#hoping so hard that we’re endgame

[lavellenchanted]

The Courtship of Peggy Carter (fic coming soon)

When Steve returns to the 1940s, he knows he wants to be with Peggy, but he can't help but worry about how the years they have both lived through have changed them - so he proposes that they start dating and get to know each other again. But Peggy has her own ideas about how their courtship will go, and is a woman determined to get what she wants. Namely Steve. In her bed. Sooner than he seems to be planning to get there.

Happy holidays @margarethcarter! I'm your Secret Santa this year - I'm so sorry your gift is so ridiculously late, but this month has just been incredibly full on. I am hoping to get your gift finished and up soon, but I didn't want to end the year without you getting anything.

You said you prefer post-Endgame time period and mentioned Peggy finding out that Steve's acquired some game since she last saw him, which what inspired this fic, so I hope when it's finally finished you will enjoy it, but in the meantime here is a little preview for you!

***

“And this . . . you being here . . . is it for good? Or do you have to go back?”

Steve held her gaze, serious and steady, the way he always did whenever he wanted her to know that what he was about to say was something he had thought over carefully.

“I’d like it to be. I came back because this place, this time, is where I belong. I wanted to come home, to have the life I never got a chance to have. And I want, very much, for that life to be with you.” 

For a moment Peggy felt as if she had forgotten how to breathe, her chest tight and her heart beating painfully hard against her ribs. She opened her mouth to tell him yes, that she wanted a life with him as well, but before the words could form he had brought a finger to her lips to keep her from speaking.

“But,” he continued softly, a tenderness in his expression that made her glow with warmth, “I don’t think that’s a decision either of us should be making right now.”

A faint frown creased Peggy’s forehead. “Why not?”

“Because of how good this feels.”

She couldn’t help quirking an eyebrow, one corner of her mouth curling upwards. “That’s a bad thing, is it?”

Steve chuckled. “No. I just mean . . . I’ve dreamed about being here with you for so long, it would be easy to rush into this. To forget that . . . a lot of time has passed, for both of us. And that we’re probably both different people than we were when I went into the ice.”

Peggy let out a slow breath. Part of her - the part that for the last four years had been filled with grief, sorrow and longing whenever she thought of Steve - was afraid, terrified that this moment of joy in finding him again was going to be cut short, and leave her with nothing but echoing silence of his absence once more. She wanted to cling on to him as tightly as she could, to hold him to her so she didn’t have to face the pain of losing him again.

Another, regrettably more sensible part of her, recognised that what he was saying was true. The four years she had spent being overlooked at the SSR had left their mark as surely as the war had, and now she was reinventing herself again as the Director of SHIELD. She felt very far from the young agent that had worked on Project Rebirth. 

And Steve . . . right now she could only guess at the sort of things Steve had lived through, the reasons for the weariness that lurked at the back of his eyes, the sadness  that seemed etched into his face, mingling with his joy when he had asked her if he could finally claim his dance.

“So what are you suggesting?” she asked, forcing a calmness she didn’t entirely feel. 

But to her surprise - and a little to her relief - Steve smiled.

“I’m suggesting that we date. Like we would have - should have - if things had gone the way we planned. Get to know each other as we are now. And if after we’ve dated for a while, we’re both sure this is still something we want . . .  well, then we can talk about what’s next.” 

Peggy almost wanted to laugh. “Are you telling me you travelled back nearly a century in time just to ask me on a date?”

His smile widened to a grin. “To start with, anyway.”

[hainethehero]

Oh, I feel like it’s so interesting that Steve (in the movies) has always been portrayed as more or less a more passive person when it comes to many things.

There’s a difference in how he’s portrayed when he gets the serum vs when Peggy gets it in what if.

Peggy is immediately effective and trailblazes her way to getting stuff done.

Steve spends a while being on USO doing performances with the USO girls. He literally is still doing it when he arrives in Italy and the soldiers boo him and throw tomatoes (poor thing). He’s like super sad about it and spends a few hours drawing in the rain until Peggy finds him and convinces him to do something about it.

I feel bad for him because while he is quick to defend others and yes get in fights in alleys, I feel like that only happens if he sees someone else in distress and he feels he should stand up to them despite probably not being super helpful because he was always half the size of whatever bullies he tried to stand up to 🤣.

But as a whole, for himself, Steve more or less just goes through life and does what he has to go on and or what is asked of him.

Nobody appeared to ask him if it was cool that he just woke up from 70 years of being frozen and then had to join and the lead the Avengers initiative. Tony/ironman fans like to give him a hard time because he didn’t react well to Tony in the beginning but Tony has a snarky quick wit that Steve doesn’t really have (lol) so he’s not really able to have much equal banter arguments with people like Tony.

People will clown on Steve in that one scene and say he got owned by Tony but personally I don’t think Steve’s personality is much of a debating and shit talker.

He gets flustered talking to Peggy and she makes a comment that he doesn’t know how to talk to women and he just sheepishly agrees. She is later mean to him after she thinks he “cheated” on her but really he just got ambushed by the other girl - and he’s like 😵‍💫 and I also feel like that was a little unnecessary from her.

The Colonel calls him a chorus girl and basically demeans him because he doesn’t get what it’s like for the guys actually fighting on the field and poor Steve is like 😞.

Then during civil war he actually does get angry and defensive towards Tony but then in the parking lot when he’s trying to explain that there’s more winter soldiers in Siberia Tony just interrupts him and then the rest of the team just basically tells him “do you really want to start this right now?” That scene kind of bothered me because literally no one was listening to him. He didn’t really try to make them understand which was also a choice. I don’t know why sometimes the scripts write him to basically stand there and be a punching bag and yet he’s supposed to be standing up to bullies. But not for himself? Only when it’s other people? So who sticks up for him?

Also - I may add that originally Steve was hoping to go talk to Tony after finding out about the Zeno and other winter soldiers stuff. Sam is the one who tells him Tony won’t believe him and then Steve’s like “we’re on our own 😞” but then Sam suggests an idea that he knows someone (indicating bringing antman in and Clint and etc starting the teams stuff).

Some people claim Steve made the avengers choose sides but he wasn’t even going to ask anyone for help. It’s kinda sad he sometimes gets blamed for this when he was going to go alone just like he was during The whole azzano rescue thing.

Then in endgame obviously Tony is still pissed at Steve even though Steve did apologize and gave him a flip phone to call him if he needed help. Even Bruce told Tony to do it during infinity war but he doesn’t LOL.

Then he blames Steve for not being there and yells at him and Steve is like 😞😞😞

And the whole rest of the film, after they make up, Steve is visibly not trying to get Tony mad. Like you can tell in the later team up scenes between them that Steve is holding back and avoids arguing as much as he can and doesn’t want to trigger more anger from Tony since they had just made things okay. There’s a scene with antman and Tony and they’re arguing and Steve is kind of just there. As he mostly is throughout the whole movie.

I think Steve is a soft hearted sweet person at heart and sometimes I feel they disrespect him a bit too much in the movies. And they don’t really have him do any retaliation that would help justify his case.

I feel like marvel owes him a whole ass apology and also needs to leave him alone forever. Stop bringing him up in later movies and trying to rewrite his history when you already wrote him out of the storyline. And can people stop making jokes about him being a virgin or not? So tired at this point!

This person gets it 👏👏👏

Steve's character design was definitely way more submissive than any other male hero in the MCU. And I think it's a lot of the things you mentioned already.

I'll try to give the whole bullying thing perspective though. (not to get morose & depressing on main) but as someone who was physically ab*sed by their mother, like violently, I often times would not stand up for myself but was the first to step up to protect my friends or even complete strangers. (Maybe that's 2nd nature to me as an aries) but I think it's the same for Steve.

Canonically, his dad was very violent and abusive towards him and his mother. And Steve would ask her "why don't you ever stay down?" so that Joseph would stop hitting her, but she tells him, "bc you always stand up." Or something to that effect. Which is why I think it's easy for him to see bullying when it's other people, but not against himself. It's trauma. And unacknowledged trauma at that, because the MCU never addresses all the things that would've traumatized Steve, not extensively in the Captain America trilogy and CERTAINLY not in the Avengers films.

Also, that whole thing with Peggy shooting at him because of Lorraine kissing him, yeah, she overreacted. In any other circumstance that would be seen as toxic but somehow because it's Steve, that makes it okay. Ugh.

I've always said this and I'll say it again, the MCU wanted to make Tony the ultimate hero of the MCU and they did it at the expensive of Steve's character development. [I'm a Tony fan don't @ me] but it's so obvious they wanted Tony's character to be the ultimate star, which would've been fine if they showed Steve even half of the respect.

J*ss Whedon, who did Avengers 1 & 2, definitely put Steve's character on that trajectory because he was reported saying he "didn't like Captain America" and that came across in the films he did. He's responsible for starting that whole diminishing of Steve's character. The Russos are the only ones who did Steve justice.

And as for Infinity War/Endgame- 😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨

Those are my least favourite mcu og6 films. Because you're absolutely right! I have no problem with Steve being submissive, but they made Steve almost cowardly compared to Tony when they reunited in Endgame. Like Steve was afraid to challenge him. Like if Steve was wrong in the first place!

Steve was right in CACW! He knew how dangerous it would be to be controlled by the government! He's living proof of why the Accords was NOT A GOOD IDEA! The ONLY thing he was wrong about was not telling Tony about his parents. But even then, it was not Bucky's fault. It was HYDRA.

Tony got emotional and irrational and decided to break up the team over something that was secondary to their main concerns, which was Ross & the Accords. Mind you, the only reason he was supportive of the Accords is because of some lady telling him her son was killed by their actions in Sokovia and how he was reminded of his own legacy as a weapons dealer and the so called "merchant of death." So, selfishly, he decides to make the decision for the rest of the Avengers and agree to the Accords when it should've been a non-negotiable issue in the first place.

And yes, Tony is selfish because Peggy died around the same time they were discussing the Accords and he didn't even care about it. Steve is lost. He's desperately trying to save the ONLY person who knew a damn thing about him from the past, Bucky. And at the same time, he lost Peggy, the only other person who would've known him. Someone who he could relate to. But somehow, everyone else's needs and emotions come secondary to Tony's.

I could go on a whole six hour rant about this😮‍💨

[stevetonyisendgame]

It’s the third day of work reveals for A Second Chance: A Steve/Tony Endgame Mini-Exchange and we have 7 fics and 2 artworks today!

Thank you to all participants - we’re so excited to share all these beautiful gifts with you! Enjoy and remember to leave kudos/comments for our hardworking creators to show your appreciation!! ❤️

A reminder to our dear creators that you can change the publication date of your works now that they have been revealed, so that they appear on the first page of the tags!

1. i would always be yours for ohjustpeachy | FIC - 2.7k, T

When Tony wakes up in the hospital after the snap, he finds out about two things: One, he's lost his right arm, and two, Steve wants to stay with him.

2. Take Two: It Takes Two for XtaticPearl | FIC - 1.2k, G

Steve and Tony navigate the ups and downs of their first date. (Post-Endgame!AU)

3. something to live for for shaggybeetle | FIC - 5k, M

“It’ll take time,” Tony says. “Steve, it--it could take years.” He says it softly, almost a confession, and Steve-- He nods, and says, “All we have now is time, Tones.” 

4. we won [art] for Fluffypanda | ART - G

For Fluffypanda for the Stevetony Endgame Exchange! Thank you for the lovely prompts, it was so hard to choose! I hope you like it <3

5. To End At the Beginning for laiwrites | FIC - 1.2k, G

Fixit where Steve saves Tony from the Snap

6. caffeinated ambrosia for rearranged (her_ghost) | FIC - 7.6k, T

For someone who grew up in Steve Rogers' perpetual shadow, it sure seemed odd that Tony was unfathomably, amazingly, and pathetically in love with the man. But, unfortunately, he was, because he could only pine from afar. After all, he's straight, right? Traveling into another world seemed to put things in perspective, though. Because, jeez, why was everything there so fucked up?

7. Unsaid words for Wadanokuni | FIC - 2.8k, T

And he was moving on.. well, he was getting on with it. It was fine, really. Well, at least he felt fine, until he saw Tony for the first time in years and the words felt like they were scraping their way up from his chest, begging to be let out.. He was fine. This is work, this is for something more than him, more than both of them. So if the sight of those honey brown eyes piercing through his blues were almost nauseating.. It had to be fine.

8. Wrangling Tony Stark for magicasen | ART - G

Retirement who? Steve just wanted a nice day off cuddling with his husband. But when an Avengers alarm goes off, there goes his husband flying into trouble with the kids. This is when investing in good cable pays off.

9. and i’m not afraid to say, i love you in my way for Becci_chan | FIC - 1.6k, G

steve and tony adopt a puppy post-endgame chaos & trauma . includes pepper, morgan, peter, and a teeny tiny splash of nat bc i jus love her a lot okay! seriously jus pure fluff, not a lot happening here, very minimal plot, u get it

[footy-fictionist]

Endgame - Karim Adeyemi

Pairing: Karim Adeyemi x female reader

Warnings: talk about Nigerian foods (please correct me if I'm wrong), fluff, like very cute fluff, meeting the parents, badly translated German

Word count: 1946

Note: As always, English is not my first language. This one was requested and the request was: Could you write a fluff about meeting Karim's parents or teammates for the first time, and them absolutely loving you, just him being in awe of you My dear anon, I hope I did your request justice and that it is what you hoped for. Requests always make me a little nervous because I'm always afraid it won't be what you expected. This is purely fiction and I do not know Karim or his parents in real life. Please do not copy and/or publish my work, reblogging is totally fine!

To say she is nervous is an understatement and it is (according to her) for a good reason. She has been in a relationship with Karim Adeyemi for 7 months and they decided it is time to meet each other’s parents. He met her parents last week and today she was going to meet his mum and dad. They decided it would be a fun idea to invite them to Karim’s place instead of going to their house, but now she is doubting that decision. Especially since she promised Karim she’d take care of dinner and that it would be totally okay. 

For the past week she’s been researching how to make traditional Nigerian dishes. Some of them she could skip because they were specifically made for things like marriage and that was definitely not the vibe she wanted to give off yet. She decided that fufu with Egusi soup would be her safest bet. She went to quite a few different stores to find all the ingredients and she made sure to get some extra things to make a salad and some things to make lasagna in case she screwed up or they didn’t like the food. 

Karim would be gone for most of the day because of training and social media duties, so she had the house and the kitchen to herself. Early in the morning she decided to clean the house, well the last bits since they cleaned most of the house together in the past few days. After that she completely focussed on dinner. Karim didn’t even know she was going to make a traditional Nigerian dish, she kept it a secret in case it wouldn’t work out and she’d have to serve the lasagna that she prepared as well. It was ready to go in the oven in case it all turned out bad. This was not the case though. She read the recipe multiple times in the past few days and she generally knew how long some steps would take. Of course she still worked with the recipe, but it did help when it came to handling different steps and the time limits to them. 

After a few hours in the kitchen and some hard work, everything was finally ready and right on time too. Karim would be home any second and his parents would arrive in an hour, giving her the time to shower and get ready. As she steps out of the shower, she can hear the front door opening and closing. She tries to quickly dry off and as she’s pulling on her underwear she hears footsteps on the stairs. A moment later Karim enters the bedroom, he takes a glance at her and immediately stops in his tracks. His eyes rake over her figure and he leans his shoulder against the doorframe whilst biting his lip. 

She lets out a laugh. “What?” 

“Nichts, ich bewundere dich.”

She can feel the blush taking over her face, so she turns to the wardrobe in order to look for a good outfit. She mumbles a thanks and a second later Karim approaches her. He took a shower at the training grounds, but is looking over her shoulder for a different outfit. He’s faster when it comes to choosing and has his outfit within a minute. Before he turns away after grabbing the outfit, he presses a kiss to her shoulder and suggests one of her favourite outfits. 

“Isn’t that too casual. I want to make a good impression on your parents.”

“Mein Schatz, it’s not a fancy restaurant. We’re at home and you should wear something you’re comfortable in. My parents will love you, they’d love you even if you wore a garbage bag.”

She smiles at his reply, thanks him again and grabs the outfit he suggested. They dress in silence and take their time in the bathroom. Somehow she’s done before him and this time it is her turn to admire him. The outfit he chose looks incredible on him, he has his own style and she adores it. After he’s sprayed on his perfume, she steps in front of him and wraps her arms around his waist. His arms immediately wrap around her shoulders and she takes a moment to breathe in his scent. It helps to calm down the nerves she has, ever since they met, she’s felt most comfortable in his arms. She notices him taking in her scent as well before laying his head against hers. 

They stay like that for a bit before he kisses her forehead and they pull away. She grabs his hand as they descend the stairs. They walk into the kitchen and she asks him if there’s something he would like to drink. She doesn’t get a response straight away and it makes her look at him. He’s standing in front of the stove where the dinner is ready to be heated. He’s lifted the lid of the stew and she can see his eyes are closed. 

“Karim, are you okay?”

“Did you buy this somewhere?” She’s a bit offended that he’s asking that, especially since she spent a few hours making it. 

“No, I made it. Why?”

His head snaps her way. His eyes are wide and he moves to grab a spoon. He puts a bit of the stew on the spoon and tastes a bit of the stew. He puts the spoon on the counter and looks at her in awe. She made this? She made a traditional Nigerian stew, she put in that much effort just because his parents are visiting. He quickly moves towards her and lifts her off the ground a little. He’s complimenting her left and right, whilst she’s barely registered what just happened. As he’s putting her down, the bell rings and they move towards the front door. As Karim goes to open the door, she quickly grabs his hand and squeezes it. He squeezes her hand back and opens the door.

Immediately his mum moves past Karim to get to her. She wraps her arms around her and expresses how excited she is to finally meet the girl that stole Karim’s heart. She hugs Alexandra back with a big smile, not having expected her to be so warm. 

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to overstep any boundaries by hugging you. I hope it’s okay.” Immediately she assures Alexandra that it’s totally okay and they hug again, this time really introducing themselves to each other.

“Hi mum, how are you? Yes, I’m here as well.” 

Karim’s sarcastic comments make them laugh as they release each other. Alexandra moves to him whilst calling him a big momma’s baby. He immediately protests only to be silenced by both his parents and his girlfriend. Abbey moves past Karim and Alexandra to introduce himself. He also gives her a hug. It’s just as warm as Alexandra’s, just a bit shorter. She invites them further into the house and they all sit on the couch. Karim asks around for drinks and she walks with him to turn on the stove to heat up the food and to help him bring the drinks to the living room. 

As they sit down, Alexandra immediately starts a conversation with her and they get along incredibly well. They talk about jobs, football and going to watch some of Karim’s games together. Meanwhile Abbey adds some comments into their conversation here and there whilst Karim is just admiring his girlfriend and the dynamic between her and his parents. After a few minutes she moves to the kitchen to check on the food, leaving Karim alone with his parents. 

“Is that Egusi soup I smell?” It’s his dad that asks first. As Karim confirms that it is in fact, Egusi soup, his mum is quick to add in her piece.

“She made it from scratch? She’s a keeper, Karim. I love her already, she’s not allowed to leave this family.”

Karim smiles at his mothers comments and agrees with her. He’s incredibly aware of how amazing his girlfriend is and he’s not willing to let her go, not ever. 

She walks back into the living room not long after to announce that dinner is ready and they move to the dining area. She’s a bit nervous as she’s serving the food to his parents, more so when she realizes she’s never tried eating fufu before and that she’ll probably embarrass herself quite a bit. Karim notices though and is quick to help her out, which amuses his parents greatly. She made the dinner for them, yet doesn’t know how to eat it herself. They think it’s incredibly sweet. 

The second they try it though, they are in awe. They immediately start complimenting her cooking skills and Abbey even asks her if she’s willing to give her secrets. Abbey is fully convinced that her Egusi soup is better than his own. It makes her blush and she is more than willing to share her recipe with him. Conversation really flows and they’re all having a great time. Karim can’t help but admire her, she’s literally everything he could ever hope for and more. After dessert he is fast to grab her hand under the table. He squeezes it softly and it makes her look at him and she mouths a ‘you okay’ his way and he just gives a small nod. It’s almost midnight when Alexandra and Abbey head home, promising to keep in contact and to meet up again soon. 

Alexandra doesn’t leave without giving her an extra hug and softly thanking her. Both for the food and for making Karim happier than she’s ever seen him. She blushes and holds Alexandra a bit tighter and responds that he’s the best thing that has ever happened to her and she’d be crazy not to treat him like a King as he treats her like a Queen. Another smile is exchanged as Alexandra pulls away and they wave as Abbey drives himself and Alexandra home. 

They are both tired as they clean up the mess and turn off the lights to head upstairs. They’re in their sleeping clothes getting ready for bed in the bathroom when Karim wraps his arms around her waist from behind. She looks at him through the mirror only to already find him looking at her straight in the eyes through the mirror. His eyes show some tiredness, but mostly she finds love and admiration. It makes her blush a little.

“I love you, I really really love you.” Karim’s whisper is soft and he immediately presses kisses to her right cheek after saying it. “You’re amazing and I can’t believe how well you get on with my parents. I knew they would love you but this had surpassed my wildest dreams. Ich liebe dich.”

They have said they love each other before but never as intensely as Karim has now. It makes her eyes water a little as she reciprocates his ‘I love you’ with her own. She turns around and puts her hands on his jaw. She presses kisses all over his face, repeating the same phrase over and over again. They share a soft but passionate kiss before heading to the bedroom. She gets under the covers as he turns off the light. He takes a small sprint to the bed and climbs in quickly. He wraps his arms around her and pulls her as close as he can. Their foreheads are touching as they breathe in sync. Both of their eyes are closed as they whisper another ‘I love you’ to each other. Both of them, incredibly aware that they’ve found their endgame. 

Nichts, ich bewundere dich: Nothing, I'm admiring you Mein Schatz: my dear/treasure/darling

[wambsgansshoelaces]

blurb 7 of blurb night!!!

Steve and Peggy

Tom Wambsgans x Reader

prompt: “dancing with Tom 🥰”

eeeee again I’m sorry I’m so slow with the uploads!!! I promise they’re all coming don’t worry <33 thank you so much for being patient, and thank you anon for requesting!! I love you and I hope you enjoy xxx

Word Count: 688

“Hi, honey.”

Tom’s voice is dripping with affection, with pure love for you. He comes over to where you’re sitting, stooping over to give you a lengthy, sweet kiss hello. Your fingers trail down his arm as he pulls away, turning to put his stuff down.

“How was work?” you ask as you do every day, watching as he shrugs off his blazer.

“Tiring,” he admits. “Maybe it’s time I took a break.”

You hum in agreement. “You should take it easy for the next couple weeks, Tom.” As you speak, he wanders back over to you, kneeling next to your chair. He gazes up at you lovingly, his expression nothing but reverent.

You reach out to touch his face, and he immediately leans into your touch. Your thumb strokes over his eyebrow before your palm moves to cup his cheek. “Are you alright?” he asks quietly.

You lean towards him and plant a kiss onto his forehead. “I’m perfectly fine.” He gently pries your hand from your cheek and presses a sweet kiss to the palm of your hand before lacing his fingers with yours.

“Does anything hurt? Are you stressed? I hope you’re not exhausting yourself.” His expression never wavers, his features still knitted tightly together with affection. His thumb gently strokes over the divot of your palm, back and forth, Your heart warms as you gaze at him, his concern making you feel all warm and fluffy.

“I’m just tired, Tom.” You lean towards him again and catch his lips with yours for a long, tender kiss. “I just want the work week to end.”

He gets to his feet, his hand still holding yours, and pulls you up with him. You give a half-hearted protest, smiling up at him as he tugs you close to him.

“Come on. Let’s dance,” he urges softly.

“Dance?” you ask, laughter seeping into your voice.

He gets his phone out from his pocket, and without looking up from it, he kisses the back of your hand. “I have an entire playlist.” He presses play and drops his phone onto the chair you were just sitting on, his attention now solely on you.

“Isn’t this the song from Endgame?”

You can’t help the giggle that escapes you when his free hand goes to sit on your hip and he begins slowly whirling you around your living room. “It is,” he says simply. “We’re recreating the scene,” he says excitedly, eyes never leaving yours. He’s just so fucking in love with you. If you’d asked him to recreate the movie, he’d blow millions on it. Just to make you happy. Just to see that beautiful fucking smile of yours. The hand of yours not gripping his own is set on his chest.

You slow dance through the room with Tom, unable to wipe the smile from your face. He holds up your intertwined hands, encouraging you into a spin.

“You’re so gorgeous,” he murmurs once you’re back in his arms. His thumb strokes soothingly over the bone of your hip as you both sway. You just stare at each other, and you can feel the adoration rolling off of him in waves. You hope your gaze is as loving and tender as his is. As the music continues on, you fall more and more for him. He’s soft, gentle, kind. He’s everything you need, everything you’ll ever want again. He leans in and manages to kiss you, long and hard. “I love you.”

“I love you t-” You cut yourself off with a giddy yelp, his hands suddenly letting go of you and instead hooking his arm under your knees and hoisting you up bridal style. Your fingers scramble for purchase on his shirt, but you’re still grinning ear to ear.

He’s kissing into your hair as he Carrie’s you back to your shared bedroom. He gently sets you on the bed, making sure not to hurt you, and climbs on after you.

His hand goes to cup the back of your neck, his mouth following and lining kissing all up and down your throat.

You’ve never felt more loved.

[starbylers]

Monologue anon here! Thank you so much for that whole post, I wasn't expecting something this detailed when I wrote the ask lol. It definitively made me understand the purpose of the monologue more, and I love that interpretation. I can finally have an explanation for why the monologue had to happen, so thank you for that!!

But at the end of the day I guess I'll always be a bit skeptical and wonder if all this could just be bad writing, and we're just reading too much into it. Like the fact that it has lies, I could see the writers think it actually doesn't, like they could be thinking that Mike genuinely fell in love with her in that moment even if he didn't know what it was yet. They've done other retcons, because back in season 1 the full story wasn't complete yet. And the "surprise, it was all Will, that means he's the one Mike actually loves, not El!" argument feels a little cheap and I'm not sure the audience will buy it. But we'll see, I guess they could write it in a way that makes sense. Anyway I really really hope we're right! Fingers crossed!

You’re welcome! And I understand being skeptical but I mean, agree to disagree I guess haha. I don’t think their writing is without flaws by any stretch of the imagination but the evidence for Byler goes past bad writing—it’s at the point where several of their choices would be completely illogical and against their own interests if the purpose was for Mlvn to be endgame.

And about retconning stuff, I suppose it can happen? But the writers account have said that they don’t believe in love at first sight and in season 4 they literally made fun of the trope with Argyle and Eden. In my opinion, they don’t believe in it. I mean they are grown adults, I find it really hard to believe that they are seriously advocating for the idea of love at first sight being a thing that is real and happens. Romance in Stranger Things also always comes from a foundation of friendship.

I also don’t think it’s as easy as ‘surprise it was Will, Mike loves him now’ 😭 I was just trying to put it in simple terms, I only meant Mike finding out makes it clear to the audience that he could only confess after he heard how much Will loves him, and will be a key factor in him beginning to realise that Will is actually the right person for him. I don’t think it’ll be this immediate switch, it’ll happen over the course of the season in conjunction with Mike and Will getting even closer and their dynamic becoming more explicitly romantic. They won’t just spring Byler on us with no build up lol. But yeah fingers crossed, I hope we’re right too :)

[4beomy]

Totally (not) Endgame! — [teaser]

synopsis: you and beomgyu are soulmates, or at least that's what you think. which is why you never minded him dating every other girl (but you), you knew he'd eventually come around. because you were meant to be! ...right? taehyun, the receiving end of your delusions, thinks you're stupid as fuck.

pairing: choi beomgyu x f!reader x taehyun?

genre: fluff, angst, crack, neighbor!taehyun, highschool!au

tropes: best friends to lovers, strangers to lovers

teaser word count: 1.6k

The dining table was full of conversations you couldn’t exactly comprehend — it wasn’t like you were supposed to anyway. As both the only children of the two families, you and Beomgyu were seated with them as they went on to talk about adult nonsense. And during that golden time — when you could leave the table without being deemed as rude — had reached, it was almost like an instinct for your eyes to turn to reach Beomgyu’s — which were already on you. Times like these remind you of how perfect he was for you, how his knowing smile would form in familiarity and yours would too in recipocrity. In those moments did you truly believe it was only you and him present and that nothing else mattered.

“Ah, here they go again! Why don’t you guys just get married already?”, your mind snaps back to reality as you face Beomgyu’s mom, who was conveniently right across from you.

“Knowing them, who says they aren’t already!”, your dad comments. The laughter that erupts at his ridiculous but not so ridiculous statement was very loud. You and Beomgyu are known as a reckless duo, so his statement wasn’t too far-fetched. 

“Dad, we’re still in high school!”, you stifle a laugh while attempting to feign shock at him. It was the reply you managed to always use whenever he’d make that same comment in every dinner your families had. Subconsciously as you quickly glance at Beomgyu’s reaction you see that he wasn’t laughing along – rather, he was smiling. But you knew his smiles, and you knew that wasn’t a genuine one. With that, the urge to laugh dies down in a matter of milliseconds. Did he just not find this situation funny anymore? It did become a topic of conversation almost every dinner, so it makes sense for him to be tired of the teasing — a repetitive form of teasing at that. It’s not like he finds the idea of marrying you not plausible…right? Right?

Then you feel his hand, under the table, graze yours. You don’t know if he noticed, well you hoped he did— you hoped it was on purpose. But when you look at him next to you, his tight smile still apparent on his face as he picks at his food like normal — you’re let down. 

That is until he moves closer to you, lips a few centimeters from your ear, “Wanna go upstairs?”

It wasn’t hard for your spirits to be uplifted again, an overly pleased smile on your face as you quickly nod at his suggestion. You thank the lords for keeping your parents busy with adult shit again because frankly, ruining the moment for you was definitely not something you wanted to put up with today. Just not today.

His hand found its way to your hand again and instead of a simple graze, it intertwined with yours. Did he want you to go insane? 

Beomgyu gets up, hands that were under the table now visible to your parents. He gives you a quick glance, its so quick but it sends a brief moment of reassurance. Then he pulls you so hard your arm might’ve genuinely gotten fractured — running towards the staircase. It happens so quickly and suddenly that your brain is unable to scramble together anything, just mindlessly trusting his warm hands leading you. 

“Use protection!”, you hear Beomgyu’s father yell and the expected laughter following after. 

When you enter your bedroom you thought his fingers interlacing yours would be gone by now, but they were still there. As you quietly catch your breath (curse your stamina), you awkwardly find yourself looking at your intertwined hands. 

“Are you gonna keep holding my hand?”, your eyes widen as you quickly retract your hand from his. “Aww come on, you know my hands free at all times~”, Beomgyu pouts waving his hands right in your face.

God, do you hate his teasing. Because truly, all you wanna do is hold his hands just for a few more minutes (fuck it – maybe for eternity). You roll your eyes and head to your bed, which was thankfully made. “You held my hand first gyu, I should've been the one asking.” throwing yourself on your bed was a mistake, you forgot the mattress was almost comparable to a rock. 

“Why did we come up here again?”, you ask mindlessly scrolling through your phone. But then like a lightbulb appeared right on top of your head, you put it down quickly on the stand next to your bed. How could you forget?

Maintain eye contact. Getting up from your previous position, you cross your legs, completely turned to him.

“I think we both need a break from our parents' insanity— did you get rid of your cooler?”, Beomgyu was walking around the room, peeking at corners to try and find the coolest thing in your room — a cooler. Who can blame him? You don’t even have a TV in your room, the next best thing is a cooler. Well, not really …but close?

You nod, then quickly correct “Well I didn’t, my mom threw it out.”

He turned to you literally gasping then a few seconds later saying,“You know that was basically the only thing going for you in this room?”

“Also, why are you looking at me like that?”

“Like what?”, he points an accusatory finger at you, “Like that! You’re creeping me out.” 

You knew your eyes were basically bulging out trying to make eye contact, it doesn’t help that Beomgyu’s eyes don’t seem to stay in one place either. But at least you’re making eye contact! Well, fuck it. It clearly wasn’t working so you’re back on your pillow, making eye contact with the ceiling instead.

You try to rack your brain with what Taehyun told you a few days ago. There was eye contact then…then…

“Don’t you hate it when our parents talk about the marriage thing all the time…”, Beomgyu said, making the same mistake of jumping on your bed then wincing in pain, cursing under his breath.

“I mean…I don’t hate it.” You definitely don’t hate it. But he does, and you know that now. You could see his eyebrows perking up when you get courage to ask, “Why..? Why do you hate it?”

“Uh, because they’ve been doing this ever since we were in elementary – also, what the hell stop hogging the blanket.” You roll your eyes, huffing while throwing him the blanket. 

He looks like you committed an offensive act, eyes bulging out, “Yah what’s your problem?”

“Nothing.”

Both of you stare at the ceiling in silence until he all of a sudden sits up, head facing you,  “Do you wanna get married?”

“What? No! Never.”, maybe you’re ruining your chances right now, and maybe you can hear Taehyun’s tsking in disappointment in the back of your head, but does that matter at the risk of your pride? You know Beomgyu would use this to tease you endlessly for the rest of your life, denying it was the best option. 

Well, maybe it wasn’t. Especially when Beomgyu decides to literally hover your body, his face some inches from yours. 

“Are you sure?”, he narrows his eyes, his signature grin spread on his face.

Do it when he’s close, compliment him then. 

That! That was it!

“Your eyebrows are really pretty.”, you blurt out. The grin on his face was immediately wiped off, his eyes showing he was completely dumbfounded. God, why his eyebrows? Maybe his lips would’ve been a more romantic compliment…You can almost hear Taehyun’s voice yelling “Are you stupid?” 

“Are—are you gonna get off…or?”

You get a quick glimpse of a light shade of pink slowly appearing in his cheeks but he quickly turns away, arms that were once on both of your sides were now used to hug his own body. 

“Beom…are you okay?”, you finally sit up, looking at the now balled up Beomgyu, back facing you.

“Beomgyu! We’re leaving!”, you hear his mom yell. Beomgyu quickly gets up, heading to the door then abruptly stopping. “Don’t say stuff like that again … especially when you’re so close.” then the door was shut behind him.

Was that…a success?

It had to be!

Later that night, you decided to call your wingman and tell him how it went. You needed some wisdom and knowledge before finally going to sleep – that was literally the only way you could actually sleep without stalling it for too long.

“Taehyun, I swear he was blushing!”

“You complimented his…eyebrows. Plus, he blushed after you pointed out that he was still on top of you, it was probably out of embarrassment.” Sometimes you wished Taehyun wasn’t so…logical? Like come on, would it kill him to at least say you did a good job this time?

“You’re not helping Mr. Know it all. If me holding eye contact and complimenting him isn’t working then your advice is completely useless!”

You hear a deep sigh through the line, “It’s like an hour from midnight right now, would it be crazy for me to ask of you to hold this off until the afternoon of tomorrow?” you finally heard the grogginess evident in his voice, he really does sleep early…

“Then how am I gonna sleep?”, after a few seconds of silence you speak up again, “If only you confirmed my suspicions about him liking m— Hello? Taehyun?”

You retract your phone from your ear to find that the screen was pitch black. Fuck. He hung up. 

You decide you should probably leave the poor man alone and head to sleep. But can you really sleep? Knowing that there’s a chance Beomgyu might’ve been flustered by you? Suddenly, you hear your phone buzz. Lazily you pick it up, seeing a notification from Taehyun pop up.

Taehyun (life saver): ig there's a possibility he blushed because of your compliment

Taehyun (life saver): so go to sleep

Damn Kang Taehyun! Tough from the outside, sweetheart from the inside. The smile that forms on your face was almost immediate, and for the first time you take the "go to sleep" advice seriously and actually fall asleep. Soundly at that.

if you want to be on the taglist, send an ask or comment!! this is going to be a long long fic. possibly over 15k words ...

[atla-suki]

sokka’s treatment in lok was astonishing tbh but i’m actually glad he was dead by the time the series started bc toph being a cop??? aang being an awful dad???? they would’ve ruined him and suki’s characters lbr.

as far as any possible kids go idk we didn’t meet suyin till book 4 we barely saw izumi i think they just didn’t want to make the new series be a atla reunion plus lok was only meant to be one season so they were making that shit up as they went along lmao. and back in 2012-14?? they didn’t know themselves what happened to sukka lmao.

sokka and suki are definitely the type to break up bc of long distance but then find their way back to each other a few years later especially as they settle into their roles in life.

while bryke definitely neglect suki and sokka to some capacity also they do have a soft spot for suki after bringing her back. many don’t consider her to be team avatar but they’ve stated they do so idk ! she shows up a lot in the comics which have obv been created post-lok and it’s been said that they’ll utilise it’s plots and characters in shall see in future projects (crane fish town becoming republic city maybe??? where suki currently is working?? and sokka later lives!!)

i’m p sure suki will be in it at some capacity anyway and that there’ll stick with jennie as she’s one of the few asian og va’s. she’s doing a lot of work atm for avatar studios.

also random but i literally found out today that it’s not bryke-confirmed that mai and zuko end up together. it was a comment on a panel by the old comic writer. it’s not technically canon. izumi is the spit of mai anyway but hmm! interesting!!

btw btw suyin’s father was def a sandbending outlaw who toph had a secret relationship with that couldn’t be public bc of her role as police chief x

oo big ask ok let me break this up into different paragraphs …

fist point - one thing i will admit about lok is that it fell short in incorporating the original characters into the new series in an interesting way with enough verisimilitude (realistic-ness) that it didn’t feel like they were just throwing a popular character into an episode for the sake of it. such as the whole ‘aang is a bad dad’ thing because they under-utilised him as a mentor figure to korra and instead focused on his supposed favourite son (i have thoughts on this re. aang NOT being a ‘Bad’ dad but i will make another post on it if u are interested (or have i alr made one? i’ll make another one.))

i have to agree that they would’ve probably done something shitty to sokka or suki if they were included. especially with the entire first season of lok being about bender/non-bender equality… i can just imagine they’d make sokka say something dumb about the equalist movement being 100% Bad instead of him actually supporting some of their completely valid arguments. idk. i’m sad there’s no sukka but at the same time…. quit while ur ahead yk.

second point - sukka long distance relationship is so real ESPECIALLY during their first few years together. i can see them just kinda calling it off because of commitment issues due to their work, etc. but not ever really losing feelings. they’d be endgame tho🥰

i can absolutely see suki being in upcoming projects! especially since she and the other kyoshi warriors expanded their reach across the nations - it would be hard to ignore them completely if we’re assuming they’re including comic canon into the universe. i hope jenny returns!!

third point - yeah! how crazy that maiko as izumi’s parents isn’t canon confirmed… though she’s so clearly mai’s daughter. i wonder if mai’s role will be expanded in upcoming projects / if she’ll be featured more. hmmm.

fourth - would honestly prefer this to the theory sokka is her father lol. it kinda baffles me that TOPH became a cop.. not bc she opposes authority - there’s something different about enforcing it than there is having to follow it. i can see toph in authoritative positions, and she fits them well. but i think it baffles me moreso because why would toph even work as a COP? isn’t that boring as hell for her?? go do something awesome like probending or professional underground fighting (adult blind bandit anyone?? this would make a good fic) or literally just construction idk i feel like toph isn’t a Hard Worker type that would want to be stuck in such a rigid career.

[stevetonyweekly]

SteveTony Weekly - May 7th

 HELLO MY LOVELY FRIENDS I MISSED YOU!!! Last week was a mess BUT I closed on my house Monday (OMG) and now we’re in the home stretch before we move (!!!!!). Quick note: 

I’m going to be moving May 21, so the rec list might be kinda off that weekend, but I’ll pre-plan something! Enjoy and be sure to drop a kudos/comment for your author! 

~*~ 

Mark Zero by enkiduu

Tony wears his lack of soulmark with pride.

lover, we always fall by enkiduu

Dying in a world with reincarnation is easy. Living in one is hard, because history inevitably follows you, and you can't always decide what your legacy is.

You try to change history, but your Icarus only ever chooses the same thing he's always chosen.

(In which Tony is Icarus and Steve is the ocean.)

ignorance is (not) bliss by earliebirb

One of Tony’s hands shoots up to grab his wrist, gripping it tightly. Slowly, Tony opens his eyes.

Steve’s blood freezes in his veins. His heart sinks with dread. 

“Tony?” Steve hopes that this is just some weird bout of sleepwalking, but Tony doesn’t sleepwalk, and from the thoughtful way Tony regards him, Steve knows that Tony is somehow very much awake, which means—

Tony swallows, his eyes wide and alert in a way Steve didn’t think they were capable of being twenty minutes ago. 

“Steve,” he says, the single word carrying too much weight.

the stark-tangled man with a crappy plan by Serinah for AvengersNewB

*At first, it seemed to be an easy job: find the O, secure the O, and hand him over to his guardian and the fiance. Simple. Unfortunately, the omega wasn't onboard. At all.*

OR:

Steve has to return a runaway omega to his guardian Mr. Stane.

Where Lies A Home by XtaticPearl

They're in the middle of the most complicated and risky fight of their lives, placing their bets on a distant memory right now, and basically in deep trouble if the plan doesn't work out. Steve knows he should be stressed and somewhere in the corner of his mind, he is a little. Mostly though, he's having fun and strangely, so is Tony.

Yes, Just Like This by gottalovev

Tony wakes up in a hospital on another planet missing his memories of the last eleven years. It's now 2023, and he learns the Avengers saved half the universe. Unfortunately, not everything he forgot is good news.

(An Endgame Alternate Universe AND Civil-War fix-it and get together story, weaved through a space road trip with Steve, Carol and Nebula. Complete but cut in 5 chapters for ease of reading.)

messages from the stars by Thahire

Steve's not expecting to find anything remotely of interest when he steps into Macy’s, of all places, in a last-ditch effort to find a present for Tony.

Somehow, he ends up leaving with an engagement ring.

Still Got It by KandiSheek 

Ever since Tony's close call in their battle against Thanos Steve treats him like he's going to break at the slightest pressure. He won't so much as look at the bionic arm either. So Tony takes matters into his own hands to prove that he can still handle himself just fine.

Soul Searching (The Hop, Skip, Jump Remix) by navaan

Tony lives a peaceful life in Irondale and then Steve Rogers drifts into town. It's the beginning of a romance — and not all is what it seems.

Code Icarus by FestiveFerret

Steve Rogers hates falling, but he hates being caught even more.

Truths, Lies and the Tipping Point by BlackEyedGirl

The news report seems more interested in the argument between the team during the fight than the way they eventually won. And then it gets worse.

Me in You by Captain_Panda

What if J.A.R.V.I.S. was Tony?

That is, what if a lonely genius Velveteen Rabbited his computer program into a real being instead of just his own thoughts talking back at him?

A deep dive into a broken psyche, contemplating Tony's loneliness, J.A.R.V.I.S.'s protectiveness, and the mother of all broken genius families. Mostly because Howard Stark never hugged his son.

Depthless by Captain_Panda

"Depthless: (1) unfathomably deep; (2) shallow and superficial."

Weeks after defrosting Captain America, S.H.I.E.L.D. finds Steve Rogers lying at the bottom of a pool. Assumptions are made. They have no idea what they are dealing with.

Meanwhile, Tony Stark, the man-in-the-spotlight, has demons lurking off-radar that are literally filling his lungs with water.

Ignoring either problem was never an option. This is the story of Steve Rogers and Tony Stark's collision course.

For What It's Worth by Captain_Panda

S.H.I.E.L.D. thaws out Captain America, expecting a combat-ready soldier to greet them.

They get Steve Rogers instead, a broken artist who turns to the violin for salvation.

hold your fire by JenTheSweetie

He watched Tony eat an entire steak and listened to him talk about the work he was doing on the Milano while he downed glass after glass of expensive scotch. Just as Steve was about to suggest they head back to the jet, Tony finished his last glass, put it down firmly, and said, "I want to blow you."

Steve stared at him.

"Let's get a hotel room," Tony said, like that was that, and somehow - and Steve never could explain how, not then and not now and not later - it was.

Say It Now by ishipallthings 

“I’m glad you’re here, Tony,” Steve tells him. It’s not everything he wants to say, but it’s enough.

Steve thinks it might be one of the most important things he’s ever said.

(Steve and Tony have a conversation the night before the time heist. Maybe second chances aren’t impossible after all.)

a hop, skip, and a jump by IronSwordStarShield (SweetFanfics)

“Before I go, I was wondering if I could ask you some questions.”

“About?” they ask they return the stone to its place.

“Timelines. Alternate realities.”

--

Steve returns the stones to their rightful places in time, gets his dance with Peggy, and then embarks on a whole new search.

Give Me Just A Little More Time by Robin_tCJ 

Spoilers for Avengers: Endgame. A full summary will live in the author’s notes, so you have to click to read it, but the premise is that this is technically canon divergent in the sense that I’m treating it as… a few deleted scenes in the middle, there. It’ll only make sense if you’ve seen the movie, and if you haven’t seen the movie it will definitely spoil you for it. Written in kind of a sketchy, lots-of-really-short-scenes style.

falling like the stars by complicationstoo

When Tony starts at MIT, he's excited to finally be in the same city as his older brother, Bucky, again. Then he meets Bucky's roommate and best friend Steve Rogers and falls faster than he would have ever thought possible.

[bluewhale52]

Little Black Book: The Endgame

Summary: There are a few names in your Little Black Book, and these six hold a special place in your heart.  Until Kim Namjoon entered your life, and you realised the endgame was near.

Pairing: Namjoon x female OC, a cameo by Seokjin, and Yoongi, some indirect cameo ofJungkook, Hoseok, Joon’s sister, Joon’s mom, OC mom… it’s a lot okay I know

Rating: Explicit. NO MINORS ALLOWED!

Genre: non idol au, strangers to lovers, established relationship

WC: 8.2k 

Warning: swearing, explicit sex acts, oral (f receiving), fingering, penetrative sex (protected and unprotected), mirror sex, multiple orgasms, Joon's big dick and BDE, Joon's sexy body, talk of threesome, some jealousy, Joon is a little possessive, daddy Joon, some angst A/N: FINALLY THE END IS HERE! Thank you to sexy YTC Run BTS Namjoon for giving me the inspiration and the drive to complete this chapter. Everything here is unbetaed, as I was just too eager to get it done and published, so sincere apologies in advance. Also, segments of the story are not chronological, so... sorry also if you get confused. But I like being ambiguous even if that confuses my readers. Sorry. Lastly, ENJOY! Series Masterlist: Little Black Book

You walked back into the large hall, where your firm’s annual office party was being held. You felt a bit weird, you had never done anything this daring in public before. Well, not since Hoseok fucked you against a tree in a backyard during a house party years ago. But you could not deny your boyfriend’s request, not when the glint in his dragon eyes and the little smirk in his mouth (enough to produce that damned dimple on his cheek) promised you a delicious reward.

So here you were, coming back from a quick trip to the restroom, with your thong bunched up tightly in your fist.

And there he was in all his glory- black turtleneck that showed off his chest, slim-fit black pants that made his legs look even longer, and those fucking glasses that made him look so innocent but you knew, oh you knew, how naughty he could be. 

Namjoon noticed you approaching so he opened his arm, and you slithered right to his side, sliding your thong into his pants back pocket. His dimples deepened at your movement, and anyone watching would think he was just smitten with you, but you were well aware of what lay beneath- the urge to give you the kind of pounding that would put you on cloud nine for days and days. You clenched yourself hard, hoping with all hopes that nothing was leaking out to betray your secret state of undress. God, you were such a horny mess.

“You both are so in love it’s making me sick.”

You turned to your boss, raising an eyebrow at his snide remark. “Jealous much?” 

Seokjin snorted at your retort, but to your surprise, did not say anything back. Keeping his eyes on you, he downed his champagne, and you saw his ears getting redder, from alcohol perhaps, or really, jealousy? Namjoon chuckled into your hair, while his hand glided down from your waist to the small of your back, then lower still to the top of your ass. He let out a hum, no doubt pleased he no longer felt the outline of your thong under your skirt. His touch was intoxicating, but you still watched Seokjin like a hawk.

Min Yoongi, who was standing next to your boss, cleared his throat. “You know you don’t have to keep playing my album, right? I think it’s been looped three times now.”

Seokjin slapped his back playfully. “Ah, you are one of our biggest clients! We have to support you!” You saw Yoongi hiding a small smile behind his drink. How typical, he always liked fishing for compliments despite his nonchalant demeanor. 

“We’re basically using your music to brag.” You snatched a glass of champagne from a passing waiter. “Why do you think our shareholders AND their kids are here?”

Seokjin clicked a finger gun at you. “She’s smart, this one, that’s why she’s my protege.” Seokjin motioned for another drink. You counted five from the start of the night, this would be his sixth. He was drinking too fast and too much; it was quite unlike him. “Do you know she’s the one who brought Yoongi in?” The question was directed at Namjoon and your boyfriend dully nodded. “Told me her friend was looking for a law firm to represent him. The whole office nearly lost it when agustd himself walked in. Some couldn’t believe they were looking at agustd in the flesh, some couldn’t believe YOU were actually friends with him!”

Seokjin’s signature laughter boomed in the hall, causing some people to turn to look at your little group. Namjoon and Yoongi laughed along politely, but you continued to feel uneasy over Seokjin’s behavior.  “You know, you never told us how you two became friends,” he eyed you and Yoongi. 

“Ah,” you paused, looking at the rapper. His face remained expressionless, yet you knew he was giving you the rein to control the story, especially with your boyfriend present.

“We actually met at a bar, and he thought I was… a prostitute.”

Seokjin nearly spat out his drink. Namjoon squeezed your waist a little too tightly. Yoongi suddenly found a very interesting spot on the floor.

“You know my old boss,” you reminded Seokjin, “he liked to take his clients to those kinds of places, and I always had to tag along to pay their bills and get taxis for everyone, all that shit.”

Seokjin scoffed. “Yeah, he was a creep. The best thing I did after moving here from New York was transfer you to my team.”

Namjoon squeezed your waist again, his fingers dug deeper into your flesh.

“So, yeah, that’s how I first met Yoongi. Told him I wasn’t what he thought I was, gave him my card instead.” Then he made you cum with his tongue in the bar’s restroom. Twice. 

“After that night, we met up a few times when he needed help with some legal issues about plagiarism, libel, and stuff like that. ” And you sucked his dick in his studio. Sometimes he bent you over his recording equipment to eat you out too.

“I’m just glad he trusts me- us,” you corrected yourself quickly, “enough to represent him now.” You trusted him enough to make a sex tape with him. You still had a copy of it.  As he did. 

Yoongi nodded. “Wouldn’t have anyone else.” 

Your boss stared at you pointedly. What was wrong with him? You felt like he knew something and was trying to pry it out of you here of all places. He knew you had a few fuck buddies, apart from himself, before Namjoon came into the picture, but you never shared names. Did Seokjin suspect you had been sleeping with Yoongi? Was he trying to get it out in the open to make Namjoon jealous? But why? There was nothing in it for him, unless he was just being petty, unless… could it be possible? That he was jealous over you going steady with Namjoon and thus depriving him off his weekly fuck session with you? He could not possibly be that childish… but then again, Seokjin could be unpredictable. Especially with six glasses of champagne in his system. 

“All right,” your boss sighed and put his arms around Yoongi, “I think it’s time to show you off to our shareholders. Those lovebirds look like they have better things to do anyway. Right?” He winked then directed the music producer to another part of the hall.

Your brows furrowed, you were still nowhere near clarity over his odd behavior. You had no time to analyze that further however, for Namjoon’s hand started traveling down to cup your ass. 

“Joon! People can see!” You smacked his chest.

“Let them see. I want everyone to know I own this ass.” He pulled you around till you were flushed to his front. You shivered when you felt he was already hard. “You wear this skirt to work everyday, baby?”

You hugged him back, arms tight around his waist. He smelled so good, so manly, you just could not get enough of him, especially with his erection poking at your abdomen. “Not everyday, just when I need to feel good and powerful.”

“Hmm, is that so? I think you just like it when your boss and clients ogle you.”

You stepped back to look at him, your cheeks burning uncontrollably. You definitely felt called out. “Who? Them?” 

His face still looked friendly and amiable, but you sensed his energy had taken a more intense turn. “I’ve seen how they look at you, especially at this ass.” He squeezed again, much harder this time, making no effort to hide what he was doing. His touch burned through your skirt onto your skin, and you wish you could stop the flow of arousal leaking onto your inner thighs.

“Fuck, Joon,” you whimpered. “They’re not… I… shit, let’s just go home now.”

He chuckled. “Okay, baby. I’ll wipe you down in the taxi if you get too wet.” He patted his back pocket, where your thong was. 

He wiped you down that night, all right. He made you cum over and over with his fingers so he could wipe your creamy cum off of his fingers with your thong, and once he was satisfied, he sucked on the soaked material till you begged him to fuck you. And like a good boyfriend he was, he gave you what you asked, and more, until you lay spent, unable to move, your body oversensitized but somehow your mind still ended up wondering what was going on with Seokjin.

~~~

Your chopsticks clattered noisily on the table, interrupting the conversation between Namjoon and his little sister in the busy restaurant.

“Sorry,” you mumbled, recovering quickly and gripping the chopsticks a little tighter. “Did you say you’re going on a date with Jungkook this Friday?”

Namjoon’s sister nodded. “Yeah, he asked me to go to the arcade with him. Which is a bit unusual,” she smiled shyly, her dimples prominent on her cheeks, “but I like that idea. It’ll be more fun and casual, right?” Your boyfriend nodded, humming in pleasure, from both food and his sister’s excitement. 

“I didn’t know you know Jungkook.” 

“Friday will be their first meeting, I set them up. She’s been complaining about all the shitty boys in her uni. Thought Jungkook would make a good match with her.”

Namjoon slurped his noodles. Namjoon’s sister was sweet and kind, and as smart as her big brother. But with Jungkook? You simply could not see it. 

“Ah, I see,” you forced a smile. “I didn’t know you were setting them up.”

Namjoon glanced at you. “Oh, was I supposed to?”

“Well, it’d be nice to know before you planned all that. He’s my friend.”

“He’s my friend too.”

You poked at your dumpling a little too aggressively. “Well Namjoon, I’ve been friends with him longer than you have, so yes, you should’ve told me!”

“I didn’t think that mattered. I spend as much time with him as you do, if not more.”

“I introduced you to him, it mattered.” You muttered, fully aware how childish you were sounding. 

He rolled his eyes. “You’re overreacting.” 

Your boyfriend’s off-handed comment set you off, enough to push your food away before standing up. “I’m going to the restroom.” You grabbed your bag and coat, and instead of the toilet, you headed to the exit. You heard Namjoon curse, and his sister worriedly asking him if everything was all right.

Once you stepped out, cold air immediately assaulted your senses, giving you a sudden clarity, and with it, came guilt. You could not understand why you reacted the way you did. No, you had to stop lying to yourself- you knew exactly why. Jungkook asked you out to an arcade a long time ago, and why you turned him down. You simply hated the fact that someone else actually said yes, even when that someone was your own boyfriend’s sweet little sister. 

You sighed when you felt a rush of warm air from the restaurant’s door behind you, signaling that Namjoon had come out to see you. He was right, you overreacted, but damned if you were going to apologize. You stood by your opinion, however rashed and illogical, that you should have been involved in the plan from the beginning.

“What the hell was that?” Namjoon finally asked when the silence stretched a little too long.

You took a deep breath; you were a little calmer, but you still tried to answer him carefully. “Jungkook is my friend. One of my closest friends. I’m just upset you set him up with your sister without talking about it with me first.”

Your boyfriend tilted his head, observing you. “I honestly didn’t think it would upset you this much. Actually, I thought you’d be happy for both of them.”

“I’m protective of him, okay?” You snapped. “He’s been through so much shit with people he thought he could trust, so I just wanted to make-”

“And you think my sister isn’t trustworthy enough?” Namjoon cut you off, the ice in his voice biting. 

“I didn’t say that.” 

“But it’s implied, very clearly.”

You refused to give him any response, not when you could not even comprehend the jumbled emotions you were feeling. You folded your arms defiantly and faced away from your boyfriend.

“What’s Jungkook to you, really?”

Your heart dropped to your stomach. You kept your back to Namjoon. “A friend.”

“Just a friend?”

“A client, who became a really good friend. Okay?”

Namjoon’s eyes were boring through your back. “I told you, I don’t like being lied to.” Despite his level and calm voice, you still felt the anger brimming underneath.

“And I told you, Jungkook was a client, who became a really good friend.” You finally turned to look at your boyfriend, your eyes set on his, staring back at him sternly. However his lack of response continued to feed the uneasiness in you. Your heart beat faster, every logical instinct in you screamed for you to look away, but you could not. You had to stare him down for him to believe your words.

“Okay,” he reached out to cup your cheek. Despite the gentle gesture, you still held your breath. “Let’s go back inside, she’s worried.”

Embarrassment filled you, and your flight instinct kicked in. “You go,Joon. Finish your dinner with your sister. I’ll call her later to apologize.”

“Where are you going?” 

“Home.” You turned away, avoiding your boyfriend’s questioning look. You flagged down a taxi “Are you coming back to my place?”

His jaws clenched, he was clearly unhappy but he still opened the taxi door for you, ever the gentleman. “I’m not going to yours tonight. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

The finality in his tone was followed by a slam of the door. You watched him go back into the restaurant, long strides leading him away from you without even a glance back. You exhaled shakily, angry and disappointed at yourself. You decided you did not want to be alone, you did not want to go home if he was not going to be there later. So you gave the taxi driver Hoseok’s address, instead of yours.

~~~

You came home to Namjoon’s place earlier than planned, to the sound of the shower running. Namjoon must have just gotten home too, you thought, and you plopped down on his bed, debating whether to join him or wait for him to finish.

Before you could make a decision, you noticed his notebook- the one where he wrote down all his musings and short poems- open on his side of the bed. You never looked through the book, only reading what he wanted to show you. Curiosity got the better of you, though, so you took a peek.

If I could be under your skin

Closer than we’ve ever been

Wanna lock you up in my sight

But you run away like fish

You stared at his scribbles. Were these lines about you? Was that how he felt about you? Your chest thumped, your mind reeled back to the conversation you had with Hoseok earlier that night.

“Marriage and kids, Hoseok, that’s what he wants.”

“Then tell him that’s not what you want.”

“What if I lose him?”

“Then you lose him. Isn’t it better than living in a lie? Pretending to want something you actually don’t?”

Your heart constricted. Did Namjoon know, was that the reason he wrote these down? 

“I know it’s hard, babe. I can see how Namjoon makes you happy, but his golden dick aside, you’re not built for the long run. You and I are the same, we’re too selfish, we’re better off on our own.”

Was that true what Hoseok said? You had been free, yes, before Namjoon, doing things on your own terms and satisfying your urges on your own schedule. But being with Namjoon was good too. He was kind, he challenged you intellectually, he gave you attention the way none of your previous fuck buddies ever did once sex was over. That was not a bad thing, was it? And you knew you gave a lot to Namjoon too. The museums, the parks, the poetry reading and discussion- you gave him your time for all that. Were you supposed to give more? 

You nearly jumped out of your skin when the bathroom door opened. You immediately move to stand up, away from the notebook, pretending you just got home then instead of a few minutes earlier.

“You’re home,” your boyfriend greeted you in surprise. “Thought you’d party longer with Hoseok tonight.”

You stared wide eyed at Namjoon- bare chest, towel slung low on his hips. He ruffled his wet hair with his hands, biceps flexing naturally. 

“Can’t keep up with his energy anymore, besides why would I waste my time there when this is waiting for me at home?” You made your way to the bathroom, brushing your hand across his abs as you walked past him. You surprised yourself at how calm you sounded.

He followed you, chuckling at your teasing. He leaned on the bathroom door as you started removing your makeup at the sink. You raised an eyebrow at him. “Aren’t you going to put any clothes on?”

He shook his head. “Nah. Am I distracting you?”

“You’re going to catch a cold.” You scolded, but he just folded his arms across his broad chest. “How was your night with Yoongi?”

“It was good, he’s turning me into a whiskey drinker.” He moved to stand behind you, you could see from his reflection how his eyes were roaming up and down your body. The reaction in you was instantaneous. You pressed your legs together to dam the growing arousal. “He invited me to write some lyrics with him.”

“Really? Joon! That’s amazing!” You straightened up and attempted to turn to hug him, but his arms stopped you, keeping your back to him. You watched his reflection intently; the way a rumble escaped his throat when he pulled the zipper of your dress down, the way he bit his lower lip as he pushed the garment off your shoulders, the way he purred as the material fell around your ankles, leaving you in your lacy bra and thong, and your trusted thigh high stockings.

“Kim Namjoon, poet and lyricist,” you shuddered as his large hands ghosted over your bare skin. “Fuck, that’s so hot, Joon.”

He smirked. “Yeah, I thought you’d like that. Was planning to celebrate with you tomorrow,” he paused to trail kisses from your shoulder to your neck. “didn’t want to tire you out tonight, but it looks like you’re ready for our own private party, aren’t you baby?” His hand slithered under your thong, and your eyes fluttered shut as he ran a single digit between your folds, enticing more wetness to seep out.

“Open your eyes, baby. Watch yourself while I finger you open.”

His thick, long finger pushed its way into your hole, his palm flushed against your throbbing sex, keeping you in place. You exhaled shakily, as you forced your eyes open, and your mind immediately short circuited at what you saw. His large hand bulged underneath your little thong, stretching the material as he finger fucked you. 

“That’s it, baby,” another digit joined in, “keep watching, look at how much you enjoy my fingers.”

Eyes transfixed on your own reflection, you clenched harder around his pumping fingers. Your face was bare of makeup and pasty, eyes red from the party and the alcohol, but all your senses were lit up on fire and he continued to stroke it to burn hotter and brighter. You mewled when a third finger joined into your hole, and you gripped his wrist, half in protest, half in encouragement. You felt stretched, but not yet full. 

Namjoon wrapped his free hand around your waist and pulled you up, his hard chest plastered against your back. “Breathe, baby, relax,” he soothed you, “you know I gotta stretch you out, your little pussy’s too tight for my cock.”

You whimpered at his words. For a poet, he had such a dirty mouth. And he knew how much you liked it.

“Can you take one more, hmm?” The hand on your middle traveled up to latch on your breast. “Or do you think you’re ready for me?”

You grinded on his crotch as a response, both mouth and cunt salivating at the hardness nestled on your back. 

“You want it now, don’t you?” He pulled his fingers out and you panted, eyes still locked with his, although a lot more glazed with lust and unbridled desires. He tugged his towel loose, letting it fall to the floor. He moved his hand from your breast to the space between your shoulder blades, pushing your body down and forward. With your ass sticking out, he spanked the flesh a few times before pulling your thong roughly off you.

“Why do you even wear this pathetic thing,” he tutted, tossing your underwear to the floor. He then cupped your asscheeks to open you up, to have your pulsating center opened and exposed to his eyes. “New house rule, baby. You’re only allowed to wear these stockings here, nothing else. Gotta keep you ready for my cock at all times.” 

He slapped his length on your sopping pussy a few times, eliciting cries out of your mouth. He truly could turn you into a sopping mess with such little effort. Desperate, you pushed yourself back at him, your eyes and body begging for him as your mind melted in horniness, unable to form any sentences to tell him what you wanted.

Namjoon understood immediately- he was tuned in to you like that, having learned how your body responded to his stimuli. He lined himself to your dripping entrance and started pushing in deeper and deeper. 

You gave up trying to keep your eyes open. “Ah, daddy…”

“That’s right, baby,” he bottomed out. “Who’s your daddy?”

“You… you…” 

He pulled out slowly then pushed himself back in even more excruciatingly slow. “What’s your daddy’s name?”

If I could be under your skin…

“Namjoon,” you breathed out, “Kim Namjoon. Oh!”

He slammed in, spearing you into delirium in one movement. “Fuck, baby,” he puffed, “wish you could see how hot you are right now. Shit. You got your phone in here?”

You tightened at what he was hinting at. 

“You want that, baby? We should record ourselves, huh? You’d love this, your puffy lips around my cock, fuck!” His pace quickened. The slapping sounds of your skin and his grew deafening. “And these thigh highs? Fucking hell!”

He faltered once, and you knew he was losing the iron grip control he normally displayed during sex. You raised yourself up, grasping the back of his neck, anchoring yourself. In return, he wrapped you tighter to his chest, his large hands clutching your breasts, as if they were a lifeline for his sanity.

Closer than we’ve ever been…

Your eyes locked onto the bodies in the mirror, watching the pornographic scene. Molded to his body, he continued pounding you from behind, bouncing you on his cock. You slid a hand down to your clit, thrumming the bud frantically to chase your orgasm.

“Keep your eyes open, baby, watch us, watch us cum together.” His shaky voice was desperate, needy.

Wanna lock you up in my sight…

You kept on attacking your clit, feeling the heat rising and rising till it finally exploded, your eyes instinctively closing as your body froze in ecstasy, cunt clamping down on his cock. A growl penetrated your haze, he released his seed deep into you as his muscly arms nearly crushed your body.

But you ran away like fish…

Tears running down your face, you breathlessly clung to him, not willing to let him go just yet.

~~~

The kitchen was quiet except for the sounds of dishes clattering and your hissing at Namjoon to be careful.

“God knows where Seokjin bought all these from. Our combined salary isn't enough to cover any damages.” You passed another plate to your boyfriend, glaring at him as a warning to be more careful.

“It’s just a plate.” He took the plate and dried it with a dishtowel, before putting it ever so slowly on the counter. You rolled your eyes at his exaggeration.

“Yes, and again, that plate probably costs more than your precious art books. Why the hell does Seokjin not have a dishwasher in here?”

Namjoon scoffed, and continued taking the washed dishes from you to dry them. It was utterly domestic, you thought, especially since you and your boyfriend used the kitchen only to make coffee and the occasional ramyeon. Sharing living space with him was surprisingly easy, for you had your own corners of organized chaos- his tower of books by the sofa, your piles of documents by your side of the bed, his shoes taking half of the space by the entryway, your own thrown into a rack nearby. He had his own mess, you had yours; he left yours alone and you did not touch his. It was a perfect co-existence.

So doing something as simple as washing dishes- even in your boss’ kitchen- felt somewhat special. Namjoon seemed to feel the same; he was humming and throwing you little smiles, but it turned out he had something else in mind.

“Remember what you asked me a few days ago?”

“You have to be more specific. I asked a lot of things from you.” 

He lowered his voice. “I’m referring to the threesome.”

You dropped the metal ladle you were rinsing into the sink, the clanging noise echoed loudly through the kitchen, and beyond. “Don’t break anything!” Seokjin shouted from the living room. You glared at your boyfriend. Namjoon held back a giggle, and you both stayed quiet until Seokjin and Jungkook’s laughter filled the apartment again.

“They’re busy gaming, they won’t hear us.” Namjoon took the ladle and dried it dutifully. You moved on to wash the chopsticks. 

“If I remember correctly, you dismissed my question that night,” you shot him an accusatory look. “Why are you suddenly asking now?”

He took the rinsed chopsticks from you and wiped them down before half-throwing them onto the drying rack. You winced; your gentle giant had already forgotten the warning you gave him earlier.

“I’ve kind of been thinking about it.”

“Oh?” You reached for the silver spoons in the sink, scrubbing it to the rhythm of your increasing heartbeat.

“I’ve thought,” his voice went lower into a whisper, like the kind he used to whisper his dirty talk into your ear, “if we were to do it, it’d have to be with someone we’re both comfortable with, right?”

With your eyes still glued on the spoons, you nodded.

“So, I kind of went through the list of our mutual friends, for someone we might invite to our bed.”

You rinsed the spoons, the warm water from the tap only made you feel more feverish. Was this what domesticity was about? Talking about sexual fantasies and kinks while doing the most mundane household chore? 

“And?” You stole a glance at your boyfriend. 

“What do you think of Seokjin?”

Upon hearing the name, you paused and turned slowly to face your boyfriend. Was he serious? Was he really considering having your very handsome, very hot boss involved in a sexual act with the two of you? 

“He’s handsome, and I think he’d be fun. But yeah, that’d put you in an awkward situation, right?” Namjoon murmured, taking your silence as a sign of disapproval. “I thought of Jungkook too, but he probably would get too competitive, and I’m not going to go head to head with someone who hates losing.”

You were flabbergasted. You did not expect your boyfriend to have this deep of an analysis to a question you had asked when drunk.

“Hoseok, maybe?” Your boyfriend continued, scratching his chin. You were losing your mind. Namjoon’s expression was serious, deep in thought, and he kept talking, getting the thoughts out of his brilliant brain to weigh all the pros and cons. It was so logical and systematic, the way he was picking out which of your friend’s cock he would allow you to have, as if he was deciding which bicycle to buy. “But it’s tricky because you used to date, right? What if during the threesome sparks flew again between you two and I got kicked out.”

“We did not date. We tried, and failed spectacularly.” You found your voice to protest. Hoseok would not be too bad of a choice. He was fun  and adventurous, his physique was different from Namjoon’s, and you had to admit the two of them painted a very tantalizing picture in your mind. Moreover, your boyfriend and your best friend both had a very similar tendency to take charge. You liked the idea indeed.

“Nah, I’m not taking my chances. Are you done with those?” He pointed at the spoons in your hands. You had been rinsing them under the running water. He took them from you to wipe them down, before throwing them onto the drying rack. You winced again at the sound, and in your heightened state, a whiny gasp escaped.

The sound did not go unnoticed. A corner of his mouth went up as he wiped his hands dry. He then turned to you, taking your hands into his. He started wiping your fingers one by one. The air had shifted, tension coiling around you both.

“That leaves us with Yoongi,” you dared to say. Namjoon’s jaw clenched. 

“Or the jazz singer,” dragon eyes bored into yours. “There must be a reason you introduced me to him.”

Heart pounding, you attempted to put on a coy smile, although inside you were panicking. It was hitting a little too close to a memory you did not want to resurrect. “He’s a good singer and I just thought you’d enjoy listening to his stuff.”

He bit his lower lip and your knees nearly buckled. It was not fair how easily your body reacted to him; you were like a Pavlovian bitch in heat. “He’s drop dead gorgeous too. You have a thing for musicians, don’t you?”

You knew he was baiting you so you had to judge if giving him a little more glimpse of your past would favor you or anger him. Instinctively, you wanted to provoke him a little; a jealous Namjoon was a dominant Namjoon, and you were addicted to that side of him.

“I have a thing,” you placed your hands on his chest, enjoying the hard muscles there, “for a poet who can make me swoon and drench my panties in a single stanza.”

The rumble in his chest signaled his contentment to your words. “And does this poet satisfy you?”

Your hands snaked around his neck. “In more ways than one,” you purred, stroking his ego further.

“Good,” he gripped your chin. He did not need to say more, you understood from the sharp gaze of his eyes and the pressure on your skin that the conversation was over. A mixture of disappointment and arousal brimmed over you in the form of a sigh, and he descended on your mouth. You resigned to his eager lips and tongue, and raised yourself on your toes to clutch onto him tighter, to show him- and yourself- that he was more than enough for you, that you needed no one else but him.

The kiss turned feverish quickly, and you fought the urge to climb and wrap your legs around him. He sensed your desperate need, his hands cupped your ass roughly but before he could lift you up, a voice interrupted your impromptu hot and heavy makeout session.

“Do not soil my kitchen, please.” Seokjin walked past you to get a new bottle of sikhye. Despite his warning words, his eyes ogled your ass covered in Namjoon’s large hands. “Go fuck like rabbits at your own place, not here.” 

You bit back a squeal when Namjoon squeezed your ass cheek a little too harshly. You looked up at him and noticed his sharp jawline twitched once, then twice. A gush of arousal flooded your panties instantly, and you knew what lay ahead when you got back home.

~~~

“Um, I don’t think this is my table.”

You looked up from your book to find a towering figure of a man, dressed casually in a matching yellow sweatshirt and sweatpants, looking down at you with a confused expression on his face.

“This is the table Mrs. Shin has reserved, sir,” the restaurant hostess explained politely, though a little patronizing.

“Yet that is not my mother,” the man pointed at you.

“I was supposed to meet MY mother for lunch; this table is under her name, isn’t it?” You questioned the hostess, the same person who had led you to this very table just a few minutes earlier.

“Ah, yes, the table was reserved under two names,” she checked her slim tablet and read out the names, “for two people.”

You looked at the man, both of you sporting a bewildered yet determined look at the mix-up. You would not give up the table you were already at for this man and his mother, no matter how intimidating he looked in yellow. And tall. And big. And handsome.

The hostess interrupted your staredown. “My apologies, there is a recent note left on the reservation. Mrs Shin wrote that,” she looked at you, her customer service smile in full force, “her son and her friend’s daughter will be taking the table instead.”

“Huh?” The man looked even more lost. You fished out your phone to call and question your mother.

The hostess raised her eyebrows, her fake smile still intact. “This is your table, sir.”

“But, my mo-”

“She set you up. Your mothers set you up.”

Your thumb paused over the green call button. “What do you mean by that?”

“This is a blind date,” the woman sounded exasperated. “That man is your blind date. And she’s your blind date, sir.”

She pulled the chair across from you for the man, as if to emphasize her point, as well as a signal that her part in whatever plan your mother had cooked up was done. The man eyed you carefully; he still looked confused, you thought, but there was a splash of curiosity in his almond eyes.

You thanked the hostess, and shook your head as she bounded away, free at last. 

“My mom did mention she met an old high school friend a couple of weeks ago,” the man sighed with a soft laugh. “I’m betting my life savings your mom mentioned something similar to you too?”

You nodded, your mother had indeed. “Yup. Now that she’s retired, she seems to be always up to no good.”

The man chuckled, and your eyes widened at the deep dimples appearing on his cheeks. “Well, so what now?”

Did his voice just go lower? “We can throw this back at them,” you leaned forward, and he mimicked your movement. You swallowed. He was very handsome indeed, but there was something else that made him very attractive… you couldn’t put a finger to it.

“What have you got in mind?”

Sex appeal. That was it. This man was oozing with sex appeal. “We could tell them we left the moment we found out their plan, but,” you licked your lips, “at least the sex was phenomenal.”

Cocking his head, he stared you down. You had done this before, with more formidable opponents, across a conference room or in a courtroom, but you had never felt this exposed; his eyes continued boring through yours, making your cheeks burn uncontrollably.

He shifted in his seat to lean in more, to get even closer to you, clasping his hands on the table. You glanced down- dear god, his hands were big, and you knew what they said about big hands. 

“I like that plan, but you see, I have a little problem with that,” his voice was low and gravely, and you felt like you were running out of air to breathe. “I don’t lie to my mother. So the sex… it’d better be phenomenal.”

You bit your lower lip, preventing a moan from escaping. Fucking hell, where had this man been all your life?

“Deal.” You packed your things and stood up. He followed suit. The hostess looked at you quizzically as you left, and you did not hear what the man said to her to make her gasp audibly. The low rumble of laughter followed you out and into a taxi. After a quick discussion, it was surmised that his place was much closer, and you both stayed quiet during the short drive. You did not trust yourself to say anything, not even to ask for his name, for you were sure the only thing that would come out of your mouth was loud, appreciative hums over how long his legs were, how big his thighs looked under the sweatpants, how long his fingers were gripping his kneecap, and how HOT he felt sitting next to you. In short, you were a horny mess, and you did not need the taxi driver to witness the lack of impropriety you were willing to commit for the man next to you.

On arrival, he ushered you out and with his palm firm on the small of your back, he led you up to his door. He stepped in front of you to key in his code, it again hit you how BIG he was. You realized he was not much taller than Seokjin and Taehyung, but why was he so big? 

The door opened with a beep and he stepped in, you hot on his heels. Right after you both removed your shoes, he turned to you, literally sandwiching you between the door and his wall of a chest. 

“You sure about this?”

You looked up at him, at his dark dragon eyes, at his jaws clenching. “Yeah. Fuck yeah.”

He leaned down towards you and you raised yourself on your toes to meet him halfway. The kiss started soft, safe, the bravado from the restaurant seemed to dissipate, taken over by the curiosity of new touch, new taste, new sensation. You tilted your head to let him in more, for his tongue to slither in, to lick into your mouth, and when you moaned against his mouth, he lifted you up so effortlessly, giving relief to your calves. 

You wrapped your legs around his waist (god, what a tree to climb this man was), and his large hands cupped your ass, keeping you secure in his hold. You felt him moving, and you opened your eyes when he broke the kiss to explore your neck. He was walking to his bedroom, you presumed, andyou saw flashes of leafy green and wood undertones in his apartment. Combined with the bright yellow color he had on, your mind wondered briefly who he really was.

He lay you down on his bed, his hands left your ass to hastily undress you- impatience kicking in, clothes strewn about to the floor, until you were lying under him, skin rubbing against skin as your mouths met again to swallow each other’s moans. His hand roamed to graze against your hard nipple, then down between your legs, an appreciative hum vibrated in his chest at the wetness found there.

His face appeared in your vision as he raised himself up on one elbow, looking down at you. His eyes widened a little when your face scrunched a little, a reaction to his thick finger finding his way deep into your hole. He shuffled to spread your legs with his, all the while still pinning you down with his large body, leaving you little room to move. 

You gripped his biceps when a second finger went in, moaning helplessly at the intrusion. His eyes never left you- they were watching you like a hawk for every pleasure and displeasure, observing you carefully to know when and how far he could go.

A hitched breath from you lifted a corner of his mouth up, and he moved his fingers faster. You held on to him more tightly, your manicured nails digging into his skin, determined to leave their marks. You could hear how wet you were, his fingers juicing more and more liquid out of you, and then you felt it. A brush against that promising spot inside you that made you gasp and tighten, and you knew from the look in his eyes that he got you. Hook, line and sinker.

He shifted again, to spread your legs wider and to grip your hair, to ensure that you were looking at him and him only, his fingers not losing an ounce of momentum. He coaxed you higher and higher, and you held your eyes open as much as you could, not daring to break his eye contact.

“You’re getting close, aren’t you,” his low voice loud amidst the squelching sounds from down below, “I can feel it.”

You could not find the words to answer him, so your hands left his biceps for his shoulders, holding on to them for dear life.

“Come on baby, cum on my fingers, gotta get you as wet as possible for daddy’s big cock.”

That did it. You immediately careened into your climax, pussy clamping down yet his fingers still moved, even faster. You nearly cried when he pulled out so suddenly, leaving you so agonizingly empty, but a wet swipe of tongue made your back arched precariously high, and you lost control of what was happening when his mouth worked you to… prolong your orgasm? Or was this a back to back orgasm? Fuck, you did not care, you just wanted more and more and more.

You whimpered, your body oversensitized in the best of ways, and he finally left your quivering pussy. You felt him leave the bed altogether, and you wanted to protest, but no words came out other than wordless sounds begging him to come back. The bed dipped so you lifted your head, only to find him rolling a condom down his cock, and fuck, what a cock! If you thought Taehyung was big, this was another definition altogether.

He lined himself up and looked at you for a green light. You nodded, bracing yourself for what to come. He entered slowly- so painfully slow- and you understood he did not want to hurt you, but your cunt was aching so much, you just wanted him to split you open with his big dick and make you see stars for days. And so you did what you never, ever did with anyone else.

“Daddy,” you breathed out the honorific, “just fuck me hard please.”

His whole body froze. “You sure?”

“Yes. I’m so fucking horny,” you held his gaze and repeated your request, “ just fuck me hard as hard as you can. Please.”

You heard a growl- he growled, dear god!- before you felt the full girth and length of his cock ramming into you. You cried as he fucked you like you had asked him to, hard and fast, making his bed creak, the sound competing against the slapping of your skins and the wails from your mouth. He lifted your legs, resting them on his sweaty chest as he pounded you, then he slowed down when he felt you closing in to your climax. You sobbed in pure neediness, but he pulled out and flipped you over, and in one smooth motion, he was back inside again, fucking you into the mattress. His large hand was on your neck to hold you down, the other kneading and smacking your ass. 

“No marks, no marks,” you panted in a moment of clarity. You let go enough to call him daddy, but not enough for him to leave marks on you.

He complied immediately, leaning down to pin your body as he continued to pound you. His hands searched for yours, to link his fingers with yours as his hips started to stutter. 

“Fuck, you’re so tight,” he groaned to your neck. You clenched. “Come with me, baby, come- fuck!”

The final climax took you out, you blinked away the post-orgasm haze as he removed himself from you, freeing you from his body weight. You could not move, except to gingerly turn your head to look at him, lying next to you on his back, his chest rising up and down.

“That was amazing.”

“Amazing is not phenomenal,” you managed to say, voice hoarse. Your throat was so parched. “You’d still be lying to your mom.”

He chuckled. “Give me five minutes. Then we can try again.”

“Sounds good,” you agreed. “I’m _______, by the way.”

“I’m Namjoon.” His arm reached over to shake your lifeless one. “Nice to meet you. Do you like poetry?”

You called your mother later that night, annoyed at first at her attempt to set you up, but ended up telling her you would be meeting Namjoon again, maybe for a museum date in a week or so. No, not this coming week, you were swamped with work (and a threesome appointment but she definitely did not need to know that) and yes, he was very nice, and yes, she picked a winner, and no, let us not be too hasty, you would like to take it slow, though in your mind you already knew you wanted to see him again, and again, to have him fuck the living daylights out of you with his golden dick. But of course, you said nothing of the sort to your mother.

~~~

TONIGHT

You look at your phone again. 11:58pm.

Namjoon said he would be back soon, and that was an hour ago. You aren’t worried, you know he’s at Yoongi’s studio. The two of them have gotten along like houses on fire, musically and otherwise, and you should feel happy, right? Your investment banker turned published poet boyfriend is now writing song lyrics with and for the hottest music producer in the country. That’s hot, that’s fucking sexy.

But still, you feel annoyed. You love that your friends get along with Namjoon, but lately it seems Namjoon prefers spending time with them more than with you. Granted you nearly killed his bonsai after he entrusted you to look after it during his family vacation in Japan. And that you complained non stop during a 15-minute bicycle ride along the river. And that you nag him over the mess he left in the bathroom. And that he dislikes how you kick him awake when he starts snoring.

And when petty bickering makes its way into full-blown arguments.

And when you face away from each other when you go to bed.

And when you keep refusing his invitation to spend the big holidays with his family. Which now includes Jungkook.

And when you evade any question about the future.

‘Let’s just see how we go’ is banned from your vocabulary, unless for the moments when you feel especially petty to pick a fight with him.

You sigh. You might as well go to sleep now; even if he comes home in the next five seconds, what are you going to do? The sex is still good, but you’re far from in the mood for it. You sigh again while making yourself comfortable under the blanket, willing yourself to fall asleep.

Only sleep continues to evade you. Too many thoughts are running through your head, and one in particular is shouting louder than the rest. You block it out. Shut up. Sleep.

And still, you lie awake. Till the door beeps, signaling your boyfriend returning home. You keep your body unmoving, eyes vacant, staring at the window, away from your bedroom door. You hear him come in, and there is a hint of alcohol in the air now. Your heart sinks. He wasn’t just working with Yoongi, he was also drinking with Yoongi. The realization gives an ominous feeling. 

You hold your breath when the bed dips. So he decides to get in bed even without changing. Great. Then you feel his breath on your neck.

“Baby? You awake?”

An instinct to stay quiet and continue lying like a dead fish crosses your mind, but your heart aches, and you know tonight might just be the night. 

You rollover to find yourself face to face with him. His hair is longer now, messy, ruffled no doubt by the winter winds outside because he forgot to wear his beanie again. You reach out to tuck an errand strand behind his ear. He smiles gently. 

You continue staring at each other, so many words to be said yet none is said at all. It feels like he knows as well as you do, the chapter is ending and another is starting. You both have avoided this conversation far too long, stringing each other along with the amazing sex and soul shaking orgasms. You take a deep breath, and he does too. It is time.

“I think we should break up.”

A/N: dont hate me for the ending please 😅 I just can't see any other way for the series to end, esp after the Jimin chapter. Come shout at me if you're upset. Or you can reblog so more readers can see how much I hate happy endings ☺️ Thank you for reading! Series Masterlist: Little Black Book

Published 06022023 Crossposted to my ao3

[makotoismyson]

TNC spoilers under the cut (mostly just rambling)

-Okay but why are Barclay and Yasha so damn fruity in this book? I know it ends with Barclay believing Yasha can’t be redeemed but I’m still holding out the idea that Yasha will turn around in the next book since we ALMOST got through to him, the seeds of doubt have been planted.

-Also like we knew the coat thing was significant (because of that scene in Weeping Tide) BUT I WASN’T EXPECTING IT TO BE THEIR WHOLE MOTIF LIKE DAMN- THEM LITERALLY WEARING EACH OTHER’S COATS???

-Not to mention Barclay keeping the horseshoe, and Yasha’s constant need, borderline obsession of getting Barclay to join him and Audrian, especially during the scene in the hangar near the end where Yasha starts saying “we” want you instead of just Audrian.

-Them having to rely on each other for survival and bonding? Good stuff.

-I really do hope Yasha turns around though if Barsha is definitely endgame, like earlier in the book Yasha mentioned Audrian hasn’t directly killed anyone, but now someone’s gotta tell him that Audrian literally yeeted a grandma off a cliff /j

-Other stuff I liked was the new lore concepts (lore surging, wild lore), also there was a surprising amount of violence in this one, most of it being body horror like wow- I’m not saying it’s a bad thing I was just stunned

-I think this is the worst I’ve felt for Barclay in all the books, he’s trying so hard and doesn’t want to be seen as dangerous, or anything like Audrian, but the connections they have keep making him doubt himself, and the way he gets into spats with nearly everyone on the expedition just hurt my heart so much more.

-I liked all the twists in the book, even if I figured out some of them earlier on. There’s way too many to put here but I think you know which ones I’m referring to

-I know I gushed about Barsha but we’re getting a LOT more Tadg x Hasu as we’ve suspected since they had that little moment in Ever Storms, I’m really digging it even if it was mostly in the background

-really interested to know where the next book goes without Viola or Runa. I’m sure they’ll show up briefly, but that’s a bold decision to shelf two of the main characters

[starry-mist]

General mid-s6 thoughts (because I haven’t had time to actually rewatch 609 yet to do a full post yet):

I love that the show is fun to watch again. I’m actually looking forward to it rather than dreading whatever bullshit they were pulling in the early part of the season.

I’m back from my attempt at being a casual fan (hah, we all knew I would fail) to full-on obsessed. I like it here.

With a little more context now, it seems that this season is very much about Charlie, which I initially disliked, but at this point I can kind of envision where they’re going with it. While the show has always been about the characters’ relationships with each other, there’s a real focus this season on how he’s grown as a character as well as how he copes with new challenges but also resolves some lingering issues, and maybe let’s go of some old baggage (like his conflict with his dad.)

I’m still not 100% convinced there will be entirely smooth sailing on the Charah front. It’s really hard to say given it’s this fucking show (affectionate,) they could go either way. There’s a chance they just continue to be strong and supportive of each other, and I love that for them. I’m just still hanging onto the parallel of Sarah being in school with Julia leaving Charlie to go back to school. I’d be fine with temporary conflict, by the way. Because regardless of if her studies become an issue in her relationship with Charlie (and again, that could go either way, it could just be that added profiler aspect for the team like that one press release said, or it could shake things up a little bit) I do foresee them working out. They’ve always been endgame, it’s just a matter of how they get there.

And in terms of the ending for Charah: I predict a season 7 renewal (there have already been hints,) so I feel like there’s a possibility that they “officially” move in together (excuse me while I roll my eyes at the idea of them not technically living together yet after it was heavily implied in s5) or there’s a proposal. I’m trying to keep my hopes super low so I’ll settle for another on-screen kiss or “I love you.”

Also, this is usually the past of the season where they start dropping more intense episodes, which I think we’re getting a hint of with the (spoiler) upcoming Rex whump and Rex disappearance back to back. I’m dying to know what led them back to filming in Hamilton too. The fact that there’s been the tiniest hint of continuity and mention of Trina has me curious. Not that she’d be specifically based there as CSIS (I honestly don’t know how CSIS works) but it’s where my mind goes when I think of reasons for them to have filmed there again. (My other theory is that Sarah’s sister is getting married there and someone gets murdered. My brain is a very strange place.)

Crap, this got long. I should be channeling this energy into fic.

[piebingo]

i agree with what you said but I just got anxious bc of others reactions (not everyone ofc, bc there are a lot who still believe they're endgame) it makes the most sense they're endgame. and about the others reactions someone even was worrying that wilmon could kiss other people at the neon party which is so ooc and i don't believe there's any possiblity it would happen, just bc they could be fighting doesn't mean they would do it even if wille is drunk. what do you think?

I get that! It’s easy to get in our heads especially when we’re in a state of high emotions (at least I was in such a state after i watched the trailer lol).

I think it’s fun to speculate and think about various things, but I personally can’t see them kiss other people at this point. They already did it, there’s no need for a repeat when there are so many other more interesting sources of conflicts tbh. It would feel cheap and make wilmon much less believable to me. So yeah, I too think it would be ooc for them now that they are together. Wille kissed Felice in majority to know if it would feel the same as when he was with Simon. Like yeah he thought he should move on from Simon, but I think he kissed Felice because she was available, someone he could trust, and because she would kiss him back. That doesn’t sound like someone who would make out with someone else when he gets drunk, just because he has a fight with Simon. Wille never have the idea that he would be interested in anyone else other than Simon, other than perhaps that small moment with Felice, but again that feels fueled by a desire to test and move on. Just like Simon tried and failed so hard to get a rebound. They already came to the conclusion that they are better together than with other people! Now I just hope we will see them overcome conflicts together.

[longbobmckenzie]

Tips for writing a villa fic

If you pay attention to Love Island the Game fanfiction at all, you've probably read a villa fic or two, or a hundred. They can be a lot of fun, and the nature of the game lends itself really well to the concept. Which is why so many people have started writing villa fics of their own... and yet, so few finish them, or even come close.

Well, I’ve written more than my fair share of villa fics, ranging from a 3k word oneshot (yes, really) to a 230k word start-to-finish Season 2 Bobby fic, and I’ve read a whole lot more, so I've learned a thing or two about the genre.

So, I figured I’d share some of my tips, and ask some of my writer friends for their input (thanks @queen-of-boops, @rebelrayne, and @thoracic-orchid), and here we are!

Buckle in, because this gets long (much like my fics!)

Tip #1: Recognize that it’s a lot of work

It takes a long, long time to write a full villa fic, especially if it’s Season 2 and you’re starting on Day 1 and going right up to the final (and beyond?). We’re talking months of work, maybe even years depending on how much time you have to dedicate to it. My first fic (230k words) took me 9-10 months to write, and that was during COVID lockdown when I didn’t really have much else to do.

This isn’t meant to discourage you at all, but I’ve seen so, so many villa fics get published and never get past the first few chapters. Sometimes they even get 20-30 chapters in before the author loses interest or just plain runs out of free time. It’s a commitment, but it can definitely be done!

This especially applies to “All Star” villa fics or season crossovers. Kudos to those who attempt it and especially those who finish (I know of only one person who’s managed this off the top of my head), but trust me, it’s hard enough writing a villa fic, writing a crossover is putting it on evil mode.

Also consider if you’re writing from a male character’s POV (the LI, perhaps, or a male MC) that you’ll probably need to write more “boys only” scenes, so a little extra creativity is required (I could never, honestly).

Tip #2: Have a plan

I cannot stress this enough. Easy for me to say since I’m an outliner at heart anyway, but I’m in the middle of writing a villa fic and even with an outline, I’m still going back and tweaking early chapters (tip within a tip: write a few chapters before publishing anything!) when my plan changes slightly.

But having a clear direction of where you want to take the fic and planning out plot points, recouplings, dumpings, etc. is extremely important. Especially when you start going off-canon (more on that in a bit) or when you get to days where literally nothing happens in the villa.

The nice thing about villa fics is that you’ve already got a structure to work with, you just have to plan how you want your characters’ relationship(s) to develop and how to drive the plot.

Tip #3: You don’t always have to stick to the plan

That said, characters sometimes do things you didn’t plan for. And that’s okay! Sometimes. There are times you need to assert your will, but other times, things will change and you just need to re-evaluate your outline. And that’s okay… within reason.

For example, in Whiskey & Scotch, my plan was always for Bobby to be the endgame LI. Somewhere along the line, I fell in love with Henrik, and people really liked him and my OC together (mild spoiler: they were coupled up for a time). I was extremely tempted to blow up my outline to make it work for them, but the groundwork was laid for Bobby to be endgame, and I had scenes planned that had been living in my head for months by that point that I was excited for. It just didn’t make sense to make Henrik the LI (which is why I’m now working on a rewrite/alternate ending, because I still love them together even years later).

On the other side, at the post-Casa Amor dumping, Noah was single and I’d planned for him to save Hope. She was already a bit of a villain, they had history, it just made sense. But when I was writing the scene, I was completely stuck on his speech. I got a crazy/evil idea and had him save someone else instead. It changed a lot and I had to rework my outline a bit, but it worked out so well that I can’t imagine doing it the way I’d intended.

Tip #4: Watch the show

This is optional (technically, they all are), but it really is helpful on so many levels. It can give you an idea of the villa layout (Seasons 3-5 and 7 of the show all use the same villa), give you ideas for challenges, dialogue, plot ideas, etc. The show uses a host instead of the opening scene and some of the dumpings being done through text, generally it’s the boys picking the girls on day 1 instead of the girls, etc.

There are also more rules on the show that don’t make it into the game. Again, totally optional, but to make it a bit more realistic you could limit the islanders’ alcohol consumption (or let them get completely shit-faced if that works for your plot), take away all clocks, refer to their microphones occasionally, etc.

Also, like… I’ve never seen anyone on the show have sex on the terrace, but it happens in the game. You want your characters getting it on out in the open like that? By all means. But if you prefer a bit more realism, stick to the bedroom and hideaway. The bathroom is communal, but hey, the shower works too.

If you want to add challenges to your fic, I like to use this website for ideas. It lists most of the challenges from season 3 onwards, including results and video. It’s a great resource.

Tip #5: Kiss canon goodbye

There are definitely readers out there who prefer fics that follow canon, and to each their own. Personally, I’ve played the game over and over, read a whole bunch of fics, and written a bunch of fics, so I’m kinda sick of canon. Plus, sometimes canon just sucks or doesn’t make sense. So don’t be afraid to stray from canon, toss it into a ball and throw it out the window, or stomp all over it.

First, the dialogue. We’ve all read it over and over, got it practically memorized. Feel free to change it! In fact, please do! You can keep some lines and change the responses to completely alter a conversation, or make slight adjustments, or just… not include it at all, if you want. You can take out canon scenes and replace them with your own. Or keep them and just change who-did-what. Etc, etc. Make it your own!

Second, individual scenes. It’s okay to cut them. We don’t need to see Noah singing Toto on the daybed with Hope and Rocco walking by singing Wonderwall. Cutting it will not negatively impact your fic in any way.

What about challenges? Well… they can be cut too. Ask yourself, do they drive the plot? Is it necessary? For example, the day 4 slime challenge. Priya grinds on Noah despite not needing his colour, Lottie gets mad, blah blah blah. We know. The reader most likely knows. But unless you’re making MC’s drama the primary focus, you can cut it and just write a paragraph of narration telling us why the girls are fighting. The reader will understand and most likely appreciate that they didn’t have to skim through it.

Hell, you can skip recouplings, dumpings, even whole days. Trust me, I’ve done it. If you’re primarily sticking to a timeline that generally follows canon and not really messing with what’s going on with the other islanders, you can absolutely skip over that stuff and keep the focus solely on your MC and their LI. You can even still make slight changes to canon and just narrate what happened.

Basically, what you keep depends on what you’re trying to do with your fic. If you want to do the whole villa experience thing, keep as much as you want. If you just want to write a love story between two people who happen to be in the villa, you can cut out anything and everything that doesn’t in some way develop their relationship.

Also, you don’t have to start on day 1. Or if you do, you don’t have to start with the MC arriving at the villa. Be creative! And along the same veins, you don’t have to end it with the final. Heck, your characters don’t have to even make the final!

Tip #6: Read other fics

Again, you don’t have to do this. Plenty of villa fic writers don’t read other people’s villa fics. But I do think it’s a good idea, especially if you want to write a Bobby or Lucas fic (picking on the most popular characters because they have the most fics written for them).

You’ll be able to get some ideas of how other people did it – how much canon they kept in, how much they cut, how they made the story their own – but you’ll also get a good idea of what’s been done before. MC and Bobby are immediately attracted to each other right from the start? Great… but how are you going to make yours different from the other hundred fics that do that? Lucas switches to Blake? Okay yes, that’s canon – but are you going to keep it? What motivations are you going to give him? Maybe MC switches too?

And this isn’t to say that if someone else has an idea for something, you can’t do the same thing. Especially for people who watch the show, there have been a number of situations where people will have the same ideas. I’ve had it where I’ve had scenes planned or written only to read someone else’s fic and seen almost the exact same thing. It happens! Obviously don’t plagiarize, but it’s okay to have the same idea. And if anyone accuses you of stealing ideas, have them send their hate mail to me (don’t actually do that).

Tip #7: Write what you want to read

The reason I got into fanfiction and wrote my first villa fic in the first place was because I had an idea that I thought would be really interesting to read. I didn’t think anyone else was gonna come up with the same idea, though, so I wrote it myself.

I don’t know what sort of motivations other writers have when they start writing their fics, but if you have an idea, you just might be the best candidate to write it.

Tip #8: Don’t do it alone

Find a beta reader if you can (note: it’s not always easy, especially since villa fics are a huge commitment), but even if you can’t get someone to edit for you, getting someone who can give constructive criticism is extremely helpful – if you’re open to listening. They can help you figure out what works, what doesn’t, and what to work on.

Most importantly, though, find someone you can bounce ideas off of. If you’re struggling writing a scene, or need some ideas to help with a character’s motivation or dialogue, or you have a crazy idea and need some validation or advice… having someone you can go to is the best. All of my fics are better thanks to the people who helped, whether it was in big ways or little.

Tip #9: Develop your main character

Okay this is the tip that I don’t actually listen to myself 🤣 I’m a storyteller, so my fics tend to be more about the plot than the character arc, but having more well-rounded, developed characters is something I wish I were better at. If you know who your character is – their voice, their habits, their likes and dislikes, their family and relationship histories – it’ll be easier to write them. And the same goes for the canon characters as well! Give them more of a backstory! Give them siblings and heartbreaks! Especially with a villa fic where, unless they’re doing a challenge, they do nothing but sit around all day and have chats, you need stuff for them to talk about. This goes for group conversations, too – sometimes you just need to have some ideas of things they can talk about.

Now, I will say that I don’t think every MC needs to have heartbreak in their past (maybe they’re the heartbreaker?) or some sort of sob story. Those are common tropes in your regular run-of-the-mill romance story, and there’s nothing wrong with it, but it all goes hand-in-hand with your character’s motivations and how you want their relationship with the LI to develop. You can go that direction, but don’t feel you have to. If the story you have planned doesn’t need a character with a tragic past, then just have them be an average Joe.

Also, just a minor pet peeve of mine… your MC doesn’t have to be this super perceptive person who gets everyone’s answers right in Two Truths and a Lie. It’s day 2, c’mon. And they don't need to be the girl that all the guys in the villa are falling all over themselves to be with – is it more interesting for 4-5 guys to be into MC or for MC to be interested in someone only to be turned down? Just food for thought.

Tip #10: Choose the right POV

There’s no right or wrong POV, so choose whatever’s comfortable for you and your fic. But just note that readers do have their preferences (some people are strongly opposed to 1st and/or 2nd POV, for example). For a chaptered villa fic, it doesn’t really make sense to use 2nd person POV (“you” pronouns) because you’re telling the story of a main character who isn’t really generic. For oneshots/series where you’re writing snapshots of the villa, that might be what works for you, though.

As for 1st and 3rd, there are pros and cons to both. I chose to write my first villa fic in 1st because I really wanted the focus to be on my MC and seeing the villa through her eyes. Basically, if she didn’t see it or hear about it, I wasn’t going to include it. Other than that fic, though, I’ve primarily written in 3rd and it’s made me a better writer.

If you want to alternate POV between your MC and the LI (and maybe some of the side characters as well, as there are some people who do that), I recommend sticking to 3rd POV, because it can be a little confusing for the reader to remember whose POV they’re reading when it’s in 1st.

And there you have it! Ten tips to think about before (or during) embarking on your own villa fic. Good luck!

[findafight]

“Shipping is not about it going canon, it's about wanting to explore a dynamic. Sometimes that's thinking something should be canon but other times it's having fun smooshing dolls together in different scenarios.”

Maybe in general, but that’s not the way the Byler fandom sees it. We’re fighting for endgame status, not just to have “fun with character dynamics.” So if you’re gonna enter the Byler tag, it’s important to respect how Bylers operate. You can’t enter a random and demand people conform to how you prefer shipping to be.

Shipping Byler IS about it going canon.

that. is fundamentally not how tags work. or how fandom works. entering a ship tag the only obligation you have is to not bash the ship or be an asshole to others. Meta for fandom is usually encouraged? Just because I doubt the show's ability to end/start romo relationships (as it has struggled in the past) doesn't mean I am shipping something incorrectly.

"You can't enter a random and demand people conform to how you prefer shipping to be" 1) I'm not, I'm just saying it's more fun to not worry about a ship going canon. Other people are very welcome to dictate their shipping if they think it'll be canon and nothing else, but that doesn't seem fun to me. If the ship goes canon I hope it's done well and doesn't feel stilted because the show has a hard time with beginning/ending romantic relationships. If they pull it off for this one, I'll be very happy. Surprised, but happy. 2) you must be baiting because that is exactly what you're doing? telling me to ship something how you think it should be? acting as though you speak for the whole fandom? you're just trying to piss people off.

Shipping it for you is about it being canon. that's not what shipping it is about for me. we are allowed to have different opinions.

[ctrsara]

Stuff I'm Reading That I Love

(and you should read them too)

December 2022

Here’s stuff I’ve recently read, or am reading, that stands out to me, and I wanted to recommend. This is by no means a comprehensive list of the good stories I’ve read lately, but a few that are worth sharing!

Plus, the more of you that read and love and leave the authors some love, the more likely it is that these lovely stories will make it to completion! No ulterior motives at all here…

(Also, if you know these authors are on Tumblr, but they're not tagged, please let me know, or let them know or something, so I can be friends with them and tag them!)

The Meaning of Inevitable Series by (Mendeia)  If you haven’t been reading this series, you’re missing out, I promise. Mendeia is a master storyteller!

The first four books are complete, and the fifth is in progress.

Words: 470,673   Works: 4   Complete:No

Eleven-year-old Peter Parker's world is shattered when both his idol and his uncle are killed in the same week. Even while grieving, Peter strikes up a friendship with the local maintenance man, Tony, who shares Peter's love of science and technology - and who may be more than he lets on.

the ghost at the back of your closet by niniblack (48238 words)  This one is so hard sometimes, but also amazing, and I'm always at the edge of my seat!

Published:2022-06-10  Updated:2022-11-05  Words:48238  Chapters:9/?:

Some set-up: Tony survived Endgame, obv, but with a long recovery time. He’s fine now! But skrull!Fury still got ahold of EDITH and gave it to Peter on his Euro Trip, so we’re picking up after Peter was arrested in NWH.

I'm waiting and fading and floating away by lemonlillybee (21701 words):  This one is an expanded Whumptober story, and is very whumpy! (But with lots of comfort, too) Lemonlillybee's whole Whumptober set is so impressive!

Published: 2022-10-17   Completed: 2022-11-03   Words: 21701   Chapters: 5/5

“Sleep deprivation,” Bruce whispers to Tony the next morning. “And maybe something else. I don’t know how long it’s going to last.”

Peter hears the words, but he’s too busy pacing to really process them.

@lemonlillybee

Fostering Hope  Series by happyaspie  The first and second stories are complete, and are amazing, but I hear there’s more to come!

Words: 96,213   Works:2   Complete:No

“Not much of a talker is he,” Tony casually stated, making Peter stomach churn with unease. He had no idea where the man was going with his assessment and wasn’t really sure how to properly defend himself. Thankfully, he didn’t have to.

“Peter has what they call selective mutism,” the social worker replied. “So, no. I suppose he’s not much of a talker.”

@yes-i-am-happyaspie

For We are Bound by Symmetry  by kingdomfaraway (21834 words) I love a good biodad AU, and this one has been fantastic so far!

Published: 2022-11-18    Updated: 2022-12-12   Words: 31840   Chapters: 6/?

“I know we just met, Peter, but Tony is just down the hall and so very excited to finally meet you."

She was wrong, of course, Tony Stark was not excited to meet him. If he was excited to meet him, he would have met him at some point in his 13 years of life. Not now, not only after he had nowhere else in the world to go. Now he’s just stuck with him, unable to pretend Peter didn't exist, as he'd done since the day he was born.

@asyouleft

Chase You Down Until You Love Me by OK_ButWhy1 (17448 words): Love love love love.

Published: 2022-06-25    Updated: 2022-11-29    Words: 29281    Chapters: 8/?

Just who is this teenage boy that Tony Stark takes to get ice-cream?

Peter-gets-outed-as-Tony's-kid trope. Featuring: paparazzi and public backlash, Pepper Potts being her gloriously competent self and teeth-rotting IronDad/SpiderSon fluff.

Irreplaceable by for_the_night (40044 words): This one is so sad, but so good!

Published: 2022-04-07   Updated: 2022-11-29   Words: 46193   Chapters: 11/?

It starts with a cancelled lab session. Then two. Then three.

When Peter finally plucks up the courage to ask what he’s done wrong, he finds another kid in the lab with Tony. The teen feels a pang of hurt seeing the pair laughing and joking together, but the fatal blow is seeing Tony ruffle the boy's hair.

Tony doesn’t hate Peter. He’s replaced him.

Men of Iron by spdrmain (41899 words) This one is super interesting! The author is doing a great job with this AU!

Published: 2022-10-24    Updated: 2022-12-04   Words:66672  Chapters: 8/?

At four years old, Nathan Stark, Tony's only son, was found dead months after being kidnapped. What happened to him during that time, and how he died remains a mystery. Ten years later, Ben Parker is shot dead under suspicious circumstances. His nephew, Peter, is adamant to catch his killer. Two deaths, a decade apart, and a war on the horizon - there lies only one truth.

 little pieces of home by  mysterycyclone and seekrest (14202 words): More Spideychelle than Irondad, but a really interesting take, pretty AU-ish, and very interesting so far!

Published:  2022-02-02   Completed: 2022-11-17    Words: 14202   Chapters: 5/5

“You still really suck at lying,” Michelle says. She checks her phone. “You’ve still got time for lunch before work, right?”

Peter checks his phone. Eleven in the morning. “Yeah, I totally have time.”

He doesn’t really have time, but he makes it. He has to make it.

He’s missed them. He’s going to make time for them.

@mysterycyclone @seek--rest

 the long game by niniblack (19377 words) This one is rough (for me), but so, so good so far.

Published: 2022-11-08    Updated: 2022-11-29   Words: 28447    Chapters:10/?

The biodad au where Peter gets arrested for selling drugs, and that actually improves his life.

@niniblack

The Grey Area by Lansfics7 (121895 words) Lansfics7 is hilarious, and this story is super interesting, and I’m definitely enjoying it!

Published: 2022-07-06   Updated: 2022-11-23    Words:121895   Chapters:10/?

Peter’s in college, rooming with his best friend Harry Osborn, crushing on his partner in crime, MJ, and making fast friends with Ned Leeds and Gwen Stacy. He's living the dream, interning at Stark Industries under a watchful eye of (mentor???) Tony Stark. But he has his hands full as Spider-Man with a gang spreading fear in the streets of New York, putting civilians at risk and bankrupting the city. Peter is determined to do whatever it takes to stop them, even if that means going in over his head when the web of lies and greed turns out to be way more than he signed up for.

Understanding the Spiderling series by AthingcalledR has been really great so far!

Words: 79,606  Works:2  Complete: No

Peter Parker is a homeless orphan who dedicates as much time as he can to helping the people of New York.

Then he gets hit by a car :D

As Tony Stark and Pepper Potts try to learn more about the troubled young man, Peter tries to reconcile himself with the painful act of letting people into his life.

@athingcalledr

but only hope and sorrows end by iron_spider Recently complete, and is insane, but amazing. Fantastic. Highly recommend!

This is going to be a rough one. It has a child in danger, kidnappings, experiments which feel like torture to those who are enduring them, and long periods of being trapped and presumed dead. It spans over a decade. It is a Hydra fic, an AU about the origins of Spider-Man and Iron Man. Please plan accordingly, but always know there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Published: 2022-03-16   Completed: 2022-08-17   Words: 126339   Chapters: 13/13

@iron--spider

Long Story Short (It Was A Bad Time) Or AIs Don't Forget by peacockgirl (70140 words): My one true love, haha. She’s been adding to this fantastic story, and every chapter is a treasure!

Published:  2021-12-21   Completed: 2022-12-07   Words: 77440    Chapters:14/14

Turns out magic doesn't affect AIs. Karen is Peter's only link to his old life, and helps him hold on when he gets low.

Meanwhile, in Upstate New York, Tony struggles with the inexplicable certainty that he's lost a kid.

Until Peter gets hurt, and Karen tells FRIDAY ...

Set in that wonderful AU world where Tony survives Endgame, and our boy (eventually) gets all the hugs he needs and deserves.

And, finally, a less recent author, not writing for Irondad anymore, but I just binged pretty much anything by Sahiya recently, and it's all amazing. (thanks @junker5 for that recommendation!)