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crescentsteel · 3 years

Text

Burns

pairing: Suna x f!reader genre: fluff with slight angst (childhood friends to lovers) wc: 3.8k summary: you planned to confess to Suna on Valentines day. Unfortunately for you, he finds the holiday stupid.

[a/n]

Did this in one sitting, brain went zoom zoom

Not really comfortable writing for Inarizaki for some reason. Suna and Miya twins stans, don’t come for me.

Thank you @tokyosdawn, @luvnami, @fayeiparis (my ride or die ily) for the betaread.

ngl. I almost wrote smut after the fluff

Happy Valentines Day! 🖤

This is it. This is the day.

You’re finally going to confess to Suna.

You have been close friends for so long, and for the whole duration of it, you have tried your utter best to feel only as such.

You became friends with the rest of the Inarikazi team because you were always present in every game, with you being the loudest person to cheer for Suna leading everyone to pester him until he introduced you to them. Knowing Suna, he wasn’t fazed by his team’s persistent request and never mentioned to you that the team wanted to meet you.

It had been Atsumu that day who approached you during lunch break saying that Suna asked him to ask you to attend their practice after class.

You’ve been asking him non-stop if he can come watch them practice but he strictly prohibited you from going to the gym at all, so you were thrilled that he finally let you watch.. only to find him unpleasantly surprised that you were there.

Apparently, the whole team thought you were dating. As much as you wish you were, you could only agree with Suna when he said you were just a long-time friend.

But that changes today. Hopefully.

You already know what confessing to him means, and you’re not ready to lose Suna as a friend in case this doesn’t work out. However, with the both of you being third years already, it was now or never. You keep asking him what his plans after graduation are and he’s infuriatingly very consistent with his answer - a shrug and an apathetic ‘dunno.’

While you’re not ready to lose your friendship, you’re probably going to after high school — which is why you spent almost all of your allowance to buy ingredients to make homemade chocolate. It’s not actually that it’s expensive — you wasted so much ingredients making them that you ended up having enough for only three pieces.

But you’re satisfied because they were of three different designs. Three cute fox-shaped chocolates of different colors. They weren’t perfect but you tailored them according to Suna’s taste - just mildly sweet so he can actually enjoy it.

You smile into the February air.

You really aren’t sure about his feelings for you, but you know that you’re special to him.

You’re his only female friend and despite his aloofness, he actually spends time with you outside of school. It was you who he spent New Year’s with. He celebrates your birthday even if you know he’s not really into that kind of stuff. He walks you home when you stay late from club activities.

Being his friend since elementary school, you know he’s not the kind of guy to be nice to someone just for the sake of being nice.

So instead of dreading for your confession, you’re actually excited.

On your way to your first class, the chaotic twins block your path with a mischievous grin from both of them, except Atsumu’s way too obvious and upfront about it.

“So, y/n. Anything for me?” Atsumu asks as he cocks an eyebrow at you.

“Why would she give you any, idiot?” Osamu glares at Atsumu before turning to you with a smirk that makes you wary for some reason. “When she’s obviously giving them to Suna,” he adds.

You try to not look affected at his spot-on statement, but shit, you can already feel your heartbeat just a bit faster. Are you that obvious?

“Don’t you have hoards of shit from other girls? Why the hell are you ganging up on me?” you ask instead of answering Osamu’s speculation.

“I want to show them to Suna during practice. His pretty little childhood friend givin’ me homemade chocolates,” Atsumu teases animatedly.

Your eyes widen from what he said. “Wait, how did you know they were homemade?”

The two give each other meaningful looks before Osamu leans down a bit on you. “So there really are chocolates, huh?”

You go rigid when you realize you’ve exposed yourself to these two. Shit, they’re going to tease you non-stop about this. Worse, they might tell Suna before you even get the chance to do it yourself.

“Those are some burns on your hands, y/n. Have you treated those properly?” Atsumu eyes your hand that accidentally touched the hot pan yesterday. You tug the sleeves of your uniform lower to cover the purple-pinkish marks.

“I’m going to be late for class, bye,” you abruptly bid goodbye and hurriedly escape from the two. God knows what else they’ll get from you if you stay longer.

You erase your encounter with the twins from this morning. You can’t buckle down now. You worked hard for this day, both in body and in spirit. You’ve already had more than a fair share of doubts and second thoughts up until last night when you successfully pushed any cynicism away.

You won’t back down, especially when Suna is just a seat away from you now.

“Got any chocolates yet?” You prod at the topic as you put away your used cutleries.

“Yea,” he answers lazily. “It’s so dumb.”

“What is?” you ask with a frown.

“Valentines,” he deadpans. “Atsumu’s gonna get a fucking diabetes from the amount of chocolates he took from me because I was about to throw them away.”

You try to not let it get to you and breathe steadily to strengthen your resolve. You’re special to Suna. Surely, he won’t treat yours like that.

“What’s more idiotic is confessing this day,” he rambles on. “If a person really likes someone, why wait for Valentines to say it?” He asks rhetorically while putting away his own finished lunch.

You feel your stomach lurch, like riding down a rollercoaster at full speed unexpectedly. You try your best to mold your face into an impassive expression to not give anything away.

On the inside though, you’re a mess. Your head feels too loud and the air feels too heavy. You want to close your eyes and disappear.

Then he looks at you. “What about you? Did you give chocolates to anyone?”

You vaguely hear his question. You feel like you’re in a bubble and every sound is muffled -- your classmates chattering, the chairs scraping against the floor, the laughter all around you feels distant.

You planned to give him the chocolates you worked so hard on, but definitely not anymore. He hit two things right (Or wrong? Who knows anymore.) on the marks and right now, you do feel idiotic for trying so hard.

You should’ve known better. Of course, he’d find it stupid! He’s never the person to be all excited with events like this. What were you even thinking, spending all that money and effort when he obviously thinks the whole thing is a farce?

Did you really think this was going to go well? That he’d accept your chocolates and everything would be fine and you would go on as friends? In hindsight, there is never going to be a way out of this where you win. It is a stupid idea, and you’re stupid for even thinking about it.

‘Dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb,’ you chant in your head.

“Y/n?”

You flinch and find him staring at you, waiting for your answer. His golden eyes are studying your face carefully. You think you see a little bit of concern there but you brush it off.

“Oh no,” you laugh hesitantly. “No way I’d waste my time on some boy on the very rare chance that he actually likes me back, pfft.” Your laugh turns ironic and bitter. “Like you said, it’s just a dumb holiday,” you respond with a forced smile.

“Anyways, I have to go back now. Later, Rin.” You quickly stand up and head to a comfort room because you feel like shit and you need to cry it out before your classes start again, else you’d be tearing up during lecture.

“Wait.” He grips your hand firmly, adding salt to the injury as you wince when he presses the burn you got from yesterday.

“Ow!”

He’s startled by your sudden reaction, but doesn’t say anything.

He loosens his hold and moves his grip to your wrist as he pushes up the sleeve of your uniform, revealing the burn on your hand along with small others on your arm.

“What happened to you?” he asks with muted concern while his eyes are trained on your arm, fingers gently skimming over the burns.

You aggressively retrieve your arm and pull your sleeve back down while you come up with a lie, “Oka-san needed help in the kitchen yesterday.”

He furrows his eyebrows with suspicion. “Why? Everyone knows you’re useless in the kitchen.”

Yeah, but you wanted to do something for him, and the burns would have been worth it if he at least accepted the chocolates you worked so hard on.

“Honestly, I don’t even know.” You try to laugh it off, but you’re losing it already, so you just give him a quick wave with whatever smile you can muster and saunter away from him.

After a pathetic sobbing session in one of the cubicles, you make your way back to your classroom looking as normal as you possibly can.

Thank goodness it’s Valentines. You’re not the only girl with eyes puffy from rejection.

“Hey.” You feel a hand on your shoulder and solely from his voice, you can tell it’s Osamu. “You okay?”

Maybe it would’ve been better if you had fallen for Osamu instead. Despite being always teased by him and Atsumu, he’s actually a nice likeable guy. Unlike Suna.

God, why did it have to be Suna Rintarou?

“Come with me,” you say without looking at Osamu and drag him with you back to your classroom.

“Uhh, okay.” He sounds unsure but he goes with you anyway.

You ask him to wait for you just by the doorway of your classroom and grab the stupid box of chocolates you made from your bag.

You practically shove it to him when you get back to where he is. “Happy Valentines, ‘Samu,” you greet with a dead expression.

Osamu gapes at you then at the box in hand, an expression of disbelief spreading across his face.

“Weren’t you asking for chocolates this morning?”

“That was ‘Tsumu. Also,” he looks closely at the box. “It says ‘Rin.’

You immediately rip out the wrapper where you wrote Suna’s nickname and tuck the crumpled paper in your pocket.

“There. It doesn’t anymore,” you announce passively.

Osamu scratches his head with discomfort. “I can’t accept this, y/n. I can give it to Suna if you want,” he offers kindly.

“Miya Osamu. Either you accept it or I’m throwing it away right now.” Your voice is dead serious and so are you. If Osamu won’t accept it, it’s going to the trash where Suna would’ve tossed it in as well.

“Okay, okay!” He surrenders with panic and opens the box slowly.

“Holy sh-,” he clears his throat. “I mean, wow. These are so cute, the cutest I’ve received today,” he comments appreciatively before returning his gaze at you. “You sure about this, y/n?”

You nod, more convinced now that you saw his reactions towards it. “Yeah. I figured I’d want to give them to someone who’s going to actually like them.”

The soft ring of the bell alerts you that your next class is about to start.

“Thanks Osamu,” you utter with a grateful smile before sauntering back to your classroom.

“Oy ‘Samu, why are these chocolates so cute? How the hell can I eat these?” Tsumu whines.

“You shithead, those are mine!” Osamu rushes to where his twin and grabs the box protectively.

Suna just watches the two and silently waits for another fight to erupt.

“You’d just taste them and give them to me anyways. What’s the deal?” Atsumu asks with a frown.

“If you must know, ‘Tsumu. Y/n gave this to me,” Osamu announces with a condescending grin as Astumu gawks at him in disbelief. “No fucking way, you stinking liar,” Atsumu retorts.

Suna looks at the tiny box Osamu is holding and agrees with Atsumu. There is no way you’d give those to Osamu. You said so yourself this morning.

‘No way I’d waste my time on some boy on the very rare chance that he actually likes me back.’

Did you lie to him and made some for Osamu? Do you like Osamu?

Suna’s mind wanders back to the burns on your hand and arms and how your mom ‘supposedly’ asked you to help out in the kitchen. He knows something is off. You’re never asked to help out with anything that involves cooking, so why did you lie about it?

So what is going on? There’s just no way in hell you like Osamu. Not once have you mentioned liking his teammate enough for you to venture into the ‘horrors of the kitchen’ (as you put it). And more importantly, why Osamu?

It is true that Suna doesn’t give a shit whether or not he gets a mountain load of chocolates on this superficial holiday. He’s not eating them.

However, he’d make an exception only if they come from you. He wouldn’t mind if they’re just store-bought ones as long as they’re from you.

So why the fuck would you go to the troubles of making them for Osamu and not him? You can’t possibly like Osamu. He won’t allow it.

He marches to where the twins are and turns to Osamu. “Did y/n really give you that?”

Both the twins face him and while Osamu looks pensive, Atsumu wears a shit-eating grin. “Aww, Suna. Are you jealous that your beloved y/n gave us chocolates?”

“‘Tsumu, shut up for the love of God. And she didn’t give it to us. She gave it to me.” Osamu pulls the box closer to him possessively which ticks Suna off even more.

“Did she say why?” Suna tries to sound calm despite the stupid jealousy bubbling up the pit of his stomach.

“Obviously because-” Atsumu starts, but Osamu grabs his twin’s face with one hand to halt his babbling as he sighs to face Suna.

“Actually, the box had your name in it,” Osamu admits. “She just ripped it out and said she’d rather give it to someone who’ll appreciate it.”

“-mmmmff Samu!” Atsumu successfully removes Osamu’s hand. “You shouldn’t have told him that! Do you realize that y/n didn’t want him to know?”

“Duh! Of course, I know. But I really can’t accept chocolates that’re supposed to be for another guy,” Osamu sighs before handing Suna the box.

He opens it and sees the fuss Tsumu was making about it. They really are cute and are obviously made with care and precision. If someone else had told him that you made these, he wouldn’t have believed them.

But there’s something about the chocolates that he can’t ignore.

“Why are there bites on the two pieces?” He asks as he lifts his gaze up from the chocolates.

Atsumu puts his hands behind his head and starts whistling as he avoids Suna’s gaze while Osamu smiles apologetically.

“Sorry, I wanted to see if they taste as good as they look,” Osamu confesses. As for Atsumu, Suna can already tell that the piss-haired setter just couldn’t help himself despite receiving so many already.

“They’re a bit bland, Suna. Tell y/n she needs to improve her baking skills,” Atsumu comments shamelessly which makes Suna scowl at Atsumu’s ungrateful ass. The fact that you made something look edible is already something commendable.

“They’re okay. Just needs a bit more sweetness,” Osamu backs his twin up.

He brings the remaining chocolate that’s still untouched to his mouth.

“What are you two talking about? It tastes perfectly fine,” he states truthfully. It’s just the right amount of sweetness that he’s able to finish it despite not really being a fan of chocolates.

Osamu laughs softly before speaking. “She really did make them for you, Suna.”

That night, you toss and turn in your bed while trying to keep your focus on the movie you played. As entertaining as it is, you can’t fully enjoy it with constantly wanting to smash your head against the wall of your room.

For a good while, you really thought everything would go smoothly and that by the end of today, you and Suna would be more than just friends.

Maybe today is a sign that you shouldn’t push it anymore. Suna said so himself: if someone likes a person, they don’t need the holiday to confess.

So why hasn’t he?

The answer is clear as day and you wish you were blind to see it, but you aren’t.

There had been too many chances for you two to move your relationship forward, but not once had he shown a sign that he wanted to.

He doesn’t like you like that. It’s just you and your delusional head. He doesn’t love you the way you love him. Even with the cute, romantic scene playing before you, you start tearing up.

You grab one of your pillows and bury your face in it, effectively silencing the sob and stopping the tears that are coming as you remember your folly attempt to confess today.

You should’ve been satisfied with the comfort of your friendship. If you hadn’t been so greedy, you wouldn’t have gotten hurt like this.

You hear a text alert from your phone. You open it and see a text from the source of your misery.

‘Come out’

You don’t want to. Tomorrow you can be back to normal around him, but not tonight.

You hurriedly respond with a lie.

‘Went out zzz’

You throw your phone somewhere on your bed and lie down with your pillow still squeezed between your arms while you space out at nothing.

Your thirst brings you back to your senses so you stand up and get to the kitchen. When you come back to your room, you almost scream when you see Suna sitting slouching on your bed.

“What the heck, Rin?! How did you get here?”

“Your mother let me in. Why are you even asking obvious questions?”

You massage your temples as you plan to tell your mom later not to just let anyone in your room even though it’s someone she knows. You might be childhood friends but you’re no longer kids. He can’t just pop in and out of your room anymore like he used to.

“Why are you even here? I said I was out.”

“Your lights are open, dumbass,” he answers, to which you respond with a sigh.

“Didn’t it occur to you that I don’t want to see you?”

He stands up from your bed and although his expression doesn’t change, you feel alarmed from how he’s towering over you without saying anything.

“W-what?” Your stutter betrays your attempt to sound fine.

“Why the fuck would you give Osamu chocolates that are supposed to be mine?”

You gawk at him. He isn’t supposed to know that. That bastard, Osamu! You don’t have a prepared excuse for this kind of confrontation.

“What’s it to you even? You would’ve thrown them away anyways,” you snap back with an accusatory tone.

“Not if they’re from you,” he discloses as his usually austere eyes soften up, holding your gaze. You feel like you’re about to melt.

You feel your heart beat wildly against your chest. Not long ago you had said that you didn’t want to see him, but now that he’s here, you don’t feel like moving. You don’t feel like going anywhere. Everything could be on fire around you but you’d still stay by his side.

But… this is not right. Did you already know? He doesn’t love you back.

You try to turn away to hide the gnawing pain in your chest, but he’s faster. He grabs your arm to pull you closer. When he dips down to claim your lips while his arms snake around your waist, you melt within his hold.

His lips are so warm and uncharacteristically tender as he moves them intricately against yours, causing you to place both hands against his chest to feel him even more, to feel that he is real and not just a dream induced by how badly you yearn for him.

He pulls away a bit and finds a bewildered look on your face that just makes you look adorable. There had been many times when he thought about doing this, especially whenever you’re staring into nothingness with parted lips as if coaxing him to fuck everything else and just cross the boundary of your platonic relationship.

But to be honest, he didn’t like the complications of being in a romantic relationship with you when you already have this comfortable friendship. At the end of the day, he knows you have him and he has you.

Yet, he absolutely despises the idea that you might have liked someone else. He’s never felt any resentment towards his teammates, not even to Astsumu who’s a fucking handful most of the time.

Only today.

Only when he saw that box of chocolates in Osamu’s hands that he realized that he didn’t want to share you with anyone.

It was selfish of him, wanting to keep you to himself but not really doing anything to actually make it happen.

That changes tonight.

He removes one hand from your waist to hold your hand that’s resting on his chest.

“I love you, y/n.”

You blink twice at him, evidently surprised with his confession, but immediately recover when you look down and giggle softly.

When you look back at him again, your eyes are a mixture of content and mirth. “I thought you said it’s idiotic to confess on Valentines Day,” you remind him with a wide smile.

His loving stare becomes a cold glare when you point out what he had said this morning. He didn’t plan to do it today. He just couldn’t wait until tomorrow, thereby forgetting that he had actually told you that. Although, he still believes people shouldn’t wait for the holiday to confess, it just so happened that today is when he decided to do it.

“Fine. I take it back,” he says out of petty spite.

“I’m kidding!” you respond defensively before intertwining his fingers with yours. “Actually, I was about to confess earlier, but you said the stuff about Valentines being dumb.”

“It still is,” he says, undeterred. In his defense, he really hadn’t been expecting you would.

“Right. Yet, here we are,” you state as a matter of fact as you grip his hand tighter.

“Can you answer the damn confession already?” he asks exasperatedly which makes you laugh out loud.

You settle down with an affectionate smile. “Yes, Rin. I love you too.”

He loses his stern expression as he takes your hand to his mouth and kisses it, rubbing the minor burn with his thumb, a reminder that he does appreciate what you did for him.

“Happy Valentines, I guess,” he says before he goes for your lips again.

mlist of other stuff I wrote

taglist (those crossed out can’t be tagged)

@ameliaxo @suikrem @akaashisslave @tsumurai @babythotshq @loving-unicorns106 @flairlust @geektastic84 @anaiss97 @hqbeesun @megatron-1199 @lovershaikyuu

#suna fluff #suna x reader #suna angst #suna rintarou #haikyuu fluff #haikyuu angst

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youareinlovees · 3 years

Note

Hi do you mind doing like a breakdown analysis or just a general summary of what cruel summer’s about? I’ve been able to price together bits and pieces from your blog but could really use some help understanding the overall storyline

Sure! It started off as a general summary but I realised it would be easier if I went through line-by-line instead.

Fever dream high in the quiet of the night

You know that I caught it

She’s setting the scene here – it’s the middle of the night and she’s experiencing some kind of intense feeling that makes everything seem like a fever dream. Is it an emotional high because she’s so happy or maybe a drug trip or some kind of ~other high? There’s no clear cut answer but she says the other person ~knows she’s feeling this way, so make that of what you will.

Bad, bad boy, shiny toy with a price

By referring to him as a toy, she’s establishing that this is a no-strings attached, almost transactional situationship. It’s similar to “toying with them older guys / just playthings for me to use” – a line that’s heavily influenced by the public’s perception of her, so she’s saying that a) it’s set around the same timeframe, ergo 2016, and b) once she gets him out of her system, she’ll ditch and move on just like all those times before.

You know that I bought it

He’s well aware that they’re ~friends and this isn’t a defined relationship. Maybe it was something they agreed on, or maybe it’s an unspoken understanding, we don’t know.

Killing me slow, out the window

I'm always waiting for you to be waiting below

This actually reminds me of Tangled, like the idea of some sheltered princess falling for a normie who shows her a whole new world, and ultimately deciding to leave her life in the tower behind and run away with him? I could be reading into things too much but it’s a fun parallel for sure.

Devils roll the dice, angels roll their eyes

This is about her thought process: one part of her is deciding to take a gamble on the relationship – she might get hurt later, or the world might find out she’s seeing yet another guy and burn her alive for it, but she figures the risks are worth it. But at the same time, she’s like “here we go again 🙄” and doesn’t like that she’s so invested all of a sudden.

What doesn't kill me makes me want you more

The “what” in this line could be referring to a number of things. Maybe she’s talking about all the mess that’s happened this year and how shitty it’s been, and she’s using him as stress relief now. Maybe it’s about the lack of labels on their relationship and how that’s killing her, but makes her even more determined to get him to commit somehow. Or maybe it’s the general feeling of being so attracted to someone you think you might die.

And it's new, the shape of your body

It's blue, the feeling I've got

And it's ooh, whoa oh

It's a cruel summer

This is fairly straightforward, like they’ve only just started seeing each other so his body’s new and she feels blue because… 2016.

It's cool, that's what I tell 'em

No rules in breakable heaven

This is more of a general commentary on how she goes about a fwb situation, like it doesn’t have to be exclusive and pretty much anything goes. She also talks about the fragility of their relationship – they might be in heaven but it’s very much breakable and could end anytime.

Hang your head low in the glow of the vending machine

I'm not dying

I think this was meant in a literal sense, like they’re meeting up somewhere and he’s leaning against a vending machine and scrolling through his phone. She walks over and absolutely loses her mind over how hot he looks and realises that she’s down baaad. For a moment, in the midst of the ~cruel summer~, she’s not dying because she’s distracted by other priorities basically.

Alternatively, the snacks in a vending machine aren’t the healthiest way to deal with being hungry, and fucking your Words With Friends bestie isn’t exactly the healthiest coping strategy, but she really couldn’t care less.

We say that we'll just screw it up in these trying times

We're not trying

Both of them decided they didn’t want to get into a proper relationship, like she was fresh off two breakups and Going Through It, and his first movie was about to drop and he was going to head off to Asia for a promo tour soon. It doesn’t feel like the right time to define things, so why bother?

So cut the headlights, summer's a knife

I'm always waiting for you just to cut to the bone

The headlights being off represents them sneaking around and seeing each other in secret. She then says that although this summer’s already been so painful and shitty, he has the potential to hurt her the most by breaking things off or not reciprocating her feelings. And because she’s so cynical about love now, she’s expecting to get burned sooner or later.

And if I bleed, you'll be the last to know

If things do end badly, she’ll make sure she seems completely unaffected, because the last thing she wants is for him to think he broke her heart or whatever.

I'm drunk in the back of the car

And I cried like a baby coming home from the bar

This sounds super literal, and some people have connected it to the first verse in Cornelia Street, but I think this situation happens later on.

Said, "I'm fine," but it wasn't true

#TAYLOR: vulnerability 🤢 honesty 🤢 being upfront about how I feel 🤮

I don't wanna keep secrets just to keep you

It’s killing her that she can’t tell him about how she actually feels, because what if he’s not on the same page and she scares him off? So in order to keep their relationship going, she has to keep it in.

And I snuck in through the garden gate

Every night that summer just to seal my fate

Basically, it was always inevitable that she would fall for him, but their constant meet-ups intensified those feelings even more.

The garden gate mention seems to be a continuation of the fairytale imagery in “I’m always waiting for you to be waiting below” except now she’s the one reaching out to him. It’s also reminiscent of “I sneak out to the garden to see you” in Love Story, which is all about fairytale endings. But now on Cruel Summer, she’s subverting that imagery because real life relationships are complicated and raw and nuanced, and not at all like the idealised perfect love she used to write about.

Also, because this lyric is between them being in the back of the car and her screaming I love you, it separates the two situations so they’re not necessarily about the same thing.

And I scream, "For whatever it's worth

I love you, ain't that the worst thing you ever heard?"

He looks up, grinning like a devil

And finally, it all becomes too much and she’s no longer able to hide her feelings, because she suddenly screams that she loves him. He looks up from whatever he’s doing, and is like 😁😁😁 because it turns out he’s equally as whipped, and the rest is history!

#taylor swift #lets talk lover #lets talk swiftwyn #cruel summer #lyric analysis

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worldofpokemonimagines · 3 years

Note

hey! i love your writing so much! if you're still taking submissions, then what do you think of earl gray for guzma? ty <3

Thank you for your kind words! Means a lot. 😊

earl grey tea; how did they court their s/o?

As it was mentioned before, Guzma is cynical when it comes to the subject of romance, due to the walls he puts up from his past. You would have to be a persistent and reassuring person to actually have him put his guard down. In a way, he admires your "determination" that he fondly calls stubbornness. When he finally does admit to himself that he does harbor feelings for you, there's a bit of an inner conflict on his part. Guzma would honestly just be upfront with the whole ordeal, but there's a nagging fear in the back of his head. People have taken from him and he's been hurt before. Would this happen again? He hates feeling so... Small. Eventually, he'll push all those thoughts aside when he is reminded of who you are to him. How much you've helped him. After pushing himself some more, and Plumeria nagging at him to finally go for it, Guzma makes his way to you. When you ask about his sudden visit, he just tells you that he wants to walk with you along the beach; just the two of you, to talk. It's casual conversation until he brings up something that leads to him pouring out his hidden affection for you. He's never felt this vulnerable in his life, but at least it was with someone like you.

#pokemon imagines #pokemon x reader #pokemon guzma #team skull leader guzma #pokemon guzma x reader #guzma x reader #pokemon sumo #pokemon sumo x reader

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ricksroaches · 3 years

Text

Taehyung - Dysphoria ch. 4

pairing: Yoongi x Reader, OT7 x Reader (platonic)

Summary: Y/N helps Taehyung out with a dilemma. Jungkook suspects Y/N of using harder drugs.

word count: 10k

warnings: cursing, drugs, brief mentions of sex, smut (fingering), shitty father, underage drinking,

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When Taehyung was little, he used to tell people that his daddy had a lot of friends. He would brag about how pretty the women were and how soft their hair looked. He wasn’t old enough to realize that wasn’t actually the case.

His entire life was an endless cycle of different women coming in and out of his life. His dad would have a new girlfriend and by the end of the month, she was replaced. No one stayed long, though sometimes he wished they did. The women were a lot nicer to him than his mom, whom his dad was still married to. She wasn’t toxic or anything, they just seemed more excited to see him. They’d coo over him and play with his little cheeks and tell him how handsome he was gonna grow up to be.

Over time, it slowly dawned on him that those women weren’t just friends. Once he made the connection, he quickly lost interest in their adoration. He learned to despise his dad for betraying his mom time and time again with no visible shame whatsoever. He’d sit back and watch the women come and go with cynical disgust, often making bets in his head on how long this one was gonna last.

By the time he turned 13, he couldn’t take it anymore. He spilled everything to his mom. She took it surprisingly well. She simply told him to pack a suitcase. They left before his dad came home from work. When he did, he was met by a dark, empty house, with his mom’s wedding ring sitting on the kitchen counter.

Taehyung never really learned to appreciate the emotional connection between two persons. It was safe to say none of his many relationships lasted longer than a month. The idea of being tied down to one person and one person only terrified him. It was suffocating.

He lost his virginity freshman year, and since then, he opted for hookups instead of relationships. Hookups were easy. One (or twice) and done, thanks, see you never. The last time he had actual romantic feelings for someone was in middle school. He doesn’t even remember her name now.

Back when him and his mom left his dad, they moved to a new neighborhood. It was shitty, but he didn’t mind. He knew his mom was trying her best.

It didn’t take him long to spot the raven haired boy working under the hood of a car in his patchy front yard while exploring the new streets. He walked over without giving it a second thought. He never had a problem with introductions or just talking to people in general, given he’d been talk to new people since he could speak. Hands in his pockets, he waltzed over to the boy who was adjusting different things inside the car that Tae had no clue about.

He damn near scared the poor boy to death, making him smash his head into the hood when he shot up. He was shy and almost neurotic, the only thing that distinguished him as a real human was the healthy glow of his skin. Probably from working under the sun a lot. But, all of that changed when Taehyung took an interest in the glossy black car he’d been hunched over and asked about it. His demeanor completely changed. His eyes brightened and his posture straightened in confidence when he talked about the car. It was his dad’s and they’d been fixing it up over the years to eventually give to him.

Yoongi was pretty much a closed book. He was a tough one to crack, but soon they became inseparable. When there wasn’t work to be done, they were together. Whether that be at each other’s houses or out driving. Taehyung was upfront about his daddy issues from the beginning, but as their friendship deepened over the years, Yoongi finally started letting on to what his home life was actually like. It wasn’t uncommon for his car to pull up outside Taehyung’s house unexpectedly asking for his company. His mom understood Yoongi’s situation and often let Taehyung go with him. Sometimes he’d come in the middle of the night, and Taehyung would leave a note on his pillow saying where he went for her. On the rare occasion that he wasn’t allowed to go, he’d walk to Yoongi’s house the next day to find that his car was still gone.

Although Taehyung was transparent about everything, there was one thing he didn’t dare tell him. Yoongi had a little sister, Jiwoo. He didn’t know the word for it, but he was pretty sure he was in love with her.

Jiwoo was different. Something about her stirred the butterflies in his stomach that had been lying dormant for years. She was just so cool, unlike the pick me girls he’d been accompanying himself with. She didn’t try to make her voice prettier or twirl her hair or do anything to attract attention to her. She was funny, smart, went along with his raunchy humor, and she had a face unlike any he’d seen. She just looked so different. As a stranger, she looked and acted like she could kill you without a second thought, but once you got to know her you found out she’s the most dependable person you’ll ever meet. Taehyung’s experience was no different.

[Starboy - The Weeknd]

The bass of the speakers pounded through the walls and mixed with the sounds of squeaking box springs. With a final string of grunts and curses, Taehyung stilled inside the girl he had crying out on all fours, his hands still gripping her hips. He slid out slowly, letting her get one last stroke before he left her empty. He peeled the condom off, tossed it into the trash can, and pulled up his sweatpants.

“That was awesome, Catherine.” He panted while pulling his shirt on.

“It’s…Caroline.”

“Oh, right. Caroline.” She rolled her eyes, slid her panties back up her legs and fixed her skirt. She walked past him and opened the door to the bedroom they’d commandeered.

“I’m getting a drink.” She didn’t leave him time to respond before disappearing down the hall. He just shrugged and ran a hand through his hair to put it back in place.

He skipped down the hall and bounced down the stairs two at a time. Grabbing a random cup from the kitchen counter, he took a swig and made his way into the depths of the dance floor that had formed in the living room. He let out an unrestrained howl that melded with the bass blasting through the speakers.

~~~

“Come on, Kook! We gotta go!” Y/N shouted from across her house.

“One second!” He called back before slipping into the bathroom. He turned on the faucet and gently opened the medicine cabinet above the sink. He counted four unlabeled pill bottles filled with various tablets and capsules.

He prayed his suspicions were just him being paranoid. He tried to ignore it at first, but everytime he let it go, something else would happen that had him back obsessing again. He trusted Y/N more than he trusted himself, but when he saw the collection of blue powder on her nose one day coming out of the bathroom at school, he couldn’t take it anymore. He hated invading her privacy, but he had to know.

He took a pill from each bottle and pocketed them. Who knows, maybe they were just her old antidepressant prescriptions. He turned off the water and gave his reflection a last once over. His bright pink shirt popped against his usual black zip up and ripped black jeans. That wasn’t even the weirdest part of his outfit. His temples were dotted with pink, green and blue neon paint. Y/N had insisted. He fixed his hair and swung open the door before she could yell for him again.

~~~

Taehyung weaved through the crowd to reach the equally crowded kitchen. His phone buzzed in his pocket while he poured himself another hefty cup of Crown Royal and Coke.

N/N: We’re almost there

Me: I’ll be waiting~😘

N/N: 🖕

He smirked and slipped his phone back into his pocket. The black lights and fluorescent colors of everything they reached were the only light he had to read the labels of the plethora of bottles on the kitchen island. Normally, he didn’t get much into themed parties. Never really felt like spending the money to get an outfit or whatever to go along with everyone else. He could get into this one though. To the drugged out eye, the neon shapes of everyone’s bright clothes and face paint against the otherwise dark house was awe striking. Plus, he didn’t even have to buy anything. There was a table at the front door with bottles and bottles of glow in the dark paint for people to decorate whatever with. And by whatever, he meant whatever. Hand prints, splatters, and streaks spotted every surface of whatever poor guy’s house they took over.

[Pray For Me - The Weeknd]

“Are Y/N and Jungkook close?” Jimin yelled over the music. At some point in Taehyung’s mental monologue, he’d squeezed into the spot beside him at the island.

“Yeah, she just texted me and said they were close.” As if on cue, his favorite redhead stepped through the front door followed by his nerd holding her shirt. He climbed onto the counter and jumped over the other side to cut through the crowd. “THEY HAVE ARRIVED!!” He plowed into the pair and pulled them into a hug with one in each arm. Jungkook’s toes left the ground when Taehyung lifted them briefly.

“Really?” Y/N pointed at the pair of fluorescent blue and green hand prints on his chest.

“You’re just mad cuz you didn’t think of it first.” His face matched his shirt with blue and green commando stripes under his eyes. She rolled her eyes. Her lashes were painted blue which the black light made look like butterflies flying around her face everytime she blinked. Her cheeks were speckles with orange and red like a set of glow in the dark freckles. Small spatters of indigo on her lids gave the illusion of winged eyeliner and flowery sun rays sprouted from the outer corner of her eyes to her cheekbones.

“Hah. Sure, Dolly Parton.” Her fluorescent blue lips gave a sarcastic smile and pushed him out of the way to get to the makeshift bar. He clutched his ‘breasts’ in dramatic shock.

“Jungkook do you want a beer?” The boy broke his sweep of his surroundings to look at her.

“Uh, sure.” As she was fishing a can out of the freezer for him, someone took their place beside her and she could feel their gaze on her.

“Finally decided to show?”

“Please,” she pulled her head out of the freezer, two cans in hand, “I always sho- what the fuck.” Jimin was covered, head to toe, in paint. Splatters, hand marks, dots, spirals, streaks, everywhere. His hair was caked with pink and blue that popped against his freshly bleached hair. She could barely make out where his facial features were among the barrage of neon. He looked down at himself after her initial reaction.

“You like?”

“If I could look at you without shielding my eyes, yes. You look like you were in an orgy with Blue Man Group.” His angelic smile broke through the pigment, his white teeth glowing under the purple light.

“Who’s to say I wasn’t?”

“Please tell me you didn’t show up like this?” He laughed.

“No, dancing and jumping around a bunch of people throwing paint tends to have this kinda result.”

“Ah, you found Tinker Bell.” Tae came from behind and rested his elbow on Y/N’s head. Jimin pursed his lips at the nickname, glaring at the younger boy who was grinning like an idiot. Jungkook watched the ordeal from behind his beer. “Now,” Taehyung clapped his hands with a loud pop, “let’s party.”

[Element - Pop Smoke]

~#*%*{\*+

The crowd that formed chanted and pounded on the table as they watched Jimin and Tae race each other along a line of shots lined up for each of them. They pounded down shot after shot with almost inhuman speed. He was fast, but Jimin was faster by a single shot. He slammed the final glass onto the table and threw his fists up for the people hollering and cheering. “That’s how it's done!” He yelled to him over the chaos.

“You just got lucky!” He shouted back.

<€{*#{^*~|

“Ready?” Y/N turned to Hoseok and gave him a devilish smirk. His eyes were painted over with a massive rainbow that stretched temple to temple. Their heads lowered in unison and ripped the white lines perfectly cut on the mirror. The lighting of the room gave the powder an iridescent purple sheen. They fell back against the couch, their heads slack against the cushions. A second later, she’d been yanked up and dragged to the dancer floor by a hyper Hobi.

~]#£*#

Finally managing to escape the mob of dancing people, Y/N threw herself against a table to catch her breath and settle the dizziness that blurred her vision. She flinched when a hand touched her shoulder. “Hey, are you okay?” She looked up expecting Jungkook or Jimin, but was met by a guy she’d never seen before.

“Oh, no it’s okay. I’m fine.”

“Do you need water or…?”

“No, no, I got it. It’s cool.” She breathed, holding up a shaky OK sign.

“I can take you upstairs to lay down if you want.” She was about to snap at him when a voice from behind made him jump.

“I wouldn’t if I were you, she’s crazy.” The voice leaned into his ear. “And so am I.” The biggest, cheekiest smile broke across her face. She could recognize that baritone grumble anywhere. She spun around to see Yoongi almost chest to chest with the guy, looking down his nose at him with a calm warning glare. Without a word, the guy dropped his head and slipped around his broad shoulder.

“My prince~” she mockingly swooned and wrapped her arms around his neck. A small smile pricked at his cat shaped lips. “I thought you weren’t coming?”

“Found out I don’t have work tomorrow. Decided to drop by.”

“Well sir,” she stuck her finger into his chest, “if you’re gonna be at this party then you have to look the part.”

~$@*#=

“Do I really have to do this?” Yoongi pouted while Y/N squirted various paints onto a paper plate.

“Yes.” She grabbed his chin and turned his face side to side. “Now stop bitching and hold still.”

$&-=<~

Yoongi was a surprisingly good test subject. He never flinched or blinked or turned his head when she spread the paint over his skin with her fingers. She wondered if this was even his first time having makeup put on him. “Okay…..done.” He opened his eyes and walked to the mirror hanging across the hallway. His eyes widened and he checked out his face from different angles. “What do you think?”

“I thought you were just gonna do cat whiskers. Shit….I look damn pretty.” Thin stripes of blue flowed under his eyes and tapered at his cheekbones, some running down his cheeks. Orange lines followed the natural contour of his face, highlighting the bridge of his nose, his jaw, under his brows, and the corners of his eyes. Streaks of blue and orange highlighted his black hair that was swept back to showcase his forehead.

“I kinda tried to make it like mine so we could match, but I don’t have my brushes with me.”

“Not quite.”

“Huh?” He turned from his reflection and grabbed the back of her neck, pulling her into a firm kiss. He parted and checked the mirror again.

“Now we match.” He looked back at her with a corny smile. His lips were stamped dusty blue from her lipstick.

!$@-;)

Yoongi swiped the empty red cups off the table for Y/N to lay back on. He pushed her shirt up just below her bra and licked a stripe from above her belly button to her ribs. “Salt.” He held his hand behind him and Jimin slapped a tub of margarita salt into it. It was a wonder that he even considered Jimin’s idea. He sprinkled the crystals over the wet spot from his tongue and Jimin balanced a shot of tequila between her ribs. She tried her best to breathe evenly to not spill, but the people watching made it hard to focus. She thought this was just a shameless stunt. He was marking his territory.

“SHOT! SHOT! SHOT! SHOT!”

He placed a lime wedge between her teeth and moved back down the table to hover over her torso. Not wasting another second, he bent his head and licked up the salt, sending a shiver down her spine. With no hands, he picked up the shot in his mouth, knocked it back, and dropped it onto the table. He quickly bit the lime and sucked, some of the juice dribbling into her mouth. The room erupted when he leaned back and threw the tattered lime across the kitchen into the sink.

~}#+]€|£

Yoongi had been pulled away by a group of friends and Y/N took the opportunity to light up one of the joints she prerolled. She flicked her zippo and got a good burn going. Right before she could take a hit, Tae hopped over the back of the couch and plopped down. “Yoink!” He plucked it from her fingers and took a drag.

“You fucking whore.”

“That’s my name, don’t wear it out.” He gave her scowl a wink and handed the joint back. She pulled on it til it was almost halfway burned before blowing out the thick cloud and sucking it through her nose. “Ou~ missy likes to show off. Two can play at that game.” He snatched it again but before he could exhibit his master skills, he heard his name being called. A girl was heading straight for him. And she didn’t look happy.

“Taehyung!”

“Ohhh shit.” She stopped in front of him and crossed her slim arms.

“You haven’t texted me back for over two months! What the hell?!” He shifted and threw his arm around Y/N’s shoulder.

“Sorry Kylie, but I’m currently in a loving relationship with this beautiful girl sitting next to me.” Her gaze snapped to the redhead with visible judgment. She stuttered to think of a rebuttal, and ended up just scoffing and storming off. Once she was out of sight, Y/N threw his arm off her.

“What the fuck was that?”

“What?” He threw his hands up in bewilderment, “Joon got to do it, why can’t I?”

“Joon had to. You just did it cuz it was convenient. God, I don’t see how you put up with those bitches.” She put the joint between her lips.

“Why would I care about her personality if I’m only there to fuck?” She choked on the smoke coming out and laughed aggressively.

“I’m gonna let that slide, for a minute. Ummm, why did you drive her away?”

“She wants me to ask her to homecoming.”

“Why don’t you?”

“Cuz I wanna ask someone else.” She crossed her legs and turned to him.

“Ouuu, spill.” He stilled and dropped his head to fiddle with his cuticles. That’s weird. She’d never seen him do that.

“It’s no one.”

“Obviously it’s not no one if you're going into retrograde just thinking about her.”

“I don’t know. I’m probably not even gonna ask her.”

“SPIT IT OUT YOU PUSSY!”

“JIWOO!” Works every time. It was silent for a long while. He finally met her eye and she lost it. Rolling on the ground cackling, tears of hysteria in her eyes.

“I’m serious.” She finally calmed down enough to crawl back on the couch.

“There’s no way I’m letting Taehyung Kim anywhere near my boyfriend’s, your best friend’s little sister.”

“I promise this isn’t how you think it is. I really do like her. Like for real.” Now she was intrigued. He explained to her how he stuttered whenever he tried to talk to her and the butterflies in his stomach just being near her. She listened as he went on and on about how different she was from all the other girls he’d experienced and how he didn’t know what to do with the foreign dejection of seeing her talking to other guys. “Please ask Yoongi about it? Please? If I ask, he'll kill me before I even have a chance to explain.” She stared at him for a moment, slowly nodding, lost in thought.

“Okay-”

“THANK Y-!”

“BUT! My one condition is that you have to prove to me you can be a proper gentleman. If you're gonna take her out, you’re gonna do it right. After a week, if I think you can pass for a decent date, I’ll talk to Yoongi.” He grabbed her face and planted a fast, hard kiss with a dramatic ‘mwah.’

“This is much appreciated.” Before she could form a reaction he jumped off the couch and darted away. A second later, Yoongi blew past the couch, chasing him around a table and out the back door like Tom and Jerry.

$?*\~

Finally managing to slip away from Y/N and the boys, Jungkook ran upstairs and locked himself in the bathroom. He rummaged in his pocket and pulled out the three pills he took from her cabinet. He examined the tablets in his palm, pulling knowledge from his doctor phase. White bar, 2 imprinted in the middle; alprazolam (Xanax). Oval, yellow, 100; sertraline (Zoloft). White, round, OP carved on one side and 10 on the other; oxycodone (Oxycontin).

His heart sank at the last one. The memory of her promise rammed into his mind.

“I’d never use pharms, are you kidding me? You think I wanna risk an OD and have to go to those dumbass AA meetings?”

“AA is Alcoholics Anonymous.”

“You know what the fuck I meant.”

He threw his head back against the wall he leaned on, tears pricking his eyes. “Goddammit, Y/N…”

He left the bathroom and stopped at the top of the stairs. From this vantage point, he could see Y/N and Hoseok cackling over a fresh set of lines. They could barely snort it correctly from their teary laughter. That was her third line of the night if his count was correct. His fists balled against his thighs. Hot, angry tears threatened to smear her work on his face. He wasn’t mad at her. He was mad at himself, because he knew he didn’t have the balls to confront her about it. He was witnessing his second mother heading down a path she probably wouldn’t be able to come back from, and he’s just letting it happen. All because couldn’t bring himself to contradict her.

$”@!-/

Y/N stumbled into a mirror to check her makeup. By now, her hair was a curly mass of rainbow and her makeup was covered under several layers of paint splatter. The song playing faded to an end. A series of pensive guitar plucks resonated through the large house, ending with a trill.

I caught it bad yesterday

You hit me with a call to your place

Her eyes blew wide and she hesitantly turned around. Yoongi stood not far behind her, dangerous eyes cut into her from under his brows. His lips curled into a lewd smirk. “Yoongi….” She warned, stepping back, “Yoongi, there’s people.” He could never control himself when this song was playing. It was like a trigger. He matched every step back with two steps forward. He snatched her up and plunged them into the crowd hyping up the song.

I’m not phased, only here to sin

If Eve ain’t in your garden you know that you can

His hands found her hips and yanked them to meet his waist. With one arm wrapped tight around her ribs, he ground into her to the beat of the already erotic song, making sure she felt his hard-on against her ass. Her center tingled at the memories of what he’s done to her with that song playing in the background. The hand that gripped her hips moved up her skirt and settled between her thighs. Her spine stiffened and she gripped his arm on her torso. “Wait-”

“Don’t worry, it’s dark and everyone’s too shit faced to notice.” With that, his middle finger found her clit through the thin material of her panties and rubbed harsh circles. The unexpected moan that slipped from her was muffled by the beat drop that shook the house.

Her nails dug into his skin, a feeble attempt to ward off her moans, when he moved the bridge of fabric aside and slipped two fingers in, the long digits sinking down to the last knuckle. “Shh…” He wasted no time picking up the pace. He pounded his fingers into her trembling figure in his arms, bending them to hit her g-spot he knew all too well over and over again. Her walls clenched around his fingers and he barely heard her strangled whine under the music.

Her body slumped against his chest and he retracted his fingers, bringing them to her lips. She obediently took them in her mouth and licked them clean. The taste of herself filled her mouth and he reached around to try. His lips pressed firmly against hers, wanting her to suffocate in his touch. His tongue pushed into her mouth, exploring and licking up the taste of her residue.

He finally parted, letting her breathe. Once she caught her breath and could stand on her own, she grabbed his hand and led him off the dance floor. “What are you doing?” Her grip moved from his hand to his belt buckle while she pulled him up the stairs.

“Returning the favor.”

$€•#+=

Y/N bolted through the siding glass back door and threw her head over the rail of the deck. Yoongi caught up and held her hair back while her stomach purged itself of the crippling amounts of alcohol that plagued it. He smoothed her hair back with his hand to get every strand out of the way. “There you go, get it all out.” She coughed the last of it out and blindly reached for his arm. He slipped it under her hand for her to grip and she steadied herself upright.

“Can’t remember the last time that happened.” She chuckled. Jungkook came outside with a bottle of vodka which she swiped and brought to her lips.

“Ah!” Yoongi snatched it away. “What do you think you’re doing?” She cocked a brow.

“Drinking?”

“Y/N you’re not having anymore.”

“But-” he brought his finger up.

“No buts. You’re done.” She rolled her eyes.

“Can I at least have some to wash out my mouth?”

“Fine.”

-$@*=}

Yoongi sat in the passenger seat of his friend’s car with Y/N dozing in Jungkook’s lap across the backseat. “Thanks for the ride by the way, Downer. There was no way she was gonna get home on foot.” Downer was his friend that worked at the garage with him.

“No problem man. You know I gotchu.” He pulled into Jungkook’s driveway and unlocked his door. He was hesitant to leave.

“She’s gonna be okay. Right?” Yoongi twisted in his seat to face him.

“She’ll be fine, Kook. I’m gonna stay with her for the night to watch her.”

“Does this happen a lot or..?” Downer inquired.

“That’s none-”

“It’s fine,” Yoongi cut Jungkook’s attack off, “she parties hard, that’s all.” He addressed Downer. With a final glare, Jungkook lifted her head out of his lap, opened the door, and jumped out. He stopped by Yoongi’s rolled down window.

“Can you tell me when you get home?” A small smile played on the elders lips. He never got over how much Jungkook cared about her.

“I’ll text you when I have her in bed.” They waited for Jungkook to open his front door before Downer backed out of the driveway and followed the directions Yoongi gave him.

Y/N woke up in Yoongi’s arms, being carried through her apartment and set on the couch. She stirred and rubbed her paint smeared eyes. “When did we get home? I never said goodbye to the boys.”

“You said bye to Jimin and Tae. You were out when we dropped Jungkook off.”

“We?”

“Downer came and gave us a ride.”

“Oh.” He scooped her up again and took them into the bathroom. “Ugh, what are we doing now?”

“There’s no way I’m letting you get in that bed covered in this shit.” He chuckled.

“Okay well can you at least get my robe from my closet?” He set her down on the tile and disappeared into the adjacent room. He’d just flung the garment on his shoulder when the familiar guitar riff filled his ears. His pupils dilated and his head snapped to the source. Y/N leaned against the doorframe wrapped in a towel, her LEDs in the shower turned red, and MONTERO playing over her bathroom speaker. His breath hitched and he licked his lips when her towel dropped to the floor. Her eyes caught his with a frisky grin. He marched across the room, shedding his clothes and swiping her up before kicking the door shut, muffling her squeal. And any other sounds they were gonna be making.

~~~

Jungkook paced his room, trying to stay awake to make sure Y/N was in bed when he was. His heart leaped when his phone finally vibrated on his nightstand.

Yoongi: 1 attachment

He opened it and a small smile softened his mood. It was a picture of her head of damp curls poking just above the covers, back to the camera. She looked so peaceful. He never would’ve been able to guess that she was throwing her guts up not two hours ago.

Once he confirmed she was completely okay, his eyes finally let themselves droop. He dropped into bed and pulled the sheets under his chin. Lingering thoughts of the night’s discovery itched in his mind, but were engulfed by the powerful wave of sleep.

SATURDAY- 14 DAYS UNTIL HOMECOMING

Taehyung’s 1992 Foxbody peeled onto Y/N’s street and screeched to a stop in front of her apartment. He made beats on the horn until she came scrambling out and down the steps. She flung open the door and plopped into the passenger seat. “Wow, hasn’t been a minute and you already failed. That should be a new record for you.” He threw his hands up and let them dramatically fall on his lap.

“What did I do?!”

“The golden rule of making a girl like you: always open a door for her.”

“Every door?”

“Every door.” She glared. He huffed and threw the car in reverse.

“It’s a stupid rule. You’re not better than anyone else, you get your own damn door.”

~~~

The cherry red Mustang whipped into the parking lot of his favorite diner. Taehyung hopped out and jogged around to Y/N’s side to open her door. She gave him a look of approval and took his arm. Her eyebrows raised again when he reached ahead and opened the door for her, the little bell announcing them. “You're learning. There’s still hope.” The diner was small, only a few people sat at the bar. Latin music played from the kitchen, floating through the service window.

“Taehyung eres tu, mi cucarachito?”

“Sí, Señora!” A plump Latino woman popped out of the kitchen and made a beeline to him with her arms spread, spouting words of affection in Spanish. She clapped her hands on his cheeks and kissed each side with fervor.

“¿Qué te trae por aquí?” He turned and put his hand on Y/N’s shoulder.

“Estoy aqui con mi amiga.” The woman’s face brightened at the sight of the girl in his company.

“Ooohhh, esta bonita!” Tae eyed her hoodie and sweats but then focused on her peach lipped, freckled face. He smirked and leaned in.

“Más como guapa.” Her eyebrows furrowed and shot him a glare.

“Su nombre es Y/N.” The woman gasped.

“Hablas español?”

“Un poco.”

“Bien, sentáis donde quiere.”

Taehyung flopped into a booth in the very back and battled her gaze with a boxy grin. Señora Lopez, as she came to know, shouted from the kitchen. “Que quiere comer, flaco?” Taehyung eyed Y/N with a questioning look.

“Pancakes, bacon, and grits.” He threw his arm over the booth behind him and shouted.

“Uh, panqueques, tocino, sémola, y mi usual!”

“And chocolate milk.” She cut in.

“Y leche con chocolate!” He twisted back around, bouncing on the cushion.

“When were you gonna tell me you spoke Spanish?” He smiled.

“When were you gonna tell me?”

“What reason would a dumbass like you have to learn Spanish?”

“Cuz behind every language, is a whole new pool of hot chicks to talk to. And the ladies at this fine establishment give me free food.” She gave him a long look.

“I spoke too soon. You’re hopeless.”

“Hey, my Spanish and rugged good looks is what pays for your food. Show some respect.” She folded her arms.

“And I’m what stands between you and a date with Jiwoo. Show some respect.” He smirked and put his hands up.

“Fine. I eagerly await your wisdom.” He rested his head in his hands and gazed at her with mock anticipation. She rolled her eyes.

“There are eight lessons in the art of courting a woman. First lesson, compliments. Compliments mean a lot more to her than you think. When you see her, tell her she looks nice, not hot, nice. Mention a change in her hair or that her outfit compliments her eyes. Attention to detail. Women love that shit.”

“Why?”

“Because it lets us know that you at least pay attention to us enough to have a mental picture of us that doesn’t sound like a police sketch.”

“Fair enough.” She held two fingers up.

“Lesson two. If I determine you fit, when you pick her up, don’t fuckin text her ‘I’m here’ no. You get out, walk to her door, and you knock.”

“Like I didn’t know that.” She scoffed.

“You did it to me not half an hour ago.”

“Ahh, but I didn’t text you.”

“Yeah, instead you probably got me a noise complaint from everyone on the block.” A cute boxy smile spread over his face. Before she could say something, a waitress came by with their drinks.

“Leche con choco y coca.” She listed as she set the glasses down, respectively.

“What do I talk about in the car?” He asked once she left, hitting one end of his straw on the table to open it.

“Well, what do you usually talk about?” She tore the bit of paper with her teeth and pushed the wrapper down.

“I don’t know, memes, music, kdramas.” Her lips stopped right before she took a sip. A wicked smile sprouted.

“Kdramas?”

“Shut your mouth.” He pointed.

“…Anyway, just talk to her like you would normally. Just because she’s your date for the night doesn’t mean you have to be a whole new person. If she said yes to go with you, she’s expecting to go with you.” He couldn’t help the flutter in his stomach at the thought of her actually being interested in him.

“Lesson three. Corsage. Now, the corsage can make or break the look she may have been going for so make sure you go through her before you buy it. Don’t tell her to just pick it out and send it to you. Try to find something you think she’d actually like. Put in effort. Girls go crazy for that shit.

“Okay…I think I can do that.”

“You know what,” she added, “run your ideas by me before you send them cuz if you send her some butt ugly corsage she will lose respect or you.” His brows furrowed.

“What? Why?”

“We women have an inate sense of fashion. Men don’t. Straight ones at least. The idea that the person she’s interested in actually thought it looked good, she would definitely be more hesitant to let you pick anything out for her again. We can’t help it. It’s in our blood.”

“You girls are weird as hell.”

“Lesson four. The most important one of all DO. NOT. DITCH. HER. I don’t care if LeBron James is in the parking lot you make sure she has company before you leave her to do ANYTHING.”

“Anything?”

“Anything. If I see her standing alone I’m gonna find you.”

“And do what? You think you can scare me?”

“I can be intimidating if I want to.” She watched his face turn red trying to hold in his laughter, but ultimately failing. Tae beat the table with his fist to calm his cackling. She calmly moved their glasses to the side. His wrist was yanked and his body lurched over the table, his neck connecting with something cold. Y/N held Yoongi’s pocket knife in her hand and glared at him like she’d never seen him before in her life. “You don’t feel threatened even a little?”

“No.”

“Then what do you feel?”

“Horny.” He smirked and she threw his hand back across the table. She moved on, not giving him the satisfaction of her reaction.

“Lesson five. Be nice to her friends. Be engaged. Even if they’re annoying. It makes her feel better if she knows you enjoy the people she chooses to hang out with.”

“Fine.”

“Lesson six. Dancing. Please tell me you know how to dance with a girl.” He threw his hands behind his head and leaned into the booth.

“I’m a parallel dance master.”

“That’s not-….Ew. Moving on. You're gonna have to get someone else to teach you cuz I’m not.”

“Why not?”

“Yoongi would kill you.” He leaned back forward.

“He let me live for kissing you at the party last week but won’t if I dance with you?”

“He sees some things like slow dancing as more intimate than kissing.” He could give her that. Yoongi knew he didn’t mean anything by it. It was just Tae being Tae. The same waitress came back with their food and set it in front of them. Y/N immediately dug in.

“Whatever. Who am I supposed to get to teach me if not you?” He took the bun off his bacon cheeseburger and squirted ketchup onto it.

“Your mom.” She said while she poured syrup over the butter spread pancakes.

“Fuck that.” She laced her fingers together and held them to her lips, deep in thought.

“I bet Jimin could.”

“……..” It was her turn to smirk.

“You're thinking about it, aren’t you?”

“Shut up.” He turned to look out the window and mumbled a barely audible, “I mean he’s a dancer.”

“I’ll do you the favor of asking him for you.”

“I can ask him myself.”

“You're gonna ask a dude to slow dance with you, multiple times, for long periods of time?” He folded his arms.

“I just might.”

“Okay..” She showed her palms. Respect.

“So what’s lesson seven?”

“Seven is getting ready to leave. Give her enough time to find her friends and say goodbye, but don’t make her feel like you're waiting on her.”

“Got it. And eight?”

“Saying goodbye. This is the most difficult and complex step of the night. When you get to her house, get out and walk her to the door. Tell her you had fun. By now, you’ve had all night to gauge her behavior to determine one of two actions. To kiss or not to kiss. That is the question. Wrong move and you can ruin her whole night.”

“How do I know if she wants me to kiss her?”

“Well, how do you know when to kiss any other girl?”

“I don’t. I just do.”

“Okay, well,” she pointed her finger in circles around him, “that needs to change…Fast.”

“You tell me then.”

“Every girl is different, but if one thing is true about every girl, we hint. It’s your job to catch those hints.”

“Like what.”

“She’ll find an excuse to get closer to you or touch you subtly. She’ll try to make herself seem more open and vulnerable.”

“Okay, well, what if I don’t catch anything and by the end of the night I still don’t know?”

“Well then you're as dense as I am high. Tell you what, as a last resort, if she looks at you like she’s watching a football game and her team’s about to touchdown, kiss her.”

“Interesting metaphor.”

“That was a simile.”

“Nerd.”

The pair finished their food and brainstormed over ideas for corsages. Most of which she shot down. It came time to leave and on the way out, Taehyung opened both the diner and car door for her, earning an approving nod. He repeated the action once they arrived at her place and walked her to her front door. “It was rough at first,” she said as she unlocked her door, “but you have potential. Just keep it up and you’ll do great.” She gave him an encouraging smile.

“Are you into football? Cuz you're lookin at me kinda funny over there.” The door shut in his face.

FRIDAY - 8 DAYS UNTIL HOMECOMING

The last bell finally rang and Y/N bolted out of her 7th hour. She made a beeline to her locker and fumbled with the combination. “So?” She screamed and whipped around. Taehyung was standing behind her with his hands stuffed in his sweats.

“So what?”

“Did I pass?” Oh. That. She couldn’t lie, he had improved significantly over the week. Not only did he follow every rule she gave him, but a few times she even caught him opening doors for Jiwoo herself. He was ready.

“Yes, and I talked to Yoongi at lunch.” His heart stopped, threatening to sink.

“And?”

“He said yes.” He let out a cry of relief and sweeped her into his arms. He hoisted her into the air and jumped up and down with uncontrollable joy.

“THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU!”

“Yeah, yeah. Kiss my ass later, I'm trying to get home.” She grunted when he finally put her down, and she slammed her locker, shouldering her bag. “How’s the dancing with Jimin going?”

“It’s going good, but he’s so picky. ‘Smile more, look this way, hands off my ass.’ I don’t know what he wants from me.”

“I’m praying you know better than to do that with Jiwoo.” He patted his heart.

“No thanks, I choose life.”

“You better.”

Taehyung practically sped home and peeled into his driveway. He hopped out of the car, juggling his keys. The elation that put a bounce in his step vanished when he opened the front door. Standing at the kitchen table was his father. Anger singed his insides when he spoke. “Hey, son. I hope you don’t mind. I let myself in.”

“What do you want.” His dad sighed.

“Listen, I know you don’t really want to see me, but-”

“But what? What excuse could you possibly have for being here?”

“Taehyung, look around. This isn’t the place for a teenager to live. Your mother can’t give you the life you want here.”

“If this is your way of asking for custody, you can fuck off.” His dad slammed his fist on the wooden table.

“You will not speak to me that way! I may not be around but I’m still your father!”

“You lost that right the second you fucked someone that wasn’t Mom!” Taehyung’s bones trembled with every word he shouted. He’d never talked like this to his dad before.

“Would you listen to yourself?! You’re throwing this opportunity away! I can get you into a better school! Better job! Better home! All you have to do is live with me every other week!”

“I’D RATHER DIE IN A DRIVE BY HERE THAN LIVE WITH THE PERSON THAT USED HIS SON TO GET BITCHES!” He stormed back out the door and slammed it before he could hear what else his dad had to say.

The Mustang ripped down the street, cutting through the rain that had begun to pour. There was no way he was coming home that night, but he didn’t want to crash at anyone’s place. He needed to be alone. A sniff broke through the silence. Another. “No. No, no.” He shook his head as reluctant tears clouded his eyes. “Don’t you fucking cry, Taehyung. Don’t you fucking cry.”

He shoved open the door to the old house they’d made their hideout. He called out and to his relief, no one answered. A bottle and a half vodka later, he reached for his phone. The battery was at 7%. “Come on. Pick up, please.” He pleaded.

“Hello?”

“Jiwoo?” He tried to cover the crack in his voice but it was so obvious.

“Tae, are you okay? It’s like 11 and your car’s not in your driveway.”

“Y-yeah I’m f-ine.” He slurred

“Are you…drunk?”

“…..no.”

“You are. What happened?”

“My d-dad came home.” He’d told her enough in the past for her to know the weight of his words.

“Oh, I’m so sorry. What did he want?”

“He wants me to live with him.” She was quiet.

“You’re not going to…right?”

“No.”

“Well, that’s good. It’s not like they can make you-”

“Will you go to homecoming with me?”

Silence.

“I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to ask you like this and it’s not just cuz I’m drunk it’s the only way I’d have the courage to ask-”

“Yes.”

“…what?”

“I said yes. I want to go with you.”

“I….I don’t really know where to go from here. I never thought I’d get this far.” She giggled over the line, calming his nerves a little.

“How about you start with going to bed, and we can talk about it tomorrow?”

“Y-yeah….okay….uh, well, I’ll see you Monday I guess?”

“See you Monday.”

It’s funny how the things you want most in life also terrify you the most. You spend countless hours dreaming and obsessing over having what you want only to freeze up the moment the opportunity arises. All that time you spent acting out scenarios in your head only to find out you actually have no idea what the fuck your doing.

Taehyung was no different. It took him five whole minutes to knot his tie in the mirror. For the life of him, he couldn’t get his hands to stop shaking. He spritzed some cologne and checked himself in the bathroom mirror one last time. He was basically wearing the same thing as last year, save for the crimson tie to match the corsage he bought for Jiwoo. Red roses on a bed of black and white lace. What really caught his eye about it was the blackish tint at the edges of the petals that gave it a more gothic look which he thought she would like.

Grabbing his phone and wallet, he headed out the door to Yoongi’s down the street. They’d decided it was easier and cheaper to just take one car. He sat against his car, suit just as onyx as it’s paint job except for the emerald tie that ran down his chest. “You done preening, Romeo?”

“Shut up.” Yoongi snickered and circled around to the driver’s side. Taehyung eased into the passenger seat, being careful not to jostle the box of delicate flowers in his hand.

“Ready?”

“As I’ll ever be.”

~~~

Y/N finished the last touches on Jiwoo’s hair and walked her to the standing mirror in the corner of her room. “You look fucking amazing, Jiwoo.” The younger blushed. That was a first. Her normal cold demeanor replaced by a little girl nearly trembling with nerves. “Hey,” she turned her around to look her in the eyes, “you okay?”

“Yeah…I’ve just never been on a date before.” Her jaw dropped.

“What? Why?”

“Yoongi pretty much repels any guy who tries to talk to me. He doesn’t do it on purpose, they’re just scared of him.” Y/N chuckled and nodded.

“Yep, sounds like him. Anyway, you’ll be fine. You‘ve known Tae for years, so you have the hardest part out of the way. Now all you have to do is enjoy his company.” Jiwoo nodded slowly and smiled to herself.

“Yeah.”

~~~

The boys scaled the steps to Y/N’s front door. Yoongi knocked without a second thought, sending Taehyung into panic mode. “I don’t know if I can do this.”

“Just relax, you got this.” Y/N rubbed Jiwoo’s shoulders when she sprang at the knock on the door.

“She said yes. That’s all you should worry about.”

“There’s no way you can fuck it up that bad. I mean it’s Tae we’re talkin about.” She gave her one last squeeze before going to answer the door.

Yoongi’s heart stirred when the door opened, revealing Y/N’s satin emerald dress. She had white heels with a silver floral touch on the back and her hair was piled into a loose bun. A few front curls poked out, framing her face perfectly. She never ceased to leave him speechless.

“Hey, guys. Come in. Jin’s here to take pictures.”

They stepped inside and Yoongi let Taehyung get far enough ahead for him to pull her into him by the waist. “You look absolutely stunning.” He breathed into her ear, earning a giggle. She turned around and smoothed her hands up and down his lapel.

“You don’t look so bad yourself.” She grabbed him by his tie and pulled him down into a quick kiss.

“I hate to break up your little thing, but I believe someone is missing here.” Taehyung sassed.

“Oh right.” She broke from Yoongi’s hold and turned to her room. “You can come out Jiwoo.” She chuckled. Slowly, her door inched open.

Taehyung swore he ripped a hole in his pocket lining with his nails. His jaw dropped and his eyes followed the skunk stripes of her hair, along the lace trim of her black dress, down her fishnet clad thighs, and ended at her knee high gladiator heels. He tried to say something. Anything. But nothing came out. He just stood there in utter astonishment.

He finally managed to say something when he saw her hand come up to nervously nurse her arm. “You look……you look…..I can’t think of a word bigger than beautiful right now but you're it.” She bit her gradient scarlet lips bashfully.

“Thank you.”

“Alright,” Jin clapped from the couch, “picture time.”

Yoongi cradled Y/N’s hand in his and he slipped the white rose corsage onto her wrist. She pinned the matching boutonnière on his lapel, all accompanied by encouraging remarks from Jin behind his camera. “Ohhh, hold it. Just like that.” They froze with her hand on his chest, showing off the identical flowers and his hand at her waist, the color of her dress and his tie an exact match.

A few flashes later, it was Taehyung’s turn. It felt like touching a hot stove when he held her hand to copy Yoongi’s actions. Jiwoo gasped when she saw the bundle of gothic petals he’d chosen for her. “I don’t know I thought you would like them cuz y’know you wear a lot of blac-”

“Shut up, I love it.” She beamed at it sitting on her wrist like it was an engagement ring. Y/N tapped her with his boutonnière in hand. “Thanks.” She took it and Tae watched her get closer, and closer, and closer, until they were a breath away from each other. He internally screamed the entire time her hands touched his chest to secure the red rose and baby’s breath to his jacket.

He made sure to keep his hand along her ribs respectfully while they posed for Jin. The biggest smile was plastered on both of their faces, neither of them realizing the other looked the same way.

Once Jin was finally happy with his photo shoot, he shooed them into Yoongi’s car and sent them on their way. “Bye children! Have fun!” He waved to them until the black car became a speck in the distance. He dropped his arm and sighed. “Dammit I love having kids.”

~~~

Taehyung’s training kicked in when the car pulled into a parking space, immediately getting out and jogging around to open Jiwoo’s door. She gladly took his hand to help herself out of the car without flashing anyone. Yoongi was at the passenger door doing the same thing.

“Hey guys?” Y/N asked once they regrouped around the hood. She had their attention. Reaching into the purse on her shoulder, she pulled out a cherry swisher blunt. “Wanna give this night some extra flavor?” They all eyed each other with mischievous looks.

Jiwoo gripped Taehyung, who was more than happy to offer, for support while they made their way into the massive school gymnasium. She wasn’t a lightweight by any means, but everytime she smoked with Yoongi or Y/N (or both), she’d get loaded trying to keep up. “Sorry…” she giggled, “you probably weren’t expecting to be used as a human walker were you?” A boxy smile broke through his fading nerves.

“Believe me, there’s no one else I’d rather carry around.” Her cheeks turned almost as red as her eyes were before they put in Visine back outside.

Music bumped through speakers placed around the gym. The center of the basketball court was swarming with kids dressed up just like them, having the time of their lives. He dramatically gasped when one of his favorite songs came on. “You wanna dance?” She hesitated.

“Oh, I don’t dance very much.”

“Oh no, no, no. That simply won’t do.” With that, he grabbed her hand and pulled her into the pulsing crowd.

~~~

[Stay - Rihanna] (take ur time reading w this cuz the song runs longer than the scene)

The night went by in a euphoric blur. Taehyung remembered visiting with Hoseok and the others, but the only thing that had his full attention was Jiwoo. She was the only thing he would remember.

Things were beginning to slow down when a series of calming piano chords resonated through the room. He looked around at all the couples pairing up to slow dance, even spotting Y/N with her arms wrapped around Yoongi’s neck. He met Jiwoo’s eye and quirked his brow, holding out his hand. She hesitantly took it and inched closer to his chest, placing her free hand on his shoulder.

Their feet found a steady, synchronized rhythm, bodies swaying to the melancholy song.

“This may be the weed talking, but it feels like my life is complete right now.” She looked up at him.

“Why?”

“Because I’ve been dreaming about this moment since the day I met you.” Oh, it was definitely the weed. He froze waiting for her response, which was taking an extra long time to come.

“Really?”

“Absolutely.” She looked at her feet bashfully.

“Well then…..I guess this is the part where I say that….I like you too. A lot…like…a lot.”

Fuck weed. Fuck booze. Fuck molly. Fuck acid. The ecstasy that surged through his body was enough to have him set for life. The ultimate high. His grip around her waist tightened. “I’m gonna shut up now so I don’t ruin this.” She giggled.

“Me too.”

~~~

Y/N’s head rested on Yoongi’s chest, his heartbeat nearly lulling her to sleep. He gently rocked them in time with the music, his fingers toying with the silky fabric on her waist. The scent of coconut from her hair products filled his senses when he rested his chin on her head. The aroma mixed with her natural scent creating the intoxicating blend that had cemented itself in his memory. He’d spend all of his money on a candle that smelled the way she did. He couldn’t live without it.

“Yoongi?”

“Yeah?” The words were on the tip of her tongue. She wanted to tell him everything, her strength buckling under the growing weight of her deception. The pills, the black outs, the nosebleeds. She wanted to tell him so bad.

“I-”

But she just couldn’t.

“…I love you.”

~~~

[Every Breath You Take]

Jungkook sat in the bleachers, rolling the small white pill between his fingers. Its edges had been worn down from the constant fidgeting. “Kookie?” His head snapped up, quickly pocketing his totem. Y/N was standing on the row of bleachers below him, a concerned look on her face. His stomach dropped anticipating her anger. “What are you doing all alone up here?” Phew.

“My date kinda left me. Apparently she just wanted to make her ex jealous. It’s not like I didn’t see it coming.” He fiddled with his fingers between his knees. She stared him down for a beat.

“Get up.”

“What?”

“I said get up. We’re dancing.” She grabbed his wrist and yanked him to his feet, locking her arm in his.

“I don’t really feel like it right now.”

“Of course you don’t, but I bet you wanna show that date of yours up, right?” He cracked a smile. That’s what she liked to see. “Now get your cute little ass on that floor and dance with the hot upperclassman.”

“Okay.”

She led him into the center of the gym for everyone to see and rested her forearms on his shoulders. His hands floated centimeters from her back and she had to take them and move them to her waist herself. His back stiffened at the foreign feeling. He’d never touched her there or in that way before. “Look around. Do you see her?” He scanned the crowd, and at the very edge, sitting at a table, he saw her. Scowl and all.

“Yeah.”

“Show me.”

“At the table by the punch. Red dress.” She swept over the room until her eyes settled on the girl that matched his description, making dead eye contact. Y/N shot her a shit eating grin and raised a manicured middle finger at her. The girl visibly scoffed and folded her arms, eyeing her emerald dress with jealousy.

“And that’s how you do it.” She turned back to see a surprised Jungkook. “Oh don’t give me that look, you know you liked it.” He couldn’t help the smile that bent the thin line that was his lips.

“That’s what she said.” Her mood soared when she finally had him an a good mood. She replaced her arms on his shoulders and they swayed to the old song that floated in the air.

“That’s more like it.” Their chuckles died down and he closed his eyes, focusing on the music.

They didn’t speak again for the rest of the song.

~~~

The night inevitably came to an end. Taehyung waited patiently while Jiwoo said goodbye to her friends. When she was finished, he offered her his arm and walked them out to the parking lot. Y/N and Yoongi were already waiting at the car, her heels in his hand and his jacket over her shoulders. “You two lovebirds ready yet?” He called out.

Taehyung flipped him off, to which Yoongi just chuckled and turned to help Y/N into the car and shut her door. Once again, monkey see, monkey do. He made sure Jiwoo was settled before gently shutting her door and bounding to the other side.

In a last minute decision, the four stopped at Taehyung’s diner to fill their stomachs that’d grown empty from dancing for hours. Señora Lopez absolutely lost it over Jiwoo. She pinched her cheeks and spouted words of adoration in Spanish while she inspected her.

Okay, now the night was over.

Yoongi dropped the pair off at him and Jiwoo’s house before speeding off to probably spend the night with Y/N.

Taehyung stopped and looked down at her on the minuscule porch. “I had a great time. I, uh, I hope you did too.”

“I did.” She smiled.

“So about what I said earlier, I really meant it. I don’t just wan-” She gripped his tie and yanked him into a firm kiss. So much for Y/N’s advice. He closed his eyes and let himself sink into the sensation.

So this is the feeling everyone talks about.

The only sound to be heard were the crickets chirping in the night. His hand found the back of her neck and pulled her in even closer.

She finally broke away for air, his lips following to try and close the gap. His eyes snapped open. Her breathing was heavy and the scarlet tint of her lips was smudged. They shared a brief laugh.

“Well…before I was so rudely interrupted, I was going to ask if we could do this again sometime.” She moved a piece of hair that had fallen in her face, and he gingerly tucked it behind her ear.

“I’d love to.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

#bts #bts angst #bts x reader #bts fic #bts fanfic #yoongi #taehyung #yoongi fic #yoongi x reader

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palukoo · 3 years

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ok i said i would make a post about amy & not josh! so! the thing is that im endlessly fascinated by her relationships with the main cast bc they are so... implicit? in a way that its not given to you upfront but theres obviously some depth there? and i think that it’s something that i wish the writers had explored more!

amy and sam or amy and will, isn’t that interesting to me, and we’re not really given all that much there and i’m okay with that! she thinks sam should run but its for political reasons. she works with will on the marion cotesworth hayes thing. that’s all, and that’s okay!

amy and toby we really don’t get much from either-- he bets in her election betting ring, and she teases him about his losses. but i think they’re actually a relationship i would like to see more of, because they both are somehow simultaneously cynical and idealistic, and they’re quite possibly the most consistently liberal characters in the first several seasons.

amy and cj is really interesting, because they talk in like. dead irish writers, election night, privateers, some of the zoey kidnapping arc, and then way later in season 7, but before most of that, when that woman on the stackhouse campaign is calling out amy’s relationship to members in the white house, cj is mentioned second (without missing a beat after josh, and right before the first lady and the president. which. is also Interesting-- its before amy works for them). in dead irish writers they seem familiar if not close, and cj defends amy’s argument to abbey, in election night they exchange fond glances and easy conversation, in privateers amy is exasperated but not upset with cj, in 25 they wordlessly work together to try to handle and comfort abbey, and in the last hurrah i think, amy leans in BIZARRELY close to her in a way that cannot be described in words other than to say i have questions. they have amazing chemistry and are, evidently, friends? and i can see the two of them joking back and forth for hours? but we really rarely see them together, and it’s only once that it’s just the two of them

amy is close enough with abbey that she is introduced to us through a complaint she’s made to abbey. she’s comfortable enough with her that she goes over josh’s head to abbey about their hiring practices at abbey’s birthday party, yet surprised enough by being invited to drink with her that she makes a comment about writing a book, and then proceeds to spend half the episode basically laying down on abbey and playing with abbey’s dress. abbey’s threat about finding someone else to do this job visibly shakes amy, and while i’d say a lot of this is more with regards to her professional esteem, other context does make it seem personal. she has to list her credentials to abbey when she’s afraid of being fired, but abbey hires her without a second thought after they carry easy conversation. as aforementioned, that woman talks about amy’s relationship to abbey. abbey mentions that she used to babysit amy, and moments later amy calls abbey hot. abbey fully trusts amy to run her office in her absence, while amy panics weekly it seems about being fired. jed says that abbey would (at the moment in question, anyway) choose amy over him. i just sort of wish we saw them more, but i do get that neither of them is a main character. i also think it’s interesting that amy, with josh, is kind of always the one who can’t politically compromise, who can’t give up, and then with abbey she has to be the one who can.

oh, guess who else amy is called on her relationship to? thats right-- the president! and when do we see them interact? when he’s yelling at her! but guess what-- amy also told josh, way before we see her and jed talk, that shes crazy about the president, has been since before he’s known who jed is (which makes sense-- you can extrapolate, after dead irish writers, that she’s probably at the very least from new hampshire, where he’s been involved in politics for years). when they do interact he yells at her about using abbey, she practically cries talking to josh about being fired by him, and then he tells her she’s not fired and even as she quits, he has enough trust in her that he tells her to further fund the project he nearly fired her over. it’s neat! are we to assume they have a prior relationship through politics? through abbey? have they worked together? how has that gone? i want to know!

amy and matt? also neat, bc he hires her not through josh but because she’s a friend from the hill, yet he doesn’t seem to have directly worked with her before, at least not in debate prep, but they joke together easily and have clearly spoken before, otherwise he wouldn’t have hired her. he later knows pretty damn well how to push her buttons in to working for him despite her protests that she doesn’t work for people well, but she goes through josh rather than straight to him about her vp advice (which he listens to but doesn’t take-- which we see a lot of again when she’s actually working for him) when she works for him she seems largely exasperated, but she does it anyways, which, given her character, is kind of a big deal. i kind of wish there was more of how they work together, because they’re both people trying to do the right thing, even if it’s not the most politically smart thing, but he’s much more bipartisan than she ever could be, and it is a little hard to imagine amy, who can’t work for people, who says she’s her own constituency, working for anyone, including him.

and, finally, drum roll please, amy and donna. i think theres a time of two where we see donna joking on the phone with amy. in amy’s first ep, she asks josh if he’s dating donna, who she also describes as cute despite that to our knowledge they have not met. they’re both there in dead irish writers, but really only say “canadian, huh? feel any funnier?” “no but i am developing a massive inferiority complex” to each other, but amy asks about donna before that when she’s not at the party and josh has forgotten to work things out. they smile and exchange jokes when amy has a meeting with josh. donna smiles at the fax from amy and says “a new chapter begins” and then there’s commencement where amy keeps going to donna, ostensibly to ask about josh, but eventually getting to a point where she’s clearly asking about donna too, in the fact that she asks why donna is upset to, and at a point in the episode it feels like she’s seeking out donna about that, not about josh. and then she famously asks if donna is in love with josh, which to me is the least interesting question in the whole conversation-- but regardless, there’s a familiarity in how they talk to each other, how they easily work together, how they take the car together, how donna trusts amy enough to talk about josh’s trauma with her, and how amy trusts donna enough to throughout the episode go to her for like. emotional advice, which considering that amy’s not emotionally open or expressive like. ever? is a big deal? like she voices her insecurities to donna? she barely even does that with josh? in 25 donna watches amy as much as cj and abbey while abbey’s essentially breaking down, and that scene cuts off with amy on the phone and donna staring at her, looking concerned. in constituency of one, donna urges josh to find amy, which he doesnt, and theres also a shot of them looking at each other across the bullpen after theyve both just talked to josh, and then it cuts off? why does it keep cutting away from them? why am i so fascinated but the unseen, the unspoken (hey-- their scene in commencement is also cut short). seasons later, in requiem, amy easily approaches donna to ask about the girl she’s trying to set up with josh, and donna plays along despite that she’s canonically sleeping with josh, and they seem to again have some fun taking shots at josh’s expense in a way that feels sort of out of place for someone you haven’t talked to in, oh, the timelines are bizarre, but... at least two and a half years? maybe closer to three? and by a lot of interpretations, amy and donna are romantic rivals, but theyre so clearly not? like, is there a tension in their scenes? sure. does it feel like they dislike each other? literally, not at all. and i really wish we’d gotten to see more of them, because it feels like they’re friends, it feels like they mean something to each other, and we just don’t really get the time to explore what.

#amy gardner #the west wing #tww #my post #i also have amy & lou and amy & helen and amy & liz and amy & zoey and.... etc etc etc thoughts but ill go by what has any canon basis #oh can you tell i ship donna/amy??#look if you read this youre amazing thank you!#i need to shut up about amy gardner but i will Not #i wont do all the character tags #hey! stay tuned for the massive fic! its currently #about 116k i think?#or you could just blacklist my tww tags bc i know this is not what my followers signed up for #this post may be incoherent

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atopearth · 3 years

Text

Collar X Malice Part 4 - Shiraishi Kageyuki Route

Lmao that the way to get on Shiraishi's route is to be honest and call him strange hahah. Honestly, Shiraishi isn't my type, but I'm interested in him because he doesn't appear much in the other routes so he's pretty mysterious. I can see why Shiraishi is interested in Ichika though, especially considering he's involved in criminal profiling, it's like Ichika is such a normal girl, why exactly would Adonis be specifically interested in her? I liked how Shiraishi made it plain to Ichika that they needed to co-operate because she definitely wouldn't be able to find anything about a mole in the police force by herself, with no connections etc when others much more capable than her haven't been able to lol. It's actually cute how much Shiraishi seems to like cats, I agree that naming them as numbers is much easier to remember, but at the same time, to recognise 37 different cats? That's pretty amazing in itself lol. Honestly though, when he talked about it was nice to be a cat, getting to be lazy and free, but at the same time living with uncertainty and not knowing when you could die as a "price" of that freedom, it felt pretty sad... Is living freely better or living securely?🤔

Takeuchi (the teacher who taught the guys who died in the September and October cases) is so pretty! Anyway, I actually really like how much Shiraishi and Ichika bump heads with each other, especially considering how different they are, yet how "honest" they both are in the sense that Ichika doesn't hide her dislike towards him, and Shiraishi doesn't hide how much he's "interested" in people like her that he can't understand because they can empathise with others I guess. Personally, in terms of questioning Takeuchi, I would say that I have to agree with Shiraishi's methods, mainly because, I'm sure Takeuchi has been questioned many times, and there would have been many different officers, but probably not one as interested as Shiraishi and Ichika since they actually believe there's more to Hachisuka (the guy that was killed in the September case) than the "perfect" student. But I do think that if they want more information, then Shiraishi's methods would only let you know that there's something more to it, whereas Ichika's methods might get to her better? Anyway, what I really enjoy about their relationship right now is how upfront Ichika is about her feelings and thoughts towards him. I especially liked when she told him that he should remember her name because she felt that it was important for him to remember that so they could trust and respect each other.

Lmao when Ichika thought she was joining some top secret coalition with Mukai but it was really just a complaining about Shiraishi group that comprised of Sakuragawa🤣 HAHAHA, I was wondering why would Sakuragawa hate Shiraishi but OMG it's super justified. He purposely bothered to have a chef make a "hamburger patty" out of natto just to see her reaction since she absolutely hates it lollll. I would hate him too. Honestly, I love Mukai, and how she handles Shiraishi because he totally deserves it lol. I find it funny how she can be so blunt with him, and lmao that she actually tried to kick him before but missed🤣 Shiraishi spending time every now and then to go and hear Mukai and them complain about him is so sadistically funny lol. Awww Ichika sleeping on his lap is super cuteeee. I wonder what Mukai and Sakuragawa are going to say since Shiraishi implied that they're in that sort of relationship and that's why they left the passed out Ichika (from accidentally chugging Shiraishi's drink) to him, I feel like they'd tell her to reconsider🤣 I wonder if no one ever thanks Shiraishi and that's why he was so surprised when Ichika thanked him for hiding the collar from Sakuragawa and Mukai for her lol. To be fair, considering his personality, I can't imagine anyone thanking him for anything he does lol. Lmao when Mukai and Sakuragawa interrogated Ichika about Shiraishi and her relationship loll, and now they want her to be a spy lmao. I don't know why so many guys like to think it's their responsibility to "teach" the heroine that it's either dangerous to let guys into their homes or to go to the guy's house alone, like seriously!! It's not that we don't think it's dangerous or anything, we just trust you! Like geez. Anyway, Shiraishi definitely went overboard pinning Ichika to the wall, regardless of his intentions, that's scary and unwarranted. Otherwise, I'm impressed Ichika wants to understand Shiraishi better after that. Anyway, I do feel like Shiraishi acted the way he did because he didn't know how to act towards Ichika. Usually he's met with people who either dislike him, don't care or outwardly dislike him, so I feel like Ichika being so nice to cook for him made him feel awkward and not know what to do and act since he's always so sadistic and cynical. I could be wrong though haha.

I forgot to mention it but it's interesting how it was Shiraishi's profiling that ended up catching the culprit 2 years ago when the attempted assassination on the Prime Minister was, since that was the case that changed Okazaki. I really liked how Ichika and Shiraishi finally communicated properly in the sense that they just bothered to talk to each other and try to understand each other. I guess considering his personality, most people would give up on him, so it must be surprising that Ichika is so persistent. I liked how he finally called her by her name haha. Awww, I love how they exchanged the cat straps they got from the gachapon machine. Imagining Shiraishi fiddling with one of those machines, never having played with one is pretty cute haha. Pretty hilarious when Shiraishi got flustered over Ichika saying she preferred him this way (not so weird lol) and he accidentally dropped a stack of papers🤣 I also found it pretty funny when she told him to be careful and he said he didn't need to, and Ichika was like you should practice what you preach since not taking your own advice is dumb😂😂 She totally got him hahahah. Aww Shiraishi thanking Ichika for trusting him was so cuteee. It was really sweet how Shiraishi acknowledged Ichika's efforts in the SCRPO, she really does try her best to listen to the people calling the police to complain and she really takes it all to heart, so it's nice to see how much he recognises her efforts. I wonder if Shiraishi's flashback means that he got experimented on as a child🤔 Anyway, I think I'm really warming up to their relationship. I think it's really cute how "normal" Shiraishi actually is lol. Him getting mad that Ichika was telling Sakuragawa and Mukai that she didn't feel anything for him, and then her running after him just to explain that she doesn't hate him, and then him getting happy and saying it back to her was just so adorable hahaha.

I feel so terrible for the counsellor lady (Uno) who got driven to suicide because of Hachisuka. Like, it was obvious Hachisuka wasn't as "clean" as his records said, but to think that he had so much power over the school because of his mother's "donations" and then couldn't hack that Uno rejected him (since you know she has a husband and kids, like c'mon dude) and then started threatening her + other mental torment from his groupies. It's just crazy to think that she ended up so ballistic (killed her husband and tried to kill her kids but failed and then ended up committing suicide) just because she refused a teenager's "love". That's just so sad.. It's nice to see more of Saeki this time around, it was so funny when he told Shiraishi to take care of Ichika because he believed in the rumours that they were dating. To be fair, he's eating dinner with her at work late at night sharing a lunchbox etc so it's hard to not think that even if they say they aren't lol. I guess those murderous twins are Uno's children? Anyway, I like how even though Shiraishi said a lot of mean stuff and crap to Ichika about everything being a lie, but Ichika decided to believe in the him she spent time with, and that if it was a lie, then he should show her his real self then. Ichika is pretty strong haha. Personally, I'm not a fan of the voice acting for Shiraishi, or maybe it's just Shiraishi himself lolll but I think I do like the progress with their relationship because of how blunt they are with each other. I think her honesty really works well with how sneaky and evasive Shiraishi usually is, since it's difficult for him to handle someone so genuinely kind and appreciative of him as a person haha. Well, Takeuchi's thoughts etc were pretty much expected, but very understandable, I don't think I could ever move on if I felt like I betrayed my friend and left her all alone just to protect myself. And her guilt would make her want to protect Uno's children now.. I'm not sure about Takeuchi's decision to tell Uno's children what really happened with their parents at the young age of 18 but I guess I can understand her thoughts of not wanting them to hate their mother. I guess she regrets it a lot now but yeah...that's sad..

Seeing the story of the Uno siblings was pretty terrible. Such a normal happy family getting crushed was terrible. I think the worst was definitely when their mother murdered their father right in front of them. Anyway, considering Shiraishi's analysis and everything, there's really no new information about their "story" so it's really just watching them struggle between their desires to live but also to die. I'm just glad the siblings had Takeuchi in their lives tbh, otherwise it would have been worse. When Shiraishi said that the feeling of someone needing you makes you think that it's all right to exist, I couldn't help but agree with that. I used to be obstinate with the idea that a person should create their own "value" and I guess their desire to live because in the end, you can't rely on others for your own life, and I guess I still think like that. But at the same time, I feel like there will always be times when another person can be your drive to live, and to make you think that you want to live because of them. Sure, it's not always the healthiest mindset, but at the same time, when you have nothing else to live for, at least having them makes you think that this life is still worth living to an extent even if other things suck. I'm glad that Takeuchi, Shion and Suzune got to properly talk it out and communicate their feelings, but I still find their reason for killing those three people to kinda like "free" Takeuchi rather...silly? Like I guess I can understand their perspective in the sense that they wanted to end things for Takeuchi, but even though they ended that part, they started another part where Takeuchi would feel guilty that her actions led to those decisions that they made. Anyway, I guess the main thing we can be happy about is that they understood well enough that killing themselves would torment Takeuchi much more, but it's still kinda funny that they can understand that but not understand enough to not commit murder. I guess their hatred and emotions needed some sort of outlet, and just because you understand doesn’t mean you won’t do it.

It's understandable for Shiraishi to love cats for their freedom, and I think that's what I love about cats too, well I guess more specifically stray cats or outdoor cats. They don't live according to anyone's schedule, they go out and do what they want, come home when they feel like it and are cute lol. Their lives are much more vibrant than mine and I think that's so interesting. I loved their cat observing date, it was so cute how serious Ichika was about trying to remember each individual cat and writing notes down just because she knew Shiraishi likes them so she wanted to be more engaged in it too. Them holding hands to the supermarket was adorableeee~ Lmao, I love how Ichika lured Kazuki to the office with Yanagi and them by stealing his guitar, I mean of course with how disobedient he is, he'll never go just because she told him so. I guess it's good that Shiraishi helped to make Kazuki more understanding of the seriousness of the situation.

Hmmm interesting, when Adonis executives were leaked, I'm pretty sure it was Shiraishi, but killing Mikuni (prime minister's son in Adonis) in broad daylight? I'm pretty sure the "voice" Shiraishi talked to throughout the story was Mikuni and he seemed to have some kind of relationship with him that was relatively positive, so hmmm.. Did Zero do something to frame or manipulate Shiraishi? I see, Shiraishi's been brainwashed to practically follow Zero and Adonis... I really liked how there were flashbacks with Ichika and Shiraishi to kinda remind us of everything they've gone through, because even though Shiraishi isn't really a favourite of mine, I did enjoy Ichika and Shiraishi's relationship build up and I can understand why she would believe in the him that he showed to her rather than the him that Zero tells her he is. Hmmm I guess that "good ending" was interesting. I'm kinda disappointed with how things were revealed and how they ended though, like... I'm honestly rather mixed about the whole thing because I feel like Shiraishi's story could have been dealt with much better alongside his feelings, because I found his reasoning to kill Mikuni to gain the trust of Zero just to get Ichika's collar off I don't know...weird? There could have been better ways? But I guess this is how Shiraishi is in his own twisted and brainwashed way so it was understandable that he did it this way? But at the same time, I agree with Ichika about if he really loved her that much, why couldn't he find a method where they could live on together instead of this. Anyway, I wanted to call Shiraishi selfish for keeping Ichika with him when she was in a coma when she could have gone to a hospital etc, but knowing Ichika, I'm sure she would have wanted to spend as much time as she could with Shiraishi before he atoned for his crimes. And, he did seem to be in regular communication with Yanagi and them, so I'm glad Kazuki didn't have to think she died and stuff, but I’m still iffy because considering Kazuki and stuff, I wouldn’t trust this random with my sister lol. Anyway, it's a bittersweet ending, but I did enjoy how everything ended with the Christmas party they promised to celebrate together. That tragic love ending CG was really beautiful though! And I'm glad to finally see an ending where Ichika gets practically brainwashed and joins Adonis after failing to save Shiraishi, and inversely Shiraishi failing to protect her and her heart. Although I kinda still find it unlikely that she would be able to kill Yanagi and them but who knows, doesn't really matter I guess.

Overall, I have mixed feelings about Shiraishi. He's definitely not my type but I did enjoy how Ichika and Shiraishi kinda bounced off each other with their differences and personal values. They were always upfront with what they thought and honest about what they liked, what they didn't like and I think their relationship was done really nicely. They had a lot of cute moments such as visiting the stray cats and holding hands etc and I honestly feel like I should have liked Shiraishi, but I actually don't lol. Like, I guess I liked their relationship, but his story and everything didn't resonate with me. Personally, I feel like the greatest setback for this route was actually that it focused too much on building the romance and neglected Shiraishi's background with Adonis, his feelings and thoughts, and his relationship with Mikuni that ended up hurting him because he basically killed him to help Ichika. I feel like everything about Shiraishi and Adonis at the end was like an information dump about how Adonis takes care of orphans to raise as their officers or whatever, which imo felt kinda weird because supposedly so many of them exist but they’re never a part of the story in any way, and why do they bother trying to find people like Ichika to become executors other than to use them as scapegoats or something, but the core of the X-Day plans basically has nothing to do with these officers? Anyway, I just found the whole thing with Shiraishi and Adonis to be handled poorly and I think it could have made a bigger impact on me if they bothered to focus a bit more on it throughout the route instead of just at the end where it honestly didn't make me feel anything for him or the whole thing. I sound so slack lolll, but the biggest indication that I really didn't enjoy it that much was when I straight away went into Yanagi's story afterwards loll. I usually need time to digest when I finish a route, but yeah I think I was pretty disappointed with Shiraishi and his route. But I do like how it was different to the others since it's not really a "happy ending" considering he's a criminal etc, so that was interesting, but I feel sorry for the people that would have wanted something happier. Anyhow, really liked the romance development and their relationship but not so much the Adonis stuff surrounding Shiraishi, however the Uno siblings were nice “villains” for this route.

#collar x malice

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magioftheseas · 4 years

Text

It’s Easier

Written for @komahinaisle

Day 2: Soulmate AU, Lies, Confession

Summary: Hinata wasn't expecting to meet his soulmate after being enrolled in the school of his dreams, albeit under bizarre (and false) pretenses. It's just easier, this way, right?Things just keep getting more difficult.

Rating: T

Warnings: None, really.

Notes: I like the idea of Hinata lying about not remembering his talent. I meant to use that idea much sooner...and for something very different. But, it was used for this instead. Yep. Enjoy.

***Alternate Ao3 Link***

Commission? Donate?

“I should introduce myself. My name is Komaeda Nagito, the Ultimate Lucky. It’s very nice to meet you.”

Komaeda...Nagito?

Hinata blinked, disbelieving as Komaeda kept that patient, friendly smile.

“I... Um.” Clearing his throat, Hinata tugged at his collar. The name on his collarbone burned. “T-This...might just be a coincidence.”

“Coincidence?” Komaeda’s eyes were alight with curiosity. “Of what, might I ask?”

“I-It’s just... Komaeda Nagito’s the name of my soulmate, that’s all. Uh.” Hinata swallowed once more but his throat still felt dry. It had to be because of the salt in the air. “M-My name, it’s—it’s Hinata Hajime. Nice to meet you.”

“Hinata-kun?” Komaeda’s expression didn’t change. Flustered, Hinata was ready to laugh the whole thing off, except before his startled, widening stare, Komaeda pulled down at his own shirt collar to expose the first part of the name printed on his collarbone.

Hinata.

“It’s not a coincidence,” Komaeda said breezily. “It seems we’re soulmates, Hinata-kun.”

H-How can he be so calm, what the hell?!

“I-I... I guess...” Hinata squeaked. “I-I guess so.”

It’s too good to be true. It’s way too good to be true, so Hinata hurriedly searches Komaeda’s face for something amiss. Dismay, disappointment, the slightest bit of hesitance—literally anything. But Komaeda looked utterly at ease, if a bit pinker than before.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “You must have expected better.”

“N-No, that’s not it!” Hinata yelped. “I’m just—I’m just surprised. I didn’t expect to meet you under these circumstances. That’s pretty bizarre, huh. Haha.”

“It’s not the weirdest thing that’s ever happened to me.”

I-Is it not even in the top five? No, I don’t actually want to know...

“It’s um, I’ve always wanted to go to Hope’s Peak,” Hinata rambled on. “It was my dream school, so to attend it and then meet my soulmate on top of it... Just those two things make me feel like this shouldn’t be real.”

“I’m sorry,” Komaeda repeated, smile faltering. “Even though I go to Hope’s Peak, I assure you I’m nothing special. I’m only here because I was selected as the Ultimate Luck.”

“T-That’s still pretty cool,” Hinata retorted. “Most people could only dream of that.”

“I suppose you’re right...” Komaeda hummed, and then, his eyes lit up. “What’s your talent, Hinata-kun? I’m sure it’s much more impressive than mine.”

“M-My talent?” he echoed, and the world went cold in spite of that warm smile on Komaeda Nagito’s face. Sparkling eyes didn’t divert their attention for a second even as Hinata felt his stomach drop. “I... I’m...”

I’m not...

“I don’t...”

I don’t actually have a talent. I-I’m just a normal nobody.

“I don’t...remember.” It slips out before he can stop it. And now it’s too late. He can only go with it. “Sorry, I—a lot as happened, my mind’s still a wreck, like, I don’t understand it myself either, it’s really weird—!”

“I understand,” Komaeda said kindly, patting his shoulder. “A bout of amnesia wouldn’t be unusual under these circumstances. Breathe, Hinata-kun.”

Hinata inhaled, taking in that reassuring smile.

He believed me. Of course he would. What kind of fucking asshole would lie to their soulmate anyway?

He’ll fess up. Maybe when things calm down. He’ll confess. Just not right away.

Hinata exhaled, trying to will himself to relax.

“I’m sure whatever you have will be a wonderful talent,” Komaeda says with such sincerity that it makes Hinata die a little on the inside. “Don’t worry so much.”

I’m the worst. The absolute worst. God, this poor guy deserves so much better.

If only Komaeda’s gentle demeanor and gentler hands squeezing his own didn’t excite him so much on top of all that. His soulmate—this guy was his soulmate and he had just the perfect face and personality. It was way too good to be true.

Obviously this will fall apart, he tells himself. It has to.

Despite his cynicism and pessimism, Hinata couldn’t help but indulge at least a little. Yes, he was still baffled by the turn of events of being stuck on a tropical island resort—but things could be worse, right?

Worse...like a malicious bear mascot taking over. Worse, like that same bear enacting a death game. Worse, like the bear informing them that a traitor was among them. When Hinata’s gaze met that of his soulmate’s, he could’ve choked on the lump of his throat.

It could even be him—and it could even be me.

“Hinata-kun,” Komaeda had whispered tenderly afterwards. “You’re bleeding. Should I get Tsumiki-san?”

Hinata shook his head furiously. He had half a mind to tell Komaeda to leave—but he actually didn’t want to be on his own at the moment. If there was anything to cling to in such times, it would be a soulmate—except Hinata doesn’t know what to trust. Or even if he should trust anyone.

For the sake of not only his safety, but for everyone else’s.

“Um. Mind if I...?”

Komaeda kneels beside him and he flinches. Komaeda’s quick to wave his hands placatingly, smile strained and eyes sad. He looked utterly pitiful. Hinata supposed he himself looked so much worse.

After meeting my soulmate, we ended up in this ridiculous and horrifying situation. Maybe we’re both cursed.

He does stare intently and warily as Komaeda digs through one of his coat pockets. He relaxes, however, when Komaeda just pulls out a packaged wet wipe. Komaeda tore it open, still wearing a wobbly smile, and he offered it meekly. With his other hand he tried to indicate where the cut was on Hinata’s face.

Hinata sighed.

“Can you get it for me? Obviously I—can’t see it.”

Even if he shoves that down my throat, it won’t kill me.

Komaeda, for what it’s worth, is careful when brushing the wipe against his cheek. He even flinches in sympathy as Hinata tries not to recoil too much. Komaeda is humming softly as he cleans the cut, and then, he rifles through his pocket once more and pulls out a band aid.

“You’re pretty prepared, huh,” Hinata mutters under his breath, not meeting the other’s gaze. Komaeda gives a lilting laugh.

“I’ve gotten into a number of accidents,” was the breezy answer. A pause. “Nothing like this, though.”

“You were worried about this happening before,” Hinata pointed out grumpily, wincing at his tone. It sounded like an accusation.

Komaeda, to his credit, merely shrugs that off.

“It was in a book I read once,” he said. “You may have heard of it.”

Was it made into a movie? Hinata wanted to snort. It’s not like knowing that will help. Pretty sure they just started killing each other.

He felt cold, the situation sinking in further and rooting him to the ground. He barely even reacted to Komaeda sticking the bandage to his face.

“Hinata-kun?” Komaeda sounded concerned. He waved a hand in front of his face. “Hinata-kun?”

Hinata grabbed his hand and squeezed, giving himself some sense of stability in a world that was unraveling and collapsing more by the second.

Why? Why did this have to happen now? Is this what I get for coming to Hope’s Peak without a talent?

His grip on Komaeda’s hand must be bruising. He should loosen it at least a little. He thinks that—but it won’t come through at all. Hinata just keeps on squeezing and Komaeda—Komaeda doesn’t say anything. He just allows this. Without a word of complaint.

This is too much. It’s too much. I finally go to my dream school, I finally meet my soulmate and now—now this!

Hinata bit back a scream, but couldn’t prevent a full body shudder.

“Breathe,” Komaeda murmured. “Hinata-kun, breathe.”

Hinata took in a struggling breath. He exhaled, inhaled, and then, he swallowed.

“There, there,” Komaeda reassured him gently. “That’s it. In and out.”

Hinata struggles to follow, but he’s glad that Komaeda just tells him to breathe. That Komaeda doesn’t lie and say things will be okay when they clearly won’t. It’s nice to have someone who understands when he doesn’t want to hear vapid words of comfort in times like this.

He breathes, and Komaeda squeezes his hand back. Things aren’t okay—and they probably won’t be for who knows how long. But—at least the two of them are together. At least there’s that.

He could be a traitor. Or I could be. But, we are still soulmates.

“Hinata-kun, you’re looking quite pale! Are you feeling alright?”

“Yeah—about as well as I can be, anyway.”

That means we have a connection, regardless. Even if I can’t be upfront with him, he’s still—mine, isn’t he?

“If you need anything, I’m always here, Hinata-kun. Not just as your soulmate—I’m always happy to help! It’s the least someone like me can do!”

“Someone like you?”

“Aha, you know. Someone who, ah, isn’t really talented. Soulmate aside, I wouldn’t dare suggest we’re on equal footing.”

He’s still mine. Even if I have to lie to him to keep him under control.

“Hey, come on. Don’t say that. We don’t even know what my talent is—or if it’s worth being called a talent at all.”

“Don’t say that! I’m sure you do have an amazing talent, Hinata-kun, even if it’s unconventional!”

“Huh...”

“I can help you figure it out if you want! What do you think about Ultimate Serenity?”

“T-That’s more you than me.”

“Really? I mean, it might be because we’re soulmates but... I do feel at ease around you. I think we’re similar in some significant ways. Oh, but I don’t know if that’s why we’re soulmates... Soulmates are still quite the mysterious phenomenon after all.”

“I guess...”

“Oh, no! Did I say something wrong?”

“No, no. Don’t worry about it.”

We’re soulmates—and yet I can’t even be honest. What does that say about me? Komaeda doesn’t deserve this. He doesn’t. I’m the worst. And, yet.

“Ultimate Serenity...definitely isn’t it. Any other suggestions, Komaeda?”

“Oh! Ultimate Klutz!”

“Pfffft. I mean that wouldn’t be unfitting.”

“Ultimate Tsun!”

“H-Hey, what are you trying to say now?!”

“Haha!”

At least we’re...together?

“Do you hate me now, Hinata-kun?”

Of course I do.

“I’m sorry. You really don’t deserve a soulmate as wretched as myself. But—I suppose it can’t truly be helped.”

Shut up. Shut up.

He couldn’t stand that Komaeda was smiling at him so pitiably after what he pulled. His temper flared, and it took everything he had not to throttle the other with his own hands. And, yet, that connection between them remained.

We’re both liars. Wretched, fucking liars. I wonder... What face would you make if I told you the truth?

It actually lingers on his tongue like the almost confession of a sinner. He considers it, and then swallows it back.

No. After what you did, I don’t want to be the one condemned right now.

Lies really were easier. Even under circumstances like this. If they were to be together even like this—he might as well keep on lying.

#KomaHinaWeek2020 #nagito komaeda #hajime hinata #KomaHina #HinaKoma #Magi fics #show up in the tags challenge

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yikesorps · 3 years

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Love head canon + john

HEADCANON MEME: LOVE EDITION

How important is “I love you” to my muse? Why is it/is it not so important?

It is very important to him. In the past, he has struggled a lot to talk about his feelings but as he has grown into the ability to do so, it has become a lot more important to him to be upfront about his feelings. One thing that he always tries to remember to do is to remind those he cares about. In particular, his partner because it has been trouble for the two of them in the past.

Does my muse believe in love at first sight? If so, why do they believe it?

He absolutely does not. Especially before he met Molly, he had no real interest in falling in love with anyone, let alone at first sight.

Does my muse want to fall in love?

He totally didn’t want to, it was all about him finding the right person. Especially given the timing of their relationship, John had no interest in realizing that he was in love with Molly. As we know, it took a lot on her end to get him to finally admit it.

When does my muse say “I love you”? Does it take some time to do it?

It does. John is very particular, and doesn’t like to say things that he doesn’t mean. While he knew that his feelings for Molly were strong, it took a lot of self discovery for him to come to terms with how serious their relationship had gotten. But once he did come around, he now says it constantly. He is very open about how in love he is with her.

Is my muse a hopeless romantic?

He is too cynical to be a hopeless romantic.

When does my muse bring up the idea of having children with their partner?

They have talked about it occasionally. It is something that him and Molly both know will happen for them eventually, even if it isn’t right now. They’re definitely going to have a family together.

Does my muse want to be married?

This answer is complicated because before he proposed to his girlfriend at the time, he did not find it necessary. While he came close to marrying one of his previous girlfriends, it wasn’t until Molly that he knew that was something he truly wanted. Now that they’re engaged he absolutely wants to be married, but only to her. But even when he is more certain of his feelings, he still has some uncertainty sometimes.

How does my muse react to initially being proposed to? Are they emotional?

Molly would not propose to him. She absolutely wants to be the center of attention and I do not see her taking that moment away from herself. As for being emotional? He wasn’t. He was excited, but in a very subtle way.

What is my muse’s favorite type of flower and do they like receiving flowers?

John does not particularly care about flowers. He knows that his fiance would not buy them for him, and any that grace their home are a product of Molly’s taste and not his. I’m pretty sure he stays far away from buying anything because he knows how partiuclar she is.

Does my muse prefer going out with their significant other for lunch or dinner

He just doesn’t really like going out. But if he had to pick between the two, he is definitely more of a lunch guy. He likes to be able to sit outside, with their dogs of course, and enjoy the sunshine. Lunch has the more lax appeal, and therefore it will probably be his lifelong preference. So that’s why he is engaged to someone who I feel like definitely prefers dinner. Typical.

What kind of dates does my muse like going on when with their partner?

Dates are never planned for him, they are always centered around making Molly happy. There is never a time when he wants to necessarily go out, but he likes how excited she gets to. The exception to that would be when they get outdoors. He absolutely loves being able to hike with her, even for reasons that don’t revolve around how she dresses for the occasion.

Does my muse dance with their partner? If they do, are they any good?

John is a phenomenally bad dancer and because Molly knows that I think she goes out of her way to make sure they never dance together.

Does my muse want a big or small wedding? And where do they want it?

Small! She wouldn’t want anyone there that doesn’t feel like they should be there. I can see her very adamant about only inviting people who bring positive energy.

Does my muse videotape their wedding? If so, what is the reason?

They totally would because they want to document that moment. I also think that it just fits right in line to how a lot of his life goes. I can see them being the couple that watches it together every so often.

How would my muse react to the death of their significant other? Why?

It would hurt him a lot. I think that he would date casually, but that it would never feel right because he knows Molly would hate it. He would never love someone as much as he loved her, and that wouldn’t sit well with him. He truly believes that she is the one.

Has my muse ever received a love letter? If they have, did they like it?

Him and Molly leave a lot of notes for each other but I don’t think she has ever written him a letter. I think her style would just be to send him flirty texts over actually writing our her thoughts.

Does my muse celebrate their anniversary with their significant other?

They do celebrate anniversaries but they are very casual about it. They just like to spend time together. I definitely see him dressing up and taking her out to a spot of her choice, though.

When did my muse first fall in love?

WITH MOLLY. He just didn’t know. He was pretty stupid and unappreciative of it at the time.

Have my muse’s beliefs about love ever changed and if they have, how?

They have changed a lot. He went from being terrified of it, to diving headfirst into actually starting a life with someone. It doesn’t scare him anymore, although Molly definitely does.

Has my muse ever really gotten heartbroken? If so, by who were they?

He has been heartbroken. But he masks it very well. He is guilty of breaking his own heart a lot, and removing himself from situations where he thought he would get hurt / or hurt someone. Also when Molly almost married Gabe. That absolutely destroyed him.

Does my muse write love letters?

He has written her letters whenever he is away too long. He wants her to feel special and valued and will go to any lengths to make that happen. I’m sure she teases him about it every time but loves it way more than she admits.

Does my muse protect their heart? If so, why do they protect their heart?

He used to do it for what he thought was the sake of others. But now he is painfully in love with his lady friend. So no, he does not.

Does my muse have a song with their significant other? What is the song?

They have many songs and I won’t bother to list them. She is his muse whether he likes it or not. Also, I am working under the assumption that he dedicates so many things to her without even telling her. Something will come on the radio and he’ll stop and be like ‘that reminds me of Molly’.

#Anonymous #♡ john & molly: everything i ask for and so much more #muse ☆ john o’callaghan

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jadelotusflower · 4 years

Text

Robin Hood Rewatch: 1x09 A Thing or Two About Loyalty

IT’S EVE, IT’S THE EVE EPISODE, IT’S HERE, WHO CARES ABOUT THE BLACK POWDER PLOT, IT’S ALL ABOUT EVE.

What, exactly, is Guy and Lambert’s backstory? Why are they friends? How does Lambert not know the Sheriff’s reputation? Questions that, I suppose, don’t matter.

Much thanking the guards for arresting him is Peak Much, and I love his green scarf.

If Robin is Earl of Huntingdon, and Bonchurch is part of the Huntingdon holdings, shouldn’t Much be given a lower rank in the peerage like Baron? Although I suppose at this point the Huntingdon Earldom has technically gone extinct as it’s clear Guy has not been granted the title like he anticipated, and it doesn’t matter what the Sheriff says because he doesn’t have the authority to grant titles anyway.

Marian plays Guy very well here; it’s a fine bit of maneuvering. I also still like this outfit.

Was anyone installed in Bonchurch Lodge prior to Much taking up residence? It’s mentioned in the first episode as the house and estates Robin was granting Much, but was anyone looking after it before? Was Eve there, or brought over from Nottingham? Is there a Bonchurch village? I’d just like a bit more detail in the world-building please.

YOUR FACE MADAM.

I really enjoy Eve as a character and the Much/Eve dynamic because he is upfront with her that he knows she’s a spy, and she is completely unruffled, so it never feels as if she is deceiving him. Rather, it’s closer to them both playing the game since he knows she has to keep up the pretense, so he can ask her to tell him about the Council of Nobles and it never feels like he is deceiving her either.

Concussion count: Gaoler.

Concussion count: Guard.

“I’m not asleep” *punch* is an underrated joke.

Robin and Much’s relationship is repaired somewhat from the last episode - first Robin has faith in and defends Much when Allan is mocking him, and then supports him again when Much is expecting disparagement. It’s nice to see.

Robin’s relationship with Marian is as poor as ever though, his jealousy is bleeding through all over the place and it’s not a good look. They’re also on different sides of the ideological argument about the ledger; Robin “who are we to judge what should and shouldn’t exist as knowledge” and Marian “it is our calling to protect others”. Again, they’re both right, but coming at the problem from completely different sides.

It’s quite rich for Guy to be so easily manipulated into turning against Lambert for his lack of “loyalty” when he was the one who straight up lied to Lambert that the black powder wouldn’t be used as a weapon. On the other hand, the psychological hold Vaisey has over Guy can’t be denied. I mean:

There’s a nice bit of continuity at the Council of Nobles - the gentleman looking very uncomfortable at Much’s treatment is Merton, who shows up at the end of the season to give evidence against Vaisey and die.

Robin saying nothing when Marian tells them about Lambert’s death and instead just comforting her is a nice scene, but he also looks rather pissed off - at the situation we are to assume, not her, still I’ve always felt it was an odd acting choice. But my R/M loving heart melts a bit when they arrive at the camp holding hands.

This is the moment Eve falls for Much. She saw him stand up for himself and the poor at the Council of Nobles and was probably impressed by his fortitude when everyone else was being cowed by Vaisey, then she saw his generosity and kindness at the feast, but then - knowing that he knows she’s likely a spy - he calls her his friend, and The Way She Looks At Him.

I really enjoy any time Much and Marian interact, they have such a complicated relationship and the contrast between them is never more stark than in this episode. Marian is cynical - with good reason! - she has to be calculating and careful, and some of her anger at Eve here is no doubt misplaced over Guy. If he did not shift his loyalty from Vaisey to her, why would she ever expect Eve to shift hers to Much? But Much has an open heart, he can’t help but show affection and trust in the hope that it will be reflected back at him.

And for once, it is! Eve is so overwhelmed by Much’s kindness, but doesn’t completely trust him until he refuses to take advantage of her (her laugh over that misunderstanding is so cute!). Or perhaps when he decides not to feed her false information, because he couldn’t bear to see her hurt for it, even if she was a spy.

“When I was in the Holy Land, I would find myself...craving something. I thought it was hunger, and it was hunger most of the time. But now and then, when I would feel it, it would not be in the stomach...but in the heart.” This line was delivered so well - Sam Troughton MVP.

And I like that Eve doesn’t particularly care for Robin! It’s a nice touch, for her to be won over by Much himself, even though he credits to philosophy to Robin, it’s Much’s innate goodness that wins her loyalty.

Of course it’s not an exact parallel to Guy - well except for this:

Guy has choices that Eve doesn’t have, being a man able to live independently, a knight rather than a serf, he need be responsible for no one but himself (for all he tries to deflect and say he betrayed Lambert to “protect Marian”) - but he is fueled by an inner resentment, of Robin, of the world, he seeks power and Vaisey is the best option for him to attain that goal. Eve, it is implied, works for the Sheriff to make sure her mother “wants for nothing” so her motives are not so selfish in the first place, and when she is confronted by someone who is good and kind like Much, she not only renounces the Sheriff, but risks her own safety for his cause.

“A thing or two about loyalty” could very easily be “a thing or two about love” - sometimes it’s a choice between one or the other. Guy chooses loyalty, Eve chooses love, which perhaps is slightly reductive, but THIS IS A LOVE STORY ALRIGHT?

“When there is justice again, I will come and find you” is Peak Romance and I am annoyed that we never saw Eve again, can you imagine her around the camp snarking at Robin and making friends with Marian and being incredibly useful with her super spy skills (or hey you could just read my au season 3 fic) and why does the show keep having these great characters show up for one episode never to be mentioned again?

One more thing before I melt into (even more of) a shippy puddle - when Eve kisses Much the second time he keeps his eyes closed until she’s gone and once again I say Sam Troughton MVP.

Waiting until Vaisey and Gisborne show up to destroy the black powder just to show off and gloat is Peak Robin.

Djaq is the only one who has agreed with Robin all episode about not destroying the ledger - it makes sense that their opinion align in the interests of preserving knowledge and scientific endeavour, but the show keeps its powder dry (heh) on this issue all the way until the season 2 finale.

#robin hood bbc #robin hood rewatch #1x09 #a thing or two about loyalty

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spacenintendogs · 4 years

Text

i think abt the potential for wolf and katt and i'm just... GOD.

so i hc they actually were together and dated abt a year after the lylat wars after they kind of run into each other at whatever little place like a restuarant/bar on corneria and katt is fully aware of who wolf is and makes it known to him and he's like "ok everyone knows who i am?" and she then asks if he knows who she is. he says "i think we fought each other at one point during the lylat wars?" bc he genuinely doesn't know. why would he? he's probably only heard her voice through the communications channel and stuff. and she's like "okay sick just so you know i'm falco's friend" and he's like "ew."

but they keep talking and when katt doesn't disclose the type of work she does wolf can't help but laugh bc they're in the same boat in that regard. he says it's bc he did worse and she says she doubts it. katt explains that it's bc ppl know who he is like he said before, and that she's just smart enough to keep off the radar enough so she isn't in trouble. and he's like ok yeah.

and they kind of??? hit it off. they talk abt clothes (they have similar fashion sense), the ships they use (wolfen vs catspaw) and wolf is very cynical, i like to hc katt is more of an optimist. and she ends up asking him "what's stopping you from living?" and that's when he feels smth in his heart that's like oh

they end up seeing each other more and talking more to the point it's over calls and texting and she visits him and he visits her (star wolf usually in tow bc it'll be on the way to a job or smth). and finally katt asks wolf out and wolf is like YEAH. OKAY. AWESOME DUDE. I'D LOVE TO. bc i.... yeah i hc he never rlly had time for dating or to even think abt it and he's super awkward abt it bc genuine emotions.... emotional constipation... yeah

they're together for abt 3 years and it's good. they have arguments but it never devolved into anything damaging or a dealbreaker and stuff like that. she's wolf's first actual romantic partner. he rlly starts looking into himself and realizes he wants to tell her how he's feeling, how much he appreciates her, he wants her to know how he feels abt her and it's bc he wants to be better. he ends up wanting to be better for himself bc he knows it'll benefit... himself obviously but also everyone around him including her.

katt has dated before him, but she feels like he was her first like... she felt it would last. she'd been hung up on falco for so long and then here comes wolf who's alike to falco but the similarities stop. she worries at first if she does only like wolf for his similarities but then she starts thinking. wolf is actually with her and despite him having trouble, he's more upfront abt his feelings. he is trying, he doesn't brush her off. even as a friend, he doesn't act disgruntled by her presence. katt felt like wolf kept her steady, he kept her grounded in the reality they live in bc who he's known as effects everything for them. she gets caught up in the thrill of life so easily, she sometimes needs someone to just grab her hand and remind her she can't keep taking off the moment anything happens and jump head first into it a habit she and falco share

katt is wolf's first love. he says "i love you" first while they're on a date and he tried to explain how she makes him feel and he stops after bumbling abt and simply says "i love you." and katt says it back. they're both grinning like idiots the rest of the time.

their time dating is very much like, a genuine, sweet part of their lives they remember fondly, beyond fondly given their surrounding worlds they go to and live on. they do eventually break up, abt a year before the events of farewell beloved falco. katt starts her own team, with wolf's support but it becomes too much for them to handle and they know they can't exactly take any steps forward in their relationship. it's a mutual break up that they talk long and hard about and it's smth that they both kind of went "oh" abt. when wolf says good bye to katt as she leaves with her new team, that's when it's official. one more kiss, one more hug with them hesitating to let go, and it's done.

it's one of the only times star wolf can say they'd ever seen wolf cry openly. katt is sobbing by the time her ship takes off. it's a huge blow but they move on, they do what they need to do and they're glad that it even happened at all.

#long post #starfox headcanons #wolfkatt #starfox #star fox #star wolf #katt monroe #wolf o'donnell #rose rambles #hhhhhhh i'm rlly thinking abt them

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calliecat93 · 4 years

Text

(Part One)

Welcome to Part Two of the Volume 7 Review everyone! If you missed Part One, you can click the link above and check that out first if you’d like. Otherwise, not gonna waste any time. Let’s resume the Character Section and get this baby done!

Characters, Part Two (RWBYJNRQO)

So some characters got it a bit easier here. I don’t have too much to honestly say about Jaune, Blake, and Yang. They were good, but they didn’t really develop any this volume. But honestly? That’s fine since they already had a great deal in the Mistral seasons alone. Blake and Yang do have some a few things though. They spend the majority of their screentime together, and while it kinda irks me because I dislike when two characters get put together and mostly cease interacting with others (Ren and Nora in most of the early seasons for example), after Volumes 3-6 it was nice to see them rekindling their relationship. They’re much happier and comfortable together and their teamwork is at an all right high now, though we see that Blake at least is still haunted by killing Adam. It’s this fear and worry about Ironwood that causes the two to try talking to Robyn, and that of course bites them hard in Chapter 11. They did the right thing though... though I do still have to wonder if them seeming to not tell any of the others int he main group will cause issues for them later. Jaune was... there, but seeing how he’s grown and him having now moved on form Pyrrha is nice to see.

By contrast, though, we got much more from Ren and Nora this year. They are by far the two who get the least amount of substance in every volume with V4 being the only time they got spotlight. And that was more for Ren than Nora, who I considered the least developed... and sadly I still do. But compared to before? Nora was freakin’ great here. She is the most vocal about Mantle’s mistreatment, which makes sense considering how she lived in poverty as a child until she met Ren. While IDT it really develops her, she’s still the same as before, it helps give her more depth than just the ‘energetic comedy relief who crushes on Ren’. Which we finally have some development with there being some actual conflict between them due to their differing ideologies and Chapter 6 confirms that yes, their feelings are romantic. Nora loves Ren and she tries her best to comfort and assure him, despite her frustration with him. She just wants him to open up to her, which provoked her to finally do the thign we’ve been waiting for for years. That kiss was a long time coming. But... sadly there is one obstacle to them being happy and going beyond that one night, and that is Ren himself.

We see that Ren is slowly closing himself off more and more. He pushes away Nora’s advancements, he seems much more frustrated about the mission, and he seemed perfectly fine with following Ironwood’s orders until they became wanted. He’s not emotionless, but clearly, the circumstances are eating away at him. He’s also never been the most upfront with his emotions, but as Volume 4 demonstrated, once he’s overwhelmed by them he loses it. That time, Nora calmed him down. She isn’t nearly as successful this time, especially since after the kiss, Tyrian’s murder spree happened. Then to really clench it, in the finale not only do they lose the Relics, but he can’t stop Neo because she’s disguised as Nora and that breaks him. In the end, he looks on the verge of a nervous breakdown. I wish this was a bit more in focus cause there’s a long gap where it seems they dropped it and Ren seemed normal again... but the finale shows that they haven’t forgotten. I get the feeling that V8 may just have him reach a breaking point.

Qrow also got it a bit better... well, at first. We see him trying to improve himself as he’s given up drinking, even resisting the urge in Chapter 8, and seems to be back to being the uncle figure. He no longer has to worry about being the adult/guardian over the kids and just has a much better attitude compared to the previous volume. What helped was meeting Clover, his polar opposite, but instead of going the rivalry route Clover was a nice guy who encouraged him and outright told him that he shouldn't keep putting himself down. It’s words that Qrow took. He’s still cynical, but much happier and was able to properly comfort and assure Ruby and even open up about Summer. Something I doubt that he had done for a very long time. Things for him were on the right track... but fate, unfortunately, had other plans.

I know some reception to the final two chapters with Qrow were controversial, for more reasons than one. However, right now, I’m okay with this direction. Qrow is doign better, but we’ve still never really seen him open up. We know that there’s a lot still haunting him, like with STRQ and the fallout with Oz, but he’s internalizing it like a certain niece of his. That’s bad for her but even worse for someone like Qrow. Plus now that he’s faced with tragedy again, betrayed by his friends just like with Raven and Oz and now one dead, can Qrow pull back from it? This is where we see if he truly can improve now that he’s again been dealt with these harsh circumstances. It may be a while before we see since Qrow is going to jail, but I think it’ll be like what happened with Blake. He’ll fall for a bit, but once he’s back up, he’ll be better than ever. I’m looking forward to seeing that and overall? Compared to how annoyed I was at Qrow last year, I am very satisfied with him here.

Next up, we have Weiss. Last volume, she was the one of the main four who got the least focus. This time? She got a pretty good amount. First, she’s back in Atlas, but she’s able to make due. Despite any feelings she has about it, she pushes forward and tries to do what’s right. This leads to the lovely scene where he backtalks Jaques in Chapter 4 and when he tries to break her by bringing up her mom, her team is there. Unlike last time in V4, this time she has her friends with her. Her family. This gives her the strength to, when she suspects Jaques of foul play, to go back tot he Manor and find evidence. Once she has it, she’s able to arrest Jaques and even uses her Knight, the same thing that Jaques previously tried to use to break Weiss when she tried to leave te first time, to block him and become his undoing. After how much Jaques made not jut Weiss suffer, but his whole family, this was a delight.

But it’s also made clear just how broken off form her family Weiss is. Her relationship with Willow is clearly shaky due to Willow doign nothing and her broken state. Once that Weiss had to watch unfold, and it’s clearly something that pains her. She also feels like Whitley wants nothing to dow ith her, and given past evidence and him trying to rub his success in her face here, can we blame her? Willow tries to push Weiss into seeing why he feels that way, but it’ll be a while before we see if Weiss takes that to heart. The one person Weiss still has is Winter. We see here that the two are as close as ever with Weiss clearly being concerned about Winter’s fate, but she does take her advice about carving her own destiny despite circumstances to heart. But sadly, it ends with the two on opposing sides. It hurts them both, but Weiss is now an enemy of Atlas and she can’t stay by Winter. Their final moment int he finale was just... heartbreaking, but Weiss has to carve her own path. So she does. Hopefully, they can get around this, but it’s going to take time. Still, Weiss was excellent in this volume and I enjoyed every minute of her.

Then we have Oscar. So...farmboy has not gotten it great when it comes ot his character. It usually ends up rushed or out of focus, with V6 being the breaking point for many. Have they improved on that? FOr the most part, yes. I do still feel like Oscar is a tad underdeveloped, but I think it's just due to how rushed the previous seasons with him were. But I gotta say, in comparison, this is an improvement. Int his volume, Oscar is trying more and more to carve his own identity instead of being just Oz’s vessel. While he still hasn’t unlocked his Semblance, he has started to speak his own thoughts and give advice to others. He worries about Ruby following Oz’s path, though that pretty much got dropped sadly. But we do see this very well with Ironwood where he tries to help the general embrace his feelings and do what’s right. Unlike Nora, who kept getting nagry at him, Oscar tries to be much calmer and friendlier and finds out more about the General personally. And it seemed to work y Chapter 9 with Oscar convincing him to tell the truth and even kept him calm after revealing their own secret.

Sady though, Oscar couldn’t save Ironwood form himself. He tried so hard, but IDT even Oz could have helped by then. It sadly ended with Ironwood dismissing essentially both of them and shooting him down. Fortunately, though, this gets Oz back and allows Oscar to tap into hos true power. IDK if it’s his Semblance or Oz’s magic, but he’s unlocked it. I think that this volume, above all else, helped show that Oscar is not just Oz or even Oz 2.0. One big issue with V6 is despite saying it wasn't the case, it felt like Oscar’s own real importance was because of Oz. But here? Oscar forges his own path. He’s not as wise or experienced as Oz, but he has the hope and determination that he lacks. I think if the two can sort things out, they can be the effective leader that they all need. But still, this is the best volume with Oscar thus far and while they DO need to improve on setting up a thing happening to Oscar, except not’ thing, as a character? He is much better and finally feels like his own person that’s not burdened by Oz or whatever happens when the merger completes.

So finally we come to Ruby. V6 was a mass improvement for her character, so did they accomplish keeping that here? Yes... but I do have some issues. I feel like there was much more potential with Ruby having to make hard, O-like choices. Now we do see that it is stressing her out and she is uncertain about what to do. This is good to see and it’s clear that she is trying her best in a very bad situation. But after Chapter 4, her worry about being no better than Oz is dropped and I just feel like there was more to explore with her and her newfound leadership role. But I think the big issue is that, again, she keeps her feelings internalized and is given no chance to express it. Tbf we have her scene with Qrow, which helped, but I really wish that they'd just let this girl talk about these things more. Her not getting to talk to Penny about Beacon or her first demise despite it clearly still bothering her especially was a horribly wasted opportunity that I am unhappy with just because I don’t get whyt hey won’t just allow Ruby to talk about her feelings already. Maybe in V8, I guess...

That being said, I’m happy with Ruby here. Less so than V6, but still happy. She got to express some things like her uncertainty about what to do, her fears about her choices to Qrow, and of course about Summer. She finally asked about it, and she also sadly found out what happened via Salem. Thus we got the first time that he legit broke, and it was heartwrenching to watch. But through and through, Ruby is still the smaller, more honest soul who keeps trying that he’s always been. She tries her best to reason with Ironwood, is as devoted to protecting those counting on her and the others as ever, her Semblance has massively improved, and Chapter 11 just demonstrates the best of her. She stands up to Salem with zero hesitation, and even after she broke her, she still refused to let Ironwood jeopardize Mantle. The looks he gave him before she Petal Bursted behind his desk to warn everyone else was amazing. Also, we see she still isn’t 100% experienced with the Silver Eyes which is good, but we also see that when she’s pissed enough she has no issue such as doing it pretty much the instant she saw Cinder. Best subtle moment by far. So in the end, I feel like a few things could have been better, but Ruby was overall great and I’m very happy with where she currently is.

This volume was very much more story-driven than character development-driven but there’s still plenty of the latter. I think that Ruby, Weiss, Oscar, and Qrow got it the best. The others, especially Ren and Nora, were still good though. And of course, other characters, especially Penny and Ironwood, got a great deal as well. Everyone was very well done and I am very happy with the character writing this volume. Excellent work~

Story

Volume 7 is a volume about trust, fear, and doing the right thing. We have our heroes arrive in Atlas, but the sight is not pleasant. Mantle is being abused, Ironwood seems unhinged, and there seems to be nowhere safe to turn. As a result, Ruby lies about the Lamp and Salem, despite Ironwood appearing to openly trust the group unconditionally. The events that unfold include political insanity that hit far too close to home, seeds of mistrust and conflict among the heroes, and the villains unfolding their schemes amidst all of it. This line from Ruby in Chapter 4, which was also heard in the trailer, I feel sums it all up:

I’m trying to do what I think is best, but I really can’t tell if what’ best is what’s right.

We see this all unfold with the conflict between Atlas and Mantle. Ironwood has a plan, to re-establish communications and reveal Salem. But to do so, he causes Mantle to suffer by putting it under a police state, banning nearly everything under the sun, and worse of all taking resources needed to rebuild Mante’s defenses. Now once can argue that Ironwood is doing what’s necessary for the greater good, but he’s still causing this already worn down city to become even /more/ worn down and burden all the sacrifice. Not just some, but /all/ of it. Ironwood knows this and that he looks terrible for it… but he’s so concerned about beating Salem, about becoming this Big Good figurehead with Oz gone that he shoves that aside and allows his paranoia to consume him.

It’s made very clear that the general has good intentions, but that he is not doing the right thing. While he does give the heroes his trust and does things like let them keep the Lamp and grant them their Huntsman/Huntress licenses, he won’t trust the Council or Robyn even though if he had been upfront, this whole thing could have been handled much more reasonably. Most of the plot has the cast trying to get him to see this and open up to these people, but he continuously refuses until he’s pretty much forced to. Ironwood doesn’t trust his own allies. As such, the heroes cannot trust him and hold onto the info they know until they can be for sure that he will do the right thing. It’s all a waiting game as things continue to get worse and worse with Watts and Tyrian framing Ironwood, murdering others left and right, and just causing a large amount of unease that ensures frequent Grimm Attacks while Ironwood sits in his office and does nothing but allow his paranoia to clout his mind. Thus our heroes must try to push the General to trust those around him while trying to thwart the villains and help those suffering such as the people of Mantle. But of course, it’s much easier said than done...

Every chapter was chock full of content. They all felt very well-paced and had a consistent tone. There’s so much complexity with the volume as it weaves the themes together. You grow attached to characters and you hope that ones like Ironwood are going to make a turn and do the right thing. The tone begins as tense but overall has the usual RWBY optimism. But by the end, it took the V3 route and grew darker and darker until by the end, you are left with only bleakness. Heck, I even criticized Chapters 9 and 10 because it began to become optimistic again in a way that, considering all the build-up and tension throughout the volume, felt like a jarring, anti-climatic shift. But it was all a trap for when Cinder made her grand return, and caused Ironwood to lose himself. Everything came back to haunt our heroes, and as a result, we are where we are now. Absolutely brilliant writing.

Unlike past volumes, Miles and Kerry were not the sole writers. They added Eddy Rivas, a long-time writer at RT, and author Kirsei Buckhart to the team. I gotta say, this was a very good choice. They brought so much to the volume. There was so much depth and tension but also plenty of fun and light-hearted moments. Every step helped push the characters and the plot forward, and every step made sense. But of course Miles and Kerry remain as great as ever as they wrote Gravity, which is probably my favorite chapter of the volume and one of the best of the whole series. Each chapter, even when I wasn’t 100% happy, made me tune in every Saturday at 11 AM so that I could see what was going to happen ASAP. They all did an excellent job, and I look forward to seeing even more of their work in Volume 8.

Speaking of… that finale, huh? Yeah, it was… quite the thing. But it beautifully rings everything around full-circle with Ozpn’s monologue. How we all feel fear. How there are so many reasons why we do. But it isn’t fear in and of itself that we should be concerned about, but what we become when grasped by it. When RWBY was afraid, they grew and continued to move forward even when things kept getting worse and worse. When Ironwood did so, however? He became lost to it, and has now become the very same demon that he’s fought against. He also brought down the Ace-Ops and Winter with him, but Penny? She trusted in love, and because of it she became a Maiden and proved herself as human as anyone else. Even moreso than the man who claimed to have complete control over her. You can’t allow fear to corrupt and twist you, otherwise, you lose your way. It’s a lesson that our heroes will need to cling to more than ever with Salem’s arrival and whatever she unleashes upon Solitas.

Thus, we return to our main themes. How people need to trust each other, but of course it isn’t that simple. The heroes can’t trust Ironwood because of his morally questionable decisions, and once they did he broke it instantly. Ironwood seems to trust the heroes, but no one outside his own inner circle and thus is antagonistic to people like Robyn when cooperating with her would help all of them. The heroes' decisions cause people like Ace-Ops to feel betrayed, and they themselves feel the same way as demonstrated with Qrow towards Ironwood. It all leads to Ironwood choosing to allow Mantle to die for what is a plan of desperation, while our heroes stand against him to protect the people. Why? Because they are Huntsmen and Huntresses and their loyalty is to the people depending on them, not to any authority figure. Doing the right thing is what matters, not just the best thing. Our heroes trusted in love, but Ironwood became blinded.

Unlike in the past few volumes, where the heroes learned the lesson by the end and became better for it, here we have the heroes trying to teach Ironwood the lesson. It sadly fails. But they stick by their morals, and it’s shown that this is right. The heroes trust each other and thus are able to defeat Ace-Ops. They decide to stand by Mantle, the right thing to do. They sadly couldn’t get Ironwood to trust love and open his eyes and were forced to flee from Atlas in the end. But there’s another line to the song, one that is more important now than ever:

The way’s uncertain, but we’re together moving towards the light When we trust in love, and open up our eyes.

Indeed, things are uncertain. I don’t know what’s going to happen going forward. None of us do. Maybe things will become better. Maybe it’ll continue to go downhill. All we know is that it’s probably going to be harder going ahead than it ever has been, which is saying a lot. But no matter what, it’s going to be okay. RWBY is still there. They all are there, together. It’s not gonna be easy, maybe they’ll even face their own trust issues amongst themselves. But they’re still trying. They’re still heading towards that light. If they could stand back up after the Fall of Beacon, they can pull through this. As long as they continue to trust love and can open their eyes, they will pull through and keep hope alive. Let’s hope that we can do the same.

So I think it’s pretty clear that I loved the story. It is one of, if not the best-written volume of the series. So… how does it rank compared to the rest? Well, right now it’s crushed 1-5… but it is just a smidge below V6. The reason is V6 gave me a lot of what I had been hoping for at that time, which V7 did less so. But that isn’t saying much, and once I have more time to digest things that may change. But regardless, the story was excellent. IDK if I’m in a hurry to rewatch it anytime soon because GOD I need a breather. But I greatly enjoyed it and it makes me so happy to see how far we’ve truly come.

Season Stats

Favorite Characters: Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Winter Schnee, Penny Polendina, Nora Valkyrie, Oscar Pine, and James Ironwood Favorite Overall Moment: The confrontation with Salem in Chapter 11 and everything following. Least Favorite Overall Moment: The anti-climactic truth ‘resolution’ in Chapter 9, even knowing what happened later. Favorite Fight: Cinder vs Penny and Winter Least Favorite Fight: Tyrian vs Qrow, Clover, and Robyn Favorite Chapters: A New Approach (Chapter 2), Sparks (Chapter 5), A Night Off (Chapter 6), Gravity (Chapter 11), With Friends Like These (Chapter 12), The Enemy of Trust (Chapter 13) Least Favorite Chapters: Ace Operatives (Chapter 3), As Above, So Below (Chapter 9), and Out in the Open (Chapter 10) Favorite Voice Actors: Lindsay Jones (Ruby), Jason Rose (Ironwood), Taylor McNee (Penny), David Fennoy (Pietro), Jason Liebrecht (Qrow), Sam Ireland (Nora), Anaris Quinones (Harriet), Mick Lauer (Marrow), Cristina Vee (Robyn) Favorite Song: War by Jeff Williams, sung by Casey Lee Williams, Adrienne Cowan, Dawn M Bennett, and Erin Reilly. Rating: 9.9/10

Final Thoughts

It has been… quite a trip guys. Even though November was just three months ago, it feels so much longer. It’s certainly been quite the emotional journey, in both good and bad ways. But I wouldn't change it for the world. I loved this volume. Even when the pit in my stomach grew more and more, I was always excited to tune in every week and see what CRWBY had in store for us. Think it’s safe to say that they certainly made something memorable. As I said, I need a breather before I truly revisit this volume just because it feels like my emotions have been trampled over. But I’m still satisfied with everything and truly looking forward to what Volume 8 will have in store. Gonna be a wild time~

But until then that’s it for the RWBY Reviews! Whoo! Thank you all who have read this far! I may do some more RWBY related posts in between now and V8, but for now this is it. I hope that you guys enjoyed all my mindless babbling. My focus is gonna turn to RvB as I prep for RvB18 and get those reviews ready to go. I hope that you guys will check those and my Top Likes/Dislikes posts I’m going to do for them like I did with RWBY prior to this volume. WHich I’ll do it for V7 when we’re closer to V8. But, once again, thank you for reading and it’s been a pleasure~

#rwby #rwby7 #rwby reviews #callie reviews

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