#glad the guys went back to their time but also wish we could have gotten more of the future and cody

[familyofpaladins]

@tmaynt Day 23: Favorite Human Ally

At first I wasn't sure who to do, I love April and Casey, but they had their own days, so I thought I'd focus on some of their other human allies. I thought about doing the Professor from 2003 (Not Professor Hunnicut aka the Fugitoid, The Professor who's name we never learned but was invited to their christmas and never commented on the fact that the turtles were turtles). Also thought about doing Silver Sentry because he's a cool dude, but wasn't sure if a superhuman counted as human lol.

THEN I remembered Cody Jones, and I love him. He's the descendant of April and Casey and is brilliant like his Great Grandma and eager to fight along side the guys like his Great Grandpa. He's a turtle fan boy but doesn't let that cloud his vision of them. He gets to have a silly fun time with the turtles, and the guys get to be out in public during the day thanks to being brought to the future. He's honorary little brother to the turtles <3

[fkinavocado]

in which your husband and Harry’s wife dragged you both into a situation you didn’t want to be in, but as it turns out, everything happens for a reason

Loved, heard, seen- Masterlist, Author’s Notes & Warnings 

Part One/ alternatively, read on wattpad

Part Two (word count: 3.4k)

“Hello?” Harry brought his phone to his line of vision, making sure he’d actually picked up the call, “Uhm,... hello?”

“Hi. Is this a bad time?”

Harry racked his brain to place the person’s voice, the fact that he didn’t have the number saved in his contacts made it even more difficult. It sounded awfully familiar, though… “Oh! It’s you!”

She never did give him her name. And neither did he, come to think of it. He only gave her his number before she got out of his car after he drove her home. Just in case.

“You remember?”

Harry sighed heavily. “I wish I could forget everything about that night,” he chuckled nervously. “No offence.”

“... I can't forget, either. You were right.”

“Oh?”

“Listen… would it be too… upsetting, if we met up? You’re the only person that’s been in my shoes that I feel I could open up to about this. It’s been… very lonely, eating at me… Maybe talking would help make better sense of it…”

Harry didn’t have to ponder. He’d wanted the same thing all along. He was glad she reached out to him, since he couldn’t contact her. “Name the place.”

*

Harry wondered if he looked as broken as she did but had just gotten used to seeing his miserable face stare back at him in the mirror every day. It’d been close to a month since the… circumstance that had brought the two of them together. Admittedly, he hadn’t paid close attention to her appearance back then, but, seeing her now, he definitely recognized some changes, albeit subtle. She appeared more frail, her under eyes darker, the polish on her nails chipped off, her lips chapped and bitten, her clothes wrinkled. He observed her over the cup of coffee he was sipping on on that rainy afternoon as she talked about how it’d been like trying to move on from that night.

“You were right. I did know, even then, that this was going to ruin us. But I kept lying to myself, thinking I could just pretend it never happened. Hoping that he’d gotten it out of his system and that things would go back to normal. You know I even dared to believe things would get better? I thought maybe this would put things into perspective for him and make him realize what a good thing he’s got going at home… Was I naive or what?”

Harry furrowed his brows compassionately, “You and I both. Believe it or not, I also hoped for the same. But, assuming things went for you guys the same way they did for us… it wasn’t quite the case, was it?”

She shook her head solemnly, staring into her cup of coffee. “He never asked me how things went on my side. He doesn’t even know I never went through with it. The following morning, he called me at around 11am. That’s… extremely late for him. He’s an early bird, chronically so. He’d been clearly… distracted. So when I told him I’d already taken an uber home he didn’t question it. He then came home and acted like everything was normal. He didn’t talk about it, I never asked him any questions. He didn’t care to ask me any, either… I wouldn’t say we’re pretending like nothing ever happened, because that’s not it at all. This… unspoken, huge thing that happened is always looming over us. Now whenever he’s late from work, he doesn’t even tell me why he’s late. It’s like… I know why. I don’t have to ask. He doesn’t have to tell me.”

“Jesus…”

The woman nodded, fidgeting with the corner of her paper napkin. “Things are better at your end, then?”

Harry almost laughed at her assumption, “To tell you the truth, I don’t even know which of us has it worse. When I got home after I dropped you off, I called her again and it went straight to voicemail for the hundredth time, so I texted her letting her know I went home and to call me to go get her if she didn’t feel like ubering. She never called for me to get her, thank god, but when she walked through the door and I asked her how her ride was she told me the guy had driven her. I was speechless, she’d actually disclosed where she lived, what else did she share with him? Aside from the obvious… Like, was this gonna be a thing now, between the two of them? I had so many questions, but then I couldn’t really say anything, could I? Since I offered to drive you, too. I’m fairly certain their report in that regard was much different to ours though… but even still, I couldn’t get myself to tell her off for it. I mean… he fucked her. Did the fact that he knew where she lived really make it worse?...”

Harry sat back in his chair, forcing himself to take a breather and calm down a bit. He was getting worked up. But when she encouraged him to keep going, and his restless leg wouldn’t stop bouncing beneath the table he gave in. “She was fucking beaming! She wouldn’t stop talking about what a good thing this is for us, how finally she feels like she can breathe, how she can’t believe we waited so long to try this… confirmed that she’d already made plans with this guy for the following weekend. I just froze. I couldn’t believe she was really saying all that. She never really asked me how things went for me, either. She just kept putting words in my mouth. See? Wasn’t it fun? You’re such a lucky bastard, men can only dream they could be in your shoes with their wives giving them this much freedom! Hell, even pushing them to do it! Can you imagine? You’re living the dream, baby.”

“Oh, God…”

“Then… one night soon after that she wanted to play and, brokenhearted fool that I am, I went along with it even though what I really wanted was for us to sit down and really talk about it. But I just couldn’t get myself to open up the subject, mainly because I already knew what her stance on it was and what it would lead to, and I wasn’t ready for that… kept thinking I could try doing this to save our marriage. I’d agreed to it, even though she’d coerced me into it if i’m being honest… but I did agree. I couldn’t blame her for the repercussions, I knew what I was getting into. So I felt like I had to see it through, had to try and make it work… 

“So when she came to me all loving, and I missed her so much, I gave in, I needed to feel like us again… Make her forget about anyone else. Make her only want me. And then… in the midst of what I thought was one of my best sexual performances… she tells me she wants to try something this guy had asked her to do to him and I–... fucking lost it. I jumped out of that bed as if it were on fire. I’m sure I could’ve handled it more maturely but I locked myself in the bathroom before I said something I would regret. She kept pleading from the other side to open up and talk to her, tell her what was the matter. I realized all I had to say to her were hurtful things. I chickened out when I opened the door and saw how genuinely worried she was. She literally has no clue what I’ve been going through since that night… in her head, we’re heading in the right direction and this is only going to bring us closer. 

“So, I asked her not to tell me about any of it, going further, and promised I’d do the same. That I couldn’t handle talking about it. At least not for a while… She agreed, said she totally gets it. And then we went back to bed and I never got to see what that son of a bitch asked her to do to him because ever since, I’ve avoided all her advances. She keeps making little quips such as uh-oh, running out of stamina huh? Save some for me next time. Then she giggles and asks me to just spoon her instead and I just sit there for hours on end mulling everything over while she’s sleeping soundly in my arms.”

The woman sat silent for a long while, visibly saddened. “Jack never initiates sex anymore. Like… at all. I don’t know If I’m glad for it or if I should feel even more hurt. I’m not sure I feel anything at all anymore. I feel… numb.”

“... Me too.”

After a long pause Harry added, muttering, “Fitting name, though.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. Since he’s such a jackass.”

The woman laughed, which made Harry smile in return. He wondered whether this was the first time the two of them had done so since that night. 

“You must have a really nice name, then.”

Harry’s smile lingered. “In that case, I’m sure the same goes for you.”

“You first.”

“It’s Harry.”

“Y/N.”

“Yeah. See? Nice names for nice folk. Wouldn’t hear of people with such names going around causing so much heartache, would you?”

“Absolutely not. Felicity is also… fitting in a way. Only cares about her own happiness.”

Harry gave her a look. “You actually remember my wife’s name?”

“Yeah, it’s a rare name, stuck with me.”

“True. And you’re right about her. I’ve always known it… But nobody’s perfect. Thought I could compromise on some stuff. Didn’t realize it would compromise our marriage in the end.”

“That’s… pretty huge, Harry. I know it sounds awful, but hearing you say so valides my own feelings. Like, I worried I was overreacting, thinking my marriage is over because of this. But that’s just how I feel. I can’t see us ever recovering from this mess.”

“Neither can I. It’s killing me on the inside the longer I go along with it. And even if I do speak up about it… I know it’ll never go back to how things were, which admittedly, weren’t great to begin with. This whole thing kinda helped put everything into perspective. She was right, we did need something else, be both did… I was willing to do whatever to please her, but that’s not exactly feasible in the long run. It was just a matter of time before we faced some hurdles. We’re just not on the same page sexually. I was just fooling myself thinking I could deny my own needs and that she could suppress hers.”

“So… what now?”

They both sat in silence for a long while, the coffee had gone cold and the rain outside was pouring even stronger than before.

“It’s inevitable. We have to talk to them.”

“...End it?”

Harry nodded solemnly and when her eyes immediately glazed over and she stifled a sob, he reached his hand out to cover hers reassuringly. He moved to sit on the chair next to hers and eventually wrapped his other arm around her shoulders, bringing her in to rest her head on his own. She tried to keep quiet, not to disturb the cafe’s patrons, and he gently shushed her reassuringly, telling her everything was going to be alright. Willing himself to believe it, too.

*

Almost two weeks had passed when Harry finally decided to text Y/N. He’d been apprehensive about it, knowing she must’ve been hurting, but also, he felt guilty for not going through with what he himself had suggested was inevitable. He hadn’t broken things off with his wife. Worse, he’d actually had sex with her, in an effort to still try and save their marriage. He couldn’t finish though, and he’d never reached full mast. Which prompted her to not get off either. It’d been a mess and it ended in Harry crying in the bathroom afterwards while she probably thought he was finishing himself off in the shower. He’d never felt more miserable in his entire life.

Felicity was away for the weekend with her new boy-toy and Harry was feeling seriously on edge. He contemplated just packing his bags and leaving. It was cowardly of him, to be sure, but he felt like he’d never go through with it and actually leave her otherwise. He couldn’t bring himself to talk to her and end things properly, like a man. 

He felt emasculated in every way possible.

H: Hey. It’s Harry. Been meaning to reach out, hope it’s not a bad time… How did things go?

He was in their walk-in closet staring at his clothes and trying to work up his courage to just grab them off the hangers and toss them into the biggest suitcase he could find when she replied.

Y/N: Hey, Harry. I’m the worst… I couldn’t bring myself to do it : ( I don’t know what to do. I can’t do this anymore…

H: Don’t feel bad. I couldn’t go through with it either. But I can’t go on like this…

Y/N: What do we do : (

H: She’s with him right now. 

Y/N: He’s not been home most nights. It’s over without having to even talk about it. I bet if he came back home and I was gone he’d be relieved at this point.

Harry read Y/N’s last text message before deciding to call her since they were both alone anyway. “That’s exactly what I wanna do. Just pack my stuff and be gone before she comes back. Is that… too cowardly, do you think?”

“It’s not. They don’t deserve an explanation. It’s impossible they don’t see we’re hurting. They just choose to ignore it.”

“Let’s just leave.”

“Harry… if you say that again, I just might do it. Like, right now.”

“Let’s rip the band-aid. Let’s do it. I mean it, Y/N. We can do it. We could do it together. Just… I dunno. Go somewhere and turn our phones off and be there for one another, make sure neither of us caves in and goes back… What do you say?” Harry was pumped. He could feel adrenaline surging through him. The thought of actually doing it made him giddy beyond belief. 

Y/N was silent for a long while, all he could hear was his own laboured breathing. But eventually she replied, sounding resolute. “Give me half an hour. We’re doing this, Harry.”

*

Harry had never felt more alive. It was odd, but it was true. He finally felt like he was doing something for himself, in a long, long time. He’d packed his shit in record time, leaving him just enough to drive to Y/N’s. When she didn’t pick up her phone immediately, he felt his heart sink to his stomach. Had she changed her mind? He felt he couldn’t do this without her. But when she eventually picked up with laboured breath, she informed him she was dragging her suitcases to the elevator and couldn’t find her phone in all that rushed chaos. 

Harry wouldn’t take no for an answer, and insisted he’d help her. When she buzzed him in and he reached her floor, he was mildly shocked at the amount of suitcases she’d lined up near the elevator door. He’d only packed his essentials, but Y/N meant business. It looked like she’d packed up her whole life in those bags.

“Oh wow. Ok, alright. Gotta give it to you, you’re a fast packer, considering.”

Y/N smiled at his amused tone, despite her nerves. “I dunno when he’s coming back. Had to be quick. And I knew your SUV could handle all of these.”

“How do you know it’s not already filled up to the brim with my own shit?”

She rolled her eyes when he started loading them up in the elevator, urging her inside to keep the doors open. “Please. You’re a man. I’ll be surprised if you filled two suitcases.”

Harry feigned offence. “It’s three suitcases, alright? Well, two suitcases and a backpack. And I didn’t pack everything. It’s my house, after all.”

Y/N was silent, her smile fading somewhat. “Well, this apartment is his. So…”

Harry kicked himself for opening up that can of worms but the haste in which they loaded her stuff into his truck kept them busy and hopefully took her mind off things for a bit.

When they drove off, for a long time they didn’t even talk about where they’d be going. Harry just drove aimlessly, only making sure they left town on the nearest exit. They couldn’t even use Google Maps as they’d shut their phones off and threw them into the glove compartment in complicity.

They eventually discussed some options. It couldn’t be any of the places they’d been with with their spouses. Not that either of them thought they’d be coming looking for them, but regardless.

Eventually, after driving for a few hours while keeping themselves busy singing along with whatever came on the radio to keep themselves distracted, they decided to just crash at the first decent motel they’d find on their way. It was getting too late to drive safely any further.

They were both giddy at the prospect of crashing at some random motel like some sort of Bonnie and Clyde, still high on the adrenaline rush.

Soon they found themselves in a shabby motel room under a false mr and mrs name. They’d already slept in the same bed before and so the options of getting separate rooms or twin beds weren’t even brought up. They trusted eachother beyond formalities, and besides, the pact was that they would go through this together.

They took turns showering and Y/N called for him from the bathroom when she was finished with hers. “Harry? Ugh, I brought the wrong bag with us…”

“Want me to go get it for you?”

“I mean… I just need something to change into. Do you have some extra pyjamas?”

“Uhm…” Harry didn’t have to check, he knew he’d not packed any extra in his backpack he took with him to the room. “I can give you mine but I’ll have to sleep in a t-shirt. And boxers, of course.”

“Would you mind terribly?”

“Not at all. Just… you know. Don’t wanna make you uncomfortable, that’s why I clarified…”

“Oh, shush. Can I have them?” She cracked the door open and stuck her hand out. “Oh, also, no knickers. I’ll be sure to wash them for you afterwards.”

Harry faltered mid-undressing, but then rushed to hand her his discarded pyjamas. “Don’t be silly.”

He threw a t-shirt on and got under the covers. Surely she’d seen men in boxers before, he was acting a bit childish. But he really meant it when he told her he didn’t want to make her uncomfortable in any way.

She emerged from the bathroom, all swaddled up in the too-large pyjamas and smiled sheepishly at him, then turned the lights off and joined him on the other side of the bed.

Harry flinched when he thought he’d heard her say something. Had he already drifted off to sleep? That was… definitely surprising. He’d had trouble sleeping ever since– “Did you say something?” He whispered, just in case he’d been mistaken.

“Sorry,” she whispered back, “did I wake you? I didn’t realize you’d fallen asleep. Do you always sleep on your back?”

“... Was I snoring?”

Y/N giggled. He smiled into the darkness at the sound. Everything felt so lighthearted and easy with her around, no wonder he’d fallen asleep. “No. But are you a snorer? Because if so, I might have to reconsider this whole arrangement…”

“Oh, shush.” He playfully kicked her leg under the covers, noticing she was closer than he’d gauged. “I think all that driving got to me, plus the adrenaline crush. What did you wanna say?”

“I just wanted to thank you… I don’t think I would’ve gone through with this without you, Harry.”

Harry smiled into the darkness again. He couldn’t see her, but her words really warmed him up. “Same here. Just don’t wake me up at 4am telling me you wanna uber back home, ok?”

She giggled again. “Hell no. You’re stuck with me.”

“...Good.”

Part Three

A/N: soooo. it's gonna be 3 parts, after all 😅😅 thanks to the lovely @freedomfireflies for beta-ing ❤️

💕 like & reblog if you enjoyed this, lovelies, and most importantly, please come share your thoughts on it here 💌

🦋follow me on wattpad to get notified whenever i post something new/update!🦋

[crow-hoards-things]

The Bad Batch Series Finale

FULL DISCLOSURE: This is a vent post. I’m angry and hurt. After I get this out of my system I’ll be more open to discussing the positives of the episode.

Warnings: Ranting, Spoilers

Hooo boy. Okay. I am… less than satisfied?

Quick rundown since I haven’t posted much of anything Bad Batch related: Tech is my favorite Batch member, immediately followed by Crosshair. I’m also a HUGE Republic Commando Nerd (read all the books, played the game, despised Bad Batch as a whole initially because I felt the commandos were being unfairly ignored, can sing + translate Vode An, etc.) and Scorch was my favorite Delta. The Bad Batch grew on me shortly after Season 1 finished up, and I immediately latched onto Tech when I began watching. He’s the reason I watched the first two seasons. (Crosshair + delusions about Tech were the combined force behind watching the final season)

NOW, onto my actual thoughts on the episode, in no semblance of order because my brain is still trying to process, Ft. Cry count:

• Wish Tech was here. He would’ve loved the Zillo being freed.

• “‘Cause I’d do the same thing” no you wouldn’t. Fives would’ve. The you I fell in love with would’ve yelled at Fives about it being a terrible idea and then promptly gone along with it anyway. That said it was a really cute moment and I loved his nonchalant little “come on” afterwards.

• C: “Echo or Omega?” W&H: “Omega” THEY KNOW THEIR GIRL SO WELL

• When Hemlock went to get the operatives I got excited thinking maybe, just maybe we’d get Tech back.

• CROSSHAIR LOST HIS FREAKING HAND!?!? WHAT THE HECK!?! I will never stop being salty about this. He’s been through enough. [Near Tears]

• Rampart sucks

• Nala Se got to blow stuff up and I appreciate that even if I don’t really like her

• I’m glad Wrecker’s okay. He had me scared for a bit. Hunter, conversely, never really did? He’s Omega’s Dad, he had to survive.

• Did anybody else see that one operative whose helmet seemingly had goggles built into it? We had a lingering shot on his helmet for a few seconds and they looked like a red version of Tech’s goggles.

• SCORCH IS DEAD AND YOU’D BETTER BELIEVE I’M MAD ABOUT IT! [First shedding of tears]

• HECK YEAH, HEMLOCK IS DEAD!!! [Tears of relief combined with grief over Scorch]

• I’m so glad Omega hugged Crosshair first. I fully expected her to just run to Hunter, and Crosshair needed that hug.

• Echo’s goodbye was disrespectful. 0/10. He’s family and they don’t even care that he’s leaving???

• SOMEONE IS MISSING FROM OUR NICE LITTLE GROUP SHOT!

• I never really got super invested in the dynamic between Omega and Hunter, but the ending between them was cute I guess.

• We were robbed. We could’ve gotten Crosshair and Wrecker as old men and we were robbed.

• Tech is dead. Like, seriously, really and truly, dead. As a delusional “Tech’s alive guys, trust me” fan, it feels like he just died all over again. I’ll talk more about this later because I’m not over it. [Que sob-fest]

alright, circling back around to my main gripes, in order of appearance:

#1. Scorch.

I hate how they handled him. At first when he showed up I got super excited. That was my boy! In the Bad Batch show!! He’s making an appearance!!! Maybe they’ll do something with the Delta boys!!

Even as the episodes went on and I started to suspect where his path was leading, I consistently would go “Scorch!!! <3” every episode, because that is my boy and I love him dearly.

The levels of offended I am on Scorch’s behalf are not within my ability to express with words. The complete and utter disrespect he was shown over his time on the show is appalling. Why bring him in if you’re going to drain him of all his personality, make him have zero plot relevance, and then murder him?! They could easily have made a new clone for that, as seen by the number of operatives who exist and got 0.5 minutes of screen time.

But no. They brought in a beloved character with 10 seconds of canonical screen time prior, stripped him of everything that made him lovable, didn’t even have him DO ANYTHING, and then murdered him. It feels like a spit in the face and a kick to the gut all at once.

I will mourn. I’ve already cried and I’ll probably cry again. But right now I’m angry and I think Scorch deserves to have people be angry about how he was treated.

#2. Tech

Yes. I admit to having been a “trust me guys, Tech’s alive” person. I will also admit that at the end of episode 13 I wanted him to stay dead because I had zero faith they could satisfactorily bring him back.

My gripe is not with him staying dead. Yes, it feels like losing him all over again. Yes, I will mourn him again. Yes. That sucks. It’s not what’s making me mad.

What makes me mad is how his death was handled.

• It served ZERO purpose narratively other than to up the stakes and make us worry about whether anyone else would die (Spoiler alert: They didn’t. Tech was the only one who died) • Nobody mourned him. No one seemed affected by his death at all. No one cared. I don’t care what anyone says, that will NEVER be okay. • The first actual mention of Tech *dying* was in the finale. Sure, we’ve had name drops and goggle appearances, but actually talking about what happened? One line. One. Freaking. Line.

I feel like I’ve been slapped in the face, you know? He deserved better and so did we. He was a part of that family and they couldn’t even be bothered to address the responses to his death. He was beloved by many of us and they couldn’t even respect him or his fans enough to treat his death like something to be mourned.

That’s wrong, no matter how you look at it.

[curlyangelsblog]

✿ Tomura Shigaraki x streamer!Reader ✿

・┆✦ʚ♡ɞ✦ ┆・・┆✦ʚ♡ɞ✦ ┆・・┆✦ʚ♡ɞ✦ ┆・

Genre : Smut , fluff

CW : smut , cussing

WC : 3.9k

・┆✦ʚ♡ɞ✦ ┆・・┆✦ʚ♡ɞ✦ ┆・・┆✦ʚ♡ɞ✦ ┆・

You were a streamer and actually really popular in Japan. Not only because of your looks but also Skills. It was another Friday evening and you were streaming one of your favorite games. On Friday’s you liked to invite people to come and play with you. Out of hundreds of people obviously only a few had to Chance to actually play with you. And currently Shigaraki was sitting in front of his computer waiting for you to pick him. He watched your streams every time and every Friday he anxiously waited for you to pick him but so far he had no luck.

„And the next one up iiiiiis john675!!“

You said with excitement. To him you were just so cute and perfekt. Perfekt for him he knew it. It was meant to be. But he groaned in frustration smashing his fists on the table making it shake. He was not only so eager to play with you because he would get the chance to talk to you but you also had a challenge for your fans. The person that beats you would get unlimited access to personally message you. But so far nobody has won and many have tried. Be he knew he could do it.

“So guys one more person and we are done for today”

He couldn’t wait his hands were sweaty and he was holding his breath.

“The last person is decay69”

He couldn’t believe it. He was in shock hastily grabbing his mouse almost dropping it to click the invite request from.

“Hello can you hear me ok?”

You asked so sweetly. You were always so sweet. He couldn’t believe you were actually talking to him.

“Y-yes I can”

Ofcourse he had to stutter he mentally cursed him self out for that.

“Alright are you ready?”

“Yes”

And the game began he was mostly quite through out the game focusing on not loosing and killing your character. But you were good and landed many hits on him. In between you let out little giggles or said stuff like “got u” while smiling. To you it was just a silly game but to him it was so much more. It was his only chance to ever talk to you. And suddenly he was starting to get closer to winning. And you have gone silent also focusing. Because no one has ever gotten this close to winning. The chat was going crazy. And after some time the winner letters appeared on his screen. He leaned back in his chair with a huge grin on his face he did it. You were in shook mouth hung wide open.

“Omg congratulations decay69 that was amazing no one has ever beaten me“

You smiled you were no doubt actually quite happy Someone has finally won.

„Thank you“ he said with a small chuckle.

And not gonna lie that chuckle sounded so hot his deep husky voice in General. Now you were a different kind of exited to talk to him.

„So I’m going to send you the access info for the private chat and I am excited to talk to you“

„Me too“

was all he said before you said your goodbyes and endet the stream.

He still couldn’t believe he would finally get to talk to you. But a pretty girl like you would probably be disgusted if you knew who he was and what he looked liked. Thank god through chat you couldn’t see that.

Soon after the stream endet he got a message from you.

„Hey decay69 that was an amazing game you were really good ^^ I had a lot of fun playing with you ♡ „

„Thank you I also had a lot of fun“

„I’m glad you did so what are you up to ^^“

He can just imagine how you lay on your fluffy bed in thigh high socks and an oversized sweater on. He wishes he could just hold you and talk to you like that. He thought you would only send him a few messages and he would have to be the one to start the conversations and keep them going but surprisingly you guys had a lot more in common than gaming. You were writing for hours. You were also quite surprised how talkative he could get he seemed so shy in the beginning. And this went on for weeks. And sooner or later you became more curious. Wanting to know more about him. But you didn’t wanna make him uncomfortable. But one day you decided to ask for at least his name. You guys talk about so much private stuff that his name should be no problem.

“Hey ^^”

“Hi”

He always responded so fast you loved that about him.

“I really like talking to you a lot and I want to get to know you better so I just wanted to ask if you would tell me your name ?”

“If not it’s totally fine ;)”

You reassured because he took longer than usual to reply to you. Regret sinkt in. He probably had a reason he didn’t tell you his name. You threw your head into the pillows in frustration.

On the other side of the phone was a struggling shigaraki not knowing how to reply. The lov wasn’t that famous yet so there was only a slim chance you would know who he is. But then he had an idea.

“Tenko”

You snapped your head up from the notification and saw his message. You had a huge smile on your face.

“I like that it suits you“

He blushed at your message. He does not know if this is the right moment to ask but you did say you wanted to get to know him better so he took his luck and just went for it.

„I would like to get to know you better too is there any chance you would like to meet up someday?”

Now it was you time to blush. You giggled like a school girl with a crush. Well you did kinda have a crush on him. But you did had to be careful he could still be some kind of creep. He didn’t send you any photos of him but he did describe to you what he looked like.

“I would like that ^^”

He couldn’t believe that you actually wanted to meet. So you guys made up a place and time to meet. You chose a park it was private but also public enough for a first date. You were both excited and couldn’t wait.

- a few days later -

You arrived at the park. You guys decided to meet at the fountain. You looked around but he wasn’t here yet. So you decided to sit on a bank and wait for him. You wore a cute little sundress and had your makeup done. You did put in a little more effort than usual and wore your expensive Parfum. You were on your phone waiting till someone came up to you.

“Y/n?”

It was him. He looked so shy. You looked at him with a big smile on your face and stood up. Only then you noticed how much taller he was than you he was basically towering over you. To not make it obvious that you were starting at him you decided to hug him. You had to go on your tippy toes to actually throw your arms over him. He was kinda stiff at first probably not expecting a hug but he soon hugged you back with his hands, with one finger on each hand up around your waist . You smelled so good he didn’t wanna let go. But he eventually had to.

“It’s so nice to finally meet you” you smiled at him. You were a lot closer than before and could see how handsome he actually was. He smiled back. His smile was so cute. You blushed and looked down at the flower bouquet he was holding.

“I got these for you I hope you like them” he said handing them to you.

“That’s so nice of you thank you I love them”

You guys started walking through the park and talking about all kind of things. You were afraid it was going to be awkward but it was actually really nice. What you didn’t know is how nervous he actually was. There were so many things going through his head afraid he would do something wrong or someone recognizing him. But one thing that he couldn’t get out of his mind was the urge to hold you. Touch you just hug you again. Or holding your hand. Showing everyone that walked by and started at your beauty that you belonged to him. Because quite frankly he was getting kinda jealous but he wouldn’t admit that. Every guy that walked past you stared at you. But you were too naive to notice.

“Tenko would you like to watch the sunset with me”

Your question ripped him out of his daydream about dusting every guy that looked at you.

“Yes sure”

“A few minutes from here is a little hill we’ll have a great view from there” you smiled. You were so excited he agreed. You always wanted to watch the sunset with somebody and now you got to do it with him. You guys soon arrived at a hill and sat down. You sat down so close to him you were practically pressed against each other. And soon after the sun started setting. You just set in silence and enjoyed the view. You decided to rest your head on his shoulder. Thank god you couldn’t see his face he thought because it was bright red. He has to bite his lip to keep himself from smiling like an idiot.

“I’m really glad you beat me in the game” you said looking up at him. “I really enjoy spending time with you”

He looked down at your pretty face and couldn’t keep himself from blushing. He could honestly cry. He could have never in a million years imagine this.

“Me too … believe me when I say talking to you is the highlight of my day”. You guys stayed like this just looking into each other’s eyes. But he noticed you were also looking at his lips. But he didn’t know if you looked at his disgusting scar or if you wanted him to kiss you. So he took the chance and slowly leaned in. But suddenly it thundered. And it started to rain heavily. Of course it had to rain. You guys quickly got up and he took your hand running to find the nearest shelter that wasn’t a tree. You guys found this little ally that was covered. The ally was really small though and to your luck you wore a white dress and you got so wet it started to be see-through. It didn’t took Shigaraki long to noticed and out of respect he looked away. You covered your self and utter a small sorry. He quickly took off his jacket and covered you with it.

“Don’t be” he smiled at you. And at this moment this man had a chock hold on you. How sweet could he be. No one has ever treated you so nicely before. So before you could think you grabbed his face and smashed your lips into his. It took him by surprise but it didn’t take him long to pull you close and return the kiss. This feeling was indescribable. He felt so hot against your body you didn’t wanna let him go. But soon you guys had to to catch some air. So you pulled away and looked at each other. You bid you lip and giggled burying your face into his chest. He hugged you and chuckled at your sudden shyness. You looked up at him and said.

“My place is right around the corner do you wanna come over dry up and wait till the rain died down”

He eagerly nodded so you took his hand and made your way to your place. He wore his gloves and wondered if you noticed them. You haven’t mentioned anything which was good. At your place you took your shoes off and led him in. He curiously looked around he always wondered what the rest of your house looked like. You handed him a towel and a washcloth leading him to the restroom.

“Just put your clothes in the dryer and press this button they be done in a couple of minutes” you explains to him.

“Oh and if your done before me just wait in the living room I’ll turn on the tv and don’t be afraid to make yourself at home”

“Thanks I will”

You went into your bedroom and showered and got dressed in some comfy clothes. You went out into the living room where he was sitting on the couch watching some random anime.

“Are you hungry I was going to order something ?”

He wanted to say yes but he barely had 5 bucks in his pockets. You could see his distressed look and could tell he wasn’t sure how to answer.

“Oh and don’t worry it’s one me you got me the flowers so I’ll get dinner. I know this really good Thai place let’s order there” he was glad you were quick in deciding so you guys ordered and you sat next to him watching a movie.

But to be honest you couldn’t concentrate on the movie. You kept thinking about the kiss and looking over at him. You wanted him to kiss you and to touch you. You imagined all kind of perverted things you wanted him to do to you. You felt like a pervert thinking about him like that. But you couldn’t help it he just had such a strong effect on you that you stated to rub your thighs together. So you decided to be bold and sit on his lap. He looked at you with big eyes not exactly knowing what to do. “Is this ok?” You asked looking up at him. He nodded and leaned in to kiss you. His hands quickly found their way to your hips messaging them. Your arms were around his neck playing with his hair. Your nails tangled in his blue locks it felt so good he moaned into the kiss. This made you grind yourself down on his crotch. His grip on your hips tightened pulling you even closer. Running his hands on the side of your body over your ass squeezing it which made you moan into the kiss letting his tounge slip into your mouth. At this point you were soaking wet. You pulled away to catch some air and to that he latched himself onto your neck making sure to leave a mark. You moaned his name to which he bucked his hips up into your already soaking crotch.

“Where’s your bedroom” he asked in between kisses. You told him where it is so he picked you up off the couch with ease. You wondered what was beneath his sweater. He threw you on the bed climbing on top of you making you feel so small. He started kissing you again massaging your sides and sliding his hands up your torso groping your tits. Slightly pinching the nipple making you cry out. He looked at your for consent to take your shirt off to which you nodded eagerly making him smile at how cute you are. He kissed his way all the way down from your collarbone to your stomach. Taking your pants off messaging your thighs. Leaving bite marks. You pull him in closer to take off his shirt so you wouldn’t feel so exposed. He kinda stopped you. You gave him a concerning look.

“You don’t wanna see that”

He mumbled which made your heart sink that he thought of himself that way. You kissed him running your hands up his arms to his neck pulling him close.

“I want to see all of you … please”

At your words he let you take his shirt off averting his gaze ready for you to pusch him away from you for all his disgusting scars and skin problems. But you started to kiss his chest. Running your hands along his abs down to his belt. You whispers into his ear how handsome he was and how much you wanted him. Biting at his neck leaving marks. This made his cock painfully hard already leaking precum. He pushed you back down going down on you and pulling your panties off latching himself onto your lips slurping up all your juices making you moan out his name.

“You’re so fucking wet all for me hm?”

“Y-yes yes all for you -please”

He put two of his fingers in your mouth making you slightly gag at their size. He made you suck on them. He pulled them out of you pushing one of them into you making you arch your back. Soon adding the second one massaging your insides curling them. Making your moan and squirm. He holds you down by your thighs and going faster. You’re squeezing down on him making him wonder what you feel like on his cock.

“I’m gonna cum Tenko” you whimperd out grabbing at his hair pulling him closer suffocating him.

“Cum for me baby” and at his word you came all over his face pulling his hair and arching your back letting out loud moans. He kissed your thighs asking if you were ok. You giggled at him tasting your self on his lips. You unbuckled his belt taking off his pants.

“So eager” he growled into your ears giving you goosebumps. He pulled down his boxers making his hard cock slap against his stomach. You looked at it with big worried eyes. You didn’t expect him to be so big. You looked up at him. And he new what you thought. You looked up at him and said.

“I’ve never… ehm done it before”

You averted your gaze afraid of his judgement. But what you didn’t see Shigaraki was looking at you in shock. How has no one ever made love to you and made your feel good. AND you let him be your first time. That he was a virgin is no surprise but the way he treated you and made you cum your didn’t think that. Which made your feel inexperienced. So he kissed your forehead smiling at you.

“It’s ok I’ll be gentle ist my first time too” the last part he kinda whispers but you heard him clearly.

You kissed him smiling at him letting him know he can start now. He aligned himself with your entrance slowly pushing in. You winced in pain burring your face into your pillow. He kissed your cheeks and tears away. Slowly pushing all the way in making you moan out and scratch his back. He growled biting your shoulder trying not to come on the spot. You were so tight and warm squeezing him so good. He let you adjust to his fat cock. Kissing you so softly. Massaging your thighs.

“Please move“ You whimperd out. And he did groaning in your ear because of how tight you’re squeezing him. From the beginning he was hitting all your right spots making you moan out his name clawing at his back. Tears streaming down your face because of how good he makes you feel. He is cursing under his breath and praising you. Saying stuff like

„you feel so good“

„So pretty“

„Mine“

„Taking me so well“

„You sound so pretty“

It drove you wild. But he was still holding back so you told him to go faster.

„Please Tenko don’t hold back - go faster please feels so good“

And he did he grabbed your hips harshly holding you down and thrusting into your soft spunky walls. Making you cry out and a white ring forming around the base of his cock. You slid your hand down in between your hot and sweaty body’s rubbing your clit. He noticed and replaced your hands with his large calloused ones roughly rubbing your clit. Your eyes crossed at this your tongue hanging out and brain going numb. He grinned at the sight of you knowing how dumb he’s fucking you. He could tell you were about to come the way you were squeezing him.

„Cum for me baby cum on my cock you slut“

You threw your head back and arched your back cumming on his cock squirting all over him. This was the sexiest thing he has ever seen. The way you claw at him the faces you make and the way you moan his name. He finally has you. Making you feel this good is just pushing his ego. You felt him pull out but wrapped your legs around his waist pushing him back in.

„Please baby cum inside me“

And how could he deny you. He moaned so loud if he wasn’t so high on the feeling of your wall squeezing him he would have been embarrassed. He fell on top of you nuzzling his face into your neck. Leaving soft kisses. After some time embracing each other he rolled off you laying on his back pulling you on top of him.

„Are you ok?“ he asked to make sure your ok. You lifted your head up looking into his red orbs. Smiling at him and just above a whisper answers with a tired yes. Reaching your hand out to caress his face. Even tho he just fucked the shit out of you he was blushing and acting all shy. You put your head back down listening to his heart beat. His hands running up and down your body. You could stay like this forever. But then you remembered the food you guys ordered.

„Come on let’s take another shower before the food gets here“ you giggled. You sat up him following your lead. You got up but stumbled not being able to hold yourself up. He caught you and picked you up bridal style. You let out a little shriek holding on to him.

„Don’t worry bunny I won’t drop you“

You guys took another shower together and got dressed and ate your food Continuing the movie you started. After you finished you talked some more cuddled and kissed just enjoying you guy’s time. You asked him to stay the and he gladly agreed.

———————————————————————————

You woke up before him. Looking at his sleeping form. It made you smile remembering last night. But you had to wake him even though you could watch him sleep for hours he’s so cute. It was Sunday and on Sunday’s you usually streamed earlier then usual. So you shook him awake and told him that you are going to make breakfast and had to stream in a bit but he could keep on sleeping if he wants too. He gave you a sleepy nod and you kissed his cheek making your war into the kitchen. After you finished cooking and eating you started streaming. About 30 mins in a sleepy shigaraki woke up looking for you. He had no memory of you waking him up and making breakfast. He walked into your streaming room.

“Yeah that was pretty f-“ you saw him in your camera and quickly turned it away and muted the mic panic on your face. Thank god he was so tall and your viewers could only see his lower half. Your viewers went crazy flooding the comment section. You quickly got up pushing him out of your room. Only then he realized what happend when he so your stressed expression and cheeky smile. And the only thing he said was “oops”. While grinning at you kissing your forehead.

(A/N: This is my longest fic I have ever written if you want to let me now if you liked it ;) rebloggs are welcome and pls leave request!!!!)

[spirit-of-beetlejuiceblues12]

My thoughts on John Mulaney & the Baby J special

There’s so many places I could start but it doesn’t matter because this is definitely gonna be long af.

So. I’m not exactly clear on what exactly the beef with Mulaney is. Here’s what I have heard:

People are upset about his addiction and stay in rehab. Honestly, I don’t understand why this is even a reason to be angry at someone. Parasocial relationships really have y’all pissed at this one man for something a lot of celebrities have done, are doing, and will continue to do. Dumb reason to vilify him.

Divorcing his wife and having a baby with another woman even after saying he didn’t want children. Okay, if he did cheat on his wife, that’s fucked up and he sucks for that. Another ‘my wife’ guy down the drain. But whether he cheated or not, the reason his marriage fell apart is not our business. Stop taking it personally.

Dave Chapelle transphobia when he opened for JM. Alright, I’ll give you this one. I don’t know the details (honestly I don’t really want to go looking for them), so I’m not going to say whether it did or didn’t happen and how bad it was. I’m a genderqueer person and it makes me sad that Mulaney may have knowingly let that joke happen. I wish he would say something.

I found Baby J comforting in a weird way. I went into it wondering if he was going to address any of the shit that happened in the past few years; I was thrilled to see that that is literally all the special was about.

Someone on tumblr said “John Mulaney is a piece of shit, but he’s still the funniest motherfucker out there” and dude. Yes. As always, his comedic timing was incredible.

Baby J made me laugh so hard. There was some killer lines in there that nearly knocked me out; his vibe is truly different, but there’s also still that token Mulaney dry humor. It reminded me why I took so much comfort in his past specials as a teenager, because his sarcasm and wit have never failed to make me smile. As I watched the special, I found myself relieved that he was back, happy that I have new John Mulaney content to meme about.

Don’t get me wrong, Baby J was not as raw and brutal as Bo Burnham’s Inside. If Mulaney had tried to make it like that, it would’ve been disingenuous and boring. He was true to his own humor and I things that’s really important.

Everything he said was blunt and honest. I noticed that he was genuinely laughing at his own jokes and the memories he was recounting. I don’t think anyone ever realized how truly buttoned up and rigid he was onstage in the last specials because we were all “hehe funny man runnin around”. Isn’t that wild? Suddenly he’s showing his real self, and I think that’s incredible. He’s imperfect and uncomfortable and that’s not something we haven’t gotten to see in celebrities very often.

I can’t speak from experience with addiction because I’ve never had an addiction. But I do understand that it’s a remarkable thing to overcome. I’m really happy for John Mulaney, and I’m very glad he’s doing better. Hopefully we’ll see some more improvement in him from here. I wish we could’ve gotten to hear more about what happened with his wife and the baby, but like I said that’s not really our business.

“When I’m alone, I realize I’m with the person who tried to kill me.” Okay but that one felt very personal, I won’t be taking questions.

TLDR; I think parasocial relationships are a big part of why people are pissed at John Mulaney, and we all need to recognize that. He’s a human being and he’s allowed to fuck up. Baby J was an incredible show from start to finish and I will be watching it a million more times.

[gluion]

[part one] of linked arms and bruised hearts (you are the reason i keep on going) ➵ ji changmin

non-idol!ji changmin x reader, slight non-idol!jacob bae x reader

you and changmin have been best friends since high school, having seen each other at their best and worst. now in your second year of university, you are given the opportunity to work with the unattainable 5th-year you have had a crush on since—jacob bae. with your best friend on the receiving end of your rambles, you could only hope for something to come out of your time working with jacob. that is until changmin decides he wants something more out of his relationship with you.

genre/warnings ➵ friends to lovers, slow burn, so much FLUFF, afab reader (they/them pronouns), drinking, expect a lot of sentimental talks and bantering between changmin and reader, a lot of publication talk (sorry i am a writer), sunwoo is a shithead (and a terrible wingman), slight chanhee x hyunjae (very minimal though), you used to have a crush on sunwoo by the way and now your friends like to laugh about it, sweet angel jacob with his SIGNATURE SMILE!!!, also he may not be unattainable after all???, changmin and reader are so lucky to have each other, slight suggestive dream at the end

word count ➵ 18.8k words

parts ➵ check out the series masterlist

taglist ➵ @deoboyznet @kflixnet @winterchimez

a/n ➵ i am so glad to finally have this baby out!! i worked on this a few days after i published my sunwoo fic so :DD was debating whether this would be a changmin or jacob fic but the stars just pointed to my kyu <3 this is very slow burn so i hope you guys will stick with me all throughout! and please be kind if i fail to deliver the 2nd part asap </3 i have other writer duties </3 i would really appreciate it if you could take the time to like and reblog this.

want to be part of my taglist? send me an ask! main masterlist

There is something frightening that comes with growing up. First, you come into the world with hands too small to carry anything and a mind unable to grasp anything. And no matter how many years you continue on, you never know what to expect from a fickle thing called life. It is as if you impart on a dangerous journey; your knees get wounded; your eyes get tired; your heart gets bruised. Yet, there must be something in the end that makes all the injuries worth it.

The universe had many instances to give you reasons to believe that all the ups and downs you go through are worth it. Instead, you are given three demons that crashed into your feeble life—you cannot seem to get rid of them even if you tried.

“Y/N-ah!” A boy you have grown too familiar with over the years calls out to you while you were exiting the stuffy classroom filled with unknown faces.

You roll your eyes and shake your head. “Sunwoo, have you not gotten tired of me? Can’t last a few hours without me?”

“Yah! I’m only here because you owe me.”

Kim Sunwoo—the reason why you have not known peace since… forever. You got to know him back in grade school where you shared the unfortunate fate of being classmates throughout the years. The shy boy was consistently your seatmate which forced you two to interact. What became casual seatmates turned into best friends that would stick together for every break time.

Somehow, you and Sunwoo have stuck together like glue since then. As the years went by, you have been present for every soccer tournament while he has been present for every competition. And somehow, you found yourselves in high school still joined at the hip. Your friendship has contradicted the popular belief of “losing your grade school friends when you enter high school.” You wish you knew how your friendship continued to survive in college waters.

“I owe you? Doesn’t the favor I asked from you make up for the one you asked from me then?” You frown as you walk with him.

Sunwoo nudges you and says, “That is not what we agreed on.”

“You are literally going off on your own terms, be for real.”

“C’mon Y/N! Don’t you love your best friend of 12 years?”

You give him a side-eye. “I cannot believe you are trying to play that card right now.”

“I always play that card.” Sunwoo shrugs, smirking as he walks with you. “I mean, I wouldn’t like to play the old crush card.”

You gasp at his statement and smack him. “I told you that in secret, you little shit!”

“See! So treat me now!”

Since you two grew up together, it was inevitable for you to harbor some form of infatuation towards the one boy you found yourself sticking with. It was an embarrassing period in your life considering how weird it is to think of Sunwoo under that light now. Thankfully, you got over that crush once you found yourself getting into K-Pop idols and streamers.

“You are so frustrating, Sunwoo.” You rest your back on the wall. “Can’t I just treat you another day? I do not have enough money to buy us both food.”

Sunwoo takes his spot beside you as he stares at the closed door opposite you two. “Fine! But don’t forget.”

“You always seem to make it a point to remind me.” You roll your eyes as he nudges you once more.

“Hey, I’m just trying to get back what I was promised. I mean, do you know the lengths I had to go to somehow get Ja–”

You place your hand on his mouth before he could say more. “Yah, Kim Sunwoo! You cannot be saying that shit out loud,” you whisper in the last sentence.

He grabs your hand and pushes it off his face. “I’m just saying! I’m not trying to spill your secret for everyone to hear. Do you have no faith in me?”

“You’re really asking me that?” You furrow your eyebrows.

“... Point taken.” Sunwoo gives a sheepish smile. “But it was hard to make it all work! You should be glad that I’m good friends with your little publication team.”

Before you could comment, you notice the door swing open as university students make their way out. You pushed your iPad down into your bag as you stood beside Sunwoo. 

“Yah, Changmin!” Sunwoo calls out as he raises his hand. As you tiptoe, you notice the boy who you have grown to love and hate all throughout high school. Once he catches sight of you two, he smiles and makes his way to you.

“Yay! You guys did wait for me,” Changmin says as he quickly stores his glasses away.

“Of course we did. You would scold us if we didn’t,” you say as you roll your eyes.

Sunwoo laughs. “Nice one, Y/N.” He gives you a high-five.

“Hey! You would get mad if I didn’t wait for you.” Changmin shakes his head as he latches onto your arm.

You chuckle and say, “Yeah, I would.”

Ji Changmin—what could you say about this one? Despite the chaos he brings to your world, he seems to be the one person you could handle in big doses. You love Sunwoo but the guy will not get off your ass.

Thanks to Sunwoo, you met Changmin in high school. When Sunwoo decided to look into other extra-curricular activities, he found himself falling in love with dance. And dance brought him to Changmin. The two shared a love for dancing as they found themselves on the dance team representing your school. With all the times Sunwoo and Changmin got along, Sunwoo felt it was only best to bring you and Changmin together.

It is funny to remember how you two first met. At first, you thought you and Changmin would just be friendly—only interacting if Sunwoo planned something among you three.

At first, you did not feel particularly happy about hanging out with Changmin. When you say this, you can only imagine the way people would react. Everyone seemed to love him just at first glance. You though… you were terrified of the guy. Maybe it is because there were not enough instances for you to get to know each other. It did not help that he was two years above you.

Sunwoo seemed to be the glue to keep your friend group of three together. However, it was only when you first joined your high school’s publication team that you got to see Changmin without Sunwoo. It came as a surprise to you then—seeing one of the best dancers in your high school do something that is not dance (minus studying, of course).

At first, you two were awkward as you worked without Sunwoo there to be his usual self. However, the more instances you worked one-on-one with Changmin, the more you realized that there is nothing to be afraid of. With his photos and your writings, you two became an unstoppable team in the publication.

You could remember when Sunwoo first noticed the change in dynamics between you and Changmin. What started off as jigsaw puzzle pieces that did not fit together turned into peas in a pod. Though you never expected that Changmin’s bantering with you could be worse than Sunwoo’s.

“Changmin, you never hold onto me,” Sunwoo says as he glares at you two.

“Because every time I do, you run away from me,” Changmin throws back as he shakes his head. “And Y/N never gets sick of me from holding onto them.”

The three of you started to walk side-by-side. “Where’s Chanhee?” Changmin asks.

“He said to meet him in the ramen place across the athletics building,” you answer as you try to fish out your phone from your pocket. You look down at your phone and send a message to Chanhee as your two friends talk.

y/n: we are on the way xP nyuging 🐧: okie! i got us a table already nyuging 🐧: don’t forget we need to work on the small businesses coverage after y/n: yessir! i’m free after we eat nyuging 🐧: are u fr? man, i have lit class right after the interviews nyuging 🐧: with mr. choi 😭 y/n: NOOOOOOOOO who tf am i gonna stay with nyuging 🐧: not my problem xP nyuging 🐧: you could actually stay with mr. bae 💗😍 y/n: STFUUUU

You groan over Chanhee’s message. “Why?” Changmin looks over at you.

“Chanhee can’t stay with me after we finish up the interviews, and I have to wait for my meeting around 5 PM.”

Changmin sighs and says, “Sucks to be you.”

“Nice one, Changmin.” Sunwoo laughs as he high-fives Changmin.

“Yah! Changmin, you don’t want to stay with me?”

“I have other important things to handle.”

You glare at Changmin and shrug his hand off your arm. “I’m not offering to drive you around anymore. Get used to walking.”

“Yah, I’m just joking!” He jokes around and attempts to grab onto your arm once more.

Sunwoo whines. “Why don’t you bother to ask me?”

“Because I know you’re going to use that time to bother me about how I still owe you.” All he could do was giggle.

“Don’t worry, I’ll stay with you because I know you can’t survive without me.” Changmin smiles as he brings you closer to his side.

You side-eye the boy who manages to rile you up even more than Sunwoo can (maybe it is because you are used to Sunwoo’s antics). “You are so annoying.”

“Yah! Keep that shit up and I’m actually going to ditch you.”

“HEY! Don’t say that! Please, you know I’m never going to get any work done if I’m left alone.”

Changmin scoffs. “Exactly. That is why you need me.” You roll your eyes over his words.

It seems to always be like this with Changmin—sometimes warm, oftentimes cold to you. You did not mind the dynamic you had with him. If anything, it felt perfect since you learned to see how he shows his appreciation towards you without outright saying it. Regardless of the banter, you always find yourself being more sentimental with him compared to your other friends.

Before you could say anything, you hear someone call out your name. “Y/N!” As you whip your head in the direction of where the sound came from, you see the guy of your dreams. Jacob Bae—the unattainable 5th-year in your publication.

The first time you met Jacob was when you got accepted into your university’s publication. Being the only fresh recruit in the Features staff, your editor, Moon Kevin, decided it would be best to get you acquainted with the small crew. Jacob was a senior when you first got to meet him.

Despite usually being terrified of those who were a few years older than you, there was something about him that made you feel at ease. Whether it was his smile or his soft-spoken tone, you always found yourself smiling over the thought of him. Although you never got the opportunity to work with him, you can only hope it would change this year considering your staff was short on manpower.

Your mouth goes dry as you freeze in your place. “Oh my god.”

“Oh no, please act cool,” Sunwoo mumbles as Jacob makes his way to you three.

Changmin nudges him and says, “You know they will not act cool.” Before more words could be shared, Jacob arrives in front of you with that soft smile that never fails to make your insides all mushy.

“Hey, Y/N!” The way he says your name almost has your knees go weak.

A beat of silence passes. You did not know what to say to the senior you had the biggest crush on. It is only when Changmin nudges you that snaps you out of your trance.

“Ah, Jacob! It’s so nice to see you. W-where are you headed?” You squeak out as you give an awkward smile.

“I’m headed to meet with Kevin. I have an article to cram so he’s going to make some edits while I write.”

You gasp and say, “Oh god, good luck. I feel like I’d be too pressured to write anything.”

“Thankfully I’m used to it.” Jacob takes a look at Sunwoo and Changmin. “Hi, I’m Jacob. I’m on the same staff as Y/N.”

Once he puts his hand out, Sunwoo immediately grabs and shakes it. “It’s nice to meet you, Jacob hyung. I’m Sunwoo. I’m also friends with Kevin hyung.”

“Ah, you’re Sunwoo! Yes, Kevin has mentioned you.” Jacob gives a sheepish smile before he takes a look at Changmin. “And you are, Changmin?”

Changmin’s eyes go wide, shocked at Jacob knowing his name. “Yes, that’s me. How did you know?”

Jacob chuckles. “I know it because I have some friends from the Sports staff who cover a lot of stories about the dance troupe that you and Sunwoo are part of. Also, I’ve heard Y/N and Chanhee talk about you.”

Changmin smiles at you and pretends to hold his heart. “You talk about me? Awe, you two really cannot live without me.” You only elbow his side so that he could stop embarrassing you in front of Jacob.

“Anyway, it’s so nice to see you again.” You smile once more at him.

Jacob giggles and says, “Good luck with your coverage of small businesses. I wish I could’ve worked on that with you. I’ll see you later at the meeting?” You only nod to which he smiles.

“Bye Y/N!” And with that, Jacob walked away from you, leaving you with a heart so mushy.

“You seriously need to get better at making your feelings less obvious,” Changmin breaks the mood which only has you elbow him once more.

“You were literally embarrassing me in front of him!” You quietly exclaim as you three continue to walk to the restaurant.

Changmin hugs you and puts his whole weight on you, making your pace slower. “I’m just flattered that you think about me all the time.”

“You know damn well that Chanhee and I are complaining about you.”

Sunwoo laughs and says, “I can’t believe I’m the safe one here.”

“Yah, you are in no way safe. Tell him, Y/N.” Changmin attempts to argue as he stops hugging you (though his arm remains linked with yours).

You sigh and say, “Sadly, he is. I’m used to Sunwoo’s antics and I don’t spend as much time as I used to with Mr. Popular. You, however… I am getting sick of you. Chanhee is too.” Changmin gasps at your words.

“Yeah, I’m ditching you.”

“Changmin, I’m just joking! Please don’t leave me alone.”

It is 2:23 PM. You were with Chanhee as you were wrapping up your interview with the owner of the restaurant, Mr. Lim. The small business has a cozy feel whose dishes focus on the fusion of Korean and Filipino food.

“Thank you so much for letting me interview you!” You and Chanhee bow down to Mr. Lim.

He only shakes his head and hands out a small bag of thin butter cookies. “Please, it’s my pleasure. I look forward to reading that article! Enjoy these lengua de gato.”

“Ah, thank you so much!” Chanhee smiles. “We’ll make sure to visit you again, Mr. Lim!”

As you bid your farewells, you two made your way out of the restaurant. You and Chanhee walked while looking down at the notes and pictures taken.

“How are your pictures?” You ask as you peer over Chanhee’s shoulder to look at the viewfinder.

Chanhee lets out a hum as he scrolls through the photos he took. “I just need to do some minimal edits, but everything looks pretty good. Is your recording good?”

You nod at him as you play a snippet of the recording to him. “It sounds clear. I just hope that it doesn’t get corrupted like last time.”

“God, I remember when your recording got corrupted—in your first coverage too!”

You groan as you quickly stash away your phone and notes. “Don’t even remind me! I felt so bad because you were working with me too. Do you even know how embarrassed I was?”

“Of course I did. I could literally see the anxiety ooze from you when you were still a first-year student.”

You met your third devil, Choi Chanhee, in the publication. Although he is part of the Photos staff, you had the opportunity to work closely with him during your very first coverage for the university’s paper.

You remember it clear as day—you were tasked to cover the rise of artificial intelligence programs, specifically on the benefits and harm of these in the academe. He accompanied you to your interview with one of the professors since he was tasked to take pictures. However, your recording got corrupted and you were left with minimal notes. That is when you first learned the importance of taking note of everything.

Chanhee has been the nicest one out of the three devils you know. So far, you were always paired with him for all of your coverages. With so much time being spent together, you formally introduced him to your two best friends who seem to bully him in the same way they do with you. It helped that he is in the same batch as Changmin. Now, your friend group has expanded to four.

“I swear, I remember how much I cried to Kevin that day because I felt so bad,” you admit as you shake your head at the memory.

You two continue to walk until you finally arrive at Morning Roasters—the cafe you seem to frequent with Chanhee. He introduced you to this cafe when you had to cram an article on drag queens who studied at your university for June. 

“Why don’t you find a table and I’ll get our drinks?” Chanhee asks as he grabs his wallet. You nod and take a look around the packed cafe. It seemed as if every table was taken. However, when your eyes land on a familiar boy who was focused on his laptop, you could only smile.

“Changmin-ah!” You exclaim as you make your way to him.

When he looks up from his work, he rolls his eyes at the sight of you. “See, I told you I would stay with you.”

You take a seat beside him and lean your head on his shoulder. “Thanks. You know I wouldn’t have gotten any work done if I was left alone.”

He only hums as he continues to type away. “How was the interview? Did it go well?”

“Yeah, the owner is really nice. He gave us a bag of cookies,” you say as you place it on the table.

“Mr. Lim is nice. We should really eat there one day.”

Changmin stops typing and grabs the bag of cookies. As he attempts to open it, you elbow his side which he yelps at. “You’re not even going to ask if you can have some?” You scold him as you lift your head up from his shoulder.

“Can I have?”

You only roll your eyes. “Whatever, go.”

“The only reason he does that is because you react that way,” Chanhee says as he appears in front of you two with a cup of iced matcha for you and peach iced tea for himself.

“That’s true,” Changmin says before he finally grabs himself a cookie. As he takes a bite of it, he lets out a small moan at the taste. “Hey, you need to try this.”

Curious over Changmin’s reaction, you and Chanhee grab yourselves a piece and take a bite. “Oh shit, that’s good,” You say as you take one more bite of the milk cookie.

Chanhee takes a look at the time. “Oh shit, I need to go! I’ll see you in the meeting later!”

Before you and Changmin could say bye, Chanhee was already out of the cafe.

“Well, time to get to work,” Changmin says as you open your laptop.

As you peer over at Changmin’s screen, you notice that his screen was opened to a site you have not seen in a while.

“Oh my god, is that our high school publication?”

Changmin hums and says, “Yeah, I was just looking at some of my old photos. It’s crazy because I look at them and I feel a part of myself cringe. Like, why is it so bad?”

You laugh as you open the document that had your draft. “You would think that being accepted into your high school’s publication meant that you were a good writer or photographer. I feel like I have learned so much more now than I did then.”

The reality is that you only continue to learn—to grow in the work that you do. While growth may never be linear, it is a journey. Although Changmin found himself giving up on photography, you never let yourself give up on writing. But you two understood that he only wanted to invest more time into another hobby turned passion. 

For a moment, it is silent between you two. As you continue to type away, you notice that Changmin is still looking at his old articles. When you take a look at his face, you see that he is deep in thought.

“Hey, what’s up?” You ask which breaks him out of his trance.

“Sorry, I was just… thinking.”

“You want to share?”

For a moment, Changmin does not reply. It is usual for him to not want to share his sentiments. You never held it against him, but there are times when you wished he would feel safer to open up to you. You remember how easy it is for him to hide what he is going through.

“I… I was just thinking about how I managed to balance dance, the publication, and my studies back in high school. Now, I feel like I barely have time to keep up with dance or my work.” You only hum at his words.

“I think I just miss photography but not to the point where I would join the publication again. I don’t have the time anymore, but I do miss it, you know?” Changmin asks to which you nod.

“Yeah. I never realized how much time I had back in high school. Now, I feel like I’m drowning in… everything, really. I can only imagine it seems harder for you because you have the thesis to worry about.”

Changmin groans and says, “Oh god, why did you have to remind me!” He rubs his eyes. “I am literally suffering from this alone! At least I don’t need to deal with crap groupmates.”

You only laugh as you type away. “Well, you could still do some free-lancing while you’re working as a preschool teacher.”

“That is if I graduate on time,” Changmin purses his lips as he finally exits his old articles and looks at his thesis.

You nudge his shoulder. “Hey, I believe you can. And if you can’t, you’ll be fine. It’s normal.”

Changmin takes a good look at you as you continue to add some new information to your draft. “Yeah. Thanks, Y/N.” You only smile at him before you two decide to go back to work.

It is 7:32 PM. You were exhausted from your meeting with the Features staff and some people from the Photos staff (though it was still nice to see Jacob). Kevin spent a lot of the time going through what story pitches could be pursued for the rest of the first semester. Your brain felt exhausted from it all. However, there was something good that came from the meeting.

“Y/N, you will be working with Jacob on the coverage of K-Pop student idols here at our university.” You immediately look up at Kevin whose eyes are still focused on the iPad. “You two will also work on drinking culture amongst students and hustle org work lifestyle. Chanhee will be your assigned Photos staffer, as always.”

Your eyes land on Chanhee who has a small smile as he looks down at his camera. For a moment, you are scared to look at Jacob.

“Me? Really?”

Kevin hums as he finally looks up from his iPad. “Yeah. Since we’re short-staffed, I thought it would be good to just have some more collaboration articles to streamline all the work.”

You take this chance to look over at Jacob who seemed to be looking at you already, that godforsaken smile on his face. Your heart does somersaults at the idea of him looking at you without even noticing.

“Y/N?”

You snap out of your daze and finally give Kevin a nod. “Yeah, that sounds good.”

He smiles at you and says, “Well, that settles it. Jacob and Y/N will work on those three pitches while Seungcheol and Yunjin on the beauty standards and Halloween culture coverages. Lastly, Chaeyeon will work on the polyamory pitch.”

As everyone agrees with the assigned pitches, Chanhee nudges you. “Jacob hasn’t stopped looking at you.” Once he whispers those words, you feel your eyes drift over to Jacob who still had his eyes set on you.

You had no idea how you managed to get through that meeting without freaking out over that new piece of information. It sounded weird when you phrase it that way, but you are no better than a high schooler in love whenever you were thinking about him.

“That meeting felt a little too long,” Chanhee groans as he stretches his back.

You two were seated by the benches near the athletics center, admiring the starry sky. “I know. Kevin is stressed though so I can understand that he really wants to fix everything.”

With your staff smaller than last year, the Features staff could only pursue a few pitches. For Kevin, he cares about the well-being of each member which is why it made sense for him to have a meeting to ensure everyone was alright with their assigned workload.

“At least you’re gonna work with Mr. Bae,” Chanhee teases you which makes you elbow his side.

“Chanhee! Be quiet.”

Chanhee whines. “Oh come on! Don’t you want to talk about it?”

“I do but not here!”

“You’re so boring.” You only glare at him for a moment before you tilt your head back and close your eyes.

For a moment, you wanted to let yourself rest. It is until you feel someone tap your shoulder. “Chanhee, can’t you just–”

“Hi, Y/N.” Your eyes snap open as you see Jacob looking over you.

You quickly sit up straight and say, “Ah, Jacob! It’s so nice to see you.”

“Yeah. Are you waiting for Sunwoo and Changmin?”

Chanhee nods. “Yeah, I think they’re just wrapping up.”

Jacob hums for a moment as he looks at the athletics center that is still lit up. “I’m also waiting for my friend. I don’t know if you guys know him but it’s Juyeon.”

“Of course, we know Juyeon hyung. He’s just as good as Changmin when it comes to dance,” Chanhee answers.

Jacob chuckles and says, “Kevin, Juyeon, some other friends, and I are supposed to be catching dinner. What about you guys?”

“Same here.” You scratch your arm. “But also because I’m going to be dropping them off at their place.”

“Oh, you drive? That’s cool.” You nod as you look down at your lap, shy over Jacob’s words.

Chanhee scoots further away from you. “Jacob hyung, do you want to take a seat?”

“Oh, thank you!” He says as he quickly moves to take a seat beside you. You feel yourself hold your breath over the distance between you two. You hated that you felt this way about this guy. 

“Y/N-ah.” You look up from your lap and look over at the guy beside you. “I don’t think I ever got to tell you this but I’m excited to work with you. I’ve seen your articles from last year and they’re really good.”

You cannot help the smile (or blush) that creeps up on your face. “Please, I am so honored to work with you. I mean, I’ve seen your byline how many times on articles I really loved reading.”

Jacob softly nudges your shoulder. “I’m glad that we’ll have our bylines beside each other.”

As a writer, you felt yourself die inside. You have heard poets speak of love in a way you could never utter. Yet, hearing Jacob say a phrase just as simple as that had you reimagining what love should be.

For a moment, you do not know what to say. Your eyes remain on him as he continues to look at students finally making their way out of the athletics center. You notice Chanhee peering over and mouthing the words “Bitch, say something.”

Before you could say anything, you hear someone call out your name. “Y/N! Chanhee!” You whip your head to see Sunwoo running up to you guys with Changmin following behind.

“You would not–oh? Jacob hyung? It’s so nice to see you,” Sunwoo says as he tongues his cheek.

Changmin’s eyes widened at the sight of you and Jacob seated side-by-side. “Ah, Jacob hyung! Hello again.”

“Hi again. I’m just waiting for Juyeon actually.”

“Oh, he was just with us,” Changmin says as he looks back only to see Juyeon running to you four.

Juyeon pants and says, “Sorry! I just had to handle something real quick.”

Jacob gets off the bench and stands beside him. “First off, this is Juyeon. Juyeon, this is Chanhee and Y/N. They’re both from the school’s newspaper also.”

Juyeon’s eyes go wide. “Oh, you’re Y/N! Jacob hyung has mention–” Jacob quickly elbows him before he could say more to which he yelps. You feel your eyes go wide at the information.

“Ow! Jacob hyung, you didn’t need to hit me,” Juyeon complains as he rubs his side.

“Anyway, it’s nice to see you guys. Y/N, I’ll see you soon,” Jacob gives his signature smile before he walks off with Juyeon.

For a moment, you stay seated on the bench as Changmin, Chanhee, and Sunwoo look at each other.

“Did Juyeon just say… what I think he just said?” Sunwoo finally speaks out.

“Yah!” Chanhee smacks your arm. “Did you hear him?! Jacob has talked about you!”

You cannot help but smile at the events that just played out. “Ah, look at that smile,” Changmin says as he shakes his head.

Sunwoo chuckles as he grabs your arm. “C’mon, let’s talk about what happened over dinner.”

It has been a few days since you first got paired with Jacob. You still cannot believe that the only reason that you finally get to work with him is that Sunwoo somehow spilled your secret to the one person you only hoped would never find out.

“What do you mean you told him?! Are you serious?!” You reacted as you stood up from your seat with your hands planted on the table.

“In my defense, Kevin hyung somehow connected the dots and would not believe me every time I denied it,” Sunwoo says as he raises his hands in defense.

After a long day, your friend group found themselves in Changmin and Chanhee’s place with boxes of Chinese takeout in each person’s hands. While you were talking about the events that transpired during the meeting, you noticed guilt prominent on Sunwoo’s face.

“Sunwoo! I only asked you to invite Kevin and Jacob to Eric’s next party, whenever that may be,” You groan as you find yourself collapsing back into your seat.

You feel someone bring your head to their shoulder as they rub on your arm. “You had one job. How could you have possibly fucked it up?” Chanhee asks as he shakes his head.

“Oh c’mon! I really tried to convince Kevin to bring Jacob to Eric’s Halloween party. I think it’s because he knows I don’t know Jacob at all. And he knows I’m best friends with you! Won’t you cut me some slack?” Sunwoo pouts as he tries to reach out for your hand.

You only scowl at him and cross your arms. “I am never asking you to be a wingman for me. I should’ve just gone to Changmin or Chanhee for this.”

“There’s no way Kevin didn’t connect the dots earlier with how you act around his best friend,” Changmin jokes after he takes a slurp of his black bean noodles.

You frown at him as you raise your head from Chanhee’s shoulder. “Be so for real right now. There’s no way he noticed because it’s not like I interact with him enough for Kevin to even see if I have a crush on him.” You nudge Chanhee which causes him to choke on his noodles. “Back me up here.”

“Are you kidding me?” Chanhee coughs out before he wipes his mouth. “I was literally eating.”

“Just back me up!”

He rolls his eyes. “Sure, I guess.”

Changmin smiles at Chanhee’s words. “See! Clearly, Kevin noticed.”

“Chanhee just said he agrees with me!”

“I really don’t. I just want to eat my noodles,” Chanhee says, which causes you to smack his arm.

You groan and say, “You all suck. Even Eric is nicer to me and we barely interact.”

“Yeah, but you love us.” Changmin winks at you. “You can’t survive without us three.”

You only scowl since he was pointing out the truth.

Now that you know that Kevin is aware of your silly crush on Jacob, you have been on edge. You were afraid that he might have told Jacob since it seemed like something he would want to mention. That is why you were with Changmin as you anxiously waited for the arrival of the one 5th-year student who seemed to make you hyperaware of your own actions.

“I’m so scared.”

“You’ll be fine.”

You groan as you keep staring at the door. Currently, you and Changmin were at the university’s outdoor area with enough picnic tables for a hundred students. Although you two had your laptops out, only one was clearly focused on their work (clearly, it was not you).

“Changmin!” You exclaim as you finally reach out to the guy beside you, gripping his arm. “Do you think Kevin told him?”

Changmin rips his eyes away from his thesis document and gives you a good look. “Yes.” Once you let out a whine, he only laughs as his eyes set back on the unfinished document. “You will be fine! All you need to do is act natural… if you can.” As he mutters those last words, you smack his arm.

“Oh god, what if he just ditches on the meeting?”

“You are seriously overthinking this.”

“I mean, I would ditch a meeting if I found out someone younger had a crazy crush on me.”

Changmin looks at you and gives you a frown. “Are you really that unprofessional? Do you really think Jacob hyung would be that unprofessional?”

“No, but he could still surprise me,” you say as you look at your opened document that showed your possible list of interviewees for the K-Pop idol students coverage.

Changmin scoffs and says, “Yeah, just give him the benefit of the doubt. Also, I could never imagine anyone younger having a crush on you—let alone anyone liking you that way.”

You gasp and shove Changmin to the side. “Ji Changmin! How could you say that!”

“What? It’s true though!” You only frown at his words and look back at your document.

“Yah, leave now. I hate talking to you.”

“I’m just joking!” He hugs you. “Those who don’t think of you as someone crush-worthy are just blind.” You only hum as you continue to type away. “Though, it would still be weird to even imagine it.”

“Yah!” You shove his arms away as he only laughs.

You sigh as you look at him and back to your document. “I can’t believe I have put up with you for 5 years.”

“Yeah, remember when you used to like Sunwoo?” You shove him once more which only has him erupt into giggles.

“What? It’s just funny to think about,” Changmin admits, which makes you roll your eyes.

“You used to like Sunwoo?” Both yours and Changmin’s heads whip up to see a confused Jacob.

Your lips part open. “J-jacob! We didn’t notice you got here.”

Jacob chuckles as he scratches the back of his head. “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop. It’s just that while walking to you two, I overheard that part of the conversation.” He then takes a seat across from you two.

“Oh.” You scratch your arm. “It’s nothing like that. It was just a small crush then because we grew up together. But when I look back at it, it’s just so silly! Like, me liking Sunwoo? So weird, am I right?” You elbow Changmin which only has him yelp. “Right, Changmin?” As you look at him, you give him a smile that only says “Say something.”

“Y-yeah, it was a weak moment for them. It’s something the group laughs about because they got over it so quickly,” He says as he smiles at the guy older than him.

Jacob laughs as he takes out his laptop and says, “I get it. Sometimes, it gets hard to really tell whether you like a friend because you see them as a potential partner or you like what’s familiar.”

For a moment, you process his words. “Yeah… that’s exactly it.” You nod.

Jacob is right. When it comes to liking a friend, the reason behind it tends to get confusing—the line between a potential partner and just someone familiar tends to get blurred. When you looked back at your strong and short-lived crush on Sunwoo, you realized that you never got a good understanding of whether those feelings were as genuine as you thought they would be.

He hums as he opens his laptop to the document you share with him. “Anyway, it’s nice to see you. Also you, Changmin.”

“Yeah.” Changmin closes his laptop and puts it in his bag. “I’ll head out since I’ve got a meeting to attend to.”

“Oh, I see! It was still nice to see you,” Jacob says with a smile so precious; you wish you could capture it.

Changmin smiles back at him before giving you one final look. “Just call me when you’re done, okay?” You nod at him to which he gives you a squeeze on the shoulder and a wink.

With that, he left your table. You watched him walk away with a little bounce on his feet. As you look back at the person in front of you, you realize that you are now alone with Jacob.

“Are you ready to work?” As soon as you nod, he gives you that all-knowing smile that speaks a thousand comforting words. 

It is 6:38 PM when Sunwoo decides to barge into your room. It has been three days since you had your meeting with Jacob. Other than work, not much happened (though you still keep replaying his smile in your head). You are lying down on your bed with Changmin as you watch Lee Youngji’s No Prepare with Bibi.

“Let’s go to Mingyu’s party!” You and Changmin pay no attention to him as you continue to watch the video.

Sunwoo groans as he flops down on your bed and says, “C’mon! We haven’t partied in ages. Don’t you guys miss it?”

“No,” Changmin scoffs, which makes him smack Changmin’s leg.

“Y/N? Don’t you want to drink?” He looks at you with glassy eyes and a pout. You only flip him off which makes him whine. “Ah, c’mon! Chanhee said he’d go if you two would. Why don’t you guys want to drink?”

You start to groan and pause the video. “Sunwoo, can’t I watch my girlfriend Bibi in peace with Changmin?”

“No.”

“Sunwoo, I would love to but…” You tap your iPad screen to look at the time. “... I have to study for my test tomorrow. I cannot risk getting a hangover.”

“Then just don’t drink a lot!”

“You know that’s impossible,” Changmin mutters, which makes you smack his arm. “I’m just pointing out the obvious!”

You sit up and say, “Yeah, well… ugh, you’re right. I actually can’t go.”

“Oh, come on! What if we watch over you?” Sunwoo attempts to convince you.

You turn your head to look at Changmin who was already staring at you. “What do you think?”

“Why do you only ask Changmin?”

“Because I know I can’t trust you to watch over me.” You look back once more at Changmin who was deep in thought.

“Fine.” Changmin sighs as he sits up. “I’ll take care of Y/N.”

“Ah, thank you, Changmin!” Sunwoo exclaims as he hugs him.

“Yah, get your hands off me!”

The four of you arrived at Mingyu’s friend group’s shared house at 8:34 PM. The place was filled with students of different years; some you recognized while others were a mystery.

Since the three boys always hung out at your place, they already had some pieces of clothing stored in the corner of your room. All four of you were dressed up in casual clothing adorned with different accessories.

“Okay, we all have to agree that we're leaving together. That means no one is left behind nor does anyone just decide to leave early without our knowledge,” Chanhee says as he points at you and Sunwoo.

You sigh and nod. “We leave at 12:30 AM. And no Sunwoo, we aren’t leaving later than that.” Sunwoo only pouts. “I actually have a class to attend that I cannot cut.”

“Yeah, yeah. C’mon, let’s go!” He exclaims as he drags Chanhee into the house.

You frown as the two disappear from your sight. Changmin links arms with you which makes you look at him. “You’ll take care of me, right?” He only smiles and drags you into the house.

As the two of you were walking, he would greet people he would recognize. It was only when you finally reached the kitchen area that you were pushed to sit down on one of the stools. You watch his back as he mixes up a drink for you.

“Y/N, I’m going to limit you to drinking like… three drinks maybe,” Changmin says as he finally turns to look at you with two red cups in his hands.

As he hands you his mixed concoction, you sniff it. “What is this?”

“Something fruity… like you.” You only roll your eyes as you finally take a sip.

The tanginess of orange and the sweetness of strawberries filled your mouth. “Woah, it tastes like fruit punch. When did you learn to make this one?”

“I’ve made this for you before.” Changmin takes a sip from his cup. “I think you were just too drunk to remember it.”

You frown at him as you take another sip. “I have no idea why I’m here. Man, I should be studying for my test.”

“To be fair, you made me study with you before we started watching Youngji’s video.” Changmin looks through the snack table and grabs some chips for him to munch on. “And you seem to know your shit pretty well. You’ll be fine.”

“That’s true,” You say as you down your drink.

“You finished your drink already?!”

You give a guilty smile as you hand your cup to Changmin. “It was good.”

“Y/N, you’re supposed to drink slowly! You’ll get drunk if you drink way too fast.”

“No way, that shit tastes like juice.”

Changmin groans and says, “Y/N, that has like how many different alcoholic drinks in that cup. There’s like tequila, vodka, and other shit.”

You gasp as he finds something to put in your cup. “Jesus, Changmin! I thought you were going to take care of me.”

“Yeah, but I thought I could trust you enough to at least handle it yourself also. God, drink some water.” Changmin hands you a cup now full of water.

Once you down the cup, you throw the cup away.

“Yo, Changmin!” You hear someone call out your best friend’s name. Changmin sighs as he looks at you.

“You can go to that, I’ll be fine here,” You say with a smile.

“Remember, only three drinks, okay?” Once you nod, Changmin pats your head and makes his way out of the kitchen.

You sat alone as you looked over the snacks in front of you. You were not the type of person to mope around, and you did not want to force your friends to keep you company. With people coming in and out of the kitchen, you decide to grab your phone and look through Twitter to pass the time.

That is until you hear someone call out your name. “Y/N!” When you look up, you are surprised to see Kevin making his way toward you. It is only when he gets closer that you notice the cute 5th-year student trailing behind him.

“Oh! Kevin… and Jacob? It’s so nice to see you here,” you say as you quickly put your phone away. It is not that you did not expect to see Kevin and Jacob—scratch that, it is exactly that. You were not expecting to see your editor and your crush at a party where you were left to your own devices.

“Hey! Why is my favorite writer all alone?” Kevin asks with a pout.

Jacob makes his way to the stool beside you and takes a seat. “Hi,” he says with that familiar smile that still gives you butterflies.

“Ah, I came here with Chanhee, Changmin, and Sunwoo. They just have other friends they’re talking to so it’s fine,” you say as you scratch your arm.

Kevin grabs some fries and pops them into his mouth. “Damn, well don’t you worry. Both Jacob and I are here to keep our favorite 2nd-year some company.”

The best thing about Jacob and Kevin is that they never once made you feel excluded. In the work you do and all social gatherings that the members of the publication are invited to, they always seem to look out for you. Although you may not know the people they were planning to meet at this party, they still chose to stay with you.

“But first, let’s take some shots!” Kevin exclaims which only has Jacob groan.

“Kevin, the last time you did shots you were blackout drunk. Do you not have class tomorrow?”

“I actually do not! My professor decided to cancel class so I am free to drink!” Kevin smiles as he looks through the selection of liquors. “Will you drink with me, Y/N? Since Jacob is the designated driver.”

For a moment, you look back and forth between Jacob and Kevin. You knew that you would be in big trouble if you drank too much. That is why Changmin could not get mad at you if you drank in moderation.

“Yeah, fuck it. I’m not a lightweight.”

What turned into one shot turned into four shots and two cups (you think) of Jacob’s specialty cocktails. If you were not feeling the buzz then, you were definitely feeling it now. It helped that the alcohol was giving you enough confidence to talk to Jacob freely.

“Damn Y/N, you really know how to handle your liquor,” Kevin points out as he takes a sip from his drink prepared by Jacob.

“Jacob, you know how to prepare drinks for someone who does not usually attend parties,” you say with a small giggle following.

He smiles as he takes a sip from his cup of apple juice and says, “I think I could look into bartending if my degree in Korean Language and Literature fails to get me a job.”

“Hey! I still think you could look into singing,” Kevin says as he nudges Jacob.

You feel your eyes widen at the new piece of information. “You sing?” As you start to notice Jacob’s cheeks get tinted pink, you cannot help but hear your heartbeat in your ears.

“Yeah.” Jacob scratches the back of his head. “I’ve been doing it since high school.”

“You write and sing? Jesus, you got everything,” you say as you eat some chips.

“And he’s pretty good at basketball.” You gasp at this newfound information. “That’s what I’m saying!”

Jacob rolls his eyes as he playfully shoves Kevin. “I don’t have everything. I barely know how to dance.”

“Okay, but you could learn!” Kevin bounces his shoulders up and down. “I believe you could be an idol if you wanted.”

“You could have been a perfect interviewee for the K-Pop idol students coverage we’re doing.”

Jacob laughs at what you say and shakes his head. “Yeah, but I like what I do now.”

Kevin sighs as he wraps his arm around Jacob’s shoulder. “You are too humble for this world. You’re like an angel—not everyone will be blessed to have witnessed you.”

“That’s actually… so true. Wait, you kind of cooked with that,” you say which only has Kevin laugh.

“Right? God, I am such a writer.”

Before you could say anymore, you feel someone grab onto your shoulder. When you look behind you, you see Changmin with a disappointed look. “How much did you have?”

You take a moment to process his words which only makes him grab onto your face. “Y/N.” He scolds as he feels how hot your cheeks are from the alcohol.

“I swear, I’m okay,” You say as you clutch his hands that rested on your cheeks.

“How much did you drink?”

“C’mon, Changmin. I swear–”

“How much?”

You sigh as you move your hands back down to your lap. “Like… 2 more drinks.”

“In the time I was gone?!”

“Hey, Y/N said they were fine, right?” Kevin attempts to step in.

You nod which makes Changmin finally let go of your face. “Yeah, I’m okay. I swear.”

He only sighs as he sets his hands on his hips. “You sure?” Once you nod, he finally lets it go.

“Sorry, it’s just that I was in charge of taking care of Y/N but Juyeon and some other people from the dance team called for me. Hi again, Kevin and Jacob hyung.” He smiles at the two.

Jacob smiles and says, “It’s fine, you’re only looking out for them.”

Before more could be said, you hear someone call out your names. “Y/N-ah! Changmin-ah! Come here!”

As you look to where the sound came from, you can see a tipsy Sunwoo waving his arms at you from the living room. “Bring Jacob hyung and Kevin hyung too.”

“Is… he okay?” Jacob asks as he stands up straight.

You get off your stool and say, “I don’t know.”

Before you decide to leave the kitchen, you reach out for Changmin’s hand and drag him out. The four of you make your way past the busy crowd until you finally see Sunwoo, Chanhee, Juyeon, and some other people you did not recognize. At the coffee table, you see different cups and bottles. Yet, there is one particular cup that catches your eye—one filled with whatever you can imagine.

“We’re testing each other’s loyalty.” As soon as Chanhee says that, Changmin groans.

“Are you serious?”

Sunwoo smiles as he wraps his arm around Changmin’s shoulders. “It’ll be fun! Kevin, Jacob, Juyeon, and Hyunjae are in one team while we are in the other!”

“Wait, but I can’t drink. I’m driving,” Jacob says, which only has Kevin laughing.

“Don’t worry, you’ll just be the last.”

In the loyalty game, you are split into two teams. If your team loses playing rock, paper, or scissors, you all have to drink one shared cup of whatever alcohol concoction the other team made. The real test of loyalty lies in how much your team is willing to drink before forcing the last person in line to drink the rest.

Whenever you four played this game, there was always a shithead (usually Sunwoo) who would drink as little as possible so that the remaining members would drink more. You could not get mad at Sunwoo for usually doing such; it sounds like something you would do too. However, with you having a test tomorrow, you really did not want to risk anything.

“Are we really doing this?” You ask as Sunwoo pushes you and Changmin to his side.

Sunwoo only nods as both he and Chanhee have their hands out. “C’mon, we need to decide the order.”

While the other team was busy deciding their order, you four were playing amongst themselves. Despite what you wanted, the universe had its own plans—the order was Chanhee, Sunwoo, Changmin, and lastly, you.

“Oh, c’mon! Sunwoo, your ass better drink,” you exclaim as you groan.

“Has your order been decided?” Hyunjae, someone you only met right before the game, asks which has you four falling in line.

The other team was ordered by Kevin, Juyeon, Hyunjae, and Jacob. As everyone let out their hums of approval, the game began. You were not paying attention to how the game was playing out as you were up in your thoughts. It is only until you come face-to-face with Jacob’s angelic face (though you do not miss that he had his hand out).

“W-what? You guys lost?!” You exclaimed as you looked at the three devils you always seem to be teamed with.

Sunwoo scratches the back of his head and says, “I believe in you?”

“Your tone makes it sound like you don’t!”

“If it helps, you have a good chance of beating me. I usually suck at these,” Jacob says with a smile.

Somehow, you allow yourself to be fooled by that smile. You block out every sound as you continue to be entranced by his features. That is why when you play the game, you do not realize that you played paper while he played scissors.

Jacob’s team cheered as they grabbed onto him. As the opposing team cheered, your team was left disappointed. You all looked back and forth between each other and the singular cup that rested on the table.

“Bottoms up!” Kevin exclaims which has Chanhee pick up the cup.

He gives you three a good look before he takes a big gulp of the drink. With only ¼ of the drink left, he hands it to Sunwoo who only has a sly smirk on his face.

“Sunwoo, don’t you dare.”

Somehow, the universe made sure to give you one shithead that you would have to endure for the rest of your life. It had to be a shithead that you could never imagine life without. Why did that shithead have to be Sunwoo?

Sunwoo only took a small sip from the cup and handed it to Changmin, earning laughs from the opposing team. Although you could hear Chanhee scolding him, it clearly did not matter to him. You and Changmin give a good look at each other.

“Hey, I can handle it,” You say as you try to tug on his arm.

You do not know how many drinks Changmin already had, but you knew that your friend could not handle his alcohol as much as you could. Still, he chose to ignore your protests as he looked back at everyone.

He tipped the cup back and downed more than he could clearly handle. “Wow, Changmin-ah!” The others cheered. You were only left with barely a dribble of alcohol as he finally handed you the cup. Although everyone was happy with how much he drank, you were worried.

“Changmin, you are so strong,” Kevin says as he pats his shoulders.

You notice the way Changmin wobbles in place. “Ah, come on,” you say as you force him and yourself to take a seat on the couch.

“You didn’t have to drink that much,” you scolded him as you signal Chanhee to get some water for the both of you while the others seemed off in their own worlds.

“It’s fine. I didn’t want you to drink too much because you have a test tomorrow,” he says as he leans his head on your shoulder.

Changmin would always spend his time looking out for you even if you did not ask. It has always been like that since you first became friends with him. Somehow, you were always under the care of your best friend. 

You sigh as you rub your hand on his shoulder. “Yeah, but you could have left a little for me. I know you are worse with alcohol than I am.”

Chanhee arrives with two cups of water. “C’mon, drink up.”

You grab your cup and quickly drink it up before setting it down on the table. You grab Changmin’s cup from Chanhee and try to nudge the boy beside you.

“Hey, you need to drink some water,” you say, which makes Changmin finally grab the cup and finish as much as he can.

You nudged him once more to finish the whole cup of water to which he listened. “Good. You need to drink water after how much you’ve drank.”

Chanhee sighs at the sight of his two friends who were sprawled on the couch and said, “Sunwoo, I think it’s time we go.”

“W-what? Why?” Sunwoo whines as he takes a seat beside his drunk friends.

“I’m tipsy and your friend here is fucking drunk,” you say as you point to Changmin whose head was on your shoulder and eyes were getting droopy.

Sunwoo frowns for a moment. “Fine, let’s go.” He attempts to stand up with the help of Chanhee.

“Hey.” You nudge as you whisper to Changmin. “Let’s go home, okay?”

He looks up and stares into your eyes for a moment. And suddenly he erupts into giggles.

“Y/N-ah, your face is so funny.”

You roll your eyes at what he says and nudge him off your shoulder. As he whines, you help him off the couch. His arm wraps around your shoulder as he slouches beside you.

“Hey, let me help,” Jacob says as he helps hold up Changmin.

“Ah, thank you.”

The three of you slowly make your way out of the house and see Sunwoo and Chanhee standing by the sidewalk. You only notice that Kevin followed as soon as he spoke. “Hey, do you and your friends need a ride back to your place?”

“Oh, you don’t have to! We were just going to get an Uber,” you attempt to reassure them.

Jacob shakes his head and says, “No, it’s fine! I think it would be safer for you also.”

You bite your lip as you look at Chanhee. All he does is give you a shrug as he continues to nurse Sunwoo. As soon as you sigh, you decide to give in to your editor’s offer.

“Thank you, Kevin and Jacob. I’m sorry about this. Please let Chanhee and I pay you back for this.”

“It’s fine! It’s nice to see you and your friends,” Jacob says with a smile.

As your group makes its way to Jacob’s car, you notice that his car is big enough to carry at most eight people. Sunwoo and Chahee got in the third row of the car, you and Changmin got in the second row, and Kevin sat in the shotgun. Once Jacob turned on the ignition, you told him the address of Changmin and Chanhee’s place.

The ride was mostly quiet with the occasional grunts from Sunwoo. Changmin was fast asleep on your shoulder as you stared out the window.

Usually, the roles would have been reserved—Changmin would spend most of his time taking care of your drunk ass. Yet, to see him go to such lengths to make sure you do not miss your test warms your heart.

It is 11:35 AM. You were on your way back to Changmin and Chanhee’s place to check up on the three boys. Thankfully, your test was not too hard. You knew that if you studied a little harder, you could have aced it.

As soon as you arrived at their place, you knocked on the door only to be greeted by Chanhee who was pretty alive. “Hey, how are they?” You ask as you step in and remove your shoes to put aside.

“Sunwoo is fine. Changmin, however, is dying. I think he’s just been in bed,” he says as he closes the door behind you.

You quickly make your way to Changmin’s room and open the door to only see him still in bed with squinted eyes. As you pout at the sight, you quietly make your way to the bed and sit down beside him. Due to the sudden action, his eyes snap open which has you show him a guilty smile.

“Hey, Changmin-ah.” You set your hand on his leg and lightly rub it up and down. “Are you okay?”

It takes a moment for him to process your words. As soon as he lets out a groan, you only chuckle.

“I got you something.” You look through your bag and pull out a bottle of hangover cure before dropping it to the floor. “I know you usually drink this before drinking, but I think it would still help you now.”

Changmin only hums one more as his eyes start to get droopy. 

“C’mon, drink this before you go back to sleep,” You say as you scoot closer to him.

You helped him sit up straight and opened the bottle for him. Although Changmin grabbed it, you helped make sure he would finish it before placing it on the bedside table. He started to lie back down on the bed, dragging you along.

“Hey.” You try to move only for him to wrap his arms around you and nuzzle his face into your neck. “Changmin, I–”

Changmin only shushes you. For a moment, you two remain like that. He always seems to cling to you whenever he can. In your time knowing him, you have always noticed that he likes physical touch more than your other two friends. It never bothered you. If anything, it felt nice to know that there would always be someone who would want to cling to you—if he needed to do so, you always found yourself allowing it.

“Changmin-ah, we have practice,” Sunwoo says as he enters the room to see you two cozied up.

As he takes in the sight, he only frowns. “Is he still dead?”

You frown back and whisper, “You guys have dance practice? We should have never gone out drinking, the fuck.”

“To be fair, I was not expecting him to drink that much.” Despite Sunwoo’s attempts to defend himself, you only flip him off.

You look at the guy sleeping next to you, feeling his breath against the side of your neck. The thing with Changmin is that he hates missing practice. There have been instances where he would get a fever and be extremely guilty for missing it.

As you sigh, you look back at Sunwoo who only had a guilty smile plastered on his face. “Let him sleep in. He’s not in the state to practice right now.”

“Y/N, you know he’s going to be mad if he misses out on practice.”

“Well, let him be mad.” You frown. “He can be mad at me for all I care. Let him rest, I already feel bad that he’s like this because of us.” With that, Sunwoo nods and leaves the room.

It is 7:43 PM. You and Jacob finished interviewing Song Yuqi, a member of (G)I-DLE‎. Your next and last interview for your assigned coverage would be four days from now with Choi Yeonjun of TXT. 

“Ah, what a day!” You exclaim as you made your way out of the classroom you were interviewing Yuqi in. Jacob and Chanhee trailed behind you with slouched shoulders.

Chanhee only sighs as he looks through the photos he took. “Tell me about it.”

“Nice work, you two. I can’t believe it’s this late already.” Jacob takes a look at the time. “What do you guys have planned now?”

“I’m actually going to hang out with Hyunjae hyung.”

You gasp at Chanhee’s words and smack his arm. “How come I didn’t know about this?!”

“To be fair, not much has happened. We just exchanged numbers at the party,” he mumbles the last sentence. “Which is why I need to go. I’ll see you guys for Yeonjun’s interview!”

With that, you were left alone with Jacob.

“Care to walk with me?” You give him a smile and nod. As the two of you walked, a comfortable silence came. Throughout your time working with Jacob, you felt happy to be with him whether you two were talking about nothing or everything.

“So, how are you? How’s Changmin and Sunwoo?” You laugh at Jacob’s question.

It has been a week since you went to Mingyu’s party—a week since Changmin took care of you. Throughout the week, you have not been able to spend time with him and Sunwoo due to the press cycle work. Chanhee could easily see them since he lives with Changmin.

At first, you were fine with it since it meant you were spending more time with Jacob (with Chanhee joining every once in a while). You got to learn more about him outside of the image you created in your head.

He has always loved to sing and play basketball since he was young. However, it was only in high school that he obtained this newfound love for Korean literature. The more he ventured into the topic, the more he felt happy with pursuing it as his course.

What surprised you is that he never planned to write for the university’s newspaper. Despite being one of the best writers you know in the publication (not an overstatement), he only applied because Kevin dragged him to do so. You never knew that their friendship went way back since high school.

As the days went by, you started to miss your other best friends. You texted them occasionally in the group chat but not much was said other than reasons why you could not meet up with them. Your time with Jacob sadly could not make up for the fact that you missed hanging out with your best friends.

“They’re okay. I haven’t been hanging out with them that much since the party because of the work we do,” you admit.

Jacob pouts and says, “I can only imagine since they do have practice also. That’s why I find it hard to hang out with Juyeon as well.”

You only sigh as you two make your way out of the building. “Yeah, I just miss seeing them. I know they have been stressed about the upcoming competition also so it doesn’t help that we’re just busy.”

“Yeah, it’s funny how even if we're all in the same university, it’s still hard to find time to hang out.”

Jacob is right. With your friend group coming from different courses, years, and extracurricular activities, it does get hard to find time to meet. Despite fixing your schedules to make sure that you all would have lunch together, some obligations seem to get in the way.

Yet, you four always made it work. No matter how different your schedules may be or how different your priorities are, your friend group always found its way back to each other.

Before you could say more, you feel your phone vibrate in your pocket. Once you take it out, you notice a message from Changmin.

qramzi 🐿️: are you free rn? qramzi 🐿️: if you are, come to the dance studio

“You should go to him.” You look up only to see Jacob smiling at you.

You pout and ask, “How did you know it was from one of them?”

“Just a feeling.” He hums as he looks at the athletics center from afar. “Also, you kind of have this certain smile every time you talk to your friends—it’s nice to see.”

You cannot hide the blush that starts to creep onto your face. It never dawned on you that Jacob has observed you enough to notice such a small detail. As soon as his smile got bigger, you were certain that he noticed how flustered you were.

“I’ll see you a few days from now. Thanks, Jacob.” And with that, you were off to the athletics center.

The moment you got into the center, you could hear the faint sounds of “No Diggity” by Blackstreet from afar. You walked to the source until you arrived in front of the door leading to the main dance studio. As soon as you swung it open, you could see your best friend in the middle of a dance routine.

Changmin was dressed up in jogging pants and a white shirt that was starting to cling onto his torso. You could notice the light shine on his skin, glistening from sweat. Only time could tell how long he has been practicing. 

The moment he spots you through the mirror, he quickly halts his movements and runs toward you. “Y/N-ah!” He barely gives you time to enter the studio and wraps his arm around your shoulder.

“Changmin! You’re sweaty!” You complain as he continues to hold onto you. As you closed the doors behind you, he finally let go of you with a big smile on his face. “You get so happy to see me. Maybe I should just avoid seeing you,” you joke only for him to roll his eyes.

“Don’t even try. You know damn well you can’t survive without seeing me too.”

You only smile as you follow him back to the spot where he was practicing. He reached out for his phone to pause the music while you sat on the ground to lean your back against the mirror.

“So, is there any reason you called me here?”

Changmin shrugs as he wipes the sweat off his forehead. “Just missed you, that’s all.”

“Be for real right now.”

“Fine. I need a ride back home.” You roll your eyes as Changmin starts to beg you.

“C’mon! You know how hard it is to find a ride back at this time, especially at our university.”

“Yeah yeah, whatever. Just buy me dinner at least.”

Changmin frowns and asks, “You haven’t eaten?” Once you nod, he shakes his head and grabs his phone before taking a seat beside you. “You really need to eat.” He passes you his phone. “How do you even survive your meetings with an empty stomach?”

“To be fair, I had a late lunch.”

“And what exactly did you eat for your late lunch?”

“Well…” You give a sheepish smile. “Some yogurt.”

“Exactly what I thought. Whatever, just order something for the both of us.”

“That was good,” you say as you rest your hand on your belly.

Changmin is seated across from you with a frown on his face. “Really? I wasn’t able to tell since you practically devoured my food.”

“Hey! You were the one who offered your food to me!”

Changmin laughs and ruffles your hair. “I’m just kidding.” You frown and attempt to fix the mess he created.

“You have a competition, right? At the end of the semester?”

“Yeah.” Changmin sighs as he looks down at his phone. “It’s happening around late November so that it doesn’t coincide with finals season.”

You decide to ask him the golden question. “How is it so far?”

For a moment, Changmin does not respond. He lets his head loll backward and stares up at the ceiling. Before you could say anything more, he started to speak.

“It’s a lot, really. I think it’s sinking in that this will probably be the last competition I participate in since I’m planning to choreograph one of the performances for the year-end concert.” He looks back at you. “I just… want it to be perfect, you know?”

You have always known Changmin to be a perfectionist. Since your time working with him in the publication, he has always been particular about the work he puts out. Sunwoo has also shared his experience with the perfectionist when it came to dancing (and it was not a pleasant experience). Though, you understood where he came from.

“I want my last performance to be something I am proud of…” He takes a deep breath. “Because I know I won’t have another opportunity to dance again.”

As he says those words, you reach out to his hand that rests on his lap and hold onto it. He looks down at your intertwined fingers and shows a small smile at the sight. 

“I understand where this is coming from. I don’t even think it has fully sunk in that you’re graduating already,” you admit as you bite the inside of your cheek.

Changmin chuckles and jokes, “Don’t think you’ll survive without me?”

“Yeah,” you answer without letting a beat pass.

It is true. No matter how independent you made yourself out to be, you knew how much you relied on your friends—most especially Changmin. You have gone so long in your life with your best friends at your side that you never let yourself imagine a life without them.

“It’s almost like when you first graduated high school; I remember I couldn’t stop crying after you graduated.” Changmin laughs at the memory you mention. “You remember that, right?”

“Of course I do. I remember I was comforting you and Sunwoo on the day I was finally free from high school.”

You smile as you look back down at your hand that held him. “It’s just silly to recall. I mean, it already seemed like Sunwoo was set on going to the same university as you—just not me.”

“But you’re here now.”

And you nod as you look back at his eyes. “Yeah, I am.”

Changmin moves to take a seat beside you. With his hand still latched onto yours, he draws circles on the back of your hand.

“I’m glad to be here, you know?” You lean your head on his shoulder. “I like to know that as we grow in the things we like to do, we’ll always be there to witness each other reach heights we used to dream of.”

It is silent for a moment. All you could hear was Changmin’s breathing in sync with yours. You let your eyes close for a minute, happy enough to just be in that moment with your pillar of strength—your very own reason to keep going.

“I’m glad you’re here, too.”

“Ah, thank you so much again for having this interview with us!” You bow with Jacob and Chanhee to express your gratitude to Yeonjun. The four of you have officially wrapped the last interview for the coverage of K-Pop student idols. With Yuqi’s and Yeonjun’s experiences, the three of you got to learn the joys and struggles that come with such a life.

“No, thank you! It was nice to talk about my experience,” he says with a smile. “I’ll be heading out. It’s nice to see you again, Chanhee hyung.” Chanhee gives him a wave before he bids farewell and leaves the room. You sigh happily as you look down at the notes you took.

“Chanhee, you know him?” Jacob asks to which he nods.

“Yeah, I’ve had some classes with him. Not much interaction but he’s alright.”

You nod as you flip through your notes. “He’s cute.”

“Yah!” Chanhee smacks your arm only to make you laugh. “You know how risky it is to pursue an idol?!”

“I’m just saying! Jeez, I’m not going to marry him or anything. I’ll just check the group out,” you whisper those last words which causes him to shake his head.

“Whatever, I can’t stop your ass,” he admits defeat as he stands up from his seat and slings his messenger bag on his shoulder. “Y/N, I’ll catch you later at our place, right?”

“Yes, sir!”

“Thanks, again! I’ll see you two for the next coverage.” With that, Chanhee was off.

Once again, you were left alone with Jacob.

“Hey, Y/N?” Your eyes shoot up to Jacob who was already off his chair. “Do you… want to grab lunch with me?”

“I’m sorry?” You could not believe the words that left his mouth.

“I mean, if you’re busy it’s fine!” Jacob scratches the back of his head. “It’s just that it’s about to be lunchtime.”

You cannot help but smile. Never would you have ever expected to have lunch with your crush—let alone be asked by him too. If there was a way to talk to your younger self, you would talk about this moment.

“Y-yeah! I’m free.” You close your notepad and shove it in your bag. “We definitely can.”

Jacob smiles as soon as you get off your seat. “Great! Do you like pho?”

Once you nod, his smile gets bigger. You do not think you will ever get over that smile.

It is 8:23 PM. You and Changmin were seated on his bed as you stared at the homework on your laptop for your Biology class due tomorrow. Although you were a HUMSS student, you had to take general subjects as it was required in the curriculum.

Despite having the choice to pick amongst the different natural science courses offered, you had the unfortunate fate of being left with Human Biology (you did not even know they offered it to non-STEM students) as the only option. You were usually decent with basic science, but you could not understand anything complex. That is why you were glad to have a friend who was well-versed in it.

“Jesus, which professor did you end up with?” Changmin asks as he skims through the worksheet full of questions you barely understood.

“Mr. Hwang.”

“You got him?!” He exclaims with his eyebrows shooting up. “Even I managed to avoid him because of all the reviews he got.”

You roll your eyes and let yourself plop back on his bed. “I know, and I hate him. It just sucks because his schedule fits my timetable perfectly so I thought it would be fine.”

Changmin clicks his tongue against his teeth and says, “Well, your problem now.”

“I know!” You sit back up and frown at your friend who was reading through your homework. “It was impossible to be transferred to another class because the other classes were clashing with my major classes.”

He nudges your shoulder and says, “At least you have me to help you out.”

Somehow, it took only two hours for you two (mostly Changmin) to accomplish your homework. During that time, it was mostly productive with you getting side-tracked by your phone. It helped that he took his time explaining each question rather than leaving you in the dark.

“You know, you’re a very good teacher,” you point out as you finally submit your work through the online portal.

“What do you expect? I mean, I’m hoping to be a preschool teacher,” Changmin says as he stretches his back.

“I don’t know.” You finally open up another document that had your draft for your first coverage with Jacob. “It’s just nice to experience it first-hand.”

Changmin takes a peek at your screen and pouts at the sight. “More work?” You only hum as you go through Kevin’s comments, approving most edits.

“You’re still working with Jacob, right?” As soon as a smile starts to creep in, he gasps. “How is it?”

“It’s fun!” You shrug as you type on your keyboard to answer some comments your editor has and attempt to reflect it on your second draft. “He’s really reliable, so I’m happy that I’m working with him.”

He smirks. “And?”

“Well…” You bit on the inside of your cheek in an attempt to stop the smile from getting any bigger. “He asked me out to lunch.”

As soon as you reveal that piece of information, he smiles. “That’s great.”

“Yeah, it’s not much.”  You shrug. “I mean, it seemed convenient to just eat together then.”

“Hey, it’s still something,” he says, which makes you feel at ease.

Your best friend is well aware of your very barren love life. If anything, you two were in the same boat. Although you always find yourself jumping from one crush to another, he has never found himself entertaining anyone who was interested.

It is funny—you two are opposites that stick together. While you ramble about all your short-lived crushes, he always listened as if it were the morning radio. However, your crushes never progressed past the infatuation stage. That is why when you share with him your adventures with Jacob, it felt like this was turning out differently from other puppy loves.

You sigh and decide to abandon your work. “He’s a very sweet guy.”

“I’m glad he is. You only deserve sweet ones,” Changmin says, which makes you pout.

“And thank you for always reminding me that.”

It is true—he has always made sure to remind you that you only deserve happiness. No matter how many one-sided crushes, terrible professors, or mental hurdles you faced, he liked to remind you that there is something at the end worth fighting for.

“What about you? Do you have anyone you like or just find interesting?” You decide to finally ask your best friend.

He shakes his head and says, “Nope. I’m so busy with dance and thesis.”

You could only laugh in disbelief. “I’m not asking if you’re planning to date anyone! You really don’t find anyone cute?”

“Ask me again after the competition.” He shrugs before letting himself lie down on his bed. “Right now, there’s no one.”

With your work now abandoned, you let yourself lie down beside him. The two of you stared up at the ceiling as you let silence come between you. You could only hear Changmin’s breathing. Once you rolled onto your side, you let your eyes fall on your best friend.

In that period, you let yourself really take in his appearance; his eyebags have gotten heavier; his shoulders seemed tense; his eyes were on the border of closing. You always knew that your best friend has been tired from his academics and dance, but now was the only time you started to see how it was affecting him physically.

“Hey,” you speak up which has him turning his head to face you. Before you could say anything more, your hand reaches out for his. “I’ll always be here for you. You know that, right?”

He gives you a soft smile and intertwines his fingers with yours. Instead of saying anything, he rolls on his side. And with his eyes closed, he brings your linked hands close to where his heart is.

It has been weeks since you and Jacob wrapped up your first coverage together. Surprisingly, you two had minimal edits—almost like a clean close. Kevin seemed happy with the work you two delivered.

“Excellent read! I can’t believe you managed to interview Yeonjun and Yuqi for this,” your editor says as he scans through the article once more. “Plus, Chanhee’s photos and videos are good. Nice call, by the way. I think the videos will help in garnering more attention.”

Kevin quickly switches windows and plays a video of Yeonjun’s interview. “Who did you get from the video editing team to work on this?”

“I worked on it mostly, but Heejin helped in some segments I didn’t know how to execute,” Chanhee answers as he proudly watches his work on Kevin’s screen.

Jacob watches the video in awe and says, “Woah, this is nice. Did you know about this, Y/N?”

“Yup!” You nod as you smile at the three. “Chanhee was showing it to me throughout his editing process. It’s cool to see it come to life.”

You have always known your best friend to be well-versed in photography and video editing. When he initially pitched the idea to you, you wondered why he wanted to do it himself when you had a small staff capable of handling it. However, the process to ring them in would only take too long. Chanhee’s persistence is both a present and a threat—he always found himself pushing limits which could ultimately lead him to his downfall or success.

“God,” Kevin says with a happy sigh. “You three are almost like the perfect team! I’m looking forward to the other coverages. Once the two coverages are done, I will for sure treat you three to some food.” The three of you could only smile at his praise and promise.

Now, it is 9:34 PM. The most anticipated party of the year has finally come—Sohn Eric’s Halloween Extravaganza. Despite him being the same year as you and Sunwoo, everyone agreed that he knew how to party. Last year, you two along with Changmin got hammered while Chanhee was left to take care of you three.

At that same party, you made friends with other members of the publication who were not part of the Features staff while Sunwoo was busy making out with someone from the volleyball team. While Changmin was busy hanging out with people from his dance team and playing drinking games, Chanhee was out talking to someone from the soccer team. It seemed that everyone was happy with what they gained from the party.

Now, you and Sunwoo are seated on the couch at Changmin and Chanhee’s place all dressed up in costume. While you chose to go as Howl Jenkins Pendragon from Howl’s Moving Castle, Sunwoo opted to go as a soccer player.

“Your costume is so generic,” you point out as you look at him from head to toe.

Sunwoo frowns. “I’m sorry that I chose to not weeb out like you.”

As he plays with the soccer ball in his hand, you decide to ask him a question. “Where did you even find the jersey?”

All he does is point to the back of his shirt which has the last name “Lee” and the number ten. “I asked Dokyeom hyung and he had an old jersey that I could borrow.”

You furrow your eyebrows, confused to hear that name leave his mouth. “Since when were you and Dokyeom friends?”

“Since that one party where we played the loyalty game,” he says with a smirk. “C’mon Y/N, didn’t you say I was Mr. Popular?”

You could only roll your eyes at the way he flatters himself. “God, you are so annoying. And also so boring. I can’t believe you chose to dress up as your old sport just because you want to make out with someone.”

Your best friend shrugs with a smirk still resting on his lips. “Or go up to the fourth base with someone.” As soon as he says those words, you scrunch your face up in disgust.

“Changmin! Chanhee! Please save me from this fucktard!” Sunwoo shoves your arm which only makes you laugh. You spot Chanhee finally leaving his room all dressed up in a blue jumpsuit and goggles sitting on the top of his head.

“Ah, you did end up going with Pororo!” You exclaim with a smile on your face.

Chanhee spins around in place to show you two his whole fit. “Does it look nice?” He asks with a shy smile on his face.

“Yeah! It suits you,” Sunwoo says, which allows Chanhee to feel relieved.

“Where’s Changmin? It’s almost 10 PM!” You say as you stand up from the couch. Chanhee only shrugs as he takes a seat beside Sunwoo. “I don’t know what’s taking him this long.” You sigh and walk towards the door of Changmin’s room.

“Changmin!” You knock on his door. “We’re waiting for you.”

No response. With a frown on your face, you swing the door open. As you step into the room, you notice that everything has been tidied up in his room, no sign of him getting ready. You tilt your head at the sight, clearly confused.

“What the fuck? Chanhee, he’s not even here!” Before you could do any more, you felt someone grab onto your shoulder with a menacing whisper following right after. 

“Peekaboo.”

As soon as you hear those words, you screech. “What the fuck!” You spin around only to reveal that the sinister voice belonged to Changmin whose smile was bigger than ever. As you take in his costume of blue overalls, red wig, and a lazy attempt at stitches on his face, you notice a creepy doll tucked in his arm.

“Yah, Ji Changmin!” You whine as you let yourself take a seat on his bed with your hand clutching your chest.

He only laughs as he parades his doll around. “You’re still such a scaredy cat.”

You frown and say, “You’re so mean! You know how much I hate stuff like this!”

Both Chanhee and Sunwoo quickly enter the room to see the mess Changmin has created. “Yah, you know Y/N hates this more than me and Sunwoo,” Chanhee says as he shakes his head.

“When did you even get that doll?”

“First off, his name is Chucky. And I got him a few days ago! I’m so glad he arrived on time,” Changmin answers Sunwoo’s question and plays with his doll once more.

Chanhee sighs and grabs your hand to pull you off the bed. “C’mon, it’s almost 10 PM. We should head to Eric’s place already.”

The perpetrator quickly links his free arm with yours and pouts. “I’m sorry, Y/N. I was expecting to scare Sunwoo but you came in!”

“What do you mean you were trying to scare me?!”

Changmin scowls at Sunwoo and says, “This isn’t about you.”

You roll your eyes. “It’s fine. I guess you wanted to have your fun before you have to take care of our asses.” Once you see the confusion on Changmin’s face, you cannot help but smile.

“What do you mean I have to take care of you guys?”

Chanhee giggles and says, “That’s what we agreed on last time, remember? You take care of us while Sunwoo, Y/N, and I drink our hearts out.”

It takes Changmin a moment to recall the said conversation which happened a month ago. As soon as the memory hits him, he groans. “Really?”

You shrug, clearly happy with how the events are playing out. “Think of it as your way of saying sorry to me.” He only sighs, knowing he could not argue.

The four of you finally arrived at Eric’s place which was bustling with more people than expected. You could only guess that word about last year’s party got around. From what you could see, some people came in different costumes. In a sea of generic costumes such as nurses and firefighters, you were happy to spot cool costumes like Sanrio or video game characters.

“Well, I’m headed off to find Eric,” Sunwoo says.

“I’ll join you.” Chanhee says before he takes a look at you and Changmin. “Don’t forget, we leave at the latest 1 AM. Don’t separate, okay?”

As soon as you two nod, Sunwoo and Chanhee make a beeline toward wherever Eric may be. You cling to Changmin’s arm as he leads you two to the kitchen. What you do not expect to see is your editor and crush there.

Kevin was dressed up in a black and white leopard print and makeup which you could only guess as Cruella de Vil from 101 Dalmatians. However, nothing could have prepared you for Jacob’s outfit. He wore a volleyball uniform and an orange wig with a volleyball by his hip. You have always been a big fan of Haikyuu, so to see Jacob dressed up as one of your favorite characters made your heart flutter.

“Oh, Kevin and Jacob hyung!” Changmin exclaims, which grabs their attention.

“Y/N and Changmin! It’s so nice to see you,” Kevin says with a smile on his face.

“Ah, Cruella de Vil and Hinata?”

“Yeah! Not a lot of people could figure out who I dressed up as. Everyone loves Jacob’s costume though,” he answers your best friend.

“You’re Howl, right? And Changmin is Chucky because of the doll.” Jacob asks which finally has you snap out of your trance.

Changmin smiles as he tries to show off his doll and answers, “Yeah! Do you like him?”

“He’s… something!” Kevin says which only makes you laugh.

“If it helps, I hate that doll.” In an attempt to agree with your editor, you earn a nudge from Changmin.

“Hey! He’s our kid,” he complains with a pout on his lips. You only ignore his comment and drag him to take a seat with you on the stools.

Since Jacob and Kevin were wrapped up in their conversation, you took this as an opportunity to quietly ask Changmin something. “You don’t want to hang out with your friends from the dance team?”

He shakes his head and says, “I’m fine here with you.” You let yourself smile at him before he could find a way for you two to squeeze into Jacob and Kevin’s conversation.

While the four of you talked over some drinks specially made by Jacob, you were pleasantly surprised to see Eric come in a baseball uniform. “Hey, guys!”

“Eric! It’s nice to see you,” You greet the party host.

“Why are you guys just here?” Eric quickly grabs a bottle of beer. “You don’t want to dance or play some party games?”

“We’ll probably join the crowd in a little bit,” Kevin says as he wraps his arm around Eric’s shoulder. “Also, coming in your baseball uniform? You’re so generic.”

“Hey! It was the only thing I had since I was busy organizing this party,” Eric attempts to defend himself.

Jacob chuckles and says, “Well, it’s a nice party.”

“Thank you!”

“Have you seen Sunwoo and Chanhee?” Changmin decides to ask the host.

“Oh, yeah! I saw them just a few minutes ago.” Eric chuckles. “Sunwoo’s busy trying to rizz up someone from the swimming team.”

Your face scrunches up in disgust as you lean your head on Changmin’s shoulder. “What about Chanhee?”

“I think he’s just with Hyunjae hyung.”

“Ah, I see,” you say with a smirk as your best friend and Kevin giggle.

It takes a few seconds before the dots connect in Jacob’s head. “Is something going on between Chanhee and Hyunjae?” He asks with a gasp. 

“Yeah! Haven’t you noticed that Hyunjae hyung is always with him?”

Jacob ponders over his best friend’s question for a moment. “Huh, that makes sense.”

“They’re actually so cute, but I actually don’t think anything is going to happen,” Eric says after he takes a sip of his beer.

Changmin hums and agrees, “Based on what I talked about with Chanhee, it looks like they’re just friends.”

“You don’t think it’ll turn into something more?” Kevin asks with a pout on his lips.

“It would get messy, don’t you think? Since your friend groups are slowly getting close.”

You sigh and answer Eric’s question with, “Honestly, whatever makes the two happy. I think they’ll manage to figure it out.”

“Feelings are weird.” Once Changmin says those words, you could only hum in agreement. You felt like you did not know enough to comment on whatever Chanhee and Hyunjae have going on. All that mattered to you is that your friends were happy and safe at all times.

“Hey, Changmin hyung!” Someone you could only recognize to be Lee Chan, Changmin’s teammate in the dance team, enters the kitchen with a cup in his hands. “Oh, hi Eric! Well, I just wanted to call my lovely friend to play some beer pong with us. You guys are free to join us!”

“Oh, I’ll join!” Eric quickly says before he makes his way out of the kitchen.

As you lift your head from Changmin’s shoulder, your best friend frowns at Chan. “Wait, I can’t drink that much. I’m taking care of Y/N and like… the others.”

You shake your head and nudge him. “It’s fine,” you reassure him.

He shakes his head firmly and says, “We have a buddy system, remember? Plus, I don’t want to ditch you.” 

“Then they can join us!” Chan attempts to convince him further. “If it helps, we’re playing with people outside of the dance team.”

“No, it’s fine. I’ll probably just hang with those from the publication.” You smile at Chan and take a look at Changmin. “What if I just meet you two hours from now? We can meet here.” Changmin bites the inside of his cheek as he contemplates.

“Uhm, we’ll also stay with Y/N,” Jacob chimes in. As your head whips in his direction, you could see his signature smile. You would think that working with him for a few weeks would give you time to get used to his smile. And yet, you still found yourself melting at the view.

“Yeah!” You look back at your best friend. “I promise that I won’t drink too much without you.” It takes a moment before Changmin decides to give in to Chan’s request. Before he could stand up from his seat, you reach out for his doll. “Let me take care of our child.��

He cannot help but smile before he hands his Chucky doll to you. “I won’t forget you calling him that.” With that, he followed Chan out of the kitchen.

You sigh and hold the Chucky doll close to you, combing through its hair. “Do you know where News and Social Media are staying? Maybe we can stay with Seungkwan and Yeji?”

“I spotted them by the pool area. It’s actually in the same area Changmin is playing beer pong,” Kevin says, which has you standing up from your seat.

“Why don’t you guys go ahead? I’ll just meet you there,” you say as your eyes looked through the drinks.

And there comes Jacob with his sweet smile. “I’ll wait for you. Kevin, we can just meet you there.”

For a moment, you could notice Kevin snickering but he quickly covers it up by saying, “Sure.” As soon as he makes his way out of the kitchen, you give your crush a shy smile.

“Do you mind mixing me another drink?”

Jacob chuckles as he grabs the cup from you. “It’s fine, I don’t mind if it’s you.”

You do not know what to make of his comment, slightly blushing as he creates another great concoction. You decided to stand beside him and lean against the counter so that you could get a good look at whatever he was making you. In the cup, he poured two different liquors and cranberry juice.

“Can I… ask something?” He decides to ask you as he hands you back your cup.

You raise your eyebrows before you take a sip of the drink. “Oh, it’s good!” He smiles at your comment. “Yeah, of course! Ask whatever.”

Jacob takes a moment to think over his words. “I don’t really know how to ask it.”

You laugh and say, “Jacob, aren’t you a writer?”

“Yeah! But sometimes, words are weird.”

“Just say it to me straight. I think it would make it easier for us both,” you reassure him before you drink.

“Are you and Changmin dating?” As soon as those words leave his mouth, you choke on your drink.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry!” He quickly grabs some tissue and wipes your chin as you cough.

As you grab the tissue from his hand, you set down your cup on the counter. “S-sorry! I didn’t expect that.”

“That’s why I said I didn’t know how to phrase it right.” He pouts as you wave your hand at him to signal that it was alright.

“No, your question is fine!” You cough out before taking a deep breath. “Why would you think that?”

Jacob scratches the back of his neck and says, “I just thought so based on tonight’s event. I suspected something was going on between you two that one night I gave you guys a ride home. I was just thinking that tonight might have confirmed my suspicion.” You tilt your head over his words.

All throughout your friendship with Changmin, no one has ever thought of you two in a relationship. In every interaction and time spent with him, you have always thought it was normal. Sure, you do acknowledge that you spend more time with him than you do with Sunwoo and Chanhee, but it never meant that you two were together.

“We aren’t,” you start off with a smile. “We’re just very close, that’s all. I am very much single.”

Jacob nods with a relieved smile on his face. “Alright, that’s good to know.”

Before you could process his words, he spoke. “C’mon, let’s meet with the others.”

Over the hours, you have been half-focused on the conversation going on between your friends from the publication. Your mind was still trying to wrap around the fact that Jacob would think that way—you cannot even believe he seemed relieved to hear you are single.

While most of your group sat in a circle on foldable chairs, some had to stay standing up. Despite being deep in thought, you were somewhat hyperaware every time Jacob was looking at you from where he stood. Never did you ever expect the 5th-year student to show some interest towards you. 

That is why you never noticed someone grab your shoulder. You jump in your seat and take a look behind you to see Changmin with a concerned look on his face. “Hey, are you okay?” He whispers only for you to hear.

You nod and quickly get off your seat. “Hi, I’ll come back.” As soon as you bid farewell to the group, you grab Changmin’s arm and make your way to somewhere far from Jacob.

Once you two arrive at a relatively quiet corner of the backyard, you take a seat down by the porch. With a worried expression on his face, he takes a seat beside you and grabs the doll from you. 

“What’s up?”

You place your hands on the bottom half of your face and take a deep breath. “You would not believe what Jacob said to me.”

“You’re scaring me,” he says, which only makes you laugh as you shake your head.

“No, it’s just funny! But also, so many thoughts are being thunk right now.”

“Okay, what?” He asks with furrowed eyebrows. Clearly, the suspense was starting to kill him.

You bite the inside of your cheek. “He just asked if I was single!” The way Changmin’s eyebrows shoot up is a sight you could only laugh at.

“Are you serious?” He asks, shocked by your news.

“I know!” You squeal as you smack his arm. “Well, he did ask if you and I were dating–”

“He asked WHAT?!” Your best friend shouts which attracts some looks.

You smack his arm and give an apologetic smile to those who looked over at you two. Once you look back at him, you could see the expression on his face—something you could describe as shock and disgust mixed together. With the way his eyebrows are furrowed as he moves slightly away, you could tell he was taken aback by what you revealed.

“Oh, yeah! It was so weird.” You shake your head before you take a peek at where your friends were (thankfully, Jacob was preoccupied with whatever conversation was going on). You look back at Changmin and say, “I remember even choking on my drink just because he asked. But anyway, that’s beside the point–”

“Why would he think that?”

You roll your eyes as your best friend continues to cut you off. “Honestly, I don’t really know. I mean, he explained but it didn’t make sense.” He looks you up and down with a frown on his face.

“Hey! It can’t be that bad to date me!” You exclaim as you smack his arm once more.

“I’m just thinking that it would be weird for us to date!”

You roll your eyes and say, “Obviously. It’s even weirder to think I had a crush on Sunwoo then.” Before Changmin could say more, you say, “Jacob just thought so with how close we are, but I made it perfectly clear that I am single. And here’s the kicker.”

Your best friend only signals you to continue with what you are saying. “He said he was glad to know that,” you finally say as you smack his arm, earning a groan from him.

“Can you stop smacking me?”

You ignore his request as you remember the events. “I’ve never had a crush actually show some type of interest towards me. It’s so surreal.” You let yourself lean back on your hands so that you could look up at the sky.

With your eyes looking up to the starry night, you smile as you let out a happy sigh. Despite being in your second year of college, you never really had that much experience with romance aside from occasional one-sided crushes (whether with you as the apple of someone’s eye or the idea of someone plaguing your mind). That is why when Jacob shares such words, you cannot help but feel so much warmth spread throughout your body.

“I’m glad, though.” You look at your best friend who has a small smile on his face. “I’m glad that what you have is going somewhere,” he says which only makes you grin.

It is during these moments that you remember how long you and Changmin have been friends. From achievements to heartbreaks, you both have been there for each other to witness it all. In the greatest and lowest moments, the two of you always found solace in each other.

Changmin looked at himself in the mirror—all dressed up in black (from blazer to trousers) with a pair of sunglasses and chains to accessorize his whole look. He took a deep breath as he spun around.

The day of the competition has finally come. The team spent many weeks practicing the same routine in hopes to secure that trophy. After all the late nights and injuries he had to endure, he could not believe that he was to participate in his final competition.

Since he figured out to walk all on his own, dance came to him naturally like breathing comes instinctively for all. His love for dance has only grown with him throughout the years. For Changmin, there was never a possible reality where he does not fall in love with dance. Yet, with graduation dawning, it seemed like he would have to entertain that idea whether he liked it or not.

With him being deep in thought, he does not hear you enter the room. “Woah!” He snaps out of his trance once you whistle while taking in his appearance. “You look good!”

He cannot hold his smile. “Thanks. I realized this is your first time seeing me in my outfit.” He makes his way back to his bed and takes a seat.

“Yeah! You never sent me the pictures,” you say with a pout. “But I’m kind of glad. I was shocked to see how nice you looked.”

“Are you saying I don’t look good all the time?”

You frown at your best friend. “Of course, you don’t, weirdo.” Changmin could only roll his eyes while you set your small sling bag beside him.

“Thank you for offering to do my makeup,” he says as you start to take out your small cosmetics bag full of essentials for his look.

“Don’t even worry about it. I mean, I have always wanted to do your makeup before.” You adjust the position of his floor lamp to make sure it was facing him. “Sunwoo cannot stay still when I put makeup on him.”

Changmin chuckles as he looks at you retrieve different tubes. “Thankfully, I have some extra concealer that should suit your skin tone,” you mutter as you squeeze out some product onto the back of your hand.

“Anyway, how are you?” You rest your right knee on the bed as your fingers start to do the work. “Are you still nervous?”

He hums for a moment. “I am, but I’m trying to focus on just leaving the competition on a good note.”

You nod as you cover up any dark spots and circles. “That’s good. How’s your thesis going so far?” As soon as you ask that, he groans.

“Don’t even remind me.”

You cannot help but giggle as you blend out the product. “Isn’t your thesis adviser Ms. Lee? I heard she’s good.” You look through your bag and reach out for your eyeshadow palette full of neutral colors and its proper brush.

“She’s great, really. It’s just that I may have underestimated the difficulty of my chosen topic.” He sighs as he watches you open up the palette. “I hope she knocked some sense into me.”

“Or, she just had faith in you,” you point out as you pick up some light brown eyeshadow with your brush. “You’re very smart, you know? I’m pretty sure she just wants you to get some recognition for your thesis.”

He only huffs as you carefully color his eyelids. Once you were done, you set the tools aside and grabbed an eyelash curler for him to use. As you hand the contraption to him, he frowns.

“Do you really trust me with that?”

“Yeah because I don’t know how to use it.”

“I think you’d be more scared if I was the one doing it on you,” you try to reason only for him to hand it back to you.

“Just do it.”

You groan and place the curler right on his eyelashes. “Don’t move, okay? I’m scared to rip your eyelashes out.”

“W-wait!” Changmin pushes your hand away with a frown on his face. “You can’t just say that. Now, I’m scared!”

You sigh as you rest your free hand on your hip and say, “Well, what do you want? I’m letting you do it.” He sighs for a moment before signaling you to continue. “Exactly.” You proceed with what you need to do.

“And… there!” You smile as you set the contraption aside. “That wasn’t too bad. Now, I need to do your mascara.”

You open the tube and take out the wand. “I need to sit down for this, okay?” As soon as you ask, he nods.

“Yeah, that’s no prob–wait!” He cuts himself off as you suddenly lift your other leg to rest on the bed as well.

Now, your knees were practically caging Changmin. As he takes a look down, he could see your legs pressing on the outer side of his thighs. For a moment, he cannot breathe.

This felt different. In this position, he felt his mind buzzing. Sure, he has always found himself linking arms with you or even snuggling up your side. But to see you straddling him only had him at your mercy. 

Once you took a seat on his lap, he could feel himself getting dizzy. To feel your heat on his lap made him feel like he was back in high school—he could hear his heartbeat ring in his ears. There was barely any distance between you two as your face slowly got closer to his. Changmin could only hope you do not notice how red his ears are.

“Hey,” you whisper as you look into his eyes, taking a small peek down at his lips for a brief second. “Just relax, I don’t want to poke your eyes in the process.” He could feel your breath cast over his lips as you set your free hand on his shoulder.

First coat. His eyes were focused on your lips.

Second coat. You lick your lips as you focus on trying to not ruin your work.

Third coat. Changmin tries to swallow his anxiety down

Fourth coat. You let your eyes trail back down to his lips.

Fifth coat. He finds himself moving his face closer to yours, his eyes flickering down to your lips.

And something possesses him—his hands find themselves on your hips to hold you steady in place. Your breath hitches at the action, and you finally notice how close his face is to yours.

“Changmin,” you whisper his name so sweet. For him, it felt like he has never heard you say his name so gently.

“Say no and I won’t,” he finds himself saying as he lets himself finally look up into your eyes.

And before he could get a reply, he found his eyes opening to the white ceiling. Covered in sweat, he feels himself breathe heavily at his dream. There was no other way to say this—he was utterly fucked.

if you liked this, please take some time to like and reblog this!

[bookaddict24-7]

REVIEWS OF THE WEEK!

Every week I will post various reviews I've written so far in 2024. You can check out my Goodreads for more up-to-date reviews HERE.

Have you read any of these? What were your thoughts?

___

267. Body Check by Elle Kennedy--⭐️⭐️.5

You know it's bad when I can't even remember what this book was about LOL. Thank goodness for review notes.

Something about BODY CHECK just didn't immediately grab me like this author's other books. The mood just felt...off?

I've been spoiled by the newer Elle Kennedy books because this one barely had any prep time before the two MCs meant and went to bone town. Usually, Kennedy's characters have some alone time so we can get attached to them. I know this is her first book, so it definitely had some things that could have been done better. And then I start thinking about how this is a re-edited edition and I'm just kind of mind-blown.

Anyway, other than the fact that this very much felt like a Harlequin novel (not that this is a bad thing, it's just the kind of romance that happens very quickly and with some over-the-top situations), this was one of those quick books that entertains you in the moment and then immediately leaves your mind. I very much wish we'd gotten a bit more about these two before they got together. What we DID get was interesting.

The FMC had a Rachel & Ross situation going on at the beginning of the book and the poor guy was a goner that moment she had some good-good from the hockey player. The best part of this book was the scandal that was haunting the hockey players and the MC's dad. Even though I guessed the twist, it was still fun and entertaining.

If you want spicy spice, this will feed you. You will need milk. But if you want Kennedy's signature (sometimes slow burn) romance with characters who have to work to fall for each other, this one might not be for you. BUT if you're new to Kennedy, this might be a good place to start (only up from here).

I think this is one of those instances where this could have still as a backlist title, especially since most of Kennedy's more recent romance titles are a lot better. I'm not going to talk about her summer series because please.

___

268. Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

What a unique take on Cinderella!

ELLA ENCHANTED was both enjoyable and heartbreaking, all because of poor Ella's curse (excuse me, fairy "gift"). It did make for interesting moments where she learned how to maneuver her curse, and moments where I wanted to protect her from the evil people in her life trying to control her.

What I liked about this one too is that the prince knew who she was before her life completely fell apart. I liked that they had a childhood together where they fell for each other genuinely, and not because Ella looked pretty at a ball.

There was so much adventure, fun, misery, and anger felt in these pages. I also really liked that there were magical limitations and consequences for magical troublemaking. It helped the story feel a bit more genuine and like Ella would have to fight more for her freedom (which made for an even better story).

The ending had me smiling like a sap. Man, I'm glad I've finally read some of these classic stories, but I do wish I'd read them when I was younger. I just know my imagination would have been going wild back then.

___

269. Alive & Wells by Bailey Hannah--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Still hung up on that awesome dedication: "For the city girls in their cowboy romance era. And for the country girls who know a fictional cowboy is always better than the real thing." LOL.

I bought this on a whim during one afternoon trip to a bookstore. I know ranchers and cowboys have been getting really popular in romance novels and I've been curious. I remember my co-worker mentioned that she's met cowboys up in Alberta and they aren't as charming as the ones in the books (which is another reason why I love that dedication so much). But you know, I'm the type of woman who lives vicariously through fiction and that's okay.

Western suspenseful romance is a genre I never thought I'd be into, but after Devney Perry I've been unconsciously looking for more books like INDIGO RIDGE and this was a close comparison. We immediately get that threat of a douche husband and the MC's escape sets off a chain of events. She grows a lot as a character as she takes back her identity and strength that she lost during her marriage.

I LOVED the tension between her and the MMC because he has a genuine reason for being so wary of her. I will always love the idea of one MC having the prove themself to the other. Assuming is the killer of so many first impressions and I love that journey to healing that immediate rift. It usually turns into some nice spicy moments and deep connections between the characters--the perfect pay-off.

I liked that Hannah doesn't shy away from showing the painful aftermath of living in an abusive relationship and how one heals from it both with the help of others, but also with their own self-strength.

Also, can't NOT include the amazing cast of side characters who offered such an incredible level of support and entertainment! I can't wait to read their stories if they're written.

I devoured this book in the only way in can be devoured piece by piece every night for a week. Such a great western romance. Highly recommend. Intense TW for DV, potential gun violence, PTSD, and verbal abuse.

___

270. Love of My Afterlife by Kirsty Greenwood--⭐️⭐️⭐️

I went into this completely blind and a part of me is happy about it and another part is curious as to whether I would have picked this up after reading the synopsis. Sometimes I avoid books like this, either because the concept of it gives me anxiety or because I just side-eye it until it leaves my sight.

THE LOVE OF MY AFTERLIFE was an alright read that honestly made me curious about whether I should DNF it or not. I found myself wanting to do anything but listen to an audiobook and that's usually a telling sign. I will admit though that when I forced myself to press play, I DID enjoy what I was reading. Of course, there were some moments where I rolled my eyes, but there were other moments where I genuinely laughed and rooted for the MC.

Her teen life was awful and I felt so bad for her. It's true that that shit stays with you into adulthood (she says, as she thinks of how her experiences as a bullied kid still haunts her to this day) and can even alter the way you view life and the people you let in. What I wasn't a big fan of was how the MC let out her meanness on her neighbour and the people around her. She lived in that lonely bubble for most of her life and kicked people back before they could enter that bubble. In a way, this was a cautionary tale that the prison others make for you becomes so comfortable that it's really hard to break out of it.

The love interest (we all know it's not that Ken doll she meets briefly. This can't be a spoiler because it's always the one who makes the MC the angriest in the most sexually-tense way) was one of the best parts of this book. I loved that we got to know him alongside the MC and that maybe, he wasn't the jerk she thought he was. Their romance was adorable and saved a chunk of the book.

My major issues were her attitude, her obsession with that dude (to the point where it was just creepy), and some reviewers pointed out some inconsistencies that an editor would have caught.

Do I think this could easily be someone's favourite book? Hell yeah, I do. Look at that overall rating! I'm glad others liked it way more than I did. If you like romances with deadlines, a bit of paranormal action, and a grumpy neighbour who is secretly a cinnamon roll, then you might like this one!

___

271. The Ex Vows by Jessica Joyce--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Unpopular opinion, but save for the conflict resolution in this one, I think I liked the first book more. BUT this was still really cute!!!

I think the problem with me and this book was that everyone hyped it up for me. I had already loved Joyce's previous book, so I was doubly excited for THE EX VOWS. AND don't get me wrong, this one was super enjoyable. I had fun and I loved the characters and how they found themselves back in each others' orbits. I love a solid redemption arc.

But.

Something about this one didn't immediately grab me like the other book. I think it was the main trope. I'm not as big of a fan of second chance romances and I think that's honestly a very me problem. The other was an enemies to lovers romance and that is my bread and butter, second chance takes a while to capture me. I do love when a romance is rekindled and it's proven that the MC and her love interest have shared a love all along, but there's no tension like that of enemies LOL.

Anyway, THE EX VOWS was cute! I liked that we get thrown immediately into this uncomfortable situation where the MC is forced to face the one who got away (let their love sizzle down?). As the story progresses, we learn that both characters dropped the ball either from anxiety and a fear of failure, and a lack of self-love and self-importance. In other words, neither communicated (which I will ALWAYS say is a relationship killer). And now, they have a second chance.

I think what makes this story so successful with so many readers is how palpable the connection is between these two characters, and how much they love their friends. But also, the representation of what getting help and putting yourself first looks like. Also, the friendships are so sweet and portray what sometimes happens in life as we grow and change and adapt to what life throws at us.

Also, that conflict resolution. Because please, that was some A+ level writing and I wish more romance novels employed that level of communication and understand during the climax of a story.

Read this book. It's popular for a reason--it's very well written and I am SO excited to see what else Jessica Joyce writes!

___

272. Stay Dead by April Henry--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

STAY DEAD was not at all what I was anticipating. For some reason, that cover made me think that this was going to be a zombie apocalypse book (the truth behind entering a book without reading the synopsis). Thankfully, I'm still a sucker for these kinds of books. Survival and running away from someone hunting the MC down? Sign me up!

While I do wish there was more of a survival aspect after the plane crash, I was completely pulled in by the MC's intelligent approach to surviving the people who wanted her dead. There were some moments where I thought it would all end, but she somehow would get out safe. Also, as I've mentioned many times in past reviews, I love when a villain underestimates the MC because it makes the story more exciting.

I also liked that this was a realistic situation because of the reason behind WHY the MC and the previous people involved were hurt or hunted. I won't say it here, but I thought it was very timely. It was also well supported by that surprising third perspective that gives us more of an explanation of what was happening, why it was happening, and the real-life consequences.

And while I did like the hint of a romance there with the childhood best friend, I do appreciate that Henry stayed true to the story and focused more on the MC's journey than the potential romance. It was also left open-ended enough that there is either a what-if aspect to it, or a sequel cooking somewhere.

Overall, this was fun and was non-stop action. Really ended up enjoying this one, even if it wasn't about zombies.

___

273. The Switch by Lynsay Sands--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Loved the bi-panic in this LOL gave me a great laugh. But impressed that it was happening in a book published when it was (late 90s).

I'll be honest, I'm always wary whenever I start a historical romance. I don't know if it'll be a story that immediately hooks me, or if it'll be one that has so much exposition that I'll be dragging my eyelids open. Thankfully, THE SWITCH was fun from the very beginning.

These twin sisters were smart and hilarious as they fell into their new roles, even if one twin was slightly more selfish than the other. And to be fair, that was part of the character growth--the one MC learning to stand up for herself and that being a little selfish sometimes is healthy.

I thought that the star of the book was the MMC and his constant confusion. It brought back memories of MULAN and how Li Shang must have felt when he found himself attracted to Mulan when she was dressed as a man. Watching this man trying to figure out his confusing feelings was pure entertainment--especially when this story is set in a world where queerness wasn't something done out in the open. Of course, there were moments that were indicative of the time this book was written (like trying to force someone to sleep with a woman at a brothel to make him "manlier"), but I'll be honest and say I was incredibly surprised with how progressive this novel felt.

THE SWITCH was just pure fun and I enjoyed every moment of it, even if these sisters have a really bad habit of jumping into danger feet first and without looking.

___

274. The Hookup Mix-Up by Riley Hart--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

These marshmallow characters were the sweetest LOL. Loved this, but I know I read this series out of order. Oops.

THE HOOKUP MIX-UP was such a fun and adorable time. I love that this couple started with a friendship because the one MC's self-esteem needed to be brought up before he could feel loved and love in return. The way they meet was adorable and the mix-up had me cackling. I just kept thinking "So adorably dumb."

This was definitely one of those books that is meant to be devoured in the summer. The spicy elements were great and their chemistry was jumping off the page. I loved their dynamic and how each offered the other something that they were both missing.

The side characters were hilarious and added so much personality to the book. I do wish I had read their book first. I liked that they side-eyed the MCs whenever they tried to play down what they were doing together.

I DO wish we had gotten more of a conclusion regarding the one MC's ex. I would have loved to see her be more aware of what she lost because she was BRUTAL. This book could have definitely been a little bit longer.

But this was still a fun time and like the past books I've read by Riley Hart, I really enjoyed this one!

___

Happy reading!

[xo-lesserafim]

FALLING FOR YOUR SMILE AND EYES

EPISODE 7. TIL

a/n: Hey guys! Sorry I waa gone a little bit i had to plan because episode 7+ wasn’t following Xo Kitty’s timeline. Also thank you guys sm for 250 likes and 21 followers. You guys are so amazing. Anyways, enjoy<3

Bold: Korean

Italics: Over the phone

Both: Korean and over the phone.

Back to masterlist

Okay, so no coffee with Q.

It’s fine, I’ll just head to Jenny’s modeling place after I get coffee.

“Order for *coffee order.*” The barista said.

“Thank you, have a great day!” I said.

“You too.” They said.

I made it to the place, and I was amazed.

There was a lot of things happening at once, but it was AMAZING!!

“Andrea!” Jenny said.

“Hi.”

“I’m going to speak Korean mainly, is there a name you would like be to say when I speak Korean?”

“Ah-ri or Ae ri will do.”

“Do you prefer one?”

“Ah-ri when we are alone, Ae ri with other people.”

“Alright.”

“By the way., call me eonnie”

“Anyway…”

I was zoning out, excited for my new career.

A picture of the modeling.

TIME SKIP: 8 HOURS LATER

“I am so glad you called me before I went home to get ramen.” I said

“You’re welcome, anyway, how was modeling?” Q asked.

“IT WAS AMAZING!” I said excited.

I blabbed on all the amazing stuff that happened and the outfits!

“Wow, that seemed fun!” Q said.

“Boring, as ever.”

“Oof. How was Min ho and Kitty?” I asked.

“Kitty has been okay, she’s always asking if your okay, and she’s so worried. And Min ho, he hasn’t been himself, he’s only been himself if Kitty’s around.” Q said.

“Are you gonna come back to the dorms?”

“Maybe, I just don’t feel comfortable going back yet. Plus Jenny or Ji-ae eonnie’s house is really awesome! I wish you could come over.” I said.

“I wished curfew wasn’t a thing.” Q said.

“You should get back. Curfew is in 30 minutes.” I said.

“All right, see you Monday.” Q said.

KITTY’S POV.

“Q!” I said.

“Where were you?”

“I was out shopping.” He said.

“Couldn’t you have gotten the stuff you needed yesterday when we went shopping.”

“Yea, but I forgot something.”

“Okay..?”

ANDREA’s POV

I went to mini fridge for my skincare to do my skincare.

“Min ho wasn’t himself, weird!” I thought.

I looked on my phone and they posted me!

“I looked good!” I thought.

MIN HO’s POV

I looked on twitter and found a post about Ae-ri Song.

“She looks familiar,” I thought.

“But I can’t wrap my finger who she is.”

“But she is a beauty.”

“I hope we can meet soon.”

ANDREA’s POV

On Sunday, I went back to do a run through on the runway.

“She only got in because her cousin owns the place.” A girl said.

“Right, Binna.” The other girl said.

Binna? Hmm…

When it was Binna’s turn to walk, as she was walking she slipped a bit.

“Deserved!” I thought.

When it was my turn, I walked on the runway with a smile, but I was so nervous.

But I guess I had a confident aura, everyone started clapping.

“Nice job Ae-ri!” Ji-ae said.

“Thanks eonnie!” I said

“As a treat, we are going to get ice cream.”

“Really, thank you!

“Yea, you did a great job!”

At the ice cream shop, I saw Q, and….

KITTY AND MIN HO?

Thank God I had sunglasses and mask on, or I would have been fucked.

“Here’s your ice cream, have a nice day.” The worker said.

“Thanks, you too!” I said.

We went back home to eat.

I am so excited for the trip tomorrow.

MIN HO’s POV MASTERLIST NEXT EPISODE

TAGLIST: @chaewon-slays @cherrriesss

Copyrights © 2023 xo-lesserafim. All rights reserved. I do not own XO, Kitty , Netflix does. do not copy, translate, or repost anything without my permission.

[yojeongin]

DON’T BLAME THE LOVECATS — 32: ANTOLOGIA

→neighbor!jaemin x neighbor f!reader

genre: social media au, neighbors au, fluff, angst, enemies to friends to lovers, humor

wc: 2.4k

m.list | previous | next

an: I don't think you guys would like to know that this story is less than a week away from ending...

While the beginning of spring hadn’t flourished the love you and Jaemin had begun and rather a new one between you and Jungwoo (not actually); at least Jaemin wanted to express what he’s been holding back all this time. 

He felt glad enough that the letters he had been slipping under your door and the brownies weren’t left there like a week ago (or that Ami had taken the liberty of taking whatever he left you). He was aware it wasn’t out of malice and rather your wishes but he won’t deny it hurt at the beginning. 

Though heartbroken over what he sees online between you and the football player, Jaemin was glad that at least some progress was being made between you two. In the past he wouldn’t admit audibly that he loved your flan but throughout the drought, he was the first one to dig into the dish.

Cliche enough, compared to the rest he was the one to make the most pleased noises when the creamy texture of the curd and caramel fell upon his tongue. He missed it more than anyone could imagine. His selfish tendencies had tried to take over and hog the dessert but he couldn’t say no to his present friends. They all missed your labor of love, glad that you put away any resentment even if just for a tiny bit so they could eat their favorite food ever since meeting you. 

Sadly enough, they all had gotten so carried away while eating that they forgot to save a slice for the two cooks who yearned for your recipe. It’s fine, you saw their crying and though you hadn’t seen Jaemin or Mark mention the flan, you knew what those two were talking about. For that reason you had gotten more ingredients while taking Sunwoo around the city on his free weekend. Now those two will get a flan of their own. At least so they know there’s no bad blood between you and his friends. 

Almost like children of divorced parents or a girlfriend who’s partner’s kid got attached to. 

Nevertheless, your demeanor with Jaemin and his cowardice had made Amilah have enough of whatever you two were playing. She understood he had hurt you with the way he acted but now Jungwoo was also in the mix and he didn’t deserve to ache.

In this instant, she took the opportunity that Gael took a nap to head up to your floor and talk with Jaemin like he had told Sunwoo. It worked since you yourself weren’t in your apartment, everyone was getting their dishes for the dinner get-together at Hyuck and Jeno’s apartment to receive Sunwoo who was back after leaving for his new FC.

Panting and huffing, Amilah went up those two flights of stairs. Sure, not a lot but she got the apartment on the first floor for a reason. Regardless, her knuckles fell upon the wooden door three times until Mark opened with a childish smile on his face. 

“Here to pull Jaemin’s hair?” He giggles, opening the door fully for her. Ami rolled her eyes, shooting him a smile before walking towards Jaemin who had been doing the dishes after losing a game of paper-rock-scissors (Jaemin always picks rock).

“Hey…” Jaemin says, scared. “So… When are you two gonna talk?” Straight to the point, leaning against the wet counter, snickering when her forearm gained that moisture. 

Jaemin sighs at her words, shutting off the sink water and turning to her with a side frown. “Believe me, that’s all I want but she won’t talk to me and… I don’t want to force her. What if she hates me more than she does already?”

Ami couldn’t deny that would be something she’d think too if it wasn’t for all your tweets in private that let her know semi-otherwise. “Well, we did make some progress, though. She dropped off some flan.” The image of you spending hours making the dessert and dropping it off in your favorite plate made a smile slip onto his face. His perfect pearly whites were not able to be hidden.

She found it sweet, the tenderness fighting with her anger towards him. “Aww. you missed it, huh?” She giggles pinching both his cheeks, causing him to smile wider even with the pain. At least he was able to let out a strangled: “Yeah.” 

Letting go of his face, Amilah looks at the plate Jaemin had been washing. It was the one you dropped the flan in but it also turned out to be hers. “That’s my plate! That sneaky little weasel!” Ami gasps while pointing at the plate. No wonder she couldn’t find it for a good year, you had taken it!

“Well…” Jaemin nervously laughs, showing her an awkward smile. Mark on the other hand looked at the scene while laughing silently. Amilah clicks her tongue, giving up on the ordeal for now. “I’ll talk to her, okay? I need you guys to at least have closure. Seeing her crying about you not saying anything is a little… tiring.” 

Jaemin furrows his eyebrows, turning to her fully. “Crying?” He was worried, he knew you were upset but the last thing he wanted to do was make you cry. “You know what I mean.” Amilah squeezes his shoulder. Yes, you cried but he didn’t need to know that.

“Are you sure?” “Yeah.” 

He didn’t believe her. Intense stare through slotted eyes, the two were comically defensive now.

“Amilah… she’s been crying?” “Doesn’t matter, just give me my plate!”

She tries to deflect. “But that’s her favorite dish.” He pouts hoping it’ll hit her sympathy but she only knits her eyebrows letting him know it won’t work. 

“It’s mine.” “Don’t you want me to win her back?” “Not with my plate!” “But, but—“ 

Jaemin holds the wet dish to his chest, starting to walk back to get away from her. Amilah places her hands on her hips like an angry mom whose kid won’t listen. “Jaemin…” But it doesn’t help because he walks to Mark hiding behind him and leaving the two to bicker.

While things were going comically in the Na-Lee household, you and Sunwoo were near the apartment complex from the supermarket. Throughout the entirety of his stay with you this weekend, the same melody and same song had been haunting him. 

Not one minute when you turned your music on that, that nostalgic melody didn’t torment his ears. Yes, it was beautiful but hearing it night and day through your walls and in the car was driving him insane. In addition he knew why you kept listening to it and it had to do with the parent of your cat’s girlfriend. 

“This makes you think about him, doesn’t it?” Sunwoo finally musters the will to ask. “You’ve been listening to it since I got here. Have you considered giving him a chance to talk?” 

You hoped listening to every song you two liked would help you disassociate and forget about it. That maybe if you created a reality different from what was truly going on, you could distract yourself but that didn’t seem to be the case. 

This song reminded you so much of Jaemin and you couldn’t help it. By now you were just being stubborn but he also wasn’t helping you understand what truly happened. All he would write in his letters was how sorry he was and that he would be there for you but never an explanation. You figured he wanted to do it in person but it’s been too long for that, why won’t he just cave?

“I made flan as a conversation starter but after knocking I chickened out and ran back inside. I don’t know, felt a little childish. I guess it’s not that deep anymore since Mark, Karina, and even Ami have told me everything they know but…” You scratch your temple, shrugging. “But it did hurt that he just pulled away out of the blue so it doesn’t hurt to make him ache a lil’ does it?”

Sunwoo smiled widely, shaking his head while you two laughed. Your stubbornness mixed with your will to play around a little was a bit comedic to him. “At least translate it to me. I know ‘amor’ that means love, right?” You nod, throwing him one last glance before parking in your parking space. One you and Jaemin often fought over for years but has left open for you since the beginning of the year. 

“Because of you I learned how to love.” Warmth creeped onto your face, embarrassment and giddiness getting the best of you. 

Sunwoo wanted to tease you for this vulnerable moment but he opted to just comfort you. “If it makes you feel better I think he’s been hurting a lot lately because of Jungwoo.” His arms were beginning to ache now, gravity making sure the bag straps do their worst on him on the way up the two flights of stairs. 

“I figured.” You smile through your own pain from the bags. “Speaking of Snoopy, I hope he doesn’t feel like I’m leading him on…” Biting your lower lip in worry, Sunwoo turns to you with a slight pout. How he felt for both his friends.

“Believe, he’s aware you care for him as a friend.” It’s the best he could do. Now it was your turn to give him an apologetic smile. One that was easily swiped away when finally arriving to your floor. An obstacle of flowers laid across every square inch giving you two no passage towards your door.

Both of you stood in shock, the only question in your heads being: What the fuck? There were only two apartments on your floor. One wasn’t vacant and the other two were yours and Jaemin’s. If they were for him, they surely would’ve been cleared by now, right? 

So that leaves it, they were obviously for you and the only two who’ve given you flowers have been Sunwoo and Jaemin. The former should be your target for now.

“Did you do this?!” Your voice pitched, struggling to lean down and move the first vase. One step closer to your door. “How? I’ve been with you all day.” He returns in that same confused voice, helping you clear the way to the vacant doors. 

The latter was your only option now. You felt queasy and nervous, like you had to run to the restroom now if what your mind was telling you was true. “Do you think?…” You point to Jaemin’s door, biting your thumb nail and then flesh. Sunwoo did nothing more than shrug, pressing his lips together with a quizzical look. 

Asking won’t hurt then…

Reaching the door of the Na-Lee’s household, the soft sound had stopped Amilah from ripping the dish out of Jaemin’s grasp, one that he held dear for life's sake. 

Mark was closest to the door, taking the role to open it without even checking the peephole. “What’s up,” He cheerfully opens the door, forgetting to lean against the doorframe when seeing the scene before his eyes. 

“Woah damn, that’s a lot of flowers.” He awkwardly laughs, door left ajar and now the two inside could see what he gawked at.

“Do you know if Jaemin did this?” There was hope in your voice. The way you tried fighting off your smile made Mark’s heart swell in despondency knowing what his answer would entail. You really liked Jaemin and seeing you hurt because of him was disappointing. 

Mark tries to stall, sighing but with an apologetic smile that won’t leave his face. “I’m sorry… He’s been here all day.” He pouts, tucking his hands in his pockets. Surely enough your smile slowly faded, trying your best to avoid his gaze.

“Did anyone knock then?” But he shakes his head. You in contradiction nod, defeat taking over you now.

While you ran out of ideas, Sunwoo had thought of someone while you were talking with Mark. There was only one way to find out and that was by calling him.

So while you were distracted with your neighbor who tried making small talk to relieve some of that sadness, a loud groggy voice took all of your attention. 

“It's a little early to call, isn't it? Missed me?” Jungwoo jokes with Sunwoo, the younger rolling his eyes but going back to business. “Here.” He ignores the older male, passing you the phone. 

You again felt that queasy feeling but this time it wasn’t out of hope, it was freight. Freight over how this would take your friendship with Jungwoo. 

Porting worry on your face didn’t impede him from smiling widely when seeing you. In fact he was glowing after doing so and that only made you feel guilty. 

“Hey!” “Hey, Snoopy…”

The difference in your tones was so painful to note.

“By any chance did you do this?” Flipping the camera, Jungwoo chuckles seeing the sea of petals, all different colors and types. Fully unaware of what type of flowers you liked.

But Jaemin knew and the poor boy was listening in.

“Like them? Wanted it to be a surprise. I asked Eric to put in the order for me.”

A nervous laugh leaves your lips, your leg couldn’t help jitter at the situation. “Very pretty but you really Didn’t have to.” He could tell this was overwhelming for you but he hoped you still appreciated this action.

Mark felt the tension and by now all he could do was lift his hand as a sign of goodbye before shutting the door behind him and leaning against it to look at his roommate’s saddened look.

The three inside looked at each other with no words threatening to leave. They all knew this had made Jaemin’s heart even more sensitive and they didn’t want to add fuel to the fire. Not now at least that the younger of the three excused himself with the wet plate clutched tightly against his chest on his way to the bedroom.

And by now that you and Sunwoo had hung up on Jungwoo and carefully took in the flower arrangements inside your apartment, that same song you had been listening to all weekend was plaguing the walls of Jaemin’s room. Loud enough for you and Sunwoo to hear. 

‘But you forgot one last instruction because I don’t know how to live without your love yet.’

There goes your progress.

taglist: @bbymatz @dandelionxgal @w3bqrl @liljeongseong @n0hyuck @minjiville @xxxx-23nct @liliansun @ihrtnyu @kpopwh0r3 @buubbbbly @luvenshiti @igotkpoops @xuimhao @enhapocketz @wonnou @channnaa

let me know if you’d like to join the taglist!

[pbandjesse]

I wish I could say I felt better today. And it wasn't as intense as it has been earlier this week but man was I uncomfortable and crazy fatigued. The heat did not help. But I was able to mostly push through and still have a pretty good day.

I slept alright. But I woke up incredibly sore. I have been using my weighted blankets a lot but I think my tossing plus the weight of the blanket may have bruised me somehow??

I would struggle getting ready. I was just really sore and tired. My hair seems dry and I don't know why. Once I was dressed I just sat in the floor and tried to pull myself together.

The market was fine. It was entirely to warm but in a weird way. James drove us there. Made me hashbrowns. I only ate one and gave them the other and then pretended to be upset that they ate it and we were giggling in the car.

When we got to the museum James helped me set up. I was being a little baby about being so tired and sore. I just wanted to sit down. And I struggled to set things up. It felt like everything was going wrong. Even though it was all silly little things. James still helped me and once I was set up I would mostly just sit in my chair and knit the whole morning.

James would be running around fixing things and making sure things were okay for everyone.

I would have some sales. A lot of stickers today! I need to order new stickers ASAP but we have to find a few supplier after sticker mule lost their minds a few weeks back. I would also like to draw some more designs soon too. I haven't been very productive. Specifically with how poorly I have felt I haven't really made anything! Besides knitting. But even that it starting to hurt my wrists something fierce. So I will have to slow down with that I guess.

I had some lovely interactions today. That o e family came that I have been talking to a lot lately. Their little girl went around my table and just stood in front of me and I tried to chat with her but she's like 2 so she didn't say much that first time. But the second time she talked back and it was very sweet. And the mom remembered all about my knitting project. Which a lot of people were interested in today and had questions about so that was really nice for me.

Del was one of the educators today and came out to chat with me. Sat on my camp couch and we talked and caught up. He's always such a nice man. I also talked to the security guard, Mo, who made a big fuss about thinking my temperature blanket was such a cool idea and he loved how me and James always have a second layer of why we do things and it made me feel very proud.

I would also talk to Ann about the fence. She is annoyed that our fence was not the fence we ordered and is going to make sure we get some money back. She is great. And I'm really glad she is helping us so much just making sure things are okay. I feel very lucky to have gotten to know her over the years.

I was very very ready to go though. And when Ann said we could all start packing up at noon she didn't have to tell me twice. I waited until others were starting to pack up but I was for sure the first one out of there. I was just so sick of being outside. The nausea had come back (after over an hour of being okay) and I wanted to give James a hug and go do my tasks.

And that is what I did. James would give me the things they bought at the market for our little cook out tomorrow. And then I was off.

I went to Glen Burnie and went to the value village. I dropped off my big box of shoes. The guy who worked there that helped me tried to flirt "you got an IG (Instagram)?" And I hit him with the "I got a husband." And his eyes got huge and he apologized and ran away. And it was very funny.

I would walk around the thrift for a little. I got James a framed newspaper headline collage about the Orioles. And got myself a pajama jumpsuit. And then I was off.

I really wanted garlic bread from mod pizza. So I would go and get that. Got confused on the parking lot but it was fine and I figured it out. I also got a little lemonade cake. I was able to eat half before I had to throw in the towel. I needed to go home.

It took about 25 minutes but I got back here. The sun was oppressive and terrible but I got the groceries James got me inside. Our neighbors, Sean and Victoria, are moving and today was the day!

Their door was open and so after I got my stuff inside I went to wish them luck and promised to move their garbage cans on Thursday so they didn't have to drive back here. Sean also showed me around their house so I could see how their layout is different. And I am jealous of their upstairs!! While it's only two bedrooms, they are obviously a much better size and they have two full bathrooms. Plush they have the original banister with decorative trim. The upstairs felt so much lighter. I would love that. I someday I want to knock down the one wall between the two back rooms. But that is a future project for sure.

After wishing them luck I came back in here and did some cleaning up and putting away. I vacuumed the frog tank. And pet Sweetp. Let him go roll around outside for a while. But eventually I would make him come in and went to take a shower.

After my shower I laid down and fell asleep. And I slept really hard. I don't even remember having dreams. I do remember James coming in and touching my hand. But when I woke up for real they were not home. They left me a very sweet note. That they loved me and would be back home from laundry soon.

And they would. And when they got back they babied me. Rubbed my legs that still hurt so bad. Made me an orange juice and frozen strawberry smoothie. Which made me feel bit as bad. But I still felt weak. Like my body was full of concrete. I feel heavy and sore and just so tired.

James would work on folding laundry and I would come lay on the couch. And eventually we would cuddle up to watch "interview with the vampire" which we ended up watching two episodes of and it is fantastic.

I have maybe talked about this before but I had a long standing beef with Anne Rice. I loved Queen of the damned when I was a kid. It was my favorite movie. But Anne Rice was rude to my mom and also all of her fanfiction taken down nonsense. So I decided to stop supporting her. But she's dead now so I win and I can enjoy the series and it's great and I am glad we are watching it together.

Now James is playing with sweetp, who has been very very needy and affectionate this week. And I am very ready to go clean up for bed.

Tomorrow we are having some friends over for a little cook out. And I'm looking forward to seeing people. Though I am very nervous about how I have been feeling and just falling apart on everyone. I am going to do my very best.

Sleep well everyone. I love you all. Goodnight

[reyescarlos]

still trying to formulate this exes to lovers story, but this is something i managed to put together this week. thanks for the tag @sunshinestrand and @reyesstrand 💜

None of what he’s sharing his necessarily new information, but it feels like a closer look.

“My parents almost didn’t let me go to UT because of how bad things had gotten in high school. They wanted me close to home. But I promised them that I would be alright being away from the city, that it was probably a good thing that I was getting out of New York altogether.”

TK sighs, his head shaking ruefully.

“And I was good for all of freshman year. I fell into a good group with Paul and Nance. I was active in the club and with baseball. And it felt like…finally, I was doing right, living up to my parents expectations and my own standards too, you know? I felt like a different person. I was proud of who I became.”

Carlos remains quiet, but engaged.

“And then sophomore year rolled around and I met you and it was like…,” TK bites back on his lower lip and looks at his ex as the memories flood him.

He’s brought back to the day at the club fair, seeing Carlos for the very first time. It had honestly felt like the ground had shifted beneath his very feet. It went deeper than a surface level attraction even though TK couldn’t say why in that moment. Some part of him simply knew that there was something about the boy standing before him that was different, that had the power to change everything.

Carlos looks to be holding his breath now as he waits for TK to continue.

“I met you and it felt like the universe was rewarding me. Out of the blue, it brought this truly incredible guy into my life. Someone that I felt safe with immediately. It was scary, but exciting the way it felt like I’d always known you. I knew, so early on, that I could give my heart to you. But I also worried what could happen if you gave me yours.”

Carlos is quiet for a moment and TK doesn’t rush to fill the silence. He lets them sit with his words and all the implications and meanings that could be derived from them.

“Do you ever regret us?” Carlos asks, so casually as if he’s talking about something so mundane.

TK snaps his head towards him at once.

“Never,” TK says fiercely. “I regret my actions and how things panned out, but not our relationship. Not for one second.”

TK’s heart sinks as he ruminates.

“Do you regret us? After everything that’s happened?”

Carlos shakes his head.

“No.”

It’s a simple word but, in Carlos’ tone, there’s so much conviction. 

“Things might not have gone like I would have hoped, but I’m grateful that we even got the chance to be together at all. That was a gift.”

Carlos searches his eyes for a moment before he continues.

“You were my first love and I’m glad that it was you. I wouldn’t trade that in for anything.”

TK sighs softly in relief. He wishes he could ask the question Carlos’ words inspire.

Could you ever see us trying again? 

tagging: @welcometololaland @rmd-writes @marjansmarwani @tailoredshirt @maxbegone sorry if you've all been tagged before or don't want to be! im so out of the loop on these things these days 💕

[steddielover]

Tw contains swearing, darker themes for some people.

No Shame In Running

Chapter 2

A few hours later Steve made his way to the Byers’s house, the only reason he was doing it was because of who it was. He wouldn’t have wanted to go and wouldn’t have agreed to if it weren’t for Nancy and Dustin, carrying the snacks and presents he’d gotten. He wasn’t sure what Will would like, he’d gotten himself some stuff as well that he wanted to try and get into. Really Steve was only there to catch up with Nancy. He couldn’t help it, he just wanted to be with her once more, even if she was with Jonathan. Hesitantly he raised his hand and dropped it to his side once more, after a few more minutes of debating on it, Steve finally knocked. Not knowing who he expected to answer the door, he was surprised to see Robin and some of the others there.

“Steve, you made it. I wasn’t sure you would, I’m glad you came though. The others are out back.”

Smiling at Robin Steve nodded, it had been too long.

“I missed you guys, I’m happy to see you though.”

Stepping into the threshold Steve looked around, placing the bag of records and other little knickknacks he thought Will would like, he made his round of hellos and followed Robin outside. Locking eyes with Nancy, there was so much he wanted and needed to say, he needed to be honest with her.

“You know you’re always welcome here with us, I’m here if you need to talk Steve. I can’t get you to open up to me though, which makes it harder for me to be there for you.”

Feeling somewhat like a dick Steve didn’t know what to say.

“It’s not just you Robin, I’ve not really talked to anyone. I mean Dustin barely got me to talk, I don’t get out much anymore. Really only to the trailer and cemetery.”

The lump in his throat was a bit much, he’d had to deal with it off and on for months. Feeling a hand entwine with his Steve looked down at it, smiling somewhat as he knew who’s it was made it a little easier. The warmth mixing with the cold of their hands, wasn’t something he was used to anymore. Steve still loved Nancy and always would, but he’d also had his heart stolen by someone else too.

“I’ll take good care of him Robin, we’ll be back soon.”

Not registering what Nancy was going on about Steve just went along with it though. Taking in her appearance he noticed something different about her, he hadn’t actually seen her in a good minute. Steve didn’t really trust himself alone with her, he didn’t trust himself with anyone right then.

“Nance, I’m sorry. About everything.”

Following her deeper into the line of trees surrounding the backyard he leaned against one, they weren’t too tucked away where they couldn’t be watched. Feeling the heat rise to his face Steve wished he knew what would go down. He couldn’t really imagine anything, there was so much that could happen between the two of them.

“Steve, it’s alright. I’ve been meaning to tell you, everyone else knows. I should have told you first.”

Not knowing what she was about to say he waited a moment, feeling his heart sink a bit Steve wondered what was going through Nancy’s mind.

“Please, just let me explain myself? I mean I know there’s allot going on and I’ve not been here much. But I’ll always love you Nancy. You were my first love. And I’m happy for you, whatever you need to do, I don’t care. If you’re happy I’m happy.”

Knowing he was talking in circles Steve was trying, tears welled up in his eyes. Balling his hands into fists he watched Nancy with uncertainty, Steve didn’t know where this was going. He was just thankful for the time he got with Nancy, even if it was just the two of them.

“Steve, that’s not it. That doesn’t matter, we all make mistakes, but I can promise none of this is your fault. What I wanted to tell you though, I-I’m pregnant, I know you don’t want to hear this. But you’re happy with Eddie, were I mean. I’m happy with Jonathan. And I agree, there’s always going to be that part of me that loves you too.”

Taking everything in was going to take allot to sink in. Steve wanted to be happy, he wanted his friends happy too. Feeling his heart shatter into even tinier pieces Steve couldn’t help it, he wasn’t used to feeling all of these different emotions.

“You’re right Nancy, it’s not something I want to hear and it’s really hard for me to hear this. But I’m happy for you two, you deserve the best.”

Stepping away from the tree Steve made his way to Nancy, looking her in the eye he leaned down closing the distance between the two of them and kissed her. Putting his hand to her stomach, not knowing they were being watched Steve flushed as he pulled away.

“We should go inside, they’re getting ready to sing happy birthday and cut the cake. Then we can take you home.”

Pulling a hand through his hair Steve walked silently into the house with Nancy, running everything through trying to process it all he looked to Jonathan.

“Happy birthday Will.”

Sitting down at the table Steve ate some cake and icecream. He didn’t know if Jonathan knew about the kiss, but he kind of felt like he already knew. The tension in the air could be cut with a knife it was so thick, feeling somewhat normal being there with his friends made him happy.

“Let’s go Steve, I’m taking you home tonight. We can get the car tomorrow.”

Looking towards the voice Steve nodded, getting up he wasn’t sure how this would go. He would be pissed off too if he was with Nancy and saw her kissing another guy that wasn’t him.

“I’ll be back, you guys stay here and we’ll talk about this later Nancy.”

Taking his cup with him Steve buckled up once he got into the car. Wondering if this would be okay he wouldn’t be surprised if Jonathan punched him again, although he did deserve it.

“I’m not mad Steve, you’re going through hell right now. I get it, I’m hurt. But it doesn’t matter, I don’t know if Nancy told you or not, we were trying to figure out when and how to tell you. She’s pregnant, we don’t need all of this stress put on her though. And I know you’re drunk right now too, which makes it a little easier on me.”

Rolling his eyes as he heard this Steve turned his head, he didn’t want to see it. He could hear the hurt in Jonathan’s voice.

“I-I’m happy for you guys. And I’m sorry I kissed Nance, but you’ve got to understand what I’m going through. I’m not sure anyone would ever understand though, I know it’s not all about me. I wasn’t thinking. Please don’t take it out on Nancy? It was all me, not her doing.”

Sobering up somewhat Steve tried to keep focused, he didn’t want Jonathan taking it out on Nancy though. He never meant to hurt anyone, he just wanted to find himself again. Looking out at the road Steve did a double take.

“St-stop the car Jonathan. It’s Eddie.”

Steve didn’t know if his mind was playing tricks on him or not, not waiting to hear what Jonathan said he unbuckled and unlocked the door. Opening it he threw himself onto the ground from the moving car, not caring to know if anyone else was out there or not.

Righting himself Steve stood there in the middle of the road. He didn’t hear the honking of a horn, he didn’t see anything but a blinding light and what he thought was Eddie.

Please continue to read and I hope you have fun with this. Not too sure how many chapters it’ll run, but I’m really proud of this baby.

[twilightknight17]

P5T Story Finale - Part 2

I'm typing this up while sleepy to post in the morning, but here is the rest!

Where last we left our beloved idiots, they were running for their lives back to the train from the collapsing Palace. Lavenza attempts to do the whole "please keep your hands and arms inside the ride" speech, but Morgana cuts her off and begs her to just go.

It's kind of cute how disappointed she is that she doesn't get to say it. But we're going!

[insert the sound of the Thieves screaming here]

The train is able to take us back over all the previous Kingdoms to get back to Erina's, and we get to see how happy everyone is that all of this is finally over. Also I just love how the flying train looks. <3 I wish it could stay like this. I'm sure there's a way to connect that to the other rooms. XDDD

Once we land, Lavenza informs everyone that the rest of the Kingdoms will disappear soon, and that we should "use our time wisely". I'll give the kids credit: they figured out really fast that it meant Erina was going to disappear too. Even if she was still going to 'exist' in Toshiro's heart, they were sad that they couldn't bring her to the real world with them.

I dunno, Toshiro, if the others were never gonna see Arsene or Captain Kidd or Robin Hood again, I think they'd be sad, too. You're fine. Everyone else is crying, too.

I really think everyone got a crying sprite, actually.

Erina gets to say something nice to each of the Thieves, and that she was glad to be friends with them. And she promises Akira and Morgana that she'll find a way to see them again one day.

It's sweet, even if it probably won't happen. :(

Toshiro promises that he won't forget anything that's happened here, and he won't waver in his convictions ever again. I'm surprisingly proud of him. He started this game as an absolute soggy paper bag of a man, and now he's gained nerves of steel.

Maybe nerves of like... copper. He's still got a ways to go. But he's come so far.

After everything fades out, the Thieves find themselves back in Leblanc. There is no indication of how much time passed while they were gone. They mentioned resting multiple times, so within meta-space, the equivalent of days were passing, but there's no clue how it correlates to the real world. Toshiro was in there long enough that there was a news report about him being missing, but like, Sojiro's not kicking the door in freaking out about where his kids have been, so... I don't even know.

(Sojiro is not in this game at all, which is sad. :( )

The Thieves are worried whether Toshiro made it back safely, and Ann makes a brilliant suggestion.

Fortunately, everyone shoots that down with the reminder that Public Security is watching them, so they are forced to just wait and see what happens for now.

Morgana makes the most adorably intense face.

Toshiro, meanwhile, has either reappeared at the Diet, or went to the Diet immediately after reappearing. And Marie and Yoshiki don't seem to have any clue where he was.

So I guess they didn't throw him in. Which means it really all was just Salmael trying to break him.

Imagine being just a guy, trying to exist, and a god decided to specifically try to break your brain. What the heck. X'D

Yoshiki and Marie immediately remind us that they are horrible fucking people even when they're not Salmael's cognitive puppets.

Toshiro just agrees with everything they say.

And then as soon as they leave, he rips up the script.

We love a man who's been through character development. XD

Timeskip an undetermined amount of time forward.

Futaba mentions it's "warmer" today, so maybe we're into early March? Everyone is still in school. Can we at least get a single flicker of what date it is?? Please? Scramble had a calendar; I'm dying over here. XDDD

Anyway, Toshiro held a press conference and went rogue, indicted his father for all of his crimes, resigned his position on the Diet, and broke off his engagement, all in one go. I kind of wish we'd gotten that scene properly, because it would have been a WILD ride. At least the picture is great. XD

That is sad, though, because I think he'd be a fantastic prime minister now. And one with a semi-direct line to the Phantom Thieves of Hearts!

He calls the Leblanc phone to get in touch with them and let them know he's okay, which is both sweet and hilarious.

He says he's still dealing with hearings and court stuff surrounding his father and Marie, and that he's being looked down on as part of it all, too. But he also says he's going to start his career from scratch, and work his way back up on his own merits. Which is a noble goal. Maybe him and Yoshida can meet and hang out. They've got a lot in common, and Toshiro can use a mentor who isn't a piece of shit.

But Toshiro's okay for now, and that's the important part. He makes the Thieves a promise to never give up on his ideals, and it's really nice.

And with a bit more philosophizing about human nature and hearts and whatnot, we have hit the credits!

Post-credits, we get a lot of online chatter about how Toshiro has been seen out in public basically every day. Hanging out in Station Square, talking to people, helping out with things, basically doing everything he can to rebuild his reputation.

And someone is watching him.

She walks with a cane now, but she's here, and I'm so happy they were reunited. I want them to be so happy together.

And that is the actual end! The final boss was really cool, and I thought the ending was great. Obviously I'm sad to see Erina go, but it made sense. I am curious why they changed her name in English. Watching the kids ponder over whether "Eri" and "Erina" were related in some way was... a little exasperating. I don't know if leaving her name as Elle would have made it less of a glaring neon signpost, or if "Elle" in Japanese was an equally-obvious reading in some way.

I'm a little annoyed that we never really found out how the Thieves got into the metaverse? Like, if we assume Salmael yoinked Toshiro, did he also yoink the Thieves? Was it an accident because of all the duplicates of Leblanc? Give me something, game.

I wish they'd done more with the fact that it's a sequel. Namedrop Sumi and Maruki, at least, because as it stands, it's just little things. The grappling hook. Lavenza. It's no fun to have all this potential stuff and not use it. Although it is funny, because I still don't think anything in Scramble contradicts any of this, so it would still work as a Royal-timeline sequel. Which means these kids will have killed five gods in five months. And that's assuming there's no god at the end of the DLC. XDDDDDDD

The mechanics were fun, and different from what I was expecting. A little repetitive at times, but not in a way that I found annoying. The real annoyance is trying to get enough money for all the persona-summoning to fill the compendium. XDDDDD

Also, I ran into... I guess a weird glitch? Right at the end, after I saved my clear data. I saved two slots before I left for the final fight against Salmael, so I'd have one to go back to to grind for personas before I do NG+. Those files were at about 36-37 hours. Salmael and the ending took me about 2 hours.

The game seems to think those two hours were 120, so apparently I fell into the hyperbolic time cube when I wasn't looking???

I didn't touch anything in slot 2 after I left for the final battle, but even THAT time changed. I don't get it. I haven't spent 157 hours without going to NG+, I swear. X'D

(NG+, which will apparently save my money, compendium, notes, gallery, and weapons. But not my level, so I STILL have to be level 96 to fuse Satanael. Damn it, Atlus. Also apparently you can fuse the other protag and protag-adjacent personas on NG+? So, Orpheus, Izanagi and Izanagi-no-Okami, Athena, Tsukiyomi, Ariadne, Thanatos, and Messiah. Which sounds awesome but also aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa more fusion. XDDDD)

Last but not least, I went back to check out the other option when Salmael asks for your answer.

It does nothing. The scene proceeds the same no matter which you pick. I was kind of expecting a bad ending, so that's a little disappointing.

Overall, I really enjoyed Tactica, and now I can't wait to play the DLC and figure out how Atlus has shoehorned this scenario into November instead of just committing to a sequel. X'D These kids had the busiest November of anyone ever, apparently.

See you for spray paint!

[jhtechgeek2011]

Still struggling

Since my last post, my life has changed but it isn't easier. I stopped working all those 6 and 7-day stretches of 2nd shifts and for a while worked 3rd shift 5 days a week until I caught Covid-19 and my job didn't give me my shift back. I then started working all 3 shifts every week until I finally got fed up and got a note from my therapist stating for treatment to work that I needed to work a consistent shift meaning, not all 3 in the same week and not where I have to sleep at different times as when I would work 1st and 3rd shift.

My shifts were a bit better by this point, consisting of one 1st shift and three 2nd shifts, but when my manager got my letter she assumed consistent meant only 2nd shift for some reason. I explained to her that I just meant not working all over the place to the point I couldn't sleep and eat on a consistent schedule and that the 1 first 3 2nd shifts schedule was ok. My manager told me the general manager sent it to HR and we had to wait and see what they said while continuing to give me only 3 days a week.

I am a full-time employee it is NOT legal to give me part-time hours, and 24 hours a week is part-time hours. The GM also tried to justify it by saying that they can give me 24 hours a week if it's not a certain amount of time in a 3-month period which is CRAP! It is not legal to give someone full-time less than 30 or 32 hours a week at ALL. I applied for unemployment and am considering reporting them to the labor board.

I just got paid today and my check was SAD! If I had to pay my whole rent without my boyfriend paying half I would be screwed! I wouldn't have enough for anything else besides the rent. I already can barely afford the bills I pay when it's not time for the rent check like it is this time. I am so upset and worried! I need to find another job and some other ways of making money because I do NOT have enough at all.

My other issue today was those obnoxious guys at the car wash behind my house were being particularly ridiculous. One guy was doing this high-pitched annoying whistle all day no matter if I would get mad and yell for him to cut it out. The other guy was yelling and doing his horrible loud half-yell laugh thing he has. I was getting so angry and frustrated. I just yelled it all out until those guys finally shut up. I wish I could put my AC unit back in the window and drown them out with it but it's not warm enough out yet.

On another note, my boyfriend has been in and out of the house since he got home from work and it's worrying me. He went downstairs to the bar we live above to watch basketball but he has a problem when he goes in there he is tempted by the slot machines to gamble and he really shouldn't gamble because he has a bit of an issue with that and has done some dumb things when he has gotten on those slot machines down there. I just want him to stay home and out of that place. But he's working on it though. He came right home tonight after the basketball went off. I am glad he did.

On a final note, I have returned to school to obtain my degree in Psychology. Right now I am in the Bachelor's program and then I plan to complete the Master's program in Psychology with an emphasis in Life Coaching, so I can reach my ultimate goal of becoming a therapist and life coach. I was doing great in my first class, a university introduction course called University Success, designed to help students get familiar with the school and how the courses work. But now that I am in English Composition 1, I started to struggle.

There are so many papers in the class and it's a more immersive and intensive English course than I had in my previous schools. I believe that is because the course is only 7 weeks long so it is more accelerated than I was used to. Work also does not help the situation as it gets in the way, with my schedule being so stupid and with how much it stresses me out. I am getting tutoring and accommodations soon so that should help. It has been hard to focus and sometimes it is also very hard to get started on assignments.

I hate having ADHD and dyscalculia they make things harder than they should be. I didn't realize how much the dyscalculia causes me issues spatially, like clicking the wrong file when submitting homework, or even going to the wrong assignment submission link to submit an assignment because visually they line up where they can easily be confused one for the other. I turned in a paper and paper review wrong because I thought I was clicking the paper and clicked the review since the lines looked like the paper was on top and the review was at the bottom but it was reversed.

ADHD and other issues are making my life quite a lot harder than it needs to be in a lot of areas of my life lately. I am trying to get help but it is far more difficult to get help than it has to be. I am sick of struggling and really need life to get better soon. I don't know how much more I can take. I really hope I can come back with better posts in the future and that my life gets better so I have more to say than how much I am struggling and how much help I need and how much I hate struggling. Tune in next time to see what's new with Just Me.

[morningsandtea]

Life has been eventful lately.

When I say eventful, I mean I’ve made so much memories that if I died today I wouldn’t mind it.

To start off, I joined Ms UN last year around november. I confessed to yuan before that happened and it didn’t end well. We began to ignore each for almost 3 months. During that month I met someone handsome, rich, and smart. He was also charming and he liked me first. It was all so new to me and unbelievable. He was a literal heartthrob. Although, since I was confused and again, I couldn’t believe it because he didn’t tell me directly, I made friends with him and introduced him to a friend of mine.

I regretted doing it and told his bestfriend about it but then it got leaked and now the friend I introduced him to hates me. I lost a friend and it devastated me but I feel like I have way more problems in life than to be saddened about something like this. I moved on but it backfired. Since I’ve always liked yuan deeply, after losing my attention to the other guy, my heart went back to racing fast for yuan. I have no idea how to end it but I suppose I don’t really have a choice since I’m a student in our current school because of him.

Aside from my teenage problems, I also have family problems that I don’t think I’d call mine. My Mom recently went to manila around the end of December to the first week of January. I spent my new year in blues. I went to church with my cousin and she was with her cousins from her mom’s side (I’m from her father’s side) and I couldn’t help but feel lonely. They were very close to each other and I understood it. Yet somehow, I couldn’t help but feel alone by their side and cried silently. I was hoping nobody would notice but my other cousin, whom I treated as my brother, saw my change of energy and asked if I was alright. I had to force myself a soft smile and say the opposite of what I was actually feeling to not spoil the new year’s mood. I wished I had a stable life, a complete family to celebrate the occasion with. Later on, I told them I wanted to eat ice cream and so we did. I’m glad I cheered up in the end because I don’t want to greet new year with a frown. I slept well that night and proceeded to live my life as though I hadn’t been told about a major secret about my family by my mom.

My 2 weeks of stay in my mom’s friends’ place was heavenly. I slept on a comfortable bed and it was always friggin cold but I loved how cozy everything was. I could eat whenever I wanted, they always had desserts, their water dispenser had automatic cold and hot water. I only needed to wash the dishes, I could sleep any time I want, shower in a clean bathroom. They had so much mirrors I’ve gotten sick of my face, and their food always tastes good. I could also wake up whenever I wanted and do whatever I want. I had work that time and could buy whatever I wanted. I had a taste of freedom and it was the best.

School resumed two days after new year and I was satisfied. Even though It was still stressful as ever, I had fun. Everyday, I did my best. Our schedule was shortened because of an upcoming event which was our school’s foundation week. I became a head of an event that I was supposed to be joining but declined. I regretted it again because I would’ve had a chance to participate with yuan. Everyday was busy and I rarely had enough time for myself. Yuan and I became close again and the teachers knew I had feelings for him. It wasn’t really a big deal for me because he already knew. I experienced jailbooth for the first time, I made new friends, and I won 4th place in a dramatic dialogue competition with our team’s assistant head.

I had a privilege to witness the candidates practices because the event’s moderator knew me and trained me before. I trained our candidates in terms of q&a and made friends with them too. Oddly, I missed joining pageantry and practicing with the other candidates. On the day of the event, everything went smoothly and we all had fun. Our candidates won plenty of awards and one of them won 2nd place. Yuan won 3rd place, the other guy whom was a heartthrob won 1st place, and my partner back in UN won as Mr.Pasdi. Our team won as the overall champion for the foundation week. I wasn’t able to eat any meal for the whole day and we ate at a takoyaki place at 9 pm because we were starving and exhausted. I went home and slept peacefully after that day.

I gave the playlist I made for yuan to him. He liked the playlist and I feel relieved because of it. Even though he likes someone else, or even if a lot of people know him now, I will continue on cheering him on from the sides and be a friend to him.

As for xy? Well I’m doing well. I feel my kidney hurting more in each passing day and I’m guessing I won’t last long in this world. Oh and we also have a transferee and he’s my friend too. My Mom bought a Netflix account so I suppose I will be watching something now. I made a new playlist and I love it very much. It’s so chill and nice. I might even fall asleep listening to it. Yuan said he also fell asleep while listening to the playlist I made for him. Gosh It’s already 2023 and I still like that guy. I should really stop soon but I want to enjoy it while it lasts.

I’m pretty sure I forgot another detail about my life but I’ll write it when I remember and When I’m not feeling lazy. for now, this is all that’s happened in my life. I’ll go listen to the songs now and sleep or watch maybe. Depends. Ah how do I end this?

To more best days!

-xy

[randomshyperson]

Love is Outside the Screen - Part III - Elizabeth Olsen x Reader

Summary:  The one where Reader plays Vision in the MCU and she falls in love with her co-worker Elizabeth Olsen.

Warnings: (+18), smut, sexual themes, strap on use, teasing, fingering, sexual suggestions, explicit language, explicit, obscenity, a bit of praise kink, dom/sub dynamics, bottom reader mostly, switch dynamics, power dynamic changes, slight possessive sex, brief angst, alcohol mentions, arguing, jealously, fluffy.

Words: 7.935 K

A/N> Instead of writing my series, I'm continuing works that were finished already. This is basically porn honestly haha No, but jokes aside, we have fluffy moments with a lot of smut. Good reading everyone!

Part One | Part Two | All Works Masterlist || AO3

//-//-/////-///-//

Love is Outside the Screen - Part III

Northern Ireland, two years ago.

You slipped under the long wooden table as the script indicated.

Your character was supposed to give a slight nod, and then gasp because of the torso injury, and you followed the script perfectly.

When the director yells cut, you stand up, trying not to bump into the makeover they did on your clothes.

"That was great, guys!" Shouted Alex Graves in the direction of the cast scattered around the medieval set. "Let's call it a day."

You were exhausted.

The Game of Thrones footage was absolutely grueling, and time-consuming, although it allowed you to learn something new with almost every scene.

Walking back toward the dressing room to clean up your makeup, you smiled shyly at the girls in the salon who congratulated you on the day's performance while helping you to remove your costume.

While they were going through your hair, you decided to check your cell phone.

There were two missed calls from Lizzie, and you felt your heart swell with guilt immediately.

She had also sent you messages asking if everything was okay, or if you were busy, and saying that she missed you, and you wish you had answered them all, but your routine had been completely absurd.

You felt your chest ache with longing every time you thought of your girlfriend.

When you signed the contract, you knew the conditions, and so did Lizzie. But nothing prepared you for the real thing.

Almost three months without a decent conversation, not even video calls, and the lack of her in your life was making you frustrated and irritated all the time. You were sinking into the screenplay and the recordings, because you simply hated not having Lizzie in your day-to-day life.

"Thank you girls." You said as soon as you noticed the makeup completely removed from your abdomen.

The change in the script killed your character sooner than expected, and you should go home early, even though it was going to take two or three months, it was much less than originally planned.

Grumbling softly, you went back to the dressing room, deciding to call Lizzie now that you would have a little time alone.

She doesn't answer until the second-to-last ring.

"Yes?" Her husky voice signals that she was asleep, but all you can feel is your body shaking at the sound.

"It's me, baby." You reply tenderly as you sit back in the armchair, pressing the cell phone to your ear as if you wish you could reach into the device and touch your girl.

"Oh, hey." She comments sleepily, and you wonder if she has closed her eyes again, or even opened them. "It's late."

"I know, I'm sorry." You say leaning back in the armchair. "I wanted to check that everything was okay because I couldn't answer you earlier."

"Don't worry, darling." She says softly, almost sleepily. "I just missed you."

"Me too, my love." You assure her, feeling your chest tighten slightly. My god, you just want to see her, hold her, touch her. "Lizzie, darling, are you asleep?"

"Yes." She whispers, making you smile.

"I love you baby." You say. "Call me when you wake up, I will interrupt as many scenes as it takes to talk to you."

"Behave yourself in the studio, love." She mumbles sleepily, and you laugh lightly. It was the same warning she gave on your last day in California, on the way out of the airport. "I love you. And I miss you."

You cursed the entire movie company at once when you could perceive the upset in Lizzie's tone, even in her sleepy state. You repeated that you loved her one more time before hanging up the phone.

As you put your cell phone away to grab your keys and head back to the hotel, you wondered if a breach of contract was really so bad.

//-//

Present, California.

You felt Lizzie's arms wrap around you as soon as you made mention of getting out of bed. You smiled, turning your body to look at her.

Her sleeping figure with her eyes closed, her hair slightly tousled made your heart warm with affection.

You loved her so much.

Raising your hand to her face, you stroked her cheek gently with your thumb, and watched the woman sigh softly, and even in her sleepy state, lean into your touch.

"Lizzie." You called softly, trying to wake her up. And did so again until she mumbled softly, leaning her face against the pillow. You let your hand wander to her hair, enjoying the softness as you stroked her scalp with your fingers. "We need to wake up baby."

Lizzie just mumbled again against the pillow cotton, making you smile at the cuteness of that scene.

You moved closer only to deposit short kisses across her face, and only stopped when she let out a husky giggle.

"Good morning, love." You whispered against her ear, and were about to pull away, but she tightened her arms around your waist, keeping you almost on top of her, making you smile.

"Good morning." She sighed back against the skin of your neck, and you blushed slightly when you felt her inhale your perfume and then tighten her fingers around your waist. "Fuck, I love you."

You laughed softly at her sudden, hoarse confession, but let your arms slip around her shoulders, burying your body against Lizzie's. The tenderness was wonderful, and she moved one hand up to caress your back while the other remained on your hip, her thumb moving across the skin beneath your blouse.

You tilt your face away just to look at her, and already you find her with her eyes wide open, a shy smile on her lips.

"I love you too, babe, but we need to get up." You tell her, and you almost get the impression that she's not even listening, because all she does is look at your face with adoration.

You bite back a smile as you feel her legs move beneath you, her bare foot caressing your ankle before she spins you around quickly and stands over you, the sudden movement making you sigh and tighten your arms intertwined around her neck.

"Lizzie!" You exclaim humorously, but all you get is a low murmur as she sinks her body against yours and buries her face in your neck.

"How much time do we have?" She asks against your skin, her lips dangling on that sensitive part of your collarbone and sending a shiver up the length of your spine.

"Enough." You reply already affected by her touch, closing your eyes to enjoy the sensation.

Lizzie smiles against your neck, beginning to deposit chaste kisses against your skin, making you sigh softly.

It didn't matter how many times you had been together or for how long, your body reacted to her in the same way. You only hoped that you wouldn't be late for your appointment with the Marvel directors, but when Lizzie slipped her hand up into your pajamas, you didn't care about that anymore.

//-//-//

London, 1 year and 9 months ago.

It's your third time on "The Graham Norton Show."

You finished taping Game of Thrones the day before, and this was your last appointment before returning to California. To Lizzie.

Part of the cast is sitting next to you, and you are glad for that because you are distracted this evening and can use the time they answer questions to think about your girlfriend. And you miss her for sure.

Graham, the host, asked questions about the final season, and about day to day life on set, and after Kit Harington and Emilia Clarke commented on everything being amazing, and not telling anything about the plot since they weren't allowed to, you were slightly surprised that the subject shift went directly to the romance rumors between the cast.

"I hear that some of you have been becoming close friends outside the set." Graham begins with a chuckle, and you and the cast share a chorus of dissatisfaction that makes the audience laugh. "Which is normal in a long series of course. But we wanted to bring that in because we love gossip."

"Since I'm married, can I have a drink in the dressing room?" Kit jokes, drawing laughter from everyone.

"You're supposed to help us with the arguments". Graham replies humorously. He leans back in his chair slightly to point to the monitor behind him. "We have some behind-the-scenes photos here. And Miss Clarke looks very comfortable."

The audience laughed at the comment, and you tried to cover it up with an awkward laugh. It was a picture of Emilia Clarke, your colleague who plays Daenerys Targaryen, on your lap. But the moment was badly misinterpreted. The photo was taken right after one of the prom rehearsal scenes, and Emilia had gotten one of the coordinations wrong, and you laughed when she fell on you.

Of course, this kind of insinuation was happening because to the media, you two were two single women. And you were used to this kind of questioning, but still, it was always uncomfortable.

"We were dancing, Graham." Emilia argues humorously. "It's not what it looks like."

The audience lets out a chorus of disappointment, and you and Emilia giggle awkwardly.

"Was that the mating dance, ladies?" Graham teases and you want to dig a hole in the ground, but all you do is keep up with everyone's laughter. "Despite all the jokes, I think Marvel's couple is going to be threatened."

The comment makes your heart race, but the audience is very approving, applauding heartily.

At least with this you can talk about Elizabeth.

"Is tonight the night you are going to take over America's dream relationship or can we just keep saying that you and Emilia are together, since there is not the slightest chance that someone that attractive is single." Graham tells you with humor making the audience and cast laugh. You try to keep up, not wanting to seem rude. You wish you could tell him that there is nothing wrong with being single, but you don't think you want to create an awkwardness so you just settle back in your seat as you joke:

"Unfortunately I will deny it again, Graham" You reply. "And I'm not dating Emilia either, I assure you."

You spend the rest of the evening dodging the comments, and are exhausted by the time the interview is over.

"Hey, are you going back to the hotel already?" Kit asks you just as you walk back to the dressing rooms, and you deny it with your head.

"No chance, I'm leaving." You reply. "I'm going straight to the airport, I have a flight in two hours. What about you, Harington? Aren't you going home to see your wife?"

"I didn't know we were talking about wives." He jokes making you blush and look away. Kit didn't know about Lizzie, but he knew you had someone. "Of course I want to come home, but I still have some appointments here. And Rose is in Spain."

"That sucks, man." You comment and he murmurs in agreement, shrugging.

"Yeah, but longing sure makes the sex better." He retorts with amusement and you grimace before laughing.

"You're unbelievable." You joke before waving yourself off in farewell, turning in the direction of your dressing room.

As soon as you enter, you take your cell phone out of your pocket and try to call Lizzie, but it goes to voicemail. You leave a message saying that you can't wait to see her and get your things ready to leave.

After saying goodbye to the cast again, and taking a taxi to the airport, you receive a message, but it is not from Lizzie.

*Sara evil agent* sent you an attachment.

You frown at the matter. "Off-screen romance? Would GOT star Emilia Clarke be dating queer Marvel protégé?"

You call Sara the same minute.

"I literally said I wasn't dating her!" You complain as soon as she answers and hear Sara laugh on the other end.

"Oh, honey, I told you, the media loves a little gossip." She says. "And you need to stop setting up fake girlfriends so quickly, I can barely keep up."

You grumble in irritation and your agent lets out a giggle.

"Don't be so grumpy, it's just a rumor and the last time I checked you were a single woman so I don't see a problem." She says and you bite the inside of your cheek. Since your lack of excitement about GOT, Sara suspects something. Neither of you says anything, but you know she's not an idiot and figures you have a girlfriend. "Are you going back to LA already?"

"Yes, I'm catching my flight in an hour."

"I hope you're ready to record, Lady Vision." She jokes. "Your scene schedule is getting closer."

"I plan to rest this week." You warn, slightly distracted. "Game of Thrones really was something different."

"I just hope people like the ending."

You giggle and Sara wants to know why, but you don't give her any spoilers. After asking if everything was okay, and assuring her that you had eaten something before the interview, you hang up.

Lizzie didn't text you back and you fell asleep on the plane.

//-//-//-//-//

California, three years and eleven months ago.

Your heart was beating so fast that you could hear it in your ears.

But Lizzie's hand in yours was doing a good job of calming you down.

Maybe it was just because you had waited, or maybe it was because you were so much in love, but you don't remember feeling so nervous about the idea of having sex with someone. Not since your first time.

And well, now with Lizzie, it was actually only the first time you two were going to sleep together. You didn't have to be nervous, but you were.

Liz opened the bedroom door as soon as you two reached the room, and dragged you inside with her. You closed the wood as you entered.

The tension was palpable in the air, and you wondered if you stayed still long enough, she might hear your heartbeat.

You looked at her, your eyes locked on each other, and a shy smile on your lips as you approached, stopping inches from her body.

Lizzie holds her breath.

"Are you nervous?" You ask in a husky voice, raising your free hand to go around the length of her arm with your finger, admiring the way her skin shivers at your touch.

She just shakes her head and you smile, resting your hand on her cheek.

"It's just me." You comment as you lean your forehead against hers, and you both close your eyes in anticipation. "We can stop if you're not sure..."

"I'm sure." She interrupts half breathlessly, her hand tightening its grip before letting go of yours, so that she brings both hands to the sides of your neck. "Are you sure?"

"Yes." You assure before breaking the distance, bringing your mouths together in a firm kiss that draws a sigh from both of you as your hands move up to Lizzie's waist.

It doesn't take long for the kiss to deepen, your tongues fighting together and the sensation making your head spin and your body heat up.

Lizzie gasped against your mouth before parting for breath, and you used the opportunity to let your fingers run down to the hem of her shirt as you pulled it up. In motion the piece was off, and she copied the same to remove your blouse.

You bit your lip as you looked at the sight of Lizzie's exposed torso in front of you, her nipples hardening in the air making you feel the tightness beneath your stomach increase.

You lunged forward, grabbing her left breast with your mouth, and Lizzie let out a loud noise in her throat, throwing her head back as your tongue skirted her left nipple.

She was so hot and smelled so good, and the sounds she was making were driving you insane.

You moved your hands up to her breasts as soon as you brought your mouths together again, your tongue circling hers as you played with her hardened nipples, and it wasn't long before Lizzie began to whimper, closing her legs and thrusting her hips towards yours for more friction.

You smiled against her lips, you would give her exactly what she needed.

//-//

California, one year and nine months ago.

Leaving your keys on the counter, you were surprised by the silence as you entered.

It wasn't that you wanted Lizzie to stay late to wait for you, except that it was exactly what you wanted.

You left your bag on the living room floor and called her name twice before assuming she was asleep.

Sighing slightly, you went up the stairs to your room, but it was empty. All the other rooms were empty, which made you frown.

Okay, you didn't expect Elizabeth not to be home just the day you were returning, after months of not seeing each other.

But you didn't have much time to think about what might have happened, because a clearly drunk Lizzie stumbled into the house, fighting against the lock and her own balance just as you were coming down the stairs.

"You're drunk?" You ask in a voice in a mixed tone of disbelief and concern upon seeing her, and Lizzie is startled for a moment before giggling.

"Look who's here, California!" She announced to the room with irony and with open arms, stumbling inside. "Hollywood's most eligible bachelorette, watch out ladies and gentlemen."

You frowned at the little scene, Lizzie walked with difficulty to the kitchen as you finished going down the steps, she murmured quietly and you with your arms crossed, trying to understand exactly what was going on.

"What happened to you?" you ask as you follow her across the room, Lizzie takes off her shoes with difficulty, almost falling to the floor at least twice. When you make mention of helping her, she holds up her hand for you not to, and you are starting to get worried.

"I went to have fun." She replies with a humorless laugh. "I can have fun."

"Of course you can." You retorted with a raised eyebrow, watching Lizzie take a deep breath and close her eyes as she leaned her back on the countertop, probably getting a headache from the way she buried her face in both hands for a moment. "Who did you go with?"

"I don't know, Mom." She sneered wryly, and you clenched your jaw. Lizzie laughed at your expression, and pouted. "Oh, did I upset you? Sorry, darling, I'll try to be a good girl for you."

You shook your head slightly.

"Babe, what is happ..."

"Don't call me that." She cuts off quickly and you look at her in surprise. Lizzie closes her eyes and takes a deep breath and when she looks at you again, she has thick tears in her eyes and you feel your heart soar. "I saw the pictures on television, Y/N. I saw the pictures, I saw your interview, I saw the videos on instagram. And I guess I understand, because she's beautiful and we haven't seen each other in months but I thought you loved me..."

"wow, what are you talking about?" You interrupt, confused and frightened, and Lizzie looks like a complete mess. She is crying and you reach up to touch her face, and try to calm her down. "Babe, breathe, I don't understand."

She whimpers softly, and you wonder how much booze she really has consumed.

"You are going out with that woman and I love you and everything is horrible." She declares in a whiny voice and you look at her with a frown.

"Lizzie, what..."

But she pushes you and walks off toward the bedroom, and you try to keep her from falling over drinking at least three times until she can get up the stairs properly.

"Lizzie, wait, talk to me." You beg but she keeps walking and you enter the bedroom a moment after her, watching her walk to the closet and start throwing all her clothes out while mumbling about cheating.

You take a deep breath with your hands on your waist, letting out a humorless laugh. It was an absurd scene to say the least.

"Elizabeth Olsen, stop this immediately!" You command as soon as she steps out of the closet, and she widens her eyes slightly as she shifts the weight of her feet before veering to the floor. You sigh as you walk toward her. "Babe, look at me."

"No."

"Lizzie."

Reluctantly, she does so. You soften your expression, feeling your heart soar at the image of her face, longing invading your whole heart.

"God, I missed you." You confess half breathlessly and Lizzie looks on the verge of tears. "Darling, where did all this come from? I'm not seeing any other girl."

"I saw the pictures..."

"Lizzie." You interrupt seriously, shaking your head slightly as your hands land on her shoulders. "I have no one but you. I would never cheat on you, I don't know where that came from. I wish you hadn't drunk so much so we could have a serious talk."

Lizzie gives a mischievous little smile, her gaze half lost because of the alcohol.

"I'm not drunk." She mumbles clearly intoxicated, making you chuckle slightly.

"Of course not." You said as you pushed the loose strands of her hair behind her ears. "You made a mess in the bedroom, babe. Why don't you try to sleep while I clean up?"

Lizzie sighed, clearly tired but shaking her head in denial

"I don't want to sleep." She said as she brought her body closer to you, her hands squeezing your shirt. "I want you to fuck me."

You bit back a smile, looking at Lizzie with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, yeah?"

She murmured in agreement, her fingers trying to open the buttons of your shirt, but she was clearly in no condition to do so.

"I'd like that too, but you're drunk." You say as you move your hands to hold hers, smiling at the grumble of frustration she lets out. "Go lie down, I'll get some water."

"But..."

"Bed, Lizzie." You ordered again as you intertwined your hands to lead her to lie down.

She was reluctant a few times but eventually agreed and lay her down on the mattress, placing the comforter on top.

When you made mention of getting up, she held your hand.

"Don't go." She asked softly with her eyes almost closed. You smiled.

"Aren't you thirsty?"

Lizzie denied and pulled your hand, you moved closer to lie beside her and she wasted no time in entwining her body in yours.

You let your fingers run through her hair and she sighed lightly, not taking long to fall asleep. You waited a few more minutes before moving, getting out of bed as gently as possible so as not to wake her.

After collecting the clothes Lizzie had thrown across the room and putting them away in the closet, as well as putting the party clothes she was wearing in the wash, you went back downstairs, looking for your bag to take to your room.

Your cell phone vibrated as you walked up the stairs.

It was a message from Scarlet, and you laughed lightly as you read its content.

“I heard you're coming home today, right? Lizzie was really upset about the rumors that you were dating, and asked me to take her out for a drink. I dropped her off at home, but she was pretty shaky. I didn't know you two had a thing, can we talk about it over coffee tomorrow?”

You were relieved that Scarlett was the person accompanying Lizzie, but now she knew you two had something. You were tired of it honestly. The secret. All you wanted was for everyone to know how much you loved Lizzie. And judging from recent events, that was a problem for her too. Or at least it was enough for her to drink more than she should.

But you would have to wait until Lizzie woke up to have this conversation, so you went back to your room, and after putting away the clothes from your bag, you took a shower and put on your pajamas, wasting no time in joining Lizzie in bed again.

//-//-//

Caribbean, one year and six months ago.

Following the music, you continued to dance slowly, your hand around Lizzie's waist while the other was entwined in the air with hers.

The luxury hotel where you were staying that week was hosting a Hawaiian themed evening, and well, after spending the day in the pool area, you decided to dance a little.

In that moment, with Lizzie in your arms, you were at peace completely. Moments like these, like waking up with her in your bed, or cooking together, or rehearsing your lines while curled up on the couch under the blanket were more than enough to make you sure that you wanted to spend the rest of your life with Lizzie.

You smiled before pulling your body away slightly, just to look at her. And she looked back at you with the same adoration, her cheeks flushing slightly.

You spun her into your arms then, making her laugh as you pulled her back, your hands resting on her neck as your hips swayed to the rhythm of the ukulele of the band playing on the stage.

There were a few other couples around, but you could hardly notice anyone but Lizzie.

You continued dancing, and you rested your forehead on hers, closing your eyes and breathing in her perfume. Lizzie smiled, stealing a quick kiss before resting her chin on your shoulder, following the rhythm of the dance.

When the show ends, you follow the crowd in the clapping for a moment before Lizzie entwines your hands and pulls you toward the bar.

"That was fun." She comments with cheeks flushed from the dance, her smile soft as you stand near each other, your hands intertwined as you reach for the menu.

"Dancing with you always is." You retorted charmingly, releasing her hand only to fit it against your waist, drawing a chuckle from Lizzie.

You ended up sharing some drinks and snacks, and you were starting to feel higher with each sip.

Lizzie was in the middle of a joke when you interrupted her.

"Marry me?"

She blinked in surprise, a confused chuckle escaping her lips.

"What?"

Maybe it was the drinking. Probably not, because with the emerald eyes looking so intently, you suddenly felt very sober. Your heart raced too, but you were never more sure of anything than you were now.

"Marry me." You repeat with a confident smile. Lizzie blushes with wide eyes.

"You... Are you serious?" She asks in surprise, and you let out a sigh, moving closer to take her hands and put them down on your racing heart.

"I love you." You tell her with nothing but sincerity. "I want to spend my life with you. I was planning something bigger, perhaps, at your parents' summer house. I would get down on one knee in front of your family and hand over the ring I've been carrying for three months." You confess and watch her look at you in shock. "I've been waiting for the right moment, Lizzie. But I've just realized that every second with you is the right moment. I want you to be my wife. Do you want me to be yours?"

It took a second for her to react, her expression changing from shock to pure happiness, the tears appearing in her eyes and the smile so big it made her eyes small.

"Yes, yes, of course." She replied between one shy laugh and another, moving forward to kiss you over and over again.

You couldn't stop smiling as you kissed her, and you giggled against each other's mouths, pulling apart to embrace each other.

It didn't take long for the people around the bar to notice and start clapping, but you didn't care.

All you were seeing was your future wife.

//-//-//-//

California, 1 year and 9 months ago.

You finished putting the coffee jug on the tray, the last missing item, before carrying it to your room, taking careful steps not to trip over anything on the way.

Lizzie was already awake, but still in bed. The glass of water in her hands and the missing pill on her bedside table indicated that she was already treating her hangover.

"Good morning, darling." You greeted as you entered, walking over to the bed to leave the platter on top of the sheet next to Lizzie.

"You're home." She commented in a mixture of surprise and embarrassment, you just made a noise with your mouth as she sighed, running her hand over her face, probably because of her headache. "When did you get home?"

"Last night." You respond by watching her. "Just before you."

"Sorry." She says moving closer. You gently pull away from her attempt to kiss her lips, and Lizzie frowns. "What?"

"I was worried." You state seriously. Lizzie lets out a sigh, leaning her back against the bed completely. "I thought you were going to pick me up at the airport, but you didn't call. And then I find the house empty. Until you arrived, completely drunk at dawn."

Lizzie crossed her arms, looking away. It was your turn to sigh.

"What's happening, Elizabeth?"

"It 's nothing."

"Elizabeth."

"Stop it." She asks impatiently, turning her face to you again. "Don't call me that."

You just frown in confusion. "It's your name."

"No." She exclaims annoyedly, closing her eyes for a moment. "You only call me Elizabeth when you're angry. And you can't be angry at me because I have the right to go out!"

You watch her stand up, as if running away from the conversation, and you sigh impatiently, massaging your temple with your finger. Lizzie begins to remove her dress, clearly intent on going to take a shower.

"I never said you had no right to go out, Elizabeth." You retort ignoring the annoyed grunt she lets out at you continuing to call her by her full name. "I just think I have the right to ask why after we agreed on something, you changed plans at the last minute and decided to disappear."

"It's funny that you want to demand something from me when you've spent the last few months without giving me any satisfaction of where or who you were with!" She accuses angrily and you grimace in indignation.

"Oh, so it's about my work?" You retort angrily. "The last time I checked we had decided that I was going to record and come home. You said you were fine with that!"

Lizzie gave a humorless laugh, her dress falling to her feet as she worked to remove her bra.

"Well, you know what, I wasn't!" She shouts angrily, throwing the bra angrily into the closet. You need to remember that you are angry with her as you have the vision of her breasts exposed in front of you while she is yelling at you. "I didn't agree to the endless get-togethers with all those sluts around you! And I sure didn't agree with your flushed face on television flirting with Emilia Clarke in front of the whole country!"

You stared at Lizzie in shock, but she just grunted in irritation before turning to go to the bathroom.

"No, I think it's so funny you bring that up, you know, Elizabeth." You spoke aloud as you stood up to follow her. "Because when I said Aubrey Plaza was flirting with you, you told me it was just business. But suddenly, Emilia is something that bothers you!"

"God, this is so different from Aubrey!" she retorts in irritation, finally naked, before stepping into the shower. You were beginning to find it hard to remember why you were fighting now that you had the view of her wet silhouette in the shower stall, as she raised her voice to be heard beyond the sound of the water. "We were supposed to be flirting in the interviews, it was all for the movie. You were just falling all over Emilia for no reason. All those smiles and giggles." She declares angrily, making you bite back a smile. Lizzie naked, angry and jealous was hot as hell.

"I really can't believe we are having this conversation." You complain as you unbutton your pajama shirt. "The most absurd part of it all is you thinking I would have anything with anyone else."

"You say these things but don't live up to them with your actions." She retorts, annoyed. "I wouldn't think anything of it if you didn't flirt with other people!"

"I didn't flirt with anyone!" You return defensively, your blouse finally coming off. Lizzie's annoyed expression almost falters, but she keeps her gaze above your breasts as you take off your pants. "And honestly, none of this would be happening if everyone knew we were dating!"

Lizzie frowns, her anger finally dissipating with your sentence. You step into the shower stall with her, and she looks at you dubiously.

"You...you want to go public?" She asks, studying you as the water falls on her back. You swallow dryly, keeping yourself in front of her.

"Only if you want to."

Lizzie holds out her hand for you to take, and when you do, she pulls you gently until your breasts are almost touching.

"Do you think we're ready for that?" She whispers as your foreheads lean against each other. You sigh as you rest your hands on her waist.

"With you, I'm ready for anything, Lizzie."

She sighs against your lips, her hands moving up to your neck.

"I can't think about that with you naked in front of me." She mumbles before moving forward against his lips.

Kissing shouldn't feel this good.

You slide your tongue over hers a moment later, and you both sigh in need, feeling the effects of so much time apart. Your hands move down to her ass, squeezing the flesh and forcing her against you, and the direct contact of exposed skin makes Lizzie whimper.

You press her against the glass of the shower stall, feeling the shower water against your back as you hold your mouths together in a passionate, hungry kiss.

When air was needed, you ran your kisses down your girlfriend's exposed collarbone, enjoying the way she sighed in anticipation, her hand moving up to the back of your neck to encourage you.

"God, I missed you." You sighed before sucking on the sensitive spot on her collarbone, making Lizzie whimper as she dug her nails into your shoulder.

She pulled your face back to hers, kissing you urgently, and you pressed your body against hers, your hands moving down to her thighs and up so that she entwined her legs around your waist.

The contact of your exposed intimates together made you both gasp in the kiss, but you slid your tongue against hers again, savoring her taste as your hands moved up to her breasts, squeezing and cupping them with a full palm, your fingers playing with her hardened nipples and making Lizzie sigh wetly.

"What is it baby?" you teased when she was unable to keep up the pace of the kiss, throwing her head back as she felt your hands pressing her breasts hard, and Lizzie grunted as she bit her lips to keep from moaning, looking up at you with dark eyes, clearly struggling to keep her expression impassive. You smiled, pressing your hips forward and watching her close her eyes tightly, unable to contain a low moan that escaped her throat. "I want to hear you, baby."

"I'm still mad at you." She declares in an affected voice, and you murmur in understanding, lowering your face to her collarbone, and licking and kissing the skin, making her shiver.

"Is this angry sex, then?" You sneer as you move your hips forward again, the sensation bringing a rising wave of pleasure to both of you. "It doesn't seem like it."

Lizzie sighs impatiently, and puts her legs on the floor, pushing you away by your shoulder.

You are so stunned by the sudden break in contact that you barely have time to absorb her turning off the shower before she pulls you by the hand out of the stall.

You were about to ask what she was going to do, but she pushed you onto the bed, and disappeared into the closet.

"Lizzie?" You called out uncertainty, preparing your apology speech for what exactly you couldn't say. But she walked out next, and the sight made your mouth go dry. "Damn."

Elizabeth was wearing a strap-on, the rubber penis already fitted in the front and ready for use. And from the determined expression on her face, she was more than willing to prove to you that she was pissed.

"Fuck me." You breathed aroused by the view, and Lizzie gave a wry chuckle as she approached the bed.

"Oh, I will." It was her only warning before she broke the distance, kissing you fervently, her tongue exploring your mouth and pulling the air from your lungs, making you see stars.

You let out a low moan, moving your hands up to her waist to pull her to you, but Lizzie pushed your hands away, breaking the kiss and moving one hand up to your neck, squeezing lightly as she made you look at her.

"Knees, ass up." She commanded in a husky voice, her gaze glittering with lust, you bit your lips to keep from moaning again, feeling your pussy pulsate with desire as you obeyed, turning on the bed quickly as Lizzie positioned herself behind you. "I'll teach you not to flirt with other girls."

"I was n-fuck." Your speech turned into an horsy whimper as she suddenly penetrated you with the dildo, you were so wet that she had no problem at all, the toy slipping into your folds with ease, filling you completely. Lizzie chuckled breathlessly, her hands steadying your hips.

"God, you're so hot." She murmured, moving slowly inside you, the action making you clench your fists in the sheets and arch your back, your pussy clenching against the dildo.

"Fuck, Lizzie."

She thrust again, this time hard, her hands squeezing your hips as she went deep inside, making you moan loudly.

Before establishing a rhythm, she leaned against you, her hand coming up to your hair and pulling you back as she brought her mouth to your ear.

"You are mine." She whispered before she thrust hard inside you, making you moan. "Do you understand?"

"Not quite yet, try harder." You teased breathlessly, the pleasure at having the dildo all the way inside you making you half dizzy. Lizzie grunted angrily, this time stroking even harder, making you see stars as you whimpered, your body beginning to tremble.

"Quit being a brat or I'm going to fucking stop." She warned against your ear, thrusting more slowly this time, and you moaned breathlessly, barely able to keep your eyes open.

Lizzie set a slow pace, but thrusting hard as you moaned and whimpered, every time the dildo entered you making you even wetter and aroused, to the point that you were unable to hold back the loud moans, and she giggled.

"Look at you, a horny, begging mess." She sneered against your ear. "You are mine, and only mine."

She whispered, her strokes deep inside you. "I want you to remember that when you flirt with other girls. How good I make you feel."

You whimpered, your pussy clenching against the dildo for more, Lizzie keeping the strokes torturously slow. Seeing your state, she laughed softly, pulling out of you completely.

Before you had time to complain, she turned you over on the bed, spreading your legs as she bent down, thrusting deep inside you. Your moan died against her lips as she kissed you hard, laying against you as she buried the dildo inside you.

You could feel Lizzie everywhere. Her breasts against you, her lips on yours, and it was too much. She thrust hard again, deep and fast as you had your legs around her waist, and her tongue on yours, and you began to tremble in spasms, pleasure spreading throughout your body.

Lizzie smiled against your lips as you lost the ability to respond to the kiss, moaning and whimpering at the closeness of your climax. Her mouth moved down to your neck as she kept up the pace of the thrusts inside you, and your hands tightened around her waist, pulling on her hips for more friction.

It wasn't long before you fell over the edge, the tightness under your belly exploding, the pleasure spreading to the tips of your feet as you moaned against Lizzie's ear, crumbling under her.

As you tried to normalize your breathing after such an intense orgasm, she straightened to look at you, her eyes had adoration in them.

"You did so good." She praised against your lips. "Did you learn your lesson?"

"I did." You replied in a husky voice, taking a deep breath to control the effects of climax.

In one swift motion, you spun you two around on the bed, sighing as you felt the toy move inside you.

"Now you will learn to honor your appointments, Miss Olsen." You warned as your hands moved down to the latches of the strap, removing it as Lizzie bit her lips, looking at you with a mischievous gaze.

You shifted to remove the strap and toss the toy on the floor, returning to sit on Lizzie's lap, your mouth returning to hers immediately.

When she began to move beneath you, you smiled against her lips, pulling away as you rested your forehead against hers and let your fingers play with her wet entrance.

"Use your mouth." She asked breathlessly, her nails digging into your arm.

"My baby wants my mouth?" You teased, moving forward to lick her lips and pulling away with a short laugh when she moaned as she chased your mouth unsuccessfully. You circled her clitoris with your fingers, and Lizzie gasped. "The next time you want to get drunk, at least text me, my love." You warned as you penetrated her with two fingers at once, feeling her hot and slippery, while Lizzie moaned loudly against your mouth. "Do you understand?"

You removed your fingers, playing with her entrance until she nodded frantically, pushing her hips toward your hand. But you laughed lightly, pulling your hand away completely, and leaving her with a confused expression.

"I thought you wanted my mouth." You scoff, already ducking, as Lizzie looks at you expectantly.

"God, you always fuck me so good." Lizzie comments as you kiss her thighs, moving down. You smile against her skin, finally reaching her pussy.

You stare at her before moving forward, your tongue against her clitoris as she sighs with need.

"Don't torture me." She begs breathlessly, her wrists locked on the bed, you smile, lingeringly licking her, and she closes her eyes tightly.

"I won't, my love." You assure her before returning your mouth to her pussy, kissing her entrance before you begin to suck and lick, devouring her with desire.

She moans loudly, letting out affected sighs with each movement of your tongue inside her, and you hold her thighs to keep her open for you as you eat her out.

It doesn't take long for Lizzie to reach her edge, already near the limit from fucking you, but it's still delicious to have her crumbling against your mouth like a weeping mess, her orgasm on your tongue as she screams your name.

You climb your body back up onto her, and kiss her tenderly, unlike anything so far.

Lizzie is trying to control her breathing from the climax, but sighs in satisfaction as she tastes herself on your tongue.

As silence falls over you, you sigh lightly, your hands caressing her face.

"Are we okay, Lizzie?" You ask as you settle down to lie across from each other. She leans into the touch of your hands, as her hands come up to your waist.

"I don't know." She confesses. "But I want us to be."

You smile, using your finger to take a strand of hair from her face and tuck it behind her ear.

"Do you think going public will make us better?"

"I don't want to love you in secret anymore." She says and you feel your heart soar. "Do you understand?"

You smile. "Yes, babe. I feel the same way."

She gives a relieved smile, her gaze passionate. You break the distance, and kiss her gently.

When you break the kiss a moment later, you look quickly at your bodies. "I think we should have this conversation with clothes on." You comment and Lizzie giggles.

"Later. Now I show how much I missed you in my bed." She says before bringing your lips together again.

You certainly wouldn't object to that.

//-//-//

Atlanta, three years ago.

You hesitated at the entrance to the restaurant.

Through the window you could see Lizzie, and all your cast mates, as it was the closing celebration of the WandaVision filming.

You swallowed hard, the object in your pocket suddenly becoming too heavy.

You startled slightly when you felt a hand on your shoulder.

"I guess we're both late, huh?" Kathryn Hahn, your cast mate, remarked gently, putting her car keys away in her pocket clearly having arrived right with you.

You gave her a lopsided smile and she noticed your hesitation, assuming a worried expression.

"Everything okay?" She asked.

You shifted your gaze to the window again, watching Lizzie giggle shyly, her gaze shining slightly. She looked around too, searching, and you knew it was for you.

"Yeah, I just...I was just having a moment of doubt." You say still looking at Lizzie. Kathryn followed your gaze, and smiled, but didn't comment on it.

You sighed, reaching into your pocket and pulling out the object.

"Wow, are you going to...?" Kathryn asked in surprise but you gave a humorless laugh.

"No, I couldn't." You say swallowing dryly, and looking away from the velvet box. "I don't know if I'm ready."

"And when either of us are?" Kat returned, making you smile.

"How did you know you were going to say yes to your husband?" You asked next. Kathryn sighed thoughtfully.

"I didn't." She replied. "There's no way to know until you get asked. But what I did know was that I loved him. And that's what really matters."

You absorbed her words in silence, and then put the box back in your pocket.

"I think she loves me." You say. "That will be enough until I find the right moment."

Kat murmurs in understanding, and then pushes her shoulder against yours lightly.

"Just don't wait too long." She warns with a smile, nodding her head signaling for the two of you to enter the restaurant and join the rest of the team.

When you enter, any thoughts of Lizzie denying your marriage proposal are driven out by the image of her contented smile when she sees you arrive.

//-//-//-//

A/F/N> I'm not even gonna try to say this is the last time i'm continuing this work because at this point, I just know I don't believe my own words anymore haha. Tell me what you think people.

Tag> @imapotatao / @aimezvousbrahms/ @ensorcellme/ @helloalycia || @mionemymind / @abimess / @stephanieromanoff / @yourtaletotell / @tomy5girls / @justagaypanicking / @thegayw1tch / @idek-5 // @myperfectlovepoem // @helloalycia // @ENSORCELLME // @AIMEZVOUSBRAHMS // @drpepperobsessed // @sighsam // @olsensnpm // @sxfwap // @table57 // @madamevirgo // @causeitswhatjesuswouldfreakingdo // @emptysince18x // @xastrydx || @yuhloversxx || @ymzki-haruki || @wouldirunofftheworldsomeday || @lostandsearching || @lezzzbehonesthere || @musicinourlips || @chaekhan || @diaryoflife || @nervoustrack || @aquamarinescarlet || @cristin-rjd || @idamaemann || @fortunatelynerdylight