyly as you started preparing the table in front of you with different sorts of labels plus the diferent tools you needed. “Sorry for the wait.”

“You’re fine. Don’t worry.”

Han stared blankly at the man who scolded him singlehandedly every day he was late to the studio just by a minute. He then stared back at you, then at his friend.

No bloody way. Holy shit.

"For your order, I found something the other day I though you might enjoy," your smile widened, your eyes like crescent moons as you handed him a small book.

“Oh.”

It was an old copy of a book that read “The Language of Flowers.”

“Maybe you could search up in the insults chapter if you see any meaning that you think could suit.”

He looked at you and quickly back to the book so he wouldn’t drift away in your eyes like days ago.

“Yeah, fine.”

Changbin was not very talkative, but the bitter tone with which he spoke was unusual. Han could tell, years of knowing the man allowed him to feel a bad mood in the way he communicated. His gaze was more frivolous than usual, and he squeezed his lips as if he didn't want to say anything. Shockingly to him, you noticed and were unable to let it go.

"Is something wrong?" You questioned softly. “Are you upset?”

Changbin hesitated. Han gave him a soft kick where he knew you wouldn’t see it.

“Yes.”

You started slowly writing in the labels before you as he, at the same pace, passed the pages.

"May I know why?"

Changbin cleared his throat. Shit, why was he so nervous?

"That guy was just talking, and that's why I had to do his job,” he grunted.

"I... I'm sorry." You looked down, sounding sincere. “If I hadn't given him a conversation, he would have started unloading the flowers.”

It wasn't true, and Changbin wasn't an idiot. That guy wouldn't have taken his eyes away from you unless he didn't have enough time to finish his shift.

But that didn't matter to him. What mattered was that your voice didn’t sound the same when you talked about this guy. It didn’t sound right.

"What type of flower is a Forget-Me-Not?" Han interrupted, looking at the book, reading past Changbin's shoulder. If he continued like that, Seo may not scold him anymore. For a short time, at least. Maybe a week.

"Oh." You recovered your kind smile, and the knot that had formed on Changbin’s chest untangled as soon as he heard your excited tone as you showed Han the small blue flowers. “They actually import them, from Mexico! Did you know?” You asked no one in particular, the two men in the shop suddenly interested in the topic as you continued to blabber about flowers.

To Changbin, only when you talked about them, your voice seemed less annoying. Even pretty, he could admit —not out loud, obviously—. But he liked it, mentally classifying your sweet tone of voice into “I-would-listen-to-it-to-fall-asleep”.

No one would notice.

[☆ ☆ 💐 ☆ ☆]

“Dude. You are like, I don’t know, totally in love with her?” Han said as he took a sip from his takeaway coffee as he entered the recording studio and sat on the sofa.

In his mind, just because he hadn’t paid for it, it tasted ten times better, even though if it was the same he chose every day.

The accusation almost made Changbin spit his own drink. He stared at it, wondering if there could be something in it that could’ve explained why his face felt so hot all of a sudden.

Fuck, was it that noticeable?

“Yeah man, it is really noticeable.” Han smiled, surprised at his silent victory. “You look at her like Minho Hyung looks at his cats. It’s sickening, really.”

Changbin frowned. “I do not.” Jisung deadpanned.

“Says the man that made me third wheel in a fucking flower shop.”

“What are you guys bickering about?” Chan asked with a small smile as he got inside.

“Changbin is in love with the flower girl two blocks away.” Han teased in a sing-song voice.

“Fuck that.” Chan’s eyes grew big with emotion.

“Shit, he is.”

“Actually, Hyung,” Jisung mentioned as he handed Chan the other coffee he had bought, “I think she might like him back.”

Changbin coughed violently. The others smiled.

“Why the fuck would she?” He frowned again, his eyes not leaving his phone. “I literally met her last week and behaved like a piece of shit.”

Both Chan and Han smiled, knowing that by not refusing the allegation, Changbin was actually interested in Miss Flower Girl.

“Remember the analogy I made with Minho and his cats? Same shit goes for her. I’ve never seen anyone staring so intensely at someone’s eyes.” Han trembled, exaggerating. “Chills. Literal chills.”

Small hope was planted in Changbin’s heart, but he tried to shove it deep inside him. “Either way, after I go and get the flowers from her, whatever this is, is over. There’s no chance,” he shrugged.

Chan and Jisung shared worried looks. Despite what Changbin could show to people, he was a loving, sensible person. They both knew that if he had silently admitted the existence of a crush on this girl, it was because he meant it. And for a guy like him, who was often viewed as mean and rude or even dangerous, he usually chose to approach new people the less, so whatever was going through his mind meant a big deal.

Chan tsked. “Maybe it’s none of my business, bro, but after Hari, I’ve-.”

“Spare me the trip, Hyung,” Changbin interrupted in a low voice. “She’s been stalking me for months since I broke up with her. I really don’t want to hear it.”

Chan patted his back, a sad smile on his features as he looked at his friend.

“S’good, man. No hard feelings.”

After working on some tracks for a while, the topic was thoroughly avoided by the members, until Changbin sighed.

“Okay. You guys can stop your mind games.”

The others gave him a puzzled look.

“Whaddya mean?” The Australian wondered.

Seo let a small smile show as he passed his hands through his face.

“I really want to see her again.”

[☆ ☆ 💐 ☆ ☆]

So thanks to Chris, the bell in the flower shop rang once again. You were humming a popular song, one that Changbin knew, so instead of approaching you, he wandered through the isles filled with flowers, listening to you as you continued the melody.

His heart beat like crazy when after a while, he opened and closed the door again, pretending he hadn’t been there listening to you.

“Oh, hey, Mystery.”

Your smile made his heart skip a beat. The sundress you were wearing, along with the short brown apron, made him swallow dry.

“Flower girl,” he greeted. You lifted your eyebrows.

“That’s a change of attitude. What can I do for you today?”

Do me. “I was wondering if you could deliver the flower bouquet. Is that possible?” He asked politely.

Your dimples showed when you smiled at him, looking for a notebook in the mess that your study guides made.

“College?” He wondered, staring at your eyes daringly as he pointed to your books.

“Music major, final year,” you grinned. “For your delivery, write the address here, and I’ll deliver it myself,” you played with a strand of hair, quickly moving it behind your ear.

Chanbin’s hands tickled. He wanted to do that too.

“I wouldn’t do it usually, but I figured you wouldn’t enjoy seeing Jerry again.”

He scoffed as he scribbled in the notebook. You cackled.

Suddenly, a loud noise from the workshop startled both of you, who were kind of lost in the other’s eyes.

“Girl, are you still here?” Your mother asked loudly.

You facepalmed, mouthing ‘sorry’ to Changbin, to which he quickly gestured that it was fine.

“You ok, mom?” You replied.

“I’m fine! God, you spend your days here. If it were me, I’d be outside kissing boys!”

Your face turned red in the blink of an eye. “Mom?!” Changbin held back his laughter, covering his mouth with his hand.

She never answered, just chuckled teasingly.

Changbin quickly closed the notebook and gave it to you, his cheeks suddenly almost as red as yours.

“See you soon, I guess?” He smiled, still holding back a loud cackle.

“Stop laughing.” You snickered. “But yeah. See ya… eh…”

“Changbin. Seo Changbin.” He left, smilling like an idiot.

You opened the notebook as you raised the music’s volume again, blushing furiously at your discovery.

Along with the address of what you recognised as some well-known company and the name of who the flowers where for, he had left a note below it.

In case you want to go kiss boys.

Was that… his phone number?

[☆ ☆ 💐 ☆ ☆]

After closing the shop for the day, you stared at the flower bouquet as you were walking down the street, headed to where Changbin had written down. After figuring your way out with the maps app on your phone, you decided that taking your bike would be stupid, as it only was two blocks away.

The mix of colours was striking. At least, it had that. You hoped the person who would receive it would like it, meanings aside, considering you put effort into it.

The company was bigger than you expected. Before you could allow yourself to enter and look around, a security guard stopped you.

“Excuse me, miss, no one is allowed inside without a pass,” he explained.

You smiled sheepishly, scratching the back of your neck. “I was just here to deliver this…? I wasn’t told about this restriction, my client just said that I should deliver it in person.” Yeah, that was a lie, but he didn’t know that. “Would it be ok if I went inside? It’ll be only for a minute.”

He sighed, then shrugged. “I don’t think I’m allowed to let you pass…”

“Oi, Hyung!”

A somewhat tall man —at least taller than you— approached you two.

“You’re Flower Girl, right?” He said, sounding excited, failing to hide it. “She’s with me, don’t worry.”

You entered the company with him, but after that, you stopped and turned to him.

“I appreciate the help, but who are you?”

He smiled. “Yikes. Forgot about that. My name is Chris, it’s nice to meet you. I am close friends with Changbin.”

Your eyes softened, and you smiled. “Oh, I see.” You then looked back at the notebook you carried, the one Changbin had written down in. “Do you know where could I find Park Jin Young’s office?”

Chan looked at you weirdly. “Changbin paid for flowers for the big man? Damn.”

You giggled. “It’s not what it looks like. These flowers all have different meanings, and none of those is a good one.”

“Really?”

“Yeah! For example, the orange carnations?” You pointed out one of the flowers. “Those mean ‘I hate you.’”

Chan snorted and laughed at every meaning of every flower you gave him.

“Chan!”

He turned around to face whoever had called him, seeing Changbin approaching him, looking anxious.

“Chan, she’s fucking downstairs.”

Chris’ stare turned darker. Your heart tightened in your chest.

“Stay with her. I’ll go see if I can talk to security.” Chris managed to say before he rushed downstairs.

“Bin, is everything good?”

He noticed your presence, to which he froze for a second. Time started to feel slow. His spine locked up, and his shoulders stiffened. He even felt his shirt stretch in a sudden motion.

“Flower Girl.” You could feel the sudden state of relaxation he arrived, his figure visibly less tense.

You hesitated on what to do but then chose to act by instinct. Hugging him.

He tensed up again, the sudden act taking him by surprise. You tried stepping back, feeling like you had made him awkward, but he then pulled you in a bear hug.

“Thanks, pretty.” He whispered in your ear. “I needed that.”

“S’ok.” You smiled, a fluttering feeling settling in your stomach

He stepped away, shyness all over him. You smiled at him, but something changed as he looked at someone behind you.

Before you could turn around to see what had been the issue, he got way closer than a second ago, a hand travelling to your cheek, directing your face to meet his.

“I’m going to kiss you,” Seo whispered, just before he pressed his lips against yours.

Your confused self couldn’t manage the sudden emotions that ran through your body. You felt his tongue brush your lips, and you had to make an effort not to drop the flower bouquet when you started matching his pace, feeling him smile in between the kiss.

Concentrated on the man that had a hand on your face and an arm around your waist, you were too into it that you didn’t hear a woman gasp at the end of the corridor, leaving in a rush, crying fake tears.

Don’t get Changbin wrong. Seeing the girl that had tried to manipulate and gaslight him out of his music career just so he could spend his time doing stuff for her, things she took for granted, he figured the only way of making her leave should be a harsh one.

And okaaaay, he might have been dying to kiss you for a while now.

After texting Chan that she was gone, you both eventually arrived in front of the office.

He stayed behind as you entered, approaching a somewhat 50-year-old man with clothes as striking as the bouquet you had in your hands.

“Who sends these?” He questioned, his features suddenly looking younger when he smiled.

“Seo Changbin, sir," you bowed. "Have a good day!”

You couldn’t help but snicker when you closed the door. You found the three known men standing in front of you.

“So? Did he like them?” Han inquired.

“Pfft. I made that bouquet. Of course, he loved them.” You bragged jokingly.

The three of them offered to give you a quick tour, as it wasn’t common to have the opportunity to see the JYP building from the inside. Before you realised, it started pouring outside, heavy rain that looked like it wasn’t leaving anytime soon.

You cursed under your breath. If you even dared to walk under that rain, you would end up swimming your way home, your skirt and your blouse ruined.

3RACHA stood behind you, noticing that you were still at the entrance after a bit. Both Jisung and Chan ushered and pushed Seo to where you were.

“Is everything ok?” He asked, in a tone softer than what you expected.

“It’s just… ugh.” You looked at him, then tsked.

He froze when you got even closer, passing your hands above his shoulders. He had to hold back a shiver when your hands brushed his neck.

“Got no one to do this for you, I guess?” you gently fixed his collar, hands lingering on him more than they should have.

He couldn’t hold back a smile, looking at you differently, in a more intense way.

“I’ll take that as a no.” You ended the topic quickly, your eyes wandering from his eyes, then his lips, and back to his eyes again. You swallowed dry. “I can’t go back home with this rain, but my phone died, so I can't call for a cab or an Uber.”

He looked at you up and down. “Are you in a hurry?”

You stared at him, trying to match the intensity from before. “Not really. I just don’t have anything better to do. Why?”

“I’ll give you a ride.”

Neither Chan nor Han could say that Changbin was the messiest of the three, but he still was messy a generous amount. So when he got into the studio and picked up everything in less than five minutes, they gave him a look.

“Use protection, you bitch.” Jisung teased. Bin ruffled his hair.

“Fuck off," he chuckled. "See you tomorrow, guys.”

He guided you to the parking lot, and you both started driving.

Changbin’s grip on the steering wheel tightened when he noticed how your skirt rode up your knees when you sat down.

“Wait, I didn’t give you my address.” You realised, confused as to where was he going.

“I know.”

You looked around when he entered an underground parking lot, then parked and quickly got up to open your door.

He got really close, unbuckling your seat belt.

“You don’t need to be home tonight, right?” His eyes didn’t leave your lips when he asked.

“No.” You answered, almost in a whisper.

He took your hand as you got out of his car. Changbin walked with you to where the elevators were, hands still linked.

“Where are we?”

He pressed the elevator button and looked at you, even more intensely than later at the studio.

“My place.” He kept looking down at your lips. “I’ll take you home tomorrow.”

[☆ ☆ 💐 ☆ ☆]

You woke up the following morning with a warm body next to you, the feeling making you snuggle closer to Changbin, passing his arm and setting it on your waist.

The sound of a notification made you groan in a low voice, reaching for your clothes and grabbing your phone from your jacket’s pocket. It was your mom.

You didn’t arrive last night. Where are you?

You smiled and replied.

I went to kiss a boy, like you said.

You went back to bed, looking fondly at the man next to you.

A buzz from your phone made you wake up from your daydreaming.

Cheeky girl. Flowers follow?

You laughed. As a florist, your mom had made up the expression one day. When saying “flowers follow”, it meant that there would be a positive outcome of whatever you had on your hands.

You knew that to your mom, in this context, 'flowers follow' meant just one thing.

Yeah, flowers follow.

Yeah. You might have fallen in love with him.

Don’t you dare come back home without that boy. I’ll cook something!

“What’s got you all smiley?” A sleepy Changbin made you giggle even more.

He, on the other side, could definitely get used to a morning like that.

You left your phone on the bedside table, and then got close to him again, tangling your legs in between his. He poked your dimples, and you chuckled.

“You, silly flower boy.”

~Kats, who has the urge to put lil’ details in every fic, like how the flower shop is named Lilac, which means ‘first love’ in flower, or how the flower that Han asks about means 'true love'.

(if you ask me, she was humming Come Inside of My Heart, bc I fucking love that song)

[gyupinkys]

VENOM-PT 2

A/N- This is not edited, I was too excited to upload. I really outdid myself with the smut, I hope you enjoy

WARNINGS- MURDER, GORE, GUNS, KNIVES, smut, angst, unprotected sex, choking, spanking, breeding kink, daddy kink, restraints, voyuerism, exhobitionism, mutual masturbation, oral (m&f receiving) and a lot more, but these are the main ones :)

WORD COUNT: 9K

The next morning you limp down the stairs to find Mingyu and Vernon in the kitchen. Vernon looks at you and instantly blushes while Mingyu takes this as an opportunity to tease you. 

“Did chan actually make you cum or were you faking it” he asks as he slides a plate of fruit towards you. 

“He definitely made me cum, multiple times” you say looking him in the eyes. 

“I’m sure I could do better” he says and you roll your eyes. 

“Keep this up and you won’t get to” you say with a smile. 

Mingyu gives you your phone back and says he thinks he found something but he’ll tell you at the group meeting that it should be happening soon. You say ok and take your phone back, unlocking it to see a picture of you in pink lingerie staring back at you. You look at Mingyu and he’s scrambling for words. 

“Did you at least enjoy yourself?”

“I did,” he said in shame.

“I’ll punish you later Gyu Gyu”

Cheol texted everyone to come to his office and you follow Mingyu and Vernon there. Everyone else is already in there and all eyes are on you when you step in. 

“I’m guessing you and Chan had fun last night.” Cheol says with a blank look on his face.

“We sure did” you say and look at Chan who has a mug smile on his face.

“ANYWAYS, Mingyu you said you found something on Y/N’s phone?” Cheol says in annoyance.

“Yea, the messages were sent from the building across the street, I'm assuming the person took it with a camera  from a spot in the building. They probably broke the phone after sending it but I checked the security cameras of the surrounding area and this is the only guy to leave the building after the pictures were sent.” 

“Wow, good shit mingyu” Jeonghan says and looks at the picture on his computer.

“Smart, talented, and hot” you keep impressing me Gyu Gyu” you say.

“Hey, why don’t I have a nickname?” Chan says. 

“Chan leave her alone, let's just focus on this” Mingyu says despite him relishing in your compliment. 

Mingyu puts the picture of the man on the projector and asks if anyone recognizes him. 

Everyone in SVT is at a loss but you know exactly who this man is. 

“Guys, this is really awkward, but that’s my ex boyfriend” you say.

They all give you questioning looks.

“I have no idea why he would do this? We haven’t seen each other in two years, so i'm equally as confused.”

“What's his name? I’ll check our files for him”  DK says, pulling out his laptop.

“Choi San” you say nervously.

They all turn their heads toward you in shock. 

“You're telling me YOU were dating Choi San?” Seungkwan says in disbelief. 

“Hey! What's that supposed to mean?”

“He’s like the most lethal assassin in the game! How did you meet him?”

“We trained together and you know one thing led to another. But we broke up ages ago”

“Cheol i'm glad to not be you, he’s probably gonna kill you” Jun says.

“Jun, don’t say that Seungkwan says and he smacks Jun across the head.

He holds his hand up in defeat.

“Mingyu, can you check where he went after?”

“I already did, he went to this office building. “ATEEZ” corps.”

You’ve never heard of it let alone know what his association to it is. 

“Why don’t we send someone to camp out in front and see if he shows up?” Joshua suggest.

“I can go” you say.

“You should probably go with someone” Joshua says.

Everyone's hands but Jun’s shoot up and you let out a laugh.

“Wow so many options to choose from” you say with a smile. “Hmmmm, Hao we have some of our own problems to sort out why don't we go”

Mingyu, Chan, and Cheol all pout while the others brush it off. Hao can’t even look you in the eye for some reason but says “Sure, I’ll drop you off at your place so you can change”

From the moment you and Minghao parked the black inconspicuous van a few feet from the “ATEEZ” building you’ve wanted to

pull your gun out and shoot him.

“I SHOT HIM FIRST! YOU COSTED ME $5 MILLION DOLLARS, THEY SAID EITHER WE SPLIT THE MONEY OR TAKE NONE” 

“HE WAS MY HIT I DONT KNOW WHY YOU WERE THERE”

“I GOT THERE FIRST SO HE SHOULD’VE BEEN MINE”

“FOR THE LOVE OF GOD LETS JUST SPLIT THE MONEY”

“NO! YOU JUST GIVE ME ALL THE MONEY YOU DONT NEED IT ANYWAYS IM SURE IF YOU ASK CHEOL FOR MONEY HE’LL GIVE IT”

Hao can feel his patience wearing thin. He takes pride in his mediation and ability to control his temper, but you’re testing him. 

“Y/N, please shut up”

“Admit I win and I’ll shut up. You just refuse-”

Hao pulls your lips to his and kisses you with passion. 

“You were so good for Chan last night, why are you being so bad with me?”

“Maybe you don’t deserve a good girl”

“I think, I know what i deserve, but now i know you don’t deserve to cum” he says as he pulls you to the back of the van. He attempts to straddle you but you flip him over, pinning his hands to the floor and tying them together with rope you found on the floor. 

“No, I think it’s you who doesn’t deserve to

cum.” you say as you begin gliding your hands over his chest. You unbutton his pants and pull out his hardening cock making him gasp. “Hao, I have a confession” you say as you spit in your hand and begin stroking him. “I’ve found you attractive from the moment I saw you throw yourself through that window. I didn’t know if you found me attractive as well, but last night I think i overhead something I shouldn’t have.” you say as you increase the speed of your strokes. 

Hao sucks in a deep breath, hoping you’re referring to something other than him being a perv. “what did you hear?” he says with gritted teeth, struggling with his restraints.

“I heard moaning and groaning that didn’t belong to Chan or I. At first I was confused, but when Chan said your room is next to his it clicked. Now babe, do you want to tell

me what you were doing last night?”  

He looks you in the eye and the smug look on your face infuriates him. He takes a deep

breath and you hear a snap. You look up to see the rope you tied his hands with are now gone and his left hand is flying to your neck. He throws you to the floor and pins your hands to the floor, pulling handcuffs from his back pocket and cuffing your hands to the roof of the car. You now sit on your knees with your hands attached to the ceiling, helpless. 

“You really wanna know what I was doing? He whispers in your ear pressing himself to your back. “I was thinking of how much better I would fuck you then Chan” he says as he picks up some more rope and begins wrapping your body in it, tying it around your thighs so they remain open. “I was thinking about all the things I would do to you, the way I would edge you, make you beg to cum like a bitch in heat” he says as he slides his hand into your pants to your core. You’re embarrassingly wet and hang your head in shame. He slides two fingers into you; fingering you slowly, mesmerized by your pussy sucking him in. While he’s occupied you’ve been toying with your handcuffs. 

“Hao, the ropes are a little too tight” he immediately goes to untie the knot and adjust them and you pounce. You dislocate your thumb with a pop and slide your wrists through the handcuffs, shocking him. 

“I’ll show you how much of a psycho crazy bitch i can be” you say with smile and pull him to you for a heated kiss. You’re fighting for dominance, hands everywhere, tongues clashing and hair pulling. You put your hands down his pants and he does the same to you. As you grab his now hard dick, he slips his fingers into you. This begins the challenge of who could make the other cum first. You begin stroking him with the perfect pressure and pace, making sure to pay attention to his tip. Meanwhile he begins searching for your g-spot and plants his thumb on your clit drawing tight circles. You’re both slowly cracking but neither wants to give up control. You know you won’t last much longer so you pass your fingers faster over the tip of his dick, squeezing. “Please cum for me hao, I want it so bad” you say with a pout; watching him crumble. He cums in your hand with the cutest moan. Seeing his face scrunch up in pleasure sends you over the edge. Once you both come down you look at him on triumph.

“I never lose” 

“Fuck you Y/N”

“I know you want to” you say and get up to clean your hands.

Once you both clean up you settle back in the front seat. 

“Wait what if we missed something” you say.

“I doubt it” 

You see a black car drive down the street, and five minutes later the same kind but with a different number plate drives past.

“Are you seeing what I’m seeing?” You say.

“Yea” Hao says and picks up his phone to call vernon. “Nonnie run these plates and see who they belong to” 

“They’re all registered under Kim LeeSeok”

he says after a few minutes.

You and Hao look at each other and he immediately turns the car on and speeds off. Behind you at least six cars pull off behind you ans begin following you.

“Here we fucking go” you say to yourself.

A bullet pierces the back windshield and lands in the center console ending the call with vernon. You pull out your pink gun and hao rolls his eyes. You roll down the window and shoot, the first bullet landing straight in the left eye of the driver in the car directly behind you, causing the car the swerve and hit the one to its left. 

“HOLY SHIT YOU SAW THAT? IT WAS CALCULATED, TRUST” you scream as a bullet flies right by your head. You pull your body back in the car and Hao takes several turns in an attempt to lose them. 

More bullets fly into your car and you guys duck. You start blindly shooting back. Another car pull up and you assume this is hao’s security since they begin shooting Mr. parks car. This single driver takes out the remaining four cars and pulls up to drive next to you. You look through your window and your met with San looking at you then Hao then back to you. He tilts his head and you nod at him. This was always your code for asking if you were ok. This is weird. He’s stalking you but wants to know if you’re ok?  You give him a question look and he nods his head no and speeds off. You look at hao who looks very stressed and ask him if he’s ok.  You drives back to the dorm in silence.

“I send you guys to do one thing and you come back with my car full of bullet holes?” Cheol says outraged.

“Your acting like its our fault! We didn’t ask to be shot at!” you say back.

“Did you at least see anything? And what happened to your hands!”

You both look down at your hands to see bruises from the ropes, and your thumb is swollen.

“Don’t worry about it, anyways we did see san” hao says

“Where?”

“He pulled up out of nowhere and killed all the drivers and then he pulled up by us. y/n had some kind of silent conversation with him and then he drove off.”

Everyone looks at you. 

“I don't know why he’s doing this. I’m sure he’ll make it his mission to run into me so

maybe we can talk then”

“Are you not scared of him?” Jihoon asks.

“He would never hurt me. He always had a soft spot for me even since we were young.”

“Why did you guys break up?” Jun asks.

“We wanted different things. We used to be a duo, “Venom”. “  The whole room gasps. 

“No way” seungkwan says

“Yea, he wanted to expand but I wanted to stop, do other things besides killing. But he loves this and I didn’t want to stop him.”

“Do you love him?” Cheol asks.

“I’ll always love him but I’m not in love with him.” you say with a sigh.

“Wait, so you guys grew up doing this together?”

“Yea, our parents were involved in shady shit and gave us up to pay off their debts. We trained to become assassins and worked for different employers until we branched out on our own.”

“Was it a messy break up?” Jeonghan asks, all 13 of them are very intrigued. 

"No, it wasn’t but he changed his number one day and I never heard from him again until now.”

“Can someone check the street security cameras to see where he went?”

“I’ll go check” Wonwoo says and gets up.

“Well that's all for now you guys can go” Cheol says but only a few people get up.

“You guys wanna play Mario Kart?” Jeonghan asks.

“Bet” 

Jeonghan, Jihoon, Joshua are on one team and Mingyu, Vernon and DK are on the other. 

Cheol and Hoshi watch from their place on the couch. The game starts and Mingyu is surprisingly winning to everyone's disappointment. You get the feeling Mingyu and Dino suffer the same fate around here. Jeonghan groans because it's the last lap and he’s stuck in second place. He makes eye contact with you and raises his eyebrows. You smirk and nod and reach over to Mingyu who is sitting directly next to you. You put your hand on his thigh and glances over to you. You slide your hand up his thigh and lean into his ear to whisper “I think I want to kiss it better now”. He shudders and swerves off the road letting Jeonghan get first place. He groans as you slide your hand over his hardening cock. They queue up another game and you slide your hand into his pants. By now everyone knows what you're doing but they all just stare. You begin to stroke Mingyu, spitting in your hand as lube.  

“Pay attention to the game” you say out loud and slide down to your knees. Cheol is fuming, his eyes are boring into you and he’s cursing Mingyu in his head out of jealousy. It’s like you want to fuck everyone but him and her you go fucking Mingyu right in front of him.

You pull Mingyu’s hard cock out of his boxers and lick a long stripe up his shaft making him let out a quiet moan. No ones focusing on the game at this point as you take him in your mouth, bobbing your head up and down. You can’t even say you're surprised at how long and thich he is, because c'mon look at his size. You struggle to breathe as you take more of him down your throat. You pull up for a breath of air to see everyone is looking at you. Vernon shifts in his seat to adjust his bulge and you laugh. You bring your free hand to his balls and begin to massage them, lowering yourself back on his cock and pushing yourself as far as you can go. He begins to whine and buck his hips into your mouth, pushing himself all the way down your throat making you gag. You pull up and stroke him again, turning to look at the guys.

You sit back on the couch still stroking him.

“Gyu, tell the guys how you feel” you whisper loud enough for everyone to hear.

He whines in response, making you slow down your strokes and tightening your grip. 

“If you dont listen to me I wont let you cum baby.” This makes him groan and force words out of his mouth.

“It feels so good,” he says between whimpers. He looks over to you, “Please let me cum Y/N, oh God I need it so bad”

“I don’t think you deserve to cum.”

“This was supposed to be you kissing it better, not punishing me”

“Touchè”

You spit on his tip making him let out a feral groan and you look at the guys. Vernon now has his dick out and is stroking it to match your pace while joshua looks like he’s about to cumin his pants. 

“Does he deserve to cum?”

“Yes absolutely, oh my god please” Vernon says. You assume he’ll only let himself cum when you let Mingyu cum. You look at Cheol whose eyes have been on you the whole time. 

“Let him cum.” he says and you give him a challenging look. “Now, Y/N” he says in a deep authoritative voice and you listen. “Cum, Mingyu”.

On command he cums letting out a loud moan and throwing his head back. Vernon cums at the same time whimpering into his hand. You stroke Mingyu until his orgasm finishes and say “I hope it feels better now.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You decide you’ve stayed with the guys for too long. It’s been three weeks of trying to figure out who's trying to get you all killed. You’ve been crashing at your place which you must admit has been the most fun three weeks of your life. You’ve gotten close with all the guys, but you and Cheol have been working together the most. You must admit you're beginning to develop a crush on him. You love the way he gets pouty and jealous when you pay more attention to the other guys and the way you guys banter. 

Hoshi lets you borrow his car to drive back to your place. Yeji and Lia aren’t here for some reason which is weird. You walk in and turn on your lights to see San sitting on your couch. 

“You’ve always been so fucking dramatic” you deadpan.

“It’s nice to see you too, love.”

“Why are you trying to kill me?” you ask as you take a seat next to him.

“I’m not trying to kill you idiot, but someone is.”

“Well spill the beans, mountain”

“Did you kill Kim LeeSeok?” he asks.

“It’s complicated.”

“How”

“Me and this dude shot him at the same time.” you say making sure to leave Hao’s name out of it.

“The red head?” he asks with a smirk.

“San, get to the point.”

“He was my boss, and a lot of people are mad that you and your little friend killed him.”

“Oh.”

“Oh” he mocks.

“So why did you let your boss die so easily?”

“Doll, you’ve gotten sloppy since we parted ways. You don’t think it was a little suspicious that the guards just happened to change when you and your friends showed up? It was a set up Y/N, someone higher up wanted him dead but didn’t want to take the blame so they hired a bunch of irresponsible assassins to take the blame. Now you’ve got enemies after you.”

“Fuck. Wait, why were you taking pictures of me at dinner?”

“JinYoung Park wants Cheol dead. He sent me to track him, but he wasn’t alone. You were there and now everyone knows who you are.”

“Sannie why did you send them the picture of me you could have lied” you pout.

“It was a live feed, once I saw you it was too late.”

“So what now?”

“I don’t know Y/N. Either you fake your death or you somehow kill JYP and his entourage.”

“Sannieeeeeeee I don’t want to do either” you say and throw your head on his lap.

“I know doll” he says as he massages your scalp.  You should tell Cheol what I told you, he should move his guys and the people he cares about somewhere safe.”

“FUCK HIS MOM LOVES NEXT DOOR!”

You both get up and run next door, San bangs on her door. 

“Mrs. Choi?” you yell. There's no answer. For the first time in years you feel fear. If Cheol loses his mom it will crush him, for the past few days you spent with the guys he’s always talking about his mom and how he’s glad she has a friend in you.

You pull a masterkey you stole from your mailman out of your pocket and unlock her door. The whole room is dark and you look at san. You both pull you guns out and walk into the room.

“Mrs. Choi?” Nothing.

Your phone begins to ring in your back pocket. It’s Cheol.

“Hello”

“Y/N, you need to leave your apartment right now. I already have my mom with me, but the building is surrounded.”

“Fuck”

“San we gotta go” You say to san.

“YOUR WITH SAN?” Cheol says.

“I'll talk to you later Cheol” you say and hang up. 

“The building’s surrounded, we gotta go.”

He pulls out his phone and calls someone while you guys head to the back door of the building.

“Wooyoung, find out how many people are surrounding Y/N’s building.”

“Y/N?? Are you guys back together? You guys should just get married at this point, I’m waiting for my nephew-”

“WOOYOUNG FOCUS”

“Ok damn, one sec”

You guys are on the second floor when you hear commotion. Both of you come to a halt and the door in front of you flies open. Two men in skull mask emerge and begin shooting at you. Both of you duck and shoot back. San hitting the first man twice in both sockets of his eyes and you hitting the second man directly in the throat. They both fall to the floor and you begin running to the door.

“There's six people at the backdoor, it's your best bet. They probably messed with your cars, Yeosang is on his way, meet him at the corner of 6th avenue.”

San counts you down and opens the door. Bullets immediately begin to fly as you catch the men by surprise. San takes down two and you get tackled by another. You press your stiletto nails into his eye sockets, leaving him wailing in agony. You turn around and shoot the man sneaking up on San as he finishes the man in front of him with a bullet to the head. You guys don;t even take a second to catch your breath as you run to 6th ave, on the lookout for Yeosang. You spot him in a black suburban and run over. 

“Yeonsangie, It's been ages” you say as you round the car to the passenger seat leaving San to sit in the back. As you're about to get in you hear a car pull up behind you. You look over your shoulder to see Cheol driving and Mingyu in the passenger seat. Cheol runs out the car over to you in a panic checking you for injuries.

“What the fuck happened?”

“You tell me! I have no Idea who those guys were.”

He looks over at San and back at you. 

“Why were you with him?”

“Oh, you're patrolling me now?”

“No,” he says with a pout.

“Wait how did you even know there were people outside?”

“I have security on my mom but when they went quiet I got worried. Wonwoo patrolled the security cameras around and I saw you enter and cars pull up five minutes after so I knew something was up. My mom was at our place for lunch, so I only had to worry about you.”

“You were worrying about me?” you say in a slightly mocking tone.

“Jesus Christ, I should've just let you get shot.”

“And they say romance is dead.”

The whole time San has been looking on. He can tell by the look in your eyes there's no love left for him; it's all for cheol. He sighs and looks at yeosang. 

“It’s ok dude” yeosang whispers.

“Y/N if you're coming with us we gotta get out of here.” san says.

“You're going with them?” Cheol says in a slightly hurt voice. 

“Um” you say as you look between them. 

You already know your answer, but the longer you take to say it the more Cheol’s heart breaks. 

“I’m gonna go with them” you say to san.

He nods and gets in the car. 

“Tell the guys Hi for me ok?”

“Sure” he says and Yeosang drives off.

Cheol throws his hand over your shoulder and leans to speak in your ear. “I got a little worried there”. You roll your eyes at him.

“I told you, I’m over him”

“So does that mean you're into me?” He says with a cocky smile.

“Yea that’s what it means” 

He looks at you dumbfounded while you slide into the back seat giving Mingyu a kiss on the cheek.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“You mean to tell me JYP is trying to kill you?”

“Yeup”

“Ok” Seungkwan says with a disbelieving look on his face.

“I have a plan though” you say.

“I’m listening,” Cheol says.

“My friend Yeji, she trained with him. They called her his “secret weapon”, but she always hated him. I’m certain we can get her to help us catch him off guard.” 

“Will she want to help us?”

“That's not even a question, but the issue is, JYP is a huge group, we can’t take them down on our own. I can ask san to help us and call in some favors.”

“No to San.”

“Cheol, stop being Jealous.” Jeonghan says. “I think that's a good idea, but who are you gonna call?”

“BTS” they all stare at you with your mouth agape. “You know BTS?” Cheol asks.

“Oh we go wayyyyy back, Joonnie will say yes don;t worry.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Namjoon, what do you mean no? You never tell me no!”

“Y/N, you don’t even know what you're getting yourself into, I can’t send my men into an unknown situation.”

“Just send the men you hate, easy. Joonie, the alternative is me dying.”

“Y/N, you're not gonna die.”

“I MIGHT”

He sighs. “Ok fine, i'll ask around and see what I can find out. In the meantime you figure out a plan.”

“Ok, thank you koya.”

“Don’t call me that.”

“BYE KOYA”

You hang up and go to find Jeonghan and Joshua since they plan all of the team's missions. 

“Oh, Y/N perfect. Tell your friend to come here so we can brief her. And what did Namjoon say”

“He said he’ll see what he can do which means yes.”

“Ok, perfect. My plan is to let Yeji seem like she’s betraying you. We can bullshit some reason as to why later, but she can lead his men to the wrong place and we can corner them. Kill, JYP and problem solved.”

“I feel like it’ll be more complicated than this.”

“We can just make it up as we go,” Jeonghan says with a smile.

“Jeonghan, Once I don’t die It's all good.”

You call Yeji. “Look who decides to call me. You know, if I haven't been tracking your phone, I would have thought you were dead.”

“Hello to you too Yeji.”

“Where have you been?”

“I’ve been living with 13 insanely hot men.”

“Girl, what?”

“Just come to this address, make sure you aren't being followed. Bring Lia too.”

“Well Ok”

As the elevator opens Yeji and Lia step out and look around in shock. “Damn these guys are balling,” Lia says.

“I’m assuming you're Yeji and Lia” Joshua, who now has freshly dyed red hair. “I’m Joshua, It’s nice to meet you beautiful ladies.”

“So you're the one Y/N warned us about. Im yeji” 

“Wow, I see she’s been telling tales” he says.

“Well hello Lia '' he says looking at her.

“I’ll leave you two to speak with Y/N” he says and walks to his room.

Chan comes from the gym bathroom, with a towel low on his waist. He stands in front of the pair with red cheeks, shocked to see they arrived so early. 

“And who are you?” Lia says.

“Hi, I’m chan” he says with a dashing smile.

“Hi Chan” Lia says with a blush.

“I’ll go get changed.” he says. 

“Or don’t” she says with a smirk and he shakes his head with a smile and walks away. 

“I call dibs,” she says to Yeji.

Yeji rolls her eyes as you walk downstairs in nothing but an oversized T-shirt. 

“Where are your clothes?” Yeji asks.

“I have on clothes you deadpan.”

“That's definitely not your shirt.”

“It’s mine” Cheol says coming down the stairs.

“So I haven’t heard from her in three weeks because of you?”

“I’m not to blame here, anyways, I’m SeungCheol, nice to meet you”

“I’m Yeji and this is Lia, but she seems more interested in wherever Chan went.”

“What is with Chan suddenly pulling all these girls?” Jeonghan says walking out of the kitchen.

“Up the stairs, third room to the left”

She smiles at you and dashes up the stairs. 

“Ok so why am I here?” Yeji asks.

You and Cheol explain everything that has happened so far, and Joenghan explains his plan in depth.

“Oh wow. JYP wants to kill, you?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“He just doesn't seem like the type to be vengeful.”

“Well apparently he is.”

“Wait, lets back track. The infamous San returns to the plot and you decide not to tell me?”

“You don’t even know the man,It wouldnt make a difference.”

“Three years of friendship and I’ve never seen a picture of this man.”

“Thats because there are none. Yeji focus on the plan. Call JYP and tell him you need to talk to him.”

“Ok mom” she says and gets up to follow Jeonghan so he can try to track the call.

You and Cheol head back up to his room, hearing giggling coming from Chan’s room. You smile to yourself, He deserves someone like Lia. You and Cheol settle back into bed where you previously laid. You haven’t had sex with him, but you feel connected in a deeper way. He’s the first person to see you as more than a killer besides Yeji and Lia. He asks about your life, your aspirations, what you would want to do besides killing. You feel like you could talk to him for hours.

“Y/N?”

“Yes?”

“Can you tell me about your childhood?”

“Oh. Rough subject.”

“You don’t have to if you're not comfortable.”

“No, I am, it’s just a lot.”

He leaves space for you to talk which is appreciated. You start from the beginning, your father sending you to become a killer to pay off their debts without a care in the world.  Your mother tried to take you back, but he killed her. He didn’t think someone as weak as her belonged with someone like him. You met San at the training facility. He was the best and you were the worst. Instead of making fun of you he helped you train and you became the best killers in the field.When you were almost done with your training your father brought you back home. Instead of being nice to his daughter who is now a lethal killer, he was the same. He beat on you and called you names relentlessly, knowing the fear you have for him is still embedded in you. One night you had enough. While you were trying to sleep, he came into your room drunk with his belt. Before he could even swing you grabbed him and snapped his neck. You didn't want to waste time torturing him when you were finally ready to move on. You went incognito, only speaking to San and eventually moving in with him when he completed his training.  You two started killing with each other to build a name for yourselves, but eventually you wanted out but he wanted more. There was no resolution so you two split, You’ve been working on the low, here and there but trying to do other things with your life and leave the killing behind.

“What do you want to do instead?”

“I want to open a flower shop. I want to fall in love, get married, have kids, die from old age with the love of my life.”

“Me too” he whispers.

You stare at each other for a while. One second you blink and the next his lips are on yours. The kiss is gentle and innocent but still passionate. The bedroom is full of blushes and giggles, the beginning of a young love blooming.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning Yeji tells everyone that JYP answered her call and told her to meet him in Los Angeles. 

“Are we all gonna go? What if it's set up?”

At the same time Chan asks, you get a text from Namjoon:

Joonie: He’s staying in the JYP building 40 minutes from your apartment. Minimal security, I’ve got a guy undercover already who says this is his hideout and he won’t be leaving until the end of the month.I’ll give you 40 men, make due. Don’t text me again big head”

Y/N: Thank you joonie. I owe u one.

Joonie: Whatever.

“Damn It, I kinda wanted to go home” Joshua says. 

“I say we head out there tonight, and attack tomorrow night. We should scope out the area first.” Jeonghan says.

“You heard the man, everyone pack a bag.” Cheol says.

“Cheol, I’m gonna call San, he should come with us.” you say.

This puts a pout on his face. “Fine”

You roll your eyes and give him a kiss on the lips making the whole room explode. You walk to Cheols room leaving him to clean up the mess.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

All 15 of you pile into the vans and head to the hotel Cheol rented out for the night. Lia says she’ll watch the house when we all know she’s just too lazy to tag along. You couldn’t stop by your place to get clothes because it was too dangerous and Cheol says he’ll just buy you a new wardrobe anyways. 

The hotel is incredible for being in the middle of nowhere. Cheol made sure the two of you were in a room together and you made sure Seungkwan and Chan were forced to share a bed just to hear them bicker. It's only 9pm but you and Cheol are in bed watching a movie, but neither of you are paying attention. You don’t know if it's the adrenaline about tomorrow, but youre feeling extremely horny. It’s like Cheol can sense it because he offers to give you a massage to “relieve you from your stress”, but you both know where this is going. You lay on the bed in just your bra and panties. He starts with your back, actually massaging out the kinks, and moves to your things. His hands run a bit too close to your core but move down to your calves and then feet. He drags his hands across your whole body to your neck and down to your shoulders. 

“Flip over for me” he whispers in your ear. You flip onto your back and look up at him. He looks so good in the dim yellow light coming from your bedside lamp. “Can I take your bra off?” he asks. You raise your chest and he takes off your bra, eyes zoning in on your chest and he groans. He pours more oil into his hands and massages your chest, gripping your nipples and twisting them. He moves down to your thighs and takes off your panties, running his hands across your thighs. His breathing picks up and he slides his hand over your core. He pushes your legs against your chest and rubs your thighs “accidentally” sliding his fingers across your core and eventually dipping in just to pull them right back out.

“Cheol give me more” you whine.

“Take what I give you baby” he says with a stern face.

“Yes, Daddy” you say and roll your eyes. He pulls you into a sitting position with a grip on your neck.

“Be careful with that word baby.” he says with a growl.

Of course he has a daddy kink you think to yourself as he pulls off his shirt.  You deny that you also have one and Cheol’s energy just makes you want to call him it.

He shoves you back down and hovers over you looking you in your eyes before kissing you. He has one hand holding him up and slides the other one straight into your core feeling no resistance. He begins to move his fingers in and out of you and leans down to whisper in your ear.

“You know, Having to see and hear you fuck the other guys killed me. You knew you were mine from the moment we met yet you wanted to play with me. Now it's my turn to play with you.”

He speeds up his  thrust and gathers both of your hands in his free one sitting up on his knees. 

“For everytime you fucked someone else since we met, and everytime they made you cum is how many times I’ll deny you. I want you crying and begging like a bitch in heat. So who did you fuck Y/N?” 

You gulp, knowing you're in for a wild ride. “Only Chan and I technically didn’t fuck Mingyu.”

“Doesn’t matter, he still counts. But baby, is that it?” 

“Yes” you lie trying to save yourself. He gives you a sweet smile and flips you over, spanking you hard.

“Try again”

“It was just them”

He spanks you twice. “Don’t lie to me baby, I hate liars.”

“Cheollll” you whine.

He spanks you three times even harder.

“Y/N, my patience is running thin.”

“I fucked hao” you whimper.

“There you go” he says and rubs your sore ass.

“Do you think you deserve a punishment for lying” he asks in a mocking tone.

“Yes, Daddy” He smiles hearing this and pulls you over his lap. 

“Count to ten.” 

After each spank you're getting wetter but tears are running down your face. He’s so strong each spank feels worse than the last and his hand is so big it covers almost all of your ass. 

Once you get to ten he pulls you to sit in your lap and you bury your face into his neck, whimpering out a sweet “I’m sorry Daddy” making him chuckle.

“You did well, my good girl”

He tells you to slide up the bed and he lays down, pulling your legs so you're sitting on his face. He wastes no time diving in, sticking his tongue as deep as it can go inside of you while massaging your burning ass. You let out a loud moa, certain the other guys heard. Cheol wants you to moan more and moan louder, he wants everyone to know you and they can’t touch you anymore.  He moves to your clit and sucks hard, spelling his name out on it, making you clench around nothing. He holds your hips in a tight grip, so you can’t move. You're so close to the edge and you start begging him to cum.

“Daddy, please let me cum,I’m sorry for fucking them, Please”

He throws you off your face and onto the bed. “This is for Chan.” he says. He pulls your legs open and takes out his cock. He doesn’t bother with a condom, already asking if you were clean a few days ago, and it’s not like he would be against getting you pregnant. He wants to claim you in every way he possibly can, the possessiveness leaking out of him. He thrusts into you all at once making you moan, he pins you down and begins thrusting at an inhuman rate, hitting your G-spot with every thrust. The stolen orgasm is quickly rebuilding and he can feel it. He speeds up until you start clenching and pulls out. You look at him with puppy dog eyes “Cheol please” you say as you start crying.

“You need to learn that you're mine, baby.”

He flips you over onto your knees and pulls your hips up aligning his dick with you and thrusting inside. He’s pounding you into the mattress and you can’t even speak. All you can do is moan and whimper a combination of his name and daddy. You feel like cumming again, but of course he knows and pulls out. Cheol is edging himself too but his pride won't let him break his word. “For your beloved Gyu Gyu” He flips you over and rubs your clit so slowly you feel like fighting back, but you know that will end worse for you. He slows down his pace and you start crying hysterically. You're so close all you need is a little more pressure, and he gives it to you. He rubs faster and faster and right as you're about to tip over his hand is gone. “For Hao” You snap, and sit up only to be pinned down by his hand. “Don’t try me baby, for your own sake I suggest you behave.”

He slides in between your legs and fucks you slowly in missionary. He intertwines your hands and looks into your eyes, giving you slow deep strokes. 

“Say your mine” he pleads.

“I’m yours Cheol” you say looking him in the eye.

“I want you to mean it. I want you to be mine in every sense. I want it to only be me” 

“I promise Cheol, I’m yours”

He kisses you and breaks it to whisper “Cum for me Y/N”

You cum and see stars. You feel like there are oceans flowing through you and there's nothing but white noise in your ears. You open your eyes to catch him mid orgasm, his face scrunched up in pleasure as he moans. You stare at your face and engrave this memory in your mind, cherishing it forever. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning you all gather in your room. San must've got in last night and apparently stayed with Chan, because they seem to be getting along well. Yeji already left early to meet with JYP, bringing Jun and Minghao along with her. You all go over the plan and head out to wait for your signal to attack. You're hearing Yeji and JYP’s conversation through a live feed and they just seem to be catching up. “Yeji, speed this up” Jeonghan says into her earpiece. 

“Mr. Park, I’ve heard you're trying to find Y/N and kill her. I want to help you.” 

“Oh?”

“I’ve been waiting for my opportunity to get rid of her for ages. She's too much of a burden and I’ll make better money working with other clients.”

“Hmm. So where is she?”

“She’s hiding out with cheol here.” She gives him the location of one of the guy’s old houses in the forest. 

“Is that so?”

‘Yes” Yeji says wearily.

“So why is she outside, waiting for you to cough into your elbow?”

“What the fuck.” you say in awe. “There's a traitor.” Everyone immediately looks at san who takes great offense to this.

“What the fuck? Guys I don’t need to betray anyone if I wanted to kill you guys you would already be dead.”

“That's fair, Vernon says.”

“Hao, Jun, where are you guys?”

Nothing.

Meanwhile, Yeji begins to yell.

“Get off of me, what the fuck. LIA? What is going on?”

Her earpiece is plucked from her ear and crushed. You all begin to panic knowing there must be guards surrounding you. Hoshi begins to drive like a mad man and bullets fly towards the car. One by one you jump out of the car in an attempt to spread out and lose their trail, hoshi jamming the gas pedal so the car will remain driving and jumping out last. You all run in different directions through the thick forest, being chased by guards. You see Jeonghan trying to fight off two guards at once and you run over to help him, snapping one man’s neck while Joenghan shoots the other. You pull him to his feet and continue running. 

“We need to go get them”

“We need to regroup and form a plan” Joshua says suddenly appearing to your right.

“I’m not leaving them there to die.”

“He won't kill them, they're our leverage.”

“I’m not taking the chance” you say, and run towards the building seeing San, already making his way there. You all somehow meet in the middle of the forest, deciding it’s best to save your guns for the guards on the inside and just distract the ones outside. Apparently Jeonghan thinks of everything and presses a button on his phone that detonates one of the vans,drawing the guards attention,. Namjoons men show up at the perfect time, taking out all the guards on the outside letting you, san, cheol,wonwoo, hoshi, and seungkwan  head inside while the rest stay out and keep watch. You begin to ascend the stairs with your guns out. You, hoshi and cheol got to the right while the others go the the left. It’s suspiciously quiet. You open a door and see Jun and Hao tied up and bloody, most likely beaten for information. Wonwoo quickly unties them and he and hoshi decide to bring them back outside. You and Cheol continue down the hallway hearing muffled yelling, presumably Yeji. You rush through the door without checking your surroundings and feeling the cool barrel of a gun pressed to your head. 

“Lia, I always knew you were a fucking bitch.” you say. 

Cheol didn’t enter the room, presumably trying to keep the element of surprise.

“I’m surprised your little boy toy cheol didn't come with you.”

“Don't talk about him” you grit out.

“Or what?” she says, cocking her gun.

You look at Yeji who already pulled her pocket knife out of her long sleeve. She’s always prepared for these kinds of things. No one thinks the nerdy computer girl would be almost as good of a killer as you. You keep Lia occupied while Yeji slowly cuts through her binds.

“Lia, I’ll actually kill your for breaking Chan’s heart”

“Oh please, he was just an easy fuck”

“Why are you doing this?”

“Y/N you’ve always been too trusting you know. You never thought it was weird I just randomly appeared in your life? I’ve been planning this for a long time; since we were trainees”

“What?”

“You never noticed me, always enticed with San. I wanted San to notice me. I deserved him and you only held him back, trying to make him settle down, stop killing when that's who he is. If he was with me we would be unstoppable.”

“San would never want a two faced cunt like you.”

“SHUT  UP” she yells and presses the gun harder into you. 

“I knew I had to get rid of you. I came running back to dear JYP with a plan. I help him kill Mr.Kim, he gains all his assets and he helps me get rid of you. But, you always manage to avoid death, but I’ve got you now.”

As she goes to pull the trigger, Yeji pounces knocking her to the floor and bashing her head into it. She was never one for clean deaths, so she keeps bashing her head until Lia’s skull cracks. For good measure she shoots her in the head.

“You can never be too safe” she shrugs, looking up to see San and Seungkwan at the doorway staring at her. 

Seungkwan looks deeply disturbed, while san is giving her “Fuck me eyes”.

“This is San?” she asks and looks at you.

“Yea.”

“No wonder he had you wrapped around your finger” she says with a smile and he smirks.

“I’m Yeji, as you probably know”

“San” he says with a nod.

You look at them and smile, they already look half in love, but your smile quickly drops when you realize Cheol is missing. You dart out the room yelling for him but hear nothing. You begin to panic and tears fill your eyes. You should've focused on him more, You shouldn't have left him by himself. You hear muffled yelling down the hall and approach the room. The others are right behind you and you enter first, Instantly shooting the first guard you see and Seungkwan shoots the other two. You look at him with a proud smile, “I knew it” you say and he smiles. You all walk deeper into the room, seeing a small closet with cheol handcuffed to a chair and JYP holding a gun to his head. Your heart stops and you look at Cheol and he knows exactly what youre thinking. He’s not letting you die for him, He doesn;t care if he barely knows you, what he feels for you is incomparable to his feelings for any one else and he’ll be damnedif he loses you.

“Y/N, how nice of you to join us. The tasks is simple. I’ll take you, and they get their Leader back.”

“Ok” you say without hesitation and step forward but Yeji yanks you back.

“How about we get both of them and you fuck off” Yeji says making him aim his gun and shoot at her, completely missing. Seungkwan laughs, making him glare at him.” 

“How about we talk this through?” San says.

What JYP doesn't see is Hoshi climbing through the window behind him like a spider, quietly dropping to his feet.

“Mr. Park, you know I always thought you were a ugly piece of shit, who deserves nothing. I hope your company burns” you say in contempt. He laughs and looks at you. “You know what? Deals off. I know this will hurt you more than I ever can” He pulls the trigger as soon as Hoshi pounces knocking his arm but the bullet still flies straight into Cheol’s chest. Your heart stops as you run to him, ignoring the chaos happening behind you. You pull his head up to see his eyes closed and his black shirt begin to get damp with his blood.You press your hand over the wound and begin to cry. The rage and sorrow you feel is unfathomable as Yeji, presses her hands over the wound with a cloth and you turn to jyp. San has him in a chokehold. You pull out a knife from your harness and look him in the eyes as you carve them out. He screams in agony and you stuff them down his throat, killing him. Behind you, you hear Cheol call for you.  You drop the knife and run to him cradling his face in your hands. He looks at you and speaks, breaking your heart in the process.

“Baby, I don’t want to die. I want a life with you” he says as a tear runs down his cheek. You begin sobbing as Seungkwan and Hoshi lift Cheol and quickly carry him to the vans. As you drive you feel Cheol’s pulse weakening, you feel yourself falling with him’ knowing if anything happens to him, you might as well have died too. “I love you Cheol” you whisper to him, feeling his heart stop beating.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You look at the tombstone in front of you. You can’t find the words to speak. “I fucking hate you, I trusted you and you do this to me?” you say with nothing but hatred in your heart. 

It's been a year and a half since you killed jyp but it still feels like yesterday. Everyday is a challenge for you, but you keep pushing for Cheol. You know he wouldn’t want you to give up. 

Hao and Jun were fine after a few weeks, the bruises and cracked ribs healing perfeclty. You lay down and look up at the sky.

“Sometimes I miss you, but sometimes I remember you would always lie and say I looked good when I clearly didn’t and I should’ve known from then you were a raging bitch-”

“Baby, we didn't come here for this,” Cheol says with a laugh.

“Your right”

“Anyways, Fuck you Lia, I hope you burn in hell” you say and get up, Cheol pulling you to stand up. He’s still recovering from the bullet, but he’s doing better than ever, except he’s missing a kidney but he’s fine. He throws his hand over your shoulder and begins walking back to the car, seeing Yeji and San making out like teenagers by the car. You both roll your eyes, but you stop when you feel water run down your legs. You both look down at your pregnant belly and back at Cheol. “It’s happening you say to him” and his eyes widened. “HOLY FUCK ITS HAPPENIJG” he yells. You waddle back to the car and he helps you in. Yeji and San get in behind you as Cheol speeds to the hospital. Yeji texting in the group chat with the other guys “LITTLE CHEOL IS COMING THIS IS NOT A DRILL”. Text messages flood in as the guys say they're dropping everything and coming to the hospital. Your little boy is already so lucky to have 12 uncles full of love for him. You look at Cheol and feel nothing but happiness. He’s been life's greatest gift to you, and everyday you love him more and more. He was the venom that seeped through your veins and paralyzed you, yet you can’t quite seem to find the will to receive an antidote. 

Tag list: @hooniewnderland , @nctiris

[gyll-yee-haw]

ok but imagine jake has been away filming for so long and one time when you talk through the phone late at night you tell him you miss him sm and along the lines you say sth like „i can’t even come without you anymore” and he goes insane on dirty talk just to be at your doorstep the next day i-

PLEASE, I FOUND THIS ON MY DRAFTS FROM LITERALLY YEARS AGO 😭

I edited a bit and decided to give y'all an early Christmas presents, love you <3

Warnings: masturbation, phone sex, mentions of a reader who struggles to cum, very desperate reader, tiny mentions of being tied up and a lil dom!Jake.

You and Jake had been together long enough for you to get used to all his travels and how busy he got at work. But you still didn't.

He was now away for almost three months. You were losing your mind.

It was another one of those nights when you walked into your bedroom and sighed sadly before going to bed. Jake wasn't there to hold you. To talk to you with his sweet and relaxing voice while you rested your head on his chest and fell asleep.

That must be why sleeping was so hard. Why you kept tossing and turning and sighing frustratedly. You were angry. Sad. Exhausted. You gave up and decided to call him. You hated to bother him and you didn't want him to feel guilty for working so hard. But taking to him was usually the only thing that made you feel better on nights like that.

"Hi, love." He greeted you happily.

"Hey… oh god, it's so good to hear your voice." You told him, feeling a little better already.

"It's great to hear yours too." He chuckled. "So, how was your day?"

The two of you spent a few minutes telling each other stories that happened since the last time you talked. It was amazing, he warmed your heart and made you laugh a lot.

But at some point, the atmosphere got a little sad again.

"I just wish you were here with me." He told you. "Everytime I go out I see something and think 'I bet y/n would love this'… would be a lot more fun if you were here."

"Yeah, I think about you all day too." You said. "And then I curse you for being so fucking hot."

"What do you mean, honey?" He laughed.

"I'm desperate." You admited. "I'm so used to you fucking me so good. And now I can't even cum without you anymore."

There was a little moment of silence on the phone.

"Wait…" He finally said. "Are you telling me you didn't cum at all these last months?"

When Jake traveled for only a few days, you always made a deal to not masturbate, cause when you saw each other again, it would be awesome. But since he would be away for months, you agreed it would be okay, in case you needed to.

"No, all I do is disappoint myself." You shrugged.

"We need to fix that, baby…" He suggested. "Come on, do you want my help? I'm here now... listen to my voice and do what I say, okay, princess?"

Something about that drastic change on the tone of the conversation gave your stomach butterflies.

"Okay... what... what should I do?" You asked.

"Okay, listen to me." He instructed you. "You're gonna lay on your back. Take your panties off. Flex your knees like I was on top of you and you were wrapping them around my waist... like you could feel me deep inside you, remember that feeling?"

Your heart was racing. You really hoped that would work, cause he was getting you worked up now.

You followed every step of his plan, and told him: "Done".

"Good girl. Now spit on your fingers and start touching your pussy until you're wet enough."

You brought your fingers to your mouth, then guided them to your folds, trying to recreate the path Jake's tongue usually follwed. But it still felt like you were touching any other part of your skin. It wasn't like that with Jake. Whenever he just LOOKED at your pussy he already had you bucking your hips.

"Baby?" He called after you were silent for too long.

"It's boring." You told him.

"Use your imagination, honey." He chuckled. "If I was there, what would you like me to do to you?"

"Anything you wanted. Absolutely anything at all."

"Oh yeah?" You could hear the smirk on his voice. "I think I would like to tie your hands above your head and rub the tip of my cock on your clit until you were crying. Then I would shove it inside you at once, and fuck you mercilessly, make you look like a dumb little slut, absolutely speechless, but so fucking beautiful with her eyes rolled back, screaming my name…"

"Fuck." Now you were wet. And even more desperate than before. There wasn't a single cell on your body that didn't crave his touch. "You're making it worse…"

"Oh my God, baby…" He ignored your negativity. "You can't imagine how fucking hard I am for you now."

"Let me see!!!" You begged. "Let's FaceTime instead."

"No, keep touching yourself." He said firmly.

"Please, I can't do it…" You insisted.

"I am helping you, angel. You have to learn how to take care of yourself when I'm not home." He explained.

"What about a video? Or just a photo?"

"Don't be a little brat just because I'm not there to slap you. I can simply turn my phone off and go to sleep, leave you on your own. Is that what you want?"

"No, sorry, sir…"

"Good. Now touch your clit, baby… just I do, you know how you like it."

You closed your eyes and tried to picture the things he said before. You lead two fingers to your clit and started rubbing it slowly. At first, it still felt like nothing. But when you hit just the right spot, your back arched and you moaned.

"Yes, good girl… feel good, huh?" He reacted to your moans.

"Yes, Jakey… fuck…"

You kept rubbing that very specific spot and moaning just to let Jake know you were feeling good. Still wasn't as good as it was when he did it with his big fingers, but at least you were feeling something.

"You sound so beautiful right now, angel. Wish I was there to taste you. That's why I don't wanna FaceTime you, honey. Do you think I'm not dying to see that pretty pussy? Of course I am, but it hurts that I can't put my mouth on it. Lick it real good until your legs are shaking around my head. I miss it so much, fuck…"

His words alone were driving you crazy, but it was the sound of him stroking his cock that made your pussy clench around nothing.

"Talk to me, pretty girl. I'm stroking my cock, thinking of you too." He asked sweetly.

"Fuck... need you… what if I can't do it?"

"You can do it, baby. Don't you feel good right now? Rub it harder, baby."

"Hhmm... I need to cum so bad…" You grew more desperate as time passed and you couldn't even imagine how terrible it would be to not be able to do it that night.

"You will, angel. Looks like I'm gonna have to give you a lesson about patience when I come back." He threatened you, and you would do anything to have those lessons now.

The waves kept coming and going. Just when you thought were going to cum, you got all excited but it went away. You were so fucking wet that your fingers slipped through your folds and you missed the spot several times, making you sigh frustratedly. Jake knew it usually didn't take you that long, and he was getting close himself, just picturing you laying there desperate, soaked, legs in the air, rubbing your pussy so hard while you thought about him.

"I can't do it, I can't." You cried out.

"Please, babygirl." He was the one begging now. "Please cum for me, be a good girl for me, I can't hold it much longer…"

You closed your eyes and imagined he was sitting right beside you, ready to shoot his load on your belly and your breasts. It was a pretty realistic fantasy, cause you could hear his moans through the phone, indicating he was really close.

That was it. Suddenly, another one of those waved came. This one was so strong, and just wasn't going away like the others did.

"OH FUCK!" You moaned loud and excitedly. "I'm coming right now, oh my God, right… now... fuuuuck…"

"Yes, babygirl, do it…" He said, feeling his own orgasm building. "Don't stop, oh fuck…"

Fucking finally. It had been so long. Your back arched and all your muscles flexed and you moaned during every second of it. When your body relaxed, you weren't capable of doing anything, not even thinking.

"Baby, talk to me, fuck." Jake called for the third time, but you didn't even hear the first ones.

"I did it." You told him, all smiley. "I'm in heaven, I swear. Fuck... I needed this, so bad..."

"Proud of you, babygirl." He chuckled. "But you should have told me this so much earlier."

"I definitely should." You agreed. "Do you think we can do this again someday?"

"Not a chance." He sighed frustratedly. "I swear I'm getting on the first plane tomorrow. My baby needs me and it breaks my heart to not be there for her..."

After all, you knew that both of you could touch yourselves all you wanted, even together like you just did, but nothing would compare to the real thing.

[multifandom-onigiri]

Ok I’m going to rip off the bandage and talk about the age gap discourse surrounding DarkMilk

I’m going to preface this with a few disclaimers

1. The post is mainly going to center around Dark Choco as a character because there is (unsurprisingly) more to be said about Dark Choco Cookie from what I’ve gathered. (Edit: There was a lot more to be said.)

2. This post isn’t here to force you to change your interpretation or have your take away from this post as “I have to see Dark Choco as this age” or “DarkMilk’s age gap is [insert said range]”. Rather, it’s me presenting an interpretation with an analysis of the game. But nothing about their ages is explicitly confirmed or denied so I could be wrong. You could be wrong too. None of us are the writers.

3. Around half of this post relies on analyzing the Korean names of Dark Choco and Milk. As seen in my pinned post, I’m not Korean so I ran this post through with a mutual who is. That being said, that doesn’t mean this post is immediately 100% right so please correct this post if needed. (To the mutual in question, thank you so much for the help I really mean it.)

A while ago, I found a tweet and then a conversation under it between two users about young prince dark choco’s age based on his name is written in Korean: 어린 왕자.

It’s stated as such on the wiki for Cookie Run Ovenbreak (italicized because we’ll get to this in a bit) but here’s a screenshot in game

There’s two things to note with 어린 왕자

1) 어리다 means young but significantly so (as in the age of the person numerically is small, and thus they can be easily recognized as a child).

2) 어린 왕자 is apparently also the official Korean title for the book The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (Named as such for the young boy dubbed as the little prince and also yeah I’ve never read this book… else I’d have a segment in this post in speculating why this is the case)

Out of curiosity (and also because I hate missing or getting info wrong), I checked the Cookie Run (for Ovenbreak) wiki to confirm that’s how Young Prince was written. And then I rewatched the CRK Dark Mode cutscenes.

Turns out they changed the way they refer to Young Prince Dark Choco: 어린 왕자 다크초코 쿠키-> 젊은 시절의 다크초코 쿠키

Notable changes are:

1) For starters, 젊은 시절의 다크초코 쿠키 directly translates to “Dark Choco Cookie of Youth”. Note that the word prince was added in the English localization and is not included in the original text.

2) 젊다 is a different word that also means young. Specifically, it refers to being young in thought or action. However, it’s not the same type of young (think like how you would treat a baby/toddler vs. how you’d treat an older teen. With a baby, they’ve just started living and thus know very little about how things and people work. It’s cute at times and annoying at other times. On the other hand, teenagers are still children but they’ve lived much longer than babies, so you expect them to be more mature/responsible than a 5 year old). Also unlike 어리다, 젊다 can be used to describe anyone that’s younger than you and doesn’t really suggest a certain age range because it depends on the speaker and the person they’re referring to.

The big question that can be taken away from this is:

1) Why the change from 어리다 -> 젊다 ?

Disclaimer: I’m not Devsisters so I can really only make guesses but here’s the take we ended up with.

The writers for CRK realized that using the word 어리다 ended up making Young Prince Dark Choco seem younger than he should be, and that 젊다 was a more reasonable choice to properly depict Dark Choco’s age.

Something interesting that was brought up in addition to this point while this section was being checked over is that 어린 왕자 다크초코 쿠키 makes Young Prince Dark Choco sound like he’s a naive little boy who doesn’t know anything about the world because he is too young while 젊은 시절의 다크초코 쿠키 makes him sound like he’s a proper aged man who went through lots of things to obtain many achievements.

I’d also like to point out that they also haven’t changed the way they refer to Young Prince Dark Choco in CROB. It’s still 어린 왕자 다크초코 쿠키 (and I took the screenshot yesterday as of writing this to double check). And both CRK and CROB are treated as mainline games (but probably alternate universes) that are no more canon than the other.

If you ask me what this possibly means, I really don’t have an answer LOL

“So if they aged Young Prince Dark Choco up in CRK, how much older is he supposed to be compared to? Is it possible they aged him up to be an adult?”

The answer to these questions can be found on a specific post posted on March 25th, 2022 by @ gingerbrave_dev on instagram (and @ GingerBrave_Dev on twitter). Gingerbrave_dev is one of the official Cookie Run accounts.

It’s a collage of 4 pictures that depict Dark Choco Cookie growing up. The caption on both Instagram and Twitter is the same which reads as follows:

The important thing here is that Young Prince Dark Choco is *included* in this collage which is said by an official Cookie Run account to be a depiction of his childhood.

Meaning that it’s more likely that if there’s a possible cutoff for Young Prince Dark Choco’s age, the oldest Young Prince Dark Choco could be is 18. (The age range for adolescence, the last stage of child development, is between 13 - 18). But because they include Young Prince Dark Choco in this post, I personally think that Young Prince Dark Choco isn’t meant to be an adult overall.

(Ok quick edit: Adolescence is apparently the transitionary stage between childhood and adulthood but tbh I’m not sure if most people sit down and double check that every exact piece of info aligns with the correct word and definition when designing a character).

And that’s pretty much all I have on official statements and canon that directly (not really) talks about Young Prince Dark Choco’s age.

However, I want to shift the focus from discussing directly about what his age is to why I personally read Young Prince Dark Choco more as a teenager.

When I first saw Young Prince Dark Choco back in 2019, what stuck out to me was the stark contrast between this past version of Dark Choco and his current self. Young Prince Dark Choco is so much more hopeful and driven compared to his current self. He exudes a lot more confidence based on his lines and his main goal in CROB is to save his kingdom by gaining more power. We get the implications from how pessimistic current Dark Choco is that his own actions (obtaining the Strawberry Jam sword) leads to his kingdom’s downfall and he regrets those actions from his past.

For me, that was how I originally concluded he was a teenager. And honestly, I never really reflected about the actual reasoning until we started having this discourse 2 years later because the headcanon just seemed really natural to me.

Fast forward to January/February 2021 with the release of Cookie Run Kingdom, which ended up giving us a lot more lore on Dark Choco. There are two things that are relevant to my proposition of Dark Choco being a teenager.

1) The CRK Artbook

First released during the game’s release, it contains concept art of the world building and the characters (playable characters at the start of the game + ancients + legendaries), who get their own page or two to themselves.

I’m pulling this image off the internet because the one thing that stands out to me and that is also relevant to what we’re talking about is that the current Dark Choco presents more similarly to when he was a child (they’re both quiet and hold serious expressions on their faces).

Meaning that Young Prince Dark Choco is confirmed to not be Dark Choco’s original personality (for lack of better words. I don’t know how to word this better). And seeing Dark Choco and Dark Cacao standing next to each other, you can see how much they resemble each other. Like father, like son.

So the question is: why is Young Prince Dark Choco’s demeanor completely different from when he was younger?

Personally, I think the answer is much more simple than one might think: Young prince Dark Choco was a teenager. More specifically (and this is how I’ll segueway into the next section), Young Prince Dark Choco was an earnest teenager prince who began to question and challenge the traditions/structure of the Dark Cacao Kingdom and of his father.

2) Dark Choco, Dark Cacao, and the Generational Divide that Drives Them Apart

The release of Dark Mode would bring both a lot more long-awaited lore for Dark Choco, and also Dark Cacao Cookie, who piqued people’s interest especially since he is Dark Choco’s father.

The most significant moments happen through the magic-induced flashbacks Dark Choco is forced to relive through, where Young Prince Dark Choco interacts with multiple people. This includes his Dark Cacao, who is the only person to have two separate flashbacks.

The first flashback is a conversation between Dark Choco and Dark Cacao which will be posted below:

What Dark Choco says here stands out to me: “Our Kingdom is in need of change…! We can’t keep hiding behind our walls!

The Dark Cacao Kingdom’s walls is a major subject of Chapters 13 and 14, as one of the main conflicts in that chapter is between the people and Dark Cacao. The villagers outside the kingdom’s walls have been struggling with food shortages and attacks from wild animals. They’ve been trying to contact the king for help but Affogato intercepts and closes the door on them before they can. Meanwhile, most of the resources are being used on maintaining the kingdom’s walls, which causes a change in the portion of the food Dark Cacao’s subjects are receiving. Affogato takes advantages of this to try to cause dissent among Dark Cacao’s court, which was his original plan until the Cookies of Darkness show up.

What’s revealed about why Dark Cacao spends so much time and resources on maintaining the kingdom’s walls is that the walls serve as a safeguard against the Licorice monsters in the Licorice Sea from overtaking the land and eventually the entire world. We get to see a great example of this as Licorice Cookie summons a gigantic Licorice Monster that proceeds to break down a significant portion of the walls.

So from what we read in chapters 13 and 14, we can conclude that the walls is very necessary in protecting the Dark Cacao Kingdom and the Licorice Monsters are nothing to be laughed at. They’re formidable enemies.

It’s very likely from the way that the walls are Dark Cacao’s #1 priority rather than directly addressing whatever is happening with the villages outside the walls that Dark Cacao probably has had previous firsthand experience with the Licorice Monsters and consider them that much of a serious threat.

From the way Young Prince Dark Choco talks to Dark Cacao in the flashback, it sounds like he doesn’t share the same perspective as Dark Cacao.

This is why I think Young Prince Dark Choco being a teenager is a major factor into this difference of perspective.

The thing about teenagers is that during that stage of life, they are going through a lot or at least they think they’re going through a lot because that’s when puberty starts to kick in and the hormones start jumping over the place.

They start questioning their identity. Who they are, what they want to be, what their role is in society. They’re trying to figure out how to be their own person.

They can start questioning the rules. Why am I doing [insert here] ? Why doesn’t Mom and Dad let me do this and that? Why do I have to do this? And because of this, they can become defiant and challenge authority and even what they previously just accepted as fact.

Because of this, teenagers take risks and can make bad or stupid decisions all the time. They end up clashing more with their parents because their parents recognize that their kid will regret what they’re doing later due to the consequences their kid will have to face (and possibly even due to firsthand experience when they themselves were teenagers).

I think all of this applies to this particular flashback.

a) Questioning

Young Prince Dark Choco argues that the kingdom, and by extension, the way Dark Cacao runs it needs to change. He describes kingdom’s walls not as defense, but as a means to hide, which frames the amount of time that the people of the Dark Cacao Kingdom have been living behind as a sign of fear/cowardice. This is also in response to Dark Cacao telling him that he’s still young and has a lot to learn. The flashback seems to throw us, the reader, right into the middle of the conversation without any previous context but with Dark Choco’s response, I think the conversation they were having is overall related to Young Prince Dark Choco’s response.

b) Identity

Something to keep in mind that every person is unique and how they grow up is largely influenced by their environment (the family and friends around them, their socioeconomic status, etc).

Young Prince Dark Choco is not your average human being Cookie. He is the son of Dark Cacao, who is the one of the most powerful cookies in the entire cast outside of the legendaries and the dragons, a warrior known for his abnormal strength (the sword he uses takes 3 regular cookies to carry it) and heroic deeds (like splitting the White and Black Dragon which is treated like a legendary tale), and due to all of the previous, an esteemed king beloved by all of his subjects.

By being the son of Dark Cacao and therefore, the prince of the Dark Cacao Kingdom, Young Prince Dark Choco had a whole legacy to live up to. And although we know Young Prince Dark Choco ends up not being able to live to that legacy due to the Strawberry Jam Sword, we do know from other characters that Dark Choco at that time was doing really well.

Note that if Caramel Arrow, the First Watcher, says that Dark Choco Cookie taught her how to use the bow, then that means that he is most likely also exemplary not with just swordsmanship but also archery as well.

Also don’t forget about how Dark Choco saves the Milk Village from a pack of cream wolves, which leaves a great impression on the Milk Cookie we know.

For the most part, I think Young Prince Dark Choco cares about the people and the kingdom he lives in. He seems very earnest in wanting to help his kingdom from what can be seen in his costume lines in CROB.

But I also think there’s one more underlying possibility behind Young Prince Dark Choco’s character: Young Prince Dark Choco wants to be a hero like his own father because he wants his father’s approval.

In Chapter 14. Dark Choco and Dark Cacao have a very heated conversation right before they try to kill each other. In this conversation, Dark Choco talks about the grievances he’s held against his father over the many years since he was banished. One of the grievances that he mentions is about how he wishes his father cared about him more.

(Note: There’s been issues with the ENG dub for Ch 13 and 14 where the localization makes Dark Choco come off as harsher and more insensitive (so to speak) even if it’s not accurate to the original text.

For the first screenshot, a more accurate translation would be “Ever since I was little, you didn’t give me anything sweet and treated me harshly. We were not even close as father and son like other people.”

Second screenshot is fine.)

This is later acknowledged by Dark Cacao himself as who says after they finish their heated conversation, fight, and finish their sword fight with Dark Cacao defeating Dark Choco: “It is clear as day now… My life’s greatest regret is that I never gave you enough… love”. (And this acknowledgment and really the confrontations leading up to the acknowledgment is the key to Dark Choco finally being able to break away from the sword, but that’s an analysis for another day).

There’s also these illustrations from the art book that stand out to me in this regard (and also makes me depressed). The first illustration showcases young Dark Choco walking behind his father and in his shadow. It actually gets redrawn in a different perspective in the collage of Dark Choco’s childhood I showed earlier, where it adds the detail of young Dark Choco tugging at Dark Cacao’s cloak. In the second illustration, Dark Choco is holding onto the Strawberry Jam sword and staring down at Dark Cacao, who is seated and bent over.

The thing that stays consistent is that Dark Cacao’s back is turned towards him, and I think this represents both this distance in their relationship and Dark Choco’s inability to ever connect with Dark Cacao very well.

I think the combination of his accomplishments during this part of his life and his desire to be closer to his father and gain his approval causes Dark Choco to start both overestimating his abilities and coming to the wrong conclusions. And I don’t necessarily mean this as “Dark Choco became arrogant” because even Dark Cacao says it himself: “What a bright and responsible child he was… Kind, humble…”

But I do believe the reason Young Prince Dark Choco’s costume lines in CROB and the monologue Dark Choco gives after he decides to quit working for Dark Enchantress talks about power and how he was looking for it is because Young Prince Dark Choco wrongly assumed that the kingdom’s problems were a result of not having enough power and then concluded that he could solve those issues if he found a way to become more powerful.

And with what I talked about earlier about how Dark Cacao most likely considers the Licorice Monsters a serious threat that can’t instead just be simply dealt and done with, there’s a chance that Dark Choco not only overestimates his own abilities but also underestimates how powerful and dangerous the Licorice Monsters are because he’s likely never had any firsthand experience with them in his lifetime unlike Dark Cacao.

And my guess is that Dark Cacao noticed this and tried to advise Dark Choco against this conclusion, and that’s what at the root of the first flashback between Young Prince Dark Choco and Dark Cacao.

3) Defiance

Unfortunately, the last two sections I’ve just talked about ends up leading to what we know ends up happening to Dark Choco. He does not listen to Dark Cacao. He finds the Strawberry Jam Sword, believing that it’ll give him the power he needs to solve his problems. Instead he falls prey to what the sword whispers to him, and this results in slashing his father in the chest. This results in Dark Cacao banishing Dark Choco from entering the Dark Cacao Kingdom.

TDLR for this section: The difference in the years of experience between Dark Choco and Dark Cacao causes a major clash between them on how to tackle the Dark Cacao Kingdom’s current issues. Out of both an earnest desire to help the Kingdom he grew up in and the people he grew up with and cares about and a desire to gain his father’s approval by striving to be the type of hero his father is, Dark Choco looks for the Strawberry Sword and falls victim to its powers, which heavily damages the relationship between father and son all the way until Chapter 14 of CRK.

You’ve probably reached this part still absorbing a bunch of information and speculation I’ve thrown at you. Unfortunately, I still have to talk about Milk so yes the post somehow still isn’t over. Luckily or unluckily (depending on how you interpret it), there’s a lot less stuff I can really say about his age, and there won’t be a very extensive character analysis like there is with Dark Choco because Milk Cookie does not have nearly the amount of lore or dedicated writing as Dark Choco does.

Milk in the Dark Mode flashbacks in CRK is referred to as 우유 일족의 어린 쿠키 which translates to Young Cookie of the Milk Tribe. As you can see, the word 어리다 is used to refer to Milk, indicating that Milk Cookie was definitely a child. He’s nowhere close to being an adult.

Unlike with Dark Choco, there really aren’t any other details in his backstory that really suggest a certain age range. The most prominent characteristics about Milk Cookie is that he is strongly attached to his beliefs, and within those beliefs is the belief that Dark Choco is an infallible hero that stems from what happened in the past. The root of that belief is admiration, and admiration… isn’t an age-specific trait. You can look up to many types of people and have role models at any point of your life.

I think really the one thing that does get indicated is that Milk is undeniably younger than Dark Choco.

The first image is the concept art for Milk Cookie that was released around Milk Cookie’s release (I assume. I didn’t see this until 2-3 years later). The second image is from the background of Milk’s doctor costume’s gacha art in CROB.

I think that stands out to me the most is that after staring at it, both of these share a pretty similar height gap between them. However, the second photo makes both of them seem taller especially Milk because of Dark Choco’s legs, which are almost half of his body, gets cut off by the photo. The first image also makes Dark Choco seem a lot bigger because of how it’s sketched out (the shoulder pads and cloak end up making Dark Choco look a lot bigger than he actually is in general LOL).

If you asked me to try to gauge the age gap between these two photos, the only thing I’d tell you really is that there’s no way it’s a 10-15 year age gap; height gap is way too short for that. But I can’t tell you a definitive guess because I’m going to be honest: Cookie Run does not do a great job telling you the ages of characters and just leaves it up to the reader to interpret themselves. There’s not really a standard for what a teenager looks like in Cookie Run, and I feel like that’s the reason why people in this fandom really sort characters into either children or adults. It’s because of this that I also think that nobody in the fandom really knows how to determine that themselves, or else I wouldn’t have written a whole analysis on why I think it’s actually reasonable to see Dark Choco as a teenager in this post. (And there’s also a few other characters that have also gone through age discourse but I don’t want to even touch that right now at all LOL).

(Edit at 12:22 pm because I feel like I need to add this: It’s not the fandom’s fault for not being able to determine ages. It’s solely on Devsisters alone because if the writers aren’t clear, then it’s much harder for the fandom to agree upon anything.)

I also think that realistically you can’t really… come up with an infallible standard for how tall a person is supposed to be at a certain age because people grow up differently depending on multiple factors. People of the same age group aren’t all the same height or weight in real life.

And it’s even more difficult to tell literally anything if the writers refuse to actually confirm anything clearly and instead use vague descriptive terms.

That being said, I can’t actually point at you and say you’re wrong because of what age gap you give to Milk and Dark Choco because as I said in the beginning of this post, I don’t know anything. I also think it does go both ways though, and less people should stop acting like their interpretation has been completely canonized.

But at the end of the day, we’ll keep reading the same stories from the same franchise and interpret how we want to. I HC DarkMilk with a two year age gap. You don’t have to agree (and I bet a lot of people don’t LOL). And that’s okay.

If you ask me whether I’ll make another post talking about this topic, the answer is an absolute resounding no because I think this is the most in-depth I could possibly be about this topic to the point this is definitely my longest post ever. I don’t think there is anything else I can say.

If you liked this analysis, you don’t need to do anything. If you’re extremely tired from reading this, this is the most understandable reaction to this post, and I hope you have a good day.

[itsaash]

Hamptons Cubs: Midnight

Prompt credit to @noots-fic-fests and character credit to @lumosinlove!

Today we're back to the Hamptons featuring some boys just trying to figure it out

Rated M, 1900 words, Read on ao3, if you prefer

Finn didn’t know what to do with his heart. It was 8 sizes too big and yet felt like it was in a vice. He wanted to pull it out and put it on ice and turn it fucking down .

Logan was in his house. With Leo. Going into Leo’s bedroom with him after an awkward evening of talking about careers and apartments and absolutely not college.

Leo must have made himself dizzy from all the darting around his eyes were doing, between the other two men, who were dancing on conversational thin ice. Finn didn’t blame Leo for yawning and pulling Logan into his bedroom with a kind goodnight. Finn had retreated to his own room and tried to force himself to sleep, hoping it would all make more sense in the morning.

But all Friday Logan had been with Leo in the kitchen like an adorable snarky shadow, and god, they were so cute together. Between frittatas and pasta salad and paninis Finn saw Logan cleaning up behind Leo like he was made for it. He saw Leo laughingly take a steak knife out of Logan’s hand (that he was trying to cut peppers with) and guide him to the sink full of dishes instead, with a kiss to the curve of his neck that forced himself to walk away from watching.

Friday, Saturday, Sunday passed with Finn trying to work, trying to not see the extra love that was cooked into their meals with the presence of Logan being around Leo. His parents loved having someone new there and at any meal they ate all together it was easy enough to stay polite but quiet. To only see the love shimmering between Leo and Logan out of the corner of his eyes because to look at it full on felt like it would burn his retinas like the sun.

Logan and Leo .

On Sunday after a dinner of grilled local sausages, a green salad from the garden, and smashed potatoes, Finn grew the courage to offer to help with dishes. Missing the time he usually had with Leo felt like a gaping opening in his heart and so he shuffled into the kitchen and settled in at the sink, aiming for casual.

“Oh hey Finn, thanks sugar. You might want to leave that pan soaking for a bit yet, the meat got nice and stuck on there.”

“Sounds good Leo, happy to help,” Finn said, holding his hands under the running water for just a breath.

“Busy weekend? Seems like you had a lot of work to do,” Leo asked.

“Hmm? Oh, oh, yeah. I didn’t get done what I wanted to this week, so I was trying to catch up. I got put on a new book recently. It’s a really great project, but I’ve just kind of … stuck on it lately, for some reason.”

Reasons including: it’s hard to focus on editing when his mind wasn’t sure what year it was, was time travelling every time he looked up and saw Logan.

Leo nodded in understanding as he finished bringing the dirty dishes to the sink. He put away the leftovers in silence as they worked together for a while. Finn took a deep breath as he scrubbed the extra dirty pan.

“I’m guessing Logan told you all about how he saved me in that history class, huh?”

Leo propped a hip against the counter near Finn, relaxed with his arms crossed. “Well he was actually pretty sure you saved him, so I guess it sounds like you helped each other.”

Finn dropped the sponge and turned to Leo, his breath heaving.

“I’m sorry,” Finn blurted out.

Leo cocked his head to the side, eyes soft. “For what?”

“That I kissed your boyfriend,” Finn said in a rush, making it sound like all one word.

“Oh sugar, Finn, don’t apologise. It’s ok. It was ages ago, I didn’t even know him then.” He picked up a towel and started drying the cookware Finn had washed before continuing. “I’m actually really glad you had each other. It makes me happy to think about the two of you studying, helping each other out.”

Finn managed a half smile at the thought of his and Logan’s study session.

“Is it ok that we’re here, Finn? If it’s weird, it’s totally fine. We can head home for the week. You’ve been … quiet …. this weekend and we really aren’t trying to mess up your week.” Leo hesitated. “Not to get in the middle of it, but Logan did mention you might feel like he ghosted you. Or that maybe you feel some anger towards him?”

“No, no! Did he say that?” Finn ran both hands through his hair, getting it wet, and took a deep breath, shaking his head. “I don’t remember it that way. Please, stay. I was surprised, like shock and awe , like get me a fainting couch type surprised. And I think it made me seize up a bit. But I see the two of you are really happy, it’s so sweet. Please, stay. Have a fun week out of the city.” Finn turned and finished cleaning the last dish and dried his hands.

Leo smiled, towel moving slowly over the dish in his hand. “Thanks Finn. That means a lot to me.”

Finn nodded and turned, meaning to head upstairs. That was about as much of confronting this weirdness that he could handle for today. Logan might be back in from his conversation with his parents at any time.

“And Finn?” Leo called. He turned back, leaning against the wall, hip popped out, listening. “Don’t avoid us, okay? If you don’t want to? I promise there’s no hard feelings on our end.” Finn just gave a small smile and nod, but the worried look lifted, just a bit, before he turned to go upstairs.

~~~~~

Logan had been helping Leo and between frittatas and his pasta salad and peach pie they had been busy all weekend. Logan was so impressed by his boyfriend, was soaking up every moment of watching Leo in his element, and with a backdrop worthy of a postcard too. Leo had even let Logan peel the peaches and mix the salad, although mostly Logan cleaned and organised and prepared while Leo cooked.

But, Finn. Logan didn’t know what to think. The shock had faded somewhat in the past two days of helping Leo with meals. It was a busy gig, an easy distraction. But then he’d glance out the window and catch a glimpse of Finn’s red hair out the window, amidst the beautiful garden and sprawling lawn. And his heart would stutter and he’d forget where he was for a moment. He’d think of books and candles and highlighters until he looked at Leo. Then reality would spin itself around him again and he’d kiss his boyfriend on the cheek as he walked to the fridge to put something away and tried to live in the present.

Sunday night they sat outside to watch the sunset, it wasn’t fully dark until nearly 10, and they sipped their drinks and watched the colour fade from the garden and flowers and trees as colours bloomed across the sky instead. And then those faded too, and the stars started sparkling out of nothingness. They sat in loungers beside each other, gaze shifting from the horizon to the sky. Leo’s hand was still warm in his with blankets over both of them.

Logan turned his head from the stars to Leo, just as awed by the sight of his love, even in the dim light.

“So are we staying the week still?”

Leo hummed. “Yeah, Finn said he wants us to. You ok with it? It’s ok if you’re not.”

Logan took a moment to trace his eyes over Leo’s cupid bow as he collected his thoughts. “I still want to. It’s beautiful here, and I have some guilt about how I treated Finn, but really I have nothing but good memories of him.”

“Yeah? You ready to talk more about it?”

Logan took in the stars. Orion’s Belt, the Big Dipper, the sparkling dots that could tell any story, told them all. When he had gathered his thoughts from the spaces between the stars, he went on.

“It was just a few months. But it’s burned into my mind like when you close your eyes after looking at something too bright. Finn is … bright.”

Leo chuckled and nodded at that, Logan squeezed his hand three times.

“Really, we pretty much just studied. We were in the zone, essay writing and memorising,” Logan continued. “Then we went to a party, and we kissed.” He set his head back against the lounge chair. “And Le, it was such a good kiss. It was a long, beautiful, hot kiss.” Logan sighed. “And I think I said something like I’m not gay ? And then the semester was pretty much over, and I was scared, and I didn’t call for months. And when I did, his number had changed.”

Leo reached over and took Logan’s hand in both of his, running his thumb in circles. 

“And I kissed boys after that, and slept with girls, and never felt a hint of the spark I had with him.” He turned his head towards Leo. “Until I met you, of course.” Logan turned onto his side and ran his fingertips down Leo’s cheek. “Remember? We talked, and ate, and when you kissed me, there were the sparks of sunshine filling every part of me.”

Leo smiled, and gripped his hand tighter. “I’m glad you had each other, love. That sounds lovely, and kind of really sad.”

Logan smiled a half smile. “I love you so much. Leo, you are the light of my life. I kissed Finn, one evening, years ago. Today, I’m with you and I want you .”

Leo smiled and they leaned across the small space between chairs to press their lips together.

“You want to stay?” Leo asked.

“Yeah, I do. Let’s have our little vacation, let’s relax, and eat, enjoy the scenery,” he said, waving a hand vaguely around at the dark.

Leo’s watch beeped, midnight.

They sat in the deep quiet for a minute, hands connected between the chairs.

“You told me once your first kiss with a guy had been in college. Was that Finn then?” Leo asked softly into the darkness.

“Oui, soleil, it was.” He made the move to forgo his chair in favour of joining Leo in his. He climbed on top of Leo, pressing them chest to chest. “You were my first everything else, though.”

He leaned down and pressed their lips together and Leo tilted his head up into the kiss.

“I tried with other people in college, but it was never right, never felt good, until it was you,” Logan peppered Leo’s face with kisses. The darkness hugged them as they kissed, making them feel like the only people in the world.

Logan pressed a deep kiss down to Leo's lips, leaving him breathless. Then he stood, one leg on either side of the chair, and pulled Leo’s body down the lounge chair until his hips were near the edge. His long legs sprawled off the end onto the soft grass. Logan backed up and dropped to his knees under the midnight bright stars. The grass was only darkness, but was soft under his knees, cool in contrast to the hard heat that was soon filling his mouth.

“I love this, I never get to make you come on Sundays,” Logan murmured against his skin.

Leo huffed a laugh, arching his back involuntarily. “I think it is Monday by now, baby, ahhh.”

Logan just hummed and swallowed in response.

Leo could hardly see Logan through the darkness, but the stars twinkling in the sky kept him company when stars sparked and exploded behind his eyes.

[socalwriterbee]

Oh, Christmas Tree!

Book: Open Heart

Characters: Ethan Ramsey x Tessa Martinez (FMC)

Rating/Warning: Teen/Fluff

Word Count: 982

Summary: Ethan and Tessa's niece (Melody) are on the look out for a Christmas Tree, only to find out that the tree they are looking for his for his home.

A/N: It's been a minute since I've posted on a story on here and a few weeks ago I got this idea from a conversation about a christmas tree farm with @cariantha @txemrn and @peonierose. I hope it this is ok Cari, it got my mind going. I would also like to thank you for the little something I will be adding at the end. I absolutely love it!!

A/N 2: This was quickly edited, sorry for any errors and typos.

A/N 3: My posts will not have any tags, if you happen to stumble upon this story, Thank you for taking the time to read, like and/or share! Hope you enjoy!

Characters belong to our friends at Pixelberry!

Happy Holidays!

🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄

The sun sat bright in the sky, only giving some warmth to a cold December morning, the smell of pines surrounding them. Ethan found himself in search for the perfect Christmas Tree. Tessa was somewhere else with the rest of her family at a local Christmas Tree farm that was just outside the city limits. The ground crunched under his shoes as he tried to keep up with the little girl in front of him. 

It wouldn’t be hard to lose sight of her they way she was dressed, black pants, shoes that lit up with each step she took paired with a ‘ugly sweater’ as Melody called it and a beanie with a white pom right on top.

Ethan knew if he did not have her in his eye sight she would turn and go off on one of her adventures, where he would call out for her and he would only hear her soft giggles when she hid from him. 

Ethan sighed, he had been bested by Mel more times than he cared to admit. “Have you seen one you like?”

Melody answers him with a simple shake of her head.

What she was looking for Ethan had no clue, they passed trees he would have chosen, full, a nice shape to them, height was perfect for Talia’s family home. 

They were all here when Talia mentioned to Tessa and him about doing this when they went over to her home a couple weeks ago. Tessa’s sister was trying to work around their hospital schedule, Ethan found it quite nice to be included in their family activities and memories. 

He watched Melody stop in front of tree, it stood only a few inches taller than her. Ethan came to a stop next to her, looking down he saw the cold had nipped at her nose making the tip rosy. 

He felt the opposite of a chill when Melody’s warm little hand settled into his. “This one Uncle Ethan.”

The words he wanted to say died on the tip of his tongue but that didn’t stop him from thinking them in his head. The tree in question was quite sad, he tilted his head to the side while he took it in, it was more branches than anything, the needles sparse.

“Mel, are you sure?” He asked, she had to be mistaken the space meant for the Christmas Tree in her family room would swallow this little runt up. “We passed by a lot more bigger ones…”

“But I like this one.”

Alright.

How was Ethan going to sell this one to Tessa and her sister, he saw a smile spread across Melody’s little face and he knew that this little tree was going home with them. He could already hear Tessa, “that little girl has you wrapped around her finger.” 

“I guess we could make room for two trees in the family room.” Ethan said. 

He started pulling out his phone to call Tessa, when Melody’s voice stopped him. “No, Uncle Ethan it’s for you. Auntie Tess said we could decorate a tree for you.”

Ethan tucks his phone back into his coat and drops down to the four year old’s height, sort of he was still a couple inches taller but that didn’t stop her brown eyes from locking with his. “I don’t need one, sweetheart.”

Her little arms wrapped around his neck, Ethan lets out an oomph as he balances the two of them from the force of her hug. “I don’t want you to become a grinch.”

A grinch? Tessa. Ethan shook his head before taking the little girl in his arms, balancing her as he stands them up. “I won’t become a grinch.”

“But you don’t have any Christmas decorations, how will Santa find you to leave presents.”

“Oh.” Santa, right. Ethan tickles Melody, feeling her wiggle and her infectious laugh fill the air, it’s a quick distraction, one he hopes will buy him some time to come up with something. 

When she stopped laughing, Ethan turned them back to the tree in question. “You really like this one?”

Melody nods. 

“There you guys are.” Ethan and Melody turn to see Tessa making her way towards them. “What did you two find?”

“Auntie.” Melody calls out, trying to wiggle out of Ethan’s arms, before she can fall, he places her down and watches her run towards her aunt. 

“Did you find it Ladybug?” Tessa asks.

“Santa is going to like it aaalot.”

“Is he? Show me which one.” 

Ethan watched the interaction between aunt and niece before they made their way to him and the tree he stood in front of. When they reached Ethan, he heard Tessa let out a soft laugh before she turned to him. Tessa was biting her bottom lip to prevent herself from laughing even further. 

Ethan leans down and places a kiss at the corner of Tessa mouth, “This has you written all over it.”

Tessa’s eyes go wide. “Me?”

“You’re the only one who calls me a grinch.” Ethan says wrapping an arms around Tessa and bringing her into him. “And you’ve been trying to get me to decorate, so you enlist a child to do your bidding.”

The two of them look out in front them, Melody skipping around Ethan’s tree singing a Christmas song he doesn’t recognize. 

“Did it work?”

Ethan doesn’t answer her because Tessa already knows the answer. “This is the one Mel.”

Melody stops skipping and singing to only start jumping with excitement. “I did it Auntie Tess.”

“Yes, you did Ladybug.”

“I picked the ugliest tree like you said.”

Tessa slipped out of Ethan’s embrace before he could say anything that Melody could hear. Ethan could only laugh to himself, he had fallen once more to the mischief niece and aunt came up with.

This time it was with a little holiday spirit.

[baelinsrod]

Another video edit! This time for a scene from my fic A Bored Christmas Carol (My very first one from two years ago!!). Excerpt and link to the fic below!

“Little Drummer Boy ? I don’t think I know it.”, he says uncertainly. “Oh I’m sure you’ve heard it before. Hold on.” He pulls out his phone and opens YouTube. “Ah, that. Yes.” “I always kinda really liked it, so…” Alan bobs his head towards the booklet. “OK…” Rowan is still unsure what Alan really wants from him but he lifts the booklet and starts to sing: “Come, they told me, pa-rum-pum-pum-pum. Our newborn King to see, pa-rum-pum-pum-pum. Wow, that’s a really stupid text.” Alan pouts at him in disappointment so Rowan goes on: “I’ll sing it anyway, pa-rum-pum-pum-pum. Though it’s incredibly repe-pe-petive, repe-pe-petive, repe-pe-petiiiiive… ” Alan can’t help but laugh at that and Rowan seems to become more comfortable with the situation, relaxing his slightly tense shoulders. It’s really weird and probably at least partly alcohol induced, but Alan feels a profound happiness and content listening to Rowan right now. It’s one of those moments where you feel like everything’s OK and there’s nothing in the world to worry about. It’s all in a bit of a haze but he suddenly remembers his thoughts from earlier today and thinks what a pity it would be if it really were all just a dream. Rowan has seemingly found a way to enjoy singing the song without making fun of the lyrics by slightly changing the melody here and there, adding a few flourishes where he sees fit. Alan can’t judge the musical value of it, but it sounds beautiful to him so he loves it. It doesn’t stop Rowan from fooling around though, sitting up overly straight and proud, giving Alan a smug smile as he sings: “I played my best for him, pa-rum-pum-pum-pum… ” Alan laughs in response, beaming at the other man like a dog with two tails. Rowan turns his head to the page to read the next line, but looks back at Alan before he continues: “Then, he smiled at me, pa-rum-pum-pum-pum… ” His expression is unreadable, but very genuine and all of a sudden Alan’s throat feels very tight.

[we-are-swearwolves]

Leo’s Plant Corner

Finn/Leo/Logan: plants and domesticity and social media mishaps (G)

Inspired by me finding new leaves on a fiddle leaf I thought was dead 😌🪴 characters belong to @lumosinlove 💘

It was an understandable mistake, really.

Alex was grounded in the Atlanta airport, texting everyone he fucking knew for hours as he tried to get on a flight back to New York.

Finn had been sending him videos all afternoon. Multiple snapchats with some version of the phrase ‘sucks to suck 💞’, Leo’s straight faced reactions to an awful selection of puns, himself dancing like a lunatic to a new Taylor Swift song (“I finally understand Lo’s secret obsession now, ok I get it, Peanut Butter.”).

Hell, he’d even gone so far as to scroll through the videos he kept on his phone and edit together a compilation of Lo saying ‘Tabarnak’ in various contexts and inflections.

So, you see it was reasonable for Logan to think that Finn was filming a video for Alex.

When Leo had first moved north, he’d had a hard time not seeing the stars, not feeling the heat, and being away from his parents, which were all things that couldn’t be fixed, though goddamnit did Finn and his thermostat try.

One thing Finn could fix though, was the greenery.

Central Gryff wasn’t exactly known for its lush landscape, and once Leo realized that one of the things he was missing was all the green, Finn had gone what might be called ‘apeshit’ at a nearby nursery.

A lot of their plants died on the regular, seeing as they were gone so fucking much, but the majority of them did make it and both Finn and Leo were very proud.

Heartthrob status or no, Finn didn’t go live on Instagram very often, but for a brief period of time at the start of Leo’s rookie season, there were short plant tours and updates every other week or so, mostly to make Leo laugh.

They hadn’t done it in forever, although he got comments requesting “new episodes of Leo’s plant corner? 🥺” semi-regularly.

This particular morning, however, there was such a significant plant development (and Finn had his goddamn phone out anyway) that they thought fuck it.

The number of people who must have had notifications turned on for Finn’s lives must being truly fucking ridiculous for how many viewers they immediately had.

Finn put on a truly ridiculous wrestling announcer voice and began the same way he always had, “Welcome, to Leo Knut’s plant corner!!! Bauw bauw-bauw bauwwww!”

Literally thousands of hearts showed on his screen.

“Alright listen, what y’all have to understand is that I thought this fiddle leaf was over, ok?” Leo’s accent was coming out just a little stronger than usual and it was so fucking cute, “He’s been strugglin’ since we got him, what was that, Harz, almost two years ago? Anyway, no growth at all, dropping leaves all the time, lookin’ kind of pathetic—“

Finn tried to keep the phone steady even though he was quietly losing his shit laughing.

“—shuddup Harzy, it was sad!” And then he looked back to the camera, “Finn was sad for him y’all, I swear. Ok so anyway this morningggg,” Leo stepped to the side and gestured proudly to said pathetic plant, “I come out here, and this lil guy had not one, not two, not three, but FOUR new baby leaves up top!”

Finn zoomed for emphasis, saying, “Baby leaves,” with what he hoped was enough awe to satisfy Leo.

“Baby leaves! I said what I said! Look at them! They’re so small and they’re new.”

Thousands more virtual hearts, which Finn thought was understandable.

“Baby leaves though?”

Leo liked making Finn laugh just as much as Finn liked making Leo laugh so he pushed on, ridiculous on purpose, hand gestures big and expressive.

“Yes, these are baby leaves, ok? Look at them! I’m so proud of this goddamn plant, I thought he was a goner and here he is with children,” (Finn was laughing so fucking hard now) “For fucks sake, Harzy, this man is a father!”

Finn couldn’t contain the sounds any longer and neither could Leo as they both broke character and just giggled and giggled and giggled.

It was probably for the best that neither of them were paying attention to the thirsty comments the IG viewers were leaving, that they didn’t see just how many people were at that moment offering to make them fathers.

“Merde, what the fuck?”

The sound of their laughter had woken Logan up from where he’d been lightly snoozing just a room away.

Finn threw out a, “Now with special guest… Logannnn Tremblaaay!” To which he got an eyebrow raise that he somehow understood to be in French.

Leo quickly caught Logan up on their new leaf children, Lo’s expression getting softer with each word.

See, it had been so long since Finn and Leo’s last plant show and what with Finn sending Alex videos all day, it really was understandable that Lo would speak freely even knowing he was being recorded.

“Mon dieu, Peanut, if this is the reaction for baby plants, I cannot imagine how you guys will be when we have our family, I mean fuck.”

Finn and Leo both froze.

“What?”

Both their mouths dropped open.

“What? It’s not like we haven’t talked about— Baby, why are you looking at me like that?”

Finn looked dazed and used his free hand to point to his phone somewhat ridiculously.

“Video,” was the only word he could get out though.

“Yeah, no shit, you’ve been sending Alex videos all day.”

Finn stared.

Leo stared.

Logan didn’t know it at the time, but thousands of people at home watching on their phones also stared.

“It’s…” Logan’s eyes got a little bigger then, alarm beginning to work its way into his face, “…it’s for Alex. Right? Finn,” Lo was serious now, “Finn… you’re recording a video for Alex.”

Later, upon reflection, there were a lot of things Logan would wish had gone differently that day (it wasn’t how he imagined they’d come out).

One specific thing, however, was the fact that the fucking face he made when Finn finally managed to say, “Nope,” as Leo said, “Sweetheart, oh my god,” would become a meme that would haunt him for years.

He was a little bit right though, Alex did love that video.

[luanneclatterbuck]

I’m too old to deal with a 20-something bartender.

I went out for dinner and drinks this week, and I still can’t get over the experience. Now, yes, this is all just me expecting more from life. I’m set in my ways and believe certain things should be done to a certain standard. It’s like the older I get, the more I see those standards decline. At home? Who cares. Wear sweatpants and eat ice cream out of the tub. But on the rare occasion I leave the house now, I expect it to be worth it.

This place was billed as a fresh new craft cocktail bar. They JUST opened a few weeks ago and I was excited to try, but all of their specialty drinks on the menu were… convoluted? At best? So I went with *my* drink, a simple, classic, dirty vodka martini.

The waitress asked if I wanted anything in it. I stared at her. “Any olives or anything?” Um, yes. Yes I’ll have olives? in my martini? please? “So like, blue cheese olives?” No! No no no, just regular olives, please.

About 20 minutes later, she brings me… a martini. I guess. First impression, it’s on one of those stubby, stemless martini glasses. Which I hate, and the place had martini “art” on the walls that all had stemmed glasses. Ok, fine. I can drink it out of a stemless glass. I take a sip and 1) it was crunchy. It had so much chipped ice in it that it almost looked like a margarita 2) it was basically just olive brine and vermouth 3) it had three giant blue cheese olives on a pick. Then I noticed the bartender was just a kid and I’m now old enough to say “I could be his mother.” Maybe he’d never made a martini before. Sigh. **edit - I noticed on the bill that they charged me for the martini, plus $2 for the olives. It had all been removed, with the line “customer sent back because of olives” but like I said NO NO NO to those and you used them anyway so it wasn’t me being picky, and also $2?? For three olives??? I’ll just go home and drink from the bottle and eat from the jar of regular olives next time.

She came back a half an hour later, and I told her it was all kinds of wrong and just bring me a glass of Pinot Grigio. Another 20 minutes go by and we FINALLY have our food (a chicken Ceasar salad should not take over an hour to prepare) and I have a drink in front of me. And they were… fine. But then I noticed my friend’s red wine and my white wine were in identical glasses. They at least had stems on them, and don’t get me wrong, I’m not usually that much of a snob. I’ll drink wine out of a jelly jar at home. I don’t care. But when you’re a Cocktail Bar™️, and you’re trying to be classy… get some different glasses and educate your staff as to what goes in which.

Turns out the owner is super young and probably thought, “Craft cocktails are hot right now, I’ll open a bar. Most college kids just order cheap beer anyway.” It was most disheartening. And besides us, there were two tables with two people each, and two guys at the bar. Not busy at all. I hate to be that guy shaking my fist at the clouds and adjusting the onion on my belt, but… do better. I give that place less than a year. Or more. Who knows. Most people aren’t as particular and detail oriented as I am. Anyway I’m old now and these young kids with their substandard bars are annoying me.

[tocupid]

SAINTS? SAENTS. — FRUITY PEBBLES

synopsis. where an all korean high school finally gets an international student ... turned into a group of 5.

meet saeboms internationals and peek at their lives as they adapt to the new world their thrown in together!

warnings. cussing, jake slander, literally a sprinkle of jen feeling down (but its ok! she has her amazing friends to pick her back up!!!), lmk if anything else should be added

jumping off the bus, you and keeho rushed to the spot that your group usually hung out at. a simple bench that was somewhat between the entrance and school itself since jen absolutely hated walking and wanted to get to a spot as quick as possible but to a distance where it was easy for you to fight your way through a mob of students trying to get to class asap as the bell rang.

you could spot chunhua sitting there, still nervous even after attending the school for 2+ years. "sprinting" (yall know damn well you are NOT sprinting at 7 in the morning) towards the bench, hua practically jumped up, meeting you "half way", hugging you and keeho tightly. a bystander would've assumed the three of you hadn't seen each other in centuries when, in reality, you all had seen each other (including jake and jen!!) 2 days ago for school supply shopping and a sleepover at jens.

"I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO DIE ALONE HERE!!" chunhua dramatically wailed while keeho snickered, and you pressed multiple kisses on her cheeks, knowing that the ticklish feeling would have her laughing her ass off soon. "MY POOR BABY!! MWAH MWAH MWAH MWAH" you wailed just as dramatically back, letting out a few henious laughs in between. keeho simply tried shutting the both of you up, covering his face and trying to cover yours and hers as well, slightly embarrassed at the judging stares whispers aimed at you three.

they'd definitely have more to talk about as jake and jen crashed into the three, laughing just as hard. a few "FUCK YOU JAKE"'s were passed around along with some "I'LL SHOVE FRUITY PEBBLES DOWN YOUR THROAT"'s in the chaos. landing all over and around the bench, the saents continued to catch up over what happened the past 2 days. even if it was all said in the group chat, it always felt like a whole new story when talked about in person. in the middle of jen discussing her petty fight with her sister, rachel, she stopped, mouth still open, hearing the sound of a motorcycle engine running and soon seeing the motorcycle itself pull up into the schools parking lot, visible from where the 5 sat. all heads turned to the direction of the parking lot, heart eyes coming from the majority (including our very own jennifer huh) as han seojun took off his helmet, shaking his hair into place. a few squeals erupted as he got off the bike and walked towards the school, dusting off his uniform. turning his head to glance at a few of the admirers, and even sending a wink towards a lucky one, his gaze landed on jen, giving her a small smile and wave, which she returned back.

they had known each other from when they had partnered up for a project together. based on the rumors, jen DREADED working with him, afraid she'd have to do all the work herself. surprisingly, he had made an effort to understand the task at hand, and with all of the hard work, the two passed with an 82. usually, jen scored higher, being a pretty good student. this time, she didn't seem to mind the 82, knowing how difficult it was for the boy who barely paid attention in class to get his act together for the little time they had for the project. the time spent together wasn't boring at all despite it mostly being on work. he would do his best to make things more comfortable and casual for her, cracking a few jokes (that she laughed VERY hard at) from time to time and doing his best to do as much as the work for her.. even though she ended up having to edit most of it. after the project ended, she expected him to treat her like a stranger all over again, only to see how he did his best to maintain their friendly relationship, helping her out when he could and waving at her with a smile every time he saw her. soon enough, everything he did just made jen's heart flutter and fill her stomach with butterflies as her face slightly reddened with a blush.

it was only until a weight was added to her chest along with all these other feelings when lim jugyeong transferred to the school. everyone knew of lee suho and han seojun's beef at this point and the rumors of a love triangle between them and jugyeong rose. the fact that seojun made it so obvious he was chasing after jugyeong had everyone wondering if he was just doing it to go against suho or if he genuinely liked her, including jen.

watching him run to bother jugyeong, who was chattit was only until a weight was added to her chest along with all these other feelings when lim jugyeong transferred to the school. everyone knew of lee suho and han seojun's beef at this point and the rumors of a love triangle between them and jugyeong rose. the fact that seojun made it so obvious he was chasing after jugyeong had everyone wondering if he was just doing it to go against suho or if he genuinely liked her, including jen. ing with sooah and soojin at the steps, her smile dropped for a second, only for a smaller one to be brought back up as you, keeho, jake, and chunhua nudged her, giving her big hugs, to cheer her up. then the affirmations came in, and she couldn't help but giggle as they started turning into bickering as well (mostly targeted toward jake because he just can't be fake for a SECOND..) that silenced once she was the one who initiated the big group hug. "thanks guys.. i'll just continue doing my best to get his interest!" jen spoke with a determined and hopeful look that made everyone else feel way better. you were so worried and afraid of your dear friend getting hurt, her beautiful smile falling for longer. all you could hope was things would work out in her favor now. lord.. this school year was going to be a LONG ONE..

taglist. @junoswrlld @beommii @shotaroswifeyily @manooffline

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[stellisketches]

Ro’Meave sister OCs??? Can you tell us more about them? So intrigued

EDIT: Oh my god I put this in drafts forever ago cause I was going to draw pictures of them and then completely forgot. I'm so sorry it took so long.

Bro tysm for his ask I've been wanting an excuse to talk about them for forever (warning: this is a long one).

OK SO their names are February and Edelse. It'll be easier for me to cover them separately so I'll start with Feb. I'll start off by saying there's still a lot I'm reconsidering/changing about her, so if this is incomprehensible I am so sorry.

February is the older of the two, and half-siblings with Garroth and Zane and full siblings with Vylad. February several years younger than Vylad, and at the time of the end of season 1 she was 9-12 years old. Even as a toddler, she idolized all three of her older brothers, and while Zane didn't really give her the time of day, she, Garroth, and Vylad were thick as thieves and they would often sneak her out of the castle for classic teenage rebellion shenanigans (mostly just so she could have a few normal experiences before the weight of all the politics dropped on her) and for a while life was sweet. Then Vylad died, and Garroth left for Phoenix Drop without her. The latter of which hit her especially hard, as she often wondered about why he didn't take her with him. In the period of time between those events and season 1, she tried to get Zane to like her more, but that went about as well as you'd expect. However, after she told him about how she had overheard a priest that was secretly expressing disloyalty toward him, Zane began a sort of transactional relationship of what basically amounted to her snitching on anyone who was spouting disloyalty or threatening Ro'Meave reign and him feeding into her need for approval. He took note of her loyalty and even began her training as a possible Jury of Nine member later down the line.

Then he disappeared with the battle of Phoenix Drop, cue more abandonment issues.

She had mostly been trained by Janus and Lillian, and Janus did stick around for a few years afterwards to keep training her until they thought she was good enough and dipped too.

She spent the next few years honing her skills and continued Garroth and Vylad's legacy of sneaking out to ingratiate herself to the common people of O'Khasis. I'll skip a lot of boring stuff including making shady deals with the thieves guild, that one time she killed her fiancé in an arranged marriage, and roping Laurance and Travis into a wacky side quest during Aph's thief arc in s2), the important stuff happens when O'Khasis is invaded. She was in Narhaka when it happened and luckily avoided capture, and when she snuck back in she immediately started raising a rebellion movement with Edelse, who was able to get smuggled out of the castle before shit went sideways.

She ends up asking for weapons from the thieves guild, which they agreed to, however it began to take longer than expected. Then they announced Zianna was gonna be executed and she goes to the Boss demanding weapons and the boss is like "yo are those two guys Ro'meaves" and she turns around and she sees her brothers for the first time in over 15 years. Cue emotional reunion.

Anyways stuff happens she goes with them to Hyria's, finds out the random lord Zane wanted to marry was God (probably the weirdest Tuesday of her life) and goes back to help the rebellion drive the remaining Tuu'la forces out of O'Khasis.

Afterwards, I can't say for possible spoiler. But what likely would have happened would've been her and Garroth having some conflict and resolution about his initial flee from O'Khasis and trying to heal from the abandonment she's experienced over her life.

Now, Edelse; I don't have nearly as much for her in terms of lore because she was a later edition, but I'll do what I can. Edelse's parentage is... ambiguous, in terms of whether Garte's her actual father (partly because I haven't decided). She's definitely treated as a fullblooded Ro'Meave, and Garte would (seemingly) rather it be her than February that takes over lordship. She was born about three or four years after the Battle of Phoenix Drop, meaning she never knew any of her brothers personally. In terms of personality, imagine a mixture of Vylad's total deadpan and Zane's superiority complex (though she's significantly less murdery about it). She was shown to be incredibly intelligent from a young age and has an almost encyclopedic knowledge of military history, strategy, weaponry, and armory (especially those last two, designing weapons/armor is her favorite past time). She usually isn't outwardly hostile with people, however if someone, purposefully or accidentally, questions or insults her intelligence/knowledge she will completely trash their self confidence and read it like it is a pure fact. Also by season 3 she is like. barely fifteen. (Side note: Now that I think about it, if you want a basis to compare her to- think Fives from the umbrella academy. Like a 60 year old in a tweenager's body. That describes her pretty well).

Anyways, she and February can work together when they need to, but they really don't get along that well unless their teaming up against someone (be it small or large scale). Feb tries to beat her up at least twice a month and Edelse has tried to snipe her with a bow and arrow on occasion. Just normal Ro'Meave things.

[definitelynotdamiano]

Måneskin on feeling free, finding fame and embarking on their first world tour - CNN, 31.07.2022

(text and questions that were edited out - under the cut)

The first thing I need to ask is how do you pronounce your band's name?

All: Moan-Ah-Skin!

Santana: I always hear Man-Eh-Skin.

Victoria De Angelis: Yeah, everything is fine.

Santana: So, Moan-A-Skin?

Thomas Raggi: Moan-A-Skin is perfect.

And what does Maneskin mean?

De Angelis: It means moonlight. I picked it when we first started playing because we needed to join this musical competition, and we didn't have a name yet, so they just told me just say random words in Danish, and we chose one.

Looking back at this last year, I'm sure it's been absolutely crazy for you, from where you were a year ago to now?

Damiano David: Yeah, it's been a crazy journey, but of course we are really happy about everything that we did, and every time we look back, all the steps, we are super happy and proud.

What has been the most surprising, maybe the most exciting thing, that has happened to you this past year?

Raggi: I think that we've had lots of incredible moments during this last year. Maybe a song with Iggy Pop is one of these, of course, and playing with The Stones. I mean a lot, it's been a lot.

Now you're filling stadiums with 70,000 people, selling out tickets for 80,000, and you've said it was really hard for you guys to even find a place to play in Italy. What was that like when you started?

De Angelis: It was very difficult because in Rome there's no real rock scene, so there's no like clubs wanting bands to play their stuff, and also people are not very used to going to gigs of upcoming artists.

They just go to the famous ones that they already know, so it was really hard and that's why we started playing as buskers on the streets. We were always fighting with the other street artists about having the best spot, and we never won, but ... (laughter).

And then you do Eurovision, how did it change your life?

David: I think that was our first actual window outside of Italy. Since that moment we were only basing our projects for Italy and on Italy and that was the chance to break out in Europe, then from Europe to the US, and we hope to grow more and more.

What was it like to win for Italy? It had been like 30 years since Italy had won Eurovision, and then you win with rock n' roll, a genre which is not very big there?

Raggi: Yes, that's crazy.

David: That was unexpected I think for everybody.

De Angelis: Yeah, everyone was very proud, big celebration.

A lot of times for Eurovision winners, they have that big moment and then they kind of disappear. What do you think makes you guys different that you've been able to take this and catapult so much and become this worldwide phenomenon?

David: I think for us Eurovision came at a very right moment because we had just come out with an album, so what we brought to Eurovision was basically just one of the things of the whole album and it was fresh, and it was super authentic for us. So, I think that people were happy to find a lot of coherence between what we brought to Eurovision and what they saw in our catalogue, and they felt like, OK, this is not just a viral song that they made specifically for Eurovision, but it's just one of their songs and then they have two albums, and it all makes sense.

Then, you release "Beggin,' " which turns into the most successful rock song of last year. I mean, I woke up every morning I think for the last year like, (sings), "I'm beggin', beggin' you"... (laughter) ... It just gets in my head, and then I'm like, come on, just get out!

David: Yeah, it's our fault, it's our fault, (laughter). Well, it's not even our fault because we didn't even promote it. It's TikTok's fault. It just got viral. We were pretty shocked by it. When we saw it growing, we were like, what is happening, and then we found out it was viral on TikTok and all that came about after.

Why that song? It's a cover of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, and I can't think of a more different style than you guys and The Four Seasons.

De Angelis: Actually, we played it at first, when we just started, and we think it's way more challenging and fun to make covers of very different songs. So, like now we're also playing "Womanizer" by Britney Spears, for example, and we just find it a challenge and stimulating, and it really makes you do an interpretation of something different and bringing it into your own. That's when you make something good, I think.

You also covered "If I Can Dream" for the Elvis movie, what was it like singing an Elvis song? I mean, you know, "The King of Rock n' Roll."

David: Well, every time when we have some big deals, we try not to think about it that much because then you get like anxious, and you feel the pressure. When we had the chance to play a cover of Elvis, we didn't feel like we were confronting Elvis because that would have been impossible, you cannot try to fight with Elvis' heritage. We were just super happy and super glad and super honored just to have the chance to play one of his songs, and we focused on that, and we focused on doing the best that we could do on that song without even comparing it with the Elvis one because, of course, it's untouchable.

Now you have two VMA nominations and a third number one song on the Billboard charts, "Supermodel," can you tell me what the song is about?

De Angelis: The funny thing is that everyone thinks it's about supermodels, but it's not. We wrote it after being like three months in L.A. where we met a lot of people that were faking being supermodels or superstars. Everyone was very focused on the way they appeared and not what they're really like or who they really were. Everyone was just trying to fake that they have the best clothes, best friends, best club, that kind of stuff, and we found it a bit stupid, of course, but it was something that we thought was only shown in movies, like a stereotype, you know, but when we saw it in person, we just thought it was fun and wanted to make a funny song about it.

I can tell you no one in New York is like that. We are very real. If you had to make a song about New York, what would it be about?

De Angelis: Ohhh ... (laughs) ... we need to spend more months here.

David: I think it would be like a club song, super dirty, clubbish ... (laughter).

You've played different festivals, like Lollapalooza in Europe, but this weekend you are doing Lollapalooza in Chicago. What does it mean to play at Lollapalooza here in the US?

Raggi: Crazy, it's huge.

De Angelis: It's our first Festival in the USA. So, that's like a big, big thing ...

David: It's not our first festival! We played at Coachella, c'mon! ... (Laughter).

De Angelis: Whoops, that's true, Coachella. We started this festival season this summer, and it's only been Europe until now, so for this summer it's the first.

Raggi: For the summer, yes.

You sing in English and Italian, but we have a lot of Italian singers who are huge in Latin America, and they sing in Spanish -- Laura Pausini, Eros Ramazzotti, Il Volo -- do you think you would ever sing in Spanish?

David: Why not?

De Angelis: In Spanish?

David: I basically mostly listen to Spanish sounding music, so I would not back up ... (laughs).

You're going to launch your tour, and you're going to Latin America, Santiago, Buenos Aires. What's it like going to all these places, is it a culture shock when you go?

David: Yeah, you know, we have never been, outside of Ethan, we've never been to Latin America, and we never played there, but of course, we know something about the people there, and we know that they're really crazy ... (laughter) ... hyped up, heated up, and we like these kinds of crowds. So, we can't wait to play there, and it was one of the places that amazed me the most. When I saw the tickets that were selling, it was like "what the f**k?", how did we get there? It was crazy, so we really can't wait to be there.

How has fame changed you, if at all?

De Angelis: I don't think it has changed us.

David: I'm less worried about things, actually. I guess I'm stable ... (laughs).

Do you feel that fame, when you're this well-known, it comes with a responsibility to speak out on certain political issues? A lot of artists say, I'm an entertainer, not a politician or an activist.

De Angelis: Yeah, for us, I think it comes naturally, so when we think we know enough about a topic, and we think our opinion can, like, make the difference or something we don't feel it like as a pressure or something. It just comes naturally, and we're happy to do it. Also, if we can share a positive message on something that really matters to us, we're happy to do it. If not, we also don't feel the pressure to have to do it.

You did a song in support of Ukraine, "We're Gonna Dance on Gasoline," how do you feel about that situation?

David: It's really hard to say that because we feel very bad about it, but we also know that we have a huge privilege, with no worries, we're not worried that something is going to happen to us. So, we are privileged, but of course, if we can spread knowledge about it, we are more than happy, and we feel that we have to do it because that's something that is happening today and if we can do something today, it's more valuable.

One of your first songs was "Zitti E Buoni," which means "Shut Up and Behave." It doesn't seem like you guys are going to be doing any shutting up or behaving any time soon.

De Angelis: No, not at all.

Where do you go from here?

De Angelis: I don't know, we feel very free. We just want to keep playing. We have so many amazing gigs and tours coming in front of us, so I think we're really going to enjoy it and get all the possible inspiration from that and then turn it into music. We don't want to set any specific goals, but we just want to go on and see what happens and keep getting better and doing what we feel is right.

[naraven]

team comp: my edition!

stealing @throwaway-yandere's idea bc i thought it would be fun and i was brainrotting about scara/xiao anyways :D

my most recent 5 star is xiao, who is now level 90 with semi-leveled up talents! he's so fun i'm even more upset that i lost him to the 50/50 a year ago (i'm sorry diluc i don't hate you, but please stop coming home i just wanted the silly jumping adeptus,,,)

wahoo! here we gooo

wanderer / bennett

Probably didn't like Bennett AT ALL, most likely saw his bad luck as a nuisance to the rest of the group.

But then he saw Bennett just trying his best, fully-charged burst boosting him as he demolishes everything in his path (god i love his ult ily benny)

(He cares ok, I'm not taking constructive criticism this stupid puppet cares for people)

Bennett was scared of the wanderer as a whole at first: with his intimidating and somewhat quiet first impression, he gets even more scared when he laughs maniacally while turning a hilichurl camp to dust in a minute flat.

I think he probably admires his strength and Scara now becomes a semi-motivation for Benny to become stronger LOL

"I wish that kid would stop yelling so much. His shrieks are shrill on the ears. I'll probably get used to it after a while, what with his luck being as atrocious as it is."

"He's so strong! I'll admit the way he fights is somewhat terrifying, but I don't mind it as much anymore. It's cool to know that such a strong person is a part of Benny's Adventure Team!"

~~~

"Hey, kid, watch my back. I'm too busy to be watching yours."

"Wo-ah! Alright, go wild Mr. Wanderer!"

"Don't call me that."

"Eek! Yes, sir!"

wanderer / zhongli

Wanderer wouldn't know that Zhongli's the former geo archon, so his long monologuing about Liyue culture are just the ramblings of a guy who has an ancient soul.

Every once in a while, Wanderer will listen in on Zhongli's stories of the adepti or about the land they currently stand on.

I think Scaramouche would like the stories of the different flora and fauna (no this isn't about fall in fall his teapot lines have him admiring the Sumeru forests ok).

Zhongli finds the strange Wanderer to be somewhat of an enigma. From letters that the dendro archon sent him, his mental stability was not the best before he started traveling around Teyvat.

At first, he was careful to make sure the others were safe and that the Wanderer's temper wouldn't go out of control.

But the more he travels with him, he sees the care in his eyes when he picked up Bennett when the boy accidently tripped and almost fell off a low cliff.

In a flash, the Wanderer has the back of Bennett's shirt in a tight grip with two circles hovering behind his head.

"He talks so much, but sometimes that nonsense can be somewhat entertaining. I've learned more about Liyue in the short time I've been near him than I have in my centuries long life."

"His words are quite frank, but I have no worries that he will harm anyone that I care about. Even if he is often harsh and without filter, I will make sure he doesn't hurt anybody."

~~~

"Old man."

"Ah, apologies. I didn't realize we had already arrived. I will continue the story at a later date."

"No, keep going. We'll probably have to wait for that adeptus to save the kid from something on the way."

"Haha, of course. Then, where was I? I believe I was telling you about the followers of the goddess of salt..."

xiao / bennett

As usual, Xiao is cautious to be around normal humans; his karmic debt isn't great for them to be around for long.

But then Bennett happened, which caused those plans to throw itself down the chasm.

Is this human... doing this on purpose? The amount of times that the anemo adeptus had to save the unlucky boy has probably exceeded the number of years Xiao has been alive.

On the other hand, Bennett has actively tried to avoid getting into any difficult situations. He's scared that the adeptus will show up out of nowhere and hear him sigh for the nth time.

In return, he tries to make him almond tofu, which somehow ends up wrong in so many different ways (the pudding part is too hard, it's a bit misshapen, but when Xiao takes a bite it tastes like the sweetest of dreams).

"He's just like any other foolish mortal, putting himself in danger to prove his worth. But, in his case, I don't believe he's doing it intentionally..."

"I thought Adeptus Xiao would also be somewhat scary like the Wanderer, but he's really nice! Only when I don't trip and fall into the water again..."

~~~

"Adeptus Xiao! Do you wanna come with me to grab some Cor Lapis for Mr. Zhongli?"

"What for? This seems rather spontaneous."

"Well, I thought it would make a good gift! Besides, I think he wanted to get a bit stronger too."

"...Is that so? Very well then. I'll help you find some on Mt. Hulao."

bennett / zhongli

As the two supports of the team, they often sideline while the two anemo DPS go wild.

Bennett being the youngest of the team looks up to Zhongli, the oldest, and tries to listen to Zhongli as much as he can. He thinks it would help him in the future.

Of course, he learns a lot about the rich history of another nation, but Bennett finds himself becoming an overall better person to the people around him.

Zhongli also has a soft spot for the clumsy Mondstadtian boy. His optimism and bright outlook often has Zhongli smiling at the energy of the youth.

Rambles to him about rocks. Every single rock Bennett brings to him he could talk about for hours. Third-Round Knockout's storyteller has learned so much from these two eating meals there.

"Mr. Zhongli always has something and interesting to say! I've learned a lot from him and I want to be like him someday."

"As a child from Mondstadt, he's very free-spirited. Barbatos' people have no problem speaking their mind, which is very different from the mora-centered businesses of Liyue. I enjoy his company very much."

~~~

"Hey Mr. Zhongli! How are you today?"

"I'm doing alright. I was on my way to accompany the adeptus Xiao to Wangshu Inn. Would you like to come?"

"Wangshu Inn? Sure, I'm down! What for?"

"Just for a quick talk and visit. It won't take up too much of your time."

xiao / zhongli

Poor Xiao still isn't used to acting like Zhongli is a stranger, occasionally slipping up every once in a while and calling him "my Lord."

It just feels so... odd to be addressing him as anything else. Of course, he means well, he's trying his best to accommodate for his now-human Lord

Zhongli is glad to see Xiao doing well, despite his karmic debt. While he feels upset that he can't do anything to help with Xiao's pain, he tries to remind him to take his medicine every once in a while.

On the battlefield, they work as harmoniously as melody and harmony. As Xiao takes care of all the enemies, Zhongli is right beside him to make sure nothing catches him off guard.

(Not that Xiao needs it, but he's just happy that Zhongli is there :D)

"Ah yes, Rex-the consultant. I often find him talking to the director and more recently that young Mondstadtian. I wish that I could talk to him a bit more loosely, and yet..."

"Have you talked to Xiao recently? I worry he hasn't been taking his medicine recently. Perhaps I should go to Bubu Pharmacy myself sometime soon."

~~~

"My L- Zhongli. Bennett and that Wanderer are waiting."

"Ah, my apologies. Please tell them I might take a while longer. The bamboo and meat are simmering still."

"I will. However, while the Wanderer has yet to say he craves to eat anything, the mortal's stomach is grumbling..."

wanderer / xiao

(i purposely put this one last LMAO what do you get when you put two an-emos together on a team)

They might seem to get along, but they're the most tense on the team.

While Wanderer is often taking center stage, Xiao isn't a selfless offensive member either.

When they aren't competing to see who kills more enemies, they get into the pettiest of arguments.

Wanderer still retains the part of himself that likes to tempt people to becoming angry, and while Xiao knows that he still often scowls and glares at the other anemo vision wielder.

One time, Zhongli wanted them to get a bit closer by having them eat a meal together. When he came back, he found the food cold with Xiao unleashing attack after attack on the hovering Wanderer.

When asked, Xiao refuses to answer what happened and the Wanderer is smiling awfully.

"I find it hilarious when that adeptus tries to look at me. What is it about other long-living beings and finding me so suspicious? Maybe later I'll steal his kill again to see how he snaps back."

"That man is nothing but trouble. I heard from... Zhongli that he almost wrecked havoc in Sumeru. It doesn't help that he's often an insufferable brat-"

~~~

"Hey there Adeptus Xiao. Care to spare a moment with little ole me?"

"What do you want."

"Calm down, I just wanted to see if you knew where that pharmacy assistant was. The zombie one?"

"What are you planning?"

"Ugh, I regret asking you. You're like an overbearing mother."

"Come back, I asked what you were planning on doing to her."

"You know, if you asked nicely I would have given you the fight you wanted."

[okimargarvez]

13x5 - detailed analysis

This is one of the most important episode for garvez content. It has just two scenes, zero shades, because they don't during calls.

Scene 1-

The team is discussing a case that seems really disgusting.

Penelope explains “We got a call from Bridgewater, Florida, PD. The body of Rebecca Strong was found last night in a rest stop women’s room with and without thing”. We see Luke reaction, that is valid for all: “Whoa”.

She replies “Yeah, and then it gets worse”. They talk about the horrible particulars of the case. Then JJ prounonces that name: Floyd Ferrell. Then the editing is just perfect, showing us how Penelope is feeling, hearing her coworkers talk about it. The moves of the camera suggests someone that is about to pass out.

At one point, she can't take it anymore. Garcia puts down sharply the remote control, getting grabbing everyone's attention. Even Luke's, obviously. She stays silent for some seconds. You can see by this little fragments (3rd pic) how much Luke cares and he is already worried for her. He knows that she doesn't like splatter cases, like this one (he will say it in 15x4) but could it be something else? The Penelope finally blabbers something about her computer, and levaes, almost running away.

Tara is afraid that the reason of her reaction was something she said. And Emily tells her (and Luke, and Matt too) the truth. She says: “Um… We were working Ferell's case when she was shot.”. This is a bomb. Follow Luke expression. He opens up his eyes. Then he half-opens his mouth. He can't believe it. He frowns, and finally asks: “Garcia was shot?”. It's realy easy to guess that he can't conceive that idea. Then he looks around, like to see if he is the only one that didn't know.

It's JJ that gives them more details: “10 years ago. Happened right in front of her apartment building.” Then the camera focuses on Matt, that is also shocked (but nothing compared to Luke). He asks: “Was it a random act of violence?”. JJ replies “No, he lured her into dating him before she IDed him. Turns out, he was a dirty cop named Colby Baylor and she was getting close to exposing him.” while she talks, the camera shows us Matt, but quickly starts to move on the left, on Luke. You can see pain & anger at the same level.

After a moment, Luke says “So he shot her. Where is he now?” His expression in 2nd pic is just "it really happened, because JJ is not a liar, but my brain can't process such information". Can you see tears in his eyes? And the fact that editing focus especially on his reaction... garvez garvez garvez. We should also talk about Adam voice here (and in other moments). It's so deep and low.

JJ replies “He's dead.”. She is the one that has to say it, because she killed him. And the way she looks at Luke is like she wants to say "I totally understand your anger, I felt the same". Luke nods and says just “Good.”. And the rage won out over pain. He is so fucking angry. You can guess so many thing by a single word. He means "I'm sorry because I'd like to kill him with my hands" and "I'm happy because he didn't deserve to stay alive after what he did". He could also think about desecrate a grave.

Then they start talking about the case. But, at least for some secs, Luke mind is still with her. He turns, looking in the direction where she disappeared (something he did many times).

-

Scene 2

Penelope and JJ welcoming the team, after the case. Luke will say nothing, but his gaze talks at his place. Penelope says: “Here they are. It's the whole everyone, ok, whole family, whole family is here. Whole family, I would like to take this opportunity to formally apologize. I am so…” Luke is surprised. She is really apologizing for her reaction? She is, and he can't help but love her more.

Emily talks for all: “You don't have to apologize. We all understand from experience.”

Penelope asks: “Really?” and Emily just replies “Yeah.” She tells them her idea. She looks at all, even at Luke. Obviously he carefully looks at her. His gaze is now serious and deep. “All right. I'll shake that off. Uh, I am going to recommit to living life to the fullest. Right now, to that end, I'd like to invite everybody over to my house for a celebration of life, liberty, and the pursuit of responsible intoxication.”

They all get in the elevator, with smiles on their face. You can see that they are close.

Note: the fact that we have a scene like the moment when Luke found out about Baylor, it's so important, especially because in this episode there is a big return: Derek Morgan.

Analysis of garvez scenes